Speechless
Kingdom Hearts
Rated G
AU. Doesn't want to be a one-shot, but it is.
Either gen or Riku/Sora, however you want to read it
They found him in Traverse Town's Second District - a boy with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, big feet, and a keyblade. He was friendly enough to Goofy, but just stared blankly at Donald. And he didn't speak a word, not even his name.
Donald was ready to storm off in disgust, offended at the way the boy ignored him. But the King, Goofy reminded him, had told them to follow the keyblade. "Are you okay, buddy?" the knight asked. The boy nodded. "Why aren't ya talkin'?"
The keyblade master touched his ear, and shook his head. Donald and Goofy stared at him for a second, and then Donald got it.
"You're deaf?"
No answer.
"Are you deaf?" Goofy asked. He got a nod. "Then how're you understanding what I'm saying?" The boy touched his lips. "You watch my mouth? What about Donald, then?"
The boy sighed, looking frustrated. He put his hands up to his mouth, fingers forward, and flapped them, mimicking a duck's bill. Then he shrugged.
Donald stamped his foot. "Of all the nerve!"
"You can't get mad at him just 'cause your mouth's different than he's used to," Goofy pointed out. Donald didn't look much mollified. "Well, hey," Goofy said to the boy. "It might be a little awkward, not knowing your name, but why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."
The boy smiled. He pointed at himself, and made an odd gesture - a little wave above his head, palm up.
"Does that mean you'll come?"
The boy shook his head. He pointed at himself and waved above his head, more firmly this time, as though that would make them understand.
"Sorry, buddy, I don't get it. Do you want to come, or not?" The keyblade master sighed, and nodded. They still didn't know his name.
--
He was a strange kid. He spent a lot of time staring at people's faces - in, of course, complete silence. Most of them found it unsettling, though some (Aerith, Yuffie, Goofy) got used to it. His quiet made him seem mild-mannered, at first, but pretty soon everyone had seen him when he was bored, or hyper - manic was the word Merlin used. He'd jump on things, knock them over, pull on people's arms, hands flashing the whole time in gestures nobody understood.
It was one of those times that he'd tried to pull the controls of the gummi ship away from Donald, and crashed them all into a nowhere world called Deep Jungle. No one knew why he'd wanted to go there in the first place, and to Donald's utter fury it was their most useful stop so far - they found a keyhole there, and a lead to finding the King. And the boy got on great with the people there. He didn't understand Tarzan any better than the rest of them, but they at least seemed to share a frustration, and by the end Jane almost seemed to know what he wanted when he wiggled his hands at her. Goofy saw her doing the wave-at-the-sky thing once, and the boy grinning.
Donald and the deaf boy never quite forgave each other for their fight over Deep Jungle, because neither of them was ever quite sure the other had said sorry.
--
The blue-haired boy appeared out of nowhere in Third District. The keyblade master took one look at him, and laughed. Donald and Goofy jumped - it was the first time they'd ever heard the boy's voice. The deaf boy ran up to the stranger, grabbed his cheeks and pried the bigger boy's mouth into a grin. The other pushed him away, and the mute keyblade master grabbed him in a hug that almost knocked him down. Then he pulled back, and started waving his hands - and the other boy waved his hands back. Something changed in Donald and Goofy's eyes, and the hand motions suddenly looked like talking.
A lot of talking - a flood of hoarded words. The blue-haired stranger could barely wiggle a finger in edgewise. "Not another one," Donald groaned.
The newcomer gave him a look (just a quick one, he was still watching the other boy's hands.) "I can hear you, you know."
"You understand those signs?" Goofy asked.
"I've been helping make them up since I was three." He turned back to his conversation.
Donald cleared his throat. "My name is Donald Duck." Neither boy even glanced at him; it was like Sora's usual reaction in stereo. The deaf boy started to mix in gestures that looked less like words and more like reenactments of things they'd done, like crashing into Deep Jungle. When a little Heartless tried to sneak up on the taller boy, the keyblade master summoned his weapon and slashed the Shadow into nothing. Then - Donald and Goofy didn't see very clearly, but - had Sora just handed this guy the keyblade? And it had worked?
Goofy was starting to realize how Sora felt all the time. He knew there was a conversation going on, maybe an important one, but he couldn't understand a thing. The keyblade was tossed back to its master, who vanished it so he could keep signing. The blue-haired boy frowned, made motions that looked like arguing. Then, after a while, he looked up at Donald and Goofy.
"I'm Riku," he said. "Sora insists I'll be coming with you."
(Sora. His name was Sora.)
"What?" Donald spluttered. "He can't come!" There were only three seats in the cramped gummi ship, and anyway he wasn't sure he trusted this strange boy who'd showed up so suddenly and conveniently, and laid hands on the keyblade.
Riku made a gesture that, by his face, was obviously I told you so. Sora turned around to argue with Donald, stamping his foot. Donald and Goofy couldn't read the signs, but they got the gist of what he meant. He wanted Riku to come. Donald squawked something that, of course, Sora missed completely, and then they realized Riku had vanished. Sora started to pout, but then Goofy put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up.
"So your name's Sora, huh?"
Sora nodded, and waved his hand over his head, signing the sky. Yup. Sora.
"Oh! Gawrsh, I'm sorry. You were trying to tell us your name all along."
Sora.
Goofy tried giving the sign back. Sora. He waved. Hi, Sora.
Hi.
--
(Somewhere close by, a witch was pouring poisoned words in Riku's ears. But a flicker of doubt flashed in his darkening heart. Riku, I'm so glad I found you, I've been looking for you everywhere. I thought I'd go crazy! No one understands me, all I can do is read lips, and Donald doesn't even have lips. I missed you so much.
("Do you see?" Malificent asked. "He no longer needs you. Now forget about him, and come with me. I will help you find what you seek."
(Riku's fingers flicked, mumbling with his hands: The duck doesn't have lips. He chuckled, and the witch did not know why.)
Rated G
AU. Doesn't want to be a one-shot, but it is.
Either gen or Riku/Sora, however you want to read it
They found him in Traverse Town's Second District - a boy with spiky brown hair, blue eyes, big feet, and a keyblade. He was friendly enough to Goofy, but just stared blankly at Donald. And he didn't speak a word, not even his name.
Donald was ready to storm off in disgust, offended at the way the boy ignored him. But the King, Goofy reminded him, had told them to follow the keyblade. "Are you okay, buddy?" the knight asked. The boy nodded. "Why aren't ya talkin'?"
The keyblade master touched his ear, and shook his head. Donald and Goofy stared at him for a second, and then Donald got it.
"You're deaf?"
No answer.
"Are you deaf?" Goofy asked. He got a nod. "Then how're you understanding what I'm saying?" The boy touched his lips. "You watch my mouth? What about Donald, then?"
The boy sighed, looking frustrated. He put his hands up to his mouth, fingers forward, and flapped them, mimicking a duck's bill. Then he shrugged.
Donald stamped his foot. "Of all the nerve!"
"You can't get mad at him just 'cause your mouth's different than he's used to," Goofy pointed out. Donald didn't look much mollified. "Well, hey," Goofy said to the boy. "It might be a little awkward, not knowing your name, but why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."
The boy smiled. He pointed at himself, and made an odd gesture - a little wave above his head, palm up.
"Does that mean you'll come?"
The boy shook his head. He pointed at himself and waved above his head, more firmly this time, as though that would make them understand.
"Sorry, buddy, I don't get it. Do you want to come, or not?" The keyblade master sighed, and nodded. They still didn't know his name.
--
He was a strange kid. He spent a lot of time staring at people's faces - in, of course, complete silence. Most of them found it unsettling, though some (Aerith, Yuffie, Goofy) got used to it. His quiet made him seem mild-mannered, at first, but pretty soon everyone had seen him when he was bored, or hyper - manic was the word Merlin used. He'd jump on things, knock them over, pull on people's arms, hands flashing the whole time in gestures nobody understood.
It was one of those times that he'd tried to pull the controls of the gummi ship away from Donald, and crashed them all into a nowhere world called Deep Jungle. No one knew why he'd wanted to go there in the first place, and to Donald's utter fury it was their most useful stop so far - they found a keyhole there, and a lead to finding the King. And the boy got on great with the people there. He didn't understand Tarzan any better than the rest of them, but they at least seemed to share a frustration, and by the end Jane almost seemed to know what he wanted when he wiggled his hands at her. Goofy saw her doing the wave-at-the-sky thing once, and the boy grinning.
Donald and the deaf boy never quite forgave each other for their fight over Deep Jungle, because neither of them was ever quite sure the other had said sorry.
--
The blue-haired boy appeared out of nowhere in Third District. The keyblade master took one look at him, and laughed. Donald and Goofy jumped - it was the first time they'd ever heard the boy's voice. The deaf boy ran up to the stranger, grabbed his cheeks and pried the bigger boy's mouth into a grin. The other pushed him away, and the mute keyblade master grabbed him in a hug that almost knocked him down. Then he pulled back, and started waving his hands - and the other boy waved his hands back. Something changed in Donald and Goofy's eyes, and the hand motions suddenly looked like talking.
A lot of talking - a flood of hoarded words. The blue-haired stranger could barely wiggle a finger in edgewise. "Not another one," Donald groaned.
The newcomer gave him a look (just a quick one, he was still watching the other boy's hands.) "I can hear you, you know."
"You understand those signs?" Goofy asked.
"I've been helping make them up since I was three." He turned back to his conversation.
Donald cleared his throat. "My name is Donald Duck." Neither boy even glanced at him; it was like Sora's usual reaction in stereo. The deaf boy started to mix in gestures that looked less like words and more like reenactments of things they'd done, like crashing into Deep Jungle. When a little Heartless tried to sneak up on the taller boy, the keyblade master summoned his weapon and slashed the Shadow into nothing. Then - Donald and Goofy didn't see very clearly, but - had Sora just handed this guy the keyblade? And it had worked?
Goofy was starting to realize how Sora felt all the time. He knew there was a conversation going on, maybe an important one, but he couldn't understand a thing. The keyblade was tossed back to its master, who vanished it so he could keep signing. The blue-haired boy frowned, made motions that looked like arguing. Then, after a while, he looked up at Donald and Goofy.
"I'm Riku," he said. "Sora insists I'll be coming with you."
(Sora. His name was Sora.)
"What?" Donald spluttered. "He can't come!" There were only three seats in the cramped gummi ship, and anyway he wasn't sure he trusted this strange boy who'd showed up so suddenly and conveniently, and laid hands on the keyblade.
Riku made a gesture that, by his face, was obviously I told you so. Sora turned around to argue with Donald, stamping his foot. Donald and Goofy couldn't read the signs, but they got the gist of what he meant. He wanted Riku to come. Donald squawked something that, of course, Sora missed completely, and then they realized Riku had vanished. Sora started to pout, but then Goofy put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up.
"So your name's Sora, huh?"
Sora nodded, and waved his hand over his head, signing the sky. Yup. Sora.
"Oh! Gawrsh, I'm sorry. You were trying to tell us your name all along."
Sora.
Goofy tried giving the sign back. Sora. He waved. Hi, Sora.
Hi.
--
(Somewhere close by, a witch was pouring poisoned words in Riku's ears. But a flicker of doubt flashed in his darkening heart. Riku, I'm so glad I found you, I've been looking for you everywhere. I thought I'd go crazy! No one understands me, all I can do is read lips, and Donald doesn't even have lips. I missed you so much.
("Do you see?" Malificent asked. "He no longer needs you. Now forget about him, and come with me. I will help you find what you seek."
(Riku's fingers flicked, mumbling with his hands: The duck doesn't have lips. He chuckled, and the witch did not know why.)