Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, now watch me weep.
Summary: They almost got her once. Almost. Namiku friendship. "You don't look stupid, so you must be crazy." Shopping, kidnapping, rescuing, and Riku learns how whipped he really is.
She really should have seen it coming.
They had all known that the Organization wanted her back, that they wanted her back very badly. Naminé knew what they could, and would, do to get something they really wanted. The list of crimes Organization XIII preformed was, among other things and in no particular order: murder, extortion, kidnapping, conning, bribery, treachery, manipulation, and outright warfare. Naminé had seen Larxene call down a bolt of lightning to strike a man who had called her bitchy. She'd seen Saïx laughing as he crushed a helpless opponent to pulp with his claymore.
The Organization was, quite literally, heartless.
That was why they, the four of them, took such pains to stay hidden. Darkness portals were the main method of transportation and, when Mickey couldn't stomach another hop through them, the Gummi ship routes were always chosen at random and never used twice in more then three months. They had managed to stay under the radar and avoid a fight that they would lose, which was in itself a victory.
With all the emphasis on staying unseen in Twilight Town and when out on missions, it wasn't really on anyone's mind to take the same precautions when out on a supply run in the middle of a tiny mountain village of a world they had never bothered to name.
That was probably how the black-coated man managed to get so close to her before she noticed.
Well… that and Xaldin actually was pretty hard to spot when he wasn't in 'kill-everything-that-moves' mode.
As with most things that went wrong in her life, Naminé could trace the day's events back to at least one of her housemates.
Another day of fighting for justice meant another day of Mickey's chocolate-chip waffles for breakfast. No one wanted to imagine a world where they had to fight evil without them for a morning meal. Thus, when the mouse announced he was out of chocolate chips there was a scramble to go get more.
None of the shops in Twilight Town were open at 6:43 A.M. Instead of just switching to bacon and toast like a sane person would, DiZ had asked someone to go off the world and buy some from another planet.
Seriously, he had.
And of course DiZ couldn't do it. Nope, he was still making that fake Twilight Town. The freaking genius couldn't take five minutes out of his time to buy his own damn chocolate, but he could take thirty minutes out of his life to 'ooh!' and 'ah!' over Mickey's cooking each morning. Mickey himself had a more viable excuse in the form of 'I can't go through a darkness portal again so soon or I'll throw up!' Apparently being so stuffed full of light made multiple trips through the dark liable to give you a sensation of seasickness. Gummi ships would have taken too long.
And, again, no one, not even Riku, could go without chocolate-chip waffles for a day.
'Am I the only one who still has her mind intact because I lost my heart?' Naminé wondered.
Which was how Naminé found herself walking through a bustling main street that belonged to a mountain town Riku had discovered a while back and marked in his memory.
To buy chocolate chips.
Before 7 A.M.
Riku was following her at a distance. Supposedly, he had come to make sure she didn't run off (DiZ's words, not mine, please put the stick down Naminé). Truthfully, he was offering his services as a pack mule. It was his Riku-ish way of making up for sending her off on the shopping trip in the first place, since it was his vote that had swung the four-person democracy in their base towards getting chocolate chips.
So, they had wandered through the dark and out into a mountain town where the people were suspicious about the travelers who seemingly arrived overnight and had never been seen before and carried no luggage. Like always, munny had stopped the questions from being anything more then polite chitchat.
A sweet shop had what they needed, and they were in and out in record time. It probably would have ended there, had not Naminé's silver haired escort made one big mistake:
He had let Naminé hold his wallet.
His very full wallet.
"Naminé, what do you need a new dress for? The one you have on is fine."
'This could so use some thinning,' Naminé thought happily as she hefted the bulging wallet.
It was nothing more then payment for sending her out so early. Really.
In response to his comment, Naminé gave Riku a look that masterfully combined 'you grunting Neanderthal!' with 'ugh! Only a boy would say that!'
Riku, very wisely, shut up.
The Nobody hefted Riku's wallet once again and spoke in a voice that could have belonged to a teacher explaining something to a very stupid student.
"I have a good dress, yes. The other two dresses I have are nice also. Riku, have you ever seen me in anything but a nice dress?"
"…No," Riku answered cautiously.
"Then you'll understand why I want to get a new one. Even if it wasn't for the different look, those three aren't going to last forever. Besides, I'd look great in that shade of blue, don't you think?" Naminé asked.
"Well, yeah, but-"
"And I have to get those boots, they match!"
"Naminé, please-"
"And I'm running low on shampoo, and so are you, so don't complain."
"But it's my munny!" Riku cried.
Naminé smiled. "I know, that's what makes it so much fun!"
"Naminé, I got that munny from my sweat, blood, and fighting skills," Riku growled.
"So you'll have it back again real soon," Naminé said.
"But Naaaaa-miiiii-" Riku whined for a single second before he was cut off.
"Riku, tell me you'll never have this much munny again in your life, and I'll let you put all that stuff back where we found it," Naminé said.
Utter silence.
"…Riiiiiiiiikuuuuuuuuu…." Naminé pressed.
"…I want ice cream…." Riku pouted. Naminé hadn't known he could pout.
"My treat," Naminé said sweetly as she skipped off to the cash register.
"'S my munny," Riku growled before he staggered after the blond, weighed down with dresses and hair care products.
Naminé forked over Riku's hard won munny and they left the shop. 30 minutes and four shops later, Riku's wallet was considerably lighter. Riku himself was considerably not. Naminé's magpie gaze had garnered four complete outfits, a bunny mask to replace DiZ's leather one (he needs to smile more, she had said), a cat faced watch for Mickey (Riku doubted the mouse would appreciate it), a Frisbee for Pluto (who was prone to dropping in on his master from time to time), more bath salts then anyone had a need for (even Naminé, who took up two solid hours a day in the only bathroom they had), a set of crayons, pencils, and pastels in all the shades and colors of the rainbow (she had enough of them back at the mansion), three pads of drawing paper (she had more then enough of them back at the mansion), a new outfit for Riku (which he did not need or want, though the sales lady looked very happy as she pressed closer to him for his measurements), a calendar (useless), some fold-up chairs (they never had picnics), a video camera (he knew what Naminé could do with a camera, but he did not like knowing it), and ten blank tapes.
'Impulse shopper, thy name is Naminé,' Riku thought.
"Ice cream time!" The object of his thoughts called out.
"Yes," Riku whimpered.
He was now completely dependant on Naminé's small hand guiding him by his wrist. The mountain of purchases rose up from his arms and over his head, totally blocking his vision. Naminé led her boy of burden to the nearest café and guided his back towards the chair. Riku collapsed into it gratefully, letting the bags land on the iron-lace table.
"Two chocolate ice creams please," Naminé requested of the waiter.
Riku watched him go to the counter with hungry eyes.
Naminé whistled. "Wow, you really want ice cream," Naminé said.
"Anyone who doesn't want ice cream at any time is clearly insane," Riku said.
"Island boy," Naminé grinned. "Isn't this nice? Shopping, talking, eating ice cream. You're like the girl friend I never had."
Riku's stare was very outraged and very potent.
"Well, if you'd cut your hair, then maybe-" Naminé cut herself off, too busy giggling to finish.
"You're Kairi's evil side, I'm sure of it," Riku deadpanned.
"Order up!" The waiter called.
Two bowls with chocolate ice cream in them were waiting on the counter. Riku thought he heard a chorus of angels singing.
"I got it," Naminé said.
The girl in the white dress slid her chair away from the table and skipped up to the counter. She grabbed the bowls, turned around, and that was when the man in the black coat stepped out of nowhere –
(but not really, there was no darkness, no power scent)
- and wrapped one arm around her waist to haul her off her feet. Naminé dropped the cups, spilling ice cream all over the floor and she had just enough time to give Riku a look that was more confused then scared. Then the air bent and warped and there was smoky, inky darkness staining the blue walls of the café. They were going, going, gone, and every person in the room was too shocked by what they had seen to react at all.
Except for one.
Riku cursed himself in every way he knew of for being so slow and stupid and blind. He hurtled away from the table and just barely managed to throw himself into the portal after the two Nobodies before it snapped shut.
Naminé was a good, quiet captive for all of three seconds before she started stamping her sandals against the leg of whoever had her. They weren't girly stamps, either. Riku and Mickey had been very firm about Naminé learning the difference between giving someone an annoying bruise and giving them a broken foot.
She was carried through the dark, where lamp eyes stared out at her with curiosity. The Heartless were always watching the travelers of the dark corridors.
Realizing she wasn't going to do anything in time physically, Naminé wrapped her own powers around the dark and ripped open a portal beneath the feet of her captor. They fell and his grip loosened. Naminé landed on him when he landed on cold, gritty asphalt and quickly rolled away.
The hood had twisted and she could see Xaldin's sideburns.
It could have been worse, she supposed. Demyx was her first choice, he was a complete softie, but at least it wasn't Saïx.
Naminé scrambled up to her feet and ran, opening a hole into the darkness. A gust of wind that could uproot a tree knocked her flat and a second later she was being flipped over Xaldin's shoulder like a bag.
"Stop that, or I'll-" The Whirlwind Lancer never finished his sentence.
There was a ripple in the fabric of the World That Never Was. Naminé could see the air bending, like there was a hand moving underneath a bed sheet, and then reality split apart into a darkness portal. The thing that had been moving through the realm of darkness so violently as to make waves on the other side burst out and preformed a flawless corkscrew kick that landed right in the center of Xaldin's back.
Riku, naturally.
Naminé found herself falling with Xaldin and would likely have knocked her head on the asphalt with her legs trapped underneath Number III had Riku not yanked her arm and pulled her up against him. How he managed to do this while not being completely on the ground at the time was puzzling, but it was also something very Riku-like, so Naminé didn't worry about it too much.
She found herself with one arm wrapped securely around her waist and pulled close to Riku's chest. Way To The Dawn was in his other hand and his face was contorted in a snarl of bestial fury that made the hair on Naminé's neck stand up, even while she thought 'he's on my side, he's on my side'.
Then his grip tightened and he jumped backwards with her in his grasp and she felt darkness forming behind them and Xaldin was up and a lance was coming at them and –
- into the dark –
- and out again, Naminé tumbling into the hot sand of a desert and Riku bringing up his Keyblade to smack away the head of the lance that was still flying towards him, even though the closing darkness portal had cut off the pole shaft.
Naminé scrambled up, yanking her dress down low. She felt it at the same moment as Riku, darkness rising up, and he shouted, "Go!"
So she ran, wondering if he would make it out alive to follow.
The sand was hot and she was already starting to feel her throat ache from the lack of water. She toyed with the idea of walking the dark corridors, but discarded it. Xaldin was after her, and any disturbances in the dark would lead him right to her.
Naminé stopped, hid in the shadow of a dune, and waited.
Riku was not waiting idle.
When Xaldin burst out with a hurricane at his back, Riku ducked and fired off a Dark Aura that impacted the Whirlwind Lancer's left knee and sent him crashing to the desert floor. Way To The Dawn sliced through sand until Riku brought it up and swung low, but there was already a lance blocking. Another swung around to jab at his back and Riku twisted –
-coming out above Xaldin, Way To The Dawn pointed down. Xaldin dodged and tried to spear Riku, but only got a lance cut into thirds for his effort. The boy landed on his toes and spun, Way To The Dawn and silver streams of Twilight flashing in the painfully bright sunlight to deflect four lances at once.
Riku knew he was putting too much energy into his defense, even if it meant shattering three lances and leaving Xaldin with only one, but he didn't care.
He was too angry to care.
The one remaining lance pulled back and Riku waited in his ending stance, watching Xaldin carefully. The Nobody was frowning heavily.
"Give me Naminé, and I will leave in peace," Xaldin suddenly said.
Riku laughed, bitterly and angrily. "You're going to leave in pieces!"
"She is a Nobody, a shell. She belongs with us," Xaldin insisted.
Riku was breathing heavily. The heat and his show with the Twilight had taken a lot out of him. Still, he found the energy to grin. "You don't look stupid, so you must be crazy," Riku laughed.
"What?" Xaldin whispered angrily.
"Naminé is a lot of things," Riku said levelly. Suddenly, his eyes flashed and he snarled, "But yours isn't one of them!" His grip on Way To The Dawn tightened and he rocketed forward, darkness streaming off from his sword to help him pierce through the flesh of the Nobody –
- who was no longer there. Xaldin disappeared into the blackness of a portal and was gone.
Riku halted his attack and waited, feeling with his heart. The darkness was as still as a pond, the only ripples coming from him. Sighing, and feeling his exhaustion hit him like a brick to the head, Riku let Way To The Dawn vanish in a shower of white, gray, and black sparks.
Riku looked around for Naminé's tracks and cursed. Xaldin's winds had effectively erased them.
"Naminé! It's okay now!" Riku screamed. His throat felt like he was running razor blades across it. A desert was not like a beach, Riku decided. He needed water, quick. Riku climbed to the top of a dune and looked around. Naminé was as pale as a daisy on a good day, and the sun was blinding him. He wouldn't see her if was standing right next to him."So, it's safe?"
Just like that.
"Augh!" Riku's reflexes weren't dominant, so he refrained from cutting off his friend's head out of instinct. Naminé was smiling at him in the white light, grinning tiredly.
"You beat him?"
"Yep," Riku answered.
"…Thanks."
"No problem."
A darkness portal opened and they left the light behind them.
It was an odd friendship that they had, but a good one. Riku didn't think about how Naminé was likely to vanish forever if Kairi took her back and Naminé didn't think about what Riku was willing to do to Roxas for Sora. As long as they never brought those forbidden topics up, there was never a bad moment between the two.
Naminé cleaned Riku's room when he didn't, cooked for him and made sure he ate when he forgot to, punctured his ego when it was swelling too badly, and generally kept him human when Mickey wasn't around to do it.
Riku told Naminé stories about his adventures, bought her new art supplies when she ran out, took her outside the Mansion for fresh air without fear of an attack, got DiZ to lay off of her when he was in a bad mood, and generally gave her an understanding of what it would be like to have a normal life.
But neither of them truly realized how much they liked each other until the day they stepped into the Mansion after Xaldin's attempted kidnapping of Naminé, and DiZ's first words were, "It took you long enough. Chocolate chips, now."
Seeing Naminé's shattered face as she realized that they had left all their purchases behind made something in Riku go 'click'. So, he shoved DiZ's popsicle into the older man's mouth, warped back to the little mountain village, gathered up every single one of the bags, and took them all back.
He managed to put some cracks in his spinal cord from the pressure as he did so.
Naminé fixed him up, gave him some of her candy stash, drew a picture of DiZ choking on his ice cream, and gave it to Riku as a present.
And both of them decided it hadn't been such a bad day after all.
-E.N.D. –