The idea came to him while he was watching Ven and Roxas duking it out again, which was impressive, considering it was only the second day they had known each other. Today's current debate was over who had bluer eyes.
It was Xion's doing though, to be honest. She did that thing she always does where she manages to make you question your awareness of the world with a simple statement.
"You know, watching them, it is hard to believe they both used to not be full people." Xion said, as if she were pointing out their similar taste in clothing as opposed to commenting on the very fabric of their beings. Lea didn't seem to find this observation odd though, as he just chuckled and nodded his agreement before taking another lick of Roxas's popsicle.
Sora, for his part hadn't understood what she was going for.
Xion, apparently aware of his confusion continued on.
"Well, Ventus used to be separated from Vanitas, right? So he didn't have a whole heart. And then Roxas started out without a heart of his own, because of being a Nobody. So neither of them were full people. But now they are." She explained. That was one of the nice things about Xion. Even when what she says sounds all complicated, when she explains herself, it is always simple and makes sense.
But it got Sora thinking about his friends and how they each got to where they are now.
That's when it hit him. He had to go tell Riku. He, Terra, the King, and Yin Sid had been shutting themselves inside Yin Sid's study, trying to plan out their strategy against Xehanort, though the King was currently off visiting his own castle and taking care of kingly stuff in his world.
Aqua was sometimes there too, but she was still working on getting back on a regular sleep schedule, and so was probably asleep.
At that thought, Sora quieted his thundering run up the stairs, not wanting to wake her up.
He mulled over his idea as he ran (why does this tower have so many stairs? Yeesh. Just because Yin Sid can teleport anywhere...) it just made so much sense. Not to mention how simple it was. So simple that Xehanort probably wouldn't even see it coming. That guy seriously has always been all about the complicated plans.
It occurred to him to knock about point five seconds after busting through the door. It was okay though as everyone greeted him with smiles, even if he had interrupted Terra.
"Oops. Sorry Terra." Sora said, bounding across the room with the access momentum from barging through the door.
"It's fine Sora. I was done anyway. What has you so excited?" Terra said, looking him over and taking in Sora's bigger than average smile before returning it with a smile of his own. His kind, blue eyes against his still grey hair (the only seemingly permanent carryover from Xehanort) made him look like he could be Riku's older brother, which Sora thought was fitting. That way, if Sora's plan worked right, there would always be someone around to take care of and protect Riku while Riku's too busy protecting and taking care of everyone else.
"I figured it out! I know how we are going to get the one up on Xehanort!" Sora nearly shouted to the room. His excitement only growing at the expressions of those around him ranging from dumbfounded, through disbelief, all the way into amusement.
"Is that so? Well then please do tell us what this plan of yours entails." Master Yen Sid spoke first, his hands moving from their crossed position against his chest to act as a brace for his chin as he leaned forward, elbows on the table, steepled fingers resting against his nose, nearly hiding the slight smile pulling at his lips.
Riku and Terra came from their positions around the second table set up in the room over to Yen Sid's desk as Sora hopped onto it, careful to avoid disturbing the paperwork. He sat down cross legged, and gathered his thoughts for one more second before proceeding.
"Okay. So, hear me out. We turn me over to Xehanort an-"
Sora's words got lost in the near unison cry of "WHAT!?" from both Riku and Terra.
Yen Sid quickly shut them up and urged Sora to continue. Which he did. Though all the excitement had drained out of him the instant he saw their faces.
Terra's had looked incredulous, which was insulting enough, but Riku's had morphed from incredulity into some combination of hurt, scared, and angry in the length of time it took Yen Sid to hush them up. Sora didn't understand why, considering he hadn't even gotten to his point yet, but he had never been good with seeing anyone scared or in pain. Especially his friends.
"Uhm...Well. It just makes sense is all. Xehanort is so focused on me and thinks I am one of you guys so he would jump at the chance to get me. Then once he gets me out of the way he will think he has won and you guys will be able to catch him off guard and stop him better…"
Sora wound up just trailing off, as the expressions of those around him, this time with Yen Sid included kept bouncing between anger, shock, confusion, and disagreement. Absolutely no one had the approving or excited looks he had been expecting when he started telling them of his idea.
Riku, for his part, looked like a bull about to charge. He was chewing on his tongue, eyes darting back and forth between Sora and Yen Sid, as if waiting for the signal to up and tackle Sora. He actually looked ANGRY. Which made no sense and, to be honest, scared Sora a little. It had been a long time since he had made Riku angry. Years ago, now.
The silence lasted all of 30 seconds however, before Riku's emotions bested his now ingrained sense of obedience.
"What the hell is wrong with you?! How could you even suggest that?!" Riku bellowed at Sora.
"Riku, calm down." Yen Sid spoke softly.
"What do you mean calm down? We are NOT letting that bastard get anywhere near Sora! You can't agree with this?" Riku continued on, his fire burning out at the last sentence, turning it into a question as his aquamarine eyes released Sora from his prison to face Yen Sid.
"No. Of course not. But Sora may have stumbled upon a good point here." Then, apparently noting that, according to the wounded, slackjaw stare Riku was giving him, Riku wasn't hearing what anyone had to say right now, Yen Sid turned to Terra.
"What do you think, Terra? You are being rather quiet." At that, Terra jerked his head up from the spot in Sora's hair he was staring through with a very thoughtful expression.
"Well, I mean, I think I get where Sora might be coming from…" He mused.
Riku's whole body seemed to tense as he swung his attention to Terra.
"Not that I support it!" Terra amended. "But I am curious. Sora, what did you mean when you said you aren't one of us?"
Painfully aware of the tension in the room (Riku's nervous twitches bordering on shivers, certainly didn't help) Sora continued. Glad to at least get the chance to argue his case.
"Well, I mean, you guys told me that he assumed I was a Guardian of Light back in The World that Never Was." Sora, pointed out.
"Are you saying you aren't?" Yen Sid pushed him to continue. Which caught Sora off guard.
"Of course not! Isn't it obvious?"
Yen Sid silenced a rebuttal from Riku before asking Sora to list off who the seven Lights were supposed to be, if Sora wasn't one of them. Though the way he did so reminded Sora of the way parents played along with their children's fantasies.
Despite Yen Sid's tone, excitement began to creep back into Sora's voice as he answered. The idea that no one else had realized something so blatantly obvious to him giving him hope that he might be helpful afterall.
"Well, I mean there are seven true keyblade wielders, and three of them are even masters!"
Sora started, with a grin at Riku, who, for all of his fire, did shrink back the slightest bit, at the acknowledgement as Sora continued.
"And seeing as the whole point of the keyblade is supposed to be to protect the light, it just makes sense that those would be the Guardians of Light. I mean, as determined as Roxas and Xion are, I don't think they could pull it off. But that is my fault, seeing as they came from me."
"True keyblade wielders? But Sora, even if you don't count Xion and Roxas, there are eight of us, including you." Terra pointed out at the same time Riku asked a question of his own.
"What do you mean it's your fault? It's not like you did anything to them."
Sora, instead of addressing either of the two boys in front of him, turned to Yen Sid, who was, thankfully, still sitting there calmly, just listening.
"Well, I mean, if you think about it, Terra, Aqua and Ventus all got keyblades passed down to them from their master. Just like The King and more recently, Ax- uh Lea learned from you. Then Terra gave the ability to Riku and both Aqua and Riku kind of gave Kairi her keyblade, not to mention she is one of the lights by default already as she is a Princess of Heart. They were each chosen by the keyblade and are part of an unbroken chain. I was an accident. Two times over. I was never actually enough on my own to earn a keyblade."
Sora chose to ignore the slight whimper of disagreement from behind him at this.
"I had Ventus's heart inside me when I accidentally took Riku's place on the island. So I only accidentally got a keyblade. Then Roxas and Xion were able to wield keyblades because I could and because Ventus went with Roxas when we split up. So it makes sense that none of us would be good enough to be a Guardian. Especially when we already have Terra, Aqua, Ventus, The King, Riku, Kairi, and Lea. Which makes seven."
Sora's joy that he was able to provide new information was somewhat marred by a strange feeling of tightness in his throat. Where it was coming from, he wasn't sure, but he pushed it aside as he studied Yen Sid's face for a reaction to his theory.
"Hmm. An interesting point." Was all he got from the ancient wizard.
"Sora." Came Riku's voice. Quiet. All sounds of anger gone.
Sora decided to let Yen Sid think about his idea for a bit and turned around to face Riku.
"What did you mean you're not enough to earn a keyblade?" He asked, confusion and some weird kind of apparent discomfort now shaping his eyebrows in place of the anger that had been there before.
Sora couldn't understand the question. You don't ask what people mean when they say water is wet or the sun is bright. Everyone already knows because that is just how it is.
"Uh. Well. I thought it was obvious?" Sora stalled, finding that for some unknown reason he couldn't match Riku's gaze as his own directed itself to his shoes on its own accord.
Why was he acting like this? It didn't make sense. It's not like he was giving any new information. Sure he had never bothered saying it out loud but that was because it was just one of those universal truths that didn't need pointing out. Yet here he was feeling embarrassed and upset about something that had never ever been an issue before.
Riku just looked at him as if Sora were shattering a prized heirloom or something.
"It just makes sense I guess? I mean, it's not like I have anything to offer. You were always the biggest, fastest, smartest, and strongest of the three of us growing up. Kairi is, well, Kairi. So special and full of light, they call her a princess. And then we have met all these amazing people who are as strong as you and I met all the Princesses of Heart and they are all as good as Kairi and-"
It wasn't until Riku had pulled him off the counter and into a hug that he realized tears had started falling down his cheeks. Which was weird considering there was nothing to be sad about. Also extremely embarrassing come to think of it, what with Terra and Yen Sid in the room.
But then Sora felt something warm and wet on his forehead and he realized Riku was crying too?
"Riku? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Sora asked, worry overwhelming whatever he had previously been feeling.
"Have you always thought like this?" Riku's cracked voice asked instead of answering Sora's questions.
"I mean, I guess so? I never really thought about it" Sora said into Riku's hair, just now realizing how quickly it had grown back out.
"I mean, I have always known that my friends are my power, and without them I'm nothing special or anything. I am just really happy that I have been able to be part of the team anyway." Sora explained. Rather unsure as to how he had gone from explaining his brilliant idea to comforting a crying Riku.
"Well fuck." Riku huffed. "If I had known that's what you meant when you said that, I would have given you a piece of my mind so much sooner. What's the matter with you? I thought even you were smarter than that." Riku said, the hint of an angry growl returning to his voice as he pulled Sora even tighter.
Sora didn't know how to respond to that so he didn't. He just stood there rubbing Riku's back for what felt like forever but had probably only been a few minutes. Feeling the shakiness of Riku's breaths kept him going until he heard Terra awkwardly clearing his throat.
It was at that moment that Riku seemed to remember the rooms other two occupants as well, and released Sora.
Instead of being where he last saw them, Terra and Yen Sid were stepping back into the room from the adjoining room that shared the uppermost level of the tower.
"Sorry to, uh, interrupt, but we need to talk." Terra said, glancing to Riku and Sora's red, watery eyes.
Once Yen Sid was back in his chair and the three younger men were standing side by side, facing him, Yen Sid spoke up.
"Before we continue discussing plans, there are a couple new developments that have come to light today that I must address. First off is Sora's theory. Which I now believe to be correct."
Riku's responding hiss was once again silenced by a look from the Master before he continued.
"There is something to be said for the inherent power in continuing the direct lineage of the keyblade masters. And seeing as there happen to be exactly seven of you who fit that description, it makes sense to assume that those seven are the ones predicted to stand against the thirteen darknesses. However. Sora, just because you aren't one of the seven official Guardians of Light does not mean that you ever have been or ever will be dispensable."
At this, Sora could practically feel the tension begin to leave both of his friend's bodies. He himself, however, couldn't figure out where this was supposed to be going and just hoped that it would start making sense somewhere down the line, as was the way with Yen Sid's usual method of explanation.
"As Ansem the Wise once put it to Riku, when he was waking you up from Xehanort's sleep not too long ago, you have the special, unique even, gift of being able to not only safely house the hearts of others, but to bring them from the clutches of non-existence and into our waking world, effectively saving those who had once been considered lost beyond all hope of re-birth. You already know this. Your power is different from those of the Guardians. But that does not mean that you are any less powerful or important to our cause." The sternness in his voice somehow offset his lauding words without lessening their sincerity in the slightest.
"But, with all do respect, Master Yen Sid, with all seven Guardians of Light now awake and here, there is nothing I can do that would be of much help. Not to mention, with Ven awake now, I am not even sure if I can still wield the keyblade. I haven't really gotten a chance to try. " Sora countered, trying and failing in his attempt not to squirm under the unwavering praise, and thus letting slip a fear he had never intended on voicing out loud.
And without warning, he once again found his face buried in Riku's hair, this time accompanied by a light smack on the back of the head from Terra.
"Sora, if either of us has a reason for the keyblade to refuse us, it's me. As we already know." Sora pulled back just in time to watch Riku as he spoke, and saw his face darken as the memories connected with that time in his life momentarily flashed across Riku's mind before he could push them back where they belonged.
"Oh come off it Riku! YOU ARE A KEY! BLADE! MASTER! For crying out loud! And you totally earned it and were totally amazing. Just accept how incredible you are already!" Sora said, his voice coming out more harshly than intended so he just hoped his smile was enough to show he wasn't actually angry.
With a weary sigh, Riku grabbed Sora's shoulders and held him so Sora faced him squarely, Riku shook his head before staring him dead in the eyes.
"No. Sora. That's. That's really sweet of you but that is not at all what I was talking about." The exasperation in Riku's voice only slightly losing effectiveness from the smile pulling at the corners of his eyes.
"Look Sora, if you are really worried about it, we can work on the keyblade thing soon, if there even is a problem to begin with, which I doubt there will be. But you have, as you said, three current masters, not to mention a retired master to help you. Besides. You are basically the human embodiment of everything the keyblade represents. This is just a given fact, so don't even try to argue. Everyone, even the old geezers like Yin Sid and Diz, er, Ansem the Wise know this, no offense, sir."
Riku looked over to Yen Sid in slight apprehension at his inappropriate slip up but only received a slight smirk and small nod from the Master, so he continued.
"It was I who had lost the right to wield the weapon. Not to mention it had been you whose inherent goodness had straight up earned the keyblade back after I had attempted to take it from you. And that isn't even including how crucial you are to everyone here. You are literally the center of our movement. You were the one to save the worlds from darkness on many accounts. You are the one Mickey, Donald, and Goofy chose to replicate in the data worlds; the one to keep Kairi's heart from falling to darkness, which would have spelled the end of everyone, might I mention; the one that has made any of this possible. Don't you ever think that you aren't important. Not when you are the most important of all of us. Do you understand me?"
Riku seemed to be as surprised as everyone else in the room at his rant, as a light blush began to color his cheeks, but he refused to back down from the look of determined authority he was regaling Sora with.
"I..I mean..." Sora mumbled, his reeling mind absolutely zero help in taming his whirlwind mass of tangled emotions.
"I'm sorry Riku." was the best he could get out.
Thankfully that seemed to be enough, not only for Riku but for everyone else in the room too as all three of them nodded in agreement.
After one last hug from Riku (this whole hugging thing was definitely beginning to be a little excessive, considering neither Riku nor Sora had ever been big huggers growing up, but Sora found he appreciated them all the same), a nod from Yen Sid that seemed to convey almost fatherly encouragement as well as a dismissal, and a big brotherly pat on the back from Terra, Sora left them to their planning.
As he trudged down the ungodly number of stairs on his way back outside to rejoin his other friends, Sora found himself surprisingly exhausted. However, he couldn't help but smile from the warmth filling his chest. As strange as it sounded, it was surprisingly comforting to find that not only were his friends his power, but he was also theirs.