KH fic
Well, it's crap (as always), but it was worth a shot. x3;
Title: Timebomb
Rating: G, PG?
Word Count: 1,613
Pairing: mostly Sora/Kairi with Riku/Kairi, but you could probably extract some Sora/Riku out of it. >_@
Notes: this is my first KH fic, so if it’s a little (or very) out of character, please bear with me. ^^;;; Idea mooched off of demons_silver, many thanks to her for letting me use and tweak it. ^_^
Warnings: angst, senseless predicaments, SPOILERS, and character death. =x
***
It was almost… funny, how oblivious the two of them were. Kairi not noticing was one thing: she was a girl, a good friend, of course, but not the best friend whom he confided to about everything. She knew him well, but not well enough to tell when something-this something-was off.
Sora, however, surprised him. Sora was the best friend in which he confided; Sora did know him that well; and Sora was the one who battled alongside him and witnessed his difficulty.
But even Sora didn’t realize.
It took some time to learn that something was wrong with him. At first, he just thought that he simply remained tired after the long battle against the first member of Organization XIII. Nothing special. But this time… This time, the exhaustion persisted longer than usual. And not only did it persist, but it also worsened, daily.
There were even nights that he was afraid that he would fall asleep and wouldn’t wake up.
Somebody-he could hardly remember or care who-had told him before that playing with the powers of darkness was a dangerous matter. But he, being the invincible Riku, didn’t listen. He had entered the darkness when it engulfed Destiny Islands; he had embraced the darkness when it was offered to him by Ansem; and he had become the darkness in his quest to return to normal.
Somehow, someway, it must have destroyed him. It did something to him-left an irreversible effect-and now it was too late even to try and fight against it.
It was like he was a ticking timebomb.
One evening, he almost wanted to tell the others. They were his friends, after all-even if they did find more comfort in being with each other. Ever since they had returned to the islands, Sora and Kairi became almost… inseparable. As if they were one and the same person, connected by destiny, and now able to be together at last.
Who was he to take that away from them?
Sora and Kairi strolled along the edge of the water, her fingers entwined in his. They must have thought that nobody saw them, even though Riku walked right behind them, dragging his feet along the sand. Discretely, Riku watched their outlines-so close together, so natural at each other’s side.
They’re practically made for each other, Riku thought and almost sighed, but caught himself. After all, sighing was not Riku-like; it showed weakness. And even if they… weren’t…
At that moment, watching Kairi’s slim figure as her body swayed with every step, he just really, really, really wanted to be the one holding her hand. Several times he even thought to tell her that he… That I… That, well…
Either way, he couldn’t. It would be unfair, to both of them, because if he did win her affection, he probably would not be there for long.
But then, wouldn’t his absence make it easier on Kairi to see there was something better than him, if she had ever wondered?
It made no sense, but he had made up his mind: he didn’t have enough time to keep pondering the matter. He had to tell her.
Riku sped up his walk a little, then slowed back down, stopping entirely. For some reason, the effort cost too much energy, and it wasn’t even that great an effort, really. His breathing turned shallow, and he could hardly fill his lungs with air. He needed rest, and fast, but… who knows if he would wake up from that rest?
He glanced up, beautiful turquoise eyes gleaming in the silvery moonlight. Sora and Kairi were almost too far to reach, too absorbed in their low-voiced conversation to realize that their third companion no longer walked with them. Stand there, let them keep walking, and you may never speak to them again.
He had no regrets, except for one, and that would be never having told those two what he should have.
Keep standing, let them walk away from you. You did do so before, after all.
His fists tightened at his sides, and he hastened his speed. Already he felt his energy draining out of him, quickly, but he couldn’t care less. He had to get this over with. Eventually. “Kairi,” he called.
Kairi and Sora both stopped and Kairi half-turned to look over her shoulder. Then she gasped and gave a start when Riku collapsed to his knees, landing face-forward onto the white sand.
“Riku!” the girl cried and instantly dropped Sora’s hand. She ran to him, tripping once before hurtling herself at his side.
Sora just stood there, gaping, and watched. But when Kairi knelt at a fallen Riku’s side, he processed the images. He crossed the distance between them in several long strides, falling to his knees at Riku’s side as well. Sora grabbed his friend’s shoulders and turned him over, supporting him by the back of his neck.
“Hey, Riku!” he said urgently. “Riku, quit it, alright? What do you think you’re doi-?”
Riku laughed quietly, though, and Sora silenced. “Sora, shut up,” Riku murmured, though there was no need. “You… you really are an idiot… And you’re too loud…”
“Riku, what’s going on?” Kairi demanded, tears trickling down her cheeks. She didn’t understand what was happening, but something told her that she should be crying-so she did. “Come on, get up. We’ll take you back and someone can help you and…”
But Kairi’s own hesitation proved she believed in it just about as much as Riku did.
“I’m beyond help,” Riku said with a slight smile. “Right now, you… you just need to listen…” He stopped and tried to find the words that he had to say to Kairi, faltered, and looked back at Sora. “Hey. Sora.”
There was a strange expression on Sora’s face, like a frightened fawn whose mother lay dying in the shrubbery, shot by hunters’ guns. “Riku…?”
Riku almost smiled sincerely that time. Maybe Sora was a little-well, very thick, but he knew enough; at least he was comfortable like that, with his head cradled in Sora’s arms. It was as if Sora knew, impossible as it was for him, that Invincible Riku was gone.
Because here was This Riku, who hardly had the energy to tell his two best friends what he should have very long ago.
“Sora…? You’re not an idiot,” Riku forced out, breathing slowly. Already he felt as if he wouldn’t have the strength to finish. No. Just a little longer. You have to tell them. “Look, you… you just take my place, alright? Somebody has to be… be best at ev-everything around here, right?”
There were tears streaming from Sora’s eyes, too. Perhaps Riku was supposed to be crying, as well, along with those other two. If he was, he didn’t notice.
Sora nodded once. “Y-yeah… That shouldn’t be too hard…”
Riku smiled. “You should keep that attitude,” he mentioned. “You’ll need it to… take care of… things…”
A shock like icy fire burned through his veins. Breathing turned harder. Wrap it up. You don’t have much time.
Slowly, afraid of wasting too much energy, Riku turned to face Kairi. The girl had a fist up to her mouth, and she bit on it while saltwater ran down her cheeks like little waterfalls. For a moment, Riku forgot how he didn’t have much time. He just watched her, admiring the pretty, crystal-like appearance the tears and the moonlight adorned her in.
Then another shock reminded him to hurry.
“K-Kairi…” he tried to say, but his voice came out a whisper. “I have… t-to tell you… something…” His insides felt as if they were melting away, fading back into “the darkness from whence he came.”
It ought to make sense, of course. Those were his own words. Sort of.
“I-I-I’m l-listening, Riku,” Kairi sobbed, acting as if she, too, were like Riku.
But she wasn’t dying.
Riku looked up at Kairi, and Sora’s grip shifted, to accommodate Riku and make him as comfortable as possible, but it didn’t matter. He was going to die there in Sora’s arms, just as, he had figured, destiny would have it.
Kairi’s bloodshot blue eyes were locked on his. For once, he sat beside Sora, and her gaze was reserved for him and him alone. He wanted to preserve that moment, suddenly. To remember it and be able to cherish it for as long as he lived. Then he remembered just why she looked at him like that.
You don’t have much time. You need to hurry up. Hurry up and tell her. Tell her.
“Kairi…?”
Tell her. Tell her now. Tell her already. Go on. Tell her you love her. Say it. Say it. Say “Kairi, I love you.” Say it now before it’s too late.
Slowly, Riku smiled one last time, a weak, broken smile. And, with all the energy he managed to muster for it, he muttered, “Bye…”
Riku’s head fell back, his silver hair spilling between Sora’s fingers. His breath stopped.
A crystal-like, sheer form rose from his chest, lingered for a moment above his body, and then flew up into the air. It vanished.
Sora shut his eyes tightly and, crying out, bent over his friend, pulling his still-warm body towards his own. He sobbed into Riku’s shirt, not caring who saw or heard him or what they made of it.
Kairi put her hand to her mouth again, and she, too, closed her eyes over the tears. It wasn’t until she chanced a look down at her closed fist in her lap that she saw Riku’s fingers were still curled around it.
~fin~
x-posting to kingdomhearts2
Carpe Diem,
-Rose
Title: Timebomb
Rating: G, PG?
Word Count: 1,613
Pairing: mostly Sora/Kairi with Riku/Kairi, but you could probably extract some Sora/Riku out of it. >_@
Notes: this is my first KH fic, so if it’s a little (or very) out of character, please bear with me. ^^;;; Idea mooched off of demons_silver, many thanks to her for letting me use and tweak it. ^_^
Warnings: angst, senseless predicaments, SPOILERS, and character death. =x
***
It was almost… funny, how oblivious the two of them were. Kairi not noticing was one thing: she was a girl, a good friend, of course, but not the best friend whom he confided to about everything. She knew him well, but not well enough to tell when something-this something-was off.
Sora, however, surprised him. Sora was the best friend in which he confided; Sora did know him that well; and Sora was the one who battled alongside him and witnessed his difficulty.
But even Sora didn’t realize.
It took some time to learn that something was wrong with him. At first, he just thought that he simply remained tired after the long battle against the first member of Organization XIII. Nothing special. But this time… This time, the exhaustion persisted longer than usual. And not only did it persist, but it also worsened, daily.
There were even nights that he was afraid that he would fall asleep and wouldn’t wake up.
Somebody-he could hardly remember or care who-had told him before that playing with the powers of darkness was a dangerous matter. But he, being the invincible Riku, didn’t listen. He had entered the darkness when it engulfed Destiny Islands; he had embraced the darkness when it was offered to him by Ansem; and he had become the darkness in his quest to return to normal.
Somehow, someway, it must have destroyed him. It did something to him-left an irreversible effect-and now it was too late even to try and fight against it.
It was like he was a ticking timebomb.
One evening, he almost wanted to tell the others. They were his friends, after all-even if they did find more comfort in being with each other. Ever since they had returned to the islands, Sora and Kairi became almost… inseparable. As if they were one and the same person, connected by destiny, and now able to be together at last.
Who was he to take that away from them?
Sora and Kairi strolled along the edge of the water, her fingers entwined in his. They must have thought that nobody saw them, even though Riku walked right behind them, dragging his feet along the sand. Discretely, Riku watched their outlines-so close together, so natural at each other’s side.
They’re practically made for each other, Riku thought and almost sighed, but caught himself. After all, sighing was not Riku-like; it showed weakness. And even if they… weren’t…
At that moment, watching Kairi’s slim figure as her body swayed with every step, he just really, really, really wanted to be the one holding her hand. Several times he even thought to tell her that he… That I… That, well…
Either way, he couldn’t. It would be unfair, to both of them, because if he did win her affection, he probably would not be there for long.
But then, wouldn’t his absence make it easier on Kairi to see there was something better than him, if she had ever wondered?
It made no sense, but he had made up his mind: he didn’t have enough time to keep pondering the matter. He had to tell her.
Riku sped up his walk a little, then slowed back down, stopping entirely. For some reason, the effort cost too much energy, and it wasn’t even that great an effort, really. His breathing turned shallow, and he could hardly fill his lungs with air. He needed rest, and fast, but… who knows if he would wake up from that rest?
He glanced up, beautiful turquoise eyes gleaming in the silvery moonlight. Sora and Kairi were almost too far to reach, too absorbed in their low-voiced conversation to realize that their third companion no longer walked with them. Stand there, let them keep walking, and you may never speak to them again.
He had no regrets, except for one, and that would be never having told those two what he should have.
Keep standing, let them walk away from you. You did do so before, after all.
His fists tightened at his sides, and he hastened his speed. Already he felt his energy draining out of him, quickly, but he couldn’t care less. He had to get this over with. Eventually. “Kairi,” he called.
Kairi and Sora both stopped and Kairi half-turned to look over her shoulder. Then she gasped and gave a start when Riku collapsed to his knees, landing face-forward onto the white sand.
“Riku!” the girl cried and instantly dropped Sora’s hand. She ran to him, tripping once before hurtling herself at his side.
Sora just stood there, gaping, and watched. But when Kairi knelt at a fallen Riku’s side, he processed the images. He crossed the distance between them in several long strides, falling to his knees at Riku’s side as well. Sora grabbed his friend’s shoulders and turned him over, supporting him by the back of his neck.
“Hey, Riku!” he said urgently. “Riku, quit it, alright? What do you think you’re doi-?”
Riku laughed quietly, though, and Sora silenced. “Sora, shut up,” Riku murmured, though there was no need. “You… you really are an idiot… And you’re too loud…”
“Riku, what’s going on?” Kairi demanded, tears trickling down her cheeks. She didn’t understand what was happening, but something told her that she should be crying-so she did. “Come on, get up. We’ll take you back and someone can help you and…”
But Kairi’s own hesitation proved she believed in it just about as much as Riku did.
“I’m beyond help,” Riku said with a slight smile. “Right now, you… you just need to listen…” He stopped and tried to find the words that he had to say to Kairi, faltered, and looked back at Sora. “Hey. Sora.”
There was a strange expression on Sora’s face, like a frightened fawn whose mother lay dying in the shrubbery, shot by hunters’ guns. “Riku…?”
Riku almost smiled sincerely that time. Maybe Sora was a little-well, very thick, but he knew enough; at least he was comfortable like that, with his head cradled in Sora’s arms. It was as if Sora knew, impossible as it was for him, that Invincible Riku was gone.
Because here was This Riku, who hardly had the energy to tell his two best friends what he should have very long ago.
“Sora…? You’re not an idiot,” Riku forced out, breathing slowly. Already he felt as if he wouldn’t have the strength to finish. No. Just a little longer. You have to tell them. “Look, you… you just take my place, alright? Somebody has to be… be best at ev-everything around here, right?”
There were tears streaming from Sora’s eyes, too. Perhaps Riku was supposed to be crying, as well, along with those other two. If he was, he didn’t notice.
Sora nodded once. “Y-yeah… That shouldn’t be too hard…”
Riku smiled. “You should keep that attitude,” he mentioned. “You’ll need it to… take care of… things…”
A shock like icy fire burned through his veins. Breathing turned harder. Wrap it up. You don’t have much time.
Slowly, afraid of wasting too much energy, Riku turned to face Kairi. The girl had a fist up to her mouth, and she bit on it while saltwater ran down her cheeks like little waterfalls. For a moment, Riku forgot how he didn’t have much time. He just watched her, admiring the pretty, crystal-like appearance the tears and the moonlight adorned her in.
Then another shock reminded him to hurry.
“K-Kairi…” he tried to say, but his voice came out a whisper. “I have… t-to tell you… something…” His insides felt as if they were melting away, fading back into “the darkness from whence he came.”
It ought to make sense, of course. Those were his own words. Sort of.
“I-I-I’m l-listening, Riku,” Kairi sobbed, acting as if she, too, were like Riku.
But she wasn’t dying.
Riku looked up at Kairi, and Sora’s grip shifted, to accommodate Riku and make him as comfortable as possible, but it didn’t matter. He was going to die there in Sora’s arms, just as, he had figured, destiny would have it.
Kairi’s bloodshot blue eyes were locked on his. For once, he sat beside Sora, and her gaze was reserved for him and him alone. He wanted to preserve that moment, suddenly. To remember it and be able to cherish it for as long as he lived. Then he remembered just why she looked at him like that.
You don’t have much time. You need to hurry up. Hurry up and tell her. Tell her.
“Kairi…?”
Tell her. Tell her now. Tell her already. Go on. Tell her you love her. Say it. Say it. Say “Kairi, I love you.” Say it now before it’s too late.
Slowly, Riku smiled one last time, a weak, broken smile. And, with all the energy he managed to muster for it, he muttered, “Bye…”
Riku’s head fell back, his silver hair spilling between Sora’s fingers. His breath stopped.
A crystal-like, sheer form rose from his chest, lingered for a moment above his body, and then flew up into the air. It vanished.
Sora shut his eyes tightly and, crying out, bent over his friend, pulling his still-warm body towards his own. He sobbed into Riku’s shirt, not caring who saw or heard him or what they made of it.
Kairi put her hand to her mouth again, and she, too, closed her eyes over the tears. It wasn’t until she chanced a look down at her closed fist in her lap that she saw Riku’s fingers were still curled around it.
~fin~
x-posting to kingdomhearts2
Carpe Diem,
-Rose