More To A Heart

An Indepentent, selective RP/Ask Blog for Sora from the Kingdom Hearts Series.

[ask-sora-the-brave]

Yes, my blog got marked as explicit again. 

No, I do not know why. 

Yes, I filed yet another appeal for it.

No- I do not have suggestive or explicit content on my Sora blog, nor will I ever.

So if you see me liking your things and panic because, ‘Oh no! Obviously explicit Sora blog!’ Trust me, this blog isn’t that. I am equally as confused- and the appeal is taking longer than it did the first time. 

-Crowe

[ask-sora-the-brave]

Two things;

One- I’m currently on mobile so if this turns out looking really weird, that’s why. I’ve zero idea what it looks like on desktop because my computer is currently not able to be used.

And two, I am genuinely considering moving my KH muses over to my multi-muse blog and just operating out of that blog exclusively because the being marked thing actually prevents me from doing a lot. That and it prevents anyone really seeing my content unless they happen across it so or actively go on my blog to look. So. There is that.

I’ve not decided if it will be permanent or not but I might go through the trouble of making specific muse things just so that they can still have something special. Still though.

You may end up finding both me and the KH muses at @muse-menagerie

-Crowe

[haido]

KH3′s 3rd anniversary 

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @aspiringparasyte​​​​​ || Arias asks;

『 "Dang, dude, what did you do?" 』|| In reference to blog being marked ||

Sora turns slowly to look at the boy you bears a striking resemblance to him in subtle ways, his lips gradually pressing into a very thin line as he stares at them with eyes that were devoid of light. 

For a passing moment, it seems that the keybearer isn’t going to do anything more than this- until he begins to emit a long whine and throws his hands into the air in obvious exasperation.

“Beats me, buddy!” The islander grins despite sounding distraught and very confused, a laugh tinging his tone. “I was just sitting here and then all of a sudden I was smacked for crimes I didn’t even commit! I could understand if it was for something like me going feral, but this-”

He gestures around vaguely, shaking his head with a sort of amusement that only Sora could really have at all this. “Yeah, I got nothing.”

Truth be told, it was more an inconvenience than anything- irritating only because it had little explanation or reasoning and it had happened; not once- but twice. Prior to the first occurrence, he had been dormant- catching up on much needed sleep that still didn’t feel like it had been enough only to be slapped awake by the news. This time he had even bothered to stick around, and still he was oddly imprisoned. 

Most he could really do was laugh about it because it was absurd and ridiculous. Who knows, maybe someone was messing with him.

[dreamisoup]

[ask-sora-the-brave]

@dcstiny-bound

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​​​ || Roxas sends;

『 "I dunno if it's just me but... Compared to the work we had to do for the Organization this feels pretty... Rough. Do they always ask so much from you?" Surely not? Even for them, missions happened in teams of two usually, and were assigned based on compatibility and location... Xemnas might have been a bit of a cold bastard with a boring monologue but... He was a good planner. 』

Sora bolted upright from where he was laying in the grass, openly gaping at the lighter-haired man in shock. Not because he was surprised that Roxas would say something against what they did but because somehow- he knew that the Organization was more...lax? 

The way he had heard the previous members talk about it, he knew that there was at least more downtime than they had now, and it wasn’t the kind that felt like you were somehow going to be yelled at for not doing enough either. Though beyond that, he hadn’t given it much thought. 

“You mean- this whole time, I haven’t been going crazy thinking that this is a lot and that I’m somehow just struggling to keep up?” He flops back down onto the ground with arms spread in defeat, “Next you’re going to tell me you guys had scheduled days off where missions didn’t take away your time off.”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​ || Riku sends;

『 "Maybe I shouldn't be thinking like this, but... I'm just some guy, you know? Same as you, same as anyone back on the Islands. Now they're throwing around all these titles and responsibilities—" He clicked his tongue and looked away, wringing his hands together a little where he was sat, elbows resting on bent knees. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't be bringing this up, huh? Never mind." He rose out of his crouched position, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "I'll be fine, I just need to get used to it, don't worry about it..." How could he possibly lay down his burdens with Sora, who had suffered so much throughout their journey? He didn't deserve that. He deserved so much better. 』

He had thought the lingering silence might have been the best course of action to let the other vent and release the things weighing on them, after all- in all his time of knowing Riku, they seemed to handle everything on their own terms. So for them to suddenly...confide in him...

Well he was taken off guard. 

There was hesitance to say anything at all too soon, not wanting to somehow cast ripples along the surface and disturb them out of speaking only to find that the stillness was had been just as bad. His hand already reaching out to try and stop them from leaving with wide eyes, though his fingers twitched and curled- falling back down to his lap where it formed a fist. It was hard to swallow past the growing lump in his throat but he had to try, even as he afforded them some amount of privacy by staring down at his fist instead.

“Its...a lot. I mean, we used to just be a couple of kids back on Destiny Islands playing on the shore and sword fighting. Most we had to worry about was splinters or whatever was going on back on the mainland in between dreaming about sailing somewhere else and now we’re- Just. Expected to save worlds and train all the time, pave that path through the darkness like we aren’t still just...kids. How are you even supposed to get used to that?”

He hadn’t realized until then how much the concept seemed to bother him, but it did. It wasn’t the first time he’d expressed wanting to go back to times before all the keyblades and kidnapping but it might have been the first time he admitted outloud that there was something inherently...wrong about the fact that they were just- thrust into all this with so little to go off of and expected to excel and do well without ever even being stopped to make sure it was something they could really commit to. Yeah, he probably still would have done it for the sake of his friends but that didn’t change much in the grand scheme of things. And voicing it just made sure that the thought now had nowhere to hide anymore, especially not as he finally looked at Riku.

Seeing the tension, the quickness to bottle things up again just for the sake of falling into the roles they had been forced into- it hurt something inside him. Splintering with a heat beneath his sternum. It wasn’t fair that all this pressure had to be placed on them or that Riku was constantly put into the position of being protector, that they felt like they had no right to speak out against any of it.  

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​​​ || Aqua sends (About Vanitas);

『 "Are you sure you should be spending so much time with him, Sora? I know he says he's on our side now but... He's hurt a lot of people.“ 』

It almost makes him want to give out a bitter laugh as he flicks his gaze toward the keyblade Master, but he manages to bite his tongue and appear contemplative instead. The reality of it was that he was debating how to respond in a way that wouldn’t somehow offend the mage or cause more concern. 

The effort was pointless in the end, the words had wedged their way under his skin- writhing with all the persistence of a badly healed infection that begged for the relief of being itched despite knowing it’d make things worse. Frustration tumbles out of his mouth in a heated sigh, his brows creasing as he threw his arms back behind his head to try and somehow contain himself just enough.

“You know, I don’t mean to upset you but I thought you would have been more understanding of that. You were trapped in the darkness for years and so was Terra- Organization members have even joined our side and I don’t see you going and having this conversation with Kairi even though she’s training with the guy who kidnapped her because Lea is trying. So what makes Vanitas any different?”

He groans, letting his hands slide over his face with the heels of his palms digging into his eyes. He probably wasn’t doing a very good job of proving that the association wasn’t all that bad considering that he’d never really acted out toward Aqua in the past- but he truly didn’t see what the big deal was. They hurt people regularly, in the name of light and somehow that made it okay? In the past, he had genuinely believed in that. Fighting for hearts and light and things like ‘goodness’ justified their actions...but then he met members of the Organization and something shifted. They weren’t all just villains that only wanted to hurt people like he had convinced himself. They were people with something missing that wanted to be whole again- and that by itself resonated a lot more than he would have liked to admit. 

Slowly, he let his fingers drag across his skin and fall limply to his sides.

“Look, I get it. You’re worried. And it’s not like you don’t have reason to be but, I guess I just don’t understand why you’re not willing to let him try?”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​ || Vanitas sends;

『 He couldn't help but let out a growl of frustration, pacing like a caged predator in too small a space. "Fuck, if I see one of them tailing me again I'm going to fucking lose it. What the hell more do they want from me?!" 』 

|| Mun OOC Note; In which, I HC that Ven, Aqua, and Terra routinely spy on him to 'make sure' he's not up to anything and Yen Sid encourages it. ||

‘Careful and quiet footsteps, barely let your heels step fully down and stick low to the ground- wait, bide your time, aaaaand-’

The islander had been looking for an opening to slink away from his companions all morning, secretly planning an escape with eyes nearly glued to any exit in sight every time that he thought one of them wasn’t looking. Fact was- he was tired. He was always tired lately. Even just admitting that was exhausting because it wasn’t like the reasoning ever changed but with the way everything around here always worked, that also meant that the reasoning was no excuse not to work harder.

Though the worst part of it all was probably the fact that while some of the people around him expected the absolute world from him, others like Leon and Riku reminded him he needed to take it slow and take care of himself. It was enough to give him whiplash. He’d love to take a break, to not have to go sneak off just to attempt one...and more than anything he would love to have days where him and his friends could just exist on the beach like they used to without having to worry about darkness or hearts every waking second. Of course, he also wished that the same could be happen for a lot of the other people he met. They all deserved to just be able to exist- it should be enough that they do. 

But as it was, there were always people to protect and worlds to save. So long as he could summon a keyblade- it was his duty to see that through. 

Oh who was he kidding? Even without one he probably wouldn’t be able to just idly stand by if there was danger. You didn’t see Yuffie or Aerith just standing by on the sidelines just because they didn’t wield keyblades. No, so long as there was darkness, it seemed inevitable that Sora would do anything to try. He just wished that there could be a little bit more breathing room so that he didn’t feel like he was suffocating or a second away from snapping at someone who didn’t deserve it.

Perhaps that’s why he was surprised to hear that the room he had slipped into was already occupied, and by someone who was equally looking for escape.

Sora blinked owlishly at the pacing man who all but had their teeth bared, ready to bite if the wrong person drew too close. For a fleeting moment, all he does is stand there with his hands on the doorknob- silently debating whether he should close the door or leave the other to whatever it was they were dealing with...

Until he heard the telltale sound of webbed feet slapping against the ground and felt dread sweep over him in a cold panic. Clicking the door shut quickly and scurrying away from it as far as he possibly could, pressing an index finger against his lips with a look of desperation toward the man until he was absolutely certain the duck had passed by.

With a sigh of relief, he let his shoulders falls and looked toward Vanitas, he didn’t bother to try and flash a grin at him or play it off at all. Simply tilting his head curiously at the other and watching them before speaking.

“You’re hiding too, huh? Figures. You’d think with all the work they keep reminding everyone that needs to be done, they’d have anything better to do than harassing.” He pauses, half considering himself before tacking on the next tentative question. “Who’s tailing you, anyway?” 

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​​ || Vanitas sends;

『... This was getting painful to watch. "You look like shit, Sora..."』

“Gee- Thanks.” Sarcasm laced into his voice easily, complete with a show of teeth in a very half hearted and clearly fake grin that he wasn’t even bothering to try and make look believable. Immediately falling as he rolled his eyes and flopped unceremoniously onto the couch. His muscles were already screaming at the softness that was practically painful against all the sharp nerves in his body protesting their existence. 

It was a rare moment when he actually managed to slink out of view from his usual companions to go and lick his own wounds or tone down all the bright sunshine he normally exuded, so to say he wasn’t exactly enthused by the comment that greeted him- would have been laughable. 

The key-bearer let his eyes flutter shut, long feathered lashes grazing the crests of his cheeks. Not even bothering to cast a look toward the other male, let alone care that his tone was less than chipper as he addressed them idly. “Do you always point things out or is that a darkness thing that I ‘wouldn’t understand’?”

Even he has to wince at that one, grimacing at himself as he drapes an arm across closed eyes. He expels a long exhale from his lungs in a loud huff, waving at them with his other hand. “Sorry- I just. Wasn’t expecting anyone to be here or for you to. Dunno. Be concerned? In your own way.”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​ || Xigbar sends;

『"Framed? As if! I dunno kid, you look pretty guilty to me~" He's teasing, don't take him too seriously. Sometimes a gremlin just wants playful friendly banter. If he didn't think he'd take a keyblade to the face for it, he'd even reach out and ruffle the boy's hair.』

“Oh, hah-hah, very funny. What were you a stand-up comedian before you joined the organization or do they hand out joke books as consolation for becoming apart of them?” Neither Donald or Goofy were around to chastise him for being more on the abrasive side, a fact that he was infinitely grateful for because he didn’t think he could really put up with the mage’s jabbing or the knight’s gentle disappointment. 

Being treated like a kid was one thing but when you had all the responsibility of an adult and were still given that sort of behavior- well, demeaning was an understatement. Still, he’d take being called ‘kid’ over another persona acting like he was somehow incapable or like he wasn’t working himself to the damn bone every aching moment just trying to reach whatever impossible standard they seemed to have for him. 

And he’d be lying if he said some small part of him didn’t find teasing the man back to be enjoyable.

A small smirk rested upon his lips at the thought of it, even as he rolled his eyes. So long as the other wasn’t trying to goad him into whatever plan Xehanort was concocting, he couldn’t say he really minded them being around of teasing him. And truth be told, the entire situation had been completely ridiculous if not a little exhausting.

“And for the record? I am completely innocent. I don’t even know where they got that idea. There are a million other crimes I could look at and go, yeah alright fair enough. But not that one.”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  An Anonymous Heart sends;

『 In Jiminy Cricket's book a guiding note was read by the words. "The elemental roses is a Legendary power residing in a Forgotten world full of trees. Go left of the rose shaped rocks, through the purifying nova and past against the Everglades lanes. There, you will meet him." And the world also exists with it being called the "Rookie's forest." 』

Sora had let the strange words linger undisturbed long enough having already asked Jiminy repeatedly if he was sure that he hadn’t recorded it and simply forgotten about it. Each time the islander was met with patience and reassurance of similar curiosity toward the mysterious origins until finally he had stopped asking at all. It was pointless to keep at it really, expecting the answer to change or to be given some gleaning shred of a hint was naïve, even for him. Still, he couldn’t help but feel something tugging in the back of his mind within the rare lulls between missions when the air grew still and everything seems thousands of miles away.

One line in particular seemed to bother him.

‘There you will met him.’

Him who? Was it a trap? Would he go there and find himself face to face with Xehanort or one of his many lackeys? Or was it someone else entirely? A friend he already knew? Someone walking in between both light and darkness? Or maybe it was someone he hadn’t even met yet...

Admittedly that last one left even more unanswered questions in its wake. 

He had finally convinced Donald and Goofy to let him check it out now that there seemed to be a break in the missions and ongoing training. Though, it quickly turned out that...that, was the easy part. The instructions left him more confused than their sudden appearance what was now months ago. He could see the rose shapes rocks with their layered petals all but carved into the exterior of the stone and had been sure to turn left but finding whatever a purifying nova was took a lot longer than he would have liked.

Especially since the longer he spent squinting at the writing in the book, the more irritated the feathery mage seemed to become. Scowling and throwing a tantrum like a petulant child over following pointless maps when they should be doing tasks for Yen Sid and the king. Sora was about to remind him that it wasn’t exactly easy picking up on each world’s new strange things and on the whole, he thought he had done a pretty good just adapting whenever it mattered most- even when his companions reminded him that he couldn’t let most people know he wasn’t actually from there. Though before he could voice any of that, Goofy interrupted them to point at what had to be the nova described in the short excerpt, prompting Sora to walk off in that direction with a very disgruntled duck yelling after him about not leaving them behind. 

The lanes were arguably the easiest part to find given that they at least had a sign that marked them as much but how far was too far past? The wielder had wandered a good ways in, idly craning his neck with sapphire sweeping over the expanse at anything that might have been a person and finding nothing. His mouth pulls into a frown until he stops walking abruptly and huffs, shutting the book and tucking it under his arm to cup both hands around his mouth.

“Hello? We’re here! A bit late but- it still counts right? Someone’s supposed to meet us here?” His voice carried through the space and he paused to look at his companions who both gave concerned shrugs. Reluctantly he tries again, despite an weary sense of anxiety telling him that maybe he had waited too long to pick at the mysterious invitation. “My name’s Sora? That- sounded like a question. To be clear I know my name Mister Unknown Stranger, I just don’t know if that makes some sort of difference? For all I know you might go around leaving notes in other people’s books all the time! Okay, maybe that’s a rude thing to say but if you don’t come out and correct me I’m just gonna have to accept that as fact!”

Or accept that he was talking to absolutely no one.

He knew he should have explored this place sooner, whoever it was that had been waiting to meet him had probably left a long time ago.

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​ || Xemnas sends;

『"We all have a role to play in the battles to come, the clashes between Light and Darkness. I look forward to the climax of our respective journeys."』

Xemnas. The man who would sell the world if only because he felt it was his destiny to do so, without choice, without meaning- content to play his piece because it was the one thing that truly belonged to him and he was determined to play it well. It made him all to aware of the teeth in his mouth as they clenched against one another, enamel to enamel in grating pressure that rose like ocean waves cascading in his ears. Constantly going on about the inevitability of returning hearts from their temporary abandonment but sacrificing anything else just to obtain it, as though it was a right of his to pass along the pain until he could finally have that warmth he was promised.

Some part of Sora felt familiarity dancing along the jagged outline of the other, made from the splintered remains of so many others and clinging to the one thing that made them...them. And yet, they couldn’t be more different. 

For every overlap that he tried to breach, the organization member was fast to regale them with every polarity that existed like it were a flaunt of strengths to his weaknesses. 

But that wouldn’t stop him. 

Not even as they regarded him with eyes like molten sunlight streamed across the rough exterior of fool’s gold. Smugness dripping off upturned lips in the visage of an almost triumphant smirk, as though he had already won a battle that had yet to pass. A thousand steps ahead in a game of chess he was playing by himself even as a Nobody.

“Don’t you even care about any of your companions? That climax you’re talking about, its going to wind up getting a lot of people hurt on both sides. And yes, I do mean people, because Nobodies are people.” The key-bearer’s voice is tinged with seething desperation, the kind that bubbles and boils just under the surface of something more cautious but ever defiant. A hand sweeps across his chest, waving at something unseen as though just behind him were the other members of their beloved organization- betrayal making his brows furrow as he openly scowled at the man with hair like gossamer strands of spun moonlight. “You can’t seriously tell me that you would be okay with them never coming back or being hurt. Or that this whole thing might just be for nothing!”

He was poking a dangerous thing, and he knew that- but the words wouldn’t stop themselves from falling out of his mouth. Yelling in a need to be heard.

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​ || Xion sends;

『"Sora..." Having a moment now, a lull in all the craziness happening around them, it's suddenly difficult to speak. "Thank you. I don't know how you knew me when no one else could remember me, but thank you so much. For everything." 』

Fragile...the air suddenly felt so inherently fragile, like the warmth of his breath spilling out in the form of words could chance the moment fracturing into a million fractal shards- and yet, he knows better. Xion was anything but that word, more than the puppet or the doll that she had been made out to be. His lips parted instinctually, though he doesn’t actually turn to look at the girl who had come to stand next to him with a voice like the breeze along grassy meadows somewhere beyond the shores they found themselves.

Slowly a smile forms along the corners of his mouth, pulling the edges into something warm. Its not the usual sunshine grin he feeds the world around him, its something inherently more honest with lingering strings of tiredness and relief softening the sharper peaks of shattered sapphire in his eyes. 

“There are echoes of your heart that you can’t ever forget. Connections. Even if they weren’t entirely mine...I don’t think my heart could ever do that to you.” Sora tilts his head back, letting it roll to the side to look at her with amusement flickering across his irises. “So really, there’s nothing to thank me for. I’m just happy you exist.”

He returns to casting his gaze out across the tides of the ocean, some part of him selfishly enjoying the lull for just a small second. It was nice, not to have to feel like so much was placed on him. “Sometimes I wonder if a drop knows its apart of an ocean, and if it gets separated- if it will ever be able to return. When you think about it, one drop...it doesn’t really destroy the ocean if it gets taken. But it still has meaning doesn’t it? Keep taking and taking and soon there’ll be nothing left. ‘Course, if it does go back- it’s like it never left. It’s kinda nice to think about in a way, that each drop is something important that will always have a home.” 

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​​ || Xigbar sends;

『 "Man, if it wasn't so very convenient for us, I'd actually feel kinda bad at how you just take whatever little clue we toss at you and follow it to it's logical conclusion... Right into Xehanort's hands." He'd feel bad, if it wasn't necessary.』

Like a needle testing its way under his skin, the organization member’s voice cooed their teasing tone with every intent pointed toward striking a vital nerve in the key-bearer. Silver streaks of time already marked their presence, as though the fingers of the infinite had raked themselves through locks of midnight, and yet Sora knew that hardly mattered for all of Xigbar’s surprising arsenal of skills. Foremost of which seemed to be the sharpness of their tongue, laced with arsenic and honey, distracting just long enough to make someone too slow and leave them wide open. 

Sora’s fist clenched, fingers curling until his nails bit into the meat of his palm. There had to be some reason why the sniper was here, something beyond idle boredom and goading...but what? 

Cobalt searches the expanse of the only visible tawny gold, as though the iris could tell him anything more than simply being all to eager to get to him. 

Maybe that was it- make him paranoid and jumpy enough that his nerves were frayed. Well, the man would just have to get in line for that one because between the pressure of everything else and the weight of just trying to catch up to not weigh anyone down, his nerves were already shot to hell and back. 

“I'd say its weird that you’re taking joy from taunting a kid but you don’t really strike me as the type to have a standard for ‘low.’” He shouldn’t rise to the bait, but as it was, the islander was a little bit too worn down to care. If the man wanted to see his bones so badly then let him, he wasn’t in the mood to try and pretend. They could delight in it, take pleasure from the fact that he was snapping and breaking down, he didn’t care. He was too tired to care. “Did you come here to gloat or to give another hand to Xehanort as his lackey?”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

—  @worldly-diversity​ || Riku sends;

『 "Hey, I've got your back, yeah hear me Sora? I'm not letting you do this alone." 』

It happened in a rush- one moment the world was blurred and alternating between sharp focus and careening into dizzying double images with trailing glows of blooming lights as his hands gripped the handle of his keyblade. Flesh stretched white from the pressure, though whether it was the force of his hold on the weapon or the fact that he could still feel the warmth of crimson leaking somewhere beneath his shirt, he couldn’t say for certain. All he knew, was that he had been foolish. 

Rushing in with all the confidence he didn’t really possess, letting rage fill his bloodstream until he was sure that it would burn him alive- and if it did? Well, he could only hope that he could stand close enough to the darkness that kept trying to take everything from him that it would burn them too. Donald and Goofy weren’t even there and he had tried so hard to keep it that way- keep anyone else from having to get hurt over something he should be able to handle.

And yet, here he was...moments from collapse or reckless breaking when a breeze of coldness sweeps over his body like water lapping at scorching sands and cooling each grain. A familiar hand on his shoulder, steadying, giving him all the strength that makes him want to scream or cry out because they’re not supposed to be here. Riku isn’t supposed to be here. Saving him like always. 

There’s such power in the other’s voice, other’s might think it was commanding...maybe even biting, but Sora knew better. Underneath all that determination was the concern that fed into the presence that they wielded like a weapon all of its own. The islander swallowed against the guilt that rose because he had been the cause of it, though more than anything else...he focused on the words as the silver-haired male stepped beside him with his own keyblade raised against hoards of heartless who clawed at the air in anticipation. 

Riku wasn’t condemning him. 

Nor was he saving him as he thought initially.

He was joining him.

Sora readjusted his grasp on the keyblade, giving out a grin that looked far more cheerful and warm than the situation really called for. Eyelids sliding shut for one blissful moment as he draws in the air that the other leaves in their wake, letting it fill him with something sharper until the throbbing pain becomes a more dull ache. He could handle this. With the other at his side, he could handle anything.

There was no surprised and tearful greeting, not this time- not as his eyes opened once more to reveal sapphire that is alight with a soul fire flame of azure blue. There was little time for any of that. And so, with a chuckle and a wayward glance, he admitted to something that he hadn’t realized until just then- when Riku had given him all of his ebbing strength through support-

“I’m glad you’re here.”

[ask-sora-the-brave]

Leon makes sure to leave the… admittedly poorly made bear and the envelope at the drivers seat of the key-bearers gummi-ship, moving to leave as quickly as he could before they got suspicious at his absence. He hopes Sora appreciates the gesture, and finds himself tossing a small fond glance back to the gifts before he leaves.

The younger wielder had already been dreading going on his next mission. Lately, they seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders, dripping with unseen expectations that he wasn't even sure he could truly measure up to. Every errant moment was filled with what more he could or should be doing and any break felt somehow undeserved. Like if someone came through the door and saw him lounging or relaxing, they'd call him lazy and airheaded and go on about how he needed to work hard. How everyone needed for him to do a good job.

It was bad enough that Donald and Goofy had both gotten on his case about how the gummi-ship ran off of happiness and smiles; these last few trips had a bit more turbulence than one of them really cared for, and they were quick to remind him of that.

He was already bracing himself as the door opened, his eyes closed as he drew in a breath and tried to steel himself. Slip into sunshine, recall a joke or the sound of a laugh, let the warmth wash over until the seeping coldness doesn't feel so present, let the muscles work themselves into a smile- Sora stops abruptly when he opens his eyes to find a small bear and an envelope waiting for him inside.

Wide, owlish eyes blink their sapphire hue at the sight in nothing short of astonishment. A hesitant hand reaching out to touch the soft fur of the plush, as though he wasn't sure it was actually there. Fingertips graze the tip of an ear and he almost reels back in shock, his attention drifts to the envelope with his name neatly scrawled on it. Gingerly, he picked it up and opens it with an almost cautious sense of excitement, needing to know who did this and why-

Leon.

A chuckle trickles past his lips as fresh tears well in his eyes, prompting him to have to wipe them away with the back of his hand. The older man had made him a bear, similar to the one he had made for him so long ago. To go through that effort...just as a gift? For him? And to sing his praise and his growth-

It was almost too much.

The letter and envelope flutter free from his hand, making lazy waves down to the ground as he launches himself at the bear, taking it into his arms immediately and ducking his face against its head. The tears won't stop, but neither does the giggling smile or the warmth that blossoms in his chest. It isn't perfect, but to him it is. Its everything. The entire world in just this small little gesture.

He can't imagine how long it must have taken, or how much Geppetto had to guide his hand- maybe it hadn't been that difficult at all, maybe Leon took to it faster than he had under Geppetto's wing. It didn't really matter though, not really. The fact that it was here at all and made for him, without the overwhelming sense of needing to do anything to have earned it or have to somehow repay it...

He felt...

Seen.

The bears were never anything he expected or even wanted repayment for because they were gestures of thanks by themselves. This though, this made something in him feel a little less splintered as he rubs his face across the small plush- silently apologizing for already getting saltwater on its fur.

Sora's voice comes out as little more than a whisper tinged with laughter, all heartfelt joy, and subdued sunshine as he speaks against the ear of the stuffed animal like he was telling it a secret.

"Happy Valentine's day, Leon. Thank you."

// OOC: I DIDN'T POST THIS??? I am ashamed of myself because this deserves to be seen, it's so wholesome and I'm saving it to my phone too for pick-me-up purposes. I absolutely adore it and you, so thank you!//