[.001] O n e {Beginning
[It seemed somebody had finally figured out how to work this odd little device. ...More or less. It definitely seemed to be recording something. There was the sound of someone fumbling with it for several seconds, and then--]
H-… Hello? Is this--
[Naminé cleared her throat, lapsing into silence for a moment. How was she supposed to know if anyone ( Read more... )
You're...you're still here!?
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[And that would be the sound of her nearly dropping the phone again. That was a voice she definitely recognized-- or at least, she thought she did.]
Riku? What-- still...? Is... is this The World That Never Was?
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...This is World's End. Don't you remember that? Are you near that castle?
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World's End? [Wasn't that the place where the Door was? Ah, but wait, the castle? That she could grasp.] The castle-- I can see the castle, but what's going on? Why am I here and not--...?
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You...were scared after everything in the schoolhouse, and...didn't speak. You'd forgotten me ...me, Riqis? Do you know me?
...Riku's copy?
It's really dangerous to be out there now, Naminé. Especially the castle's side of the river. If no one's coming to get you someplace safe, I will.
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[Or... or had she? She knew the fragility of memory even better than most. She could have been here before, she could have been any number of places before, and if something had happened, she'd never have known.]
[The name wasn't familiar. Not at all, but those two words made her gasp. The replica? How could that be? He was--... maybe that meant she was--...]
[But she didn't have time to think about that now. No matter what might have been going on, he was right; this place wasn't safe, if the scenery was any indication. Whatever was going on-- she would deal with it, once she knew it was safe to stay where she was. So all she said was a quiet, almost ill-sounding,]
...I'm by a fountain.
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I'll try my best.
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[This was still so strange, that she was speaking to...]
...Okay.
[And she didn't say, 'Hurry', even though she was most definitely thinking it.]
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Too much going on at once, first the trouble of the plate explosion and making the tunnels safe for emergency bunkering in, then the tower and those dreams...
Now her. Just when he'd begun to think that maybe it was better with here somewhere else and safe, and happy. That he might be able to move on. Lock that part of his heart away, and let her just go ( ... )
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Before World's End. It seemed like half a forever ago, existing almost a year.]
Riqis.
[He reminded her swiftly, taking the bundle from under his arms and holding the jacket out to her...It had been a good instinct, to bring that along, since she was wearing that same white dress she'd shown up in the first time. Not your best clothes, for weather like this.]
...I'm-
[He wanted to blurt out 'glad to see you', but then felt bad, because she looked upset, probably scared to be here so suddenly. There was a lostness in her eyes that confirmed it, that those memories from not so long at all ago weren't there anymore.]
...I'm here. And you'll be okay now. I promise you...it's not so bad as it looks. Roxas is here...and...-
[He glanced aside, admitting with a quieter reluctance]
And Sora too. And some of the Organization, but they've let us alone, mostly.
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Yeah. That's me. My new name now.
[The jacket's sleeves fell over the tips of her fingers, he noticed, and smiled faintly, something a little bit rueful in his expression. He looked from her sandals to the cold ground, and beckoned back in the direction he'd came from...
At first he held out his hand to her, almost uncertainty, then quickly dropped it back to his side before she could take it, flushing slightly as he lowered his head, sucking his lower lip hard into his mouth.
...No, it was wrong to do that. To want to be so familiar with her again, so soon. Those were just the old echoed tuggings of heartstings that got tied off where they shouldn't be, then snipped away. He's just make sure she got inside somewhere, somewhere safe. Knew what was going on, so she wouldn't be confused and afraid ( ... )
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[In the beginning, she'd been afraid. Afraid of him, maybe, or afraid of what she'd done-- it hadn't mattered. She'd twisted him to shape a rival, a foil for Sora, she'd done what they'd wanted her to do, but... that had also meant that she'd had a part to play. A damsel in distress. And-- he was supposed to be her hero, or at least to think he was. He was supposed to look at her like that, to... 'care'. It had been too much, too much, because she knew what she'd done was wrong, because it was all some horrible lie and he was a stranger. A stranger that she'd helped make, but a stranger nevertheless. He reminded her of ( ... )
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[Maybe that was why she reached out her other hand and placed it over both of his. There was no pressure, no squeeze, just a gentle touch. She stared at their hands for a moment, then,]
Can we talk once we're inside?
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