#((I also may hold off on replies for a while as I write out Sora's history))

[aspiringroleplays]

Tumblr, can you please stop glitching?

It's getting to the point where I literally can't check my notifs now. First it was unable to do chat messages, now I can't go into activity. Can't check inbox either. (this is all on mobile btw) Really annoying I can't even say "hi" until I get on my computer.

Anyway, gonna do ONE thing because it's super cute, and then might just go back to chores. Finally got my energy back so I gotta catch up on things LOL.

[cutegirlmayra]

Sokai Prompt, My brain is enamored by the idea of Kairi housing Sora’s heart, and he can just ‘fade’ into their reality to help her. Gosh, my mind never stops..!

They’re living rent free in my head, man.

Prompt:

It was strange, you know?

These dreams I’ve been having… it’s like… two worlds… blend and mend into one seamless… long lasting world.

But… is this reality even real? Or… not?

“Every time?” Riku asked, sitting beside me on the street as Yozora had asked us to stay hidden, but that was kinda hard when our clothes made us stand out the most…

“Yeah… at first, I thought it odd, but…” Thinking about it too long made my head hurt…

I gripped my head and kicked my legs out, “Ah! This is so frustrating! Do you think I’m somehow connected to Kairi too?”

I had just finished telling him about these dreams where I’m looking through Kairi’s eyes, and sometimes… when she goes to sleep, I can see her talking to me from within the horizontal, stained glass window of her heart.

I remember her words well too… the first time I was there, and every night since, the script doesn’t seem to change much… but I can tell it’s hard on Kairi.

Within the dream, Kairi is always speaking to me, and though I can see her and she can see me, I can’t talk at all.

It’s kinda tormenting, seeing her struggling but trying to keep her spirits high and not being able to comfort her that I’m alright and safe, and that Riku made it here too!

“I know that I’m not ready to face the other side of this reality… the fictional side… but I’ll get there, Sora. I won’t fail!” Kairi had her hand bundled against her chest, nodding with a strong determined look in her eyes… but I’d see how much she’d work at her training with Aqua, how hard it really had been compared to Merlin’s and Master Yesid’s quick lessons. Kairi was highly talented, and I didn’t have anyone in the beginning! She’s progressing so much faster than I ever did!

Riku said the same thing too, that if it is Kairi, she shouldn’t push herself so hard. It took us a long time to get even remotely close to where we are, and I had to regain some of my strength! I told him I couldn’t tell her that, and for some reason, I can’t speak back to her at all.

“Do you know if it’s even possible that this might just be you worrying about her?” Riku adjusted how he was sitting, taking his arms that were just resting on his knees up behind his head… wait, was he mimicking me? “I mean, it’s normal, I guess.”

“Normal?” I tilted my head, confused. “Really?”

“Yeah, you’re about at that age… dreaming of someone you care about isn’t all that strange anymore.” I about lost it.

“Riku! T-that’s not-! That’s not what I meant at all!” I went to contend it but saw him crook a humorous smile, as though he really was just joking around with me. “Ah, you…!” He grappled my head and it was like old times, rough-housing until we saw someone paying attention to us.

“Let’s go.” Riku turned serious again, letting me go and getting up.

“Y-yeah.” I rushed after him, following behind. Looking over my shoulder, I could see these ‘business’ like guys in suits trying to follow… guess our talk about dreams will have to wait-

“Kairi’s strong, Sora. You need to trust her.” Riku jumped over a trashcan, which I jumped and summoned my keyblade to knock over, turning around.

“Fire!” I cried out, gripping it with two hands as the ball of blazing light clashed into the paper in the trashcan, creating some smoke but blocking the pursuers from keeping track of us.

We darted into the woods, panting as I gripped my knees to stay upright and Riku leaned against a tree.

“Man… what do you think they want with us, Riku?” I looked back, glad we weren’t able to be followed.

“Don’t know, but I think that’s why Yozora wanted us away from the streets… we’re far enough now to be out in the open, but this world has a collective eye that doesn’t like us around… it seems.” Riku summoned his own keyblade, looking it over, “Looks like us being keyblade wielders is more noticeable than I thought.”

We were trying to keep a low profile and not reveal our keyblades, but looks like Riku was right, even without them--people still somehow could tell we were from another world…

Though, I think our clothes wouldn’t set that many alarms off in people’s heads… right?

“Besides…” Riku raised his head, looking off in the distance, “...The only way I could find you was… through a dream too.”

“H-huh?” This was the first time I had heard about that. I sat down and spread my legs out, getting ready to hear his story, and placed my hands down in the middle while unsummoning my own keyblade. “You mean… you had a dream… about me?”

“Don’t get too flattered.” Riku grinned over his shoulder and I flashed him a signature goofy grin of my own, closing my eyes to emphasize I wasn’t gonna make that joke… at least aloud, I didn’t seem to need too.

“Yeah, well… It seems your connection to Kairi is somehow different and… maybe stronger.” He nodded his head towards the distance again. “Think you can try again? This time, maybe speak back to her? Tell her where we are?” he looked sincerely back to me, but I shook my head.

“I’ve tried, she can’t hear a sound.” I admitted, “I just remember… she was in danger and I…” I looked at my hand…

“You… what?” Riku asked, trying to follow up.

“...Nevermind.” I let it go, I couldn’t tell him how odd that felt. One moment, I was sleeping, seeing Kairi in The Final World and fighting a piece of her heart that looked just like Xehanort. “Maybe you’re right… I just see her being so strong for my sake… I’ve never realized… how much she tries for me too.”

“Too?” Riku folded his arms after gesturing away his keyblade, mocking me again. He loomed over me a bit and teased with another joking smile, “You should know,... Sora… more than anyone… just how much she works for us all.”

I couldn’t argue with that, I had been saved by Kairi too, I knew that much.

I just always thought I wasn’t enough for everyone without my friends… but Kairi… was always enough. At least, that’s what I had once thought.

Now I realized that I had been a strength for Kairi all along, and that she also struggled with becoming strong enough too. I just wish I could tell her what I’ve learned and the things I’ve gained from being together and apart. But…

I picked up a rock and threw it, “I just wish I could tell her that! Tell her that… I can see her… I can see now... I-...” I covered a part of my face with my hand, feeling a bit hopeless.

Riku must have seen that and bent down, putting a hand to my shoulder, “It’ll be okay, Sora. I found you, we found you. We’ll get you back to Destiny Island and this time, we’ll all celebrate together… alright?”

He beamed, “Yeah! You got it.”

“Tonight, if you do have that dream, try and see if you can change it somehow.” He instructed, which made me wonder--change it?

“How do I reach out to her?” I gestured my hand out, showing I was in a bit of a pickle here. “The dreams are pretty random. I see her training when she’s awake, or getting upset with herself not progressing soon or fast enough for her. I can see her… let’s see… writing letters?” I gripped my chin and thought about it as Riku got up and moved a little away, thinking as well.

“Strange… I saw the buildings, and you walking around… I never saw through your eyes though.” Riku comments made me think maybe it was the real Kairi, and maybe she was having some pretty bad insecurities, but smiling and making promises to me in her-

“That’s it!” I scrambled on the ground to try and hurriedly get up, growing excited. “Riku! It’s when she’s sleeping! That’s when I can connect to her! When we’re both not awake!” I stumbled a bit on making my way over to him, “All I have to do is take a power nap and hope she’s sleeping too! Then I can try and grab her attention somehow and-” I grew very animated in my planning, but Riku just cocked his head, replying sharply.

“And play charades?”

I slowly felt my energy dissipate by his words, flopping my arms down, “Y-...Yeaaahhh…” I kicked the ground, letting my body wobble and sway slightly in my disappointment. “What would you do? Write on her heart?”

“That might not be best.” Riku shook his head with a smile, “But… If you really can’t communicate, then I guess all you have is... you.”

I nodded my head, though it may be difficult, I’d have to communicate with my body instead of my words.

“Guess I should train for tonight!” I twisted my torso and stretched out my arm socket, rotating it around and doing some exercises in place. “Think you can interpret me alright if I train hard for it? Then I can match how hard Kairi’s working too!” I stopped to grip my two arms into fists and hold them up, showing I would do anything to give her some peace of mind.

Riku laughed lightly and agreed, “Alright, we don’t have much to do until Yozora tells us what’s going on with his friends and if we’re safe to find a way out of here yet or not.”

“Isn’t your heart the key to returning home?” I pointed to him and he sighed.

“Should be that simple… but the heart I used to connect to this world is bound to the ‘inbetween’. Since I don’t have her heart here at present, it means we have to somehow bring her heart back… which could be disastrous if someone else takes it during our attempt to retrieve her.” Riku explained.

“Oh, right. The Star.” I remembered, I still had something to tell him. “You mentioned her… before.” I nodded, showing my understanding. “Her body needs to be rescued, yeah? Then what are we all waiting for?”

“Well, first, we need more intel. Yozora, for some reason, is being pretty tight-lipped about it.” Riku and I both mimicked the other’s actions and folded our arms, ‘hmm’ing as we studied the ground and thought.

“... Oh, well. Can’t sit around doing nothing, if Yozora wants to get things settled his way before involving us in it, then… I say… that’s up to him, right?” I wanted to be sensitive, it seemed the Star and him had a deep connection that was being jeopardised by these ‘business suit’ people. Whatever they wanted, they got it, at the expense of their bond.

“Right.” Riku looked disturbed, maybe feeling bad for the Star, so I gave him my best smile and patted his shoulder, gripping it for good measure. ‘Cheer up, Riku. I’m not just trying to get you to help me, I just can’t stand still for very long. It’s really not your fault.’ I didn’t want to say that to him at the moment though. Riku had so much to worry about from back home, to me, to now thanking the Star that risked a lot to get him here.

When he showed up, I guess the suit guys got wind that the only possible way he could travel to their world was through her. A shame it had to be like that, but now they were doing everything to double-up on their protection and securement of the Star’s body.

“Who is she? Do you know?” Riku asked and I shrugged, letting his shoulder go.

“Yozora’s dear friend… but besides that, it beats me.” I wanted to respect somewhat of their privacy…

“...Does it, though?” Riku looked away, apparently putting two and two together.

I just grinned with a faint blush of embarrassment, scratching behind my head. “They do seem fond of each other…”

“...Enough to dream about one another?” he looked up into the sky and I knew he was teasing me again, but in a more contemplative way this time.

I immediately jumped on my feet and was ready to brawl, “Why, you-! Quit teasing me on that! Every jab is like a blow to my pride!” I gestured vigorously out with my hand so he’d see this meant a lot to me, and if Yozora was the same… “I respect him for him!”

“Heh, you two show things differently… but I think I can see the same feelings and emotions towards it. Well, I won’t pry, but I think our only hope of getting out of here and back to our world is finding a heart connected to ours.”

“Our hearts?” I inquired further for clarity sake.

“Our world.” Riku emphasised, “Which means, even with her back in her heart and body joined back together again… There’s no telling if she’d be able to get us back. Her heart got me here… but…”

“And my heart’s missing… too.” I touched the empty space where a heartbeat should be… and knew that Kairi was keeping it safe. 

“Wait…”

I rose up my head.

“Kairi..? Is Kairi my key back home!?” I stomped my foot down to lean into Riku’s vision line again, since he kept looking away to think to talk.

“Kairi..? If it were that simple, you could just use my heart, right?” He flipped his hand out to dismiss it, but I shook my head.

“You can’t go home with your own heart leading the way, right? Not without jeopardising it. You said that because you used the Power of Waking on the Star’s heart, that you were thrown into a similar position as me, right? That means… we need both a heart from our world that we can connect too… but someone to open the gate for us. You could be the gate, since you didn’t lose as much as me, and Kairi could be my path to getting us home.” My reasoning stood to be tested, but you know what? I think it makes sense!

“That’s pretty far-balling it, Sora.” Riku stated, not too sure about it. His eyebrows creased together into a furrowed brow and I knew he’d need more convincing. “If what you say is true… then we use my heart as a type of channel to yours, then have someone unlock your heart from Kairi’s, and basically ride the channel back to our world.”

“We’re all connected, it could work.” I was excited, but deeply concerned I would make him worry again.

I wanted to give him some hope… anyway.

After a minute that seemed like forever to me, Riku finally conceded. “We’ll keep it in mind.” which was enough to satisfy me! I put my hands behind my head and lifted a foot back behind my other, just glad we were on the same page.

“So… Tonight…” Riku addressed the other matter that broke me from my relaxed positioned and made me nervous again. “What exactly do you want to convey to her? That we’re alright, and that she shouldn’t stress out so much about not being on the same level as us yet?” He took one of his arms that were folded and swayed it about, as though we were kids and I hadn’t thought this through yet.

Well… he was right, if that’s really what he was assuming.

“I… uh… well…” I pivoted a bit from him, pushing my pointer fingers together in a bit of shyness. “Maybe…” I wanted to say a lot more then that… but I wasn’t gonna admit that to Riku! He’d tease me for… well, for forever!

“I see.” He dropped his hands and seemed to chuckle to himself, and I decided he already knew what I meant and just dropped it too.

“It was hard enough to try and think of putting it into words… but now…” I lowered my head, “Riku… what if I’m not enough to help her?”

He shook his head, “What are you talking about? Don’t be silly, whatever you try and convey, I’m sure it will brighten Kairi’s spirits.” He walked ahead of me, “Everyone’s worried about you… not just Kairi. So, whatever you say, should be something she can relate back to others, yeah?” He was right, I should tell her about this other world too, but it’s hard to put anything simple into a step-by-step gesturing game.

“What if… she thinks I’m just a dream too?”

“Then convince her you’re not, show her the truth of it.” Riku wasn’t really helping… but I appreciated that he was believing me now.

“Easier said then… charaded!” I tried to mime myself swimming, then swinging, then playing ‘peek-a-boo’ and he sighed and realized I wasn’t very coherent in anything.

“Alright, let’s take it from the top.”

We only had a few minutes to really rehearse and concrete anything that showed ‘clarity’ of what I was trying to say when the suits found us. That was a whole ride, we battled and got finally got somewhere when Yozora--accompanied by his friends--finally met us up at last and we were able to get a lot done and figured out that day.

That night, I was exhausted, and I practically forgot about seeing Kairi and what I was gonna try and convey.

When I went to rest for the night under a huge tree with a big enough space under it’s truck for us to rest in, I looked over and saw Yozora looking up at the stars in the night sky…

‘I understand, buddy.’ I thought to myself, empathizing, and remembered Kairi.

“Ah! Riku…” I looked over to him and saw his back facing me, he was already getting ready to lay down and threw up a thumbs up for me, apparently having thought of it before I did.

I smiled, looking down at my grass bed, “Okay… here goes.” I got comfortable and tried to sleep… reaching out to her… ‘Kairi… This time… I won’t just silently listen… I want to say something back, and I hope you’ll understand me this time.’

When I opened my eyes, I was already standing up and upon Kairi’s heart, looking at the design and smiling at the familiar feeling of knowing this was her.

I looked up into the darkness above me and closed my eyes, until a flash of light triggered and I saw window planes of memories flying around me.

I walked around, realizing Kairi must not be asleep yet.

‘Okay, I’ll wait.’ I nodded, and summoned my keyblade. ‘Let’s see what she’s up to.’ I pointed it out, watched the tip of it begin to glow with bright, radiant light and slowly rose it to the top of the blackness.

It shot out and then fell like a beam over me, opening some path to me from her heart into her mind and eyes.

When I opened my eyes, Kairi was panting and running, Aqua using all her might to lunge and attack her.

‘Still training? It’s so late.’ I felt her heart racing and gripped my own chest, ‘Kairi…’

She turned around and perfectly blocked the attack, ‘Yes! You’ve got it!’ she had improved so much since last time! It was awesome! I gripped my hands into fists and held them up, getting pumped during her training before I saw her stance weaken and heard her grunt under Aqua’s high-stakes pressure training. ‘Oh no…’ I looked down at my foot and slid it into position, having her own foot fade like a ghostly after-image over mine. ‘Kairi… like… this-!’ I twisted my foot to scoot hers into the right direction.

Immediately, Kairi pivoted her foot and regained her balance, letting her force push through without fault.

‘YEAHHH!!!’ I jumped up and cheered as I floated in the space where I was seeing her fight. ‘Way to go, Kairi!’

Aqua pulled back, looking a little surprised by her sudden strength, and then smiled. “Looks like you’re learning quicker than I can teach. Tell me, when did you figure out your footing was misplaced?”

“I… I just felt someone guiding me… as if…” She got back up and placed her hand on her heart, but before she could say my name, she started to collapse.

‘Ah!’ I wanted to grab her but I couldn’t, and in her after-image of falling, I saw Aqua quickly hold her up.

“I thought I requested a good night’s sleep the other night. What’s keep you resisting my instructions?” Aqua lightly scolded, tilting her head as though understanding Kairi’s commitment, but trying to show her that it was unfruitful for her training purposes.

“I wanted to… re-run a few combos… ugh…” She gripped her head.

“Have you eaten?” Aqua asked.

‘She better have!’ I felt my whole being wanting to just skyrocket through her eyes and be there with her… taking her into my hands and not someone else’s… More than anything, I wanted to be there for Kairi… help teach her and train her too, maybe train together with her! I know I’ve forgotten a lot of things, and mostly learned what I could from actual experience… ‘Kairi… Kairi… please, just rest so I can connect with you!’

“I’m fine.” Kairi smiled weakly, but sheepishly got up and began to bow to Aqua, “Master, I’m sorry for not resting enough as you’ve told me to.”

“It’s alright, but let’s meet somewhere in the middle.” Aqua’s tenderness made me glad that Kairi was in good hands… even if I couldn’t be there for her now… “I still require some toughness from you… but please, take care of yourself. Your keyblade is only an extension of your power, you are the true key.” she gestured to Kairi then her own keyblade, before finally nodding and placing a hand delicately to her heart. “Power and strength… are nothing without the will that controls them. If your body is exhausted, then it can’t do as the will commands, and you’ll never be able to progress beyond this point.”

I felt Kairi’s breath get taken and felt so sorry that she was misunderstanding. Aqua wasn’t saying she couldn’t ever get stronger, only that if she didn’t find the right balance, she’d only weaken herself and slow her training down further.

‘Kairi… be brave, don’t falter now.’ I urged, but as I opened my mouth, nothing came out.

‘Please… hear me, Kairi!’

Kairi lowered her head and I looked down at my fist, seeing her ghostly after-image over my own… her fist was tightened and shaking in her frustrations…

I felt my face bend in anguish, opening my hand and holding her own shaking one… even though I knew it was just my spirit and hers… I hoped she could somehow feel the comforting touch.

I had hoped that’s how she would see it, but as she flinched and looked at her hand, I seemed to have only scared her.

I pulled it away and looked away… it was hard to see this. See how much she really was trying to be strong enough to save me with Riku too…

‘Kairi…’ I just squinted my eyes closed, what was this feeling? Of wanting so desperately to be by her side and…

“Kairi?” Aqua tilted her head.

“R-right. Sorry, I understand now. I’ll… go straight to bed, Master Aqua.” She nodded to her, remaining humble, and gave her a formal bow of her head with her keyblade pointed down and held with both hands, a sign of respect. “Excuse me, and thank you for the training.”

Aqua nodded, but seemed concerned as Kairi retreated.

‘Aqua… you’re doing fine.’ I wanted to reach her heart too, but as Kairi pulled away, so did I. I held out a hand to her, though, ‘Let me try and be there for Kairi too… We’ll help her… together.” I nodded my resolve and waited for Kairi to actually get settled.

Giving her some space and privacy, I floated back down in the pillar of light to her heart, resting and trying to review the things Riku and I discussed.

‘Okay, simple words and think of imagery strong correlations… Ah, what were those again?’ I gripped my head, ‘Man, all I can think of is-!’

“Sora..?”

The voice was so gentle, it resonated in me…

I tried to relax as I took a deep breath, and turned around to face her.

‘Kairi…’ I tried to mouth her name, but it seems she couldn’t perceive that either.

She smiled to me kindly, but I could see her face shift to insecurity as her eyes began to show her true sorrow.

“I tried hard today… and I’ll try harder tomorrow. You… and Master Aqua needn’t worry about me.” She shook her head, then looked squarely in front of her where I was, not willing to show me any loss of will. “Today, I learned that my will isn’t strong enough either. I need to re-dedicate myself. I thought my promise to protecting you and bringing you and Riku back home safely was enough… but if my body can’t keep up, then it means I have to train both my will and being at the same time. If they’re strengthened together, then I can keep pursuing my promise to you, without any limitations.”

She was so strong… her eyes were filling up with glossy tears and she wouldn’t let a single drop be shown to me…

‘Kairi…’ I walked towards her.

She lowered her head and continued to bundle her hands into fists, shaking them to the side of her. “I felt you… today, I felt you correct me. I was happy to feel you again… but… scared to rely on you too much. But then… Master Aqua got me thinking… what if… What if you’ve been my strength this whole time, Sora? What if… I need to rely on my own strength? But saying goodbye to you twice is too much!” She gripped her head, and I moved quickly in response, gasping inaudible as I raced to meet her. “What if… I’d rather be strong with you… even if that means I’m not strong on my own?!”

I knew how that felt.

‘Kairi… Kairi, I’m here! You’ve always been there for me, too! Remember? Even if we’re apart, we’re-!’

I embraced her.

She froze a second, probably because neither of us knew we could actually do that in this state.

But we were two hearts now… as long as her heart was here with mine, we could do anything.

I just held her so close, as I felt her arms feeling my own, as though still in disbelief that she could.

“Sora… Sora, are you alright? Did I scare you? I didn’t realize… I didn’t realize your heart could understand everything I was saying… I thought… it was kinda like a comatose state. I thought… if I just wrote and spoke to you in my letters and dreams.., it would help me stay on course.” I felt her wrap her arms around me and we held on tightly.

I didn’t care about telling her or performing my ridiculous dance of charades anymore. There was one thing I could convey, and this embrace was riding on everything for her to understand how I was feeling too.

She moved slightly and I reluctantly stepped back, giving her a gap between us as she reached to grab my hand, holding it like we had before I… disappeared.

She placed her own over mine, “You’re safe?”

I nodded, with my own eyes growing hazy in how torn I was leave her… but I was waking up.

I felt my body disappearing again…

‘No… just a little longer… let the twilight last-! Just a couple minutes longer..!’

“Good.” She lightly giggled through her obvious heartache. If she could only feel my own…

“And Riku and you are together?”

I nodded again, hurriedly, feeling the fading as her hand dropped to show my own had already disappeared.

I saw her whole being lowering as though about to collapse again, then her mouth turn into a sharp frown before her face scrunched together and her strength was gone, jumping into my arms.

“Then I can do it! I’ll work with my heart over both my body and my mind! I won’t fail you, Sora, or Riku, or King Mickey! Master Yensid… Master Aqua… I won’t let anyone down!”

So much of the world she seemed to be placing on her shoulders… and for the first time, I couldn’t lift it off of her.

It was too much for her, though, I wish she’d see that and take her time on her training, but I could tell we now had plenty of motive to sleep at good times and not push ourselves too terribly hard.

Besides… I could hold her and be with her every night… and that was enough for me.

When I woke up, Riku and Yozora seemed to be in deep conversation with one another, “So… this Kairi… could be a way to save both you, Sora, and-” Before Yozora could continue, I groaned and gripped my head, the leafs under me crinkling and scratching against each other, causing a racket.

Riku and Yozora turned around from the entrance of the tree’s open mouth, and seemed ready to hear what I had to say.

“Does she know?” Riku asked.

I just opened one eye and nodded… then a huge smile scraped across my face.

Riku pulled back a second, not sure what to take of my hinted meaning.

“Did you… Did you do as we had planned?”

“N-not… exactly…” I looked away, and Yozora looked confused as he leaned forward.

“Are you… Blushing?”

I covered my face and fell back into my leaf bed, “D-Don’t look!”

Riku finally backed off my back about it, but he often poked my cheek to remind me how ‘adorable’ I looked after I woke up… ‘I thought he said he wouldn’t make fun of me anymore!’ I thought with a red face.

[miss-tc-nova]

Hey - Riku x Reader

Aha, Xeha-non! I tricked you! I wasn’t writing Roxas, I was writing Riku! It’s about time I gave this boy some love. 

~~~~~

               “Hey handsome.” I slide the book from the desk and take its place, grinning down at the boy. A snowy brow arches in response, before those teal orbs peer up at me. “Slackin’ on your homework?”

               “Maybe,” he grumbles. I display the text and he continues scribbling down his answers.

               “Ooo, even I got the homework done. You’re not tellin’ me I’m about to slip ahead on our grades are you?” I tease.

               He doesn’t even bother to look up. “Not even close.”

               I laugh. Of course it’s not. This kid could miss an entire month of school and still manage to beat me in almost every class. Not that I’m dumb or anything, he’s just that smart—now if only I could get him to realize that I’ve been hardcore flirting with him for over a year now.

               Riku and I have been neighbors since we were little. We were never really friends and that was fine by me; we only occasionally passed by each other on our way to school or in the halls. It wasn’t until we turned fourteen and actually had a class together that I lost my mind. He probably just views me as a mild nuisance at this point, but I can’t help myself around him anymore. He doesn’t acknowledge any of it though.

               The end-of-day bell rings and I stand up with a stretch. “Wha’chu think, Riku? Shall we do the project together?”

               “Hm?” Like a needle pricking at my heart, he wasn’t paying attention. “Oh, I mean we can. But it just sounds like you’re trying to keep that gap between us from getting bigger.” Gods, if I could turn that smirk into something sincere, I’d probably die happy.

               “Please. You may have me in maths and science, but you suck at English.”

               “I’m one grade below you. Also, what does telling a story have do with any career?”

               I count on my fingers. “Journalism, news, authors, basic communication skills.”

               “We’re communicating aren’t we?”

               “Barely.” Oh honey, there’s so much more than what we say…

               His eyes roll but we agree to meet tonight at six to work on this story we’re supposed to write. I waste the day away mulling over this nonsense between us. Clearly this boy isn’t going to get the hint; I could probably kiss him and he would just blow it off as an accident. Yet I still can’t tell if it’s because he’s not interested or just strangely oblivious to flirting. Eventually, I admit defeat—I’m going to have to just flat out tell him. I decide it’d be best to do it tonight, when there’s time for us to talk it out; though that does put me at risk for making this project insanely awkward. I suck it up and plan my words out for the end of the night until six rolls around.

               I pull open the door to find my classmate there, staring out at the horizon. “Hey handsome.” There’s still time to drop plenty of hints before the night ends, but he doesn’t respond. “You okay?” There are some gloomy looking clouds in the distance.

               “Uh, yeah,” he replies, shaking it off. “Let’s get this dumb project done.”

               “And here I thought you just enjoyed my company,” I say, letting him in.

               We start to flesh out a basic a plot for this adventure short, all the while he keeps glancing out the window at the approaching storm. I, on the other hand, am starting to feel the nerves gnaw at my gut.

               “Are you sure you’re alright?” I ask, pulling his attention from the window for the umpteenth time since we started.

               Looking away from his distraction, Riku scribbles on his paper. “Yeah.”

               He’s not going to tell me what��s bothering him. Perhaps it’s time to tell him what’s bothering me instead.

               “Hey Riku?” He hums that that he’s listening before meeting my gaze. This could be it: the end of my endeavors, the end of my shenanigans, possibly the end of a friendship. Here goes nothing.

               Taking a deep breath, I open my mouth to start again, but the storm lets us know that it’s here.

               When the lightning flashes, Riku abruptly stands. “I gotta go.”

               “What?” I stand with him but he heads for the door.

               “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” All those worries he’s been holding back all night have finally broken through. He hurriedly shoves his feet into his shoes.

               “But-” The boy rips the door open and takes off down the street, not even in the direction of his home. I stand in the doorway, stunned, confused, and a little heart-broken. “…Be safe.”

               The storm that night was terrible.

~~~~~

A year later…

               This last year or so has been kind of dreary. Since that storm hit, three kids disappeared from our islands. Days were spent searching, but only the ocean could’ve kept them hidden from us for so long. Then we came across a miracle; some weeks after their disappearance, Kairi had been found on the beach of the smaller island. From what I heard, she had been groggy and confused for a while, but remembered nothing of what happened. As for Sora and Riku, we never found them.

               I was upset for a long time but time heals all wounds supposedly. In reality, I’d just learned to think about it less and went about life. There wasn’t anything else I could’ve done. Even if my heart is still hung up on him, it’s not like I can bring him back. So, on the surface, I take my dreary days the same as my normal ones: one step at a time, no matter how hard the next step is.

               Nope. Don’t think about it.

               Clearing my head of memories I don’t have time to dwell on, I brush the hair from my eyes and readjust the bag of groceries in my arms. It’s Friday, school’s out, I’ve just done my shopping for the week, and now it’s time to go home and relax.

               “Hey.”

               My body freezes before I turn to person I just passed. He’s a tall, young man, his muscular arms bare. The first instinct is to put some space between us, but that mop of white hair is unmistakable; sure it’s longer than it was but it’s his.

               “Riku?” I breathe, afraid to believe it is. Have I finally lost it?

               His aqua eyes are just visible beneath that mess. “It’s been a while,” he tells me.

               That voice; it’s the same and it still makes my heart flutter. The bag in my arm is hastily set aside before I barrel into the boy, arms around his waist as tightly as I can hold. I could melt when he returns the gesture but I’m too busy trying to keep from crying.

               I step back, wiping at my eyes. “Sorry. I just…Everyone thinks you’re dead.”

               He’s taking the fact pretty lightly. “I can imagine so.”

               “What happened?” I murmur.

               “Uh, I can’t exactly explain it,” he answers, dodging my question. Something about him seems softer than before. “The storm took me someplace far away and a lot of stuff happened. But I’m here now.”

               Taking in his words, I want to question him. There was a whole year where I thought he was at the bottom of the ocean; of course I want to know everything. However, above all of that, I’m relieved he’s back.

               I smile. “Well hey, welcome back handsome.”

               Riku’s responding chuckle dies out to something hesitant. “Are you busy tonight?”

               Reaching down, I scoop my groceries back up. “No. Just making dinner and being lazy tonight.”

               “Do you want to hang out?”

               It takes everything I have to not scream ‘Yes!’ at him. “Didn’t you just get back?”

               “Yeah,” he says with a sheepish grin. “But Kairi spent a few long hours nagging me about being so oblivious.”

               “What?”

               His shoulders bounce but I don’t miss that old spark of mischief. “That whole year before I left, you were flirting with me.”

               It’s suddenly a bit too hot for me and my brain threatens to malfunction. Instead, I take my turn to answer sheepishly, “I mean, yeah. But I think you settling in again is probably more important.”

               “It can wait. I’ve got a lot of stupidity to make up for.”

               I may never stop smiling again. “Only two years worth.”

               “Then I’d better get started.” I could just squeal. “I’ll pick you up tonight.”

               “I’ll see you then.”

               I bid the boy goodbye and it takes everything I have not to explode before I’m sure he’s well out of sight. And that’s it; my brain is shot for the rest of the day. I’m not doing homework, none of my chores get done, and dinner is nothing that I had planned. I just lie around, giddy as a teenager should be.

               I force myself not to bolt for the door when I hear a knock; I cannot, however, help the swelling happiness in my chest when I see him waiting for me.

               “Hey handsome,” I greet. That’s an adorable blush trying to spread across his face.

               “Hey. Are you ready?”

               I tilt my head. “We’re going out? Isn’t it kinda late?”

               “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the monsters.” There’s a bit of the old self-confidence I remember him having.

               “Oh my knight in shining armor.” I follow Riku to the docks and I should’ve known he’d be taking me to the smaller island; it was his favorite place to hang out. But I’ve never been there at night so this will be a new experience for me.

               After he’s tied up the little boat, he offers a hand to me. “Careful.”

               “You’ve become quite the gentleman,” I tease, taking his hand.

               My joking goes right out the window when he pulls me up with absolutely no effort. “I think not wanting my date to hurt themself is just common courtesy.”

               “Fair enough.” I pray he doesn’t catch the mild quaver in the two words. “So what exactly are we doing out here?”

               “Whatever you want; just hanging out,” he says, walking out onto the moonlit beach. With a grunt, he plops down into the soft, white sand. With a bit more grace, I sit beside him.

               The ocean before us is dazzling. The water is calm, gently lapping at the land and reflecting the light from above. An endless sky is filled with millions of twinkling stars painting shades of blue and purple around the shining moon. There are no birds or strangers to interrupt the white-noise of the water; just us. And we’re not exactly quiet. We talk and laugh and joke about all sorts of things. I get vague hints that Riku’s time away had been quite an ordeal but we skirt around those topics. Still, I feel like I’m finally connecting to him; I’m not hiding anything or hinting at hidden feelings. I’m able to fully express myself. And though he may not be as snarky as he had been, I’m still enamored all the same.

               “It’s funny.” Riku says, looking up to the stars. “I wanted nothing more than to get off this island, but when I found out about you, I couldn’t wait to get back.

               Thank goodness it’s dark. “That’s kind of a silly reason to suddenly change your dreams.”

               “Not after the adventure I’ve had.” I don’t get a chance to dwell on the darkness in his words. Instead, my heart jumps into my throat when his hand sits on top of mind with a gentle squeeze. “Besides, I think you’re discounting yourself way too much. You’re worth changing dreams for.”

               What the hell do I say to that?! I sigh. “I know I was flirting with you but that doesn’t mean you have to do this. You don’t owe me anything. If you want, we can just-”

               My words are effectively silenced. It’s not smooth or gentle but Riku jams our lips together. I never would use the word awkward to describe him but this is terribly so. I still don’t hate it.

               I don’t know if it’s my own blush or the heat rolling off him, but the air between us is hot. When he breaks away, there’s that smile—I can die happy now.

               “If you end that sentence with ‘be friends,’ I’m going to throw you in the ocean,” he warns, a note of longing there.

               The astonishment in me takes a dive, succeeded by desire. Pulling myself up by his jacket, I swing a leg over Riku’s. My hands weave into his hair, pushing the locks from his face, revealing those beautiful teal eyes. Without another moment’s hesitation, I take a second kiss.

               First kisses are overrated. They’re awkward and never certain of both people’s feelings. But second kisses; with the confidence, understanding, and trust; those are the moments of passion that melt hearts. I am no exception. My insides are filled with thousands of butterflies but I can’t get enough—I will never get enough. I could live in this moment forever: just the two of us in this beautiful scene with our new-found love. I would’ve been gone only a moment too soon had I died earlier.

               Lips part, gasping for air. My eyes rapidly scan his face, trying to commit this moment to memory. Then the wave of euphoria washes over me and I let out a breathy laugh.

               “Fine. We’re not friends.”

~~~~~

Months Later…

               I trail through the sand, water lapping at my feet, birds cawing overhead, sun raining warmth on this quiet, little, lonely island.

               It’s been several months and it sucks. I got warning this time that he was going, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about his absence. The way he talked about it was like I may never see him again and he wouldn’t even give me any details. It was just ‘I gotta go’ and ‘I don’t know if I’ll come back,’ then he kissed me and disappeared; left me crying on the beach by myself. Even Sora and eventually Kairi disappeared too, but no, I get left behind. I’ve been flipping between anger and depression so much sometimes I just cry while I break things. Maybe it was ridiculous for me to think we’d always be together, maybe it would’ve been easier if he just said he was sick of me, but the fact that we were still so infatuated when he left makes this all the more miserable. I had less than a year to fall head-over-heels in love with him and, boy, did he leave his mark.

               Today’s one of those low days, where I miss him so much it almost hurts. So I’m on the little island, hoping for distractions; I’d even take memories of our little moments here—anything to dull the pain.

               Another round of sorrow creeps up on me and I take a moment to attempt clearing my vision.

               “Hey gorgeous.”

               My heart shudders so forcefully everything goes black and my ears ring. It clears quickly enough that I whirl around. He’s there, gasping like he ran a marathon to get here. I can’t believe it; also, I can’t take it. I take a running leap at Riku who falls on his ass to catch me.

               Sobbing into his shoulder, I manage to get out, “You’re not allowed to leave me again. I swear to the gods that I will tie you down if I have to.”

               Hugging me with his entire body, Riku answers, “I have so much to tell you.”

[atomic-taco-muffin]

Part Of My World part 8 (Finale)

I’m back baby! Whoo! Tests are finally over! 

Warnings: same as last part

Part Of My World Masterlist

Previously in Part Of My World: 

“Sora! Wake up! It’s your last chance to kiss (Y/N)! Come on! Wake up! Wake up!”

“Good morning, my angel.” the imposter said as he hugged you.

“Hi, Vanitas.” you said hugging back.

“Well, this is certainly surprising. But I’m glad you found someone to become your king. Welcome to the family, Vanitas.” Sora was heartbroken. His one true love fell for another man.

“(Y/N) got engaged to another man and he’s heartbroken about it.” Roxas explained.

“WHAT?!” Xion and Axel exclaimed. Sora looked down, not wanting anyone to see his tears.

“Hey.” Axel put his hand on Sora’s shoulder. Sora looked up at Axel with tears falling down his face. “We’ll get her back to you.” Sora smiled at Axel.

“Vanitas? Who’s Vanitas?” Sora wrote down who Vanitas was and who he was and where he and Vanitas came from and why Vanitas is here.

“You’re a merman?! Dude, that is awesome!” Axel said.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Vanitas.

“Who are you?” He sneered.

“I’m Lady Xion. These are my friends. Lord Roxas, Lord Axel, and…” Right before Xion said Sora’s name, Sora made a cutting motion with his hand.

“And Lord Ventus.” Xion lied.

“Uh-huh.” Vanitas knew it was Sora, but he played along.

“May we know who you are?”

“Fine. The name’s Vanitas. (Y/N)’s future husband and future king. And if must know, (Y/N) told me to explore the castle so I get used to it when I move in here.” Vanitas then left. Sora let out a breath he been holding for a long time.

~~~~

Donald flew as fast as he can to find Goofy. He found him on his island napping. 

“Goofy! It’s an emergency!” Goofy woke up slowly, not fully understanding what was happening. 

“What?” he asked groggily. 

“Were you not listening? Sora’s in trouble!” 

“Sora’s in trouble?! What should we do?!” 

“We need to warn the king and the queen.” 

“On it!” Goofy left the island to go warn the king and the queen. He swam as fast as he can to the Destiny Kingdom. 

“Your Majesties! It’s an emergency!” 

“Great. Just what we needed. Another emergency.” the king said. The queen elbowed him. 

“What is it, Goofy?” she asked Goofy. 

“It’s about, Sora.” 

“Sora! Where is he? Is he okay? Tell me what happened!” the king shouted. 

“Sora is with the princess, but he’s in danger. We must head over to the kingdom before it’s too late!” Goofy said. 

“Riku!” the queen called. 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” 

“Round up all of the guards. We’re gonna save my son.” Riku bowed and went to go round up the guards. 

“We’re coming, honey. Just be strong for us.” the queen whispered. She went to her jewelry box and pulled out a magic pendant and gave it to Goofy. 

“Make sure that Sora gets this.” Goofy nodded and swam back to Donald. 

~~~~

“Okay. I just found out from a maid, that there’s gonna be a ball tonight to celebrate the so-called engagement between (Y/N) and Vanitas. Then tomorrow there’s gonna be the wedding. So we need to break Vanitas’ spell before sun down.” Xion said. 

“Okay. Mr. Talking-Bird here said that Sora’s parents are on their way with support and gave Sora a magic pendant.” Axel said. 

“I have a name here and it’s Donald!” 

“Okay. Sorry. No need to get all feisty with me.” Donald was about to peck the shit out of Axel but Sora stopped him from doing so. 

“How are you holding up, Sora?” Roxas asked. Sora wrote down that he was okay but scared of what might happen.

“Don’t worry, Sora. We’ll get her back.” Xion said, putting her hand on his shoulder. 

“I should go see if the king and the queen have arrived.” Donald said. He then flew off to go find Sora’s parents. 

“While Donald is doing that, we need to prepare for tonight. Also, what does that pendant to?” Xion said. Sora shrugged. He then put in on and felt a rush of magic go through him. 

“Are you okay, Sora?” Roxas asked. 

“Y-Yeah. I feel good.” 

“YOUR VOICE! It came back!” Xion said. 

“Yeah. Thank you, mom. I’ll come home soon. Let’s do this.” They left the library, and went to go get ready for the ball tonight.

~Time Skip~

Sora, Xion, Axel, and Roxas entered the ballroom to be greeted by a bunch of people they didn’t know. 

“Great. How are we gonna find (Y/N) and Vanitas when there’s all these people in the way?” Axel complained. Sora looked through the sea of people and then found you and Vanitas by the staircase. 

“Guys. I found her! Let’s go!” Sora said. They split up so they wouldn’t make it obvious. Xion went to the right, while the boys went to the left. 

“Hey, (Y/N)! You look beautiful!” Xion said. 

“Thanks, Xion! You look pretty too!” you replied. 

“So, I hear you’re getting married tomorrow. Mind if I see the dress?” 

“Of course! I’ll be right back, Bubby.” (I’m sorry! That nickname makes me soft! I love it so much!) Vanitas nodded in response. You and Xion went to go look at the dress, while the boys went to go confront Vanitas. Sora snuck with Xion to try and talk to you.

“Ugh. What do you want?” Vanitas said. 

“We know what your plan is, Vanitas.” Roxas said. 

“Do you now? And what do think my plan is?” 

“Your plan is to summon a creepy crusty wizard that will take over this kingdom and many others while having Sora as a prisoner.” Axel said. 

“Seems like you caught me. But you’re kind of too late.” 

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Roxas asked. 

“(Y/N) puts all of her trust into me. And Sora is not gonna be able to anything about it.” Vanitas smirked. 

“You son of a-”

~~~~

“Okay. You wait here while I’ll go get the dress.” you said. 

“Okay.” Xion smiled. You went into your closet to pull out the wedding dress. It was passed down through your family. 

Xion made sure that you were in the closet before she let Sora in. Your maid helped you put the dress on and made sure it was on securely. You stepped out of the closet to be greeted by Sora. 

“Oh, hey. What are you doing here?” you asked surprised to see Sora standing there instead of Xion. 

“I came to see you.” he said. 

“Your voice came back!” 

“Yeah. But that’s not why I’m here.”

“Well, why are you here?” 

“Come with me.”You followed Sora down to the docks and stood there as he explained what has been going on these past couple of hours. 

“Wait, you have to leave tonight?” Sora nodded in response. 

“I-I wish I got to spend more time with you.”

“Me too.” Sora got an idea 

 “Do you trust me?” he asked. 

“Of course I trust you!” Sora pulled you close and started to dance with you. Just as he was about to kiss you, Vanitas pushed him into the water. 

“You just make it too easy don’t you, Sora?” 

“Wait, Sora?!” Sora got out of the water and saw that Vanitas was holding the necklace that Sora gave you. Vanitas then pulled you close to him and placed a rough kiss on your lips. You tried to push him away but he was too strong. 

“NO!” It was too late. The sun had setted and Sora was turned back into a merman. Vanitas finally let you go and you ran to Sora. 

“Oh my god, Sora! I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it was you this entire time.” you said. 

“At least I got to dance with you.” 

“Ugh. Barf! All this lovey-dovey shit makes me want to kill someone. And I think I know the perfect target.” Vanitas took the last missing piece of the X-Blade and summoned the rest of it. He placed the missing piece into its rightful spot and a surge of dark magic flowed through him. He then pointed the X-Blade right at Sora. You stood in front of Sora with your arms out to protect him. 

“Seriously? Just give up, angel. It’s not worth the trouble.” 

“No. I lost the two most important people in my life. I’m not losing Sora.” 

“So be it.” Vanitas raised the X-Blade in the air and summoned Xehanort. (kind of like what happened during the keyblade war). 

“Hah, feels good to be back in my original body.” Xehanort said. You gasped. You felt like this was your fault. You helped summon Xehanort. Sora looked at Xehanort in disbelief. This isn’t happening. He wished that this was a dream. But it wasn’t. This is real. 

“XEHANORT!” a voice boomed. Wait that sounded familiar. It was 

“DAD!” Sora exclaimed. He saw his parents riding a gigantic wave. He dove into the water to be reunited with his family. Sora’s mother was the first one to hug him. 

“Oh thank goodness! You’re okay.” 

“Well, if it isn’t Your Majesty, the king. So nice of you to join us. We’re just about to get started with the ceremony” Xehanort said. 

“What ceremony?” you asked. 

“Why the wedding, of course.” Vanitas said. This couldn’t be happening. Xehanort grabbed your arm and pushed you towards Vanitas. 

“Now, are we ready to begin?” Xehanort asked. 

“NO! Let me go!” You tried to fight against Vanitas but he was too strong. 

“Dad, we have to help her.” 

“We will, son. Don’t worry.” Sora’s dad waved his trident and shot it at Xehanort and Vanitas trying to be careful of you. The two of them flew into the water and got turned into mermen. Sora swam to you as fast as he can but got pulled by Vanitas. Sora fought against his grip the best as he could. He broke free but the pendant that he had snapped and broke. At that point he didn’t care, all he cared about was making sure you were okay. He made it to the docks and pulled himself up. 

“Sora! Oh my god! I’m so scared. What’s gonna happen?” Sora tried to talk but realized he couldn’t because he didn’t have the pendant. Sora’s mother saw this and gave Sora a magic weapon that will help defeat Vanitas and Xehanort. You hugged Sora and ran back into the castle so that you wouldn’t get hurt. 

~Time skip b/c I don’t want to write a fight scene~

Sora and his family won. They defeated Vanitas and Xehanort together. They were able to break the X-Blade and Sora got his voice back. He was about to swim back to you but remembered that he didn’t have his legs anymore. His mother took notice of this and used her magic to summon one of the last Paopu fruits that existed. She handed him the fruit and told him to go to you. He swam towards the docks again and pulled himself up. You walked out to the docks to see if it was safe. You then ran to Sora and tackled him into a giant hug. 

“What’s this?” you asked as you pulled away from the hug. 

“It’s called a Paopu fruit. It’s said to have a person’s destiny intertwined with another’s. I’m not sure if it will work with us, but I want to give it a try.” he said.

“Okay. Let’s try it.” You and Sora broke off a piece and ate it. Just then, Sora felt his legs come back. The two of you smiled and kissed. 

BONUS: 

It was two years after you got married and became king and queen. You weren’t feeling like yourself. You kept throwing up every five minutes and sometimes passing out. You and Sora thought that it might be food poisoning, but when the doctor came, it was the exact opposite. 

“Y-You’re pregnant?” Sora said. 

“Yep! That’s what the doctor said.” Sora felt tears starting to form and hugged you. You hugged back, feeling your own tears forming. But it brought up a question. Was the baby going to be a merperson or a human. When your baby was born, the two of you discovered that it was a hybrid meaning that the baby could change into a merperson whenever they wanted to. The three of you then lived a happy life in the kingdom and went on crazy adventures together knowing that nothing can stop true love. 

[noctisfishing]

A Night at the Summer Festival

Day 2 - First Date

#noct writes taiora week 2020 [ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 ]

@taioraweek for more Taiora love! @noctisfishing for Taiora/Digimon writings and more. :)

Setting: Digimon Adventure tri. timeframe / AU

Tags: Fluff, Romance

Minor pairings: Takari, Joumi, minor Kenyako

Notes: Their first date is at a summer festival because I was inspired by this beautiful fanart. There will be no goldfish or candy apple, but I promise it’ll be equally as sweet.

This may not show up in the tags because of the links but I’d like to add them for context. Here is more on the yukata (even the drawing in the link could be of Sora, lol!) and info on some of the mini-games and food stalls at a Japanese summer festival. More references at the end of the fic!

Also... Koushiro couldn’t make it to this event... (My deepest apologies to my Koushiro fans. I hope we can still be friends)

~*~*~*~*~

"So, you've finally asked her out, huh?"

“Let’s not talk about this, Hikari.”

Hikari grinned upon entering her and Taichi’s bedroom, catching sight of Taichi who was draped in blue. His brows were furrowed as he lifted his arms, looking down at the yukata he had focused on putting on properly.

“I think we should, given the occasion,” Hikari said, stopping in front of Taichi to help wrap the robe and obi around his waist. She had already put on her own lavender-colored yukata with the help of her mother, including the flower clips in her hair to match.

Taichi lowered his arms, entrusting his younger sister to help him look like less of a fool in his yukata. “You’d think that a first date would be small and simple, like catching a movie, or a walk in the park.”

“A summer festival is just as fun, Taichi. An amazing event with an amazing girl like her. Right?”

“R-right…” Taichi stared to the side, feeling the burn on his cheeks from Hikari’s widened grin. He knew that she was highly amused by his reaction. “I guess I’m lucky that Dad had his old yukata for me to borrow.”

“I’m sure Sora appreciates it! Wait until she sees you in this - Taichi, stop fidgeting.”

“Sorry,” he muttered. 

He had only turned his head to try to look down at what the yukata looked like on him, but he lifted his head up and faced forward to let Hikari continue her magic.

“Okay! All done.” Hikari patted either of his shoulders. “It’ll be fine.”

“I hope so. Thanks, Hikari.”

After what seemed like forever while their mom convinced them to pose for pictures, Taichi walked with Hikari to the front of the shrine where they planned to meet Sora and Takeru. The two were already waiting in their own yukatas, with Takeru donned in green and staring in amazement as Sora did a casual turn with the geta on her feet to show off hers.

At the turn of her head, her eyes lit up when she realized that Taichi and Hikari had arrived.

Taichi was suddenly speechless. 

“Hikari! Taichi!” Takeru called with a wave. He joined Sora walking over to them.

Hikari kept walking, but Taichi stopped, at a loss for words. Sora’s red hair was styled in a bun with a lock of her hair coiling down the frame of her face. Her yukata was patterned with florals in different shades of ruby, with a crimson obi tied in a tachiya-style knot at the back . 

“Come on, you slowpoke!” Hikari yelled. 

The other three laughed, but hearing that brought Taichi back down to Earth. As he caught up to them, he remembered that he didn’t want to embarrass himself or mess this up. He had even agreed with Sora beforehand that they didn’t have to treat this like a date to keep the pressure off between them.

“You look amazing, Sora,” Taichi blurted.

“Well, thank you,” Sora said, taking her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. Her face began to match the color of her yukata. “You look nice, too.”

Taichi wondered if that was too cheesy to say. So much for embarrassing himself.

“Tell me I look amazing, too, Taichi,” added Takeru with a grin. Hikari giggled as she attached herself linking her arm through the hook of his elbow.

Taichi grinned. “You clean up nicely, Takeru,” he said, suddenly recognizing how close Takeru and Hikari were to each other.

“We’ll be heading off,” Hikari said with a wink. “We don’t want to intrude. Maybe we can meet up around here when the night is over?”

“Sounds good,” said Sora. “You two have fun!”

“Don’t worry,” Takeru added as he looked to Taichi. “I’ll keep an eye on Hikari.”

Takeru stole a kiss from Hikari before putting his arm around her waist as they walked away. Taichi couldn’t help but watch, and he wondered if it was actually Takeru that he needed to keep an eye on.

“Taichi.” Sora gently took hold of his forearm. “They’ll be fine. Don’t worry about them. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, right?”

Realizing this, Taichi let out a sigh and relaxed his shoulders. “You’re right.” he said, and his worries seemed to disappear when his eyes met hers and they exchanged a smile.

The two then entered the festival side-by-side observing the rows of stands on either side that sold food and various items, and some that hosted mini-games. 

“Let’s get some takoyaki at the first stand we see,” Sora said as they walked through.

“Heck yeah!” Taichi replied just as his eyes landed on a mini-game stand a few yards in front of them. “...I have an idea.”

Sora stopped and looked at the stand he was looking toward, reading the sign, “Kingyo!” She looked to Taichi with a knowing stare. “Loser pays for the takoyaki?”

Taichi grinned. “Let’s do it.”

However, both of them ended up being the loser. They each made two attempts at scooping for a goldfish, all attempts which ended with broken pois and fish squiggling back into the mini pool. Taichi noticed a few other people playing, however, and noticed how easily the paper poi ripped no matter how delicate they tried to be.

“Hey-!” Taichi began with annoyance, but Sora immediately grabbed him and walked him away from the stand.

“It’s not worth it, Taichi,” she said with her expression just as irritated. “Either way, that was a waste of yen, wasn’t it?” 

Taichi knew he didn’t want this to sour the rest of their night, so he figured he would try to lighten the mood.

“Yeah… and here I was thinking that you were a master of fishing, Sora.”

She smacked his shoulder as he laughed. “Meanie.”

“Anyway, where to next?”

Suddenly, a loud gasp was heard nearby, followed by a familiar voice.

“Hey! It’s Taichi!”

As both Taichi and Sora turned their heads, they saw Daisuke quickly approaching, with Miyako, Iori, and Ken following behind. Miyako gasped as well, and both Daisuke and Miyako walked around them, staring at their yukatas in adoration.

Taichi should’ve expected an interruption like this given the popularity of end-of-summer festivals like this one.

“Wow, Taichi!” Daisuke exclaimed. “You look really cool in that-”

“Sora!” Miyako chimed in. “You look like a goddess! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe-”

“Calm down, you two!” Sora said, laughing nervously and waving her hands in front of her. “There are other people wearing these, too!”

Miyako pouted. “I should’ve worn one! I would’ve looked way nicer on this date with Ken.”

“Speaking of,” Iori added with a tempered reaction. “I think we should leave these two alone. Pardon the intrusion, Sora, Taichi.”

“Wha-?”

Daisuke was cut off by Ken pushing him in the other direction as his cheeks flushed, most likely from hearing Miyako’s comment. His other hand grabbed hold of Miyako’s elbow, pulling her away with a look on her face that was as confused as Daisuke’s. Iori was the last to follow behind them, but not before bowing politely at Sora and Taichi.

“I’ve always liked Iori,” Taichi said with relief. 

“It was nice to see them, though,” Sora replied. “Come on - let’s find another game I can beat you in.”

“You’re on, Takenouchi.”

They found a stand with a ring toss game which both of them were eager to play. Tossing a ring at the same time, Sora and Taichi watched their own rings land around its own toy, making their game a tie.

“I got you a present,” Sora said with a smile and holding up a mini cartoon-ish dinosaur, orange in color.

“No way. I got this for you!” Taichi raised his palm to show the toy of a bright pink bird sitting on top of it.

The two of them laughed as they swapped their presents to oogle at for a few moments; then, Sora put them in her small bag. Taichi was happy to see Sora smile. He knew that she was having a good time, and he hoped that it would continue as the night went on.

As they continued to walk, Taichi noticed more people walking alongside them. The festival was getting busier, and he sensed that even Sora knew it when he felt her hand touch his forearm once again.

“Don’t worry!” Taichi said with a smile. “I’ll make sure we don’t lose each other!”

“Maybe I’m more worried about you losing me,” she teased.

He laughed to himself, not mentioning his heart beating as she held onto him.

However, he nearly jumped in fright as he felt a hand touch his other forearm.

“Hey there, handsome!” Mimi said with a wink and a grin.

“Ah! Hey Mimi!” Sora said cheerfully. 

“I wanted to see what you guys were up to, and I figured that Jou and I would join you!”

Oh no, Taichi thought.

“Well, Mimi…” Sora began. Taichi could tell that she didn’t have the heart to tell Mimi otherwise.

“It’ll only be for a little bit!” added Jou who peered over from Mimi’s side with a sheepish smile. “Right, Meems?”

Taichi’s eyes darted over to Jou who mouthed a ‘Sorry!’ to him.

“Well, we were thinking about getting takoyaki,” said Sora. “Why don’t we all get some together?”

“Let’s do that!” Jou chimed in “My treat?”

“Oh, isn’t Jou such a sweetheart?” Mimi said cheerfully.

“He’s quite the charmer!” said Taichi, knowing that Jou was doing this out of pity, especially after being on the receiving end of Taichi’s death stare.

But Mimi had already let go of Taichi’s arm and stopped walking, making the rest of them stop with her.

“I see cotton candy! I totally want some!”

“Then, I’ll go buy some for you,” Jou said, gently pulling Mimi towards the stall and away from Taichi and Sora.

Mimi cupped her hand on Jou’s cheek. “You’re such a sweetheart…”

“Wouldn’t you know it,” Sora said just as Jou and Mimi left. “A takoyaki stall.”

“Ah…” Taichi turned to look and saw that there was no line in front of it. He realized at that point that the competition between him and Sora was at a draw, so he decided to change the rule of the game. “How about some takoyaki on me?”

“But, Taichi, neither of us are winning,” Sora said, which Taichi knew that she would point out.

“Then, we’ll just say that you’re the winner here.”

“Aww…” Sora began in a playful tone, mimicking Mimi as she held her palm to Taichi’s cheek. “...you’re such a sweetheart…”

The amusement and laughter only lasted a few moments, as Sora’s face turned into a shade of pink; and she must have removed her hand when she felt Taichi’s face warming up in turn.

“I’ll- be right back!” Taichi said, knowing that him being flustered was obvious. 

There had already been one person ahead of Taichi when he approached the food stall. Taichi stood behind him and noticed he was wearing a green yukata, although it might have fit loosely for someone his size. The guy’s hair was short, spiky and blond under the straw hat that he wore, and Taichi wondered why he looked so familiar. 

“One takoyaki, please,” the guy said in an apparently hushed voice, but Taichi was able to recognize that voice from anywhere.

“Yamato?!” Taichi said, making the guy jump in his spot.

He turned to Taichi, staring daggers and holding a finger to his lips. “Not so loud!” he hissed.

“What’s the-?!” Taichi caught himself nearly yelling, then he lowered his voice. “What’s the deal?!”

“Next, please!” yelled the stall attendant, and Yamato stood to the side with Sora while Taichi put in two orders. When he met with the two of them, Yamato hunched over as though he was hiding himself with Taichi and Sora.

“I just wanted to check out the festival on my own without getting noticed, you know?” Yamato explained. “Some people have already been staring at me longer than they should but I don’t think they recognize me.”

“People are going to stare at you if you’re wearing that hat after the sun goes down, anyway,” Taichi said, feeling the need to point that out.

“Right now, I’d rather be the weird kid with the hat than be Yamato of ‘Knife of Day’.”

The takoyaki orders were called, and Yamato and Taichi got theirs, with Taichi handing one to Sora. But just as that happened, a loud scream nearby reached their ears.

“Aahh!! You were right! That is Yamato! The lead singer of ‘Knife of Day’!”

As more heads turned and the squeals of excitement grew louder, Taichi’s eyes widened and he turned his head to Yamato.

“You probably should not have said that so loud…” Sora added.

“Gotta run,” Yamato said, just as he darted in the direction in which the majority of the crowd was travelling.

It amazed Taichi how many people recognized Yamato. Many of the girls in yukatas began to run in Yamato’s direction, some of them running in their geta and tripping over themselves.

Sora gasped as a few girls ran past. As she turned to dodge out of their way, she had slipped on her own geta and started to tumble backward.

“Sora, look out-!”

Taichi caught Sora just before she toppled to the ground, his back against the crowd while he felt more people whiz by. The moment he felt it was safe, he helped Sora stand.

“You alright?” he asked, searching her face for any sign of trouble.

“Well, our friends didn’t make it…” Sora frowned at the dinosaur and bird toys that she took out of her bag; they were now in pieces of pink and orange. She also looked down at the ground where her takoyaki had fallen. “I really wanted that.”

Taichi held his up and smiled. “Here, we can share mine-”

Startled by the sudden push at his back as one more crazed fan zoomed past, his hand was forced open, letting his takoyaki drop right next to Sora’s.

“Oy.”

Turning to the stall, Taichi saw the attendant hold up a pair of takoyaki orders and gestured to him to take them.

“Oh, no, sir- that’s okay! You don’t have to do that-”

The attendant pointed into the crowd, where Taichi and Sora found Mimi happily strolling with her cotton candy, and Jou giving them a thumbs up, quickly followed by the gesture to zip their mouths shut.

“Good ol’ reliable Jou,” said Sora, who grabbed the orders and handed one to Taichi.

He couldn’t help but laugh along with her. 

As the night went on, they continued their walk down the festival rows. But Taichi noticed that Sora declined to do anything else. She didn’t want to get any more food, nor did she want to play any game, or even to try their hand at another fish scooping game. He was wondering if she was no longer having fun, if she even had any from the start.

“Can we get out of this crowd?” she asked.

“Okay.” Taichi looked around, realizing that they were both in the middle of a sea of people going in every direction. Looking ahead, he found a clearing where they could make their escape. “Hold onto me.”

Taichi led the way, holding her hand tightly as they weaved through the crowd together. They passed by people cheering as a young boy caught three goldfish at one stall; a couple winning a ticket for two free bowls of ramen from pulling a string from a senbonhiki stall; and a group of friends decided to pop confetti into the crowd, showering bits of colorful paper all over.

Soon, the lively noises were far away, and Taichi and Sora found themselves on a grassy hillside where the moon slowly rose over a large lake. Right behind them was a bridge where people were already lining up against the guardrails.

“I guess we found a great spot,” Sora said. “Let’s find a place to sit.”

She chose the spot to lay her blanket for the two of them to sit, and she set her geta off to the side. 

“Sorry about that back there. I just couldn’t hear myself think.”

“Oh, was that what it was?” Taichi asked. “I was wondering if you were getting bored.”

Sora giggled. “I’m having a lot of fun with you, Taichi. Despite all the mishaps.”

Taichi turned to her, watching her laugh as her eyes glistened under the glow of the festival lights. There was a pause in her laughter, which confused him, even as she took her hand to his hair.

“Looks like confetti is your consolation prize for the night, Yagami” she said, gently picking out the colorful pieces. “At least you got something.”

Taichi caught sight of a brightly colored piece in a lock of her hair.

“Hey, looks like you win, too,” he said, reaching for it.

Just then, the sky lit up with a flash and a pop. The fireworks show had begun, but neither of them took their eyes from one another.

“What did I win?” she asked.

“If I said it was a kiss from me… would you call that a consolation?”

It was a bold question that even he didn’t think he had the courage to say.

But in response, she brought his palm against her cheek. The flashes of light above them only made her eyes sparkle as she smiled with radiance.

“I’d say that it’s the best prize of all.”

With his heart pounding in his ears, Taichi leaned forward until his lips met hers. His emotions were as bright and colorful as the skies above when she kissed him back. 

Taichi almost felt silly to worry about their first date, but even after things didn’t go as expected, he couldn’t think of anything better than experiencing it all with her.

.

.

.

.

~*~*~*~*~

Terms mentioned:

yukata (summer kimono); obi - sash that wraps around the yukata and can be tied in a knot, including tachiya-style; geta - traditional sandals worn with yukata... Poor Sora’s feet.

takoyaki - appetizer made with octopus. I really want some right now..

Kingyo [sukui] - fish-scooping game, using poi (a tool with thin washi paper) to catch the fish. There are other sukui-type games at festivals, too!

Senbonhiki - a lottery type game where you pull a string that guarantees you a prize (and the prizes vary)

[paintedwithapalette]

Presenting a lovely commission I recently received from @wingbladeweaver1357​ of Naminé and Kairi from my Memories of You fanfic where they’re twin sisters! I’m absolutely in love with it! 

Decided to write up a quick snippet to go along with it as well that may or may not show up in the future of Memories of You itself! Enjoy! 

-----------------------------

Memories of You:  Naminé and Kairi 

Word Count: 1,383

-----------------------------

"Knock, knock," Kairi called. "Dinner is served."

Kairi backed into Naminé's room with her hands preoccupied with a tray of grilled meat and curry rice. Naminé sat at her desk, lost in her own world as a zest of inspiration compelled her to look over her work with a great amount of scrutiny as she scribbled into her sketchbook. 

"Thank you," Naminé replied, her eyes unmoving. "Smells great. On the bed is fine."

Kairi paused. Did she hear right? For the first time in weeks, Naminé’s voice didn't sound like it was desolate of all life and energy. "So, I suppose asking you to come downstairs and eat at the table with us like a normal family for once is out of the question?"

"What was that?" Naminé asked, not tearing her eyes away from her drawing.

"Never mind," Kairi said tiredly, complying with her sister's earlier request and set her dinner on the mattress. "Just promise me you'll at least touch your dinner this time?"

"Don't worry, I will. And I'll be at breakfast in the morning. Promise," Naminé assured her offhandedly. Kairi couldn’t claim to be convinced. She had heard it a million times before. "If I don't show up, I'll do your chores for a month."

"Deal. I’ll hold you to that, you know.” 

Before leaving, she stole a stealthy glance at Naminé and took note of her seemingly more animated posture. It was far from the first time she had seen her sister absorbed in her own world. But this time, something seemed different; whether it was the way her pencil scraped against the paper sharply, or the way she chewed her lip, or the slightest bounce etched in each of Naminé's movements. It was a subtle something that only a sister of sixteen years could pinpoint.

Kairi peered over Naminé's shoulder to get a glimpse at whatever kind of artistic spectacle was in the works. "Soooo, whatcha drawin'?"

"H-Hey! Do you mind?" Naminé was quick to press her sketchbook against her chest. "You know I don't like when people look."

Kairi raised her hands in a show of no ill will. "Sorry, are my unrefined commoner eyes tainting your latest masterpiece?" 

"Why, yes. Yes, they are. Glad you understand."

Kairi scoffed. "No need to get uppity. I was just curious because you seem a bit more excited than usual."

"Excited? What do you mean by excited?" Naminé chuckled nervously. "I'm not excited. Who's excited? Are you excited? Can I not just be immersed into the wonderful world of art without arousing baseless accusations of this so-called excitement?"

Kairi snickered at the transparent façade. "Subtle."

Naminé frowned. "Don't you think your food is getting cold or something?"

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you." Kairi giggled at the dirty look from her sister and headed for the door. "Fine. I can take a hint. I'll be downstairs if you need anything." 

When Kairi turned towards the door, Naminé gave a look of gratitude and returned her focus to her sketchbook. However, when Naminé was least expecting it, her sketchbook was quickly swiped from her work station. With eyes on the brink of popping out of her skull, Naminé looked over to find Kairi making a mad dash towards her own bedroom with a most evil cackle trailing behind her. 

“Kairi!” Naminé cried, immediately rushing out of her room to give chase. 

“Sorry, little sister, but I couldn’t resist,” Kairi called, her eyes running over her sister’s sketch as she sped walked down the hall. It was an impressively constructed piece of Roxas with an insurmountable amount of attention to detail resulting in an insanely accurate depiction of the boy in question. “Aha! Just as I suspected.” 

“Kairi,” Naminé shouted, her voice coming off more whiny than anything. As Naminé chased after her sister, she couldn’t help but remember when Roxas took her most embarrassing doodles of hers when she was little, teasing her all the while. What was with these two and their incessant need to humiliate her? “Give that back!” 

“But this is so good,” Kairi said as she entered her room. Naminé hurried inside soon after and sprinted towards her sister with the intent of tackling her to her bed, but Kairi simply raised a hand to catch Naminé’s face, ignoring her muffled moans and whines as she pathetically reached for her sketchbook. “No wonder you were so focused. It’s like... almost a photograph.” 

“Thank you very much. Now hand it over.” 

Kairi gave it one last look, a wide smile spreading, before handing it back to Naminé. The bespectacled girl held it close to her chest protectively and adjusted her glasses. 

“Look, I know I might look like a bit of a weirdo,” Naminé started, “but it really was just an excuse to practice portraits. That’s all.”

“Mmm hmmmm,” Kairi mummed in disbelief. “If that’s the case, why choose Roxas?” 

“Because, uh...” Naminé stumbled. “I-I like his hair?” 

It wasn’t a lie, anyway. 

Kairi smirked, shaking her head as she set her hands on her hips. “Little sister. Have you not learned your lesson that your lies hold no weight over me, your true evil overlord?” She gradually began to speak in a dramatic tone. 

 “Would you please stop calling me your little sister? We’re only minutes apart.” 

Kairi grabbed Naminé by the shoulders and shook her. “Your meager attempts at diverging the topic of our current discussion do not sway me, woman! I know thine heart hath a penchant for the boy who hails by the name of Roxas and your denies are futile!” 

“And stop talking like that. It’s starting to freak me out.” 

“Just admit it,” Kairi said, her voice returning to normal. “I’ve admitted to you about how I feel about Sora. The least you can do is return the favor. Don’t you trust me?” 

Naminé eyed her up and down with scrutiny. “Do you really want me to answer that question?” 

Kairi rolled her eyes. “Do you like Roxas? Yes or no?” 

Naminé bit her lip as her eyes moved all over Kairi’s room in an attempt to avoid that gleam of anticipation of hers. “I... maybe, okay? Maybe. Now, will you leave me alone?”

Naminé hurried towards the door, but Kairi read her like a book and swiftly stepped in front of her as she blocked her exit. “So, you admit it!” 

“I said maybe.” 

“Which basically means you want to bear his children!” 

Naminé felt a blush sneak up on her at the accusation. “W-What...?”

Kairi snaked one of her arms around Naminé’s shoulders. “Hee hee! You wanna know what I think?” she asked, her voice returning to normal. 

“After that comment you just made, not particularly.” 

“I think you should give it to Roxas as a gift.” 

“Kairi,” Naminé said plainly. 

“I’m serious. You know how much he loves your art. I’m telling you, he’d fall head over heels for you!” 

“T-That’s not really the point,” Naminé said, her eyes running over her sketch. “Isn’t it kind of creepy? Drawing somebody without their permission?” 

“Maybe if you didn’t know the person, but we’re talking about your friend, remember? Our friend. A friend who adores everything of yours he’s laid his eyes on. Also, helloooo? His birthday is coming up next week. The time is now!” 

Naminé’s look of uncertainty didn’t waver much, her eyes repeatedly switching from her sketch to her sister’s hopeful eyes. “So, you’re saying I wouldn’t look like a creep if I gave this to him?” 

“Not at all! You should give Roxas more credit. He’s not some judgemental jerkface, and you know this. He’d be thrilled. Just have a little bit of courage and I’m sure it’ll all work out.” 

Naminé still looked unsure.  

“How about this,” Kairi continued. “I’ll be right there beside you when you give it to him. If you ever get discouraged, I’ll be right there to nudge you in the right direction.” 

“I don’t know about this, Kairi...” Naminé whispered, lifting her sketchbook over the bottom half of her face to hide her quivering lips. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” 

Realizing that Naminé was beginning to warm up to the idea, Kairi noticeably brightened and clenched her fists. 

“I’m positive!” 

-----------------------------

If you’re interested in seeing more of their sisterhood, feel free to check out Memories of You on ff.net! It would mean the world to me! 

[echoequinox]

Xion Appreciation Week - Day 6

I’m writing a fic a day for #XionAppreciationWeek, in honor of my favorite and the best Kingdom Hearts character! :’)

I’ll be posting them both here and on AO3. You can find the AO3 fic here, titled “Affection”.

The rest, I’ll put links up as I post new chapters!

Day 1: Remembrance Day 2: Return Day 3: Separation/Reunion Day 4: Light/Darkness Day 5: Ice Cream/Seashell >Day 6: New Beginnings Day 7: No. XIV (Free Day)

“You’re sure about this?” Roxas frowned, making sure the rubber gloves were snug over his hands.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Xion nodded.

“No, but like, REALLY sure?”

“Roxas,” she laughed. “I’m REALLY sure.” He paused, then sighed deeply, starting to apply coconut oil to her hair.

“Alright… Just, if you do this, that’s… a LOT of bleaching. It’s kinda hard to come back from that, as far as the health of your hair goes-”

“Sound like an expert on this,” Axel grinned as he mixed the bleach, setting out the toner and shaking the dye. “I thought I was supposed to be the one taking point on this.”

“I-I mean, I… you know, I read the bottles-”

“The bottle talks about hair health?” Xion smiled, eyes closed as his fingers ran through her hair.

“H-hey! Don’t you both gang up on me!”

“Your hair always WAS a bit too blond,” Axel laughed and Xion chuckled to herself.

“C’mon, guys!”

“Alright, Axel, stop teasing him,” Xion smiled and he sighed.

“Oh alright. But only if you consider my argument.”

“Oh come on,” Roxas grumbled and Xion snorted.

“Axel, I’m not gonna go as red as yours.”

“But it looks so GOOD! Doesn’t it?”

“On you maybe,” Roxas laughed. “If Xion tried to pull that off…” She opened her mouth to retort, but sighed, nodding. “So, just blond, then?”

“Um, actually… I went out and bought the color I wanted while you two were on your way over.”

“Wait, you did?” Axel gaped. “Well then what the hell did I bring my dye over for?”

“I didn’t ask you to,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “But, yeah, it’s under the sink, in a plastic bag.” She heard Axel rustle down below.

“Oh! Hey, that may actually look pretty good on you!” She grinned, and felt Roxas’s fingers pause as he looked over as well.

“Oh wow, that’s a REALLY pretty shade of purple.”

“See?” she smiled. “I know what I’m doing.”

“Well I am terribly sorry for mistrusting you, then,” Axel chuckled. She opened one eye to see him holding the purple next to her head, squinting. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s gonna be perfect!” She laughed and Roxas finally finished, taking a step back and looking her over.

“It’s gonna take a while for the bleach to set in,” he warned. “You gonna be okay?”

“I think so,” she smiled. “I’m excited!”

“Should be!” Axel smiled, ruffling her hair and she huffed.

“Alright, we’ll do the bleach and then it’ll be like… half an hour before we can rinse that and do the dye. Thankfully you don’t have a whole lot of hair to dye so it won’t take too long.” She frowned at that as he started to apply the bleach. She DIDN’T have a lot of hair. Kairi could pull of the short haired look, sure. Aqua and Naminé had hair that was a bit longer, down past their necks. She wondered if she’d look good like that. She’d have to re-dye it, obviously, if she wanted to keep it purple, but she’d maybe like longer hair. It was bizarre to realize she had so much agency over her appearance. For a year it was just black cloaks, her hair not growing due to the bad replica body.

“And done,” Roxas smiled, pulling her hair up and settling it under a shower cap. “And now we wait!”

“A whole half hour, huh?” she chuckled. “What do we do until then?”

“Let’s talk about boys,” Axel joked and she laughed.

“What, like Saïx?” she teased and he went as red as his hair.

“H-hey! Low blow!” She and Roxas laughed as he sighed.

“Do you guys ever… want to change your name?” Xion asked after a moment.

“What do you mean?” Roxas asked.

“Um, like… well your name is just Sora, with an X. Mine is No. i, with an X. It just… kind of reminds me that I was… you know, not human, at one point? I dunno.”

“Do you want to change your name?” Axel asked.

“I dunno! I mean…” She frowned. “I don’t HATE Xion. It’s kind of pretty. It’s like the flower, shion, and it’s this really gorgeous purple flower-”

“Oh, THAT’S why you picked purple,” Axel laughed and she blushed.

“It… it’s part of it, yeah,” she admitted. “But, um… in flower language it means ‘I won’t forget you’.” The other two were silent for a moment. “But it’s a pretty flower, and I really like it. It also has another name? It’s the ‘tatarian aster’, or just aster, usually. I kind of… thought that was pretty.”

“Aster?” Roxas asked and she nodded.

“It does kind of have a ring to it,” Axel nodded slowly. “Weird to have two A names between us, though.”

“Yeah, Aster and Asshole,” Roxas snorted and Axel kicked him, the boy yelping in surprise.

“But you’re Lea,” she smiled. “You have a Somebody name. Your Nobody name was just your own, with the X. Roxas and I didn’t have names before this.”

“I guess that’s fair,” he frowned, rubbing his chin. “What about you, Rox? What would your Somebody name be?”

“Uhh…” He frowned, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. “I dunno. I don’t really have anything. Roxas just always sort of… suited me, I guess.”

“Oh,” she frowned.

“But that doesn’t mean YOU can’t change your name,” Axel pointed out. “Just cuz Roxas over here is a wet blanket.”

“I’m not-!” She chuckled and smiled.

“I guess that’s fair. I don’t really… know yet. So you can keep calling me Xion until I figure it out. I just sort of… I want something new, you know? Something that’s… just me. No names from someone else, no purposes built by someone else. Just me.”

“Hence the hair,” Axel smiled and she nodded. “I get that. You’re entitled to your own sense of individuality, you know?”

“You don’t know what all those words mean,” Roxas laughed and Axel rolled his eyes.

“Thank you both, for helping me with this,” she smiled. “It means a lot.”

“‘Course, Xion,” Axel smiled and she sighed, resting back against the mirror, closing her eyes. Her hair, her friends, her name. Something that was just hers.

[mariposalass]

July Babies Soup and S’mores Birthday

Summary: It’s the July Babies’ Soup and S’mores Birthday Party and you’re invited to celebrate in the fun.

Setting: Mari and co.’s home in Daly City, California; July 17, 2019, nighttime

Notes: It’s the big joint soup and s’mores birthday party for me, Kairi, and Harry since we’re all July born babies. You can definitely use this as a prompt to write, draw, etc. to accompany this fun story.  Also, I will be traveling to Hong Kong with my mom and aunt for the annual summer sale from the 25th to the 28th. Four days after my birthday, which is a first for me as we normally go there some time before my birthday and is becoming a birthday tradition for me. Apologies in advance if I have to do this really early. Also, there’s not too much dialogue in here as to allow everyone to contribute to the event.

Tags: July Babies, birthday, tons of fluff, crossovers, self shipping, soup and s’mores birthday party, joint soup and s’mores party

“Hey there, thanks for coming over,” Mari greets the guests as they arrive in her house one calm July night as she escorts them to the living room for a big birthday party held in her and her adopted siblings’ honor.

She and the fam bunch have been planning this out for a few weeks since during the planning of her brother Harry and her sister in law Issa’s wedding, although due to the time constraints they have with the wedding, they have to settle with a join birthday bash for her, Harry, and Kairi somewhere in the middle of the month as a compromise. But it’s a compromise they’re willing to make this year, and they went for a soup and s’mores party. The three siblings have shared a birth month with their birthdays being separated by 10 days from each other (Kairi being on the 11th, Mari on the 21st, and Harry on the 31st), the main reason why they’re sometimes called the July Babies.

The living room and dining area may have not been wholly decorated to the theme, but it’s pretty clear that there is a soup buffet with four choices: Chunky Lentil Vegetable, Chicken, White Bean & Corn Chowder, Beef Barley, and Classic Mexican Tortilla, a cheese platter enough to feed an army, kale and Parmesan salad for the healthy minded and vegetable eaters, an assortment of bread with jam and butter, a Funfetti cake Kairi and Issa have baked for the occasion and covered with a glass cover and is protected by a spell Harry has placed on that prevents sneaky cake thieves from getting to it before even dinner could be finished, and a drink station with water, lemonade, and iced tea on hand. Outside, the fire pit area has been prepared with roasters on one side, chairs prepped and ready, and an S’Mores bar with assorted chocolates, graham crackers, marshmallows, and various add-ons have set up beforehand nearby at the patio.

The birthday celebrants and the rest of the fam bunch have dressed up well for the event: Mari in particular is wearing a plain white off shoulder top, button-front denim skirt, a pair of brown flats with braiding details, a pair of gold heart earrings, and a gold, ruby, & pearl choker necklace which matches the one Kairi is also wearing with her slim black dress, distressed blue denim jacket, white sneakers, and her usual single bead pendant necklace. Harry didn’t look out of place either in a slate gray chambray shirt, black slacks, and the same leather dress shoes he’d worn on his wedding day. Issa also dresses well for the party in a white & black vertical stripe long-sleeve top, blue denim jacket, black jeans, and light tan flats along with her old silver heart locket necklace, a stack of mixed metal bangles, and her engagement & wedding rings on her right ring finger; Harry also has his wedding ring on his right ring finger too.

“Thanks for coming over here, everybody,” Kairi starts the talk off, “We know this seems not to be a proper birthday in one way or the other, but since we just came off from Harry and Issa’ wedding last week, we thought we’ll just settle on a joint birthday party for me, him, and Mari instead.”

“You can say that again, sis,” Harry chuckled upon hearing that last part, “To be honest, it was due to the timing it had that we felt having three separate birthday parties this year doesn’t make any sense at all.”

“And it’s a good thing it isn’t a surprise party for you either,” Issa reminded him as well, “The last time we did that, you literally dove behind the sofa in fear and annoyance.”

“Oh Merlin, not that one again...” he moaned in despair after hearing that embarrassing moment.

“Don’t worry, we promise no more surprise birthday parties for you,” she cheekily reassured him while giving the concerned wizard-journalist a heartwarming kiss which got him blushing hard.

“Pardon that off topic tangent: Harry hates surprise parties thrown for him A LOT,” Mari apologies to a slightly confused group of guests before continuing her talk, “Anyway, we have soup being warmed up, some cheese, bread, and salad tonight, and s’mores & cake for desserts later. The S’Mores are also the main stars with the soups, but we also have cake if you’re not into roasting marshmallows on an open fire. Either way, I hope you guys will enjoy tonight’s party.”

With that, the brief meeting has been adjourned and everyone soon start getting some soup, sides, and drinks for the dinner portion. Mari’s cousins Edith and Agnes get to play with other children guests in the party with Margo keeping an eye on them, and so does Kirby who also decides to show off some of his Copy Abilities for a quick showcase along with doing his well-known Kirby Dance with some copies of himself for backup dancers in the middle of the event. Mari’s pets Scooby, Marie, Scorbunny, Torchic, Piplup, and Rowlet enjoy playing with the other pets of the guests who got invited to the party.

Meanwhile, Ahk, Sora, Riku, and Vinny are keeping a close lookout on the S’Mores bar as not to get the supplies ruined or stolen before the S’Mores portion can begin while eating dinner with some of guests at the patio, while Ron and Hermione are trying to see if using the Fire Conjuring spell does a better job in lighting up fire pits than normal procedures, which didn’t went too well compared to Harry’s more modest attempts in every S’Mores Night. When guests finished dinner, they’re more than welcomed to play some games and talk with the birthday celebrants and other guests in the house and the backyard.

Either way, the party goes on well for everyone after dinner was done and leftover soups have been poured onto takeout bowls for the guests to bring home when Mari informs everyone that it’s time for the S’mores and Cake time at the patio. Her godmother aunt Diana carefully brought the cake down to the backyard and held onto the glass cover to avoid it falling over and breaking on the ground while Issa and Harry carried plates, dessert forks, and a cake server as they follow her lead.

People soon head for the backyard and to the patio and fire pit area where the S’Mores fest begins: people who would to make them roast up the marshmallows (though some have to go through trial and error in not burning them to not being edible), assemble the chocolate piece and graham cracker, place the roasted marshmallows onto said chocolate, and sometimes customize them to their liking or follow the S’Mores recipes at the bar before placing that last graham cracker and eating them up and, in some cases, rinse, lather and repeat the process.

Then came the cake: Issa carefully took the glass cover from the Funfetti cake and lights up the 3 candles (one for each July Baby), informing everyone that they will sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the celebrants and, once that was done, the siblings blow the fire from the candles together and start offering cake to anyone who would like some cake and there’s a couple of them who did, along with those not in the mood for S’Mores time. While some of the guests began to dig into the cake, Mari got one slice from Philip, walked up to the table he was in with the Doctor and a few other guests, and sat besides him as she gave him the cake slice and a fork.

“Hope you like some Funfetti cake, deary,” she attempted to flirt with him as she gave him the cake slice.

“A cake like this?” he asked her inquisitively though it was mixed with concern, “Did the Minions tried to bake this like the last time?”

“Actually, Kairi and Issa are the ones who baked it, so no accidents or food poisoning involved,” Mari gladly replied back, “Don’t be so worrisome, have a bite or two.”

He did took a few bites before realizing that it tastes really good that he whispered to her that he’s giving both Kairi and Issa props on baking of the cake before greeting her (Advance) Happy Birthday and sealing it with a playful kiss on the cheeks, which got her blushing. Harry and Issa are chatting with some good friends when they caught wind of the kiss and smile on with pride. They’re aware it’s taking awhile for Mari to get used to dating and Philip to be patient with her and her quirks, but, at the same, they’re quite proud of them taking their time slowly, take things one at a time, enjoying moments as they come, and working on issues they come across.

The party continues on until around pass 10 in the evening when the guests leave with leftover soups for favors, but the mood hasn’t left the fam bunch at all even as they clean the place up and retire for the night. It is one of the best nights they have spent together as a quirky group and, for the birthday celebrants, it is certainly a great moment they shared in the nearly 13 years they have spent as siblings. Perhaps they should hold another one of this party in the near future, who knows?  Still, the party is a resounding success with their friends and family and it will surely be a conversation starter for weeks to come.

The End

[sowikai]

so i don't normally write stuff but people wanted this au so i wrote down what i had in my head so if it's bad leave me alone i'm not a writer

royalty au ft. sorikai

No one remembers exactly when the drama began. Most assume it was when the princess showed up suddenly, exhausted and terrified, fresh from a kingdom that had gone up in smoke due to the war with darkess. The king and queen had gladly taken her in, not only because she was a valuable asset to the war, but also because they had a child her age, and pitied her. Not adopted, no - they'd rather she keep her lineage, so she may one day assume power over her kingdom again. They secretly also didn't want to grow too attached, in case she turned on them, or the darkness got ahold of her.

Regardless of the king and queen's worries, the prince immediately took to her. He and the soon-to-be squire, about a year older, had stumbled upon her weeping over her lost family the day she had arrived. Her eyes were heavy, sunken, full of tears and longing for all she had lost.

"Are you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside her.

She shook her head. She wished there were an alternate timeline to this, one where she could forget what had happened.

"What'sa matter?" he pried.

"Don't you remember?" the squire answered for her, "This is the princess, the one who lost her kingdom to the darkness."

She began to sob louder, hugging her knees to her chest. Oh, if her nurses could see her, they'd be up in arms over her weakness, begging her to act like a lady for once. But they weren't here any longer, no; she had watched the darkness devour every last one of her caretakers.

The prince glared at the squire, and the squire shrugged in a "What?" fashion. The prince turned back to the princess and held out his hand. "Come on, we'll try to cheer you up!" His smile was contagious. The princess stopped sobbing and took his hand. She stood, smoothing her skirt.

"You're our best friend now! I'm Sora. This guy is Riku," Sora beamed, and for the first time since they had showed up at her side, the squire smiled, and she realized he was just as warm as the prince.

"My name is Kairi," she said, a small smile on her face.

The drama, you ask? Unfortunately, the citizens of the kingdom were very enthralled by the royal family. Rumours began, opinions were shared. Some believed this new princess to be destined to reside by the prince when he becomes king. Some fancied the already-strong bond between the prince and the squire. Some saw how quickly the squire took to protecting the princess and thought she may pick him instead, given his strength. Some were smart and said, "They're 6, and the squire is 7. This is really odd." I like those the most.

As the children grew, some switched sides in this debate, while some remained steadfast. Some still said, these are children. But no one really listened to that. Instead, they grew louder. Opinions reached the castle and made the children uneasy. Why were people so obsessed with one of them being with the other?

They became more reclusive after growing tired of outside opinions on their trio. They all had their reasons, but each one believed the other two would end up together. The seed of doubt had been planted in their friendship by outsiders, and they weren't going to let it grow.

The trio, now 16-17, sat in the palace garden, as they did every day. For here, no one could see them. No one could make assumptions. They were free to be friends and secretly wanting more, yet still afraid the other two would end up together and leave the third. This had especially been eating at the now-squire, who knew he wasn't royalty to begin with, and had become jealous. At who, over what, exactly, he did not know. What he did know is that the hold this jealousy had on his heart had been ever growing.

The squire looked up from his spot on the grass, towards the palace. "I'm... gonna go. Practice," he trailed off.

The princess gave him a worried look. "Riku, what's wrong?" she asked gently, placing the flower crown she had been making to the side.

"Nothing," he shrugged.

But the princess knew better. She had grown to read him like an open book. The prince, on the other hand, was a bit ignorant to the closed-off feelings of those around him.

The prince sat up on his elbows. "Kai knows when something's up. So tell us what's up."

The squire sighed and laid down on the grass next to the princess. He tried to focus on a cloud, an attempt to chase away the words bubbling to the surface.

The princess pondered for a minute. "Is it... about becoming a knight?"

The squire shook his head.

"Is it... about an internal force?"

"Define 'internal'."

"I mean, is it something to do with us. The three of us."

The squire gulped. He knew he couldn't lie to her. She'd know, and he'd feel bad for lying to the people he swore to protect.

"Mm, so now we just need to determine what about the three of us is ailing you," she said, reaching over to push a strand of purple-silver hair out of his face. "So... let's see..."

"I'm not royalty," he blurted, immediately regretting it. He sighed and covered his eyes with his arm. The prince sat up, realizing this was seriously bothering the squire.

"When has that ever been an issue?" the princess asked gently, stroking the squire's hair.

"You know why."

"I don't," said the prince, ever oblivious.

The squire groaned. He hated talking about this. It always made him feel worse.

"I think he means the whole rumour thing," the princess wondered aloud. "A significant number of people are saying that royalty should be with royalty. Which would mean leaving the non-royal one behind."

"Why would we do that?" the prince asked, tilting his head.

"People want something romantic to come from our friendship, I suppose," the princess shrugged. "But they're daft if they think it will include me."

"What?" the squire exclaimed, uncovering his eyes to look at the princess.

"You two have always had a special bond," she said quietly. "I just always assumed that... I'd be the one left behind, because I'm the one who showed up later."

"Don't be stupid!" The prince shook his head. "He's the one who can protect you. Not me. I don't even know how to fight yet," he trailed off.

"Did we all just... assume it would be the other two who would end up in a romantic relationship?" the princess looked between the two boys. The three burst into laughter at themselves.

"These people... really got to us, huh?" the prince said, leaning back on his arms.

"It was sort of silly to let them decide the state of our relationships," admitted the squire.

"Well, I know one thing," the princess said, looking down at her hands. "I'd never choose one of you over the other."

"So you don't fancy either of us," the prince teased.

The princess shot him a look. "I never said that!"

"Then what are you saying?" the squire asked, partly to himself.

The princess twitched her nose. She was too stubborn to admit to anything.

"I've, uh, always fancied you both," said the prince, his face turning red and his demeanor completely changing.

"Both," the princess echoed, laying down between the two boys.

"Is that bad?"

"Well, no--at least, I don't think so," the princess replied absentmindedly, folding her hands over herself. "A bit unconventional, but not unheard of."

"They'd never stand for it," the squire sighed, covering his eyes again. "So it doesn't matter. Put it out of your heads."

"So... You're saying you don't feel the same?" the prince asked, a bit heartbroken.

"Don't put words in my mouth," the squire snapped.

There was a bit of silence between the trio before the squire finally spoke up again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "I just... Don't think it will work."

"Well, why not?" the princess turned her head to look at him.

"Because I'm still not royalty, Kai," he mumbled.

She sat up, leaned over, and uncovered his eyes. "Who cares?" she asked.

She leaned in close, their noses touching. The prince watched with a wide grin. It filled him with warmth to see the two people he loved also love each other.

"I-I mean... The... I..." the squire stuttered, and suddenly they were kissing, and the prince squealed and fell over again. The princess, grinning, silently sat up, and turned to the prince. He blushed as she leaned over to him, and suddenly they were kissing, and the prince was on top of the world.

The princess sat back up and looked back and forth between the two boys. They both sat up, too, their faces red hot. The princess clasped her hands together and grinned as they leaned over in front of her.

"H-Hey," the prince squeaked.

The squire smirked, and they kissed. Flustered, they both turned away, the squire clearing his throat.

"I... Uh... That... That happened," he mumbled, his hand on his forehead, trying to compose himself.

The princess giggled. "I like this outcome better than the others."

"M-Me too," the prince grinned sheepishly.

The princess pulled them both in close, the three of them giggling in a pile of half-sitting, half-laying down. The prince, suddenly filled with confidence that these two did, in fact, love him, kissed their cheeks repeatedly until they were begging him to stop.

"What do we do now?" the squire asked quietly.

"We stay together, of course," replied the princess.

"No matter what the citizens say," continued the prince.

"Right." The squire stood, took their hands in his, and helped them to their feet.

The three walked hand-in-hand back to the palace. An unfinished flower crown laid in the garden, alongside all the insecurities and worries that had been holding the trio back.

[tkpro-scenarios]

Hi!! Can I request scenario of Koki, Sora and Tsubasa that their s.o got into an accident and have amnesia? Thank you and love your blog!!

Koki’s scenario is a continuation of the previous scenario request.I really do love this boy, honest!

- Mod nana

Eto Koki

“…to see you two are doing well. How is…”

You awoke to the sound of peopletalking, a low groan as your eyes opened to a blinding white light.

“[Name]!”

“[Name], thank goodness you’reawake!”

You observed the look of relief onthe three people in the room when one of them walked up to you, a golden hairedyoung man who offered a small smile.

“[Name], are you alright? Does ithurt anywhere?” he asked, his sapphire blue eyes staring at you in worry.

You instinctively leaned back whenhe stretched out a hand towards you.

“I-I’m sorry but…” you broughtyour blanket closer, frowning at the youth. “Who are you?”

—

“A-Amnesia?!” the trio exclaimed,gawking in disbelief.

You tensed under their gaze,clinging to the blond’s sleeve as you hid behind him.

“Kou…are you serious?” thewhite-haired young man looked to his friend and back to you.

“It’s like something out of amovie…” the blue-haired youth gasped in awe, green eyes never leaving you.

“[N]-[Name]-chan, y-you reallydon’t know who we are?” the older man asked, pointing to himself.

You shook your head, holding ontothe blond tighter when he placed a hand to your head, smiling gently atyou. “Koki-san…”

“[Name], these are our friends.They’re from the same idol unit as me, Growth. I told you about them, remember?”Koki asked to which you nodded, recalling the brief explanation he gave you earlierabout yourself, your family and friends, who he was as well as his job andcolleagues.

“The way she’s clinging to Kouso much is proof enough she doesn’t remember us.” The energetic youth sighed, makinghis way towards your bed with a friendly smile.

“Kensuke! Yaegashi Kensuke, buteveryone calls me Ken, Ken-kun, Ken-chan, whatever they like! Even you do!” heheld out a hand. “[Name], it’s nice to meet you…again.”

[E/c] hues stared at hisoutstretched hand, then at his smile before looking up at Koki who nodded.Returning his smile, you took his hand as he gave you a handshake. “Nice tomeet you…Ken-kun?”

“That’s the spirit!” Kensuke grinned.

“As usual, Ken’s friendship meteris off the charts.” The wavy-haired boy shook his head, looking back to you witha cordial smile. “Sakuraba Ryota. Just Ryo is fine, since that’s what you usually call me. You probably still don’t know what to make of this situationbut for now, let’s get along?”

You let out a sound of awe,finding yourself blushing at his prince-like aura. “N-Nice to meet you,Ryo-kun…”

“Then it looks like Onii-chan’s upnext~!” the burgundy-haired man declared, placing his hands on his hips.

“Ah. [Name], there’s no need toremember this one.” Ryota stated with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Justthink of him as a pebble on the side of the road—”

“R-Ryo-kun, that’s too mean‼” hewhined to which the white-haired idol merely chuckled in reply, offeringanother offhanded comment about him while Kensuke laughed.

“That’s Mamoru. Fujimura Mamoru.He’s the one that writes the music for our unit.” The blond whispered in yourear. “As you can see, he gets swung around by the other two a lot.” You giggledat Koki’s wry smile, calling out to the burgundy-haired man.

“M-Mamoru-san, it’s nice to meetyou. I’d love to hear your music some time!”

“Uwaahh Mamoru-san‼ That takes meback!” Mamoru exclaimed, placing a hand to his heart.

“Hm? What do I normally call youthen?” you tilted your head to the side.

“Ex-NEET.”

“Pachira bastard.”

Ryota and Kensuke said in unison,earning another shout from Mamoru.

“Stop that.” Koki finallyintervened with a short chuckle. “You’ll just confuse [Name] even more. You canpick on Mamoru later.”

“K-Kou-kun, I can’t tell if you’rebeing kind or cruel…” Mamoru cried while you and Kensuke laughed.

Crimson eyes watched as youlaughed and talked with Kensuke and Mamoru before making their way to his unitleader. A frown found itself on Ryota’s face at the way Koki’s sapphire hueswatched the three of you with longing, a painfully melancholy smile on hislips.

“Kou, can I talk to you for aminute?” Ryota requested in a quiet voice, nodding off to the hospital hallway.

—

“We rushed over here becausewe heard that [Name] got into an accident…” The silver-haired singer placed a hand to hischin, glancing to the side in thought. “…but are you sure that’s all there isto it? None of those ‘fans’ from before were involved?”

“Yeah.” Koki nodded, recalling theinformation your parents told him before you woke up. “Apparently the driverthemselves brought [Name] to the hospital. And it seems those peoplehaven’t done anything since then.”

Ryota stayed silent for a second,heaving a sigh of relief.

“To think it’s been a month sincethen…” Ruby hues narrowed in remorse, hand clenching into a fist at his side. “Butto see each other again like this… It’s just too cruel!”

“Ryo…” Cerulean hues stared at hisfellow idol, offering Ryota a small smile for his sympathy. “Thank you forworrying but…” he looked to the ground, taking a breath. “I think it’s betterif [Name] doesn’t remember me.”

“What?!”

“I was the one that made [Name]break up with me but in the end, I was also the one that rushed over here when I heard shewas in an accident.” The blond began, knuckles turning white as his fingers dug into his palm.

“And when she woke up and didn’tremember me…” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I’d be lying if I said itdidn’t hurt.” He clutched his chest.

Garnet hues widened once Kokilooked back up at him, a resolute expression on his face despite his clearlybroken heart.

“But I think it’s better this way.If [Name] remembers who I am or what kind of relationship we used to have, thenshe’ll also remember all the scary things that happened to her because of me…andwhat I made her do to put an end to it.” His eyes narrowed at the memory. “She’ll just get her heart broken by meagain.”

Koki’s hand fell limp at his side,blue eyes looking back to your hospital room where you were still talking withMamoru and Kensuke. He chuckled fondly at the scene, looking back at his friendwith a strained smile.

“After all, I should never make my loved one cry, right?”

“Kou…” Ryota began, expression softening with a smile. “True, you shouldn’t.” he closed his eyes with a nod of agreement as Koki walked down the hall back to the hospital entrance.

Ruby eyes opened with a sigh, glancing to you before turning to look at the blond’s shrinking figure.

“But that doesn’t mean you should crush your own heart over it.”

Ohara Sora

“I do not‼” the redhead exclaimedwith a shocked expression while you laughed. He frowned at your laughter,glaring to the side.“Stupid Sou…telling you weird things again!” Sora muttered,looking back at you with a serious expression.

“Listen [Name]. The next time Souor Nozomu tell you something, make sure you check with me first beforebelieving it, okay?” he said, shaking his finger like he was lecturing a child.

You nodded with a smile to whichhe sighed.

“Honestly what are those twothinking? Messing around with a person that has amnesia…” Sora sighed again,looking back at you. “Okay [Name]? I absolutely am not into that sorta stuff!It’s just a lie‼”

“I believe you.” You giggled,though you did wonder why he was so passionate about denying what thedark-haired drummer had told you.

It had been a month since you supposedly met with a terrible accident, and while there was no threat toyour life, you had no recollection of who you were, much less of anyone else.

Andthat was where Sora came in.

While your parents handled helping you rememberyour family and friends, he spent whatever time he could taking you to places thatyou had apparently visited regularly to help you remember how you led yourlife until now.

Of course the rest of SOARA alsopitched in, teaching you things about yourself and your relationships with themand giving you company on days their beloved leader couldn’t visit you…thoughit seemed like two of them were having a bit more fun with it then they should—sharingsecrets and gossip about the red-haired guitarist which may or may not be true.

“It’s so strange to think thatI’ve forgotten anything and everything…” you began, staring at your feet. “Myfriends, my family…even my own name.”

“[Name], don’t beat yourself upover it!” Sora took your hand into his, smiling brightly at you. “That’s whatwe’re all here for! To help you remember everything.”

[E/c] hues stared at his brilliantsmile, offering a timid one of your own. “Thank you, Sora-kun.” You repliedto which the energetic composer of SOARA nodded, leading you down the streetwhile you walked hand-in-hand.

You gazed at his profile, then atthe hand holding onto yours when a stinging feeling in your heart threatenedto form tears in your eyes.

Sure you didn’t remember your name at first, butwhat bothered you most was that you knew nothing about the boy walking besideyou, a boy you knew you loved but couldn’t remember anything about—even thoughhe was working so hard to help you.

“We’re here!” you looked up atSora’s voice, eyes sparkling at the breathtaking sight. You jogged up the steps,placing your hands on the railing to take in the view of the entire city dyedin the dull orange hue of twilight.

“Wow~!” you gasped, looking backto the brown-eyed youth. “Sora-kun, it’s so beautiful!”

“I’m glad you like it!” Sora chuckled,smile much dimmer than usual. “Does it remind you of anything?”

You blinked at his question,glancing back to the cityscape as you took a few moments to gather yourthoughts. His hands clenched inside his pockets as he waited for your answer,holding his breath while his heart pounded against his chest.

“Sora-kun…” you began, turningaround to address the youth with a frown. “I’m sorry but I think it’s my firsttime seeing this place…is it really somewhere I come frequently?”

Brown eyes stared at your confusedexpression, slowly closing as he finally released his breath. He opened themagain with a smile.

“You used to back in high schoolbut now that we’re attending different colleges, we don’t pass by here as often.”Sora explained, heading up the steps to join you.

“Back when we were in school, wecame here a lot of times on our way back home so I thought maybe it’d help youremember something…but looks like I was wrong!” The young composer laughedsheepishly.

“Sora-kun…?” you began, sensing his mood had dampened.

“There’s a viewer over there ifyou wanna take a closer look at the city.” He pointed to the tower viewer stationed afew steps away from where you were standing. Your smile widened at thesuggestion, eagerly nodding as you headed over to take a look.

His smile faded once you facedaway from him, russet hues making their way to the magnificent view ofthe city.

“So you don’t remember this place…huh?”Sora whispered, closing his eyes while the wind rustled the trees and blewthrough his hair, carrying away his sigh as he recalled how this was the place wherehe first confessed his love for you.

Okui Tsubasa

“[Name]-chan, wanna hear a story?”

“A story?”

He nodded.

“A fairy tale. I don’t know howmuch you’ll enjoy it though!” He chuckled, clearing his throat to begin.

“Once upon a time, there lived a prince. A very, very handsome andcharming one that just one look at him and everyone was captivated! They saidhis beauty could rival even that of the angels! There wasn’t a guy in thecountry that didn’t want to be him—wait I’m getting a little carried away.

Anyway, this handsome and charming prince…he was blessed with angelicbeauty, wealth, talent, a loving family and friends, you name it! He hadeverything one could hope for, but he also had a really uncool side to him.

He got lonely really easily and really quickly.”

“Even though he had a lovingfamily and friends…?”

“Yeah. Like I said, that’s his uncool side. He’s the type who says he wantsto be alone but still wants someone to chase after him. Really lame, right?

So yeah, there was this one day where he did that again. This lame buthandsome prince was feeling down in the dumps about something and found himselfall alone again. That was when he met someone.

A cute little princess that found the prince without even meaning to look forhim.

‘What are you doing here all alone?’ the little princess asked,completely unaware of the prince’s uncool side. Of course this prince wouldrather die before he showed that lame part of him so he just laughed itoff with some dumb excuse, letting the princess lead him back to the others.

And somehow this tenacious little princess always managed to find himwhen he was at his worst. Even though she herself probably didn’t realize it, like magic, she always drove away his loneliness.

And of course, thanks to that our charming prince ended up falling head-over-heels for her. This strange little princess that always found him when heneeded her time and again.

But of course, nothing ever goes that smoothly…

One day, the prince had to leave the country for a quest. It was aquest that would bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people. But that meantthat he would have to leave the princess all alone.

Promising to be back in a jiffy, the prince embarked on this quest.”

“All by himself…?”

“Of course not! I told you, didn’t I? He has lots of friends! He’s not some brooding loner,you know? He’s a super popular guy!

…But you have a point. There’s no way he could’ve done it by himself. His friends, huh…? Got it!

He embarked on a quest with his friends: a stone-faced, unfriendlypurple ogre, an equally scary-looking but actually super cute blue dog, and a beautiful magician whocharmed everyone with his looks.

It took a while but the prince and his friends successfully finishedtheir quest, bringing joy to the people of their kingdom. Excited to see his princessagain, the prince rushed back home only to learn that due to a terrible accident, she had a curse cast onher. He was told that the poor princess had fallen into a deep slumber, hermemories lost with no sure way to get them back.

Of course the prince wasn’t going to give up just because of some stupid plot twist! Sohe does what all fairytale princes do–he gives her a True Love’s kiss…”

“And? Does it work?! Does theprincess get her memories back?”

“That’s what we’re about to findout…” Tsubasa stated, wrapping his hand around your cheek. “Close your eyes.” Hewhispered, molding his lips against yours. Golden hues opened once he pulledaway. “How ‘bout it? Remember anything?”

[E/c] hues stayed wide open, redcreeping across your face as you blankly shook your head, heart still poundingfrom his sudden action.

“Ehh? No good~?” Tsubasa whinedwith a childish pout, squinting at you. “[Name]-chan, that’s mean! Are mykisses really that forgettable~?”

“S-Sorry…”

“Hmm…” he hummed in thought, snapping his fingers with a sly grin. “Then wanna try it again?”

“Eh?!” you stiffened at hissuggestion, earning a chuckle from the blond-haired idol.

“I’m kidding! Even if I say we’redating, at the moment I’m just a stranger to you. Sorry about just now, I wasjust messing around and got carried away!” he apologized with a bow of his headto which you fervently shook your head.

“No, it’s fine! To Tsubasa-san, itwas probably something normal. I’m the one that doesn’t remember…” you broughtyour gaze down, gripping your blanket. [E/c] hues looked around what wasapparently your bedroom, stopping at your bedside table which was filled withphoto frames and toy squirrels.

A few photos were of people thatwere supposedly your family. One was a group picture of you, the blond, the‘purple ogre’, the ‘unfriendly dog’ and the ‘beautiful magician’ who you met afew days ago after you woke up at the hospital. Your eyes narrowed at the lastcouple of pictures–all of them were of you and Tsubasa sharing intimate momentsor making silly faces.

“Even though you’re supposed to besomeone this important to me…I can’t remember a single thing about you,Tsubasa-san.” Your fingers curled, digging into the fabric. “Every time I try to remember,my mind’s all foggy and my head starts hurting…” you explained when you felt ahand on your head.

“[Name], don’t worry about it.Don’t force yourself to remember things you can’t, alright?” Honey-colored huesgazed warmly at you, giving your [h/c] locks a short ruffle. “C’mon, you’restill recovering so get some rest, okay?”

“But…”

“Your parents are gonna be heretomorrow so once you meet them, you’ll probably remember something! I’m sure ofit!” Tsubasa assured with a confident nod when he took notice of the clock. “Ahcrap! Is that the time?!” Panicked yellow eyes looked from the clock back toyou.

“Ahh, I wanna stay the night butthe dorms have really strict rules! I’ll come over again in the morning, okay?”The blond idol offered an apologetic smile, coming closer to place a kiss onyour forehead only to stop himself before he could. Heaving a silent sigh, he movedback and stood up from his chair. “Good night, [Name].” Tsubasa said with agentle smile.

You returned his smile. “Goodnight, Tsubasa-san. Please be careful on your way home.”

He nodded, waving good-bye beforeclosing the door to your apartment. Honey-colored eyes stared at the door handle,another sigh escaping his lips as he pressed his forehead against the door.

“Tsubasa-san…huh?” he muttered,closing his eyes to take a breath and compose himself.

“Even back when we actually were strangers, you still never felt so distant…”

[ashxketchum]

The Switch - A Taiora crackfic(?)

I started writing this last year sometime after Soushitsu was released but never got around to finishing it until today (yay me). It’s a confusing-ass crackfic where Sora and Taichi switch bodies, so proceed with caution.

word count: 4,739

Set somewhere in between the first 3 tri movies, take your pick. Ff.net link, in case someone wants to leave a review. 

~

Frankly, there are quite a few things in this world that are completely unexplainable. You might try your very best to use logic and be rational, but there are some problems that just can’t be solved by using one’s brains. These strange problems appear out of nowhere and just when you start getting used to them, they vanish. Having travelled through dimensions into a world different than ours, we usually assume that no matter what happens now in our normal lives we would rarely ever be surprised by it. Unless the problem is related to the said different world, also known as the Digital World, we don’t really pay that much attention it. Could there really be anything more important or interesting than having a digital monster as your best friend and travelling through uncharted territory to fight other digital monsters? I bet you tried to oppose my statement, but the truth is, there isn’t.

Unfortunately that’s the mistake the eight of us made too. We were so concerned about our Digimon and all the commotion the infections etcetera were causing that we forgot to pay attention to our normal lives. What follows is a story which can only be termed as bizarre and you may not believe it, but I assure you, we eight chosen children stand witness to this strange occurrence. There might even come a day, when we might forget certain things about Digimon and Digital World but I doubt we’ll ever forget this day…

The brightly lit room was filled with just the sound of fingers furiously tapping on the keyboard, the occupant of the room was a lone high school boy diligently analysing some new data that he had recently acquired as he waited for his friends to arrive. Lately, with the sudden comeback of the problems of the Digital World, it had become a custom for the eight of them to meet at Koushiro’s office after school. Sometimes they were even joined by the newcomer, Meiko, but usually it would just be the usual gang. Koushiro was looking forward to share his newfound information with Taichi and the others. He took his role as the decoder and the information gatherer of their group very seriously and every time he figured out the right answer, he’d a feel a little proud of himself.

He glanced at his wristwatch and then again at the empty room in front of him. His friends sure were taking their time coming over today. A scowl appeared on his face suddenly, when he wanted peace and quiet they’d all hang around annoyingly, messing the whole place up and now when he actually wanted to talk and interact with them, they were all late. Koushiro sighed and wondered if he should just play with the Digimon while he waited when the door to his office opened and in walked Takeru with Hikari right behind him.

“Good evening!” Takeru chirped, grinning.

“My brother and everyone else isn’t here yet?” Hikari asked, looking around the empty room with a quizzical look on her face. She took a seat on one of the sofas and Takeru came and stood next to Koushiro behind the monitor.

“I thought we were the ones who were late.” Takeru stated, chuckling.

Just then, a flailing and heaving Jyou entered the room apologizing for being late, the other three smiled courteously as Koushiro pointed out to their senior that in retrospect, he was actually on time. Jyou sat down next to Hikari, having not being able to keep in touch with the others because of his busy schedule, he decided to utilize this time to chat and catch up with her. Some time passed, as the four friends talked casually about school and other things happening in their lives. Koushiro was just explaining to the others, a new idea he had for a phone app when the door to his office burst open and there stood a red-faced Mimi, looking nervous.

“It’s terrible!” She exclaimed, “Taichi-san and Sora-chan fell down the stairs and lost consciousness. Yamato-san and I need help carrying them back here.” She shouted hurriedly, and dashed out as quickly as she had entered leaving the other four completely stunned with their mouths hanging wide open. Takeru recovered first and grabbing Jyou by the arm he followed Mimi out of the room swiftly.

Hikari paced around the room, and Koushiro nervously fidgeted in his seat as they waited for everyone to return. After some excruciatingly long minutes, Yamato and Takeru entered his office carrying a knocked out Taichi, and right behind them was Jyou carrying an unconscious Sora in his arms with Mimi hovering around them. Hikari gasped and a concerned look clouded her face as she watched Yamato and Takeru set her brother down on one of the sofas, Jyou did the same with Sora on the other side. All of them crowded over the two unconscious friends, observing them closely.

“Isn’t it better if we take them to the Nurse’s office?” Hikari asked worriedly, gazing over her brother’s expressionless face.

“It’s closed. We already checked.” Yamato muttered in reply, his blue eyes fixed on the unmoving body of his best friend.

“Well then what are we supposed to do?” Koushiro questioned no one in particular as he shifted his gaze from Taichi to Sora.

“Wouldn’t throwing water at their faces work?” Mimi wondered out loud, having seen that trick work in countless movies and dramas, she figured it would work in real life as well.

The others were at a loss so they thought there was no harm in trying her idea out. Hikari sprinkled a few drops of water on her brother’s face and Mimi followed her lead and did the same to Sora. The six of them waited, intensely staring at the unconscious duo’s face, hoping to catch some kind of reaction, but there was none.

“I’ve heard making them smell something stinky works too…” Takeru suggested, unsure if anyone would actually pay attention to it.

“Okay, I’ll take one for the team.” Yamato smirked, as he took off his left shoe preparing to put it over Taichi’s nose.

“No, wait!” Hikari shouted, “His eyes twitched!” She wasn’t sure if she was seeing things in order to protect her brother’s nose or if they actually twitched but Mimi also shouted excitedly at the same time about Sora moving her hands, and relief washed over Hikari.

Six pair of eyes intently observed as the two people lying on the sofas slowly started to stir. Taichi and Sora’s eyes twitched and slowly opened at the same time. Relived sighs and happy gasps covered the room (Yamato dejectedly put his shoe back on) as they moved and slowly sat up straight. However, the other six were still unaware of the real problem that now, slowly unfolded before their eyes.

Taichi and Sora turned around to look at each other and their eyes locked. Silence fell over the room as everyone else was confused by the sudden staring contest happening between the injured two. But as they paid more attention, they noticed that their faces were no longer holding blank expressions but that of disbelief, terror and desperation.

“What the hell? What the hell? What the hell?!” Taichi was the first one to move, shouting maddeningly.

Confused looks dawned the faces of the other six as they tried to understand what was wrong, they turned towards Sora who was still sitting normally and sort of looked like she was spacing out.

“Onii-chan, are you okay?” Hikari asked reluctantly, not sure of what to make of her brother’s actions.

Taichi faced her, still looking terrified, he shook nervously as he tried to answer, “I’m…I’m…I’m…nnno-“

Very abruptly Sora stood up and everyone’s attention immediately went back to her. She looked herself over once and then glanced at Taichi, suddenly she grabbed her own chest with both her hands and grinned, “Sora your boobs sure have grown in these past few years.”

A different kind of silence enveloped the room. The sun had set long ago and the scenery outside the window was dark and sinister, just like the changing atmosphere of the room. For who knows how long, nobody moved a muscle. They just stared open mouthed, at the auburn haired girl standing in front of them fondling her own chest. As the situation slowly settled in their minds, Hikari, Takeru and Koushiro turned red as they continued looking at Sora. Jyou covered his face with his hands and turned away as Mimi leaned in closer, a glint in her eyes indicating that she was probably interested in figuring out her friend’s size. Yamato’s head swivelled from Sora to Taichi as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Taichi sat there white faced and trembling, from embarrassment or rage, no one could tell just yet.

“I still think mine are a little bigger though.” Mimi muttered thoughtfully.

“That’s what you’re concerned about in this situation?” Yamato shot a furious glare in her direction.

“The situation is quite obvious isn’t it.” Mimi replied, scowling at the older blond.

“What is so obvious about this, please do tell Mimi-chan.” Yamato dragged the out suffix in a sickeningly sweet voice.

“Taichi-san and Sora-chan have switched bodies.” Mimi stated simply.

“Eeeehhhhh?!”

The disbelief, surprise and at some level, maybe even fear, was evident in everyone’s voice as they continued screaming and turned their heads from one side to the other, trying to understand what exactly was happening.

Sora removed her hands from her chest and grinned widely, making victory signs with both her hands she exclaimed, “I’m Taichi.”

It wouldn’t have been a surprise if some of them would have swallowed a few flies that day as their mouths continued to hang wide open and their eyes settled on the now extremely energetic Sora who was now jumping up and down and giggling happily. The only one who wasn’t as surprised as the rest of them was Mimi, who was playing along with this development quite calmly.

“No…”

The morose whisper made the heads turn towards Taichi, who was sitting with his head bowed down and still trembling with what can now possibly be defined as rage.

“You’re dead!” Taichi screeched as he leapt at Sora from across the room, his face was flushed and his eyes looked glassy, almost as if he was about to cry. He stretched his arms ahead in order to reach Sora’s neck, but luckily for the latter Yamato and Jyou reacted swiftly pulling him back down to his original position as he screamed curses and death threats at the girl while still remaining slightly teary eyed, the other two boys managed to hold their own against him and restrain him and Sora took this opportunity to move backwards so that she wasn’t within her raging friend’s reach. After securing a safe position she chuckled and replied, “Sora, if you kill me now, you’d basically be killing yourself. It will be like committing suicide!”

“Like I give a damn about that right now, you freaky-pervert-monster-idiot-bastard!”

The other six watched this exchange silently, Koushiro, Takeru and Hikari still looked dazed and it seemed like they still couldn’t believe what was happening. As soon as Jyou and Yamato realized that they weren’t technically touching Taichi but rather Sora, their faces turned red as they hurriedly let go of him(her) and looked away, embarrassment eating away their voices. The only person who looked like they had something to say was Mimi, her face was filled determined contemplation as she glanced at her two friends and then sighed heavily.

“Firstly, Taichi-san, please apologize to Sora-chan for what you just did. That wasn’t fair and it kind of makes me think you’re a disgusting person on the inside.” Mimi folded her arms across her chest as she looked at Sora(Taichi) sharply. Hearing Mimi’s words something stirred inside the little sister of the group as the dazed look vanished from her face and was replaced with one of disgust.

Pointing an accusing finger at Sora(Taichi), Hikari shrieked, “Onii-chan, you’re disgusting. I’m so disappointed in you.”

Instantly the look of excitement turned into that of regret as Sora(Taichi) started blabbering, trying to explain to Hikari how it was just a joke and she shouldn’t hate him for this and that he loves her very much.

“Uhm, you should apologize to Sora-chan first.” Mimi repeated, rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her.

“That’s right.” Hikari added, scowling deeply at Sora(Taichi), though she still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her brother was currently inside a girl’s body Hikari somehow managed to maintain the death glare long enough to turn her brother into a nervous puddle.

Sora(Taichi) clapped her hands together and facing Taichi(Sora), she bowed her head and shouted, “I am really sorry for what I did Sora. Please forgive me.”

Taichi(Sora) quietly seethed a little longer before giving up and accepting the apology.

“Well then now that this is settled, we need to figure out how to deal with this situation.”

Everyone faced a triumphant and hopeful looking Mimi, internally surprised by the fact that she was being the voice of reason in a stressful situation like this.

“I’m at a loss really…” Jyou murmured quietly, quickly excluding himself from the conversation.

“Same.” Takeru smiled and pulled back as well.

“Maybe this is just a dream… That’s right I fell asleep on the desk while waiting for everyone to arrive. Wake up me!” Koushiro mumbled to himself as he got up and resumed his position on his desk, behind the huge monitors.

“Dream? This is a freaking nightmare.” Taichi(Sora) hissed angrily.

“Get a hold of yourself, Koushiro. You’re supposed to be the smart one right?” Yamato glanced at the genius, he didn’t want any part in trying to figure this shit out so he thought he might as well put Koushiro in the spotlight.

“Huh?! That has nothing to do with it! I have no idea what’s going on or how this even happened!” Koushiro retorted but it was too late, because of the older blond’s words everyone was now looking at him with intense expectations in their eyes. He groaned realizing that he wouldn’t be able to wriggle out of this one.

“Well let me explain what happened,” Mimi started, still looking unaffected by the bizarreness of it all, “Me and Sora-chan were on our way to your office when we ran into Taichi-san and Yamato-san so we all decided to come here together. We were making our way up the stairs with me in the lead when Yamato-san insulted one of my favourite mascot characters,” She paused to glare at the blond who just rolled his eyes in response, “So I turned around to tell him to shut his tsundere trap when I lost my balance and slipped. I was about to fall down but since Yamato-san was right behind me he somehow managed to catch me, despite of how weak and puny he looks-“

“Are you blind or what Tachikawa?” Yamato interrupted her furiously, his ears had turned a light shade of red from feeling rage and embarrassment at the same time.

“But in the process, he accidentally shouldered Taichi-san in the face leading him to lose his balance and roll down the stairs, grabbing Sora-chan along with him as she was right next to him. Next thing we knew they were lying on the ground, on top of each other and were unconscious.” Mimi finished, ignoring Yamato’s interruption completely.

Everyone quietly processed the information, despite of wanting this to not be real, each of them looked deep in thought as they tried to look for an explanation or solution. In order to clear the awkwardness and make things easier to understand they made Sora and Taichi sit on one sofa and the rest of them took their seats on the opposite one, with Yamato and Jyou standing behind it.

“Okay, so we can assume,” Koushiro began maintaining eye contact with the two sitting across him, “That this phenomenon occurred when you bumped into each other.”  Taichi and Sora nodded seriously, and Koushiro turned to look at his other friends to see if they had a different idea or theory, but it looked like everyone pretty much agreed with him, “So the question now is, how do we reverse this?”

“We should get them exorcised!” Jyou gasped excitedly but he was met with seven clueless looking faces so he explained further, “You see, it’s kind of like Taichi’s soul is possessing Sora’s body and vice versa so we can just get an exorcist to make them go back to their original bodies.” The dark haired senior looked quite proud of his idea, but everyone else in the room had already rejected it in their heads.

Takeru sighed and bravely took up the task of breaking it down Jyou, “Uhm, senpai, I doubt we’ll be able to find an exorcist nearby. So we should look at more easily accessible options…” he trailed off, smiling politely at Jyou hoping that the older boy would catch his drift.

“Since it happened because of them bumping into each other, why don’t you try it again?” Hikari suggested.

“Try what again?” Sora(Taichi) asked, looking puzzled.

“Push them down the stairs? I’ll do it.” Yamato smirked, earning a glare from both Taichi and Sora.

“What Hikari-chan obviously means is that they should bump their foreheads together again or something like that. But I didn’t expect you to understand Yamato-san.” Mimi stated, shooting a condescending look in the blond’s direction.

“I guess we can try that…” Taichi(Sora) muttered unsurely.

The two then faced each other, jaws set and eyes determined, it would be difficult to put into words what was going on in their heads at that time. Taichi(Sora) balled his fists and took a deep breath, Sora(Taichi) on the other hand looked like she was spacing out, again. There was a long silent pause, in which everyone kept their eyes fixed at the strange couple but neither made a move.

“Okay are you guys going to do it or do we need to push you down the stairs?” Yamato muttererd angrily, losing patience within a minute.

“It’s difficult! I know it’s going to hurt so my body isn’t moving,” Taichi(Sora) replied, shooting an exasperated look in the blond’s direction.

“Ready, when you are,” Sora(Taichi) chuckled lazily.

“Okay, but think about it Sora-chan, if you don’t move now you might stay like this forever,” Mimi started, “Imagine, living in Taichi-san’s body for the rest of your li-” She didin’t get to finish her sentence as Taichi(Sora) grabbed Sora(Taichi)’s shoulders by her hands and forcefully banged their heads together. There was a bit of shouting and groaning as the two teens buried their face in their hands and moved away from each other.

The other kids waited with bated breath to see if the two had succeeded in turning back but as Taichi(Sora) raised his head and looked at his hands miserably, it was obvious that the head-banging accomplished nothing except creating the now prominent bruising on their foreheads.

“Now what?” Hikari voiced out what they were all thinking in an unsure voice and was met with uncertain murmurs and more awkward silence.

“There’s no other option, we have to kill ourselves…” Taichi(Sora) muttered quietly, his face was laden with disgust as he studied his hands.

“Sora, don’t be ridiculous.” Yamato rolled his eyes,

“Yes, Sora-san, please don’t say such things, you’re forgetting something,” Koushiro said, he motioned to where Mimi was standing as if she was the answer to everything.

Mimi on the other hand was grinning with excitement, an evil twinkle in her eyes she began “I have waited all my life-”

“For Taichi and Sora to switch bodies?” Yamato interrupted dryly.

“I have waited all my life,” Mimi started again, shooting a glare in the blond’s direction, “for something like this. Watching all those dramas and movies and reading those countless shojo mangas and doujinshis will finally pay off.” Mimi cackled, making everyone move slightly away from where she was standing.

“Get to the point already.” Sora(Taichi) muttered.

“Sora-san.” Mimi faced Taichi(Sora) with a determined look, and the latter backed away a little further, not expecting anything helpful to come out from her younger friend’s mouth.

“There is no other option,” Mimi said, and surveyed everyone in the room with a grave look on her face. Jou seemed to be the only one who was still buying into Mimi’s flair, returning her intense look.

“You have to kiss.”

Mimi’s words were met by another shocked silence as everyone in the room processed her statement. Except for Yamato, who rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in a ‘I could care less about this’ gesture, everyone else turned furiously red.

“Are you crazy Mimi?” Taichi(Sora) shouted, he stood up and put some distance between him and Sora(Taichi).

“I would highly recommend not doing that.” Jou nervously piped in.

“But, it’s the only way senpai!” Mimi reiterated restlessly, “The pattern is right in front of us, in every body-switch comedy, this is how they always resolve things.”

“I don’t think you should call this situation a comedy, Mimi-san.” Takeru grinned, clearly enjoying Mimi’ antics.

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

Everyone turned to look at Sora(Taichi), she was still sitting on the couch and rubbing her bruise from before, looking calmer than ever.

“It doesn’t hurt to try?” Taichi(Sora) seethed through gritted teeth, “Do you even understand wha-”

“Yes Sora, I do understand what kissing is,” Sora(Taichi) spat back fiercely, “I’m a 17 year old boy, what do you think you’re gonna find in my search history.”

Another long awkward silence followed Sora(Taichi)’s statement as everyone tried very hard to not think about their self-proclaimed leader’s search history. Taichi(Sora) was more or less rendered speechless, and was now too tired of the whole situation to actually bother replying to her (ex)-friend’s statement. In the past hour nothing had made sense, except maybe Mimi’s weird excitement and the fact that everyone else was more or less internally enjoying this mess, but one thing that Sora was sure about was that she would never forgive Taichi for his behaviour in her body, she would hold it against him until her very last breath.

Taichi(Sora) took a deep breath and cleared her throat, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over the room and grabbing everyone’s attention. Mustering all the courage that resided in this body, Taichi(Sora) announced her decision.

“Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Sora(Taichi) questioned, tilting her head slightly out of confusion.

“Okay, let’s kiss.” Taichi(Sora) repeated, his voice breaking slightly at the end.

The squeal Mimi let out over this statement could only be considered unhealthy, but was also currently the only trace of happiness in Koushiro’s office. The office’s owner himself looked extremely sceptical with his brows furrowed deeply as he feebly attempted to think of a better solution. Jou looked just as unimpressed as Koushiro, shaking his head in defeat and passing a warning look to his two friends in front of him and one of annoyance towards the giddy brunette. Although Takeru did not look like he was enjoying this situation, anyone who knew him could tell from his eyes that the cogs were already turning inside his brain on how to adapt this situation into a fruitful work of literature.

Hikari raised her eyes to the heavens, praying that when she woke up tomorrow she would’ve forgotten all about this and never have to face the sleazy side of her brother ever again. But Yamato was the only one who looked truly uncomfortable, the whole conundrum of his best friends switching bodies had already given him a headache of a lifetime but watching them kiss would really take the cake. The blond was sure that the scene would kill his appetite for at least the next week or maybe even months to come.

The whole situation was stressful yes, which is why Taichi was trying to lighten the mood with his antics, attempting to keep Sora from spontaneously combusting in his body from hyper-stress. Suggesting to go along with Mimi’s plan was just a teasing remark he made to make her angry and not tense but he never expected her to agree with him. In theory, there was nothing wrong with kissing Sora, but Taichi would have preferred to do that while he was in his own body, and not kiss himself as Sora. This would basically be nightmare material for the rest of his life. But if Sora was desperate enough to try this, it seemed that there was no other option but to go ahead with it. He hoped that when they returned to their bodies they wouldn’t retain the horrific memories of the kiss.

“Of course, you all need to leave.” Taichi(Sora) added, motioning towards the door of the office.

“Uhm, it’s my office?”Koushiro’s mutter went unheard as Yamato and Jou heaved huge sighs of relief and started walking towards to the door, Takeru, a little disappointed followed his brother’s lead.

Hikari passed a worried glance in her brother’s direction but then remembered that that was Sora, shaking her head she sent a feeble thumbs up in the latter’s direction who replied with a nod and a nervous grin.

“Okay maybe I should stay behind to make sure that it’s a success,” Mimi started, folding her arms into a stance that said ‘I’m not moving’. Koushiro rolled his eyes and linking his arm with the brunette’s, dragged her out of the office followed by Hikari, who closed the door behind them without sparing another glance for the unfortunate souls.

“Okay, then.” Sora(Taichi) stated blankly.

“Yes let’s get on with it,” Taichi(Sora) murmured.

They stood facing each other, with just a few inches of space between them. What seemed like hours but were only seconds passed as neither made any attempt to move. Sora was well aware of what they were supposed to do but it’s as if every muscle in the body she was possessing had frozen in that very moment when she locked eyes with her own self. She’d watched enough romance movies to know the fundamentals of kissing but to practice it in reality was seeming much more difficult especially since she was inside one of her closest friend’s body and was supposed to kiss herself, she could only hope that she wouldn’t puke the minute their lips met.

“Sora, you know how this works right?” Sora(Taichi) asked, raising an eyebrow, an impatient look settling on her face.

“Of-of course I know how it works!” Taichi(Sora) squeaked back, his cheeks now covered in a deep shade of red. Sora(Taichi)’s expression worsened at this, the google-head was not happy to see himself blush and stutter and look like an all-around idiot.

“Well, you’re in the taller body so please take the first step,” Sora(Taichi) rolled her eyes, and began tapping her foot impatiently, a regular habit of Sora’s that her body was now unconsciously performing.

“R-right, I knew that,” Taichi(Sora) replied nervously, watching herself do something so normal and familiar as tapping her foot flooded her with willpower, she would do anything to go back, even move this body that felt like it was being pushed down by gravity itself.

Taichi(Sora) started to lower his head, unsure of where to look. Looking into her own eyes was terrifying especially since she knew that the determination cast in them was Taichi’s and not hers. Sora(Taichi) also started to raise her head in order to meet him halfway, and it was when their lips were mere centimetres apart that they both came to a halt, their gazes fixed on each other. Just a little bit further and their lips would touch, Sora thought, she couldn’t bring herself to look at her own face like this any more so Taichi(Sora) nailed his eyes shut and took a leap of faith.  

Neither were sure about the exact moment that it happened.

Was it after their lips touched, or just a second before it?

Taichi was himself again and his lips were still pressed against Sora’s.

When Sora opened her eyes, she was on her toes, her lips still touching Taichi’s.

They’d solved the riddle, prevented a catastrophe but the only question remaining was who’d pull apart first?

-End-

[tornado-s-tale]

OTANJOBI OMEDETO NEKO CHAN!

Before I start here’s the unfinished draft I forgot on tumblr- 

I sort of hazily remember you with Kaddu during the initial days at the Uni, at that time I had no idea of what an amazing and beautiful person you were. Not only are you immensely adorable but also have one of the sweetest and happiest souls I have ever crossed paths with. It’s not stretching things to say that you are the most happiest thing in the University for me. Pulling your leg while I talk about C.J bring about those adorably sweet expressions that are just priceless! I know this is about you but C.J definitely deserves a mention here because of how happy he makes you. My advice to you is just to focus on the happiness because that’s REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT. The fact that the last words of the previous sentence were capital AND highlighted is me tryna express how IMPORTANT it is for me to see you happy.When I say that I always wanna see you happy it’s how I want your life to be. Though I’m not dumb enough to think that it will always be so. There will be times when you want to cry you heart out and times when you just don’t want to talk even though you know talking to someone that makes you happy will give you relief and bring you happiness. Know that I’m ALWAYS HERE for both of these situations! When you want to talk but don’t want to tell me just say that code and I’ll know :D

-------------------------------------------------X-------------------------------------------------------

Now, the new one! - 

You know, back when I was naive and dumb and sorta didn’t respect boundaries I had this dumb thing I did where I compared how close a friend was to a friend of mine and I found an inkling of that past version of myself when a thought regarding your birthday wish crossed my mind. The thought was that.” how had your other friends written something about you and for you that would make you happy and if I could maybe be the best?” I dropped that thought as soon as I realized where it had come from, the past me, the me that I thought I had left far behind. So, what I’m going to do now is just describe to you the neko chan that I know and how important you’re to me without really caring about anyone else’s version of my kawaii neko chan.

My first memory of you was that you were pretty tall and Kaddu’s really important friend and when you later told me about your first expression of me, I was actually really happy ya know? Like really. really happy! I do sort of hazily remember the conversation or pseudo-conversation we had with each other regarding on what app I read my Mangas? But I lucidly remember the first conversation we ever really had, it was when me and Gyani had come to give our laundry up the tiny lil hill and we met you and the one who must not be named anymore for world peace. Even lucidly what I remember saying is that you were awesome and I hold fast to that thought till the present and most probably throughout the time I’ll know you (to put it dramatically, “till the last breath I take?”)

We only properly started hanging out when we moved into our lecture-hall/homeroom where I troubled you by decorating your soft, silky, flowy, and amazingly enchanting hair with ‘em bits and pieces of plastic. I still remember those 2 amazing pics that I clicked that day = and the day when you kept that pic as your profile pic at my request (it was pretty amazing and cute and did have those wonderful expressions of yours you know).

From there it was all sorta downhill. Yep, the process was a bit slow and it did take time for us to warm up to each other and enjoy the little things we did. The chits I passed along to you and Kaddu during the class did play a pretty good role ya know (I still have them all stashed away in the case of one of my 3 glasses).

Then came the part where we started talking about anime a bit more and started telling each other a bit more about the other. After Bindra became my comrade, it started to get even better as Bindra and I started to call you from my room after the exhaustive days we’d all have had and talk about even the tiniest of things that existed, laughing and being happy all throughout the conversation and smiling a bit later even by just remembering about it (I dunno about you but I sure did smile about them later on). Do you remember the subtle references about the conversations we had had, later on the next day at the Uni or sometime later? I sure as hell enjoyed giving them and looking at the different expressions they brought about your adorable face.

Coming to that adorable face of yours and the expressions on them, I do have a lot to say ya know. Almost literally anything you say with that adorably sweet voice you have, sounds like that particular tune to a person, which, whenever he hears he gets a surge of happiness and joy. For example, Aoi ni Sora from Naruto (we both know how nostalgic that would make a person who has been a fan of Naruto). So basically, what I’m coming to is this- When you compare those priceless expressions with that enchantingly happy voice, it’s just something that makes the person in front of you happy and jolly and sort of the hop-in-the-step wala happy (or at least that’s what it does to me). For instance, the way you say “SHUSH. I can hear it as clear as day even when I type this and it does bring a smile on my face. There’re also other things too like when you say, “Meow Meow”, “Hai Kuma-san” or even simply “Hello”. Your voice is basically one of the sweetest things to exist that is known to me.

Conversing with you in Japanese and improving as much as I can while feeling happy that I’m able to do so with someone I can so easily relate to is also a pretty amazing feeling ya know! On that note, since this this something that I’m writing and you don’t have to respond immediately I’m going to go all out without thinking about how I used the superlative degree or not when I say this- Watashi wa Aishite desu Neko-chan!

Apart from Comrade Bindra, you’re the only person I’ve properly talked to about my past and my scars (literally and figuratively). Even Comrade Bindra doesn’t know the details if I recall it right, it’s just the synopsis of my amazingly awesome biography. So, what I’m basically saying is that you’re probably the most important person for me at the University and you’re going to be stuck with me for a really long time. Also, scratch the ‘probably’ and substitute it with a ‘definitely’. On this note I’ll also say that I know you have your insecurities like everyone of us and think that you’ll someday do something that’ll push me away or something along those lines, and I’m just telling you that it’s never going to happen and I’ll remind you about this everyday if I have to 😊 ! I’ll be the kage to your hikari and help you be the brightest you could be! (an altered Kuroko no Basuke reference, just so you know)

I love the long calls I’ve had with you these past few days too, even if you didn’t talk, the static or random noises from your side would also give me a sense of relief, knowing that you were on the other side of the call. Hearing you talk about your day and also the cheesy things regarding CJ and the cheesiness that’s rubbed off on you is also one of the most adorable things ever!

You remember those moments I talked about where I just didn’t have words to express what I felt and I really needed a HUG? I’m really looking forward to that! That’s my thought that I will now use to express how wonderful and healing your hugs are and how they blissfully affect a person. It’s like one of those magical paradoxes that seem impossible when you hear about them but on the other hand, seem so lucidly clear when you actually experience them! I’ve only been on the receiving end a few times but I already know how magical they are and whenever I feel sad or just extremely happy or unable to express something, I really look forward to them!

This birthday wish is also sort of how I view our friendship up until now and it also includes the most important and closest parts to my heart! My only thought now is that you feel happy and satisfied after you finish reading this. You don’t really have to respond to this at all and let alone in a grand way because I know that it can sometimes get a bit too much to reply to something like this and also a bit of a drag. Just give me a ‘I read it’ when you do read this though.

I really, really adore you and appreciate our friendship and I care for you as much as I possibly could. You may say that ‘things change’ but I’ll always have my counter saying that ‘If things change, they’ll change for the better’ (cheesy right? I know, but it’s still the good kinda cheesy and always will be). In the end I’d like to say that this pretty much sums up what I have to say and I’m satisfied with it. I really, really love you Neko-chan, and I’ll always be here for you! 😊

Watashi wa dai dai dai dai dai dai dai dai dai dai suki desu! Ano, watashi wa Aishite masu!

KUMA, KUMA!

[intotheventures]

Deflating themattress... again.

Before reading, see my recent important note about the troll impersonators I wrote a few hours ago.

“Shallow Badassery”

“He never adequately explains what he means by this. He seems to mean the Reaction Commands…”

There’s also the various forms, and his base outfit which is “cool” for the fanboys. Just saying, there’s a reason KH became associated with Hot Topic after the release of KH2. There’s shallow badassery in other games like you mentioned but KH2 is the worst about it in my eyes. Also he does millions of unrealistic flips in each aerial combo (admittedly some of the added abilities in KH1FM involved flips too).

“Again, never defines [pandering] other than anything fans would like, particularly yaoi baiting. To which I’d say to post anything from 3D between Sora and Riku.”

There is nothing in 3D that comes across as “this ones for you, yaoi fans!” like the SoRiku bait in KH2, not even the tea party scene. They were fairly quiet before KH3 was released. You’ve used pandering as a buzzword yourself. I do like this next sentence as it proves the yaoi fandom became what it is today following KH2:

“they THRIVED in the years since 2006!)”

“Bad Characterization (OOC/Idiot/Mary Sue Sora, Emo Riku & Roxas, etc.)”

Which are all true.

“His charges against Sora are either that he’s OOC by being cockier and more aggressive and taunting toward opponents (show Sora’s cocky-ass victory quotes from the Coliseum in KH,”

“That’s the power of the Keyblade!” and “Nothing to it!” aren’t really what I’d call cocky, he’s allowed to be a little showoffy in a tournament, in story based cutscenes, lines like “Aw, we only get to stomp on a few of you?” come across as cringy and OOC.

“or his threats to opponents like “After I finish you, he’s next!” to Axel and Marluxia)”

Justified after what he found out. That’s different from outright taunting them. See my Dialogue Comparison upload for more details.

“that he’s dumbed down because he does stuff like bang on a computer (show any dumb moment in 3D or KH3, or moments where his friends basically make fun of him for being dumb)”

What 3D moments compare to him thinking Mushu’s shadow is a Heartless or thinking Ping is a girl? He was not this dumb in previous games, or later ones.

“or a Mary Sue because he solve too many problems in Disney worlds (show him doing so in literally any other game. Yeah, this charge against Sora may be the most ridiculous one.)”

He did, but it felt really overdone in KH2 for some reason, probably because he wasn’t learning anything alongside them. In KH1 and COM he learned morals and he grew as a character, but is static and one dimensionally in KH2. See my recent copy and paste of “HHH is the game”’s post on KH2 vs KH1 Sora.

“As for saying Riku and Roxas are “emo”, just go in length to explain how regret, depression, fear and anxiety works, especially in the case of Roxas who finds out that his life is a lie.”

The writing surrounding them wasn’t good, you’ve admitted Riku was emo when in the form of Ansem, yet now you’re denying it.

“Misogyny toward Kairi”

You’re an SJW. If I was a MUH SOGGY KNEES I would hate KH3 Kairi, I don’t.

“she did have more personality and development not having to do with Sora than in KH3”

She was static in KH2, she had potential but it wasn’t realized.

“escaped on her own”

Apparently you watched a different version of the Saix scene than I did. They didn’t even have the decency to show us how she escaped from Axel, who was so pathetic at that point.

“(she has no such excuse in KH3, where she is kidnapped while holding a Keyblade, and also KILLED twice which is notably worse than kidnapping)”

I never denied she was done dirty in KH3, difference being she went down fighting, and Kairi’s bad treatment doesn’t take away from her good moments.

“and that seeing her panties was not something you were supposed to do and no impact on the plot, plus her skirt is just as short in KH3 so she is still being “used for fanservice”.”

Her KH3 skirt has no zippers though…

“Also, she did not “get shit done and save everyone”, she just believed in her heart that Sora would survive to get shit done and save everyone.”

Basically the same thing.

“In KH2, she actually did get shit done and save people.”

Would have been nice if she didn’t have other glaring flaws to hamper that. She could have done that without being flattened or kidnapped twice.

“Too many KH-original characters”

“He says too many characters were in KH2 who “had no personality / low screentime” or “were useless”. Which apparently wasn’t the case in KH3, despite having more than double the amount of KH-original characters, many of whom are widely considered to be shafted.”

KH3 had this problem too, never said otherwise, too many OCs is one of my gripes with modern KH, but it’s a carryover from KH2.

““Cringe” Dialogue”

Quotations weren’t necessary, those KH2 lines ARE cringe.

“Just reply with any of the “cringe” dialogue from literally any other KH game.”

No examples? I’ve shown over a dozen from KH2 but you haven’t shown one. Hmmm….

“Convoluted Plot”

See “Too many KH original characters” above.

“Cloud’s Side Story”

KH2 was where it truly got bad. Also vanilla KH1 > KH1FM, and this is a reason why.

“Filler Disney Worlds”

The post he links to was made out of spite, the views don’t seem that genuine…

“ You can also mention how most of the world visits had relevant story reasons for being there, a motivation for Sora to visit them, as opposed to just dicking around in them for no given reason.”

The revisits had no reason.

“Only Agrabah, Halloween Town and Pride Land are fairly pointless”

And Atlantica, and Land of Dragons…

“but if people consider them fun to play through then that’s all that truly matters.”

You could say that for any game, even KH3.

“KH2 Atlantica”

“It’s an optional world. You can skip it if you want.”

Skipping it doesn’t make it not suck.

“And let’s be real: the musical rhythm mini-game is no less cringey than the later Mario Party-esque board game of BBS, virtual pet raising element of 3D, or Corona dancing minigame and “Let It Go” in its entirety in KH3.”

At least those examples didn’t have their own crappy songs (Finny fun? Really?). So KH2 Atlantica is still worse than those.

Then khtrinityft”w” closes off with an unfunny image of Sora with the caption “You gonna cry?”. I have nothing to say to express my contempt of that awful writing that I haven’t already said before.