a Second Chance
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Scritch, scratch pencil across paper. Pause, think, smile, and flick back to see what you've achieved.
Number I, he's a teacher now, and oh, she's sure that's what he wanted. She knew of his rushing mind and his intelligent thoughts, and the position of power he has over the students, she knows he would love that. He may have done the worlds wrong, but he just needed a chance, that's what they all needed.
II, the Freeshooter, he's been given the luck to inherit a company, to be able to sit back and let others do his job, yet still have his say in the matters. It's what he wanted, she remembers, to be free from the continuous pressure to work work work, and she knows it's a lot easier now.
To III, she gave an early retirement, and the quiet life that he seems to enjoy. He's done well in his life, or so she's made him think, and he can spend the rest of his days however he wants to, be it reading, or catching up with friends that he can finally spare the time for.
A lab and the rights to it are presented to IV, because, no matter how scary he was at times, he truly loved the science he was so immersed in. Chemicals, equipment, supporting staff, he has them all, for she will do anything, everything, to keep everyone happy.
V's job may be considered tediously painstaking by others, but she knows of his great patience, and anyway, he wouldn't want a life too easy, nor a life in which he contributes nothing to. So he's given the job of an office worker, filing papers and taking care of customers for his company.
The Schemer, the Shadow Walker, VI, he had terrified her with his cold stares and toneless, yet commanding voice. But she had remembered the books. He brought them almost everywhere, and always enjoyed reading them (despite what he had claimed), so the family he's been given is sure to emphasise on what he loves (she thinks that a caring family would do him well, because she was sure that he was lonely, even with the aloof tone and imposing figure.)
VII, he's an aspiring author, an independent spirit in complete control of his own life and job, yet even he answers to people above him. She thinks it suits him, so she makes sure that his books are always published, always well received. He'll be catching the eye of high-ranking publishers soon, and it'll please him to be appreciated, she knows it.
The person to whom she owes so much to…VIII. She wasn't sure how to direct his life, wasn't sure she could, and was definitely sure that VIII wouldn't be too happy for his life to be dictated by another. So she places him in his first year of college, so that he can choose the way he lives his life. She owes him that much, and the most she's willing to interfere in his life is to prod him towards the person he had searched desperately for.
IX…his life was the quickest and easiest to draw. She could never forget his quirky smiles and his music, could never forget the willingness to please. He's a famous musician now, his songs and his voice is out there for the world to love. She thinks he deserves it; this free life centred around the thing he loves and far from the things he hates.
X is the owner of a famous line of casinos, who often slips in as a dealer with his wily words and charming smiles. Surrounded by the tricks and lies of the gambling men, she shudders to think of it, but he…he loves it, and so she complies, allows him to weave his own intricate web of deception. She guides them along in their new life, yet, ultimately, it's them who take control of where it ends up.
She had almost hesitated with XI, but continued on anyway, banishing the painful memories from her mind. He owns a plant nursery, and is a widely acclaimed botanist who is known for his ability to charm plants into blooming beautifully. She knows he loves the flowers because he is in control of their life, whether they bloom or shrivel, whether they live or die. And she gives him that, the control, the elegance, because it makes him happy.
XII, XII was by far the most difficult. Finally, she settled on giving her a life similar to VIII's; a college life that was only just beginning, this time not because she owed it to XII, but because she couldn't look past the cruel words or the sharp gleam of those dreaded knives. She couldn't think of a life where XII could be happy, so she left it up to her to decide. It was the one life that she couldn't bear to monitor constantly.
And to the boy who she owes so very much to, even more than VIII, not because he had done something for her but more of what she's done to him. It's her way of saying sorry, so he's given the life of a student in high school, again, given the opportunity to decide on his own path. He's living the ordinary life of a teenage boy, with ordinary friends, and slowly, oh so slowly, she's leading him towards his true best friend, and she won't be content until they've met, because it's the least she can do for the two of them.
Because, after all, all the Organization needed was a chance, a chance to do things over and to do things right. Even though she had only just managed to pull together the last remnants of the XIII members, it was enough. Enough to program into data to send into the virtual twilight. Enough to remake a person from each one, to remake a life, even if their world was fake, even if they themselves were barely real. It was better than anything that Fate had ever thrust towards them, and she would maintain this happiness for them.
To those who were forgotten, to those who were overlooked by Light and Dark, Naminé would be their guardian angel.
But who would look after her happiness?
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A/N: In case it's not clear, this is AU. What Naminé has given the Organization is similar to the life that Roxas had in the virtual Twilight Town. Basically, she's given them a second chance. After all, as Roxas has proven, without your memories you are almost a completely different person. Hence, this story. Hope you all enjoyed.
Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters belong to Square Enix and Disney.
26.01.08