Saya quickly became accustomed to the Otherside. She rather enjoyed a reality she could control, although it was the little things that delighted her the most. Despite her already considerable power, she had always been fascinated with the concept of telekinesis. She and Riku had spent hours staring at spoons, and eventually, they bent. Solomon found it terribly amusing. The three of them had all seen the Matrix, and it only took a mention of "there is no spoon" for them to burst into uncontrollable giggles. Of course it was true, but that was why it was funny.

She also found creating outfits terribly fun. Anything she imagined would appear in her armoire, and it gave her a creative outlet. Solomon suggested she take up fashion design, but she just laughed. She recalled the dresses she had worn when she was truly young, and one morning she managed to recreate one of her favorites. With a little thought she managed to make her hair long—Solomon had tried to convince her she could do this in the real world, but she wasn't so sure. Nonetheless, she wanted to surprise him. She snuck up behind him on one of the terraces—a difficult thing to do, mind you—and covered his eyes.

"Guess who!" she giggled.

She felt Solomon smile. "Hmmmm…. That's hard…. Riku?" The game was pointless since there were only the three of them, and he was indulging her as he often did.

"No, silly!" she let go of him. "It's me!"

He turned around with a smile, but gasped so quickly he choked. She put a concerned hand on his arm as he fought to regain his breath.

"Are you alright?" she asked, very worried.

He nodded, and managed to stop coughing. "You… surprised me, that's all."

She frowned a little. "How?"

He paused a moment, clearing his throat. "I was not aware how very closely you resemble your sister, that's all."

Saya's eyes widened. "You thought I was Diva?"

He nodded. "Only for a moment. Your eyes… they set you apart."

She bit her lip. "I'll change it if you want," she offered.

He shook his head. "It looks very nice on you," he fingered a lock of her brown-black hair. He saw now that it was not quite the same shade as Diva's, either. He looked at the dress. "And Diva never wore pink." He smiled.

Saya gasped, mock offended. "It's my favorite color!"

He laughed. "That's probably why she hated it so much."

She laughed with him. Over the last few years they had become comfortable with the memory of Diva. She was no threat to them now, and Solomon reasoned it was best to remember her better qualities. Riku had shown some curiosity in hearing about her, and Saya and Solomon had a sort of unspoken agreement that he didn't really need to know the worst of it. He'd already learned the grim facts from Red Shield, anyway.

"So what shall we do today?" she asked. It was surprisingly difficult to avoid monotony in the Otherside, because while they could imagine other people you couldn't really hold a conversation with them.

He took a hold of her hand affectionately, and she let him. "Well, since you're all dressed up, how about a ball?"

She smiled a little, thinking. She wasn't one for decadent entertainments, but it might be fun. "Let's ask Riku," she suggested.

Riku, of course, was open to the idea. Saya got the impression that he'd do anything she suggested, short of dressing him in drag. It unsettled her a little, and she wondered if he would outgrow it in time. He resembled a young teenager now, and he seemed to enjoy the company of their imaginary companions. She had once found him talking to one that closely resembled her friend Kaori. She didn't talk much, of course, but Riku found plenty of things to tell her. Saya decided it was best not to make fun of him for it. He may have a crush on her best friend, but he was definitely lonely. Not that she spent all of her time with Solomon, she figured he just wanted company his own age.

So, they had a ball. There was some disagreement as to what kind of ball it should be, Saya voting for something traditional and civil-war era, Solomon wishing for a 40's-esque soiree, and Riku wanting something like a high-school prom. They finally agreed they could do a combination of the three—it wasn't as if their guests would notice.

It was during a foxtrot that she and Solomon began to talk. It wasn't as easy as a waltz for her, but the music was quiet enough to talk over. They glanced over at Riku, checking his progress.

"I think he's getting it," Saya said hopefully.

Solomon chuckled. "Yes, it seems he's chosen a partner who can lead," he pointed out.

They laughed as Riku's imaginary friend calmly showed him how he had messed up.

"We should play something modern next," she said, and they worked their way to where he was dancing.

"Riku, you can pick the next song," Saya called to him.

He grinned. "'K!" He gave up on dancing and walked to the "DJ," which was really just an easier way to keep the songs in order. If they all wished for a different song at the same time, who knew what mess would result.

As the foxtrot ended, the slow thumping beat of a modern song began, and Saya laughed.

"What?" Solomon asked.

"It's a slow dance!" she giggled, and shot Riku a mock death glare. He just grinned, his arms wrapped around an attractive looking girl.

Fortunately for Saya, Solomon appeared to know this dance as well. His hands found her hips and his feet began a slow, unmarked shuffle.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Did you dance often?" she wondered out loud.

"Yes I did, actually. It's a favorite hobby of mine. Although, I don't think I ever had the pleasure of sharing this particular dance with anyone half so pretty as you."

Saya blushed at the compliment, unsure what to say. She listened to the words of the song they were dancing to.

"If I never knew you
I'd be safe but half as real
Never knowing I could feel
A love so strong and true

I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you

I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
all they'd leave us were these whispers in the night
But still my heart is saying we were right…"

Saya watched Solomon's face carefully. The song made her think of him, but she felt torn. She suddenly felt guilty for being there in his arms, when Haji…. She mentally shook her head. She didn't want Haji to be here with her—simply because it would mean he was dead. She knew he was out there somewhere, waiting for her, and eventually she would return to him. But for now…. Was it really so bad to love Solomon, too?

In that instant she realized that she really did feel something for him. She'd been fighting it all along, for different reasons, but it was still there. She remembered when he had proposed to her. He had almost kissed her, and she'd almost let him. There had been a moment, before she slapped him, that she didn't want to fight it.

She took a step closer to him unconsciously, and he wrapped his arms around her tighter. She bit her lip a little, and her eyes wandered down to his lips. Would he still kiss her? He had held back, on her request, but she was too nervous to be forward. She inched closer, and he noticed.

Was he dreaming? He could swear she looked like she wanted to kiss him. She was staring at his mouth, her eyes glazed and her cheeks slightly flushed. As she unknowingly licked her lips, his reserve broke a little and he took a risk.

He kissed her.

Her head swam, and she felt a little overwhelmed. Maybe what she was doing wasn't right, but it didn't feel wrong either. They both sighed deeply, as if they'd been holding their breath.

Maybe, just maybe, this could work….

Once they broke the kiss, Saya was once again shy. She leaned her head on his shoulder, trying not to think. The song was coming to an end, though.

"What shall we play next?" Solomon asked quietly.

Saya lifted her head. "Uh… I don't know…" she blushed again, and he smiled.

"How about a tango?"

She flustered. "I couldn't! I don't know how!"

He grinned. "You don't have to know. Just trust me and let me lead." He held out his hand for the traditional stance.

She bit her lip, hesitatingly, but then she smiled and took his hand.

From the other end of the dance floor, Riku smiled.

AN: Yes, I am a cheeseball. And, as you will soon discover, a lyric junkie. There will be lots more songs to come. But for now, I have an excuse!

I figure that Riku's only exposure to slow dance music would be Disney, ok???? Lol.

Anyway, this chapter goes out to all of you who begged me to make this a Solomon-Saya story. It's a little weird for me to write because my inner Diva is having a hissy fit about the whole situation, but for now, it's fun.

In the words of Betty Everett: "If you wanna know if he loves you so, it's in his kiss" My iTunes has a mind of it's own….