Author's Note: First actual chapter.

A little note – I'm not all entirely sure on Naminé's eye color. In a few pictures and in the game they look blue, and in other pictures they look purple. I'm going with purple just because Sora's is already blue. Also, I know that the room below is not the one she was in during Chain of Memories. I just used the one seen in the trailers for Kingdom Hearts 2.

Thank you to everyone to reviewed the Prologue! I hope this one makes you happy as well. :)

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Chapter One – Sky

Naminé's attention remained on the sketchbook. Flaxen hair fell past her shoulders and hung there, followed by the bangs that often fell over her concentrated eyes. Occasionally, she would snap her head up and blow at the strands, and then quickly return to her work. She was seated comfortably in the usual white chair on the white table in the white room, surrounded by the white crumples of paper at her feet. The only color in the room was her eyes, the select few pictures on the walls that she was content with, the colored pencils, and the boy across the table.

She refused to look at him.

Her bangs fell gently and blocked her gaze yet again. Groaning lightly, she looked away from her sketch and pushed a hand through her hair. Immediately, she saw him. His head was rested on his arms atop the table, russet spikes of hair still rustled from his sleep. He had woken up less than an hour ago, and moved from the corner of the room where he was placed to the chair across from Naminé. He hadn't spoken a word, even when Naminé's eyes met his briefly. Even while she drew, she could tell he was watching her. His face had gone pale, presumably from the pain he had endured earlier, and his eyes blank as the pages in her sketchbook. Meeting them was like getting lost in a paper sky and watching the coming storm.

She dropped her hand and looked away. Naminé stared at the sketchbook, although her mind was on him. She knew he was smiling; she had been watching that smile for days. She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to get rid of the guilt inside of her. Without looking up, she reached for a colored pencil on the table. Withdrawing, she found that she had grabbed a bright pink one and sneered. It was his color.

"Whatcha drawing?" The voice came from across the table. Naminé looked up shyly, meeting his eyes and his smile once again. The guilt was potent. How was it that she could take away all of his memories, everything that he ever held dear, everything that he ever loved, and he could still retain his personality?

"… A bird." She answered quietly, placing the pink colored pencil as far away from her as her hand would reach. He shifted his head on his arms, the smile still playing on his lips.

"Can I see?" Naminé forced a smile and grasped a cerulean-hued pencil.

"When I'm done." She said shortly, the smile becoming real. Pressing the blue end into the paper, she slowly drew the outline of the bird's head. The tip followed to its neck, and then its outstretched wings, to the tail and belly, and finally to the starting point again.

"Are you done?" He said playfully, getting a giggle out of Naminé.

"No." She teased, getting a goldenrod colored pencil. She pressed into the paper as hard as she could and drew the outline of the beak and feet. Then, she colored them in lightly.

"Are you done now?" He lifted his head up off the table, his words hardly suppressing the light-hearted laugh he released. Naminé looked up briefly, a mischievous grin appearing.

"Nooo." She picked up a light blue and began to shade the cerulean outline in. Within moments, the bird was in full color, flying across the paper gracefully. She sat the light blue pencil down and sighed lightly. Across the table, Sora was being impatient, and looking as if he was about to approach her any second now.

"Now?"

"No…" Naminé answered, her smile smaller than the others. In a low voice, she said to herself. "It still needs something."

"Can I come over and see it, though?" Naminé sighed again. The boy was so impatient.

"Sure." She replied, slowly picking up her black colored pencil. It was shorter than the others, after being used so much. Sora was already next to her, bright sapphire eyes gazing in awe at the masterpiece in the girl's lap. While he smiled, she did not.

"It's pretty." Sora said brightly. Naminé sighed again and sat the sketchbook on the table.

"I don't like it." She said quietly, fiddling with the colored pencil in her fingers.

"How come?"

"It's missing something."

Sora blinked down at Naminé, confused.

"Maybe a background?"

"Maybe…"

"Do you remember," Sora began, placing a gloved hand behind his head, "when you tried to teach me how to draw? When I poked the pencil through? That was a disaster."

Naminé looked up and smiled, humoring Sora for the moment. She forgot that the false memories were still inside him. The guilt was slowly returning.

"Yes…" She giggled. "But I liked what you drew."

"You're much better."

"Thank you, Sora." She replied, her cheeks turning pink. Leaning over her sketchbook, she placed the pencil on the paper. With four quick strokes, gouging deep into the paper's surface, she drew a box around the bird. It no longer flew across the paper, blocked in by the inerasable lines surrounding it. Sora's smile slowly faded.

"It looks sad."

"I know." Naminé said, smiling gently. "Now it's perfect." Sora did not reply. He only stared at the paper. Within a few moments, he looked back to the blonde.

"Is it you?" He asked, poking the sketchbook gently. Naminé blinked, looking up to meet the eyes of the boy. They stared at each other, until Naminé gave a sad smile and looked down at the drawing.

"No…" She said softly, her voice only audible to Sora. "It's you." Sora blinked, and tilted his head to the side.

"What…"

"Never mind." She said, giving a full smile. She stood up, eyes still on Sora. Smoothing out her dress, she moved across the room and spun on her heels to look at Sora again. He looked like such a child, despite the experiences he had endured. The Organization had mentioned Ansem many times before in front of her, it was amazing that a boy of only fourteen could defeat a man spoken so highly of.

Endured. That was the crucial word.

"Marluxia said he wanted to see you after you woke up." Sora's expression faltered, and he looked away to the ground. "What's wrong?"

"It's something about him." Sora said, sighing. "Something I don't like." Naminé's stomach clenched. Had she forgotten to remove some memories? No, they were just feelings. Nothing to get excited over.

"And…" Sora began, looking back to Naminé. "I have no clue where to find him."

Both of the children laughed. Naminé walked over to Sora and took his hand in hers, still smiling up at him. "I'll show you."