This is based off of the song Cradled in Love by Poets of the Fall, whom I love. I've been wanting to do a songfic for a while, but I've been looking for a long time for the perfect song.
So, this is a one-shot, and I guess it's kinda sad, but I hope you all like it. I want as many reviews as possible, so go for it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, etc. etc...
Naminé couldn't hold them back any longer and let the persistent tears held up along her wet eyelashes cascade down her cheeks. She slumped down against the wall, at the same time knocking against the adjacent cabinet. A couple picture frames fell off and landed on the floor next to her crumpled form. Naminé slowly raised her head and weakly pushed her long hair from her face as she reached out to pick up on of the pictures. Her lip quivered at it as she stared at it with hollow eyes through the cracked glass.
It was a picture of her and Roxas back from when they were in high school. Looking at their happy faces, Naminé couldn't even bring herself to smile. In the picture they were standing on the beach below Twilight Town. Her hair was blowing wildly and Roxas had his arm around her waist as she pressed herself into his side. They flashed cheerful smiles that were almost as bright as the red sunset heavily mounted over the blue ocean behind them.
That was before everything had gone wrong, before everything had fallen to pieces. Naminé wished the two of them could go back to that time when nothing was out of place, when they could be together and happy with not a care in the world. Sure, it all didn't collapse at once, but right after graduation was when it all happened.
Naminé tore her gaze from the picture in her hand to look at the second picture. With her free hand she pulled it towards her and looked down at it. In this one they were in their second year of college. Once again, Roxas's arm was draped around waist. They were standing in one of the courtyards of the campus. Naminé's eyes seemed oddly paler and Roxas had slight bags under his eyes, but they had managed to capture one moment where they could put on a smile. Roxas had always told her that she had the most beautiful sapphire eyes, but in the picture they weren't the same ones he had told her about.
Naminé placed a hand over her faded pink lips as the awful memories came back to her. Like a thunderclap, she heard the sound of her father's hand slap across her cheek all over again. His words that boiled with his anger echoed through her ears.
"If you want to run off with a boy like that, then you have disgraced out family."
"I love Roxas, Father. I'm not going to leave him." she cried with tears in her eyes.
Her father glared at her, making her whole body shake. "Then you must choose between your family and that boy."
Naminé shook her head wildly. "Father, you can't make me choose!"
"Naminé," She dared look right into his eyes. "You know how much we love you, but you can't be with a boy like-"
"His name is Roxas," Naminé said coldly. "And sometimes I think that Roxas loves me more than you do."
"You mean to say that that…boy could love you more than us? Your own parents?" Her father said incredulously.
Naminé stood up from her fallen position on her knees defiantly. "Yes, I do. Roxas loves me a million times more than you. If I must choose, then…then I choose Roxas." Naminé then walked out the door and slammed it behind her.
She had run all the way to Roxas's apartment where he opened the door to find her crying her eyes out, as broke as could be. That night she had given herself to him, not once looking back.
Naminé shook her head, placing her hand where her father had struck her. That had been the night of their graduation, afterwards, when it was supposed to be a wonderful time. It had been anything but. Ever since then Roxas had taken care of her. She had kept her promise that she would never leave him. Before, Roxas had been alone, but Naminé changed all of that. He was her starlight in her pit of darkness. In return, she was his beacon of salvation, the lighthouse in the middle of a dark stormy night at sea. They face everything together, for better or for worse.
Naminé moved her hand up to her forehead. Maybe that was the problem. They faced every obstacle that came in their way together. Her chest heaved, trying to untangle the sudden tightness there. More tears poured from the very core of her soul. She barely heard the sound of the apartment door open, signaling Roxas's return.
At the very least, Roxas looked weary; he was exhausted. Dark circled resided under his eyes, which were darkened so they were very nearly black. He dropped his guitar case by the couch and began loosening his tie. As his footsteps approached the hallway where Naminé was, she began to curl more into herself. She put her hand over her mouth to try and stifle her gasps, but Roxas's voice came to her.
"Naminé?" She slunk further against the wall while Roxas hurried towards her. "Naminé! What's wrong?" His callused fingertips grazed her milky skin and his breaths caressed her face, but she turned away. Naminé didn't want to press her face into his chest. She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face into them instead.
Roxas was distressed. Normally Naminé would resort to him consoling her, and it worried him how she was acting. Roxas sighed and turned and sank against the wall next to her. He'd give her time if she needed it. He gazed down at his hands, which were shaking. His dark eyes darted over to Naminé. As if she felt his eyes upon her, she looked up and met his gaze.
"Do you want to tell me why you're sitting here in the hallway in the dark?" he asked her quietly.
Naminé bit her lip. "I could tell you several reasons why." she responded. She didn't mean for her words to sound harsh, but she found them to bite more than she bargained for. Roxas looked like he had been slapped in the face. He turned sober immediately and looked down in guilt.
"I'm sorry, Naminé," he said quietly. Naminé pursed her lips; when Roxas didn't say anything immediately, she knew that she had hurt him much more than she had intended.
Roxas shifted his position suddenly and put a hand in his pocket. When he pulled it out he had a wad of cash in his hand. "I made two hundred and ten today."
Naminé's eyes looked at the green packet he held up, widening slightly.
"You know I'm saving up to buy you a ring soon." Roxas said gently.
Naminé nodded silently and rested her chin on her knees before she closed her eyes. Roxas put an arm around her slim shoulders.
"What's wrong, Naminé?"
Naminé's body began to convulse and she started crying again. Roxas pushed his messy hair from his forehead. Why did he always make her cry?
"You can't buy me a ring, Roxas. We need the money for more important things." Naminé finally spoke, her words choked from her tears.
Roxas began massaging her shoulder. "You're the most important thing to me, Naminé."
"But the money-" Roxas interrupted her.
"I don't care about the money." He said stubbornly.
Naminé gave him a hard look. "Well you should."
Roxas sighed. "You haven't answered my question, Naminé." He turned and wiped the tears from her eyes.
Naminé looked at him wearily. "Roxas," Roxas put a hand under her chin. Naminé shut her eyes again. "I-I went to the hospital today while you were at work."
Roxas's hand moved over to the side of her face. "Why? You should've called me. You should not have gone alone." His voice was almost scolding.
Naminé ducked her head slightly. "Roxas…" The look in her eyes warned him that the matter was much bigger than he thought. "I…I'm having a miscarriage,"
Roxas's eyes widened and he felt a pang in his heart. Naminé crumpled into him, grasping his shirt and staining it with her tears.
"You said everything would be all right. You've always said that." She cried, hugging him tightly. Roxas felt tears stinging his own eyes. He had said those words, hadn't he? He had said that when she had come to him the night after their graduation. He had said that when they had worked through college, struggling every day for money. He had told her that when they had graduated college alone, with no parents to congratulate them. He had told her that when Naminé had told him she was pregnant.
"I know I did," said Roxas. "And it will. One day we will get married and have a family of our own."
Naminé met his eyes. "When, though? I've been waiting for so long, Roxas," She squeezed her eyes shut as she averted her gaze from his. "We both knew we weren't ready to have a baby," she bit her lip. "But then I thought how you always tell me that everything will be all right. And then I thought, maybe it would be OK," Naminé looked at the blonde boy next to her desperately, hoping he'd understand. "I started to believe that. I kept thinking about what it would be like to have a real family," Naminé's eyes welled with tears, crushing Roxas's heart. "But then…they said I was beginning to miscarry. I-I didn't know what to do. For once I actually believe your words with my entire heart. Then it disappeared, just like that."
Roxas carefully warpped his lean arms around the defeated girl. As he held her shaking body, Roxas pressed his chin on top of her head. He bit his lip in thought. Roxas felt as if his heart had been taken out and shredded right before his eyes, and it wasn't even Naminé's fault. But if pained Roxas every time she cried. It killed him each time it was his fault, and most of the time it was.
They had both know that their love and being together was a gamble right from the beginning, yet they had eagerly taken the first step. Roxas shook his head. That had been back when they were young and foolishly in love. He inwardly sighed. As much as he wistfully remembered those times, wishing to go back, Roxas also knew how tough they had been.
When they had met they instantly clicked. Naminé had been going home after an art exhibition in town when she had seen Roxas playing his guitar on the sidewalk. She had thought he was very dashing with his spiky golden hair, narrow navy eyes, and down-turned smile that she later learned wasn't so much out of anger but of concentration derived from passion. He had straight-out told her that it wasn't meant to be, that he was unfit for her, but Naminé had ignored all of his protests. They fell deeper and deeper in love as she snuck out at night to see him behind her parents' disapproving eyes.
He was completely wrong for her; disowned from his family, ex-gang member, starving artist, and directly opposite of what Naminé's wealthy parents wanted for their only daughter. And yet she had chosen him, making him feel both ecstatic and horrible inside. He had made her cry more times than he could count, but he remembered nearly every one.
But this time was so much worse. She had the last good hope taken away from her. For some reason Roxas blamed himself. They were low on money, so everyday Roxas went to the office where he worked, mainly as coffee boy for there were little other available jobs. Then after work he would play his guitar on the streets to earn money for supplies for Naminé to paint with. It had been a long time since she had sold a painting since they were in such dark times. He had been saving for so long to buy an engagement ring for Naminé, but when she had told him she was pregnant, he began working harder to earn money. He wanted a proper family, a house, a better life than what they currently had. Had it been too much to simply hope?
Roxas held her against his body. "Things have to get worse before they get better. Right now we're in that spot, but I promise you soon it will get better. We'll be OK," Roxas stroked her hair and whispered in her ear. "I'll get a promotion and you'll be painting everyday. Then we'll have the money to get married and move and get a real house," Roxas managed a small smile when he saw the tiny light ignite in her eyes. "We'll make a family together."
Naminé fell into Roxas's chest. "I miss them," she murmured. "I miss my parents."
Roxas nuzzled his face into her flaxen hair. "I know you do," His hand placed itself on top of her head. "I know our love was a gamble, but I'll tell you what, I got lucky. I don't deserve to have such a wonderful girl like you."
Naminé looked up at him. "I chose you over my family and I don't regret it." She said quietly.
"I love you, Naminé," Roxas murmured. "And I always will."
Naminé let him kiss her, and it really did make her fell better. He silently moved to her neck and her jaw line. Suddenly, Roxas grasped her by the shoulders and made her look up at him.
"One day soon, I'll buy you a ring and we'll get married. I promise you that. Then we can try again and have a real family of our own, all right?" He gave her a hard, piercing look, shaking her slightly so that the words would penetrate her. Naminé nodded briefly, wiping away a stray tear. "I know I've given you a rotten life, but you're with me. I'm here and you're alive. We'll always be together and face everything together. I'll always be here for you."
Roxas pulled Naminé into him tighter, rocking her while she cried into his shoulder. Roxas murmured into her ear, stroking her hair. Eventually, Naminé stopped crying as she collapsed into his chest, almost dissolving into him. Then the two of them sat there, rquietly in the hallway of their dark apartment.
Although the world was waging a difficult war against them outside of their sanctuary, they were still together. When all seemed lost, at least they still clung onto one thing: love.
Review please! They make me happy every time I see one! And if you have any ideas for future fics, I will happily accept them.