If there was one thing that was true about the universe, it was that Sora loved his wife Kairi and adored his three children more than anything. He loved their firstborn daughter Miyu, with her mom's sensibility and eloquence. He loved their only son Haruto, with his dad's sass and his mom's bluntness. And he loved their sweet daughter Emi, the baby of the family and daddy's girl extraordinaire. While Miyu was the most like Kairi and Haruto was a mix of both him and Kairi, Emi definitely took after him with her childlike sense of wonder.
Sora was grateful to have such a wonderful family. A loving wife and three awesome kids were more than he dared hope for. Every day he was thankful for what he had, and every night when he and Kairi tucked their kids into bed at night, he thanked their lucky stars for being kind.
There was just one issue.
He had reached the age where, no matter what he did, his two oldest children thought that he was the biggest dork in the universe. Seriously, he couldn't do anything without making them cringe or roll their eyes or exchange these looks, and as much as he tried to laugh it off, it was getting harder and harder to do so. But dammit, he was going to do his best to try. This was just a phase they'd grow out of. One day, they would think dad was cool again, and he wasn't about to give up on them so easily.
Kairi was working today, so he herded the kids together and took them to Miyu's volleyball game. He sent Haruto and Emi on up ahead to the bleachers and lingered for a moment to talk to Miyu.
"You've got everything?" he asked as he checked her bag. "Towel, water bottle—"
"Yes, Dad." She rolled her eyes as she tucked her long brown hair into a scrunchie.
He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Hey, what's with the attitude?"
"I don't know, maybe because you think I can't take care of myself?"
"Um, newsflash, you kinda can't. You're only fourteen."
"Um, newsflash, you and Mom were only fourteen when you started your amazing journey. And here Haruto and Emi and I are stuck on these boring islands doing boring island stuff."
"Hey, Destiny Islands is not boring, it's awesome," Sora retorted, putting his hands on his hips. "Take it from someone who's been to a lot of worlds, this one's the best by far. And you're lucky you have such 'boring' lives, you have no idea what your mom and I went through to make sure you would—"
Miyu's violet eyes flashed. "Yeah, because you won't tell us!"
"Miyu," Sora warned. For whatever reason, she'd gotten especially confrontational lately, and this was not the time or place. It was true he and Kairi were planning on telling the kids about all they'd been through… someday, but someday could still be a few more years away. Miyu was only fourteen, Haruto was twelve, and Emi was just nine. There was no pressing need to talk about this when they were still so young—
"Ugh, Dad, you suck," Miyu said with another roll of her eyes as she grabbed her bag and waltzed off.
Sora was left standing there, watching her walk away because it felt like she'd just punched him in the gut. Try as he might, he couldn't ignore the hurt feelings bubbling up in his heart. Yeah, she was a teenager and teenagers said stupid stuff all the time, but this hurt. This felt personal.
It wasn't like he and Kairi were keeping this stuff from the kids to be mean. They were keeping it from them to protect them. To make sure they wouldn't know until they were ready. He and Kairi agreed that they wanted their kids to have normal childhoods, and he didn't want to weigh them down with the burdens they'd had to bear from far too young an age.
So what if it meant he was overprotective? He would die for each and every member of his family if it meant they would be safe. Keeping a few things secret from his kids was downright reasonable in comparison to what he would willingly do for them if he had to.
"Hey Dad?" Haruto asked as Sora finally joined his other two kids on the bleachers. Somehow Haruto's spiky red hair was already a complete mess despite Sora's earlier attempts to tame it under a baseball cap, the baseball cap was nowhere to be found, and his blue eyes hinted he was up to no good. "Can I get some popcorn?"
"Oh, um, sure," Sora said as he reached into his wallet for some cash. That was a reasonable enough request. "Get some for Emi too, okay? And don't take too long, you don't want to miss the game."
"Yeah, yeah."
Haruto scampered off, probably to meet his friends, and Sora sighed. Had he been this energetic at that age? Probably. The older he got, the more sympathy he felt for his own parents.
"It's okay, Daddy," Emi said, and her blue eyes were sweet and innocent as she smiled up at him, and her brown hair was still in its perfect pigtails.
"Thanks, sweetheart," he said as he put his arm around her. Emi was the only one who still called him "Daddy," and she was the only one who didn't gripe about being called "sweetheart." Who knew how much longer that would last, so Sora was trying to enjoy it for as long as he could.
Miyu was up first, and she served the ball. Sora cheered loudly for her and Emi joined in, and with that the game was underway. He watched intently as Miyu jumped and blocked and passed and spiked. She was naturally athletic, and she'd make a good Keyblade wielder. But he and Kairi had agreed that under no circumstances should any of their children be bequeathed Keyblades until they were at least sixteen, preferably eighteen. They could whine all they wanted about that, but they had no idea what danger having one would entail.
Sports seemed like a good compromise. That way their kids could be active and fit while still getting to be kids.
Presently, Miyu scored for her team in a particularly impressive spike, and Sora stood and cheered, loudly. He couldn't help it, he was so proud of her and how hard she'd trained for this.
"Great job, Miyu! That's my girl!"
A couple of her teammates giggled, and Miyu's face turned red. She wandered close to the bleachers and hissed, "Cut it out, Dad, you're embarrassing me!"
"Yeah, you might wanna tone down the enthusiasm a bit there Dad." Haruto had returned just now, popcorn in tow, and he was cringing. "No offense, but it's times like this when I'm grateful I look more like Mom."
He handed Emi her popcorn and sat down, and Sora tried hard to blink back the tears in his eyes as he sat down too. It would be pretty lame for a grown man to cry in public, and he didn't want to embarrass his kids any further.
"Thanks for the popcorn, Daddy," Emi said as she happily snacked away.
"Hey, no problem sweetheart," he said without looking at her, because he knew if he did he might really lose it. "But remember to thank your brother too, he got it for you."
"Thank you, Haruto," he heard her say.
"No biggie," Haruto replied. "Least I can do for the world's best little sister."
He ruffled Emi's hair, and she beamed up at him and giggled. Well, at least Sora could say his kids were nice to each other, even if the older two were mean to him. Their manners weren't a lost cause yet, and maybe someday they'd come to appreciate him again too.
But for now, there were probably gonna keep being mean to him. It hurt a lot, but if it meant they were safe and they could live normal, happy lives, Sora would bear this for them too.
After sixteen years of marriage to Sora plus all the years they'd spent together before that, Kairi could read him like an open book. And that meant that the moment he walked through the door with the kids in tow, she could tell something was wrong. He had a smile plastered on his face, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Welcome back," she said as she gave him his usual kiss. "How was the game?"
"Miyu did great," he said. "Scored several points and her team won."
"Miyu, that's awesome," Kairi said, but Miyu only gave a non-committal noise as she walked past them and started trudging up the stairs, loudly. Kairi raised an eyebrow as she looked between her daughter and her husband. There seemed to be a link between Sora's gloom and Miyu's sullenness, and she was gonna get to the bottom of it sooner rather than later.
Sora just shook his head when she met his eyes again and indicated Miyu. That was the great thing about being married to him for so many years; they could have entire conversations without saying a single word.
"Mom? I'm hungry," Haruto said, interrupting them.
"Oh, well, dinner's about ready. Sora, why don't you finish things up and get everyone their food? And Haruto, Emi, set the table and get everyone their drinks please."
Their two younger children scrambled to the kitchen, and she cupped Sora's face in her hands and stroked his cheek. He relaxed into her touch and let his eyes close, and she could already sense whatever was troubling him abating a little.
"We'll talk later," she promised, then kissed him again before going upstairs to check on Miyu. The door to Miyu's room was shut, and she knocked on it.
"Miyu? May I come in?"
"You have a Keyblade, don't you? Why don't you use that to open the door?"
Kairi sighed. "Honey, you know I'm not going to just barge in there. If you don't want to talk right now, it's okay. I just thought I'd offer."
A few moments later, Kairi heard the lock unclick and then the door opened. "Dad's being lame again," Miyu muttered. "He embarrassed me in front of all my teammates."
"What happened?" Kairi said with a frown. She knew Sora wouldn't do anything to intentionally embarrass Miyu, but it was possible his enthusiasm for everything had led to him doing something that had embarrassed her all the same.
"He cheered really loudly when I scored and made it all about him. He said 'That's my girl!' like I'm six years old or something."
Kairi sighed. "He didn't mean it like that, he's just really proud of you. But I can see why that was embarrassing for you. I'll talk to him about it, and then maybe the two of you can talk?"
Miyu frowned. "That's the other thing. I don't know how to talk to him anymore. He's been so snappy with me lately. Every time I try to ask him about the Keyblade or about your lives before we were born, he gets all weird and goes on the defensive. It's like there's this big secret he doesn't want us to know."
Kairi bit her lip. There were multiple big secrets that she and Sora had agreed could wait till the kids were older. But maybe they'd waited to tell the kids for long enough. Miyu at least deserved to know at this point.
"I'll talk to him about it, okay?" she said as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind Miyu's ear. "We know we can't keep this stuff from you guys forever. I think we both just… wanted your childhoods to last for as long as possible."
"But I'm not a child anymore, Mom. I'm the same age as you were when you started your adventure."
Kairi smiled sadly. "I know. You're really coming into your own, and I'm so proud of you. And your dad, he's proud of you too. He's just… very protective of his family."
"Why?"
"You'll understand, when he's ready to tell you."
Dinner wasn't as awkward as it could've been, so Kairi considered that a small win. Afterwards, Miyu and Haruto worked on their homework at the kitchen table while Sora helped Emi with a school project. Kairi swept the floors and ran the vacuum cleaner so that they'd have a little more time tomorrow to unwind before the kids had school again on Monday and she and Sora had work.
By the time the kids were in their rooms for the night (though it was doubtful they were actually asleep), she and Sora were tired, but she wasn't about to let that stop them from talking. As they were getting ready for bed, she wrapped her arms around him and planted a gentle kiss between his shoulder blades.
"Talk to me," she said softly, running her hand up and down his chest. "Tell me what's on your mind. Share with me what's troubling your heart."
He rested his hand over hers, keeping it in place over his heart, and she felt his heartbeat beneath her fingertips. Even after all these years, the simple gesture still brought them both comfort.
"Miyu told me I suck and that I was embarrassing her," he finally said, "and Haruto said he's grateful he looks more like you than like me."
She winced. "Ouch, they really didn't mince their words this time, huh?"
He turned to look at her, and there was real pain in his eyes. "They hate me now, Kairi. They hate me, and it—it hurts. I love them so much, I love them so much I would die for them, but they're embarrassed I'm their father."
She found his hands. "They're teenagers—well Miyu is, Haruto's almost there—and they've finally hit the bratty teenager phase. It won't last forever."
"But what if it does? What if they're never proud to be my kids?"
"Our kids," she corrected gently.
"Right, our kids. But they love you and think I'm the worst."
"It didn't always used to be like that, remember? I was the bad cop when they were younger and you were the good cop, the fun-loving parent they adored because you usually said yes. I was the mean parent that told them no. I was the no-nonsense one that didn't let them get by with bad behavior whereas you were the one that rewarded them for being good. Now that they're older, I think they've decided that no-nonsense Mom is who they can turn to for homework help, and advice with crushes, and how to deal with a difficult teacher. Dad is the fun-loving goofball and entertainer, and they think they've outgrown him. They're getting older, and for teenagers, it's social suicide to be too enthusiastic about anything that could get them teased, so they don't understand why that doesn't bother you and you're enthusiastic anyway. They don't get that your enthusiasm comes from confidence and a big heart and not a drive to impress everyone else."
Sora's head drooped. "I guess. I don't feel so confident now though. I feel like a failure as a father and as their father. I know I haven't been the perfect dad because all the mistakes I've made over the years still haunt me. I just… wish they'd appreciate how much I care."
"I've made a lot of mistakes along the way too. And they will. Again, their understanding of the world is still too simplistic. They don't see us as fully flawed and complex and human yet. We're in this weird place for them between the almighty beings we were when they were little and the people they'll come to appreciate when they're grown up."
"I hope you're right," Sora said softly.
She gently rubbed his hands with her thumbs, moving them in circles.
"You know, there is something we could tell them… something that might help them appreciate you. That might help them realize how wonderful their father truly is."
Sora fell silent. She knew this was a sensitive topic for him, and she would have to be gentle. As open as he usually was, there were some things that he rarely spoke of to anyone except her. They were too tender and delicate, too raw and vulnerable to share with most people because they revealed the very depths of his heart. And if he feared that heart would be laughed at or mocked or disregarded—
"Maybe it's time they knew," he said at last. "Miyu won't stop pestering me about it anyway, and we can't hide the truth from her forever."
"We can tell her tomorrow, then."
"Might as well tell Haruto and Emi too. I'd rather get this over with all at once."
Kairi frowned. "If you're sure…"
He kissed her forehead. "I'm sure. So long as we do it together, I can handle it."
"It's a promise."
A/N: This story has been in the works for over a year, so I'm proud to finally share it with you all! A big thank you to Rapis_Razuri and Alja for all their help. This story is based on the conversations I've had with them over the past year and a half since KH3 came out about our SoKai family headcanons, and I finally got around to writing it. I dedicate it to both of you as a thank you for all the support.
As for SoKai kid names, I carefully researched various names and chose them based on meaning, significance, and practicality, and buckle in because this is gonna be kind of long, I'm excited to finally be able to share this with you all:
Miyu's name has the following kanji: 心結. The first kanji is the kanji for heart and the second one is the kanji for bonds—in other words, her name means something like "connected hearts" or "hearts connected."
I felt like it was a perfect name for one of Sora and Kairi's children, considering Sora's catchphrase in Japanese (connecting hearts is my power). Plus, Sora's Japanese VA's name is Miyu (Miyu can be both a boy's name and a girl's name, and I've seen it written with the kanji I chose for the girl's version of the name), so I wanted to give a shoutout to him.
Also, Miyu also sounds like "me, you," which ties in nicely to the idea of being connected to other people, so accidental English pronunciation bonus there (much like Sora's name sounds like the word "soar" in English, which calls to mind the sky, and as we all know, Sora's name means "sky").
Haruto's name has the following kanji: 天翔. This seems like it might be an unusual use of these kanji to me, but the name Haruto has been popular within the last few years for boys, and using these two kanji for it is apparently feasible. The first one means "sky" or "heavens," as a reference to Sora, and the second kanji is an older one that means "fly" or "soar," another reference to Sora (and to One Heart as well, Sora and Kairi's ultimate team attack). Altogether his name means something like "flying/soaring to the heavens."
Emi's name has the following kanji: 愛海. The first one means "love," and the second one means "ocean" or "sea." For obvious reasons, her name references Kairi's name (which could also be rendered with the kanji for ocean/sea). Together the kanji mean something like "love of the sea." I like to think that Sora and Kairi named her after Kairi and Sora's love for Kairi.
Anyway, thank you if you read through all of that, I've just been sitting on these names for over a year now and couldn't wait to share them with the world. There are two more parts to this story, so stay tuned for the rest.
Thank you for reading!