Recappy From the Last Chappy: "You're right," I agreed calmly, regarding the try with her. It was bent oddly for a tree, turning sort of in an L-shape on the small island it was rooted in. The star-shape fruit was toward the top, bunched with green palm leaves. "It's a little girly, but . . . romantic."

Shaking my head with vigor, I added, "Oh, but that doesn't mean I want to try it or anything. . . ."

I could tell from the look on her face that she was calling my bluff on the inside, and she let her tone as she said, "Uh-huh, suuuuure," drip with sarcasm. I simply shook my head and gazed at the island again as we walked away.

From the new vantage point, I could see Riku and Sora with their wooden swords, dueling yet again. I smiled softly.

Chapter Twenty-One: Once Upon a Time, Twice Upon a Dream

Where did everyone go? So suddenly, everyone seems like they've gone, thought the young kunoichi. She gazed at the woods with lavender-white eyes of a gentle shape. Under straight bangs and forelocks kissing the sides of her face, stimulated veins and arteries marking usage of the Hyuuga Clan's byakugan were evident.

The rest of her hair settled across her back and shoulders down to her waist. Her dress was lightweight in accommodation to the sunny weather, not too loose and not fitting too closely around her sizeable bust and hips. The skirt of the dress would flare a little if she spun and came barely over her knee. It was colored a light violet.

Around her neck rested a blue Konoha hitaiate; the color was matched closely by her hair and strappy sandals. For a ninja, she had a rather timid demeanor, and did not stride confidently in spite of her familiarity with the area.

"Um, Piglet? Eeyore . . . ? Tigger?" she called somewhat loudly. For her soft voice, it was comparable to a yell, but next to one who spoke normally, she had hardly raised her voice. Possibly due to this, or the absence of the names called, she received no response.

She was ready to consider the option that they had started a game of Hide-and-Seek without telling her, but even then she knew she would see them with her special sight—"Is that . . . Pooh Bear?" Trusting her judgment, she deactivated her byakugan and walked in that direction.

Outside the thicket was an empty meadow. She could see it through the last line of trees before she would enter it. Though most of it was vacant, within roughly ten feet of where she stood a hollowed log had been laid to rest. Sitting atop it was a tubby yellow bear wearing a red shirt. His body structure was closer to a stuffed teddy bear than its feral counterpart. Pooh!

Smiling, she began to enter the meadow but retreated behind a tree almost immediately and peered around. Not far from where the bear roosted, a boy with a lot of spiky hair and blue eyes had materialized abruptly out of thin air. He was around her age, perhaps a little younger, and appeared a little lost.

The boy was Sora.

Keeping her presence hidden, the girl watched as Sora approached the bear. The latter had his brow furrowed in concentration and his arms almost crossed. One of his stubby paws tapped his forehead as he stared at the ground. Repeatedly, he muttered, "Think, think. Think, think."

"Hi there," Sora greeted. "What's wrong?"

Though he faced her, she realized he was speaking to the bear. Nevertheless, she shrank back and watched the bear continue his movements and respond, "Nothing. Just thinking." By the high concentration of his expression, there was no doubt that he was troubled. "I was thinking of how to say goodbye to Pooh."

"Pooh?"

The bear reacted and lowered his arm. "Yes?"

"Wait a second." The brunette raised a brow and hopped onto the log beside him. "You're Pooh?"

"Yes, I'm Winnie the Pooh. Pooh for short." He stared at him with beady black eyes. "Have you come to say goodbye to Pooh, too?"

Sora cocked a brow. "Well, no. Why would I do that?" He shrugged. "We've only just met."

"Because everyone's gone away."

"What do you mean?"

Despondently, the bear recalled old times. "Well, we all lived here in the Hundred Acre Wood. And we'd take walks together, and play Pooh sticks . . . and every day, I'd eat some honey." Reminiscently he rubbed his tummy. "Just one smackeral would taste very good right now. But now, everybody's gone." He was noticeably morose. "All my friends, and my favorite honey tree too. Everyone must have gone away while I was napping, I think. . . .

"So, who knows? Maybe I shall end up going away somewhere, as well." Contemplating once more, he hopped down and tapped his forehead. "But I wonder: how do I say goodbye to myself? Think, think. Think, think." Both Sora and the girl regarded him with a mix of sympathy and empathy. "Oh, my tummy is getting rather rumbly."

Pulling herself out from behind the tree, the girl watched with Sora as the bear walked toward the other end of the meadow. Oh, Pooh . . . so, everyone really is gone; just like Kiba, Naruto, Shino, Kurenai-sensei, and Hanabi. . . .

Sora hopped down from the log and turned halfway around. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye (the girl as she hid behind a tree once more) and turned fully. He directly gazed at the tree. "Hello . . . ? Someone there?" He climbed over the log and approached. "Are you one of Pooh's friends?"

The girl mentally berated herself. Too late . . . he saw me. Well . . . he seems nice. . . . Hesitantly, she sidled into the open with her hands still resting on the tree and stared at him. Embarrassed by her rudeness, her cheeks were a little red.

Relief crossed his face. "Oh, good, you're really there," he said as he nervously scratched the back of his head. "I've been seeing things a lot lately . . . I wondered if I imagined you. Hiya." He waved. "I'm Sora. What's your name?"

In a small voice, she replied, "My name is Hinata. Nice to meet you, Sora."

"Good to meet you too, Hinata." He grinned. Then he noticed the hitaiate around her neck. "Wait a sec . . . you're from Hiki's world, aren't you? Um . . . The Land of Shuriken and Kunai, right? She has one of those headband-thingies too. How'd you end up in the book?"

She gave him a puzzled look. "Book? I don't know, I . . . I woke up here, after that night. . . ." She looked down. "I'm . . . we're . . . inside a book?"

"Oh, uh . . . yeah. . . ." Sheepishly he averted his gaze. I guess she didn't know. "So, you don't know how to get out of here, then, huh?" He looked at her again. "Do you want to find a way out with me? Since neither one of us belongs here."

"Um. . . ." Hinata continued to gaze at the floor, uncertain. The thought of being inside a book was rather silly, and this boy was a total stranger to her. However, he did know Hikari—her nickname, too—and had recognized the headband on sight. Pooh seemed to think she was already gone, too.

She raised her head and nodded. "Mm." Maybe, if she went with this boy, she would meet others.

I felt wet sand under my feet and a gentle night breeze through my charcoal hair. My shoes were set aside in the sand, and my pants were rolled up to my knees. The waves rolled and brushed my toes, sending a chill through me, but quickly pulled back. The moon lit a surprised expression on my face.

"Ahh! Ha ha, it's so cold!" I smiled while stepping back. Taking my shoes with me, I retreated from within the water's reach and looked back at my companion, who sat back on the beach and watched. "You didn't say that it would be this cold."

Riku laughed and teased, "I told you that it would be 'cool.'"

I walked toward him and plopped beside him with a light, awkward smile. "I didn't know you meant it like that," I admitted in a quiet murmur.

He continued to smile.

Conceding defeat, I shifted to seat myself comfortably. The night chill was minute, but I shared heat with him where our arms touched. I left my legs bent a little and watched my toes disturb the sand. In the process, I dug up a few shells and thought briefly of Kairi. She would probably like them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Riku's head was turned toward me but I pretended not to notice. It was hard keeping a straight face under his direct scrutiny, but I managed to keep the width of my smile from becoming too enlarged. I think I felt a little bit of red coming to my face, but I was definitely not a tomato.

After awhile, I looked at him and realized he was not looking at my face or the hole I had dug with my feet. Under a concentrated brow, his eyes seemed to be directed at my chest, but by the expression of his mug I wasn't sure that he was actually seeing, like his thought process was on something else. Instead of a dirty, perverted excitement, there seemed to be wonder.

I opened my mouth and was ready to question him when he spoke first and looked me in the eye. "Hiki."

"Hmm?"

He seemed to chuckle at my apprehension. I could see a minuscule hesitation in his eyes as he lowered his gaze to the same spot as prior. "That curse mark of yours . . . it's on your chest, isn't it?" He looked at my face once again; I knew it was redder. "I want to see it. Show it to me?"

I looked away from him, hardening my gaze as my hand went over my heart; where the bruise was marked. I wished the seal could suppress not only the darkness I felt when thinking back on those memories of receiving the mark, the feelings of rage, anger, and despair, but my remembrance of them as well.

I stood and faced the sea, taking a few steps toward it. My other hand raised and brushed the tips of my fingers against the purple marks around my eye. Riku also stood and followed, coming up on my side. I lowered my hand from my eye and turned my face toward him.

I couldn't meet his eyes. I wasn't really sure what I was more nervous about—showing him the mark of which I was profoundly mortified, or that in order to show it, I would have to completely unzip Sora's jacket and bare my flesh . . . maybe they were equal.

My hand wrinkled the material of my shirt. "Yes." I turned my body toward him. I moved my hand from over the mark to the zipper at my collarbone. "I'll show it to you." Mentally, I added, "Because . . . it's you."

Challenging myself, I managed to regard his visage as I pulled down the zipper of the jacket. Allowing the right side to remain as is, I felt some warmth flush my cheeks as I pulled the left flap to the side. Had the jacket not been so small, I probably wouldn't have needed to unzip it all the way and have quite as much bare.

Riku took a step closer to me; his eyes were on the marked bruise placed at just where the mound of my breast began. The light from the moon seemed to make the silver strands of his hair glow while at the same time darkening the shadows to a bluish hue. Similar could almost be said about his face, and the muscles of his arms. . . .

He continued approaching me until we were very close; I wouldn't be able to look down without seeing his feet and possibly shins. Not that I was looking down. I refrained from that and kept my head craned; although, in trying not to look down in shame or embarrassment, I may have had my chin a little higher than necessary.

He didn't seem to notice. I couldn't read his eyes, so his thoughts were ambiguous to me, too. By this time, I was really feeling embarrassed—especially since he wasn't saying anything. Deciding I had been standing there like that long enough, I averted my eyes and started to pull the flap over. "That's enough—"

His hand stopped mine, "—Hold on a minute—," and reversed the motion. When I looked up at his face, I saw that he still looked at the mark, but there was a light curl to his lip. He lowered his head toward my chest until his face was no longer visible in my line of sight, bringing out of me a very dark red.

Briefly, my countenance was replaced by that of the blonde wraith.

My heart jumped to meet his lips as he brushed them over each cross in the mark, and my face felt warm enough to glow. The cold sea breeze contrasted greatly with the heat stirring through my arms, chest, and abdomen from the ripple of shock. Butterflies sprang to life in my stomach.

I raised my hand and set them against his abs, holding him back but not pushing him away. "Riku, what are you . . . ?" I laughed a little nervously. "Stupid question. Uh—"

When he raised his head and met my stare, I stopped. While there was a wicked amusement in his smile, there was also something soothing. His right hand was still on my shoulder, gently resting over my hand. He regarded me softly. Once more my appearance briefly took on that of the blonde wraith, but quickly returned to my own.

"The crosses mark a bruise, right? From the curse? I was just kissing your 'boo-boo' better." A wicked gleam crossed his eyes, and he smiled. He took his other hand and brushed my bangs back from my forehead. As he leaned in and made our brows touch, I felt like I was going to overheat, but sustained an outside calm. "But it looks like I gave you a fever instead. We should cool you off. . . ."

I narrowed my eyes in puzzlement one moment and astronomically widened them the next. Riku's arms wrapped around my waist and thighs as he lifted me off my feet and hoisted me onto his shoulder. I mildly protested when he started carrying me toward the water. "No! Stop! It's cold!" Yet, in his embrace, I couldn't keep a smile from crossing my face.

I didn't have to see the grin on his face to know it was there. "I'm taking responsibility for making you hot! What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" he exclaimed. "And this is the only way to cool you off."

"I am cool!" I insisted. From my position, I could see the waves roll passed us. He was repositioning his hands to grab me around the waist as he tread deeper in. My toes brushed the surface and I realized even now I couldn't struggle free from him without meeting my icy fate. I could feel Riku shiver, as he was already in above his knees.

I stopped flailing and accepted defeat, instead closing my eyes. I braced myself—Riku laughed—as he flung me into the sea. Instinctively I curled up and plunged into the icy waters. It was even colder than I'd thought.

I straightened as my feet searched for and found the ground. When I stood straight, the water came to just above my chest. I wasn't sure which part of me was colder—the water was of freezing temperatures, and I shivered all over, but the breeze above the surface gave me goose bumps.

Riku was grinning wickedly in both a sexy and mischievous way as he splashed water at me. He was shivering too, and started laughing as I retaliated with water techniques of my own. My lips trembled into a wide grin. "Ahh!"

My face was turned away from the water being splashed at me but I started to approach him. A harmlessly impish smile worked its way onto my face as I peeked through the water. When I was close enough, I jumped through the splash and tackled him. "I'm taking you down with me this time!"

He yelped in surprise and caught me around my waist. Together, we fell beneath the surface, feeling the iciness nipping at every pore. Together, we straightened and looked at each other's faces. Together, we laughed and smiled, dripping wet. I reached up and brushed his bangs; he held our bodies close.

Closing my eyes, I lowered my hand and rested my forehead against his. A third time my hair turned blonde, and the markings around my eyes faded, before I looked myself.

First District began to empty as the clock wound through the hours of night. Few burned the midnight oil, including the ladies selecting herbs in Aerith's garden, and the boys keeping vigilance in the infirmary. Downstairs, in the sleeping quarters beside the shop portion, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were being put to sleep by Goofy and their uncle Donald.

A sudden chill fleetingly manifested in Hikari's tremulous form, eliciting a single shiver and a small shifting of her arms above the sheets. Remaining totally unconscious, her arms moved up a little from her sides so her hands rested near her waist and navel. Her lips parted in a sharp intake of breath.

Sora's attention was grasped quickly. He sat on the bed next to her and had his body facing toward Leon, who sat in a chair in the aisle. Quietly he watched for a few moments, and saw that whatever had disturbed her had been minuscule and momentary. Nothing to worry about, I guess. . . .

Leon directed his glance from Hikari to the next bed behind Sora, where Hinata slept with her back facing toward them. Her hair spread across her shoulders, back, and the sheets, strands of blue reminiscent for him of a certain girl.

The young brunette peeled his eyes away from Hikari in order to resume his conversation with the man, but noticed the scowl of absence on his face. Curiosity gaining the better of him, he twisted to follow his gaze. His head tilted in an inquiring way as he turned back and asked, "Why do you keep giving Hinata funny looks?"

The swordsman was broken from his apparent trance and looked at Sora. He opened his mouth and was ready to speak—but Aerith beat him to the punch when she entered the doorway: "She looks a lot like Calantha." She smiled. "At least from behind."

Sora's head lifted with a hopeful expression. "Did you guys finish the antidote?"

She shook her head. "We're not done yet, but we're close. Sakura has some things up here she says might tie it together, that aren't in my garden."

His face fell a little, but he was not too disappointed. "Oh. So, um . . . who's Calantha?"

She opened one of the cupboards and began pulling jars. Since she did not face them, her lightly apparent sorrow was hidden from them. "She was a friend of ours; best friend of mine. Leon was in love with her, and she was with him. Everyone knew how they felt, but they were pretty oblivious to each other's."

Her voice was nostalgic. "His face still gets all red when you mention her. . . . He was going to ask her to be his, when the darkness consumed our world. . . ." She hesitated. "Calantha's been lost ever since."

The Keybearer was certainly empathetic, instantly thinking of Kairi and Riku. "Leon. . . ."

A moment of silence commenced, filled only with the accented sounds of Hikari's breath. Yuffie stood in the doorway with Donald and Goofy behind her. After a moment of awkwardness, she walked in with her hands on her hips and her chin lifted vainly. Breaking the hush, she said, "Well, Calantha might've had Squall's attention, but all of the other guys were just dyin' to be with a babe like me!"

The green-eyed brunette woman turned and seemed to welcome the lighter subject; she countered simply, "No they weren't."

Yuffie scoffed and formed fists at her sides. She didn't hide her outrage. "What! Of course they were! I was the single white flower of Hollow Bastion, a sexy, super-awesome ninja! I had offers all the time!" Face-down, she plopped onto the bed nearest the door. "Anyway—man, I'm pooped! First District: it's safe again."

Leon shifted one of his arms from across the front of him to pinch the bridge of his nose. ". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ." The red on his face dwindled to pink, and he regarded Sora once more. "So, you found the Keyhole."

"Huh?" Having been caught up in the banter, he had not realized the subject was being changed back to what had been earlier discussed. "Oh! Yeah. The Keyblade locked it automatically."

Aerith arranged some jars on the counter. "Good."

The swordsman crossed his arms. "Every world among the stars has a Keyhole. And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well."

"What do you mean?"

"It was in Ansem's Report."

He nodded. "Heartless enter the Keyhole and do something to the world's core, though the report doesn't specify exactly what. Maybe it's similar to what they do to a person's heart."

A small pause followed as Leon let his words hang and Sora waited for more to be said; he looked between both brunette adults. When neither of them added more thoughts, he asked, "What happens to the world?"

Aerith was the one to answer. "In the end, it disappears."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy could not hide their surprise. "What!" The brunette straightened a little and all of them had agape jaws. For Sora, he could remember once more when Destiny Islands met its end.

"That's why your key is so important," explained Leon.

From by the counter, Aerith said the Keybearer's name and drew his cognizance. She had three jars cradled in her arm and a fourth in her hand; her lower back rested against the counter. There was a solemn concern in her eyes as she regarded him. "Please seal the Keyholes. You're the only one who can."

The Keybearer furrowed his brow and lowered his eyes, feeling an awkward, under-confident blush heat his face. Once more, the pressure of a task seeming so grand weighed on his slouched shoulders. Doubt was evident in the shadows of his eyes. "I don't know . . . I'm just a kid."

Speaking lightly, almost as if he were a little amused, Leon reminded him, "Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well."

"Yeah!" Donald agreed.

Encouragingly positive, Goody added, "We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!"

"And we'll be with you every step of the way!"

Sora smiled, and his brow became slack. "I guess you're right. . . ." More confidently, he raised his head and nodded. "Okay!"

I don't think I wanted to wake up. The feelings were true enough, and everything felt so vividly real, yet I knew it could be nothing but a dream. If I could've continued to sleep, I didn't have to face that fact, and could've stayed safe in his arms.

Hikari's eyes fluttered open, presenting her first with a blurry image. As her mind drifted slowly to consciousness, she focused her vision and saw the crevices separating the sandstone tiles of the ceiling. She exhaled a staggering sigh when she tried to move her body, only to find that she had minimal strength. Then she noticed how her body trembled still. ". . . ?"

Exerting little strength to lift it, she rolled her head to the side and surveyed her surroundings. Considering the set up, and how she remembered the end of her and Sora's battle versus Sasori, she deduced the setting was an infirmary—but where? Thus far, she had been a patient solely to the Olympus Coliseum's, and the woodwork was certainly not of that world.

She curled her fingers a little and wrinkled the sheets covering her belly. Slowly she slid them down to her sides and tried once more to sit up. She was very weak, and her palpitating muscles were not aiding the matter. As she moved her felt the IV in her arm, and tried not to dislodge it. "How—did I get, here?"

When she was able to lifted her head and shoulders, barely make it so her elbows supported her, she heard footsteps from beyond the door that steadily grew louder. There was a light humming in a familiar voice, and the creaking of wood suggested the compilation of the floors or stairs outside. Am I in . . . ?

A dark figure appeared in the doorway and reached over the frame to flip the light switch. Hikari hissed as bright light filled her eyes and she quickly shut them. She saw rectangular spots staining her lids, and heard the female voice cease to hum, saying, "Oh! You're awake."

Traverse Town. She thought she recognized Aerith's voice. Hikari faltered a little, but caught her breath and managed to stay up. Her grunts of effort were unsightly as she slowly pulled herself back up and straightened a bit more. By the time she had her hands instead of her elbows supporting her, she was breathing heavily. Continuous palpitations toughened the task of sitting up. She opened her eyes and looked at Aerith.

"You really shouldn't be doing that," the brunette pointed out. "You're too weak; you're straining your body." She looked different from the last time the kunoichi had seen her; she had traded the blue belt around her waist for a red, short-sleeved jacket that she left open.

Hikari ignored the statement and pulled herself forward, hunching. Her mouth was dry, and when she tried to speak, there was only a hoarse exhalation. She gathered saliva in her mouth to wet it and swallowed before asking, "How long was I out?"

"About two days. Everyone was very worried." Aerith walked over to the counter and pulled a cup from one of the cupboards. She filled it with water and then crossed the room to Hikari; she brought the cup to her lips. "Drink this. It'll make it easier to swallow the antidote."

"Antidote—glrk!" Hikari obeyed and gulped it down successfully without it being spilled down the front of her. She felt the moisture sink into her tongue and throat, lessening the feel of cottonmouth. "So, I really was poisoned? Like Sasori said? I was starting to lose focus by then. . . ."

Aerith nodded. "And it almost killed you. Sakura was able to stop the poison before it reached that point, but you were close to a very critical condition. Up until a few hours ago, she was creating that antidote for you. She's resting now." She pulled the cup away and returned to the sink.

"She's amazing, actually. She remained so calm on the outside, but I think under the surface some rage was definitely bubbling. I was waiting for her to explode," she noted humorously. "The first day she arrived here, she got very angry at one of the townspeople for lechery. He hasn't peeped at a girl since. Hee hee, she's very scary when she's mad, isn't she? But she still has the compassion to be a skilled healer."

"Yeah, I . . . guess she saved my life. . . ." Hikari thought back to what she had said to Sakura the last time she had been to Traverse Town about her skills and ability. She especially thought of the word she had used to describe her: hindrance. She wondered if she had been a little harsh; not that she was ready to revise her analysis or repeal her statement. She had commended Sakura's medical talent, and she had certainly proved herself in that respect. However, when she thought of it, that time probably was like beating a wounded horse.

Then she looked at herself. She acted recklessly and paid a price, forcing their group to remain idle two days' time—time which could have been used toward their search for the King, Sora's friends, and her brother. For a second time in their journey, her body had betrayed her and forestalled the group's advances. She was the hindrance, and apparently something of a hypocrite.

Aerith came back with the antidote for the poison and supported her from behind, allowing Hikari to hold the cup herself. "Drink up!"

Hikari shut her eyes and brought the cup to her mouth. Like she had the water, she gulped it down—though this time somewhat frantically as she wanted to get the bitterness of the taste over with; her expression displayed much dislike for the flavor. She shuddered when she swallowed the last of it and handed the cup back.

Medicine shouldn't be so gross.

The brunette withdrew her support. "There. You'll be fine now. Sleep and rest until the trembling stops. Okay?"

The trembling already seemed to have lessened, but did not go away completely. Instead of lying back down to sleep, she asked, "How's Sora?"

"Hmm? Oh, the wounds on his back. They weren't serious, so he's okay. A simply Cura spell, and not even a scar. He'll be back from Merlin's soon, so he'll be relieved to see you woke up and took the antidote." From near the sink, where she had been rinsing the containers, she turned around, placed a hand on her hip, and teasingly wagged a lecturing finger. "Now don't make me come over there and force you to lay down!"

"Mm. Alright." This medicine . . . is making me drowsy, anyway. With less effort than was required to sit up, she lied back down. That dream was pretty weird . . . I don't know what to think about it. Why would I have dreams like that, and about that boy? She shut her eyes.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered Third District from the door marked with a sign of fire. Though the Traverse Town sky was about the same color as always, the time was dusk and day was crossing into the evening.

Stretching his arms up and arching back, the brunette looked up at the stars. He stepped up to his tippy-toes before his heels touched the ground once more. His eyelids were a bit heavier than normal due either to what was on his mind or all the energy he had expended on spell casting that day. "Do you think Hiki woke up today?"

"I hope so," Donald admitted.

"A-hyuck! See? Ya do care about Hiki, Donald!" grinned Goofy.

"Wak!" The duck shook his head vigorously. "No I don't, it's not like that!" His feathers were ruffled and a little pink. "When she gets better, we can go and look for the King again!"

Sora laced his fingers behind his head and looked back at him. Lightly he teased, "It's okay, Donald. All for one, remember?"

"But—!" He was starting to respond when a few Heartless appeared in front of them. The three of them quieted and produced their weapons in order to fight, but the matter was taken from their hands when a fourth person felled the creatures in a single strike.

Sora's jaw dropped.

Riku stood casually with a fist resting on his hip and his other hand wielding his weapon "Soul Eater." He swept across the front of him and coolly remarked, "There you are. What's going on?"

There was an inexplicable glee in the Keybearer's heart. Eyes sustaining their widened state, he stepped toward his friend and stretched his mouth, like he needed to feel him in order to believe he was physically there—especially due to the hallucinations he had about Kairi. "Riku!"

This resulted in an uncomfortable, albeit comical, bobbing, stretching, and manhandling of the silver-haired teen's face. In retaliation, he pushed the brunette's arm away. "Hey, hey, cut it out."

Baby blue orbs remaining pleasantly surprised scanned the figure of him up and down. They absorbed the familiarity of the baggy blue pants, sleeveless yellow shirt, shoulder-length silver hair, and enviable, muscular arms. "I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

He swept his hair back and dismissed Soul Eater. "I hope not. Took forever to find you."

The smile marking the Keybearer's face was broad and his eyes narrowed in genuine happiness. "Riku!" Soon, however, his smile faltered when he realized they were still short of someone. "Wait a second, where's Kairi?"

"Isn't she with you?" He was responded to by a despondent lowering of the head. "Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island. Naruto, too." He stepped past Sora and lifted his gaze to the sky. "We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now." Behind him, a Shadow was manifesting. "We'll all be together soon. Don't worry." His voice was soothing and then confident as he flicked his head toward him. Just leave everything to me. I know this—"

The Heartless started for Riku, but Sora did not let it move more than a few steps before he lunged toward it and swept his Keyblade to vanquish it in one cool, dramatic hit. As Riku turned around, the brunette was straightening and propped his Key onto his shoulder. "Leave it to who?"

Wearing a shocked expression, the silver-haired teen breathlessly uttered, "Sora, what did you—?"

He lowered the Keyblade to his side. "I've been looking for you, and Kairi too, with their help." Donald and Goofy nodded.

After a short pause, Riku inquired, "Who are they?"

Donald coughed into his hand. "Ahem. My name is—"

But Sora cut him off, adding, "We've been to so many places and worlds, looking for you."

"Really?" he questioned in genuine surprise. "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

Goofy placed his hands on Sora's shoulders proudly. "Oh, and guess what? Sora's the Keyblade Master."

The duck crossed his arms. "Who would've thought it?"

Beginning to nod before he realized what he was agreeing to, the brunette twisted and leaned down to get in the duck's face and clenched his fists. "What's that supposed to mean!"

Somehow, Riku had taken a hold of the Keyblade and lifted it above his head as he examined it. "So, this is called a 'Keyblade'?"

"Huh?" Sora turned his attention away from the duck and checked his hand, which was empty. "Hey, give it back." He moved to grab it, but the teen hopped back, taking the Key out of reach and causing him to stumble.

Riku raised it and regarded it calculatingly, keeping his thoughts to himself, and tossed it back. "Catch!"

"Whoa." He caught it in both hands. Spirited still, he asked, "Okay, so you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it!"

Ever the cloud raining on someone's parade, Donald put his hands on his hips. "No, he can't come!"

"What?"

"Forget it!"

"Oh, come on! He's my friend!"

"I don't care!"

Goofy looked away from the squabbling pair to where Riku had been standing; currently, the space was empty. "Huh? He's gone!"

Sora looked around. "Riku?"

The only sound that responded to him was the tapping of Donald's webbed foot.

With an underlying tone of resentment, the brunette murmured, "Nice going." In an attempt to remain somewhat cheery, he looked at the positive side and hooked his hands behind his head. "Oh, well. At least I know he's okay. And who knows? Maybe we'll find Kairi soon, too."

The other two agreed and they continued on.

Hikari struggled to bring herself up over the edge of the roof of a building directly in-between Second and Third District. Even with the ladder to support her, her body was finding the task to be a difficult one. Sweat glistened on her face, and heat collected under her hair. She grunted as she managed to get herself on all fours.

It brought a great deal of strain, but she had felt the need for the challenge. Especially after learning she had wasted two days, she had to test for herself how much she could do in hopes that she would at least be well enough to pilot the Gummi toward the next world and perform basic movement.

Thus far, she had been able to keep her body under control, for the most part, and she had remained conscious. The tremors in her body were very minuscule but seemed to strengthen with her physical exertion. She could feel her seal begin to irritate, attempt to take advantage of her state, but she was suppressing it somehow.

Oddly, she found that she was drawn toward this area for some reason, too. It was one of the main driving forces that nagged her to sneak out of that infirmary and wander the town—for no reason aside from the aforementioned excuses she had rationalized after the fact.

After taking a moment to rest on her hands and knees, she brought herself to her feet with many grunts of effort. Though she was shaking some, it did not affect her balance too greatly as she walked toward the other side. Her breath was accented, but she tried controlling it by breathing in through her nose. Maybe I should've waited for the trembling to stop completely before attempting this.

She stood steady in the middle of the roof and stared down into Third District. There were four figures down there, all of whom she recognized. Sora, Donald, Goofy . . . and the fourth she knew in two ways. Personally, she had met him in Wonderland, where he had attempted (and by her speculation succeeded) to kidnap Alice. She had also met him twice upon a dream, knowing him as Riku. . . .

For a few moments she stared at him and thought of the dreams. They were so bizarre, so surreal . . . so vivid and unbelievable.

I don't remember dreaming being such a bizarre experience. But then, when I used to dream often, I often forgot them about as soon as I opened my eyes. I just knew that I'd had them.

A sudden migraine came to be deep within her mind, like someone had taken a knife and buried it in her skull. Her breath hitched as she grabbed both sides of her head and her vision became less defined. "Uh, wa—? Mm . . . nrgh. . . ." Images from her dreams, vivid enough she decided to be comparable to memories, mixed with the scene before her, like hallucinations. She tried to focus on Riku.

These islands . . . they're a world completely unrelated to me. Waves gently roll over white sands, and the laughter of people around my age ring through the coconut trees. I know their names, yet I'm almost sure I've never met them.

The migraine intensified as she struggled to conjure some veritable remembrance of the place, and she started to slip into delusions. She was struggling to stay awake, despite how much her head swam.

Selphie, Tidus, Wakka. Kairi and Riku. I only know Sora, truly, though my brother for some reason is present too. They're unfamiliar friends in an unfamiliar place, yet I feel like I do know them.

Leon was walking along the rooftops that were in line with the area where Hikari stood. His Gunblade was in his hand, for he was on patrol for Heartless, and he had chosen this particular row of rooftops because it allowed him to see into both Second and Third District.

So, which is it?

I don't know.

I don't know.

The brunette swordsman glanced into Third District and saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy talking to a boy with silver hair—to everyone present but him, he was "Riku." He found he did not recognize him at all, and wondered briefly if he was a new refugee, when a whimper—which escaped from Hiki—caught his attention.

The wraith with blonde hair is the only one whose name escapes me. She talks with Riku a lot, and listens too; a lot of the time, they talk about what's out "there." They appear smitten. Yet, no one else acknowledges her. They don't see her.

Why?

Why do I know everyone else and not her?

I don't know.

I don't know.

Who is she?

I don't know.

Riku fled from Third District while his friend was distracted, and his disappearance seemed to affect the delusional Hikari. Though she was already unstable due to her physical ailments and the migraine gave her dizzying delusions that closed her off mostly from the world, it was not until then that she stumbled. As though drawn subconsciously by Riku, like she intended to follow him, she lifted a foot and stepped off the roof.

She appears in the dreams when I'm not there, and at times, it's like we share the same role. She never becomes me, but my face will briefly become hers. My hair turns blonde, my skin takes on a healthier color, the purple markings around my eyes disappear. Two things remain unchanged, and one of them is the way we look at Riku—the same way I used to look at Sasuke.

Her eyes . . . they're the same color as mine.

Leon's eyes widened and he sprinted across the roofs to come to her aide. Images of the night nine years ago, of losing Calantha rushed through his mind.

Her terrorized, tear-filled eyes.

He dived to lie flatly on the roof and extended his arm over the edge.

The darkness as it enveloped her figure.

His hand closed around her wrist, and stopped her descent.

"SQUALL!"

Hikari's head rolled back and she squinted through hardly parted lids with her grey eyes; she fainted, and they closed.

A crash of thunder overhead.

". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."

End of Chapter Twenty-one

Next Time in When Darkness Turns to Light! Chapter Twenty-two: Green With Envy

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood; the brunette spoke. "Uh . . . what's going on, Cid?" Leon uncrossed his arms and stood off of the wall.

The old man turned his head toward the Traverse Town inhabitants. His expression was indubitably grim. "You guys remember Maleficent? Might just be rumors, but I hear she's in town."

Hola! Here's the next chapter :D This is definitely one of my favorite ones so far-right in par with chapter ten, with shirtless Cloud ^^ *coughs* Anyway, not too much to say that I can think of right now. Leave your comments in a review, I can't wait to hear back from you :D Thanks to Akumu and narcotic-lullaby for being so faithful in reviewing! Thanks for reading, God bless!