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Jun. 17th, 2009 01:50 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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kh_drabblechallenge: 190. Liar
title: nothing is forever
word count: 603 (>_>)
notes: KH2 spoilers, I guess! :0
Naminé is nothing but a pale slip of white ahead of him in the dark. Her dress ruffles as something passes through the nothingness past them, something Riku isn’t sure he wants to meet, and for a moment her very being seems to flicker.
“It feels like we’re going nowhere,” she says in a small voice, turning to face him.
The old Riku would have made a snarky retort, something like “Yeah, we kind of are,” with one of those withering looks that made people shrink back and Sora laugh, because he knew it was an act, and Kairi would try to act stern and end up dissolving into giggles. Thinking about it, he wasn’t that funny. He wasn’t that nice, either.
“Don’t worry,” he says instead. He steps forwards; feels darkness coating him like thick oilcloth, wrapping itself around him and slowly spreading down to his feet. It’s itchy, like a dull tickling deep at the back of his head. A few more strides and he feels taller. Different.
Naminé bites her lip. “I knew this was a bad idea-” she starts, wringing her hands. The darkness is wrapped around her, too, little tendrils reaching out for her. She brushes it off her arms jerkily, a clockwork doll that’s trying too hard to keep running by herself.
“It’s the only way, right?” Riku says, voice shifting into baritone. He tries not to gag. The darkness is sliding down his throat, through his hair, and it’s a feeling he never wanted to feel again. He feels like the old Riku, trapped in a body he didn’t belong in.
He shuts his eyes as the darkness pools over his shoulders and gathers. “Hey,” he starts, reaching out blindly. It’s a stupid move, he thinks, a moment too late. He’s not sure what he wanted to say, anyway.
Naminé takes his hand in hers. It’s tiny and delicate and he can feel every bone. “It’ll be all right,” she says, quietly, and somehow he feels like she wasn’t trying to convince herself anymore.
“Yeah,” he chokes out. He’s drowning in darkness, it’s filling his lungs, but he needs to have this power, to help Sora and make things right.
The nothingness around them changes, tastes sour. More nothingness passes through. It’s oppressive, and Naminé’s hand is the only thing holding him back from falling into it and he doesn’t want to let go.
“Riku,” she says urgently. “It’s here. The portal.”
Riku gathers all his courage to speak past the lump in his throat. “It’s Ansem, now.”
“Riku,” Naminé says. “You’re not Ansem.”
“I have to be,” he counters, but before he can open his eyes to look at her and see her reaction to the disguise smothering him now, she reaches up and carefully ties a blindfold around his eyes, hiding his sight from view. Reality becomes relative, all blurred edges and smells and sounds.
“You have to lie,” she says, and pauses, and he can feel unfamiliar fingers ghosting over his face. “You don’t have to become him.”
He refuses to look at her. Instead, he looks at the portal just behind her, a shimmering curtain of rain falling beyond the swirls of darkness leading to a world that wasn’t supposed to exist. But he can feel her, a faint white glow standing by him. He can feel Sora, sleeping somewhere deep in his heart.
“Lying, huh,” he says, smoothly. Like it’s that easy.
There's nothing else to say. He pulls the hood on his cloak up over his face, shrouding his borrowed appearance, and strides into the rain to face his demons.
title: nothing is forever
word count: 603 (>_>)
notes: KH2 spoilers, I guess! :0
Naminé is nothing but a pale slip of white ahead of him in the dark. Her dress ruffles as something passes through the nothingness past them, something Riku isn’t sure he wants to meet, and for a moment her very being seems to flicker.
“It feels like we’re going nowhere,” she says in a small voice, turning to face him.
The old Riku would have made a snarky retort, something like “Yeah, we kind of are,” with one of those withering looks that made people shrink back and Sora laugh, because he knew it was an act, and Kairi would try to act stern and end up dissolving into giggles. Thinking about it, he wasn’t that funny. He wasn’t that nice, either.
“Don’t worry,” he says instead. He steps forwards; feels darkness coating him like thick oilcloth, wrapping itself around him and slowly spreading down to his feet. It’s itchy, like a dull tickling deep at the back of his head. A few more strides and he feels taller. Different.
Naminé bites her lip. “I knew this was a bad idea-” she starts, wringing her hands. The darkness is wrapped around her, too, little tendrils reaching out for her. She brushes it off her arms jerkily, a clockwork doll that’s trying too hard to keep running by herself.
“It’s the only way, right?” Riku says, voice shifting into baritone. He tries not to gag. The darkness is sliding down his throat, through his hair, and it’s a feeling he never wanted to feel again. He feels like the old Riku, trapped in a body he didn’t belong in.
He shuts his eyes as the darkness pools over his shoulders and gathers. “Hey,” he starts, reaching out blindly. It’s a stupid move, he thinks, a moment too late. He’s not sure what he wanted to say, anyway.
Naminé takes his hand in hers. It’s tiny and delicate and he can feel every bone. “It’ll be all right,” she says, quietly, and somehow he feels like she wasn’t trying to convince herself anymore.
“Yeah,” he chokes out. He’s drowning in darkness, it’s filling his lungs, but he needs to have this power, to help Sora and make things right.
The nothingness around them changes, tastes sour. More nothingness passes through. It’s oppressive, and Naminé’s hand is the only thing holding him back from falling into it and he doesn’t want to let go.
“Riku,” she says urgently. “It’s here. The portal.”
Riku gathers all his courage to speak past the lump in his throat. “It’s Ansem, now.”
“Riku,” Naminé says. “You’re not Ansem.”
“I have to be,” he counters, but before he can open his eyes to look at her and see her reaction to the disguise smothering him now, she reaches up and carefully ties a blindfold around his eyes, hiding his sight from view. Reality becomes relative, all blurred edges and smells and sounds.
“You have to lie,” she says, and pauses, and he can feel unfamiliar fingers ghosting over his face. “You don’t have to become him.”
He refuses to look at her. Instead, he looks at the portal just behind her, a shimmering curtain of rain falling beyond the swirls of darkness leading to a world that wasn’t supposed to exist. But he can feel her, a faint white glow standing by him. He can feel Sora, sleeping somewhere deep in his heart.
“Lying, huh,” he says, smoothly. Like it’s that easy.
There's nothing else to say. He pulls the hood on his cloak up over his face, shrouding his borrowed appearance, and strides into the rain to face his demons.
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Date: 2009-06-17 07:07 am (UTC)This one hurts a little. xD;
I love the subject of how Riku feels about taking on that appearance. :3 You did it very well -- it tugs at the heart so much. ;_;
Anyway, very well done. :3
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Date: 2009-06-18 05:30 pm (UTC)Thank you! :]
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Date: 2009-06-17 12:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-06-20 01:56 am (UTC)I can't even say this piece is 'convincing' and 'believable' because it's so true it should be canon. <33
GREAT work!
Date: 2009-06-23 01:12 pm (UTC)Kudos!
-K