Where Is This? – Riku
"Where are we?" I asked, breathing in deeply as I stepped out of a dark corridor. A faint trace of sea-salt, but there isn't enough humidity to be a beach. In fact, it smells almost cold. The wind is strong, so we're either out in the open or up high. The close calls of crows suggested the latter.
And the one place crows roost around Twilight Town is…
"The station clocktower," Naminé replied, confirming my guess.
But then what's with the-
"Um, I got something for you." She passed me an ice cream bar, like the ones she drew pictures of Roxas, Axel, and Xion eating. "Since DiZ doesn't let us choose what to eat that often, I thought it might be nice to try something other than take-out stir fry."
I smiled. DiZ always was finicky about his food, and he seemed to have something against desserts, especially ice cream. Naminé had asked what it tasted like once and he only growled in response.
"Thank you." I took a bite out of the treat, which was more delicious than it smelled. I could tell why the trio of Nobodies ate it so often.
The salty tang brought back memories of Destiny Islands, and I winced internally. What's become of my old friends? Of Kairi?
I didn't worry too much about her. The Islands were safe now, thanks to Sora. The odd thing was, I worried about Naminé more. I had no idea what she went through in Castle Oblivion, but she still froze if I mentioned anything about it, so I didn't press her. We both knew that some memories were best left alone.
At least she seemed cheerful today. DiZ had finally let us have a day off, so I didn't have to stalk Organization XIII across the universe, and Naminé didn't have to rechain Sora's memories. She always gave off a serious aura while she was working, full of stalwart determination that was nearly tangible. It was very… Attractive? The thought made my ice cream catch in my throat for a moment. It suits her, that's what I meant. But her calm, peaceful silence suited her too.
"Do you like it?" Naminé asked, and I heard her take a small bite of her ice cream.
"Yeah," I said, swallowing.
"We can sit down, if you want." Her voice shifted at the end like it was meant to be a question.
"Be careful not to fall," I warned her, and she laughed softly. "What?" It came out more confused than I intended.
"You're the one wearing the blindfold. Do you need any help?"
I started to shake my head no, but I paused.
When was the last time anyone offered to help me?
"I would appreciate it." My pride rejected the words, but I smiled anyway.
Naminé placed her hand on my arm, slowly guiding me to a sitting position. I will admit, it takes less concentration this way. It took a lot of focus to detect the exact location of things with only three senses (since I didn't plan on tasting any of my surroundings), and my focus was certainly elsewhere.
"You don't have to do everything alone, Riku," she whispered, nibbling on her ice cream.
"Yeah. I guess I just need to be reminded of that sometimes."
We ate our ice cream in silence for a while, and I got the distinct impression that she was smiling.
A/N: Yay for more Riku! :D I can't believe I forgot about him for so long, he's so much fun to write. And I like Namiku. C:
DiZ now hates ice cream because he used to eat it with Ienzo, and since all his apprentices betrayed him… Well, it brings up painful memories. Yeah. And I dunno about the take-out thing, it was the first thing that came to mind. xP
This will probably get continued in a later chapter, but I'll have to find one that I can make fit.