(no subject)

[fox_the_kitsune]

Yay, I'm posting.

Title: Concerning Nobodies
Word Count: 827 (I tried! If I cut it down anymore, it won't make sense)
Characters: Sora and Roxas
Notes: No spoilers, I don't think. Not unless you either don't know who the characters are or might actually read the larger fic this goes withif I post it. Maybe PG for mild language.



This new 'adventure' was really grating on Sora's nerves. Some low life had gotten him exiled from his home island and managed to leave him near defenseless, temporarily. How the King had known where to find him had been a mystery, but he was glad he wasn't completely out of luck. Not that he had been to start with. Riku and Kairi had stuck with him. Now they just needed to find the bastard responsible and make him pay for it.

Whoa, strong thoughts, there.

'Shut up, Roxas.'

That was another issue. Roxas, his Nobody, was now a weird amalgam of a voice in his head and a sort of guardian spirit. While it was a bit strange, it was also a relief for Sora. He didn't want Roxas to disappear and it had been bothering him since he'd learned about Roxas.

That's not very nice. It was just an observation.

'Everything's an observation with you.'

There's a reason for that.

'Shut up, Roxas.' Trying to sleep with angry thoughts and a curious voice in one's head was not fun. Sora was learning this the hard way, but he still appreciated Roxas's presence. Now was not a good time, but it wasn't difficult to get him to back off and allow some privacy. Sometimes.

I would, but I was eavesdropping in the first place because it seems like you wanted to ask me something.

'I do. But how did you know?'

Your thoughts kind of pull at me when you want to talk to me.

'Oh. Okay.' Sora tried yet again to make himself comfortable in the guest bed even though he knew it was futile.

So what is it?

'I was going to wait.'

Hmm, but as long as it's bugging you, it's going to bug me.

'That's selfish.'

Yeah. So? Look, it might be part of the reason why you can't sleep.

Sora shifted again and fluffed the pillow. He wanted to ask, but he didn't want it to sound like there was no option. However, Roxas was stubborn and curious.

Come on.

'Well, it's kind of about you, sort of.'

Me?

'It's probably a little more general than that.'

I'm listening.

'Well, everyone who's said something about it insists that since Nobodies don't have Hearts, they have no emotions at all. But I've been thinking about that and, well, everyone who's mentioned it is biased somehow. I think of it the way I've been told and I think of puppets or robots. To me, it seems like no emotions would mean no life or no reason to live. I was wondering what you thought about that.'

When there was no response, Sora thought he might have said something he shouldn't.

Well, I thought it was stupid, myself. The others could claim they were acting on memories of emotions and that's why they seemed to feel. I wondered where that left me since I didn't have any memories.

'So, you never believed that?'

No. Like you said, the ones that said that were biased.

'Then, Nobodies do have feelings?'

Have them, but don't feel them properly because the Heart's important for that. I never understood why others insisted they didn't feel at all though. I stopped asking after a while because it always got me the same response.

Sora curled up under his blankets and thought about this for a moment. Had he been wrong then, to just follow what he'd been told without questioning it? It wasn't like he could've known for sure that his sources were trustworthy. He trusted Donald and Goofy. They, in turn, trusted their King. The King trusted Riku and Riku had been the one to hear from Ansem the Wise about Nobodies and relay the information to the King. The King had given his mentor this information and sent Sora and company to him. He had, in his turn, repeated that information for them. That was one side of it. There was still Xemnas, who had likely thrown his Heart out willingly. He insisted Nobodies couldn't feel any emotions at all and admitted being unable to feel joy or sorrow... but he had shown himself fully capable of feeling rage and hate. Hurtful and negative as they were, they were still emotions.

'Why do you think they might have insisted they couldn't feel?'

I couldn't even begin to guess. I know the emotions aren't right, in a way. Even without memories, I knew something was off. But I never thought of it as not feeling at all. It was like there was something missing, but I could never figure out what it was. I'm still not sure.

'Maybe it's because they did remember. They knew what was missing and that made it bother them even more. Made it hurt, maybe. So they were trying to fool themselves into thinking they really couldn't feel, but they knew damn well it wasn't true.'

Would that make me the lucky one, then?



Did that make any sense at all?

Comments

[lazzchan.livejournal.com]

I do like this-- it is a bit long for our drabble requirements, but I suggest that maybe posting it in a series of 'drabbles' to meet the length requirements? I'm curious as to where it will go.

:)

[fox_the_kitsune]

I thought length might be an issue. It was 900+ before three revisions. I'm not sure what to go with it now.

As for where it's going, see my reply to gibbous

[puffinboy415.livejournal.com]

WOW! This was an awesome piece! I loved the flow and the way you described how Roxas ans Sora interact. Even though it's long, it really didn't take too long to read (and I read slow). You did great! And yes it made very good sense. :)

[fox_the_kitsune]

Thanks. I was most worried about it making sense. The plotbunny had been nibbling for a while and I was work tired factory jobs suck! when I sat down to write it out. I know I'm not the only one to write these two interacting post-KH2 and I'm pretty sure someone else might do it better, but I don't see why they can't talk to each other after. The game itself gives us plenty of fodder for it.

Great. There's a length issue with it and I'm getting long winded in the comments.

[gibbous.livejournal.com]

I agree with lazzchan regarding posting it in a series (YAYZ CHEATZ), but technicalities aside, I really dig it. Poor Roxas, perpetually lodged between awesome and suck.

(Typically, fics where Sora can converse with Roxas on a mental level assign to me a level of discomfort, but you did this very well. Believable and awesome.)

[fox_the_kitsune]

Thanks. As for a series, well, it's an aside to a longer fic that I'm writing. I just don't know where to post it. I might put it in my LJ, but I don't know yet. This can stand on its own and the other fic can read without it.

Thanks again.