Lie to Me

One-shot. (namiku) (dedicated to the lovely jaded-raindrop) Tell me I'm real. Lie to me. And ask yourself if it was worth it in the end. (12 stones, ftw)

A/N: Inspired by the 12 Stones song "Lie to Me." I was just listening to it, and all of a sudden, Jaded-Raindrop appeared in my mind going, "IT'S NAMIKU, YOU KNOW IT IS!" I feel like I'm betraying my OTP, Kairiku, but if that's true, than why is this pairing also made of win?

Disclaimer: No belongy me. I'm starting to repeat disclaimers...

Tell me I can.

She was kissing him and she didn't want it to stop. He twined his fingers in her pale pale locks and pressed her fiercely—but gently, oh so gently—against his hungry lips. The rush in her ears drowned out all but her bliss and the heat and the rising thud-thud of the synchronized beating of their hearts—

Oh, sorry.

That was a lie.

She wasn't kissing anyone; she was merely pressing her sketchbook to her empty chest and daydreaming, trying desperately to remember what it was like to have a heart that could beat so powerfully. But she can't remember because she doesn't know.

Footsteps outside her door brought her back to reality. "Naminé?" a voice comes: his voice, she knows, but not really his. It's too deep and unfamiliar and alien to be the voice that laughed and could make her almost feel what it was like to laugh and mean it; that wove stories of the outside world complete with noises and colors and textures all; that sang her a lullaby once when she had asked him to, no matter if he could remember the exact tune; that wondered and chuckled and cried and comforted and never never lied to her—no, it was not and could never be his true voice, and so she paused for moment before answering,

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened, and he walked in. She can't see his eyes anymore, now that he wears that hood all the time—

(and she knows she wouldn't see his eyes even without that)

—so she didn't know what he wanted until he spoke.

"You know Sora's due to wake up today, right?" he asked.

"...Yeah," she muttered.

"Well..." He was hesitant before blurting, "So you know, just don't do anything out of the plan, okay? It'll be really risky anyway, and the Dusks are going to be breaking through the defenses, and—"

"And what in the world would give you the idea that I'd be doing anything out of the ordinary?" she asked, reflecting that in this case, it was actually good she didn't have a heart, because he'd be able to hear it thudding.

A silence fell. "Promise me," he said quietly.

She swallowed before replying, "I promise. I'll follow the plan."

It was the first and only time she'd lied to him.

He turned to leave after another pause, but she stepped forward and stopped him. "And..." She had no words for what she wanted to express. "Just...promise me it'll be okay, all right? Promise me you won't..." She couldn't say the last word. Promise me you won't leave. Promise me it will be all right.

He hugged her then, softly. "I promise," he whispered. "I'll protect you, Nami. From everything."

She didn't know it then, but it was the first and only time he'd lied to her as well.

But their lies to each other allowed them to go on with what happened that day, and even if Riku was unable to keep Naminé out of trouble with DiZ for screwing with the plan, and Naminé had to be smuggled out and he wouldn't go with her, it was okay because he was free to go watch over Sora, and Naminé had no heart to be broken anyway. Right?

They could only move on and tell themselves it had been worth it in the end.

A/N: ...sigh. So much not like I had wanted it.