Chapter 8: Into the Night

Memo: I seriously slam Selphie in this one...XD lmao. aaaand I love this chapter dearly. LOOK! NAKED RIKU!!! XD Enjoy!

)()()()()(FIVE MONTHS LATER)()()()()(

your pOv

"Happy birthday to youuuu, happy birthday to youuuuu!"

Embarrassed but pleased, Kairi laughs into her hands as you, Riku, Selphie, and (of course) Sora sing to her. Sora places a cake in front of her, eighteen candles glowing.

"Happy birthday dear Kairiiiiiii, happy birthday to youuuuu!"

"Make a wish!" Selphie shouts. Kairi laughs again, then attempts to puff out all of the candles at once.

"Aw, shoot!" she shouts, unable to snuff out the last one. "Well, whatever. Let's eat!"

Immediately chatter breaks out amongst you.

"I'm on a diet, Kairi!" Selphie.

"I'm not!" Sora.

"Like you'd ever." Riku.

"Aw, come on, don't fight." Kairi.

You say nothing. You've got nothing to say.

You love these people. You can't even imagine how you survived nearly eighteen years without them.

And in eight months, you'll be officially married to one of them.

But right now, it's about Kairi, so you can't think too much about your wedding.

"I hope you like what I got you," you say, sitting next to Kairi. She grins.

"I sure do!" She gently touches the pendant necklace you bought her. It was pretty expensive, but it's the least you can do. She's an amazing friend, someone you know you'll always be able to trust. With anything.

You grin, and she winks back, looking at Sora and Riku, who are throwing back sarcastic remarks back and forth.

"You guys?"

Selphie pouts at you and Kairi, looking out of place, what with the couples and all. Maybe if she weren't so immature she'd have a boyfriend, too? Just a thought.

"What's up?" Kairi asks her, standing.

"I have to leave," she whines, trotting over to Kairi and hugging her tightly. "I have to work reeeeally early again! It's like these people hate me!"

Kairi laughs kindly.

"It's okay, don't worry about it! I'm glad they at least let you have tonight off!" she exclaims.

"Yeah, true!" Selphie finally lets go. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your eighteenth!" Suddenly she looks at you. "Get up, Rei! You get a hug, too!"

Forcing a smile, you stand slowly, and Selphie hugs you--though the more appropriate term would be "suffocates."

"Let me know if you need any help at all with your wedding stuff," she says, finally releasing you. You breathe in quickly, refilling your lungs.

"For sure," you promise her.

She grins, then waves and exits the house.

You sigh, plopping back down in the chair.

Just thinking about getting married makes your heart go wild. You never would've imagined this. And go figure, knock on wood, nothing bad has happened at all in the past five months!

In fact, things have been going quite nicely. With you now working at the kids' shelter, you have double the income, which means nicer things for said fiesta. No news from King Mickey, no dying, no pregnancy, no sex. Nothing. It's unusually calm.

It's nice.

Kairi's pOv

"Soooo?" you say, poking Rei's arm a few times.

"Huh?" She looks at you, raising an eyebrow.

"So are you excited for your wedding?" you ask her. She grins.

"Beyond it. But it's so far away," she answers, sighing and slumping further into her chair. "I mean, I turn nineteen before that. I guess that's the next thing."

"True, since Riku's just turned."

She nods slowly, looking at said lover.

"What are we gonna do for your reception party thing?" you ask her.

"I don't know." She shrugs. "What do they usually do?"

"Dance."

"Uhhmmm..." She hums a low note. "Don't laugh at me."

"Why?" You peer into her face, and she laughs a little.

"I don't know how to dance." Shocked, your jaw drops a little in disbelief. Surely not?!

She notices your expression. "It's true. I don't know how to dance. Anything... At all."

"Well, shoot!" You slap your thigh, excited. "We'll just have to teach you, then!"

"What are we teaching her?"

You and Rei turn to see Sora standing there, another piece of cake on his plate.

"How many pieces have you had?" you ask him suspiciously.

Pouting, he slowly holds up three fingers.

"Fatty!" you and Rei shout, laughing.

"So what are we teaching you?" Sora repeats, looking at Rei.

"How to dance, apparently," she replies, smirking.

"Haha, Riku can dance."

Riku, at the sound of his name, perks up and looks over at the three of you from the couch in the other room.

"What can I do?" he asks.

"Dance," you and Sora reply.

"He can waltz," you add, grinning. Riku flushes crimson and slumps into the sofa, crossing his arms and pouting a little.

"Really?" Rei asks, cocking her head a little. She slowly looks over at Riku, sticking out her lower lip in thought.

"Really. I taught him a long time ago." You shrug, standing to throw away your trash. "We were just messing around. It was fun."

"He could teach you," Sora suggests, also shrugging.

"You're not allowed to make fun of me if I do," Riku mutters from the other room, glaring at Sora.

"I promise, I won't." Sora pulls Rei to her feet. "Seriously." He shoves her forward a bit. "Teach her."

your pOv

You stare at Riku, a little surprised. He can dance? That just made him even more attractive. You didn't even think that was fathomable at this point...

"... ... ...Alright," Riku finally agrees, standing. "C'mere, Rei."

Obediently you walk over to your beau, standing in front of him.

"Closer," he commands, motioning for you to move. Giggling, you stand right in front of him, millimeters away from touching him. "Okay, not that close." He smirks.

"Go slow!" you insist before he continues, grinning. "I've never done this before."

"I know, I know. Here."

Riku gently places your left hand on his left shoulder while placing his right hand on your waist.

Oo...you like this already. (XP)

He then takes your free hand in his.

"This is how you stand," he says, shrugging. "Now, take a step back with your right foot."

You look down at your feet, making sure you've got your left and right feet correct in your mind. Then cautiously you step backward, and his left foot moves forward.

"Okay, now go back with your left foot, and we're turning at the same time. You make an L shape...only...I guess backwards for you?" Riku shrugs again.

You giggle nervously. "I'm not coordinated enough to do this," you joke, grinning sheepishly.

"It's not hard. You're almost halfway done learning it," he insists, smiling.

You manage a smile, which probably looks something more like a grimace, considering Kairi and Sora start snickering into their hands.

"Now bring your right foot to your left foot," he instructs. You do so. "See? Halfway done."

"Yay!" Kairi cheers, clapping enthusiastically. Sora whistles, not quite as enthusiastic.

"Can I have a break?" you ask, pouting a little.

"No. Now, step forward with your left foot this time," Riku says, stepping back with his right. You do so. "Good. Now step diagonally forward with your right." You do so. "And bring your left foot to your right." You do so. "Well, that's it. That's how you waltz. Only it's faster."

Riku shrugs modestly. You pause for a moment. It's really not so hard after all.

"Hmm..." You smile a little. "Will you practice with me?"

)()()()()(

still your pOv

Well...you know how to waltz now. That's for sure. That's nearly all you've been doing the past four hours...

But there's something about it...

Maybe it's the fact that after you've pounded the beats (one two three one two three...) over and over again into your brain, and that after you've memorized the pattern with your feet, you can just stare at the person you're dancing with. For you, that's Riku. And come on, who wouldn't?

But you're the lucky one staring into his eyes for the rest of your life. That's right. You, Reina Marie Nichols. Wut wut.

Kairi and Sora have long since taken a "break," and now both of them are passed out on Kairi's couch, Kairi curled up in Sora's lap, Sora resting his chin on top of her head.

And you and Riku can't stop dancing.

Another awesome thing about dancing is that you can talk while you dance, or you can just be completely silent. So, you know, you started out talking more, but now, there's not too much left to say.

"So...it still surprises me you learned how to do this," you murmur, smiling a little. Riku smiles back.

"Well, I didn't want to," he admits, reddening a little. "But Kairi made me. 'You'll thank me one day,' she said." He sighs a little, sounding happy. "She was right."

You feel yourself blush. "I guess so, huh?"

Though who would've ever guessed you would be in this place today? Certainly no one.

Without even really meaning to, you stumble over yourself a little and fall backward. Riku manages to catch you right before you fall, then gently lowers you the rest of the way to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Riku asks quickly, concerned. You nod, blinking.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just dizzy. And tired," you reply, glancing at the clock. It's past midnight. Wow.

"Yeah, it is getting pretty late." Riku kneels down next to you, and you sit upright.

But that ends up being pointless because he kisses you, and you just can't help but pull him in closer, and soon you're on your back again, and he's on top of you, and you stay like that for a while.

Then you remember you're at Kairi's house.

"We should probably leave," you say at last, hating yourself for being mature.

"You're right," Riku agrees, kissing you one last time before getting to his feet. He hoists you up as well.

"Should we say goodbye?" you whisper, grinning mischieviously.

"Nah, we'll let them sleep this time," Riku says, pulling you along.

Riku's pOv

As you tie up your boat to the dock, you can hear Rei humming some song to herself. She's humming pretty loud, but it doesn't bother you. Her voice is so incredibly beautiful, it doesn't matter. She hits every note on pitch every single time. You could listen to her hum all day.

"You're pretty wide awake for one in the morning, you know," you tell her as you both begin to head back to the house.

"Yeah, it's weird," she agrees, twirling around. "But it's your fault." She laughs, a little tinkling of bells. "I'm going to be dancing all night long."

"What about sleep?" you ask her.

"Even then! In my dreams!"

Soon you reach the house, and she dances all the way to her room.

"Good night!" she sings out, twirling into her room.

"Go to sleep!" you insist. She laughs again, though this time it's muffled by her closed door.

Walking into your room and closing your own door, you realize how hypocritical you are, how you aren't even going to follow your own advice.

But it would be impossible to fall asleep right now. Your mind is wired. (Can't say the same for your body...you're exhausted.)

Slowly changing into something more comfortable to sleep in, you begin to unravel your thoughts, trying to focus on one thought.

But still, your mind races with memories and thoughts.

You're growing up. You're all adults now. Kairi is the youngest of all of you.

Tomorrow is your day off. You can sleep in. Thank goodness.

You're getting married in eight months. That's one month less than last month.

Sighing, you habitually walk out onto the balcony. To your surprise, Rei's room is totally dark other than the moonlight pouring in through the glass doors. She's in bed, already asleep. She was probably more tired than she even realized. You know you have barely any physical energy left...

Leaning up against the railing, you rest your forearms on the balcony's edge, sighing once more. Yeah, you're pretty much beat. Oh well. At least she'll know how to dance a little when you get hitched.

You blink slowly, and in that second, you hear a strange humming noise. It changes pitches a lot, so you figure it must be your ears ringing. You ignore it.

That is, you ignore it until you hear a voice accompanying the hum.

"We are the lucky ones. We shine like a thousand suns when all of the color runs together," the voice sings. There's no one in front of you, so you quickly turn around. Again, no one. The voice continues in a completely pure tone. "I'll keep you company in one glorious harmony, waltzing with destiny forever."

You freeze, heart pounding.

*Call me crazy...but this voice...sounds like Rei!* you think, listening on.

"Dance me into the night under neath the moon shining so bright, turning me into the light..."

The voice quiets, disappearing as suddenly as it came, but the ominous humming proceeds. You turn back around, only to end up staring straight into a pair of pupil-less, silver eyes.

It's Rei--she's the only person you know with eyes like that--but she's floating in the air! And whatever she's wearing...well, you've definitely never seen anything like it before.

"Do you believe?" she says in that pure, airy voice, holding out her hand to you. After a moment of hesitation, you take her hand, and soon you also are standing on nothingness.

Rei, the beautiful enigma that she is, ignores your surprise, and her hands pull you farther away from your house.

"Time dancers whirling past, I gaze through the looking glass and feel just beyond my grasp is Heaven..." Her eyes slowly look from you to the night sky as she sings. Her left arm pulls you closer as her right hand's fingers interwine with yours. "Sacred geometry where movement is poetry, visions of you and me forever."

To your surprise (though you shouldn't be), the two of you start to waltz. This only proves that it's her.

But no pupils, weird outfit, floating on air? Weird, you'll admit. But she's weird.

"Dance me into the night underneath the moon shining so bright, turning me into the light."

Only her voice could manage to easily hit a note that high. Anyone else would explode, surely.

You start to say something, but then you realize there's once again something beneath your feet. You've managed to make your way back onto the balcony. Rei's head is resting against your collarbone.

"Rei..." you say. She doesn't respond, only sings more.

"Dance me into the night underneath the moon shining so bright. Let the dark waltz begin, oh, let me wheel, let me spin..." At this, you spin her out to get a better look at her face, but she only spins herself back into you. "Let it take me again, turning me into the light..."

third person pOv

The beautiful songstress stared into the eyes of her lover, her hand gently stroking his cheek. Then their lips met, and her wings spread, and her heart soared.

But, oh, this would only get harder as time went on...

The moment Riku's eyes opened, she was gone, back to her silent domain, but not too far away.

Riku's instincts told him to check on Rei, so he ran to her room. She hadn't moved an inch.

But really, Rei was staring into the amber eyes of a young man about her age. He was beautiful, flawless, perfect. But she couldn't come to say she loved him, as he wanted her to.

"It's me," he told her over and over. "You know me."

"No, I don't," she would respond, taking a step away. "Who are you?"

"But, Rei, it's me. Can't you see? You know me."

Riku burst into Rei's room to find her fast asleep.

"Rei, wake up!" he cried, turning on the light. She flinched. "Rei, c'mon! Open your eyes. I need to talk to you!"

"Who are you?" she murmured, eyes closed.

"Rei, it's me."

"I don't know you."

Startled, Riku said again," But, Rei, it's me. You know me."

your pOv

Slowly you open your eyes, and they come to focus on a pair of aqua eyes. A nice change from the amber colored ones in your dream.

"...Huh. I guess I do," you admit. "Sorry. I was dreaming."

Riku sighs. "I figured as much. Are you okay?"

You nod, then notice the expression on his face.

"Are you? You look like you've seen a ghost," you tell him, sitting upright.

"Rei, what was your dream about?" he asks you quickly.

"What? Why?"

You don't really feel comfortable telling him about the other man in your dream. That might freak him out.

"Just tell me."

"I dunno. Just some person saying they knew me. It was annoying."

"Were you flying?"

"What?"

"Were you flying in your dream?" You shake your head. "Or singing?"

"No," you respond. Riku sighs. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You were outside, just a few minutes ago," he tells you, eyes wide. "You were wearing some weird outfit, and we were dancing."

You can't help but laugh. "Sounds like I wasn't the only one dreaming."

He frowns.

"But it couldn't have been a dream," he insists.

You both are silent for a moment, then finally you say, "Well, since I'm awake, I'm going to use the restroom."

Riku's pOv

Rei slowly gets up and walks to her bathroom, humming something to herself--wait!

"Wait! Stop!" you shout, and Rei freezes, turning to you. "What were you just humming?"

"Huh? Oh, it's called Dark Waltz. Great song," she says, about to continue into the bathroom.

"Sing it," you command her.

"But--"

"Please?"

She sighs, then begins to sing it for you.

"We are the lucky ones. We shine like a thousand suns--"

"See? I knew I wasn't dreaming!" you say more to yourself than to her. You stand quickly, walking over to her. "That was the song you were just singing!"

"Yes...I was just humming it," she says, amused.

"No, I mean outside! Earlier!"

She shakes her head.

"How is that possible? I know I've been asleep. I even remember a dream that I had, okay?" She sighs, frustrated. "Can I please just go back to sleep?"

Defeated, you slowly nod, walking back to your room.

"Rei..." you say quietly, sitting on your bed, facing her room. "...What are you?"