Title: Plunge Pool
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Characters/Pairings: Xion, Riku; RikuShi
Ratin: G/PG (You be the judge.)
Warnings: Speculated post-series because I can't think of when else to put it.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the stories I write.
Summary: In which Xion attempts some alone time.
Word Count: 339
Submitted: 22 February 2012
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The waterfall pounds down on Xion in a cascade of cool relief from the sweltering tropic heat. Deep breaths are moisture filled and nearly suffocating, yet her lungs greedily take it all in. It's almost scentless, carrying on the soaked air the faintest traces of sweetness. When the torrent lets fall some of itself onto her lips, Xion can taste the sugars that only waters passing though lush tropical lands can bear. Under the weight of the thunderous crashing waters Xion bows her head and closes her eyes, shutting off all senses to experience the waterfall for all that it is.
Entrapped by the darkness behind her eyelids she becomes that in which she has immersed herself—a never-ending flow charging forward until there is nowhere else to go but down.
A hard, warm, and dry something catches her.
With eyes still closed, Xion takes in the immobility of her captor, the firm touch in the cradle of abiding arms. Earthy spice and sandy salt fall over her lips in much drier breaths, a coarse musk that is all too similar to taking shelter under the boughs of a tree from the raining sunbeams upon the nearby shore. The sound that greets her is near silence—a rustle on the wind—then she presses her ear to the source and hears and feels the steady hum and pulse beneath her touch.
Xion tilts her head upward, neck craning, before opening her eyes. Shadows fade from her sight as she stands solid against Riku, grounded and encircled by him. The shallow pool the waterfall feeds into laps at their legs and the falls no longer reach her with his broad frame shielding her from the spray.
A part of her mind acknowledges that Riku has both invaded her personal space and her private time, but she can't bring herself to pout or frown as he smooths away the hair matted to her face. Instead, she soaks him further by drawing her arms around him. He doesn't say a word but pulls her closer in the circle of his arms.
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As you can see, this has nothing at all to do with TLC's "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls." Again, I blame sleep deprivation and fatigue for the absurd notion of that title, even if my restlessness and exhaustion gave birth to this one-shot.
CylentKiaru23, thank you. I hope you liked this installment.
Knight-Dawn, yay! You like it. And I completely agree that Xion needs something that is uniquely hers and differentiates her from Kairi and Namine (and Aqua for that matter). It balances out? Good. I was worried there for a moment. And yes, I have seen your RikuShi Thanksgiving drawing and would love to see that plot bunny expanded on (we need to know why Xion gets the privilege of a shirtless Riku in tanned leather).
Mirae-no-sekai, thanks. I'm flattered that my writing makes things seem real. And it's a relief that you're not offended by my pairings.
Espionage247, I'm gld you like it. Hair can be so troublesome. I keep my hair from getting too long, but some times I want to just hack it all off just so it stays out of the way.
Amatus, did I throw you for a loop by not relating the almost title to the actual story? I hope so. I seriously don't know what I was thinking. And it's okay for you to lurk. I don't mind. Riku can be so predictable when it comes to Xion, which only makes the pairing even cuter.
Next Time: I've written too many speculated post-series fics. So ... Would you prefer phantom-limb!RikuShi or some Days!RikuShi? Best three out of five wins.