[MOD] Secret Santa
Dec. 25th, 2005 04:53 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
wrong.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
kh_drabbleBy the by, about Kingdom Hearts II SPOILERS, this also includes ICONS. Any attempt to spoil, accidental or otherwise, will warrant an IMMEDIATE BAN from the community. You will get ONE WARNING, and if the second time you commit the offense, YOU WILL BE BANNED. We are very serious about this.
CONGRATULATIONS, ALL PRESENTS RECEIVED AND ACCOUNTED FOR. Have a (Belated) Merry Christmas and Boxing Day!
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Giftee:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gunneryunagirl
From:uzumakisama
Title: Battle of the Dimwits
Words: 684
Everyone could tell Sora felt like the odd man out this time. Though the three couples got together often, usually Sora had Kairi there with him to balance the odds, but this weekend Kairi was off visiting her parents in another city. Even before the get together had been going on an hour, Leon knew that it was going to be an interesting evening.
As he stood at the stove cooking the burgers, he pretended not to be watching the tense game of Triple Triad that Sora and Riku were playing to pass the time. Even Aerith, who was spooning the cookies for later onto the baking pan, kept casually glancing over at them, probably because she hadn't witnessed them so quiet before. Both boys were locked in concentration, and they'd been at this one round for over five minutes.
Yuffie, legs in Riku's lap, was flitting through a magazine and not paying attention, and Leon wasn't surprised when she suddenly slapped the thing shut and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Well, as stimulating as this is," she exclaimed, "I have to pee."
When Riku nor Sora made a move to acknowledge her statement, she rolled her eyes and threw the magazine at Riku's head before pulling her legs free from his lap to get up. Almost as soon as she was gone, Sora put down a card at last and grinned at Riku triumphantly.
"There! Beat that, Mr. I-hate-Behemoths."
But as confident as Sora seemed in his latest move, Riku still had his turn left and did not look defeated. In fact, a mischievous smirk curled at his lips as he flicked out his last card and set it down on the board. Whatever he put down, it made Sora's jaw drop. Blue eyes growing wide, he looked from Riku to the card to Riku again, gaping.
"What—the—hell?! When did you get a Neo-shadow card?!" he cried, looking affronted.
Riku's smug look grew. "I won it from Tidus yesterday," he said calmly, holding a hand out. "Now hand it over."
Sora's surprise quickly turned into defiance. "No way!"
With a quiet laugh, Aerith leaned close to Leon. "What are they arguing about now?"
"Riku has been trying to get Sora's Darkside card for two weeks now," Leon mused, flipping a burger pattie, listening to the sizzle of wet meat in the hot pan. "And it looks like he just won it."
Both of them watched as Riku and Sora's argument grew into a small tug-of-war, and then rapidly into a wrestling match with cards flying everywhere as the two boys struggled on the carpet.
"Hand it over! I won!"
"No—way—NO TICKLING! HEY!!"
And as Sora scrambled to his feet to run away with his precious card, hands shot out of no where and hooked onto his loose pants. Leon and Aerith watched as Yuffie—back from the bathroom and with an impish gleam in her eye—firmly tugged Sora's shorts down.
"The Great Ninja Yuffie strikes again!" she laughed, listening to Sora's cry of protest.
That was all Riku needed to grab his rightfully won card from Sora as the other boy panicked and pulled his shorts back up.
"That wasn't fair—" he shot at them, pouting. "Getting your girlfriend to do your dirty work for you."
"Play nice!" Aerith called, amusement in her voice as she lifted the tray of raw cookie dough. "Or there's no dessert."
"Tell that to them—"
"Hey, you were the one who tried to run off with my card!"
"MY card!"
And as the argument ensued, Leon rolled his eyes and went back to cooking. Warm fingers curled around his arm, and he turned to meet Aerith's gaze as she looked up at him.
"Bored?" she wondered.
"How can I be bored with idiots like them to entertain me?" he replied.
The reprimanding look that she began to give him dissolved as soon as she saw the playful little smile on Leon's face. She returned it, giving a small nod. Yes indeed, it was going to be a long, eventful night.
---------------------------------------
Giftee:uzumakisama
From::_blurrymoon
Title: Let's Go
Word Count: 184
Notes: Completely disregards Chain of Memories and KHII.
"Sora...."
It's the eyes he can't help but stare into. Still the same - through darkness and tears and so much confusion - mercurial deep sky and clear ocean blended into life only Riku will ever have, though all other changes are obvious. No more blinding, bright canary yellow and those odd poofy blue things Riku so adamantly claimed were pants (Sora still thinks they looked like floaties) are gone and replaced with more subdued tones and less questionable clothing. He's grown and changed, but it's still Riku all the same.
They're still so far away from their little island with the dinky shack they shared snacks in, and that tree house Sora always called their castle in the sky. So far away from home and old friends and Kairi. Each knows the other wonders - worries - about that tiny island.
Each knows he'll only see it again with the other by his side.
So when, once again, Riku reaches out his hand, and smiles -
"What are we waiting for?"
- Sora grips it tightly and assures himself that even the creeping nothingness won't separate them this time.
-----------------------------------------------
Giftee:_blurrymoon
From:rikuxsora
"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
Her auburn hair was the only thing that flashed before his cerulean orbs. He blinked and tilted his head up slightly, glancing at the figure before him. She was graceful and balletic as always; the view of her perpetually compassionate and utterly harmonious.
It had been a while, since Cloud had stumbled upon Traverse Town and found the one thing - existance, rather - he had been seeking. She was delighted to have seen him again, but his outlook on everything was always so melancholy. She could just see it in his eyes. In a way, she could tell that he wasn't complete.
They were alone that day, him leaning against the dull wall in a downbeat sort of manner, her tending to the flowers she had planted who knows how long ago. While looking at her, his thoughts traveled to his journeys, how far he had gone just to see her again.
"What's your favorite thing?" she asked him innocently, snapping him out of his daze in an instant. He blinked and when his vision came into complete focus and jumped a bit when he realized she was directly in front of him, smiling.
"... I don't know what you mean."
"I simply mean, what is your favorite thing in the world?"
"I don't know," he replied cooly after a thoughtful moment of silence, crossing his arms and looking toward the right of him. Golden strands followed, and he proceeded to stare blankly into the distance, his expression unreadable.
She took a step or so forward, one of her pale arms swinging lightly as she did so. The other was rested easily at the top of the fabric under her neck, her fingers lightly curled. She came to a slow stop when she was only a short distance away from him, her rosy dress seeming perfect as it swayed silently even when she stopped. A tender smile formed upon her face, and it looked pure, as if it hadn't seen any hardship.
"My favorite thing is knowing that everyone I care about is happy," she said softly, tilting her head until she was in his eyesight. Her smile only seemed to grow warmer. "That's a rare and wonderful thing, don't you think?"
He blinked and turned his head, only a bit, to where it was still aimed toward the right of him but he still had a good view of her. He let out a small, inaudible sigh, raising his head to lean against the wall and staring mindfully at the ceiling. "...Yeah."
There wasn't much else to say. She went along with her chores, so to speak, tidying up everything and anything that she saw unorganized. He merely stood idly the way he had been, studying the gracious way she moved about. There were hardly any other words shared between them until the sound of people approaching the door echoed through the room.
"Oh! I think they're home!" she smiled brightly and rushed toward the door, motioning for him to follow. He pushed himself off of the wall, clothes brushing against it as he accompanied her at the entrance. No words came out of his dry lips as they entered, and as soon as she was preoccupied by the man in leather and woman with short brunette hair, he returned to his quiet - or as quiet as it could get, considering the three other people in the room - isolation.
Even with everything that had happened in the past, the agonizing pain he had went through to find her, opening up was still as difficult as it had ever been. The words just weren't enough to describe his internal feelings. And as he looked over to see her beaming expression, a part of him yearned to approach her and tell her that his favorite thing in the world was seeing her smile.
------------------------------------
Giftee:rikuxsora
From:erendisblack
Title: Dearly Beloved
Word Count: 509 (Don't shoot me...)
Notes: Didn't turn out as angsty as it should have, but at least the RikuxSora-ness is there. XD
·§·
He lies back on the cool sand and closes his eyes, waiting. He waits until he is able to recall the sloshing sound of waves crashing on the shore of a far away island; in his mind is ever clear, that loving caress of water on sand, relentless and soothing like his own steady breathing.
The sand beneath his fingertips is cool and fine, a silken embrace; sundown was many hours ago and the breeze ruffling his clothes has no scent, nothing to distract his fevered mind from his nightly pastime.
As his ears fill with the sound of the ocean, he remembers another night not that long ago, but a lifetime past, when he laid on the sand like this, starlight above and the sea around him. He had recognized his best friend in the telling jingle of belts and zippers, as he approached carefully to the prone form laying on the beach –much like now- spread-eagled and feigning sleep. The other boy had sat down next to him and tried his name a few times, convincing himself that he was really asleep.
He wasn't. But he had pretended anyway.
Time had stretched on, only the sound of the rolling waves to lull him into grudging relaxation, until he had heard –felt, actually—the sand shift near his body, alerting him of his friend's movement. A few moments had passed, where he dared not open his eyes, some primal instinct keeping him where he was; the other's presence had been barely noticeable, hovering above him, hesitant to the point where he felt that curiosity would make him finally open his eyes.
An eternity went by until he felt the slightest rustle of clothes, a sigh of warmer air on his face and then -feather light and infinitely cautious—the barest touch on his slightly parted lips.
He had stilled himself further, sure that he would not be able to remain motionless much longer, not when he now had the certainty that the exhilarating touch had come from another set of lips. Yet, his body submitted to his will, even as his heartbeat seemed to have sped up to triple rate.
He was rewarded with slight more pressure, before the touch was withdrawn along with the presence of his best friend, the familiar jingle of metal on metal shattering the steady backdrop of water kissing sand.
They had never mentioned this particular episode to each other, but now, as he lies sleepless on the beach of a different world, his mind insists he replay it to lure sleep. He does, wondering idly if the Keyblade Master knows –wherever he is—that on that night he stole Riku's first kiss.
When he opens his eyes to stare at the starless night of this world with no name, where the water is still and the breeze scentless, he also wonders if one day Sora could be convinced to steal a second, or even a third…
…and when real sleep comes, his heart beats steadily, like advancing and receding water on sand.
·§·
--------------------------------------------
Giftee:musiq_mistress
From:ruby_shards
There was just something about Leon that made Sora keep coming back to him, even if it was just to sit with him and talk about his adventures as the Keyblade Master thus far.
He just assumed that he was curious. Curious because there was something in Leon that he didn't have, and because there was, according to Leon, something in him that the elder lacked as well.
So they would sit with each other to balance each other out. Leon was all frowns and cold glares and icy atmospheres, whereas he was bright sunshine smiles and a warmth that everyone told him he spread out in a wave that was almost too contagious for it to be natural (at least, that's what Cid had said). So he guessed that that was why he liked to be by Leon so much.
He didn't even care what it was that they were doing. It could be training, or just sitting out in the middle of Traverse Town watching for Heartless. He'd even settle with watching Leon spar against the invisible demons that he enjoyed fighting so much, if he could just sit around with him.
Maybe it was because he was jealous. Jealous that Leon was so strong and that he had saved his friends - even if he didn't admit that he had had a part in the rescue of the others - when Sora was still chasing after nothing in search of his own companions.
"Are you coming?"
Sora was snapped from his daze by the sound of Leon's voice and the gentle chink of the Griever pendant on Revolver hitting against the hilt as he moved the blade. Surprised, he gave a brief nod, and climbed to his feet with a smile as he clasped his hand around Leon's leather clad one. There was a pause, before Leon gave in to that little habit that Sora had adapted, and they walked back toward Cid's shop without so much as a word.
Sora was jealous of Leon for his strength, and Leon was jealous of Sora for his smile.
So it balanced out.
--------------------------------
Giftee:erendisblack
From:taichara
Title: Cavalier
Notes: It's time for the Final Battle, and Leon's braced himself
for what should be his reason for being "Leon".
Passing reference to Cloud, Ansem, Sephiroth.
How many years had they waited –
Lost, adrift, self-killing darkness nipping at their heels
like night-spawned wolves chasing the lambs –
Young, so young; and still he had sworn to take his lost home back again,
Drew sharp lion’s-silver and threw his name away
Til the time came that he was home again, his child’s-heart and hearth
Reclaimed from the midnight that their hell-king loosed.
If he had only knew then what it truly meant to throw away a name.
But it was worth it –
Even now, a lion silver-swift and yet unbowed stood, steel fang bared
With long-lost kin bearing the wolf-grey iron
Against the onrushing midnight horde.
This time they will stand and die together
and will drive back the madness that killed their king.
I will end this, or bleed out in the trying.
Bring it, deathangel.
We’re waiting for you.
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Giftee:ruby_shards
From:gysecune
Title: Unspoken
Word Count: 332
Notes: Leon/Cloud
Times like this, staring up into the darkness beside a cold indentation in the bed, he wondered what Cloud thought about when he occasionally did this. And when he did that, he thought more, about times when Cloud didn't have to crawl out of bed at night to think about whatever it was he thought about, about times when no one had to pretend.
There were things that he couldn't say, even though he was too far gone already – for him – but if people had asked and if he had been the type to answer, he would have said that he still couldn't allow his wounds to heal, couldn't bite back the bitterness.
And so when Cloud thought he was sleeping and whispered the words that had for so long been stuck in Leon's throat, he pretended he was sleeping, pretended he was oblivious to the life and death of each breath curling inside his ear, and willed his body not to stiffen and give him away.
Cloud, for his part, must have pretended not to notice Leon's fingertips tracing letters into his back and the way Leon's mouth formed silent words against his. Or maybe he really didn't notice.
On nights like this, Leon couldn't stand the vacancy of the bed and always followed Cloud to his chosen spot of contemplation, and tonight was no different. Padding quietly out of the room, Leon stopped short of the
doorframe. Cloud was sitting on the tattered, ancient couch in front of the fireplace, palms outstretched to soak up heat.
Unless Leon approached Cloud, neither of them said a word, and it was as if Cloud pretended he wasn't there and Leon pretended he wasn't watching him in the first place. It was only now that he could mouth what he was thinking so easily, because Cloud wasn't looking, after all. No one was looking.
But then, he was pretending not to notice that Cloud was watching him from the corner of his eye.
---------------------------------------
Giftee:shadowedsolace
From:gunneryunagirl
Title: In the Middle of Snowfall
Word Count: 255
Notes: Merry Christmas! ^_^
“I’ve never seen this much snow.”
Riku looked up, and tugged at scarf wound tightly around his throat to loosen it a bit. It was cold enough that he could see his own breath in foggy clouds. Damn, he hated winter sometimes.
Sora grinned at him from across the field, cheeks glowing red from the crisp air. Stupid kid, naive and negligent in the winter, wearing only his regular clothes. Not that he was much better off himself, but he was certainly a lot warmer than his friend, who’s bare calves were plunging into the snowbanks with every tramp.
“Yeah?” Riku replied, “Well, it’s no tropical island, that’s for sure.”
Sora marched up over to him, the snow under his feet crunching under each yellow boot. He leaned in so close that Riku could count every drop of melted-snowflake clinging to his eyelashes.
“You look cold,” Sora said, master of stating the obvious.
“I am cold,” was the obvious reply. His ears and fingertips burned red with frost.
“Wanna be warmer?”
Well, Riku considered, that was a pretty stupid question. Who wouldn’t want to be warm? He loved the tropical weather. He was perfectly happy to run around in the sun, shirtless and warm.
He leaned in closer to Sora, so that their noses and foreheads brushed, and Riku opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Sora leant back and promptly gave him a handful of snow in the face.
Sora laughed, until Riku tackled him into the snow.
Then he laughed harder.
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Giftee:gysecune
From: technobubblegum
Notes: Not my best work... I've been blocked. But I tried... Meep. I even managed to stick some (unrequited) Leon/Cloud in. =D (It's not a pairing I normally write. I didn't have any ideas that would be focused on them.) Merry Christmas~
Cloud barely recognized his old homeworld. He'd been surprised it was still there at all, but when Cid told him it was he had expected it to at least be recognizable as Hollow Bastion.
The only familiar landmark now was the old Rising Falls.
"That witch and her buddies really fucked this place up, huh?" Cid remarked, looking at the ruined palace with disgust. "It's gonna take an age to fix it." The pilot spoke in a tone that suggested this was all a personal insult to him, and if he could get his hands on the people responsible they'd get a boot up their collective arse. No, make that a grenade launcher. Cloud found it rather amusing.
"Anyway, c'mon," Cid said.
Cloud followed him into the castle.
There was no fanfare or ceremony: just Cid walking into the library, interrupting Aerith and Leon's conversation with a call of "Hey, guess who the cat dragged in!"
Cloud entered the room behind him, with a mental sigh of relief that at least this part of the castle still looked the same.
"Cloudy~!" Aerith greeted him with the old nickname she and Yuffie used to annoy him with.
"... Hi." Cloud didn't know what else to say.
Aerith giggled. "You haven't changed much."
Yuffie hummed a few off-key bars of a love song she'd heard in Traverse Town.
Leon watched this reunion with what had been termed his "whatever" look: a mix of apathy and disdain that he had perfected through years of practice. He walked out when Aerith threw her arms around her pointy-haired hero.
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Giftee:technobubblegum
From:shadowedsolace
The Castle was almost silent, Aerith smiled wistfully to herself as she walked out onto the balcony. Almost,
but not quite.
Down by the falls, a figure trained on through the night, as he had every night since he’d arrived. Cloud
had changed during his absence, that much was obvious, but Aerith didn’t understand why he was so distant.
They’d all changed while they were gone, but no one else seemed so… so lost.
Sure, Hallow Bastion itself was eerily empty and it bore the scars of Maleficent’s reign, but the castle
still shined in the moonlight and the people who loved it had finally returned. Wasn’t it still home? Did he
somehow believe that they wouldn’t accept him as he was? Aerith shook her head to banish her questions,
not wanting to dwell on what could be. He’d open up in time, she assured herself as she turned to return to
her room, throwing one more glance at the figure in the falls.
*
Cloud finally lowered his buster sword as the distant sky slowly turned pink. As he climbed the stairs to
the castle, he reflected on Aerith’s presence earlier that night. He’d pretended not to notice, like he had
on the previous night, and the one before that. He pretended not to notice her nightly vigil, just as he
pretended not to notice the concerned looks he received every time he entered a room.
He turned at her doorway, like he did every other night, and looked in at the figure sleeping peacefully
beneath the window. He simply watched her sleep, until he could detect a hint of light from her window. Cloud softly kissed her forehead, careful not to wake her, and left. At the doorway, he paused and whispered almost too softly to hear.
“Thank you.”
*
Aerith smiled to herself as she snuggled into the covers and fell back asleep. Almost, but not quite.
------------------------
Giftee:taichara
From:vollykins
Title: bedroom toys
Word Count: 150
Notes: for taichara. :DD marluxia/vexen intrigued me. so i gave it a try.
He was just a toy.
Albeit a very fascinating one. Marluxia nuzzled up Vexen's stomach, smirking at the man's appreciative groan. Gloved hands danced across pale skin, sliding over Vexen's thigh, cupping Vexen's flushed cheek, tangling into Vexen's long lemon-colored hair. Beautiful toy.
Sometimes he sincerely wanted to get to know the scientist better. It wasn't as though he'd never tried, but small talk was so difficult when they were already such antisocial bastards. And when Vexen was around, Marluxia just felt this incredible impulse to kiss those frowning lips and rip off those annoying gothic robes and proceed to simply ravage the man silly. So he did.
Material pleasures were just so intoxicating. But now Vexen was gone, and Marluxia could only wonder why the loss was so surprisingly painful, if the man was only, as he'd kept telling himself all along, just a toy.
--------------------------
Giftee:vollykins
From:musiq_mistress
Title: Be Happy
Word Count: 150
From afar, Yuffie admired how easy-going Aerith's demeanor was. How pure the flower girl came to be, despite the heartless crisis. And of how easily caring she was. A sick civilian? Call the ambulance! An animal in need of shelter? Bring her in! Cid's pissed off again? Well… uh… flowers for all!
Yuffie consumed pounds of sugar daily just to make her smile – to see her eyes shine. Hyperactivity always seemed to hit the jackpot in making Aerith giggle. It also helped that Squall was such a hard jackass.
"Yo, Squall! Look at what I found!" Yuffie pulled out a tattered photo album. "It has a shot of you when you were a kid!"
Squall instantly reached for the offending book. "It's Leon!"
Yuffie's ninja instincts kicked in, and soon she was flying across Cid's Accessory Shop in avoidance of Leon.
In the background she heard Aerith's sweet, chiming laughter.
Title: Silence
Word Count: 125
Yuffie always watched from afar. Always watching but never doing anything about it.
Cid, Squall, and Yuffie plainly saw Aerith's stress. Sure, it may not have been displayed in public, but it was there. Soft sighs, pained façade's, and the fading hope from her beautiful green eyes appeared behind closed doors.
If only Cloud would come back. If only he would make contact to let them know he was alive! And maybe then Aerith could break away from her constant worrying.
Then her spark would come back at full force. When she would giggle insanely, smile like she meant it, and pick flowers again.
When that faithful day did happen, maybe then Yuffie could explain to Aerith how much she was silently killing the ninja.
CONGRATULATIONS, ALL PRESENTS RECEIVED AND ACCOUNTED FOR. Have a (Belated) Merry Christmas and Boxing Day!
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Giftee:
gunneryunagirlFrom:
uzumakisamaTitle: Battle of the Dimwits
Words: 684
Everyone could tell Sora felt like the odd man out this time. Though the three couples got together often, usually Sora had Kairi there with him to balance the odds, but this weekend Kairi was off visiting her parents in another city. Even before the get together had been going on an hour, Leon knew that it was going to be an interesting evening.
As he stood at the stove cooking the burgers, he pretended not to be watching the tense game of Triple Triad that Sora and Riku were playing to pass the time. Even Aerith, who was spooning the cookies for later onto the baking pan, kept casually glancing over at them, probably because she hadn't witnessed them so quiet before. Both boys were locked in concentration, and they'd been at this one round for over five minutes.
Yuffie, legs in Riku's lap, was flitting through a magazine and not paying attention, and Leon wasn't surprised when she suddenly slapped the thing shut and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Well, as stimulating as this is," she exclaimed, "I have to pee."
When Riku nor Sora made a move to acknowledge her statement, she rolled her eyes and threw the magazine at Riku's head before pulling her legs free from his lap to get up. Almost as soon as she was gone, Sora put down a card at last and grinned at Riku triumphantly.
"There! Beat that, Mr. I-hate-Behemoths."
But as confident as Sora seemed in his latest move, Riku still had his turn left and did not look defeated. In fact, a mischievous smirk curled at his lips as he flicked out his last card and set it down on the board. Whatever he put down, it made Sora's jaw drop. Blue eyes growing wide, he looked from Riku to the card to Riku again, gaping.
"What—the—hell?! When did you get a Neo-shadow card?!" he cried, looking affronted.
Riku's smug look grew. "I won it from Tidus yesterday," he said calmly, holding a hand out. "Now hand it over."
Sora's surprise quickly turned into defiance. "No way!"
With a quiet laugh, Aerith leaned close to Leon. "What are they arguing about now?"
"Riku has been trying to get Sora's Darkside card for two weeks now," Leon mused, flipping a burger pattie, listening to the sizzle of wet meat in the hot pan. "And it looks like he just won it."
Both of them watched as Riku and Sora's argument grew into a small tug-of-war, and then rapidly into a wrestling match with cards flying everywhere as the two boys struggled on the carpet.
"Hand it over! I won!"
"No—way—NO TICKLING! HEY!!"
And as Sora scrambled to his feet to run away with his precious card, hands shot out of no where and hooked onto his loose pants. Leon and Aerith watched as Yuffie—back from the bathroom and with an impish gleam in her eye—firmly tugged Sora's shorts down.
"The Great Ninja Yuffie strikes again!" she laughed, listening to Sora's cry of protest.
That was all Riku needed to grab his rightfully won card from Sora as the other boy panicked and pulled his shorts back up.
"That wasn't fair—" he shot at them, pouting. "Getting your girlfriend to do your dirty work for you."
"Play nice!" Aerith called, amusement in her voice as she lifted the tray of raw cookie dough. "Or there's no dessert."
"Tell that to them—"
"Hey, you were the one who tried to run off with my card!"
"MY card!"
And as the argument ensued, Leon rolled his eyes and went back to cooking. Warm fingers curled around his arm, and he turned to meet Aerith's gaze as she looked up at him.
"Bored?" she wondered.
"How can I be bored with idiots like them to entertain me?" he replied.
The reprimanding look that she began to give him dissolved as soon as she saw the playful little smile on Leon's face. She returned it, giving a small nod. Yes indeed, it was going to be a long, eventful night.
---------------------------------------
Giftee:
uzumakisamaFrom::
_blurrymoonTitle: Let's Go
Word Count: 184
Notes: Completely disregards Chain of Memories and KHII.
"Sora...."
It's the eyes he can't help but stare into. Still the same - through darkness and tears and so much confusion - mercurial deep sky and clear ocean blended into life only Riku will ever have, though all other changes are obvious. No more blinding, bright canary yellow and those odd poofy blue things Riku so adamantly claimed were pants (Sora still thinks they looked like floaties) are gone and replaced with more subdued tones and less questionable clothing. He's grown and changed, but it's still Riku all the same.
They're still so far away from their little island with the dinky shack they shared snacks in, and that tree house Sora always called their castle in the sky. So far away from home and old friends and Kairi. Each knows the other wonders - worries - about that tiny island.
Each knows he'll only see it again with the other by his side.
So when, once again, Riku reaches out his hand, and smiles -
"What are we waiting for?"
- Sora grips it tightly and assures himself that even the creeping nothingness won't separate them this time.
-----------------------------------------------
Giftee:
_blurrymoonFrom:
rikuxsoraHer auburn hair was the only thing that flashed before his cerulean orbs. He blinked and tilted his head up slightly, glancing at the figure before him. She was graceful and balletic as always; the view of her perpetually compassionate and utterly harmonious.
It had been a while, since Cloud had stumbled upon Traverse Town and found the one thing - existance, rather - he had been seeking. She was delighted to have seen him again, but his outlook on everything was always so melancholy. She could just see it in his eyes. In a way, she could tell that he wasn't complete.
They were alone that day, him leaning against the dull wall in a downbeat sort of manner, her tending to the flowers she had planted who knows how long ago. While looking at her, his thoughts traveled to his journeys, how far he had gone just to see her again.
"What's your favorite thing?" she asked him innocently, snapping him out of his daze in an instant. He blinked and when his vision came into complete focus and jumped a bit when he realized she was directly in front of him, smiling.
"... I don't know what you mean."
"I simply mean, what is your favorite thing in the world?"
"I don't know," he replied cooly after a thoughtful moment of silence, crossing his arms and looking toward the right of him. Golden strands followed, and he proceeded to stare blankly into the distance, his expression unreadable.
She took a step or so forward, one of her pale arms swinging lightly as she did so. The other was rested easily at the top of the fabric under her neck, her fingers lightly curled. She came to a slow stop when she was only a short distance away from him, her rosy dress seeming perfect as it swayed silently even when she stopped. A tender smile formed upon her face, and it looked pure, as if it hadn't seen any hardship.
"My favorite thing is knowing that everyone I care about is happy," she said softly, tilting her head until she was in his eyesight. Her smile only seemed to grow warmer. "That's a rare and wonderful thing, don't you think?"
He blinked and turned his head, only a bit, to where it was still aimed toward the right of him but he still had a good view of her. He let out a small, inaudible sigh, raising his head to lean against the wall and staring mindfully at the ceiling. "...Yeah."
There wasn't much else to say. She went along with her chores, so to speak, tidying up everything and anything that she saw unorganized. He merely stood idly the way he had been, studying the gracious way she moved about. There were hardly any other words shared between them until the sound of people approaching the door echoed through the room.
"Oh! I think they're home!" she smiled brightly and rushed toward the door, motioning for him to follow. He pushed himself off of the wall, clothes brushing against it as he accompanied her at the entrance. No words came out of his dry lips as they entered, and as soon as she was preoccupied by the man in leather and woman with short brunette hair, he returned to his quiet - or as quiet as it could get, considering the three other people in the room - isolation.
Even with everything that had happened in the past, the agonizing pain he had went through to find her, opening up was still as difficult as it had ever been. The words just weren't enough to describe his internal feelings. And as he looked over to see her beaming expression, a part of him yearned to approach her and tell her that his favorite thing in the world was seeing her smile.
------------------------------------
Giftee:
rikuxsoraFrom:
erendisblackTitle: Dearly Beloved
Word Count: 509 (Don't shoot me...)
Notes: Didn't turn out as angsty as it should have, but at least the RikuxSora-ness is there. XD
·§·
He lies back on the cool sand and closes his eyes, waiting. He waits until he is able to recall the sloshing sound of waves crashing on the shore of a far away island; in his mind is ever clear, that loving caress of water on sand, relentless and soothing like his own steady breathing.
The sand beneath his fingertips is cool and fine, a silken embrace; sundown was many hours ago and the breeze ruffling his clothes has no scent, nothing to distract his fevered mind from his nightly pastime.
As his ears fill with the sound of the ocean, he remembers another night not that long ago, but a lifetime past, when he laid on the sand like this, starlight above and the sea around him. He had recognized his best friend in the telling jingle of belts and zippers, as he approached carefully to the prone form laying on the beach –much like now- spread-eagled and feigning sleep. The other boy had sat down next to him and tried his name a few times, convincing himself that he was really asleep.
He wasn't. But he had pretended anyway.
Time had stretched on, only the sound of the rolling waves to lull him into grudging relaxation, until he had heard –felt, actually—the sand shift near his body, alerting him of his friend's movement. A few moments had passed, where he dared not open his eyes, some primal instinct keeping him where he was; the other's presence had been barely noticeable, hovering above him, hesitant to the point where he felt that curiosity would make him finally open his eyes.
An eternity went by until he felt the slightest rustle of clothes, a sigh of warmer air on his face and then -feather light and infinitely cautious—the barest touch on his slightly parted lips.
He had stilled himself further, sure that he would not be able to remain motionless much longer, not when he now had the certainty that the exhilarating touch had come from another set of lips. Yet, his body submitted to his will, even as his heartbeat seemed to have sped up to triple rate.
He was rewarded with slight more pressure, before the touch was withdrawn along with the presence of his best friend, the familiar jingle of metal on metal shattering the steady backdrop of water kissing sand.
They had never mentioned this particular episode to each other, but now, as he lies sleepless on the beach of a different world, his mind insists he replay it to lure sleep. He does, wondering idly if the Keyblade Master knows –wherever he is—that on that night he stole Riku's first kiss.
When he opens his eyes to stare at the starless night of this world with no name, where the water is still and the breeze scentless, he also wonders if one day Sora could be convinced to steal a second, or even a third…
…and when real sleep comes, his heart beats steadily, like advancing and receding water on sand.
·§·
--------------------------------------------
Giftee:
musiq_mistressFrom:
ruby_shardsThere was just something about Leon that made Sora keep coming back to him, even if it was just to sit with him and talk about his adventures as the Keyblade Master thus far.
He just assumed that he was curious. Curious because there was something in Leon that he didn't have, and because there was, according to Leon, something in him that the elder lacked as well.
So they would sit with each other to balance each other out. Leon was all frowns and cold glares and icy atmospheres, whereas he was bright sunshine smiles and a warmth that everyone told him he spread out in a wave that was almost too contagious for it to be natural (at least, that's what Cid had said). So he guessed that that was why he liked to be by Leon so much.
He didn't even care what it was that they were doing. It could be training, or just sitting out in the middle of Traverse Town watching for Heartless. He'd even settle with watching Leon spar against the invisible demons that he enjoyed fighting so much, if he could just sit around with him.
Maybe it was because he was jealous. Jealous that Leon was so strong and that he had saved his friends - even if he didn't admit that he had had a part in the rescue of the others - when Sora was still chasing after nothing in search of his own companions.
"Are you coming?"
Sora was snapped from his daze by the sound of Leon's voice and the gentle chink of the Griever pendant on Revolver hitting against the hilt as he moved the blade. Surprised, he gave a brief nod, and climbed to his feet with a smile as he clasped his hand around Leon's leather clad one. There was a pause, before Leon gave in to that little habit that Sora had adapted, and they walked back toward Cid's shop without so much as a word.
Sora was jealous of Leon for his strength, and Leon was jealous of Sora for his smile.
So it balanced out.
--------------------------------
Giftee:
erendisblackFrom:
taicharaTitle: Cavalier
Notes: It's time for the Final Battle, and Leon's braced himself
for what should be his reason for being "Leon".
Passing reference to Cloud, Ansem, Sephiroth.
How many years had they waited –
Lost, adrift, self-killing darkness nipping at their heels
like night-spawned wolves chasing the lambs –
Young, so young; and still he had sworn to take his lost home back again,
Drew sharp lion’s-silver and threw his name away
Til the time came that he was home again, his child’s-heart and hearth
Reclaimed from the midnight that their hell-king loosed.
If he had only knew then what it truly meant to throw away a name.
But it was worth it –
Even now, a lion silver-swift and yet unbowed stood, steel fang bared
With long-lost kin bearing the wolf-grey iron
Against the onrushing midnight horde.
This time they will stand and die together
and will drive back the madness that killed their king.
I will end this, or bleed out in the trying.
Bring it, deathangel.
We’re waiting for you.
-------------------------------------------
Giftee:
ruby_shardsFrom:
gysecuneTitle: Unspoken
Word Count: 332
Notes: Leon/Cloud
Times like this, staring up into the darkness beside a cold indentation in the bed, he wondered what Cloud thought about when he occasionally did this. And when he did that, he thought more, about times when Cloud didn't have to crawl out of bed at night to think about whatever it was he thought about, about times when no one had to pretend.
There were things that he couldn't say, even though he was too far gone already – for him – but if people had asked and if he had been the type to answer, he would have said that he still couldn't allow his wounds to heal, couldn't bite back the bitterness.
And so when Cloud thought he was sleeping and whispered the words that had for so long been stuck in Leon's throat, he pretended he was sleeping, pretended he was oblivious to the life and death of each breath curling inside his ear, and willed his body not to stiffen and give him away.
Cloud, for his part, must have pretended not to notice Leon's fingertips tracing letters into his back and the way Leon's mouth formed silent words against his. Or maybe he really didn't notice.
On nights like this, Leon couldn't stand the vacancy of the bed and always followed Cloud to his chosen spot of contemplation, and tonight was no different. Padding quietly out of the room, Leon stopped short of the
doorframe. Cloud was sitting on the tattered, ancient couch in front of the fireplace, palms outstretched to soak up heat.
Unless Leon approached Cloud, neither of them said a word, and it was as if Cloud pretended he wasn't there and Leon pretended he wasn't watching him in the first place. It was only now that he could mouth what he was thinking so easily, because Cloud wasn't looking, after all. No one was looking.
But then, he was pretending not to notice that Cloud was watching him from the corner of his eye.
---------------------------------------
Giftee:
shadowedsolaceFrom:
gunneryunagirlTitle: In the Middle of Snowfall
Word Count: 255
Notes: Merry Christmas! ^_^
“I’ve never seen this much snow.”
Riku looked up, and tugged at scarf wound tightly around his throat to loosen it a bit. It was cold enough that he could see his own breath in foggy clouds. Damn, he hated winter sometimes.
Sora grinned at him from across the field, cheeks glowing red from the crisp air. Stupid kid, naive and negligent in the winter, wearing only his regular clothes. Not that he was much better off himself, but he was certainly a lot warmer than his friend, who’s bare calves were plunging into the snowbanks with every tramp.
“Yeah?” Riku replied, “Well, it’s no tropical island, that’s for sure.”
Sora marched up over to him, the snow under his feet crunching under each yellow boot. He leaned in so close that Riku could count every drop of melted-snowflake clinging to his eyelashes.
“You look cold,” Sora said, master of stating the obvious.
“I am cold,” was the obvious reply. His ears and fingertips burned red with frost.
“Wanna be warmer?”
Well, Riku considered, that was a pretty stupid question. Who wouldn’t want to be warm? He loved the tropical weather. He was perfectly happy to run around in the sun, shirtless and warm.
He leaned in closer to Sora, so that their noses and foreheads brushed, and Riku opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, Sora leant back and promptly gave him a handful of snow in the face.
Sora laughed, until Riku tackled him into the snow.
Then he laughed harder.
-------------------------------
Giftee:
gysecuneFrom: technobubblegum
Notes: Not my best work... I've been blocked. But I tried... Meep. I even managed to stick some (unrequited) Leon/Cloud in. =D (It's not a pairing I normally write. I didn't have any ideas that would be focused on them.) Merry Christmas~
Cloud barely recognized his old homeworld. He'd been surprised it was still there at all, but when Cid told him it was he had expected it to at least be recognizable as Hollow Bastion.
The only familiar landmark now was the old Rising Falls.
"That witch and her buddies really fucked this place up, huh?" Cid remarked, looking at the ruined palace with disgust. "It's gonna take an age to fix it." The pilot spoke in a tone that suggested this was all a personal insult to him, and if he could get his hands on the people responsible they'd get a boot up their collective arse. No, make that a grenade launcher. Cloud found it rather amusing.
"Anyway, c'mon," Cid said.
Cloud followed him into the castle.
There was no fanfare or ceremony: just Cid walking into the library, interrupting Aerith and Leon's conversation with a call of "Hey, guess who the cat dragged in!"
Cloud entered the room behind him, with a mental sigh of relief that at least this part of the castle still looked the same.
"Cloudy~!" Aerith greeted him with the old nickname she and Yuffie used to annoy him with.
"... Hi." Cloud didn't know what else to say.
Aerith giggled. "You haven't changed much."
Yuffie hummed a few off-key bars of a love song she'd heard in Traverse Town.
Leon watched this reunion with what had been termed his "whatever" look: a mix of apathy and disdain that he had perfected through years of practice. He walked out when Aerith threw her arms around her pointy-haired hero.
-------------------------
Giftee:
technobubblegumFrom:
shadowedsolaceThe Castle was almost silent, Aerith smiled wistfully to herself as she walked out onto the balcony. Almost,
but not quite.
Down by the falls, a figure trained on through the night, as he had every night since he’d arrived. Cloud
had changed during his absence, that much was obvious, but Aerith didn’t understand why he was so distant.
They’d all changed while they were gone, but no one else seemed so… so lost.
Sure, Hallow Bastion itself was eerily empty and it bore the scars of Maleficent’s reign, but the castle
still shined in the moonlight and the people who loved it had finally returned. Wasn’t it still home? Did he
somehow believe that they wouldn’t accept him as he was? Aerith shook her head to banish her questions,
not wanting to dwell on what could be. He’d open up in time, she assured herself as she turned to return to
her room, throwing one more glance at the figure in the falls.
*
Cloud finally lowered his buster sword as the distant sky slowly turned pink. As he climbed the stairs to
the castle, he reflected on Aerith’s presence earlier that night. He’d pretended not to notice, like he had
on the previous night, and the one before that. He pretended not to notice her nightly vigil, just as he
pretended not to notice the concerned looks he received every time he entered a room.
He turned at her doorway, like he did every other night, and looked in at the figure sleeping peacefully
beneath the window. He simply watched her sleep, until he could detect a hint of light from her window. Cloud softly kissed her forehead, careful not to wake her, and left. At the doorway, he paused and whispered almost too softly to hear.
“Thank you.”
*
Aerith smiled to herself as she snuggled into the covers and fell back asleep. Almost, but not quite.
------------------------
Giftee:
taicharaFrom:
vollykinsTitle: bedroom toys
Word Count: 150
Notes: for taichara. :DD marluxia/vexen intrigued me. so i gave it a try.
He was just a toy.
Albeit a very fascinating one. Marluxia nuzzled up Vexen's stomach, smirking at the man's appreciative groan. Gloved hands danced across pale skin, sliding over Vexen's thigh, cupping Vexen's flushed cheek, tangling into Vexen's long lemon-colored hair. Beautiful toy.
Sometimes he sincerely wanted to get to know the scientist better. It wasn't as though he'd never tried, but small talk was so difficult when they were already such antisocial bastards. And when Vexen was around, Marluxia just felt this incredible impulse to kiss those frowning lips and rip off those annoying gothic robes and proceed to simply ravage the man silly. So he did.
Material pleasures were just so intoxicating. But now Vexen was gone, and Marluxia could only wonder why the loss was so surprisingly painful, if the man was only, as he'd kept telling himself all along, just a toy.
--------------------------
Giftee:
vollykinsFrom:
musiq_mistressTitle: Be Happy
Word Count: 150
From afar, Yuffie admired how easy-going Aerith's demeanor was. How pure the flower girl came to be, despite the heartless crisis. And of how easily caring she was. A sick civilian? Call the ambulance! An animal in need of shelter? Bring her in! Cid's pissed off again? Well… uh… flowers for all!
Yuffie consumed pounds of sugar daily just to make her smile – to see her eyes shine. Hyperactivity always seemed to hit the jackpot in making Aerith giggle. It also helped that Squall was such a hard jackass.
"Yo, Squall! Look at what I found!" Yuffie pulled out a tattered photo album. "It has a shot of you when you were a kid!"
Squall instantly reached for the offending book. "It's Leon!"
Yuffie's ninja instincts kicked in, and soon she was flying across Cid's Accessory Shop in avoidance of Leon.
In the background she heard Aerith's sweet, chiming laughter.
Title: Silence
Word Count: 125
Yuffie always watched from afar. Always watching but never doing anything about it.
Cid, Squall, and Yuffie plainly saw Aerith's stress. Sure, it may not have been displayed in public, but it was there. Soft sighs, pained façade's, and the fading hope from her beautiful green eyes appeared behind closed doors.
If only Cloud would come back. If only he would make contact to let them know he was alive! And maybe then Aerith could break away from her constant worrying.
Then her spark would come back at full force. When she would giggle insanely, smile like she meant it, and pick flowers again.
When that faithful day did happen, maybe then Yuffie could explain to Aerith how much she was silently killing the ninja.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Curse it! ><
Date: 2005-12-25 04:32 am (UTC)Should I resend, post it up here, other ...?
*stressing*
Re: Curse it! ><
Date: 2005-12-25 05:16 am (UTC)Re: Curse it! ><
Date: 2005-12-25 06:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 09:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 11:12 am (UTC)And as he looked over to see her beaming expression, a part of him yearned to approach her and tell her that his favorite thing in the world was seeing her smile.
So cute and sweet and *___* Thank yous,
no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 03:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 08:51 pm (UTC)*straps on chastity belt and swallows the key*Glad to hear you like it! :D And Merry Christmas to you, too, even though I'm two days late in saying that.no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:09 pm (UTC)Merry Christmas :D
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 01:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 06:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 08:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 08:30 pm (UTC)XD
Date: 2005-12-26 04:27 am (UTC)*saves drabble, cackling evilly*
Re: XD
Date: 2005-12-26 09:01 am (UTC)Re: XD
Date: 2005-12-27 02:26 pm (UTC)I don't generally think of yaoi for the Order themselves, but it was a keen interpretation and I liked it just fine ^_^
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 09:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 08:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-27 08:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-30 07:06 pm (UTC)