It's official. I'm in love with the beginning of this chapter. I'm sorry it's short, but I wanted to make it up to you guys for updating late, so I put some romance in this chapter, as I promised a certain reviewer I would, and to do that I felt the chapter needed to be short. I wanted to add even MORE romance, but I felt that it would drag on, and I wasn't so sure on how to get there.

I left this chapter with a pretty open ending, I think, and I wanted to keep it as simple as possible so no one would get confused. Also, if there are typos I'm so sorry, I seriously stayed up the entire night and I have no idea why. I haven't slept at all xD Or eaten, for that matter.....Huh....

Onwards! Enjoy!

Oathkeeper or Oblivion

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Her brush danced across the canvas with such grace he could hardly look away; quick, fluid movements as her eyes strayed and flicked from paint to picture as quickly as her brush did. She dabbed a little gray onto the brush tip and swept down in a slower, more careful manner, biting her bottom lip lightly as she did so. She dabbed a little more gray and a tiny dot of blue and mixed them through another stroke, painting with such intensity that it seemed not even the world crashing down would disturb her.

Riku willed his legs forward, walking as quietly as he could up to the dainty girl standing in front of the huge set of canvas, most of which was black and purple with the exception of the figure in the center. Vivid streaks of purple and blue radiated off of him like sunlight, and he smiled as he couldn't help but whisper, "Naminé…You're drawing me?"

"Painting." She corrected gently, "And yes. You inspire me."

He tilted his head to the side at that, "How?"

She smiled inwardly, pushed her paintbrush into the mucky black water in her little can she had planted on the stool she usually sat in. "You just do. You're different, you're….unique." He crossed his arms, patiently waiting for her to continue, "You're….You're gentle, but when A-Ansem was here," she faltered on his name but shook her head, "you acted so strongly, like I was the most important thing in the world. And you took care of me, even though we hardly know each other. You asked for nothing in return, and I'm not sure if that's because you know there's hardly anything I can actually give to you or…."

"Or?" he let his arms drop and came around behind her, causing her to stop with her brush hovering in the air. There was another light shade of gray and blue on the end of it, "What, Naminé?"

She bit her lip, fumbled for words and said softly, "Or just seeing me is enough that I don't need to give anything back." She blushed but gave a small smile as she resumed her painting, stopping again when she felt a coldness seep through the cotton shirt and apron she was wearing, and she looked down to see his arms around her waist.

"You're right." His voice played against her ear, she could hear the smirk in it as she felt warm breath hit her neck. Her heart sped up, he reached with one hand and pressed his fingertips to her chin, tilting her head back as he leaned in and brushed his lips to hers in a feather-light kiss that numbed her lips and warmed her cheeks at the same time. She felt, just as Kairi had earlier that day when she had kissed Sora, a certain type of reality that she couldn't quite place, a weird air that lingered on the edges of a dream world. He brushed his nose to hers, "I've watched over you for a while now, since I first met Kairi. I've always wanted to talk to you."

She stayed silent but opened her eyes, as they had slipped shut, and questioned him with them.

"I never could, though. I guess it just took some time, but over that time….I really think I fell for you, Naminé." She blushed, smiled a little and the smile broke out suddenly to an all out grin,

"I….I'm painting you for a reason…You know…" He nodded, kissed her forehead,

"I know."

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"Why is it only you can see them?"

Kairi bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Mentally, she called for Sora and wondered if it would work the same way Naminé continually called for Riku at night. She gripped the arms of the chair with white knuckles and looked away, helpless under orange eyes that were only curious, she knew, but still made her feel trapped all the same.

She didn't know what to tell him, but she knew she had to explain something to him. Anything.

He was patient with her, clasping his hands on his desk and leaning in to hear her if she spoke. "May I tell you I am not recording this session?" She looked up but nodded, "In the case that someone happens to come upon it, I could lose my job if anyone found out I may be…."egging you on", so to speak."

"I know….I guess that helps…" She looked away again, her eyes searching, coming up empty and in the end staring back at him as she said, "I'm not sure what I can tell you….They don't trust you, they think….They think you could end up keeping me here my whole life- and they're right. You could if you wanted to, you know."

Ansem snorted, "I highly doubt that, Kairi. Even if I called you mentally unstable your father is the most powerful man in town and could easily find help for you when needed. A few years, give or take, but at this rate that's unnecessary. He's very much pushing for you to 'recover'."

Kairi smiled a little. He was right and that was something she had never thought of. Though her father might not be able to pull her out of the hospital until the doctors were really done with her, he could still make it so she wouldn't have to stay there the rest of her life.

The thought of setting foot in a mall again, in a dance studio- her dance studio at the mansion, made her grin a little more and say, "Their names are Sora and Riku. I'm the only one that can see the both of them because I have a pure heart. Only light, nothing dark."

He raised his eyebrows at that, "Light and dark?"

Kairi nodded, eased her grip on the arms of the chair, "Light is good. Dark is bad."

"And is Dark where those Shadows come from?" he leaned in, clearly interested and his brow furrowing with concentration.

Kairi nodded again, loosened up a tad bit more, "Yes. Sometimes the Shadows are good though. There are two different types. The bad Shadows are called Heartless, and the name 'Shadows' is just the name for their species of Heartless…At least, that's what Riku told me." He nodded, motioned for her to continue. The need for sleep seemed to leave his eyes and he looked alive, awake, "The good Shadows are a mix of Light and Dark. Not bad, but like a happy medium between the two. It's…It's hard to explain, but in a way it's more powerful than either the forces of Light or Dark."

She paused, tapped her lip thoughtfully. To hell with it…

"And…Sora, he can project himself here. Not fully, and the same goes for Riku. They…They come here to protect me from the Heartless and the bad Shadows that try to hurt me at night. The Heartless can only get here through the Dark, like….Physical darkness."

Ansem nodded, scribbled down a few notes and held up a hand to stop her, then looked back up after a few moments. "Kairi….How do…Sora and Riku get here, then? Do they need a conduit as well?"

Kairi nodded, relieved he understood as she was unsure that she was explaining it completely right. "Sora uses the Light, it's like a pathway here. He opens a "door"," she used finger quotations, "and steps through the Light to here. He can only walk in the light though, physical light I mean. If not….It's like a faulty satellite antenna in a rainstorm. The clearer the skies are, the easier he can be seen and project himself, the cloudier and rainier it gets, the darker it is, the harder it is for him to be here and he flickers."

Ansem raised his eyebrows, "Flickers? Like a light?" Kairi nodded, "And…What of Riku?"

Kairi smiled, "That's why I explained the two types of Shadows before. He uses the good ones, the actual mix of Light and Dark, to get here. He isn't bad like the Heartless, but Sora said….Sora said he once gave in to the Dark, and it left a mark on him like a scar." Ansem nodded, "But he can still use Light too, just not as well as Sora."

"And why is that?" he asked as he wrote something else down. For a moment the only sound was the sound of his pen streaking across the paper in wide, curly handwriting that was both elegant and messy at the same time.

"Because….Shadows are Light and Darkness mixed together in….um…" she paused again and he looked up with a little smile,

"Equilibrium?" he suggested mildly, amusement clear on his face.

Kairi nodded enthusiastically, showing her personality and being a little less tense as she did so, "Yah, that was the word he used."

He nodded again, leaning into his hand as he wrote, resting his chin in his palm as he said, "Let's take a break from this for a moment. I need time to mull it over, so…Tell me, what do they look like?"

Kairi smiled a little at the thought of Sora's goofy grin, and had to stifle laughter at the memory of that eyebrow-waggling grin he gave her when he had gotten the "Oathkeeper" keychain, as he had named it.

"Well," she started, "Sora….Sora's got really spiky brown hair, kind of like that new guy…Cloud?" He smiled a little and nodded, "He's got really pretty blue eyes, he smiles a lot and usually wears all white sweatpants and shirt…And…And he's about my height."

Ansem nodded, flipped his paper over and scribbled something on the top, "And Riku?"

She shifted a little, "Um….Pale skin, long white-ish silver hair…way taller than me, wears the same outfit as Sora except it's black….oh, and green eyes."

Ansem smiled a little, glanced up at the novelty clock above the door and cursed under his breath. "Excuse me, Kairi. We've been here for a over an hour now. I should let you get back to your room to rest." She nodded, started to stand.

She stopped then, just before he called for the nurse, and said, "Oh, yeah, and the other night…." He stopped and stared at her, anger in his eyes but not directed towards her, "It was the Heartless, and someone else I'll tell you about later. Most of the nurses and doctors and orderlies were attacked by them. Oh, and another thing, go talk to Demyx and ask what happened to him." She turned and showed herself to the door, leaving him rather open mouthed and quiet.

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I kind of like this ending. I thought it would fit, in a way. And I absololutely lovelovelove the beginning to this. It made me "Squee" xDD

Reviews are appreciated, and if there are typos then let me know- leave a review on your way out!

Have a great weekend!!!