I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

~…~

"Leon and I talked it over, and we want to give Keiya her own room."

Riku stood behind a chair in the kitchen, listening carefully. Aerith and Leon were sitting at the table still going through their usual papers for the town, and had called for Riku a few moments ago for a 'quick talk'. He hoped it would be quick—he'd left Keiya alone in her room, and she hadn't seemed very well.

"We think that, since you know her best, you should be the one to give it to her. She seems uncomfortable around all of us," Aerith continued. Riku nodded, discreetly overjoyed at the news. He hadn't been sure what the adults would decide for her, since she was pretty much healed and could leave the infirmary. (After all, she'd just taken out an impressive-sized heartless.) He'd been worried that she might leave, maybe go back to her home in Maleficent's lair, but lately, he found he couldn't stand the idea of it, even though, technically, where else would should she be expected to go? She was just a house guest, he tended to forget. She had no obligation to stay. Still, he couldn't wait to give her the news, and to convince her to stay with them just a little longer.

"What we saw back there… she has unimaginable power that could easily be dangerous—mostly to herself," Leon started, taking the conversation in a whole new direction. "She needs to learn to give it less control. She can't let it overtake her so freely."

"I don't think she can help it. From what I've seen, once it starts, she's at its mercy until she can get back on her feet," Riku said coolly, defending her against Leon's criticism.

"That's where you come in," Aerith said with a smile. "You've been watching over her, right? We think you can help her to stay on her feet."

Riku stared, trying to comprehend what they were getting at. He watched over her every night, but there was nothing he could do to help her. He knew right away that Aerith was talking about her plague—that inner battle that took place every night while she at her weakest, most defenseless state. He had done a little reading to see if there was anything he could do to help her, but he hadn't found any such cases yet. And there was nothing he could do for her on the spot; if he so much as tried to touch her, he'd be relentlessly pushed away by the searing black fog. "But I can't do anything..."

"You can. For starters, shouldn't she know what's been happening to her each night?" Aerith said, followed by a long period of silence.

"She's already so ashamed… If she knew about this, she'd be devastated…" Riku said. It had never crossed his mind to tell her—that was just out of the question. She wouldn't be able to live with herself. She was much too self-conscious. And I don't want her to know that I've been watching over her…

"You need to tell her before things really get out of hand," Leon said firmly. "This is her safety we're talking about."

Riku happened to think it safer that she not know how weak she really was; that would only serve to make her weaker mentally, and then she wouldn't stand a chance. And because she was so insecure, he knew she would be incredibly embarrassed to know that he had been sneaking into her room to watch over her, night after night. He had seen her at her worst, after all—she might not be able to look at him the same again, and that worried him just as much as his concern for her safety.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," Aerith said, giggling lightheartedly. "You two seem to be such good friends—I'm sure she wouldn't think you were weird for watching over her, if that's what you're worried about."

~…~

"Keiya?" Riku called, knocking on the infirmary door. "I'm coming in, okay?"

He opened the door to see Keiya in the same position he had left her in—sitting on the low windowsill with the window wide open, staring out. When he walked in, she made no gesture to acknowledge his entry. The moonlight shone and made her skin glow while the night winds breezed through to make the white curtains ripple like flags. It had the same effect on her hair. She was too fazed to feel cold; normally, she'd have been shivering. Riku walked over to the window and touched her arm lightly, and she finally looked up at him, her face blank. Her skin was pale, and she looked like she could break down a cry any second.

"C'mon, there's something I want to show you," he said, pulling her up gently. She followed him out of the infirmary and down the long hallway to the next part of the house. Riku noticed that she was walking much slower than usual—he would have pulled her along playfully, but he knew she was still upset with herself after the heartless' attack on the town. Instead, he walked alongside her at the pace she was going at.

For Keiya, the walk back to headquarters after defeating the Behemoth earlier that night had been the longest walk of her life. Riku had pulled her by the hand the whole time, letting her lag behind him slightly. Neither of them said a word. She had hated to demonstrate her full potential defeating the heartless, and she'd been scared to death of what she thought Riku would think of her afterwards, but she had dreaded the thought of facing Leon and the other adults—especially after running off like she did. She was expecting Leon, Tifa, Cid, and Aerith to be waiting for them to come back. They would see Riku practically dragging her along, and would want to throw her out. Then Riku would argue her case, and they would reluctantly let her stay. And then she would feel worse and more unwelcome than ever; torn in two directions—wanting to leave the penetrating stares of the committee, while Riku convinced her not to. She was expecting them all to be disgusted with her.

However, when they had reached headquarters, the turn-out was quite different. Everyone was there in the kitchen talking loudly and eating, despite the late hour. The lights were all on, and leftovers were being passed down the table like during an ordinary meal. When she and Riku had walked inside, no one stopped talking abruptly to stare. Instead, they were greeted as if they just come back from taking a walk. Yuffie had run up to them, waved a hand in front of their faces then pranced back to her seat at the table. Sora had shouted something to Riku, but neither of them could hear it over Cid's loud exclamations across the table. Everything had been lively and nonchalant, the same way it always was. Keiya had taken in the scene in confusion, letting her eyes pass over everyone individually. No one had seemed to be revolted—they were actually celebrating the victory. And when she'd glanced over at Leon, he'd just met her gaze and held it for a moment. He hadn't made any sort of comment or given her any sort of look. He had just nodded, and then went back to drinking his coffee. She and Riku had stood in the doorway, filthy from the mud in the forest. Riku had let her hand go and slipped his arm around her waist comfortingly, reminding her that she wasn't alone. Finally, Aerith had walked over to them and pointed to two empty seats at the table, asking them lightheartedly what they were doing just standing in the entryway.

When Keiya and Riku reached had their seats, he dropped his arm from her waist and motioned for her to sit down. Since no one was making a big deal over it, Keiya felt sick with embarrassment at having run off, and that Riku had had to talk her into coming back. They sat next to Sora and Kairi, with Yuffie and Cid on the other side of the table. Now that they were in earshot, she was able to hear what all the commotion was about.

"I'm telling you, I ain't never seen a heartless that big! Never! Blew me away when I saw it!" Cid said, banging his hand on the table. Sora took a big bite out a chicken leg, ripping the meat off with his teeth.

"Well," he started with his mouth full, food nearly spilling out. "I have. All over the place!"

"Chew with your mouth closed, Sora. No one needs to see that," Riku said, joining the conversation. Kairi laughed and handed him a napkin.

"But man, that heartless didn't stand a chance! Keiya had him wrapped up in one hit—and with no help from the keyblade master!" Cid said excitedly, causing Sora to retaliate with a 'what's that supposed to mean?'

Even though no one had talked to her directly, she'd felt overwhelmed with the attention. She was still shaken up, even now. Luckily, Riku had noticed and had come to her rescue again, excusing them both from the table. She had been sitting in the infirmary ever since, dazed, emotionally fragile, and drowning in her thoughts. Resting against the wall while staring out the window, she hadn't been able to convince herself that it was alright. That she could break from Maleficent completely like Riku said she could. She still felt lost and weak even now, hours later; she was under the darkness' influence. Her negative thoughts only fueled its strength—she was so down that she didn't even try and stop it. She felt it spread throughout her body, eating away at her slowly. She felt like just letting it win. It didn't hurt—it was like being swallowed up and taken away. Somewhere during her thoughts, she got the sudden urge to talk to Riku, who was walking right next to her. She felt like she needed to hear his voice again. All the things she wished could happen—everything Riku said would happen—only seemed true when he said it. She couldn't convince herself. However, her voice was lost; she couldn't find the willpower to do anything other than follow him down this never-ending hallway and hope that he didn't leave her.

When she heard a door slam somewhere in the house, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Her mind snapped back from its idle haze and she automatically revolted against the darkness still feeding off her, that had been compiling to her hopeless wish and smothering her in its leeching grasp. It was like waking up underwater—resisting and struggling felt like drowning.

What am I doing? she managed to process miserably.

She came back to her senses, almost freaking out in the middle of the hallway at how bad she let everything get—she fought vigorously and secretly as they walked down the hall to break the darkness' grip and force it back to her heart, where it stayed locked up and dormant. It wasn't easy—normally, when something like this happened and she had to fight for control, she would lose her breath and break into sweats as if she was fighting a real person. That's why she didn't like to lose control in the first place, and why she was so frustrated that she would let her guard down like that. She folded her arms in front of her chest, her fists clenched. Her hair hung in front of her face so Riku wouldn't be able to see her struggle. When she finally forced the darkness dormant again, her body started up again out of its direct control. She shivered and her legs went weak, and she let out a gasp for breath, alarming Riku. He saw her momentarily stumble and grasp the wall, and immediately stopped and placed his hands on her shoulders, ready to catch her if she collapsed.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing… I'm better now…" she murmured, feeling the after-effects fade away. Her body temperature made its way back up, and she regained her balance. She straightened up and pushed her hair back out of her face. She was back in control for now.

"Really?" he said suspiciously. She gave him a quick smile, and Riku dropped his hands from her shoulders. He felt much better seeing that she was herself again. He had been worried before, seeing her in such a ghost-like state. There was no way for him to know what had happened; she kept so many secrets, and she'd been so apathetic and gone just a second ago. He swallowed down his confusion and took her smile gratefully. Now he wanted to watch over her twice as carefully. He continued leading her down the long hall, passing up doors and pictures on either side. Now that she was 'awake', she noticed that the hallway wasn't as long as she thought it to be before.

"We're here," Riku said suddenly, stopping at a door. They were in the back of the house, away from the kitchen and infirmary. She looked at Riku for an explanation, but he just smiled. He opened the door and led her into a room with a large bed tucked away in the corner, a dresser with a hanging mirror to accompany it, and a wide window low to the ground so that you could easily hop over to get outside.

"So, where's 'here'?" she finally had to ask.

"Your room," he said simply. He walked over to the window, drew the curtains, and opened it, letting the breeze in. "It's meant for two people, but I figured you'd like it because of the window."

"… My room?" she asked quietly, standing aghast in the middle of it.

"Well, I guess you can stay in the infirmary if you want, but there's really no need since your ankle healed," he explained, leaning against a wall.

She shook her head. "No, I mean… I thought that I would…"

"I talked to Leon before. Actually, he talked to me. He said you should have your own room, since you're not a patient anymore. I hope you don't mind that I picked for you—it's out of the way. Sora, Kairi, and I are the only other ones in this wing. Everyone else is in a different hallway." (And her room was right across from his.)

When she didn't say anything, he pushed off from the wall and walked over to her. "You… you do want to stay here, right?" he asked hopefully. "You can stay here—Leon said that it's okay…"

She nodded hesitantly. It hadn't even dawned on her that when her foot got better, she had planned on leaving. She was so comfortable here now—she wanted to stay. Despite the awkward vibes she got from the adults and the teasing grins they received from Riku's friends, she hadn't been this happy before in her life.

Maleficent just sent heartless to find me—what am I thinking? I probably shouldn't stay, but… She shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind. I got rid of that heartless. And it's just for two more months at most… nothing will happen. I want to stay… I really want to stay…

Riku was about to start toward the door and leave her to get settled, when she held him back by the arm.

"Did Leon say anything about…what I did?"

"He said that your power is incredible, and that you shouldn't let it control you so freely. And Aerith said—"

"What? Does he think I have a choice?" she exclaimed, fuming over Leon's unbelievable ignorance.

"If you'd let me finish—Aerith said that you should, quote-unquote, 'discover a new way to fight back at it'."

After a moment of silence, Keiya spoke up again, "What does she mean 'discover'?"

Riku just shrugged, and she let his arm go. She wandered over to the window to see the spot Riku had chosen. It overlooked the steeper part of the hill that went down to the infant forests. Above that, the sky was clear and cloudless at the moment, and she could see the edges of the town beyond the woods.

"You know, this really is nice," she said, observing the new view. She was beginning to love this town—its innocence, its kind atmosphere. It was so gentle and unchanging. She couldn't think of any other place like it—certainly not her home at Maleficent's fortress. She could stay here a few more weeks; what was the worst that could happen? She could take care of more heartless. She let her worries stop there.

"Listen, Keiya? I need to talk to you…" He struggled to put his words together.

"What?" she asked, interested in his speechlessness.

"I don't want you to worry… I mean, I worry, but…" Ugh, how do I tell her without upsetting her? I don't want her to get scared and leave… But she really needs to know… There was no light way to put it—every night without fail the darkness would creep up on her like a parasite, trying to claim her body against her will. And there was nothing he could do but watch and pray that she wouldn't get hurt, that she would be able to fight it off, but most of all, that she wouldn't wake up.

"Riku?"

"Just… Never mind. I'll tell you tomorrow," he said, defeated, waving it away. "I guess I'll let you get some sleep, then. If you need me, my room's right across the hall."

Before she could hold him back and force the information out of him, he had already disappeared out the door, closing it behind him.

~…~

I guess she didn't follow me after all… good. He thought, locking his door behind him. Just as he suspected he would, he'd frozen up in his attempt to tell her of her condition. Every con was screaming at him that there was no way she should know; she'd be upset, she'd be defeated, she'd never be herself again, and certainly would never feel comfortable around him again. She'd be paranoid and fearful all the time—he couldn't watch her lose herself like that. He wanted to protect her, not make her sick with worry.

Riku sat on his bed after changing into a pair of light pants and a T-shirt. He always waited until around one o'clock before checking on Keiya, to make sure she was asleep. Right now, his conversation with Aerith and Leon was weighing on his mind. He knew he needed to tell her—for her own safety—but he was still embarrassed. Aerith's words rang in his head like a bell; he knew they meant well, but they didn't understand. She'd be so crushed to know the truth.

'You two seem to be such good friends; She wouldn't think you were weird,' she says. Well, if it was Sora or Kairi in Keiya's position, then yeah. I wouldn't hesitate to tell them, because we're friends, and friends look out for each other like that. So maybe I just haven't known Keiya long enough to feel comfortable around her? No, that can't be it—we've already been through so much… I can talk to her about stuff Sora and Kairi can't understand… He was annoyed at his confusion. Normally, he would do what was right. She shouldn't have this kind of information kept from her—it was her own body, after all. He knew he would want to know if something was attacking him in his sleep every night. But he didn't want her to have to suffer the knowledge.

This information would break her—she fights so hard to keep the darkness at bay all day long, but it's only natural that she's weaker while she's asleep... I just don't want to see her so upset again. Like earlier today… No matter what she says, she's not as strong as she seems…

Riku hopped off the bed and closed the window. He yawned and stretched out his arms, then made his way to the door. She should be asleep by now… he thought, crossing the hall to her door. He stared at it for a minute and listened to try and hear if she was awake. The lights were off and not a sound could be heard, so he carefully and as quietly as possible opened the door, and slipped into her room.

She was fast asleep on the bed, lying on top of the blankets rather than beneath them. The window was still open with the curtains waving back and forth, and the wind made a howling noise against the side of the house. Riku pulled the windows shut, as he did every so often, then walked over to her bed, where she was huddled in a ball, shivering slightly from the cold.

How did she fall asleep like this? he thought, pulling back the blankets on the other side of the bed. It seemed like she never fell asleep in a comfortable position, and he had to wonder whether or not it was coincidence, or if she was too embarrassed to make herself at home. Silently praying that she wouldn't wake up, he slid an arm under her shoulders and another under her legs, and lifted her up. She stirred only a little bit, but remained sound asleep. As he carried her around to the other side of the bed, she subconsciously huddled closer to him, drawn to the warmth of his body.

Riku's heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the girl in his arms. Her skin was cool and soft, her head was resting against him, and her hair was flowing freely off to the side. She looked so innocent and naïve, with no barriers or hidden emotions, and was counting on him for security. He swallowed hard and placed her down gently, reluctantly slipping his arms out from under her. His body felt empty as soon as he let her go.

It must be really cold in here… he thought nervously, running a hand through his hair. His face was burning red.

~…~

CRASH

"Don't you dare say that!"

A sharp disk of darkness streamed across the room, cutting right through the air, and missed its target with a loud crash against the wall. Sai stood at the other end of the room, breathing deeply, his shoulders rising and falling in overwhelming agitation.

A new voice gave a small satisfied grunt. "Perhaps you should just give up on the magic. Your mere punches are far more devastating than your dark abilities."

"I am your commander!" Sai yelled, ignoring the other voice and picking his target up from the floor. He slammed another punch dead in his face. The man cringed and with one strong wave of his arms, pushed Sai away from him and quickly caught his breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a green potion vile, then downed in quickly and regained his composure. Sai's body shook as he fumed.

"You…" he started, pausing to fix his coat, "…are nothing but a brat—a boy not worthy of the title of 'commander'." His speech was eloquent, in contrast to Sai's rough, sharp language. "I cannot acknowledge your word as the word I must follow."

Sai shook in anger across the room, readying two more disks, one in each hand. With a piercing yell, he thrust the two disks forward toward the man. However, before they were even halfway across the room, they disintegrated and a portal opened up in their place. The council members around him sneered and let out short, pitiful laughs.

"It looks like the boss wants to have a word with you, commander. Better not keep her waiting," one of them said.

Sai, though still boiling over with uncontrollable rage, stepped through the portal and into Maleficent's study. He noticed as soon as he saw her face—expectantly awaiting his arrival—that he was in deep trouble.

"He said—"

"I don't care who said what. You made me look like a fool back there," she said sharply, her voice heavy and firm. "Maybe I am, for putting someone like you in charge of an operation. More than training, you need to learn common sense! How do you think I look when my own apprentices lose their temper and go off in a blind rage?"

Sai stood in the same spot, not moving or speaking so as not to give her more reason to chastise him. Inside, though, he was on fire. It seemed like he could never do anything without being analyzed and criticized—he was sick of not being taken seriously. It'd been the same since he first came to Maleficent; he was not given any sort of praise for a job well done, but getting something wrong meant being beaten down and openly critiqued.

"Don't you ever forget, Sai. Without me, you're nothing! You have no home, no friends or family to run off to. This is your family now, and you need to abide by my rules!"

His self control snapped; no one ever listened to him or let him try and defend himself. In the heat of the moment, his thoughts escaped him and he demonstrated his temper in front of his mistress—probably the worst thing he could have ever done in his seven years here. "Well, you're doing a fine job, holding your 'family' together, aren't you? They must think real highly of you, throwing around your power while the 'favorite' is wandering in some provincial hideout and you refuse to—"

Maleficent cut him off by throwing the same type of disk he had used straight into his torso. He fell backward on impact with a yell cut short and clutched his stomach in pain.

"That is how you throw a dark disk, Sai," She said calmly, always able to keep her own temper under control. "Now get up and get back to work. Anymore outbursts and you'll be on the streets." She walked to the door, leaving Sai still cringing in pain on the floor. He bit his lip to keep from groaning in pain, and practically held his breath so she wouldn't' hear him gasp. "Homeless… powerless…"

~…~

Riku sat on the other side of the bed with his legs bended. He was absent-mindedly playing with the loose strands of Keiya's hair, twirling his fingers around the subtle curls that formed atop her pillow. His head was still a mess. He couldn't stop thinking about Aerith's words—he had no idea why they were bothering him. We are good friends. Of course I can tell her. Iwill tell her, tomorrow… It's the right thing to do, he convinced himself, resting his head back against the headboard. I can't keep it a secret from her—it's not my place to. But then… it feels weird to tell her that I'm watching her like this… No matter how hard I try, I can't predict what she'll say. I have no idea what she'll think. What if she gets upset? I can't blame her. I really shouldn't be in her room this late at night… But with Sora and Kairi, I wouldn't worry over something like that… He looked over at Keiya and noticed his hand entangled in her hair, some of the soft strands entwined through his fingers. He felt his heart jump again, and he pulled his hand back quickly. And then there's that… he thought, feeling his blood race.

Suddenly, her skin started to take on a grayish hue, and an eerie chill radiated from her body. Riku sat up and knelt next to her, just as he did every night. It hardly alarmed him anymore; he was so used to it. He could even tell whether a night was rough or easy for her. Her breaths became sharp and less frequent, and all at once, the darkness in her heart erupted into black cloud surrounding her from head to toe, seemingly inhaling and exhaling, leeching off her body. Her hands clenched the blankets Riku had thrown over her and she broke into a cold sweat. Her face turned sheet white from the strain as the darkness visibly suffocated her. Her pants turned to mere whimpers, and her hands unclenched as the aura around her grew in size. Riku's eyes widened and he bent over to examine her. She didn't make any sudden movements or show any sign of struggling. She's not putting up much of a fight… he thought, seeing how she seemed to relax in the darkness' grip. It was when her predator seemed to darken in color that he realized her chest had ceased to rise and fall. She's not breathing?

"Keiya? Wake up! Snap out of it!" He whispered sharply, trying to restrain himself from touching the still growing fog around her. "Keiya, wake up!"

Isn't there anything I can do to stop it? If I don't come up with something now…

Thinking quickly, he forcibly wrapped an arm around her stomach against the darkness. He immediately felt a searing pain as if lurched at him to shake him off, but he kept his hold against it and pulled her up. He embraced her tightly to his chest, one arm around her back and the other at her head. The pain was almost unbearable; the darkness beat against his body, trying to get him to let go of its prey. It felt freezing cold—so cold that the icy stings felt like a burn.

If I can't stop it, the least I can do is distract it.

A good amount of the darkness that had been surrounding and suffocating Keiya was now stinging and beating at Riku to try and fight him away. He felt it leech at his body, inflicting the sharpest, most electrifying pain throughout his body. When Riku's willpower proved stronger than the pain it inflicted upon him, it released some its grip on Keiya and attacked solely him, making the hot pain double in strength. She gasped for breath and woke with a start, feeling lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. However, the cloud was still around her, and was now around Riku as well, trying to swallow him in its depths. She was still drowsy; she struggled to realize what was going on. She felt a combination of the darkness' grip as well as Riku's, both of which were holding her tightly so she couldn't even move. His breathing was as sharp as hers and his pain tenfold. When she got a grasp of what was happening, her body gave a jump, and she tried to push away from Riku.

"You have to let go…" she murmured, her voice weak and quiet. Her body felt heavy and languid. She kept trying to break from his grip, prying him away from her, but she wasn't even sure if she had his attention. She wasn't strong enough to push away from him herself, and Riku was too caught up in the overwhelming sting of the darkness to hear her. After another minute of struggling, she felt Riku's hold on her start to let up. He was panting heavily and starting to become worn out.

"Riku…" she called, slightly more audibly, "Let me go…!"

His body felt numb from the searing pain, and he couldn't even feel her in his arms anymore. He distantly heard her voice calling him, but nothing was clear with the skin-burning icy feel starting to block his senses. "Keiya…?" he breathed out, unsure of whether or not he had just imagined her talking.

"Let go..." She said again, trying to speak up. Now that Riku was weakened, the darkness began attacking her again as well. She felt herself slowly sinking back into the dangerous sleep she was in before.

"But… it'll…" He said between breaths. His hold on her began loosening as he became more tired, and Keiya was finally able to slip out of his arms. As soon as their bodies lost contact, the darkness that was surrounding Riku returned to Keiya and continued trying to consume her. Riku gasped for air when he was released, and all the pain in inflicted on him began washing away. He was exhausted and had beads of sweat dripping from his forehead; he hadn't ever felt so frozen before. He hadn't even been able to scream out. Meanwhile, Keiya doubled over in pain at the full burden of the darkness, one hand clutching her heart, the other the bed sheets. Her hair fell forward, concealing the desperate strain on her face. She fought back hard, trying to put up an imaginary shield to block it away. Riku, seeing her struggle, absent-mindedly reached a hand out toward her.

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, feeling him draw closer. Her panting broke into pained cries. Riku had never seen anything like it; she was so used to it, she seemed so much more in control of the situation than he had been able to be. He had no idea how he would've gotten himself out of its hold. He watched intently as she pushed the darkness out of her body with uncontrollable cries and whimpers, and felt his heart break at how he couldn't do anything to ease her suffering. He wanted to protect her from the pain, and felt hopeless at his inability to do so. After just two minutes—the longest two minutes of his life, she finally succeeded in blocking it from entering her again, thereby starving it. It didn't last longer than a few seconds after she cut it off from her, and it disintegrated with a hissing noise.

Keiya let herself fall over, now completely drained. She felt relieved and out of breath, and had some lingering tears crawling down her cheek. Riku crawled closer to her, starting to regain his strength.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah… I'm sorry you got mixed up in that… Are you hurt?" Her voice came out as a whisper. Riku knelt next to her and pushed some hair out of her face, then wiped the few lasting tears away with his thumb. This must've happened because I was so reckless, letting the darkness spread like that, she thought. I was sure I had gotten rid of it, for that time being…What am I going to do? If it happens again… ugh, I was so stupid before…

He shook his head and reached for the blankets, which were now messily tossed around, and pulled one over her protectively. He stayed seated and leaned back against the headboard, just watching her, his hand still in her hair. He hadn't known she could endure so much agony—she could seem so weak one minute, but then accomplish something incredible the next. She acted like it was nothing to be proud of, though. After a few seconds of silence, Keiya sat up again.

"Just lie down—you must be exhau—"

"Riku…" she started, "Aerith said… I heard Aerith say that you come every night."

Riku's stomach turned. "W-well, I… since the heartless were after you, I thought—"

"I just want to know, nothing's ever happened… like this before, right?" she pleaded, her eyes wide with apprehension. Riku felt his heart stutter; his mind raced to give her an answer. She had asked; he knew he had to tell her, now that she had asked. He had no excuses. She wasn't uncomfortable with him watching her; she wasn't dodging the scenario… But now something else was bothering him. He saw the look on her face; she was fragile.

What would this information do to her? Would she still be able to be herself if I told her? he debated. I know she's insecure—she's very insecure—but she's been able to laugh and smile… Ignorance is bliss, after all. If she knew just how strong it was… that it was a constant in her life like this, would she be able to keep smiling?

"N-no. Never," he said finally. She immediately looked relieved and relaxed a little bit, a small smile appearing on her face. Riku felt his heart sink seeing how much better she looked after his lie.

For now, I won't let it bother me… since it was just a one-time thing. But I just can't let it happen again. If Riku hadn't been here…

"Then… I guess it was because of earlier today? Or rather, yesterday," she said lightheartedly, looking at the clock which now read three o'clock in the morning. Riku nodded in false agreement and hopped off the bed, unable to sit still. Her smile was both reassuring and a stab in the chest; he couldn't shake the desperate pleading that had been in her eyes. With one word—'yes'—he could have destroyed her. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself for erasing that smile, even if it meant giving her the truth she had wanted. "I'm sure everything's fine. You should try and go back to sleep," he suggested, walking toward the door.

"Wait, Riku!" she called, surprised at how eager he was to leave. He paused at the door with one hand on the doorknob. "Thank you for saving me, again… If you hadn't come, I…" She felt her heart's beat quicken, full of nervousness, embarrassment, gratitude, and overwhelming admiration. The whole ordeal earlier in the woods, and then here, after he had saved her life, created a strong sense of attachment to him within her. She felt her face heat up as butterflies entered her stomach.

"It's no problem," he said, smiling at her over his shoulder. "Just… don't worry about it, okay? I don't want you to worry about it."

"…Okay."

Riku opened the door, letting the dim light from the hallway stream into the dark room. Everywhere else in the house was quiet, oblivious to the terrible threat she had just overcome. "You have more important things to worry about, right? Like the score?" he added, trying not to dwell on how guilty and protective he felt over her. He'd need more time to straighten out his emotions.

"What?"

He smirked to himself and walked out of the room, then began to cross the wide hallway. "Three to one!" he called out behind him, just loud enough for her to hear.

Keiya gave a mock-annoyed sigh and flopped backwards onto the pillow. She could hear Riku laughing as he walked to his room across the hall. She hugged the pillow, lying stomach down. She couldn't help but laugh a little too, burying her face in the sheets. Even though she knew she should feel awkward and shy now that he had just saved her life yet again, she instead was filled with a rush of bliss. She let herself enjoy the new, flustered and fluttery feeling that coursed through her body from her heart.

I just don't get him. He's so… I don't know…

~…~

"So let's talk about… our childhoods. You first," Riku decided, leaning back against a tree trunk. He and Keiya had been relaxing in the grassy area behind the headquarters building for a while, just talking. Keiya was lying on the grass on her stomach, propping her head up with one hand. Her long hair tumbled over her shoulders to mix with the cool green blades and blossoming dandelions. She held in her hand a light pink flower that Riku had so chivalrously picked off a high tree for her earlier.

Keiya rolled over onto her back, not caring that the pedals and leaves from the tree overhead would get caught in her hair. "You don't waste time on nothing-conversations, do you?" she asked light-heartedly.

"I think we've had enough of those; at least enough for me to earn another Q and A."

"Q and A someone else for a change. You haven't been hanging out with Sora and Kairi lately—they probably feel like I've stolen you from them."

"So what? You're interesting," he said with a smirk. "Sora and Kairi have each other. If anything, I'm the one left out."

She sat up wearing an excited smile. "Is someone jealous?"

"No," he snapped defensively. "And you're changing the subject. Q and A: how old were you when you met Maleficent?"

She laughed and tossed her hair back over her shoulder, drawing Riku's gaze. He scooted forward and sat right in front of her, then proceeded to pick out the few twigs and leaves that spotted her hair. Its silkiness was not disturbed; he could brush his fingers right through it without reaching a knot. "I don't even remember, Riku. Little, I guess—five or six. Didn't you ask this already?"

"Then where?"

"There's no way I'd know that," she said, to his disappointment. She glanced up at Riku—which was when she realized she had been looking down the whole time—and watched him pull the last stray twig out of her hair. She blushed when she realized how disheveled she must look, and when he finally, hesitantly leaned back to give her some space, she hastily pulled a hair tie off her wrist and reached back to put her hair up. Riku absent-mindedly touched her hand halfway to stop her, but then swallowed nervously when he realized that she was looking at him awkwardly.

"Leave it down," he said, feeling completely stupid. "I-it looks nice."

"O-okay…" she complied shyly. She put the tie back on her wrist and dropped her hands to her lap. Both were blushing, neither one able to look up at the other. There was a moment of silence before Riku managed to shake off his distracted demeanor and nonchalantly continued his questioning.

"How did you become her apprentice?"

She looked blank for a few seconds, trying to think of an answer that he'd be able to comprehend. "It happened so fast. I don't know what happened," she told him honestly. There really wasn't a detailed, long story to tell. And if there was, she couldn't remember it. She wasn't sure where she'd come from, why she'd been by herself, why Maleficent had chosen to take her in rather than kill her…

Riku sighed, frustrated. "I told you my story. There has to be something for you to tell." He paused, seeing her sincere, thoughtful expression, then found a playful smile to try and brighten her face. He didn't want the conversation to dampen her mood, but he was beyond curious; it was difficult to pry stories out of her. He knew she wasn't accustomed to spilling personal information. "Consider it my prize for winning."

Keiya let out a short amused laugh. "Your prize for winning?" she repeated.

"The score, remember? I'm ahead right now." Riku looked at her expectantly, wearing a confident, trust-worthy smile. He had sat up straight again, legs bended, leaning slightly forward with his arms carelessly strewn over his knees. Even though he was under a tree, he was still in direct sunlight, whereas its shadow was cast the other way where Keiya was sitting. The brightness seemed to gleam off of him, making his hair, skin, and eyes look more vibrant. Her eyes fell to the distinct line separating light and shadow halfway between them. Throughout the course of the day, she had progressively cringed away from the hot sunlight. Riku, she noticed, seemed to bask in it. There would always be such a difference between them, she reminded herself. But if he had been able to escape his reliance on darkness, why couldn't she? She crawled over to sit next to him, and he made room against the tree to welcome her, so she wouldn't have to face away from him. It seemed like every time he smiled at her, he'd win her over in a heartbeat—there was no point in her trying to resist. She hadn't ever trusted anyone before, hadn't ever been so attached to anyone before… When she looked up and realized Riku was still waiting for an answer, all she could so was stutter, "F-fine, what do you want to know?" and get used to the heavy beating of her heart that came and went with his glances.

"Everything," he said eagerly. He looked down at her hand, wondering what she would do if he took it.

"I think I already told you that she found me on the streets, right?" she asked, not really knowing where Riku wanted her to start. He nodded and hesitantly brushed his fingers against hers as he pretended to shift positions to get comfortable.

"What were you doing on the streets?" he asked, overwhelmed by the swimming feelings in his chest and stomach. Keiya had instinctively withdrawn her hand to her lap, making him want to slap himself in the face. He had held her hand before because he'd had to. Now he'd made a fool of himself—of course he shouldn't have imposed like that. Idiot…

"Probably looking for food or something."

"No, I mean, where was your family?"

"I… I don't know," she confessed.

Riku nodded and let her continue. She could tell he wasn't pitying her or making fun of her—he seemed genuinely to want her story, and that made her blush with more happiness and embarrassment. "She found me and told me that if I helped her with errands, she would give me someplace to live. I don't even remember what I did for her—simple stuff, like delivering messages, I think."

"She drew you in," he said with a pitiful smile.

"H-hey, at least I was only five. You were how old—fourteen?"

"Fifteen," he said, then laughed. "Just continue."

"That's it. I didn't realize what I was doing until I was much older. She just starting giving me this power and teaching me to use it—I didn't know what I was getting into." She finished her story while picking at the grass to avoid his gaze, and then started up again with a teasing smile. "But when she found you—"

He rolled his eyes. "Just shut up."

"—she offered you a chance to be incredibly powerful—"

"To save a friend," He defended.

"—and you jumped on it!"

Riku smiled to himself. I definitely couldn't tell her. She's better off not knowing.

"Hey, Keiya? Yesterday the townspeople were saying something about a boy with the heartless that invaded. Who was it?" he asked suddenly, remembering that he'd put that question on hold yesterday since she'd looked so down in the village.

"H-he's just... He's not important really. He's an apprentice, too. Right now the only one," she said, trying to feign nonchalance. She leaned back to lie on the grass again, hoping to make the silence less awkward. She felt like her voice might crack, but she didn't want him to think anything else of it. She hated talking about Sai; she'd rather him stay off her mind. "A-anyway, he can't hurt anyone, so don't worry about it."

Riku dropped the subject, sensing her discomfort and not wanting to upset her. Above them, the sun was starting to go down, and a cool breeze swept through from the plains behind the town. He glanced over at Keiya, who was lying on her back on the grass. The reds and oranges from the sunset shone brightly as if intentionally complementing her hair. She was facing the other way, watching the colors on the lake, which gave him the opportunity to observe the same dancing colors light up her skin. Pale pinks, yellows, and oranges played on her cheeks and eyelids. He flushed his own shade of scarlet when he noticed that the long shadows forming from the sun's descent had darkened her lips to a deep magenta.

"I can't believe how pretty it is!"

"Hmm?" he murmured absentmindedly, unable to tear his eyes away from her, let alone comprehend words. He couldn't get over how she seemed to glow in the warm colors. She sat up and looked back at him, a fascinated smile on her face.
"The sunset over there… Riku, is something wrong?" she asked cautiously, realizing that she had had his gaze already before she'd turned around.

"No, nothing." He heaved himself up and stretched a little bit, a discreet smile adorning his face. He didn't usually zone out like that. "Want to head home?" he asked, offering her a hand. He tried to keep everything as casual as possible so that she would indeed take it; he knew it was risky since she had declined him before, but he couldn't suppress the urge to get to touch her again.

"Okay." She reached up and took his hand, her mind seemingly working independent from her body. He pulled her up carefully and caught her by the waist so she wouldn't lose balance, then proceeded to lead her back toward their 'home' for the summer. Everything about his smile was warm; he was so welcoming, so comforting, and always so incredibly charming. His large hands were warm, too, she noted. Everything about him was soothing and rejuvenating.

Home… is it alright for me to call this home?

~…~

Sai paced back and forth in his room, letting his anger cool a bit before going back to the council. He had thrown a few items around to blow off steam, and had managed to somehow make his empty room seem messy. Back on the streets, huh? Well that's more than she can say! She wouldn't last one day on the streets! I don't need this dark power; I'm better at real fighting. If only she would see that! He kicked a wall, causing his shoes to leave black scuff marks. But that council member was asking for it earlier. She can't possibly expect me to absorb their insults like a sponge and never fight back! He needs to learn his place! They all do! He couldn't stop venting; he was disturbed by his mistress' lax handling of this utter lack of respect in her council. He was an apprentice—Maleficent's own apprentice, and now a boy of eighteen. He deserved far more reverence than what he received from those slackers. They treated him as a kid, not as the powerful, high-ranking commander that he was.

A single heartless came up from the floor, signifying that he had to go back downstairs to finish the meeting and stop dawdling. He dismissed it violently, throwing a nearby shoe at it.

If they're going to disrespect me, then they should do it to my face! he thought, the member's words ringing in his mind.

"She must have left because of him," one of them had said in a sneering tone. "Wouldn't you, if your only company was this selfish, immature child? She must have gotten sick of him—I know I already am."

~…~

"I can't do it," Riku confessed from the doorway of the kitchen. Leon and Aerith looked up from their work, their faces confused and concerned. Riku was leaning against the door frame, still trying to sort his feelings out. He'd been debating with himself all day, and after seeing how easily he could make her laugh, how bright her spirit was without the burdening knowledge of her oppressor, he realized that to tell her would be to destroy her—to steal away her hope. He couldn't be responsible for the theft of her happiness, nor could he stand to let anyone else do so. She had to remain oblivious. He didn't care that he would be keeping such a personal matter from her; he wanted her to be comfortable. He wanted to see her smile. He wanted her to brighten his life.

Aerith stood up and calmly tried to change his mind, holding him back by the sleeve as he moved to walk away. "Riku… it's not a choice. She's—"

"She'll be hurt if I tell her," he said simply, his face absolutely straight. "I can't do that to her..."

"Riku," started Leon, "you can't keep something of this magnitude from her."

"I know, but… she'd be so upset if she knew… I can't tell her. And neither can anyone else," he asserted solemnly.

Leon and Aerith looked at each other for a moment, unable to decide what to do. Riku kept his face and voice firm; he wasn't looking to order them around, but he needed to make it clear that he intended for her not to be troubled by the demons she unknowingly fought off every night. He was going to protect her from that awareness. When they didn't say anything to stop him or acknowledge his decision, he turned around and headed away from their unsure stares.

Riku walked to the end of the hallway and stood between his and Keiya's rooms. It was about time for him to check on her, he knew, and he made sure no one else was in the hallway to see him sneak in. Next he eyed her door for a few moments, always afraid she might still be awake when he turned the handle. Everything around him was silent, and so he pushed her door open and let himself inside. He walked over to her bed as usual where she was already under the covers and sleeping peacefully, and sat at the edge of the mattress to watch over her.

Thank you for talking with me today… I know you aren't really into 'Q and A's'… He smiled at how serene her face was, how she had no crease of worry on her face. Her chest rose and fell in a predictable pattern, and the gentle breeze coming in from the window teased her hair and blew its lavender scent toward him.

I hope you can forgive me someday for keeping this a secret from you, he thought, thinking of how he was taking it upon himself to hide from her this life-threatening situation she was in. But he couldn't let her waste away in her paranoia; just the previous day, she had scared him with her spurt of surrender and depression. He couldn't bear to see that happen again. The ring of her laughter would be lost to him; his heart sped up just thinking about how beautiful she'd been when she'd laughed that afternoon. He gazed down at her protectively, this time consciously allowing a hand to entangle with her hair.

Keiya, I… I think I'm in love with you.

~…~

Author's Note: June seventeenth, twenty-ten. This chapter has been completely rewritten—it's been kind of a project, but I'm excited to have gotten it done. Chapter eight is next on my rewrite list, along with three and four. Those should be the only remaining 'originals' from when I started this story, and when I'm done cleaning those up, there are parts in chapter twelve I want to rewrite, too.