#roxas filthy

[roxa-sos]

watch - rafe cameron, topper thornton (smut)

rafe cameron x reader x topper thornton

tw; this is pure smut. exhibitionism smut with rafe and topper (and kelce for a hot sec) THIS IS FILTHY SNDKSMKF fair WARNING there is nothing but smut xoxo also druGs drugs drugs

request; i got a million, but I'm combining a request to have rafe fuck the reader in front of topper and kelce and have rafe and topper have a threesome with the reader. it's just gonna be rafe at first but don't worry top whores i got you later on ✨ ahh. unholy reqs are the entirety of my inbox 😌

tags; @outerbxrafe @jjmaebank @bellaguarneri @kitluvs1

a/n -- this is really bad lmao, im trash at writing full smut fics so parts are just snippits. also. tumblr doesn't want me to bold/italicize things rn so pls cope w me.

•

right there. in his dad's study, where kelce, topper, rafe, and a few of their friends were doling out white powder on the desk, rafe was pushing you right up against the wall, his lips on yours.

he always kissed you like he meant it, but it was even more exciting when he was high, and it usually ended with you two alone in a room. though, he seemed a little impatient, biting at your bottom lip, pulling at the hem of your shirt. you didn't protest, with enough alcohol in you to keep you drunk for days, you let him slip his hands under your shirt, his lips finding your neck, your own hands tangled in his hair. 

nobody paid attention to you two - this shit happened all the time. he'd make out with you or start removing your clothes until people left the room, never stopping. that, or he'd excuse himself, taking you to an empty bedroom.

this time he was getting a little more vicious, hungry, pulling your shirt right over your head without warning. you could hear topper and kelce still in the room, the crunch of whatever they were snorting being crushed, them giving a shout every time they snorted it.

it was hard to focus on them when you had rafe cameron shoving his hand down your shorts, though. you couldn't protest, you wanted him, then and there. he picked you up, turning to lean you on the couch, a few feet away from topper and kelce.

he slid two fingers into you, causing you to take a shaky breath, muffling a groan against his hair. the power he held over you when his hand was in your panties was unimaginable, but that was always expected with rafe. he liked power and sex while he was high, and you liked him when you were drunk, so it all fit together quite nicely.

he kept his fingers moving in and out of you at a steady rhythm, leaving bruises on your neck as his lips skimmed over your skin.

"rafe, another line?" you heard topper ask, turning to face the boy who was completely focused on you. "jesus, nevermind." he chuckled, turning back to kelce. you were a joke to those two, and honestly? you didn't mind. topper and kelce weren't the people you were trying to impress.

rafe removed his lips from your neck, sliding his hand out of your shorts before sticking his fingers in your mouth, your jaw slack. he used his other hand to pull your shorts down, pressing his hips back up against yours once his hand was back on your hip.

"dude, you're gonna fuck her here?" kelce laughed in disbelief, glancing over at rafe for a mere second.

"yeah, and you're free to watch." rafe answered in a low tone, quickly turning his attention back to you. he slid his fingers out of your mouth, moving them to unbutton his shorts.

"wait, really here?" you asked, expecting him to wait for them to leave or take you somewhere else.

"you want this or not?" his reply was enough of an answer, apparently, because he pulled his shorts and boxers down a bit and hooked his fingers in your panties, pulling them off for you. 

you nodded, and seconds after that he pushed into you, causing a gasp to fall from your mouth. it felt like there were eyes on you, and there probably were. your boyfriend's best friends were feet away from you, and you were the practically completely naked girl moaning on the couch.

he kept rolling his hips against yours, his heavy breathing the only thing you could hear besides your own embarrassingly loud moans. you hung your head back as he connected his lips back to your neck, moving down to your collarbone, quickening his pace.

"rafe, i'm almost there," you panted in his ear, listening to his soft grunts.

"go ahead, baby," rafe was getting more forceful with every movement, his hands steadying you, holding your hips.

you listened to him, as always, and let go of yourself, letting him hold you up as he kept moving against you, letting you ride out your high, finishing himself slowly after. in all honesty, he was pretty vanilla in front of his friends, you didn't mind. you knew he liked having you all to himself, though, and you knew he never let you go after one round.

he pulled his shorts up, kicking your clothes to the corner before telling you to wrap your legs around his waist.

"heading upstairs," he muttered to you as you kissed his shoulder, shoving past topper and kelce, who'd been staring at your ass.

it was a little gratifying, knowing that they were interested in something that rafe wouldn't let them have. 

————

rafe was far more to you in his bedroom. his hand was around your neck, making it harder to squeeze any sort of noise out of your throat as he rocked his hips against yours, telling you you had to wait until he said so until you came.

his voice was dry and raspy, his forehead was glistening with sweat. you were thankful for the view a little further down, seeing as he'd finally taken off his shirt and shorts.

"look at you, all pretty," he mumbled before removing his hand from your throat, pulling out of you quickly. he moved that hand to your clit and kept playing with it for a few moments, before nodding at you, letting you come apart once more in his hands. he slid down next to you, tossing the sheet you were under over his waist, steadying his breaths.

"oh, come on, you made her wait?" you heard a voice at the door. standing there was topper, his hand on the doorknob.

"what, you could do better?" rafe scoffed, a smug smile on his face. you'd told him yourself that rafe was as good as it got.

"watch me," topper answered, closing and locking the door behind him, taking off his polo as he approached the bed, kicking off his shorts before crawling on top of you.

your knees were still weak from rafe, your back hurt from being arched for so long, the knot in your stomach was only getting worse, so when topper pulled the sheets off of you and adjusted you so that he was breathing on your core, it sent shivers up your spine. he ran his tongue over you, and all you could do was ball up the sheets on the bed in your hands. he stayed there, teasing you for a moment before pressing his lips right above where you needed him.

he slipped his own fingers inside of you, the pad of his thumb resting against your clit. it was like he was massaging you, it was slow and torturous. you couldn't help but writhe under his hands, and he seemed to enjoy that, removing his hands to grab your wrists and hold them above your head, positioning himself over you.

"fuck, top-" you groaned, interrupted by him moving his boxers down and sliding into you.

"yeah, just like that." he chuckled, happy with the response you were giving him rather than rafe. "fuck, no wonder why he can't keep his dick off of you." he moaned, referencing rafe.

you were so close already that you couldn't help it, coming down like a whimpering mess under the boy.

"see?" he groaned with one final stroke, "way better," he let out a breath and sat up, seeing as you and rafe were taking up the whole bed. 

fuck, maybe fucking in front of rafe's friends wasn't all that bad at all.

a/n -- that was so FILTHY snskmdkskc i love it.

[mushroom-winners-proof]

Thoughts about kh characters favorite board games?

i haven’t touched board games in years but 

i know for a fact that the organization attempted to play trouble Once and one time was all they needed to never play it again should they want the organization to last. throughout the night there was several accusations of the org members cheating (examples include zexion casting an illusion to make it appear he got a perfect roll and larxene trapping the dice dome with electricity so no one could properly press it down without getting shocked), and henceforth org-wide games were discouraged. luxord was probably one of the only ones who really missed the attempt at game night, though he wasn’t going to miss people cheating and ruining the game

that didn’t stop axel from playing calmer games of monopoly with roxas and xion in his room. once or twice demyx would peak by and join for a quick game: it was a fun way to ignore his responsibilities after all

had it not been for ven insisting they all try to find time to hang out in-between preparing for their exam, terra and aqua probably wouldn’t spend as much time laughing at the chaos uno naturally brings to the table. if they aren’t feeling uno, war is an equally-stressful-but-fun card game they play

i’m legally allowed to remind everyone my favorite bit of KH lore is that eraqus is a filthy cheater at chess and i’m willing to bet all my crocs that he cheats at every board game but in a fun enough way that xehanort just lets him do it. he has more wins on him in every other department anyway, he’s not going to be too cross with losing at connect four all because eraqus deployed the ‘secret snake pattern’ trick

scrabble becomes a game more of kairi against riku versus all three of the destiny island kids against each other. it’s not that sora’s terrible with vocabulary- ok maybe it’s a little bit of that, but he has more fun watching his friends go back and forth and see who can pull the most obscure word out of thin air and onto the board. honestly he’s just amazed by how smart his friends are and it’s always fun watching riku get competitive with someone other than sora

the union leaders attempted to play goldfish once to ease tensions between them. though with the traitor allegations lurking, it was hard to trust whether any of them were being truthful when one of them said they lacked or had a card in hand. mahjong was a little harder to cheat at, though

[inclightning]

Chapter 5,  Pain

 "Come back to me…Brother"

     "Vanitas?!" Ventus exclaims

     The tower begins to change back into the Glass Tower.

     "Roxas…what happened?" Xion asks

     "I don't know…this wasn't me" Roxas replies

     "You know…I never thought I'd find you in this filthy place…" Vanitas said

     Vanitas materializes himself and slowly approaches Ventus.

     "Why, how, are you here?" Ventus asks

     "I've been looking for you for a long, long time Brother, never thought you'd end up here."

     Vanitas picks up Ventus by the neck

     "When I find where…She put you, I can finally be complete."

     "Let him go!" Roxas summons Oblivion and runs up to attack the masked intruder

     "This isn't about you, back off!" Vanitas blocks his attack and throws Roxas away.

     "Roxas!" Xion summons her Keyblade and goes to fight Vanitas.

     "Hmm, a Puppet trying to attack me? How foolish." Vanitas drops Ventus and slams Xion into the ground.

     "Xion!!" Roxas screams

     "Garbage should be taken out." Vanitas raises his Keyblade and strikes Xion

     "She…is not…A PUPPET!!" Roxas runs to attack him, enraged.

     Roxas attacks Vanitas with Oathkeeper, but Vanitas blocks it, however Roxas swings Oblivion and hits Vanitas off the edge of the Glass Tower.

     Roxas runs back straight to Xion, who is still weak, and hurt on the ground

     "Xion, are you okay?"

     "Roxas…is that you?"

     "Yes. Please, are you okay?"

     "...Roxas…promise me something…"

     "What, anything!"

     "Promise me that…that if any time I'm in danger, you'll save me, ok?"

     "Of course! I don't…I don't want to lose you again…"

     A menacing laugh is heard from where Vanitas was knocked off.

     "How touching…a Heartless Shell and a Puppet are in love" Vanitas says

     "Stay away from them!" Ventus goes to attack Vanitas

     Vanitas and Ventus fight, each blocking all attacks sent by the other. Blow after blow, the two are in sync

     "Roxas, go help Ven. I'll be fine…" Xion commands

     "Alright…"

     Roxas gets up and throws Oblivion at Vanitas

     "Too slow!" Vanitas teleports behind Roxas and tries to strike him, however Roxas summons his other Keyblade and blocks with Oathkeeper.

     "Two Keyblades? How interesting…" Vanitas remarked

     Vanitas tries to keep up with Roxas's flurry of attacks but is eventually overwhelmed and on the floor

     "Well, I seemed to have underestimated you…" Vanitas says

     "Don't come back" Roxas raises Oblivion and strikes Vanitas down.

     Vanitas disappears from view, and seems to have left

     "Oh, I'll be back, one day, I will be whole…"

     Once the voice has truly faded from sound, Xion speaks up

     "Ventus, who was that?" Xion asks

     "An old adversary…" He replies

     "Why did he call you his brother?" Roxas asks

     "Because…he…he is part of me." Ventus says

END OF CHAPTER 5

[snowflake-of-destruction]

For the drabble challenge: 114 and/or 43?

Got sidetracked but here is 43. Pick up lines only work when I’m drunk. Maybe I’ll do a sequel that contains why Roxas is upset for 114 once I decide what the reason is Onward!

Roxas could have been charitably said to be broodily nursing his drink, but to say he was watching the tracks of condensation and mentally taking bets on which bead would win and the intense concentration this took gave him a moody air that fit with the personality some expected of him was closer to the truth. So it was up for debate as to whether the tall redhead with the lip ring (obviously new, judging by the way he didn’t seem to be able to stop himself from darting the tip of his tongue out every so often and flicking the hoop) and the leather jacket so weathered it either said ‘interesting life” or “I found this in the back of a thrift store” was foolishly overconfident or paying attention to signs more closely than those who thought the blond wanted to be left alone when he took the stool next to Roxas, leaned over into his personal space and asked, “Did you just cast aeroga?”

Roxas’s unwavering fixed focus on the glass in front of him was too steady to be anything but purposeful. It said he was fighting the natural instinct to look toward the source of noise, not just lost in thought. His deep sigh of breath was exaggerated enough and his shirt tight enough that the expanding of his ribcage and following exasperated exhale was easy to track. 

“What?” His elf ears twitched. That was a fun detail. Axel liked the bodies Donald had conjured for them for blending in on New Mushroomton. Even if Roxas disagreed, he should admit it could have been much worse. They could have been pixies. One of them could have been a mermaid, leaving the other to haul around a kiddie pool and keep casting waterza. They were both the same species too. That was a win, even if the rest of their mission had gone a little off track. The kind of off track that had Roxas deciding to give up completely and go stomping off, muttering about how at least they had bars here, and Axel running after him, apologizing because he really thought they would get a lead in that pixie piercing parlor, and then deciding to give him a bit to cool off before following.

It wasn’t the mission that had Roxas disgruntled though. He’d been blue since they landed. Pun intended.

“Did you just cast aeroga?” Axel repeated, making an attempt to wiggle his ears like Roxas had. “Because you swept me off my feet.”

“Axel,” Roxas all but growled in warning.

“Are you a keyblade? You look like you could pierce my chest and complete me again.”

“Bad taste.” Roxas still wouldn’t look up, but Axel was pretty sure he could interpret the way Roxas had pressed his lips together more tightly when he’d been listening to Axel speak as an attempt not to smile, and the growl could have also been a disguised laugh..

“No, bad taste would have been asking if I look like your Somebody, because I’ve heard your purpose is to get inside me so we can both feel complete.”

“Axel!” Roxas’s head snapped up and Axel counted it as his victory, even if the wide blue eyes were admonishing.

He could not be blamed then for enthusiastically continuing on the same track that had produced results before. “You have mastered the Power of Waking my…”

“That’s enough!” Roxas was near manic in his attempt to cut Axel off before he completed the sentence. Last shred of their combined dignity saved, he continued more calmly. “Pick up lines only work when I’m drunk.”

“Let’s work on getting you drunk then,” Axel flagged the bartender, not bothering to call out that what Roxas had said wasn’t strictly true. He loved bad pick up line competitions usually. Though, admittedly, it was less fun when they didn’t have Riku there with them, stuck with the impossible choice between sinking to his friends’ level and admitting last place. 

“They won’t serve me,” Roxas mumbled through his hair as he ducked his head back down. “That’s why I just have a soda. I have no ID.”

“...And you’re so short they think you’re a child,” Axel hemmed sympathetically, trying very hard not to laugh. Saying anything at all was a mistake, and Roxas’s quick glare corrected him for it. He wasn’t much chastened though. “I’ll buy you a drink if you admit you’re thirsty.” he rolled the words around on his tongue to make them come out filthy, hoping to see Roxas’s elf face turn from sky to royal blue.

“I’ll rip out your lip ring.”

“I could be into pain if you’re the one dishing it out.”

A hard, well timed shove, had Axel struggling not to fall off his barstool, but, while Roxas was still a shade off from a robin’s egg, he was starting to look less blue, and that was all he wanted.

[saturnis777]

The Six Million Dollar Anime Girl

As a fan of anime we must look at both sides of the coin, in most anime the people depicted as main characters are above average in the gold and silver department. Lets start naming a few magical girl franchises and we will see a clear trend!

North American audiences probably never gave much contemplation on the economic class that Sailor Moon belongs too. To the average North American viewer, Usagi and company were typical middle class, living in typical homes in a seemingly average neighborhood. However, if you know anything about Tokyo, you’d realize Usagi and the other Sailor Scouts are pretty well off. Every one of the five main characters live in the Juuban district in Tokyo, which is a very affluent area.

On top of that Haruka Tenou said her monthly rent was a million yen which works out to 10 thousand dollars. Michiru Kaiou had her own apartment which presumably had similar if not higher rent, on top of that she owned a giant palace outside of town, and rode in a helicopter to and from school. Yeah that's what you call normal middle class living, yeah right, give me a break! And don't even get me started on Dr Tomoe, and the multi billion dollar Mugen Academy Corporation that he founded.  

North American viewers who watch Cardcaptor Sakura think Sakura is a typical middle class girl with a somewhat wealthy friend Tomoyo Daidouji. Well if you pay attention to the details you will realize she lives in an extremely affluent fictional district called Tomoeda. just one look at the schools architecture, as well as the area in general reveals that Sakura Kinomoto is borderline wealthy by any standard. However it gets even better it turns out she inherits her grandfathers fortune witch includes a giant five story mansion with servants to boot. So much for middle class living, we are talking 100 wealthiest people on earth material, and that's just from the story who knows what corporation Sakura's grandfather owns to amass such wealth?

Many Americans when they see Saint Seiya think that Saiori Kido lives in an upper middle class home, with a butler working out of devotion for her. Actually Saiori Kido is extremely wealthy, in fact if she were in this world she would be the wealthiest woman by far, and that's even before she awakened as the Goddess Athena.

Now with this scale set lets scroll down the list of magical girls.

The plus signs in the following are not coincidence they are the sub orders of magnitude within each corresponding class.

Billionaire

Billionaire+ greater x10

Billionaire++ much greater x100

Billionaire+++ massively greater x1000

Example billionaire +++ is a potential trillionaire.

Note the cheeky term Zillionaire refers to fictional characters with untold wealth.

.................................................

Usagi Tsukino... Upper Middle Class+

Usagi Tsukino's ascension to Neo-Queen Serenity Zillionaire+++

.................................................

Saiori Kido... Billionaire+

Saiori Kido's ascension to Goddess Athena... Zillionaire++

.................................................

Tomoyo Daidouji in Cardcaptor... Billionaire+

Tomoyo Daidouji in Tsubasa... Billionaire+++

.................................................

Sakura Kinomoto... Billionaire+

Michiru Kaiou... Billionaire+

Haruka Tenou... Millionaire+++

Ami Mizuno... Upper Middle Class

Rei Hino... Upper Middle Class

Minako Aino... Upper Middle Class+

Makoto Kino... Middle Class+

Amilia Will Saillune... Billionaire++

Bulma Briefs... Billionaire

Hotaru Tomoe... Billionaire+

Snow White... Billionaire+

Ice Queen Elsa... Billionaire+

Queen Anna of Arendelle... Billionaire+

Little Mermaid Ariel... Billionaire++

Alice in Wonderland... Millionaire++

Sleeping Beauty... Billionaire+++

Akiho Shinomoto... Millionaire+

Princess Kairi... Millionaire+

Princess Zelda... Billionaire+++

Barbie... Millionaire++

Lina Inverse... Middle Class+

The less than 0.000001% of humanity gets most of the Anime glory.

I need not even go on with this list its pathetic, one thing i can plug Dragon Ball Z on is at least Son Goku wasn't rich, nor was he an elite saiyan ether, he was a commoner.

Undoubtedly the wealthiest of all these magical princesses was Usagi Tsukino, when she became Neo-Queen Serenity and inherited the literal universe of Silver Millennium. The second closest was Saiori Kido who as Athena ruled the sanctuary dimension.

Yes that’s Queen Serenity’s crystal palace with spires towering several miles into the sky, it totally dwarfs all the skyscrapers around it.

Heck even Scrooge McDuck incarnate wasn't that rich. The true wealth of Tomoyo Daidouji is unknown, but the fact her future self is depicted running a future global corporation indicates she is at least Scrooge McDuck level, probably higher. Bulma Briefs would rank the same level as Princess Tomoyo, and come to think of it there was a scene where Bulma said to Vegeta, if your the Prince than that makes me the Princess.

The little mermaid is the same thing, you can't just be a mermaid, no its got to be the richest mermaid in all the seven seas.

Virtually all the magic girls are spoon fed from golden platters, with one exception to this rule.

There's only one magical girl out of all the listed characters that is based on a somewhat typical common girl, and that is Lina Inverse, the anti-heroine of the Slayers Anime.

Lina Inverse lived with her two parents and sister who ran a grocery store in a small town called Zephilia. Out of all the magic girls I have ever seen in my life, Lina Inverse is the only one who is not borne of some royal lineage.  

To simplify matters Lina Inverse is the only staring character I know of that isn't dirty, filthy rich.

However even Lina Inverse was depicted with a repeating fixation on becoming a wealthy princess that repeated throughout the series. Not only that there are several times where Lina refuses to help people unless they pay her lots of gold coins, one of the jokes of the series was she rarely got her reward. But still the fact she only offered to help oppressed people if they gave her money is kinda rotten even for a comedy based anime.

On top of that one of the main villains in the story bent on ruling the world turns out to be a peasant living in a garden shed, or more precisely a run down falling apart old shed.

Yep that's the headquarters of the Zein, an organization created by Galev and his sole underling Zahhard.

Well to be fair I will give the slayers a pass on this one, especially considering the entire show is comedy based, and doesn't knock people by class. Lina is Lina after all and regardless what class one may be she will deck them if they dare make fun of her.

However I will not be giving any passes to Sailor Moon, Kingdom Hearts, Cardcaptor Sakura, Saint Seiya, Tsubasa Chronicle, and the infamous Disney Princess Movies. They all blatantly program children with princess like delusions of grandeur, and in my opinion that is not cool in any way.

You will be surprised to learn all the girls I listed above are called princess, not just the Disney characters. To me that is crystal clear proof of the subliminal princess agenda! Its very in the face what is going on here, it's clear this whole princess/wealthy girl theme is a subtle program.

I haft to ask the question is this the magical girl genre, or is it the wealthy girl genre? I'm asking this question because it kinda looks like the latter to me, and that is kinda sad.

Kind of like Batman became a hero because he was a billionaire and had the resources to build himself a sleeked down inspector gadget suit. What kind of lessons are they setting for kids, seriously what kind of role models are these magical girl themes creating?

Seriously why can't they feature ordinary characters, why do they all haft to be royalty, and billionaires.

They are almost all Scrooge McDuck level or higher, needless to say these are totally unrealistic goals for children.

Talk about ten minutes to ruining ones childhood dreams, you ether haft to be extremely aristocratic, or in some cases not even human to be a magical girl. I call it monarch butterfly syndrome, only those born in certain lineage make it in this world.

Make no mistake this is a subliminal class system aimed at our children, and its happening all across the board. What is the message that children receive watching these shows, is it good morality, doing the right thing, or is the message to love money?

One last thing before I sign off this blog post, what if the magical powers they are depicting are actually something else entirely? What if its trans humanism and only the super rich could afford this technology upgrade?

The image above is Hotaru Tomoe after being turned into a cyborg by her father Professor Tomoe. There are claims she is the only cyborg in Sailor Moon, but how do we know for sure, they even said they originally intended for Ami Mizuno to be a cyborg. Its possible all the sailor senshi were biologically enhanced super soldiers. One of the ways to tell was when Hotaru Tomoe experienced pain from her body rejecting the enhancements. There are scenes in the new Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Hen show depicting Sakura passing out for no apparent reason, and going through all the symptoms Hotaru Tomoe did. In Sailor Moon Crystal there is a scene where Usagi Tsukino collapses to the ground and says she feels like her body is being ripped apart. I don’t know are these subliminal hints that something sinister is going on? Throughout Kingdom Hearts Roxas is often depicted holding his head in anguish, and Sora was once in a strange pod to allegedly put his memories back together, was it that or did they augment him somehow? The very first people that will be augmented with transhuman technology will be wealthy people, most likely ones near death like Hotaru Tomoe who was injured in a serious lab accident. Then it will spread to all wealthy children being upgraded, and eventually it will trickle down to a fair sized percentage of human beings. Imagine an augmented person being capable of downloading a library worth of books into their digitized brain in the span if a few weeks.

Could you imagine a class of people with limitless knowledge and nigh immortality? Anyone who isn’t augmented with this nano tech serum will be totally obsolete, there will be no place in society for them. This is the technological singularity they are trying to create for us. If this agenda transpires in the following decades the gap between rich, and poor will become totally insurmountable with aristocratic magical people with godlike powers and several thousand year lifespan ruling over the short lived plebs.

You see that in many Disney movies where the prince and princess are tall and beautiful well everyone else is short and ugly. Yeah some of it is due to animators not wasting time on side characters, however there is a clear gap between two kinds of people.

That is exactly what the fallen angel archons would like to manifest, the return of the gods to lord it over the pawns like something out of hunger games, or game of thrones. Because lets face it the ultimate plan is the total borgification of humanity. Is this the reason why the magical girls with the exception of Lina Inverse all have magical tools, pens, wands, and staffs. Is this the real reason why they are all extremely wealthy? Are they depicting our future, one in which humanity splits into two factions one being a Star Trek civilization, and the other a class of subservient plebeians?

If you think getting augmented is cool maybe the following image will change your mind.

The title for this episode of Cardcaptor is the threads that bind, its an episode where Eriol Hiiragizawa literally turns Syaoran Li into a puppet, as if he were playing Geppetto the puppet master. If you understand anything about augmentation technology this is exactly what can, and most certainly will happen to those who take the upgrade. That’s how a hive mind will work, in the end there will be a collective of augmented elite living in the cities whereas everyone else is banished from society. The choice will most likely be take the upgrade, or hit the road Jack and don’t you ever come back.

You even see that depicted in the bible where it describes one group of people deemed righteous living in a city with streets of gold, and outside the city lived the dogs, sorcerers, liars and moral outcasts.

I don't know about you but that is trans humanism based on a social credit score, if you obey the mandates you live in paradise, if you disobey you are banished from society.

That is the true new world order being laid out for all to see, and don't forget any tyrant can call themselves righteous, and even the borg in Star Trek believed their collective was 100% pure perfection.

Lastly the only place where we see streets paved with gold are the connections on a computer chip, that is the yellow brick road, and the Wizard of Oz was a man operating a holographic machine, and don't forget that.

Really something when you realize they depicted a hologram being used to control people back in 1939, and they even depict the fog, another thing that can be used to enhance holographic projection, the steam makes a screen with which to reflect the image upon. Many people don't know but it requires steam, or some kind of glass screen to project a 3D hologram upon.

It will take a whole post just to touch base on the subliminal trans humanist ideals portrayed in anime and comic books. However there's one thing i will say right now, they cannot transform people into superheroes, technology cannot turn people into Sailor Senshi, technology cannot make you a Card Captor, and technology can’t make you Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Captain America, Iron Man, Green Lantern, etc. Life doesn’t work like that, the only thing that combining technology with human beings will do is create the borg, and that is not cool by any standard. The only two things they are promoting right now is the rich magical girl, and transhuman agendas. They did try the rich boy thing before with Richie Rich but it didn’t seem to catch on, not like the princess programing. Back when I was still into religion i heard several preachers say to the women your princesses, your daughters of the great king. To me this is further enforcing the princess program that starts in kindergarten, and goes on into the teen years with anime, and disney movies.

Oh i forgot there were two disney princesses that started out as commoners, however in the end its still part of the princess spell. Still i put this in here to correct the record.

[complicatedandstained]

Rules of Engagement: Smushing Faces

A bell chimes beside them as the front door creaks open, dragging Axel and Roxas’ clouded minds back to a different feverish kiss at the top of a clock tower. For a moment they can feel the deafening clanging of a much larger bell vibrating through them, shaking their strong bodies like leaves in a rainstorm. 

They slowly separate at the thump of heavy footsteps a few feet away and the neutral, slightly weary grunt that follows as Aeleus catches sight of them lip-locked. Aeleus does an about face and clomps away, toward the designated shelf where Axel and Roxas set aside materials made for the scientists and guards of the Radiant Garden castle.

Roxas carefully shifts himself into a more socially appropriate position on Axel’s lap, and after a minute watching Aeleus loading items into his arms to heft out to his cart parked out front, Roxas pipes up, “Do you need help with those, man?”

Aeleus glances back to them warily, his lip lifting slightly upward at the more tender sight of Axel gently kissing the top of Roxas’ head as Roxas tangles their fingers together in an unnecessarily intricate knot. 

“Not just yet, Master Roxas,” Aeleus rumbles in his deep bass, brushing his gloves together to release ashy residue from the crate he’s just shifted. “Go about your business. I’ll let you know.” 

“Go about your business,” Axel echoes, as Aeleus returns to his. He turns his own attention back to Roxas, and chuckles, shaking his head. “Aeleus cracks me up.” 

Roxas blinks, miffed. “I don’t think he was trying to be funny…”    

“You haven’t known him as long as I have,” Axel argues airily. He shrugs when Roxas looks unconvinced and reaches for the bag of jalapeño poppers as Roxas sweeps it away, amusement and exasperation narrowing his eyes. 

“Dude, your hands are filthy.”

“Ordinarily, I’d take that as a compliment,” Axel replies and offers an insinuating smirk which sinks into a pout, “but I’m starving.” Roxas snorts, but continues to hold the bag out of reach, as if this could actually stop Axel, who has nearly twice his wingspan.   

“Hm.” Axel contemplates his palms, blackened with ash and metal, until he catches hold of a better idea. “Well, then, Roxas, I guess you’re just going to have to feed me or get up.” He pats Roxas’ thigh, all deceptively heavy, compact muscle, and Roxas groans in reply, clearly unwilling to move after his long morning skateboarding through half the kingdom running errands. 

“Mine aren’t much better.” Roxas frowns, glancing at his own skin, sooty and damp from Axel’s palms, clothes, sweat. After thinking for a second, he stretches them out over the floor and mumbles, “Water.” A light spray appears from the ether to rinse them clean.

Axel hums, head cocking. “Now do the spell for soap.”

Roxas makes a strangled sound in the back of his throat and then shakes the bag again emphatically. “Shut up, or I won’t feed you.”

It’s Axel’s turn to sound strangled, but then he pantomimes zipping his trap until Roxas nods, unloading a pair of bottles from a tote bag Aerith had helped him hand-sew in one of their classes, and handing them off to Axel to open, before lifting one of the heavenly smelling crescent wrapped rolls from the bag and brushing off the flaky, buttery crumbs. 

Axel’s brows rise as he twists the metal caps off the bottles and leans in to sniff them. “You didn’t manage to get…?”

Roxas twists his head in the negative, smile wistful. “Cream soda. But Elrena made it herself.” 

“Ah,” Axel nods seriously, as he pockets the bottle caps, “so it’s probably poisoned cream soda.”     

“C’mon,” Roxas chides, with that blink and you miss it smile, nudging him with his shoulder, “Elrena’s so nice now.” 

“I know. Maybe I’m a hypocrite, but it creeps me out.” Axel smiles back, conspiratorial, gesturing with both hands despite the bottles. “Keep waiting for her to snap.” He watches Roxas steal the first bite of the jalapeño popper and his tongue fumbles, volume rising, “Babe, you might not want to take that big a bite of—”

Roxas meets Axel’s gaze in a steady, playful challenge, starts to chew, and then his face contorts. “Aw, fug! Ax’l—!” His hands start flailing, eyes beginning to water. “My mouff’s on fyre!” 

Axel’s brows furrow with concern, as he lifts his hand to Roxas’ mouth, though he can’t quite subdue his smirk. “You’ve never eaten a jalapeño before, have you, darlin’?” 

Roxas spits the food into Axel’s outstretched palm without hesitation, and then Axel lifts one of the bottles to Roxas’ mouth, and tips it back. 

Roxas’ pink cheeks fade, the tension pinching his nose lessening as he chugs it down. Axel finds himself distracted by the muscles in Roxas’ neck working, swallowing, and the dribbles of frothy white foam spilling slowly out the sides of his mouth. As Roxas starts to cough, Axel scolds his mind for going somewhere indecent, and fumbles to help him right the bottle without dropping his own.

Axel sticks the unchewed half a jalapeño popper that had been in his boyfriend’s mouth into his own to free his ash-stained hand, and uses it to better support Roxas, who is leaning forward, cringing in disapproval through a minor coughing spasm. 

Which, Axel thinks, is a bit unfair, considering Roxas is the one with liquid sugar dripping tantalizingly down his face.   

“Ugh.” Roxas rubs at the liquid dripping down his jawline, as Axel chews, and the spices set his own mouth pleasantly ablaze. “How can you eat that?”

“If I was afraid of your germs, Roxas,” Axel leans in, tone dropping into an intimate hiss, before his tongue stretches to lap at a drip Roxas missed. “I wouldn’t have had my tongue down your throat two minutes ago.” 

Roxas shuts his eyes, works his jaw, and presses his fingertips to Axel’s cheek, hand twitching as if unsure whether to pull him closer or push him off, as the sting of spice from Axel’s tongue hits his skin. “I me’n’ the jalapeños,” he mumbles, too breathy to quite pull off indignant, neck arching just a bit as Axel’s tongue traces cream soda further down his jawline. “They’re definitely poisoned.” 

There’s a bang of metal on metal as Aeleus works across the room, and Axel snickers, kissing Roxas’ cheek one last time before pulling away. “They’re an acquired taste. And, speaking of poison, there’s definitely booze in this.” He lifts the remaining bottle of cream soda to his lips, and Roxas watches, head shaking. 

“I knew they’d be spicy. I like spicy, but,” Roxas winces, his own tongue sticking out, “blegh. They’re like if Firaga was a pastry. Yeah,” he glances at the cream soda bottle, remembering the way Elrena had winked at him and told him to have fun when she handed them over, “I don’t know how she got away with it, but,” he tilts the bottle and watches the amber content slosh, “this has to be, like, half rum.” 

“You didn’t think we were the only ones opening dark corridors when we’re not supposed to, did you, Roxas? Where there’s a will—” Axel’s nose crinkles, laughing as Roxas takes another swig. “Whoa, you just chugged half a bottle. Slow down there, buddy.”

“Trying to get the taste out of my mouff…”

Roxas has downed the entire bottle of soda before Axel finally persuades him it’s not a form of manslaughter to feed him the other half of the first jalapeño popper. Axel chews with exaggerated relish, Roxas watching with a mix of awe, disgust, and apprehension.    

“So, you got stuck talking to Xemnas earlier, huh?” Axel asks around another bite. “Yeah.” Roxas brushes crumbs from the back of his hand and the collar of Axel’s tunic. “I think I accidentally agreed to Org family brunch next week.” He pulls another pained face. “You have to help me get out of it. Isa will ask me if I’ve been applying myself.” 

Axel chuckles. “You have been applying yourself. Ansem said our science project showed ‘great promise.’ That’s scientist speak for ‘fucking awesome.’” He rubs Roxas’ lower back in attempt to ease his concerns. “And Xemnas gave you full marks for your book report comparing The Lord of the Flies to current events in Neverland.”

“I know,” Roxas frowns and sets his bottle on the bench beside him with a clink, “but when Isa asks, I go brain-dead.” 

“He has that effect on people,” Axel jabs fondly. “But don’t forget, he’s taking a few classes too. Xemnas didn’t teach his employee of the month everything.” Roxas scowls, though it seems directed inward. “Talking about my education makes him so serious. He’s easier to talk to over frisbee or construction work or guitar lessons with Demy.” He shrugs. “I know he means well.” 

“Hm.” Axel glances to the blur of the fire in the hearth in thought, swishing his palm to bring the blazes down as the heat of the jalapeños spreads through his throat. He swallows. “I’ll see what I can do. We did just have them over for dinner. Speaking of,” he fixes his eyes on Roxas again, “what the hell did you talk about? Xemnas just talked our ears off two days ago.” Roxas rolls his eyes. “You know Xemnas. Everything.” He shifts his hand over the bottle at his side, murmurs again, and it starts to fill with water. “First, he talked about Isa and what a good job he’s doing with HR and Staffing for the Restoration Committee and managing our community service hours, which, by the way, we’re Thursday…” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I pissed Leon off at the market yesterday when I got the last avocado, so I hope you’re ready for some hard labor.”

Roxas gives an exaggerated sigh and tries to cuff Axel’s shoulder. Axel dodges, catching Roxas’ hand in his wrist, and leaning to press his lips to Roxas’ temple. 

“So, we talked about Isa, for, like, fifteen minutes straight,” Roxas continues, as if uninterrupted, twining their fingers together with one hand and sipping his rum and sugar flavored water with the other. 

“Well,” Axel considers evenly, “he and Isa are smushing face.”

Water spurts from Roxas’ nose and it takes him a moment to collect himself. He knows Isa and Xemnas are definitely and officially together, but out in public, they seem convinced that anything more than wrapping their arms around each other or standing with their shoulders touching is reprehensible PDA. Xemnas had pecked Isa on the cheek during dinner and Roxas’ jaw had about dropped open.  

When Roxas has collected himself, he continues again, “Then I made the mistake of asking what he’s got planned for the next issue of The Radiant Garden Gazette.” “Oh, Roxas,” Axel cringes sympathetically, “you didn’t.” Roxas sets down his drink and begins ticking articles off on his fingers, “He’s doing a review of Elrena’s tavern, updates on Xigbar’s appeal, a feature with Jiminy about some of the therapy techniques he’s using with us former Org members, an ‘illuminating’ critique of Leon’s work on the street lamps, or lack thereof… Oh! And he wants us to help with the tavern food reviews as our ELA assignment for the week. ‘Dishing on the dishes,’ I think he called it. Anyway, he’ll text us the details.”

“Gees,” Axel whistles, “he didn’t spare any of the details.”

“I think he’s just excited.” Roxas shrugs. They can talk trash, but they both read Xemnas’ paper together the day it comes out and revel in the drama for weeks after. “We all know how much work he puts into it.” 

“He makes sure of that,” Axel bemoans, grin betraying his amusement. “He let you get a word in edgewise?” “Oh. Yeah.” Roxas winces, pushes back his bangs. He likes people, but making lengthy conversation is not his cup of tea, and Xemnas doesn’t accept one-word answers without a fight. 

“About?”

“He asked how we’re settling into the apartment and how our other classes are going. Then he asked if we’d heard about Aeleus and Dilan’s engagement. Then he asked if business has picked up, and if I like having Ven as my sponsor. Then,” Roxas leans in, growing more animated, “he asked if it’s true that your Sponsor of Light, Riku, thinks you and I should break up, and if I really told him he should go fuck himse—” 

To Roxas’ disappointment, Axel cuts off his blood-thirsty grin with a swipe of his hand, “Whoa there, Rox, back it up. Aeleus and Dilan got engaged?” 

“Oh.” Roxas blinks a couple times. “Yeah! He told me I should tell you about that, but then he said, never mind, you were probably the first to know, because something about a ring.” They pass a couple seconds in steady silence, each waiting for the other to offer some kind of explanation. “Honestly, he kind of lost me, but he sounded pretty excited, so…” Roxas shrugs, open handed, earnest, “I think it’s probably a good thing.”  

Axel mouths something wordlessly, his brows nearing his hairline, and then glances around the shop for Aeleus, who is no longer in it. 

Roxas makes an agitated sound, and Axel finds his voice. 

“The ring was—the ring was an engagement ring?”

“I mean,” Roxas tilts his head, wondering what he’s missing, “that’s what Xemnas called it. Why? What’s...” 

Axel starts fumbling to put down the bottle and paper bag in his hands, so Roxas scooches off of his lap, starts to tuck the lunch items into his tote, and watches his slightly frantic, but grinning boyfriend with a growing frown. “Are you... okay?”

“Aeleus?” Axel calls, leaning half his frame out the window until he spots the man, loading armfuls of enormous iron hammers into his cart with ease. At the commotion, Aeleus brushes off his palms and steps their way. “Aeleus?” Axel calls more emphatically, yelling and waving for the man a few yards off. “That ring I made for Dilan, that was your engagement ring?” 

Axel continues repeating his question as Aeleus walks up. By the time he arrives, and Roxas has joined Axel in leaning most of his body out the window to observe, Axel is a little breathless. 

“I think,” Aeleus’ boots stop with a heavy thud, and his arms cross, contemplating them, “perhaps what you’re trying to say to me is ‘congratulations’?” 

“Yeah,” Axel pantomimes tossing confetti, flickering white sparks rising from his fingertips, and sweeps them away in quick succession. “I mean congratulations, obviously, but…” Aeleus offers a rare quirk of his mouth that’s as close to a smile as Axel has ever seen him get, and then nods. “Thank you, Lea.” Both Aeleus and Axel turn to Roxas, Aeleus’ expression blank and expectant, Axel with one brow quirked, as if he’s surprised Roxas hasn’t done something, though Roxas can’t think what. 

“Congratulations?” Roxas echoes carefully. “Xemnas says this is very big and exciting news.” 

“Er,” Aeleus’ eyes narrow, another glimmer of an almost-smile appearing, as his chin juts in a nod, “yes. Quite.” He waits another beat and when Roxas doesn’t continue, glances to Axel and back. “Thank you, Master Roxas.”

Axel frowns, his jade eyes shifting, raking over Roxas’ face. Unsure what to think, he swiftly tucks his boyfriend under his arm, ruffling his hair to stifle his objections as he turns back to Aeleus, “He’s so surprised he doesn’t know what to say! He’s just found out. We’re over the moon for you both. Really.”

With a huff, Roxas pushes his way out from Axel’s solid grip and hoists himself up to sit on the window frame and glare at him. 

Axel is oblivious, his frantic smile spreading into something more mocking. “So, have you lovebirds started making plans yet? Dates, colors, locales, flowers… bachelor parties?” Axel winks, and Roxas’ intestines attempt to turn themselves inside out.

Aeleus’ frown starts to slip into more of a glower, and Axel leans back, hands up in self-defense, expression softening. “Kidding… I’m kidding. You do you. No rush, obviously. It’s just been a decade since I’ve seen a real Radiant Garden wedding… I mean. Fuck.” He glances up to the faint puffs of clouds, and crosses his ankles, lost in a memory. “Gods,” he mutters, shaking it off, and catching sight of Roxas, before turning back to the groom-to-be. “And Roxas, here, he’s never seen one… I mean, I can’t believe you didn’t tell us! Look at Roxas, he’s speechless.” Axel gestures to him.

“Uh… yeah.” Roxas crosses his arms, nose wrinkling like he can still taste the jalapeño in the corners of his mouth. “I’m speechless.” 

Aeleus offers his tiny, wry smile again. “I imagine Dilan thought you might read between the lines when he made such a specific request.”

Axel nods, arms crossing as he considers this. “I did think it was odd that he wanted to start accessorizing at his age…”

Axel ignores Aeleus’ displeased harrumph, and continues, “This does make more sense. I just wish he had told me.” Axel gestures toward Aeleus’ left hand, and he lifts his trunk-like arm to reveal a simple gold band on one of his beefy digits with a single twist in the metal. “I could have made something with, ya know, a little more pizzazz.” Axel’s fingertips release another round of sparks. 

Aeleus nods, thoughtful as well, considering Axel’s erratic, spiked hair and the smudge on his cheek like his old tattoo, and recalling a distant memory of a child sitting in the sunny town square of Radiant Garden painting grinning flames on his frisbees and flicking paint at his friends when they offered critique. “Perhaps ‘pizzazz’ was what he was trying to avoid? I rather appreciate it as is.”

Axel, who is in the process of hoisting himself up to sit in the window frame beside Roxas finds his foot slipping as he tries to process these words, and he sits harder than he means to, landing on his ass with a thud. “Ah…” Axel blinks as the cloud of ash around him fades off, and frowns at the waiting Aeleus, who’s chuckling at his missteps, a strange, deep, melodic sound. 

 “Maybe,” Axel offers generously. “Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” He rotates his wrist, making sure his hard landing didn’t do any real damage. “Oh!” he glances up abruptly, as Aeleus’ laughter tapers off. “Uh, but congratulations, all the same!” Again, he spares Roxas a side glance, but he remains silent, brow furrowed, watching them carefully.  

“Thank you…” Aeleus nods, sparing Roxas a curious look as well, before glancing over his shoulder to the cart he was loading to take to the castle. “Although, I’d rather you both had heard it from us than from Xemnas… Perhaps I ought to go and tell some of the others… before the news hits publication, so to speak.” He motions back the way he had come and takes a step back toward the road. 

“Yeah, of course, man. Leave your cart here, we’ll take care of it. This is a big deal! I’m sure the scientists will understand if the equipment’s a day late.” Axel nods enthusiastically until his neck feels a little sore. 

 Aeleus nods once in reply and then bids them a final farewell and starts off in the direction of the central town square. As he steps off, Axel calling well wishes to his back, he swears he sees the man’s lips stretch into a full, genuine, toothy smile, and in the distance, he thinks he hears the large man begin to whistle a jaunty tune.

Roxas, silent and still, watches from beside him, the breeze pulling at his bangs, but Roxas does not smile.   

Read on AO3

[aliceslantern]

Beyond this Existence: Atonement, chapter 6

Ansem always had a penchant for strays, so it's not at all surprising when he takes in the orphaned child Ienzo. The boy's presence changes everything, far more than Even is willing to admit. Ienzo's brilliance seems promising, but the arrival of a young Xehanort pushes the apprentices onto a dark, cruel, inhumane path which will affect the future of the World. And even once it's all over with--once Xehanort is dead--they still must pick up the pieces, forgive one another, find a way to atone for their atrocities, and struggle to accept the humanity which has been thrust upon them.

Or: Even's journey from BBS through post-KH3 Chapter summary:  Vexen returns to Radiant Garden and becomes Even again, but relationships at the castle remain tense and awkward. A new arrival further mixes things up.

Read it on FF.net/on AO3

---

He finds the boy outside, his eyes turned skyward. He looks exhausted; Vexen’s able to get uncomfortably close before Ienzo notices his presence. The boy’s head snaps down.

They hold eye contact for a very long time.

“Even,” he gasps.

He smiles. Sweat is crawling all along his body, pain in his chest; but he tries to remain composed. “Oh, little one. It is good to see you.”

“This was your doing," he says. “You… you could’ve told me, you know.” A wry smile.

“I’m a coward. What else can I say? The thought of speaking to you again was more than I could bear. This was the only way I could begin to atone.”

Vexen can see the weight of exhaustion within him. He’s positive the poor boy hasn’t rested a whit more than was necessary to remain alive. “I suppose you know you were successful,” he says softly. “Xehanort is dead. It’s over.”

Vexen’s feeling faint now. “Is that so,” he says.

“Even?” Ienzo asks. “Are you alright?”

He collapses before he can say anything more.

When he wakes, he’s in his own bed in his old quarters, not the med bay. His fever has broken, leaving him covered in a thin, unpleasant film of sweat. His body feels odd to him, achy. And while he feels a faint throb of remorse, it’s not nearly as strong as after the first reformation. He forces himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his head.

All of a sudden he feels old; his joints ache in a disorienting way. He knows he’s nearing fifty (or, depending on just how long he’s been hiding, has passed it), but for the first time it’s a tangible number.

Even forces himself to his feet and lurches over to the mirror over the dresser. He’s breathing hard. He looks terrible--flushed, sweaty, his hair disgustingly greasy--but this doesn’t matter.

His eyes are green, not gold. The piece of Xehanort’s heart inside of him has perished. He knows this almost instinctively.

It truly is over.

Perhaps for this reason, he sinks to his knees and sobs.

---

Just because Xehanort is dead and Even is human again, that doesn’t mean there’s time for leisure. He’s weak and underweight from his weeks of hiding, but he tries not to spend undue time in bed unless it’s unavoidable. He stumbles through interpersonal contact--reunions, conversations--in a numb haze.

The castle is exactly the same, but it’s gone through hell. Everything is either filthy, or broken, or misplaced, or some combination therein. His own human clothing, when he roots through the drawers, has been eaten by moths and mice alike. And seeing that Ienzo has co-opted his lab coats for himself--in the moment he needed them far more--he spends more time in those early days sewing than anything. It feels good to make something with his hands.

His lab is desolate, desecrated, fragile glass doors broken, supplies stolen, missing, or compromised. He spends days cleaning and reorganizing. It doesn't seem to do much good.

They've been left another replica by one of the true vessels. It was its user's desire that it go to Naminé. With Kairi presumed dead, it was a logical fallacy to figure out how to seek her heart; he and Ienzo spend hours in circular discussion, but neither of them can come up with anything good. The best they can do is prepare the replica for implantation, and wait. Ansem, quietly, is nearby, as he seeks to apologize to the girl. Apparently he wasn't the only one who suffered a great deal of moral degradation. This is actually a comfort to Even, because as the days pass, his remorse again goes heavier. He lacks composure; often he gives in to fallacies of weakness, breaking down almost distantly when he has moments to himself.

It doesn't take long for Naminé to arrive. It occurs to Even that not everything about the heart is possible to understand. When she wakes, the three of them are there. It will always give him a thrill, to see the replica go from a genderless, colorless sort of mannequin to a realized human being.

She sits up. Slowly. She seems a bit dizzy. Ienzo tries to assuage her, but it's Ansem who speaks first. "My dear girl," he says. "I am truly sorry for what we've all put you through. I realize we have not made your existence easy; that, in fact, I have made it something of a hell. I hope that, with this new chance, you can find peace. And if there's anything--any small thing--we can do to assist you, let me know at once."

Naminé seems to struggle with her words. Even takes her vitals, notes with a distant pleasure how stable they are; she's taken to this body like glue, exactly as easy as Roxas and Xion did theirs. "Where's Roxas?" She asks.

"At Destiny Islands, waiting for you," Ienzo says gently. "Riku has arrived to bring you there, should you desire it."

Her blue eyes gleam. "Yes. That's what I want." She looks slowly at each of them, but it's Ienzo's eyes she seeks (she's had the smallest amount of trauma with him) when she asks, "Kairi… where is she?"

"We're not sure," Ienzo says. "Sora is seeking her… I'm sure he will find her, if he's determined enough."

Even has known Ienzo for years. He knows when he is lying. Zexion was better at it. Despite Ienzo's trepidation, Naminé nods. "Then I should wait for her," she says. "I can just… go?"

"Of course," Ienzo says gently. "I can escort you, if you like."

She shakes her head. "That's okay," she says. "Thanks."

"It's the least we can do." Ienzo gives her a gummiphone, a brief tutorial on how to use it. "So you can be in contact with your friends."

"My friends." She smiles. "He's just outside?"

"Yes. He'll be waiting."

They all watch her go. There are a few moments of awkward silence. Ansem faces Ienzo. "You've done well, my boy," he says gently, and though Ienzo nods, Even can see his eyes on the floor. "You should get some rest. You look exhausted."

"There's still so much to be done," Ienzo says. "The computer must be tidied up--I'm afraid the committee and Sark have--"

Even touches his shoulder, feeling the boy flinch just the slightest at the unanticipated touch. "You've worked so hard. I know human exhaustion is still unfamiliar to you, but your body is more fallible than a Nobody's. You need rest, fluid, and dare I say it, a few square meals." He tries to smile. "Please sleep, Ienzo. You are no longer so alone."

Even wonders if he's imagining it, or if Ienzo's eyes are watering. "I… will try," he says softly. "Please don't hesitate to wake me if you need anything."

"I'd much rather see you healthy," Ansem says. "Go, my boy. It's alright."

They watch him go. And then it's the two of them.

"Well," Even says. "I do have some affairs to attend to. I should like to write a report about Naminé's implantation."

"...Certainly."

Even takes a few steps, then hears Ansem's voice:

"Even?"

"Yes, Master?"

"How are you faring?"

He meets Ansem's rusty eyes. There's still something missing from them. "Healthy enough," he says. "Realizing I am old, as well as a fool. I've no idea where to begin unraveling what I've done."

"You're not the only one," Ansem says. He shakes his head.

"What is it you've done?" Even asks, incredulous.

Ansem chuckles darkly. "More than sit limply in the realm of darkness, I'm afraid."

"...I see." His heart is beating hard--anxiety, and repulsion. "If it's… all the same, I should like to take my leave."

"Of course. You needn't my permission anymore."

He scoffs a little. "I wasn't asking for it."

---

Even doesn't feel quite right; he doesn't feel at home here, and neither, he suspects, do the others. For the most part, they avoid one another aside from the lightest and most superficial greetings. Even knows he needs to confront them, for any number of reasons--their mistreatment of the boy Ienzo, the atrocities they committed in the Organization, the fact that they threw Ansem into the darkness--but he does not feel able. He doesn't feel able to do much at all, actually.

He can feel the basement in his periphery, its suffering, his own follies like a magnet--

Even finds it difficult to consistently keep down foods, to sleep. He knows it is likely stress, and he sees the numbers when he draws his own blood. But how to alleviate any of this pain? How to begin? How to start to atone?

With the weight of his own burgeoning humanity, he feels nearly incapacitated. He tries to write, to create reports detailing all that happened--if so to organize his own thoughts--but often he finds himself staring into space. For the first time he despises his awareness, his intelligence, because Even is acutely aware he is becoming depressed.

Nobodies’ minds largely reject mental illness, mostly to ensure survival of the body. But as a human, it’s all coming back, the repercussions. And if the mental health situation was bad for Radiant Garden before, now it’s completely desolate.

Worsened by facts of the Fall.

Ienzo brings him tidings of it, quietly--the young man went to visit with the restoration committee, to see if there was any more news worth passing on. He’d left his lab coat at the castle. Without apprentice or Organization garb, the boy looks downright strange in civilian clothing. His teal eyes are empty, and drawn from exhaustion. “Even,” he says in an odd voice. “Have you several moments?”

“...Of course. Ienzo? Are you alright? You look ill.”

“Leon was… catching me up on town affairs,” he says slowly. “I knew this world fell, and was restored, but to hear the stories of it…” He swallows thickly and won’t make eye contact. Even gestures for him to sit on one of the stools in the lab; he does, heavily. “He… was kind enough to insist that it was not our fault. But we planted the seeds. Even. ”

“...I know.”

Slowly, Ienzo nods.

“I’m sure what you feel must be overwhelming,” Even says softly. “You’re no longer used to emotion, how it physically impacts the body. But don’t let it weigh so heavily, Ienzo. You were a child--mentally ill and manipulated. This has nothing to do with you.”

“I should have known better. And that doesn’t begin to touch what I did after.”

He doesn’t know what to say, where to even begin. “Child--”

He swallows, blinking quickly. “I… I have something I must attend to.”

Even should’ve followed him, tried harder--but he can’t.

---

In strange moments, he finds himself thinking of Demyx. Not quite with fondness, or even concern, but curiosity and a sort of worry. If Xehanort’s heart had been purged from Even, it should have been purged from the boy as well--meaning he’s lost his means to travel. Yet, he worries. What if a piece of Xehanort remains? The others worry about it too, to a smaller degree; they talk about it in hushed voices. Easier to discuss this than the emotional rot.

It turns out he doesn’t have to worry long.

In a moment ripped clean from the past, Dilan approaches him in his quarters. “Have you a moment?”

“That depends.”

“There’s something I think you’ll want to see.”

Dilan brings him not to the med bay, but rather to one of the empty apprentice rooms--one of the ones that, had they been graduated, would likely have belonged to Isa or Lea. Even sees the black heap on the bed. “We found him about half an hour ago,” Dilan says. “He was asking for you.”

Even approaches Demyx slowly. He’s unconscious, shuddering--no doubt in the throes of a fever like Even was.

“Why has it taken so long?” Dilan asks.

“Dilan, I know it’s been a while since we’ve been researchers, but I trust you did not forget about relativity.” If Demyx has been shuffling from world to world--each with its own different time signature--it makes sense that, to him at least, this is only happening now. To his body, Xehanort has only just been defeated. “I know what this is. The part of Xehanort’s heart that’s been instilled in him is dying.” He rolls up the boy’s sleeve, begins taking his vitals, wondering all the while if his were anything like this. Racing heart, fever, low blood pressure. “Would you do me a favor and get the boy some blankets?”

“Will he--” Dilan hesitates, and his lip curls. “What will become of him?”

“I’ve no idea.”

“But this means he is--”

“Unable to leave Radiant Garden, yes.” Even looks at him. “Please. Sooner rather than later. He is very unwell.” As gently as he can, he eases off Demyx’s boots, his ragged and muddy coat. No doubt as soon as the pain started, the boy sought him for help--he knew no one else to turn to. He settles the boy onto his side, a precaution in case he should vomit, and covers him.

Dilan watches this with a sort of morbid fascination. “He really did help you?” he asks, incredulous. “He really… turned against the new Organization?”

“In his own way. I’ve no idea why--but I’m grateful.”

“I should tell the others.” He shakes his head. “Do you remember the boy’s name, from the old life?”

Even frowns. “You know, I don’t,” he says. “I’m afraid I never paid much attention to the neophytes.”

“Very well. I’m sure he’ll tell us when he wakes.” With a scowl, Dilan leaves.

Even brushes a strand of hair out of his own eyes and looks back towards the boy. “You couldn’t bear to let me have  a moment of peace, could you?”

Almost as if in response, Demyx shudders more intensely and curls in on himself.

Even sighs. “Very well. My work is cut out for me, I see.” He takes a pen light out of his pocket, pulls the boy’s eyelid back. Unpleasant, yes, but he has to know. The boy doesn’t react hardly at all. Even notes with relief that the small sliver of iris he can see is Demyx’s natural teal. “Get some rest,” he murmurs. “Goodness knows you’ll need it.”

It isn’t long before the cavalry comes. Ienzo and Ansem, in tandem, like nothing’s changed. Ienzo’s expression is stricken; morbidly fascinated. “...He’s not a vessel?”

"I don't believe so. I've already checked his eyes. Not gold. Look." He demonstrates for them.

He hesitates. “Do you think he’s trustworthy?”

"I do not believe he'd cause any harm to us," Even says. "He was rather helpful with the replicas." "The boy holds no ill will. We did not speak much, admittedly, but he seemed all too happy to get a move in edgewise," Ansem says. "I believe he was merely swayed. And we can sway him back to us, if need be." "I'll monitor him, but he should be up and about before long." Even shakes his head. "Nasty business. At least it's all over now." He takes the coat. "I'll put this filthy thing in the wash with mine. Best to hold onto. Just in case." If he’s learned anything, it’s that nothing is impossible.

Ansem follows him out the door, but Ienzo remains, an odd, unreadable look on his face. “...This is what you went through?” he asks softly.

Even looks over his shoulder. “Oh, yes,” he says. “Much the same. It’s just us that went through it this way. He’ll be human before long.”

Ansem nods. “I suppose you and he only have fragments of a heart, rather than a whole one, like the others.”

“...I presume.”

“What does that… feel like?”

Even stares at him. “I’m still puzzling that one out, I’m afraid.”

Ansem nods slowly. Like the rest of them, the clothing he’s bought is secondhand; gone were the days of pristine, professional garb based on their status. Back to patching, darning, mending. He looks more like someone’s grizzled grandfather than a former king.

Even’s sure he himself doesn’t look much better. “I should like to draft a report about this,” he says. “Unless there’s something else you need.”

“We should figure out what to do with the young man,” Ansem says.

Even shrugs. “Demyx is an adult. As… eccentric as he is, he’s capable of deciding his own fate. Nor is he an amnesiac. Once he is well, he can leave.”

Ansem sighs. “Should he have nowhere else to go?”

Even scowls. “You and your strays,” he spits. “All that’s done is get us in trouble.”

The little readability in Ansem’s expression is quickly replaced by indifference. “You’re a different man, Even.”

“Well, what did you expect of me? It’s been twelve years, multiple transfigurations of the self. I’m no longer so amenable, and for that I apologize.” He feels his nostrils flare.

Ansem smiles darkly. “No, you’ve hardened.”

“I would not have survived the alternative.”

The words fall, heavily. Ansem crosses his arms. “...Quite. Well, I’ve my own work to do.”

Even launders both cloaks, revulsion making his skin prickle. Demyx, when he checks, is still unconscious, though his fever has broken. He’ll wake soon. He’ll likely have many annoying questions. Perhaps Ienzo can field that for him--the boy seems to have more patience now that he’s human.

Even, on the other hand, has less.

---

Demyx’s presence does shift things. To Even’s annoyance, the boy truly doesn’t have anywhere else to go. It’s as though he’s puncturing a hole in their insular world, forcing them to confront things they wouldn’t have otherwise. He’s quieter, less effervescent than he used to be. For the most part, he seems unsure of what to do with himself. This is perhaps the sole thing, aside from their reformation, he and Even have in common.

He examines the young man one last time. Aside from being too thin, he’s otherwise healthy. “Now, tell me, what was the process like for you? I’m still trying to understand it. We were the last two Nobodies whose reformation didn’t necessitate some sort of murder-suicide. It goes against almost everything we’ve learned so far.”

Demyx hesitates, flinching a little. “Painful,” he admits in a low voice.

When he says no more, Even scowls. “I seem to recall a time when I could not get you to shut up. Now, when there’s actually matters of interest, suddenly you become as taciturn as Aeleus.”

Demyx drops his eyes. Even feels his frustration building. Truly, along with anger and guilt, this is all he really feels.

“I’m trying to understand so that I can help you,” Even says slowly.

The boy takes a moment to gather himself. Gone is Demyx’s quick, though nonsensical, tongue. Even wonders if there’s some deeper change, if his sense of self has shifted like Ienzo’s. Of course it would impact the younger members all the harder. Even himself dimly remembers those days (a lot longer ago than he would like to admit), when the struggle to find oneself was a constant. “It just started hurting at one point,” he says.

Even jots that down. “Your heart?”

“Yes. Well, I guess not technically. And then the pain just got worse, and I felt like I was dying, and then I tried to open a corridor to find you, but it took a few tries. I passed out and then when I woke up it was gone.”

That all tracks with Even’s own process. “Yes. Yes, my experience was similar. Did you experience weakness, feverishness, and delirium as well?” He shrugs. “Well I did have dreams--but they’ve stopped.”

Dreams? All Even can recall is darkness. “What kind of dreams?” he prompts, the words nearly coming of their own accord. The curiosity, the desire to know more.

“I… I don’t know. This place I don’t quite remember. Something about Keyblades.” “...Fascinating,” Even mumbles. “I wonder if you were seeing some of Xehanort’s memories.” “...Maybe,” Demyx says, flinching a little.

“But if that fragment had bound to you so tightly, I’m surprised it let go as easily as it did. Perhaps Xehanort willed it when he passed.” If only he had other vessels to interview--

Then again, what kind of fool wants that?

Even looks into his eyes again. Still teal. No visible indication of anything remaining. Then again… if Demyx is dreaming… perhaps it might be good that he’s still here. “I have a favor to ask of you.” He hands the boy a notebook. “Keep track of your dreams to see if anything like that happens again. I will as well. Maybe we can divine some meaning from them.”

He sighs. “Homework?”

This is so typical. Of course he wouldn’t have changed as much as Ienzo.

“This is for the advancement of important scientific research!” Even snaps. “Don’t you see what we can learn?” He shut his eyes tightly, a headache beginning to throb. “Why did it have to be you?”

The boy glares at him. “Good question. I’m gonna go now.”

For several moments Even sits, his head reeling. There’s no need to be nasty to the boy, but yet it rose from him almost involuntarily. More like Vexen than Even. Though much too emotionally soft to be Vexen. He’s crammed somewhere between the two.

I’m too old to be dealing with this.

Before long, though, Demyx is back, this time with Aeleus. Something’s shifted. His eyes are wide, watery, and his breathing sounds wheezy, labored--

A sound of nightmares and hours spent consoling Ienzo--

“My powers,” he says quickly. “Where are they?”

Of course nobody else told him. He guides the trembling boy over to a chair. “It’s our biology,” he explains. “Now that we’re human, we’ve no need for our weapons, our powers.”

“...Our powers are gone?” he asks, his eyes dull.

“In all probability--yes. It’s unusual for humans to have abilities as specific and powerful as we did.” Nobody power is tied to the will, an expression of the self in the absence of a heart--though doubtless Demyx won’t understand this explanation.

“Can I get it back?” “I never thought you cared about fighting.” “This isn’t about fighting,” he says desperately. “Without my sitar, I--” Even’s lip curls. “Oh. That. I’m not certain what I could do for you, Demyx.”

He says nothing, but his eyes are wide, horrified. But really what can Even do? Give the boy false hope? What would that achieve?

“You could have a look in the marketplace. You might find something there that might help you make noise. Now if that is all you’re concerned about, I have work I need to tend to.”

With a quick, pained breath, Demyx leaves. For a moment, Even sits with his head over his notes, trying to conclude. Slowly, like honey, he feels something seeping into him.

There was absolutely no reason to be so short with Demyx. Not when the boy has assisted him.

He groans a little and stands, pacing slowly. After a moment, he holds his palm out, calling gently towards his shield. Sure enough, he feels nothing. It’s gone back to sleep inside of him, no longer needed.

It will only be prudent, to follow up with the others. For his reports.

Dilan and Aeleus both answer in the negative when he asks. And while he knows what Ienzo will say--well, it never hurts to be thorough.

The young man is camped at the computer, where he’s more or less lived these past few days, combing through the disaster that is now their archives. The committee saw fit to completely overtake the computer, and whatever codes it’s been fed to try and decrypt things has it working poorly. Ienzo was never particularly interested in computer science; what does the boy need to know?

“Have you a moment?” he asks.

Ienzo does not even look up, still pulling things this way and that. “Of course. Whatever is the matter?”

"You no longer have any of your Nobody abilities, correct?"

He looks up, squinting. “That is correct. Why is it you ask? You haven't either, have you?" "I have tried, and I cannot," Even says. "I wanted to make sure. He found out." "Who? Demyx?" Even nods. "I wonder if my tone might have been too sharp. He did look rather distressed. But what is it I'm to do? I'm not a miracle worker. And if I'm being honest, I'm quite content with how silent things are around here." "Strictly speaking, there is nothing we can do. Aside from have patience. Oh, that reminds me. I was supposed to have dropped off those clothes. My memory has not been great lately." "You've had a lot on your mind," Even says gently. "I suspect we all have. I'll be glad to not see another one of those infernal cloaks. So drab. So… cult-like."

Ienzo looks back at the screen. "Master Ansem said essentially the same thing. I suppose I should take care of it now." His expression is grim, unhappy. Even’s glad that he’s not the only one feeling negatively about this. "I shall walk with you." The decay has only seemed to grow more noticeable. Water damage and erosion abounds, and everything is full of filth. The heavy carpets, once beautifully embroidered, are threadbare. For some reason Even feels the need to chat, to engage. The boy looks so wilted. "It's a shame. Things here were once so beautiful. If the committee were not so busy we could use their assistance. This place is a shell of what it once was." “You have to admit it feels rather significant.” Ienzo and his metaphors. The boy never did give up reading. "Too on the nose, for my tastes.” He shakes his head. "We're not shells of who we once were. We've changed and adapted. You most of all. I miss being so pliable." But Ienzo does not receive this as a compliment. “So I’ve heard,” he says darkly. “I assure you it is not as easy as it looks.” He wishes Ienzo would tell him about it. “My apologies.” Ienzo hesitates. “If only times were simpler," he says. "I feel as if I've no time to look after myself--what with Sora's disappearance and Demyx's arrival." "Sora's disappeared?" He knew of Kairi’s death--but he figured the fool would be back by now. Ienzo smiles tiredly, and explains in a few clipped sentences that Sora sought to find her heart. Despite the gummiphone, everyone has lost track of him. Even blinks. “How curious. I wonder if there’s any of his data somewhere?” "Sora's? I do not know. I'm not sure how his friends would feel if he were a replica, though." Even sighs. "I've tried to recreate Sora's heart, and we know what happened with that," he says. "As proud as I am of Xion's sentience and personhood, unfortunately his heart is so special that it seems to be a moot option. Best not to give them hope." It’s the hesitation that tells him everything he needs to know. "I thought I'd taught you better," Even says. "You should have heard Riku's voice." "I'm surprised you feel so strongly about him, not when you have such poor memories of him." Riku was nothing but a thorn in their side at Castle Oblivion--defying the odds, resisting all attempts at control. But Ienzo’s reaction is completely inexplicable--he flushes and raises his voice. "That was your replica, might I remind you," Ienzo snaps. Even raises an eyebrow. "The Riku replica? What about it?" He stops cold. “Never mind.” There’s something going on here. “Boy, tell me,” he says sharply. Ienzo’s tensed; his hands hover near his throat (in a flash, Even remembers the bruises, the scars). “Ienzo?” Even prompts. The boy gasps, a pained sound; fear floods his eyes. “Oh, Ienzo.”

"If you must know," Ienzo forces out between breaths, "Axel had the Riku replica kill Zexion." "He did?" Even laughs, despite himself. "Axel killed Vexen." And yet somehow the bastard became a guardian of light. Such brutality. But he has no time to think about such things; Ienzo’s distress is clearly the priority. “How is it you’re feeling?” His voice brings back a gut-punch of memory. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand what it is I’m feeling.” He tries to soften. “Intense, paralyzing panic?” he offers. “Yes--perhaps--” He’s breathing like it hurts. "You should sit down and focus on modulating your breathing," Even says. He helps the boy down to the floor. Aside from his size, it’s almost exactly like all those times before. "It's alright. This is a normal reaction to recalling something traumatic-" "Believe me, I know," Ienzo hisses. "I am perfectly aware of what this is." His eyes belie the opposite.

"Count to ten," Even says. "Deep, steady breaths." Even sees him struggle to bring himself back under control. The wild, barely-contained agony he saw when he first reformed is back, flooding Ienzo’s every breath. He feels his heart begin to ache, dully. “Why is it you do not feel that way?” Ienzo asks. "Perhaps my heart is not quite as developed as yours," Even says. "Perhaps it is that I have not processed it all, yet." Yes, that’s it. No wonder he feels so scrambled. "I do not wish to speak of it at the moment," Ienzo says thickly. He pulls away from Even’s touch. "I must… I must go." By the time he can find the courage to say it, the boy’s long gone. “...Wait… Let me help you…” Perhaps it’s because of Ienzo’s panic attack, but Even finds himself remembering that moment with utter clarity. Begging for mercy, for his life. Being struck, twice, pinned down like one of his own experiments. Then a fire within, so bright and hot and not at all instant. Again, he cannot keep down his dinner. This will not do. Even tries to rest, because he can feel his body crying out for it--but despite what he told the boy, he can’t respect his own weakness. He dresses, flinching as his fingers brush the scars (he still has not seen himself fully in a mirror, and he surely doesn’t plan on it any time soon), and begins walking. He has any amount of things to do, but he cannot bring himself to go to the labs. So he walks, noting the autumn chill. He’s forgotten how frigid Radiant Garden can be in the fall and winter; normally he would not mind, but he no longer has Vexen’s immunity to the cold. “Even? Is that you?” He pauses; but it’s only Aeleus. “On a round?” The man shrugs. He’s wearing no uniform, carrying an old flashlight. “I… was feeling restless. Were you as well?” “...Quite.” “Would you mind if I… joined you?” Even immediately tries to reject the invitation, but finds himself saying instead, “Not at all.” So they walk, for a long time in pure silence. It doesn’t feel awkward, but it’s not comfortable, either. “You’re… alright?” Aeleus asks slowly. Even blinks. “I…” He begins. “I know,” Aeleus says. Their footsteps seem almost deafening in the darkness. The night is so calm, Even notes; with darkness withering, it’s cool as silk. “Tell me something, Aeleus.” He chuckles. “That depends.” “You… do you also feel as though you are in between?” He mulls it over. The flashlight casts strange shadows over his features. “Yes and no,” he says at last. This makes Even laugh as well. “I feel as if… I’m meant to be here,” Aeleus says. “In this place, at this time. I will do what is needed, what is asked of me, humbly. And be pleased my fate is not worse.” “...That so,” Even says softly. “I wish to… find my own ways of atoning,” Aeleus says. “Mostly… I would like to be here for Master Ansem, for Ienzo.” “...Have you spoken to him? Ansem.” “Only for a few moments,” he says. “I cannot find the right words to apologize.” The night seems suffocatingly silent. “You were there, that night?” “I… yes.” He looks at his hand, clenches it into a fist. “It was as though something came over me… enabling all the most evil pieces of myself. To give that final shove… was easier than I want to admit. But it’s his eyes I remember most.” Even cannot catch his breath. “It wasn’t betrayal, not like you think. He… he looked at me, and I could tell he knew, knew what we'd done. He said…” Aeleus exhales heavily. Even touches his shoulder, feels the tension there. “You don’t have to tell me.” ““I thought you were stronger than this.”” “That’s what he said?” “...Yes.” Even gives Aeleus space, silence. He admits slowly, “I was going to run.” “With Ienzo?” “Yes.” He digests this. “I wonder what would have happened.”

---

There’s no point in thinking about what might have happened. Because it didn’t. Even isn’t naive enough to believe fate steered him on this path; he’s done this all to himself, to the boy, and to the others as well. The guilt cuts him like a knife. Where to begin? The question cycles in his mind over and over again. As he composes his reports, sitting there, alone, like nothing has changed and yet everything has changed. Where has the time gone? They’ve all suffered and aged, but have they grown at all, the way he told Ienzo they have? Himself, especially? How can he begin to erase his sins? Can he plan while his heart feels like it’s rotting?

[angelspigeon]

Fic: Lea and Isa have been making semi-frequent trips to Dumbo's homeworld for reasons and one day Mr Stork pays them a visit to deliver twins (a boy and a girl). It turns out they were with each other enough while there that they managed to trigger the world's reproductive mechanisms that rely on storks instead of pregnancy.

Hi!!!

Thank you for your ask!! I got carried away with idea for that so thank you very much!! I hope it will please you!!

And OMFG, The Stork’s song is different in french than english, listened it in english to write this and… it’s so creepy?! 

PS: that thing with “Fic:” at the beginning actually help me to know what you want, because sometimes I’m a bit hesitant!!

/ ! \ I let fall my angst flacon on this so beware!!

Words : 3 304

Door to AO3 => |  °|

He never warned them…

Lea was so mad.

If he could… Yes, he could. He even should do it! He should kill Even onceagain. Forever, this time. Hunt him down until he disappeared and no one wouldever get him memorized.

Even should have warned them…

The Replicas were awesome but they were ephemeras… Forsix beautiful months, Roxas and Xion were with them and it was awesome, theyplayed, chatted; he took care of them and they shone his path. It even wasbecause of Xion that he and Isa were together… She had organized everything,she had pushed them to declare to each other… Every day, they could be togetherbecause of them.

And the Replicas were ephemeras.

All remained were memories…

Just memories… and he hated that.

Yes, he wanted to live in everyone memories, he wantedto be immortal and he kept saying ‘got it memorized’ but in fact… he hated whenpeople were just memories for him. He wanted more…

But he couldn’t have more.

They were dead.

Vanished forever.

Sora wasn’t there. So where their Hearts went? And howmuch time they would have to do it? How much time the next Replicas will last.How often they could do that and how much this would hurt Roxas and Xion?

Hurt him?

And worst…

Hurt Isa.

He could deal with his pain but he couldn’t deal withIsa’s pain because he loved him so much… The worst was the fact that Isa alwaystried to hide everything. At first, he joined him often in the shower becausehe knew it was there he let himself cry and wanted to cheer him up and then… herealized he needed to let him that room. Let him be sad… Especially becausethis was, after, allowing him to be happier. Act happier, at least…

Isa was the first to propose they should change theirmind, try not to think about that. And, according to Isa it helped to work, notto think. For those exact reasons, Lea asked for work to Yen Sid. Now, he wasall in for travelling the Worlds, as long as he was with the love of his life.Before, he hesitated or often refused because there were his children… They hadto go school, to be correctly surrounded… Yes, sometimes he had to left formission or he would bring them with him but now…

All of this was shattered and it was weird for him toleave for another World…

Though he had asked to Yen Sid for the job, it wasMinnie who offered them the World to go.

Circus Paradise.

With a past like theirs, Lea and Isa knew a lot ofWorld but this one was one of those they never went in. It wasn’t exactly thekind of universe where you could find anything interesting. Not for their plansback the time, at least.

And yet… Now that they were stepping here, he couldfeel the Darkness around. This World was overwhelmed by it…

“Say… Isa?”

Isa looked up toward his lover who just pronouncedthose words.

“You think Minnie sent us her because there is so muchwork here?”

“I think so too,” Isa replied. “I can’t believe wenever come here before.”

“Yeah. I think Roxa… I… I mean, forget.”

Isa unfolded his arms and moved toward him, taking hishands tenderly.

“You don’t have to hide your emotions and to force toforget them or anything about them… They would be happy if you kept themmemorized forever.”

“I know, I know… But it’s hard. Had to realize we willnever see them again…”

Isa didn’t know what he could reply to it.

He knew the struggle. He knew the oppressing feeling.Wanting to talk all the days about the babies but also being afraid because thefeeling was the only thing they would have. They will never welcome themanymore with big smiles. They would never play again with them. All of thisswirled in Lea’s mind, again and again…

“Do you think you can tell me what you wanted to say?”Isa wondered in a soft tone.

“Roxas told me… when he appeared, he could remembersome distant things about Sora. About him being with someone from this World. Ithink I saw him in Castle Oblivion? It’s an Elephant! Who flies.”

If they weren’t used to so many things absolutelyweird, Isa could have looked at him as if he was mad.

But he had seen so worst things.

“Do you want to see the flying elephant?”

“Why not?”

If this could cheer Lea’s up. And they could find thesource of Darkness while looking for Dumbo, for a grasp of their memories…

 When they arrived in the Circus, it was obvious theWorld was corrupted. People awaited for the animals to be spectacular and whenthey aren’t, they were upset and showed it. Plus, the capitalism was a bigthing here. The first Human they had met was a Ringmaster who always wanted tohave more spectacles. Who asked so much more from his beasts. Too much.

Way too much.

They knew they needed to come back, again and again.Though, Isa didn’t think he could ease such a behavior.

Lea had some proposition to calm that but maybe it wasjust too much? It was pushing away a problem. The whole World seemed to livewith another range of priorities…

That was the reason why they had asked Minnie, and YenSid, if they could keep taking care of the World.

That would keep them busy.

Except Dumbo who could vaguely be attached to Roxas,all of this was new. They could think about other things, they could changetheir mind and, maybe, live through that. Until those bad memories becomenothing more than this and they could live another live. A new live, with newmemories. Brighter memories…

 Lea and Isa were very upset by the lose they had, butthey weren’t the only one. Pence, Hayner and Olette were their best friends. Notfor long but… it had been an important and overwhelming relationship.

So, it was normal they both took care of theteenagers. Often, they invited them over and organized movie night or big food.Sometimes both at once. They got ice cream or went on restaurant. Olette workedas a waitress there so sometimes, they come on the restaurant to give her bigtip.

Sometimes, it was hard for the couple to be supportiveover the teenagers because it reminded their children… Not only because theywere their friend but also because it was like caring for them. Thought theyhad all their parents and parents taking care of them. Mostly. Sometimes, itwas harder for Hayner’s parents but he was the oldest child of a very big family.And on this, Lea having grown up in such family, he could talk with him andhelped him through the feeling to not care and struggling with money.

This evening, they had prepared a movie night withfood ordered from a restaurant. It was a lot of little beignet, noodles andseafood but it missed vegetables so Isa was preparing a salad with Olette.

The lady always did her best and always smiled. Nomatter what.

“Olette?” Isa asked.

In the other room Lea was dressing the coffee tablewhile Pence prepared the movies. Hayner was calling at home but he willcertainly help soon enough. He had such a kind heart…

“Yes, Sir Sinclair?”

“You can call me by my name,” he said with a softtone.

She smiled, nodding.

“I wondered how you felt. You’re always smiling…”

She continued to smile.

“I know what you mean, Isa, I do… Because Hayner and Pence had so much to do… I need tostay strong for them!”

“I know the feeling. But if you need to talk…”

“Yeah… When it’s really hard, I’m talking to myboyfriend but… I feel like I’m annoying,” she laughed nervously, taking the bigspoons to put them in the salad plate.

“If ever you feel like it, you can talk to me. Youwill not annoy me. And I’m sure you’re not annoying to your boyfriend neither.”

“He would say the same but I will always doubt,” shesighed. “But it’s the same for you, Isa! If you need to talk… Seifer would behappy to listen!” she joked. “I meant me, of course. You can talk to me, Isa.”

“It’s sweet from you.”

“From you too!” she smiled.

Isa could understand it was hard for her to stop. It washard for him to stop pretend too. He pretended to protect Lea, to protect theteenagers. He pretended again and again and… well, Olette was sweet but hedoubted he could stop pretend since she was still so young. He couldn’t lay onher. It was so wrong to him…

So he kept pretend and just allow himself to say thetruth to Lea once in a while. As long as Olette felt better, it would be betterin his opinion…

 Weeks and weeks passed, becoming months and months…

Lea and Isa worked mostly with Circus Paradise, whichLea had secretly called Darkness Paradise because the amount of filthy peoplehere was astonishing, and so they came very often here. Sometimes for days.

Thought time had passed and their wounds were a bithealed, they were still deeply hurt. They still thought about Roxas and Xion butthe biggest difference was that they didn’t cry anymore. Sometimes, theyremembered and it was hard; often they talked about them and they still haven’tthrow away nothing belonging to them. The worst was when they found belongingsof them where they shouldn’t. There, the memories were unbearable…

Pence, Hayner and Olette started to feel better soon. Especiallybecause they had a lot to do. After ten months, being now seventeen for most ofthem, they had their future to prepare. But they still could count on Lea andIsa every time they needed it.

And as that Circus-slash-Darkness paradise… Isa and Leastarted to believe they will have to work here forever. And Isa still thoughtthe Organization XIII missed an opportunity with such a World. He wondered ifthey would have received their Hearts, or got even more fooled, if they hadstepped in this World earlier?

In fact… Lea and Isa had often thought about livinghere… It would be easier. In a lot of ways. No more suffer with that house theyused to share with Roxas and Xion. No more suffer with that World meaning somuch for them. Often, they had talked about coming back to Radiant Garden butthey were most of their time in this World so why not just staying here?

“Mr. Sinclair?! Mr. Sinclair?!”

The voice came from above.

From the sky.

Lea frowned. They had visited lot of Worlds. Some withmagic, others with talking animals and certain with technology beyond theirunderstanding but usually they could tell what World was what. They have beenenough in this World to never have to deal with anything having a voice comingfrom above. Well… there were a lot of Circus’ artists where they tried tochange things most of the time but none of them knew Lea’s last name?

“Mr. Sinclair!!”

Lea’s eyes widened when he saw a Stork appear. He washolding two bags. Two bags he put down on the floor in front of them. He waswearing a blue delivering outfit and a red cap. Immediately, he took a bluediary from his pocket and his wings started to look through the pages.

The bags just seemed to be bags full of dirty clothes.And Lea had no idea why anyone would want them to have them.

As for the Stork talking to them… Okay, it was a bitstrange in this World but they werefar away for worrying for such things happening in their live.

“Here are two babies with eyes of blue straight fromheaven to you. Straight from heaven up above here are two babies for you tolove.”

“Excuse me?” Lea said with a broken voice. “Is this ajoke?!” he groaned.

“For Lea?” Isa asked. “Are you sure not to have made amistake?”

“For Mr. Sinclair and second Mr. Sinclair!” the Storkreplied.

Isa frowned.

The Stork seemed annoyed and looked through the pagesof a pink diary.

“You aren’t second Mr. Sinclair.”

“Kind off, I am,” he replied.

Isa always used his best friend and lover’s last namebecause he hated his.

“Ah! Sign here please,” the Stork said, holding out thediary to him.

“For those babies?” Isa asked.

He took the diary and the pencil handed to him.

“Yes! They are your babies,” the Stork smiled.

“That’s ridicule,” Lea said. “Why would you hand usbabies?!”

“Because they are yours,” the bird insisted. “Please,sign.”

Isa was as doubtful as his lover but he signed thepaper.  What could they do anyway? What wouldhappen to the babies if they didn’t do it?

The Stork took a whistle in his cap and blew in. “HappyBirthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Roxas and Xion.Happy Birthday tooooooooooo…”

The Stork never finished his sentence because suddenlya big weapon appeared in front of his nose.

Or two.

“What did you say?”

Isa cold voice made the bird shook. He tried to clearhis throat but, suddenly, it was very difficult.

“It’s the name I received.”

“Who gave you that?” Lea asked.

“It’s confidential. But they are your babies. And yousigned so…”

The Stork quickly moved away and in a matter ofseconds, he flew away. Lea threw his Keyblade on the bird that moved away in aglimpse and disappeared in the clouds.

Isa tried to calm his rage, making vanish his Claymore.

He crouched next to the bundle and, his fingers stillshaking with anger, he opened one of them. He saw a baby girl. With black hairand blue eyes like you didn’t see often. Powerful blue. He opened the secondbag as Lea let the flames disappear around him. When the Keyblade came back inhis hand, then vanished, he looked down to see that baby with those veryspecial blond-gingery hairs. And those same blue hairs.

“Do you think it’s possible…” Isa whispered.

He didn’t want to believe this. This looked so insane.Yes, those babies could have been Roxas and Xion but it appeared as a very badjoke to him.

This World was surrounded with Darkness after all…

“What do we do?” Isa wondered.

“What do you want to do?” Lea asked, still confuse.

Isa stared the two babies, still on the floor… What hewanted to do…

 “Storks deliver babies. That’s a common believe andwhat people said to their children…”

“Didn’t you believe that until your sixteen years old?”Lea smiled.

He had a little girl sleeping in his arms and maybethat was the only thing saving him from the anger of Ienzo. Certainly not justhis smile. Especially if he was giving him such a cold look despite the coldcoffee in the mug he was holding.

“But, I was saying, in this World, it’s not a believe.It’s a fact. Babies only come when they are delivered by Storks.” Ienzo turnedtoward Aeleus taking one of the books he was holding for him. “If I am right,in this World, the only thing you need is to wish it.” He put down the mug toturn the pages. “And sometimes, it’s not even needed.”

“A bit like in Radiant Garden, right?! Never mommawanted me!” Lea smiled.

“Who wouldn’t want you?” Isa asked, holding the otherbaby.

The little Roxas was waked up and he moved his handsin the blue thread. Isa rocked him slowly.

Lea approached Isa to steal him a soft kiss, pressinghis forehead against his. The hand not holding the baby caressing the cheekbefore he caressed Roxas’ tiny hairs. He really wanted that to be possible. Butwhy would it be?

How could they be Roxas and Xion?

“How could they be Roxas and Xion?” he asked to Ienzo.

“Roxas and Xion weren’t normal being. They were livingHearts. It’s highly possible that, when their bodies died, their Hearts wentsomewhere and waited a body to come back. You went to Circus Paradise so many timesthat the Stork delivery way was started and created babies for you. Or thatXion and Roxas managed to create it for both of you.”

“You think they are truly Roxas and Xion?” Lea asked.

“I think… it would be too strange if this was just acoincidence,” Ienzo replied.

Lea looked down to Xion in his arms. He wanted tobelieve it so hard but he didn’t want to hurt this baby if ever he awaited hisXion and she was different. He didn’t want to betray Xion memories if this babywasn’t the one he believed.

Same for Roxas, of course.

“I believe Ienzo, Lea,” Isa said. “Roxas and Xion’sHearts always echoed with you. They love you and you love them. They came backonce from somewhere they weren’t supposed to come back. They would be able tocome back a second time.”

He held the baby Roxas a bit tighter against hisHeart. The toddler let out a soft sound and his second tiny hand moved to hisHeart, as if he really attached importance to the beat he could hear there…

 Isa used his elbow to push the door of his house, hisHeart beating stupidly fast in his chest. He glanced at the baby in his lover’sarms.

“Xion, Roxas… you’re finally back home,” he muttered.

“I will never let them leave home!” Lea said, kissingXion’s little forehead.

She moved in her sleep and rolled against his chest.

Isa smiled tenderly but his dear soulmate wasn’t thatwrong. Lea had lost Roxas and Xion two times… The adage said never two withoutthree but he wouldn’t allow this third to happen!

He went in the living room with Lea and…

“SURPRISE!!!!”

Xion woke up immediately and cried. Roxas cried too.

“Hm… oops?” Hayner said.

“It was his idea!” Pence and Olette said, immediately,showing their dear friends.

“Ugh… thank you,” Hayner groaned. “Uh… SirBlue-Sinclair can you put down the weapon?”

Rocking Roxas with one arm, Isa was using the secondto brandish his Claymore. Hearing a sound he didn’t expect in his living roomwhere it shouldn’t have been one had called his defend mechanism…

But it was just the Twilight Gang.

“Who warned you?” Lea asked.

“Ienzo!” Pence replied.

“Of course Ienzo…” Lea smiled slightly. “I don’t evenknow why I didn’t think about it…”

Olette approached Isa to see Roxas in his arms. A quickglance let her be sure it was him. The eyes, the hairs… the little expressionon his round face as he saw her. Or maybe she just hoped he recognized her?

“Ah! Look at you Roxas. Now I’m your Auntie Olette!!As if you could escape our love!” she smiled.

“Auntie?” Lea asked, as he let Hayner have Xion.

His hands were ready to catch the baby if he had tobut Hayner could handle her easily. She was still slightly crying but as Leacaressed her hairs, she seemed to calm herself.

“Oh… uh, sorry…” she said.

“Yeah, you can be,” Lea replied. “It’s obvious you’retheir Godmother!! And Pence and Hayner are both their Godfather!”

Olette blinked but then smiled widely.

“I accept!!”

“Me too!!” Pence added.

“Yeah, wouldn’t pass it!!” Hayner finished with a bigsmile.

[imagine-organization-xiii]

Organization's reaction to a very kinky S/O? Like, they don't flaunt it because there's kids (Roxas and Xion) around, but behind closed doors, it's there.

@nopantssaturday is entirely responsible for this

Xemnas

If his s/o asked, Xemnas would have no problem strapping you down and having his wicked way with you.  He’ll have you practically crying with need for him, but would never ever give up control completely.  Wouldn’t even give you the chance to take charge.

Isn’t afraid to push you to the brink of pain.  Will definitely make you scream in a combination of both pain and pleasure - you wanted rough and that’s what you’re going to get.

Probably also gets off on degrading his s/o verbally, but you’re actually pretty into it.  He loves the power and if the s/o loves that too, then it all works out perfectly.

Xigbar

So. Excited.  Plain sex is fine for like five minutes but you both get bored super easily so he’s always ready to experiment.  Your boy doesn’t give control away very easily but he doesn’t mind being submissive and letting his partner take control if you’re willing to fight him for it. Likes to be able to take power back whenever he wants, though.

Otherwise loves being a dom. Will totally get his s/o to moan and whimper as much as humanly possible, knowing that the whole castle can hear you.  Up for trying almost everything with reason as long as it doesn’t make him completely lose control.

Xaldin

Not up for role play or anything that would put his s/o in physical or emotional pain.  He is a sensual and passionate lover and thinks that sex is supposed to be something that causes pleasure, not pain.  If he has someone he loves in his life, he would never want to hurt them.  However, he WOULD love for his s/o to tie him down.  He would love to be tied down and teased and blindfolded.

Sick of being in charge of himself and of other people.  Let him lose all control with you in charge.  Let him praise you without stopping with words of love and admiration.

Vexen

Pretty vanilla in general.  Doesn’t really understand what you mean when you tell him that you want to spice things up in the bedroom.  “Ah, yes, let’s have sex in the morning instead of at night.  Perfect.  I have successfully made our sex life more exciting.”  “Vexen, no, that isn’t what I meant at all.”

But eventually you have to sit him down and explain to him what you meant, and it doesn’t really get… that kinky?  You slowly move toward things like shower sex or wall sex or even orgasm denial, but it takes him a while to get there.  He super likes it when you end up having sex on his table in the lab and he also has a fascination with strapping you down.

Lexaeus

So, so against hurting you in any context whatsoever.  He’s fine with spicing up your sex life, but there are ways that you can do that without him hurting you physically or emotionally.  He’s not into it and it’s a big turn off for him.

Would totally be into having you tie him up if you liked, and he’d also be into edging and overstimulation if you crave it.  Trying out some new positions and some sexy lingerie??? Yes, of course.  That’s just what he likes.

Zexion

Hesitant about the kinky thing, especially at first.  He’s pretty new to sex in general so going too far too fast might scare him away.  He’s a young kid in love, so it will take him a while to get ready to try something new.

Might agree to use some illusions in the bedroom if you ask.  Might create a doppelgänger and have the fake images of him go down on you while he sits back and watches.  Also willing to be strapped down and blindfolded if you want because he knows you want him to do that to you - it’s only fair.

Saix

Already pretty feral tbh, so you better prepare yourself or establish boundaries from the start.  He likes being in control in the bedroom and doesn’t really give in.  Doesn’t want you to receive pleasure from anyone else, even yourself.  Sometimes, however, there are moments when he likes to put control in someone else’s hands, but those moments are rare.

Definitely would enjoy tying you up to basically devour you.  Wants to hunt you like a predator when he gets in that rough mood.  You’re going to basically be decimated, so expect bruises.

Definitely into coming inside you in a way of marking you as his mate.

Axel

A very emotional man who doesn’t really like hurting his s/o emotionally.  As long as there’s a lot of aftercare, he might get a little rough with you. Super into love bites and leaving marks on his s/o where everyone can see them.  It would take a lot of persuasion for you to get him to go any farther than a few bruises or bites marks. Would absolutely NOT choke you, especially after becoming human again.

Loves praising his s/o and would probably enjoy being tied up and teased by his partner.  You have to beg a lot for him to be convinced to try it, but he ends up loving it.  Also loves it when you decide to take charge and surprise him.  Enjoys coming in or on his s/o and the image of s/o being content and well-fucked.

Demyx

Kinkiness for Demyx is difficult because my sweet boy is a bottom.  Loves being topped, has a serious Mommy/Daddy kink and is also a major pillow princess.  If you want to be dominant, Demyx is the guy for you.  If you want him to be the dominant one, you’re pretty much out of luck unless he’s in a really weird mood.

Call him a little plaything - dirty talk is the best way to make him melt for you when you get intense.  Loves to be teased more than anything.  Pull his hair and drag him up to your level before shoving him back down onto the sheets.  Overstimulate, watch him fall apart, etc.  A lot of work to get him to enjoy some new kinks, but totally worth it.

Luxord

Jumps straight to role play when you suggest spicing things up.  Maid? Cheerleader? Nurse? He loves it all.  You often wonder where he gets all of these outfits from but you never have the nerve to ask.  Loves the role play and loves being called sir or master.  (The occasional ‘daddy’ doesn’t hurt but he won’t ask for it.)

If asked, he will often enjoy binding and blinding his s/o.  It would take a lot of persuading, but he’d be into it eventually.  Would also try anal if you’re into that sort of thing, but never on him.

Marluxia

Ya boy loves beautiful things and he feels no different with you.  The fact that his s/o is kinky is totally fine, but he would never agree to anything too filthy.  Nothing with bodily fluids.  But bondage and beautiful lingerie and costumes? He’s definitely into it.  Loves the possibilities that rope tying can provide - like shapes and pulling the body in different ways.

His favorite thing - the thing that makes him lose his mind - is being able to tie you down and watch you gasp and shiver under his touch.  Watching you grow flushed and shaking is beautiful to him.  Has impeccable impulse control, but has trouble controlling himself when you’re desperate in front of him.

Larxene

S/O asks to get kinky and she LOVES it. So interested, but not all the time.  Definitely a top. If Demyx is on one end of the spectrum then Larxene is on the exact opposite end.  Loves pegging her partner, being in charge, and being a seductress.  Likes to drive her partner wild and have them beg, and you usually encourage her to use restraints if you’re both really into it.

Lives for insulting her partner in the bedroom, usually just to get a reaction from you. It’s not very rough or degrading, but she would certainly call her s/o things like slutty and naughty and wanton, etc. She would love pulling hair and maybe strapping you down with a vibrator to watch you lose it.  Definitely the one with a lot of sex toys.

[mythgirltaryn]

Small Headcannon for my heart squad sibs Au

They’re filthy memers. All of them. One thing they like to do is to hide a meme in their social media posts and just wait to see which one of them will notice it first.

Example:

Sora 

Selfies with the fam

#blessed

Vanitas: FUCK YOU ALL

Aqua: what's wrong?

Vanitas: it's fucking loss

Then later....

Vanitas

Got my picture taken at work today

#blessed

Sora: god damn it!

Riku: what?

Roxas: he did it to us

Credits for mmd models

KH3 Sora-Reseliee on DeviantArt Ven, Roxas -Lexalice on DeviantArt Xion- Reseliee Vanitas(Guard Uniform) - Reseliee Living room- mmd3dcgparts and 3dcustomgirl on DeviantArt

[talinexa]

An Old Friend - One-Shot

KH3 Spoilers? Kinda? Just for after the ending? So I had a friend randomly pick a character, genre, and character relationship because I was suffering from extreme writer’s block and I hoped a randomly generated story would unstick my stuck brain. And she didn’t know it, but she chose Lea, Fluff, and an Old Friend. Let’s hope this is good! Axel/Lea is such a Mom Friend OMG

“Kids get packed! Riku’s gonna be here in an hour!” Axel---Lea? Roxas didn’t know---shouted from inside the old mansion.

“We’re not kids!” Roxas snapped, lowering Oathkeeper and Oblivion where he was sparring with Xion on the spacious front lawn.

Axel’s head appeared out the front door. “Now!” he retorted. “We’re going to Radiant Garden! It’s where Isa and I grew up! Get packed! You and Xion are both a little over a year old. You’re kids. Now get your stuff! We’re staying for a week so pack accordingly.”

Roxas let his keyblades dissolve and set his hands on his hips, cocking an eyebrow. “Make me,” he said.

Axel exited the mansion. “Okay I will,” he said.

Xion giggled as Roxas realized Axel was being serious. Axel started chasing Roxas around the front yard. Xion shook her head and slipped inside the mansion and up to her room to get packed.

Meanwhile out in the yard, Saïx---no wait, Isa---appeared from nowhere and scooped Roxas up by the collar of his shirt and jacket, also snagging Axel’s ear. “That’s enough, both of you. Get your things together.”

“What are you doing here?” Roxas muttered grumpily, dangling from Isa’s grip with his arms folded.

“I happen to live here as well,” Isa said, dragging Roxas and Axel inside. “When I’m not in Radiant Garden helping Ansem and Ienzo restore it to its former beauty. I must say---they are making wonderful progress.”

“Yeah. Can’t wait to see it,” Axel said, tone flat and irritated as Isa released Axel’s ear. He dropped Roxas on the staircase.

“You’ll be delighted. Now pack. Both of you,” Isa ordered.

Roxas was more used to taking Saïx’s orders from their time in the Organization and responded almost on instinct, running up the stairs. Axel bounced his eyebrows at Isa and ran up the stairs after Roxas.

“How did you get here?” a small voice asked from the door to the kitchen. Isa turned. Xion was standing there with her suitcase at her feet, a small bag of snacks in her hand. “Riku is coming to get us in the Gummiship and we can’t use the dark corridors anymore.”

Isa smiled. “Always so sharp, Xion,” he said. “Riku dropped me off this morning to make sure everyone here was prepared for departure, but I busied myself around Twilight Town for a time gathering... information.”

“About?”

Isa leaned against the bannister of the staircase and folded his arms. “When Radiant Garden fell, it became known as Hollow Bastion. Its citizens fled to other worlds as refugees. Such as Traverse Town. Lea and I had families and other friends that we left behind in Radiant Garden when we joined the Organization. Admittedly we weren’t close to those other friends, but since Radiant Garden’s restoration, I haven’t been able to find anything about any of those friends. Or our families.”

“Did you find anything here?”

“I did. An old friend of Lea’s and mine fled here for a time. She has, apparently, returned to Radiant Garden. I hope to find her upon our return.”

“Hope you do,” Xion offered.

“Thank you,” Isa said.

From upstairs, Roxas could be heard shouting to Axel, “AXEL! GIVE ME BACK MY WRISTBAND! I KNOW YOU WERE THE ONE WHO TOOK IT!”

“That thing was filthy! It’s in the laundry room!” Axel called back.

Xion and Isa chuckled.

*****

“Roxas and Xion are hanging out with Naminé in the castle’s computer room playing a game. Ienzo and Even promised to keep an eye on them,” Isa said, leaning against Lea’s guest room doorframe with his arms folded and one leg braced against the frame. “I was hoping you’d join me in looking for an old friend of ours. She’s back here.”

Lea cocked his head curiously. “Are you thinking of who I think you’re thinking of?”

“Most likely.” Isa’s nonchalant tone was broken by a tiny, mischievous smile touching the corners of his lips. One that Lea remembered from their youth---from long before the Organization. Isa had always been the more mature and reserved of the two of them, but he still had a sarcastic, mischievous side that Lea knew better than to trust.

That smile confirmed to Lea that Isa was thinking of exactly who he thought Isa was thinking of.

A blush spread over his face. “You should go find her yourself. I’ll stay here with Roxas and Xion,” he said. “Let Ienzo and Even have a night to chill for once.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Isa retorted, close-lipped smile pulling up his mouth farther. “You’re coming with me. Ienzo and Even promised they’d keep Roxas and Xion here specifically so we could go look for her.”

“What makes you assume we’ll even be able to face her?!” Lea demanded. “I mean, what makes you think I’d be able to face her? You know what I’ve done better than anyone.”

Isa rolled his eyes and brushed some stray hairs out of his face. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. She doesn’t have to know yet. Ultimately she’ll probably just be ecstatic to see you.”

“You mean us,” Lea said.

“No I mean you,” Isa insisted.

Lea sighed. “Fine. But if we can’t find her this week, I’m not looking for her anymore and you’re on your own.”

“Fair enough. But if I find her on my own, I’m bringing her to Twilight Town.”

“Why?”

“Because she deserves to know we’re both still alive.”

Lea huffed and folded his arms. “Fine,” he muttered.

“Splendid. Let’s go.”

*****

“Isa, we’ve been asking around for hours. We’ve found nothing. Can’t we just go back to the castle, play a game with Roxas and Xion and Naminé, make Ienzo embarrass himself, and go to bed?”

“How about we get something to eat first?” Isa said, gesturing to a small, out-of-the-way restaurant. “Remember this place?”

“I do. We snuck into the kitchens all the time to steal snacks and desserts. Which is where we met...” Lea closed his eyes. “Her.”

Isa smiled. “Exactly.”

“You think she’s here?”

“Unlikely but not impossible. I was thinking for old time’s sake we’d eat as real patrons for once.”

“Isa, you’re sly,” Lea complained as Isa held the door open and made a sweeping gesture so Lea had no choice but to go inside without Isa nagging him about it.

“I’m well aware,” Isa said.

“Good evening gentlemen. Table for two?” the seating hostess asked with a pleasant smile and a flip of her pink hair.

“Yes please,” Isa said.

“Right this way.” She gathered up two menus and led them to a booth near a stage. A few musicians were tuning some instruments.

“Is there a performance tonight?” Isa asked curiously.

“Yup! Local group. They’ll be performing in about... fifteen minutes. On the hour.”

“Sweet,” Lea said, attempting to have good manners despite his rather sour mood. They sat opposite each other in the booth, Lea facing the stage since Isa took the other side by following the hostess closer.

“Yeah. They’re great. They’ve performed in here once a month since Radiant Garden started returning to its former glory.” The hostess smiled fondly. “Your server will be with you shortly.”

“Thank you, miss,” Isa said. The girl nodded and returned to the podium at the front of the restaurant.

*****

“Good evening Radiant Garden!” I said into my microphone as I stepped onto the stage. “How is everybody tonight?”

A few scattered, half-hearted cheers and whoops echoed up from the crowd. I couldn’t really see the restaurant patrons past the bright stage lights beyond vague outlines, so I smiled and shook my head.

“That dull, huh?” I joked. “Well. Let’s see if we can improve that with some music, yeah?” I nodded at the sitar player. He struck up a tune. “This one goes out to the Radiant Garden restoration committee for bringing our beautiful city back to its former beauty!”

I started to sing, picking up the lyrics at the end of the intro, smiling and enjoying myself. I loved performing.

As I sang, I walked up and down the stage, smiling at patron’s eyes whenever I could see them past the lights. “I love you baby, and if it’s quite alright---I need you baby, to warm a lonely night!” I sang, making the crowd clap along with me.

I rushed down the stairs, a spotlight following me around the restaurant as I wove between tables, beaming and performing and making sure everyone was clapping and having a good time. I was on my way back to the stairs when I caught sight of a familiar face.

Blue hair. Sharp nose and jawline. Sitting opposite---

Oh light.

My voice hitched on a held out note. I hope no one noticed.

I’d know that spiky red hair anywhere.

... Lea.

And Isa.

I blinked hard and shook my head slightly to get back in performer mode, singing the lyrics by my vocal chords’ muscle memory more than consciously. I ran back up the stairs and put myself back on the stage.

How hadn’t I noticed Lea before? He was right there with the stage lights shining gently on him and I could see him!

His eyes, sharp green and vibrant as a firework, were staring right at me. He looked as startled as I felt.

*****

Lea shot a glare at Isa when she wasn’t looking. “You knew she was here.”

Isa raised his hands in surrender. “I most certainly did not,” he retorted. “But I followed a hunch.”

As the song wound to a close, she leaned back and whispered something to the band. A smile broke out on her face. The band all nodded and she nodded back before turning back to the microphone. Everyone in the restaurant clapped politely.

“Alright. We’re changing up the setlist just a little bit, for those of you who are regulars and wonder what’s going on,” she said with a giggle. Her fingers, slightly clad in black fingerless gloves, tightened around the microphone. “This one is going out to an old friend of mine, who I’ve been searching for since our home was restored to us.” She looked right at Lea without moving her head away from the rest of the crowd.

The sitar player struck up a slower, sweeter tune. “Come stop your crying, it will be alright---just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you---I will be here don’t you cry,” she sang. Her voice went from bright and zappy in the first song to gentle and full of emotion. Lea couldn’t help but stare at her in amazement as she stood at the microphone stand and simply swayed back and forth slightly, rarely taking her eyes off of him.

*****

“I will be here, don’t you cry. ‘Cause you’ll be in my heart---yes you’ll be in my heart... from this day on---now and forever more...” I felt all the years of worry and fear sliding away from me. Lea and Isa were here. They were safe and alive. The relief that flooded over me nearly made me cry.

I couldn’t stop smiling throughout the entire song, just knowing that Lea was right there. Isa too, but I’d definitely always been closer to Lea. If he found my staring odd, he didn’t express it. He didn’t look away from me and I didn’t look away from him. It was like I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. Like if I looked away he’d disappear. And I wanted to drink him in as much as I could---just the knowledge that he was here was enough.

That did make it harder to focus throughout the performance, but I managed it.

Before I knew it, I was finished. There was lots of clapping and bowing and then I got to get off the stage. I went back into the kitchen for a minute to wipe some sweat off from the stage lights and emerged into the body of the restaurant.

I accepted the, “Wonderful performance!” and, “Good job!” offerings from other patrons before plopping down next to Lea.

“You guys didn’t tell me you were here!” I whispered, grabbing Lea’s forearm gently.

“We couldn’t find you,” Isa said calmly, turning my attention from Lea to him.

“Oh... Isa... what happened?” I asked, touching my cheekbone, mirroring where a large X-shaped scar was faded into his skin.

“It’s a long story. Nothing to worry about. We’ve been searching for you,” Isa said.

“Well... I’ve been here,” I said. “Or rather. I’ve been here since Radiant Garden came back. I lived in a place called Twilight Town for a while.”

“You did?” Lea asked, sounding surprised. I nodded.

“Yeah. Where did you guys go? When Radiant Garden fell?”

“Oh. All over.” Lea shrugged. “Passed through Twilight Town. Wish I’d known you were there. We would have come and said hi.” I caught Isa giving Lea a look but decided not to question it.

Isa grinned. “If you two will excuse me a moment,” he said, getting up and leaving without explaining any further.

“He hasn’t changed,” I said.

Lea blinked. “No. Not really,” he said. “There was a time he was a totally different person but now that everything’s back to normal... he’s himself again.”

“What about you?” I asked.

“Me? I didn’t change at all.”

I giggled. “I didn’t think you would,” I said. I squeezed his wrist. “I really missed you, Lea.”

“I missed you too,” he said with a smile.

We fell into an awkward silence for a moment.

“What ever happened to us?” I asked at the same moment he said, “I’m sorry we fell out of touch.”

“Wait what?” we both said.

I chuckle and shook my head. “You first,” I said.

“No. No I insist. You go ahead,” he pressed.

“What happened to us? We were so close and then suddenly... it was like you disappeared.”

Lea slid his wrist out of my grip. “Isa and I... fell into working for an organization and we travelled around a lot for work so we just... fell out of touch. I’m sorry. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Lea. So much.” I took his hand and pressed my forehead to it. “I feared the worst for you and Isa for... over ten years.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He cupped my chin and lifted my forehead off his hand, peering straight into my eyes, down my pupils and into my soul. “But now you know we’re okay and we’re alive and...” He stopped, closed his eyes, and shook his head. “I’m just relieved to see you’re alive too.”

I squeezed his fingers. “Lea...” I whispered.

The room seemed to melt away. Lea’s eyes focused in and out on me, lips parting.

“What?”

“... What?” What were we talking about? Where were we? All I was conscious of was Lea sitting remarkably close to me. He shifted slightly in the booth and bumped his knee against mine.

My name fell from Lea’s lips in a breathless whisper.

“Lea,” I replied. His fingers tightened slightly on my chin.

Before I knew it, I was crashing into his face and he was crashing into mine. His skin was hot under my fingers, but soft, as my fingers slid up his bare arms, across his shoulders, and into the spiky hair on the back of his head. His fingers fell off my chin and threaded into my hair as well. He didn’t even seem to care that my stage lipstick was smearing on his face.

When I pulled away, completely breathless, I stared at him in surprise. “Lea, I...”

“No. It was... it was my fault. I should have asked---”

“Oh shut up,” I replied.

“‘Kay,” he breathed.

We crashed back together. He tasted spicy.

“Ah. I see you two are getting along as well as I’d hoped,” a familiar voice said.

Lea and I jumped apart with a suctioning noise. “Isa!” we exclaimed at the same moment. Isa sat back down across from us.

He chuckled and flicked his blue hair off his shoulder. “Don’t mind me,” he said.

I shook my head. “Okay. I should get backstage. I, uh...”

“Hey wait,” Lea protested, grabbing my wrist. “When can I see you again?”

I smiled, biting my lower lip. “Tomorrow morning. Ice cream stand in the square? Like old times?”

Lea nodded. “Absolutely,” he said.

I pecked his cheek. “See you then.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

*****

“What do you mean Axel kissed a girl?!” Roxas demanded the second Lea strolled into the Radiant Garden castle whistling pleasantly. Isa was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, Roxas standing there with a face looking like the secrets of the universe had been unlocked. Xion was vaguely curious.

“I told you two to go to bed three hours a---Oh. You’re back,” Ienzo said. “I see. Carry on.” He turned and left.

Roxas elbowed past Isa and grabbed Lea’s shoulders. “What is he talking about that you kissed a girl?!”

“She’s an old friend from when Isa and I grew up here,” Lea said.

“He’s walking on clouds, look at him,” Isa prodded sarcastically.

“I think it’s sweet,” Xion said quietly.

Lea’s skin was turning the same color as his hair. Roxas looked affronted. “How come you never told me about it?! I asked you if you knew what love was and you said no!”

“I...” Lea sighed and pushed a hand through his messy hair. “It wasn’t love until I saw her again tonight. We were just good friends back then.”

Isa scoffed so loud he started coughing. “I’d believe that if you weren’t such a liar,” he said after composing himself. “You were head-over-heels for her since we were... quite young.”

“I was not!” Lea protested.

Isa started laughing. Which broke Roxas’ indignation. He started laughing too. Xion giggled.

Lea turned even redder. “All of you need to stop.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell us about this girl?” Roxas demanded

“Well if you want to meet her I’ll bring her by while we’re here!” Lea exclaimed.

Roxas and Xion cheered. “Yes! Finally!” Roxas shouted.

“I’ve always wondered about your past,” Xion added, much gentler. “I would be delighted to meet her.”

Lea sighed. “Fine. I’ll ask her if she’d like to come meet you.”

Roxas smirked. “Great.”

[cruelfeline]

Sora, I hope you know that your San Fransokyo fudgsicles are a filthy, filthy sin.

You- holy fuck no Roxas Roxas NO OMFG WHAT THE HELL KH3 WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT MERCY

KH3 WHY?!

[rxcusant]

my url?

Send me your URL and I'll tell you

My Opinion on;

Character in general: multimuse blog so!! lots of characters here! But I love Terra, Ven, Roxas, and Riku very much (riku probably more so than the others because im bIAS TOWARD HIM,,, im a filthy riku stan until the end of time)How they play them: VERY WELL I’m not an expert on your muses so I wouldnt know how to write them BUT I LIKE WHAT I’VE SEEN FROM YOU! Theyre all distinct and you do a good job separating them all!The Mun: i dONT THINK WE’VE TALKED VERY MUCH but you seem like a cool person!

Do I:

RP with them: OH GOSH WE DID ONCE and i forgot to respond im SO SORRY i know youve sent me an ask meme too that i meant to reply to and then it slipped my mind IM SORRY YOUVE HAD TO BE THE BRUNT OF MY SCATTER MEMORY TWICE NOWWant to RP with them:  YEAH MAN HIT ME UP!! I gotta atone for my shitty memory

What is my;

Overall Opinion:

**Note: Mun’s answer are all to be completely honest. Don’t send url if you don’t want brutal honesty

[heraldaros]

Ao3 wouldn't let me comment :'(

Hi! I’ve been lurking on your KHsxNaruto series for ages now and I just want to say. I love your ability to portray relationships in it.

I love the dilemma Riku experiences when his original bonds and the new bond come into conflict. I love the way you seem to have struck on what I think is the heart of KHs. Friendships.

Disclosure, I am in fact a Namiku shipper, so the ending didn’t seem weird at all to me. If you’d like I could pass you some essays that people wrote on why Namiku didn’t come straight out of the left field? (This may be just me reading them with shipping goggles on? IDK.)

But still keep up the good work! and I’m sure whatever way your story goes, it’ll fit perfectly for the scenario you have set up.

Cheers!

Eastonia

P/S

Master Riku = Master Aqua - it is known.

Hi! Thanks for reaching out! I'm always really happy to hear people like the crossover fic that consumed my life, lol. 

Re: Namiku, I'd love to read KH3 meta of whatever type, but full disclosure back, I am a filthy multishipper and Namiku was my CoM OTP; I thought having Riku pick her up was a weird choice because of timing (Namiku really seemed to fade away after KH2 introduced Roxas) and because Riku...really doesn’t even interact with the idea of her in KH3.

Friendships are definitely the cornerstone of the fic to me (it’s by and away a gen fic with minor exceptions, and that doesn’t look like it will change for a long while), and I have Plans for Namine and Riku interactions in the fic, juuuust as soon as we get to...later KH-timeline events in it, sob.

[saanphoenix]

The whole argument about Axel kidnapping Kairi and how that affected her really confuses me on this website, and it’s mostly because I don’t agree with the reasoning a lot of people have for their bloodlust for Axel/Lea. I’m not saying they can’t have that bloodlust. Go for it. Eat him alive, if it makes you happy. I just... There are holes... In some logic... There are more fingers ya need to be pointin’ with.

Axel wants to see Roxas again, and Roxas is inside Sora, so he has to see Sora. But Sora is too busy doing exactly what the Organization wants him to do, so Axel gets it in his spiky, red-headed mind that if he kidnaps Kairi then Sora will come and rescue her. Axel is not thinking about Kairi or Sora, he gives two fucks, he is hyperfocused on his desire to see his friend. Bad, Axel. That is being a big doodoo head.

But then. Okay. Stay with me now. FUCKING RIKU. Riku, who knows what Axel is doing for a chunk of the game because he let him and Namine escape DiZ’s order of destruction and knows Axel is trying to kidnap Kairi because he sends Pluto to bring her into the portal and away from harm... That boy don’t do shit after that. Like, he doesn’t go with her to Twilight Town to make sure she remains safe. He doesn’t punch Axel in the face like, “Bitch, I thought we was good!” Nothin’. ??? OKAY! That’s acceptable. Free of sin.

And then! Okay. Okay? Axel is able to kidnap her because Riku has his thumbs up his ass and Hayner, Pence, and Olette either can’t aim for shit or think merely reaching a hand out is sufficient enough to stop a man intent on yanking a girl through a dark portal. This is bad, no doubt about it. Kairi has no idea what the fuck is going on and Axel is being way too fucking creepy for her liking. I’d be apprehensive, too. Maybe kick a fucker in the shins, back of the knees, bite him. You know. Maybe she does. Either way, she gets away from him...by landing smack dab into Saix’s clutches.

Kairi has just hopped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Because, though I know Axel was, “Meh,” about using Kairi, I also think he wasn’t going to hurt her. Saix? He has no problem beating children into submission. It’s a trait of folks with yellow eyes and pointy ears.

Axel knows this. Axel is now all, “Oops. Oh, dear.” Axel finds Sora, spills the beans about the Organization, and is all, “Sorry about your girl. That was my bad.” (In the manga, he tries to rescue Kairi. It does not end well for him. But this is not the manga, so I will ignore that.) Blah, blah, blah, the next time we see Axel, he is stuck in that limbo area with Nobodies. Yeah? Okay? HE SACRIFICES HIMSELF TO SAVE SORA AND TELL HIM TO SAVE KAIRI, HE IS SORRY HE WAS A PIECE OF SHIT. (Also, I wanted to see my friend. Rip in pieces.)

This fucker kills himself to right the wrong he done. Filthy sinner.

Namine saves Kairi, Saix threatens Kairi, THEN RIKU DOES SOMETHING. Blah blah you know the rest.

Lea is reborn, he remembers the bad shit he did, he immediately apologizes to Kairi. Repeatedly. Like, it wasn’t even technically him that did those things--his new heart wasn’t his old one--but he’s still apologizing. Kairi, scared of him at first, discovers she can’t hate him. Which, in my opinion, is the logical conclusion. Because that is LEA. That is not AXEL. Stop calling him AXEL. OH MAH GAH.

But he’s still a filthy sinner, for some goddamn reason, and Saix’s crime of throwing Kairi in a cell and threatening her repeatedly is somehow equal to grabbing her by the arm and scaring her a little, and Riku depending on a DOG to save her isn’t even a blimp on the map of blame.

I just... Lea is not Axel. He’s still taking responsibility for Axel’s bullshit. Axel, who died trying to ensure Kairi was saved from the horrible situation he caused because he was too emotional over Roxas and made a horrible decision. This man has, in my opinion, shown just as much remorse and put in just as much effort to fix things as Riku fucking has, and Riku kidnapped way more fuckin’ girls than Axel even dreamed of. Hell, Riku destroyed his entire world and everyone on it. But he is forgiven. Lea? Not-Axel? He can burn in hell.

If that’s what makes you happy, okay. Burn his effigy all you want. Dream of his demise at the hands of Kairi. I don’t agree with you and never will.

[complicatedandstained]

The Other Day at Hot Topic: Do No Harm

It feels a little bit like the role of Vanitas has been recast halfway through their shift. 

The guy has started doing his work like a regular human being, going as far as offering to help Roxas finish restocking the piercing display and then not giving him shit about it. 

Although, to be fair, this could be because Vanitas was losing patience. Roxas, admittedly, has absolutely and entirely no idea what he is doing. Aqua had assumed Roxas knew a lot more about which metal stabs through which piece of skin than he does. 

Actually, Vanitas has taken to not talking to Roxas at all. He has his headphones back on and, if his volume is any indication, is doing his damnedest to broadcast his music throughout the entire store. Roxas has to refrain from singing along when Fall Out Boy comes on. 

But either way Roxas slices it, it’s a definite improvement. 

And then this super old man comes in, chugging along on a walker with balloons tied to his wrist. Orbiting him is a chattering, hyperactive, wholesomely chubby child, the kind of child you kind of want to hug. 

The old man has a scowl etched onto his face like it’s been there a while. He almost immediately begins to grumble about the low lighting and the loud music and the tight spaces between the aisles that make navigation with a walker near impossible. 

The child is wearing an extremely yellow Wilderness Explorer uniform, and explore he does—every square inch of the store seemingly all at once. He bumps off of display cases and walls like a human pinball, poking at the cheeks of stuffed animals and brushing his hands through the fabrics.

The old man continues his complaining from the front as he eyes the display cases, muttering about the dark colors and the flimsy material and the skimpy cuts. 

Vanitas keeps glancing between the two of them from his station near Anime where he’s restocking the Hello Kitty plush. Roxas imagines he’s examining camera angles, trying to decide who would be easier to take out first. Another glare the old man’s direction, and Roxas decides to step in, before his coworker does.

“Hey there! After anything in particular today?” Roxas asks. He’s halfway through adding new buttons to the magnetic boards of the display case by the register, and he holds out a handful with a smile. “Button?”

The old man looks taken aback. “Thanks, but,” the old man offers a quiet smile in return, tugging at the lapel of a worn suit jacket, where he has a round, pop bottle cap of his own pinned, “I have the only button I need.” 

Roxas feels a strange tingling in his chest at the sudden softness in the gruff man’s tone. Someone special must have given it to him. For a split second Roxas pictures Axel, hands splayed, eyes bright, telling him about stained glass windows.  

The conversation shatters as a childlike someone shouts, “I found it! I found it!” followed immediately by the sound of several hundred small boxes crashing down, and then a delayed, much quieter, “Uh-oh.”

“Russell…” the old man groans, shutting his eyes. 

The old man has stopped near the entrance, as he cannot easily navigate the tight passages between Hot Topic’s displays, so Roxas nods to him. “I’ll make sure he’s alright.”  

Roxas power walks through the aisles, until he gets to the wall-length Funko Pop display. Half a shelf is on the floor between Vanitas and the chubby, adorable scout, who has a single box clutched to his chest.

“This is the one!” The child beams and waves the box close enough to Vanitas face that Roxas is concerned the kid will lose a finger. “The Snipe! I found it!” 

Roxas freezes as Vanitas’ face twitches. With rigid movements the guy yanks down his headphones, says flatly, “Congratulations.”

Compared to all the potential curse words Roxas feared would leave his mouth, Roxas considers this reply basically praiseworthy. 

Vanitas eyes flit down to the mess again, his arms crossing, and the kid notices. 

“I am sorry about the mess,” Russell says, his bright voice painstakingly articulate, like maybe English isn’t his first language. Russell frowns, his dark eyebrows dipping low, troubled, dimples appearing in his round cheeks. “I will help you clean it up though!”  

Roxas takes a step forward, fully prepared to bodily restrain Vanitas if need be. 

“Psh.” Vanitas swats his hand toward the pile dismissively. “I’ve seen worse.”

Roxas is ready to give Vanitas a promotion at this point.

“Why don’t you go show Gramps your weird-as—weird-butt...bird thing.” 

“Okay!” Russell nods purposefully and then frowns, laughs. “Mr. Fredrickson is not my Grandpa though.” Vanitas’ face scrunches in mild confusion. “Oh?”

“Mr. Fredrickson is my best friend.” 

This is perhaps the single sweetest and saddest thing Roxas has ever heard.

With another radiant smile missing a couple key teeth, the child hugs his find to his chest once more and toddles off to the front of the store, chattering to the box, “I think I’ll call you ‘Kevin.’”

And for just a second, before Vanitas slips his headphones back on, with a slightly miffed shake of his head, Roxas thinks he sees Vanitas smile. 

*

Vanitas’ headphones have been off for a half hour now. Once Roxas had checked out Russell and Mr. Fredrickson, the Hot Topic workers set to doing serious damage control on the Pop Funkos. This entailed extensive sorting by platform, movie, and sale price, and some minor bickering about characters belong where, which made it abundantly clear that Roxas is the bigger nerd of the two and that Vanitas knows a weird amount about Star Wars.  

“God.” Vanitas passes Roxas the last couple obscure collectibles and whines, “Ordinarily, I’d just shove them all back on the shelf, and be done with it. Fucking kid. Fucking Axel. Fucking…” He leans forward to fix the one box threatening to fall back over. 

Roxas had thought Vanitas wanted to get fired, and now suddenly he’s vying for employee of the month. He shakes his head, sliding a hand in his pocket and looking out across the empty store.  “I don’t get you.”  

Vanitas lifts an angry-looking Hello Kitty penguin plush from the ground beside him and stares into its eyes like he sees some wisdom there. “You think I should just shut up and do my job, right?”

For a second Roxas wonders what the chances are that Vanitas hadn’t heard him and is simply talking to the penguin, but he decides those chances are fairly low. “It’d be easier…” Roxas mutters, fishing a few furry Chococat eye masks out of a cardboard box on the floor to help Vanitas with the display. 

“Wrong. You want to know why I wanted to get fired? This ‘job’ is a waste of my fucking time. I should be studying, interning. Literally scratching my eyeballs out would be more productive than this.” He lifts a Hello Kitty plush dressed as a cheeseburger up and shoves it in Roxas’ face like he’s trying to suffocate him and the plushie both.

Roxas rolls his eyes, and pushes Cheeseburger Kitty away. “Yeah, I’m sure the eyeball scratching pay is great…” I’ll ask Xion’s cat and get back to you.

“Ugh.” Vanitas adjusts a stack of Hello Kitty notebooks (regrettably not burger-themed) and accepts a handful of cat head topped gel pens from Roxas to add to the display cup beside it. This done he glowers at Roxas impatiently. “I forgot you don’t know shit. Look. I didn’t work my ass off getting a full ride to med school to wind up slaving away next to a bunch of sexually frustrated, punk wannabes.”

Roxas should be more offended about the last bit, but his brain gets stuck elsewhere. “You’re in med school?” A smile hits him in spite of himself. “Did they not warn you about the Hippocratic Oath?” 

Vanitas rams his shoulder into Roxas’ not hard enough to hurt, not light enough to be friendly. “Shut the fuck up.” Roxas considers Vanitas’ situation again, wondering why Vanitas is opening up to him now. “So, if you got a full ride, why work here?”

Vanitas sighs and shifts a few Sanrio nail polish sets over, then checks his own glossy white paint. “How much do you know about Xemnas?” Roxas glances up from his digging through the box. “The sexiest man alive?” Vanitas cringes, his fists balling up. “I fucking hate this place.”

“You…” Roxas hands him a couple more boxes of the polish sets, “disagree?” 

“He’s my uncle,” Vanitas says with venom. “He recently collected the family inheritance. He’s only in his thirties, and now he’s rich. Like, the filthy kind.” 

“Oh.” Roxas feels an uncomfortable pang his chest. Basically, Vanitas is telling him someone in his family recently died. So, either Vanitas is actually upset about that, or Vanitas didn’t know them that well and is just pissed he got the short end of the stick. But wouldn’t Vanitas’ parents have been next in line? Maybe they’d all been skipped?  “I’m sorry.” 

Vanitas doesn’t seem to hear him, pushes on, “Dear Uncle Xemnas is supposed to be helping me pay my rent and my bills, but he’s gotten it into his head that I need to learn to ‘be responsible’ and ‘make friends’ and all that elementary school bullshit. So now I’m working this stupid fucking minimum wage job. And if I don’t, I’m on my own.” 

Vanitas isn’t even looking at him anymore, he’s gripping the metal shelf of the display so hard his knuckles have gone bloodless. The sleeve of his blazer has slipped down, and Roxas can see tattoos running up from his wrist, red and blue veins, like his skin’s been flipped inside out. Med school, huh? Inheritance, suspension, friends… 

Roxas wonders if maybe Vanitas was just in desperate need of someone to dump this to. But why me? And how misanthropic do you have to be for your sexy uncle to blackmail you into having coworkers?

Then again, he did try to punch me in the face.  

“I mean…” Roxas considers patting Vanitas on the back with the Hello Kitty in his hand, but stops himself because he doesn’t want either to be ripped to shreds. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

Vanitas whirls on him, face contorting. Roxas congratulates himself on the instinct not to give the guy a soothing pat. 

“You would say that. It’s fucking ridiculous. So what if I almost got suspended? I didn’t. So what if I don’t have any friends? I don’t need them.” Vanitas has gotten up in Roxas’ space again, the words harsh and direct, straight in his face. Roxas can feel a little spit fly. Roxas takes a long look at him, taking in what he’s heard, and maybe it’s just because Vanitas reminds him so much of a young Sora throwing a temper tantrum, or maybe it’s the two fights they’ve had earlier, but Roxas can’t bring himself to be angry with the guy any more. In fact, he’s starting to pity him a little bit. Roxas stares levelly, offers calmly, “Maybe friends would help.” 

Vanitas sneers, seizes Roxas’ shirt in his fists. Roxas lets him. 

“Wake up, sunshine. You’re not in elementary school anymore. Friendship isn’t magic. People always let you down. They let you down or they leave. Axel’s going to let you down. It’s better not to get attached.” Vanitas shoves Roxas’ chest and stalks off a few steps, but Roxas, being a black belt, catches himself easily, which seems to piss Vanitas off further when he glances back to see him still standing there. 

“You’re right,” Roxas says. 

“Huh?”

“Nobody’s perfect.” One of Roxas’ hands leave his pockets, lifts in a shrug. “Sometimes my best friends screw up. Sometimes they screw up a lot.” He almost laughs, thinking of Hayner, how many times he’s had to climb out of bed to pick him up, stumbling drunk. “But so do I.” I mean I dated Seifer, for Pete’s sake. He hadn’t thought anyone would forgive him for that, but, somehow, they had. “And at the end of the day, isn’t it enough that they care about me and that they tried?”

Roxas shifts his other hand out of its pocket, bringing a pack of Pop Rocks with it. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Axel. Maybe he is going to hurt me, but maybe our friendship is going to be amazing. I’m not going to let maybe stop me from trying. And neither should you.” 

“Ugh.” Vanitas runs his fingers down his face like he’s trying to scrub it clean. But when he drops them his tone seems more level, “Forget the advice, you’re a hopeless sap.”  

Roxas smiles sadly. “Whatever you say, Vanitas.”

Vanitas eyes him, more wary than annoyed. “You’re setting yourself up for disappointment.”

Roxas shrugs. “Maybe I am. What about Aqua?”

Vanitas stiffens. Roxas feels like he’s just watched his defenses go up, an invisible shield. 

Vanitas flexes his hand against the stuffed animal he’s holding a few times. “What about her?” he says at last.

Roxas keeps his words soft, “You guys are friends, aren’t you?”

“She’s not my friend,” Vanitas counters, words quiet but forceful. His nostrils flare, staring at Roxas and then he turns sharply, like he doesn’t want to look at Roxas anymore, and goes back to shoving stuffed animals onto a shelf with unnecessary force. “She’s a hopeless sap like you. That’s why I’m standing here balls deep in Hello Kitty merch. Doing my fucking job. Tell Axel that.”

Roxas has no idea what to make of this. There’s obviously a lot of shit going down with Vanitas that he doesn’t know the first thing about. He decides it’s time to tap out. Defuse this situation before Vanitas makes with the punching again. 

Vanitas is still waiting for a reply. 

Roxas frowns a bit. “The Hello Kitty thing, or...?”

Vanitas takes a step forward, like a bull stomping its foot before the charge. 

Roxas raises his hands in surrender accordingly. “Okay, okay. I’ll tell him you were doing your damn job. Gees.”

There’s a tense moment as Vanitas considers Roxas’ sincerity and then he nods. “Thank you.” He tosses another Cheeseburger Kitty at Roxas’ face.  “Now fuck off.”