Kingdom Hearts: "Dawning"
Featuring: Riku, Namine
Rating: PG
Prompt: morning
Timeline: beginning of KHII
Words: 494
Spoilers! SPOILERS HERE. Just stay away if you haven't beaten Kingdom Hearts II, that's all I'm saying. Other than that, no warnings. Gen, with a little bit of angst, as Riku and Namine do...what they have to.
Dawning
He wondered what time it was. In the mansion basement, there was no way to tell. Only displays of the digital Twilight Town, and they weren't very helpful. But he would have guessed very, very late at night. He could feel the dawn coming.
Namine came up behind him silently. She made almost no sound when she moved, like a ghost. She'd figured out a trick that Kairi probably never would. Briefly, he wondered if the other girl would've been jealous; dismissed it, because she would know, like he did, that you only learned to be that quiet if people hurt you for making noise. Then he shoved those thoughts away. They made him angry, and he couldn't do anything with that anger. Not now. Maybe not ever. Sora would take care of it anyway.
The night was almost over.
Abruptly, he became aware of Namine's eyes on him. She wasn't watching the monitors anymore, and her gaze had settled on his face, his hands at the controls, like a physical weight.
It burned.
"You should be sleeping," he told her stiffly.
She just looked at him a few seconds longer with those eyes. Brutally blue eyes that reminded him of everything he could never have. Then she turned away. Merciful. "So should you. He...left this watch for you again?"
He from her meant DiZ. "Yeah. I guess he thinks the kid's going to just up and bolt for the edge of town any second now."
"Roxas is resourceful."
If Namine noticed the way he flinched at the sound of the name, she gave no sign. But he couldn't help it. Every time she did that, he had to brace himself for the tirade -- for her to tell him that this blond kid had a name, that he was a human being, that what they were doing to him was wrong -- but even though she must have been thinking it, she never did.
He couldn't understand that. The way DiZ had explained things, this kid was almost her brother, in a way. Didn't she think he had a right to exist?
Didn't she think she had a right to exist?
"But it's not a question of right. We don't exist. We were never meant to."
He went rigid. He hadn't said anything. He was sure he hadn't. "What?"
Namine looked at him again. "That's what you were thinking, right? More or less? I've seen Sora's memories. I was born when he lost his heart. And I am still Kairi's shadow." She smiled, a trace of sadness in it. "I'm sorry. But I think I know you better than anyone."
He could not quite hide his horror. And, of course, Namine saw it at once.
"Don't worry," she said softly, turning her attention back to the display. "It really is almost over. It'll be morning soon."
She didn't say it. She didn't have to. They both knew that the morning belonged to others.
Rating: PG
Prompt: morning
Timeline: beginning of KHII
Words: 494
Spoilers! SPOILERS HERE. Just stay away if you haven't beaten Kingdom Hearts II, that's all I'm saying. Other than that, no warnings. Gen, with a little bit of angst, as Riku and Namine do...what they have to.
Dawning
He wondered what time it was. In the mansion basement, there was no way to tell. Only displays of the digital Twilight Town, and they weren't very helpful. But he would have guessed very, very late at night. He could feel the dawn coming.
Namine came up behind him silently. She made almost no sound when she moved, like a ghost. She'd figured out a trick that Kairi probably never would. Briefly, he wondered if the other girl would've been jealous; dismissed it, because she would know, like he did, that you only learned to be that quiet if people hurt you for making noise. Then he shoved those thoughts away. They made him angry, and he couldn't do anything with that anger. Not now. Maybe not ever. Sora would take care of it anyway.
The night was almost over.
Abruptly, he became aware of Namine's eyes on him. She wasn't watching the monitors anymore, and her gaze had settled on his face, his hands at the controls, like a physical weight.
It burned.
"You should be sleeping," he told her stiffly.
She just looked at him a few seconds longer with those eyes. Brutally blue eyes that reminded him of everything he could never have. Then she turned away. Merciful. "So should you. He...left this watch for you again?"
He from her meant DiZ. "Yeah. I guess he thinks the kid's going to just up and bolt for the edge of town any second now."
"Roxas is resourceful."
If Namine noticed the way he flinched at the sound of the name, she gave no sign. But he couldn't help it. Every time she did that, he had to brace himself for the tirade -- for her to tell him that this blond kid had a name, that he was a human being, that what they were doing to him was wrong -- but even though she must have been thinking it, she never did.
He couldn't understand that. The way DiZ had explained things, this kid was almost her brother, in a way. Didn't she think he had a right to exist?
Didn't she think she had a right to exist?
"But it's not a question of right. We don't exist. We were never meant to."
He went rigid. He hadn't said anything. He was sure he hadn't. "What?"
Namine looked at him again. "That's what you were thinking, right? More or less? I've seen Sora's memories. I was born when he lost his heart. And I am still Kairi's shadow." She smiled, a trace of sadness in it. "I'm sorry. But I think I know you better than anyone."
He could not quite hide his horror. And, of course, Namine saw it at once.
"Don't worry," she said softly, turning her attention back to the display. "It really is almost over. It'll be morning soon."
She didn't say it. She didn't have to. They both knew that the morning belonged to others.