#guess who didn’t sleep and got emotional over someone else loving kh3

[kayzero]

“Need another reason why Marluxia fits in perfectly [in Kingdom of Corona]? How about the fact that he kept Naminé locked away in a single room in order to abuse her powers, the same exact way Mother Gothel did to Rapunzel?

And now the sort of protection that Marluxia suggests for Rapunzel aligns exactly with Mother Gothel’s goals.”

—“Kingdom Hearts 3 Is Great and I Will Die On That Hill” (https://youtu.be/pytjUj-ciJw)

[nadziejastar]

Thoughts on the Power of Waking (Part 2)

Lea and Isa

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

All the characters had their development ruined in KH3, but Lea and Isa’s subplot was handled the worst BY FAR. It’s really sad because it had the potential to be the most beautiful of them all, since their relationship was the most in need of a rebirth. I was very impressed with the amount of emotion Axel’s Japanese voice actor put into this scene about the sunset. Axel was clearly remembering his past when he was saying this to Roxas. 

Mickey: There's something real strong that binds us to each other. Even in the darkness, you can reach him. All you gotta do is follow that connection!

Isa was lost in the darkness, but Lea’s light could reach him, since red light travels the farthest. And whaddaya know, Lea also got randomly knocked unconscious about the same time Ventus did, right before the Demon Tide swallowed everyone up. Well, that’s because Ventus and Lea were supposed to be using the power of waking on Terra and Isa.

Xemnas: The time has arrived. Look to the skies! There hangs the heart of all hearts--Kingdom Hearts--shining down on us at last. See the countless hearts that have gathered? Hearts full of rage...hate...sadness...and bliss. There, in the sky, hangs the promise of a new world. My friends! Remember why we have organized--all the things we hope to achieve. The strength of the human heart is vast. Soon, though...we will have gained power over it! Never again will it...have power over us.

Lea’s light was the sun. Isa’s light was the moon, but that light has been corrupted. Xemnas was using the moon’s light to have power over people’s hearts. And Isa was one of those people. Isa was NOT Saïx. That was the ENTIRE POINT of Lea’s character arc. 

Chirithy: The edges of sleep and death touch, and one can’t help the occasional crossover. Something is holding you here---refusing to let you go. You’re hanging by a thread.

The power of waking is, at its core, the power to bring a person back to life. The edges of sleep and death touch. Isa did not need to atone. He needed to be resurrected. 

Axel: So you don't need a heart to have something that you can't bear to lose then. If that's true, then I guess the closest thing that we Nobodies have would be memories of our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn't bear to lose, back when we couldn't bear to lose it.

Isa was originally written as a character who was extremely important to Lea.  Axel cherished his memories of him more than anything else. He wanted to save him so badly it led to him summoning his Keyblade. He couldn’t bear to lose him. In Luxord’s deck, both The Sun and The Moon are shaped like the Four of Pentacles. This card shows a man desperately clinging to a coin, as if his life depended on it. It represents that you are holding onto something tightly and have an inability to let it go. This could be money, possessions, or relationships. It only makes sense that Isa was not present in Saïx. He was in the Final World. He was just barely clinging to the Realm of Light. He almost passed on to the other side for good. Lea was the only reason he didn’t. 

Rabbit in the Moon Legend

Three immortals reincarnated themselves into three poor old people and begged for food from a fox, a monkey and a rabbit. The fox and monkey both gave food to the immortals. However, the rabbit did not have any food. It then said to the immortals: “you can eat me” and jumped into the fire. The immortals were so moved by the rabbit and sent it to the moon to become an immortal jade rabbit. Ever since, the Chinese jade rabbit stayed in the Moon Palace to accompany Chang’e and pounded immortal medicine for those living in heaven.

After it was decided that Lea would become a Guardian of Light, his entire character arc---from the ground up---revolved around ISA. That’s why both of their characters featured the themes of “immortality” and “rebirth”. That’s who Axel’s line about the red sunset was written for. Even the waning crescent on Isa’s jacket fits this theme. It’s the final phase of the moon, representing the end of a cycle, before a new one begins. The sun dies and is resurrected every morning. By taking the focus off of Isa, you totally RUIN Lea’s character development. No Isa, no character arc for Lea. Period. End of discussion.

The Phoenix Myth

The phoenix is a legendary bird mentioned in Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. According to ancient writers, the phoenix lived for 500 years, then died and was reborn. It had brilliant golden and scarlet feathers and grew to the size of an eagle. Just before dying, the phoenix built a nest of fragrant herbs and spices, including cinnamon and myrrh. Then it burned itself on a funeral pyre ignited by the sun and fanned by its own wings. It then rises from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. The phoenix is associated with immortality and resurrection.

Isa was the one who Lea was supposed to be trying to save in KH3. Not Roxas. Not Xion. Not anybody else. ISA. That is the entire reason he was created. Roxas (Ventus) was going to be saved by Aqua. Lea needed someone to give HIS character arc emotional depth. The setup was SOOO perfect. These two characters---more than ANYONE else---had their entire relationship revolve around the power of waking. Nobody in their right mind would just throw all of this away on a whim to make them apprentices. No fucking way I can believe that. This was all thrown away because the story got botched beyond repair. I’m sure it broke Nomura’s heart.

Lea: I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever.

Isa: I know I won't forget you. Believe me, I try all the time.

Lea: See, I'm immortal!

The Phoenix is a symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone. Many don’t realize that the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone is also represented by the union of the sun and moon. The White Stone actually becomes the Philosopher’s Stone when it turns red. Lea didn’t just need to be reborn. He needed to resurrect someone else, too. That red light needed to reach them and grant them new life and immortality.

Ansem the Wise: So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep. Even me...and even you.

The Moon represents “rest, retreat, anticipation, preparation, and dreams”. It really was too perfect for the Realm of Sleep, Final World, and power of waking subplot. If there was a single character who personified the idea of “birth by sleep,” it was Isa. No contest. Again, you would be out of your mind to throw this away and make him an apprentice.

Stage 1: Nigredo (Black)

Axel: Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we'll still have each other...even if things change and we can't do this anymore.

Roxas: Yeah?

Axel: As long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart. Got it memorized?

The Philosopher’s Stone is created in four stages. The first stage is death. That’s what Lea and Isa’s entire story was about. Their relationship DIED. The Recusant’s Sigil means “death” and “endings”. Lea happily said he wanted to live forever. But Axel sadly said that nothing lasts forever. And he had his friendship with Isa in mind when he said it.

Stage 2: Albedo (White)

Naminé: We don’t disappear… we’re only reborn.

Axel: I’m not like you and Roxas.

Naminé: But—but you…

Axel: It’s because I don’t have a heart. I don’t want to disappear, but I’m not upset or sad about it.

The red and white opposites have to undergo a greater separation before they can achieve their final union.

Saïx: He won nothing and is nothing. He couldn't stand the emptiness of being without a heart, and that led to his demise. He was foolish and weak.

Axel and Saïx’s relationship in KH2 was all about driving them as far apart as possible, so that when Lea and Isa eventually come together again, it would be that much more rewarding.

Stage 3: Citrinitas (Yellow)

Axel: Love is what happens if there's something really special between two people.

Roxas: You mean, like, if they're best friends?

Axel: Well, you can care about your friends, I guess, but that's not what I'm talking about.

Xemnas wanted the light of Kingdom Hearts to enslave people in darkness. Axel wanted the light of Kingdom Hearts to experience love. I absolutely think that Lea and Isa were envisioned as having romantic feelings for each other. And I definitely think Axel was speaking from personal experience here, because he was in love with Isa. This probably would have only been subtly hinted, and never overt. But the reconciliation between Lea and Isa was not supposed to so...casual, like it was in KH3. It was supposed to be magnificent and glorious, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes.

Stage 4: Rubedo (Red)

Roxas: You made us a promise.

Axel: I did?

Roxas: That you'd always be there...to bring us back.

Axel: Yeah...

Roxas: Got it memorized?

Axel: Best friends forever.

All the games leading to KH3 had Isa as the foundation of Lea’s character arc. BBS showed how their friendship was alive and thriving in the past. Re:CoM was when Axel’s sleeping memories started to awaken. Days showed how their relationship was dead, existing only in memory. KH3D showed Lea trying to resurrect it. Axel went out in a blaze of glory at the end of KH2 and was born again as Lea. As soon as he was reborn he went to look for Isa. He promised he’d always bring his friends back. Then out of nowhere, Isa became a total afterthought. That’s...not how humans operate.

A promise… We’ll meet again…in the next life. We did say that. I remember. I remember our promise.

I also think Lea made Isa another promise, which was to be the cornerstone of their shared subplot, which revolved around the themes of rebirth and immortality. The Phoenix symbolizes the liberation of the spirit. Isa’s heart was captured, and Lea needed to liberate it. His Keyblade was called “Flame Liberator”. Isa was waiting for Lea in the next life, in the Final World. But Lea couldn’t let him go, and brought him back to the Realm of Light. They kept their promise. Giving Isa a birth by sleep would have given Lea an incredible character arc. It greatly saddens me that he didn’t get that. Practically all the emotion was sucked out of his story. Lea is mostly remembered in KH3 for...breaking the fourth wall. That is a damn shame.

[aliceslantern]

Beyond this Existence, chapter 12

Summary:  After Xehanort's death, Demyx finds himself unexpectedly human in Radiant Garden. With nothing but fragments of his past and a cryptic statement from Xemnas, he's left to figure out who he is. When Ienzo asks for his help with a project, the two find common ground, but the trauma and secrets in both of their pasts could tear it apart. Zemyx (Demyx/Ienzo), post-KH3 canon compliant

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

“It’s more or less hopeless,” Ienzo said. “Gummi ships can travel between worlds. Dark corridors can travel between types of matter. We’ve even learned so much about time travel. But no amount of science or bonds between hearts can shatter the border of reality. To even attempt to do so would threaten to pervert all of this World again for one life. I cannot do that. I won’t do that.” His nostrils flared. “But it feels like I’m killing him, Demyx.” He looked at his trembling hands. “It feels like it’s my fault.”

“I’m sure if Sora knew he’d tell you it isn’t. Isn’t that his whole thing? Saving the world? He’d understand.”

Ienzo pressed a hand to his mouth, silent tears staining his face. Demyx brought him into his arms and held him for a long time. But the shaking didn’t stop.

He must’ve fallen asleep.

Demyx had tried to stay awake, even if he couldn’t think of anything good to say to comfort Ienzo. But he’d been too tired. The next thing he was aware of was Ienzo pulling away from him.

“What?” Demyx asked sleepily. “Where you going?”

“...The washroom. Go back to sleep.” He kissed him gently.

But when he woke up early the next morning the bed was still empty, and Ienzo’s lab coat was missing. Demyx sighed, his heart sinking. He knew exactly where Ienzo was. He couldn’t help but be a little angry. He got dressed, washed his hands, and headed down to the lab.

Ienzo sat by the computer in the early morning light, shuffling papers, his brows scrunched in concentration.

“...So you had to go to the bathroom,” Demyx said tiredly.

Ienzo jumped, but then he sighed resignedly. “You wouldn’t have let me go.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t’ve.”

“I’ve… nothing to say in my own defense.”

“What happened to “I cannot, I won’t”?”

“I was hoping there was some way compatible with this world--” He trailed off.

“And that sort of thinking becomes “well there isn’t, but. ””

“What would you know about such things?” Ienzo asked sourly.

Heat burned in his cheeks. “Um, because I’m not an idiot? Because I’ve heard all those stories about the apprentices and their ambition?”

“ My ambition. I’m an apprentice.”

“Yeah, and I’ve also seen you completely lose your mind with guilt because of well-intentioned research gone wrong!”

“Would you feel this passionately if it were not Sora?” Ienzo asked softly. “If it were say, someone else entirely that needed saving?”

A cold jolt swept through him. “Excuse me?”

“You’ve never hesitated to make your ambivalence for him known.”

“Uh, yeah, because he murdered me. Something I still have nightmares about, by the way.” He shook his head. “I don’t want this to destroy you again. Ienzo, please. If not for you, then… for me.”

Ienzo looked away, his face pink.

He clenched his fist. “Alright. Fine. I see how it is.”

“You don’t understand.”

“No, I guess I don’t. What ever , Ienzo.” The anger gave him enough strength to leave the lab, but already it was giving way to something far worse and more painful. The hurt throttled him again and again.

He should’ve known, really. From the start. He would never be enough. No amount of tenderness or love could stop Ienzo from destroying himself, from destroying them. Why had Demyx assumed it would be? Why had he let himself be so vulnerable? Had he been lied to?

He had to get out of here.

Outside the air was brittle, and it smelled like snow. He shivered but kept moving, all the way through town, until he was staring down the border between Radiant Garden and complete blue wilderness. He sank down weakly onto the navy and green mosaic. He'd brought himself to the place where he'd been killed. With the wisps of Sora's fate up in the air, how could he feel anything but relieved? Demyx touched the spot below his ribs where Sora had bludgeoned him. He's always held Ienzo's need to help Sora at arm's length. But living to save others was no meaningful way of atonement if it swallowed you in the process. If Ienzo felt he wasn't worth anything, then Demyx must be worth even less; like he'd always been.

He tried to gather his thoughts, but everything was knotted up so tightly in pain that he could barely breathe. For too long he sat, trying to process what happened and trying to find the will to just get up.

A soft, whispering sound brought him back. He glanced behind him, only to see the greedy, blank faces of several pureblood Heartless. Of course. Emotional pain was like a buffet for them, and he was bleeding it. He stood, and they tensed. If he moved slowly enough, he might be able to get away.

More emerged from the ground, blocking off the way back to town. He could push through them, of course, but they’d no doubt make chase. He was fast, but not fast enough to outrun them.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he hissed through his teeth.

They moved in a slow, insistent circle. They knew they had an easy target. A quick, tasty meal. Somewhere in this something in him just gave out, and Demyx laughed.

“Figures. Fucking figures!”

The hysteria was too tempting for them, and they descended. He tried to fight at first, but there was only so much he could do. The sticky, inky smell of darkness assaulted him. Their claws scratched him, and he couldn’t see.

Something snapped and there was a burst of light, enough to shake them off of him. He was holding something in his hand, a weapon, but too shocked to really process what was going on, he let this strange instinct take over and fought them until most of them were gone and the rest ran away.

The weapon fell to the ground with a metallic clank . It did not sound like his sitar did when it fell. Demyx saw the delicate, smooth shape of the Keyblade and shook his head. It vanished like it had never been there.

Something hot dripped down his side. He looked down. He was bleeding profusely from a puncture wound in his side; one of the bastards must have hit an artery. The wound wasn’t infected with darkness, but it didn’t matter. He was bleeding too much, even as he tried to apply some pressure. He had to try and get help. His vision started to swim and he tried to take a few steps, only to fall to his knees. Trying to crawl only worsened the bleeding and the lightheadedness, and black dots swam at the edge of his vision.

Am I actually dying? For real this time?

A weird, delirious giddiness took over, and he laughed, tasting blood.

Well, at least I tried.

The light was warm.

Demyx stirred, not wanting to wake up. He wasn’t ready to face being dead, not yet. Just a few more minutes. Pain echoed through his body. Was it supposed to hurt?

“Easy. Easy,” said a voice. “Try not to move, okay?”

He complied. He felt weird, and numb, and when he tried to open his eyes his vision was blurry. He saw the woman’s long brown hair. He knew who this was. What was her name again?

“It’s good you’re trying to wake up, but for the heal to take you need to go back to sleep. Relax. I’ve got you, Demyx.”

A wave of exhaustion passed over him, and he dozed off.

The sun had set, and the moon was out. Someone had placed the illumina plant on the windowsill, and its petals were glowing faintly. This was the first thing he noticed.

His body felt weird, and heavy. His side throbbed faintly. Something smelled like bleach. There was a pressure on his left hand, warm and steady, and he squeezed back.

“Demyx? Demyx, oh thank goodness.”

He tried to turn his head towards the sound of the voice. Moving was hard, and he suspected he’d been drugged. He blinked to clear the rest of the blurriness. Ienzo, pale and wan, his eyes bloodshot. Demyx stuttered his name.

“I thought I’d lost you,” he said. “All those awful things I said… I’m so sorry.”

Speaking was difficult. “What…”

“You’re lucky. Yuffie was on patrol in the area and found you. Aerith saved your life. That wound would’ve killed you. It nearly did kill you.” He held Demyx’s hand to his face. “I am so… foolish.”

“No.”

He laughed. Demyx could feel his tears on his hand. “Even weak and drugged you’re trying to comfort me. I truly… do not deserve you.” Ienzo kissed his hand. “Get some rest.”

Day. His head was clearer, but the pain in his side was sharper.

“...It’s looking good,” Aerith said. “Circulation completely restored. No more internal bleeding. It’ll probably scar, but there’s not much I can do for that. Sit up for me?”

Demyx did so. The pain made him flinch.

“It looks like you’ll make a full recovery. You just need to take it very, very easy the next few days. Once the pain subsides, you’ll be good to go.”

Demyx looked down at the angry pink mark just above his hip. “Thank you,” he said. “Without you, I’d be toast.”

She smiled. “It is my job,” she said. “I hope that once you’ll recover you’ll come visit. From what Yuffie said, it sounds like you’ve got a story to tell.”

He blinked in confusion.

“I think you’re well enough that I can turn your care over to Even. If you have any concerns, give me a call. We’ve got a gummiphone now too.”

“Sure,” he said. He was a little dizzy.

Aerith left. How was he still so tired? He’d been sleeping and sleeping. Was it the painkillers? He had vague memories of getting shots of them, of bandages, of tubes of pinkish replacement fluid. There were no more tubes or bandages, just the thin, needy pain in his side. Everything, including those last few moments after the attack, was so fuzzy. He looked down at his palm. Had he really summoned the--? Maybe it had been a dream? He'd hoped that, despite all evidence, that his past wasn't really his past.

Ienzo came in and approached him. He looked ashamed, more than anything, his head bowed low. “Aerith said you’ve healed beautifully,” he said in an artificially bright voice. ���Now it’s your turn to take some time to recover.” He sat down in the chair next to the bed. “I’ve been so worried. We all have. I’m truly sorry.”

He wanted to say it was okay, but it wasn’t. “You hurt me,” Demyx said. "You made me feel like all of this meant nothing to you."

“...I know. I came to my senses not minutes after you left. But by then… you’d already been injured.” He sighed. “More than anything this situation made me realize that I must acknowledge when things are out of my hands. Pushing myself to fix the impossible is not only dangerous for me, but for those I love. I assure you, Demyx, I did not mean to make you feel that way. I really know so little when it comes to dealing with these complex, mature emotions.”

Demyx only processed maybe half of what Ienzo said. He took a sharp breath that hurt his side. “...You love me?”

Ienzo blinked, his face pink. “Of course I do. I… I thought you were aware of that.”

Demyx shook his head. “I love you too.” He felt a flare of pain inside of his chest, white hot and almost unbearable. He crumpled a little, holding a hand to his heart as though it might physically restrain the pain. Dizziness washed over his vision.

Ienzo grasped his shoulders. "Demyx?" he asked. "What is it?"

The pain peaked suddenly, and he swayed into Ienzo's arms. It subsided equally as quickly, leaving him feeling warm and a bit sweaty. It felt like a film had been peeled from his vision, leaving everything clearer than before. The deep, consuming emptiness that had lingered all this time was gone, leaving a steady stability in its place. A sense of wholeness. Demyx touched his chest. "I think... I think I'm whole?"

Ienzo’s eyebrows shot up, and then he put a hand to his face. “How silly of me not to realize. To see and be seen, or love and be loved… You must have needed to hear it out loud for your heart to be fully complete.”

Demyx hugged him.

Ienzo laughed. “Welcome to the human race.”