Sora's Father
Sora reached his home world, Destiny Islands, in a matter of minutes, diving down toward his hometown. As soon as he passed through the outer layers of the atmosphere, he dismissed his glider and went into a free fall. Thankfully, with it being the middle of the night, everyone should be asleep so they didn't see someone randomly falling from the sky, unless they were astronomers, then he was bound to be unfortunately seen. The ground got closer and closer, and as he was only a few hundred meters away, he slowed his decent with his gliding ability. With his fall slowing until he was floating like a feather, he dropped into the outskirts of town.
Looking out over the seaside home he grew up in for many years, he let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his head as he processed why he decided to come here. "This is so stupid," he said to himself. "I'm going to get in so much trouble...How much more trouble could I possibly be in after all I've done already???"
He paced back and forth, his thoughts racing after the events in the Crystal Empire earlier that day along with the experiences he and Twilight suffered through in the alternate timelines. For many years, since the death of his father, he wanted to know what had happened to him, and he had the means to do so. His restraint on using it was at its breaking point now that the effects of changing the past to bring the horrible futures that could have happened have made him panic about what could happen if he died at this very moment. He was going to go through with this, and if he was going to be severely punished, then he didn't care as long as he figured out what happened.
"Ok, it's pretty easy. Once you're back in time, don't bring any attention to yourself," he told himself. "Don't mention your name, don't let anyone recognize you as the adult version of your younger self..." He looked up at his spiky hair, grumbling in frustration. "As if I'll be able to blend in with my hairstyle similar to younger me's..." Grabbing the hood of his jacket, he placed it over his head to hide his hair. "At least this hood's useful other than to hide my shame or brood in misery."
Steeling his nerves, Sora summoned his Keyblade, holding it tightly in both hands. He was honestly scared to find out what happened to his father and how severe the storm was that took him out along with his crew and boat. He could change the future, saving his father from that storm and leave his family happy and at peace, but that could alter the course of time and change everything, just like the last few times when he, Twilight, and Starlight interfered with Fluttershy and Rainbow's bullies along with the prismatic pegasus's sonic rainboom. It pained him to think this, but if he had to watch his own father die to keep the past from changing, then he had no choice. He reminded himself that he wasn't going to change anyone's fate; just view what happened, and when he sees what he needed to, he'll leave and go straight back to Equestria, back to bed with Kairi, and not arouse any suspicion of his disappearance.
"...Reverse!" Sora called out, thrusting his weapon up in the air as he performed the time traveling spell.
Above him, a clock appeared as it slowly fell down on him, the hour and minute hands spinning backwards as the sound of ticking echoed around him. The ticking increased in speed, focusing on the point in time he wanted to appear in: the evening where he saw the rainbow star that connected him with the Mane Six in Equestria several years ago. It took longer to reach the time period he requested unlike the last time as he only went back about a week, but after a while, he arrived in a flash of light on the hill overlooking the town. Dismissing his Keyblade and making sure his hood was tightly fitted over his head and sort of veiled his identity, Sora ran off toward the shore in town, where he was expecting to see himself, Riku, and Kairi as kids.
After sprinting through the town, ignoring the odd looks of people he knew back then as they wondered what his hurry was, he reached the shore and spotted his younger self with Riku and Kairi. Quickly hiding behind one of the palm trees, he peeked around and watched them playing tag, bringing back some nostalgia of those carefree days they had before they were teenagers. Sora and Riku laughed as they ran from Kairi, the young girl getting frustrated as she panted, trying desperately to catch them.
"No fair, Sora, Riku!" Kairi whined. "Every time we play tag and I'm it, I can't even get either of you!"
"That's cause we're pros at running away!" Young Sora said with a laugh.
"More like you're a pro running away from girls," Riku teased. "Didn't you run away from Kairi when you first met her?"
"I did not!" Young Sora argued, his cheeks turning a light pink as he leered at his best friend. Riku's eyes shifted a little to Kairi, signalling her his distraction so she can get Sora. "I simply said hello, and didn't look where I was going, so I hit the wall and made a calm, not embarrassed stroll to my classroom."
"Oh, is that how it happened?" Riku asked. "I'm pretty sure you belted out a hello and ran like your pants were on fire."
"No! Liar! I didn't-!" Kairi interrupted with a shout, lunging at Sora and tackled him to the sand as he hit the ground with a yelp.
"Gotcha!" Kairi cheered, then giggled as she stood up and ran from him.
The young boy grumbled, tilting his head up to glare at Riku, his face beat red. "I'm gonna get you for that, Riku."
"Try and catch me, Sorloser!" Riku mocked playfully as he ran off.
Young Sora growled, scrambling back onto his feet and chased after Riku. The young man watching from a distance recalled that terrible play on his name when he behaved like a sore loser, but he knew it was all in fun. That kind of teasing was what sparked Sora and Riku to rival each other, push each other to their limits and outdo the other. Sora continued watching until all three of them decided to take a break and lay in the sand, staring up at the stars in the sky. He looked up too, staring in the same direction as his younger self as he waited for the rainbow star to appear.
"Say, guys? What do you think about there being other worlds out there besides our own?" Riku asked.
"You mean like alien worlds?" Young Sora asked. "With creepy monsters with tentacles and fifty eyes?"
"I wasn't talking about aliens, you dummy," Riku said, looking at his friend with a blank stare. "Do you remember that woman with the blue hair who came to the island a couple years ago?"
"Uhh...Kind of," Young Sora said as he thought back to that day. "She had strange-looking clothes on, too...Is she an alien?"
"She was a person like us," Riku grumbled. "But...she didn't seem to fit in with how she dressed...Neither did that guy with that strange sword..."
"I wonder where she went," Young Sora pondered, though present Sora knew Aqua was in the Realm of Darkness at this moment, trapped there for the next decade until she finds Kairi's letter and makes it out through the Door to Light. A moment later, the moment of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom's light waves finally reached out beyond Equestria, both Sora's spotting the colorful blinking star out in the distance. "Whoa! Look at that star!"
"Which one?" Kairi asked.
"That one right there!" Young Sora pointed out. Present Sora saw it clear as day, and as sudden as it had appeared, the rainbow star began to fade out before Riku and Kairi could even see it. "It was a flashing rainbow star!"
"I didn't see anything," Riku said, Kairi nodding in agreement.
"Aww, you guys missed it!" Young Sora whined. "That was so cool, though!"
"I think you're seeing things," Kairi said.
"I know a saw it," Young Sora muttered to himself. "I wonder what caused a star to shine like a rainbow?"
"Sora!" a man called out in the distance. Sora turned his head at the voice, a voice that he hadn't heard in many years as his heart leapt in his chest. Walking along the shore toward the trio of friends, a man wearing a pair of red shorts with white floral patterns reaching past his knees that could pass as a bathing suit, a pair of black work boots that have seen its share of wear and tear for work, a simple white t-shirt over his slightly muscular build, his face rugged with a slight stubble, even as he seemed to look young despite his age, and his brown hair a shaggy mess; it was Sora's father, just as he remembered last seeing him before his final fishing trip ending in disaster. "Come on, son! Mom's got dinner ready, and you know how mad she gets if the both of us aren't there on time!"
Whining a little, Young Sora stood up, brushing the sand off his clothes. "I gotta go, guys."
"Yeah, my parents are probably going to find me anyway," Riku said, he and Kairi standing up as well. "See you guys tomorrow."
"Bye, Sora! Bye, Riku!" Kairi said as the trio split up, Riku and Kairi running off to their homes while Young Sora ran up to his father.
"Dad! You won't believe what I just saw just now!" the young child said excitedly, bouncing up and down as his father was amused by his hyperactive nature. "I saw a star that flashed like a rainbow! Did you see it!?"
"A rainbow star, huh?" the man pondered aloud, looking up at the sky as he rubbed his hand against his growing neckbeard. "Sounds pretty amazing. Bet your mom would get a kick out of hearing this story."
"But it's true! I did see it!" Young Sora said, trying to convince his father he was telling the truth.
"Well, they say seeing is believing. Maybe it'll show up again tonight, or maybe tomorrow." The man rubbed his son's head, making Young Sora laugh before picking him up and placed him on his shoulders. "Now, let's get back home before we face your mom's wrath."
Young Sora gulped and nodded his head, the father and son turning around with the man running across the sand toward their home. Sora followed after them, being careful not to get seen by his younger self or his father as they reached their home. He snuck around to the side as father and son made it to the front door, Sora peeking through the window as he looked in the dining room, where his mother was sitting waiting for his two boys to get back. Right as they walked in, both young boy and man flinched as she gave them a scolding glare, tapping a finger against the table.
"You two are late, as usual," she said.
"...Just by a few minutes, hon," Sora's father said, lowering Young Sora back down to solid ground as the boy hurried to his seat before his mother scolded him further. "I tried getting back on time, but you know how the sea can be: mysterious, alluring, beautiful...Just like you."
"...Yeah, that's not going to work on me, mister," Sora's mother said.
"It worked the first time," the man chuckled, taking a seat across the table from his beloved wife. "Made you blush harder than a rose."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere when you two are always going to be late for dinner," the mother scolded. "Sora, I know you like playing with your friends, but you keep losing track of time and stay out past your bedtime. And you're excuse, 'dear'?"
"I was making sure the fishing boat was ready for my next trip tomorrow." Sora winced, his father's "next trip" unfortunately being his last. "I had to also make sure my guys aren't going to call in sick with the haul we're going to bring in the next few days. And, as a responsible parent, I made sure our son wasn't out too late, because it is a school night tonight."
"...Ok. I'll give you that," the woman said, giving in to her husband's reasons. "Now, let's eat before my hard work gets stone cold, and you're going to take a bath and straight to bed, young man."
Sora watched his parents and younger self eat, the young boy regaling what he just saw moments ago in the night sky to his mother. Just as he remembered, his mother shrugged off such a claim, but his father encouraged what she thought was nothing but his imagination as anything could happen and any single person can believe something that amazing can exist. Sora left them alone as he looked out to the island he, Riku, and Kairi played on. Still a bit drained from using the Reverse spell, he didn't want to expend all of his mana to fast-forward to the point of his father's departure from the port. Knowing there was the tree house built there, he leapt up high and glided his way to the island, deciding to rest there for the night, assuming he could get any sleep as he anticipated tomorrow.
The next morning, Sora was up bright and early as he made his way back to the mainland, grateful to see no one by the shore watching him glide across as he hurried over to the port. Making sure his hood was tightly fastened, he wandered about past other fishermen as they loaded supplies or unloaded their catches to sell to markets or restaurants. He didn't have to go far to find his father's boat, recognizing it after seeing it several times as a kid. It was a pretty big fishing boat, sizable enough to carry a dozen workers, a huge net to catch and trap fish or other sorts of aquatic creatures hung up as it wasn't in use at the time, and with a cabin that was good enough for the crew to rest in on long voyages, especially for his dad. He never saw it again when the ship sank that eventful day.
"Nice boat, huh?" Startled, Sora turned around to see his father, barely hearing him over the sounds of the other workers in the background. "Didn't mean to startle you," he said with a chuckle. "You must be new around here."
"Y-Yeah," Sora uttered, unsure if he should interact with his father or not.
"Well, then welcome to Destiny Islands," his father greeted. "Best tourist attraction and fishing town in the world. So, what brings you around here to the port, kid?"
"Uhh..." Sora looked around for an excuse to get on his father's vessel without stowing away like a rat. "...I...was interested in finding a job as a fisherman. I...kinda need the money?"
"Hmm...Do you know anything about fishing, or sailing?" the man asked curiously.
"A little, but I'm a fast learner," Sora answered.
"Well, I do have all my crew present for the day, but I think I can squeeze in an apprentice. Name's Kaito," he said, holding out his hand to his future son as he introduced himself. "What's your name, kid?"
"...Uhhh..." Sora had no idea how to respond. He didn't want to give away his name, and he couldn't come up with a name on the spot. He was already this nervous seeing his father again after so long and wanted to keep from interfering with the past for as long as possible. "...I...can't tell you..."
"Why not?" Kaito asked. "You trying to keep a mysterious persona or something? Can't you at least show me your face?"
"I-I...have really bad hair," Sora lied. "Trust me, you don't want to see it. It's that bad, it'll make you go blind."
Kaito hummed in thought, crossing his arms in a similar manner Sora does while he seriously pondered to himself, a trait her clearly got from him. "So, you're not going to give me your name, or show your face?" he asked. "Why is that? You a wanted criminal or something?"
"...I...don't want anyone to know who I am," Sora lied yet again. "...Sorry."
"Hmmm...Well, you don't sound like someone who's done anything wrong," Kaito said aloud. "But if I'm going to address you around the others, we're going to have to give you a nickname if you're afraid of giving away your real name..." Snapping his fingers, the man figured out a name for Sora. "Got it! We'll call you Kidd!"
"Wasn't that what you were calling me earlier?" Sora questioned, slumping his shoulders.
"It's with two D's, and you would be the youngest out of my crew, so it fits you perfectly!" Sora let out a sigh and shook his head, going along with it as long as he didn't reveal who he was to his father. "Alright, now that we've got you a name, let's finish getting ready and shove out to sea!"
Sora followed Kaito and boarded the fishing boat, where all of the crew was all set with preparations to cast off toward the ocean, some as muscular as Kaito while others are either slightly overweight or averagely fit. "Hey, Kaito! About time you showed up!"
"Well, excuse me for dropping my son off at school!" Kaito argued playfully with his crewmate, approaching the burly man who called him out on being late. The two men laughed as they shook hands. "Everything's all set?"
"Supplies are all stocked, net's in good condition, and the storage unit for our little fish friends is spotless," he said.
"Excellent!" Kaito exclaimed cheerfully. As soon as his crew were gathered, Kaito walked over to Sora, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Gentlemen, this here is my new apprentice! His name is Kidd, and he's gonna be joining us on this trip!"
"What kind of parents gave their kid the name 'Kidd'?" one of them questioned.
"He's kind of got some self-consciousness issues," he said, sparing Sora's humility, even though he was in no way embarrassed about his appearance. "And I'm the one who gave him the nickname."
"...Oh," the one crew member uttered, keeping his mouth shut as he was sure to get swabbing duty for the rest of the trip if he insulted his captain.
"We'll save the welcoming committee until we're out at sea. Raise the anchor and let's set sail!" The others cheered and got ready to shove off, a couple of them running off to raise the anchor keeping the boat settled in place, a couple more taking off the ropes tethering the boat to the docks, and Kaito making his way to the bridge to steer them out of the port.
With the engine roaring to life, the fishing boat slowly moved out and headed out toward the sea, their destination a specific spot where they can catch schools of fish swimming about during the season. Sora watched as the other men went around checking everything, making sure their travel across the waves runs smoothly, then looked back at the mainland slowly get farther away. Despite how dangerous this was to be in the past, he thought that this was a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with his father, even though he had no idea who he was. What made it depressing was that he was going to spend the last few moments of his father's life, and if he made it out of the storm that destroyed this ship, he would be forced to watch his father die to keep the timeline secure.
"Hey, Kidd! Catch!" Sora turned his head, forced to go by the nickname Kidd, quickly catching a wooden sword that was tossed at him by one of his father's fellow fishermen.
Confused, he looked at the toy sword, hearing some of the workers chuckling as they had a sneaky glint in their eyes. Kaito soon came out of the control room, holding a wooden sword in his hand as well as he held it over his shoulder. The man smirked as he stepped forward, the rest of his men standing around the edge of the boat to leave him and Sora plenty of room for what their captain was planning.
"When you travel across the seas, you get bored very easily and try to find ways to entertain yourself while waiting for days on end to reach your destination," Kaito said. "This is how we sometimes pass the time; a little tournament dueling with swords. And as an initiation for any new up and coming fishermen who come along with us, newbies have a little duel with me, the reigning champ for the last few years."
"Stroke your own ego much, Kaito?" The guys all laughed at the man who mocked Kaito.
"Have any of you ever so much as landed a hit on me in the past?" Kaito questioned, silencing his friends' laughter as they all muttered to themselves. "I thought so. Maybe someone ten or so years younger than us old farts might show us a thing or two."
"You...have duels while you travel?" Sora asked, never even knowing about what his father had done for work aside from fishing.
"Passes the time and entertains us," he answered. "I've actually taught a few things with my son, Sora, and his friend, Riku. Those two love getting into fights, and I introduced them to swordplay. Riku is a natural, surprisingly, but I know my son's got a lot of heart when he fights. Even when I was teaching them, Sora wanted to go all out on me. Couldn't exactly hurt my own kid and risk having the missus beat me up for that." Sora was a bit surprised to hear his dad actually believed he had a knack for swordplay. And what was awful was that he never knew just how good of a wielder he was now, even after the painful bumps down his journey through the worlds beyond this one. "So, Kidd, what do ya say? Wanna take a shot at the title of dueling champion?"
Sora looked down at the sword again. He wanted to try to spar with his dad at one point, both of them going all out until one of them comes out on top. If only he weren't seven or eight at the time, maybe he would have had a chance. Gripping the hilt tightly, he was going to get that chance, maybe even bond with him again before the storm arrives. Looking up, he grinned as he lowered his stance, holding the wooden sword in both hands.
"Don't hold back on me just because I'm the new guy," Sora said confidently.
Kaito was a little bit surprised as he saw the stance Sora took, but that faded into a grin, chuckling as he held his sword out, widening his stance as he stared the young man down. "Wouldn't dream of it, Kidd."
As Sora and Kaito stared each other down, they ignored how the other men on board were taking bets on who would win, most of them favoring their captain while a few thought Sora would win. They had no idea how good Sora was, but just like his three-on-one duel with Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie a while back, he couldn't show off all of his skills. After a moment of anticipation, Sora made the first move as he charged toward his father. Kaito waited patiently, and as Sora swung, he blocked the wooden sword perfectly, pushing Sora back with surprising strength.
The two then began to clash, wooden blades clonking as they connected while Sora dodged most of his father's heavy, yet swift swings. He did hear how much his father favored swordplay when he was growing up, and he showed he still had the skills to be a swordsman if he wanted to, claiming it was just a hobby when it seemed to be more than that. The guys cheered on the both of them, trying to throw them off with jeers as well, but their focus was on each other and their duel. Kaito pushed Sora back and thrust his sword forward, but Sora leapt and flipped backward, avoiding Kaito's lunge and landed on his sword like a feather, surprising the crew and his father that his weight didn't send him staggering forward or drop his weapon altogether.
Sora swung his sword, Kaito recovering from his shock in time as he leapt back, nearly getting struck in the face as the young wielder flipped and landed perfectly on the deck with incredible dexterity. Snapping out of his shock, Kaito charged forward this time, holding his sword in both hands as he put all his power in a spinning slash that connected with Sora's block, the impact knocking Sora back a little. His father's fighting style was almost like his, which was no surprise since he learned how to fight with a sword from him, though his is more easy to tell than his unpredictable movements and had a bit more power in his strikes.
"Come on, Kaito! Beat that kid up!" the crew member Kaito interacted with earlier cheered on.
"Well, he did say not to go easy on him...So I think I will!" Kaito said as he lunged forward.
Sora was ready to dodge the overhead swing his father made, but Kaito purposefully missed, quickly ducking down and spun, sweeping his leg under Sora's and managed to trip him. Yelping, Sora hit the ground, thankful to have his hood stay up, only to block another swing that really came down on him. He pushed his father back with his legs, shoving him hard as he flipped back up on his feet, but Kaito came right back and went in to swing at Sora again. This time, Sora anticipated the tricky maneuver as the side swing Kaito made turned into a thrust, dodging to the side to avoid it. He decided to be just as sneaky with his fighting style, tossing his sword at the man, surprising him as he blocked it, only to be met by Sora rushing him, grabbing the sword as it bounced away and smacking Kaito hard in the arm.
The men watching gasped as Kaito was actually hit, the man wincing as he clutched his arm a little. "How's that?" Sora asked with a smirk.
"...Not bad, Kidd," Kaito said, starting to get serious now as he now lowered himself into the same stance Sora takes when he's ready to fight. "But playtime's over."
Rushing forward again, they clashed once more, now with both swords swinging at a rapid pace where the audience watching could practically see the shockwave of each connection being made. Sora was once again met with another tricky swing, the overhead diagonal swing missing and connecting with a leg sweep, which he jumped over. But as fast as Kaito was swept his leg around, he got up and gave a hard slash, Sora blocking it in time, only for the force to knock his sword out of his hand, clattering against the deck far from the two of them.
Sora grunted, but he focused on dodging his father as he went into a fury of swings and slashes, keeping him on his toes as he backed away. The crew backed away as Sora was reaching the edge, nearly falling over the side of the boat as he was caught between the ocean and the serious sword fighter. Looking to his side, he found he was near the pole that was used for the fishing net. Kaito let out a grunt as he slashed downward on Sora, quickly avoiding the strike as he dashed to the pole, leapt up high, flipped around, and pushed his legs off against it, shocking everyone at his incredible leap and hard push across the other side of the boat. Landing with a roll, Sora picked up his knocked aside weapon and ran back to his stunned father.
He snapped back to his senses and suddenly went on the defensive, but he was unable to block or avoid Sora's strikes after being unable to fathom how he was able to pull that off. Hit after hit, Kaito grunted as he was too slow to react, Sora moving faster than even he was able to in his youth. He managed to bring his sword up to block an overhead swing, only to fall for his own trick as Sora mimicked his feinted strike, ducking down and swept his leg under Kaito's, tripping the man up as he fell to the deck. Only instead of standing back up to swing down, Sora leapt up and spun rapidly, using his momentum to increase the power of his swing, striking Kaito hard in the gut as he let out a painful gasp.
Sora backed up, fearing he overdid it as he heard his father cough, struggling to regain the wind that was just knocked out of him. As soon as he could breathe again, Kaito sat up, rubbing his sore abdomen, knowing he was going to feel that in the morning. Looking up at Sora, he grinned, holding up his hand.
"I yield," he said, shocking his crew as he admitted his defeat to the new kid. Some of them grumbled as the losing betters gave their Munny to the ones who bet on Sora winning the fight. Kaito stood up, rubbing at the sore marks on his body from the lashing he received. "You're pretty good, Kidd. Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"
"I'm kinda self-taught," Sora half-admitted.
"I see..." Kaito stared at Sora for a moment, raising a brow curiously as he caught a peek at his blue eyes under his hood. He seemed a bit suspicious, but shrugged it off, patting Sora on the shoulder. "Well, you're pretty damn good. But don't think you're the champion of dueling on this ship just yet. Until we have ourselves a tournament, I'm still the champ."
"Heh. Whatever you say," Sora said.
The next couple days out at sea, Sora got to know more of his dad's friends and coworkers a bit more than when he had as a child. He had seen some of them around before when he invited them over to his house for a small gathering on their days off, but didn't really get to know them. They were pretty dedicated to their work as they regaled plenty of fishing tales to him, some of which his dad never told him. The stories passed the time, even distracting Sora from what would eventually come to everyone as none of them had survived along with his father, which only brought back those fears to that day.
After a couple days, they found the perfect fishing spot as they anchored the ship and dropped the fishing net into the water, letting time do the work as they waited for the schools of fish to get caught. Aside from that, there was also traditional fishing using fishing rods, sometimes as a challenge for the crew to catch the biggest haul to eat for dinner if rations went low. At times, Sora silently pondered how everyone was doing as he patiently fished. He doubted they would worry much if he went back to the present when he traveled back in time, but if he were a few minutes or hours off, Kairi would panic and have everyone search for him, thinking he ran off after the encounter with Thorax.
After a whole day sitting out in the middle of the ocean, getting a few hauls that are kept in the wide storage basin once the net was lifted up and moved onto the deck, it was the middle of the night. It was getting close to the moment where the dreadful storm would come and destroy the ship, and Sora was pacing around on the deck, unable to sleep as he anticipated the natural disaster. Kaito walked out of the cabin, spotting him nervously pacing around while looking around at the sky.
"Can't sleep, Kidd?" he asked, startling Sora yet again. "Ok, I'm not that startling, am I? Even I don't startle my wife that much when I sneak up on her with a surprise hug."
"...I-I'm just...nervous..." Sora admitted.
"About what?" Kaito asked.
"...The weather," Sora admitted after a heavy sigh. "It's just...I feel like we're going to get caught in a storm."
"Well, if you're afraid of a little weather, then I don't think fishing isn't the kind of profession you should take." Sora grunted, still waiting for that storm to come. "Kidd, relax. I checked the weather report for this week. It's gonna be clear skies with no chance of rain even in the slightest."
"It can change abruptly, you know," Sora argued. "The calm before the storm? Ever hear that saying? If it's too peaceful, then something bad's gonna eventually happen!"
Kaito sighed, gently placing his hand on Sora's shoulder, the contact calming him down slightly. "You need to relax a little bit. You've been on edge since the whole trip, except for that little duel of ours day one." Sora said nothing, staring down at the ground. Kaito guided the distressed Keyblade wielder back into the cabin, leading him to his room, which was small since it had to fit everyone on board, but it was big enough for a bed, a small table, a couple chairs, and a mini-fridge for beverages. "You old enough to drink?"
"I thought I was just a kid," Sora mumbled, making the man laugh as he reached down and grabbed a couple bottles, though they weren't alcoholic like he expected them to be.
"I know you're not THAT young," Kaito said, placing a bottle down at Sora's end while he sat down on his side. "It's just cider. Can't exactly get drunk when you're out on a boat filled with machinery and dangerous tools that could split your leg in half. Take a load off and relax." Sora obeyed and sat down, looking at the bottle of cider, ironically apple flavored from the red delicious apple marked on it. He opened it and took a swig, not as delicious as the Apple family's freshly brewed cider, but it wasn't bad. "So, what have you been up to before you came to Destiny Islands? I know you're not a local from those clothes alone."
"...I...guess you can say I'm a drifter," Sora lied, thanking the heavens that Applejack wasn't here. If she heard all the things he was telling his father, she would buck him right out of the boat and into Davy Jones' Locker. "I go where the wind takes me."
"And how long have you been a 'drifter'?" Kaito asked.
"...A few years now." Kaito nearly choked on his beverage, staring at Sora in shock.
"Seriously? You started all this when you were a teen?" he asked, his guess about Sora's age nearly spot on when the young man clenched his fingers slightly in response. Kaito gave Sora a disappointed look, something he gave to his son when he did something wrong that he didn't appreciate. "You ran away from home and wandered around the world...For what, Kidd? The adventure? Thrills?"
"I-It wasn't like I had a choice," Sora tried to reason, but his father wasn't buying it.
"Kidd, I've done stupid things when I was growing up, so I know what it's like to be a teenager," Kaito lectured. "If I so much as thought about trying to run off, my dad would have kept me locked in my room for a year, then he and mom would have given me a proper scolding and keep a close eye on me if I so much as lifted a finger suspiciously!" Sora winced, silently listening as he was unintentionally being yelled at by his own father about leaving home when he was sucked away from it while it was being destroyed by the darkness. "I mean, honestly, do you have any idea how worried your parents must be if you didn't tell them? Do you want to imagine them mourning for your loss if you just so happen to get mugged, killed, or seriously injured while you're out on your own, not ready to face the world?"
Sora lowered his head, his grip on his cider clenched tightly. "...M-My...my mom knows," he uttered.
"And what about your father? Hmm?" Kaito questioned. "Was he ok with this? If you were my son, I would have searched the ends of the earth to find him, bring him back home, and tell him how stupid he's been trying to see what other places there are beyond the islands. And even though he's only eight years old, he knows better than you!"
"...No," Sora said, his voice breaking a little. "...H-He...passed away...when I was eight..."
Kaito's face softened at the unfortunate news, unaware of the fact that he was "Kidd's" father and the young man he was looking at was his son from the future. He let out a sigh, feeling sorry for Sora as he leaned back in his chair.
"...I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't know..." The two sat in silence, Kaito occasionally drinking his cider while Sora barely touched the rest of his. "...Was that why you ran away from home?"
"...It's...complicated," Sora mumbled. "...I never wanted to leave home, but...I was...forced to leave." The man nodded, not sure what exactly what he meant, but he understood just how fragile someone can be when they lose someone they love. "...You...remind me of my dad..."
"Hmm?" Kaito stared at Sora, tilting his head curiously. "How so?"
"...Well, I grew up in a seaside village," Sora explained, tapping his fingers together against his bottle of cider. He can't exactly tell him the truth of his origins, but he can make similarities to make it sound believable and not seem suspicious. "My dad was a fisherman like you, and he always had this...thrill of sailing out at sea to catch fish. He'd take me out on his boat sometimes, and we'd explore a little...But...when he died, I was devastated...So was my mom." Suddenly feeling parched, Sora took a sip from his cider to not only quench his thirst, but also sate his nerves a little. "There was...a dangerous storm that came out of nowhere...It sunk his boat, and...he didn't..."
"...Oh...I see," Kaito murmured. "...I take it that's why you were freaking out about the weather tonight? Because you're afraid of a storm that wasn't scheduled to appear?" Sora nodded hesitantly, downing the rest of his drink as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He waited for Sora to stop drinking before he spoke again, finding it ironic about his own thoughts on him. "Heh. You know, Kidd, you actually remind me of my son, too."
"H-Huh?" Sora uttered.
"His name's Sora," Kaito said, leaning over to a small dresser in his small room and pulled out a few photos. Sora recognized the pictures as the man set them down in front of him; they were pictures of him, or him with his parents. There was one of Sora as a baby while held in his proud father's arms as he gave the camera a wide, toothy grin of pride, another of him when he was four or five with both his parents, held by his mother while Kaito had his arms around both of them, and there was one where Sora and his father posed with their wooden swords, which must have been a few months ago since the picture was taken. "This little guy was the greatest thing to have ever happened to me. Aside from meeting the love of my life, but don't let her know I favor Sora over her. She'd kill me." Sora let out a small laugh, knowing full well his mother can get scary if she didn't get the answer she wanted from either him or his father. "Nine months of hell for her, but she swore she'd let me feel her pain...when I had to change his dirty diapers while I'm at home until he was potty trained.
"I don't regret it, though, because Sora's the best kid a father could have." Sora choked up, hearing his dad saying that something he didn't expect. He knew he loved him and said it dozens of times to him, but to express to someone, a complete stranger, that he was the best thing in his life almost made him lose it. "Full of energy, and has quite a lot of heart for a kid that young. He's a good boy, though he does tend to get into trouble. Especially with his friend, Riku." Kaito chuckled, shaking his head at the times where the two boys ended up in a scuffle over something stupid. "Those two boys can be quite a handful if no one watches them. But I guess that's why they also have Kairi as a friend. I think my boy's got a soft spot for her, though, because one time, the mayor came by to visit and brought her along, Sora froze, then smacked into the wall before fleeing to his room out of shyness."
"R-Really?" Sora asked, blushing in embarrassment as he remembered that second embarrassing meeting with Kairi after school, having a repeat of their meeting for the last time, hopefully.
"Yup. I knew that look on his face the moment they saw each other, and I had a gut feeling he likes her a bit more than just being friends." Kaito chuckled, then sighed as he thought back to the days where he was young and met his beloved. "I wasn't as awkward as Sora when I first met my wife, but I was a goofy kid back in the day, and I easily impressed her with my humor." Looking down at the pictures, Kaito picked up the one with him and Young Sora posing with their swords for the camera. "I know my son's adventurous, and he wants to see the world someday. If he wants to travel the world, I won't hold him back for doing what he wants to do in life. But I won't let him go until I believe he's ready to be on his own and face what lies for him beyond the town and beyond the seas."
Tears ran down Sora's cheeks, swallowing the lump in his throat at the heartfelt words of his father. It was sad to hear, though, seeing how he wouldn't have been able to hear them when he turned into a teen, and no matter what he did, his father would have been proud to see him do what he loved to do. Sora sniffled, rubbing his hand against his eyes to wipe away the flowing tears that continued to fall.
"T-That's...beautiful," Sora said. "Y-You need to...tell him that some day."
"I will when the time comes," Kaito said, chugging down the last of his cider. "Let him live out his youth for a bit until he's matured a little. I don't want to pressure him on his future. He decides his own fate, not me, nor his mother or anyone else giving him career advice."
Sora nodded, feeling like there was some closure he desperately needed after all these years without his father around. Sadly, as all good moments come, it ended rather abruptly as the ship was suddenly rocked hard by a powerful wave, nearly knocking the two over. A minute later, one of the crew members opened the door to Kaito's room.
"Kaito, we've got a storm coming!" he said.
"What? The forecast said it was going to be clear all week!" Kaito argued. "It's never been wrong in years!"
"Yeah, well, sometimes the news can get the weather wrong at times," the other man said. "And it looks like a bad one."
Fearing the worst, Sora quickly got up form his seat and ran down the hall, ignoring Kaito calling out to him. Barging out onto the deck, he saw the rest of the crew outside as they prepared to deal with the storm, the waves erratically shifting as the once clear sky was now suddenly darkened by storm clouds, lightning shooting out and getting worse the longer it stayed. There was no rain, but the wind was picking up heavily, causing the waves to smack hard against the boat. Running over to the pole holding the large fishing net, which was down in the ocean at the moment for another large group of fish to catch, Sora climbed up to the top and got a better look around them, finding nothing but dark storm clouds covering several miles around them.
"This storm...It looks like..." Sora gasped as he realized what kind of storm this was. This wasn't any ordinary storm out in the middle of the ocean, no natural storm that science could explain. He felt something foreboding in the atmosphere, similar to what had happened back on the island many years ago when Heartless invaded and destroyed Destiny Islands. "...No...This is just like..." Quickly looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the shadows on the ground starting to move. The forms of Shadow Heartless pulled themselves from the deck, some appearing directly behind a few of the crew members too distracted with securing anything loose on deck so it didn't slide around from the jostling of the waves. "Look out!"
"Huh?" One of the men looked behind him, screaming in shock when he saw the Shadow leer at him. "W-What the hell!?"
Sora dove down, grabbing a nearby barrel and tossed it hard against the Shadow as it lunged for the crew member. Sora managed to save him, destroying the barrel as the Shadow tumbled across the deck, but that didn't kill it as it got back up, now glaring at the Keyblade wielder. The other men panicked when they saw the Shadows on the ship, though most of them focused on Sora, sensing the light in him and the Keyblade he possessed. Kaito and the man who warned them about the storm ran out on deck, only to reel back in surprise with the mysterious black creatures suddenly onboard the fishing vessel.
"What the hell is going on here?" Kaito asked. "What are these things?"
"Kaito, get everyone inside!" Sora shouted, almost desperate to call him "dad", but he didn't want to mess mess with the timeline anymore than he's been a part of it. "These things are dangerous!"
"He knows what they are?" the man beside Kaito questioned.
He suddenly grunted in severe pain, none of them spotting a Shadow appearing behind him and thrust its claw through his chest. Kaito gasped and leapt away, watching one of his fellow coworkers and friends letting out a dying breath as he was impaled through his heart, but no blood poured out from the wound. The Shadow pulled its claw free, forcefully taking away his heart as it flew out of his body and up in the air, light shining around him before his body faded from existence. Kaito could barely moved, struck with fear as he couldn't stop staring at the heart floating up, only for it to be swallowed by darkness as it shifted into something else. In a dark flash, the heart turned into a Pirate Heartless, its head veiled under a red bandanna with an eyepatch marked with an "X" over its right eye, brown, worn out pants and leather shoes, and brandished a curved black-gray sword.
"W-What the hell are you?" Kaito asked, expecting an answer from the humanoid monster of darkness, only to back away as it tried to swing its sword at him.
The others panicked as they tried to get away, but with no land in sight or any lifeboats in case of an emergency, they were stuck with either drowning in the harsh waves or getting killed by the Heartless. "Urgh...Screw it!" Sora shouted, summoning his Keyblade and rushed toward the Pirate. Swinging his blade, he blocked the next swing of the Pirate's sword, pushing it away and slashed its body repeatedly before sending it flying off into the sea. Turning back to his father, still stunned from the transformation of his friend, he stared at the strange weapon Sora held in his hand, which had also saved his life. "Get the others inside and stay there until I say it's safe!"
"...W-What is-?" Sora interrupted Kaito, grabbing his shirt and forcefully pulling him to look into his eyes.
"There's no time for questions!" Sora shouted. "I'm trying to save you and your friends' lives! Now quit standing around like an idiot and get inside! NOW!"
Throwing his father harshly at the door, Sora made a break for it, slashing through the Shadows as he tried to escort the other remaining crewmates to safety. More and more Heartless began appearing on the deck, tons of Shadows and more Pirates trying to get at the men and their hearts while trying to keep Sora at bay. Kaito finally snapped out of his shock, taking Sora's advice and quickly getting inside. Unfortunately, it wasn't safe anywhere as he turned down the hall, spotting more Shadows popping out from the walls and floor. He had no idea where would be safer, but seeing how there was no escape, he'd rather stay outside and try to do something before the Heartless killed anymore of his friends.
Sora swiftly slashed through the rows of Heartless getting in his way, unable to get by as some of the Heartless managed to get the other men, one by one, their hearts absorbed by darkness and turning them into more Pirate Heartless, the worst of them being Air Pirates. As he turned to the cabin, he let out a frustrated groan when he saw his father run back out of the boat, only to see the reason why as a swarm of Shadows ran out to chase him. With no choice, Sora shifted into his Final Form to better deal with the Heartless storm they were trapped in. With both Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblades floating around his hands, he zipped off around the ship, slashing the endless wave of Heartless on the ship or flying around to knock him out of the air.
Kaito was unable to get away from the Shadows chasing him, caught by the edge of the ship and threatened to fall overboard into the heavily choppy waters below. Unable to do much but defend himself, he found one of the wooden swords he kept on his ship, using it as the only kind of weapon he could find nearby, and gave one of the Shadows a swipe. He expected it to get smacked, but the Heartless barely flinched as it got hit. Trying again, this time it grabbed the sword and yanked it out of his hands, slashing it to pieces with its sharp claws.
"I'm so dead," Kaito muttered to himself.
The Heartless lunged for him as he braced for his inevitable death. "NO!" Sora yelled, using his magic to forcefully pull the Heartless away from his father. Raising his Keyblades up, he unleashed a barrage of Thundaga spells, startling Kaito as the magical lightning struck and destroyed the Heartless. "You stay far away from him!"
Looking up, he gawked in awe at Sora's form, his black clothing now patterned with white markings as he floated in the air, wielding two different key-shaped swords that hovered around his hands. Sora was then ambushed by Air Pirates, smacking them away until one of them managed to get a hit on him, dive-kicking his head and knocking his hood off, revealing himself to the only man still alive. Kaito recognized that hair and face, and with those blue eyes, his mind was completely blown as "Kidd" looked exactly like Sora if he was ten or so years older. Completely forgetting how much danger he was in, Kaito continued staring at Sora as he fought off the remaining Heartless, highly confused and wanting some answers as to what was happening.
Sora finally dealt with the last of the Heartless, breathing heavily as he landed on the deck and dismissed his Final Form. Looking around, Sora fell to his knees, unable to save any of his father's friends from their deaths, turning into Heartless and killed by his own hand. Kaito slowly approached the Keyblade wielder, pinching himself to see if he was dreaming, but he was already wide awake after the Heartless attacked.
"...S-Sora?" he uttered.
Sora looked up at his father, a big mistake to respond to his own name. He realized his hood was down, bringing his hands to his head in a desperate attempt to hide his face. Not fooling him, or even himself, Sora sighed and lowered his hands, hanging his head down as he waited for the drastic change in the future he created for his meddling.
"...I'm so dead," he muttered to himself, slowly getting back up on his feet.
Kaito didn't know how to react: upset that he lost his friends, traumatized for almost dying to mysterious monsters he's never seen, angry at the young man who seems to be impersonating his son, so many confusing emotions that left him speechless. He looked around his ship, now completely barren aside from the two of them, having witnessed his crew and closest friends have their hearts ripped out of their chests by the Heartless and turn into them. The storm was still raging, but they were alone, at least for the time being. Kaito stared at Sora, struggling to find the words to say.
"...W-Who...Who are you?" he finally asked, clenching his fists. "Why do you look like my son?" Sora didn't respond, keeping his head down, scared to admit the truth to his own father. Growing frustrated, Kaito marched up to Sora, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. "Answer me, damn it! Who are you and what the hell just happened!?"
"...It's...complicated," Sora muttered.
"Oh. Complicated, huh? As in complicated for me, but perfectly understandable for you!? Huh!?" Kaito questioned. "You better start answering me right now, kid. I might not be as great as you are after dealing with those...things, but I'll find a way to kick your ass if you know what's good for you!"
"I can't," Sora insisted, shaking his head. "I want to...but-"
"My friends are all dead!" Kaito shouted, making Sora wince as he never once saw his father this angry before. "I have a right to know what the hell's going on!" Sora remained silent, turning his head away. "I said answer me, you ungrateful son of a-!"
Kaito threw a punch at Sora, but he quickly grabbed his hand and twisted it, making his father yelp and let go of him. Kaito fell to a knee as Sora twisted his arm more, not enough to break it, but painful enough to make him yield. Sora struggled with himself to keep his mouth shut, but he eventually caved, knowing saving his dad was going to be a lost cause if he's supposed to die out here.
"...I'm from the future," Sora finally said. "I knew you were supposed to die out here in a storm...but not the kind of natural storm I imagined..." He looked down at his father, a terrified and distraught look in his eyes as he was about to reveal his identity to him. "...My name is Sora...I am your son..."
Kaito stared in shock as he slowly processed what he just heard. Sora let go of his arm, too stunned to retaliate as the man slowly stood up, subconsciously rubbing his sore arm. He shook his head slightly in disbelief, unable to believe that the young man standing before him was really his eight-year-old son as an adult from ten or so years in the future, and how it was possible for time travel to even exist when he knew it was all just science-fiction nonsense. His face matched Young Sora's from his spiky hair to his blue eyes, his physique was just as skinny as his son's, albeit a bit muscular with whatever training he had to obliterate all the Heartless around them, and the stance he used in their duel and earlier tonight matched Young Sora's when his child would either practice with him or duel with Riku.
Then he thought back to their earlier conversation before the storm hit. Sora's fear of the storm hitting his boat, talking about his past to get to know the young man he had called "Kidd" for the last few days, and how he broke down in tears when he talked about how proud he was of his Sora and what joy he gave him when he was born. It was then he realized that what he told to "Kidd", he told to Future Sora after he never heard his father tell him how truly proud he was and understanding what he would do in his future. Still reeling from all this, he reached his hand out, gently placing it on Sora's head, who looked up at him sadly. Even though this Sora was older, he could see his actual son in his present time in him, the young, cheerful, and hyperactive little boy he raised grinning widely at him.
"...Oh my god," Kaito uttered. "...I-I don't believe this...But...It really is you." Bringing his other hand up while lowering the one he placed on Sora's head, he gently grabbed his future son's shoulders and got a better look at him. He then looked down at his Keblade, still held loosely in his hand. "...W-What...exactly are you supposed to be? And...where did you find a sword like that?"
"I told you it was complicated," Sora said. "I'm not supposed to tell you at all...Even if I could, it would take forever to explain..."
"But...why are you here?" Kaito asked. "...Am I...supposed to die in this storm?"
"...Yes," Sora uttered weakly. "...Y-You and...your crew...were supposed to die out here...I wasn't able to save them." Tears began to stream down Sora's face as he looked down, unable to look at his father in shame. "T-They...They all turned into Heartless...I couldn't save them...I'm sorry, dad...It's all my fault."
"Hey, come on. Don't say that," Kaito said, cupping his son's face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. "You tried to save us from those...mysterious monsters...Look, I know I got upset about that, but with how many of them there were, it seemed impossible to save all of us."
"But I could have!" Sora argued, pulling his father's hands away from his face. "I've faced thousands of them at once! By myself! I got selfish and wanted to save you first, and that got most of them killed before I had the chance to rescue them!" Sora sobbed, turning away from Kaito as he realized his presence in this time was the cause of the Heartless arriving and taking out the ship along with his father and crewmates. "It's my fault this happened...I should have just stayed in Equestria, stayed in bed with Kairi, and stayed away from delving into the past and even try to change everything..."
Ignoring whatever Equestria was, Kaito was a bit shocked to hear his son was sleeping with Kairi in the future. "...You and Kairi...are together?" he asked. Sora nodded his head in response. Kaito had a feeling Sora would end up falling madly in love with Kairi, and it turned out they were going out with each other. "...So, do I have any grandkids yet?" The surprised flinch Sora made as he turned to look at him with shock told him no, making the man laugh a little, despite the situation they were in. "Not just yet, then."
Sora wanted to be upset, but his father making a joke about something to try to cheer him up was slowly working. He could see where he got that from since everyone's happiness revolved around his own cheerfulness and optimistic attitude.
"W-We're...not even married yet," Sora admitted, holding up his Keyblade. "And...Kairi has one of these, too...And Riku..."
"Riku as well, huh?" Kaito asked. "...So, you three band together to stop monsters like that around the world?"
"They're called Heartless," Sora explained. "And...we travel to other worlds...beyond this one."
He pointed his finger up to the sky, Kaito looking up as he understood what his son meant. It was a surprise to know that there were other worlds beyond their world's atmosphere, though how many more were out there, he couldn't probably count them out at the top of his head. Looking back down at Sora, he never imagined his son in the next decade or so would ever have a career in something like this. But, like he had told him before, whatever career Sora decided to choose in life, as long as he was successful and was responsible for what he worked toward, he would always be proud of him.
"Sora," Kaito said. "What I said back in the cabin? I really meant every word saying how proud I would be of you if you love what you do." He reached his hand out and rubbed Sora's head. As weird as it was for their age difference at this point, he didn't care if they were the same age, seeing how much the gesture meant to Sora. "I guess I was able to tell you how proud I am of you after all." More tears flowed down Sora's face, pressing himself against Kaito and hugging him, feeling him hug him back after so many years without him to do this. "I love you, son."
"I-I love you too, dad," Sora said. "M-Mom and I...miss you so much." Kaito pat his son's head, feeling a bit guilty that he would end up leaving them because of this mysterious and deadly storm. "I don't know what'll happen to the future if I bring you back home, but I don't want the future to change again...Not after all I've seen."
"You've done this before?" Kaito asked curiously, receiving a nod against his chest.
He was about to ask what else Sora had done, only for his voice to hitch in his throat as he saw something behind them. Running out from inside the cabin was a Pirate Heartless, one of the creatures Sora missed when he flew around in his Final Form, and it headed straight for them. It lunged its sword at them, but Kaito tossed Sora away, saving him and sacrificing himself, letting out a painful grunt as the Heartless's blade pierced through his chest. Sora grunted as he hit the ground, but when he turned to him, he gasped in horror at the Pirate's sword thrust into Kaito's chest.
"DAD! NOOOO!" Sora cried out. The Pirate pulled its sword out, watching as the man stumbled back, clutching his chest as the burning pain soon felt numb, his heart flying out of his chest as he was slain by the Heartless. Before it could reach for it, Sora yelled and flung his Keyblade, killing the Pirate as he quickly stood up and ran toward Kaito, his father's body glowing as he was fading away while falling backward. "No! No! NO! Dad!"
Too focused on his father, he didn't notice his heart being slowly enshrouded by darkness as it was being transformed into an Emblem Heartless. Sora tried to catch him, but just as his arms were held out and touched him, Kaito disappeared in a flurry of lights as they rose into the sky. Sora's breathing shuddered, staring at his empty arms as his vision was blurry with more tears, having watched his father's true cause of death in the storm that supposedly drowned him and his coworkers. He fell to his knees, having experienced what Kairi went through when he sacrificed his heart to wake her, only this time, there was no chance he could ever bring his father back if he found his Heartless.
He heard the sound of a Heartless appearing in front of him, a Pirate Heartless landing before him clumsily. Sora dared to look up at it, noticing a small difference in appearance in this Pirate compared to the others: the red bandanna had the same white floral pattern his father's shorts had, though slightly deformed due to the Heartless form. They both stared at each other, depressing Sora further as he saw his father in the Pirate Heartless, unable to save him from his own sacrifice to save his son.
More Heartless began appearing again as the storm grew worse, some of the waves nearly tilting the boat over as they pushed harder and got bigger. Behind him, Sora heard a thud, not even bothering to turn around to see what landed as he could practically see the shadow of a Darkside loom over him. The mourning Keyblade wielder grunted, clenching his fists tightly as an unbridled rage began to build inside him. His silent sobs soon turned into growls, the Heartless taking their opportunity to attack the wielder while he was defenseless as they leapt toward him. Sora sat up and wailed to the heavens in sorrow, forcing himself into his Drive Form, but the light immediately faded around him as darkness engulfed his body.
The Heartless that attacked him were tossed back from the shockwave, now staring at the distraught wielder in his Anti-Form, only this time, it was much different than how it was before. Sora still had sharp nails on his fingers, but instead of acting feral, he stood up on two legs, his head lowered as his fingers flexed. In a dark aura, a new Keyblade appeared in his right hand in place of his Kingdom Keyblade: it was designed similarly to the Keyblade of Heart, the same one Ansem had created while he possessed Riku with the hearts of the other six Princess of Heart with its dark blade and blood-red guard, but there were three teeth like his own Keyblade, and hanging from the dark chain was a heart with a jagged crack running down the middle. The different Pirate looked up at Sora, his head slowly tilting up as he looked down at his father's Heartless, his eyes normal, but glowed an ominous yellow like the Heartless', and unlike his older Anti-Form, his mouth was visible.
Tears continued to run down the wielder's face, seeing his father beyond the Pirate and his control over the darkness he is now slowly winning over. Sora grit his teeth, now bearing fangs in his transformed state, closing his eyes and thrust his form's Keyblade straight through the Heartless's head, mercy killing Kaito's Heartless and releasing his heart, flying up into the sky and disappearing in a flash of light. Bringing his free hand to his face, Sora let out an anguishing sounding growl, a dark aura slowly building around him, the Heartless still trying to kill him even with the tremendously terrifying power that could obliterate them a thousand times over.
The Darkside made the first move, thrusting its fist down on Sora. He grabbed the giant Heartless's fist with his hand, stopping it immediately as he clenched his claws down on its knuckles, then with a roar, he pulled and ripped the Darkside's arms right off its shoulder. Roaring again as he crouched down, Sora zoomed off at mach speeds, slashing through each Heartless with no mercy, his dark Keyblade's slashes managing to slice parts of his father's boat to pieces, his fury only caring about the creatures that had ended his father's life, the men who were also on this ship, and the pain they would cause to him and his mother back home. As soon as the last of the smaller Heartless were gone, he faced the one-armed Darkside, leapt into the air, and let out an ear-splitting scream, summoning a powerful bolt of lightning from the dark clouds above the ocean, the black bolt aiming down at Sora and striking the ship. The Darkside was killed, disappearing in a huge puff of dark mist, while the ship had shattered to several pieces, making it sink to the bottom of the ocean. Unleashing all of his anger and energy, Sora fell to the ocean, grabbing onto a lifebuoy that surprisingly stayed intact and detached from the sinking fishing ship before he passed out, floating in the debris of what pieces were left of his father's boat. And on the surface, the waves pushing it into the unconscious wielder's jacket pocket, was one of the charred pictures Kaito kept, the one with his family all together in the picture as they smiled at the camera.
When Sora woke up the next day, he found himself in a cabin of another ship. While he unconscious, a ship passing by spotted him floating on the buoy in the middle of what floating debris they saw, the crew taking him aboard when they saw he was a survivor of a horrible accident. When one of them came in the room to see how he was doing, he barely answered any of their questions about what had happened. He asked them to take him back to Destiny Islands. What happened last night traumatized him worse than letting Sombra die, mourning over his father's loss the rest of the voyage when he was left alone. Sitting near the bedside table when he awoke, he cried as they said they found a picture that was in one of the pockets of his clothes, reminding him of the happiness he was going to take away from his mother and younger self.
It was evening when the boat that rescued him reached the port after a long day, his clothes cleaned by the staff while he was in bed. Fully dressed again, he placed the hood over his head and left, waving in thanks to his rescuers as he sadly walked through the port. It was raining out, but he didn't care. Nothing seemed to have changed as a result to what happened to his father, and no one else knew but him. The only thing left that needed to be done was that his mother and younger self needed to know about what "truly" happened out at sea, and as he thought back to when he overheard his mother talking with a strange person giving them the news, he realized that it was him who told them.
After a glum stroll in the freezing rain, Sora arrived at his house, hesitating at first as he let out a shuddered, depressed sigh before knocking on the door. "Coming!" his mother called out. Making sure his hood concealed his face, he braced himself as he was about to tear his mother's heart out with the fate of her husband. The door opened, the woman making herself known as she was surprised to see a mysterious stranger at her door. "Hello."
"...Are you...Mr. Kaito's wife?" Sora asked, trying to pretend he didn't know her.
"Yes," she answered, staring at him curiously. "Can I help you? And how do you know my husband?"
"...I...I was hired to help him out on his boat," Sora said.
"Oh...That's odd," the woman uttered. "I didn't think he needed to hire someone...Although, helping new up and coming fisherman with as much dedication as he does isn't surprising. Where is Kaito anyway? Celebrating a big haul with his friends at the bar instead of coming home to see me and our son?"
Sora swallowed the lump in his throat, slowly shaking his head as he hung his head. "...S-Something...happened...the other night," he said, struggling not to break down and desperately hug his mother. He looked up slightly, spotting his younger self hiding around the corner of the living room, his body trembling as he remembered hearing the horrible news. "...A storm hit us...Came out of nowhere...and the boat sank as it was destroyed, the storm getting worse the longer it stayed..." He didn't want to see his mother's face, but she could tell she was worried, pleading with her eyes that he would say her husband was safe and sound back home with him. "...I-I...I was the only one who survived...Your husband, and his friends...they drowned in the storm...I should have drowned with them but..." Sora paused, gulping loudly as more tears ran down his face. He knew Young Sora was tearing up as well, and it only made it worse as he knew exactly what happened later, how angry he got toward Riku and Kairi and hurt them because of his pain of loss. He pulled out the family photo, showing it to her. "I'm so sorry..."
His mother stared at him with wide eyes, struck with disbelief as she processed what he told her. She slowly shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as it began to sink in. She let out a sob, tears trickling down her face as she brought a hand to her mouth, shaking her head desperately in disbelief, but the tone of Sora's voice told her he was telling the truth, along with the tears she saw falling from his face.
"N-No," she uttered, her breathing shaky as she started to weep. "Kaito...H-He can't...Oh god..."
"You're lying!" Young Sora shouted, surprising his mother as she turned around, shocked to know he overheard them. She didn't want him to find out, but it was already too late. "D-Dad...He can't be gone! He's not dead!"
"S-Sora," his mother tried to console, but Sora knew what was coming next, bracing himself as he watched his younger self run up to him and kick him in the shin.
"You're a big fat liar!" Young Sora yelled angrily, constantly kicking his leg. "You don't know anything about my dad! He's tougher than the ocean! Than any storm! He can't die!"
"Sora, stop it!" the woman shouted, grabbing her child and pulling him away from the older Sora.
The boy screamed angrily, constantly talking down at his older self, and he had every right to. The insults, the harsh kicking, Sora deserved them for bringing himself this grief. His mother tried to hold Young Sora down, hugging him as she sobbed, grieving along with her child as they soaked in the fact they will never see Kaito again. If Sora could save millions of lives from the threat of darkness a hundred times over, how was he able to save his own father from his fate?
"...I'm sorry," Sora uttered, leaving his mother and younger self as he ran away, dropping the charred picture at his doorstep.
Sora ran through the town, frustrated, distraught, angry, guilty, any negative emotion that made him feel as low as he ever could be. He collapsed as he wound up out of town and on the hill he arrived in, pounding his fist into the ground as he cried. He didn't know if he really managed to change anything with his presence in the past, or maybe nothing did and he was meant to do this all along, keeping the timeline secure while discovering the truth about what happened to his father. Whatever complicated mess he got himself in, he didn't care as the last chance he had to bond with his father happened under an alias to hide himself from him, and just like before as a kid, he lost him again and witnessed his death personally.
After what felt like hours, Sora managed to stop crying, but he still felt miserable.The rain didn't let up either, as if sensing his mourning and lingered in the atmosphere. He stood up, having lingered in the past long enough as he summoned his Keyblade and cast the Forward spell, sending himself back to the present. He hoped he didn't change anything, but at the same time, he wished he was able to, but he already spent too much time "meddling" in his past discovering his father's fate.
Sora's mother slept in her bedroom, having rolled around slightly in her sleep trying to be comfortable and enjoy whatever dream she was having. Just as she found the perfect spot, a knocking on her front door made her grumble and pull the covers over her head. After a few seconds, the knocking came again, rousing her from her sleep as she squinted angrily at her pillow. Turning over to look at her clock, she growled when it read four o'clock.
"Seriously?" she muttered, hearing the knocking again irritating her as she forced herself to get up and see who was bothering her. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" she shouted, grumbling profanities as she put on her robe, not even bothering making herself decent for her surprise guest. "Four in the freaking morning, and someone wants to bug me. Farmers don't even get up this early." She slumped to the front door, wincing as she heard the knocking again. "If this is another one of you stupid kids pulling off a ding-dong ditch this early, I'm going to beat your asses myself if your parents don't when I tell them how badly you brats misbehave!"
"...Mom...It's me," Sora answered, shocking the woman as she heard her son's voice.
"Sora?" Unlocking the door, she opened it up and saw her son standing there, his clothes soaked as if he had jumped in the ocean and didn't bother drying off. "Sora...I didn't expect you to visit. And so early in the morning?" He didn't say anything, but the sad, depressed look on his face made her concerned about his psyche. "Honey, what's wrong? Everything ok in Equestria?"
"...I know what happened to dad," he uttered, confusing the woman.
"...What do you mean by that?" she asked. "Sora, we both knew what happened to your father. He drowned at sea in a terrible storm."
Sora shook his head, stepping inside and held his mother tightly. "...That's...not what really happened," he said, confusing her even more as she tried to ignore his soaked body.
She gave him the chance to explain as they both sat in the kitchen, making herself some hot tea to wake her up a little. Sora began explaining to his mother about what had happened in the past couple months that had transpired to his worries of the worst adventure he had taken in his life. She listened and was shocked to hear he had traveled back in time, but the effects of altering a past event leading to different futures lead to her son's death in so many different ways. Her heart wasn't able to take it after hearing it had happened once, and that was in a timeline that was meant to be. The other alternate timelines that turned out worse without Sora, or Twilight and her friends in Equestria, all lead to disaster for every single person throughout the entire cosmos. And the new member of the friendship circle, Starlight Glimmer, tried to change the past just to get back at them all because they ruined an equality dictatorship where stealing others' cutie marks was considered a good thing. Starlight was lucky she wasn't there to deal with her, otherwise she'd smack her upside the head over the reason why she did all that: losing a best friend of hers as a filly when she could have made new friends without causing such chaos.
Then came his latest misadventure involving time travel, where he was in the time his father left on his fishing boat and died out at sea days later. Sora told his mother that he had spied on them the night he had spotted that rainbow star, explaining that it was indeed real and was the result of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom she first made when she was a filly, the same moment that linked not only the Mane Six together as friends, but also himself since he and the six mares from Equestria were important to all the worlds. When it came to the voyage on Kaito's boat, despite the fun he had dueling his father seriously and knowing his friends a bit more, when the storm struck, Sora explained it was the same kind of storm that appeared when he snuck out of the house to check on the raft a few years ago; where Heartless invaded and the darkness swallowed Destiny Islands. She didn't know what news would have been worse to hear, that her husband and his crew had drowned or were killed by monsters no one knew existed and turned into one of them and mercy killed by her son. Sora left out how he was the one who ended up destroying the boat in his new Anti-Form, both the fact that there was indeed a lightning strike, which he made, that sunk the boat, and he transformed into that dark form again, even though he had full control over himself, but didn't care to notice in the loss of his father. And when the news was given, she was still reeling in shock from the truth, only to be more surprised than ever to know that Sora was the one who gave her that horrible news.
She did think back to that night, and now that she thought about it, she believed that the mysterious young lad who relayed the unfortunate news was really Sora now. She never thought about Sora's clothes since it had been so many years, and she didn't get to know the messenger since that was the first and last time she ever saw him. They sat in silence, Sora's story finished as he looked down at the table's surface in shame, failing himself and his mother for trying to keep his father safe from that horrible event that broke them. She looked down at her half-empty mug, taking it all in for a moment before standing up from her seat. Sora kept his head down, hearing his mother walk out of the room, then buried his face in his hands. His mother came back a moment later, bringing the photo album with her in the kitchen and sat back in her seat.
"...I can't imagine how it must feel to see all of that, Sora," she finally said. "Not just...with what happened to Kaito. The alternate futures you and Twilight went through...I don't even know how you can still manage to cope with those experiences and keep all your feelings about them bottled up like that. You know better than to hide what's bothering you."
"I told myself how much it hurt when I told you and young me what happened to dad," Sora said. "I did lie to you about how he died...I had no choice but to tell you something, because if I didn't...the timeline would break again...It should have when I stupidly went back in time after what happened in the Crystal Empire with Thorax."
"Who's Thorax?" Sora's mother asked.
"...A changeling; those ponies who shapeshift into others and steal their love." She nodded in understanding, seeing the frustration in him as he clenched his fists. "I don't even know if I can trust him. Everyone else can since he's not even a threat, but...after what those bugs did to Kairi in that future...I couldn't stop thinking about that Kairi, and every other possible future involving everyone getting hurt, killed, miserable...And I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen to dad, if he would still be alive or he would die to that very same storm...So...I went back in time, and didn't change a thing for the future..."
"...Even though you still could with your magic?" his mother asked. Sora nodded, but he can't risk changing the past anymore. Trying to get Rainbow Dash to perform the sonic rainboom and failing to do so after acting like a creepy stalker to the filly resulted in the changeling timeline to occur. Sighing, the woman opened up the photo album, glancing over the fond memories each picture had until she found the one with her, Kaito, and Sora together. Reaching into the plastic covering, she pulled out a similar photo that was behind it, the one that belonged to Kaito that was slightly charred after Sora destroyed the ship and the picture wound up in his pocket. She laid out the picture in front of Sora, who looked up at it. "Did you at least spend some time with him before he died?"
"...Yeah," Sora uttered, reaching his hand out to touch the slightly ruined picture. "...I don't even know if I can find a way to bring him back...I killed his Heartless, but I don't know if he had a Nobody..." As much as his mother wanted to ask what a Nobody was, she didn't want to know all at once and trusted what her son knows on everything that was beyond her comprehension. "...He really was proud of me for what I was doing...when I told him who I was."
"And I knew he would no matter what," she said with a sad smile. "Your father knew you were the adventurous type, just like he was when he was young. He always had a gut feeling you were going to grow up to be something special, and you are. As immature as he was, I would love him to the ends of the earth, and he had a good heart. Something that you clearly earned from him with how you helped others in the other worlds out there." She reached her hand out and gently gripped Sora's, looking up at her from the picture. "Don't let what you couldn't do or couldn't have helped to do in the past bother you and imagine what happens in the future."
"But I-" Sora's mother pressed a finger to his lips, silencing his protests.
"And don't think that you couldn't save you father and believe you failed the both of us," she interrupted. "We both miss him, but...maybe this was the way it was supposed to be. You wouldn't be the young man today without losing him, and he wouldn't want you to feel sorry for yourself and feel guilty for failing. As great as you are as a Keyblade wielder, sometimes you can't save everyone from their fate." She grabbed his hand with both of hers, squeezing it tightly. "Your father wouldn't want to see you upset by something you couldn't prevent. You said he sacrificed himself to save you when you had your moment together, thinking it was safe, right?"
"...Y-Yeah," Sora uttered with a nod, the scene unable to escape his mind as he watched that Pirate's sword thrust into Kaito's heart.
"Then, in order to save you, and save the outcome of our present and future, he would be willing to give up his life to know you were safe and continued doing the things you love to do," she said. "...Kind of how you gave your heart for Kairi, sacrificing yourself to save her." Sora's mother stood up again and moved around to her son's seat, kneeling beside him and gently cupping her hands against his face. "You are just like your father in every way, Sora...I don't want you to lose sight of who you are and linger on the what ifs. You decide what future will come, not what you fear to expect from what could happen. You are a brave, strong young man, Sora, and even if everyone relies on you, you know you won't be alone when you face what comes your way, because they're always going to be here-" She pointed at his chest, his heart, where his strength always came from. "-including me and your father."
Sora began to tear up and smiled, always able to rely on his mom to give him the pep talk he needed when he was upset. They both hugged each other tightly, embracing silently as his mother's encouraging words sank in. Ever since Kaito died, Sora's mother had to not only be the strict parent to keep him in line, but also the concerned parent to give him advice and console him when he was upset. Though both his parents had shared the roles of being the strict and fun parent, his father mostly being the fun one, Kaito was the one who always gave Sora such great advice, whether it involved swordplay or any troubles he's had at school. Even as an adult, Sora always needed his mom to lift up his spirits in the past couple years.
"...I'm gonna be in so much trouble when I get back to Equestria," Sora muttered.
"Well, you let Aqua know that if she's going to take away your Keyblade, she's going to have to go straight through me," his mother said. "She won't do it though, because like it or not, everyone's going to need you."
Sora laughed a little, having known that was true, but that still didn't mean he wasn't going to get in a lot of trouble when he goes back and tells everyone. After finally letting go of his mother, Sora decided to take his leave. His mother stopped him before he left, giving him the old picture she took out as a reminder to not lose his way. Even though it reminded him of the truth behind the mysterious storm that ended his father and his crew's lives, he accepted it, placing it in his pocket. After one more hug, Sora made his way out the door, back out to the hill, and equipped his Keyblade armor, transforming his Keyblade into his glider and flying back to Equestria to his friends and girlfriend as the morning sun began to rise on the horizon. His mother watched from home, looking up at the sky as she saw the faint glint of light that was her son rise high and disappear. She had a feeling everything will turn out fine, heading back inside to start her day, but not before looking at the photo of her with Kaito at her side and Young Sora in front of them for a moment longer.
Kairi stirred as sunlight shone through the window, the light shining down on her face as it slowly crawled up the bed. She squinted her eyes open, wanting to sleep some more as she groaned and turned around. When she expected to bury her face in Sora's chest, she felt an empty space beside her instead. Waking up a little in her confusion, she found no sign of him beside her. Kairi sat up, looking around the room, wondering if he got up early to do any chores at Sweet Apple Acres or did some early morning training. Her ears perked up when she heard the bedroom door open, relieved to see Sora as he stepped into the room.
"Morning," he greeted.
"...Morning," Kairi said back. She let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes, only to let out a squeak and open them when she felt Sora's lips press against hers. Letting out a confused moan in their kiss, he broke away and hugged her. "What's gotten into you today, Sora? Did you even sleep at all last night?" She took in a breath, surprisingly smelling salt water on him. "And why do you smell like you took a dip in the ocean and didn't shower?"
"It's a really, really long story," he said. Sora pulled out the picture his mom let him keep, the image magically altered as it was in contact with him as he made his way back to Equestria: his family was still in the same positions in the photo, only they were pegasi, with the younger Sora grinning widely between his parents, the mare that was his mother looking exactly like her pony transformation for Mother's Day last year, Ocean Breeze, and the darker tanned stallion with the messy brown hair and slight stubble was what Kairi assumed would be Sora's father if he were a pony. As much as she wanted to gush about how cute Sora would have looked as a colt, the sad look on his face made her pause, as if he had something important to tell her, and it wasn't something pleasant. "...I know what really happened to my dad that day...I was there."
"What? How?" Kairi asked.
"I need to tell everyone, too," he said, placing the picture down on their bedside table. "...I traveled back in time."
Once everyone was awake and gathered in the throne room, Yen Sid and Lea included as they were still here, Sora explained to everyone what he did last night. He expected them to be shocked that he did something that reckless by going back to the past and actually interacting with people back on Destiny Islands. Though it was sad to hear what had happened to Kaito, both in the version Sora believed had happened and what had been the true cause of his father's death back then, the latter was what surprised them, especially Riku and Kairi as they had almost experienced a second encounter with a Heartless storm several years before the start of their journey. What had amazed Aqua, and even Starlight, was that his presence in the past didn't even change anything, that Sora being there didn't mean anything as the results of the present were still the same, even as she had to stop his story for a moment to recount the events he recalled that happened, and were one hundred percent accurate. Again, like his mother, he withheld willingly turning into his Anti-Form in his loss, deciding to test if it was possible for him to actually control it now that Vanitas was trapped behind a cage of light and couldn't make him lose control any longer.
As soon as he was done, everyone stood, or sat as the owners of their thrones took their seats aside from Sora as he stood by the table like a guilty defendant on trial for a crime he committed. Aqua was ready to scold Sora the moment he mentioned he traveled back in time, the timeline already suffering enough from Xehanort and Starlight's meddling, but with the confirmation of nothing even remotely changed in this timeline, she waited for Sora to finish. She felt sympathy for him, almost as much as Terra as it reminded him of what happened to Eraqus, unable to do anything to save their master/father figure when his life was taken by Xehanort, only by Kaito's sacrifice to keep his son from being backstabbed by a Heartless rather than fighting him and having his life taken while at his weakest.
The mares had teared up at the depressing events Sora had been subjected through. Twilight knew what it looked like when someone had lost their heart to the Heartless, a sickening sight that she will never forget and hoped it was the only time she would ever witness it. Applejack stood up from her throne and approached Sora, hugging her honorary brother, feeling sorry for him to have seen his father die in such a depressing way. He returned the hug in kind, patting Applejack's back as he kept his composure, having cried enough for his week-long stay in the past.
After the long silence and Applejack returning to her seat, Aqua let out a sigh after gathering her thoughts. "...Sora, what you did was reckless."
"He's nothing but," Riku reminded the Keyblade Master.
"More reckless than everything else he's done to cause chaos," Aqua corrected. "Time is a fragile thing to mess with, as we've already experienced on more than one occasion." Starlight lowered her head, her past unfortunately not going to be let go, but at least she was still accepted for her mistakes. "...Even if nothing has changed, you could have ended up creating a different outcome to anything. Heartless could have run amok with no Keyblade wielders alive to stop them, Organization XIII might have succeeded in creating Kingdom Hearts from the hearts they tried to collect, Xehanort could have forged the X-blade and taken over Kingdom Hearts, so many dangerous scenarios that go on and on that could lead to the destruction of the entire universe. You're lucky that your interference while traveling with your father on that boat had no repercussions to the space-time continuum."
"Give him a break, Aqua!" Rainbow exclaimed. "He saw his dad turn into a Heartless and he killed him to free him!"
"And if that storm continued, Destiny Islands would have been lost to darkness if it got out of hand," Ventus added. "If that storm grew, Sora, Riku, and Kairi wouldn't even be here today, neither would I."
"Do I need to say it again!?" Pinkie said, her tears running like a river down her cheeks as she still felt sad for Sora. "We need Sora, and even when he travels through time, we still need him! He's our friend, and if he loses his place as a Keyblade wielder, then I'm not going to throw you anymore birthday parties, Aqua!"
Aqua let out a frustrated groan, understanding how important Sora is, but like with Starlight's meddling in the past to get revenge, she couldn't excuse Sora's like it was nothing. "Master Yen Sid, please tell me you agree with me that something must be done about this. Sora nearly messed with the fabric of time."
"Indeed, he has," Yen Sid said. "However, seeing as how nothing had changed within the present, this situation is just as similar as Xehanort's prior attempt at this when I gave Riku and Sora their Mark of Mastery exams in the dream realms. Even though Young Xehanort had traveled about through time to bring Xemnas and Ansem back to recreate the thirteen seeds of darkness, nothing in the timeline has been changed in the slightest." Aqua's eyes widened in shock, but silenced her protests as she listened to what the wiser master had to say. "Maybe, Sora traveling in time to witness his father's fate was truly meant to be." He then looked at Sora, waiting patiently for the final verdict. "Sora, at any point since the event, have you once considered using this Reverse spell to go back to the point your father were to perish to the Heartless and save him?"
"Yes, I have," Sora answered with no hesitation. "But I can't. I would love to see my father again, but I didn't want to risk changing the timeline again...All I wanted to know was what had happened on his boat, and it wasn't how I thought it turned out."
"And you desired to see your father again, even if it was in his last moments, yes?" Yen Sid asked, Sora nodding his head in response. He grew silent, looking up at the Galactic Map as he stroked his beard with his hoof. Moving his hoof, he searched for Destiny Islands and brought the world's geographical map on the Cutie Map. "I do recall something odd that had happened on the date of when Sora's father had perished. That evening, I had sensed darkness appear on this world." Moving the map out to the ocean, he pointed out an estimated location to where he sensed the storm, Sora guessing that was where his father's ship had been anchored as they could catch the schools of fish passing by. "It was right around here. I was about to ask King Mickey to help deal with it since his world was a lot closer to Destiny Islands, but as fast as it appeared, it vanished. That explains how that was possible."
"I think, if anything, Sora going back in time probably saved our future from changing," Lea pondered aloud. "So, Sora did a pretty good thing when it was a terrible idea to begin with...Does that mean we should thank Starlight for giving him the paranoia of creating different, deadly futures and this Thorax changeling for making it worse?"
"Is that the only amount of positivity I'm going to get for my time traveling screw-up?" Starlight asked drolly.
"You could at least sound positive about it," Lea murmured.
"Despite the dangers of meddling, whether in another world's affairs or even in a time period we have no right to be in, there are times where we are unsure if things will turn out well if we interfere," Yen Sid said. "The outcome of our involvement will either be positive or negative. In any case, considering there were no repercussions, I believe Sora has already suffered enough of a punishment by the truth of his father's fate. Don't you agree, Aqua?"
Aqua hesitated with her response, but didn't want to disregard her superior master's thoughts, seeing he had many valid points. "...Nothing had altered the present, so...I guess I can let it slide," she said. "There have already been enough close calls with what happened before. So if you ever go back in the past again, do NOT get involved with anyone or anything, even if you hide your identity from everyone, otherwise you'll risk creating a butterfly effect and drastically change the future."
Sora nodded his head, fully understanding her warning. Part of him felt like he deserved to be punished more than mourning losing his father again, but if Yen Sid was willing to forgive and forget such a stupid idea, he'll accept it and remind himself not to do it again. After the meeting, everyone split up to go about their daily activities, Sora deciding to take a bit of a walk in the park, Kairi joining him as she worried about his mental health.
"Are you doing ok?" Kairi asked.
"I'll be fine," Sora reassured. "I got my cheer-up pep-talk from mom while I was in Destiny Islands. And...I did get to spend some time bonding with dad while I was under the alias 'Kidd'."
"'Kidd'? Seriously?" Kairi questioned, raising a brow at the terrible excuse of a nickname.
"Dad," he simply stated, making the unicorn roll her eyes, now knowing who came up with it. "I did have some fun when I was out at sea with him...when I wasn't freaking out about the inevitable. Got a taste of how good he was at swordplay when he got serious."
"And your competitive nature as well," Kairi added with a small giggle. "I guess you're a lot like your dad after all."
"Yeah." The couple walked in silence as Sora pondered whether or not he should tell Kairi about what he discovered that he left out of his story. He needed to tell someone about his new Anti-Form, and Kairi felt like the only one he could trust to show if he really was able to control it. If he couldn't, he could at least hold himself back for her to use a spell to knock him out and end his Drive Form. "...Kairi, there's something else that happened while I was back in the past."
"What is it?" Kairi asked.
"I don't want anyone else to see," he said. Sora lead Kairi out of Ponyville and back into the fields, far from anyone else so they didn't see or get hurt. He turned to her as soon as they were far enough away, backing away a bit as he prepared to reveal his new dark form. "I told you all that a bolt of lightning from the storm struck the boat and caused it to sink while I was fighting the Heartless, right?"
"Yes..." she said, not getting where he was going with this.
"Well, that was partially true," Sora admitted. "There was a lightning bolt...but I was the one who caused it."
"You destroyed your dad's boat???" Kairi asked, surprised by this sudden revelation. "Why? To keep the timeline from changing?"
"Not exactly, but it happened anyway...Just, when you see what happens, if I lose myself, knock me out if it gets too out of control." Kairi raised a brow, suddenly unnerved by what Sora wanted to show her.
"Sora...?" Taking a deep breath, Sora focused on his Drive Form, this time letting darkness take over as the shockwave of light quickly faded, enshrouding the stallion in a dark sphere. "Sora!? What are you doing!?" Kairi screeched in shock, summoning her Keyblade to defend herself as she waited for the inevitable beast of darkness to lunge out and attack her. Now in his Anti-Form, Sora's head was lowered as his form was darker, claws made of a dark aura clenched slightly at the ground. Lifting a hoof and staring at his clawed hoof, Sora moved the digits, feeling full control of his body. "...S-Sora?"
Stretching his foreleg out, he focused on summoning his Keyblade like he had before, a dark aura forming around the air before appearing in his hoof. Kairi gasped as she stared at the weapon, never once seeing this form call a Keyblade as it mostly used its deadly claws, and the fact it brought some fear to her as it reminded her of the Keyblade Ansem-Riku created from the other Princesses of Hearts' hearts. The only difference between that Keyblade and the one in Sora's dark hoof were the teeth and the chain it had hanging at the hilt.
Sora began to tilt his head up, making Kairi tighten her grip on her Keyblade as she was about to stare into the yellow eyes of the Heartless form. When she saw them, she gasped as she didn't see the soulless yellow eyes she expected: they were the normal, soft, gentle eyes he always had, but they were yellow instead of blue. And his mouth and nose on his muzzle were visible as well, his face no longer featureless as he flashed her a nervous grin, showing the sharp fangs in his maw.
"I think I can control my Anti-Form now," he said, his voice still distorted as it had when he tried to warn her and his mom, but able to speak clearly instead of sounding like he was struggling to talk. Kairi's jaw dropped, as well as her Keyblade as she let go of it in complete shock. "...Surprise?"
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8959743
I don't really tie the comics in as canon with the show. I have heard of some of them making some connections, considering the new characters in the My Little Pony Movie had more backstory explained in comics, which I haven't read yet. As interesting as some scenarios were in the past issues, they weren't even considered canon, even though I'd have loved to see an episode involving a different Sombra. Or better yet, have an episode discussing Sombra's past where the comics had brought him back, he's now considered a good guy, and lives in the comic books while he's dead in the show and the only thing we do know about him was that he used dark magic to take over the Crystal Empire. More backstory on Celestia and Luna turning into alicorns when they explained Flurry Heart was the first natural-born alicorn in the history of Equestria would be very much appreciated as well.
Well done sir, well done
This is going to be interesting.
Kaito. I like that name.
Oh my i loved this one.
lol now we just need the rest of tu gang barge in seeing Sora's new anti-form and get shocked.
maybe in next chapter?
8960188
But I think Kaito seemed to fit Sora's father, meaning "ocean" in Japanese. I also need to figure out a good name for Sora's mom so I don't have to refer to her as such as a human, only being referred to as Ocean Breeze when she's a pony if she visits Equestria again...which she might in future chapters. 
I found a name to give to Sora's dad, but not one for his mom. How crazy I am.
Oh dear...
Poor Sora. At the beginning of the chapter, I had a feeling that Sora was going to use his magic to bring his dad back to the future with him. I mean, it would make sense, since his death/disappearance wouldn't have altered anything in the past. And when it was just Sora and Kaito on that ship, that feeling of Sora returning with his dad was starting to sound more plausible... for a moment, anyway.
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Yeah the comics have never delved too deeply into Celestia and Luna's past and the comics that have can't really be considered cannon. However the Legends of Magic series, which I do consider cannon since it's all about the Pillars of Equestria, does show a bit of young Celestia and Luna when Star Swirl was preparing them to eventually rule over Equestria. What I loved about this is how they portray young Celestia as an arrogant brat which is a fun contrast to her present day self.
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Oh, that just sounds menacing! What would that Keyblade be called? I'm leaning toward "Heartbreaker" or something equally appropriate.
This whole chapter was emotional and informative. I'm wondering what's going to happen next?
BTW, in Season 7, is Sora just going to listen to the stories along with the Apple Siblings or is he going to travel back in order to interact with their parents? Likely the former, but the latter would be fun.
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Where is that quote from in the chapter? I can't find it.
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It's not in the chapter. Sora's new anti-form reminded me of the Fierce Deity form, so I used the quote box to be reminiscent of Legend of Zelda. Sorry about that.
Ok, emotional chapter all the way through this run. Loved how it went about things and the new Anti-Form under his full control is pretty sweet.
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I actually had the name "Pain of Loss" for that Keyblade in mind. "Heartbreaker" sounds like a good one, too.
And when I get to "The Perfect Pear", it's definitely going to be the latter. I need to put out these other chapters that are getting in the way to get to it, though! Curse you, life, procrastination, and other stories I wanna work on!
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Oh, "Pain of Loss" sounds really great, too!
It happens. But, I'd love to see everything you have planned for Season 7. Oh, and the Legend of Everfree movie as well.
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Well the idea for the parents one would sound amazing Codex. though a thought came to mind. will the Heartless appear if Sora appears in the past? and if not, How will Pear Butter & Bright Mac take the news of who he is while keeping it quiet?
Other than those questions, it got me wonder that what if the tree that the siblings saw in "Perfect Pear" had a Keyhole and it sprouted out a Keyblade for Sora, but was really meant for AppleJack. like a present from them to her.
With the actual KH3 drawing nearer, and many characters that you have wrapped up in terms of character arcs (Vanitas, Aqua, Terra, Ven, etc.) That are confirmed or highly suspected to be in the game, how will you reconcile such discrepancies. I also want to know how Kairi managed to take and pass her Mark of Mastery in such a short span of time, because I’m certain you refer to her as a “Keyblade Master” in the first chapter, and continue to mention it throughout. Lea is still training under Yen Sid, and was training *with* Kairi. I mentioned this in a review on fanfiction.net as well, and I would kindly like an explanation. Please? Otherwise, keep up the good work
OMG! Did you foresee that Aqua becomes a evil side of herself! Check the latest trailer of KH3 on YouTube Codex!
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I was going to watch the trailer before noticing a comment on the story. I had a feeling after some others PMed me about it, spoiler-free, that it would have been Aqua when they mentioned a "fan-favorite" character.
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Despite KH3's finally scheduled release and what will occur within the game, everything from this story starts after the events of Dream Drop Distance, so anything that happens in KH3 will not be mentioned since it won't be considered canon for the story's sake. As for Kairi's title as a Keyblade master, it takes place a few months after the events of DDD, and with Kairi being a pretty quick learner as she managed to hold her own against the Heartless when Riku (in his Ansem form as he gave in to his darkness to capture Roxas) gave her Destiny's Embrace, it didn't take long for her to go from an apprentice to a master, considering she was also a chosen wielder when she touched Aqua's Keyblade, a master's Keyblade. Lea had difficulties as a Keyblade wielder considering his signature style of weapons combat were chakrams, meant for all ranges along with the affinity of fire. Kairi is as studious as Aqua, always has to be the responsible one between Sora and Riku with their shenanigans and one-upping each other, and able to adapt to combat quite well for her first time, even with Riku's help, she was able to master being a Keyblade wielder far surpassing Lea and his start at training. Granted, as the story started, I didn't play Dream Drop Distance until I got the 2.8 Final Mix game a year ago, so what events I didn't know at that time weren't mentioned until I actually played through the game's story. Also, if you remember the chapter "Quelling the Raging Blizzard", the moments involving Aqua with her darkness I called Torrent, I did not know that in A Fragmentary Passage, before the game was released, that Aqua actually once fought her darkness, in a sense, as it came from the mirror in the remnants of the Snow White world. So, I guess I called that one unintentionally, even though it probably won't be mentioned in the story.
Dude, these trailers have been killing it lately. I mean, Pirate Sora looks so amazing!
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It suits him since he enjoys traveling the seas and pirates. Islander, what can he say?
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I feel like if Sora was to change his Halloween Costume, that Pirate outfit in KH3 trailer would be the next best thing. plus I heard him say the words of a Pirates life for me. Captain Sora, if you please.
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...
That could be an interesting chapter. Although, figuring out a new name for Kaito's Nobody is going to be more of a pain than finding the right name for Sora's father. Out of all the Organization members' names who we have no idea what their original ones were, we don't know Luxord, Larxene, Demyx, and Marluxia's (Although, from what I've randomly spotted from highlights on YouTube, the Union Cross mobile game did show Maluxia's original form and had a name for him, even though it's debatable considering Organization XIII was created after the events of Birth By Sleep, where each member was numbered upon their "birth" as a Nobody.).
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Namine might actually be an exception considering she's the Nobody of a Princess of Heart. No ill intentions, powerful magics the likes of not even those seven princesses could do, and was against Organization XIII while they held her hostage. Wish we got some more backstory on what Namine went through when she was born. And since all of the other Nobodies who actually kept the forms of their original selves were given an anagrammed name with an X mixed in, there have been no other Nobodies like them...Although, without Xemnas giving Nobodies names since he's "dead" (even though he returns in Dream Drop Distance and will be a boss in KHIII when it comes out), maybe newer Nobodies might give themselves names once they slowly breach out of the catatonic states they start out in.
Haul.
Commenting on this particular chapter after playing through kingdom hearts 3 for a few times after it’s release as well as the Re:Mind content.
I’m kinda surprised that you made a chapter before kingdom hearts 3 introduced us to Rage form.
It’s kinda nice to see people make a new form for sora only to realise that the form is now canon in the franchise, mostly talking about rage form.
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Yeah. I like to think that Rage form is what the darkness that Sora can control is called. But since it was announced before this chapter was out. I think it being a new Anti-form while he has his old clothes is understanding til he gets his new clothes. Then it changing from there.