Chapter 11

"You're not doing it right," Diz deadpanned.

"I've never had to fight blindfolded before!" Riku countered angrily.

"The King and I can both do it, so it is about time that you learned."

"I don't see you teaching Sora."

"You and I both know how weak that argument is, Riku, considering Sora's current condition. It would be more productive if you would concentrate on the task at hand."

Riku wrenched the blindfold off his eyes and flung it on the floor.

"It's impossible," he stated. "It's just impossible."

"If you keep acting this childish, then yes, it is."

"You're not helping," he said.

"You're not trying," Diz countered easily. "Not stop wasting my time and continue." His cold, lifeless eyes bore impassively into Riku's; eyes that had seen so much suffering that they had become detached completely to it. To be honest, that was the part of Diz that scared him beyond anything else in the world. He wasn't afraid of Diz. He was afraid of becoming him.

Riku sighed and bent down to scoop the blindfold up. His gaze moved across to the corner of the lab, where Naminé and Mickey were watching patiently. Naminé had a look of utmost sympathy on her face. Obviously she knew he had some… teething problems with this… alternative form of… 'training'. Riku gave her a painful sort of smile which she returned, adding a surreptitious thumbs-up as a means of cheering him on.

"What I don't understand," he said, tying the slim piece of cloth around his eyes once more. "is why I have to wear this thing in the first place."

"You see, Riku," said Mickey. Riku, now in total darkness, turned his head in the general direction of his friend. "Your eyes can't lie."

"What do you mean?" he asked bewilderedly.

"Your scent is grey," Diz explained. "Meaning, you don't have to be a nobody to have that scent. However, the chances of a living person living in grey is extraordinarily slim. You are, quite literally, one in a billion."

"If you go to face Roxas," said Naminé, "he won't immediately consider you a threat, because he'll think of you as one of his own kind. But your eyes, they're a different story. One look and he will know who you are, and he will bolt."

"As Naminé so eloquently put it," Diz said, "Roxas is a flight risk. You will have to get as close as you can before capturing him. However, do not be fooled into thinking that he is weak. Roxas is far more powerful than Sora, possibly because he has none of the inhibitions that Sora has. If you give yourself away and have to fight, it is quite likely that you will not have any time to remove the blindfold. If you choose to, it may cost you dearly. Therefore, that is why you have to learn. Are you thoroughly satisfied with our reasoning now?"

"Alright, alright already," he relented. "Enough with the lectures!" He rolled his eyes, but then realised how stupid that was as no one could see it. "What do I have to do?"

"We told you yesterday," Diz said. "Stop stalling."

"Well, this goes a little beyond basic combat skills," he argued. "A little more guidance would be helpful."

"Actually," Naminé interrupted. "I wasn't there yesterday, so I wouldn't mind hearing about how you do it."

Diz sighed. "You're such children," he droned. "Alright."

Riku raised his sword and fixed his stance. "Okay," he said. "I'm ready."

"Focus on the darkness," he instructed. "You need to let it create a blanket of black over your mind, take away all distractions. Your world has to be black for this to work."

"Black," he murmured. "Okay..."

"After your world has been established, you need to let it fall to the background. Think of it as the first coating on a canvas. Out of this, you will be looking for the bizarre. Light and darkness are inconsequential; they exist everywhere. You are looking for the grey. It will show up as a slightly lighter, more blurry colour than the darkness, but it will not be white. That, Riku, is your target."

"So, I'll be fighting a dark blur?"

"Is that not enough?"

"Oh!" Naminé interrupted again. Diz looked at her in annoyance. "I, uh, just forgot something. There's, something....I need to go, I forgot it in town you see. Well, good luck Riku!" With that she ran out of the lab. Riku twirled around wildly in his blindfolded world, wondering where she was positioned.

"Um...right, Nami-"

"Riku!" Diz barked. "Stop fooling around and concentrate!"

"Okay!"

***

Naminé was busying herself in the kitchen when Mickey entered. She looked up at him, then turned her attention back to the carrots she was chopping.

"If you're here for a snack then you're out of luck," she chirped. "Dinner will be ready in an hour and it'd only spoil your appetite!"

"I'm not here for a snack," Mickey said. Naminé gave him a quizzical look but continued with what she was doing.

"Okay, then," she replied. "It's always nice to have someone to talk to. How long have they been down there now?"

He shrugged. "About an hour, I suppose. I don't have a watch."

"Do you think he'll get it?"

"It's hard to say; he still doesn't have much faith in himself and his abilities."

Naminé smiled, though it seemed painful for her to do so.

"I've noticed that," she said, dropping the sliced carrots into a pan before taking up another one to chop. "Riku has got so much potential, but he thinks that his actions make no difference to the people around him. He just thinks that if he tries to do good, he'll fail miserably. He's always so close to giving up."

"But he doesn't give up. He never will."

"I know. That's what I like about him." Mickey took a look at her face. He smile had turned from painful to happy, almost as if she was proud of Riku.

Mickey walked up beside her and took some potatoes out of a bag to wash. Naminé passed him a basin of water and a scouring brush which he took silently. They both worked diligently without comment for a few seconds before Mickey asked his next question.

"You two have gotten close," he said. "What exactly is your relationship with Riku?"

The question took Naminé by surprise. Blushing furiously, she kept her gaze firmly fixed on her carrots.

"I, uh, we're just friends!"

"You are much more than friends, Naminé," Mickey said. "Anybody could see that."

"Well," she said, her tone indignant. "We're not together, if that's what you mean."

"Is it because you haven't told him yet?"

The knife fell to the floor with a clang, but was left to lie there, unnoticed and dejected. Naminé stood, her hand trembling, eyes locked with Mickey's.

"What are you talking about?" she asked with a half-laugh, though both she and Mickey knew exactly what he meant.

"I'm talking about what you are, Naminé." The mouse was not one for playing games.

Naminé folded her arms and walked to the other side of the room. Not happy with her stance, she put her hands on her hips, then raked them through her hair before finally folding them again, not knowing what else to do with them.

"A nobody..." she murmured.

"When do you plan on telling him?"

"Never," Naminé said bluntly. "It's not his business, just like it's none of yours either!"

"Naminé," he said, closing the distance between them, "He has a right to know. It's not fair you keeping it a secret from him."

"I know that, but I, I can't....not yet..."

Mickey waited for her to say something more, but when she didn't, he spoke again.

"You know, he's going to find out sooner or later."

"I know, I know.." she replied. "I just..."

"Think of it this way; at least if you tell him, it'll be on your own terms, and nobody else's. Then, he can't blame you for not telling him, and it will be up to Riku to accept you for who you are. And who knows? It might bring you even closer."

Or it could be just the thing that would tear us apart.

"Hey, what are you two talking about?"

Naminé, startled, looked up to see a battered, sweaty Riku smiling at her, though his smile faltered when he saw the look on her face.

"R-Riku," she stammered. "When did you finish?"

"Just now. Hey, are you alright?"

Naminé plastered a smile onto her face. "I'm fine!" she assured. "Mickey and I were just making dinner."

"Anything nice?" he asked, leaning over the table to peak inside the pot.

"So," she said, walking towards him. "Did you get it yet?"

"Get what?" he asked, then realised she was talking about the training. "No, not yet. Diz said a was a dirty ignorant brat who should stop wasting his time and become useful for a change. So, I said we should call it a day and he agreed." Riku laughed at the look of horror on Naminé and Mickey's faces. "It's alright though. I just need to work on it some more, but I promise, I'll get the hang of it. Soon, I'll be able to pick out a nobody from a mile away!"

"I, um, have to go," Naminé said quickly. "Mickey, could you finish off dinner for me? I'm going to go for a walk."

"Do you want some company?" Riku asked, watching her in confusion as she rushed toward the door.

"Oh, no, that's alright, Riku, I'll see you at dinner."

"Think about what I said," Mickey shouted after her as she disappeared outside. Riku turned to his mouse friend.

"Your Majesty, is she mad at me?"

"I told you, you don't have to call me that. We're friends, Riku!"

"Okay, Mickey, is she mad at me?"

"No, why do you think that?"

"Well, this is the second time today that she's run out on me so suddenly."

"I'm sure you're just making a mountain out of a molehill," Mickey replied.

"I don't know," he said. "Her behaviour, the way she won't look me in the eye... it's like she's ashamed of something."

"It's just your imagination; she said she would see you at dinner didn't she?"

"Yeah," Riku relented. "Maybe I'm just hanging around her too much. I'd say she just needs her space or something. Well, I'd better have a shower, I smell awful! Diz sure knows how to keep a person going!" He walked to the door, but then thought of something and turned back to Mickey.

"Um, before I came in, what were you two talking about?"

"Oh that?" he replied. "Just about what we were cooking, and how Minnie used to cook me the nicest roast potatoes in the universe! It was nothing major."

Riku nodded, and walked upstairs to his room. Mickey threw the last of the potatoes into a pan and set the water to boil.

"Don't worry," he mumbled to himself. "You're going to find out soon enough."

Author's Notes:

Bloody hell, it's been six months! I wouldn't say I'm back, and back with a vengeance, but things are starting to get a little easier for me, and I'm less stressed, and I have more time to work on different things. I have the epilogue for this fic written, though that's still a while away yet, and other bits and pieces here and there for later chapters. So, once the next...two or three chapters are out of the way, updates should be quick and... relatively painless, ha ha. Famous last words, eh?

I'd like to thank everyone for waiting so patiently, and my reviewers for their kind words, especially you, Twily-Kuno, and xMemoirx for being so supportive and sweet. There definitely won't be a sixth month gap for the coming chapters, I can promise that much.

Also, I'm two years on this fic, how amazing is that?? There is still a good bit left to go, but it's getting there, and I'm getting there, so hang with me for a little while more! It's also odd that I seem to update on a Tuesday, and I don't know why it falls like that!

Anyway, I'm still alive and very much kicking, so expect to see some more work from me soon! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks everyone again, and thanks for reading.

Love from LastCetra.