She watched, only watched, eyes pained, because she knew he was coming for her, and she knew she was only there to hinder her savior with eyes like the sky.
He took the stairs two at a time, desperate to pass by the snowy columns in this twisted palace, desperate to save his memories and those who still remained in them. He passed door after door, room after room, world after world, determination rising as each memory peeled away, fluttered to the ground like flower petals. He saw for himself everything he was supposed to be missing, saw everything he thought he knew, only to dismiss it with the hope that forgetting would save Riku, would save the islands, would save...(he vaguely touched his pocket, felt through the fabric the rough-hewn star) the girl he promised to return to.
He ran, simply ran, heart racing, because it was all he knew to do here, and because it would all get her one step closer to the girl in his memories.