#topic ; holdfény

[helixoflife]

Friend to Foe to Friend || Relationship with Kumo

This WILL contain spoilers for literally everything in the series! Also, this headcanon pertains specifically to @symphonicsoul 's portrayal of Kumo (hence the exclusivity).

Today, I'm going to talk about Kaze's most important relationship, and that's the one he has with White Cloud/Kumo.

At the beginning of the series, we see Kumo flash in Kaze's very sparse memories. He appears to be carrying the body of Aura, Kaze's sister. He then assumes that Kumo is responsible for the destruction of his world, as all he can connect and remember are Aura and Kumo. He feels drawn to him further by the fact Kumo is his literal counterpart and the Magun seems to seek him out.

In actuality, Windaria was destroyed by Chaos, not Kumo. What actually happened, you ask?

Well, first, Chaos destroyed the enemy kingdom of Misterica. Kumo, then known as Pilvi, survived, but ended up thrown through the dimensional tunnel to Windaria. Aura found the boy as an unconscious child in a field and brought him back to the house she and Kaze, then known as Szél, shared. Together, they nursed him back to health and Szél quickly took the boy under his wing. To avoid any Windarian soldiers finding and executing him, he and Aura renamed him Holdfény, or "small moon". Holdfény was a curious, loving, gentle child whom he grew to see as his family over the three years they spent living together.

Chaos then set its sights on Windaria and ripped it to shreds in the same manner. Aura, who had been gravely injured, sacrificed herself to help Szél summon Bahamut. Szél and Holdfény then fought side by side, both turning themselves into their true dragon forms.

Szél fused himself with Chaos, ordering Holdfény to strike them down to seal the galaxy destroying god away and prevent it from doing this again to another world.

There was a heavy toll to pay with that seal: Kaze's memories. He forgot almost everything, including his own name, and Chaos corrupted what little he did remember when he fused with it.

Ai and Yu gave him the name "Kaze" when he woke up in Wonderland 12 years later. He spends most of the series hellbent on destroying Kumo right up until nearly the finale when he finally understood that Chaos was the real threat. This time, Kumo is the one who fused himself with Chaos and Kaze was the one to seal it away.

Kumo's price was damage to his soul, such that he lost his own Mist. In FF:U After, he eventually regains it.

Presently, Kumo and Kaze travel together as companions. Kaze doesn't remember him very well to this day, but over the past several years in his present verse, Kumo has become his best friend.

Kumo is actually who he considers his best friend, but deep down, Kaze is scared to voice that whatsoever because he knows Chaos could resurface to rip away everything he loves all over again. He sees to it that he protects Kumo and makes sure his counterpart is happy with everything he has, but he does so quietly and from a distance. After all, the last time he was visibly caring for someone in his own memories, Chaos killed her. The friend that survived Windaria being torn apart and who found Kaze again in Wonderland was also killed (in the finale) and he knows Chaos wouldn't hesitate to take someone dear away again if given the chance.

Sometimes, another glimpse of a memory will be recovered, but that's something Kaze is experiencing little by little. The bond he has with Kumo now is different than the one that Szél had with Holdfény. Still, it is crucial. Still, it is the strongest bond that he has. Still, he considers Kumo to be the only thing he really has left to lose.

He will not verbally admit to caring for Kumo. He will never call Kumo his friend. He feels that it's just too dangerous. Instead, he'll often simply say that Kumo is "my Other", "my counterpart", or "my Moon" on the very rare chance that the circumstances allow for that.

He can't let himself show too much that he cares for anyone because he truly believes that means they'll die. Kumo is no exception to that.