Chapter 26

Even after so many life-threatening experiences in one day, the sheer exhaustion of current events proved too much for Kalista. Eventually her eyes closed as the steady beat of dragon wings lulled her to sleep. Yellow and black images danced across her dream vision, swirling around and around like a mass of abstract art. Wicked laughter echoed dimly in her ears along with the murmur of friendly voices. She felt more like she was in limbo than dreamland. At one point she thought she felt the beat of wings stop, but she was too lost in sleep to be sure. So she just kept drifting; drifting through the dim shadows of her fatigued mind…

Jolting awake, Kalista sat up instantly, only to feel the blood rush to her head in protest. Glancing around, she realized in shock that she was lying in her bed in Leon's house. The same green and brown scene lay before her, and she suddenly had never felt more at home in years. Gingerly, she slid out of bed and made her way to the door. Cracking it open, she heard voices downstairs. She followed them until she had made her way to the entrance room with the giant computer. Before her sat Cid at the computer, with Aerith, Tifa, and Cloud huddled around him all staring at the screens. Cloud was the first to notice her.

"Well, looks like Sleeping Beauty finally woke up," he teased, although there was a solemn tone coating his voice.

Kalista just rolled her eyes at the comment, "How long was I out? And… I mean… what happened? How did I get here?"

"Oh, poor thing, you must be so confused," said Aerith, walking over to Kalista and feeling her forehead. After making sure she had no temperature, she continued, "you were knocked out all the way back here, or at least that's what they told me. Leon took you upstairs to let you sleep; apparently you had a pretty rough day."

"Yeah, you could say that. Wait… where is Leon? And Sora and everyone else?"

"Just about everywhere but here," this time it was Cid who answered, eyes still locked on the computer screen, "see, when you folks came back Sora told us all about how that blasted Xemnes stole Kingdom Hearts right out of the sky and teleported somewhere else. Now it's up to us to find him. I've been using this half-broken contraption to configure which worlds have the best chance of being Xemnes' new location. So now just about everyone has split up and is searching those worlds for any sign… a giant heart-shaped moon in the sky, for example. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Yuffie are all out hunting. Even your friend Ember took that massive pet dragon of hers and went with Yuffie."

"Cloud, Aerith and I were just about to head to a world and search ourselves," Tifa added.

"What about me?" asked Kalista, after taking a moment to digest all this information. She wasn't sure how well this wild-goose-chase plan would work, but she guessed it was their best bet for the time being. And she certainly didn't want to be left out of it.

"Well I was actually waiting until you woke up to ask you to search this world," Cid explained, "I know there's no giant moon outside or anything, but this was Xehenort's lair a year ago, so it's very possible he could come back here. I already asked that new silver-haired kid to do it, but it's been ages and he's still not back. You might want to look for him while you're at it. You know, make sure he's still alive and all."

Cid laughed at his own joke, but Kalista found nothing funny about it. She felt her heart pick up its pace at Cid's words. Was Riku alright? Had he found something? Ambushed by heartless? Nobodies? Ideas flooded her mind with all the worst possibilities. From what she had seen, Riku could certainly handle himself. So why wouldn't he be back by now?

Pushing the chaotic thoughts away, Kalista nodded. "Ok, I'll be sure to do that. Good luck you guys," she said as she headed out the door.

It was twilight out in Hollow Bastion. The starts were a mosaic of light giving sight to those down below. The moon shone brightly; not a heart, but full, white, and luminous.

Kalista raced along the rooftops of the town. Her feet danced across the tops as she jumped swiftly from one house to the next. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for; how would anyone know what meant Kingdom Hearts? Overpowering darkness? An abundance of light? Swarms of heartless? Or the lack thereof? And where was Riku?

Yet, even though the anxiety of all this weighed down on her mind, she couldn't help this wonderful feeling; the feeling of freedom. Her body, mind, and soul were completely rid of the retched curse that had plagued her for so long. Everything about her felt lighter, fuller, and freer all at the same time. It was like a dark haze that surrounded her had been lifted, and now she saw clearer and felt so… normal. So natural.

By the time she was nearing the end of the houses, Kalista was beginning to feel at a loss for where to look. Slowing to a stop, she looked up at the moon. It must be around midnight, she reasoned. Crouching on the rooftop, she stared at the battered shingles lining its surface. For lack of anything better to do, she began to picture the owners of her current resting place. Wonder who used to live here? What was his name? Wonder what his parents were like… She looked back up at the sky, getting more imaginative in her curiosity. Wonder if he ever fought a heartless? Or a nobody? What were his hopes and dreams? Wonder if he ever fell in love…

"What the hell are you staring at?"

Kalista bolted up so fast that she lost her balance on the skinny peak of roof. The unsteady shingles gave way, and she found herself sliding down the side of the house. But before she got far a sturdy hand caught her and pulled her back up to safety.

"R…Riku!" Kalista said in surprise. But surprise quickly turned to embarrassment and then anger. "What the heck is wrong with you? You don't just sneak up on people like that."

Riku let go of her arm abruptly, "Sneak up? All I did was ask you a question. Not my fault you weren't paying attention."

To this Kalista could not argue, since he was right. "Well, where have you been?" she asked, turning it back on him, "Cid said he sent you out searching for signs of Kingdom Hearts, but you were supposed to be back hours ago."

Riku just shrugged. "Since when does Cid make the rules?" he said, as if he could care less.

His tone annoyed and confused Kalista. There had seemed to be such an alliance between them during the fight at the Organization's base, and now suddenly she felt as if he were a cold stranger. Honestly, that was closer to the truth, but it still didn't seem right.

"So, haveyou found anything?" she ventured.

He wasn't looking at her anymore. In fact, he seemed more like he was purposefully avoiding her gaze. Taking a seat on the roof, he stared at the fast array of houses before him. "No, nothing," he finally answered, "I've looked everywhere; the town, the canyons, even all over the castle. Kingdom Hearts just isn't here."

Kalista sighed in frustration. "If it wasn't here, what are the chances it will be anywhere else?" she asked dejectedly, also sitting down.

"…I don't know," was all Riku said. He seemed very detached; it seemed to Kalista he didn't want her near him, which annoyed her even more. What had gotten into him? She wasn't dangerous anymore. Was this just habit now? If he didn't want to be around her why didn't he leave?

But instead of getting up and letting him be, she asked the question that had been burning in her mind ever since she realized what she and Riku had in common. And maybe it would get him out of whatever mood swing he seemed to be in.

"So, why did you serve Maleficent?"

This time it was Riku's turn to be surprised. He stared at her, taken aback.

"What?"

"Oh, come on," said Kalista, rolling her eyes, "I'm not an idiot. When you held me back from killing her, the look in your eyes said it all; you didn't want me making the exact same mistake you did, with the exact same person. Well, I didn't go for it because of you, so I think you owe me at least some sort of explanation."

Riku looked away again. He gave a small smirk, "I forget that you're smarter than Sora and his new friends. Living in the shadows forces you to think faster and deeper, just to survive."

"But the whole point is to get beyond the shadows, isn't it?" she asked softly, "otherwise, you lose yourself to them."

He gave a small nod. At first, Kalista thought he wouldn't answer. But then, taking a breath, he said, "Maleficent won me over the same way she won your old boyfriend over. She knew what cards to play with me, and what made me tick. She knew how jealous I was of Sora becoming the Keyblade Master, and offered me power beyond his. And… the chance of winning Kairi."

"Kairi?" Kalista asked in surprise. Riku had been in love with her too? This she hadn't expected.

"Yeah, Sora and I competed over everything. She was the most important thing in the world to him, so naturally I fought him over her. But… it wasn't the same with her and me. I never cared for her the way he did…"

Riku's voice trailed off as if he felt like he had said more than he planned. He picked back up on a different topic. "Anyway, I was… well, proven wrong about a lot of stuff. I had gained all this power, but Sora still managed to beat me. I hit a point where I was so angry at Sora for besting me and at Maleficent for failing me that I was willing to do anything to get back at them. That's when Ansem came to me. It was the biggest mistake of my life, and it consumed me just like your Shaymar…"

Riku fell silent, again as if he had said too much. Kalista watched him quietly, wonder what horrors he must have gone through because of his choices. And yet, for some reason, she was so happy he made those choices. Otherwise, the two of them would never have met. She didn't know why that fact meant so much to her, but it did. Regardless of his newfound hostility, she still felt the connection between them from before, and it begged her to speak her mind.

"You're wrong about one thing," she said softly. Riku finally met her gaze, looking perplexed at her statement. Kalista wasn't sure how to explain how she felt, but it came streaming out of her regardless, "you keep comparing yourself to the boy from my past. Yes, you both succumbed to the promise power offered you… but the comparison stops there." She heard the emotion seeping into her voice as she continued, "You didn't give in like Shaymar did; you fought back. You turned on your friends, but you came back."

Without realizing it, she slipped her hand into his. "You came back to the light, Riku. I've never met anyone who could go so far into the darkness and still come back. You're unlike anyone I've ever known."

For a moment, Riku just stared at her face, inches from his own, and Kalista could have sworn he had stopped breathing. But then he snatched his hand away as if hers was made of fire.

"Don't." he said coldly, getting up and walking away with his back turned to her.

Kalista stared after him, bewildered at her actions. What was she doing? Why had she just grabbed his hand? But instead of following logical thought—which would have sent her running mortified in the other direction—she ignored reason and followed him.

"What?! "Don't" what?" she asked, partially in confused hurt and partly in anger.

Riku stopped walking, but didn't look at her. "Don't say that. Don't pretend like you know me. You don't know me."

But this rebuke didn't faze Kalista at all. "I know everything about you. Remember, I've been with you best friend for months and he never shut up once about you. You're great with a sword, the fastest runner on Destiny Island, and stubborn as hell."

"Shut up," Riku told her angrily.

But Kalista ignored him, and began pouring out more information to solicit another response, "you're obsessed with ships, but you're a terrible swimmer. You're cocky, confident, competitive, and barely let anyone in to know the real you."

"I said shut up!" by now Riku had spun around and was right in front of her. He grabbed her by the shoulders roughly. "What the hell do you want from me, huh? Why don't you just leave me alone? Some people are just meant to be alone. I'm one of them.

"Only because you choose to be," Kalista shot back, feeling a lump in her throat, "You don't have to be alone if you don't want to. You have friends who care about you, if you'd only let them."

"You don't understand. Anyone close to me always winds up getting hurt. I belong alone, whether I want it or not."

"Liar!" she accused, "I know because you're just like me; afraid of love because it means a bond that could hurt you beyond recovery. You don't want to take that chance, because it's so much easier and safer to be lonely. But then what are you? An empty shell, a life without a soul, a walking corpse. Just a stranger waiting to die…"

"Shut up already!" yelled Riku in a pained voice, "and please stop crying. I can't stand seeing you cry."

Kalista stopped her rampant speech as her hands flew to her face. Salt water streaming from her eyes greeted her fingers. She was crying. It had been so long since she'd shed a single tear, she had almost forgotten what it felt like. And the tears kept coming, as if making up for lost time.

Riku made a move to leave, as if her tears were too much for him. But Kalista latched on to his arms. "No," she whispered, "don't…"

"Let go," he said, as if her touch electrified him, "We should never have met. You can't care about me like this. You just can't. And I can't care about you. So please, just leave…"

But before he could finish, he was silenced by Kalista's mouth against his. Her hands rose swiftly to either side of his face, holding him against her. At first his body went ridged with shock. But, with his lips silenced, his greatest form of protest was defeated, and soon the rest of him followed.

Giving in, he slid his arms around her slender waste, pressing her closer to his chest. As their mouths shifted position, their tongues touched for the briefest moment, sending a chill down Kalista's spine. Nothing in her life had felt more right than this. All the pent up emotion inside of her towards Riku was now finally explained, and it seeped out from her body to his, and she felt his passion pulsing through her.

Finally, they broke the kiss. His aqua eyes betrayed everything he felt, and she had no doubt her eyes were just as revealing. Entwining her fingers in his, Riku gave her a small smirk.

"Great," he murmured in her hair, "now look what you've done."

"Oh, I beg your pardon," Kalista breathed back jokingly, "I'll be sure never to do it again…"

"Too late," answered Riku as he cut her off with another kiss.

I know I know I disappeared off the planet for a while. Lo siento mucho

But I said I'd finish this sucker and I plan to, regardless of my many detours.

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