He sat, sullenly staring at nothing. His short, silver hair poked out at awkward angles, as he'd been pulling at it in frustration and self-hatred. He wasn't who he'd wanted to be; who he'd been told he was. He felt misled and foolish.
He had left the castle, during the darkest hour of the night. He was careful and stealthy, not a soul had been arisen during his flight. He'd rode off on the nearest ship, minding not the inconvenience it would be for the owner to find his ship missing. He was free now, or as free as he'd ever be.
"Are you alright?" A hand was laid on his shoulder.
He didn't respond, casually watching a sign blink on and off, a desperate plea for business that just wasn't coming.
"What's your name?" The kind voice asked.
"Ri-I don't know," his eyes were downcast. He felt the urge to lash out at something, anything. He kicked the step under him, to no avail. "What do you want?! Just go away!"
"Why don't I show you something?" She wasn't concerning herself with his verbal attack. She pulled him up and he went willingly. He felt like such a child, being led by this unfamiliar woman. She seemed friendly, her eyes and voice kind and her hair back in a red plait that ran along her back. She led him to an alley.
She went into the dark, coming back with a pot in her hands. It contained a single, white flower. A white hyacinth, not that he could tell what sort of flower it was.
"It's one of the few plants around here. I've been taking care of it for some time," she explained. She extended the pot out for him to hold. He regarded the flower with suspicious turquoise slits. He saw that she was offering friendship to him. He reached out for it and she placed it in his hands. It was tender, precious, alive. He envied it, growing angrier as he looked at its fragile state.
He dropped it, watching it fall and smash to pieces. He promptly stamped it into the ground with his heel. Broken clay jutted from the potting soil. The flower was broken and bent. He laughed. He heard her gasp, but he simply walked away. Who needed friends? Not him.
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Writer's woes:
Hey, y'all! This is sorta a ReplikuXAerith....Don't question it...Twilight Leopardess mentioned this pairing, so I had to give it a try. See, after this convoluted train of events....she kinda got Repliku taken off the character list....the fanfiction administration (under the ingenious alias of "Zack"...The guy's name probably was Zack.) did not understand that there was a difference between Riku R. (Repliku), Riku, and Rikku....; So, I had to intervene and save Repliku (who is now called Riku Replica.) and add Rikku, which is what TL was trying to do in the first place. And, now Repliku has less fanfictions than DiZ!
This was a new sort of writing for me, there was not an obvious element of hope at the end. I usually end things on a lighthearted note, even if it's sad. Like there's always something...and that's what I think. But, I wanted to leave this inconclusive, because we all know that Repliku doesn't get a happy ending...
Spot the symbolism and you get a plate of warm, chocolate chocolate-chip cookies! These make me vomit (or at least chocolate chocolate chip muffins do...), but I hope you think they're delicious. As a consolation prize to the queasy-stomached, you may also get a cute moogle plushie! *Reader may note that all prizes are imaginary...*
Why is this soooo long??????
God Bless!!!
~Hillary