This was quite the adventure that I loved blossoming before my eyes. I adored your original plot and the OCs were sooo well put together that I cant help but fangirl over this. I appreciate all the time and effort, all the blood, sweat, and tears, that went into this story. I cant help but believe this made a way into my heart and burrowed itself in my all time favorites. This doesn't even feel like a fanfic, with the original plot and the OC, its just an epic. What a story. Im kinda sick right now, so I definitely jumbled up my words, but I cant tell you how much I loved this story. I cant thank you enough for writing it.

Interesting... The year between KH1 and KH2, about Sora'd be about halfway through Castle Oblivion at this point if the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee doesn't remember him. Can't say I've seen this particular time period used before, should be fun.

Hold up, omg

"As a Spirit, one of my duties was to help souls on the journey to the other side cross over," Celina said, frowning. "It was one of my least favorite responsibilities… I would take on all of their sadness, all of the burdens of their living heart, and guide them to the other side. Since you and I are not fully bonded, you didn't feel much of it this time… but I did."

So in the next one, in "Brave"... does that mean they...

Oh wow

I've been reading this on my 3ds while waiting a week for my new phone to come in and let me tell you- I couldn't WAIT to review this! I'm not very far into the story, maybe 12 chapter or so but I had to let you know that this is amazing! I was overcome with nostalgia- and not just because it's kingdom hearts. The characters are all well written and feel like someone off the development team actually wrote this! I'm absolutely hooked and cant wait to finish!

Wow. Just wow. I’ve been binge reading this story for days and I absolutely loved it! Still do, but that’s besides the point ;) Thank for all the time, work, and heart you put into this baby of yours.

So, I decided to read this since it's one of the more popular OC focused KH stories out there, and I was going to review after a few chapters just so I can get a good feel for the story and characters... and then I read this: "She'd read fanfics about people from her world being sent into Kingdom Hearts, fighting alongside Sora and the gang, sometimes bearing a Keyblade of their very own, or even winning the heart of the Keybearer himself. Aila always hated that; first of all, SORA was THE Keybearer, not some stupid random girl from her world. And second, Sora liked Kairi. It's not like he would completely forget his feelings for her just because some new girl showed up."

Uh... that's awfully pretentious, to be honest, and it really threw me off guard since it was right in the middle of the fanfic. I understand that most of them are indeed bad, but there have been a few good SoraxOC fanfics out there and there IS an audience for it; and just because yours doesn't have a pairing or doesn't pair Sora with anyone other than Kairi doesn't make those OCs "stupid", nor does it make yours any better. On the same note, Aila not getting a Keyblade of her own once again does not make her better than any other random OC in a random story that does get one. SHOW me why Aila is amazing in her own right without a Keyblade in a world where wielding a Keyblade is a big deal, rather than say it.

And Aila seems to have a great power over the light? I mean, this would sound really really cool, and I'd absolutely love the concept if she hadn't mentally bashed other OCs who are just "given Keyblades" just a few moments prior, especially since she is just given her power over light and her staff... Just because it's not a Keyblade doesn't mean it's suddenly okay. So, in her attempt to not be a Mary Sue, she kinda made herself one with that :(

Regardless, I want to see how the story goes, and I'm interested to see how Aila will grow and learn from her experiences. Sorry for the rant, but it left a really sour taste in my mouth.

oh man oh man oh man what a ride it's been these past couple of months reading this fic

ok since this is the last chapter let me hit all the notes before summarizing my overall thoughts:

So it all did work out, and Alex and Kairi are out of the fight! Although, can't help but feel bad, since Alex /did/ get her own armor and all, but it was probably for the best ; seeing as Kairi.../should/ get a developmental arc in KH3, perhaps we're setting Alex up for one as well?

Seeing Danny finally fighting for the good guys was so satisfying. He's come a really long way throughout the course of this story and has shown so much growth. Cyrus himself was an interesting antagonist, now that I think about it - so far in KH, all the bad guys were tied to the darkness, but here we have a bad guy who's blinded by /light/, though I guess you could argue that Eraqus might also kind of fit this role with his clouded judgement in BBS? But anyway, I digress. I really loved his character arc and it was so satisfying seeing him grow through it.

Annnd of course Xemnas has to tease Aila with that Demyx clone :))) But the gang all bands together and they're able to beat him...this time

And then we're back, reunited with Kairi, Alex and Mickey - the former two understandably upset about being left out. Haha, the banter between Sora and Kairi there was too cute! And I love that you gave the siblings a little moment on the side there too, it really helps to round out their relationship and their journey after all this time. The way the Roxas and Namine scene was handled was awesome too - I know I was a tad nitpicky with Axel's death scene, but Aila's nod to his sacrifice here when she was talking to Roxas just made that soooo satisfying. I love the respect that you have for these canon characters T_T

I really wasn't sure how you were going to go about the final boss - I've seen both OCs that have gone on to the final battle, and others that end up with Kairi, waiting. I'm not sure if I have a preference, but I've kind of leaned towards fics that do the latter, since I always felt that this was Sora and Riku's fight to fight. But...the way you incorporated Aila here just felt so natural. Xemnas lost Cyrus, so he chooses his next best option instead. And he tortures her, telling her his plans - I have to say, you handled his characterization so well and gave him some depth that I'd argue he lacks in the video games. Like there are times where I straight up laugh when playing the game because he's so memeable, but you made him downright terrifying, his motives logical. You've done this with a lot of Org members - Saix, Luxord, and Xigbar specifically - and for that I really applaud you.

But she's finally able to free herself and helps Sora and Riku turn the tides, and then we end up in the legendary final boss fight.

Just curious - is Aila declining here because the fight is in the realm of darkness? In the game I thought it was the Realm Between - and you might have taken liberties here or I could very well be misremembering haha. But regardless, she struggles, she's fading...

And honestly, I got a little emotional reading that final conversation with Celina. You've captured their bond so well over the course of the story. A rocky start, and some clashes along the way, but they've learned to be true friends to one another. And you can tell here...Celina truly loves Aila.

She helps Aila turn the tide of battle once more, legitimately helping Sora and Riku who seem to be having a hard time during this fight (too late to tell them to hold down both triangle and x...lol i kid i kid) and then

She sacrifices herself.

Ugh, that moment where Aila wakes up, feeling empty...that got me T_T But then, Sora and Riku find her, and Sora's there to reassure her. Bright and sunny that boy is, always. He keeps her sane, like he does Riku. They have a few great bonding moments there, before finally, the door opens, and finally, finally, all the fighting's over and they're reunited with their loved ones. I loved how you captured every reunion. And omg, a hint of Riku and Kairi's friendship? whaaaaat? haha, loved that. Aila, Sora, Donald, and Goofy get to say their last goodbyes to each other for now, and that's just...man, they've been through so much together, what a satisfying way to round this all out.

Satisfying. That's the word for this ending.

But there's still a few loose ends, which makes me so excited for the sequel. First off, is Celina really gone for good? You make it seem so, buuuuuut...this is Kingdom Hearts lol. I wonder if the kids will notice the absence of her presence? And while we got some questions answered about the kids' relationships with Ansem the Wise, there's still a few mysteries in that department. And of course, poor Aila, sweet summer child, thinking Xemnas is gone for good. Oh, dear, this is just the beginning.

Man, it's always a bittersweet finishing a story you've grown really attached to. Just overall, I loved this story. Any nitpicks I had were just that - minor little things that didn't affect any of my overarching thoughts of your writing. But, yeah. I always appreciate an author who knows how to capture canon characters and even add more depth to them - Sora especially was such a standout here! And I'm not just being biased because he's my favorite character haha, he's actually a really hard character to write. Multidimensional, with emotions that range from the usual optimistic stuff, but you also gave him sass, anger, sadness...something a lot of us forget he experiences in the fandom. Riku was another standout, I just love how you captured that calm cool collected demeanor, a tongue that doesn't hold back, and a sort of bumbling awkwardness when it comes to actual feelings.

Oh, and Kairi T_T I love a fighting Kairi, I love that Aila and Alex looked up to her, I just love love love your portrayal of her and I cannot -REALLY CANNOT - wait to see you handle her in your sequel.

And the Disney Worlds - you managed to keep each one of them interesting and not just a rehash of canon, something that really is a struggle in fanfiction. And not only that, but you made /all/ of them relevant to the overarching plot here, something even the original source material doesn't do haha.

And finally, your OCs. Honestly, some of my favorites I've ever read. Danny, Alex, the spirits, all of them were so distinguished, and while these guys didn't have as much screen time, you still wrote them so well that I just wanted more. And then, the girl of the hour herself - Aila. Man, where to even start with this girl? She was just so.../human/. A young, terrified girl who is taken completely out of her element and in a situation she has no control over. She's scared, she cries, but she still faces everything like a champ, and man does she grow over the course of the story. And of course, your amazing handle on everyone in canon helped her blend right in, there wasn't a single spot in the story where she felt like an intruder. She was such a natural edition, I almost want them to remake a version of the game with her in it T_T

Okay, I've rambled on long enough. The nice thing about joining late to the game is that, not only did i not have to wait for new chapters of /this/ fic, but a one shot and a sequel await me, and I cannot wait to get to those.

But until then, thank you so much for writing!

ohmygoshohmygoshohmygooooosh

Ok I'm burning to get to the next chapter but I need to stop and say a lot of things about this one first

The set up to it was insane. Aila vs Cyrus was all over the place, in the best of ways - you really captured Aila's panicked, quick thinking pace. But ultimately, it's not enough, and stakes are high, because she's /actually/ /really/ at risk of dying here. But of course she doesn't because, FINALLY, Alex has appeared, and with time they finally talk some sense into their kinda dolty brother

We don't get many more answers about their past here, but finally, everyone's on the same page. Love the callback to the Pride Lands, it's so nice to see the Disney worlds so relevant to the plot here!

Their armors all sound so cool...I've got quite a list of things I need to draw but...

...I might have to add that to it...

And they finally make their way back! But as usual, things play out a little differently than they actually do in the game. Everyone's fighting Xemnas, but our three siblings show up just in time to save everyone. Of course, the final battle is still ahead - can't take that away from our canon protagonists entirely!

Omg Alex's reaction to Kairi was so pure T_T
But whether or not Aila's plan will work remains to be seen - as they've stated, we can't know for sure what goes on inside your plotting brain haha

And the final battle looms on ahead. I don't think I'm ready, but ahhhh here goes!

Okay haha i loved the banter when everyone was rationing off the items. I love little scenes like that, where you let the character interactions do the talking and define who they are based on that, rather than glazing over it in the exposition

Aila's quip about Riku being rich made me snort

And ahh that little SoKai moment T_T Seriously loving how you're putting more emphasis on Kairi here, my SoKai heart is screeechinggggg

And we finally get to the long-awaited scene, and...there was definitely something deeper going on with Ansem. Of course, he was doing his research, but there was something about his relationship that made the bond stand out. He was attached, almost like dare I say...a father figure? But whether or not he was their biological father, that's still up in the air. Gah, we get answers but so many questions remain!

Still, happy Aila made it out of there. And Riku's got his bishie face back, yes!

Gah, Aila, stop being so self-deprecating, you're part of the team too T_T Sora tries to plead this to her, but then Riku's literally like "u take this or i am throwing my munny in the trash" lmaooo. Seriously love the way you've captured him; like Sora, you've gotten down so many of the nuances of his character - kind of the voice of reason that everyone needs, calm, cool and collected, but with a layer of sass to him too haha!

And Mickey...of course that mouse knew more :))) So interesting, Yen Sid was in on this, too? Then he knew exactly what he was doing back at that scene with Alex, too...

We're so close, and there's STILL so many loose ends to tie jfksdjf

lmao i can't help but laugh every time i see the Bet On it music video...but the themes of that song do kinda fit Danny's theme here, you right you right

gah another action-filled chapter! I don't know how you keep doing it, and you keep keeping it fresh too! but let's start with more of the beginning her first before I dive into that

I love how you've characterized Kairi here! She's so spunky, but she wears her heart on her sleeve and says what needs to be said in the moment. And I just love the way Aila is seeming to look up to her here! And yessss you let my girl fight more Heartless T_T Look at my girl growing up T_T

Aila and Danny's racing was sweet, and shows how through it all, Aila still wants to keep that close sibling relationship she had with him

AND THAT LUXORD FIGHT. Imma rank that right alongside the Saix fight as my favorites. I just love how you've made the drive forms so relevant! Haha like even canon sometimes i feel rarely acknowledges it, but here, you used it as a medium to show growth not only between Sora and Aila's bond, but Aila's growth as a character. It was so rewarding getting to literally live through all the great moments she's had throughout the series, and even in her moment of greatest weakness, her friends won't ever leave her side

Every punch Luxord got was oh so satisfying
And now I'm really wondering how you're going to handle /his/ role in the sequel, since you've made him quite diabolical here (and tbf here barely had a personality in KH2 beyond "card guy"), but in KH3 he seems a bit more...gray? So really wondering how you're going to handle his characterization there!

Sora's "bet" joke made me snort

Luxord's gone, and Danny finds out what truly happened, and now he's at war with himself yet again. There's so many parallels between Aila/Danny and Sora/Riku...

...Which you did such a great job of acknowledging! Oh man, Aila's panic attack was so raw...but Sora was there to calm her down. And Riku...he can speak from experience. I love how you went about handing him, not sugar coating anything and just laying out the situation the way it is. And ahhhh the awkward hug yasssssss T_T
...Riku/Aila? Might be kinda late for it here, but the sequel...

Ok we're really REALLY reaching endgame here...and while I can predict a bit what'll happen with Xemnas, there's still SO MUCH that needs to happen. OH AND ANSEM THE WISE. WE NEED TO TALK.

Starting off with your author's note - I'm actually really glad that Aila didn't fight Roxas. Like you said, it was a fight in Sora's heart, so Aila being there...I mean, knowing you, you probably would have found a way to make it work, but it would have been a really easy thing to make feel forced, ya know? The route you ended up taking was a lot better imo

And just in general, I love how you've handled Sora. Yes, Aila's the main protagonist of this story, but hers is kind of a story within a story and you haven't taken Sora's role away from him, which I really appreciate so much

Getting back to the chapter though, man, the lore you weave never ceases to intrigue me. Aila getting a chance to look back and reflect on the damage done to her heart was such powerful imagery...a lot of those wounds were inflicted by Danny, but the fact that he still came back to her during this time to lend his power is just a really powerful symbol of how strong their bond is, and I'm hoping that that changes his planned course of action

Man, knowing that you've got the sequel makes me /really/ interested in seeing what you've got planned here for Saix in particular. There's clearly something more to his ability to absorb power from the moon alluded to here...

...plus we've got that Mystery Girl X subplot in the games *side eyes*
I know there's theories as to who that's gonna be canonically, but what IF...?

Ahem, anyway, continuing off from the last chapter, I think this was definitely my favorite of the boss fights you've covered. Everything was so intense and you just got an extra special sense of urgency and loss here. Everyone had to band together, and everyone got their moments

Okay I really thought you were going to have Kairi throw hands there and I got so excited lmao! But then...she didn't T_T But I'm not mad about it, from a story-telling perspective, it makes a lot of sense
I just want my girl to shine eventually dkfjsdkf

Beating Saix with the Claymore is so satisfying in the games, I can't imagine how Danny must have felt doing it. And now, Aila's got her power back, more feels, and another bossfight coming up and I'm hopin' Aila gets some more sweet, sweet revenge haha

...Also keeping my eyes out for Alex -_- Haven't forgotten about that little bean yet

Whoop, onwards!

Welp.

Let me just start off with, I loved the banter at the beginning of the chapter. It feels so long ago that Aila was here as a prisoner, and conversing about those times - especially those lighthearted moments - really gives you a perspective on how far she's come along and how much she's gone through over the course of the story.

Riku calling Sora a lame video game protagonist got a snort out of me
(but also shut up Riku Sora is still best boi T_T)

But things go south when Danny makes an appearance, and tensions continue to rise, even with Aila trying to tell him the truth. Of course it's not gonna be that easy.

Ah, all these allusions to Danny's mental state T_T It's crazy, how sometimes the people who seem the most outgoing, the most well-adjusted...they're the people that deep down are hurt the most. And with Cyrus's more fiery disposition and the Organization able to appeal to him...it's no wonder that he's in the position he's in now

Okay I literally oooh'd at my screen when Saix said he could use the power of the moon too
Negative points for no Sailor Moon references
jk jk lol

This had to be my favorite fight scene so far, actually! All the clamor and confusion, and everyone rushing to protect one another, Aila's emotional high, all the chaos...annnnd it ends in a cliffhanger, but lucky me, the next chapter button is available ;)

Gah this chapter is literally the prime example of how to balance an OC into major plot points in a canon retelling, imho. I just loved how you balanced which moments Aila was in the forefront, and which moments she just stood back and was an observer. I feel like when you're this far in and you character has been through so much, it's tempting to put an OC at the forefront of every single major event occurring, but that can easily make them feel like an intruder rather than a natural addition

But yeah, didn't feel that way at all about how you handled this here. So, let's dive into this haha

I love that we started out with some Kairi respect T_T give my girl all the love and power she deserves, pls. Aila's admiration for her was so cute, and lmao at her wanting a keyblade too xD ...Well, there is a sequel after all lol

But then, Aila gets her moment to shine. She gets to get back at one of her tormenters - Xigbar, and it was oh-so-satisfying to say the least. But she didn't TOTALLY dominate, either, and she still won by working together with our trio here. It's just really been satisfying to watch Aila grow all this time and finally get to hold her own in battle

Love that Sora now trusts Aila enough to let her take the lead, and she leads him to...

One of my favorite scenes ever T_T It played out almost exactly as it does in the game, and I love that about it. That moment is about three lost, lifelong friends finally reuniting after a year apart, and I'm glad that Aila stepped back and just let it happen. Her little reactions to everything were so sweet, and how could you not feel that way after getting the feels from the original game?

But once that's all said and done...it's time to get back to the original plot here

Can I just say that I really like how you've characterized Riku here? He's calm and clear-headed, but a bit awkward and guarded as he's trying to help Aila work through the pain.

Loved that Sora is filling Kairi in as much as possible too

Buuuut sounds like big things are about to happen here...I'm literally at the edge of my seat kdjsdjfk

Woooow okay

Sooo much happened here! I really loved the set up here, first starting off with Yen Sid's scene. It was really cool to get his perspective on things, and I loved the way you captured his character seeing that it's what I believe his first appearance in this fic? You captured his voice really well, which really shouldn't be a surprise to me at this point. And gah poor Alex T_T looks like we're setting up an arc for her at the end here, which makes me nervous given how young she is, but hopefully the foreshadowing isn't false comfort and...crazy, but maybe she'll be the real hero at the end of the day.

Wow, so Danny was essentially for Demyx and Axel here. Granted, he gives Axel a choice, but Danny probably knew what he was doing. But still, I love the conflict that it gives Aila, and...come on, its Kingdom Hearts, no one's really ever dead lmao.

Jokes aside though, gah, the emotions when it came to Axel's death T_T One reallllly small nitpick with that scene was that I think Axel could have spoken just a tad bit more about Roxas, just to balance out all the words and emotional moments he has with Aila? Since I'm assuming we're going for the fact that they both have a similar effect on him, but we don't really know Roxas in this fic, so more nods to him would have just felt a biiiiiiit more...realistic? But I also get that since this is from Aila's POV, we're also getting more of her emotional side to it too.

And damn, you captured those emotions well T_T And of course, Aila doesn't get time to grieve cause those assholes are on her again :))) Buuuuuut she's saved! By Riku nonetheless, and his new mystery keyblade! And we found Kairi, too! ahhh we're really moving up to the climax here quickly.

Mickey's off to see Ansem the Wise...I can't wait for this encounter.

gahhh i want to know the ending but i don't want it to end either T_T

Oooh, set up to endgame approaching

Looks like we've got some foreshadowing at to where we might see Danny next, and I'm really curious to see how all that goes down! I also wonder if Danny has some knowledge to fill in some of the blanks in Aila's? Though then again, we will be running into Ansem the Wise here pretty soon, too, so...

Gah, so many things to look forward to!

Lol it's only been hinted at, and it's enough for this story, but I definitely would be interested in knowing what dynamic Danny had with HPO and Seifer's gang lol. The latter were a pleasant surprise to see here! They're minor characters that don't get much screentime but I could still read all their voices...in their voices lol! It didn't necessarily add much to the plot, but it was still a fun spin all and the same.

Oof, getting really excited to see where we're heading with this...