Yuletide Treasure by euphonious_glow
Nov. 30th, 2023 09:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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newyearcntdownTitle Yuletide Treasure
Author/Artist euphonious_glow
Length/Size of work 2,065
Summary When Riku is depressed, Aerith and Yuffie take him shopping for holiday decorations. Aerith and Yuffie express their growing feelings for each other, which prompts Riku to compare their experience to his own feelings.
Rating G
Warnings Age difference (Yuffie is 18 and Aerith is 24), brief discussions of depression/poor mental health
Other content notes Prompt #9: Decoration Shopping. Takes place during KH3 Re:Mind Limit Cut, so be mindful of spoilers. I am requesting a tag for “fandom: kingdom hearts.” Thank you!
Fandom Kingdom Hearts
Pairing Aerith/Yuffie, Riku/Sora
Disclaimer Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix. I am making no money from this fanfiction.
The air turned frigid as the cycles of the moon progressed to the last month of the year. Aerith, tending the town’s gardens, felt the seasonal changes better than most. As the frost wiped away the world’s beautiful flowers until the following spring, moods became as gray as the snowy skies.
The most gray person in Radiant Garden bore the same mood as his hair color. Riku. Aerith brought him a cup of hot tea because of the chill in Merlin’s House, noting the shadows under his eyes as he stared at the screen of Cid’s computer. Riku had barely left his station in front of the computer ever since he’d started the data battles. Several times, Aerith had found him in the morning, cheek resting against his crossed arms as he had clearly fallen asleep while playing.
“Riku, can I get you anything?” She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder when he didn’t answer. He jumped, turning his head to look at her with a flush on his cheeks.
”No, I’m fine,” he said, turning back to the screen. When she did not remove her hand from his shoulder, he glanced at her. “Thanks, Aerith. I’m sorry if I’m worrying you.”
”You’re not,” she said, though it was only partially true. He didn’t seem to sleep or eat much these days. Ever since he’d returned from Destiny Islands. She stepped back and kept watching Riku control a digital Sora avatar in data battles, her head tilted thoughtfully.
”Whoah, Merlin really needs to crank up the heat in here,” Yuffie said as she entered the house, bringing wind cold enough to send a shiver down the back of Aerith’s neck. Yuffie crossed her arms in her forest-green padded coat and hopped in place. She wore wool shorts and black fleece leggings tucked into combat boots.
She looked utterly adorable, Aerith thought, turning to smile at her friend.
Yuffie greeted Riku and got only a mumbled “hey” in return. She came close and whispered into Aerith’s ear.
”Is he okay?” She asked. “He has this super bummed kinda vibe.”
Aerith shook her head, taking Yuffie’s arm and moving farther away from Riku.
”I think we need to find a way to distract him,” Aerith said quietly. She looked around at the bare wooden walls that made the room feel even colder.
“Which reminds me,” she said in a normal voice. “It’s almost Yule, and we haven’t exactly done anything to celebrate.”
Yuffie blinked and then glanced around the room. She hung her head with a sigh.
”Ugghhh, I totally forgot! I think we all did, what with -“ she stopped and looked guiltily at Riku, who didn’t seem to hear her. She whispered again: “Sora’s disappearance.”
Aerith nodded, appreciating Yuffie’s concern for Riku’s feelings. Her friend really had matured a great deal when it came to respecting other people’s feelings, and it made a proud, warm feeling bloom in her chest.
Aerith met Yuffie’s gaze and smiled. She was beginning to get an idea. An excuse to be close to Yuffie, and a way to cheer up Riku.
”Let’s go shopping!” She exclaimed, immediately putting on her long pink coat and matching red scarf and hat. Yuffie laughed and grabbed Aerith’s hand, entwining their fingers together. Her hand felt warm despite the cold.
”Riku!” She said. “Us ladies need your manly assistance with something really super important!”
That got Riku’s attention. His face settled into grim determination as he rose from the chair. “What is it?” He asked.
”Get your jacket; we’re outta here!” Yuffie pumped a fist in the air and ran through the door to the outside.
Aerith looked at Riku’s bewildered expression and giggled. “Her energy is rather cute, isn’t it? Yuffie always just says whatever is in her heart.”
Riku jumped as if he were struck by lightning and looked down, expression clouding. His hand clenched into a fist. “I should be more used to that kind of thing by now,” he muttered.
Aerith knew that she had reminded him of Sora with her description of Yuffie. She winced and gestured toward the door. “We better not keep her waiting.”
After Riku put on his leather jacket and a pair of sleek black gloves, he joined her and Yuffie outside.
Aerith pulled the collar of her coat higher to protect against the blowing wind, finding herself walking closely beside Yuffie as Riku trailed quietly behind them. It was about a 15 minute walk to the market, which gave Yuffie plenty of time to start describing the training exercises she had been doing with the Gullwings. The trio of fairies had been permanently hired by Leon after the Battle of Hollow Bastion, though it had taken a while before they stopped trying to steal from the Restoration Committee.
”So they kept throwing shuriken at me, and I dodged every last one!” Yuffie stopped abruptly, which caused Riku to almost walk into her. She sheepishly apologized and started walking again, scratching at her chin. “Well, almost all of ‘em,” she admitted.
Aerith grinned at the redness of Yuffie’s ears and couldn’t resist teasing her.
”But you’re the ‘Great Ninja Yuffie!’” Aerith said. “I’m sure you taught them a thing or two!”
Yuffie laughed and crossed her arms behind her head. “Yeah, you could say that! After I got fed up of falling on my own butt.”
Aerith felt that light feeling in her chest again as she watched Yuffie smile in embrassment. The time they spent together always brought her so much joy. It felt like this year she began to really notice the way that Yuffie had changed and want to be around her all the time. They had been through so much together, and had been so busy working hard to restore their home. Now Aerith finally had the time to notice the woman beside her.
She also noticed the way that Yuffie kept engaging Riku in conversation, joking around about some mishap she’d had, or telling him tips she’d picked up while training. Riku didn’t say much in response, but Aerith did notice that his expression seemed a bit brighter. By the time they arrived at the holiday market, he was practically smiling.
Aerith clasped her hands together and wanted to squee in delight at all of the holiday decorations for sale. She hoped that making Merlin’s house more festive would lighten all of their spirits. Sora’s disappearance had affected all of them, not just Riku and Kairi, who currently slept while in Ansem the Wise’s care. Aerith couldn’t bring Sora back, but she could at least try to brighten the mood by making their environment bright.
“Ooh, what’s on sale?” Yuffie asked, leaning in close to ask the shop moogle about prices. Always one to look for deals, she pointed to a sculpture of a reindeer wearing a Santa hat and started haggling.
Aerith smiled at how Yuffie always looked for the best deal. Aerith used to enjoy things like that when she were younger, but now she couldn’t be bothered and didn’t like the way the moogles drooped when she questioned their prices. She was glad she had Yuffie to jump in to do the bargaining for them both. They may have taken a leadership role in restoring their home, but they didn’t have a lot of munny to go around after all of the work restoring Radiant Garden and putting security measures in place.
Aerith sighed as she watched Yuffie, her heart sinking.
”The people who really matter accept us no matter what,” Riku said softly beside her. She looked at him in surprise, stunned into silence.
He glanced at Yuffie and then back to her. “Sora taught me that,” he continued, a smile on his lips and a soft look in his eyes.
Aerith nodded, appreciating Riku’s knowing look and his kind heart. “We’re so lucky to have people like them,” she said.
”Right,” was all he said, his turquoise eyes growing misty and distant.
Yuffie danced with glee as her lower offer was apparently accepted, and without delay she dumped an evergreen garland, a painted wooden snowman, and other decorations into Riku’s arms. She turned to Aerith and smiled brightly, her eyes lit with mischief.
“Leave it to me, the Great Ninja Yuffie,” she declared in triumph. Aerith asked for some cloth bags to carry more decorations, and they took enough to give Merlin’s house a bit of cheer.
As they walked back, Riku lingered pretty far behind them, leaving Aerith and Yuffie relatively alone.
”You know, I had a lot of fun,” Aerith said. “It was nice to spend some time with you.”
Yuffie looked away and Aerith saw that her ears had turned red again. “It’s… It’s been a while. Usually I’m chasing after Squall and begging him to train with me!”
Aerith nodded, watching the sky as fluffy snow started to fall. “I suppose that’s true,” she agreed.
Yuffie was quiet for a few minutes as they walked, a strange expression on her face. “But, I’ve always wondered, you and Cloud, um… Don’t you see him a lot?”
Aerith could have laughed at the look on Yuffie’s face, but she answered seriously. “I guess it can come across that way, but it’s not really like that. We’re old friends, and I worry about him because he gets so single-minded. He’s been through a lot. But I don’t actually see him that much.”
Yuffie kicked at a patch of snow with her boot. “Oh, right.”
”Yuffie,” Aerith said, placing a hand on Yuffie’s arm. She glanced behind her and noticed that Riku hadn’t yet come around the corner. They were alone on the street. She took a deep breath and grasped both of Yuffie’s hands in her own.
”I’d really like to spend more time together,” she said, looking into Yuffie’s eyes. She felt the warm flush on her cheeks, but she continued on. “You mean a great deal to me. More than anyone else, actually.” Her heart beat quickly in her chest.
Yuffie looked back at her, stunned.
As she stammered over her response, Riku turned the corner and stopped dead, looking at them holding hands and blushing as they stared into each other’s eyes.
”Um, let’s talk more later,” Yuffie murmured, stroking Aerith’s hand with her thumb. They broke apart and continued walking through the softly falling snow until they arrived back at Merlin’s place. Aerith noticed that Riku had a thoughtful look on his face.
They unpacked the bags and Yuffie left Aerith and Riku alone while she went to get Leon and Cid to help decorate.
”Riku, you look like you want to say something,” Aerith said. He looked at her with surprise and sheepishly crossed his arms, not meeting her eyes.
”It’s just…” he said hesitantly.
”Go on, you can talk to me,” Aerith said gently.
“All right, I do trust you,” he said after a moment. “You and Yuffie…” He seemed to struggle to find the words, so Aerith helped him.
”You mean how long have we liked each other as more than friends?”
He nodded, blushing.
She smiled, staring off to the side in thought. “This year is when I started to know I felt differently about her. And I could tell from how she looked at me and worried about me that she felt the same.”
Riku nodded, and he clenched his hand into a fist again. “I think,” he said slowly, “I know what that feels like. Actually, I’m finally sure of it.”
Aerith nodded, finger to her lips. She didn’t say the thoughts in her head because she didn’t want to embarrass Riku, but she understood. “There’s nothing wrong about feeling that way,” she said. “Love is the greatest source of light there is. No matter who you love.”
Riku gasped as he looked into her eyes. He nodded. “I‘ll try to remember that.” His eyes grew dark and clouded again, like a stormy sky. “But now it might be too late.” His voice broke, and he took a shaky breath before he continued on. “And I don’t know if he’d ever feel the same way.”
Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder. “You might be surprised. Keep believing, and love will find a way.”
With their hearts both feeling a bit lighter, they started to decorate the house in preparation for Yule.
Author/Artist euphonious_glow
Length/Size of work 2,065
Summary When Riku is depressed, Aerith and Yuffie take him shopping for holiday decorations. Aerith and Yuffie express their growing feelings for each other, which prompts Riku to compare their experience to his own feelings.
Rating G
Warnings Age difference (Yuffie is 18 and Aerith is 24), brief discussions of depression/poor mental health
Other content notes Prompt #9: Decoration Shopping. Takes place during KH3 Re:Mind Limit Cut, so be mindful of spoilers. I am requesting a tag for “fandom: kingdom hearts.” Thank you!
Fandom Kingdom Hearts
Pairing Aerith/Yuffie, Riku/Sora
Disclaimer Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix. I am making no money from this fanfiction.
The air turned frigid as the cycles of the moon progressed to the last month of the year. Aerith, tending the town’s gardens, felt the seasonal changes better than most. As the frost wiped away the world’s beautiful flowers until the following spring, moods became as gray as the snowy skies.
The most gray person in Radiant Garden bore the same mood as his hair color. Riku. Aerith brought him a cup of hot tea because of the chill in Merlin’s House, noting the shadows under his eyes as he stared at the screen of Cid’s computer. Riku had barely left his station in front of the computer ever since he’d started the data battles. Several times, Aerith had found him in the morning, cheek resting against his crossed arms as he had clearly fallen asleep while playing.
“Riku, can I get you anything?” She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder when he didn’t answer. He jumped, turning his head to look at her with a flush on his cheeks.
”No, I’m fine,” he said, turning back to the screen. When she did not remove her hand from his shoulder, he glanced at her. “Thanks, Aerith. I’m sorry if I’m worrying you.”
”You’re not,” she said, though it was only partially true. He didn’t seem to sleep or eat much these days. Ever since he’d returned from Destiny Islands. She stepped back and kept watching Riku control a digital Sora avatar in data battles, her head tilted thoughtfully.
”Whoah, Merlin really needs to crank up the heat in here,” Yuffie said as she entered the house, bringing wind cold enough to send a shiver down the back of Aerith’s neck. Yuffie crossed her arms in her forest-green padded coat and hopped in place. She wore wool shorts and black fleece leggings tucked into combat boots.
She looked utterly adorable, Aerith thought, turning to smile at her friend.
Yuffie greeted Riku and got only a mumbled “hey” in return. She came close and whispered into Aerith’s ear.
”Is he okay?” She asked. “He has this super bummed kinda vibe.”
Aerith shook her head, taking Yuffie’s arm and moving farther away from Riku.
”I think we need to find a way to distract him,” Aerith said quietly. She looked around at the bare wooden walls that made the room feel even colder.
“Which reminds me,” she said in a normal voice. “It’s almost Yule, and we haven’t exactly done anything to celebrate.”
Yuffie blinked and then glanced around the room. She hung her head with a sigh.
”Ugghhh, I totally forgot! I think we all did, what with -“ she stopped and looked guiltily at Riku, who didn’t seem to hear her. She whispered again: “Sora’s disappearance.”
Aerith nodded, appreciating Yuffie’s concern for Riku’s feelings. Her friend really had matured a great deal when it came to respecting other people’s feelings, and it made a proud, warm feeling bloom in her chest.
Aerith met Yuffie’s gaze and smiled. She was beginning to get an idea. An excuse to be close to Yuffie, and a way to cheer up Riku.
”Let’s go shopping!” She exclaimed, immediately putting on her long pink coat and matching red scarf and hat. Yuffie laughed and grabbed Aerith’s hand, entwining their fingers together. Her hand felt warm despite the cold.
”Riku!” She said. “Us ladies need your manly assistance with something really super important!”
That got Riku’s attention. His face settled into grim determination as he rose from the chair. “What is it?” He asked.
”Get your jacket; we’re outta here!” Yuffie pumped a fist in the air and ran through the door to the outside.
Aerith looked at Riku’s bewildered expression and giggled. “Her energy is rather cute, isn’t it? Yuffie always just says whatever is in her heart.”
Riku jumped as if he were struck by lightning and looked down, expression clouding. His hand clenched into a fist. “I should be more used to that kind of thing by now,” he muttered.
Aerith knew that she had reminded him of Sora with her description of Yuffie. She winced and gestured toward the door. “We better not keep her waiting.”
After Riku put on his leather jacket and a pair of sleek black gloves, he joined her and Yuffie outside.
Aerith pulled the collar of her coat higher to protect against the blowing wind, finding herself walking closely beside Yuffie as Riku trailed quietly behind them. It was about a 15 minute walk to the market, which gave Yuffie plenty of time to start describing the training exercises she had been doing with the Gullwings. The trio of fairies had been permanently hired by Leon after the Battle of Hollow Bastion, though it had taken a while before they stopped trying to steal from the Restoration Committee.
”So they kept throwing shuriken at me, and I dodged every last one!” Yuffie stopped abruptly, which caused Riku to almost walk into her. She sheepishly apologized and started walking again, scratching at her chin. “Well, almost all of ‘em,” she admitted.
Aerith grinned at the redness of Yuffie’s ears and couldn’t resist teasing her.
”But you’re the ‘Great Ninja Yuffie!’” Aerith said. “I’m sure you taught them a thing or two!”
Yuffie laughed and crossed her arms behind her head. “Yeah, you could say that! After I got fed up of falling on my own butt.”
Aerith felt that light feeling in her chest again as she watched Yuffie smile in embrassment. The time they spent together always brought her so much joy. It felt like this year she began to really notice the way that Yuffie had changed and want to be around her all the time. They had been through so much together, and had been so busy working hard to restore their home. Now Aerith finally had the time to notice the woman beside her.
She also noticed the way that Yuffie kept engaging Riku in conversation, joking around about some mishap she’d had, or telling him tips she’d picked up while training. Riku didn’t say much in response, but Aerith did notice that his expression seemed a bit brighter. By the time they arrived at the holiday market, he was practically smiling.
Aerith clasped her hands together and wanted to squee in delight at all of the holiday decorations for sale. She hoped that making Merlin’s house more festive would lighten all of their spirits. Sora’s disappearance had affected all of them, not just Riku and Kairi, who currently slept while in Ansem the Wise’s care. Aerith couldn’t bring Sora back, but she could at least try to brighten the mood by making their environment bright.
“Ooh, what’s on sale?” Yuffie asked, leaning in close to ask the shop moogle about prices. Always one to look for deals, she pointed to a sculpture of a reindeer wearing a Santa hat and started haggling.
Aerith smiled at how Yuffie always looked for the best deal. Aerith used to enjoy things like that when she were younger, but now she couldn’t be bothered and didn’t like the way the moogles drooped when she questioned their prices. She was glad she had Yuffie to jump in to do the bargaining for them both. They may have taken a leadership role in restoring their home, but they didn’t have a lot of munny to go around after all of the work restoring Radiant Garden and putting security measures in place.
Aerith sighed as she watched Yuffie, her heart sinking.
”The people who really matter accept us no matter what,” Riku said softly beside her. She looked at him in surprise, stunned into silence.
He glanced at Yuffie and then back to her. “Sora taught me that,” he continued, a smile on his lips and a soft look in his eyes.
Aerith nodded, appreciating Riku’s knowing look and his kind heart. “We’re so lucky to have people like them,” she said.
”Right,” was all he said, his turquoise eyes growing misty and distant.
Yuffie danced with glee as her lower offer was apparently accepted, and without delay she dumped an evergreen garland, a painted wooden snowman, and other decorations into Riku’s arms. She turned to Aerith and smiled brightly, her eyes lit with mischief.
“Leave it to me, the Great Ninja Yuffie,” she declared in triumph. Aerith asked for some cloth bags to carry more decorations, and they took enough to give Merlin’s house a bit of cheer.
As they walked back, Riku lingered pretty far behind them, leaving Aerith and Yuffie relatively alone.
”You know, I had a lot of fun,” Aerith said. “It was nice to spend some time with you.”
Yuffie looked away and Aerith saw that her ears had turned red again. “It’s… It’s been a while. Usually I’m chasing after Squall and begging him to train with me!”
Aerith nodded, watching the sky as fluffy snow started to fall. “I suppose that’s true,” she agreed.
Yuffie was quiet for a few minutes as they walked, a strange expression on her face. “But, I’ve always wondered, you and Cloud, um… Don’t you see him a lot?”
Aerith could have laughed at the look on Yuffie’s face, but she answered seriously. “I guess it can come across that way, but it’s not really like that. We’re old friends, and I worry about him because he gets so single-minded. He’s been through a lot. But I don’t actually see him that much.”
Yuffie kicked at a patch of snow with her boot. “Oh, right.”
”Yuffie,” Aerith said, placing a hand on Yuffie’s arm. She glanced behind her and noticed that Riku hadn’t yet come around the corner. They were alone on the street. She took a deep breath and grasped both of Yuffie’s hands in her own.
”I’d really like to spend more time together,” she said, looking into Yuffie’s eyes. She felt the warm flush on her cheeks, but she continued on. “You mean a great deal to me. More than anyone else, actually.” Her heart beat quickly in her chest.
Yuffie looked back at her, stunned.
As she stammered over her response, Riku turned the corner and stopped dead, looking at them holding hands and blushing as they stared into each other’s eyes.
”Um, let’s talk more later,” Yuffie murmured, stroking Aerith’s hand with her thumb. They broke apart and continued walking through the softly falling snow until they arrived back at Merlin’s place. Aerith noticed that Riku had a thoughtful look on his face.
They unpacked the bags and Yuffie left Aerith and Riku alone while she went to get Leon and Cid to help decorate.
”Riku, you look like you want to say something,” Aerith said. He looked at her with surprise and sheepishly crossed his arms, not meeting her eyes.
”It’s just…” he said hesitantly.
”Go on, you can talk to me,” Aerith said gently.
“All right, I do trust you,” he said after a moment. “You and Yuffie…” He seemed to struggle to find the words, so Aerith helped him.
”You mean how long have we liked each other as more than friends?”
He nodded, blushing.
She smiled, staring off to the side in thought. “This year is when I started to know I felt differently about her. And I could tell from how she looked at me and worried about me that she felt the same.”
Riku nodded, and he clenched his hand into a fist again. “I think,” he said slowly, “I know what that feels like. Actually, I’m finally sure of it.”
Aerith nodded, finger to her lips. She didn’t say the thoughts in her head because she didn’t want to embarrass Riku, but she understood. “There’s nothing wrong about feeling that way,” she said. “Love is the greatest source of light there is. No matter who you love.”
Riku gasped as he looked into her eyes. He nodded. “I‘ll try to remember that.” His eyes grew dark and clouded again, like a stormy sky. “But now it might be too late.” His voice broke, and he took a shaky breath before he continued on. “And I don’t know if he’d ever feel the same way.”
Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder. “You might be surprised. Keep believing, and love will find a way.”
With their hearts both feeling a bit lighter, they started to decorate the house in preparation for Yule.
