Author's Notes: Welcome back, everybody! First off, sorry it's taken slightly longer than expected to update. My outline for this story was accidentally deleted; I'm working on reconstructing it at the moment, and all should be well by the time the next chapter or so comes out. With school started again, I'll try my best to keep writing on the weekends- at most, chapters should have an average two-month update speed.

For those of you who reviewed, thank you so much for your support, and please keep letting me know what you think! Extra thanks also go to rabid behemoth for agreeing to be my beta for the rest of this haul. :)

Finally, I do not in any way lay claim to the Kingdom Hearts franchise or its characters.

Sightline

chapter II: overflow

Riku closed the door to his new room, hearing the soft 'click' it made as it slid shut, and let out a long breath. Shutting his eyes, he felt himself physically relax as his leaned against the door. Introduction to new partner: complete. There were other things that Riku needed to do, but for now…

He could let himself absorb everything for a while.

Riku opened his eyes and surveyed the new space critically. It was as spacious as Selphie had claimed, with easily enough space to fit another person in here. Riku supposed that the room had actually been meant for two people at one time, but had been changed to a single somewhere later along the line. It wasn't exactly as if the Organization's headquarters was bursting with members.

Riku's heart throbbed painfully for a moment, and he winced slightly, placing a hand on his chest as he waited for the squeezing sensation to fade. When it was gone he sighed slightly and sat in a black leather chair placed next to an empty bookcase; both items were obviously brand new. Riku shouldered away his distaste and closed his eyes again, trying to sort his thoughts.

Long fingers slowly reached up towards his shoulder and pulled out the small, black band keeping his hair tied, letting it fall to the floor as they combed through silver hair. The braid undone, his hair fell loose against his shoulders, his hands returning to his lap.

It was a small thing, but Riku always had always known himself to relax more when his hair wasn't tied. A strange quality, to be sure, but one that Riku had never particularly dwelled on.

More importantly...everything. Anything.

He didn't want to do this.

The Commanders knew that already.

He didn't know if he could do this.

Today, we are all cowards, a voice echoed in his mind. It is not who we are trained to be, or even more importantly, who we are meant to be. But today…that is who we must be.

Riku gritted his teeth, his closed eyes clenching as he shook his head to get rid of the voice. He wouldn't go down that path. Riku had sworn that he wouldn't, and he had no intent on breaking his word. It was one of the few things he could trust himself about anymore, but that was a feeling that most operatives experienced during active service. It was the way the Organization worked.

The silver-haired man sighed and craned his neck backwards, his eyes drifting open and staring blankly at the plain, white ceiling. The way the Organization worked…was enough for Riku, and in a way always had been. Riku wouldn't lie to anybody, least of all himself, and say that he was satisfied. But for now he could survive here easily enough. And that was more than many people in the outside world could say.

He sat in the chair, lost in thought, as long seconds passed into minutes into an hour, and wondered idly why it was that so many things that needed to be said seemed fated to be left unspoken.

When they were finished speaking with Auron, Aerith turned to Cloud and said firmly, "Commander, let's go get some tea." The flat determination in her eyes, even more so than her tone, made it clear that while her words were stated as a request, Cloud had better not treat it as such and refuse.

Instead, Cloud just asked slowly, "Shouldn't you get back to the wing?"

"Yes. But they can manage without me for just a while longer…they've done very well for themselves these past few days; I trust them."

The blond paused a moment, then nodded. "Alright, but don't let me keep you."

"You'll do no such thing," Aerith said, smiling. "Now, let's go down to your office, it'll be quiet there…"

Cloud made a small noise of consent and led the way down the spacious corridor. His office was relatively close to Landel's, at a leisurely pace it would only take a minute's walk. Aerith followed a step behind him, hands rested comfortably on her abdomen, fingers intercrossed. He glanced back at her once, and she in return blinked at him in a silent inquisition. Cloud shook his head and shifted his gaze to back in front of him.

The silence between them was comfortable, as it had long been. When they reached Cloud's office, the Commander held open the door for Aerith as she walked inside. An office identical to Landel's lay before her, but this one lacked even the small amount of personality the older Commander had managed to give his room.

"You should put in flowers," the brunette suggested quietly. "Yellow ones, to match your hair."

Cloud snorted in derision and replied, "The room's functional, and that's what matters."

Ignoring him, Aerith continued blithely, heading over to small call-order service on the left wall. "Marluxia might have some nice ones, but then, he's been so busy lately I wouldn't really know…" Pressing a small button, Aerith leaned into the speaker and said, "Excuse me? A pot of tea and two cups, to be delivered to Commander Strife's office. Ah, wait a moment." She turned back to Cloud. "What kind of tea would you like?"

Sitting down at his paper-laden desk, Cloud shrugged. "Anything is fine."

"If it's not too much of a bother, green tea would be nice. Thank you."

The blond raised his eyebrows slightly at that. "You like green tea."

Aerith nodded, adjusting her glasses slightly. She walked over to his desk and took the seat across from him, placing her hands lightly on the table. "The taste is nice, and it's easier to imbue green tea with healing magic than it is with a lot of other liquids. We use it in the hospital wing a lot, for…internal problems." She gestured lightly at her stomach. "I've grown fond of it, over the last few months."

"Hmm."

"Oh, don't complain. If you wanted some other type, you should have spoken up when I asked you."

"It's…not like that," Cloud protested, frowning. "Green tea is fine, Aerith."

She beamed at him, and he couldn't help but notice how much brighter that look in her eyes had been a year ago. Even in the middle of a war, sometimes it was hard to remember the price that people paid to remain in the Organization. Cloud had his own problems to deal with, and Aerith had hers. He knew this, but he couldn't help the twinge of guilt his stomach had when he saw that smile.

"In any case, what were we talking about before?" Aerith asked. "Oh, that's right. Flowers. You really should put some in here, they'd look nice."

Cloud shut his eyes. "Kisaragi said the same thing. I don't need flowers."

Aerith's eyes widened in surprise. "Yuffie was here? How is she?"

Cloud nodded, sighing. "Cid called her back for a bit a few weeks ago. She stayed with him for…one, maybe two days. It's probable that she was here scouting, Cid mentioned something about a switch being requested."

"It would have been nice to say hello," Aerith murmured. Just as she finished her sentence, there was a knock at the door. "Our tea."

"Come in," Cloud said, and a young woman holding a platter bearing a pot of tea and two small tea cups entered the room. She set the items down on his desk, bowed, and swiftly exited.

Aerith took the tea pot poured some of the beverage into both cups, handing one to Cloud and placing the other in front of her.

"Speaking of Yuffie, did you know, Commander, that she…" Aerith took a sip of her tea before continuing, "has failed to even stop by the infirmary for the past two years? She didn't show up for her annual inspections, and I have not even heard a whisper as to why she believes such a thing will be…without consequences." She phrased the last bit of her sentence carefully, and Cloud instantly understood exactly why Yuffie had kept away for so long.

"Cid will find out if anything happens to her," Cloud said, his face neutral.

Aerith sniffed, taking another rather unladylike gulp of tea before setting down her cup. "I hope so, because then I'll have an excuse to give her a good talking to." Cloud coughed delicately, distracting Aerith from the finer points of Yuffie's health policy—or lack thereof. "Ah—I almost forgot, how silly of me. What I meant to ask you today was how you are, Commander."

Cloud blinked warily. "…I'm fine."

The brown haired woman gave him a disbelieving look, and Cloud sighed internally. He wished she wouldn't be so pushy, but that was simply the way Aerith was, like it or no.

He elaborated slightly. "Things are the same as they were last year."

"Meaning you're overworked, overstressed, and instead of attempting to relieve any of it you take it all in stride, accounting it towards your duty as a Commander," Aerith sighed. "Honestly, Commander…"

"You can't expect me to take leave now."

"I can and do, but you don't agree with me," Aerith said.

"You should know better than almost anyone, Aerith," Cloud said softly. "We don't have enough people, and the people we do have we misuse."

"What makes you say that?" Aerith asked, leaning back in the chair comfortably. Cloud glared at her, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Oh, stop it. If you don't want to answer my questions, tell the other Commanders that you're taking a month's leave tomorrow."

"I can't do that," Cloud said, eyes darkening.

"Then answer my question," Aerith replied easily, taking up her tea again. "One or the other, Commander. I'd honestly prefer the former, but since you're being stubborn, talking to you about your feelings will just have to do."

Cloud paused, before saying, "I don't need a psychiatrist." It came out sharply, and Aerith frowned at him.

"I'm not here to analyze you, Commander," she said, and Cloud could tell that she was offended. "I'm here because I want to know how you're doing."

The Commander was silent, not knowing how and unwilling to respond. The woman in front of him set her empty tea cup down in front of her, and crossed her hands above her waist, waiting. They sat like that for a minute before Aerith let out a small breath and said quietly:

"Please."

Another long moment passed, before Cloud said, barely audible, "The projects that we've been assigning lately…a lot of the people we put to them are the wrong people for the job."

Aerith considered this. "Hmm…who do you think?"

"You, until recently. obviously," the blond stated, glaring at his untouched tea. "Most of the LUNA BANDIT and NOCTURNE ex-operatives, Okada included...Aerith, that project Landel just assigned to him is going to go nowhere."

"Are you sure you're not underestimating him?" Aerith questioned. Cloud gave a hollow laugh.

"It's got nothing to do with his abilities—if that was all it was going to take, I would have been the first to recommend him for the position. His credentials are some of the best I've seen despite that he's only been with us for a year and a half, and Landel's probably been considering him for promotion for a while. I haven't worked with him personally at all, but from what I saw of him in Landel's office, it's obvious there are going to be major…difficulties."

He stopped, before saying darkly, "Leon is his partner." He shut his eyes, leaning forward and placing his face on his palm. "From what I could tell, if you wanted to describe Okada it would be 'prideful and determined' if you wanted to be polite and 'arrogant and exceedingly stubborn' if you wanted to be blatant but accurate. He's ex-NOCTURNE, but he doesn't want to be associated with it, which the job will require him to be. Meanwhile Leon is…well, you know how he is."

Lids were partially lowered over green eyes, as Aerith agreed, "I do."

"Then you understand where I'm coming from," Cloud said.

Aerith bit her lip, before saying slowly, "There is…something you might be able to do, actually…"

"What?"

"Rather, I know somebody who could help," Aerith elaborated. "He's Riku's best friend, and a lot of people within the Organization respect and like him."

"A name, Aerith," Cloud said, serious. If this man could make MORNING STAR work out…Cloud wanted him in on the project ASAP, regardless of who he was and what other duties he had.

Aerith paused for a long moment, anxious, and then murmured quickly, "Shimizu Sora."

"…I'll talk to Landel," Cloud said heavily, recognizing the name. "…his wife, her name is Naminé, isn't it? How is she?"

"…Sora was placed on leave three weeks ago," Aerith replied softly.

And then Cloud knew why Aerith's eyes were cast down, guilty.

Leon had never been particularly fond of Thursdays, and this one wasn't looking any better than the rest as he glared down his new "partner", sitting across from him in the conference room assigned to them for the remainder of the project. Off the top of his head, Leon had already thought of four reasons why he shouldn't have bothered to accept this mission within half an hour upon starting and had just thought up a fifth, now thirty-seven minutes into the workday.

More of my thinking process has gone into thinking of reasons why I shouldn't be here than to do actual work and it doesn't even matter.

Okada glowered at him, eyes dark and arms crossed. He hadn't said a word for at least ten minutes, instead twirling a metal stylus roughly through his fingers and occasionally scribbling something on to the holoscreen cast in front of him.

They had each been relatively polite when they met each other that morning, but conversation between them had quickly died. Leon didn't like to talk unless he had to by nature, and his partner's natural attitude bothered him. It seemed that Riku was also extremely perceptive, and had quickly picked up on the waves of dissatisfaction Leon was apparently exuding.

The problem was that neither of them wanted the job, and both of them knew it. Leon had to wonder what in the world the Commanders had been thinking when they planned this project. He had spoken about it briefly with Strife the day before, but the Commander had been on his way to a meeting, cutting their time short. Leon had only managed to receive one piece of decent information:

"The one who wanted Okada in the position was Landel. If there are problems, I'll make sure word reaches him."

Strife had also made it clear that Leon's assignment was final, at least for the time being. Leon wasn't willing to be stuck in an assignment with a partner he couldn't even communicate with on fundamental levels. Leon would be confrontational if necessary, and enough was enough. "…Okada."

Riku's mouth twitched. "Leonhart."

Leon suppressed an angry sigh and said curtly, "We're going nowhere."

"Good of you to finally come up to speed." Leon's eyes flashed dangerously, and Riku smirked. "So, wise one, what do you propose we do? I'm all ears."

You'd be a lot more tolerable if that was true, Leon retorted silently. "Let's just start recruiting, and try and finish this damn thing as soon as possible."

"Right," Riku agreed sarcastically, turning the holoscreen around so that the front of it faced Leon, and pushed it towards the brunet. "Let's."

Stormy gray eyes met defiant teal ones momentarily, then were cast downwards towards the screen. A list of different information needs was displayed, all rated for importance. Leon scanned the list carefully, then said, "We'll need to divide this up, or we'll both be over our heads. Are you better in the field, or at desk work?" Before Riku could respond, Leon added, "And I want an actual answer."

Riku snorted, and then said shortly, "I've had more experience in desk."

That's not what I asked, but to hell with it.

Leon replied, "Then for now, draw up a list of the unassigned personnel"-he tapped the screen lightly, switching it over to a second page-"that you feel are the most qualified." He handed the holoscreen back to Riku, bringing up a new one for himself.

"Fine. You review all the information Aerith gave us, then," Riku said, taking the holoscreen and placing it in front of him. Setting down the stylus, he rested his fingertips on the portable keyboard and began to type. Leon followed suit, silence fell.

The quiet could not be called comfortable, but it was not overtly uneasy either. Rather, it seemed almost as if there were the tiniest of electric currents throughout the air, preventing him from completely relaxing while simultaneously not disturbing him. It was, frankly, a bit weird.

If Riku noticed the strange atmosphere, he made no comment on it as his fingers flew over the keys. His eyes were slightly dulled over, and Leon could see the reflections of the tiny text from his computer on them.

Internally sighing, Leon turned slightly and took a deep look over the information displayed before him. It was impressive, to say the least. If Aerith hadn't been so busy taking care of all the patients in the infirmary, he would have been happy to leave the whole affair with her, and he doubted the Commanders would have objected.

He slowly glanced over all of it, not bothering to read all the details of the situations right away—there was too much text for that option to be reasonable. He and Riku had a week before they were expected to report their choice of manpower to the Committee, and Leon could tell that Riku was the kind of person who expected you to be finished either before or at exactly the same time he was. Leon was somewhat loathe to admit it, but he was the same way.

The click-clack sound of fingers hitting keys filled the room as both men looked over their computers and took notes. They sat there silently for another hour, until they were interrupted by a knock on the door and a decidedly cheery voice.

"This is Selphie Tilmitt, on behalf of Commander Auron! I'm here to speak with Riku."

Riku blinked, bemused. "Come on in, Selphie," he said. His voice was instantly transmitted through the sound system attached to the back of his chair and to the automatic locking system employed by the entire Organization headquarters. There was a soft 'beep' and the door opened, Selphie walking in with a definite bounce to her step.

When she saw Leon, she blinked. "Squall!"

Leon gave a slightly forced smile. "Selphie."

She grinned at him and saluted, green eyes twinkling. "Reporting for duty, sir! Or something like that."

"You…know each other?" Riku asked quietly, glancing at Selphie to Leon to Selphie again, slightly bemused. Selphie nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure, sure! Squall and I go waaay back, he's practically like a big brother- isn't that right, Squall?"

Leon coughed slightly at this, knowing that it would be lost on Selphie but not on Riku. The message was received, and Riku gave a small smirk before saying, "I hate to come between you two, Selphie, as it seems like you have a lot to catch up on, but..."

"Oh, right, right!" she said, remembering. "Riku, you've gotta go visit Auron again real quick. He has an assignment for you."

Riku and Leon stared at her. Pausing, Riku said, "…now?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "Now."

The aqua-eyed man blinked, then shrugged, standing. "All right, if you say so…" He glanced at Leon, and the brunet inwardly winced at the dangerous little sparkle in his partner's eyes. "Selphie, why don't you stay with Leon while I'm gone? I'm sure you two have…a lot…to talk about, after all…"

Leon looked at Selphie, slightly tensed.

"Wish I could, but Mr. Grumps told me to just bring you to him, and he's got another message for me to deliver right after this one. Sorry, Squall!"

"Whatever," Leon said simply, turning back to his computer. Selphie looked indignant, but before she could say anything Riku placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's just go," he suggested. "You and Leonhart can talk some other time, I'm sure." The meaning of his words weren't lost on Leon, and the sound of fingers hitting keys became decidedly louder. Riku just smirked again as he led Selphie to outside, closing the door behind him.

Instantly, Selphie turned on him. "You didn't tell me that Squall was your partner!" she accused, but her gaze was friendly as she pouted and put her hands on her hips in a mock-offended manner.

"You didn't ask," Riku replied simply, heading down the hall. "And besides, you got to see the mission information, his name was right there if you had bothered to read it carefully…"

Selphie blinked. "I guess so," she conceded grumpily, following beside him.

"So…" Riku ventured, curious despite himself. "How do you guys know each other, anyways?"

"Like I said, we go way back- same hometown and all," she said happily. "He used to baby-sit me when I was a kid and he was in high school; we had all sorts of adventures. He's a big sweetie, really…"

The silver-haired man couldn't help but stare at her, disbelief written all over his face. That guy, a 'sweetie'? Like hell—he'd only worked with the man for all of an hour, and he already knew enough to effectively disprove a statement like that.

"I'm serious!" Selphie insisted, seeing Riku's expression.

"Does he have a twin?" Riku retorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"No!"

"Then the situation has got to be the very dramatic love child of an obscene coincidence," Riku deadpanned. "There's no other possible explanation."

"Just because you're too stupid to like him doesn't mean he's a bad guy," she retorted. Riku glared at her.

"What makes you think I dislike him?" he demanded. "I didn't say anything like that."

She sighed. "I'm not blind, but forget it," she said flatly. "I could say something else here, but I won't."

"Why?" Riku asked, slightly agitated.

"You wouldn't like it," Selphie explained calmly. "At all."

"I don't really see why that would matter."

"You wouldn't like it, Riku," Selphie repeated. "Let's just leave it at that."

Riku wanted to insist, but something in Selphie's tone stopped him. He didn't really want to fight with his friend at the moment, when he knew she was still smarting a little from his comments last time. Instead, he just clapped her lightly on the back.

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling down at her. "Okay."

A moment passed, and Selphie grinned back. "You're so easy, Riku."

"Hey!" Riku started, offended, and the green-eyed woman danced out of his grip and flew down the hall, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. Riku sighed, but allowed himself a small smile as he ran down the corridor after her. "Get back here, you. You're supposed to be taking me to Auron, remember?"

"Right…" Selphie's voice suddenly sounded serious, and her eyes were dark and unreadable. Selphie was always haphazard, but her tone made Riku wonder exactly what he was reporting for.

Auron was looking over paperwork when he heard the knock on the door. "Make sure to shut the door," he said simply, barely even looking up. Riku and Selphie stepped in, Riku kicking the door shut lightly behind him.

"Okada, Tilmitt," he greeted, waving towards the chairs in front of him. "Sit."

Selphie took her seat immediately, placing her left leg over her right and propping her hands on her knees in a very ladylike fashion. Riku took slightly longer to sit, as if wondering if he should or not. The silver-haired man glanced at the papers covering Auron's desk.

"You could get those transferred to data files, you know, Commander." Riku said neutrally.

"No time," Auron said gruffly, setting down the papers. "Physical copies have their own uses too, but I wouldn't expect a lot of people to agree with me."

"You wanted to see me."

"That's right," the Commander agreed. "I have an assignment for you."

"No disrespect meant, sir," Riku said quietly, squarely meeting Auron's eyes, "But I believe that you already gave me one two days ago."

"I have another one," Auron replied, his tone making it clear that there was to be no argument on the matter. "It will just take a day or so, and won't affect your other mission in any way."

Riku paused, then nodded reluctantly.

"I'll tell you beforehand that you're not going to like it," Auron said. "You're not going to like it, but you'll agree that you're the best man for the job.

"I need you to deliver a message to Sora Shimizu"-and here Riku's face went dead white with instant realization-"informing him that he has been re-enrolled within active service, and that he is to report to headquarters for duty immediately."

Riku simply sat there, eyes wide. Selphie was quiet as well, eyes cast downward. Auron had told her the contents of the assignment in advance, but he wasn't surprised that she had opted to say nothing, and he couldn't blame her.

The red-coated man was silent, still holding Riku's gaze seriously. Finally, Riku spoke.

"You can't."

Auron sighed. "But I am."

"You can't," Riku insisted, almost frantically. "You can't make him come back here, not yet."

"I know your misgivings, Okada," Auron said quietly. Riku's eyes flared, instantly furious. "But regardless of whether it is you who brings him or not, Shimizu will be re-enlisted in the service within the week. That is a fact, so get used to it."

Riku's hands were cleched on his lap, trembling with anger, and when he spoke next, it came out in a barely controlled hiss. "How dare you."

"Are you going to take the job or not? It's up to you," Auron said, voice sharp. Riku glared at him for a moment longer, and then slumped back, defeated.

"Fine," he snapped, looking away. "I'll do it."

"Good," the Commander replied heavily. "You'll go tomorrow."

"Fine."

The tone in Riku's voice was murderous, and Auron knew that he'd just made himself a new enemy. He'd understood the consequences that would occur when he made the final decision to bring Sora back. Sora himself would understand, insisting that it was for the good of the Organization and putting on a strong front. But he hadn't believed that Riku could do the same, especially not so soon after another unsatisfactory assignment, and he had been right.

"For what it's worth, you should know that he is being placed directly within MORNING STAR's jurisdiction," Auron informed him.

The anger in Riku's eyes didn't subside at all- he was skilled at reading between the lines. "Good."

"I take it you have no questions."

"No."

"Then you are dismissed."

overflow/END

Well, you've made it this far, so go ahead and hit that review button. I know you want to, and if you don't, I want you to. So do so. Please. :)

next chapter: a woman smiling. A photograph, three pairs of blue eyes, and the potential of a possibility.