"Thank you, Riku."
Riku was standing at the window, in Namine's room, when Xion left. He knew she was leaving – the conversation from the night before repeated over and over in his head. In fact, he'd have to be stupid not to know – Axel's scent had appeared on the grounds, and it wasn't hard to guess what the other Nobody was doing there.
"So. You're just... letting her go?"
Riku had almost expected DiZ to be there, and his heart was already beating frantically by the time the voice registered as Namine's.
Riku turned slightly, facing her over his shoulder, but said nothing.
He'd promised to turn a blind eye to this, after all. Keep DiZ in the dark for as long as possible. Luckily DiZ wasn't fond of staying in the same area as Namine and trusted Riku to keep an eye on both her and Xion. Probably wouldn't trust him after this, but... It was the present that mattered.
He heard the telltale sounds of a fight breaking loose, and almost winced – did wince when he felt a slender hand curl around his forearm.
"Namine—"
"I think it's noble of you," She said. "Letting her make this choice for herself – you're not like DiZ. You see her as her own person, don't you?"
More silence.
"I'm sorry," Namine sighed, pulling her hand away. "I know it isn't easy... for any of them. I can see how much pain you're in right now, Riku. Don't tell me you..."
"It's not like it matters," Riku breathed, cutting in before Namine said the words he was trying so hard not to think about himself. If he denied the feelings, maybe they would go away. "It's not like she really has a choice. If she doesn't choose to go back to Sora, the Organization will end her anyway. There's... no victory for her."
Axel won the fight, no matter how hard she struggled, and a moment later, both scents vanished.
Riku hadn't felt this... empty... in a while.
"I'm sorry," Namine repeated, and then she left him alone with his thoughts.
He was still standing by the window when DiZ returned, and Riku was surprised his nose didn't burn from all the anger the older man was giving off. "Where's the puppet?"
"...She got away." He gave a small shrug.
"It was supposed to be under your watch, Riku."
"She slipped out when I wasn't looking." The emphasis on the pronoun was slight, but there. And he wasn't lying, not really, because with the blindfold on he technically couldn't look...
"I'm disappointed in you, Riku. You managed to keep her for the past month—" Fourty-three days, to be exact, but who was counting? "And now you tell me she slipped away while you weren't looking?"
Riku didn't answer. Finally, DiZ gave a heavy sigh and left him alone again.
Riku didn't know what was wrong with him. Why it bothered him so much to hear DiZ call Xion 'it' instead of 'her,' or why he'd really agreed to let her go. Why it hurt to think that, in the end, her choice wouldn't really matter – because no matter what, she couldn't exist.
Consider it a favor, he'd said.
A favor for the girl who'd never have a chance to live her own life – who'd be entirely forgotten if DiZ had his way. Even Riku wouldn't remember the way her eyes lit up when she saw something beautiful, or the way her laugh sounded as she splashed in puddles made by the rain. How she'd made the darkest days a little brighter, somehow. And how she'd always tried to keep a smile on her face to hide her pain. Because she felt it – he'd have to be truly blind not to see that.
But even when he forgot everything else, he'd sometimes remember the favor itself – and remember hearing someone promise to pay him back. And it nagged at him, it really did, because he couldn't remember who she was.
"Somehow. I promise."
Author: Tada! Finally typed up the second (and final) part of this two-shot. I somehow like the idea of Riku being really sassy with DiZ at times and lying by omission - kinda like he does in KHII when asked what his name is and he answers "Ansem."