Hello again! Thank you to all of you who are returning readers.

This chapter contains a little violence, so if you're not ok with that sort of stuff and a little bit of blood, beware.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

"God, Kairi, you're toasted!"

"Mm?" I mumbled, slowly blinking my eyes. It was so bright out, and the light hurt – did I fall asleep?

"You're pretty burnt, Kai. Did you not put on sunscreen?" she questioned. I looked down at my shoulders – they were an angry red. My legs matched. And it wasn't one of those "oh, I'll be fine by tomorrow" burns; it was a "you're gonna have trouble sleeping for the next week" burn. I reached out to stretch, and my skin stung ferverently.

"Yeah, I guess I did." How long have I been here?

"Did you fall in a trance or something? It's almost two!" Good lord! I'd been here for that long?

"Yeah. Aren't you starving?" She was giving me one of those "what did you drink last night?" looks. Great. That was the last thing I needed – Selph thinking that Riku and I partied hard and got wasted. Ugh.

"Um, wow. I really am," I stated. I hadn't realized how long I'd been there. My stomach felt absolutely empty.

"Then let's go get something to -"

"Actually, Selph, I don't feel so good. I think I should go lie down for a while." Selphie was bound to notice that something was on my mind, and she'd never let me leave until I told her every little detail. It was best to get away while I still could.

"Oh no! Do you think you have sun poisoning? Want me to come home with you?" Her eyes filled up with worry. Although she was gossipy, Selphie was the best friend I could ask for. She'd wait by my side for weeks if she thought it would make me feel better.

"No, that's ok. Thank you though." I did my best to put on a warm smile. I knew I succeeded when she returned it.

"Ok then. Oh – I found Tidus! We – no, never mind," she collected herself from her outburst. "I'll call you later. If you're feeling better, we can talk about it."

"Thanks Selphie. You're the best."

"You know it. Oh – don't think you're done. I know you have lots to tell me," she added as I hopped off the paopu tree. "I saw Sora earlier, and I know you talked to him." She gave me her best "I'm gonna get it out of you and there's nothing you can do about it" smile.

Great.

It had taken what seemed like ages to get to my bed. After slathering on some aloe and grabbing the lightest blanket I could find, I laid down. I settled into a deep sleep, filled with nightmares.

I was walking down a long poorly-lit hallway – both Riku and Sora were shouting for me, but I couldn't find them. I wandered through the dark, dank corridor for what seemed like eternity. Finally I reached a tall door; their voices were coming from behind it. It was locked. I tried summoning my keyblade to open it, but I ended up summoning Heartless. I screamed and screamed as they attacked me. Suddenly, a mirror appeared. I watched my eyes turn black.

I awoke in a cold sweat, damp against my burning skin. I was freezing; I tried to pull the blanket around me, but that only stung my charred skin. I didn't remember being this burned. Ugh.

I stumbled my way to the shower, my entire body shaking. It took me thirty seconds to control my hands enough so I could turn the water on. After painfully shedding my clothes, I stepped in. The water was lukewarm, but it scalded me. Another twenty seconds to move the knob – the now-cool water made me shiver harder, and my body convulsed as if I were having a seizure. Slowly, I sat in the tub, trying to calm my body.

"D-d-damn-n-n it R-r-r-iku," I stuttered through chattering teeth. "D-d-d-d-amn it S-s-or-r-ra." I pressed my head against my flaming shoulder, seeking comfort. It was like I had been burned from the inside out; the boys had overcooked everything inside me, and now it was seeping through my skin and damaging me there, too.

An idea wandered idly into my mind: magic, perhaps? "H-h-h-h…" I was shaking too badly to pronounce the word I so desperately needed. "H-h-h-heal," I stuttered weakly. Slowly, light green bubbles appeared around me; they soaked through my skin. I felt a little better.

"H-h-heal," I said again, my voice coming a little stronger. More bubbles appeared. My skin transformed from an angry scarlet to a lighter coral color; it was still extremely painful, but I was slowly regaining control.

"Cure," I pronounced quietly. As more translucent spheres appeared around me, I felt the last of my power drain away. I wasn't completely healed – I guess I wasn't strong enough to un-burn my sunburn totally. But it would do for now. The water falling from the shower didn't feel like angry nails being thrown at me anymore. Shakily, I stood up and bathed.

Thirty minutes later, I stepped out of my bathroom to find my bedroom completely dark. A seething sky transfixed itself above my window; I stared in awe for a while. The magnificent storm painted my bedroom an eerie black, and I shrank a little, thinking of what happened the last time the sky got this dark. When my eyes returned to my room, I saw my alarm clock - it emitted the time, six thirty, in dim red light. Dinner should be ready soon, I thought. I quickly dressed and walked downstairs to the kitchen.

"Mom?" I called out. "Dad?" No answer. Again: "Mom? Dad?" Still nobody. "Anyone?"

I saw a bright yellow note on the kitchen counter.

Kairi,

We went out to dinner with the Rachetts and the Matthews. They said the boys are at the island if you want to hang out with them. There's pizza in the fridge. We'll be home late.

Love,

M & D

Oh, so they'd gone out to dinner. Riku's, Sora's, and my parents were all good friends; this sort of thing wasn't unusual for them. Maybe I could go hang out with…

Oh. My. God. I thought suddenly. Riku and Sora are together. After everything that happened today, they're together. Oh my god.

I flew up the stairs, feet hardly touching the squeaky wooden steps. I grabbed my shoes and my cell phone. Quickly, I slid it open and pressed speed dial one: Sora.

Three rings. "Hi! You've reached the phone of Sora Matthews. I'm not around right now, but –"

"Damn it!" I yelled. I slid the phone shut, then snapped it open again. I pressed two: Riku. Answer, answer, c'mon Riku…

"This is Riku Rachett," Riku's stately voice answered, "I apologize for not being here to take your call, but I promise if you leave your name, number, and a – "

I dialed both again and again, but to no avail. Angrily snapping my phone shut, I glared at the sky. It glared back, streaking lightning across its blackened face, matching the fury that surely ran through my eyes. I yelled angrily to nobody in particular (as seeing I was alone) and the midnight boomed back; thunder roared before another heated pulse of lightning. I threw my shoes on the floor and felt my way into them. As I ran out of my room, I deftly reached behind me to pull the door closed; then I sprinted back down the stairs. I was out of the house before my bedroom door even shut, leaving nobody to hear its lonely slam.

Running in flip flops was not a good idea. By the time I reached the docks, I had fallen to the streets three times, each mishap leaving a new scrape on my reddened legs. Blood swirled down my legs in angry torrents, mixing with the torn skin and rain. I looked like something out of a battle scene.

Not that I've ever been in a real battle.

Stepping into my boat, I looked up and the fervent sky. On the horizon, I could see yellow streaks of lightning reach for the blackened sea, flirting with each other in a deadly manner. Am I about to sail across this?

Another bolt of lightning – for a mere moment, the sky was as light as if it had been a July noon. And in that moment, I saw two figures in the distance. At first they appeared to be dancing, lunging and running at each other in a friendly tango. Then I saw silver hair and brunette hair, being tossed in the wind as if two magnificent stallions were throwing their heads, sending their manes flying.

I heard what seemed like a dainty ping as the silver hair boy threw his arm at his partner; I had learned how deadly that delicate sound was. They were fighting.

Yes, I answered myself. My skin protested as I grabbed both oars; it hurt to even touch the wood, much less grip it. But I forced myself to row, throwing myself into a tiring pace. I reached the little island in less than five minutes.

I stumbled getting out of my boat, not bothering to tie it to the dock. My foot slipped against the wet boards; I fell onto the platform, causing a fourth gash in my leg. More blood. Lovely.

"Stop!" I yelled. On a normal day, they could hear me if I screamed like this. But the howling winds swallowed my voice, and yet again I pushed onwards, exhausted, towards my two friends.

I stopped running when I reached the little platform before the bridge that would take me to the little islet where Riku and Sora now fought. I stared in awe; in their deadly ferocity, the two boys were stunningly beautiful.

They had fought for me – well, no, over me – since I was eight and they'd first learned how to make wooden swords. And I never complained once. Why? Because I loved to watch. I loved seeing the muscles bulge against the skin that protected them, rising and shrinking in time with their strikes. I was mesmerized by their footwork, intricately weaving and twisting as the two attacked, then defended, then attacked again. Their bodies absorbed me, dizzying me in their sinuous dances. I loved the way their hair spun, following the every curve of their neck as each boy read the other, twisting, turning, thrusting. Tonight was no different. Yet this time, each move seemed a little more venomous; each cry sounded a little more deadly; each rage of muscle struck a little more powerful – each blow was not intended to merely sting.

It was meant to kill.

And this time, I was not awed by their magnificence. I was terrified.

"Stop! Please!" I yelled again, running down the bridge at full force. Over the wind, I begun to hear the angry words they spat at each other.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Sora fumed, thrusting his keyblade at Riku's throat. It was quickly deflected by a deft twist of Riku's hand. "You knew I loved her!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Sora!" Riku responded, spinning and making a jab at Sora's side; Sora quickly jumped back. "You've known I've loved her for as long as we've known her, too." He grunted as Sora made another attack for his throat – Riku dodged, instead taking the angry blow across his left shoulder, which began to bleed as Sora's blade sliced Riku's skin. "It's not my fault that you didn't do anything. I gave you your chance." Another metallic thwack as the blades met once more.

"I thought she was happy! You can't blame me because I was naïve!" Sora cried in response, looking so much like a hurt little boy.

"That's your problem, Matthews," Riku spat. "You don't know her like I do. I knew the entire time she pined for you that she wanted you to do something. Anything," he accentuated with another thrust of his keyblade. This slice caught Sora across the calf, sending him flying into the wet sand. Before I could register what happened, he was back on his feet, attacking Riku with a quick combination. "She needed you to be a man. And you know what you are? You're still a child."

"And what, you could do better? Because you took her on a date in a fancy car, you're better for her?" Sora bellowed. I wanted to cry. They were so engrossed in their battle that neither one saw me.

"No – because I have a future!" Riku caught Sora off guard, and he attacked with a vicious combination. I cried aloud as Sora was slammed into the paopu tree, his head rebounding off the trunk. Somehow, he managed to get away from Riku, but the latter still attacked. I could tell Sora was using all his strength on his defense; he wasn't bothering to attack. Not now, when Riku was charging all-out. "Have you ever thought about what happens after high school, even once? Life isn't all about this island, Sora. It's not about swordfights, or footraces, or catching fish with your bare hands. Kairi understands that – so do I. You're the only one that's clueless," he sneered. I had never seen Riku like this. "Kairi needs a man. Not a boy. A man." Another metallic thwack as Riku's attack met Sora's impenetrable defense. "She needs a man with a future, a plan, a goal. Not one who's willing to share a paopu fruit with her," he taunted. Sora's eyes blazed an angry blue as he slashed at Riku; Riku read his move and quickly parried the blow. "You barely have a plan for your weekend. How are you gonna fare for the rest of her life?"

"I love her!"

"That's not enough," Riku snickered. "She needs more than a little boy."

"And she needs more than a ruthless villain!" Sora screamed, his voice matching the thunder. "How do you think you can share a heart with her when yours is so plagued by darkness? She's a Princess of Heart," he continued. I could see him seething through the pounding rain. "meaning that her heart has no darkness. And you think you can match her? You can't even control your own heart!"

The lightning struck again; it felt like it had jolted both of the boys, because both attacked with new rage. More blood coursed down their bodies as each powerful blow became a little more difficult to avoid. Watching them now, I completely understood how they fought the Darkness of the universe alone. They were brilliant, unmatched in their raw talent. And it terrified me.

They were going to kill each other.

"No, stop, please…" I cried as I ran forward, stumbling onto the little island. They were still locked in their deadly battle. How had I watched this in awe? I wanted to vomit. "Please…" I choked.

Lightning struck once more, and pain shot through my body as a blade reached its cold fingers out and gouged my skin with its hideous fingers. I cried out in pain, clutching my stomach as blood oozed from the wound, trailing down my skin like scarlet acid. I fell to my knees.

"Kairi!" both Riku and Sora cried, both rushing towards me through the raging storm.

"NO!" I roared, temporarily forgetting my pain and remembering my anger. I felt the air shift around me; I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, but it felt right. When I comprehended my surroundings, I was standing, my keyblade drawn in front of me defensively. Riku stood about five feet to my right; Sora reflected him to the left. Both had relinquished their blades, and neither was moving due to my stance. I watched as they heaved tiredly, their chests rapidly rising and falling as they caught their breaths. I felt tears running down my cheeks and blood trickling down my abdomen.

"What are you trying to prove?" I choked out, half seething, half crying. "Do you think a stupid sword fight will solve things?"

"Kairi – " Riku tried to soothe me.

"No! It's always been like this! Ever since we were little – 'oh, let's fight for her!' As if that would fix anything!" I swung my blade out of pure anger, slashing at whoever was closest. They both easily blocked my advances. I wound up on the ground, sobbing, defenseless, broken, bleeding.

"Look at what you've done!" Sora roared. "Are you happy? Do you see how you've – "

"You were the one who slashed her! I'll kill you!" Riku retaliated, his blade making easy contact with the back of Sora's thigh.

"STOP!" I screamed to the heavens. Thunder rumbled and crashed; I sobbed, my tears matching with the rain that streamed down my soaked face. I rose my head when nobody answered – what I saw shocked me.

The two boys were frozen as white crystals emanated from where I had fallen. They stood completely still – Sora poised to attack, his keyblade twisted behind his back, Riku ready to defend, his blade in front of him, acting as a shield. Neither moved, neither blinked – I don't even think they were breathing.

What kind of magic is this? I wondered. I never learned this spell… I remembered something Merlin had told me, something about how sometimes if a heart is strong enough, it can control the universe. And I really wanted things to stop.

Come to think of it, that was a spell I had watched someone cast - I just didn't know how to cast it myself. But I didn't mind everything stopping, even if I had done it accidentally. The storm still raged on around us, but the fight between my two feuding friends had halted, if only for a little while.

And in the sand, I bled and cried.

Eventually, I stood shakily; my tattered legs were weak beneath me. I looked painfully at the two boys I loved, and the burning emotion threatened to crush me. I wrapped one hand around my bleeding abdomen; I wound the other over my chest and shoulder, which threatened to break on me. Clutching my body together, I ran back to the docks. I didn't want them to see me like this: bloody, beaten, heartbroken.

Things would unfreeze soon enough, and they would stare at the spot where I had stood. Surely, they'd see the bloodstains – maybe if they looked hard enough, they could see the tearstains as well. But neither boy would see me. Neither would walk away with the sense of satisfaction knowing that he'd won. Neither would sleep tonight with the comfort of thinking I preferred him more. They would "wake up" – I guess you could call it that – and just see an empty space where I had been. By then, I hoped to be long gone. I didn't want to play this game anymore – my heart wasn't a game of who better suited me. They both suited me – why couldn't they see that? They thought they were each the key that unlocked me, but they had it backward. I was the key that unlocked both of them. I fit them both perfectly.

But they'd never understand that. They'd want a clear winner, not some ambiguous answer.

For once, I wished I was stronger, like Yuffie, or Tifa – hell, even Aerith had me. Maybe then I'd be something worth fighting for, not something they fought over.

As I stumbled back into my boat, which had washed up on the island instead of drifting out to sea due to the storm, I turned that idea over in my mind.

With bloody hands, I grabbed my oars. In the distance, I thought I heard my name being called.

This time, though, I wasn't listening.

Kairi's pretty strong for a girl who just got beat up! Looks like things are changing!

Please tell me what you think! I've had 35 people read this story, but I don't know if you guys think this is worth continuing. If not, please tell me – I won't be offended. I'm writing this for you guys. If you like it though, please tell me!

Also, I'm open to any suggestions or grammatical changes!

Thank you so much!