#kh1 sora doesn’t care about their old ‘rivalry’ or that his riku was working with maleficent

[coffeemira]

need an age regression/de-aging fic where a post-KH4 riku has to take care of a younger sora, and bb sora is just completely awestruck over how strong and kind and pretty (and tall!!) his best friend riku got… and is so transparently smitten that riku, who is actually dating present-day sora, is just like: wow we really were oblivious how did either of us miss sora’s glaring crush on me??

[daylighteclipsed]

Yes, I immediately thought of Kairi during this part!! Especially because, like the 100 Acre Wood, I’ve always seen the Destiny Islands as a symbol for childhood. From the beginning, that’s what Riku’s impatience to leave the islands behind represents — an eagerness to grow up… He wants things to change. The future excites him! In contrast to Kairi who isn’t really curious about the outside world and wants the comfort of knowing she can always return to these islands, to this same life… She’s frightened by the prospect of change, of growing up.

Sora’s always been the middle ground. He’s not willing to cut his old ties — and everyone carries parts of their childhood into adulthood; we never leave it all behind — but he’s never wanted to stay on the Destiny Islands (or in the 100 Acre Wood) long-term, either. Not the way Kairi or Pooh want. His visit with Pooh here, like his visit with Kairi after KH2, is brief. And he doesn’t keep in touch, doesn’t seem to really think about either of them much… By KH3, they’re really not part of his current life. I mean, Sora never would’ve stopped to see Pooh if his picture hadn’t disappeared from the storybook cover. If something hadn’t indicated their friendship is fading.

Sora tells Pooh that they’re always together in their hearts (which is also what he tells Kairi in KH1) to reassure that they’re still friends, that there’s still affection between them, and that’s true — Hearts connect us when we’re apart… But having memories of someone doesn’t maintain a friendship, just the existence of a connection. You have to spend time with someone, have to communicate and create new memories, to really stay their friend.

Like Merlin says, we can always reforge lost friendships if we want to, if we put in the work. But those friendships are never the same as before. They’re new “paths,” new kinds of connections and relationships… Sometimes they’re stronger than before, which is the case for Sora and Riku. A lot of their old, jealous rivalry dynamic has been replaced with something more equal and supportive, ‘a win for you is a win for me’ kind of thing. Hence, Sora being so thrilled that Riku passed the Mark of Mastery exam that, in Goofy’s words, it’s as if Sora’s the one who passed instead — Sora and Riku are a team now, closer than they’ve ever been.

And sometimes those friendships are not as strong as before. Sometimes you never quite get the closeness you had before back… which I think is the case for Sora and Pooh; they care about each other, but I don’t think Sora’s ever going to be the playmate he used to be… And that might be the case for Sora and Kairi. When I think about KH1 and how Kairi is quite literally inside of Sora’s heart for that entire journey and then look at now, where they haven’t spoken in weeks… where Kairi doesn’t even feel comfortable sending Sora the letters she writes… They are drifting apart. And Nomura’s right — that’s a grief everybody can understand.

Actually it’s funny that Sora doesn’t get why his connection with Pooh feels weaker when it’s obvious Sora doesn’t want to hang out in the 100 Acre Wood longer than he needs to

And by funny I mean it’s striking every chord in my body bound to the grief of growing up. I’m crying