Kingdom Hearts ~ Hearts and Happenstance - Stories of Scars
Title: Stories of Scars
Prompt: #21 - violence; pillage/plunder; extortion (for 30_kisses)
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters/Pairings: Luxord/Tifa
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,411
Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. They belong to Square and Disney, to whom I am eternally grateful for letting me play in their sandbox.
Summary: An attempt to stay awake turns into a sudden trip down memory lane.
Notes: Sorry for the delay-- new full time job plus uppity muses makes for an unproductive Kaiya, unfortunately. I’m not so sure about this one, either, but I may go back and polish it up a bit later.
“Don’t go to sleep just yet.”
“Mm. I’m not. Just resting my eyes.”
“I don’t trust you.”
Tifa laughs. “Okay, fine. But you’re going to have to think of a way to keep me awake-- and not in that sort of way, so get your hand off of there.”
Luxord snatches his hand away with a sheepish grin. “Am I really so predictable?” he asks.
“Sometimes. When you’re in bed with me, at least.”
“Well, truth be told, there is usually only one thing on a man’s mind when he’s currently lying next to a beautiful woman, and it isn’t sleep.”
Tifa chuckles again. “Well, it’s going to have to be. I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open as it is.” She feels Luxord’s hand on her chest again and pulls away playfully. “I told you--” Her voice trails off at the serious expression on his face, and she suddenly realizes that his fingers are gently tracing a scar, one that runs diagonally from the top of her left breast to just under her right.
“Where did you get this?” he asks, his voice carefully devoid of any casual curiosity.
The question banishes Tifa’s playful mood. She bites her lip; shifts awkwardly away from him.
His eyes darken with concern. “I apologize-- have I hurt you?”
She shakes her head. “No. It-- it doesn’t hurt anymore, it’s just...” She clears her throat. “I was attacked by someone, long ago. I guess it was my fault-- I thought I could take him, and at the time I thought it’d be wonderfully ironic if I could kill him with his own sword. But I was caught off guard by how powerful he was-- how crazy he’d become. Before I knew it, he... he’d ripped the sword out of my hands and sliced it across... right here.
“The blood was-- well, it was everywhere. I must’ve passed out right afterwards-- I don’t even remember falling. I... I still don’t even know how I survived, the cut was so deep. They said it was a miracle that I came out of it with just a scar.”
Luxord scowls. “Coward.”
Tifa shrugs. “I don’t think about it much now. That’s just a physical scar. Those stop hurting after a while.”
His look turns inquisitive and she feels her heart give a shudder. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she says quickly. “Forget I said anything.”
“It has something to do with the reason you were after this man, correct?”
She nods.
“He harmed someone you love.” It isn’t a question.
Tifa swallows hard, feeling an old familiar ache in her chest-- one that isn’t from the scar. “Please...” she says, and Luxord briefly wonders how a voice can sound so hard and so soft at the same time. “Just drop it. There’re some things I’m not ready to talk about yet.”
She looks so vulnerable that he swears he can feel something wrench painfully inside of him. He pulls her close to him and kisses her eyelids, left to right, hoping to erase the sadness from her face. “Consider the matter dropped,” he tells her.
Tifa rests her head against his chest, and he feels rather than hears her whispered thanks.
“I suppose it is rude of me to pry,” he continues. “After all, I’m sure that you’ve seen my rather colorful markings, and you’ve had the good grace not to say anything about them.”
She smiles. “I have been wondering about a few of them. Especially... this one.” Her fingers trail down his back and he knows she is tracing the large and particularly ugly scar there.
“Ah, yes. That one, I’m afraid, holds some particularly unfortunate history.”
“How so?” she asks.
Luxord’s voice is neutral. “It’s where my heart was taken.”
Tifa’s shoulders stiffen. He feels her fingers shrink from the scar as if it were caustic.
“There’s no need to worry,” he says, his voice dry. “You can’t catch what I have.”
She doesn’t seem to get the joke. “It’s just... I never thought--”
“You never thought that people attacked by Heartless could carry such scars?”
Tifa shakes her head. She seems unable to meet his eyes. “Did it hurt?”
“No,” he replies. “At least, I don’t remember any pain. I misspoke before-- it was my Somebody’s heart that was taken, not mine. I was merely the end result.”
She shivers. “You say that like you’re a totally different person now.”
“In some ways I sometimes believe that I am. Granted, it’s not wise to completely distance yourself from the person you once were, but to be perfectly honest, I’m a bit ashamed of my... past self.”
“Why?” Tifa asks.
Luxord offers a wry smile. “Well, apart from the fact that he was an uneducated, penniless vagabond, look where the scar is. One doesn’t get that sort of scar from standing and fighting. My Other was apparently as lacking in courage as he was in capital.”
“Oh, come on. You’re going to base bravery on a scar? A scar doesn’t prove anything-- least of all that your Somebody was a coward. Besides, I’m sure black monsters with large claws weren’t everyday occurrences where you were from. You can’t really blame yourself for panicking, if that’s what happened.”
He looks thoughtful. “You may be right...” he murmurs. “I honestly never thought of it that way.”
“See? Besides, you’re sort of lucky-- having a scar on your back, I mean. Sometimes this thing looks so angry-- I wish it wasn’t in a place where everyone could see it.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I hardly noticed the scar before this. I was too distracted by... other things.” He touches her breast gently with one hand.
Tifa chuckles. “Pervert.”
He feigns offense. “I’m merely being honest. I’m not going to lie-- I happen to be an individual who takes delight in the female body. Especially when certain attributes are as prominent as these.”
She pushes at him. “Oh, don’t even try to sugarcoat it-- I know what you’re saying. You try to act all proper, but it’s just a way to hide your dirty mind.”
Luxord lowers his head in defeat. “I’m afraid you’ve found out my secret. Beneath all of the poise and sophistication is a degenerate clamoring to escape.”
“At least you admit it.” Tifa’s fingers begin trailing up his sides to his chest.
Luxord suddenly utters a strangled sound and jerks away from her, his hand closing around her wrist.
She is immediately contrite. “Did that hurt? I’m sorry, I--”
He shakes his head, grinning. “No, it didn’t hurt. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s just, well...”
“Just what?” Her eyes widen as realization dawns. “Oh no...” she says, chuckling. “Luxord, you’re not telling me that you’re ticklish, are you?”
“Wildly. I can only assume it’s a Nobody trait-- since we lack emotions, physical sensations tend to be a bit... intense for us.”
A slow grin works its way across Tifa’s face. “Yeah, I got that impression.”
“What?” Luxord asks, mock-defensively. “I’ll have you know that you are equally enthusiastic-- not that I consider it a flaw. Not at all. It’s rather flattering to be in the company of a woman with such an-- ahem-- insatiable appetite.”
“You’re terrible.”
“So you’ve told me countless times. In any case, I would ask that you not exploit that particular weakness of mine, unless you want to see me ruffled and undignified.”
“I’ve already seen you ruffled and undignified,” she says with a laugh.
“You won’t hear a complaint out of me, I assure you. After all... look where it’s gotten me.”
“Mm.” A pleasant silence passes.
“Still, though...” Luxord says, after a while. “I suppose scars have their uses, in a way. They hold memories, after all, and that is very important-- especially for someone like me.”
He pauses. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of your scars either. In my opinion, they’re just further proof of how strong you really are, mentally as well as physically.”
There is no answer. “Tifa?” Luxord asks.
Her head is resting on his chest, and he can tell by her heavy breathing that she is deeply asleep. Luxord smiles and merely drapes his arm around her. He supposes there will be time to tell her in the morning.
He has one final thought before he drops off, and that is that it’s probably not necessary to tell her after all.
Perhaps, he thinks, she already knows.
Prompt: #21 - violence; pillage/plunder; extortion (for 30_kisses)
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters/Pairings: Luxord/Tifa
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,411
Disclaimer: I don’t own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters therein. They belong to Square and Disney, to whom I am eternally grateful for letting me play in their sandbox.
Summary: An attempt to stay awake turns into a sudden trip down memory lane.
Notes: Sorry for the delay-- new full time job plus uppity muses makes for an unproductive Kaiya, unfortunately. I’m not so sure about this one, either, but I may go back and polish it up a bit later.
“Don’t go to sleep just yet.”
“Mm. I’m not. Just resting my eyes.”
“I don’t trust you.”
Tifa laughs. “Okay, fine. But you’re going to have to think of a way to keep me awake-- and not in that sort of way, so get your hand off of there.”
Luxord snatches his hand away with a sheepish grin. “Am I really so predictable?” he asks.
“Sometimes. When you’re in bed with me, at least.”
“Well, truth be told, there is usually only one thing on a man’s mind when he’s currently lying next to a beautiful woman, and it isn’t sleep.”
Tifa chuckles again. “Well, it’s going to have to be. I’m having trouble keeping my eyes open as it is.” She feels Luxord’s hand on her chest again and pulls away playfully. “I told you--” Her voice trails off at the serious expression on his face, and she suddenly realizes that his fingers are gently tracing a scar, one that runs diagonally from the top of her left breast to just under her right.
“Where did you get this?” he asks, his voice carefully devoid of any casual curiosity.
The question banishes Tifa’s playful mood. She bites her lip; shifts awkwardly away from him.
His eyes darken with concern. “I apologize-- have I hurt you?”
She shakes her head. “No. It-- it doesn’t hurt anymore, it’s just...” She clears her throat. “I was attacked by someone, long ago. I guess it was my fault-- I thought I could take him, and at the time I thought it’d be wonderfully ironic if I could kill him with his own sword. But I was caught off guard by how powerful he was-- how crazy he’d become. Before I knew it, he... he’d ripped the sword out of my hands and sliced it across... right here.
“The blood was-- well, it was everywhere. I must’ve passed out right afterwards-- I don’t even remember falling. I... I still don’t even know how I survived, the cut was so deep. They said it was a miracle that I came out of it with just a scar.”
Luxord scowls. “Coward.”
Tifa shrugs. “I don’t think about it much now. That’s just a physical scar. Those stop hurting after a while.”
His look turns inquisitive and she feels her heart give a shudder. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she says quickly. “Forget I said anything.”
“It has something to do with the reason you were after this man, correct?”
She nods.
“He harmed someone you love.” It isn’t a question.
Tifa swallows hard, feeling an old familiar ache in her chest-- one that isn’t from the scar. “Please...” she says, and Luxord briefly wonders how a voice can sound so hard and so soft at the same time. “Just drop it. There’re some things I’m not ready to talk about yet.”
She looks so vulnerable that he swears he can feel something wrench painfully inside of him. He pulls her close to him and kisses her eyelids, left to right, hoping to erase the sadness from her face. “Consider the matter dropped,” he tells her.
Tifa rests her head against his chest, and he feels rather than hears her whispered thanks.
“I suppose it is rude of me to pry,” he continues. “After all, I’m sure that you’ve seen my rather colorful markings, and you’ve had the good grace not to say anything about them.”
She smiles. “I have been wondering about a few of them. Especially... this one.” Her fingers trail down his back and he knows she is tracing the large and particularly ugly scar there.
“Ah, yes. That one, I’m afraid, holds some particularly unfortunate history.”
“How so?” she asks.
Luxord’s voice is neutral. “It’s where my heart was taken.”
Tifa’s shoulders stiffen. He feels her fingers shrink from the scar as if it were caustic.
“There’s no need to worry,” he says, his voice dry. “You can’t catch what I have.”
She doesn’t seem to get the joke. “It’s just... I never thought--”
“You never thought that people attacked by Heartless could carry such scars?”
Tifa shakes her head. She seems unable to meet his eyes. “Did it hurt?”
“No,” he replies. “At least, I don’t remember any pain. I misspoke before-- it was my Somebody’s heart that was taken, not mine. I was merely the end result.”
She shivers. “You say that like you’re a totally different person now.”
“In some ways I sometimes believe that I am. Granted, it’s not wise to completely distance yourself from the person you once were, but to be perfectly honest, I’m a bit ashamed of my... past self.”
“Why?” Tifa asks.
Luxord offers a wry smile. “Well, apart from the fact that he was an uneducated, penniless vagabond, look where the scar is. One doesn’t get that sort of scar from standing and fighting. My Other was apparently as lacking in courage as he was in capital.”
“Oh, come on. You’re going to base bravery on a scar? A scar doesn’t prove anything-- least of all that your Somebody was a coward. Besides, I’m sure black monsters with large claws weren’t everyday occurrences where you were from. You can’t really blame yourself for panicking, if that’s what happened.”
He looks thoughtful. “You may be right...” he murmurs. “I honestly never thought of it that way.”
“See? Besides, you’re sort of lucky-- having a scar on your back, I mean. Sometimes this thing looks so angry-- I wish it wasn’t in a place where everyone could see it.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I hardly noticed the scar before this. I was too distracted by... other things.” He touches her breast gently with one hand.
Tifa chuckles. “Pervert.”
He feigns offense. “I’m merely being honest. I’m not going to lie-- I happen to be an individual who takes delight in the female body. Especially when certain attributes are as prominent as these.”
She pushes at him. “Oh, don’t even try to sugarcoat it-- I know what you’re saying. You try to act all proper, but it’s just a way to hide your dirty mind.”
Luxord lowers his head in defeat. “I’m afraid you’ve found out my secret. Beneath all of the poise and sophistication is a degenerate clamoring to escape.”
“At least you admit it.” Tifa’s fingers begin trailing up his sides to his chest.
Luxord suddenly utters a strangled sound and jerks away from her, his hand closing around her wrist.
She is immediately contrite. “Did that hurt? I’m sorry, I--”
He shakes his head, grinning. “No, it didn’t hurt. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s just, well...”
“Just what?” Her eyes widen as realization dawns. “Oh no...” she says, chuckling. “Luxord, you’re not telling me that you’re ticklish, are you?”
“Wildly. I can only assume it’s a Nobody trait-- since we lack emotions, physical sensations tend to be a bit... intense for us.”
A slow grin works its way across Tifa’s face. “Yeah, I got that impression.”
“What?” Luxord asks, mock-defensively. “I’ll have you know that you are equally enthusiastic-- not that I consider it a flaw. Not at all. It’s rather flattering to be in the company of a woman with such an-- ahem-- insatiable appetite.”
“You’re terrible.”
“So you’ve told me countless times. In any case, I would ask that you not exploit that particular weakness of mine, unless you want to see me ruffled and undignified.”
“I’ve already seen you ruffled and undignified,” she says with a laugh.
“You won’t hear a complaint out of me, I assure you. After all... look where it’s gotten me.”
“Mm.” A pleasant silence passes.
“Still, though...” Luxord says, after a while. “I suppose scars have their uses, in a way. They hold memories, after all, and that is very important-- especially for someone like me.”
He pauses. “You shouldn’t be ashamed of your scars either. In my opinion, they’re just further proof of how strong you really are, mentally as well as physically.”
There is no answer. “Tifa?” Luxord asks.
Her head is resting on his chest, and he can tell by her heavy breathing that she is deeply asleep. Luxord smiles and merely drapes his arm around her. He supposes there will be time to tell her in the morning.
He has one final thought before he drops off, and that is that it’s probably not necessary to tell her after all.
Perhaps, he thinks, she already knows.