A/N
Hello everyone, welcome to my brand new fic! Whoop!
If you want my full thoughts on this whole debacle, consult the authors note at the end, but if you like RokuShi, with a slice of VenAqua, a smattering of other characters, and drama with some humour mixed in to relieve tension, this fic is for you! Thanks for reading, following, favouriting, and reviewing!
(also as a quick aside that needs to be upfront, I am taking the gummiphones out of the universe, because I hated them, their inclusion, their implementation, and what it means for the future of the franchise)
Late fun fact: I have had this written for sixth months. I have the first four chapters ready. If this gains traction, I'll post the next few chapters periodically and finish the story. It's just 19 chapters total planned out.
There was a bright light, and where Sora had been standing a moment ago, there was nothing.
The Guardians of Light stared up at the sky for a little while, unsure what to say or do, until Riku let his head hang and he let out a sigh that could be heard over the wind blowing across the dry, barren desert.
"Aw, Riku... C'mon." Mickey stepped forward into his field of view. "Let's go back to Master Yen Sid's."
Riku turned around with a forced smile. "Yeah, he might have an idea of what'll happen next."
"Who is Yen Sid?" Xion turned to Roxas and asked quietly.
Roxas shrugged. "Dunno. A powerful wizard. I saw him through Sora's eyes a couple of times, but I don't know much about him."
Axel put an arm around the both of them, and they looked up at him. "He's a powerful sorcerer. A retired Keyblade Master, too. He's wise beyond anyone we've ever met, so if anyone has an answer, it'll be him."
"What's a Keyblade Master?" Xion asked, and Roxas shrugged, and they both looked up at Axel again.
"Uh... Heh, um, hey Master Aqua? Maybe you could tell these two what a Keyblade Master is all about?"
Aqua narrowed her eyes at him.
She didn't know this Axel, or Lea, but she could sense a darkness in his heart that was far too close to the surface, to say nothing of his admission of yielding to it in the past. "Didn't you say you were going to become a Keyblade Master? How come you can't even explain it properly? Do you even understand what it means in the first place?"
"Whoa, go easy on him Aqua!" Ventus held up his hands. "He just summoned his Keyblade for the first time like, a week ago!"
Riku snorted. "I became a Master at the same time, and I still don't know what's expected of me."
Terra's brow raised in surprise. "So you're a Master, too?"
"Aw, come on already!" Donald, who had been tapping his foot and listening to everyone talk finally walked into the center of the group. "Can we get a move on!? Sora's not getting found any faster with us standing around flapping our yaps!"
The bemused expression of being yelled at by a duck confused Donald, but everyone nodded and turned away. Axel, Roxas, and Xion pulled their hoods over their heads, and Axel lifted his hand. A dark corridor appeared a few feet away from them.
Ventus, who had been standing beside Aqua, saw her tense up way more than what anyone else would have. In fact, no one else in the group so much as flinched. "What do you think you're doing!?" She yelled, Keyblade materializing in her hand.
Axel tripped over himself in surprise. His shocked expression was hidden by the shadow cast by his hood. "Um... Going back to Yen Sid's?" He answered hesitantly.
"Using the darkness?" She ground her teeth together, and Roxas took a step forward defensively.
Riku saw the movement, and before anyone could say anything, he stepped forward and quickly cut in. "Those black coats protect its wearer from darkness." He explained, looking at Aqua first before turning to the other three. "But just because you came here separate from us doesn't mean you three have to go back the same way. We can use the Gummi Ship Sora left here."
Aqua slowly relaxed as she realized all eyes were on her, the Keyblade disappearing from her hand. "...Right. Good idea."
"Seems we didn't take into account our new friends." Mickey pointed out, though his voice was strained.
"Hey Ven? Can you move your foot, it's in my a-"
"That's me." Axel cut off Terra. "And I can't move, we're packed in here like sardines!"
Donald, who was pressed up against the glass dome of the ship, spluttered something like, "Why don't we just make two trips?"
Aqua, the person on the outer edge of the group, managed to find the button to open the door, and the entire group comedically fell out of the ship into a large pile. Thankfully, no one was around to observe the saviours of the universe struggle to stuff themselves into the small confines of the Gummi Ship and then fall out onto the ground.
"Phleh! Gross!" Xion muttered as she tried to spit out some dirt.
"Here - me, Terra, and Ven can use our Keyblade Gliders to travel outside the ship. That way, there will be enough room for whoever's inside." Aqua offered.
"Good idea."
"I feel like I should start raising my hand." Xion muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Aqua asked.
Xion sighed, placing one hand on her hip and then gesturing at the other girl. "What are Keyblade Gliders, how do they work, and won't you die if you do that?"
To the side, Roxas chuckled. He couldn't blame her frustration; he was as lost as she was.
"Gliders are just a different form the Keyblade can take. You can use it to traverse the Lanes between, but as you've pointed out, you would need some form of protection to keep the darkness from taking over you. Once you've learned how to make your own Glider, you get Keyblade Armor made for you. Don't worry-" Aqua held up a hand as Xion was about to interrupt, anticipating her question. "It's not armor from a Keyblade. It's just armor... but now that I mention it, they serve a similar function to those coats you're wearing, if what Riku said is true."
"Yeah, cept they're totally cooler than your edgy coats!" Ventus pointed at Roxas, who recoiled in surprise. "Check this out!"
He pressed a hand to his shoulder, as did Terra and Aqua. There was a blinding light, and when everyone turned back, Ven and Terra were now wearing their armor sets.
Aqua stood with her hand on her shoulder and a confused look on her face. Then, she hit the button again, then a third time. "Uh, usually this works..." She mumbled sheepishly while her ears turned red.
"Do you need some grease remover? We have a spare can back home." Terra stepped forward and was about to look at Aqua's armor when she turned to him suddenly.
"Where'd you put it?" She asked.
"Uh... the grease remover? I don't know, it's probably under the sink-"
"No, not that. I gave you my armor and my Keyblade when I found you in Radiant Garden after the battle." She explained. "What'd you do with it?"
Terra gave her a blank stare. A second passed, then five, and then he finally answered. "Aqua, I have my own armor and Keyblade. Why in the world did you give me yours?"
Riku, Roxas, Xion, and Axel all snorted, and Aqua turned to them with fire in her eyes. "Quiet, all of you!"
Ventus threw his head back with a laugh. "He's got a point. Look, how about Lea, Roxas, and uh... you-" He gestured at Xion, an embarrassed look on his face since he couldn't address her by name, "Take that dark portal thingy back to Yen Sid's? Me and Terra can fly along side the ship, and we all meet up there?"
"If you're going to go, I'm coming with." Mickey said as he turned to Axel.
"Makes no difference to me." He answered with a shrug.
Everyone looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.
"Well, you three can fly with us if those four are going to use a dark corridor." Riku gestured to the ship. "Let's go."
Terra and Riku talked to one another at the front of the ship, mostly the former questioning the latter about his Mark of Mastery exam while Donald and Goofy sat in their normal seats.
"Hey."
Aqua looked over when Ven gently grabbed her arm and turned her so they were facing away from the other four. "Are you okay?" He asked gently, looking up at her with concern.
She blinked in surprise. "Yes?" She answered in mild confusion.
Ven chuckled, but the worried look didn't go away. "I just mean... You were kind of snapping on Lea. Er, Axel, whichever."
"Oh..." She pursed her lips in understanding. "Yeah, I just... I shouldn't have. But seeing that dark corridor, it just... made my skin crawl."
Ventus saw her eyes become distant and unfocused, like suddenly she wasn't really there.
Her voice shook as she spoke again. "What if something happened? What if the heartless came through it?"
She blinked when Ven's other hand came and closed over hers, her eyes regaining their focus. "Maybe it was a little inconsiderate of him to just throw the darkness around like that, after what happened to you and Terra, but he's our friend!" Ventus smiled up at her. "Give him a little credit."
"I know, Ven. I'll be more careful in the future." She squeezed his hand before letting go. "But you need to be careful, too. He gave into the darkness willingly, remember? And served Xehanort's Nobody. He neglected to mention why, in case you forgot- but no matter what his reasons are for switching to our side, we can't just trust someone like that implicitly. It has to be earned. Maybe re-earned." She tilted her head at him, her voice low. "It has been a decade since you saw him last." She reminded him gently.
Ven frowned slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, you're right. Hey, I've got an idea!" In an instant, his expression brightened "Why don't we invite him to the Land of Departure? Since he can use a Keyblade and he's trying to become a master, he can prove that he's a good guy!"
She smiled at him. "Maybe, once we've gotten back and settled into the rhythm of things. Now that Master Eraqus is gone-" A lump formed in her throat, and she had to swallow it down before continuing. "I'll have to take over his duties, and that will take some time."
"What are you two whispering about back here?"
Ventus and Aqua split apart like they'd been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They were so deep in their conversation they hadn't noticed Terra and Riku had crossed the small distance.
But for a split second, Terra saw something flash in Aqua's eyes- something like anger, he wasn't sure, but Ven speaking up caught his attention.
"Nothing much. How much longer till we get there? I've gotta bother my long lost twin!"
Riku laughed. "Do yourself a favor, and don't compare yourself to him like that. He's got a thing about... Hmm... Being an individual." He decided to phrase it.
"What's that mean?" He looked between Terra and Aqua, who shrugged.
"Just because you look alike doesn't mean you're similar." Riku said. "I mean, if he's Sora's Nobody, and your heart was within his, then I guess its not a stretch to assume Roxas's looks come from you." He reasoned. "Guess it's better than being stuck with Sora's ugly mug."
"Hey, I'm telling him you said that!" Donald cried out from his seat.
The ship was filled with laughter, and afterwards it wasn't long until the world of the Mysterious Tower came into focus.
"Jeez, you guys are slow." Axel joked as the other six joined them at the entrance to the Tower. "We almost fell asleep waiting on you!"
"Blame these two- they have no idea how to drive that thing." Riku pointed at the Gummi Ship, and Donald blew a raspberry at him.
The Guardians of Light made their way up the tower, peeking their heads into Merlin's study.
"Helllooooooooooo! Master Yen Sid, we're back!" Goofy called out, stepping in first. There was no answer, and the group looked around in confusion.
"Is he alright? What happened after he came to help out?" Riku asked.
"We took out so many Heartless that we kind of lost count, then he said he was returning here. Hmm..." Goofy put a finger to his chin in contemplation.
"Oh, not to worry dears!"
Everyone turned to see the three fairies enter from the side room. "Yen Sid's quite alright. He used a lot of energy fighting those terrible creatures, and now he's resting." Flora explained.
"Will he be alright?" Aqua asked worriedly.
"Of course, my dear. Now-" She turned to Axel, Roxas and Xion, and pulled the latter of the three forward gently. "He knew you'd be coming here, and asked us to give you a little reward for helping out during the battle."
"Reward?" Xion looked back over her shoulder in confusion, and Roxas took a step forward, but was pulled back by Axel.
"Easy there tiger." Axel let go of his friend when Roxas turned to look at him. "She'll be alright."
"We'll give her something flattering and modest!" Fauna exclaimed, and the three fairies and Xion disappeared behind the doors.
Aqua cleared her throat and looked at Roxas. "Who is that girl? Why does she look like Kairi?"
Roxas stiffened- for some reason he couldn't quite discern, he didn't feel like telling them what Xion was originally created for. But he also knew that Riku would probably tell them either way, so he cleared his throat and said, "Xion was created to be a replica of Sora, one that Organization Thirteen could control, but she became her own person instead. She was supposed to absorb Sora's memories, and she looks like Kairi because of that. But she's not Kairi, or Sora. She's Xion." He added defensively.
"Yeah, she's not like either of them in slightest." Riku added, and Axel saw Roxas scowl and clench his fists.
"Like you know the first thing about her."
"Aaaand-" Roxas snapped out of his thoughts when Ventus stepped forward and put his hand forward. "Apparently you look like me cause you're Sora's Nobody? Roxas, right? Put her there!" He reached forward and shook his hand, and Axel snickered as he saw how Roxas was trying to be friendly. "My heart was in Sora's when you came about, so we look the same! How cool is that?"
"Y-yeah... Cool..." Roxas pulled his hand back and watched as Ventus circled around him.
"I'm Ventus, but everyone calls me Ven."
"Nice to meet you." Roxas said quietly.
"This is so weird." Terra mumbled as he stepped forward and looked between Ven and Roxas. "But look-" He motioned to Aqua, "Roxas has darker hair, but his eyes are a lighter shade of blue than Ven's. And," He put a hand flat over their spiky hair, "Ven is a centimeter taller."
"Boo yah!" Ven pointed at Roxas. "Beat that!"
"It's not a competition!... Wait, what are we competing over?"
But at that moment, the side door opened, and Roxas's jaw dropped.
"Presenting: The one and only Xion!" Merryweather exclaimed with a smile. "Well? What do you think?"
In place of her black coat, she was now a wearing a collared black shirt dress with no sleeves and a white skirt that reached mid-thigh. Instead of the pure black knee high boots the Organization wore, she now had ankle high boots that were a softer shade of black.
"It's very pretty." Aqua complimented.
"You look great." Terra said, and Ven nodded.
"Beats the coat by a mile." Axel added.
Xion's nodded, not really listening as she kept her gaze on Roxas, who was staring at her like he was seeing her for the first time. "I've never really thought about it, but this is the first time I'm seeing so much of Xion..." He flushed as he thought, "Exposed seems like a dirty way to put it, but it's true. She has really nice legs. And arms. Why in all the light of Kingdom Hearts did they give her such a short skirt!?" He asked himself. He looked up and down her new outfit, but his eyes kept darting back to her legs, and he felt his face heat up as he wondered if they felt as soft as they looked.
Suddenly, he was brought back to Earth when Axel jabbed him with his elbow. "Say something." He chided lightly.
"U-Uh- You look beautiful, Xion." He mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, and behind him the boys shared a knowing look while Aqua rolled her eyes.
Xion beamed at him, her blush fading a little as she crossed the room to stand next to him and Axel.
"Alright Roxas, your turn now."
"I have a suggestion, if you don't mind." He started to describe his outfit to them, and the door muffled his voice as it closed behind him.
"So you and Roxas are... friends?" Ventus leaned forward with a knowing smile, and Terra snorted.
"Of course we're friends." Xion answered, then studied him for a moment, looking him over head to toe. "Why do you look like him? Are you a replica too?"
"Nope! I'm Ventus. Call me Ven. And he looks like me! I was here first, after all!" He proudly pointed a thumb at himself, but his look turned to confusion when Xion narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms.
"Like that matters."
Ven blinked in surprised, and Riku shook his head. "Man, you don't listen at all, do you?" He turned to Xion with a sympathetic look. "I told him not to say anything like that." He said apologetically, before explaining their theory as to why Ventus and Roxas looked so similar.
"Hmph. That makes sense, I guess." Xion shrugged before looking at Axel. "I guess if you've only got the one heart when you turn into a Nobody, you won't end up looking like anyone else. Who knew Sora had another heart in him before he left the islands?"
Roxas stepped out, and everyone turned to see him wearing his normal outfit.
"You look nice." Xion complimented as he rejoined the group.
"Thanks. Actually, I was born in these." He joked, making her laugh.
"Better than Sora's old outfit." She agreed with him. She reached forward to touch his necklace and the lapels of his jacket, and Roxas suddenly felt like he was in a spotlight.
"Now listen you two: Those clothes aren't just any old garments. We took your coats and the special properties they had and combined them into those the new outfits. You'll be protected against darkness and harder to track than most, but I'm afraid the effect isn't as powerful as the coat itself is. We did the best we could." Flora explained.
"Thank you very much." Roxas and Xion bowed their heads politely. "Wait, what about Axel?" Roxas asked.
"Don't worry, I've got my own clothes stashed away. Got them when I was training with Kairi."
"Now then, you'd best be off. Yen Sid will recover soon, and you can visit him then."
Riku frowned, but nodded. His questions would have to wait. "I'll come see you all once I've talked to Yen Sid."
"We'll head back to the Land of Departure." Aqua turned to the former Nobodies. "You three should come with us. As Keyblade wielders, it's important that you're trained properly."
"Well, you don't have to ask me. You already know I'll be there." Axel grinned, but Aqua ignored him.
Roxas and Xion glanced at each other, and a look of understanding passed between them. "I'll pass."
"Same."
Aqua blinked. "What?"
"I already know how to use the Keyblade. I don't need training." Roxas stated bluntly. "Besides, I want to meet Hayner, Pence, and Olette properly. I only met them once when I was in the Organization, and I want to meet them for real this time."
"But- But, you're- You're Keyblade wielders. You have to be trained properly, and become Keyblade Masters, you can't just say no!" Aqua sputtered, completely surprised at being turned down.
"Sure I can." Roxas smiled, raising an arm and opening a dark corridor to Twilight Town, setting Aqua and the three fairies on edge. He ignored them as he turned back to Xion. "You're gonna love them. C'mon, let's go."
They walked through the corridor, and all Aqua could do is blink as she worked her jaw and tried to form words. The corridor disappeared, and Aqua sighed. "I can't believe they just blew me off like that. They don't have much in the way of manners, do they?"
"I'll talk to them." Axel promised. "But they've both wanted to do their own thing for a while now. I can't exactly blame them for wanting to take a break from being Keybladers for while."
"Here, here." Terra muttered unenthusiastically.
"Fine." Aqua sighed again as she turned to Riku. "Before you go, come with us. As a fellow Master, there are things I need to explain to you."
"Sure."
They stepped outside, Riku giving Aqua a ride to the Land of Departure, and Axel waiting till they left before opening a dark corridor. It didn't lead to Twilight Town, however. "We're one short..." He said aloud as he stepped through it.
Alright, Authors note time. YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ THIS, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE STORY BUT I NEED TO RANT
So, as is well known and documented, KH3 was a bad game on pretty much every front. From it's floaty, weak gameplay, to its terribly paced, confusing for newcomers and adding nothing new for long time fans weak story, it's bad. I'm not going to go into everything I disliked about it, because we'd be here all day, but the reason I'm writing this fic is because of two very specific moments that really rubbed me the wrong way:
Saix giving Roxas and Xion ice cream, and Roxas running around with Riku, both of which take place in the end cutscene of the game.
I've been a fan of Roxas since I was little kid, before I hit double digits even, and a big fan of Roxas and Xion as friends and as a couple since I played Days. Their relationship was what drove to read and eventually write fanfiction, even if I've deleted my fifteen year old, 400 word fics that were terribly written. (you're a real one if you've been keeping up with my writing since then)
And thanks to the terrible, terrible pacing of KH3, Roxas and Xion get brought back at the end of the game, and have so little dialogue that their tragic story is brushed under the rug completely. Let's take a look at some of the elements that make the story of Days tragic shall we?
Roxas kills Xion (THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF THAT GAME), Saix verbally abuses both of them, Axel constantly lies about Xion to Roxas, Saix openly hopes Xion dies, Xion lies to and betrays Roxas, Saix openly hopes Roxas dies, Saix tries to kill Roxas when he leaves the Organization, Riku tells Xion she should give up her existence (greater good aside, still a fucked up thing to say, like Namine telling Roxas he shouldn't exist in KH2), Riku is the reason Xion lies to Roxas, and if I haven't mentioned it yet, Saix openly hope Xion dies...
And the list goes on. The breakdown of their friendship was such a beautifully tragic thing to witness, and it was something Axel, Roxas, and Xion didn't deserve. That's why we wanted them to be brought back and be given a happy ending instead. We were invested in these characters because they were well written.
Then KH3 comes out and says "Guess I should have brought some ice cream" and "Needed to iron out some plot points". Those lines of dialogue really rubbed me the wrong way, it honestly can't be put into words.
You cannot and will not brush XION'S DEATH under the rug with that shit.
Bottom line is, Roxas and Xion are not friends with Isa because he says "I was jealous". Saix was a psycopathic asshole from his introduction to his death to his resurrection in 3DS, and he gets an OFF SCREEN REDEMPTION ARC? WHAT THE FUCK? I mean, I'm all for a good redemption arc, but this aint it chief. He did not do enough to earn that spot on the clock tower. And before you try and defend this child abuser, he objectively did very little in bringing back Roxas and Xion. Yes, he played a part, but it's the equivalent of being a shrub in a 1st grade school play. It wasn't important enough to warrant a standing ovation and total forgiveness of his character, not from fans and not from the in universe characters.
Roxas is definitely not going to be friends with Riku, who stopped him from fulfilling Xion's last wish of destroying Kingdom Hearts, threw him into the Matrix, and played a huge role in erasing him from the world and returning him to Sora. Especially when he was a major reason Xion betrayed Roxas, like I said earlier. Roxas should be incredibly distrustful and angry with Riku, whether it's justified or not. Roxas lost his friends as a direct result of Riku's meddling, and Riku with his personality would not be so easy to just be friends with Roxas, even if they could be (and probably will be best buds in Re: KH4.3 the lost USB drive)
It also does actually nothing to address the lingering issues between the BBS trio. Aqua's last words to Terra in that game were "You'll go astray again. How does that honor our master's memory?" Kind of a heavy line, and it really shows just how estranged everyone was after their journey separated and reunited them. Ven asked his friends to kill him, then destroyed his own heart and went comatose. Aqua, at multiple points, thinks about giving into the darkness. And the list goes on...
Just like with Days, the breakdown of the friendship and the tragic endings for everyone were major reasons we as fans wanted these characters to return and get happy endings.
And KH3 just gives it to them. No lingering issues, no drama, just a happy ending for everyone, a-hyuk!
Fuck that lmao. A happy ending is earned, and that's why I'm writing this fic.
Think about it. Xion dies in Roxas's arms, then wakes up in the middle of the Keyblade war, and they're just not going to talk about it? No. No no no no no.
If they're going to brush the fans favourite characters aside and make Strelitzia, a boring nothing character from a mobile game most fans didn't play and don't care about it, a new main character in KH4, then honestly I'm not sure whether to keep up with the games or not unless I get a spin off that is explicitly about characters we actually care about.
And before you accuse me of blindly hating her, I was playing KHUX from quest 200, years and years before she was even introduced, and I don't care about her death because she doesn't have any character for me to care about, unlike the two trios. This is its own topic that I won't go into here, but it really baffles me that Nomura is going all in on MOBILE GAME tie-ins instead of focusing on the characters that already exist, objectively need more story added to them, and are and always will be more popular than whatever chibi nonsense from the mobile games they choose to focus on instead.
As a fan, I'm really, really, worried that they're going to gloss over, or brush under the rug, or flat out ignore the issues that NEEDED to be resolved when these characters were brought back. Just bringing them back wasn't enough.
So if you read this note, thanks, hopefully you understand where I'm coming from and agree with my points. If you liked the fic but don't like my points, don't worry, I'm not going to be repeating them every chapter. I'm writing this because I'm seeing more people argue about whether Star Wars should be included or not than talk about actually existing issues that aren't going to be resolved when Nomura dives headfirst into the Lost Masters arc.
So again, if you like RokuShi and some slight VenAqua and want some drama and humour as these characters readjust to their day to day lives, then this fic is for you!
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