Chapter Two-Nothing is Fine

Riku awoke to find himself in Sora's apartment. What happened? Where were Ryaen and Kairi? He stumbled as he attempted to stand and walked unsteadily towards his own apartment. Kairi and Ryaen sat on the living room floor with pints of ice cream, playing cards. Kairi noticed him first.

"Riku! Finally woke up eh? Hey look! Ryaen cleaned up... Isn't so much better?" Kairi's happy voice was lost on him. The files...his notes...the pictures...where were they?

"Where are my files?!" Riku's voice was frantic and almost scared. However Ryaen was not phased. She handed him a thick folder labled 'Riku'. He sighed in relief and looked around. The place was amazingly clean. Even Sora would be put to shame.

"Um...thank you..." Ryaen smiled and stood up, taking his arm. Riku followed, wondering why someone he barely knew was helping him so much. Not that he needed it, mind you.

"Come on, the hot water is back and I think you'd like a hot shower. The laundry is all done so you'll have a clean towel and clothes when you get out. If you want I can make something to eat...or Kairi and I can order take out." Silver orbs danced against ebon locks and porcelin skin and Riku felt strangely at peace. He still didn't need to be taken care of though. And he said as much.

"I don't need taking care of." The deep tenor pitch of his voice was firm and almost intimidating. Almost. Ryaen continued to push him towards the bathroom.

"I didn't say you did. But you do need a shower. Take out?" A brow was raised and Riku sighed in defeat.

" Take out." Her laughing eyes lingered in his mind long after she'd left.

The hot water felt good. It felt good to be clean. Riku took a long shower, letting the water run over his body.It occured to him that he'd lost a lot of weight and he resovled to start working out again. The rumbling of his stomach let Riku know he'd also skipped far to many meals.

The bathroom was foggy when he shut off the shower but he managed to find his razor on the shelf and give himself a much needed shave. He felt better. On his bed he found a clean set of clothes laid out for him. A black tank and black sweats. Perfect.

"Welcome back to the land of the living!" Riku smiled at Kairi and sat at the table with them. Where was the food?! Riku was absolutely ravenous.

"Food." He said simply and Ryaen laughed.

"On its way." Riku smiled a bit. It was nice to have the place clean and he was looking forward to eating. Kairi was happy that Riku was doing better. She worried about him. Over the course of three months, Riku hadn't let her do anything for him and exploded at her every time she told him he needed to take a break from Sora's case. The knock at the door startled Kairi from her thoughts and she went to answer it. No one was there. Strange.

" No one was there." Ryaen frowned and Riku had a vague thought of not liking to see the raven-haired woman unsmiling.

"CHI-FUNGS TAKE OUT!" A high pitched voice called through the door and Riku had the door opened in a flash.

"20.86" Riku paid the man and set the food out on the table. The girls watched him dig in like an animal. Finally content he looked up to find them looking at him with awe.

"I've never seen you so...hungry." Kairi told him slowly, rubbing her stomach. Riku shrugged, slightly embarrased by his lack of manners.

"I'd be hungry after today." Ryaen said to no one in paticular while Riku left the table and collapsed on the couch.

"I guess I figured out what to do with you..." Ryaen whispered to herself as she left Riku's apartment that night. He was such an unsual person. But she had the feeling he wasn't so bad if you got to know him.

There was a package on her doorstep.

-You're too close my little star...much to close...- Ryaen dropped the box and heard a soft tinkling sound. A small star hung upon a silver ribbon was in the box and Ryaen froze. It couldn't be.

He was dead.

-Riku's Dream-

"Ryaen, why are you crying?" Ryaen's silver eyes were full of tears and Riku sat next to her as she cried.

"He's back Riku...He's come back for me..." Riku frowned.

"Who's come back?" He wanted to help her but didn't know how. Tentativly, he put and arm around her shoulders only to have her fling herself out of his hold.

"I don't need to be protected Riku! I'm not some lost little girl looking for someone to rescue her!" Her eyes were red and angry as she turned away from

"I don't think you are. I only want to help!"She didn't look back at him and he barely caught her whisper as she disappear from his sight.

"They're back..."

An image of a raven haired man Riku had never seen flashed before him and then pair of familiar sapphire eyes. A worried voice dance around him.

"Help us Riku..."

Riku awoke with a jolt of pure fear. Sora, his mind screamed. Ryaen's tear-filled eyes burned through his mind and then the image of the raven haired man...it was a dream. It couldn't possibly mean anything.

-Ryaen's dream-

"Ryaen..." Ryaen looked around for the person speaking, but no one was there.

"Who's there?" Fear coiled itself around her, crushing her.

"Ryaen please help me..." The voice was desperate and yet somehow...deceiving.

"Who are you?"The blue eyed man standing before her was sad and pain permiated the sapphire depths of his eyes. As Ryaen looked at him, there in those sad eyes lay Riku. They had the same soft, determined eyes.

"Sora..." Fear was turning into panic.

"You have to help him Ryaen! You've got to stop them!"

"Who? Stop who?" Sora's face suddenly went deadly pale and the familiar presence of her raven haired 'lion' was next to her once more, his whisper chilling her entire body.

"Heartless..."

NO!" Ryaen screamed.As her room came into focus, she looked around desperatelytrying to bring the raven man's image back. Tears started forming behind her eyes but she rubbed them harshly out of exsistence.

"Don't you dare cry. He never cried and neither will you." Ryaen flung off the covers and looked at the clock. 6:20 am. She figured a run would clear her mind. So pulling on a pair of jogging pants and a sweatshirt over her tank top, Ryaen grabbed her shoes and headed for the door.

What could the dream have meant...stop it Riku! It was a dream! Nothing more...

Try as he may, Riku could not erase the dream from his mind --- Ryaen's crying eyes and angry voice continued to haunt him. So he decided to go jogging. He pulled his shoes on and headed for the park.

"Riku?" A familiar voice called to him and he turned around seeing the object of his hallucinations.

"Oh, hey Ryaen...do you always get up this early?" Ryaen nodded, hoping it wasn't obvious she was lying.

"Mostly. But tonight I couldn't sleep so I wanted to go for a run." Riku nodded. Couldn't sleep was an understatement.

"Why don't we go together then." Ryane gave him a smile but he could tell it didn't go to her eyes. They ran along in silence, Ryaen's eyes focused on the ground, not really seeing where she was going. Riku was staring straight ahead and soon the coffee shop came into view.

"Wanna get something to drink?" He asked. Ryane looked up startled and tripped. Riku rushed forward to catch her but in the process tripped over his own feet and both landed on the cold ground. Ryaen burst out laughing and Riku couldn't help but join her.

"Ok...lets...get something..." She told him between laughing fits. Riku helped her up and they jogged into the coffe shop laughing. The waitress looked at them and smiled.

"Long time Riku...who's this?" She was a short brunette with a yellow scarf over her waitressing outfit and blue-grey eyes.

"Yuffie, Ryaen." Ryaen smiled and Yuffie gawked at her eyes.

"Wow! Amazing...so you two dating? It's about time you got a girl, Riku." Riku scowled at her and Yuffie dodged the fingers that went to pinch her side. Ryaen laughed. It was nice to see that Riku had a playful side. Kinda.

"I'm not his girlfiend. I'm renting Sora's appartment." Yuffie smiled.

"Thats great. Hope that rank smell from Riku's place doesn't chase you out, we could get along great!" Ryaen smiled.

"Actually...my apartment smells like new. Ryaen and Kairi cleaned it." Yuffie looked at her in awe.

"Ry, I bow before your bravery." Riku sat and gave Yuffie a half-hearted glare.

"Ya, ya, I know. Coffe. Black. Now. How bout you,. sweets?" Ryaen thought and decided she wanted hot choclate. As Yuffie went to get their coffee, the table was silent. Both thinking about their dreams that night and both dreading those to come. The coffee came and Ryaen sipped her hot chocolate slowly. It was all so strange. How could she know it was Riku's brother when she'd never seen him before? There was only one way to find out.

"Hey Riku?" Riku looked up with cerulean eyes and raised a brow.

"Can I see a picture of your brother?" Riku was a bit surprised but he pulled his wallet out and showed her. The sound of her cup smashing against the tile floor broke her trance.

"Oh my god..." Ryaen got up, placed a five on the table and nearly ran out. Riku followed her.

"Ryaen...what's wrong...don't...please don't cry." Ryane sighed and wiped the tears viciously away.

"I saw him...in my dream last night...he was so sad and he kept begging me to help them, to save them from Heartless...and..."Ryaen couldn't finish and Riku was silent in shock.

"You...you had the dream too?" Ryaen looked up.

"What do you mean, 'You had the dream too?' "

A.n: OMG AN UPDATE! GIMME A COOKIE AND THERE WILL BE A CHAPPIE THREE! LOL...so who is this mysterious raven haired man and why is Sora turning up in their dreams? Oh! BTW...Heartless is a new threat in this fic...not an alraedy existing one but there be several interesting twists so...review and you will find out! i lvoe you all!

i Ultimate !