.four

[dawn_is_coming]

[Sora and Kairi were asleep when the gravity left---which means two keybladers are in their nightclothes, floating among the blankets. Sora stretches, grinning, and turns a somersault]

Haha! This is awesome! Kai, wake up!

Comments

[dawnward]

I'll just hold on to the wall. [does so, back to Sora]

Cans, rolls of paper towels, things like that. I can replace them later. I use them to slow my momentum.

[dawn_is_coming]

[laughs, then goes to work undoing Riku's braid with practiced efficiency. He's been doing Kairi's every day since it got long enough to bother her]

Man, your hair's soft. It's all fi---

[he's brushed his fingers through his hair, loosening it, and pulled it into a ponytail with one hand. This has left his neck bare, the tattoo visible for the first time]

...Riku. What the fuck is this?

[brightestdawn]

.... [so, so softly, sad and unsurprised] That's the Nobody symbol.

[dawnward]

[Riku instantly tenses. how...how could he have forgotten that was there? how stupid! stupid!

his shoulders are rigid, voice tight, but reasonably level]

...it's nothing important. Ignore it.

[dawn_is_coming]

Not important? That's a---a---[he can't even say it. His throat has closed up around it, hot and tight]

I can't believe this. I can't. You--fucking---you're not theirs!

[brightestdawn]

[She's pressed a hand over her mouth, trying to fight off the sudden and overwhelming sadness. Immediately she reaches out a hand and grips Sora's shoulder in a grip just a little bit too tight to be reassuring. Her voice is so quiet he'll have to stop shouting to hear her.]

Sora. Don't.

[a pause, then:]

What does it mean, Riku?

[dawnward]

[his hands are fisted against the wall, keeping him in place. he hasn't turned around yet, or even looked over his shoulder. he can't]

It's a rank mark. That's all. Everyone's given one for identification when they finish training. [the way he says it, it sounds so simple. neutral.

besides, it stopped hurting a long time ago]

...it doesn't mean anything.

[dawn_is_coming]

[Sora is furious beyond words. Not at Riku, of course, but at the Organization of their world. The other Nobodies on the ship are pale and weak by comparison; he's almost forgotten how much venom he has for the war he left behind. It's enough to strangle him now, balling up his hands and knotting up his stomach.

He needs to hit something, hard, but there's no leering dark face to hit]

[brightestdawn]

.... what rank does that make you, then?

[her voice is gentle, full of forgiveness as she reaches out and places her hands lightly on Riku's shoulders, touch fluttering before she steadies herself and resumes braiding where Sora left off.

While she does, she gives Sora a look. It's deep and sad, her blue eyes almost darker for it.]

[dawnward]

S-Class. [for the first time he sounds strained, emotions backing up in his throat. he swallows hard against the lump in order to continue]

That tattoo is for S-Class. There isn't a required area for the tattoos to be; I choose for them to put it there. [so he could hide it.

he still hasn't looked behind him. he's not sure he'll be able to. he doesn't want to see the look on Sora's face]

[dawn_is_coming]

[he needs out. Now. Sora's caught halfway between wanting to yell at the top of his lungs and hit something with his keyblade and cling to Riku and just cry. Pushing away before he can tip in either direction, he makes his way to the door and slams his palm on the reader.

The door opens with a hiss and Sora's gone. He won't pick a fight this time---not when it isn't Riku he's angry with]

[brightestdawn]

[She flinches. Riku will be able to feel it in the way her fingers briefly pause tighten relax. She finishes the braid quickly after that, using a hairband she'd had around her wrist to tie it off. But her hands longer, ghosting across his shoulders.]

S-Class. Heh. ... You're right, Riku. It's just a mark.

[she drops her hands and lets herself drift, waiting for him to abandon her here too.]

[dawnward]

[the silence stretches long in the air. Riku doesn't know what to say, or if anything he said could be of any use at all.

in the end...]

I'm sorry, Kairi. [he glances over his shoulder finally, then carefully turns himself, back against the wall]

I'm sorry.

[brightestdawn]

[the sadness evaporates from her expression, leaving something only calm. oddly calculating. her voice is low, shadowed.]

For what?

[dawnward]

[like Riku would miss that.

he levels his voice, meeting her eyes]

I should've known better than to put my hair up. I didn't want to upset Sora.

[brightestdawn]

[she looks away for a moment, hair flowing around her with the movement] Don't be stupid, Riku. We would have seen eventually, one way or the other. You didn't do anything wrong, so there's nothing to apologize for.

Besides, like we've been saying. [she meets his gaze again, with the same calm calculation, though a little gentler.] It really is just a mark. It doesn't matter to me.