#he was convinced he didn’t deserve to face sora but the second sora knows it’s him he turns to face him bc sora needs him and agh

[wh3r3sth3l0ve]

Sora x Tifa

Part 23

Part 22 below

Tifa locked the bar door and they took the road back home. They walked close to each other, enjoying the silent surroundings of a warm night. She wanted to tell him “I love you” but stopped herself as she didn’t want to spoil the moment, she knew how uncomfortable it was for Sora, that it was still a single-sided feeling.

Suddenly Sora stopped, looking around.

- What’s wrong? - Tifa asked.

- Shhh…

He was convinced that he saw a shadow moving between the buildings and heard a sound that he knew but didn’t hear for a long time.

- It’s impossible. - he whispered. - But still…

Tifa was searching for any abnormalities as well.

- What’s wrong? Have you seen something?

- Yeah but it can’t be… Not here.

- Can you use whole sentences, please? - Tifa asked impatiently.

Something black and little jumped at them out of nowhere but Sora, who summoned his keyblade, hit it at the right moment. Creature attacked again, still unsuccessfully and vanished into the ground, leaving a black spot, which disappeared a second later.

- What was that? - Tifa’s eyes were filled with fear.

- Unverse. They are born from sadness and pain but they shouldn’t even exist. I can’t believe they are here.

Sora stayed alert and was still looking around in search of other enemies.

- Let’s go, it’s not safe here. - he pushed his girlfriend forward.

Two minutes later they were home.

- Those Unversed, they are made from sadness? - Tifa was curious about the creature.

- Yeah, the last time I’ve seen them was at least six years ago, before the Keyblade War. They were tied to Vanitas, a true badass, completely drowned into darkness. I remember fighting them was quite a challenge, although the one you’ve seen was the weakest of them all.

She didn’t know what to think about it. All of the monsters she fought in Midgar were made because of mako radiation, not people's feelings.

Sora, on the other hand, found himself diving in sadness again as memories of his past returned to him, full of pain. “Stop. I’m not like him, he’s my opposite. And I was never alone there, my friends were with me all the time, it was a good time.” he tried to convince himself.

When they were ready to go to bed Tifa decided that she needed to cheer Sora up.

- Honey? Look at me, please.

She took her shirt off, exposing her naked chest as she bent over the bed towards him with a playful smile. It was enough for him to forget about his thoughts. He walked up to her and spanked her to tease her a bit. Then he laid down on his back next to her and showed her to lean closer. She made her breasts slide up his body and let him bury his face between them. Then she sat on top of him and placed his palms on her hips. She leaned forward and kissed him with arousement.

- I want you to take control over me tonight. - she whispered teasingly in his ear.

Sora made them both roll around on the bed so he placed himself on top of her.

- Hands above your head and don't you dare move them.

Tifa did what he said. She liked that ordering tone he used.

- If you'll be a good girl, you'll be rewarded.

He started teasing her body with his mouth, placing kisses all over it which made her move a little with excitement. He slid her panties off and moved his fingers up her inner side of legs. It made her shiver and she let out a short sigh. He laid next to her and started teasing her down there with his fingers. Tifa started moaning with pleasure.

- I want to hear your heartbeat. - she said.

- You've behaved yourself so I think you deserve it.

Sora moved towards her so she could place her ear on his chest. The sound of his thudding pump made her tremble.

- It's so fast, so strong. I wanna touch you, please, can I?

- Do it, I need to feel you. - his breathing quickened.

Tifa's hands were immediately holding and teasing his crotch and it made his heart skip multiple beats.

- Oh my god… - she was absolutely lost in the sound.

They continued this way until they both reached satisfaction with racing hearts and short breaths. Shortly after, they drifted off to sleep with Tifa's head still placed on Sora's chest and his hand feeling the beat under her left breast.

[a-student-out-of-time]

//So Timeline anon and I were talking and they came across an interesting detail: apparently, in one of LINUJ’s early ideas for DRA, Akane was actually supposed to survive and escape along with everyone else.

//This idea was scrapped because, according to him, her actions were too reprehensible and also because she couldn’t live without “Master Utsuro”

//We decided that was dumb and decided to come up with our own ideas for how the story would’ve played out:

Instead of sending Teruya to deal with the SDRA2 issue, Tsurugi sends Akane, thinking that if she dies it's not that big of a loss because she's a criminal anyway, and Rei can still come as her guardian to make sure she doesn't betray them. That way, Akane’s story can be her trying to redeem herself by saving everybody from Mikado.

She can act as something of a foil to Mikado, who might even recognize her and tempt her to his side by promising to resurrect Utsuro, only for her to reject him because she’s trying to move forward.

Thanks to her intervention, as well as her past experiences as a mastermind and knowing what to look out for, she manages to save both Hibiki and Nikei from dying, thus guaranteeing the survivors have two more on their side.

Thanks to her, Nikei doesn’t die and slowly tries to regain everyone’s trust, even if he feels like he doesn’t deserve it, but she’s always there for him because she knows what betrayal is like and thinks he and the CoU deserve a second chance.

Akane’s interactions with Yuki would be interesting, especially if she was the one trying to anchor him to his own personality while Mikado was working to break him down and replace his mind with AE Utsuro.

Rather than just crying in front of the statues of Haruhiko and Satsuki, Akane breaks down and apologizes to them for putting them in the killing game.

Akane also starts to rethink her time with her class and how, ultimately, her obsession with Utsuro was brought on by how she didn’t have anyone else growing up, but she had something great with them. Maybe she also realizes that she had more chemistry and connections with Ayame than Utsuro, and wishes she were still around.

Thanks to Nikei being alive, he and Iroha can have interactions about how they used to be friends before MIkado showed up and ruined everything. With him around, maybe Iroha can have some actual development of her own. This would especially come to blows in Chapter 5, where Nikei is convinced Iroha killed her.

Sora still exists and is still the protagonist, but she and Akane can talk about how similar they are in a few ways. And while Akane, like Teruya, inevitably still dies in Chapter 5, her appearance in Chapter 6 would have much more emotional impact.

The door scene but with these two, as written by TA: AKANE: I kept my promise, Sora. I know you’ve been curious about me, but…honestly, I think it’s best if you all forget I ever existed. SORA: Akane…Did you…Did you solve the reset code? AKANE: … SORA: Akane, please move away from the door. Let’s talk about this face to face. AKANE: Sora, I told you before, didn’t I? I won’t repeat the past. This time, I’ll protect everyone, whatever it takes. SORA: Akane? AKANE: That’s my promise. I still don’t know why the Kisaragi Foundation trusted me with this mission after what I did to my friends…but if this is the only way I can even start to make things right…I’ll do it. Even if it means the end of Akane Taira.

//Overall, just some ideas on how it could work and fit better with the themes of the series about hope and redemption ^^

[ratanslily]

Lover of Mine

pairing: Rafael Aveiro x f!mc (Grace Sullivan)

note: Rafael and all oph characters belong to pixelberry! Grace belongs to @inacrowdofchoices ❤️

genre: honestly i dont even know what this is, but ends with fluff.

warnings: death mention (no, there's no major character death!), some mentions of the gas leak taken place in chapter 11 (?) please dont read if you're uncomfortable with any of these topics!

summary: just a rewrite of chapter 11 and 12 but with more rafael moments!

words: 1,014+

song inspo: lover of mine by 5 seconds of summer. wanted to write it for bryce, but made more sense for rafael and i wanted to write for @inacrowdofchoices sometime so!

tagging @choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

((didn't have much time to edit sorry!))

Grace saw her life flash before her eyes as she witnessed Rafael jumping in front of her to take all the hit of the gas leaked by senator's assistant.

"RAFAEL, NO!"

but it was too late.

she had seen him on the verge of death before too, but not again, she couldn't take it anymore.

----

there was only one bed.

in fiction, it seems like a really romantic concept. but in real life, in situations like this, things were far from romantic. As she sat beside a sleeping Rafael, she couldn't help but think about her feelings for him and about what they could've been if he wasn't committed to Sora. Her instinct begged her to grab him in a hug and never let him go but her mind urged against it. She stole a glance at Rafael, whose face showed the after effects of being hit by the gas, he looked exhausted and troubled. Grace tried to hold back her tears as she took in the view of him, unsure whether they both would live to survive another day.

Sure about the fact that he was sleeping, she mumbled, "i love you, Raf, so much."

To her horror, his eyes fluttered open, and he asked her if she said anything to him. Stumbling with words, she replied,

"I er, owe you, Raf. so much. You've saved me, you shouldn't have to do that, you know.."

Rafael just smiled at her, saying, "Yes I shouldn't have to do that, but I needed to. Now Grace, rest. It's going to be good for you."

He watched her lie down and couldn't help but admire her ombre red hair as they rested on the pillow. She looked so pretty, even with the swollen nose and eyes. A hint of pain was seen in her forehead as she winced in pain. Rafael wanted to gently caress her face to comfort her but he couldn't.

it was wrong, wasn't it? having feelings for her even though he was dating Sora. He tried to convince himself that he loved Sora, not Grace but no matter how many times he uttered the word "love" only pictures and memories of Grace flashed in his mind.

them dancing on the street after visiting his abuela. the pure joy reflected on her face as they tried Indian food on their night-out. her head drooping on his shoulder as she sat beside him to watch a korean drama for the millionth time in solidarity even though she was exhausted. her bringing him fast food when he was bored sick of the hospital food. her holding his hand and never making him feel less or lonely on their group hangouts at the restaurant.

so many memories together but still he chose Sora over them. Sure she was his childhood sweetheart but he felt more at ease with Grace rather than Sora. With Sora he felt like he had to try to show that they were in a relationship whereas with Grace, everything,every feeling came to him naturally.

--

Grace woke up to Rafael trying to drink from a glass of water and offered to help him. She saw his eyes widen in surprise as he told her that ice cold water seemed like scorching water to him. She panicked and called everyone for help. Rafael turned to her, afraid.

"Grace, I don't really know if I'm gonna make it but please, take care and I-"

he fainted before he could complete his sentence, leaving Grace devasted. Thankfully she could feel his pulse so there was a sliver of hope for him.

Bryce and others rushed to the room as she narrated the events to them. As they took him away for inspection in other room, she couldn't help but cry as Bryce pat her back comforting her.

"Bryce, I am.. scared. He doesn't look so good, and god be damned if he loses his life over saving me! If i could, I'd trade my life so that he gets to live because i sure as hell cannot exist in a world without him.." He looked at her with sympathy in his eyes, "don't worry Grace, I'm going to make sure both of you get out of here, fully healed and healthy."

and he did.

Bryce entered her room a few days later, with a big grin on his face.

"Grace, you're fully heal-"

"Is he alright?"

"Yes, he-"

Grace didn't stop for him to continue and dashed to where Rafael was transferred to. She stopped in her tracks when she heard voices coming from the room. It was Sora. She turned back to walk away when she heard,

"you still like her, am i right?"

"yes."

"im sorry, rafael its over for us. i wish you the best of luck and happiness with her"

"you too, Sora. im sorry it took so long but you deserve someone who has feelings just for you."

--

a few days later, Grace found herself strolling by the park with Rafael's hand in his.

they just returned from Bobby and Danny's funeral. She held his hand throughout the rituals to make sure he was coping with everything just alright.

"hey you can let go of my hand now.."

"no, nope. never."

Rafael smiled, for the first time that day.

"I'm sorry, Grace."

"hm? for..?"

"for taking so much time. I spent so much time wondering what we could be.. if i didnt ask Sora out, if i was clear with my feelings my feelings earlier.. if i had died before letting you know-"

"shh, enough of that. we're here. alive. with a fresh new second chance at life. don't you think we should appreciate the moments we've gotten together? to live each moment to the fullest? with the people we care about?"

He nodded his head in agreement and they resumed their walk together.

"by the way, i heard that."

"what?"

"your.. love confession in the room"

Grace felt her cheeks heat up out of embarassment.

"um, i-"

"and when i told you to go rest, under my breath, so quiet that even my ears couldn't hear but with my heart approving every word, I said.."

"i love you too"

[oveliagirlhaditright]

The Promise

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33935899

Author’s Note: Sora and Kairi as John and Sarah from the “I am Number Four”/The “The Lorien Legacies” series in an AU for SoKai Day. But note that there are MAJOR spoilers for the Lorien Legacies series here. If you haven’t read that series, or aren’t caught up with it, and maybe one day plan on it and want to avoid spoilers, you might not want to read this.

Sora’s PoV

"Sora... why are you hesitating to fight the Mogadorians, babe?" Kairi asked her boyfriend, as they ran through the city and desperately tried to escape the aliens who were chasing them.

And in some ways—in asking him the obvious here—she was bringing him brightness in the way that only she could. "Light them up, babe,” Kairi encouraged once more, tugging on Sora’s hands to try and get him to do just that.

The two of them were stopped in a narrow alleyway now, catching their breaths, and probably both praying that the bigger mogs wouldn’t be able to follow them through here—and may not even see this little crevice that seemed to come out of nowhere—but it was a long shot.

Honestly? Sora would have loved to do what Kairi was saying: to use the strange beams of light, that came from his hands, in order to defeat the monsters that had destroyed his home planet… all while his human soulmate here aided him by firing her gun at them, like she'd gotten so good at doing... like they’d done before.

But Sora and Kairi had already done this once... And later on, Kairi had died—and she'd gone down like a champ; and Sora had never been prouder of her than when he’d been on the phone with her when it had happened… when she didn’t cry out in pain at all, or beg for her life, or blame Xion for what had happened—but he- he hadn't even been able to help her in her final moments, or be there to try and change the tide-

So that was one of the reasons Sora had decided to come back and try it again, when given that miraculous opportunity.

That, and for a few other reasons, maybe…

So... Sora had found a way to alter fate, to try and change events and save Kairi. And in Sora’s book, that meant doing everything differently than what had happened last time.

If they had fought the mogs in the timeline before, this time they simply wouldn’t and would escape them instead. Anything to make sure that Kairi didn’t become a casualty to Xion’s revenge once more!

So, Sora was hoping to skirt by the mogs here... or maybe have Kairi connect to the planet like Pence eventually had, so she could get some magic herself.

But it wasn’t lost on Sora that him maybe trying to find a way to force the planet to give Kairi magic—since it wasn’t fair to him that she didn’t have it, when she was fighting for Earth—made him a bit like Xehanort: Someone who had actually been from Lorien, Sora’s home planet, he’d been shocked to find out. And had wanted to change things there, because he thought it wasn’t right that some people got the powers jackpot and others didn’t. And he’d wanted to alter things so everyone could have them. And he’d enlisted the Mogadorians for help, since they were jealous of Lorien and of course would have aided him with that. And then everything had spiraled out of control…

“Sora, babe. You’re spacing out on me. I don’t like it. It reminds me of when you actually thought I’d give up on us—and that I wasn’t under duress when I was forced to say all those things to you and that I wasn’t doing it to protect you—and then you started smooching Elrena because of it. Talk to me, please.”

Well, Sora felt like he’d been slapped in the face. And maybe he still deserved it after that whole thing, even though he knew Kairi had completely forgiven him for it. And even though they were all best friends with Elrena, of course, and she was actually dating another human, Pence, who had also been a great aid to them through all of this, and had gotten some of the aforementioned magic from Earth.

But Kairi was definitely right. It seemed like whenever they didn’t get to talk—and actually be their best together—things like that happened… or they got separated… or she got killed. So, Sora knew he needed to trust in the best girl he’d ever met and tell her the truth, if they had any hope of combatting this fate. But he didn’t even want to say the words. He felt like doing so would make them real.

“Is it really that bad, Sora?!” Kairi demanded, leaning close to him and kissing him on the cheek, clearly teasing him in the moment, before she pulled away and asked, “What? Are you going to tell me you think my art actually isn’t that good?” And while Kairi was mostly messing with him, Sora could tell, he thought there was some slight worrying there, so he knew he would have to pull her aside and give her the real of it soon enough.

But if she felt safe enough to flirt with him now, she must have decided then, like he had, that the Mogs must have lost them; Sora just hoped that they’d gone back on their ship and would leave the civilians alone, though, and wouldn’t hurt anyone else over them.

Since he heard no more screaming at the moment, he took that as a good sign and grabbed Kairi’s hand to begin leading her towards a restaurant that had just caught his eye. “Hey, Kairi. Look at this! They sell fair food here! Reminds me of our first date! What do you say we get a bite to eat here, and I’ll explain everything? I promise!”

Kairi looked at Sora dubiously for a moment, as if she thought he was using eating as a way to avoid the issue, but after a second she must have realized something, because she squeezed his hand softly and laughed, “I have missed fatty foods, like funnel cakes, since I’ve been trying to get fit so I can help you guys fight. So, this sounds nice… partly because it’s like our first date, yeah. But you’re totally flipping the bill, though.” And Sora smiled. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.

…

“Before we get into the heavy, Kairi… might we take a moment to look at the cool photos on the walls? You said you thought about getting into photography before deciding you’d rather make trinkets, right? So-”

“Sora!” Kairi exclaimed, clearly not amused in the slightest. And she looked like she might even take away his caramel apple to bump him on the hand with it, if he didn’t keep his promise to her soon.

Sora sighed, while Kairi beamed when one of the restaurant owners came to add cherries to her funnel cake. “You really want to get into the heavy already?”

“Yes!” she urged, just as soon as the worker had left their table. “We need a plan to defeat the Mogs, after all. So, I really need to know everything here. If you leave me out of important battle plans, how will we-”

“Okay, Kairi,” Sora said, interrupting her, because if he was going to do this, he needed to do it fast. Before he lost his nerve. Sora reached across the table to hold Kairi’s hand before he could think about it. He didn’t know who would need the contact more as he told this story—him or her, or both—but he figured that someone surely would. “I- I don’t even know how to say this. But I- I time traveled. I actually came back here from the future because you- you died.”

“Wait… what?!” Kairi gasped, tearing her hand away from Sora’s as she quickly got to her feet. And Sora knew it was probably from the shock of everything else more than anything, that she took her hand away from his, but it still sort of stung. He bit his lip in reaction to that, but then tried to stop it, because he didn’t need Kairi hurting even more now, in thinking he was hurting over her.

And in realizing that she was probably making a scene, Kairi quickly put a hand over her mouth—as if she was trying to remind herself to speak more quietly—and began whispering urgently, “How is that- how is that even possible?! I didn’t know you guys could time travel!”

And if Sora were a betting man, he would have said that Kairi was probably in denial here and his words to her hadn’t really set in yet. Deciding to take a page from her book, Sora stood up and decided to have this conversation through whispers, too… but not that well with the whispering, because he’d never been good at this sort of thing. “We didn’t until after… yeah. It’s a long story, that one, tied to the abilities Pence got from planet Earth here. Yeah, Earth is like Lorien now and will give people powers if they help the planet to benefit. But I’ll tell you all of that later, if you want to know.”

“Yes, please do do that. I- I want to know how I died. Was it that I just sucked at fighting? Did I fail you all?” Kairi demanded. And there were tears in her voice. She was definitely crying now. The weight of it all had finally gotten to her, Sora saw. And she was swaying on her feet. Sora caught her instantly, and moved her so that she was sitting down once more, and sat back down himself. He took Kairi’s hand again—to try and give her some moral support here; but Lord knew that he needed it, too—and Kairi, despite everything, laced her fingers with his and smiled.

“No, Kairi. Not at all. I actually wasn’t there. And God, do I hate that so much now! You don’t even know! The team was convinced to split up! And for some reason, we both got it into our heads that it would be best, strategically, if the two of us separated. That it would be fine. But you, and Xion, and Marlene were overrun by Mogs. But the three of you actually did a wonderful job fending them off, I’m told. You especially. You should have made a retreat. And you three had plans to.

“But Xion saw the Mog who murdered Roxas… and it all went to Hell. She unleashed the full weight of her powers onto them. And with her telekinesis… God, Kairi, she actually sliced open your stomach with some of the nearby debris. That’s what killed you. It was Xion! By accident, I know. But it was Xion, too caught up in the moment and not realizing what she was doing!

“And you- You were so good about it all! You never complained once! Nor did you blame her! You didn’t even wish for more time, and I-

“This is also going to sound really stupid and selfish, Kairi… but hearing right after this, that Pence got powers… as happy as I was for him, as you know he’s one of my best friends… I guess I was kind of jealous for you. I wished Earth could have been giving humans magic before. And that you could have been one of the people it chose! You’ve done so much to help the Earth, I mean! And I couldn’t help thinking that maybe if you’d had some sort of special abilities, maybe it would have somehow made a difference… maybe you could have survived that day. So, when I was given the option of coming back, I didn’t waste it… I came straight back here. To you.”

Kairi had a far-away look in her eyes after Sora talked (he’d actually expected her to have more of a reaction as he spoke. But maybe in having heard it was Xion who did it, that somehow made it all okay for her?), and she pulled away from Sora. And this killed Sora, because he’d just poured his heart out to her and this was how she reacted?!

And reliving Kairi’s death was also putting him through the ringer! Sora remembered seeing her body… after. Even though he’d tried to block the image from his mind so many times, and still really was. He’d felt her cold, lifeless hand and just held onto it for the longest time, unable to look at her face, as he muttered apologizes and refused to leave her. And now that Sora was back here with a beautiful, living and breathing Kairi, he needed to push that memory back as far as it would go by Kairi’s warm touch here… so why was she removing herself from him?

And why did it look as though she’d discovered all the mysteries of the worlds, if the wise look on her face was anything to go by?

“Sora…” Kairi said at once, slowly, deliberately. She was still whispering, but not quite as quietly as before. “First of all… you mustn’t blame Xion. It- it wasn’t her fault. It was an accident. Who would have known what would happen? I- I don’t blame her. I don’t. And apparently, I didn’t back then, either. And now that I’m… alive again. It really is water under the bridge. And who’s to say that if things had been reversed, and I had died first, that you wouldn’t have reacted much the same way, and that Xion might not have lost Roxas over you? …I hate to say it, my love. You know I do. But I’m just trying to vouch for Xion some here, as you know she’s also my friend.

“But I also get why you felt the way you did. Of course, I do! Emotions make no sense, I mean. And I might have acted like you did, too!” And Kairi grabbed Sora’s hand, so she held both of them now, and gave them a squeeze and kissed them. She then gave Sora a slight nod, and he thought he might have been falling in love all over again.

And he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. In some ways… it felt good to hear Kairi say these things. Because while she had somewhat torn him a new one, for how he’d felt about Xion, it was good to know that Kairi didn’t blame the girl. Sora had only gotten it from secondhand accounts that Kairi hadn’t blamed Xion, after all. And part of him had wondered if he’d done wrong in letting Xion be apart of Kairi’s��� funeral back then. So, to hear all of this from Kairi herself put his soul at ease some.

And maybe it could even lead to him making strides to being okay with Xion again himself. He knew the Xion of this timeline was baffled as to why he could hardly look at or speak to her, and it did make him feel terrible.

“Kairi, thank you,” Sora was about to say, and lean in to kiss her cheek, but it seemed she wasn’t quite done yet.

“…But what worries me, Sora… is that, from how I understand it, is that what you’re imagining about powers… is sort of like what Xehanort thought. We thought you might be reincarnated from your planet’s original great leader, Tetsuya Nomura, so try to draw more connections between him and yourself. Not you and Xehanort… Sora, I fear that you coming back to save me was a mistake for you with this.”

“No, Kairi. Not a mistake. Never that!” He reassured her, by getting out of his seat so he could hold her face gently and lean into her for a sweet kiss. And Sora was thrilled by the way that Kairi seemed to swoon into it—she even got up from her seat, as the gesture went on for a bit—and her foot even popped with it. He didn’t want her to really start doubting him or anything like that.

And when he pulled away from her, her eyes were definitely starry-eyed. “Sora, I love you,” Kairi all-but sang to him.

“And I love you, too, Kairi. So, so much! You don’t even know! It’s like Donald said! Loriens only fall in love once… and with me, that’s you. So that’s why I had to do this. I had to!” Sora explained, just giving Kairi a hug now… so they could relax, and breathe, and just be.

“I know,” Kairi promised him. “And we’ll figure it out. We’ll figure it all out. We’ve kept the Mogs running from us for a long time, and we’ll keep them running even longer. Forever!”

“Heh,” one of the restaurant owners spoke up now now, as he swept the place a little—Sora had actually forgotten all about all of the workers at this small establishment. Oops!—“that’s quite the show you two have put on over there. You’re some good actors. We don’t actually get a lot of kids coming in here for some reason. You’d think more people would be interested in a carnival restaurant. But, nope! Here. Why don’t I get you both some vanilla ice cream on the house?”

And the man did just that.

 And Kairi gave Sora some of her cherries, so Sora—along with her—could put them on his ice cream scoop, so that it looked like Mickey Mouse for funsies. They then clinked their ice cream bowls together and enjoyed the rest of their date.

And Sora knew they’d enjoy the rest of their lives together like this, too. They would find a way. They just had to!

Author’s Note: So… I have not finished reading the The Lorien Legacies/I am Number Four series. I actually stopped right after Sarah died. Not because that necessarily made me want to stop reading, or anything like that, but because I’m sort of torn on how I want it to go forward from there. In my opinion, there are two ways it can go… and I can see it going either way (and I can get why it would go either way, and would somewhat appreciate both), but I don’t know if either would fully make me happy.

Either we DON��T bring Sarah back, which would be pretty sad and I WOULD miss her.

Or we DO bring her back, which would be nice, but it would trivialize death some, in a series that so far hasn’t done that and I also don’t know if I want that.

I don’t really know what I want, and thus I haven’t read further yet… But I really need to, because I DO love this book series and it’s actually one of my favorites.

So, all of this is actually some of my thoughts and theories on where it maybe goes past that point. I may be dead wrong. I probably am, in fact!

Anyway, John and Sarah have always reminded me of Sora and Kairi, in some ways, so I thought I’d write this. Originally, I actually started this for next year’s (yeah, I was starting WAY early) SoKai Week’s “AU Day”, but I decided I’d just finish it and post it for SoKai Day instead. I have another idea I can use for next year’s AU Day, instead.

Though, tbh, while I like Sarah and the John/Sarah plot, I don’t always think they’re handled that well… which I could also say about Kairi and Sora/Kairi, sadly. So, that’s another thing they have in common. And perhaps one of the many reasons they sort of remind me of each other.

“Xehanort” in this is the The Lorien Legacies’ “Setrákus Ra”. And “Tetsuya Nomura” in this (pfft) is the The Lorien Legacies’ “Pittacus Lore.”

Anyway, I hope even one person liked this. LOL

Happy SoKai Day!

And may we get KH news—and SoKai stuff—soon, because this year without it was hard.

[gildedmuse]

Sora: Warrior Of The Sea

(A RedHawk Production)

Cavendish's constantly flirting with Law, because hey if it gets him a bigger role....

Zoro isn't sure why exactly, but he wants to punch Cavendish in the face. He's suggested (to Luffy, in private) that his character gets to do so multiple times. Luffy thinks it's hilarious. Of course Zoro wants to punch Cavendish.

Zoro: No, I mean our characters...

Luffy: Shishishi that doesn't make sense, Zoro. Why would Daichi punch Cavendish when Torao isn't even in the show.

Zoro: *grumbles* It had nothing to do with Torao.

Luffy: Unless---!!! Did Torao put himself in the next show? Who does he play? Does he have a costume? Is it awesome?

Zoro: What? No, of course he didn't -- You know you can read the scripts, right?

Luffy: That's boring. I'd rather see what happens. Although I'll bet I know what part Torao would give himself if he did!

Zoro: Someone with puppet string powers so he could force Ace and I to act more like the manga?

Luffy: Shishi, Zoro's always so funny. Noooooo, stupid. *Beaming up at him, like he knows a secret* I know what Torao would do. Torao would play a character that got to kiss Daichi! Shishishi.

Zoro: W-what?! *Under his breath, as if anyone cares about their conversation enough to listen in or would be surprised by this* Stop messing around, Luffy! Idiot! Why would you say something like that?

Luffy: Cause then he'd get to kiss ZORO. And in front of everyone, too, just like he wanted to- mmfff!

Zoro: Luffy! *jolts forward to cover Luffy's mouth* H-he does not want to--! No one wants to--! *Sighs, letting go before Luffy gets bored and starts licking his palm. He totally knows him too well* What a stupid thing to say.

Luffy: *Pouting beacuse it was NOT a stupid thing to say and he doesn't understand why Zoro is being so mean and weird when Luffy is being so helpful!* No it's not! Torao watched all - *Makes a longing sort of face, but tries to glare as well, the way Law does* - when Ace and Zoro kissed at the party last year. *Frowns at the memory, pointing an accusing finger in Zoro's face* Zoro is the stupid one for making Torao spend the rest of the party pouting in the back. He wouldn't even come watch me and Carrot have an eating contest and that was super fun!

Zoro: *Eye twitching* You moron, that's not the reason Law didn't want to watch you two eat. Anyway, he's always like that. He probably didn't even want to go to that stupid party in the first place.

Luffy: Everyone loves parties. Torao was probably having tons of fun until Ace and Zoro kissed, and it's worse because everybody saw!

Zoro: *Starts to ask why that’s so important but stops because Luffy logic* What does it matter? It was just some stupid party game. And Torao didn’t seem to mind when Cavendish kissed him earlier! 

Luffy: But Torao didn’t go all red after and tell everyone how good at kissing Cavendish is. 

Zoro: *Flushes all over again just at the memory. He might have been slightly tipsy. and as luck would have it Ace IS a really, really good kisser. In a way Zoro had not been expecting,*

Luffy: *Eyes go wide* That's why Torao wants to kiss Daichi! Then maybe Zoro will think Torao is an even better kisser than Ace AND everyone would see it so then they’d all know that Zoro belonged to Torao and likes Torao more! 

Zoro: *Knew that he’d regret learning Luffy’s logic behind the importance of everyone seeing him kiss someone* That’s not how tha-- Wait, no. *Shakes head, not believing he’s been dragged into this* I told you, Todorao didn’t write himself in the show. And if he did, he wouldn’t make a character who kissed Daichi. It wouldn’t be “like the original”. I, uh, flipped through the manga just to see if there were some better fights coming up. *Will die before he admits he read the whole series because Law seemed so upset he’d heard of it before* Daichi already has a love interest. It’s....*Shudders* Poison Pink. They even kiss this episode. *Looks like a man condemned at the thought that he’s going to have to kiss Perona of all people.* See it's right.... *Skimming the script, frowning when he can't find the page.*

Luffy: Shishishi. Only Zoro could lose his way inside a script!

Zoro: I didn’t get lost! It was here in the last draft I swear. *Flushing less out of embarrassment more of anger* Perona made me practice. Apparently my kissing isn’t “cute” enough for the princess. 

Luffy: Hmm.... *Thinks about Perona threatening Zoro to practice so he doesn’t gross her out while everyone is watching* 

Luffy: *Thinks about Perona being all gleeful cause she gets to boss Zoro around, even if it’s just telling him how he should kiss her. She’d probably make him do it again and again just so she got to keep bossing him around.* 

Luffy: *Pictures a mini Law peaking into the dressing room and seeing Perona get kissed by Zoro* 

Luffy: You should practice the kissing scene with Torao! *said loud enough that any crew member that hadn't picked up on the tension definitely knew now*

Luffy: *Pictures Law at a typewriter angrily slamming down  on the keys, furiously rewriting the scene*

Zoro: *an interesting shade of red* Wh-what are you talking about! And keep your voice down!

Luffy: Well, usually I help you remember your lines, because you're terrible at it.

Zoro: I am not! They just change too much that's all!

Luffy: But what if I couldn't help with the kissing scene because.... Hmm.... Because I was busy helping Ace!

Zoro: *Sweatdrop* I'm not sure that sounds right.... You should probably just say you don’t want to.

Luffy: So you'd have to ask Torao!

Zoro: Why would I--!! And besides *Shakes script in Luffy’s face* the kissing scene is gone. *So fucking relieved* 

Luffy: Oh, right.... Oh,  I know! I’ll bet Shanks would put it back in if we asked!

Zoro: No!

Luffy: But then you'd have a reason to kiss Torao! Though I guess you’d have to practice where everyone could watch, but we practice out on set all the time so just so that. And you wouldn't have to punch anybody!

Zoro: ...... I'd still want to punch Cavendish.

Luffy: Hmm… Well, maybe you could kiss Torao then punch Cavendish.

Zoro: *Doesn't reply, because this seems like a pretty good deal*

There's one time Luffy convinced Law to give in and try on the Sora costume. Bon Clay adores Luffy so it's not at all difficult to talk him into letting the two of them borrow it. Admittedly, Law feels a little ridiculous about how excited Luffy gets over playing dress up, but also.... He /does/ kinda want to try it on. Just to see. Still, he's determined to be seen as professional and not like a total fanboy at work so he makes Luffy swear not to tell a soul and promises himself he'll only try it on for a minute.

So naturally the second he's done up, Luffy runs off to get Zoro so he can see how cool Torao looks as Sora. Zoro gets pulled out of his trailer half dressed in his own costume - he's used to Luffy grabbing him and dragging him places with no explanation - only to be shoved into a small dressing room with a very flushed, embarrassed looking Law all dressed up like his childhood hero.

Luffy has to prompt him to tell Torao how badass he looks, seeing as Zoro is just /staring/ at Law. Not even at the costume, just at Law. That's wrong and boring as far as Luffy's concerned so he finally jumps in telling Zoro what to say. Which Zoro still managed to screw up by replying to, "Doesn't Torao look totally cool as Sora?" With, "Mmm, so cute." Before realizing, shit, said that outloud

Fellow writer Robin just happens to peek into the room while looking for Law in that moment and catches Zoro stuttering a correction while Law goes from embarrassed to full on smug, leaning closer to Zoro and flirtatiously asking "But what do you think of the costume?" enjoying the way Zoro's skin goes all flushed.

Robin decides she doesn't need Law that much at the moment, but she does secretly snap a photo on her phone. She's a total Daichi/Sora shipper. She has a secret account online where she writes fanfic of the two. She somehow managed to get a picture of Ace and Zoro in full costumes making out that no one can explain.

She watches the two of them for a moment before quietly backing out, smiling the whole time. She has so many plans for these two now.

I feel like Zoro would not care about awards at all, but notices that Law gets a bit more bitchy when award season comes around. Which means it does matter to him (even though he hasn't cared about them with past projects, the Sora show is very important to him. He just wants to see it get the recognition it deserves). So when there is a surprise upset and Zoro ends up winning Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series, he doesn't even give a real speech but whatever. But when they end up landing Best Drama Series and all his co-workers erupt in excitement, Zoro can't help getting caught up in Law's barely hidden gleefulness and without thinking grabs him, pulling him in for a kiss.

Not even like a /good/ kiss. Less "I'm going to absolutely devour you", more "I'm so happy for you" mixed with a touch of, "God you're so cute when you get all over excited you dork". He has to lean down two rows, over Luffy's head, to grab Law by the back of his jacket just to pull him in for a quick, sloppy kiss. But it still managed to shock the fuck out of Law. He's so used to being the one to flirt with/tease an embarrassed Zoro that the kiss is more surprising than the win.

Luffy totally gives him a thumbs up of approval and well done high five that Law does not remember at all. Luckily for him, he accepts the award alongside Mihawk, Shanks, Hiyori, Jinbe and Benn so he isn't actually expected to speak at all. Which is a good thing, because even by the time backstage interviews start he's still a little lost. Not helped by reports straight up asking him about the kiss.

Thank God Shanks can talk about anything for forever. Benn mercifully removes Law from in front of cameras and let's Shanks dazzle/annoy them with another "When RedHawk Productions was just starting out....." story that he has an endless supply of

Corazon - the show runner from the first show Law ever worked on, who took Law under his wing - finds Law almost immediately and pulls him into a hug. Law finally starts to shake out if it and thanks Corazon for his support and believing him, congratulating him on the success of his miniseries Dressrosa, etc.

Corazon is immediately in there with, "Why didn't you tell me? Who is that boy? I mean I know who the boy is. Why didn't you tell me you were dating Roronoa Zoro!? Oh my God, is what they said about him and those two actresses true!? Is he going to do that to you? How could you not tell me!"

@randommouseclick

Law: Boa's trying to get into Mugiwara-ya's shorts, Perona's along for kicks and Zoro's a fucking himbo who's interested in neither.

Law: Do you REALLY think I'd let him get away with that shit, if it WAS true?

@gildedmuse

Corazon just WORRIES. Law is so innocent in certain ways. Cora doesn't want him to be taken advantage of.

Anyone Who Has Ever Met Law: Umm......

Corazon, Prior To Meeting Zoro: Anyway, *lights a cigarette while calm and collected* I'll speak with him first to make certain. No point getting attached to a bad element.

Corazon, Upon Meeting Zoro: Oh my God! *Pulls Zoro into a hug, tears streaming down eyes* Thank you so much for loving Law! I'm sure you two will be happy together for the rest of your lives.

Corazon making some poor camera man take pictures of the two of them like it's fucking prom.

Nami is Zoro's agent. Switching from representing a Stunt Coordinator/Performer to an actor with a starring role in what eventually turns out to be a hugely popular series had not been in her plans. On the one hand, her cut just went from 6 to 10 percent, and on top of his general pay raise that makes for a rather good take away. On the other hand, her job just got way more complicated. Stunt guys rarely have whole sections of the internet dedicated to them. They certainly don't end up with their picture in the trades alongside names like Boa Hancock. She's definitely had to earn that additional 4%.

Her main goal is to convince Zoro to keep taking similar (paying) roles while keeping him as far from the press as possible. Because every time you put this boy in front of a camera without a script it's a goddamn disaster. If he somehow managed not to piss off the media establishment due to him not giving a fuck then his fans - when the hell did Zoro get fans? She took this kid on as a favor! It was supposed to be easy - are probably throwing an absolute fit.

When this phenomena first starts happening with Hancock she calls up in a panic. WHY is Zoro always being photographed around her? Please don't say he's trying to hit on Boa Fucking Hancock. Do you know how fast that woman could sink his career? Possibly even Nami's!? That's how powerful this woman is and for god's sake won't Zoro just stay away. The press is having a goddamn field day wondering what their relationship is and Nami is shocked Hancock's personal security hasn't escorted him off the set of his own TV show.

By the time he kisses Law, Nami has learned to just roll with the punches. She's watching the ceremony live. Less than thirty seconds after it happens her phone blows up. This time it's the fans who are wondering who this mysterious sexy stranger is (a question that is answered literally less than a minute later when the show introduce who will be accepting the award, but that doesn't stop the topic from somehow trending), freaking out about Zoro maybe being gay, and theorizing about Hancock and Perona helping him stay in the closet by manufacturing all that drama. This is almost three years since he was hired for the show so by now Nami just shoots him a text like, "You're probably going to be asked about kissing that man since you did it on camera in the middle of the award show".

She is a little afraid when she gets the reply "laws realt cute when hes all happy huhh??" But only because it means Zoro's drunk. She's never actually seen Zoro drunk. She's not sure how much alcohol it would have taken. But she just texts her friend Robin to let her know if Zoro dies of alcohol poisoning and then heads into bed. That's how chill she's gotten over the last three years (also it's 12% now that he's won an award).

[dusky-dancing]

For the ask meme, can you do #17 and rikunami?

Thank you for the ask, anon! 

See this post for the full list!

I admit that I was a little nervous since I’d never written RikuNami before, but they are so fun to write! Hope you enjoy :)

Here’s #17, A Kiss to Distract

——————————————————————————————–

After helping the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee unlock more data from Cid’s computer, Riku had needed a breather. A quick detour before he headed back to the Land of Departure, nothing else. His heart led him to the same place it always had, and for the same reason. Next he knew, the warm sun and green forests that cradled Twilight Town greeted him on his descent.

For the first time, it hadn’t been Namine who greeted him off of the gummi ship, but Hayner, Pence and Olette who were eager to put him to work. 

So much for a breather.

The “work”, turned out, involved throwing Namine a party for her new birthday, the day that her heart was returned to her. Of course, the day had been the anniversary of many things, but they’d wanted to focus on the positive like the good friends they were.

The others had already been busy getting all of the decorations, and the three before him were in charge of handling all of the food. With smiles all-too suspicious, they’d volunteered him to keep Namine company for the next few hours while everyone else set up, and he’d agreed to the task almost embarrassingly quickly. For one, he’d have done anything to avoid being in a small space with several people again. And two, he’d just…wanted to see her. She’d been his whole reason for visiting the quaint town in the first place. 

Hayner had told him to have her back by six o’clock, but his tone had reflected that of a protective sibling as much as an eager party-planner.

He found her sipping tea alone outside of a cafe. Time always seemed to slow the moment her eyes found him, and this was no different. 

“Riku!” She stood and faced him. Neither of them were fully comfortable initiating or participating in things like hugs, but he felt content just being in her company. “Xion told me they had a surprise for me today, but I wasn’t expecting something this great,” she smiled. 

A lump formed in his throat, and something between a groan and a cough escaped. “Yeah,” he gave her a subdued smile, which he knew paled in comparison to the one he was receiving, “guess I’ll try not to disappoint.”

“Never,” she gestured down the street. “Join me for a walk?”

Yes, a walk. Anywhere that wasn’t near the usual spot. Or a gift store. Or anywhere that sells food. Shouldn’t be too hard. 

As he scaled up his singular task in his head, he realized she was still standing a few paces ahead of him and waiting for an answer. 

“Uh, yes,” he said and hastily joined her side. 

He’d never get tired of exploring Twilight Town. The real place was so much more lively than what Ansem the Wise had generated in his computer. Though his task of keeping her oblivious made it harder to just enjoy the colors of the town. 

When the gang had said they’d be around town gathering supplies, they hadn’t been kidding. Whether it was Axel and Isa with a giant banner that said “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAMINE”, Roxas and Xion trying party hats on each other, or Hayner and Olette picking out cupcakes, there had been spoilers around almost every corner. He swore they could teleport too. With how many times he had to quickly herd Namine out of view, he was surprised she never caught on. One thing he knew: he had to get her out of the main portion town. 

A brief train ride brought them to the appropriately named Sunset Terrace, and Riku immediately appreciated the lack of familiar faces.

“So,” he said as he walked, “it’s been a year since you moved here. How do you like it?”

“It feels like a home,” she folded her hands in front of her chest. “Thanks to the people here, the happy memories here far outweigh the sad ones.”

The sad memories, in which she was essentially held hostage for a second time, all while being belittled and dehumanized. Most of those memories he’d been a bystander for, and he wondered if being around him now caused her any pain by association. It was a miracle that she granted him any of her time at all. Perhaps returning to his rightful form again helped make their friendship possible, or perhaps she was just that kind.

Namine seemed to follow his thoughts. “You know,” she said, “with my time in the mansion, some parts were painful, but some were happy too.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” she nodded, “Atleast I wasn’t alone.”

He chuckled, “I would’ve hardly considered myself company.”

“You were struggling, but you were there.” She giggled, “In a way, we were both these strange beings overwhelmed with guilt, yet still determined to set things right.” She leaned and brushed a hand over his arm as she walked. “Thank you, Riku.”

He searched himself for reasons that he could possibly deserve a ‘thank you’, but came up empty. Why was he making this day about himself, anyways? And why was he making her recall painful memories? She certainly didn’t look unhappy, but he wanted her to remember the day - remember his company - fondly.

“Here, come with me.” Out of nowhere, she grabbed his hand and began running up Sunset Hill, turning him into a stumbling mess after her. 

 He’d been to the top of the hill before, but now he could fully take in the view. The town itself seemed to end while the rest of the world stretched out in an endless green forest.

“What do you think of the view?” She asked.

“It’s nice.” He kept the strong words to describe it, and even stronger words to describe how she looked, to himself. “I haven’t been here since-” he caught himself, hating that he seemed to fail at lighthearted conversation. 

“Since you let me go,” she smiled. 

“You’re giving me too much credit,” he chuckled. “It was the least I could’ve done.”

A commotion down the hill in the marketplace caught Riku’s attention. From where he stood, he could see that it was Pence struggling to carry a giant cake. He rolled his eyes, grateful that Namine’s back was turned to it. He played it cool and refrained from staring too long. It wasn’t difficult to keep his attention on her anyways.

Despite his efforts, the conversation kept coming back to their memories in Twilight Town. Maybe leaning into the topic would be better than forcing small talk. 

“It was a two-way street in the mansion, you know,” he said. “You helped me too.”

“I helped restore Sora’s memories,” she muttered, “but-”

“I don’t mean that,” he interrupted. “I thought I was…cursed. But when I saw you use your powers to restore Sora’s memories, it made me want to do more than just conquer the Darkness. It - you - inspired me to walk the road to dawn, even if it took a while,” He looked straight into her light blue eyes. “So, thank you, Namine.”

She hung her mouth open, as if she wanted to respond, but settled on one of her humble smiles.

“And on a less complicated level,” he added, “you’ve been there for me as a friend ever since,” he hung on the last word and left the sentence unfinished, both unable to and knowing she wouldn’t need him to. 

Being separated from his best friends weighed on him heavily over the past year. Even though he knew he and Kairi were working together to save Sora, and he couldn’t imagine what kind of loneliness she was going through, the events of a year ago had left him with no one to confide in. 

Well, no one but the woman in front of him. 

Her cheeks reddened, and her eyes reflected a deep empathy. If anyone knew how badly one needed friends, it was her. “It’s the least I could do.”

He’d thought his connection to Namine had only been through some combination of Kairi or his replica, but that delusion shattered the moment she’d placed her hand in his. In the tiny contact, there had been neither a familiar spark of an existing friendship, nor a drive to protect solely out of obligation.

No, there had been something more. He found himself coming to her for seemingly no reason, and she always made time for him amidst her new found family. Every strong face and misleading “I’m fine” from him had fallen apart under her gentle gaze. The more he thought of her, the more that the word “friend” failed to fully describe who she was to him.

A loud yelp echoed from where Pence was, and Riku didn’t have to look to know his attempt to carry too much had failed. An earsplitting clatter followed, along with many more gasps. 

Unfortunately, Namine hadn’t resisted the temptation to look. As she began turning around, time slowed, and Riku panicked internally. He had one job - don’t spoil the surprise for Namine - and her seeing Pence dropping a birthday cake was probably considered a mission failure. His mind ran through several excuses he could tell her, but none were convincing. 

There was one thing he could do to keep her focused on him; something he might just be mad enough to do. Before he could talk himself out of it, he mustered up all of the courage he possessed and took her face within his hands. This new touch along with the surprised look she was giving him was enough to turn his stomach into nothing but nerves, but there was no going back.

Next he knew, his lips were on hers in the gentlest, most inexperienced of kisses. Her lips were just as soft and warm as her heart, and he wished he could stop time to cherish it a little longer. Her hands came up to brush over his own and settle on his arms.

Kissing her was less like fireworks and more like finally breaching a surface he never knew existed. Everything, from breathing to smiling to jumping to crying, felt waves easier.

When he pulled away, her eyes stayed closed a moment longer before fluttering open. 

“Riku…” 

The way she breathed his name so fondly made him want to lean back in for more, but he waited. Waited for her to move first. To say something else.

Only she didn’t. She remained still, looking up at him with both surprise and tenderness. 

Guilt quickly pulled him back under the surface. He meant every second of kissing her, but how could he fumble something so earnest on a distraction? Had it only been a distraction, or was the distraction just an excuse to kiss her? Whatever it was, it had worked on both of them, because the commotion down the hill was the furthest thing from their minds now. 

“I’m sorry,” his hands fell from her face, to her shoulders, to her arms. Even her hands felt far more than he deserved to touch. “That was…selfish of me.”

Her hands caught his wrist as he tried to back away. When he dared to meet her eyes again, her expression hadn’t changed. She shook her head. “You deserve to be a little selfish sometimes.”

As she stepped closer, the distant clock tower chimed to signal half-an-hour until six. Walking back now would barely make them punctual, but hopefully Pence’s accident had afforded them a little more time.

It was then that Riku decided making her a little late to her own surprise party was worth taking the time to kiss her properly.

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! If I recall correctly, the Kingdom Hearts character files revealed that Namine goes to live with the Twilight Town gang after the events of KH3, which I thought was super sweet and everything she deserves. The sea-salt family just keeps growing, and I loved the idea of Namine joining their little found family. It was also really fun to think of all the things Riku admires about Namine, and in what circumstance he’d kiss her as a distraction.

This was my first RikuNami fic, so I hope you all enjoyed it:) 

[danlusional]

04 - left hanging

book: Open Heart: Second Year pairing: Rafael Aveiro x f!mc (Camilla Valentine) rating: PG-13 for swearing word count: 973 

note: so i’m back after a while and this one shot idea have been with me for a while too. for a note, i actually HAVENT played the last few ch of OH2 after the baseball game, so it explains why this also took place then but I mixed up what happened after because @cryinginthebackseat still kept me in the loop. i actually cannot wait to see what pb is going to do with OH2 and i do hope they’re taking it seriously with the redo. here’s to all the rafael stans who are still around. 

The dugout was mostly empty, aside from the few players of Edenbrook quietly packing up their stuff. Camilla couldn’t care less about them as her mind stewed over how the match ended. It was complete bull how the umpire ruled out the game, and Mass Kenmore could walk away with a smug grin on their face. Not to mention how everyone now thought Camilla was the biggest asshole in the Boston area.

With rage still running through her whole body, the blond stuffed her things into her backpack and felt her fingers shook as she zipped it close. It was when she turned around to leave that she ran into a silhouette of a man at the entrance of the dugout. “Shit—“, she whispered as she jumped back in surprise.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”, Rafael quickly blurted out when he saw Camilla’s reaction. “You kinda took a while… So, I wanted to check up on you. Everyone’s waiting for you at the parking lot…”, his words just trailed off as he tried to look at her in the dimmed surrounding. “Are you okay?”

Her breathing was still ragged, both from the surprise and the anger boiling inside of her. It had been a shitty day. It should’ve ended with Edenbrook smearing their win all over the rival’s face but it came to the worst possible ending. “I’m fine.”, Camilla flashed him a tight smile before hitching the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. “I’m just beat.”

She knew he would’ve known she was lying. Despite whatever their relationship was back then, Rafael knew her. It was genuine, it was deep, it was something Camilla thought both of them wanted for real. It wasn’t the case for him, she guessed.

“You know you can tell me anything, right…? We’re still… Friends.”, his eyes looked down when he said the last word. As if he was trying to not look into her eyes and said it out loud without lying to himself.

“I know but I don’t wanna bother you with my problems. You have your own with your job and everything else. You’re probably also Sora’s place to confide in now.”, Camilla widens her smile to hide the dully throbbing pain she felt in her chest when the other girl was mentioned. “I’ll be fine.”

Within a few seconds, they both could feel the tension that was still lingering whenever they ended up being together alone. There were Elijah or their other friends in between them most of the time ever since the “break up”, but whenever this happened, it was too obvious for them. “Anyway… Let’s go.”, she broke the silence and started making her way out of the dugout.

“Wait.”, Raf stopped her right before she could walk past him. They were now only two steps away from each other. “Can I tell you something first? I haven’t told the others… And I think you should be the one who knows about this.”

Camilla had quite enough surprises from this man. She liked it before, when he made time to greet her during her shift at the hospital with a kiss before he left for a call again, or when he waited for her until she was done working so they could have a date night. Now? Not so much.

“What is it, Raf?”, she tried to sound patient and calm.

He read her like a book and the guilt was apparent on his face before he cleared his throat to deliver the news. “I’m… moving out of town. With Sora. I think a fresh start is needed, you know, after everything with the suspension.”

The news, once again, blew a hole out on her chest. It took Camilla’s breath away for a second with her eyes glued to his face. The moment seemed like it happened in slow motion. “What? But you love Boston. You love the people and your whole life is here!”

“I know and that’s why. I think I needed this, you know?”, he sighed, sounded almost desperate to have Camilla’s understanding. “I lived my life here, built everything here, but look at where it got me.”

“Are you sure about this? How about going back to school? What you told me, about being a therapist? All that?”, her voice now trembled with emotions. Her eyes felt hot with tears welling up. She wished she wouldn’t need to see him every day when he first introduced her to Sora, but now, the prospect of not seeing Rafael ever again hurt her more.

He pursed his lips, not knowing what to say to the girl. “Camilla, I’m sure about this… I’m leaving.”

There was nothing more she could do or say to convince him. They both stood there in silence, only their breaths and the faraway chatters filling in the air. “I just hope… no, I’m wishing you the best. You deserve the best and I’m really hoping that this move and Sora can give you that.”, it took everything in Camilla not to shed a tear in front of him.

She never wanted to in the first place when he broke her heart, not this time as well.

“Cam—“

“No, really. I will be fine, Rafael.”, she took a step back, almost stumbling out of the way. It would be too painful if they touched or if he hugged her. Camilla wouldn’t know how to handle herself if she had the chance to hold him in her arms again, only for him to walk away the next second. “Let’s just go. Everyone’s waiting.”

With no more words, the blond turned around and made her way to where their friends were waiting. It was not like how she imagined but she could only hope that this was the only way she could move on.

[snow-whiteandred-rose]

Imagine: You decide being together with him

A/N: Hey Guys! Here is our first Jin Imagine. In my mind Jin is the cheesiest of all members. So I hope you like it! Best wishes, Vanessa :) Pairing: Jin x reader Genre: fluff word count: 1,3k 

You looked at your watch and you weren’t happy what it showed you: 15 minutes too late. At first you had oversleept and than the subway didn’t come. Great... a typical Monday. With Fast steps you walked across the street. Just another two blocks, then you would be at work and you could rest your feets which hurt because of your heels. If you had knew that the underground would be canceled than you never had worne these shoes. You sighed when you walk in the cool  receiving area. It was really hot outside. The summer became hotter every year. When you entered the elevator and presses the button with the number 15, you looked at the mirror, fixed your hair and stroked above your light summer dress you liked a lot. With luck you could say that everything sat there where it belonged to sit. When the doors opened you went quickly to your office. “Y/N!” You heard your boss yell. ‘shit, now I’m done.’ You thought before you entered his office. “It’s 25 Minutes...that’s the second time in one week. Actually I thought you did a great a job but now I’m not sure if you are taking this seriously.” “I’m so sorry. I love this job really much and I’m so happy to work for your company. It won't happen again, I promise.” “It shouldn’t happen a again. And now get to work. Sora send you some texts which you have to read. We need your opinion.” “I’m about to start.” You said and went to the door. In the moment you wanted to leave the office he call your name again and you turned around. “By the way... flowers were sent for you.” You already felt that you blushed.

“Oh, eh thank you.” With red head you went quickly to your office. As soon as you walked through the door your eyes felt on the big bouquet of red roses which stood unmissable on your desk. You went through your room to open the letter which was sent with them. “Princess, I’m waiting for your decision. I will send you flowers as long as will take to convince you to be in a relationship with me. Love you, SJ” You sighed and took place on your desk chair with the letter in your hands. With your fingers you stroke above the written. Jin and you were on a date yesterday. At first you were at your favorite restaurant and after that you just spent the evening cuddling on your couch. Before he prepared for leaving he held your face in his hands and told you that he has fallen for you and asked if you wanted to be his girlfriend. But you hesitated. You really wanted to be in a relationship with him. He was the love of your life. Was it that crazy that you felt this way especially when you two were dating since a half year? But life weren’t always about what you wanted. Sometimes you also had to think about what is the best for you and him. He was an Idol and the time when you could see him was rare. The quality time you could really use for your own was even less. Once the tour started it would be several months you couldn’t see each other. You had to ask yourself, do you really want this? But on the other side you always enjoyed the time with him, he made you smile with his stupid jokes, when he kissed you you felt alive and even when you couldn’t see him often, he always texted you and you always had the feeling that he cared about you. The decision was hard and that was the reason why you wanted this time for your own. To make your decision. Why love must be so difficult? You moved your hands over your face. ‘Y/N, take a deep breath, just listen to your  heart.‘ You said to yourself. But now it’s time to work and your were really thankful for the distraction. Because the tons of work, time was flying. Exhausted but happy not to think about your heart, you fall asleep that evening. When you said you wanted time for yourself to think about your feelings for Jin you mad the bill without him. Every single day he sent you a new bouquet of flowers. Everyday it was a different one. Your office already looked like a flower shop. Also every colleague made a joke that they wanted to know where you got your dates because they also wanted this romantic things. But the flowers weren’t the only thing he did for you. He also sent you a picture every evening with you and him and wrote what he loved about you. “What do you say? How long he will send you flowers?” Y/F asked you. “Seriously... how I rate him, he will never stop it until he gets the answer he wanted.” “And do you give him the answer?” You sighed: “I don’t know... I don’t wanna be hurt.” “Oh, come on,” your best friend yell through the phone,”sometimes you have to take a risk to get the things that you want. He makes you happy. So what’s so difficult. I don’t understand it. Yes, he is a Idol. Yes, he has a full schedule. So what? Nothing is perfect and most important are the feelings you have for each other..” You closed your eyes and thought to hear to your inner voice. Maybe your friend was right. “You know what... you are right. I can’t always go the easiest way. I have to take the risk for him and me. I’m sorry, I have to hang up to let him know that.” “Yeah, that’s what I wanted to hear. Catch your man. Have fun you sweat lovebirds but stay decent, please.“Your Friend laughed before you hang up. Fastly you put your stuff together, took your handbag and went to the elevator. Cause of the parquet floor the only sound to be heard was the clattering of your heels. So you could see your colleagues looking out of there offices. “Everything Fine?“ you heard someone say. “I couldn’t feel better.“ In the same moment when you wanted to press the button to open the elevator doors they open with a loud ‘Bling’ and you looked in Jins eyes.  Your eyes whiten. He wore a simple white shirt, which underline his broad shoulders. His long legs stuck in jeans which were torn at his knees and his dark hair was brushed away from his face which emphasized his handsomeness. You looked a little bit above him and saw a big heart balloon.   “What are you doing here?” “Jagiya, I can’t stand without you,” he made a step towards you, “ I said I gave you the time you needed but I’m here to convince you. I know being with me won’t be easy and sometimes I can’t give you the whole attention which you needed, but I promise, You will always have my heart and I’m trying my best to be the boyfriend you deserve.  So please... Please be my girlfriend.” You smiled and walk towards him until you stand in front of him. “That’s funny. Just in this moment I wanted to got to the dorm the speak with you.... I’m sorry that I haven’t written the last few days but I needed the time to think about you and me....” you said. “Don't keep me in suspense, I’m not in the mood for this,” He whined. “I know that it won’t be easy and there will be dates when I miss you very much... but all the good times we will spent together will displace that. So, Yes. Yes, I wanna be with you,” you answered. As soon as you had finish your sentence he pulled you up and whirled you around in circles before he settled you down to take your face in his hands. “I knew that you would choose me because my handsomeness. That was the crucial point.“ “Don't ruin it right away.” You rolled your eyes but leaned forward to kiss him. All you could feel was happiness.

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #572: A Chat with Santa (Kingdom Hearts)

9:48 p.m. at Halloween Town........

Roxas: (Walks Right Next to Xion While Looking Inside his Trick-or-Treat Bag, Filled with Tons of Candy) Man....Sora, was not kidding when he said this place was going all out with Trick-or-Treating this year.

Xion: (Smiles Brightly and Excitedly) I know, right? This is already a lot better than last year! I'm really happy we get the chance to celebrate the second year of Halloween together, Roxas.

Roxas: (Smiles Softly towards his Best Friend) Me too, Xion. This night would be even more amazing if Lea and Isa were here to join us.

Xion: (Starts Getting a Little Bit Worried) You don't think they'll be too bored or lonely without us, do you?

Roxas: Nah. I'm sure they'll be just fine. Though, I do kind of wonder what they're doing right now......

Meanwhile at Christmas Town, Santa's Workshop.........

Santa: (Simply Crosses his Arms While Sitting Behind his Desk) ...........................

Lea: I know this might be too much to ask.....(Chuckles Awkwardly) You know, given how much of a very busy man you are and everything, buuuuut.......(Slowly Clasps his Hands Together) Would you be so kind enough as to.....You know.... Finally place our names back to Nice List? Please?

Santa: ........................................

Lea: Now, I know what you're thinking: "Why on Earth are two grown adults come by my workshop and ask me something silly like removing their names out of the Naughty List?" Well, Ironically enough, the answer's more simple than you think. You see, since we are now in the age of full maturity, looking after the town, raising two amazing kids and whatnot, I, for one, believe that we are deserving of the spot on the Nice List.

Isa: (Get Up from a Chair He Was Seating) If I may be blunt on the topic at hand, Mr. Claus, I firmly believe that I deserve that spot quite a lot more than my partner could ever hope of obtaining.

Lea: (Slowly Turns his Head to Isa and Glares at Him) Pardon?

Isa: You're excused.

Lea: DON'T try to get smart with, Knockoff Einstein. What in the hell makes you think you deserve to be in that Nice List more than yours truly, huh?!

Isa: (Raised an Eyebrow While Crossing his Arms) Do I really need to mention all the idiotic incidents you put the both of us through when we we're younger?

Lea: Don't even bother. I've already grown past those childish memories. (Points at Isa) But don't you stand here and think that you were little angel yourself, Isa! Need I remind you all the times you pulled those cruel pranks on me when we were kids?!

Isa: I only pulled them because you started pranking me first.

Lea: Yeah? Well, at least my pranks were more simple and straight to the point.

Isa: (Rolled his Eyes) They were all more of annoyance if anything.....

Lea: ('Scoffs') Whatever, man! All I'm saying here is that if one of us goes on that Nice List, it's me.

Isa: (Glares at Lea) And like I said before, I am the one who is more deserving of that spot than you could even hope for.

Lea: (Glares Back at Isa's Face) No! I deserve that spot!

Isa: No. I deserve it.

Lea: I deserve it!

Isa: I Deserve it!

Lea: I. Deserve. IT!!

????: BOYS!!!!

The duo Immediately stop their bickering and turn their heads to none other than Roxas and Xion glaring at them in a very disappointed manner.

Xion: (Places her Hands on her Hips) What is going on here? And why in all of Twilight Town are you in Santa's Workshop?

Lea: H-Heyyyyy there, Kiddos!.....(Chuckles Awkwardly) D-Don't mind us, we were just here to uhhhh........

Isa: We are just here to pay Santa a visit. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Roxas: (Raised an Eyebrow) Oh really? Then why did we just heard you two arguing just now?

Lea: Uhh.....Just....(Shrugged with an Awkward Smile) Cause......

Xion: Axel!

Isa: ('Sighs in Defeat') We're only here to try and convince Santa to put us on the Nice List.

Lea: ('Scoffs') I don't even know what he's even talking about-

Isa: (Bumped his Shoulder onto to Lea's a Bit too Hard)

Lea: (Wince in Pain) Okay, fine! He's telling the truth......

Roxas: So, instead of going Trick-or-Treat with us, you choose to go to Christmas Town, just so you could bother Santa on picking you two on the Nice List?

Lea: ..............Pretty much, yeah.

Xion: I cannot believe you two. Roxas and I did not raised you to be this bothersome and disrespectful. And in front of Santa Claus of all people!

Lea: Hey-ey-ey, hold on a minute there, you little rascals. We are the ones who raised you, not the other way around!

Roxas: True, but this family is a team effort. If you guys try and keep us from getting out of line, we do the same for the both of you too.

Xion: (Simply Nodded) That's right!

Lea: .......Crap. We did say something about all of that, didn't we?

Isa: ('Sigh') I believe so, Lea.

Xion: (Sighs While Softly Pinching her Nose) Look, we'll talk about all of this once we get home. Right now, we want you to leave out of Santa's Workshop and let him work in peace.

Lea/Isa: But-/We not ready to-

Xion: (Points at the Door) Now.

Lea/Isa: ('Sighs in Defeat') Yes, ma'am......(Make Their Way to the Door)

Isa: (Glares at Lea) I blame you for this, Lea.....

Lea (Glares Back at Isa) And I blame you for letting me talk you into this.....

Xion: No fighting, you two.

Lea/Isa: Okay.........(Walks Out the Door Together)

Xion: (Sighs Before Turning Back to Santa) We are so sorry for their behavior towards you today, Santa.

Roxas: Yeah..........They normally don't act like this.....Okay, maybe Axel, but definitely not Isa.

Santa: (Chuckles Lightly and Jolly Like) There's no need to apologise, you two. Your parents weren't a real bother to me at all. To tell you the truth....(Starts Snickering a Little) I do find a little enjoyment of seeing them bicker at each other.

Roxas: (Rolls his Eyes Playfully) Yeah. They do that most of the time.

Santa: I can tell. But beside all of this, they did told me how much they love and cherish the both of you.

Xion: (Heart Begins to Melt While Smiling Softly) And we love the both of them very much too. As much as we would love to continue this chat...(Giggles Softly) We don't wanna keep you from finishing your work any more longer.

Santa: (Chuckles Lightly) I understand, Xion. Thank you two very much for stopping by and have a very Merry- ('Ahem') I mean...Happy Halloween!

Roxas: (Chuckles Lightly as He and Xion Walks Out the Door) Happy Halloween to you too, Santa.

Xion: (Happily Waves Goodbye to Santa) See you in the next two months!

'Door Close'

.......................

'Door Opens'

Roxas: Sooo...... About that Naughty or Nice List-

Xion: (Outside) Roxas!

Roxas: ('Sigh') Coming!

'Door Closes'

Santa: ('Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho!') What a lovely family. (Continues Doing His Paperwork)

@26shann

@khtext

@keyenuta

@cyber-wildcat

@italian-love-cake

@ma-lemons

@kh-akira

@albion-93

@seasaltfamilycomics

[todo-ho-ki]

If It’s Convenient For You, Pt. 2

Okay guys so I’m not sure what happened but nothing appeared on my part 2 update, so I’m gonna go ahead and reupload. It took me like 20 minutes to write the stupid intro :( 

Anyway, here’s the actual part 2 update, complete with words!

Word Count: 1,313

Warnings: A little swearing

Pairing: BakugoXReader

@chims-kookies here ya go!(hopefully no more glitching)

Part 1     Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6

The rest of your shift continued without incident, a couple customers here and there, and a lot of fantasizing about being on stage. At the end of it, you received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Good afternoon, is this Miss Shouna?” An unfamiliar voice trickled through the speakers.

“Uh,y-yes?”

“Excellent! My name is Shidori Sora. But you may know me by a different name: Producer X.”

Your eyes lit up at the mention. Producer X was responsible for the biggest and most widely revered music shows across the country. And he was calling you?

“An agent of mine was out scouting talent a few weeks ago. He happened to hear you singing at the Star Lounge.”

A foggy memory of a man in a suit coming up to you with a business card and asking for contact details reeled through your brain. You were..honestly pretty drunk at that point and had dropped the card on the way to your car.

“Oh, yes! I remember!”

“We’d like to have you come out for an audition in two weeks for a new show. How does that sound?” Your beaming smile was a mile wide.

“It sounds like a dream come true, Mr. Shidori.”

“Great! I’ll send you an e-mail tomorrow with all the details. We look forward to hearing from you!”

“I look forward to working with you!” You yelled eagerly, even bowing to the phone. You clutched at your heart like it was going to explode. Finally, something was going right.

You were certain it meant getting away from all the things here you hated. You were certain you were going to make it out of this town and live the life you dreamed of, alongside big stars and music moguls. Absolutely certain.

You essentially danced back to your car, good news in tow.  Halfway there, you heard a slight rustle in the bushes behind you.

All the excitement promptly left your body to be replaced by adrenaline. You quieted at the motions behind you.

A cat? A dog? No, the actions were too deliberate. The wind swirled around you, carrying a conversation your way.

“You fucking idiot! I told you to be quiet!”

Already, you recognized that voice. Turning suddenly to the bushes, you began walking toward them.

“Where are you?” You called out boldly. “I know you’re following me.” The rustling stopped. Red Riot popped out first, bright red.

“Not my proudest moment, getting caught in the middle of a stealth mission, eh?” Your eyebrow raised. Twice in one day? They were literally just in your store.

Were they using is a discreet base of operations?

“I know that asshole’s with you,” you chided.

“Did you just call me an asshole again!?” He didn’t make a move to stand up, and you chuckled at the sight of a particularly angry Hydrangea bush.

“Honestly, I swear it’s not it looks like. We’re not following you- stand up!” Riot whispered.

Ground Zero stood up reluctantly to join Riot in looking awkward behind a bush.

A raised eyebrow accompanied your unbelieving expression. “So, you’d have me believe that even though you’re hiding in bushes very clearly along the path I’m walking, it’s just a coincidence?” You pointed a finger at them.

“Yes.” Red Riot clamored, stepping out of the bushes with great effort.

“And even though you guys were clearly, undeniably walking through the bramble to stay close to me, the only person on the street at the moment, you are not, in fact, following me?” You bounced your accusing finger between the two of them once again.

“Y…es.” Red Riot was a lot more hesitant in his answer. Ground Zero glowered as the poor redhead struggled to be convincing in any capacity.

“Okay. Well. That’s clearly not true but I’ll chalk it up to important hero things I don’t need to know about. Or maybe I’ll chalk it up to you two just being really terrible at reconnaissance. Either way, please- stop. That’s creepy.” You turned to continue your short walk to your car.

“We’re looking for a villain right now.” Mr. Angry was suddenly playing nice? You stopped but didn’t turn to face them.

“All I can really tell you is it isn’t safe to be out here alone at this hour anymore.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.” Your head whipped back in time to watch him pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Jeez. We’re trying to stay as hidden and as accessible to the public as possible. If the villain doesn’t see us, he’ll do whatever he was planning to do. And we can be there in a split second. Seriously, get a clue.” Your gaze was met with his back and you swore you could see fumes.

A look of disbelief crossed your features.

“Bakugo!” Riot reprimanded softly. “Not cool!”

Well it’s not my fault she’s-”

“Please, let us-” Riot turned an eye to Ground Zero, cutting him off. You could see his shoulders shaking with hatred. “Well, let me walk you to your car.” He held his hand out.

You stared at it for a moment, not really enjoying the implication that you couldn’t defend yourself. These guys had known about you for all of a few hours! They didn’t know what you were capable of. But you decided to take the help this time.

“Fine.” Riot’s hand remained in the air for a moment before he hopped over to your side. As soon as you were out of earshot of Mr. Angry, the big question on your mind came pouring out.

“What’s his deal?” You motioned behind you.

“Oh, he’s-just a little rambunctious is all. He’s really a great guy! I swear! He wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it!”

“Hmm. Not that comforting.” There was no intent to press for specifics, you were just hoping maybe he could shed some light on Mr. Angry’s piss-poor attitude.

Soon enough, you found yourself shivering, arms wrapped around yourself. “God. I forgot how cold the nights are in September. The chilly wind nipped at your face and turned your cheeks red.

Red Riot wordlessly draped his jacket on your shoulders, which eased the chill immediately. It was already warm.

"Wh-don’t you need this?” You asked.

“Nonsense! It’s the least I could do. It’s not very manly of me to stand by and watch a lady freeze.” A soft laugh escaped your lips.

“You’re quite the upstanding citizen, Red Riot.”

“Of course! It’s a hero’s job to protect those who need it. No matter how small the job may be,” he gleamed, motioning to his jacket. “I modeled myself after Crimson Riot, if you couldn’t tell. The Chivalrous Hero!” He had a triumphant arm in the air.

Another laugh. “I can tell.”

Once you were safely at your car, Red Riot bowed out and refused to take his jacket back.

“Well, thank you Mr. Riot.”

“Oh! The name’s Kirishima!” He sent another wink your way, causing you to fumble with your keys a little. A heat was flushing your face red. Luckily you were already red from the cold wind.

He waited patiently until you managed to get the key in the ignition and start it to run off.

A moment was spent staring through your windshield.

Why? What are they still doing here?

The processing power of your brain was brought down to zero from the excitement of the phone call though, which began to course through you again.

You shrugged off the questions and drove home in silence, the image of those two idiots standing in a row of hedges burned into your mind.

A smile formed on your face.

You’d forgotten to tell Mr. Angry that he had a Hydrangea Blossom in his hair before you walked away. And you also forgot to tell him it went well with the blush across his cheeks.

[anwenwrites]

A Fanmade Continuation of Open Heart: Second Year

Chapter 1 (Takes place after chapter 9 of OH2, so “chapter"10 of the real book.

MC: Dr. Tessa Williams

Trigger warning: Mentions of weight and body size. If you are struggling with body image and/or disordered eating, read at your own risk. 

 “Leaving? But why?” I gape at Rafael, utterly confused and shocked. He just dropped this bombshell on me out of the blue, and with Kyra hanging onto her life by a thread, too. This is just one catastrophe after another. He can’t be leaving!

Rafael doesn’t elaborate. He only blinks hard in response, refusing to meet my eyes. But that doesn’t stop me from noticing that his own eyes are damp with tears.

Something’s wrong. Yes, something is definitely wrong. Superman does not cry. Rafael does not cry. This is Rafael Aveiro, the big, strong, heroic paramedic I fell head-over-heels in love with during my intern year at Edenbrook. Rafael, who is always there to offer a sympathetic ear or a distraction, whichever I need most in the moment. Rafael, who prioritizes the people he loves above all else, even the hospital that is his whole life.

I clasp my hands together in a Herculean effort to keep myself from reaching out to him, but it still takes every ounce of willpower in my body not to fling myself onto him. 

No, Tessa, I chastise myself. He’s with Sora now.

Rafael stands in front of me, keeping more space between the two of us than ever. His dark eyes are those of a broken man who is no longer sure where he belongs. Every fiber of my being is screaming at me to comfort him, to rest my head against his bulky chest, just like old times. But somehow, I resist the inexorable pull of my temptations and stand firmly where I am, six feet away from him. I convince myself that I shouldn’t even try to break down the walls he’s built between us, lest he reject me yet again.

He finally looks up at me, his damp eyes burning with an array of mixed emotions I can’t quite put my finger on. When he speaks, his usually deep voice is no more than a strained, hoarse whisper. “Sora and I broke up.”

Finally! I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since Rafael first introduced me to Sora. I always found her too materialistic, and...oh, who am I kidding, I just didn’t like her because she was with Raf. My Raf. 

 Only he’s not mine, and he can’t possibly know that I’m thinking all this. So I fabricate the best sympathetic expression I can manage and sigh, “Oh, Raf. I’m so sorry.”

It’s not entirely a lie. I am sorry that something bad happened to him. It pains me beyond belief to see him hurting, even if the reason for his pain is something I’ve deeply and silently resented for months. I’ll never forget the first time Rafael and Sora kissed in front of me. It was like a white-hot, rusty knife being twisted deep into my stomach.

Yet when Rafael extends his open arms to me, asking for an embrace, I don’t throw myself into them like I did when we were so happy together. I don’t nestle into him until I find the spot where I am most comfortable in his arms. Instead, I feel myself stiffen and back away.

What, so you can lure me in and then shut me out all over again, with no explanation? So you can re-awaken my love for you without the intention of ever loving me back?

Rafael must read something on my face, for his own face crumples and he drops his arms. “I’m sorry, I should have known—”

I cut him off. “I deserve answers, Raf. Why are you leaving?” I deserve answers to a hell of a lot more questions than that, but right now in the middle of a bustling hospital isn’t the time.

“My girlfriend’s gone. I’ve been suspended from the job I’ve dedicated my whole life to. I see no reason why—”

“Cut the crap, Raf!” I snap. I notice nearby patients giving me strange looks, but I couldn’t possibly care less at this moment. “You love this town. Your whole community is here. Your friends, your family, the seniors you love volunteering for! You’re telling me you’re just gonna pack up and leave all of that behind?”

Rafael bristles. I almost apologize at seeing Rafael, of all people, on the verge of tears because of something I said, but I know deep down that I’m the one who deserves an apology. He stares at me for a long moment, clearly considering his words. When he finally does answer me, his eyes are sad and his expression resigned.

“I think I should go,” he says.

“Raf…” I protest, but he turns his back on me and stalks down the hall without another word. I watch him as he becomes smaller and smaller, reduced to a tiny dot before turning the corner and disappearing altogether. Perhaps even for the last time. 

 “Dammit, Raf!” I exclaim, stamping my foot. 

“Got some drama going on?” Jackie sidles up to me, an interested smile on her face. 

I bury my face in my hands. “Not now, Jackie,” I groan. The last thing I need is to relive the unfortunate events of my beleaguered, unrequited love life for her entertainment. 

“Oh, come oooon, spill already,” Jackie needles me. 

God, she is insufferable sometimes. I shake my head. “You know, Jackie, when you finally get your head out of your textbooks and have your own boy or girl troubles someday, you’ll understand that other people’s drama is not for your—”

I am interrupted by Jackie’s pager beeping. “Ooh, gotta go!” She gives me a quick wave before breezing away. 

When Jackie is gone, I glance back through the window at Kyra, who is deep in thought in her hospital bed. I remember how slim her chances of survival actually are, and my eyes once again brim with tears, which spill over despite my best attempts to keep them in. I can’t lose two friends.

“Dr. Williams?” Esme’s voice jerks me out of my dismal thoughts.

“Oh!” I quickly wipe my tears, hoping she doesn’t notice.

Unfortunately—or fortunately for her patients, I guess— Esme is very observant. “Were you crying?” she asks.

I straighten my spine and turn to face my intern. “Like I told you earlier, Dr. Ortega, I have a lot on my mind. Now, what do you need?”

“It’s my patient in room 317. I’ve been trying and trying and haven’t been able to diagnose her at all,” she replies.

“Have you exhausted all your options?” I ask. I have three more patients left, and then I’m supposed to report back to Ethan and the diagnostics team.

“Yes. I know you’re busy, Dr. Williams, but I really need your help,” Esme pleads.

I sigh. I better make this quick, or Ethan will be mad. “I don’t have much time, but give me the chart.”

Esme hands me the patient’s chart.

“Emily Johnson, 25. Severe abdominal pain, bloating, amenorrhea,” I read aloud. I hand the chart back to Esme and frown. “Dr. Ortega, all these symptoms are indicative of a reproductive issue.”

Esme frowns right back at me. “But she’s already been tested for just about every reproductive disorder there is. And they’ve all come back normal. That’s why I need your help.”

“And you were right to ask for help,” I commend her. “This may be a lot more serious than I thought. Now let’s go!”

                                               *********

When we reach room 317, I scrupulously observe the young woman in the hospital bed. She is noticeably overweight. Her golden skin is strangely drained and pale. Her eyes look sunken in and tired, and she is so weak she barely musters the energy to turn her head to look at me and Esme.

“Hello, Doctors,” she croaks.

“Hello, Ms. Johnson, I’m Dr. Tessa Williams, and I’m going to treat you along with Dr. Ortega,” I reply, giving her a warm smile.

“Cool. I get two doctors. And you’re both so pretty too,” she says. “I’m jealous.”

Huh. Her words are enthusiastic, but her voice is subdued and monotone. I make a note on her chart that she appears lethargic. Esme missed that. I’m going to have to tell her to pay more attention to patients’ states of mind. Being a doctor is much more than just treating symptoms, after all. 

“Why don’t you tell me what the trouble is, Ms. Johnson?” I ask. 

She smiles weakly. “Please, call me Emily. Everyone is so nice here. Who knew the hospital would be such a welcome change?”

What is going on? She’s speaking in tongues. Now I can see why Esme brought me here. I can’t put my finger on what’s wrong with this patient.

“Okay, Emily, I need you to stay focused with me here,” I urge. “Now, what seems to be the trouble?”

“I’m always bloated. Painfully so. It’s been especially bad since my best friend’s birthday party this past weekend. My weight is a chronic issue. My periods have been either irregular or absent for years. And—oh my!” She bolts upright in bed, revealing a large cluster of black hair on the pillow.

“How long has your hair been falling out, Emily?” I ask.

“A couple of months now,” she replies.

“Okay,” I say, jotting this down. “Now, I have to ask because you’ve missed periods. Any chance you could be pregnant?”

She laughs. “Oh, no, not me. My periods have been irregular since I was seventeen. Very puzzling, if you ask me, since I’ve tested negative for every reproductive disorder in the book over the years.”

“Sometimes things get missed,” I say, though I’m not even sure what’s wrong. If this isn’t a reproductive disorder, then what is it?

“Besides,” Emily continues, “No guy would get close to me the way I look now.”

I want to tell her that this isn’t true, that she shouldn’t demean herself that way, but she’s a patient, not a friend. So I simply continue asking her the usual obligatory questions, letting Esme chime in when I want her to figure something out. She does so without difficulty. That’s good. I’ll have to let Ines and Zaid know how quick of a learner Esme is.

“Dr. Ortega, I want you to examine Emily’s abdomen,” I say.

“Yes, Dr. Williams,” Esme replies. She lifts up Emily’s gown, revealing her distended abdomen. It is so bloated it almost looks like there is a water balloon inside her body.

“Tell me if anything hurts,” instructs Esme, then begins pressing gently on various areas of Emily’s abdomen. Emily gasps and winces the whole way through. Esme repeatedly apologizes and takes care to be as gentle as possible. I note down that Emily is experiencing abdominal pain and continue assisting Esme with the examination.

When Esme and I finish Emily’s examination, I usher Esme out of the room. She immediately pounces on me with questions.

“What do you think it is? She said it’s not a reproductive disorder. But it sure sounds like one. You think she’s faking it?”

I shake my head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“She said she’s tested negative for various reproductive disorders over the years,” Esme muses. “You think one could have come up just recently?”

“It’s possible,” I say, “but that still doesn’t explain her chronic symptoms.”

Esme frowns. “Right.”

Well, I’m just as stumped as she is. I can think of only one thing to do.

I’m taking this case to Dr. Ramsey,” I tell her. “Someone at diagnostics might be able to crack this case better than we can.”

“Please, not Dr. Ramsey!” Esme exclaims. “He’ll chew me out soooo bad for not being able to figure it out myself.”

I bite back a giggle. A year ago I would have said the same thing about Ethan. But now I know that, behind the gruff exterior, all he wants is for his patients to get the help they need and mentees to be the very best they can be.

“Esme, your first priority needs to be the patient’s care. And he’s not going to be upset with you,” I reassure her. “I couldn’t even figure Emily’s case out. If anything, he’ll be glad that you tried your very hardest and still owned up to the fact that you couldn’t fix this yourself.”

“And what do I do?” Esme asks me.

I weigh my words carefully in my head, not wanting Esme to feel incapable. But I know, as her mentor, I need to be honest with her. “I’m taking over this case. You’re not ready for it.” My mind goes back to long ago, when Ethan said the exact same words to me about Dolores’s case.

Esme’s face falls. “But I want to help her.”

I place a hand on her shoulder. “I know you do, Esme, but you can’t help everyone. You just gotta find a way to help those you can. And I’m very proud of you for trying.”

Esme’s face breaks into a tiny smile at the praise. “Thanks, Dr. Williams. For everything. Now I need to get back to my other patients.”

**********

“Rookie. We were just about to start without you,” Ethan says as I stumble my way into the diagnostics office at four o’clock sharp. He sits at one end of the table, and Baz sits at the other, drawing shapes in the foam of his cappuccino with a stirrer.

“I’m still on time,” I grin, taking a seat beside Ethan.

He flashes me a wide smile right back. “Fine.”

“Also, since when did we decide you’re calling me Rookie again?” I demand. He hasn’t called me that in months. I’ve kind of missed it, though I will never admit it.

“I did, just now,” Ethan replies. “You are a rookie to the diagnostics team, after all.”

I sniff, but can’t help but giggle at the joking expression lingering behind the mask of my mentor’s stern blue eyes.

“Fine,” I imitate him, earning a chuckle from Ethan and a belly laugh from Baz.

“So,” Ethan begins. “You want to tell me and Dr. Mirani why you were almost late?”

Perfect. “Actually, Dr. Ramsey, I wanted to talk to you about one of my intern’s patients. She has every symptom in the book for a reproductive disorder, yet every time she has been tested for one, the tests all came back negative.” I show him the chart.

Ethan studies the chart for a long moment, his eyebrows drawing together. I can practically see the gears turning in his head as he ruminates every single possible diagnosis in his mind. I sit tight, hoping that Ethan will come up with more of an answer than Esme and I did. All hopes of an instant diagnosis disappear, though, when Ethan finally sets the chart down on the table and shakes his head.

“No idea?” I ask, disappointed.

“Looks like there are a lot more tests to run,” Ethan says. “If it’s not a reproductive problem, we should check for hypothyroidism. It’s possible her thyroid fluctuated over time and she was only tested when it was normal. But an underactive thyroid could be affecting her menstrual cycle.”

“It could be affecting her size, too. She was considerably overweight.”

Ethan nods. “Another possible explanation. Very good, Rookie.”

Baz pats me on the shoulder. “Yes, very impressive.”

“Ugh, when are you two ever going to stop giving cute names to each other?” June appears in the doorway with two steaming mugs of coffee. She sets one down in front of me and the other one in front of Ethan.

“Thank you, Dr. Hirata,” I say. I still don’t trust her after she used me to sneak into Mass Kenmore just to mess with Tobias, but I guess it can’t hurt me to be polite.

Ethan glares at her. “I’ll have you know that we do not give cute names to each other. Rookie is hardly a compliment.”

Underneath the scowl, he winks furtively at me.

“Whatever you say,” teases June. Then she focuses on me. “You’ve gotten yourself quite a lot of attention, Dr. Williams, sneaking into Mass Kenmore like that.”

I plaster a smile onto my face, though an uneasy feeling sinks into my stomach. “Oh, hush. Not like you were the one who suggested the idea to me or anything.”

June grins right back. “Not like I was the one who actually set foot in Mass Kenmore, though.”

Something she said earlier suddenly hits me. “Um, what kind of attention?” 

“I’m sure you’ll find out in due time,” June says dismissively. “But for now, let’s get this diagnostics meeting started.”

 *******

“Aurora!” I exclaim. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—” 

“You don’t need to apologize for running into me,” Aurora says coolly. She gathers the books I dropped when I plowed into her and hands them in a neat stack to me. “We live in the same apartment; it was bound to happen some time.”

She marches off towards her room, but I grab her arm. “Wait, Aurora!” Our fight has gone on long enough. I tried to apologize for stealing the senator from Mass Kenmore after they stole the coma patient from Edenbrook, but she wouldn’t let me! Now, I’m going to make her stand here and listen until I’m done apologizing. 

Aurora huffs like she doesn’t want to hear what I have to say. “What is it?” she asks.

“I’m sorry I stole Mass Kenmore’s patient.”

Aurora gives me a long, level look. “No, you aren’t.”

I think of Tobias shaking his head as Ethan, Baz, and I sped away after poaching his patient, and acquiesce, “Fine, I’m not. But I am sorry that it’s affected our friendship.”

Aurora says, “I am, too. But you didn’t have to let it.”

I shrink back. “W-what do you mean?”

Aurora takes a deep breath before finally going off on me. “You didn’t have to accuse me of stealing your patient from you. I told Tobias that we should consider encouraging our patients to participate in studies, and he asked me where I got that idea from. I tried to lie, but he saw right through me! I’ve never been a good liar, Tessa. You know I don’t play games with people.”

“Then why would you lie to Dr. Carrick?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. I knew she was up to no good. Maybe apologizing to her was a mistake. Maybe things can never go back to normal between us.

“Because I knew you would react this way!” exclaims Aurora. “I knew you would think I let Tobias in on your idea on purpose, so I tried not to reveal that I got the idea from you. But he threatened to send me back to Edenbrook if I didn’t tell him, so I had no choice.”

My mouth drops open into an O. I suck in a sharp breath as a wave of unbelievable guilt begins to wash over me. Aurora had been cornered into telling Tobias the truth. I know how desperate Aurora was to get out of Edenbrook, to finally make a name of her own rather than just be recognized as Harper Emery’s niece, or Princess Nepotism as my other friends and I cruelly used to call her. And I had so impulsively accused her of stabbing me in the back just like Landry.

I can’t even bring myself to meet her eyes. I lower my head, deeply ashamed of how immaturely I’d acted, and how poorly I’ve been treating Aurora. To think she tried to cover for me because she was afraid I would react badly!

Aurora looks at me, hurt that must have been brewing inside her for weeks evident on her face. I think I even see a few tears gleaming in her dark eyes. “The least you could have done was hear me out at the softball game.”

She’s right. I do need to apologize to her after all. But not for stealing the patient like I thought. I need to apologize for being a terrible friend and roommate.

“Aurora, I owe you an apology,” I say. “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you out. I’m sorry I assumed you did bad things I should have known you’d never do on purpose. I’m so embarrassed about the way I acted.”

“I would be, too, if I were you,” she replies.

I flinch, but don’t protest. I deserve what she said. I fight my way through the intense shame and force myself to look at her. Much to my surprise, she no longer looks hurt or angry. I guess all she needed was to get the negative emotions I made her feel off her chest.

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” I ask.

Aurora doesn’t answer; she just grabs my arm and leads me to her room. She picks a large brown book up off her desk and hands it to me.

“I made this for you,” she says. “I don’t know if you’ll even want it, but if you do, it’s yours.”

She got me a gift? No, made me one? God, do I feel like a bitch now. 

“Aurora, of course I want it,” I say. “You may not believe me, but for what it’s worth, I’m touched. What is it?”

“I believe you. And it’s a thank you for inviting me to live here. I’m finally free from Aunt Harper’s clutches. I would never have made it this far if it weren’t for you.”

“You definitely would have,” I protest.

Aurora cracks a small smile, something she hasn’t done to me in weeks. “Oh, just open the book already, will you?”

I page through the book, which is a scrapbook of all the memories from this year, before I let my impulsivity get in the way of our friendship. There is a picture of me and Aurora on the couch with one of Sienna’s delicious breakfast spreads in front of us. Another picture shows us and all of our roommates in the middle of a heated, drunken game of pool at Donahue’s. And a third one is of me and Aurora smiling brightly into the camera, in the backseat of a cab on our way to the movies.

Tears flood my eyes at Aurora’s sweet, sentimental gesture. Now I feel like an even worse friend than before. She went to all this trouble for me, and I can’t believe how I repaid her.

“Aurora, this is absolutely beautiful and...I can’t take this. I don’t deserve it.” I hold the scrapbook out to her, but she folds her arms across her chest and shakes her head.

“Nope, you already said you wanted it. You’re not leaving my room until you promise to take that thing with you,” she implores. “And until you promise that things will be normal between us now and you will never do anything like this again.”

I breathe a sigh of relief and give her the widest smile ever. “You got yourself a deal, my friend.”

“Come here,” says Aurora, pulling me into a tight hug. I squeeze her back, hard, as if clinging to our friendship itself. Our friendship that I almost selfishly threw away.

When we pull apart, I say, “I’ve got to start dinner now. Sienna’s on a date with Danny. But bad movie marathon tomorrow night?”

“Absolutely,” says Aurora. I laugh and head to the kitchen, stopping in my room to drop off the scrapbook on the way. I set it upright on my desk, leaving it open at the page of me and Aurora in the cab.

After one last fond glance at the scrapbook, I make my way into the kitchen, where I forage around the cabinets and fridge for the ingredients for spaghetti and meatballs. I roll up fifteen meatballs with passable skill and start the water for the spaghetti. As soon as I put the pot on the stove, however, my phone buzzes with a text from Bryce.

Tessa, the text reads, I need your help NOW!

[aliceslantern]

Retribution, a Kingdom Hearts fanfic, chapter 1

Newly a person again, Ienzo is weighed down by guilt and his humanity. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to atone... only to find unexpected solace in a familiar face. With more insight into the bonds between people than ever before, Ienzo reaches for a dangerous element from the past to help Kairi and Riku in their search for Sora. What is his life if it means saving another, brighter light?

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

---

Kairi woke up slowly. “Anything?” she asked, before her eyes had even focused.

Ienzo sighed. “I’m afraid not.” He began detaching her from the monitors.

Her own sigh was heavy, derelict. She sat up, rolling her shoulders, stretching. They woke her every five days--to be unconscious for so long was inhumane, good neither for her body or mind. Not good for them either, to work so constantly, but Ienzo cared less about this.

“It isn’t easy, to trace a heart,” he added. “We’re all working as hard as we can--but it’s beyond nebulous, beyond, even, theory.”

“I know,” she said. She smoothed her short hair. “I just… I thought I would feel him. I… don’t.” She forced a smile.

“I sincerely wish I had better news,” he said. More than a little harrowing, to see her moroseness.

“I know you’re doing your best,” she said. She stood, a bit shakily. She nodded once. “I’m going to go clean up. Take care of yourself, okay?”

Ienzo watched her leave, feeling a bit dazed. He set down his tablet, smoothed the chair where she slept. His eyes ached.

“...You woke her on your own?” Even asked. He’d gone out for some books. “I’d hoped to check her vitals.”

“She’s stable. Like she always is. I was trained in first aid, you know.”

Even rolled his eyes. “Did she ask again?”

“She always does.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure how much longer we can reasonably pursue this. There--continues to be nothing. ” A thin, needy pain bloomed between his eyes; he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“...You look like you should be the one sleeping.”

“You’re likely right. There were some things I’d hoped to check on. I’d best do so before--”

Even frowned. “Her break in sleep functions as a break for us, too. You need rest to do good work.”

“Pot calling the kettle black,” he remarked. “When was the last time you slept, Even?”

He scowled. “Go on, then, boy.”

Ienzo did feel more than a little shaky. Human physicality was so brutal, so constantly needy, all the time; his body felt very nearly alien. He made his way back towards his own bedroom. The ache in his head wasn’t getting any better.

“Freed you at last, huh, Zo?”

He almost groaned. It was much harder to squirrel himself away now, that was for sure. “...I see your day is done early as well.” This was certainly a variable he had not planned for, living here once more.

Demyx shrugged. “No more deliveries. I could just sit there, but why?”

After Xehanort’s death, the other boy had nowhere to go and nothing to do; evidently he’d found some satisfaction out of bringing Ienzo the vessels, as he now worked for Scrooge McDuck as a courier. It kept him mostly out of Ienzo’s hair, which was good. Convincing him to become human again had been… exhausting, but at least now there was assuredly no more bits of Xehanort. “...I see.” Small talk had never been his forte, and given his tiredness was the last thing he wanted to subject himself to.

Demyx stared at him. “All good over there?”

His interest in Ienzo’s work was disorienting. “The usual, I suppose.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “That sucks.”

Ienzo shrugged. He was right, which was the irritating thing.

“I guess she’s up and about, then? I should say hey.”

“If you like. She might like some company.”

Demyx didn’t notice the sarcasm; or else didn’t comment on it. “Awesome. See you around, Zo.”

Ienzo just shook his head. “Zo” was a vast improvement over “Zexy”, but he still did not care for Demyx’s nicknames. It had taken the boy long enough to stop calling him Zexion.

(If he were being honest, he still made the same mistake, especially writing his own reports--his fingers would hover over that Z key for longer than they should.)

He went into his bedroom. It wasn’t a large space, not helped by the clutter--books, more for research than for enjoyment, were piled around his desk. He should at the very least take the ones he no longer needed back to the library, but the library was still such a disaster. Relics of his childhood were here and there; the tapestry of constellations, storybooks gathering dust on the overpacked cherry bookshelf, a few moldering stuffed animals sitting in a box. He had no idea what to do with these things. All he knew was that looking at them made him feel vaguely ill. He shed his labcoat, loosened the ascot at his throat. He perched on the mattress and ran his fingers over the stitching of the old quilt, trying to orient himself, to prepare himself for the labor of sleep. Ienzo could feel how badly he needed it, much more acutely than he ever did as Zexion. But his mind was spinning--with disappointment, with the sickness of looking at his old things, with memories that wanted to come, with these heavy feelings.

Perhaps a bath might help? A bath and a trashy novel?

It was still… odd, to see himself in mirrors. Generally he tried to avoid it, but it was not always possible. He shuddered a little as his fingers brushed the scar around his throat. Most unbecoming. Religious application of scar cream didn’t improve things, but at least the color was no longer such a vivid violet.

He settled into the warm water. On a physiological level it was soothing, but the second he started to relax the thoughts invaded--wasn’t this so self-indulgent? He should be downstairs, right now, analyzing the data they’d gathered from this week of Kairi’s sleep. At the very least logging things, drafting a report. Reconnecting with Ansem and the others, to see what they’d found.

His breath, in the tiled space, seemed loud.

Dealing with them should not be difficult. But all he could think when he saw them was they told me you’d gone mad. He grimaced. This wasn’t helping. Maybe some chamomile?

(A stiff drink? Or a sedative?)

He bathed, because he was already here. His skin was weirdly raw, oddly sensitive to everything. It had been when he was a child, but he figured he’d have outgrown such issues. It felt like everything was scraping along his nerves. He put on a soft sweater, slacks (his body would not physically allow him to wear denim. It was extremely irritating). Tried to fix his hair, which continued to grow directly into his eyes despite best efforts. He’d considered cutting it, letting it all go, but likely that would be a shock to himself as well.

Would eating help? He was feeling dizzy. Blood sugar, maybe? Hard to tell. Just tell me what you want , he thought, towards his body. Enough of this vague aching.  

He heated some soup Aeleus had made, forced it all down. Nope, that didn’t help. Was he legitimately ill? He could ask Even, who was indeed a medical doctor as well as a researcher, but frankly he’d rather just deal with it on his own.

“Hello, Ienzo.”

He jumped a little, despite himself. “Oh… hello, Master.”

“I noticed Kairi was awake.”

“...We were rapidly getting nowhere. I figured no reason to keep her asleep if we were getting nothing done. She had expressed interest in doing some visiting. She should. It’s summer, and she’s sixteen. Might as well enjoy it.” He was rambling.

“Why shouldn’t you?”

Ienzo scoffed. “More pressing things on my plate than socializing. ” He could hardly stand talking to Demyx, much less anyone else.

“These breaks are for us, too.”

“...Even said the same thing.”

Ienzo did get some pleasure from the spark of anger that entered his eyes at the name. “You should at the very least get some sunlight. When was the last time you left this castle?”

He thought about it. “We did need groceries a few days ago.”

“Other than that.”

Ienzo was drawing a blank. He bristled a little. “What of you?”

Ansem chuckled. “...Quite. I believe we’ve all been… engrossed.”

“I wish I felt like I were getting somewhere. Seeing the disappointment in her eyes every time she wakes up… is taxing.” He shook his head. “I’m trying to help, to be of use, but we…” Ienzo trailed off uselessly.

“Might I sit with you?”

“...If you like.”

Ansem joined him at the small oak table. It was still so odd, to talk to him after such a long period of separation. That Ansem forgave him was staggering. “How are you faring?”

“...A loaded question.”

He smiled. “I do hope you don’t forget you’re also a young person.”

“Oh, I never was.” He shrugged. “Old soul. So I’ve been told.”

“...You deserve to enjoy your life too.”

Ienzo snorted.

“Why is it you react this way?”

“After all the suffering I’ve wrought?” He raised an eyebrow. “The least I can do is try to help Sora, and the committee.”

“No need for you to also suffer.”

He laughed a little. “I’m not suffering.”

Ansem gave him a look that suggested he was full of it. “You struggle, Ienzo. I can just tell.”

He pursed his lips. “You needn’t concern yourself with me. I’m sure you have other things to worry about.”

“I’m not allowed to worry about you?”

“Well you needn’t waste your energy.”

Ansem blinked. “I’m aware we’ve… lost time we’ll never get back,” he said slowly. “But I do wish to repair our relationship, such as it is.”

More baffling yet. “Why?”

“Why?” He repeated. “Ienzo, you’re my son.”

“I was .”

“...A bond that only ended through no machinations of your own.” He reached over to take Ienzo’s hand; he flinched, the touch unexpected and unanticipated.

“How can you even bear to look at me?”

“You asked for none of this.”

Ienzo could feel something rising within him, heat building behind his already aching eyes. He regretted eating; it felt as though it may come up. “Didn’t I? I asked to do those experiments--”

“--Because Xehanort manipulated you into thinking it was your idea.” Ansem’s rust-colored eyes bore into his. “Because you were a child and wanted to please those around you.”

“What about everything that happened after?” The blood was hot in his face, the toxic slurry of emotion making him nauseous. “When I was older? When I should have known better?”

“You grew up with no heart. No conscience, no bonds with others. How were you to--”

“My actions killed people.” He stood up. “I am no innocent victim, Master. Who do you think was the Organization’s tactician?”

Ansem seemed to not know what to say.

“All those puzzles you taught me to love. Do you think I wouldn’t use that? People were pieces to me. Pawns. How am I any better than Xehanort?” He took a breath; the air was hot. “I need to take my leave.”

“Ienzo--”

He was already moving. He felt it coming at him like a wave, sticky, itchy and impossible to reckon with. Guilt like rivers, like oceans, making his heart race and his palms sweat. He couldn’t be of use if he fell apart. He couldn’t fall apart. Couldn’t. Get it together. He repeated it, almost like a mantra. Get it together.

“...Zo?”

Ienzo almost swore out loud. The last person he wanted to see. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“You look--”

Ienzo narrowed his eyes, daring him to say something.

“...Tired,” Demyx settled on.

“Yes, I am very tired,” he said. “I should like to get some rest. If it’s all the same.”

“I mean, sure, but…” He bit his lip. “Is there… anything I can do? For you?”

His eyebrows shot up.

“You just seem kinda overwhelmed and I--”

“Thank you, Demyx, but I do not need your help.” He scowled.

“Oh… okay.” Demyx bit his lip. “Well… get some sleep.” He tried to inject some cheer into his voice, but it fell flat.

"...I shall certainly try." His headache was only worsening. He limped back towards his bedroom and lay down, pulling the covers around himself. He tried to breathe, slowly, evenly, to lower his heart rate. It wasn't quite dark, but he needed to at the very least try to sleep, despite guilt, despite everything.

Ienzo counted his breath. He told himself stories, recalling novels from memory. Finally, finally… he drifted into an uncertain sleep.

There was a reason Ienzo avoided rest.

The memories, even in unconsciousness, constantly invaded. Tonight's choice? His very own death, the sensation of the replica's glove closing around his windpipe, darkness holding Zexion firm, unable to slink away or fight. Sharpness cutting into his throat, feeling draining out of his body--

Ienzo jolted up, breathing hard. The panic was familiar at this point, but no less painful. He tried to push through it, counting all the items in the room, but his hand had snapped up to his scar.

It's no less than what I deserve.

He was feeling nauseous now. He sat up slowly, checked the alarm clock at his bedside--he'd only managed a few hours, but now it was dark out. There was heat in his eyes.

Cry if you must, and get it over with.

Ienzo rocked slowly, in an attempt to self-soothe. He felt the dampness on his face, humiliation breaking over him in a wave. It was like purging; emptying the tears from his body. At least, he tried to think of it that way.

Eyes raw,  he lay back down, hoping that was enough, but it wasn't. It was clear he would get no peace tonight. He exhaled heavily, got up, put his lab coat back on, and headed back downstairs.

At least, if it were this late, he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone other than himself. He sat in front of that computer screen for a long time, trying to put the pieces together.

[nadziejastar]

Saïx’s True Purpose & Personality Change

“It’s something powerful, right? Where does it come from?” Roxas was dead serious.

 Love… Huh.

“Love is a special power that only humans have.”

I don’t trust myself to explain this right. But I want to answer Roxas and Xion’s questions about ‘the human heart’ to my best extent.

“So Nobodies don’t have it?”

“You need a heart for it, see.”

“A heart…” Roxas was lost in thought.

Axel kept speaking. “There’s something special only born between people who are even more than friends…that’s love.”

As soon as I beat KH3 and read the secret reports, my first thought was that Isa must have originally been Subject X. And that has been my firm belief ever since. It makes perfect sense. FAR more than him being an apprentice, which was a last minute retcon.

Ansem's Report 2

The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle. Some time later, I went below and was greeted by the strangest sight. Creatures that seemed born of darkness...What are they? Are they truly sentient beings? Could they be the shadows of those who lost their hearts in my experiments? 

During the experiments on the darkness of the heart, all the subjects’ hearts collapsed, even the hearts of the most stalwart.

Secret Ansem Report 2

I have made a grave mistake. My study of the "darkness of the heart" began with a simple psychological test and quickly snowballed. Spurred on by my youngest apprentice, Ienzo, I constructed a massive laboratory in the basement of my castle. Unbeknownst to me, my six apprentices then began collecting a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the "darkness of the heart." As soon as I found out, I called my apprentices together and ordered them not only to cease their studies, but to destroy the results of their research thus far.

Isa was a unique subject. His heart was amazingly strong, due to his feelings for Lea, and it didn’t collapse like all the others.

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

My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them. Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse. I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she. Upon discovering the tests I've been conducting, my master demanded that I cease my work immediately and destroy what research I have compiled. Worse still, he ordered the release of my remaining subjects. She is gone. Where is Subject X now? Has "wise" Master Ansem hidden her away? Whatever the case, I will not be deterred. I will take her place as the first subject in the grand experiment to come.

But it was captured. Xehanort’s goal was to use the power of Isa’s heart as a weapon, and he became a vessel. Saïx was the result.

“I’ll bring him back to our side. Let me—”

“That’s enough.” Saïx turned his head, giving Axel a sidelong look over his shoulder. “Traitor.”

Axel scowled darkly.

“I’m going. You know, don’t you, that you won’t stop me except by force? And even if you tried, you would fail.” Saïx went on his way. 

It’s my memories that are telling me this sort of thing is unpleasant.

The Berserker Nobodies carry cursed hammers. So, Saïx probably carries a cursed claymore. When he grips the claymore, he enters his berserk state. 

“Then let’s skip the conversation,” said Saïx, and just like that he threw his claymore. But, Roxas batted it aside easily. The series of movements was like it was done by a completely different person than yesterday’s Roxas.

Saïx hesitated for a second, and Roxas ran at him.

He blocked the Keyblade.

Long ago—I remember, I didn’t hate fighting. Saïx flung his claymore at Roxas.

And so, Saïx remembered things from a long long time ago.

My theory is that the claymore makes Saïx relive the memories---good or bad---that made his heart so strong, enhancing his fighting ability by going berserk.

Saïx: I passed on the message as you so desired. I told the young Sora to keep defeating the Heartless.

Xemnas: Good. Not only have you the power to inflict pain, you also have the power to plant seeds of doubt in one's receptive heart. Sora will soon begin to doubt himself. It will cause him to hesitate and that hesitation will turn to anger. That anger will fuel him to get rid of his apprehension and move forward. He will pave the way for the future we desire.

Saïx: There's something I've meant to ask.

Xemnas: About Axel? The poor fool. How long will he keep chasing the illusion of friendship, when he himself lacks emotion? Trying so hard to retrieve what he has lost, when it may never have existed in the first place. He deserves nothing more than our pity.

And those memories were of Lea. The heart has a direct connection to memory. Saïx is forced to relive Isa’s memories in order to receive greater power, but he’s convinced that neither he nor Axel can actually feel anything anymore. And he’s tormented by it.

Day 94: All Goes Apace

Author: Saïx

The hearts collected by our two Keyblade wielders, Roxas and Xion, have gathered together; and now, almighty Kingdom Hearts waxes large in the night sky. Our efforts have come to bear fruit, nearly ripe for the plucking. All plans proceed smoothly—alarmingly so, in fact, though this is no time to be deterred by paranoia.

Day 94 ~Hearts~ is when Kingdom Hearts first becomes visible in the sky. They’re sooo close to getting their hearts back, and Saïx is trying not to be paranoid.

Cogsworth: Those horrid creatures plaguing the castle have kept the master from seeing Belle for days… There has to be some way to bring the two of  them together!

Xion: Remember the last time we were here? The candelabra was talking about the same thing. The servants seem awfully interested in making sure Belle and their master get along.

Roxas: You think it’s strange?

Xion: Only that they seem to be in such a rush about it.

That day Roxas and Xion go to the Beast’s Castle for the first time together. And Cogsworth is also trying not to be paranoid since time is running out for them to become human again.

“If he’s taking on the Heartless himself, he must have a reason to fight.”

Xion stared down at the Keyblade. What’s my reason?

“A reason?” Roxas blinked at her, mystified. “Like what?”

Chapter 65 of the KH2 manga is when Sora faces off against Saïx. It’s called “The Reason I Fight”. In 358/2 Days, that’s what the Beast’s Castle was all about, too. 

“Like…maybe he has something he wants to protect,” she said softly.

Xion, in turn, was mystified that Roxas found the idea so strange. As if he had never thought to ask why.

The main thing Roxas wanted to know was why the Beast fought so hard when he was the master of the castle, like Xemnas. He had servants to fight for him (or at least Roxas thought so). Xion suggested that the Beast was fighting so hard because he had something he wanted to protect.

Roxas: I just don’t understand why having a heart is so important. Do you?

Axel: Kind of a strange time to bring it up…

Roxas: But don’t you ever stop and wonder? We’re fighting for something we don’t know anything about.

Axel: Roxas… We’re fighting because we want to know what it’s about.

Roxas: Yeah… Yeah, I guess you’re right.

After the mission, Roxas was questioning the reason they were all fighting so hard. Axel told him it was to get hearts of their own. Hearts were necessary to experience certain things, and that was the recurring theme of Beast’s Castle.

Meanwhile, Roxas was already in the Beast’s castle with Xaldin. Gashes in the walls told them of a fearsome battle between the Heartless and the castle’s master.

But Roxas had one question for Xaldin. “Why is the Beast fighting so much?”

“That is what we’re here to find out,” said Xaldin. They climbed the stairs from the entrance hall, toward the grand doors, which Roxas was fairly certain led to the ballroom.

I think that world was meant to be a parallel to Axel and Saïx’s backstory. The reason the Beast fights is tied to Isa’s true purpose as a human and Axel’s reason to work so hard to complete Kingdom Hearts.

“Well, it seems important to him…” Roxas looked again at the rose beneath the glass, safe in the back of the chambers. It was somehow sparkling, unlike anything else here.

“Precisely. That is no ordinary rose. The room is in tatters save for one corner—because to him, at least, it is more precious than all the castle’s riches.”

“Is that why he’s fighting the Heartless? He wants to protect the rose?”

“Indeed. It holds some strange power… Perhaps the Heartless are drawn to it as well.”

“Is that the reason he’s fighting so hard…?” But why was the Beast so determined to protect a flower?

The Beast was fighting so hard to protect the rose, which was very dear to him. It was the one thing that was most important to him. Or at least that’s what Xaldin thought.

“Our work here is done,” Xaldin declared. “We have the Beast’s weakness.”

“We do?”

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

“Captive…? I don’t get it.”

Everything Xaldin said only got harder and harder to follow.

“Nor should you. You have no heart to love with. Let’s not linger here.”

Xaldin said that having something you care about is a weakness. It’s they key to capturing the person’s heart. Since Nomura said that those implanted with Xehanort’s heart get their heart captured, this is no doubt what happened to Isa.

“Well, you were right,” Roxas went on. “We figured out what he cares so much about. But Xaldin says that’s a weakness.”

“Why would caring about something be a weakness?” Xion asked, baffled.

Roxas lowered his head. “I don’t know. I didn’t get it, either.”

I’m not the only one surrounded by things I can’t understand, Xion thought. Axel would explain it, though…

“I hope Axel comes back soon,” said Roxas. She nodded. They would have so many things to ask him.

Whenever Roxas went to Beast’s Castle, he’d want to talk to Axel afterwards, to explain things to him. 

“Hmm, this is fascinating,” said Xaldin. “His monstrous form is somehow tied to the rose.”

“You mean, his curse?” Roxas asked, keeping his voice low.

“Yes. It seems that unless he completes some task before the rose withers, he’ll remain a beast forever.” Xaldin smirked at his own cleverness. “A beastly curse and a rose… Heh-heh. This will prove useful.”

“How?”

“Trying to explain it to you would be a waste of time. Let’s go, Roxas. No more dallying.” With that nonanswer, Xaldin left the chambers.

Roxas dallied anyway, peering through the doors again. The rose, the thing he treasures, is his weakness? Nope, I don’t get it. I wonder if Axel will know what it all means…?

And Axel always found it hard to explain. That’s because the concepts Roxas asked about were all things you needed a heart to understand.

“Do you have anything you couldn’tKeybladeo lose?”

Axel shifted in surprise and pulled the ice cream bar out of his mouth. “What? Where’d that come from?”

“I saw someone today and…he was talking about something like that. It was so important he couldn’t even think about losing it. Xaldin told me that’s a weakness. And I started thinking about how I don’t have anything—”

“Yeah, because you don’t have a heart.” Axel sighed, weary of having to point it out.

Roxas thought that Axel would know what Xaldin meant, and I think he was absolutely right.

Young Xehanort: What? “Your friends are your power”? Ah...how very true. But if the light of friendship is a form of power...the darkness of being alone is a power...even greater. Darkness is the hearts true nature. 

I don’t think Isa naturally enjoyed combat, but he did his best to protect Lea. He got better at fighting and even started to enjoy it because it had a purpose. There was meaning in it. Isa couldn’t bear to lose Lea. This was seen as his weakness and exploited during the experiments.

Sora: That’s the hearts true nature. To never, ever let go. Wherever they are, Andy and the other toy haven’t let go either.

Woody: Yeah! You can’t keep us from Andy.

Sora fought to protect his friends, too. It was his weakness and Saïx definitely exploited it during their battle. Sora’s friends were turned into cards, and even when the cards were destroyed, Sora still told Saïx that he wasn’t alone. 

Xigbar: Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yes, hearts are powerful when they’re connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, some of those hearts might end up breaking.

Saïx got extremely upset by this and was reminded of his fight with Roxas.

After so long, the weight of it was somehow strange in her grip. She thought she could feel the warmth from his hand lingering in the metal.

“Then you can go ahead and use it for the day,” said Roxas.

“But what are you going to use?”

“Well…” A hint of a grin came to his face, and he picked up a makeshift weapon near his feet. “I can improvise.”

“Roxas…that’s a stick.” It couldn’t possibly do any damage to Heartless, Xion thought.

When Xion was trying to regain the use of her Keyblade at the Beast’s Castle, she also said she wasn’t alone. Roxas was right there fighting beside her. He put himself at a disadvantage for her sake.

Roxas: Love? What's that?

Xaldin: It's an emotion. The one deluding those two as we speak.

Roxas: Oh...

Xaldin: They think the power of love will save them? That's the stuff of poetry, not practicality.

Roxas: Love is a power?

Xaldin: None you or I will ever grasp. Nor will they, for long. The love between them will wither and die. Love never lasts.

My theory is that Lea always fought really hard to protect Isa, who probably had never fought a day in his life. Lea enjoyed play fighting and was more equipped to handle himself. He saved Isa from certain death one day by and Isa really wanted to thank him by letting him have a day off to rest. Like Xion, he had been working really hard to become more independent and useful. I think he bungled it and collapsed, but after that, the apprentices viewed him differently. I don’t think he was seen as very useful at first. He was weak. But then they realized how strong his heart was.

Roxas looked bewildered. As he’d expected, he wasn’t doing a very good job explaining it.

“Not that it matters. We’ll never know the difference.”

Roxas wouldn’t let it go. “Do you think I could love somebody, if I had a heart?”

“Once Kingdom Hearts is complete, I bet you’ll be able to figure it out.” 

The magic words again, Axel thought. It’ll all make sense when Kingdom Hearts is complete. But was that true?

No one had ever seen it happen before. So who knew? Still, all they could do was believe in it. Pitiful Heartless, mindlessly collecting hearts…

The Beast’s true purpose was not defending the rose; it was defending Belle. He wanted to protect her because he loved her. I think Isa wanted to protect Lea because he loved him. And I think Axel’s main motivation to complete Kingdom Hearts was that he loved Isa. He wanted him to get his heart back, and he wanted to experience love again. More than anything, Axel wanted love. Someone who thought he was the most important person in the world. This is why Roxas was unable to meet his emotional needs. Axel wanted more than just friendship. He wanted romantic love. That was his motivation for completing Kingdom Hearts. 

“Something you find amusing?”

“Oh, the things you hear from a guy with no heart,” Xigbar said through his hilarity.

None of us have hearts, Saïx was about to remind him, when Xemnas spoke again.

Xigbar taunted Saïx for having no heart. It happened more than once in the novel. The first time is when Saïx couldn’t see Xion. 

“…Well, do your best. The best a kid without a heart can do, anyway,” said Xigbar, and he too disappeared.

Xigbar also suggested that Isa lost his heart as a kid. It was no doubt a result of being experimented on. When Axel told Roxas he’d have to work twice as hard to make up Xion’s quota, he called it “doing your best”. And I think that’s why Xigbar said Saïx would have trouble doing that without a heart. He was referring to the “kid without a heart,” Isa. His heart is what gave him strength.

“I feel bad for you, too,” she told him.

“What are you talking about?” Saïx towered over Naminé.

“You haven’t even noticed yet…that you have a heart.”

Several Nobodies emerged from a rift out of the corridors.

“A heart? I have a heart? No one wants your nonsense!” Saïx raised his sword over Naminé—but Riku was there with Soul Eater to intercept the blow.

“Hmph. I don’t have time for these games.” Darkness welled from a rift behind Saïx. “Do your best to help your dear hero.” With that, he disappeared.

“Are you all right?” Riku helped Naminé to her feet.

“Now I understand…,” she murmured.

“Naminé…? You understand what?”

She was silent for a moment and quietly shook her head as she stood. “It’s nothing. We have to find Kairi.”

Despite having such a close bond with Lea as a kid, and desperately wanting a heart more than anyone, Saïx still never displayed any human emotion. There was supposed to be something very unusual about him.

“Looks strong,” Axel remarked from behind them.

“Yeah. He is,” Riku said, sinking into thought.

His heart is even stronger than his body. It’s exactly the kind of heart the organization wants…

“But someone that strong won’t just do whatever the organization says,” Naminé murmured.

“Well, this is their chance to show how persuasive they can be,” Axel said with a bitter smirk.

I don’t think Isa was ever really that great of a fighter. But his heart was stronger than his body (he’d probably be a good fighter if he had a Keyblade). And his strong heart is why he was targeted by the apprentices and became Subject X, Xehanort’s favorite lab rat.

Odr (pronounced “Oh-der,” from Old Norse Óðr, “ecstasy, inspiration, fury, frenzy;” sometimes shortened to Óð or “Od”) is an obscure, seldom-mentioned god. The Old Norse noun óðr means "mind", "soul" or "spirit".  

It is derived from a Proto-Germanic word *wōð- or *wōþ- and it is related to Gothic wôds ("raging", "possessed"), Old High German wuot ("fury" "rage, to be insane") and the Anglo-Saxon words wód ("fury", "rabies") and wóð ("song", "cry", "voice", "poetry", "eloquence"). Old Norse derivations include œði "strong excitation, possession". Ultimately these Germanic words are derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *wāt-, which meant "to blow (on), to fan (flames)", fig. "to inspire".

This backstory also fits with the Norse mythology-inspired concept of Saïx. Berserkers worked themselves up into a rage while focusing on something that gave them “divine inspiration”. They needed a purpose, which was typically Odin. Part of the mythology of berserkers is that they are possessed by animal spirits, like bears or wolves. The wolf is the traditional spirit guide of the hunter, warrior, and magician. The wolf represents a dual nature of nourishing and destruction. I think Saïx would be represented be a wolf (or werewolf).

In Celtic tradition, the Hare is sacred to the Goddess and is the totem animal of many lunar Goddesses - Hecate, Freyja, Selene, Anumati. Freyja is the wife of Odr. She is the headstrong Norse goddess of love, sensuality, and women’s mysteries, was also served by hare attendants. The nocturnal Hare, closely linked to the moon which dies every morning & is resurrected every evening, also represents Immortality & the rebirth of Nature in Spring. It is also a symbol of Abundance as the hare can conceive while pregnant.

On the other hand, I think Isa was possessed by the spirit of a rabbit when he fought. Unfortunately, wolves eat rabbits. Isa’s heart was swallowed by Xehanort’s.

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

It makes sense that Saïx was given his scar not long before receiving his new name and new purpose. The third eye chakra is located on the forehead between the eyebrows, exactly where Saïx’s scar is. The scar was something he apparently got as a human, since it stayed after he was recompleted, unlike Axel’s tear marks. The third eye governs one’s ability to think and make decisions, and their connection to their purpose. It also controls extra-sensory perception, which explains why Saïx could not see Xion.

Xemnas: A heart is never lost for good. There may have been variances in our dispositions, but a number of us unquestionably showed signs of a burgeoning replacement. Once born, the heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self. But understand, one can banish the heart from the body, but the body will try to replace it the first chance it gets, for as many times as it takes. And so I knew, even after we were divided into Heartless and Nobodies, it was just a temporary separation.

Xemnas learned that the heart could not simply be banished. So, in order to create vessels, he resorted to controlling the mind and capturing the heart. This all happened during the experiments on the darkness of the heart.

Outside the window, the moon—the heart-shaped moon—floated. Axel watched it, still sprawled on his bed. There was still a little time before he had to leave on his mission.

To gather hearts, to have hearts of our own, to not let the heart mislead us…

For these past few days, I’ve been thinking about the meaning of Xemnas’ words. To not let the heart mislead us? What does that mean? Whenever I’m alone, these thoughts just float around in my head the whole time. I don’t know why I have to think so much about it. I bet the other Nobodies don’t.

The heart… emotions. I think about their origins. Contemplate it. Reason about it. When did I start doing this?

On Day 117 ~Secrets~, Axel was thinking about Xemnas’s speech before Saïx came in the room. He didn’t know what Xemnas was talking about when he said they wouldn’t let the heart “mislead” them.

Sora: So then, all that stuff I just saw--did you put that in my head?

Xigbar: No. That wasn't "stuff," it was a dream. The falling asleep part was definitely our bad. But we can't put stuff in your head. Hey, I got an idea. Ask your heart. See if it's got a clue. 

Sora: Well...my heart was aching. That's why I kept going. 

Xigbar: Oh... Thank you, Sora's heart, for pushing him right into our clutches. Aren't hearts great? Steer us wrong every time.

When Xigbar found Sora in KH3D, he said something very similar. 

Xemnas: However--through weakness of body...weakness of will...or weakness of trust--most of the original members we had chosen for the Organization were inadequate. Thus, naturally, they never had a chance to attain their goal. Yet, even this was to be expected. We have learned of the heart's folly, and we have achieved our other goals. This last excursion has proven to be a worthy closing assignment for the Organization.

And afterwards, Xemnas showed up and talked about the mind control experiments. He said that they’d learned of the heart’s folly and achieved their other goals. Saïx is no doubt a product of this. 

Day 355: Mind

Author: Xigbar

The gears of Xemnas' plans have begun to spin wild since the loss of half our membership at Castle Oblivion. The results are there, but can this state of affairs fairly be called a success? If Kingdom Hearts can be said to possess a mind of its own, it is surely rejecting Xemnas—no, rejecting Xehanort. Roxas left the Organization today.

Isa was “misled” by his heart, causing him a lot of pain, putting his heart to sleep. Then he got Norted. His mind and heart were replaced with Xehanort's. The same thing was almost done to Sora. He was going to be made into the 13th vessel by mentally fracturing him, and putting his heart to sleep, leaving him without a sense of self.

Xemnas: You seek answers. You feel nothing. Nothing is real. I can give you purpose.

Roxas: Roxas.

Xemnas: That is right–the new you.

Roxas received his new name along with his purpose soon after he was born. When Roxas was leaving the organization, he was rejecting that purpose. He was rejecting Xehanort. And Saïx was unusually angry about it. He even said similar things that Xemnas did, implying that the same thing was told to him when he received his new name and purpose. At that point, Isa's consciousness was gone.

Day 356: Unforeseen Events

Author: Saïx

Our plans never accounted for the possibility of both Xion and Roxas leaving. How did this come to pass? When did Roxas grow strong enough to outmuscle me? What were you really after, Lea? We joined the Organization at the same time, and formulated our plan. At this point, it's just an idle fantasy. Everything changed. You, and me.

Isa’s purpose was protecting Lea. His new purpose was to become stronger, since physically he probably wasn’t that strong. And his priorities drastically changed. He might not have any memory of receiving his purpose. Since he's a Nort, maybe he thought it was something he desired on his own.

Roxas: Yeah, but what is it? “The heart of all hearts”?

Xion: It’s where all the hearts you and I collect wind up.

Axel: Exactly. It’s because of you two and the Keyblade that we’re finally making some progress. We might finally get hearts of our own.

Xion: “The strength of the human heart is vast,” Xemnas said.

Roxas: Yeah, but what do we need with it?

In the prologue of the manga, Axel reminisced with both Roxas and Xion. They got their new names, then watched the sunset together. One of the panels included the scene of Xion questioning her purpose in the organization. Roxas questioned why they were fighting on Day 94, but accepted Axel’s explanation that they’d understand when they had hearts.

Xion: Roxas, why are we doing all this? Working for the Organization?

Roxas: What do you mean, why? So we can get hearts of our own, right?

Xion: Why? What do we need hearts for?

Roxas: I don’t know. But I figure once we have them, we’ll be in a better position to judge. Right?

Xion: Maybe. I just wish I knew what I was doing here.

Xion started questioning why she was fighting on Day 151, after she failed the mission with Riku and was called a failure. Roxas tried to cheer her up, but she ran off. All of this would eventually lead her to run away for good.

Axel ducked into the sweets shop. “One ice cream, please!”

“Here you go.”

Sea-salt ice cream in hand, he meandered toward the clock tower.

I wasn’t expecting to find Riku easily in the first place. I bet Saïx thought the same. But Saïx will probably pull that magnificently horrible face and have a nasty word or two to say if I state that ‘I couldn’t find him’, but then that’s Saïx’s ‘personality’. In short, Saïx pretending to be a human just involves just a whole lot of that kind of thing. It doesn’t mean that he himself is really feeling some kind of displeasure. That too is natural, seeing as he has no heart.

“This is so salty,” Axel muttered just like every time, biting his ice cream as he climbed the slope that led to the station.

After Xion ran off on Day 151, Axel showed up at the clock tower. Just after the scene where Xion ran off, there was an extra scene in the novel. Axel bought some ice cream and was thinking about Saïx’s “personality”.

Saïx heaved an exaggerated sigh. In a way, Saïx put more effort than any of them into pretending he had a heart, Axel thought. And yet, he was more lacking than any of them.

Axel remarked several times about Saïx’s lack of human emotion. He did it when he returned from Castle Oblivion on Day 72 ~Change~, when Saïx wasn’t worried about him or grateful to him.

After watching them go, Axel stretched and turned to Saïx, expecting to see a scowl. But the expression had left Saïx’s face, leaving him as dispassionate as usual.

Of course, he had been faking it in the first place. Nobodies had no hearts; they only imitated what emotions they remembered. The very proof of their emptiness showed how desperately they each longed for a heart. Axel probably did the same thing himself without noticing, and yet, for some reason, when Saïx did it—or actually, any of the others—it seemed so out of place.

Maybe because it makes me realize how much effort we put into acting like we’re still human, Axel thought. It’s pointless.

And he did it on Day 96, when he covered for Roxas and Xion so they could go to the Beast’s Castle together. In the manga, Axel said Saïx was like that from the start, so probably ever since he became a Nobody.

Xion: I’m remembering things. About who I was as a human.

Axel: Well, stop remembering. Nothing good will come of it.

Xion ran away on Day 255 because she wanted to know who she was. She wanted a real purpose, not just doing the organization’s bidding. Afterwards, Axel sat with Roxas and couldn’t break the news to him. I think he was remembering how Isa awakened to a new purpose, too. This coincided with his personality change and possibly him regaining his memories. Saïx’s purpose was to become stronger. After that, he became a totally different person. Axel’s biggest source of pain throughout Days was that he thought he would never see the Isa from his memories ever again. The Isa who existed before he awakened to a new purpose.

Axel: You really think the truth is going to make you feel better? It won’t.

Roxas: What makes you so sure? I have a right to know who I am! How did I get here? Why am I special? Where did I learn to use the Keyblade? I deserve those answers!

Axel: Roxas…

Roxas: Are you gonna tell me or not? Axel… Who am I?

The Isa who still loved him and whose purpose was protecting him. He was terribly lonely and was very upset when both Roxas and Xion started questioning who they were, because he knew he would lose them. They'd be destroyed. He had a very strong stance against them regaining their human memories. 

"Axel—please.”

“No ‘please’.”

“But… I…” For a second, Axel thought he saw Xion’s face become Sora’s again. He shook his head slowly. 

“You get it, don’t you, Axel? I can’t live like this.”

“There should be a way for you to keep living as yourself.” Xion pushed Axel back with the Keyblade, jumped back, and readied her stance.

“That’s a lie. On top of this, I don’t want to be used by the Organization for such a thing. I hate that Roxas is being used by the Organization.”

“So do I.”

Axel couldn’t bear to tell Roxas that he might never see Xion again after she left. It’s probably due to what happened to Isa. Subject X was an amnesiac. He probably started to regain his memories, which started after becoming self-aware and telling Lea why the sunset was red. That was the beginning of the end. His heart began to gradually get swallowed by Xehanort. Lea had to witness his friend become a completely different person over time. He was reliving that experience with Xion.

[angelspigeon]

Moar angst? Maybe with a happy ending. Saix is dying in Lea's arms and he doesn't know whether or not he will come back. He tries to tell himself it's okay because Lea has found true friends that will make him happy, but Saix doesn't want to go because he also wants to be reunited.

Hi!!

YES ANGST!!!

Your angst was something I actually headcanon and needed to write for the vol 02 of my fanbook so THANK YOU!!! I finally got the occasion to write it down!!!

Maybe I got a bit carried away? I put in a lot of others relationship (and piece of a fanfic I couldn’t post but filled with headcanons) so I hope this will please you anyway!!

I won’t post it on AO3 because I think I will need to rework it a bit and just throw it in my fanbook later ya know so no AO3 door BUT those 3 205 words are all for you!!!

 When he died, it seemed to be the right thing…

Dying, be with Lea in Kingdom Hearts. Forever. Being by Lea’s side… It was the dream. The only thing he really wanted.

So why was he there? Why was he listening to Xemnas’ nonsense… again?

Why…

He hated every of his ideas. He hated the sound of his voice. He hated…

“Moony?!”

A hand moved in front of Isa’s eyes. No… Saïx. He hadn’t the luxury to be Isa. Isa was something lost, forgotten… He didn’t think he could only come back that child. He wasn’t sure he wanted. The name they called him had just really little importance when he was by Lea’s side…

The thing was that… he wasn’t in Lea’s side.

So Saïx looked up at Xigbar who had moved his hand in front of him.

“You’re with us?” he asked.

Was it being with them like sharing their view of what they will do, the conquest of the Worlds, or listening to them?

“I am,” he replied.

“Yeah… It didn’t seem so. But if you’re in! Come on! We need to find more friends! Or… how do you say when you use them, whatever if they are killed or not, in the end?”

“Object?”

“Yes! We need to find more living object!” Xigbar said. “Xemnas wants lot of them.”

“What will happen to us?”  he asked.

“You really want to know?”

He had something in his tone. Something telling that, exceptionally, he cared.

“Am I the kind of people who would waste his saliva?” Saïx wondered.

“You’re doing it, there. And every time you speak to me,” Xigbar smirked. “Though… Honestly?” he said with a grave and dull face. “Don’t expect to life old.”

“This doesn’t afraid you?”

Xigbar shook his head.

“No! Surely don’t! I’m a big boy and I will do great! But you…” Xigbar grabbed Saïx’s cheek, pressing them between his hands. “… I know you. Don’t die too fast, ‘kay?”

Saïx nodded.

But he didn’t know.

This battle was forcing them to walk on a path so different from Lea’s. And if he had to be against him?

He wasn’t made for that.

He had intertwined his life with him and could accept to be on a different path of him but he couldn’t accept to hurt him.

Even one second…

Though… giving up on his life to avoid hurting him… wouldn’t it hurt him even more? If Lea had forgotten him, that would be the worst for him because he wished to always live at least in his memories, but wouldn’t it be better?

For everybody.

  The sound of the pen against the paper was reverberating in the room.

As always, Saïx had to be there, helping Xemnas with the things he thought useless. Keeping order in his thoughts was his work. It was annoying. But it helped. He had managed to climb all the stairs to finally arrive there. He had the confidence of his Chief, one of the most important members of the new Organization, and he had access to every of his plan…

Of the whole Organization plans.

Like the last time, he had every way to destroy everything he wanted at default to success what he wished the most.

He couldn’t access this.

He was unable to do what he wanted.

His only wishes, at this exact moment… was to make sure Lea could be happy. If his life was about to end… Of course, it was about to end. Any Xehanort really thought they could win? When they have so many powerful people against them? And no one in their side…

And what he expected…

“We could use the Replicas…”

“The Replicas, Sir, are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Xemnas walked toward Saïx. “We don’t have the time to convince people to follow our lead but we can bring back people sharing our ideas. This would offer us an opportunity to win over the Light. Especially because, as for you, I can trust them.”

Saïx looked down on the papers he had. Every information needed stocked and stacked just right in front of his eyes. They had gathered a few members. Xigbar, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene… him, of course. This was showing a little obsession of the man. And, yes, Saïx could understand the need to turn back even more toward trustable people. Another past, because it was obvious Axel… Lea, wouldn’t come back and Roxas couldn’t come back. Yet… it wasn’t impossible.

But…

People were missing.

A lot of them.

They needed Replicas.

To fill what was missing and, as Saïx was passing through those who could complete the equation…

“My Lord… Do you remember that puppet we used to have with us? Xion.”

She wasn’t supposed to vanish from memories. It wouldn’t follow Vexen’s plans. He wanted his work to be remembered! Lot of those who saw her just didn’t care much about her and the others… Axel… Saïx begged for make it vanish from his memories. To protect him from everything. He had lost Roxas, he couldn’t lose more… suffer.

He knew he was doing mistakes but they have the way for that.

But now… Now, Axel, or Lea, couldn’t forget something. Not completely and he knew… He knew he would remember her one day. He knew he hadn’t forgotten her for real…

“You want us to use this puppet?”

Saïx nodded. “If we managed to have Vexen by our side, we could have Replicas and he would bring her back. She owns a Keyblade so she is fitting the role more than… me, for example,” he said.

“You own a part of me since so longtime, I think you perfectly fit the role. Anyway, if this idea seems interesting… Will Vexen accept to join us?”

“I can convince him, if you allow me to try, Sir,” Saïx offered.

“Very well.”

“Thank you,” his Second replied, bowing in front of him.

  Saïx couldn’t understand how Vexen had accepted to let go on his Humanity for the sake of the plans. He didn’t understand how he could abandon his Heart… But he did it. Only to fulfil their goals. His goal. Vexen wanted to have his revenge, to redeem himself… next to his son, Ienzo.

For that, he needed to step in the Devil’s Lair and give them a bit of what they wanted.

Only to fulfill his desire.

They all were ready to make sacrifice.

Saïx was ready for them to.

All of them…

“What will you do when the moment will arrive?”

Vexen didn’t look up when he heard the question behind him. For now, they were eleven. And they will be, certainly, thirteen when Xion will be made. But Saïx didn’t want her to share his fate. Maybe she could overgrow this. Maybe he could find someone else to replace her. Even if it has to be Sora? Unless Lea had affection for him?

He… he didn’t care about disappearing. He didn’t think Lea would really miss him. He didn’t think he still deserved Lea’s love but… Vexen?

“I’m the one who create the Replicas. I don’t think I risk anything,” Vexen said. “I will make sure they are enough so I don’t have to fight and die.”

“But what will you do for…”

Saïx showed his eyes.

Vexen smirked. “I can live with that. Maybe it will disappear when everything will be done, though. I’ll see.”

“I see…” Saïx whispered.

“When will you be done with…”

The door opened. Saïx immediately went quiet. But his eyes widened.

It wasn’t that surprising to see Xigbar, even if he had that smile.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

But what he had under his arm…

“Hi, Saïx!”

Just in front of his eyes, Demyx was waving his hand.

Vexen had nothing to do with this discussion. He had so many works left to finish with Xion. And the Replica for Roxas. He needed Xemnas for Xion but for Roxas, they only needed Sora. And so, this will bring more difficulties in all of this.

“We’re trying to have enough Replica for the Darkness’ plans. What Demyx is doing here?”

“I couldn’t stay dead and away from you!! I couldn’t believe it when I was alive! But couldn’t reach to you! I’m so sorry. I should have come back to you. But it was hard to know if I was welcome?”

“Of course, you were,” Saïx replied.

Why not? Except the creeping fear that he would be killed again by the Light… Creeping fear becoming worst again  when he noticed Demyx’s eyes…

Yellow.

“Enough Replicas, uh?” Xigbar asked as he walked toward the inanimate puppet.

“It’s going to be big,” Vexen replied. “Everything we can wish for and more!”

“I wish a lot of things!” Xigbar smirked. He moved his arm away from Demyx and approached the Replica, only to turn toward Saïx and press his cheeks between his hands. “I wish you make him smile.”

“I never said I can do Miracles,” Vexen replied.

Saïx frowned even more.

Demyx jogged to Saïx, hugging him.

It was just the shadow of a smile, but he managed to make the Second-in-Command smile anyway.

Very few where those who knew the affection Saïx had for Demyx. He always seemed to hate him, not care at all, and even despised his presence. But that didn’t mean it was what he truly thought. When you were someone as important as him, it was crucial not to show your true feelings.

Lea, Axel, seemed already to be an easy target. But Demyx… he always frightened that it would be an easier target…

At this exact moment, he preferred not to think about that. He preferred looking at that Replica and hope. Hope that it meant everything will be alright…

  In his bedroom, Saïx was laying on the mattress. He didn’t need to sleep but sometimes, he didn’t want to work…

He heard a sound at his door and turned his head, not welcoming anyone though. Either that person will leave, either it was someone who will enter anyway so… he preferred to be quiet, to let the thoughts swirl in his head and invaded him.

The door opened.

“Hey, Saïx, can I come?”

“Even if I say ‘no’, you will.”

“Right!”

The door closed and, just a few seconds after, he could feel a body against his. He moved his arm so he could lightly embrace the one who was snuggling against him as if he wasn’t a living threat…

“You don’t mind, right?”

Saïx moved his head toward Demyx. As if it was really the kind of things he would worry about… Demyx had a Heart filled with light and Saïx often wondered how he could have been with them. As much as for Roxas, probably.

Roxas…

Saïx wondered if they could success…

“Can I say something to you?” Demyx asked.

Saïx nodded slightly in the Darkness of the room.

“I was surprised when Xiggy mentioned you. I heard Lea joined the Light and… I thought he was the love of your live…”

“I don’t have the luxury to choose,” Saïx replied. “I’m only waiting for…”

He closed his eyes. There were two wolves within him. One still had hope and the other was less idiot and know the truth.

“You can wait for him with me,” Demyx smiled, trying to cheer him up.

“And if he doesn’t find me?”

“More time together!!” the boy burst with joy.

Saïx clamped his hand on his belly. Demyx bit his lower lip, seeing this, and hugging him tightly.

“Please, don’t think about this,” he said in the hollow of his ear. “You’re doing really fine.”

“Thank you…”

Those words Demyx had said to him wasn’t something Saïx was used to hear. At least not without being like a bone throw at a dog…

“Do you want something?” Demyx offered.

“No. It’s fine,” Saïx replied.

“Tell me if you need anything.”

Saïx wasn’t surprised the boy tried to do so much for him. He almost expected Demyx to propose him to play music for him… Thank God, he didn’t. Though Saïx could remember the time where his music was the only thing he could bore. And when he was so desperate because Demyx disappeared and there was no more music in The World That Never Was. Because their empty lives were even more empty. Because he felt so left alone…

Even Xigbar tried to cheer him up but everything had shattered, little by little when Axel left them. Left him.

And after that… he was just taking the longest road to his own Doom. This was supposed to be his salvation and now…

Somehow, he was happy to be there because he really liked Demyx even if he didn’t show it much. He really had been with him in the hard time when his whole existence had shattered, piece by piece. When he needed to grab on something and the Promise on Kingdom Hearts became less sure, when his hate was so strong… Without Demyx and Xigbar, he didn’t know what he would have become.

So… being there, being with Demyx once again finally… wasn’t it the most logical end?

  A few months before, for the sake of Axel, Saïx had hoped this puppet will never move anymore.

Now, for the sake of Lea, Saïx hoped this puppet will move…

Vexen had no fear for a random Replica and he swore that, as soon as Roxas will touch his Heart, he will be complete again. In a Replica, yes, but he would be there and his own being. As he always had been. He could live his life as he deserved it.

But for the puppet here…

Saïx walked like a wolf in a cage, waiting.

“Will you be able to do it for Naminé, too?” he wondered.

“Yes,” Vexen replied, fixing the last details to call back Xion.

He had very little information about her and her own being was so strange. It was more difficult.

“I will manage to have you pushed on the side but make sure it will be the same for Demyx. I will give you the opportunity to leave and do what you want. Don’t fail on me.”

“Silence, Saïx,” Vexen said.

Saïx folded his arms.

“You want to redeem yourself, I want it too. You will have what you want and so me too,” the scientist said to him.

“I don’t want to redeem myself,” Saïx replied.

It was only selfish.

In fact, Vexen could understand it too. They weren’t that different. But Xemnas wasn’t that different than them neither…

Saïx kept walking, glancing at the puppet.

He stopped.

Her fingers had moved.

He saw them move. Just at the right instant…

He approached the table with hope.

Vexen ignored him. Ignored her.

“Xion?” Saïx called.

The hand moved. A relieve bathed Saïx. Roxas and Xion will be there soon… Once this will be done…

“One last thing,” Vexen said.

“Yes?”

Saïx wasn’t looking toward him because Xion was sitting just in front of him.

“She will not be Xion as you remember her until her Heart could connect with Sora.”

Saïx turned his head toward him.

“So… I will bring her to the fight.”

He was annoyed because Lea couldn’t remember her and risked to hurt her. And if it happened, Lea wouldn’t forgive himself. But he will make sure this wouldn’t happen. He didn’t plan to let Lea be sad. Soon, he will be reunited with Roxas and Xion. And he will be happy…

What could he hope more than this?

  The day of the big battle arrived.

Too soon.

Saïx knew that Vexen had brought a Replica for Roxas. He knew that Demyx was in a safe place. He knew Xion will soon be her again… She will be alive.

Everything will be alright.

He just needed…

“Moony?”

Saïx turned his head toward Xigbar who walked toward him.

“What will you do?”

“What do you mean?”

He groaned when he felt Xigbar’s hands on his cheeks. The man was always forced to touch him like that?! It was annoying…

And yet… the gesture was tender.

He always was happy to receive that affection from him.

Wasn’t it the worst that him, who had grown up being alone and avoiding to be touched, he ended up being very close of people who needed to show their affection that way?

“I know for Demyx and I know for the two others… You will leave?”

“Why would I?”

“You will join Lea, right? I wish you my best wishes!”

Saïx shook his head, looking down.

“Why?” Xigbar asked.

“I belong to Xemnas. I’m stained by him and there is nothing for me. No one who could care…”

“I…”

“You will forget me, Xigbar.  I knew this was what will happen to me months ago… I suppose I have to thank you? For having let this time less painful? The day I lost my Heart was the last time I was allowed to have one… I accepted the fact. My Heart is…” Saïx’s fists were shaking. “The only Heart I need is Lea…” he whispered.

“Is that what you want? It’s over?”

Saïx nodded.

“You know you have a chance to come back if you die.”

“I don’t think it will happen.”

Xigbar pressed his hands over his cheeks and leaned to press his forehead against him.

“Then, I will hope for two…” he whispered.

  “See you, Isa…”

Hope…

They all talked about hope. Saïx never had this hope. He just had will. Will to pursue. Will to fix things… Will to make Lea happy…

From the beginning, it always had been what he wanted. The very beginning. The first day he saw him, at the window of his house. The day when his Heart met the only one…

Hope seemed so dull. So vain…

Why would he hope?

He didn’t believe there was a right place to die and yet… he was dying in the best place in the World… In the warm and soft embrace of the one he loved. The man who will be surrounded with those he loved, finally…

Lea would be happy.

Why having hope when his sole purpose in life was finally fulfilled.

Lea would be happy…

But… the green eyes were filled with tears. He hated see them like that… He regretted the old spell, the upside-down tears.

He didn’t want Lea to be sad.

He didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to be somewhere else than in Lea’s arms. It wasn’t fair… He wanted to be there to see him happy. He wanted to wake up every morning next to him and to kiss his face. He wanted to hear his voice.

He didn’t want to leave him alone.

Roxas and Xion could really fill the hole he will create in Lea’s Heart? He wanted to believe it because he was nothing and he wanted Lea happy but those eyes on him were saying something else.

And…

And he didn’t want to leave.

He wanted to come back. He wanted to hope…

He wanted to hope he will come back and see Lea’s smile every day…

“… See you, Lea…”

[oveliagirlhaditright]

For Valentine’s Day.

Sora and Kairi’s dates from the end of Re:Mind.

Change of Focus Sora had wanted to see fireworks with Kairi, ever since he'd seen them going on during a Struggle Tournament in Twilight Town. Those hadn't been particularly spectacular, however, as they’d just been pale white fireworks upon a light backdrop. But since they had been the first ones Sora had ever seen-right before he'd found Riku and Kairi at the World That Never Was—they held a special place in his heart. And so, the Keyblade wielder was thrilled that he was experiencing this with Kairi now (and Chirithy). Sora wanted to give Kairi everything he possibly could—as he’d realized after Kairi had said how excited she was about sailing, on that night long ago—before his time in this world was up... though he refused to think about that part of it, just yet. "This is so lovely, Sora!" Kairi chirped, as a dark purple firework lit up overhead, to make Kairi even more beautiful in Sora’s eyes. "Where did you even learn about fireworks… and get the idea to set them off here?" It was Sora who had set up the fireworks being used, when Kairi, Chirithy, and himself had first come to Disney Castle—when Sora and Kairi had decided that they wanted to go on a nice date, already, but also wanted to secretly check on their friends as they did so—Sora had found said explosives in Disney Castle, and had gotten them out in the hopes that his friends would set them off... And now they were. And as that fact made this the perfect experience for Kairi and himself in every way imaginable, Sora couldn't have felt more love in his heart now for both his girl and his friends. "I first saw them in Twilight Town, Kairi," Sora explained, as he took the love of his life’s hand in his own and selfishly found himself wishing that Chirithy wasn't with them, after all (if for just a moment), so he could maybe finally kiss her. But Sora let it go, as he lost himself in conversation as he always did. "And they were so cool, I became instantly addicted. Y’know? So I just had to show them to you! And I kinda figured King Mickey deserved ta see ‘em with Queen Minnie, too." And Sora scratched his cheek awkwardly, when he realized that he’d pretty much just compared Kairi and himself to the king and queen—and had admitted without really saying a thing about the matter, that they were dating—but when Kairi giggled, and leaned into Sora so that her head was on his shoulder and her arm around his waist—Sora decided all was right in the world. She then showed him a glowing stick she’d gotten from Merlin when he’d visited her in the Enchanted Forest. So, both him and Kairi were showing each other glowing lights… it made Sora happy to know this; and he rested his head atop her own in response. … Sora and Kairi weren't exactly acting like the… best surrogate parents to Chirithy, when they visited The Land of Departure again for the first time. Instead, the two had way too much fun playing on Terra, Ventus, and Aqua's training grounds. Sora splashed Kairi with water, the way that he had Rapunzel here… Kairi gracefully jumped through some loops while summoning water magic there (she was clearly taking a page out of Aqua’s book)… and then the two of them were rolling down a hill. And though Sora accidentally landed on top of Kairi—and they did gaze into each other’s eyes longingly for a second when it happened—they didn’t lock lips with each other, or anything, like that (that would have scarred Chirithy for life), but they did end up throwing grass at each other... and if Sora dreamed that maybe he could get some of it off of Kairi by using his mouth—what?! Grass was edible!—he kept it to himself. And it was when Kairi was pulling a shard of blue grass off of Sora's chin, with her lips parted, that he noticed it: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua were solemnly carrying their wayfinders with them towards a makeshift grave made for Master Eraqus. It was then that Sora and Kairi got up, stopped goofing off, and tried to usher Chirithy towards Ven. Sora in particular was doing this with words, as his little friend continued on trying to fight the natural order of friendship. "Come on, Chirithy. Friends help friends through moments of grief! You being there for Ven is exactly what he needs right now and will help him accept you again!" "Yes!" Kairi jumped on the bandwagon, as she nodded her head enthusiastically. "If you're kind to Ven, I'm sure he'll remember you! When Sora believed in me when I faced Xehanort, it reminded me of when he said I should pursue drawing when we were young: since I was better at art than him, in his eyes." For some reason, a slight blush had risen up to stain Kairi's cheeks as she’d said this; that somehow also made her freckles more visible to Sora than they usually were, and he couldn’t get over just how cute she was. And Sora could really appreciate it now, because Chirithy had listened to them and was back where he belonged. And. so Sora took one of Kairi's hands in his own. … "I'm more than okay with being in Twilight Town again, Sora. I want to check in on dear Hayner, Pence, and Olette—but if we're going to get ice cream while we're her... Do you mind if we try other flavors, too?" And after the amazing chocolate that he'd had in San Fransokyo with Big Hero Six, Sora could only say “yes”. He got where Kairi was coming from, after all. The part of him that was still Roxas was fighting this idea in his head tooth and nail... but after having had so much sea salt ice cream from Scrooge McDuck near a year ago, Sora was getting a bit sick of the blue treat himself. "Yes, Kairi. Anything you want!" Sora assured his girl, as he took her hand in his and she leaned against him. And they did do anything they wanted to do. Like, in traversing around Twilight Town, Sora and Kairi found something called "Dip 'n Dots", that was apparently the “ice cream of the future”—something Sora was hyped for, even despite the fact he didn’t have a future—and it was great! Though there was some confusion when Hayner, Pence, and Olette came to join them—and some ice cream fell out of Kairi's cup, and Olette thought they were beads from her bracelet and tried to grab them up—but other than that, it was one of Sora’s top five instances, for sure. And after Sora and Kairi bought Olette some gloves, to try and make her cold hands feel better, the couple finally got some sea salt ice cream (having had enough of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and orange sherbet at this point), and headed up Twilight Town clock tower as far as they could. Sora wanted to “fly” with Kairi again, after all. And it was when the two of them were nibbling on their second bar of it—…so maybe they'd realized they liked sea salt ice cream more than they were earlier thinking. Stomach aches, be damned—that they noticed Roxas, Lea, Xion, Isa, Hayner, Pence, and Olette all sitting beneath them! "Do you think we should say anything?" Sora asked, cocking his head to the side: because as nice as Roxas, Axel, Xion, Isa, and the Twilight Town trio’s hangout was seeming right now, what if Hayner, Pence, and Olette remembered that Axel had kidnapped Kairi and needed them to step in to tell them everything was alright?! But Kairi was quick to convince Sora otherwise, as she placed a gentle hand on his own. "This is between all of them, Sora. Bridges need to be mended for them, the way they were for us with Riku. And in that way, it’ll be a more real and cherished memory for them that way, when all is said and done." …And Sora couldn’t help wondering if he’d have to find a way to mend bridges with Kairi, if he found a way to become corporeal again in the future and return to her… Probably. And there’d probably be quite a few fights before he could prove himself to her again. But Sora had always enjoyed Kairi’s fire, despite everything, and if he had to go through even that to stand by her side again, he gladly would. And for the first time ever, Sora’s lips found Kairi, as he pressed them to her rose red hair. ... "…Sora, why did you let me get so hung up on seeing the worlds with you?! We’ve both been remiss on helping Naminé!" Kairi exclaimed, pulling at her hair in an agitated manner, said suddenly to Sora, exited the station together. "…But why am I placing blame on you, Sora, when it’s really my fault? I just... got caught up with everything--and what you said to Chirithy about seeing new places with those you care about--and how there’s clearly something wrong with you and you won’t tell me why… but can we go to her Replica body now?” Sora certainly didn't have to be asked twice. He opened a Corridor of Light—something he’d recently learned from being connected to Terra—and pushed Kairi through it: his hand on her back lingering for just a moment, as he tried to use a cure to heal any scar she might have still have there, from… from- And Kairi must have noticed what Sora had done there, because she rocketed back towards him and kissed him on the cheek. And if her purity, and the feelings she made him feel, melted Sora into a pile goo and made him realize he could never tell her what was happening to him... well, that was his business and his alone, wasn’t it? … Sora and Kairi positively ran to Radiant Garden castle—wanting Naminé by their side again instantly—but it ended up being the waiting game, anyway, as Ansem, Ienzo, and Even had to set up the Replica body first. As so as Sora and Kairi waited, they alternated between running a hand through Naminé's hair here, or massaging her face with a thumb there, and playing paper games together as they waited. But eventually, the scientists came and joined the pair—telling Kairi they were ready for Naminé's heart—just when Sora began panicking. Thankfully, the Organization members decided to leave Sora when he began to second-guess himself, so they’d be able to say they hadn’t witnessed him lacking tact at all. "Kairi..." Sora began, hanging his head—as memories of when Xehanort had separated them all heart from body came to mind --"I don't know about this. I don’t want to risk hurting your heart!" But Kairi, as she so often did, knew exactly what Sora needed—and put her hand over his heart, as she looked at him with pure unadulterated love and trust. "But Sora, it has to be you since you care as much about Naminé as I do." And when Kairi put it like that, there was no way to deny what needed to be done. Was there? More and more memories of Naminé from Castle Oblivion were coming back to Sora now, and he’d do anything to put a smile on that face again. And as for Kairi… well, there were no words to describe just how good she was and what she meant to him. He would die before he ever harmed her. And so Sora would do this, and make sure nothing happened to Kairi or Naminé, because he loved them both, wouldn’t he? …Besides, the way Kairi wanted him to do something as intimate as freeing her heart, and perhaps cradling it in his hands,, spoke of other intimate bonds she'd maybe want them to have in the future... someday. And since Sora was her first love, he didn’t want to break this kind of trust in her or him so easily. So, Sora ushered the scientists even further away from them—because he and Kairi had done everything else alone in the worlds they’d visited, thus far; And Sora at least wanted to pretend that it had been the same way here—and felt for two hearts that were nearly one, and smiled when he was rewarded with then was light. …And that while they were leaving, that light appeared to find something worthwhile with the dawn. ... It had been no question to Sora that he would take Kairi home when everything was said and done. He had promised her she could always come back to this place, hadn't he? And he was determined to keep his oaths to Kairi now. And Sora also recalled how he'd told his friends both he and Kairi would come back here safe, before they knew it. And he would keep that promise, too. The lovers sat on the paopu tree together—where their destinies had first become one—and while Sora could sense his friends behind them and internally marveled at their joy, his real focus was on Kairi's beauty. And Sora held Kairi’s hand in his, tighter than he ever had, as he felt himself begin to fade away. And as he did, he had to try and reassure her some, via with the truest words he'd ever uttered, and close his eyes against the tear Kairi cried, that he had never wanted to see, Before Sora was fully gone, he heard a lovely "You're not getting off that easily" from Kairi. And next thing he knew, he was catching Kairi’s tear in the hand that had held hers last… and he was alive and whole again.

[nobodies-png]

Hello!! Absolutely love your work ❤️ How do you think Riku and Sora would handle a zombie apocalypse??

Glad you like it, nonnie ! I went with a more Modern-Zombie AU here ! It’s pretty angsty c a u s e , y’kn ow, zombie aus are always s a d 

Sora : 

Out of the two, he’s the most reluctant to harm zombies - specially if we’re talking about someone he personally knew. It’s gonna take him a long time and training to get used to the thought of h a v i n g to kill to survive. Nightmares would plague his mind each night, while he tries to convince himself that he’s putting them out of their misery. Even though he despises firearms, he’d bring himself to learn how to use one - just so he can take down zombies quickly, instead of using more brutal weapons like in movies and videogames. Sora c o u l d use them though, he has the strength, but not the will.

His first instinct is to make sure his loved ones are safe. He might get a bit too ahead of himself and do some reckless stunts on impulse, but Sora is d e s p e r a te to know that his family and friends are okay. They’re his number one priority. No t h i n g else matters. Without them, he’d be lost and completely numb. If he found out that all of them either died or were turned, Sora would just go into a murderours rampage - forgetting all logic and reason and killing just to get it out of his system. Until there’s no zombies left or until he becomes their next meal. 

If only Kairi and Riku were okay, Sora would n e v e r let anything happen to them. It doesn’t matter to him if Kairi and Riku are capable of protecting themselves, he isn’t ready to lose them again or risk the posibility of them getting hurt - he’d become obsessed with the idea of keeping everyone safe, even if it means dying in the process. It’s definitely unhealthy and heartbreaking to see.

The world might’ve turned into a much darker and cruel place, but Sora would retain that sense of warmth he always had - welcoming everyone into his group and teaching them to stay together and united no matter what. He’d end up creating a safe haven after recovering and cleaning out an entire city. A lot of people would follow him, but of course, some others would take advantage of his neverending kindness. 

Due to his young age and attitude, he’d be seen as naive - but trust me, he’s not that dense. Sora is aware of all the second and third and even fourth chances he’s given to people who didn’t deserve them - but he’s too tired to get involved into fights. So instead, he tries to be as peaceful and fair as possible. If you fuck up that’s okay, you’ll be forgiven as long as you own up to your mistakes.

Don’t e v e r bring up the subject of a “cure” around him. All these years of doing what’s needed to survive have taken a toll on him - he’s had to separate lovers, tear apart families, mothers with their children, siblings, friends. He’s seen so many people die and so many continue on leaving every day, Sora doesn’t f e e l like he deserves to know anything about a cure. He was late for all these people, what would a cure do to all of them ? To all the people that were left behind ?  Like, don’t get him wrong. Hope for salvation is always great news, but he would never set a foot outside to fight for said hope. He’s not the hero he used to be and he’s perfectly content with carrying on his duties in his little community.

Riku :

Riku doesn’t have a problem killing zombies. Okay, maybe he does at first - but it’s mostly the fear what holds him back. While he might have potential, he’s still just a kid facing an entirely new and dangerous world by himself. But as soon as he sheds away those last traces of empathy and sympathy away and learns that zombies aren’t and will never be who they used to, he’d have no problem in getting rid of them. If necessary. Long distance weapons are preferred, but he’d use anything that he can get his hands on. 

Riku would try to figure out if his loved ones are okay too - but only after making sure he’s in condition to do so. Like, what help can he be if he just rushes out unarmed ? Friends and family are also everything to him, but unlike Sora who n e e d s their presence to be strong, Riku i s strong for the sake of everyone he wishes to protect. To support them like they’ve supported him in moments of need. If he found out that everyone he cares about is dead or turned into a zombie, Riku would insist on proving them wrong - his friends taught him to keep on believing and moving on no matter what, so if his heart tells him they’re alive, then sorry Janet, but they a r e. In the end, he’d blind himself with false ideas of hope to force himself to keep pushing foward.

If everyone were okay, though, then he’d be extremely relieved and would do his best to ensure their survival and safety. But if rumours about a possible cure started spreading around, Riku would gladly drop everything and set out to help finding it. Sure, everything might be dandy now, but he n e e d s to be one step ahead and think of the future - wouldn’t it be better if the world was safe once again ? Unlike Sora, he doesn’t want the deaths of all those victims to be in vain or sit around doing nothing, seeing more and more people die. 

Chances are he’ll venture into the world by himself after having a big argument with Sora - but like the stubborn mules they are, neither of them is willing to come to an agreement so Riku sets off to find a cure as soon as he can, leaving no trace and no possibility of following. Cause he k n o w s that sooner or later, Kairi and Sora would most likely end up trying to find him. Probably ends up being followed by a stray animal instead, like a dog or a cat that he’ll name Pluto.

Riku would gain a reputation among other camps and groups as a solitary wanderer, which means a lot of encounters along the way - both good and bad. He’d send the friends he made back towards Sora’s camp, to both help and to let them know that he’s still out there kicking ass. At some point, he’ll probably end up killing another human being in self defense, but at this point Riku’s completely numb to the death and misery around him.

And even if it did affect him, Riku would never go back on his promise to find a cure. This is something he feels like he h a s to do - not for money, fame or to prove anything. Just for his friends, family and a chance to live another day next to them, without fear of being devoured at any time. Man, I meant to end this on a bittersweet / happy note, but now i’m thinking of Riku finding a cure and going back home, expecting Sora and Kairi to welcome him with open arms only to find that either one or both have died or turned into zombies. Whatever you do, don’t think aBOUT THAT SAD OUTCOME -