Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy (c) Square Enix
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The Last Key Gets His Due
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The day was finally here! The final fighter in the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament had just made his grand debut, and there had been much celebration as he had been given the welcome he’d deserved! Of course, the fact that virtually everyone on the roster had turned up to see him — even those whom he would have considered his enemies and one particular villain whom he did — meant that he couldn’t really get the time to meet up with everyone individually. That said, he’d have plenty of time to get to know everyone here, or at least Mario had reassured him of that. But there was one person in particular whom the Keyblade Wielder absolutely knew he had to see first and foremost, and hopefully he’d be there to greet him when he got to his destination.
His hands behind his head with its signature spiky brown hair, his comically oversized shoes squeaking a little as he walked, Sora’s mind was racing even as he was taking his sweet time making his way down the overworld path to Skyworld. As it turned out, he and the other person he was looking for had met each other once before, when they had both been invited to a different tournament years ago that had pitted many, many different people from across countless worlds against one another. Sora was still somewhat haunted by the experience — he had agreed to have his kind and all-loving personality essentially switched off prior to the fight, but the sight of that broken body lying there right in front of him would still haunt his memories for the rest of his life. If anyone who had gained access to his thoughts knew of it, they wouldn’t tell him. But while all was well that had ended well, the faint emotional scar had never truly faded.
Was there any lingering resentment deep down in spite of the truce after the fact? Was the forgiveness that had been exchanged really genuine? He didn’t want to know. But he had to be sure that the bond he had forged with his former opponent, albeit a very, very long-distance one, was still there.
So lost in his thoughts was he that he only realized that he had arrived at his destination when he quite literally walked right into the door to Palutena’s temple. Stumbling back and rubbing his nose in pain, he shook his head to clear his senses and then looked up at the massive, elaborate double doors.
His stomach dropped almost instantly. His nerves were getting the better of him, and part of him wanted to turn tail and run for the hills in a bid to avoid the risk of being sent away in shame. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave, not after having made it this far. So instead he swallowed, took a deep breath, and then knocked thrice on the gilded gate.
Silence. After a moment, he picked himself up, and then knocked thrice more.
“Coming!” And there it was, a vaguely familiar voice, muffled by the doorway but still unmistakable.
The sound of footsteps could be heard, coming closer and closer to the door, and then — quietness again. It seemed as though the other person had stopped in hesitation. Sora could suddenly sense a weird feeling like he was being watched, as though the other was peering at him through the keyhole in the double doors. What were they thinking now?
“Hey,” he said, his tone cautious, his voice shaking a little. “So. Uh. Pit? See, um… When I was invited here, I knew the very first place to visit, and that was Palutena’s temple. Because, y’know, you live there? So… yeah. Hi again!”
“Eh?” That was the only response the other voice gave.
“Ooookay?” Sora continued, very slightly annoyed but still otherwise nervous. “So… You know that time we fought each other to the death once? I… I-I already said I’m sorry. And I’m glad you not only forgave me for what I did, but also came to me afterward and asked if we could be, erm… besties, right? Yeah, besties! A-and I can’t believe it’s led me so far…”
He paused, wondering how to continue. But all he got in response was a confused “Huh? What??”
A sinking feeling came to him. Tears welled up in his bright blue eyes as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say. But he forced himself to speak, knowing there was no turning back.
“See, Master Hand also told me you… you put in a good word for me after that battle, because of the good press it gave you.” Sora sniffled a bit before continuing. “That… that it gave both of us. I don’t know if it helped sway the decision-making process for who would be joining the Smash Bros. tournament, but I like to think it might have.”
He wiped the tears from his face. “I just… I don’t know what to say. I… Th-... th-h-h-h…” On the verge of sobbing, he only barely noticed the other voice.
“Hellooooo?! Hang on, lemme—”
The double doors swung open. Sora could almost hear the angelic chorus as light washed over him. And there he was, in full splendor, complete with the fluffy brown hair with that gold laurel crown, that white toga over a dark blue sleeveless undershirt, that equally white scarf, those brown forearm guards with gold trim, those disproportionately large feet, and especially those feathered wings the color of the clouds in a beautiful summer sky.
“Is that a ‘Thank you’ I’m hearing, Sora?” asked Pit, a warm, welcoming smile on his face.
Fresh tears welled up in Sora’s eyes again. “Y-yes,” he said quietly, before sniffling once more. And then he sobbed. And then, without thinking, he lurched forward and all but fell into Pit’s arms with a keening wail, not of grief, but of joy in its purest form. Weeping in earnest, he let his own arms wrap around his old friend almost on their own volition. It was almost a relief to feel the angel hugging him back.
By the time Sora was done crying, the two of them finally got a look at each other, and touched their foreheads together. It seemed their friendship was genuine after all, despite his private misgivings.
“Welcome to Smash, my friend.” Pit brushed a tear from his eye himself, before chuckling a little. “Oh, and you have a key! Like, always! You could’ve just opened the door!”
