13 Nights

Post -Kingdom Hearts 2

Summary:"Riku? Could you help me piece my sketchbook together?" (Namiku, postgame spoilers, companion to 13 Days)

Author's Note: Saica here once again. Not too much to say about this first chapter, other than there are vague hints of Tidus/Selphie and Sora/Kairi. Hrm, if it hasn't been obvious, this is the promised companion fic to 13 Days – it explains what Namine's been doing while Roxas was in Twilight Town with the Usual Spot gang. The days may not always match up with each other, but it's supposed to be the same generally – I apologize in advance if that isn't the case.

Night Zero

Tonight was the Music Festival here in the Destiny Islands. As always, I would head out alone.

It was something I was accustomed to, especially after my best friends and I came home. Sure, they considered me their greatest friend, but the thing is: They were oblivious to the world around them once they realized that they were in love.

...Not that it's my fault for bringing them to realize they were in love, right?

As I walked around the festival grounds, my hands tugging on my yukata (Mom had insisted on wearing one - she'd been jabbering about how we haven't kept in touch with our roots lately; I didn't dare argue against that), something finally clicked with me.

If I was going to keep feeling sorry for myself about being the third wheel, then plenty of doors would be closed. Why not look for a new opportunity and keep the other doors open?

That seemed right to me. Letting my hair fall out of the ponytail I had tied it in earlier, a smile finally crossed my face.

The festival was going to be as fun as it normally was, and nothing was going to rain on my day... erm, night.

At least, that was my plan until she came into the picture.

From my viewpoint, our adventure had been over for about a month. School was going to start up again; we were horribly behind, having been involved in the whole "saving the world" deal for a year. (To make matters worse, we were all held back a year. If that wasn't horrible, then I had no idea what was) I had given up my keyblade for kendo along with Sora, and the occasional game of soccer.

Sora and Kairi's nobodies were here with us in spirit, but not here as their own selves. They hadn't been for a month now, as they had finally become one with my friends at the end of the adventure.

That was why I was so confused. She couldn't be here, brushing back that pale blonde hair of hers, smiling innocently at everyone that bothered to look at her for more than a millisecond.

She walked up to me, that same smile still on her face. "Good evening, Riku."

I blinked. "Naminé...?"

Her face was slightly red; her expression definitely flustered. We had lived in the mansion for a year, so why was she still so nervous around me like some of the girls in school? It was cute, nevertheless. I flashed a smile at her, since I figured it should calm her nerves down.

...That was why I was surprised when it didn't help.

"Umm... I know it's weird to see me and all, but I need your help," She told me as bluntly as she had ever said anything. From the looks of it, her own frankness had even shocked her. Stepping away from me, she managed a weak smile.

I nodded. "You've got my attention, but we probably shouldn't hang out like this. Here, take my hand."

She looked at my hand strangely, as if it was some foreign creature. I extended it further, giving her a confused look.

Finally taking it, Naminè nodded slightly. Even though she was bolder than when I had first encountered her, she was still the same old shy girl that she always had been. We started to walk past the many booths tonight; it took most of my willpower not to stop at almost every one to see how their businesses had been going, as well as to not buy a treat for myself.

In all honesty, it was Naminè who broke my willpower and asked me to buy a chocolate covered pretzel. I obliged, and soon the two of us were walking and munching on one of the many festival treats.

"So, Naminè..." I began, glancing over at her every now and then. "What was it that you wanted my help for?"

She held a finger to her lips, swallowing a bite of her pretzel. Once she had finished, she began, "Welll... um, I don't know how to put this... but my sketchbook's been torn apart."

I crossed my arms, having finished my pretzel by now. "Really? How'd that happen?"

"...Tidus and Wakka decided to play blitzball one day, and my sketchbook was kind of in their way..." She sweatdropped, taking another bite.

My palm met my face. That definitely sounded like the truth, but how had they not noticed a run-away sketchbook? "I don't blame you, but how could they have missed a sketchbook?"

"It's white... and so is the sand?" She offered nervously, looking down and playing with her hands.

I sighed. "I guess that works. I assume that your sketchbook's gone forever in the water?"

She shook her head. "From the looks of it, no. It was hit by a ball in the air... and, well, the pages were scattered to the winds."

Letting this information sink in, I continued to walk. If the pages were scattered to the winds, and the book itself was in the water (this, again, was an assumption, since the book itself was probably too heavy even without the drawings to float with our light breezes)... this must mean that the pages were gone to various worlds?

"So, let me get this straight: You lost your pages, and you want me to help you find them. I'm guessing they're in various worlds..?"

She squeezed my hand, nodding. "Y-yes, that's about right. Please, Riku? Kairi'll surely notice that I'm gone from her... and I can't really rest until those pages are back in my hands, not some random person's."

With an explanation like that, it was strangely hard to ignore her call. "...Okay. My folks will be out of town for the next thirteen or fourteen days, so I think I can manage to be out for that long. But, why me? Couldn't you ask Sora?"

"I wish I could," She replied. "But Sora's just getting used to his normal life, and from what I've witnessed, he's beginning to love it again. You, on the other hand, are... restless. I can see that you want to get out again, Riku... even if it isn't for very long. And um... it's summer, right? We've got time."

I nodded. "I guess, but since you've got no one else... Our adventure to look for your pages starts tomorrow?"

She giggled; I supposed that Kairi's influence was slowly getting to her. "Yes... Thank you."

I grinned, taking her by the hand. "No problem. But you know what? I bet there might be a page here or there in this world too. You wanna check?"

"I don't think one page is here..." She slowly murmured. "I would have noticed it by now."

"You would have noticed it by now," I pointed out. "But would Kairi? I highly doubt it, unless she's actually not with Sora."

She glanced over at me. "I... suppose so. Where should we begin?"

"Our hangout?" I suggested.

The island was somewhere we had kept visiting every day; no longer was it my island prison, as it had been a year before. Now, I welcomed the thought of having somewhere to visit each day, somewhere to keep going when the going got especially rough during school. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka had joined us as well, despite the fact that school was becoming more and more difficult with each day.

It... was hard to explain, but I liked this feeling of sameness, consistency.

But, if a page was there, the truth was that someone would have probably noticed it by now. That may have been the wrong thing to say, now that I thought about it more carefully.

She seemed to be in agreement with my thoughts, as her expression was somewhat confused. "...You sure?"

"No, not really," I admitted. "But where else could we look? Over here, you don't tend to show up..."

"True," She remarked. "But isn't tonight the festival...? I know you've been looking forward to it."

I paled. Of all the things she had to notice, she just had to notice that.

"Welllll... I guess I don't mind missing it..." I finally said, subconsciously scratching my cheek. "Come on, though, Naminè. I mean, what other chance would I get to travel worlds again?"

"That's the spirit," She commented. "But... I'd be sorry for a long time if I made you pass up this chance to celebrate. Can't we do both?"

Keep an eye out for the drawing while having fun? I had no real idea if that was even remotely possible; however, it seemed like it would be worth a shot.

"I guess," I replied, holding out my arm. "In the meantime... shall I escort you?"

She blinked, staring at my arm as if it were some foreign creature. "...Riku?"

I shook my extended arm, still smiling. "Come on."

She reluctantly took my arm, latching onto it with her own. "If you say so..."

So, even though she was so bold as to come up to me and tell me that we're traveling to other worlds... she can't attach herself to my arm? I didn't really get that.

The walk around the festival grounds were eerily quiet; I supposed that everyone was currently listening to the singers on stage (and really, I couldn't blame them).

Tilting my head to the side, I glanced over at Naminè. She seemed to be lost to the music, even humming along to the melody...

If she and Kairi were the same, would she be able to truly experience life as she is right now?

Without warning, she paused in the middle of her humming. "Riku!" Her voice was unusually urgent. "I think I see my drawing!"

I pressed my lips. "Really? Where?"

Her shaking hand went to two boys around her age (maybe a couple of years younger)... they couldn't be playing tug of war over it, could they?

"Hey! What do you two think you're doing with that..?"

As much as I would have loved to play "bad cop" with them, as we got closer, it was obvious that I couldn't play the role.

One boy, brushing back his blond bangs, simply stared at me with a (most amusing) confused look. "...Riku? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, man," The other (a redhead) interjected. "I know your long absence may have changed you, but I didn't think that much..."

I sweatdropped, laughing somewhat nervously. "No, no, it's not that," I said. "It's just that... you have my friend's drawing, and I thought that maybe..."

"We were fighting over it, maybe?" The blond finished for me. He grinned, crossing his arms. "Nah. You know that Wakka and I could never, ever be like that."

A sigh of relief escaped Naminé's lips.

"So, here you go. If you had just said that earlier, you know, me and Tidus would've definitely returned it." Wakka said, handing over the drawing into Naminè's shaking hands.

"Thank you..." Naminè said gratefully, her eyes studying the drawing for signs of damage. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Tidus exchanged glances with Wakka. "Riku's girlfriend is asking us that?"

Ignoring Naminè's beet red face, I raised an eyebrow at them, casually placing a hand on my hip. "You sure that she's my girlfriend? I mean, then you would even call Kairi my girlfriend at that rate... and Selphie would be Tidus's..."

Tidus grinned. "Too late, Riku. She already is."

I laughed. "Seriously? That's kind of... weird, though seriously awesome at the same time."

Naminè tapped me on the shoulder. "Riku?"

Whoops. I smiled at Naminè, not quite sure what she would ask me this time. "Yeah?"

"May you show me the rest of the festival?" She pocketed the drawing at long-last, returning the smile.

I nodded. "Sure thing. Hey, I'll see you guys later," I called out to Tidus and Wakka, waving slightly as Naminè and I walked away from the two.

To be honest, my mind was a blur afterwards. I couldn't remember too much... just something about Sora singing, and how he actually wasn't half bad. (Then again, hadn't he said something about singing in some underwater world?)

But what I do remember were the smiles on our faces that night. It had been a while since I had seen Naminè smile like that... and I hoped that tonight wouldn't be the last.

13 Nights Left.