I am in no way a fan of RikuNamine, and I hope that doesn't show in the fic. But I owe a friend, and she requested the pairing, so I couldn't say no.
She can't help the flush that spreads across her cheeks when he grasps her hand, the excitment that's dancing in his eyes taking her breath away.
"I have to show you something," he says, and he tugs her gently behind him. She can't help but let her eyes wander - the sway of his fine silver hair, the rippling of his broad shoulders; everything about him just enchants her.
She feels the red dusting her cheeks increase and is grateful that she isn't staring into aqua eyes.
"Where are we going?" she finally asks, voice quiet in the soft glow of the approaching twilight, staring down at their clasped hands.
"You'll see," is the only reply she recieves from the beautiful boy, but she doesn't mind so much. She's content with just watching their twined fingers and listening to his breath and quiet footfalls.
When he finally stops she almost bumps into him, her attention still on their hands. She starts to murmur an apology, but he turns to grin down at her and the words die. "Look," he says, pointing. "Isn't it beautiful?" he whispers it like a secret, eyes still holding hers and grin never faltering.
She tears her gaze away from his hypnotizing one, following the point of his arm. A frown tilts her lips down and she looks up, blue eyes searching. "I don't understand," she finally admits when she can't find the answers on her own.
"Namine," he says her name so gently. She wants to close her eyes and have his voice flow around her. "Namine, this is all our dreams come true. This is how we're going to make them happen."
Frown deepens, eyebrows raise. "Riku," she says, "I still don't understand."
He doesn't look the least bit offended. His grin turns fond, and he reaches up to tuck a strand of honey-blonde hair behind her ear. "Nami," he coos, "we're finally going to leave this island prison. We can make our dreams come true - this raft is our salvation."
Late night conversations with him and Sora and Kairi flood through her mind. Talk of other worlds and adventures just waiting to happen; new people to meet and places to discover. His grin turns down as her eyes widen in a reaction he did not expect. "Riku! I... none of us were serious!"
He isn't grinning anymore. "I was."
And she wants to tell him that he's right and this is a beautiful and brilliant plan, but she just can't, and she hates that she's disappointing him and wants that smile back, but she just can't...
"No, no, Riku. How... a raft would never get you there!" her speech stumbles as her mind races to grasp and catch up with what her heart already discerned.
"I've got to try." His voice is calm, and she feels like an idiot child under his gaze. "Come with me?" he requests, and she wants to say yes, but she just can't.
"What about Sora? And Kairi?" is what she replies with. She can't tell him no when she can see the disappointment.
He's smiling again, taking her hands in his, and she can't help but look at the contrast on their skin. (His rough and strong, her's smooth and fragile.) "They can come, too! We'll all go together. It'll be great."
So she tries her best to muster up a smile, but it feels weak on her lips. "Okay," she concedes. "We'll ask Sora and Kairi."
If he did notice the smile's lack of sincerity, he doesn't say anything, instead dropping her hands and cupping her cheeks, pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. "It's going to be great," he promises, and she only fits on another fake smile in response.