Another kh thought that won’t leave my mind: Why is Riku the one to introduced the paopu to the series?
Why not Kairi, Sora’s supposed love interest? Kairi doesn’t even mention the paopu tree at all, Sora and riku are the ones caught up on it and the only time she ever interacts with a paopu before kh3 is when she sees sora drew her one. Never before that or after.
Riku is quite literally the first time we ever see it or it’s mentioned. He appeared with one out of nowhere and even explained the tale. “If two people share on, their destinies become intertwined, they’ll remain a part of their lives no matter what.” As Riku says this, he walks past Sora. They meet in the middle as Riku and Riku disappears from screen as he says “they’ll remain a part of each other’s lives no matter what.” Foreshadowing the events of kh1? With the paopu fruit?
Isn’t it funny how there’s no implication to Kairi at all in his words? Isn’t it funny how after this Selphie calls the paopu “romantic” even though Riku is the only one to talk about or be seen with a paopu around Sora so far?
And it was so randomly too. “C’mon, I know you wanna try it” before he laughs and runs away.“You wanted one, didn’t you?”
Riku remembered, who knows how long ago, Sora mentioning wanting a paopu fruit. It couldn’t have been kh1 sora, could it? Why would sora look so and caught off guard and confused then? That Sora who was awkward about his feelings and didn’t understand them. How long ago did sora say he wanted a paopu and why did Riku keep that thought in mind?
Another thought. Riku gives sora the paopu on a very particular day. It’s the day before the storm. It’s the day before he knows the island is going to fall. Did Riku give sora the paopu fruit because no matter what happened that night, he wanted them to remained intertwined in each other’s lives? That maybe even after he was going to do, Sora wouldn’t leave him?
“I should’ve tried that paopu thing”
There’s only two other moments we see Riku with a paopu.
Once in official art
And once on the manga
Why would Riku have a paopu? He has no one to share it with, right? Sora and Kairi are a pair, right? There’s no one left for Riku to have a destiny with, right? He has the paopu all by himself, somehow for some reason, right?
Doesn’t it seem so strange that Riku holds the paopu alone in the first art, looking back at someone, and in the second art he stands next to Sora, who looks down at the paopu in surprise? Who is Riku looking at? Why does Sora look so surprised by the paopu? Why is he the only one looking at it and not the camera?
And isn’t so interesting that Sora and Riku actually do share a paopu? On the keyblade that represents their hearts coming together?
We never see Sora and Riku share a paopu and yet there it is, attached to ropes woven together like they are in their lives. This is purely symbolic because of how much the paopu means to them. They didn’t actually share a paopu but they didn’t have to. Their wills were stronger than fate. They made themselves apart of each other’s lives no matter what all in their own.
Why did Riku introduce the paopu to the series?
Because Riku wanted to share the paopu with Sora. Because Riku wanted to make sure that he and Sora’s destinies were intertwined. Because Riku loves Sora.
