#sokai ficlet

[cgmayra]

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

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

Prompt:

It was strange, you know?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He beamed, “Yeah! You got it.”

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

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

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

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

“And play charades?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wait…”

I rose up my head.

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

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

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

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

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

I wanted to give him some hope… anyway.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Have you eaten?” Aqua asked.

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

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

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

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

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

‘Please… hear me, Kairi!’

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

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

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

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

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

“Kairi?” Aqua tilted her head.

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

Aqua nodded, but seemed concerned as Kairi retreated.

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

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

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

“Sora..?”

The voice was so gentle, it resonated in me…

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

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

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

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

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

‘Kairi…’ I walked towards her.

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

I knew how that felt.

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

I embraced her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I felt my body disappearing again…

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

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

“And Riku and you are together?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Does she know?” Riku asked.

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

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

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

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

“Are you… Blushing?”

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

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

[phoenix-downer]

Interlude

For SoKai Day 2020. 390 words. Letter from Sora to Kairi set between KH3 and Melody of Memory. Epistolary fic. 

Dear Sora,

I know I didn’t send my letters during my training to you, and now that you’re gone, I wish I had. But that just means I’ll have to write you more letters and show them to you when you get back. 

I’m on Radiant Garden now, looking for you. Everyone’s looking for you. When you disappeared, you left a big hole in the fabric of reality because it was never supposed to be you. 

It was supposed to be me. No, this never should’ve happened. Xehanort just couldn’t pass up the chance to use me as collateral, as bait in case his plans went south. And now you’re paying the price, and all just to save me.

Ienzo and the other researchers think they can help me find you. That’s why I’m here. They scanned my heart like they scanned yours, and something strange happened. You know how the paopu fruit is said to connect two people if they share it? I always believed the legend was true, I just didn’t know how literal it would be.

Sora, they’ve found you, in my heart. Just a small fragment, a shadow or an echo of your true self. But that piece is connected to something. We don’t know what it’s linked to yet, but it keeps causing Ienzo’s machines to read temporal abnormality. It sounds crazy, but I think the key to the future lies in the past. At least, that’s what Master Yen Sid said. I’m going to go to sleep so I can trace that memory of you that’s connected to my heart. I’m going to trace it back through my dreams and see if I can find any more clues about you.

Is the thought of going to sleep for a while scary to me? I suppose, but I trust Ienzo and the other researchers. They were kind enough to help Roxas, Naminé, and Xion come back to life. Maybe they can work a miracle for you too. 

So for now, I’ll sleep. The others are doing everything they can to find you, and it’s only fair I do the same. You sacrificed everything for me, and I want to save you more than anything. In a world without you, I’ll dream of you until we can meet again. 

See you soon, Sora.

Yours truly,

Kairi

[sapphireskys]

ok so i really want the members of sora's heart hotel to have some kind of fondness for kairi post kh3 soo tiny fic thing?

~~

roxas is reminded of namine when he sees her for the first time, kind and sweet and so filled with light and sadness. and when he gets to know her better, he realizes that they too are similar in many ways, in how they act, in how they feel, a connection he could never feel with sora. they become friends. he's the first one to encourage her to look for sora, because he knows just how much she's hurting.

he was born of her heart too, after all.

.

xion was born of sora's memories of kairi, and as such has a certain fascination with her. she cares for kairi so much, despite just meeting her, and it feels like she's known her for much longer.

sometimes she looks in the mirror, at the face that's too familiar to be her own and the dark hair that is almost certainly hers, and thinks of how sora could never capture the sheer vibrance and color of kairi in his memories.

and neither could she.

but that's fine, because they're their own people, and if she had to share a face with anyone, she's glad it's her.

.

ventus... is an interesting case. he'd been with sora longer than anyone else, from before he had even met kairi. despite being asleep, he had experienced everything sora had, felt what he'd felt.

his feelings for kairi are not his.

so he does what he does best. he tries to be there for her, he helps her when she needs it, he tries to be a friend to her.

and one day, he becomes able to call her a friend too.

~

(bonus: vanitas is the same as ven except he hides his suffering by being a pain in the ass for everyone and also flirting)

[anonymoussong]

Sometimes, They Win

"Watch out! More are coming!" Sora shouted.

Kairi slashed through two Shadows and ducked a blast of fire from a Red Nocturne. She rounded on it and destroyed it with a direct shot of ice. Panting, she looked around to see two Large Bodys and several Soldiers appear.

Sora cast a powerful magnet spell and drew most of the Soldiers and one of the Large Body Heartless towards him. Kairi ran at the remaining Soldiers and turned in a circle to cut through them.

Her attack was suddenly bounced back at her as the Large Body charged her. Kairi scrambled out of the way and managed to dodge most of its charge but still got knocked off her feet. She hit the ground harshly and managed to block a Soldier's kick.

"Reflect!" she cried. It stopped several attacks as she got to her feet. She wouldn't be able to cast another spell like that, as she could feel herself tiring.

Kairi tried to run behind the Large Body but it seemed determined to keep her in its sights. She stopped to destroy a Soldier that leapt at her and swung around to slash through another that had tried to attack her from behind.

Just as she faced forward again, Kairi saw the Large Body swing its fist right at her. It was too quick, despite its size, and Kairi took the full force of the hit. She let out a short, sharp yell of pain as she flew several feet backwards. She felt herself hit a wall and then everything went dark.

[Read More at AO3!]

---

This is a very belated birthday gift to @chachacharlieco who drew this lovely comic! Thank you for your art, my dude, and for the inspiration your art gives :)

[dontfeeltoohot]

Ugh I would love that prompt you posted the other day about A and B cuddling on the couch with Stucky! But honestly I'd be happy with anything, I'm just excited for your writing!

I am so so glad you liked the post!! Aw thank you! I hope you enjoy this little ficlet!

--

Lying on the couch, a mix of tangled limbs, the Rogers-Barnes husbands snuggle contentedly, as rain falls heavily on the window pane. It’s been a dreary, cold Sunday morning, making both men not want to do anything but curl up and watch some television, and maybe, eventually, if they could muster the energy, make some crockpot soup for the blustery day. 

Steve’s been back from a mission for two days, laid up due to a broken ankle that’s now as good as new, though Fury’s adamant about him being benched for a solid 5 days. Bucky doesn’t mind much- it means getting to have Steve around more and Tony’s been grateful enough to let him have a few days off to ‘tend’ to his husband instead of run the engineering lab in the tower. Tony worries as much as Bucky, Steve’s said before, causing his other half to laugh. 

“Well then, guess I have to up my game, if I have competition,” Bucky had responded, making Steve shake his head. 

As they morning edges closer to noon, and the sky gets darker, instead of lighter, Steve yawns and looks down at Bucky, who resembles the likes of a cat, curled up into Steve’s side, face half smushed against Steve’s ribs and chest as his eyes follow the television. They’re currently watching New Girl, one of their favorites. Bucky loves Schmidt and Steve thinks Nick is kind of adorable. 

Bucky gives a shiver, and then another, and he presses a little closer. 

“You look tired, you can nap,” Steve says gently, stroking a few strands of long hair. Bucky looks up and nods, biting at his lip a little. 

“Yeah...I might, my throat’s kind of sore? Guess I’m….not feeling very well this morning,” Bucky responds shyly, ducking his head back to be against Steve’s ribs again. 

“In that case, definitely nap. I’ll make that soup we’d talked about earlier, see if we have any medicine. I’m sorry you don’t feel well honey,” Steve presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“Sokay...got you to take care’a me,” Bucky shuts his eyes, nestling in again to the solid, blond pillow next to him. 

[sporkkles-irl]

I'm the bad guy.

Me? Posting my writing? Unbelievable. No way. Anyway this is a lil ficlet thingy ft. some angsty bois that I wrote in like five minutes so I hope you all enjoy.

Characters: Virgil and Patton

Warnings: Strong language, fighting, Unsympathetic Virgil (kinda), Patton does not deserve this is what I'm saying, Slapping, Angst Party bc apparently I cannot write fluff or happy things.

Virgil couldn't take it anymore. Everyone viewing him as weak, small, anxious, fragile. Especially Patton. That fucker. He didn't need to be protected. He could protect himself. "WHY DO YOU THINK I'M SO INNOCENT!?" He screamed at the fatherly Side. "I'M NOT!!" "Virge, buddy, calm down-" Patton tried to reason with him, but to no avail as it only agitated Virgil more. "CAN YOU STOP JUDGING PEOPLE BY APPEARANCE? I'M NOT GOOD! I'M A DARK SIDE FOR FUCKS SAKE!" Patton gasped. "Virge, language, and you know that's not true! You're a good person, you have to be!" I don't give a fuck about your rules anymore, Morality." Virgil hissed. "You're the one who split us all up on the first place, remember? Or did you forget that one too."

Patton looked pained. "Virge, that was a long time ago. I'm so sorry, and I'm trying to make things right again. Please, please calm down," He reached out, almost as if to comfort the agitated Side, but withdrew after a moment. "I-I'm trying my best-" "WELL YOUR BEST ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH!" Virgil shouted, rage almost overflowing. "I can't-I won't forgive you for what you did. And don't try to make me. YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO SHIT ANYMORE!" "V-Virge-" "DON'T CALL ME THAT!" A hand flew down, striking Patton's cheek fiercely, the sting burning away at his skin. Virgil immediately pulled away, hand shaking as he gripped it, shocked by what he had done.

"..." The fatherly Side slowly reached up to his face, the tears gathering in his eyes threatening to spill over. "Virgil..." "D-don't try to find me." Virgil sank out without another word.

People that might wanna read this (sokay if you don't though, I don't remember what makes you uncomfy and its not an insult to me if you don't lele): @bootsinthesun @katie-the-noble-fangirl @remusthedukeofdeodorant @justasoftkid @stop-it-anxiety @liamlovesecho @thatoddhuman @peridot-the-kitten

[anonymoussong]

(Part one) (part two) (part three)

"You know, I'm not exactly sure what it is we're supposed to be looking for," Lea said, tripping again in the sand. "It's not like Xehanort's gonna be putting road signs up telling us where he's hiding."

"It's still worth looking," Kairi replied. "You heard Tala - the islands have had Darkness spreading across them. This could be Xehanort's doing."

Lea snorted. "I don't think we should be taking that old woman's story to heart."

Kairi bristled slightly. Tala had reminded her of her own grandmother, though she hadn't seen her since she was a small child. "Well, it's the only lead we've got at the moment."

A seagull called overhead and Kairi raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun's glare. The sound of the waves was familiar and her chest ached with homesickness.

Kairi glanced behind her to Lea. He was silent, gazing out at the clear, blue water. His eyebrows were furrowed and Kairi could see that his eyes were distant.

"What is it?" she asked softly.

Lea's eyes darted to her before looking down. He cleared his throat and slowed to a stop. His shoulders were tense, as if she had asked for a secret he was reluctant to share. Still looking at his feet, he bent and stuck his hand in the sand. He pulled something up and straightened, not meeting her eye. Kairi could see a sand-crusted seashell sitting in his palm. He muttered, "Roxas always really wanted to go to the beach."

She turned away, not quite knowing what to say. The island was reminding of her own and it was hard not to remember all the time that she, Sora, and Riku had spent on their own beach, splashing in the waves and watching their sunset together.

Kairi looked back at Lea. His hands were buried in his pockets and a glance at the ground showed that he hadn't dropped the seashell back. She didn't ask.

They continued in silence for a while, keeping their eyes and ears focused on any sign of the Darkness that had supposedly spread there. The heat made them retreat under the coconut trees, taking whatever shade the leaves could offer. Kairi could already see Lea's arms, shoulders, and the bridge of his nose beginning to redden.

"I hope Riku and the King have found something," Kairi said. "Hopefully not the creature that Tala mentioned... Te Kā?"

"Well, if they do, they're both Masters, aren't they?" Lea shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about..."

Kairi looked at him when he trailed off. Lea was tense, eyes fixed on a point further into the island. He held up a hand before Kairi could ask and quickly started towards whatever had caught his attention.

"I felt something," he explained as they moved out of the sand. More coconut trees were around them, a blanket of grass under their feet. "You use the Corridors enough, you kinda get a feel for when one is nearby."

"A Corridor of Darkness?" Kairi asked, surprised. "Then that could be...?"

Lea nodded. Without a word, they both summoned their Keyblades.

They stayed silent as they walked, watching where they stepped. Kairi focused on trying to sense what Lea had. There was a feeling of something heavy and cold some distance away but it was faint.

They approached large bushes and Lea crouched behind one. He was tall enough that he needed to bend to one knee to be properly hidden while Kairi balanced on the balls of her feet.

"It's not too far," Lea whispered. "Whichever one of them opened it has had it opened for this long so they're probably close by and has it ready in case they need to make a run for it."

Kairi bit her lip. "Should we..." she hesitated, doubting if she should ask. Lea raised one eyebrow in question. "Should we try to go through the portal to follow them? If we have a chance?"

Lea sighed, rubbing the back of his head in thought. "Nah. Too risky. I'm not too keen in taking on Xehanort's little army all on our own. Besides, we shouldn't use the Corridors; neither of us has any protection from the Darkness in there." He pulled at the scarf around his neck and added in a mutter to himself, "I knew I shouldn't have given up my coat."

Kairi tried not to look disappointed at this, though Lea noticed. He chuckled quietly, shaking his head in mild disbelief.

"Gotta hand it to you, Princess," he said, rising to his feet while keeping his shoulders hunched, "I'm impressed at your courage. You aren't afraid to just dive into the Darkness, are you?"

Kairi stood, following him through the bushes, keeping low. "I'll do what it takes to bring him home."

Lea gave a grunted laugh, a smirk appearing for a moment before his expression turned serious. As they neared where the portal was, Lea nodded to Kairi and she returned the motion. She crouched behind another large bush while Lea pressed himself behind a tree.

Kairi peered around the leaves and spotted the portal. It was a stain of swirling black and purple against the green of the forest. She searched for a sign of anyone, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

Lea stiffened as a figure came into view. His back was to them but Kairi recognized the long blue hair.

"Isa," Lea breathed.

Isa was talking to someone and Kairi watched as another figure appeared. She gave a small gasp and tightened her grip on her Keyblade.

Sora had his arms crossed over his chest, a bored expression on his face. Isa seemed to be lecturing him about something, though Kairi couldn't hear what it was. The two were headed towards the portal.

Acting a moment before she did, Lea ran out from behind his tree. Isa and Sora whipped around at the noise.

"Isa!" Lea called, the sound echoing around them.

"Sora!" Kairi was behind Lea, eyes locked with Sora's yellow ones. He had a shocked expression on his face, his arms falling slowly to his sides.

Isa tensed and moved into a defensive position. He glanced at Sora and shouted, "Go!"

Sora didn't move, not looking away from Kairi. His face screwed up in confusion.

"Go!" Isa commanded again. He gathered Darkness in his hands before shooting it at Lea, who blocked it with his Keyblade. Kairi weaved around Lea and swung at Isa. He jumped back to avoid her Keyblade and looked at Sora. "Now!"

"But I-" Sora's words were cut off as Isa shoved him roughly through the portal. Lea sent a blast of fire while Kairi cast Blizzard. The spells would have hit Isa, but he disappeared through the portal a moment before. The Darkness closed, vanishing from sight.

Kairi and Lea were both panting heavily, though the fight had barely lasted more than a few seconds. They were quiet as they got their breath back, their eyes on the spot where the portal had been.

"Come on," Kairi said eventually, letting her Keyblade disappear in a flash of Light. Her stomach felt twisted and heavy. "We should find Riku and the King."

"Yeah," Lea sighed. "Yeah, let's... let's go."

---

Sora stumbled out of the portal. He quickly righted himself, turning to glare at Isa as he came through.

"Don't ever touch me again," he growled.

"Then do as I say in the future," Isa retorted, returning the glare. "When I say to go-"

"Who were they?" Sora interrupted. He felt his fingers twitch and he tried to stop them. His hands had to flex several times before they tightened into fists. "They knew our names and I..."

Isa's eyes narrowed as Sora trailed off. "You what?"

"I knew them," Sora finished, defiance in his voice. "I knew her... She said my name."

Sora, don't ever change.

His head twitched to one side and he pressed a hand to his temple. He shut his eyes against the pain.

"They are not what you should be focused on," Isa said. His voice sounded oddly distant. Sora could hear the sound of waves.

"But I knew them," Sora stressed.

"Forget them." He felt Isa grip his shoulder. Sora opened his eyes and saw the image of a tall, brown-haired man with blue eyes. Sora blinked and the image dissolved into Isa frowning at him. "Those people are not your concern."

Isa stepped away and walked past Sora. "Be sure to give your own report to Master Xehanort."

"What if they were important to me?" Sora asked in a rush. "Those people..."

Isa stopped, though his back was still to Sora.

Bet you don't know why the sun sets red.

"Things change," Isa said with a stiff tone, looking back over his shoulder. "People change. What's important is to focus on our mission right now." He looked away and added quietly. "We are going to bring balance to the World and all shall begin anew."

Saying no more, Isa started forward once again. He ascended a nearby flight of stairs and disappeared.

Sora let his hand slide out of his hair, panting slightly. His head was still throbbing, though he had grown used to the headaches that plagued him. There was a slight shudder running through him, however, and the pressure behind his eyes seemed to be building.

Glancing around to be sure he was alone, Sora reached into his pocket. Gently, he pulled out a cluster of seashells woven to resemble a star.

An image of the girl that had shouted his name appeared before him, though she looked different. Instead of looking wide-eyed and battle-ready, she was smiling and relaxed. Her blue eyes were soft. She seemed to glow with Light and her image shimmered.

It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me!

"Don't worry," Sora assured the image, gripping the star. "I will."

Promise?

Her image seemed to swim before his eyes as he nodded. His replied in hardly a whisper, "Promise."

Her smile widened and Sora's free hand tightened over a burning spot in his chest. He looked down at the watery sight of the charm in his palm.

Don't ever forget: no matter where you go, I'm always with you.

“I’ll come back to her. I promised.”

[novas-kh-fanfic-appraisal]

Q & A #1

Here are some questions from the first round of Interest Checks that I definitely should've put in a description somewhere...Some of which I may have answered in another ask, but I'm happy to repeat myself. So my apologies.

1) Will harmful topics be allowed in fics and what happens if someone does not want to critique those kinds of things?

Answer: SCREW IT! EVERYTHING IS ALLOWED! I’ve spent a lot of time um-ing and ah-ing over this because I was originally going to ban a/m and non-con. BUT! I’m going to put a heavy warning on those two: should you choose to write those fics and there’s not someone willing to read and critique that by the half-way mark, you will receive an email and that particular piece will not be allowed. You can resubmit with another piece if you would like. 

This is subject to change and open for discussion.

Now! I am requiring that all fiction submitted be marked with the appropriate trigger warnings. There will be a follow up question that asks all participants if they feel comfortable critiquing those kinds of things as well. I'll sort everyone and the fics into groups based on those and distribute from there.

2) What counts as fanfiction?

Answer: Anything. All are welcome! Self-inserts/OCs, ficlets, one-shots, single chapters of huge fics, I want everyone to have a chance, so as long as it's within the word limit, I'm not fussed. Longer, multi-chapter fics should be considered carefully before submitting though, as your "appraiser" won't be able to look at your fic as a whole, if that makes sense.

Adding on top of that! Because I am welcoming all fiction writers of all genre and skills, I need all "appraisers" to be open-minded. Let's say I prefer Sokai over Soriku, that should not get in the way of me critiquing someone's Soriku plot. We're looking at the writing process, not writer/reader preferences.

3) Can someone help critique without submitting their own fic?

Can I just say, thank you! I didn't even think of this but I love it so I'm going to say yes! I'm still going to ask that you apply for each round though so I know your reading preferences though.

[phoenix-downer]

One Heart

SoKai ficlet written for Valentine’s Day. Post-canon. Tooth-rotting fluff set when they’re happily married. Snuggling, cuddling, the whole shebang. Enjoy!

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

Kairi swept her hair back and pinned it behind her head, then reached for the washcloth on the towel bar. Off came the day’s sweat and makeup, and on went the moisturizer that kept her skin soft and healthy. She slipped on one of Sora’s t-shirts, then let her hair down with a smile. 

When she rejoined him in their bedroom, he was waiting for her on the bed with his hands behind his neck. A grin spread across his face when he saw what she was wearing. 

“So that’s where that t-shirt went,” he said. “I was wondering what had happened to it.”

“It works very nicely as a sleep shirt,” she said as she tugged at the hem and twisted this way and that to show him.

“So it does.” His eyes flickered across her body, then met hers again. “Then again, you could wear anything and still be beautiful.” 

“Oh really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Really really.”

She reached over to turn on the lamp by the bed. “Burlap sack?”

“Yup.”

“Bubble wrap?”

“Yup. Gives me a good excuse to tickle you, too.”

She giggled as she turned off the main lights. “Trash bag?”

“Absolutely. You look great in black.”

She joined him on the bed, and he put his arm around her and brought her close. She snuggled up against his bare chest and sighed as she listened to his heartbeat. It was steady and even, and it matched the gentle pulsing in her ring. She could feel his ring pressed into her skin, too, and it was in sync with her heart. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kai,” he said, then kissed her head. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Sora.” 

She looked up into his eyes, hoping to commit this moment to memory. The way he was looking at her… she wanted to remember it forever. Everything else just seemed to fade away as she lost herself in his eyes. The old saying about how eyes are the window to the soul was especially true of Sora. She felt like she could see right into his as they gazed at each other, and the love welling up and spilling out had yet to run dry, even after all these years. 

It never would, either. That thought was overwhelming enough that she had to look away for a moment. Some days, she didn’t feel like she really deserved that love. Couldn’t help but wonder what she had done to earn it. But of course, that was the whole point of love. It wasn’t earned or deserved, it was freely given. And Sora had so much love to give. 

He gently touched her face and said her name, and she had to look at him. She didn’t last long before she had to look away again, overwhelmed once more by the way he was looking at her. 

“Stop it,” she murmured into his chest, her face hot. Even after all these years, he still had that effect on her.  

“Stop what?”

“Stop being so wonderful. I can’t handle how you’re looking at me right now, it’s too much.” 

He chuckled, and even without looking at him, she knew the exact smile that must be on his face right now.

“Sorry, I can’t help it,” he said. “My heart does what it wants, and you know I’m terrible at hiding my feelings.” 

“I do know,” she said as she touched his chest. “It’s one of the best things about you.” 

Leaning forward, she planted a gentle kiss over his heart. A thank you once again for everything he’d done for her, for all the love that drove him to fulfill his vows to her. This day of all days, she wanted to remember everything he’d done for her. 

He gently lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes again, then captured her lips in a soft kiss. Her heart sped up a little until it was in sync with his, beating as if they truly shared one heart. She wondered if this moment would soon become a feather in their wings, if it would make their bond even stronger and allow them to soar even higher together. 

When he leaned back, he murmured, “Kairi, I love you,” and it was too much. The tears spilled out of her eyes because she couldn’t hold them back anymore.

“I love you too,” she responded, and his eyes were watery, too. But they were good tears, happy tears, and as they embraced once more, Kairi was grateful that this, too, was something they could share. 

They were truly a team, in every sense of the word. Two halves of one whole, bringing out the best in each other. Lifting one another up so that not even the lows were so bad, and the highs were even better.

This was how she had chosen to spend her life, and she was truly grateful for every moment they were together. They’d been young when they’d made that fateful decision, it was true, but Kairi wouldn’t trade it for the worlds. She and Sora got to spend every day together now. He’d kept his promise. 

And she would keep hers too, one day at a time.

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

Thank you for reading! The cuddling idea was inspired by a conversation @angel-with-a-pipette​ and I had, and the “jewelry in tune with their heartbeats” idea came from @dusky-dancing​ originally, so thank you both for the inspiration! And thank you to all of you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the fluff! 

[phoenix-downer]

Proof of Promises

Kairi couldn’t stop smiling as she closed the door behind her and lay down on her bed. The taste of the paopu fruit she and Sora had shared still lingered on her lips, and she giggled and touched her mouth. 

They’d finally done it. They’d finally shared the paopu fruit. All that time, waiting and wondering, and they’d finally made it a reality.

Her new Gummiphone buzzed in her pocket, and she fished it out and glanced at the screen.

“91 new unread messages? What on earth—?”

She swiped the first message open, curious to see what this was all about. 

Hey, Kairi, it’s Sora! We still haven’t gotten to travel the worlds yet like we wanted to, but for now I figured I’d send you something to tide you over until we can. 

Throughout the worlds, there are these things called lucky emblems. They look a lot like King Mickey’s head, and they’re supposed to bring you good luck if you see one. Since you gave me your good luck charm, I thought I’d give you some good luck in return, too. Hope you like the pictures! 

She opened the first message, and sure enough, it was a picture of Donald and Goofy posing with one of the lucky emblems in the distance. They were on some sort of mountain, and the view was beautiful. Along with the photo was a brief message from Sora describing where the photo had been taken and what he’d been doing at the time. 

As she kept scrolling through the photos, one by one, some of Sora’s friends, some with Sora in them, a few with just scenery, even a couple taken seconds before the Heartless struck, she couldn’t help but smile.

Sora had been thinking about her all throughout his journey. She’d been on his mind so much that he’d taken ninety pictures just for her. And now something more than her lucky charm and his photos of the lucky emblems bound them together. The paopu fruit they had shared this evening made sure of that. 

So long as their hearts were connected and their destinies intertwined, she knew she and Sora would have all the good luck in the worlds.

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

A/N: Hello everyone! This was just a short ficlet, but it feels so good to write for SoKai again. I got the inspiration the other day when I thought about how collecting all 90 of the lucky emblems gives you Proof of Promises, which you can in turn redeem for Oathkeeper. Then I thought about Sora sharing those photos with Kairi as a means of strengthening their bond, and thus the idea for this ficlet was born. Thank you to @angel-with-a-pipette for reading over it for me, and to you all for reading it as well! Hope you enjoyed!

[phoenix-downer]

For the prompt ask : 1 !

Thanks for the ask, Moony-Mae! :D Here you go!

Morning Kiss

Kairi stretched and yawned. The open window let in the ocean breeze, and the sunlight warmed her face. Another beautiful spring day was upon them.

She rolled over to greet her husband, but the spot beside her was decidedly empty. Frowning, she kicked the blanket off her legs and sat up. 

“Sora?” she called, wondering where he’d wandered off to. He’d always been an early bird, but even this was a little early for him to be up. She was hoping they’d get to cuddle, too. 

“Morning!” Sora said as he burst into the room. He was carrying a tray in his hands, and his smile got bigger as he set it on her lap. On the tray was a plate of breakfast food, scrambled eggs and bacon and pancakes with a dollop of whipped cream and strawberries on top. He’d included a glass of fresh-squeezed paopu juice, too, and even the silverware and napkin were carefully arranged to look as appealing as possible. 

“You made all this for me?” she said, and he nodded. “Thank you, darling, you spoil me.” 

“You deserve to be spoiled.” 

She ducked her head and smiled. Goodness, the food smelled delicious. Her stomach growled, and Sora chuckled.

“Sounds like someone’s hungry,” he said as he sat down beside her. 

“I am,” she said. “But first things first. You haven’t gotten your good morning kiss yet.” 

“I did,” he said with a grin. “Kissed you on the cheek before I got up to cook for you.”

“Still,” she said as she rested her hand over his, “I would like to kiss you properly.” 

“And I would like to be properly kissed,” he teased as he leaned in close. She met him halfway, her eyes fluttering shut as their lips connected in their daily morning ritual. What a simple pleasure it was to be able to kiss him every morning. 

She leaned back and smiled at him, and he returned the smile and kissed her forehead.

“Good morning, wife,” he murmured against her skin.

“Good morning, husband.”

With that, the day had officially begun.

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This prompt was from this list, and this particular one was “A good morning kiss.” If you would like to read the previous prompt, “A kiss to pretend,” you can find it here.

Thanks for reading!

[anonymoussong]

(Part one) (part two) (part three) (part four)

He was being held back by two incredibly strong forces. He wrestled with them, trying to free himself, to stop what he was seeing. He managed to get one arm free, reaching forward desperately.

“Please!” Sora cried, tears streaming down his face as he continued to struggle. “Xehanort, no, please! Stop! I’ll do anything, please! Please don’t hurt her!”

Kairi was before him, her own eyes filled with tears as she tried to wrench a black clad hand away from her throat. She was glowing with Light but as Sora watched, it began to flicker and dim. Her feet dangled in the air as the figure raised her higher.

“Please!” Sora screamed again. “Please let her go!”

The figure turned its head to look back him. It had his face but the eyes were wide and fiercely yellow. Its rabid grin widened as it squeezed its hand tighter. There was a loud CRACK and the Light disappeared.

Sora sat up in bed with a strangled scream. His arm was outstretched with the fingers clenched as if gripping something.

He brought his knees up and shoved his arm down so that it was trapped against his stomach. His other hand covered his tear-streaked face.

“Stop,” he whispered to himself, “stop stop stop stop stop.”

His clenched hand seemed to be locked in that position. There was an echo of a memory in his head of squeezing a helmet tightly, feeling it break under his fingers as someone struggled against the hold. The tighter he squeezed in the memory, the more his head hurt, as if feeling the helmet shatter around him.

Sora shook his head forcibly side to side. It didn’t help lessen the pain but his body was shuddering out of his control.

The sound of the CRACK was playing itself over and over in his ears.

“Forget it,” he growled to himself. “Just forget it, forget it, it didn’t happen, forget.”

Sora refused to let his eyes close, despite how much they burned. He rested his forehead to his knees instead, staring at the black fabric he wore. Shuddering twitches still rode through him at random but he focused on the darkness that engulfed his sight.

Slowly, his breathing calmed and the jerking movements lessened. His head still pounded in pain but that was a usual feeling. A weight settled in his chest.

With his tears dried and his eyes dulled, Sora untangled himself and moved off of the bed. He stood still for a moment, as if deciding what next to do.

A Corridor of Darkness opened beside him and he entered quietly. He was just so tired.

—

Kairi was standing at the edge of the grass in front of Yen Sid’s tower, staring out at the space around her. Occasionally, she would glance behind her, peering around the area as if waiting for something.

She stayed where she was for a long time, her eyes distant, lost in thought. Riku and Lea had gone inside after their sparring practice earlier and she guessed that they had retired to bed. The stars were already shining brightly above.

Kairi turned around again. She let her eyes track over the field slowly. Nothing had changed since she had last looked, however, and she sighed. She hasn’t truly expected him to show up but it didn’t stop her from being worried.

Kairi started back towards the tower. It had been nearly two weeks since Sora had last appeared, quiet and exhausted. He usually came to her when he was close to passing out, a desperate attempt to catch at least a few hours of sleep.

As she climbed the steps to the door, however, there was a familiar sound. Looking behind her, she watched as a figure in a black coat stepped out of a swirling black and purple Corridor. She hurried down the stairs to him as Sora pushed his hood off and the Corridor closed behind him.

“Sora,” Kairi said softly, stopping before him. He didn’t say anything, as per usual. Kairi noticed the dried lines on his face and hesitantly raised her hand. Had he been crying?

Before Kairi’s fingertips could touch his cheek, Sora reached up and took her hand, gently pulling it away from his face. She gave a small sigh and tightened her grip on his hand.

“Come on,” she instructed quietly. Kairi led Sora around the stairs and headed towards the small area behind the tower. He followed silently after her and she felt him squeeze her hand briefly.

Kairi knew that she should tell someone that Sora kept coming to the tower. After the initial visit when he had taken her back to the islands and they had slept in the Secret Place, she had begun leading him to the back of the tower instead. There was a small place between the bushes that surrounded the tower where she could comfortably sit with her back to the tower and Sora had room to sleep.

Something had stopped her from telling Master Yen Sid, King Mickey, or even Riku. She had a feeling that they wouldn’t react well. Even as docile as he appeared at that moment, Kairi still felt like the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end from the sight of his yellow eyes and silver hair. She knew that he was here just to rest, to find a small amount of peace, but how could she explain that without everyone insisting that she was only putting herself in harm’s way?

They reached the spot behind the tower and Kairi let Sora’s hand go. She rooted around under one of the bushes until she found the blankets she had smuggled out of the tower. Kairi laid them on the ground and then sat with her back against the tower wall.

Sora patiently waited until she ushered him over before he approached the blankets. He knelt next to her and allowed Kairi to move him into a comfortable position. He wrapped one arm over her stomach and slid the other behind her back, resting his head against her shoulder; the same way that they slept in the Secret Place.

Sora moved his head until his ear was over Kairi’s chest. She had a feeling he was seeking out the sound of her heartbeat. Wrapping one arm around his shouders, she ran her free hand slowly through his hair.

It didn’t take long before she felt him fall asleep. His body went limp and heavy and his breathing turned deep and even. Kairi watched him for a while and tried to ignore all the things that weren’t him. She focused instead on the familiar curve of his nose, the fan of his eyelashes. But so much of him had changed, stolen away by the presence of Xehanort’s heart.

Kairi tilted her head back to rest against the wall, turning her gaze from the figure in her arms to the stars above them. She blinked several times, determined to keep her eyes dry.

“You’ll come back to us,” Kairi whispered. Sora slept on and Kairi closed her eyes, preparing to join him in sleep. “I know you will. You promised.”

—

Kairi started awake, her body tensing. Something was wrong. She glanced down; Sora was still deeply asleep against her, not having so much as twitched. Kairi looked around. Something had woken her, like a distant call of-

“Kairi! Where are you?”

She felt her breath catch - it was Riku, and judging from the sound of footsteps, he was getting closer to where she and Sora were.

She cast around for anything that could hide them or some way to distract Riku away from them, but before she could think of anything, Riku appeared.

“Oh!” he said, looking surprised. “I was wondering where-”

Kairi watched Riku’s eyes widen and some of the color drain from his face as he caught sight of Sora.

“Riku, go away!” Kairi hissed, motioning for him to leave while trying to stay as still as she could.

“What’s he doing here?” Riku asked, copying her low hissing tone. “Is he… is he sleeping?”

“Yes!” Kairi tightened her jaw defensively, speaking through her teeth. “Do not wake him up, Riku! Just go, I’ll explain later!”

“But Kairi-!” Riku started, his voice raising in his confusion.

Kairi froze as she felt Sora grow tense. She didn’t dare to move as a low growling noise started. In a blink, Sora was on his feet, Xehanort’s Keyblade in his hand. Riku summoned his own Keyblade in a flash. Sora started towards him, his growling growing louder.

“Sora!” Kairi cried, standing quickly. “Stop!”

Sora halted mid-step. Kairi held her breath, shocked that he had actually listened.

“Please, don’t do this,” she said softly.

Sora turned his head to peer at her over his shoulder. There was a betrayed look in his eyes.

A Corridor of Darkness opened beside Sora. He cast a quick look back to Riku, returned his eyes to Kairi for a moment, and then was gone.

The clearing was silent for a long minute. Kairi brought a hand up to cover her mouth and tried to stop her vision from turning watery. Riku was panting, his eyes still wide in disbelief. His Keyblade was still in his hand.

“Why was he-?” Riku started.

“He was sleeping!” Kairi shouted in a strangled voice. She pulled in a shaky breath and continued in a quieter tone. “He was just sleeping, that’s all.”

Riku seemed to have trouble swallowing. He cleared his throat loudly. “Kairi, he’s got Xehanort’s heart-”

“I know!” Kairi interrupted again. “Of course I know that! But he’s still Sora and he needed help, Riku, and this-” she weakly motioned to the blankets under her feet “-this was helping him.”

Silence fell between them again. Kairi picked up and folded the blankets. She hugged them tightly to her chest, not looking at Riku.

“I just… I…” she started.

Riku gave a long sigh. His Keyblade finally disappeared. “I know. I miss him too.”

Why Soranort never sleeps.