#nightmare komory bat

[nidoarisato]

Doodles dump

Last possible drawings related to a lost comic pages panels i had imprints to work back from, the comic basically was a kh ddd story but what if Riku got turned into a dream eater for part of the journey, and the story is getting told post the ddd events to the point of Sora and Riku were already getting into the relationship but going over the story just to be sure.

(Dialougue wasnt that important but i think you can get the jist of what happened)

I figure some of the art is nice enough to drop regardless so here it is

Panel 6 is my fav, not gonna lie

[tharkflark1]

Messy rendering practice

[draconicheir]

full fluffle reveal!! + their sizes relative to each other

[pin-k-ink]

trespass // sakusa kiyoomi

tw ⇢ non-con, somnophilia, unprotected sex, creampie, grinding, public sex, implied voyeurism, getting caught, minor manga spoilers, sakusa is lowkey delulu

wc ⇢ 2.5k

a/n: this was heavily inspired by a mista fic i read

Sakusa's skin crawled as he stared at the bus, a sense of dread rising in his throat. The vehicle loomed before him, its doors open like the maw of some great beast waiting to swallow him whole. Inside, two full teams from Itachiyama awaited, their bodies packed together in a claustrophobic nightmare due to a last-minute transportation issue.

As he stepped onto the bus, Sakusa's mind reeled at the thought of being trapped in such close quarters with so many people, each one a potential vector for illness. He had always prized his personal space, a carefully maintained barrier against the chaos of the outside world. Now, that barrier was about to be breached.

He should've just taken the train to their away games without batting an eye. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to be crammed into another vehicle with strangers, which seemed slightly worse than getting on a bus with people he actually knew. Or maybe a tiny part of him felt uneasy about leaving you, his precious little manager, in a bus full of hormonal and sweaty teenage boys.

Sakusa had sucked it up and gotten up extra early to secure a spot in the back of the bus, already claiming the corner seat as his own. By sunrise, the bus was filled to capacity, the vehicle swaying precariously from side to side. He was sure that the tires were probably inflated to their limits, ready to burst at any moment.

As the rest of the team filed in, Sakusa curled into himself, but you were nowhere to be seen. Were you not coming? Or were you sensible enough to find another way there instead of willingly entering this lion's den?

No, apparently not. You were just as reckless as always. Sakusa jolted slightly in his seat as you suddenly emerged from between two burly basketball players, yelping softly as the imbalance in your overloaded duffel bag caused you to stumble and fall.

Iizuna, ever the attentive captain, quickly helped you to your feet. He dusted you off and checked for any injuries, keeping you close by his side, practically nestled between his legs as everyone finally settled into their seats. It was going to be a long six-hour ride, and there was no way anyone would be left standing, no matter how cramped it got.

Iizuna glanced apologetically at Sakusa as he asked you to sit next to him, closer to the window. But upon realizing there was no space, Iizuna suggested you sit on his lap instead. In a flash, Sakusa reached out and pulled you in, his hands almost aggressively wrapping around your waist as he tugged you onto his own lap, leaving a dumbfounded Iizuna and the other third years staring in shock.

Beside him, Komori snickered, watching in amusement as you awkwardly adjusted yourself on Sakusa's lap, apologizing profusely as if you had committed some grave offense. Sakusa offered no verbal reassurance, instead silently guiding you to sit more comfortably between his legs as he spread them slightly to accommodate you.

Just as Sakusa was about to ask if you were comfortable, the bus lurched forward and began moving. At that moment, he heard the familiar chime of an incoming text message.

Pulling out his phone, Sakusa saw that Komori had sent him a single line: "Make a move on her."

Rolling his eyes, Sakusa shot his cousin a pointed glare before pocketing his phone again. Of course Komori would be aware of his not-so-subtle crush on their manager. After all, you were the only person aside from Komori that Sakusa allowed to touch him freely. He had even permitted you to feed him once, using the very same chopsticks you had just eaten with yourself.

Sakusa's mind wandered to the time he had gotten injured during practice. The team nurse had already gone home for the day, but luckily, you had the knowledge to tend to his type of injury. He vividly remembered how you looked kneeling between his legs, gently hiking up his shorts to press your fingers against the taut, sinewy muscles of his inner thigh.

He had felt his breath catch as you unknowingly leaned in closer, your exhales ghosting over his sensitive skin. Sakusa had to forcibly banish the less-than-pure thoughts from his mind, knowing that any physical reaction would be glaringly obvious given your proximity.

All the moments he had spent alone with you were precious to him. He treasured each and every one, locking them safely away in his heart. So of course he wanted to make a move, to let you know how much you meant to him.

But as he looked down at your peaceful, sleeping face, Sakusa had to stifle a sigh. Somehow, you had already dozed off, a cute habit of yours whenever you were in a moving vehicle with hours to go before reaching your destination. It was adorable, but at this particular moment, rather frustrating.

Gently tugging his mask down to rest below his nose, Sakusa leaned closer and protectively wrapped his arms around your middle. He held you securely against his chest, ensuring you wouldn't slip off as the bus jostled along the highway. Burying his nose in your hair, he breathed in deeply, the soft scent of lavender from your shampoo flooding his senses and awakening a primal urge deep within him.

Almost unconsciously, Sakusa's hands tightened their grip on you as he nuzzled further into your silky locks. His fingertips skimmed teasingly along the hem of your shirt, dancing just underneath the edge of your jacket. He knew that with the slightest movement, he could brush against the bare skin of your stomach.

The thought alone sent a thrill down his spine. Sakusa couldn't help but wonder if your skin was as soft and smooth as it looked. It had to be. Throwing caution to the wind, he finally slipped his fingers beneath the fabric, grazing them ever so lightly over the warm, supple flesh of your belly.

You shivered slightly in your sleep, your stomach dipping at the barest touch. So you were ticklish. That knowledge made Sakusa's heart swell with adoration. Fuck, could you be any cuter?

Emboldened, Sakusa continued to gently rub your lower abdomen, reveling in the velvety softness. As you relaxed further into his embrace, a hum of contentment rumbled deep in his chest.

Tightening his thighs on either side of you, Sakusa held you firmly in place, determined to savor this fleeting moment of intimacy. His fingers ceased their exploration, now simply brushing lazy circles over the enticing curves of your hips.

As the bus rolled on, Sakusa let himself get lost in the feeling of you in his arms. He knew he should probably feel guilty for indulging in this intimate touch without your knowledge, but the temptation was too great to resist. He had waited so long for a chance like this, to feel your softness under his hands, to breathe in your scent until it filled his lungs.

He promised himself that this stolen moment would be the catalyst he needed to finally confess his feelings for you. He would do it right, court you properly until you understood the depth of his affection. But for now, he would allow himself this one transgression, this fleeting glimpse of what could be.

As he held you close, your gentle exhales tickling his collarbone, Sakusa let himself dream of a future where you were his. His to hold, his to cherish, his to love. And with that sweet fantasy playing behind his closed eyelids, he drifted off to sleep, your name a whispered prayer on his lips.

The glaring sun pierced through the window beside him, rousing Sakusa from his slumber. Sweat drenched his body, causing his shirt to cling uncomfortably to his skin. A soft groan of annoyance escaped his lips as he registered the weight on his lap, only for his eyes to flutter open and realize it was you. With a gentle sigh, Sakusa attempted to adjust your position, but a sudden, muffled moan slipped out as he became acutely aware that something was terribly amiss.

Sakusa froze, his heart pounding frantically against his ribcage as the realization dawned on him - the incessant vibrations of the bus, combined with your warm, pliant body pressed intimately against his lap, had coaxed his treacherous body to stir in a most inconvenient manner.

Sakusa's breath caught in his throat, a heated flush creeping up his neck as he desperately willed his body to behave. The last thing he needed was for you to wake up and feel his shameful arousal pressing insistently against your ass.

Clenching his jaw, Sakusa tried to focus on anything else - the passing scenery, the low hum of the engine, the quiet chatter of his teammates. But every subtle shift of your weight, every gentle exhale that tickled his skin, only served to further stoke the embers of his desire.

He cursed silently, his fingers digging into your hips as he fought to maintain control. It was torture of the sweetest kind, having you so close, yet being unable to act on his longing. Sakusa knew he should wake you, put some distance between your bodies before the situation escalated, but a selfish part of him wanted to bask in your warmth just a little longer.

As if sensing his internal struggle, you stirred slightly, your head lolling to the side to rest in the crook of his neck. Your lips brushed against his heated skin, eliciting a shuddering gasp from Sakusa. He bit back a groan, his resolve crumbling with each passing second.

Sakusa swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing against the shell of your ear. He couldn't take it anymore, his cock throbbing painfully in the confines of his pants. If he didn't do something soon, he was going to lose his mind.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Sakusa reluctantly untangled his fingers from your hips. He hesitated for a moment, steeling himself before carefully sliding his hand over your clothed pussy.

Sakusa's breath hitched as his fingers brushed over the damp material, his eyes widening in shock. Was this... for him?

Heat coursed through his veins, his head swimming with lust as he dared to apply a little more pressure. The lewd sound of his fingers dragging against your slick panties elicited a choked whimper from him, his cock twitching impatiently beneath you.

Sakusa couldn't believe what he was doing.

Touching you like this, even if you were asleep, was completely unacceptable. He should stop while he still could.

But when his fingers found your clit, circling the bundle of nerves with agonizing precision, you arched into him, your ass grinding down on his cock and sending sparks of pleasure coursing through his veins.

With a low growl, Sakusa tightened his hold on you, his other hand fumbling to reach his zipper. The metal teeth gave way easily, allowing him to tug the stiff material down, his leaking cock finally springing free.

A shuddering sigh of relief escaped his lips, the cool air of the bus doing little to quell the heat raging within him. He was painfully hard, the head of his cock already leaking precum.

With one final glance at your blissful, sleeping face, Sakusa lifted his hips, nudging his cock against your panty-clad core. His pulse was racing, his breaths coming in short, ragged pants as he teased the soaked fabric.

Unable to resist any longer, Sakusa pushed the soaked panties aside, the swollen head of his cock rubbing tortuously against your aching clit. You moaned softly, arching into him, your body instinctively seeking the pleasure he was so willing to give.

His chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath, the anticipation almost unbearable.

Sakusa's cock throbbed insistently, his hips rocking slowly against your dripping cunt. The need to bury himself inside you, to feel your velvety walls clenching around him, was almost overwhelming.

He was so close, the tip of his cock poised at your entrance, ready to claim you as his. Just one push and he would be sheathed inside you, buried to the hilt. All he had to do was thrust his hips and you would finally be his.

The bus jerked, throwing you back against him, his cock sliding into your soaked cunt, and Sakusa groaned, his eyes rolling back as he felt your warm walls flutter around him. Fuck, you felt better than he had ever imagined.

With a shaky exhale, he sank deeper into your heat, his cock throbbing as you stretched to accommodate him. You felt like heaven, and Sakusa couldn't stop himself from thrusting his hips, his cock sliding in and out of your tight pussy.

Sakusa knew he should be gentle, take his time and savor every delicious inch of you. But the overwhelming desire to claim you, to mark you as his, overpowered any sense of restraint he may have had.

His grip on your waist tightened, his fingers digging into your soft flesh as he rutted into you, his cock massaging your aching cunt.

The air was thick with the heady scent of your arousal, the soft, subtle sound of your slick pussy being stretched by his cock filling the space between your bodies.

Sakusa's head fell back against the seat, his jaw clenched as he fucked into you, the coil of pleasure tightening in his gut. He was close, his balls tightening as he felt his orgasm rapidly approaching.

Just as he was about to pull out, his cock twitching with the promise of release, you came with a soft moan, your walls clamping down on him. With a strangled cry, Sakusa buried his face in your neck, his cock pulsing as he spilled himself inside you, painting your walls with his cum.

As the last waves of his orgasm washed over him, Sakusa let out a satisfied sigh, his body slumping against yours. You were still asleep, your soft breaths tickling his skin, and Sakusa couldn't help but smile, his heart swelling with affection.

He knew it was wrong, taking advantage of you like this. But the feeling of euphoria that came from being inside you, knowing that he had claimed you as his own, was worth any guilt that may come later.

As he basked in the afterglow of his release, Sakusa vowed to confess his feelings once he returned home. No matter what, he would make sure you were his, and his alone.

Sakusa's phone chimed again, abruptly pulling him from his reverie. Glancing down, he saw a new message from Komori: "That is not what I meant by making a move." Confused, Sakusa quirked an eyebrow and turned to his side, only to be met with Komori's appalled expression, though that did nothing to deter him from noticing the very prominent hard-on his cousin was sporting.

[recusant-s-sigil]

(Image ids: a watercolor bookmark featuring a sleeping Sora and Riku in their Dream Drop Distance outfits. The background is a pink (for Sora) and green (for Riku) gradient reminiscent of a Komory Bat’s wings, and the Nightmare and Dream Eater symbols are in the middle. End image ids.)

Been wanting to draw this one since I started the project, as 3D is my favorite game in the series (I love the Dream Eaters and ymx and twewy cameos so much it’s not even funny) AND has my favorite outfits for the bois! For the holiday months, I’ll be drawing bookmarks for the three-part kh3 novels and idk about you but I’m super excited for that

[mythicalartistx]

Riku is a Disney Princess and here's why...

Riku displays Princess features

He's just so Princess. And I've been thinking why is he so princess what is it that makes him like this

So I turned to the official Disney princesses and the comparison is something else.

Kingdom Hearts itself does this all the time with how Riku or Sora acts and gives phenomenal parallels through the categories

Animal Sidekick

Royal Bloodline

Central Character

Prince

Adventure

Disney Princess Parallels

Animal Sidekick

One of the mainly criterias are animal Sidekicks, but wait Riku doesn't have one does he?

Guess again.

He in fact does, and so does Sora.

Let's take a look at Dream Drop Distance— a game where Riku displays affection and is accompanied by these silly little guys known as Dream Eaters and his main one is Komory Bat.

The novels add some great details and scenes where they show affection to Riku. They help him fight as well as rub against him.

How could you not find them so adorable and want one?

Royal Bloodline

The next thing is royalty and just note I'm using only knowledge we definitely know or implied, sorry no bloodline theories. In the criteria most princesses are princesses from having a royal bloodline or displaying some act of heroism.

And throughout the series we see these qualities of heroism.

Starting out in darkness, he redeems himself by displaying heroic qualities as any 15 yo in fiction.

In the second game, Riku helps defeat Xemnas, the ultimate bad of the group they were trying to defeat.

After KH1, he deeply regrets his actions and sacrifices himself multiple times, such as pushing Sora out of the way during the final Xemnas battle. Instead of Sora getting hit, he does himself. In DDD, he then displays skills to accept himself and who he is while also rescuing Sora from darkness.

He even states, "...Are you what's trapping him in that nightmare? Cause if you are... I'm what nightmares fear!"

P.S. the JPN translation of the scene is: If you're a nightmare, I'll eat/devore you

And in KH3 not only does he comfort Sora when he feels down, but he sacrifices his own life for Sora's in the keyblade graveyard

Central Character

Riku is one of the main characters, he is the second important character— the first being Sora. Riku actually is in more games than Sora. In 358/2 Days, Sora is not in the game. He is only shown through flashbacks, but Riku he is there. He interacts with Xion and Roxas. Then in DDD the game centers around him more than it really does Sora.

But even in the other games he is still important. Without him, all of the games would be different. No character could take his place.

If Riku simply didn't exist, there would be no one trying to bring destiny islands to darkness. Terra and Aqua wouldn't have gone to Destiny Islands since they came there following Riku's light.

Kairi also would never have gone there because there is no keyblade wielder there. Sora would probably make friends with the other Islanders and he wouldn't have gone on an adventure and there would be no one bringing the princesses to Maleficent.

Prince

Not every princess has a prince, but he certainly does. And Sora is certainly his.

Riku even called him a prince before

They would have a mutual relationship of both saving and comforting the other.

They both have a care and understanding. Sora always thinking of his princess and Riku does all he cans for his prince. They rescue the other multiple times, they sacrifice for the other, and the two even fight together

Adventure

Not every princess goes on an adventure, but Riku certainly does. He goes from using darkness to feeling at his lowest point where he has to accept himself and his darkness (and even possible romantic feelings for Sora his prince).

He then spends a year trying to defend his prince and sacrifices his form to help him awaken. Then he becomes a version of himself that is almost like a monster and refuses to let anyone see him like that.

But when Sora does he doesn't care Riku is still his friend, his princess. It doesn't change a thing and Riku is still Riku. And Sora loves who he is

This gives so much fairytale prince and princess vibes.

They both work together and save the day and after being stuck in darkness they're okay cause the two are together. Then a light appears and the adventure seems to be over..

But no, they both take an exam for becoming keyblade masters. Riku goes through it trying to understand himself and how he feels about Sora and his darkness. He becomes a dream eater for his prince,

Who says princesses can't do rescuing too?

In Recoded, Riku gets kidnapped by Maleficent and Pete and Sora his prince goes in search to save him.

His next journey arrives when he goes through the realm of darkness to search for a missing keyblade wielder. And when Riku is against her he calls out Sora's name and Sora, his prince comes to the rescue. Together they help free her from the darkness. Then after Riku sacrifices himself for Sora, Sora saves him by putting his heart back to his body.

And Riku is on his way to find his prince once again at the end of KH3... His adventure is still ongoing...

Fairytale Parallels

There are so many fairytale Parallels in Kingdom Hearts. Riku sacrificing himself with every little things reflecting a Disney princess.

In the beginning Riku wishes to explore other worlds and leave his island. Many of the Disney princesses also expressed this desire.

Ariel—who is basically a scholar, wants to know more as well as go to the human world.

Belle wants to go on an adventure that's more than her simple everyday life.

Rapunzel wants to go outside to see the world but also see floating lanterns.

Anna— who has barely any social interaction, is tired of being shut away from the world and wants to also experience it.

Riku also gets tricked/manipulated by darkness. While the other princess don't become an antagonist for the first game like he does, they do get tricked or manipulated.

Ursula tricks Ariel into signing a contract to make her into a human where Ursula hopes to eventually become the ruler of Atlantica when Triton trades places with her.

The evil queen manipulates Snow White into taking a bite of her apple after feeling bad for her.

Maleficent tricks Aurora into touching the spindle of the spinning wheel, causing her to die.

Mother Gothel manipulates and gaslights Rapunzel through her entire upbringing.

Raya gets tricked by Namaari into showing her the chamber with the magical gem

Anna gets tricked by Hans into thinking he's the one so he could rule her kingdom.

Riku makes sacrifices throughout the series like when he does it for Sora in kh3 or even sacrificing his form when fighting Roxas to wake Sora up. In general he sacrifices himself for Sora, as well does Sora sacrifice himself too and there are also many princesses who also make sacrifices

Mulan, wanting to protect her father, she sacrifices herself when she takes his place in the war.

While he's not technically a Disney prince, Hercules sacrifices himself to make the dive and save Meg. Hercules also gave up his strength for her but she pushed him out of the way of a pillar to then save him as well. This relates how Sora and Riku both constantly sacrifice for the other.

Anna sacrifices herself for Elsa by freezing to death.

Belle sacrifices her freedom to save her father.

Rapunzel was willing to sacrifice her freedom to save Flynn's life.

And there we have it, I'm sure there are many more examples then what I said but Riku is a Disney princess and should definitely be added to the line up.

[spectraltenkai]

"Be sure to look after your Dream Eater friends, they'll help you out in a bind! And guide you through countless nightmares."

Featured song: Dream Drop Distance Title Theme

'Sweet Dreams' features the Komory Bat from Kingdom Hearts, Dream Drop Distance! While there's a split crowd in terms of people either loving them or not liking them, we can all agree that they got a huge boost of appreciation and concern after learning the ending of KHUx. I know I haven't played DDD, but I know I love the Dream Eaters, and how could I resist drawing a fluffy lil bat??

[kingarmorking]

Riku froze when Sora turned to him, the previously faint markings on his arms and legs steadily starting to glow brighter and brighter and his eyes flickering between blue and red. Something was wrong. "Sora...?" he asked. "Who are you? Why are you in my castle?" Who was... "It's... It's me, Riku. What's wrong?" "I don't know anyone named Riku now I'll ask you again. What are you doing in my castle!" Sora's movements were jerky as he advanced on him, taking a step forward every time he took one back. He inhaled sharply when his back hit the door he'd come through, when had they shut? Sora towered over him and went to grab him but jolted back as if he'd been burned when a bright light appeared in front of him, Apricot taking form soon after. The sight of the komory bat seemed to further set Sora off as he stumbled backwards, one hand slamming into his head as he dug his own claws into it, "Y-You're with them aren't you!?" he snarled, "Trying to make me into your puppet, your monster to control!" Riku didn't understand what was happening, what was Sora talking about, who was them? He didn't get a chance to voice either question as Sora's mouth split apart and he let out a roar, "NIGHTMARE!"

c:

[i-got-too-many-links]

Meet Nox, God of the Moon

Nox is the fae god of the Moon one of the main Four that created the Earth.

Nox created the moon, as well as stardust. When a fae dies, Nox takes them to be with Him in the sky, turning them into their own star. Individuals become stars. Lovers become constellations. Families become galaxies. When Zephyr made the Dream Eaters, he was inspired by Nox when making the Komory Bats. Nox's color palette is inspired by Nyx, Night Incarnate, from the game Hades. The claws and wings are inspired by the nightmare Komory Bat. And the mask was inspired by ancient Greek theatre masks!

[sooyun-ichtama]

{ credits } [700] TEARS SET bonbon - aino hair FOXCITY. Baddie Sessions-3 [LEGACY] Meshbody (f) Special Edition LeLUTKA Raven Head Marsh - Face Tattoo #03 (Bat) MUDSKIN - Ravy - A - JEBI {Rosier} / Komori Dress | panic of pumpkin NEW -SU!- Nightmare Eyes | flf-o-ween gift :uzu: nia headdress | panic of pumpkin NEW VARONIS - Verendus Skybox [lazy sunday] Violent Seduction - Psyche Stockings (Black) [Z O O M] Savage Belt Nails

flickr | instagram

[yzafre]

when I'm lost in the storm (and I'm calling) | Ch 8

AO3

First | Previous

There was no wind; that was the first thing Sora noticed when he landed.

The air was perfectly still, stagnant, not even the hint of a breeze.  No sound disturbed the area, either – no people in the distance, no chittering of dream eaters, no people.   Buildings rose up around him, piercing towards a blank dark sky.

“Meow Wow?” he called, “Komori Bat?”

His voice should have echoed.  It didn’t.

“Anyone?”

No answer.  Shivering, Sora slipped through the streets.  What was going on?  He tried to think back.

They’d started the test on Destiny Island – that was the first Keyhole.  Then Traverse Town, meeting Quasimodo, meeting Jiminy in Pinnochio’s world, Tron’s world, then back to Traverse.  That was six – no, five.

He chased the bird Nightmare to…. Where was that – right, the tower, that made six.  And after that he was… somewhere with Mickey, so…

“That’s seven Keyholes, so… I should be back in the real world.  Then, where am I?”

A pluck along his bonds, a hand on his shoulder.  Reaching inside, he twined his own fingers with Riku’s confusion-caution-together-regret, Kairi chiming back like a bell, little pulses of comfort-unease, until her focus faded away, leaving just her background presence.

Sora took a deep breath, holding Riku close, and pressed onward.

The silence gnawed at him, each step deafeningly loud against the background emptiness.  The city looked like it should be full of life – light glowed through windows, neon billboards flickered high above – but there were no shadows beyond, all the words were nonsense.

He could feel Riku’s distraction, despite the way he frequently checked in on the bond, brushing against Sora like he was making sure he was still there.  Eventually, his presence jerked in Sora’s hold, focus sharpening even further on something at his end until he nearly slipped away all together.  Sora held him tighter, unwilling to let go, and Riku hesitated, but the sense of danger-careful-focus! built, and it became impossible to stay focused on the internal space.  With a last brush of beloved-with you-careful he detangled from Sora, the bond quieting once more.

Sora lingered in the unease permeating their bond-space, watching the ebb and flow of battle-readiness pulsing through Riku’s heart – but there was nothing he could do, no way of knowing exactly what was happening.

He had to get out of here.

Shaking himself, Sora turned the corner, and his breath caught.  High above the city a gleaming white citadel floated in the sky, brilliant against the pitch-black sky.

The Castle that Never Was.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

Sora tensed, leaping away, Key flashing into his hand.  The silver-haired boy simply regarded him with a cool stare.

“What are you doing here?  What am I doing here?”

“You are here, because I am here,” the boy said, “and I am here, because you are here.”

“What?” Sora asked.  He was tired, and this whole thing was confusing, and his head hurt, and he just din’t have it in him to follow this guy’s circle-talking right now.

The boy chuckled, “Yes, I suppose someone like you would have a hard time understanding.  Perhaps, it would be better if I showed you.”

“Like I’d go anywhere with you,” Sora growled, “You’re with the Organization – I don’t need the details to know you’re bad news!”

“Where else will you go?” the boy asked dryly and offered his hand, “We’re the only people here.”

Sora’s stomach turned.  He shouldn’t.  If it was just the two of him, he could take the guy.  And he might be lying!  Sora could spread his wings, take off, and go look for a way out – this guy wouldn’t be able to chase after him.  There were a hundred things he should do.  But…

He was so confused.  And this boy was offering answers.  And he couldn’t stay here any longer, not when who-knows-what was happening with his Flight beyond this.  He had to do something.

It was so quiet.

Slowly, slowly, he reached out, and took the boy’s hand.

The boy grinned, eyes gleaming as they –

Sora, wait!

Fell

Into the sounds of the ocean, the sounds of home.  They watched as the silver-haired boy talked with a robed shadow.

“I know him!” Sora said, “He was there the day my island fell.  But why is he here with you?”

“This is the day I set out from the islands.  At the time, I didn’t know who I was speaking to, but I would soon learn.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me show you.”

The world swam, the sand giving out, sucking them in, until he drowned, waking again only to stare down at an open plaza beneath the void, lit by warm streetlights.

“This is… Traverse town.” 

“Yes,” the boy said, “You have been here many times before.  When your world fell, in memories, now in dreams – and, knowing the entrance from their own past, they were waiting.”

“They – “

The world spun around him, until he found himself flanked by two familiar faces, two pairs of burning yellow eyes – Xemnas, Ansem.

“I simply… followed my future.”

Sora turned on his heel, meeting a pair of yellow-rimmed gray eyes, the three bodies surrounding him.

“Your future, then you’re – “

The floor dropped beneath him, the phantoms blurring away with the world.  Instead, around them, innumerable Sora’s began to fall, flitting from keyhole to keyhole.

“You’re Xehanort.”

“Yes.  They brought me here, and showed me my destiny.”

“But that’s impossible!  Master Yen Sid could only send us here because we were there when the island fell.  For them to follow, they would have had to have been there as well – but they weren’t!”

“Wasn’t I?”

The darkness began to swell, the water’s churning around them, and the boy pointed up as a single beam of light broke through the waves.  He could see it, there – the keyhole, Sora and Riku floating down, and the shadow in the robe.

“That’s - !”

“I didn’t know then, who I was speaking to.  I do now.  He is my future, the lynch-pin on which this all resides.  He was there then, because I am here now.  He came to me and set me on this path, to see my future and then to return to my proper time..  And when I return to him, I will tell him to remain on the island, so that he will be in place to bring this fated day to fruition.  All so we could bring you here.”

“Bring me… here?  What- what do you want with me?  Why go all to this trouble?”

“Why else would we bring you so deep into the realm of dreams?” Xehanort asked.  Suddenly, Sora could feel the water seeping into him, the pressure pushing him down into the grasp of the currents.  A gasp, and his lungs flooded.

“We simply want you to sleep.”

The world grew darker – no, no he couldn’t, he needed to –

Someone, please, help – !

A roar split the water, and the air shattered.

Sora hit the ground on all fours, gasping as a great shadow fell over him.  He could hear footsteps shuffling away beneath the low, warning growl rumbling above him.

“What?” Xehanort gasped, his voice cracking, “What are you doing here?”

You? Sora wondered as his lungs tried to expel water they didn’t contain, Who was this, that Xehanort knew them?

“You meddled in the realm of dreams, and you thought we would not see?”A melodic voice questioned.

“Perhaps the better question is, what do you think you are doing?” A reedy voiced interjected.

When Sora looked up, he saw Xehanort first, looking terribly young, almost betrayed, as he crept backwards from the form looming over Sora.  Beyond, the city was cracked, buildings sticking out at odd angles, revealing vast rifts of blue and black sky beyond, chunks of concrete wheeling through the expanse.  Then Sora looked up, up, up, at the legs, the mane of fur, the horns, to two pairs of glowing eyes peering from a face, that altered Dream Eater signal glowing over the bridge of its nose. 

It looked like a lion, like a dragon, like both yet neither, and Sora didn’t envy Xehanort its focused attention.

“I’m meeting my destiny,” Xehanort said, “I’m going to do great things – just like you said!”

The Spirit – the Nightmare?  - the Dream Eater went quiet for a long moment, tail switching, before it rumbled in a two-toned voice, “We never meant like this.”

“Then I’ll show you.”

“No.  We will not let you have him.”

“You’ll fight me?”

“On this?  We must.”

Xehanort’s face crumpled, “I – “

“Why don’t you leave this one to me?” a wry voice cut in.

Sora gasped, the sound punched out of him at the voice.

“Xigbar!”

“In the flesh!  And it looks like I arrived just in time.  Hey, Xehanort – why don’t you let me deal with this one?  After all, you need to go get changed for the Grand Finale.”

As he watched, Xehanort gathered up the pieces of his shattered composure, summoning a corridor around himself.

“Very well, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Wait!”

Sora raced towards Xehanort, but a sharp whine and a flash of light drew him up short, a sharp spike embedding itself at his feet.

“Whoa, now.  I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” Xigbar said, smirking tauntingly as Sora watched the corridor collapse in on itself, quickly transferring his glare to the old man.

“Oh, now there’s the angry look.  Sorry, but that doesn’t work on me.  And as for you,” Xigbar said, craning his head up to look at the Dream Eater growling behind Sora, “Well, isn’t this a surprise.  Didn’t think any of you were awake – didn’t know you could be awake, actually.”

The Dream Eater rumbled, entire chest vibrating with it as the reedy voice spoke up suspiciously, “You know what we are?”

“Well, I know enough to make some educated guesses.  Like this one.”

A snap of his fingers, and two Nightmares flanked him – the shape-shifting ghosts from Pinnochio’s work.  The Dream Eater growled louder, crouching and leaping over Sora, but as it landed the Nightmare’s transformed in a puff of smoke, and the Dream eater stumbled, froze.

It was just for a second, that’s all.  Its body blocked most of Sora’s view, but around its leg Sora thought he could just see the sway of long dark hair, the tip of a red scarf.  It was just for a second before the Dream Eater shook itself, but the damage was already done – Xigbar moved in close, hand coming up fast, did something, and in flash of light, the Dream Eater was gone.

“No!”

“Heh.  Always so predictable.  But now, it’s just us – Roxas, Sora.”

Snarling, Sora leapt, lashing out with his key, but met nothing but air.  Where?

A click echoed over empty space, and his head snapped up just in time to see the barrage coming towards him.  Flinching, he the Key up in a guard, but the expected force never came.  He cracked his eyes open, finding the bolts stuck in a circle around him, a loose cage to keep him in place.

Xigbar dropped back to the ground, catching himself with a gust of air.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but you’ve got an itinerary, and you’re falling behind,” With a smirk, he reached out, Dark power wreathing his hand, “Pleasant dreams, kiddo.”

“No!”

Sora could barely follow what happened next.  Xigbar’s eyes widened, before he was blurring, flung to the side as a streak of blond and black and white crashed into him.  The tangle of limbs and feathers tumbled across the ground, steel flashing between them, until finally they burst apart.

The blonde boy leapt back, placing himself firmly between Sora and the enemy, familiar white wings spread wide behind him.

“Sora, are you alright?”

Roxas?  No, that wasn’t right…

“Y-yeah,” Sora said, “But – who are you?”

“Call me Ven; I’m here to help.”

“Ven,” he repeated, the name dropping from him like an old friend.

Beyond them, Xigbar staggered to his feet, a deep, full-throated laugh ripping out of him.

“Look who’s here!  Have you been able to get up here the whole time?  We knew someone was blocking us further down, but to get up to this level, right beneath our noses?” He clicked his tongue, voice almost admiring, “Clever little sneak.”

“Enough of a Keyblade wielder for you, now?” Ven sneered.

“Hah!  Let’s see.”

Xifgar brought up his gun, energy building like a star at the tip of the gun.  Sora watched as Ven lowered further into a defensive stance, bringing his Keyblade up in front of him.  Over Ven’s shoulder, Xigbar’s eyes met his, the tip of his gun tilting just slightly, and two hearts pulsed in time as the realization spread through both of them.

The gun fired.

Sora flinched back, hissing as he collided with the bolts still caging him in, pinning him down.  Ven moved with a scream – Sora! – that transformed into a yelp as he jerked to a stop at Sora’s feet, accompanied by a burning hiss.  His wings, spread out wide surrounding Sora, twitched, smoke drifting off the smoldering wound where the blast had hit.

“Ven!” Sora called, struggling, “Are you okay? Hey!  Xigbar!  Leave him alone!”

The Nobody cocked his gun again, “Gladly!”

“No!” Ven snarled, straightening jerkily, wings twitching once more before dissipating altogether.  He lashed out, Key slashing through the bolts, shattering them, before using the spin to kick off towards Xigbar.

“Don’t engage – that’s what they want!” Ven called, ducking beneath another round of blasts, “We have this! You need to find Riku and get out of here!”

A bolt whistled past Ven’s ear.

“Now, now – don’t go telling on us,” Xigbar drawled, “If you want my attention so badly, I suppose I’ve got some time to spare.”

Ven growled, turning to focus fully on his enemy, barreling forward.  The Nobody just smirked, clicking his fingers, and the other boy’s eyes went wide as Nightmare appeared from thin air, slamming into his side and sending him over the edge.

“No!”

“See ya!” Xigbar waved lazily, strolling past with a smirk before tipping himself over the edge.

Sora raced after them, only to stumble to a stop at the edge, scanning for the area below desperately.

Another chunk of city floated below, drifting aimlessly in the blues and greens and blacks, lights in windows flickering ominously.  He could just make out flares of magic-fire below, flashes of light off metal, two shadows dancing against each other.

His heart raced, pulse loud in his ears.  Xemnas was here, now Xigbar – the Organization was here.  He –

He couldn’t leave Ven alone.

Riku knew, from his first breath, exactly where he was.

There was a stagnation in the air, a deadness that left each breath unsatisfactory, followed up by just a tinge of darkness, the sensation so fully unique as to be burned into his memory.  He’d remember it from that special nature alone, even if he hadn’t spent so many dark days lurking the streets, spying on the citadel hanging above.

He shivered, wings spreading to tuck around his shoulders, warding off the not-quite-chill.  What was he doing here?  He’d found seven keyholes.  The test should be over now, what reason could he possibly have for landing here?

Unnerved, he ran a hand along his bonds.  Kairi chimed back, distorted, oddly fleeting, but repeating, over and over again.  Sora pressed his presence along Riku’s heart, a mess of beloved-unsure-together, staying close as he could.

Meow Wow growled at his side, and Riku snapped back to attention, taking note of the Dream Eaters glaring from the shadows.  As he summoned his Key, the low growling swelled, until it reached a tipping point and the horde descended.

Sora’s presence stayed close over his shoulder, and he did his best to return the regard as he fought, but the Nightmares seemed more determined than ever to tear him apart.  The chaos was non-stop, hounding him through every turn of the streets.  Only the now familiar battle-cries echoing off the walls let him know Komori Bat and Meow Wow were keeping pace.

Just as suddenly as the horde had descended, it was over.  Riku panted, remaining on guard in the suddenly empty space, adrenaline still thrumming through him.

“Welcome to the party, we weren’t sure if you’d make it..  Unfortunately, this is as far as you’ll go.”

Riku tensed, the voice grating on him.  Slowly, he turned, every bit of his attention focusing as he took in the black coat, the long hair, the eyepatch.

“You,” he scowled, “Didn’t we defeat you?”

“Didn’t you defeat Ansem?” Xigbar laughed, “And I know you’ve run into him on your little adventure.”

His heart skipped a beat, the bottom dropping from his stomach.  He’d been here, he’d been here, but – it was just a dream.  If not, then how - ?

Sora squeezed against him – when did he stop feeling him? – cutting through the panic.  He turned back in, sending an assurance through the bond, but a scrape of gravel sent him jumping back alert, finding Xigbar pacing his away around the arena-like plaza.  He couldn’t afford to be distracted, now.

With one last brush against his bonds, he pulled himself fully back to reality.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, someone’s gotta keep an eye on the Nightmare’s process.  But if you really want to know,” he trailed off, leaning in with a smirk, “I’m just buying time while the others finish up with their half of the equation.”

“The other – “

Realization rippled through him, and he instantly turned inward, focusing all his attention on Sora’s bond, watching as the tangle of nervous-danger-unsure suddenly shifted, a rush of determination covering it all.

Sora, wait!

Like an explosion, it came in two waves.  Sora’s heart disappeared behind a film, his perception going fuzzy, even as it seemed to twist, double-over on itself; across the city, a pillar of darkness rose through the sky, pulsing in time with a heartbeat.

Kairi was suddenly there, next to him, like a flickering ghost beneath his skin.

Xigbar chuckled, “And there we go.  Right on schedule.”

He didn’t understand – but then, maybe he didn’t need to.  Whatever was going on, there, it couldn’t be good.

Spreading his wings, Riku leapt straight up, a few wide scoops of his wings sending him over the Nobody’s head.  He paused in the air, just a minute, two minds working away – where, how, why, Kairi’s heart pleaded – taking in the lay of the land beneath him, the way the city cracked and spread, curving up and out from a single point, slowly drifting further apart to reveal a void streaked with blue beneath it.  The foot of the dark pillar landed at the center of it all, the impact site.

Destination found, Riku flapped his wings once more, gaining air, and began to dive.

A sharp whine built behind him.  Instincts understanding before their minds could catch up, Riku threw himself into a spin; but not fast enough. 

A bolt of pain seared through his wings, the entire limb jerking, sending him crashing back down.  Like a cut connection, he was suddenly alone in his head, the absence knocking his breath from his lungs as sure as the impact.  Disoriented, it was all he could do to use the other wing and angle himself into a roll, disrupting his momentum just enough that the impact only rattled every bone in his body, rather than breaking anything.

“Sorry, but you’re not going anywhere,” Xigbar said, “Can’t have you interfering more than you already have.”

Riku hissed, pressing to his feet.  The scent of burnt feathers reached him quickly, and a quick flex of the injured wing showed that continued flight would be – not impossible, but difficult, and likely futile if Xigbar’s aim rang true.

Tucking his wings away to heal, Riku summoned his Key instead.

“Then I’ll just have to remove you from my path.”

He’d noted it before, when he’d fought the Nobody with Sora at the Castle that Never Was, but Xigbar was uniquely challenging.  Not only was he a master of his weapon, but he also seemed to anticipate Riku’s moves in ways most non-Keyblade wielders usually couldn’t.

Despite it all, Riku could very much hold his own; this was a fight he couldn’t afford to lose.

Their stalemate was broken by the shattering of the air itself.  By some unspoken signal, they both leaped back, turning towards the source of the sound.

The Dark pillar had splintered, shards of magic still drifting in the air, the fragments of land surrounding it sent scattering out.  A roar split the air from the center of it all.

“Shit; that’s not good.  Looks like we’ll have to put this little spat on hold.”

“Wait!”

It was too late.  Xigbar vanished through a dark portal, leaving Riku with nothing but air.  Heart in his throat, Riku reached back out towards Sora, but all he got was a confused mass of fear-confusion-NO-help-can’t-need to that seemed to press in from the very air around him.  He tried to reach through the cacophony, but he couldn’t manage to get Sora’s attention.

With a whine, Meow Wow tugged at his pants, pulling Riku back to the present.  Ahead, Komori Bat shrieked, hovering over the edge of the drop.

Right; this was no time to stand around waiting.

The way forward wasn’t clear; flying Nightmares filled the void, intent on getting in his way.  Riku carved through them impatiently, Komori Bat swooping in to knock the smaller ones out of the crowd, but they still slowed him down more than he would like.

Eventually, however, he made it.

The impact site was empty, whatever had appeared seemingly having moved on.  The sounds of battle were easy to follow, however, plumes of light and magic lighting up the broken streets.  As he flew closer, he began to make out the details – a blonde head – Roxas? – engaged with a figure that had to be Xigbar, Nightmares jumping in and out of the fight.

Another figure entered the fray – Riku’s stomach swooped at the head of brown spikes, exhilaration and fear all at once, Sora! – causing the blonde to whip around in place.  The blonde began gesturing, obviously yelling by the body-language, but Riku’s gaze went to Xigbar instead.

The Nobody wasn’t taking advantage of the opening.  Instead, he had pointed his gun down, the energy gaining a dark, smokey effect, searing into the floor, spreading below them all.

“Look out!”

Riku tucked into a dive as both boys startled.  Too far, too far – the magic was growing too fast.  The blonde turning, throwing himself at Xigbar haphazardly.  The circle of magic stilled, the area enveloping all three on the ground.  The blonde’s Key bared down on the Nobody.

The Darkness flashed, swelled, exploded.

Riku was blown away.

Sora landed hard, Riku’s voice echoing in his ears beneath the ringing of the explosion.

As it cleared, he could hear a low growl, and instinct alone sent him rolling to the side in time to dodge the swipe of a great paw.  A moment’s thought brought his Key to hand, blocking the next swing the Nightmare took.

He stumbled to his feet, water sloshing around his ankles, the weight of it making his movements clumsy.  It burbled down the hallways, spilling from the black cracks in every white wall, more Dream Eaters squeezing themselves from the void, sliding down to the floor before popping up, fully formed.

Where was Ven?

A roar shook the walls, echoing from above.  There, that was where he headed.

Sora fought his way forward, down cracked white hallways, past windows looking out into the black, through a series of towering, pale yellow doors, until finally he hit stairs, bursting out the wide, grated entrance into open air.

He paused for a moment as he emerged, eyes flickering over the landscape.  White cobblestone, white brick, white shingles, white city, with pitch black water flooding the streets, rushing down the slopes like a river.  He peered up, big drops of icy black rain hitting his face.  Above, streaks of sunlight fought against the pitch-black sky, streaks of brilliant red and yellow reaching through the void above.  It tinged the white walls towards a pale pink.

Another roar echoed above, from the peak of the city: the clock-tower, ringing over it all.

Spreading his wings, Sora ducked as another Nightmare leapt at him, taking to the air as it crashed into the growing river.  From above, he could see the source of the chaos.  Dark water gushed from the doors of the train-station, the reflection of the sun looking like fire on oil and spilling down the streets, over the edges, down to where the city was beginning to flood.

Nightmares rose from the drenched plaza, large ones, clawing their way up from the black.  A figure fought against them, dancing atop the waters.  Not Ventus – no, this one was in an Organization cloak, hood up, wielding a Key that prickled at his mind.

Roxas?

As he watched, they were cornered, three large Nightmares penning them in, taking turns darting in while the others kept them distracted.  Heart in this throat, Sora dove, careening straight into one of the monsters, breaking the formation. 

The Nightmare snarled, thrashing wildly before popping beneath Key, and Sora bounced back, turning to face the other with a bright grin that faltered when he caught a glimpse of the face beneath the hood.

“You’re not Roxas.  Who - ?”

“I’m – ah!”

One of the Nightmares took advantage of their distraction to dart in, lashing out at her back.  Sora reached for her as she stumbled, but she was already straightening, brown wings bristling from her spine.

“No time – we’ve got to take out these guys first.”

“Right!”

“Is that all of them?” Sora panted, folding his wings away and landing as another Nightmare faded to nothing.  The battle had been exhausting – for every enemy they took out, the water also rose.  Where before it had only tugged at the soles of his shoes, now it was steadily climbing up his calves.

“I – I think so,” she gasped, hand to her ribs, “For now, at least.”

“Here,” Sora said, moving forward, Cure magic already gathering at the tip of his Key, “Let me help.”

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

The deep voice seemed to hum through Sora’s bones.  He heard the woosh of displaced air before he saw the shadow move in, heard the vibrating of the air before he saw the red light of the weapons.  One saber came up, smashing into Sora’s gut and sending him flying, a sharp cry signaling the other weapon had hit home as well.

Sora hit the ground at a roll, water flying up all around him, soaking into his clothes, ice cold.  He could hear Xemnas walking – splish, splish, splish­ – the red light of his energy blades reflecting off the black, the whole image blurry as he forced his eyes back open.

The girl was struggling to her feet behind Xemnas, wings lifting furiously in the face of his almost casual advance.  She leapt – it wouldn’t hit, he knew it, could see the skipping of her feet, the roll of her ankle, knew that move, knew how it felt when inured, the ways it could fail – and Xemnas simply stepped to the side, his saber guttering out as he lashed out with one hand, catching her by the throat.

“Who are you?” he rumbled, staring down at her cooly, wholly ignoring her desperate thrashing, “Roxas was expected; Ventus was a surprise, but not unknown to us.  But you – I do not know you.”

“Join the club,” she choked out, clawing at his grip.

“Hm.  No matter; you are easily removed.”

He dropped her, but she didn’t fall.  Instead, crackling threads of white and black magic stretched out from his palm, holding her aloft.  The glowing red saber swung back, humming through the air.

High above, the clockface shattered.

“Stay away from them!”

A dark streak descended from above, colliding with Xemnas, sending up a fountain at the impact.  Light glittered against the black sky, beaming from the chattered clockface above, reflecting off the spray like stars.  It fell in a rainbow-haze around the pair – Roxas, and Xemnas, weapons locked together in a tense standoff over the girl’s body.

“Roxas,” Sora called.  The Nobody didn’t look away, instead twitching his wings in acknowledgement.

“Take her and get out of here,” he called, “I’ll hold him off!”

“But – “

“Go!”

Sora hesitated a moment, chest aching, but nodded, struggling forward through the water to scoop up the girl, quickly taking to the sky above.  Nearly the entire city was covered, now, only a few steep white roofs peaking above the water.  The broken face of the clock, however, opened to a sunset sky.

Sora raced through, heart in his throat.  The other side held a mirror image of Twilight Town, all painted in hues of red and orange and yellow.  The sky was still whole, sun glimmering on the horizons, but dark storm clouds built above the tower.

The girl began to stir in his arms.  A quick glance showed the area to be clear, and Sora circled down to land in the plaza, carefully lowering her to the ground.

Her breaths were heavy, labored.  In the light of the sun, he could see the sickeness creeping into her.  Her skin was pale, but her veins were dark, like that poisoned water had seeped in beneath her skin.   Another hitched breath, and her eyes cracked open, blinking slowly.

“Hey,” he said, “are you alright?”

“I’m… I’m fine,” she rasped, “Where is – Roxas!”

Her eyes suddenly shot open as she jerked upwards, entire body spasming before she fell back with a gasp.

“Hey, stay still; you’re hurt!”

She shook her head, trying to push herself up again despite the trembling in her limbs, “It doesn’t matter.  You have to get out of here, I have to – “

Another attempt, and another failure, sending her crashing back into his chest, gasping in pain.  Defeated, she went limp with a sigh.

“I’m sorry; It seems I can’t even do this much,” she whispered, voice thin and weak, reaching out to hold his hand, “You’re going to have to take it from here.”

Sora shook his head, “No, it’s fine, but – uhm, who are you?”

She grimaced, eyes slipping closed.

“My name is – “

Thunder rumbled overhead, long and dark.  The clouds had grown, gathered, now reaching half-way over the city, encroaching on the sun’s domain.

A glow appeared on her skin.  Sora held her close, startled, watching as it spread, as she began to grow translucent.  The warmth of it pressed against his skin – no, into his skin, flowing into his chest, filling him with both strength and heavy weight.

“What’s happening?”

“I need to rest in your heart once more – but the last of my strength, it’s yours.”

“But – isn’t there some way stop it?”

She shook her head, “This was already more than I was ever supposed to have.  I should have disappeared a long time ago.  But now, I got to see Roxas again!  Even if it was short, that was… that was more than enough.  If I had just gotten to see Axel again, then… then everything would have been perfect.”

Axel, Sora thought, stomach rolling, then, this is…

She was nearly see-through now.  Sora couldn’t breathe.  Huffing a humor-less laugh, she squeezed his hand.  Her light had nearly filled his chest.

“Still, I’m glad I got to meet you, face to face, even if it’s just like this.  I really am.  It’s just,” her voice broke, mouth pressing into a wobbly line as tears beaded in her eyes, “Why does it always end like this?”

She disappeared with the last of her light, the echo of her voice in his chest all that remained.

Next

[speedsketch]

I absolutely fell in love with @tharkflark1's bat-dragon-dreameater-Riku design. I really wanted to do my own twist on the design- something more like the other dreameaters in the game. I used several dreameaters as inspiration, primarily Komory bat, Tyranto Rex and Aura Lion.

It's such a cool idea! Go give @tharkflark1's Nightmare designs a look!

Happy Spooky month! Also @kingarmorking that scene with Mickey was so visceral i had to doodle it

[draconicheir]

Recovered Nightmare Arombatic & normal spirit Arombatic <3

[sirladysketch]

I had a ton of requests to restock my Komory Bats as well as interest for Nightmare versions, so surprise! Happy Soriku Day. :)

Grab a plush (or two) before they’re gone!

[maddrmatt]

A Beautiful Future: A Premonition or a Punishment?

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Greetings, readers and fellow SoKai fans!

Time to bring this story to an end and finally learn the truth behind the dream!

I’m so glad I was able to complete it in time.  Next year, I’ll try to have my story done before the week even gets here because the pressure was immense!

This one also contains a few more headcanons and speculations.

Enjoy!

________________________________________________________________

Epilogue: Rehearsal

Destiny Islands

As he watched the sunset from his usual spot on the paopu tree, a smile of contentment came to Sora’s face.  ‘It’s been two weeks since I came home and yet it feels like nothing’s changed.’

But after glancing to his right at his now official girlfriend, he knew that thought couldn’t be further from the truth.  And as Kairi gave him a smile, he knew he wouldn’t have it any other way.

‘I still can’t believe how beautiful she is in the setting sun’s light.  Why am I not taking her into my arms and holding her close right now?’

“Just can’t keep your eyes off each other, can you?” asked a male voice from Sora’s right snapping him out of his thoughts.

‘Oh.  That’s why,’ Sora realized as Kairi started to giggle.

As tempting as it was, the two of them tended to keep their closer moments for times when they weren’t in the company of others.  Although they weren’t too shy about showing their love for each other and no one ever really had any problems with it, it just meant more to them that way.  

But it was sometimes easier said than done.  As hard as they tried, there were moments when, even in the midst of their friends, their boundless affections just kept slipping out because it had just become such a natural state for them.

“Riku, was that really necessary?” asked a female voice from Kairi’s right.

“Someone’s got to keep these two on their toes, Naminè, and that job usually falls to me,” said Riku.

“He does have a point, Naminè.  If it weren’t for Riku, Sora would never get any work done at all,” said Kairi causing Sora to fold his arms and pout.

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Kairi.  There were times when you were just as lazy as he was,” said Riku.

“He’s got you there, Kai,” said Sora with a laugh.

Kairi pouted.  But it wasn’t long before her smile returned.

Now that the mirthful moment had passed, the four friends now resumed watching the sunset.  In an effort to avoid further ribbing from Riku, Sora tried to focus on other aspects no matter how hard it was to avoid his heart’s favorite view.

He looked past Kairi to Naminè, who was sitting next to her.  Though it wasn’t the first time she had joined them for the sunset, he knew that she enjoyed it every time because she was finally a true part of their circle of friends.

‘The memories may have been fake at first. But I’m glad we were able to make them a reality.  Naminè deserves it.  She deserves to have friends.’

Sora then looked to his right where his oldest friend was in his usual position of leaning against the tree instead of sitting on it.  He remembered how, in the past, Riku would have an air of boredom and resentment when watching the sunset.  Now there was no trace of that at all.

‘He wanted to escape the Islands so much and see the worlds.  Glad to see he’s grown to appreciate our home.’

Kairi let out a contented sigh.  “Another good day come and gone.”

“You’ve said that everyday, Kairi,” observed Naminè.

“Can’t help it.  Every day that we’re finally all together is definitely a good one. Right, boys?” asked Kairi to which Sora and Riku nodded in agreement.

“Well, we’re certainly lucky to have these good days now.  Especially after everything that went down in Quadratum.  That world is something else entirely,” said Riku.

Sora nodded.  “Tell me about it.  And I still have a hard time believing that the first time I saw that world and Yozora was in a video game in the toys’ world.  And it’s got me wondering.”

“About what, Sora?” asked Kairi.

“Well, think about it.  If Yozora and Quadratum are fictional in our reality, then maybe we could be fictional in some other reality.  Like we could be video game characters ourselves,” said Sora.

Naminè tapped her chin in thought.  “It might be possible, Sora.  All those worlds out there with their various stories and characters could exist in books or even films somewhere else.”

Kairi chuckled.  “Mickey, Donald and Goofy would make great cartoon characters.”

“You know, if we were having this conversation long ago before our adventures started, I would’ve thought that idea was absolutely crazy.  But stranger things have happened,” said Riku.

“As odd as it was knowing it was real in another reality, that video game was pretty useful for learning all we could about Quadratum,” said Naminè.

“Yes.  When Fairy Godmother and I went back to the Final World to talk to that girl, she told us about Yozora.  And when we told everyone else, Donald and Goofy remembered the game.  That’s when they headed to the Toy Box and acquired it along with everything related to it that they could find.  So, when we weren’t training with our Keyblades, we were playing through the game for research,” said Kairi.

“I never would have thought that preparation for a rescue mission would involve playing video games,” said Riku.

“Like you said, Riku, stranger things have happened,” said Sora.

Naminè sighed.  “But that game certainly wasn’t easy to play.  Even with the game guides we had, there were enemies and bosses that we struggled to get past. Donald and Axel nearly smashed or burned the controllers in frustration.”

“And the thought that the two of you might have been facing them for real was very worrying to me.  It really made me wish that you thought twice about running off alone to a realm that you knew nothing about,” Kairi said to Riku.

Riku gave a little chuckle.  “What can I say?  Sora’s been a bit of a bad influence on me when it comes to leaping before looking.”

“Hey!” exclaimed Sora.

Riku sighed.  “But you are right, Kairi.  It really wasn’t my best call and I’m grateful to you and the others for coming after us. It’s just that after the three of us not being together for so long and seeing everyone else reunited, I was just so desperate to put our group back together.”

“I know, Riku and I can’t blame you for feeling that way,” said Kairi.  ‘That year I was asleep, and Sora was gone must’ve been so tough for him.’

Riku then looked at both Sora and Kairi with a smile. “Besides, you two had something special that was long overdue for a proper beginning,” he said causing both Sora and Kairi to turn red.

“Riku!” Naminè admonished the Keyblade Master as he laughed.

But despite Riku’s teasing, Sora and Kairi couldn’t help but smile.  Ever since their relationship truly started, Riku had been nothing but the most supportive friend either of them could ask for.

‘As amusing as it was watching them compete over my attention back then, I was dreading what the three of us would lose if I ever did choose one of them.  Especially since, contrary to what everyone believed, Sora already won my heart even if I didn’t know it at the time.  It feels so good to see that I was worried for nothing and the fact that Sora and I are a couple hasn’t affected our friendship with Riku one bit.’

“Still, Sora, I’d say you were pretty lucky to have survived in Quadratum long enough for us to find you.  The enemies we saw in the video game made the Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed look like pushovers by comparison,” said Kairi.

“I hear you.  It was quite a fight nearly every moment.  But I managed to hold on.  All I had to do was keep focusing on my home and everyone who I was trying to get back to,” said Sora as he gazed at Kairi lovingly.  ‘Though I will admit, there was someone I was trying to get back to more than anyone else.’

“Having that dream helped a lot too,” said Sora more to himself than the others.

“A dream?  What about?” asked Naminè.

Sora’s eyes widened.  “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Riku chuckled.  “Yes, you did.  And now you have to tell us.  So, out with it.”

Sora’s cheeks flushed red.  “Well, I er, I really don’t know if I should.  It’s kind of personal.’

“Oh, come on, Sora.  You can’t just leave us hanging like that.  Tell us what it was about.  Please,” said Kairi pleadingly.

Sora sighed.  ‘Kairi, I love you.  But I can never tell just how much you know about the power you have over me because I just can’t say no to you.’

“Okay.  I will. But, please guys.  Don’t tease me after you hear it,” said Sora to which his friends nodded although he didn’t fully believe that they weren’t going to.

“All right.  The dream was about…a wedding,” said Sora a little reluctantly causing his friends’ eyes to open wide in surprise.

“Sora, was it…?” Kairi asked.

“Yes.  It was our wedding.  And it was absolutely incredible,” said Sora with a look of elation on his face.

Riku chuckled.  “Your future wedding.  Man, Sora, you’ve really got it bad for her if that’s what you’re dreaming about.”

“You said you weren’t going to tease me about it, Riku,” said Sora.

Riku held up his hands in defense.  “Easy, Sora.  I wasn’t teasing.  In fact, I think it’s really great.  If there was anything to help keep you going until we found you, I can’t think of anything better.”

As the boys continued to converse among themselves, Kairi and Naminè were exchanging surprised looks.  Clearly, the same notion was running through their minds.

“Kairi, do you think it was…?” Naminè asked quietly so the boys wouldn’t hear.

“Maybe it was.  But I won’t know for sure unless I can get more details from Sora,” Kairi whispered back.

“Then allow me to get you both some privacy so you can do that,” said Naminè as she hopped off the tree and stretched her arms.  “Well, guys, I think it’s time for me to go. Riku, would you care to accompany me home?”

“Huh?  Oh. Uh, sure, Naminè,” said Riku who was a little surprised by Naminè’s strange request.

“You two don’t have to leave yet,” said Sora.

“Actually, we do, Sora.  Let’s go, Riku,” said Naminè as she walked around the tree and headed for the bridge.

Riku was still confused.  He immediately ran around the tree and caught up to Kairi’s former Nobody just when she was at the midpoint of the bridge.

“Naminè, why is it so important we leave right now?” he asked her in a hushed tone.

“Because there’s something that Sora and Kairi need to talk about and it’s best that they do it alone,” she responded before giving a smile.  “Especially considering what’s likely going to happen after they talk.”

Riku blinked in confusion.  But then a look of realization came to his face, and he smiled.

“Oh, I get it.  Good call, Naminè.  But just one thing before we go,” said Riku as he turned back toward the paopu tree. “Sora?”

Sora turned around.  “Yes, Riku?”

“I have one question about that wedding dream.”

“Oh.  And that is?”

“I was the best man, right?” asked Riku.

Sora gave a look of surprise before giving a smile to his oldest friend.  “Yes. Yes, you were.”

“Good.  Because if it had been anybody else, I would have considered siding with the darkness again,” Riku said with a dash of teasing in his tone.

Sora’s eyes widened.  “Now don’t you think that’s a little petty, Riku?  Besides, it was just a dream.  I have no control over the details.”

Riku shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter.  I don’t know if I could ever forgive you if you snubbed me out of my rightful place in your wedding party,” he said causing Kairi and Naminè to giggle.

“Oh, come on, Riku.  You know that if I was getting married for real, I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else for that position.”

“Yes.  I do know that.  Don’t get so bent out of shape about it, Sora.  I never really had any doubt about it,” said Riku with a chuckle as he turned around and began to leave.

Naminè shook her head in amusement as she walked away while calling back to the couple, “See you both later.”

“Bye,” said Kairi before turning her attention to her boyfriend who had his arms crossed and was huffing in annoyance.

“He always does this.  He always knows how to get to me like that,” Sora grumbled.

Kairi giggled.  “Well, can you blame him?  You do make it so easy.  And you two are practically brothers and good-natured teasing is what brothers do,” she pointed out.

Sora’s smile returned.  “That’s true.  He’s my brother in all but blood.  And that’s why he would be the best man at our wedding.”

He then turned to his girlfriend.  “So, why do you think Naminè felt like she and Riku had to leave so suddenly?”

Kairi smiled.  “Because there’s something I want you to tell me, Sora.

“Of course, Kai.  What is it?”

Kairi took Sora’s hands into her own.  “I’d like you tell me more about that dream.  Please.  I want to hear all you can remember about it.”

“Well, like I said, it was incredible.  It was in this gigantic chapel that I think was in Radiant Garden.  And seeing how many guests there were, it’s no surprise we needed such a big space.  Everyone was there: our families, our friends and pretty much everyone I ever met from around the worlds.  There was even a bunch I hadn’t even met yet,” said Sora excitedly.

Kairi chuckled.  “Now that’s certainly goes against the World Order.”

Sora laughed himself.  “Yeah.  Donald would probably go quackers about it if he saw such a blatant violation!”

“Now, besides Riku as best man, who else was in our wedding party?” Kairi asked.

“Well, Donald, Goofy, Roxas and Ven were my groomsmen and Naminè, Aqua, Xion and Olette were your bridesmaids.  Selphie was the maid of honor,” answered Sora.

“She’ll be glad to hear that.  We did promise each other long ago that we would be the other’s maid of honor at our respective weddings,” said Kairi.

“Other than that, Mickey presided over the ceremony.  Pluto and Jiminy brought the rings, the paopu fruits, and a pair of flower crowns that apparently were a wedding tradition from Radiant Garden,” said Sora.

“Well, even though it’s been a long time since I considered Radiant Garden my home, I certainly would have liked to honor my heritage like that,” stated Kairi.

“I’m sure your birth parents and grandmother would love to hear that. Finally, Chirithy was our Flower Spirit,” said Sora.

Kairi giggled.  “I wonder if that’s the kind of role all the Chirithy played when Keyblade wielders got married in the Age of Fairy Tales.

“It’s a possibility.  We’ll have to ask about it,” said Sora before gazing into Kairi’s eyes lovingly.

“And, Kai, you looked absolutely beautiful in your wedding dress.  It was white with all these golden designs stitched into it like a heart shape on the chest. And you were also wearing this tiara with seven heart shaped jewels which probably represented the Seven Pure Lights.  I wonder if Fairy Godmother or the Three Good Fairies had a hand in making the dress and tiara because you definitely looked like a real princess about to get married,” he said causing his girlfriend to blush and giggle.

“And you certainly never looked more princely and handsome in that white and gold suit,” said Kairi.

“Yes.  I guess I did,” said Sora absently before he realized what Kairi had just told him.  “Wait!  Kairi, how did you…?”

“Know that?  Sora, it just so happens that I had the very same dream!”

Sora’s jaw dropped.  “You did?!”

Kairi nodded.  “Yes.  Everything you just told me happened in my dream too!”

Sora was completely shocked.  “I-I can’t believe it!  I mean, having the very same dream.  It shouldn’t even be possible.”

Kairi shrugged.  “Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve pulled off something impossible, Sora.  Like me keeping you alive when the Demon Tide wiped us out or you protecting me from that memory of Xehanort even though we were a reality apart.”

“Guess sharing that paopu fruit unlocked all sorts of amazing things for us, didn’t it, Kairi?” asked Sora.

Kairi tapped her finger against her chin.  “You know, Sora, I have been thinking about this for a while and well, maybe it wasn’t the paopu fruit at all.  After all, I was able to change you back when you turned into a Heartless and we hadn’t shared it then.  What if all these miraculous things that you and I were able to do were just…us?”

“But that can’t be true, Kairi.  You’re one of the Seven Pure Lights.  My heart’s nothing special,” said Sora.

Kairi frowned.  “Watch it, Sora.  I don’t tolerate anybody speaking ill of the boy I love especially if it is said boy. Don’t tell me your heart’s not special. After all, you had just been born and you ended up saving Ven.  So, don’t ever think that about yourself.  My heart may carry one of seven of the purest lights.  But you have the biggest heart in all the worlds.”

Sora looked thoughtful.  “Yeah.  Maybe I do.”

Sora then put his arm around his girlfriend.  Kairi leaned into him to rest her head underneath his chin.  They interlaced their hands and sighed contently.

“It was such a beautiful dream,” said Kairi.

“Yes, it was.  Do you think it may have been a vision of our future?” Sora asked.

“Who knows?  There were a lot of elements in it that made it seem like one.  But it was a little strange to dream about our wedding when we hadn’t even kissed yet,” said Kairi.

Sora chuckled.  “You got that right.  There was that and a few more other things that need to happen in our relationship before a wedding.”

“And in all honesty, as beautiful as the dream was, I actually kind of hope our real wedding doesn’t happen exactly like it,” said Kairi.

“Why is that?” asked Sora.

“Well, it does sort of spoil things knowing how exactly one of the most important days of your life plays out before it even happens. When we get married for real one day, I wish for it to be a mix of what we saw in the dream and some good surprises.”

“I’d like that too,” said Sora before he frowned.  

“Kairi, I have a bit of a confession to make.  I actually ended up thinking the dream may have been sent to me as a punishment.  You know, for breaking all those nature taboos I had no idea existed,” Sora said with a hint of shame.

Kairi sighed.  “Well, you’re not alone in thinking that way, Sora.  I thought it was punishing me for all the times I wasn’t strong enough in the fight against Xehanort.”

Then the Princess of Heart turned Sora’s head, so they were face-to-face.  “But we can’t keep beating ourselves up about what we did or didn’t do in the past, Sora.”

“I know.  And as I mentioned earlier, the dream inspired me to keep on going and fighting on while I was stuck in Quadratum.  That’s how I chose to use it,” said Sora.

“Guess great minds think alike, Sora, because I chose to use it to drive myself to get stronger and become the best Keyblade wielder I could be.  And I think my training with Aqua really improved after that,” said Kairi.

“I guess, in the end, it really doesn’t matter what the dream’s actual purpose was.  What matters is how we used it to push ourselves toward our inevitable reunion,” said Sora.

“And now that we are together again, we can use for a different purpose now.  We can use that dream as a reminder of the kind of future we both wish to have.  Because, unfortunately, our adventures and fights are still not finished,” said Kairi grimly.

Sora nodded.  “Yes.  He’s still out there.  The Master of Masters.  I still can’t get the last thing he said to us out of my mind before he left Quadratum. About how all he wanted us to do was to keep doing what we do best because the next phase was about to begin. It gives me the chills.”

“And it’s maddening not knowing exactly what his game is. At least with Xehanort, we knew it was trouble.  But with the Master?  I can’t really tell,” said Kairi.

“At least we have a new ally in Yozora.  We may have gotten off on the wrong foot.  But once he learned how the Master had tricked him into trying to ‘save’ me, he was all too willing to help us fight him,” said Sora.

“And we also promised to help that girl for him. She’s probably as important to him as I am to you.  Not to mention that we never would’ve have gotten you back without her help,” said Kairi.

“We’ll help them.  And then maybe we can invite them to our real wedding someday,” said Sora.

Kairi laughed.  “Of course, we will.”

“We will get there one day, Kairi.  We’ll deal with the Master and other enemy that comes our way, help anyone else who needs it and someday, we’ll live happily ever after just like in the dream,” said Sora.

“I couldn’t agree more, my future groom,” said Kairi.

Sora smiled.  ‘Future groom.  I definitely like the sound of that.’

The two of them watched the sunset in silence for a few minutes.  Then Sora piped up again.

“There is one more thing I do need to say about the dream though,” he said.

“What’s that, Sora?”

“There was actually one thing I didn’t like about it.”

Kairi looked confused.  “Really?  What was it?”

“The fact that I woke up at what would’ve been the best part of the wedding.”

Kairi gave her boyfriend a smile.  “Would that happen to be our first kiss as a married couple?”

Sora’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Yes.  How did you…wait a minute.  Did you miss that part as well?” he asked Kairi who gave a nod.

Sora became even more flabbergasted.  “Wow!  Sharing a dream is amazing enough.  But waking up at the exact same moment?  I…I can’t even find a word for it.”

“Me neither.  Although, I guess we can count ourselves lucky because there are so many worse ways for a dream to end,” said Kairi.

“Like maybe the wedding getting crashed by one of our old enemies.  That would have been a really bad note to end it on,” said Sora.

“Yes, it would.  But given how many heroes who were there, any villains who would dare to crash that wedding would have to be really dumb,” said Kairi.

“So, Pete maybe?” asked Sora with a laugh.

“Yeah.  He probably would,” said Kairi as she joined her boyfriend in his laughter.

Once their laughter died down, the two young lovers sighed in contentment as they held each other closer.  The evening certainly had been plentiful of pleasant revelations.

Sora sighed.  “Still, I really wish we both could’ve seen that kiss.”

“Look at it this way, Sora.  It’ll be something to look forward to when it happens for real someday,” said Kairi.

“Yeah.  I know,” said Sora who still had a little disappointment in his voice.

Fortunately, Kairi knew how to cure that as she turned to him with her signature cheeky smile.  “But, you know, even if it is a long way away, we could do a little rehearsal right now if don’t mind.”

A brief look of surprise came to Sora’s face before he caught on with a smile.  “Not at all.”

“Well, in that case, you may kiss your future bride,” said Kairi as the two of them leaned in.

Against the backdrop of the setting sun on their favorite tree, the happy couple’s lips found their destined target.  As the Hero of the Keyblade and the Princess of Heart savored every second of this precious moment, the two of them reflected on their wedding dream.

They still had no idea if it had truly a premonition of definite future events.  But if it’s real purpose was meant to torment them for breaking the taboos of nature or for shortcomings as a Keyblade wielder, then it had epically failed.

Instead, the dream had only increased their desire to come back to each other.  And now that they had been reunited, it would now serve a new purpose.

No matter what kind of darkness they would face in the future, the dream would serve as a guiding light that they would always fight to reach together.

________________________________________________________________

Traverse Town, The Realm of Sleep

Elsewhere, in the sleeping version of Traverse Town, Meow Wow scampered along the streets.  Nearby, Komory Bat fluttered alongside it.  The two Spirit Dream Eaters were currently patrolling the town for any Nightmares.

As if on cue, as they crossed into the First District, a pack of Nightmares materialized.  It was a tough bunch composed of four Kooma Pandas, two Thunderaffes and one Zolephant.

But in spite of being outnumbered and outsized, Meow Wow and Komory Bat were not afraid.  They leapt right into the fray with the Nightmares.

It may have seemed foolish.  But with the way they and their fellow Spirits had succeeded in so many ways recently, they felt like they could take on the toughest Nightmares.  Not even really powerful ones like the Hockomonkey or the Spellican could bring them down with the morale they had right now.

________________________________________________________________

When Sora had vanished, Meow Wow and the other Spirits had sensed his disappearance and were very saddened.  Having grown very attached to the young Keyblade wielder during his journey through the Realm of Sleep, they had launched their own attempt to find some clue to his whereabouts.

During the year he was missing, the various Spirits had combed the near infinite reaches of the Realm of Sleep searching for any sign of Sora’s dreams. If they could find them and any of them happened to contain a hint to his location, they could send it to the honorary member of their pack, Riku, who hopefully would know what to do next.

Much to their joy, they did indeed locate a multitude of undreamt dreams that belonged to their friend.  Due to how many there were to search through, it was clear that the place he currently was allowed little time for sleeping much less dreaming.

Fortunately, they managed to find a dream they thought would help the most.  Once they had sent it to Riku, it set off a chain of events that would hopefully lead to Sora being found.

But after Riku had left for that mysterious city known as Quadratum, the Spirits were faced with another problem: Kairi.

All the Spirits from the proud Necho Cat to the mischievous Jestabocky to the noble Pegaslick to the fierce Tyranto Rex knew how much the Princess of Heart meant to Sora given how she was a recurring element in his happiest dreams.  They also knew how disappointed she felt for having to stay behind from the mission to rescue him and how much she blamed herself for his disappearance.

Their next mission was clear: keep Kairi’s hopes alive and her spirits raised.  Sora would have definitely wanted them to help one so precious to him. So, in order to do that, they would need to find a very special dream to bestow upon her.

Dreams had many origins all tied to the heart.  Some were created from the heart’s precious memories while others formed from its greatest wishes.  And on occasion, due to the heart’s ability to traverse time, dreams could often show someone’s potential future.

After an exhaustive search through Kairi’s dreams, they ended up finding one that depicted a wonderful future for both her and Sora.  Though it was only a possible future for them, the dream would serve the Spirits’ purpose well.

Their plan was a success.  Although they were surprised and confused that Kairi thought their gift had been sent to torment her at first, they were pleased when it ended up inspiring her to get better with her Keyblade.

But, to their surprise, after Sora had been rescued, the Spirits learned that something had happened that they had not anticipated.

It seemed that when they gave the dream to Kairi, Sora had been able to experience it as well.  Through the connection between their hearts, the Spirits’ gift ended up being shared between them.  And Sora was given the drive he needed to keep going until he had been found by his friends.

Even if the Spirits’ gift of the dream was only of a potential future for Sora and Kairi, it was one that reflected a great wish that they both shared.  Often, that was exactly what a dream was: a wish made by the heart.

________________________________________________________________

Notes from the Mad Doctor:

So, it wasn’t a punishment at all.  But it also wasn’t a true premonition either.  What it was, was a push!  And as push for Sora and Kairi, it succeeded beautifully.

Hope you all enjoyed this story.  

I hope that little Secret Ending about the Spirit Dream Eaters didn’t turn you off.  I just loved the idea of them playing a part in bringing Sora home and also being SoKai shippers.

I did take a few creative liberties when describing the nature of dreams.  I love the games but trying to explain anything from Dream Drop Distance is next to impossible and can give one big headache.

Hope many of you got that little Disney nod in the final lines!

Now for some words of thanks.

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I also give my special thanks to @fandomchanger​ and @renatogpadilla​  for their likes on the previous chapters, @sokaiweek​, @sokaieternal​, and @phoenix-downer, for reblogging the previous chapters as well as @flynn-science for their like, replies and reblogs of the previous chapters.

I also give a big thank you to the artists and writers whose work I had the pleasure of witnessing this year.  You all did a great job and I really enjoyed your work.

And an especially big thank you to the moderators of the SoKai Week Tumblr for enabling us to be part of a great collection.

Happy SoKai Week and stay tuned for more from the Mad Doctor in the future!

[squishybons]

messy scribble of that dreameater!riku (top one) inspired from the fic i read :>

im tempted to just label the top one as nightmare!riku and the bottom one as dream eater....soft n yellow...his favorite color