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mimiplaysgames · 3 years

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Terraqua Week Day 2 (Rivalry)

Summary: Growing up with your best friend is the greatest joy, the greatest nuisance, the greatest heartache. (The one where they kiss after their fight in Radiant Garden). || Word Count: 6,705

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A/N: My submission for the second day of @terraquaweek !! Title is from a quote from Eraqus from BBS. It’s pretty much the only line in the game that sums up Terra and Aqua, and it’s partly the reason why they’re so amazing. This whole rivals to lovers thing is so much like enemies to lovers and I WANT TO EAT IT ALL. I’m especially proud of this one - I had so much writing it!!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

for when equal powers clash, their nature is revealed

CHILDHOOD

It was a strange dream but she doesn’t remember it when she wakes up, just that it left her with a coppery taste in her mouth and a fog blanketing her thoughts. Something is coming, and she can’t prepare for it.

Aqua decides to tell her best friend about it.

Terra is waiting for her in the woods. They like to hike to the lake, to listen to the birds in the summer. They like to spar away from the training grounds of the castle sometimes, away from the Master’s eyes so they could practice without any scrutiny. She’s grateful to have Terra—he’s just as crazy as her when it comes to their studies. Books past midnight? Sign me up. Spar for five hours? Your ass is grass. Forgo an entire night of sleep to talk about outside worlds, about their worries, their pride, finally being a Master? We won’t be efficient for training tomorrow, but here’s what I’m thinking.

She finds him at the mouth of the forest, a trail down from the waterfall. Terra is lobbing balls of fire, an excited grin on his face, itching to get moving. Too much energy for a fourteen-year-old in the morning.

“What does that mean?” Terra asks her when she describes the dream.

Well, she can’t really describe it. Nothing happened. Darkness. Questions spoken in her head, worries that there was a darker darkness moving around in the shadows stalking her. A nagging suspicion that inside its mouth was something she should have pulled out.

“Nothing’s going to get you here. You’re safe,” Terra says, though she doesn’t need reassurance. “Should we go back?”

“No, please.” Aqua keeps her nose high. “The lake is a good place to rest.”

But they wouldn’t rest. They both love the thrill: training their magic, the thought of an upcoming exam two weeks from now, essays. They can’t help themselves.

Terra punches the air, an energy blast shooting out from his arm. Another fire spell, his favorite. When he gets too involved though, too much, he becomes obsessive—obsessed with winning, obsessed with tripping her up, obsessed with outlasting her. The fury in how he builds his attacks is what makes Terra a dangerous opponent.

He’s perfect.

Aqua dodges and summons an ice spell to repel him, sweeping her kick so it spreads out. That’s the best strategy—tire him out, make him run after her, evade and exhaust, evade and exhaust, strike him when he’s almost done.

Pull. She hears. Pull from it.

One of his attacks breaks her barrier, and she grins, twirling while she heals herself. Every moment she stumbles is another opportunity to learn how to beat him. They’ll talk about their duel after they finish. They’ll gloss over technique and how to improve. Every time they spar, their bond is reforged, connected, strengthened, unbreakable.

Terra throws another blow.

Pull.

This one catches her off guard.

Aqua gasps and shields herself with her arm without a spell to protect her. Terra chokes on her name, too late to warn her.

A light explodes in her face, a flash of flower petals, a spell so instinctual she can’t articulate where it comes from. Her hand wraps around metal, as though an invisible hand has shoved it to her, strong but as light as her feet, a thrum deep underneath, a heartbeat. Its arrival blocks the attack with a barrier.

“A-Aqua?”

She holds her Keyblade in her hand.

“Huh.” Terra grimaces, stepping back.

The Keyblade is curved, striking at the tips, like a slice of movement. Blue and silver, a cool brush of a touch as chilling as snow on her fingertips but warm all the same, the feeling of a beloved embracing her. Aqua jumps in excitement, squealing. She had drawn images in her journal for what it would look like. This is better, much more beautiful.

“I don’t have a name for it, yet,” she says, laughing.

Terra doesn’t laugh with her. “Congrats,” he says, his enthusiasm on a chokehold, his hand rubbing his hip because it can’t find his pocket.

Oh. He’s two years older than her, the first child to come to the Land of Departure, and he can’t conjure his Keyblade yet.

“Terra?”

“I’m fine.” He’s not.

“Wait.” She follows him into the thicket. He’s speedwalking, trying to get away from her. “Don’t be sad. Yours will come soon.” He doesn’t slow down. “Maybe I can help.”

Terra scoffs, scorched. At least he stops. “Or maybe not.”

Aqua fiddles with the tip of her wonderful Keyblade, rolling it onto her palm. “I was thinking how happy I was sparring with you. We’re best friends and I was thinking that…” Heat pools into her cheeks. “I was thinking we’d be best friends forever. Then she came to me. I don’t know how to explain it.”

A muscle twitches in his jaw. “That’s nice.”

“I summoned mine in the middle of danger,” she offers. “Maybe you need the same.”

He arches a brow. But he softens, blinking back tears. “You think that would work?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know.”

“We could tie you down. I can cover you in ice.”

Terra’s face contorts, as if stopping a snort. “That’s the best you can offer?”

“Should I hang you by your toes and put leeches in your shirt?”

Terra cracks a smirk and she sighs, relieved.

Once he’s able to summon his own Keyblade, they could go home and declare the semester over. The Master will be so impressed.

Aqua calls for an ice spell to stay near. With the Keyblade, it’s much more natural, as if the chasm she normally has to pray through is now a step away. “I won’t hold back,” she warns.

Terra brings his fists together, heat simmering off his skin as a fire spell starts to build. “Good.”

He is the first to strike. Aqua dodges as the flames lick under her shoes, swinging her Keyblade forward. Ice sparks out from its tip and shoots forward in a straight line. It’s so much easier to aim now. Terra sways his hands into a cupping motion, as if picking up dirt into a bowl. Flames burst out of the ground, creating a wall that melts the ice before it hits him.

But Terra has a huge disadvantage: because she’s faster at summoning spells with the Keyblade, she can race around him, dodging everything he comes up with. He’s stuck in one spot, forced to place all his focus on bringing his magic to him in order to pull from it, the worst kind of exposure in a battlefield imaginable.

He wants this, doesn’t he? To be pushed into summoning it?

“Don’t hold back,” he says when she hesitates. He throws a burst of thunder at her.

“Terra, I don’t like this.”

“You promised,” Terra says, closing a fist. He takes several moments to meditate on a spell, and Aqua stops. He’s trying to summon ice, a weaker command for him. But Terra is smart and Terra is capable. He pushes what he’s conjured with a force strong enough to crush her into a tree.

She clicks her tongue when he follows that immediately with a fire spell. It nearly singes her hair, and she retaliates in kind—ten fold. Her fire hits him directly on the shoulder, sputtering onto the bush behind him, spreading like wings on the greenery, blackening the tree nearby and jumping to others.

“Aqua!” Terra grips his shoulder and gapes at the collateral, which is moving too fast to seem real.

“Terra, we have to—”

“Come on!”

Ignoring his injury, he scrambles towards the lake, Aqua following close behind. The forest fire beats heavy behind them, a nasty gray suffocating the sky. The heat molts onto them, the smoke thick and invasive, visibility covered by a layer of graininess. Terra throws himself into the lake and draws a circle on the surface with his good hand. The smoke is now black.

“You need to heal first,” Aqua says, coming up behind him and placing her hand on his shoulder, whispering a spell. Green petals kiss his charred shirt, and he can move his arm better, gathering the water into an invisible bowl to carry back.

Aqua does the same. She tries sealing the fire with her Keyblade so it stops spreading so far. So much work that seems like it’s doing nothing. So much earth that Terra is throwing onto the fire when the water sizzles away. Aqua almost collapses from the adrenaline keeping her standing, from the sweat and soot filling her eyes, from coughing but no matter how much, she can’t clear her throat.

The Master finally arrives and points his Keyblade into the sky. A storm cloud gathers, a wave of water to hush everything. Aqua doesn’t know what comes next, only that Terra is picking her up in his arms.

It isn’t until after she wakes up in the infirmary that she realizes what a shithole they’ve dug themselves into.

It’s raining, trickling down the small window that sits above the bed, behind the pillow. Wooden shelves line the walls, filled with potions that she can pronounce and ones that she can’t. Some are so expired the Master has never opened them. Flasks, beakers, needles, syringes, scalpels, gloves spread across the table. Medical books about the nervous system and the heart are plenty here. There should be two about herbal remedies, but they’re gone.

She hears the Master and Terra bickering on the other side of the door.

“Am I to believe,” the Master says, icy and sharp, “the day she summons her Keyblade for the first time and a sudden, devastating forest fire is to be simply spooned together as a coincidence?”

Terra is quiet at first. “No, Master.”

“Of course not,” he bites.

“I was angry, sir.” This shocks Aqua. “I couldn’t control my magic for a moment.”

That’s not true. He needs to say it was her fault. She didn’t know her own strength and she tried too hard—

The Master scoffs. “I am so disappointed,” he says, his voice shaking in a way she’s never heard before. “I do not have the words. I can’t bear to look at you.”

Her heart sinks. She can’t imagine. She can’t imagine how awful Terra must feel.

The door opens, and Terra slips inside with a gathering of fresh herbs in his hand. His face is ashen and pale. “How are you feeling?” he asks, his voice brittle. He’s about to sob.

Aqua moves and flinches. Her arm. “Ugh.”

“Don’t move.” He rips the leaves off and stuffs them into a mortar. “Your arm is badly burnt. The Master already healed you, but you need longer term care.” Somehow, he doesn’t cry.

Aqua pulls the sheet over her down. Red splotches trail from the shoulder down to the elbow. The Master took care of the severe scarring, but it hurts like she’s still in a pyre. “The fire?”

Terra sniffs and mixes the herbs with the pestle. “The Master took care of it. He hasn’t given me my punishment yet.” Briskly, he approaches her, spreading the concoction over her skin. “This should work better than a potion.”

“Our herb master,” she says, hoping it would make him smile. It doesn’t. Terra has dedicated himself to potion making and teas, considering that healing spells are hardest for him. When he finishes balming her in the mix, he reaches for bandages, holding her by the wrist so he can wrap the entire arm. “You shouldn’t move this for a while.”

“Terra?”

He doesn’t look at her, pinning the bandages in place.

“Thank you,” she says.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

Terra climbs into the bed with her. It’s a narrow cot, the mattress thin and overused, the sheets washed too many times that its threads fray. Terra holds her good hand, bringing it up between their faces. Tears roll down his cheeks and pool on the pillow. “You’re going to be okay,” he says, “right?”

“Yeah.” She smiles. The mix soothes the superficial burns but it takes its time relieving the stabbing pain that comes with such an intense injury. “Why didn’t you tell him the truth?”

Terra frowns, staring at the folds of the pillow under his face. “I didn’t want him yelling at you.”

“I’ll tell him tomorrow—”

“Nah.” He wills a smirk and it looks fake. “We should… celebrate your accomplishment, you know?”

For some reason, it makes her guilty. “Are you really that mad at me?”

“What? No.” He bites his lip. “No, I just… I’m stupid.”

Aqua stares at him. “You’re not.”

He scoffs. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t fail at the most basic part of being a wielder.”

“Your Keyblade?”

He shakes his head. It’s not fair.

“Why didn’t it come?”

“I don’t know.” He sighs.

Aqua gives his hand a light squeeze. “Maybe I was wrong.”

“Pssh. Maybe?” He grins.

She would hit him on the shoulder, but she hurts too much. “Maybe my approach isn’t your approach.”

“Meaning what?”

“Maybe your Light needs something different.”

His smile falls, like that of a lost and abandoned child. “But I don’t know what it wants from me.”

“Hmmm.” Aqua thinks hard, staring at the way his eyebrows furrow as he thinks with her. “You like to protect.”

“Okay?”

“Maybe your Keyblade isn’t about connecting with others or making friends like mine is. Maybe you’re happiest protecting and taking care of them.”

Terra purses his lips, blushing. “I guess.”

“Look.” She lifts her bandaged elbow, wincing. “You took care of me.”

“I took care of a sap.”

“Who was the one crying over me?”

“My secret evil twin. He wants to make me look bad.”

“What kind of a joke is that?” She sticks her tongue out. “Sometimes, I hate your face.”

Terra laughs for real this time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

BEFORE THE EXAM

The books she needs are not where they’re supposed to be on the shelf.

“Terra!” she calls.

“Shhh,” she hears from the other side. Terra is sitting on one of the numerous tables in the library, a long, five-story ballroom with windows for walls, the ceiling a skylight. It allows for the sun to beam on them from all directions, on ornate gold-plated shelves with ladders on wheels for the books out of reach. Of all the desks he could have chosen, figures he’d be right here where she’s frantically searching, just to spite her. “We’re in a library,” he says, voice low.

Aqua refuses to whisper. “We’re the only ones here.”

“How rude.”

“To who?”

Terra gestures to the open book splayed under his hand. “I’m reading.”

He has seven other books stacked next to his parchment and pen. Preliminaries start tomorrow—the preliminaries that would determine their eligibility for the Mark of Mastery next year—and essays are due.

On top of the stack is Darkness and the War for Light, right above The Stars As Your Guides and the ever-necessary Affairs of the Heart.

“I need those,” she says.

“You know the rules—”

“They’re arbitrary.”

“—first dibs, first reads.”

“You can’t read them all at once.”

“Watch me, I’m impressive.” Terra bites his lip to restrain a snort, those deep eyes waiting for her reaction, his strong cheekbones suspended in a smirk. She wants to punch him in the face.

Aqua exhales. Without saying a word, she snatches the book at the top of the stack before he could stop her, bolting for the other side of the table. Terra scrambles out of his chair, tackling her from her behind so he could yank it out of her arms. She’s laughing under the weight of his chest, heat rising to her cheeks.

“You’ll have to fight me for it,” she warns.

Terra snorts, his breath brushing her shoulder. “Really?” He grips the book and pulls. He’s stronger than her and they both know it.

The trick to defeating an opponent so much larger than you is to hit them at their most exposed. Aqua elbows him in the gut, and leaves Terra clutching his side so she could take a seat at the table, where her own unfinished essay awaits.

“I guess that’s fair,” he groans.

“You sought a challenge, so accept your defeat.”

Aqua flips pages of Darkness—this year, it was especially important that they recognize signs of Darkness lurking near. Rage, scheming, impure intentions, greed, selfishness, fear. They’re present in subtle ways. Sometimes people act without realizing. Sometimes people are fully aware. Both are dangerous.

She grunts when she’s shoved over.

Terra brings his parchment with him when he fills her seat, his hips so wide that she’s left with the corner.

“It could be more comfortable,” he complains. His body is warm.

“What are you doing?”

“Writing my essay, but you took my book.”

The one he wasn’t using. Aqua inhales. “Terra—”

“I had first dibs. You broke the honor code, so you left me with no choice.” He smirks. His face is nose to nose with hers, and she imagines closing the gap. “We can share.”

“Fine,” she musters, averting her gaze. It’s awkward staring at him when his eyes look like they’re about to swallow hers.

They work. The book sits between their respective essays, the scratch of pen on paper the only noise filling the room, especially when he strikes long lines across words he no longer wants. He leans over her shoulder to read, his breath heavy on her cheek. If they were in different places, if he had her in an embrace, she could probably feel for his heartbeat.

Though this isn’t something she should be thinking about right now, not when she’s trying to read the three tenants in combating the Darkness. Vow Number One: Do not give yourself to Temptation.

“You’re very distracting,” he says, his voice so close to her ear that it sounds like yelling.

She jumps. He took the words right out of her mouth. “Speak for yourself. You’re too big for this chair.”

“There’s one right next to you.” She could hear how much he loves this.

“I sat here first.”

He leans back and wraps his arm around the backrest. “I have to defend my space.”

“Then you can squirm.”

He huffs, and it suspiciously sounds like he’s pleased with that. Aqua reads a sentence, scans the current page, and flips to the next one.

Terra swats her hand and turns it back. “I wasn’t finished with that one.”

Aqua would scream if she already didn’t enjoy this. She��ll never admit that out loud. “So you’re just,” she starts slowly, “going to police how fast I read this book?”

“Depends on where I am.”

“You’re slowing me down.”

“You’re not being considerate.”

“I can do the same thing.” She flips the page back to her spot.

“Aqua,” he warns.

“Oh, you didn’t like that?” Aqua smirks at him.

He eyes her and smiles. “You make me want to scream.”

Like a mind reader. “Don’t forget—we’re in a library.”

“Okay.” He pulls the book closer to him.

“Okay.” She pulls it back.

Terra strengthens his grip on the book, leaning forward and wrapping his other arm around her waist. To use her as a counter-weight, to push off of her so he can claim the prize, Aqua knows this, but her heart jumps at the touch. He drives her crazy in the most delicious way. He’s addictive.

“Nice to see my students finding some time for leisure,” the Master’s voice says, approaching them from the entrance. “A healthy activity during such a time of stress, if I do say so myself. I commend the both of you.”

Aqua doesn’t know about healthy when she’s thinking about all manners of touching. Terra slips away from her. Is the Master being facetious? Should they move to different chairs? Or would that make them look more guilty?

“Terra is deliberately sabotaging my essay,” Aqua says, voice shaky, her sleeve coming up to cover her blush. Terra has his elbows on the table, both of his fists hiding the lower half of his face.

Eraqus tucks a binder under his arm, glancing over their work. Aqua isn’t sure if she’s seeing things, but she swears that’s a smirk underneath his moustache.

“Well,” he says. “These will be the last essays you will write, if everything runs smoothly tomorrow. Quite a reward for all these years of hard work, yes?”

Terra and Aqua nod.

Eraqus nods along with them, as awkward as the collapse of clothes leaving you naked. “Don’t work too hard,” he advises, and Aqua wants to melt under the table. “Tomorrow will come regardless. Enjoy the time when it is good.”

The Master leaves the library with a different atmosphere.

“Last essay ever,” Terra repeats, mumbling to himself. He’s frowning. They don’t make a move to a different chair, as if doing so would have admitted some secret neither of them even know but nevertheless, they don’t want anyone else to find out. “Then there’s next year.”

Next year.

Some of Terra’s pages have whole paragraphs crossed out. Maybe that’s why he’s better than her at essay-writing. He goes beyond. He’ll scrub out parts he’s already written when he realizes they no longer serve him, drenched in ink blots when he notices small errors. Even with a complete essay, Terra will rewrite it from scratch, to prepare clean pages with no mistakes. Aqua doesn’t consider herself lazy with essays. She just never had a difficult time writing something the Master will want to read.

But all the effort Terra puts into his work means that he considers angles she’s never thought of before. On the subject of Darkness and Temptation, Terra writes: The Master of Masters writes of Temptation: “To tempt a snake for its loyalty reaps safety in the future,” (Affairs of the Heart, pg. 236). Giving in to Temptation when a Light is about to expire harbors selfishness, and that beacons the Darkness to cloud our minds. If we are doubtful, we too welcome the Darkness. However, if we deny the very thing our Hearts want, when we should be following Them as our closest allies, then we are unable to persevere. I question whether Temptation can only have negative connotations. Our duty is to make sure the Light is in balance, and perseverance is key. How are we supposed to keep the Light bright if ours are too dim? Should we not enjoy our own lives as we see fit, follow our Hearts to bring us fulfillment? Should we not make love, or enjoy the dessert we bake? These trivialities are the very thing people hold dear and protect. It is not our calling to enjoy them, but if we are, then our Hearts are at peace. If happiness is shared, then it is Light worth protecting, even our own. It feeds our strength.

Aqua can’t write like that.

Tomorrow, they’ll spar under the Master’s scrutiny. If they pass, they’ll do it again next year and finish their studies once and for all. Ever since Terra conjured his Keyblade, he’s treated his fights like he’s a bulldozer. Tricky to outmaneuver, keeping her on her toes.

He’s still the best sparring partner she could ask for, the best teacher when it comes to outlasting opponents. Her only equal.

“I’m nowhere near finished,” Aqua says.

“Looks like we’re both pulling all-nighters tonight.”

Aqua sighs, and this prompts Terra to hold her hand under the table, interlacing their fingers together. She wants to curl into him, feel what it’s like to really hold him close.

“We’re going to do fine.” Terra says, his voice soft, but he’s so close he fills her mind and every sensation in her body. He rubs her thumb with his.

“All-nighters aren’t pleasant,” she says, thinking ahead to a yard of headaches and yawns. “We’ll need energy.” This is the first opportunity to stand up. “I can make coffee and tea for us.”

“And lots of food.” Terra stands with her. “Protein. Nuts are good for energy boosts. I can make us enough meals to sustain us for the rest of the night.”

They’re speaking with the intention to leave something behind that they don’t want to address, packaging their words away from the obvious. Aqua fiddles with her fingers.

Terra moves his essay over. “Maybe we should work on opposite ends of the table,” he says, clearing his throat. His voice is shy.

“So we can focus.”

“Yeah.” He sounds desperate to agree but also…disappointed? “You can take the book. For now. Consider it my peace offering.”

“It wasn’t an honorable battle to begin with.” She moves hers over too, measuring in her mind how big of a feast they’d fill the table with. They’ll need more, enough for Ven to pig out every once in a while.

“Says the cheater.”

“You were the one stealing my book!”

“You broke the rules.”

“It wasn’t a fair setup.”

“Aqua, I’m shocked.” Terra feigns displeasure, holding his hand over his heart. “I thought I knew you better.”

She groans. She hates his beautiful, impeccable face sometimes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

THEN...

The conversation is a combustion she can’t prevent from happening. It isn’t supposed to be this way.

“And what is this dangerous task, Terra?” she asks, refusing to believe he’d test the teachings they both held so dear. After all these years. That he’d squander his chances at convincing Eraqus to give him the Mark of Mastery. “It doesn’t sound like what the Master told you to do.”

“It might be a different route, but I’m fighting the Darkness.”

“I’m not so sure. I’ve been to the same worlds as you and I’ve seen what you’ve done. You shouldn’t put yourself so close to the Darkness.”

Ven interjects. “Listen to yourself, Aqua. Terra would never—”

“You mean you’ve been spying on me?” Terra says, his eyes narrowing. To see his beautiful face this hurt—stars, she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She should shut up. “Is that what he said to do? The Master’s orders?”

What is she to do? What else does he expect? “He was only…”

Quietly, he says, “I get it,” like the silence in a coffin.

“Terra—”

“Just stay put! I’m on my own now, all right?”

“Terra, please! Listen! The Master has no reason to distrust you, really! He was just worried.”

Her words fall on deaf ears. Terra is not like this, he’s never like this, turning his back, walking away, leaving her to stand and watch him go.

“Why?” Ven asks her. “Why would you do this? You’re letting this whole Master thing get to your head.”

Terra has never said that about her, even when pushed. They’ve been pushed and pushed, how is she supposed to mend the tear now?

“I’ll be right back.”

“He’s really pissed.”

“Stay here.”

“I won’t.”

Aqua stops. A lot is changing and she can’t keep up. “But Ven—”

Ven purses his lips. “I’ll give you guys some time alone. Then I’m going after him.”

Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be. She is the odd one out, the one that shouldn’t follow Terra, the one that broke some sort of code by choosing to side with the Master. They should be on the same side.

“Be safe, please?”

Ven nods, but he isn’t happy about it.

Aqua crosses the alleyway, opening an ornate gate that leads into the town square. Radiant Garden is pretty; they arrived just in time for spring, where the dandelions are yellow and the town is painted in herbal colors. But Aqua can’t get herself to enjoy the view. She can’t appreciate the architecture, the castle, the clock tower, the townsfolk selling their wares, the gentle sunset, not when her heart is collapsing into a growing, weighted pit. Nothing else and no one else exists in the seconds she dashes down the streets.

“Terra!”

He’s heading towards the city gates, where she assumes he’ll summon his glider and fly away.

Aqua speeds up as fast as she can, feeling she’s still too slow. He’s about to disappear if she can’t break her bones and fly. She grabs him by the shoulder. “Terra, please. I don’t want the conversation to end the way it did.”

“Aqua,” he grunts, stepping out of her touch and crossing his arms. “Not now, okay?”

He’s about to turn on her. Don’t let this be the last image she sees.

She hugs him by his waist and buries her face into his shoulder. “Please don’t leave.”

He tenses.

“Please?”

She doesn’t know what to say. Apologize? For doing what’s expected of her? Shouldn’t he know this?

Shouldn’t she understand on some level, after all these years, that sometimes Terra is way more important than her duties? That she should stand up for him when it’s called for?

When Terra finally wraps his arms around her, she squeezes him tighter, hoping the loss of words would translate. How many minutes does she have left before she has to let go?

Terra splayes his hand on her back, as if to prompt her to loosen up. “I need to go.”

“There’s so much we need to talk about.” Why is her heart pounding this hard?

“I don’t want to talk about anything.”

“I feel so awful for what I’ve said.”

Terra doesn’t reply.

Aqua doesn’t know what’s gotten into her, why she can’t trust in anything, let alone the faith that their bond is unbreakable when she is witnessing how it’s cracking under the pressure. She grabs his face and kisses him, the taste of his mouth unique, warm, sweet, more than she hoped for.

Terra seizes her when he kisses back. He wants another. And another. He grunts.

They part for breath, too exposed and in public. Terra takes her aside, into a shadowed alley between a house and the city wall, pushing her against the brick to kiss her harder. She locks his neck in her arms and pulls him in. He’s so enveloped in her lips and he’s so angry, his teeth sliding and nipping barely on her skin like he’s fighting to win, his pelvis on hers, his chest pressing her, squeezing her breath away. She doesn’t want him to let her go.

He pulls away, his touch slacked. Heavy in breath, lips swollen, eyes watery, he trembles as if he’s done something awful. Aqua has her hand on his chest right over his heart, where it thrums quick and strong. He’s strong, he’s always been. She has to believe that.

“I don’t compare to you,” he croaks.

Fear churns in Aqua’s stomach, and she reaches for his wrist. “You do. You—” She doesn’t know what to say. “You shouldn’t think that way.”

Terra pulls from her, snapping their connection, leaving it cold where he was warm. It hurts. “I have to do this alone.”

“Terra—”

“Master Aqua,” he says, and her heart drops. “Please, respect my wishes. This is something I need to do if I’m ever going to—” He doesn’t finish. Instead, he turns over his shoulder, the crown of his dark hair glistening in the light of the sun where he disappears past the city gates. He doesn’t come back.

Aqua wraps her arms around herself, caressing the warmth he left behind for as long as possible before it inevitably leaves her too. She wonders if there is meaning in what just happened, wonders what he’s telling himself that would set him down this path. She’s scared of what will happen if she follows him.

She has to follow him. She has to make sure he’s alright. She prays he makes the right decisions, that they won’t have to fight.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

NOW

At night, the library is surrounded by stars. Twelve years in the Realm of Darkness and Aqua has forgotten that the library is all windows, bookshelves suspended in a birdcage on the side of the castle. It’s drizzling, droplets appearing at random, with none of the weight to drip down the glass. The lights are off, a glow polluting in from the hallway.

Terra is here, lying on a gold and white couch, the stand ornate and the cushions embroidered.

“Welcome to the insomnia party,” he says.

Aqua sits by his ankles. Terra rests his head on his arms, and lets go of the stars above the storm clouds to watch her. He leans up on one elbow and offers her a smile, but it’s a mimic of one. Who knows the reason why he can’t sleep. She won’t ask.

“Can we,” she starts, bringing her knees to her chin. “Talk?”

“We are.”

On the spot, Aqua blanks. “I don’t know where to start.”

He scoffs and unhooks his elbow, plopping back on the cushion. “Pick a place. We’ll get lost together and have to backtrack anyway.” He sighs, rolling his head towards the floor. “I can’t look at any of these books the same way again.”

Five stories of them, and not a single explanation for what happened.

“When it got tough and I needed to rely on my knowledge,” Aqua says, counting words on her essays over the years: 20,000. “I found that none of it could help us.”

“I’ve had questions ever since I started my apprenticeship,” Terra says, staring at the glass ceiling. “Many of them are still unanswered. What was the point?”

“None of it was relevant in the Realm of Darkness.”

Terra rolls over into a fetal position, burrowing his face into his arms. “So what did help?”

“Thinking of you and Ven.” The thought right now makes her smile, a little thing, a blink in the darkness.

“I thought of you every day,” he says, morosely, shyly, with a speck of hope and a mix of self-awareness. After twelve years, Aqua still knows him so well and she’s grateful he’s (almost) the same Terra she came home to.

The thought of that chokes her. “I didn’t want it to be this way,” she says. “Any of it.”

“None of us did.”

“I meant…” She pauses, watching closely. The outline of his shoulders, the shape of his brow. They’re furrowed. “Our dream was to become Masters together.”

His shoulders tick. “I should have congratulated you.”

“What?”

“When you were titled Master. I didn’t congratulate you. I’m sorry for being self-centered.”

After twelve years, that’s the last thing in her mind. “I was thinking of withdrawing the title.”

Terra shoots up, face to face with her. “Why?”

“Like I said,” Aqua whispers, now that he’s so close. “Our dream was to be Masters together.”

“No way.”

“You’re quite passionate about this.” Aqua rubs her knee. A nervous habit, something for her body to do. It used to be natural to hold his hand.

Terra slaps his forehead. “I can’t let you do that. Not after all the work you’ve done.”

“You’ve worked hard, too.”

“And everything you’ve survived.”

“What you did was not survival?”

Terra gapes. “I don’t know, but I need to own my mistakes. I should have accepted my setbacks and my weaknesses…I wasn’t a good friend to you.”

Aqua sighs. “Don’t tell me you don’t deserve it.”

“I don’t want to think about what I deserve. I only know that you deserve better.”

Deserving and not deserving sound like arbitrary definitions, markers of work ethic and integrity when everyone deserves peace of mind. “Then it sounds like you need to work really hard in the next couple of weeks.”

He blinks at her sudden change of tone. “Doing what?”

“Passing the Mark of Mastery.” She looks at her knee. “If you want me to keep my title, you have to pass.”

“You’re keeping your title regardless.”

“Pass and become Master with me.”

“Aqua,” he warns.

“That is the only condition.”

Terra leans his elbow on the backrest, and laughs into his hand. Laughs. It’s a weak and unpracticed song. She forgot what it sounded like. “You drive me crazy,” he says, “but it makes me so happy.”

She swallows. “I’ll contact Yen Sid to schedule the date.”

“Don’t get cheeky. You haven’t won this conversation.”

“Yes, I have.”

When the chuckles shared between them fade out, Terra studies her face, starting at the tip of her forehead, running his eyes down her nose and lips. The quiet is unwelcome.

“Do I look different?” Aqua asks.

“Not really.” He blinks, and it’s too dark to tell if he’s staring into her eyes. “You don’t smile like you used to. It’s like you’ve dimmed the lantern.”

“I can say the same about you,” she says. He’s tired, leaning on the couch like he can’t sit up on his own. He needs effort to speak. When he smiles, they’re delayed, as though he’s lost and needs to be reminded that he lives in reality now. He’s still beautiful. Terra doesn’t ask her to elaborate, but she supposes he understands exactly what she means. She supposes it’s the same for her.

Terra takes her hand and pulls it closer to him. “I do feel better with you around.”

Aqua grips the fabric of her stocking. “The last real conversation we had shouldn’t have been a fight.”

“It’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“Oh.” She holds her breath. “Wait, I shouldn’t be sorry for the fight or…” The kiss? She can’t bring herself to ask.

Terra smiles into his knuckles, and a spark of flame ignites his eyes. That’s what it is. Their hearts are tired. No book in the library can teach them how to bring them back to life. How to give it an ounce of oxygen to fan the warmth. Or how to provide a touch of oil, a passionate something to make it burst and remind them what it’s like to really want to hold a Keyblade. Aqua wonders if Terra’s essay on the subject is somewhere in the Master’s old office.

“You know what, I’m sorry,” Terra says, stroking his thumb on the back of her hand. “For that stupid fight. For being stupid enough to have issues with you being Master and for leaving. For being incredibly stupid for not staying in Radiant Garden with you and Ven.” He giggles again.

“Why is that funny?”

“I should have stayed and kissed you longer.” He blinks back tears, inhaling sharply in shock of what he just said. “I guess I needed to get that off my chest.”

Aqua snorts and brings a hand to her cheek. “Yeah, you should have stayed and kissed me longer.”

They say nothing else. Terra takes her face into his large hands and brings her to him, lips to lips, warmth on warmth, chest to chest, heart to heart. He breathes into her, pulling her waist in so she could lie next to him, his heartbeat loud and clear, eager and anxious. A fire grows inside her stomach—she’s forgotten she’s ever felt like this before, years ago when they’ve touched and never went further. It’s invigorating, it’s relaxing. Not a blaze born out of excitement but a gentle hearth, something more than a flicker of the flame in a lantern. Alive.

He mumbles into her ear. “By the way, I have every intention of being the better kisser.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just so you know.”

“We’re really going to be doing this with the kissing?”

“Doing what?”

“What we’ve always done.”

“There’s no contest here.”

“But you want to be the best kisser.”

“I will be the best kisser.” He smiles, digging his nose into her hair. “I must be good enough for you to enjoy it. Therefore, naturally, I have to aspire to be really damn good. That’s all.”

Aqua giggles into his chin, soft and careful and excited when his arm curls around her waist, squeezing her into him. She loves that he laughs with her. She loves his beautiful, cocky face.

They exchange small words in between, a gasp of surprises, whispers about old memories, requests for what she wants, for what he wants. Two wicks to a single candle, held gently between their hands.

#terraqua #terraqua week #aqua #terra #eraqus #OMG I REALLY LOVE THIS ONE #I hope you all too ;-;#my fic

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dahniwitchoflight · 3 years

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KH Thematic Trio Roles

I feel like I've made this post before about just the BBS trio and KH1 trio, but I’ve been thinking about it and expanding it a bit, and I think there’s actually a funny way to phrase things that groups all the trios into one of three types of emotional arcs and I thought it was neat to see who ended up with who so I’m typing them all out here:

1) Their path led ever downward until they were left with nothing but despair

2) They started out strong and kind, but were manipulated into making regretful mistakes

3) They're young, newer, but fierce and they were cast down before their time

So first up, the trios im using are:

BBS (Terra Aqua Ven),

KH1 (Sora Kairi Riku),

Days (Axel Roxas Xion)

and Other (Namine, Repliku, Vanitas) (Yeah okay I know theyre not any sort of official trio together but they are a trio of special outcasts who don’t have a place of their own and they fit this pattern so im doing it anyway)

Anyway first off we got:

1) Their path led ever downward until they were left with nothing but despair And our winners are: Aqua, Riku, Roxas, Vanitas

Now obviously this doesn’t include any happy ending earned because mostly everyone got a happy ending in KH3 anyway we’re just here for the feels of the tragedy

but in general, Aqua started off a master, slowly lost everything, and was left to rot in the dark world for a decade before losing her keyblade and ever her own heart

Riku had his heart slowly filled with darkness over time and ended up losing both his best friends, his heart to darkness, his appearance and even currently still has his moments of despair but it was strongest in Days for him, but he ended up the best out these four tbh

Roxas started off knowing nothing but on a high note, making friends and chilling, but the more he learned the more his friendships were torn apart until he lost his trust for Axel, all memory of Xion, any love for the organization at all, and eventually was beaten down and lost his own identity for kh2

Vanitas is the clear downward trended one, he started off bad as a darkness being ripped out of a piece of a heart, only knowing constant pain and agony while seething over how he could feel how happy Ventus was and eventually fully accepted he was nothing but darkness and lost his sanity a little bit

Next we have:

2) They started out strong and kind, but were manipulated into making regretful mistakes

Terra, Sora, Axel, Namine aka people who at one point fully caught protagonist syndrome and it bit them later

Terra was the dude who started his adventure and is most well known for how he fell to xehanort’s careful and insidious manipulation (Sidenote, KH1 only Riku also fits here technically, but as Riku’s arc evolved it slowly changed over time to falling to darkness and then rising out again so it goes above)

Sora’s major arcs especially in DDD and KH3 have all been about how the Xehanort’s basically just be toying with him the whole time but yeah the regets part don’t really happen until KH3 for sure (but hes the main chara of main charas so of course it gets fixed easily)

Axel’s got main character syndrome obviously because he’s so memetically popular, but his story also fits, as a kid him and Isa had ideas about being gallant heroes, then oops they lose their hearts, and suddenly Saix is manipulating Axel once their nobodies into doing icky jobs for the sake of their “friendship” to the point where it ends in the tragedy of Days and Axel is left regretting what he might have done different, everyone seems him as the clever sassy one but they forget Days was about him slowly becoming resentful of how his youthful friendship with Saix turned into nothing but manipulating him all the time

Namine was lonely and just wanted a friend so she put a self insert into the story and tried to become the main special focus and ends up regretting it hard, and even though she changed memories, it was Marluxia and Larxene who manipulated and mocked her feelings of loneliness making it worse and leading her to do that

Finally, we got: 3) They're young, newer, but fierce and they were cast down before their time aka they basically died at the end of the games they appeared in and those moments fill me with grief more than anything especially because of how spunky they were: Ventus, Kairi, Xion, Repliku (again, KH3 fixes everything so it’s not that bad too)

Ventus, couldn’t be clearer here, he starts off s young and full of hope and at the end makes the decision to shatter his own heart just so that Vanitas won’t have his own way Kairi, we all waited so long for her keyblade to become relevant and then MX just shatters her like that (thankfully KH3 DLc fixes everything up)

Xion, do I even gotta say it?

Repliku, his last lines wondering where does a fake heart go when it dies as he lies disappearing hurt me deep anyway yeah just thought that was neat to see the groups of people who might relate emotionally to eachother and how it’s not always as clear cut like all the soras together or all the rikus etc

But yeah,

Aqua, Riku, Roxas get to bond over life sucks syndrome (and drag Vanitas kicking and screaming along for the ride) Terra, Sora, Axel and Namine learn to stop constantly apologizing to people when and Ventus, Kairi, Xion and Repliku just be vibing like Same Death? Same Death!

#Kingdom hearts #All the trios #KH

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minijenn · 3 years

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Keys Comm #6

Finally! The last baby of the bunch! This is another one for @rosie-drawss, who wanted a third part to the sort of ongoing series I've been writing for her in which Sora is brought back to the lights early in Keys. So if you wanna catch up to what the heck is going on here, I suggest you read:

Part 1

Part 2

Before reading this one! And with that, enjoy some family feels!

***

Sora sleeps far longer than Riku and Kairi do--understandably so for someone who’s gone without sleep for as long as he has. They lay in bed alongside him for a long time after they awaken, soaking in the peaceful silence as they both watch Sora peacefully sleep in between them. In many ways, it's almost too good to be true, like a dream they’ve both been having for such a long time now, finally coming true before their eyes. But this isn’t a dream; this is real. Sora is really here, really back in the space between them, back in their reach after so many months away. And even if it isn’t perfect, even if there’s still so much that needs to be done to truly save him, they still savor this moment for all its worth. They still savor being with him, even more now than they did before.

The quiet calm of their morning is soon interrupted by a soft knock on the door. It’s enough to finally wake Sora up at least to some degree as he lets out a tired groan, rolling over as he shoves his head under his pillow, muttering “five more minutes’, much to Riku and Kairi’s shared amusement. In the end, however, Riku is the one to encourage whoever’s at the door to enter, eliciting another loud moan of protest from Sora.

“Sorry,” Aqua whispers with a small smile as she pokes her head in. “We wanted to wait as long as we could to let you three get all the rest you need. But…” she smiles as she fully enters, toting a tray laden with pancakes, eggs, fruit, and hot drinks. “I did bring breakfast, if that makes up for it.”

Before either Riku or Kairi can thank her, Sora suddenly sits up, still clearly half asleep as he takes in a whiff of the appetizing meal Aqua brought in. “Did somebody say breakfast…?” he asks with a drowsy, hungry smile.

The others all get a good laugh out of this as Aqua sets the tray up for the trio, allowing them to eat it in bed as she prepares to leave to let them enjoy it in private. “Take your time, but as soon as you’re done, head on up to Master Yen Sid’s study,” she instructs. “He’s called a special meeting so we can talk about… e-everything.”

The trio’s mood quickly shifts at this, all three of them tensing up as they exchange apprehensive glances. Sora’s is by far the most anxious as he looks between Riku and Kairi, his fear palpable enough that they can both practically feel it themselves. Which is why they both rush to quell that fear as quickly as they can. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Riku assures.

“Yeah, we can always tell them you wanted to get more sleep,” Kairi adds just as supportively.

“...Well, that’s not really a lie,” Sora manages a smile, though it's soon broken as he lets out a long, loud yawn. “I… kind of have a lot of that I need to catch up on…”

“I’ll let the others know then,” Aqua says with an understanding smile. “Also, Sora, your mother wanted to know if you were up to a visit later on. She said she could be up right after she finishes cleaning the kitchen from making breakfast.”

“I figured these pancakes were hers,” Sora notes with a small smile. “Yeah, you can send her up. But I can’t promise I won’t be asleep by the time she gets here.”

“You can sleep after you eat,” Kairi grabs him by the arm before he can ease himself back under the covers. “And we’re not leaving until you’ve finished every last bite.”

“Alright, ‘Mom’,” Sora jokes as he takes the plate she’s offering him.

“Better curb that sass,” Riku says just as playfully. “Or we’ll tell your real mom.”

“Aw, come on, you guys,” Sora grins between bites of breakfast. “We’re not little kids anymore.”

“Then stop acting like one and eat your breakfast already!” Kairi shoots back as Sora sticks his tongue out at her.

Aqua leaves the room as their “argument” continues, laughing quietly to herself as she closes the door behind her. “I have a feeling that no matter what happens next,” she says to herself, hope filling her heart where there was little the night before. “Those three will be just fine now that they’re together again…”

***

Most of the meeting is largely a blur for Riku and Kairi. They stand toward the back of the study, solemnly listening to the guidance Yen Sid has to offer for their most pertinent plight. Occasionally, one of them will pitch in, largely for the sake of updating the others on Sora’s status based on what they’d seen this morning and last night. But other than that, they say nothing, allowing the others to debate on what they need to do and where they need to go next. Eventually though, they have no choice but to weigh in on the conversation, especially when the inevitable question finally arises.

“So… is there any way we can stop what’s happening to Sora?” Naminé is the one to ask it when she senses that Riku and Kairi are both far too anxious to.

Yen Sid is silent for a long time and the others all largely hold their breath as they wait to hear his verdict. In the end, however, it isn’t exactly one any of them were hoping for. “I’m sorry to say that there is no method to setting Sora’s heart free that I have been able to find in my extensive studies,” he informs them, his eyes shut and his tone pensive. “But that does not mean there is no hope in saving him. It simply means that we must resort to cutting down the darkness invading his heart at its very source.”

“Then it looks like our mission hasn’t changed,” Riku speaks up gravely. He pauses for a moment when he senses another nightmare about to befall Sora, one that he swiftly chases away so that he can continue sleeping in peace. But the mere audacity of that nightmare’s attempt at getting to him at all is enough to sharpen what Riku has to say next even more. “We have to defeat Xehanort, no matter what it takes. Even if there’s even just a chance that taking him out will set Sora’s heart free, it's a chance we need to take.”

“But… what about the rest of the Keys?” Mickey asks. “There’s still several more we need to find before the Organization does, and now that we have Sora back, they’re bound to try and take him away from us too.”

“If they’re dumb enough to to try that, then they better be ready to deal with every last one of us,” Roxas hisses, more than resolved to keep his other safe.

“That’s right,” Aqua readily agrees. “We’ll protect Sora and we’ll find those last few Keys. Even if we have to go our separate ways to do it.”

“No,” Riku counters, shaking his head. “Splitting up has never worked well for us before. That’s how we lost Sora in the first place. We need to stay together from here on out. We need to be a team.”

“So… what? Are we all just gonna cram together onto that tiny ship every time we need to go somewhere?” Axel asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow. “I like all of you guys well enough, but I don’t know about getting that close into everyone else’s personal space.”

“We don’t have to use the Gummi Ship,” Kairi suggests. “I can summon light gates we can travel through. They might be an even faster way of getting around, which is a good thing if we want to find those Keys as soon as we can.”

“The sooner we get them, the sooner we can confront Xehanort and hopefully put a stop to all of this,” Terra points out.

“But is it really safe for us to take Sora with all of us?” Ventus asks, worried.

“Even if we’re all together, then the Organization could just as easily come together to attack all of us to try and take him away,” Xion adds just as fretfully. “And if we can’t protect him from them, then-”

“Aw, phooey!” Donald suddenly snaps. “If they wanna get their hands on Sora, then they’ve gotta go through us first!”

“Yup!” Goofy boldly chimes in. “We’re not about to let anyone else, not Maleficent, not the Organization, not even Xehanort himself, take him away from us ever again!”

“No, we won’t,” Riku nods, resolute. “And not only are we going to keep Sora safe, we’re going to make him feel safe too. When I found him last night, he was so… terrified. I’ve never seen him like that before, and to be honest, I don’t want to see him like that again. He’s not just scared of what’s happening to him. He’s scared of the possibility that he might accidentally hurt any one of us too. That’s why we have to make sure he knows that won’t happen. He’s safe here, with us, and it's up to each and every one of us to help him really believe that.”

The others all immediately agree to do exactly that, to help Sora ease his way back into the fold of family and friends he’s spent such a long time running from. To help him feel like he’s finally back to where he truly belongs. As the others begin brainstorming ways to help provide him with that comfort, Riku and Kairi exchange a small smile, glad that they have such reliable friends who are all every bit as dedicated to Sora as they are. Glad that they aren’t alone in wanting to not only set his heart free, but helping it heal as well, no matter how long that healing might take.

“Do you want to fill Sora in on the game plan or should I?” Kairi whispers, aside.

Riku shakes his head, his steady smile widening as he takes in the air of warm earnesty spread by his fellow lights. “We’ll all tell him,” he says simply. “Together, just like how we’re going to be from here on out.”

***

Himari is nothing if not an incredibly patient woman. She’s waited for her son to return to her before, waited to hear any sort of word on where he is or how he’s doing, waited for Riku to bring him back as soon as she arrived at the tower last night. And now, she waits for her son to awaken from his slumber, a soft, if not somewhat sad smile resting on her face as she hums the lullaby his father used to sing to him, stroking a gentle hand through his mostly white hair.

“Oh Sora…” she whispers, more to herself than to him. “I know you said I have nothing to be sorry about, but… I can’t stop thinking about how different things would be if I had just kept you home… If I never let you leave then… m-maybe… maybe you wouldn’t be…” She cuts herself off as she fringes on a sob that she only narrowly suppresses. “What kind of mother am I?” she shakes her head, forlorn. “I can’t even do a single thing to help my son when he needs it most… If only you were here, Ki…” Tears finally slip down her cheeks as her fingertips ever so softly skim the crown charm resting around Sora’s neck, a necklace that used to belong to her husband before him. “You’d know what to do about this. And even if you didn’t… at least you’d know what to say to make me feel better about it…”

Himari starts, a surprised gasp slipping out of her when Sora suddenly lets out a small laugh. “C’mon, Mom, Dad was never the one who knew what to say,” he remarks as he opens his eyes, smiling as he sits up in bed. “He always used to say you had ‘a way with words’ or something like that. I never got what he meant back then but I-” He stops himself, his casual manner falling to pieces when he meets his mother’s tearful gaze. She forces back those tears as best she can, a hand held over her mouth as she struggles to be strong for him… and fails miserably at it all the same. “P-please, Mom,” Sora implores her as steadily as he can. “Don’t cry. I don’t want to… I-I’ve already cried so much by now a-and if you cry then I know I will--even if I try to stop myself, I can never stop myself anymore--and I just-”

Himari cuts him off abruptly when she throws her arms around him, pulling him into yet another tight, yet comforting hug. “I’m not crying about that,” she tells him in a whisper. “I… it’s just… it’s been such a long time since I last saw you. You’ve grown so much in just a year… I’ve missed out on so much…”

Sora sighs, his guilt growing to the point that he soon finds he can contain it no longer. It pours out of him the same way his tears do, rapid and remorseful as he struggles to say everything he knows he needs to, everything he knows he owes her after how long he’s been gone. “Mom, I… I’m so sorry… When all of this started to become… t-too much for me, I wanted to come home, just like you told me to, but I was so scared that you wouldn’t want me if you saw me like… like this, so I ran and I-”

“Oh, Sora, sweetie, no,” Himari cuts him off, her voice soft and kind. “Even if you do look different, even if you have changed… you’re still you… You’re still my son, a-and I still love you so, so much, Sora… Please,” she pulls away, still holding his face in her hands as she offers him a tearful smile that’s as bright and warm as the sun itself. “Don’t ever forget that…”

“I-I… I won’t…” Sora says, despite his amazement, despite his awe that she could still love him after he’s strayed so far from home, so far away from her. But she loves him all the same, every bit as much as he loves her, and for as safe and secure as that love makes him feel here and now, that’s something he has no intentions of letting go of again anytime soon.

It isn’t long after this that a knock sounds at the door. Sora and Himari compose themselves quickly before Riku and Kairi enter first, though the other lights soon file in after them. The bedroom is a rather small one, but they all cram in to make space, each of them wearing hopeful smiles as they prepare to share their newfound plan with Sora. A plan that they have the utmost faith in, despite how uncertain everything else surrounding it might seem.

“So we’ve decided that we’re all going to look for the last few Keys together,” Kairi begins brightly. “And that you’re coming with us, Sora.”

“If you want to, that is,” Riku quickly cuts in, knowing the last thing he wants is to force Sora to do something he’s not comfortable with. Not now when he’s still clearly struggling to trust them all again. “If you don’t, that’s fine. We can always take you and Himari back to the islands, and a few of us can stay behind to make sure the Organization doesn’t-”

“No,” Sora interrupts. He stops briefly, offering his mother an apologetic glance. “I’m sorry, Mom…” he whispers to her. “But… I have to go again. They won’t be able to find those Keys without me, they need my help, I-”

“I know,” Himari says with a sad, tired sigh, far more used to this than she knows she should be. “Just… come home to me quickly this time, ok?”

He smiles when she skims the side of his face again, her gentle, loving touch a comfort he can’t help but cherish after having gone without it for so long. “I will. As soon as we have that last Key, I’ll be home on the islands with you again. I promise.”

Himari nods, accepting that promise as she offers a hand to help him stand. “I’m going with you,” he tells the other lights, his tone as determined as it can be. “I-I want to go with you,” he corrects himself, not wanting to sound like he’s doing it out of obligation. Even if he is. “I’m sorry I ran away before, but… I want to be a part of the team again, i-if you’ll have me, after… everything.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Axel speaks up with a small, incredulous laugh. “We weren’t much of a team at all without you around.”

“You were our missing piece, Sora,” Ventus adds, smiling kindly. “You’re the one who helped bring us all together to begin with. We wouldn’t have stopped until we brought you back too.”

“So quit feeling sorry for yourself already,” Roxas teases, crossing his arms. “And just accept the fact that we all missed you way more than you thought, ok?”

“And that we’re all so glad you’re finally back safe and sound,” Naminé chimes in warmly.

“And that we’re gonna stick right by your side,” Goofy concurs.

“No matter what the Organization might do to stop us!” Donald pipes up resiliently.

Sora can’t help but let out a small, practically elated chuckle at their shared enthusiasm. As he realizes just how wrong everything his master had told him had been. As he realizes just how much his friends really do care after all if they’re willing to go to such great lengths solely for him. “So,” he says, looking to Riku and Kairi as he takes the hands they’re both extending out toward him. “I guess we’re doing this together then?”

“Yeah,” Kairi smiles as Sora slips his hand into hers, more than ready to embark on whatever journey awaits them next.

Riku does the same when he takes Sora’s other hand, determined to do everything in his power, to give anything he has to just to make sure he’ll never have to let him go ever again. “Together.”

Commissions are Closed!

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databoyreekoo · 3 years

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thoughts on khmom

this thread contains spoilers for khmom, you have been warned

long story short; i loved it

i’ve always been indifferent about kairi. i don’t like her, but i don’t hate her either. honestly, it’s hard to have any sort of opinion on her when her presence in the story is severely lacking...especially compared to other female characters like aqua, xion and namine, who are all developed and well-rounded. but that’s the thing...it’s just kairi. fans like to jump to “nomura doesn’t know how to write female characters and will never give his female characters anything” when in reality, kairi is just poorly written. (i’d like to add that i’m not saying there aren’t any flaws in the way nomura writes his female characters, but this issue is exclusive to kairi as far as kh is concerned). i mean...even larxene and ava have more depth than kairi, and they haven’t even been featured in as many games as her. this is frustrating for those who already like her, and for those who want to like her. yet...it’s been kinda obvious that nomura a) didn’t really know what to do with her post kh1, and/or b) doesn’t particularly enjoy writing for her.

between kh1, kh2 and ddd, kairi showed only a smidgeon of her desire to fight for and help her friends. however, these moments were immediately countered by her waiting on the islands for sora and riku to return, her getting kidnapped, her getting manipulated by xehanort (and other orgxiii members)...or her getting killed. in kh3, her training was left in the hands of a wizard...not a keyblade master. and yes, even though time doesn’t exist in the secret forest, there’s only so much knowledge axel can pass onto kairi...and without a variety of enemies to fight, there’s only so much experience kairi can gain. she still had a lot to learn but was thrown into a war and expected to hold her own (she did good for what little time she had to prepare, though).

then..remind happened. apart from the lore bits that were added and the plot holes that were addressed, the rest of it felt like fanservice, to be quite honest. it gave the fans everything they had been screaming about since kh3′s initial release, including “kairi development/spotlight.” i’m using quotations because kairi was very inconsistent in remind. one moment she’s blocking xion’s attack and protecting axel (repaying him for protecting her earlier in the KG, regardless if she remembers it or not AND for plot reasons; getting to see xion’s face, all in all this feels good, this feels like natural progression for kairi, love that for her), then...she’s suddenly overpowering XEMNAS of all people after he literally slapped sora, roxas AND xion away like a couple of mosquitos...(thematically, it would’ve made more sense for it to have been xion or roxas getting the upper hand, and it would’ve been in character too since they’re both powerhouses...it just feels like this was compensation or an apology for kairi not doing anything in the base game when xemnas kidnapped her...WHICH STILL HAPPENS BTW making this interaction between xemnas and kairi feel insincere and unrewarding...i want natural progression for kairi, i don’t want her to come off like a mary sue), then later once sora and the guardians bring kairi back, she’s totally clueless as to what sora means by “kairi, are you ready for this?” when she can obviously see darkness swirling above their heads...yet, earlier, she immediately gave axel affirmation when he asks “you with me?” just as they’re about to fight saix and xion...her fight against xehanort was wonderful though, her gameplay suited her very well. i just want consistency and natural progression like the rest of the main cast experienced.

i feel like remind was kinda misleading when it comes to kairi...and a lot of fans just rolled with the hype straight into khmom, believing it to be this huge turning point for kairi...only to be let down by the ending.

however, khmom is a turning point for kairi...but it feels sincere, it feels deserved. it feels natural. she got to address her repressed childhood memories and confront an illusion of xehanort, the embodiment of her suffering. she acknowledged her weakness (in jp, sena translated it different) and how it put sora and everyone else in danger. she showed frustration and anger with the way xehanort used her and altered her fate. she charged in to fight and stand up for herself without a second thought. she’s more assertive and involved now than she ever has been, and her personality is finally showing through and she’s bursting with life. even when she tells riku she wants to go, and he denies her in order to keep her safe (i swear to god, if i see one more person call riku a misogynist for gently putting kairi down because she isn’t experienced enough and doesn’t have the power of waking needed to journey to a dangerous, unknown world i’m gonna lose my mind, sora was literally denied access to the realm of darkness all throughout kh3 because it was too dangerous and he hadn’t regained the power of waking and nobody said a damn thing about that), she acknowledges her lack of experience and tells riku with confidence that she’s going to train hard and get stronger so she can fight alongside sora AND riku...not just sora this time. this is the first time in a long time we’ve seen kairi so vocal and adamant about her training so she can grow stronger and not put herself or anyone else in harms way anymore...instead of her writing it down in an unsent letter or having the game telling us but hardly show it. she even tells yen sid she wants to train under aqua WHICH IS HUGE because not only is it a decision she makes herself (and actually voices this time instead of remaining passive), but she also utilizes magic and speed in combat...training under aqua will help her develop SO MUCH, in both character and skill. this also opens potential friendships between kairi and terra, as well as kairi and ventus.

kairi is finally...FINALLY starting her own journey, and even though her path is different from sora and riku’s right now (which, honestly, will be more beneficial for her in the long run), i have more faith now than ever that kairi’s path will cross with sora and riku’s again and she’ll have the strength she wants in order to stand by their side and support them.

#khmom #khmomspoilers #kh mom spoilers #khmom spoilers

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tapioca-puddingg · 6 months

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The Riku vs Terra Discussion

Hey y'all. So as you can see, I didn't choose violence today.

I've already spoken about this in my Terra video, but I'll reiterate my talking points here bc it's quicker to consume than a video.

So because Riku and Terra have similar story arcs related to darkness, a lot of us are naturally inclined to compare their stories and their behavior. However, I feel like some folks compare them with the added context of Riku’s redemption arc as ammunition against Terra. It’s comparing the life of someone who’s struggling to someone who has already succeeded, so that wouldn't be fair. So if we’re gonna play the comparison game, it’s only fair to start by isolating Riku’s behavior in KH1 and Terra’s in BBS since that's where these two made their starts.

This isn't me trying to say that one is better than the other. They both come from different lives, have different insecurities, and have different personalities. They are both flawed in their own ways. This is just a compare and contrast type of thing.

Riku was far more problematic at the start of his journey.

He actively antagonized Sora and co., worked with Maleficent (albeit it was to try to find a way to save Kairi, but still), was manipulated by Maleficent, was later possessed by Ansem, and attacked Sora while he was possessed.

Not to mention that he was selfish. He was totally fine with never returning home or seeing their parents again. Zexion calls him out on this in Re:CoM; that he was the reason why Destiny Islands fell to darkness.

I guess to give him the benefit of the doubt, the situation was more dire, as one of his best friend's heart was missing, and he was willing to do anything to help her.

Terra showed a lot more self-awareness and restraint. He was trying to do what Master Eraqus told him to do while simultaneously trying to figure out how to control his darkness. However, the desperation combined with his own insecurities made him vulnerable to being tricked by villains, like Hades.

Sadly tho, I don't think that he exercises discernment with some of the villains; Cap'n Hook in particular. And with Xehanort, he doesn't realize that he's been fooled until it's too late (which isn't his fault, Xehanort was playing 5D chess).

Beyond KH1, Riku had a lot of time to self-reflect and come to terms with his darkness, and he also had a good support system in Mickey. Mickey was someone that was genuinely curious, compassionate, and open-minded with him. He was willing to stand by him and support him no matter what. That’s somebody that Terra needed.

This might be a hot take, but Terra didn't have the best support system to be able to deal with his darkness issue. Eraqus was Eraqus-ing and Aqua assumed the worst about him after seeing the aftermath of his actions. Ven still supported him, but I think the distrust from Eraqus and Aqua had way more of an impact on him.

Honing in on Aqua for a moment, she always arrived in the worlds after Terra. From her perspective, it looked like Terra was doing a lot of fuckshit. He did leave the worlds pretty unresolved, so I understand why she was suspicious of him, especially with Terra’s lack of communication. BUT at the same time, she also didn't ask him what really happened. But anyways.

Terra and Riku were both manipulated and possessed at one point. They also both protected their friends from their possessed bodies; Riku protected Sora from himself in Hollow Bastion and Terra tried to protect Aqua from Terranort in the realm of darkness.

Riku is able to succeed where Terra couldn't. Riku was lucky to have Sora when he was possessed, otherwise he might've ended up being possessed for who knows how long. Like I said, he has a year and some change to grow as a person, whereas Terra has that opportunity taken from him.

Currently, Riku already has gone off to rescue Sora. Terra's story arc from this point forward has been undetermined and I have no idea what they plan to do with his character. In terms of the Wayfinder trio, Aqua will be training Kairi (and maybe they'll explore new worlds together?), and Ven might embark on a new journey based on his forgotten memories of the Age of Fairytales. Maybe Terra will help Aqua in training Kairi. Maybe he'll go on his own healing journey. Or maybe he'll eventually retake the Mark of Mastery exam and become a master.

I don't have a conclusion to this, I just like talking about things. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

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angel-with-a-pipette · 3 years

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I finished Melody of Memory

I have strong feelings.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve been kind of prepared to not expect too many new cutscenes and that was a good thing because I might have been a little disappointed otherwise. Yeah, this isn’t a big KH game and more of a trip down memory lane, but c’mon, Nomura. Throw us a bone, will ya?

Anyways. Let me try to order this chronologically.

KAIRI. CAN. FIGHT. Did you see her fight against Xehanort?

Man, that was awesome. Yeah, I know, she lost, yadda yadda, this is Xehanort, we’re speaking about. The dude who took on Terra, Aqua and Ven two to three? So don’t you dare complain, that girl had a hard enough time already (not gonna lie though, I kinda hoped she would kick his bald ass in the face).

And THEN. HER BOYFRIEND. He’s fucking DEAD (or ~on the other side~, I’ll get to that) BUT HE STILL PROTECTS HIS BELOVED GIRLFRIEND AND I AM

I legitimately screamed. Nomura feeds me so well in this game.

Also, anybody else realize how both Sora’s and Kairi’s themes include

Because I did. And I am living the dream.

By the way. Xehanort. Honey? God, that’s not how you talk to a four year old. Especially not a frightened four year old. And just - how far back do the MoM’s plans go? I mean I’ll probably have to watch the cutscenes again but really. Xehanort.

Now. Not-Noctis and not-Versus and not-Stella.

I had two years to accept the fact that not-Versus will be most likely included in KH one way or another. I’m still not thrilled, far from it, but at least not-Stella isn’t being a little bitch and isn’t outright attacking sunshine boy. I can say her being the third Key is way better than Yozora being it although it’s obvious not-Stella isn’t doing much (she might serve as the gateway in the future again but that’s about it for her Key role at least) and Yozora surely will have a bigger role. Eh. Not looking forward to it, but I didn’t have to see the dude that fucking froze my boy in the bad ending and that is always a plus.

By the way, the Fairy Godmother told not-Stella her dream would come true soon. According to our time or Nomura-time?

The other side/world/fiction - or maybe it’s reality after all? Not sure what I am supposed to think of it. The moment Ansem the Wise talked about it, I joked about our characters finding out they’ve been the fictional world all along, but after seeing the segment in Yen Sid’s tower, damn, I’m not so sure anymore Sounds like Yozora’s world was the original and we’re either in the Datascape or another word. World line, I guess? Hello headache my old friend.

Now. Oh boy.

Get ready for an explosion.

YEN SID, THIS LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT, SITTING WITH HIS ASS ON HIS CHAIR IN HIS TOWER ALL DAY, ONLY GETTING UP ONCE IN THE LAST 11 YEARS AT LEAST, LET KAIRI BE PUT INTO A TIMELESS FOREST FOR APPARENTLY NOT A LOT TIME AT ALL DESPITE, you know, HAVING ALL THE TIME IN THE GODDAMN WORLD ONLY TO PULL HER OUT TOO EARLY AND TOO INEXPERIENCED TO FIGHT, DIRECTLY CAUSING SORA’S DEATH, HAS THE AUDACITY TO ASK KAIRI IF SHE WANTS TO CONTINUE TRAINING UNDER MERLIN, THE MOST INCOMPETENT SWORDS TEACHER BECAUSE HE WIELDS NO SWORD.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

But dear sweet, little Kairi (no seriously, she’s so tiny next to Riku, it’s so cute) has more of a brain THAN ALL MASTERS COMBINED and TELLS Yen Sid she wants THE QUEEN OF KINGDOM HEARTS TO TRAIN HER.

AQUA

I don’t think I’ve screamed that much since Sora and Kairi hugged in Re:Mind and clapped so hard my hands hurt.

GOOD ON YOU SWEETIE. TELL THE OLD SENILE WIZARDS TO FUCK OFF.

There is definitely more, but it’s late, I have to sort my thoughts and definitely need to rewatch the cutscenes, too, because, uhm, Radiant Garden? Hope? What now?

Well. It’s finally time to undo all the spoiler blocks LMAO.

#KHMoM #Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory #KHMoM spoilers #KH spoilers #MoM spoilers #I had way too much fun with the gifs

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miss-tc-nova · 3 years

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Coping - Riku

I’ve got a lot of writing to do, but I hope you enjoy this. There is a lot of angst though. This is your warning.

Music Inspiration: Karma by AJR and Details in the Fabric by Jason Mraz

~~~~~

He stares at the roof of the Gummiship, the emptiness in his skull preying on his thoughts like a blackhole. Once anything coherent crawls its way from the darkness, the void snatches it up and leaves him again with nothing. The inescapable gravity affects not just the mind, but also the body. His muscles feel like lead and the makeshift bed clings to him, making it easier to succumb to his inertia. There is no desire to get up, not when it feels like such an impossible feat.

“Hey! Get out of bed! It’s already noon!”

There’s his motivation, her voice cutting through the convalescence.

Despite her demand, he groans. “Kairi…”

“Come on, Riku, I thought we were the lazy ones,” a boy teases.

There’s the other one. Heaving a sigh, the young man puts a tremendous amount of effort into sitting up; the exhaustion is already threatening to pull him back under the covers. Hands drag along his face, hoping to dispel some of the lethargy.

“What are you, an old man?”

Riku growls back, “Gimme a break. I didn’t get to sleep until four.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the responsible one too?”

“Shut up, Sora.”

Echoing laughter encourages Riku to shove himself off the bed and get dressed. The two continue to pester him as he gets ready. Admittedly, it’s particularly difficult for him to get going, but his best friends’ well-intended harassment convinces him to press on.

Plopping into the driver’s seat, Riku’s foggy mind struggles to remember his task. “What was the plan again?”

Kairi replies, “Aqua, Terra, and Ven asked if you would visit today.”

“Oh yeah,” Sora hums as Riku shifts the vessel into gear. “They wanted to catch up and do some sparring.”

“Training,” Kairi corrects. “Just because Xehanort is gone doesn’t mean new skills can’t be learned. And those three are bound to know some interesting techniques.”

“Yeah yeah.”

The Gummiship starts taking off and Riku chuckles, “There’s the lazy guy I remember.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, you also wanted to go to Radiant Garden today,” Kairi reminds.

“Oh…” Riku looks to his Gummiphone. “Do I have time?”

Sora isn’t so worried. “You should be fine. Only take an hour or two to get between worlds and the castle closes at ten.”

Not entirely convinced but going along anyway, Riku hums, “Right. Just gotta watch the clock.”

Their chatter fills the silence, giving the driver some entertainment as he pilots the ship towards his destination. He has his input in the conversation, but is pretty content listening to their banter—it’s something he desperately needs right now.

~~~~~

Sooner than he knows it, Riku docks on the Land of Departure. He takes a moment to awe at the towering castle, still in disbelief that this was once the dreaded Castle Oblivion; it’s regal yet welcoming.

As he makes his way toward the entrance, the front door opens to reveal some familiar faces. Ven races down the steps, waving wildly.

Kairi giggles. “Easily excitable, isn’t he? Just like Sora.”

The thought tugs at some heartstrings but Riku greets Ven with a high-five when the boy reaches the bottom.

Aqua is next to approach, wrapping the young man in a hug. “It’s good to see you. How have you been?”

“Doing alright,” he responds, returning her gesture. “How’s it been here?”

“Pretty peaceful actually,” she says. “Except when these two are left alone for too long.”

“Look, I said I was sorry,” Terra grumbles, joining last. “And it was Ven’s fault. He’s the one who knocked the clock over.”

“Ven knocked over a clock?!” Sora laughs.

“An antique grandfather clock,” Aqua points out.

Ven snaps, “I was pushed into it!”

“Anyway!” The woman tries to steer the topic away from the chaos. “How’s the search going?”

A nervous hand scratches at the back of Riku’s head. “Still nothing yet, but everyone’s keeping eyes out for any clues—we won’t give up.”

“And we won’t either,” she says with a smile.

He grins for show. “Thanks.”

“Are you ready to get started or do you need a minute?”

“Ready whenever you are.”

On the training grounds, Terra and Riku start with some sparring. The younger male must actively fight his fatigue in order to stand against the powerhouse. Terra’s strength and endurance are already challenging enough but a sluggish Riku has his work cut out for him. It doesn’t help that his friends are yelling at him to keep up.

Soon, Ventus seems to find spectating a boring sport and leaps into the fray, followed shortly by Aqua. It takes only moments for Riku to be pushed to the sidelines but, before he can jump back in, he gets a good look at the battle. It’s both awe-inspiring and bitter to see. Aqua’s ability to dance out of reach, Ven’s reprisal attacks, Terra’s timing—they know each other so well it’s like they choreographed it. They’re best friends who trained together for years.

“The keyblade brought them together,” he says under his breath.

Jealousy slithers through Riku’s chest; the keyblade only tore him and his friends apart.

Sora interrupts his rumination. “The keyblade granted us the power to protect the things we care about.”

Riku’s grip tightens on his keyblade, the embers of contempt beginning to smolder.

“But I couldn’t.”

A blur flashes in front of him. Remembering the situation, Riku attempts to block, but his realization was a second too late. The next thing he knows, he’s rolling across the ground with the dull pain of inevitable bruises all over his body.

“Oh crap!” The assailant, Ventus, hurries after Riku. “Are you okay?!”

Sitting up, Riku rubs at his head. “What happened?”

“You let your guard down,” giggles Kairi.

Ven helps his victim up. “Sorry, I thought you were ready so I used Time Splicer.”

Riku dusts himself off. “What’s that?”

“It sounds cool,” Sora comments.

Once it’s explained, sparring shifts into training as Aqua and Ven volunteer to teach the technique.

Riku’s keyblade makes contact with the tank, but when Terra fends him off, he knows he failed again.

“Go Riku!” Kairi cheers. “You can do it!”

Growling to himself, Riku slips around Terra to try a second time. Unfortunately, when struck again, Terra continues to defend himself, something he wouldn’t be able to do if the attack had worked. Aggravation starts wearing at his composure.

“C’mon! Focus!” Sora shouts.

Riku yells back, “Would you two cut it out?! I’m trying to concentrate!”

In that brief second, Riku was not concentrating and Terra’s retaliation connects, sending him flying.

The loser skids to a halt and Sora says, “That was not focusing,”

“It’s your fault,” grumbles Riku, pulling his face from the dirt.

Terra calls out, “Hey, Riku?”

He glances back, finding various expression of disturbed and concerned as the trio watches him.

“Sorry.” He hops to his feet. “I kinda lost focus there. Let’s go again.”

Terra and Aqua exchange glances before the woman asks, “You know you can talk to us, right?”

“What?”

His predecessor replies, “We know what it’s like to be separated from the people closest to you.”

Kairi murmurs, “You guys went through a lot of that, didn’t you.”

Aqua rests a gentle hand on Riku’s arm. “We know that you have to keep fighting, but it’s okay to ask for help. We’re here for you, whenever you need us.”

“Oh, they’re worried,” Sora explains.

Riku glances between the hosts, concern clear in each of them. These three have gone through hell—probably still suffering from that trauma—but here they are, worrying about him. Fists tighten, signifying the seams in his heart ready to burst.

His mouth works faster than his brain.

“I’m fine.”

Ven tilts his head. “Really? I don’t think t—"

Terra’s hand literally shuts the boy up. Aqua looks disappointed, especially when Riku smiles in an attempt to dissuade their doubt.

“Really. I appreciate it, but I’m okay.” Before any of them can argue, he adds, “I think I’m ready to keep going. Can we try the Time Splicer again?”

“Don’t push yourself too much,” warns Sora. “You’ll just end up in the dirt again.”

“Actually, I think this is a good place to stop,” Aqua says. Riku’s muscles tense but she goes on with a brightness that’s too forced. “It’s almost time for dinner. I hope stew is okay.”

Pulling his GummiPhone from his pocket, Riku checks the time—he’s still got a few hours. “Sounds great.”

“It’s been cooking all day! It smells so good!” Ven says, bouncing towards the castle.

“I bet Aqua’s food is amazing,” Kairi coos.

Terra puts in, “Her cooking is the best.”

While Aqua and Terra seem to be watching Riku closely, they all enjoy catching up over dinner. Their enjoyable bit of peace is a source of envy for weary Riku; he’s glad they found each other again, but he’d give damn near everything to have what they have right now. Nevertheless, they don’t deserve to endure his negativity, no matter how draining their happy aura is.

“And that’s why Master Eraqus banned Aqua from the kitchen for a month,” Terra says. The boys laugh while Aqua scowls as the victim of the latest embarrassing tale.

Still feigning his pleasantries, Riku hides the fact his laugh is put on behind a sip of water. That’s when he notices the window.

The sky is as black.

In a panic, Riku tears his phone from his pocket—it’s 9 PM. Somehow, despite absolutely dreading the casualties of his visit, he lost track of time.

“You’re going to be late!” Kairi shouts.

“You okay?” Terra asks.

He stands abruptly. “I gotta go.”

The three follow after him.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?” Aqua questions.

“No. I just…I have somewhere to be.” As he pulls open the door, part of him had hoped his eyes deceived him, but the darkness is daunting.

“It’s late; you should stay,” the woman insists. “We’ve got plenty of room.”

“You aren’t gonna make it,” Sora says.

They’re still worried, Riku knows that, but part of him really wishes they just wouldn’t bother. “No, I really have to go.”

“Hey, you’re under a lot of stress,�� Terra tells him. “In times like that, it’s best to have friends around. I know we’re not your closest friends but we care about you.”

Not wanting to act on his fraying patience, Riku responds, “Thanks, but I really need to go.” This time, he can’t even fake a smile. “I’ll see you guys later.”

They bid him goodbye and Aqua reminds him to take care of himself before Riku takes off towards his ship.

“There really wasn’t any harm in staying,” Kairi murmurs as the Gummiship begins to lift off.

Sora adds on, “You can probably go back. They’ll understand.”

“No. I made a promise,” Riku says firmly, feeling that exhaustion from earlier.

“Go back,” pleads Kairi.

“No.”

Sora’s sadness comes through. “Riku…”

The long flight is filled with them pestering him about his choice, sometimes repeating their arguments. Riku ignores their reasoning. No matter how miserable he feels, he has to move forward.

~~~~~

The Gummiship touches down in Radiant Garden. Eyes caught by the high moon, Riku steps off.

“Shit,” he hisses, bolting down the walkway.

His steps echo off the stone walls, enunciating the empty streets and the desperation squeezing on his lungs. Cruses string through his thoughts, berating him for his mistake.

Finally reaching the castle, it feels like he’s been sprinting for days. A heavy hand raises to knock against the door. When there is no response, he tries again, fighting the water welling in his eyes.

There’s still no answer.

Kairi whispers, “It’s okay. I know you’re trying.”

With no way of venting his frustration, Riku gnashes his teeth together. He ambles back to the ship, feeling his own disappointment crush his heart.

Immediately upon his return, Riku flops onto his bed, the weight of the day instantly overtaking him. The frustration from training and regret of missing his visit are simply byproducts of a bad day, however, in his current state, they instigate tears that muddle his view.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Kairi soothes. “You can visit tomorrow.”

“I should’ve paid more attention to the time,” Riku grumbles. “I might’ve made it if they stopped asking if I was okay.”

She retorts, “You weren’t going to make it even if they hadn’t said anything. Besides, they’re just worried about you.”

“I’m not the one they should be worried about.”

Sora argues, “It’s not like they’re only allowed to worry about one person. You’re just as important as we are.”

“But I’m fine,” he growls.

“Really?”

A fist pounds against the floor. “Yes! I’m here, aren’t I?! I’m here and I’m fighting and I’m still going! I’m fine!”

Kairi cuts back in. “But Riku…we aren’t even real.”

The statement plunges a knife into his heart, driving home just how far he’s fallen.

Palms pressed against his eyes, futilely fighting the lump in his throat, the young man whimpers, “I know.”

“This isn’t normal.”

“I know.”

“You’re not fine.”

“I know! I know I’m not fine but I can’t do anything else!” he screams. “I don’t have time! If I stop, we’ll never find Sora and Kairi will sleep forever! What do you want from me?!”

“You want us to actually be here,” Sora replies.

“Stop!” he cries, clutching his head.

“We can’t.”

Kairi tries to explain what he already knows, “These are your thoughts.”

“I said stop!”

“Riku,” they both say.

“SHUT UP!”

Overwhelmed, Riku breaks. His heart crumbles in his chest and tears fall.

Sora and Riku barely spent any time apart when they met; Kairi shared that bond from the moment the boys found her on the beach. They were inseparable, they were his best friends, but ever since he let his heart slip that one time, he’s spent most of his time cut off from them—fighting to regain some normalcy. Had he known that the people most important to him would be torn away, he never would’ve taken Terra’s keyblade. But he did, and now he’s alone, in the Gummiship, on a foreign world, without a single clue as to when this depression will end.

“You should get some sleep,” Kairi speaks.

“We know you’re trying your best for us, but make sure you take care of yourself,” says Sora.

“Would you please just shut up,” Riku begs, curling up to hide in vain.

Sora sighs. “Good night, Riku.”

“We miss you,” Kairi says.

And for the first time in a long time, his thoughts are silent. The voices of his friends had always been his driving force, but when faced with the reality of what they were—just voices in his head—he hated them. But now that his mind is finally quiet, he regrets his choice.

Another tear glides along his cheek, absorbed by the pillow. “I miss you too.”

#kh riku #riku

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oveliagirlhaditright · 3 years

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What are your favorite KH headcanons? Just in general, nothing specific :)

It’s funny... I can think of headcanons when I’m writing or whatever--or just at the spur of the moment--but when asked for them, they all disappear from my mind. Uhh... let’s see what I can come up with.

Because Kairi has had a different hairstyle that every year that we see her, I headcanon that she changes her hair every year.

I also headcanon her birthday is September 17th (the day KH1 was released in the U.S. This is also SoKai Day), since Sora’s birthday is the day of the Japanese release and because it makes Kairi a Virgo. She somewhat reminds me of a Virgo. And apparently an Virgos and Aries (which Sora is) can be good together, so...

I imagine that Riku is rich, just because he has a balcony in the KH manga. So is Kairi, for being the adopted daughter of the mayor in my mind (I get into that just below). Sora, however, is probably middle class. For this reason, hangouts with the three usually happen at Kairi or Riku’s house. But sometimes Sora’s still... And these three totally snuck into each other’s houses after dark--through bedroom windows--all the time, and no one can tell me any differently.

And, like most of the fandom does, I headcanon that Destiny Islands’ mayor is Kairi’s adopted father... even though that’s never exactly said. It’s said that the girl who arrived during the meteor shower was at the mayor’s house, but that could have just been for the time and she eventually got relocated somewhere else. But nah. I also headcanon that the mayor adopted her.

I like my headcanon of Xion liking doilies for some reason.

And my one about Roxas being able to cook, too.

For some reason, I adore the idea that Riku can’t cook to save his life.

I also don’t think that Sora is dumb, and I’ll fight people on this. And at this point, I’m kind of stealing another’s headcanon... but I like the idea that Donald and Goofy teach Sora school things he’s missing on their travels together.

I can also get into the headcanon that Sora’s dad passed when he was young (sadly). Since we hear him mentioned in BbS, but don’t hear him calling Sora to dinner alongside Sora’s mother in KH1 or anything like that.

I definitely headcanon that there are a few islands on Destiny Islands--since it’s Destiny Islands plural--but that they’re probably small, so that the kids still feel “trapped there”.

I imagine that Sora and Riku’s parents put up some of the Play Island stuff absent in Dark Road.

Until proven otherwise, because of the character files, I’m headcanoning that Roxas, Lea, Xion, Isa, and Naminé are all living together now (with Lea and Isa acting as their parents). Probably in the Old Mansion that they fixed up. But on the flip-side of that, I think that Sora and Kairi’s parents accepted their kids’ Nobodies and Replicas as their own, and they sometimes stay there.

I also want to pretend that Isa made a bigger effort to make things up to Roxas and Xion.

I actually don’t think Naminé would jump on the drawing train as most fans seem to think she would. Rather... since drawing is actually tied to traumatic memories for her, I think she’d want to get as far away from it as she could at first. And it would take her friends showing her that she could make good memories with it too, that would finally make her an artist.

Terra and Aqua came from other worlds than the Land of Departure (and how I wish we’d get information on that!). Right now--even though it’ll never happen in a million years, since this series isn’t even Disney--I’m writing that Aqua is originally from “Antar” from the Roswell series, but that’s more fanfiction territory. More likely than not, I want to believe that Terra and Aqua are from worlds that fit their names.

Strelitzia is bisexual. I don’t care that Player canonically is a guy at this point, thus probably making her het. Shh.

Speaking of bisexuality... I think that Sora is. I could maybe even headcanon Riku as that now.

Naminé would totally wear baby blue, if Nomura ever lets her get another outfit.

Xion probably eventually picks up some artsy thing that she can do too, to better fit in with Kairi, Naminé, and Aqua. In the novels, she wanted to make a lucky charm but didn’t know how to. So I can see it.

I don’t think this is a headcanon, so much as it is canon that we haven’t seen yet (since Nomura has slightly talked about this in interviews, even if he’s never going to do anything with it now). Rinoa exists in the KH universe. And it’s because something happened to her during the fall of Radiant Garden--that Leon really is beating himself up about--that he changed his name. And it’ll only seeing her alive and well again, that will get him to change his name back. And he eventually will (or maybe even has in my headcanon). And, yes: the letter he got in the KHII credits was totally from her, telling him that she was alright. Rinoa is also why he has wings on the back of his jacket.

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine aren’t actually tiny fairies, but Maleficent turned them into that... And this is so I can ship KH Tidus and Yuna, yeah. But I swear if you listen to one of Rikku’s lines, it sounds like she might be implying this.

While I think originally, it was Aerith that Cloud was trying to save in KH1 (...for some reason. Since she’s fine in the KH verse), fans have now convinced me that it was actually Zack, so I hope we eventually get the FFVII characters in KH’s story eventually resolved.

Some people argue that all of Traverse Town with the TWEWY characters was a dream--or maybe it’s that they argue Joshua saving his friends through Sora and Riku’s help was the dream--but in my book, it totally happened.

Naminé is an honorary member of the Destiny Trio and Sea Salt Trio.

Kairi and Naminé see each other as sisters, and Sora, Roxas, and Ventus (and Vanitas, if he ever comes back and is redeemed) see each other as brothers. But Sora and Roxas miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight slightly see themselves as more closely linked brothers, and same thing with Ventus and Vanitas.

I also see Xion as a third sister for Kairi and Naminé. Most of the fandom disagrees with this. And I understand why. Most of the fandom sees her as Sora’s sister (and maybe even then sistered to the other boys. And sometimes I now do this--sort of because of peer pressure--but I’ll also have her be a shared sister between the boys and Kairi and Naminé, even though Sora and Kairi themselves aren’t “related”. But I hate that when I do this, it ruins my RokuShi dreams. So it’s probably part of the reason that I usually don’t). But I still see Xion as closer to Kairi than Sora. I know she was supposed to be a Sora clone (but it didn’t really work and she was a failed clone of him), but she mostly defined by his memories of Kairi. And that’s who she chooses to be and how she sees herself. But people then argue that it’s Sora’s memories of Kairi, though, not Kairi herself. And I get that.... But I still think she’s closer to Kairi. Why? Because Sora was actively trying to make her Kairi. And I’m sure some of himself slipped into there, as parts of a writer--so to speak--shows up in all their work, whether they intended it or not. But for example... let’s say that Sora hates chocolate and Kairi loves it. Since he was trying to make Xion like Kairi, he would therefore have her like chocolate, even though he hated it. So that’s one more point for Xion moreso being like Kairi in my book. I also... when I first played Days, she reminded me a lot of Kairi, partly because of some of her snarky lines. It’s only recently that I’ve looked at Days and seen some Sora in her--and realized that also could have partly come from him--but I still stand by what I said.

And while we’re on the subject... after everyone got their own hearts and bodies at the end of KHIII, I don’t think pairings like RokuShi or RokuNami, or whatever else would be insert of self-cest at all. Really, I don’t ever think it was. Because KH rules state that it’s your heart and how you see yourself that governs everything around you... but especially not after KHIII resolved this. So it kind of ticks me off when people still bring up this argument.

Because this plot hole bothers me... Kairi totally remembered Merlin when she trained with him in KHIII.

Most the rest of these will probably be about Kairi. Since you all know she’s my girl, and I think about her a lot.

I pretend that Kairi did somewhat have an edgy stage, and still somewhat is. Maybe because I somehow combine that with tomboy in my head. IDK. Speaking of--though not that this is really “edgy”--I’ve written that Kairi likes Queen at least twice. Just pretend that Destiny Islands has Queen. Haha.

I also believe that even after Kairi became more girly in KHII, she still has some tomboy to her: like how even though she wears a dress in KHII, she still has sneakers on, and how her school bag isn’t decorated at all when Selphie’s is. She’s also a fighter, of course (not that that necessarily makes a girl a tomboy -looks at Buffy-). I imagine out of the three, Naminé is the girliest, Kairi is a mix of tomboy and girly-girl, and Xion is a tomboy.

I think Kairi, Naminé, and Xion would all have great relationships with each other. Naminé and Xion, because they both know what it’s like to be “Nobodies” , told they shouldn’t exist, and forgotten (Kairi knows this, too), and have suffered (though Kairi has too, of course). They’re also both slightly shier. Kairi and Xion because they both can be snarky (though Xion not as much), are more outgoing and both fight, and are maybe pretty evenly matched right now (they’d probably spar a lot). And Kairi and Naminé, because they’re like the extroverted and introverted version of each other. And I imagine Kairi could convince Kairi to try things more, while Naminé would get her to chill the F out about things.

Kairi and Xion are probably both protective of Naminé, since she’s been so abused and they can fight and she can’t.

Sora, Roxas, and Ventus might be protective of Xion. But for me, Roxas is because of shipping reasons.

Back to the girly-girl Kairi thing... While pink probably is for sure her favorite color now, she still likes purple and other colors. And will use them.

I also just... don’t see her wearing makeup. I know other fans do, and that’s fine. But I don’t. Mainly because it doesn't look like she ever is in the game. I think that’s part of her tomboy coming through still. She cares about her hair, her clothes, perfume and whatever else, but she doesn’t care about makeup.

I used to headcanon that Aqua and Xion would become best friends--and they still could--but Melody of Memory maybe hinted at something else.

...I think this is everything right now.

Edit: And pretty much every headcanon that bluerosesburnblue comes up with for the KHUX world is right up my alley.

Edit 2: Destiny Islands maybe isn’t as technologically un-advanced as I and some had originally thought, but it’s still not modern day Shibuya or anything like that.

Edit 3: A lot of Destiny Islands’ culture is based on Japan.

Edit 4: This isn’t a “headcanon” at all. But I love to joke with the fandom, that Naminé and Xion might as well be Sora and Kairi’s daughters. LOL

Edit 5: And because of that one scene in KHII, where Kairi, arguably, hits Riku in the arm, if you look close enough--and that one translation of the KHII manga, where Kairi tells Riku not to be such sourpuss--I headcanon that these two somewhat play off just how much they mean to each other. But really, they love each other of course. I mean that platonically.

Edit 6: And I want to believe Minnie and Daisy could eventually go on an adventure with Kairi or something. I like the headcanon that Daisy’s a magician, too--since Minnie is strong with light magic--even though it’s not true. Haha.

Edit 7: Sora says Kairi’s name over and over again at the end of KHI and tells her “I love you” at the end of KHIII.

Edit 8: Riku is Sora’s best man at Sora and Kairi’s wedding. He’s also the “uncle” and godfather of their kids.

Edit 9: Speaking of, Sora and Kairi have a daughter named “Sakura”. But it’s pronounced like how you would say “Sum” (but drop the “M”, of course) and then “Cora”. “Sumcora” (but without the “M”).

Edit 10: Kairi’s a Disney princess.

Edit 11: Max Goof exists in the KH universe, as do the Three Caballeros, who Donald is friends with.

Edit 12: Terra and Naminé are friends.

Edit 13: This is completely unoriginal--and just “Riku” backwards--but in fics, I often call Riku Replica “Ukir” (I pronounce it “You-Kai-Err”, because I’m too lazy to come up with anything else and don’t want to steal other people’s ideas. And Repliku probably did want to be the opposite of Riku, so... -shrugs-

#Kairi was also probably a popular girl and maybe a cheerleader. I also bet aqua was acheerleader #and aqua is a tomboy too of course with some girly qualities. probably more than lionand less than kairi #I don't think any of the kh girls wear makeup usually. maaaaaaaaaaaybe Namine. but I'm not even sure about her #and I headcanon that a lot of the novel stuff is true. like terra whittling wood. and him liking nuts. and aqua loving to bake #and this is more a ship than a headcanon... but I weirdly kind of ot3 Xehanort Eraqus and vor now

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snowflake-of-destruction · 3 years

Note

any fun, or maybe 'deleted scene' from Grass is Greener headcanons or scenes?

Let’s talk about Thanksgiving! Not quite a deleted scene, but probably something I won’t write now that the day is past. I had the idea/desire to write Thanksgiving themed GiG One-shots yesterday...in the middle of Thanksgiving when it was already too late (or seeming like it at least) to actually sit down and write them after cooking/eating/cleaning/lingering family time.

1) The first one was going to be Roxas and Isa house. They would be hosting a family Thanksgiving, possibly the first year that they had completely taken over to be The Thanksgiving for all family, or maybe they had been The Thanksgiving before but it’s still a big deal that everything be perfect even more than it usually is for already perfectionist Isa and elaborate-planner-because-I-can’t-stand-to-be-bored Roxas. I hadn’t gotten as far as really thinking through whether either or both of Roxas and Ventus’s parents** stopped by, and Isa’s family were going to be staying with them over the holiday weekend, adding to stress, but they were also going to be made up on the spot. Ventus and Xion are definitely there and they bring a dish or two that are a combination of nostalgic and yet absolutely painful to include in the carefully constructed menu, something like sweet potato casserole made with canned yams and mini marshmallows and also some kind of veggie casserole with ritz cracker crust, both in dishes that clash with other servingware--and obviously that way on purpose.

Axel and Kairi were going to be coming over for dinner. They had just been planning to do something small at Axel’s, just them and Demyx...and then somehow Demyx’s bandmates got invited. Their parents are off on some Counter-Thanksgiving getaway weekend and Vanitas is (supposedly) flying out to his parents’ and told Kairi he thought it was best if she didn’t come, despite the fact that they are trying to reconcile and Kairi is in her feelings despite being the one that wanted a divorce. Roxas made an insistent invitation. Axel was reluctant but convinced. Isa questioned it even though Roxas framed it as inviting Kairi and Axel as an afterthought, but somehow was convinced idk how.

So, the basic wants for this one-shot were:

Axel helping Roxas put finishing touches on something in the kitchen and reassure him everything is wonderful, and there just being this small, quiet moment in the middle of the domestic moment where it clicks how deep these feelings have gotten

In fun counter-balance, there would have also been a moment of Axel charming Isa’s parents and getting along so well with them that Isa is impressed and then realizes that it’s not exactly a detached, clinical feeling, which is made worse when one of the parents makes some kind of well-meaning/offhand remark to him in private about how relaxed he seems with Axel or something.

Some kind of heartwarming sibling moments

Roxas walking in on Kairi kissing Xion when the girls volunteered to grab dessert from the kitchen, and just being angry about them trying to ruin dinner/vowing to deal with it later, because he has enough going on with dinner, the parents, his own juggling and conflicted emotions, the suspicion he has about Axel and Isa after seeing them exchange a look at dinner, and he can’t get into their drama right now. .

2) Big Xehaqus family meal. I didn’t have much planned for this one.Just Xehanort and Eraqus, with their kids. Aqua (and Terra) , Xemnas, and Ansem. Family fluff or drama.

3) Sora and Riku dinner, which would be a ridiculous feast to feed far more than the number of people present. The real twist here is that Vanitas has not flown to see his parents. In a plot Shaky and I had discussed before and was supposed to unfold in the background at a slower/more natural pace, he is adopted, has known it for awhile, but in a move of trying to work out feelings/issues from his past, he's been trying to find blood relatives to add to his identity in his mind...and so tracked down Sora who is either a half sibling maybe or just a cousin or something. They were emailing and so he was invited for Thanksgiving (the only question here is how Sora wouldn't know the name Vanitas and immediately already know or suspect he’s Kairi’s Vanitas. I mean, probably he’d only think it was happy fate, HOWEVER I don’t see him A. Not warning Riku, especially knowing that he has been counseling Kairi and Vanitas B. Not inviting Kairi along too in a misguided attempt that thinks it’s better if everyone talked)

THESE WERE JUST PASSING THOUGHTS YESTERDAY, SO, OTHER THAN SOME THINGS LIKE VANITAS AND SORA BEING BLOOD RELATED AND KNOWING IT WILL COME OUT SOMETIME WHEN IT’S MOST LIKELY TO LEAD TO AWKWARDNESS AND MELODRAMA, THE CANON-NESS OF THIS ALL IS DUBIOUS.

#grass is greener verse #akuroku #isaroku #and a lot of other couples and characters but i'm tagging the ones people blacklist and such #twileighplants

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atomic-taco-muffin · 3 years

Text

The Lost Princess Chapter 68

Warnings: I think it’s fluff/angst

Rating: SFW

In the Badlands on the outskirts of the Keyblade Graveyard, two figures stood atop thirteen pillars of earth. Both in black cloaks, the man with blue hair spoke first.

“Humanity is a precious gift. And yet you desire to return to the Organization?” he said.

“Oh, yes...of course. One eradication at Axel's hands was enough to learn where NOT to place my trust,” the second figure said.

“He gave you a second lease on life.”

“He ripped me away from the one thing I care about. I don't require humanity. Give me my research. I must see it to fruition, no matter the cost.”

“The replicas.”

“Yes.” The hooded man laughed. “Soon they will replace, not just replicate. Given a heart, they can become just as real as any human.”

“What excellent tidings. I would hate to think we invited you back into our ranks only for you to fail to deliver our final vessel...” The man takes off his hood, revealing the yellow eyes and ashy blond hair of... “Vexen.”

“But remember...” Vexen said.

“Of course.”

“Protect the royal bloodline,” the both of them said.

~~~~

You and the others sailed the Gummi Ship to a world of doors and monsters. The stars twinkled in the night sky as you all walked towards a large factory building taking in the sights. Sora stopped, turning around...There was something different about you all. As you and the others finally got a glimpse of one another, you all jumped back in fright, summoning your weapons. Sora held his Keyblade tightly, facing you and the others. He took a moment to distinguish the features of you and the others. But the thing was, you and the girls looked normal.

‘Right, they’re Spirits. They can’t change forms that quickly,’ he said in his head.

“Wha...? D-Donald...Goofy...Sora...Vanitas...Why do you guys look like monsters?” you asked.

“Yeah, you’re really creeping us out,” Roxy said.

“Although, Sora and Vanitas look kind of cute,” Rumi said.

“Yeah, you got a point there,” Yui said. Sora had sports gray striped fur all over his body, a brand new tail, claws and spiky ears. Vanitas was the same way but had a darker color. Donald walked forward, lowering his wand. His feathers were now blue skin, his webbed feet now three-toed claws. His beak showed two fang-like protrusions as his tail ended in a spike, and two small purple wings stuck out from his back. He peered at Goofy from his single large eye. Goofy, on the other hand, now had two different sized and colored eyes, teal spotted skin and huge claws. Sora looked down at himself.

“Seriously? Is THIS how we blend in here?” he asked.

“That's right. It's about time you caught on,” Donald said. You all walked closer to Sora, who scratched his face.

“Could you guys take a few steps back? You're givin' me the heebie- jeebies. Except you girls. You’re not creepy,” he said.

“Yeah. Especially you Goofy. You’re really freaking me out,” Vanitas said.

“YOU take a step back!” Donald yelled. Sora cowered, sparking a chuckle from Goofy.

“Come on, I think our new look could turn out to be lots of fun!” he said, causing Rumi to hide behind you. Sora and Vanitas shrugged and looked back up at the building. A large symbol of a M with an eye inside was stamped on the outside of the factory.

“Wonder what kind of weirdos live here...” Sora said. Goofy crouched next to Donald to whisper in his ear.

“Who'da thunk he'd get so creeped out?” he asked. Donald and Goofy giggled as you, Vanitas, Sora, and the girls read the words above the entranceway. There was scaffolding set up over the left side of the message.

“It says, ‘We Scare Because We Care’?” you asked.

“That's odd,” Yui said.

“Doesn't sound very caring,” Rumi said.

“If they look like us, then they could be trouble. I think we'd better investigate,” Vanitas said. You and the others entered the factory doors and in the large lobby, you all saw two strange creatures. One very large and fuzzy and the other small and green. The larger one was holding a young toddler, causing you all alarm.

“Oh no!” Goofy said.

“Weeee!” the toddler said. The girl poke out from over the monsters arms. She was wearing an oversized pink shirt and had tiny pigtails.

“Boo!” she said. The big monster turned around and saw you and your team, the little girl squirming in his fluffy claws.

“Hmm? I wonder who those guys are. And I wonder why there’s four human girls with them,” he said. The little green monster looked up at the big one through his single giant eyeball.

“What?! Careful, Sulley. If they see the K-I-D...” he said.

“It's fine. We got nothing to hide.”

“But you're the CEO! You set the example.” Sulley caved and set the girl on the floor as the green thing ran over to you and your team, waving his little arms.

“Guys! Guys, it's not what it looks like. Okay, listen. That kid over there just popped out of nowhere!” he said. He slammed his fist into his hand and you all gave him disapproving looks.

“We gotta call the CDA. Uh... It's a...uh... Oh yeah, a Code 835!” the monster said. Sora and Vanitas pointed his Keyblade at him causing him to clam up.

“Are you trying to scare that little girl?” Sora asked. Sulley raised an eyebrow.

“Yes! I mean, no no no!” the green monster said as he waved his arms frantically. “We're done with scare power. Nobody's gettin' scared.”

“Mike, take it easy,” Sulley said.

“You should too, guys. Ya see? She's happy!” Rumi said as she allowed the toddler to play with her bunny ears.

“Bunny!” she said. The toddler giggled and ran up to Sulley and bounced in front of him, who pet her on the head, making her giggle.

“Oh,” Vanitas said. He and Sora chuckled sheepishly as they and Donald put away their weapons. They walked up to the girl and crouched down.

“Hello. My name is Sora.”

“And I’m Vanitas.”

“Boo!” the girl said as she trotted over to them.

“Oh, is that your name? Nice to meet you, Boo,” Sora said. She screamed excitedly, making Rumi’s heart melt.

“Hold on! You guys really aren't afraid of humans?” Mike said.

“You do see us, right?” Roxy asked.

“Mike Wazowski,” Boo said. She pointed at Donald, who jumped in surprise, staring at her with his cyclops eye.

“Come on, Boo! I'M Mike Wazowski,” Mike said.

“Mike Wazowski.” She continued pointing at Donald, waving her arm up and down. Sulley laughed.

“Well, you can see the resemblance. That googly bear eye,” he said.

“What's going on? I'm Donald Duck!”

“Mike Wazowski!” Boo said. Sora and Vanitas smiled as she started chasing Donald around the room.

“A-hyuck! I'm Goofy.”

“I’m (Y/N).”

“The name’s Roxy.”

“I’m her twin sister, Yui.”

“And I’m Rumi!”

“We’re Spirits!” you and the girls said.

“Well, my name's Sulley. And this is--”

“Oh, we know. Mike Wazowski, right?” you said.

“How come you girls look normal?” Sulley asked.

“It’s part of our Spirit powers,” you and the girls said. Boo jumped out from behind you as you all laughed, but soon hid behind Sulley nervously.

“What's the matter, Boo?” he asked. Behind Donald, Negaverses appeared. You and your team rushed to the danger, summoning your weapons.

“Negaverses!” Donald and Goofy said.

“Why do these always have to ruin the moment?” Roxy asked.

“‘Cause they’re bad guys and that’s what they do,” you said. Sulley and Mike hid Boo behind the lobby desk.

“Stay here. Kitty will be back,” Sulley said. Boo nodded and hid.

“Those guys are right, Sulley. This has got ‘bad news’ written all over it,” Mike said.

“Yeah, we gotta keep Boo safe.”

“I’m on it!” They ran back to you and your team in the fray, quickly disposing of the troublesome creatures. Sulley gave Mike a high-five.

“All right!” Sulley said.

“Nice, Sulley. Even with those extra pounds you put on,” Mike said.

“Heh, still runnin' circles around you, butterball.” Boo poke out from her hiding place.

“Kitty!” she said. Sulley shuffled over to Boo as you and your team kept vigilant.

“So, any idea who those guys were?” Mike asked.

“Those are called Negaverses. They’re creatures that try and possess Spirits such as us,” you said.

“Yeah. But they can also possess non-Spirits as well,” Yui said.

“Uh-huh. A while back, the King fought a whole bunch of battles against 'em with the three missing Keyblade wielders,” Goofy said.

“Wait, really?!” You and the girls asked.

“Yeah, you didn’t know?” Vanitas asked.

“Well, no one told us!” you said. Sulley and Mike exchanged glances and Mike shrugged.

“The same three that we're looking for? Aqua, Terra, and Ventus?” Sora asked.

“Uh-huh. We need more dependable help than YOU!” Donald said.

“Hey!” Vanitas noticed how you looked down and ruffled your hair.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m just worried about Aunt Aqua,” you said.

“Wait, Aunt Aqua?” Roxy asked.

“Not so much of an aunt, but more of a babysitter.”

“I know that’s not all that’s bothering you. Is it...her?” Vanitas said.

“Yeah.”

“Who?!” Roxy and your friends asked.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Still, how come the Negaverses are showin' up now?” Goofy asked.

“Is it because they use scream power?” Donald asked.

“No. They must be after us. But then again, they can possess non-Spirits. So maybe they are using scream power,” Yui said. She looked over at Mike and Sulley and Mike stamped his foot.

“Hey, I told you we're through using that!” he said. Sulley nodded in agreement. “Besides, we have no idea who or what you're talking about.”

“Oh, you'd really like the King--” Sora said but you covered his mouth.

“Uh-oh!” Goofy said.

“Order!” Donald and the twins said. You let go of Sora, who tried to rectify the suddenly awkward situation.

“Ummm...basically...we've come from far away to get rid of those creatures causing trouble. We're like...exterminators?” he said. You and your team nodded in agreement.

“Just HOW far away?” Mike said.

“As far as you can imagine,” Rumi said. Mike scratched his bald green head.

“Hmm... Okay, okay, let's just say we buy all that. Are those creeps dangerous?” he said.

“Extremely!” Donald said.

“They sure gave Boo a scare,” Sulley said. Boo rubbed his fur and nodded. Mike turned to face Sulley.

“Sulley, I know you've missed her, but it's time to postpone our playdate,” he said.

“You're right, Mikey. Let's get our girl home,” Sulley said. Mike nodded in agreement.

“What are you planning to do?” Vanitas asked.

“It's kind of a long story...but Boo's from another world...and we gotta send her back there...to keep her safe,” Mike said.

“Okay, then. We're gonna help you,” you said.

“What?!” Boo reached for the floor and Sulley let her down.

“Well, obviously you can’t take down those Negaverses by yourself. If you did, you probably would get possessed by one,” Roxy said.

“Yep. And they might try to cause more trouble, so, we wanna come along,” Sora said as he extended a hand.

“Great!” Mike said and shook his hand. “We could use a couple of exterminators around here!”

“Yeah, thanks!” Sulley said. Boo started running past the lobby and Sulley and Mike joined her, playfully roaring. Donald crossed his arms.

“You've always gotta help,” he said.

“Hey, they need us. Besides, we need to figure out how all those Negaverses got here,” Sora said.

“I agree with Sora,” you said.

~Le Time Skip b/c I’m Lazy AF~

“And that takes care of that!” Donald said.

“Uh-huh,” Goofy said. You, Vanitas, Sora, and the girls gave a sheepish chuckle. Later, you all finally found Boo's door and jumped up to it, Mike and Sulley hanging from the rails.

“Okay, Boo. Time to go home. You must be tuckered out, but we'll play together real soon,” Sulley said. The rail buckled and began to slide the door along, with you and your team following on your own red door. You each gave your own excited shouts.

“What NOW?!” Mike asked. The doors arrived at the Laugh Floor, and you all jumped off as you all locked in your terminals. A hooded figure stepped toward them, sending you and your team on the defensive. The person took their hood off to reveal...

“Mom!” Rumi said.

“Gotta say, that strange facade had me fooled at first,” Elena said.

“This is the part where you spout some mumbo jumbo and disappear, right?” Sora asked. Elena walked through one of the workstations.

“This whole world...was powered by scream. They converted the screams of human children into energy,” she said as she picked up one of the scream canisters. “And this very company was what made it all happen. It's as rich a source of negative emotion as we'll ever find.”

“For the last time, we already stopped doing that!” Mike said, angrily.

“Did you? Then how do you explain all these canisters of surplus scream?” Elena held up a canister. “This facility was everything I could hope for. And I was lucky enough to find a pawn whose heart was darkened by thoughts of revenge.”

“You mean Randall.”

“All Randall ever cared about was winning. And this guy took advantage of that weakness,” Sulley said.

“My heart is made of just one thing. And the Negaverses collected enough screams and sadness from those children to reconstruct it.”

“Yeah, and the whole time they were trashing our company in the process!” Mike said. Sulley held Mike back from rushing at Elene, but Mike struggled against the grip on his head.

“But, even with all this negative emotion, my heart is still incomplete. I need something else,” Elena said. She dropped the canister. It clanged to the ground before screaming off into the air.

“Whoa!” You and Sora said. Sulley dodged away, taking Mike and Boo with him. You all watched as the canister flew around the expansive room, bouncing off the walls until it ran out of scream and crashed to the floor. Mike and Sulley scowled as it rolled to Sora's feet.

“You know, I just realized something. The half of Vanitas that sleeps on...inside of your heart,” Elena said. Sora and Vanitas turned around and gasped as Elena held her bow and arrow just inches from them. Before she could attack, someone landed in between them.

“No...” Elena said.

“Missed me?” the person asked. She stood up and you recognized her.

“It’s her,” you said.

Her outfit (but picture it black):

“I thought that you were trapped in the Realm of Darkness!” Elena said.

“Yeah. Well, let’s just say I had a little help,” the woman said.

“Grr, this isn’t over!” Elena then disappeared through a dark corridor. The woman sighed and turned around.

“Alright, which one of you is (Y/N) and Vanitas?” she asked. Sora and Roxy quickly pushed you and Vanitas towards her.

“I thought so. Nice to finally meet you. The name’s Celina. I’m a Spirit. And also Xehanort’s daughter.”

“Huh?!” you all asked.

To be continued...

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