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kh_drabbleTitle: Her Father's Daughter
Challenge: [254] Expressions of Love
Word Count: 600
Notes: This wanted to be quite a bit longer than it wound up being, by about five pages. Should be spoiler-free, and I have no idea why the future!fic bug bit me as hard as it did, but this is the result.
She'd bitten back a yell when he threw himself in front of the creature's claws, taking a blow that had been meant for her. Bringing her Keyblade to bear instead, she’d continued to battle the Heartless, worry abating slightly when he got to his feet and joined her. It was only after the beast fell that she dismissed her weapon and spoke her mind.
"Dad, what the hell!"
A decade ago, the surprise on his face would have been enough to give her pause - she certainly hadn't learned that language from him - but she was twenty-four and an adult and too far into this to stop now. "I'm a Master too now! I can take care of myself!"
But she couldn't hide the worry in her voice as he placed his palm, glowing green with magic, over the bleeding slashes on his chest. He'd been hurt like that before, but so much worse.
It had been seventeen years since the day he'd staggered in the door, bleeding heavily. Seventeen years since she'd sprinted in terror to find her mother, who somehow already knew something was wrong. Seventeen years since she'd watched her mother run through every Cure spell she knew and then some, pleading with him to hang on, not to let his daughter grow up without her father-
"I know you can."
She snapped back to reality at her father's words, noticing his wounds were gone. Then and now, he was too stubborn to be brought down so easily. According to her mother, she was her father's daughter and had gotten her stubborn streak from him.
"Aria, we sent you to train with another Master because we wanted you to become your own person." He was looking at her like he'd never seen her before; given how long it had been since they'd really spent time together, Aria couldn't blame him. The duties of two Masters kept them apart more often than not. "You’ve become a strong, capable young woman, and I know that." He paused, the beginnings of a sad, proud smile growing on his face. "I just wasn't there to see it. I guess I'm behind, and I haven't caught up yet." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and she was left not knowing what to say. He hadn't taken the hit because he thought she was incapable - he'd protected her because he worried for her, the same way she worried for him all those years ago; because, even after all these years apart, he still loved her.
He was her father. Of course he did.
"I know you're not my little girl anymore," he admitted quietly.
She shook her head and crossed the short distance between them, placing a hand lightly on his chest and calling her own healing spell. Gently, she wove the magic where his wounds had been, repairing the fine details that would otherwise bruise and ache overnight. Her father insisted she was her mother's daughter, and that her skill in magic had come from the best. "You're right," she replied, voice soft as his had been. "I'm not." She looked up, blue eyes meeting blue eyes, and smiled. "But I will always be your daughter." Spell completed, she slid her arms around his chest, burying her face into the crook of his neck like she had when she was younger and feeling his strong arms hold her tightly.
In that moment, Terra could not have been prouder of the strong Master his daughter had become or more grateful for the compassionate young woman she had always been.
Challenge: [254] Expressions of Love
Word Count: 600
Notes: This wanted to be quite a bit longer than it wound up being, by about five pages. Should be spoiler-free, and I have no idea why the future!fic bug bit me as hard as it did, but this is the result.
She'd bitten back a yell when he threw himself in front of the creature's claws, taking a blow that had been meant for her. Bringing her Keyblade to bear instead, she’d continued to battle the Heartless, worry abating slightly when he got to his feet and joined her. It was only after the beast fell that she dismissed her weapon and spoke her mind.
"Dad, what the hell!"
A decade ago, the surprise on his face would have been enough to give her pause - she certainly hadn't learned that language from him - but she was twenty-four and an adult and too far into this to stop now. "I'm a Master too now! I can take care of myself!"
But she couldn't hide the worry in her voice as he placed his palm, glowing green with magic, over the bleeding slashes on his chest. He'd been hurt like that before, but so much worse.
It had been seventeen years since the day he'd staggered in the door, bleeding heavily. Seventeen years since she'd sprinted in terror to find her mother, who somehow already knew something was wrong. Seventeen years since she'd watched her mother run through every Cure spell she knew and then some, pleading with him to hang on, not to let his daughter grow up without her father-
"I know you can."
She snapped back to reality at her father's words, noticing his wounds were gone. Then and now, he was too stubborn to be brought down so easily. According to her mother, she was her father's daughter and had gotten her stubborn streak from him.
"Aria, we sent you to train with another Master because we wanted you to become your own person." He was looking at her like he'd never seen her before; given how long it had been since they'd really spent time together, Aria couldn't blame him. The duties of two Masters kept them apart more often than not. "You’ve become a strong, capable young woman, and I know that." He paused, the beginnings of a sad, proud smile growing on his face. "I just wasn't there to see it. I guess I'm behind, and I haven't caught up yet." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, and she was left not knowing what to say. He hadn't taken the hit because he thought she was incapable - he'd protected her because he worried for her, the same way she worried for him all those years ago; because, even after all these years apart, he still loved her.
He was her father. Of course he did.
"I know you're not my little girl anymore," he admitted quietly.
She shook her head and crossed the short distance between them, placing a hand lightly on his chest and calling her own healing spell. Gently, she wove the magic where his wounds had been, repairing the fine details that would otherwise bruise and ache overnight. Her father insisted she was her mother's daughter, and that her skill in magic had come from the best. "You're right," she replied, voice soft as his had been. "I'm not." She looked up, blue eyes meeting blue eyes, and smiled. "But I will always be your daughter." Spell completed, she slid her arms around his chest, burying her face into the crook of his neck like she had when she was younger and feeling his strong arms hold her tightly.
In that moment, Terra could not have been prouder of the strong Master his daughter had become or more grateful for the compassionate young woman she had always been.
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Date: 2011-02-26 02:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-27 12:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-27 07:02 pm (UTC)Though I have to admit that when I got to this line:
"Dad, what the hell!"
...and then read that they'd sent her to train under someone else's influence, my brain just went "I didn't realise Cid was a Keyblade master too!" >_>
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Date: 2011-02-27 10:08 pm (UTC)...thank you for that. 8D /cracking up madly over here
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Date: 2011-02-28 11:13 pm (UTC)Not Ven, then?)You're welcome! *intends to run before keyblade!Cid plotbunnies get her*)
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Date: 2011-02-28 11:23 pm (UTC)Not Ven GET OUT OF HERE, YOUAs someone who's just gotten tackled and nommed by a rather embarrassing crossover bunny, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE)