004

[justabignobody]

Characters: Riku and open to everyone from the KH cast
Setting: All around the tower; backdated to 9th - 14th April
Format: I'll match to whatever you like!
Summary: Riku needs to talk to/reassure/warn/interrogate certain people. This feeling may or may not be mutual, so TL;DR is unavoidable.
Warnings: Can't think of anything right now, will add as needed!

[With all that has happened, it's impossible not to leave things be as they are; so much is clear. Whether Riku will find you or you'll find him, is not really important at this point - somehow you'll surely find an opportunity to meet.]

[ooc: Alright, just give me a date and a place, and we'll work it out from there! /o/]

Comments

[lethechained]

[Too late--]

[She hesitates once more. At this point, a lot of this is speculation. She'd like to confirm a bit more, but--]

... Well, Sora's heart has done... a lot of unusual things already, and with the involvement of Kairi's, it's-- all one big mess of variables. I've never seen or heard of something quite like it.

[justabignobody]

[Well, stop it. :|

He shakes his head, almost amused. Somehow this really shouldn't surprise them... this was Sora after all.]

So there's Kairi's, Ventus' and Sora's hearts... [He frowns as he thinks back to what Aqua has told him, trying his best to remember what she has told him about her time... frown deepening when he realizes:] ...She never told me what happened to Ventus.

[lethechained]

[Nope, she does what she wants--]

[Sora's got a big heart, yes, and apparently also a very crowded one.]

[She nods, confirming though it might not be necessary. That frown catches her attention, and she finds herself apprehensive even before he speaks again.] ... What did she tell you? [She's not certain who the 'she' in question is, but Naminé can take an educated guess; Aqua makes the most sense.]

[justabignobody]

[Well, he's not going to back down either. You are getting those crayons, no matter how much you argue. :|

Too crowded, if you were to ask Riku. But then again, it's Sora.]

She said... that Xehanort made Vanitas from Ventus' darkness. That he lead Terra towards the darkness and used that darkness to- [His throat tightens just a little at that moment - he still doesn't want to think too much about that, the fact that the man that had inspired his path had spent the last ten years like-] ...possess him at a later time.

And that she thought him and both of them fell into Darkness.

[lethechained]

[... :C Well, fine, be like that. ... <3]

[She listens, absorbing and contemplating. Hm. The hand that's still on his head moves ever so slightly at the more difficult part of his statement; she knows how that must effect him. So that's what Aqua knows so far, then.]

... She's... only part right, I think.

[justabignobody]

[Hey, don't sadface at him when you are secretly happy. >.>

He leans back into the touch, so thankful about it, even though he will never say that out loud (he likely doesn't need to anyways). He stays silent as her statement sinks in, head turning slightly up to catch her eyes again.]

'Only part'?

[lethechained]

[Secretly happy? There is no happy here, she has no happies, obviously. <333333]

[She looks back at him, leaving him to his pause for as long as it lasts.]

... Yes. Although Terra seems to have followed that path - at least, in a way - ... what befell Ventus was-- something else. I've come to believe that his heart found refuge somewhere, instead of being lost.

[justabignobody]

[Reeaaaally. You are not fooling him. :| <333333333333]

...With Sora?

[lethechained]

[Shhhhhhhh, nothing to see here. <333333333333333333333333]

... That seems to have been the case, yes.

[justabignobody]

[Of course not. >.> <333333333333333333333333333333333333333

He frowns to himself for a moment, trying to align that new information with the timeline of events... as he knows at least.]

But if that's what happened... [His head snaps up in surprise.] ...That must have been years ago. When we were kids.

[Though it might maybe make sense... somewhat... considering...]

...Is why Ventus and Roxas look the same?

[lethechained]

[She watches him work it out, head tilting slightly. His sudden movement makes her draw her hand away slightly, but it hovers where it ends up. She's a bit sketchy on the details, herself, but,]

It's... quite possible, yes. It does seem like the logical explanation.

[justabignobody]

[He relaxes and settles back again, nodding to himself as he turns that new piece of information over and over in his head... it makes sense... and yet generates so many new questions; none of which he is planning to bother Naminé with, at this point at least.]

...I see. Thanks.

[lethechained]

[Her reaction to that discovery was much the same. Her hand stays where it is for a moment before slowly relaxing, too, a while after he does.]

... Of course. You're welcome.

[justabignobody]

[Closing his eyes, he tilts his head back, letting the silent linger between them for just a little. Things are quite comfortable right now after all. Still...]

...Is there anything we can do?

[Aside of waiting for Vanitas and/or Xehanort to make the next move.]

[lethechained]

[Tilting his head back put it closer to her hand again, and during the silence that hand finally relaxes enough to rest very lightly against his hair again, though she doesn't move it.]

....

I'm... not sure. I'd rather not make a move unless... [Well, it's absolutely necessary. Vanitas may have started something once, but-- no, she knows better than to think that this is over.] ... Unless we have to. But if we do have to.... [... She can do her best to take care of it herself. Still, her expression is definitely not a happy one, at that thought.]

[justabignobody]

[He'll keep his head just there then and quietly continue relishing in the comfort of physical contact, his thoughts however still focused at the matter at hand, lips pressing into a thin line. He understands why Naminé would rather keep low profile, but...]

I... just dislike the thought of not doing anything at all. Waiting for them to show their cards can't be the solution either.

[lethechained]

[She's content to allow him that comfort, since he doesn't seem to mind it. After all, there really are other things at hand. Her lips purse, her brow knitting, and after a few moments she lets out a sigh that, coming from someone else, might have sounded frustrated. In her case, it comes out sounding more tired - though there is still a hint of that frustration.]

... I know. It doesn't sit right with me, either. But I--.... [She stops, then clamps her mouth shut, because she was going to say, 'don't know what to do,' and she can't say that, not right now.]

....

... They'll... just keep coming back. [Should things come to that, she means.] I suppose-- I suppose I could.... [She falters; rewriting people is not something she has any desire to do, even for a good reason, and even more so after her experiences in the tower, and that's why the very idea makes her feel a bit ill.]

[justabignobody]

[Oh, he is really the furthest thing from minding this - it's just so rare that he receives this kind of comfort and he'd never ask directly - but still he pulls his head away abruptly, he knows what she us not saying she could do and he needs her to know that he'd never want her to do something she'd rather not... especially when there is a different way.]

That's not what I meant.

[He reaches up to her, his hand not quite touching but hovering just lightly over hers, finger tips maybe brushing lightly against the back of her hand.]

I know they'd come back, but... there has to be a way to defend ourselves better.

[lethechained]

[She lifts her hand away slightly at the movement as well, startling a little, and her eyes follow him, a tiny bit wider than usual. His words make her blink, but immediately she feels some of the tension drain out of her. Her eyes shift toward his hand once she feels its presence, but her gaze doesn't linger, instead turning back to him.]

....

[She pauses, biting her lip against the words, 'that is a way to defend ourselves'. Because that's not something she wants to say or think.]

[... Surely, if her hand moves just enough to press the back of it very, very lightly against his fingertips, it's unintentional.]

... Of course. It's... not the time for that. [And she means the 'that' she was talking about before, not what he just said.] We'll figure something out.

[justabignobody]

[He doesn't let himself be bothered by her reaction, eyes steady kept on her face. He hesitates for just a second when her hand brushes against his fingers, eyes darting down, before he decides to take it maybe sort of as encouragement and lets his hand drop slightly, his fingertips pressing lightly against the back of her hand, giving it a very, very light squeeze.]

Yes... I know, we will. [That much he is sure of, at least.]

[lethechained]

[There's a blink that coincides with the touch, but she makes no move to pull away; he was right to take it that way, even if she's not about to admit it. It's comforting, but if she admits that it is, wouldn't that be silly, when she's got no real discomfort to ease? And selfish, so-- All the same, she lets out a very faint sigh, then carefully eases a smile onto her face, for both their sakes.]

We just have to keep thinking.

[justabignobody]

[She doesn't have to admit to anything just as long as she tells him, should he do anything that makes her uncomfortable. If it's her, Riku wouldn't mind to ease 'fake' discomfort either. Though he wouldn't really say it's faked, if she is experiencing it that makes it the same as feeling it, right?

He returns that smile with one of his own, just as faint - he trusts her, trusts in her and he isn't quite sure if he really can protect them all like this, he is stubborn enough to try. In the end, if they haven't given up, they win.]

Right.

[lethechained]

[He'd have to try, really, to make her properly uncomfortable - she cares more for intent than effect, when it comes to his actions, and she is perhaps too familiar with his intentions. Try telling her that.]

[Her eyes lower, but thoughtfully rather than in discomfort.]

... Well, I suppose we do still have some time. [She suspects Vanitas at least will be licking his wounds for a little while, so to speak.]

[justabignobody]

[...Is that supposed to be a challenge? Okay no, even if it was, it isn't one that Riku would ever take, no matter how competitive he can be at times. The other thing however... be sure that he would tell her as long as needed. He doesn't like it when she puts herself down after all.

He nods, then draws his hand back, turning to sit back down on the floor, frowning to himself as well.]

...True. We should make sure to make good use of it.

[Who knew how long a break they might actually be having. Beside Vanitas and Xehanort, there is always the tower to consider.]

[lethechained]

[No, no, never. Goodness knows she doesn't need him to make her uncomfortable, too, when there are plenty of people who could do the job. ... Though if he did tell her things like that, she might be uncomofortable in a very different kind of way; it would imply burdening him with her insecurities, and that isn't something she wishes to do.]

[Her hand lowers once more after he withdraws, and she leaves it there, not shifting much herself.]

Yes. Surely there's something that can be done. [... She hopes. She's trying to hope, anyway, trying to be optimistic. (There's always that one unsavory option, after all, but she needs to have some hope that it won't come to that.)]