A/N: Hi ho...it's been a while since I've written or posted anything here but seeing that my friend started to return, I was kinda motivated. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this one-shot from me...
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I'm just a girl with too much imagination.
Sketchbook and Crayons
by Fate-Star
The school bell rang loudly, indicating the end of the school session for that day. Most of the students hurried to get out of school while there are some who prefer to take their time. In one of the almost deserted classrooms, a boy with spiky brown hair slapped his friend's back friendly with a goofy grin on his face.
"Yo, Riku! Joining us for our study session today?"
"Sorry, Sora. I can't today. I have some things to do."
Riku answered without looking up. He stuffed his bag pack, stood up and swung it over his shoulders. He gave an apologetic look to Sora before he exited the classroom. Dejected, Sora just followed his friend with eyes until Riku disappeared from his sight. Once out of sight, he let out a big sigh before he was hit on the head. He turned around to see his attacker and saw a red-haired girl holding her bag pack up, possibly the item she used to hit his head.
"Oh you're done?" he asked, a slight sad tone in his voice as he rub his head to ease the pain.
"Let me guess. He had other things to do today, again," Kairi, the red-haired, said and crossed her arms. Sora nodded sadly and leaned on a nearby desk, his eyes locked on to the blue sky outside.
"Riku's changed. I dunno how or why but I sense he changed, ever since we returned here a year ago," Sora sighed again. This time Kairi held unto his arm and leaned on his shoulder.
"I know. I can sense it too. He seemed so…distant now."
She whispered sadly as Sora squeezed her hand as a way of comfort.
--~*~--
The blazing heat caused beads of perspire to roll down Riku's forehead. He brushed them away with the back of his hand as he continued to walk towards the near-by stationary shop. His sleeve was already rolled up, showing off his muscular arms and he had already unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. Entering the shop, Riku nodded at the lady behind the counter as he made his way to the aisles.
He stopped to look at the pens sold, taking one and testing it before he made his way to the counter. It was then a bright colored box with a large print saying 'crayons' caught his attention. Immediately he stopped and stared at the box. The image of a certain blonde girl began to form in his mind.
"Naminé," he muttered out unconsciously but he quickly stopped himself. "Stop it Riku!" he said angrily and quickly walked towards the counter. Placing the pen he wanted to buy on the lacquered surface of the counter, he tried to distract himself from the crayons and also Naminé. Tried.
"Hold on, I forgot something," Riku told the counter lady and went back to aisle.
--~*~--
"I must be crazy," Riku muttered quietly to himself as he stood on the beach, looking at the clear blue sky and enjoying the cooling sea breeze. Clutched in his hand were his bag pack and also a plastic bag which consist of a pen, a box of crayons and a sketchbook.
Leaning on the bent paopu tree, Riku let the breeze played with his long silver hair. He felt at peace there despite the fact that he bought the crayons and the sketchbook on a whim. After the embarrassing decision he just made, he decided to retreat to the island since he knew there won't be anyone around since Sora and Kairi are in the library, studying. He would rather die than to explain the reason he bought those things. After a few minutes of enjoying the breeze, Riku heaved himself up and sat of the tree.
"Since I've bought you, I might as well use you," Riku sighed as he took the sketchbook and crayons out of the plastic. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he open the sketchbook and the box of crayons. The smell of crayons triggered memories of Naminé, memories that he refused to let go despite knowing very well that she's a Nobody.
It's been a year since all the adventure ended. And it's also been a year that he held on to the memories of Naminé, fearing that if he did not, he would one day forget about her, which was not fair for her after all she had done for his friends. For him. Clenching a yellow crayon, he tried to remember every single detail of that girl.
Blonde hair, fair skin and those big blue eyes which always, always reflect worry, sorrow, loneliness. Again, Riku sighed and he remembered a nearly forgotten promise he made to himself, a promise he wish to keep once all the fuss was over. A promise to make the girl's beautiful sapphire eyes shine with joy and not sorrow. But he never got that chance to fulfill the promise. She's gone now. Back to being a Nobody.
He tapped the crayon unto the white sheet of paper as he was lost in his thoughts when an idea struck him. He quickly looked down at the sketchbook, ready to draw when he realized that the paper was already tainted with yellow dots. Flipping the a brand new page, he instantly drew out what he had in mind.
If I can't fulfill that promise to her, at least I can try to do so through drawing, he thought as his finger traced the shape of her features as accurately as he can remember. Time flew by quickly and the sky had a faint hue of orange as the sun began to descend but Riku was still drawing.
Around his feet were a few drawings which were badly drawn and tore out of the sketchbook. His face clearly showed that he was frustrated, as tried again and again, to draw Naminé but it all ended up looking like a child's drawing. When he failed again, he threw the crayon he was holding to the ground and tore the page.
"Damn it!" he cursed loudly.
After he calmed down a little, he looked at his drawings again and winced at the ugliness of it. Even her drawing looks better than this, he thought and began to regret his cold criticism about how her drawing looks childish a year ago. A muffled cry from the other end of the island pulled Riku out of his reverie. It was then that he realized that it was already evening and the time where his friends would come and relax on the island.
Slightly panicking, he jumped off the bended trunk and began to collect the drawings strewn on the ground. This was the last thing he would want his friends to see for these drawings are a sign of his weakness and no way on Earth would he ever reveal that to them, especially Sora and Kairi.
While he hastily picked up the drawings, a strong wind blew and one of it flew out of his grasps. A surge of panic struck him when the sounds of his friends were getting closer to ere he was. He quickly chased after the blown away drawing, praying very hard that no one would pick it up.
When one clings to a memory…
Riku stopped when he heard that soft whisper. It sounded distant yet very close. He looked around for any sight of a person but there's no one. Brushing it off as another of his imagination, he resumed his chase after the drawing when he finally saw it lying on the sand. Relieved, he rushed to the place when all of a sudden; a figure appeared and picked up the drawing.
His heart sank and he wished that the sand would swallow him right there and then but he bit his lips and jogged towards the figure, who was holding up his drawing, as if examining it. He was sure that person was laughing at his drawing.
"Excuse me! That's mine!" he called out.
--~*~--
It was all dark around her. She floated in it with a blank expression on her face. No emotions, no sensations, nothing. Just darkness. But despite that, she still could think. She would think, how long has she been in that state. Where is she? But all those questions were unanswered as she just accept her fate and float in the darkness.
She stared blankly at the darkness when she saw a small glimmer of light. She blinked, thinking it was her illusion but instead of disappearing, the light began to shine brighter. Along with the light, there was a sound. The sound of the rolling waves. Then her nose picked up a strange smell. A salty kind of smell. And beneath her feet, she felt grainy like substance.
When one clings to a memory…
When these words were spoken, her whole being was absorbed by the light. The next thing she saw confused her. Instead of the darkness she was accustomed to, she was standing on the beach of some tropical island. The vast open sea on her left and the land on her right. Then another object caught her eyes. A piece of paper just a few feet in front of her.
Curious, she picked it up and realized it was a crayon drawing, which was poorly drawn. She took in the warm colors used in the drawing and tried to figure it out. A face? A girl's face perhaps. She thought as she traced her fingers on the drawing.
"Excuse me! That's mine!"
Peering over the paper, she saw a boy running towards her. Long silver hair, well-built body and in his hands were, presumably, pieces of paper. Immediately her grip on the paper loosened, sending the paper flying into the sea. She could hear the boy crying out, trying to catch the drawing before it falls into the sea but it was too late. The waves swallowed the paper and disappeared from his sight.
When one clings to a memory and holds on to it closely…
"Riku," she heard herself said in a low whisper. The boy immediately turned to look at her and his eyes widened, nearly letting go of the papers in his hand.
"Na-Naminé?" he piped out of disbelief.
Naminé felt her feet rooted to the ground as Riku walked slowly towards her. He stopped just an arms length from her and she could see that he was stunned.
"How?" she heard him whisper and noticed that his hand tried to reach out to her but he quickly pulled it back.
When one clings to a memory and holds on to it tightly…
It makes the memories real…
It makes a Nobody, Somebody…
They both heard that soft distant whisper but instead of looking around, their eyes were glued on each other, afraid that if they look away, the other would disappear. Naminé was the first to break the spell when she looked down at the papers, which turned out to be drawings, in Riku's hands.
"Did you drew that?" she sweet voice broke the silence between them.
"Yes." She reached out to look at it when Riku drew back, hiding them behind his back, embarrassed. "No! Don't look at it!"
"Why?"
"Because…" Riku racked his mind for words. I can't possibly let her know that these are all drawings of her! "It looks ugly! I wanted to throw them anyway so no big deal," he lied and looked away.
"Liar! You were never a good liar, Riku," Naminé scolded and held out her hand, expecting him to hand her the drawings. "You've seen my drawings, why can't I see yours?"
"No." he said firmly but Naminé's eyes were staring at him. He hated when she did that. In the past, he had a blindfold over his eyes so it was easy to ignore her stare but now, he was totally exposed.
"Come on," she persuaded and finally Riku gave in, his face was red. Looking through the drawings, Naminé can't help but laugh. "I remember someone criticized my drawing. Saying that it was very childish."
Riku felt his ears turn hot and looked away. Seeing Riku's reaction, Naminé laughed harder. He stole a glance at her and saw that her eyes were not filled with sorrow but with joy. But then, reality struck him.
"But, how come you're here? How can you be here?" he questioned. Naminé's laughter ceased and she looked down.
"I don't know," she piped out.
When one clings to a memory and holds on to it tightly…
It makes the memories real…
It makes a Nobody, Somebody…
"Did you hear that?" Riku asked and Naminé nodded.
"Who's there?!" he shouted and looked around for any sign of another person but there was none, only the muffled screams of his friends on the other end of the island.
When one clings to a memory and holds on to it tightly…
It makes the memories real…
It makes a Nobody, Somebody…
A heart is born out of those collected memories…
A being is made out of those unwavered feelings…
Cherish it…
For you are no longer a Nobody…
For someone, you are an irreplaceable Somebody…
The voice fades away with the wind, leaving the two standing on the beach, speechless.
"I am an irreplaceable somebody," Naminé echoed the voice and looked at the drawings again. It wasn't the drawing of some girl. It was a drawing of her. All of it. "How long has it been?"
"A year or so." Riku answered, looking at the setting sun on the horizon as he scratched the back of his ear. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Naminé smiled as she held the drawings close to her.
"I'm back," she announced. Like how she would in the past, only it would the opposite because Riku was always the one going out and she was always the one welcoming him back.
"Yeah, welcome back." Riku held out his hand and Naminé took it, happiness shone on her face.
A/N: It's done! Finally! It was such a struggle to write this. Especially the Riku part. Had so many contradicting ideas and all…and I practically forsaken my work for this! Gasp! Feel free to drop in your reviews or flames, whatever..as long as I know that someone out there read this story...