#in the end was it Kairi who sent them both down their paths? who gave to Roxas like Sora gave to Naminé，

[blue-eli]

Ink October day nineteen: Reliquiae

Remains of the dead; relics.

[atomic-taco-muffin]

The Legend of Hana Chapter 119

Warnings: Angst. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s angst. And a lot of it

Rating: SFW

At long last, Sora and the others arrived at the tall platform that lay beyond the maze. Back when the labyrinth had rose from the ground, this was where the members of Xehanort’s and Junko’s real Organization XIII had stood. Now, their numbers were short. Riku, Mukuro, Ansem, Rumi, and Mickey were waiting there for Sora and the others. 

“Riku!” Yui called out to her boyfriend. Riku and the others turned around and saw her and the others approaching. Riku smiled slightly and gave Yui a quick hug. 

“You okay, bunny?” he asked. 

“Yeah. But I’m even more so now that I’m here with you,” she replied. In that same moment, a powerful gust of wind filled with dust came at the heroes from ahead. As it cleared, they saw that Nagito and Junko now stood in their path. And then, behind the duo up on a tall column of rock was Xehanort.

“Junko! Where’s Kairi?” Sora demanded, readying his Keyblade for battle. 

“Wait! Is she in trouble?” Rumi asked, wanting to know. 

“Yeah, Junko took her,” Lily revealed, her eyes never leaving the villain in question. 

“Settle down, heroes,” Xehanort said with a hint of reproach as a condescending smile crept up on the old man’s face. “The thirteen darknesses and seven lights have clashed nine times, yielding these nine keys.” 

As Xehanort said this, nine keys appeared in a ring with him at the center.

“Since my daughter has been killed, a Keyblade now represents her. We are only three short…but these three keys will be produced here and now.”

“Yeah, right. Hana’s still alive, you crusty bitch! And pretty soon, you’ll be wishing you never tried to kill her! And just what makes you so sure there’d be any way we’d help you out?!” Luna shouted back defiantly. The confident grin never left the old man’s face. 

“You forget that I plan for every eventuality,” he said. This reminder that they had taken Kairi enraged Sora and Rumi, but it was Xemnas who fired back. 

“If you do summon Kingdom Hearts, we will defeat you, and we will close it again,” he said. 

“Perhaps. That is…if you survive that long!” With a grand wave of his hand, Xehanort called forth a storm of Keyblades that rained down upon their heads. Luna and Mukuro were quick and formed a protective bubble around them and the others to protect them from the Keyblades. While the heroes were busy keeping out of harm’s way, Nagito and Junko moved in for the kill. Sora and Lily knew all too well just how formidable Junko and her Remnants was. Nagito rushed in and hit Mickey with a multitude of knives, but before he could react, Xemnas and the twins attacked the Remnant with his ethereal blades and their pistoleers. Meanwhile, Junko unleashed a ray that lashed around Mukuro like whip. The earth groaned as Xehanort raised his hands up to the sky, calling a storm of clouds to the battlefield. Sora lost sight of Riku and the others as the ground beneath them slid up and became what resembled a big stage. The swarm of Keyblades emerged from the clouds and wove in a stream through the air, occasionally diving down at Sora and Lily. When the clouds finally parted, Nagito and Junko joined in the attack again one after the other. The viscous struggle went on and on, and just as Sora began to wonder if it would ever end, he connected a satisfying blow that sent Nagito to his punishable death.  

That only left Junko. She had driven Mukuro back up against edge of the platform. Luna, Rumi, and Ansem glanced at each other, then rushed over to help the Spirit of Life. Luna fired a volley of shadow magic at Junko, who moved out of the way without even looking back. Rumi and Ansem used that distraction to bear down on Junko with both their magic that proved impossible to avoid, and then Mukuro applied the finishing touch with her own magic and guns. And with that, their last opponent was rendered unable to fight any further. Junko looked at her hands and was flabbergasted that she was defeated by her sister and her family. 

“No…this can’t be! NO! XEHA-CHAN! HELP ME TAKE THEM DOWN FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL!” Junko screeched. 

“Alright. I’ll help,” Xehanort said and sent one of the floating Keyblades down at Junko, piercing through her abdomen. Sora and the others gasped in shock at the force the Keyblade went through her. Junko’s eyes fluttered as the blood slowly seeped out of her and onto the dirt ground. Mukuro wanted to go to her but decided against it when she remembered how horrible Junko had been to her and her family. “Finally. She’s been so annoying that I’m glad to be rid of her. And I know you are too, Mukuro.” 

Twelve Keyblades now hung in the air around Xehanort. Just as he intended, two more had joined the ranks of the original nine. 

“Twelve keys we have now. Leaving just one more!” he said. He raised a final Keyblade above his head and sent a bolt of lightning crackling into the heavens. The clouds began to spiral darkly where the bolt had passed, and before long, light began to shine through the opening. “Now, Sora. Darkness and light’s final clash.”

Behind Xehanort, Kairi’s body rose with her eyes closed, perhaps unconscious. She floated through the air until she was directly in front of Xehanort.

“Kairi!” Sora and Rumi exclaimed, and they started to run to her. 

“You require motivation,” the old man declared, and then he brought his Keyblade down on Kairi. Sora and Rumi could only watch as a light filled Kairi, transforming her into a crystal form that then shattered. 

“KAIRI!!!” Sora and Rumi screamed as they dashed up the precipice. They quickly reached the top and slashed at Xehanort, while Lily and the others could hardly breathe as they watched from below.

“Why her?!” Rumi shouted. But her rage was in vain, as Xehanort simply knocked away her and Sora’s attack with a wave of his own Keyblade. 

“I have done it,” the old man intoned. 

“Why?!” Sora cried as he and Rumi crashed back to the ground, tear falling down their cheeks. 

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” The twins exclaimed as they shot into the air and fired at Xehanort. But the old man simply deflected the attack which ended up hitting the twins and caused them to hit the ground hard. 

“Girls!” Xemnas exclaimed as he ran over to his daughters. Though they had been too exhausted to react in time, Riku, Lily, Vanitas, Ansem, Baby, Era, Xeha,  Luna, Mukuro, and Mickey mustered the last of their strength as they charged up the cliff toward Kairi’s murderer. 

“Xehanort!” Riku shouted as he reached the old master first, only to be violently rebuffed as well. Ansem and Mukuro attacked the old man together but even they couldn’t take him down. Baby, Vanitas, Xeha, and Era landed their attacks but they were deflected as well. Luna and Lily shot up and fired her magic at Xehanort. He defended himself with his Keyblade but the two girls werea bit more stronger than he was. 

“First, my daughter, Hana. Then my husband! And now this! Youll pay for this!” Luna cried. Xehanort smirked and knocked the two girls away. 

“You’ll pay!” A beat later, Mickey struck, too. “Ultima!” 

“Stopza!” The spells were cast merely simultaneously, but Xehanort’s was just a little bit faster. Time stopped for Mickey, leaving him hung frozen in the air. Riku and the others had been caught in the effects of the spell, too. 

“Guys!” Rumi shouted in despair. Then, something began to disperse the clouds overhead. The source of the light was none other than Kingdom Hearts. 

“Now…the Keyblade War will finally reach its conclusion!” Xehanort said. The thirteen Keyblades began circling around him as he lifted his hands to the sky, and both he and the Keyblades began to rise toward Kingdom Hearts. He then held his own Keyblade aloft, and with a flash, in transformed into the χ-Blade. “The χ-Blade is complete. Kingdom Hearts! I call upon your true form. Open now and show me the world to come.” 

A black beam lanced from the χ-blade and into Kingdom Hearts, which began to take on a dark color and grow so large it practically filled the sky. Countless comets of beautiful light streaked down from Kingdom Hearts, striking the ground below. Sora slumped to his knees as the strength left his body. He and Rumi could hardly even cry anymore. But then there were two voices, and two pairs of hands hauled them to their feet. 

“Hey, don’t give up.” 

“We thought ya might be able have some help.” 

“Donald…Goofy…” Sora said softly. His two wonderful friends were there looking at him and Rumi amid the shower of light. 

“Typical. You can’t do anything without us, Sora,” Donald chided, trying to put some fight back into him. 

“Now wipe away those tears, and let’s go stop Master Xehanort!” Goofy said as he patted Sora and Rumi on the shoulder. 

“Yeah…but…he controls Kingdom Hearts now. And Kairi…” Rumi lamented as she rubbed her sleeve against her eyes. 

“Are you worried, baby?” The third voice belonged to Ventus. Rumi sobbed and rushed over and hugged Ventus tight, which he comfortingly returned. 

“Sorry we took so long. Had a couple of plot points that needed ironing out,” Axel said. 

“Master Xehanort…” Terra gasped as he looked at the spectacle in the sky with loathing. 

“He did it. He opened Kingdom Hearts,” Aqua said. 

“So what now?” Ventus asked her. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any good answers for him. 

“We’ve still got one hope,” someone said. Mickey came flipping down to the ground with Riku and the others as Xehanort’s spell wore off. Aqua saw Roxy being held up by Xemnas and rushed over to help her. 

“You guys okay?” Sora asked anxiously and they assured him that they were unharmed. 

“What hope?” Rumi asked. 

“It’s the crusty bastard. During the Mark of Mastery exam, we learned that he can transcend space and time. He’s a portal. And we can use that to trap him,” Vanitas explained. 

“I can do the same thing,” Xeha added. 

“But it won’t be easy,” Ansem said.

“Aqua, Riku, I’ll need both your help if we’re gonna push Xehanort out of this world,” Mickey said. 

“We’re going with you,” Xemnas said, speaking for him and his brothers. “For Hana. And I know he knows where my wife is. I’m gonna save her.” 

“If you’re going then I’m going too,” Luna said. 

“Me too,” Lily added. 

“Wait, I’ll do it,” Sora said as he hurriedly stepped in front of Aqua and they gave him confused glances. “What? Kingdom Hearts is a much bigger threat. And Xemnas said it himself. I want to do this for Hana. Let me and Hana’s family handle Xehanort while you guys keep it shut.” 

Mickey mulled over Sora’s idea. It didn’t look like Sora was going to budge. With a firm nod, Sora, Luna, Lily, and Hana’s brothers went on their way--and Donald and Goofy fell into step to either side. 

“You can’t forget us,” Donald stated matter-of-factly. 

“Without Keyblades, it’s not like we’ll be much help here,” Goofy said quietly once they had put some distance between themselves and the others. 

“Dad, wait!” Yui said as she and Roxy ran over to Xemnas. They wrapped him a hug which he gratefully returned. 

“Good luck, daddy,” Roxy said softly.

“Please bring mom home,” Yui added. 

“I will. And I will get your kingdom back,” Xemnas replied. He kissed their heads and turned back around. 

“Let’s move. The darkness is spreading,” Terra urged as he observed Xehanort and Kingdom Hearts above. 

“Rumi,” Xion said as she walked up to her. 

“Yeah?” 

“Kairi will be alright. I can feel it,” she told her. Xion had a connection of her own with Kairi, after all. Rumi felt the tears well up in her again and hugged Xion tightly. 

“Thank you,” she replied. They soon broke the hug and watched as Sora and the others charged at Xehanort and into Kingdom Hearts. 

[maddrmatt]

Kairi’s Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora

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Chapter 15: Kairi’s Letter of Departure #2: Never Land

Never Land

Dear Sora,

Of all the worlds for the Wayfinder to bring me to first on my journey to find you, who would’ve thought that it would bring me to Never Land, the home of Peter Pan?

It’s quite a beautiful place, Sora.  It’s unfortunate that the most you, Donald, and Goofy saw of it was the inside of Captain Hook’s pirate ship.

Also, in addition to properly meeting Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, who already knew who I was due to having been among your summon spells, I met a few people you haven’t.  They’re a group of boys in animal suits known as the Lost Boys. Much like Peter, they too never wish to grow up and spend their eternally youthful lives just having fun and adventures.

Unfortunately, Sora, I’m sorry to say that it didn’t go very easily as I would have liked here in Never Land.  

First, I met a group of mermaids who were nothing like your friend Ariel.  Their idea of fun was trying to drown me.  

Then, when I first ran into the Lost Boys, they attacked me thinking I was a pirate trying to steal from them.  Peter stopped them but then I had to put up with their childish behavior in addition to Peter’s insensitivity and Tink’s jealousy.  It was not something I wanted to deal with on top of trying to find you.

The worst part truly began when Peter tried to teach me how to fly.  Ever since I felt you do it during the time I was within your heart, I’ve wanted to try it for myself and it would’ve also been a great ability to have on my journey.

But I couldn’t do it since happy thoughts are needed for it to work.  And ever since losing you and fighting with Riku and the others, I can’t think of any because my happiest thoughts all center around you and our friends and I couldn’t even think of them without bad memories interrupting.

Then, after I couldn’t put up with Peter and his friends anymore, I ran away from them and ended up getting captured by Captain Hook and his pirate crew.  And wouldn’t you know it?  The reason he captured me was so he could lure you to him so he could get revenge on you.

The fact that he tried to use me as bait really got me angry. Speaking as someone who’s been used too many times by villains to get to you, I never want to be in that position ever again.  Especially since the last time it happened had far greater consequences for both of us.

My visit to Never Land seemed to be nothing but one misfortune after another.  But I guess your visit was hardly any better.  

After all, when you first came here, you had to see me in that unresponsive state due to my heart being within yours.  Also, you had to watch Riku sink further down the dark path he was on. It’s amazing that even after all that, you were still able to fly.

Looking back on your first adventure, the fact that you were able to keep it together even after losing our home and being separated from me and Riku just shows how strong you’ve always been.  I only wish I could be as strong as you on my own journey. But I think it will be a lot harder for me given everything that has happened.

I’m sorry to be such a downer, Sora.  I just really needed to let it out and you’ll be glad to know that things got a lot better for me in Never Land.

In spite of what I had said to them earlier, Peter and his friends came to save me.  Then, together, we took on the pirates and defeated them all.

When it came time to face Hook himself, I ended up doing something that wouldn’t have approved of: I requested to fight him alone without the aid of Peter or anyone else.  I know you wouldn’t have liked it, but it was the only way I would get any better at fighting.

The duel was close and for a brief moment, Hook nearly beat me. But thanks to some timely help from Tink and a very useful strategy from Peter, I turned the tables on the pirate. Then, once I was satisfied, we all sent Hook overboard where he was chased away by the crocodile (though as amusing as that was, I do hope Peter is right when he says that the crocodile never catches him).

The battle against Hook opened my eyes to many things.  It showed me that I was able to hold my own against a major villain even if he wasn’t in the same league as our other enemies like Maleficent and Xehanort.  If I show the same strength against any future enemies, then nothing will stand in my way.

It also showed me the better side of Peter and his friends. They may have their flaws.  But their courage and devotion to their friends is very admirable.  Much like your own.

Before I parted ways with Peter and his friends, I promised that I would return with you.  After all, you still need to take me flying and I know that once we’re together, I will soar the skies for sure.

But you will not believe this, Sora.  You actually weren’t the first Keyblade Wielder that Peter has met. As it turns out, Terra, Ven and Aqua have visited Never Land too.  And according to Tink, Roxas and Axel have also been here.  Peter and Tink said that they’ll be glad to share those stories when we return.

So, my first world visit may not have been entirely enjoyable. But I’d say that making a new group of friends and defeating my first real bad guy definitely made it worthwhile.

However, a few new mysteries have presented themselves.  

For example, during the fight with the pirates, one of the Lost Boys, Toodles, was in trouble and no one, including myself, was able to help him. But then, a strange power enabled me to throw off my current opponent and transport myself across the pirate ship to where I could save him.  I have no idea how I was able to do that.

Also, just before I parted with Peter and the others, this mysterious card that has a moving image of them appeared out of thin air.  I’m keeping the card, which I’m calling a Memento Card, with me because I think there’s some kind of magic in it.  I only wish I knew what it was exactly.

But the strangest mystery concerns the Wayfinder.  The woman in my dream said that when it glowed, then I would know it’s time to move onto the next world.  But she never said what I had to do to get it to glow so when it finally did, I don’t know what I did to make it happen.

So many questions and so few answers.  Still, I guess I can take comfort in the fact that whatever I did to make the Wayfinder glow has put me one step closer to finding you.

Now I am about to depart with Pluto to wherever we need to be next. And wherever you are, Sora, I hope the happy thoughts that enabled you to fly in Never Land keep you going until we’re together again.

See you soon,

Kairi

________________________________________________________________

Much like she did back home, Kairi stood with Pluto by her side on Never Land’s beach and watched the bottle drift off past Skull Rock.  She hoped that it would reach the person it was meant for.

Holding the Wayfinder, she was about to place it to her heart and activate its power.  But before she could, she heard laughter and tinkling from up above.  She gazed upward.

Frolicking around in the sky, were Peter, Tink and the Lost Boys.  Apparently, they had decided to go flying after she took her leave of them. They laughed and giggled as they played what looked liked to be an aerial version of tag.

Despite wishing she could join them; Kairi couldn’t help but smile.  Hearing their joy brought back so many memories of the fun she had with Sora and Riku when they were younger.  Back when it seemed like the good times would never end for the three of them.

‘Peter, you and your friends don’t know how good you’ve got it.  An eternal youth-filled lifetime full of fun and adventure in a world where nothing truly bad can ever happen.  I’m glad that the darkness never took this world and if I or Sora or any of the other Guardians of Light have anything to say about it, it never will.’

Thinking about the other Guardians made Kairi’s heart sink a little and caused her to wonder about something.  She turned to Pluto.

“Pluto, I was so hard on Peter and his friends.  And yet, they came to save us from the pirates.  So, I can’t help but wonder if Riku, Mickey and the others would do the same after what I said to them a month ago.  Do you think they would?”

Pluto just smiled and let out a bark.  Clearly, he thought the answer was a yes.

Kairi sighed but gave a small smile while petting the dog on the head.  “I wish I could be as positive as you.  But I was much harder on them than I was with Peter and his group. But I know that we can fix things once I bring Sora home.  We’d better get going.”

Pluto nodded in agreement and wrapped his tail around her ankle like he did before.  Kairi placed the Wayfinder to her heart and once again, willed it to take her where she needed to be.

As the tunnel of light formed around her and Pluto, she looked up at Peter as he and his friends continue to play.  She watched and listened until she couldn’t see or hear them anymore.

‘Someday, I will return to Never Land and we’ll all fly together.  Once I regain the smile in my heart.’

________________________________________________________________

Nearby, perched on a tree branch, Diablo watched Kairi and Pluto vanish.  Faithfully following his mistress’ orders, he had been watching them unseen throughout most of their time in Never Land.  

Now that they had departed, it was time for him to leave as well.  Flapping his wings, he took off and flew away.

As he flew through the Never Land sky, he reflected on what he had observed.  Like Kairi herself, he did not know what exactly she had accomplished in Never Land in regard to bringing Sora back. All she had done was make new friends and defeat a villain which seemed irrelevant.

When Kairi had been captured by Captain Hook, Diablo was certain he would be able to tell Maleficent that the pirate had dealt with the Princess of Heart and they wouldn’t have to concern themselves with her anymore.  But those hopes had been dashed when that flying boy and his friends rescued her and handed Hook yet another humiliating defeat.

Diablo shouldn’t have been surprised. Of all of the villains that Maleficent and Pete had allied themselves with, the pirate captain was probably the least likely to defeat a Keyblade Wielder.

The raven was so lost in his ponderings that he never saw Cubby flying right toward him.  He let out a caw of surprise and the Lost Boy screamed as they headed for a collision with each other.  But just before they made contact, Cubby stopped in mid-air just as Diablo made a sharp turn to the left.

“Hey, watch where you’re going, you stupid bird!” yelled Cubby causing the raven to let out a loud caw of anger in response as he flew away.

“What’s with that bird?” asked Slightly as he, the other Lost Boys, Tink and Peter gathered around.

“Yeah.  We’ve never seen him around Never Land before,” said the Twins.

“Don’t worry about him, men. Looks like he’s leaving. He won’t bother anyone here anymore,” said Peter as they all resumed their game.

As Diablo flew away, he made a mental note to make a request to his mistress after he reported to her about Kairi. Once she had succeeded in conquering every world in existence, he hoped she would lay waste to Never Land and see that Peter Pan and his friends were appropriately punished.

In the raven’s opinion, they already deserved to be punished for whatever role they played in helping the Princess of Heart on her quest to bring her hero back.

________________________________________________________________

Onto the next chapter!

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Author’s Note: The first thing I wrote after I beat KHIII, that I’m uploading again. Sora in Shinjuku with Yozora, some Invi and Ava stuff, and Sora missing Kairi/SoKai.

Sora didn't really know what to make of Yozora… and there was a part of him that didn't even care about that.

…Which was horrible of him, he knew, because he was supposed to be this happy-go-lucky kid who solved everyone's problems.

And Sora knew he should have been thankful he'd gotten a second chance at all... but there was a part of him bitter that he still couldn't be home with Kairi, and instead now had to help Yozora, his friends, and this Stella girl out.

And in some ways, from what he'd seen, the way Yozora treated Stella was frustrating to Sora:

The Keyblade wielder would have said Yozora and Stella reminded him of Kairi and himself a bit (before they'd finally found their way to each other as more than just friends)—with how the two of them seemed to get separated a lot—but Yozora was too aloof: acting like he didn't care about Stella at all. And Sora never would have treated Kairi like that, if his life depended on it.

Yozora's mismatched eyes watched Sora warily now, he could tell—as the two of them tried to figure out how they were going to scale down the roof of Yozora's old home, since Sora had lost his power of Flowmotion—when he finally asked the inevitable: "What's your problem with me, Sora?!"

Despite himself, Sora blanched at this.

To Yozora's credit, he actually hadn't said the words unkindly at all. But since Sora was used to being loved by everyone, having someone with less than pleasant feelings about him took him aback.

Sighing, as he scratched the back of his head, Sora decided that honesty was the best policy here. "...I just want to go home. You might not believe it, because I'm all scrawny now, but I've fought some great wars… I thought I'd earned a chance to finally be at peace with the one- the ones I love. But here I am.

"Though I swear it's not all bad, Yozora," Sora smiled, looking down at the car-lined streets beneath him, and the yellow street lights that reminded him so much of San Fransokyo. "I'm used to this kind of thing. And I'm sure helping you out is my way out of here, so let me aid you. I want to."

"Sora… You were originally going to say 'loved one' instead of 'loved ones', weren't you? You're really thinking about a girl ...I understand."

Without thinking it over, Sora was about to tell Yozora that that was the closest he'd ever heard him come to admitting his feelings for Stella—which the older guy probably would have murdered him for—but before the words could come out, Yozora was already interrupting him.

"You get an intense look in your eyes like I do when I use my powers… or when my emotions are a wreck. Do you have power there? Ya think you could do that to get down?"

Sora put his hands behind his head, trying to make sense of this question that he really couldn't understand at all.

Since when did anyone have magic in their eyes?! And even if he did have that, how was it going to help him descend the stories of floors beneath them safely?

But then it clicked.

Sora doubted it was what Yozora was going for, but he recalled his power to focus on ledges in the air and make a path to them in his mind and actually traverse it.

The brunet still didn't know how he did this—the power of the Keyblade, he assumed. One of the few he'd retained after he'd sacrificed himself for Kairi—but he was sure it would work. Air-stepping it was, then!

Smiling widely, Sora summoned his Keyblade to hand—so he'd have its power flowing through him when he attempted this—and first jumped to the roof on the tower of the castle... and fell through it, the way he had the tree house in the Deep Jungle so long ago (and dang, did it hurt). But then Sora was landing on a rafter, grabbing a chandelier in his hands, and landing on the ground in a tuck-roll.

And Though Sora doubted he could really hear this, since Yozora was too far away for him, he thought the man might have scoffed at his display.

But just as Sora thoughthe had, Yozora portaled right beside him and was quick to read him the Riot Act. "Sora, you ended up in the wrong room! And you- you're already in here with the enemy."

Sora groaned, running a hand down his face as he did so.

There was a good chance the one clad in a blue robe and mask had seen them—and as time seemed to slow down, Sora thought he did see her eyes narrowing in their direction—but it was also possible she wouldn't have noticed them at all, if Yozora hadn't spoken up.

But it was really too late to wonder now.

"You!" their enemy's somewhat raspy voice bellowed, as they summoned their Keyblade and sent shards of ice in Sora and Yozora's direction.

Sora leapt over them, and closer to the assailant like it was nothing. And Yozora teleported onto a wall the moment he'd seen the icicles.

Sora hissed, when he took in the sight of the Keyblade before him and prepared to send a fire spell back the way the blizzard spell had come from.

There had been a few people that Sora had caught glimpses of in this world who looked like they could have had Keyblades, when he saw their weapons in his peripheral vision...

But to for sure see a new person with a Keyblade now, who wasn't a friend Sora knew he could trust, put a sour taste in his mouth.

Sora had hoped that after the Keyblade War, that the number of new wielders would dwindle and Kingdom Hearts would be safer that way.

But yet here this person was, who was clearly a threat as they'd attacked them... and had even taken over Yozora's home.

"Fire!" Sora exclaimed, moving his arm in a wide arc around the flames—as they escaped from his Keyblade—so that the magic coming out of his hand could solidify the pyre in a new trick that he'd learned: It was much like he was using the bombs that Captain Jack Sparrow did: If the fire itself somehow wouldn't hurt one, then this shrapnel for sure would.

Yozora smirked Sora's way-the first bit of approval he'd ever gotten from his rival, that he couldn't help scratching his cheek awkwardly for—and closed the distance between himself and his adversary and placed his crossbows against their neck, as he pinned them to the bookshelf in this makeshift library.

"Name!" Yozora growled. "Name, and I might spare you."

'He's asking her name to see if she's a woman', Sora realized then-looking at Yozora with wonder, and banishing his Keyblade at the thought. 'Yozora's... intense. So I have no doubt he'd kill a guy who stole his kingdom, no problem. But it seems he'd hesitate if it's a girl that did it.'

"What?!" the woman—and she was exactly that—demanded, using a thunder spell so powerful that it destroyed the ends of Yozora's crossbows.

Yozora then pulled out a potion to smash against her face in retaliation if need be, Sora saw.

"Just because my outfit got cut in a fight—so it's less form fitting, and makes me seem a bit more masculine that way—means that this big boy wants to kill a little girl?!"

"I should!" Yozora roared, slamming the mystery girl into the novels, whilst she then attempted to kick out at his head.

Sora was horrified by all of this—since murder was still wrong in his book, and he wanted to find a way to resolve this peacefully, if at all possible.

They duo sort of missed out on doing the damage they had meant to do to each other.

And as Yozora was weapon-less, and was keeping the female from using her Keyblade arm, they both were about to claw at the other's face... until Sora begged them to stop:

Because even though Sora was miffed at Yozora, because his feelings were a jumbled mess after coming back to life (and he was jealous he couldn't return to Kairi the way Yozora could Stella, if he manned up), Yozora was still his friend.

And this person... something about her blue—almost purple, in the right lighting—dress reminded Sora of his beloved so much that it hurt. So he just had to save her.

"Stop!" And to Sora's relief and amazement, the villains did.

Encouraged by this—and clearing his throat to get ready for a speech—Sora gave his thoughts on the subject. "Yozora, I may not know you very well yet. But I know this really isn't you. It just can't be."

And Sora may have been imagining it, but he thought Yozora might have looked a bit ashamed by his own actions as those words sank in.

"And, you!" Sora continued on—unintentionally quoting her own word from before—as he began talking with rapid hand movements. "Your tone acted like there was no way Yozora could defeat you, despite you claiming you're 'just a girl', so I get the feelin' you must be an ancient and gifted wielder like Master Xehanort was. But you're lookin' at everything here as if you've never seen it before-like a kid at Christmas-which tells me you must be new coming back to the world like Ven was… and not really onboard with whatever this plan is. So, please: Can't the three of us talk and figure this all out?"

Sora knew that Yozora was about to tell him where he could stick it for even suggesting that, but thankfully the more talented one of the three had a bit more grace.

"The original plan was to give the Master... a seat. A seat of power, because he deserves it and probably needs to be the master of this- of this world after everything he's figured out. But lately, I don't care so much about that as I do finding my sister-who's been missing for ages. Following my Master's plan is the only way I know to do that."

Yozora was the first to react to this, as he let the woman go and even attempted to straighten out where he'd messed up her clothes some.

At first, Sora was baffled by this change of events. But then he remembered that Yozora had friends that he saw as brothers. So anyone who had such a bond would probably look a bit better in his eyes.

Sora couldn't help smiling some himself here, at the thought of his best friend and brother Riku:

How he missed him and the rest of his friends so much…

And Kairi... he missed her most of all. How he prayed that she was okay, and that Riku was taking care of her.

"What's her name? What's she like?" Yozora asked questioningly, with his head tilted to the side. And it pulled Sora back from his reverie, of where he'd been holding a hand out to Kairi—the Kairi in his heart—and trying to find a way to connect with her at all.

At first? It seemed like the woman wasn't going to answer.

And pleadingly, as books fell around him, Sora found himself ready to lay all his cards on the table. "Please tell us! We can help you find her, so you can leave Yozora's kingdom alone and this blood bath can stop."

But just as Sora said this, with his hand under her chin, the woman answered—so they both ended up speaking at the same time. "My surrogate sister's name... is Ava. And she's far too sweet for her own good. But she's also made out of steel, I tell you. I've often thought the blonde and red in her hair was reprehensive of those two traits of hers battling it out... And my name… it's Invi."

Invi... like the word "envy".

Now that Sora knew her a bit better, she reminded him of Naminé—for the time that she had been controlled by the Organization—and for the strength she'd displayed in doing the right thing.

Sora was then certain-that this beautiful lady, with a square shaped chin and button nose that she was now letting them see for the first time—would be the same as Naminé in that way.

"So will you listen to Sora?" Yozora asked the ultimate question as he stared Invi down-his hands on his hips, in a gesture that was somewhere between aggressive and kind. "And will you step down, and help me reclaim my throne?"

Invi shook her head, but Sora could tell she was only slightly hesitating here.

Clenching her fists, she uttered these words: "I won't challenge the Master of Masters directly. He's too strong... he knows too much—and in the end, he may be right about all of this—but at the same time... I don't trust him right now. So I will... stop opposing you, Prince Yozora. And if you need information on his coup, I guess I could give you some. But only if you come through with information about Ava."

"He will!" Sora decided for Yozora, before he could for himself. And Sora saw Yozora about to try and strangle him for it, but without much effort. "And I will, too! I think I may know how to find her. Yozora, I'll come back and see this all to the end later. I promise!"

This talk of Ava... it reminded Sora of someone else he'd met recently: Oerba Dia Vanille.

Sora wasn't sure if Vanille was Ava, but he did think Cocoon—that he'd visited after beating the Reapers' Game recently—might be the key to fixing everything here.

Sora had been given one of Chocolina's feathers—who had saved him and his new friends a couple of times lately—and as it reminded Sora of what Jiminy had done for him in his hour of need, Sora thought she might even have another miracle up her sleeve.

Because as Vanille had taught Sora: "When prayers turned to promises, not even fate could stand in their way."

So summoning his Keyblade to hand, Sora opened the gate to Cocoon and was awash in light.

He would fix this—fix the world again—and then he'd find Kairi. He knew he would.

Because she was his light in the metaphorical and literal sense, the way that Stella was Yozora's and Ava was Invi's… they were all connected this way.

Sora felt a hand in his—simply felt it—then closed his eyes and woke up to New Bodhum.

[temperedbydarkness]

Consequence

The Price of World Order || @aspiringparasyte​ The ache hadn't gotten any easier to bear. 

To anyone who knew him that came as no surprise. Riku wasn't the sort who could just let things go that easily - Not when it came to something so important. They could find no complaints with how dedicated he was to task however; Even Yen Sid couldn't question the single minded intensity in which Riku focused back into trying to stop Xehanort and end the threat he posed to the scattered worlds. He tried to spend more time with Kairi and Axel, he spent more time with Mickey and Sora, he even worked with Aqua and Ven to try and get their strength up for the coming fight. If the sake of the world depended on the strength of the bonds of light, then Riku was determined not to be the weak link this time. Despite how dark he was, he refused to fail his friends again. 

Finally, years after Xehanort had decreed the promised day was coming, it finally came. It came and it was like every nightmare they had ever dreamt came to life.

More heartless than he had ever seen swarmed them. When they cut down one, three more were there to replace them. They rained down from the sky in a torrent. While the sun blazed as if midday, the tide of heartless was so plentiful that where the keyblade bearers of light stood it was as black as a moonless night. Riku knew if he had not felt so resolved to task this would be where the first cracks would appear because it felt like it would never end! They came together and were able to force a path through, sweeping away the darkness with a unified roar, but it had taken it's toll. It had reminded them that while the promised day was here, victory was not assured. 

They'd have to earn it. 

From there things had gone even more sideways. Their next test came in the form of a memory. Terra, possessed by Xehanort, had been placed as bait for them. While Riku swam in a memory of a child, Ventus and Aqua had reached for their lost friend and were met with anticipated aggression. A well timed barrier from Aqua still shattered on impact, throwing both her and Ventus away from their positions. Mickey and Sora's revenge hit got blasted away with a sphere of darkness. Riku, Axel and Kairi had not been idle either, spreading out on the wings to find angles to attack from, but Terra didn't give them a chance for that, racing forward to attack the one person they'd all give their lives to protect. Kairi. 

Kairi, to her credit, prepared for the assault against her, her keyblade coming up in a guard, but Riku was faster. He was faster, stronger, and determined. His voice raged out of him as he inserted himself between the two, one hand looking like a dark claw bent to grasp the keyblade bearing down on them both. He forced the blade into the dirt and used his own keyblade to strike back, catching Terra with Braveheart. The blow sent Terra flying back with a grunt. 

"Now!" Riku called, and taking the cue, Axel and Kairi both summoned magical energy, fire and light. They unleashed hell onto Terra. For a moment it seemed like they had gotten him, but a low chuckle echoed over the rumble of magic, before it exploded back onto the users. Sora cried out to Kairi, rushing to her side, and Riku flinched to see if she was alright. Aqua rushed forward to heal Axel, and Ventus tried to strike at Terra. Clearly it was a half hearted effort, and Terra was able to grab Wayward Wind. Instead of letting go, Ven got swung like a weapon himself and crashed heavily into Mickey, who had been racing forward to fight back. 

The two of them collapsed into a heap at Terra's feet, and he arrogantly set his foot onto Ventus' chest, keeping him and Mickey from getting up. The unnamed keyblade appeared flashed into a reverse grip and the Seeker of Darkness made to jam it down onto the pair of them, about to rend heart from body.

"Mickey!" "Ven!" "Your Majesty!" 

Cries from Riku, from Aqua, and from Donald and Goofy rang out, but it was Goofy who got the real say in the matter. His shield, thrown with great force, slammed into Terra. It sent him tumbling head over heals and into the ground, the keyblade dropped and vanishing in a flash of light.  Donald had the next word. He had raced forward to stand next to Ventus and Mickey and despite Mickey's cries to stop, he charged up and unleashed a masterful spell. 

"ZETTAFLARE!" Terra had begun to recover from the concussive force of Goofy's shield, but it only meant he was met with the all encompassing blaze of Donald's magic. It blasted through him, and completely through the rockface behind him, punching a hole clean through to the skies behind. 

"All right Donald!" Sora called after it became clear that there was nothing left of their opponent, his voice a pearl of sound over the otherwise quiet battlefield. It was soon made clear that his celebrations were ill timed as the magician collapsed from the effort. Mickey wiggled free from under Ventus, joining Goofy in trying to shake Donald awake again. Aqua moved to Ven, who had been shaking his head and holding it between his bent knees, seeking to comfort him. 

Riku checked in with Axel, who saved him off with an exasperated wave, burnt more in pride than body. Kairi touched Sora's arm, trying to shake him loose of the blank stare that had settled over his face. It did elicit a response from him, but not the one anyone expected to hear. 

"We can't really do this, can we?" Riku looked over at his friend sharply even as Kairi gasped. Something about the blank, staring eyes sent shivers down his spine, but Riku wasn't about to hear it. He wasn't going to let Sora just crumble like this. Kairi pulled back further when Riku stormed forward, the other warrior of light all peering at him as he moved. Sora wavered when Riku's hand came down on his shoulder, his head pivoting to peer at him. 

"Get a hold of yourself Sora!" The wide blue eyes blinked once, and it just had Riku shake him more fiercely. "He didn't beat us. We're still here and we can still fight!" 

"But look what one of them did to us?" A weak gesture to bring his attention back to Donald, and Riku did glance towards the magician, but he then snapped back around. 

"And he still has his heart!" He urged. That seemed to get Sora to check back in. "But he needs you."  Aqua helped Ven to his feet, then strode forward to join the two other boys.

"All of us. Together." 

Sora glanced between the two of them, then towards Kairi-who nodded- and Axel -who flicked his nose and grinned. He seemed to take heart from all of them and determination came back to his gaze. 

"Right." Riku let go of the breath he was holding as Sora spoke again. He was back to himself! Pulling back his hand, he shifted as he scented the winds, which held in them even more darkness than before. That couldn't be good... "Goofy, can you keep Donald safe?" 

"You betcha!" Mickey gave a relieved smile to his friend and Knight-Captain, then got up and joined the others. 

"Together!" He cried, offering his hand up to the others as a physical show of support. They didn't get a chance to make more of a show of it as more heartless began collect around them. 

 More. And more. And even more than that. If it seemed like there had been plenty before, this was even worse. So many of them, spinning rapidly in a mass, all coming together to face them directly. 

"Here it comes!" Axel cried out, even as the whole tidal wave of them rushed forward to meet them. 

The seven of them held out, each of their bodies glowing in a pale light as they formed a wedge against the mass. Goofy and Donald were between them, shielded from the flow by the warriors of light, and anxiously Goofy glanced around at them as they each reached a hand forward to hold the barrier. It seemed like for a time it was just going to be a stalemate, darkness bouncing off the shining glow they each made. Sora and Riku in the fore, Aqua beside Sora, Kairi with her. Axel and Ven set themselves beside Riku, and Mickey was between them. 

They held. For a time. The darkness then began to play tricks on them. Aqua faltered, seeing something they couldn't see. The darkness pulled for Donald and Goofy , tendrils sneaking in around the warriors to pull at them, distracting Mickey. The fractures in them started to widen, and that's all the heartless needed. It swept in, widened the gap and began to snatch them away from one another. 

Riku could see the moment Sora's heart broke. They took Aqua first, and pulled her and Kairi back like they had been caught in the undertow. Sora had been able to catch Kairi's hand, but it got pulled free as quick as they had grasped. Panicked eyes snapped around when he heard Mickey's voice too, and that's when it was lost. Axel and Ven vanished in their own pile of darkness. And Riku could sense it. He could sense the light in Sora flicker and extinguish. He could feel the weight of the darkness slamming into him more heavily. It wanted him back. 

He refused to give in. Absolutely refused. His refusal only grew stronger when he felt Sora grasp onto the fabric of his hoodie. 

"Riku! They're-they're gone!" The silverette turned his head to look at his friend and burned with ache to see tears running down from the normally lively eyes. "They're gone! What do we do?" Riku was going to answer, but the distraction caused him to falter a little and they slid back a few inches. Both of them flinched, but Riku restored his focus on his light and they steadied. Sora's grasp felt tighter on him. 

"I'm powerless without them! They're all my strength! But without them-- Alone I'm worthless!" The grip lost all of its strength and Sora dropped to his knees, weeping. Alone? Sora thought he was alone? And he thought himself worthless? 

It struck Riku then just how different he and Sora had become. How far their paths had diverged. Sora had always been in the light, surrounded by people he loved. Even when he had become heartless, he had been brought back by the warmth and kindness of those most important to him. He hadn't ever felt the loneliness and the heartbreak of being truly separated. Sora had struggled, felt pain and longing, had suffered a great deal in his journeys but he had never had to find his way when there was no light. When it came down to it, he had always had someone else there urge him back to his feet. 

He didn't know the kind of strength he had, the strength he gave to others. He didn't know what they offered him was the same that he offered them. But how could Riku tell him that? Especially now, when it was just the two of them and Sora still felt utterly alone? How could Riku tell him that it was because of him Riku had come this far, had the strength to hold the tide back on his own. 

Sora couldn't believe he was truly alone. Not with the way their hearts all connected. 

No. There was always a way. That was a nice reminder. Their hearts were always connected, and even if they were seperated, there would always be a way back to one another. Sora knew this. He just needed to be reminded. Riku knew this. Deep in his heart and that hope had sustained him. He knew he'd always be able to find Sora. Both of them. Even a lightless path would lead him home. 

It was too much. He could feel the darkness eating away at him even as he fought it. He could feel his strength chipping away bit by bit as he struggled to protect one of his most important people. And as he struggled, he reminded Sora. 

"You don't believe that." 

They might have lost here, but Riku knew... he knew Sora would find a way. 

---

Riku had been right to trust him. Sora had managed to find them all and bring them back. He had been the key in bringing them back together where they belonged. It had allowed them the chance to try again, to face their doom with renewed hope and strength. 

The whole exercise was draining, in more ways that one. Physically it was battle after battle.  Emotionally it had been quite a gauntlet also, in part because each of the darknesses had… a certain reluctance to them that had surprised Riku. Every one of them seemed to have something; Even the echoing remnant of his replica had not seemed to be fighting back with the same heartless vigor as he might have expected. Xehanort hadn’t tempered the right forces is this was what was going on. Instead he had incensed the warriors of Light. Kairi’s capture had pushed Sora into furious recklessness and Riku had followed to cover his six. Fighting Xemnas, Ansem and the young Xehanort all at once had pushed the three of them to the limits of their endurance, leaving Sora, Riku and Mickey all gasping for breath, struggling to stand before Xehanort. 

He was tired. So tired. Maybe tired enough to be imagining things? Perhaps on the heels of Ansem’s urging Riku’s mind was tricking him with what he desired? What he hoped to seek? It didn’t matter. What mattered was Kairi. 

She had just been revealed beside Xehanort, limply hanging beside him in some unconscious state. In a sickening flash, Riku understood what Xehanort intended to do. He tapped into reserves deep within him, meaning to jump forward at the same moment as Sora in some desperate hope to stop Xehanort, but neither of them moved swiftly enough. Yet that same darkness Riku had scented a beat before proved to have tricks of its own. Sora appeared between Xehanort and Kairi, holding his hand up to block No-Name from dealing it’s wicked blow. Riku instantly recognized who it was. It was that Sora, his Sora, Sora Arias. Somehow he was here, now, in the very instant Riku could hardly keep moving! His best friend also cried out, astonished by what was going on. Then just as unbelievably as his appearance, Sora twisted and was able to throw Kairi away from Xehanort. His counterpart raced forward to catch her before she landed, sliding to be under her at the last moment. Riku forced his legs into moving as well, running up to their side to be sure that Kairi was safe. She was unharmed. If they could only wake her up, they could finish this by fighting together against Xehanort! He twisted to cry for Mickey with the hopes the King knew a spell that could wake her, only paused when he noticed a pair of blue eyes looking over at him. He knew Sora for his scent, knew him for the dark hair, but those blue eyes were new. Different. Enthralling. They had been looking for him and now Riku couldn’t look away. He was drawn in by the blue, lit by the light of Kingdom Hearts, wet with tears that escaped down pale skin. Smiling, but crying as well. Sora knew what was coming. 

“Hey! RIKU!” Sora had called. “Kick his ass for me, will ya?”

The keyblade came down and Riku’s whole world shattered. 

“XEHANORT!” The scream was torn from him in the same moment a surge of darkness exploded out of him and while Sora shielded Kairi from it and Mickey tried to stop Riku from attacking, Riku was gone, so quick as to be nothing more than a flash. Xehanort had just enough time to bring up a keyblade before him to stop the strike. In fact, he was lucky to have thirteen blades as more hits came to rain down on him. The silver haired master had trained for years and had learned dangerous techniques which he employed now. Small portals of darkness allowed him to flash in and out of existence as he tried to batter down the old Master’s guard. To no avail. He couldn't get through.A tempest of darkness and wrath, and Xehanort resided in the eye, batting aside every blast, every slice, every blow. The grin had been wiped clean, but he still seemed unconcerned.  Eventually a blade caught Riku across the chest, sending him into the ground of the pilar. He rolled to his feet and was about to start again when Mickey came from above with a spell. “Ultima!” A perfect spell for that bastard. Unfortunately Xehanort was fast and instantly he had cast Stopza to prevent the King’s magic from obliterating him from existence. Riku had to watch helplessly from the epicenter as Xehanort was able to obtain the X-blade and unlock Kingdom Hearts. The time didn’t ease Riku’s rage. In fact it only helped it grow stronger. The man was going to pay for what he had just done. He was going to regret having made Riku an enemy. 

“Xehanort’s a portal.” He explained shortly after, when the magic had faded and the others had regrouped with the other four. Each of them was at a loss as to how to stop Xehanort, but Riku had remembered something from back during his Mark of Mastery Exam. “We can trap him. And I’m going to End him.” The others argued. Sora tried to insert himself, saying it was his fault that it had even happened, and Riku would be more useful against the bigger threat but Riku wouldn’t hear it. Xehanort had made an impulsive choice and taken something from Riku that he refused to forgive. With Kairi awake and Sora with her, they didn’t need him there. Riku had to do this. If it had been Kairi struck down, what would Sora have done in his place? That got his best friend to lower his eyes and nod, before he made Riku promise to come back. 

“Kick his ass for me, will ya?”

That’s exactly what Riku did. Xehanort had brought aspects of himself to fight Riku, but they had failed. He had unleashed his true strength, but that had fallen short. He had tried to steal all the light Riku had inherited, but as Ansem had observed, his strength was vaster than the darkness itself. And when he had needed it, when his desperation echoed back to his friends, Sora, Kairi, Mickey… they had reached out to him and given him what he needed to deal the final blow. 

And just like that, it was over. They had been able to seal away Kingdom hearts again, they had been restored to their time, and again they were back in the keyblade graveyard, everything set back the way it should be. At least, how it should have been. Only there was a raw wound in Riku’s heart that hadn’t been eased even after that satisfying honor to Sora’s wish. Because he wasn’t here. He was gone. Again. As the others celebrated the victory, Riku strode away from them, his eyes having caught sight of something sitting nearby. He could hear them go rather quiet as he bent to pick them up. A cell phone and a talisman. He knew that device, and instinctively he knew the talisman too. The scent lingered on them. These were his. As he powered up the screen, Riku could see the last message that had come through. [txt]: Goodbye. 

How long ago had he sent that, thinking he was never going to see Sora again? 

“You’re leaving again, aren’t you?” Sora’s voice was soft at his elbow, drawing Riku’s attention back to his friend. Pale fingers wrapped tightly around both items in a tight grip, going whiter with the strength of that grip. The only answer he needed to give was a nod. Sora understood, even if he sighed. “You do that, Riku, and you might not come back!” Mickey protested. “I have to try.” 

---

It was wet. Like it had been raining. As he shifted and raised his eyes, nothing familiar answered his inquiry. There was little sound beyond the occasional water dropping onto metal. He was somewhere… urban. Wait--maybe it was familiar? Had he been here before? 

[xnymphae]

darkness

((We all know that Aqua spent an incredibly long time trapped within the realm of darkness. Can you imagine how difficult that must have been? How agonizing?? Long meta and KH3 Spoilers under the cut...))

She isn’t the only character to have fallen into the darkness. Riku and Mickey were both stranded there after KH1 and throughout Chain of Memories. But, they were trapped for, what... a year or two at the most? And they had each other to draw strength from. Mickey was able to escape largely unscathed, aiding Sora throughout KH2, whereas Riku struck out on his own, his physical form changed -- his shame, great. A year or two, with a companion... difficult, but manageable, no?

Aqua wandered the dark for over a decade. Alone. 

Riku dealt with further issues thanks to his possession by Xehanort’s Heartless, but in learning to live with that corruption, in learning to fight for and protect his friends no matter what (as he promised Terra, many years ago), he eventually came to regain his true form and control that darkness, wielding it just as well as he wielded the light. He was the first wielder to truly find that balance between light and dark, drawing on the powers of both without being further corrupted or corroded. It went a long way towards his being named Keyblade Master at such a young age.

But, back to Aqua. There were times that she wanted to give up, but her desire to reunite with Terra and Ventus -- to set right what once went so wrong -- kept her going. The darkness slowly wore away at her mind and at her heart. She hallucinated. She found worlds that were once so vibrant and full of life; worlds she had visited and aided... and those worlds had fallen, warped and twisted and devoid of life. She fought a Phantom of herself who tried her damnedest to break her. She stopped smiling. She barely felt anything, anymore. And she was trapped like this for years and years.

After the events of KH2, Ansem the Wise found himself within the darkness for the second time in his life, protected from the corruption by a black cloak, protection that Aqua utterly lacked in all her time there. And Aqua found him, on those dark, moonlit shores. It was the first sign of life she had seen in so long, and naturally, she clung to it. They talked at length about their journeys, and Ansem gave her hope for the first time in a decade by telling her about Sora and his adventures. 

But, just as quickly, her hopes were dashed, when Xehanort’s Heartless found them. He needed Ansem for something... and fully intended to bring him back to the realm of light to do it. Aqua immediately reacted, fighting the powerful villain despite no longer being able to call upon her keyblade. With her bare hands, she fought Xehanort’s Heartless and his Guardian. With her bare hands, she fought to protect the one friend (and the one hope) she had in this godforsaken hellhole.

And she lost. 

A concentrated blast of darkness struck her directly in the chest -- directly in the heart, and she found herself blown away, out into those dark waters where she sank and sank, further and further into pure, concentrated miasma.

As she sank further into the abyss, the darkness literally began to consume her body, spreading from her chest -- her heart. Remember that Aqua had no protection from the darkness. No armor (she sent that back to the realm of light with Terranort.) No black cloak. No keyblade. How agonizing that must have been... how terrifying.

And when Mickey and Riku finally tracked her down, all that remained was a husk, utterly consumed by the dark and scarcely recognizable. But, her physical form was not lost completely. It still lingered... corrupted, damaged.

Darkness stained her flesh. Color had drained from her skin and from her hair. Her outfit was in tatters. And... that’s not her gloves that are red, by the way. She wears fingerless gloves. Those are her actual fingers positively glowing red. Was the darkness literally burning and scalding away at her flesh? The very darkness that consumed her entire body?

Her body, her heart, her soul, her everything had finally been consumed. The woman, once practically angelic in her love for others and her desire to protect them, had fallen. 

You’re too late.

You abandoned me.

You left me in this shadowy prison for more than a decade, knowing what it would do to me.

I reached this shore after endless wandering. I waited forever for help to arrive.

But, no one ever came.

I lost my keyblade.

I had no means of fighting my way back through the Heartless.

You should have known I was stranded.

Do you have any idea how lonely it is?! How frightening it is to have no one?!

All that’s left in my heart is misery and despair... and now, you can share it.

With great effort from both Riku and Sora, Aqua was miraculously pulled from the brink, back to the realm of light. But you look me in the eye and tell me that her harrowing experience didn’t scar her. You can’t. After returning to the realm of light, she seems so exhausted, so emotionally and mentally drained. She may be able to smile again, and even cry, but... she’s changed.

She’s a little bit too willing to throw her life away -- first to protect Ventus from Vanitas, and again in the Keyblade Graveyard when she insists on cutting a path through the swarms of Heartless alone to give the others a chance to confront Xehanort. Thankfully, Kairi and the others put a stop to her attempted martyrdom...

And, about Ventus... Sora asked her if she wanted to rest or go see Yen Sid, but Aqua refused. The literal first thing she does after returning to the realm of light? She drags Sora, Donald, and Goofy back into the darkness -- to Castle Oblivion -- in order to wake Ventus up. And even though she’s still so exhausted and weakened, she insists on fighting Vanitas alone. And she still gives him a hell of a fight. Ventus and Terra’s safety was always more important than her own. 

By the end of the game, she finds a lot of closure, but, her time in the darkness will never just go away. The scars have been left on her heart and her mind, forever. And I believe she bears physical scars too, from her time as Anti Aqua... Lingering, faint burns on her hands and fingers, corroded lines of flesh along her more prominent veins from the pure concentrated darkness that flowed throughout her body, a round scar about her chest from the attacks suffered by Xehanort’s Heartless, and so on. 

Ten years of hell don’t just go away.

[kumeko]

ode to survivors

Prompt: I wonder if one day I’ll forget your name, like I’ve forgotten your face

A/N: written for Dearly Beloved, the Kingdom Hearts zine. I never realized how hard it was to cut down words to fit a word count till this moment.

Summary: Aqua can’t remember, Axel wishes he could forget, and Kairi refuses to let go

…

…

…

…

It was endless.

She stared at the waves, the sea that stretched on to infinity. The darkness, the heartless, the paths—it was all endless. There were no exits. All roads returned here.

She sank into the sand. Time didn’t exist here, she was certain. Neither did hunger nor sleep. She had walked for days—Weeks? Years?—and all she felt was a fatigue that sank into her bones, weighing down each step.

“I can’t escape.” Her path had crossed with a few others. She idly wondered if they’d managed to find a way out or if they were still wandering fruitlessly in the dark.

Perhaps they had died already.

She envied them.

Closing her eyes, she contemplated just lying there. It’d be easy to let the heartless get her. She had tried it once before. What stopped her?

She wasn’t sure anymore. Only, if she thought hard enough about it, she wasn’t supposed to be alone. There were supposed to be two other keyblades with her, two other backs to protect.

Her fingers touched the star-shaped charm on her wrist. This had meant something once. She had meant something once. It eluded her, the memory, but the feeling remained nonetheless.

There was a place where she belonged. A place—

With this, we’ll always be together.

She sat up with a jolt. That voice had been hers, she was certain of it.

No matter what, I promise.

She wasn’t supposed to give up here. Aqua wasn’t supposed to give up at all.

This wasn’t defeat, wasn’t failure. Defeat had been his eyes when he asked her to kill him. Failure had been the way his jaw clenched when he admitted killing their teacher.

(And hope? Hope was too fragile to touch, to think of. Hope was a child’s hand, a comatose body, a white castle.

Hope was two keyblades shining brightly in the dark, reminding her to fight another day)

She couldn’t recall their names. She couldn’t remember their faces or their voices or even who they were. But she had made a promise.

Getting up, she summoned her keyblade and turned to face the Heartless once more.

The darkness would not take that promise from her too.

Some things were better burned.

Considering his powers, it was something Axel should have known by now. He’d done it before, at Castle Oblivion. He’d do it again in the future.

It still surprised him when Saïx handed him a file.

“You’re to retrieve him.” Saïx watched him, gauging his response. “If he doesn’t come back, kill him.”

“Of course.” Axel didn’t even look at the folder; it was obvious who this was about. “Why me?”

“You were closest to him, you’ll be able to bring him back.” Saïx left the other reason unspoken and Axel chuckled mirthlessly.

With several members dead at his hands, he was the only one with the resume to do this.

“Sure, why not.” Axel thumbed through the folder. If he couldn’t stop Roxas from leaving, what chance did he have of bringing him back?

It wasn’t the first time he’d fail at bringing a friend back. He couldn’t even stop X—

Axel shook his head. He’d only became friends with Roxas. There had been no one else.

He stopped flipping the pages at a photo of Roxas eating a sea-salt popsicle with three kids. “Is this Twilight Town?”

“A facsimile of it. You have two days.”

Two days. Axel looked at the picture again, at Roxas’s broad smile. He hadn’t looked like that in weeks.

“Why me?”

Saïx looked at him this time, really looked at him. “This is your mess to clean up.”

And maybe it was. There were some things that were better destroyed than saved.

There was nothing of Isa in that look Saïx gave him. There hadn’t been anything like Isa for a long time and Axel might have been clinging on to something that was long dead.

He knew better now. He’d watched one friendship wither; Axel wouldn’t let it happen a second time.

If this was all going to end anyways, he’d end it with his own hands.

They’d been gone for too long. Kairi stared at the sea, at the island just a short canoe away.

It wasn’t too hard to remember Sora’s smile or Riku’s smirk. She had held both their hands as they stared at the sunset, promising to find an adventure. The raft they’d been working on still sat on the shore, waiting to be completed.

But it never would be. The adventure was had, but without her. A villain was defeated, friends were found, and she had been sent home.

Without them.

It had been years and still they had not come home. She couldn’t quite remember Sora’s cheerful laugh or Riku’s steady hands. There was a drawing in a cave, a secret that she carefully hid, but even time had done its there. All that was left was the star she had drawn, smeared beyond recognition.

And still her boys had not come home.

“Kairi? You okay?” Wakka nudged her. Kairi hadn’t realized she’d come to a standstill. “We’re going to be late.”

“Yeah.”

Perhaps it was time she’d done more than waiting. She wasn’t going to forget them and she wasn’t going to let them forget her either.

If they weren’t coming to her, then she’d just have to find them.