Title: Heroic
Rating: PG/K+
Pairings, if any: RikuSoraKairi + RikuSoraKairiNamineRoxas in any order if you want to see it like that.
Summary: They knew true heroes, even if history didn't recognize them as such.
Word Count: 1400 + random little fic bits added as I feel like it.
Warnings: Kind of depressing? Vague?
AN: Note, when this fic ends, there is a little bit more to it- just an extra scene I included. Don't get too confused, rofl.
xxx
"U-uncle?"
Shifting tiredly, he opened one eye, frowning a little when he saw a small, tear-stained face just a few feet away from his, a lower lip trembling ominously. "What's wrong, Ran?" he rasped, his voice a little hoarse from disuse and age (the latter of which he didn't like to admit, not at all because he didn't get old). "No, no, don't cry, c'mere."
The little girl sniffled and then climbed up onto the bed, holding her teddy bear, a worn, ragged little stuffed animal, made by her mother when she was two—six years it had survived and it was looking even worse for wear the more it went with her. "'k-kay…" she mumbled, curling up against his side instantly, fisting a hand in his shirt and then handing him the bear solemnly as she always did when she had a bad day, because "other people needed to feel good too". Just like her mother, he knew, and hugged her gently, sighing when she sank against him with a soft sob.
Knowing she'd only clam up if he tried to ask what happened right then (and that was just like her father, he thought dryly), he just petted her head gently, frowning even more when he saw Haru standing in the doorway, and –
"…You got into another fight," he said with a glare at the twelve-year-old who promptly pressed a hand to his mouth, wiping away the trace amount of blood. "With who now? Your aunt won't be happy when she finds out."
Ran lifted her head instantly, sniffling and hiccupping, pouting. "S-s'not his fault—he was protecting me!" she protested, and Haru just stood there, bright blue eyes narrow, jaw set at a stubborn tilt, looking far too old for a pre-teen. "The…..the teacher said…." She broke off into tiny little sobs again, reaching for her teddy once more and he had a sinking feeling he knew what it was.
"Her teacher evidently said that what happened earlier didn't," Haru said with a trace of venom in his tone, hands fisted. "She tried to say it did, and a buncha kids started picking on her. I wasn't gonna just let it happen!"
Their uncle sighed heavily, patting a spot next to him, not surprised when a few moments later, their aunt stepped in with a tired look on her face, holding a bright yellow piece of paper that they had become well acquainted with lately, especially with the two oldest. "I know you weren't; what's it say this time?" he directed the last part to the slender woman standing in the doorway, feeling Haru flinch and curl his arms around his knees, scowling. Ran let out another soft sniffle, and their uncle got a stomach-full of bony elbows and knees as the girl climbed over him, curling up next to her older brother and hugging him tightly, along with the teddy bear.
"The normal," the woman said dryly, coming to sit on his other side, showing him the piece of paper. "Disrupting, arguing with authority, fighting," she cast Haru a glare, though it wasn't very intimidating, and went back to the sheet, "refusing to do this and that, and guess who the teacher is?"
The man grunted, frowning and brushing spiky bangs out of his eyes, poking the boy in the shoulder. "You're almost a teenager—you should know better than that, Haru," he chided, but there was no anger in his words.
"…Takeshi gets into fights more than I do!" Haru muttered, and hugged his sister tightly, his blue eyes narrow. "B'sides, they don't know what they're talking about! They did too, exist! We--"
Their aunt let out a soft sigh, reaching out and touching his cheek lightly, her hands stained with paint that was barely dry. "Dear, we know, you know we know, just as you know that they'll never fully accept what happened. Some people live in the past and won't see the events for what they are." She brushed back Ran's auburn hair, tucking it behind her ear and looked at the other adult for a brief moment before turning to the children once more. "You know your parents were content to live in the shadows of history. That's how they were."
"B-bu-but they were heroes!" Ran whimpered, big green eyes full of tears once more, missing her parents terribly. "Wh-why can't we learn about them in history!"
The man looked away, sighing softly. "Why don't we go visit them at least?" he suggested quietly, not surprised when both children agreed instantly, Ran's brother helping her off the bed and holding her hand tightly, his face tight with anger because those jerks at school had made his little sister cry. "We know they're real, we know what they did. It'll…it'll be enough when you're older," he said softly, getting off the bed with a grimace as his knees popped, not missing the soft smile of the woman waiting for them.
--
The graves were tucked away in the back corner of the Islands' cemetery. Each of the stones were simple at the bottom, then shifting to the granite carvings of weapons, three large, oddly shaped blades that never ceased to fascinate the children each time they saw them. Neither their aunt or uncle would tell them the name, only that the weapons had great power. At the top of each of the handles was a single round, bright stone that shone day or night—a piece of the Cornerstone, though the children didn't know what that was.
Unsurprisingly Takeshi showed up a few moments after they did, a bookbag still slung over his shoulder, his silver hair covering one eye, something their aunt was annoyed with but didn't comment on this time. "Heard Haru got in another fight," he said quietly while Ran laid flowers on each of the graves, not missing the way that Haru shot a glare over his shoulder. "Figured you'd be here. You know Leon's school is teaching about the War."
Their uncle shook his head, pushing one hand into his pocket, eyes lingering on the grave stones, quiet. "Kairi wanted them to spend at least a little more time here," he said quietly, not missing the way Takeshi let out a soft sigh, and the woman, standing off by the smallest of the three graves, turned away a little. "When Ran turns ten, that's what she said."
Takeshi's breath escaped in a harsh woosh, kicking at the grass. "Dad's rollin' over in his grave right now," he muttered, not missing the way his uncle smiled thinly at the memory. "She's eight. We can always come back to visit. Mom would've understood. Dad and father would have agreed."
"I know," he said quietly, laying a hand on the middle grave, fingers brushing over the too-familiar hilt of Oathkeeper, closing his eyes, pretending for a moment that he could feel the sunny presence back in the back of his mind once more, not the vacant space in his heart that reminded him of what happened. Takeshi was right, as much as he was loathe to admit it. Sighing quietly, he turned around, looking at the three children, then to the short woman off to the side. "Maybe change is good," he admitted softly, not missing the way Haru's face lit up, Ran's eyes went wide, and Takeshi's lips curled in a pleased smile. "Alright then."
--
Below is the extra that just popped into my head as I wrote this—the general summary is that Riku, Sora and Kairi had kids together. Another war came, they fought, and at the last moment, Kairi and Sora separated from their Nobodies, so someone would take care of their kids. It wasn't a clean cut, hence the leftover edges of emptiness and such. This is left intentionally vague, never mentioning Roxas and Naminé, yes. Yes, they're living on the Islands, but as the Islands are a small, withdrawn community (headcanon), then they tried to brush everything under the carpet. The Wars never existed, Riku, Sora and Kairi were just normal people, or in some cases, were myths. Some knew, obviously, like the kids, and some friends, but mostly it was pushed away.
Naminé and Roxas won't tell them the names because they're afraid of the kids being summoned if another war comes. Foolish, maybe, but Riku asked it of them.
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Extra/deleted scene:
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"Kairi?" Sora knocked at the door anxiously, leaning against it and casting a worried look back at Riku, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "Kai, you're scarin' me, come out and tell me what's wrong."
Kairi stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, not looking at either of them, her arms crossed over her stomach and Riku's eyes went wide, mouth almost dropping. "W-we were careful though!" he protested, drawing back abruptly at the hurt look that Kairi sent him, trying to think how to say that no, he didn't mean it like that.
"…Kairi?" his voice low and hesitant, Sora reached out and drew her into his arms, kissing her cheek. "Tell me so I'm sure."
Their girlfriend, wife, lover, whatever the word for their relationship was, as unorthodox as it was, let out a soft sigh. "M'pregnant again," she said quietly, ever so quietly, not looking at Riku, and the silver-haired man sighed, reaching out and touching her cheek. "I'm sorry, I know we were careful it's just--"
"Don't," Sora said, only his voice was a little shorter, a little rougher, and both knew instantly that it was Roxas this time. "Ignore the idiot, he's tactless." And then the blond faded back, leaving a disgruntled Sora standing there, shaking his head and then leaning down for a gentle kiss with the redhead. "Guess we'd better get a bigger house?" he suggested, smiling at Kairi's soft laugh, drawing back to let Riku come forward, hugging her tightly.
"Didn't mean it like that," he promised, relieved when he felt her arms slide around his waist. "S'just, wasn't expecting another so…so soon." He kissed her forehead. "I get naming dibs this time."
"Takeshi's four though—it hasn't been that long." And just like that, everything was back to normal, the brunet worming his way into the hug, smiling up cheekily at them.
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The end-end, as in both are done. That last scene was just a random little one that I wanted to include, set in the past. Comments loved.