#Sora and Joy is intimately connected and

[valorxdrive]

You know. There has always been a popular point of contention I’ve seen regarding Sora’s character. One that always has this lean on what ‘maturity’ means in terms of how his character progresses. That in itself is never bad, since it’s a natural brand of life progression to grow according to your experiences. There’s just one particular section I have to REALLY reflect my disapproval on.

Sora losing his concepts of cheerfulness/optimism to create that mature aspect is something I can never agree with. Aka the ‘grown up’ idealism which many people love to have sensationalized in mediums of high violence and whatever else. Jaded world, jaded people, jaded situations.

Having him face these situations and naturally go through the motions of learning, growth and having a ‘Sora personalized’ handle on taking on these situations, especially without others by his side is an important deal to have. Where maturity stems from wisdom and deeper understanding in my personal viewpoint. Which in turn, he’s come to learn throughout the series just how vast everything has been even with his high paced situations. To the point of 3, it ended up with him breaking one of these unknown Natural Laws in the name of his companions.

An important aspect to even help keep him strong is his particular sense of character. Noble, finding the best even in the worst of situations, never losing that quality of not believing that something or someone should be cast to damnation in the name of ‘tough decisions.’ To brave the idea of searching for an answer that many would believe to be impossible instead if it can benefit many as ‘too good to be true.’ The hardest path I’ve come to personally see in Kingdom Hearts is working adamantly to do good, when countless powers, people and figures out there love to draw temptation in the forms of power with prices, or to let apathy reign and caring less about the cost of what’s out there.

The fact Sora commits himself to doing right by the world, holding true to his oath of KH1 of using his power to ‘Protect himself and others’, even if it meant slaying foes too far beyond truly sticks with me.

That said, another fine stand out is that it’s never drawn to a point of being a mindless branch of slaughter.

As showcased with Xehanort, Sora wants to truly understand the situation to the best he can, and rather would destroy destructive ambitions firsthand before anything else. Finding the true root of the problem, which is likely the most dangerous route to take ends up becoming the path always traversed, as he must never close his heart, whether literally or by the many poisonous teachings that manifested in the KH mythos.

JUST MAKES YOU THINK.

Keeping true to the brand of character he’s the most content with, on top of fully realizing the Greater World, and learning the scale of what’s needed to be prepared and inevitably fight these forces upon evened footing without falling to their vices is what really makes him stand out to me.

In short/tl’dr. I believe the core concept for Sora is that looking at his positive qualities/the fact he ENJOYS life = immature is horribly underrate. He needs to grow, true. Though, becoming a molded form of what the cruelties of the world made you, and not by your own decision is no ‘true strength’ much as it is, making the best of what you have to survive. Even if at times this regresses your growth as you becoming someone you’re ultimately not happy with.

Slaughtering the problem isn’t it, but to diminish the roots of such agony and stopping it from devouring others is.

[oblivionknight]

‘ i carry your heart with me; i carry it in my heart. ’ ( shippy meme )

It was rigorously forbidden for mermaids to intimately associate with humans, that was the one rule that all merfolk were naturally forced to follow. However, it was the one thing that Riku couldn't bring himself to follow. It happened when he was just a child and could recall every single detail to this day. However, he noticed a boy drowning and without a second thought swam and promptly saved the other.

His fingers reached up and touched his lips as he recalled that to save the other he needed use some of his magic. A kiss from a mermaid could heal even the most severe wound even save someone from the edge of dying. If anyone had seen what had occurred that day..Riku would lose his tail and be forced live a human life.

However, when the boy really thought about it..he didn't mind losing his mermaid half if it naturally meant protecting that boy he saved. Someone that had managed to find their way inside Riku's heart. Love at first sight. It wasn't concept that the mermaid ever thought would happen to him but in that moment all he could feel was the need to protect the other, the boy known as Sora. Ever since that day the two of them met in secret considering how severely they would be punished if anyone on either side caught them interacting. The brunette was a well established pirate captain and Riku the prince of the merfolk. It seemed like the two would be at one another throats but something inside each of them yarned to be close to each other. How their daily thoughts were typically occupied by the other until it felt like that was the sole thing on their minds. There was no doubt..they were in love with each other. 

It was just another night, Riku hoisted himself onto a rock waiting for Sora to show up. The wind flowing through his long white hair and his turquoise hues illuminated by the moonlight. Which is one of the reasons the pirate captain called the mermaid his Sapphire Moonlight. A enduring nickname that only Sora was allowed to refer to him as. It made his heart leap from joy whenever the brunette would call him such a name. Riku thoughts were interrupted when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He didn’t even have to turn and look to know that it was his Starlight. There came a gentle sensation as he felt Sora leave a trail of kisses down his neck. “You keep doing that, and you’ll make me melt.” said Riku, as he turned to see those beautiful brown colored eyes. How that colored just made Sora look so much more gentle, if that was even possible.

“I can’t greet my love?” chuckled Sora, as he kept his arms around Riku. There came a soft laugh from the other as he pressed his lips against the captains. The crown necklace he gave Sora seeming to shine so brightly in the pale moonlight. “You can but expect me to spoil you more.” whispered Riku, as he felt at peace whenever he got to spend time with his dearly beloved. Their hands intertwined as the two shared more intimated kisses with one another. Oh how their hearts burned to be with each other. “I missed you..” mumbled Riku, as it had been a while since two had time to come here. It didn’t help that the merfolk and humans seemed to be keeping close eye on the town. “I missed you too..I know it’s been hard for us to see each other, and I hate that. Life fills so much emptier with you. However, I carry your heart with me. I carry it inside my heart. There isn’t moment I don’t think of you.”  

It was those very words that caused Riku’s to skip a beat. How did one boy have so much power over him. To make him feel things that once seemed impossible. His hand reached up and traced Sora’s features, almost in attempt to memorize each one. How those tiny freckles would sparkle against the others skin during the daylight. 

“I know and I’m your mermaid.” whispered RIku, as he felt their lips connect one again. Oh how blissful it felt to share such moments with Sora.

[starlight-vixen-emiko]

RokuNami Week 2021 Day 7: Fireflies / Summer Romance

Day 7 for @rokunamiweek <3<3<3

Day 7 and I am ending with a bang! At least I hope I am...I apologize in advance for roughness. I am certainly sad to see the end.

If I may be personal in the author’s note I have to say it felt nice to write the joys of summer with a ship that has been near and dear to me for years. Usually around this time I miss summer but now I feel summer is ending on a high note.

Anyway, no more dillydallying. I hope all of you enjoy!

~~~~~

It was the start of summer vacation and the summer nights were beautiful. And Roxas felt he was the luckiest guy alive when Namine asked him if he could watch the fireflies with her.

Nothing could make him happier to watch fireflies in the evening with her. But Axel, Sora, and Riku encouraged him to finally confess his feelings to Namine.

Roxas was a bit concerned. He knew he couldn't let those feelings go unspoken, but the blonde-haired boy wondered if it would turn out all wrong and he would lose Namine.

But even if his friends teased him about it, he knew in his heart he should finally let his feelings be known. To move forward with life, and if Namine didn't feel the same way about her, he would always be her friend.

Roxas tried to be as casual as possible when he arrived at the garden where Namine was waiting for him.

"Roxas!" Namine cried as she noticed his arrival.

 Namine walked up to him, looking ecstatic.

"I am so happy you're here!"

She was so adorable, so beautiful, and so kind. Roxas had to stay focused, but there was a telltale blush on his face which he tried to hide.

"Thank you for inviting me," he said as Namine turned and walked back to the table, she set up for them.

He took a seat next to her, and he saw how excited she was, searching the entire area for the lights of fireflies.

But when the night grew dark, the blonde-haired girl was a bit bewildered.

"Hmm, I figured the fireflies would show up by now," she said.

Roxas looked around for any fireflies. They would usually hide in the bushes like Christmas lights.

"I am sure they are just a bit late," Roxas said.

Namine turned to him. "I hope they show up soon. I wouldn't want this night to be disappointing."

Roxas scooted his seat closer to her. "Namine, everything is fine. It's a summer night. There is no one I'd rather watch the fireflies with."

To Roxas' surprise, Namine let out what sounded like a nervous giggle.

"That's good to hear," she said.

Namine smiled confidently and put her hands together, and closed her eyes to make a wish. Then she opened her eyes and turned back to Roxas.

"I figured you would want to spend time with someone else," Namine said.

Roxas thought for a moment. "Well, if I spend too much time with Sora, Riku, and Axel, I would go insane. Saix doesn't like summer nights. Kairi and Olette have each other and so do Xion and Ven."

Namine bashfully looked away.

Roxas smiled. "Nope! I am completely free tonight. You can ask me for anything!"

Namine moved her chair closer. "Well, is there anything you want to do this summer? Next time you can choose where we go."

Namine's smiling face and the question she just asked caused him to sweat a little. The way she said where they would go, now it was all or nothing.

Namine glanced to check for fireflies, and Roxas wiped off the sweat on the back of his neck.

"I want to tell you something," he said.

Namine turned back in a bit of surprise. "You do? What is it?"

Roxas took a moment to catch his breath. "It's not bad...At least I hope it isn't."

Namine stared at him in bewilderment, as if she thought he would simply tell her, but then she realized that Roxas needed to tell her something important.

Now what seemed to be simple enough made him so nervous. This would change everything, but he knew he was ready for that change, whatever it may be.

Namine looked him straight in the eye with her azure blue eyes. "You can tell me, Roxas. You can tell me anything."

Roxas took a breath of confidence and tried to ease himself up. "Alright, I will. I am…" He paused, looking down at his hand. "Just a bit scared, that's all."

"Scared?" Namine said. It was a bit strange to her because Roxas was one of the bravest people she knew.

"Yeah," Roxas said with a chuckle. "Fighting with a keyblade is nothing compared to this."

Roxas knew he should stop beating around the bush. Still, he took a moment of silence to mentally prepare, and Namine respectfully stayed quiet as well.

"It's just my feelings…." Roxas uttered, realizing it was hard to get his words together.

Namine was so incredibly confused, but she stayed silent.

"My feelings for you…."

Namine felt a stirring inside of her. He said that so sincerely.

Roxas turned to her and looked her straight in the eye,

"Namine, I like you. As in...More than just a friend. I always have."

Namine couldn't help but let out a gasp, and Roxas lost his composure and turned away.

He was about to apologize to her and say they would always be friends if she wasn't interested. But then he heard soft crying coming from her.

Roxas quickly turned to her out of concern, but he saw her crying sparkling tears while smiling.

"Namine?" Roxas cried.

"I like you too, Roxas!" She said while choking on tears.

"I like you a lot!" She cried again.

Roxas was so incredibly speechless, and Namine took a moment to wipe away some tears with the back of her hand.

"I just thought you were interested in a much prettier girl," Namine said. She giggled from happiness and relief.

Roxas smiled and shook his head. "No, Namine, you are the most beautiful girl to me."

Namine sounded like she was about to cry again while giggling. Roxas got out of his seat so he could face her. Namine smiled up at him, and Roxas took a moment to wipe off a single shiny tear from her face. Roxas was still in a bit of denial, though.

"I didn't think you liked me back," Roxas said.

"Of course I do!" Namine cried. "Every time I look at you, I feel something in my heart. All of our friends said it was obvious!"

Roxas was starting to wonder if the guys planned this the entire time. Well, even if his friends were a bunch of knuckleheads, at least both of them had a good support group.

Namine got out of her seat and took his hands in hers, and they both felt a rush. It was a whole new feeling. Holding each other's hands as a new couple, feeling each other's love as they tenderly laced their hands.

They enjoyed the feeling for a moment until they were hypnotized by each other's eyes.

And as if the two of them had a strong connection, they slowly moved in to kiss each other for the first time. Roxas and Namine's first kiss was like two delicate flower petals meeting together, but it was still very intimate. They could feel the warmth and sweetness of each other's breath briefly when they broke the kiss.

When they finally opened their eyes, they were surrounded by the lights of fireflies. Namine was surprised that they finally showed up, lighting everything around them like string lights. Both of them held out their hands so the fireflies could shine their light on them. They looked radiant in the glow of the fireflies, and it made them even more enamored with each other.

It was the start of their summer romance.

Author’s Note: Honestly this fanfic gave me a headcanon that Roxas and Namine’s love started with a summer romance. Because Roxas loves summer and summer vacation!

Really I had loads of fun writing Roxas and Namine’s summer adventures. It felt appropriate to end off with how their romance began.

Thanks for a wonderful week. I will see all of you next time!

[razorblade180]

If you had the power to pick 5 ships that became canon, what would they be?

Do you mean RWBY, or in general?

If it’s RWBY, then my list is pretty easy to think of.

Mercury and Emerald- I really like the idea of them becoming the only peace of mind and happiness they’ve found in their lives. To quote Rihanna, “We found love in a hopeless place.” Also I’ve said this before, but the FNDM is always set on crwby adding representation in terms of identity, sexuality, orientation, etc. But I’d like the other forms too. It’s nice seeing a black person date and love a white person, or have a the guy be the shorter on in the relationship. I don’t think we get enough of that kind of representation either.

Tai and Raven -I want them to find their way back to each other and mend their love. Why? Simple, I’m a sap. It would be touching and real, Raven redemption arc, all that jazz. That household deserves love ten times over.

War of the Roses-LISTEN, narratively, it wouldn’t be the craziest thing. Weiss and Jaune by far are the two characters that care about Ruby and get inspired by her. They also generally have the best moments together with her. Not to mention I can totally see Ruby being flustered and acting like her usual childish self, refusing to pick only one. She’d totally blurt out the suggestion to be with both out of panic. It would be cute and I think it would fit. Honestly, you could apply this to Sunny Bees as well.

Penny and Oscar-Imagine a new spin on the love that lasts lifetimes? Together they both feel a little more normal and Penny, being her pure self, makes an emotional promise to always find the reincarnation and calls out to the piece of Oscar that lingers; and it always finds it way back to to her.

Any of my crack ships- I will have the same level of joy from seeing Winter and Marrow together as CRWBY being crazy enough for Ilia doing self exploration and being Demi, connecting on an extremely intimate and personal level with Sun. I’d live forever. You would never hear me shut up. Dragonslayer would have me throw a party and watch tumblr go insane.

Non-RWBY ships

I just want to say thank you to dreamworks animations and The Dragon Prince really quick for actually giving me the ships I want. It’s nice being fed. Moving on...

Sokai-Nomura, just let them kiss. You have them go through so much to find each other and keep having a character say “Kairi is is someone really dear to Sora’s heart-” Just have them kiss!!! Disney and Square Enix have characters kiss all the time! If you’re gonna wrip them apart then at least give us flustered couple stuff beforehand.

Mirror Tulip and Jessie- I don’t need much. If One-One for some reason was watching people around the world to see who to puck up next and we see those two briefly on a date, I’d be set for life. That would be cute.

Dipper and Pacifica- It is the one thing Gravity Falls didn’t do, surprisingly. That would be cute.

Spider-Man and White Tiger- Anyone remember the Ultimate Spider-Man, the third best animated Spider-Man show? There’s an episode where those two get really close and they’re always bouncing off each other in interesting ways throughout the show. It would’ve been real neat if they actually had them date. It’s the classic case of creating chemistry and then not doing it.

Finn and Flame Princess- Much like Gravity Falls, a character went through countless romantic flops that made develop and grow. That’s good stuff, but I’m greedy; give them what they learned and what they were looking for lol😅. Finn and FP were adorable and I wanted it to work out.

Bonus!

NaruSaku- I don’t even have to say anything. Y’all know what I’m about. Wrote a freaking rewrite and everything. 💀😂

[herocarved-a]

in the six months since sora ended up in the pool outside his bedroom, he's been teaching him of all the things of the surface that he's been curious about-- but of course the merman's become enraptured by the idea of christmas, enthralled with the romance of it. from helping with the christmas tree to putting up decorations---- riku doesn't know how he's surprised to see the mistletoe now dangling in his doorway. leaning down, pressing lips to his own - he at least gives what he's asked for.          ------   @dawnled​

christmas . 

he’s heard of the holiday ; he’s even seen it from a distance , where the human world twinkled with the lights && glittering ornaments ---   but he’s never experienced it for himself . meeting his true love saved him from a life of expectations && responsibilities . riku gave him his greatest wish : his freedom to choose his own life ; now , as he all but dances in place beneath the obviously placed mistletoe , he gets to experience what humanity seems to cherish so much .

&& can he be anymore excited as he watches riku’s eyes dart from the little , poisonous plant to sora’s own , expectant gaze ? he’s grinning without subtlety ; his eyes dance && twinkle in the dim glow of the fairy lights ; his hands form jubilant fists at chest height , as if he’s about to break into a victory cheer ; && oh , how he bounces on his heels , clearly , far too full of delight at his assumed cleverness to keep still completely .

that riku caves so easily almost shocks him into a nonresponse . but then an arm encircles his true love’s neck && he can’t help but smile into the kiss with such glee at his success . he’d been a little skeptical at the supposed magic the plant held ; now , as he chases riku’s lips with so much demand , he can’t help but believe that christmas really is as magical as humans make it out to be .

sora refuses to let riku rid himself of him so easily ; even as their kiss changes to a breathless press of foreheads , with eyes connected && noses brushing so intimately , the smaller boy stretches to accommodate the height difference in a pleading sort of way ---   don’t leave yet , riku !

&& of course , he doesn’t . it’s as if he knows , as if he can hear the way sora’s heart shivers && begs for the attention of his best friend , his north star , his guardian in this new && wonderful && frightening world he’s dreamt so long of being part of . && sora believes that that that riku’s psychic as he gets a second && a third kiss , each one shorter than the last , && yet , no less full of all the adoration sora craves .

“ i’m glad i get to spend my first christmas with you . ”

he murmurs those words with such honest joy && his fingers of his free hand press into riku’s so contentedly . && he’d give up his royal titles all over again , if it meant he could stay with riku for all their future christmases , too . but , for just this once , he chooses not to speak the first thing that comes to mind ; instead , he murmurs , so softly , so contentedly , the second thought that comes to him ,   “ can we keep all the christmas decorations up all year long ? ”

[hivemined]

    “     then i knew that i’d always love you .     ” oh yeAH WELL FULL HOMO @ RIKU          @paopura​ / prompted     /     still accepting !!

his heart had been through so much ,   these past few years   ———   corroded with darkness  ,   broken by fate ,   strained by separation ;   so to say that it had survived many trials throughout their journey together would be no more than a   pitiful understatement .   in this moment ,   however ,   riku feels something he’s never felt before ,   as though his heart genuinely stops altogether ,   emotion   wracking    through him at a speed incomprehensible   &   overwhelming ,   robbing him of his ability to think ,   to speak ,   to do   anything   but stand before sora in the purest state of shock he’d ever encountered .   they’re words he’s wanted to hear ,   in this context ,   for so long now ;   since the moment he realized his feelings for his best friend are   far more   than anything platonic .

riku is a man unafraid to speak his mind ,   characterized by his gallantness   &   righteous fiest ,   as well as his leadership skills   &   altruism .   but he had held these feelings in his heart ,   privately ,   for fear that he could risk losing the one person in the entire universe he’d fought this hard to save ,   and would   do it all over again   without a second’s hesitation ,   should sora ever need it .   not that he could ever realistically imagine sora passing any judgment onto him ,   but things   work   with them as strictly friends ,   and potentially sacrificing that comfortable functionality for the sake of his own feelings had terrified him .   sure ,   he belives sora would never leave his side ,   no matter what ,   but who’s to say things wouldn’t   change   between them ??   and how could he be sure that change would be for the better ??   

only one thing is for certain .   he loves sora .   he loves sora more than anything ,   he’s   loved   him all this time ,   and will love him forever .   his love is imprinted at his heart’s core ,   written along his veins   &   floruishing in his soul ,   growing   every time   he sees that blinding smile ,   or looks into those   empyrean   blue eyes;   reminding him of all the hope   &   light in the world .   he hadn’t always been perceptive enough to tell ,   but the feelings had been there from the   start ,   and only bloomed with time ,   like flowers nestled in his ribcage .   

but all the while ,   riku had never   seriously   considered that maybe ,   just   maybe ,   sora returned his feelings .

wide eyes turn to soft crescent moons ,   his lips pressing into a line as the visceral urge to suppress whatever emotion is about to  burst   out of him takes precedent .   it doesn’t last long ,   however ,   because he can never hide from sora   ———   he should have realized that from   the beginning .   the connection that they have is   beyond   friendship ,   and he’s always known that much ;   their hearts are constantly in intimate conversation ,   knowing each other better than anything across all the worlds ,   perhaps even   made for each other .   the only way to describe that is love .

joy bubbles up in riku’s veins ,   the kind of joy that only sora can pull out of him like this ,   but even more   intense   than usual .   before he can even think to try to suppress them ,   his eyes fill with tears ,   wetness spilling onto his lashes ,   a stuttering sigh escaping him as he doesn’t even know   where   to start,   his mind is so full of thoughts,   of memories ,   of   emotions .     “   i   ———     ”     he tries ,   any potential words swallowed by a sob ,   and then an embarrassed laugh as he realizes he’s   crying .   hands immediately raise to rub at his eyes ,   trying to stifle the waterworks ,   but to little avail .

the older boy takes in a deep breath ,   exhaling with the most   loving   smile that had ever formed among his features,   his eyes so soft   &   fond ,   the wetness about them makes them appear like pools of aquamarine ,   ready to submerge whatever they regard in pure   adoration .   

he doesn’t have to ask if he means it .   his heart has already given riku the answer ,   he can   feel   it .     “     i love you ,   too ,   sora .   i have this entire time   . . .   and i always will .   ”

[nadziejastar]

Naminé: Some people think pain is something you can just wipe away–and sometimes, maybe, you can. But not all pain can be erased. The only way to deal with it is to accept it head-on. And if the hurt is too great for you to bear it alone–well, then you turn to a friend close to your heart.

Well, the whole point of the power of waking was supposed to be that it’s the most powerful form of healing that there is. It allows someone to spiritually heal from all the abuse they’ve suffered. That’s the only way to wake someone up from sleep. If they’ve gone through too much torment, they enter the Realm of Sleep and exist outside of time without any conscious awareness. They can’t cope with that much pain on their own. 

It wasn’t supposed to be about time travel or instantly bringing someone back from the dead. It was supposed to be about intimately connecting with a person’s heart and helping them overcome the intense pain that caused their psyche to fracture. It’s essentially a miraculous power that is akin to a near death experience. You see the light, feel the intense love that the person has for you, and are never quite the same afterwards. It transforms you from the inside out. That’s why Sora needed to acquire this ability and why it was so important to the story (originally).

Riku: You okay? Feeling all right?

Sora: Yeah, I’ve never been better. I was watching what was going on in my dream. And I could hear your voice the whole time. Thanks, Riku. Thanks, everybody!

Terra has been through similar abuse to Isa. When he was saved, he said the same thing Sora did after Riku used the power of waking on him. He heard Ven’s voice in his dream. Presumably, Terra also felt better than ever after he woke up. The problem was that KH3 eliminated the power of waking. We didn’t see Terra get healed. Ventus was supposed to dive into his heart, defeat the nightmares that were imprisoning him and guide him back into the light using the power of their hearts’ connection. 

All of Terra’s inner darkness—all of his shame, hatred, and despair would be confronted head-on, like Aqua’s was when her shadow was fought. KH3 was supposed to show that love has the power to heal the deepest wounds. And Ventus loved Terra like a brother. This would make it so that Terra wasn’t a broken person after he woke up. He’d always carry his past, but he’d essentially be the same guy as before and be able to live a normal and happy life.

"Their hurting will be mended when you return to end it."

The same would have been true for Isa. Saïx has two weapons that are shaped like a Reiki pose and a Reiki angel. Reiki is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing. It is administered by “laying on hands” and is based on the idea that an unseen “life force energy” flows through us and is what causes us to be alive. If one’s “life force energy” is low, then we are more likely to get sick or feel stress, and if it is high, we are more capable of being happy and healthy.

The word Reiki is made of two Japanese words - Rei which means “God’s Wisdom or the Higher Power” and Ki which is “life force energy”. So Reiki is actually “spiritually guided life force energy.” A treatment feels like a wonderful glowing radiance that flows through and around you. Reiki treats the whole person including body, emotions, mind and spirit creating many beneficial effects that include relaxation and feelings of peace, security and well-being. Many have reported miraculous results.

Axel: Hey, Roxas. Bet you don't know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.

Reiki involves activating all of the chakras. There are 7 chakras with each one colored after the 7 colors of the rainbow. There are 7 Guardians of Light. That’s why the red sunset was so significant. Red light can penetrate the deepest darkness. Saïx’s weapon shaped like Reiki is named “Light Year”. And it’s part of Hazard Gear, which is the same as “The Sun” in Luxord’s deck. The other weapon “Luminary” is the same gear as “The Moon”. The Moon card represents fear, anxiety, and the subconscious.

The Sun card represents warmth, success, abundance, and radiance. Because of your own personal fulfillment, you provide others with inspiration and joy as well. You radiate love and affection towards those you care about the most. Both The Sun and The Moon are shaped like The 4 of Coins. This card can indicate that you are clinging to people, possessions, situations or past issues. You are trying to hold onto what you have and not let go. This interpretation can apply to not just physical things, but also emotional things like relationships. The whole idea was that Lea was supposed to heal Isa. And the strength of their bond was so great, it could even heal someone as messed up as him.

Sora: It'll bring us closer together; the hurt will only make us stronger.

“The Devil” is Rage Gear in Luxord’s deck and has a Recusant’s Sigil on it. Saïx’s weapon in this category is called “King of the Night”. It’s a reference to the Red King of alchemy. Queen of the Night is a white flower that blooms under a full moon. The Red King and White Queen are alchemical allegories, and their union represents the process of uniting opposites to create a greater, fully unified product of that union.

The Devil card represents your shadow side and the negative forces that constrain you and hold you back from being the best version of yourself. Feelings of entrapment, emptiness and lack of fulfillment in your life. The Ten of Coins deals with permanence and satisfaction. The card shows that everything you have put your efforts into for a long time will pay off in the future. Everything will work out well in the end, for you have always kept the long term picture in view, choosing to take no shortcuts. The path to get there has been filled with setbacks and challenges, making this point of the journey even sweeter. It’s the ultimate happy ending card.

“But I’ve heard him say fighting wasn’t his thing.” Roxas briefly pondered that and went on quietly, “I guess everyone in the Organization is good at different things.” That had to be true, Xion realized. They were all Nobodies, and yet, none of them were alike, not in appearance or personality.

“Right,” said Axel. “Everyone’s unique.”

“But how?” Xion wondered. “We’re Nobodies. Don’t you need a heart to be unique?”

“Oh, we have other things that set us apart. Like memories from before.”

I do think Isa was a gentle and kind person. I think his gentle personality is probably what got him turned into a vessel. It caused him to mentally break after being abused so badly. If he were to be revived, he’d have to confront all of the abuse he suffered. I think that would have played out while Lea used the power of waking on him. If Isa was restored post-KH3, I think he’d have the same overall personality as he did before his abuse, like Terra, Aqua, and Ven do. But all of that trauma would have to be dealt with.

Saïx didn’t understand that. Despite the lack of a heart, he could imagine what it was like to have emotional responses based on what he remembered from his human life. And he must be able to remember how much trouble it was.

And clearly there was a lot of trauma. There would be rage, despair, and probably jealousy due to the fact that Axel didn’t know that Isa was possessed and alienated Saïx in favor is Roxas and Xion. His heart would feel abandoned and hurt. I don’t think Saïx is a reflection of who Isa was at all and I feel bad that his character got treated with such little empathy or compassion by the story and most of the fandom. It always astounded me how so many fans treated Isa like he was simply a bad friend that Axel had a falling out with, instead of recognizing that he was possessed. 

“You made it back in one piece, didn’t you?”

Were you worried I wouldn’t? Axel almost said, but he didn’t want to deal with putting him in an even fouler mood. Disgust and rage seemed to linger closest to the surface of Saïx’s memories.

It was laughable that KH3 just tried to write him as a normal guy who was a maybe a wee bit on the callous side. And since he helped Roxas and Xion come back, everything was totally fine. Um, no. He was not normal in any way, shape, or form. You can’t make some Nobodies act like Luxord, Axel or Demyx, and then have Saïx act the way he does without giving an explanation. Especially since Isa was a normal kid. None of the other Organization members (besides Xemnas) acted psychotic or demonic like Saïx did. His Japanese title was “Demoniac Dancing in the Moon”. Isa was a rabbit and Saïx is a Werewolf. After he got Norted, Isa’s heart was devoured by Xehanort’s heart. And probably the Lich. 

Each Nobody gets their personality—their abilities—from their memories of their time as humans. What are abilities, anyway? I wonder why they occur. When I think about it, the existence of memory is what comes to mind. We are bound according to those memories, and so, we get our abilities according to memories. 

He didn’t need to atone. He needed to be saved and healed. It was never disclosed what Axel’s past was like, what his most precious memories were, or what was actually done to Isa to create so many awful memories. So I guess Square/Disney thought people would be too dumb to notice that Isa was a victim. He was one of the most tortured and abused characters in the series. It’s why Axel was always so patient and understanding towards him, despite his awful attitude. Axel knew that Isa’s memories were so bad, he became “twisted”.

He’d never deluded himself that tracking down Riku would be easy, and neither had Saïx. It was just that if he went back and reported that he couldn’t find anything, he would have to deal with those attempts at “personality”—the sneers, the snide remarks, the only trappings of human emotion that Saïx ever showed. Not that Saïx was even capable of annoyance or disappointment, of course, what with the lack of a heart and all.

Heading up the slope to the station, Axel bit into the ice cream bar. “This stuff is so salty,” he murmured to himself, as he often did.

I think it’s really sad that Lea will also never heal from his pain, since the root cause of it all was what happened to Isa. It seems like the fandom thought all of his pain was due to losing Roxas, which was simply not true. I think both Lea and Isa would always be affected by the abuse they’ve suffered, just like TAV. It’s likely that Lea would always be unwilling to talk about his past with anyone except Isa. And it’s probably the same with Isa. It would always stay with them. But I think they would have helped each other heal and live happy lives. Unfortunately, neither of them got to heal, and the story is just going to pretend their pain never existed in the first place.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

...I just want Sora and Kairi to be happy. They’ve earned it. In real life--I mean the time it takes the games to come out in our real lives--they’ve been wanting to be together for seventeen years, and are just never allowed to be. The first saga just ended, and everyone got their happy ending but them.

Just... Just think about this crap! Sora and Kairi have gone through so much! It’s not fair!

Even before all this stuff started--when they were just normal kids, leading normal lives--Sora thought he’d never get Kairi, because everyone was always bound and determined to tell him how he was inferior to Riku and surely Kairi would pick Riku over him.

Then their fucking planet is destroyed, Sora gets taken to another planet... and in the chaos of all of that, Kairi’s heart is removed from her body. Sora goes from world to world looking for her, only to later realize her heart is in his own. Great news, right? Except in freeing her heart and returning her to normal, he frees his own heart and becomes a Heartless that way... and the only thing that brings him back from being this monster with no knowledge, hellbent on stealing other people’s hearts, is Kairi finding some way to change Sora back: just because of her strong feelings for him (as said by the Journal) and her light powers... 

But this is still not a happy ending for them, my friends. Oh, no. (And we’re still only on the first game.) Sora, doing the right thing, has to leave Kairi behind for her safety to try and save their best friend Riku... So they’re literally torn worlds apart from each other, as they continually reach for each other’s hands and promise they’ll see each other again.

And then Chain of Memories happens, and Organization XIII forces Naminé to use her memory manipulation powers to make Sora forget Kairi and think that the girl he grew up with and has feelings for is her. And this almost goes horribly wrong. He’s close to staying like this forever--not only that, but being a slave/puppet to the Organization this way, as all he remembers and cares about is Naminé--but thankfully Naminé does what Sora what he did for her: in the rescuing each other thing... But these dominoes also made everyone in the world forget Sora. And Kairi tries to hold onto the memory of him, and everyone thinks she’s crazy for remembering this boy no one else does and thinks she made it up. Sora goes to sleep, so Naminé can work on piecing his memories of Kairi back together (and in doing this, also restore everyone’s memories of Sora)... and this takes a year. Because of all of this, something that Sora thought would take a short time--finding Riku--takes a long time, and he’s beating himself up for it when he and Kairi later meet again and doesn’t even think he deserves her easy forgiveness, and can’t enjoy her hug. And Kairi, meanwhile, is dutifully waiting on a beach, depressed, not knowing if her best friends are even alive.

More memory chaos ensues: Sora’s memories of Kairi somehow end up in what was intended to be a clone of him... and then moreso transforms that clone into Kairi than Sora, since she’s the person most special to him. And then this poor girl--and Sora and Kairi’s Others, that were created when Sora released his heart to fee Kairi’s, Roxas and Naminé--have to sacrifice themselves, so Sora and Kairi can be whole again. (Others who might also be in love with each other ala Sora and Kairi: Roxas and Xion and/or Roxas and Naminé). There’s just so much tragedy here.

Sora finally wakes up, and again begins his quest to find Riku and go home to Kairi... Except the worlds are in peril again, and need him. Kairi, tired of waiting, decides to branch out and try and look for her best friends herself... but is kidnapped along the way to be leverage against Sora (that Sora blames himself for). And in the manga, Saïx tortured Kairi (and she bravely withstood it, without once giving him what he wanted). And I don’t doubt that game Saïx was about to, and may have even  already done so.

Sora and Kairi finally finally finally reunite, and it’s great, but they’ve still got to stop the threat to Organization XIII. And even in the Castle That Never Was, they get separated and reunited quite a few times... have moments they perhaps think they’re going to die (like when Ansem’s Kingdom Hearts Encoder blows up, and no one knows what will happen and Sora attempts to shield Kairi). And it ends with them being torn away from each other again, when Xemnas lures Sora and Riku into a trap: The two of them end up in the Kingdom Hearts equivalent of Hell by the end of it, and think they’ll be stuck there forever so they might as well fade into darkness. And the only relief they find, is knowing that at least their friends (including Kairi, of course. And Sora starts this train of thought by saying Kairi’s name) are safe. But fortunately... a letter Kairi wrote Sora at the beginning of KHII washes up on the shore there. And in reading it, Sora and Kairi’s hearts almost seem to react to each other and create the Door to Light, that gets Sora and Riku out of there and back home. Sora and Kairi get the perfect reunion they deserved earlier, and everything’s peachy...

Except that everything is not over, and Mickey sends Sora a letter calling him away again. And while Sora nor Kairi want him to leave (since they both have some idea about their feelings for each other here), Kairi selflessly lets him go and Sora unselfishly goes to save all these tortured souls who are connected to him... While away, Sora’s heart is shattered by the enemy and he almost stays in a comatose state forever.

Eventually, Kairi goes to Yen Sid’s and he instructs that she should be trained. Yay! She and Sora should finally be able to stay together like they want--and Kairi should finally be able to help like she wants--and they somewhat finally confess their feelings to each other and get together (moreso later in the “Tunnel of Light” scene), and then they go to the stupid Keyblade War: A horrible thing that had nothing to do with them at all, but that they were forced to be in to try and save the world... And everything goes horribly wrong. 

All of our heroes fucking die... But Kairi uses an act of true love, and her Princess of Heart powers, to keep Sora from fading away completely... And because of this, Sora uses the Power of Waking to save the rest of their friends... and by doing so rewrites history so that their fall never even happened... 

But then later, fucking Xemnas kidnaps Kairi and then Master Xehanort murders her in front of Sora to give him “motivation”... And Sora goes off on a suicide mission at the end (talking about how fate seems to be against them, and how he’s done with that, before he leaves), and ends up saving Kairi, but at the cost of his own life (he’s now in the Reapers’ Game, for a second chance at life... and if he loses, his entire existence fades away completely: a fate even worse than death), because abusing the Power of Waking so much did this to him. 

And it hurts more, in that this ending totally faked you out! Sora is so sure--despite everyone warning him differently--that he can return home with himself and Kairi. And a lot of this was probably lying and bravado, but you didn’t know it at the time! And in the ending, Sora and Kairi are together on the paopu tree holding hands (more intimately than they ever have before). You think Sora won! Kairi cries, but you think it’s tears of joy! And Sora leans into Kairi--and you think they’re finally going to kiss--but psych! Sora disappears in this moment! All that talk before wasn’t for nothing, and he didn’t defy his fate. Kairi hunches in on herself, depressed, and the credits roll. Also, all of this while a super romantic song about marriage is playing in the background (that actually does have a really melancholy undertone, but you don’t get why--and almost ignore it--until this moment). Ahh!

...Give me KHIV already, and let these kids finally be happy together.

[landprince]

Stars dotted the night sky in intricate patterns-- revealing stories, places, and a lingering feeling of awe in their brilliant light. In some ways looking at the night sky always made Riku feel small, insignificant to the universe as a whole. What was he to something that was billions of years old?

If he thought too much about it, the feeling left him shaking. The dawning realization of his place in the universe sometimes too much to think about and leaving him in a crater of depression about how nothing really mattered. It scared him to think about how meaningless he actually was on a grand scale.

But then a hand brushed against his own and the beginning tendrils of anxiety halted in their tracks. Fingers interlaced with his and he turned his head to see the most beatific smile he had ever seen.

Sora was smiling, saying something that Riku couldn’t quite make out even though he was staring at the other boy’s lips so intently that one would have thought he was entranced by the soft way Sora’s mouth wrapped around each syllable that spilled forth.

Riku would also fully admit to anyone who asked that he was always envious of the way Sora’s lips cradled each word with care. How he ached and dreamed of silencing that mouth with his own and swallowing up whatever Sora was about to say.

Laughter rang out, washing over him like the waves upon the beach often did. Sora had now fully rolled over on the blanket the two teenagers were laid out on upon Riku’s roof, and he was grinning and squeezing Riku’s hand almost playfully.

“What are you thinking about, Riku?” Sora asked, starlight and mirth both reflecting within those pretty blue eyes of his. “You seem awfully interested in whatever it is. I’ve asked you, like, five times if you made a wish on that shooting star we saw a few minutes ago.”

“I don’t think I got a chance to…” Riku admitted as he turned his head to look back up at the night sky. As soon as he saw the star, he started thinking about how vast the universe and beyond was.

Sora’s thumb brushed against the sensitive skin behind Riku’s own as he frowned at the lame answer given.

Riku shot his best friend a wry grin. “I was thinking about how lucky I am in a way, I guess.”

“Oh?” Sora was now intrigued. He decided to sit up, legs crossed as he waited for Riku to elaborate.

Riku moved to sit up as well. “Well, yeah. Out of all the worlds out there, all the times I could have been born and all the things I could do, I’m pretty lucky to be in the same place as you.”

A blush was evident on Sora’s face, but the brilliant smile he wore was definitely what Riku was after. He loved with Sora smiled. It was like the boy was packed full of joy and sunshine, and the variations of the smile he always reserved for Riku felt like he was given a piece of that sunshine, if only for a moment.

“You’re such a sap,” Sora laughed, leaning forward to bump his forehead against Riku’s. His eyes fell shut as the two kissed. Their kiss was soft and chaste, more a need to connect rather than anything rushed, but it still caused Riku’s heart to shudder at how intimate it was.

When Sora pulled back it took the brunet a moment to open his eyes, and a soft, almost shy smile appeared before he laid back down and curled up into Riku’s side once more. “Yeah, I’m pretty lucky, too. And you’re right: of all the places out there, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you.”

[skylain]

Some words on seasonal depression, I guess?

Okay so first things first...I already have your usual kinda depression, and have for nearly 10 years now.  For many reasons.  The why is not the point though, what matters though, is that I already have it normally as it is.  I don’t get depressed just because of the seasonal change, but rather, it is worsened by it.

I, like Sora, love the sun, the warmth, the sky.  To me, there’s nothing better than a warm day filled with adventure, discovery, and fun.  Thankfully, I had quite a few of these this past summer.  I live for that shit, for the joy that the world can bring when you tell your own tales and simply...experience everything.  It’s marvelous.  Even though during that time, I still struggle with my depressive feelings, I’m able to fight them better, when, for example, I’m sitting atop a cliff in the middle of nowhere in the woods, overlooking a waterfall and pool, and I’m surrounded by nature and beauty.  Not only that, but should I desire excitement, this cliff is fully safe to jump from into the water below, and it’s an absolute blast of a time.

In such places, such times, feelings of worthless, miserable disgust are easy to flip the bird to, to say “Fuck you, your bullshit won’t drag me down”.  The warmth and beauty of such a day caresses my soul and fills me with a connected joy to this existence.  I thrive like the life around me.  Even though on a daily basis, nature faces incredible obstacles to its continued existence, it perseveres, and grows stronger.

But when the weather grows cold, the days shorter, and life of nature begins to fade into sleep, so too does my spirit begin to grow heavy.  I don’t even think on it, I don’t look out the window at the changes and say, “Man, the weather is changing, time to get bummed out”.  It’s more like...a feeling of waking up one day, and just...finding no spirit to rise.  And this happens throughout time as the days go by, and will sometimes also manifest as anger, as frustration, as unkindness.  This is a challenge that I am going to have to struggle to overcome, because right now, I’m not feeling well.

I was so proud of myself all throughout the summer, I really thought I had FINALLY got a handle on myself, on my shit, on my mental issues.  And though I likely indeed have, by and large, this is the first time I’m tangling with the seasonal challenges with my new perspective and medication, which all began back in March.  So this is a new challenge for me.  I was curious if it’d even happen to me this year, given all the progress I’d made, if perhaps my spirit would be so strong to the point where this was a non-issue.  Whoops, guess I was wrong.  Though this is not unforeseen, and nor do I hold it against myself in any way, this is not my fault.

But as the seasons change, and the life that was given a rebirth in spring, a time to thrive in the summer, now meets its decay and ultimate death in the fall, to slip into a cold, dark sleep in the winter.  Though this is the cycle of life, of seasons, that of birth, life, dying, death, and rebirth, and as such, so too do we match it, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, or enjoyable.  As the leaves change color, dye, and fall...so too do I often see my passions and joys turning this way too.  I struggle, in great amount, to grasp at them, perhaps glue them back whence they belong, but it’s like counting the grains of sand in a sandstorm.  It seems as if it’s beyond and out of your control and reach.  The passion, the desire, the will, fades.  Becomes bleak, distant.  Painful nihilism comes crushing in, sapping the drive, the will, the point.  It’s true that in a pointless and meaningless existence in which we live, self-assigned meaning is the one and only absolute truth, in which there is comfort.  

But...what about when you don’t even care for this meaning you have, or aren’t even sure if it’s what you thought it was?  What then?  Do you instead lay in bed, listening to the rain, staring at the ceiling, feeling time’s fabric slowly slip into your mouth and suffocate you?  I want nothing more than to be this bright and loving ball of sunshine that I KNOW I am capable of, and I believe that I have truly shown in the last few months, that I’ve truly been able to be a better person on multiple levels, and coming closer, ever closer, to the absolute ideal that we all strive for.

It hurts to feel so knocked and set back by this.  I know it’s temporary, and I’m not giving up with it, but I wish it weren’t so, I wish this shift in nature around me wouldn’t drag me into cold sadness with it.  I understand though, given that I am intimately connected with the world around me, and truly love its life.  Hopefully I will see this one through stronger than anytime before, but right now man, it’s pretty bad.  Not as bad as it’s been before, but I still find myself having days of absolutely nothing but misery, numb sadness, and not even wanting to leave my damn bed in any measure whatsoever, for nobody and nothing.

And it’s like salt in a wound, the wound is the depression that already exists that I’m struggling daily to overcome, and am doing quite well with.  This seasonal change and the way it hurts me just grabs the wound, spreads it, and dumps all the salt in there, in the fresh new areas.  And it feels so very unfair, more unfair that the normal depression, because at least that I can trace to things that I can come to terms with, and do something about, by and large.  These seasons around me, nature, the world, and its changes, I largely cannot control in any measure or level, and it’s painful to be struggling so hard against it, to make such little progress.

But I will not stop, I will never give in.  This is my fight, and I will never be defeated again.

[yuya-the-entertainer]

Reincarnation

// I decided, in the wake of Arc-V’s ending, that I would write a fanfic taking place after the end of the series. As I figure, I can’t fix the problems with the series as a whole, but the ending deserved more time and care put into it with a greater resolution so I seek to try to give it that if I can.

[Oh, also, to note: I use she/her pronouns for Yuya in this because trans girl Yuya is my headcanon. Just in case you weren’t aware prior to reading this.]

That said, please follow the read more link to begin reading!

---

“Yuya!”, boomed Yusho’s confident voice from across the stadium. “Your journey is not over yet! You must face me before you can enter the world of the pros!”. Yuya smiled brightly, activating her duel disk and looking toward him. “Of course! An entertainer has to accept all challenges!”. She jumped up excitedly. “The fun has just begun!”

Then came a pause, followed by the sound of Yuya’s duel disk shutting off as she fell limply back down to earth on her feet. She hesitated. “At least... that’s what I’d like to say. But there’s something I have to do first, dad”.

Yusho stared at her expectantly. Hr gaze shifted to the people in the audience, and for a moment, those old feelings of isolation and fear returned to her. Her gaze fell on her friends, all with an expression of concern. She looked at Shun for a moment, but quickly turned away. He was smiling, but his eyes were dead and tears were beginning to form. Sora standing beside him struggled to keep his expression, and his arm shuddered. She noticed that he leaned slightly away from Shun. Reira’s laughter had stopped.

After gazing around the entire stadium, her eyes locked with Yuzu, who stared back at her with understanding. “Yuzu...”, she began, determination and fear both in her voice. “I need you to duel me one more time. I need to do one more thing.”

Yuzu nodded expectantly. “I understand, Yuya...”, she trailed off, holding herself in her arms, struggling to keep herself together. “I felt it too, the moment I came back to this world.”

Yuya looked back toward her mother in the audience, who nodded in encouragement, then looked to Yusho. The older Sakaki, with a bright smile on his face, lifted his hands to the air. “It appears we have one last, unexpected duel for you!”, he shouted, his powerful voice echoing throughout the silent stadium. The air suddenly felt lighter, and the joy returned to the audience. Yuya wiped tears from her eyes as she and Yuzu walked to separate ends of the arena, and the Action Field began to appear.

As the circus tent rose around her, Yuzu couldn’t help but begin crying. The field that had been chosen was “Athletic Circus”, the field she and Yuya had fought on countless times in their past. Before anything had happened. Before they had met their counterparts.

Their counterparts... Yuzu stood there, broken over that word. There was this horrible, uncomfortable feeling about it. She knew they were gone, the girls she was connected with. Rin, the girl Yugo had worked so long to reunite with. Ruri, the girl Shun and Yuto had traveled to their dimension to find in the first place. Serena, the girl who had befriended Yuzu... who Yuzu had hoped, when this was all over, would be just one of their many friends. She had dreamt of things ending so differently, back when she saw Yuya dueling Jack in the Friendship Cup.

The courage that had felt so empowering in her before was suddenly gone. Her will to fight was gone. The pride that had once allowed her to stand up to Roger was entirely missing in her. She had gained the souls of her counterparts, yet Yuzu felt more empty and alone than ever before. She could barely even feel Yuya across the field from her.

“Ms Hiiragi!”, came a voice, shaking her thoughts. It was Reiji’s voice from the side of the arena. As he brought her back to reality, he tossed her his duel disk. She placed it on her arm, activating it, and retrieved the deck that had appeared with her.

Neither she nor Yuya had the strength to recount the Action Duel chant before beginning. As such, the duel started with an abrupt shout of “duel!” from both players. Yuya stared at the cards in her hand intently. Yuzu dared not look at her own cards.

“My turn first...”, Yuya mumbled, almost inaudibly. A trembling hand took one of the cards in her hand, and placed it on the duel disk. “I summon Entermate Discover Hippo...”, she mumbled as the monster manifested. She slumped her arms in defeat and declared “turn end”.

Yuzu nodded, drawing a card from her deck in response. Only now did she dare look at her cards. But now it was clear what was happening. Her hand contained four monsters, all of which were of different archetypes. She had never played any of them before.

She plucked the remaining two cards from her hand and stared at them for awhile. She closed her eyes, focused herself, and breathed deeply. “here I go!”, she declared with determination.  “I set the scale one Moonlight Wolf and the scale five Moonlight Tiger on the pendulum scale!!”, she shouted as she set the cards down. “This allows me to summon multiple monsters from my hand at once... so appear!”. She set the remaining four cards down on her duel disk. “First up is Wind Witch - Ice Bell!”, she shouted as the monster flew up into the sky with a trail of white snow behind it. “Next to the stage is Aria, the Melodious Diva!”, she spoke as she smiled familiarly at the monster. “Moonlight Blue Cat!”, she announced as the monster pounced forward. The last card, a small bird, flew up into the sky alongside Ice Bell. “I also normal summon Lyrical Luscinia - Sapphire Sparrow!”

The four monsters stared expectantly at Yuya, who began to tremble while looking at her own hand. Nervously, her free hand began to reach for the goggles on her head. As she touched them at last, Yuzu’s voice came to her. “Yuya, wait!”, she demanded. Yuya’s hand stopped dead in its tracks, reminded of Yuzu’s commanding presence. “Look at me!”, she demanded.

Yuya looked up to meet Yuzu’s eyes, only to be met with a kind expression on her face. “Don’t worry”, she said softly. “It’s going to be okay. I can feel it, and they can feel it, too.”

Yuya smiled weakly and nodded, then drew a card from her deck. “Then it’s my turn, Yuzu! I’ll answer them, then!”

Yuya looked at the cards in her hand. “I set Entermate Handstandacoon from my hand in my pendulum zone and activate its effect!”, she announced. “I return Discover Hippo to my hand!”. She rearranged the cards in her hand, and placed one on the duel disk. “I special summon Speedroid Beigomax from my hand as I control no monsters!”, she declared as the monster appeared on the field. “Then since I control only a level three or lower monster, I special summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots from my hand!”, she declared. The next monster materialized quietly next to the first. “Lastly, I normal summon Predator Plants Fly Hell from my hand!”, she declared, and the vines of the monster slowly grew from the earth and grew into a biting mouth. “With this, it’s all here”, Yuya confirmed. Yuzu nodded in agreement.

“I activate the last card in my hand! De-Fusion!”, Yuya cried out. She then looked to Yuzu. “Don’t let me down!”

“Of course”, Yuzu responded with a smile. She jumped onto a trampoline and bounced to a platform higher up, grabbing an Action Card in her fingers along the way and sliding it into her duel disk. “I activate the Action Spell... Encore!”

Yuzu grinned down at her friend as the two spells began to glow. “This lets me play a card from the graveyard”, she explained. “And I choose Yuya’s De-Fusion!”

“And in an Action Duel...”, Yuya said with a smile, “...every effect is real”. The shape of her arm began to blur into four shadows and separate further and further and her eyes re-focused. Soon a brilliant aura was engulfing both of the duelists.

On the side of the field, Asuka placed a hand on Shun’s shoulder. Shun, who had turned away with an expression of despair, looked in surprise back at her. “Shun, watch...”, Asuka spoke gently. “This is the result of your efforts, at last.”

As the glow faded, the Action Field and all the monsters disappeared along with it. The duel disks on Yuya and Yuzu’s arms deactivated. Next to Yuya stood three other duelists. Yuto held the red cloth wrapped around his arm, trying to grasp the reality that he was alive. Yuri stood looking at the ground, shifting his feet around uncomfortably. Yugo stared across the now clear stadium at the green-haired girl on the other side.

Beside Yuzu stood three other duelists, as well. Ruri looked around at the many smiling faces and confused expressions, searching for the faces she could recognize. Selena stood closely next to Yuzu, intimated by all the strangers suddenly staring at her. Rin’s eyes were locked on Yugo.

The groups ran across the field to greet one another, and collided in one big pile. Rin embraced Yugo, whose words were impossible to understand among his loud crying. Yuto nervously extended a handshake to Ruri, who tackled him in a hug. Selena continued to stand closely to Yuzu, who looked at Yuya with a bright smile. “I knew it. I knew we could do it”, she said, beginning to cry as well as she placed her hand on Yuya’s shoulder. “We did it, Yuya!”

After a long reunion, the kids had all settled down. Everyone ran about the duel stadium in a frenzy, excitedly greeting their new friends.

“Rin!”, Yugo said as he pulled her excitedly toward Yuya. “This is Yuya! She’s a great duelist! We dueled together! Uh, at least... I think we did? I’m still kinda having a hard time remembering...”

Rin sighed. “Settle down Yugo...”, she groaned, then smiled at Yuya. “It’s nice to meet you”, she said. Yuya nodded happily in response. “Yeah! I can’t wait until we all get to duel!”

Yuri had made his way over to Reiji and was shouting at him indignantly with his arms folded. “So let me get this straight, Yuya won the Junior Youth while we were all inside of her soul, but that still doesn’t mean we get to be pros too? That doesn’t count?”. Reiji sighed, but let out a quiet laugh under his breath. “Duel me right now to decide it then, I won’t lose!”, Yuri demanded.

Yusho looked down at them all as his daughter approached him again. “Well, Yuya. It looks like the future of entertainment dueling is even larger than I could have dreamed”, he said as he gazed down at them in admiration.

“You’re right, dad”, Yuya said as she laughed. “The fun has only just begun!”

[valorxdrive]

♕ -  A smile that burned so painfully bright.

One filled with sadness, longing, hope and of course an unparalleled warmth.

In mind and heart he could remember how much he smiled with a meaningfully bred warmth.

Until it all went dark.

Once again he finds himself in a familiar cusp of falling as the world itself twisted and snarled, agonized due to dealing with the pain one such as he brought with breaking every barrier and boundary. All for what? To save a few particular Hearts that were point of the countless trillions settled into existence? A price has to be paid.

One that Sora is prepared for as the sensation of falling turns into a different familiarity. Acutely aware, his body is relaxed as it floats to the chasm below, directed to the sublime ethereal glow of stained glass below. It’s melded by a multitude of colors, swathes and shapes that created a central image of the sky and sea aligned. His form, people important to him, once again did his shoes settle starting chapter of this adventure. Nostalgia bubbles forth from the multiple springs within his heart, emotions that abundantly flowed, drawing a accepting smile upon his lips as the first steps forward was made.

The Heart of Hearts pulses strong within as the course of his adventure was reflected over. Unbridled happiness, uncertainty for the future, the agony of being torn from all he loved, the fear of them facing The End, fear bred into fearlessness as the opportunity to save them. The sights of countless faces revealing their hope and friendship towards him, the feeling of his lips curve as he return its, warnings of a bleary future awaiting him from caring too much, the resolve of others preparing to stand fight alongside of him.

The feeling of her hand and that boundless affection perfectly melding into his grip.

...

It was time to make good on the declaration he made upon the desolate land of keys, a world that endured unspeakable horrors and bloodied history.

An act that he intends to do with all his heart.

”Just a little longer guys. Then together we’ll all be home.”

‘And the sooner I’m back. The faster I’ll be able to help those people in that world too.. Those stars, Chirithy, the people I gave my word on helping.’

Conviction pools into the depths of that ever growing strength as he advances forth. His shoulders are prepped and his back is settled tall, no longer allowing those inner demons to clutch upon the uncertainties that remains webbed to him, a dark network that surrounds his light, coalescing the searing mountains of pain endured that any warrior must come to terms with. Tucked inside of Sora’s chest was a rattle that only he was intimately familiar with. One that joins the haunting sounds witnessed across many of his adventures.

This one in particular terrified him. After all, it’s ring signaled the very edge that so many of his friends were mere steps away from going beyond that point of no return. A place...

That he intends to return from.

Reaching the opposing edge of this station, it opens a clear glance into the abyss that sleeps. Faint remnants of light trail in smoky wisps, providing a blanket for the boundless darkness that seemed originally immovable outside of the agents it summons.

‘There’s no saving you.’

“....” That’s just one more thing he’ll have to prove wrong. It’ll be an effort down without needing anyone’s sacrifice.

As the loving warmth within his left hand is focused upon, the hints of a smile were impossible to hold back, mildly faltered by the fact the last grasp carried the meaning of ‘We’ll see each other again.’ Never again does he want to see her torn in so much pain, only from the natural cause of them caring as much as they do. Focusing his all upon that heat, he could feel power light up within his heart, a familiar mantra of feelings coming together, threading tendrils of light together until an emboldened flash of light summons the Keyblade from is heat once more. The weapon is aimed skyward as a familiar but otherworldly voice hums it’s encouragement, speaking directly into his heart itself.

Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all.

You are the one who will open the door.

Breaking through the boundless depths of that primordial darkness would be a solitary light ignited from the key. A beam forged into the sight of searing iridescence as it shoots skyward, piercing the oceanic pool of a realm that awaits above. The peerless surface of the water begins to ripple, stretching out miniature waves that shove outward as a sight akin to an anomaly happens before. Surrounding the tower better known as Sora’s station, crystalline droplets begin to fall, edging into faint streams only to bloom into healthy pools as the Keyblade’s power caused the realm to react.

Gradually easing apart, soon the heavy pools of water crashed down into the unknown depths, forming two waves as the sea itself splits apart, causing stained glass stairs to appear, each burst of light revealing a path that leads downward, that edges directly towards a form of darkness doesn’t get forced into the stagnant style that surrounds it. While it’s at the brink, faint hints of life could be seen springing from the chasm that would serve as his punishment. As the grip upon the lowered key tightens, the strength of memories, the strength of bonds, they’re carried within him as he begins the steady descent of his own accord. The reaper of the Heartless wouldn’t find the sickening joy of the chase with him.

Only the strength of his intentions.

They can take your world.

They can take your Heart.

Cut you loose from all loose from all you know.

But if it’s your fate? Then every step forward will always be a step close to home.

_________

This World has been Connected