Chapter 14
**Recap: Hinata and Velcia finished their time in Eos, both of them learning many new techniques and creating bonds with the four men. Now they are returning to Twilight Town to continue their mission in stopping Thaanix.**
Riku wiped the back of his hand across his brow, breathing heavily. Sam stood just a few feet away from him, her own chest heaving as she barely held onto her staff. The courtyard of Twilight Town began to glitch away, pixels and square particles disintegrating before a blue light beamed them away. They reappeared in DiZ's study, out of the sparring outfits they had been wearing and back in their normal clothes, but still just as exhausted.
"You cut it short today," Sam noted to DiZ, sucking in her breath.
"Is something going on?" Riku asked.
"I apologize for cutting in, but Hinata and Velcia are returning from their mission." DiZ told them, focused on typing, rather than looking their way.
"Really?" Riku blurted, unable to hide the excitement in his voice, but quickly backed down when he noticed the smile Sam sent him. Clearing his throat, he asked calmer, "How long until they get back?"
"I suspect an hour and a half," DiZ informed him. "I wanted to allow both of you some time to rest before they return. There is much we will have to discuss."
"Great," Sam sighed, "Another meeting." She sheathed her staff on her belt, walking towards the doorway. "But thanks for the heads up. I'm off to the shower."
"I know it has been quite some time since Hinata was here," DiZ added, "So you will have a few hours after she returns before any of you are needed for the meeting."
"Sounds good," Sam waved him off, motioning towards Riku for him to leave with her.
"Yes, thank you for considering that," Riku told DiZ, following Sam. He glanced back at DiZ when he reached the doorway, but his back was to him as he typed away at the computers. Once the door slid closed behind them, he crossed his arms. "I'm surprised he's giving them time before debriefing."
"I'm not," Sam shrugged, heading towards the stairs. Riku looked up at her, and she added with a smirk, "With all the moping around you've been doing with Hinata gone, I'm sure he knows you're gonna want to make out with her the moment you see her. So best-"
"Stop," Riku bit, pushing past Sam to go up the stairs and hide the way his ears were warming. "I told you to cut it out on those jokes."
"Oh, if only I was joking," Sam sighed, snickering at the groan Riku gave in response as she followed him up the stairs. "Sooo," she drew out the word, catching up to his pace and asked, "when are you going to tell her?"
Riku paused, watching Sam walk ahead a couple steps, "Tell her what?"
She turned around, walking backwards as she reached the door of the library, giving him a look. "What do you think?"
With a huff of breath, he went past her, opening the door back to the foyer. "The only thing I'm going to tell anyone is how funny you think you are."
"When in reality I'm what, pointing out the obvious?" She asked, following him, but keeping her distance. When he didn't reply, she kept going, "It's not like you were obsessing about Hinata every day she was gone and spent every free moment staring at that tablet thing." She brought her hand to her chin, "Oh wait… that's exactly what you were doing!"
Riku stopped, a loud breath escaping him before he looked over his shoulder, "What exactly is your goal here?"
"You're obviously into her." She crossed her arms, "I just think you should tell her."
"I don't remember any of this being your business." He turned towards her, a burning glare in his amber eyes.
"You basically forced it to be my business," she objected, staring back unperturbed. "Do you even remember all the pics you shoved in my face or made me take? How you'd get distracted during training when you'd hear that stupid thing chime that you got another message from her? Or that ridiculously goofy smile when-"
"I get it," he interrupted her, averting his gaze, the warmth from his ears traveling to his face.
"I'm not about to just sit here and watch you two do the, do they or don't they like me dance." She told him, "It's awkward as hell and there's enough shit going on. Tell her you like her, you know damn well how she feels about you."
"Why do you care?" He asked, putting his arms out at his sides. "I thought you wanted to stay as far away as possible from her."
She paused and downcast her gaze. Her smirk fell as she mulled over her response. "Just because she reminds me of Thaanix, doesn't mean I don't care about her." She swallowed, taking in a breath as she brought her gaze out to the empty foyer. "She's… a good friend, and probably was an even better one before we all forgot about her. If anyone deserves something nice, it's her."
Riku blinked, his irritation flitting away. "Yeah…" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away.
"So just… tell her the truth, alright?" Sam took in a breath, looking back to him. "For all our sakes."
He scoffed, a breathy laugh at the end. "I'll… think about it, alright?"
She groaned, running her hands over her face. "I suppose that's all I can really expect." She walked down the stairs to the main floor. "But if I am stuck in the middle of one awkward moment between the two of you, I am going to blurt out that you want to make out with her." She bubbled into a laugh, mumbling, "God, I can almost feel the glare you're sending at my back right now."
Riku shook his head, turning his attention to the window overlooking the garden outside. The sunflowers caught his gaze, as they had been everyday since Hinata had left. A warmth flooded his heart, mixed with excited flutters of butterflies. Sighing, he went down the stairs to escape into his room for a shower.
As he grabbed the knob to his door, he paused when a soft growl and scratching sound came from the bottom of Sam's door. He could hear Sam's muffled voice talking to something, then a crash followed with a string of curses.
"What the hell?" he whispered, knocking lightly on her door. "Uh, Sam, everything alright in there?" The door rattled suddenly, making him jump back slightly.
"Will you stop?" Sam scolded something, before creaking the door open, "Um, what's up?"
Riku crossed his arms, glancing behind Sam into her room, seeing the disarray of fallen books and supplies. "What's going on?" He asked her, meeting his eyes back with hers.
"Um, well…" She began, seemingly keeping something from the door's opening with her foot. She peeked over her shoulder, before grabbing Riku's arm and pulling him into the room.
He yelped, stumbling forward as Sam shut the door behind them. The entire room was a disaster area. Sam's desk was covered with supplies and tools, but claw marks were along its surface. Blankets, torn pages from books, and clothes were scattered along the floor, barely a clean spot in the entire room. Riku looked around, taking it all in before he turned to face Sam, stopping short when he noticed a dark creature on her shoulder.
"What the-" He started, pausing. "Wait… the egg." He looked around, just then noticing the empty, broken shell in the corner of the room.
"Yep," Sam sighed, running her hand along the small head of the gwythaint.
It was completely blue, a mixture of every hue. Most of its scales were a dark, almost black navy blue, but lighter shades mixed in, creating an almost sparkling illusion. Its eyes were a deep purple, watching Riku from its perch along Sam's shoulder with a growl.
"How long ago did it hatch?" He asked, admiring it.
"A few days ago." Sam told him. "I've been trying to keep him in here so he won't get lost in the mansion or get outside."
Riku nodded, walking forward and reaching his hand towards it, but backed off when it tried to nip at his fingertips. "That would explain where all the milk's been going."
"Heh, yeah, sorry I didn't say anything." Sam chuckled. "But yeah, he finally hatched while we were training. Pretty simple to take care of, I've been reading through that book Bedivere gave me."
"You sure you'll be able to handle it?" Riku asked skeptically, but couldn't stop his smile when it nuzzled against Sam's cheek. "Like you said, there's a lot going on."
"I think so," she giggled when its tiny forked tongue licked her cheek. "He's been pretty well behaved… except for destroying my room."
"Oh good, it's not normally like this." Riku looked around, smirking at the unappreciative glare Sam sent him. "Thought of a name for it yet?"
"Yeah, actually. Avan."
"Oh, like from that story?" He asked.
Her eyes lit up, "Yeah, the one my dad used to read to me and…" Her voice trailed off and she cleared her throat, "I'm honestly surprised you remember. I thought after I gave it to you to read, you just skimmed it before giving it back."
He shrugged, "Of course I read it, not like there's much else to do around here."
"Yeah," she scoffed, "Well, what did you think of it? You never even told me."
"I liked it." He glanced away "Look, can we talk about it later? They'll be back soon."
"Fine, fine," she waved him off. "Go get ready."
He sent her a wave, carefully making his way out of the room to make sure Avan didn't escape, and went into his room to finally take the shower. Over an hour passed before he emerged back into the hall, carefully placing a small wrapped box in his coat's pocket as he typed a message back to Prompto on his tablet. He chuckled at the picture he was sent before tucking away the tablet entirely and making his way back out to the foyer.
He had gotten used to the vast stillness throughout the mansion, but he had to admit that it had an effect on him. Everything was too quiet, especially with Hinata gone. He took in a breath as he walked around the decrepit foyer, his footsteps echoing around him. His pacing stopped beside the clouded glass doors leading out to the garden. He and Sam had done their best to upkeep it, but it wasn't in nearly as good condition as it had been when Namine was there.
A strong gust of wind blew through the garden, catching Riku's attention as he looked up and saw the Highwind coming in to land. His heart jumped to his throat, his hand grabbing the gift in his pocket. Ben and Jack were up on the deck as the ship landed, cheerful as always. Jack floated off before the engines had completely shut down, phasing through the doors and bombarding Riku with jovial barks. Riku stumbled back in surprise, laughing.
"Good to see you too, boy," he chuckled, scratching behind his ears. "Did you keep an eye on her for me, like I asked?"
Jack nodded proudly, licking Riku's cheek before he flew off again towards the hall, most likely going to greet Sam. Riku looked after him until he disappeared, wiping away the slobber from his cheek with a soft laugh, before heading outside. A warm breeze greeted him, along with the sweet scent from the flowers. His heart continued to twist and pound in his chest with each closer step to the ship. He took in a sharp breath when he heard someone hurrying up the stairs from the ship, only to breathe out relieved when he saw Velcia pop up instead.
She was in an outfit she had bought during her time on Eos, fitting in much better than the long dress from her homeworld. Her eyes lit up when she saw Riku, sending him a warm smile, "It's wonderful to see you again. I can't believe we're back!"
Riku chuckled, "Good to see you, too. Hopefully you'll be able to stay here more than a day this time."
"Hopefully," she agreed with a laugh, coming to a stop in front of him once she was back on the ground, her hands clasped in front of her. "I think overall it was a very successful mission."
"So I've heard." he nodded, crossing his arms. "DiZ also wanted me to let you know that you have a few hours before we need to go in for a debriefing."
"Debriefing?" She repeated, quirking an eyebrow.
"Ah, sorry," he chuckled again, rubbing the back of his neck. "Basically going to talk with him about everything that happened and what to do next."
"Oh!" She realized. "That sounds perfect. I'll make my way inside then, maybe find Sam." She sent him a small wave, walking past him, adding, "Oh, and Hinata is in her room."
Riku glanced over his shoulder at her, but she simply continued walking towards the mansion. Letting out a breath, he looked back forward and replied, "Uh, thanks."
He went up the ramp, saying a quick greeting to Ben before heading below deck. His hand gripped the stair railing as his breath quickened. Sam's words replayed in his head, echoing louder with each step he took. As he came to the bedroom door, his hand froze before he could knock. He could hear Hinata giggling about something inside. The sound made his heart jump.
The door swung open, and Riku startled back. Hinata's eyes widened before her entire face lit up. "Riku!" she chimed, releasing the door and stepping towards him as if she were about to hug him, but she stopped herself short.
He let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, a warmth spreading through him as he smiled affectionately. He closed the distance between them and embraced her. She hugged him back without hesitation, a giggle escaping her.
"Welcome back," he whispered into her hair.
She hummed in response, tightening her arms around him. "It's good to be back."
They stayed in each other's arms, their grips and muscles relaxing. Hinata let out a wistful sigh, leaning her cheek against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. A smile tipped at the corner of her lips as she noticed it racing. She was content to stay in his arms as long as he would allow it. Her eyes slid shut, feeling at complete ease for the first time in months.
"I really missed you," she murmured.
He squeezed her in response, a lump forming in his throat from the frenzy of contrasting emotions inside him. "You, too," he admitted softly, his ears burning red.
He didn't know what he was doing, pulling her into his arms like that. She fit so perfectly in his embrace and Riku couldn't help but feel that she was meant to be there. All the turmoil and confusion he had been feeling about her while she was gone seemed to fade away the longer they stood there.
"Riku…?" Her voice broke through his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"Should we go talk to DiZ?" She asked, "Or are we going to hug all day?" She giggled as Riku scrambled to push her back, but missed his warmth around her. Running her hand along her arm, she clarified, "Not that I minded, of course. Just-"
"N-No I get it," he stammered, clearing his throat as he ran his hand along the back of his neck. "Got a little carried away." Taking in a breath and averting his gaze from Hinata's, he added. "But we don't have to worry about talking with DiZ for a bit. He wanted to give you a few hours to yourself, before the meeting."
"Oh," She realized with a smile. "In that case-" She reached forward and grabbed his hand, noticing his flushed cheeks as she pulled him into her room. "I can give you these!"
Releasing his hand, she grabbed a brown paper bag from the floor and handed it to him. He took it from her, glancing inside at the random trinkets before quirking up an eyebrow at her.
"Happy belated birthday?" She suggested the reason with a sweet smile that caused Riku's heart to swell.
He chuckled, "You didn't have to get me anything. But, since you did…" he reached into his own pocket, pulling out the wrapped box. "Happy belated birthday to you, too."
Hinata's eyes darted between his and the gift as she hesitantly took the perfectly wrapped box. She held it in her hands as if it were a precious treasure, smiling warmly at it. "Thank you," she whispered, a warmth creeping onto her cheeks. "I… really wasn't expecting anything."
"Wanted to make sure you got something." He told her, looking into the bag. "Seems like you got me a lot more, though."
"Oh, that's all from Iris, Prompto, and Noct, too." She told him, distracted as she kept looking at the small gift in her hands.
"Shouldn't be surprised they got me something, too." He chuckled, looking up at her and noticing the loving gaze in her eyes as she examined the gift. "That… really means a lot to you, huh?"
She blinked, looking back up to him, her blush deepening as she nodded. "Um, yeah… I didn't think anyone would care that it was my birthday; especially you, considering everything that's been going on." She brought her eyes back to the gift, missing the pang of hurt that flashed across Riku's face, "So…. yeah, this means so much to me."
"I'm… sorry," he muttered, looking down at the gift bag she had given him.
She lifted her gaze to him. "For what?"
"For… the way I've been treating you." He swallowed, clearing his throat again as he forced his eyes to meet with hers. "I haven't exactly been making things any easier for you."
Her lips tipped into a sad smile, "It's not like it's really your fault. You didn't mean to forget who I was." She looked back to the gift. "What matters is that you're trying… and that means the most to me."
His eyes softened, "That's good to hear."
"I just need to get better about not pushing you." She noted, taking in a deep breath. "And I think this trip helped me be alright with that."
"Pushing me?" He repeated.
She nodded with a hum, not giving any further clarification as she looked back up at him with a beaming smile. "So, you going to find out what we got you?"
He frowned from her brushing him off, but took in a breath as he looked back at the bag. "Oh, um sure."
He walked over to the bed, sitting along the edge of it as he reached inside. Hinata sat down beside him, her leg tucked under her and Riku's gift to her on her lap. First thing he pulled out was a wooden carving of a purple, cactus creature.
"That's from Iris," she explained excitedly. "It's a carving of a Cactuar."
"A what?" He asked with a laugh.
"Cactuar," she repeated, "They were these little creatures that we saw a few times in Eos. These carvings are actually really popular there."
He hummed with amusement, looking the strange creature over before setting it down beside him. Reaching back inside, he pulled out a black, v-neck shirt. It was soft and seemed like it would be a snug, yet perfect fit, with faded, white embroidered roses along the collar.
"That's from Noctis," she told him, holding out her hand and summoning another shirt out of a blue mist. "I have one like it, too! So we can match!" She held it out for him, before clarifying nervously, "Eh, not that we have to ever wear it at the same time. I was already buying one and Noct decided to buy one for you, too."
He chuckled, "No, I love it. I… haven't really worn a lot of regular clothes in this new form yet."
Hinata lifted her hand to run it along his arm, but stopped herself short, putting her hand back on her lap. "I think you should… I know it isn't comfortable in that coat all the time. Plus, even if you think you look like him, you aren't Xehanort. You should be able to feel comfortable in your own body… and maybe wearing your own clothes and even doing your hair different might help with that."
Riku blinked, his heart jumping to his throat at how easily she could say something so sincere like that. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. His lips tipped into a smile, getting her to smile in return.
"What?" She asked with a soft laugh.
"It's nothing," his smile grew as he put aside the shirt and looked back in the bag. "What- is this?"
He pulled out a thin rectangular case, covered with pictures of people with horribly designed makeup to make them look like some sort of monsters, along with bold letters about an apocalypse in Eos. Hinata brought her hands to her mouth, struggling to hide her laughter at Riku's confused and mildly grossed out expression.
"Is this Prompto's?" He asked, holding it up.
"Nope," she managed out the word in the midst of her laughing fit. Clearing her throat, she sat up straighter so she could explain clearer, but couldn't stop the laughs from mixing with her voice. "Do you remember back on the island, movie nights with Sora?"
He paused for a moment, before bubbling into laughter. "Those awful zombie movies?" He asked, laughing harder when Hinata could only nod in response. "We are not watching this, I hope you know that."
"Oh, yes we are." She pointed to him, grabbing the movie. "Velcia and I have already planned it out. We're having a movie night."
"You really going to make Velcia's first movie be that?" He asked, both of them still chuckling.
"Yes," she giggled, "We're going to go buy a tv in town today. And we're going to watch it."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously," she smirked over at him. "We'll finally get to see a stupid movie from somewhere other than the island." She looked at the movie cover. "And you better be ready for the pop quiz at the end, so you have to pay attention."
Riku smirked, looking at the cover. "I said that to you during our first movie night… didn't I?"
Hinata nodded, her smile growing. "I know it's dumb and you're probably going to hate me for making you watch this." She paused when he chuckled, "But… I don't know, when I saw this, it reminded me of all the fun times we had on the island. Before everything… And maybe watching this will bring us back to those times for a little while."
She looked over when Riku's hand ran up her arm, both of them smiling sadly at the other.
"I'd like that, too." He admitted with a soft voice.
Her heart fluttered as her eyes drifted to his lips. Clearing her throat, she forced her gaze back to the movie case. "Anyway, I think this will be a lot of fun."
"Me too," he agreed, looking back to the bag to see one more thing along the bottom.
Moving his hand from her arm, he reached inside and pulled out a metal frame. It was mostly black, with gold detailing weaved in and two silver wings that met along the top. He barely noticed the frame, his eyes focused on the picture inside. It was the entire gang. All four of the guys along with Hinata and Velcia were grouped together in front of the lake on Alstor Slough. Each of them were smiling, laughing even. Hinata looked happier that he had ever seen her as Prompto was hanging over her shoulder with Noctis smirking beside her. Jack rested on Velcia's shoulder as she stood beside Ignis and Gladiolus, her hands clasped in front of her while she laughed.
They seemed so warm, caring, and Riku felt a sudden yearning to have been there. Taking in a breath, he looked up to Hinata, who was waiting for his response. "I'm really glad you got to go there."
"Me too," she smiled, glancing down at the picture. "He wanted you to have something to remember them by."
He chuckled, "I didn't even go there, but… I appreciate it. I'll have to let him know." He quirked up an eyebrow when Hinata hummed. "What?"
"Oh, I'm just happy that you got used to texting them." She giggled, leaning back in the bed, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she looked at him. "I had been worried they would annoy you."
"They did at first." He admitted, "But it's kind of nice, now."
"Don't tell Prompto that, he'd text you even more."
"Noted," he chuckled, placing the frame on his lap.
"I guess I should open mine now," she lifted up the wrapped gift, noticing how Riku tensed up. "It looks so perfect. I feel a little bad actually opening it."
"It's really not that amazing," he let out a breathy laugh, running his hand along the back of his neck. "I just saw it while I was out the other night and thought I'd get it for you."
"I'm sure it's perfect." She smiled over at him, secretly loving how nervous he seemed.
Her own heart fluttered with excitement as she carefully undid the wrapping paper, unlike her usual antics of tearing it apart. Riku kept his eyes trained on the gift, his hands tightening around the frame in his lap. His breath sucked in when she lifted the lid off the box, waiting for her reaction. Ever so carefully, she lifted the necklace out of the case. It was made up of polished maroon stones that had a faint sparkle to them, shimmering as she admired them in her palm.
Riku's fingers uncommonly tapped along the glass of the frame as he cleared his throat. "I-um, thought I'd get you another necklace, you know… for the gold locket you always wear- His voice trailed off as his eyes drifted towards her bare neck, realizing the necklace wasn't there. "Oh."
Hinata instinctively lifted her hand towards her neck, her lips tipping into a frown at meeting nothing but her skin instead of the familiar and comforting stones of her necklace. "Um…" she swallowed hard, looking back to the necklace he had given her. "The other one broke in Costlemark..."
Without fully understanding why, Riku's eyes widened, his gut tightening. "What? What about your locket?" He paused as the words left his mouth, he didn't even know why the locket was so important to her.
She held out her other hand and summoned her golden locket. It was scuffed and dented, but still retained its shape and the key engraving. Riku began to reach out for it, but she pulled it back, holding it close to her chest. He blinked from her reaction, lowering his hand back to the bed as she kept her gaze on her trinket.
"Noct and I got trapped in a dark cavern." She explained, her voice soft. "My necklace broke when I fell in and we got attacked within a few minutes of getting there… Honestly thought I had lost this." Her hand clasped around it. "But, that night, Noct told me he had found it right before we got out. It's… a little worse for wear, but it still works."
"Works?" He repeated, seeing Hinata nod in response as she opened up her hand again so he could see it.
Something about it was familiar. Seeing it blemished and nicked made something in him sink. He watched as she carefully linked the locket onto the new necklace, the gold contrasting the maroon stones perfectly. She was about to clasp it behind her neck, before he reached out.
"Let me," he offered, taking it from her.
She sent him a soft smile as she turned around, grabbing her hair to keep it out of the way as he reached around her neck. His soft touch sent the slightest shivers through her as he clasped it and ran his hand along her shoulder.
"It really is perfect." She told him, running her hand along the stones down to the locket, a warmth on her cheeks.
Riku smiled, watching her as she admired it until his gaze landed on the the trinket. The longer he looked at it, the more emotion he felt welling up in his chest. "Hinata…" He spoke softly, as if unsure he should say anything at all.
"Hmm?" She lifted her gaze, finding his locked with her necklace.
"Is… that locket important?" He met his eyes with hers, noticing the slightest way they widened. "Like, to us?"
She darted her gaze away, her hand tightening around the trinket. "Yes," she whispered, "It's… everything."
"Everything?" he repeated, his eyes drifting to it again. "What do you mean?"
"It's… a promise," she tried to explain, shifting her weight. "A promise that everything will be alright." She ran her fingertips along the deepest scratch in the gold. "Even if it's rough and horrible things happen… We'll be alright someday."
He looked up to her face, seeing the determination and virtue in her features, making his heart soften as he looked back to the locket. Without thinking, he reached forward, his hand meeting with hers over the locket. She took in a sharp breath, her grip tightening until she felt his fingers tracing along the key engraving as she had done dozens of times before.
"I think you're right." He told her. "It does feel like that." Pulling back his hand, he let out a breathy laugh. "Even if I don't remember what it is." He looked back at her eyes. "I didn't read about it in any of your journals."
She softly smiled, a bit of relief washing over her. "I haven't written about it yet. You got it for me just a few days before you had to leave to go after Roxas."
"So I got it for you?" he asked.
"Sort of," she looked away. "Sam made the actual locket." Shaking her head, she told him, "It's complicated and… I'll hopefully tell you about it sometime soon. Just, not yet."
"Why not?" He blurted out, immediately knowing why she didn't want to tell him. Clearing his throat, he shook his head, "Um, sorry, nevermind. I get it."
"Thank you though," she gently placed her hand on his, getting his eyes to meet back with hers. "I really love my birthday gift."
His lips tipped into a smile, "It suits you."
Her smile grew, her eyes drifting towards his lips for just a moment, before she averted her gaze entirely. "How is Sam doing?"
He blinked from her sudden change of subject, but replied regardless. "Uh-doing alright, her gwythaint hatched."
"It did!?" She jumped with a grin, starling Riku.
"Yeah," he chuckled, "Just met him a little bit ago. Basically destroyed Sam's room."
"Oh my gosh, I have to go see him!" She scrambled off of the bed. "I bet he's adorable!"
Riku laughed softly, "He is pretty cute." Clearing his throat, he added, "But, before that… there was, something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh?" Hinata looked back to him, noticing the way his fingertips nervously traced the pattern on the bed's comforter. Stepping back to him, she sat back on the edge of the bed. "What is it?"
He looked back at her, Sam's words echoing in his head as well as his heart pounding in his ears. "I…" He started, his throat feeling constricted.
Her eyes softened, waiting patiently for him to speak, before a sudden chime from his tablet interrupted the moment. Riku let out a breath as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the tablet, seeing a message from Prompto with a picture attached. Groaning under his breath, he swiped away the message, leaving his screen on a page of a text with the name, Nia on the top.
"Who's Nia?" Hinata asked, noticing the bolded name above the conversation, before she stammered, "O-Oh, gosh, I mean, that is really none of my business." She ran her hand through her hair, standing back from the bed. "Sorry, I don't know-"
"It's fine," he assured her quickly, his ears burning red as he shut off the screen entirely. "It's just a nickname."
"A nickname?" she repeated, looking back to him.
"It's nothing," he stood from the bed, stuffing the tablet back in his pocket and averting his gaze. "Don't worry about it."
She quirked up an eyebrow as she looked at him, the corner of her lips curving up. Something told her that she knew exactly who that nickname was for. "Riku," she spoke up, her gaze softening when his eyes met with hers.
The door to the room swung open, startling both of them as Sam rushed in. "Either of you seen an annoying little dragon around here?"
"What?" Hinata asked as Riku groaned.
"Don't tell me he got out."
"Hey, I wasn't exactly expecting Ben to barge into my room to tell me all about his crazy adventures!" Sam retorted, just then glancing over to Hinata and fighting the way her body immediately tensed. Looking back to Riku, she added. "Avan just bolted the moment the door was open. Velcia's already looking around the mansion, but we can't find him anywhere."
"We'll help you look." Hinata assured her, feeling her heart sink every so slightly at the way Sam frowned at her voice.
"Thanks," Sam quickly spoke, before turning and rushing off the ship.
"I knew that thing would be trouble," Riku grumbled.
"She's still having a hard time being around me, isn't she?" Hinata asked, her hands clasped in front of her.
Riku looked over, noticing her downcast gaze. "It's not you."
"I know," she took in a breath. "And I know she's trying, too. Just…" Her voice trailed off before she shook her head. "That's not important right now. Let's find- Avan?" She looked up at him for confirmation.
"Yeah," he nodded, smiling softly before he began walking forward to lead the way off the ship.
"But promise you'll talk to me about that thing soon." She added, walking past him when he froze to a stop. Her hands clasped behind her back as she passed.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, seeing the warmth on his face and the uncomfortable, nervous look in his amber eyes as she ascended the stairs. Without waiting for him, she went onto the deck, taking a deep breath of the familiar warm air. She walked down the ramp into the garden, admiring the flowers that she had missed and stopping in front of the sunflowers. Running her hand along the large yellow petals, she looked over when Riku came up onto the deck. Their eyes met and she smiled, watching as he approached her.
"I'm sorry if I-" She started as he came to a stop by her side.
"This doesn't look like Avan," he commented, looking over the sunflower.
She blinked from his obvious refusal to talk about what she had said below deck, but laughed regardless. "Oh, I was wondering why he felt like a flower." She joked, looking back to the petals. "Silly me, definitely not a dragon."
"Yeah, silly you." He smirked, walking past towards the mansion. "I think I'll search around the forest and Twilight Town, just in case he got outside."
"Alright," she smiled until he disappeared inside, her expression falling once he was gone.
Letting out a sigh, she turned to head back into the mansion. As she closed the door behind her, a blur of blue raced across the foyer, making her yelp in surprise. She ran forward, seeing the creature run into the destroyed dining room.
"Was that… Avan?" She asked to no one in particular, looking around to see if anyone else was nearby, but it was silent. Taking in a breath, she walked towards the dining room and peeked in.
Everything in the room was destroyed, spare for two arm chairs on either side of the room. A shattered chandelier was crashed on the ground, splintering a long wooden table that had exploded and covered the floor with pieces. Hinata carefully stepped in, shutting the door behind her so Avan couldn't escape. She could hear his claws scratching the floor and the little growls as he toyed with a shard of wood.
Carefully tiptoeing between the debris in the room, she spotted him behind the left most armchair. He was on his back, kicking and gnawing on a large shard of wood as if he were a cat. She giggled when she saw him, making him immediately freeze.
He threw the wood, scrambling back onto his feet as he spun his head around to see who had caught him. His purple eyes landed on Hinata and he hissed, flapping his thin wings as if he were trying to seem intimidating. Hinata held back a laugh at how cute he was as she simply knelt on the ground, watching him.
"You're Avan, right?" She asked him, her voice cool and calm. Even though he continued to glare at her, she continued. "Sam asked me to find you."
Avan's head tilted to the side as he sat up, his wings still flapping, but at a slower pace.
"She's really worried about you." Hinata added, noticing the way his tail flicked at her words. "I can take you back to her room if you want."
He grumbled, curling up on the floor.
Hinata laughed, "You don't want to go back, huh? No fun being trapped somewhere." She sighed, "I know what that's like, trust me."
Avan's tail flicked again, his wings relaxing against his back.
"But, Sam just wants to make sure you're safe." Hinata explained to him. "You don't know what all is out there, could be dangerous." A low growl made her chuckle. "Look, I'll talk to her. I'm sure she'd let you out more if you stayed by her side. Just until she feels better about letting you out on your own."
Purple eyes peeked over at her, his tail continuing to flick every few seconds as he considered her words, but he looked away, nuzzling his head under his wing.
"I know you can understand me." Hinata sighed. "I read a book about Gwythaints. The same one Sam's reading. Let's head back to Sam and I'll talk to her." When he only growled again in response, Hinata hummed in thought. "How are you expecting to get food? Do you even know where we keep it all? Pretty sure Sam is the one that gets that for you."
Avan perked up his head at the mention of food.
"And I have a dog that I'm sure you'll love to hang out with." She added with a smirk. "Have you met Jack yet?"
He shook his head as he stood up, cautiously stepping towards her until she offered her hand out to him, making him jump back with another hiss. She scoffed with a laugh, standing back up and brushing off her clothes.
"Fine then, just follow me." She told him, turning to leave the room.
Her smirk grew as she heard the clack of his claws against the wooden floor as he followed behind her. She walked across the foyer, glancing back every so often to check on him. Whenever he'd notice her gaze, he'd jump back and hiss, but she would just roll her eyes with a soft laugh.
"Oh wow…" Hinata froze when she saw the state of Sam's room. "Riku wasn't kidding, you really did destroy her room." Letting out a breath, she walked inside, her hands on her hips. "Wish I knew where Sam was… I'd call Riku if my tablet wasn't destroyed." She muttered under her breath as Avan hopped up to Sam's desk chair, tilting his head as he watched her. "Might as well try to help clean up a bit."
She gathered the strewn blankets and pillows, putting them back onto the bed and smoothing them out. The papers and tools were picked up, placed back on Sam's desk and Hinata shook her head as she noticed the claw marks against the surface.
"You know, you can't keep destroying Sam's stuff." She looked over to Avan, motioning towards the scratches. "Do you want a scratching post or something?"
Avan tilted his head back and forth, jumping onto the desk and placing his claws over the marks he had created, before scratching in the same exact motion.
"Hey!" Hinata scolded, flicking his wing and getting a hiss in response. "What did I just tell you?"
"Avan, is that- oh," Sam stopped short at the doorway, her eyes going between Hinata and Avan. "You found him." She spoke plainly, straining a smile when Hinata met her gaze.
Hinata sighed, "Yeah, the stinker was in the destroyed dining room." Crossing her arms, she looked back to Avan, shaking her head. "He seems pretty set on destroying things."
"I've noticed." Sam chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Um, I'm glad that you're back. Velcia told me a bit about the mission."
"I'm glad I'm back too," Hinata spoke softly, trying to sound as different as she could from Thaanix. "Riku's told me a lot about your training. I hope I'll get to see it in action soon."
"Should be fun to show off all my hard work." Sam tentatively walked into the room, swooping Avan up and placing him on her shoulder. She looked around, keeping her gaze from Hinata's. "Thank you... for picking up a little bit."
"Of course," Hinata joined her in looking around, noticing a pile of toppled books.
Turning, she went to pick them up, pausing when she saw the title 'Nia' along the front of one of them. It was a navy blue with silver details along the edges, shimmering around the delicately painted illustration of a gorgeous woman surrounded by light and lush fields covered with flowers. A smile tipped her lips as she traced the title, turning towards Sam.
"Nia?" She asked, meeting her eyes with Sam's, who's gaze was focused on the book as she tensed.
Sam took in a breath, scratching her fingers along Avan's neck as she looked away. "I really hate this."
"Hate what?" Hinata asked, her smile falling.
"How… tense and freaked out I am around you now!" Sam blurted, startling Avan as he jumped from her shoulder, his tail twitching as he looked between them. She let out a harsh breath, turning around and ruffling her hand through her lavender hair. "I was hoping the month away would help me get over myself."
Hinata opened her mouth to comfort her, but stopped short, knowing her voice would only make it worse. Instead, she looked back down to the book in her hands and sat on the edge of the bed, giving Sam time to come to her own thoughts.
Opening the book, she began to skim the story, instantly entranced by the fairytale of a sea deity, Nia. She lived in a gorgeous realm of Eternal Youth and Bliss, but left it to explore the outside world. The green hills and the realm beyond called her name and she spread light wherever she travelled, finding the love in everything she discovered.
"That was a storybook my dad used to read me." Sam's small voice broke through Hinata's focus and she glanced up from the pages to see Sam sitting beside her with her eyes focused on the book. "He said it was something his family used to read him, too."
"I love it already." Hinata admitted, looking back to the pages and gently running her fingers along the pages. "I'm surprised I've never seen it before, honestly."
She hummed, her hands tightening in her lap. "I hadn't looked at it since my dad disappeared, but…" Her voice trailed off, her breath shaking as she struggled against the uneasiness in her gut. "After I decided to leave Montressor again, I needed at least something to remember my old life by. So, Riku went to Montressor for me and got it from Jim."
"Riku did?" Hinata looked over to her, "He didn't say anything about that."
"I asked him not to," she admitted, "I didn't want it to be a big deal, or for DiZ to find out about it, in case he was listening in on your calls or something."
"That makes sense." Hinata nodded. "Would you… mind if I read it? I promise I'll be gentle with it."
"Oh, sure," Sam strained a smile, her hands loosening in her lap as Hinata smiled back. "I'm surprised you care about it."
Hinata chuckled, "Of course I do." She looked back to the book. "It's interesting, and it helps me learn more about the things you liked growing up." She laughed softly, "I can just imagine little you and James excitedly listening to your dad read it to you guys. I have a feeling James had a crush on Nia."
Sam snorted, covering her mouth from the sound, making Hinata laugh just a bit louder. "You knew him too well." She agreed with a snicker. "When we'd make believe as kids, he'd always say he was Avan, the warrior Nia falls in love with in the story."
"Of course," Hinata laughed with her. "Wait, Avan? You named your Gwythaint after him?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded, glancing back at Avan, still sitting at the desk watching them talk. "At the back of the book, it talks about the meaning and origin of each of the names. Avan means, little owner of the world."
"Oh yep, that fits perfectly," Hinata agreed. "You are going to have your hands full with him."
"Definitely," Sam sighed, looking back to Hinata, smiling genuinely as her muscles finally relaxed. "Um, but yeah, you can borrow the book. Riku read it already."
Hinata hummed with a growing smile, "I wondered if he did."
"Yeah?"
"I saw the name Nia on the screen on his tablet over the page of our messages to each other." She explained with a soft laugh. "I think he made Nia my nickname."
Sam scoffed, looking away. "Of course he did. He's completely hopeless."
"What does Nia mean?" Hinata asked, flipping towards the back of the book. Her face warmed when she saw the words, 'illumination, beauty, and determination' beside the name. "Oh…" She smiled softly, running her finger along the meaning, her heart swelling. "That's so-"
"He wants to make out with you!" Sam exclaimed suddenly, shooting up from the bed.
Hinata darted her widened eyes up, seeing the blush on Sam's annoyed face before bubbling into a laugh. "Um- well alright. I want to make out with him too, so I guess that's good to know."
"Ugh," Sam rolled her eyes, making Hinata laugh even harder. Her annoyed frown, melted into a smile as she chuckled, "At least you're admitting it."
"I don't think I've ever really made it a secret." Hinata chuckled, shutting the book and holding it against her heart. "I'm just waiting for him to admit it, too. But… seeing Nia, makes me think it might be closer than I think."
Sam looked back to her, the hints of uneasiness wanting to itch back into her, but she glanced away before they grew too much. "Why don't you just do it, then?" Hinata looked up at her. "He's obviously crazy about you, just grab him and kiss him."
"That would end horribly," Hinata snickered, "He'd run off just from me telling him I had feelings for him." She looked absently towards Avan, her eyes softening, "No, I need to wait until he's ready. Let him make the first move. Forcing him into it wouldn't feel genuine."
"And I guess I just have to sit by and watch until that happens, huh?" Sam asked, not looking back at her.
"I mean, you can keep teasing him." Hinata shrugged, "You obviously know something since you said he wants to make out with me." She chuckled at the heavy sigh Sam let out.
"I just hate how awkward it all is." She admitted. "The way he looks at you, even just a damn picture… I don't know, it-" Her voice trailed off and she scoffed with a short laugh.
"What?" Hinata asked.
"I was about to say something stupid," Sam sighed, turning away. "Um, but I should probably go find Riku and Velcia to let them know we found Avan."
"Would you mind if I came with you?" Hinata asked, standing from the bed and noticing the way Sam tensed. "Unless, you're having a hard time being around me, which I get…"
"I am," Sam admitted, "It comes and goes, but… best way to get past it is to force myself to hang out with you, so-" she motioned her head towards the door, "let's go.
Avan climbed onto Sam's shoulder as she turned to leave, ignoring her grumbles.
"You better not cause any problems," Sam murmured to him in warning as Hinata followed behind.
Hinata put the book in her room before meeting up with Sam outside the mansion. The golden sky and warm breeze made her smile as they made their way to the thick forest. Sam didn't say much as they walked, keeping her focus forward and on Avan as he kept trying to scramble towards the trees. They could hear Ben's voice further in before they ever caught sight of him. He was retelling stories from his time in Eos to Riku and Velcia as they searched in the brush for Avan.
"Hey," Sam spoke up, catching their attention. When they brought their eyes to hers, she pointed to Avan on her shoulder. "Hinata found him."
"Oh thank goodness," Velcia breathed out in relief as she walked forward to examine the new creature. "He's amazing!"
"You found him?" Riku asked, walking over to Hinata.
She nodded, "He was in the old dining room. I saw him run across the foyer into it after I went back inside."
"Ah, there you are, Hinata!" Ben greeted, Jack floating beside him before he floated over to Avan to meet him. "I was just telling these two about the Iron Giants we fought in that dungeon!"
"I had no idea there were so many!" Velcia added. "Ben said there was at least two dozen of them."
Hinata scoffed, "Honestly? I have no idea how many we had to fight."
"It's no wonder your tablet cracked the way it did." Velcia pointed out.
"Oh that happened when she fell!" Ben clarified. "She tried to warp and well… she still could use some practice!"
"Thanks a lot, Ben." Hinata strained a smile.
"Iron what now?" Sam asked, joining the conversation as Jack and Avan began chasing each other through the forest.
"You should have seen them!" Ben jumped, holding out his arms as if he was trying to imitate their size. "They-" He froze, his eyes flickering like static, "Woah! Hello!"
"What the hell?" Sam stumbled back as the others gasped.
"Message from DiZ! No need for alarm." Ben put up his hands to assure them.
"God, that was creepy." Sam shook her head.
"What's the message?" Riku asked.
"Wanted me to let you all know that debriefing is moved to tomorrow morning!" Ben recited the message. "So enjoy your night! Show Velcia around town! Oh, and make sure to let me know when it's movie time!"
"Movie time?" Sam repeated.
"It's better if you don't know," Riku sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as Hinata chuckled.
"Hinata picked it out in Eos for all of us to watch." Velcia explained. "She said it's called a… DVD?" She looked to Hinata to make sure she was right. "And we can buy something called a television today so we can watch it."
"Will a DVD from Eos work on the televisions here?" Sam asked, arms crossed. "It's a different world entirely. I mean, on Montressor, we haven't had DVDs for decades. It's all holograms now."
"I… didn't think about that." Hinata sighed. "I guess we might just have to buy a movie tonight if the one I bought doesn't work."
"Eh, maybe I can tinker with it to get it to work." Sam waved it off with a sigh as she turned around to find Avan. "Better be a damn good movie." She glanced back over her shoulder when Riku scoffed.
"Don't get your hopes up." He warned, looking towards the brick wall that led into the town. "You guys go ahead into town to show Velcia around. I'll meet up with you later."
"Sounds good to me," Sam told him, looking to Velcia. "I'll introduce you to a few of my friends here!"
"That sounds lovely." Velcia smiled, already walking alongside Sam. She glanced back at Hinata, still standing beside Riku and sent her a soft smile, before looking back forward.
"I'll head back to the mansion!" Ben exclaimed to no one in particular. "I saw the poor state of that garden, and I don't intend to let it get any worse. Jack!" He waited for the bark in response. "Are you with me?"
A jovial bark from Jack mixed with a faint growl from Avan as they scampered to Ben. Avan scrambled up Ben's legs, curling himself around his thin metal shoulder as Ben led the way back to the mansion.
Hinata giggled, "Ben never fails to get every animal to love him."
"Yeah," Riku chuckled, looking back to her. "You can go along with them if you want."
"I know," she smiled softly, keeping her gaze on the unlikely trio as they made their way back to the garden. "I'd rather stay with you, if… that's alright." She brought her eyes to his. "Unless you'd rather be alone."
"Uh, no, no, that's fine," he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "I was just thinking of changing out of my coat into- you know, actual clothes."
"Oh!" Her face lit up. "That's great! Are you going to try the shirt that Noct got you?"
"I was thinking about it," he smirked, walking towards the mansion with her in tow. "I shouldn't be surprised you care so much about what I wear."
She laughed, "Well I mean, it's not so much the clothes, per se, more… I guess you getting more comfortable in your own skin is what I'm excited about." She beamed a smile up to him. "I do think the shirt will look nice on you though."
His ears warmed as he looked away with a soft laugh, "Heh, thanks."
They continued to walk, neither of them saying anything as a comfortable air raised between them. Riku held the door open for Hinata as they walked in and they parted ways so Hinata could retrieve the shirt as Riku went to his room. She was knocking on his door a couple minutes later, holding up the shirt with a bright smile when Riku opened it. He chuckled as he let her in, suddenly feeling the slightest bit self conscious that he wasn't wearing a shirt. Turning away from her gaze, he slipped the shirt on. It was thinner than the coat he usually wore, softer as well. He took a deep breath, for once not feeling overheated by a thick, long coat.
He turned back around to face Hinata, his face warming at the loving look in her eyes as she took him in.
"You look a lot more like the Riku I always knew you were." She noted, softly smirking from her seat along the edge of the bed. "It's nice."
He looked down at his clothes. An outfit he would have worn without second thought in his old form. In this new appearance, it felt strange to wear anything other than the coat, but also familiar.
"I'm scared to look in the mirror." He admitted sheepishly.
"Don't be," she smiled, standing and grabbing his hands. "Come on, I'll even do your hair differently, if you want."
"U-Um, sure," he stammered, allowing her to pull him into the bathroom.
He kept his eyes averted from his reflection, watching Hinata as she hopped onto the long counter to be at his level. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she gently turned him around, pulling him towards her until he was between her legs and the counter met his back. His eyes slipped shut as she began combing through his long white hair, her fingers occasionally brushing his neck to gather loose strands. She worked with ease, Riku's heart pounding and fluttering with nerves as she styled his hair.
"I wanted to apologise, by the way." She softly spoke up.
Riku's eyes fluttered open, his eyebrows furrowing. "For what?"
"If I made you uncomfortable earlier." She told him, pausing for a moment, her fingers combing through his hair. "About pressuring you to talk to me, rather than waiting until you're comfortable and ready."
"Don't worry about it," he subtly shook his head, trying to make sure he didn't move too much to disturb Hinata's work. He let out a breath, admitting, "I just need to get over myself."
She giggled, "Sam said the same thing about herself earlier. I wonder what it's like for her being around me, even without all the stuff with Thaanix."
"I feel for her if it's anything like how I am around you." Riku joked, making Hinata laugh.
"Well, don't rush anything," she told him. "I'm perfectly content to wait until you're ready… for whatever it is."
She slid her fingers on the side of his face, grabbing the shorter pieces of his hair and pinning them back.
His eyes slid back shut. "I have a feeling you already know what I want to talk about."
There was a few seconds of silence before she hummed. "Maybe…" She admitted, "But I might also be wrong." Bringing her hands back to his shoulders, she gave them a light squeeze. "Alright, I think I'm done."
Riku opened his eyes and turned around, first taking in the sweet smile she sent him, before he looked at his reflection in the mirror. At first glance, he was almost unrecognizable as a clone of Xehanort. His hair was loosely braided down his back, appearing fuller than normal with much more volume than the straight locks ever had before. The shirt Noctis had gotten him fit perfectly and the embroidered roses offset with the color of his amber eyes. A soft smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, the longer he looked.
"Well," Hinata slipped off the side of the counter, standing beside him. "What do you think?"
"I feel more like me." He admitted, looking down to her, his eyes softening at the smile she sent back to him. His eyes danced over her face. Sam's words once again echoing through his mind. "Hinata…" He barely whispered out her name, turning towards her. "I…" He looked down to her hands, barely inches from his own. "I think, I'm starting to understand…" He brought his eyes back to hers.
"Starting to understand what?" She asked, her voice hardly over a whisper as her cheeks warmed considerably.
"Th- I, uh-" He stammered, before hanging his head forward, biting under his breath, "dammit…"
Riku sighed heavily until Hinata leaned forward on her toes and pressed her lips against his cheek. He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart jumping to his throat as he shot his head up to look at her soft smile.
"Don't feel like you have to rush yourself." She assured him. "Talk to me about it all when you're ready. I'm… happy with where we're at right now."
He let out a breath, "Yeah?"
Her smile grew as she nodded, "Yeah."
He smiled in return, until his expression fell as he looked away, the regret of not being forward enough settling in.
"Come on," she grabbed his hands, breaking through his thoughts. "Let's meet back up with the others. Have to make sure they pick a good enough tv."
He chuckled, "Alright, let's go."
***Author's Note: I'm baaaack! It's been way too long since I've written a chapter for this story and it's been killing me! I missed Hinata so much and I'm beyond excited to be back.
I've been writing a ton lately, just sadly not for this story. I started a Kingdom Hearts Imagine Blog on Tumblr with my good friend Amarxlen (who also writes an amazing Riku x OC Fic called Soul Eater) and I've been writing on that for months now. It was overwhelming at first, in a good way, but I didn't have any time for my personal projects. We've figured out a good schedule now though, and I have the weekends to work on my own story again!
Everything is going well here. Things are hectic with a new baby, but I'm increasingly thankful to have this story and Kingdom Hearts in general to escape to from time to time.
Anyway, thank you to everyone for reading and for sticking with me through these long breaks. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, finally getting into some good, fun, fluff. Have a lovely week!***