calypso

description: The hero washed up ashore, fated to never return. AU

the first day

Hues of gold and mellow orange seeped into the cave, illuminating the walls with pale light. The girl heeded no attention to her unexpected visitor and continued to smear her fingers on her canvas. Gentle blue eyes were unusually focused as they critically surveyed her work. After a brief moment, she nodded in satisfaction and gingerly wiped her fingers on a cloth.

A slight groan caught her attention, and her eyes instinctively flitted to the boy on the cot. She strode over to him and studied his unconscious face with a troubled look. Despite the bruises that discolored his body, the stranger was undeniably handsome. The girl's mouth trembled and she slowly backed into a wall as she became more conscious of this revelation.

"Oh no…"

She buried her head in her arms. Were the gods so cruel that they would subject her to this misery again? Despite her will to look away, her eyes sought the boy's slumbering figure once again. Perhaps it was the artisan inside of her, or the loneliness that she'd grown up with, but as the sun dyed the stranger's silhouette in colors of sunset, the poor girl found him more beautiful than she had before.

the fifth day

"Where am I?"

The girl's heart raced and her breath quickened as she stilled. She fought to adjust her composure and faced her guest with a serene look that almost bordered indifference. "If you continue to move like that, you're going to hurt yourself," she warned. The boy winced and she resisted the urge to tell him, I told you so.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

Ah.

He was just as inquisitive as she thought he would be. The boy seemed confused as he swiveled his head, taking in his new surroundings with a sense of bewilderment.

"I-I don't remember anything."

"That's quite normal," she soothed, attempting to assuage the panic that was beginning to cloud his eyes. "Almost all who visit this island lose their memory for a while. It will return."

"Island?"

"Yes. Welcome to Ogygia."

The boy tasted the word on his lips and frowned at the sensation, unsure of what to make of it. "Okay," he said. "Ogygia. I'm in Ogygia. But who are you?" The girl smiled in amusement and listened to the crash of the waves before she opened her mouth.

"Namine. My name is Namine."

the sixth day

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better. Thank you for the salve. It's doing wonders. Almost like magic." Namine felt the barest spark of pride flit in her chest and continued to apply the ointment.

The boy dabbed his fingers in the salve and sniffed the green contents. "It smells nice. Kind of… fruity. Minty, maybe." Namine giggled.

"I'll let you in on a little secret. If you want an effective salve, you need to find a paopu tree and take a few leaves. Not too many; just a handful. Grind it to a pulp and mix the juices with your regular medicinal herbs and your bruises and wounds will be cured in no time."

The blue-eyed stranger nodded. Namine could practically see his mind absorbing this bit of information. He hesitated, then spoke.

"Um. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything because I'm not, but why are you being so nice to me? I don't really know you."

Namine shrugged. "I've always helped the people who washed up on these shores. I suppose you could say it's out of habit now."

the eighth day

The memory came like a storm, sparking excitement in his eyes as he ran towards his caretaker. "Namine! Namine!"

She frowned. "I know I told you that the salve would speed up the healing process by a lot, but you really shouldn't test it like this," she reprimanded. The spiky-haired male paid no attention to the exasperation in her voice as he eagerly pointed at himself.

"I have a name!"

"What?"

"My name, Namine. I just remembered it."

The smile spread across her lips tightened before she gestured for him to continue. "That's good. What is your name?"

"Roxas."

He looked delighted, almost relieved to hear the certainty in his voice. He finally had something he was sure of. It made him feel… whole.

"My name is Roxas."

the tenth day

Roxas gazed at the ocean, observing the crest of the waves as they tumbled onto the seashore. Namine had found his limp body lying in the water, clothes caked with grime and saltwater. He dragged a hand through the wet sand and absentmindedly groped the clumps. How long would it take for him to remember his life before Ogygia? It wasn't that he disliked the island, because everywhere he looked, the scenery took his breath away.

The trees near Namine's home bloomed in rich shades of every kind of green; a beauteous contrast to the ripe yellow fruit that littered the foliage. With the constant sound of the ocean thrumming against the sand, Ogygia seemed like… paradise. Even the air seemed extraordinary clean. The sky was always a pretty blue- not once had Roxas ever seen those azure expanses turn gray. He wouldn't ever tell her this, but Namine always reminded him of the sky.

She had uh, pretty eyes.

He got up and dusted his trousers. The island seemed pretty small. And he had no idea how to make his way around his temporary home. He might as well explore the place.

the thirteenth day

"Roxas, get down from there!"

He gleefully clambered his way up, feet and hands secured around the tree. "You said you've been living here your whole life, right? How is it possible that you've never eaten paopu fruit when you're talking about it all the time?"

Namine's face colored. "I've heard things!"

"From who, the birds? There's no one here but us."

"A visitor," Namine corrected with a small shake of her head. "He came before you."

"Wow. What was the guy like?"

"He was… nice. He was a very kind person."

There was a tender look in Namine's eyes and Roxas wondered how great of a guy this person was. "What happened to him?" He questioned. The wistful happiness on her face withered and her shoulders shrank.

"He left."

Roxas swallowed. He hadn't meant to be so nosy. He plucked the star-shaped fruit and slid down. "We can share," he offered. Namine's cheeks flushed red and she vigorously shook her head.

"N-No, it's okay! You can have that one to yourself."

Roxas frowned. "You've shared everything you have with me, so I wanted to pay back the favor…"

Namine wrapped her fingers around the fruit in his hands and pressed it to his lips. "Your company is more than enough," she told him sincerely. Roxas blinked.

"Really?"

"Yes. Really."

author's notes: I kid you not, my computer continuously autocorrected Namine to naming and paopu to papa. And the first time I typed Roxas I got Rojas. Um. Yeah. Hope you guys liked this first chapter and let me know what you thought!