@hamadaxfighter Asked; Ive Lost Something As Well. ( Sora Or Kairi )

@hamadaxfighter​​​​ asked; “ i’ve lost something as well. “ ( Sora or Kairi )

►  ❪  THE GREEN KNIGHT  //  accepting  ❫

         Sora had to wonder, with how much his heart's worn on his sleeve, if the darker side appeared more transparent as well. He was trying so hard to not to let it get to him, but guess he failed in that regard. A brief falter, but noticeable all the same for one of San Fransokyo's protectors to voice concern. Maybe it's the way his upbeat cheer dialed back a bit, or the stare cast over the ocean reflecting the light of the setting sun — a reminder of home, of where this spiral began.

         Startled laughter, a touch nervous / embarrassed as a gloved hand scratched the back of his neck,  ❝ Sorry Hiro. I’m being a bit of a downer, aren’t I ? ❞

         Enough of that then !  Gotta remember only happy faces powered this ship !  Hands settled on hips, stiff posture relaxing and stance adjusting, ready to lighten the mood even just a tad. Only, Hiro spoke up again, a hint towards his experiences.

         A unique type of pain sprung from the cavern of false ribs, a pang that settled deep within the recesses of a too full heart. It ached  ( it always has ), knowing that friends had also needed to bear the sting of hurt, to be weighed down with the agony of loss. How unexpected it was, and how it took and took and took, until it felt you had nothing left to be stolen away. As much as he'd like to take on all their burdens, Sora couldn't save everyone. The price a hero had to pay.

         ( it's your hurt too, isn't it ?  it must be ... to leave such deep scars in even you )

         But Hiro was here. His light hadn't been snuffed out. Despite the events in his life, he found his own way to move forward to this point, was still discovering his own path. Hiro really was something, wasn't he ? ... ( the true mark of a hero )

         ❝ I don't know what the 'you' of that time was like but I know losing something... can change people. ❞  Oh, he knew. A hand rested on his chest and lingered, gaze rising from where it'd fallen to the ground.  ❝ You're really strong, Hiro. I can only talk from the perspective I've got, but I know there's plenty of people out there who're glad they got to know the person you are today. Including me. ❞

In honor of KH20th, I finally got up and wrote out my canon divergences for my Sora and what effects it's had on him

Heart Issues

After Vanitas was ripped out from him, the remainder of a dying Ventus' heart made contact with a newborn heart and almost dissolved into it. However, the newborn heart refused this and they remained separate, but the connection did leave its imprint. ( ie the constant same face syndrome )

Sora has a weaker heart from birth due to the strain of helping Ventus. First from first loaning some of it to support Ven and then housing him inside his own heart while he recovers. His heart essentially overworks to try and compensate. This led to him having arrhythmia  ( irregular heartbeat )  and mild hypertension  ( high blood pressure ), putting him at risk for more various heart complications. 

Growing up, his parents took him to a doctor frequently, but they could never figure out what was the cause behind it since there's no prior family history that would indicate this. The best the doctor could do was prescribe their son medications to help manage it.

Sora tried being careful about his health and not overwork himself too much, but he did have moments where he would experience chest pains, shortness of breath, bursts of anxiety, fatigue, dizziness, moments of (near) fainting, etc. He never liked it when some of the other kids / adults on the islands would treat him like glass when they heard about his health problems, but Riku and Kairi always treated him normally.

He dreamed a lot more about his station of awakening, but most memories of it never stuck.

When Kairi ended up in Sora, weirdly enough it helped him???  maybe it was due to her nature as a princess of heart but it helped strengthen his heart. While it didn't get rid of his condition, it did ease his symptoms throughout kh1.

After being blasted off Destiny Islands, Sora luckily had all his medication with him in a pack he usually has on him. However, when he was knocked out by Leon, they removed his stuff and he actually forgot to pick his pack back up in the wake of all the Keyblade nonsense. Sora leaves with Donald and Goofy and they're almost by the first world when he realizes he doesn't have his meds. He didn't tell his new companions about his condition for like, the first two worlds because he doesn't want to be treated differently by them or be benched in this new adventure when he had to find Riku and Kairi. Plus he's been fine since the islands !

Things were not fine. His condition flares up in world 3 and he's force to fess up. Donald is the first to call him out on how dangerous that was while dragging his ass back to Traverse Town, and Goofy points out how worried the both of them are. Then they ask about what they need to know about, what he needs, and what to do when something happens. They monitor Sora to make sure he takes his meds, and ensure to take breaks during their journey. If anyone complains, Donald threatens their life.

Replica

After Xion went back to Sora, it caused some stress on Sora's heart but he's had an extra one before. It’s all good. Manageable. It's when DiZ has a resistant Roxas assimilate with Sora in a disjointed merge that things quickly go sideways. Adding in Ven's heart and Roxas' heart exacerbated Sora's condition in a bad way. It's a lot to ask one body to house four hearts. 

DiZ and Namine scrambled to do something when they realized he was dying and tried to stabilize him, but it wasn't enough. Sora died of heart failure in the memory pod near the start of kh2.

DiZ saves Sora's heart and sticks it into his own version of a replica. It was originally a spare, partially finished replica he had taken from Castle Oblivion and was conducting research on using Vexen's notes. It'd be able to handle the extra weight better but isn't quite the "perfect replica indistinguishable from humans" that Vexen creates in kh3. They assumed that was the end of that and the problem was resolved but this caused its own issues.

The replica fully adopted Sora's identity / memories, operating under the belief that he was the original when he awoke in the pod. For all intent and purpose, he's Sora - same heart, personality, memories, goals - but also... not quite in a way, since the replica somehow wound up developing it's own half formed heart attached to the old. One derived from the original, dependent on it. Namine is the first to realize this is happening.

Sora's heart pretty much the replica's own now, but there's a distinct part of the "original" Sora still in there as a sort of parallel mind. It's like the files of Sora 1.0 and Sora 1.5 are saved on the same disk, but instead of being overwritten completely some of Sora 1.0 exists as a hidden addition to the new file.

The replica carried on like usual, unaware of his nature as a clone replacement, but there were times when he'd act a little different from his established personality ( thanks to that new addition of half a heart ), and when he'd see himself or hear things in his own voice when he didn't say anything. Sora's original mind would accidentally, unknowingly take control of the body, which confused the current Sora.

Riku... had quite the reaction when he heard from Namine what happened.

Sora  ( and everyone else )  only ever finds out what happened when DiZ has his mask off moment to reveal himself as Ansem and dropped another truth bomb while he’s confessing his sins. You can imagine how everyone responds to that. Confusion, horror, shock, anger. Riku blows up at Ansem for all this shit going down and not breathing a word about it to the one most affected from his actions. Meanwhile Sora can barely process it, the explanation is wild and yet it perfectly clicks with the weird stuff going on around him. He wonders if he's really Sora at all, or if he's just some fraud. An imposter. Some imperfect shell only impersonating the original, stealing his life, connections, and friends.

I'm still working out the ddd and kh3 aspect. He experienced a lot of imposter syndrome, and questions a lot about himself, and the Organization doesn’t exactly help with all the cryptic bullshit they constantly spout, but Sora at the point of kh3 has more or less come to terms with his situation, viewing both the new and old as the "real Sora".

@deathburns asked; ‘  you are teaching me to love  ’ but its the good bellatte content :)

►  ❪  YOU & THESE BONES  ❫

          Comfort seldom greeted those mired among the threads of war, but no sounds disturbed the ambience of night resting easily across this human village. If she focused her hearing enough, ears soon picked up on the activities of nocturnal creatures, of the wind rustling the leaves, of the villagers enjoying a safe evening. The illusion of peace only made Ellatte appreciate these days all the more.

         Here, under the lonely gaze of distant stars they met again. He sat and she stood, one of few ways they can see close to eye to eye. Was it weakness that led her, leaning into a demon's touch rather than recoiling ? No. The celestial didn't believe so, not when loving itself took strength. Again and again, she found it in these interludes that was theirs alone. She found it in him.

         It laid in the way he cradled her face, capable of terrible wrath yet carrying nothing but tenderness when handling her. In the way he gifted a nuzzle to her forehead, foreign / familiar beats of affection eliciting a shiver and suspending breath - slowly, she's growing accustomed sensations it brought. In how his palms lingered after, war-worn and calloused, not unlike her own marked by battle. In the quiet words felt as much as heard, a breath of vulnerability skimming across her skin, a confession she listened to in rapt attention with a reverence of her own.

         ❝ Don't be silly. ❞  A reprimand, but one lacking bite, teasing in tone. Gently, fingers curled into locks whitened silver by the soft glow of moonlight, tucking loose strands behind the shell of his ear. Isn't this time they shared together proof enough ?  ❝ You already knew how to. ❞

         ( to love is not to ask, it is to give. and he had given so much already, so filled with love. she never needed to teach a thing. )

         Reaching up, her hand grazed his, coaxing and clear with intent, and soon fingers intertwined into a secure hold. Closer, closer she pressed forward, unafraid and earnest. Roseate lips ghosted over top his, her own words feather-like in their caress.  ❝ You'll stay with me tonight... right, Bellion ? ❞

@valorxdrive​ asked; ❛  i think the life i want is the life i have  ,  but how can i be sure ?  ❜ (To Tifa.)

►  ❪  NOT HERE  ❫

         Boy garbed in brightness, heart lighter than air. Yet it seemed clouds of doubt arrived on innocuous winds to cast their shadows. That question... it's one many had surely asked themselves at least once in their lives. She was no exception to this rule, contemplations following her to new worlds traversed, hidden in the silent moments of repose. The flicker of a smile warmed calm features, scarlet gaze observing the uncertainty presented.

         The culmination of hopes and dreams, the goals aspired to, things that shape a person and chartered their path through life. Emotion and self reflection drove the clarity he sought. As light as her own heart was, that's not something Tifa could lay out clear as day for the keyblade wielder. It's hidden deep within, a truth known only to his ears and one always subject to shifting changes and the trials the journey brought. What may be the answer today might be entirely new tomorrow. However, it's not her style to leave a trusted friend hanging with nothing when they looked to her for any wisdom.

         Words of guidance / pearls of advice from a new, different perspective - it's the best she could do.

         ❝ That's really only something you have the key to figure out. ❞  Gloved palm settled on the other’s shoulder, delivering a reassuring squeeze,  ❝ But, I think you'll find the answer waiting for you inside your heart, Sora. It will just take a little time to get to it. ❞

@madestars​ asked; “Don’t touch it, please! It hurts.” ( natboom uwu )

►  ❪  BLOOD AND BRUISES  //  accepting  ❫

        Face value demeanor dictated shockingly little, and the lax, blithe nature Boomer exuded spoke little of how he viewed others in reality. Honestly, the business of friendship wasn't normally his thing. Too many attachments, too many boring weaklings who found stomaching a simple joke or a decent hit too much to bear. Minimal amusement / scant stimulation, not enough to justify interaction. Sunlit company broke the typical mold and held unsteady interest. A pleasant surprise, but he'd say, in this case at least, he's doing a pretty swell job. The city may as well give him a reward for being a top-tier companion.

        So then, how did he miss this ?

        For a guy who can see through walls, it's downright insulting laughable. Either Natalie's better at concealment than first assumed or Boomer's inattentiveness extended to a greater degree than he thought. Later rather than sooner, he cottoned on. Stopped dead in his tracks after a jesting nudge elicited an unexpected response, a harsh wince and sharp hiss of air received instead of a round of laughter or a shove in return.

        Baffled; the most prevalent of emotion, sudden turbulence knocking him out of sync. No trace of the careless grin moments prior stuck around, passive, good mood evaporated under the lens of the suspicion burning down upon it.

        Instinct bypassed neural paths, burgeoning thought just breaching the early stages of thinking as hands snapped forward, one locking her left forearm in place and the other forcing the sleeve farther up to expose the source of discomfort. Ah, but he's too rough in his haste. The angry pulse of a cool shade was spied for one second, before the owner yanked the arm from his grip with a complaint, defensively shielding it from view. One's more than enough.

        Rays of light frozen, birds locked mid flight, the short span of time stretching out, out, out as cognitive processes ramped up, reducing his immediate surroundings to near standstill. Narrowed blues fixed on the damning evidence, a spot of discolored skin crawling up the length of her arm. Rushing mind catalogued little details, each spurring a new splinter of thoughts and questions.

        It didn’t look broken, but it's a nasty bruise. Did he cause it just now ?  No, didn't make sense. He's actively making an effort to not accidentally hurt Natalie. A sign was already there. Her left arm saw little use today in favor of the right, lacking exuberance, hindering expressive gestures. Did she bump into a wall ?  Why hadn't she say anything then ?  Fair enough, he'd be embarrassed to admit he lost a fight to a flimsy piece of architecture too. But if not that, other options were there to purvey. Was someone bothering her ?  Did a person knowingly do this–

        Hands clenched, digits twitching, whitened knuckles already anticipating the familiarity of blood. Heh, now that's a thought. Names needed to be noted, fists itched to bury into something, be blessed by the satisfying crunch of something giving away underneath them. Concrete, earth, flesh, didn't matter.

        Boomer blinked a second later, the world resuming it's normal perceived flow of time, sounds of the city rushing back with a chaotic buzz. Her bruise was still there, which sucked.

        Prodding hands stilled, unsure what to do with themselves. They're made to destroy, clear cities, level mountains, carve into the untouchable. Not.... help in any meaningful measure. Punching away the problem ?  Worthless here. Natalie's not gonna die or anything if he took his eyes off her but ignoring it altogether didn't appeal either.

        A breath of frustration unfurled and brows furrowed. Fingers drummed an uneven beat against the side of his thigh to redirect excess energy elsewhere before it found an outlet outside the restless body.

        Oh !  Humans put ice on things when they get hurt. Chilled wounds, numbed pain. The Rowdyruff may not have Blossom-level subzero breath, but Boomer could manage that much. Flying Nat out to the arctic and dumping her in a snow drift to let it work its magic sounded like a great first plan. His mouth opened to suggest just that before it snapped shut with a click, doubt's lurking shadow cast over it as the question of whether the gesture would be appreciated the way he wanted it to be sprung up right behind the first thought. Ok, then. It'd take a little too much time anyways... A substitute would suffice.

        Within a few heartbeats, he tapped her shoulder  ( his position’s a few inches to the right now, though not seen making a visible step )  and raised a fitting offering to her eye level, a silent expectation for her to accept it. A tub of mint ice cream lifted from the convenience store they'd just passed down the road. What ?  A little theft never hurt anybody.

        Eyes too bright stared over the corny yellow lid sealing the container shut, electric blues heightened under the light of the sun. The unnatural peeked more to the surface as his wide grin returned, too at ease, too sharp.

        ❝ So... how'd you screw up your arm, Nat ?  I’m dying to know. ❞

@ianuarius​​ asked; “ i’ve got time. i’ve got lots of time. “ mori + q.

►  ❪  THE GREEN KNIGHT  ❫

         Moments, seconds, minutes. So much of it, yet it's never enough. Waking up in the morning hours seemed to invite endless possibilities that branched outwards into many avenues to spend it, but there's only so much able to be squeezed in the breadth allowed by the strict passage of a single finite day. Mori considered himself no deep philosopher pondering on the thought provoking merits of the world or the threads of secrets woven into its fabric that lay beyond human understanding. At the very least he valued what the grains of seconds passing them all by could represent, when he slowed down to take in everything and anything about the environment flourishing around him. A small appreciation for nature so to speak that reared its head now and again.

         Hearing talk of time from this joker though ?  That earned a suspecting squint, crosshairs narrowed to a fine line. A drawn out hmmmm tickled the base of his throat, arms folded, weight shifting as Mori rocked back and forth on his heels.

         Why the hell would Q have so much time on his hands to burn when he's always heard that supposed big shots had to drown in work to maintain their position ?  Was doing commission-y things not a part of the job memo, or did it only entail standing around for the nonexistent intimidation factor ?  Blondie's a commissioner too, and his sliver of strength unveiled during tournament recruitment seemed unreal, but maybe the title itself was no big deal.

         Come to think of it, all he'd ever seen glasses here do was smoke and snark and get his ass beat. Well, until it turned into Mori getting his own ass beat when a literal magician move was pulled out of nowhere, wicked blade a crescent flash of red aimed right for him  ( he'd been winning fair and square up until that point ) !

         Stinging reminder aside, even Mori knew how to partition his time between the essential tasks of eating, sleeping, and rigorous training. Studying for school too he guessed, but exams didn't exactly hold the highest spot on his list of priorities.

         ...Ah, Q must’ve been seeking out his sage advice on how to spend the afternoon !

         Hands settled on his hips, a small nod reaffirming the realization. Mori’s helpful tip held the backing of extensive self study research:  ❝ Think about investing it in naps ?  People need more sleep y’know. ❞

         Only moments later he backpedaled, a new / better idea blinking to life. Shoulders heft, exclamation alight in eyes. The perfect solution.  ❝ Ohhh !  No wait, forget that !  How 'bout another fight ?  Caught me off guard last time four eyes, but it's different now. I'm ready for ya ! ❞