-sigh- I'm not too happy with this week's entry, but I guess there's no point mulling over it any longer...

This week's prompt for Twelve Shots of Summer was "Romance Most Contrived". The pairing in this fic was suggested by TheForsakenShadow (thanks!), and although it started out forced, by the end of it I actually found myself liking this pairing quite a lot. I suppose it's because I like both characters - ah well, those are the consequences. So I guess this isn't as much of a contrived romance as it could be, considering it isn't very romantic, or contrived (from my perspective). The humour element I had hoped to include was also lost in favour of angst, which tends to happen a lot with my writing. But I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. Please forgive my mediocre writing this week - I'll try to make up for it in Week 3 by being more responsible with my schedule.

Disclaimer: I do not own KH3D or its characters.

Two Sides

The world's doors swung open and a grey-haired figure walked through, flanked by two brightly coloured creatures. He took a moment to look around – the First District looked exactly as it had before Traverse Town had been locked in slumber. He walked towards the Accessory Shop, noting how quiet the world was without anyone in it. The First District had been the main gathering point for people who had lost their worlds, and seeing it devoid of any occupants was peaceful, if a little unnerving.

But he barely had the time to think about this for a second longer. Suddenly, a female voice shouted his name, and before he could react, a red-haired girl emerged from the shadows. She grabbed his hand and began dragging him across the Plaza.

"Riku, where have you been? We really need to get to the Fifth District, now!"

Once the shock wore off, he recognised the familiar cropped jacket and the plush toy that she held in her free hand. 'It's that girl…what was her name…Shiki?'

"I need to stock up on some items," he insisted, digging his heels into the tiles below his feet in a feeble attempt to slow her down. "Could you, uh, let go of me?"

Finally, Shiki stopped walking. Her breathing was heavier than before – it was clear she had given up because of the extra effort. She dropped his arm and turned away, crossing her arms across her chest. "I wouldn't need to drag you all the way there if you just cooperated," she said with a pout.

He stretched his arm, glad to be free of her hold. "It'll just take a minute. I want to be prepared, just in case more Dream Eaters show up." He started walking towards the Accessory Shop again, but Shiki ran ahead, coming to a halt when she was standing right in front of him.

She hesitated slightly, before letting out a sigh. "You're really serious about things, aren't you?"

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…when I saw that cute bat thing of yours, I just thought you'd be more fun, y'know? I mean, I don't know many guys who're into stuff like this." She held up Mr. Mew to elaborate, and he flushed.

"It isn't a stuffed animal; it's a Dream Eater, too. The ones with me are the kind that can devour Nightmares."

"'Devour nightmares', huh?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I get the bat I guess, but that goat of yours doesn't look like it's gonna be eating dreams any time soon, good or bad."

He glanced at the taller creature by his side with a frown, and then turned his gaze upon her again. "It's a ram," he corrected her with a glare, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her aside. Without another word, he walked up the front steps and disappeared into the shop.

Shiki wondered whether it would be a good idea to follow him. She shivered at the thought of the scary look in his eyes, and shuffled in place awkwardly for a few moments before letting out a massive sigh. "Hey, don't be like that!" she finally called after him, running up the stairs and following him through the doors.

xxxxx

The Accessory Shop was the same as ever. Riku glanced at the fireplace to his right, distantly remembering the first time he had walked into the store. A small fire had been burning in the hearth, and he had extinguished it with a quick Blizzard spell. He had not possessed much control over magic at the time, but it had worked somehow, and the already-grumpy shopkeeper had gotten upset.

'Speaking of the shopkeeper…' He looked around, but there was no one else in the shop. "Guess I'll just leave the Munny out on the counter if I buy anything," he sighed, walking over to the glass case at the back of the shop.

"So what're you looking for, anyway?"

Riku nearly jumped – he had not noticed Shiki when she had entered the shop behind him, but now she was standing right next to him, peering at the items on display. 'How did I let my guard down?!'

He took a breath to calm himself. "Items for elemental resistance," he replied, trying to keep his voice level.

"Hmm…doesn't sound very interesting. Or useful."

He shot her a sidelong glance. "And how would you know?"

Shiki shrugged. "I don't. But – ooh, here's something that's totally stylish." She reached into the case and grabbed a small silver piece of jewellery.

"Ability Stud," she read off the tag attached to it. "Why don't you try this on instead?"

Riku shook his head. "That thing's useless to me here. And besides-" He indicated his earlobe. "-I can't even wear it."

"Aww, but it looks really cool, and I think it'd suit your 'dark' image." She prised the two halves apart, holding it out for him to see. "And see? It clips on."

He tried to refuse again, but the twinkle in her eyes was too difficult to ignore. With that look on her face, she almost resembled Kairi. "Fine," he said, taking the reassembled stud from her hands and raising it to his right ear. He made a few attempts to clip it onto his earlobe, but to no avail.

"That's not how it works," Shiki declared, plucking it from his fingers. "Here." She pushed his hair back and held the pieces up, clamping them together so that the stud settled around the shell of his ear. Then, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"Not bad," she said, nodding her head slowly. "I was right – it works."

He felt ridiculous. The area around the stud tingled slightly, and the added weight was unfamiliar. He turned to glance at his reflection in a vertical glass case, expecting the worst, but instead, he received a pleasant surprise. The object was tiny; barely visible, especially when he moved his hair back in place. But it did seem to contribute to his appearance, and that somehow made him feel more confident.

"Okay, I'll take it," he said, turning to face her again. "Though it probably won't do me much good during battles."

Shiki smiled softly, clutching the stuffed cat to her chest and burying her face in the back of its head. "Consider it a good luck charm," she replied, her words slightly muffled. He saw a blush forming on her cheeks.

After a few moments, she shyly added, "Hey Riku, when we return to our own worlds, will you come visit me in Shibuya?"

Taken aback, he was unable to respond. 'She's being so forward…I don't know how to react in a situation like this…'

"I-I could show you the Hachiko statue! And we could eat at Ramen Don…ooh, I could even take you shopping! You'd be completely out of place in those clothes-"

'So it just comes down to shopping, huh?' He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. "Sure. If I ever visit, I'll track you down."

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed, waving her hands in protest. "You…probably won't recognise me, so I'll find you…somehow."

Upon seeing his confused expression, she pulled out her phone and punched a few buttons. Then, she held it out for him to look at – it was a picture of two girls standing side-by-side. Riku recognised Shiki, but the girl next to her was unfamiliar.

"See that girl standing next to me? Well, she's…me, actually."

He stared at her incredulously. "…I don't get it."

Shiki sighed. "Of course you wouldn't…" She twiddled her thumbs, trying to find the words to explain. "Let's say…you had a chance to redeem yourself, but it came with a price. In my case, it was my appearance. So, this-" She pointed at the shorter, dark-haired girl in the photograph. "-is what I really look like."

"Y'know, even now, I sometimes slip into this…fake version of myself…someone who's friendly and outgoing," she admitted, staring at her feet. "But then I realise, that isn't me. At one point, I hated the real me, but now, I've come to accept myself for who I am."

She looked up at him and gave him a small, genuine smile. "So when we meet in Shibuya, I want to be able to speak to you like this, but face-to-face. And…I hope you'll accept me as I really am, too."

As she spoke, Riku began to see the girl in a different light. He realised that they had much more in common than he had previously thought. "I know how you feel," he told her honestly. "There was a time when I was forced to throw myself into the darkness, and that changed my appearance. But my friends…they recognised me anyway. And that's how I learned that appearance isn't everything…it's what's on the inside that counts. So, don't worry about what you look like. I'll still know it's you."

Her eyes lit up again, and the familiar expression made him want to smile. "And I think I like 'real Shiki' a lot better anyway," he teased, watching as her cheeks turned pink.

"That-that's…you – ugh!" She hid her face behind Mr. Mew again, refusing to let him see the steadily growing blush on her cheeks. Riku simply shrugged as he walked over to the door, pausing only to leave some Munny on the counter.

"So…Fifth District?"

Shiki shook her head in an attempt to dissipate the warmth in her cheeks, and then pulled her face away from Mr. Mew. "…okay."

xxxxx

The strings of light that hung over the Fourth District were almost blinding in the darkness, and it was difficult to see the Nightmares hidden in the shadows. But the two of them managed to fight their way through without much trouble, and paused to catch their breath outside the door to the Fifth District.

"Hey, Riku…" Shiki's hesitant voice pulled him away from organising his item pouch, and he turned to face her.

"What is it?"

"-nothing." She shook her head and held up the plushie in her arms, a playful grin on her face. "Let's just go, 'kay?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going back to being 'fake Shiki' now?"

She giggled. "Guess old habits die hard."

Riku brushed it off. "Alright, as long as you can still fight. Let's go." He pushed the doors open and went ahead, and Shiki followed behind him, her gaze lowered. She knew what awaited them within the Fifth District, and more than that, she knew that he would never forgive her for her betrayal.

'I'm sorry…please…don't hate me.'

Don't mess with Riku's Yoggy Ram. He doesn't like it.

In case it wasn't clear, this fic was set between Riku and Shiki's first meeting and their visit to the Fifth District, assuming he left the world mid-quest (it's something I would do, haha). Also I'm aware that the Accessory Shop isn't accessible in KH3D, and the Ability Stud is deemed useless because of its ability to raise maximum AP, which is something that isn't necessary in this game. But I took some liberties with my writing, so I hope that's alright.

Please do check out the other authors' works - they're far above mine in terms of writing quality and content. Seriously. You won't regret it.