I do not own Kingdom Hearts

~...~

Sai flung himself forward, reached out to grab Keiya's wrist, and slammed her against the gray, concrete wall behind them. She dropped her weight instantly upon being cornered and sunk to the floor, then tripped him and crawled off to the other side of the room, still trying to get up. Sai cringed, rubbed his head, then jumped up and lunged forward. While she was still trying to get her footing, he tackled her to the ground, getting both her hands pinned above her head. She unclenched her eyes to see him above her, panting heavily. He stared down at her, his gaze still vicious from the fight. His eyes radiated a coolness she could only describe as dark; they were becoming blacker and blacker each day, slowly giving up their original green hue. She glared up at him as Maleficent entered the small room. Upon hearing the door open, he hesitantly released her and got up, then offered her his hand as the fierceness in his eyes subsided a bit. She refused it, stood on her own, and then crossed a few feet away from him as their mistress began her critique. He watched her dejectedly as she turned away from him, clutching her wrists which had turned red from his grip.

"Keiya, you seemed extraordinarily unbalanced today. Fix it before tomorrow," she ordered flatly, her voice like ice. She just nodded, still looking down and into the wall with her back toward Sai. Maleficent stood at the door, with the two of them now on opposite sides of the room, Keiya only facing her half-way. Sai tried to keep his eyes facing front, but every couple of seconds he couldn't help but look over at her, wondering why she was so off that day.

"Sai, don't let your guard down. If you tripped like that in a real fight, it could be fatal and endanger the success of the mission," she said sternly. Of course, she would never say, 'could endanger your life'. Sai nodded, understanding that, even though he was being criticized, Keiya had done so terribly that Maleficent didn't even want to take the time to list what was wrong. Everything was, right from the start. Her posture, her dodges, her less-than-eloquent escape from the corner he had backed her into. It was her first day back in training after a relatively long venture out. She still looked frail and sick; she was obviously in no condition to fight that day. But Maleficent didn't care how she felt; if she weren't so defiant and persistent upon fighting her own power, she wouldn't have this problem. Sai could foresee another isolation coming for her if she didn't 'fix it before tomorrow' as she was ordered to.

"Alright, you may go," she finally said after a few more comments that Sai had chosen to tune out. Keiya walked briskly out of the room as Maleficent stared at her disapprovingly. She let her hair shield her face from view. She knew she was going to get into trouble tomorrow. It was inevitable; her face had been sheet pale that morning. She couldn't tell whether it was because she was famished, dehydrated, legitimately sick, or just exhausted. Whatever malady she had was unacceptable; it was starting to interfere with her work.

Out in the hallway, Sai held her back before she could walk upstairs to her room. She was in no mood to put up with him; she just needed to be left alone. She felt miserable and nauseous, but she knew he wouldn't understand. He relied on the darkness to keep him fit and "healthy". She jerked away from him when he tried to put a hand on her shoulder, so just like in practice he was forced to wrestle her. She fought weakly to try to pry him away, but he was much stronger than her—especially so in her condition. He got her wrists pinned to the wall on either side of her, and after a while she gave up and stopped squirming, too distressed to fight. She felt like she needed to go up to her room and breakdown—she could feel tears welling up behind her eyes, and her breathing was sharp as if she already were crying.

"What's wrong with you? Why can't you just snap out of it?" Sai yelled at her. Her legs began to give out and he cautiously let her sink to the floor, then sat down in front of her with an arm extended to the wall on either side in case she tried to get away. "You're going to feel a million times worse tomorrow if you keep this up—haven't you learned your lesson yet? She's going to make you stop all this herself if you don't just end it now!" he stressed, referring to how disgustingly weak she was making herself, trying to live here and fight without the influence of the darkness. She was lucky Maleficent had even given her a day to succumb on her own.

She brought a hand up to her face as her body began to shiver. Sai felt so frustrated—she didn't even seem to care that she would be locked up and forcefully fed darkness until she fell apart. He slowly let his arms down and let her try to stand up. She groped the wall for support, her body still shaking. Sai watched her struggle to walk toward the tall, winding staircase, and when he noticed she was about to fall, he rushed over and caught her by the waist. She gasped, feeling a tear roll down her face, and immediately turned away and shook him off.

"Let me open a portal for you—you can't even walk. How are you going to make it up those stairs?" he offered, feeling a little hurt at her constant rejection. She always cringed at his touch—why couldn't she see that he cared about her?

"I don't need a portal, just leave me alone—"

"Yes, you do. Can't you see how pointless this is? You'd feel so much better if you'd stop resisting!"

She stumbled to the ground, counting on her hair to serve as a curtain. He knew she was crying—he hated seeing her so helpless. He only wanted to help her, at least to get her upstairs, but she wouldn't even let him near her. In spite of her protest earlier, he opened up a portal a few feet in front of her. She stayed put kneeling on the floor, her breathing uneven and her face hidden from his view. After a moment, he approached her again and gently began to pull her up by the arm, to try and bring her through the portal up to her room. He figured she'd comply—she couldn't possibly want to sit here, in the middle of the hallway, crying and unable to get up.

But despite her current feebleness, she still found the strength to snap at him. When he tried to help her to the dark path, she shoved him away violently, even elbowing him in the chest. She dropped back down to the floor as if too tired to fight even gravity's pull, her sobs now unconcealed.

"I said leave me alone!" she cried out, ashamed at how easily she was giving in, letting him see her like this. Part of her didn't care anymore, though. She desperately needed to just get away from him—that was her only concern. Sai stood there, cringing at how hard she had hit him. He was so annoyed—why couldn't she listen to him? It was like no one could ever talk any sense into her. And she never let him help her, either. Now, she was hunched over on the floor sobbing, her hands forming weak fists. Tearing his eyes away from her, he walked away down the hall. He looked over his shoulder once more before he disappeared around a corner. Keiya was relieved, though annoyed that he would still leave the portal open for her as if she would use it. She felt so much hatred toward the stupid dark entryway that she could spit on it. After a few minutes, when she had calmed down, she slowly stood up again, making sure to keep a hand on the wall for support. She took small steps toward the winding staircase, which was in a small alcove in the wall. She felt dizzy and her vision was a little blurred. She couldn't tell whether or not the blood was rushing to or from her head—her whole body felt heavy and unbalanced; the room was rocking back and forth at a sickeningly quick pace. When she managed to reach the stairs, using her hands as second eyes, she plopped down on the floor and brought a hand up to her forehead. She felt feverish—her body was breaking into a cold sweat. Looking up at the seemingly never-ending stairs only exhausted her. She would never make it up there, not when she couldn't keep the room still in her vision. But just down the hall, she could hear footsteps approaching and voices—men's voices, presumably belonging to the council—coming closer by the second. Half of her wasn't even sure she could trust her hearing to be accurate, but nonetheless, she stood up and began half-crawling, half-walking up the stairs. Her legs were wobbly, so she had to grip the handrail and practically pull herself up the flight of steps. But when she was about only one full circle up—far enough so that at least she was not in sight to anyone walking down the hall—she dropped to her knees, and then her whole body followed, going completely limp. She sunk down against the wall across a few steps, and the voices down the hall turned to distant blurs as her mind and body slowly shut down.

~…~

Riku sat sprawled out on his bed, carving the same violet stone he had started weeks ago. Sora was lying on his stomach on the other side and swinging his legs back and forth obnoxiously. It was just after dinner, and at Sora's request, the two of them had competed in another race-car match on Cid's computer, and were now too riled up from the flashing lights to fall asleep. The girls had ditched them at the computer a long time ago.

"Say Riku, what do you think of going on a double date?" Sora asked teasingly.

Riku swallowed, trying to conceal the tint of red he was sure was forming on his face. "Well, that would be kind of hard, since I don't have a girlfriend," he stated matter-of-factly. Sora rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on. You spend every waking second with her!"

"So what?" he said defensively. "That doesn't make her my—"

"Yes it does! You guys are always out on your own! You certainly don't have time for us anymore!" He said jokingly, bringing another blush to Riku's face. He had never seen his friend so defensive or flustered before, and he was enjoying every second of it.

"That's not true—I just like hanging out with her!" he argued. Then he added, "And I only leave so you can be alone with Kairi!"

"Yeah, right. Where do you two go? Into the woods? We saw you guys coming back from that direction the other day. Bet it's nice and peaceful in there, with no one around to interrupt while you—"

"You don't know what you're talking about. It's just a lot cooler in the woods."

"Is it 'cooler' to hold her hand, too?" he shot back, clearly amused. Riku scowled, speechless. Sora suppressed a laugh, seeing him try to be wrapped up in his work. A few seconds of silence commenced, allowing Riku to regain him composure. He could still sense Sora watching him with that stupid, teasing grin, though. But now that he thought about it, he wasn't even sure if he could consider Keiya his girlfriend. He had never asked her, even though they had been acting like a couple for weeks before he even kissed her. And he had fallen for her weeks before then, too, going out every day as if they were a real, dating couple. It was such a strange label to him, 'girlfriend', that he wasn't even sure if he could use now, so late. But he did want her to be his.

"If she's not your girlfriend, why are you making that?" Sora asked, pointing to the crystal Riku was carving.

"It's not necessarily for her…" he lied through his teeth. He had been carving it with her in mind for weeks, and it was definitely not an easy task. He was always paranoid that he would break it and have to start over, and there was no way he would ever be able to get his hands on another crystal of this color—a deep violet. The same color as her eyes. He was taking his time carving it, keeping it clean and safe in its pouch. So far, everything was looking good. He was sure he'd have it done in no time.

"Oh, were you going to wear it?" he mocked, trying to get something out of Riku. Something he could share with the rest of the household, who were also curious about the status of the 'couple' whom they hardly ever saw.

"Well, I can make it for her without being her boyfriend," he attempted to argue.

"Uh, no you can't," Sora said, eyeing him with an awkward smile. Riku's face burned as he began to pack up his project and tools into a little felt sack. He wanted to Sora out of his hair now. "When are you going to give it to her?"

"What do you mean, 'when'? When I finish it," he said hastily. He hopped up from the bed and began shutting the windows and drawing the curtains closed. It was getting late, and he wanted to check on Keiya soon. And he didn't want Sora to see him. There would be no end to the teasing, then. He shoved him off the bed and threw his sweatshirt at him, signaling him to leave. He still wore a mocking smile.

"Aw, can't you think of a better, more romantic time?"

"See you tomorrow, Sora."

"Are you going to kiss her when you give it to her?" he pried as Riku shooed him out the door. Before he could continue, Riku slammed the door in his face and locked it. He sighed heavily with relief as he heard Sora wander down the hall, still chuckling. He knew it was all in jest, but God, was it annoying. Of course, now he knew what it must be like for Sora when he would tease him about Kairi.

He waited until he was absolutely sure the coast was clear, then briskly opened his door and crossed the wide hall to Keiya's room. Her door was unlocked, and he slipped inside easily as he did every night. He found her asleep in her day clothes—a plain, knee-length, blue sundress, curled up on the bed with one hand on top of a book she must have been reading. The lights were still on and the window still open to let in the cool breeze. He closed the window first, then stood over her bed and carefully took the book from under her hand. She didn't move, so Riku proceeded to gently slide an arm under her legs, and another around her shoulders. She felt cool and calm, and her hair that blanketed over one of his arms as he lifted her up felt like velvet, so soft and long. She was light and small, and the feeling of her body close to his always sent shivers down his spine. As he lowered her back down to the mattress, she stirred a little bit in his arms. He just swallowed and continued to rest her down, his face burning. It wouldn't feel so awkward anymore if she woke up while he was doing this; they were much closer now. He just didn't want her to wake up now, because she wasn't wearing sweatpants or anything that covered her whole body like she usually did. Her dress only came to her knees, and she hadn't changed, so his arm partially wrapped around her bare legs. Even the skin at her knees felt soft. He blushed, continued to lay her down properly, and reluctantly pulled the blankets over her body, one by one.

He sat down on the bed next to her, his hand automatically finding hers, curled up by her face. He had placed her down so that she was sleeping on her side, since that's how he always found her when she was already under the covers. Her face was serene; there was not a single wrinkle of worry or discomfort evident, despite all she had to worry about. Her long eyelashes grazed lightly over the skin right beneath them, and her pink lips, which taunted him each day, were very slightly parted and formed a soft, vulnerable expression on her face. Her hair framed her pale, clear skin—clear, save for the one blemish that marked her wrist and spelled out her plague. He gently caressed her hand in both of his, trying to warm her. Any minute now, the darkness would overtake her. And even though the attacks weren't as bad as when he had first met her, they still kept him on edge. He was always worried, when they'd come back from a day of hard work in town, that she might not be able to fight it off. And since she still didn't even know that these attacks happened every night, he was afraid that she would awaken during one of them and learn the truth. He didn't want her to know—it would devastate her beyond repair. Silly thoughts of not wanting her to see him in her room meant nothing anymore.

~...~

"Keiya, are you alright? Keiya?" Sai called, trying to shake her awake. He had found her collapsed on the stairs with the portal he had opened for her still unused. She was unnaturally pale, more so than earlier, and when Sai placed a hand to her forehead, he discovered she had a very high fever. Her hair stuck to her face from the cold sweats earlier, and now she lay there helpless. He kept calling to her, shaking her shoulders gently, until finally, weakly, her eyes fluttered open. He felt like she was looking right through him, and she didn't respond at all as he tried to talk to her, to ask what had happened. He didn't really know what to do in situations like these—he hadn't had a fever or been sick in years. The darkness prevented that. But he knew her condition wasn't good; she must have been here for hours. He didn't want to get her in trouble or to get her hurt, but he had no choice. He'd have to tell Maleficent. He opened up another portal, this time only a foot away from them, and carefully lifted her lifeless body from the floor. As he picked her up, her eyes closed again and she slipped back into her faint condition. Her body hung limp in his arms as he carried her through to the other side—to Maleficent's office.

She was already waiting when he got there, having seen the portal open up, and was expecting some sort of complaint or un-useful piece of information. When she saw him carrying the sick girl in his arms, however, she briskly walked over and took her temperature herself. She, at least, was more familiar with these malfunctions of the outside world than Sai was. She motioned for him to place Keiya down in the corner, which he did so carefully, unsure of what would happen to her. Seeing her in such a weak, defeated state only reaffirmed his reliance on the darkness. He never wanted to become like this. He shook her awake again, at his mistress' request, and she weakly opened her eyes, dazed and void of emotion. He helped her sit up a little bit, resting her against him and the wall. He was surprised at how she didn't argue or push him away. It was like she was empty inside. She was shivering a little bit, and he heard her try to murmur something against his chest, but she was almost inaudible. Maleficent then ordered him back, and without warning swept her hand through the air, releasing a large black fog to encircle Keiya's body. Sai watched in shock—he thought she might try and help her to snap out of it first. But just being in the state she was in was breaking the rules, so he supposed she didn't really deserve it. It would probably be less painful to do it now while she couldn't fight. She remained limp on the floor as the darkness just seeped right into her skin over the course of only a minute. She was too weak to put up any resistance, and just stayed motionless against the wall.

When it was finally over, the awareness came back to her eyes and face. Maleficent turned back to her work nonchalantly and ordered Sai to bring her upstairs. He took her hand, which she surprisingly let him do, and pulled her up, then led her toward a portal Maleficent had opened. She didn't fight him away until they were on the other side, in the hallway in front of her room. He had placed an arm around her waist to help her walk, so when they were out of Maleficent's sight, she shoved him away. He was taken off guard, since she had been so compliant before. He backed up as she began to regain her usual attitude.

"Well sorry for trying to help you," he said icily as she wandered away from him toward the door.

"I didn't ask for your help. I don't want it," she stated. Sai looked at her in disbelief—he might have just saved her life, and she was still showing him nothing but obstinacy. She wouldn't thank him, of course, especially since she was probably annoyed that he had brought her to Maleficent's office, of all places. But what else was he supposed to do? Leave her there to die of a fever like a normal, weak human?

"Do you realize that you would have died if I just left you there?" he pointed out in frustration. But she didn't answer him. She had already disappeared into her room. Sai slammed his fist into the wall, trying to hold back his anger. He felt rejected and unappreciated—he knew she didn't like to be subjected to the darkness in such a way, but it would have happened anyway, and it was her own fault for not listening to their mistress. So he didn't feel the slightest bit guilty. And he couldn't understand why she should be so upset with him. He was the one being treated unfairly.

~…~

Keiya opened the door to her room at the same time as Riku. He greeted her with a smile and habitually took her hand. They were on house duty again, even though it hadn't been a week yet since their last turn, because Leon needed to be in town to oversee some of the major construction. Neither of them minded, though—it was awkward to talk in front of the other townspeople working alongside them. Everyone else had left already, so they were the only ones in the house. They had the whole day to themselves again.

Over the past few days, they had become less shy around each other. She wasn't tense when he held her; she let herself enjoy it more freely, without worrying. She even took his hand sometimes. Riku was always on her mind, but it didn't bother her. Every morning, she woke up guessing what they would do, what they would talk about, where they would be. She was always excited, and some nights had trouble getting to sleep, thinking about this dream she was living in. Thoughts of the past rarely ever crossed her mind—she hadn't even thought about Maleficent or Sai in days.

Riku looked over at her, seeing that she was preoccupied in thought. He smirked to himself, suddenly slid his arm around her waist and pulled him into him, then bravely stole a quick peck on the lips. She gasped then laughed, taken off guard, and he backed her into the wall playfully. Her hands had automatically flown up in defense, so she wrapped them around his neck. He shot her a mischievous smile and slid his arms up her back, then leaned in to pick up where they left off a few days ago. There were people wandering the halls at all hours of the day, so he rarely got to be alone with her even at headquarters. And there were certainly no opportunities for him to kiss her; days like these were cherished. Keiya was immediately swept off her feet and into bliss as his lips gently grazed touched her face, everywhere except her lips. The spontaneity in of itself was enough to fluster her. Riku was in no rush to kiss her—he wanted to savor the moment he had craved so badly these past few days. But unfortunately, before he could go any further, a loud, intentional cough came from down the hall. Riku's head shot up instantly, and standing with his arms crossed at the end of the hall was Leon. He didn't look embarrassed or uncomfortable at catching them—not even sorry. He walked toward them, seeing a blush and guilt painted on both their faces. Keiya pretended to fix her dress to avoid looking at him as he neared, while Riku just stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say.

"I'm going into town now. I hope you know that 'house-duty' entails answering the phones and watering the plants…" he said pointedly. "Please don't let those tasks go unattended to."

They nodded, shrinking a little under his intent gaze. He didn't seem surprised or anything, but he didn't seem amused either. He passed them up and continued down the hall, and after a few minutes of silence, they heard him close the front door. They sighed in unison, and Riku scratched his head, at a loss of what to say. Leon had a way of making everything awkward and challenging, although the situation itself would have been uncomfortable enough.

"Do you think he's going to tell everyone?" she finally asked through nervous laughs.

"No… He'll probably tell Aerith… but I don't think they'd tell everyone…right?" he said thoughtfully. He wasn't quite sure. He wouldn't be surprised if Sora, Cid, and Yuffie began teasing them later on. He hoped Leon would just keep it to himself. Then, the phone down the hall rang abruptly, breaking the tension in the room.

"I guess we'd better go answer it, huh?" she said, remembering Leon's words. Riku nodded and they headed for the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

Later that day, after a series of seemingly endless phone calls regarding the finishing touches that needed to be set up—a good portion of the town was already up and running—they finally got around to watering the plants. The garden was outside, and needed to be watered for the first time since the thunderstorm earlier that week. Keiya picked up the hose, which she had already turned on, and began trying to adjust the nozzle so that it would sprinkle the water softer. She couldn't get it to turn, though—it was too tight. Riku stood next to her, watching her struggle as the water flowed down onto the soil and created a small river that trickled into the garden.

"Let me try," he said, taking it from her. He turned the metal nozzle hard, hurting his hand and tilted it so that the water came out on top. When he finally got it budge, the water spewed out uncontrollably, and poured down from above them. Keiya yelped upon getting wet, and Riku accidentally dropped the hose, only making the water come out directly at them. It was freezing and came at them hard so that they had to close their eyes or turn from it. When he was finally able to get his bearings, he reached down for the hose and turned the nozzle every which way until he got it at the pressure he wanted. By the time the water was back under control, they were both completely drenched in the ice cold water. Now that the roaring of the hose was gone, he could hear Keiya's laughter above him. He stood up smiling at her. He loved hearing her laugh.

"Nice going! Now we have to change!" she exclaimed, seeing as how they were soaked from head to toe. Riku's smile faded and was replaced by a severe blush as he looked her up. Her clothes stuck to her body, accentuating every curve. She was wearing a navy blue dress, which right now looked black, and her dripping wet hair was down the way he liked it. (On working days, she kept it up in a high pony-tail.) He watched as she picked up the hose and let the vegetables get some of the water. He couldn't tear his eyes from her; he felt hypnotized, entranced by the shape of her body. He'd seen plenty of girls on the islands wear tight, thin dresses to impress the guys and to make themselves appear more mature, and he had found their bubbly attitudes and flirty natures too overbearing and… immature. But seeing his beloved in the same light, he found the experience entirely different. He couldn't help but take notice of the curve of her slim waist that extended in either direction, to how her figure, from her chest to her hips, was completely exposed for him to observe. His heart thudded harder with each passing second; he didn't want to think of her like that. She looked at him funny when she noticed him staring at her.

"Do you want to go first?"

"W-what?" he asked stupidly, coming out of his trance.

"To change. Do you want to change first? I'll water the plants."

"Oh, sure…" he trailed off. He forcibly turned his head toward the garden and swallowed, praying that she hadn't noticed the flush of red on his face or the loud pounding of his heart. After another minute, he finally wandered off toward the house.

~…~

Keiya wandered through the streets amid the countless abandoned shops and stands. She had with her a small pouch hanging on the side, with the strap going around her neck and beneath an arm, containing nothing more than a few rocks she had picked up. She wore a simple, short-sleeved, light blue dress with a darker blue collar. Her shoulder length hair had a few small waves in it, and hiding behind her hair and dangling from each ear was a glimmering pattern of cascading crystals. She was five years old.

She could hear people screaming and stampeding for safety around her as a parade of vicious black monsters tailed them. But she didn't really know what the matter was. As she made her way down the cobblestone street, a single shadow came from around the bend. It wasn't much smaller than she was, and its antennae twitched when it sensed her nearby. She made no move to run away—she stood there, staring at it. She had witnessed them coming to the town several times, but had never seen one up close. The creature's eyes glowed an eerie yellow. Suddenly it lunged at her, causing her to shriek and fall backward. Fear finally surfaced in her mind, and she scrambled to get up. But instead of running away from it, she stayed put and prepared herself to dodge it if it tried to attack her again. Then, she felt a cold hand rest on her shoulder from behind. She jumped as a chilly cackle came from a little further back.

"Stupid girl, aren't you afraid?"

"Another kid," groaned a man's voice. "Want me to take this one out?"

She backed away from the strangers slowly, and the heartless that she had challenged sank into the ground and walked beneath her feet, sending her gasping. The man who had spoken last had a blade raised in front of him menacingly and was about to start closing in on her, but the first voice, a tall woman dressed all in black, motioned for him to stop.

"No, wait," she said to him hastily. Then she turned back to Keiya, who was frozen with curiosity. "Come here—what's your name?"

She didn't answer, but eyed the strangers with fascination. She had never seen anyone dressed so differently before—everyone else wore light, baggy clothes in pastel colors. These two were dressed all in black. And the man wielded something that she could only compare to a knife, but it was ornately painted and shaped. The woman looked back over at the man, smiling pitifully. She beckoned to her again, asking her where her parents were. When she stayed silent, the man stated, "Probably another orphan. There's a ton of them on the streets."

"What a strange child. She's afraid to answer us, but not to try and fight a heartless," she lamented to the man with amusement, trying to draw Keiya's attention. A little ways off, the sound of an explosion rang through the air. The strangers looked up, irritated.

"Ugh, these fools…" she muttered to herself. The man then sighed and swept his arm through the air, creating a door-sized black and purple fog. Keiya looked up in amazement, watching as he nonchalantly said he would check things out, and then disappeared, into the cloud he had conjured.

Maleficent reached into her robe and pulled out a small, gray pouch, then strode over to Keiya, reached for her hand, and dropped it into her palm. It was heavy with coins, and made of a smooth material she couldn't find a name for.

"Now… next time we meet, I'd like you to answer some of my questions." She said sternly, and then without looking back, disappeared into her own black fog, leaving Keiya wide eyed in wonder.

~…~

Riku was on a beach, his beach on the islands. He was standing bare-chested and barefoot in the sand, a warm breeze blowing out to sea. It was nearly twilight and all the other boats at the dock were gone. When he looked down, he noticed he was wearing damp, dark blue cargo shorts, the kind he used to go swimming in, and his usual beach shirt was nowhere in sight. And a little ways off, right on the shore line, sat Keiya, her long hair the same color as the sunset above them. He wandered over to her automatically and sat down on the cool sand next to her. She, too, was a little wet from the water, and was wearing a white bathing suit, two pieces, with a light blue transparent shawl thrown over her shoulders. Something with the way the light was hitting, or how she was smiling at him, so carefree, sent his heart beating wildly. The colorful light danced on her lips and in her eyes, and words flowed elegantly from her mouth, though he couldn't exactly piece them together. The wind teased her hair a little bit and water washed over their feet as the waves came in and then resided repeatedly. He had no answer for her, to whatever she seemed to have asked him; he felt heavy and drained of conscious thinking. He watched her fall back onto the sand leisurely, her knees still bent, but the rest of her body lying flat and relaxed. There was no way he could stop staring now; her skin was practically glowing in the bright reds, oranges, and yellows of the after-sunset, and the way she was lying there, so vulnerable and beautiful, made him want to overtake her. One of her long, slender white legs stretched out to meet the tide while the other stayed bent, her toes mixing with the cool sand. He stayed sitting up next to her, but as she spoke, he gently touched her upper arm to feel its softness. She didn't seem to notice. He deafly watched her mouth move, imagining her lips on his, and then a quick smile she threw at him buried the conscious part of his mind completely; he would do anything for her, he was so captivated.

"You're so beautiful," he said at one point. Her voice rang in his ears as she asked him why he was still sitting up, and if he wanted to join her? He complied obediently and lay down next to her, his head turned to the side so he could still watch her. Then he suggested that they spend the night here, on the beach, just the two of them. They could sleep here under the stars. He heard her loud and clear, "What happens when the high tide comes in?" and he answered, "I'll take you away from here. I won't let you drown." He tilted his body a little so his far arm could stretch across her waist protectively. She said, "Don't you want to go inside, though, really? It'll be so much warmer." He shook his head and leaned toward her a bit, his breath now on her skin. He told her he'd keep her warm if she got cold, but she just giggled and stared up at him, saying something about getting sick in the breeze. Riku brought his hand from her waist to her shoulder, gently trailing up the side of her body, and shrugged the shawl down a little to expose some of her hidden flesh. There was no evidence of sunburn or any birthmarks present. He then leaned in fearlessly and nuzzled in the skin left uncovered by the white halter bathing suit. She smelled of lilacs, just like in real life, and the scent slowly traveled throughout his body as he breathed it in. He felt legitimately high and under her trance.

He next let his lips taste her skin, and there was no more talking from then on. He heard a single, soft whimper escape her lips as he planted a kiss on her neck, egging him on to maneuver himself above her, his free hand still in the sand. His face felt hot, as did the rest of his body. He went for her lips next, and was overjoyed at her immediate acceptance. He felt her hands brush over his neck, become entangled in his hair, trail his bare chest, then wrap around his back. Her light touch made him ache for more, and his mind began swimming with strong, hazy thoughts of longing as he lowered his body to hers and kissed her deeper into the sand.

Riku woke and jumped up with a start, panting and sweating, still in his day clothes that he hadn't changed out of. Blood rushed through his veins at top speed, and his heart pounded so fast and so sharply that he could feel it lurching in his chest. He ran a hand through his hair, damp not with water, but with perspiration, and reclined back rigidly against the wooden headboard. He tried to take deep breaths between pants to cool down. His mind was a mess; it took a few seconds for him to adjust to reality.

God… Did I actually… dream that? he thought, embarrassed at himself. The feeling of desire that had swept through his body lingered even after he was jerked out of bliss. As his breathing evened out, he dragged himself off the bed and to his bath room where he splashed some tap water on his face. He was still blushing; he had never had a dream about her quite like that. He was overwhelmed with shock, believing that all this, too, must be a dream. He flopped back down on his bed after drying his face off and stared up at the ceiling. Her laugh rang in his head, and the image of her in the sunset from his dream was etched into his mind. He certainly didn't feel tired anymore. He was wide-awake, and his mind was reeling relentlessly.

Ugh… why would I dream about her like that? I don't even know what to think… Oh, God… what would she think…

He opened the window to let in some cool air, since he still felt overheated. As the wind blew into his room, he breathed in the clean, fresh air gratefully. The rest of the day had been a blur. Everyone else had come back early, so their time together had been cut short by a few hours, and Leon's presence made it awkward for him to suggest that they go out after dinner. So they had parted ways, him to the computer with Sora, and her to her room. He was annoyed at how quick their time together had been that day, but this dream he'd just had made him reluctant even to check up on her tonight, for fear she might wake and see him blushing or somehow read his mind.

He'd wanted her so badly, it had practically burned him. He tried to keep his mind steady and cool to avoid returning to that beach in his mind, the beach he eventually wanted to take her to in real life. He would give anything to stroll on the coastline with her, to wade with her in the gentle waters, or to be able to kiss her so fervently and take her breath away… But the one thing he longed for the most—the one thing he believed he wouldn't be able to live without—was just for her to come back to the islands with him. He wanted her to make her home there with him; he couldn't stand the thought of parting ways. Just missing out on this day together was sickeningly disappointing. He had to convince her to come back with him—he had little over a month left to do so. And then, when she was home with him, they could begin their life together. He wouldn't be able to rest and truly enjoy his time here with her until he had a promise from her to leave with him. He could clearly see two different futures ahead of him: one in which he could spend the whole night on the beach with her, show her around the tropics, kiss her whenever he wanted, enjoy a life with her; and another in which he spent everyday of the rest of his life walking alone along the coast, wondering where she had ended up, wondering why he hadn't tried harder to bring her back with him. If she didn't go with him, she'd turn into a mysterious memory full of what-ifs, a girl who he will have thought he'd known, a girl who would be on an entirely different plane from his universe, because once she was gone, he knew he'd probably never see her again.

She keeps saying 'no', but when the day actually comes, I don't think she'll be as stubborn… he thought, grappling for his fading sense of optimism. And if she still says 'no', then I'll find a way around it… there's just no way she'll end up out of my reach. That kind of stuff doesn't happen—everything has to work out fine, in the end.

~...~

Author's Note: I rewrote the last portion of this chapter and added a little bit to another section. Otherwise, save for some minor editing, it's pretty much the same chapter.