Update Feb 2014: The events of Can't Escape ch39-42 happen shortly after this chapter! Also, there is extra content in ASAS ch7 and 8, but that's extra content for the Can't Escape chapters. No, you don't have to read those chapters if you don't want to, this note is just here for reference. OH AND ch23 of ASAS has more extra stuff for the Can't Escape chapters. I nearly forgot!

Chapter 83: Panic and a Nightmare

"Riku?" Aerith called, knocking on the doorframe. "Your shirt's clean."

He glanced up at her, meeting her gaze with unfocused eyes. Namine still hadn't woken up. It had been hours. Nearly seven hours, actually. He was starting to get worried. Well, "starting" was an understatement. He had started worrying about two hours ago. Five hours was a long time for her to be out. And now that it was nearing seven hours, he might as well have been panicking.

Plus, as time wore on, he had begun to notice something.

He had this nagging feeling that something was going to happen. And whatever that something was, it made him uncomfortable.

And the feeling only got worse as the hours passed.

And because of that nagging feeling, and the fact Namine hadn't woken up yet, and the fact that he was suddenly very tired, he was starting to get anxious. Anxious, and worried, and he felt like he was going to go mad if he sat here much longer.

"Are you okay?" Aerith asked.

"Namine hasn't woken up yet…" he replied, shakily. "She usually wakes up by now…"

"Maybe she was tired," Aerith said, with a shrug. "Has she slept in a while?"

Riku shook his head.

"Then she probably needs the sleep," Aerith assured him. Then she frowned, studying him intently. "You look like you could use some sleep, too," she said after a moment.

He shrugged.

"Well, there's an empty bed if you want it," she sighed. "I'm… going to make dinner soon, I just need to go get groceries first. We're completely out of food." She rubbed her head and sighed again. "We've just had soup so much recently… Will you two be staying? You don't have to eat with everyone else. You can eat in here."

Riku was silent for a moment.

It wasn't a bad offer…

But…

He shifted uncomfortably.

"I… I think we're gonna go…" he said finally. "Maybe she'd sleep better if she were in her own bed. And…" he trailed off, not entirely sure how to explain the feeling that was building inside of him.

"And…?" Aerith asked.

"I feel like something's going to happen," he whispered. "It's not… necessarily a bad thing, I just- I don't think I want to be here for it. There's this… icky feeling inside of me."

Aerith laughed.

"Bet that's weird, huh?" Riku asked, ducking his head down, embarrassed.

"No, no!" Aerith assured him, quickly. "I understand completely. I get feelings like that too, sometimes. If you think you need to go, then you should go."

Riku nodded and slowly pushed himself to his feet. She threw his shirt to him.

"Just leave the one you're wearing on the bed," she told him. "I'll come get it later. And, remember—Come back in a few days so I can check on your hand, alright?"

Riku nodded again. "Alright."

"Good." Aerith waved at him, smiling softly, and then she headed out.

Riku slowly shrugged off the shirt he was wearing and pulled his shirt back on. He stood there for a moment, trying to get used to it again. It felt… weird…

He decided he'd just ignore the weirdness. He laid the shirt at the end of the bed, like Aerith told him to, and then turned to Namine. He let out a small sigh.

I hope she wakes up soon… he thought.

He bent to pick her up, grimacing a little bit about the fact Aerith probably would tell him that wasn't a good idea, but deciding to ignore it. He opened a dark corridor and stepped through.

They reappeared in Namine's room. Riku laid her down, then knelt next to the bed, brushing hair out of her face.

"Please wake up soon," he whispered.

He started to move so he could sit in his chair…

But…

He was starting to get sleepy.

It had been… such a tiring day.

He yawned.

Then, very slowly, he laid his head on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes.

xxx

It was the sound of faint breathing that woke her.

She lay there for a second, eyes closed, trying to get a feel for her surroundings.

She was in her bed, as always, and could feel Riku's hand tightly holding one of hers. Her head hurt, but not as much as it usually did. She frowned at that thought, because the last meltdown had certainly felt worse than the rest, and it wouldn't make sense that her head hurt less than usual—

But…

The faint breathing caught her attention again. She listened for a moment, trying to distinguish it. She had no luck.

That's… too quiet and calm to be Riku, she thought.

Very slowly, she opened her eyes and rolled over on to her side. Then she laughed.

Well, usually…

For, sure enough the breathing was coming from Riku. He was sitting on the floor next to her bed, head resting on the edge of it, sound asleep.

She smiled.

He looks so… peaceful…

It's not often when he's peaceful.

"No, please," he mumbled, rather suddenly. Her smile fell into a frown.

Is he… talking in his sleep? she thought, shocked.

"Please, I-" he continued. "I didn't mean—" His voice broke, and he shuddered all over. His breathing got quicker, the peaceful look on his face was replaced by something close to terror. He bit his lip, as if trying not to scream, and he clutched her hand tighter in his, as if it were his lifeline.

"Stop!" he gasped, frantically, voice working its way up to a shout. "Please, stop, I—"

"Hey," Namine told him, quickly, trying to calm him down. "Hey, shh! Shh, it's alright!"

He groaned, shuddering again. "It- it hurts- I- I can't-"

"It's just a dream," she said, unsure of what else she could say. "Calm down, you're just dreaming." She shifted slightly, into something that was close to a sitting position. It was hard to do, though, while Riku was still holding her hand. "Hang on," she whispered, pulling her hand away.

"Namine!" Riku gasped, catching her by the wrist with lightning fast reflexes. He appeared to be looking at her pleadingly, though his eyes were still squeezed shut. "Please don't- don't leave me!"

She stared at him, taken aback by this.

"I- I'm not going to leave you," she assured him after a moment, hoping that she sounded more sure about the fact than she thought she did. "Just- just hold on a second, okay?"

He nodded, though his breath was still shaky. The look on his face suggested that he was still in pain. She swallowed, and then gently pulled her hand away from him again, shifting into a proper sitting position. Then, carefully, she pulled his head into her lap.

"It's okay," she told him again, kindly. "You're only dreaming."

After a bit of hesitation, she ran her fingers through his hair. He calmed almost instantly, and let out a long, rather content, sigh. She smiled softly.

"Only dreaming…" he mumbled.