Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Hey, Sora. You seemed lonely down here, even if you’re just sleeping your days away in a pod. I’ve seen your memories and I know that you’ve never liked being alone, it absolutely terrifies you, so I decided maybe I could visit you every now and then. Give you updates, just I don’t know, chat? Or… I suppose have me talk… um…

Today we arrived at this old abandoned mansion within Twilight Town. It's nice I guess? Could use some work. Most of the rooms are old and dusty. Like the living room. All the furniture has tarps over top of them, and I swear I’ve seen one too many bugs. But it's protected from enemies like Heartless and the average dusk. So that's good. The basement, where your pod is right now, is brand new. I think DiZ used some sort of magic copied from Castle Oblivion to make it. Along with my room. Not exactly sure why he decided to make my room almost a replica of the one in Castle Oblivion but at least I have a room. 

I met The King and your friend Riku. Well, I mean I’ve already technically met Riku before but I officially met him recently. The King, he’s very nice. Very caring. He greeted me with open arms and instantly had faith in me even if he had not a single clue as to who I was. He held so much light inside of him, I could feel it. It was near painful actually. Considering I’m a being of darkness, him being so close is like a sting against my skin. But I argue being close to you was much worse. Being around you was like… getting a really bad sunburn. Oh! Uh.. No offence? 

Riku on the other hand… I’ve seen Riku in your memories, of course; he’s a very prominent character within your memories. But he was honestly completely different from anything I’ve seen through you. I can tell he doesn’t trust me in the slightest, you know with the whole messing with your memories. His anger and distaste towards me is all I can feel as soon as he’s in the room with me. His eyes tell me the exact same thing. His darkness is strong. Overwhelmingly so. But to me, it's more of a comforting pressure than with The King. Darkness and darkness mesh well after all. I can feel how it pulls at his heart, threatening to spill all over the place and create a muddy mess. Yet it doesn’t. He has a hold on it.

I can tell that he’s more than extremely worried about you. I won’t lie when I say you are the only thing he asked me about since I’ve met him. Given it's not often I see him, maybe once a day at best, but still.  At the end of the day, he’s just worried and tired and just wants to do what’s best to make up for his mistakes… reminds me of myself.

Like a mirror… one in the same.

Anyways, your memories might take longer than I originally thought they would. You’ve kind of got a mess in that heart of yours. Very tangled and what not. Of course, DiZ won’t be pleased once he hears that. He’s never pleased with me honestly. I… I should probably go. Get settled in and start working.

Bye!

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good morning, Sora. Today will mark the first day of me taking an official dive into your memories. 

Memory diving to me isn’t difficult, but it requires full complete concentration. On the outside I suppose it looks like I’m drawing childish images of your memories but truthfully on the inside, I am completely zoned out. On the inside my soul is inside of your heart. Walking through it as if it was a real world.

Your heart appears like your home, Destiny Islands. But currently it's all wrong. Glitched and broken up, like your heart isn’t even sure if this is where you belong. Chains hang down from the sky, some discarded on the ground, some completely broken and others missing entirely. It’s like a giant hurricane came through. 

One named Naminé…

But it’s fixable. I just need to remind your chains so they link once more, that's all.

Wish me luck?

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good evening, Sora.

The tension between me and Riku has grown,and not in a good way. And it's only been five days since getting to the mansion! Five days and we both agreed without actually saying anything that we will now be at each other's throats. Kingdom Hearts . 

I hate him. I really do. Obviously not as much as those jerks at the castle but enough to avoid him just as much as he avoids me. He’s so annoying! Always brooding and angsty. Always looking at the negatives rather than the positives. Like seriously! It's not all darkness! I gave him the option to get rid of that, but he said no and now he’s complaining about it. Well maybe not complaining. But you get the idea!

 I don’t understand how you, The King and even Kairi can live with him, let alone be friends with him! …Actually, I can, but that's only because I’m looking through your memories. So it doesn’t count!

Regardless, my point still stands. Riku is mean. He’s aggressive when he doesn’t need to be. Demanding, and constantly reminding me that we’re not friends. Just because we’re not friends doesn’t mean you have to be a jerk! Just because I don’t… feel things doesn't mean you have to constantly remind me! Just- UGH !!

Relax Naminé, no need to get worked up over this.

To be honest? Underneath that tough act of his, I can tell that there’s something... different about him. Something he’s trying to keep hidden from me. He thinks I’m blind, but I’m not. I can see it when he talks with The King and I see it in your memories of him. Maybe he sees it as a weakness… 

…He still is awful though.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good Afternoon, Sora! Sorry, I didn’t visit for a couple of days or so. I was busy with your wild memories. Which at first I was looking at your memories from a surface-level viewpoint. Seeing the skin of your memories, mostly focused around Kairi as I had to rid your memories of her. But now as I basically clean out your memories there’s so much more. Like all those cultural festivals you experienced on your islands. You're an amazing dancer! Or how cosy the real Traverse Town looks. There are so many, I could keep going but I’ll cut it off here. 

And then, of course, the rest of that time was just being incredibly annoyed with Riku. Though I feel like there's less hatred in our interactions recently. We still despise each other, but we’re not constantly bickering like before. I think I’m starting to like him. Only a little of course. I don’t think he likes me very much. 

Not like him as a friend, not anytime soon at least, but as someone I can live with. Tolerate. Yeah, I can tolerate him enough. I mean, I lived with a bunch of heartless jerks back in Castle Oblivion and managed to tolerate them so… what's the difference? 

Regardless, with all that out of the way, we found your Nobody. Well, DiZ found him as he's working with the Organization. His name is Roxas. He’s… something else. Different from the rest of the Nobodies.

Let's hope he doesn’t affect your waking process… I hope you wake up soon.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Good evening, Sora. Today was a… somewhat busy day I guess. Today DiZ and The King finally had it with Riku and I disliking each other, so they sent us into town to apparently “bond” with each other.

“What?! No way I’m going out with her!” Riku shouted at The King once he told him to spend time with a certain blonde-haired Nobody. AKA, me! “I could be doing better things with my time instead of entertaining a Nobody!”

“That doesn’t matter! You and Naminé need to be nice to each other! I don’t like seeing you two like this!” The King demanded as he crossed his arms over his small chest. Riku groaned and heavily rolled his eyes, then he ran his hands down his face as he gritted his teeth. 

“I will not tolerate such senseless childlike bickering between two children. If the two of you do not cooperate with one another I will not hesitate to take the situation into my own hands, even if The King has advised against such forthcoming actions.” DiZ spoke with his usual monotonous voice. The one that I swear might just haunt my nightmares. Riku grumbled something under his breath that I couldn’t quite pick up on. 

Of course, me on the other hand huffed and agreed with the two. I didn't want to get on DiZ's bad side, because that would be worse for me for sure. Riku could most likely handle DiZ’s wrath, but I’m weak to him truthfully.

“Fine. Riku needs a new outfit anyway. You look horrible with those huge baggy pants and that shirt. What even are these?” I grabbed Riku’s hand to look at his weird black gloves that started halfway from the centre of his palm to cover only his fingers. Light, those gloves were ugly. He instantly ripped his hand away from me and glared at me angrily.

“That’s the spirit, Naminé !” The King cheered with a smile. “Now you two have fun and be back at a reasonable time.” He began as he pushed us outside the mansion’s front door. I complied while Riku tried to fight back only to have The King repeatedly shushing him. 

Once we were both outside, The King slammed the door shut behind us. Riku stood facing the doors with clenched fists while I turned to stare at him blankly. There was a moment of awkward silence before he spun to face me and spoke up. 

“My outfit is not horrible. If anything yours is!” Riku huffed out, as he pointed to my flawless dress. “Just a plain white dress. At least I have some colour!”

I raised a brow and looked him up and down. “Colour doesn’t always make it better.” I offered him a fake smile because seriously! Who told him to dress like that? Or better yet, who let him walk out like that? Riku opened his mouth to say something but I quickly cut him off.

“I don’t care what you say, both of us are getting new outfits. And maybe I can get a new book or crayons, maybe even get a haircut! I’m getting these horrible split ends right here.” I said excitedly as I thought of all the things we could do with each other. Riku was furious that he had to spend a whole day with me, a heartless witch as he would say, no surprise.

But luckily I didn’t care one bit. I just grabbed his hand and dragged him into town against his will. Riku grumbled heartless threats that were just that; Words. How silly.

It kinda worked. I mean he eventually let me choose a new outfit for him, and he paid for some of my things… most of my things. Given, I really don’t have any munny as I’ve been locked away my entire life. But the thought counts. 

Every now and then I would catch him glancing over at me, but he would look away right after. And he said my outfit was terrible. If it’s so terrible why did he keep looking at me, huh? 

…Okay yes he was probably looking at me because I look like Kairi.

I gave him a pair of baggy purple pants, with a white vest coat that had yellow outlines. He also has a pair of white and grey sneakers. When I asked what he thought he just grumbled like a toddler. He still wore it though so that’s one point for me, zero Riku.

At the end of the day, the fresh air was nice. The classic Twilight Town sunset was beautiful, and I’m pretty sure I heard Riku grumble to The King that he enjoyed it too. 

Another point for Naminé. I’m getting the hang of this!

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Chapter Text

═........═

“Are you sure she can’t feel?” Riku spoke suddenly through the silence. I nearly squeaked and stopped myself from walking inside the room you rest in. Quickly hiding behind the wall in hopes the two inside couldn’t see me.

“When I see her she looks sad all the time. And yesterday, every time I looked at her she smiled. She looked to be having a great time. Like she was feeling .” Riku continued as he watched DiZ tap different buttons on a computer. One that I’m slowly learning how to work properly actually. It holds your physical status and a camera for inside view of you. I bet Riku had no clue what the device was, considering the strange expression he wore as he looked at the device.

“Yes, I am impeccably confident. She is a Nobody. Nobody’s cannot feel any human emotion, boy, only show false ones built off the idea of real emotions copied from other humans like yourself. Of course, aside from the existence of physical pain done to them. She is theoretically analysing your way of feeling and replicating it, making it seem as if what she feels is true because it is your emotions. Besides, why does it concern you whether she feels or not?” DiZ closed whatever he was working on, the device sliding down back into the floor, to face Riku. I sucked in a breath and looked away, nearly catching DiZ’s eyes, sharp and threatening as they stared down at Riku like he was an idiot. 

I could hear Riku grit his teeth. Feeling the anger boiling from inside Riku. It was so strong, his darkness. Licking all across the room directed at DiZ. But it never acted. Only lied in wait.

“I… she… reminds me of someone. When I see her sad it feels like that person is also experiencing those feelings. If she can’t feel anything and it’s all fake then I know she's doing this to hurt me, like you said.” Riku bit out, his darkness still. “I wanted to clarify that she can’t feel to prove my theory correct.” Riku clenched his gloved fist as he spoke. I tested a glance back to the two, finding them in a heated standoff.

DiZ paused before he responded, looking Riku up and down like he could see right through him. I would know, he looks at me that way as well. Like he’s better than me, than us. “I see. Well if you were wondering who the person she reminds you of is, why don’t you recall the islands you grew up on.” DiZ placed his hands behind his back and walked up to Riku’s side. 

“But maybe you should focus on that darkness I can see spilling out of you instead.” So DiZ could see and feel it too then? That’s not good… I saw Riku physically snap and whipped around to face DiZ but DiZ had already left in one of those Corridors of Darkness. I sighed in relief once DiZ was gone while Riku glared at nothing for a moment or two before turning to look at your pod. 

“Maybe you should stop being a dick.” Riku grumbled to himself, I couldn’t help but agree really. Swallowing a laugh of my own. Though the humour died immediately as I felt it again. 

Riku’s darkness. 

It grew, tainting the room as he seethed. It was strong. I watched his back, slightly hunched over as he bathed it in. The darkness. Eating at his skin almost. Taking a physical form now. His emotions, his unyielding pain visualising before him and he slapped a hand over his eyes as if he would open them once more and it would all stop… 

It didn’t though. I would know…

 And the feeling of such strong darkness at that close of a proximity should burn. It should scare off any other being that doesn’t seek to taste his rage and fuel it like fire. It probably burned him. With how bright his heart truly is under it all. Yet I still stood there watching. Not an ounce of pain. 

I am darkness, to me it was warm. Like a moth to a flame. It’s enticing even if I can comprehend the dangers it holds. It drawed me in like no other. And even then the light I could feel from within him had the same effect.

Warmth. Comfort.

Clearly Riku was suffering from it. Not being able to break himself out of it. Just sat there letting it worsen after one small misstep. I never knew it could affect him so easily and quickly at that. He needed to stop it, but he couldn't. I could hear him groan, taking his other hand to block it all somehow. It was effortless though.

Like a panic attack. It’ll just worsen the more he lets himself exist inside of the fear.

Oh I knew he would hate me for what I did. I just knew it.

With a breath, I stepped into the room suddenly very much aware of the weapon in his hand. When he summoned it, I had no clue. He needed to rid himself of it though. He was one wrong move away from slashing at his own skull.  

“Riku?” I spoke hesitantly, keeping my voice calm and quiet lest I scared him and his blade found itself in his head.

Luckily though, that didn’t happen. Riku dropped his weapon on the ground and the darkness stopped. Everything did. It slithered and sucked back inside him. Like a nocturnal animal afraid of the sun. He gasped like a man tasting air after drowning for hours. Straightening his shoulders and stared forwards. It was rather jarring how quick the shift happened. 

He seemed more aware as he collected himself. Taking in his surroundings before he quickly turned around to see me. He wore a mix of shock and something else I can’t quite place before it turned stoic once more. Falling into a frown and hooded eyes. He huffs, looking away from me like I ruined his day. Even if I was the one that helped him. 

Naminé’s right once more I suppose.

“Why do you wield your weapon?” I asked, even if I already knew the answer. I pretend like I didn’t. Like I can’t feel that he’s filled to the brim with darkness. 

He didn’t respond. We simply watched each other for a while. Neither of us made a move or sound. It was quite painful really. That is, until Riku huffed and walked out, his shoulder shoving into my own as he walked out. Which, truthfully, wasn’t needed at all. 

But what can I do? I don’t understand him. At least, not at the level that matters…

═........═

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Hey Sora. I hope you’re having a good night. Today DiZ told Riku to wear a blindfold. Oh, and the Organization's coat. So much for buying him a new outfit… 

DiZ said something about how it helps keep him hidden from the enemy. Says his eyes hold too much truth. His eyes hold his intentions, his rawest soul and could leak information to enemies. Or at least that's what DiZ told me. Who knows if that's true. The jacket allows him to travel freely within the corridors of darkness and allows him to blend in with the Organization. At first glance, he’s one of them. Full of darkness, looking for purpose.

They’ve been training every day, it seems. It looks hard to master. He can’t see anything in that blindfold, so he has to be incredibly strong. See through the blindfold somehow. I’ve sat on the sidelines and watched a few times. When DiZ allowed me, or when I convinced him I was working and watching. I was totally mostly watching. 

DiZ told him to find the grey figure. The grey figure I believe is supposed to be the Nobodies or creatures that live in between or something. I never get told much about anything so my information is slim to none. But DiZ told me that when Riku is under the blindfold, he can’t tell what Nobody he’s attacking unless he hears their voice. Which, I won’t lie when I say It does make me a little scared. I mean, what if he just thinks I’m a dusk and starts attacking me? Or a member of the Organization? What would I do then? Would DiZ stop him or not? Would he stop? Will he see me? Has he ever seen me…? I’m not so sure… He’s so strong that if he did attack me I might fade and you won’t wake up. 

I guess all we can do is hope that doesn’t happen.

Well… onto more important matters, I figured out why Roxas seems different from other Nobodies; He’s like me. He can feel things, or thinks he can but he doesn’t remember anything about his past, just small fragments. Unlike me, I remember everything… 

He experiences these memories in the point of view of you, seeing through your eyes. Which is objectively strange. When Nobody’s are viewing memories of their somebody, they often view it as someone looking in. A third person perspective. But Roxas is seeing his memories as if he was in your shoes. As if he himself lived in those moments.

Strange but I suppose it makes sense as he has no clue as to who you are.

Maybe he’s lucky…

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Good morning, Sora. This morning I tried starting a conversation with the one and only, Riku. I thought maybe it could lighten the mood, lessen the tension. Maybe even allow us to connect even if it’s superficial. Anything is better than nothing at this point.

“So, um… when did Sora and you become friends?” I tried asking, quietly breaking the silence that lingered in the air. I stirred eggs on the unstable stove, making my breakfast for the day. I glanced over my shoulder at Riku who sat in a chair at the kitchen’s island counter. 

“Shouldn’t you already know the answer?” Riku grumbled, taking another bite of his plain cereal. With very little milk, may I add, basically eating only the cereal. And, of course, refused to look at me. 

“What?” I stopped stirring my food, letting it sizzle in the pan, and turned around to look at him in full. Confusion spreaded across my face.

“You’re looking through his memories, correct?” I nodded slowly. “Then you should be able to answer your own question.” I sighed and focused back on the stove I was using. Light forbid I speak with the all emo angsty Riku.

“I was just trying to be friendly.” As I spoke Riku finished his bowl, and pushed it in front of him.

“Don’t be.” He spoke around his wrist as he rubbed his mouth. “We’re not, and never will be, friends.” He got up from his seat and left me in the kitchen alone. I waited until he was gone before I groaned to myself. Nearly burning myself on the stove.

“Definitely not with that attitude.” 

Let's just say It didn’t go too well. Actually, it was burnt up in flames before it even started. Kingdom Hearts, Why is he so difficult? What is his problem?

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Morning, Sora. I have an update on your memories. It’s… it’s not a positive one though.

Piecing your memories back together keeps getting harder by the day. Your Nobody, Roxas, keeps taking them. We know this. But as I looked closer, it seems that he’s not just stealing your ordinary memories. No, unfortunately he’s stealing memories of your Kairi. If this continues, I fear you will never wake up. 

You could probably figure this out, but Kairi is of key importance to you and is required for you to wake. She is, almost literally, your light in the dark. Something that connects all of you together. If he steals all your memories of her…

Riku, he suggested that he bring Kairi here to help you wake up. Have Kairi remember you and have her heart connect once more with your own, but DiZ just yelled at him for being so carelessly stupid. Saying having another useless kid in this mansion would cause him nothing but frustration. Something about teenagers always messing up his plans?

Of course, Riku didn’t like that very much. He yelled back at DiZ, saying that Kairi isn’t useless, that she’s amazing and DiZ would never deserve to be in the same room as her. I can tell how much Kairi means to him by that action alone. But um…

DiZ slapped him across the face.

I tried to comfort Riku when he stormed off, tried to agree with him but he just yelled at me as well. Gritting his teeth and clenching his hands before he left Twilight Town.

I can understand his anger but, Kingdom Hearts, I wish he would speak to me. I wish he would open up. He can trust me! He can rely on me! I’m on his side and agree with him fully. But he doesn’t…

Sometimes I consider reaching into his chain… see what he feels in certain moments. I wouldn’t dare, but sometimes… I wonder.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Hello, Sora. Good evening. I hope you’re sleeping well as usual. In terms of updates, I don’t have much. 

DiZ and The King are keeping a close eye on Roxas. Monitoring him from a distance and studying him. 

Riku left for a couple days but won’t tell anyone anything about what he was up to. I can hear DiZ grumble around the mansion about it sometimes. I think Riku’s just avoiding DiZ because of what he did the other day.

And well, I’ve been here working on your memories… just like I do everyday. How thrilling.

Though something shocking happened. Riku seemed to apologise to me a day after he was pissed off with DiZ about Kairi. I say ‘seemed’ because he really didn’t say ‘I’m sorry’ just kinda… implied it I guess. Mumbled that he wasn’t upset at me and didn’t mean to yell at me before he walked off.

With that, Riku will now come visit at least twice a week in my room. Surprised me a little when I caught on. Not in a bad way though, it’s a nice surprise. He doesn’t say anything. Just… sits across from me and rests his head on the table. Sometimes he’ll take a nap. I don’t bother him at all as he seems quite content just being left alone before he decides to get up and leave. Sometimes he stays for hours, others a couple minutes. We never exchange a single word in his time. But I make sure to offer him a small smile when he enters.

I noticed that he’s growing his hair out. It looks kinda silly. He’s got all of this silver blue hair covering his face. I told him that too. Somehow it made him chuckle just a little.

Though today in particular when he dropped by, he didn’t sit. I didn’t ask, too afraid to break out of our usual routine. I could tell he wanted to say something though, he just kept looking at me. And he looked a little more beaten up than usual. 

Sure enough, just as suddenly as he came he left. I think Riku knows something. Something he’s not sure he wants to tell me. Something I think he wants to hide from DiZ.

I wonder what it could be…

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good Afternoon, Sora. Something scary happened yesterday. Well not terrifying, but frightening in the moment.

While I was walking through the mansion yesterday out of nowhere a little shadow heartless appeared. It scared the darkness out of me honestly, even if it was so tiny. I thought that the heartless couldn’t reach the mansion for everyone's safety, but here it was. Of course, like I said It wasn’t very big, but I had no way to defend myself. 

Just cowardly walked back as it twitched and pulsed hoping it wouldn’t attack.

Luckily Riku showed up, shoving me back just in time to defeat it. It put up more of a fight than me and him both thought though. It managed to jump on top of Riku’s head and do this weird dance which personally I thought was hilarious. Riku didn’t find it funny and swiftly knocked it back to the ground.

The way Riku fights is interesting actually. He makes it look so easy, but hard to master at the same time. I thought fighting was just hitting the thing until it fades or gives up, but he makes it look like it’s a carefully planned dance that requires precise steps. Him and his opponent being the only one knowing the moves as they dance around each other trading blows. Memorising honestly.

Once the thing was gone he asked if I was okay. Once I told him I was fine he just nodded and walked off. 

Your friend is definitely a weirdo, Sora.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good evening, Sora! Riku visited me today. Just like he always does, but it was different today. 

He spoke to me! On his own accord! All by himself! I didn’t say a single thing to start the conversation! How surprising is that? Given, it was just idle small talk but it was something!

He said hi and walked over to me, looking at my drawings on the walls and the ones scattered around the table before asking me what I was drawing. I’ll admit I think I did jump a little at how sudden it was in such a quiet room. And because I was already preparing myself to dive into your mind. I think he noticed as well because he made a noise that sounded like a laugh, but again, he’s hard to read. Especially with that blindfold covering his eyes.

But regardless, it was nice. He was still his usual closed off self, I could see little emotion on his face but he was speaking to me so I assume he enjoyed it as well. I can tell that now he’s at least trying to be nicer, whether he wants to or not. He even complimented my art! Isn’t that insane?

He left a little while after, not saying anything just swiftly leaving the room. But that’s okay with me.

It was a nice change of pace.

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Hi, Sora. Yes, I know it’s like midnight right now but this is important.

I was up a little late looking through your chains and suddenly I saw someone . I saw someone.

I didn’t quite get a good look at them as they wandered further down the beach and kept glitching in and out. But they looked like they had an Organization coat on and their hand was extended out, touching chain after chain. Like they were looking through your memories at random! Once they touched a chain though, it glitched and disappeared

I think this person stole them.

As soon as I saw it I tried to chase after this person, get them to stop. I tried creating fake chains and throwing them at the person but they completely missed each time. It was like the person wasn’t even there. At least, not in the same way I was. 

Meaning they didn’t know they were there.

It’s too late for me to properly understand who this person was. My theory is Roxas, but it wouldn’t make sense because this person was shorter, slim. And never have I seen Roxas inside your heart and memories like this before…

I don’t know. I just need to remember this for the morning…

I’m- *yaaawwwwn* I’m gonna head back to bed now, Goodnight…

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good morning, Sora! I think I figured it out! Who that person was wandering in your heart last night!

It wasn’t Roxas because Roxas isn’t the one stealing your memories. He’s borrowing, sharing, some of yours, sure but not stealing the full chains like that person was. Roxas is connected to you meaning I can shift through his memories as well and he has no stolen memories of Kairi. But he has memories of a girl with black hair. She looks exactly like Kairi.

In Roxas’s memories, he calls her Xion. Her name is Xion. And Xion was the one stealing your memories last night. I think she was asleep though…

I’m not exactly sure who she is, but it seems she is a part of the Organization and works very closely with Roxas. They seem to rely on each other and both of them can wield the keyblade. Where did she come from? How can she-

Wait… No they, they couldn’t- could they? How- who- 

Oh. Vexen .

Xion is a replica . Just like the Riku replica. She- she’s a replica of Kairi made from your memories! Oh dear Kingdom Hearts! That’s how she’s stealing the memories of your Kairi! Because that’s all she is! That’s what she thrives off of! 

I have to tell DiZ. But should I? I still know very little about this situation, and I don’t want any stupid lecture from him.

…It can wait…?

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 .・。.・゜✭・.

Hey, Sora. Good evening, Long time no see. So-”

“You seem to be struggling.” DiZ spoke suddenly. Scaring the life out of me. But I calmed myself, taking a deep breath. 

Struggling? I think I’ve been more than struggling. I have been up in my room trying to do this whole operation by myself. I’ve been working hard, extremely so. Restless nights, wading through endless chains, tugging everything together, hurting so many people. Especially since Xion’s sudden appearance. Though if I told him all that he’d get upset. I had to act coy, dumb. As if I’m thinking of something ridiculous. 

“A nobody is interfering… I think.” Smooth.

DiZ scoffed . “A nobody?”

Another deep breath. Could he consider maybe being understanding for once? “I keep trying to piece his memories back together,” I spoke each word individually. He shifted as if to speak but I cut him off.

“But what if some of the pieces got lost?” I offered him a question, one already knew the answer to. But once more, coy was key.

“There would be no way to finish.” Passive aggressiveness just to satisfy me. He tried once more to speak, so I cut him off again.

“If that happened, and they found their way into someone else, he’d never get them back.” 

Seemed he caught onto my game. I could practically hear him grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and threw a glare in my direction. He kept his pride though. Refusing to look my way or even offer me some form of respect when having a conversation. 

He sighed, like one would sigh to a disobedient small child. “Oh, I think he can do without a memory or two.”

“But what if he needs those memories to wake up? What if they’re the key-?”

“Namine.” He turned finally. I faced him as well. Annoyance all over his face and he continued to look down on me. “You are a witch who has power over Sora’s memory and those connected to him.”

Pointing out the obvious. 

“Are you seeing something I cannot?” A breath sat between us for a moment. He’s blind. As much as he believes his eyes are clear and have been seeing everything, he’s still blind. His computers give him bare bones, show him basic sub level information on progress and amount of brain damage. But he will never understand connections, hearts and anything deeper than numbers. Anything deeper than the blinding pixels. He can’t even look further than your mind. Can’t even imagine maybe there are bumps in the road that make the car break down rather than inside of the car. There is nuance to this, none of this can be solved with a click of a mouse. 

He’s blind.

He doesn’t know Xion exists.

I like to consider myself rational. But in the moment, I was tired. I was annoyed he couldn’t look further.

I’ve been trying to figure out who Xion truly is and what she’s doing to you. I even figured out that she is connecting with Roxas meaning they’re just swapping and stealing memories between each other like a wild goose chase! All while he still doesn’t have a single clue she even exists. Clearly I know what I’m doing but darkness will have to strike him down for him to admit that. To him I am nothing but a tool, a witch. Something to benefit him and what he wants rather than what the people around him.

Of course, telling him that wasn’t the best idea. I shouldn’t have even tried…

He just yelled back saying I should’ve told him sooner so he could figure it out himself while I keep working. But I don’t think he understands that I can’t work if this Xion character is connecting with Roxas. They’re not only hurting each other but hurting you, Sora. Regardless he was more than furious. 

I… I never took DiZ as someone who would result to physical violence after being argued against. I figured he would just leave the situation. But I remember vividly how quickly my will to fight back died as soon as he grabbed my wrist. I assume that was his plan, instill fear of some kind to get me silent. Yet what if he intended to go further? He already slaps Riku for minor things and Riku fights back. What could he do to me? 

DiZ’s yelling was so loud that Riku came rushing down, weapon in hand ready to strike. Of course DiZ yelled at him for being so aggressive towards him to which Riku seemed ready to strike DiZ down. Instead Riku just shoved DiZ back and unfortunately DiZ left this bruise on my wrist. Riku told DiZ to… um… leave only he used more profanity than that. They fought between each other for a bit, verbally much to Riku’s displeasure. 

I think Riku realized at some point that arguing was kind of pointless as Riku just grabbed my arm and dragged me back to my room. DiZ huffed and grumbled but I was rather dazed for the moment so I couldn’t really hear what he was on about. 

Later, Riku and I sat across from each other like we normally do and I told him everything I know about Xion at the moment. And surprisingly Riku confessed he had already met Xion in person. He fought her actually, about seventy five days ago I think. He said he was surprised when he saw her appearance but never told me why exactly.  He plan’s to track her down again I believe.

He left a couple hours later, I think because he heard or felt DiZ leave the mansion. I wouldn’t know.

Anyways, my wrist is okay if you were worried.  Riku put some ice on it and the King said he didn’t need to use curaga on it.

Now that DiZ knows about Xion a… a part of me is afraid of what he’ll do with her.

 .・。.・゜✭・.

Chapter Text

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good afternoon, Sora. 

I’ll… I’ll be honest with you. Sometimes I wish I could visit you while you're awake. We could talk back and forth. Like real people. Like two friends enjoying each other’s company. Not just a one-way conversation. It would… It would be nice… nice to have a friend. Especially one like you.

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good evening, Sora. No updates on your memories right now, Xion and Roxas are nearly attached at the hip, so I can do very little fixing. 

In other news, DiZ and Riku are fighting more often now ever since DiZ lashed out at me. Lots of yelling happens. Lots of it. Things break sometimes. DiZ broke a computer keyboard, Riku punched a hole in the wall, somehow a bookshelf fell, stuff like that. The King tries to break them up, but he fails almost every time. Their anger just turned to The King. I think The King is starting to give up. Just like me.

I just let them do their fights. I would never want to get caught in the middle. Though I’ve noticed that Riku seems to fight back as an outlet for his darkness. For example, when Riku fights an average enemy he almost never uses darkness. Yet when he fights with DiZ, that darkness builds and it’s all directed towards DiZ. Then Riku will come to my room and he’s calm. The darkness is contained.

I think he’s found a way to help him. A way to keep himself in check in a somewhat safe situation. Personally I think he would find it better if he found a better way that didn’t cause him anger and stress. I would mention it to him, even if i think he knows, but I fear he would just blow up at me.

I worry about that darkness inside of him though…

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Hello! Good evening, Sora. DiZ has backed down from arguing with Riku which is nice. It means me and The King don’t have to deal with their verbal hatred. Won’t have to deal with DiZ’s unwarranted anger. Just won’t have that sort of energy here at all.

Riku takes more time with me in my room, even after the heated arguments stopped. I think I’m beginning to understand why. I believe Riku finds the time he spends in my room as safe. A type of safe haven for him. I will not speak with him, DiZ won’t look for him, and Riku can pretend. Pretend that his friend isn’t trapped in a coma. That his heart isn’t clouded by darkness. That he never hurt his friends.

It’s nice. Somewhat. I know that’s bad, I probably shouldn’t find his act of refuge as nice but I do. I… I will admit that I can also feel as sense of comfort in his presence. I can feel how relaxed he becomes. How his heart stills and that light he forces down surfaces. I can watch as his body untenses and he heaves a sigh of relief.

It’s a stark contrast to when we first met. Especially with his darkness. It’s not as upset and startled easily. One wrong move and Riku would be bathed in it. Now it’s dormant. It only comes when he calls to it and instead of hurting him it protects the light he’s slowly finding. 

Maybe he truly didn’t need to be concealed away. I’m almost… I’m almost proud of him?

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good morning, Sora. Did you know Riku’s really good at making coffee? Apparently it’s a recipe his mother used to teach him, always made him make her coffee or something like that. I believe it’s made using native ingredients from the islands but obviously we don’t have those so he made do with what we had. Still tastes amazing! Anyways, um…

Oh, yes! I had something to say! 

I’ve noticed something odd about your memories. Something I currently can’t explain. Basically, in your heart you have your own broken chain of memories scattered across your Destiny Islands. Then you have some of Roxas’, those chain’s are very clearly separated to me, and they have a different appearance, but they’re still on the island as Roxas is you right? Then of course Xion’s get mixed in there because all three of you are currently connected. Once I fix yours, Roxas and Xion’s memories will disappear from your island. Will they disapper forever, I’m not sure yet.

Obviously, that’s not odd or strange at all. The strange part of this all is that when I chanced a look deeper on this island you’ve made for your heart, the island was no longer an island…

You know that cave where you used to draw pictures on the walls? Yeah, I wanted to check for any childhood memories there but when I walked further inside the cave slowly contorted into a white room. It was like I was back at the castle. There was a white throne-like chair facing the other way. There were memory chains there too.

They were not your chains.

These chains, I couldn’t touch them, they would move when I tried like someone else was pulling them away. And there was whispering, a conversation… Those weren’t any of you, Roxas, or Xion’s chains. Whose were they though?

I was woken up just as I tried to glance at the chair. There was a cold hand that pulled me back until I was back in my room. There was someone with me. Or more than one person! I briefly saw someone in that chair and someone else pulled me back. I just know it! They were conscious and knew they were there unlike Xion or Roxas. They knew what was happening and clealy had been there for a while. Which is just so… light!

There are people trapped within your heart, Sora!

I can’t do anything about it right now, but trust me, I am not going to stop here.

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Good evening, Sora. We’ve run into a breakthrough. And by we I mean Riku and I.

“Riku.” I  spoke softly, breaking the silence that hung around us. Riku hummed in response from where he was leaning against the wall beside the window. 

“I… you need to get rid of Roxas and Xion.” I put my pen down and bowed my head, hands clasped together in my lap.

Riku hummed again. “Figured.” He sighed.

 “Why? I mean… can’t they just… be left alone?” I sighed as well and looked at Riku who was already facing towards me. I  gave him a sympathetic look. 

“You know why Riku. Xion and Roxas have connected. Meaning that they’ll only continue to take more and more of Sora’s memories which will not only deley his waking but could stop it altogether if you don’t.” Riku ran a hand through his hair with a sigh spilling out of his lips.

“I know but…” He let out a frustrated noise as he trailed off looking away from me .

“You’re… you’re having second thoughts.” I didn’t say it as a question, looking at him like I already know exactly what he was thinking.

He didn’t respond, simply turned to look out the window and got lost in thought. I  stayed silent as I let him think.

“I saw her face.” Silence befell us again. He didn’t expand and truly I didn’t need him too. I understood what he meant. Xion hides her face very easily. If someone didn’t know her they only see a puppet where as if someone did they would see Xion. When I first saw Xion, I saw you, Sora. 

Eventually I saw her. Riku I’m sure saw you at first too. But now, now he sees someone else. He sees Xion.

“Is this an order from you or DiZ?” He asked, pulling the conversation away quickly,  not even glancing over his shoulder.

“What would it matter?” I shook my head with an almost pained expression. 

“If it’s from DiZ then I will argue with him for being careless about just wanting to take two innocent people out as well as not having the balls to tell me himself.” He gritted his teeth. “Where as if it's from you…” He turned to face me once more, which made me suck in a breath and I saw a ghost of a smile grace his face.

“Then I know it’s not to take them out. It’s to talk and find a solution .”

“You called them people.” I  almost interrupted him. His wording was just so surprising to me, I wasn’t exactly sure what to say. Was I reading too much into it? He hardly ever messed up his wording like that. It was intentional, there wasn’t a single doubt in my mind it wasn’t. It took Riku back abit, with how quickly I cut him off, but he recovered quickly, as he sat down in the chair next to me.

“I did.”

“...Why? I thought… You said that Nobodies aren’t people…?” I whispered, unsure of the answer I would’ve got and how he may react.

He shrugged with a huff. “I guess I had a change of heart.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve been watching them from a distance and I just can’t shake the feeling that they are just innocent kids like me that just happened to be born in evil, but it doesn’t make them evil. Like you.” He smiled at me and I couldn’t stop my shocked expression.

“M-me? But- but you hate me. We aren’t friends, you said so yourself.” I gestured to him, stuttering my words in confusion. It was true! Even if he’s become calm around me, toriable even, Riku was insistent that he did not like me. Yet suddenly he changed?

“I did.” He started.

“But everyday I see you, I can feel something deep in my heart that’s telling me that you are as much a person as me or Sora. You express these feelings, even if you’re not supposed to, that just feels so genuine.” His brows furrowed as his head tilted to look down at his lap. 

“I tried to convince myself that I hated nobodies like you because I knew I would form a connection if I didn’t see you as lying emotionless creatures rather than actual people. And once that happened, I wouldn’t be able to convince myself what we’re doing is right.” He sighed.

“But… even if my heart is filled to the brim with darkness and hatred, it’s still my heart and it will connect and find sympathy, I know that now.” He looked back up to me and stood up with a huff leaving his lips.

“I’ll find Xion. I will not hurt or capture her. I’ll talk to her.  But this stays between us. Not even The King should know.” Riku gestured to the door. 

“Are you trying to separate the job of waking up Sora into us and DiZ?” I  questioned though I already knew the answer.

“Not yet. DiZ is good for tracking and computers but his morals and methods are flawed. He’s getting on my nerves.” Riku shook his head. “I trust you Naminé.”

‘I trust you, Namine,’ He said. Oh, Sora, he trusts me. I’ve gained his trust. We’re working together, fighting together. 

He trusts me.

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Chapter Text

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Huh. Shit… This is just… too surreal.

I mean, you’re just right there… Out of my reach.

It’s been awhile, Sora. Sleeping well? 

…

I’ve seen Naminé come down here often, and wondered why. Figured it had something to do with restoring your memories. Still, I caught her once or twice and heard her mumbling to herself. I think she was talking to you. She spoke like she was giving you updates on your progress. Is she… Is she searching for someone to talk to…?

She’s not… Is she lonely? 

Fuck, maybe I’m being too harsh on her. Maybe I should, I don’t know, back off a little. I mean she’s done nothing that could drive me to seriously distrust her and her abilities. She’s been working tirelessly day and night. She hardly even acknowledges my presence when I head to her room for fuck sakes. It’s like all she does is sit and piece you memories together. Chained to that desk, her room. But... 

Then again, how can I be sure I can trust her? I mean look what she did to your memories. Did to you... But then I ask myself, was it really her fault though? That grip that asshole Marluxia had on her, surly that was manipulative…? And I have to remind myself that Of course it was! It’s her powers! She is the one that controlled them. It was her… always her…

Maybe I could just... never mind. What am I saying? I can’t get soft and shit all of a sudden. I’ve got a fucking job to do here!

Whatever.

It was… nice talking to you again… I guess… 

I miss you… so much Sora… please wake up…

➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Afternoon, Sora! Do you remember when I told you that you had two other people inside you? 

Well, uh.. I looked into it further.

I can confirm fully that there are two alive, conscious people trapped within your heart. How or why I’m not sure yet. Who they are and how long they’ve been there is blurry. They very clearly know each other and one seems rather protective over the other. And, light, they do not want me in their space. 

I tried to enter the cave again. I need to make sure that your memories aren’t in there. But this time I was met with a dark figure waiting for me. I tried to speak with them, convince them I’m only here to heal you, Sora, but they didn’t say anything back. They watched me closely, sizing me up. They whispered again, clearly speaking to each other and I couldn’t hear single word. Just the sound of wind blowing.

Then the other figure on the throne, this one very bright, looked over. I’m not sure if they spoke the same language that I did or if they prevented me from understanding their conversation because the dark figure hissed and seemed angry in their movements while the bright one tried to calm them down. It was strange to say the least. 

Eventually, the bright one approached and pulled a single chain from their chest, offering it to me. Then I was woken up, forced back into my room. 

The memory they gave me, it offered very little but it offered me an image of what they looked like. Their images are very blurry but I can see two boys. One blonde, one with black hair. They look familair, like I’ve seen them somewhere before but their clothes… I have no recollection of their clothes, just their faces… Seemingly they’re connected on a deeper level. They’ve been trapped inside of you for years now. Enough that they know how to control their forms and protect your heart.

That’s all they allowed me to see unfortunately. But I hope soon they will allow me more. I just need to gain their trust somehow…

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good morning Sora. You know what I think is sweet? The bond that Riku and The King share. They’ve been around each other a lot lately, sometimes I watch from the sidelines as they interact over breakfast. So I’ve naturally picked up a few things.

I mean, I can tell that Riku and The King are really close even if I theoretically never met them before. It’s funny to see them goofing off with each other. Riku really enjoys his company. When I see him smile it’s probably because he’s around The King. He treats The King less like a King but someone he can rely on and look up to. Kind of… father-son like? I dunno. Definitely not as close as you and Riku, so don’t get jealous or anything.

The King is really nice as well. I haven’t mentioned him much to you, but he’s nice. He’s a really good cook, he’ll help me cook dinner sometimes when the boys aren’t busy with work. He’s good at planning ahead too, and predicting things before they happen.  He's also a strong fighter. Not just with his pure strength but with his heart as well. He really cares about people. 

He kind of burns with how much lights inside him. Like when I was around you, Sora. It’s not painful and truthfully more of a pinching sensation but I suppose that’s just a good thing. 

Oh, he loves his Queen. Minnie is her name. I remember that much because he talks about her all the time. Talks about how much he misses her, how amazing she is, blah blah blah. It may be extremely repetitive but it’s sweet to see how much love he holds for her.

In the end, I think he’s a great king. Fantastic one even. I just… Don’t know what kingdom he rules. 

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 ∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Good evening, Sora. Updates, updates… umm… Work has been slow. There’s not much I can do right now aside from just look at memories. There are too many missing and it’s hard to stay inside your heart for much longer than a couple mintues. I could find a chain and start repairs but then I would be dragged out right after.

Um… Oh, Riku and I have started actually speaking with each other when he visits. He’ll always start the conversation, I make sure of it so that it allows him to express whether he’s willing to chat or not. It’s mindless conversations. How was your day, type stuff. Sometimes it’ll end there, other’s we’ll branch off for awhile and then very rarely it’ll continue until the clock strikes midnight.

Oh! Today in particular I asked him about his blindfold. Why does he wear it, especially in front of me, even after expressing his dislike for DiZ? So I figured I could ask him!

“Well just because I don’t exactly like the asshole, doesn’t mean he isn’t occasionally right. My eyes do hold my secrets, they hold my heart.” Was his answer, which yes I suppose makes a lot of sense. I almost felt a little silly for not figuring that out on my own. “So, I’ll continue wearing the blindfold.”

“Oh… I see…” Looking back, I realize now how distraught and sad my response truly sounded. I didn’t intend for it to sound like that, I was intending to keep that sadness to myself but I don’t think I have a good grasp on emotions.

“Do… Do you not agree?” Riku questioned back, shifting his stance with crossed arms. I  was sitting on the far end of the long white table as I usually do with my hands folded in my lap, while Riku leaned against the wall beside the large window just as he always does.

“Ah! No!” I panicked slightly, I definitely do not want him to misunderstand me! Who knows what’ll happen. Though I do feel that he wouldn’t have blown up like he used to. There is a certain calmness I find around Riku… Dare I say trusting?

“No, it’s just… your eyes are…” I trailed off. Weirdly my face felt a little warm and if I had to say I think I was embarrassed to continue.

“My eyes…?” Riku chuckled, confused, like he was encouraging me to continue. Strange…

“Your… I miss your eyes.” I let it out softly. Taking a beat to see his reaction, neutral, before I continued.

“They were the nicest aquamarine I’ve ever seen. Like the sea, or the sky, or even a small puddle.” I  smiled. I felt a little brave to speak up like that. To compliment him in such a way. To, almost, connect with him outside of our usual daily chores and struggles. I was branching out and talking about something unrelated. Expressing more than just my appreciation for his complexion but him in general. 

Riku didn’t respond. He tilted his head down, which made me unable to read him properly. I waited though, patiently just as I always do. I let him collect his thoughts. Eventually he sighed, reached up and pulled the black blindfold off of his eyes. He blinked a few times with a harsh wince before his eyes fully adjusted to the bright light in the blindly white room.

I remember making a move to, like, prevent him from doing such a thing. Physically standing up slightly and just nearly grasping the blindfold myself but Riku just smiled, and the urge to protect him from DiZ or get him to listen disappeared. Even though he took the blindfold off, I’m the one that ended up being blinded.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve taken off the blindfold. Sometimes I sleep with it. It's worse that I’m in a bright white room.” Riku chuckled before he rubbed at his eyes aggressively. He let his blindfold fall into my hands.

Let his trust fall into my hands…

“Riku... I… I thought you couldn’t take it off?” I squeezed the blindfold and fully stood to face him. Allowing a closer view of his eyes… The pathway to his deepest secrets, to his heart. No longer closed off from me. No longer untrusting and shielded away by a blindfold. No, rather open and free. Caring and welcoming.

His eyes expressed nothing but warmth and a sense of affection.

DiZ said his eyes don’t lie. 

That had me confused.

“Well, DiZ said it’d be safer if I kept it on, and it’ll help me practice better, but... you… you missed my eyes. And You seemed so… sad when you said it too. I didn’t want to see you sad anymore. I...”  Riku said, his sentence trailed off. Expecting me to already know the words that failed to slip past his lips. I read it in his eyes anyways.

I want us to trust each other. I want you to see me.

I… still can’t believe he took the blindfold off. And… and the way his eyes told me everything he felt… It was like nothing I’ve seen before. Obviously I know I’ve seen his eyes before, but there was never a moment where we truly saw each other deeper than a quick glance. The blindfold prevented that but now… no wonder having the billfold off is dangerous. 

I can see right through him. And he knows. He knows that I can read everything he’s feeling when the blindfold is off. He wants me to know.

I hope we both understand what he means by this… I hope to Kingdom Hearts that I understand what he wants and not letting my fake emotions get the best of me. Getting my hopes up for a connection that I will never have…

 ∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

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 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Oh, good morning Sora! I think this will be the first time I say this but I enjoy Riku’s company! Isn’t that crazy? Suddenly He’s coming to my room daily, speaking with me daily, taking his blindfold off daily ! Sure he has his snarky moments but overall I think we’re really starting to bond deeper than ever before! 

I understand him better. I understand what exactly makes him tick, what makes him sad or tired. I’m not sure if he does too, though I think I’m pretty easy to understand. But his eyes say he feels the same. They’ll do this strange thing where they widen upon taking the blindfold off and then they’ll soften almost. Relax once danger is clear. 

Whenever he’s around I feel this warm sensation. Originally I assumed it’s his darkness drawing me in, which yes it is but it’s also just him. Him as a person, as someone willing to give me a chance finally. Someone who sees me. It’s like everything inside me is telling me to just... I don’t know! I don’t think I really have to know either. Why do I? If I enjoy his company then I will leave it there. All the finer details would just make this all complicated.

Though, with all of that out of the way, I think I’m finding something bad happening with Riku. I haven’t brought it up yet because I don’t want him getting upset or anything, but the more I see him the more I notice it.

His darkness, it’s… it’s left unchecked. Meaning I can tell he’s just shoving it deep down, pretending that it’s not there and almost forcing light inside. Obviously you can’t do that, so his efforts are having an opposite effect. It’s… it’s eating at him. Like a parasite slowly taking control of its host. It eats and takes , making it’s host weaker and weaker until all that’s left is what the parasite wants. 

This was what I feared when I asked Riku if he wished to also go into a comatose state. I feared that with his desire to redeem himself he would be blinded by the idea of only being filled with light rather than working alongside darkness. I knew how it would affect him but I trusted his word. I respected his decision. 

I’m… I have faith in him. I have faith that he’ll realise what's happening. I suppose I could suggest it but he’s smart. He should know.

If he doesn’t… As long as it doesn’t start having physical effects… 

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Good evening, Sora. It’s been… slow. Not much to say. Hmm…

OH! You know what? It just hit me. I should bring Riku down here!  Maybe if he came down here he wouldn’t miss you as much. Maybe he wouldn’t be so sad all the time. I don’t think he’s actually seen you safe inside that pod. Just know you're here.

Yeah! I’m gonna bring him tomorrow. Hope you look forward to it! Bye!

 .·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Chapter Text

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

“Come on! Please? It’ll make you feel so much better! Trust me!” I  begged as I pulled Riku by the hand all the way down into the sleeping chamber where you rested. He chuckled at my insistent begging as he watched the ever so eager me pull him all the way down here.

“Alright, fine.” Riku caved, causing me to smile wide and release his hand. As we walked up to your slumbering pod, Riku made sure the door behind us shut, hearing the click before untying his blindfold and holding it in his hands. I was quick to rush up to your pod, placing a delicate hand over the metal petals as I look to Riku.

“So, What do you do here? I mean you can’t really talk to him.” Riku asked as he stood before you, arms crossed. Eyeing up the pod like the machine had consciousness and sought to hurt you.

“I don’t know. I just come down here and talk by myself. It’s like writing in a diary, but without the writing part… And with someone else that's not listening.” I  shrugged with a hum.

“What do you tell him?”

“Mostly updates on his memories. Like talking about Roxas and Xion… and other topics. Sometimes I talk about you, DiZ, The King.” I  turned back to him, finding his eyes watching me closely, and I found myself smiling at that. “Anything really.”

His eyes told me he felt safe. He felt comfortable. Happy even. Probably because you were there. How sweet.

“What? Why me? I’m probably the last person he wants to hear about. I did so much to hurt him and Kairi. There’s no way he’ll forgive me.” Riku said, his eyes flashing with hurt.

“You're the only person he wants to hear about.” I  walked over to the device that has your progress reported on it. It keeps track of your vitals, your brain condition, protection from outside forces, oxygen levels, all the works. And a camera function to look inside as you sleep! 

“Really? You're not trying to make me feel better are you?” Riku lowered his arms so they fell to his side as he watched me  tap buttons on the screen. Probably having no clue what I was doing.

“While looking through his memories, as soon as you disappeared you're all he’s been looking for.” I retrieved  photo and video transformations of your memories from Castle Oblivion, of you talking about Riku. Images of you in Castle Oblivion yelling at the Organization members to change Riku back to the way he was. Not knowing the Riku you spoke to was a replica.

Soon, each of them ended and the live camera inside of the chamber came through, showing you fast asleep. Looking so peaceful.

“Sora...” Riku placed his hand on the chamber, shaking his head with a scoff.  

“Such a worry wart.” We found ourselves chuckling quietly, letting a comfortable silence fall over us as Riku stayed close to your sleeping chamber. It was broken all too soon when Riku sighed and pulled back to look at me. 

“I’m… I’m  gonna head back. DiZ’ll kill me if he comes down here with my blindfold off. But uh… Thanks for bringing me here, Naminé.” Riku smiled. My breath caught in my throat. Unsure how exactly to respond to such small thanks and praise. 

“Um… You're welcome, Riku.” I  closed your progress report and shut the device down as I spoke, facing Riku with a smile of my own.

“You gonna stay for a while?” Riku asked.

I  looked at your chamber and hummed. “No. I think I’m good.”

We walked out together.

∘°∘♡∘°∘*ੈ✩‧₊˚∘°∘♡∘°∘

Chapter Text

 .・。.・゜✭・.

Good evening, Sora. Earlier this morning I uh… I told DiZ that I’m experiencing something strange around Riku. I think it’s an unfamiliar emotion of some kind. I think that sounds romantic now that I actually say it out loud but I… I don’t think it is? I’m feeling something. But I just don’t know what. Affection maybe? But that doesn’t sit right with me.

Of course, DiZ just laughed.

“Why are you laughing?” I  asked, frustrated as I crossed my arms over my chest in embarrassment. DiZ sat at his desk in front of all the monitors, working on something he would never tell me about.

“You are a Nobody! You cannot feel things.” DiZ laughed harder, clutching his stomach.

“Maybe I can!” I instantly fired back at him.

“Oh, are you going to tell him how you feel?” He faced me finally but only to mock me with a stupid sad face. “You can’t, can you? Because you cannot feel. You are incapable of any human emotion, only to mock in the face of true feeling.” I  looked to the ground once again, stupidly embarrassed. His laughter died down eventually once he finished explaining like I was only a young child. 

“Now, enough of this nonsense, and continue with the boy's memories.” I  sighed as I left the room.

He’s right really. I will never be able to feel anything. But why won’t he help me explain what’s happening to me then? Something is going on with me. Maybe I’m not feeling real emotion but it’s something. Yet he ignores it, ignores me…

Fine. If he’ll ignore it then so will I. I’m feeling something but whatever it is doesn’t matter. 

 .・。.・゜✭・.

Chapter Text

 ➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Hey, Sora. It’s me again… Uh Riku. I decided to come back down and say hi. I guess.

I don’t know. I just… light, I’m so frustrated right now. There’s something I’ve been wanting to tell someone, but I can’t just tell the Ki- shit uh… Mickey. Mickey. He wants me to call him Mickey.

Anyways, I can’t tell him even if I wanted to, it’s just… not something I think he would be good at. Or  DiZ, fuck no - I would never speak a word of this to fucking DiZ! And I can’t go to… to Naminé... 

So who better to tell then my childhood best friend who isn’t even conscious and definitely isn’t listening. I sound crazy when I say it out loud but… You were always easy to talk to. A good listener too. Felt like I could tell you anything and you would die before telling someone else.

What I wanted to talk about is that... well I’ve been... feeling things for Naminé . Can you believe that? 

First off, I didn’t even think I was capable of… Well any strong attraction outside of the platonic sense. I mean sure, yeah, I’ve had that fleeting heart flutter of attraction I think, but like… never anything like this. This… Kingdom Hearts, this is a whole new experience. That whole thing with Kairi, I’ll be honest, was just because I thought it was funny. I was never attracted to her. You would get so flustered and it was absolutely hilarious. Kairi even told me once or twice that she found it funny as well so I mean that was just a whole tag team tease against you. I would say sorry but I’m not.

But now Naminé’s here and I’m rethinking my whole sexuality, which is just so thrilling. I haven’t exactly dwelled on it fully, just a lingering thought in all honesty. I’ll figure that out later, I’m not dealing with that now. Let me tell you.

Secondly, Naminé ? of all people?  I’ve tried to reason with myself, saying she’s just the only person I’ve really had contact with in a while so of course my heart would latch onto her. And maybe I’m mistaking platonic desire for romantic desire, but then again I’ve never done that before and I can’t see myself ever doing that and- and- 

Kingdom Hearts, I don’t know why, but when I’m around her she makes me want to hold her and never let go. I just want to spend my days endlessly with her. When she and I are hanging out I lose all sense of logic and just want to… light, I really don’t  know how she’s able to toy with my feelings so much. It’s driving me fucking crazy! She makes me calm. So fucking relaxed and shit. I don’t know why I started escaping to her room in the first place but now I feel like I’m going crazy if I don’t see her at least once a day. Somehow she’s able to ease that pain within me, ease that darkness. It fades around her…

But the bad side of this all is… Sometimes late at night, I’ll think of her. And I’ll think of what happens to her. Roxas and Xion are bound to go back to you, become one again. So reasonably Namine is bound to go back to Kairi. And even though I shouldn’t, I imagine a world where we don’t wake you up. Where Roxas and Xion stay and so does Namine. I imagine what would happen then. 

Kingdom Hearts, that’s horrible. But I just… I like her, so fucking much.

Fuck- Maybe I should say something, or do something ! I don’t know. It would be great to have you here to help me talk to her, since you know you and Kairi are pretty tight. And I swear you were always better with girls than I was. Better with anyone really.

…You know what? Fuck it, I’ll go for it. Live the real teenage boy experience by asking a girl out. Surely it can’t be that difficult?

 ➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶

Chapter Text

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .

Oh my Kingdom Hearts! You wouldn’t believe what happened today! Okay, good evening first off! Second, when Riku came to visit me this afternoon, he asked me if I wanted to go out somewhere in Twilight Town! On his own free will! He was talking about how wonderful it is to watch the sunset with others and wants to show me! Me of all people! I’ve never seen a sunset! 

Well I kinda have, but this’ll be the first time it’s not from my room's blurry, dirty window or inside your memories! And it’ll be with Riku! Who wants to go somewhere with me! Oh, this is all too much.

Suddenly, I’m very nervous. I mean, W-What do I say? I haven’t left this place since we first got here! What do I do? What will he do? Maybe I shouldn’t go. What if it all goes wrong? I don’t know what to do! 

…ew suddenly I don’t like feeling feelings.

Okay, relax, Naminé! You’ll do great, just… I’m gonna go! I need to get out of this stuffy mansion anyway. Stretch my legs. I got this.

I’ll update you tomorrow!

.·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙　✩　*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ .