Sorry~ Stupid writers block snuck up on me...again! Bleh! Anyway, I'm back~

I don't own Kingdom Hearts~!


Riku walked out of the cabin, a forlorn look in his eyes. I frowned at him as he passed me, completely oblivious to my presence. He looked akin to that of a zombie…I wondered if I looked like that.

"Riku." Dull eyes glanced at my face, yet clearly not seeing me. "You look like the undead."

Those eyes sharpened a bit. "You don't look any better." he shot back.

I chuckled slightly, leaning back against the main mast. Riku said nothing else on the matter, running a hand through his silver hair. I could see that there were bags under his eyes, and his skin was paler than usual. What could have possibly occurred to make my friend (ex-friend?) turn into this in only a day?

We had been sailing for a full day now, with nothing to do but sit around and wait. Some were gambling to pass the time, while others were merely sleeping and eating away. I had never been so bored on a ship…nor so anxious.

"I went to see how the others were doing…" Riku muttered, eyes darting around the deck. "By the looks of things, they haven't been fed or given water. And…a certain someone," He hinted this heavily. "Has been sulking in the corner of their cell all day."

"How's his wound?" I dared to ask.

"We don't know. He refuses for anyone to get near him, lest he bite them. Did that to Aeleus when he tried to treat it. He's a feisty one."

"Yeah…he is."


Sora yawned, shifting in his sleep while the ship continued to rock. I had woken to find myself strangely awake and aware, unable to slumber any longer. Sitting up against the wall, I listened to the sound of waves and gulls. I had no idea what time of day it was, nor how much farther we had to go. The Imperials had refused to provide us with any food or water, and Sora's stomach had begun to answer mine.

"I can't wait to bash those soldiers' heads in…" I twisted my wrists, ignoring how raw they felt. Soon I would be bleeding from the effort. "Once I get out of these bindings, I'm going to get that stupid general and his stupid lackeys." And that damned Riku, too.


I didn't want to believe what Leon had told me. If what he said was true, then I was completely idiotic for playing into that bastard's hands. I had a feeling he was probably laughing up on the deck with his dear Imperial buddies, drinking and laughing throughout the night, mocking and telling of how reckless and stupid I had been, walking into his trap. This was no different than when I had met Riku in the forest…it had seemed like so long ago.

"I should have never trusted him." I said to myself, shutting my eyes. "Never."

"Hayner, listen to me." Leon shuffled closer to lean against the bars that separated us. "If he has betrayed us, that wouldn't make sense. Remember the meeting we had? Rinoa came herself and proclaimed that he was safe. She's never been wrong…Hayner?"

"Shut the hell up and leave me alone." I hissed over my shoulder.

He sighed in defeat, then moved away to sit against the wall, clearly irritated by my behavior. I tried to calm myself, but I, strangely, didn't feel as furious as I usually would. Instead, there was this aching in my chest, like someone had hit me there repeatedly. Rubbing the bloodied wound on my shoulder, I decided it was only the wound I was feeling, nothing more.

"Oh shit…" Leon muttered.

My ears pricked up at the sound of heavy footsteps, which stopped before my cell door. I didn't dare turn, partly afraid to see who it was. If it was him, I…

"Hayner…" The voice was familiar, but not the person I was expecting. "Look, I know you may think Seifer-" I flinched. "-Has abandoned you or whatever. Truth is…he's beating himself up over all this. You know…he tried to stop Rai and me from bringing the Imperials…of course, we didn't listen…and we hurt innocent people. I realize that now, alright? But Seifer hasn't lied to you. He wanted to be with you…" Riku trailed off.

I sat there in my corner, staying there facing the wall. I didn't say anything, waiting for him to continue. I doubted what he was saying was true, but it was still music to my ears, nonetheless.

"Hayner. Don't blame him for any of this." His voice had taken a sharp tone. "He did everything he could to stop it from happening, but I didn't listen. Blame me, if you must…but don't put that blame on him."

"You should lea-" Leon began to say, but I cut him off.

"Even if what you say is true - and I hardly believe any of it – he still didn't tell me. He should have just said all that from the very beginning! Then none of this would have happened. If he feels guilty, then good for him; he deserves it." I snapped out.

There was silence for a moment, then a small sigh. The boat creaked, the waves crashed on.

"…alright."

And with that, he left. I closed my eyes, that ache returning full force. I tried to block it out, shutting out everything except the sound of the ocean.


Neku approached me quietly, leaning against the main mast in the same manner I was. I kept my focus out at sea. My mind, however, wasn't comprehending the scenery. The young soldier gave me a straight-faced gaze, making me feel rather unsettled. I turned to him.

"What?" I lashed out.

"Rai told me everything." he stated.

"And? What of it?"

"He's ashamed now." I gave him a questioning look. "Something happened to him, apparently. You should go talk to him."

"I thought I was a traitor to him." I sneered.

Neku gave me a look, then stood upright, trying to appear taller. He was only eye-level with my chin, but his expression was mature, controlled.

"Traitor or not, it doesn't matter." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in a clear gesture. "Go."

Feeling like a child that had been sent to his room, I obeyed. It seemed that the gypsy people had softened me up too much. I was even beginning to take orders from a mere soldier.

I stopped in front of the door of the cabin, listening to the loud shouts and laughter that carried to the other side of the door. With a sigh, I opened the door and stepped in, the door closing behind me. There were tables and bottles everywhere, chairs spread around the large room. Some soldiers were lying on the floor against the walls and corners, even under tables. I couldn't tell who was drunk and who was sleeping. The smell of alcohol was strong, mixed with salt water, in the air.

Setzer was laughing like any drunken soldier would, waving a half-empty bottle around his table, where they seemed to be playing some gambling game together. Rai wasn't among them, thankfully, nor was he dancing with some of the soldiers in one part of the room. I glanced around the cabin, finally spotting the orange shirt sprawled on the floor in a lonely corner of the room, his face turned towards the wall.

I walked over and nudged him with my foot, knowing he was awake by the way he flinched in response.

"Neku told me you were sulking. Why?"

"Go away, Almasy." He sounded tired.

"No. I didn't waste my time to just listen to you mope and ignore me. Now tell me what's up with you." I said, and pushed him with my foot.

He turned over to look up at me, his face expressionless. I held out a hand to help him up, but he brushed it aside and got up by himself.

"I didn't realize how you could fall for a gypsy…I know now." he whispered, head bowed.

Shocked, I stared up at him. He gave me a pathetic grin in return and leaned against the wall, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I mean…you made it seem like it was so easy, to just fall for one of them. I never noticed they were so…exotic." he murmured.

I leaned backward a bit in disbelief, frowning at him. He sighed and began to pick at his shirt, his eyes dazed.

"She was so…I've never seen anything so beautiful. Everything about her was exotic and…ya' know?"

"Heh. You have no idea."

"Even when I was fighting her…"

"She was a sight to behold?" I finished for him.

"Yeah…" He looked at me. "Just like that."

I clapped him on his large shoulder and shook it a bit, a sympathetic grin on my face. He did the same, his hand covering my shoulder entirely.

"She's…wait…what did she look li-"

Rai cut in before I could complete my question. "Shining silver hair, with red, piercing eyes…she was perfect."

I blinked up at him, then snorted, but quickly tried to turn it into a cough. Rai, however, wasn't convinced.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his tone clipped.

"Rai…" I shook my head and tried to hold back from snickering. "Good luck with that one."

His face turned into confusion, and I finally couldn't hold it back. For the first time since things had turned wrong, I laughed. And Rai, my old friend, joined me.


So Rai has fallen for a gypsy. Any guesses on who it is? :P

It's good to see Rai and Seifer getting along again. But poor Riku and Hayner...they're so upset over this whole thing. And Roxas and Sora...I just wanna hug them all! Gah!

Just wait until the next chapter!