Final Fantasy XV - Kingdom Hearts
Part 34
Summary: Two warriors of Light, the Chosen King and Keyblade Master, face an unseen Darkness.
*Galdin Quay, night*
The sea salt scent of the ocean immediately brought a sense of nostalgia to Kairi, leaning on the window to see the quay in all its lunar glory. With the light used by the keyblade wielders and keeping everyone close, they had no troubles on their journey here, allowing them all to for once enjoy the beauty of the night.
The place where they were going had already won over Kairi when the chef of the party had regaled her in stories of heavenly dishes, she was already salivating at the thought of the crab dishes. Tonight, she took in how serene and beautiful the place is with the night, clear skies that allowed the stars to be seen from above and in the ocean, twinkling beautifully with the moon reflected in the ocean. The restaurant's lights alit and welcoming with many locals taking moonlit walks.
Arriving at the car park and after giving their birds come greens, the party headed into the restaurant with a reservation thanks to Ignis once again.
Inside they were guided to their table, a large round family one, the princess enjoying the warm and friendly atmosphere the restaurant provided. The place felt extravagant certainly but there was none of that rich entitled kind, it was homely in a sense. Sitting between Iris and Goofy, Riku being next to the girl, the latter in a discussion with Ignis about his proposition of him taking a spin of the Regalia one day despite the captain's hesitance, Iris was chatting up Aqua about some of the dungeons they explored.
Across from her, she spots Prompto showing Aqua and Donald a few snapshots of their adventures, from the impressed looks from master and the surprised one from Donald she had a feeling those photos weren't anything short of spectacular. Finally, she looked to Noctis having a slight argument with Gladiolus conversing with the girl. From what she managed to hear over the other voices, they were having a debate on who had the most kills during their last dungeon, with the prince bragging his kill took both him and Sora together so it counted as more than one.
Kairi smugly thought to herself that if her boyfriend wanted to, he could've taken out all the daemons and heartless there.
Speaking of her boyfriend, she peered to her left to see Sora was looking at her a gentle smile, before winking at her. She blushed but giggled at him just as their orders were brought out. Kairi's nearly teared up at the sight of her meal, it was simply; perfection.
Steamed Crab with Rock Salt.
Clapping her hands together and uttering a quick "thank you", she eats her meal, her taste buds dancing with glee. She tuned into the conversations amongst the others, adding her thoughts to them or making small talk with those across the table. There were jokes made, reflections on their journey so far, Ignis even saying he would be able to replicate the recipes, to the utter delight of the party. Kairi adding in some of hers and Prompto's adventures in the mines, to which Prompto teased Kairi's lack of technical knowledge.
She challenged his own with a reminder of the burnt oatmeal that she ended up freezing, earn several laughs from the party as Ignis also added with salt to Prompto's wound that Kairi was the one who ultimately paid the price for his negligence.
There some jeers and a few cheeky comments at the boy's expense, but all good-natured. Sora even started telling them about their islands back home with Riku and Kairi joining in, the races they had with Kairi often teasing the boys they couldn't decide on anything without it being a contest. True to her tease both boys confessed they couldn't without one of them challenging the other, and given it was a tie regularly or even matchups.
Noctis spoke up saying one time he wanted to see how his warp power worked and tried it when he was a child. At this Ignis rubbed his temples with a chuckle as he revealed Noctis has warped to the highest chandelier in the palace and spent four hours up there. There was a choir of laughter amongst the party, Iris saying she remembered Gladiolus and the entire guard were panicking at the sudden disappearance of his majesty they searched pretty much every nook and cranny of the place until Ignis revealed his location.
Simply by standing below the chandelier and pointing up at it, and then the king himself nearly had a heart attack from the act. He warped himself up then to rescue his son and the prince was so terrified he wouldn't let go of his dad for two hours straight. As more of the party were sharing stories, Aqua taking a spoonful of her Sea's Bounty Risotto before she glanced at Gladiolus, staring daggers at Riku and Iris. Curious, the woman glanced at them to see what was making the shield glare.
Riku was chatting up Iris about their adventures, mostly talking about the dungeons they explored and the fights while the girl hung to every word that came from his mouth. Tilting her head in puzzlement, seeing nothing glare worthy of the shield and glanced back to said shield. 'What's wrong?', she whispered before putting her food in her mouth. '…is it me or they are getting along too well?', he glowered so quietly Aqua could feel the tremor in his voice. Looking at the two teens again and she could see they were getting along swimmingly.
'Yes? Is that a problem?', she asked, 'Would you prefer if they were at each other's throats?'. Gladiolus huffed and took a large bite out of his dinner, roughly chewing it like a behemoth. Shrugging, Aqua resumed her dinner before taking a sip of her water. Doing so she tried to watch Iris and Riku's interaction, curious as to what Gladiolus was so concerned about yet there was no antagonizing amongst the two, they're sharing stories and they seem happy together.
Her brows furrowed however when she subtly glanced at Kairi and Sora…then back to the master and younger sister of Gladiolus, seeing although carefully hidden similar affections for each other. Slowly she lowered her glass as Iris giggled cutely at what Riku said, a joke or something that had happened to them on their journeys. That giggle almost sounded like Kairi's when Sora did something cutesy or cheesy…
'…OH…now I see why you're annoyed…', she whispered.
'…you know I'm gonna kill him if he tries anything, right?', he warned.
'Please don't, we need him alive for the battle', she pleaded.
Gladiolus huffed again, deciding this was a conversation for later as he drank his beer. Aqua deciding to follow suit and finish hers.
After dinner the party had all retired to their rooms, the usual group with Noctis and his Crownsguard, Sora with Riku, Donald, and Goofy with the girls sharing a room.
In the room of other worlders, they were already turning in for the night while in Noctis' room they were up playing some cards. In the room with the girls, Aqua was in the bathroom taking a shower before turning in, leaving Kairi and Iris the only two up to talk away the night. Outside on the patio enjoying the cool summer breeze as they sat down on the two chairs with sodas between them. As they enjoyed this sense of peace, Kairi took a sip of her drink as Iris asked: 'So how long have you and Sora been together?'.
'Hmm…about two months now?', Kairi said with a thoughtful look, trying to recall the calendar of this world. It was amazing that they've been on this world for so long, what felt like just a few days turned to months. 'He and I had our first kiss after we finally caught up to him and the others'. A smile graced her lips as she thought back to that day, though he didn't say those beautiful three words at first just kissing him alone was worth the wait.
'That's so cute~', Iris cooed. Kairi smiled back, then frowned when Iris stirred her drink with her straw, looking conflicted like she was hoping to ask a question. 'You ok?', Kairi asked, 'You look like you wanna ask something?'. Iris bit her inner cheek and sighed: 'Well…do you think…what do you think of Riku?'. Blinking like an owl, Kairi pursed her lips and tapped her chin with one finger, not exactly used to having someone ask about her thoughts on Riku.
'I guess…he's like my big brother, you know?', Kairi said with a small shrug, 'He's kinda been the one teaching me right and wrong, he was the oldest between us so…I guess I see him as a brother'. Iris nodded, smiling. '…so, does that mean you don't have an issue with me asking him out?', Iris asked as Kairi took a sip of her drink.
Bad timing.
Kairi spluttered out her drink in shock, spraying the patio's wooden floors with a mixture of her saliva and soda. She coughed and tried to clear her throat as Iris patted her back. After, Kairi wiped her mouth with a napkin, looking back at Iris, now sporting a sheepish smile. 'I'm guessing that's a no?', she said. Kairi giggled after she cleared her throat, smiling comfortingly. 'Sorry, you just caught me off guard with that', she explained, 'If you think you've got a thing for him, then go for it!'.
Iris gave her a toothy grin as they hugged each other. The princess looked behind Iris to see Aqua, in a white dressing gown, looking at them with a bemused look with one hand on her hip. Kairi smiled at her master innocently as the latter shook her head. Mouthing "goodnight" to the girl, Aqua retired to her bed as Kairi and Iris stayed up most of the night discussing their love lives.
And when Iris mentioned the date, Kairi gave her the widest smile she could muster…
*Next Day*
With a beautiful sky-blue day and after taking some downtime to chill out to enjoy the summer day, most of the party had taken to the beach. Everyone had changed into proper beach attire and some in their swim gear. Prompto was on the with Donald, Gladiolus and Goofy playing volleyball with each other, Ignis being the referee for the team while he was reading while Riku was settled beneath one of the trees, lazing about in the shade.
In the ocean Kairi and the girls were playing together, the two younger teens were mostly teasing Aqua and splashing her, teasing her and taunting her to chase them. The woman loudly declaring her namesake will likely be their undoing, chasing the two girls in the ocean. Nearby on the docks, Sora and Noctis were standing on the edge of the pier, his fishing kit beside him. He was on a mission, fishing rod clenched in hand as he stared into the crystal blue waters ahead of him.
Inhaling the sea salt air as he steeled his nerves, rod equipped with the best lure and lines, Noctis rolled his shoulders and loosened up his joints. Today would be the day he would partake in his greatest battle, his reputation as a fisher was on the line.
Today…he would catch the "Devil of the Cygillan".
'You ready for this?', Sora asked, looking at the future king. 'Totally', Noctis stated confidently. With a flick of his rod, Noctis threw the line into the waters, and once it plopped into the waters he began to wait with Sora by his side.
With the volleyball match, the white ball dived down to the field, but before it could reach the sandy ground Donald tripped on his own long feet in his attempts to catch it. Luckily the mage's head proved to be the perfect thing to bounce off and the ball flew into the air for Gladiolus to take the offense. As the ball was right above the net, Gladiolus jumped into the air, yelling as he hit the ball with a lot of power.
A spike shot that would have likely created a hole in the ground had Goofy not been standing there to block the ball. The ball smashed right onto his head as if an anvil had been dropped onto the poor captain's head and then bounced off him. Goofy staggered in left and right, drunkenly before he collapsed onto the ground, out cold. Gladiolus' face spoke for the entire group partaking in the game as Ignis immediately rushed to the captain with a potion in hand.
Although Gladiolus swore, he heard Donald grumble something on the lines of "not again…". As the ball bounced away from the group, now tending to the fallen captain, Gladiolus worried he might have cracked his skull. Surprisingly Goofy opened his eyes and rubbed his head with a small groan. 'Gwarsh Gladio, you sure take your volleyball seriously…', Goofy said, dizzy and jolly. 'Sorry bout that Goof', Gladiolus apologized, offering a hand to the dogman.
'Looks like you're all having a good time'.
They looked to see Aranea standing at the edge of the volleyball game, the ball under her arm looking at the team. Instead of wearing her usual dragoon armor she was wearing a dark grey bikini with her hair loose, a pair of sunglasses resting on her fringe and free like the wind and a pair of sandals. She tossed the ball back to them, Prompto catching it as the others stood up. 'Aranea, it's been a while', Ignis greeted with courtesy.
'Oh, so that's the jump woman Kairi mentioned…', Riku mused as Prompto gawked at the woman's choice of clothing. The dragoon turned to Riku, blinking at the silver head. 'And you are?', she asked, 'Don't remember you'. 'Name's Riku, and you're Aranea, the commodore?', he answered with a fold of his arms. 'Ex-commodore actually', she said with a scoff, 'Officially retired from the Niflhiem empire'.
'Ahh, you followed through your decision than', Ignis hummed with approval in his tone as she joined the group. 'After all the crap they've pulled I'm glad they didn't try and put me in those experiments', Aranea huffed, 'Now I'm back to the mercenary life at long last'. As she finished this, she peered over to see the other girls in the ocean turning to her, a small frown appeared on Kairi's face. Aranea gave the girl a smirk and waved at her.
'Long time no see red!', she greeted. Kairi gave her a half-hearted smile and waved back. The dragoon gave the guys a nod before heading to the ocean shores to chat with the girls as they joined her at the ocean, the guys resuming their game after Goofy assured them he was fine.
The silver head turned to Aqua with a curious look, brows raised. 'You her master or something?', she asked, crossing her arms. 'Yes, I'm Aqua', the master stated, eyeing the woman. 'You helped them out during the hunt for the Mythril, right?'. Aranea shrugged. 'Eh, more so keeping your apprentice alive. That Sora kid found it before we did', she explained with a scoff. 'Speaking of Sora…'.
She turned with the girls to see the boy watching Noctis hand Sora another fish to throw in their ever-growing basket of fishes. The prince casting the line once again into the ocean with Sora throwing off his t-shirt and tossing it on the floor near him before he leaned against the shed again. Kairi was grinning madly at the sight of Sora's toned chest, before she turned on Aranea, sporting a wolfish grin. 'Do not even consider it…', Kairi warned. 'What? Just appreciating the bounty', Aranea teased, smirking.
'Wait…are you thinking of seducing Sora?', Aqua asked. 'Hmm, maybe. If Red here doesn't step up~'. Kairi growled at her and if Iris hadn't been close to her she would've grabbed Aranea and dunked her into the ocean. Then before she could see if she would make great shark bait, Aqua stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Don't let her get the better of you, Kairi. I think we all know who owns that boy's heart', she said caringly, 'Besides, if push came to shove do you seriously think, he'd pick anyone else over you?'.
Kairi's temper died down as she nodded, smiling back in gratitude. Aranea rolled her eyes playfully, 'Blech, if you're as sappy as him then you can have him!', Aranea joked. 'Your loss~', Kairi bragged, 'You won't find a man like him anywhere else!'. 'I'm sure Lunafreya would argue with that', Aqua teased playfully. 'She's entitled to her own opinion', Kairi replied confidently.
Aranea whistled in approval and Iris giggled. 'Well now that you're here, wanna go for a swim?', Kairi asked, gesturing the ocean. Aranea raised a brow at the girl, before Iris grabbed her wrist with Kairi, dragging her into the waters. Laughing lightly, Aqua followed suit to partake in their little games.
As the day slowly shifted to the afternoon, most of the party had already packed up their things to prepare for the journey to Lestallum. More so as a pit stop before they go back to Cape Caem, pick up some items and enjoy their last nights in peace. Waiting by the two cars Ignis and Aqua had finished refueling their vehicles as the others packed their things from the rooms and paid.
'Might I ask what you intend on doing with your vehicle once your ship is repaired?', Ignis asked as he closed the hood of the Regalia. 'I haven't thought of it…', Aqua confessed as she returned the pump, 'Truth be told I was thinking of handing it back to Cindy after everything was said and done'.
'Not thinking of taking it with you?', he asked, surprised. Aqua giggled and shook her head. 'We tend to only stay in other worlds for short periods, never long enough to require transportations', she said, 'Besides for the most part we're able to get around on our own'. Ignis nodded in understanding, looking to see Aranea approaching the two with a tray carrying two cups of coffee while another in her hand.
'Figured you guys could do with a caffeine fix', she shrugged, 'Ebony regular and one with milk'. She handed them each their drinks, earning "thanks" from the two. Leaning against the Wayfinder II, Aqua sipped her beverage with a content sigh. 'MMM, it's sweet', she mused. 'Asked for cream and a bit of sugar', Aranea revealed, sipping her own. Aqua smiles in response, adding the extra ingredient to her memory.
'Heading to Lestallum next?', Aranea questioned, looking at the man. 'Yes, we've a few things to pick up before we head to Altissia tomorrow. Plus give everyone one more night of peace', Ignis explained. 'Probably for the best', the dragoon nodded with a huff. 'Would you like to tag along to Lestallum?', Ignis offered. She shook her head with a smirk. 'Tempting offer Four-Eyes, but I've got a job to do in an hour', she said, 'And it'll be some ways from Lestallum, so unless your car can fly, I've got my ride'.
'So, you came here for a break?', Aqua asked. 'Nah, heard word the prince's car was nearby and wanted to see how Red was doing before she goes off with her boy to Altissia', Aranea confessed, draining her coffee. At this Aqua smirked at the woman, raising a brow in a coy manner, irking the silver-haired woman. With a scoff and dismissive wave of her hand, she said: Wipe that look off your face Bluie-Locks…I'm just making sure she's fine after her nearly giving me a heart attack'.
'OH? I wasn't aware you were that worried about her', Aqua teased. ', Aqua, when we found them, she was carrying the girl', Ignis added, 'And her next words were: "Give this girl a god damn potion or so help me I'll mug you for it".
Aranea glared at him as Aqua's smirk widened. In the end, the woman scoffed before tossing her mug into the trash bin. 'Yeah, you rub it in…smug brat…', she growled. 'I'll be sure to tell Kairi she had a very worried Aranea asking for her', Aqua said in a sweet tone. 'You breathe a word of this to her', she warned, summoning her spear, 'And I'm gonna shove this somewhere where the sun ain't gonna shine'.
Aqua's smirk turned confident as her keyblade materialized in her free hand. 'I'm up for a quick spar if that is what you're suggesting', the master said. Sparks flew between their eyes as the man of the royal retinue kept his voice behind his closed mouth, curious to see if they indeed would partake in a fight. Aqua just kept her confident smile as Aranea formed a smirk of her own, then she dismissed her weapon with a laugh.
'Maybe next time, not wasting my only day off fighting a so-called "Master". If you're anything like that kid anyways', Aranea said. 'Wise choice why waste your free day?', Aqua agreed, dismissing her weapon. Aranea turned to leave but then stopped and turned back to Aqua. 'Hey, for real, she ok?', Aranea asked. Aqua's face shifted into assurance and nodded. 'Yeah, she woke up just as we left the dungeon, and nothing's happened to her since then', she explained.
'By chance, could you tell us what exactly happened to Kairi?', Ignis asked. 'She told us she just lost consciousness'. Aranea shook her head with a sigh. 'Can't say anything else other than what happened. One moment we were just making some small talk, next thing I knew she was face first in the dirt', Aranea explained, 'But she wasn't hurt or had anything a potion couldn't fix, so I dunno what the story was'.
The two "parental" figures glanced at each other before turning to Aranea with a nod of gratitude before she bid them both a "see ya around" and headed off to her airship likely. Left to ponder Kairi's situation from the past, the older woman lets out a small hum of concern. 'Do you think it's a keyblade situation? Or a princess of light condition?', Ignis asked as he finished his coffee. 'One the first part, no. I've never heard anyone fainting randomly like that unless its an illness', Aqua said with a firm tone. 'The princess of light is another matter…'.
*Pier*
After packing up with Gladiolus and Iris, Kairi took a small walk to the beach to inform Sora and Noctis about their plans to finally move on to Lestallum. Back in her adventuring gear excluding her boots, she transported them to their pocket dimension so she could walk barefoot on the shores of the beach.
She sees Noctis and Sora still looking into the ocean with obvious impatience and irritation in their stances, more so with the prince as he chucked another fish back into the waters. Looking near Sora's feet she could see the basket of fish had grown quite considerably larger than earlier, nearly overfilling the thing. Walking onto the pier and getting a wave from Sora, she joined the prince. 'Hey guys, just here to let you both know Iggy said it's nearly time to get going', she said with a smile.
'I don't think Noct's going anywhere, Kai', Sora answered with a tired smile. 'NOT UNTIL I CATCH THAT SLIPPERY FISHY BASTARD!', cursed the prince.
Kairi blinked in alarm at the swearing as Sora chuckled. 'Noct, you've caught dozens of fishes today, what's this one?', she asked. 'It's the legendary fish! The Devil of the Cygillan!', Noctis said adamantly, 'And I swore I saw it swimming around here today!'. Kairi placed her hands on her hips with an eye roll as the prince resumed his fishing, albeit with more tension in his shoulders. 'You do know we're heading out soon? I don't think the others will be waiting for you to catch a supposed legendary fish', Kairi said warningly.
'I'll sleep here if I have to!', Noctis assured. The worrying thing is Kairi was certain he'd do it if his sleeping prowess was anything to go by. One more glance to Sora in a vain hope to get his help, Sora reluctantly shrugged. Kairi sighed tiredly as she turned back to Noctis. 'Noct, I'm sure that fish isn't going anywhere if nobody had caught it yet, besides it's our last night before we have to go to Altissia', she reminded.
When she received no response from the prince, she pouted and stepped forward to get his attention. She snatched the fishing rod out of his hands, earning a "hey" from him but she kept it out of arms reach of the prince with a look. 'Noct, we need to get going', she said again, unaware that the rod was being tugged. Sora however noticed and opened his mouth to speak but just before he could, Kairi was suddenly tugged roughly from the rod that earned a yell of surprise from her and she nearly went into the waters.
Quick reflexes helped Sora to immediately catch her and hold her as she clutched the rod in both hands. The line reeled rapidly as the rod bends repeatedly, the two keyblade wielders struggling to keep themselves on the pier with Noctis looking at the line. There hidden the thin veil of water it was, the famed devil of the sea, fighting against the fishers. 'THERE IT IS!', Noctis declared, pointing at it. When the two islanders saw it, their eyes widened, and jaws fell. 'Holy crap! Look at the SIZE of that thing!', Sora said as he held Kairi.
'Kairi! Don't you dare let go of that rod!', Noctis ordered. 'Tell Sora to not let *me* go!', Kairi shouted as she started to fight against the fish's pull and struggle. It was a long battle indeed, between Noctis coaching Kairi about when to reel and where to pull, Sora struggling to hold her and not take the fight into the fish's turf, and Kairi fighting back against the weight of the oversized aquatic being.
Even as the line was getting close to snapping, the sounds of the rod getting closer and closer to snapping in two, Kairi managed to pull the fish close enough to the docks, literally beneath her feet. Red in the face with effort to hold the fish in place as the sweat ran down her forehead, Kairi turned to the prince, summoning one of his spears. 'Going for the kill!', he declared. 'Please hurry, I think my arms are about to fall off!', she said.
Noctis plunged his spear into the large being with one thrust, piercing it. It struggled for a while before going still, dead in the water. When she no longer felt it tugging or resisting her, Kairi relaxed her arms, lowering the rod as they all stared at the bounty with large grins.
Back at the carpark, the others were waiting for the trio to arrive as Iris allowed Riku to ride with her so that they could just use only one Chocobo for the trip. As everyone settled in, Goofy called out to them, pointing at the beach. They all joined him by the entrance to see Sora, Noctis, and Kairi carrying the Devil of the seas to them, sporting victorious grins.
'Iggy, we've got a legendary ingredient for you!', Sora said with a grin.
Wordlessly, Ignis immediately took out his notebook and set up a new recipe. A legendary dish was in the works…
*Lestallum, nightfall*
As night fell just when the team arrived at the car park, everyone had already decided on what their activities were going to be. Donald and Goofy were going to do the item shopping with a few lists while Ignis would be heading to the late-night market for the ingredients of the journey and promised the others he'd do the devil fish soon after they left Altissia.
Sora and Kairi had decided to go explore Lestallum to see what it would be like at night while Prompto and Noctis retired to the Leville for a long night of King's Knight, Aqua saying she had something planned for tonight before heading into the town. At the town entrance, Riku had written down the name of the place he and Iris were to meet for their date, the silver head still trying to wrap his mind around it as the girl gave him a peck on the cheek. 'See you soon', she promised, before heading off.
Standing there as he registered the second peck on his cheek, Riku looked down as conflict rose up within his chest. "Just how serious was she taking this date" was all he could ask himself as he shoved his hands into his pockets in deep thought. Sure, it wasn't his first date since he did have some experiences back home when they returned from Sora's second journey, but they weren't what he'd define as dates since they were one-timers and mostly meetups with friends.
This felt different, and Iris is different. He then threw his head back and exhaled. '…you're gonna murder me, aren't you?', he said, feeling the heated glare of the shield behind him. 'Perceptive…and not entirely wrong', Gladiolus growled.
Riku turned to address the man, now having the most passive-aggressive stance he could muster while at the same time holding back. How he did it is beyond Riku. The islander opened his mouth to defend himself, but the shield spoke first: 'Look before you say a word, I just want to know one thing about this "date" of yours'. Even saying the word date, the shield looked like he just swallowed something bitter and nasty, but he soldiered on.
'How serious, are you about it?'.
The ultimate question Riku himself had no clear answer to as he ran a hand through his hair. 'I'm hoping it'll be a once-off, you know?', he stated, 'Maybe this date won't be what she's expecting, or she'll figure out I'm not her type?'. These, even to Riku, sounded like excuses. From those moments with her Riku knew Iris wasn't expecting prince charming or something ridiculously unreasonable, she wasn't like those shallowed girls he's seen around the town, and if he wasn't her type, she would've deduced that months ago.
Gladiolus lets himself exhale deeply, not buying Riku's half-assed excuses any more than him. 'You can't bull your way out of this one, kid', he warned, 'I've dealt with Noct all my life and I've got plenty of experiences of him trying to bull his way out of training'. 'Something tells me it doesn't often?', the silver head joked. To his credit, he got a small twinge of a smile from the shield before he narrowed his eyes.
Riku, in turn, gave him an annoyed look. 'Look if you're not up for me dating her, that's fine, your opinion but that's up to Iris', he said calmly. Gladiolus grunted with irritation before he threw a hand in the air. 'I'm not saying you can't date her, I'm not THAT overprotective of her, and I know ya enough to trust you', he said begrudgingly. 'What I am concerned is this: let's say you both hit it off, and maybe you two start taking this seriously, do you think it's gonna work out?'.
The question that had also made itself at home in Riku's mind, the subject he truly hadn't thought too hard on. With a sigh, he shook his head. 'Well she's still unaware that I'm not from Eos, and likely when we do have to go, it'll be a long time before I come back', he listed. Gladiolus crossed his arms, not saying a word as he sees the young man had truly spent time considering the options and the risks of entering a relationship with someone from another world.
Riku groaned and threw his arms in the air. 'Damnit…this is gonna be harder than I thought!', he chuckled tiredly. 'Just don't do anything stupid', Gladiolus sighed with a tired smirk. 'At least, if you're thinking of dating her, she deserves to know about the other world, alright?'. Riku nodded in agreement, figuring if they indeed decide to enter a serious relationship, he'd disclose the information to her.
Before he left to go to the meeting point, his shoulder was grasped by the shield. Turning to him, he sees a smile that was ANYTHING but friendly. It had a darkness within it along with a worrisome gleam in the eyes, and for a moment Riku could have sworn he just saw a heartless behind Gladiolus. 'Break her heart, Riku, and there's going to be hell to pay, you got it?', he said in such a threatening manner Riku felt for a moment his heart-stopping.
Not trusting his voice, he nodded slowly. Gladiolus patted his shoulder before heading to the hotel, leaving an ashen Riku on the spot.
'…I'm doomed…'.
Leaving Riku there and deciding he's entitled to being lazy, Gladiolus returned to his shared room. Once he was inside, he threw off his jacket and threw on his tank top and laid on the bed. At the very least Noctis would be in his room with Prompto all night, there were no daemons that'll randomly pop out of nowhere and the empire wouldn't be visiting them.
The only thing that could make this night better would be if he had his significant other and a good drink by his side.
*Knock* *Knock*
Gladiolus looked up to see the door opening and Aqua walking in with a bag in her hand. She smiled at the shield as he sat upon the bed with a smirk. 'Hey there, where'd you go?', he asked as she placed the bag on the table. 'Shopping', she answered mysteriously. 'I was thinking about going around the town, maybe check up on a few things with the others or purchase some items, but then I thought of something else'.
'And that would be?', he asked, getting off the bed. When Aqua turned around, she showed she was carrying two bottles of Lucian Brew. Surprised, he looked at Aqua who was smiling at him. 'You're serious?', he asked, smirking at her as she placed both bottles on the table. 'Yup, after last time I wanted to do this again with some bonuses', she explained, popping a cork and pouring into the glasses she bought.
'What's that?', he asked, taking her offered glass. 'For one thing, I've some potions that will instantly cure our hangovers', Aqua said with a grin, then with red coating her cheeks, said: 'And…my first time drinking with my boyfriend?'. His smirk turned into a genuine warm smile as he clinked his glass with hers. 'To our first time drinking as boyfriend and girlfriend', Gladiolus christened.
It was gonna be a good night after all…
*Meanwhile*
There was a serenity that night had brought that had gone over Riku's head numerous times, and only when he wasn't fighting for his life, exploring worlds or being a hero in the making did he finally take in just how peaceful it could be.
Maybe it was the safety in knowing the daemons couldn't spawn in a town full of light that helped soothe his mind and wrapped in his assurance. Perhaps it was his confidence as a master that helped bolster him, knowing anything the daemons threw at him would be nothing to worry about.
Or likely, it was the fact he had his arm held onto by a girl. Probably that.
Together the two teens waltzed through the town at a slow pace, taking their time to enjoy this moment of peace between them. Not worried about their friends' safety, not afraid of being attacked by monsters and without Riku being wounded, they were safe. The date had gone much, MUCH better than Riku had expected. The food was delicious, not Ignis delicious but passable delicious at the very least, the music played was fine enough, not his taste but tolerable. What made the date fun, was Iris herself.
They chatted throughout most of their dinners, sharing stories about their youths, friends and what sort of events happened since Insomnia fell. Riku had been extremely careful with his choice of words, keeping other worlds a mystery to the girl as best as he could whilst sprinkling details of his own home to her. As the night went on and after their food, she took him to the dance floor and danced with him as the techno music played.
The girl is far more outgoing then he had thought, and she had the dance moves to back up her confidence too. Dare he say it he was hypnotized by her dancing, almost like a siren luring a sailor into her trap. He was positive he danced like a drunk man who was born with two left feet, yet she made him feel comfortable and at ease. When she got closer to him, his body acted on its own as he held her, both swaying to the music.
The way her eyes shined in the restaurant's lights, how brilliant she smiled at him and her laughter was such a wondrous piece of music that he wished he could hear again and again. Which only made things harder for him as he tried to muster up the courage to finally tell her the truth about his origins, the fact he wasn't from this world and put that relationship that is slowly but certainly building up between them.
'Wanna take a break?', Iris asked, gesturing the fountain near the hotel. Riku nodded, a break from his thoughts would be nice. Sitting down on the edge of the fountain, they glanced up at the night sky. He felt Iris slowly wrap her hand around his, making him slightly turn red in the face before he shyly clenched hers in response. Looking down, he could feel his internal struggle growing more persistent, his heart-tugging in pain.
Even if he chickened out and kept other worlds a secret, who knows how long it'll be before he sees her again after tonight? Keeping her in that predicament, a tease of what they may never be able to have, a relationship that could ultimately fall apart. Even if he couldn't stay here, Iris didn't deserve to cling on to that false hope, to be led on like that.
'Iris…I uh, there's something I gotta tell you', he said, rubbing his neck. 'Did Gladio threaten you?', she asked exasperatedly. '…yes and no?', Riku said weakly. 'But he's, provided a good point that could determine something'. Iris turned to face Riku as he mustered his courage, and decided if Aqua could spill the beans about other worlds, then he, a much more reckless master, can too. 'I'm-
'From another world'.
'-From another wor-wahaha what?', Riku stuttered and stumbled as his eyes shot open. Iris was sporting a smug grin. 'What? Did you think I didn't know?', she teased, poking his nose. Riku stammered and blinked as his brain suddenly went dead and coherent sentences were not an option for him. How did she figure them out? Replaying every memory he had with her he knew for a fact he didn't once slip about other worlds or any other sensitive information.
'H-How did you, how did you know?', he asked.
At this, Iris sheepishly looked away without turning her head as she turned pink. 'W-Well…remember when you all came back after Kairi got sick?', she asked slowly. 'Yeah…?', Riku said, pressing her to continue. 'And…when you guys said you had some important things to talk about? That nobody outside your group could know about?'. 'Yeah, but what's that…got…to…', he said slowly before the puzzle puts itself together in his mind.
'You were eavesdropping on us?', he accused.
'…maybe?', she squeaked. 'So you're telling me, ever since that day…you knew about other worlds…about me and the others, and the keyblade?', Riku listed, staring at her. '…yes?'. The only sound between them was the rushing water from the fountain as Iris played with her thumbs as Riku leaned back and rubbed his temples. '…Do you know how freaking anxious I was to bring this subject up?', he sighed.
'Probably anxious', Iris pipped cheerfully. Riku lowered his hand and huffed. '…Iris, tell me something. Do you, what do you want from this?', he asked. Iris clapped her hands together, frowning as she stared at the ground. Neither said a word, both trying to figure out the right way to explain this feeling between the two, the desires they had for this potential relationship flourishing. Knowing Riku and the other's duty, with the knowledge he'll have to leave this world in time.
'Maybe I'm being too hopeful but…I feel like it could work', Iris hummed, 'I mean, I know you won't be around all the time, but even if it's for a few days I could deal with it'. "Deal with it" didn't sit well with the master, that sounded like a massive compromise for them. Looking down at his feet, Riku heaved a deep sigh. 'You know that, and you still think we can make that work?', he asked. 'You don't think so?', Iris asked.
'Can't say I've tried a relationship with someone from another world', Riku joked with a slight smirk. Looking up at the sky before he breathed through his nose, he glanced back at her. 'But you know, it's gonna be a while before I do have to go…so if you wanna try it out, see how this goes…', he offered, taking out his GP and said: 'Least we can practice with these, right?'.
Iris smiled wonderfully at him with a nod, before she hugged him, catching him off guard. Blinking, Riku ultimately smiled and hugged her back. Maybe he was being too hopeful for this to work, but then again stranger miracles have happened.
For once, he was going to follow Sora's example, and follow his heart.
* Leville*
Down to the third bottle between the two of them, Aqua and Gladiolus sat at the table near the patio as they shared laughter and drinks. Aqua had regaled Gladiolus in some stories of her training days of being an apprentice/mother to her brother Ventus and her rivalry with Terra.
The shield also divulged some tales from his years during his training to become the shield, making each other laugh heartily with giggles and even spitting out their drinks in merriment. 'A-And then, *snicker* T-Terra, challenged Master Eraqus to a match, saying he could take him on blindfolded!', the blue head explained. 'So to prove it! He stole one of my ribbons, tied it around his eyes and charged at master!'.
'That idiot…', Gladiolus chuckled, 'What happened to him?'. Aqua snickered as she placed her glass down, 'H-He, he ran at him with his keyblade in hand, and then tripped down the stairs! To the main entrance! A-A-And then! He just shouts, "WE'LL CALL IT A DRAW"!'. Both warriors burst into laughter as Gladiolus slammed his fist onto the table while the woman held her stomach. Laughing together as Aqua wiped the tears from her eyes while Gladiolus shook his head. 'That frigging legend of a man! Even I wasn't brave enough to commit to fighting Cor blindfolded!'.
'I can promise you, if Eraqus wasn't such a softie, he would have punished him far more severely for his arrogance', Aqua said with a smile. 'After that, he made Terra clean the entire castle for a week…but to add insult to injury, he made him wear a pink apron to rub it in!'. Gladiolus chuckled deeply before he drank his next glass. 'Oh man, that's just cruel', Gladiolus said. 'And that makes him a softie?'. 'Well he didn't make him wear a blindfold to clean up', Aqua argued back.
Gladiolus shrugged in agreement with a thoughtful hum, grabbing the next bottle and pouring them another glass. 'I remember the first time we brought Prompto to train with us. Kid was so frigging nervous I was worried he'd have a heart attack if we so much as said pick a weapon', he explained. Aqua leaned onto her elbows, listening intently to her boyfriend's story, grinning at his grin. 'So he picks up one of the guns, we used rubber bullets for, well "no shit" reasons, and it was me with another guard against him and Noct'.
Gladiolus snickered as he tried to finish the tale, making Aqua giggle profusely along with him. 'S-S-So, during the fight, the other guy was going straight for Noct, Prompto turned around and took the shot, he claims he was aiming for his chest…but…he aimed a bit too low'.
'No', Aqua gasped, grinning.
'So the bullet went a little bit more south', Gladiolus teased.
'He didn't', Aqua giggled.
'He shot the poor bastard right between the legs!'.
Together they roared with laughter, both nearly falling out of their chairs. Aqua was in hysterics as Gladiolus tried to regain control over himself, failing miserably at it. 'Oh my god! That poor man!', Aqua laughed, 'I never Prompto's tactics included shooting below the belt!'.
'You can imagine we had to bring Iggy with us to train him…after we warned him to wear a cup!'. Aqua snickered, like a giddy school girl. As their laughter ceased, they shared the final bottle between them and allowed themselves to take in the quiet, allowing their thoughts to wander. Aqua looked up to the stars, mulling over something as she swirled the liquid in her glass. 'Something on your mind?', Gladiolus asked, quietly.
'Yeah…I was thinking back to Sora and Riku's exam, the Mark of Mastery', she said. 'What about it?'. Aqua looked at him with guilt. 'Sora…he would've have been made a master if Xehanort hadn't interrupted and diverted his path', she said, 'I know he says he's happy for Riku, and from what the others told me, he was humble about failing'. Looking down at the glass as she clasped both hands around it, she continued: 'I trusted Master Yen Sid's words about his shortcoming back then…yet with everything he's accomplished, he's displayed…I, I feel like we've given him little chances to make up for it…'.
Gladiolus hummed in thought as he drank his glass. 'It's been on my mind for some time since we came here. I wonder if, perhaps, the master was being to harsh on him, and not allowing him to try again…'.
Gladiolus then slammed his glass down, making her jump slightly and look at him. He gave her a stern look…as stern as the flush would allow him. 'So, he was a keyblade master, that Pen Cid guy, right?'. '…Yen Sid, but yes? He was a former master', Aqua corrected. 'But you're a master too…and you've seen what that kid can do', Gladiolus said. 'Yes? Where are you going with this?', Aqua answered, raising a brow.
Slamming his hand down on the table, he said: 'Well you're a god damn master too! So you can god damn see what he can do! Then, goddamnit *you* could judge him and put him through the exam as well!'. Aqua blinked and said: 'B-But Gladio-
'NO! You don't pull the whole "I'm not qualified master" crap! You've done your share of heroics right? You've beaten dozens of monsters right?', he asked. Aqua paused and looked at her glass, frowning. 'Yeah…I did…', she mused. 'And who was the one who delayed Xehanort's plans and beaten Terra-Nort on her OWN!?', he questioned. 'I did!', Aqua said, looking at him. 'AND WHO THE HELL WAS THE ONE WHO SURVIVED TWELVE GOD DAMN YEARS IN THE REALM OF DARKNESS!? ALONE!?'.
' *I* damn well did!', Aqua shouted, slamming her fist on the table. 'Damn straight you did! So if there's anyone who's got the GOD DAMN right to decide if Sora is ready to be a master, I'm looking at her!', he declared. 'You're god damn right!', Aqua said, 'I *am* a master! And if I want, I'LL supervise his exam!', Aqua stated with utter drunken confidence. She stood up, glass up high as Gladiolus joined her, grinning at her with pride.
'As a keyblade master! I swear on my name, I will make Sora a master! And if anyone has a complaint, they can take a hike!', Aqua declared. Grinning at her boyfriend, they clinked glasses, proclaiming: 'TO MAKING A MASTER!'.
They chugged their drinks down instantly, then slammed the empty glasses on the table. As wild energy rushed through Aqua, she was panting from the extreme proclamation as Gladiolus gave her a wonderous look.
'…do you realize how hot you look right now?', he asked. Aqua panted, grinning at him before she suddenly tackled him to the bed, laughing away.
Least now they had energy to burn off…
*Powerplant*
Running up the building, covering in a faint pinkish light, Kairi jumped off the building's roof once her foot touched the edge of the roof. Leaping to one of the long power towers, she ran up it until she reached the top of it. Taking one more breath when she closed her eyes, she leaps off the tower and dived down towards the ground.
Kairi could feel the magic coursing around her, her mana grew, and power surged within her as she dived down. She then started to run down the tower, the pink light glowing more prominently before he leaped off the tower with a front flip and landed on her feet, planting her hand on the flat surface and blasted a wave of magical energies that covered ten feet. Kairi stood up and turned to see Sora leaping from the rooftop and landing right in front of her.
He gave her a massive smile of approval as he clapped his hand. 'See? I knew you'd get immediately!', he praised with glee. Kairi smiled back in equal giddiness as she hugged him, thanking him for giving her late-night lessons. Since him showing her Flowmotion, the two teens had finally some time and plenty of buildings to practice it. It took time, of course, some falls, trips and of course some collision issues that had Sora not been healing and carrying potions, the girl would probably be hospitalized.
Finally, after some tumbles and missteps, she managed to grasp the power and not only could she perform it to near perfection but she managed to absorb some of the magic to replenish some of her own. When they broke the hug, Sora gestured she follow him before he sprinted off using the Flowmotion. Chasing him with her own, the two were like beacons of light within the darkness of the town, bodies covered in blue and pink as they danced over the buildings, the town their playground.
They managed to reach their room on the second floor with them leaping through their window and rolling onto the floor.
After, they both laid in bed together, tired and ready to sleep. Wrapping his girl into a loving embrace, no longer shy about being this close in bed with her, he kissed her forehead. Kairi looked up at him lovingly, his thumb gently brushing against her cheek. 'You never cease to amaze me, Kai', he said lovingly. She giggled as her cheeks turned red, snuggling into him as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.
'I'm going to miss this…', she mused, 'Being able to sleep this peacefully with you'. Gently Sora cupped her chin and raised it to look at him. 'Don't say that I'm not going anywhere', he promised. 'We're gonna win this, save Lunafreya, and help Noct reclaim his throne'. The confidence in his voice brought a wonderful smile to her face, her fears subsided into the corner as she kissed him on the lips.
As the light of the room faded and slumber slowly took them, she uttered one more sentence before sleep to them.
'I love you…'.
A/N:
The final chill chapter before Altissia…oooh boy this took time.
Next time we see our heroes, they're making their ways to the city of water, what sort of plans does the empire have for them? Can they fulfill their promises to each other? One way to find out~
Questions!
Q1: Did you enjoy the chill chapters?
Q2: How did you find the couples in this chapter?
Q3: Excited for Altissia?
Q4: Can you guys guess how they're gonna sort out the yacht size issue?
Q5: Did you enjoy Sora and Kairi's moments in this one?
Thanks for reading, as always stay awesome but more importantly stay safe!
