One time, he tried to pat her head, or ruffle her hair, or something- but the moment he tried to, she winced, and Riku immediately withdrew, and awkwardly folded his arms and stood, hovering over her for a moment before leaving. She contemplated for a long while afterward over it, trying to figure out a reason as to why he left so abruptly, and came to the conclusion that she had done something so alien and strange that Riku simply left. It was the only plausible scenario, anyways.
He avoided her after that- more than he usually did, anyways. She went about her day as normal, sometimes finding herself missing his soft and steady breathing from whenever he took a nap on her table. He usually came to her when he wanted a break or needed healing, as he was inept at the skill himself. At one point he tried to use potions instead of coming to her every time, but he ran out of munny pretty quickly. She didn't mind healing him, but it drained a bit of her energy, being something she didn't usually do.
Eventually came a time when he really couldn't avoid her, as he was wounded to a point at which it was impossible to heal by simply wrapping in bandages and eating ice cream- which really didn't take too much- but she suspected that he would have to come back at some point (this hadn't stopped her from worrying he never would, however).
The wound in question was a shallow gash on his arm, nothing too difficult, but she found herself almost stroking his arm, and taking note of every little detail she could, like the fact that Riku didn't wince under the same circumstances she did. She couldn't understand why she even did that- Larxene sometimes played with her hair before, but that was the past, and this was Riku... She tried not to think about it too much, but eventually she became absorbed in it. She fidgeted remembering certain things, and Riku opened his mouth several times, but closed it without saying anything each time, no words coming to him. She realized that she maybe should apologize, she had done something wrong.. or at the very least it was different and she was adamant in thinking that it was a bad kind of different.
She stared right into his eyes and said a simple "Sorry." It came out more abrupt and arbitrary than she intended.
"No, no- uh, its. It's fine." He paused intermittently, and quickly looked away, avoiding her gaze.
There was a brief but awkward pause, and them Namine decided on the words to say and started, "B-but I-"
"You didn't do anything wrong."
That was enough to silence her. Not enough to ease her worries, but enough to make her stop voicing what she thought. She could tell Riku knew she wasn't convinced. But wanted to trust him, so she decided to test his words, and against her better judgment, she took his hand within hers and planted it onto her head. She felt a small twinge of discomfort, and she didn't really enjoy the feeling too much, until Riku, once again, withdrew, and tried saying,
"You don't have to-"
But she grabbed his hand and brought it back to her head, trying to get him to play along and simply do what he was trying to do almost a week ago.
Maybe he had finally taken a hint, or maybe he was just confused and tired, but he sighed and awkwardly ruffled her hair. She felt strange, contented but also the lingering discomfort. She finally let Riku to completely withdraw his hand, and once again tried to figure out just why she felt so... vague and strange about the whole ordeal.
She could hear Riku talking, but she wasn't really registering the sound anymore. She wondered if it would be the same for any type of action she tried to take with him. It certainly didn't bother her to hold his hand...
"I mean, I can't really- really tell you anything but-"
She took his hand within one of hers. She didn't feel anything. She looked up at Riku and was met by a questioning gaze.
"S-sorry ag-"
"I don't mind it, but I'm just. Confused."
She didn't know how to say she was trying to see if it was only touching her hair that was her problem or if it was something else, so after struggling for a bit, she gave up. And let go of his hand in the process.
"I-I guess I just won't pat your hair...?"
"That... is a solution... maybe..."
She wasn't really sure of herself but regardless, she let Riku pat both her cheeks sometimes, and she sometimes held his hand when she wanted, and she felt guiltlessly selfish, growing closer to Riku and spending more time together and he became something she would almost consider a best friend- but not completely guiltlessly, sometimes it felt like the moments she spent with him was moments stolen away from Sora and Kairi, but she didn't try to dwell on those thoughts for too long.
She didn't realize just how comfortable they had gotten with each other until she kissed him on the cheek completely nonchalantly, and she felt her chest flutter a bit afterwards and she properly took in what she had just done. She left his vicinity quickly and buried herself in her newfound thoughts, vaguely coming to terms with the facts that she had never been this close to anyone before, at least, in a natural relationship, and that she only felt this way for him, and she thought she did for Sora as well, but now she didn't and everything just became a strange mess. Riku, in turn, simply stood there, cheeks a light pink, and gently touched his cheek with his finger, and then proceeded to burry his face in his hands and repeat the scenario over and over again in his head.
He returned the sentiment a few days later, however much he did it blushingly and awkwardly, by kissing her on the forehead quickly before he left for a mission.