#[ what?! someone without chirithy?! were finding them right now!

[eyesofparoxysm-a]

staarshined I lost my chirithy, do they come with warranty and replacement guarantee?

“ That depends, did you lose them or they lose you? Also! Were just talking about lost as in missing right? “  “ No there is no warranty on them nor replacement. They are supposed to stick by their keyblade wielders so I doubt they are far! “

#staarshined #[ what?! someone without chirithy?! were finding them right now! #also big frowns on losing them >:T ]

[dahniwitchoflight]

KHUX - Where’d they all go?

Alright so, first!

Who and what and where did everyone end up?

Maleficient: Took a pod to a specific point in the future, achieved this by also using her pet crow to force memories of her present self by having it fly her cloak to the great fairies and make them remember her

Ephemer: Brain from outside manages to send two pods back into the data Daybreak Town to rescue Ephemer and Skuld, (with the last Pod still in the Data meant for the Player, so all three could escape) Pops out of the pod to see the destroyed real Daybreak Town, goes back in with Skuld to escape the dying worldline along with the others, Gets flung forward in time just a tad from his own perspective to become the Founder of Scala Ad Caelum from the ruins of the destroyed Daybreak Town (Still doesn’t answer how or why he popped out in KH3 to help, but eh, guess that’s a question for Dark Road?)

Lauriam: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Gets flung to present KH Times in a flower field from Snow White’s world, most likely proceeds to become a nobody some time later

Elrena: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Gets flung to roughly the same time and place as Lauriam, but on the stormy mountain from the Witch’s area of Snow White’s world,  most likely proceeds to become a nobody some time later

Ventus: Hops into one of three Pods in the real Daybreak Town to escape, Ends up in the keyblade graveyard, roughly a few years before BBS and is found by Old Xehanort starting that story

Player: Tricks Ephemer into sealing them and the 4 darknesses into a piece of the Data Daybreak Town by pretending to have fallen to darkness, ends up dying from the 4 Darknesses, sacrificing themselves to save Ephemer and Skuld. In the realm between Death and Sleep, their dying heart then reincarnates eventually into a new young Heart (as they sometimes do), into that of newborn Young Xehanort, who is from Scala Ad Caelum in the time of Dark Road-ish, gets sent to Destiny Island’s by a mysterious old man who then dies, and then Young Xehanort begins his journey in Dark Road

Strelitzia: Her apparent Nobody gets sent to the future into the real world by Luxu, but it’s unknown where or when she ends up, last seen walking off in a white version of the Nobody Coat  (I suppose this is another question Dark Road will likely answer?)

Skuld: Brain from outside manages to send two pods back into the data daybreak town to rescue Emphemer and Skuld, Pops out of the pod to see the destroyed real Daybreak Town, goes back in with Ephemer to escape the dying worldline along with the others, We don’t find out her whereabouts, but the remaining theory is that she is Subject X from BBS, Lea and Isa’s friend with amnesia (I suppose this is another question Dark Road will likely answer?)

Rest of the Sleeping Dandelions/Fallen Keyblade Wielders: As their hearts fall asleep, the Chirithy that is bound to their hearts also takes on a sleeping form and become Dream Eaters, Spirit shaped by their wielders Dreams in order to protect them

Luxu: Last seen dragging along the box, holding the keyblade, and lifting up his hood to reveal that he looks exactly like Brain just without the hat

Brain: Gets flung forward roughly to the time of Dark Road-ish, last seen in Scala Ad Caelum that has been rebuilt for a while now by Ephemer the founder from a long time ago, just without his signature hat, and due to his conversation with a figure named Sigurd (who gives him his hat back), has likely fallen roughly into the times of KH Dark Road, and is perhaps a closer ancestor to Eraqus than first thought! maybe even a grandpa or great-grandpa

now the fun thing about Luxu and Brain and why they might look the same, cuz there’s a few options:

Is that before their final scenes, the 2nd last scene Luxu and Brain had was with eachother, right after Brain sent everyone on their merry way, Luxu pops up and says hey watcha doing, and Brain says he wants to stay behind to help free all the sleeping keyblade wielders, even if it takes him the rest of his life, and Luxu comments at him that it’d be a shame for him to waste his life like that or something to the effect before a fade to black

and the thing is, we don’t get to see their individual arrangements for how Both Luxu and Brain escape to the worldline along with the others. We just know that for sure he doesn’t stay and wake up the wielders, because all of their chirithy’s turn into the dream eaters. (And also that apparently he left his hat behind before he left as he picks it up in Scala when Sigurd gives it back to him)

And since there’s only one seemingly possible pod left to take, the one from the data world left for the Player (who never took it and instead dies), theres seem to be only one spot left on the ride out, and with Luxu’s body snatching tendencies, it seems to suggest that Luxu overtook Brain’s Heart and Body, grabbed the last pod from the data and adios’d

BUT the key here is in their apparent attitudes that we know this is likely not the case, and also the Hat, not only does it make it obviously clear who is who, the logistics of the Hat make it clear as well

In both cases, the boy who ends up in the graveyard with the box and the key, and the boy who appears in Scala, neither of them have Brain’s hat

But Brain IS last seen with his hat

If Luxu had overtaken Brain, there would be no reason for him to discard the hat, since the entire point of the body snatching is to be that person

Then, when Brain wakes up in Scala, Sigurd comes along and presents the hat saying “We’ve been waiting for you.” and Brain takes it back

Brain would neither remove his hat, nor would Luxu remove it if he had overtaken Brain

Instead, the likelier option is that Luxu forcibly put Brain into a pod and sent him to the future, saying it would be a shame if Brain were to die while Daybreak Town fell to darkness, because that’s what would’ve happened if Brain tried to stay behind

Where does that Leave Luxu though? How does he get back?

Well back in the data daybreak town, there are actually two Pods left, one meant for the Player who never used it, which Brain likely ended up taking, and a Destroyed Pod that got written off since who would know how to fix it?

Oh, Luxu would! And we know he does, because he specifically taunts Brain with that knowledge, asking him if he even knows how their supposed to work, And wouldn’t ya know, it’s in the Data Daybreak Town, meaning Luxu wouldn’t have even need to physically fix it, he could have easily reprogrammed it to be fixed from the computer side

So, two people, two pods, Luxu sends Brain on his merry way, in the scuffle because Brain would have resisted, the hat might’ve been removed, and Luxu could have easily set it up so that the hat could be preserved and in the future they would know to look and wait for Brain to appear

The only mystery remains then is why does Luxu looks like Brain?

appearances are tricky things in the KH series as well all know, and Luxu’s face has been hidden all this time, likely because his face would have been a spoiler or potentially confusing had it been shown from the beginning of KHX, not KHUX even

The one hint we have, is that in the Back Cover cinematic, which takes places during KHX, If you look closely, apparently you can see a shaggy lock of hair under his hood that matches Brain’s

which means Luxu has probably looked liked Brain all along from the start!

And before getting into the crazier reasons of why someone would look like someone else in the KH series (look at you Ventus/Roxas, Sora/Vanitas, Kairi/Namine/Xion) 

the one that makes the most sense to me personally, consideriong this fact, is that Luxu is a Replica of some sort, of Brain, made by the Master of Masters to fulfill a specific purpose for him, and considering Luxu’s purpose was easily the most important of MoM’s plans, and with how in his early appearances Luxu appears very withdrawn, shy, or dependant on MoM but also separate in some way from the rest of the 5 and with how we know that MoM has no qualms creating living things to do his bidding like the Chirithy’s, we know he’s aware of the replica technology at the very least since the pod system appears to be a workaround for this very issue of needing a medium for the flesh at the appropriate time and place

I think him being a replica with Brain’s appearance makes the most sense, Brain was certainly already on MoM’s radar as a special keyblade wielder, since he was one of the ones MoM chose to be a new union leader, and the way that Luxu’s appearance has always been hidden, how he always wore the black coat which in KH3 seems to be confirmed as what a “default” Replica body appears in when not in use, as we see when Riku Replica shunts out evil Repliku to have the body for Namine, it appears as a doll covered in the black coat

To me, I think it’s fitting, and I think that Luxu being comfortable with shunting from body to body and switching between forms is also part of that, his original form is a replica made to mimic another person, so why wouldn’t he continue that trend? Moving his heart from vessel to vessel, never getting attached to the flesh or identity itself? 

So yeah, I believe that Luxu taking over Brain is a red herring that KHUX ending presents, but I believe it will ultimately not be the case, and the rest of Dark Road/Verum Rex will go further into the reason why that is, with Luxu being a Replica of Brain from the very start coming out on top as the most likely series of events

#KH #KHUX #BRAIN #LUXU #part where'd they all go and part luxu brain theory

[maddrmatt]

A Beautiful Future: A Premonition or a Punishment? (SoKai Week 2021)

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Greetings, readers and fellow SoKai fans!

Let’s continue on with the show as our favorite MIA Keyblade wielder reflects on what was seen in the last chapter!  Enjoy!

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Chapter 2: Ponderings of the Lost Hero

Quadratum

After opening his eyes, Sora suddenly leapt to his feet.  He summoned his Keyblade and surveyed his surroundings.

Fortunately for him, he wasn’t currently in any danger.  But much to his dismay, he was not in a chapel in Radiant Garden about to kiss the love of his life.  Instead, he was standing next to a large dumpster in an alleyway between two tall buildings.

‘I must’ve been so tired from running that I fell asleep when I stopped to rest,’ he thought as he dismissed his Keyblade.

Sora’s current location was hardly an ideal place to take a nap.  But the Gigas and the various adversaries that inhabited this world had kept him on the run since his arrival.  Also, even though he had yet to encounter him again, he feared that Yozora would find him and try to ‘save’ him again.  So, he couldn’t be picky about where or when he could sleep.

It still mystified him that he was now in a world that he had originally thought only existed in a video game.  When that girl in the Final World had mentioned she was waiting for a Yozora to find her, he had assumed that she had been talking about someone with the same name.  But his encounter with Yozora and the very real existence of this world had certainly raised a few questions.

‘I may have been here for a long time now, but I still can’t believe it. How can this world be real and also be a video game in a world back in my Realm?  And why is ending up here the penalty for misusing the Power of Waking?’

But the biggest question was the one that had bothered him the most.  ‘And will I ever be able to leave?’

Sora’s thoughts now turned what he just had witnessed in his sleep.  ‘That was some dream.  The first dream I’ve been able to have since I got here.  But I wonder if it wasn’t just a dream.  What if it was a premonition?  A vision of the future?  Dreams can do that, right?’

Sora began to pace around the alley.  ‘It certainly looked and felt like one.  I mean, we all did look a little older.  Not to mention I saw that Pinocchio wasn’t a puppet and the Beast wasn’t, well, the Beast anymore.  And there were so many guests at the wedding that I didn’t know.’

He thought back to the part of the dream where he walked down the aisle toward the altar.  Now that he was awake, he realized that there were indeed quite a lot of unrecognized faces among those he knew.

‘Let’s see.  When I saw the group from Atlantica in the crowd, Ariel was human again even though the last time I saw her, she was a mermaid.  Also, it seems that some magic was needed for Flounder and King Triton to attend since they were hovering in the air as if they were still underwater. And then there was that girl who resembled Ariel but with black hair.  Did Ariel and Prince Eric get married and have a daughter?’

‘It also looked like there had been some big changes in Arendelle too. Anna had been wearing an outfit similar to what Elsa had been wearing when Donald, Goofy and I had first met her. And speaking of Elsa, she was not only wearing a different snow gown and had let her hair go, but she also looked more at peace with herself then I last remembered.  Plus, she also had a small blue lizard on her shoulder.  I wonder if she’s taken on Rapunzel’s taste in animal sidekicks.’

‘Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys we met were there and they had all been enlarged to human size.  And there were some other toys with them, probably their friends they’d been separated from when the Organization split their world.  Like that redhaired cowgirl and that woman with the pink bow in her blonde hair and dressed in blue.  Strangely, she looked like she was made of porcelain which is an unusual material for a toy.  They both seemed to be pretty close to Buzz and Woody respectively.  Also, there was that unusual toy that looked more like a child’s art project.’

‘Little Chef was definitely in some unfamiliar company.  He was with that redheaded man with that woman with brown hair as well as that older man with glasses.  And there were also two other rats: one with gray fur and that pudgier one with brown fur.  Maybe they were Little Chef’s relatives.’

‘I’m glad that Cloud finally made it home because he was among Leon, Yuffie and the rest of the committee and it seemed that he and Tifa had hooked up. And they weren’t the only ones. Leon had his arm around a woman with black hair and Aerith was with a man who looked a little like Cloud only with black hair.  Even Cid apparently had a date: that woman with auburn hair and glasses.  And then there were the new faces: that big, muscular guy whose hand appeared to be made of metal and the little girl in pink on his shoulder as well as that strange catlike creature with red fur.

‘It also looks like I ended up in meeting them in Shibuya after all since I also saw Neku and his friends there as well.  But there were some missing from that group.  Rhyme and that boy she called Beat was there.  But Joshua wasn’t.  And neither was Shiki.  Instead, there was only that girl with brown hair and glasses.  I hope nothing bad happened to them.’

‘There were even some unfamiliar faces among Queen Minnie, Daisy, and the rest I remember from Disney Castle.  There was that unusual pair who looked like a rabbit and a cat with a whole bunch of little rabbits with them.  And then there was that female duck who looked like she could be Donald’s twin sitting near his nephews.   There was also someone who looked like a younger version of Goofy accompanied by a female dog with red hair and apparently, some who looked like a younger version of Pete.’

Then Sora realized it was not just the unfamiliar guests that stood out in the dream.  His own thoughts during the dream contained information that he had not known before.

‘How could I have known why Xion looks the way she does?  And though Master Yen Sid mentioned that Aqua saved Kairi long ago, my thoughts implied that she played a big role in our meeting. I’m sure I would’ve learned it all if I hadn’t disappeared.  But is it possible for your dream self to know something that you don’t?’

Sora leaned against the wall of the building and gazed out into the empty street.  There was still no sign of incoming trouble.  He was glad that nothing had shown up during his pondering on account that he still had more to do.

‘All in all, it certainly was quite a show.  But still, I can’t help but wonder why a dream like that would come to me now?  And if it really was a vision of the future, does it mean that I’m going to make it back home?  And Kairi and I really are destined to live happily ever after?’ Sora thought as a feeling of hope came to him.

Unfortunately, the hope faded as a troubling thought took over.  ‘Or maybe it’s a future that isn’t going to happen. Maybe it’s nothing more than extra punishment for breaking rules I never knew existed.’

Sora thought back to when he returned to the Final World after Xehanort’s defeat. He recalled how Chirithy had told him about what he was risking using the Power of Waking to restore Kairi.  As he remembered that conversation, a feeling of anger at the unfairness of it all came to him.

“I never meant to break any nature taboos.  I didn’t even know they existed.  I thought I was just rescuing my friends from that Lich Heartless.  I didn’t know it would end up rewriting time and giving us another chance to fight.  And I especially didn’t know that it was the wrong thing to do,” he said out loud not caring if anybody heard him.

That’s when Sora realized something.  “If I’m being punished for doing that, does that mean that we were supposed to lose no matter what we did?  Well, to whoever or whatever decided that, I’m sorry but if following your rules meant letting Xehanort win after everything he did, then I was happy to break them.”

His thoughts then turned to Kairi.  “And I definitely was not going to leave the girl I love more than anything in the worlds as she was: shattered, split and scattered.  If there was any chance to save her, I would have taken it no matter what the consequences.  Because a world without Kairi is one I never want to live in.”

That’s when Sora realized the sad irony.  ‘And yet, a world without her or any of my friends is exactly where I ended up anyway.  I guess the punishment really did fit the crime in the end.  And as if that wasn’t enough, it seems I’m now being tormented with visions of a future that may never be.’

Then a feeling of determination came over Sora. ‘No. I can’t think like that.  I won’t ever think like that.  If whatever forces sent me here sent that dream to punish me further, then I’m not going to give them the satisfaction.’

Sora gazed up at the dark sky and cried out, “It’s not going to work!  You hear me?  It won’t work!  Instead, I’m going to use what I saw in that dream to further fuel my desire to get back to my home!  Back to my friends!  Back to her so we can have a future like that in the dream!”

The young hero then reached into the pocket of his jacket nearest his heart. He pulled out a folded piece of paper which he then unfolded revealing the lucky charm that Kairi had given to him before he and Riku left for the Mark of Mastery Exam.

Taking the charm into his hand, he clutched it to his heart.  ‘We may be worlds apart, Kairi.  But our hearts are still connected.  I realized that when I was suddenly able to fight for you. Even though I didn’t know exactly what was going on, especially how somehow Xehanort was still around, I knew you needed me.  And I know that connection will bring us back together someday.’

“They can take your world.  They can take your heart.  Cut you loose from all you know.  But if it’s your fate, then every step forward will always be a step closer to home. And it will be my fate.  And whatever that dream’s true purpose was, I will do all that I can to make it our fate, Kairi.  That’s a promise and I always keep my promises to you.  It’s my oath to return,” Sora said out loud.

After gazing once more around for any sign of trouble and seeing that there was none in spite of his earlier outbursts, he figured that he had time to do one more thing before moving on to a new location in the city.  Leaning against the wall with the lucky charm in one hand, he then looked at the paper that it had been wrapped in.  

He began to read the words written on the paper.  Words that no matter how many times he read had always managed to touch his heart because they came from the one who his heart belonged to.

“Thinking of you, wherever you are.”

________________________________________________________________

On the edge of one of Quadratum’s tall buildings, a man in a black coat gazed downward into the alley.  He watched the spiky-haired brunette boy read from his letter.  Under his hood, he smirked and let out an amused chuckle.

“You might wish to keep it down, Sora.  You never know who or what may be listening here in Quadratum.  But it sounds like that was a pretty good dream you had with the way you were going on about making it a reality.  Your determination to get back to your home and your devotion to your girl are pretty admirable.  They will serve you well when the time comes for you to play your role,” said the Master of Masters.

The very first Keyblade master gazed up to the sky. As he had done before, he brought his hands together into a heart shape and held them up so he could view the full moon through them.

“Soon, all the pieces will fall into place, Sora. My apprentices.  The Union leaders and Dandelions who still exist.  The Darknesses.  Yozora.  Your friend Riku and the rest of your Guardians of Light over on the other side including your little girlfriend.  All of them have their roles to play in my grand plan and once they are fulfilled, we will finally see the absolute end of the true Keyblade War,” he declared.

Then his voice took on an ominous tone.  “But after all is said and done, will all your devotion pay off?  Will the dreams of a ‘happily ever after’ with your beloved Kairi come true?  Or will the fates conspire to pull you apart once again? And if that should happen, will it be the ultimate separation, one that is impossible to undo?”

The Master then parted his hands and shrugged his shoulders.  “Who knows? I may be the author of a very large compendium of future events.  But the Book of Prophecies never accounted for everything. So, in the end, who can really say?”

The Master then returned his gaze back to the young Keyblade wielder in the alley.  Sora had finished reading his letter and was now staring to leave.  The Master’s gaze followed the boy as he headed out into the city.

“Things may have taken a… slight turn from my original plans.  But the more I think about it, it actually makes things more interesting.  After ages of watching events unfold the way I had foreseen; I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to actually be surprised.  And I have a feeling, Sora, that you are going to be full of surprises.”

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Notes from the Mad Doctor:

Went rather heavy on the internal monologuing in this chapter, huh?

Sharp Disney and Square Enix fans will likely know the unfamiliar guests Sora was talking about.  Feel free to let me know if you did recognize all of them or some of them.

I think we can understand the anger Sora’s expressing here.  After everything he did to protect the worlds from Xehanort, this is his ultimate reward?  I know he doesn’t regret doing what he did to save everyone especially Kairi. But I wouldn’t blame him for being upset.

Although I have mentioned him in my other stories, this is the first time the Master of Masters has actually shown up.  I really hope I wrote his mysterious yet eccentric demeanor well.  And I have a feeling, given the Master’s presence in Quadratum, that Sora’s arrival in this world was no coincidence.  Then again, is anything a coincidence in Kingdom Hearts?

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I also give my special thanks to @fandomchanger, @dreaming-in-seams, and @sakuranekogirl​ for their likes on the previous chapter as well as @sokaiweek, @phoenix-downer​, and @the-secret-place​ for reblogging the previous chapter.

The next chapter still needs work so it should be posted on Thursday if all goes well.

Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated!  Stay tuned for we’ll be dropping in on the other half of our favorite couple next chapter!

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Onto the next chapter!

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #sokaiweek #sokaiweek2021 #sora #master of masters #maddrmatt

[houseofsannae]

A Fistful of Munny - Extended End Notes

Notes for A Fistful of Munny that don’t fit within the character limit under the cut!

Please, read the fic before reading this post

           All right! Welcome to the extended notes, in which I go into excruciating detail over a bunch of stuff that doesn’t matter, because I like the sound of my own voice!

           Let’s start with some more broad stuff that didn’t make the exclusive end notes space. To do the Fistful of Dollars homage, I needed a place where I could have two villainous factions intersecting for Strelitzia to play against one another. After some brainstorming and asking for help from other people working on the Entwined in Trine Sorikai zine (and ultimately ignoring all their very good suggestions (Sorry, guys!)), I eventually realized that the Wasteland from Epic Mickey was a perfect place for this story, both in the sense of having mooks to destroy without Strels committing actual murder, and in the thematic sense of forgotten characters. There was just one issue.

           I hadn’t played Epic Mickey.

           And that is how I spent my summer, playing both Epic Mickey games. Both, because I was looking for a good location to set the story in in-world. Since the Wasteland is based on the Disney theme parks, I was hoping to find one based on Frontierland, their Western section. Such a location did exist – Disney Gulch – but only in the second game. Which meant I had to play Epic Mickey 2, as well. (The first one is a better game, but that’s not really the fault of the developers; they were not given the time they needed to make it as good as the first one. Here’s a video with trivia about the series that goes a little into the development.) I also needed to learn the Mad Doctor’s ultimate fate, since I wanted his Beetleworx/Blotworx to be one of the two villainous factions. In the game, depending on whether you chose the Paint (Paragon) or Thinner (Renegade) path, the Doc is either redeemed… or dead. Neither of which was helpful, so I had to invent.

           But let’s talk about characters and why I picked them in order. The short version for why these choices, at least on the Final Fantasy side, is set-up for later. Obviously I can’t go into detail why. Before that, let’s talk about the Beanie Baby.

           Chi is, as I hope you were able to guess, Strelitzia’s Chirithy. I’ve brought it up several times, but I personally do not like mascot characters. There are a few exceptions, but Chirithies are not one of them. Like I said, KHUx isn’t what happened in this AU, so you’ll have to wait for in-universe answers on why it’s a cat now. Out-of-universe reason is this was the only way I could make it palatable for myself. I arbitrarily decided on a gender for it because as a real cat, it would have a sex. Canonically Chirithies appear to be genderless, and in Japanese refer to themselves with the gender-neutral (but masculine-leaning) boku. I would’ve left Chi that way, save for the fact that he’s a completely normal cat now. (And before you ask, no, not every real cat that appears in KHΨ from this point on is a Chirithy.)

           As for Strelitzia herself, it’s hard for me to pick up a character’s voice when they’re… not voiced. Intonation and cadence do a lot for me mimicking the way a character talks, so it’s a bit more difficult when they don’t technically speak. I tried for a mix between Sora and Kairi, while still keeping her defining character traits of being shy, but also impulsive.

           You may notice that while she’s started remembering faces, if not names, the Player’s name and face still eludes her, despite her (canonical. Deal with it.) crush on them. There is a story reason for this, and will become clear once Luxu takes centre stage.

           The name “Jane” was chosen with more consideration than just “Jane Doe” being the standard name in (at least my corner of) the English-speaking world for a woman of unknown identity. See, the Man With No Name actually has three names. In A Fistful of Dollars, he is referred to (by one character in one scene, once) as “Joe”. “Joan” might have been a more clear homage, but I figure Jane makes sense. And as you might guess, in the next fic, Strels will be going by a different name, still not her own. She’ll remember her name… eventually.

           One might think I could’ve picked any old Cid, and one would be wrong for reasons I can’t explain yet. In fact, I can’t explain much of anything surrounding him yet. What I can say is no, Cidney Aurum is not dead, she’s just not related to Cid Sophiar in this fic verse. An unfortunate consequence of where I wanted to put each of them in the narrative; making them not be related was the only way it made any sense, geographically speaking.

           Hyperion on the other hand, I can talk about. He’s one of the Gremlins in Epic Mickey, and… wait, first things first. Gremlins are from an abandoned Disney film based on a Roald Dahl book, itself based on the cryptids that supposedly haunted airplanes and caused them to malfunction, the earliest known written-down mention of the concept being from the 1920s. The film never got made, but the designs Disney would have used were adapted into a second printing of Dahl’s book, and they were later used in Epic Mickey. Hyperion is, like the publishing imprint that Disney owns, named after a street that Walt Disney used to live on. In-game, Hyperion is in Bog Easy (based on the Haunted Mansion), not Disney Gulch, but his name stuck out to me as being particularly fun, so I picked him instead of trying to figure out what Gremlins actually are in the Gulch (they have names in the files of Epic Mickey 2, but not in the actual game, so it would have been a hunt).

           Regardless of where the setting ended up, for the second villainous faction, I was always going to plop down the good old Don. More things I can’t talk about. For everything FF7, know that I’m always going to be pulling from a mix of the original game, Remake, and Machinabridged. Hence, Corneo’s outfit is a mix of his original and Remake designs (which basically just means he’s wearing blue jeans instead of brown). I didn’t think bringing in his three lieutenants from Remake was necessary, especially since this was supposed to be a kind-of small operation.

           Leslie is picked up and dropped from Remake pretty much unchanged. I needed someone to do the murders Strels couldn’t, and even if he’s not a complete asshole, he’s still mostly an asshole. Have we ever seen small, Materia-like balls used to cast magic before…?

           Onto the fun bits, which is the Disney characters. We’ll start with Percy, who is from a Goofy short called “How to Ride a Horse”, from 1950. And that’s about it. The conceit in Wasteland is that all of the Toons there were basically actors, and they wound up in Wasteland if they were forgotten (that’s not exactly correct, but I’m generalizing). This is interesting, since two of the Toons in Epic Mickey are Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, both of whom… are residents of Disney Town in Kingdom Hearts, having shown up in Birth by Sleep. So that’s an interesting continuity snarl that I’m going to just ignore.

           Persephone and Pluto, on the other hand, are from an earlier short called “The Goddess of Spring”, from 1934. It was one of the projects Disney tried as practice for Snow White. If you’re about to protest that his name should be Hades, not Pluto, then you’re going to need a time machine so you can tell them back in the 30s. The Goddess of Spring is a musical, in the sense that every single line is sung. Watch it for yourself. There’s a video with better quality floating around YouTube, but for some reason it’s the French dub. And that’s why both of them sing most of their lines. I tried matching the meter of their actual parts, but Persephone’s doesn’t actually follow a syllabic pattern that I could make out. I eventually gave up and just gave her the meter from the start of the short. Pluto’s was easier to manage (and more consistent).

           The skeletons are Disney veterans, presumably the same ones from “The Skeleton Dance” (1929), but more specifically they’re mimicking what they did in “The Mad Doctor” (1933), the first appearance of our other villain. They’re fun.

           The original Mad Doctor was supposedly named “Dr. XXX”, according to the name on his door. This was before the modern film rating system was put in place; it was a different time. In the original short, the Mad Doctor kidnaps Pluto (the dog) with the intent of cutting him in half and putting his front half on a chicken For Science!, and Mickey follows him to his castle to rescue the purloined pooch. The short wasn’t a musical in the same vein as “The Goddess of Spring”, but… the Mad Doctor’s only spoken lines were a song (aside from evil cackling). While I had already decided to do the “Toons that sang in their short can only communicate through song” with Persephone and Pluto before starting on Epic Mickey 2, I hilariously discovered that the game developers had done the exact same gag with the Mad Doctor, most of his lines in the game being sung. (In Epic Mickey there were no fully voiced lines, so he speaks as normally as anyone else does). Which made it easier to write his songs here, since I could just rewrite his songs from the game. I used to write alternate lyrics for songs back in high school, so this was an interesting trip back in time for me. They were stuck in my head for weeks afterwards, but it was worth it.

           I believe that’s everything for the characters. Let’s talk about Keyblades.

           It irks me that three people in KHUx have the same Keyblade. Ephemer, Skuld, and Strelitzia all have variations of Starlight. Now, in KHΨ, there is only one Starlight, and it belongs to Luxu, so I’m going to have to decide on different Keyblades for each of them. (Ephemer’s has already been decided, and I haven’t started brainstorming for Skuld yet. No I do not need suggestions, thank you). Pixie Petal bears a noted (by KHWiki) resemblance to one of Marluxia’s alternate scythes, so that tangential connection was enough for me. Both siblings have flower-themed Keyblades – it makes sense to me.

           You might notice a few disparities in the magic. These are on purpose, and will eventually make sense. And that’s all I can say on that at the moment. ;)

           Oh, yes, one important thing I probably should have said on the main notes: I’m not going for a realistic depiction of amnesia here. Anything I got right was entirely accidental, and I’m fairly certain there’s not much. There might be a story reason for why it works the way it does… and it might be the same reason why other people from KHUx have or had amnesia in the present day…

           You know what’s funny? Although Orcuses look more impressive than Invisibles, their stats in Days are actually worse. I’m fairly sure that this is because the only time we see an Orcus, it’s actually an illusion cast over Xion so that Roxas will fight her to the death. There are no other stats for them (according to KHWiki), since they’ve never been used elsewhere.

           A friendly reminder that Apprentice Xehanort invented the term “Heartless”, which was why Aqua didn’t know what to call them until Mickey told her. Thus, nobody from the era of the Keyblade War should know the term “Heartless” without being told by someone in present day. “Darkling” was the term they used instead. I’m fairly certain KHUx ignores the continuity on this (so why should we trust its continuity for anything else, hmm?)

           I think that covers everything! Or at least everything I’m willing to share at this point. If you’ve read this far, thank you! I appreciate your dedication! ^_^

#kingdom hearts Ψ #fanfic #kingdom hearts #strelitzia #fic notes #a fistful of munny

[tina-nina]

Hi! Thank you very much for my request! So can I request a sequel where player met destiny trio, sea salt trio and wayfinder trio?

I left this to rot for so long and I am so sorry about that.

~~~

Wayfinder Trio first!

Luxu had picked Linn up, brushed her off, used his limited skills to comfort her, then quickly handed her a translation charm because no one understands Daybreakian anymore and Linn doesn’t speak whatever the modern language is now, and sent her to the Land of Departure for care.

Linn is just glad to get away from the Foretellers and bolts through the Lane portal (she’s wearing her Union Armor so its fiiinnneeee).

Ven finds her first because his chirithy started tugging him in her direction and then he just sees this battered 12 year old in dented keyblade armor bleeding onto the grass and panics and calls the other two and Linn would just really like to know what the heck is going on thank you very much.

Linn triggers some of Ven’s UX memories (by accident) and Ven becomes the only one she’ll talk to.  Aqua and Terra are flailing in the background.

The Land of Departure (not so) quietly gets a new resident. A skiddish, smol resident than can blow up a whole wing of the castle without breaking a sweat.

~~~

Sea Salt Fam:

Lea, Roxas, and Xion try to make the rounds of the worlds their other friends live on every once in a while because sometimes just meeting is person is better than talking over gummiphone. Isa stays behind because someone needs to watch the house.

And Aqua had also contacted Lea in a panic because she needed his Skillz in the babysitting department. Lea does not understand why everyone thinks he’s so good with children.

(Isa: Because you are, you mother hen.)

They get there and Linn is hiding somewhere and no one can find her and the trio put their head together and think “If i were a traumatized childe, where would I go?”

They find Linn in like. 5 minutes lmao. She was on the castle roof. They all sit near her while giving her space and Lea starts talking about his time in the organization, the good and the bad, and then Roxas and Xion start chipping in and slowly Linn just gets closer and closer until she’s right next to them and tentatively sharing stories in shaky Common (she’s learning!)

Lea is no longer allowed to think hes not good with kids.

~~~

Destiny Trio:

in some nebulous future where sora is back and everything is fine, Ven drags Linn to Destiny Islands because he’s adopted her as a little sister and Sora is like the best kind of friend to have and Linn needs friends.

Sora looks at her and looks at her Keyblade and just tells her, “You friends helped me out a lot when I was having trouble, and have passed on peacefully.”

and Linn just starts quietly crying. She spends the rest of the day making sandcastles with Riku and Kairi and running around the beach playing tag with sora and they all help teach her to swim because Linn never lived near the beach and doesn’t know how to swim.

#slowkib #im so sorry it took me seven months to answer this #Linn just needs soft things and friends

[alphascorpiixx]

Another Dream

KHUX Week Day 7

You return to Daybreak Town as darkness spreads across the world.

Ao3

Characters: Player, Chirithy, Ephemer, Nightmare Chirithy

Gen, 2427 words, written before last update, second person pov

Warnings: death mention, drowning

Shadows play on the copper wirings inside the cables. Your adventures in the data worlds are over, the darkness banished and Candy Kingdom saved from destruction. The tunnel echoes with the metallic clack of your footsteps. You carry your Keyblade in your hand, ready for any remaining Heartless lurking in the shadows. The data worlds may be safe, but the Darkling’s presence still uneases you. Who could be their real target?

So wrapped up in your thoughts you are that you almost miss the brief flicker of the cable lights. You stop and look around. No Heartless appear, but the shadows loom on all sides. Something stutters in your peripheral vision, like the edges of the world are being pulled apart.

You pick up your pace.

The tunnel ends at a point of light. The portal back to Daybreak Town ripples with bursts of static. This isn’t right, it should have stabilized since you cleared out all the bugs. The glitched gateway twists and contorts more violently than before, at risk of closing any second. You sprint the last few steps.

You emerge where you and Ephemer started in the clocktower’s computer room. You catch your breath and look around, expecting Ephemer and the others to greet you. But the room is empty. The monitors, once displaying glimpses of all the various worlds, reflect you on their dark screens.

“Ephemer?” you call out.

Chirithy pops up beside you. “They’re probably in the Foretellers’ room. Let’s go report back.”

You leave the computer room and take the elevator down. Chirithy sits at your feet, and you rub your arms. The air in the clocktower is so cold, like something leached away all the warmth. 

The ride is silent, save for the clicking of the giant gears. You cast a sideways glance at Chirithy. “How do you know where that is?”

“I—uh.” Chirithy’s ears curl in, and they won’t meet your gaze.

“I know I’ve been here before, in the memories you’ve been suppressing.”

“I didn’t—”

“It’s okay.” You bend down and rub Chirithy’s head. “I know you just want to protect me. But I can protect myself, too.” You give Chirithy a soft smile, and they press their nose against your leg. “You’re my friend, and friends don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“I know,” they murmur against your calf.

You give their head one last pet and straighten up. After a few minutes, the gears click into place, and the elevator shudders to a stop. You hurry to the Foretellers’ room, shove the door open, and find the remains of a battle.

The stained glass window is smashed, and the grand table is splintered into pieces. Books strewn on the floor, their pages torn and scattered. Shattered vials, broken chairs. In the chaos, you almost don’t notice Ephemer leaning against a toppled bookshelf.

“Ephemer!” You run to his side. His jaw is bruised, and he gives you a lopsided grin.

“Hey, you made it back all right. Everything go okay?”

“Me? What happened to you?” You cast a Cure spell, and a soft green light washes over Ephemer. He closes his eyes for a second and exhales. You help him to his feet, and he explains as you two head to the elevator. 

“We were attacked by a creature, calls itself Darkness. It had possessed Ven to get inside this world, and then came after the rest of us. It escaped out the window,” he nods to the remains of the glass, “so Brain and Lauriam chased after it. Skuld’s looking after Ven, and that’s about it.” He gives a dry laugh. “Usual stuff.”

Your mind reels with questions, but Ephemer grimances and rubs his side. Questions can wait. 

The two of you make it to the elevator when the walls glitch. Black tendrils spread over the gears and extinguish the lights. They twist and surge, something between smoke and shadow.

“It’s back,” Ephemer whispers. He pushes you toward the exit. “Go! You have to get out of here!”

“Not without you!” You reach out, but the shadows separate the two of you. A flash of light accompanies his Keyblade summon, but it’s not enough to break through the darkness.

“Ephemer!” you shout, but the storm swallows your words. You throw your arm in front of your face. The shadows coalesce into something vaguely humanoid. A Darkling?

It advances toward you. You summon Starlight and draw on your lux reserves. A familiar burn runs through your veins as lux dances around your body. Walking through the clocktower’s halls sparked something in your mind. Memories swirl in your head—pouring rain, a muddy battlefield, the burning light at your fingertips—but you push them away. You want to remember, but you can’t be distracted now, with the darkness bearing down.

“It’s you,” the figure in the dark says. “The last of the Dandelions.”

“What did you do to Ephemer?” you demand. Your body glows like a star against the dark.

“He’s lost now. Adrift like the others.”

No. He can’t be. 

You blaze up the room with a Firaga spell, but it doesn’t burn away the darkness. Tendrils rise out of the floor and slice at your face. You hit them away with your Keyblade and lunge at the figure in the shadows.

They shy just out of your reach. “This fake world is nearing its end. You may have survived the end of the world once, but I wonder if fate will bless you a second time?”

Shadows gather at your feet, restraining you to the floor. The tendrils cling to your body and force you to your knees. You can’t raise your Keyblade, and the last of you lux snuffs out. Someone calls your name. Chirithy, still by your side. 

“No! You can’t take my friend!” Chirithy cries.

The Darkness lashes out at Chirithy before they can flee. Shadows bind their little body, and pain strikes your heart. 

You scream, and everything goes dark.

*

“Hey.”

You blink. Sunlight fills your eyes.

“Get up.”

Your back is wet. You roll your head to the side and see you’re lying on a shallow ocean that stretches out to eternity. Your eyelids close again. You can’t find the energy to stand up. The sea is so peaceful, and you just want to sink beneath the surface.

“Hey. You’re not dying here. So get up.”

A paw prods your ribs. You grit your teeth and force yourself to stand up. Water ripples at your feet, but you remain standing on the surface.

You finally see the speaker, and your hand extends for your Keyblade. But nothing comes, and the Nightmare tilts their head.

“What are you trying to do? You don’t have any power here, you know.” Red eyes stare at you from an emotionless face. You remember when that face transformed into a monster bent on your destruction.

“I defeated you. What are you doing here?”

“I’m still bound to you, unfortunately. And then you went and died like an idiot fighting the Darkness, so I found what’s left of your heart and brought you here.”

“I’m—” Your heart stutters, and you can’t finish your thought. You look down and notice yourself in the water’s reflection. You’re barely a figment, a translucent form as fleeting as the clouds above your head. You hold your hand in front of your face and see sunlight pass through. 

“Oh, and I couldn’t save your body. Sorry,” the Nightmare adds, almost as an afterthought. You drop your hand to your side and look back at them. They haven’t made a move, but you long for the heft of the Keyblade in your grip.

“Where am I?” you ask, trying to keep your voice steady. “And where is my Chirithy?”

“So I guess I’m not good enough for you?” they grumble. They turn away and look up at the sky. “This is called the Final World, where fallen hearts go when they can’t move on. And like I said, you’re dead, so your Chirithy’s gone, too.” They look back and see your stricken expression and roll their eyes. “Your other Chirithy is still around. Wielders and their Dream Eaters are not separated so easily. They still exist as part of your heart.”

The Nightmare’s words bring relief. You’re still wary of their intentions, but you press your hand to your chest and feel your heart stir. In this world you have no Spirit or Dream Eater materials to give Chirithy a new form, but you take comfort in the knowledge they are still with you.

You walk around this empty world, water splashing with every step. “Ephemer and Skuld are in trouble. I need to get back to Daybreak Town. How do I leave here?”

The Nightmare skips behind you. “I dunno, I just saved you from passing on. You’ll have to figure the rest out yourself.”

“You could still help me. If you’re a part of me, you can’t go back to the real world either.”

“Actually, I can.” And without another word, the Nightmare flips into the air and vanishes. You wait for them to return, but they don’t. 

*

In this world you can’t even tell how much time passes. You walk on and on but never come to any shore, only endless ocean and sky.

You stop and sit down. The memories that overwhelmed you before now feel like an age ago. You remember the war between the unions and your own battles against the Foretellers. In your incomplete state, every emotion is dull and hollow. You should be angry. You should scream and rage and mourn the loss of Chirithy and the unknown fate of your friends. You bite back a hollow laugh. These are the memories you longed to recall, flashes of a battlefield strewn with broken keys, and they barely stir any shadow of grief.

You press your forehead to your knees and stare at the water. The ocean reflects the eternal sky, a mimicry of Daybreak Town’s seaside. The ocean of your home was a living thing, mostly calm but rising like a wild beast in the occasional storms. The sunlit surface rippled green and blue, never a single color and always hiding secrets in its depths. This world, despite the reflection of the sun, is stagnant. A mirror to hold lost hearts, not a sustainer of life.

But it might still hold its own secrets.

You place your hand on the surface, and your fingers disappear under the water. So there is something lurking under the ocean. You push your hand down. The water comes to your wrist, and you can’t see past the reflection. Your hand meets no resistance as in sinks deeper.

Sink down and down and—

You stand up. Ripples disrupt the reflection. You lift your head to the sun and close your eyes.

Then you fall backward. Water crashes around your body and closes over your head. Your eyes blink against the pressure. Bubbles race past your face and disappear into the blurry sunlight. That light’s warmth fades the further you fall, until the last trace of the surface vanishes and leaves you cold.

You sink.

Down.

And.

Down.

The weight of the ocean presses against your body, and your chest begins to ache. Air bubbles escape your lips, and your lungs seize up. You scramble for something to cling to, but there’s nothing but water.

“You’re finding all sorts of new ways to die, huh?” The Nightmare’s voice enters your mind, undisturbed by the water bearing down on you.

Help me, please.

“You got yourself into this mess. Why should I help you?”

Because you’re part of me. You reach out with your mind for the Nightmare’s presence. You feel them at the edge of your awareness. You know the truth of your words, and so do they. No matter where they go, they are part of you and you will find them. And if I pass on so will you.

The Nightmare doesn’t answer. You gulp for air but swallow water instead. As your arms flail and you sink into the depths, you realize the Nightmare was wrong earlier. You couldn’t be dead because of how hard you are fighting to live.

Something solid brushes your hand. You reach out and grab fur. You wrap your arms around the body of a beast and let it carry you back to the light. Your head breaks the surface, and you gasp in air. The creature drags you to the shallows, and you fall onto the sand of a dark shore, coughing up a lungful of water.

Nightmare Chirithy settles beside you, still in their beast form. Their fur dries unnaturally quick. You lie on the sand and let the waves wash over your legs.

“Where are we now?” you murmur. The black sky reminds you of the corridors of darkness you’d often travel within to fight Heartless. But the shore is empty of monsters, and the shadows don’t writhe.

“The Realm of Darkness,” they state. You sigh. “Well, at least you’re not dead anymore,” they add, and you raise your eyebrow at the touch of optimism. 

“So if I’m not dead but I made it here, am I part of the darkness now? Am I going to turn into a Darkling?” The possibility doesn’t scare as much as it would have before. A creature of darkness is the reason why you lost yourself in the first place, but another one saved you from the abyss.

They shrug. “I guess you’ll find out eventually.”

The Nightmare’s body contorts and transforms back into their usual form. They fix their red eyes on the sea, and you can’t help but think of your other Dream Eater. In the faint light of the distant sun, you almost convince yourself it’s you and them sitting on the hill watching the sunset.

You muster the energy to sit up. “We’ll have to help each other now, if we want to get out of this.”

Nightmare Chirithy huffs. “You’re the one who got us here. And I’m not doing this for you.”

“I know.” 

You place your hand on their head. Chirithy tenses for a second but relaxes as you scratch their ears. They lean into your side. Eventually you’ll have to find a way out of this realm and look for Ephemer. You know in your heart he isn’t gone, and you hold onto the certainty that you will meet again.

But for now the two of you listen to the slow hush of the waves.

#khuxweek #kingdom hearts #khux #player character #chirithy #ephemer #nightmare chirithy #death mention #drowning #my fics

[atomic-taco-muffin]

The Lost Princess Chapter 100

Warnings: HOLY SHIT! THE 100th CHAPTER!

Rating: SFW

And so the reliable Ira, who wore the mask of the unicorn, was given his role to take over for the Master and to lead the others. Similarly, the virtuous Invi, who wore the mask of the snake, was given her role to watch over the others with a fair eye. The fearless Aced, who wore the mask of the bear, was given his role to support their brand-new leader, Ira. The prudent Ava, who wore the mask of the fox, was given her role to prepare exceptional Keyblade wielders for the world after. The coolheaded Gula, who wore the mask of the leopard, was given his role to uncover the mystery of the Book of Prophecies. Luxu, the first of the apprentices to be given their role, watched his companions from afar, as they learned what it was that they were meant to do, then, he disappeared. Not long after that, the Master vanished, dimmed, and faded without a trace. This is where your story began, the story of your very own adventure. Five of the Master's apprentices armed themselves with the Book of Prophecies. They each created a Union. This would fulfill his wishes. Then, they set out to rally Keyblade wielders just like you. By defeating Heartless, the monsters of darkness, they would gather light. But they were told lies about the Spirits. About Princess (Y/N). The last Time Spirit. 

In the present day, the five foretellers were gathered in their conference room in the clock tower. Ira and Aced were standing, Ava and Invi were sitting in their chairs at the table, and Gula sat on the rim of the table.

“There's a traitor among us,” Ira said. Silence filled the room, which Invi broke. 

“Are you certain? What proof do you have?” she asked. Ira held out his hand and conjured a Chirithy out of light.

“I found this sniffing around,” he said. 

“Is that...a dark Chirithy?” Ava gasped. Everyone looked at Invi as she stood up. 

“Is that...a Nightmare?” she asked. The others looked at Ira in shock. They each remembered when they first learned of the Chirithy from the Master of Masters in his room with your mother, pregnant with you. The Master carried a test tube holding a sleeping Chirithy and placed it on his desk. Ava approached the creature excitedly.

“Master, did you make this? It's so cute!” she said. 

“Well, things are gonna get pretty hectic around here soon. But this Chirithy is gonna make your lives much easier! Hopefully,” the Master said. 

“Chirithy?” your mother asked. 

“You could say they're like cats or dogs. And they'll be your loyal pets,” the Master said as he grabbed the test tube. He tapped the glass, rousing the Chirithy from its sleep. It tried to grab the Master's hand, but fell on its back.

“Every wielder will have one of these adorable little guys at their side. They're here to help, so play nice!”

“Okay!” Ava said. 

“Oh, right, before I forget...” the Master said as he set down the test tube. The remaining foretellers directed their attention towards the Master. “If a wielder is overcome by malice--or rather, if their heart is tainted by darkness--their adorable little Spirit will turn dark and become a Nightmare.”

“So you're telling us that if we see a Nightmare...” Ira said. 

“Someone has fallen into darkness,” Invi finished. 

“Exactly,” the Master said. As he spoke, the Master tilted the test tube and peered inside it. “And if you don't stop this renegade Chirithy, it'll plant darkness in the hearts of others and you'll have an army of Nightmares on your hands. Beware. ‘Cause if these do fall into darkness, they might bring a Spirit.” 

Your mother tensed at the harmful words he said. Spirits were not dangerous. Why is the Master planting lies into their heads. 

“So, if we see one of these Nightmares anywhere, we have to get rid of it on the spot,” Aced said. 

“No! I won't let you do that!” Ava said. 

“No wonder you ended up as the bear. You're scary,” Gula said. 

“Your point?” Aced asked.

“Maybe you can growl at them?” Ava asked.

“Hmm...” Invi and Ira stifled back laughter. Aced gasped in realization. “Don't insult me!”

“Come on, Aced. You won't know if it works unless you try,” the Master said in a goofy voice. The Master and the other foretellers laughed, except your mother, leaving a stunned expression on Aced's face.

“Please tell me you're joking,” he said. Ira noticed that your mother wasn’t laughing and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you okay, dear?” he asked. 

“I’m fine,” she said, bitterly. 

“Okay. Um, would you like to talk about it?” 

“Follow me.” She grabbed Ira’s hand and took him to the garden, leaving everyone else confused. 

“Alright, what’s going on?” Ira asked. 

“What the Master said, isn’t true,” your mother said. 

“What isn’t true?” 

“About Spirits. Spirits don’t come from the darkness. They’re meant to protect the worlds from the darkness.” 

“Why are you telling me this?” 

“Because I am one.” Ira was shocked.

“What?” he asked. 

“I’m a Spirit. And that means that our child will be one as well.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Because the Master told me not to. He told me it was to protect you but I don’t believe him.” Ira walked closer and kissed her head. 

“It’s gonna be okay. I’ll make sure of it,” he said.

“I love you,” she whispered. 

“I love you too.” She was about to kiss her lips but hunched over in pain. 

“Dear, what’s wrong?” he asked. 

“It’s the baby. She’s coming,” she groaned. Ira quickly walked her back into the tower and went to their room. 

“I’m gonna go find the midwife. Just don’t go anywhere,” he said.

“Wasn’t planning on it! Gah! Please hurry!” she yelled. Ira ran out to go find the midwife. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” Gula asked. 

“(M/N)’s having the baby,” Ira said. 

“What?! But she’s not supposed to have it for another two weeks!” Ava said. 

“Well, she’s having it now! Where the hell is that midwife?” A scream could be heard from Ira’s room and he knew that he was running out of time. 

“Okay, you go find the midwife, while we go take care of (M/N),” Invi said. Ira nodded and ran off to find the midwife.

~Le Time Skip~

Your mother was at 10 centimeters and was losing blood fast. Ira was unable to find the midwife and had to watch his wife die slowly. 

“Just get this out of me!” she wailed. 

“Almost there!” Invi said. After one giant push, you were finally born. But it came at a price. After cleaning you and all that jazz, your mother was lying dead in her own blood.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. She was losing a lot of blood,” Invi said. 

“I forgive you. At least, this little one is here,” Ira said. 

“We’ll give you two a moment.” 

“Thanks.”  The other foretellers left the room, leaving Ira to admire baby you. 

“Hi, little one. I’m your father. God, you look so much like your mother. If only she was here to see you. But I know that she would want you to have the best life. Welcome to the world...my little Spirit.” 

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts back cover #KH #kh back cover #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts imagines #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts imagine

[casualtheoriesandthoughts]

The Other Side of Reality (SPOILERS FOR KH MoM)

In this post, I’m going to talk about a theory of mine that may not impact our understandings of the KH universe that much but one that I think is important to discuss. I’m not necessarily making hard claims about what is or isn’t happening (such as Kairi being a Chirithy or Xehanort being Riku’s dad), but trying to clarify the stuff happening in between. Warning again: Spoilers for KH MoM ahead!

As I said in a previous post, memories in Kingdom Hearts are almost like the existential glue of reality. They are what ties beings to reality and to their full selves. Nobodies require their memories (at least some of them) to be able to pursue re-completion. Memories can rescue someone from the brink of falling into the darkness (Sora, Aqua, Ventus and Terra). In the absence of memories, one could legitimately fade from existence (Xion being the notable example, and also Sora while he’s in Castle Oblivion).

This all ties into a theory I have about Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory’s  basic premise and its connection to Sora’s fate. People have been speculating about what the actual nature of Sora’s disappearance is, especially since Chirithy provided critical details as to the costs Sora incurred at the end of KH3 and Re:Mind. Then we get Apprentice Xehanort (aka Terra-Xehanort) telling us about a “world that’s neither of light and darkness”. Ansem the Wise interprets this to mean a realm that is on the reverse of reality: unreality, or fiction. 

Some believe that this is a meta-comment on Sora’s transportation to a possible proxy for the real world. However, Yozora and the Verum Rex-FF Versus XIII connection make this less likely to me. I found some interesting speculation on YouTube about the latter, namely that Quadratum could be the world of FF Versus XIII repurposed (since it became FFXV, Versus XIII never came to be, hence unreality). Then we have the original epilogue of KH3, where the Lost Masters (minus Ava) return. Where they come from is not known, but as Yen Sid remarks at the end of Melody of Memory, the ancient masters (presumably people in Union Cross, if not only the Masters) had the ability to travel to other realms beyond the universe of Kingdom Hearts.

But what does this add up to for Sora? I believe that Sora has not been erased (as Xion was) and that it is indeed possible for him to return. My theory consists of three connected premises:

Sora still “exists” within the ambit of Kingdom Hearts (the embodiment of all hearts, not the universe; I’m going to use KH as the abbreviation for the latter)

Kairi and Riku both use the power of waking the wrong way

Quadratum exists on flipside of Kingdom Hearts

I’m going to call this the Other Side of Reality theory for convenience (OSR). Without further ado, let’s get into it!

1. Sora exists accessibly

Before anything else, we need to establish conclusively that Sora actually exists in an accessible way (please note my previous post about access to hearts and memories). 

In my previous post on memories, I attempted to show that memories are proof of someone’s existence. Xion is the best example, as she literally disappears from people’s consciousnesses despite the mark she left on many characters like Roxas, Riku and Axel. Sora also similarly vanishes as he progresses through Castle Oblivion, though this is more due to Naminé’s magic than the castle itself. In the strictest sense, Naminé is not eliminating but tangling and obscuring Sora’s memories (and she can only do this to Sora). Therefore, we can say that if someone remembers an individual, that person has and does exist materially and metaphysically.

Sora is clearly not forgotten given that his friends are searching desperately for him. This, all despite Chirithy and Young Xehanort’s warnings about how misusing the power of waking would cost him greatly. In the end, Sora is shown to disappear from the world, but as I theorize, not from existence. Hearts are also the fundamental necessity to exist, which themselves require memories to take form. Sora’s accessibility is demonstrated by the fact that Riku is able to travel to Quadratum through the Nameless Star’s heart-portal.

The notion of accessibility is important, because Kingdom Hearts is the bedrock of reality. Sora cannot be found or even known to exist if Kingdom Hearts does not encompass him in itself. Worlds and beings all arise from Kingdom Hearts, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to make this claim. Anything in Kingdom Hearts’ sphere of influence (or rather all things that it creates) are accessible by beings within it, which includes those beings themselves. I believe that this is the premise of the power of waking, as one might say that the user “awakens” to the nature of reality through its use. 

This brings me to my next point:

2. Kairi is using the power of waking in MoM, and Riku is too; but both are using it the wrong way

MoM takes place as Kairi traverses her memories of all the events of the Xehanort Saga. It is important to note that this is from her perspective, not a simple recap of everything that has happened in the Kingdom Hearts games to date. We’re explicitly told that this takes place over the year when the Guardians of Light are searching for Sora. 

However, there are potentially some discrepancies here. Many of the events displayed in the cutscenes are not things that Kairi could have personally witnessed (even as a disembodied heart inside Sora). However, if we consider that Kairi’s Nobody, Naminé, is able to manipulate memories connected to Sora’s (a power no other character is known to have), this may make more sense. Because Naminé is her Nobody, I believe that the power of memories is tied to Kairi somehow (since Sora can’t do it), which isn’t outlandish considering she has a unique Nobody despite being a Princess of Heart. Kairi is then traveling the links of memories connected to her, even if they are not her own. Now, what does this sound a lot like? The power of waking. 

The power of waking (PoW) is described by Yen Sid in KH3D as freeing a heart from sleep. However Young Xehanort goes further, describing it as the power to traverse hearts to find worlds, contrasted with traversing worlds to find hearts. Multiple characters, but particularly Young Xehanort, point out that the latter is a “misuse” of the PoW, which Sora does when he rescues his friends in KH3. This is because it is essentially the inverse of the normal PoW, as he rapidly traverses worlds in search of his friends’ hearts and apparently across time. It is stated by Chirithy that the inverted PoW transgresses the laws of nature by altering history.  

Memory Master Xehanort (the apparition in the Final World Kairi encounters in MoM; MMX) says that Kairi’s journey took place across her own memories and her own heart. However, that doesn’t explain why she witnesses events that didn't happen in connection to her (ex. BBS and 358/2 Days). Sora also travels back in time and witnesses events from his friends’ hearts, which makes many important events in the final chapter of KH3 happen. Chirithy even states that this much closer to the true PoW, but still isn’t because he causes an event to happen that wouldn’t have happened otherwise (Kairi remaining whole). If we accept that Kairi traveled across memories and events that didn’t happen to her, like Sora did, it makes sense to suggest that she is also using the PoW improperly (albeit much more safely since she doesn’t alter any events). 

This reveals important information about where Sora is metaphysically because Kairi embarked on her journey under the assumption that Sora’s heart could be found in her memories (and those of others). Chirithy mentions that Sora can only return from the other side of reality through the PoW which would ordinarily suggest that Quadratum is in the Realm of Sleep. However, let us remember that Kairi is using the PoW the wrong way, and was attempting to find Sora but failed to do so. MMX’s statement about where Sora is suggests that the version of the PoW Kairi was using was the right one but not in the right place. 

This brings us to Riku, who travels to Quadratum to find Sora. Quadratum cannot be in the Realm of Sleep because it is implied by Ansem the Wise to be on the other side of reality, at the exclusion of the worlds of data, dreams and memories (as well as of darkness, nothingness and light). Therefore, Riku isn’t using the ordinary PoW to reach Quadratum. He seems to successfully arrive in Quadratum after using the PoW through the Nameless Star. Even though he’s using the heart-portal of the Nameless Star, he is also traveling across the boundary of reality and unreality to find Sora’s heart. He is deliberately using the PoW the inverted way to find Sora. 

The million-dollar question is: where is that? My claim is essentially that Sora must return through his novel, “inverted” use of the PoW, which is why Kairi and Riku were using it the way they did. 

3. Quadratum and the flipside of Kingdom Hearts

This may come across as the most bizarre part of my theory, but bear with me! I believe that Quadratum is located on another side of Kingdom Hearts, not unlike the allusions to Roxas being the other side of Sora’s heart in Re:CoM. 

Despite the numerous attempts to summon and control Kingdom Hearts’ power, we never actually witness what it is. Not even in KH1, where Ansem SoD vainly calls to Kingdom Hearts to fill him with the power of darkness. That door in the abyss of the End of the World is the Door to Darkness, a gateway to the Realm of Darkness. It seems that Kingdom Hearts shined its light from within, perhaps as the manifestation of the hearts lost in the depths.

But we are left without any clues as to what Kingdom Hearts might be, other than the collection of all hearts that exist. It manifests as a heart-shaped moon, though likely as a representation of the greater reality. It seems most accurate to say that Kingdom Hearts is the “heart” of existence, through which any of the realms may accessed. This is the reason it can be witnessed in the Realm of Light and Nothingness, and why Xehanort believes it can grant the ability to literally unmake and remake the universe. 

Quadratum is anchored to Kingdom Hearts in a realm of its own, precisely because it can be accessed through the inverted PoW. That anchoring is clearly demonstrated by the fact that Sora still exists throughout the various realms as the chain of memories that bind him to his loved ones is intact (and that he can project his “voice” across the boundary to fight MMX for Kairi). Just as the Realm of Darkness, Nothingness, Memories, Data and Sleep all require special means to be entered (and conversely, this is true of re-entering the Realm of Light, as seen in KH2′s ending), Quadratum’s own realm can only be accessed by the inverted PoW.

Clearly this realm is special, not being accessed ordinarily by the PoW and Sora needing to disappear to go there. However, it’s not as if no one knew about it. Xehanort apparently was aware that it might exist, and Yen Sid’s comments about the ancient masters suggest that the Lost Masters could freely travel to it by special means. It even seems that the Lost Masters were sent into hiding  as Luxu mentions in KH3 Secret Reports 12 and 13. In Secret Report 12, Luxu writes that the “The Lost Masters will awaken” (emphasis added). 

This suggests the Lost Masters are dormant or otherwise sequestered, perhaps not totally free to traverse from their present positions to the Realm of Light or other realms for that matter. This is suggested by the fact that Luxu summons the Lost Masters, which indicates he has the power to beckon to beings across realms, like the Master of Masters (who appears in the alt-Shibuya in which Riku and Sora find themselves). 

The Lost Masters’ unreachability by most characters in the main realms further points to a connection between Sora and the Lost Masters’ conditions. That said, I’m not necessarily suggesting that the Lost Masters’ used the inverted PoW themselves, though this is possible seeing as Ava “didn’t make it”. The Lost Page of the Book of Prophecies may have something to do with it, as Luxu states that he disclosed his own role to Ava, which prompted her to take action of her own. This could mean Ava is on the move elsewhere, or has perished in the conclusion of her own role. On a related note, the reappearance of the Lost Masters in the ending of KH3 is the second reason that Quadratum must be in a unique realm, as time flows differently between realms and none of the foretellers aged (from what we can tell). Similarly, Aqua didn’t age at all despite spending ten years in the Realm of Darkness.  

If all the known realms are existentially anchored to Kingdom Hearts, the nature of Quadratum becomes more plausible. 

Concluding thoughts

Only time will tell whether or not Quadratum is going to be the start of a more Square-Enix-leaning KH multiverse with more Final Fantasy characters. Although Nomura might have gone and dashed this idea by saying NEO TWEWY and KH3′s ending aren’t connected at all. 

Personally, I have a head-canon where FF characters in KH are in fact from across the boundary and that their appearances and forms are changed in the process of coming to the KH universe. 

This is a working theory, and there’s stuff I still need to learn/incorporate from KHUx Dark Road, so that’s all for now! Hope this theory interests some people!

#khfantheories #kingdomhearts #kh #khfandom #khmom #melody of memory #kingdom hearts 3 #kh3 #kh3 re:mind #quadratum #kairi #sora #riku #namine #powerofwaking #kingdom hearts

[chibi-mushroom]

Kiss Prompt #19

The second prompt given by @phoenix-downer for a Rikunami Kiss. Ironically, this one seemed so much easier to write than the last one. Enjoy!

Namine’s fingers trembled slightly as she turned off the small stove in Merlin’s house. She had been unable to sleep last night, even with Riku’s comforting presence. He hadn’t been able to sleep much either though, so they had spent the night in Leon and Rinoa’s guest room, sitting close and simply talking. All through the night she had tried to keep the conversation light. She could tell he had as well. But they couldn’t stay like this forever. Not with Sora still out there somewhere, waiting for them to rescue him.

Today was the day Riku and Namine would be separated once again. 

With her mind so focused on the perilous journey ahead, she hadn’t heard him come in. Holding the plates close to her chest to set at the small table for their last meal together, she had turned and walked right into his broad chest.

“Riku! I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.” Namine gasped.

“No, I’m sorry. I should have realized you didn’t hear me say hello when you didn’t respond. Can I help with anything? I should be the one making you breakfast, not the other way around.” Riku carefully took the plates from her hands. 

Namine took in a small breath as his callous fingers brushed against her own. Her hands had always been rough from hours of drawing; they had only continued the pattern when she had started learning magic from Donald and Minnie.

“It’s nothing….it actually helped me get my mind off the future for a little while.” Namine hummed. “Besides, you’ve done so much for me, it’s the least I can do.”

Riku chuckled. “Look who’s talking. We couldn’t be here today if you hadn’t gotten Lingering Will to the keyblade graveyard in time. And now you, Chirithy and Kairi are going into my dreams to find Sora.”

“Speaking of, do you think she’s awake yet?” Namine started putting pancakes, sausages and juice on their plates and in their cups.

“Yeah. I went to see her as soon as she woke up this morning. She’s eating breakfast with Ienzo and Ansem who’re probably filling her in on everything she missed.” Riku sat down.

“You didn’t want to join them?”

“Nah. Ansem never was one for a practical breakfast.” Riku’s face filled with blush. He spoke slowly, as if he were getting a good feel for each word in his mouth. “Besides, There was something important I wanted to take care of instead.”

“What was that?”

“Ah you wouldn’t be interested in hearing about it.”

“Why do you think that?”

Riku shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “Do I have to answer that?”

“She must be so worried.” Namine sat and began to pour some sticky sweet syrup onto her plate like Sora always had. She could sense how awkward Riku felt and gave him a way out.

Riku himself stuck with some peanut butter on one and strawberries on the other, grateful for the change of subject. As he glanced at her, he noticed that her own expression held concern and sorrow over everything that had happened. But Namine had always been like that. He could never have believed that she didn’t feel as a nobody. She had always felt very deeply. For her friends. For her past. And maybe for a misguided boy who had spent a tireless year trying to atone for his wrongs and become someone worth loving. He couldn’t protect his friends. He hoped he would never fail protecting her.

“She probably is. I’m just glad you’ll be there to help see her through. Promise me you two will be careful?”

Namine nodded and gave a small hum of agreement.

“No. Namine. I need you to answer me with words. Will you make sure to look after each other? I-I couldn’t bear to lose you too.” Riku stared deeply into her eyes, even going so far as to grab one of her hands. “I mean…it’s just….”

He gave a small growl and covered his face in his hands. Namine could tell that he was fuming inside, a deep blush spreading across the expanse of his cheeks. She had guessed his feelings that first day she was back. But she also knew that he would need time. So she became his constant companion anytime she wasn’t working on Roxas or Xion’s memories, just as he had been hers as much as it was possible in Twilight Town.

After a few minutes, he looked up to find Namine softly laughing at his reaction. She apologized for the laughter, but soon after he joined in her reverie. They finished their meal and quickly cleaned up in silence, occasionally bumping shoulders and stealing glances at the other. The air about them was comfortable, though there was a distinct electric energy dancing about them. Was it anticipation for the upcoming journey? Or perhaps something deeper, more unspoken.

With breakfast eaten and everything put away, it was time to go. They were to report to the lab as quickly as possible, in the hopes that perhaps Sora could be found that much faster. A year was much too long to wait. 

Namine found herself looking over the items in her bag over and over, although she hadn’t actually needed anything. She was stalling and she knew it. Which of course wasn’t fair to either Sora or the girl who missed him so desperately. Shaking her head, Namine closed the bag and turned, once again finding herself inches away from Riku’s chest. 

This earned a nervous chuckle from the two.

“Sorry.I guess I need to work on my timing.” Riku nervously chuckled.

“No, it’s fine.” Namine smiled naturally.

Without thinking about what she was doing, she quickly threw her arms around his torso and buried her face into it, taking in the musky scent of sea salt and cedar wood. She would miss this, even though she was going into his dreams.

“Hey. It’s going to be alright.” Riku gave a soft smile as he placed a hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. There was a single tear in her eye.

He took a deep breath. She was gorgeous. And brave and sweet and well….somehow everything he had needed. His eyes darted down to her lips and then back to her eyes. He had never been a man of eloquent speeches, and she never seemed to care for a drawn out speech anyway. But he had to get something of his feelings across to her, even if she didn’t return them. Those lips were slightly open, patiently waiting to see what he would do next. Was it his mind tricking him, or were they nearly begging him to follow his heart?

Before he could chicken out, he quickly leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, wrapping his strong arms around her petite form. After a second of surprise, Riku was relieved to feel her hands sliding up his chest and embracing behind his neck. Her lips pressed back, moving slowly as if she were trying to immortalize this moment. Riku’s eyes fluttered closed, although he could still sense her, mimicking his actions and pressing herself to him.

Just like that, she broke away from him, letting her hands rest upon his chest. He still held her, and was smiling that same stupid smile that Sora always flashed after assuring either he or Kairi that things would be okay. He could see pink flush across her face, but her smile lit up the rest of her countenance. Every part of her face contributed to the radiance of it.

“That was for good luck. I believe in you.” Riku whispered.

“I’ll come back to you, I promise. And we’ll bring him home.”

“I know you will.”

Namine carefully backed out of his embrace, heading for the door. It really was time to go. Riku opened the door for her and followed her out, softly grasping her hand and letting their fingers interlock. There was no hesitancy this time. Whatever they were going to do from now on, they were going to do together.

#Rikunami #namiku #Riku #Namine #long post #Phoenix-downer #kiss prompt #kh4 #writing meme #thanks for the prompt

[cloudofash]

The Future of the Destiny Islands Trio - Part 3

Please read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Sora and Riku : Now

Sora and Riku start off strong in Kingdom Hearts 3. The meet up shortly after the first world, Olympus, and from then on they stay in contact with each other to trace the whereabouts of Aqua, Ventus and Terra. Though they’re separated Sora has many moments throughout the game where Riku takes over his mind: he got excited when his phone rang thinking Riku was calling him (only to be disappointed that Ienzo answers), he parallels Elsa pushing her sister away, whom she loves, with Riku pushing him away, he wanted to call Riku and tell him what a blast San Fransokyo was, he made it clear to Riku that he was concerned for him venturing back into the Realm of Darkness, and he rushes to Riku and Mickey’s aid as soon as he hears they’re in trouble, he and Riku use their Combined Keyblade to stop the Demon Tower from attacking Mickey, he even teleports to Riku to save him from anti-Aqua’s wrath. The two seem about as close as ever.

Riku and Sora also have a crucial, defining moment together. This scene is powerful, intense. When all of their friends are lost to the Demon Tide Riku stands before it to protect Sora to the bitter end. All sound is drowned out and the only thing we can hear is Riku’s breath and the movement of thousands of heartless descending upon him. A bright light shines from him as his keyblade clashes against the darkness. He then gets burned alive by the flames of darkness and doesn’t budge until it withers him completely away. This scene is so important that the opening to The Final World mirrors his footsteps and his clash against the darkness. It’s so important that when Sora regains his body they show it to us a second time. This scene of Riku’s sacrifice is the main reason why many now believe that Riku is the light of Sora’s life, though there are many other examples in the series this scene makes it all too clear. 

For those who read the Sleeping Realm Theory, you already know that there is a ton of symbolism in the game that portrays Riku as light or divine. In fact, after we see Riku’s sacrifice the second time Sora calls to him and the light in the tunnel responds, and takes him to Olympus where Riku’s soul is hovering above the Delphic Tripod of Apollo, god of the Sun and Light. Also note that in order to get into Olympus, the Gods must first recognize you as either a true hero or you must be a god yourself. It doesn’t get any clearer than this folks.

We are given so much overt imagery that highlights Riku as a character. Nomura is blatantly telling us Riku’s sacrifice is important by showing it twice. He is telling us Riku is a figure of light, a true hero acknowledged by the gods. Riku’s sacrifice for Sora created the tear in the timeline. This is proven because when Sora pieces himself together the first time in the Final World and is sent back to the Graveyard, he sees Riku’s sacrifice a second time except this time he doesn’t spirit away to the Final World and instead starts traversing the worlds to awaken his friends’ hearts. Riku’s sacrifice is the catalyst that creates a chance for Sora to go back, save everyone’s hearts and alter the timeline. Sora and Riku’s relationship has reached a pinnacle, a climax where Riku doesn’t say but shows just how much Sora means to him: everything. He has shown that he is willing to give his life if it means protecting Sora even in hopeless situations where all are doomed to die. He fought to protect Sora with all of his heart. After this point, unfortunately, things go a bit south for Sora and Riku. When Sora reaches the Final World he encounters Namine as a star, and she tells him she was able to trace Terra. When Sora saves all of the guardians and time is rewound they all find themselves at the start of the Keyblade graveyard remembering that they had died once but forgetting everything that happened before they died. They run into Terranort a second time, but this time Lingering Will makes an appearance to stop him from harming the others. Thanks to this, all of Sora’s friends are alive by the time the Demon Tide arrives again and Sora’s resolve holds strong instead of wavers, Ephemer is summoned as a result and they are all spared from the Demon Tide. The events of the Graveyard are rewritten, which unfortunately means Riku’s sacrifice never happens. Sora and Riku’s defining moment together is completely rewritten and never happens in the new timeline…and the worst of it is that Sora doesn’t remember any of it.

The rest of the Keyblade Graveyard is spent with a larger focus on Kairi after Xemnas kidnaps here and Xehanort crystallizes her, meanwhile Riku fades away into the background and he has no further largely impactful moments with Sora or even Kairi. This remains true all the way through to the end where Sora decides to set off alone to search for her, leaving Riku behind. This also carries over into Re:Mind where a very large emphasis is placed on Sora saving Kairi while Riku is reduced to just another Guardian of Light with far fewer scenes and big moments. The worst part of Re:Mind is that Sora has not only forgotten about Riku’s sacrifice but he has also forgotten that he saved Riku. Shortly into the Final World, Sora tells Chirithy that “he’s already saved 6 hearts.“ 

The problem is that Sora actually saved 7 hearts: Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Ventus, and Axel. This isn’t a mistranslation because as Chirithy explains why he broke a taboo of nature he repeats that Sora used the power “to save 6 hearts”. This means that Sora has forgotten that he saved someone’s heart. Unfortunately at no point are we directly told who Sora has forgotten, but there are some hearts we can eliminate from the process. As Sora runs back through the events of the Keyblade Graveyard we see he re-connects with Ventus, Aqua’s hearts, saves Terra, then re-connects with Axel, Roxas and Xion before heading to Scala ad Caelum. Donald and Goofy don’t really count since they’re not guardians, but Sora watched once again as the Tornado sucked them up so he must have remembered or was reminded that he saved their hearts. This means that the person he forgot about was either Riku or Mickey, and we know this is true because he doesn’t think once to connect to either of their hearts until after he gathered Kairi’s heart pieces in Scala. There is no way to currently prove this, but given context clues we can deduce that it’s Riku that Sora has forgotten. When Sora connects to Riku’s heart he specifically says he is “tracing the connection”, in other words, he is simply using Riku’s heart to reach Mickey’s. (I give full credit to steamwhistler2 on Twitter who is also blowingoffsteam2 here on Tumblr, for noting that Sora forgot Riku’s heart!)

At no point during Sora’s connection to Riku are we shown Riku’s inner heart, his inner feelings which is unlike the other Guardians whose thoughts and inner feelings we get a glimpse of. When Sora jumps out of Riku’s heart all he says is “That makes 6″. He makes no comment on Riku’s heart, however, when he reaches Mickey they share a tender moment where Sora takes the weakened Mickey’s hands and ensures him that he’ll handle everything from there. It’s almost as if he used Riku as a bridge to get to Mickey but didn’t even stop to take a look at the feelings Riku felt in his heart. This tells me that the heart that Sora has forgotten he saved is the same one that he glossed right over on the quest to save Kairi’s heart. This was a missed opportunity for Sora, he could have finally peered into the heart of his dear childhood best friend and get a better understanding of Riku as a person. Sora has spent many parts of the series wondering why Riku behaves a certain way, why Riku pushes him away and although Sora has gotten a better understanding of Riku from their conversation at the end of KH2 it’s clear that there are still things about Riku that Sora doesn’t understand. We know this because Riku implies as much in DDD, that there are things in his heart that he is hiding. This was Sora’s chance to see what Riku is locking away and he skipped right over him for Mickey. 

Now before I get anyone depressed, I want to say that I believe this is all completely intentional. I believe that Sora wasn’t meant to see the deepest part of Riku yet, that’s most likely going to be saved for later on in the series possibly in the next saga. Sora was meant to drift away from Riku. Recall the symbolism I brought up in Part 2 of the rift between Kairi and Riku. They were named after the sea and land intentionally, Nomura said himself he wanted to convey their relationship with Sora. The artwork on KH3 Re:Mind title screen shows Sora and Kairi walking further into the ocean, eating paopu fruits without Riku. They’re going out into the water, further away from land. Further from Riku. It’s not just a matter of Sora leaving Riku behind to save Kairi, Sora has also forgotten Riku’s sacrifice for him and now he has forgotten that he saved Riku’s heart. This parallels greatly with Kingdom Hearts 1, where Sora only ever thought about Kairi while Riku was forgotten, left behind in the trio and became filled with jealousy, filled with darkness. (You can read my theory on that in my Jealous Riku series if you’re new to my posts.) I believe that Nomura planned this, this was meant to parallel Kingdom Hearts 1. However, because of the character development Riku has gone through he no longer let’s his jealousy consume him and instead decides to be supportive of Sora and Kairi’s closeness.

Though this may seem like Riku is stepping back and letting Sora and Kairi run away into the sunset together without him, we see that Riku is hiding his true feelings as he always does. He lets his true feelings slip a few times. Take a look at the conversation Terra and Riku have at the Land of Departure palace:

Remember that “the strength to protect what matters/friends” is “strength to protect your precious person” in Japanese.

Riku is beginning to undermine his place in the trio, he’s doubting his strength to protect his precious person.. Instead of jealousy, Riku is expressing self-deprecation instead. Mickey told Riku at the beginning of the game that he finally has the strength to protect his precious person and Riku seemed happy and accepting of that growth within him, but now Riku suddenly believes that it’s not enough. Despite his sacrifice being overwritten, Riku has it in him to give his life for Sora if the time ever arises and he feels it’s STILL not enough. This isn’t an example of a friend taking a step back and feeling happy for his two lovebird friends, Riku is showing signs that he is still jealous of Kairi’s closeness to Sora but instead of taking it out on others he is taking it out on himself. 

This is most likely the reason why Riku doesn’t even bother to mention his recurring dream of Sora to anyone, sans Master Yen Sid and Merlin. We see that it’s the first time the FF crew has heard of Riku’s dream, which tells us that he’s disregarding it and not considering it as a clue while Kairi believes Sora is in her heart. He clearly believes Kairi is what’s best for Sora now, he would have never thought that his dreams would have been the key to finding Sora. When Fairy God Mother states that Riku’s dreams are they key to finding Sora, Riku is in disbelief.

This Limit Cut scene gives me hope for the future. The fact that Riku is the key (maybe not the only key, but the main key) to finding Sora shows that despite Sora being spirited away to another universe, despite him forgetting Riku’s sacrifice, forgetting that he saved Riku’s heart and using Riku’s heart as a mere bridge to connect to Mickey, the bond between the two is unbreakable. Not even being universes apart can break their bond. Riku will always have a connection to Sora, he will always have a way to find him no matter how far away he gets from home. No matter how lost he gets, no matter how deep he is in a dark abyss. Riku’s connection to Sora, how far he is willing to go for Sora has all been made clear in Kingdom Hearts 3. I believe that in the next saga it will be Sora’s turn to show Riku what he means to him. 

#kingdom hearts #KH #KH3 #kh3 remind #re:mind #re:mind dlc #destiny islands #destiny islands trio #sora #riku #kairi #relationship #soriku

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 85

Goodbye To You

Summary: In which Anora cleans house. Word Count: 1,415 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

If it wasn't for school, Anora never would have gotten out of bed. Could it really be over that quickly? It didn't seem real. Sure, it had only been four days- but there wasn't this… finality to it. Or maybe there was and she was just too afraid to see it.

Everyone knew about the break up too. Strelitzia made that clear yesterday by coming over and inviting Anora for a tea break. Anora went, because it was rude not to, but she almost left early when Strelitzia said that Lauriam had told her about the break up. If Lauriam knew, that meant the rest of the Dandelions knew. They were all aware of what had happened and no one but Strelitzia dared to say a thing to Anora.

But it didn't matter. The Dandelions were never her friends, anyway.

Anora's alarm started to go off for the third time that morning. She groaned, turning her body over in her bed and using her pillow to block out the noise. Everything was too loud. Everything was too annoying to deal with. Couldn't she send an email to her teachers to say she was sick? Would any of them believe her? Today was a Friday, so it was likely that no teacher would listen to her half lies. She didn't think she had the strength to believe any of her own lies either.

Slowly, begrudgingly, Anora started to work herself out of her bed. She moved over to her desk where her phone sat and stared at it for a moment. The young woman bit her lip in thought. She pulled up her email -finding that she had no new messages- before starting to compose a new one. Anora took her time typing out the email. She just hoped that she didn't sound desperate.

'Who do I talk to when I have no one?'

Anora looked over the email a few more times- especially her last line. Kieran would know what to do. She sent the email off to her cousin and started to get ready for the rest of her day. When she left her room, she made sure that she locked the door behind her. After the break up, Anora went straight to Ava to get the locks on her door changed. Ava had given her a funny look, but didn't question it. The locks were changed the next day; soon after that someone tried to enter her dorm. After they couldn't undo the lock, they left without a word. Anora ignored them. Maybe if the other person wasn't such a coward, she would have listened to what they had to say. Rules about opposite genders in the dorms be damned. If he couldn't talk to her face to face, without having the higher ground, then she was better off without him.

Right?

. . .

Lunch was being spent off campus now. It wasn't all bad- Pyra's study group had joined her once. One other time Strelitzia even offered to go with Anora. But today she just wanted to be alone. Instead of heading toward town, though, she went in the opposite direction. She wanted to see how far she could go- not just in terms of when Route 7-18 actually ended, but as a mental egging on for her quiet desires to just run away.

She would have gone farther if she didn't have to go back to class.

Anora sat in science without so much as looking up at her teacher. She was almost completely spaced out when they started to go on about particle theories. Her notebook was starting to fill up with doodles and an impromptu calligraphy practice. A thought came to Anora's mind with a jolt; what was she going to do this Saturday if Ephemer wasn't going to visit? Better yet, what was she going to do at all without him taking her halfway across the countryside? Without Ephemer around, Anora suddenly had a lot of free time she didn't know she lost by dating him. And that realization almost made her break down in class.

What on earth did she used to do before Ephemer came along? It wasn't that long ago. Maybe she could… go to the library? And do what? Study? Read children's books and pretend someone else was reading them to her? She could just stay in her dorm. It's not like anyone would really miss her if she disappeared on the weekends. Maybe she could use the time to plot how she'd return to Kieran and Aunt Dawn before the month was over. Heck, why stop there? She'd be such a disappointment for dropping out that she might as well start a new life somewhere else.

The rest of the school day went by so slow that Anora was ready to give up on her way to history class. When she got back to her dorm, she dropped her backpack by the door and immediately flopped herself back onto her bed. After some time, she turned herself over to stare at the ceiling. Her eyebrows furrowed despite still feeling numb inside.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Anora Guinevere Ravishta.” she said to herself in an admonishing tone. It took some effort to ignore the urge to slap herself. “If you really want to be done with him, clean your room up.”

What happened next felt like a light had flickered on in her brain. Anora immediately got off her bed and headed into her closet. Stashed in the back was a decent sized cardboard box- folded up, but still usable. Anora pulled it out, unfolded it, then placed it on her bed to start going through any obvious remnants of Ephemer. The DVDs and CDs were the first to go. She tossed them all in without a second guess.

It took a lot more consideration when it came to the shirts he had left behind. There weren't that many- but it still hurt. Some of them still contained the nice warm Ephemer smell that she had grown to adore these past few months. If the idea that they had officially broken up didn't completely hit her before, it certainly was now. Anora kept out a few shirts, just one or two, that she couldn't physically force herself to put away, and stashed the rest without a second guess. It felt like she was ripping off a band-aid. It hurt, but it had to be done.

From her desk, Anora's phone gave her a little ping, indicating that she had received an email. Anora found herself incredibly grateful for the distraction. She started to read over her cousin's email with her eyes glued to the screen. It was a short one, but his message was clear.

'Find someone who doesn't take sides. Someone that will listen. I can make a visit if you want me to. It might be another week, though.'

Wonderful idea, Kieran, why didn't she think of that. Find someone who will listen. As if she really knew anyone on campus enough to know that they would listen to her and -even more importantly- keep it between them. She needed someone like Kieran to talk to. Maybe she could find a way to clone her cousin and keep him in her pocket all the time. He'd sit with her Chirithy and tell her the blunt truth every time she needed it. She would even go to the store and buy him little doll clothes to wear. Maybe she'd even find him a little hat so when she felt down, he'd tip it at her and say...

And then the idea hit her.

“Brain!”

Anora started to head out her door, but paused as her hand reached for the handle. What was she doing? It was too late to go find Brain now. Besides, she was still in the middle of purging her room of Ephemer. If she didn't finish what she started, she wasn't sure if she'd have the willpower to finish it later. Anora looked back at the box on her bed and let out a hard sigh. Tonight she would put all of Ephemer's things away, and then tomorrow she'd find Brain to talk to him. Assuming she could find him. Brain was still enough of a stranger that she didn't really know where he hung out when school wasn't in session. But she'd make the effort to do it anyway. She really needed someone to talk to.

#daybreak academy #chapter 85 #kingdom hearts fanfiction #Anora #Apple and Cinnamon #Season 2

[player-1]

Union X update 9/3 (Spoilers)

Oh boy, time to let some steam out... And major spoilers and speculations are below, so tread carefully.

STOP SAYING VEN IS THE MURDERER! HE IS NOT GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION! HE IS THE VICTIM! THE BLOOD IS NOT ON HIS HANDS BY DEFAULT, DARKNESS WAS THE ONE WHO TOOK STRELITZIA’S LIFE! HE JUST HAD THE UNFORTUNATE CHANCE OF BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AND AT THE WRONG TIME!!

Alright, rant’s somewhat over, let me explain a few things...

Given Darkness’ information with the Book of Prophecies, and with the famous phrase “And the Darkness will triumph and Light will expire”, it used Ven as the Trojan Horse in order to ensure their survival in the Worlds beyond (more so like a double standard, but I’ll explain that later). But of course, there’s a few key factors to consider...

1. Why would Darkness kill a Union Leader? Wouldn’t Ven being a Dandelion have the same effect as ensuring its survival? Because being a Union Leader assures the person the privilege of keeping their original memories of the past. If Ven was a Dandelion on its own, he would have his memories erased regarding the War, and under the Leader’s watch, they may destroy Darkness in its path before it made it out of the data world. And on that note, Ven might even reject Darkness as a regular Dandelion regardless. 

2. If Ven had Darkness with him, wouldn’t Ava be suspicious?  Of course, since Darkness works as a completely separate entity and uses Ven as an unassuming vessel of sorts. And with a Keyblade like Missing Ache, a powerful three-tier in fact, it would be odd for an eleven-year-old like him to possess at the cusp of the War. But on that note, we now know that Darkness took the form of Ava to trick Ven into going to the abandoned warehouse, where both the Player and Strelitzia went into. And given their striking similarities (more so the default Player), it would be easy to assume some kind of mix up...

3. So what does that have to do with anything? If Ven wasn’t supposed to be a Union Leader, or even a Dandelion himself, why did Darkness pick him?  Because he was alone. Because he didn’t have anyone to call a true friend. Because he doubts his strength as a Keyblade wielder and a Union Leader. He was shut off from the world, possibly by force, and raised oblivious of the Keyblade War itself and the burden he inadvertently carries.  All of that was possible because Darkness saw a lonely little kid and twisted his mind to believe that he may never get the love and support he wanted, that he can only trust his own shadow and his own heart.

-“The one who answered was a boy with short, wavy golden hair and a tendency to look at the ground. He was so quiet that it was hard to imagine him fighting with a Keyblade.“ -“You two know each other, huh? Must be nice; I’ve always been on my own.” -Ephemer had never seen this boy Ven. Many Keyblade wielders he would at least recognize by face, and would usually hear stories of the truly exceptional ones, but Ven fit in neither category. (Unchained X light novel, pg. 125) Ventus: "Wait. Keyblade wielders fighting each other!?" Ephemer: "Didn't you read the book, Ven?" Ventus: "I did, but...I guess I didn't realize what it meant." ~~ Ventus: "I disagree." Brain: "Whoa, Ven. When did you grow a spine?" Ventus: "This is serious. I don't like the thought of wielders turning their weapons against each other." (Union X Mission 846: Pride Shift) The Union Leaders and Dandelions knew about the rising tension leading up to the War, or in this case, everyone in Daybreak Town knew about the War coming.  All except for Ven. He never considered it a possibility that wielders would turn their weapons against each other, fighting for Lux and not against the Heartless itself. For all he knew, everyone was just going about their missions like nothing even happened...After all, that’s what the Keyblade was for, right? Fighting against the Darkness?

But without Darkness (the entity), he never would’ve gained the Keyblade in the first place.  

Notice how Missing Ache is mostly connected to Dark Medals? If the Keyblade is a physical manifestation of the heart, than that defines their relationship: Darkness coming into contact with a pure Light like Ven’s, and taking care of the rest of his potential. It’s that kind of control that will eventually make Ven doubt himself, doubting his strength and his potential to make any kind of friendship apart from the Union Leaders. 

And even if he lost his memories in the Birth by Sleep timeline, it still had a lasting effect on Ven. -Xehanort tearing his heart apart because of Ven’s incapability of using the forces of Darkness...Because Darkness is an entirely separate entity. The same reason applies on why Darkness/Vanitas was able to survive on his own while Ven was forced to heal with the help of another heart (Sora). There was never “two halves” of Light and Darkness, there was only 1/4 of Light and 3/4 of Darkness. -He reacts negatively to any sort of criticism, and even goes into shock at the motion of a Keyblade raised at him (see BBS novel ch. 11 for more info (it also mentions his love of sweets, btw)), but he also hates the idea of Terra and Aqua holding back their strength, automatically assuming that he’s weaker than both of them.   -And even with the four years living in the Land of Departure with Terra, Aqua, and Master Eraqus, he never closed the gap between friend/student to brother/son-figure. Even with his amnesia, he remained distant of their compassion, never opening up to them in an honest, loving manner...

Darkness thrives on the idea of controlling someone weaker than itself. Daybreak Town, no matter its grandeur and charm, is a dog-eat-dog world, and it made sure Ven know that truth from the beginning.  Friends and partners will abandon you when you fulfill your purpose. The weak will die alone and the strong will crush the weak like bugs. Opening up your emotions and true feelings will make you weak, and people will take advantage of you because of it. The only thing you can trust is your own shadow and the weapon you carry in your heart.  Darkness and Light are one and the same, one cannot live without the other. They are brothers until the end of time, experiencing and feeling the same things and the same emotions. Where you go, I follow, so even if you think that you are alone, I will always be by your side forevermore. And because of me, you would’ve never made new friends (that will eventually leave you), you never would’ve been in the seat of power (that will eventually crumble around you), and you never would’ve seen the Worlds come into fruition (Light will eventually fade, and the Darkness will consume). You are my Light, I am your Darkness, and without me, you would’ve been dead long ago. Darkness as Vanitas wanted to keep that control, even after they were separated by Xehanort. He also didn’t fight back against Xehanort because, as the abuser became the victim, he had no idea to react. Xehanort made Vanitas weak because of his own power and his own skills of manipulation.  Even if he didn’t remember entirely, his dark heart grew colder at the thought that, even without his darker half, Ven can still live a proper happy life. He’s furious of the idea that Ven can live without him, that they can’t share that same happiness, but also avoiding the cycle of doubt and eventual betrayal caused by his hand. But Darkness isn’t inherently evil, it’s just stuck on the logic of “There is no true happiness, where there is love is betrayal, where there is friendship is abandonment, nothing is truly happily ever after...“. And because of that fact, he let Ven watch Darkness take Strelitzia’s life, hoping to find the Player and save them from the War, because life doesn’t give you second chances that easily.

In a way, that would make Ventus believe that her death was entirely his fault (since he accepted Darkness as a part of himself, ie. guilty by association), that all he will do is hurt people, and possibly his new friends. And he may believe that, as long as he’s all alone with his shadow, no one will get hurt, no one will betray him, and the cycle will just repeat on and on and on.

On a sidenote, KH3 Vanitas pretty much describes their relationship to the core: -I’m the piece of Ventus that was taken away, and you’re the piece Ventus needed to be whole again [Sora]. So why shouldn’t you and I look exactly the same? (Taking the appearance of someone Ven can trust, ie. Master Ava and Sora) -You define me, Sora, the same way that Ventus does. We are brothers who, together, make a greater whole. (Light/Darkness duality) -But I am darkness. And I do stand by your side, I’m the shadow that you cast. How much closer could I be? -Ventus: But I didn’t ask for this. To be sifted apart, nice and neat. We should be free to choose. Not just light, not just darkness. We decide what we are. Vanitas:  But...Ventus, I did decide who I am. You see? Ventus: And what you are is darkness? Vanitas: What I am is darkness. Ventus: ...Okay.

All in all, Darkness/Vanitas decided that he should exist by his own nature, meant to be the opposing force against Light. But at the same time, Ven decided that he should be defined as a person, not a puppet stuck with the strings of fate. And in the light of the new Worlds, he could abandon the weak and innocent child he was in the past. But as Vanitas’ final words tell him, what I am is Darkness, you can’t change Darkness in its truest form.

(Also don’t ask me on where Ven’s Chirithy fits into this, I honestly have no idea. For all I know, they may or may not be aware of Darkness’ control on Ven, so we’ll just have to wait and see in the next KH arc.)

TL;DR: 

#kh union x #khux #khux spoilers #kh ventus #kh strelitzia #kh darkness #rant post #abuse tw #kh3 spoilers #those kids need some therapy!

[kcystotheheart]

{🍎} I don’t feel like i got all of them but MASSIVE TAG DROP/DUMP

♡ Home is where the Heart is... {IC}

✧ I foresee the end of all I know... {Ava}

#☪︎I'm howling with the wolves {Fida}

#✦ Breaking Traditions {Sub Alt V.} ⚔︎

#☮︎You are the future; the hope of this world... {Hope}

#♟Hidden from the rest of the World… Until now {Wandering V.} ✧

#🍎of someone's eye {Mun}

#✎ We may feel out of place; but we fit together so perfectly... {X Ventus} #♔♡ Eventually we all return to it... Kingdom Hearts {S A V E D} #⚖︎ I will keep a just and fair eye... {Invi} #♘ They look to me for Guidance... {Ira} #Heartless; Dusks; Unversed? All the same {Anon} #❥ ANSWERED

#✎ He's a work in progress and that's what matters! {Vanitas/tenebrxsus}

#✎ The Light to my Darkness; he makes up what I lack... {X Vanitas}

#✧ He may be all brawn; but he has the biggest heart {Aced/ursaced}

#✧ You wouldn't hurt me; I know... {X Aced} #✦ The Beginning of it all… {Past V.} ♙ #➳ All right; No more playing around! {Hayner} #♡ It's time to strike {Open Starter} #♔ Beyond the realms... {OOC} #♥︎ I'll find my way... {Riku} #✎ Let's make a promise; To hold each other through it all {X Riku} #♤ I won't fade away so easily! {Lingering Remnant!Vanitas} #♠︎ Different from the rest... {Springy/Hareraiser} #♥︎ Once a Somebody... now a Nobody {Nobody V.} ♤ #✦ A little Generosity never hurt nobody~ {Cari} #✦ He thinks he's sooo good; but I know he's bad~ {Indus/ursaced} #✦ Momma I'm in love with a criminal; I'm the bad guy duh~ {X Indus} #♡ We'll never let the darkness consume us... {Queue}

🎲 May Lady Luck be on your side~ {Fortune} 💘 No matter what happens i’ll always be by your side {Faith} ⚔️ That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers! {Seifer} ⌨️ Cracking the {Code} 🌱Rough around the edges by soft on the inside [Jagged} 🌿 My Strength will help support them… {Aced} 🌟 I will always help the weak {Starlight} 🍃I’ll sweep you up and leave your head spinnin’! {Wind} 🛡 I will always defend them {Keeper} 🃏 Care to take a Gamble? {Luxord/Ordul} 🎵I can drop a beat {Demyx/Dyme}  🎼 Let me play a song for you~ {Arpeggio}

⚠︎ You make me feel things I thought were lost {X Lauriam} ♟ More alike than you know {Rei/solaimaginem} ✎ Even after all this time… we’re connected. {Terra/willfulwayfarer} ✎ We’ll find new secrets to discover… together! {Pence/dxgstreet} ✎ I want to capture this moment {X Pence} ➸✮ Blessed or Cursed with magic that runs within him {Magia} #🎐My Lazy Companion {Sir Snugglesopholis the Flood} #♝ I will prove my worth... {Xionort} #𝒳 No one will know... {Subject X V.} ⭑ #No longer Lost {Naminé; Vanitas & Repliku } #✎ We've had tough pasts but we can move forward {Aiden/lethargic-hunter} #♟We've cut our own strings and now we're free {Xion & Repliku} #Made a sacrifice {Repliku} #Always busy saving everyone else... {Aqua} #☯︎ Disciplinary Committee {Fuu; Seifer & Rai} #yOU leFT mE... {Nightmare Chirithy}

#Why does everything involve running? {Pence}

#Not your Typical Princess... {Kairi}

#Fun and Playful; Strong and Powerful {Ventus}

#♠︎ A little noisy... {Skitters/Flood}

#☓ Always watching; always seeing~ {Master of Masters}

#⭑ How bright is the future? {Skuld}

#♚ Stuck in Between Worlds... {Lingering V.} ♤

#✨I'll learn to use my magic for good {Apprentice V.} ✎

#✎ He understands me like no one else does {Max/pageofgoof}

#🍀I've got a present too; for all of us! {Olette}

#He once wandered the darkness seeking light; only to find he was the light {Riku}

#His smile brings about other people's happiness {Sora}

#👁‍🗨If only I could stand in her light... {Ava/verumheart}

#👁‍🗨If I could begin to be; half of what you think of me I'd do about anything {X Ava}

#🍀She sits by the Seashore {Kairi/thalassicradiance}

#✎ I'll never forget you; promise? {X Sora}

#♜ We all have our Roles to Play... {Foreteller V.} ♠︎

#♗ I have made mistakes & have more regrets than you could imagine {Master Eraqus}

#One of the strongest wielders there is {Terra}

#🎐My lovely little Pearl... {Kairi/thalassicradiance}

#♡ Something that simply resonates with me... {Aesthetic}

#➦ Portal Time {Shooter}

#➥ Eagle Eyes {Sharp}

#🌪Whispers on the Wind {Gale}

#♤ The Nobody that never was... {Kuxir}

#🎐When things are tough; I'll always welcome you home... {Ansem/afoolelopedindarkness}

#✦ I have to complete my role... {Sacrificed V.} ✧

#♡♔ Kingdom FARTS {Crack}

#♟No longer just a vessel... {Xion}

#♣︎ No one would miss me... And yet... {Roxas}

#☀︎ I always keep my promises... {Axel}

#⌁ I have to uncover the truth... {Gula}

#⚠︎ I will find a way to rewrite my Fate {Brain}

#☆⭒ A lost little Star {Strelitzia}

#♚ The Darkness has consumed us… {Alt V.} ♥︎

#{Headcanons}

#☁︎ Where there's rain; there's a storm {Rain}

#🌸As Pretty as a Flower but twice as Dangerous {Song}

#✴︎ May the Tears of Heaven hear my call... {Sterling}

#❅ Her Colours are a reflection of who she is {Aurora}

#✵ Hear my prayer O'Morning Star {Ivory}

#♾You'll never hear their name on the wind... {No Name}

#⚡️The Eye of the Storm {Tempest}

#✑ You write down your feelings on paper {Memoire}

#☆⭒ A Light in the Dark... {Roxas/aftrliight}

#👁‍🗨 It's a heavy burden to carry... {Luxu}

#♥︎ He has every right to be mad at me; but i had to do it {Roxas/caelumobscura}

#♥︎ Twilight and Dawn... What an interesting combination {X Roxas}

#☘︎Oh Look- Nope it's just them... {Dani}

#♣︎ There's just something about him that i hate... and i love {X Riku}

#✎ You remember me; the way I remember you {X Roxas}

#☆⭒ He gives me the courage I need; she is always so kind... {X Roxas}

#☆⭒ Let's go to the garden... {Lauriam/lordofoblivion}

#✘ There is always something worth fighting for... {Kohaku}

#♡ No longer just a Copy... {Repliku/Kouki}

#⚙︎Just because I'm not a 'True' Keyblade doesn't mean I can't kill you {Void}

#♥︎ You and I; were intertwined from the start... {X Kairi}

#♡ These will make anyone laugh! {Memes}

#✬ Here to help! {Chirithy}

#🌼You'll never learn from your mistakes if you don't make them {Ayaka/Roxas' mom}

#♔♡ The Mark of a Master~ {P R O M O}

#✿ Thinking of you wherever you are... {Hana/Sora's Mom}

#♤☆ When the Light embraced the Dark... {Mending Hearts V.} ★♠

#✎ He wants to break the mold {Roxas/serendimpetus}

#🗝🖤The Kingdom's Protector and the Original Blade {Chi}

#♔ Mirrored Reflections; Two in the Same {Twin V.} ♡

#★ I'll be there to hide your light when you need it {Dusk}

#♻︎ I'm not even the real thing...And yet in my soul it says otherwise {Soul}

#✩*~ I'll unlock the mysteries of the world {Ephemer}

#♠︎ Made completely out of Darkness {Vanitas}

#✩*~ We'll meet where the darkness meets the light {X Vanitas}

#➳ Skateboard tricks and Sea Salt Icecream... {X Roxas}

#♡ Let's line up the pieces... Together {Main V.} ♔

#❁ He'll always be my little Sprout... {Kasumi/Riku's mother}

#❁ To trust or not to trust is the question... {Xemnas/potestasaeterna}

#♘ He trusts me to look after everyone; but who's going to look after him? {X Master}

#♘ Always one step ahead... or two- or three {Master/masterxmasters}

#☾ The path between Night and Day... {Dawn}

#♡ A Watchful eye... {Dash Commentary}

#☯︎ Total Annihilation {Fuu}

#✎ Don't forget me... {Naminé}

#☄️ I will always rise up from the Ashes {Libra}

#🔥Better watch out because I always bounce back {Ember}

#💥I will burn Eternally {Flame}

#♕ Together we'll protect the world! {Kiki}

#♛ We'll free their hearts and consume the world in darkness... {Heart!Kiki}

#🍨Not just a sweet treat~ {Sweetie}

#♜ I'll protect you from the Shadows {Oblivion}

#♖ Just follow my Light {Oathkeeper}

#♥︎ No matter the Nightmare; I'll be there {X Ventus}

#♠︎ A little noisy... {Skitters/Flood}

#🎐When you feel it in your heart; you know that your home {Mitsuki/Kairi's Grandma}

#❁ He's my stubborn Rock. {Roxas/aftrliight}

#💥She rises with the moon {Luna/verumheart}

#♧ Even in your dreams... {Dream Eater V.} ♥︎

#🍡 Cheeky Cheel {Leche}

#❦ There's more to Light than meets the eye {Young Eraqus}

#❦ And that's checkmate I win; Hold on it's still my turn {X Young Xehanort}

#The Copycat Trio {Repliku; Vanitas and Xion}

#Created with a purpose {Vanitas}

#🐶Watch out for the Mad Dog~ {Mady}

#➸✮ Reliable and Sturdy as the Shield he carries {Aegis/verumrook}

#➸✮ I shouldn't feel this way but I do... And I don't want to stop {X Aegis}

#✘ ...I will protect his light with my life... {Artemis/keyfamilia}

#✘ I don't know what he sees in me... but i'm grateful {X Artemis}

#🗝🖤A shroud of Mystery and Darkness {Master of Masters/eyesofparoxysm}

#🗝🖤The one who compliments me; who truly understands {X Master of Masters}

#✧ He's a good listener and a good friend {Luxu/gravitasfatum}

#✎ What did I do to deserve you...? {Riku/darkheartedprince}

#♔♡ It rests now within us all... {Drabble}

#💚As playful as a breeze; but as strong as a gale wind {Ventus}

#💫Not even the Night Sky could contain her Light... {Astraea}

#🍏A Bad Apple spoils the bunch {Negative Thoughts}

#☀︎ Set me ablaze; start a fire in me {X Terra}

#☀︎ He's my pillar when I'm not strong {Terra/willfulfwayfarer}

#🎐Just like the Stars; He will burn long after... {Yen Sid/omnipotentmxster}

#☀︎ Never expected to fall for a flower {X Marluxia}

#☀︎ Every Flower has it's thorns and he's full of them {Marluxia/lordofoblivion}

#✿ My Little Sparrow {Sora/lightheartedwarrior}

#❁ My Little Sprout {Riku/darkheartedprince}

#🎐If we keep each other in our hearts; we'll always be strong {Young Mitsuki}

#🎐The Stars align when he smiles... {Young Yen Sid/omnipotentmxster}

#⚚ I'm sending a message to you and I hope that it makes it through {Hermod}

#⭑ He could light the sky with his colours {Sora/valorxdrive}

#⭑ He's my knight and I'm his princess {X Sora}

#⭑ We both just wanted a friend... {Blaine/virusplanted}

#⭑ The future may be uncertain; but I'm certain of us {X Blaine}

#🧶Tying the knot {Married V.}

#♔ In another World; another Time or another Place {AU V.} ♡

#⚖︎She moves with the beauty and grace of her namesake {Aqua/theheartstreasure}

#⚖︎I certainly don't know what I did to deserve you; but i'm grateful {X Aqua}

#⌁ The only one I'll always trust {Ava/starshold}

#❀ Careful the Flowers have ears {Foxglove}

#☆⭒ He's my bookworm... {Blaine/virusplanted}

#☆⭒ One day I saw him there and couldn't help but gravitate towards him {X Blaine}

#♔ A World without Magic... {Modern V.} ♡

#🎐An old friend and fellow Master {Eraqus/eraqus-the-defender}

#❦ I wish I was enough to keep you from the Darkness... {Young Xehanort/iuvienis}

#🌕A place where all hearts are one... {Kingdom Hearts}

#🔮The Mistress of Darkness {Maleficent}

#🐚Overcame the Impossible {Maryllis/Kairi's Mother}

#🌊I will do my duty to protect the people {Nalani/Destiny Islands Mayor}

#🥀Poison runs through their veins {Vera}

#✩*~ He's the smartest guy I know {Brain/virusplanted}

#✩*~ We'll always be connected; no matter where we fly too {X Brain}

#🐚His Majesty and My King {Ansem/afoolelopedindarkness}

#🐚Two halves of a whole {X Ansem The Wise}

#✩*~ Flowers can be strong so long as you let them {Lauriam/lordofoblivion}

#🐚My Precious Treasure {Kairi/thalassicradiance}

#🐚Like Mother like daughter {Maryllis and Kairi}

#🎶Listen to my Melody {Maestro}

#Before Summer Vacation is over; we should go to the beach! {Twilight Town Gang}

#♘ More important than he realizes {Kage/thechessboard}

#✩*~ I use to think Dandelions were just weeds; I think they're beautiful {X Lauriam}

#📓Don't always believe what you see... {Lexicon}

#🌹Strong and Elegant {Rose}

#⚠︎ Infuriating and yet... He's Mi Rosa {Lauriam/rxsoideae}

#✧ She's as strong as she is beautiful {Aqua/theheartstreasure}

#✧ She makes me feel like a princess; she gives me hope {X Aqua}

#✎ We will always have each other's backs {Naminé and Aiden}

#☆⭒ Wallflower friends {Luxu and Strelitzia}

#The Darkness gave us purpose... {Dark Repliku; Vanitas & Xionort}

#Let's go to the beach {Axel; Xion & Roxas}

#⚔︎Childhood rivals to lovers {X Hayner}

#⭑★ Fallen Hearts turn to Dark Stars… {Darkling V.} ❤︎♥︎

#⭑ ...Unknowingly My Protector... {Braig/freeshooterxig}

#🍀We're stronger than we look {X Kairi}

#♟He isn't all darkness... {Vanitas/unversedshadow}

#✧ My precious Snowflake Dandelion... {Theo/keytosolidarity}

#✎ She was my light; He was my knight {X Repliku}

#//i really hope i got most if not all of them #//but i feel like i'm still missing some;; #//do not click unless you wanna be scrolling for awhile

[maddrmatt]

Kairi’s Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Chapter 16: One of Our Princesses is Missing

The Mysterious Tower

As Riku morosely trudged up the stairs to Yen Sid’s study, he reflected on the fact that there had never been a time when he had enjoyed visiting the Mysterious Tower. It seemed that every time he or any of the other Guardians Light had come there, they only learned increasingly bad news about impending disasters.

This visit felt no different.  However, Riku knew they were meeting because of bad news he had delivered earlier.

“Riku?”

The silver haired Keyblade Master looked at the girl slightly ahead of him on the stairs. Naminè carried a look of sympathy on her face.

‘How often would I see that look on Kairi’s face whenever she felt Sora and I needed comfort.’

“I should have gone to her sooner, Naminè.  Right after Mickey finished his call yesterday would have been the best time. Then this wouldn’t be happening.”

Naminè descended down to the step Riku was on.  “I know you’re worried about her, Riku.  I am too. But there’s no point in beating yourself up about what you didn’t do.  It’s not going to help us find Kairi at all.  Right now, the others need us to tell them what happened this morning so we can make a plan to find her.”

‘Besides, you’re not the only one who could’ve done something sooner that might’ve prevented this.’

Letting out a big sigh, he said, “You’re right, Naminè.  Let’s get this over with so we can start searching for her.”

Naminè nodded and side by side, they continued to walk up the stairs until they finally came to the door to Yen Sid’s study.  Riku opened the door and suddenly felt all eyes on him and Naminè.

Everyone was standing around in their usual groups.  Terra, Aqua and Ven with Chirithy on his shoulder stood to the left while Roxas, Xion and Axel stood to the right.  Mickey, Donald and Goofy stood at Yen Sid’s right while the sorcerer himself sat in his chair behind his desk.

As Riku gazed around at the worried and concerned looks everyone was giving him, he felt the familiar twinge of jealousy.  After all, each of these groups had been reunited while his own had been torn apart.

Mickey approached Riku.  “Riku, are you okay?”

Riku said nothing.  But just shook his head in the negative.

“We don’t blame you at all.  It was quite a shock when you called to tell us she was gone,” said Goofy.

“Especially since the King told you to watch out for her,” grumbled Donald causing everyone to gasp in shock.

“Donald, that was uncalled for.  I may have asked Riku to keep an eye on her as best as he could.  But there’s no way he could’ve watched her every moment,” said Mickey.

“Yeah.  It’s not like they live in the same house,” added Goofy.

Donald sighed.  “You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“Well, in a way, you’re right, Donald. I could’ve kept a better eye on her, and I should have been trying harder to mend things with her,” said Riku.

“That’s something we’re unfortunately all guilty of, Riku,” said Xion.

“Hey, don’t put this all on us. Kairi has her share of the blame too. She wasn’t listening to reason and lashed out at us, remember?  And now she’s run off to who knows where without telling anybody and she’s likely going to get herself killed again!” exclaimed Axel as he punched the wall causing him to cry out in pain.

“Calm down, Axel.  Taking your frustration out on the wall isn’t going to help,” said Roxas.

Axel took a deep breath.  “I know.  I’m sorry.  I’m just so worried about her.  I have been all month.”

“We’ve all been worried about her,” said Ven.

“But now’s not the time for us to be pointing fingers at each other or her,” said Terra.

“That’s right.  The best thing right now is to remain calm and think of something we can do to find her,” said Aqua.

“You are correct, Master Aqua.  I suggest we get started immediately. Master Riku?  You mentioned that there was a letter that Kairi wrote to her parents.  May I see it?” asked Yen Sid.

Riku made his way to the desk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the sorcerer.

“I know this is very difficult for you.  Kairi’s sudden disappearance is a terrible turn of events.  But if we are to locate her, we must first gain some idea of why and how she left.  So, would you please relate to us what happened on the Destiny Islands this morning,” said Yen Sid.

Riku was reluctant to begin.  The shock of what had happened earlier was still fresh in his mind.

Then he felt someone take his right hand.  He looked and saw Naminè giving him a look that encouraged him to go on.

‘All right.  They’re going to have to hear this if we’re going to find her.’

“Okay.  Here’s what happened,” said Riku as he related how he had found out that Kairi and Pluto had vanished from the Destiny Islands.

________________________________________________________________

Destiny Islands, Earlier That Day

Up in his room, Riku was finishing getting dressed.  As he put on his jacket, he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in!” he called.

The door opened and in stepped Naminè.  “Your mom let me in.  So, are you ready for this?”

Riku sighed.  “As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“It’s been a whole month since that fight, Riku.  You know we have to try again,” said Naminè.

“I know we do and part of me hopes that this is when we’ll finally fix things with Kairi.  But I’m also afraid that we’re just going to end up in another fight,” said Riku.

“Just tell her what you told me, Riku.  Maybe that’ll be what you need to mend your bond. Then, hopefully, she’ll be open to fixing things with the others,” said Naminè.

“I wish I could be more optimistic about this.  But that’s never been easy for me.  Sora always had more than enough optimism for the two of us.”

“Yes, I’ve seen plenty of evidence for that in his memories.  But if he were here now, he’d want you to try.  He wouldn’t want a friendship like yours and Kairi’s to end,” said Naminè.

“If he were here, none of this would be happening,” stated Riku.

“I know.  Come on.  Let’s head over to her house,” said Naminè as she and Riku made their way out of his room.  They travelled through the house and soon reached the front door.

But before Riku could open it, a loud rapping was heard on the other side of the door.  Following it came frantic cries from a familiar voice.

“Riku!  Riku!  Open up!”

“That’s Selphie!” exclaimed Riku as he quickly grabbed the doorknob and opened it.

Selphie was standing on the doorstep and she had a look of absolute panic on her face.  Standing behind her wearing identical expressions were Tidus and Wakka.

“Oh good, you’re here!” exclaimed Selphie.

“Selphie, what’s wrong?” asked Riku.

“You’ve got to come to Kairi’s house right now!” exclaimed Selphie.

Riku’s eyes widened. “What’s happened?”

“Is she okay?” asked Naminè coming out from behind Riku.

“We don’t know. She’s not there!” exclaimed Tidus.

“What?!” exclaimed both Riku and Naminè.

“It’s true!  Her mom’s going crazy about it,” said Wakka.

“We went to her house earlier because I wanted to check and see how she was doing.  But when we got there, her mom was in tears.  She told us that both Kairi and Pluto were gone, and we had to get you over there as quickly as possible,” said Selphie.

Riku said nothing. He just charged past the trio and headed in the direction of Kairi’s house.  Naminè followed close behind with Selphie and the others doing the same.

________________________________________________________________

Much later, all of them were in Kairi’s bedroom.  They had all over and were searching for clues while her mother stood in the doorway drying her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Riku.  You too, Naminè,” said Dorothy.

“Of course, ma’am. We were about to come here anyway. And we’re going to get to the bottom of this.  Right, Riku?” asked Naminè.

“Right,” said Riku as he and others continued to survey Kairi’s bedroom.  

So far, there wasn’t too much that looked out of the ordinary.  The only exceptions were an open window and a few papers and things strewn about the floor.

“Now they did come home last night, didn’t they?” asked Naminè.

“Yes, they did.  I actually caught Kairi trying to sneak up to her room without eating or feeding Pluto first,” said Dorothy.

“And this is exactly how you found the room when you discovered they were gone?” Riku asked.

“Yes.  I had just finished cooking breakfast for her and myself. She and Pluto hadn’t come down yet and I thought they may have just overslept.  I went to wake them and found they were gone,” said Dorothy.

“Then we showed up and she told us to go get you, Riku,” said Tidus.

“I thought if anyone had any idea of what might’ve happened to them, it would be you or someone else in your Keyblade group,” said Dorothy.

“Well, if you ask me, it’s pretty obvious what happened.  It looks like somebody or something came in and kidnapped them,” said Wakka.

A fearful look came to Dorothy’s face. “Oh, Riku.  You don’t think that’s what happened, do you?”

“Yeah.  What if it was those Heartless or Nobody things you told us about?” asked Selphie wearing an equally frightened expression.

Riku thought for a second.  While they hadn’t seen any sign of the Heartless, Nobodies or any of their other enemies since Xehanort’s defeat, they couldn’t rule out an eventual reappearance from them.  Kidnapping Kairi, who was both a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade Wielder, would definitely fit their modus operandi.

Still, throughout the adventures he shared with the others, he had learned that nothing was ever what it seemed to be at first glance.  As he gazed around Kairi’s room, he saw plenty of evidence preventing him from blaming any of their foes for her disappearance.

Naminè shared his train of thought.  “I don’t think they were kidnapped at all.”

“How can you say that? The window’s wide open and the place is a mess,” said Wakka gesturing to the window.

“Yeah, if that doesn’t point to something coming in and taking them, I don’t know what does,” said Tidus.

“If something did come in to try and abduct Kairi, I think the mess would be a lot larger. Even if she and Pluto lost, they would have put up a fight.  And if a fight did happen, you and the mayor would’ve heard it, Dorothy,” said Riku as Dorothy nodded in agreement.

“Maybe she didn’t even get a chance to fight.  Maybe they got her by surprise,” said Tidus.

‘Wouldn’t be the first time,’ thought Riku as he recalled what Roxas, Axel and Xion told him about how Xemnas grabbed her during the Keyblade War.

“But look at Kairi’s bed,” said Naminè as she pointed to the bed.  “I doubt that if she was snatched from it in the middle of the night, the kidnapper wouldn’t take the time to make it.”

“Also, you guys don’t know Pluto like we do.  He would’ve sensed an intruder no matter how sound asleep he was and woke her up,” said Riku

“But what about all this stuff all over the floor?  How do you explain that?” asked Wakka.

“Now that I think about it, Wakka, it really isn’t much of a mess.  Not one caused by a fight, at least.  It actually looks more like all this stuff was just blown around by the wind through the window,” said Tidus.

“That actually makes sense, Tidus.  And the window only opens from the inside, so someone would’ve had to break it to get in,” said Dorothy.

“And breaking and entering isn’t really what any of our foes do.  Especially Heartless and Nobodies, who can just pop in wherever they want.  They wouldn’t need to use the window at all,” said Riku.

“So, if there’s nothing to indicate Kairi was kidnapped, then there’s really only one possible answer: she and Pluto left in the middle of the night on their own,” said Naminè.

“That would explain the made-up bed!  Kairi’s always been in the habit of making her bed.  She even did it at our sleepovers,” said Selphie.

“But why would she just leave like that without telling anyone?” asked Dorothy.

Riku and Naminè hung their heads.  They both had a pretty good idea of why Kairi had left so suddenly.

“She must’ve have gone to look for Sora,” said Riku.

“And she didn’t tell anyone because she probably thought someone would stop her,” said Naminè.

Dorothy looked like she was about to start crying again.  “I knew she’s been upset all month since you all had that fight.  She was even more saddened last night when she told me she couldn’t even write her monthly letter to Sora.”

Dorothy’s last statement sent a shock through Riku and Naminè.  As far as they knew, words had never failed Kairi when it came to writing her letters to Sora.  The idea of her being unable to write one was unthinkable.

“I knew it was the last thing she wanted to hear, but I even implied that she was starting to accept that he was gone.  That probably made things worse and caused her to run away,” said Dorothy as she began to sob.

Riku placed his hand on Dorothy’s shoulder.  It was all he could do from breaking down himself.

‘Don’t blame yourself, Dorothy.  You’re not the one who’s to blame for this.’

“Hold up, everyone. There’s still something that doesn’t make sense about this whole thing,” said Tidus.

“And that is?” asked Naminè.

“You said Kairi’s been upset all month since that fight.  But if she wanted to find Sora, why would she leave now of all times?” asked Tidus.

“That’s right.  I mean, if I were her, I would’ve taken off looking for him right after the fight,” said Wakka.

“As mad as Kairi was at us, even she had no idea where to start looking,” said Naminè.

“So, what could’ve happened between yesterday evening and this morning that caused her to leave?” asked Riku.

“And there’s another thing that doesn’t make sense.  If Kairi really did leave to find Sora, how was she going to leave the Islands and get to the other worlds?” asked Naminè.

“Couldn’t she use that ship of yours?  What was it called?  The Gumbo Ship?” asked Wakka.

“Gummi Ship.  And she didn’t take it.  When I came here earlier from Radiant Garden in my own ship, I noticed the one belonging to Kairi and Riku was still parked in orbit,” said Naminè.

“And even if she did take it, there’s no way she could use it to get to the other worlds because she doesn’t know how to open up the Gates,” said Riku.

“But hasn’t she’s gone to the other worlds on her own before?  I mean, she did come back by herself after you guys fought a month ago,” asked Dorothy.

“That may be true.  But after Xehanort was defeated, Riku and the other Wielders closed up most of the Gates between worlds that Sora opened.  The only worlds that are still connected are Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, the Land of Departure, and the Mysterious Tower.  And with the way Kairi’s been avoiding us and the rest of the Guardians, I don’t think she’d start any search for Sora in any of those worlds,” said Naminè.

“So, we still don’t know the why or the how she left,” said Tidus.

“Guys!  Look here!  I found something!” exclaimed Selphie.

They all turned toward Selphie who was standing on the other side of Kairi’s bed.  She was holding a folded piece of paper in her hand.

“I found this beside the bed.  It must’ve been blown there by the wind from the window. Maybe this’ll have the answers we need.”

“What is that?” asked Riku.

“It must be a letter from Kairi,” said Selphie showing the front of the paper. On it, in Kairi’s handwriting, were the words, ‘Mom and Dad’.

Dorothy rushed over to Selphie and took the note.  Everyone gathered around her as she unfolded it and read it aloud.

________________________________________________________________

Dear Mom and Dad,

First of all, I’d to say that I am really sorry for just leaving in the middle of the night.  You have both been the most wonderful parents I’ve ever known, and it pains me to know that I am hurting you like this.

But I couldn’t risk you or anyone else trying to stop me from doing what I know I have to do.

Anyway, last night, I was visited in my dreams by a mysterious woman.  She gave me a special talisman that’s supposed to take me a journey through the worlds to ‘where I need to be’.  

I can’t say that I completely understand it myself and I know it will be hard for you to believe.  All I know is that my heart is telling me that this woman can be trusted, and this talisman must be the key to finding Sora.

So that is why I left.  I don’t know how long it will be until I return. But I promise you that I will do all that I can to make sure that both Sora and I come home safely for good.

Love, now and always,

Your daughter Kairi

P.S.: I’ve sent Pluto to Riku’s house.  He should be able to get him back home to Disney Castle, so you don’t have to worry about taking care of him.

P.P.S.: If Riku or any of the others ask about me, just tell them that we’ll have plenty to talk about when I return with Sora.

________________________________________________________________

After Dorothy had finished reading the note, everyone stood in silence and reflected on what they had heard.  Though Kairi’s note had provided some kind of answer to their questions, it did not make them feel any better.  If anything, it had only raised more questions and increased their worry.

“What do we do now? How are we going to find her?” asked Dorothy.

“I don’t know.  But what we need to do now is call Mickey and everyone else and have them meet us at Yen Sid’s tower.  Maybe then we can make a plan to find her.  Dorothy, can we take that letter with us?  I think everyone should hear what it says,” said Riku.

“Yes, of course,” said Dorothy as she handed Riku the note.

“And before we do anything else, we’ll come back here and tell you and the mayor what our plan is,” said Naminè.  ‘We really ought to have provided Gummi Phones for Kairi’s parents as well as Sora’s and Riku’s.’

“Thank you.  I haven’t let Parker know what’s happened yet since he’s currently on the north side of the island.  But I’ll give him a call and he’ll probably rush right home. Hopefully, I can calm him down by the time you return,” said Dorothy.

“Really hope you can. I wouldn’t want to be here when the mayor finds out about this,” said Wakka with Selphie and Tidus nodding in agreement.

‘Wakka’s right. Aside from Sora’s parents, Kairi’s dad probably took the story of what happened during the Keyblade War the hardest. I can’t blame him since he had to hear that his daughter was killed,’ thought Riku.

“Come on, Naminè. We’ve got some calls to make. We’ll be back as soon as we can, Dorothy,” said Riku as he and Naminè rushed out of the room and downstairs toward the front door.

‘Oh Kairi.  What have you done?  Where did you go?’ thought Riku

________________________________________________________________

The Mysterious Tower, Present Time

As Riku and Naminè finished their tale, everyone stood in silence.  Mixed emotions travelled across their faces as they comprehended what they had learned.

Goofy scratched his head in thought.  “Gawrsh, Your Majesty.  Do ya think that Kairi’s onto somethin’?”

“I don’t know, Goofy. I think we’d all like to believe that after all this time, she’s found what we’ve been hoping for.  But this whole situation leaves me wondering about so many things,” said Mickey.

“Yeah.  Like who is this mystery woman who visited Kairi in her dreams?  And what exactly is this talisman she’s using?” asked Chirithy.

“Doesn’t it sound anything you’ve heard of before, Chirithy?” asked Ven.

“No.  As far as I know, there is no way to save Sora without paying the same price he did.”

‘And Sora would never want to be brought back at the cost of any one of us,’ thought Riku.

“Master Yen Sid, have you ever heard of something like this?” asked Aqua.

“I am afraid not, Master Aqua.  If Kairi had come to us with her talisman before she left, we may have been able to verify if its capability to save Sora was authentic,” said the sorcerer.

“Maybe it really is. Kairi wouldn’t have gone if she didn’t truly believe in her heart that it was the real thing,” said Xion.

“But remember, Xion, from what Riku’s told us, Kairi hasn’t been in the most reasonable frame of mind this last month,” said Terra.

“Terra’s right. Chances are, Kairi might be walking into a trap,” said Axel.

“What makes you think that, Axel?” asked Roxas.

“Think about it, guys. A way to bring Sora back is practically the perfect bait for Kairi especially since she’s been so upset about him lately.  She’d snatch that bait up without a second thought.  I’m sure a few people who’ve been in the same boat before would agree.”

Everyone once again stood in silence as they contemplated what they had just heard.  While it was true many of them had fallen prey to villainous manipulations before, part of them were also hoping, in various degrees, that Sora’s return was now a possibility.

It was quite a conundrum.  Was Kairi really on her way to bringing Sora back? Or was she being lured into a trap by some unknown adversary?

Yen Sid stroked his beard for a few moments before he finally piped up.  “Regardless of either possibility, I believe it is essential that we locate Kairi as soon as possible.  As one of the Princesses of Heart, she is a major target for the forces of darkness.”

“But how are we going to find her?  We have no idea to which world she may have gone,” said Donald.

“At least Pluto’s with her.  Her note may have said she intended to send him home through Riku.  But knowing my pal, he probably stuck with her.  He’s so fond of her that he’d never let her go without him,” said Mickey.

“Pluto!  Mickey, is there anyway to track him?  Because if we can find him, we can find Kairi!” exclaimed Xion.

In response to Xion’s question, Mickey shook his head.  “Sorry, Xion.  Pluto doesn’t have anything like that.  I never thought such a thing was necessary.”

Axel threw up his hands in frustration. “This is just dandy.  There’s near infinite worlds out there and they could be anywhere.  For all we know, they may not even be in the Realm of Light anymore.”

“Now, Axel, let’s not assume the worst just yet.  I actually have an idea of what we can do to try and find them,” said Aqua.

“What do you propose, Master Aqua?” asked Yen Sid.

“I think we should check in on the other Princesses of Heart.  If something strange is happening in their worlds or if they have vanished as well, it might lead us to a clue on how to find Kairi and Pluto,” said Aqua.

“But Aqua, other than Kairi, we only know the identities and locations of three of the new Princesses. The other three are still unknown to us,” said Mickey.

“I understand that, Mickey.  But the worlds of the new Princesses aren’t the only ones we should investigate,” said Aqua.

“I don’t follow,” said Axel.

“Of the previous seven, Kairi is the only one who has kept her power.  This may be a longshot but if Kairi was being lured by someone who wanted to gather all seven, maybe they aren’t aware that the others’ powers have been passed on,” said Aqua.

“That’s right. Even Sora, Donald and I weren’t aware of that until Marluxia told us Rapunzel was one of the new ones,” said Goofy.

“Like I said, it is a longshot.  But I think it’s the best we’ve got right now,” said Aqua.

“A longshot’s better than nothing,” said Roxas.

“So, if we’re going to check on the Princesses of Heart, both the previous and current ones, the question now is who’s going where?” asked Riku.

________________________________________________________________

Much later, after the meeting had concluded and their travel plans finalized, Riku stood outside the Mysterious Tower by himself.  Everyone else had already departed to where they were meant to go. Right now, he was waiting for Naminè.

‘I wonder what Master Yen Sid wanted to speak to her about,’ he thought just as the doors opened and Naminè stepped out.

“Is everything okay? What did he want to tell you?”

Naminè looked hesitant to answer.  Finally, she said, “He wants me to stick with you when you go searching for Kairi.”

Riku’s jaw dropped in surprise.  “What?! B-but, Naminè, it could be dangerous. You’re the only one of us who doesn’t have a Keyblade or any kind of fighting techniques.”

‘Besides, when my Replica sacrificed his chance to have a new vessel for you, I vowed that I would keep you safe for him.  And I want to actually keep a promise I made.’

“I know that, Riku. But Yen Sid doesn’t think you should be alone right now, and I agree with him.  And since Mickey’s not going to be with you this time, someone’s got to keep you on the road to dawn,” said Naminè.

Riku thought about what she said. ‘She’s right.  With Sora gone and Kairi missing now, there could be a big risk of me slipping back into darkness.’

“And if we do run into trouble, I know I can count you to keep me safe,” said Naminè offering a comforting smile to her friend.

Riku tried to return the smile.  But he still felt uneasy about the whole thing.  “I don’t really have a choice here, do I?”

Naminè shook her head. “Nope.  I’m afraid you don’t.”

Riku sighed in resignation.  “Fine. But don’t you go doing anything reckless while we’re out there.”

“I won’t.  I may not have been to many other worlds.  But I have seen Sora’s memories of them, so I’ve got a pretty good idea of the kind of dangers they have to offer.”

“Then let’s head back to the Islands so we can tell Kairi’s parents what we’re going to do,” said Riku as he headed in the direction of where the Gummi Ship was parked.

Naminè was about to follow when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something standing near the edge of the tower.  It was Chirithy and it was waving to her as if it wanted her to come over.

“Um, why don’t you go ahead and get the Gummi Ship ready to go?  I just realized there was something I meant to ask Master Yen Sid about but forgot.”

“Okay.  I’ll wait for you in it,” said Riku as he headed off.

Once Riku was a good distance away, Naminè quickly walked to where Chirithy was.  After going around the side of the tower, she gazed down at the Dream Eater.

“Better make this fast, Chirithy or Riku’s going to get suspicious,” said Naminè.

“So, I’m guessing you haven’t told him what you’ve been up to lately with Ven, Roxas, and Xion?” asked Chirithy.

Naminè shook her head. “No.  I was planning on telling both him and Kairi if we succeeded in mending things with her this morning.”

“Did you ever think that maybe if we had told them sooner about your project, we might have avoided this?” asked the Dream Eater.

“Maybe.  But you know why we weren’t going to tell them until we had something definite.”

Chirithy sighed. “Yes.  We didn’t want to get their hopes up in case it turned out to be another dead end.”

“Right.  I only decided to tell them today because I thought it might persuade Kairi to fix things with some of the rest of them.”

“But are you going to tell Riku about it now?”

“I don’t think it’s a good time for it.  Not with Kairi missing.  But we can deal with this later.  We’ve got some worlds to check out.”

“All right.  I’ll pop in on the others and let them know we’re still keeping it a secret for now,” said Chirithy as it vanished while Naminè turned around and headed to where Riku had gone.

‘Kairi, I wish you hadn’t just left like that.  But I do hope that, wherever you and Pluto are, you’re safe and whatever came to you last night will give you better luck in finding Sora than what I was trying to do.’

________________________________________________________________

Onto the next chapter!

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #riku #namine #terra #aqua #ventus #chirithy #roxas #xion #axel/lea #king mickey mouse #donald duck #goofy #yen sid #selphie #tidus #wakka #kairi's mother #maddrmatt

[ends-of-the-wayward-storm]

Unchained--Part 1

Summary

In an attempt to help find Sora, Erica tries to reach out to him much like her friend Ephemer once did with her--with the help of Chirithy, of course. One day, however, she reaches out to what she hoped was the first clue to tracking Sora down, only to find herself in a place she's never seen before and come across someone who apparently had been told to save him.

[AO3 version] [Part 2]

[This contains spoilers for KH III and Re:Mind.] 

________

I can remember the first time I talked to my friends Ephemer in Skuld, kind of like it was yesterday. If I hadn’t taken that chance of finding a way to Sora, I probably wouldn’t have found them.

Erica pensively looked out the window in her room, the ever-present sunset gleaming through. “Chirithy, do you remember when I saw Ephemer in that dream?”

“That was a pretty long time ago,” Chirithy replied. “But I remember.”

“I know he was reaching out to me. And when I looked into it, it ended up meaning something.”

The little creature studied their best friend. “What are you trying to say?”

“If I can do what Ephemer did, then maybe I might be able to reach out to Sora. I just have to figure out how he did it.”

Oh. Now they saw what she was getting at. But . . . was she ready? Would it even work the other way?

Erica studied Chirithy. “You know how he did it, don’t you?”

“Well . . . maybe. But I’m not sure it’ll work.”

“Can you tell me?”

Chirithy hesitated. “Are you sure you’re prepared?”

“Yes. This might be a way to find Sora, and I’m willing to try it.”

The dream eater sighed. “He sent you a dream from the Unchained Realm.”

“Unchained Realm? What’s that?”

Chirithy explained to the best of their ability what it was, including how Erica’s war-torn-free adventures took place there. When they were done, Chirithy watched Erica’s eyebrows furrow, and her eyes held many questions as the silence lingered longer than the dream eater would’ve liked.

“So, they wanted to protect me?” Erica finally concluded.

“To put it simply, yes.”

The young wielder fell back into contemplative silence. Having to remember every moment of the Keyblade War was painful, and she could’ve sworn her heart might’ve broken. She wouldn’t blame Ephemer and Skuld for wiping her memory of it and putting her in a place where the war never happened. If she had been in their place, she probably would’ve done the same thing.

“Do you think Ephemer might still be there? And Skuld?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, but if they are, then they might be able to help us find Sora.”

Erica settled under her covers. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

Chirithy explained how they might be able to reach the Unchained Realm, and Erica followed their instructions carefully. Sleep soon washed over her, and she found herself at Sunset Hill. Her dreams often started like this, and usually they would lead to her hanging out with her friends. One time she had showed them her home world. If only that could actually happen. . . .

“Are you ready?” Chirithy asked from atop the rail, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Erica nodded.

“Good. Now, remember what I told you.”

“Right.”

The two of them closed their eyes. She felt Chirithy’s heart and their bond, and she held on to that connection. Chirithy’s presence faded away along with everything around her, but she still held fast to the connection to her best friend.

There was a shift in the air, and for a moment or two, nothing else happened. Together, they put all their hearts into it, and sure enough, a breeze brushed by. The light outside her eyelids changed, and she opened her eyes to a place she thought she’d never see again.

“I’m . . . I’m here. . . .”

Everything was exactly how she remembered it—the purple roofs, the chimneys, the flower beds, even the clock tower she had explored long ago. The sky was as beautiful as ever, the soft lavenders, pinks, and peaches picture perfect. She breathed in the scent of the flowers in the area, and her eyes began to prickle.

The familiar sound of water drew her attention to the fountain she’d always come across, every detail exact. But the nostalgia would fizz out occasionally, and oddly enough the distortions seemed familiar. . . .

I . . . I have to find Sora before I run out of time.

Just as she was about to begin her search, footsteps brought her attention to a familiar face entering the square.

But it wasn’t just one.

“Skuld. . . . Ephemer. . . .”

Both of them looked to her, and they each shared a look of surprise.

“Erica?” Skuld said.

Everything fizzed again, but Erica didn’t care. She ran to them without hesitation, wrapping both of them in a hug that the duo’s shock almost didn’t let them register.

This has to be real. . . . Erica thought. It has to be.

“Y-you’re here,” Ephemer said, hugging her tighter despite his burning questions. “I can’t believe it. . . !”

“How did you come back?” Skuld asked.

Erica let go, but she held on to their hands securely. “Chirithy helped me. I. . . .” A few tears slipped out, and she squeezed their hands. “I looked for you guys . . . everywhere. I wanted . . . to-to find you so badly. . . .”

“Well, we’re here now, right?” Ephemer said with a smile.

Their surroundings fizzed again, pulling shocked expressions from him and Skuld.

“You’re fizzing out!” Skuld said.

“I am?” Erica said, looking at herself.

“We might not have much time left.”

The fizzing and blurring gradually became more frequent.

“But you can’t go! Not yet!” Erica pleaded. “I need your help.”

“Something wrong?” Ephemer asked.

“It’s my friend So—”

The fizzing turned into a sort of fog that shrouded everything. It crept in from all sides, and before Erica could pull them away, her friends became engulfed.

“No wait! Come back, please!”

Erica woke with a start, startling Chirithy. She found herself back in her room. She wasn’t in Daybreak Town anymore.

She stared down at her hands, her eyes prickling again. She wasn’t with Ephemer and Skuld.

“Did you find anything?” Chirithy asked.

“. . . They’re there. I saw them. . . .” But I lost them again. . . .

“They are?”

Erica nodded.

“What about Sora?”

“I didn’t get the chance to ask. . . .”

Chirithy’s ears lowered for a few moments. “Well, at least it worked.”

After that, Chirithy and I kept practicing staying in the Unchained Realm for longer and longer. I got the chance to talk to Ephemer and Skuld and finally tell them everything that’s happened. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.

“How’s Ven?” Skuld asked one time.

“He’s doing really good,” Erica replied. “He’ll be so excited to hear from you guys! Once he actually answers my calls.”

Eventually I told Riku what I was up to. He had a lot of questions like I did, but once I explained the basics he was all for another way to find Sora. He did tell me to be careful and to let him know if I found anything. And of course I said I would.

Now it’s been a year. I was able to get to the Unchained Realm without Chirithy’s help, but they still pitched in to keep me steady. No one’s really found anything yet, but we’re not giving up. Sora wouldn’t give up on us, so why should we?

“Good night, Chirithy,” Erica said.

“Good night, kiddo,” Chirithy replied. “Here’s to hoping Ephemer and Skuld have found something.”

Erica nodded, and she closed her eyes to reach out to their realm. It took a bit like it usually did, but she felt something that didn’t feel like Skuld or Ephemer. Maybe this was their breakthrough! A clue!

She sifted through the realm and reached out to the new feeling, and soon she found herself in a part of Daybreak Town she knew she hadn’t seen before.

It was completely night, not like the partial nights she’d always known. The buildings didn’t really seem quite right; they were almost advanced, like Hiro’s world. And the fact that no street lamps were on didn’t really help.

“Hello?” she called. “Anyone here?”

Silence.

“Ephemer? Skuld?”

Nothing.

The atmosphere was even different. It wasn’t homey and safe. In fact it was the complete opposite.

Erica looked around. From what she could see, she was in an alleyway. There was some kind of light in the dark street ahead of her, and if she looked up, she could see lights coming off of other nearby buildings.

A flicker of movement brought her attention to someone just walking out of view, but she managed to catch his reflection in the building across the street.

Wait a second. . . . “Riku?”

Erica bolted down the alleyway. How did he get here? Did he figure it out? Maybe he found something.

She stumbled to a stop out on the street and looked to Riku. He was looking to his left with the most serious expression she’d ever seen on him. But when he looked at her, he seemed different. Too different.

“Riku?” Erica asked cautiously.

“No,” he said, his voice clearly emphasizing his answer. “Who are you?”

“Erica.” She couldn’t sense a light in him or a darkness. So maybe they were hidden? Or maybe they were too intertwined for her to distinguish them. “Who’re you?”

He studied her, contemplating his next words. “No one important.”

She wasn’t very satisfied with that answer, but she let it slide this time. “I’m uh, looking for a friend of mine. His name is Sora.”

“You’re looking for Sora, too?”

“Yyyes? Wait, do you know him?”

“I’ve heard of him. I was told to save him.”

“By who?”

“A friend of his.”

That could be anyone. But did they know this guy? Or . . . was this something different? “. . . Have you found him yet?”

He looked to his hand, closing it as he spoke. “Once . . . but I lost him.”

“. . . Is he okay?”

“More or less.”

Phew. “Well, maybe we could work together. We might be able to find him faster.”

He studied her again, and he briefly glanced up at the full moon above her. “I don’t need help.”

“Why not?”

“I can manage on my own.”

“What if you get hurt?”

“Like I said, I can manage on my own. Trust me.”

Erica didn’t look convinced.

She seems persistent. “How did you get here?”

“I’ve had help from another friend of mine. Technically I can come here by myself, but they still want to help out.” She hesitated. “What about you?”

“I accidentally wandered into this place.”

“Oh.” She paused for a bit.

“Are you done?”

“What? No! You said a friend of Sora’s asked you to save him. Well they’re my friend, too. So it’ll be easier for both of us to work together to find Sora. And safer.”

Erica paused again. “All his friends are looking for him, and they’re worried about him. You’re probably our only lead in a long time, and I’m sure whichever one of my friends asked you to help Sora has to know that. So if there’s any way for you to let me help, I’ll do it.”

He studied her more intently. She was desperate. It was clear in her eyes. And it almost made him wonder how far she would really go.

Almost.

“You would really make that choice?” he asked.

“Yes. I would.”

Reckless. “Tell me exactly how you got here.”

Erica took a minute to gather her thoughts. “My friend told me I’m coming here through a dream, so I’m uh, technically sending my consciousness here. But I’ll leave if I wake up.”

He began to walk away. “Then there’s no point in working together.”

“Uh wait! I could try to figure out how to stay longer.”

He stopped. “Would you really want to stay asleep?”

Erica found herself hesitant to answer. If it meant helping Sora, she would. But she’d worry her friends, especially Chirithy. She never wanted to do that. And how would she let the others know what she’s found?

Footsteps pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked to him walking away. “Wait wait!”

He resisted an eye roll, and he stopped to look over his shoulder.

“What if I meet up with you every time I come here? I’ll just be temporary back up.”

She was really persistent. Or desperate. If he played his cards right he could last until she disappeared. But then there was the chance she’d come back and pester him again—if she came looking for him. Which he suspected she would probably do.

“I’ll think about it.”

Finally she was satisfied. That would give him some time to figure out how to deal with her.

“So um, should we meet back here if you make up your mind?” Erica asked.

“Fine.”

With a nod, she fizzed and faded away.

[Part 2; AO3 version]

________

[So I kinda got inspiration from a headcanon that had to do with Yozora having something to do with the Keyblade War era. Also I have a small headcanon that the place Sora and Yozora fight in is in the Unchained Realm. Even if I also think they're in some form of Shibuya.]

#Technically I wrote this out of a tiny impulse since I normally don't write for characters I know nothing about. #Also I have no idea where Ephemer and Skuld are so I'm just going to assume they're in the Unchained Realm until proven otherwise. #And we don't really know who told Yozora to save Sora. #Unless we do and I missed it. #Either way this was interesting to write #Ugh I wanna know more about Yozora! #Kingdom Hearts #KH III #Re:Mind #ReMind #Re:Mind spoilers #Remind spoilers #KH OCs #Ephemer #Skuld #Chirithy #Erica #Riku #Sora #Yozora

[oveliagirlhaditright]

54 for Player/Strelitzia

Prompt: Words I wanted to say to you, but never got the chance to.

Dedicated to bluerosesburnblue

“…Strelitzia, wait,” Chirithy said from out of nowhere, as he planted his paws onto the ground and held tight to Strelitzia’s hand to keep her from going any further.

As a Keyblade wielder–and a pretty strong one at that, she supposed, if Master Ava choosing her to be a Union Leader meant anything–Strelitzia could have broken free of Chirithy’s grip if she really wanted to… but now without hurting him, she felt. 

So she took a deep breath and allowed him to stop her for a moment, when that was the last thing she wanted to do. “Chirithy, what’s wrong? I have to tell them about the Keyblade War and the Dandelions before it’s too la-”

“I set you up.”

“…What?” Suddenly, Strelitzia felt as though the earth had risen up and swallowed her whole. Daybreak Town was warm and full of light–so, many bad things… aside from this upcoming Keyblade War, that Strelitzia could hardly believe was even happening–didn’t happen here. 

But even so… A few people had still been murdered, and Strelitzia knew what death was. And if Chirithy was saying he set her up, there was only one thing she could imagine him meaning… and it wasn’t pleasant.

“I- I unfortunately agreed with Master Gula, that you wouldn’t be a fitting leader for the Dandelions, and would lead them into following the Master of Masters’ path for destruction. And I thought it would be better if you–if we–disappeared from this world. But I can’t do that to you, Strelitzia! Run! If you go into that warehouse, Master Gula will kill you and you’ll never find your love!”

“But I-” Tears stung at Strelitzia’s eyes, as she clenched her hands into fists. She could barely understand a word she was hearing–as she’d gone into shock long ago, and all she could hear was a whooshing in her ears–but she still knew that she’d been right… Chirithy had betrayed her. 

But unlike her worst imaginings she’d just had of the scenario, he had told her in time and wasn’t completely irredeemable. Maybe there was still a chance she could save him from the darkness she was now seeing had literally engulfed him, as he was bathed in purple.

“Chirithy, come with me!” But Strelitzia didn’t get her wish–when would she ever again?–for at that exact moment, another Nightmare Chirithy appeared! A monster of one, and her Chirithy was absorbed within it so that she didn’t know where the other one ended and hers began. 

Had he done this because he still had some of his dark intentions, and had only been able to fight them for a moment to save her? Or had he ended himself out of shame for everything? Strelitzia didn’t know… and she didn’t have time to figure it out. 

So she helplessly reached out towards her Chirithy and called out his name just one more time, before she sealed her heart away and went into hiding.

…

If there was anything the Keyblade wielders had known about Master Gula, it was that he was the edgiest of the Foretellers and, perhaps, the one that had turned away from his original cause the most. So Strelitzia was no fool: she knew that Master Gula was still looking for her and would kill her, if he found her.

So Strelitzia went back to something she’d been doing for a long time, but in a much wiser way this time: she watched things from her favorite rooftop. But from within a secret passage between the attic and the roof–that only she and one other person knew about–where she could watch the going ons at Fountain Square as much as she wanted to, but still stay safe.

There was food here, so Strelitzia didn’t starve… and she also was smart enough to know who it was from: The Master of Masters, that Gula was now fighting against. And if the Master had left food here, he must have known she would be here and had planned for that event… which must have meant she was somehow important to the future, and needed to live.

Which was part of the reason she was going against her beliefs from before, and doing nothing to try and stop the Keyblade War or warn anyone about it. Strelitzia was in survival mode now, and would wait it out here as long as she possibly could.

…But the day she saw Aced attack them, after they so gallantly stopped a fight between two Keyblade wielders, Strelitzia knew she could wait no more and had to make certain that they were alright.

So she somewhat regretfully–dang. Who had she become?–left her new home, and jumped down from her perch to follow that Skuld girl and her hero’s Chirithy back to their home.

Skuld noticed her right away, though, which… honestly? Strelitzia would have been disappointed with Master’s Ava’s–no, the Master of Master’s–choices if she hadn’t.

“Who are you and why are you following us?!” Skuld demanded with fury in her eyes, the moment she spun around with Starlight in her hand and cut Strelitzia’s cheek. 

Strelitzia hardly noticed.

“This is going to sound… stalker-y, but I honestly don’t care. It’s the truth, and we don’t have time to dawdle. I kept running into your friend by chance, and then started noticing how they seemed to be in the center of things and became intrigued by them–like they were intrigued by your friend Ephemer, I believe?–and started watching them some… 

“But anyway, the real point is that Master Gula wants me dead. Why? Because he’s against the Master of Masters and I’m one of the Master’s appointed Union Leaders. I’ve been in hiding ever since, but when I- when I saw them get hurt, I had to step in and make sure they were okay. That’s why I’m here.”

Skuld looked incredulous, like she was about to say that that was the stupidest thing she ever heard and she didn’t trust her around her dear companion at all, with some of things she had just admitted. But the Chirithy jumped in before Skuld could act.

“That… actually makes some sense, Skuld. I can see why Master Gula would want to challenge the Master, unfortunately. Some of my Master’s directions… they never added up. It was like he was putting the Foretellers against each other in order for them to fail. I don’t know… But we can’t waste time talking about this outside right now. It’s too dangerous. Let’s get inside.”

And not having to be told twice, Strelitzia grabbed the other arm of her dear, and helped Skuld carry them to their home and then their room.

…

Strelitzia’s hero did not wake for a long time, and it quickly became night as they waited for them to. Everyone was too anxious to eat anything, but they did each go and get a drink out of the fridge when dehydration started to set in and then partook in some awkward conversation.

“What’s an example of the Master of Masters pitting the Foretellers against each other, Chirithy?” Skuld was asking now, as she seemed to finally make the important decision of turning against the Master of Masters herself.

Which, if Strelitzia was being honest with herself, was a fair position to take with everything they were now learning. This war never should have happened… and if those in charge had wanted to stop it, they could have. Which must have meant they didn’t want to… so the Master of Masters wasn’t really worth trusting then, was he?

But at the same time… Strelitzia knew he was the reason she was even alive right now, because of his careful planning. So should she have been looking that gift horse in the mouth? And what would happen if she did?

“Well… Master Aced has always wanted to be leader, but the Master of Masters made Master Ira leader and not him. He then told Master Aced that if Master Ira fell from the path, it should be his job to take Master Ira’s path… What do you think that led to? Master Aced having issues with everything Master Ira did–and looking for any excuse to dethrone him, so to speak–and those two becoming enemies… and the other Foretellers becoming enemies as they somewhat took sides there… and that’s only part of it.”

Strelitzia was about to say that Master Gula wasn’t much better, though, if he was planning on killing her to thwart the Master’s plans… Not just because it would have been murder–and Strelitzia nearly threw up in imagining herself dead on the ground by his hands–but because eventually someone would have found out she’d been replaced, and it would have led to the same in-fighting between the new Union Leaders. But before she could speak, they woke up.

“Ephemer,” they whispered out of nowhere, as they looked to their ceiling almost in reverence–as if they were being gifted with seeing the light within Kingdom Hearts for the first time. “Skuld, do you know where he is-”

But the Keyblade wielder who, perhaps, deserved to be a Dandelion and Union Leader more than anyone else, cut themselves off when they rolled over and saw Strelitzia there. “Who are you?” they asked warily.

And Strelitzia, suddenly feeling much more like herself than she had in a long time, went to their side and pushed a plant closer to them so that they might heal faster. And with tears in her eyes, she said: “This- this is the moment I’ve always been waiting for. And to think… that if my Chirithy hadn’t had a change of heart, all of this would have just been things I wanted to tell you but never got the chance to. 

“But I- my name is Strelitzia. And I’ve been admiring you for so long: for the strength you still held when you were unintentionally stood up by Ephemer… for so courageously facing off against Master Ira when you thought he killed Ephemer… for what you did in Fountain Square just today. And I believe, just like you do, that even the Dandelions are no good, if iso many of our friends still perish in the Keyblade War.”

And something within Strelitzia’s new friend–was it too presumptuous to call them a friend already? She sure hoped not!–seemed to come alive when she’d said the last bit. “You are like me, then… In maybe being willing to learn how to use the power of darkness–or at least pretend to–to save a friend… And maybe actually falling into that darkness, at the thought of losing our friends… But if we’re really tied to darkness… can we truly do anything to help?”

And Strelitzia thought that they could. She’d been examining the cards lately, and many of the ones that had been able to be Guilted (that was the same as utilizing the powers of darkness) had people with golden eyes on them, as if that feature was somehow associated with the darkness: eyes like Skuld’s, and Skuld was just fine.

And Strelitzia remembered the selfless thing that Chirithy had done for her, even while consumed by the darkness, before he’d joined this person’s Chirithy, she guessed now.

Maybe… maybe the darkness wasn’t as bad as they had all feared, and that was the key all around.

“This Keyblade War is about to start because everyone’s afraid of Daybreak Town falling to darkness. But if we’re going to kill people to try and avoid that, is it any better? And won’t that lead to darkness and an end, anyway? Maybe if we make people see that–that, perhaps, a little darkness won’t hurt and it’ll allow them to stay alive, unlike the alternative–the fighting will stop. It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

And smiling at her, as their Chirithy and friend Skuld watched them with mouths agape and concerned looks behind them, they gave Strelitzia their hand and started to sit up. 

“Let’s do it, then.”

And in that moment, Strelitzia knew that they had found a way to stop the Keyblade War… and they did do so.

But little did she know, that for that they would then be put in a simulation that would manually force the War to happen… and for them to relive it over and over again, until eventually a certain someone with sky blue eyes found them and got them out of the Black Box.

#long post #fanfiction #my work #mine #my writing #Shanna writes #playerlitzia #playerstrelitzia #strelitzia #Strelitzia lives au #au #alternate universe #chi #kh #kingdom hearts #player #key kids #khux #union cross #union x #unchained x #unchained key #key #kye #kingdom hearts x #kingdom hearts chi #kingdom hearts key #kingdom hearts kye #kingdom hearts unchained x #kingdom hearts unchained key