sirenspull | 471st Day [video]

[There’s something distinctly wrong, very wrong in the room when Xion wakes up this morning. It’s too quiet, too still. Blue is licking her hand, her rough little tongue like sandpaper against her fingers, and in the hazy moments where sleep transfers to wakefulness, Xion stretches and coughs, her chest still feeling tight from this strange sickness. She sits up slowly, lets the accompanying dizziness subside before she scoops up Blue and starts her descent down the ladder to the floor. She sets the kitten down on the floor, letting her little cat out to start her day by pouncing on Xact’s tail- probably- and she quietly lets herself out to use the bathroom and cough and splutter away without worrying about waking her roommate.

A few minutes later, and carrying a box of tissues, Xion’s back and Naminé hasn’t moved. Xion goes to Naminé’s bedside and gently nudges her on the shoulder to see if she’s awake and in need of anything.

Naminé is very still. She’s always been quiet, but this morning it’s too much. Her shoulder feels cold, and that doesn’t feel right. Naminé’s been feverish all weekend, Xion has been bringing her cold flannels to put on her head to help her cool off. She shouldn’t be so cold. Her face is very pale from what she can see of it poking out from under her blankets.

It takes a moment for Xion to realise that Naminé isn’t breathing and she’s not waking up.

The shock sends her reeling backwards, knocking into the trash bin. Tissues go falling over the carpet. Xion’s head is spinning, everything seems to be buzzing in her ears. What should she do, what should she do?

She grabs her NV, acting on instinct, she doesn’t know what to do what should she do she can’t do anything Naminé won’t wake up, she won’t wake up, it’s not working.

Frantically she switches to video.]

[VIDEO]

[Xion's face is pale and clammy, she’s breathing too quickly and she’s shaking, she knows this is bad, this is very, very bad, but she can’t do anything-]

Help me please, someone, Naminé won’t wake up. She was sick and now she’s cold and she’s not- and she won’t wake up- she’s not breathing- I can’t-

Someone help us please, please, I don’t know what to do!

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I'm calling one- Joe's going to be home soon too and...

[...she knows that's not going to be good if Naminé won't wake up for him. It won't be good at all.]

Please hurry.

[If Joe comes home and sees her, there's no telling what will happen.]

Five minutes. Hold on.

[He disconnects the call so he can drive and it doesn't take him long to pull up to a screeching halt beside the apartment complex. He all but throws himself off of the bike and he takes the stairs two at a time to get to their place. He's inside the door without preamble, going into the living room and then back towards the bedroom.]

Xion!

[Xion's in Roxas' room, watching him with eagle eyes, and when she hears Riku's voice she hurries out as fast as she can, a pale and trembling shadow of herself in her oversized pyjamas.]

Riku?

[And then she runs at him and just clings, because now it's okay, she doesn't have to deal with this all on her own, Riku's here and he'll know what to do. He always knows what to do.]

I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!

[Riku turns when he hears her and she crashes into his chest, clinging to him. He puts his arms around her tightly, bending to match her height a little.]

It's all right. This isn't your fault. It's going to be okay.

[He squeezes her gently and then looks down at her face.]

Where is she?

She's in our room.

[She looks up at him, her eyes teary again.]

If I'd woken up earlier, if I'd gotten her an extra blanket last night- I shouldn't have had the last of the cough drops but-

[His frown deepens but he keeps himself composed even as his heart twists in his chest at seeing her cry. He shakes his head.]

This is not your fault. It's not.

[He lets her go after a moment and heads into the girls' room, stepping over to look into Namine's bed. The girl is still, cold to the touch, and she smells like nothing. Nothingness and death. Riku's heart twists even further as he casts Cure.]

Naminé. Naminé, wake up.

[He touches her neck with two fingers for a pulse stupidly. With a frown, he casts Cure a second time and then moves her so he can start working CPR on her.]

[Xion follows him, hopeful and relieved and sure that he'll know a way to fix this. He's Riku, he has to know.

That optimism slowly fades away the longer he works on trying to wake Naminé.]

[He keeps trying. He goes through three more sets of compressions and breathing before he finally starts to see how pointless it is. When he finishes the fourth round of compressions, he simply stops. His hand remains on her chest, just beneath where her heart should be. His eyes search her still face for any signs of movement or life but he knows there won't be. Deep down, he knows she's gone.

He sits back, letting his hands drop to his sides. He says nothing for a long time, simply staring at Naminé's body. Eventually, he turns to look at Xion. There are no tears and he's calm, but his composure is rapidly breaking.]

I'm sorry, Xion.

[She wants to ask him why he's sorry, what he's apologising for. He hasn't done anything to apologise for, he just got here, he's going to wake Namineé up and then everything's going to be okay and they can take her to the hospital when the ambulance arrives and they'll make her better.

And then it hits her.]

She's not going to wake up? She's-

[She can't make herself say that last word.]

[The revelation unfolding on her face is almost more painful than the truth itself. Slowly, he stands and takes her by the shoulders, pulling her close. There's nothing else he can do or say except try to comfort her. He closes his eyes and sighs.]

I'm sorry. There's... There's nothing we can do now.

[The ambulance would be here soon. He should call them and tell them to cancel... Tell them that he'll bring her body to the morgue once Joe comes.

For now, he just holds Xion and tries to comfort her.]

[Xion just goes completely still. There's- there's nothing she can do otherwise. Riku's words are ringing in her ears:

There's nothing we can do now.

She lets herself be tugged into Riku without protest, she leans against him but her face is completely blank, it doesn't know what to do anymore than she does. She thinks she wants to cry but-

But it's like she can't breathe. There's a weight crushing down on her chest, cold and harsh and horrible and she can't-

Her hands fist in Riku's shirt and she doesn't know what to do.]

471st Day [video]

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