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Summary: Two lost souls watch over their Light and struggle not to lose their path. Their guide? Only each other.
Long (but my readers are used to it by now, right? ;D)
Also, I'm well aware of there being some minor screw up in time lines (how much Sora remembers/forgot, Riku's state at that point in time and the works). This was a fic I started writing ages ago and felt the flow worked too well to tamper with. If you find anything particularly unbearable, drop me a note, but otherwise, try and be understanding.
Thank you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember Me Not
"You're still here?" The question echoed through the wide space of the room, carried by a voice far raspier and deeper than it was meant to be. It was accompanied by heavy footsteps as boots clang against the odd metallic floor, carrying inside the black-adorned hooded man. The question's addressee, a girl of no more than fifteen remained seemingly unfazed by his presence.
She was half slumped on the floor, her legs bent underneath her. Her hands were pressed against the floor between her thighs. Sweat trickled down her face, making her blond hair cling to her face messily. Whatever it was she was doing he walked in on certainly seemed to have taken quite a bit out of her.
It wasn't until he stood next to her, his massive form towering over her pale fragile one that she seemed to acknowledge his presence. He wasn't surprised to find her there like that, truth be told. He was reminded of why as he turned to look ahead at the somewhat faded image of a boy the same age as the girl's, floating idly in the massive lotus shaped device. It was, after all - the place both she and he himself preferred spending time at the most.
"Welcome back" she greeted then, the sound of her gentle voice catching him by surprise. If it was evident at all, however, it was concealed by him turning his head to look down at her worn out, smiling face. He had last seen her the previous evening, only to return a day later to find her exactly where he left her. Only her condition seemed to have changed - for the worse.
"Did you get any sleep at all?"
She yawned in response before giggling a bit sheepishly. "Nope~!" Came the honest reply which earned her a long, heavy sigh and a shake of the head. He hadn't really expected anything else, he admitted inwardly and reached out his hand for her to take. It was, after all - about the only thing he could do for her at the moment. The girl blinked in response before placing her small hand in his noticeably bigger one and pulled herself to her feet.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
It wasn't until quite a while later that the silence that fell - as comfortable as it was - was broken.
"You didn't get hurt this time" The girl began softly, having examined the other's state from the corner of her eye. Had she been anyone else a bit less familiar with his gestures - or lack thereof - she would've missed that shrug.
"There was just a handful of them, nothing to get hurt from."
"Or break a sweat over?" She half purred at him and could almost taste the raised eyebrow under the shadow his hood cast over his face.
"...I don't want to hear that from someone wearing nothing more than a thin roll of fabric."
"...was that a joke?!" She feigned shock with quite an amused giggle. He simply returned to look straight ahead at the large sphere in front of them, attention and mood both shifting as a result.
"How did it go?" He asked then, making the girl purse her lips and shift a bit nervously under the subject change. There was very little doubt in her mind about what he was referring to.
"...well, I suppose. It was a very long Chain I had to fix... take apart and put back together... I only finished a short while ago, actually..." There was sadness evident both in her voice and her eyes as she turned to look ahead, the blue spheres through which she saw the world tainting with undeniable longing and regret. This was, after all - the fate she chose for herself...
"Heh..."
He had to turn to look at her questioningly as he knew that small, seemingly harmless chuckle held far more than anyone else would've realized.
"It's... almost gone completely, you know? Not one bit of it remaining!" She declared a bit too excitedly, hands clapped together, giving her the appearance of a grade-schooler who successfully finished her homework. "Soon, he won't have any left at all..." She still managed in that cheerful voice, yet the next sentence was hardly even a whisper as she interlaced her fingers behind her back, her eyes cast down as she pointlessly, hopelessly tried digging into the floor with her sandal clad foot.
"...no more... Memories of me... every last one... lost to his Darkness..."
A small, distant, obviously bitter smile graced her lips as she heard the leather of his gloves stretching, quite an obvious sign of him clenching his fists.
"Don't worry... I'll do my job properly... he'll be just like before..." The forced smile returned to her lips, as did the bouncefulness to her body. "No more Me in there! Just you, him..." And there came a pause only noticeable if you knew you had to look for it. "...and Kairi."
There was no response as he merely stared ahead at he who was his best friend since birth. The seemingly peaceful, carefree expression on his tanned, boyish face told nothing of what was going on behind those closed eyelids. He had to wonder though, really - how would the boy have reacted had he been more aware. As far as he knew, according to what the girl had told them, it was done willingly... the boy himself chose to remember... and thus, to forget... but the young man had to doubt the Boy Chosen by the Keyblade really understood the concept, the true meaning, the graveness - or losing a Loved One.
Whenever the mere option arose, the boy fought. He struggled, he endured, he hung on by the fingernail... and triumphed over it all.
But... how was one to fight... when his enemies were his own Memories?
...no. Not enemies, he reckoned as he stared down at the girl swaying unsteadily next to him, seemingly ready to collapse at any given moment, then fall and shatter into a million pieces - and disappear once the wind blew them all away. How often did he think about it, once the girl told him as much as she could about what had happened - about the fake Memories, the made up friendships - the life that could've been, and he couldn't help but dwell on it.
What if there truly were not six, but seven children on their Island? What if instead of two threesomes, their own was made of four? What if...
What if Namine really would have been a part of Sora's life?
He thought he could see it, having spent close to a year with her... and a lifetime with him. The times they would've shared, the Memories they would've made together...
It was when he first saw that that he finally managed to explain it to himself - that small, barely noticeable yet painful looking frown ever so present over Sora's features. He knew, on some level, and he mourned it - forgetting the One Most Important Person to him.
He could tell, somehow... and maybe - he was the only one who could... the only one who saw what it would've been like for real...
"Can't you..." He began before even realizing it was his own voice spoken. "Can't you... leave ju-"
"Stop it." She demanded, her voice noticeably softer than his, noticeably harsher, noticeably - more desperate as her hands gripped the hem of her skirt. "Just stop it. There's no way... I can do that..." She struggled to form the words, eyes shutting tightly. "Because... because if I did that... the Memories would overlap... collide, contradict..."
Ah, he reckoned as he watched her, her aura shifting to one far deeper and darker - one of despair.
"And... And if that happened... then his Heart would... it would..."
I should've known...
"It's best... he just forgets... about things which shouldn't have Existed to begin with."
His brows furrowed as she reached to hug herself, fingers digging into her arms. Her head hung low, golden bangs falling to cover the miserable expression set on her face.
The first person to look for a way to keep her from being Erased... was the girl herself...
Two teardrops fell to the floor as her eyes snapped wide open. She looked up at him, confusion evident in her blue eyes as they desperately searched for his under his hood.
He, in response, merely continued running his hand over her head, through her hair, in a comforting manner.
"Ri... Ku?" She uttered, not knowing quite how to respond. "What..."
"I won't forget you."
Her eyes widened further as all she could do was stare. "What... are you say-"
He went on, knowing that if he'll stop then, he'll never have the chance to say it again... and she'll break into pieces a lot sooner than had he said nothing at all.
"My Memories of you are still Connected. Even if you Disappear... even if you cease to Exist..." He tried before biting his tongue at the bitter taste the word left in his mouth. She was there... before him... solid and warm... How could a Being whose voice he heard... whose scent lingered in his nostrils... not be Real?
"I don't Exi-" She tried, only to have him silence her instantly, his voice harsher than the hand still on her head.
"You do. And even if you'll... stop... eventually..." He offered after a short struggle for words, voice dropping to a mere whisper. "I definitely... will not forget you."
There was a small eternity of silence in which she all but gawked, blue eyes open wide, disbelieving, skeptic, doubting; hoping; pleading. Someone had to say it to her. With the one she wanted to hear it from asleep - it could've been anyone. It might as well be him.
...no.
With Sora asleep... it had to be him. After all, who else was there to fix the brunette's screw-ups but the silverette?
"...you will." She concluded at long last, voice small and distant. She mustn't believe him... she couldn't.
"I won't." He retorted simply, voice calm and collected, a harsh contrast to her breakable tone.
"You will." She attempted again, only to receive the same answer again.
"I won't."
"You have to." She ascertained blankly.
"I won't."
"You must." She slightly scolded.
"I won't."
"Just do it!" She half barked, expecting him to crack. He merely regarded her as a calm, stubborn adult would an even more stubborn child.
"I won't."
"You should!" She yelled, pulling away from him; he lowered his hand to his side.
"I won't."
"I'll make you!" she screamed eventually, fists clenching as she stared at him with wide, unfocused eyes. He gritted his teeth, feeling her tug on the Chains of his Memories. And what Memories those were...
They were both there, one always coming in after the other... always standing vigilant in silent watch over a joined Loved One.
He knew her pain; she understood his. How little did it surprise him, he realized in retrospective; she was, after all, the one person to be able to reach out to his blinded, confused Heart and with a delicate hand and a bashful smile did she guide him through the Light, and gave him the strength to battle his Darkness.
He could feel the first Link in the Chain come apart, and yet he found himself unable to stop smiling.
She couldn't help but try and suppress a shiver.
"Wha... what's so funny?!" She demanded, moving to lightly hug herself. "I'll do it... I really will do it!"
"I know." Came the reply, carried by a warm, somewhat affectionate tone of voice. It only served to frustrate her further.
"I mean it!"
"Go ahead!" He dared, his own small outburst catching her off guard. It served to quiet her down and he managed to smile before taking a single calculated step towards her. It was odd relief that washed him over seeing how she held her ground.
"If that's what would make you feel better... go ahead. Do what you need to do - beat me up, hurt me; Break my Heart. Wipe out every last Memory of you that I have. It won't matter how badly you'll make me Forget." He looked at her, bright golden eyes digging into her cobalt blue ones. "If it's you, I'll still remember. Because it's you."
"You know that's not true..." She tried, only to have him turn to look at the large sphere next to them.
"He believes otherwise..." He replied calmly enough. "Therefore... I'll believe in it too."
He turned to study her then, from the obvious blank stare in her eyes to the subtle shivers that rocked her body. He more than understood why; how was she to take his words, really, when she tried so hard for so long to come to terms with the opposite?
How would she regard him now, having given her all she ever craved for? How was she to go on, being forced upon the Hope only one slumbering boy ever presented her with?
How...
With silence, apparently, he reckoned, the kind of which left one uncomfortable. He shifted lightly, wondering if he hadn't gone too far.
"I... never existed, you know..." She tried arguing with the zeal of a sobbing child, making him unable to not smile in exasperation.
"I know."
"I'm not... supposed to be here..." She tried pleading, unable to tear away her eyes from his lips, as though waiting for an answer she knew she wouldn't receive.
"I know." He repeated reassuringly still, noticing how for each tiny step she took away from him, she ended up leaning twice as much closer...
The next argument she managed to come up with came after a bit of a while, the very last exclamation the girl still had the strength in her to let out.
"I'm a Nobody!!!"
The word echoed in the vast hall, hitting the walls to bounce back at the one who voiced them. A moment passed, and then another, and just as the bitter smile was to rise to her lips, it came...
His snort.
"Was that your best?" He asked, sounding disappointed and yet in a way - overjoyed. This... he had an answer for.
"I know that." Came his reply, though this time there was more to it, the girl knew, and made herself believe the anxiousness she was feeling was in fact despair.
Needless to say - it wasn't.
"I just don't care."
The sound of resolve breaking was audible.
"You're stupid..." Came the initial mumbling, yet her voice was too shaky, too distant, too amused; too broken. "Really... such a hopeless idiot..." She whispered, her hands reaching to cover her face. That was when the girl's knees finally gave way, making her fall aside. Before he could react, however, her shoulder met the clear surface of the pod, bringing her to a stop; supporting her. A moment later, her hand rose to press over the same surface, leaving her face only to reveal a tiny smile between two tear-smeared cheeks.
"The both of you are..."
She knew he reached for her even before hearing his footsteps; the hand resting on her head was hardly surprising.
"It's contagious", he explained simply before motioning with his head towards the one they both have worked so hard protecting. "I blame him."
A tiny chuckle was his reward as she shook her head. Her other hand now falling to her side, it was rather obvious that at the very least, she was no longer holding the tears at bay. "...can I too?"
"Sure. He's used to it."
His entire body seemed to have relaxed as she let out a giggle, mood seeming to finally cheer up for real.
"By you, no doubt?"
"You know better than me right now." He replied softly, yet his tone indicated he meant no harm. The girl took it as such and settled on simply looking with half lidded, thoughtful eyes past the crystal clear glass.
He wondered whether she was looking at the one inside or trying to make out whatever it was that was inside with him, yet shrugged it off as unimportant.
She was smiling again, for real this time; It will have to do for now.
"You should get some rest." He eventually said once he redrew his hand, leaving the girl to sigh softly and nod ever so slowly.
"I will..."
"I'll make you some dinner." He offered before turning to leave. She looked up at him with pursed lips before deciding that now wasn't the time to hold back.
He didn't; neither should she.
"Will you... really do it?" Her voice asked in a mere whisper, yet he could hear it between his footsteps. He came to a stop in front of the door to the chamber, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. "...remember me?"
"That's a stupid question." He replied, yet continued speaking before she could take it the wrong way. "It's a Promise."
"Liar." Namine let herself coo softly, as the instant Riku set foot outside the room was the instant the last several minutes fell out of his Memories as a leaf would from a tree during autumn. She smiled softly to herself as she leaned with her back against the pod, absently humming to herself until his footsteps finally faded away. "You both are." She added, looking fondly up at Sora's image, reflecting upside down at her over the glass. "I doubt... he'd be as kind as you were... he's not the type to forgive this sort of thing... but you're different... right?" She had to ask, smile fading as she reached against to hug herself, the shivers gradually escalating again as she bowed her head low, feeling another bit of herself in him fade away into nothing.
"You'll forgive me, right? ...Sora...?"
Long (but my readers are used to it by now, right? ;D)
Also, I'm well aware of there being some minor screw up in time lines (how much Sora remembers/forgot, Riku's state at that point in time and the works). This was a fic I started writing ages ago and felt the flow worked too well to tamper with. If you find anything particularly unbearable, drop me a note, but otherwise, try and be understanding.
Thank you.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Remember Me Not
"You're still here?" The question echoed through the wide space of the room, carried by a voice far raspier and deeper than it was meant to be. It was accompanied by heavy footsteps as boots clang against the odd metallic floor, carrying inside the black-adorned hooded man. The question's addressee, a girl of no more than fifteen remained seemingly unfazed by his presence.
She was half slumped on the floor, her legs bent underneath her. Her hands were pressed against the floor between her thighs. Sweat trickled down her face, making her blond hair cling to her face messily. Whatever it was she was doing he walked in on certainly seemed to have taken quite a bit out of her.
It wasn't until he stood next to her, his massive form towering over her pale fragile one that she seemed to acknowledge his presence. He wasn't surprised to find her there like that, truth be told. He was reminded of why as he turned to look ahead at the somewhat faded image of a boy the same age as the girl's, floating idly in the massive lotus shaped device. It was, after all - the place both she and he himself preferred spending time at the most.
"Welcome back" she greeted then, the sound of her gentle voice catching him by surprise. If it was evident at all, however, it was concealed by him turning his head to look down at her worn out, smiling face. He had last seen her the previous evening, only to return a day later to find her exactly where he left her. Only her condition seemed to have changed - for the worse.
"Did you get any sleep at all?"
She yawned in response before giggling a bit sheepishly. "Nope~!" Came the honest reply which earned her a long, heavy sigh and a shake of the head. He hadn't really expected anything else, he admitted inwardly and reached out his hand for her to take. It was, after all - about the only thing he could do for her at the moment. The girl blinked in response before placing her small hand in his noticeably bigger one and pulled herself to her feet.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
It wasn't until quite a while later that the silence that fell - as comfortable as it was - was broken.
"You didn't get hurt this time" The girl began softly, having examined the other's state from the corner of her eye. Had she been anyone else a bit less familiar with his gestures - or lack thereof - she would've missed that shrug.
"There was just a handful of them, nothing to get hurt from."
"Or break a sweat over?" She half purred at him and could almost taste the raised eyebrow under the shadow his hood cast over his face.
"...I don't want to hear that from someone wearing nothing more than a thin roll of fabric."
"...was that a joke?!" She feigned shock with quite an amused giggle. He simply returned to look straight ahead at the large sphere in front of them, attention and mood both shifting as a result.
"How did it go?" He asked then, making the girl purse her lips and shift a bit nervously under the subject change. There was very little doubt in her mind about what he was referring to.
"...well, I suppose. It was a very long Chain I had to fix... take apart and put back together... I only finished a short while ago, actually..." There was sadness evident both in her voice and her eyes as she turned to look ahead, the blue spheres through which she saw the world tainting with undeniable longing and regret. This was, after all - the fate she chose for herself...
"Heh..."
He had to turn to look at her questioningly as he knew that small, seemingly harmless chuckle held far more than anyone else would've realized.
"It's... almost gone completely, you know? Not one bit of it remaining!" She declared a bit too excitedly, hands clapped together, giving her the appearance of a grade-schooler who successfully finished her homework. "Soon, he won't have any left at all..." She still managed in that cheerful voice, yet the next sentence was hardly even a whisper as she interlaced her fingers behind her back, her eyes cast down as she pointlessly, hopelessly tried digging into the floor with her sandal clad foot.
"...no more... Memories of me... every last one... lost to his Darkness..."
A small, distant, obviously bitter smile graced her lips as she heard the leather of his gloves stretching, quite an obvious sign of him clenching his fists.
"Don't worry... I'll do my job properly... he'll be just like before..." The forced smile returned to her lips, as did the bouncefulness to her body. "No more Me in there! Just you, him..." And there came a pause only noticeable if you knew you had to look for it. "...and Kairi."
There was no response as he merely stared ahead at he who was his best friend since birth. The seemingly peaceful, carefree expression on his tanned, boyish face told nothing of what was going on behind those closed eyelids. He had to wonder though, really - how would the boy have reacted had he been more aware. As far as he knew, according to what the girl had told them, it was done willingly... the boy himself chose to remember... and thus, to forget... but the young man had to doubt the Boy Chosen by the Keyblade really understood the concept, the true meaning, the graveness - or losing a Loved One.
Whenever the mere option arose, the boy fought. He struggled, he endured, he hung on by the fingernail... and triumphed over it all.
But... how was one to fight... when his enemies were his own Memories?
...no. Not enemies, he reckoned as he stared down at the girl swaying unsteadily next to him, seemingly ready to collapse at any given moment, then fall and shatter into a million pieces - and disappear once the wind blew them all away. How often did he think about it, once the girl told him as much as she could about what had happened - about the fake Memories, the made up friendships - the life that could've been, and he couldn't help but dwell on it.
What if there truly were not six, but seven children on their Island? What if instead of two threesomes, their own was made of four? What if...
What if Namine really would have been a part of Sora's life?
He thought he could see it, having spent close to a year with her... and a lifetime with him. The times they would've shared, the Memories they would've made together...
It was when he first saw that that he finally managed to explain it to himself - that small, barely noticeable yet painful looking frown ever so present over Sora's features. He knew, on some level, and he mourned it - forgetting the One Most Important Person to him.
He could tell, somehow... and maybe - he was the only one who could... the only one who saw what it would've been like for real...
"Can't you..." He began before even realizing it was his own voice spoken. "Can't you... leave ju-"
"Stop it." She demanded, her voice noticeably softer than his, noticeably harsher, noticeably - more desperate as her hands gripped the hem of her skirt. "Just stop it. There's no way... I can do that..." She struggled to form the words, eyes shutting tightly. "Because... because if I did that... the Memories would overlap... collide, contradict..."
Ah, he reckoned as he watched her, her aura shifting to one far deeper and darker - one of despair.
"And... And if that happened... then his Heart would... it would..."
I should've known...
"It's best... he just forgets... about things which shouldn't have Existed to begin with."
His brows furrowed as she reached to hug herself, fingers digging into her arms. Her head hung low, golden bangs falling to cover the miserable expression set on her face.
The first person to look for a way to keep her from being Erased... was the girl herself...
Two teardrops fell to the floor as her eyes snapped wide open. She looked up at him, confusion evident in her blue eyes as they desperately searched for his under his hood.
He, in response, merely continued running his hand over her head, through her hair, in a comforting manner.
"Ri... Ku?" She uttered, not knowing quite how to respond. "What..."
"I won't forget you."
Her eyes widened further as all she could do was stare. "What... are you say-"
He went on, knowing that if he'll stop then, he'll never have the chance to say it again... and she'll break into pieces a lot sooner than had he said nothing at all.
"My Memories of you are still Connected. Even if you Disappear... even if you cease to Exist..." He tried before biting his tongue at the bitter taste the word left in his mouth. She was there... before him... solid and warm... How could a Being whose voice he heard... whose scent lingered in his nostrils... not be Real?
"I don't Exi-" She tried, only to have him silence her instantly, his voice harsher than the hand still on her head.
"You do. And even if you'll... stop... eventually..." He offered after a short struggle for words, voice dropping to a mere whisper. "I definitely... will not forget you."
There was a small eternity of silence in which she all but gawked, blue eyes open wide, disbelieving, skeptic, doubting; hoping; pleading. Someone had to say it to her. With the one she wanted to hear it from asleep - it could've been anyone. It might as well be him.
...no.
With Sora asleep... it had to be him. After all, who else was there to fix the brunette's screw-ups but the silverette?
"...you will." She concluded at long last, voice small and distant. She mustn't believe him... she couldn't.
"I won't." He retorted simply, voice calm and collected, a harsh contrast to her breakable tone.
"You will." She attempted again, only to receive the same answer again.
"I won't."
"You have to." She ascertained blankly.
"I won't."
"You must." She slightly scolded.
"I won't."
"Just do it!" She half barked, expecting him to crack. He merely regarded her as a calm, stubborn adult would an even more stubborn child.
"I won't."
"You should!" She yelled, pulling away from him; he lowered his hand to his side.
"I won't."
"I'll make you!" she screamed eventually, fists clenching as she stared at him with wide, unfocused eyes. He gritted his teeth, feeling her tug on the Chains of his Memories. And what Memories those were...
They were both there, one always coming in after the other... always standing vigilant in silent watch over a joined Loved One.
He knew her pain; she understood his. How little did it surprise him, he realized in retrospective; she was, after all, the one person to be able to reach out to his blinded, confused Heart and with a delicate hand and a bashful smile did she guide him through the Light, and gave him the strength to battle his Darkness.
He could feel the first Link in the Chain come apart, and yet he found himself unable to stop smiling.
She couldn't help but try and suppress a shiver.
"Wha... what's so funny?!" She demanded, moving to lightly hug herself. "I'll do it... I really will do it!"
"I know." Came the reply, carried by a warm, somewhat affectionate tone of voice. It only served to frustrate her further.
"I mean it!"
"Go ahead!" He dared, his own small outburst catching her off guard. It served to quiet her down and he managed to smile before taking a single calculated step towards her. It was odd relief that washed him over seeing how she held her ground.
"If that's what would make you feel better... go ahead. Do what you need to do - beat me up, hurt me; Break my Heart. Wipe out every last Memory of you that I have. It won't matter how badly you'll make me Forget." He looked at her, bright golden eyes digging into her cobalt blue ones. "If it's you, I'll still remember. Because it's you."
"You know that's not true..." She tried, only to have him turn to look at the large sphere next to them.
"He believes otherwise..." He replied calmly enough. "Therefore... I'll believe in it too."
He turned to study her then, from the obvious blank stare in her eyes to the subtle shivers that rocked her body. He more than understood why; how was she to take his words, really, when she tried so hard for so long to come to terms with the opposite?
How would she regard him now, having given her all she ever craved for? How was she to go on, being forced upon the Hope only one slumbering boy ever presented her with?
How...
With silence, apparently, he reckoned, the kind of which left one uncomfortable. He shifted lightly, wondering if he hadn't gone too far.
"I... never existed, you know..." She tried arguing with the zeal of a sobbing child, making him unable to not smile in exasperation.
"I know."
"I'm not... supposed to be here..." She tried pleading, unable to tear away her eyes from his lips, as though waiting for an answer she knew she wouldn't receive.
"I know." He repeated reassuringly still, noticing how for each tiny step she took away from him, she ended up leaning twice as much closer...
The next argument she managed to come up with came after a bit of a while, the very last exclamation the girl still had the strength in her to let out.
"I'm a Nobody!!!"
The word echoed in the vast hall, hitting the walls to bounce back at the one who voiced them. A moment passed, and then another, and just as the bitter smile was to rise to her lips, it came...
His snort.
"Was that your best?" He asked, sounding disappointed and yet in a way - overjoyed. This... he had an answer for.
"I know that." Came his reply, though this time there was more to it, the girl knew, and made herself believe the anxiousness she was feeling was in fact despair.
Needless to say - it wasn't.
"I just don't care."
The sound of resolve breaking was audible.
"You're stupid..." Came the initial mumbling, yet her voice was too shaky, too distant, too amused; too broken. "Really... such a hopeless idiot..." She whispered, her hands reaching to cover her face. That was when the girl's knees finally gave way, making her fall aside. Before he could react, however, her shoulder met the clear surface of the pod, bringing her to a stop; supporting her. A moment later, her hand rose to press over the same surface, leaving her face only to reveal a tiny smile between two tear-smeared cheeks.
"The both of you are..."
She knew he reached for her even before hearing his footsteps; the hand resting on her head was hardly surprising.
"It's contagious", he explained simply before motioning with his head towards the one they both have worked so hard protecting. "I blame him."
A tiny chuckle was his reward as she shook her head. Her other hand now falling to her side, it was rather obvious that at the very least, she was no longer holding the tears at bay. "...can I too?"
"Sure. He's used to it."
His entire body seemed to have relaxed as she let out a giggle, mood seeming to finally cheer up for real.
"By you, no doubt?"
"You know better than me right now." He replied softly, yet his tone indicated he meant no harm. The girl took it as such and settled on simply looking with half lidded, thoughtful eyes past the crystal clear glass.
He wondered whether she was looking at the one inside or trying to make out whatever it was that was inside with him, yet shrugged it off as unimportant.
She was smiling again, for real this time; It will have to do for now.
"You should get some rest." He eventually said once he redrew his hand, leaving the girl to sigh softly and nod ever so slowly.
"I will..."
"I'll make you some dinner." He offered before turning to leave. She looked up at him with pursed lips before deciding that now wasn't the time to hold back.
He didn't; neither should she.
"Will you... really do it?" Her voice asked in a mere whisper, yet he could hear it between his footsteps. He came to a stop in front of the door to the chamber, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. "...remember me?"
"That's a stupid question." He replied, yet continued speaking before she could take it the wrong way. "It's a Promise."
"Liar." Namine let herself coo softly, as the instant Riku set foot outside the room was the instant the last several minutes fell out of his Memories as a leaf would from a tree during autumn. She smiled softly to herself as she leaned with her back against the pod, absently humming to herself until his footsteps finally faded away. "You both are." She added, looking fondly up at Sora's image, reflecting upside down at her over the glass. "I doubt... he'd be as kind as you were... he's not the type to forgive this sort of thing... but you're different... right?" She had to ask, smile fading as she reached against to hug herself, the shivers gradually escalating again as she bowed her head low, feeling another bit of herself in him fade away into nothing.
"You'll forgive me, right? ...Sora...?"
