After hours of tossing and turning, finally Kairi threw herself out of her hammock, leaving the crew quarters behind.

She strode through the bowels of her ship, navigating her way above deck.

She emerged into the cold air of night. A sky of stars above her head.

The gentle rocking of the ship on the ocean waters.

She stopped immediately on sight of Riku. Riku, standing at ship's edge, one hand casually gripping the railing. She turned right around to go back inside. But-

"Hey, Kairi..."

She stopped. "I thought you were blind now," she said, scathing - keeping her back to him, despite it...

"Uh, yeah, I am...but I know your footsteps different from anyone else's. And- uh, you know, your Light. It's...brighter than anyone else's, too. It's...easy to- detect. So...yeah..."

Kairi kept her back to him, struggling with herself. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" she threw out.

"Just practicing what I've been doing with Terra - on my own time. Magical sensing - Heart sensing, too," Riku's voice came to her, quiet. Embarrassed? Kairi didn't care. "If I'm going to keep up with the rest of you in training sessions, I need to get this down, fast."

"Well, make sure you don't ever sense my Heart again like you did the other day," Kairi said firmly. "If I ever feel you in there again, I'll do a lot more than just burn you out."

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't even know it was you at first. And I'm still new at this, so-"

"Whatever. Now you know."

"Kairi."

"What?"

"I'm sorry...for everything I've done. For the things I said, for-"

"Stop it. I've heard it all before."

"And I thought you believed it! I thought- at Radiant Garden, back then, you said-"

"What I said was that I might believe you if you started acting like a better guy!" Kairi cut him off sharply. "I didn't say I believed you just because you finally realized how much of an evil jerk you were being - that everything was just- going to go back to how it was, or that we'd- that isn't what I said!"

"And I'm trying, I have been, I've b-been to other worlds, I've saved people, I've-!"

"Well I haven't been around to see it - I just have Terra's word for it all," Kairi cut across him again.

"You don't trust his word?" Riku said. Kairi heard the frown. The touch of exasperation. The frustration, too.

Kairi stayed silent through it all. In face of it all. Forced herself to.

"Because you know his face is the face of Xehanort now? You can't blame Terra for-"

"I know!" Kairi snapped. "I know that, thank you! I told him myself when I spoke to him - his Heart, whatever! I said- I don't need you acting like you're on some higher ground than me!"

"I- sorry...okay? That was- I assumed, I- misstep. Okay? It was wrong."

Kairi let a breath go, clenching her fists. "Stop acting like this!"

"Stop acting like what? Oh..." Riku laughed. "You're kidding me! It actually bothers you that I'm trying here? That I'm trying to do what you told me to do?! To do better, to change, to- what do you want from me then?! You want me to just go back to being how I was? Want me to let myself become the biggest asshole in the universe? Throw up my hands and say, screw it, why bother trying?!"

Kairi spun around to face him - finding him already facing her. Standing there on the deck, under moonlight and stars. "NO, I WANT YOU TO-" She stopped, strangled.

"What? Huh? You want to have an excuse to punch me some more? An excuse to kill me? Because I k-killed your-"

"Don't say it! You don't get to bring him up at all!"

Riku looked furious, he looked- then he sighed. He took several deep breaths. He shook his head at her. "Why don't you try putting some of this anger onto Ansem - err, Xehanort? He's the one who-"

"Who what?"

"You- do you think I knew...exactly what was going to happen when I opened the door back home?" Riku went on, his voice tight. "All Ansem told me was that letting the darkness in would let me reach other worlds. And yeah, I knew something wasn't right, in the back of my mind - that wild, powerful darkness didn't exactly feel inviting, even to me. But did I know I'd be destroying our home, erasing the lives of everyone I ever knew and loved? No! Ansem didn't just walk up to me and say it! He wasn't just like, 'Hey kid, you want to see the outside world? All it takes is for you to kill everyone and destroy your home! Go for it!' And if I had known, I swear I never would have done it! It would have sucked, I would have hated it, but I wouldn't have knowingly killed everyone I knew and loved!"

"Well, that's a nice excuse for the islands - assuming I believe it - but what about after? Kidnapping Jasmine? Killing Geppetto for no reason? Working for Maleficent?!"

"I won't say I had any excuses for those things, no," Riku said quietly. "I knew those actions were plain wrong. But I deflected all the blame onto you, in my mind. I took- refuge in the hate, and jealousy, and...the comforting feelings and thoughts to ease my- conscience. And part of it was that I just didn't want to admit you were right. That I was wrong. That I was doing wrong. So I doubled down, I sank deeper into that darkness, because I couldn't face what I was doing - becoming. And that was a mistake. I cut myself off from you guys, distanced myself, I made you the bad guy because I couldn't face the fact that I was the only bad guy in our relationship. And I am sorry, Kairi."

Kairi stepped forward. She crossed the deck, until she stood before Riku. Hardly a few feet from him.

Riku tensed, then sighed, turning his head aside. "Look, if- if you're going to hit me again, don't go for the nose this time..."

"You don't get to decide your punishment. And you don't get to ask for mercy after you didn't show anybody else even a speck of it!" Kairi snarled.

"Fine, whatever, then just do it! Hit me, beat me into the deck! Throw me overboard! Have at it! Nothing I say or do will convince you anyways - what's the POINT? Do what you want, Kairi!"

Kairi stepped in and seized him by his silver jacket he had on (something she realized now that he definitely hadn't had back at the Door To Darkness, when they'd lost him), pulling him close roughly. She breathed, she growled at him, she shook and she just- she reached up and tore that blindfold off his face, tossing it away. "You don't get to hide, either!" she hissed at him, staring into his eyes now. Eyes that were...

Damaged, to put it lightly.

Not that she cared.

Still, it was hard to look at.

So she looked away.

Better to not look at his face in general, anyways...

"I'm not hiding..." Riku said softly. "But I think-"

Kairi drove her knee into his stomach, spun him around and hurled him across the deck with a yell. "I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!"

Riku rolled, came up on a knee - and he raised his arms. "Kairi, I don't want to do this with you - come on-!"

Kairi flashed her hand up, sending a blast of fire straight at him.

Riku rolled aside, coming up and placing a hand on his Heart. He drew several breaths, his tense expression eased - and then a shimmering, curved dark barrier appeared in front of him. "Kairi - I told you: I'm not doing this," he called out to her. "You know this isn't going to help anyone. It won't help you!"

Kairi glared, then summoned her Keyblade with a swipe of an arm across herself. "I don't need advice from you! Who are you to tell me what's going to help me or not?! You're the reason I feel- all of these t-things in the first place!"

Riku made a frustrated noise. He shook his head, lowering his arms. The barrier disappeared. "Then what do you need? What do you want, Kairi? What do you think is going to help you with...all of the pain in your Heart that I've caused you?!"

Kairi's weapon shook in her grasp. Her lips parted. Her eyes stung as she blinked away tears. "I...I just want you to disappear already! I wish you hadn't come back into my life, I wish you were gone - I'll make you disappear!" She set her jaw and threw her weapon out at him in a streak of light. She turned herself into pure light itself, zipping across the distance, a sphere of light in the night casting off a golden glow-

And then suddenly a glowing armored figure materialized in front of her - half-way before she even reached Riku - and intercepted her! Kairi slammed into Terra, reforming and bouncing back off of that unyielding armor! She stumbled and flailed wildly, crashing backwards onto the deck with a gasp.

Kairi growled, flexing her hand at her side as she sat up, calling back her weapon to hand. She jumped to her feet-

Terra was suddenly right there, standing in front of her. Towering over her. He didn't even have his Keyblade out.

She didn't think he needed it.

"That's ENOUGH!" Terra said, loud and hard. An echoing bark of an order. A command. One filled with pure power itself.

Kairi faltered, stepping back as her weapon vanished. She hadn't dismissed it on purpose; it had just fled her on hearing that voice.

Terra stared down at her. Then he turned away, looking to Riku. "Did she hurt you again?"

"Not too badly," Riku said, getting to his feet. "I've been put through worse during swordsmanship lessons - some of the other kids I went up against could get pretty rough...especially when they were losing..."

Terra cast a Cure spell on Riku anyways. "Well, just to be safe - I can't tell if you're trying to put on a brave face again or not..."

Riku flushed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Uh, I really...wasn't...this time...but - thanks."

"Hm." Terra's gaze swept the deck. He moved to retrieve Riku's blindfold, and returned it to him. Then, he finally returned his focus to Kairi. Kairi ducked her head, joining her hands at her waist. She just felt like she was suffocating now. She felt numb. She felt... "Now: what happened? Tell me how this started."

"I want him off my ship, I want him out of my life," Kairi said, raising her head to glare at the man as best she could. "You can take him and go away with him again - go anywhere, I don't care! But I'm not having him here."

"He's staying."

"Then you can go to hell, too!" Kairi yelled, stepping in and slamming her fists against that armor. He didn't budge an inch. "WHY NOT JUST GO OFF AND INVITE ANSEM, AND XEMNAS, AND XEHANORT HERE?! RESURRECT MALEFICENT AND INVITE HER ABOARD FOR SOME TEA! AFTER EVERYTHING THEY'VE DONE, AFTER EVERYTHING HE'S DONE - DID HE EVEN TELL YOU WHAT HE'S DONE?! DID HE TELL YOU THE TRUTH? HOW CAN YOU JUST TREAT HIM LIKE SOME MISBEHAVING KID WHO- WHO MADE SOME GRAFFITI ON THE WALLS AT SCHOOL OR- FUCK YOU!" she screamed, punching and striking and slamming her whole being up against that armored figure, aching, bruising, bleeding and scraping her fists-

Terra suddenly seized her wrists, pushing her away. "Enough, you're just hurting yourself."

His voice was so gentle and kind and she hated it more than anything.

She struggled, she screamed incoherently - and then she just gave up, slumping to the ground at his feet.

He let her go, and he sat down with her.

She breathed uncontrollably, battered fists clenched, arms quivering. She looked at him and she made one last swing, right for his helmet.

Terra casually leaned backwards to avoid her, and she fell forward onto the deck.

She let out a cry and put her arms over her head.

Kairi wasn't really...aware of much after that.

Just movement and voices all around her, coming and going.

Sometimes, a hand on her arm, or- but then those were gone too.

It was just quiet. And dark.

But not...lonely.

Kairi sat up, and saw Sora sitting there. He'd just been watching her...

"Kairi..."

Kairi looked away, snorting. "If you're going to tell me off for attacking Riku again, and how I should be his friend again-"

"Well, you shouldn't have attacked him like that, no - but I get why you did. And...I won't ask you to act like his friend again. I never would, Kairi. If it's too hard, if you can't...then okay," Sora said softly, gazing at her with those pretty blue eyes and... "Besides, I'm really mad at him too."

She gasped, looking at him in full. "Y-you are?"

Sora scooted closer to Kairi, right by her side.

She startled as a jolt went through her body - as his hand touched hers. She looked at him, letting his hand stay where it was. Letting those fingers wrap around hers. Squeezing...holding...

Sora's face was serious, as he held her gaze. His eyebrows furrowed, his mouth a troubled frown. "Yeah - I am. Even just thinking about all the things he's done...it does make me mad, too. Mad at him. That wasn't the guy I knew. That wasn't my best friend. And..." He stopped, took a breath. "And I'm really angry that that guy could have- destroyed our home, and- and...my mom, with it. Especially after- after my d-dad...how could Riku do that, knowing I'd already lost...? And your dad, too," he whispered. He squeezed her hand even tighter, stroking her with his thumb.

He leaned in closer to her, his eyes so big and so- so- "But that's just it, Kairi: what is mom going to think about me, if I just give in to all this anger and hate, and just take it all out on Riku with everything I have? Not would - not if - when, Kairi! When we restore our world, when we go home, and when we have to share all our adventures with our parents - what are they going to say to us? What will your dad say to you...when you tell him how you've been acting around Riku? Just- angry, and petty, and spiteful, and...awful? Violent and terrible? What is he going to say to you about it all, do you think? What's he going to think?"

Kairi gasped. She struggled to breathe, dizziness coming over her as her throat constricted. Her mouth opened. Her vision of Sora swam. A heat swelled in her chest...and a tight fist closed around her Heart...

"H-he's going to be s-so a-ashamed of m-me!" she sobbed, throwing herself at Sora.

Sora wrapped his arms around her, holding her and stroking her back, as she continued to cry. Loudly and deeply. Deep from within her Heart. And throughout it all, he didn't say a single word more.

Because he knew...

And he knew that she knew, now, too.


In the morning light, of crashing waves and a nice breeze, Kairi emerged out onto the deck of her ship.

She raised a hand against the sun, looking around.

Most everyone was already out here together.

And there was Riku, sitting with Terra, both of them cross-legged. A ridiculous sight. But...

Kairi took a breath, and she strode up to them.

Riku's head turned. His mouth closed, lips pressing. Long before she even reached him (that sensing power of his at work again?). "Hey, Kairi."

"Is there something you need?" Terra spoke up, looking at her as well. He didn't sound like he was even mad at her for last night - for trying so hard to beat the crap out of him. Didn't sound disappointed, either...

Kairi stared at Riku, breathing in and out again. She let herself relax. Her face soften. When she spoke, it was in a voice as equally soft, and quiet. "I just...want to say...to you, Riku..."

"Yeah...?"

"Sorry - for last night," Kairi got out finally. "I...I wasn't- behaving any better. I was being...m-my worst. And...and..." She choked, screwing up her eyes. "And d-dad...when I bring him back, when I go home again, he- he's not going to be happy with me about this. He's not going to think...very highly of me for it. Because that's not- the girl he raised. That's not the daughter he...and I can't disappoint him when I get home. So..."

"So..no more beatdowns? No more trying to kill me?" Riku spoke slowly.

"Yes." Kairi confirmed, nodding. She opened her eyes again, looking him in the face. "When we restore the worlds, bring peace and order back to the universe, and so on, whatever punishment or fate awaits you for what you've done...the proper people and authorities will be the ones to decide that for you. Not me. Unless, of course, we fail, and everything goes to crap, and there is no authority or prison or- whatever left to deal with you. Then...I get my shot at you. But, even then, that would be - justice, not just trying to make you suffer and hurt because I can."

"Alright. Sounds...good."

Kairi nodded again.

Silence.

Terra leaned over to Riku and said, "She just nodded."

Kairi flushed, looking away. "Um...so...yes. But that still doesn't mean I'm going to act like your best friend again or anything," she added quickly. "Just - basic...decency, and- maybe a little courtesy. But that's all you get from me...for now. Whether I believe you or not, even."

"Okay. That's more than fair," Riku murmured.

"Yes. So...right. Goodbye. I'm walking away now."

"Okay...bye, Kairi..."

She turned on the spot and stalked off for Sora and Xion, who were talking with Ven in their own little group.

Sora gave her a wide smile, his eyes shining. "Hey, Kairi!"

Kairi blushed as she stared into that face. He knew; he'd heard. Of course... "Hey, Sora," she replied, glancing away. "Hey, sis. How's it going this morning? Ready for another day of training?"

"I guess?" Xion said, smiling. "I didn't know there was so much to learn about Keyblades."

"Hehe, neither did we," Sora beamed. "It's awesome, though!"

"It is...interesting, I guess," Xion nodded. "I...liked the glider. It's like having your own ship - but a lot smaller. It's - cuter?" she added uncertainly.

Kairi beamed. "Cute as can be, sister - just like you! And, I suppose it never hurts to have a backup," she added thoughtfully. If the unthinkable ever happened, and she lost the Pestilence...she didn't want to just be stranded somewhere.

Especially if she had to be stranded somewhere with, god forbid, Riku.

Yep: a glider would allow her to make a nice escape from such a fate, should it ever come to pass.

Though, she would have to battle all temptation to just leave him behind...

Good thing it would never happen to begin with!