NinaDaCobra

a mom helping her kids beat a hard level in super bondman land, 1960s

(reference pic under cut)

Where I Belong: ~2430 words. Kairi wanders Quadratum searching for Sora.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Starts during the end of KH3/during ReMind and moves into KH4. Kairi POV. Angst, Romance, Fluff.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Kairi’s eyes fluttered open. Hazy street lights slowly came into focus, and her cheek was squished against a cold slab of concrete. Drip, drip, drip, came a light, misty rain plopping into a nearby puddle. Groaning, she sat up. The last thing she remembered was grasping a clump of earth on the shores of the Styx. But she wasn’t on a riverbank. She was lying on a city street. It was night, but the rain plus the lights from the city so overpowered the stars that she couldn’t see them twinkling in the sky. 

Was this Quadratum? Had she really made it? Horns blared nearby, and she scrambled to her feet. She was on a giant crosswalk, standing on top of brilliant white reflective paint telling her to get off the road already. She followed its advice, running towards the nearest sidewalk as fast as her legs could carry her. 

Once she was safely across, she took stock of her surroundings. A big, towering building with a neon red 104 sign blinked at her from across the way. 104, huh? Four was the number of death. Four was in the name of Quadratum. This place had to be it. It had to be. 

But where was Sora? Frowning, she fiddled with her necklace. She’d been so focused on getting here that she hadn’t put much thought into what she’d do once she actually made it. Find Sora, of course, but how? The city was huge. 

Closing her eyes, she focused on her heartbeat and forced her breathing to be even. In, out, in, out. A calm body led to a calm heart, a calm mind.  

Opening her eyes again, she felt the urge to just…walk. She wasn’t sure where she was going, but each time she reached a new street or alleyway, she somehow knew where to turn. She passed cute cafes and colorful restaurants, quiet office buildings and raucous karaoke venues and music stores playing multiple tracks at once. And on every corner there was a vending machine or a convenience store or something that drew her eye. Weaving through the streets of Quadratum was like navigating a forest of tall buildings, and even at this time of night there were plenty of people around.

Spies are just hired stalkers after all

I think lots of people are misinterpreting scenes from the latest chapter and it’s really unfair. 

One thing I want to argue is that the confrontation between Akane and Aoi was necessary, regardless of how violent and aggressive it seemed. 

Akane was the best person to call out Aoi. One, they’re childhood friends and neighbors so he’s had years and years to see through her facade. Two, Akane himself isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. He’s able to throw out the fact that Hanako is a self-serving and shady murderer, something that even Yashiro and Kou tend to ignore. 

And a lot of what he says is true! The only people we see Aoi interact with are Akane, Lemon, and Nene. Aoi never goes out of her way to make new friends and even to the people she does know, she puts on an act in fear of being rejected and not the rejector. She seems like the type of person who constantly needs to feel in control in order to avoid getting hurt, which in turn hurts others who get put off by her self-imposed distance. 

This is actually the most emotion we’ve seen from Aoi. What I find really sweet and important is the fact that she’s only cried in front of Akane. Not even Nene, her best friend, has seen her angry or sad. The fact that she can openly convey emotions in front of Akane shows that she trusts him enough to be honest and vulnerable. 

Her crying at the idea of him hating her just screams volumes of how much he means to her. I think deep down she knows Akane sees her for who she is, it just doesn’t always feel like that because of the amount of shallow guys who flatter her, including her own father. 

Also in regards to Akane “being too violent” with her, I’d like to remind you that she wasn’t listening to him and was dead set on leaving. Akane tossing her into the water was the only way to get her to pay attention to him because she was being stubborn and presumptuous.

Plus you might wanna check your double standards ‘cause don’t forget she also pulled shit like this:

Throwing her into water is a fricking ant bite compared to stabbing him in the gut and leaving him to die. 

I think in general, Akane and Aoi’s confrontation was important and necessary because both were able to air out the dirty laundry between them in a really honest way. She finally called out Akane for keeping secrets from her while he was able to call her out for being insincere and closed off. They’ve known each other the longest, so they’re the most qualified to point out their problems. I can’t imagine Yashiro doing this to Aoi because she’s so prone to putting Aoi on a pedestal. 

That’s the thing about relationships, they can have a lot of sweet and happy moments, but they can also have gritty and nasty problems. If you don’t expect people to be perfect, then you shouldn’t expect relationships to be either. Akane and Aoi are no exception because they both have their own flaws and shortcomings, which makes them complex and well-rounded. 

And I think their love is refreshingly realistic. Love is an inherently vulnerable feeling and you have to be prepared to work out certain issues in order for it to continue. I admire the fact Akane sees problems in Aoi and loves her regardless. LIKE THAT’S REAL LOVE. Acknowledging people for their flaws but loving them anyways is a sign that you really care and trust each other. It’s all about the fact that you’re willing to make it work.

Tl;dr don’t come for my problematic fave just cuz you don’t understand them or like them. 

Reblog this post answering these ~questions~

-who's your favorite character so far?

-(for manga readers) what are you excited to see animated?

-(for anime onlys) what do you expect from this second cour?

-what's your favorite scene from the anime?

-from one to "waku waku" how much are you excited?

~(manga reader) I'm excited for your's cooking chapter to be animated.

~my favorite scene that they animated in the anime is the almost kiss scene. I like how they animated it