Namiku

Picture by spirasen on deviantArt.

Namiku art is not as easily come by as SoKai art, however, I have a folder in my favorites on deviantArt, so... it's easily accessible for me.

Go figure, I do have some Namiku art of my own, but it's all for rar's Namiku, and it'd be weird putting it here.  Just saying.  

So, anyway.  Namine and Riku as a couple in my fic.

Sometime in All the Pieces, I came to the realization that I had been shipping Namiku before I even knew I was shipping Namiku.  This may be because a lot of Rokushi shippers end up being Namiku shippers, but I'm not sure that was always the case.  Regardless, either I ended up pairing them in the back of my mind and they jumped on it; I took a leaf out of rar's book and I paired them; or they paired themselves.  All of those options are incredibly viable.  Whatever the case, they're a couple, and they're a pretty darn strong one, too.

Note their combo.

Anywho, Riku is a Keyblade Master and a very powerful one at that.  He's always been very good athletically.  Always.  Namine... well, she certainly isn't very athletic.  She probably can run pretty fast, but she's not one for hand-to-hand combat in any case.  Why do you think she gave herself an ability that can be utilized from the edges of a battlefield? Or atop a ship mast? She doesn't like to be up close and in your face.  Granted, I do have plans to get her a knife in the near future, for sticky situations like the one she landed herself in in Neverland.  (However, I’m certainly taking my time getting her that knife… but, she’s been learning combos and stuff with Kairi since then, so it’s almost excusable.  Almost.)

Even still, the two (back to Riku and Namine) are a powerful couple back-to-back.  

Their other combo, which I have yet to explore, is called Light Aura.  Theoretically, it's kind of like Riku's Dark Aura (in KH1 and CoM/RR, where it was still epic and awesome) but with a light-twist. 

No, Namine's not all-light like Kairi.  But she's pretty close.  The only parts of her heart that can be affected by darkness are the ones that are data.  And, arguably, data can't be affected by darkness.  (Note rar's Riku) Though, some Vexen Replica in my head somewhere is saying that data can be corrupted or rewritten.  Though, Namine's not going to ever be rewritten to be evil and dark.  Just throwing that one out there.  NOT an idea I'm ever planning to explore.  Anywho, but Namine is pretty darn light, and she can utilize light attacks to complement Riku's darker ones.  Plus... oh, I had a thought... where did it go... grr... um... OH! Yes.  Namine can also wield a Keyblade if it is handed to her.  And she knows basic spells like Cure, Protect, Blizzard and Fire.  (Not sure if she knows Thunder magic yet or not…)

Yes, Riku has problems with his darkness.  Currently, however, it is very in check.  Namine is kind of his light in a way.  Have I mentioned this in-fic somewhere? Maybe? I think I hinted at it in a crossover... Anyway, Namine's pretty much Riku's light, and he's holding onto that.  Granted, he's also holding onto the light for the rest of his friends, but Namine has suddenly become a very big part of that.  (Not that the rest of his friends mind, they just want to see him happy.)  In the long run, Riku's going to get better.  He'll get a bit battle-hardened, but he won't have any long-term falls into the darkness again.  He may have short pitfalls that he'll regret, but nothing long-standing.  

As a couple battling alongside each other, perhaps their biggest strength is their tenacity.  They don't want to give up.  They're both very stubborn.  However, this can also be one of their biggest weaknesses, if they don't know when to back down.  Both of them are smart though.  Riku's seen a ton and Namine can gain a lot of information from a predicament just by taking a moment to sit and listen/see/whatever you want to call it.  They are both highly analytical and strategical.  There isn't any running into battle without thinking first.  Both of them are very strong with their weapons. 

And, without a doubt, if she were in danger, he'd be there to rescue her.  And vice-versa.  Without a doubt.  The bond that they share already is a strong one.

Plus, they're just adorable.

art by im-a-tumor on deviantArt. 

Namine's biggest strength is her ability to see into anyone's memories and follow the chain and learn just about anything she'd need or want to, given the time.  However, this becomes her weakness when the memories become too much for her to handle.  Say, if the memories are just too dark for her to handle in large groups.  Or, if the memories are something that she'd care not to remember herself.  (There are some if you think about it.)  No, she doesn't have meltdowns from them, but they certainly can be bothersome (or crippling, even.)

Riku's biggest strength is probably his physical strength.  He can slash through just about anything he puts his mind to.  His biggest weakness is NOT actually risking falling into darkness, though even he may think it is that.  His biggest weakness is, actually, the fact that he tries to do so many things alone, without the help of his friends.  He's hopefully going to get better, especially with Namine so bound and determined to follow him.  But, then it could almost come down to a 'who's stubborner' debate.  Don't make me answer that, I don't have an answer.  

But, overall, Namine and Riku are both very strong and certainly a force to be reckoned with. 

And, because I believe Riku can play the piano:

art by ThePiChef on deviantArt.

That is all.

SoKai

Art is property of zunifuun on deviantArt.

Personally, I wanted to have something of my own, but I lack SoKai art and am also not in the mood to draw any... *shrug*

Anywho, I wanted to do a post conparing/contrasting all the couples in my fic in an attempt to figure out maybe who was the strongest.

Then I realized that that idea was stupid.  Each couple has their own strengths and weaknesses and it's pointless to pick one that's stronger than any others.

I wanted a picture of Sora and Kairi fighting enemies, however, those pictures are lacking.  If any of you comes across a good one, leave me a link, I'd be happy to see it.  

Anywho, Sora and Kairi (in my fic at least) have the benefit of both being Keyblade Wielders.  Sora's a Master by now.  Sora's a very hack-and-slash fighter (though he knows how to USE magic, typically doing well in the magics ranking in the -aras and -agas.)  Kairi's becoming a hack-and-slash mostly because Sora's the person training her and everyone else around her is more hack-and-slash like anything else.  However, Kairi will be getting lessons from Aerith and Rinoa both on how to more properly use magic, and strong Light magic at that.  

Kairi is the key to Sora's Valor Form.  Not the strongest form, but still, any Drive Form is a boost of power and energy.  He gains double the speed, though loses the ability to perform magic, despite Kairi's high magic propensity.  Sora's strength is highly boosted and all that jazz... (I'll probably go into more depth on this if I ever do a post devoted to just Sora and his Drive Forms).  

Sora and Kairi do have another combo, called Fated Faith.  A primitive version of this combo was seen in All the Pieces, when they were fighting... oh, I think it was the Dragoon.  It's where they link hands and shoot out light attacks.  (Essentially, Faith.)  As they train more, this attack will grow stronger and stronger.  ESPECIALLY after Kairi learns how to use Holy, not just Faith or Pearl.  

Perhaps one of their strongest strengths is the fact that Sora and Kairi have known each other for over a decade.  They know how the other one thinks and behaves and can orient themselves around the other for an almost telepathic-like relationship.  (Not that they are ACTUALLY telepathic.  Sora and Kairi do not possess this ability.)  

Art property of annria2002 on deviantArt

However, the closeness that they have created between each other also becomes their biggest weakness.  It has already been proven that Sora would do ANYTHING, no matter how stupid, for Kairi.  If the roles were reversed, the opposite would most likely prove to be true.  (I say 'most likely' only because Kairi is less impulsive than Sora and might take a few moments to think things through.  However, if Sora were in immediate danger, those few moments would probably go out the window.)  

Kairi's single biggest weakness is actually her inexperience compared to everyone else.  She's the one who spent all of KH1 with a sleeping heart (or whatever you want to call it.)  Then she spent a year on Destiny Islands not doing anything.  Yes, she DID fight a little in KH2, but not a whole lot.  Kairi hasn't had the experience that Sora or anyone else has.  She will get better, but it will take time; just like it took Sora time to get better.  

Also, one of Kairi's weaknesses is the fact that she is a Princess of Heart.  Yes, being a Princess of Heart means that she contains special powers.  However, it also means that she is a target for those seeking to open the door of Kingdom Hearts.  

Sora does not have a weakness of darkness overpowering his heart.  (Sorry for a random transition, but I swear it makes sense in my head... Kairi's heart is pure light....) Yes, Sora does have darkness, but it should not become a problem.  Sora's heart is not in any danger.  Sora's naivety and trusting nature is probably more of a danger to him than darkness overtaking his heart.  Besides, Kairi's his light, and that alone will keep the darkness from overtaking him because he's not going anywhere far without her.  

EDIT: Well, Sora’s got a few darkness issues going on with his heart… but… like… I wouldn’t necessarily call them a WEAKNESS or anything…

I think that's all I have to say.  SoKai is definitely a force to be reckoned with.  Especially when you account for the fact that they are out to protect each other.  (Not that other things don't matter... but still...)

To sum up SoKai's relationship:

Artwork property of annria2002

(I actually reccomend you check out her gallery, it's really good.  So is tenchufreak's.)  

Oh, and three guesses on who took THAT picture.

The Girlfriends

This is a little something I wrote up MONTHS ago.  This is what happens when you let the characters in my head sit down and have tea. 

William, Kat, Alice and Tristan belong to me.  (They were featured in the Magical Meeting chapters!) Everyone else belongs to Squeenix. 

So, cue William, Tristan, Cloud, Zack, Sora, Riku and Leon sitting down and having tea.  (I'm not sure why Roxas wasn't in this conversation... he just wasn't... sorry Roxas...) Then they all start bragging.  Guess what they're bragging about? Their girlfriends.  Yup. 

Tristan: "My girlfriend (Alice) can take people out with her shoes."

Cloud: "My girlfriend can take on a man twice her size with her bare hands."

Riku: "My girlfriend can take down enemies from the inside out."

William: "My girlfriend (Kat) can wrap you up in a ball of your own emotions.  And she can control the elements."

Sora: "My girlfriend's a princess, and she can fight."

Leon: "My girlfriend's an angel."

Zack: "My girlfriend's a goddess."

Yup. So, Zack... wins? Sure... idk... as I was reading this to rar.. she was all like... "Yeah! Sora's won... Kairi's a princess! Oh, okay, yeah, Rinoa wins..." And then I mentioned Aerith... yeah....

Not that I'm saying this is canon... though, I mean, it's all true.  Alice has knocked people unconscious with her shoes, Tifa's... Tifa... Namine can do her thing with the memories, Kat has, on ONE occasion, wrapped someone up in a ball of his own anger and then left him there.  Kairi's a princess, Rinoa is, for all intents and purposes of this conversation, an angel, and Aerith's a Cetra... which is basically a goddess.

So... yeah...

OHMYGOSH.  Link.  With Zelda being the Goddess Hylia in Skyward Sword and all.  Link ties Zack.  Woohoo!  (Not that I’ve ever written for Link before… but *shrug* I just thought of it because I’ve been having Skyward Sword feels lately—the soundtrack will do that to you)

The Final Fantasy Character’s Ages

So, starting with Aerith, why? Because it's Aerith and I can lol.  So, in the events of FF7 proper, she's 22.  However, in MY canon, Aerith is 25 come AtP.  Thinking back, this makes her 13 in BBS, which is logical, given Zack's apparent age in Olympus Coliseum.  (Granted, no, they're not in diapers like Cid joked about, however, this is Cid, and that might ONLY be the manga, correct me if I'm wrong.)  So, yes, she's older in my canon than she ever gets to be in the actual FF timeline.  And since FF7 hasn't even happened in my timeline... well... shoot me.  It just means she gets more time to live and be happy with Zack.  Ha!

Speaking of Zack.  According to FF7 stuff, Zack's a year older than Aerith.  So, he's 26 in AtP.  Cool, logical, makes sense.  He's 14 when he's trying to become a hero in Olympus.  Also logical, I mean, look at all of what Sora was able to accomplish at 14.  Zack and Aerith ran into each other around 15 and 16, (which is younger than they meet in Crisis Core) but, hey, it makes more sense that Zack runs into her then on his expedition to become a mercenary.  Granted, he was always going off on another adventure.  But hey, she always waited for him.  ALWAYS.  And now he's back to stay for a while.  Granted, yes, it's been 10 years and he and Aerith are still... merely dating.  But hey, he's had wars to fight.  He met Cloud along the way, and by proxy was introduced to Tifa.  He's enjoying his life.

Cloud.  Cloud is a year younger than Aerith in FF7.  Perfect.  Cloud is then 24 come AtP.  He was 12 in BBS.  He wasn't in Hollow Bastion with the others.  He was in Nibelheim, actually.  He met Zack on their missions to become mercenaries in their mid- to late-teens.  Therefore, he was introduced to Aerith by proxy.  (I know I said in here that Aerith probably encouraged Cloud to bring Tifa along so he wasn't a third wheel, but Tifa and Cloud seeing each other during this time… so I’m not sure if it’d work the way I have it figured out…)  Yes, in the FF7 universe, by the time he's 24, Dirge has already happened, but I'm having to change canon here because KH created its own canon.  I'm working it out.  He's 24 right now and dealing with his darkness.  Darkness that he fell into in his mid-teens, before he met Zack even. 

Tifa.  Let's do Tifa next.  (Sorry, Leon, I know you're next on my list, but the readers would probably like some order, so it'll be Tifa.)  Anyway, so Tifa's a year younger than Cloud, putting her at 23 in AtP.  This makes her 11 in BBS in Nibelheim.  She's in her late-teens when she finally gets introduced to Zack and AErith.  And she's been on the road ever since shortly after Cloud  went on his own.  (She left to home to follow him.)  Currently, she's with her psuedo-family in Hollow Bastion until Cloud gets it in his head to move again (which he shouldn't... I'm not planning for him to.)  (Is what I'm typing even making sense... I feel like a TARDIS, speaking at several different time periods at once... the past, the present, and the little tidbits of the future that get sprinkled in...)

Leon.  FF8.  Easier stuff! So Squall/Leon is 17.  In KH, Leon's older.  Awesome.  Especially since I have it to where FF8 happened sometime in between BBS and KH1.  It just makes the most sense.  Anywho, in AtP, Leon is 27.  Making him actually older than everyone else.  However, I just get the feeling that he's like an older brother almost to Aerith and whatnot.  He was 15 in BBS, saw some crappy stuff happen to Hollow Bastion shortly thereafter, went on a happy little adventure at 17 with Rinoa as a mercenary.  Now, ten years later (WHY IS HE NOT MARRIED TO HER YET).... well, he's been dealing with darkness of the worlds and stuff.  And so has she.  It'll happen.  I'll tell you that.  They'll get married.  I will confirm this one.  He, after all this time, may actually settle down at the end of Betwixt and Between.

Rinoa, who just logically comes after Leon.  Even though she calls him Squall and he doesn't have the heart to stop her for it.  Rinoa's the same age as Leon.  In her mid-teens, her world was having some problems with monsters and darkness and stuff, so she went searching for mercenaries to help because during that time, there weren't a whole lot of Keyblade-wielders readily available.  (This is in between BBS and KH1, mind you.)  She finds Squall, and they have an adventure and fall in love.  Now, she's a happy age of 27, she's got her Sorceress Powers quite in check and she's epic.  (Think Rinoa at her best in the game, combined with Monty Oum's Dead Fantasy, combined with just more epicness.)  And she loves Squall and she's acting on that now, now that she's not at risk of her powers backfiring on her in some way. 

Yuffie, let's do Yuffie next.  Yuffie's a fun one.  Back to FF7 and KH not lining up WHATSOEVER.  So, KH actually says that she's 16 in KH1.  She's also 16 in FF7.  Awesome.  Not.  Well, since I have an age to go off of, like, officially compared to some of the others.  (Though, I think it might say Leon's in his 20's somewhere...) She's 6 in BBS then, happy and young and still young when Hollow Bastion gets sundered.  (Good word, sundered.)  Poor thing... Anywho, by AtP she's 18, which is her Advent Children Age.  Lovely.  Somehow, I've gotten her a year off the difference between what she and Cloud are in FF7.  Lame.  Oh well.  Not changing it. 

Quistis.  Quistis, like Rinoa, (though I didn't mention it in Rinoa's paragraph) is not in KH, so there really isn't any age comparing problems.  She is, however, a year older than Leon.  Therefore, she is 28 in AtP, making her the oldest one of the group.  Back in the day, like, when she was 18 or 19 or so, she had her adventures with monsters and Ultimecia.  Then she traded off between being a teacher at Balamb Garden, and helping Rinoa with her Sorceress powers.  Now she's on a different mission with Rinoa, (which is basically to be where Squall is) and while she's at it, she's helping out Hollow Bastion, which is still having problems with darkness--thanks to Xehanort.

Zell also has no presence in KH.  However, he's the same age as Rinoa and Squall.  He's 27 by AtP and is a mercenary like Zack.  However, whereas Zack always has a habit of coming home to Aerith, Zell just goes back to Balamb Garden.  (Or another Garden, idk.  But Balamb's where he's based out of.)  He, unlike Rinoa, is not planning on settling down anytime soon.  And he has YET to find a girl that he likes that likes him back.  But, idk, maybe....

And, Cid… um… I never did quite figure out his age for the last time I posted this. I still don’t quite have his age figured out.  I’ll bet he’s probably in his early- to mid-thirties.  This goes along with how old he is compared to others from FF7.  (Specifically if he’s 34 right now.)  I mean, he might be a TAD older than that because he needs to be the significant adult of the party when Hollow Bastion was plunged into darkness in order to logically take on Leon, Aerith and Yuffie.  *shrug*  I wouldn’t say he’s any older than 38 though. 

So, spoilers a tad... Denzel and Marlene.  Who very well may come to play a part in this if I go through with everything.  Currently, Denzel is 9 and Marlene is 7--older than they are in even Advent Children, however, I mean... so is everyone else from FF7.  I BELIEVE that Denzel and Cloud are the accurate number of years apart, however.  And, this will end up working quite nicely with another little project that I may end up doing... Heheh...

Anywho... yeah... um... that's it, I suppose.  If you have any questions, ask.  I kinda feel like I'm spamming you with posts right now... but I'm REALLY trying to get everything ported over and one post a day isn't going fast enough.

On the Couples and their Darkness Levels

There are a TON of different pairings/couples in my KHverse.  What's amusing is the differing levels of darkness within any individual couple.  And, I'm posting about it because it's interesting.

First, the obvious one, Sora and Kairi.  Both have incredible amounts of light in their hearts.  Kairi contains no darkness whatsoever.  Sora has a little bit more darkness now that Ven is gone, but he's completely in-check when it comes to his darkness.  There is a SMALL possibility that I may play with Sora's darkness growing, but I mean, if I went too horribly far with it I might as well just be writing rar's story, so I'm not going there.  This is why their combo is called Fated Faith and is completely light-based. 

The next one in high lightness is Zack and Aerith.  Aerith has only the TINIEST bit of darkness inside of her.  Zack's is under control and not causing problems for him.  They don't have any epic combos together, but I mean, both of them are pretty darn powerful.  (Zack isn't the strongest magically, especially compared to Aerith, but he's all for the brute-force hack-and-slash.)  The reason why they don’t particularly have any combos together is BECAUSE they have such different fighting styles. Aerith is mostly magic with a little bit of melee, Zack is all melee with magic when he has to.

Anyway, Next comes Roxas and Xion.  Roxas has got a lot of light, but nothing when put up against people like Aerith and Kairi.  Xion's a replica with her heart built pretty neutral in light versus darkness.  She was originally put together like that by a Nobody who couldn't know the workings of a heart if he tried.  Her next design took on that essence to keep Xion's personality intact.  They can bust out light-attacks pretty quickly though, like Event Horizon and Call of Light.  

The one in perfect neutral balance is Squall and Rinoa though.  Well, they're at least in the middle of all the couples.  Though Rinoa has to maintain complete neutrality because of her Sorceress Status and Squall has to uphold her to that.  They can bust out both light and dark combos (holy vs meteor etc.) with no negative effects.  They are a force to be reckoned with.  I mean, come on, chain-casting Angel Wing and a Lionhearted Renzokuken on the side? You're dead if you're on the receiving end of that.  (Ultima Weapon, anyone? I could probably kill Omega with that too if I went and tried.  (It's on my list of things to do.)  That’s how I did it.  (Well, actually, I think with Ultima, I had Angel Wing going and then he killed Rinoa and I had a Limit lined up for Squall and I just got LUCKY and got Lionheart.))

Then, it's honestly a question of who's dealing with least darkness: Riku, Terra, or Cloud?

Riku's surprisingly dealing with the least.  Even though you could argue that Tifa has more light than Namine, Cloud CERTAINLY is dealing with more darkness than Riku to make up for it.  Riku will still have problems with his darkness.  He tries to keep it in check, but there are times when the power gets the better of him and he starts to slip.  Namine does her best to keep him in check and he's grateful for it.   Namine, on the other hand, it quite light.  She was formed from Kairi's heart which is pure light.  The only thing that can contain darkness is the data that was built into her to make up for her Nobody status.  In no way is Namine innocent and darkness free.  However, she's in check with herself--just a tad guilty and mopey sometimes.  Regardless of their (Riku and Namine’s) darkness levels, they're still ridiculously powerful.  I mean, just look at their Limit Decompression! And, I’m working on getting them a combo too.  (It’s coming up in a chapter that I haven’t written yet, but I’m in the sequence at least!)

Next comes, well, probably Terra and Aqua. Yes, I'm shipping them.  Or, I intend to.  They're not anywhere near a couple yet.  But, I figure they will be eventually.  I like Tequa better than Venqua.  They're closer in age.  Granted, this is a couple I haven't particularly explored all that much.  Terra's dealing with darkness moreso than Riku however, considering he was possessed by Xehanort for way longer than Riku was.  Aqua's pretty neutral and in check and she'll do her best to keep Terra in check.

Cloud and Tifa are at the bottom.  Cloud's got way more darkness to deal with, considering his is a physical manifestation of it.  Yay.  Once Sephiroth is gone, things'll probably change, but, Sephiroth has to die first.  And that's gonna be a while.  Tifa is a very bright person and is just what Cloud needs to help him.  However, he needs to learn to listen a bit more.

So, where do Axel and Kuin fit on this? Well... heheh... probably right after Squall and Rinoa now that I'm looking at it.  Kuin fights for the side of light, but in no way does that make her heart completely pure.  She's a flexor like Rinoa, as explored in the Magical Meeting chapter.  Axel is... well... heheh... far from completely light.  He's got his own darkness to deal with, though it's more in check than Riku's but less in check than Leon’s. 

And... yeah... that's the couples and darkness levels.

Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts

Keep in mind that some a lot of this will be further explained when I post the timeline.  I’m not posting it just yet because of spoilers that I have figured out for our lovely FF charries.  This is generalized, but it gets the point across. 

The question: HOW THE HECK DOES FF7 FIT INTO YOUR KH CANON? TELL ME PLEASE!

Many have asked.  So, I shall attempt to answer.

FF8 is relatively easy.  (Yes, I know, I'm talking about FF8 when you all really want to be hearing about FF7).  However, FF8 matters because of Rinoa and Squall.  I'll say it again, FF8 is easy.  It  happened prior to AtP.  In fact, I'd say it happened before KH1 even.  The story is that Rinoa's world was in a ton of trouble and no one was doing anything about it.  So, she went off to find mercenaries (similar to what she actually did in FF8).  She found Squall, Quistis and Zell.  (Also ala FF8).  A small mercenary job soon turned into taking on Ultemecia.  Somewhere in there Squall and Rinoa fell in love.  (Still following FF8).  Then Squall had to return to Traverse Town and Rinoa had to go off to hone in on her Sorceress powers.  KH1-AtP commences.  Rinoa, Quistis and Zell show up in Hollow Bastion at the end of AtP. 

What about Selphie and Irvine? Well, since Selphie's on Destiny Islands, she's going to stay there.  Since the game ships Irvine with Selphie, why not he be there too? Why is he not mentioned? Sora, Riku and Kairi weren't as great of friends with him as they were Selphie. 

Okay, FF7. 

It hasn't happened yet.

Not even Crisis Core.  Well, not all of it.  Or, just suppose that it didn't end the way the did.  Or, it just doesn't fit.  Rar and I are talking about this as I type this... and it's just not worth it. 

First, let's explain Zack.  (Or at least try.)  In the FF7 timeline, Zack and Aerith die 1 year apart, maybe 2.  According to rar, closer to 1.  If Zack were dead, then Aerith would.... Oh nevermind I'm even going to use this as an argument because it makes my brain hurt.

I DON'T WANT ZACK TO BE DEAD.  SO THERE.

In BBS, Zack was in Olympus Coliseum.  Then he probably got himself a "hero" status then he went off and continued doing mercenary work, met Aerith (ala Crisis Core, who knows, maybe he fell into a church.)  During his mercenary work, he acquired the Buster Sword, dropping into Traverse Town periodically to say hi to Aerith.  He runs into Cloud and the two of them do mercenary work together until they end up going separate ways (for various reasons).  His appearance in BB in Hollow Bastion is the first time she's seen him in ... well... probably months.  (I was gonna say years, but then I realized that that's mean.)  Besides, there wasn't anything that explicitly stated he DIDN'T already visit her in HB.)  However, he hasn't seen her since before AtP.  So, there you have Zack.

This is different than rar's universe where Zack is, in fact, sadly, dead.  *sniffle*  Stupid Xehanort.

Aerith is rather self-explanatory, don't you think? She obviously isn't dead in KH, so... yeah, I'm keeping her alive.  It's her house in HB because it makes more sense that they live there and operate stuff out there for the Restoration Committee Headquarters.  Merlin's house is an adjunct.

Cloud.  Cloud is fun.  Cloud happened to have been on a world that was swallowed by darkness sometime in between BBS and KH1.  Because of that, he’s had problems with the darkness—for example, the darkness making him do things that he’s regretted.  Because of that, he's been trying to... attain forgiveness/move on/deal with his darkness/yadayadayada for quite some time now.  He has a Buster Sword like substance, but it's not the actual Buster Sword because Zack has that.  Cloud actually during his travels begins to fashion his Fusion Swords.  Anyway, Cloud's darkness took on the form of Sephiroth sometime before KH1.  Cloud had generally been dealing with him alone up until KH2 when Tifa insists on coming with him and helping.  Post-KH2, Cloud and Tifa were travelling the worlds to deal with Cloud's darkness aka, Sephiroth.  Post AtP, Cloud and Tifa are bunking in HB with all the rest of the FF charries and Cloud is still dealing with his Sephiroth problem. 

Sephiroth is not some child of Jenova stuff (that we know of) because he's a manifestation of Cloud's darkness.  He and Cloud have been fighting for several years now and neither of them consistently comes out on top.  Cloud and Sephiroth are feeding off of each other, but neither is overcoming.  (Much like Sora and Sora's Shadow in rar's universe, but Cloud and Sephiroth have been going at this way longer than Sora and Shad will ever do).  Sephiroth is stronger than Shadow because everyone can see him and interact with him.  Rar makes the point that if Shadow hadn't been so impatient to get out of Sora's heart, he probably would have been stronger.  Sephiroth knew what he was doing and bided his time so he could achieve ultimate bad***ery.  Yes, Shadow, that is a dis to you.  So there.

However, another aspect of this is that Cloud is stronger than Sora, no offense.  But he is.  So, you have two strong people fighting against each other periodically, and more often than not, innocent bystanders get hurt. 

This is why Cloud wants to deal with this by himself.  However, Tifa, Aerith, Zack, Cid, Leon, Rinoa, Tifa, Tifa, maybe Yuffie, Tifa, Sora, Riku, Roxas, Tifa, Kairi... you get the point... they all want to help him get over his Sephiroth problem and be happy-go-lucky Cloud again. 

Sephiroth will, eventually, get dealt with. 

Erm, I think that's all the real continuity stuff... minus the ages... which is a different post. 

Oh, Cloud grew up with Tifa in Nibelheim (yup, totally dragging that in there.)  Cloud and Zack met as mercenaries. Zack met Aerith as a mercenary and introduced her to Cloud.  Cloud introduced Aerith to Tifa.  Yuffie, Cid and Leon were part of Aerith's "party" in Hollow Bastion/Traverse Town.  This is intertwined and after FF8 events in my universe. 

Um, I think that's everything now.   Maybe.  If you have more questions, ask.  If I think of more stuff, I'll either update the post or put a new one up.

Yay.  

Everyone's Ages

The ages of our heroes! (These were quite fun to extrapolate.)

So, let's start with Sora.  He's 15 in KH2.  He's 16 by the end of AtP.  He won't be turning 17 until Book 3, if I get that far. 

Kairi: See above.  She's 16 at the end of AtP and won't be turning 17 until Book 3. (Yeah, I know, it's weird me talking about the next book with this one not even being finished written.  Technically, I have a vague plot for something after that, but I'm curbing Namine at all costs.)

Riku: He's 16 in KH2, making him 17 by the end of AtP and 18 in a potential Book 3. 

Namine:  Assuming that she's 14 in Chain of Memories and 15 in KH2 using that weird logic that she and Roxas aged because they had Somebodies during their existence.  That makes her 16 along with Kairi at the end of AtP and potentially 17 in that potentially next book.

Roxas: See above.  15 in KH2, 16 by the end of AtP and then 17 in B3.

Xion: Here's a fun one.  So, assume that she's 14 in Days, because that's how old Kairi was in Sora's memories when Xion took on that form.  Also, Sora/Roxas were kinda 14 at that time.  Then, she spends all of KH2 not really existing.  (Sorry, Xion.)  So, when Roxas uses his memories of her to bring her back, she's still pretty much that 14 year old self.  Assume she took on some characteristics of the Kairi that Roxas was getting input from giving her a small boost and you have a 15-year-old Xion by the end of AtP.  So, that makes her a year younger than everyone else.  (Well, Riku being the exception.)  And, you guessed it, she'll be 16 in B3.

Ven: Another fun one.  So, rar and I spent SO MUCH time trying to figure out Aqua/Terra/Ven's ages in BBS.  I finally came to the conclusion that for the purposes of my fic, Ven was 16 in BBS.  He doesn't age at all when he's sleeping in the Chamber of Waking (ironic, that statement is, yes.) So, he's still 16 at the end of AtP--the same age as Sora for those of you who are keeping close track.  Congrats Ven, you just shaved twelve years off your life somehow.

Aqua: Assume that she's 19 in BBS when she goes to take her Mark of Mastery.  (rar and I figured that you'd probably have to be at least 18 to take it back then, the prime age being early 20s, but Terra and Aqua were young prospects.)  Assume that time in the Realm of Darkness moves at a tenth of the pace as it does everywhere else.  That means Aqua gains a year and some change to her age.  That makes her 20 at the end of AtP.

 

Terra: Assume he's 19, too, when he takes the Mark of Mastery exam in BBS.  Then, assume that he didn't age at all when he was in Xemnas' heart because Xemnas was a Nobody without a Somebody.  Say Xehanort aged a good 2 years between the time he was around BEFORE he turned himself into a Heartless and then AFTER he reformed.  So, Terra's 21 by the end of AtP.

Axel: Yeah, I spent loads of time figuring this one out too.  Darn them not aging as Nobodies, but still have ridiculously long hair growth.  (Xigbar, Zexion, Saix, Axel).  Assume he's 17 in BBS when he meets Ven.  About the same age, but a bit older.  Say 5 years after BBS, he's turned into a Nobody at the ripe old age of 22.  By the time he gets himself reformed and starts aging again, he wouldn't be 23 until B3 most like.  (And I've just given him a really skewed concept of his own age, because he's been around for nearly 30 years by that point.)

Kuin: She's 9 in BBS, I have determined.  Thankfully, she hasn't been in or out of Nobody status, so that makes her an easy 21 at the end of AtP. 

Disclaimer: Betwixt and Between takes place over the course of several months (I think.  So far I've written about three weeks’ worth of information. (okay, that is disgusting, based on that… it’s taken me nearly a YEAR almost to write one more weeks’ worth of information…. That is…. That has to just be timey whimey.  Granted, the 7 months in Disney hardly counts because I hardly wrote…  MOVING ON)

This time span is not enough for anyone to have aged significantly, like the difference in ages between KH1 and KH2. 

And, that is all I have for you tonight my dearies :)

Combos/Limits/Forms

Sora + Roxas = Final Form.  Fitting and totally understandable for anyone who’s played KH2.  Final Form focuses mostly on Light magic and becomes essential for Sora to keep his darkness levels down.  Final Form also utilizes Time and Elemental magic.  Final Form boosts all forms of magic, as well as physical abilities and attacks.

Sora + Riku = Master Form.  Because, well, Riku’s a Keyblade Master (punny.)  But mostly because Riku’s just logically the next most powerful.  Regardless, Master Form is a fusion of both mostly Light and Black magic, but also increases Elemental and Green magic as well as physical abilities and attacks. 

Sora + Namine = Wisdom Form.  Namine doesn’t Wield and is therefore turning into a very magical fighter. Hence, Wisdom.  Wisdom Form is purely a magical form, therefore, all forms of magic are increased, as well as physical abilities.  Attacks are limited to magical ones. 

Sora + Kairi = Valor Form.  Because Sora is valiant in his fighting for Kairi.  Valor Form is distinctly an attack-based form.  I am contemplating getting Valor Form to actually use magic.  If so, it would probably utilize red magic.  (Lower level magic of all areas.)

Sora + Xion = Limit Form.  Xion is a representation of a younger Kairi, similar to Limit Form being a representation of a younger Sora.  Limit Form incorporates lower-level white magic as well as Time, Green, and Elemental magic. 

Anti-Form = special.  It takes two party members at random.  (Or just one other party member if there is only one to take.)  Anti-Form’s only type of magic that is ever used (and when it is, rarely) is Black magic. 

Sora and Roxas have the combo Magic Hour+, which is exactly like Magic Hour except stronger.  It is characterized by pillars of light raining down on enemies.  Currently, Roxas has more control over the pillars than Sora does, but Sora will gain that coordination.  After the combo, Sora and Roxas are both shielded by Light for a brief period of time.  Not surprisingly, this Combo’s focus is Light magic.  This combo will develop into something even more powerful as Sora and Roxas become more powerful.  As of this current moment, the only known addition to the combo will be the Finisher, which will consist of Sora and Roxas leaping high into the air and plunging down into the ground creating an even stronger pillar of light that kills or severely damages enemies. 

Kairi and Sora have their combo called “Fated Faith.”  It was introduced in AtP and surprisingly, has not made an appearance in Betwixt and Between.  (Okay, I say surprisingly, but the reason why this hasn’t happened yet is because it involves Sora fighting right-handed, and Kairi is avoiding that as much as she possibly can at the moment.)  It involves the two of them linking (left) arms and spinning/jumping about attacking enemies as they go.  I will elaborate further on it when it finally does make an appearance in Betwixt and Between.  Fated Faith is grounded in Light (and maybe some other magics as I explore more.)

Kairi and Riku are able to perform the combo, Holy Burst, taught to Riku by none other than King Mickey himself.  Holy Burst requires Kairi and Riku to link arms.  They spin about the battlefield, releasing orbs of Light as they do.  Holy Burst requires nothing but Light magic. 

Riku and Roxas’ combo is called “Light Shield.”  It’s a defensive combo grounded in (surprisingly for Riku) purely Light magic.  They send out a shield of light (kind of like dark shield ala KH2) and it knocks back just about every enemy and will damage some of them to the point of killing them.

Roxas and Xion have a combo called Event Horizon.  The two of them glow with white-hot light.  Whether they stay together or separate around the battlefield, the two of them dart among their enemies with increased strength.  Event Horizon is Light based. 

Xion and Roxas’ second combo is called Call of Light.  This combo is characterized by Xion raising her Keyblade up to the sky and charging it with light.  (I’m pretty sure I got my inspiration from Skyward Strike.)  When she swings it down, she flings the light with it.  She does this repeatedly, and Roxas darts amongst the enemies unleashing flurries of attacks.  I am thinking that as this combo progresses, Xion will be able to charge her Keyblade with more than just light (perhaps certain elemental magics). 

Roxas and Axel’s combo is called “Flaming Light.” And, well, it’s exactly that.  Rooted in both Light and Fire magic, Axel creates a ring of fire that surrounds a number of enemies, completely cutting them off from the rest of the battle.  Then, Roxas darts about the enclosure, attacking enemies left and right with plumes of Light.  (Hey! I rhymed!) Axel will contribute with flaming chakrams. 

Xion and Sora’s combo is based off of the Fever Pitch Command Style.  They are given a burst of speed and power, lashing out at their enemies.  They release rapid, four-hit combos, generally with spin-attack finishers.  Sora and Xion do not have to be physically linked for this combo, once they have activated it they can go all over the place, provided they stay within a set radius of each other.  The finisher is a massive four-hit combo a piece, both ending with light attacks.  Fever Pitch is based primarily off of speed and agility, but Light is the form of magic that is used, appropriate for Sora and Xion. 

Namine and Kairi have a combo based off of the Command Style Wingblade.  The two of them take on the form of one body (Namine) and Namine wields one glass-like Keyblade in her hands as well as telekinetically wielding six more Keyblades that function as wings behind her back.  This combo is a combination of Wingblade in BBS and Montyoum’s Namine featured in an upcoming Dead Fantasy episode.  Currently, Wingblade is mostly Light magic, but I plan to integrate certain aspects of Time magic into it as the combo strengthens. 

Kairi and Xion have a combo based off the Spell Weaver Command Style.  Light surrounds each girl, causing them to hover almost.  They do not actually hover, they just become incredibly light on their feet.  Their Keyblades do actually hover separately from the girls, allowing them to control the Keyblades telekinetically, ensuring better longer-range attacks.  After every few hits, the girls are able to release balls of light that deal heavy damage.  Kairi’s Light attacks are slightly stronger than Xion’s because of her heart of pure light.  The finisher is the two girls each becoming a pillar of light, spinning about, letting loose both light and pure magic.  Spell Weaver is primarily Light-based, but all other magics are boosted during the combo as well.

Xion and Kairi’s second combo is based off of the Blade Charge Command Style.  It is first hinted at when Aqua gives them the charms, but is not actually seen until many scenes later.  Both of their Keyblades shine greatly with Light.  This light elongates the blades, making them stronger and more powerful.  They can fight through enemies with ease.  Generally speaking, during this combo, they fight back-to-back because they are strongest this way.  The finisher involves them spinning their Keyblades in the air, creating a propeller of damage in all directions.  After the propeller effect, the two girls slam their Keyblades into the ground which emits a shockwave that can destroy many enemies and leave the rest stunned.  Blade Charge is based primarily in Light. 

Kairi and Roxas have a combo based off of the Command Style, Diamond Dust.  I don’t remember Diamond Dust making an appearance in Betwixt and Between, as it’s only briefly referenced in Can’t Escape.  However, the combo exists.  Kairi and Roxas are surrounded by an icy-blue aura and their attacks become faster as they use rapid Blizzard magic.  The finisher involves a giant glacier dropped on the head(s) of their enemy(ies).  This combo solely uses Elemental (Blizzard) magic. 

Riku and Sora still have their Limit of Eternal Session.  It works entirely like it does in KH2.  This Limit is a fusion of Sora’s light attacks and Riku’s dark ones.  The Limit is made up of a series of Combos made by the two boys.  The Limit focuses highly on Fire (Elemental) and Magnet (Time) magic, as well as simple, pure energy. 

Kairi and Namine have the Limit called Final Resort.  The two of them combine into one body (Kairi’s) and they summon a vast array of light-forms.  First come little puppet-like forms that are about the size of Shadows or Floods.  Second come two birds: a falcon and an owl, representing Kairi and Namine respectively.  Following the birds can come any array of light creatures that represent members of their party.  So far, the only other identified form is a lion for Sora.  The only other time Kairi and Namine have used this Limit was around Aerith and Rinoa, neither of whom are close enough to warrant a form.  The third type of Light forms necessitate closeness of the heart between Kairi and Namine and the other party. 

Riku and Namine have a Limit called Decompression.  The two of them join together and send out a shockwave of energy that kills all non-sentient enemies in its path.  All sentient enemies are severely damaged.  The combo is characterized by Time magic mostly, but possibly some Dark magic as well.

Riku and Namine also have a Limit called Light Aura.  Both of them are filled with Light.  Riku releases this light similar to the way his old Feint, Dark Aura, worked.  He slices through the enemy (or enemies) with his blade and slivers of light now instead of darkness.  Namine releases her light in the form of thirteen pillars that seek out the enemy to destroy it.  Essentially, this is Dark Aura + Salvation + Light.  

Namine and Sora have what will probably be a combo.  The working name is “Light Wave” but I have no idea what the combo is at this point.  It may involve Salvation as a finisher.  Not sure yet.

It has been hinted that Kairi and Riku will be able to do Inverse Burst, but this has not happened yet in-story.

Roxas and Kairi will have a combo called Feinted Flight.  I know nothing of the mechanics as of now. 

I plan to have Riku and Xion have the combo of Firestorm and also the combo of Critical Impact.

I plan for Roxas and Riku to have another combo based off of Rock Breaker.

I plan for Namine and Xion to have the combos of Ghost Drive and Thunder Bold.

I plan for Namine and Roxas to have the combos of Sky Climber and Cyclone.

On the Various Ways of Transportation in my Universe

Gummi Ships: This one's pretty self-explanatory.  There's a couple of Gummi Ships floating around.  Mickey has one for sure, so does Cid.  Mickey's Gummi Ship is the one that Sora, Riku and Kairi borrow in All the Pieces.  That was the main form of transportation in AtP.  It won't be used as much in Betwixt and Between, though there probably will still be SOME Gummi Ship travel, I just have yet to write it.

Dark Corridors: Ah, dark corridors.  Also self-explanatory.  They come in handy when the charries need to get to the Realm of Darkness for whatever reason.  Or The World That Never Was--because you can't get there by Gummi Ship.  Axel can use dark corridors, though he's frequently berated for it because it's highly detrimental to his heart.  Xion can also use them because it's in her data.  It's not detrimental to her heart, though she doesn't use them very often because it is detrimental to others' hearts.  Everyone on Xehanort's side could use dark corridors.  So, Xiggy can use them, Ienzo can use them.

Marluxia and Larxene CANNOT use them.  (Or rather, COULD NOT (now)).  Larxene can use them now.  Marluxia can’t.)  That's why they couldn't just barge right into CO in AtP.  Vexen can use them, though he's in rar's universe and surrounded by a whole bunch of replicas and whatnot... he doesn't really have use for them, opting to just walk everywhere in CO.  I think the like... two times he's taken Joseph to Twilight Town, they've used star shards. 

Heh...everyone else is dead by BB. 

As of now, Riku cannot actually use one, though he was afraid that he could in AtP.  Unless something DRASTIC changes, he can't form one.  Namine and Roxas... well... heh... ahem… *coughs* … *shifty glance* …

The Lanes Between: again with the self-explanatory.  The only three people who use these are Aqua, Ventus, and Terra, because they're the only ones with Keyblade Armor.  I was debating on having Sora, Riku, Kairi etc use them... however, Riku then pitched a fit because Namine's not a wielder and thus wouldn't have a glider.  So, they're still using star shards.  In fact, Aqua, Terra and Ventus also have a star shard among them and they'll use that too. 

Star Shards: main form of transportation in BB.  Yes, they can be unpredictable at times, that's when you get stuff like Kairi, Namine and Xion ending up in another universe.  Basically, they go off when they need to go off and they take the holder where they need to go--whether the holder knows it or not.  Axel gets very good at using his star shard.  Riku will too. 

Airships: The only person who has an airship is Squall.  Rinoa, Quistis and Zell brought it to him at the end of AtP.  It's epicly fast and can get places Gummi Ships can't.  It's the Ragnarok from FFVIII.  Though it won't play a HUGE part in BB, it'll have a few nice spots. 

Teleportation: Okay, there are technically two forms of teleportation in the fics.  First of all, there's the short-distance teleportation that occurs in battlefields.  Axel can do this, because, well, he can.  Actually, just about any former Organization member can do this.  I'm not sure if anyone else can...  It would not surprise me if Riku suddenly did it.

The other form of teleportation is actually a legit form of transportation.  Rinoa's the only one who can facilitate it.  She uses her feathers as foci.  (Note chapters 3 and 4 in BB.) She can teleport herself and anyone else if she so chooses.  I got the idea from Dead Fantasy.

Light Corridors: Kuin's the only one that can make these.  (Well, actually, it's her glider).  They'll go anywhere she wants/needs them to go with no restrictions.  You'll learn more about them in upcoming chapters.  

On Vexen’s Odd Fatherly Relationship with Riku

So, Vexen (my Vexen) has an odd fatherly relationship with Riku (rar's Riku).  It's true, he does.  If you haven't noticed it, let me know, because that means me and rar aren't doing a good enough job.

Why does he have an odd fatherly relationship with Riku? Well, Riku was the first successful replica (sorry, Xion) that wasn't him.  Xion was sadly unstable and he barely got time to interact with her before getting shipped off to CO and then dying.  So! Riku's this great success to him.  He was made in a matter of hours (or at least overnight) and showed great potential on many levels.  Kinda like the son he never had or something.  The other Vexen Replicas are just comrades and whatnot. 

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Vexen is destroyed.  He comes back as a Somebody, hates his job and goes to a parallel universe as soon as he realizes that HIS Riku is there.  This is, in part, being interested in Riku, and everything else his want to get away from Xehanort. 

He ends up in rar's CO right before the Rebellion begins.  And he has been bugging Riku ever since.  He constantly follows Riku around, doing research on him, which is just standard Vexen behavior.  But then there are the times when he genuinely shows worry for Riku.  He worries over Riku's headaches when Namine has meltdowns.  He tries to figure out the relationship between Riku and Namine like just about any father would any son with a potential girlfriend.  He tries to understand what happened to Riku to change him.  He tries to get Riku to listen to him.  He hates Larxene (and all the Larxene Replicas) for what they've done to Riku.  He gets freakishly proud of Riku when Riku succeeds at something.  (Though this one might just be a creator thing, not a fatherly thing).  He wants to protect Riku (this one isn’t shown very well, because Riku does a good job of protecting himself, but the feelings are still there for Vexen) He freaks out over Riku's injuries...

The list goes on.

Some of this is in the name of scholarly research, some of it he disguises as fatherly research, and some of it is just plain him being fatherly. 

So, yeah, we've got an odd fatherly relationship going on.  Riku hates every minute of it.  Vexen chooses to ignore Riku's hate.

So, Vexen has the capacity to be compassionate.  Awesome.  He's also like an uncle to Joseph, as Joseph just so kindly informed me.  Vexen’s also quite nice to Toby, and very kind to Namine.  (We are NOT going to talk about Vexen and Namine’s relationship, it’s a completely different thing.) 

As for Xion, well, spoilers.  Sorry. 

Heheh, funny story.  So, the other night, Rar suggested that Vexen was the actual Riku's father (at least, as far as my canon goes.)  Riku's father left.  Vexen could have easily left Destiny Islands to go study under Ansem the Wise.  Oh, I'll just quote her, it'll be easier than trying to sum it up:

but wouldn't it be weird if Vexen (Even) was Riku's father (not suggesting that he IS, but it would be interesting...) I mean, it would make sense. He's in Hollow Bastion (Radiant Garden) WHY!? Probably to study under Ansem the Wise. Which, if he grew up on Destiny Islands, I wouldn't blame him for leaving. He would have been bored out of his mind!

it would explain why he's so interested in Riku in RR

and possibly why he bothers to Replicate him

and, by extension, why he insists on acting like Repliku's father at times...

Yeah.  It's merely a thought.  I don't think I'll actually go with it.  Besides, where did Riku get his hair from then? :P

On Why Saix and Axel think the Way They Do

I don't think I need to delve too deeply into the relationship between Axel and Saix that we see IN the games.  It's rather obvious what we see.

Basically, we know these events happened: (in no particular order)

-Lea and Isa have a plan to overthrow the Organization from the inside-out.

-Lea and Isa get turned into Nobodies.

-Axel and Saix join the Organization.

At some point after that, we get these events:

-Axel works to get Saix to the top of the Organization, killing people (Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion) who are in the way.

-Saix *appears* to be brownnosing Xehanort.

-Axel befriends Roxas, even though this shouldn't be possible because he doesn't have a heart.

-Both Axel and Saix feel like the other has betrayed the their end of the deal.

-Axel betrays the Organization for his friendship with Roxas.

(So, the reason why 'appears' is in astrixes, is because there is debate on whether or not Saix actually 'befriended' Xehanort, or if he was really just putting on a charade in order to get to the top.  I think Axel feels that Saix ditched their friendship first--and that is what matters in this post.  Though, it is entirely possible that Saix was just putting on a charade the whole time and the lack of emotions on multiple parts screwed with everything else.  Regardless, Axel felt that Saix betrayed their friendship by getting too buddy-buddy with Xehanort in the process of figuring out how to overthrow the Organization.  Saix felt that Axel betrayed their friendship by betting tied down to a friendship with Roxas.)

   

Moving onto the stuff that actually happens in MY fic.  Which is the stuff I have control over.  Basically, after becoming a Somebody again, Saix gets picked up by Xehanort and is offered a position with him again.  By this point, Saix just wants power and he's figuring he can get it from Xehanort.  He begins to loathe himself and hates having emotions again.

Meanwhile, Axel wakes up in Twilight Town with really no memory of what's gone on.  Olette finds him and gets him a job and a sense of stability.  By the time he remembers everything, he's sworn to get rid of Xehanort and anyone associated with him.  There is a level of revenge associated with this new goal. 

Saix believes that he can give up emotions again without being a Nobody.  He still thinks that they are worthless and distract from his true goals.  Axel, however, is fully aware of the emotions that he is experiencing (regardless of how annoyed he may be at them at times). 

Saix feels that his friendship with Axel is long over.  It was probably gone before they were Nobodies, or if it wasn't gone by then, it was definitely gone by the time the lack of emotions kicked in.  He also feels too betrayed by Axel to even want to rekindle said relationship. 

Axel, on the other hand, wants to rekindle the friendship, though he does a very horrible job of showing it at times.  He is annoyed that Saix is still working with Xehanort and his feelings conflict on that fact. 

Regardless of what either of them feel, every time they run into each other, they at least end up throwing insults--if not weapons.  Every battle between them gets lower and farther beneath the belt.  Each battle, Axel tries to win Saix over to the side against Xehanort.  Saix always refuses.  In addition, each battle between them gets bloodier and bloodier.  The battle in the Enchanted Dominion is bloodier than the one in Hollow Bastion.  The battle in Castle Oblivion is definitely bloodier than the one in the Badlands. 

By the end, it is not Axel that kills Saix, or Saix that kills Axel.  (Though, the claymore through the gut probably would have killed Axel eventually if Aerith hadn't gotten to it.  It certainly was bad enough to get Namine to nearly curse.)  Rather, it is Xehanort that kills Saix.

Saix's self-loathing gets to a point where he feels that either 1) the only way to achieve true power would be to kill Xehanort or 2) in an attempt to regain a lost friendship he should kill Xehanort.  Either mean leads to the same end.  Unfortunately, Saix tries to destroy Xehanort with darkness--which is most of what Xehanort is at that point.  (Though, not true, complete darkness--just mostly darkness.)

Xehanort then turns the attack right back at Saix and Saix doesn't survive.

Axel is left completely shocked by this new development.  It was one thing when his former best friend and him were fighting on different sides.  At least said former best friend was still around.  But now, that former best friend came back around to the side against Xehanort in time to die.  He’s not coming back.

And Axel has to deal with that.

Sure, he has a plethora of new friends.  He has Roxas and Xion back.  But he wouldn't be where he was without Saix to a certain extent.  And his old childhood friend is gone.

 

To quote Axel himself: "War leaves a bitter taste in your mouth."  (Before the Epilogue, chapter 4.)

So, now we get to see Axel's development AFTER Saix's death.  He’s a tad moody, for understandable reasons.  Roxas and Xion certainly have told him to move on and simply just respect Saix’s wishes to “remember him as he was.”  Kuin has certainly served as a distraction for this.  But that’s not to say he’s completely forgotten.  The chapter that I just posted in Betwixt and Between (go read that guys if you haven’t yet, seriously!) is made up almost entirely of Axel searching for Saix’s journal for proof… of something.  Axel isn’t entirely sure of what he’s looking for yet.  But he wants proof. 

He’s trying to remember Saix as he was, so he wants proof that Saix wasn’t always a horrible person. 

And… that’s all I can really talk about because that’s all I’ve posted in-story.  So… I’ll leave this to your opinions.  

The Parents

Throwback time! (Especially now since I’m porting this when I am…)

So, small little postette on the parents. 

First of all, Riku's mother was very easy to figure out.  She was like, jumping off the pages to me.  She was the easiest one to figure out.  When I was bouncing ideas off of what the parents would say and think and do, and act like.  It came to my attention that someone didn't have both of their parents.

And that someone was Riku.  Rar and I were talking about it.  We decided that it seemed very fitting.  Riku's father left when Riku was a small child.  Young enough to be able to rebound, but old enough to remember that he did, at one point, have a father.  This then adds another reason to why he wants to get off the islands so bad.  His father had to go SOMEWHERE, right?

No, his father is not Xehanort.  I don't know who his father is.  No, his father probably won't show back up as a villain.  That's horribly cliché.  I haven't figure it out much farther though.

Riku's mother, has accepted the fact that her husband is not returning.  She has done all she can to raise her son right.  And though he has had a few slip-ups, she is proud of him.  She knows everything that he has done and still loves him.  She is very, VERY compassionate.  She's got a lot of aspects of my own mother, now that I think about it.  Anyway, she adores Namine and do not be surprised to see, in the future, her pestering Riku to propose. 

She's got blonde hair and blue eyes (like her son).  Riku got his silver hair from his father.  (Though now his mother's got silver streaks around her temples.)  She's small, but not tiny.  Maybe a bit plump.  So, basically, she's about as tall as Namine, but not NEARLY as thin.  (Though, Namine is really thin.)

She also accepted Xion without a bat of the eye. Because she's just awesome like that.  She's the one who will be whacking you in the face with a dishtowel one minute, and hugging you the next.

Kairi's parents were pretty self-explanatory.  Her adoptive father is the mayor, so he knows stuff about other worlds.  He's not ignorant.  Kairi's mother is kind and quiet.  Both are very professional, but rather accepting of things.  Kairi hasn't told them everything because she doesn't want them to worry about her when she's away.  How the mayor explains his adopted daughter's absence is beyond me.  Though, it's happened a few times now, and this last time, she brought back her 'sister.'  Thankfully, Namine and Kairi look enough alike for that one to be believable.

Kairi's father is a balding, brown haired man with brown eyes.  Kairi's mother has dark hair (ala, Xion, actually.)  and bright blue eyes.  I imagined that perhaps this is why Xion had black hair.  She took on the memories of Kairi to look like her, but since Kairi's mother had dark hair, it was explained through that.  Idk, just a passing idea.

Sora's parents I haven't particularly worked all the way out yet.  They're kind and accepting.  They know about as much as Kairi's parents do.  Sora doesn't tell them everything, not because he thinks that they'll worry, but he really only tells the stuff he finds interesting or the stuff they explicitly ask about.  His father's got messy brown hair.  Or, rather, spikey brown hair.  Blue eyes and glasses.  His mother's got darker brown hair and green eyes.  And, well, that's all I know.

I'll post more if I think of more.

The Princesses' Ages

Huge mega-update to the Facts and Trivia Page!! Check it out!

Anyway, the Princesses' Ages.  Not that this ACTUALLY matters, but I care and took the time to figure it out, so it does.  (So I'm porting it over!)

First, I'm going to start out with that it is my belief that there are ALWAYS seven Princesses of Heart, when one dies, she is reincarnated into another girl (kinda like the Avatar, for those of you who watched that show.)  So, for those of you wondering why Aerith wasn't a Princess of Heart when she has SO MUCH LIGHT in her heart, well, this is probably why.  As I'm mapping out her age with what I've done with all the actual PoHs, she's JUST in the window where it doesn't work.  She's one year too young.  Snow White got the job right before. 

Okay, so back to the seven official PoH's.  (Sorry, I got mega-distracted).  (Which probably doesn't look as bad on here, but I just spent 15 minutes figuring out the FF charrie's ages in relation to my series.) 

Out of the seven we currently know, Cinderella's the oldest.  (I googled all of them and put down approximate ages based on how old they are in the Disney renditions of their stories.)  Generally speaking, she's between 16 and 18.  Disney doesn't appear to have an official age for her.  I put her down as 17 (especially since Aurora HAS to be 16 and I wanted there to be a difference).  Now, remember, Cinderella's 17 in BBS.  Making her 27 in KH1 and 29 by the end of AtP.

Aurora's next.  She's 16 in BBS.  Like, Disney flat-out says she's 16 during those events.  (The whole 16th birthday thing).  So, by KH1, she's 26 and she's 28 by the end of AtP. 

After Aurora is Snow White.  Snow White is actually 14 in the events of her movie.  Not 16 like I'm sure a lot of people think.  (Though, I don't blame you, most Princesses are 16 in their stories.)  Snow White is 14 though, which makes sense, she is a bit more childlike.  So she's 24 in KH1 and 26 by the end of AtP.

Then we have a tad bit of a gap.  Belle's next.  She's 8 in BBS. Why? Well, because her story, (though not EXACTLY taking place in the KH world, it pretty much happens in KH2.)  Belle's age is another one of those one's that's not explicitly listed.  She's either in her late teens or early twenties.  So, assume 19 in KH2 (not 1), which makes her 8 in BBS.  So she's 20 by the end of AtP.

Then comes Jasmine.  Jasmine is 16 in KH1 because that's where her story takes place and she's 16 there.  (Well, almost 16-the whole 16th birthday thing again.)  So she's 6 back in BBS's time and 18 by the end of AtP.  Still making sense?

Kairi's next.  Nope, Kairi's not the youngest.  Kairi's easy.  She's 4 in BBS.  14 in Kh1.  And she's 16 by the end of AtP. 

Alice is the youngest.  I was surprised to learn that she is only 10 in the events of her movie.  However, rather than have her be a newborn in BBS, I made her 1.  So she's 11 in Kh1 and 13 by the end of AtP.  (in hindsight, I'm not sure why I changed it... but I did.  Not that it particularly matters.  But I care.)

So yeah, fun stuff. 

Oh, and, for the record, Aerith is officially 13 in BBS.  Tifa would be 11.  Rinoa would be 15.