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cloudofash · 4 years

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The Future of the Destiny Islands Trio - Part 3

Please read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Sora and Riku : Now

Sora and Riku start off strong in Kingdom Hearts 3. The meet up shortly after the first world, Olympus, and from then on they stay in contact with each other to trace the whereabouts of Aqua, Ventus and Terra. Though they’re separated Sora has many moments throughout the game where Riku takes over his mind: he got excited when his phone rang thinking Riku was calling him (only to be disappointed that Ienzo answers), he parallels Elsa pushing her sister away, whom she loves, with Riku pushing him away, he wanted to call Riku and tell him what a blast San Fransokyo was, he made it clear to Riku that he was concerned for him venturing back into the Realm of Darkness, and he rushes to Riku and Mickey’s aid as soon as he hears they’re in trouble, he and Riku use their Combined Keyblade to stop the Demon Tower from attacking Mickey, he even teleports to Riku to save him from anti-Aqua’s wrath. The two seem about as close as ever.

Riku and Sora also have a crucial, defining moment together. This scene is powerful, intense. When all of their friends are lost to the Demon Tide Riku stands before it to protect Sora to the bitter end. All sound is drowned out and the only thing we can hear is Riku’s breath and the movement of thousands of heartless descending upon him. A bright light shines from him as his keyblade clashes against the darkness. He then gets burned alive by the flames of darkness and doesn’t budge until it withers him completely away. This scene is so important that the opening to The Final World mirrors his footsteps and his clash against the darkness. It’s so important that when Sora regains his body they show it to us a second time. This scene of Riku’s sacrifice is the main reason why many now believe that Riku is the light of Sora’s life, though there are many other examples in the series this scene makes it all too clear.

For those who read the Sleeping Realm Theory, you already know that there is a ton of symbolism in the game that portrays Riku as light or divine. In fact, after we see Riku’s sacrifice the second time Sora calls to him and the light in the tunnel responds, and takes him to Olympus where Riku’s soul is hovering above the Delphic Tripod of Apollo, god of the Sun and Light. Also note that in order to get into Olympus, the Gods must first recognize you as either a true hero or you must be a god yourself. It doesn’t get any clearer than this folks.

We are given so much overt imagery that highlights Riku as a character. Nomura is blatantly telling us Riku’s sacrifice is important by showing it twice. He is telling us Riku is a figure of light, a true hero acknowledged by the gods. Riku’s sacrifice for Sora created the tear in the timeline. This is proven because when Sora pieces himself together the first time in the Final World and is sent back to the Graveyard, he sees Riku’s sacrifice a second time except this time he doesn’t spirit away to the Final World and instead starts traversing the worlds to awaken his friends’ hearts. Riku’s sacrifice is the catalyst that creates a chance for Sora to go back, save everyone’s hearts and alter the timeline. Sora and Riku’s relationship has reached a pinnacle, a climax where Riku doesn’t say but shows just how much Sora means to him: everything. He has shown that he is willing to give his life if it means protecting Sora even in hopeless situations where all are doomed to die. He fought to protect Sora with all of his heart. After this point, unfortunately, things go a bit south for Sora and Riku. When Sora reaches the Final World he encounters Namine as a star, and she tells him she was able to trace Terra. When Sora saves all of the guardians and time is rewound they all find themselves at the start of the Keyblade graveyard remembering that they had died once but forgetting everything that happened before they died. They run into Terranort a second time, but this time Lingering Will makes an appearance to stop him from harming the others. Thanks to this, all of Sora’s friends are alive by the time the Demon Tide arrives again and Sora’s resolve holds strong instead of wavers, Ephemer is summoned as a result and they are all spared from the Demon Tide. The events of the Graveyard are rewritten, which unfortunately means Riku’s sacrifice never happens. Sora and Riku’s defining moment together is completely rewritten and never happens in the new timeline…and the worst of it is that Sora doesn’t remember any of it.

The rest of the Keyblade Graveyard is spent with a larger focus on Kairi after Xemnas kidnaps here and Xehanort crystallizes her, meanwhile Riku fades away into the background and he has no further largely impactful moments with Sora or even Kairi. This remains true all the way through to the end where Sora decides to set off alone to search for her, leaving Riku behind. This also carries over into Re:Mind where a very large emphasis is placed on Sora saving Kairi while Riku is reduced to just another Guardian of Light with far fewer scenes and big moments. The worst part of Re:Mind is that Sora has not only forgotten about Riku’s sacrifice but he has also forgotten that he saved Riku. Shortly into the Final World, Sora tells Chirithy that “he’s already saved 6 hearts.“

The problem is that Sora actually saved 7 hearts: Riku, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, Ventus, and Axel. This isn’t a mistranslation because as Chirithy explains why he broke a taboo of nature he repeats that Sora used the power “to save 6 hearts”. This means that Sora has forgotten that he saved someone’s heart. Unfortunately at no point are we directly told who Sora has forgotten, but there are some hearts we can eliminate from the process. As Sora runs back through the events of the Keyblade Graveyard we see he re-connects with Ventus, Aqua’s hearts, saves Terra, then re-connects with Axel, Roxas and Xion before heading to Scala ad Caelum. Donald and Goofy don’t really count since they’re not guardians, but Sora watched once again as the Tornado sucked them up so he must have remembered or was reminded that he saved their hearts. This means that the person he forgot about was either Riku or Mickey, and we know this is true because he doesn’t think once to connect to either of their hearts until after he gathered Kairi’s heart pieces in Scala. There is no way to currently prove this, but given context clues we can deduce that it’s Riku that Sora has forgotten. When Sora connects to Riku’s heart he specifically says he is “tracing the connection”, in other words, he is simply using Riku’s heart to reach Mickey’s. (I give full credit to steamwhistler2 on Twitter who is also blowingoffsteam2 here on Tumblr, for noting that Sora forgot Riku’s heart!)

At no point during Sora’s connection to Riku are we shown Riku’s inner heart, his inner feelings which is unlike the other Guardians whose thoughts and inner feelings we get a glimpse of. When Sora jumps out of Riku’s heart all he says is “That makes 6″. He makes no comment on Riku’s heart, however, when he reaches Mickey they share a tender moment where Sora takes the weakened Mickey’s hands and ensures him that he’ll handle everything from there. It’s almost as if he used Riku as a bridge to get to Mickey but didn’t even stop to take a look at the feelings Riku felt in his heart. This tells me that the heart that Sora has forgotten he saved is the same one that he glossed right over on the quest to save Kairi’s heart. This was a missed opportunity for Sora, he could have finally peered into the heart of his dear childhood best friend and get a better understanding of Riku as a person. Sora has spent many parts of the series wondering why Riku behaves a certain way, why Riku pushes him away and although Sora has gotten a better understanding of Riku from their conversation at the end of KH2 it’s clear that there are still things about Riku that Sora doesn’t understand. We know this because Riku implies as much in DDD, that there are things in his heart that he is hiding. This was Sora’s chance to see what Riku is locking away and he skipped right over him for Mickey.

Now before I get anyone depressed, I want to say that I believe this is all completely intentional. I believe that Sora wasn’t meant to see the deepest part of Riku yet, that’s most likely going to be saved for later on in the series possibly in the next saga. Sora was meant to drift away from Riku. Recall the symbolism I brought up in Part 2 of the rift between Kairi and Riku. They were named after the sea and land intentionally, Nomura said himself he wanted to convey their relationship with Sora. The artwork on KH3 Re:Mind title screen shows Sora and Kairi walking further into the ocean, eating paopu fruits without Riku. They’re going out into the water, further away from land. Further from Riku. It’s not just a matter of Sora leaving Riku behind to save Kairi, Sora has also forgotten Riku’s sacrifice for him and now he has forgotten that he saved Riku’s heart. This parallels greatly with Kingdom Hearts 1, where Sora only ever thought about Kairi while Riku was forgotten, left behind in the trio and became filled with jealousy, filled with darkness. (You can read my theory on that in my Jealous Riku series if you’re new to my posts.) I believe that Nomura planned this, this was meant to parallel Kingdom Hearts 1. However, because of the character development Riku has gone through he no longer let’s his jealousy consume him and instead decides to be supportive of Sora and Kairi’s closeness.

Though this may seem like Riku is stepping back and letting Sora and Kairi run away into the sunset together without him, we see that Riku is hiding his true feelings as he always does. He lets his true feelings slip a few times. Take a look at the conversation Terra and Riku have at the Land of Departure palace:

Remember that “the strength to protect what matters/friends” is “strength to protect your precious person” in Japanese.

Riku is beginning to undermine his place in the trio, he’s doubting his strength to protect his precious person.. Instead of jealousy, Riku is expressing self-deprecation instead. Mickey told Riku at the beginning of the game that he finally has the strength to protect his precious person and Riku seemed happy and accepting of that growth within him, but now Riku suddenly believes that it’s not enough. Despite his sacrifice being overwritten, Riku has it in him to give his life for Sora if the time ever arises and he feels it’s STILL not enough. This isn’t an example of a friend taking a step back and feeling happy for his two lovebird friends, Riku is showing signs that he is still jealous of Kairi’s closeness to Sora but instead of taking it out on others he is taking it out on himself.

This is most likely the reason why Riku doesn’t even bother to mention his recurring dream of Sora to anyone, sans Master Yen Sid and Merlin. We see that it’s the first time the FF crew has heard of Riku’s dream, which tells us that he’s disregarding it and not considering it as a clue while Kairi believes Sora is in her heart. He clearly believes Kairi is what’s best for Sora now, he would have never thought that his dreams would have been the key to finding Sora. When Fairy God Mother states that Riku’s dreams are they key to finding Sora, Riku is in disbelief.

This Limit Cut scene gives me hope for the future. The fact that Riku is the key (maybe not the only key, but the main key) to finding Sora shows that despite Sora being spirited away to another universe, despite him forgetting Riku’s sacrifice, forgetting that he saved Riku’s heart and using Riku’s heart as a mere bridge to connect to Mickey, the bond between the two is unbreakable. Not even being universes apart can break their bond. Riku will always have a connection to Sora, he will always have a way to find him no matter how far away he gets from home. No matter how lost he gets, no matter how deep he is in a dark abyss. Riku’s connection to Sora, how far he is willing to go for Sora has all been made clear in Kingdom Hearts 3. I believe that in the next saga it will be Sora’s turn to show Riku what he means to him.

#kingdom hearts #KH #KH3 #kh3 remind #re:mind #re:mind dlc #destiny islands #destiny islands trio #sora #riku #kairi #relationship #soriku

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otamiyuki · 5 years

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Oh gee >.>

I, uh, actually do. Hehe (Guilty pleasure right here)

Soooooo

One thing I would note regarding this particular scenario is that Roxas and Ventus would already have some sort of animosity going on between them. Roxas dislikes Ven because looking at him provokes the same feeling of insecurities on how he’s just a “copy” despite having his own heart and body now. Ven doesn’t have a high opinion of Rox due to him knowing everything that occurred in Sora’s heart along with the dangers that threatened him, with Roxas being one of them. Ven is also not impressed with how Rox practically judged Sora unfairly in blaming him for what happened to him. (Very similar to my Big Brother!Ven headcanon)

At first, nothing really dire would come out of the conflict since they’re able to avoid each other anyway besides the rare case of having to work together per orders of Master Yen Sid. However, it escalates when it’s known that they both want Sora.

Rox has wanted Sora since the end of KH2, while Ven has had a soft spot for Sor since the events post BBS.

Roxas is not really thrilled at the prospect of having a “twin” and does not want to give Sora up, especially to Ventus. Since in his case, Sora knew him “first”, or was more consciously aware of him in comparison to how aware he was of Ventus. Ven won’t let Sora go to Roxas if he could help it, under the impression that if the former nobody was capable of hurting Sora before, what was stopping him from doing it again?

There may be a full-on confrontation between the two, keyblades clashing and so on. It wouldn’t be pretty in the slightest.

Aqua and Lea would take their respective friend aside, telling them that they can’t let their issues with each other continue any longer. As it’d not only affect the team but also putting a strain on Sora.

Ven would already have the advantage due to him and Sora spending a lot of time together out of wanting to get to know each other better. Sora would be curious about the young man that kept his heart safe since he was a kid, and Ven, of course, wouldn’t pass up the chance to bond with the same boy who gave him sanctuary when his heart was fractured.

Ven at first would be content being a good friend or act as an older brother since he doesn’t know if Sor would feel for him that way. However, the closer they get, the more difficult it becomes to hide his feelings.

Sora begins to develop feelings for Ven the more they spend time together, them going to different worlds, Ven taking Sora to Disney Town and competing in the different mini-games there, them hanging out in The Land of Departure, Sora showing Ven the Secret Place in Destiny Islands etc.

They’d listen to each other’s stories regarding what had occurred in their lives. Ven technically wouldn’t have to since he already knows Sora’s, but he’d still want to hear it in Sor’s words. Of course, Sor is just as eager to hear from Ven about his own adventures. (UX won’t really be touched upon at first due to him still having amnesia regarding that, but that would change later down the line)

Ven without having to be asked, just gathering Sor in his arms if the latter feels like he’s about to breakdown. Reassuring him all “It’s okay, I’m here now. I won’t let you deal with it alone.” Ven is just all sweet and understanding, which Sora welcomes greatly.

The two would laugh and watch fondly as Sora’s Dreameater and Ven’s chirithy play together, or more like the Meow-wow playfully bouncing after the chirithy as they comically try to avoid getting squished.

When paired for missions, they’d have no problem working together and have each others’ backs. Ven is quick to strike down an enemy that try to get the drop on Sor while his back is turned, and Sor is very effective in noticing/healing any injuries Ven might have sustained. It would get to the point where they have their own paired limit command along with Ven also forming a D-link with Sor.

Rox is not as angry as he was before he merged with Sora, but he has his moments, which do occur when he sees Sora constantly hanging around Ven.

Sora feels comfortable being around Ven, but is very unsure around Roxas since he feels that his former Nobody still hates his guts. The thought saddens him, but he’d be accepting of it if that was the case.

Rox would love more than anything to be able to have a talk with Sor about how he really feels about him, but can’t seem to find him alone since he always seems to be with Ventus.

After some trial and error, Roxas is able to take Sora aside and tell him to meet him at the clock tower in Twilight Town. Sora is kinda dumbfounded at the request (well, wasn’t really a request per se) but goes anyway, not knowing what to expect. As soon as they’re at the clocktower, Roxas hands one of the sea salt ice creams he bought to Sora and the two boys just sit next to each other while watching the sunset. Eventually, Roxas will ask Sora how he’s been doing and simply listens as the latter slowly but steadily shares with him what’s been going on, barely able to hide his jealousy at the mention of Ventus. Roxas will share what’s been happening on his end as well and the two are just easily talking with each other in the same manner that close friends are.

If they’re paired together for missions, the two will find they work rather well together in combat with their respective abilities complementing each other. And of course, cue eventually having their own limit command together.

Roxas surprising Sora sometime by showing up at Destiny Islands just to hang.

Roxas surprising Sora in showing support when he’s feeling down in his own way. Aka, just wrapping an arm around him comfortably as if to say “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone if you cry.”

No doubt Rox is going be jealous upon learning that Ven’s been with Sora longer and the bond that they share.

The more they really get to know each other, Sora’s just all “Oh no, I’m getting this weird feeling” As in, he’s starting to fall for Roxas as well. DUM DUM DUM

It’d be a mess, Sora feeling like crap because no matter who he chooses one of them is going to end up hurt. And Rox and Ven both being stubborn not wanting to give Sora up. Somewhere down the line, the two would find common ground, say teaming up to save Sora who got captured by a big baddie and actually acquire a level of understanding of each other.

Out of the two, Ven would probably be the most accepting if Sora doesn’t end up choosing him since he does want Sora to be happy. And while he wouldn’t understand how Sor would want to be Rox despite what the latter tried to do to him in the past, he’d learn to accept it as long as Sor is in good hands.

I honestly think Roxas would be bitter at first, but eventually learns to deal with it once he sees how at peace and radiant Sora is with Ven.

This would probably one of the few times I’d have an OT3. Send help

#ven/sora #rokusora #SoRoku #vensora #ventus x sora #ventus/sora/roxas

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nadziejastar · 4 years

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I'm pretty curious to how Sora and Ventus would have met in person after Roxas's memories have been given to Ventus in KH3. how would you imagine?

It’s interesting because Vanitas means “emptiness”. Roxas felt so empty in Re:Coded and he viewed Sora as the cause of that pain.

When Ventus was revived, he looked a little confused when he realized Sora looked just like Vanitas.

And he was reluctant to shake his hand at first. To me, it almost felt like he did have Roxas’s memories of being angry and bitter towards Sora and it took him a moment to remember who Sora really was--the little boy he met in a dream at the beginning of BBS.

Sora barely seemed to have any connection to Ventus in KH3. Ven realizes Sora was his second chance.

And how does Sora react? He goes “Huh?” And it’s just dropped. LOL. Let’s face it. Sora had no clue who Ventus was.

Sora: That's weird. It's like something's squeezing me inside.

Riku: Somebody up there must be sad.

Sora: Up where?

Riku: They say every world is connected by one great big sky. So maybe there's somebody up there in all those worlds who's really hurting, and they're waiting for you to help them.

Sora: Well gee, do you think there's something I could do?

Riku: Hmm... Maybe they just need you to open your heart and listen.

I think Sora was probably supposed to remember the scene where he was little and accepted Ventus’s heart inside of him.

Sora: But the hurt I just felt is more than bumps and bruises... While we were fighting, I could feel the hurt in you. Sharp, intense pain... But familiar, somehow--almost like it was my own. It felt like we'd connected--like we share the same hurt. If it brings me closer to people like that, then...a little hurt can't be all that bad.

Sora: But if I put aside the hurt, I'll lose my only ties to people that I cared about. No. My mind's made up. I want to carry this hurt with me. I can be free of it the day I remember, but until then, it's what holds together the pieces I left behind...and I accept it.

Merging with Ventus’s heart meant carrying Ventus’s sadness and pain inside of him, too. The reason Roxas and Sora share the same pain is all because of the moment back in BBS.

Ven: You gave me something back when I needed it most. A second chance.

Sora: I did?

Ven: But...now I have to go back to sleep again.

Sora: Are you sad?

Ven: Would you mind if I stayed here, with you?

Sora: Sure, if it'll make you feel better.

This sharing of pain is why Sora was able to heal Ventus’s fractured heart.

Sora: Huh?

Olette: You okay?

Sora: Y-yeah. Don't know where it came from.

Hayner: Pull it together.

Sora: Right... See ya.

Sora: You know... I'm sad.

If Ventus was acknowledged as having Roxas’s heart, the connection between Roxas and Ventus would have felt a lot deeper and more meaningful in KH3. Ventus had a LOT of pain. He nearly sacrificed himself to save Terra and Aqua, then forgot everything. He made friends with Axel and Xion and then lost them both and forgot about them. Then he made friends with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, then lost them and forgot them.

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penumbral-phantasm · 5 years

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What I Am - Kingdom Hearts Fic

Finally cracked down on some KH fic. This one is post kh3 with a slight au, so beware! Basically this is me trying to bring Vanitas into the Sora click once everything has settled down u_u

Rating: Gen

Warnings: None

Characters: Sora, Ventus, Vanitas, Roxas ft. Riku, Kairi, Namine, Terra & Aqua

Summary: Post KH3 with a slight AU where everyone is fine at the end. Sora can't stop thinking about his interactions with Vanitas who is now alive and somewhere out there. Lots of bonding between the look-alikes, somewhat redemption for Vanitas. Probably not as angsty as you think it is.

“Ven! Roxas! Come over here!” Sora beckoned from near the paopu tree. His island had never looked so small. Kairi, Riku and him were now grown up, plus they had so many more friends than what they started with two years ago, and all of them were gathered below to bask in the same warm sun. He was starting to see how Riku could call this place tiny.

The two of them perked up from the lower part of the island, running over to see what was up. Kairi passed them as they came, most likely to go and finally make some real conversation with Namine and Xion. Sora still didn’t entirely understand the Xion situation, but looking at her gave him a warm sense of nostalgia and she made Roxas and Axel /so happy/ that he instantly knew he could trust her.

“What’s up, Sora?” Ven asked as they arrived, huffing.

“I wanted to take a selfie with you guys! How cool is it gonna look framed between you two?” He pulled out his phone, already holding it up.

Roxas rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. Sora could tell he really liked selfies and had been eyeing everyone’s phones closely. He was probably going to nab someone’s soon.

“Get in close!” Sora said, angling the camera just right. “Cheese!” The camera clicked off and he eagerly looked at the result.

Ven and Sora were beaming, as per usual, while Roxas had a careful smile there. “You should smile more, Rox,” he said.

“Hey, if you want better smiles just look at Ven.”

Ven chuckled. “Aqua and Terra always did say I have a great smile!”

It was still a little weird to hear the two of them and see the two of them and even more shocking how easily they had melded into friendship, but Sora wasn’t complaining. It was kind of funny and adorable. Roxas, now that he was free to be his own person, could probably take a few lessons on happiness from Ven. There was nothing to worry about anymore!

He looked down at the picture. Well, mostly nothing to worry about. Seeing Roxas and Ven so close together reminded him of his own look-alike. Vanitas was somewhere out there. He hadn’t returned to Ven’s heart but he hadn’t died at the keyblade graveyard either.

It was terrifying to see himself all skewed in anger and darkness. Sora knew how to be angry, and he often was when people were trying to hurt his friends, but Vanitas just seemed to be angry because that’s all he was. Anger, hatred, darkness. Something about it still felt wrong, but the finality of Ven’s ‘okay’ stuck in his mind. He didn’t really know the full story of Ventus, Vanitas, Terra and Aqua. He didn’t know how terrible it might have been over a decade ago. After all, Vanitas was the reason Ven had to take refuge in his heart at all.

Maybe that wasn’t a guy he should think about or worry about. Maybe he was just sensitive about this because they looked so similar. Maybe it was time to put all of that behind them and move forward.

But Riku had struggled with darkness, had been engulfed in it, and he came out balanced and strong and inspiring. What if something was salvageable in Vanitas? He glanced at Ven who was laughing at another one of Roxas’ dry jokes. Ven didn’t seem to think so. Maybe if he knew someone like Riku, he would think differently!

Oh. But there was Terra. Ven /did/ know someone like Riku and had watched his friend struggle with darkness. And Aqua. She was in terrible shape in the Realm of Darkness. Ven probably came from way more experience than Sora could imagine when it came to darkness. Really, he should give it up, forget and ignore Vanitas until he eventually became a threat again.

“Sora? Are you okay?” Ven’s voice broke through his thoughts. “You’re staring at that selfie really hard. Is it not good enough?”

“Did you catch yourself from a bad angle?” Roxas asked.

“No, no! It’s perfect. Sorry, I was just thinking about a lot of things. It’s been crazy, you know?”

Ven nodded. “Life’s definitely taken a dive I did not expect. But it’s over now, we’re free. Don’t get bogged down with all that thinking!”

Roxas crossed his arms. “To be fair, he just came back from nearly dying to save Kairi’s life. Maybe some thinking is in order.”

Sora restrained a sigh. Why did he feel like he had an angel and a devil on each shoulder? He shut off his phone and put it away. “I’ll try not to think /too/ much,” he said.

“Good!” Ven smiled. “And if you ever need to talk we’re right here. I did spend nearly twelve years in your heart, after all!”

Once more, Sora tried not to groan at being reminded of that. He had done a lot of stupid things as a kid when he thought no one was looking. For all he knew, Ven had always been looking.

Roxas wrinkled his nose. “Glad you left it. It was starting to get stuffy in there.”

Ven shoved him playfully, which led to the two of them racing back across the bridge and down to the beach, shouting at and laughing with each other.

Sora hung back for a moment, watching everyone be so happy and filled with light. In his heart he always knew that this had to be the outcome. He wouldn’t accept sadness and death. It wasn’t an option. But things had been scary for a while back there, especially when he lost Kairi, and this image of joy had seemed more and more like a dream.

It was real. It was really, really real.

“Sora!” Riku called with a wave of his hand. It looked like him and Terra were setting up that beachside barbecue they had been talking about. Sora had never had one without the help of his parents or on this little island, but he was glad his first would be with so many friends, old and new.

The sun set quickly around them, the night air mingling with the scent of salt and dying embers. Everyone had settled down to sit on the beach and stare up at the stars. Quiet bits of conversation passed between them all in a comforting hum, some more talkative than others.

Somewhere behind him Ven said, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen these stars.” He almost sounded uncomfortable.

“They’re so pretty,” Namine breathed.

“They really are,” Xion said. “They almost beat sunsets.”

Sora didn’t realize he had taken the stars for granted. So many of these people had been trapped, stuck, waiting, and he had just been carrying on with life like nothing was wrong. He had forgotten meeting Aqua, forgotten taking Ven’s heart in his own, acted like it was okay at first when Roxas had returned to him. He should have acted sooner.

What if there were other people who needed saving out there and he didn’t even know it? All those stars, all those worlds, and he was just sitting here. Yeah, he needed the break, he really did, but how soon would he have to set off to help another heart in need? How long would he keep people waiting?

...What if Vanitas was one of those people? He still couldn’t chase him from his mind. Sora wanted to help people all the time. Something about that goodbye hadn’t sit right with him and that familiar tug to become someone’s savior once more stayed heavy in his heart.

There was a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Kairi’s concerned face illuminated by starlight. “You look a little upset,” she said. “Is everything okay? Are you okay?”

He could tell there was extra concern over the last journey they had made together. To be honest, he was still concerned about her too, even though she was fine and sitting right next to him.

He put on a signature smile. “Yeah, don’t worry about it. I just need a minute.”

“You sure?”

“Positive!” He got up, dusting sand off his pants. He made sure to give Riku a comforting smile as he walked away from the group, just to ease the soft look of concern that was already dawning on his face.

He took refuge back up at the paopu tree, leaning against its sturdy trunk. He was surprised by how quickly he heard footsteps after him. They weren’t the familiar trot of Kairi or Riku, so they could be just about anybody from the group.

He could tell it was Roxas when he got close enough without looking at him, though. He took a spot right next to Sora, leaning against the tree like they were comfortable, life long friends.

“Hey Rox,” he said. “I, uh, kind of wanted to be alone for a bit.”

“Yeah, Riku said that.”

“So…”

“Well, it was Riku, so of course I had to do opposite to what he said just to piss him off. Don’t worry, you don’t have to say anything to me. I’ll go back in a bit.”

Sora chuckled softly. “Alright then.”

Roxas’ presence didn’t feel like an intrusion. It was almost a comfort, but it was scary to admit that if Sora let his mind drift enough then he could easily forget Roxas was standing there at all, like his shadow.

“Did you ever hate me?” Sora asked in a quiet voice.

Roxas crossed his arms like he was blocking something out. “Hate you? You… confused me. Annoyed me. Once I knew who you were to me I was constantly jealous. Bitter. Upset. But I don’t think I ever hated you. And now? I owe you too much. Trust me, there are a lot of other people that are easier to hate than you.”

He glanced toward everyone on the beach. Sora didn’t have to follow his line of sight to know he was looking at Isa.

“Is that what’s been eating you?” Roxas asked.

“I dunno. I’ve been thinking about doubles lately.”

“Doubles?”

“Don’t tell Ven, okay? But I’ve been thinking about Vanitas. Do you know who he is?”

Roxas tilted his head back and forth. “Axel explained some things. He’s Ven’s darkness, right?”

“Yeah, and he looks just like me.”

“He does? Well, I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Basically every girl on that beach except Aqua and Olette have Kairi’s face.”

At least all of Kairi’s look-alikes were nice. Xion never looked like she wanted to rip a man in two.

“So you’re bothered you share a face?” Roxas pressed on.

“It’s more than that. I know he’s darkness, that it’s just what he is, but something feels wrong about it. Even Ven seemed kind of mad about it all. About being split perfectly. And Ven’s the light half! Vanitas just… told us that it was what it was, basically. That he was darkness. It made me think of the Nobodies and the Organization when Xemnas ran it. And of you.”

Roxas narrowed his eyes inquisitively. “How so?”

“When I met you in my dream you seemed so resolved to being stuck there. To thinking we were the same. But we’re not, and I /basically/ proved it by being your connection and bringing you back. Now, you’re happy!”

“...I see. And the Organization? What made you think of them?”

“I was thinking about how Xemnas lied to you all. You all had hearts the entire time. Ventus and Vanitas were broken apart, made to be just dark and light, by Xehanort. What if, like a heart, light can be regrown? It can come back? Xehanort would have never told them. What if Vanitas isn’t as dark as he thinks, or doesn’t have to be?”

Roxas leaned back a bit. “You’d also be implying that Ven is capable of having darkness in his own heart again.”

Sora looked to see Ven was dramatically telling a story to Riku and Terra with big sweeps of his arms. He was grinning from ear to ear. He still remembered the warmth and light that had lingered when he woke Ven’s heart. It was hard to imagine darkness could reach any part of it, just like Kairi’s.

“Look,” Roxas said. “If you don’t think darkness can reach Ven’s heart, then I don’t think light can reach Vanitas’ heart. And, if I’m being honest, it sounds like you’re creating a problem when there isn’t one. No one is looking for Vanitas. Maybe you should just enjoy the break for once. I almost regret telling you to think more.”

Sora sighed. “Yeah, you’re...you’re right. I’ll lay off. Let it go.”

He clasped a hand on his shoulder. “Sora, if you /do/ decide to do something, don’t forget you’ve got everyone here. And, uh, probably don’t do anything about Vanitas without telling Ven. Or at least Aqua.”

“Yeah, of course. Thanks.”

“No problem.” Roxas left him with a final wave and rejoined the others. Sora could see Riku leaping to his feet, flinging questions at Roxas. It warmed his heart that his friend was so concerned for him. Of course he had everyone here. He wasn’t going to do anything alone anymore.

And maybe… well maybe he really should just let it go.

It was only a few weeks later when Sora got a call from Ven. He had been relaxing on the beach with Namine, finally taking some time to really talk to her and watch her cute drawings, when his phone went off.

Namine leaned over his shoulder curiously as Ven’s disgruntled face appeared on screen. “Hello Ventus,” she said with a smile.

“Hey Namine, Sora. Thought I’d let you guys know that Terra, Aqua and I just got out of a bit of a situation.”

“What kind of situation? Heartless?” Sora asked.

“Unversed.”

“Oh.” They had all assumed it was only a matter of time before the Unversed returned to be a menace, but everyone thought it would be at least a few months. Vanitas didn’t waste time, it seemed. “Was it a lot?”

“No, not really. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future or that they’ll only appear at the Land of Departure. Keep your eyes open, okay?”

There was a muffled ‘is that Sora?’ in the background before Terra appeared in view, squishing close to his friend. “Hey Sora!” He greeted. There was a bit of dirt on his cheek.

“Hey, Terra. You guys okay?”

“Yeah, those guys were no problem. You stay safe though! They’re no Heartless, but they’re not easy either.”

“Got it. I’ll let Riku and Kairi know.” He paused. “Are there any… long term plans to dealing with them?” Terra was right, the Unversed weren’t Heartless. They had a clear source and a clear way to stop that source.

“Right now, I’m not sure,” Ven said. “But you can leave that to us.”

“I want to help! If I can.”

He smiled. “Of course you do, Sora. But Vanitas is my --our-- problem. We know how to deal with him. Just call me back if Unversed appear on the islands, okay? I’m gonna let Lea and Roxas know.”

“Okay,” Sora said. “I’ll talk to you guys later.” He said his goodbyes and hung up the phone.

Namine was looking at him in a funny way. He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll deal with any Unversed that come this way. You’ll be safe.”

She shook her head. “I’m not worried about the Unversed.” She flipped through her sketchbook to what looked like Sora. No, the hair was darker, the outfit different. “I know loneliness. As a Nobody, I knew nothingness, too. But I wonder how lonely it is to wander the world of light as a creature of darkness.”

“Do you think Vanitas needs saving, then?”

“I don’t know. He either needs saving, or he needs to be stopped. But I really do wonder…” She sighed, flipping back to a clean page. “Whatever you choose to do, Sora, it’ll be the right thing because you follow your heart.”

He smiled. “Thanks, Namine.”

The Unversed that appeared on Destiny Islands were not the small rabbit looking creatures Sora had seen before. There was only one, for starters, and it was a big hulking mess. There were claws and arms reaching around in an innumerable amount and shifty eyes that bounced between Sora, Riku and Kairi. Parts of it were distorted too, like the monster just couldn’t get a grip long enough to be stable, which made pinning it down and hitting it all the more difficult. Leave it to Vanitas to take instability and use it as an advantage.

Riku struck it down with more ease than Sora or Kairi. He really did deserve title of Master, it seemed, and they all watched the creature fade away. Sora wondered where it was fading to, where Vanitas was that he could easily unleash the Unversed upon them when they were just relaxing.

Riku shook his head. “I thought it would be smaller.”

“I thought there would be more,” said Kairi, letting her keyblade disappear.

Sora considered searching the island for Vanitas, but he could be gone within a second. It wasn’t worth it. His phone went off with a text from someone.

“Who is it?” Riku asked.

“It’s Roxas. There was an Unversed in Twilight Town.”

Kairi frowned. An Unversed on their little island wasn’t nearly as disastrous as one in the populated Twilight Town. “Is everyone okay?”

“Yeah, it seems it. I’m gonna head to the Land of Departure.”

“What, why?”

“I want to talk to Ven about something.”

“I’ll come with you,” Riku said.

“No, it’s fine. I’m not doing anything dangerous,” Sora said. “Just wanna talk.”

Riku and Kairi exchanged a glance. He knew it was concern, but it came off with a level of distrust. He could admit that he may have made one too many rash decisions in the past to warrant their worry. Still, they let him go without further complaint.

When he arrived at the Land of Departure, Ven, Terra and Aqua were already outside talking with Roxas.

“Roxas?” He called, confused.

He waved at him. “Told you Sora would show up,” he said to Ven.

“You dealt with the Unversed?” Aqua asked.

“Yeah, with Riku and Kairi. Have you guys seen Vanitas?”

Ven shook his head. “No, but I can guess one place he might have slithered off to. He doesn’t have many options.”

“The Keyblade Graveyard?” Roxas guessed.

“Yup. You want to confront him again, don’t you Sora?”

“I just want to help.”

Ven exchange glances with Terra and Aqua. “You can come, both of you. We’ll probably need all the help we can get.”

“Thanks, Ven!”

The Keyblade Graveyard hadn’t changed at all since they last came. It was still void of life and filled with dull keyblades stuck in the ground. Roxas and Sora hung back a bit from the other three, the former leaning close to tell him something.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Roxas said.

“I’m just going to do whatever I can to help. My hopes are at normal level, promise.”

Roxas only gave a small huff as an answer.

“Look!” Terra said. In front of them a large Unversed had formed with a bunch of smaller Floods surrounding it. Others were appearing too, wearing expressions of frustration or confusion.

“That’s the most yet,” Aqua said. “Vanitas can’t be far.”

“You won’t have to do much looking,” an irritating drawl said. Vanitas himself stepped out of a portal of darkness. His helmet was gone, leaving the snarl on his face in perfect sight. “Already eager for a rematch, Ventus?”

Ven’s keyblade was out. He was already flipping it around in his hand with anticipation. “Won’t be much of a match!”

“I can deal with Vanitas,” Aqua said.

“No,” Roxas interjected. “All these Unversed are going to be way harder than one angry looking Sora. Let Ven and Sora deal with him.”

Sora gave a surprised look to Roxas, which was pointedly ignored as he drew Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

“But-”

“We can handle this,” Ven said. He exchanged a look of determination with Sora. “Come on!”

The two of them broke off from the other three to pursue Vanitas, who was already using the keyblades to his advantage to fly around. Sora wished that strange boy would appear and give him the ability to ride the keyblades again, but it was definitely asking too much. That was probably a one time deal.

Ven had always been a pretty good shot with his keyblade. He threw it like it was a frisbee, aiming right at Vanitas’ back. Too bad Vanitas himself was pretty good at dodging things on his torrent of keyblades.

Sora threw a blizzard spell his way, catching part of his shoulder. He didn’t let up, instead diving back down towards them with his keyblade raised and thousands more charging close. Ven leapt in front of Sora, ready to throw up a guard and protect him, when there was a sudden falter in Vanitas’ attack.

The keyblades crashed to the ground, taking their rider with them. Even though he was up two beats later, Sora could see there was pain etched in his face. He looked behind him. Roxas had dealt a finishing blow to the giant Unversed and it was seeping back into Vanitas.

Ven attacked Vanitas with a signature swift blow, but Vanitas pushed back easily, tossing him right into the distracted Sora.

Sora was surprised to hear the annoyed growl coming from Vanitas as the Unversed Roxas had just taken down reformed itself by those three again. The Floods were seeping back into Vanitas, too, and each one seemed to spark a note of even more frustration in his face. Frustration that he was losing? But he wasn’t, not really. He couldn’t seem to help reacting to whatever Unversed was being destroyed.

Ven got back up, giving a confused look to Sora who still seemed dazed. Vanitas went in for another blow, but Ven was quick to use his magic. The light of Salvation surrounded them, it’s warm healing aura rushing over Sora’s body like a wave.

It only hurt Vanitas who was pushed back by its force. His face was held in a tight grimace as he steadied himself against the light.

Ven narrowed his eyes. “What are you even trying to get at anymore, Vanitas!? There’s no war, no Master Xehanort to follow like a dog. We beat you once and we can do it again. It’s /over/.”

Sora finally got to his feet. Was he imagining things? What did it feel like to have the Unversed flow in and out of his body on the whim of keyblade wielders? “We can stop fighting,” he said.

It was too much to hope that those words would reach Vanitas. He hardly looked bothered or contemplative over them. Just annoyed. Mildly inconvenienced by them trying to negotiate peace in a scrap.

“And do what?” Vanitas asked. “Sit around braiding each other’s hair?”

Ven’s hand became a tight fist. “Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?”

“If I’m difficult, it comes from you.” He raised his keyblade, done with talking. His glare felt so /personal/ as more Unversed poured out into the graveyard around them. It wasn’t the cocky aggression Sora was used to.

Ven was quick to act, leaping at the nearest Unversed to smack it away with his keyblade. Sora made sure to join in too and not zone out, but every once and a while he glanced to where Vanitas was at the heart of the Unversed swarm, surprised to see the tightness in his face as his monsters were destroyed.

“He can’t just keep making these, can he?” Sora asked.

“I don’t know,” Ven grunted. “Usually he’d rather fight me himself when I’m involved. If we can get through them we can get to him.”

“And then?”

“And then we stop this. Vanitas had a chance. I don’t think he’ll take another.”

Sora didn’t think so either, but part of him wanted to try. It really… he really looked like he was hurting. Sora could almost feel it, too. A broken heart aching for something. Completion, light, warmth. There must be something he could do.

Larger Unversed were coming out now, but with Terra, Aqua and Roxas rejoining them they were no match. Each one fell easily, all the while thinning out the crowd to reach Vanitas. At this point Sora knew he wasn’t imagining things. Vanitas looked uncomfortable, pained, irritated, and each emotion became more prominent as they pressed on.

Killing the Unversed was hurting him somehow.

He was blasted back by one of the larger Unversed. He stared up at its scowling, monstrous face, stunned for a moment. How much did it hurt? What was he feeling? /This was wrong./ He didn’t want to hurt him. He didn’t want to destroy him.

“Sora!” Terra dove in quick, grabbing Sora with one arm and narrowly missing a swipe from the Unversed. He put him down, concern prominent in his blue eyes. “Are you okay?” He was already pulling a potion out.

Sora blinked, stunned. “I’m fine. I think the Unversed are hurting him.”

“What?”

“Vanitas. I think something happens when we defeat one.”

Terra looked around. “Maybe we can use that to our advantage.”

“Wait! I want to try talking to him one more time.”

Terra blocked a Flood jumping at them with his large keyblade. “Sora, it’s /Vanitas/. Talking with him won’t get us anywhere!”

Sora was already rushing through the crowd, narrowly dodging attacks on his way to the source. He felt Aqua fling a cure spell on him as he passed by and Roxas’ penetrating gaze as he got closer to Vanitas.

Of course Vanitas was ready to fight with an outstretched keyblade the minute he got to him, his former glare shoved down under a smirk.

“Ready for round two?” he teased.

“I’m not here to fight you or your Unversed,” Sora said.

Vanitas snorted. “I won’t sing Master Xehanort any praise, but how you bested him is beyond me. You have to fight if you want to survive!”

Sora blocked the heavy blow with his keyblade when Vanitas launched at him, but he didn’t fight back. He stayed on the defensive as he held off Vanitas and his monsters, trying to find an opening to say something or prove that he wasn’t here to cause more harm.

Flood launched themselves at him, wrapping their twisty little arms around him as if they were Dusks. His keyblade vanished under his restricted movements and he fell to his knees.

“Sora!” Ven cried out somewhere behind him as Vanitas approached.

“Hold on,” came Roxas’ quieter voice. The battlefield had stilled.

Sora struggled in the hold of the Flood. He stared up at Vanitas. He looked so sure of himself now. “Killing the Unversed hurts you, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“So what if it does? We all have a little price to pay for power. I’m not afraid to pay it,” he said.

“But you don’t have to pay it at all! You don’t have to fight us. What’s the point in hurting at all?”

Vanitas narrowed his eyes. “It isn’t hurt. It’s the emotions I poured out coming back into me.” He put a hand over his chest. “This incomplete heart can take the damage.”

“That’s even worse! What’s the point? If you hadn’t sent the Unversed out we would have never come to fight you here.” He could hear Ven and Roxas approaching slowly from behind.

“And leave you all to live out your days in peace? No. This is much more fun.” His grin was wicked.

“Well, /I/ don’t think it’s fun! And quite frankly, I don’t think you’re having fun, either!”

Vanitas pointed his keyblade at Sora. “Since when did I care what you think?”

Sora continued regardless. “Even if you’re ‘just darkness’, no one likes to spend their days hurting and alone.”

“We’ve had this conversat-”

“And you can’t convince me otherwise!” Vanitas scowled at being cut off. “I think you’re acting out when it doesn’t have to be this way. You’re -- you’re creating a problem when there isn’t one.”

He could feel Roxas and Ven’s presence directly behind him. “Vanitas,” the latter said.

Vanitas’ eyes widened, like he had been too caught up talking to Sora to notice them approach. “Ventus,” he greeted cooly. He looked to Roxas. “You.”

Roxas raised an eyebrow.

“Sora’s right,” Ven continued. “We’re not the same but… acting out sounds like something I would do. Have done, in the past. It’s time to stop this.”

“Trying to have a heart to heart, are we? I told you I made my choice.”

“And I’m offering a second chance. I won’t fight you forever.�� There was a familiar sound of his keyblade disappearing. Even Roxas followed suit, but Sora could tell the heavy presence of Terra and Aqua would never dream of lowering their keyblades in Vanitas’ presence.

Vanitas narrowed his eyes, looking genuinely upset for the first time. “I don’t want your second chance.”

“What you want is to be whole,” Ven said. “Or to not be alone. Always hurting because of what you are when you don’t have to be that at all. You know, I’m starting to remember what it was like training with Master Xehanort. Rather, surviving with him. This isn’t about surviving, Vanitas. It’s about living.”

Vanitas gritted his teeth, raising his keyblade higher. Sora refused to wince or cower away. “I’m not above striking an enemy while they’re down, you know.”

“I’m not your enemy!” Sora said at the same time Roxas said, “You wouldn’t make it.”

“You don’t know what to do now that the master is gone,” Ven said. “Well, we’re offering you an answer to that! You don’t have to keep being what Master Xehanort made you out to be. If you turn us away, I won’t fight. I won’t come looking for you. I’ll let you go if you let me go.”

Sora could practically see the gears turning in Vanitas’ head. He did think loneliness was playing its part here. Without Ven and the others Vanitas had no one, and prickly though he may be, very few creatures could truly thrive in loneliness. Xemnas’ final words still stuck out to him about it.

“You make it seem so simple,” Vanitas said, looking up at Aqua and Terra. They were close enough to do serious damage if they wanted to, even with Unversed flocking them on all sides.

Ven actually smiled, albeit in a small and sort of pained way. “Guess Sora’s heart rubbed off on me.”

He’d take that as a compliment, for now at least. “There’s no room for shadows,” Sora said.

“Who’d wanna stay in their shadows anyway?” Roxas chimed in, arms crossed. “Just because you look like Sora doesn’t mean you have to steal his IQ, too.”

“Hey!”

Vanitas looked like he might have been stifling a real laugh there for a second. His rare silence might have meant something. He lowered his keyblade and the Flood holding Sora down released their hold. They didn’t disappear so much as crawl back to their creator with twitchy legs.

Sora recalled how quickly Vanitas had bailed when Ven woke up. He considered himself outmatched against three keyblade wielders and yet had picked a fight anyway with five of them. Was this supposed to be his last stand? Slowly, he got to his feet.

“Charming though this all is,” Vanitas said. “I don’t think everyone cares to broker peace.” He was smirking at Terra and Aqua.

Sora looked back at them. Their glares were spine chilling. Aqua tightened her grip on her keyblade.

Vanitas scoffed. “Still mad I broke that stupid wooden keyblade?”

“You broke my wooden keyblade?” Ven pouted.

“Ven, Sora,” Aqua said, ignoring the tease. “Not everyone can be reasoned with.”

“But they /do/ deserve the chance, even if it is a second one,” Roxas said. “Stop being such a tool Vanitas, and actually take the step into doing something right. Trust me, I know what being a tool is like. It gets old.”

Sora held his breath, afraid the harsher words would make Vanitas draw back in on himself. Thankfully, he didn’t look mad.

“You won’t want me as a friend for long,” Vanitas said, his words laced with a threat.

“Try me,” said Sora in an equally challenging voice. He felt like he was on the successful end of diffusing a bomb.

Vanitas looked around the Keyblade Graveyard. “There /are/ things brewing on the horizon. You and yours might make a good shield when the time comes.” He sounded like he might have seen something, but he didn’t seem particularly rattled.

“What sort of things?” Terra asked.

“Oh, you’ll see. Maybe I /don’t/ want to be alone when it comes. All the luck seems to be on this side anyway,” Vanitas said with a smirk. “Alright then.” He looked like a smug cat. “I’ll stick around. I’ll stop sending the Unversed to other worlds.” He extended his hand towards Sora, staring at Ven as he did so.

Sora took it without hesitation, giving a firm shake. “No more looming in shadows. If you’re really by our side, then you’re /really/ by our side.”

“For now.”

Roxas shook his head. “Friendship with Sora is kind of a lifelong thing. Do something to destroy it and your life probably won’t be so long.”

“Sure, sure,” Vanitas drawled. “We can paint each others nails and talk about how spooky the darkness is with a night light on.”

“Or,” Sora said, pulling out his phone. “We can start with something friends actually do.”

“What in the name of the masters is that ugly piece of-”

“It’s a phone!” There was a small surge of pride at knowing more than someone else when it came to technology. “We can take a picture so we always remember the day we won over your heart, Vanitas!”

“You didn’t win over shit.”

“Aqua, Terra, do you want to join?”

The two of them exchanged a pained look. They still had their keyblades out. “I think we’re good,” Aqua said.

Sora held the phone up with the camera pointed toward them. “All you gotta do is smile. Rox? Ven? You guys joining?”

Roxas had no problem walking closer to Vanitas and Sora to get in on the picture, but Ven was a little more hesitant. He seemed happy, but he had nearly given up on Vanitas before. This wasn’t going to be an easy thing to mend.

Roxas took the far left, squishing Vanitas closer to Sora, while Ven stood on Sora’s right, glancing at Vanitas. Sora wasn’t stupid. He knew this could all go terribly wrong and Vanitas wasn’t on their side now with the best of intentions. But at the end of the day, he could at least say he got a selfie with all the doubles.

“Everyone, say cheese!”

#kingdom hearts #kh3 #sora #vanitas #ventus #roxas #fic #i wrote another kh fic before #but thats on my ao3 #dont feel like moving it tbh #expect more of this au btw #i mean its not a promise #but i might write more

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dewprisms · 5 years

Text

kh3 spoilers idk tumblr keeps not saving them and idk what i was doing last :/ but this will be the last one unless there’s DLC or something

this terranort scene....everyone sure is taking their time to attack him

kairi where is your keyblade seriously??? maybe you should have it out???? why are they making her a fucking damsel in distress again

so Donald and Lea get hurt because Kairi’s too dumb to not have her keyblade out with monsters around what the FUCK was the point of her training if they’re making her NOT DO A DAMN THING EXCEPT BE A D-I-D

god is THIS why I saw posts about people being upset over kairi’s treatment? Because they don’t even have to do ANYTHING? or is it about to be worse?

....and Aqua just....doesn’t even try, she just drops her blade and lets go

this entire scene is suppose to be sad but I’m just getting pissed off at how FUCKING STUPID they all are

“where am i” looks like heaven, ur dead kid

chirithyyyyyyy

....Chirithy def has Kairi’s? voice, def the voice of another character but higher pitched

oh shit Sora’s ACTUALLY dead

is....that xion?

Namine!

...is this Chirithy....Ven’s Chirithy?

Lea never did change into his new clothes

THEYRE HOLDING HANDS

oh, NOW I actually unlocked KG as an actual world

what....did time rewind? it’s the same scene...

LW!!!! Terra’s back!!

WHAT?! EPHEMER?!

oh my god, THIS is where all the KHUX names come in? We help Sora fight the Darkness Tornado

aww, I didn’t see my name :( that didn’t seem like 300 tho

oh, so it IS KH1 Riku

there he is, my love!!! aand he’s gone

oh no, Mickey’s starting to lose hope

oh dang, Mickey knows Time magic? not Stop, but Time

YEN SID!!!!!! HE ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING

man this is why he’s the most powerful magician in the series

oh shit there are 2 girls.....is it really xion?

mannnn Xehanort’s voice is sooooo bad and the accent just gets worse and worse like the dude isn’t even trying to hide it

where’s Terra? He’s not back yet

oh Luxord’s not dead

oh god, I have to fight ALL FOUR of them with Mickey

nvm, just me vs 3

nvm that was easy, just ignore larx and marly

oh, Luxord’s helping....and he dies again

where’s mar and larx tho. i didn’t kill them

oh, larx only helped to stay with marluxia....cause of their past in khux...

marly lost his memory too?

now i gotta kill my bf again....

yup, he never got one....xehanort lied to him....

they’re so mean to him :((((((((((( I mean he deserved it yeah but

nOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HE KILLED HIMSELF WHYYYY

im legit upset

oh no, it is repliku, not past riku....

the real repliku....is giving ups his chance of life for namine......

wow......kairi got hit twice and fucking passed out....she’s worse than donald.....she didnt do any damage and got knocked out way too fast...

xion :(

also-ran??? wtf is that

ROXAS!!!

SSIC trio is back!

fuckING KAIRI GOT KIDNAPPED A G A I N ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

who the FUCK is “her” they keep talking about

so Saix was more bitter over over not just him but this mysterious girl they were searching for

nooooooo he died in Lea’s arms (also? apologize to Xion for how you treated her you fuck)

...so Xion’s hair is brown now....?

SSIC TRIO HUG!!!!!

Also....why was Xion with them in the first place??? They NEVER said why

naturally, aqua vs terranort and ven vs van

JHBSJKKSD I killed Terranort and ALL he said was “ow??” like he hit his arm on a door

I don’t think they understand that Vanitas didn’t have a choice, he “chose” darkness because he IS darkness, that’s literally what he is, he never had a choice to be what he wanted, he can’t be with light because Ventus is his light

jfc Terranort shook them around so much they passed out

Holy shit IS THE THEORY TRUE??? The guardian is Terra’s Heartless!!!

so Guardian = Heart, Terranort = Body, LW = Soul, dude was literally split into the 3 states

WAYFINDER HUGS!!!!

fucking....they took Kairi to force them to fight the last fights....instead of LITERALLY ANYONE ELSE!!!! if Kairi is so fucking weak as they’re writing her to be, it would’ve been more beneficial to kidnap one of the stronger people (like Mickey!!) instead but no they gotta kidnap the girly girl who’s been a DID in every. single. main. game. so far. :))))))))

lmao killed YMX with the Magic Carasoule

ngl I was kinda expecting YMX to betray himself...

Xehanort just sit here and watches these little cut scenes after every individual defeat....

......oh....ansem sod was gonna betray them....but gave up hope he could change anything....

aww Mickey used Curaga on us right before he knew he was gonna get taken again also I forgot to equip Curaga for myself oops I still have Cura on my slots, why does it not automatically equip them now....nobody wants to ever use the weaker versions, lower magic cost or not

what, Xemnas actually regrets being bad to the org? why, it makes no sense from how he was written before

WHAT HE KILLED KAIRI

“Why her?!” because she’s a fucking girl in this franchise

im so goddamn pissed off, no WONDER everyone is so mad about the ending

....Xehanort’s VA is......so bad............he has no damn emotion..............like, people talk about Aqua and Terra’s VA”s being emotionless? Nah, this dude really sucks

so Riku and Mickey got Stop’d but Donald and Goofy didn’t (or Sora of course

oooooo Ven and Roxas noticed each other....that’s gonna be a convo.....

“Kairi will be alright.” Yeah after everything’s done and over with to keep her out of the action

............so he gets taken out because he’s too distracted to see the 11 people aiming for him? are you fucking kidding me

so Xehanort...is a portal...to Cable Town??

mannn so the guys in those gucci outfits aren’t even the new org, they’re all just old man xehanort himself

wait wait no, they have all the weapons of the org? so are they them or does he just have all their powers??? nvm they’re all him

god even his power-up scream was underwhelming........

yup, a goat, the sin of Lust iirc

.....that fight...was extremely underwhelming....is that it?

“there is one sky, one destiny” dude that’s kairi’s line fuck off

EVEN DON AND GOOF ARE GETTING HITS IN like damn man

he just. straight up took the light from Sora and forced him into Anti-Form? ok

well, at least he actually sounds like he’s dying in pain

ERAQUS! at least he has his voice, that’s def mark hamil still

“that doesn’t mean that i can’t be there for you” you’re the one that fucking killed him you lying motherfucker

...so eraqus apologized to aqua and ven, but not to terra who he also attacked? ok

and so the boyfriends ascend to the afterlife together

where the FUCK is Kairi

so the game

fucking ends

with Kairi fucking dead

THATS THE FUCKING SEQUEL HOOK?!

this whole ending is suppose to be sweet with all the reunions but I’m just royally pissed off

oh, it is Ven’s Chirithy....but he didn’t have his memory come back...

oh! Lea’s new outf- XION GETS ONE TOO AAAAAAAAAA AND ISA!!!!!!!!!!!

Namine!!

they just. found Kairi offscreen.........................................................................

whelp, SoKari def canon SoRiKai is way better tho, as is somewhat RepliNami and Terrqua and MarLarx

wait.....what happened to Sora? Is Kairi actually not back then??

omg, Drake Bell was young Eraqus??? what, it said the Foretellers in the credits....when was that?? I don’t recall ever seeing them.....

............what happened to the card Luxord gave Sora that he said could help turn the tide of the battle? It never came up as far as I can tell..

...uh.....did they forget that Frozen takes place in the summer.....why is the area still covered in snow? it stopped once Elsa controlled her powers.....

yup, there’s Luxu(?) and the KHUX hook, though I don’t see Ava among them

OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

XIGBAR IS LUXU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’LL SEE HIM IN MORE GAMES AAAAAAAAAAAAAA THE THEORY WAS- wrong, cause everyone was saying he’s the Master of Masters

oh, I completely forgot about Maleficent and Pete lmao

oh, so Sora really was gone- oh what the fuck are they in the real world now????? no, what the fuck, the FF knockoff in Toy Box was real?? or is it a DLC hook?

#kh3 spoilers /#kingdom hearts 3 spoilers /#khIII spoilers /#kingdom hearts III spoilers /#kh spoilers /#kingdom hearts spoilers /#playing: kingdom hearts

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somniiari · 7 years

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Days is my favorite Kingdom Hearts game but I haven’t played it in a while and I don’t think I ever watched the movie version all the way through! So I watched it and liveblogged it.

I basically have the Saix’s monologue in the beginning memorized

Axel has said “got it memorized” at least 6 times within the first 10 minutes of this movie

Hayner, Pence and Olette run past these literal cult members without even looking

7! 7 times Axel please!!

Quinton Flynn’s delivery seems pretty weird and flat now, which is weird cause I know he can do really well. maybe it was intentional, cause Axel hasn’t started developing a heart yet?

I forgot that my pronunciation of Xion is technically wrong

Footsteps in The Castle That Never Was sound so strange. like they’re walking on metal suction cups.

Axel: Wait did you want me dead? Saix: ... *walks away*

Ah yes Xion’s creepy hood thing that I thought was a glitch until later in the game

What was Organization XIII doing in the 10 years before a Keyblade weilder was available to them?? I’m sure they had plenty of scheming and experiments and mischief but 10 years worth?

THEY LEFT OUT THE BEST PART

THEY DIDNT ANIMATE IT

“ROXAS THAT’S A STICK” I NEEDED IT

“As long as we keep each other in our thoughts, we’ll never be apart!” yall forget each other

8 times

Axel is so bitter about/to Saix oh my god tone down your salt man

The Chamber of Repose and the Chamber of Waking. I don’t remember which is which but one houses Aqua’s armor and the other is Ven’s body, right? So one’s in TCTNW and the other is in Castle Oblivion.

It just clarified, Chamber of Waking is Ven, and in Oblivion

Can Saix and Axel’s objectives really be a secret from Xemnas? Saix is norted after all, and even though he has most of a free will at the moment, he’s still possessed.

IT STARTED PLAYING THE OLYMPIUS COLISEUM MUSIC AND I HAD BAD FLASHBACKS

“[the memories of my past] have never done me any good” because they instilled loyalty to a norted jerk?

“i can deal with 7 days maybe” well just break my heart roxas why dontcha

Axel spends his rare days off sleeping #relatable

9 times

“try not to bungle everything-” WHAT KIND OF WORD IS BUNGLE

ARE YOU GONNA ASK THEM NOT TO RUSTLE ANYONE’S JIMMIES TOO AXEL?

“you’ve changed” i can vividly remember Axel saying “i’m not the one who changed, you did” in response to that, but its not in the movie. maybe it was actually a journal entry?

“why are you dressed like one of us?” Xion, honey, your uniform is the most well known form of protection against dark corruption of the heart

Of course Organization XIII has no way of knowing that, bc they were deliberately lied to

This is the scene that made me hate Riku. Watching it again after i’ve fallen in love with him is quite the trip

“You’re the real sham!” “Fair enough” Riku bby no your self-hatred is showing

*Xion screams* BBY NO

“’Special?’ Isn’t that another way of saying I’m a mistake?” XION BBY NO but also #same

“According to Axel, girls are complicated and there are buttons to avoid pressing” ah yes, i forgot this part. don’t worry Roxas, she’s just upset because she’s a girl and girls are weird, she’s not having an existential crisis or anything!

“Roxas ate alone after missions.” where’s Axel though??

the love conversation may have been a great thing to animate but that’s fine square, just tell us about it

And so Axel’s lies begin. He was just trying to give Roxas hope, I can’t wait to remember how this all got twisted and horrible.

Did we fight the Zipslasher in this time skip? I think we did. I hated the Zipslasher gdi

Axel bridal carrying Xion is what got me started shipping AkuXi. Don’t ship it anymore though, really. Maybe in AUs when they’re closer to the same age

Saix: “Did it break again?” Me: XION’S NOT AN IT

Roxas: “Xion’s not an it!” oh yeah thanks Rox

“does the past mean nothing to you” Saix you’re the one being an ass

10 times

omg please tell me he does it 13 or 14 times

Almost all the books in the Organization library look the same; plain white binding. y’know, cause aesthetic.

Flying in Neverland would have been a nice animation too but whatever

This is why you dont hang out in high places kids!

the scene with Axel and Xion in Castle Oblivion is one of my favorites

Story time: Axel’s explanation of the sunset helped me pass an earth science quiz, cause i was out sick when we learned about light but i was playing days while in bed

THE MINDSCREW DREAM

i still have no idea what it means!! or even who was having it!

Neither Xion nor Roxas knew Zexion that well, and that seemed like Riku’s memories, not Sora’s! so WHY

aw i was too angry as a child to realize that Riku was looking for a way to save them

what has Saix done that make you think he has any mercy Roxas

Xion, Axel probably wasn’t gonna fight you if you hadnt attacked him, the first chakram was a warning not to stab Roxas

“i’ll bring her somewhere safe” thats all you had to say Axel

So Xemnas did call him Sora. Way back when I thought he may have said Ventus.

now you screwed up Axel

DiZ is the worst

"i know you’re not just a puppet.” ;~;

11 times

“I saw a boy today who looked just like Roxas” i thought she meant Sora but Xigbar was spying so was it Ven? I mean it should be Sora but....

Also, Xigbar spying!

“nor become the person we see” not everyone sees Xion as anything though, not even at this point. What do you see, Xemnas?

just kidding i’m pretty sure its Ven

why wouldnt you want two Sora capable people?

like tbh if you spent your time balancing Xion and Roxas’s powers instead of pitting them against each other they would have both stayed in the Organization at least a little while longer

the older i get the more i relate to Xion, bc i too am afraid that i will wreck everything

“do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?” “nah. i guess i’m just sad.” ;~;

now i see why people ship RikuXi

i can dig it now that i love them both, still a little weird to me though, i gotta warm up to it

Riku is projecting, i never realized

“you have to do what’s best for everybody” cause so does he, even at the expense of his own life

and he doesn’t want to have to tell Xion that, but he does, and maybe he can do it to someday

that illusion would have been a nice thing to animate, especially since i forgot it happened holy crap

leave it to Axel to do his best to save the day

Give me Lea sadly turning in the WINNER stick in KH3

or even better, give me Lea cheerfully turning in the WINNER stick with Roxas, Xion and Isa at the end of KH3

Xion said it this time but i’m gonna count it, 12

im super mad about the fixation on memories making everything okay in the end because EVERYONE FORGETS AND I HURT

I KNOW ITS ON PURPOSE BUT PLEASE

what is Diz’s purpose, just to order these kids around? he’s a huge jerk, why do you listen to him

he’s telling you to murder people

i mean they need to die i guess but wouldn’t both of you feel better if you came to that conclusion yourselves instead of this asshole telling you you gotta

though they are both kids and i guess there’s a comfort in an adult getting a final say

still DiZ is bad news and i don’t like him mistreating all the young’ins

Axel’s dancing between the truth, trying to be gentle and trying not to care too much resulted in literally the worst explanation ever no wonder Roxas got pissed

Why was Riku just chilling outside Beast’s Castle and how did Xion end up in just the right place to portal in front of him

i don’t REMEMBER XALDIN’S VOICE BEING THAT ODD

also #rude Xemnas, Xion is a she!

good to know most of the Organization thought of her has a person though. or a Nobody at least. an equal.

Were there more than 2 Replicas? oooooh that could be a good plot twist

Xemnas was insistent on calling her an “it” but uses “she” again when giving Axel the task of getting her back, a dialogue inconsistency or a deliberate manipulation?

There’s an implication that Demyx and Xion talked a lot thats adorable

At least now we know why they were insistent on having 13 people even before they had 13 Nobodies

Axel walks away from conversations almost as much as Vax’ildan

Roxas: “Could it be that you knew for a long time, and never told me anything?” Axel: I walk away

I still don’t get why Riku transforms without the blindfold, and how “his eyes couldn’t lie” is a valid explanation

Riku was projecting, he thinks he has to die

13 maybe? Roxas said it, but also accusing Axel of not memorizing it

Axel told Xion the truth and she left. Axel kept the truth from Roxas and he left.

That sucks.

~cause i’m leaaaaaavin, never to come back again~

“you’re Kairi as Sora remembers her” come on you can’t tell her she became her own person before she dies?

Namine is being kind in general though

I ship it

“i know. i’m ready” ;~;

they’re solving the problem themselves and DiZ walks in pissed that they’re doing what he asked. Almost like a real parent!

MY FAV SCENE IN THE WHOLE GAME

THE VOICE ACTING

THE BODY LANGUAGE

YOU CAN HEAR MY HEART BEING RIPPED OUT

you can also almost hear Axel’s abandonment issues developing even further!

this day is just titled “Tears”. Accurate

I just realized Xion was trying to get Axel to kill her first

but he couldn’t do it

she got Roxas to do it instead

Memories of Xion going static and fading are the WORST

Roxas did break Riku’s arm or something

yes hello i look eerily like your boss now

I wonder if Axel/Lea ever looks back on his conversations with Roxas and notices a hole. An awkward silence where he and Roxas are just listening to nothing. Laughter after a beat of quiet. Looking at something that isn’t there.

literally why is everyone just okay with DiZ he’s a total jerk

in II DiZ acts like he figures out that Ansem is actually Riku. Here he doesn’t question that Riku is 2 heads taller and his voice is 2 octaves deeper.

The rooms in KH are so nice

Well there it is. the end.

WAIT

“Got it memorized” and close variations were said a total of 13 times in this movie

11 by Axel, once by Xion, and once by Roxas, as a denial.

I’m so mad

#somni says #mia's days bloggin #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 358/2 days #kh #long post

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nadziejastar · 5 years

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Thanks, man. Definitely agree with you. The novels really drove home the point that Vanitas was a sad, tormented character. I wish he’d gotten more of a satisfying resolution, too. Like his pain being acknowledged and then going back to Ventus. I will never forgive Disney and Square for how badly the story got butchered because now I cannot move on with my fucking life. I wanna know what was going to happen SO badly, LOL.

I could not BELIEVE that KH3 was trying to pass Saïx off as a normal dude (as far as Nobodies go) on the same level as Axel, and that he just fell of the right path in the process of looking for some girl. Um, no. That explanation might work for casual fans, but for hardcore fans who were paying the slightest bit of attention and especially the ones who followed every detail, it’s unmitigated bullshit. How are they just gonna have Isa show up and play frisbee and eat ice cream at the end without distancing him from his Saïx persona?

Roxas was fast asleep in his bed, alone—until two other figures stepped into the room.

“Naminé must have begun her work,” said Saïx, observing Roxas’s slack face. Beside him, Xemnas was doing the same.

Whatever was happening at Castle Oblivion, no intelligence had come beyond the news of a termination. It was enough to arouse suspicion that the lack of communication was deliberate. At this point, Saïx and Xemnas had no choice but to put faith in Axel’s efforts there.

“Will he wake from this?” Xemnas asked.

“I am told he will,” said Saïx, “provided she strips the hero of all his memories.”

“Then much hinges on the affairs at Castle Oblivion,” Xemnas murmured, as if to remind himself, and looked at Saïx again.

But it’s not even just that. There were so many other things about Saïx that were left a complete mystery. Just countless little things I noticed. Ever since I beat KH3 I’ve been obsessed with figuring out what his deal REALLY was, because it was so interesting and now we’re never going to find out what it was. You know, I always fucking wondered…WHO told him this about Roxas’ condition? The novel went out of its way to describe that communication from Castle Oblivion had been halted. This scene takes place on Day 27 ~The Dark Margin~.

“Xion has gained power over the Keyblade, as we intended,” Saïx reported dispassionately. “She can fill Roxas’s role in collecting hearts for the time being.”

If number 14 could wield the Keyblade, the mysterious slumber that had seized Roxas would not pose a problem. They observed him in silence for a few moments, until Saïx turned toward the door.

“And the chamber?” Xemnas asked, halting him. “Have you found it?”

This was a crucial inquiry, deeply connected to the existence of Castle Oblivion itself. He had not, however, found the room in question.

“No, sir. I would say progress is slow…if we were making any to speak of.” With that, Saïx sedately walked out, leaving Xemnas alone with the sleeping Roxas.

Xemnas stared down at the boy. “So sleep has taken you yet again…” If the words had reached Roxas in his dreams, the boy gave no indication.

This is when Roxas dreams about being on the beach and Xemnas touches his shoulder and calls him, “Sora”. I think Saïx was talking to the voices again here, too. And I think that’s the only reason that he is so valued by Xemnas and became his right-hand man. He is receiving communication from the Dark Realm.

Xemnas’s motivations for planting these things were still more unclear. At some point, he had mentioned complementary memories that would fill in the gaps and perfect Xion—or Roxas. It made sense that they would be able to garner more hearts with a perfected Keyblade wielder. But was that really what he was after?

Saïx couldn’t fathom what Xemnas’s true objective might be.

“Sora or Xion—it matters not. But we need one of them under our control. Bear that in mind.”

Saïx nodded, and a serene smile came to Xemnas’s face.

If that smile meant anything, it was beyond him.

I definitely think Saïx has Multiple Personality Disorder (aka Dissociative Identity Disorder).

“You and Xion will be working together on your next mission,” said Saïx. “Well, thank you, sir, for coming all this way to tell me.” Axel went to the mirror and started to fix his hair. Saïx glared at Axel’s reflection, their eyes meeting in the mirror.

“We’ll also need you to go back to Castle Oblivion.” Axel turned to look at him directly, his lip curling. “We? So that came from our fearless leader, did it?” Saïx, of course, didn’t answer that.

“The castle hasn’t given up all its secrets. And there is one in particular that Lord Xemnas—”

“You mean that chamber again?” Axel interrupted, turning back to the mirror.

“We turned the place inside out and upside down. If it’s there, we’re not gonna find it by just looking.”

Because there’s one side of him that genuinely wants to figure out Xemnas’ true goal and is conspiring with Axel. But there’s another side of him that seems like he knows exactly what is going on. It really confused me when I played this game again recently. I think sometimes Saïx is talking as a Nort with Isa’s human memories who is genuinely clueless about Xemnas. And other times, I think it’s the “demon” or whatever that is speaking through him.

“We have but one objective,” said Xemnas. “Be sure to keep that in mind.”

Saïx looked up at him.

“Don’t let Xion out of your sight. Watch her and you will come to understand the Keyblade master.”

Having issued the day’s final order, Xemnas vanished on the spot.

I think Saïx sometimes switches alters when he looks up or down. And eye fluttering is a common symptom of alter switching. He looks up when he’s in the “demon” mode. And he looks down when he goes back to “normal” (not that Saïx could ever really be called normal, but ya know…).

Leaning against the wall with folded arms was his once-upon-a-time best friend—Saïx—probably waiting for him. But Saïx was keeping his gaze fixed on an imaginary point below the floor.

“You’re sure things are better this way?” Axel wondered aloud.

Finally, Saïx looked up. “I never expected you to question it.”

He was looking down when Axel approached him. His gaze was fixated on an imaginary point on the floor. It’s like he was hypnotically programmed to wait there for Axel and was just staring like a zombie until he arrived. When he looked up “they” were talking, instead of Saïx.

In the Round Room, Saïx looked up at Xemnas high above. “Are you sure we’re dealing with Xion and Roxas the right way?”

His tone was markedly different from usual, as if he spoke to an old friend rather than a superior.

“Our plan seemed like a failure at this point, but then it occurred to me. Xion is keeping Sora’s memories trapped by claiming them as her own.”

He looked up and spoke with Xemans like an old friend. Much different than he normally acts. Then Xemnas discussed “our plan”.

“That gadfly? See that he stays away from Roxas. He only poses a threat if his buzzing reaches Xion’s ears.”

That was an order, and Saïx politely bowed his head. “Then we shall return to our original plan.”

As he kept his head low in obeisance, Xemnas couldn’t see his bitter approximation of a smile. Back to the original plan. No room for hesitation.

Isn’t that right, Lea?

But when he lowered his head afterwards, he started thinking like his normal self—someone who had Isa’s memories and was conspiring with Lea against Xemnas.

The aforementioned “novice”—Saïx, the lowest ranked of those present—didn’t even glance up from the dais.

It’s really weird.

Alone in the Round Room, Saïx raised his eyes to the high domed ceiling.

All they needed was Sora’s power. Everything was proceeding as anticipated. If Xemnas’s plan remained unchanged, then so would his. Still, Saïx saw a potential wrench in the works—Axel and his patently obvious doubts. It might have been a mistake to let him get so close to Roxas and Xion.

Saïx let out a rather human sigh and vanished from the room.

During this scene, he does it. And Saïx is said to sigh very much like a “human” a LOT.

“Turn great hearts into Heartless and let Sora defeat them.”

Saïx raised his head at that.

“And you know where to find suitably substantial hearts, I trust?” Xemnas went on.

The other three nodded.

“Change a great heart into a Heartless, and you might end up with an extra-useful Nobody. Leave it to our fearless leader to figure out how to replenish our personnel,” Xigbar remarked with a nasty grin.

“Again, everything is proceeding according to plan,” said Xemnas. “Do not let anything interfere.” With that, he stood up and summarily disappeared.

He raised his head when Xemnas mentioned “great hearts” in KH2. I think he switched alters at that moment. In KH2FM+, Xemnas praised his ability to plant seeds of doubt (just like him), then Saïx lowered his head. And afterward, he sounded genuinely concerned about Axel when he asked Xemnas about him.

“He was involved in the incident at Castle Oblivion… I warned you he had a hand in the demise of Marluxia and the others, and yet someone failed to eliminate him.” Saïx, number 7, glared at Xigbar from under his hood with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Hey, he’s the only one who’s had direct contact with the Keyblade wielder,” Xigbar replied, unruffled.

“Observe them.” Xemnas issued the order quietly.

“Saïx, you go after Axel. Demyx, you follow the kid.” Xigbar translated it for the rest of them as if he were privy to Xemnas’s thoughts.

“The kid? Roxas, you mean?” Demyx got to his feet.

“Yes… That’s right. Roxas.” Xigbar smiled darkly and exchanged a glance with Xemnas.

Then there’s this. Okay, WTF? When the hell did Saïx ever warn Xigbar that Axel had a hand in what went down at Castle Oblivion?

Day 71: The Traitors’ End

Author: Xigbar

Saïx had a hand in what went down at Castle Oblivion—well, more like a whole arm. Which means Axel was in on it as well. It’s a fact that Xemnas ordered Axel to take out the traitors, orders which went through Saïx. No specific names were given, but naturally Xemnas knew who the turncoats were right from the get-go.

Because last I saw, Xigbar blamed Saïx for what Axel did to Marluxia and the others. I think at that moment Xigbar was talking to the “demon” inside of Saïx, which is why he had his hood up while talking to Xigbar. It also implies that Marluxia was not one of the traitors that Xemnas wanted eliminated. But then…who were?

Day 94: All Goes Apace

Author: Saïx

The hearts collected by our two Keyblade wielders, Roxas and Xion, have gathered together; and now, almighty Kingdom Hearts waxes large in the night sky. Our efforts have come to bear fruit, nearly ripe for the plucking. All plans proceed smoothly—alarmingly so, in fact, though this is no time to be deterred by paranoia.

Look at the title of this report. “All Goes Apace”. He talks exactly like Xemnas does.

Day 277: True Agenda

Author: Saïx

Axel and Roxas are up to something. No plot they concoct will change the fact that the Organization has cast off Xion, though. Our plans have split, diverged, and advance now to the next stage. The No. i project and Replica Program merely paved the way. Our true goals lie elsewhere.

This one’s called “True Agenda” and he acts completely in the know.

Day 298: Change of Plans

Author: Saïx

Axel failed to report that the impostor and Xion are working together. Instead, that news came from Roxas. The boy is far more easily handled than Axel, but now Axel has captured Xion and returned her to us. His motives are impossible to read. Our plans can be altered if necessary, but doing so can only delay their realization.

Then there’s “Change of Plans”. It seems like they’re all referring to the same thing.

Day 7: Meaning

Author: Xemnas

A name defines an object. Describes the span of it. Gives it purpose. We embarked upon the Replica Program to ensure our new power stays ours. Now, our shadow puppet, “No. i,” lives. It needs a name. Something to define it. To give the hollow vessel purpose.

Xemnas talks the same way Saïx does. And they’re the only ones who talk like this in their reports. It doesn’t sound quite…human if you ask me. And the way Saïx and Xemnas refer to “we” might not even be Organization XIII, but the “demons”.

Day 322: The Plan

Author: Xemnas

Be they a puppet or the hero’s Nobody, we merely need a functional Keyblade master. The details are unimportant. The puppet has developed to a point where the hero of the Keyblade may be entirely redundant. Indeed, perhaps we ought never allow Sora to awaken. He cannot be controlled. He will rise up against us. We must move our agenda ahead with that firmly in mind.

Here’s the “Plan” again.

Day 358: Goals

Author: Xemnas

With luck, we can bring Roxas back into our fold, but even if Sora should awaken, as the hero of the Keyblade, he is bound to keep unlocking hearts. If he should come to target us, we need simply subdue him and use his powers ourselves once more. I must become one with Kingdom Hearts. I will become a higher existence. All of my true ambitions begin there.

And there’s “Goals”.

The lesser Nobodies that served them were unfailingly obedient, but that was the only thing they ever did. The greatest difference between them and Organization members was not appearance but the capacity for independent thought. Where did that capacity come from, then? Did it have anything to do with the heart?

“I’m gonna go nuts in here…” Axel scratched his head and continued his search of the bizarre castle.

When Axel goes to Castle Oblivion after looking at Saïx in the mirror, he thinks about the connection between the heart and independent thought. This is on Day 119 ~Work to Do~, the day that Xaldin said that caring about something is a weakness.

Day 150: Dealing with Xion

Author: Saïx

As expected, the Duplicate is starting to show its limits. The Program showed promise, but a puppet is just a puppet: something to be toyed with until it breaks. I am utterly at a loss as to what Roxas and Axel see in that thing. How best to dispose of it merits my consideration going forward.

Here Saïx sounds more like his “normal” self. This takes place on Day 150 ~Fear~ the day Roxas asks Axel if there’s anything he can’t bear to lose.

Day 171: The No. i Project

Author: Saïx

Xion failed to complete its mission. If this continues, destroying it and using the next Replica as the Duplicate would undoubtedly yield a higher-grade copy. No. i was among the initial lot, which naturally raises questions about its capabilities. At present, it is nothing short of broken. I cannot fathom why Xemnas would want to keep it.

This is on Day 171 ~Love~, the day Roxas asked Axel about the power of love. He doesn’t understand what Xemnas wants because this is a different alter with subconscious memories of being treated like a toy and being broken.

Day 174: Just a Replica

Author: Saïx

Xion continues to sleep. All analysis on its function suggests no marked change. The copying appears to be working, but a Replica is a Replica. My latest report to Xemnas on this net me no clear answers. He simply stood, smiling. At times I find his thinking impenetrable.

In this report, Xemnas smiles at him creepily, and he admits he can’t fathom what goes through his head. He doesn’t understand the purpose of the Replica Program here.

Saïx: Why… Kingdom Hearts… Where is my heart?

In KH2, Saïx genuinely just wanted his heart back.

Saïx: Nngh… How much longer…Kingdom…Hearts… Will your strength never be mine?

When Roxas defeated him in Days, he sounded more like the “demon”.

“You don’t trust me?” she said as she passed. “I know when to let up. I’m not stupid enough to break my toys.”

There might even be a third alter which is the REAL Isa, who is lost in the Realm of Sleep, and he acts more like a zombie/robot. Like Roxas was at first, like Ventus was, and like Sora was in DDD while he was sitting in the Organization’s chair. Xion’s theme is called “Who Am I?” and I think it fits Saïx as much as everyone else. Subject X also wondered who they were. Probably because Subject X was originally Isa.

There, a lone boy lay fallen. The boy stood up slowly, and stared blankly in front of him. There, a pitch black hole—a portal of darkness opened. From there, a black-coated man walked up to the boy. The boy looked up at the man, silent and vacant.

“Do you want to know?” the man asked the boy.

The boy nodded, staring fixedly at the man. The man raised a hand, and letters rose up in front of the boy.

“You don’t feel a thing—you can’t have feelings. Do you want meaning?”

The boy gave a clear nod. The letters in front of the boy spun around, and then, another letter joined them. That letter was ‘X’. That which floated there was to be the boy’s name, from then on.

“…Roxas,” the boy read out, in a clear voice.

Xehanort called Roxas a good candidate for a vessel until he became too aware of himself.

“So what do they call you?” asked Axel. The boy only blinked, not enough to signal that he’d even heard.

“Let’s try that again. What’s your name?”

“…Ro…xas…,” the boy croaked, as if he’d never spoken before. Then Axel realized that Xemnas had named him only moments ago. It had been the same for him and his own name.

“Okay, Roxas. I’m Axel. Got it memorized?” Roxas just stared at him blankly.

“Well, let’s get outta here.” Axel had his doubts about taking someone who had just come into being to that stark, cheerless castle, but he didn’t exactly have a lot of other options at the moment.

Axel said that he was in a similar state when he first received his new name. Apparently Xemnas hypnotically programs the members to think they cannot feel emotions while they are in that trance-like state, when they first become Nobodies.

“As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known as that…of a recusant.”

This is probably what he said to Isa when he first became a Nobody. The Recusant’s Sigil is translated as “Mark of Heresy”. A recusant is a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation. So the mark signifies total submission and obedience. Saïx is the only character who has a scar of this symbol. And it’s large and right in the middle of his face. I definitely think he was Xehanort’s favorite lab rat.

Saïx observed him from behind with what appeared to be distaste. In stark contrast to Demyx, Saïx left his long blue hair unstyled. The X-shaped scar on his forehead was all the style he needed.

“What d’you want? I’m kinda busy.” Irritated, Demyx turned around.

Instead of responding, the other man simply disappeared.

“Excuse me?!” Demyx shouted at the space where Saïx had been standing.

And then, as if to take Saïx’s place, Xigbar appeared with his hood low over his eyes. “Ready yet?”

Isa was a toy that was broken, like the Riku Replica after his memories were wiped clean. And the way Saïx acts in this scene is even more abnormal than he usually is.

Regardless, Aqua cut off a bite-sized piece of the cake with a fork and held it up to Ventus’s mouth. His head slowly revolved to look at her, like he was some mechanical automaton.

It reminded me of the way Ven was described in the novel while he was “broken”.

Ventus observed absentmindedly from where he sat on a bench. Actually, it was hard to tell if he was truly watching them. A small bird swooped down toward his feet. It hopped onto his foot, then onto his knee before finally stopping on his shoulder. Ventus didn’t react at all. Terra and Aqua saw this and shared a glance.

While Ventus had proven himself capable of taking care of his needs and doing what he was told, he never acted of his own volition. Unless Terra, Aqua, or Master Eraqus said otherwise, he would spend the entire day staring into space, and the biggest thing was that he never spoke.

Saïx is more functional than Ven was, but Isa probably was reduced to a similar state to Ven during the experiments. Subject X took a week to speak. Saïx is probably only more functional because he has Xehanort and the “demon” in control of him. But Isa’s alter is probably still a total zombie/robot. Totally unaware of his surroundings and just mindlessly follows orders, doing nothing of his own volition.

Xion got up and looked in the mirror. It’s me. Nothing new.

After getting ready for the day, she went to the Grey Area and found Saïx and Xigbar there.

“…Where’s Roxas?” she asked Saïx.

“None of your concern.” Xion had expected as much. Saïx never answered her questions.

Then Xigbar poked his face between them. “There you go again, Saïx. Why’re you so mean to our Poppet?” Saïx pointedly ignored him.

Xigbar always talks to me, at least, thought Xion. He’s so much nicer than Saïx. I like him.

“They’re saying Roxas fainted or something, and he’s still out like a light,” Xigbar supplied.

“Huh?” Xion started. Roxas was unconscious…?

“You worried about him?” Xigbar nodded understandingly. “Aw, sweet little Poppet. Why don’t I take you to visit him later?”

“Okay…” Xigbar patted her on the head. Why is he always calling me “Poppet,” though? she wondered.

Xion looks in the mirror twice while Roxas is sleeping, and remarks that she looks the same as usual. Xigbar and Saïx are both mentioned being present in the lobby both times.

“And who gave you the authority to—? No, I suppose there’s no harm in visiting him.” Saïx relented. “After your mission.”

For once, he wasn’t shutting her down. “What’s the assignment today?” she asked.

“Investigating, the same as yesterday. Although you’ll be going to a different world this time.” Saïx described the place to her.

“…All right.” Xion nodded and stepped into the dark portal.

Xion is worried about Roxas and Saïx is actually pretty accommodating, which Xion finds unusual for him. I think it’s referring to the idea that THAT was Isa’s true personality. Someone who worried about people he cared for and didn’t shut others down constantly.

Xion got up and took care of her morning routine in front of the mirror in the corner of the room. I’m the same as ever. And yet, I’m not.

She stared hard at the mirror’s reflection. It showed…someone else. But she knew who it was. The boy who looked like Roxas. For a moment, she lowered her gaze, then looked again. Just her. Her and her identity crisis. Xion laughed at herself.

I have time here. Riku gave it to me. But not forever. I’ll ruin everything if I stay. I have to decide…before the Organization decides for us.

Xion looks in the mirror on Day 353 ~Resolve~, the one where Axel tells Roxas that Xion is a mirror that reflects him. But that time…she doesn’t see herself in the mirror. She sees Sora. Take note of how she lowers her gaze, looks up again, and sees herself.

“You’ve meddled again,” said a voice behind him.

Axel stopped short. He hadn’t even noticed Saïx’s presence.

“Sorry, did you say something?” He turned with a slight smirk.

“We don’t need them both. Just one. And pretending won’t change it.”

We, who? Axel wanted to ask, but he held it in, along with a bitter laugh. He wasn’t sure if that “we” meant Organization XIII or just Saïx and himself.

“Think about that.”

On this day, Saïx is telling Axel they need to choose one or the other.

“…Can’t you hear the world’s screams?”

“Screams?”

Axel finally turned around, and looked up at Saïx standing on a stairway.

“The time when we should move will come soon.”

“I dunno, whatever.” Axel turned his back on Saïx, and opened a dark portal in front of him.

I think the “we” Saïx was actually referring to was the one here. I think this is also hinting that this is NOT who Isa really was.

Oh, I am. And I’m sick of it. I’m even desperate enough to ask you if there’s another way. The words nearly escaped him, but Saïx was already walking toward the Grey Area. The set of his shoulders told him plainly what the answer would be. Axel realized how great the rift was between how he remembered their past and what he saw now. Why am I even here? I don’t know anymore. What am I trying to do?

Axel specifically notes that there’s a huge rift between the past an the present.

“Are the three of us teamed up today?”

“You have your own mission, Roxas,” Saïx told him before Xion could answer.

“I can’t trade with Xigbar or something?”

“What an extraordinarily childish notion. Do you need Axel to walk you everywhere now?”

Roxas bit his lip and looked at the floor. “That’s not it…”

Then Saïx makes a comment that was most likely referring to Isa (his other personality), more than Roxas. Isa was a shy boy who was clingy to Lea. He acted more like Xion did with Roxas than how Saïx acts with Axel. Saïx is a compartmentalized alter, and NOT Lea’s best friend from childhood, Isa.

HE RECOGNIZED THE WHITE CEILING AND, SOON AFTER, HIS ROOM.

Something was different about it—but he couldn’t have said what it was. This is my room. I’m a member of the Organization. Number 13, Roxas. But…something’s changed. Roxas sat up in the hard bed and shook his head. His mind felt so fogged over. Did I fall asleep yesterday? How? He couldn’t remember. He really had no idea. As he swung his legs over the side to get up, a pile of seashells beside his pillow caught his eye.

Similar scenes happen with Roxas. It’s suggested that Roxas is Ventus, but his memories were all wiped due to trauma. Roxas is an alter of Ventus. He passed out in Agrabah because the situation with Axel subconsciously reminded him of what happened with Terra and Aqua. He thought he’d never see Axel again, like Vanitas told him he’d never see Terra again. In that moment, he switched alters and went back to sleep, like Ventus.

Where did these come from? I don’t know. I don’t know anything at all. He left his room, and his legs seemed to know where to take him now that he was awake. Muscle memory was carrying him to the Grey Area.

Right—I’m supposed to report in for my mission. Some kind of pressure was gathering between his eyebrows. He walked down the hallway, and when he arrived at the lobby, no one was there.

“Axel…?” He murmured his friend’s name without thinking, then touched his mouth at the outburst. They had told him that Axel might have been terminated. He remembered that part.

See how the descriptions of his head pain are exactly like people with Dissociative Identity Disorder?

Roxas hadn’t expected to sleep very well, and he was right. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. The center of his head felt heavy, like something pressing from the space between his eye brows all the way back.

But yesterday… Yesterday I saw Xion. Why was she avoiding me? Why was she running away from me?

It’s because Roxas was not envisioned to be a separate character from Ventus. He IS Ventus, just without Ventus’s memories, and he has a lot of Sora’s memories. I’m sure stuff like this is why Nomura was so confused while trying to write KH3′s story.

Xehanort’s Report IX

We Keyblade Masters have a special gift. We can extract a heart, be it our own or that of another. By continuing this cycle, it is possible to remain in the world of the living forever.

This sounds like something a Lich would say.

— By the way, Braig’s dealings with Master Xehanort in Birth by Sleep make sense now, as he was to become a vessel.

There is a certain reason for Braig to proudly exclaim, “I’m already half Xehanort.” Isa (Saïx) is included too. I think you’ll understand the details about their circumstances eventually.

No, we really didn’t. But thanks for getting my hopes up and making me wait an entire decade for nothing, I guess…

— What happens to the hearts of those who have had Master Xehanort’s heart planted within them?

They’ll gradually be swallowed by it. As for Master Xehanort, he plans to control them completely. The planted parts of the heart are captured rather than disappear.

And I’m sure the Lich had NOTHING to do with any of this.

358 Days is one week short of a complete year, of course…

Yes, of course for people who played KH2 they know that the game is like a countdown to the final day. And of course they know the realize why it’s missing that one week. So they already know the reason for the title is that it is “a week short of a year, split between two people.” But is that really the true answer? I named this game hoping that people would think on it even after they’ve finished playing it.

Where did the Organization’s coat and mark come from? Xemnas remembering his human years. One year after BbS, Xehanort as well as five other apprentices toss aside their hearts. Then the Nobody Xemnas was born, and the Organization which he creates take a lot of things from his memories as a human. But as Xemnas had two people who he was, Terra and Master Xehanort, he takes from both of their memories. The coat used by the Organization was something that Master Xehanort originally wore. The Nobody mark used by the Organization is a similar shape to the mark Terra used. Xemnas gives Organization members names with an X in them. This has something to do with Master Xehanort’s interest in the X-Blade.

Last but not least: Is there a connection here? Was the one year between BBS when Terranort was discovered by Ansem the Wise and the apprentices losing their hearts, supposed to be parallel in some way to the year Roxas spent in the Organization? That’s my last bit of theorizing for this post.

#kh meta #kh saïx #kh xemnas #kh xehanort #kh theories

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