the cat stash

pt. 1: mend the chains (undo the hurt)

current chapter count: 3/14

current word count: 15,911

A letter from a dear friend finds its way to Sora and Riku in the realm of darkness. But when the door appears and the two walk through it, it’s not the Islands they see on the other side.

At the end of KH2, the door of light takes the boys to Castle Oblivion instead of Destiny Islands.

relationships & dynamics:

Soriku (best friends to lovers)

implied Namixi (eventual QPR)

background Destiny Trio (close, lifelong friendship) (I only label it as background here because Kairi isn't with Sora and Riku for most of this fic. the focus is primarily on Sora and Riku, just with a lot of mentions of Kairi throughout the fic.)

Sora & Riku & Naminé (developing friendship)

Naminé & Castle Oblivion (old friends but also developing friendship)

Naminé & Chirithy (developing friendship)

Naminé & Roxas & Ven (siblings)

Repliku & Xion (siblings)

Sora & all of his heart roommates (I don't think any single word can properly encapsulate this group's dynamic in my fic lol)

Vanitas vs. literally everyone else (he has one goal and he will fight every single person he runs into just to reach it)

content warnings:

panic attacks & meltdowns (esp. in the first few chapters; they become less prominent as the story goes on for reasons I can't explain yet without spoiling a lot.)

implied suicidal ideation

canon-typical death/fading from existence

implied mental/verbal abuse (probably physical too)

implied child neglect (very easy to miss as it's not a major plot point)

dysphoria & dysmorphia (some of it is very transgender, some of it is from prior possession/unwanted transformation)

self esteem issues & self hatred

implied transphobia and/or dehumanization (can be read as either)

the members of Organization XIII are their own content warning

general information:

post-game: KH2 (starts right at the end of the game)

references to the manga & light novels

the language of flowers is very important to Naminé's side of the story & general lore for my version of the KH universe (I will make a longer post about how I use flowers in my story another time!)

POV alternating (it's entirely based on vibes, idk what to tell you.)

lots of talking about Things™️

very introspective

memory loss/recovery

canon-typical memory issues

fluff & angst

lots of emotional hurt/comfort

everyone needs a hug BADLY (and I do mean everyone lol)

Kairi appreciation :)

Riku is embarrassingly gay for Sora (and vice versa, but this fic's focus is on Riku's queerness for the most part)

the plot of Dream Drop Distance happens in this fic but the Mark of Mastery exam & all of the Xehanort shenanigans are absent. I can't say anything else rn sadly because I'd be spoiling my favorite chapters in the fic, and I really want those to be a surprise...

Castle Oblivion is a character for plot reasons (it wanted to be a character and. well. here we are)

Xehanort doesn't exist until I say so

Xion and Repliku are trans girls. Xion is already out of the closet by the time she returns in this fic (obviously), but Repliku has a long way to go before her egg gets cracked. but dw, it'll happen in this fic.

Naminé is very autistic coded in this fic. I projected too hard, my bad

Castle Oblivion has a lot of lore. most of it is my explanation for the castle's weirdness. some of it I literally just made up because I thought it was interesting & that the plot would benefit from it. (more on this in another post. the lore is not really focused on in my story so I have to yap about it on here instead.)

the core idea for this fic was heavily inspired by Re:Coded. I'm sure you can see how lol.

playlists:

main

Soriku

Sora

Riku

Naminé

Repliku/Rikomi

[more TBA soon]

pt. 2: another side (another destiny)

current chapter count: 1/7

current word count: 10,945

The dark corridor closed too soon, and Kairi finds herself separated from her best friends all over again. But she's not going to wait another year for them to come home. There's no room for fear or doubt; Sora and Riku are out there somewhere, and Kairi won't rest until the three of them are together again.

Post-KH2 canon divergence fic; in which the door of light doesn't take Sora and Riku to Destiny Islands, and Kairi is left to pick up the pieces on her own.

relationships & dynamics:

Destiny Trio (close, lifelong friendship; they are not normal about each other at all ever) (also Sora and Riku aren't present, but I won't let that stop me from making this a Destiny Trio relationship study fic!)

one-sided Sokai (kind of; Kairi thinks she loves Sora romantically, but she doesn't.)

background Soriku (childhood friends to rivals to kind of enemies to best friends to lovers; at least that's how Kairi sees their relationship)

Kairi & Mickey & Donald & Goofy (developing friendship, mentors & mentee, or the Disney Dads and their newly adopted daughter; all three are valid interpretations)

Kairi & a bunch of Disney characters (she makes many new friends on her adventures!!)

Kairi & Lea (enemies to allies & good friends)

Kairi & Terra (developing friendship; technically master & apprentice but Terra only ever treats Kairi as an equal.)

background Wayfinder Trio (adopted family, lifelong friendship) (same as Destiny Trio; they don't have to be together for me to make this fic about their relationship!)

content warnings:

somewhat excessive self-blame, low self-esteem

deep loneliness & isolation (especially in chapter 1)

implied suicidal ideation (but it's only once at the end of chapter 1)

implied internalized aphobia

canon-typical death/fading from existence (only in one chapter though)

canon-typical possession

parental trauma (Eraqus was trying, but he was not a good father. the Wayfinder Trio are not okay.)

Xehanort and the Nort Court are their own content warning

general information:

end of game: KH2 (starts right when Kairi gets separated from Sora and Riku before the final battle with Xemnas)

references to the manga & light novels

language of flowers (not as much as part 1 though)

very introspective

emotional hurt/comfort

Kairi is dealing with a lot of compulsory heterosexuality

POV Kairi (but switches sometimes to other characters)

Kairi goes on adventures!!!

spite-fuelled defiance of destiny (the only destiny she's going to embrace is with the two dorks she calls her best friends!!!)

mostly inspired by KH3 (the worlds Kairi visits are all ones Sora visited in KH3)

Mickey Mouse and his canon-typical concerned dad energy

includes many headcanons about the history & culture of Destiny Islands

Kairi's foster parents are Raine Whispers and Eda Clawthorne from The Owl House (yes there is lore here, not sure if I want to do anything big with it yet though)

Kairi's Radiant Garden origins go almost completely unmentioned in this fic

the Datascape from Re:Coded makes an appearance in this fic as one of the worlds Kairi visits! no spoilers though :)

Lea and Terra don't show up immediately; Kairi meets each of them later on in the fic

playlists:

main

Kairi

[more TBA soon]

additional links

character design infodump #1

flower lore introduction post!

heart-flowers #1

excerpt from part 3: elegy of memory

final notes

chapter ? - The Final World

“Kairi?”

A soft, familiar voice greeted her as she stirred. Something felt different. She wasn’t cold, but… she felt like she was floating in shallow water. Yet somehow, she wasn’t wet.

A hand grasped her shoulder, shaking her gently. Kairi blinked her eyes open, squinting as the bright blue sky above seared her vision. There was no sun in sight, strangely enough.

“You’re okay, oh stars, you’re okay… I’m so glad.”

Once her eyes finally adjusted to the light, Kairi was met with light blue eyes and a head of flaxen hair. Naminé. So she was okay after all.

But why does this feel wrong?

…

The swarm had taken their friends. Every last one of them gone, possibly forever, leaving just the three of them.

Kairi wanted to scream.

Sora beat her to it.

A harrowing cry tore itself from his throat, and Kairi watched helplessly as her best friend fell to his knees in the dirt. His shoulders shook from his sobs, tears pouring down his face and neck and soaking into his jacket.

Riku was the first to move. He ran to their best friend’s side, barely contained tears of his own glistening in the light as he held Sora in his arms.

“Sora…” Riku’s voice broke. Kairi’s heart broke a little with it.

She was by their side in an instant, arms wrapping around both of her best friends protectively.

Sora whimpered quietly, so quietly Kairi wondered if she’d even heard it. He ducked his head, hiding away from the world in his best friends’ arms.

“W-what are we going to do?”

His voice shook with every syllable, and Kairi could only squeeze him and Riku tightly, feeling Riku do the same in response.

After a moment, a deep breath broke the silence.

“We keep going.” Riku spoke resolutely. “We can’t give up just yet.”

“I can’t—!” Sora shouted, broken off by a sob. “I can’t do anything alone. Without our friends, I-I’m useless.”

“That’s not true. You’re never alone.” Kairi straightened to the best of her ability, meeting Riku’s eye over Sora’s head. He nodded in agreement. Sora shook his head vehemently, trying to pull away from the two of them. They both refused to let go.

“Sora, listen to me.” Sora stopped squirming at the sound of Riku’s voice. “She’s right. No matter what happens, Kairi and I will always have your back.”

“Not if the swarm takes you, too.” Sora held back another sob, eyes squeezing shut. “If you go, I’ll have nothing left.”

He wasn’t getting it. “That’s not true, either.” Kairi snaked her hand up to Sora’s face, cradling his cheek and guiding him to look at her. She needed him to understand. “Remember what Naminé said?” Sora shook his head, sniffling quietly. “Our hearts will always be connected, no matter the distance.” She dropped her hand, pressing it over his heart lightly. Her fingers brushed the crown pendant that hung from his neck. “We’ll always be right here. I promise.”

The sob Sora had been holding back broke free, another round of tears rolling down his face. He buried his head in Kairi’s shoulder, squeezing her tightly. She held him just as firmly.

The swarm raged before them, as if waiting for them to make the first move. Taunting them with its presence. Riku met Kairi’s gaze, reaching out to take her hand. Sora barely reacted to her shifting to accept the gesture. Riku squeezed her hand, then pulled away. He pressed a kiss into Sora’s hair before standing up. Kairi watched him curiously, trying to catch his eye again. But he just stood there for a moment, eyes closed, silently gathering himself for whatever he was going to do next. Then his hands balled into fists, a determined look flashing across his features. When he finally looked back at Kairi, it was to give her a sad, but steady smile, before he turned to walk ahead.

It was then that she realized what he was doing. Kairi felt her heart drop. But as much as she wanted to, she knew she couldn’t interfere.

As he came to a stop a little ways ahead of them, Riku took a breath, raising his head to look at the writhing mass of the Demon Tide. Then he lifted his arms, light flashing before him as he summoned two Keyblades; two halves of a whole, a set she recognized as Nightmare’s End and Mirage Split. Sora and Riku’s combined Keyblade.

He looked back one last time, giving Sora and Kairi a long, meaningful look, before turning away and taking up a stance that reminded Kairi of Roxas.

Sora gasped, as if in realization of what Riku was doing. He tried to scramble to his feet, pushing Kairi away from him, but she kept a tight hold on his shoulders. Tears glistened in his eyes again as he reached for their best friend.

“Riku, no!” He screamed, and Kairi felt her heart break all over again.

“Sora, listen to me—”

He shook his head, gritting his teeth as he kept trying to escape Kairi’s grip. “No!”

Kairi held him close, wincing as he cried out. They both watched as Riku walked towards the swarm, readying his Keyblades as the Heartless approached. Sora froze.

Then suddenly, he started moving again, shaky hands coming up to pry her arms off of him. “Kairi, let me go—!” His voice cracked with desperation.

“Stop it, Sora!”

Sora stiffened at her outburst, his grip on her arms loosening as he finally stopped fighting. He wouldn’t look at her, eyes still locked on Riku, but she knew he was listening. She hoped he would forgive her for this. Even if they wouldn't make it out of this alive.

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not! He can’t— I can’t lose him again, please—” He shook his head, tears falling from his eyes and landing on Kairi’s arms. She still didn’t let go.

“Sora, please… let him do this.” Kairi kept her voice steady, her own tears beginning to drip down her face and onto her friend’s shoulder. He kept shaking his head, refusing to accept what was happening.

But then, there was a burst of warmth in her heart… and suddenly, she knew exactly what she needed to say.

“You can fix this. I know you can.”

Sora jolted, his gaze finally tearing away from Riku so he could look at her in surprise.

“Kairi, what are you talking about—?”

The words flowed freely, not quite hers, but feeling completely right coming from her lips. “Use the power of waking. Go back to the beginning and start again. Next time, we won’t lose them.” She shifted to hold him by the shoulders, gazing deep into his sky blue eyes. They were rimmed with red and glistening with tears. The sight made Kairi’s heart ache, but she barreled on. “Believe in yourself, Sora. Please.”

Slowly, Sora nodded, though he looked no less confused and devastated. Kairi just tugged him into another hug. He reciprocated it this time.

Over Sora’s shoulder, Kairi watched Riku. He was holding back the swarm, his Keyblades crossed, his whole body shining with a powerful light as the Heartless pushed against his guard relentlessly. For a brief moment, Kairi thought she saw the light take the shape of wings on his back, spread wide and fluttering slightly as he stood his ground. But they were gone before she could fully register what she had seen.

Then she noticed it. Darkness, wrapping itself around his body. But his light only grew brighter. Kairi knew that this was it; all of the love and hope he’d held in his heart for so many years, filling him with the power to protect those he loved most. She blinked away her tears, refusing to look away as she watched her best friend sacrifice himself for them, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around Sora’s shoulders to keep him from turning around.

Just this once, she needed to keep Sora away from his light. She needed to keep him steady, to hold him together as the end approached.

Then Riku was overwhelmed by the darkness, and the swarm raced towards them, its path now unimpeded.

Kairi could only close her eyes and hold on tight when the cold engulfed them next.

…

Light expired, and darkness prevailed.

…

Kairi jolted as she was brought back to reality. Naminé watched her with a strange look, hand still resting on Kairi’s shoulder.

“Kairi?”

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. “I’m okay. Just…”

“Remembering what happened?” Another voice broke the silence. Kairi sat up to find Chirithy sitting on her other side.

“Yeah.” Kairi sighed. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know…” Naminé’s hand pulled away, dropping into her lap as she looked down sadly. “I’m sorry, Kairi. I saw what happened to you three after it took us. To him. I-I wish I could’ve done something, anything, to help you…”

“It’s not your fault, Naminé.” She raised her hand as Naminé opened her mouth to retort. “Seriously. There was nothing you or anyone else could’ve done to stop it.”

Defeated, Naminé nodded, looking off into the distance with a solemn expression.

“Where are we? And how did we get here?” Kairi asked, looking first to Naminé, then to Chirithy.

“This is the Final World. It’s on the edge of sleep and death- the last stop before the end.” Chirithy gestured around them. “I’ve been here before, and so have you and Sora. This is where your hearts go when you have a Dream of Awakening.”

A memory flashed in Kairi’s mind. “You mean like the dream I had the night I left to find Sora and Riku?”

“Yes, like that.” The Dream Eater nodded, paws folded over their pouch. “But I don’t know why we’re here, while no one else is.”

Naminé raised her head. “I think I know the reason.”

Kairi and Chirithy both looked to her in curiosity.

“It’s Riku. Whatever he did to protect you and Sora saved your hearts.” Her hand came to rest over her own heart. “I can feel Sora’s heart in yours. I was in there too until you got here. And I think I can feel everyone else’s hearts, but they aren’t anywhere we can get to them… at least, at the moment.”

Kairi considered this, her hand unconsciously raising to clasp her necklace. “Sora’s heart is with me?” She tried to reach out to him, her heart beating steadily in her chest— as she focused on the sensation, she felt another heartbeat under hers, responding in kind— and she knew Naminé was correct.

She recalled what she’d told Sora, just before they were taken.

“Use the power of waking. Go back to the beginning and start again. Next time, we won’t lose them.”

Where had those words come from? They were hers, but… there was something different about them. Like she hadn’t said them yet. Or maybe she already said them once before, and just forgot?

But why?

She remembered something strange then. Chirithy had told her once about the age they came from, the time when they were given to Ven as a companion. There was something that happened back then that saved the light after the Keyblade War. Her grandmother had told her stories about this too, once— the memories were distant, but she could still hear the words in her mind as vividly as they had been when she showed those moments to Sora.

“Chirithy, do you remember what happened after the first Keyblade War?”

The Dream Eater looked to her in surprise, head tilting slightly as they nodded. “I do! But why are you asking?”

“I don’t know. I just—” She shook her head, leaning back on her hands as she gazed up into the sky. Still no sun to be seen. “I said something to Sora before we were taken. Something about going back to the beginning and trying again. But I don’t know why I told him those things. I thought it might have something to do with my grandmother’s stories about your era.”

Chirithy hummed in thought. “I dunno… it sounds pretty far-fetched.”

“You also told him to use the power of waking.” Naminé folded her hands in her lap. “I don’t know exactly what the power of waking is, but maybe you can use it to do the things you were talking about. It sounds like that’s what you meant…”

Chirithy jumped to their feet at that. “Wait, the power of waking?!”

Naminé nodded. “Yes, the same power Sora and Kairi were trying to master. Riku got it back in Castle Oblivion, when Sora fell into a nightmare and couldn’t wake up.”

“I know, I remember now! That’s it— you need to use that power, Kairi.” They clapped their paws together lightly, bouncing eagerly in excitement.

“I do?” Kairi’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “But I don’t have it.”

“Yes, you do. I think you already used it once.” Naminé rested a hand on Kairi’s. “After the swarm took you, you instinctively used it to traverse Chirithy’s heart, and that’s how the three of us ended up here. You said you’ve been here before, right, Chirithy?”

The Dream Eater nodded. “Yes! All you need to do now, Kairi, is to find the others’ hearts with your power.”

“No, that won’t work. We can’t reach them, remember?” Naminé reminded them.

“Oh, right…” Chirithy’s ears drooped as they deflated a little. Then they perked up. “Wait, I know! The Seven Lights!”

Kairi couldn’t help the confused sound that escaped her at that. “Huh?”

Naminé nodded vigorously. “If Kairi finds all of the Princesses, she can ask for their help to save everyone else. Good idea, Chirithy.”

“Wait, hold on.” Kairi raised her hands to stop them. “How do I use the power of waking? I don’t— I didn’t even realize I had it.”

Her Nobody gave her an understanding smile. “Trust your heart, Kairi. You’ll know what to do then.”

Kairi looked to Chirithy for help, but they only gave her an excited nod. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.” Naminé grasped her hand, fingers squeezing hers in reassurance. “You’ll save them. I know you will.”

Tears welled up in Kairi’s eyes. She tried to open her mouth to thank Naminé, but nothing came out. So she wrapped her arms around her Other instead. Naminé reciprocated easily, hands gently rubbing her back for comfort.

When she felt ready, she let go. Naminé and Chirithy each gave her a reassuring nod. She took a deep breath, then moved to stand.

As she took a few steps away from them and summoned her Keyblade, she felt the second heartbeat in her chest again. It made her feel strangely giddy and warm. She couldn’t help but reach into her pocket, fingers wrapping around a new keychain. She took it out and replaced her paopu fruit keychain with it.

As soon as she did, the Keyblade flashed with a pinkish light. She watched as it transformed into a duplicate of Sora’s Kingdom Key, but covered in zinnias, just like Destiny’s Embrace. It even shared the same color scheme as her usual Keyblade. On the guard just above the handle, three familiar flowers grew— a bellflower in the middle, and a dandelion and a moonflower on either side of it. And from the end of the handle hung a wayfinder charm, one she’d made ages ago and only recently turned into a keychain. It was composed of five pink shells with a heart in the center, with three letters carved into the heart: S, K, R.

Kairi’s heart swelled at the sight, a sense of completeness nearly bowling her over as she took in her creation. This was for her and her best friends, and nobody else. It meant everything to finally see her dream come true, and to know that Sora and Riku had their own wayfinder keychains to match. All made by her, all for them.

She wouldn’t name it just yet, at least not aloud, but she already had a title in mind. She just hoped she’d be able to share that with Sora and Riku soon.

With a final nod to Chirithy and Naminé, Kairi raised her new Keyblade, closing her eyes and calling on her heart. Just as it had many times before, it responded, filling her with resolve and determination. When she opened her eyes, a strange Keyhole had appeared in the water before her, multicolored shapes surrounding it like cracks in glass. She knew what to do next.