Notes: Some friends of mine have pointed out some factual inaccuracies that I would like to address quickly. First off, technically, with current CSI technology and techniques, Sora could have been found out pretty easily as Ansem's killer. Also, a person who was molested at a young age is much more likely to develop a psychosexual disorder than to become a sociopath. For the sake of willing suspension of disbelief, ignore these facts. Thanks!

Also, PLEASE review more! Pretty please?

The First Day: Morning

Sora woke up at his usual time of five-thirty. He rose from his Spartan bed and grabbed a bath robe from his dresser as he walked soberly into his bathroom. He hadn't had a good night, as after an hour of slumber, he had rose in a panic, as he had forgotten to wear gloves and change shoes when he had killed Riku.

He had loudly awakened Cloud, who had angrily replied by telling Sora that they had already planned this in advance, and the client would be bribing the police to conveniently not investigate the possibility of murder, and that any footprints would be conveniently messed up by other people in the hotel.

And so Sora had gone back to bed reassured, but embarrassed that he had forgotten the plan he himself had made. It had taken him much longer to get to sleep, because he couldn't get his mind to settle: it was awash in images of the death of Kairi Yamato, some of them ritualistic, some were efficient and quick, some were so slow they were almost erotic. Eventually, though, he got to sleep, where he dreamed of Kairi's red hair being drenched in the darker red of her blood.

Now, though, his dreams were beginning to wash away, swirling down the drain along with his shower water. Some people viewed bathing or showering as a cleansing of the soul. Sora had always thought of it as being similar in that regard to putting on a new skin: no one would see the marks of his crimes on his face once it was washed. He recalled, though, how reluctant he was to wash Ansem's blood off of his hands.

He had enjoyed killing the man, he didn't deny it. The police had never found any fingerprints at the church, and Sora had (as had now become his habit) worn shoes he had never worn before when he had done the deed, shoes he then disposed of. Now, though, that he had that week, those seven days in which to know his targets, to gain their trust, he almost regretted having their blood on him. He enjoyed the feel of killing, he just didn't enjoy killing people he knew. He was able to push it out of his mind when the time came, though, he always had.

If he didn't wash away the blood, it would mark his face, Sora was sure of it. Then people wouldn't trust him as easily, and the next job would be much more difficult. This assignment with Kairi promised to be tough, and why make it harder? He would meet the challenge with his best effort, and in the end, Sora was certain he'd win. What was one CIA temp worker and a bodyguard against Sora Hikari?

After he finished showering, Sora dressed in his suit, a red one with a blue clip-on tie. It was comfortable, certainly more so than a tuxedo, and chances are Kairi would be dining someplace nice.

The suit was loose, as it had been specially designed for him, and Sora's discerning eye selected a small combat knife and a silenced nine millimeter pistol for the day. He didn't plan on getting the opportunity to kill Kairi today, but just in case the chance presented itself to him, he wasn't about to pass it up.

Not bothering to write Cloud a note explaining his absence, Sora left the apartment building and started to make his way towards Sullivan Hotel.

Kairi Yamato herself sat in the restaurant across the street from her hotel, sipping at a vanilla milkshake and occasionally glancing into the windows of the hotel lobby, smiling silently whenever she saw Roxas dashing about, doubtlessly worried sick about her.

Roxas had been Kairi's bodyguard for some time, and he had developed something of an infatuation with her, one that she didn't really return. Oh, she liked the man, certainly, and he was very handsome, but…well, what movie was that line from? "No one can tell you you're in love, you just know it." And she knew right now that she wasn't.

The milkshake was delicious. It had better be good, she thought, I paid five dollars for it. The thick cream flowed through the straw into her mouth, bringing with it an icy cold that might make her head hurt if she took too much, too fast. Lowering the drink from her mouth, Kairi's eyes wandered to the door of the café, where a young man had just walked in, accompanied by the jingling of bells on the door.

Sora could barely believe his good fortune. Here he had decided to sit in the Marian Café to see if Kairi left, and here she was! She was much prettier in person than her photographs would have suggested, and she was also dressed casually, and Sora felt out of place in his black suit.

He took a seat in the booth to the right of Kairi and pretended to glance at the menu, already knowing what he would be ordering (the milkshakes here were expensive, but well worth it). He stole quick glances at Kairi, occasionally catching her eyes just leaving him. He smiled mentally. So she was shy, despite the "outgoing redhead" stereotype.

"Hey," a voice asked, and Sora didn't realize that he had spoken until Kairi turned to him, "is that your natural hair color?"

Kairi had the tact not to giggle, but really! What a tired line! "Yes, it's real. No dye could look this good."

The young man laughed. Kairi thought for a moment that he was about to turn back to his menu, but there was no way she would allow someone this cute to get away. "Do you want to sit down?"

He already was sitting, but the man got the message and sat down with her. "I'm Sora Akuma."

"Kairi Yamato." They shook hands and smiled. "Do you live around here?"

"Yes," he replied, "with my roommate in the Garland Hotel a few blocks north. You?"

"I'm staying over there," she pointed towards the Sullivan, "for a couple of weeks with a friend. You know, I just got here, would you mind showing me around town a little?"

God, this is easy! Sora thought. "I'd love to!" He glanced out of the window and his eyes met another pair, one that was rather angry. "And would that be the friend you're staying with?"

Kairi was about to answer when the man in question burst through the door, obviously more than a little annoyed that she had given him the slip. "Oh, hi, Roxas. Sora, this is Roxas, the friend I told you about. Roxas, this is-"

"Sora, yes, I heard the name," said Roxas, annoyed. The man named Sora turned to face him, and for a moment, both were starstruck by how similar they looked. Then Roxas focused his attention back on Kairi. "Why didn't you tell me where you'd be?"

Kairi shrugged. "I guess I forgot. Sorry." Truth be told, even though she liked Roxas, his constant hovering over her was really getting on her nerves, and now he was behaving so rudely in front of someone they'd only just met! "Sora was going to show me around the city for a while, would you like to come?"

Roxas was easy to read, and Sora saw the expression of intense jealousy and irritation that flitted across Roxas' face, even if it did only last a fraction of a second. "No, thanks, I'll be fine here. You have your cell?"

Kairi brought it out of her pocket and waved it at him.

"Okay," Roxas frowned. "Have fun."

After he left, Sora turned to her with a smile on his face. "He seems nice," he said semi-sarcastically.

"We're not involved," Kairi responded, correctly interpreting Sora's smile. "And we're staying in separate rooms."

"Hey, it's none my business," Sora said, holding his hands up to avoid blame. "And just so you know, my roommate and I are just friends, too."

He stood up and offered her his hand. "Shall we go? The theater district is very pretty this year, and a lot of the shops are open."

"This early?" Kairi said in amazement. It was still only a little past eight in the morning: she had been incredulous when she saw the door to the Marian Café bearing a sign proclaiming it open for business.

"This city doesn't sleep. There's a lot happening in the darkness, maybe more than in the light," Sora said, and it was then that Kairi noticed how…smooth…his voice was. It was difficult to describe, but she had always thought of voices as having textures, and Sora's was that of freshly laundered satin. Meaning: really, really pretty.

Kairi took his hand and stood up without hesitation. "Which way is the theater?"

It took only about fifteen minutes to reach the theater district, during which Sora and Kairi made small talk about various things, including the reason Kairi was in the city. She told him that she worked for the pharmaceutical company Umbrella Incorporated, and they had transferred her to one of the company's other branches in the west of the country. She was only staying in the city temporarily, and then she needed to catch a plane to another city, where the company's new facility was located.

Sora, of course, knew this was a total lie, but fed Kairi his own. Namely, that he was a novelist who lived with his childhood friend Cloud Strife, who had directed a fairly successful film, and now mainly just invested and produced things. He made good choices, and so they could afford a somewhat luxurious lifestyle.

Sora didn't like lying to Kairi, and he couldn't precisely describe why: he had told much more blatantly untrue lies to much more discerning people. Maybe it was because he hadn't yet seen Kairi's faults, since the client had failed to elaborate. Essentially, he felt like he would be killing an innocent.

But then, is anyone really innocent? Sora had thought of this question often and hadn't yet reached a conclusion. But now wasn't the time for such introspective, philosophical bullshit: Kairi was talking.

"So, do you usually walk around in cafes wearing expensive suits?" she asked, smiling at him.

He managed a cheesy grin back at her, an expression he hadn't genuinely worn in a long time, and he was shocked at how easy it came. "This suit cost about a hundred dollars, and it was actually the only clean outfit I had. And I wasn't really planning on going to a cheap café this morning."

"Oh?" she asked, now intrigued. "So why did you go in?"

"Because," Sora replied, when he felt something he couldn't quite describe as he spoke, but he tried to ignore it. "Because I saw you there." That was no lie. She was his target.

She turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. For a moment, their eyes met, and then she laughed. "You're blushing!"

Sora's brow creased in confusion. Blushing? Him? He hadn't blushed involuntarily in a very long time. Hell, he didn't bat eyelashes even around Yuffie, and she was about as subtle as a rhino in heat. "Well…you're good-looking."

That was it. Where was the little demon in his skull that was controlling him now? Because it needed to go, and it needed to go fast. He couldn't have this woman calling the police on him when he hadn't done anything yet! Much to his shock, Kairi laughed at this as well. "You really don't seem the type to be so open! I had kind of placed you as 'strong/silent,' like Roxas."

"Heh," was all Sora could summon up in response. He mentally stammered for a moment, and hated himself for forgetting all of the things he had planned to say. "Who is Roxas, anyway?"

Kairi's wondrous mood diminished somewhat. Who was Roxas to her? "He's a good friend, but I don't think he sees it that way." Sora said nothing. "I think he loves me, but he can't bring himself to say it." Still nothing. "I really don't think of him that way, just as a clingy friend."

Sora nodded. "I see what you mean. He seemed a bit…protective, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Yeah," she nodded. "I swear, sometimes he acts like he's my bodyguard or something." Oh, how can I like this guy if I can't even tell him what I do?

"Hm," Sora nodded again, thinking. "Maybe if you were involved with someone else, he would get the message. If he really loved you, he might just want to make sure you're happy."

Kairi laughed bitterly. "That's one way to describe love, I guess. There are a bunch, you know."

"I don't."

Kairi looked at him strangely.

"Know, I mean. I really don't think about love at all."

"But, your roommate," she asked, "doesn't he have a girlfriend?"

Sora thought for a moment. He wasn't sure exactly what Yuffie could be called, but it probably wasn't what society thought of as a "girlfriend." "He…no. No, he doesn't. Neither of us do, so we don't think or talk about it."

Sora was staring at the ground in front of him, and Kairi was gazing intensely at Sora and trying to see his eyes, so neither of them noticed the very tall man until he bumped into them, nearly knocking them both to the ground.

"Sorry. You all right?" the man asked, offering a steadying hand to Kairi as Sora dusted himself off.

"Fine," Kairi muttered, annoyed that their potential "moment" had been interrupted. Sora gave the man a thumbs-up, but said nothing. His eyes were full of confusion, though, and Kairi was surprised that she could read him.

The man excused himself and walked past quickly, but Sora's eyes didn't leave him until Kairi called his name and asked him what was wrong. "Oh," Sora said, coming out of his thought-trance, "that guy looked like someone I knew once."

"Oh," Kairi replied, not knowing what more she could say. "Say, um, tomorrow I'm going to a musical, and I was wondering if you knew where the Badminton Theater is."

"Yeah!" Sora said, glad to have an excuse to not pay attention to the near-twin of Ansem that had entered his life serendipitously. "It's this way, and there are some really neat clothing stores on that same block."

"Great!"

The white-haired man continued walking.