kingdom hearts; Falling Through Silk | Rikku/Kairi
Title: Falling Through Silk
Pairing: Rikku/Kairi
Summary: When Kairi arrives in Radiant Garden for the third time, she slips away from Riku and Sora and squirrels away in a hidden corner of the castle.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
Notes: Six more fics to post this year! Anyways, I wrote this one back when I beat Final Fantasy X all those months ago, right after writing Tribulations Of The Dead. Mainly because at the time I realized that I've been neglecting my 10lilies claim horribly and that I needed to write anything, but I also didn't feel like writing about anyone but Rikku. And then this was born. It's heavily influenced by FFX because of that reason, mainly in that I gave Rikku her FFX backstory instead of her Kingdom Hearts one, but other than that it's all KH.
Crossposting this to 10lilies, written for prompt #06 Good Intentions on my Kairi claim.
Falling Through Silk
When Kairi arrives in Radiant Garden for the third time, she slips away from Riku and Sora and squirrels away in a hidden corner of the castle. It's there that Rikku finds her, and she doesn't ask any questions, just takes her hand and guides her to her secret spot- "It's where I go when I want to think," she tells her, all smiles. The curtains draw back as they approach, and then they're surrounded by scarves and bears and bows, all sorts of pretty things swaying and twirling as if caught by the breeze. Kairi can't help but notice the pipes and pulleys and who knows what else hidden beneath the frippery, silently keeping everything going.
She sits down and Rikku gets out a brush. She starts running it through her hair, soft and gentle. "It's what Yunie does for me, when I'm upset," she explains, and then begins to sing a soft, short song that fills them with peace, and Kairi begins to relax, lulled by the gentle strokes and sweet song.
Before she knows it, Kairi finds herself talking, and Rikku stops singing to listen. She talks about the last world they visited, and how there were so many Heartless and how they tried so hard and finally saved it but not fast enough, and now when she closes her eyes all she can see is that woman, her friend, her heart torn from her chest.
Rikku doesn't say anything. She doesn't say, 'It's not your fault' or 'it'll be okay', and Kairi finds herself glad for that. Rikku just continues on humming that sweet, sad song, gently brushing her hair, and she feels at peace.
The fourth time she goes to Radiant Garden, she goes to Merlin's house with her two boys first, and when Rikku sees her she darts away from her conversation with Yuffie. They go to her secret spot, hidden in the depths of the castle, and this time the stories Kairi tells are not sad. She talks about all the worlds they've seen and the friends they've made and the stupid things Riku and Sora do. Rikku listens as quietly as before, gently pinning her hair up in an elaborate style, filled with beads and braids.
"Does Yuna do this for you too?" Kairi asks.
Rikku laughs, and Kairi does not yet know her well enough to know that it's bittersweet. "No," she says, "this one's all my mom's."
The sixth time Kairi visits Radiant Garden, Rikku begins to teach her a strange language she's never heard before. The words run like liquid sand over her tongue. "Y feca syh xiacdeuhc fryd ra ec dumt."
When she asks what the words mean, Rikku pauses before answering. "Just something my Pops always said. It just means you shouldn't be a dummy and believe everything other people say."
The eleventh time Kairi visits Radiant Garden, she runs out of stories early, and so she twists around in her seat, hair pulled tight over her scalp, and asks the question that's been running through her mind since these lessons began.
"This language that you're teaching me- is it the fairy language?"
She's facing Rikku now, and so she can see the way her eyes darken at the question. "No," she says, finally, and Kairi's never heard her sound this way before. "It's not." She pauses, looks away. "Yunie can't speak it, at least not much."
Kairi doesn't ask any more questions.
On Kairi's fifteenth visit to Radiant Garden, she asks Rikku to teach her how to say 'I love you'.
The fairy giggles and squeals and prods, beads and braids forgotten. "Who's the lucky guy?" she asks, eyes shining. "Sora? Riku? Someone else?"
Kairi laughs but her heart's not into it, and she draws Rikku's attention away from the topic of who she loves, draws the attention away from the fact there is no trace of jealousy in Rikku's eyes.
So Rikku teaches her the words and she breathes them out, like a song.
"E muja oui."
"Yeah, that's it!" Rikku exclaims and claps her tiny fairy hands, and Kairi can't bring herself to tell her that she wasn't practicing.
On her sixteenth visit to Radiant Garden, Rikku doesn't meet her at Merlin's house, and she searches for her before finding her just where she thought she would be. She's at their secret spot, all small and quiet. And even though it doesn't feel quite right, she begins unbraiding and unbeading until Rikku's hair lays loose and her shoulders. She takes out that little brush, and starts running it through her hair, trying to be careful and not snag it on the snarls and tangles. She still doesn't know the words to that song Rikku always sings, so she stays quiet instead.
Eventually, Rikku begins to speak, begins to tell her about her world. She hears about many things strange and unfamiliar- Al Bhed and machina and Sin and the Hymn of the Faith and summoner's pilgrimages and all sorts of things besides. But she listens closely and a story begins to form, of loss and death and friendship and family and hatred and fear and love. She tells her about all the friends and family she had, now dead or lost.
And when she tells her of the one she loved so desperately, Kairi's heart breaks breaks breaks, but she doesn't say anything, just brushes and listens.
And it's not until later that night that she cries, because it's only now that she knows that she never even had a chance.
Pairing: Rikku/Kairi
Summary: When Kairi arrives in Radiant Garden for the third time, she slips away from Riku and Sora and squirrels away in a hidden corner of the castle.
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.
Notes: Six more fics to post this year! Anyways, I wrote this one back when I beat Final Fantasy X all those months ago, right after writing Tribulations Of The Dead. Mainly because at the time I realized that I've been neglecting my 10lilies claim horribly and that I needed to write anything, but I also didn't feel like writing about anyone but Rikku. And then this was born. It's heavily influenced by FFX because of that reason, mainly in that I gave Rikku her FFX backstory instead of her Kingdom Hearts one, but other than that it's all KH.
Crossposting this to 10lilies, written for prompt #06 Good Intentions on my Kairi claim.
Falling Through Silk
When Kairi arrives in Radiant Garden for the third time, she slips away from Riku and Sora and squirrels away in a hidden corner of the castle. It's there that Rikku finds her, and she doesn't ask any questions, just takes her hand and guides her to her secret spot- "It's where I go when I want to think," she tells her, all smiles. The curtains draw back as they approach, and then they're surrounded by scarves and bears and bows, all sorts of pretty things swaying and twirling as if caught by the breeze. Kairi can't help but notice the pipes and pulleys and who knows what else hidden beneath the frippery, silently keeping everything going.
She sits down and Rikku gets out a brush. She starts running it through her hair, soft and gentle. "It's what Yunie does for me, when I'm upset," she explains, and then begins to sing a soft, short song that fills them with peace, and Kairi begins to relax, lulled by the gentle strokes and sweet song.
Before she knows it, Kairi finds herself talking, and Rikku stops singing to listen. She talks about the last world they visited, and how there were so many Heartless and how they tried so hard and finally saved it but not fast enough, and now when she closes her eyes all she can see is that woman, her friend, her heart torn from her chest.
Rikku doesn't say anything. She doesn't say, 'It's not your fault' or 'it'll be okay', and Kairi finds herself glad for that. Rikku just continues on humming that sweet, sad song, gently brushing her hair, and she feels at peace.
The fourth time she goes to Radiant Garden, she goes to Merlin's house with her two boys first, and when Rikku sees her she darts away from her conversation with Yuffie. They go to her secret spot, hidden in the depths of the castle, and this time the stories Kairi tells are not sad. She talks about all the worlds they've seen and the friends they've made and the stupid things Riku and Sora do. Rikku listens as quietly as before, gently pinning her hair up in an elaborate style, filled with beads and braids.
"Does Yuna do this for you too?" Kairi asks.
Rikku laughs, and Kairi does not yet know her well enough to know that it's bittersweet. "No," she says, "this one's all my mom's."
The sixth time Kairi visits Radiant Garden, Rikku begins to teach her a strange language she's never heard before. The words run like liquid sand over her tongue. "Y feca syh xiacdeuhc fryd ra ec dumt."
When she asks what the words mean, Rikku pauses before answering. "Just something my Pops always said. It just means you shouldn't be a dummy and believe everything other people say."
The eleventh time Kairi visits Radiant Garden, she runs out of stories early, and so she twists around in her seat, hair pulled tight over her scalp, and asks the question that's been running through her mind since these lessons began.
"This language that you're teaching me- is it the fairy language?"
She's facing Rikku now, and so she can see the way her eyes darken at the question. "No," she says, finally, and Kairi's never heard her sound this way before. "It's not." She pauses, looks away. "Yunie can't speak it, at least not much."
Kairi doesn't ask any more questions.
On Kairi's fifteenth visit to Radiant Garden, she asks Rikku to teach her how to say 'I love you'.
The fairy giggles and squeals and prods, beads and braids forgotten. "Who's the lucky guy?" she asks, eyes shining. "Sora? Riku? Someone else?"
Kairi laughs but her heart's not into it, and she draws Rikku's attention away from the topic of who she loves, draws the attention away from the fact there is no trace of jealousy in Rikku's eyes.
So Rikku teaches her the words and she breathes them out, like a song.
"E muja oui."
"Yeah, that's it!" Rikku exclaims and claps her tiny fairy hands, and Kairi can't bring herself to tell her that she wasn't practicing.
On her sixteenth visit to Radiant Garden, Rikku doesn't meet her at Merlin's house, and she searches for her before finding her just where she thought she would be. She's at their secret spot, all small and quiet. And even though it doesn't feel quite right, she begins unbraiding and unbeading until Rikku's hair lays loose and her shoulders. She takes out that little brush, and starts running it through her hair, trying to be careful and not snag it on the snarls and tangles. She still doesn't know the words to that song Rikku always sings, so she stays quiet instead.
Eventually, Rikku begins to speak, begins to tell her about her world. She hears about many things strange and unfamiliar- Al Bhed and machina and Sin and the Hymn of the Faith and summoner's pilgrimages and all sorts of things besides. But she listens closely and a story begins to form, of loss and death and friendship and family and hatred and fear and love. She tells her about all the friends and family she had, now dead or lost.
And when she tells her of the one she loved so desperately, Kairi's heart breaks breaks breaks, but she doesn't say anything, just brushes and listens.
And it's not until later that night that she cries, because it's only now that she knows that she never even had a chance.