Kairi.

"Hm, interesting," Ansem's voice was low, like he was talking to himself, "So Kairi, in a sense, was seen as the 'favourite' daughter in the family, assuming from Naminé's descriptions."

"It seems like it," Roxas frowned, ruffling his hair, "She kept saying how they loved her and stuff, which made me assume that she was talking about their parents. She also told me how they used to call her Princess - when she told me I was reminded of a drawing she made me sometime ago; Naminé said that when she was a kid she liked to pretend she was a princess. Maybe it has to do with how Kairi got most of the attention?"

"It makes sense - a neglected child often has nothing else but their own imagination to keep them company," The older man replied sadly; in the background Xemnas and Xehanort were busily making notes, "That must mean that even before the police found her in the streets Naminé might have never been stable to begin with." He tutted pitifully and shook his sleek blond head. "I would've imagined her childhood to be an unhappy one."

"But she said that her sister was her only friend," The blond boy explained, "So she couldn't have any feelings of animosity towards her."

"That is true - maybe that only adds to Kairi's so-called 'perfection'-" Ansem made mock quotation marks with his fingers, "-she was probably aware she was getting all of the attention from her parents so she must've cared for her sister very much."

"I think Naminé cares for her too - she seemed uncertain while she was explaining everything, like she was worried about her or something." Roxas sighed and reached for his hair again. "Something really bad must've happened to them on that night - the way she drew her parents...maybe something happened between them? A fight?"

The head psychiatrist nodded. "That might've been the case, but it still doesn't explain why her parents and her sister are nowhere to be found." He let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to interrogate her further, Roxas. It will be hard for her to relive these painful memories, but it is necessary for her recovery - you can't solve the problem by avoiding it."

"I know," The boy nodded as he rose from his seat, "I'll try my best, Ansem."

Roxas was quiet on the drive home; he gave his mother a half-hearted greeting before dragging himself up the stairs to his room. He glanced around the walls, eyeing the different drawings Naminé had made for him over the past month and a half he had known her; his eyes stopped on the one hanging over his bed and something tugged painfully at his heartstrings.

"Princess…" He murmured to himself as he crawled on top of the mattress; his fingers grazed the paper, feeling the wax of the crayon sticking to his skin. He tried imagining how Naminé's childhood could have been, but it was far too painful. He didn't know what it was like to be ignored or neglected by his parents; his mother had been there his entire life and even after the divorce his father made the best attempts to be there for him as much as possible. He was cared for and appreciated, unlike Naminé. How could her parents do such a thing? He was sure Naminé was a capable student; she seemed like the type who would do well in school. He couldn't find any faults in her; what did Kairi have that Naminé didn't?

"Hey, loverboy," He turned around to find his brother leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, "What the heck are you doing? You look like you're in some kind of trance."

"Maybe he's possessed by one of his patients' alternate personalities." Xion snickered; she moved to the side from behind Sora so she could be seen. She absently brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she moved into her blond brother's room to sit by the desk. "So how was the little sleepover on the weekend?"

"Hey, it was necessary," Roxas countered as his siblings giggled in unison, "Naminé needed my help-"

"Yeah, I know," Sora frowned, much to his surprise, "What happened to her was kinda scary."

"Ugh, I don't know how I would react if I saw what you did." Xion made a face and stuck her tongue out in mock disgust.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "I told you?"

Both of his siblings gave him blunt looks. "Yes, Roxas, you did. How can you not remember?" The brunet shook his head, "The moment you came home you explained what happened, and then you crashed in your room."

"But then when you woke up you complained again," Xion added, "You said you still felt tired and when you were in the psych ward you slept just fine." She stifled a giggle. "I wonder why that's so?"

The blond groaned and slumped against the wall. "Wow, I don't remember that at all - this is when I know I really need sleep."

"So why is it that you can sleep properly at the psych ward - in Naminé's bed with Naminé in it, to be more specific - but when you're at home you can't?" Sora asked slyly; in the background their dark-haired sister was giggling again, "Is there something else that you're not telling us, Roxas?"

"Wait a minute," The blond raised an eyebrow, "I told you about that too? What the hell - I would've definitely remembered that!"

"Well, you don't, so too bad," Xion smirked, "Now c'mon, tell us - why's Naminé making such a positive influence on your life? As your siblings we have the right to know every little detail!"

"It's not what you think, you perverts," Roxas growled as his brother and sister laughed hysterically, "She just wanted me to be there, so that's what I did! It just so happens that I woke up the next morning feeling like I actually did go to sleep the night before; I don't know why, but that's just how it happened!"

"How cute - she's your cure," Sora sneered, "The solution to everything that's been bugging you lately. The light through the darkness - the sun to your earth! She's slowly but surely becoming everything that's ever mattered to you," He scoffed, "Soon you're just gonna forget about us and focus on her and her alone. Not even your new friends will matter to you anymore."

"What? No - how can I forget about you guys? I freaking live with you!" Roxas shook his head, "And Axel and Demyx and Larxene - I can't forget them either! They're my friends!"

"What about Olette and them? You haven't hung out with them once since you started your volunteer thing!" Sora countered, "I bet you've never even given them one second of a thought!"

"Sora," Xion chided, "Quit acting like a jealous girlfriend."

"Yeah, Sora," Roxas agreed, though at the back of his head he knew he was going to feel guilty over the whole neglecting-Hayner-Pence-and-Olette-thing later, "What's gotten into you?"

The brunet sighed and ran his hands through his spiky hair. "Sorry, bro - it's just that you seem so tied up with this whole Naminé thing...you never spend time with me and Xion anymore."

"Aw, Sora," Xion stood up and patted her brother's shoulder, "Don't be discouraged; Roxas needs to squeeze in as many hours as he can so he can graduate at the end of the year."

"Yeah," The blond added, "It'll only be for another month, bro, and then I'll be free. Just think about all the things we have to do this summer - trips to the beach, soccer games, hanging out with Hayner and everyone…"

Sora looked a little uncertain, but he smiled anyway. "Yeah, I'll be looking forward to that."

Later that night, after Roxas' siblings finally decided to leave him alone, he found himself examining Naminé's drawings again. He tried to look for clues in the crayon lines and curves; maybe there was a hint of her sister in there somewhere…

There was a drawing that was partially hidden behind the acoustic guitar resting against the wall; it was almost an exact replica of the bloody mural on the wall. There was the house, the sad mother, the angry father and the two girls. One girl had red hair, and she was smiling like nothing suspicious was going on. Her slightly smaller, blonde sister wasn't smiling - in fact her face wasn't showing much expression at all. It was hard to tell if she was sad or just bored. Roxas raised an eyebrow at the peculiar drawing; why didn't he notice this before? He gently untacked the paper off the wall and stuffed it into his bag; he was going to show this to Ansem tomorrow after school.

He woke up exhausted and frustrated as usual the morning after, and school dragged on by like always. He nearly dozed off behind the wheel as he drove home to drop off his brother and sister.

"Hey bro," Sora's voice caused him to open his eyes and he turned around to see the brunet peering at him from the other side of the passenger seat window, "Are you free Thursday evening - after you finished your volunteer hours I mean."

"Uh, yeah, I think so. Why?"

"We should hang out with Hayner and them since you haven't seen anyone in so long," Xion explained, "Maybe we'll watch a movie or something."

Roxas nodded eagerly. "That sounds like a great idea - when you've got all the plans set in stone tell me the details and I'll be there."

Sora gave him the thumbs-up. "Alright. Have fun."

"Say hi to Naminé for me." Xion smirked, and Roxas rolled his eyes as he backed out of the driveway.

When the blond stepped into the lounge around half an hour later he spotted his friends sitting at the usual table near the back of the room; Naminé was there, doodling on another piece of paper. He remembered Ansem's words, and he sucked in a breath as he moved towards them.

"Heya, Mister Volunteer," Axel greeted him with his usual smirk as the boy sat beside the busy artist, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Roxas shrugged as his eyes drifted over to Naminé's paper; she was drawing a blonde girl and a redheaded girl holding hands, "At least nothing worth mentioning."

"Still having trouble sleeping?" Demyx asked curiously; beside him Larxene was haughtily staring at her nails.

"Yeah - I haven't gotten a proper nights' sleep since I slept here," Roxas' cheeks reddened as the musician, the pyromaniac and the sadist suppressed their giggles, "Though I don't understand why out of all places a psych ward helps me sleep rather than my own bed."

"It might not have to do with the place," Larxene simpered, "It's probably the people you're with - or should I say, person."

Roxas bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from lashing out as his friends howled with laughter; beside him Naminé continued her drawing as if nothing was going on. Giving up on the older three the blond turned his back on them and decided to pay attention to the blonde artist. "What are you drawing, Naminé?"

"My sister and I," She replied in her usual soft voice, "She was my best friend - my only friend, actually…"

Axel immediately stopped laughing; Roxas glanced over his shoulder and exchanged knowing looks with him. "Your only friend?" The blond quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

The smallest blonde dropped her crayon and brushed a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "I never really was good at talking to people," She admitted coyly, "But Kairi was really popular at school; she had a lot of friends and was always in those after-school clubs and things. They always said that she was going to do well, and they were never proved wrong."

"They? Who's they?"

"Our parents," Naminé mumbled, and her eyes lowered to her hands, "They...they always said that they were proud of her, and that...t-that she was perfect - their perfect little princess, and they were absolutely right; Kairi was perfect, and she was a princess. I could only pretend I was one in my drawings."

Now Demyx had stopped laughing; Roxas could feel his and the pyromaniac's eyes on his back. "But your parents...they loved you too, didn't they? They must've loved you - you're their daughter too."

His heart stung when he caught the glint of a tear trickling down the small blonde's pallid cheek. "K-Kairi said they loved me. Kairi said it may not look like it, but they really did care for me. She...she said it wasn't fair they were giving her all the attention - she wanted me to have some of it too." She reached upwards to wipe her tears away. "My sister was the only one who loved me - she was the only one who cared, who knew I existed." She sniffled and more tears came running down her face. "W-when it happened I ran away, just like she told me to - I ran all the way...I ran so f-fast I lost my sandals, but I couldn't break my promise to her; I had to keep running. I kept running and running, and even though I was tired and everything hurt I had to keep running. She told me to run away."

Roxas' brow scrunched in confusion; he could hear Axel and Demyx's chairs scooting closer towards the table, and even Larxene fell silent to listen to their conversation. "When what happened, Naminé? What are you talking about?"

The smallest blonde's shoulders began to tremble, and when Roxas reached out to her she shrunk away. "I-I didn't want to go, I didn't want to leave her; she was...she was always there for me when I n-needed her, and I wanted to return the favour b-but she told me to run...run, run away, so I did. She made me promise h-her I'd g-get somewhere...safe…" She choked on a sob and buried her face in her hands, "I didn't want to leave her...why did I leave her? Why?!" She was shaking violently now; so violently, in fact that her chair was shaking too, "I should've...I-I should've stayed, I should've b-broken my promise, but I didn't - I didn't w-want to disappoint her, I-I didn't want-" She shook her head and stopped herself as she cried harder into her hands.

"Naminé…" The blond boy could feel the corners of his eyes stinging as the guilt inside of him pushed farther and farther up his chest; he reached out to her again and she leaned into his embrace, wrapping her thin arms around his neck and pressing her face against his collarbone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I-it," She stuttered against his shirt, "It sh-should've been, should've been-"

"What is she saying?" Axel asked frantically; Roxas glanced behind his shoulder and shrugged, and the redhead cursed under his breath. "God, this is bad."

"Maybe we should get the nurses." Demyx suggested; his voice was a few octaves higher than usual.

"Ah, let her cry it out," Larxene shrugged, "It's better than getting all doped up and forgetting about it for a few hours."

"What are you trying to say, Naminé?" Roxas asked gently, "It should've been what?" She was convulsing aggressively and he had to tighten his arms around her to keep her in place.

"H-he-" She hiccuped and grabbed onto the front of his shirt with one tiny fist, "-he...hurt...t-the...w-wrong one." She hiccuped again and shook her head as Roxas' eyes widened in shock. "They were fighting, fighting like always, but this time it was louder...l-louder than usual. You could h-hear it from outside." She sniffled and pressed her cheek against his chest, and his arms around her tightened by just a fraction. "There was bl-blood...blood everywhere. Her blood. H-her blood-" Naminé shuddered and Roxas comfortingly nuzzled his head against hers. "-it was e-everywhere; I g-got some on my clothes, my hair, m-my hands." Her voice was growing higher with hysteria. "Kairi...Kairi told me to g-get out. She...she said to go s-someplace safe. 'I'll take care of this, Nami, don't worry.' That's what she s-said to me. 'Run away, Nami, get out of here - Daddy won't hurt you if you're...y-you're not here.'" A fresh round of tears escaped her big blue eyes and she hiccuped a third time. "It...it should've been me. I s-should've told Kairi to leave. I-I should've told Kairi to go someplace...s-someplace safe. He hurt the wrong one. H-he hurt the wrong one..."

Roxas swallowed hard and slowly glanced upwards; Axel and Demyx were just as shocked as he was. Larxene didn't look so phased, but she did look a little worried.

"I s-saw it…" Naminé continued, "Saw it h-happen. Peeked in t-through the window but I made sure I couldn't be s-seen. Blood...there was b-blood everywhere. Threw her against a w-wall. Knocked her out c-cold. Broke a t-table leg. Bash it o-over her head. Smash the skull in. Scatter her brains against the wall. So, so much blood-"

Her descriptions were painting a very disturbing image in everyone's heads; Axel, Demyx and even Larxene were wincing uncomfortably as the small blonde carried on with her graphic explanation as if she was telling them a bedtime story.

"C'mon," Roxas finally stood up, bringing her with him, "I'll take you to your room. You need some rest."

She shrunk against him and nodded against his shirt. "He couldn't control himself; Daddy didn't know what he was doing," She continued to mumble to herself as they walked through the confusing hallways, "He couldn't stop. He didn't know it was Princess. He didn't know it was the right kid, the perfect kid, the kid who didn't deserve it. Daddy couldn't control himself."

Axel, who decided to tag along, rubbed the back of his fiery mane. "Gee, I really don't know what to make of this."

"And you think I do?" The threesome entered Naminé's white room and the boys helped the trembling girl into her bed. She was still uttering the same words when Roxas pulled the covers up to her chin. She was still shaking and muttering under her breath; he frowned and raised a quivering hand to run his fingers through his hair. "Maybe we should get the nurses - it looks like she won't be able to sleep without some help."

"Yeah, it looks like it's the only way, though I think you should stay with her. I'll go get them." Axel frowned. He bent over the smallest blonde and comfortingly patted her head. "Get well soon, Naminé." He murmured before shuffling out of the room.

Roxas forced the painful lump down his throat as he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Naminé's eyes were distractedly wandering around the room, and her voice was so low it was almost hard to believe it was coming from her.

He knew he was never going to be able to forget this.

"Daddy didn't know, Daddy didn't know, Daddy didn't know…"