I do not own Kingdom Hearts.

~…~

"Ow!" Sai exclaimed, his hand flying up to his chin. "Watch where you're go—Keiya? What are you doing out here?"

She clenched her head momentarily, trying to recover from their run-in, and then hastily brought a finger to her lips to signal him to be quiet. Neither of them was supposed to be wandering around outside—especially with the council here for the week. He nodded and did a quick once-over at their surroundings. When he was sure no one was nearby, he pulled her by the arm into a small alcove in the wall. He had to duck his head a little to fit. Even though he knew most of the balconies and gardens inside and out, he could no longer fit into some of his favorite hideaways. He was fourteen now—fifteen, next month—and his once childish, still-lanky body was starting to mature to a taller stature and a more toned build.

"A-are you hurt? Sorry…" he murmured sheepishly, seeing her reach for her forehead again. She shook her head and brushed some dirt off her dress, which was when Sai noticed that she wasn't wearing her uniform. She was clad in a simple, thin white dress that flared out from the hips and came down to her knees. She was still using her same black shoes, presumably because she hadn't been able to get her hands on anything that matched, and her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail so that it wouldn't get in her way. But what shocked him was that she had no leggings underneath the flimsy dress and no coat to cover her sleeveless shoulders. He felt a blush creep to his face at how much of her skin was exposed. She was always in Maleficent's conservative uniforms; he couldn't help but think, due to his brainwashing, that she was dressed indecently. But he also couldn't deny that the look appealed to him.

"W-what are you wearing?" he asked condescendingly, trying to cover up the strange nerves in his voice. Looking her up and down, he felt very conscious of his heartbeat. Just being backed into this small area with her made him suddenly shy and his palms, sweaty; seeing her sport this seasonal, more revealing outfit in place of her usual, proper attire had him near speechless. And although he couldn't admit it to himself, he felt curiously attracted to her. He thought she looked pretty.

"None of your business," she snapped automatically, alert and immediately defensive. Then when she saw him look taken aback, she said softly, "S-sorry…" and he just nodded in acceptance. She was a little high-strung at the moment; she'd almost been caught running away a few minutes ago, too, by one of the henchmen.

He watched her peak out of their hiding place to analyze the set up of men gathered around on the main balcony. Her hand was habitually clasped around her marked wrist, so he knew she was nervous, and her hair had a slight curl to it—a subtle, single wave near the tips that surfaced only when she was denying Maleficent's darkness full entrance to her body. The strong look of determination and apprehension on her face startled him; he hadn't ever seen her anything but quietly adamant, hopelessly afflicted, and somehow passively insubordinate.

"You're leaving?" he asked dismally, very uncomfortable with his current predicament, but intrigued at getting to see her in a new, more energetic light. A lot of the time, he felt that she was lifeless and unhappy, and even though she tried to remain impenetrable, she didn't fight back or speak up for herself when Maleficent beat her down. She'd fight the darkness, but not their abusive, fault-finding mistress (for which he couldn't blame her. He found himself on edge with her, as well, and wouldn't dream of deliberately giving her back-talk like he had when he was younger).

She didn't answer him; she was too busy psyching herself up and searching for the perfect escape route past the countless inferiors just outside the main gate. When she saw them all turn away as their attention was demanded elsewhere, she took a quick breath, stepped forward, readied herself to break into a run, and then felt herself come crashing down from the adrenaline high when Sai seized her hand tightly. She stifled a gasp in surprise and shot him a questioning, agitated look, but he just inclined his head toward a passer-by who was crossing before their hidden alcove. He'd been out of her line of sight a few seconds ago, when she was about to run.

They watched in silence as the lone henchman unknowingly passed them. When the man was out of ear-shot, Keiya gently pulled her hand out of Sai's and allowed herself a moment to breathe. She was being completely reckless, she knew, trying to escape in broad daylight, with three dozen of her mistress's comrades lurking around every corner. But she'd been wandering the castle for four months straight: an unbelievable record. She couldn't take much more of the place—especially now that the council was around and she had to stay in her room. Sai discreetly took a few steps toward the mouth of the enclosed area to make sure she wouldn't try and run off again.

"Thank you…" she acknowledged modestly, disturbed by the consequences of the confrontation she had just narrowly avoided. He blushed a little at her direct attention. Now he had to decide what to do. He didn't want to let her escape again, obviously. She'd been doing so well these past few months; Maleficent was pleased enough and hadn't had to brutally chastise her since she'd last returned, sick and powerless. He didn't want to be alone in the castle, and he didn't want her to get into trouble. Terrible things happened to girls walking around solo on the streets; he was always nervous for her when she left. Plus, the consequences for him would be outrageous. He didn't want to think of how he'd be beaten if Maleficent ever found out that he'd watched her leave. But he wasn't sure he'd have the nerve to stop her.

"H-hey! Wait up!" he called in vain. She'd brushed right past him while he was thinking and was now heading toward the outskirts of the palace territory. He sprinted to catch up with her and was able to grab her arm before she stepped over to the safe-zone, where she could open a portal without Maleficent sensing it. "Are you crazy?" he yelled, wracking his brain for some way to convince her to stay. "You can't just leave!"

"Why not?" she asked inquisitively, pausing in his grasp to await a reason. He groped for words that would pierce past her uncompromising nature, but in the back of his mind, he knew she would never listen to him.

"Y-you… There's, uh…"

Behind them, the great stone doors burst open with a loud crash, and Sai instinctively turned around to see where the noise had come from. Keiya snatched her chance, pulled away from him, and darted toward the empty, forbidden area outside the castle gates before he could register what was happening. He spun around sharply and cursed himself for being so distracted, then rushed to get alongside her. But by the time he neared her, she was already walking through her hurriedly-opened portal.

"Wait!" he called, skidding to a stop. But she had already disappeared into the swirling fog, which was now disintegrating before him.

"Damn it!" he muttered under his breath, clenching his fists. She'd run off again, and he had failed to stop her. He was overcome with frustration when he remembered that, because he had screwed up terribly in training the other day, he'd blown his chance at being allotted more power—power enough to have opened the fading portal right back up so he could have followed her though. He'd just started opening portals a year ago and was still getting used to the concentration involved; he knew he wouldn't be able to track her down.

He remembered that once, when he was around twelve, he'd actually gone off looking for her. He would never do that again—not without Maleficent's orders. It hurt him just to think of how much that punishment had stung.

He'd seen her escape through the main gate—she'd warmed up to using portals only recently; in fact, the only time she did use them anymore was to escape. (She would walk around the castle, despite the great distances between her room and everywhere else.) Late one night, after watching her sneak past the sentries from his window, he'd followed after her: though the gate, around the mysterious bends and waterfalls, and over a vast, barren plain that he'd had no idea existed. He'd trailed behind her stealthily, thrilled by the adventure and the prospect of unsupervised action. Now he realized that he'd been foolish even to think of bringing her back, of "saving her" from her terrible will-power. An apprentice of one year with no special talents and a tendency toward disobedience would never get off with the same leniency as one of seven years with a whole depository of magic and power at her disposal.

He'd followed her to the edge of their world—a fascinating landscape that he didn't allow himself to remember too often. He didn't want to be temped, like her. He'd watched her carefully, in awe, and after maybe hours of tailing her, and a bright—unbelievably bright—flash of light, they were someplace else. It was crowded and loud; he realized now they must have been in some town's square. But that "adventure" hadn't lasted very long. She'd spotted him as soon as they'd arrived at their destination and had reluctantly taken him home. He'd wanted to stay and explore with her, but she hadn't wanted him to get into trouble. He'd thought she was exaggerating, but then he'd learned that she knew better.

Despite Keiya's careful decision and good intentions, Maleficent had suspected the joint departure when neither of them had reported to her that morning. She'd accused Keiya of trying to corrupt him with her antics, and him of being a disloyal waste of her time, etcetera, etcetera… She'd called him so many things by then that her insults never really got to him anymore. So as much as he would like to go after his comrade and drill some sense into her head, he knew he'd get in trouble and she'd be angry at him for following her, and what was the point in that? She wouldn't listen to him anyway, so it wouldn't be worth the consequence.

What he could do, though, was wait. He could wait until he was older and matched her in ability and importance, and then when she ran away, he wouldn't have to worry about any punishments for following her; he could just do it. He'd forcibly convince her to come back—maybe save her from some impending danger—and he'd be viewed as an asset for once. He would be the valuable one, and their mistress would have to thank him for his good judgment and selfless assumption of responsibility.

~…~

"Twenty days," Riku whispered into her hair, deliberately breaking the otherwise romantic atmosphere. Had she the energy to move, she thought she might reach up and slap him. She was lying stomach-down on her bed, propped on a pillow, flipping through a book that Riku had (rather forcefully) recommended she read. Riku lounged against the headboard, legs bent in, with one hand lingering comfortably in her hair and the other turning the pages of his own novel. It was nighttime, and they'd left the window and shades open to welcome the night breeze and the full moon's light. Neither had wanted to break the spell by turning the lights on when the sun had first started to set, and so they continued to repose and, now that it was impossible to read without squinting, fan through the pages of their books to kill time. "Nineteen," he rebuked himself, "Since it's a quarter to midnight."

"You're killing me," she complained honestly, snapping the book shut. The motioned caused her bangs to fly back for a brief moment. She tossed it aside and hugged the pillow she was resting on, shifting to lie on her side. He'd been persistent in reminding her of their limited time left; she knew he was purposefully trying to upset her into giving in and going with him. These past few days since she'd flat out rejected him had been strained and brimming with disappointment. He would continue to smile at her and joke with her the way he always had, but now there was a constant worry in his eyes for which she couldn't forgive herself. She almost felt that, rather than subjecting herself to the torment of spending every remaining second looking into his dismayed face, she should be weaning herself off him. But that wasn't an option, obviously. What kind of idiot would waste these precious remaining couple weeks? So she spent every second from dawn till dusk absorbing his presence. Lately they'd been staying up extremely late to make the days seem longer. It was an unspoken change in their schedule; if it was a quarter to midnight now, she knew she wouldn't actually be able to accept sleep until around two or three in the morning.

"Good," he said bluntly, giving up on the book he'd been pretending to read. He stretched and then relaxed himself in the empty space on the bed, lying down next to her. He drew her into him and wrapped his arms securely around her body. "Killing you enough to win you over?"

"Not yet…" she said, hoping to sound lighthearted. She curled up next to him and rested her head against his chest, then let her arms encircle his torso. She'd never felt so pressured in her life. Even though she had 'made up her mind', she still felt like she was being torn in two directions. Part of her was hopelessly pining for the carefree islands that Riku boasted, for the chance to live her life with him; but the other part was vehemently pushing those thoughts away, instead trying to hurry her back 'home' to her dim room in Maleficent's even dimmer castle. Riku could have her caught up in his fantasy one second, and she would almost feel like completely opening her heart to the idea. But then other times she would panic and criticize herself for not already being gone—for endangering him with her presence and her inability to leave the comfort of his embrace. She wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

Riku pulled back from her a little so he could see her better. "You look exhausted," he commented, tracing from the shadow beneath one of her eyes down the side of her face to her lips. She tenderly kissed his fingertips in response, feeling drowsy, but not at all ready to go to sleep and end the day yet. They'd been running on only four hours of rest a night lately. They would rise early enough to escape the house before everyone crowded in the kitchen, and would stay out the entire day until dark. Naturally at day four of this pattern, they were both worn out and over-tired. But in spite of her weariness, Keiya longingly tilted her head up to reach his lips, bringing her hands to his face to pull him down to hers, and he sleepily complied. Riku, too, was disoriented and drained by the spinning cycle of spending day after day together as their countdown continued. He easily became entangled in his thoughts, and where he was once jovial and flirtatious, he was now stringent and preoccupied. Things were different; the carefree spirit that had once defined their relationship was now dominated by the heavy burden of anxiety.

Even though he was fighting to stay awake from fatigue, Riku managed to use the remnants of his energy for the day to deepen their kiss, (the only thing he felt like concentrating on,) and he slid his hands firmly to her waist so he could lean her over onto her back, beneath him. He eagerly skimmed over her lips with his tongue until she finally granted him entrance, too tired and contented to fight back. Her fingers twisted helplessly around his hair as his ragged, sweet kisses pressed her into the bed sheets. His touch was gentle, as always, but now also sensual and addictive. The blazing warmth of his body and ravishing sensation of his hands edging up along her sides, from her hips to her shoulder blades and then back to her waist, were entirely exhilarating. But to say she was happy would be dishonest; the daring, desirous thrills that had become more frequent of late stemmed from the overwhelming sense of imaginable separation and feasible loss—of time running out. Although Riku liked to uphold and reaffirm his vow to whisk her away to the islands as often as he got the chance, he certainly couldn't hide the urgency in his kisses and the desperation in his voice. Riku himself was well aware of the jolts of neediness that recently had begun to overtake him, but he always assured himself that it was simply the whole ordeal of counting down that was getting to him. He told himself that he wasn't really getting worked up, because she was coming home with him, so there was nothing to get worked up over.

Riku released her lips to oblige his lungs' dire need for air. He found himself panting wildly to catch his breath, his forehead damp, with one hand lingering comfortably on her waist and his other arm planted on the mattress by her head to keep his weight from crushing her. His eyelids were so heavy with exhaustion that he didn't want to open them, and he lazily collapsed down next to her, still embracing her close to him. Keiya turned her body toward him again, also panting. She hugged him around the neck and nestled in the soothing, deliciously cologne-scented skin.

"Want to go to sleep?" he asked, yawning.

She shook her head against his chest. "Not yet…"

He smiled into her hair, trying to keep his mind focused on getting up and walking to his room across the hall. He knew if it were up to her, she'd have him just stay here for the night. But as much as he craved to do so, he figured they should have some space since they spent every day and most of every night together. He wasn't even sure why he didn't protest the insane hours they kept; it wasn't like they were parting, he'd tell himself. He just enjoyed being with her, that was all.

"How do you like that book?"

"It's alright…" she replied distantly, starting to slip into sleep.

He cocked an eyebrow, but she couldn't see. "Just 'alright'?"

"It's so sad… I didn't know you read this stuff."

"I don't," he laughed. "Kairi made me read it." The book he'd uncovered in the private library was one he'd read the previous year at his friend's request. (She'd made Sora read it, too, but the lazy brat read only the summery on the back and had gotten the full scoop on the story from Riku, who read it so they wouldn't let their friend down.) While he wasn't accustomed to reading tragic romance novels—he preferred adventures and biographies—he had found this one impressive and moving (which he didn't tell Kairi), and had given it to Keiya to read in the hopes that she would realize how miserable they would be if she stayed behind. "But really, what do you think?"

"I think it's part of your master plan," she said flatly.

"It is," he admitted. "And it's working, because I saw you cry before."

"Well it is sad," she defended, not wanting to go into detail. Of course—of course—of all the books he could come across, he had to find one about star-crossed lovers unwillingly separated during wartime. She'd seen right through the lame scheme the second she noticed it was a romance; it was hardly subtle.

"He was going to take her with him," he pressed. "They were ready to leave together. Everything was set, but they left it too late."

"Uh-huh…"

"She was left behind."

Riku felt her grip around his neck tighten a little bit in distress, and he knew he was striking a nerve. He kissed the top of her head lovingly, hoping to keep it light so she wouldn't cry again. She was more fragile now than she'd been when he met her, and he was hoping that she'd eventually be too tired and desperate to be stubborn. As cruel as it sounded, he wanted to weaken her to finally say 'yes'. She exhaled deeply and withdrew her arms from around his neck, instead letting her hands crawl along the sensitive skin at his collar bone and shoulders. He shuddered at the delicate feeling and kissed her again, this time at her temple.

"Please?" he murmured softly, caressing her hair back.

"Don't."

He tightened his hold around her when he felt her shift in his arms. "You know I'll take care of you. There's nothing for you to worry about; I won't let them hurt you."

"I said 'no', Riku."

"I can protect you—" He was cut off by her lips on his, but he pulled away a few lingering seconds later to face her. She gazed at him sadly and a little crossly; she wore a look that clearly said 'don't start'. "Fine," he muttered in disappointment and defeat. "I'll try again later today…" He glanced over at the digital clock on her desk, which read one forty-five in the morning, and reluctantly pried himself away from her. Keiya, who had been curling up to him again, whimpered in protest as he sat up and stretched.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, sitting up with him and rubbing the drowsiness out of her eyes. Riku smiled at her and stood up, then bent over to claim another slow kiss. It amazed him to think that just a couple months ago he was too shy even to take her hand, and now he didn't have to worry or think twice about wanting to taste her lips. The kiss dragged on as his hands found their way to the sides of her face, and when he finally withdrew, she had lightly taken hold of his torso to keep him from going.

"Letting you get some sleep," he answered in delay.

"Already?" She turned to look at the clock. "But it's only…"

"A quarter to two?" he teased. She nodded solemnly, kneeling on her bed, and watched him pick up his outer vest from a chair where he'd taken it off to relax earlier.

"I'll see you in a few hours," he promised, heading toward the hallway. She gave him a weak smile and waited for him to creak open the door, exit, and pull it closed before she plopped down onto the blankets and reached for her pillow. Her head throbbed with a heavy ache and her whole body was languid and ready to collapse for the day. She went through this pain every night after the days of attempted enjoyment, forced smiles, and burning regret.

I don't want to be left behind… she admitted to herself under the cover of darkness. I don't want to watch him leave…

~…~

Sai hesitantly entered Maleficent's office, not sure of whether or not he should knock. He had been called for by one of her messenger heartless just moments ago, and the door was already a crack open. I hoped she's cooled off from before… he thought, thinking of how menacingly determined she'd been to get Keiya to return when he'd seen her last, a little over a week ago. She hadn't called for him since; (it was an odd predicament for him, since he would usually run into his mistress every other day, even if for only a few seconds. She hadn't said anything about training, so he'd taken it upon himself to practice twice as much each day for fear she might walk in on him and see him lazing about). He assumed she'd been plotting and devising her revenge, as always. She'd claimed that she had a way to ensure the presence of her first apprentice for good, and just watching her through the crack in the door, he could see she was still brimming with confidence. He wished he could come up with a way to calm her wrath before she did something utterly severe to Keiya; her usual punishments were, to him, extreme enough. But as much pity as he felt for her, he did want the guarantee that she wouldn't leave again; if it would take something even more dreadful than normal to break her spirit once and for all, then he was all for it. He decided to enter without knocking, but he hovered in the doorway awkwardly to await her acknowledgment. He knew from experience that she could sense him behind her back. She'd probably been able to sense him from behind the door.

"Come in, Sai," she said, her tone agreeable. "I have something to show you."

He swallowed anxiously and pulled himself forward. She hadn't even turned to face him, but she seemed to be in a strangely content mood. He was both intimidated and excited, but he tried to keep his face as unreadable as possible. He took his place next to her at a small wooden stand in the back of the room—one that he couldn't recall ever seeing her use—and peered down at the thin low table, trying to determine its contents as best he could in the room's dim light. Before them was Maleficent's crystal ball, and for a moment he was disappointed. When he was younger, he'd seen her use it on occasion to conjure up magic and whatnot. It operated entirely separate from her dark powers, and so he hadn't seen her use it in years. After all, she could do so much more with the darkness' strength. To him, it was completely useless. He didn't see how this sphere of mere, ordinary magic could help them pinpoint and win back their most powerful asset: the rebellious child who could withstand the pure darkness steeped within her. But Maleficent seemed oddly very satisfied with the fruitless scrap of glass. He stayed silent and waited for her to give an explanation. He knew better than to inquire outright.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked, quite pleased with her discovery. Sai hesitantly shook his head. A worthless piece of junk? He'd been hoping for something incredible—something that would have her running back to them and keep her tied down to their base. He even wondered for a second if the dissolution of their plans was causing his mistress to crack up.

"It's… your crystal ball?" he suggested, feeling stupid at having to point out the obvious. She swept a hand over it, changing its color from a clear, transparent green to a more vibrant crimson red.

"Precisely. This is going to ensure our success and keep that contemptuous filth from ruining any more of my plans." Sai shuddered at how her voice hardened to sheer hatred as she referred to her most prized pupil. He knew that she loathed Keiya's insolence and tenaciousness, but lately she'd seemed dangerously vengeful. He watched her change its color again, this time to a murky brown. He had no idea what this color-changing ball—this toy—was going to accomplish in the way of convincing a very stubborn girl, many worlds away, to come back to her dreary, dismal castle and soak herself in the darkness she detested. He saw much more promise in dragging her into a portal with him and chaining her to a concrete wall.

"We will use it to scare her."

We're still trying to scare her? Christ, let's just go over there and haul her back!

He couldn't bite his tongue to take much more of this patiently-waiting crap; he had to say something. "Don't you think it would be easier to use direct force?" he asked as respectfully as he could, even though he was stressed with frustration. She looked taken aback, a tad amused, and downright annoyed at his ignorance.

"Of course not; she'd just continue to take leave whenever she likes. We will be subtle and resolute. This will check her willpower."

'Check her willpower'? Is she for real? "So what does it do?" he questioned in defeat, silently brooding over how lame this tactic was. Hadn't she noticed yet that this girl just could not be swayed? She'd come back when she felt like it, when she had had enough of the cruel outside and could no longer hold her own against the darkness lashing out at her. But nothing so mild as a scare would ever keep her here permanently by her own free will; that was why he thought it wasteful to spend so much time and effort to win her back while they could instead, in no time at all, forcibly claim her, punish her, and just get on with their plans while she was still present. The way Maleficent wanted to take things, he wasn't sure that she would ever sit still—especially not with everyone working around her escapes. There was no need to wait another month for her to return only for her to leave again when she'd next get the urge. Sure, waiting it out might have her in a better mood and a more willing attitude, but if no serious action were taken against her wandering off, the pattern would inevitably continue. Not to mention that the men they had working for them would all abandon ship, and then they'd have to start all over again. He wished they could take some serious action. Not enough to hurt her, but something more than just limiting her strength against the darkness—the only thing their mistress was doing to dissuade her. She would always pursue freedom, even if for only a few days at a time. Maleficent might be determined to work this out her way and end this nonsensical prolonged voyage to the outside, but she'd have to deal with this problem again, no doubt. If anything was constant in his life here, it was Keiya's defiance, and some fancy set-up stood no chance at holding her down to his preferred barred prison with heavy shackles (which, according to Maleficent, would serve only to make her less compliant in the long run, and "short periods of isolation are much more effective and convenient").

"It can play mind tricks, help us with some internal convincing…" she listed in a light and frightening voice of confidence. "Certainly, it will exploit her darkest fears, which is exactly what we want…"

"…" But we already tried this with the heartless attacks! God, at this rate, we'll never get her back… He held his breath as he waited for her to end the suspense and spill the details of her toy's power.

"We can fabricate nightmares that will haunt her until she comes back."

"Nightmares?" he blurted out in disbelief, unable to conceal his displeasure.

"Yes. We will scare her into returning by teasing her fears. We can give her a taste of the consequences."

He couldn't believe they really weren't going to do anything more severe. Just days ago, he'd been terrified by his mistress's threats and the crumbling of their plans. "…with all due respect, I don't think a few bad dreams are going to have her running back here," he said as calmly as he could manage. To his surprise, she didn't ignore him or flare up like he'd expected. She seemed to be concentrating very hard on this new plot of hers, and just continued changing her treasured globe color after gloomy color.

"Oh, I think she will," was her reply, and she gracefully dissolved a bleak gray out of the ball with a wave of her hand, rendering it lifeless to reflect the background mahogany of the desk. "She can't have forgotten all the heartless invasions we've sent to warn her. She's fearful, no doubt. We can play off that fear and drive her to return, perhaps for the sake of those she's with…" she said thoughtfully. At the mere mention that she was with other, unknown people, Sai felt his blood boil with jealousy.

"But she might not be… there's no guarantee that—"

"Stupid boy; why else wouldn't she have come back? She must have met someone—someone keeping her from coming home," she snapped, annoyed at his lingering naïveté and refusal to acknowledge the very credible possibility that she knew he foolishly dreaded. She had no opinion on the subject, nor did she ponder the likelihood of the hypothesis. It was a strong factor in this particular plan, though, so she was hoping for the best: a crush, an infatuation, someone whose safety she would fear for.

Sai struggled to swallow the rest of his worries. Maleficent hadn't ever specified who she thought Keiya might be with. Friends, acting-parents, a lover… it didn't matter to her, he knew, so long as the girl came back and fulfilled her imperative part in the operation. But it mattered to him; he couldn't stand the idea of her living with another man. He tried day and night to comfort himself with the thought that she could just as easily have found a couple willing to take her in as their daughter, or a crowded house for the homeless… she could be in a youth hostel or an orphanage—anywhere but some guy's bedroom.

Maleficent continued, "They'd be hostages in her mind—we wouldn't need to do a thing. She'd stay here to protect whoever has been keeping her safe these past couple months, but they wouldn't even be in any real danger." The thought was enough for her to let a mild laugh of cunning amusement slip from her mouth. Sai was excited for a moment; if this magic ball could customize dreams to her specific terrors—forebode her of false fates for her 'lover' (an inference, of course, but nevertheless a constant worry)—then he could see exactly where she was staying, with whom she was living, and if she was indeed with a man. He could create terrible images. He'd know his face, if there was a 'he', and then, for his own personal use, he would have something solid and concrete with which to keep her present. Screw Maleficent's 'not having to do anything'—if she tried to run from him again, he'd be able to exploit her nightmares of her 'lover' to his full advantage the first chance he'd get. This is perfect… she'll never leave again…

Maleficent's voice cracked down on his daydream. "But anyway, this is all hypothetical. We don't know who she's with, and there's no way for us to know what she'll dream about. It could very well be about something entirely different. As long as it works in my favor, I couldn't care less."

"What? You mean… you won't know who she's… ugh, then what's the point?" he vented in disgust, completely shot down.

"Control your temper," she commanded automatically. "What does it matter, so long as she comes back?"

Sai's hopeless paranoia came rushing back to him tenfold at the knowledge that he would, in fact, not know who it was he had the dire urge to rip to shreds, (if there really was such a person, he reminded himself. He shouldn't be letting this inference get to him). Maleficent crossed the room and collected her papers from her desk, then tucked them inside her robe. "Call a meeting," she ordered. "I trust that no more of our comrades have left us in my brief absence?"

Sai shook his head, afraid that the anger would crack through his voice if he tried to speak. How could she seriously want to carry on waiting it out, letting her precious plans slip through her fingers as her henchmen left her side one by one? No one else had left since the first three, but those impatient bastards were growing more mutinous every day no matter how much Sai reassured them that they had begun making headway in finding their missing apprentice. They were beginning to doubt Maleficent's ability to help them achieve the world domination for which they craved so hungrily, but he couldn't tell her that. He hated having to be the bearer of bad news, so he'd let her take matters into her own hands. Nothing would be wiser; they needed to know that their boss was still as determined as ever and certainly not a force to be reckoned with. He watched as she exited the room quite gracefully, without even a glimmer of anxiety for her fragile plans.

She won't even remember a bad dream by the time she wakes up, he thought, feeling the need to complain. This is never going to work. But maybe… maybe I can speed things up myself. He knew anything he brought up would be immediately shot down, but he couldn't help but believe that he was right, and that his mistress was just wishfully thinking. He knew Keiya better than she did; he knew she wouldn't fall for such a cheap, transparent trick. Dreams wouldn't be enough to cloud her with fear and have her crawling back to them—they would, at the very least, need to be accompanied by some action. I have my heartless… Maleficent would kill me if she found out, but if I could send some on the loose… I mean, it'd be more convincing than some babyish nightmare. He snapped his fingers thoughtlessly, and in an instant, a troop of messenger heartless was at his heels. With a habitual wave of his hand, he sent them all around the castle to the various rooms where the council members were housed. Even though she hadn't said so, he knew he was expected at this meeting as well. She was preparing him to act as a go-between so that in the future, she wouldn't have to waste time dealing with the smarmy recruits. And Keiya would, when the timing was right, accompany him in delivering the messages and explaining the battle strategies. But he would be the one to do most of the talking—it had been decided ages ago. He couldn't wait for those days to come, when they'd get to spend countless hours together without having to worry over someone catching sight of them, or Maleficent's never-ending training schedule (which he couldn't complain about, since training was now more lax and less frequent since his responsibilities had increased). They'd be more of a team than they'd ever been, more free to do as they pleased as commanders, and would get to journey together to new worlds—on missions, of course, but still together.

All of that is so close… but her stupid vacations are putting it on hold! I can't take it! He paced around the room to stall before he had to report to the meeting room. He was desperate to send his army out now and scare her the right way, but doing something behind his mistress's back—something she had specifically ordered against—made him admittedly childishly fearful. Ten days… he decided. I'll give her plan ten days to work, and if she's not back by then, I'll send some heartless to stir things up some more… She can't keep ignoring me—she has to come home!

~…~

Author's Note: I've been rewriting and editing this story like crazy, so a lot of earlier stuff has been redone. Chapter six, most notably, has been changed around and extended, so if you're interested, please check it out!
Please let me know what you guys think of this chapter. I've been trying to do a flashback for every year of Sai's childhood, so I hope it seems like he's changing with each one. Also, anyone want to guess at the story Riku and Keiya were talking about? It's not important, but there is a specific story I was referring to. In real life, it's not a book.

Please review; since the fight arc settled down, I've been getting less and less feedback. Thank you for reading!