Author's Note: The FFXIII stuff in here is post-Lightning Returns and Hope has gone back to being an adult again.

Red Oni and Blue Oni

"Uhh, Miss Lightning? Why are you cooking me such a gorgeous meal?"

"Because you need a pick me up after everything you've been through, it sounds... And I need an excuse to cook for someone who isn't Hope," this Lightning Farron told Kairi as she smiled at her slightly.

Kairi and Sora had ended up in this world after Kairi had finally found Sora… it seemed slightly tied to Verum Rex, but not fully—which was curious—but Kairi couldn't help feeling that if they were going to defeat Yozora's ultimate enemy, the Master of Masters, it was only fitting that they try to get help to do so in a world that touched Yozora's.

And that was what Kairi and Sora were trying to do right now… get aid from Lightning, her husband Hope, and perhaps Lightning's sister that she had spoken of? Since before Kairi had started this new adventure, Master Yen Sid had given Kairi a device that would light up when she was close to someone who was destined to enlist with them in the upcoming war against the Foretellers… and the moment Kairi had seen Lightning, the heart-shaped locket had gone as far as to let a burst of light out of itself. And ever since then, Kairi had been trying to befriend Lightning.

Sora, meanwhile, was outside waiting for this "Hope" to come home, so he could talk to him.

"I can understand why you would get tired of cooking for one person… or two people, in my case. A few years back, I was the only one out of my small group of friends who could cook at all and Sora and Riku were always begging me for stuff. And while it was sweet, and I was happy to oblige, a part of me also wished they would pick up a cookbook, to be honest."

Lightning laughed at Kairi's words, as she handed her a granola bar to tide herself over with until dinner came. Kairi opened it and laid the red wrapper down against the blue tablecloth, unable to think about Red and Blue Onis, as she did so. She wondered if she was, perhaps, the Red Oni to Lightning's Blue one right now…

"But at the same time," Lightning told Kairi now, as she finished with her spaghetti sauce and came and sat across from Kairi, "even if you get tired of cooking for those loved ones, you still have to show them that you love them somehow… or they might fall to chaos."

"Are you talking about your sister?" Kairi asked, as she craned her head to the side and tried to imagine what this girl who shared half of Lightning's DNA would be like. Perhaps she would be the real other Oni... "Actually, forget that question. You must be talking about Mister Hope—he was the one we were discussing last, I mean—but I know Serah's the most important person to-"

"It's okay, Kairi," Lightning winked, whilst eating a protein bar herself. "I was talking about Hope, but it could apply to Serah, too."

That sounded about right to Kairi. She knew that Miss Lightning was in love with this Hope... but she was also aware that Lightning's little sister, Serah, was the most important person in the world to her, since she had almost become her surrogate mother after their parents had died.

And it made Kairi think of herself a bit, because while she loved Sora with all her heart... the other relationships in her life—such as her ones with Riku, Naminé, and Selphie—were just as important to her as that one was.

"But, yes... Serah could have easily fallen, if she had been too weak and allowed herself to be seduced by a dream world she'd told me about... or if she had walked the road of the Seeress in the twisted way that a part of Yeul did, and decided to call the Chaos her home."

"Right..." If Kairi was being honest with herself, she thought that she had to worry about similar things when it came to Sora now… for she feared what might happen now if he continued chasing the unobtainable dream that was her. She knew their last separation had really hurt him… and he wrongfully blamed himself not just for "letting her die", but for having broken her heart in the worst way possible… But it hadn't been his fault. None of it had.

"But enough of this dreary talk. Do you want to go see some of France? I think it might make you feel better about what's to come."

"I- I do. But if you don't mind, I think I might go look myself. I need just a second of fresh air." And before Lightning could answer her, Kairi went outside onto Lightning's front porch (Sora was on the front one), and found herself wondering if she'd always be connected to great darkness since she herself had so much light. If she had to bear that, she'd bear it proudly.

But Kairi didn't want to think about that right now. Rather, she wanted to take in these modern streets, sprawling flowers on the edges of sidewalks, and fountains before her.

Kairi was at one such fountain now… and as she took a deep breath, she tried to deal with the knowledge that Sora could potentially turn evil now (when she had first found him, he'd squeezed her as he'd told her that he'd somehow sensed some terrible… wishes that people had had for her, Riku, and the others… and how intent he was, had scared Kairi in that moment) and dropped one of her coins into the water, making her own wish.

Lightning had also hinted to Kairi before, that Hope—or was it someone who had possessed him?—had become evil in a pragmatic kind of way… so did that mean that Sora would be okay in the end, like that ray of sunshine, or-

It was just as Kairi was starting to fall into despair again, despite herself, that she felt a hand on her shoulder. And she would have known that touch anywhere… it was Sora. Years of reaching for Sora's hand—and often being denied it—had ingrained the feeling of it into her heart… and she cherished that. She really did. And so, she laid a hand over his now.

"Kairi?" Sora asked her now, as he gently turned her around to face him and looked at her with the sweetest eyes. "Are you alright? Miss Lightning said that you might be… upset about something. But here: why don't you come in and eat supper with us and deal with it with us? You must be cold."

There was a part of Kairi that wanted to gently remind Sora that she knew how to use a fire spell now, if she really needed it… but she didn't. No, she was too touched by his kindness and concern more than anything else. And maybe that meant he'd never turn away from her again… even if he thought he had to do so to protect her.

Kairi walked towards Sora now—so that her head was leaning against his chest, and she then grabbed his arms to wrap around her waist… and it felt nice. It had been too long since they'd been able to be in each other's arms like this. They'd barely even touched when they'd reunited, because they'd known right around that they needed to get Lightning into their party… so this really was the dream that both of them had longed for for years. Overhead, the last of the light from the sun had given out to bathe the area in darkness. But that was okay. Sparkling lights were coming on around them, making the situation even more romantic than it had been. Kairi blushed.

"Sounds good, Sora," Kairi relented, pulling away from him and only just resisting to kiss those sweet lips as they gazed at each other. "…Let's go to our temporary home for right now."

And was Kairi imagining it, or could she almost feel his smile as he slowly but surely brought his face away from hers? "Only if my real home goes with me."

And it was a cheesy line—it was. Kairi knew it, Riku would have known it, and Kairi imagined that all of the worlds probably did—but she couldn't help feeling touched by it, all the same… and to almost turn into a pile of goo.

Hand-in-hand, the two made it back to Lightning's home… and while the spaghetti was cold when Kairi and Sora eventually got to it… it was still the most delicious and romantic meal they'd ever had.

…

That night, Kairi had a hard time trying to sleep… for as awful and disrespectful as it would have been, she kept finding herself wanting to go over to Sora's room and to sleep with him… since they'd finally shared a few, chaste kisses after dinner… and one that hadn't been as much. And all of the newness of this, was making her heart sore and beg for more.

But Kairi was also concerned about doing this… and not just for the obvious reasons. It was just that… earlier, she had been afraid what could happen to Sora—and the world—if he let his darkness out again, like he temporarily had when she'd found him. And didn't most people associate… sex with darkness? So, could it be dangerous if they went forward with that kind of thing?

…Just what was she thinking?! Kairi demanded of herself, as she made herself lay back on her mattress and ran a hand over her forehead. She was a Princess of Heart… she wasn't going to go barge into Sora's room… and do things with him while they were guests in a stranger's house, was she?

Kairi was about to tell herself "no"—that of course she wasn't going to—and just demand that her body knock her out, so she could get a good night's sleep and talk to Lightning, Hope, and Serah (when she got here) tomorrow, but she was much too keyed up to do that. So instead, Kairi found herself walking over to Sora's room like a thief in the knight.

When Kairi slithered into there, she told herself that she was just going to cuddle with Sora and keep everything as innocent as they usually were… especially since Sora was just reading a book right now—and clearly wasn't interested—but Kairi didn't trust herself anymore… so she fell onto his bed, stomach-first, and groaned. What was wrong with her? And why was she disappointed that he still wasn't looking at her?

"You okay, Kairi?" Sora asked as he refused to give her even a glance, but rather turned the page.

Kairi huffed at that and sent Sora a glare. And, yes. She may have even had the gall to steal the novel away from him… to which he instantly cried out, "Hey!" But Kairi wasn't having it. "You're reading, Sora?" Kairi demanded, not able to keep some of the hurt out of her voice. What? Wasn't she attractive to him, or-

But he instantly made her cool down via his selflessness, as always, as he tried to explain his thoughts to her. "I just feel… I didn't study enough on my last adventures, Kairi. Maybe if I had, I could have found a more peaceful solution to some things... And I have to say, this book's idea of having a resistance set up at a base that can only be reached through a certain secret passage, is genius."

Oh. What was Sora thinking, then? That they could try and hide away the black box of the Master of Master's that they'd acquired? Or was he implying that they should try and hide from their problems now and ignore them, because they'd done enough?

As Kairi laid down with Sora now—so that her back was to his chest and her head under his chin—she found herself following his train of thought, perhaps. "Sora… do you ever wonder what the point of all of this is? That we're going to hide this box, maybe—because what else can we do with it—but eventually someone's going to find it again, after the Master of Masters has fallen away, and we'll be back to square one?"

Sora flinched at this… and Kairi could hardly blame him; she laid her head on his stomach and began massaging it, to try and make her feel better about her question. "If they do… then we'll stop them, or someone else will pick up the torch. Which isn't the ideal answer, I know, but…"

"It's all we can do, and somehow that's the only answer… I know. I know," Kairi finished what he'd surely been about to say, but he surprised her as he lifted her face to look at his.

"Except… that it isn't, Kairi. There never is one answer—least of all for us—I was so sure back then, that I had to finish my duties before I let myself do what I wanted, in giving you the time of day. But I-"

"Sora?" Kairi started, as she tried to pull away from him… but he wouldn't let her. Not in a demanding or possessive way at all, but as if he knew she'd misunderstood him and didn't want her to bolt before he could explain himself. "Are you feeling guilty for… for 'taking me for granted' before, because I told you-"

"No, Kairi. I'm not… I just- I just want to love you. Is that alright? Let me love you."

And she did.

…

The next morning, Kairi heard that Sora and Hope were having some conversation about boomerangs. Apparently, Sora was sad he'd never learned how to transform his Keyblade into one—or been able to use a Keychain to somewhat make his Keyblade resemble one—and was trying to figure out if he could do so now. Hope was only too happy to help, it seemed. And all three girls present laughed—being unable to find the conversation anything but adorable and amusing.

"How've you been, Serah? The husband treating you well? He'd better be," Lightning said, as she reached across the kitchen table the ladies were sitting at and took her sister's hands in her own.

Serah smiled at Lightning and squeezed her hands… and it made Kairi miss Naminé and Xion. "We're doing great, Claire. I promise… Snow still feels bad about how he was in Yusnaan, but we're working through it. Right now, he's being in absolute angel in being a substitute teacher for me so that I can visit you. Work wouldn't have let me go, otherwise."

And it seemed to Kairi, that if Lightning had ever thought she had reason to approve of this "Snow" before, it was nothing compared to how much she did now. "Next time you see him, be sure to give him my thanks," Lightning whispered. "Or maybe I'll pick a phone up and tell him myself."

"You probably should call Snow, Claire, so that you can both stop pretending that you're not the closest of in-laws… but I'll be sure to tell him, too…

"And I'm sorry, Miss Kairi and Mister Sora. I'm afraid I haven't properly introduced myself! I'm Serah," the younger Farron sister muttered as she shook first Kairi's hand and then Sora's. "Nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you," Kairi and Sora chirped at the same time. And it made Kairi want to give Sora an Eskimo Kiss for it, for proving more and more why they were perfect together. But she surprisingly held herself back.

Later, Kairi, Serah, and even Lightning found themselves working together to make a scrapbook… And Kairi would have liked to say it was because she was trying to bond with Light and Serah—so they'd help them out in this Keyblade War, or whatever it would be—but honestly? She just needed some rest and relaxation, and to find her old self some, since she'd nearly killed herself in trying to bring Sora back… but not that she'd ever change it.

Sora and Hope had moved onto more serious topics, however, and Kairi could make most of it out—even though she wasn't trying to spy—as she cut out a picture of a father and his little son to put onto a photo of a flying ship. "Are you doing better… from how calculated you became when that Bhunivelze possessed you? Or do you still slip into that kind of mindset at all?"

"Heh," Kairi heard Hope say, as he finished carving a Keychain for Sora (why Lightning had let wood working tools into her house, Kairi wasn't sure, but since Lightning seemed more a fighter than a chef… maybe she moreso didn't understand why people wasted their times with fancy dinners in the kitchen). "You're worried that you're going to become heartless. That you're going to turn into a monster, because you want to destroy this box of yours, that has people's wishes for revenge in it: the only wishes that kept them going at some point."

"Sora…" Kairi started—giving up on the guise that she hadn't been paying attention to him, because this was certainly news to her—but Sora was already acting like everything was fine. He completely ignored that Kairi had said his name, which hurt after the previous night, and walked over to Lightning to talk to her.

"Miss Lightning? That pasta you made with olive oil was amazing… do you mind if I have the recipe?"

Lightning grinned the slightest bit—as she began leading Sora to the cabinets above the kitchen sink, where this recipe apparently was. "…Thank you. Hope, my loser of a husband, doesn't like tomato sauce… so I have to do something. But while I became quite the chef on my last journey… it was actually Serah who gave me the idea to use olive oil."

Everyone was laughing together now. Hope was ribbing Lightning for calling him her "loser husband", and she only teased him back harder… Sora and Serah were bonding over their love for olive oil. And even Kairi had jumped in, to kind-heartedly tell Hope to not take any of Lightning's joking seriously, because she always liked to poke fun at Sora… but even during all of this mirth, Kairi couldn't help the foreboding that had settled within her stomach… and a single tear sled down her face.

…

That night, Kairi found Sora trying to destroy the black box… just like she knew he would.

For some poetic reason, he had chosen to do so in the gorgeous plaza they had been in together the night before… As Kairi had tried to rest that night, she'd felt Sora's strain in her own heart (and had, perhaps, even heard the loud clank, clank, clank that could be heard from him striking the metal with his Keyblade again and again, Kairi thought wryly) and had found her way to him.

And as Kairi walked to him now, Sora had already given up and was running into her arms as he sobbed. Kairi whispered sweet nothings into his ear as she ran a hand through his hair, and stared angrily at the cobblestone before her—daring anyone or anything to try and hurt him even more right now; if they attempted it, she would destroy them.

"Kairi… of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. Of course I couldn't. I thought that if I could solve the mystery of the box now, I could save us some hurt down the road. And I'm sorry for that. I'm so sorry!"

…Somehow, Kairi didn't think Sora was sorry for keeping things from her or being self-sacrificing, but was just sorry that he hadn't succeeded and she'd found him like this. It made Kairi worry her lip, but she tried not to let him see… because she really still had no idea what was happening, after all.

"Sora," Kairi hummed his name, when she thought he had calmed down enough that he wouldn't get upset—or lie again—if she questioned him. "You didn't tell me that the box housed people's desire for revenge. And… as dark as that idea is, does anyone have any right to destroy it, then? As in… poor taste as these 'wishes' were, they were the only thing that kept those doomed souls going. If we don't know for sure if the box will hurt us with those curses… I think it's riskier to try and do something to it and unlock its vengeance thatway."

"You're… right, Kairi," Sora told her as he kissed her neck now. But he didn't do so in a way as to seduce her, as he had eventually done last night (and Kairi shivered in remembering how good that all had been), but as a way to say he loved her… and perhaps something else that Kairi couldn't figure out. "I'm just trying to take too much on by myself, as I always do… but I'll- I'll stop. I think- I think we got Light and her friends to help us when the time comes. So why don't we go home and see Riku now?"

"Okay!" Kairi agreed, finally making good on her desire to stand on her tiptoes to kiss Sora's nose, because if Sora was talking about Riku he must have been back to his old self. "Sounds good to me! You know how I miss Riku."

And the two of them headed back to Destiny Islands… but Kairi should have known something was wrong with Sora then, since he was acting like Destiny Islands was home… when he'd long ago said that it was wherever she was.

…

It was some months later—when Kairi, Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy were in a new world together… a cave, where some demigods and a god were there?—that Sora's desire to get rid of the box came back again.

Riku had just taken a fatal wound to the chest… and while Kairi and Donald in particular kept trying to heal him with their magic—while Goofy defended them—nothing seemed to be working. It was then that Kairi saw Sora get this far away in his eyes, as he summoned the box back… while all the demigods around them yelled at Sora not to do what he was about to do, and even the goddess said that. And Kairi was right there with them.

"Sora," Kairi said, as she moved from sitting by Riku to kneeling beside him—because she needed to be somewhat elevated, so Sora could see her but she also needed to still seal Riku's wound with her touch. "What are you planning to do? Open the box… and kill the spirit of someone who maybe wished for the suffering of Riku's family, if such a person exists? You have no proof that that will save Riku. And I think Donald and I are getting close to making some progress here. Just let us-"

But Sora did not listen to Kairi… and he looked to her, much like a terrified lost lamb in an unforgiving world, as he demanded, "Anyone who has reason to harm Riku, show yourself now!"

And a little girl with her hair in ringlet curls made an appearance… and she was so beautiful, that she reminded Kairi of what a child between her and Sora could be like. But things were twisted right now, so who knew if she and Sora would ever bear children together, but this little girl wasn't twisted to Kairi. Rather, she was just a sick little girl who'd made a mistake. And as Kairi—and the brunet in the orange shirt holding a sword—tried to get over to the spirit of the child, Kairi could tell that she was about to pay for that mistake.

"I did," the spirit explained, with her head bowed. "This boy's ancestor robbed my family and slit their throats… and tried to do the same with me. And as I laid there dying, as his ancestor escaped the scene, I wished that his family would suffer similarly to how mine had."

But instead of asking the girl to take the wish back—because even if they had tried to explain to her that Riku was innocent, she probably wouldn't have—Sora just stabbed her in the chest… and she disappeared as light enveloped her from her heart… and then to her head and toes. And as she did, Riku—who had been unconscious—woke up gasping, but that wasn't enough for Sora.

Seeming to be possessed by a need to right all of the sins that were in the box now, he summoned another spirit to him… this one of a teenaged boy, who Kairi didn't want to hear the story of! She didn't! Because as horrible as they were… there was innocence in them, too, and Sora wanted to destroy that and him, all the same!

"Dude," said another one of these "camper" demigods, "that's not cool. All of Team Leo Valdez is going to be against you, I'll tell you what. As will the power of Hephaestus!" And the boy "Leo" summoned fire to his hands.

But Sora seemed to be done debating… because he sent Kairi a sad smile, before opening a Corridor of Light and disappearing through it with the box in his hands: neither Kairi or anyone else, could reach him in time. Perhaps because they'd stupidly expected Sora to leave through a Corridor of Darkness, because of his dark actions, and were therefore dazzled by the light?

And as the Corridor closed, Kairi saw Sora ending that boy's spirit as well… before summoning another one, as he sobbed as she did.

She wouldn't see him again until the Master of Master's plan finally came to fruition.

And even amidst all the death around her (Kairi suddenly sensed that Leo wasn't going to live… and that was why they were here to find a "Physician's Cure", to try and stop it), Kairi thought she felt something inside of her kick… but that couldn't be. Could it?

…

They were… at the Keyblade Graveyard again—and Kairi tried not to let that knowledge traumatize her toomuch, as she fought the Master's Foretellers, the Master himself, and even Sora some (though Kairi knew now that Sora wasn't evil. He was just being pragmatic, perhaps, but she hated that, too… and she wondered how he couldn't)—and Lightning, Serah, and Hope had come to join the Guardians just as they had promised.

Right now, both Sora and the Master of Masters were trying to appeal to the group's sense of a greater good (the Foretellers were either still knocked out from the last beating they took, or waiting somewhere deeper in the labyrinth to trap them)… and Kairi thought she was going to throw up.

"We- we have to kill Ephemer!" Sora was urging them now—as he held onto Ephemer's shoulders tightly, so that this boy who had long since lost his Keyblade couldn't move—"and I hate this, Kairi, Riku… Donald, Goofy. You know I do! It's me, after all! And… Ephemer saved us a- all last time… but did you know that there were no death threats in the black box… until Ephemer betrayed the light by desiring bad things for the Master of Masters? And that was the first seed of darkness that led to the creation of the Heartless. I swear, we won't hurt another living human being after this, but he-"

Right as Sora said those atrocious things, a slight rain began falling on this destined place—something that took many of the Guardians of Light aback and made them gasp, since they thought that such a thing was impossible here… but not Ephemer, Kairi noticed; he just seemed to look out into the rain longingly, as if waiting for someone who would never come.

"Spare me, Sora!" Riku snarled, as he stepped into a defensive stance in front of the Master and Sora, but didn't summon his Keyblade yet. "You're not evil! And you really don't want to do this! I don't think you willdo this, because not only would it make you a hypocrite for chewing me out on our first quest, but it's clear you're trying to spare us from making this choice because your 'hands are already dirty'... That's not the train of thought of someone who could actually go through with this."

"Yeah," Hope agreed, pulling out some sort of technological weapon he'd recently invented, since he was now ashamed to use his boomerang since Sora—who was using a boomerang Keyblade transformation—had been corrupted. "I don't think I even went this far as Bhunivelze. And I was possessed then, and so with an excuse, and you aren't."

"And I don't think you're going to hurt this Ephemer," Serah piped up, as she was perhaps the bravest one of them all—in choosing to walk towards Sora and the Master of Masters. The Master of Masters seemed like he was about to raise hands against her—which had Kairi starting to run towards her, even while the baby in her protested and made her want to get sick—but Serah stopped him by pointing her sword that doubled as a bow-and-arrow at the Master of Master's forehead. "Because even if you think Ephemer is guilty and needs to die, or whatever, he looks so much like your friend Hope… so I don't think you could hurt him for thatreason."

"You're drowning now, Sora," Lightning offered the strongest bit of wisdom through all of this—wisdom that they would all soon realize was from her having experienced something like this herself. "Drowning in yourself… and you think you deserve to, for your own sins, and that you can't and shouldn't be saved… but that just means you're reaching out now more than ever."

And Kairi certainly thought that he must have been… and a certain strategy occurred to her then, to try and pull him out of this hole, the way Kairi had heard that Lightning had been rescued by Hope and then vice versa.

She was a Princess of Heart, wasn't she? And therefore, good at purifying things, right? Why didn't she try doing that for Sora? …And maybe Ephemer first, if it was true that something really did need to be changed about him for the day to be saved?

Before anyone could object or react, Kairi threw herself into Ephemer's arms and kissed his cheek… and as she did, she understood why he'd turned against the Master of Masters, as he whispered that truth in her ears: it had been because he thought he'd set them all up for failure. And if Kairi didn't think that that was the answer right there and the Master of Masters was the true culprit, even while he played the philanthropist.

But still sensing anguish within Ephemer for what he had done, anyway, Kairi focused all of her power into healing the poor boy's heart… and as she did, she thought she saw him opening his eyes for the first time and breaking free of Sora's hold.

"Kairi?" Ephemer asked. And he did so in an almost reverent way that gave Kairi pause… Meanwhile, she pushed him back towards the other Guardians for safety, as she rocketed towards Sora's chest once again.

This time, the Master of Masters was summoning No Name towards her, but like Serah had kept him in check just a moment ago… Lightning did the same now, as she pulled her gunblade out, sprang into action, and slashed at the Master's throat.

Kairi touched Sora just as a single tear fell from his eye onto her. And through their connected hearts, she could see all that he'd recently gone through… and how he hated what he'd done—what he'd become—but had genuinely thought it needed to be done to save the world. And maybe- maybe he'd been right. At least for the box stuff and Ephemer at least needing to be redeemed, but he hadn't been about the rest of it. But despite everything, Kairi didn't think he needed to be this destroyed, either. What mattered, was that he hadn't gone through with real evil in the end.

"It's okay, you know," Kairi whispered into Sora's ear as he fell to his knees and all of their friends began running towards them… with the Foretellers hot on their heels now, "if you don't think you can see the forest for the trees anymore. Sometimes, I think I'm blinded by the light… But Sora, there's someone who's going to enter the world now who's going to be the best parts of both of us. And if that isn't proof that things can always get better and we'll win the day… I don't know what is."

And as this news lighted up Sora's face and heart—and he tried to stammer heartfelt responses to Kairi, but no words came out and so he just settled on stroking her face—he was able to get to his feet and shield his friends in a barrier the moment they reached him… but he also charged it with electricity, so that the Master of Masters and Foretellers were temporarily blasted off world when they touched it (all of the Guardians, and their three new friends, would chase them down and properly end this later)… And the barrier? It was made of pure light.

"You see? Everything's going to be alright," Kairi told Sora as she kissed his forehead and he likewise went to try and kiss her stomach. And this time, Kairi thought he believed her.

Author's Note: For Phoenix-Downer, since I can't thank her enough for writing that one fanfiction for me. And I tried to follow some similar beats from that in this—to honor it—but to also make it its own thing. That's why I tried to make Sora more pragmatic here than evil, as I don't think I've seen that in fanfiction before?

The FFXIII characters are in here, because I know you really liked FFXIII. And since I believe you said that the last well-written (though not strictly canon) FF couple that you were really into before getting into Kingdom Hearts, was Hope and Lightning. So here they (and Serah) are And the Lightning Returns stuff worked pretty well with this plot.

I also have no idea why Sora and Kairi had sex in this story. This fic just took on a mind of its own and went that way… I also did the annoying trope of having a character get pregnant from their first time, but whatever. I feel like Kairi and Sora's baby ended up being needed to kind of heal Sora in the end, so I guess it works?

And the one world they go to is a Percy Jackson one (that I swear I wrote before the news of the upcoming TV show). I just… imagined that scene happening in the area that's the start of the Blood of Olympus, for some reason. And I thought it would work/be kind of fun, if you basically had those guys thinking Sora had opened Pandora's Box or something. LOL

I hope you enjoyed, Phoenix!

-Shanna