Fan Fiction ❯ Not Just A Puppet ❯ Warnings ( Chapter 1 )

Kingdom Hearts

Not Just A Puppet

By Saddened Naminé

 

Part I

Warnings

 

A fourteen-year-old girl sat in a pearl white chair in the middle of the room. She had long, light blonde hair with some darker blonde under the bright colored area, soft blue eyes staring down at the sketchbook in her lap. She smiled as she drew a rather detailed picture of a boy standing in the ocean with the water knee-deep to him. The golden pencil with a small rose at its eraser never left the piece of paper.

 

“Naminé!!” an angry voice would shout from down the long corridor beyond the large, open doors entering the beautifully, pure white room.

 

The girl looked up right away, eyes wide with fright as she realized what was coming. She quickly closed the sketchbook and twirled the pencil on her finger; the writing utensil disappearing with a small burst of gold sparkles. She gulped as she watched a man with long red hair in many large spikes enter the room, and he didn't look happy.

 

“Y-Yes, Lord Axel…?” asked the small girl known as Naminé, gulping.

 

The tall man folded his black-sleeved arms, glaring down at her with flaming green eyes.

 

“Just what exactly have you done to Lexaeus…?”

 

Naminé's eyes widened at this question, “Wha… What do you mean? Did something happen to him? Where is he?”

 

The red-haired man known as Axel scowled at her in disgust, “You should know! You're the one who brought this fate upon him! He's been killed!”

 

The blonde-haired girl was very surprised to hear of this event, but she had enough sense to shake her head.

 

“I… I didn't do it…”

 

“What was that? Did you say something, you little Witch?”

 

“I didn't do it…” Naminé repeated, more loudly this time, “I couldn't have… Lexaeus was… my friend…”

 

Axel snorted, “Friend? You really are stupid… No one in this Castle considers anyone a friend. You can't trust anyone; even Marluxia knows that!”

 

The girl looked away from those intimidating green eyes, down at her closed sketchbook. She felt horrible, as if she would cry. Although her tears did begin to cloud her eyesight, she would not let them fall. Sadness was a sign of weakness, and this was not the best thing to do in front of Axel, of all people.

 

“Aww… Have I struck a nerve?”

 

Naminé's tears disappeared as she looked back up at him with a stubborn look, a frown on her face.

 

“Is that all you came to tell me? Because, if so, I'm sure you have more important things to attend to than to be staying here with a worthless witch…”

 

Axel's amused face changed into that of an angry one, a frown spreading across his lips as well. He scowled once more.

 

“You better think before you speak or act, witch… Or else, you'll be sorry…”

 

Naminé's look did not waver; she just stared up at him with that almost annoyed face.

 

“You said it yourself… I'm a witch, which means I can worm my way out of anything with the use of magic.” She explained, her eyes closed. Those once soft eyes reopened to show the man ice cold hues, “… Try as you might, but Marluxia wants me alive. You cannot kill me, even if you tried.”

 

Axel sneered, “We'll see about that…”

 

He turned around and walked out of the large room, leaving Naminé in her familiarly safe silence. The girl sighed, leaning her head back into the chair as her ice eyes changed back into soft ones. A worried look crossed her face.

 

“What is he… up to…?”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Naminé looked around the room; many Unknowns in the Organization had gathered together in this room. Why? She had no clue.

 

Vexen was being his normally unusual self again, sitting in his little corner with his note pad. Probably drawing stupid ideas again… Naminé had seen what that girlie man drew in that little pad, and it was not pretty.

 

Larxene was doing her best not to zap the hell out of Vexen for his rambling about his new idea of Colored Fizzy Drinks. Boy, did she look annoyed!

 

Zexion sat in another of the chairs, his chin resting in his hand as he leaned on it. He'd stare down at the floor as if he were bored.

 

Marluxia was walking out of the room to who-knows-where, and Axel was nowhere in sight.

 

Naminé tilted her head some, where was Axel, anyway? And what about that strange man… the Enigmatic Man? She'd shrug, looking back down at her sketchbook when she felt a presence behind her, watching over her shoulder at what she would draw.

 

She smiled softly as her golden pencil appeared in her hand instantly. She'd turn the sketchbook to a blank page and began to draw a figure, a boy.

 

The boy's body and clothes would appear as she drew them at a swift speed, but not an abnormal speed. The Heartless outfit, the black heart over his chest… Long platinum hair was shining behind him as he held that bat winged-sword in his hand. That pose showed that he was ready for a battling match, but his face stood out most of all. Those brightly clear eyes showed the perfect emotion that showed slight anger, but straight out control.

 

Upon finishing this masterpiece, she at last took the pencil from the paper and smiled. She closed her eyes for a moment.

 

“Do you like the way I drew you, Riku…?” she asked, that smile still on her face.

 

“It's… very nice… But why do you draw it if you know it'll get ruined soon enough?” the boy asked from behind her.

 

Naminé turned around with her smile's emotion changing to that of sadness. The boy who'd asked her the question looked exactly like the one from the picture she'd just drawn, except he didn't hold that sword… and his eyes were a dull color of blue, not as bright and clear as the ocean.

 

“It's just to pass the time… If it does get ruined, I'll just draw another one.”

 

“Why draw something that does not even exist…?” Replica Riku asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

 

Naminé couldn't help giggling at this, “Doesn't exist? Oh, please, Riku… Stop kidding yourself! You exist! Besides, it's all for the fun of it!”

 

Replica Riku looked down at the floor, still confused. He didn't understand this at all. Fun? What was this `fun'? He felt no emotions, for he was just a copy, an obedient little pet that would do anything that anyone said. However, the only emotion that he probably was able to feel was… Well… It may not even be an emotion, but all he could feel was Numbness.

 

Suddenly, the Enigmatic Man appeared out of nowhere, standing right beside Naminé. He then spoke slowly.

 

“… Draw something…”

 

Naminé looked up at him in confusion, but nonetheless, opened her Sketchbook to a blank page and then looked back up at the man.

 

“Draw something as in anything, or something as in something in particular?” she asked, blinking.

 

“Draw… the Castle Oblivion…”

 

Naminé would blink again, shrugging as she looked down and began to draw the Castle Oblivion the way she knew it looked like in her head.

 

Replica Riku walked over to the opposing wall, leaning his back against it and folding his arms over his chest. He looked down at the clean white floor, thinking.

 

`What's the purpose of this Castle…? Why must we stay here? I should just take Naminé and get out of here… False or not, a Promise is a Promise… I'd still have to protect her…' he thought.

 

The Enigmatic Man turned around to face the Replica Riku, walking over to the boy. His hooded form seemed almost like a ghost, his feet unseen as onlookers watched him float.

 

“If you think your stay here is in vain, then allow me to test your strength, Puppet…”

 

Replica Riku looked up at the Enigmatic Man's intimidating form, but he was not afraid. He merely looked back down at the floor, eyes closed, before asking.

 

“Why do battle with me? If I am as you say, just a Puppet, then why fight me?”

 

“It is because that is what Puppet Toys are made for… For playing with.” The Enigmatic Man replied with an evil chuckle.

 

Replica Riku held his hand to his side, the SoulEater Keyblade appearing in his grasp.

 

“As you wish, then… But be aware, if you break this toy, it may not come back… Considering that it has no Heart…”

 

Naminé snapped up at hearing this sentence leave Replica Riku's lips. She stood up immediately, dropping her sketchbook and pencil as she ran up to him, a worried look on her face.

 

“That's not true, Riku! You do have a Heart!” she exclaimed, “If you didn't have a Heart, then you wouldn't even be here!”

 

“You don't know what you're talking about!!” Replica Riku shouted at the girl angrily, the flames of sadness burning in his dull eyes.

 

Naminé took a step back, eyes wide in surprise at the fact that he'd just snapped at her, but she took it. She closed her eyes for a moment, small tears at the ends of her eyes as she looked up at the Enigmatic Man with a sad smile.

 

“Very well… Do what you want with him… I won't stand in the way any more…”

 

With that said, she turned around and walked off, picking up her chair and moving it over to an unoccupied corner. The chair now faced the wall with just enough room between the wall and the front of the chair so that Naminé's small legs wouldn't get crushed. A trashcan was in the very corner beside the chair, empty since Vexen usually took everything from the trashcan and used it for any of his stupid experiments.

 

She sighed, sitting down and opening her sketchbook over her lap, gold pencil in her hand as she tried to think of something to draw, something other than the battle that would take place right behind her.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Replica Riku stared after Naminé, some type of feeling coming over him as he did so. His dull, teal blue eyes were wide and had turned the color Naminé had only dreamt of, bright and clear as the ocean's blue. He now knew the feeling that had swept over his person; Regret.

 

“N-Naminé!” he began, reaching out a hand toward her as if to stop her, but the Enigmatic Man stepped between him and the girl he wished to apologize to.

 

“Leave her alone; I am your opponent…”

 

Replica Riku narrowed his eyes, glaring up at the Enigmatic Man. He growled, lowering his hand as he got into his fighting stance, the SoulEater held up near the side of the right hand side of his face.

 

“Fine…”

 

Two red light sabers appeared in the Enigmatic Man's hands, he did a bunch of spins as he attempted to deal a lot of damage to the so-called puppet.

 

Replica Riku held up his SoulEater Keyblade, managing to block most of the attacks, but that Unknown who was his opponent had managed to get him with two of his eight sets of blows.

 

He was pushed back, left off guard as the Enigmatic Man unleashed a large circle of smaller red circles. Each small circle of flames turned into a beam and went out straight toward Replica Riku.

 

Replica Riku jumped back for the first three, then did a back flip to dodge another two. He looked up again, eyes widening right away as he saw five more of those fire beams zoom toward him. He was sent back into the wall once the five beams crashed into him.

 

He tried to sit up weakly, grunting as he did so.

 

Naminé could not stay quiet any longer; the sounds of the battle behind her were horrible! She turned around and shouted,

 

“Riku!! You have to use Dark Aura!!”

 

Replica Riku's one open eye looked in her direction as he answered,

 

“That's what he wants me to do!”

 

There was an evil laughter coming from the only entrance/exit to the room; Naminé turned and gasped at what she saw.

 

It was Axel.

 

The tall, red-haired man was amused at how weak Replica Riku seemed in battle compared to the Enigmatic Man; and not only that, he was laughing at how worried Naminé is getting over this!

 

It was then that she realized; Axel was the one who told the Enigmatic Man to fight Replica Riku! Why? Because that untrustworthy man knew there was no way he could physically wound Naminé, but what about mentally? He knew she had feelings for Riku!

 

Naminé glared at Axel, standing up. She placed her sketchbook on the floor beside the chair and not near the trashcan. In her hand was that golden pencil, and she held it out in front of her.

 

“Reveal to me the Staff of Golden Roses,” she whispered to herself.

 

The small pencil grew into a long staff with a golden rose at its top, the silver tracing of a large Heart was around the rose. The stick of the Staff was silver as well, but Naminé paid no mind to that. She twirled it in her hand for a moment before running over to the fight.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Replica Riku pulled himself up into a sitting position, the Enigmatic Man walking slowly toward him. Riku's eyes were wide as he realized what was happening. He tried to scramble to his feet, but he slipped and fell again.

 

The Enigmatic Man stopped three yards away from Riku, holding his palm out toward the boy.

 

“Say Good Night… Puppet…”

 

A crackling blue crystal light flew out from his hand toward Replica Riku. Riku didn't know what to do, so he just sat there, watching the oncoming attack. His eyes snapped shut as it came nearer.

 

He heard a girlish grunt from in front of him, opening his eyes to see Naminé standing there, blocking the attack with a silver staff that had a Gold Rose on it. He felt another new feeling; Surprise.

 

“N-Naminé!?”

 

The blonde-haired girl turned her head slightly so that Riku could see one of her soft blue eyes and the side of one sweet smile.

 

“I couldn't sit there and let you die…” she answered the question he had yet to ask.

 

Replica Riku's surprised face changed to one that had no emotion whatsoever again.

 

Naminé frowned at this, but turned back to the Enigmatic Man, who'd been keeping that attack going so she'd be stuck there blocking.

 

She finally got bored with it and redirected the attack at the ceiling, forcing the man to stop and look up at what she'd done. The Enigmatic Man looked back to her, folding his arms.

 

“Well, I guess that was the limit to how much fun you'll let me have with him…?” he asked, not really expecting an answer, “I'm leaving…”

 

He walked toward them, going around Naminé, but walking right through Replica Riku as he disappeared through the wall as well.

 

Naminé's Staff minimized into the pencil once more as she turned around to face Riku. She fell to her knees and looked him over.

 

“Are you all right…?”

 

Replica Riku got to his feet with ease, but with hidden pain.

 

“I'm… fine…”

 

Naminé stood up after him, taking him by his arm, “Are you sure?”

 

Replica Riku winced a bit as she touched his arm, closing one eye at its pain. The girl took this hint and tapped him arm with the Rose Eraser end of her pencil.

 

“See…? You should tell me about these things before you get hurt even worse!”

 

The boy looked away from her as she healed him with a Curaga spell, “Why did you… help me…?”

 

Naminé tilted her head with a small smile on her face, “I couldn't just sit there and listen as you got killed… Riku, if I were to lose you, I don't think I'd be able to take living here in Castle Oblivion anymore.”

 

Replica Riku was confused by this emotion of which he was feeling. He felt his cheeks grow warm with a small blush as he looked up at her face, blushing even more when he saw that smile.

 

He looked away from her again quickly, attempting to hide his blush.

 

“Naminé… Tell me this… Would you miss me if I were to disappear…?”

 

Naminé nodded, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Of course, I would, Riku! Don't you ever think that I don't miss you when you aren't around here with me… Now that Lexaeus is gone, you're my only friend left…”

 

Replica Riku looked up at her once more, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

 

“… Thank you…”

 

“I'm sorry to interrupt this Hallmark Moment…” an all-too familiarly annoying voice spoke to the two.

 

Naminé and Riku turned their heads to see Axel standing there, an angry frown on his face.

 

“Be aware, Witch, that if you go too far with anything or anyone in this Organization, you'll have to pay for it later.”

 

Replica Riku took a step in front of Naminé, holding an arm out in front of her as if to protect her from that horror that was Axel.

 

“Then I will protect her from whatever plans you have… You have no right to threaten Naminé like that without the permission of Marluxia or the Superior!”

 

Axel tilted his head back a bit, smirking with a short chuckle, “Well, somebody is acting over protective…”

 

“Hey Puppet!!! Get your ass over here!!” Larxene shouted.

 

Replica Riku gave Axel one last glare before turning and walking off toward Larxene, leaving Axel and Naminé alone to `talk.'

 

“Why are you doing this, Axel? I didn't do anything to provoke anyone, so why are you being so hard on me?” the blonde asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

 

“Because, my Dear, it's what I do… Especially to people who take the lives of one of their own.” Was Axel's answer.

 

“But I said I didn't do it!!” Naminé insisted, “Lexaeus was my friend, I would never do anything so much as to hurt him!”

 

“Say what you will, Witch… I'm not convinced… And neither is anybody else. If you want to survive living in this Castle, you'll have to go by my—I mean… our rules…”

 

Naminé folded her arms at that statement, turning her body a quarter away from him.

 

Axel bent over and placed both his black-gloved hands on each of her shoulders, whispering into her ear.

 

“For your wrongdoings, you'll be sorry for them all later…”

 

The girl turned around and slapped the man across the cheek, turning around and walking back to her chair.

 

Axel's green eyes gleamed, the grin on his face showing amusement. He rubbed his cheek a bit, wincing a bit.

 

“Strong little witch, isn't she…” he mumbled to himself as he left.

 

Replica Riku walked back over to Naminé, a frown on his face, “I'm sorry… I'll have to leave the Castle for the time being.”

 

Naminé looked up at him with wide eyes, “What?! Why??”

 

Riku shrugged, “Larxene told me to go grab a few things from the real Traverse Town. But don't worry, I won't be long.”

 

Naminé nodded, watching him leave. She gulped; what if Axel was trying to get Riku away from her so he could strike an attack on her or something…? She sure hoped not; she really wanted to be alive when Replica Riku came back.