The fight was like any other against a mob of Heartless, no different than the dozens that Kairi and Sora had faced together before. Something had felt off, however, for she'd caught him glancing her way several times. Normally she wouldn't have complained, but it had become distracting enough that they had both let their guard down repeatedly.
"We're gonna need more potions if we keep that up," she laughed.
"Sorry," he rubbed his head "I guess my mind got preoccupied."
"What, was there something in my hair?" her hands rested playfully on her hips.
He chuckled, "No."
"Then what's up, Sora?"
He hung his head low. "It's kinda embarrassing."
Her face flushed warm. What could he have been looking at that made it awkward? She had to know.
"I've humiliated myself several times while fighting with you, Sora," she smirked, "try me."
"Alright," he sighed, "I was…admiring your Keyblade."
"Oh," she dropped her hands. That wasn't what she was expecting.
"See, I told you. It won't happen again, I promise," he raised his hands in defeat.
"No, it's okay," she reassured him with a smile, "It's no reason to be embarrassed. It just surprised me, that's all."
His head perked up. "So…you wouldn't mind if I held it?"
His hands clasped together in front of his chest. She'd never seen anyone else so excited to see her Keyblade.
She giggled, "Only if I can hold yours too."
He smiled wide and summoned the Kingdom Key to his right hand. Flipping it around so the hilt faced away from him, he extended it to her. She did the same with Destiny's Embrace, and they traded.
His Keyblade was slightly heavier than hers, forcing her to adjust her balance. The grip was also much wider, and the frictional material felt rough against her sore, uncalloused palms. She still had much more training to do before she matched his level.
Even after facing so many enemies, the shining metal hadn't been marked with a single scratch or dent. It was simple, yet sturdy and dense for its purpose. She admired the gold decorating the handle, as well as the keychain that paired with the Keyblade from the Realm of Darkness.
She glanced back up to Sora, who was still examining Destiny's Embrace. She couldn't blame him for taking longer; the design was much more detailed and intricate than his. Even she had yet to memorize every inch and crevice.
"It's so…pretty," he beamed, "much cooler than mine."
She giggled, "Sora, you have like fifty keychains that you can change out at anytime." She held the Kingdom Key up, "and besides, I like the simplicity. It still says alot."
He shrugged, "I know, but you got a cool one right off the bat." His fingers ran along the flowers that made up the teeth of her blade. "Do you know what these are called?"
"Aerith called them chrys…something. According to her, they're associated with royalty."
He smiled, "That makes sense, with you being a Princess of Heart and all."
"I guess, but I'm no royalty."
"No, the vines make heart shapes too, see?" He traced the outline with his index finger. Destiny's Embrace said so much about her, it was like literally wearing her heart on her sleeve.
"Look, the gold matches on each of ours," she said, trying to move the subject away from herself.
Side by side, the shade was almost identical. While his cut off straight to silver, hers faded into red at the tip and a blue wave on one side of the handle. She watched with nervous breaths as his eyes traveled down the handle.
"Hey, a chess piece!" He touched the cross design at the end of the hilt.
"Oh, is that what that is?" She feigned ignorance, scratching the back of her head.
"Yeah, it's the king!" She didn't think Sora would recognize chess pieces so quickly. "I wonder why it's not the queen piece."
His crown necklace still rested proudly against his collarbone. She held up the Kingdom Key and compared the teeth with the top of the crown. She'd known the similarity, but up close, it was no coincidence that they pieced together almost perfectly. She'd recognized the chess piece shortly after receiving Destiny's Embrace, and it hadn't taken much longer for the symbolism to connect in her head. He wielded a weapon called the Kingdom Key, he wore a crown necklace, and he was the piece that tied everyone's fate together.
Because it's supposed to represent you, she thought but couldn't build up the courage to blurt out loud.
She held his blade in front of her face in an attempt to mask the growing blush. He still hadn't pointed out the most obvious part of Destiny's Embrace. From the king's piece, the star-shaped fruit dangled on a bright red braid. Though it was small, it practically screamed for the eyes' attention. He had to have noticed it, but a part of her wasn't ready to address the elephant in the room yet.
As if he could read her mind, he brought his free hand up and rested the swaying paopu fruit in his palm. As he admired it, a soft smile formed on his face. His eyes always smiled with him. He looked so charming, and she couldn't handle the butterflies that erupted within her chest. She panicked and summoned Destiny's Embrace back to her hand. It replaced the Kingdom Key, which returned to its owner.
Sora flinched at the unexpected action. When he looked to her, his eyes showed a trace of hurt.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me." She fumbled with her Keyblade. Her body told her to run and hide, to pretend that the interaction never happened. She hung her head low and began backing away.
Before she could escape, he dropped the Kingdom Key and caught her arm.
"It's okay, Kairi," he flashed her an innocent smile, "what's the matter?"
His touch was gentle and comforting, impossible to pull away from. Her body relaxed, and she returned a smile as best she could.
"Is it because you miss home?" he asked.
Was he really that oblivious? Or perhaps he was just as afraid as she was to address the implications of the symbolism. Unable to lie to those blue eyes, she shook her head. Her gaze found his necklace again, subconsciously communicating her thoughts when words seemed unavailable. His hand followed where her eyes led and clutched the small crown.
"Then what -" he stopped. His eyes betrayed his train of thought, growing wide as the pieces fell together in his head.
Why did her Keyblade have to say so much about her? Why couldn't it have been simple like the Kingdom Key? It put her heart out on display for anyone to see, whether she wanted them to or not.
Letting go of his necklace, he pointed to his chest. His adorable bewildered expression left her weak in the knees. She gulped and answered his unspoken question with a nod. Her head had never felt heavier.
Confusion was quickly replaced with pure happiness as a bright smile lit up his face. Immediately, some of the weight lifted from her chest. There was no heart that his smile couldn't ease.
Her heart had practically spilled right in front of him, and it hadn't scared him away. It made him…happy.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I never meant for it to say so much."
His hand brushed down her arm and came to rest at her fingers. She contemplated releasing Destiny's Embrace and allowing him to take her hand.
"I wish my Keyblade knew me that well," he chuckled.
Apparently she didn't need to let go of her Keyblade, for he soon covered her hand with his own. Gripping the blade together, they looked to one another. It wasn't just a tool to use for battle; it stood as a symbol of her heart. After that day, fighting with it would never feel the same again.
"Besides," he said,
"Sometimes words aren't enough."
A/N: Thank you, PhoenixDowner, for the inspiration on this fic and for giving me permission to write about the concepts we discussed!
For those who don't know, Phoenix wrote an in-depth post on tumblr about the detailed symbolism on Destiny's Embrace (the colors, the flowers, the chess piece on the handle, the paopu fruit of course, etc.) and how there was heavy SoKai written all over it. We went back and forth for a bit on how cute it would be if Sora slowly noticed the details and pieced the puzzle together. It was super fun, and it gave me so much inspiration for this fic!
I hope you all enjoyed this story, and if you haven't already, check out PhoenixDowner's fanfiction page!