It had been an hour since Amy had come to Kairi's aid. And she was now with Kairi, in the kitchen while Kairi prepared some food for their up coming adventure. Amy had spent the hour at Sora's calming Kairi down whilst she told Amy the story of what had happened. She wasn't at all surprised to hear about Kairi's latest pass-out phase, she had been aware of it happening for some time, now.

"Oh, my. Kairi. I…" she started.

"I know. We have to get them back," Kairi cut her off. She wasn't keen on the idea of others feeling sorry for her.

"No… well… yeah, but, I was going to say, don't you think you need to ease up a bit, it's not the bread's fault, after all."

"Huh?" Kairi stopped buttering the bread and realised that, some how, she had managed to massacre it. Each slice appeared to have been ripped to near extinction in her anguish. She sighed and slammed the knife onto the counter. Amy blinked and walked over to the counter to pack the food away.

"That'll do, Kairi. That'll do."

"Cloud!" Kairi suddenly looked panicked.

"Cloud? Strife?"

"No! Riku and my Cloud! I left him at home!" Kairi shot to the stairs and scrambled noisily to the front door, wrenching it open and throwing herself out onto the steps which she jumped down in one go then stopped, Amy, who had followed her, collided with her because of the sudden stop. Kairi turned to her as she hit the floor with a light thud, wincing as she landed, her hands took most of her weight where she tried to lessen the damage she'd have taken.

"Kairi! I'm so sorry, Kairi!" Amy shouted, very apologetically.

"It's fine." Kairi insisted, getting to her feet. "Look, Amy. I need you to stay here," she explained honestly.

"What? Why?" Amy interrupted.

"His parents may come home, and I need you to be here in case the Grrr's try to leave clues or ransom, or something!" She explained. Amy gave a nod before turning on her heels and walking back up the stairs and into Sora's house.

Kairi watched Amy and then turned and ran down the garden path and to the gate. She ran through the gate and turned left. How could she forget that she'd left Cloud at home with her father? What if the creatures had gotten to him, too? She wouldn't be able to live with herself, then.

She continued to run forward, towards that park, the gates were starting to come into view. As she entered the park, she turned right, the direction to the path which led to her house. As she turned, she collided with something solid. She was knocked backwards by the force of the collision and hurled towards the ground when a hand caught a hold of her wrist, stopping her from falling.

"Kairi!?" Shouted a familiar voice. Kairi opened her eyes in shock, they had closed automatically upon the collision, and she gasped as she saw who had caught her, who was currently standing right in front of her. It was a boy with pale blue hair, Riku. And what was more, in his arm, the one that had not caught Kairi, was Cloud.

Kairi's eyes widened and tears began to spill from her eyes, again.

"Riku!" She yelled, pulling her wrist from his grip and throwing her arms around him, being careful not to crush Cloud. Riku smiled, putting his now free arm around Kairi and he kissed her hair affectionately. "Riku… I… I thought… I thought they got you."

Riku rubbed Kairi's back, lightly, comforting her.

"Hey, shush, shush." His voice was gentle, sincere. "They had," he answered honestly. "But, because of the recent ventures, with the Heartless and such, when I became Ansem, I can still summon portals, for now. So I used the portal and went to your place. I knew you'd left Cloud there and I was worried in case the Grrr's decided to go there, for him, next. And, apparently, so did you." He added, pulling out of the hug and looking Kairi up and down. His eyes froze at Kairi's hands, noticing the blood stains running down them. Kairi soon realised what had caught Riku's gaze and swiftly moved her hands behind her back, but she had accidentally turned her palms outwards in the process, showing the gauges briefly. Riku grabbed one of her wrists and, gently, forced her hands open. He examined the gauges carefully, he lightly pressed his thumbs on the side of the wound and Kairi winced at the sharp, sudden pain she hadn't noticed since she had caused the gauges. Riku looked up at Kairi.

"What the hell did you do, Kairi?" He asked, astonished. Kairi pulled her hand back and looked away.

"It's nothing," she muttered, so low that Riku only just caught what she had said. She looked up to see Riku frowning at her.

"Nothing? What do you mean, 'nothing'!? It's obviously something!" Riku argued.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does! You're hurt!"

"No, I'm fine, really." She gave Riku a reassuring smile, and he smiled back, surrendering. He didn't want to upset her any more, today.

"Let's get to Sora's house and get you cleaned up, then." He suggested, not pressing on the situation any further.

Kairi nodded and turned the way she had come, and started to walk. Riku walked close by her side ad put an arm around her waist and walked with her, Cloud still sleeping in his other arm.

It was a quiet walk back to Sora's. It wasn't until they were four doors down that Kairi spoke.

"Amy's there."

"She is? Why?" Riku looked to Sora's living room window as he spoke, pulling Kairi a little closer to him.

"Well, when you guys were taken, I called her. She came right away and then I told her to stay at Sora's whilst I went to get Cloud. Then, of course, I bumped into you." She explained. They started up the steps and walked into the hall.

Kairi went into the house, first. Amy was on her knees, in the hall, cleaning up the blood that had spilt from Kairi's palms. Riku walked in behind Kairi and closed the door after him. Then, he looked from Amy, to the blood, and to Kairi. He walked past Kairi as Amy got to her feet, she looked at Riku, surprised, and confused, to see him there.

"What's that?" She asked suddenly, pointing to the creature Riku was carrying through to the living room.

"That's Cloud," Kairi said, simply, following Riku through to the living room and sitting on the three seated sofa. Riku set Cloud on the two seated sofa and walked over to sit beside Kairi, taking her hands and examining them, again.

"So," he started. Looking from Kairi's hands, to her eyes. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Kairi sighed.

Amy was back on her knees and scrubbing away at the blood stained floor and wall of the hall.

"Well, I figured out that my nails need cutting." Kairi spoke with a 'Matter-of-fact' tone to her voice, as though she was trying to avoid Riku's question, and answer it at the same time.

"Did you? And how did you figure that out?" Stupid question. He already knew the answer before asking. But, still, he'd rather hear it from her.

"I…" Kairi gave up and looked at her hands, then, very lightly, she clenched her fists. Riku looked, too. His eyes widened and he pulled Kairi into a hug- it was easier, now that he wasn't holding Cloud. He held her in both arms and she leaned into him, "I'm sorry… I thought they'd got you… I thought they'd taken you away from me,"

"Kairi," Riku pulled back, his hands holding Kairi's shoulders firmly. "Nothing in existence, anywhere, can take me away from you. Or vice verse. I promise you that," Kairi smiled weakly and gave a nod. Riku pulled her close and hugged her, again.