KH AU: fanfic100 -- "In the Dead of Night," lightning
Another Side, Another Story... Instead of Roxas getting pulled into Sora at the end of the Six Days, Sora was pulled into Roxas. Oddly, KH2 mostly continues as scheduled. But one noticeable difference is that Roxas, lacking a home, finds a place for himself (and Axel and Namine with him) in Hollow Bastion, along with a household full of assorted riffraff, a patchwork family quilt that could take a few more patches...
Previously on Another Side!:
013: The Garden of Everything, Aerith+Namine
016: Being Family, Cloud+Yuffie
068: Lightning
In the Dead of Night
Namine and Yuffie
(spoilers for Namine's weapon in AS)
The shattering of the glass was nearly completely drowned out by the crack of thunder that came immediately after it, but when Namine glanced at Yuffie she knew that the other girl had heard as well. They both got slowly to their feet, and Namine fought the urge to wrap her arms tightly around herself.
"Where did that come from?"
"I didn't get a good--" Yuffie paused very suddenly. The sound of the wind rushed through the house, bringing with it a sudden chill that didn't help their unease. "It's definitely upstairs."
Well, good, Namine thought. Anyone who wandered into Merlin's rooms would probably be as much a danger to them as to himself. "Is it an intruder?" she asked, soft, trying not to be overheard or to disturb the stillness of the house under the storm outside. "I mean... Would someone have broken in?"
"They'll regret it if they have," the ninja said, smug, but Namine noticed that they both flinched at the next clap of thunder that followed immediately on the heels of a bright flash of light.
Who in this city would do that? she didn't ask. They were all good, friendly people, the courageous, who fought to save everything they'd lost. Opportunists and the ruthless... Surely they wouldn't still be here.
Who in this city would do that to us? she didn't ask either. What in the name of all that was good could be served by breaking into the house of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee? Who could be so heartless? And then she thought that it might be Nobodies, a squadron of Sorcerers, and her blood went cold.
Yuffie started to move very slowly, reaching into the discreet pouch at her belt. It was hard not to tell her to be careful -- she certainly knew that for herself. "We can take care of this ourselves," the dark-haired girl murmured, voice so low as to almost be inaudible. "Make sure you have your naginata."
It took a moment before Namine could shake that off and summon the spear, gripping its wood tightly in both hands. To herself, she murmured, "I wish Roxas and Leon were here."
"We can take care of this ourselves," Yuffie repeated, impatient. But the next sudden flood of light it was Yuffie who uttered a small startled sound and flinched, and braced herself until the rumble came and went. She wasn't impatient because Namine was slow... She was impatient with herself.
If Roxas and Axel and Leon had been here, theirs would have been a fighting force to daunt any intruder, from the lowliest robber to the most senior member of the Organization. Even if Cid or Merlin or Aerith had been here, at least they wouldn't have been alone. But instead everyone was overlooking preparations at the castle, and they were just two teenage girls who had spent the evening huddling in the living room and talking about everything and nothing in order to ignore the silence that reigned everywhere except outside, where nature at her darkest shook the world.
She couldn't speak for Yuffie, but Namine knew that at least for her part, she'd been trying hard to ignore the creaking of the house, the emptiness all around. Then this...
Yuffie took the steps one at a time, placing her feet so carefully, so lightly, and making not a sound. Namine tried to step where she stepped, but that didn't stop the stairs from occasionally creaking and making them both wince. She gave up that tactic, instead moving only when the noise outside would mask her quiet footfalls. Yuffie paused again near the top of the stairs, crouching low and peering over the edge, and then shook it off, getting to her feet again. She was still empty-handed, though, despite her wariness-- Her fighting shuriken was in her room, meaning all she had on her was her small throwing stars.
Namine's room, and Axel and Roxas's room, were not accessible from the outside, so the broken glass couldn't have been from one of their windows. That meant either Leon and Cid's room, or...
Both doors were closed. Yuffie slowly edged up the hallway, keeping close to the wall, and paused again to listen. Namine strained her ears and heard nothing unusual, but the older girl murmured under her breath. "My room. On three."
She isn't serious! But Yuffie was more serious than Namine had ever seen her, so she gripped tighter to the spear and let a word of magic come to her lips, ready to back up her companion. If she didn't look like she was shaking, the enemy might just be... scared off to find that the two teenage girls were capable and strong and willing to fight.
With a bang almost as sudden and loud as the thunder, Yuffie threw open the door, metal stars studding her hand, and she looked around wildly. A shrill scream met her bold gesture, high-pitched and quavery.
Almost numbly, Yuffie said, "What-- Is someone there?"
Namine couldn't see what happened next around Yuffie's taller form, but there was a shoving sound and a sound of many objects falling, and then a desolate-seeming squeak. The ninja unwound slowly, stepping into the room, and Namine shifted to the doorway uneasily.
Lightning lit the room, revealing the mess of... weaponry and gear and traps? that had fallen out of the closet on the far side of the room. Thunder followed it heartbeats after, and there was another whimpering sound, recognizably from the pile near the closet.
Yuffie said, louder, more confident, "Come on out. We won't hurt you."
"Yuffie," Namine said uncertainly. She felt the same way-- The same unwinding as the sense of danger began to recede-- But usually she had to convince Roxas and Axel that they were being overly violent instead of watching someone else take the lead in relaxing. It was kind of unnerving. So this is how it feels.
Then a small sword fell to one side, followed by a quiver of arrows, and from beneath them emerged a very tiny and miserable blonde girl, shivering a little, visible even at this distance.
"Aren't you... Rikku?" Yuffie said, disbelievingly.
The fairy girl muttered, almost to herself, "I'm afraid of--" The words were cut off by a yelp and a cower as thunder rocked the house again.
Namine couldn't help smiling then, relief and sympathy welling up inside her like warmth. Yuffie, too, was grinning as she suggested, "Come on downstairs. Just for one night you can stay here with us. Everything had better be here in the morning, kay?"
"We'll make you some cocoa," Namine added, trying very hard not to laugh and risk offending the poor terrified little figure with her strange wings wrapped all but around her head. She didn't really want to laugh at her. She just wanted to laugh.
Previously on Another Side!:
013: The Garden of Everything, Aerith+Namine
016: Being Family, Cloud+Yuffie
068: Lightning
In the Dead of Night
Namine and Yuffie
(spoilers for Namine's weapon in AS)
The shattering of the glass was nearly completely drowned out by the crack of thunder that came immediately after it, but when Namine glanced at Yuffie she knew that the other girl had heard as well. They both got slowly to their feet, and Namine fought the urge to wrap her arms tightly around herself.
"Where did that come from?"
"I didn't get a good--" Yuffie paused very suddenly. The sound of the wind rushed through the house, bringing with it a sudden chill that didn't help their unease. "It's definitely upstairs."
Well, good, Namine thought. Anyone who wandered into Merlin's rooms would probably be as much a danger to them as to himself. "Is it an intruder?" she asked, soft, trying not to be overheard or to disturb the stillness of the house under the storm outside. "I mean... Would someone have broken in?"
"They'll regret it if they have," the ninja said, smug, but Namine noticed that they both flinched at the next clap of thunder that followed immediately on the heels of a bright flash of light.
Who in this city would do that? she didn't ask. They were all good, friendly people, the courageous, who fought to save everything they'd lost. Opportunists and the ruthless... Surely they wouldn't still be here.
Who in this city would do that to us? she didn't ask either. What in the name of all that was good could be served by breaking into the house of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee? Who could be so heartless? And then she thought that it might be Nobodies, a squadron of Sorcerers, and her blood went cold.
Yuffie started to move very slowly, reaching into the discreet pouch at her belt. It was hard not to tell her to be careful -- she certainly knew that for herself. "We can take care of this ourselves," the dark-haired girl murmured, voice so low as to almost be inaudible. "Make sure you have your naginata."
It took a moment before Namine could shake that off and summon the spear, gripping its wood tightly in both hands. To herself, she murmured, "I wish Roxas and Leon were here."
"We can take care of this ourselves," Yuffie repeated, impatient. But the next sudden flood of light it was Yuffie who uttered a small startled sound and flinched, and braced herself until the rumble came and went. She wasn't impatient because Namine was slow... She was impatient with herself.
If Roxas and Axel and Leon had been here, theirs would have been a fighting force to daunt any intruder, from the lowliest robber to the most senior member of the Organization. Even if Cid or Merlin or Aerith had been here, at least they wouldn't have been alone. But instead everyone was overlooking preparations at the castle, and they were just two teenage girls who had spent the evening huddling in the living room and talking about everything and nothing in order to ignore the silence that reigned everywhere except outside, where nature at her darkest shook the world.
She couldn't speak for Yuffie, but Namine knew that at least for her part, she'd been trying hard to ignore the creaking of the house, the emptiness all around. Then this...
Yuffie took the steps one at a time, placing her feet so carefully, so lightly, and making not a sound. Namine tried to step where she stepped, but that didn't stop the stairs from occasionally creaking and making them both wince. She gave up that tactic, instead moving only when the noise outside would mask her quiet footfalls. Yuffie paused again near the top of the stairs, crouching low and peering over the edge, and then shook it off, getting to her feet again. She was still empty-handed, though, despite her wariness-- Her fighting shuriken was in her room, meaning all she had on her was her small throwing stars.
Namine's room, and Axel and Roxas's room, were not accessible from the outside, so the broken glass couldn't have been from one of their windows. That meant either Leon and Cid's room, or...
Both doors were closed. Yuffie slowly edged up the hallway, keeping close to the wall, and paused again to listen. Namine strained her ears and heard nothing unusual, but the older girl murmured under her breath. "My room. On three."
She isn't serious! But Yuffie was more serious than Namine had ever seen her, so she gripped tighter to the spear and let a word of magic come to her lips, ready to back up her companion. If she didn't look like she was shaking, the enemy might just be... scared off to find that the two teenage girls were capable and strong and willing to fight.
With a bang almost as sudden and loud as the thunder, Yuffie threw open the door, metal stars studding her hand, and she looked around wildly. A shrill scream met her bold gesture, high-pitched and quavery.
Almost numbly, Yuffie said, "What-- Is someone there?"
Namine couldn't see what happened next around Yuffie's taller form, but there was a shoving sound and a sound of many objects falling, and then a desolate-seeming squeak. The ninja unwound slowly, stepping into the room, and Namine shifted to the doorway uneasily.
Lightning lit the room, revealing the mess of... weaponry and gear and traps? that had fallen out of the closet on the far side of the room. Thunder followed it heartbeats after, and there was another whimpering sound, recognizably from the pile near the closet.
Yuffie said, louder, more confident, "Come on out. We won't hurt you."
"Yuffie," Namine said uncertainly. She felt the same way-- The same unwinding as the sense of danger began to recede-- But usually she had to convince Roxas and Axel that they were being overly violent instead of watching someone else take the lead in relaxing. It was kind of unnerving. So this is how it feels.
Then a small sword fell to one side, followed by a quiver of arrows, and from beneath them emerged a very tiny and miserable blonde girl, shivering a little, visible even at this distance.
"Aren't you... Rikku?" Yuffie said, disbelievingly.
The fairy girl muttered, almost to herself, "I'm afraid of--" The words were cut off by a yelp and a cower as thunder rocked the house again.
Namine couldn't help smiling then, relief and sympathy welling up inside her like warmth. Yuffie, too, was grinning as she suggested, "Come on downstairs. Just for one night you can stay here with us. Everything had better be here in the morning, kay?"
"We'll make you some cocoa," Namine added, trying very hard not to laugh and risk offending the poor terrified little figure with her strange wings wrapped all but around her head. She didn't really want to laugh at her. She just wanted to laugh.