#i wanted to feel like Yozora. maybe later | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

heyitsyn · 4 years ago

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5 Hours Is Nothing Compared to 18 Years

Dad!Oikawa Tooru

a/n: can i just say how lucky his daughter would be?

Oikawa Tooru:

"ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛᴀʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀꜱᴇ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ-ᴍʏ ᴀɴɢᴇʟ"

papa tooru is woken up at night

word count: 1.1K

son: oikawa yozora

daughter: oikawa luna

as you turned on your side, you subconsciously reached over to wrap your arm around your husband when you felt cold sheets rather than his warm body. confused, you flailed around blindly until you gave up and decided to look for yourself. your eyes fluttered open and the darkness of your room greeted your vision but through your open door, you saw there was a faint light from the hallway. at first, you thought it was simply yozora reading his book because he couldn’t sleep. but then you noticed that his room wasn’t on the same side of the hallway. on instinct, you turned to the baby monitor on your bed-side table and noticed the familiar mess of your husband’s hair, watching him rock your daughter with a small smile on your face. of course, still groggy with sleep, you turned to your back and stretched a little bit before sitting up and grabbing your robe to investigate that light. you had a feeling that you would find your missing husband there too.

it was silent in the cottage.

the soft padding of your footsteps softly echoed throughout the hallway and you sniffed at the chilly temperature in the house. you tightened your arms around yourself before yawning then finally arrived at the destination of the light. coincidentally, it was your daughter’s bedroom and you quietly chuckled, knowing tooru probably turned it on when he arrived.

the door was already opened by an inch so a soft judge from your arm made it swing open and you were greeted with the sight of tooru’s muscular back, slowly swaying left to right and the muscles of his body instinctively flexed to carry the weight of the little girl. deciding to not announce your presence, you kept your arms crossed and leaned against the doorframe to just watch him and let him find you himself.

but he kept his form forward.

then you heard a quiet gurgle and the whispers of your husband filled the silence.

‘i understand it’s hard to sleep, but darling, you’ll suffer later. mama has to take you to the doctor later and you don’t want to be sleeping then, do you?’

to keep yourself from laughing, you bit your lip. it was so uncommon to see and hear tooru talking like that to her. ever since she was born, his voice has taken on a permanent high-pitched baby voice, in reason of wanting to communicate with her, and despite your constant reminders that she’s too young to process it, tooru simply says, ‘i want her to hear her father’s voice’.

you were brought back to reality when you heard her ‘protest’ at her father’s comment and you saw her little feet appear to the side and they wiggled. tooru quietly laughed and he bent down, seemingly giving her a kiss.

‘oh? what did you say? you don’t want to?’

‘eung!’

although it wasn’t technically a word, the 5-month old picked up the habits of her dad after constantly hearing him say it to you and hajime.

‘luna, no ‘eung’. papa wants you to be strong! and healthy! so you must sleep!’

‘(babble)(babble)(babble)’

‘noooo, baby, its not hard. just close your eyes, okay? just close them and you will be sleeping! you’ll meet anpanman there too! you like anpanman, don’t you?’

deciding it was enough, you finally left your spot and wrapped your arms around his waist, feeling him flinch but relax when he heard your voice.

‘she likes it when you sing’

it seems luna heard your voice as well and she looked around, eyes wide in her mission to find her mother. you peaked out from behind tooru and you tiredly grinned at her, a bubble of giggles erupting out of her at the sight of you.

‘remember when i recorded you singing? she only sleeps to that during the daytime. maybe it would work if she has a front-seat view’

your suggestion made tooru nod and you listened to him start his lullaby, your own happiness being obvious by the way you gently rubbed circles around his waist. your face leaned against his bicep and your eyes fixed themselves on your beautiful girl, her inherited brown eyes shimmering from the light of her lamp beside her crib. her h/c hair was a mess and was growing steadily yet she took after her father’s hair texture. if anything, she was truly her papa’s girl at how she was a copy-paste version of tooru with an exception of her mother’s hair color. even as a baby and not even hitting her year-old age, they glinted with the same innocence and happiness you’re familiar with from tooru’s younger self.

those same eyes were steadily closing and small breaths escaped her rosy lips until they fully closed and hid away the beautiful shining orbs of your newborn.

tooru slowly quieted his voice and eventually came to a stop.

for the first time tonight, your eyes drifted up to his and you sighed at the dark circles under his eyes and you felt a slight bit of guilt of being too deep in sleep that he took care of it himself.

‘tooru, i-’

‘no. you deserve your sleep and no busy schedule will make me not want to go and hold my baby.’

the amount of love in his voice made you smile and you held him tighter.

‘besides, i want to try for her. i want to be the father she and yozora deserve’

you kissed the skin your lips could reach.

‘yozora was also my fault. we were both to blame but we’ve worked it out, haven’t we? we can watch our children grow into great and good people’

he nodded, bring a finger up to softly ghost over her chubby, pink cheeks and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

‘she’s so beautiful, y/n. so beautiful because she looks like you.’

feeling like a schoolgirl again, you hid your face into him and you giggled.

‘oh, tooru. she looks more of you than me and maybe, thats what makes her so beautiful.’

he denied with a shake of his head but he had a smile, a soft smile that would’ve been so alien to him if he was younger but now, it was always there at the mere thought of his princess.

‘you’re right in many things, love, but this is the one time you’re not. you see, she’s especially most beautiful because of her eyes. luna is lucky-so, so lucky-that out of all children, she was picked. a natural beauty since the stars and the universe made their home into the eyes of an angel-my angel.’

the pride and awe radiated from the 6’2 man towards a 25-inch baby made you smile.

tooru’s gaze was now away from the baby and into somewhere else, focus going to the abyss. you were thinking of putting luna back to her crib so tooru could sleep but your husband wanted to hold her a little longer.

‘tooru, you have 18 more years of being able to hold her. 18 years compared to 5 hours of sleep should encourage you to go and rest.’

but your voice fell deaf to his ears and you raised an eyebrow.

‘what are you thinking about, love?’

you asked and softly rubbed his arm. he snapped out of it and looked at you with a serious expression.

‘honey, baby, darling, love of my life, would you be angry if i invest in some samurai swords to ward off future boyfriends? yozora can help too’

oh gosh, there he goes again.

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oveliagirlhaditright · 3 years ago

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I'm probably going to get killed for this... but am I the only one who doesn't like Yozora's voice?

And that isn't me knocking Dylan Sprouse or how he voiced him?

I feel like the issue either lies in voice direction, or just what we've seen of Yozora so far, or both.

I think part of my issues with Yozora so far might actually lie with his voice... it just annoys me. It kind of makes me want to punch him in the face.

A lot of that might have to be because of him mocking me while I was losing to him in a fight over and over and over again, though.

But I keep trying to figure out why I loved Versus XIII Noctis from the trailers and hate Yozora, when they're the same character essentially... and I think this is at least part of it.

I also kind of feel like it's maybe too deep? At least with what we know about him so far?

I don't know, maybe we'll learn more about him later and I'll realize it's the perfect fit for him.

Though my hating Yozora thus far also has to do with his ridiculous boss fight, of course, and him crystalizing Sora in the bad ending.

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phoenix-downer · 4 years ago

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Melody of Memory Thoughts

I finished the game yesterday and have a lot of thoughts on it, so I thought I’d stick them all in one megapost. Contains spoilers, for obvious reasons.

So, going into the game, I knew the plot choices would be questionable/disappointing because a few friends warned me, but I didn’t know the exact details. I was actually relieved things weren’t as bad as I feared they might be—I was worried Kairi would be going back to sleep or going back to Destiny Islands to patiently wait, so at least we did not get that. I think knowing what I was getting into beforehand helped prepare me for the plot points we did get.

Gameplay

I’ll talk about the gameplay first because that’s easier to summarize. I had a lot of fun with it, and the trip down memory lane with all the familiar music was wonderful. I played with Sora, Donald, Goofy, and then Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, and it was really satisfying in particular to play as the latter three because I always wanted to see them fighting as a team more often. I need to try out the other teams; perhaps I will soon.

I loved the attention to detail with the character animations and the little loading screens. The main menu scenes were adorable too, and it was nice seeing the characters chatting to each other. Riku’s scene with the Dream Eaters was precious.

I played the songs on various difficulties, depending on the extra challenges. One thing I did notice is that the difficulty was variable even for the same level. Some Proud mode songs I was able to complete, others I really struggled with and gave up on for the time being. I can imagine it was difficult to create a consistent standard of difficulty when the music itself varies so much. I noticed that battle songs, songs with strong downbeats, and songs with syncopation translated better into rhythm games. The slower songs did not, and for a couple of songs I noticed that the buttons were not matching up with the rhythm, which threw me through a loop. Overall though, most of the music matches the timing of the buttons much better than in previous KH games, so I appreciated the improvement there.

The Memory Dive and Boss Battle system is different from the Field Battle system, so there was a learning curve for me there. KH3 features more Memory Dive segments though, probably to show off the nicer graphics and to prepare you for the final battle. By the time I got the hang of the Memory Dive system, I was enjoying myself a lot. I still wish KH3 songs had featured more, but perhaps they’re planning on a Melody of Memory Volume 2 or some DLC or something.

Pretty much all of the character themes have to be unlocked. I’ve done Kairi’s, Naminé’s, and Sora’s so far, and the videos accompanying them are really nice. I honestly wish I could watch someone play so I can pay attention to the videos because the glimpses I catch are lovely.

Maybe it’s because I marathoned the game, but it does start to feel grind-y after several hours of playing. It’s the kind of grinding I enjoy doing, but by the time I unlocked BBS and DDD, I stopped trying to complete the extra challenges because I wanted to get to the plot. Speaking of the plot, by the way, all of the new stuff is at the end of the game. Everything up till then is just a summary of what’s come before. I do understand why Nomura went with that, but it does make it a little tiring to get to the new plot because of the sheer number of songs you have to get through first.

Now that we’re discussing story, though...

Story

I. The Good

1. Kairi is playable (well, this is more gameplay, but it also ties into story).

I know a lot of people watched videos that cut out the gameplay, but she does get a couple of segments of her own where she is playable and you get to do a Memory Dive-esque segment. The first instance is set to “Stranded Beyond,” the music that plays in the Final World. The second instance is set to the music box version of her theme I believe it was as she gathers pieces of her heart. She did get a render for the game, so I was expecting her to be playable at some point, and I was happy she was.

2. Kairi puts up a darn good fight against Xehanort. I wish we could have played through this part, but she kept attacking and didn't let him grabbing her Keyblade deter her. She's clearly improved even since the Keyblade Graveyard.

3. Sora showing up to help her is really sweet, as was her thanking him.

It would've been nice if we got to do that fight as the two of them or as Kairi herself (and more on that later), but the romance of it all was nice. The boy's not even in the real world anymore, and he still shows up to help when Kairi’s is in danger. At first I thought she'd managed to summon his Keyblade, which is awesome and shows how connected they are, and then he appeared and I was like woah okay guess their hearts really are connected thanks to the paopu fruit.

4. Kairi’s going to train with Aqua! Yes!

The fans have been clamoring for this for years and it's finally happening! And she chose it for herself. Leave it to her to try to make the best of the short end of the stick.

5. Letting Riku go alone takes a lot of trust on her end. Yeah, it would've been nice if she got to go, but she's also realistic about her own abilities, and that is in line with how she's been in previous games. I think especially after her failures led to Sora disappearing, she'd be hesitant to rush into danger if she's worried she'd be a liability.

6. It was a pleasant surprise that the Nameless Star was the third key (with Kairi and Riku being the other two) and not Yozora. I thought for sure he would be, so I’m glad Nameless Star gets to be instead. She seems like a kind soul and I like her a lot already.

7. It was nice hearing Kairi's thoughts on Sora's sacrifice for her in KH1. I also love the implication that everyone’s told Kairi their stories, hence why she’s able to tell them to us. The BBS segments especially sound as if she spoke to Aqua in particular about what happened, which ties in nicely to how Aqua’s going to train her at the end.

8. Alyson upped her voice acting game in this, props to her. Her lines when Kairi was facing off against Xehanort were great, and her voice was very soothing to listen to for the narration.

III. The Bad

1. Kairi should've been playable in that last battle. I can see why Nomura had Sora show up though; he's the hero and people want to see him, etc. The same issue happened with Riku getting sidelined in KH3, so it's hardly unique to Kairi; it just seems worse because of Kairi’s past treatment. Sora showing up was a cool moment and looked neat visually, but it would’ve been better if he and Kairi had fought together or if he’d encouraged her and then she’d done the fighting herself. Sadly, Sora winds up shining more in this game than Kairi does as a result, and the advertising feels like a huge bait-and-switch. Again.

I'm honestly beginning to wonder if part of the story for ReMind was written after Melody of Memory, because Melody of Memory seems to follow more directly from KH3 whereas ReMind almost feels like it was written... in reaction to the fanbase being upset about how Kairi was treated? I think Nomura must’ve had his heart set on certain plot points for the story post-KH3, and instead of letting his characters guide him, he’s forcing his decisions on the characters. Which leads me to the next point:

2. Kairi staying behind does feel like a character regression. It made sense in KH1 and during Blank Points I suppose, but it's disappointing she didn't go with Riku this time. I guess it's realistic though, and so the whole plot point is a mixed bag. It's hard for me to make a final judgment call on this until we see more of the story. Is she training with Aqua so she can be shunted aside, or is she going to be in a game with Terra, Aqua, and Ven that delves into Ven's past or something? Until we know more, I’m not sure how to feel.

3. If I had to guess, the next game(s) will have Riku, Yozora, and Mickey be playable. Possibly Sora too because Nomura can't help himself lol. This is... about what I expected. I figured Riku would be the one in Yozora's world just based on the secret ending of KH3. I wonder how all of this is going to go down (I know Square has several KH teams now, so multiple games are probably in development right now).

4. I don’t know how I feel about us possibly getting DDD the Redux + Yozora for the 20th anniversary in 2022. Having another DDD-esque game would not be treading any new ground, and it feels like Nomura wants to do Versus XIII at all costs, the main plot of KH be hanged (hi Foretellers and Luxu, we miss you, you were disappointingly absent in this game). But I do think the Yozora game is next in the cards, and then maybe there will be another game focused on Mickey going to Scala ad Caelum. I really hope it's not just Mickey by himself in that game... And I’d really like a game about the Wayfinder Trio + Kairi...

5. Riku's character is getting worse and worse. His entire character has become about saving Sora, and saving Sora isn't any different than his role in DDD. Feels like a rehash of past plot points, much like Kairi having to train feels like a rehash of past plot points. And at this point it just feels like he’s taking away screentime and agency from other characters, Kairi in particular. David also kind of phoned in the voice acting again on this game. To be fair, he only had a handful of lines, but some of his lines in KH3 also sounded tired and bored.

6. There’s only a passing mention to Roxas, Naminé, Xion, Axel, etc., and not even by name (they’re just lumped together as the others in Twilight Town or something along those lines). It would've been nice to know what they've been up to; they feel strangely uninvolved in the plot. At least we know Kairi will be training with Aqua, so there's that.

7. I really wish Kairi had argued with Riku more about going. She did briefly, but it's sad that she gives up so easily and that Riku doesn't really trust her. It's such a huge contrast to how Sora treats her; whereas he believes in her and raises her up, Riku is like, "Nah, you should stay behind, you're not good enough yet, let me handle this." Riku still coddles her too much and treats her like she’s a doll on a shelf whereas Sora invites her to fight alongside him in ReMind and comes to her aid when she needs it. Riku comes out of this looking like a jerk, which I doubt was intended by Nomura, but it is what it is. Especially because Mickey is really worried about him going alone later on.

8. Kairi's backstory being used only to forward the plot instead of delving into her feelings more is a missed opportunity. Also features retcons galore with Xehanort apparently sending her away to save Radiant Garden all along? That part confused me. And the meta implication that Riku is getting to go on the journey she was originally meant to go on... It makes me wonder if Nomura thinks the implications of his writing through. Riku is literally stealing her role and her plotline now, and neither of them react like two people in such a situation would. I hope Nomura’s going somewhere with this and that it's not just completely unintended bad implications, or worse, fully intended bad implications...

III. Miscellaneous Thoughts

1. It's hard to know how to feel about this game without knowing the next chapters of the story. It does feel like it leads directly from KH3, but it feels like a regression character-wise from ReMind.

2. I hope Kairi going to train with Aqua isn't just an excuse to sideline her from the plot... again. I have some serious caveats about her role going forward, but I'm relieved she didn't go to sleep again or go back home to Destiny Islands. That was my worst fear, and thank goodness she is taking her fate into her own hands in the small ways she can. I wonder if this is Nomura trying to continue a plot point from BBS Volume 2 that had to be scrapped or something. Let's hope Aqua can actually teach her competently, unlike Merlin...

3. Mickey getting a Melody of Memory render confuses me. He wasn't playable, was he? I didn't 100% the game so I have no idea. Maybe he is playable somewhere in the game and I haven’t gotten to it yet. Or maybe he really will be playable in a future game as a main character.

4. No one will ever be able to claim Kairi is a Mary Sue lol. She's had an (almost disappointingly realistic) learning curve when it comes to fighting, especially in comparison to the other characters. I hope that by the time KH4 rolls around, Nomura will let her be fully competent/fully trained. It's frustrating that pretty much all of the other characters get to learn as they go, but she is relegated to more training.

5. This game almost makes me more impatient for the next chapter of the story when I was feeling pretty content after ReMind. I guess the game has done its job in that case, but while I feel better than I did after KH3, I feel slightly worse than I did after ReMind. I wish Nomura wasn't so fixated on maintaining the status quo and would stop rehashing past plot points. But again, it'll be hard to judge all this until we get more material, which probably won't be till 2022 at the earliest if I had to guess.

6. The Yozora stuff wasn't as hackneyed as I feared it would be, but I still can't shake the feeling that that whole plot point is sucking up precious screentime from other characters. I think Nomura's going to spread himself too thin again and have trouble wrapping all of this up in KH4. Because now we have the Riku-going-to-Yozora's-world plotline, the Mickey-going-to-Scala-ad-Caelum plotline, the Kairi-training-with-Aqua plotline, the overall-rescuing-Sora plotline, the Luxu-Foretellers-MoM plotline, the Subject X plotline... how on earth are all these plotlines supposed to be connected to each other and resolved in a satisfying fashion?

7. My guess is that the switch to Kairi being narrator instead of Chirithy happened late into development of the game, perhaps because Nomura saw how much the fanbase does appreciate Kairi and wanted to throw us a bone. Unfortunately, what resulted is a bait-and-switch that made us hope we'd get a Kairi-focused game, only for it to... end the way it does. Ironically, I think it might've been less disappointing if Chirithy had remained the narrator. I'm glad Kairi got to be the narrator, don't get me wrong, but I think the way Nomura handled things set us up for disappointment again. I just hope whatever comes next makes this game feel better in hindsight.

8. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the whole “unreality”/fictional worlds thing. I guess I’m having an easier time accepting it than I thought I might, but it still feels like the whole plotline was introduced just to shove Versus XIII into the KH universe. I sympathize with Nomura for having his baby taken away from him in the first place, but I worry both it and KH will suffer as a result of combining the two.

IV. Future Speculation

1. If I had to guess, Kairi is probably not going to be very involved in the Yozora game(s). It'll be focused on Riku, Yozora, and possibly Mickey and Sora too. Yozora and Nameless Star will probably be instrumental in bringing Sora back "to the real world,” and then Sora will come home just in time to have to face off against the Foretellers and the Master of Masters in KH4 (which, I'm gonna make a wild guess and assume we'll get in 2025 or 2026 at the earliest).

2. I do hope Kairi plays some role in bringing Sora back, and honestly, I think it's possible she will. Nomura, I would imagine, is setting up her reunion with Sora to be Big and Important™️, so it wouldn't surprise me if he wants to save it for KH4. I think a part of Sora’s heart might be inside Kairi or linked to Kairi, and that will be the final key to bringing him back. The whole scene where Sora appeared reminded me of when Ven briefly manifested when Sora was facing off against Vanitas, and Ven was inside Sora’s heart at the time.

3. We know from past covers that the current cover actually foreshadows future events in the story. KH3's cover depicts parts of Tokyo and then Sora wakes up there (oh excuse me "Quadratum" lol nice one SQUARE), the KH2 Final Mix cover depicted The Final World, so maybe MoM's cover is meant to depict future events as well.

4. Sora being unable to speak in Kairi’s dream when he faces off against Xehanort has me intrigued. Why can’t he speak? Is it because his heart is in the unreality? All I can think about is The Little Mermaid when Ariel lost her voice because of Ursula’s curse “deal” with her.

5. I don’t think the person Kairi and Sora actually fought was Xehanort. Why would a dead Xehanort care about where Sora is? It would make more sense to me if it was the Master of Masters (hinted at by the acronym for the title, MoM), and that he was using Xehanort’s image (and then Xemnas’s, and then Ansem SOD’s, and then Apprentice Xehanort...) to manipulate Kairi. It would fit his whole “puppetmaster behind the scenes” vibe I get from him and his previous manipulation of Xehanort. I think he was trying to locate Sora’s heart in this game, and Sora stepping in to help Kairi allowed him to pinpoint Sora’s location. Now he seems to know where Sora’s heart is, so mission accomplished, I guess? Ooooph, Sora walked right into that trap if that’s the case.

V. Final Thoughts

Fun if uneven gameplay and some questionable story choices dragging down the good stuff. I’ll hold my full judgment till we see what happens next though.

Congrats if you made it all the way to the end of this, haha. I’d be happy to hear your thoughts!

#kingdom hearts #melody of memory #kingdom hearts melody of memory #kh mom #melody of memory spoilers #kh mom spoilers #kingdom hearts melody of memory spoilers #kh analysis #kh meta #long post

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winterstarqueen · 4 years ago

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Hi, can you do an "I'm Sorry" chapter 5 please ?

I’m sorry. (Sora x female reader) part 5.

You were both hit with confusion. You were too lost in thought about Yozora and Sora was just so confused about what his heart wanted. All this time he always chased after Kairi. Because he thought that she was the one for him and maybe that is true. But,for some reason he just can’t push away that weird feeling he got. Maybe if he found Kairi then that would clear things up. She might have the answer. You made dinner in silence. You were too focused on your thoughts to be very talkative tonight. Who was Yozora and how did he know you? Did you meet him before all this? If so when? You couldn’t remember. You were so lost in thought that you accidentally dropped a dish. There was glass everywhere. “Whoa! What was that?” Sora asked going up to you. “S-Stay back! I don’t want you to get hurt.” You said. Thankfully the glass was in big pieces so it was easy to pick up. “Where do you keep the broom?” Sora asked from the other room. “In the closet by the front door.” You said frowning. As Sora was getting the broom it was stuck. He pulled it out to dump over a brown box. “What was that?” You asked frowning. “Um,nothing!” He quickly put the stuff back in. However he saw a small heart shaped box. He quickly put it where he could find it for later. Maybe you could tell him what it is. You picked up the pieces. “I got the broom.” Sora said smiling. You looked at him and then shook your head. “You hold the dust pan. While I’ll sweep it up.” You said. You felt sad. Because here you are trying to make dinner and dropped the bowl. Sora looked at you and looked concerned. “(Y/n) y-you have a cut.” He said before getting up. “Oh?” You asked frowning. “Here. Put this on.” He said taking out a bandage. “T-Thanks...” You said looking away. You couldn’t get attached to the caring boy. You would end up with a broken heart. You couldn’t have that again. You shook your head and put the bandage on. The cut wasn’t too big and there wasn’t glass in it. After you cleaned up and finished dinner you were going to go to bed.

However,Sora stopped you. “Look your favorite movie is on again. Let’s watch it.” Sora suggested. You stood in the doorway. What were you supposed to do? You couldn’t have your heart ripped out again. You didn’t want to admit it. But,you’re kinda afraid of falling into love. Especially when you know that he loves some other girl. You froze in place. “We can make popcorn and have a movie night again.” Sora said trying to spend time with you. “I’m sorry. I’m just a little bit sleepy.” You said trying not sound sad. You knew him all too well. If any one of his friends were sad he would cheer them up. One way or another. Usually at a drop of a hat. “Would you like some tea?” He asked. “No I just need to go to bed.” “Wait! I found this in the closet. Were you looking for it?” Sora said holding out the heart shaped box. You turned around to look at it. Sadness began to swell up inside you. Yuki gave it to you for your birthday one year. “W-Where did you get this?” You asked him. “I found it in the closet. When getting the broom.” “Put it back...” You whispered. Apparently Sora didn’t hear you. Because he was standing there still holding it out. “I said put it back! It’s not important! Nothing in that box is important! So don’t ever ask again!” You yelled crying. “(Y/n)...you’re...” “I know! I know...just please don’t touch anything in that closet again.” You said before turning around. Sora didn’t like seeing you like this. He grabbed your wrist,turning you around and pulled you into a hug. No. You didn’t want this...but,yet you felt like you needed this hug. “I’m sorry that I asked. I didn’t know that it would hurt you.” He whispered. Sora didn’t realize that when he put the box down it opened. Upon hearing the music coming from the small box he sighed. He didn’t understand what you’ve been through. But, he knew that you needed him. You were still crying. “Shh! It’s okay (Y/n). Everything will be okay.” Sora whispered sill hugging you gently. You let go knowing that you probably shouldn’t have hugged him. You went to your room and said good night. Sora went to the guest bedroom and went to sleep. Thinking about you.

Sora was sitting on the weird tree again. He was home now. You actually help him get back and he was glad to be home with Kairi. All that ended quickly when he turned to look at her. He didn’t get that weird feeling again. That feeling that he got when he was with you. It wasn’t in his heart. He looked down. “I’m glad that you came back in one piece.” She said. “I always do thanks to you Kairi.” He said with a smile. “I can’t just forget about you Sora.” Kairi said looking at the sunset. He chuckled. “What’s so funny?” “It’s just. I don’t know how I’m supposed to be feeling. I’m home now. But,I feel like something is...missing. It’s weird. Because I have everything right here. You and all our friends.” Sora said looking at the sunset. He didn’t understand it maybe he had to think about it. “Could you please give me some time to think?” Sora asked. “Yeah. I’ll go talk to Riku.” She said smiling. What was missing? He was back home. He should be happy. But,yet something was wrong. Very wrong. When his friends left he stayed behind and watched the stars. He looked next to him and saw you sitting on the docks. “(Y/n). Is that you?” Sora asked approaching the you. You didn’t say anything as he sat next to you. “Why are you here? Did your home fall to darkness?” He asked you. You didn’t say anything as you looked up at the stars. Sora looked at you. That weird feeling returned. What was this feeling? Again he was confused. But,he liked this feeling. He held your hand and gave it a little squeeze. You didn’t react when he did this. “I have to ask you something. I get this weird feeling lately and I don’t know...” He looked down. To only see your reflection and not his. He shook his head and tried to get your attention. “(Y/n).” He said frowning. “Why am I here? I don’t understand.” You cried before standing up. You were going to run way. But, Sora grabbed your hand. Because he didn’t like seeing you this way. “P-Please don’t cry.” Sora said frowning. You turned around and looked confused. You then took off running. “Wait (Y/n)!” Sora yelled. He didn’t want you to get hurt. The heartless could come. You ran to the secret place. “Why am I here? I have to get back to Yozora.” You asked crying. Sora heard this. You wanted Yozora again? But,why? You didn’t know him at all. You hid in the corner and hugged yourself. Sora reached out to you. He just wanted to hug you and make you feel better. He wanted to see you smile again. Sora was going to hug you. But,for some reason he felt strange again. He felt cold inside again. What was going on? Was this Yozora’s doing? All of this was so confusing. Sora just wanted to make you happy and keep you safe. But, with every step he got more and more frozen. He didn’t care anymore. Your happiness means the world to him. He attempted to hug you. Only to have you not see him at all. “(Y/n)....” He said trying to at least show you some affection. But,all in fail.

Sora opened his eyes to thankfully see the guest bedroom. He couldn’t take this anymore. Sora was going to ask you what that feeling was. You just had to know. He got out of bed and went to the kitchen. You were singing a song while making breakfast. He stop walking and listened. You had a wonderful singing voice. Unfortunately you stopped. “Good morning.” He said. “Morning.” You said. “I’m really sorry about last night.” “Oh? You don’t have to apologize Sora. You didn’t know about that music box.” You said giving him his breakfast. Sora looked at you for a while. “What is it? I would’ve made pancakes again. But,I didn’t have enough ingredients.” “No that’s okay. Actually It’s just. I have been having some weird things happen to me.” Sora said frowning. “Like what?” You asked. Maybe there was something much bigger going on and Sora saw it first. Maybe there was a clue to finding Kairi. “Well,I have this weird feeling.” “Please explain.” “There’s this girl and when I look at her there’s feeling in my heart. I can’t explain it. But, I like being anywhere with her.” Sora said looking at you. “Like you want to do anything with her and you would do anything to protect her?” You asked. “Yes. I don’t care where I am or what I’m doing. As long as I’m with her...I’m happy. Do you know this feeling?” Sora said. You turned around and bit your lip. You couldn’t cry. You didn’t want to look like a bad friend. “It’s called love.” You said not wanting to look at him. “So that’s what it feels like. What happens next? I love (Y/n). Do I tell her and if so when?” Sora thought looking away. He knew what love was. He just didn’t know what it felt like. Until now. He looked at you as you were cleaning up the dishes. “All we have to do is find Kairi and Sora can be happy again. What he has been through he deserves it. But,then what...happens to me? Will I ever find love?” You thought putting the dishes in the dishwasher. This didn’t matter. You didn’t matter right now. Sora had to get home the worlds might be in danger again. Sure there was the other keys. Like Riku and Aqua. But,Sora was just so different from them. “Hey (Y/n). I think your phone is ringing.” Sora said snapping you back into reality. “Huh? I’ll answer it.” You said stopping your house work. You shook your head and went into your room to take the call. “Hello.” You said. You smiled upon hearing the familiar voice.

#cute #sora x reader #kingdom hearts 3 remind #kingdom hearts 3

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currantlee · 3 years ago

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Language: English Rating: Mature (M) / P18 Warnings: Mentions of Cannibalism, mentions of non-consensual body modification Fandom: Kingdom Hearts Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Horror Characters: Kairi, Sora, Ienzo, Yozora (memory), Ventus (mentioned), Master of Masters (mentioned) Relationships: Sora & Kairi or Sora/Kairi (SoKai) - can be interpreted either way Words: 4,544 Chapter: 1/1 Beta: FanficWriter827 Notes: This is probably one of the darkest fics I’ve written so far. Nothing explicit or extremely gorey, but please be sure to proceed with caution regardless. Other Platforms: -

Kairi tried to be quiet when she closed the door of the lab behind her and walked towards the middle of the room.

Sora was sitting on an examination bed, his legs dangling over the edge. He didn’t look happy, but calm and relaxed. Almost as if he had never been gone in the first place. Seeing him with an expression like this, it was a bit hard to believe the horrific things that had happened to him during the year and the few months he had spent in Quadratum alone.

He almost instantly spotted Kairi when she came through the door, despite her best efforts to be quiet. A wide smile formed on his face. “Kairi!”

She smiled back. “Hey.”

Kairi still couldn’t quite believe that he was really back yet, even though Riku and her had found him weeks ago. Maybe she just wasn’t used to it yet.

Sora slid off the examination bed and walked towards her.

Kairi tried to not stare at his body. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable… In a helpless attempt to distract herself, she turned to Ienzo, who was currently arranging some papers, probably related to the examination he had just completed by the looks of it.

“How are you?”, Sora asked. He now stood right next to her.

She shrugged as she turned back to him. “I’m good,” she said. The more important question was… “How are you, Sora?”

He laughed. “I guess I could be worse.”

Kairi supposed that was true. The past few weeks and month had been rough. There had always been the very real possibility that Sora was already dead and their search was for nothing, something Kairi and Riku had feared very much. Despite that, they refused to give up on him, especially after they finally had a clue that was as good as a confirmation that he was still alive.

Even after they had finally saved him, they initially weren’t sure whether he would recover from what had happened to him for some time. And after that, there had been little time to spare for looking after his wellbeing. Yozora and his friends had needed every bit of help they could get, and of course Sora had wanted to help too. She just hoped he hadn’t overdone it, especially after everything he had been put through previously.

“Are you sure?”, she asked. “You’ve been through a lot…”

“In fact, he is doing surprisingly well despite his… Current condition,” Ienzo remarked as he walked towards them. Apparently he was done arranging his papers. “I must admit that when I first heard about the occurrences that befell you, Sora, I presumed you would be in a much worse state.”

Kairi bit her lip. So there was something wrong with him aside from the obvious part?

“If you excuse me, Kairi, but I must ask you to leave the room for a few minutes,” Ienzo continued. “I want to talk to Sora about his condition…”

“It’s fine,” Sora interrupted. “I don’t mind her listening.”

Ienzo turned to Sora. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “It’s fine, Ienzo. Really.”

Ienzo sighed and did something with his papers. “Alright…”

“How bad is it?” Kairi couldn’t keep quiet about this question any longer. It had been lingering in her mind ever since they rescued Sora from the Gigas – well, actually, she had wondered about it ever since she first met Yozora. He had been through the same thing after all, although he additionally had his memories erased as well, something that Sora had fortunately been spared from.

Ienzo sighed. “As I’ve already told you during the examination, Sora, some of your organs were technologically augmented. Several of them were also removed and replaced with mechanical compounds entirely.”

Kairi gulped. That sounded awful. She couldn’t help but think about what the Gigas must have done to him in order to get those augmentations where they were, and she felt like the thought alone was tearing her apart. It disgusted her. But even more so, it made her angry to know that Sora, or more accurately his body, had been modified in order to be used to power and control a weapon, all while he had been forced to watch without being able to do anything about it. Now he had to live with the aftermath of it, while the person behind the Gigas force had gotten away and would likely threaten their reality next. Kairi had no idea what the Master of Masters was up to, but she wanted to tear him to shreds for the pain he had caused Sora, albeit indirectly.

It was just so unfair!

To her surprise though, Sora seemed to take the news with much composure – he simply nodded slowly. Maybe it was because Ienzo had already told him before, or maybe Sora had changed at more than she had realized yet.

“Disregarding those deviations in your physiology however, your bodily functions are just fine. Again, I must say I am quite surprised.”

Kairi sighed. That was a relief… She had been prepared for worse. That still didn’t answer the big question though…

“Can…” Sora paused. He was looking down on his own hands, and the black plating that covered the skin. It made him look more like a machine than a human, but Kairi knew that underneath that façade, he was still Sora. He would always be Sora.

“Can you… Change me back to how I was before?”

Ienzo looked down onto his papers. He was avoiding direct eye contact, Kairi realized. “I have to admit… I do not know.”

Sora sighed and hung his head.

“I will have to discuss it with Even,” Ienzo continued quickly. “He knows much more about these things than I do.”

“Can’t you duplicate the missing organs with the replica technology?”, Kairi suggested. She didn’t know too much about how it worked, but… “You did replace one of Ven’s kidneys that way when it had stopped working in the Realm of Darkness.”

“Indeed,” Ienzo nodded. “However, it was a fairly easy surgery with little risk of failure. If it had not worked, he would still have had the other one to keep him alive. At worst, we would have had to remove the replica kidney again if his body had rejected it.”

Kairi already knew that the procedure had technically not been required. But Even had been eager to try and see if the replica technology could be used for good purposes, such as medical ones, as well. Ven wouldn’t have had to agree, but he had done it anyways. Much like Sora, he could never decline an opportunity to help someone, even when it meant getting surgery for research purposes.

“In Sora’s case, however, it would involve multiple complicated surgeries, some of which I am not sure we are even qualified for. Additionally, the internal organs are not what I am most worried about regarding such a procedure.”

Kairi gulped. That didn’t sound good…

“Then what is the problem, Ienzo?”, Sora asked. He had become very quiet.

“The exoskeleton,” Ienzo answered. “It is practically fused with your skin. In order to even reach the internal organs, we would have to remove at least parts of it, which subsequently means that we would have to remove your skin in the area concerned as well.” He sighed. “In any case, it would be a very lengthy procedure with multiple complex surgeries involved.”

So there really wasn’t any way… Kairi lowered her head as well. Of course she had been aware that it might not be possible to restore Sora’s body to how it was before he had been taken by the Gigas. She had hoped that there might be a way though, for his sake. They had never really talked about how he felt about the state of his body ever since his rescue, but she strongly suspected that he didn’t feel comfortable with it. She couldn’t blame him after everything he had supposedly been put through.

If it already upset her that much – how must he feel about it?

Sora lifted his head and nodded. “I understand.” He tried to manage a small smile, but it didn’t look like an honest one to Kairi. “Thanks regardless, Ienzo.”

“You are very welcome, Sora,” Ienzo said. “I promise I will talk to Even as soon as I get the chance. I just don’t want to make you any promises right now.”

So there was still hope? Kairi would have liked a definitive answer better than this…

“Why don’t you two catch a bit of fresh air and come back later?”, Ienzo suggested. “It might help to take your mind off the situation.”

How long had it been since she had last spent an extended amount of time with Sora alone? They hadn’t exactly gotten to that in Quadratum, unless the times when Kairi had watched over Sora while he was asleep counted.

“It sounds like a good idea to me,” Sora said. “Are you up for it too, Kairi?”

She managed a small smile. “Of course,” she nodded. “Let’s go!” After all, that’s what she had come here for: to spend some time with him, and maybe to help a little if it was required. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.

---

They ended up going to the castle garden, where they sat down on a bench near the fountain. It was currently in the shade of a tree, so the sun didn’t burn down on them.

For a while, neither of them said anything. Kairi didn’t really have an idea on how to start a conversation with him. As many questions as she had, she didn’t want to pressure him into talking about the time he had spent in Quadratum alone, the state of his body, or his appearance for that matter. He was the one who had to decide whether he was ready for that or not.

So she simply allowed herself to look at him for once, taking in all the changes to his appearance for the first time in weeks.

Instead of the comfy clothing he used to wear, a skin-tight black exoskeleton now enclosed his entire body up to the neck. It had a few scratches here and there, but overall it seemed pretty indestructible. Kairi still had no idea what exactly it was made of, but it surely wasn’t metal. She had been surprised by how little Sora weighed when she had freed him from the wreckage of the Gigas he had been the central unit of, since she had expected him to be much heavier.

He also had those weird things that looked a bit like headphones now. At first, Kairi had assumed that he could just take them off, but as it turned out, that wasn’t the case. Just like the exoskeleton, they were like a part of his body now.

The by far most outstanding piece of the exoskeleton however, at least when Kairi was concerned, was the backpiece. It looked a bit like a second spine, just that it had some red-glowing circuits and ports on it. It was the part that had connected him to the machine he had been a part of. Kairi knew there was also a tracker in it, but it wasn’t functioning anymore. Ran, one of Yozora’s friends, had ensured that so the Gigas would stop trying to retrieve Sora in order to insert him into another mech – or to turn him into nutrition for other central units.

Kairi’s stomach turned just thinking about that. She remembered how shocked she had been when she first learned about this from Yozora, back when he had first explained what Gigas did with the humans they abducted. ‘What did you expect?’, Yozora had commented in response. ‘The central units still have to get nutrients. And it’s not like the Gigas can just walk into the next store to buy some food, especially considering they give it to them intravenously.’

‘I know that,’ she had retorted. ‘I’m not dumb! It’s just cruel and really gross!’

‘They’re machines,’ Yozora had responded in his rather infuriating calm and collective way. ‘They don’t care about ethics.’

The conversation had taken place before they had found out that the Master of Master was responsible for the creation of the Gigas – and also the one who gave them the idea to use humans as a core component of their mechanical bodies. It just made the entire thing even more gross in Kairi’s opinion.

After all of this, she was simply glad Sora was still alive, even though they hadn’t found a way to restore his body to how it was before he had been transformed into a central unit yet. Quadratum might be free from the Master of Masters’ rule at this point, but the city was still in chaos. The undamaged equipment at the hospitals was needed to treat the injured survivors, and things would likely take some more time to calm down.

They also didn’t want to be an additional burden to Yozora, who had turned out to be none other than the rightful heir to the throne and was now getting accustomed to his new duties. It hurt to leave their new friends behind, especially since clearly everything wasn’t well just yet. But like Yozora had said: they had done everything they could for Quadratum. They rest was something they could help very little with. They needed to look after themselves now. Besides, someone still had to stop the Master of Masters, who had escaped to their reality. Kairi really wanted him to get a taste of his own medicine.

Therefore, they had decided to return to their own reality, hoping that Ansem and his disciples might find a way to restore Sora’s body to its former state. She had barely realized it had already been a week since then – it felt like yesterday since they had finally arrived home.

„You know,“ Sora said, „this body actually has its advantages.”

He didn’t sound too convinced of his own words. Knowing him, he might just trying to be optimistic in order to push his true feelings away, since he couldn’t change his situation right now anyways.

Kairi raised an eyebrow. “Like?”

“Uhm…” He seemingly couldn’t think of a single thing immediately, which only supported her suspicion.

Kairi sighed. Ever since they had returned from Quadratum, he had been avoiding his friends to some degree. Whether it was because he didn’t want them to see him like he was now or because he didn’t want them to worry about him because they noticed how much he hated the state he was in she didn’t know, but it was so unlike him. She wished he would open up about those feelings, but she also knew she couldn’t force him to.

“I can hear a lot better than before,” he finally said, but he still didn’t sound convinced of his own words. “Like, I can hear very high and very low sounds, even if they’re really quiet…”

“You actually hate it, don’t you?”

Kairi couldn’t bite her questions back any longer. It hurt to see him like this, trying to convince himself that everything was fine when it obviously wasn’t. Why did he not open up about it? Was it just a classical, stupid Sora-move because he didn’t want to bother his friends with his problems? Or did he not trust her anymore? Maybe he even thought she couldn’t take it because she was too weak…

‘No,’ Kairi thought. ‘Sora would never think of you that way, even though you were too weak to prevent this from happening.’

Had she not get caught by Xemnas, Xehanort wouldn’t have killed her. If Xehanort hadn’t killed her, Sora wouldn’t have used the Power of Wakening to bring her back, which eventually led to his disappearance to Quadratum. And if that hadn’t happened, he would never have encountered the Gigas, meaning that he wouldn’t have been transformed into a central unit for one.

It was all her fault.

“You’re right,” Sora admitted quietly. “I do hate it. But it’s not your fault that I am like this, Kairi.”

Kairi meant to tell him that he was being too good – it was her fault, at least indirectly. But she knew it would only lead to a discussion she wasn’t here for. She wanted to help him as far as she could, not argue with him. “You can still talk to me about it though.”

Sora sighed and leaned back against the back of the bench. He looked up to the sky, seemingly absent-minded. “You heard Ienzo before,” he finally said quietly. “He doesn’t even know whether they’ll be able to restore my body to how it was, and even if they are, it could take a long time. I might as well come to terms with it.”

It made sense, when he put it like that. But at the same time, it scared Kairi. The Sora she knew would have stayed optimistic that Ansem and his disciples would come up with a way to restore his body. Had he really changed that much in Quadratum or was he just desperate?

“I...”

He hesitated. Kairi bit back another question that burned on her tongue – she wanted him to take all the time he needed if he was going to open up.

“I miss eating.”

Kairi had never really thought about that part before. She had gotten so used to him not showing up to the meals that she didn’t even question it anymore, and neither did the others. She knew that the central units were fed intravenously – with what were technically human remains, that part would undoubtedly haunt her forever. In fact, both Yozora and Sora still took in their meals that way, although nowadays their nutrients came from labs, not from corpses.

“I know you don’t have to eat anymore, but can’t you just get yourself something and eat anyways?”, she asked carefully, realizing that she still had no idea how all of this worked and probably should have asked about the details sooner. She didn’t want to upset him even further.

But Sora just shook his head. “They replaced my entire digestive system with mechanical compounds,” he explained. “If I eat or drink, it might damage them beyond repair. I could die.”

“Oh.” She should have thought of something like that. Kairi knew he liked to eat, and especially to try out new dishes. If there was any way he could still eat, he probably would have already. “I’m sorry, Sora.”

“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I just wish I could at least drink some water. It’s not the same to get your nutrients injected into your veins, even though that at least keeps me sated.”

He sounded so sad… Kairi wanted nothing more than to take his hand and squeeze it, but she stopped herself from doing so, seeing as his hands were also covered by the exoskeleton. He had explained to her, shortly after waking up for the first time, that the sensors in it registered the touch and even told him what it was, but he couldn’t feel it and how that was weird. Kairi found that a bit hard to imagine. She didn’t know if holding his hand would actually help him or only remind him further of the fact that his body had been changed without his consent.

So instead, Kairi slowly raised her hand and gently brushed the skin of his cheek with her fingers. It was a lot cooler than she expected – was that another effect of having part of his body mechanized?

Sora turned to her with a surprised look on his face, and for a moment, Kairi worried that she had gone too far. But then, a small smile tugged on his lips.

Encouraged by the fact that he was apparently fine with this, Kairi placed her entire palm on his cheek. She even dared to push a few hairstrands behind the weird headphone thing that covered or replaced – she wasn’t entirely sure about that part – his ears.

His hair was shorter than it had been before Quadratum, but spiky and unruly as ever. Kairi suspected that it had been shorn off completely when Sora had been changed, and that it had grown back over the time he had spent inside the Gigas as its central unit. According to Yozora, the machines weren’t exactly known for great maintenance, since it was much more efficient to build a new one than to repair the old ones beyond the most basic functions. So why should they have cared about his hair beyond what was necessary to change his body for their purposes?

Sora leaned into her touch, sighing quietly. “I miss this too.”

“What?” She had never touched his cheek like this before, so that couldn’t be what he meant.

“Feeling,” Sora clarified. “I mean, I can still feel things on my face and head, and I get information from what the sensors in the exoskeleton are picking up, but…” He didn’t finish whatever he was going to say, and instead nuzzled her hand with his cheek, closing his eyes. “This is so good.”

“But it’s not the same?”, she tried to finish what he had said earlier.

“Yeah,” Sora confirmed. “At least on the parts covered by that stupid exoskeleton.”

Kairi suppressed a giggle, not wanting to give him the feeling that she was laughing at his situation. She couldn’t help a smile however. It was good to see that he hadn’t changed in each and every possible way.

Sora yawned. “I’m tired.”

She hadn’t heard that from him in a while. Immediately after his rescue though, she had heard it a lot, but she couldn’t blame him for it.

Apparently the entire time he had spent inside the Gigas, he had been fully conscious. How he and others that had been rescued before him had managed to survive this ordeal was a complete mystery, but after his rescue, the first thing Sora had done was to sleep for several days straight. No one had been able to wake him during that period of time, and Kairi had even been worried that he might never wake up. Even once he did eventually wake on his own, he had still complained about how he was incredibly tired for two weeks. She was pretty sure he had slept more than usual as well.

“Do you want to rest a bit?”, Kairi asked him, just like she had back then whenever he had mentioned how he was tired again.

But Sora simply shook his head. “Nah. I’ve already been resting quite a bit after all.” He yawned once more and stretched. “I just didn’t sleep that well tonight.”

Kairi had a suspicion why. “Nightmares?”

He nodded. “The usual ones.”

Kairi sighed. ‘The usual ones’ meant dreaming about being stuck in that robot again, with no control over his own body, forced to watch as horrible things happened in front of him. She would have liked to give him a hug, but she wasn’t sure whether Sora was comfortable with that either. “Do you want to talk about it?”, she asked instead.

Sora shook his head. “Not right now,” he responded. “Maybe another time.”

“Okay.”

Sora yawned again. “Maybe I could close my eyes for a little bit though…”

Kairi grinned. Sure – just closing his eyes for a little bit. “Do you want to lean on me too?”

It was a joke that had become common between them after Sora’s rescue, when at first he had gotten tired quickly and needed to rest frequently. Every time, Kairi would ask him jokingly if he wanted to lean on her, and every time Sora would end up responding in some non-sensical way. They would then both have a laugh, and depending on whether Sora was up to it or not he’d rest his head on her shoulder for a little bit before leaving to take a nap somewhere. She didn’t expect the answer he gave her this time around though.

“That would be nice.”

Kairi felt her cheeks heating up. Sora had never been that upfront about it before. He still was full of surprises, wasn’t he? Maybe it was just because he was really tired – the examination on top of not sleeping well must have exhausted him. Kairi just couldn’t tell him no. “O-okay,” she said. “Come here.”

He moved a bit closer to her, until their shoulders were touching. Huh. That was new as well.

Much to her surprise, Sora flinched at the contact.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I just… You don’t have to do this, Kairi. I understand if it’s uncomfortable for you or…”

He was talking about the exoskeleton, she realized. Well, that and the fact that he was technically part-machine now. Not that Kairi minded much about that. Sure, his appearance had changed a lot and in some ways, she couldn’t interact with him just like she would before his disappearance. Simple questions had become potentially dangerous ground to thread on, and physical contact was something both of them still seemed to be insecure about.

But to Kairi, he would always be Sora, even when he was stuck as the central unit of a giant robot.

“It’s fine. You don’t make me uncomfortable, Sora,” she said, carefully wrapping an arm around him and gently nudging him a bit closer to her. “I’m just glad you’re back and alive. We’ll figure out the rest, okay?”

Sora nodded while moving a little bit closer to her. “Okay.” He sighed when he placed his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. “Are you comfortable?”, he asked quietly.

“I’m alright,” Kairi said. Sure, the material of the exoskeleton felt hard and sturdy, but nothing she couldn’t handle. The more important question was… “Are you comfortable, Sora?”

He hummed quietly.

“Or shall I remove my arm from around your shoulders?” There technically wasn’t any necessity for it to be there, and his sensors must be ticking off.

She didn’t get an answer however. Instead, she heard regular breathing from her shoulder.

Kairi smiled. So much for just closing his eyes for a bit. She’d surely be stuck like this for a while, at least until Sora woke up again. Not that she minded much though. If she could help him like this, she was gladly doing it.

She did remove her arm from around his shoulders though, not wanting to do anything without his consent. And he didn’t look like he was slipping off the bench or her shoulder any given second.

Just when she did though, one of Sora’s hands tentatively touched her leg, as if he was looking for her in his sleep. Kairi blushed when he sluggishly wrapped his arm around her hips. Sora had always been a rather clingy sleeper.

Carefully, Kairi wrapped her arm around his shoulders once more. It was nice to see that despite everything he had gone through, despite the fact that his body had been changed possibly forever, some things were still the same. But most of all, it was good to see that he was still Sora.

#Fandom #Fanwork #Fanfiction #Kingdom Hearts #KH Fanfiction #Sora #Kairi #SoKai #Fanfic Friday #Currantlee writing #Currantlee completed #Currantlee completed Story #Currantlee completed KH Fanfic

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atomic-taco-muffin · 4 years ago

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May I ask for another part to Riku x shy female reader? When she has flashbacks of Riku and begins to miss him. That was when she sees him in the final world but is still shy. However she lets him hug her. Then she remembered everything as he was stroking her hair.

Riku x Shy!Reader Part 7

Warnings: fluff/angst, more soft!Ansem (yay! I love him!)

You laid in bed next Yozora. You couldn’t sleep and it was all because of Riku. You didn’t even know who he was and yet your mind was filled with memories of him. You tossed and turned trying to get him out of your head but it wasn’t working. You thought that maybe something to drink would help. You got up and went into the kitchen, not realizing that you woke up Yozora. You grabbed a cup and filled it up with some water.

“Baby? Why are you up?” Yozora asked as he rubbed his eye. You didn’t hear him walking towards the kitchen so you were shocked.

“S-sorry, bubs. I-I just w-wanted something t-to d-drink.” you said.

“It’s okay, baby. I was just wondering why you weren’t in bed. Now let’s go back to bed, I wanna cuddle with you.” (Why must he be so hot?!)

“O-okay.” You finished your water and went with Yozora back to bed. The next day was worse. Everything that you looked at reminded you of Riku and it was making your head hurt. You tried taking some pain meds but they weren’t working. You told Yozora that you were gonna take a nap and went into the bedroom. You closed the door and held your head. It kept getting worse to the point where it felt like a migraine. You felt dizzy and passed out. When you woke up, you saw that you weren’t in your apartment with Yozora. It was the Final World. You stood up and walked around, trying to find Yozora. You were scared that you wouldn’t find him and hoped that it was all a dream.

“Please let this be a dream.” you whispered.

~~~~

Riku was sitting at the dining room table, trying to think of another way to save you. He hasn’t eaten and slept since he lost you in Quadratum. It was scaring Kairi and Ansem. Ansem has seen Riku in pain but not like this. They were about to check up on him until he shot up out of his seat.

“I got it! One of us will head to the Final World and try and find (Y/N)!” he said. Kairi and Ansem were shocked. How did he know that you might be there? How was he going to get there?

“Riku, we love the idea. But, uh, how do you know that she might be there and how are you going to get there?” Ansem asked.

“1. I know she’s there. I can feel it. And 2. I was thinking that you could take me there, Ansem.” Riku said. Kairi and Ansem noticed how tired Riku looked. His hair was all messed up and he had huge eye bags under his eyes. Riku noticed how concerned they looked.

“I’m going to save her. She’s my girlfriend. I have to save her. Kairi, you’re her sister. You would do the same thing, right?”

“Yeah, but...what if she’s not there?”

“She’s. There.” Ansem could feel the darkness radiating off of him and calmed him down the best he could. He agreed to help him find you and they went to work. Ansem was able to create a portal to transport Riku to the Final World. When Riku got there, he started his search. He searched and searched until he found you crying.

“(Y/N)! You’re here! I knew you’d be here!” he said as he was about to hug you. You shuffled back, scared that he was going to hurt you until the last piece of the puzzle fit into place.

“R-Riku? I-is that y-you?” you asked.

“Yeah. It is.” You started crying and hugged him tight. Riku returned the hug while stroking your hair and gently shushing you.

“I’m so sorry, Riku! I didn’t mean to forget you. I was just confused.” you sobbed.

“Shhh. It’s alright. All that matters right now is that you’re safe in my arms.” You looked up at him and smiled through your tears.

“There’s my little bunny.” he said smiling. You giggled and kissed him. He kissed back pulling you in closer.

“Come on. Let’s go home.” he said. When you two got home, Kairi practically crushed you in a hug. She was just so happy to know that you’re home. When you saw Ansem, you walked up to him and kicked him in the balls. He groaned and toppled over. Riku and Kairi was surprised by how confident you were doing so and laughed. Later that night, you and Riku were getting ready for bed and he hugged you from behind.

“You have no idea how much I missed you.” he said. You turned around and hugged him.

“I can tell. Also, Kairi told me how you almost went insane.” you said softly. He was gonna kill Kairi for telling you that. Riku picked you up and brought you to bed. You two cuddled while watching some movies. The two of you went to sleep, knowing that nothing can stop you and Riku from being together.

#Riku #riku x reader #riku imagines #kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdom+hearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+imagines #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts+x+reader #kingdomhearts+imagines

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chibi-mushroom · 4 years ago

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Day 1: Reunion

My entry for Rikunami week day 1! *warning*: I do kill off Luxu and Riku gets fairly hurt. Nothing is described in detail though, so take it as you will.

The sound of metal clashed and rang through the air. Sora and Kairi were facing the Master of Masters and the foretellers together high up on the crag that loomed above them while Riku and Yozora had someone else to eradicate: Luxu, otherwise known as Xigbar. Sora and Kairi would be fine, despite the heavy disadvantage in numbers, Riku knew. What he needed to focus on was his battle here and now. He still had the face of Xigbar, someone he had gotten to know of while he was infiltrating the organization. For the most part, Xigbar had been unimpressive and unimportant. If he could just turn back time and warn himself….

"Give it up, kiddo. I believe I have the high ground." Luxu smirked before teleporting away and shooting at them while upside down.

"High ground doesn't matter when your opponent can still move!" Riku growled. He summoned a barrier to surround himself while he leapt at the one-eyed enemy.

Together Riku and Yozora yelled as they brought their swords down toward the man. He was slick and managed to dodge them, preferring to fight from a distance. With a laugh, he shot a pair of lasers that looked more purple than the others. There hadn’t been any time to look at them closely however, as they were homing missiles. In tandem they struck in a wave of flame and burned into the skin on his arm as he tried to deflect them.

It had been a long battle and Riku found he was out of potions. He grit his teeth. His mana was growing low too, and he only had one more ether. With a groan, he chugged it down while Yozora used his crossbow to match Luxu's fighting style. Throwing the bottle aside, Riku charged right back into the action. As long as he could save his magic for healing, then everything would be alright. He hoped. If they couldn't stop Luxu, then Sora and Kairi were done for. All the training, blood, sweat and tears he had shed were all leading to this moment. It was time to use the strength he had cultivated to protect what mattered.

"You're done for!" He called.

Riku swung his heavy keyblade diagonally down at Luxu while Yozora kept him distracted. At least they had numbers to their advantage. Thankfully the attack hit, dropping the enemy to the ground with a hard *plop*. Riku wasted no time in swinging again, but Luxu had rolled over and blocked Riku's attack with a keyblade that had been pulled out of thin air. The shock of the ace up his sleeve had been enough to cause the keyblade master to leap back and take a couple of quick breaths.

Where had that come from?

"I thought I told you pipsqueaks; I'm plenty worthy for one of these. It's no no name, but it'll do."

The blade was dark with a firey looking handguard colored in deep reds while the teeth were a dark blue and in intricate swirls. The keychain had an eye, same as the Master of Master's blade, but instead of the piercing blue, it was the near golden color that Riku had grown to hate. Seeing it could only mean trouble. As he was holding his keyblade aloft to attack one again, the acrid scent of darkness filled Riku's mind. All at once he was back in Castle Oblivion, being followed by a demon. Although he knew he had defeated the shadow, his mind was still there for just a second. A familiar voice called out for him and he turned.

Look out!

"Pay attention!" Yozora chided, pressing his blade against Luxu's. He had blocked the attack.

"The worlds are colliding. Maybe he heard his girlfriend." Luxu laughed. "She's been trying to reach you, you know. Who would have thought she'd become such a powerful witch?"

Riku leapt to the side and slashed at Luxu with a growl. A witch. That was all the organization had ever seen her as. But she was so much more. She was a healer, a listener, a dreamer and a doer. Gone was the small scared girl who obeyed for fear of being alone. She was confident, more mature and wiser now. Atonement had been made and she would never have to go back to that world ever again.

"Riku, if we want any chance to keep the worlds safe, we need to finish him now!" Yozora barked.

"Right!"

A small light appeared from both of them; blue for Riku and red for Yozora. They held their weapons together and took aim. So they were able to link after all that time. Now, Riku could only hope it would strike true. His mana was completely depleted from the attack and his energy would likely be gone afterward. As the laser was coming toward him, Luxu saw his lives before his eyes. This would be the end. But he wasn't going to go alone. He held up his keyblade and shot out a bolt of dark energy, taking aim and letting it loose just as he was hit.

The light encompassed Luxu entirely and all that was left was a small cloud of darkness that dissipated a second later. But it seemed that he would get what he wanted. The dark bolt had a homing spell and it was locked on Riku, striking it's mark in the chest. Incredible pain seared through his body as he dropped from the link attack. The earth was shaking and Yozora rushed to his side.

"Hey, wake up! We did it. You can't die yet!" Yozora shook the keyblade master.

There was a loud crack and the ground beneath Yozora's feet began to split apart. He grabbed Riku and jumped up with what remaining power he had. Neither were in any condition to make it through a world collapsing in on itself. High above them was a light shining. It must have been Sora and Kairi. The worlds were starting to move back to normal. Riku could feel it. They had defeated the one who started all of this and now they could rest for real this time. Not that he was surprised; not by any stretch of the imagination. He believed they could do it. They were strong together. One of the regrets he had was that he wouldn't get to go home with them- not if Yozora was going to make it back to his Sora.

"Make sure Sora and Kairi get home." Riku yelled at his near clone.

“What do you mean?” yozora looked down at him.

“We can’t both make it, and we both know I’m dead weight. Now go before I find some way to blast you into the light!”

Yozora looked down at him with pain in his dual colored eyes. But he also understood. This was a war and war took casualties. It was better that one of them make it back to his own world line than neither of them. With a ‘thank you’ on his lips, Yozora dropped the keyblade master, and he fell into the dark depths of where the land was converging. Using the last of his strength, Yozora pushed himself upwards until he managed to touch the light ahead of him. He was going home.

As he fell, Riku closed his eyes. He had already been heavily injured during the battle with Luxu, and the last hit was enough to end it all. With a resounding clunk, he landed on some dry ground, rocks all around him. By some miracle he hadn’t been crushed, but the earth was still shaking. All he could do was pray. Well, pray and think about what he would have done differently if he had been given the chance. He wished he had been bold enough to tell Namine exactly what he thought of her and the love that had grown in his heart for her over the last two years before he left. She might have known, but it wasn't enough. He needed her to hear it with her own ears. As he closed his eyes, images of her flashed through his mind.

A moment later he awoke, body still heavy from the fall. If he moved too much, he would still feel the pain ringing through his chest. All of his senses were dulled, but he could tell that he was alone. Utterly, absolutely alone. Perhaps it was fitting. Sora and Kairi belonged to the realm of light. They had defeated every one of their foes and finally found their way back to each other. It was about time they were able to go home and be regular kids. There had been enough wandering and adventuring for a long time.

Wasn't this exactly what he had planned for just over a year ago in the rooms of the Twilight Town mansion? Sora and Kairi could be together now while he remained away. Of course, last time Namine hadn’t been left alone. She was inside Kairi’s heart. Now she had a replica body of her own. How ironic that she would be the one with friends and he would be alone. A small chuckle left his throat, followed by heavy coughs. He groaned at the pain that seared through his chest. As he lay in agony, he couldn’t help but wonder if she would weep for his loss. He hoped not.

I wonder if my heart went to the same place yours did.

After the thought crossed his mind, he closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he was out, but when he opened his eyes again to the same dark and dreary rock-filled landscape, he heard a pair of footsteps. They were light and Riku noticed a dim pillar of light beside whoever was coming. But who was here? He was on a piece of desert in between the world lines. How would they even….

A soft hand brushed his hair before carefully sliding him onto what must have been their lap. One hand threaded itself through his damp locks while the other glowed green over his body. Instantly he could breathe without pain, although he was still drained of energy. The hands that held him were small but coarse.The scent….it was familiar and almost too good to be true. His mind must have been bringing back her memory.

"N-namine…" Riku whispered.

"I'm here.We found you just in time." Namine replied softly.

"Then who…?"

"Your replica. It's a long story, but he helped strengthen the connection between you and I, and helped lead me to you. I got a little lost at the point where the world lines converged though, so I had to look into your more recent memories to get here. I'm sorry."

Riku shook his head. He could barely see his replica anymore, as the light he gave off was fading fast. Wordlessly the spirit placed a hand on Namine's shoulder and pressed his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes and whispered a soft goodbye as a tear fell from her eyes and fell onto Riku's cheek. A second later, the replica was gone and the soft light he gave off had turned to darkness.

The ground beneath Riku felt dusty and dry. It seemed to go on that way for a long time, but at least all of the rocks around them were gone. Instead it was all nothingness; a dreary wasteland of dry ground. While he didn't want to give up hope of getting home, the realist in him figured they'd never see their friends again. He was so tired. At least he had Namine with him. She had a way of grounding him and giving him the will to move on, even if it seemed all hope was lost. He regretted not bringing her with him in the first place on the search for Sora; she was stronger than she looked. But she was here now and that was all that mattered.

Slowly, he moved his hand up to cup her cheek. He didn't have strength to hold it there, but Namine somehow knew what he wanted and held his hand in place, leaning into his touch. She was warm- much warmer than she had ever been in the Castle or Twilight town. He didn’t understand why that particular detail stood out to him so much, perhaps he was losing it faster than he had expected. It could have been days that he had been here and he wouldn’t be able to tell.

"It doesn't matter." She had to have read his mind. "As long as we're together, that's what's important, right?"

“Yeah.” he attempted to look at her through the darkness. It had been a long time since he had been able to see despite being blinded. “Hey Namine, do you believe in fate?”

“No.” She paused. “Do you?”

Now it was Riku’s turn to pause. He had believed in it for a long time. When they had started this adventure, he figured fate was on his side. Then everything had changed for him and he didn’t know what to believe in any more. The only solids he had to go off of were his friendships with Sora, Kairi and Mickey as well as the warm stirrings that tugged at his heart anytime the tiny blond looked at him. With her eyes capturing his, Riku wondered if she hadn’t been aware of the noise it was making.

“Maybe. But even if it’s all a lie, if we ever get back to the islands, let’s share a paopu.” Riku spoke softly.

“Y-you want to share one….with me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Tears began to fill her eyes. A wide smile crossed her face. Instead of saying anything, she simply beamed at him and shook her head. A single droplet fell on his cheek. But it wasn’t a tear. It was a warmth and light that he was unfamiliar with. He looked up to the heavens to see little drops falling from the sky and breaking through the clouds. All at once they opened up, revealing a bright burst of light. When the darkness was dissipated, the previously dusty and empty grounds were filled with wildflowers of every kind and soft grasses. The world around them had gained new life and a gentle wind blew across the hill. It began to push the clouds away, revealing a beautiful blue sky. Riku knew where they were now. It was on the shores of the mainland on a hill not too far from the ocean.

“Where….?” Namine looked around.

“We’re home. Something brought us back.”

“It must have been your heart. You don’t have to share a paopu with someone to have an unbreakable connection. Sora and Kairi must have been calling out to you.” Namine suggested, looking around. “After all, if I managed to find you when the place you were was falling apart, who’s to say we couldn’t be led back? Maybe it was fate after all.”

She blushed as his hand brought her face back to look at his. The keyblade master looked relieved. He had been so tired during the last two years and Namine had tried to be there for him as much as possible. Perhaps she had been fated to love him from the start. He had loved her other first, but still managed to see her for her, not for Kairi. They had spent many long hours together hoping to find some sort of light to cling to. Somehow they hadn’t realized that it wasn’t light or darkness that they were hanging onto; they were holding onto each other and keeping the other from going too far into one or the other. He loved her despite her darkness and she loved him even though the light blinded her so.

“Hearts and connections are powerful things.” Namine spoke, her voice just above a whisper.

There was one thing her heart was pleading for. She needed him to understand just how much he meant to her. When this part of their adventure began she had told him good luck without obliging her heart for fear of many things- all excuses now, really. She wouldn’t betray it again. Carefully, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. It was sweet and chaste, not nearly lasting long enough. If he were honest, Riku barely had any time to process what was happening before it had ended. So when she pulled back, he let the weight of his hand pull her back in for another, this time allowing himself to move his lips against hers in ecstasy. No thoughts ran through his mind. He was simply there in the moment, being cradled by the person he wanted to protect the most. The one fate had in mind for him a long time ago.

From off in the distance they heard a voice calling out to them. It caused them to break apart, blushing furiously. Both knew it had to be Sora. He was calling their names, running up the path with Kairi’s hand in his and followed by Donald, Goofy and the King. She cautiously sat him up, and he silently assured her he was okay to do that on his own. As their friends approached, both Riku and Namine saw their friend’s faces all aglow from realizing that everyone was safe at home.

“We thought we lost you there, buddy.” Sora hugged his friend. “If you wanted a little alone time with your girlfriend, just tell us next time.”

Riku began to stutter out some excuse but when he couldn’t find the words, he simply gave sora a playful shove. Kairi hugged him next, and then Mickey. They really were home. Riku looked up to the sky. There was only one sky; one destiny. With the major threats to the universe gone, he could make of it whatever he wanted. Until then, there was this perfect moment; this lasting memory where he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was home and had everything he needed as long as his friends and the girl he loved most by his side. Whether destiny or fate was real or not, he would never need to meet it alone again.

#rikunami week 2020 #rikunami #namiku #day 1 #replinami #hinted at #inspired by ff8 #drawing to come

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herocarved-a · 3 years ago

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from @dawnled ; his everything .

❝ I will not stand in front of your happiness. But I will stand in front of every misery that you choose for yourself, or that others choose for you. ❞

location . ask meme ; accepting .

“ riku ! ” the name echoes in those empty streets where the neon golds && reds flicker murkily against the puddles of rain water. it hurts his eyes --- but then again, what doesn’t hurt ? his body aches with the memory of his fight with xehanort ; his throat feels tight with a phantom pressure && his breath stutters against bruised ribs that would have surely cracked had he not been holding the kingdom key. && then to be flung into another fight --- i lost that one, didn’t it ? his memories feel as murky as the puddles he steps through. there’s a chill in the air that he’s not quite sure is just from the recent rain fall.

&& then his eyes are drawn to a familiar figure. suspicion draws his keyblade to his hand --- he lost the power of waking, but how could he lose something gifted to him by the one who loves him most ? --- && he hesitates to call out again ; the last time he did... yozora ? his grip becomes that much tighter, almost desperately so, && he’s not ready for another fight, please, just give him a break ---

“ riku ? ”

his desperation && hope escape as a whisper against the chill in his heart. this time, it’s him ; he came. && then, a second later, he chides himself for the venomous doubt he carried until that moment. he’s slamming into the frame before he’s realized he’s even moved. there’s relieved laughter bubbling warm past his lips && he nuzzles into the warmth he’s missed. it’s only as his fingers brush against wings that he pauses. wings ? then...

“ this is a dream... ” && maybe that’s why he didn’t recognize the young man at first ; maybe that’s why he can’t hear their heartsong even when he feels those familiar fingers coaxing warmth against his cold cheek ( why is he so cold anyway ? ) && why riku feels so, so far away, despite being right here. both of his hands reach for riku’s. one curls around his wrist, the other over his knuckles, && he clings like they’re five && six again, as if riku’s the only person that knows how to keep him safe from the monsters in the closet.

this isn’t exactly a closet, though, && this time, it’s his fault, all his fault.

“ i’m sorry, riku. i’m so sorry for not coming home like i promised. ”

&& of course his voice cracks with the emotion that engulfs his words. his eyes take refuge beneath thick lashes as he looks down between their feet to the cracked asphalt. it’s only when he feels a thumb, calloused && scarred by a war not of their own making, rubs against his cheek in the same way it used to when riku maveled at the freckles that seemed to multiply every summer, that he glances up again. he expects frustration, resignation, sadness --- && there is sadness, but no anger or accusation. their foreheads touch && then, a moment later, their lips.

riku tastes of home. he’s warm, so warm, && still his ; he hears the promise whispered between their hearts && leave it to sora to be the one to shed tears in that moment. he returns to clinging, fingers burying into a jacket that shouldn’t fit with his wings, but do, somehow, && his nose pressed into the crook of his dearly beloved’s neck. this is a dream, just a dream... he tries to remind himself, but it’s so hard when he hears those words whispered into his ear && he feels so weak with his relief.

‘ i will not stand in front of your happiness. but i will stand in front of every misery that you choose for yourself, or that others choose for you. ’

“ i know you will. i just want to go home, riku. ” i miss you, i miss you, i miss you --- && then he’s alone in the middle of the empty street, colder than before && left wiping his own tears away with the collar of his shirt. he touches the crown of his necklace, tries to find comfort in that faraway memory, && bites his lip bloody when that’s not enough. he whispers into the dark, hopelessly, “ i love you, riku. i’ll wait here... ”

#dawnled #ic .#answered .#starter .#v . re:mind .

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davidmann95 · 5 years ago

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Your power is mine: thoughts on Kingdom Hearts’ newest, oddest character

Finished Final Fantasy XV over the weekend. Mixed feelings to say the least, but it does give me an excuse to talk about Kingdom Hearts again, specifically this weirdo:

And how it feels like most of the people discussing Yozora and trying to figure out what his deal is are missing half the point. Yes, there’s the apparent connections to Sora and Riku, and there’s his meta association with Noctis and the entire real-life corporate backstory there intertwining with the in-game narrative to an unknown extent. But when he’s discussed as some kind of fusion of Sora and Riku, or a literal reincarnation of Noctis, or that Verum Rex might end up a real game, or something similarly straightforward in terms of “he’s going to be a very important central character going forward”, the ideas or at least the tone of how they’re presented seem to miss an absolutely critical component of how he was introduced to us, in a way that shapes not only him but by extension the entire future of the franchise and its thematic concerns:

We aren’t just supposed to be surprised he’s important because he’s real where we thought he wasn’t. We’re supposed to be surprised because he’s introduced to us as a self-evident gag character.

Not that we’re not supposed to take him seriously where it counts: it’s clear he has an important role going forward and is a force to be reckoned with. But no matter what deep, foreboding connections to the Keyblade and Master of Masters may lie within his backstory that may determine the fate of more universes than one, he will never not have had the hilariously inauspicious beginning of being a toy played by Rex the Dinosaur. He doesn’t even have the dignity of being introduced as a game on one of the plot-heavy original worlds! He’s a throwaway gimmick to spice up one of the filler Disney segments, literally a child’s plaything.

Even before we learn the context he’s being presented in...well, look at him. He’s like Riku, who’s cooler than Sora, and Noctis, a Final Fantasy character and therefore cooler than all this Disney stuff, but also he has a LASER SWORD and a CROSSBOW - that are clearly functioning as cool future tech instead of dopey magical powers - and his eyes are MYSTERIOUS MISMATCHING UNNATURAL COLORS and he fights GIANT ROBOTS with a dude in a fedora in a city straight out of the REAL WORLD to save a helpless lady/prize: truly, let no mistake be made, he is VERY, VERY SERIOUS INDEED, AND ALSO, RAD. TO THE MAX. He’s every attempt at reframing contemporary Final Fantasy as slick and modern and cool dialed up and up and up until the tone breaks, without the barest hint of self-awareness even as it advertises its action figure tie-ins. I don’t think that his little Keyblade pattern on his jacket being near-impossible to spot unless you’re looking for it is just to preserve the surprise, but also because the sight of the big keys with the Mickey Mouse logo on them would be anathema to his entire vibe, so important as it may be it must be squirreled away where it can’t make him look dumb. Heck, when Dylan Spouse announced on Twitter he was playing this major character in a childhood favorite franchise of his, surely knowing more than we do about Yozora, his description of the part was “I have lived out my edgy JRPG character fantasies...I even got to say ‘Sorry, but I don’t lose.’” We’re supposed to receive him off the bat as Square Enix, and more specifically Tetsuya Nomura, poking fun at themselves, going ‘yes, we suppose this is all getting to be a bit much, isn’t it?’

And then he enters the story for real.

Obviously he’s much more than a joke now, but the idea of him as something off, something that doesn’t fit in these games, endures. His episode isn’t just in a modern cityscape but skinned in the graphics of the grittier, more detailed style of the Pirates of the Caribbean world meant to evoke photorealism rather than the look of the rest of the game. He interferes with the gameplay in ways no other enemy does, stealing your items and weapons (we’ll get back to that). When he casts you into a void to be attacked by the mechs, it’s not a pure empty white but a mass of abstract polygonal space, evocative of the visuals of early game development. What details we do get of his backstory frame him as a counterpart to Sora on a parallel journey all his own, but the associations with his other source material in Noctis are considerably more...cutting. Credit to @kitsoa, whose own extensive musings on Kingdom Hearts’ increasingly overt metafictional concerns brought to my attention the obvious parallel: that Yozora being changed ‘beyond recognition’ with his heart replaced by another’s is a reasonable, albeit scathing description of Noctis’s revised character in the shift from the Nomura-helmed Final Fantasy Versus XIII to the largely overhauled Final Fantasy XV (and by the same token, the Nameless Star’s identity being stolen comes across as a shot at Versus XIII’s Stella Nox Fleuret being entirely replaced by Lady Lunafreya. Who, by sheer coincidence, would have been corrupted in planned but cancelled DLC into a monster of darkness).

While the comparisons to his source material are not only intentional but textually overt - his introduction as a real boy is literally scored to the FFXV theme music - so is the distancing from that material, given that if Nomura simply wanted to use Noctis the very premise of Kingdom Hearts as a series could have allowed him to use Noctis, and even change him to fit his original vision however he wished given the design and backstory changes to the other Final Fantasy characters involved. Yozora has a distinct role in which he’s still meant to represent that tone and aesthetic, and all signs point to that being because as that representation, he hardly seems an endorsement. He’s a parody, offered up in a demeaning context and tangled up narratively in real-life creative bitterness before being placed as an antagonist, however well-meaning (though keep in mind every secret boss of his kind before - other than Julius, I suppose - went on to become an endgame boss later on), in the player’s path. He may not be a villain, but all signs seem to indicate he’s a figure to be regarded as a contrast to the heroes.

And it’s in that role as a contrast that I have my own theories about what his deal ultimately is, thematically if not plotwise.

For those who saw this in the Kingdom Hearts tag and aren’t superhero fans, that’s Superdoomsday, introduced in Grant Morrison’s run on Action Comics about 8 years ago. One among many takes on an ‘evil Superman’ from a parallel universe, the twist with his world is that rather than a survivor of Krypton, he is literally the materialized concept of Superman - imagined by his reality’s Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, who created a machine which could bring ideas to life - that when sold to a corporation was reimagined in service of wide public appeal into an all-powerful, uncompromisingly brutal monstrosity clad in armor somewhere between an iPhone, 90s Rob Liefeld battle gear, and Nazi regalia, who ultimately journeyed into the multiverse to stalk and kill other incarnations of Superman, seeing them as competition to his domination of the ‘market’. “The curse...of Superman...” murmurs the dying Kent of that world, “...he becomes anything you want...him...to be...our world...wanted that...”

Yozora is...probably not exactly a 1:1 to that. But as a counterpart to Sora, it absolutely seems as if the main factor by which he contrasts him is that he’s ostensibly the sleeker, edgier model, new-and-improved. He reworks Sora’s story arc and aesthetic into something theoretically cooler and more palatable, steals his power, ‘saves’ him by sealing him away to presumably fight in his stead and thereby take his place as the lead. He is the protagonist so many feel Kingdom Hearts has needed for years, the somber AMV-ready Secret Movie tone and aesthetic stepping into center stage at last rather than maintaining a sunshiney Disney-esque child hero lead to anchor the assorted conspiracies and horrors of much of the rest of the tale. The manner in which he is presented as to make metatextuality an in-universe concern (to call back to Grant Morrison again, his next work after Action Comics was Multiversity, where a major plot point was that the events of parallel universes were unwittingly documented in each others’ pop culture; in that case comic books, in here video games) for Kingdom Hearts to explore in the next main entry is I believe so as to ask what, in fact, Kingdom Hearts as a series should be; is it a Disney series with some incidental Final Fantasy stuff in it? A Final Fantasy spinoff with some Disney elements cluttering it up that should maybe be discarded as it grows up? Something all its own? Is it time for Kingdom Hearts to get Serious? Even if the Kingdom Hearts as imagined by a marketing executive vision of Verum Rex isn’t what’s next, what is, as things get darker and that vision is now part of the narrative whether for good or ill?

So yeah it looks like Kingdom Hearts IV is Kingdom Hearts vs. its own Gritty Realworld! Urban Fantasy AU fanfiction for the soul of the series, and I am extremely here for it.

#Yozora #Kingdom Hearts #Sora #Final Fantasy XV #Final Fantasy Versus XIII #Final Fantasy #Kingdom Hearts IV #Grant Morrison #Analysis #Opinion

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mastrechef · 5 years ago

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More Kingdom Hearts stuff just because I feel like it.

“I feel like I should know, that there should still be a connection that I could trace. But there’s nothing there.” Roxas growled and ruffled his hair in frustration. “Dammit, there has to be more I can do besides sit here and feel fucking useless.”

Sitting next to him, Ventus hummed in agreement. “I understand how you feel. I was with him for more than a decade. Sometimes I feel like I know him better than I know myself. Yet when I reach out to find his light...I can’t sense anything.”

For a while after that, the two sat in silence, watching the sunset from the top of Twilight Town’s clock tower. Things had been awkward between them at first, what with being near identical at first glance. There were differences, but they were subtle: the shape of the jaw, the placement of the cheekbones, and Roxas’ eyes were a lighter sapphire to Ven’s royal blue. They probably said no more than three words to each other before returning to their own respective worlds. That changed after Kairi returned and Sora did not, and Ven began to seek out Roxas and Xion as the other two who had once resided in Sora’s heart. All three shared a unique pain at the loss of the boy who had gifted them with a second chance at life; the same boy whom none of them had truly had a chance to speak with.

“You two aren’t still brooding, are you?” The silence was broken by the arrival of Xion, three bars of ice cream in hand.

After a quiet thanks for the ice cream, Roxas smirked at Xion. “Nah, that’s strictly my job. Ven’s not the type to brood.”

“Well what type am I then?”

“You’re the sunshine and rainbows kinda guy. Nothing gets you down for long.”

“That’s not even remotely true,” protested Ven.

“No, I see what Roxas is getting at. If you’re upset about something, you seek out other people to talk to rather than hiding away and isolating yourself.” Xion turned to Ven with a sad smile. “That’s why you came to us in the first place, right?”

The playful atmosphere evaporated and turned pensive. Nothing about their situation was particularly normal, their bond even more so. Before all this, Xion and Roxas had at least been friends, with Ven as the outlier. Yet somehow, the trio fit together like long lost siblings. Now all that was needed was to return their missing brother.

“He’s out there somewhere, I know it. We’ll find him.” Her determination blazed as bright as the sun. Both boys could do nothing less than put all their faith in Xion’s words. So long as there was hope, they wouldn’t give up on the boy who saved them all.

...

There was something strange in the ease with which Yozora found him. Hiding from him was about as easy as trying to hide from a bloodhound. Despite hiding in the upper branches of a haphazardly chosen tree or losing himself amid the maze of clothing racks in some random department store, sure enough, Yozora was there. It was maddening. The only upside to this situation was that Sora felt no need to sleep, so at least he didn’t have to deal with being startled awake only to see Yozora looming over him. Getting knocked out by the guy on a regular basis was bad enough.

Of course there were also the nightmares that had plagued him since the botched Mark of Mastery exam. For a while he’d even been afraid to go to sleep, terrified that Xehanort would be there waiting and trap him again. He had pushed his concerns to the side in favor of more important things. There had been a lot to do to prepare for the final battle and no time to dwell on personal demons.

Being in this realm only allowed him to further ignore those particular demons.

Time passed strangely in this place. It could be hours or days between his meetings with Yozora, but it was impossible to tell for sure, and not just because it was perpetually nighttime. Anytime Sora lost focus or zoned out, he had this sense that time somehow sped up. Yet, whenever he returned to consciousness after a round with Yozora he felt as though no time at all had passed. Was this how Aqua felt stuck in the Realm of Darkness all those years?

There was nothing to do but think and wait for Yozora. He found himself pondering about the other boy’s words. What did he mean by ‘I was told to save Sora’ and what was he supposed to be saving Sora from? It couldn’t be from whatever this place was, since it seemed Yozora was the one ensuring he stayed stuck here. From death? Sora’s already saved himself from that fate once, even if the circumstances were different.

Sora was startled out of his musings by a familiar voice. “Aren’t you looking pathetic.”

He lurched in alarm, flailing his arms as he tried to keep himself from tipping over the edge of the roof he was perched on. He regained his balance and twisted around to see an unexpected figure. “Wha—Vanitas?”

“Did all your ‘friends’ ditch you?” Despite the harsh words, the usual arrogance and anger were absent and instead he just seemed...resigned. All the same, Sora would be on his guard; it was too soon to tell what Vanitas planned to do.

Sora shook his head vehemently. “My friends wouldn’t do that,” he insisted. None of them were the type to do that. (He carefully didn’t think about that brief time he had lost the keyblade in Hollow Bastion. And Riku leaving him behind when he gave in to the darkness didn’t count.) He eyed Vanitas in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

The question got him a bitter laugh. “Did you think I had gone for good? You can’t destroy darkness. It will always be there so long as there is darkness in people’s hearts.”

“I get that.” And he truly did. For all that he fought the darkness, he had come to understand that light could not exist without dark. They were counterpoints meant to balance each other. Just like there was no way to be happy all the time, to eliminate all negative emotions, but those happy moments were made all the more precious by the presence of the downs—so too must light and dark exist in equal measure. Besides, he was no stranger to the reality of the saying ‘bright lights cast deep shadows.’ (Distorted flashes of clawstearrendhungerRAGE came to mind.) “But what I meant was how are you here? This place...it’s...” He trailed off, not really sure what to say. This strange city was a complete unknown, seemingly unconnected to any other world that Sora had visited, except perhaps the Final World; but even so it wasn’t clear how he got from there to here.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m your shadow, so of course I’d be drawn to where you are.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. If you were able to find me, shouldn’t the others be able to as well?” There was certainly no shortage of people connected to Sora’s heart, although all his attempts to trace the connection back to them resulted in failure. But if Vanitas could reach him, then maybe it was only his end that was having trouble. Who knew how these things worked when you were technically supposed to be dead.

“If they can’t find you, that’s their problem. Hasn’t got shit to do with me,” he replied, face twisting in a sneer. Apparently fed up with their all too brief interaction, Vanitas started walking away.

“Wait! Vanitas!” A dark corridor appeared and he was gone. Sora slumped back. He wondered if Vanitas was able to leave this place, if he himself was the only one stuck here struggling to escape. He flopped onto his back with a groan. Back to waiting in boredom it was. Funnily enough, he actually wished heartless would show up here; that would at least give him something to do.

Some time later his question was answered in such a way that he almost had a heart attack. Evidently, his concerns about waking up to see Yozora looming over him were the least of his concerns, because waking up to see Vanitas looming over him was much more alarming. Eyes blown wide and heart fluttering like a caged bird, Sora scrambled back to put a little distance between them.

Vanitas only continued to frown at him, brows pinched together.

“You’re still here?” Sora asked after getting himself into some semblance of control.

“I should be asking you that.”

“I can’t leave yet.” Something instinctive told him that leaving wouldn’t be possible until he managed to beat Yozora. So soon after his latest loss, it wasn’t something he cared to think about. Might as well make the most of the other boy’s presence. “Can I ask you something?” A noncommittal grunt was his answer. “Why'd you want to join with Ventus so bad? You and he are two separate people now.”

The look Vanitas gave him openly conveyed his low opinion of Sora’s intelligence. Rude, thought Sora. “I’m nothing more than Ventus’ negative emotions that were pulled out of him. I was never meant to exist to begin with.”

“Yeah, well, neither were nobodies, but that doesn’t make Roxas any less real. He’s not just a part of me—he’s his own person with his own heart. And I don’t believe that you’re nothing but darkness and negativity. Even the deepest darkness has a light that never goes out.”

Vanitas scoffed. “You expect me to listen to your light-side bullshit?”

“I’m not just light, you know,” he snapped, suddenly irritated. “I’ve got my own darkness, same as everybody else. I fought on the light side, yes, but I was just doing what I thought was right. Light and dark...they’re not the same as good and evil—things aren’t so clear cut. Riku’s proof of that. Xehanort was wrong to do what he did, so I stopped him. Simple as that.”

An unreadable look overtook Vanitas’ face. Without a word, he disappeared again.

#kingdom hearts #roxas #ventus #xion #sora #vanitas #post-kingdom hearts iii #i have more stuff with vanitas written #but it was getting long

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thedeliverygod · 5 years ago

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Reasons Why I Really Enjoyed Kingdom Hearts III

The music. Every time I listen to the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World of Tres- soundtrack, it makes me want to play the game. The music is so much attached to the imagery and gameplay that I can’t seem to separate the two. Granted, I’ve always loved the music of the Kingdom Hearts series. But there is something about hearing music from KH3 that makes me go “wow, I really want to go play in the Kingdom Of Corona right now” etc. That’s something I never really experienced before this game; I of course relate the music to the worlds and moments that they played during, but they’ve never gotten me in the mood to immediately go turn on my console and play. Also, full Kingdom Hearts III soundtrack when??? (I suppose the answer is when all the DLC is released and the soundtrack is considered COMPLETE but... I just really want it okay.)

The visuals. Continuing off the last point... Kingdom Hearts III is G O R G E O U S. I had my doubts about the unreal engine and honestly, I had my doubts about KH getting a more detailed look in general. I enjoyed watching the FMV videos at the beginning and ends of the games but the more cartoony in-game graphics always felt like home to me. It took some time and a lot of trailers to gain my approval, but the final product was gorgeous. Granted... I honestly still have some complaints. Mostly about my old boss, our own King Mickey; I feel the new style doesn’t show his emotions very well but hopefully that’ll improve in time? Moving on from the characters... The worlds. Omg, the worlds. The detail that went into them is astounding; not to mention the effects that magic has on your surroundings when using it! And then of course, there’s the battle animations. Flashy, amusing, and destructive? A win, in my opinion, and definitely true to the Disney name.

World Building. The worlds are finally not lifeless dioramas from the movies! It always bugged me when they’d talk about climbing up a mountain or something like that, and in reality we’d pass through 2 or maybe 3 areas with very gradual elevation changes and the characters would be like “phew what a rough journey” and you’d be like “that literally took one minute but okay”. The North Mountain from Arendelle is a REAL MOUNTAIN. Like the Heartless knocked me off after I had been climbing for like 20 minutes and I felt like I had suffered an actual loss. How dare they make my perilous journey even longer by knocking me off the side of the mountain?! Luckily, I found a shortcut so it was fine, but it actually felt like accomplishing something while climbing that mountain which was... amazing. My other favorite experience was gathering together the green blocks to make the cactaur in Toy Box. Being in that play area made me feel like a kid again, I haven’t been in one of those spaces in so long and it was nostalgic and just so fun to crawl through all of those ball pits and tunnels to find those blocks. Lastly, there were finally citizens in the worlds! Mind you, there were kind of like maybe 5 designs at most that got repeated over and over... but still! It was a vast improvement from what we’ve seen in recent years.

Dialogue & Interaction. Let me tell you how excited I was that there was FINALLY DIALOGUE WHILE EXPLORING! It was so fun listening to the trios conversations and funny quips. Of course, “Look, it’s a lucky emblem!” and “This looks like a good spot to find some ingredients!” did get annoying, especially when I couldn’t find where the heck said things were, but I think an update calmed those exclamations down because I heard them a lot less during my 2nd playthrough. Adding the selfie function the gummi phone? BEST. DECISION. EVER. I had so much fun taking selfies with the various Disney characters and seeing what their reactions to the camera were. Of course, characters like Hiro & Honey Lemon knew what a camera and a selfie were, but Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff? They were just like ummm do I smile for this thing? Okay!!! And then there’s Mike and Sulley who make especially funny faces for the camera. It’s just all around a blast. Moving on to cutscenes, I know there’s been some debate about the voice direction but my personal opinion is this game is the best it’s ever been. The conversations and especially jokes (thank god) finally sound natural. In the past, things have been either just really forced or really cheesy and I’ve just sort of been like “Oh, well it’s Kingdom Hearts/it’s Disney, it’s gonna be cheesy.” But like there’s a right way to be cheesy, and the moments I’m thinking of... aren’t it. KH3 did it right. There’s still a few things that were rough around the edges, like Sora’s “unforgettable... like your face~” to Donald lol it was still really funny but it was also just like “oh my god you nerd”. Also all the jokes about Sora not being a Keyblade Master yet came off as just mean spirited to me, but that’s another subject entirely.

Character Moments. KH3 gave us a lot of what we had been waiting for. Aqua’s reunion with Sora and Riku, the boys she met on Destiny Islands so long ago. Her long awaited return to the realm of light. Aqua and Sora waking Ventus up from his long, deep slumber. Terra’s redemption and reunion with his friends. Aqua, Terra, and Ven getting to see Eraqus again and saying goodbye. Kairi and Lea becoming keyblade wielders (officially). Kairi and Xion facing off in battle. Xion and Roxas brought back to life as replicas and their reunion with Axel/Lea. Sora and Kairi sharing a paopu fruit. Sora and Namine finally getting to talk (at least, somewhat). Namine getting a body through a replica. The return of org members who had vanished after CoM & KH2 (Marluxia, Demyx, Larxene, etc). The return of Replica Riku. Others I’m probably forgetting lol.

Reveals & New Info. With the end of a saga, we have some mysteries finally answered. Of course, this game is also setting us up for a new saga, so we’ve also got a lot of lose ends. Luxu is revealed as Braig/Xigbar. The Master of Masters is shown in the secret ending after vanishing for thousands of years, but who are they? Not to mention the foretellers managed to show up after also being absent for a long period of time as well, minus Ava. What’s she up to? Who’s Yozora and why did he show up as a video game character in Toy Box but also in the same world as Riku in the secret ending? Nomura-san says that the Shibuya shown in the secret ending isn’t the same universe as TWEWY, but why bother introducing the characters and Shibuya itself if it’s not going to tie in later? What exactly is happening at the end of KH3? Is the group looking out over the ocean or looking at the tree where Sora and Kairi are? Are both scenes happening at the same time or at separate times? Why exactly does Sora vanish? What are the exact stipulations and reasonings behind all the warnings Young Xehanort gave Sora? There’s so many things I am so eager to learn about and I can’t wait for DLC and/or the next full game.

The Story Is Not Over. We’ve got DLC coming to us, and from the sound of it, a decent amount of it. At least, enough to keep us satisfied until the next game. And please, no “they should have sold us a complete game” comments. They said multiple times they had to cut content in order to release a game that fit on the disc. Also remember, KH2.8′s Birth by Sleep 0.2 -A Fragmentary Passage- was originally supposed to be the INTRO of KH3. If they fit all the content they wanted to fit into KH3... we would probably be looking at a 2, maybe 3 disc game. Anyway, good things come to those who wait, so that’s all I’ve got to say on that.

#Kingdom Hearts #KH3 #Kingdom Hearts III #I am probably making a mistake by tagging this but here

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