Title: Controlled
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts II
Characters: Naminé, Roxas
Table: #1
Prompt: #26 - Pickpocket
Word Count: 1051
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Naminé, Roxas, and her heartbreaking decision.
Author's Notes: This is Naminé's turn to be a pickpocket in an in-universe story taking place after Roxas defected from the Organization. A bit more angsty than my other stories, but you know… Naminé was really just a scared, controlled girl back in KH1 and Chain of Memories. Enjoy (especially Divine Wolfe).
And yes, there's some technical stuff that doesn't really match with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, but that game just looked like a filler to me… So I guess technically this is canon AU, even though I tried so very hard to make it in universe. Call it what you wish, it's not completely AU.
358/2 DAYS SPOILERS BEGIN HERE
If you really wanna get all technical, I tried to make this as parallel with Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days as I could. Basically, the timeline of this story is after Roxas kills Xion. I haven't played the game, but I'm under the impression that after she dies she is absorbed into Sora, and Roxas forgets her? At least, that's how this story operates. Roxas forgot about Xion, and Naminé now lives in the mansion of Twilight Town, restoring Sora's memories. Roxas has defected from the Organization. This is before his confrontation with Riku at Memory Skyscraper, and I'm assuming Roxas is blissfully unaware of Naminé's involvement with DiZ or Riku.
358/2 DAYS SPOILERS END HERE
Naminé felt her breath quicken as Roxas entered the room and tried to focus on her sketchbook. She hadn't seen Roxas in a while since he had been on a mission (not one assigned by the Organization since he had already defected but a personal mission instead), but he had promised to come visit her first thing after he returned. It seemed he kept his promise from the stink on his cloak and the dark stains.
"What's up, Naminé?" Roxas asked wearily, plopping down on the chair across from her.
Naminé winced, hoping that the chair wouldn't stain. The young artist was just a slight neat freak. It was why her room was always in perfect order, and it was the complete opposite of Roxas. He had taken her to his room once and looked quite embarrassed when she had noticed a pair of boxers hanging on the back of a chair. Now, Naminé… Naminé never left anything of value or anything that could embarrass out. She even put her sketchbook under her pillow at night.
"Nothing," Naminé finally replied, putting down her colored pencils. She had to do it now. When would she get another moment? When would she gather up the courage again? Naminé clutched her sketchbook so hard the spirals left imprints on her palm. Roxas didn't seem to notice, beginning to chatter on about how tired he was and how the mission was such a pain but that he had discovered some things that he wanted to.
Naminé fervently hoped that he would always be like this, overall bright and vibrant. She hoped that the Organization never tore him down, never found him. She hoped that he never reverted to what he was like when he had first joined the Organization. Even though she had been forbidden from even catching a glance of him, Naminé had begged and pleaded with Axel to tell her about the new boy. The red-head had responded by describing Roxas as a "zombie". However, a few days later, Axel came back with a revised opinion and brought Roxas with him.
That was the first time Naminé had seen Roxas, and she remembered feeling her stomach do flips and a faint heat brush her cheeks. She remembered him struggling to pronounce her name until she had finally scrunched up her nose cutely and recited it for him. After she had done that, he got the hang of it. It was also that day when Marluxia had come, putting a hand on her shoulder and asking in a silkily sweet voice if she had seen the new recruit.
Terrified, Naminé had shaken her head. She had insisted that she never saw him, that she had only heard of him.
"Are you lying?" Marluxia had drawled, idly twirling a strand of Naminé's hair with one gloved hand.
She remembered her voice shaking as she persisted in her story that she was not lying and had never seen or met Roxas.
"Good," Marluxia had purred, "because you know, Naminé…good girls don't lie."
Naminé had continued lying though, and Roxas had enough intuition to hide or run out of the room when Marluxia was there. They never crossed paths, thankfully, and the peace had lasted. Now, Marluxia was gone. Naminé would never have to worry about him again.
Naminé raised her eyes to stare at Roxas who was still taking animatedly about the mission and what a success it was. She lowered her eyes and clenched her sketchbook tighter. How could she do this to Roxas? The Roxas that she loved and adored. The Roxas who took so many pains to portal and visit her even though it was dangerous and he knew it. The Roxas who was just searching for answers.
"Naminé?" Roxas queried, pausing his story and noticing that the girl was awfully quiet. "Naminé…are you crying?"
Naminé wiped the salty droplets from her face and hastily brushed them off the picture in her sketchbook. She ripped the picture out of her sketchbook, folded it into a small square and slipped into Roxas' pocket. She would follow DiZ's orders just like she followed Marluxia's orders and even Axel's orders at times. She would allow herself to be controlled again, but Naminé hoped that this time it would help Roxas. He wasn't destined to fade into the darkness…not like her.
"Naminé?" Roxas asked again, confused as Naminé slipped the picture into the pocket of his Organization coat. He still wore it though it bore no good memories (well maybe some good memories). "Nam—" Roxas was cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing onto his. He blinked, and then the pressure was gone.
Naminé was crying without restraint now, hiccupping slightly. "I'm so sorry, Roxas," she cried, resting a trembling hand on his cheek. "I'm so sorry."
"What are you talking about?" Roxas demanded, wondering why Naminé was acting this way.
Naminé just smiled and pressed a finger to Roxas' forehead. There was a flash of light, and the boy slumped to the floor. Naminé held back a sob as the door to the room opened.
"He will be taken care of," DiZ said smoothly, motioning to RIku who picked up the boy with disgust and lugged him out of the room. "Naminé, you will do well next time not to disobey my orders."
Naminé said nothing, slumping to the ground herself and crying. The tears ran down her face and shattered on the white floor. "Goodbye, Roxas," she mumbled, hauling herself up. "You'll be safe now. You won't remember me." The blonde-haired girl ran a hand along the torn edge of her sketchbook where the picture had given Roxas once resided. Her lips quirked up in a faint smile, but the tears continued to cascade down her face. "Remember to keep my picture safe. Okay, Roxas?"
The young girl hurled her sketchbook at the wall in a fit of self-pity and rage. She slumped into her chair, pressing her hands against her face. She was disgusted with herself. How could she do that? No matter how many excuses she made, she had done it because DiZ had ordered her to do it. And at that instance, Naminé made a vow to never let herself be controlled again.
"We'll meet again, Roxas. I promise."