I do not own Kingdom Hearts

Riku was lost and confused. He stared at the mark on the girl's wrist, wondering what he should do now. She looked distressed and helpless and he could tell that she had been out there for a while now. Her skin was ice cold and soaked through; she had recent, garish cuts adorning her body that were open to infection and hadn't begun scabbing yet.

What would Maleficent's apprentice be doing out here unarmed? And why were those heartless attacking her? Should we help her? What if she's a spy?

So many questions were buzzing through his head, but instinct was telling him to bring her back to the ship—that she needed help. She had no weapon with her, and she looked frail. He couldn't just leave her here, even if she was a potential enemy. He wandered back over to where Tifa and Sora were fighting—they had cleared out just about the entire area. When they saw Riku with the unconscious girl, they rushed over, abandoning their posts.

"Riku? What happened?" asked Tifa wearily.

"Who is she?"

"She was being attacked by those heartless. I think she might be Maleficent's… apprentice," he said carefully, motioning for them to look at the mark on her wrist. The small heartless symbol was dark and clear against her pale skin. He knew bringing her back with him would seem suspicious, and that the adults might not be so welcoming, but seeing how viciously the heartless were pursuing her, he couldn't help but wonder what the real story here was. Unfortunately, Leon would be unlikely to think the same. She was branded by the same witch who had destroyed their home-Riku knew he wouldn't want someone like that on his islands. And he couldn't deny the faint scent radiating off her; she smelled of darkness.

But she looks sick... and she was being attacked by heartless. I don't even know what to make of that... Riku debated, his mind reeling. He wanted to help her, but not without some kind of justification for himself. He knew that it was a bad idea and beyond risky. He was sure there were important documents at headquarters like the town's building plans and blueprints. If Maleficent could get her hands on those, she'd have all the information she'd need for an invasion. She's so beat up... He thought, looking at the girl. No one else would be for it, taking her in as a patient. But she was shivering and bleeding; she couldn't even fight to defend herself, let alone be expected to rip their base to shreds. He sighed and knew he was defeated. If this is all some elaborate plan to infiltrate the base, then Maleficent's really outdone herself this time. I have to help her... we can figure out what to do with her later...

"What is she doing out here?" asked Sora, still examining the mark. Riku began walking back towards the first district.

"I don't know," he said, trying to figure out how to get her back without bringing himself more suspicion. "She needs medical attention—we should get her to the ship as fast as—"

"Riku!" called Tifa after him. "Are you sure about this? What if…"

"Look, right now, it doesn't really matter who she is—she needs medical attention, and I'm going to take her back to the ship," he said with a cool tone in his voice that shocked even himself. He knew they wouldn't approve. He looked back down at the girl in his arms, who was still sleeping lifelessly. As far as Riku was concerned, there was no reason, by the looks of her, to assume that she was trying to trick them. Tifa and the others would just have to deal with it—he couldn't bring himself to leave her on the streets.

"Riku's right. Besides, she can't do much if she's hurt. Isn't there some rule that says you need to disregard identities during something like this?" said Sora, following Riku. Tifa tailed after them reluctantly.

Riku carefully lay the girl down on one of the infirmary beds. He had managed to get her back to Radiant Garden with them—despite everyone else's protests. Cid was setting up some of the heart monitors and Aerith was bringing in some clean linen. According to her, the girl had fractured her right ankle and suffered some cuts and scratches, but that was the extent of her injuries. She needed to stay bedridden for a week or two to heal her foot. Riku pulled up a chair and sat at the head of her bed. She still hadn't stirred at all, but her heartbeat was regular. He decided he would stay and watch over her, since he was the one who had brought her there. He was worried as to what might become of her at the adults' hands if he left her there alone (not that they would try and hurt her—they just didn't seem so thrilled to have her there as a patient). He also felt that, since he had found her, she was his responsibility. He only left once when Aerith changed her clothes, which were wet and bloodstained. She now wore a long, white nightgown, and was lying with her foot bandaged. Her other cuts had been cleaned and covered, and Aerith had helped to wash off the mud on her body.

Riku pulled the blankets over her body. She was frozen from the rain, but, surprisingly, wasn't shivering. Now that he had a better look at her, he noticed that she was about his age. Her frame was slender, like Kairi's, only she was a little taller. Her hair was long, straight, and a fiery orange. It went down her back, contrasting her pale skin. The mark on her wrist looked cloudy, as if it could come of if you scrubbed. While he sat there thinking, Riku noticed that sometimes, her whole body seemed to have a dark aura surrounding it, like a cloud of black fog. But when he blinked or looked at her face on, it wasn't there. Almost like an illusion. He rubbed his eyes. I must be imagining things...

He brushed her bangs out of her face and rearranged the blankets again. Could she really be Maleficent's apprentice? It's still kind of hard to believe. I certainly never heard anything about it from her. But she wouldn't have shared that kind of information with me... he thought, examining the girl on the bed. She's really… beautiful… Then, in an instant, he shook his head and looked away, telling himself that he had had a long day. What am I even thinking? This girl is…

Later that night, Riku overheard Tifa, Yuffie, Cid, Leon, and Aerith discussing the newcomer. From the sound of it, they weren't too thrilled. Especially since it was Riku who had found her.

"What do you think, Cid? Should we let her stay?" asked Yuffie, sitting on the counter.

"I dunno. I still don't trust that Riku kid—for all we know, he could be in cahoots with Maleficent and this could all be some grand plan of theirs," he said, chewing on a piece of gum. Just as Riku suspected, they still thought he was working with Maleficent. And for Cid's theory to be true, she'd have to be one amazing actress. Her heart monitor had been steady and slow since they hooked it up, and not once did it alter from nerves or anticipation.

"No, Riku has left all that behind," Aerith insisted. "And the girl needs our help, so as long as she doesn't try to hurt anyone, we need to help her."

"I agree with Aerith," said Yuffie, always going along with someone else's decisions.

"Me too," Tifa said reluctantly.

To everyone's surprise, Leon agreed, "Me too."

"Leon?"

"Even if Maleficent is planning something, there's no way she could have known that we were going to Traverse Town—it was too short notice. And I can't imagine she'd need to go through all this trouble just to get in here- there are much more efficient ways to do so, especially since this apprentice was unknown. She could have simply taken an alias as a villager if she wanted information. Fainting on the streets still in her uniform seems too suspicious. If the heartless were attacking her, then that means she's not working with Maleficent. Not now, anyway. We can see what the story is when she wakes up. For now, let's just keep a close watch on her and the heartless."

Riku let out a sigh of relief. Whatever Leon said usually went. As he heard the crowd outside disperse, Aerith came into the room with two glasses of water.

"Here, this one is for you. Give her the other one when she wakes up."

"So they're going to let her stay?"

"What choice do they have? It's not like they could throw out an injured person. Anyway, I don't think she'll hurt us," she said calmly, walking out. Riku sipped the water and turned back to the girl. She had some color back in her skin, and all of a sudden, started stirring in her sleep. His heart raced when he realized that he was at a loss of what to say to her.

Would she think I'm weird for watching her like this? What do I say to her? Should I call everyone else when she does, or explain everything to her first? Riku watched anxiously as her hands clenched the sheets. She turned over slightly, and cringed in pain. Her breathing was sharp and Riku saw a tear roll down her cheek.

She's… having a nightmare? Should I wake her?

He absent-mindedly reached out and wiped the tear off her face, causing her to flinch a little. He pulled his hand back quickly and turned the lights on, hoping that she would wake up on her own. Riku looked away again, this time out the window. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw the cloudy, black aura surround her again. But this time, when he turned to look at her, it didn't disappear. It was there—a thick black fog encircling her entire body. He reached out to see if he could touch it, but when he did, it actually fought him away. Almost as if it were alive, it sensed an intruder and snapped at him like an animal. Riku pulled his hand away with a jolt of fear, and saw that the girl's hands were clenched, and she was struggling to breath. The heart monitors showed her heart struggling as well, and Riku realized that she must be trying to fight off the aura. He called for the others, who came bursting into the room, some of them in their nightclothes. Cid and Tifa ran over to the monitors, while Aerith and Leon observed the aura, trying to touch it, but just getting pushed away. The girl's breathing became increasingly sharper as the aura became darker in color, as if it were suffocating her. Sora and Kairi watched as the aura gave a lurch when Leon forced his hand around her arm, struggling to keep his grip against it. Suddenly, as quickly as it came, it vanished with a hissing noise, and the heart monitors returned to normal. The girl's hand unclenched, and her breathing slowed to a steady pace again, apparent relief washing over her face.

"Leon…" Started Yuffie.

"What is it?" asked Riku, more to himself.

"Darkness," said Leon, rubbing his hand. He didn't explain any further. "Riku, when she wakes up, call us right away. I'm going to go do some research," he said, walking out of the room. Leon tried staying collected as usual, but even Yuffie could sense the discomfort in his voice. Everyone else followed Leon, leaving only Riku, Sora, and Kairi in the room with the girl.

"Riku, was that really darkness?" asked Kairi, taking a seat on an unused bed.

"It… was alive, wasn't it?" said Sora. He sat next to Kairi, shocked at what e had just witnessed.

"I think so. I just appeared out of nowhere. Now that I think about it, it kept appearing and disappearing before I could get a good look at it. I thought it was just my imagination," he murmured, focusing on the heart monitor. Everything seemed back to normal now—almost like it hadn't even happened. She looked tired, though, and her skin had gone pale again.

About an hour later, the girl started stirring in her sleep again. She felt warm and comfortable, so right away she knew something was wrong. She slowly opened her eyes, squinting to adjust to the brightness of the room she was in.

Where am I? She thought drowsily. A… bed? How did I get—

"Are you awake?" came a boy's voice. Her eyes snapped open instantly to see a boy about her age with silver hair and a muscular frame. She jumped up, gasped, and tried to stand, but before she could, Riku grabbed her wrists and forced her back down.

"You're ankle is fractured," he said carefully. He was a little shaken up at how fast she had tried to escape him. She was blanch white and her eyes wide open with fear and disbelief. "You need to stay in bed for a couple of weeks."

"Where—"

"You're in Radiant Garden, with the Restoration Committee. I'm Riku—we found you in Traverse Town. You were being attacked by the heartless," he said slowly, letting everything sink in. "What's your name?"

Did he say weeks? I can't stay here- not even for a day. She looked around the room. The walls were all white and there were several other beds scattered about just like the one she was in—a hospital, she thought. She felt uncomfortable with the boy's hands still forcing her down; she hated being cornered. She tried to pull her hands free, but he wouldn't let go, thinking she would try to escape again. She immediately recognized his name—Riku. She hadn't heard it in a while, but she knew exactly who he was. And that she wasn't welcomed here, wherever she was.

"Keiya," she said after some hesitation.

Before he could ask anything more, the door burst open, revealing Yuffie and Cid "We need to check the monitors— hey! When did she wake up?" exclaimed Yuffie, rushing over to the bedside. Cid restrained her from getting to close—Yuffie could be a little overbearing sometimes. Keiya had jumped when the door slammed open so suddenly; she was really dreading what was sure to come next, if she was where she thought she was. And she didn't even have the energy to fight. She couldn't handle more people.

"She just woke up a minute ago."

"Yuffie, go call Leon," ordered Cid, looking over the monitors. Everything was normal except for her heartbeat, which was slightly faster out of nervousness. Leon strolled into the room looking collected once more, having recovered from the incident earlier that day. Aerith followed close behind. He joined Cid at the monitors for a few minutes while Keiya looked around the room, taking in the scene. Riku stayed in his spot next to her and handed her the glass of water that Aerith had left. She declined it and sat up straighter in the bed, completely overwhelmed. Sora and Kairi walked in lazily only to be shooed out by Cid and Aerith. Leon turned towards Riku and Keiya, still slightly convinced that they might be working together.

"What's your name, kid?" he said coolly, his hard gaze falling upon Keiya.

She felt very out of place and very uncomfortable, especially being spoken to in such a degrading tone. It was obvious they didn't want her here—these 'heroes of light', and she would much rather they toss her out. From the sound of it, they knew who she was, or at least that she wasn't like them, which was very, very bad. All she could think of was the trouble she would be in later.

"I-it's Keiya," she finally answered, with all eyes on her.

"Are you working with Maleficent?" he said, almost cutting her off.

She hesitated for a moment, picking apart his question, which was phrased in the present tense. "No."

"No?" he repeated surprised.

"Not currently."

He let out a short grunt of amusement, and glanced back at Aerith and Cid, who hadn't moved since he started talking. There was an uncomfortable silence, followed by a period of hesitation.

"Would you care to be a little more specific?" he said, more as a command than a question. Riku looked up at him, a little annoyed at how everyone let him do all the talking. To Riku, he was going about this the wrong way, assuming things before getting his answers. She wasn't trying to kill them. They had just pulled her off the streets- no one should have to wake up to such an atmosphere.

"Not really. But you could tell me who you are," she shot at him. She didn't bother trying to control her temper—they obviously weren't trying to make a peace pact or whatever. And she hated being treated as if she were inferior to them. (Even if deep down even she thought she was.) They were being rude, so she couldn't let them think she would just give in to whatever they wanted from her- information, probably. She figured the sooner they got this interrogation over with, the sooner she could leave. She wanted to keep this confrontation brief so that she could forget it ever happened. She was in enough trouble as it was.

Leon didn't budge at all, and motioned for everyone else to step forward. "I'm Leon. This is Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid. Riku is sitting next to you. Cloud and Tifa are in the other room, as well as Sora and Kairi," he replied without a hint of enthusiasm. "We're the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee."

Before he could continue, Aerith cut in, taking on a kinder approach. "Riku found you in Traverse Town—you were being attacked by the heartless." Keiya shyly glanced over at Riku, but his eyes were downcast.

"Any reason why—" Started Leon, only to be cut off by Cid.

"You're Maleficent's daughter, right? The one who's been stirring up trouble lately?"

"I'm not her daughter," she scoffed. She hadn't heard that rumor before. As impenetrable she was trying to seem, she was shaken to the core. Never had she had to deal with this many people all at one, all talking at the same time.

"An apprentice, then," Leon finally got in.

Keiya stayed silent, though obviously irritated and ready to leave. She tried not to show it, but she was incredibly nervous and trying to keep her face from flushing. She had no idea how she was supposed to handle this situation. Leon, who had been leaning against a wall the whole time, switched sides of the room to the door, hands in his pockets. He carried with him a threatening air of authority.

"Don't expect to leave here any time soon. Your injuries require that you remain bedridden for at least two weeks. If you're not currently working with Maleficent, then I advise you to keep it that way—you're under our care. You'll have to answer our questions eventually." With that, he walked out of the room, followed by Cid. When the door closed, Yuffie hopped up off the counter she was sitting on, and stood next to Riku. Aerith made her way over, too.

"Don't worry about him—he's sour like that to everyone!" said Yuffie, holding out her hand to shake. Keiya took it reluctantly and nodded, all the while thinking about the trouble she was getting herself into with each passing minute. "I'm Yuffie, and that's Aerith. If you need anything, or need anyone to talk to, we're always here."

"Keiya, if you'd rather talk to someone else instead of Leon, that's fine too. We're not here to hurt you or hold you hostage," said Aerith gently.

"T-thanks…" she said, a little doubtfully. Why else would they keep her here if not for answers?

"And Riku will take care of you! Isn't that right?" said Yuffie, patting him on the back.

"Oh, y-yeah. Sure," he said, forcing a smile.

"There. Well, we'll see you later."

When the two of them left, Riku looked up at Keiya at a loss of what to say. They sat in silence, each one curious about the other. He hadn't really wanted to be left alone with her, but at the same time, he did want to talk to her one on one. It was a mixed-feeling due to the uncomfortable first impression Leon had made for the group. Keiya was still trying to devise a way to get out of the situation she was locked into; she had evaded Leon for the time being, but she knew he would be back with questions. She sighed internally, frustrated at how weak she felt.

"So, umm…" he started, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head. "You're really not… working with Maleficent?"

She sunk down against the headboard in defeat. "No, I'm not."

"But why were the heartless..."

"I-I ran away. She's been sending heartless to find me..."

When neither of them said anything, she examined one of the bandages on her arm. How am I going to get out of here? she thought miserably. She had taken quite a beating from the heartless earlier. She wouldn't have been surprised if it was Sai who had sent them, but their mistress didn't usually give the order unless her timing was bad. She must have put Maleficent's plans on hold again.

"Riku… you used to work for Maleficent, too," she said without really thinking. She remembered clearly the day Riku had first appeared at Hollow Bastion—Sai had never stopped fuming over it. When she found out that he had overcome the darkness, though, which she had also heard from Sai, she'd felt in a slump for at least a week. It had made her envious—she wanted to be able to walk away so desperately. She'd felt a little left behind; other people were escaping, but she couldn't.

Riku looked up, taken aback. "Yeah, but how'd you—"

"I remember hearing about you," she said simply, her tone kind. He saw how defeated she looked—he knew she was unhappy here. She definitely was Maleficent's apprentice. It was such a surreal concept, since he hadn't heard of her before. He felt a little bad that Leon had questioned her so intently, and she wasn't even technically working with Maleficent. He wanted to try and make her feel a little more welcome, even though they both knew she wasn't.

Trying to keep the conversation flowing, Riku sat up and asked, "So you ran away? Why?"

"It's not the first time," she explained, blushing a little. She was a bit shy now that they were alone. Talking about these kinds of topics to someone who had risen above the darkness felt a little awkward to her. Not to mention that they had never met before. She felt like he was being forced to baby-sit her. But it would be rude not to answer his questions. "I've done this... dozens of times before…"

"But you always went back?" he asked solemnly. She nodded, still examining her countless wounds. They wouldn't heal until she went back to the fortress.

"…wouldn't you get in trouble?" he asked, watching her. He suddenly realized how nosy he was being, asking her all these personal questions. She shook her head this time.

"No, not for running away…" she replied vaguely. What am I doing? she thought miserably. In a way, part of her had already given up, and she didn't really care how bad she let things get. But he seemed trustworthy, and she felt like they had something in common, even though he had actually succeeded in what she was trying to do. It felt good to talk to someone other than Sai for a change, despite how nervous it made her.

I really don't need to tell them anything—I shouldn't be telling them anything. I can just-

"Why are you telling me all of this?" he asked suddenly, thinking of how she answered Leon when he had asked the same questions.

"W-well you're going to tell them anyway, aren't you?" she said hastily as a cover-up.

Riku felt his heart sink at that— then why didn't she tell them herself?

Author's Note: May thirty-first, twenty-ten. I read through this chapter again and caught more typos, so I really hope I didn't miss anything this time around. I recently realized that the way I've been using quotation marks in sentences is a little off, so as I go through the story and edit some more, I'll fix those little by little. For now, please excuse the incorrect periods and capitalizations until I get around to fixing them.

Please review and enjoy the rest of the story!