Kiyomisa: Well this is the last update until after the 18th! I'll be back that Tues. Hope you enjoy this until then!

Cloud was hiking through a small, rocky canyon, his mind filled with doubts. He didn't like having doubts, for he'd never had them before; but not they plagued him to no end. Had he done the right thing, leaving Riku like that? Of course he had. The Beast was with him now, he was as much help as Cloud was and Cloud was in enough hot water with Ansem without showing up at the castle gates with Riku in tow. Still...Riku had called him his friend, and friends stayed to help each other, right?

The swordsman huffed and readjusted his cloak. "You got along just fine without friends before, you don't need them now," he told himself sternly.

A scream of frustration rang out, echoing through all of the Labyrinth. Cloud snapped his head around to face it, for it had come from Deep Jungle, the place Riku was sure to have gone.

"Riku..." Damn the solitary soldier crap, Riku needed him. "I'm coming."

Before he had taken one step, he heard, "Well now, this is interesting."

Cloud turned toward the voice, finding Ansem relaxing against a large boulder. The blonde bowed his head. "Majesty."

"Hello Cloud. Don't you think it's interesting?" the king rumbled, his deep voice low and dangerous.

"Majesty?"

"That I find you, this deep in the Labyrinth, and without Riku," Ansem clarified, his unsettling orange eyes narrowing at the swordsman.

"He escaped from me when the hedge maze changed. I was looking for him," Cloud replied, hoping his voice was as confidant as he thought it was. Cloud feared nothing, save Ansem. He didn't know why he feared the man, but the fear was there and he had to deal with it.

"I see."

Another scream filled the air and Cloud only just stopped himself from wincing. "If you'll excuse, I'll go take the boy back to the beginning," Cloud said, giving a respectful bow.

"Wait, I have a better plan. Give him this," the king suggested, and Cloud looked up just in time to catch a small fruit: a soft, ripe peach.

"What is it?" he couldn't help asking.

"A gift," Ansem replied shortly, evidence that his patience was wearing thin.

"Will it hurt him?" Again the question slipped out before he could quell it. Ansem reached out to stroke his cheek.

"Cloud, why the concern?"

The blonde remained silent.

"If I didn't know any better," the silver-haired king continued, moving his hand lightly across Cloud's throat, "I'd say you had feelings for him."

Cloud took a firm step away from the Heartless King. He didn't want that hand anywhere near his throat should Ansem get angry. "You made sure that I couldn't have feelings for anyone long ago."

"True," Ansem agreed. "Therefore you should have no qualms about giving the peach to him, will you?"

"...No."

Ansem smiled dangerously and again patted Cloud on the head. "Good boy. Oh, and Cloud..." He cupped the back of the swordsman's head and pulled him close. "If he ever kisses you, you'll be in the Glade of Sleepless Death before you can blink." That said, Ansem kissed him lightly on the lips before pulling away and laughing. Cloud closed his eyes until the laughter died away, and when he opened them again, he was alone, a small, perfectly harmless peach in his hand.

Having calmed down and regained some kind of ability to think, Riku pressed on through the jungle, firmly ignoring the fact that he was hopelessly lost. The silver-haired youth froze momentarily as a branch snapped off to his right. A soft thud then caught his attention to his left.

Swearing internally, Riku picked up a hefty, sword-sized stick as soon as it became apparent that several creatures were closing in on him from all directions.

He saw the first one approach from his right, cautiously poking its head through the leaves. Then more, up to half-a-dozen, followed suit. They were Heartless, but unlike the ones that had captured Beast. These were monkey-like for the most part, with blue or tan fur and football shaped heads. They had no faces, merely black voids from which peered two bright yellow points serving as eyes.

Riku watched them warily, for they paced around him silently, giving no hint as to what their intentions were. Then, with a chittering cry, one leaped at him. Reflexes from his self-training did not fail him and he batted the Heartless out of the air, sending it smack into a tree where it fell, then melted into nothing.

The others let out their own chittering cries and tried to swamp him. Riku kept them at bay for a while, but he soon noticed that for every Heartless that he killed, another rose from the shadows to take its place.

I'll never get them all, I've got to get out of here. Spotting a space where there were only two Heartless between him and the rest of the jungle, he charged the creatures broke free of their circle, and again ran for all he was worth. The knowledge that he had to keep running filled him with frustration and a bit of shame, but he thought of Sora and ran faster. I'd do anything for him, he thought, listening to the crashing leaves and furious chatter of the Heartless chasing him.

When he came up to a wall, he nearly kicked it out of spite. Then, to his surprise, a rope was dangling before his face.

"Riku!"

He looked up at the voice. "Cloud!"

"Come on!"

Riku grabbed the rope and began to climb. Cloud pulled on the rope from the top, half-hauling the youth up, and soon he was out of the Heartless' reach though they continued to jump for him in vain. When Riku was close enough, Cloud let go of the rope to grasp his forearms.

"I'm-glad to-see you," Riku panted before Cloud gave a final heave and pulled Riku right over the top of the wall. The inertia knocked the two backwards, Riku landing on top of Cloud. It took Riku a moment to register the fact that his lips were pressed against something warm and soft, and another moment to register that the warm object was Cloud's lips.