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mythicalartistx · 3 months

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Kairi probably has Trauma and her reasoning why she is with Sora and Riku

Ansem the Wise is not a good person

He experimented on children and even fed them to the heartless.

Saïx/Isa often heard screams from the Ansen's study and when he and Axel/ Lea snuck in, it's no wonder they tried to find X after she went missing. No wonder why Saïx was so obsessed with finding her because Ansem the Wise does this stuff.

In ff7 nobody likes Hojo and he's seen as a bad person. Ansem kind of does the same thing except people are supposed to feel bad for Ansem and are like he's good now because he regret it??

The thing is we don't see why he regrets it or anything. And we just see he feels bad about Roxas and Naminé. We also see that he only stopped because he took it too far?

But this is the stuff Ansem did and his apprentices continued, or at least Terra-Ansem.

And Terra Ansem was interested in Kairi because she was a princess of heart. He kidnapped her and then he probably did experiments on her.

She probably has trauma. Then he sent her with that pod to Destiny islands because that's where a key blade wielder is at and whenever a pod is used a meteor shower happens.

And then we get to the start of KH1 and there's some things I've noticed. When Sora asks Kairi what her old home was like, she says she cannot remember. Sora asks “nothing at all?” and she makes this interesting expression. Before answering she frowns before quickly changing to a smile when she says, nothing.

What if she does remember and could be lying here because the experience was so traumatic and does not want to share what happened. However, she barely remembers it and could repress what happens, so she could remember it being bad but says nothing because she truly can't remember because of trauma.

No wonder she seems content on the island. Everyone is nice and she has fun with Sora and Riku. Nobody is trying to experiment on her.

She then goes along with it because they want to. People say she doesn't want change and yes that is true because of the trauma she faced. She's scared to go out into the world because of what happened.

When she talks with Sora later she reveals that she was hesitant at first, but now she's not. She probably was hesitant because of the fear that people like Terra Ansem are out there and might experiment on her. Then knowing that Sora and Riku really want to and they all can go together, she wants to. She is with them and isn't alone. She relies on them when doing things and bases everything on them.

However, that doesn't happen and her heart goes inside of Sora's. Riku's darkness gets the best of him and he believes Sora doesn't care about him anymore and is getting left behind, something he always feared.

And during the games going forward she always focuses on Sora and Riku. She mentions how they left her behind in kh2. She has changed and tried growing as a person but she still relies on them.

When Sora and Riku get the letter from Mickey, Kairi seems sad because they will leave again.

Then in kh3, she is keyblade training. She cuts her hair like Riku did. In the novel she wonders if Sora likes short hair and does it because of Riku. She then grows close to Lea / Axel someone who once tried to kidnap her for his own gain. Then she realized he was hurt and was trying to see his friend again and that isn't something that bad. But above all, he is sorry about everything.

She is often left behind. Unless she is in immediate danger, she isn't really thought of. Sora's mind always goes to Riku and what Riku is doing.

In kh2, he keeps trying to find Rikuand only focus is on finding him. It isn't until someone mentions Kairi that he thinks of her. In kh3 he talks about wanting to call Riku and that he wants to show how cool the MH6 world is to Riku. When he sees Kairi in kh3 that's when he realizes oh, you're here too.

She constantly wants to be with them fuelled by both trauma and friendship, However they're constantly leaving her behind.

Tetsuya Nomura once said that Kingdom Hearts is about the friendships that change alluring to how destiny Trio dynamic changes where Sora and Riku aren't as close to her.

In re:mind / mom Kairi falls asleep, hoping to be useful and wake Sora up so things can be like they have always been between the three of them.

Then when she wakes, she and Riku go to try to find Sora and realizes she must stay behind as it is Riku's part not hers. Kairi must grow on her own and not with other people that constantly held her back and left her behind.

I don't think she should be friendless but I think she should grow without them because they hold her back and she is left behind a lot. She is constantly relying on Sora and Riku.

Also it would just be interesting to see her with other characters as it could be an interesting dynamic. I would have loved to see her with the sea salt trio + Twilight gang. Her interacting with Vanitas would also have been great (though not sure if it's possible since he went away).

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phoenix-downer · 3 months

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What Really Matters

~2020 words. SoKai. Set Post-Canon. Sickfic. Kairi POV. Established Relationship. Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Cuddling, Romance, Happily Married Characters.

Summary: Kairi has grand plans for Valentine's Day that are derailed when she gets sick. But Sora takes care of her and surprises her with a special present to make it up to her.

Valentine’s Day meant making elaborate chocolates for Sora and giving them to him so she could see his big, beautiful smile. He’d always got her flowers and would explain what each one meant in the secret language they’d created. After that, they’d celebrate with a delicious dinner, spend the evening together, then end the day with a nice, hot bath before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

Getting sick was not part of the plan.

Of course, leave it to Kairi to get sick right on Valentine’s Day. She woke up with a scratchy throat and achy feelings in her arms and legs, and by the time she was melting the chocolate in her trusty double broiler, she couldn’t dismiss it as allergies anymore.

Sora was supposed to come home today, and she’d already put up the Valentine’s Day banner and streamers with pink, red, and white hearts for his arrival. This latest mission had taken him away for two weeks, and she was anxious to see him again and enjoy however much time they had together before he was whisked away once more or she was given another assignment.

Still, she soldiered on, sucking on cough drops to keep the nasty cough she’d developed at bay and going through copious amounts of facial tissues to deal with her runny nose. A runny nose was better than a stuffy nose at least, and she would get these chocolates done.

By the time she’d finished decorating the chocolates and putting them on a heart-shaped platter, she was burning with fever. She hastily wrapped the platter, grabbed a glass of water and her tissue stash, and stumbled to the couch, passing out almost immediately.

The day was spent in a fitful state of consciousness that was not very restful as she alternated between too hot and too cold, too much snot and not enough tissues, and stumbling to get more water and sighing when she realized they were out of cold and flu medicine.

By the time Sora got home, she was completely and utterly miserable. Her chest ached, she’d coughed till she was hoarse, and her nose was red from how many times she’d had to blow it. She’d never changed out of the t-shirt and sweatpants she’d worn to bed last night and hadn’t showered yet either because she was planning to do that after making the chocolates.

“Kai, I’m home!” she heard Sora’s cheerful voice calling. His face was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, and she felt like the clouds trying to hide the sun with her illness.

“Welcome back,” she said miserably, not wanting this at all. She looked and felt like a slob, there was a pile of snotty tissues on the floor by the couch, and their special plans for the day were ruined. Sora had seen her sick before, but not like this. They’d been married for less than a year and hadn’t been at the house at the same time often enough for him to.

“Kai? What’s wrong?” he asked, by her side in an instant. He held a beautiful bouquet of flowers in his hands, but unfortunately they just made her sneeze. He hastily set them on the coffee table and hovered near her, placing the back of his hand on her forehead and gasping when he felt how hot it was.

“I got sick,” she muttered, feeling terribly sorry for herself. “I’m sorry, everything is ruined.”

“Shhhh, it’s okay, don’t worry about that. We’re together and that’s what matters.” He gently cupped her cheek and smiled as if she wasn’t a walking germ factory right now.

“I had such good plans,” she said as he sat her up and peeled her disgustingly sweaty t-shirt off.

“I put up the decorations and made you chocolates and—”

“Thank you,” he replied as he shimmied her sweatpants down her legs. “I’m sure I’ll love them.”

Her eyes watered. “No don’t, if you eat them, you’ll get sick too. You’ll get sick just from touching me like this, I know you will, my sweat and snot has to be crawling with germs at this point.”

He smiled and planted a tender kiss on her lips. “Don’t care, I get to be with my wife.”

“I’m sorry I’m sick,” she choked out, her voice sounding hoarse and scratchy.

“Kairi, let me take care of you,” he said softly, finding her hand and weaving their fingers together. “I promised, remember? In sickness and in health.”

Her eyes watered some more. She had to admit, it would be nice to be taken care of, and she was too weak to take care of herself on her own right now.

He gave her some more water and held the cup as she drank, then found a thin sheet to drape over her. He told her about his latest adventures as he cooked up an herbal remedy and his mom’s famous rice gruel with egg drop soup. He gave her the medicine first, which made her cough more at first because it was very pungent but effective, and then he spooned her mouthfuls of the soup. She was struck by how very vulnerable she was right now, completely dependent on him even to eat. It was a scary feeling, and yet she didn’t feel unsafe, either. Just very, very loved and taken care of.

Some of the soup got on her chest and the sheet, so once she was fed, he carefully lifted her into his arms like she weighed nothing and took her to the tub. Normally he would’ve tried to help her rinse off first with the shower on the wall, but they were both worried she was too sick for that right now.

He started running the water for the bath, carefully adjusting the temperature till it was just right.

“Tell me if it gets too hot, okay?” he said, then gave her more water to drink to keep her hydrated.

The tub filled up little by little, and by the time it was full, the warm water covering her chest felt really, really nice. Sora rooted around for something in their cabinets, then found an unidentified bottle to pour into the tub. Herbal extracts, going by the scent.

When he set the bottle down, she weakly grasped his hand. “Join me?”

His expression softened, and he nodded and kissed her forehead. “Hold on.”

A few minutes later, he was soaking in the water with her, his back leaning against the tub as she leaned against him. His arms were around her, and she felt so safe and protected.

“This feels really nice,” she murmured as he kissed her cheek.

“See? So long as we’re together, that’s what matters.”

She nodded sleepily and closed her eyes. She dozed on and off as they enjoyed the time together, then woke up again as he gently started cleaning her. This felt so much more intimate in some ways than a normal Valentine’s date would’ve been.

Once they were both clean, he carefully extracted himself from her and got out of the tub, then helped her out of it. He dried her off and gently laid her on their bed, and she felt much better after dinner and their bath. The food had restored some of her strength, plus the warm, herbal-infused bathwater had cleared her nostrils and made her chest feel lighter. And being around Sora was the best medicine anyone could ask for.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling softly at him.

He leaned down to kiss her again, then said, “I got us something. A special treat for Valentine’s Day.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Hang on a sec,” he said, disappearing into the living room. A few moments later, he reappeared with two sets of fluffy pajamas. His pajama top was black with red cuffs and a red hood plus pajama pants with red bands around the knees. Her top was pink with black cuffs and accents and cute little Chirithy ears with matching shorts that were pink and black with plaid on one of the legs. Both outfits had matching slippers that would be nice to wear around the house.

“The perfect PJs for Valentine’s Day cuddles,” he proudly declared. They looked remarkably like their clothes when they’d faced down Xehanort all those years ago. That was one of her favorite looks for Sora, plus she’d liked her look back then too, so she wasn’t about to complain about this fun, fluffy trip down memory lane.

“The fairies made them for us,” Sora explained. “I was feeling nostalgic and asked for something similar to our outfits back when we first shared the paopu fruit.”

“I love them,” she said, running her hands over the soft fabric. Then a playful imp entered her brain and refused to leave. “But I want to wear yours.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And what, pray tell, will I wear?”

“Mine,” she said as sweetly as she could manage in her sickly state. “They look baggy enough that you could pull them off. Or you could just stay as you are. That works too.”

He laughed. “Hey, if me wearing your pajamas will cheer you up, I’ll happily do it.”

He helped her into his new pajamas after that, and they were very loose on her, which was perfect for her current fever. If she got too hot Sora could help her take them off.

Then he put her pajamas on, Chirithy hood and all, and she giggled and nodded her approval. “They look good on you. Pink really suits you, and black is one of your best colors.”

He grinned and slowly turned in a circle for her, a mischievous expression on his face. “Well? Like what you see?”

“I always do. And those shorts look great on your legs and butt. Thank you for the show.”

He looked back at her and winked. “You’re welcome.” With that he turned the lamps on their bedside tables on and turned the overhead light off.

He certainly had the confidence…and the figure…to pull this outfit off. That was one of the things she loved about him. He was so secure in himself that he didn’t care how much anyone teased him about how smitten he was with her or the lengths he would go for her. Wearing her pajamas didn’t even faze him if it meant making her laugh when she was sick.

He’d sacrificed so much more for her before. A silly outfit swap was nothing in comparison.

“What is it?” he softly asked, noticing the change in her expression.

She sniffled and grabbed a tissue off the nightstand. “I’m sick and emotional because I’m thinking about all you’ve done for me. All you’ve sacrificed for me. Your strength, your memories, your dignity…your life…”

“Small prices to pay to be with you,” he said, joining her on the bed. “And you’ve sacrificed a lot for me too.”

She cuddled up next to him as he figured out the blanket situation and turned off the lamps. “I’m just glad we’re together,” she said. For so long that hadn’t been any guarantee but now, at last, it was true. Everything they’d been through was worth it now that he was by her side.

“I am too. Happy Valentine’s Day, Kairi.” He kissed her goodnight, not caring one single bit that she was sick.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Sora.” She rested his head on her chest, his heartbeat the lullaby she needed to fall asleep.

As they slipped off into the realm of dreams together, Kairi was completely content, her symptoms just an irritation and her exhaustion and sense of peace overriding them. She always slept so much more soundly in Sora’s arms and he likewise slept like a baby in her embrace, their bodies regulating each other when they were together, their hearts beating as one.

The day might not have gone as planned, but it was still a very nice Valentine’s Day all the same. Sora was right. So long as they were together, that was what really mattered.

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A/N: I couldn't not write a SoKai fic about those new pajamas that Square released. I'd been wanting to write a sickfic where Sora takes care of Kairi anyway, and it aligned perfectly with the announcement of those pajamas.

Thank you for reading, and Happy Valentine's Day!

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #sora #kairi #sora x kairi #sora/kairi #phoenix writes #phoenix-downer #long post #kh #sickfic #hurt/comfort #fluff #cuddling #romance #valentine's day #happy valentine's day

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mirror-to-the-past · 9 months

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More (Apparently) KH3:Remind and Melody of Memory Stuff

Spiritually pounding on the windows of the Square Enix building- what do you MEAN I find out via YouTube that there's story cutscenes locked behind those egregious Data fights?? (That I'll personally beat... someday...)

(I also just went ahead and watched all the cutscenes for Melody of Memory, because I didn't want to play through a $60 rhythm game, sorryyy)

But first, Re:Mind and its sneaky, sneaky cutscenes...

Everything with Yozora has me Bonkers. I can't believe they've done this. Echoing Sora's first line in the series "I've been having these weird thoughts lately" through his own side of the story, him saying that he doesn't look like how he appears, the 'why do you know that name,' the "save Sora" while immediately drawing a gun on the man in question?? I'm just... *screaming noises* They're bringing everything together with the fiction versus reality stuff they have going on, and guys, I get SO excited when some games go meta. I'm squealing like a little girl; I'm ecstatic. Despite Sora being in (what I now know as Quadratum) and the background of the Yozora fight reflecting that, I can't help but wonder if it was another internal fight due to the arena switching to Sora's Heart Station for a second, akin to Roxas' fight in KH2.

And the music was so pretty... Yozora has a gorgeous theme. The prettier the battle theme, the more insane the KH fight, I say.

Also Riku was dreaming of Sora for a year. Lmao. He just... didn't say anything about it, while everyone was busting their asses. I'll be honest, literally the only way I could take that is that he dismissed his dreams as irrelevant- ah yes, dreaming of Sora? Nothing crazy to see here. Oh, Riku.

Also more importantly than Riku's angst deal- KAIRI WAS LAUNCHED INTO SPACE WHEN SHE WAS A PRESCHOOLER TO ACT AS A KEYBLADE WIELDER HOMING DEVICE, JESUS CHRIST. Kairi 🤝 Megamind 🤝 potentially Superman (I'm not a comics guy):

Getting launched out of their home planets into space in order to escape the destruction of their worlds, given vague and confusing scenarios and instructions to adapt to once they find a new planet, but they really just wanna chill and be loved and keep people safe.

And she's gonna train with Aqua! :D Another professional at getting launched into other worlds (realms). I hope she bonds with Ventus, as I've recently been made aware of their similarities in disposition, and how they are treated by others (hearts of pure light, designated by their groups as "the one who should stay home/be protected", wavering self confidence in their own abilities and self worth). Additionally, the hilarious potential scenarios of Kairi being like "yeah, and my favorite color's actually-" and Ventus interrupts with "Purple. I know," because the man essentially vicariously lived Sora's childhood. I'm super stoked for future Kairi screentime! Loved when she saw Xehanort in her memories and was like 'I don't care if you're a memory, data, manifestation of my heart or any other thing- I hate you, get out of my life forever. Hugs and kisses, die.' Like, 10/10, girl. Fair. Kairi's a volcano wrapped in a sweet package ready to snap at someone.

Riku's like "Y'know Ansem, I'm gonna miss you... 🥺"

And Sora's like "Xemnas, stooop all the violence. How can you take advantage of people with hearts? You should feel your feelings. You're valid, bestie. ☺️"

Kairi's no bleeding heart for baddies, she just wants everyone to get off her damn case, lol!

Also LOL at the fairy godmother of all people being the one to ship Riku off to Quadratum after Sora. My Cinderiku jokes (as well as my previous KH3 post's blurb about Riku determinedly walking into the ocean to find Sora) may not be completely unwarranted, now. Like, Miss 'specialty in dreams?' Miss "If you'd lost all your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am." Not even to mention "a dream is a wish your heart makes," a very relevant lyric for this set of circumstances, if I do say so myself. I guess that's just gonna be another song I love and sing to myself that now makes me think of KH. 🤷 There's worse things I suppose, for example, like Buddy Holly being stuck in my head for three days straight and making me feel like I'm trapped listening to my uncle's records (thanks, Good Omens).

I ended up re-watching "Cinderella" for the first time in a while because of that part of Re:Mind and MoM. The KH association of the part with Fairy Godmother's appearance is now semi-heartwrenching, given the context of her appearance in "Cinderella," as well:

You have the vocalizing chorus throughout the opening of the scene acting as a callback to Cinderella's "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" song as well as reflecting her inner thoughts, and she has a dialogue with it while she sobs alone in the garden:

Chorus: Whatever you wish for, you keep...

Cinderella: "Oh, no... no, it isn't true."

Chorus: Have faith in your dreams and someday... your rainbow will come smiling through!

Cinderella: "It's just no use. No use at all."

Chorus: No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing...

Cinderella: "I can't believe! Not anymore..."

Chorus: The dream that you wish... *lyric trails off, unfinished*

Cinderella: "There's nothing left to believe in... nothing..."

[Fairy Godmother materializes next to her]

FG: "Nothing my dear? Oh, now you don't really mean that."

Cinderella: "Oh, but I do-"

FG: "Nonsense, child! If you lost all your faith, I couldn't be here, and here I am!"

[the violin and cello come in to finish the last part of the lyric] "...will come true."

Beautiful scene, really. The chorus assisting the animation is delightful... I watched Bambi and Lady and the Tramp (Bella Notte <3) a lot growing up because I loved that old-timey choral work. So dreamy...

Additional funny/sweet bit: I like how Mickey was freaking out to the point of being pinned down over Riku being unceremoniously dropped into Quadratum via Fairy Godmother's spontaneity and enabling.

'You sent my son to the big city ALONE?! He could get mugged, he could get lost, he could get hate-crimed, he could-'

*jump cut to Riku, and he's trying to gauge the value of Earth Money by spying on hot dog stands. He sheds his first known tear of the series by trying to figure out public transit routes*

Anyway, in the words of Cid:

"But what happens next?!"

#kingdom hearts #kh3 #melody of memory #kh3 remind

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airawisteria · 1 year

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See, Kairi might not be my favourite character from KH (though, she's really fun to draw), but, like, the way she is so insecure about her friendship with Sora (I would say Riku as well, but let's be real here, those two could barely be considered friends, maybe acquaintances by this point, honestly) is something that would be so interesting to explore. I'm assuming it's probably from the trauma of losing her home world and everyone she cared about, like her Grandma, when her world was consumed by darkness—but, wow.

Even in KH1 where she and Sora are, in my opinion, the closest they've ever been shown to be, she's going on about leaving alone with Sora, the way that she immediately gives Sora a good luck charm the second she knows he's about to leave again, the way that she reaches out to Sora so desperately as if to say, "Please don't leave".

Then, in KH2, she straight up just forgets (not that it was her fault) about him and goes on with her life perfectly content. Once she realises, however, she immediately tries to remember him with such desperation that you have to wonder—why does she care so much for Sora but was perfectly fine staying on Destiny Islands instead of looking for her world or desperately trying to hold onto her memories of her Grandma? I think, at this point, some people would brush this off as 'her romantic feelings for Sora', but, like, is it really just that? I think it's more so about how she doesn't want to lose Sora completely as she did with her home world. She almost lost Sora completely, memories and all, and I think that after you've experienced losing your loved ones and the world that you've grown to love/have always loved almost completely at the ripe old age of a nursery kid. That leaves scars (obviously). So, when she realises she might lose someone she knew she was close with—she does whatever she can to get him back. Kairi wasn't able to do that with her home world, but maybe she could with Sora?

So! She immediately writes Sora a letter, puts it in a bottle and lets it float away. It's also probably why she takes such an active role in KH2, especially compared to KH1 where she was passed out for most of it and when she was awake she wasn't really doing much (like, Nomura, mate, couldn't you have had Kairi at least try to fend off some of the heartless??), but here she might still be getting kidnapped and stuff, but!! She's actually actively searching Sora out, trying to find him, fighting Axel, fighting the heartless with her keyblade, she's even the entire reason Sora even fucking found Riku, in the end. Now, let's fast forward to the end of KH2, Riku and Sora are stranded in the Realm of Darkness while Kairi is in Destiny Islands. She's alone, again. Imagine, finding two of your closest friends in the past, and then, bam! They're gone, again. And, again, you're helpless to do anything about it. That has to do something to your self-esteem, right? You've almost lost your friends twice, lost your world twice (kinda) and you couldn't do anything about it both times. It's like you're destined to be the only one left behind, the only one who can't take part in the Mark of Mastery exam, the only one who isn't in the Realm of Darkness or fighting Xemnas, the only one in the Realm of Light, and, the only one who will never be able to catch up with your friends.

So, the Mark of Mastery happens and Kairi's busy learning how to wield a keyblade with Lea/Axel. Just like how Sora's failures are getting to him, Kairi's incompetence is getting to her—I mean, have you heard her voice lines? She even fucking cuts her hair not because she thinks it's getting too long or something, but because she thinks Sora might like her more with short hair. It isn't about her, it's about how she needs to keep up, how she needs to be someone the others can turn to, how she needs to be on the same level as everyone else—because if she isn't, how will she ever be able to be there for her friends? How will she ever be able to stop being the 'damsel in distress'? She doesn't send her letters to Sora anymore, probably because she thinks she and Sora are no longer the same friends who could connect easily and talk to easily—she thinks Sora and her have gained some distance. Distance that could probably be shortened over time, maybe, but distance that is stopping her from being able to open up to him. Then, there's the whole paopu fruit thing where she gives Sora another good luck charm because, like in KH1, she's scared to lose him, again. So, she intertwines their fates, because what other reassurance does she have?

And, then, the whole thing with the Keyblade Graveyard happens where Sora has a mental breakdown, and Kairi isn't strong enough to be there for Sora—but, Riku is. I don't think she remembers that bit, but during the first timeline, she reaches out to Sora specifically. Maybe it's romance, or maybe it's her trying to be with him so she won't lose him again.

But, anyways, onto the second timeline. Sora loses Kairi again cause Xehanort's being an asshole as he does. This time, Sora has to sacrifice himself for Kairi to return—and so, she loses him, again. Only this time, it's all her fault (not that it really is, just what I think she thinks about the matter). And within seconds, her self-esteem probably crumbles—she's lost someone again, someone precious again, someone she couldn't save, someone who had to save her, just like how it was with her Grandma.

Okay!! Rambling about Kairi over, but, like, I could go on and on about how much losing her home world was like for her and all that jazz.

#kairi #kingdom hearts #riku #sora #just me rambling #thoughts about Kairi #kh #kh kairi

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yzafre · 26 days

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we're flying above the valley below | ch 11

AO3

First | Previous

They didn’t leave Rapunzel’s world immediately. First, they had to determine who was going where, and explain the concept of the gummi ship to Rapunzel and Flynn. Then Sora gave them a message to pass on to Kairi when they got to Radiant Garden, before Donald reminded Sora he could just use his phone and tell her himself. Once Sora figured out the messaging system, Kairi reminded him he was supposed to ask Donald about the transformation magic, and then they had to deal with that.

After Donald handed off some enchanted charms, Sora headed over to give one to an impatient Ventus and tuck the others beside the new keychain that had landed in his pocket. Then, with one final wave, towards Donald, Goofy, Namine, Rapunzel, and Flynn, they finally headed off towards Yen Sid’s.

The trip was uneventful, both of them speeding along until the tower came into sight. Ven didn’t waste any time on landing, heading inside and up the stairs at a pace just shy of running. Heart aching, Sora did his best to keep up. Ven must be really worried about Aqua.

He… knew what that felt like.

Unfortunately, Yen Sid refused to help them reach the Realm of Darkness.

“Why not?!” Ventus protested.

“It is far, far too dangerous.”

“That’s why I should be there – she's my Flight, and she needs help. I can feel it.”

“And she will receive it – both Mickey and Riku are searching for her.”

“That’s not enough!”

“No?” Yen Sid asked, an edge of danger in his tone, “Two Keyblade Masters is not enough? A title which, I may remind you, you have not earned yourself.”

“Then test me!” Ven snarled

“Whoa – wait! Won’t that take too long?” Sora said, “I mean, our test took nearly a week; Riku’ll probably be back by then.”

This, finally, seemed to cut some of the wind from Ven’s sails, confusion dampening his frustration.

“What are you talking about? Aqua and Terra’s test took, like, an hour.”

“Wha – An hour?!“ Sora whipped back to Yen Sid, “What’s that about? Why was mine and Riku’s so hard?”

The sorcerer sighed, “There were powers I was hoping to awake in you, through your trip to the Sleeping Realms – ones that were instead found in Kairi. And as for your request, Ventus: if you had let me finish, you would also know that it is entirely beside the point. Even if you were a Master, I could not help you.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Realm of Darkness is not so easily breached. To date, it can be achieved in two ways: one, to travel through a rift formed when a heart, be it of people or a world, falls into Darkness. Two, to create a bridge with a Keyblade that contains ties to the other side. Without the Key Mickey holds, a doorway cannot be opened. And I assume you are not willing to cast a heart into Darkness, just to reach this other realm?”

Ven looked away mutinously.

Yen Sid nodded, “And so, even if your request was not helplessly reckless, I could not help you.”

Sora shifted awkwardly as Ven stared at the floor in silence. Behind them, the door cracked open.

A greeting brushed against Sora’s heart, soft and bright as the morning sun, and he spun, smile growing on his face.

“Kairi!”

“Sora!”

He reached for her, wings bursting from his back, one reaching forward to brush against hers as their hearts met, hello-I missed you. After a moment her eyes focused on something over her shoulder, and he felt her interest perk.

“Hello,” she said, stepping away from him, “It’s... Ventus, right?”

“Yeah! And you’re Kairi; it’s good to meet you in person.”

“Mm. You, too. I’m glad you made it back safely. How was your mission?”

“It was,” Ventus trailed off, eyes dropping to the floor for a moment before he answered, “It reminded me of home, in a lot of ways.”

“Rapunzel’s world was great!” Sora added, “I didn’t get to spend as much time with Donald and Goofy as I would have liked, but – oh, yeah! Kairi, here!”

He paused, digging through his pocket until he found the last charm Donald had given him, “I got these from Donald, so we uh. Don’t end up in a situation like with Buzz and Woody again.”

“Situation?” Ventus wondered.

“You know, when you get to a world and everything’s really different, and you’re not supposed to stand out, so the magic has to fix it?”

“Uh... sure?”

“You all have done well,” Yen Sid said, ending their chatter, “And I imagine we will need you again very soon. For now, however, feel free to take advantage of the guest rooms for the night and get some well-deserved rest.”

The sea met the shore, perfectly still, a flat plane of water stretching endless-endless-endless. The sky above reflected in its mirror-like surface. If he got close enough, it almost felt like he could step through, like he could fall, like he could –

A hand caught around his wrist, preventing him from stepping out into the sky.

“Don’t.”

His heart somersaulted its way into his throat, then fell back down, landing in the pool of unease in his stomach. That was close. The hand on him was steadying, tamping down the fizzling nerves from his near miss, and he turned to thank his savior, only to cut off in surprise.

“Oh,” he breathed, “It’s – you.”

It was the girl, the one Roxas cared so much about, the one the runaway replica looked like – he could just barely see the edges of her face, familiar blue eyes staring out from beneath the hood. She looked back to the water, letting go of his wrist.

“If you go out there… You’ll be lost. And I don’t have the strength to pull you back.”

“Uhm, okay,” Sora said, following her as she moved away from the edge and sat down. He dropped to the ground beside her, digging his toes into the sand. The last few times he’d felt her power, it had been so fragile – and then there was all that business with the replica…

“Hey, are you alright? After what happened in San Fransokyo, I mean. You seemed scared.”

She curled further into herself, burying her chin in her knees.

“That ‘you’ we fought… it was a replica, the one Axel was trying to find for Naminé, right?” he prodded, “I guess the Organization did something to it.”

“When the Organization made me,” she started – quietly, so quietly, “I was made to steal power from you, and from Roxas. Just by existing, I was hurting him. If I fell into their hands, now, it would just happen all over again.”

“I guess, but… didn’t Naminé make the new body? Riku said she was trying to help you.”

She didn’t answer immediately. Sora dug trenches in the sand.

Finally, she spoke up, “I saw something, when we touched. It felt like a memory, except… I didn’t remember it, not at all. It… no. I won’t be a tool for them. I won’t. It’s not worth the risk.”

For a long moment they sat together, listening to the wind in the trees – though the waves were conspicuously missing.

“Hey,” Sora said finally, “I don’t think I caught your name, last time.”

“My name… I see.”

She stood, walking out to the edge of the water, staring out at it as she twisted her hands together, over and over. Finally, she sighed, turning to him with a sad smile.

“My name is – “

“Sora?”

With a jerk, Sora woke, blinking blearily through the sunlight doing its best to blind him. A soft hand shook his shoulder once more, a shadow moving between him and the window.

“Sora. C’mon, wake up.”

“I’m awake, Kairi,” he mumbled.

“You sure? You don’t sound awake.”

Grumbling, he rolled over, grabbing his pillow as he went and half-heartedly smacking it into Kairi’s shoulder. She just laughed, pulling away and tugging at his blanket.

“Come on, breakfast is ready. It’s time to get up.”

Yen Sid sent the three of them off soon after they ate with coordinates to a world that had steadily growing Darkness readings. Apparently, it had been that way for a while, but had flown under the radar until it suddenly spiked while they were rescuing Rapunzel.

It was a good thing he’d gotten the charms from Donald, because the moment they arrived he felt the magic wash over him. Though, maybe that wasn’t such a good thing.

“You really gotta stop being so jumpy,” Kairi teased.

“I can’t help it,” Sora whined, “I keep seeing you guys out of the corner of my eyes, and it creeps me out!”

“Oh, so you’re saying I’m creepy?”

“Yeah – I mean, not you, but – “

And then there were the locals – though, after the initial confusion over the little girl they had with them, Mike and Sully weren’t so bad. That was made even more obvious when the real monsters showed up.

When the last of them were defeated, Sora squinted at the place where they disappeared into dark smoke.

“Those... weren’t heartless,” Sora said.

“No,” Kairi said, coming up beside him, “Not Nobodies, either.”

“Then, what could they be? Any ideas, Ven? ….Ven?”

Ven startled, gaze snapping over to them, and Sora had to hold back a flinch. There was a dark pit behind the other boy’s eyes as his gaze bored into them, like the rumbling of a storm growing.

“Unversed,” Ven said heavily, “They’re unversed. They’re… they shouldn’t be here.”

“What do you mean?”

“The unversed aren’t just monsters, they’re fragments of Vanitas. For them to be here, that would mean he would have to be... but I beat him. That part of me should have been reabsorbed.”

“I dunno about all that,” Sora said, drawing his words out, “But the Organization is using time travel to bring back a lot of people we defeated before. Maybe they did the same with this guy?”

“Maybe,” Ven allowed, but he didn’t look happy with it.

Sora exchanged a worried glance with Kairi, all unsure-concern-what-to-do?

Kairi shrugged, and they both watched as Ventus stared darkly into the factory.

The first order of business was getting the little girl, Boo, back home. A fight like this was no place for someone so young. As they made their way through the factory the unversed dogged at their heels, constantly getting in their way. Further, they’d also caused chaos throughout the warehouse, sending machines on the fritz, blocking pathways, and generally forcing them to make endless detours.

None were more heart-stopping than when a scream echoed through the warehouse.

“It came from this way!” Sully called, leading the charge forward.

“What? No one’s supposed to be here – the factory’s closed!” Mike protested between pants, struggling to keep up with the Keyblade wielders.

“So why are you here?” Kairi asked.

“That’s - none of your business!”

They were lucky the storeroom had been mostly empty, as what was stored inside was absolutely wrecked by the time the unversed were defeated.

“There’s no one here,” Kairi observed, looking around at the remains of broken, empty palettes, “Do you think whoever screamed was taken?”

“But, that door was the only way in. Could they have teleported them, somehow?”

“No,” Ventus cut in, “Unless something’s changed, that’s not something the unversed can do.”

Sora frowned, “Then... where did they go?”

“I think I have the answer,” Sully called.

They gathered around as he held up a punctured metal cannister, teeth marks all around the open hole. Mike scoffed.

“Ugh, scream canisters. I thought we dealt with all of those.”

“We must have missed some.”

“Scream cannisters?”

As they moved on again, the two explained the history of the company – how they’d once used something called “scream power” for energy but had since changed to using laughter instead after a series of misadventures with Boo.

That mystery taken care of, they returned to trying to find Boo’s ride home – though, it seemed to be taking an unusually long time, even with all the obstructions.

“Wait, how’d we take a wrong turn?” Mike muttered, and Sora sighed, slumping over. So they had been going in circles – it certainly felt like it.

“Who cares? All that matters is that it’s the last turn that you losers are ever gonna take.”

Who?

When they turned, another monster – of the local kind, not their usual kind – was standing behind them. Mike and Sully seemed to know the slime-ball jeering at them, some kind of history surrounding their past adventures with Boo.

“How did you even get back here?” Mike protested, “The door we sent you through is sawdust.”

“Yeah, and I almost got turned into somebody’s wallet,” Randall snapped, “But that’s not the only door out there.”

Sully frowned, “There are protections in place to keep things from coming through – and they’ve only been improved since you were banished.”

“Perhaps. But none of that means anything to my benefactor. And in exchange – all he wants is for me to get him more energy. And lucky for him, that’s what I’m good at. Top of the leaderboard, baby.”

“You? Collecting laughs? Now that’s funny.”

“Laughs? Don’t be stupid. I’m after negative emotions. And my new friends have kindly invaded the factory to get ‘em for me.”

“Negative emotions?” Ventus repeated, and Sora froze at the tension running through his voice, “Vanitas. He is here. Where is he?”

Randall clicked his tongue, “Not familiar with the name, but if you mean my new friend – why on earth would I tell you? Not that it would matter if I did. After all…”

He flickered out of vision, and they all grouped oup, observing the room tightly. A moment later, his voice came over the speaker, “You’re not getting out of here alive. We’re in control of this factory now, and I suggest some improvements. Still, I’d love to see you try. Your despair will be an excellent start to my collection.”

#kh #kingdom hearts #fanfiction #wingfic #wrap your wings au #Yza writes a thing #I'm going to be away from the laptop tomorrow #so I'm posting the chapter a day early

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dabokolo · 1 month

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Trying to get back into writing and I wanted to do something for the KH anniversary.

Five birthdays Riku spends with Sora.

Riku couldn’t believe his friend sometimes. Sora was tugging him along excitedly, going on and on about how much fish they were gonna catch today. Sora’s father was a few feet ahead, heading towards the dock to their family fishing boat. He didn’t know why his friend wanted to spend his birthday fishing on the play island, they could do that any day of the week. Birthdays were the one day you got to do something special.

If it were him, he be asking his parents to take a trip to the mainland. Anything to leave this boring island. But, today was Sora’s birthday, not his and he wouldn’t dare ruin it with his negative feelings. He let go of Sora’s hand and started racing to the port, knowing Sora would immediately catch on to the challenge.

If he slowed down a bit to let Sora win, no one could blame him. It was Sora’s birthday after all.

Riku watched as Kairi and Sora headed towards the shore, keeping at least a couple feet of distance between them and the water. Riku spent too many birthdays with Sora to know what would happen next. Now that Kairi had become a permanent member of their friend group, she had to learn her lesson the hard way. As soon as they reached the shallow part of the water, Sora went for the attack. The younger boy splashed the water, hitting Kairi right in the face.

She screeched in outrage and immediately went to retaliate but Sora was already running in the opposite direction. Riku would give them another minute before he joined in. He may not understand why his friend like to spend his birthdays on the island so much but, moments like made him see the appeal.

Kairi and Riku rowed in silence, knowing there was nothing they could say that would cheer up their friend. Sora held a small box in a white-knuckled grip, eyes dazed and Riku knew nothing would get through to him. Once they reached the play island, it took a few moments of proding to get the younger boy out of the boat. His movements were robotic, probably heading towards the shore on muscle memory alone.

Kairi and Riku flanked either side of Sora as he waded in the water, stopping when it was a bit past his ankles. He knelt down to empty contents of the box, and they watched with bated breath as ashes start floating on the surface, watching as it slowly got pulled further into the ocean mixing in the waves. Until they became one with the waters.

It’s tradition on Destiny Islands to scatter the ashes of a loved one on the third day of mourning. You are supposed to do with your family but, Sora’s mom has been checked out ever since the funeral. Not even caring that Sora’s last moment, last birthday with his father falls today.

It doesn’t matter, Kairi and Riku are Sora’s family all the same. They wouldn’t abandon him when he need them the most. Riku needs to find a way to get them off this island. He refuses to be bound to this island even after death and won’t let his friends have to suffer the same.

He decided this would be the last birthdays they celebrated on the island.

It’s kind of ironic that Riku had spent so many years wanting to leave the islands and wished Sora would pick any place but there to hang out. If only his past self could see him now, he was sad that Sora (his Nobody at least) couldn’t go to a beach. Well, a simulated one but a beach all the same. It was surprising how much Roxas was like Sora sometimes.

He stepped away from the computer and wandered towards the pod to where Sora was being held. He watched as his friend slept peacefully and vowed he’d get him back home in time for his next birthday. For the first time in his life, he wished that he was back on the play island again.

At least then, he could wish his friend a happy birthday.

Riku wandered around the city, slightly overwhelmed by all the noise and bright lights coming from the buildings. If it were any other day, he would feel panicked and lost on what direction to even start his search for his friend. But, there was only one place Sora would be on his birthday and he asked one of the locals where the closest beach was.

It wasn’t a long journey, just a one-hour train ride and ten-minute walk from the station. He walked slowly across the sand and took a moment to smell the sea breeze, wondering why his younger self could hate places like this. He let his feet guide him, knowing his dream eater bond would lead him to his friend.

It wasn’t long before he found him, standing at the edge of the shore, and gazing into the ocean. Riku didn’t waste his time and ran over to him, trapping him in a crushing hug.

He felt Sora wrap his arms around his waist and return the embrace with as much vigor. He tried to keep together but couldn’t help the tears that fell from his eyes. “Happy Birthday Sora,” he managed to choke out, not caring about being the sappy one.

Sora grinned up at him with tears of his own and Riku was so grateful that he would get many more birthdays with him. Even if they would always hang out at the beach.

#kingdom hearts #kh #sora #riku #kairi #kh fic #my fic

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foreteller-ava · 9 months

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Raft

AO3 | FFN

Summary: Riku and Kairi continued their bickering as they emerged back onto the beach. As they walked to the docks, Sora stopped. He looked at the boats, an idea starting to form. “Hey guys,” he said. “What about a raft?”

[Or, how Sora, Riku, and Kairi decided to build a raft to leave the islands.]

A/N: Written for @destinytriofanzine. Leftovers are now available so go grab a copy while you still can!

The day on the islands had been hectic as Sora and Riku began to head back in. Even as things started to wind down, the smile hadn’t left Sora’s face from the games they’d been playing on the beach to mark the end of the school year and beginning of summer. But as the others had returned home, even Sora’s boundless energy had started to fade, and it was time for them to return home for the night.

As they got to the docks, he and Riku paused, noticing a third boat still sitting next to theirs. Sora frowned. “Kairi’s still out here?”

“Seems so,” Riku said, a frown on his face. He turned to face Sora. “I thought something seemed off when she said she was sick.”

“You don’t think something happened to her, do you?” Sora asked.

Rather than answer his question immediately, Riku turned around. “I don’t know…But we should probably look around and see if we can find her, just to make sure.”

Sora nodded. “Right.” He followed Riku’s gaze to the Secret Place, understanding without words.

If there was anywhere that Kairi would choose to hide, it would be there. In their hideaway from the others, where they played games just the three of them.

Sora led the way, Riku not even a step behind him as they made their way across the beach to find their missing best friend. Whatever was actually wrong with Kairi, Sora would make sure to find out. He had to do whatever he could to make sure she was okay.

The moment they entered the cave, it was obvious they had come to the right place. There was a clattering sound, as though somebody was hitting the walls of the cave with another stone. Once they entered through the corridor, they saw Kairi doing just that. She was etching a new picture on the wall of a bird.

When she heard their footsteps, she stopped. “Sora? Riku?”

Sora smiled and waved. “Hey Kairi.”

She gently put the stone down, turning away from her drawing to face them. “I’d have thought you guys would’ve gone back by now.”

“When we saw your boat at the dock, we got worried,” Sora explained. “So we went looking.”

“Besides, we couldn’t leave here without you.” Riku extended a hand to her. “You should know us better than that by now, Kairi.”

Kairi gave a small smile, though she hid it behind her hands. “Sorry for worrying you. I just needed some time alone.” She brushed past both of them, heading for the cave’s entrance. “Come on, let’s go back!”

“Hang on.” Sora grabbed Kairi’s wrist before she could continue onward. Despite her insisting she was okay, this wasn’t normal. Not for her. “You didn’t tell us what was wrong.”

Kairi stood still, not saying anything. She remained quiet long enough that Sora wasn’t sure that she would tell them what was wrong, but before he could ask again, she spoke. “It was the comment Selphie made.”

“The what…?” Sora frowned, trying to think of something she had said that could’ve upset Kairi.

“The one about your memories?” Riku asked. Kairi nodded. “You seemed a little off after that.”

“It wasn’t meant to be such a big deal, just…” She trailed off, as though trying to decide how much she wanted to let Sora and Riku know. “Sometimes, I wonder about what my life was like before I came to the islands. About my old homeworld, and about the friends and family I had before I came here.” She looked towards them. “I know there isn’t anything that can be done about it, and normally I try not to let it bother me. What she said just brought all of it back up.”

“Oh.” Admittedly, there wasn’t a lot that Sora could do to help reassure her. There was no way for Sora to help her access those memories and remind her of what they contained, and so it was a problem with no real solution to be had. “Well, I know we can’t really make up for the memories you’re missing, but there’s all the memories you’ve made with us. And the home you have now.” He grinned, letting go of Kairi’s arm to put his hands behind his head.

Kairi nodded. “I know, and I wouldn’t trade getting to know you guys for any amount of time on my homeworld, but still…”

“You wonder about the life you used to have out there, and about the world you left behind.” Riku filled in the silence Kairi left behind.

“I had to have a family before I was here. They must be so worried about whether or not I’m okay.” Kairi rocked on her feet, smiling despite the small amount of hurt in her voice. “But I’ll be fine. It’s not like I remember them anyways.”

“Then that means they’re out there looking for you, right?” Sora asked. “They’ll have to come across our islands so long as they keep looking.”

Riku shook his head. “We don’t need to wait for them. Maybe instead of that, we could go to the other worlds. We could find your homeworld, Kairi!”

The idea had merit. The three of them were decent at fighting if they ran into anything dangerous, they were smart, and they were experienced in traveling at least the short distance between the main and play islands. They could handle themselves long enough to make it off the islands and find another world. And then they could keep exploring the worlds as long as it took.

“I’d like to try.” Sora nodded, turning to Kairi. “What about you, Kairi?”

“What if it’s dangerous? I don’t want you getting hurt for me.” Kairi bit her lip and frowned, almost as though she held a memory of a threat she wished she could forget. A threat that could put them all in danger.

“We won’t.” Riku insisted, trying to put her mind at ease. “You don’t have to worry about a thing, Sora and I will stay safe, and we can help protect you too.”

“You sure?” Kairi asked. Riku nodded, and just like that, the worried expression vanished before Sora could ask why. “Then in that case, let’s do it!”

“Hold on, aren’t you forgetting something?” Riku asked. Kairi tilted her head. “We still need to figure out how we’re going to get there.”

That was a part of the plan Sora hadn’t thought out yet. He looked around the walls of the cave, searching for any sort of inspiration before his eyes locked on the picture of the bird. “We could fly there!”

“Fly?” Kairi smiled, much more genuine than before.

“Yeah! On a ship. Like a rocket.” Sora could see it now. Obviously, they would need to fly to get off the different worlds. It wouldn’t be that hard to navigate the stars above if they could fly.

“I don’t think we’re going to be able to get a rocket.” Riku shook his head and crossed his arms, clearly doubting Sora’s plan for them to get off the islands. “We can’t make one either, we don’t have the materials.”

Sora pouted. “So what’s your idea then?”

“I think we could make a portal. It couldn’t be that hard.” When Riku mentioned the portal, Sora saw a brief glimpse of a woman flying away in armor from the islands in a light portal in the sky. A memory from a long time ago.

“Do you know how to make portals?” Kairi asked.

Riku hesitated. “Well…no, but it can’t be that hard to learn, right?”

“Well…considering we don’t have any magic books…” she pointed out. Riku frowned, as though bothered by the lack of knowledge, or possibly trying to remember something from long ago.

“Okay then, fine. What’s your great idea?”

“Well, I think there’s some merit to your portal idea. Just… rather than summoning it, we could find an item to open one, or maybe teleport us around them.” Kairi started to walk out of the cave, causing Sora and Riku to follow her back out onto the beach. “But I’m not really sure we could find something like that here…”

Kairi was right. If such an item did exist in their world, it would be well hidden and hard to find, and somebody would have likely found it by that point, making the idea unlikely to work.

“It still seems like my method is the most likely then. I’m sure it can’t be that hard to learn how to summon one.” Riku smirked. Kairi shook her head. “What?”

“You’re just saying that because it’s your idea, aren’t you?”

“What, no, I’m not!”

Riku and Kairi continued their bickering as they emerged back onto the beach. As they walked to the docks, Sora stopped. He looked at the boats, an idea starting to form. “Hey guys,” he said. “What about a raft?”

Kairi and Riku stopped, turning to face him. “A raft.” Sora nodded. “Of course.” He ran up to the dock’s edge, looking over the ocean into the horizon. “The ocean can’t go on forever, no matter how big it looks. If we just keep sailing, we’ll hit the end of our world, and then…”

Riku and Kairi caught on, both of them running up beside him to overlook the ocean.

“Then we’ll be in another world.” Riku’s voice was hardly more than a whisper, almost as though he couldn’t believe the idea Sora had said might actually work.

“And then once we’re there, I bet we can find a better mode of transportation to keep going.” Kairi grinned. “It wouldn’t take much to make it either. Just some logs, rope, and tarps.”

“All of those are things we have here!” Sora turned away from the horizon towards Riku first, and then Kairi, all too excited about the plan he was starting to form. “It wouldn’t take long to build it either, if we’re all working together.”

“How far do you think it is?” Kairi asked. “What if it’s a long journey ahead?”

“Then we gather food and water from the island before we go.” Riku jumped into the planning, now just as enthusiastic. “If Sora and I hunt for supplies together from here, and we grab some things from home, we should be able to gather more than enough food to last the journey.”

“What will I be doing while you’re doing that?” Kairi asked, pouting.

“The most important job, of course. You’ll put together the raft for us,” Riku answered. “You are the one best at making things.”

Kairi laughed. “Are you sure I’ll be able to do it alone?”

“You won’t know until you try,” Riku said. Sora nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll try.” Though judging by the sounds of suppressed laughter, it seemed as though Kairi still doubted she’d be able to do it without their help.It wasn’t a problem to Sora though. All three of them would gather the materials, then they would build the raft and gather the supplies, and then after that, they could sail to the edge of the world right until they found a new one.

It was such a simple plan, and yet Sora knew it would work. The three of them would be able to use it to make it off the island. “We should start working tomorrow!”

Riku and Kairi nodded, and there was an excitement buzzing between the three of them as they continued discussing everything they would need.

The raft would take them where they needed to go, and then they would find Kairi’s home world.

Their adventure was about to begin.

#Kingdom Hearts #Sora #Riku #Kairi #Destiny Trio #Heather Writes

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valorxdrive · 8 months

Note

DANCE: What fortune is it that the two of them ( with the added bonus of all the new friends they accumulated in their journeys ) would be back at home, just in time for the Destiny Island's music festival. Too bad this big palm tree is being too much of a stubborn ass to join the fun, wall-flowering it up off to the sides.

Maybe Sora can convince him to let loose with the others a little.

By now they were hailed as heroes (even against the better judgment of one), part of Destiny Island's pride of joy, a representation of what it meant to carry their hearts out to the worlds.

Woven into the culture of the music festival had been a few shoutouts towards them. Good drink raised, and the rhythmic push of multiple instruments drumming up a symphony of their very own. Seeing so many familiar faces had made it inevitable that Sora would bask in this dance of life. Tidus and Selphie could be seen making a mountain of catch up with Kairi, as Wakka himself had joined as one of the showmen for instrument playing. After scouring the stars for brands of excitement, brands of self discovery, part of it felt ethereal to be active in this again.

Those days where he'd love to do the same exact thing. That said, growth of multiple veins had left to a different ground for his primary running man. Best believe that Sora had taken the initiative to sweep his gaze about for Riku. To no one surprise (and a sullen tug at his own heart), seeing the big lug situated in location akin to the shadows of their figures made his lips quirk in distaste. In a way.. Part of him gets it.

A lot in their lives has changed. For Riku, somehow the boisterous nature of those earlier days had grown lax, allowing for a more evolved state of his reserved nature. The question remains however if either guilt or shyness played part in eliciting this to be his primary plan.

"Yo Tidus? Hold on a sec, and make sure the guys don't dive into the punch bowl either! I want me some seconds!"

"Yeah yeah. Better not make a disappearing act for too long, or else!" That comment nudged a snort out of Sora before he wove through the small ocean of people, passing through stands and patrons alike as that sway of silver hair managed to be a beacon in where to approach.

Riku wouldn't even have a moment to prepare before the hero abruptly shows himself, virtually shooting out the crowd with a big, cheery grin.

"Sora--! Wha?"

"Ohhh no you don't. C'mere!"

"Spot warming isn't gonna make ya any good memories, y'know." His words were driven with a sense of mirth that held a serious undertone. Both of them realized it somewhere deep down as it leads to Sora joining him, arms tucked behind his head while an exasperated sigh spilled from his lips. Not even the novelty of fresh aromas of great meals, to even a few shoutouts towards him had switched his tune.

"Even if I find it fine enough here? Who else is going to take point in keeping an eye on you guys?" ! That bit immediately earned him a nudge from the shorter keybearer, in tune with that, an equally 'pointed' stare towards him.

"Who said we needed a leader in that to begin with? Don't go makin' that up for yourself, especially when we all looked after each other back then.. Erm, my crybaby days aside from when I was younger."

To hear that actually drew a ghost of a snicker from Riku frustrated as much as it relieved him. "And you say that like it hasn't changed. Aren't you the prime example of wearing your heart on their sleeve."

"And I remember you saying how you wanted to take after that at one point."

This manages to get a stunned breath to usher from the silver haired master. It was the truth, yet, there was a difficulty in actually allowing those more silent wishes to be actually heard. How could he when at one point, there was a willingness to throw this treasured sight to oblivion itself? Being swept within those thoughts led to contemplative silence, which led to Sora in actively pushing him towards the crowd.

"Riku.. Days like this, getting lost in the past or some idea in the future is going to make you miss it all. Believe it or not, there's still a great deal of people who care about you here."

"Who wants you to be a part of a few more memories."

Sora understands how this was a matter that wouldn't be immediately alleviated. All the same, there was a stir of desire to actually push towards creating these possibilities for him, to leave a little courage to try letting his voice experience laughter, his eyes to drink in these sights with renewed value..

To live a little more outside of his Guardianhood.

"This is the now we've fought and bled for. Isn't it important to take it for what it is too?"

@litoredeem

#litoredeem #| Bottle Mail #| Meme #this really makes me think of how he still has that battle y'know?#Survivor's guilt #Being the cause and all. Yet it's a balance with the staggering amounts of good he provided too #Leaving him to be stuck experiencing these joys while using his body as a shell to just peek through #That won't do!

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currantlee · 2 years

Text

The Horizon Ever Changes

(Ao3; full list of soundeffects used for the podfic here)

Sometimes, the thing you're most afraid of is yourself - in which case, it is good to have a loved helping you through it.

~ 3.1k Words / 17 Min (Podfic). Rated T (Teens and Older). Angst, Hurt/Comfort. For SoKai Day 2022.

Author's Note: This is a fanfic I already wrote some time ago. Initially, I didn't plan on publishing it since it was kind of conceived as a vent fic, but after a rework, I changed my mind. I also wanted to try something completely new with it too, so... I made a podfic (which you can also listen to on Ao3 or here because turns out Tumblr apparently hates Internet Archive file links 😅). But for those of you who prefer to read - here is the full fic (with some minor differences). Regardless of how you decide to engage with it, I hope you enjoy it.

When Sora was little, his mother would come to his bed every evening and sing a lullaby for him. Sometimes even two, when Sora had been particularly adamant about not wanting to go to bed just yet.

Whenever his father had been home for Sora’s bedtime, he would tell him a story before Sora went to sleep. He had always thought of his father as a great storyteller and looking back, he wished that he could have gotten to enjoy a few more of his father’s stories. The fact that he wouldn’t, seeing as his father had died when Sora was eleven, made him cherish the ones he remembered even more though.

However, there was one thing that had always cradled him to sleep – the roaring of the waves crashing at the shore.

Given that his parents’ house was built partly on stilts at the edge of the beach, he always heard it. Sometimes it was quiet, almost like white noise, but during stormy nights it was so loud that he almost couldn’t sleep.

He had been afraid of those nights as a child. He recalled a few times when the storms were going to be so bad that his parents decided to leave the house before they started, deeming it unsafe, and they spent the night at Riku’s home next to the rice fields on the hill instead. They had always been welcome there, and Sora had always been excited to have a sleepover at his best friend’s house, even under those circumstances.

He was pretty sure that the night of the storm, the night when all of this started, would have been one of those nights – if things hadn’t turned out the way they did.

Nonetheless, the sound of the waves was usually calming to Sora.

… Usually. Because this time, it didn’t work.

Sora sighed heavily. He had thought that maybe coming here would put his heart and mind at ease. It wasn’t that he was scared – or maybe he was, but it didn’t feel like immediate fear or panic. More like he was constantly on the edge, easily startled, and the strain of that was beginning to wear him out.

It had gotten so bad that his body noticed it as well. His muscles were often tense, in and outside of battle. It even felt like his insides were so tense, his stomach sometimes ached from it. He was beginning to find it hard to relax at all.

Sora hugged his legs, gripping the fabric of his pants tightly as he curled up, resting his chin on his knees. At least his hands weren’t shaking yet…

It was obvious. Muscles tensed in the face of danger, and Sora was slowly becoming a danger to his friends, whether he wanted it or not. It was only natural that the fear of himself, a fear he constantly felt, would manifest in this way sooner or later.

A tear rolled down his cheek. He didn’t want this…

“Hey,” Kairi’s distant voice from somewhere to his left said. It was loud and clear, but still gentle.

Sora turned his head away from her on instinct. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to see him like this. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted to see her at all. “Hey,” he murmured regardless of that.

Kairi came closer – only a few steps, seemingly keeping her distance a bit in case he wanted to be left alone. Sora appreciated that, but currently he didn’t really know what he wanted, or if he even wanted to see her at all. Maybe talking would help, but then again, it wasn’t like anyone could really help him…

“Donald and Goofy said you just… Disappeared,” she explained. “Everyone is worried about you. Sora, I am worried about you.”

She sighed. “That’s why I went to look for you.”

“Uh… Thanks?” He appreciated that, even though he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to see her at all.

But then Kairi decided to ask a question that Sora hadn’t known he was dreading yet. After all, he had been asked that same question a lot over the past few weeks, and he should be used to it by now.

“Sora, are you alright?”

He tried to play it off by shrugging. “I…” He didn’t want to bother her, but there was no use in lying to her – she’d pick up on it instantly. Not that Sora was a good liar anyway.

“I’m not okay.”

Kairi sighed again, and Sora couldn’t tell whether it was out of worry or relief because he finally said how he really was. “Do you want to talk about it or do you want me to leave?”

“I don’t know.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “I’m sorry, Kairi. I don’t know anything anymore…”

He wished he could give her a proper answer, and not just leave her wondering. After all, she was only trying to help. If she got angry or annoyed at him then he would have understood. He had caused her, as well as his other friends, so many worries lately. Considering what he was becoming, this was by far not the end of it.

To Sora’s surprise, Kairi just walked over and sat down next to him on the sand. She didn’t touch or try to talk to him any further. Instead, she simply joined him in watching the horizon in silence.

It was late afternoon on the Destiny Islands. Soon the sun would vanish to somewhere beyond the horizon, painting the sky in glowing warm pinks and oranges and making the sea sparkle. Just like it had shortly before all of this began… Back when they had shared the paopu fruit… and when he had disappeared for the first time.

As beautiful as the sunsets on Destiny Islands were, it scared Sora that they were about to watch another one together. Every time they had done this in the past, they had ended up separated yet again shortly after. This time could be no different, considering what was probably about to happen to him… Maybe this was it. The last time he got to see her before… Whatever changed him would happen. Maybe he should have a look at her before it was too late for that.

Instead of her combat clothes, Kairi was just wearing a simple tank top, which showed off just a little bit of her belly, and some cargo shorts in a muted yet rich shade of green. No shoes either; she was barefooted. He noticed a bit of a rosy nail polish on her toenails, although it was already peeling off.

Her hair had grown to shoulder-length and it was a bit shaggy – getting a haircut wasn’t a priority while trying to save the universe once again. He supposed his own hair needed a cut as well. It was just less obvious due to its wild structure that was completely unlike the smooth texture Kairi’s hair had.

She usually wore it in a messy ponytail these days, but today her hair was hanging loose. It was uneven and untamed as the breeze tousled it even more. Sora liked that look on her. The shorter strands – her bangs had grown out over the past months – framed her face just perfectly.

… She was stunning. Beautiful. Sora found himself wishing he could just be with her like this forever. A futile wish… He found himself sighing once again.

Maybe he could at least remember her like this.

“Something on your mind?”

“Huh?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Wha-… Oh.” He supposed he had been. “It’s just…” Did he want to tell her?

“You look really pretty today…”

She blushed at the unexpected compliment. “Thanks,” she giggled, a bit more quietly than before. She was so cute when she got flustered. “You know, you look pretty handsome yourself.”

He would have blushed too, if it wasn’t for the fact that it just wasn’t true. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better about everything,” he murmured.

“Sora, if there is anything I can do to help then please, talk to me.” She just knew him too well.

He sighed. “It’s just…” Should he really tell her? He didn’t want to bother her with this. Even though they were best friends – more than that, really – at the end of the day this was his problem, and his alone. Sora felt like he shouldn’t drag her into this, especially since he could potentially become a danger for her as well.

The feeling of Kairi’s warm hand on his left interrupted his thoughts. They had become calloused from all the fighting, much like his own, but hers remained fairly smooth regardless. He had absolutely no idea how she kept her hands that way. When her thumb started brushing across the back of his hand lightly, his fingers curled around hers by instinct.

“You don’t have to tell me what’s on your mind if you don’t want to,” Kairi whispered.

But he could tell her everything, Sora knew that. Besides, maybe she could help him… Or at least take his mind off this for a while.

“I want to remember you like this, when I eventually…”

He couldn’t even say it. But Kairi knew what he meant anyway.

“Is this about what the Master of Masters did to you?”

Sora felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to cry like a scared child at the mere mention of it, something that robbed him of his voice almost entirely. If he had tried to speak, the only sound he would have been able to make was a sob.

So he simply nodded – and sobbed anyway. It was just too much.

Kairi sighed. “Hey…” She ran her hand up his arm. “Sora, it’s going to be al-…”

“You know it won’t!”, he interrupted her. The Master of Masters, if he could even call him that anymore, might be their enemy, but he hadn’t lied to them a single time. At least, not that Sora was aware of. Every single one of his predictions had come true sooner or later, mundane or not.

“No matter what he told you,” Kairi said calmly. She kept caressing his arm, and Sora found himself leaning into her touch. Maybe he shouldn’t. After all, they probably wouldn’t get to enjoy these kinds of things for too long anymore. Better to not get used to it.

And yet, Sora couldn’t resist. He craved her touch, her warmth, and her comfort. He wanted to feel her, to be as close to her as possible.

He forced himself to pull away. He really didn’t want to get her hopes of a future spent together up. But most of all, he didn’t want to break her heart, even if it meant he didn’t get to spend the little time he had left together with her.

“Sora, there are endless possibilities as to what the future could bring. Even the Master of Masters himself said so.”

“Maybe,” Sora retorted. He couldn’t remember him ever saying such a thing – maybe he had just been absent. “But he also said this is the one that is going to happen multiple times, and every time it turned out to be true. Why should this be any different?”

Kairi surely hadn’t forgotten about the incident a few weeks prior, but she didn’t seem to care. Sora finally turned his head so she should be able to see his full face – as a reminder.

“Kairi, I’m losing myself. And I’m sorry…”

He finally felt the first tears streaking down his cheek.

Kairi said nothing. Instead, she brought both of her hands to his face, cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears away, but there were only more to come. She carefully tugged at the band around his head, and whispered very quietly: “May I?”

Sora sobbed. He knew what she meant. No one had seen him without that piece of cloth ever since… The incident, but if he was going to let anyone see him this vulnerable, it would be her.

So he nodded.

Kairi reached to the back of his head. Sora had always enjoyed when she ran her fingers through his hair almost as much as he loved messing with hers. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d done it. It must have been before all of this started, which felt like forever ago. Unfortunately, it ended far too quickly this time when she found the buckle that held the thing up, released it, and the piece of fabric that had covered part of his face for the past weeks, at least as long as he saw anyone, finally dropped.

Sora knew the scar on his face was ugly. He had to stop himself from turning away from her.

The initial wound hadn’t been healed properly. Instead, it had been cauterized with a fire spell, or at least, so Sora had been told by the Master of Masters after waking up again. He himself didn’t really remember, seeing as he had passed out from the pain. Maybe it was better that way.

Kairi’s fingertips gently grazed his right cheek. She was so careful, and Sora wanted nothing more than to lean into her touch, even though he probably should pull away, but he could do neither. He was frozen in place as Kairi moved her hand upwards across the scar on his upper cheek to where his right eye used to be.

His friends had tried to do everything they could with their healing magic after Sora had reunited with them, but seeing as the wound and the burn covering it had already been mostly healed at that point, their options had been extremely limited.

Sora sobbed again. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I know it’s ugly, you don’t have to look…”

To his surprise, Kairi closed her eyes and leaned in. Sora’s breath hitched when her lips touched the scarred skin on his cheek.

Not even the sensation was the same as it would have been before his eye had been removed. It felt like she was kissing him through a layer of fabric, and slightly prickling at the same time. Not in an unpleasant way, but it still served as another reminder that things were never going to go back to normal again.

The kiss ended, but she stayed close.

[illustration]

Sora didn’t protest when she cupped both of his cheeks with her hands, and carefully rubbed across the scar with her thumb. “Kairi…”

She put a finger on his lips. “You’re not ugly, Sora,” she said quietly, but very matter-of-factly. “Please don’t apologize. This is not your fault…”

“It kinda is,” Sora argued. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. He had to tell someone. He had to tell her.

“Kairi… He and I are the same person.”

There. It was out now.

Sora wouldn’t have blamed her if she left him here and now. Sure, it would break his heart if she did. Who would want to be with someone who caused so much pain to the worlds? She deserved better, so much better…

“Is this something he told you?”

“He didn’t have to tell me. I saw it myself.”

“Wait, does this mean you can look into the future too now, or…” Kairi tilted her head in confusion.

“He took his hood off after I woke up again, back when… It happened.” Sora didn’t want to talk about it more than he had to. He didn’t want to remember any of it, the fear and the pain. “It was like looking into a mirror.”

His hands were shaking at the memory. This had been the last thing the Master of Masters had done before he had left, telling Sora that his friends would arrive soon. The wait had been agonizing.

Kairi didn’t say anything. Maybe she was processing it, or thinking what to make of it. “Kairi, if you want to leave me, that’s okay,” he said, his voice a bit higher than he wanted it to be. “I’d understand if you don’t want to be wi-…”

“Of course I still want to be with you,” Kairi interrupted him. “Listen, Sora, just because some alternate version of you – if this isn’t a trick – is running around terrorizing the worlds doesn’t mean you and him are the same. I know you aren’t, because you’re right here in front of me, crying your heart out.”

“But I have darkness inside my heart,” Sora whispered. “Which means that…” He couldn’t finish what he was about to say. He could only sob once more. Again, Kairi deserved better – she deserved so much better than he could ever be. Even if he saved all of the worlds over and over again, he could never rid himself of that capability entirely.

“But everyone is capable of doing terrible things,” Kairi argued. “Just as everyone is capable of doing good. Even I am capable of doing bad things, heart of pure light or not.”

“I can’t imagine that,” Sora said. “You doing terrible things, I mean…”

“Just as I can’t imagine you doing evil things.”

Sora sobbed. It was so good to know that she still trusted him like this, despite what he had just told her. “But what if you’re wrong?”

“Then I’d have been wrong about you.” She smiled. “I may be a princess of heart, Sora, but I’m still human. I can be mistaken. Every single one of us can.”

Maybe even the Master of Masters could… But he had been right about everything in the past, and he had never lied to them. “What if he isn’t human, Kairi?”

“You mean the Master of Masters?”

“Mhm.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I mean, it’s possible, but if he isn’t human, then I’m not sure what to do about him to be honest.”

Neither did Sora. Xehanort had been a pain to deal with, but at least they had always known that they were facing a human being, albeit in various different forms. But with the Master of Masters… Sora had assumed he was human up until now, but what if he wasn’t? The possibility of that frightened him, and he wasn’t even sure what he should be most afraid of about this guy anymore.

“Don’t leave me.”

Sora sobbed. “Kairi, I don’t want to be alone…” Not now. Not again. Never again. “Please don’t leave me alone!”

He felt safer with her by his side, safer and stronger. Aside from that, her presence distracted him from all the thoughts and fears that were rushing through his mind at that moment. He needed a break.

“Don’t worry,” Kairi said, and her voice was sweet and warm. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

“Thank you!”

She wrapped her arms around him, pulled him closer, and Sora rested his head on her shoulder. He was still crying, but somehow, he felt better still. He was glad he had finally told someone, and that it had been her.

He sighed when she leaned her head on his, and they continued to watch the horizon in silence, listening to the calming sound of the waves.

#Kingdom Hearts #KH Fanfiction #Podfic #SoKaiDay2022 #Sora #Kairi #SoKai #Fanwork #Fanfiction #SoKaiDay #Master of Masters #Currantlee here #Currantlee writing

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p-artsypants · 2 years

Text

Rage Awakened (12)

In Which Sora Comforts Kairi

FF.net | Ao3

Ten years ago, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus lost their fellow apprentice, Sora, in Deep Jungle. Now, they are to return with two new students, Riku and Kairi, to lock the heart of the world. All the while, something watches from the trees. Feral!Sora AU

Kairi cried the entire trip home. It was agony to all those that were with her. Riku sat by her side, arm around her shoulder, while Sora rested his head on her lap.

Sora grappled with his poor grasp of language. Through the words that he remembered and could understand, it sounded like Kairi’s home had fallen down. Did that mean the world collapsed? Or did her castle fall apart? He didn’t quite know, and he didn’t think it was wise to ask for clarification at the moment.

Instead, he pressed his face into her stomach as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Truly, he wanted to cradle her in his arms, but she didn’t seem to want that, especially in front of everyone else.

All Sora wanted to do was protect her and make her feel better. It might be the only thing he could do. He hasn’t had the chance to try.

But he hadn’t had the chance to fail either, so that was okay for now.

The Land of Departure was just as peaceful and serene as they had left it. Eraqus met them at the gate.

“Welcome home. Did you have a nice dinner?”

“It was nice,” Aqua said, reserved. “But—“

Eraqus noticed Kairi immediately when she got off the ship.

“Oh no, what happened?”

“Radiant Garden—it—she—…” Kairi clenched her eyes shut as more tears came. They just wouldn’t stop.

“Ansem the Wise came to Disney Castle. Radiant Garden fell.” Terra provided.

Eraqus closed his eyes, a single tear falling from them in sympathy. “My sincerest apologies.”

“Cmon Kai, the others can fill Master Eraqus in.” Riku squeezed her shoulder and led her into the castle.

As soon as she was gone, Sora raised up to his full height and barked, “Help Sora!”

“What’s wrong?” Asked Aqua.

“Kairi home fall down? Can’t pick back up? Rebuild?”

The collected group wilted a little at that.

“No Sora, it’s not that kind of fall,” Terra explained. “The world was taken over by darkness.”

“Ooooh,” Sora nodded his head sagely. “Swallowed.”

“Not quite that, either,” Aqua clarified. “Radiant Garden thankfully can’t be swallowed, because its keyhole is incomplete. But the heartless moved in and kicked everyone out. All led by Maleficent. You remember that name, right?”

“Dragon!”

“Yes! Her! After her world was swallowed by darkness, she amassed an army and has been trying to conquer other worlds. Most of them get swallowed instead.”

Sora summoned his gnarled keyblade. “Take Sora to Kairi home! Rip out dragon lady heart! Devour!” He snarled.

The group stared at him wide-eyed. “Um, let’s not do that quite yet. We have to gather intel and find out what we’re up against.”

Sora frowned, but dismissed his weapon. “Kairi hurt, so Sora hurt.” He said tactfully.

Then Riku returned, without Kairi. “I took her to her room, but she wanted to be left alone.”

“The girl hasn’t had time to cry by herself,” said Aqua. “Let’s leave her alone for the night.”

“You’ve all had a very long day,” said Eraqus. “Why don’t we all get some rest. We can create a game plan in the morning.”

Sora understood ‘long day’ and ‘rest’ and took it that the meeting was over.

Since he was among humans now, and doing human things, he walked upright, toddling along and bringing up the rear of the group. He had to use his hands to climb the stairs, but was able to walk again inside.

It had been so long since he was in this castle, that even though he remembered each room he walked in, he struggled with where they were.

The castle was also a great deal smaller than he remembered.

He followed Riku to the hallway where their rooms were and went to push on Kairi’s door.

“No Sora, leave her alone for tonight, okay?”

Sora whined in his throat, but abandoned the door, opting to go into his room.

It was dark, since night had fallen. The tarp hanging on the back wall rustled as the draft from the door hit it. Cold air came from that side of the room.

The light from the hallway gave him enough to see by as he wandered around his old room. It didn’t really reflect him anymore, but he wasn’t quite sure who he was anyways. When you’re fighting for your life day after day, you don’t really get the chance to consider what things you like and dislike. What your hobbies are, what things you want to do. Only things you have to do.

What need did he have for toys and Knick knacks? Why would he hold onto things for just beauty or sentimentality?

Of course, Sora himself didn’t think like this anymore. More so just, ‘why is this here? How does this help me live?’

Later, he would ask Riku to help him toss the needless stuff away, but for now, he would rest.

Rest on a bed. A mattress at that.

He remembered the transition, all those years ago. Sleeping naked on the dirt, getting bitten by insects. It took him so long to figure out how to climb those trees and make a home in the canopy, where it was safer. Those early nights, he barely slept for every snap of a branch had him awake. Even up until recently, deep sleep eluded him. There was never a time to let your guard down in the jungle.

Just here in his old room, in the Land of Departure, there was no threat, no impending demise.

He struggled far too long getting out of his shoes, and even longer out of the too small clothes they had forced him in. His undershorts, however, were far superior to the loin cloth of Deep Jungle. This was a permanent change.

He crawled into bed, making a nest with his blankets and pillow, and tried to get comfortable. The mattress was plusher than the pile of furs back in the jungle, and the blankets were soft instead of scratchy. Even the air was more pleasant, cool and dry.

But his chest ached, because Kairi was hurting, and he could feel it.

He slunk out of the bed, crawling along the floor until he reached the door. He peered out into the hallway glancing back and forth to check for the others. When the coast was clear, he scurried over to Kairi’s room and quietly turned the handle.

Inside was very different from his room. She had a large bed with fluffy white sheets and a white lace canopy draped over it. She had a plush white carpet that was soft under his calloused knuckles. The walls were pink with gold geometric designs on it. The window had leaded glass, though it was too dark out to notice much. Finally, the room was illuminated by a nightlight that sent out cartoonish stars and moon shapes on the walls and ceiling.

Kairi laid on the bed, face down, still in her party clothes, even her shoes.

Sora shut the door gently behind him.

“Kairi? My Kairi?” He chirped.

She startled, looking at him, before she relaxed. “Oh Sora, you scared me.”

“Sora leave?”

“No, no you can stay. I think I’d rather like it if you stayed.”

He crept closer until he was on his knees in front of the bed, resting his arms on the mattress. “Kairi hurt?”

She nodded solemnly as she wiped her eyes with her hand. “I’m sure it’s hard for you to understand what happened.”

“Sora knows. They tell. They…explain.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t hafta talk about it. Sora hold Kairi? Sora sleep with Kairi?”

Kairi’s eyes widened as she looked at him. He was only in his underwear. Sleeping in the same bed as him was incredibly intimate, and she wasn’t sure it was appropriate.

But she could really use the comfort.

“Okay.” She sat up. “Let me just change into my pajamas.” She got off the bed and went to her dresser, pulling out a large T-shirt.

Sora watched as she moved.

“Don’t look!” She chastised.

“Why?”

“I’m changing!”

He tilted his head, confused. “Change what?”

“My clothes?”

He was still confused.

She sighed slightly, realizing that she was looking at Sora, the boy who hated pants. He had basically been naked when they met. Why would he bother with privacy?

“You’re not supposed to see me without my clothes on.” She explained patiently.

He stared at her. “But Sora want to see Kairi without clothes.”

She sputtered, wide eyed. He had no shame whatsoever. “Being naked…isn’t normal, you know? That’s why we make you wear clothes, remember? Being bare is something only really close people experience. Like husband and wife. You see?”

“Kairi Sora best friend.” He stated like it was obvious.

She sighed again, “look, I just…can you just not look? It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Oh! Sora sorry!” And he firmly turned his back to her.

She made a mental note. Sora didn’t care about what was normal, only what she wanted. Maybe it would extend to others in due time.

Kairi slowly got undressed, occasionally looking at Sora, who very politely looked at the wall.

Finally, she changed into a large t-shirt that reached down almost to her knees. “Okay, you can look.”

Sora turned to see her, and his eyes lit up. “Cute!”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.” She walked past him and crawled into bed, getting tucked under the sheets. Sora observed her, and did the same, laying on his back with the sheets pulled up to his chin. He moved his hand under the blankets until he found Kairi’s and held it. “Haven’t slept like this in long time.”

“Are you comfortable?”

He shifted slightly, and turned on his side. “Nest is warm, soft. More soft than furs.”

“You mean my bed?”

“Bed!” He corrected. “Bouncy.” He wriggled, making the bed move.

“It is,” she smiled.

“Sora hold Kairi now?”

Kairi swallowed her nerves as she scooted closer to him, pressing her side against him. “This is…kind of intimate. Especially since we…well, we haven’t known each other long.” Kairi tried to remember that he has been in isolation for so long that he was probably touch starved.

“Sora leave?”

“No, I don’t think I want you to leave. I’m just…nervous.”

“Ner…vous?”

“Yeah, it’s when you feel kind of scared, but only a little.”

He pouted, his eyes widening in fear. “Sora scare Kairi?”

“No, no not at all!” Well, maybe a little. “It’s just new. I’ve never slept in the same bed as a boy.”

“Slept with Sora in tree,” he said casually.

“And I was nervous then too.”

Sora wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, so she was pressed to his chest. “This good?”

The feeling of his bare skin and against her arm was so nice. Granted, she could feel his body heat through her thin shirt, but there was much to be said for skin on skin contact.

However, among all these new and exciting feelings, there was something else. As she pressed her ear to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. This felt wrong. Maybe to anyone else, the thump thump thump of his heart would sound the same, but to Kairi, a princess of heart, it felt ill. Diseased. It made her nauseous.

“Um…can I turn around?”

She turned her back to him, not pulling away from his hold. His arms were warm, and his body was flush against her back. His hand rested on her tummy.

“Sora say something, may hurt Kairi?”

“You…want to say something, but you think it might hurt me?”

He grunted.

“You should tell me anyway. I’ll try to take it in the least painful way possible.”

He nodded against her, laying his forehead against the crown of her head. “Sora…lose home too. Kairi and Sora have no home…together.”

She rested her hand on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I understand, and you’re right. We’re together in this. Thank you.”

Sora chuffed, a sound that was close to a laugh or a sign of excitement.

“Goodnight Sora.”

“Night Night!”

–

Technically, Roxas was doing as his master instructed. He was given the task of finding the Princesses of Heart that were hiding in the fallen Radiant Garden, a place his master had renamed ‘Hollow Bastion’. Roxas knew in his head that the intent on finding these Princesses was to take them to Maleficent, since she was in charge of gathering them. But since his master had been so vague on termanology, it was up for interpretation.

Once his Master found out how rebellious Roxas was, he’d probably be more specific with his commands.

As it stood, Roxas decided to interpret ‘find the Princesses in Hollow Bastion’ as ‘find the Princesses and move them to a different world so they would be safe.’

He knew it would only delay the inevitable. A heart of pure light was extremely rare, and it was unlikely to go unnoticed for long. Still, Roxas was a chaotic soul and malicious compliance was his favorite game.

He delved into the depths of the castle, where Maleficent would probably assume they wouldn’t be. Considering the lack of heartless patrolling the area, she assumed they’d be up around the living quarters.

Roxas had never met the Princesses, but knew a few things about them. 1.) They’d been living in this castle since their worlds fell. 2.) They were not delicate little flowers. All of them had a life of hard work and chores before they became royalty. Cinderella and Snow White were practically slaves. They could handle themselves.

But it had been three days since Radiant Garden fell and became Hollow Bastion. Who knows how they were fairing? Did they have food?

He was in the boiler room. It was easily the largest room in the entire castle, with all the pipes that led steam up throughout the castle. The boiler was immense, the size of a house. It was covered in knobs and dials, and had a large grate in front that glowed red. There were dozens of smaller boilers around the edges of the room as well, all connected with snaking copper wires jutting out at odd angles and disappearing into the ceiling. It was a little like a man made forest.

Then, Roxas almost stepped on a sleeping bag. He started when he spotted it, and then knew he was close. There was a canteen, a book, and a half eaten baguette next to it.

He walked the room, peering around the pipes.

“Ventus? Is that you?” A sweet voice called from above.

A young woman with dishwater blonde hair looked down from a hiding spot within a cage of piping. Then she gasped. “That coat! Oh no! Stay away from me!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” Roxas assured. “Are you one of the Princesses?”

She frowned. “No, I’m just a scullery maid.”

“Nice try, but Radiant Garden didn’t have scullery maids.”

She pouted.

“I’m Roxas. And I’m here to help.”

“Why are you wearing that evil coat then? And why do you look like my friend Ventus?”

Where to begin? “Do you know what a Nobody is?”

“A person…that believes they have no importance?” She guessed.

“Yes, but there’s a new kind of Nobody, one related to the Heartless. If a Heartless is a person that has lost their heart to the darkness, what do you think happens to the body left behind?”

“I don’t know, I never considered it.”

“It becomes a creature known as a Nobody. Nobodies created from people with extremely strong wills retain a human appearance.”

“So then, Ventus–?”

“Is fine. My appearance being identical to his is…way more complicated than it should be. My somebody is Sora, a very young keyblade wielder who was lost to Deep Jungle. All you need to know is that I am a double agent. My master has commanded me to locate the Princesses of Heart, but Ansem the Wise asked me to help their cause. Ansem is my friend, and I wish to honor him.”

The Princess considered this and decided to come out from her hiding place. Roxas watched as she strategically used ridges and ledges as handholds as she climbed down. When she stood in front of him, he noticed she was wearing a brown dress with a white apron. Not the ball gown he expected a Princess of Heart to wear.

“If you are the shell left behind from a Heartless, that means you don’t have a heart, right?” She tilted her head to the side.

“That’s what my master says, and sometimes, I believe it. But others…I don’t know if I just adopted Sora’s moral compass, or if I have a connection to a heart somewhere. Either way, I would like to take you to another world, where it is safe.”

She nodded, “as long as I’m here, Maleficent will have a chance of finding me and using me to complete the keyhole.”

“So, you know all about that?”

“Ansem the Wise told us.” She gave a little smile. “After I got my happily ever after with my Prince, I thought my adventure was over. Little did I know it was just beginning. My name is Cinderella, and I will go with you, Roxas.”

He sighed a breath in relief. “Great! Where are Snow White and Aurora?”

She shook her head. “I do not know. We decided to split up so that we wouldn’t be found together. They didn’t tell me where they went. I can help you look?”

“That’s too risky. I need to be able to move around the castle under the guise of looking for you guys for Maleficent. If you’re with me, they’ll just take you.”

“Alright. Then I will leave it to you.” She went over to the sleeping bag and picked up her book. “Whenever you’re ready, good sir.”

He summoned a dark corridor, and then held out his arm. “Shall we?”

–

The corridor spit them out in front of a beautifully ornate, but abandoned, building. “Are you okay to walk a little ways?”

“I’d love to! I haven’t been able to walk around in days!”

He led her away from the mansion, and into the woods. Through the woods, into a crack in the city walls, and then into the town.

“Oh how darling!”

“Welcome to Twilight Town. Let me introduce you to some of my friends.”

They walked through the Tram Common, through the Sandlot, and up into the back alley to the usual spot. There, luckily, Hayner, Pence, and Olette were gathered and talking.

“Roxas, where have you been, man?” Asked Hayner. “We haven’t seen you in like a week.”

“Work was crazy busy,” he laughed, “They’re working me to the bone.”

“Oh right, your…what was it, pest control business?”

“Basically. So, you know how I mentioned I visit another town pretty often?”

“Uh, Radiant Garden right?” Pence clarified.

“Yes! So, weird story that’s probably more fairytale than you guys are prepared for, but the castle was overtaken by an evil witch named Maleficent. This is my good friend, Cinderella, and Maleficent wanted to use her for nefarious reasons. I brought her here because I had a feeling it would be difficult for her to be found.”

“Hello, it’s very lovely to meet you.” Cinderella held her hand out.

The others greeted her warmly with hand shakes.

“Do you guys think you could help her blend into town? I don’t know how long she’ll need to hide here.”

“There’s a spare room at my house,” said Olette. “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind her staying with us.”

Cinderella folded her hands over her chest. “Oh thank you! I don’t mind working for my stay, either. I’m a very strong homemaker.”

“Cinderella, I will only tell Ansem the Wise and Master Yen Sid where you are. But I’ll come to check on you on occasion.”

“Thank you so much Roxas. When you find the others, you’ll let me know, right?”

He saluted. “I’ll let you know the moment they’re safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to cover my tracks.”

“Good luck Roxas! And the struggle tournament is coming up, so make sure you’re back in time!”

“It’s a promise!”

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts tarzan AU #rage awakened #fanfiction #sora #kairi #roxas #sokai

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inconsistentracoon · 1 year

Text

Chapter 9: Home

---

"Sora? Can you hear me?" He scrunched his face up for a moment and groaned softly, turning towards Riku's voice. Was this it? Was he finally coming back? Riku rubbed his shoulder, "Come on Sora, you've got to wake up... please wake up... "

Then it happened.

Two thin lines of blue appeared as his eyes opened a crack, and this time they didn't immediately close.

It was the sight they had been desperately waiting for.

He blinked up at them, eyes half closed, and looked from one to the other, a vacant expression on his face.

"You're awake..." Riku breathed, staring at him in disbelief.

He stared back and furrowed his brow slightly, before turning his head to slowly gaze around the room. They gave him a moment to take in his surroundings, though his eyes were so glassy they weren't sure if he was really seeing anything. He leant forward and tried sluggishly to sit up, but Riku placed his free hand on his chest and lightly pushed him back.

"Hey take it easy, don't try and move" he told him gently, and Sora leant back without resistance.

"Sora?"

He rolled his head across the pillow towards Kairi's voice, movements heavy and slow. They both smiled at him and Kairi let out a joyful laugh and placed a hand on his cheek "It's OK, you're safe now".

He looked completely lost. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only an indistinct murmur came out. Riku massaged his shoulder with his thumb. "Can you hear me? It's us, it's Riku and Kairi."

He turned back and stared at Riku, frowning again as he tried to focus. Then the hint of a smile appeared on his face, and Riku thought his heart might burst. Sora smiled at him for a few more seconds, but then his eyelids flickered closed.

"Sora?"

Riku gave his shoulder a tiny shake and they held their breath, waiting for him to open his eyes again. After a few moments they sighed and accepted it wasn't going to happen, but turned to each other with pure joy on their faces. He was coming back to them, he was really coming back.

-----

Full chapter on AO3, FFN, and Wattpad

#kingdom hearts #destiny trio #soriku #kingdom hearts fanfic #post kh3 #soriku fic #my fic #hurt/comfort

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nobodies-png · 2 years

Note

How about "the thing is, suddenly when i picture my future, all i can see is you." With Sora? Or maybe Ventus? You can choose either.

Theres a shitload of Ventus requests, so i’ll go with Sora for this one ! here’s to hoping tumblr doesnt fuck up the format like it always does when i put shit under the cut

for context, reader is native to the destiny islands and a childhood friend of the destiny island trio! they receive a little letter from sora and meet up with him at the island hehehoho

Dear, Y/N …

…I know we all have gummiphones now and I could’ve given you a call or something, but a letter felt more appropiate, you know? It also would’ve been super embarrassing to say all of this in person…

You get out of the boat and onto the pier, the letter clutched tightly in your hands. It has been a long time since you came here by yourself, especially this late at night, but the waters are calm and the sky is clear - moonlight guides your steps as you discard your shoes and make your way to the beach, feeling the sand under your feet.

The waves crash against your legs, you pause for a moment, taking it all in.

…But don’t worry! It’s nothing bad, I promise! The worlds are still safe, I’m not going anywhere and everyone is finally home, safe and sound. I’ve just been thinking. A lot. About you and me and stuff, I guess…?

In this light, or a lack thereof, you notice that the island isn’t as scary or massive as you remember it to be. The trees aren’t as tall, the waters aren’t as deep, the darkness isn’t as threatening. Travelling around the many worlds, those sparkling stars above, has certainly helped you and your friends grow, it has given you perspective.

Still, the magic and nostalgia remain, this place holds so many cherished memories of your childhood, all the years you spent playing around with all your friends. It was a sanctuary for all the children of Destiny Islands, a paradise where nothing could ever go wrong. Home, it was home.

You wonder if that’s why Sora asked to meet you here tonight.

Just thinking about the letter makes your face feel warm again, it’s so like Sora to pour his heart out without stopping to think about it and render you speechless with just clumsy yet heartfelt words.

…Riku and Kairi have always told me that I need to think about what I want to do, the things that make me happy - unrelated to saving the universe, Kairi insisted on that. “You can’t be a hero forever, Sora. Trying to make everyone happy isn’t stable job!”. Blah, blah, blah! Just being with them, with you, with all the people I cherish seemed more than enough for me, but…

You’re all alone for now, but you’ve seen the other boat anchored by the pier - Sora will come to you when he’s ready.

A smile crosses your face when you remember the day he broke one of Kairi’s good luck charms - the one she gave to you. It took him a day to build up the courage, but he eventually confessed and apologized through tears, showing you all of his failed attempts at fixing your poor charm. Back when you all were children and the worst thing that could ever happen was missing dessert or being scolded by your parents.

Then, once you two were older, it took Sora a couple months to realize his crush was reciprocated, along with some help and guidance from your other two best friends. And even so, it took him an extra few days to properly confess and ask you out.

But he always came through for you, didn’t he? Your reliable, impulsive and still super predictable idiot.

The rustle of shoes dragging across sand pulls you out of your reverie and when you turn around, you immediately get lost in the depth of his eyes. Sora’s gaze when he looks at you is something you never dared to describe, fearing it’ll ruin the magic - it’s overwhelming in the most beautiful of ways.

And now, he looks at you with unwavering determination, the same expression he wore when he promised to bring everyone back home. It’s in moments like this you fully understand why he was chosen to bear the weight of the world. Only Sora could do it, carry the entire world so lovingly on his back and expect nothing in return.

He smiles, and you swear he could outshine the fucking sun if he wanted to. Hell, Sora could ask you to follow him to the end of the world and you wouldn’t even hesitate.

…The thing is, suddenly when I picture my future, all I can see is you…

“You made it!” Sora shifts his weight from one foot to the other, suddenly nervous. “Guess you read my letter, huh.”

“Your handwriting is still pretty hard to decypher, so it took me awhile. Especially that bit at the end. But yeah, I miraculously made it home!” You make a show out folding said letter and putting it somewhere safe in one of your many pockets.

“Yeah, well. At least it’s a little better than Riku’s…” Sora pouts and huffs, pretending to be offended, but in the end, he’s laughing along with you.

A comfortable silence settles down, both of you content with smiling at each other like absolute fools in love. You could simply just leap at him and smother him with kisses, knowing very well that he’d catch you. But when you take a step towards him, Sora steps back, glancing back and forth between you and somewhere behind him. That’s when you realize he’s hiding something.

Of course, you step forward again, hoping to take a quick peek. And, again, Sora moves to keep you out of reach and the mysterious object out of view.There is a tense pause and then, almost in perfect synchronicity, you two make a run for it.

“Y/N, STOP. REALLY, I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE.”

“I NEVER SAID YOU DID.”

“THEN WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE YOU’RE TRYING TO HUNT ME FOR SPORT!?”

“COME ON SORA, ALL COUPLES CHASE EACH OTHER AT THE BEACH AT SOME POINT!”

The gift - you assume that’s what it must be - is now pressed tightly against Sora’s chest, preventing you from seeing anything. But he’s so close, almost within your reach, so you do the sensible thing and tackle Sora to the ground, pinning him down. Sure, some sand might’ve gotten into your mouth during the process, but it’s a small price you were willing to pay.

“Fineeeeeeeeee…Y/N 1, Sora 0… But just so you know, I had this very awesome and romantic speech prepared and everything!” Sora whines, not even bothering to struggle and the gift is revealed when he raises his hands, using them to cover his face.

A Paopu fruit.

…Is that weird? I keep dreaming about waking up next to you, sleeping in together, making breakfast and chores together, getting groceries, hanging out with all of our friends, never worrying about darkness this, darkness that…

It shouldn’t even surprise you in the slightest - of course Sora would do something like this in such an earnest way. Of course he would take a silly myth and turn it into a grand gesture of love. When you look down at your mess of a boyfriend, he’s turned impossibly red, peeking at you from between his fingers in silence, waiting for a reaction. So you grab the fruit and straighten up.

“It’s a Paopu fruit.” you point out very eloquently, cringing at the way your voice breaks at the last part.

Sora has the audacity to snort and giggle at this, sitting up with you secured on his lap. You reach out and brush the sand off his hair, playfully rolling your eyes when Sora manages to sneak a kiss to your wrist, sending a pleasant shiver up your spine. His face is still red, but at least he’s not hiding anymore.

“It’s not as fancy as a ring, but… I really meant all those things I wrote. I want a future with you,” this time, Sora doesn’t shy away from your eyes. But this confidence doesn’t last long, he stammers and trips over his words immediately, “Not that I’m asking you to marry me, pfft. It’s like, waaaay too soon, right? B-but I’d love to! Marry you, that is. In the…near…future? If you… Uh, want to…Maybe? I just thought a Paopu would be nice to share, and uh yeah…! So we can be part of each other’s lives forever!”

“Is that your ‘super awesome and romantic speech’?” You joke, mostly to distract yourself from the butterflies and all sorts of fuzzy, warm feelings blooming and fluttering about, all over your body. Is he doing this on purpose? He has to be, your heart feels like it’s about to burst out of your chest.

With an exaggerated sigh, Sora slumps forward, nuzzling your neck and wrapping his arms around your waist, swaying with you from side to side. He’s warm, so very warm.

“I thought I had it…! Can I get a do-over, pretty please?”

“Nuh-uh, I like it better this way. It was good, really, stop giving me that look!”

By now, you’re immune to his puppy eyes - at least you like to think you are - so you begin to split the Paopu fruit in two, watching Sora’s eyes light up like stars, following your every move. His hand lingers on yours when he wordlessly accepts one of the halves.

There’s so much you want to say to him and, judging by Sora’s lovestruck expression, there’s so much he wants to say to you. But neither of you are in a rush, there’ll be plenty of time to talk about what the future holds.

For now, you both take a bite.

…Maybe it’s a bit selfish, or even childish. But I want that future for us andCRAP. I’MRUNNINGOUTOFSPACE.MEETMEATTHEISLAND.I’LLTELLYOUTEVERYTHINGTHERE.LOVEYOU!!!! -SORA

#kh scenarios #reader insert #valentines prompt #sora #Anonymous #ITS TAGGED AS THE VALENTINES PROMPT BC IM 2 YEARS LATE #but its my blog and i say its allowed <3 happy valentines in august guys #writing cutesy stuff for sora is fun bc hes a funny silly guy #i had to cut a scene where he blows a raspberry in the readers neck bc they wont stop teasing him bc this was getting too long #but hes like such a funny fella. 10/10

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phoenix-downer · 1 year

Text

KH3 Retrospective

I can’t believe it’s been four years already since KH3 came out. It both feels like it came out ages ago and just last month. Above was the very first screenshot I took as I started my playthrough. I was so awed by how good the textures for the stained glass on the Station of Awakening looked.

Something I did while I was playing KH3 was create a little Google doc of my first reactions/impressions (as well as spamming the screenshot button lol). Here was from the first page:

New version of Dearly Beloved is gorgeous - sounds similar to DDD version a little

Sora’s opening line is so good - Kairi is his home

Opening - Kairi and Sora’s chess pieces by each other

Kairi’s piece is the paopu piece

Riku looks gorgeous

Everyone looks beautiful

The door opening to save everyone there at the end

Seven hearts to save

Sora’s holding Xehanort’s piece at the end - checkmate?

Station of Awakening is GORGEOUS - looks like actual stained glass now

Showing Sora’s memories

Wisdom, vitality, balance - which one?!

I chose balance (yay SDG!)

Guardian, Warrior, Mystic

I chose Guardian (yay Namine!)

Tidal wave, then Sora ended up in cloud world

Destati sounds awesome

Sora’s opening lines are so good

Mysterious Tower music sounds so good

Cable Town looked gorgeous - Land of Departure?

Sora’s theme sounds kickass

Ending scenes from 0.2 played again to catch you up to speed on SDG

Next year for the fifth anniversary I want to share more of the document, perhaps in a more organized fashion (I also had a reaction document for ReMind and Melody of Memory that I might share excerpts from in the future). It’s just such a neat little time capsule of my immediate first reactions to everything, and while I had to use the pause button a lot, it’s fun to look back on what I was thinking in the moment before my later thoughts/perceptions took over. Definitely worth the time it took to record everything.

For KH4 I want to continue the trend, as it also makes for a fun way to share the first playthrough experience with my friends and it makes it easier to write analysis posts later on.

Summarizing my thoughts now on KH3:

The good: Beautiful graphics, world environments were a huge upgrade, the music was amazing, the humor in the Disney worlds was really good, Olympus Coliseum, Kingdom of Corona (the dancing minigame!), The Caribbean, San Fransokyo, Wayfinder Trio Reunion, Xion’s return, Roxas’s return, all the heartfelt Sora and Kairi moments, Young Xehanort, the Keyblade transformations, having more than two people in your party at a time now, the Luxu reveal.

The bad: No true midpoint to the game, no FF characters, the climax was rushed, wish Naminé was more involved, the way Kairi got “killed” was super bleh, and I’m still not a fan of the original ending (the secret ending excluding Kairi also made me ehhhhhh).

And this leads me into another part of the document. When I consume a piece of media, I like to think about what worked well and why. It’s just really fun to celebrate good writing and learn from it, you know? Hence all the translation/analysis posts I’ve done of certain scenes from KH3. I also like to figure out how I would “fix” anything that didn’t land for me because it’s also a good learning experience, and at the end of my initial thoughts document, I actually included a list of things I thought would improve the writing of KH3. Of course, this is all based on my own personal feelings/interpretations, and as it stands, ReMind fixed a number of them anyway. But I thought I’d share my initial “fixes” in bold and then my thoughts about them now.

Writing Changes:

Have Sora think about Kairi a la KH2 - Flynn/Rapunzel, Will/Elizabeth… - this isn’t really going to be changed at this point for obvious reasons, but I missed the little moments where Sora was thinking of Kairi in KH2 (like when Will and Elizabeth hugged, when he saw Jack and Sally dancing, etc.) and thought those would have strengthened the romantic plotline of KH3.

Sora’s reunion with Riku was anticlimactic - ditto, not gonna be updated at this point, but I remember thinking oh that’s it lol when technically we hadn’t seen them onscreen together since 2012 (trailers notwithstanding). In universe it makes sense though because it hasn’t been that long since they’ve seen each other. Plus, I assume their reunion in KH4 will be good, so I’m looking forward to that.

Sora’s reunion with Kairi was also anticlimactic - see above, not gonna get changed at this point, but I wish they’d gotten a moment together before the big group meetup or at least him reacting to seeing her again. We hadn’t seen them talk directly since Blank Points I think? (trailers notwithstanding). So yeah I was a little disappointed there wasn’t more to their reunion, and again I think a little moment or brief scene that could’ve built up to the paopu fruit more. And at this point in the game I definitely got the feeling that Nomura was rushing to finish before deadlines hit + the burnout was setting in and he couldn’t spare any time to extras like this, just the core scenes that had to be there (group meetup, Aqua and Ven convo about Terra, Riku and Repliku scene, Kairi and Sora paopu sharing scene). He might have also had to do a bunch of last minute rewrites, who knows.

Have Kairi actually send her letter to Sora - I assume this will happen at a later date, looking back now it feels like foreshadowing, so I’m not sure why I complained about this lol. I do think at some point Sora will read the letter because why go to all that trouble of showing Kairi writing it + having her read it to the audience if it won’t be significant down the line? The focus on Sora’s smile makes me think he might get the letter when he’s feeling really down and needs to be cheered up, but we’ll see.

Have Sora have some way of contacting her like he can contact Riku - Yeah idk Square acts allergic sometimes to the love interests contacting the main character (see FFXV...), and in universe she was training with Merlin and Axel in a place where time flowed differently etc. so I get why she didn’t. Again I was just thinking of ways the paopu scene could’ve been built up to more effectively within KH3 itself (obviously the paopu scene has been foreshadowed since KH1 so that wasn’t my issue, more that I wanted more buildup within KH3 that built on the buildup we saw in KH1 and KH2 and Blank Points).

Keep Kairi getting killed… but have it be because she was protecting Sora of her own free volition - Yeah I’m still not happy about how this was handled. ReMind helped make this more tolerable because she did get to fight Xehanort by Sora’s side, but I still think her “death” could’ve been handled a lot better. And that’s all I’ll say about that lol, it’s a topic that’s been discussed to death at this point.

Go into more depth about what YX said - I think this was about all of Young Xehanort’s cryptic foreshadowing to Sora, I honestly can’t remember lol. But I do think, now that I’ve replayed the game, the foreshadowing works well, so I think this was more of an initial reaction on my part.

Show Sora going to rescue her - This was one of my biggest issues with how KH3 originally ended, and I remember feeling robbed that we didn’t get to see Sora’s rescue mission of Kairi, but little did I know what Nomura had in store lol. ReMind more than fixed this, and I will be forever grateful to it and to Nomura for knowing how important this was and making sure it was added to the story. ReMind elevated KH3 so much for me, and looking back, I really do think Nomura was making the best of a bad situation (engine switch a year into development, tight deadlines, Disney being strict, serious burnout, sky high expectations...) with vanilla KH3, and I hope he gets the development time he needs to tell the story he wants to tell with KH4. I just remember reading some of his interviews post-KH3 and you could tell how exhausted and burnt out he was, and I really hope he doesn’t go through that again.

End things on a less gutpunch of an ending - I know some people loved KH3′s ending so this is subjective, but I did not lol. Thankfully, ReMind fixed this and made the ending more bittersweet now that we’ve seen Sora rescuing Kairi. It feels much better knowing he got those moments with her traveling the worlds before he disappeared.

Roxas and Sora barely interacted - ReMind fixed this too (noticing a pattern here?) I was really happy with the additional screentime they got in ReMind together because honestly, their relationship is one of my favorites in the entire series.

Sora still hasn’t thanked Namine - I assume this will happen at a later date, I just remember thinking poor Naminé hadn’t gotten thanked yet. But I do think Nomura has something specific in mind for this scene and we will see it at some future date. So less of a “this should’ve been in KH3″ thing and more “oh bummer I’ll have to wait a while yet to see this.”

Xehanort got off easy - I think this whole plot point was a victim of the rushed pacing that impacted both the climax and ending of KH3. I remember thinking to myself that Xehanort should not have gotten to die and go to Keyblade Heaven with Eraqus in the same game where he “killed” the protagonist’s girlfriend (which resulted in the protagonist’s “death”) especially not so soon after it happened. But in a way it’s also kind of realistic? The bad guy doesn’t always get what he deserves in real life, so I can see why Nomura took this angle here (though I would argue that in stories you can show good triumphing over evil and in fact people tend to want that more than realism due to the escapist nature of fiction). Then again, I’m kind of biased because I’m not a fan in general of turning Xehanort from a main villain to a misunderstood guy with an angsty backstory who was manipulated by the True Big Bad. I get the feeling we haven’t seen the last of him given that art of his younger self with an umbrella that came out for Dark Road’s ending, so I’m bracing myself for him to show up in Quadratum and team up with Sora, and meh, I just wish the series would move past him at this point, you know?

Destiny Trio still not a trio :( - fix that - I do hope that we get more Destiny Trio interactions in KH4, but looking back, I kinda get why there wasn’t a whole lot of them in KH3. The focus was more on Sora and Kairi’s relationship since that played such a key role in the climax and ending of the story, and there will be time in the future for the three to interact more. Nomura had that quote about how KH3 would feature relationships changing etc., and we did see that with the focus more on Sora and Kairi’s relationship (plus Melody of Memory gave us some Riku and Kairi interactions, and KH4 is probably gonna feature some good Sora and Riku interactions given how they’ll probably reunite before Sora and Kairi do. And then Kairi and Sora’s reunion will be important given how they were separated, and I imagine there will be at least one meaningful scene of the three of them together).

Have Kairi fight back while she’s being taken - in her defense, it was very realistic for a short, petite fifteen-year old girl to have trouble fighting back against a grown ass man who 1) towers over her and most of the rest of the cast, and 2) is wrenching her arm back in a way that meant she’d likely dislocate her own arm if she tried to fight back. I just still wish this entire plot point had been handled differently, but it’s in the past now, not much more to be said about it.

Roxas and Xion were freed maybe when Sora “died”? - I think I had this on there because I thought the story would’ve benefited from the rescues being spread out more, giving time to focus on each one and allowing some longer soft/quiet moments with the character reunions.

Anyway, thanks for reading all this. It was interesting going back and looking at my initial reactions to KH3 and how my thoughts and feelings have changed over time. I think the big factors in the shift are that ReMind really added so much to the story and fixed most of my major issues with it, and I have a better picture now of all the stressors Nomura had to deal with to get the game out the door. Honestly it’s probably a small miracle the vanilla game turned out as well as it did given all the factors he was working against, and for that I have a lot of respect for him. And it was clear he was aware of the issues, you know? Otherwise he wouldn’t have released ReMind. He wanted KH3 to be good and he wanted to make the fans happy, so he did what he could to improve on the base game. And there are some truly fantastic moments in the base game and ReMind alike that I loved analyzing every single piece of.

How about you guys? How have your thoughts/feelings towards KH3 changed over time if at all? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

#kingdom hearts #kh3 #kingdom hearts 3 #kh analysis #kh meta #kh retrospective #kh #retrospective #long post

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