#sorakai

[inaho-dakkoku]

[phoenix-downer]

Where I Belong Chapter 5

Where I Belong: ~2430 words. Kairi wanders Quadratum searching for Sora.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Starts during the end of KH3/during ReMind and moves into KH4. Kairi POV. Angst, Romance, Fluff.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Kairi’s eyes fluttered open. Hazy street lights slowly came into focus, and her cheek was squished against a cold slab of concrete. Drip, drip, drip, came a light, misty rain plopping into a nearby puddle. Groaning, she sat up. The last thing she remembered was grasping a clump of earth on the shores of the Styx. But she wasn’t on a riverbank. She was lying on a city street. It was night, but the rain plus the lights from the city so overpowered the stars that she couldn’t see them twinkling in the sky. 

Was this Quadratum? Had she really made it? Horns blared nearby, and she scrambled to her feet. She was on a giant crosswalk, standing on top of brilliant white reflective paint telling her to get off the road already. She followed its advice, running towards the nearest sidewalk as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Once she was safely across, she took stock of her surroundings. A big, towering building with a neon red 104 sign blinked at her from across the way. 104, huh? Four was the number of death. Four was in the name of Quadratum. This place had to be it. It had to be. 

But where was Sora? Frowning, she fiddled with her necklace. She’d been so focused on getting here that she hadn’t put much thought into what she’d do once she actually made it. Find Sora, of course, but how? The city was huge. 

Closing her eyes, she focused on her heartbeat and forced her breathing to be even. In, out, in, out. A calm body led to a calm heart, a calm mind.  

Opening her eyes again, she felt the urge to just…walk. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but each time she reached a new street or alleyway, she somehow knew where to turn. She passed cute cafes and colorful restaurants, quiet office buildings and raucous karaoke venues and music stores playing multiple tracks at once. And on every corner there was a vending machine or a convenience store or something that drew her eye. Weaving through the streets of Quadratum was like navigating a forest of tall buildings, and even at this time of night there were plenty of people around.

The minutes ticked by and turned into half an hour, then an hour, and still she kept walking. Her feet were getting tired, but if she could just find Sora, everything would be okay. She had no money from this reality to buy a bus ticket or subway ticket with; all she could do was walk. 

After another hour had passed, she reached the outskirts of this big green area called Ueno Park according to the signs she found. She’d stumbled upon Shinobazu Pond, a large pond split into several sections with an island in the middle. On the island was a temple called Bentendō, and Kairi admired it for a little while before continuing her search. Even with the city lights all around the park and the light within the park, it was still a little eerie walking around by herself. On a whim she summoned her Keyblade to make sure she still could. Every now and then she saw other people, and while everyone so far had left her alone, she wanted to be ready to defend herself, just in case.

Further exploration of the park revealed a shrine, a zoo, and multiple museums, all of which were currently closed. She wondered about the history of this place, about what she might find if she wandered inside the buildings. An entire reality’s worth of knowledge and information. What would the people here think of someone like her? Would they believe she was from not just a different world, but a different reality?

She searched as much of the park as she could for Sora. When at last her feet were so tired she couldn’t walk anymore, she collapsed on the edge of a big, beautiful fountain across from the Quadratum National Museum. It reminded her of the fountain she’d sat at with Sora at Herc and Meg’s villa. The shape was even similar, a long rectangle with half circles coming off the sides. But Sora was nowhere to be found. 

Where was he? Quadratum was so huge that she could spend years searching it and never find him. She was exhausted and hungry and cold. Streaks of gray stretched across the horizon; she’d been searching all night for him. A few tears dripped down her cheeks and splashed into the waters of the fountain. What good was coming here if she couldn’t even find him?

He wasn’t gone for good. She knew he wasn’t. And yet he wasn’t here. He wasn’t coming for her. But a part of her wanted him to.

She wiped her eyes. Stupid, selfish. She was supposed to find him. That was the whole point of her journey, wasn’t it? It was the least she could do after all he’d done for her. And she would find him, she just needed a good cry. If she could get it all out of her system, she’d be fine. 

She wasn’t fine. The tears just kept coming and coming. 

“Hey, are you alright?” came a voice from behind her. It was deep and low and surprisingly gentle.

Embarrassed, she ducked her head and hurriedly wiped her eyes. “Oh, um, I’m fine.” She was making such a scene that even a random stranger had noticed. She supposed she should be nervous about an unknown man speaking to her, but she wasn’t. 

Maybe her exhaustion meant she was lowering her guard.

“You’re crying,” the young man said, and he sounded very sorry that she was. She lifted her eyes to get a better idea of who she was talking to. It was a little less dark outside, but her interlocutor wore a hood over his head, and his face was covered in shadow.

“Who are you?” she asked, more curious than sad now. Who was this guy, and why was he hiding his face from her?

“I heard you crying,” was his answer, “and I knew I had to come.” His voice cracked on the words like her tears had broken his heart.

She frowned and tilted her head. “Huh?” She was so tired that her mind was a complete muddle. This guy’s concern was touching, but why was he so worried about her, they didn’t even know each other. None of this made sense and all she wanted to do was sleep—

“Kairi.”

Her heart jumped into her throat and got stuck there, making it hard to breathe. This wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be. Sora’s voice was so dear and wonderful and perfect, and she’d missed it so, so much. She was only imagining this stranger was Sora, she was mixing them up, Sora’s voice didn’t sound like this—

He lifted his hood, revealing his face at last. “Kairi, it’s me.” 

His clothes were different, his hair was different, his face even looked slightly different and his voice definitely sounded different. But none of that mattered. His big blue eyes would always give him away, and all these changes meant he wasn’t dead. He was alive. 

She raced towards him and threw herself into his outstretched arms, crying out his name. He wrapped his arms around her and held her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. His entire body trembled as they embraced, and Kairi memorized everything about this moment—his warmth, his scent, his touch. Every inch of her was affected by his presence, like she’d stepped out of a storybook and into the real world at long last. 

For being dead, she’d never felt so alive. Night was over and the day had dawned, revealing Sora to her like she was Psyche seeing Eros for the first time.

“You came for me.” Sora’s words were a whisper, a plea, a prayer he could hardly voice. Like he couldn’t believe she was really here. 

“Of course I did,” she said. She pulled away a little to look him in the eye. How dear he was to her. Older and sadder and wiser, but still her Sora. Still kind and brave and good, still fighting for what was right, still trying to protect people, to save them.

“You didn’t have to,” he said. “You could’ve stayed safe at home.” 

She cupped his cheek and watched him melt into her touch. Like he was a starving man and she’d just offered him a feast. “But then I’d have to be apart from the person I love most, and that life would be empty.” 

She expected to see his beautiful Sora smile. For his face to light up with joy and a delighted response to burst forth from his mouth. But instead he burst into tears, a torrent of emotion pouring out of him like a waterfall as she watched, stunned. Like he hadn’t cried at all from the moment they were separated until now. His legs gave out, and he crumpled to the pavement at her feet. His broken weeping echoed across the entire area, and her heart swelled with compassion. 

“Oh Sora, did you really think I’d abandon you to fate, to death?” she asked, gently stroking his hair. It was so soft and silky between her fingers. His entire body was wracked with sobs, and she wondered how much he’d had to hold in until now. How much pain and suffering he’d absorbed and carried like a human vessel until he couldn’t bear it anymore. 

“I’m here, it’s okay,” she murmured soothingly. He looked up at her through his tears, his big beautiful eyes filled with gratitude. She smiled tenderly at him, and he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her stomach. A hot blush crept up her cheeks—he’d been bold before they’d parted, but never quite this bold before. But it wasn’t a bad change, not at all. She kept stroking his hair as he comforted himself with her presence, the only salve that could soothe his malaise. 

“Kairi,” he said, and hearing him say her name with all the tenderness and love in his heart was such a gift. His tears came from a heart so overwhelmed by her devotion that it couldn’t bear her love. And yet he was bearing it, bearing it and basking in it and taking comfort in it. 

You are loved. You are so, so loved, and I hope you know you’re not just worth dying for. You’re worth living for, too.

She bit her lip. Should she say that out loud, or would it be too much? She didn’t want to overwhelm him any more than she already had or overdo it. 

But then she thought of how precious every moment with him was. How she regretted not telling him more of what was on her heart before he was gone. How she wished they’d kissed. 

“I understand now, why you would sacrifice yourself for me,” she said softly, and he looked up at her, his red-rimmed eyes searching hers. “And I would do the same for you, again and again. But you’re not just worth dying for. You’re worth living for, too.” She smiled, her heart so full of affection that she thought it would burst. “I love you, Sora, and when I’m with you, I know I’m where I belong.” 

She watched as her words washed over him, as he was engulfed by the depths of their reality. They overwhelmed him all over again, and he wept and wept and wept. All she could do was console him as best she could. There was a remedy for loneliness and sorrow, but how could she possibly hope to comfort someone so wounded by love’s arrows? 

When at last he’d calmed down, he wiped his eyes and struggled to his feet with shaking legs. Then he pulled her into another hug so tight she thought he’d never let go. His embrace was strong and firm, like he was strong with her, like she was sharing her strength with him. 

“Thank you, Kairi,” he said, his voice low but steady. Confident in her love and her support. He was so selfless and caring that sometimes it was like he forgot he mattered, like he needed to be told his life was valuable too. That he was worth more than just what he could do for other people. And who better to tell him that than the person who loved him with all her heart?

At last they parted, and he had a beautiful smile on his face. There was her radiant Sora smile, and she shared in his joy and returned his delight. His eyes flickered to her lips and then met her eyes again, and she felt her blush return with a vengeance. Was he really gonna go for it this time? 

Oh yes, yes he was. He cupped her cheek, and her breath caught in her throat as her heart thundered in her chest. He was gonna do it, he was really gonna do it. He parted his lips and tilted his head, and her eyes fluttered shut. She waited a few deliciously agonizing seconds, then felt his lips meet hers in a tender kiss. They were both a little hesitant, a little unsure at first, but a second kiss and then a third boosted their confidence and emboldened them to explore uncharted territory together.

This was real, opening her eyes to a new realm, awakening her to a world bursting with color and sensuality when before she’d been living a black and white existence. And Sora was at the center of it all, guiding her even as she guided him, bringing life and color as she brought light and warmth. All those days and weeks and months without him were only a bad dream. She’d been cast into a deep Sleep but was awake now, revived by his life-giving kiss. 

When at last they parted, he gave her a contented smile. “Thank you, Kairi,” he said again, his voice playful, his eyes dancing with joy. 

She grinned and squeezed his hand. “You’re welcome, Sora.” 

She wasn’t sure yet how they’d get home. She wasn’t sure yet when they’d get home. But being with Sora was worth it. It was more than worth it. When she was with him, she was where she belonged. And together they’d figure out a way to cross the River Styx, to traverse realms, to jump realities, until they made it home.

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A/N: A big thank you to everyone who’s liked, reblogged, and commented on this story! I really appreciate it ❤️ 

I’ve written a few stories about Sora and Kairi reuniting, and so far they’ve been set in Shibuya each time. So I wanted to do something different and went with Ueno Park. It’s just this beautiful green space in Tokyo with lots of cool things to do. The fountain where Sora and Kairi reunite is real, and it’s in this big open space across from Tokyo National Museum lined by trees on either side. By a happy coincidence it really does have the same shape as the fountain where Herc and Meg sit in the Hercules movie and where Sora and Kairi sat for their conversation back in Chapter 2. 

Also, the water/tears symbolism in the KH3 opening and secret ending made me want to feature water and tears as a key element of their reunion. I also just like the simplicity of it all, instead of this big epic mid-battle reunion, Sora finds Kairi quietly crying by a fountain because he knew she was grieving.

I also googled how long it would take to walk from the Scramble Crossing in Shibuya to Ueno Park to make sure those details were correct, and realistically Kairi could spend a good chunk of the night walking from Shibuya to Ueno Park and then walking all around Ueno Park. I also just really liked the idea of her searching for him a la Psyche wandering the earth searching for Eros.

Kairi not recognizing Sora at first was something that came to me as I was writing. For two of the stories I’ve written about their reunion, he’s lost his memories and thus doesn’t recognize her, and then for one of the stories they both have their memories fully intact and are reunited mid-battle. So I wanted to mix things up a little. And then I wondered why Kairi might not recognize him at first and came up with a few possible reasons: exhaustion, not expecting to find him here, he’s changed, his face is hidden from her initially, etc. I also wanted those Eros and Psyche vibes with Kairi not seeing Sora’s face at first. Earlier in the story he relates to Eros hiding his face/appearance from Psyche because he wants Kairi to love him for him and not because he’s a popular beloved hero etc., so I wondered if he wouldn’t approach Kairi disguised to see if she still knows it’s him despite how much he’s changed. Her recognizing him when he says her name is a trope I am always a huge sucker for so I loved including it here. 

Also, Aquafolia requested one or both of them falling to their knees in relief, and for this story it just felt right for it to be Sora. I kept thinking about how he’s had to be so strong this whole time and has been thrown into fight after fight, not really getting the chance to grieve, and so seeing Kairi again? I think it’s very possible all the feelings he’s had to hold back for so long would finally come out all at once. And then Aquafolia also suggested Kairi echo the line, “I’d have to be apart from the person I love most, and that life would be empty” to Sora. 

And then the kiss at the end of the chapter. In the Hercules movie, Herc and Meg are interrupted twice before the third time’s the charm and they get to kiss, so I wanted to make a shoutout to that with this story (Pegasus interrupting Sora and Kairi in Chapter 1, the two of them wanting to kiss in Chapter 3 but running out of time, and now, finally, in Chapter 5 they get to kiss). And then they kiss three times because I always enjoy a good Chikai/Oath reference. 

I also couldn’t resist more Eros and Psyche references with Sora awakening Kairi with a kiss. I wanted to show it was perhaps not a literal waking from sleep, but the two of them awakening to all these new experiences. And with the interiority here from Kairi, I was inspired by Kate Bush’s song “The Sensual World,” especially the lyrics “Stepping out of the page into the sensual world” (which Kate Bush wrote as if the character Molly Bloom from Ulysses were stepping into the real world) because Quadratum being this different reality is so interesting to me. How would it feel for Sora and Kairi to experience a more realistic reality after living in a fairy tale/fictional reality? To go from being these characters in a video game story to living in the real world. And then there’s another, double meaning there, that once Kairi is reunited with Sora, she feels like she’s living in a realer, fuller world. Everything becomes more vivid, and she appreciates how rich and alive the world around her is.

(I realized I didn’t note this earlier, but Chapter 3 was inspired by another Kate Bush song, “The Fog,” from the same album. I love the lyrics, “But I can’t let you go / if I let you go / you slip into the fog,” I feel like that really captures Kairi’s mental state after KH3. I wanted to contrast that foggy state of mind to how vivid everything feels for her when she's reunited with Sora).

Then that brings us to the title of the chapter and the story—Kairi telling Sora that when she’s with him she’s where she belongs to echo Hercules telling Meg the same thing at the end of the movie. 

Congrats if you’ve read to this point lol, I just had a lot of thoughts and feelings about this chapter and this story, and I hope you enjoyed it and enjoyed reading about some of the background that went into writing it. Thank you to Aquafolia for providing the prompt, and a big thank you again to Liv for proofreading the story for me and giving feedback ❤️ And thank you all for reading!

[bearpillowmonster]

1. That's tough because I go back and nail the same ones nowadays but the first try, Xigbar, Xaldin and Demyx were the big three intimidators

2. Honestly the first that came to mind was Tarzan.

3. Tarz- I mean, Jane- I mean- Kairi- I mean Aqu- I mean Nami- I mean well, I'm a sucker for just about any female KH character (except Larxene)

4. First time it was Terra Ven Aqua, I think that's probably the right answer really though I might try Ven 1st next time.

5. Both during and afterwards, the most was definitely Sora's disappearance, that sh** was hard.

6. The Grid in concept, Country of Musketeers in execution

7. It was summer of 2010 I think.

8. Neverland maybe, just for Hook.

9. in KH, Leon, second would probably be Zack but in actual FF, Tifa.

10. Pride Lands.

11. Always start with normal then come back for the second playthrough on Proud, I've played KH3 on easy just to use the codes as well as Critical though, just never actually beat Critical, I'm not built like that.

12. Destiny Islands if Disney then Deep Jungle

13. Zexion is underrated. Xemnas is coolest.

14. Enchanted Dominion.

15. Wisdom, I just love skating around like a lunatic (also, he's blue!)

16. Meaning- Sora?

17. Wtf was #5 then??

18. KH2

19. I've used Bambi most technically because I did a grind on KH1 Normal mode to get the parts for the Ultima Weapon (I chose the wrong weapon at the beginning) so I was basically too buff to use it by the point I actually had the weapon, HA.

20. Gonna take this as KH4 now, really, KH3 answered everything I needed in terms of worlds, whatever Nomura chooses, I won't complain. Atlantis would be nice but I'm not going to ask for it. Oswald is still wanted but I understand if he's not included this far into the series.

21. ^^Oswald but in KH, Mickey

22. Veil Lizard

23. Had to do a review and as soon as I saw Luxord, I knew he was the one.

24. Maleficent makes sense but Sark would be the one that's had the most impact on me.

25. Halloween Town in KH1

26. Was gonna say anything related to Twilight Town but really, I freak out everytime I hear Monster Smash.

27. Axel

28. these but since then Grim Guardianess

29. *pounds table* #16

But I'll say it again, THE KING, SORA.

30. I'm not so much a fan of any of the bosses, just designs like Lump of Horror, Scrapper and Symphony Master

31. Rumbling Rose

32. Actually, it's one that doesn't exist, it's modded.

KH4 Sora looking tight though. (KH2 is still currently in universe best rn though)

33. Twilight Thorn

34. Do you even read your own poll?

35. I could quote so many scenes, I just like spending time with these characters, I have no favorite.

36.favourite song

37.idk, kh is weird for relationships because you can speculate all you want but until you see it done, you just don't know.

38. Sorakai, Epheskuld

kingdom hearts related ask

1. which boss do you find the most difficult (story bosses)

2. favourite party member (aside from donald and goofy)

3. which character do you find the most attractive

4. in bbs which character order do you play in

5. have you cried at any point in the series?

6. favourite dream drop distance world

7. when did you first start playing kh

8. favourite chain of memories world

9. favourite final fantasy character

10.favourite kingdom hearts 2 world

11.difficulty you generally play on

12.favourite kingdom hearts 1 world

13.favorite organization 13 member

14.favourite birth by sleep world

15.favourite/most used drive form

16.favourite original character

17.have you ever cried over kh

18.favorite game in the series

19.favourite/most used summon

20.hopes for kingdom hearts 3

21.favourite disney character

22.least favourite heartless

23.least favourite character

24.favorite disney villain

25.least favourite world

26.favourite world theme

27.favourite boss theme

28.favourite heartless

29.favourite character

30.favourite unversed

31.favourite keyblade

32. favourite outfit

33.favourite nobody

34.favourite world

35.favourite scene

36.favourite song

37.notp

38.otp

39.0t3

40.anything else you feel like asking

[sokaiweek]

SoKai Week 2022

Announcing SoKai Week 2022!  🥳 This year's theme is "20 Years of SoKai"  💫

🌠 July 10th-16th  

🌠 1-2 prompts per day + bonus prompts

🌠 If you’d like to offer prompt suggestions:

     Google Forms OR send in an ask here on tumblr!

Stay tuned for further announcements!

[phoenixmiko]

If what Sora whispered to Kairi at the end of KH3 were their parting words from KH1 (seeing as the secret ending has him saying the opening lines of that game), then it's only logical that their reunion in KH4 could be their exchange from KH2's ending.

Heck, how about variations of KH1 and KH2's ending dialogues at the end of KH3 and KH4 respectively? It'd be the perfect callback.

End of KH3 (maybe we hear this in a flashback in future):

Kairi: Come back to me. Promise? Sora: You know I will.

End of KH4:

Kairi: You're back! Sora: I'm home.

Imagine in KH4, Sora waking from a dream of the moment just before he faded away in which the viewer hears his and Kairi's parting words. That would be heartbreaking. It would just further drive the fact home that he's painfully aware he may never see her again, let alone Riku, his friends and the island.

[sokaievents]

ソラカイの日2021

ソラカイの日は9月17日です！今年のテーマは「秋の思い出」です 🍂🍁

今年のソラカイの日のテーマとルールです！他の秋のテーマでもいいです 🍂🍁

[sokaizine]

❤️ Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤️

♡ Celebrate with more SoKai here, pre-orders close March 7th ♡

[hallofemptymelodies]

please enjoy watching my art devolve faster than my country

i had a dream about kairi getting married and this is what happened when i kept thinking about it

[arminarlertsposts]

Pride land - sora and kairi

[animepopheart]

I’m not super familiar with Kingdom Hearts - only played the first game briefly years ago - but when I was posting illustrations of Sora X Kairi yesterday, I noticed that the fan name for the pairing is Sokai. Why is that? The Japanese name for the pairing is Sorakai, and I think that sounds soooo much better - less sharp, more natural, more lovely.

[inaho-dakkoku]

[phoenix-downer]

Where I Belong Chapter 1

The Big Olive. ~1700 words. Sora/Kairi. Starts during the end of KH3/during ReMind and moves into KH4. Kairi POV. Angst, Romance, Fluff.

Chapter Summary: During their world tour, Sora takes Kairi to Thebes to visit some old friends. Meg insists the two of them take a break from cleanup duty to play hooky, and Hercules asks Pegasus to give them a ride to his villa.

Story Summary: Kairi and Sora spend his final hours at Hercules' villa, trying to enjoy the time he has left while mourning the future they'll never have. After his disappearance, Kairi struggles to cope and throws herself into her training. But when she's sent on a mission with Donald and Goofy to investigate Olympus for clues, a run-in with the Lord of the Dead just might hold the key to finding Sora.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Seeing the worlds with Sora was better than Kairi ever could have imagined. She’d dreamed of this for so long that it didn’t seem real, like any minute she might wake up and it would all be over. Of course, any minute it would be over. That was why it was so important to treasure things while they lasted. And their latest destination was just as magical as everything that had come before it.

Thebes was a beautiful, bustling city, filled with larger-than-life statues, soaring columns, lush gardens, and paved streets lined with classical buildings. Its citizens were hard at work restoring their home from the recent fires and destruction, and Kairi enjoyed meeting the people here and learning more about their culture and daily lives as she and Sora helped Hercules and his fiancée Meg rebuild the city. 

They were currently working on clearing a small temple dedicated to Aphrodite. Kairi and Meg swept the floors of small pieces of debris (as Pegasus assisted with his wings) while Hercules and Sora tackled the bigger obstacles. Phil barked out instructions that made everyone laugh, his knack for miscounting words a running joke with the whole group. Bit by bit, the beautiful mosaics on the floor were becoming visible again. 

“So, Sora, I can tell you’re stronger than ever,” Hercules said. He lifted and set down an entire pillar like he was rearranging a wooden block, and it felt into place with a satisfying thud. “I’m guessing you found the answer to your question?”

“It’s all my trainin’, it’s finally paying off,” Phil insisted. He was lounging in the corner on a plush Hercules pillow, eating grapes.

“Actually, Phil, I did find the answer to my question,” Sora said with a chuckle. “Though not so much an answer as an entire shift in my perspective.” He glanced at Kairi and smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back, a blush dusting her cheeks because she would never get used to how her heart fluttered when he looked at her. “I know where I belong now.”

“Glad to hear that,” Hercules said, dusting his hands off. “You’ve gotta make sure you don’t take that for granted.” 

“I never will,” Sora said, his voice soft and low. His hand flickered in and out of existence, and he quickly shoved it into his pocket. Kairi felt like someone had stabbed her in the gut but pretended not to see what had happened. He still hadn’t admitted he was fading away, and she wanted him to tell her on his terms.

Meg frowned and took the broom away from Kairi’s hands. “Enough cleaning for now, we can handle things from here. You two need to play hooky for the rest of the day.” She looked at Hercules, and Kairi noticed the way his pupils dilated and how his entire attention was focused on her. “Wonderboy, whaddya say we let them romp around the villa? I think they could really use a break from all this boring cleanup duty.” 

“Oh! Um, that’s fine, yeah, that’s totally fine. Please, make yourselves at home. I’ll have Pegasus take you there.” 

Kairi gave Meg a grateful look. She was happy to help their new friends, but her time with Sora was running out, and she wasn’t sure how much longer they’d have together. Meg smiled and winked, then tossed Kairi’s former broom to Phil. 

“Goat-man, get up and make yourself useful,” she said. Phil complained loudly and stomped his hooves, making them all laugh, but he did as Meg asked. 

Pegasus dutifully clopped into position and used his head to gesture at his back. Kairi gulped. She’d ridden a horse with a saddle before, but Pegasus didn’t have a saddle or reins, plus he had those big old wings. How was she supposed to get on his back?

Sora smiled softly. “Here, I’ll help.” He put his hand over hers and moved it to Pegasus’s mane. “Grab a tuft of his mane like this, then skip to get a little momentum. You’ll throw your right leg up and use that momentum to get the lower half of your body up. Then you’ll grab his withers to help you pull the top half of your body up too.” 

“If I fall, you’ll catch me, right?” she asked, gripping onto Pegasus’s mane for dear life.

“Always.”

She looked at him, her heart racing, then took a few deep breaths. “I can do this.” 

“You can do this. I believe in you.” 

She nodded, his faith giving her courage. She did what he said, skipping and then throwing her right leg up. Pegasus dutifully shifted position when she under-calculated her momentum and overshot how far she needed to go, but between his help and Sora’s help, she managed to mount successfully.

“See?” Sora said, smiling proudly as she straightened. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” 

She shook her head. “I’m always learning new things when I’m with you.” 

He looked at her in a way that made her so flustered she had to look away, her face as red as her hair. He kept looking at her like that, and it was so much that her heart couldn’t handle it. 

Hercules looked at Meg like that, too.

“Hang on, I’ll join you,” Sora said. “Scoot back a little, okay?” She did what he said, and a moment later, he gracefully mounted Pegasus and settled in front of her, grabbing tufts of Pegasus’s mane.

“But what will I hold on to?” she squeaked, realizing there was no easy way for her to grab onto Pegasus’s mane from her current position. 

Sora turned his head and grinned. “Me.” 

Gulping, she wrapped her arms around Sora as Pegasus broke into a trot, then a lope, then a gallop. She’d be more flustered by how close she was to Sora, by how her chest was pressed into his back, if she weren’t scared witless and holding on for dear life.

Then they weren’t on the ground anymore, and her stomach lurched as they rapidly ascended. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to fight the waves of nausea descending on her as the wind whistled past them. 

“Kairi, open your eyes,” Sora called back to her. 

“Ungh, I’m gonna be sick,” she moaned. 

“Trust me, it’s worth it.”

She took a deep breath, then peeked at their surroundings. The steady thump, thump, thump of Pegasus’s wings was soothing, and Sora was right. The view was absolutely worth it. All of Thebes plus the surrounding countryside unfolded beneath them, brilliant greens and lush fields and mysterious forests and winding rivers. In the distance was Mount Olympus, and Kairi marveled at how beautiful this world was, how different it was from Destiny Islands and Radiant Garden.

And best of all, she was getting to experience this with Sora. Now that she was feeling more comfortable, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. They were so close to each other and it felt really, really nice. She felt him stiffen a little at the increased contact and then melt under her touch.

She wished she could see his face, see how he felt about this, but then again, it might make her so flustered she had to look away again. Maybe touching him like this at first would help them feel more comfortable doing more later. 

No, what was she thinking. There would be no later. All they had was now. 

Presently, they began to descend. Below them was a sprawling villa with verdant walled gardens, elegant buildings with tiled red roofs supported by sprawling columns, and fountains and pools filled with beautiful blue water. This must be Hercules and Meg’s home. It was right by the ocean, and the sparkling sea glittered up at them. The villa got bigger and bigger till at last Pegasus glided to a smooth, easy landing by the foot of a tall stone staircase. They were on a paved garden path near a rounded seating area, and one of the fountains enticed them with its cool waters. 

She, Sora, and Pegasus were all panting, Pegasus from carrying two people on the journey, Sora from doing all the difficult parts of riding him, and Kairi from the thrill of it all. 

“Kairi?” Sora asked. “Mind if I dismount?”

“I wish I didn’t have to let go of you,” she murmured, her face red. She was sad their wonderful flight was already over. Yet another ending on the path to their final separation.

“It’s only temporary,” he promised, and she relented and released her grip. He dismounted and then helped her down, his touch gentle and strong at the same time.

She wobbled a little when her feet made contact with the ground, and he was quick to wrap his arms around her to steady her.

“Thank you,” she said, resting her hand over his heart. They were both breathing heavily, and Sora licked his lips. Their faces were so close that he could lean forward just a little further and kiss her. Her heart hammered in her chest. He had this look in his eyes that she’d never seen before, and a thrill went through her. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, imagining what it would feel like to kiss him at long last—

Pegasus neighed loudly, startling them apart. 

“Sorry, thanks for the ride, Pegasus!” Sora said, his face bright red as he rubbed the back of his neck. An overly cheerful smile was plastered on his face, like he was really embarrassed and was trying to hide it.

“Yes, thank you,” Kairi quickly added. Maybe she’d just imagined Sora had wanted to kiss her. She’d caught him by surprise, that was all. 

Pegasus whinnied appreciatively, then took flight again. Kairi and Sora watched until he became just a small figure in the sky, no bigger than a toy horse. Sora turned to her, a soft smile on his face. He put his hands behind his back in that delightfully charming Sora way of his and tilted his head.

“Well Kairi? We have this entire villa to ourselves for the rest of the day. What do you wanna do?”

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A/N: The prompt for this fic was provided by Aquafolia, who requested a story based on the following quote from Hercules during KH3 in regards to why he gave up immortality to be with Meg: “I’d have to be apart from the person I love most, and that life would be empty.” She also suggested Sora and Kairi explore Thebes together as well as a few later plot points 👀 ✨ Thank you for providing the prompt and a basic framework for the story 🙏

Thank you also to Liv for reading through the story, providing suggestions, helping me stay motivated, and providing helpful feedback as always ❤️ I really enjoyed bouncing ideas off of you and hearing your thoughts. Thank you for always being so supportive of my writing, it really means a lot 🥺 ❤️ 

Also, the instructions for mounting a horse bareback are from this YouTube video. I just thought it would be really fun for Sora and Kairi to get to ride Pegasus together, but he doesn’t have a saddle or reins, so reality ensued and I had to do a little additional research. And I also rewatched the actual Hercules movie, pausing to take screenshots and make notes about character dialogue and world details to incorporate. It was a lot of fun and gave me a deeper appreciation for the movie and for how Kingdom Hearts has incorporated various details from the movie over the years. As I was watching the movie too I was like “wait a second, I don’t know that Hercules’ villa has really appeared in Kingdom Hearts yet at all (unless the garden-y areas in KH3 count), it’s so beautiful and I’d really like to feature it,” and thus the end of this chapter (and the next chapter) was born.

Also, the title is taken from one of the lyrics in Hercules’ song, “Go the Distance,” since his search for belonging is such a core part of his character arc, and he finds that place of belonging with Meg. Wink wink nudge nudge I wonder how that will apply to this story 🧐 😉 

As always, thank you for reading!

[jadlz]

Kairi: This is my boyfriend, Sora, and this is Sora's boyfriend, Riku

[sokaiweek]

SoKai Week 2022 Prompts and Rules

Announcing this year's prompts and rules! Thank you to everyone who gave their input. 

In honor of the 20th anniversary, the focus is on different games throughout the series. Feel free to create content inspired by these prompts: favorite moments, what-ifs, missing scenes, AUs, etc. 

Check below the cut for the text version!

SoKai Week 2022 Prompts

Day 1 - July 10

Anniversary

Day 2 - July 11

Kingdom Hearts 1 OR Chain of Memories

Day 3 - July 12

Kingdom Hearts 2 OR 358/2 Days

Day 4 - July 13

Free Day

Day 5 - July 14

Birth By Sleep OR Dream Drop Distance

Day 6 - July 15

Kingdom Hearts 3 OR Melody of Memory

Day 7 - July 16

Kingdom Hearts 4 OR The Future

Bonus

After 20 years, Best Of, Cooking Together, Couple, Dancing, Dreams, Fanworks Reaction, Fairytale, Gender-Bent, Happily Ever After, Melody, Modern AU, Multiverse AU, Paopu-Sharing, Pirates AU, Transistor (2013 Game) AU, Truth or Dare, Visiting the City, Wedding, World Trip

Rules

🌠 Be respectful.

🌠 No ship or character bashing.

🌠 No NSFW.

🌠 No other pairings (SoKai only).

🌠 Feel free to share your art, stories, gifs, edits, graphics, cosplay, or other fanworks!

🌠 Use the tags #sokaiweek or #sokaiweek2021.

🌠 Have fun!

[phoenixmiko]

I wonder if Sora has the good luck charm? Kairi gave it to him before the Mark of Mastery exam and we have not seen it since; we never saw him give it back to her in KH3 after all. Maybe he has still got the talisman and is keeping it safe wherever he has disappeared to. Unless of course, he returned it to Kairi before he vanished.

[waywardwindd]

As a small child watching my older brother play Kingdom Hearts I and II for some reason I really honestly believed that Sora and Kairi were siblings and let me tell you, when I encountered the fandom in internet spaces for the first time and Sorakai vs Soriku ship wars were all the rage? I have never gone from the distress of absolute horror to absolute confusion so greatly in my life. I swear to God, when I was eight years old experiencing this series these two could not have more clearly been siblings. It felt like I’d been Mandela effected.