Silver and Gold Crayons

Fanfiction by Chiharu Tanaka

A/n: I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! My semester isn't going as smoothly as I had planned when I said I'd update weekly. I'll try to update as much as I can, though in these turbulent times I can't promise anything. But I assure you I will not abandon this story because Namiku is my OTP.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts – it belongs to Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix.

021. Scar

There were some things in his past she didn't know.

Naminé wondered how Sora, Kairi and Riku could ever tire of Destiny Islands, as she sat on the Paopu tree overlooking the vast sea as the sun was beginning to set. For a girl who was born in darkness and then lived encaged in a prison with white walls, Destiny Islands was more than she could ever hope for; with the salty breeze of the air that lingered everywhere, even in her slumber, the feeling of sand beneath her feet by the beach and of course, this breathtaking sunset that she saw everyday but never grew tired of.

Closing her eyes and putting her hands to her chest, she thanked Kingdom Hearts silently for giving her a heart – a chance for her to be human like everyone else; a chance to break free from the chains that bind her to her past as a Nobody. Although she will remain a part of Kairi for the rest of her life, she knew Kairi was a part of her as well. The soft, rhythmic breathings of her heart blended with the sound of the waves washing up on the shore and the gently swaying palm trees.

"Naminé."

She opened her eyes, already anticipating his presence when she sat there listening to the sea. "I can't believe we're starting school tomorrow," she mumbled softly, just as Riku hoisted himself onto the tree's bent trunk to sit beside her. Sora and Kairi were somewhere else on the Playground Island, enjoying the last day of summer together.

"You getting cold feet?" asked Riku with a smirk. "C'mon, you studied hard for this. You can't back out now – you're one of us."

Naminé wondered how she could have trusted – and gain this much trust – from him, especially after she had attempted to harm his best friend Sora (albeit unwillingly) and tried to take the place of Kairi. He was the first person, after Sora, to see her as a person and not a Nobody – the only difference was that Sora chose to forget her at one point, but he didn't.

"You're right," she replied with a sigh. "But still I'm getting butterflies in my stomach...like something potentially terrifying is about to happen."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Potentially?"

"Yeah. Kind of like the time DiZ told me you were coming to see me. Well, technically you came to see Sora, didn't you? I hid behind his pod; fearing your reaction to Sora's state and what I've done to him. After all, you really care for him."

Riku smirked before giving a light chuckle. "Not that old story again," he said. "Well, you made amends and everything is fine now. You know we don't blame you for everything that's happened. But I understand the feeling of carrying that sin."

Naminé turned to look at him, watching as his silver hair glowed when hit by the rays of the setting sun, blowing gently in the wind. "Riku," she began, which caused him to turn to face her. "I've been meaning to say this to you for a long time." Her fingers fiddled slightly with the hem of her skirt. "Thank you. If it wasn't for you...I never would have realised how important it is to treasure my existence, and to forgive myself for what I've done."

His expression turned serious, before he turned back to look at the sea. "I'm not much of a sentimental guy, but you're welcome," he said, turning to face her with a smile. The blonde girl smiled back and they both turned to the sea, enjoying it in silence for a few more minutes. "Oh right, the Paopu season is about to be over," Riku suddenly said when he saw the yellow star-shaped fruit on the top of the bent tree they sat on. "Might as well enjoy one."

She watched as he stood on the tree trunk and climbed up it to pluck the large fruit with ease. When he was done he resumed his original sitting position, nonchalantly splitting the fruit in two with his hands and handing half to her. Naminé felt her cheeks burn as he began chewing at the sweet, ripe fruit. "Riku..." she began.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Her eyebrows furrowed as her cheeks reddened. "You know what sharing a Paopu fruit means, right?" She was flabbergasted by his action – after all just two years ago he was the firm believer of the Paopu legend.

"Of course. If two people share one their destinies will be forever intertwined. So?"

"So?" Naminé repeated. "Isn't that..." she mumbled, trailing off as she searched for the right word. "Sentimental?"

Riku almost choked when she said it, and swallowed his bite before replying. "Okay, but the Paopu legend isn't only for lovers as Destiny Islands say it is. Good friends – like Sora, Kairi and I – have our destinies intertwined, and the fact that we were scattered throughout various worlds doing what we never would've imagined whilst living here proves it. I'm pretty sure we shared some when we were kids."

Naminé wanted to slap herself right then and there. "You have a point..." she said, before looking back down at the fruit. 'Oh well, here goes nothing,' she thought before taking a bite. Once the two of them were finished, Riku hopped off the tree trunk.

"It's getting dark. Sora and Kairi are probably waiting for us at the pier," he said, extending a hand out to her to help her down from the tree. She took it and hopped down, and they walked over the wooden bridge, Riku slightly ahead of her.

While they were descending the steps from the hut one would have to pass through to get to the bridge, Naminé felt the sense of falling on one side with a loud snapping noise, before a searing pain shot up from her right foot. She let out a scream, looking down to see that her foot had gone through some worn-out wood, and the broken wood had scratched her ankle.

Riku turned around the moment he heard the wood break with her scream and approached her as she began crying. "Damn," he cursed. "Hold on, I'll get a first-aid kit..."

"No, it's okay...I'll try casting Cure," she said in between tears, flinching as she tried to remove her foot from the hole. Once she did, she let both her hands hover over the wound. "Cure," she said, but nothing happened. She tried again, but Riku scoffed and removed the white piece of cloth he always kept over his left hand. He bit on it to tear it down so it became a makeshift bandage, before taking off her sandal.

"I told you," he said, looking for any obvious splinters before wrapping the cloth around her ankle like gauze. "If magic existed here like it did in other worlds, don't you think we'd have discovered it? Hold this; I'll get the kit at the cupboard."

Riku left momentarily to get the first-aid kit in the cupboard in the hut, before coming back down to sit at one step below the one Naminé was sitting on. He opened the box and pulled out the antiseptic, forceps and bandages. As he placed the soaked cloth on the step, he took more gauze and waited for her ankle to stop bleeding by pressing on it with his left hand and the other around her shoulders as she sobbed. Once it stopped, Naminé's cries died down and he began cleaning the wound with antiseptic.

"This is going to sting a little," he said. She flinched at the sting of the solution, but Riku was quick and efficient at his work, almost as if he had done it a million times. Once the bandages were wrapped and secured over her ankle, he looked up at her face and saw that her eyes were still red.

"Thank you," she said to him.

"Anytime," he replied. "These stairs are getting old. I should probably inform the Mayor."

It was when Naminé saw the horizontal scar over the back of Riku's hand, over the wrist area that her eyes widened slightly. "Riku...where did you get that scar?" she asked.

He raised his hand and looked at it. "Oh, this? Well, let's just say I was being a naughty boy and tried out my father's machete at the back of the house when everyone was asleep. I got this when I swung against a rock and it flew...well, you've seen how I raise my other arm when I fight. Naturally it hit my hand...and yeah. That's the story."

"I never knew..." she mumbled, assuming that she had known all their memories when Sora stepped into Castle Oblivion. "I guess there are some memories even I don't know of."

"It's not really a big deal to me, maybe that's why you missed it," he replied as he finished packing the first-aid kit. "I just cover it so that people would stop asking."

Riku turned to the cracks in the wooden hut to see the darkness outside. "C'mon," he said. "I'll give you a piggyback ride." Naminé was mortified, but she had no choice as walking wasn't an option. She took the used first-aid kit with one hand and her sandal in the other before letting Riku carry her on his back. She buried her face in his shoulder, smothering herself in his silver hair as he exited the stairway and walked towards the pier.

"You okay back there?" he asked, looking down at her dangling foot to check if it was bleeding again.

Naminé mumbled an 'Uh-huh,' as the sun set completely, leaving the sky a mixture of blue-black night sky dusted with stars and becoming yellow-red towards the horizon. Sora and Kairi are going to freak at her injured ankle – this before school began no less – but she knew Sora had a stash of Potions in his house she could use to heal her ankle.

I'm okay. Everything is okay...because you're here and because you, Sora and Kairi are here – I am no longer a Nobody.

This chapter marks the end of the 'Flashback Arc' of this 50-chapter prompt-based fanfic. Next up is the 'High School Arc', of which for the next 10 chapters will delve into Riku and Naminé's (of course with a little Sora and Kairi too) high school life.

The poll for Riku and Naminé's daughter's name is still on, and I'm extending the date until 31st December 2010 as planned. Please vote for your favourite!

Please leave a review!