Chapter 179: Fair Weather

"Hold on," Namine said, frowning at her sketchbook as she flipped through the pages. "I just need to figure out what part of the sketchbook they're in…"

Riku chuckled, leaning back against the wall. They were sitting in her room, on her bed. He was in the corner, knees up to his chest, hands resting at his sides. Namine was leaned up against him, slouching a little, her head resting against his arm. Her knees were up, too, bumping against his. She had her sketchbook propped up against her legs as she flipped through it.

"It's okay," he told her smiling.

She was mumbling under her breath, getting excited briefly only to get disappointed again, muttering about how she could've sworn they were around here… but maybe she'd drawn them earlier… or later? If he knew what she was looking for, he would've helped her out, but he settled for just sitting here as she figured it out. He didn't want to ask and distract her. The chances of her being able to describe what she was looking for were slim, anyway.

He glanced over her shoulder, watching as she flipped through the pictures. She never lingered on them for long—at most for five seconds as she muttered more to herself.

"What was that?" he asked, one of the pictures she flipped past catching his attention.

Namine paused. "Hmm?" She looked up at him.

Riku shrugged. "I don't know. There was a picture you flipped passed… One of you…"

That I want to see… he finished in his head, not having the nerve to say it aloud for some reason.

"Oh, hang on!" she told him, and flipped back to the picture. "This one?"

"Mmhmm."

It was a simple picture of Namine, showing her from her torso up. She wasn't exactly smiling… she looked a little shocked. She was also holding her sketchbook, from the looks of it—someone had probably interrupted her drawing. There was hardly a background, but it was there: all muted yellows and blues, like Namine'd only had a vague idea of what it should look like and hadn't cared enough to make it look nice.

"It's a nice picture of you!" Riku said, trying to sound enthusiastic. It did really look nice. He'd just always been terrible at compliments…

"It is a nice picture!" Namine agreed. "But… it's not of me."

He frowned.

"It's not?"

If it wasn't her, then…

"No," she said. "That's—"

…oh.

"—the Namine from the other universe," Namine finished.

Even though he'd been expecting it, his heart still thudded to a halt. He took a deep breath, trying to get it working again.

"Right."

But why would she draw a picture of the other Namine? Had she… known? She'd mentioned their minds were connected. Hers and his. So had she known he'd been thinking about… about the other Namine? Could she have known? But why the picture…?

Namine shifted next to him, so her body was completely pressed against his. He moved his hand—she'd be sitting on it otherwise—so it was on his knee. Her head rested against his shoulder, and she let out a long sigh. She sounded a little worried…

He sighed, too.

She didn't matter, he told himself. He had his own Namine, now. And she… well…

"It's- it's a little hard to tell you two apart," he said, chuckling a little, trying to make a joke out of it. Though he meant that. He really couldn't… not by looking at them alone. "How- how can you tell? Though… I suppose… since you drew it…"

This wasn't coming out at all how he wanted to.

She just smiled.

"It's actually not that hard," she said, and then she giggled.

"It's not?"

She just giggled in response. And kept giggling. He wasn't sure what about, but clearly it was very funny. She was almost doubled over with her giggles.

"What's so funny?" Riku asked, laughing a little himself. Laughter was contagious. Especially Namine's laughter.

"I just-" she gasped through her giggles. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's not actually funny."

And now he did laugh. "Then why are you giggling so much?"

"It's stupid! I just—"

More giggling.

"Riku, I—"

But she couldn't get those words out either.

"Why are you laughing so much!?" Riku asked, exasperated. If he was honest, though, he didn't much care why she was laughing; it was nice just to hear her giggle.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I-"

It just dissolved into more giggling.

"If you're laughing because I can't tell you two apart—"

"No, no! That's not it at all!" she assured him, finally getting her giggles under control. "I was laughing about- well. No." She shook her head. "No, it's stupid."

"Well, fine," he said. "Then tell me your secret to telling the two of you apart."

She cleared her throat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's all in the eyes," she told him.

"Yeah?"

Namine nodded. "See, hers are a dark blue, like Kairi's," she explained, indicating the picture. Sure enough, in the picture, Namine's—the other Namine's—eyes were a dark shade of blue.

"Yeah…"

He wasn't quite sure where she was going with this.

"My eyes are a lighter blue," Namine said, firmly. "Sorta… like the color yours are."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Really?"

She shifted so she could look up at him. Their eyes met. She kept talking.

"Well, not the same color of yours," she said. "Yours are such a bright blue! But mine definitely aren't as dark of a blue as Kairi's. Or the other Namine's."

"They aren't…" he murmured.

Because, sure enough, now that he was paying attention, he noticed her eyes were a pale shade of blue. About the same shade of the sky—morning sky. Right as the sun's starting to rise and everything is all pale pinks and blues and yellows.

Her eyes were also… very pretty, now that he thought about it.

She giggled a little, smiling. The smile—the laughter—reached all the way to her very pretty eyes, making them sparkle.

He smiled, too, his heart skipping a beat or three.

Their faces were somehow only a breath apart, their foreheads nearly touching, noses all but bumping together. It was nice, being this close to her. Breathing in her air. Eyes locked with her very pretty pale blue ones. A sudden urge rushed through him, then, and—

And Namine pulled away.

She'd shifted only slightly, looking down at the sheets of the bed, fingers gripping her sketchbook tightly. Riku blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

They'd nearly—

His cheeks grew hot, and he glanced down at his hands, not sure what else to do. He'd never… exactly… They'd never… she'd never…

His thoughts were spinning too much to make sense of them, so he turned to look at Namine again.

His heart about stopped. The scene was all too familiar. Her very pointedly not looking at him. Hair covering her face to hide her—

No.

No.

He shook the image, the memory, out of his head.

It wasn't like that. This wasn't the other universe. She wasn't the other Namine. She was his Namine. She was…

Probably just a little embarrassed, he assured himself. Now that the moment was gone, he admitted, he felt a little embarrassed, too. And a little… disappointed. That they hadn't… oh well.

Besides, he thought, she put me in that position to begin with. She wouldn't have if she doesn't- didn't…

If she hadn't wanted to, too. Well, of course, she hadn't, exactly… since she pulled away… but… But, if anything, that was her getting embarrassed at the last second. Whatever. It didn't matter.

He slowly reached out, brushing her hair away from her face. She smiled shyly up at him, her cheeks a furious red.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

He laughed. "What? Don't be!"

Apologizing was so absurd. She didn't need to feel sorry for… no.

He ran his fingers over her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, closing her eyes and sighing a little.

"I just…"

She trailed off.

He looked at her for a moment, waiting, but it was clear she wasn't going to say anymore. His eyes darted to her lips. He… could. Kiss her. If he… wanted….

Oh, he wanted to.

He couldn't deny that.

But…

He smiled, bent down, kissed her on the cheek instead. She took in sharp, short, breath, clearly surprised. She was grinning, though. He pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ear. A smile was tugging at his own lips.

He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer, resting his cheek against her hair.

"What about those pictures you wanted to show me?" he asked, gently.

"Right!" She moved so she could flip through her sketchbook again. "Ah… where did they go…?"

He smiled.

The moment was short lived, however. There was a sudden knocking on the door.

Riku frowned, his good mood evaporating. Namine jumped a little, clearly startled.

"Riku?" a voice called from the other side of the door.

It was Vexen.

Riku sighed. Yup. Good mood. Gone.

"I'm in the middle of something!" he called.

Namine giggled. Riku sent a frown down at her, not that she could see it.

"I only need you for a moment," Vexen said.

Riku groaned.

"Go see what he wants," Namine said, still laughing.

"I don't… have to," Riku replied, slowly. He really didn't.

Namine just laughed some more. "Then go get rid of him!"

Riku sighed, but got up. Well, he had to disentangle himself from Namine, first, but he got up anyway, and went to the door. He sent a pointed 'can you believe this?' look at Namine. She only giggled, flipping through her sketchbook again. Riku opened the door.

"What?" he demanded, glaring at Vexen.

"Can I borrow you for a minute?" Vexen asked, his tone suggesting that he'd completely missed how much Riku did not want to be bothered right now.

"Yeah!" Riku laughed, sarcastically. "Sure! Because I'm totally not doing anything right now!"

"Perfect!" Vexen exclaimed, grabbing Riku by the arm and pulling him through the doorway.

"No wait that was—"

He couldn't get the words out before a dark corridor enveloped him.