Dedicated to my Rose.

A/N: HELLO! Long time no type, eh? (Bows head repeatedly.) Please forgive me! So, so sorry! I promise, from now on, I will type a page a day even if it kills me. Lately, my life has been rough with a capital R. I appreciate all the PMs and well-wishes you guys have given me. You've lifted my spirits like you can't imagine! Everything is starting to smooth out--I can finally breathe again! It's magnificent!

In addition to this chapter, there's a one-shot AU thingy fluff-bonanza whatchamacallit. Enjoy. And Happy (early) Valentines day!

Disclaimer: Yawn.

Girl Talk

Sora sprawled out on the beach. He laced his fingers behind his head and heaved a contented sigh. "Relax, Riku," he said, closing his eyes. "That's the perk of a vacation, you know."

Riku sat beside Sora, not as tranquil as his comrade. Despite the lure of his favorite island and despite the hilarity of watching Kairi teach Nevaeh how to build a sandcastle that actually looked like a sandcastle, Riku wasn't feeling it. He frowned.

Sora crossed his legs at his ankles. "Jeeze, Riku, you're not supposed to brood. At least smile."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Nevaeh's put me in a bad mood."

Sora snorted. "She's always putting you in a bad mood."

Riku paused for thought. He watched Nevaeh stick a seashell on the top of a mound of sand, which was supposed to look something similar to Kairi's. And it didn't. Nevaeh was happy with her accomplishment, anyway, pointing out where she would place alligators, drawbridges, and dungeons.

"It's just--" Riku started. His attention was diverted from his conversation to the sky, where a shimmering light descended from the clouds. Judging by the way the falling star zigged and zagged one way, and then another, Riku knew what and who it was immediately. "Axel."

Sora opened one of his eyes. "Axel?"

Riku pointed.

A large, silver Gummi dropped like a ton of bricks, skimmed the ocean--a freight train doomed to derail--and demolished the beach while Axel put the 'FLAMER' (as was stenciled on the side in bold red) into park. Pneumatics hissed. The door/ramp lowered in a flash, breaking upon the sandy shore like a spring-loaded mousetrap. It flattened Nevaeh's sandcastle with a WHAP.

Riku made a face. "I'm not riding in that."

Sora succumbed to the giggles.

Nevaeh screamed, "MURDER!"

Kairi stared.

Axel strode into the daylight, as cocky and flamboyant as ever. "Hop to, chop-chop, we've got a World to save."

"I'm not riding in that," Riku repeated himself.

Axel didn't understand. He appraised his Gummi with a lively eye. "Why not? She's a beaut!"

"Flamer?" Riku sneered.

Sora giggled harder.

"Well..." Axel made a fist. A ball of fire engulfed his fingers. "I am what I am, right?"

Sora rolled in his laughter.

Nevaeh tackled Axel off the ramp. She withdrew her daggers and held them like a pair of scissors across Axel's throat. "Flamer or not, you have destroyed my dungeon, oaf! Now I destroy you to compensate, yes?"

"No." Axel opened a portal to the Realm of Darkness, sank into its wispy depths, and closed said portal before Nevaeh could follow him inside. He opened another vertical portal from behind Nevaeh's back in a span of one second. "A human life and a castle made of sand are not relative, you know." Axel dusted off his cloak.

Nevaeh glared at him from over her shoulder. "Says you."

Kairi raised her hand. "Axel, we can't leave now."

Axel cocked his eyebrows. He used Nevaeh as a prop, arm stiffened. "Why not, Princess?"

"We have to tell our parents where we're going, don't we?"

Axel waved his free hand, indifferent. "That's what computers are for. I promise. You'll be back before dinner, okay?"

Nevaeh slapped the inside of Axel's elbow. He lost his balance and fell, face first, into the sand.

Sora was beside himself.

ooo

Kairi sought out Nevaeh once they were aboard the Gummi. (She refused to refer to the ship as The Flamer.) It wasn't hard to sneak away from Sora or Riku. Once the boys were informed that the World in jeopardy was primarily 'animal', they started working on a plan of action. Who was turning into what. Who was going where. Etcetera, etcetera.

Whatever made them feel better.

Kairi found Nevaeh where the boy's dorm used to be. Since Donald and Goofy weren't present, Sora and Riku would take their room if needed. Since Axel had promised them that they would be home by supper, it wasn't likely. Unless someone was hurt.

Kairi chose to keep her mind off the possibilities. She rapped her knuckles on the door. "Nevaeh? May I come in?"

"Yes you may."

Kairi stepped inside. The room was filled with non-perishable provisions. Nevaeh was taking stock. She scribbled shorthand on a piece of paper via pen and clipboard. Undoubtedly, Cid had made adjustments and therefore pampered Nevaeh with superfluous luxuries to keep her happy...for a while...

(A/N: Haha, Nevaeh knows shorthand.)

"I don't see spice," Nevaeh complained.

Kairi smiled. "Nevaeh," she said. "I've noticed you and Riku aren't as in sync as usual."

Nevaeh leered.

"I mean," Kairi reiterated, "you don't seem like yourself. Wanna talk about it?"

"Girl talk?"

Kairi nodded her head.

Surprisingly, Nevaeh dropped her clipboard, grabbed Kairi's hand, and coaxed her to sit on the top of some crates stacked beside the wall. "I'm feeling things I've never felt before. I think I'm catching a cold." Nevaeh tightened her hands into fists. "Blasted immune system."

"Nevaeh," Kairi sighed, rolling her eyes. "You aren't sick."

"I'm not?"

"No."

"Then..." Nevaeh's eyes exploded with cupidity. She wanted to know. More than anything. "What's wrong with me?"

Kairi adjusted her posture. It looked as if she said, 'The doctor is in' without speaking the words. She wasn't aware, but she fancied herself a professional when it came to relationships, the same as Sora. (Not a professional-professional, but when compared to Riku and Nevaeh's problems, she and Sora were almost healthy. Almost.) (A/N: That's because I haven't even started torturing them yet. Mwah ha!!!) "Your problem is you're holding back."

"Holding back?" Nevaeh's fists tightened. They sounded like taut leather.

Kairi refused to be intimidated. She was used to Nevaeh's theatrics. "First you say you can't remember how to feel. Then you say you're learning. But when we first met you, you told us that Tarsus can't affect emotions--" (Nevaeh tried to interrupt, but Kairi wouldn't allow it.) "--so I think the problem is not whether you can remember how to feel, but letting yourself feel. I think, all this time, you've known how, but you've been too afraid to admit to them."

Nevaeh paused for thought. "Perceptive, Princess."

Kairi grinned a Sora-grin.

"That's not my problem right now, though. I'm worried..." Nevaeh frowned. She looked vulnerable. "...has Riku confessed feelings for other women?"

Kairi subdued her laughter. To Nevaeh, this was a sensitive topic. "Yes."

Nevaeh paled.

"He was about six. Seven?" Kairi gazed off into space. "Now that I think about it, I wonder if she was real. He might've made her up to irritate Sora. Something about a girl washing up on shore."

Nevaeh blushed. "No matter," she whispered. "That was the only time?"

(A/N: If you remember, that was Nevaeh who washed up on shore.)

"As far as I know."

Nevaeh leapt to her feet. A surge of emotion and strength radiated from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. Her belts clinked together. Her skort wafted. Her braid flailed like a lasso. Her eyes were live wires, sparking and toxic with revenge. "I shall wring her neck!"

Kairi was afraid to ask, "Whose neck?"

Nevaeh's demeanor changed. Her anger dissipated, a lovely smile graced her face, and she stroked Kairi's cheek lovingly. "Thank you, Miss Kairi," she purred as catty as she knew how. "We should invest in girl talk more often." Nevaeh skipped from the room, happy, happy, happy.

Kairi wondered what she had said to make Nevaeh so...lethal...like normal. Still, she was delighted she could help.

ooo

The moment The Flamer made touchdown, Riku and Sora had a fit, respectively.

Sora's shoulders hunched. His back arched like an angry cat. His eyes flickered yellow.

Riku pinched the bridge of his nose. He mumbled words under his breath. He didn't sound like himself.

Nevaeh and Kairi stared. Their eyes met, confessing their suspicions to one another and nodding their heads, silently agreeing to keep their concerns to themselves. For now. It seemed to them that if they made a point to draw the boy's attention to the fact that they were relapsing, it would only make it worse.

This was especially hard for Nevaeh, but she had a newfound respect for Kairi's perceptions. She wanted to emulate the Princess.

"There's definitely Dark here," Riku muttered. "I can feel it."

Sora bristled. "Yeah. I feel it, too."

Simultaneously, Riku and Sora looked in the same direction. "That way," they said together.

Axel blew a raspberry. "Who are you two? Flotsam and Jetsam? Are you going to start finishing each others' sentences?" He pressed a button on the dash as he laughed. A familiar screen descended from the ceiling. It flickered and beeped. Donald appeared to Nevaeh and Kairi, who were the only two paying attention. (Riku and Sora were busy death-glaring the direction from which they sensed the Dark. Axel was busy giggling at his own joke that nobody else thought was funny.)

Donald folded his arms across his chest. "What do you want?" He was notably bitter.

"C'mon, Donald." Axel sighed. "I already told you. Takeoff was a last-minute thing. I didn't have time to come get you and Goofy."

Donald snubbed him.

"Thing is," Axel pressed. "We need your magic."

"You should have thought about that before you left me behind." Although Donald meant what he said, he flourished his wand at the screen. The magic filtered through--somehow...but it was magic so the rules of the material word did not apply--and slithered around Nevaeh, Kairi, and Sora. Riku stepped out of the way.

Sora's skin sprouted a fine layer of fur. It was oddly dark. Not at all the color of his hair. His fingers curled against his palms and hardened into hooves. His legs and his arms elongated. Antlers sprouted out of the top of his head. They punctured the ceiling of the Gummi. His eyes flickered yellow.

Donald blinked. He whacked the end of his wand. "Is this thing on?" he asked.

"Oh! Sora!" Kairi squealed. "You're so cute!"

Sora turned his head to look at Kairi, wrenching Gummi blocks. Like nails on a chalkboard. "You are, too." He grinned his infamous grin.

Kairi didn't understand. (Because she hadn't looked at herself, yet.)

"BUNNY PRINCESS!" Axel slapped his knee. "How appropriate!"

Kairi wagged her fluffy, red tail. "Rabbits aren't red!

"Deer aren't black," Sora added.

"Skunks aren't white," Nevaeh piqued. And there she was. A solid white skunk with orange eyes. "Mr. Riku!" Nevaeh stood on her hind legs--contrapposto--and then fell to her stomach. (Riku picked her up from under her front legs/paws/arms/whatever.) "Why aren't you an animal?"

He answered plainly, "There are men in the forest. Sora and I are going to confront them while you and Kairi warn the other animals." He nodded away from the danger. (Away from the fun and excitement, in Nevaeh's opinion.)

Nevaeh tried to claw his face. Her little paws fanned the air, completely non-threatening.

Riku smirked. "Aren't you cute?"

"One more word, Mr. Riku! Don't you dare try my patience!"

Riku suddenly embraced her. Nevaeh's tail stood up straight. "Good to have you back." He refused to let her go immediately. He was bigger. Stronger. He had thumbs. This--potentially--was his only opportunity to antagonize Nevaeh's abating point without suffering horrendous consequences. Riku's smirking was absolutely evil. "I was starting to wonder if you would ever threaten my life again--" Riku gagged.

Nevaeh fluttered her eyelashes. "You squeezed me too hard." She flicked her tail.

Riku stretched out his arms, dropped her, and marched out the door.

Nevaeh scampered after him, chattering like a skunk. "COWARD!" Chatter, chatter, chatter.

Axel wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Ah, young love." He swiveled around in his chair, switching his attention from Riku and Nevaeh to Sora and Kairi.

Sora bowed his head. Kairi stood on her hind legs so her front paws could rest on the tip of Sora's nose. "Be safe," she said. "I'm really starting to worry about..." She tapered off. Her blue, bunny eyes surveyed Sora's fur. She stroked the side of his snout like the color would wear off.

Sora nuzzled Kairi's cheek. "So my hair's getting darker. No big deal." His ears twitched. "Unless you don't like dark hair. I can find a way to change it."

Kairi shook her head. "Oh, Sora." She pressed her nose against his. "Lets go save Riku from Nevaeh, okay?"

Sora agreed. "What did you say to her, anyway? She had Riku pretty worried." He bobbed his head from side to side. "You know. For Riku."

"Girl talk." Kairi wrinkled her nose. "I hope Cid packed tomato juice. Riku might need a bath."

And out they walked.

Axel deflated. All of a sudden, he felt lonely, but he made no attempt to search for his little, black book.

ooo

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry it was so short. I'll keep my promise and type a page a day. Or, at least, something a day. That way, it won't take a year to update twice. O_O

Since it's Valentines (or close enough) I have a special treat for my readers and reviewers! Yay! Technically, I wrote it for Riku and Nevaeh, but it's not exactly...normal. Think of it as a 'real life' depiction of them. Or whatever. It's fluff. Deal. :3

Those of you who visit my dA will recognize the following one-shot. I like recycling. :D

Riku was nervous. More than run-of-the-mill nervous, he was pee-his-pants nervous. The circumstances what made his stomach knot thwarted his insides--here, there, and everywhere--cold first, then hot. Falling like rain, rising like larks.

Riku thought he was going to throw up.

How many times had he walked with Nevaeh, talked with Nevaeh? What he was doing wasn't foreign. It wasn't like he sucked at idle chit-chat as far as Nevaeh was concerned. It wasn't like he didn't know what to expect from her.

Still, a new element had presented itself to the equation. And--yes--it had been there before. A tiny, insignificant 'one' lost in a matrix of zeros. But, lately, it seemed to Riku that the one had multiplied. And multiplied. And multiplied.

Things were suddenly complicated. Riku couldn't look at Nevaeh and see a morbidly twisted, sadistically sweet, little girl. That was only a slice, now. More adjectives poppity-popped like a tide of bubbles. No sooner did Riku think 'ambiguous', he thought 'tragic', 'beautiful', and 'mine'.

The last two made Riku's face blister, despite the cold.

Strange part was, he had perceived these terms...these feelings...deep down. Only recently had they reached the surface. Riku wasn't sure what to do or what to say. He was blindsided by his emotions, he knew, but the problem wasn't the manifestation of love. It was the stupidity. His was a one-sided affair. If Nevaeh felt anything, she was either an excellent actor or the things she felt for Riku were platonic.

"Riku?"

Riku jerked out of his reverie. He noticed that he was climbing the stairs of Nevaeh's complex. The lights beside the doors on the second floor hummed steadfastly, just like they always did. And Nevaeh ascended to the top, just like she always did. Riku hadn't meant to follow her. Already, he was stuck half-way, poised, one foot forward.

Nevaeh pressed her lips together. "I knew you were seeing me home, but I didn't think you'd see me home."

Riku looked from Nevaeh to the bottom of the stairs. He knew--deep down--that it would be in his best interests to turn around, blame his mistake on exhaustion, and scurry home without another word. 'His best interests' wasn't what he was interested in, though. He didn't know what, exactly, he wanted, but it had nothing to do with maintaining his sanity.

Riku continued up the stairs. "Call me old fashioned," he sighed.

Nevaeh stared. "Whatever floats your boat." She grabbed his hand when he caught up with her. "Who knew you were chivalrous?"

Riku jerked away. "I'm not."

"Okay, Mr. Denial." Nevaeh fished her set of keys from the inside of her coat pocket and strode toward 24 B, three doors to the right of the stairwell.

Riku trailed after her. He wanted to kick himself.

Nevaeh jammed her apartment key into the lock of her door. She gave Riku a look he couldn't decipher. "Silly," she giggled. Nevaeh touched Riku's forehead--leaving her keys to dangle--much to his conflicted surprise. "Stop brooding, will you? Your brow's too creased for someone your age."

Riku un-furrowed his eyebrows. Nevaeh rubbed his premature wrinkles like she could erase them permanently. Riku's eyes fell closed. Again, he wanted to kick himself, but more than that he wanted to preserve the sensation he felt. The tips of Nevaeh's fingers were like branding irons. They burnt...

...in a good way.

Riku huffed. Since when had he become such a sap?

Nevaeh laid her hand flat against his forehead. "I think you have a fever."

"Oh."

Nevaeh trickled her fingers down the slope of his nose. "You've got dirt on your face."

Riku swallowed the lump in his throat. He hated the way Nevaeh tortured him so flippantly. "I know."

Nevaeh held Riku's cheek in the palm of her hand. She cleaned the splotches of grease from under Riku's eye. "You know, soap and water do exist. It's not a myth."

"Ah. Witty."

"I'm modest, too."

Riku smirked. He opened his eyes, more or less intoxicated.

Nevaeh tilted her head. She concluded, "You've been working too hard, I think. You look like death."

"I feel like death." Riku wasn't lying. He was driving himself crazy. Heck, he was jeopardizing his good reason with every second that dwindled...and dwindled...God, how they dwindled! Riku thought, I need to end this madness. But what he wanted and what he needed were two, completely different things. He wanted to breech the distance he both respected and abhorred. He wanted to kiss the lips of Nevaeh Alexander. To taste them. If only once.

His need convinced him otherwise. Whatever Nevaeh desired for him to be, he would be. It seemed to Riku that Nevaeh wanted nothing more than a confidant--a human being disciplined enough to see through the façade she paraded day in and day out, accepting her and who she was without a comment, question, or judgment.

And...

Riku was certain Nevaeh's mouth possessed a gravity of its own. He found himself entranced. Stooping. His hand lifted of its own accord. The edge of his pointer finger brushed the underside of Nevaeh's chin, tilting her neck--up and up--slender and sumptuous in its curvature.

The division separating Riku's wants and his needs blurred. His senses heightened. He could hear Nevaeh's breath escape her lips. He could feel the peachy texture of her skin as he let fall his hand, trickling the length of her throat with the backs of his knuckles. He could see the colors Nevaeh absorbed and reflected. Pink, yellow, blue.

He reminded himself to breathe.

Riku touched Nevaeh's collar. Slowly, he brushed her braid behind her nape, his hand ascending, and traced Nevaeh's jawline. Subtly. Falteringly. His fingertips aroused the downy surface of her skin like a breeze rather than a solid.

Nevaeh was struck immobile. "What are you doing?"

"I'm..." Riku froze. He had crossed the line. In fact, if he were to spin on his heel and retreat, 'the line' would be nowhere in sight. There was no going back. He was too far-gone. "I'm leaving."

Riku did as he said. He left. Quickly.

"Riku!" Nevaeh snapped.

He descended three steps. Only three.

Why? Why did Nevaeh have the audacity to call his name? Was she really so spiteful? Was she bound and determined to kill him stone dead?

Nevaeh stood on the stair behind him. "You forgot something."

Riku turned around. "What did I forget?"

Nevaeh grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulled him forward, and kissed him on the lips with such recklessness, Riku wasn't sure if he had been kissed of sucker-punched. "That," Nevaeh shrilled. "You forgot that. The epitome of romantic good-byes. I can't believe you would leave it up to someone like me to initiate."

"What?"

"You're the man." Nevaeh poked him in the chest. "You're supposed to be the one to kiss me. Not the other way around. Don't you know anything?"

Riku made a face. Not only had Nevaeh succeeded in fulfilling his deepest fantasy, but she had also insulted him to the point where he didn't care diddly-squat about swapping saliva with the object of his affection. Instead, he wanted to rebuke her...start an argument...

Something. Anything.

Riku closed his eyes, counted to ten, and said, "You're a bad kisser."

Silence.

Riku opened his eyes. Mildly satisfied, he saw that Nevaeh's jaw had come unhitched. (Her lips' gravitational pull wasn't as strong as before, he noted.) "W-Well," she stuttered. "At least I'm not a scardy-cat too afraid to kiss the only girl he'll ever get."

Riku glowered. He hammered the railing with his fist. "At least I'm not a superficial flirt unconcerned with the feelings of others."

"Flirt?" Nevaeh shot back. "Is that the best you've got?"

"I am censoring myself." Riku's glare was unsurpassed.

Nevaeh glared back. "You," she hissed. "You are so, incredibly thick!" Her face flushed in her bewilderment. The rosiest Riku had ever seen. Her nose, her eyes, her ears, and her lips were uniform in color. The amount of oxygen Nevaeh pulled through her nose should have made her braid rigid. "Can't you see?" She stamped her feet. Once. Twice. Three times. "I'm in love with you!"

Riku's heart fainted.

Nevaeh held her head in her hands. "And see? I've broken tradition! Again! That makes twice! What else do you want me to do, Riku? Bend on one knee and ask for your hand in marriage?"

Riku's chest hurt. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought his legs had vanished. He couldn't feel them anymore. Everything below his waist was numb. The only reason he could feel his arms was because he gripped the rails too tight. The only reason he could feel his chest was because his heart was having a panic attack.

How was it possible? How was it possible for him to have the capacity to love Nevaeh Alexander to such an extent? How was it possible for his body to have the strength to withstand the amount of passion and compassion he harvested for one, little girl?

"If that's what it takes," Nevaeh continued, brisk with her words. "Then please."

"Please?"

Nevaeh flung her arms around Riku's neck. She lost her cool as quickly as she lost her temper. "Please. Please, will you? Will you take me?"

Riku would rather throw himself off the second story than to ever hear the desperation what soaked Nevaeh's voice through and through.

"I love you," Nevaeh whispered. "I don't care that you're a coward. I don't care if you can't say it. Because I can. I'll say it enough for the both of us." Her grip tightened. "I love you. I. Love. You."

Riku couldn't move. His throat was clogged. His senses were coiled taut and overloaded.

"I love you," Nevaeh repeated herself. "You're kind and gentle, in spite of what you want everyone to think. And..." She twisted her fingers deep into Riku's hair. Her nails combed his scalp. "Even though I'm not what I make myself out to be, you're still...I never thought that someone could ever..." Nevaeh trembled.

Riku turned his face toward her.

Their foreheads touched. Their noses met, side by side.

Riku reveled in the warmth. "Three for three?" he asked.

Nevaeh grinned sheepishly. "What should I have you do now that I've taken your responsibilities?"

Riku parted his lips. He felt Nevaeh quiver in anticipation. He made a funny 'uh' noise in the pit of his throat. The hairs on Riku's arms stood on end.

Nevaeh laughed, breathless. Riku accompanied. It was their way of acknowledging the nonsensicalness of the entire situation. Couldn't they contain themselves?

No. They couldn't.

This, Riku thought was funny. Especially since he and Nevaeh regarded themselves as masters of deception. There was one thing they couldn't curb, snuff, or ignore. Not anymore. They had, but wouldn't again. It was just too taxing on their bodies. Now that they were experiencing what it felt like to open the floodgates of their emotions, there was no chance what-so-ever that they would dam them after tonight.

Riku would make sure of that.

He kissed Nevaeh's cheek--slowly, repeatedly. He slipped his lips toward her ear, leaning in. "I've loved you for a long time. That has to count for something." Riku stepped down. He turned to leave.

Nevaeh wavered. "Are--" She didn't finish her sentence.

The corner of Riku's mouth twitched. "I'll see you tomorrow." He walked to the bottom of the stairs.

Nevaeh was right on his heels. "Aren't you going to kiss me?" she demanded to know.

Riku glanced at her over his shoulder. (Nevaeh pointed at her lips.) "I thought that was your responsibility."

"Don't be cute. It doesn't suit you."

Riku grunted. He grabbed Nevaeh's face in his hands and captured her lips in an instant. He held her still, knowing full-well Nevaeh's abating point was fast. (Abnormally fast.) He kissed her and he kissed her and he kissed her, thirsty for equability the moment he tasted Nevaeh's sultry breath.

Riku lingered longer than was necessary, but Nevaeh was addicting. The way she gasped at him. The way she tried to regain her composure with little success. The way she gave as he advanced. The way she kissed the air even as he retreated.

Riku couldn't help but chuckle.

Nevaeh started. "You think you're sexy, don't you?" She rolled her eyes. "The next time you ambush me like that, I'll kick you in your tenders."

Riku didn't doubt she would.

Nevaeh waved her departure. "See you tomorrow." (She said this like they hadn't confessed their undying love.)

"Tomorrow."

NUU!

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God bless!