I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

During the next week, the Restoration Committee went around town helping the citizens repair their homes and clean up the streets. The heartless had destroyed almost everything—houses had been set on fire, plants and trees were dug up, roofs were torn out, and streets were flooded from the rain showers. People had resorted to living in tents and building temporary shelters while their houses were under construction. Reconstruction was a team effort, and no one was left alone to re-settle. Unfortunately, one of the most immediate problems was the loss of crops. The town's supply would soon run out, and people would need to start over and re-plant. While the new crops grew, the Restoration Committee would need to figure out how to feed the two-hundred people who lived in Radiant Garden.

Keiya's foot was starting to heal, and she was able to walk around and explore the house a little bit, even though Riku would rather her not. While everyone else was out helping the town, Riku stayed behind with Keiya. The two of them took care of things at headquarters, like planting their personal crop supply and answering phones.

"Hey, I'm going to go check on the plants in the front."

"Nice try. I already did. If you want to go outside, Keiya, you can go in the courtyard." Said Riku, hanging up a phone. He walked back to the kitchen where he was heating a pot on the stove.

"But that's so unfair!" She whined. "If I'm allowed in the courtyard, I should be allowed outside. It shouldn't make a difference."
"If it doesn't make a difference, then go hang out in the courtyard. There are hills and fallen logs outside—you'll get hurt."

"I can walk!"

"On a flat surface. You're lucky I'm even letting you out of bed—if Aerith finds out, I'll be the one in trouble." He said pointedly.

"I thought I wasn't a hostage." She protested.

"You're not. You're a patient. So no leaving the building until Aerith and Leon say its okay." He replied smoothly. Keiya sighed and stood on the other side of the counter, watching watched Riku fill two bowls of soup from a pot that Tifa had made the previous night for dinner. "You know I'm not going to eat that, so don't waste it." She said levelly.

"Oh, by the way, I told Leon all about that. He didn't give me an answer, but Aerith said we should keep offering you food until you take it."

"You could be feeding some of the townspeople."

"They have food. Cid and some of the merchants are importing food from neighboring worlds for the season. It'll be expensive, but at least there won't be a famine."

Riku pushed a bowl towards her, which she sat in front of but never touched. He sat across from her, picking at his own bowl. They stayed quiet for a few minutes, listening to the ticking of the clock.

"So can I—"

"No."

"Leon and Aerith aren't here."

"I am. You need to stay here—doctor's orders."

"You're no doctor." She said, holding back a laugh and pointing at him with her spoon.

"But I have been taking care of you, haven't I?" He said, ending the argument.

Keiya stopped trying to convince Riku to let her out—what he said was absolutely true. This past week while everyone else was out, Riku had been watching over her. He helped her get used to walking again (even though it was against the rules), he constantly watched over her to protect her against any further heartless attacks, and he always made sure she had something to eat, (despite her lack of hunger). Keiya didn't want to admit it, but she really owed a lot to Riku—he had saved her life twice, and was still protecting it. Since they were always home alone nowadays, they continued to grow closer. In fact, the only reason why she could argue with him was because they had become so close.

"Give up?" He asked as she stood from the table, bringing her full bowl over to the counter.

"For now." She said, walking into the living room. She dropped onto the couch, bouncing up slightly. She felt restless; she had never been so inactive in her life. Maleficent always had her doing some chore or other. Being home-bound made her uneasy—especially since it wasn't her home. She was a complete out-cast here. Riku placed his empty bowl in the sink and sat down next to Keiya.

"You don't have to follow me around all day. Aerith must have given you some freedom." She said, trying not to look at him. That was the other thing that made her uneasy. Since Riku was in charge of her, she felt she was keeping him from going out where all the excitement was. And he had a way of making her nervous. Being around these 'heros of light', as Maleficent mockingly used to describe them, made her uneasy to begin with due to her dark background, but being around someone like Riku, who was able to rise up and leave all that behind, made her feel pathetic and ashamed. The only thing she could do to hide her embarrassment was to act stubborn and sarcastic, and hope that no one saw through her façade.

"You're right—I don't. Are you saying you don't want my company?" He teased.

"I'm not saying that at all." She started, slightly flustered. "I just—"

"I'm just joking—don't get all worked up." He said, giving her a weak, unconvincing smile. A silence fell over the room and a distance set in Riku's eyes, causing Keiya to feel even more uneasy.

………………………

"Of course. 'Don't worry, she couldn't have escaped so fast', isn't that what she said?" grumbled Sai to himself. He paced back and forth in front of the hotel in Traverse Town. Seated in front of the building was the hotel owner, who had been tied up and interrogated. "S-sir, I really haven't seen anyone who—"

"Enough! I'll just go look somewhere else." He said bitterly, motioning for his heartless to follow him away. He left the hotel clerk where he was, and started making his way over to the first district, when he caught sight of a black figure entering the alleyway. He sighed and dismissed the heartless so he could follow the figure, who, as he thought, was Maleficent herself.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, coming up behind her.

"Excuse me?" She returned, a cool look in her eye.

"I'm sorry—with all due respect, why did you come here yourself. I have everything under control." He restated, remembering his place.

"I came because interrogating—no, simply interacting with mere civilians is not 'having everything under control', Sai. How many times must I spell it out for you? I instructed you to conduct a search. I assumed you knew what that meant." Even when she was annoyed, her speech was elegant.
"I just thought that—"

"Thinking is not what I asked you to do. The heartless can search this whole town without flaunting their power, causing a scene, and making themselves personally familiar with the locals." She said sharply, staring him down. "When you are more mature, and have a better sense of obedience and judgment, then perhaps I will send you to do more demanding work, But for now, that job belongs to Keiya."

"Then why did she run away?! Why are we looking for her right now, if she's so dutiful and mature?!" He snapped.

"The point I am trying to make is that she kept herself at such a distance from her work that no one knew she even existed up until recently. Word got out because of that greedy council, but I made sure to keep that in mind while forming the current one."

"Why do you even bother with a council? If you don't need them, then—"

Maleficent turned sharply, causing Sai to flinch. "I'm sorry." He said hesitantly.

"I don't need to answer to you. My council is for strictly political reasons. Their help is useless to me—they are simply figureheads. As for you and Keiya, you are the ones who I have hopes of putting in charge. Instead of keeping my apprentices secret, I thought I might give you positions. Keiya's already proved herself ready for that, providing she doesn't run away again—I'll deal with that, but you have some work to do if you want to catch up." She said nonchalantly. Her words cut through him like a knife. "Big things are about to happen, so I suggest you clean this mess up quickly so we can get back on track."

Maleficent opened a portal and walked though with her head turned up high. Sai raised a clenched fist and slammed it into the brick wall. "It's not my mess to clean up."

………………………

"R-riku? What's wrong?" She finally said, breaking the ear-piercing silence.

"Nothing. You just seem… never mind." He said, waving it off.

Now that he had caught her interest, Keiya scooted closer and tried to force the story out of him. "What? C'mon, what is it?"

"You don't seem comfortable here. I was just wondering why." He stated, more as an observation than a question.

Keiya shifted in her seat, feeling her face heat up. She was much to embarrassed to explain herself, since she automatically felt inferior to everyone else in the house. As if she was wrong and they were all right. Most people in my situation wouldn't have even stayed here. I should be proud of my power, not ashamed, right?

"Y'know, I don't really feel comfortable here, either." Riku confessed. "I'm in the same boat as you—Leon and some of the others don't trust me. When I brought you here, they thought I was helping Maleficent with some master plan or something. I can't be in the same room with everyone, including Sora and Kairi, and actually have fun. I guess I'm still self-conscience of my mistakes." He turned to face her, "I'm not sure, but I think you feel the same way. Probably to more of an extreme, but still… So am I right?"

Keiya struggled to find her voice. She was never good at talking to people—especially not about feelings. "Y-yeah, that's right…"

He gave her a quick smile. "Maybe that's why I'm able to talk to you—I don't feel like I have to constantly prove myself the way I do with Leon."

"I can't agree with you there."

"What?"

"Nothing." She said quickly, brushing a hand through her hair.

"… Why did you run away?" He asked suddenly. She only became more embarrassed.

"I… I just don't like being Maleficent's apprentice. That's all."

"Really?" He said, unconvinced. He leaned back, draping an arm across the back of the couch.

"Yeah, really." She shot back.

"Then why is it you always went back?"

"I told you before—I didn't have anywhere else to go, so—"

"If you were so unhappy there, why didn't you find a place? It doesn't sound like you were very determined." Riku said kindly, not really meaning any harm.

Keiya jumped up from her seat violently, causing Riku to flinch. It's not fair—I feel like I'm being scrutinized! "I don't know! I just don't know, okay?" Her face flushed red with anger. She stood with one hand gripping her other arm across her chest, and hung her head down a little so her hair could cover her eyes. "You don't understand what it's like—you had a home! And even when it was destroyed, you had friends! At least you had somewhere to go!" She cried. Then, something strange happened. For the first time in years, she felt her eyes start to sting and water up. "How can you measure my 'determination'?! You don't know what that is! You had everything right in front of you—"

She cut herself off, then turned and ran quickly down the hall just before tears starting spilling over. Without thinking, she ran out the back door and started down a mildly steep slope. She ran at top speed against the already strong winds, so that her eyes stung and her hair whipped around her face. Riku jumped up immediately and followed her, still letting what she had said sink in.

"Keiya! Stop!" He called, nearly bumping into a wall while turning a corner.

I'm so stupid—I didn't realize she was comparing herself to me!

He ran out the open door and down the hill. Everything was slippery and covered in mud from the last storm, and the sky was dark grey—it was about to start pouring. He half ran half slid down the hill and caught sight of a figure only a little further up. When he reached her, she had already fallen and was sitting, crying softly in the mud.

"Keiya…" He said carefully, coming up next to her. "Listen, I'm sorry—I didn't mean to judge you. I meant—"

"It's not your fault." She whispered between sobs. Riku sat down next to her. "I shouldn't have yelled at you." Her hair was still shielding her face completely, but Riku could tell she was crying.

"What you were saying before—I didn't mean to compare our situations. They're totally different. I wasn't trying to act superior or anything." He smirked. "Even though according to you I can't help it." He heard her laugh a little between breaths. "I did have friends. I knew I could have gone with them. I was just too stubborn to accept any help. I guess I was jealous, too. Of Sora." He admitted. "When I realized I wanted to leave, it was too late."

"Then how are you here if it was too late?" She said, shifting so that she was sitting straight. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and pulled her inured foot in to clean it off.

"I lost a lot along the way. My friends' trust, my pride—don't say it, I know what you're thinking." He said before she could comment. "And eventually, my body. So in a way, I did get out before I lost everything, but it was already too late to fix my mistakes. I could be forgiven, but things aren't the same as they used to be." Just then, the skies opened up and ice cold rain began pouring down. Thunder cracked in the distance and the sky became dark. "You think I don't know how it feels to not have a home? On the road, my friends were my home, and I left them behind. After that, it was like I couldn't go back. That would have been like giving up. But while I was with Maleficent, I never, ever considered that my home."

"Neither do I. I've been trying to find somewhere else to go—somewhere I can start over—but I didn't know anyone I could go to, and I had no real way to travel. Just portals, but then again, using darkness to escape wouldn't be starting over. And before I knew it, I was already commanding entire fleets of heartless. I destroyed villages, killed people—so many people, you wouldn't believe. Even some of Maleficent's 'friends'. I took some of them out, too."

"If you were that powerful, why did you keep trying to leave?" He asked. Both of them were soaked and shivering. Keiya drew her legs up and huddled in a ball to keep warm.

"I didn't like what I was doing. And Maleficent kept giving me more and more control—it was getting harder and harder to live without it. Now I don't even need basic necessities, like food and water. It's really disgusting."

"Weren't you afraid of losing your heart?"

"No. That won't happen to me." She said confidently. Riku smiled, remembering those words. "Might want to be careful. I said the same thing a few years ago." He said lightheartedly.

"Well, you made a deal with a parasite." She said nonchalantly. "And the power he 'shared' with you—that was nothing."

"Oh, so you're that strong, are you? And how do you know all this stuff?"

"Like I said, you were on your way to becoming one of her apprentices."

"So I could have worked alongside you? That would've been weird." He laughed, standing up. He offered her a hand, which she took gratefully, and pulled her up.
"No, you would've worked under me, which would have been weirder."

"Wait a minute—apprentices? You mean there's more?"

"He's no real threat—you would've skipped right over him in the ranks." She said, waving the topic away to avoid it. "Anyway, we should probably go inside."

"Yeah. How's your foot, by the way? This is why I told you not to go outside." He said as they started walking back up the hill.

"Just shut up." She replied, pushing him away lightly.

………………………………

Sai walked briskly up the stairs, his hands in his pockets. He wore a simple uniform of black pants with a long sleeve black under-armor shirt. He could have just traveled by portal, but he didn't want to be scolded for using magic just to get upstairs. To him, it seemed like he couldn't do anything his way without being scolded.

At the top of the spiraling staircase was his room, which was just a bed and an empty bookshelf and desk. He preferred sparring to reading. The room had no windows—just like most other rooms—and had a small armoire for clothes. This was not a first-class room by any means. He had never really bothered to redecorate, since he had planned on being promoted quickly. He kicked a box, which was filled with old stuff he had never unpacked. Dammit! Why can't she see I'm ready for real work! I can't even run a stupid search mission without being yelled at! The box fell over, and out tumbled a picture of a man and woman standing beneath a tree. Sai's eyes darkened as he picked it up. The woman was holding a bundle—a baby wrapped in a soft blue blanket. It was springtime, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining. Their eyes were so happy, and their smiles were so warm…

Sai threw the picture against the wall. The glass shattered into pieces and the picture fell out. He dropped to the floor, letting out an angry cry.

……………………………

"That boy is useless, Maleficent. Why do you even bother training him as an apprentice?"

A chilly laugh could be heard across the room. A group of people were watching a young boy of eleven years battle a heartless in the next room, which was separated by a window. "He certainly has determination. Besides, his power is fueled by his anger. His parent's death has caused mixed feelings within him—he wants revenge, though he doesn't know who to take revenge on. He's naïve. I can work with him. He will grow up to be predictable, though I can't guarantee reliable."

"What about your first apprentice? Why do we never see you training her?" Asked a different voice.

"She's more difficult to handle." She said flatly. "That one is years of training ahead of the boy, and years ahead of herself as well. Don't concern yourself with her—you'll hear about her from where you stand." With that, Maleficent walked away and entered the room the boy was practicing in through a door.

"Hmph. That Maleficent… she never lets us know what's going on—I don't trust her. I still haven't seen that apprentice of hers—sometimes I think she's just making her up to intimidate us."

"I've seen her with this one-- the boy. She feeds the kid darkness like its cake!"

"Still, the power she offers us is amazing! As long as we stick with her, we'll be able to conquer our worlds and more in no time at all!"

Inside the room, the little boy moved to strike the heartless, but it moved to fast for him and he was sent flying into the wall. Maleficent walked over to him, a blank expression on her face. "Try using some magic, Sai. Fighting isn't all about sparring."

He nodded his head and attacked again, this time with a black fire bolt. He hit the heartless dead on.

………………………………

"I've been wondering, Keiya. You said you always ended up going back to Maleficent whenever you ran away from her." Said Riku, handing her a blanket. She wrapped it around herself and sat down on the couch next to Riku.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, what about this time?" He asked in a serious tone.

"…I haven't really given it much thought." She admitted. "I can't go back now. Not after meeting you… guys." She added quickly.

"Well, I was thinking, why not go back to Destiny Islands with me?"

"Destiny Islands?"

"Yeah, I mean, since you don't have anywhere else… you can come live with us—no one will ask any questions." He said hopefully, scratching the back of his head.

She smiled, trying to picture finally running away to a tropical paradise. Not really what she had in mind, but Riku was right. She could make a new start there. "That sounds… nice. I'll think about it."

"Good!" He said, relieved. "You'd like it there. There's palm trees, sand, blue water and skies—you can even go fishing without a boat!"

While Riku continued talking excitedly about what kind of life she could have there, Keiya began thinking over her own concerns. If Maleficent finds me there, she would destroy everything—I couldn't do that to Riku. He's already lost his home. But still… what are the chances that Maleficent will find me on an island in the middle of nowhere?

……………………………

Sai walked back downstairs and entered the training room where his heartless were lined up. He walked down the line, accounting for each one present, when he walked past a blank space. He paused—twelve of his heartless were missing! He smirked, then walked quickly to Maleficent's office. I didn't bring any shadows with me to Traverse Town—the last time they fought was in Radiant Garden. Ordinary civilians couldn't have killed those heartless. I knew I was looking in the right place!

………………………

AN: Sorry I haven't updating in a while—I've been busy! I hope this chapter was interesting—it took a while to write. And originally, I wasn't going to make Sai such a strong character. Actually, I had never really thought about his past until now, so I decided, 'Why not? He deserves a tragic past and upbringing, doesn't he?' Please review and look forward to chapter five!