I do not own Kingdom Hearts, or the definitions, save for the last one.

Special Chapter:

Love

(Takes place between chapters 10-11)

~…~

"So you don't know how to swim?"

Keiya glowered and crossed her arms, turning away from his smirk with a flick of her hair. She could practically hear the wheels of his mind turning.

"What's the big deal? It's not like I had an indoor swimming pool to practice in. I didn't need to learn."

She saw Riku cross the bed of grass and scoot closer to her out of the corner of her eye. A grin was plastered on his face. Oh, the wheels were definitely turning. She ran her fingers through her hair nonchalantly and kept on a resolute mask; inside, however, she desperately searched her brain for some way to weasel out of the impending suggestion.

"I'm surprised. I thought that would be part of training or something," he said. For a moment he forgot himself, and outstretched his arm as if to wrap it around her shoulders. When he caught himself, he hastily raised his arms up as if he were stretching—a quick save—and left his body struggling with disappointment.

"Swimming would have been a waste of time. I'm lucky she taught me how to read," Keiya stressed, recalling countless hours of the words useless, slow, and incompetent thrown at her until she could successfully write the alphabet and recite figures from Maleficent's charts and diagrams.

"But it's dangerous not to know," he pointed out.

She shrugged indifferently, trying to discourage what was sure to come out of his mouth next.

"I never really go near the water. I wouldn't ever need it."

Riku watched her with a smile, apparently amused at her attempts to avoid him. His gaze fell on her with incomprehensible weight; her heart became caught in her throat when she dared to make eye contact with him. She hated making eye contact. He turned her inside-out, rendered her speechless and self-conscious. Her stomach twisted, her skin flushed with racing blood, she shivered, she lost her breath, she pined for his touch.

She had looked up the word "Love" in the dictionary the previous night.

Definition One: Strong affection.

She had thought, blushing, that the word "strong" hardly did justice to her hopeless condition.

"Well, you will need to learn if you're coming home with me," Riku said smugly, an inextinguishable excitement in his eyes and voice.

Keiya jumped from her bliss and unconsciously wrung her hands together. "I never said I would," she snapped. She prayed he wouldn't carry on with it; not today, not now.

"Fine, fine," he appeased her, trying not to look shot down by her immediate outburst. "But still, you should know how to swim. It would put my mind at ease. I'm going to teach you."

Here we go…

"It's okay," she declined with a shake of her head. "I really don't want to—"

"No, really, I want to," he pressed enthusiastically.

He pulled her up before she could get her next words out and began walking her, his hand in hers, towards the lake a little ways off. The feel of his hand in hers was what enticed her to stay with him willingly. She put up only minimal resistance, half dreading the thought of jumping into the rough, deep waters, half fantasizing about how it would feel to be entrapped in his arms as he guided her through each motion: his body pressed against hers, his hands gently running along her arms, mimicking the proper strokes.

The lake was adorned by fallen flower petals and twigs, and as it was situated in the heart of the woods, it tended to remain rather cold. It collected water from a nearby river, rapid in its current, extremely difficult to swim with or against. They could hear the water break on the rocky lakeshore as they approached.

He let go of her hand and removed his jacket, placing it on a tree stump. She eyed the basin warily, already imagining the freezing water soaking into her skin and freezing her limbs so she couldn't get out. The first time she'd gone swimming with him, he had carried her through the current—upstream, even—in a gentle creek. She could have stood in that water. What she saw now was larger, choppier, and looked significantly deeper.

Aqua… -phobia? she thought embarrassedly.

"It's too bad we didn't bring bathing suits, but you're wearing shorts, so it should be okay."

"U-um, okay."

No, wait, I think it's called 'hydrophobia,' she corrected herself, then dismissed the notion in denial. But that's so extreme…

"Ready? C'mon," he urged, noticing her lack of preparation.

When Keiya turned back to him, her cheeks darkened in color: he was bare-chested, his perfectly toned body rippling with heat just feet away from her. She clenched her eyes shut before she could be caught staring and violently shook her head.

Don't look, don't think about him, don't look! Oh, this is so awkward…!

Behind the mischievous grins, Riku found his heart aching for her to comply. For the past several days he felt as though she had been avoiding him; indeed, this was the first day that she at least didn't seem jittery. Nevertheless, she had changed around him, and he felt like he would go insane if he couldn't bring things back to how they were. He worried he might have started to become too forward; the kiss on the cheek, the holding hands, which he was unwilling to give up. With each glance she averted, with each nervous twist of her hands, each shy change in her voice, she crushed him further and further. She wasn't comfortable with him anymore. He'd resolved, with a tear in his heart, that he would have to hold off any confession. The feelings only grew deeper every hour, ran through his blood in hot rushes of rapture, but if she wasn't ready to hear him, he couldn't risk scaring her away forever.

When will it be alright… for me to tell you I love you?

Riku recovered with a deep breath.

He sat down at the edge of the water and with a playful smirk motioned for her to join him. Keiya hesitated in her spot, biting her lip and glancing back to the safety of the land behind her. She hated to give into his whims, but the influence he had over her was incredible. Ultimately, she dropped her things on the ground and knelt by the water next to him. She felt pathetic to admit that he could pressure her into almost anything.

She watched him dip his legs into the water, ready to push off the ground and jump in at any second. He then began explaining to her how to keep herself afloat in the water, the logistics of it, what not to do. She loved the sound of his voice: the soothing vibrations, the way he pronounced his words and spoke so confidently and clearly—it was enticing. The smiles that went with it, she was sure, were enchanting—she could hear his expressions in his speech. She only wished she could bring herself to face him; her bashfulness prevented her even from stealing glances in his direction.

Definition Two: Warm Attachment.

Attached, she thought, unconsciously kicking her legs. She suppressed a small, guilty smile. Is that right?

Suddenly, she heard him say, "Ready to try it?"

Her heart jumped in a panic as she saw him stand and stretch in preparation.

She looked up at him, flustered. He was gazing on her expectantly, looking at her with those deep eyes. She could hardly breathe for fear that he would see right through her.

"Riku, I don't really feel comfortable—"

"I won't let anything happen to you, Keiya," he said with the most assuring smile. "Don't you trust me?"

Of course.

She blushed profusely and couldn't force her eyes away as he arched into a diving stance. He jumped before she could get her words out, and her eyes followed him all the way through.

"…I-I do, but…"

Riku entered the water with a splash and came up seconds later, treading to keep afloat. She could see easily that he was not able to touch the bottom. Her fingers latched onto the ground.

"Let's just start with something easy," he called over the roar of the river. "You were able to tread a little last time. Let's try that."

He floated away for a moment, adjusting to the temperature and warming up. He dove under just as she cried out, "But this water is deep!" much to her dismay.

She pouted to herself, watching him swim around with ease. Show off… she thought stubbornly. However, now that he was farther away from her, she could watch him freely, and she subtly, embarrassedly took advantage of that fact. Her eyes fell on him shyly, for brief intervals, as he performed all sorts of strokes and maneuvers. His body glowed in the little sunlight that shone through the roof of the forest, and every crease and detail was accentuated. His arms flexed with each stroke—she wanted to be held in those arms. His shoulders dipped in and out of the water in a predictable pattern; his back was exposed every once in a while, when he leaned up to dive below: an irresistible display of his strength and lean, masculine figure. She crossed her arms without realizing and drew her legs in, feeling strangely restless.

Definition Three: Attraction based on sexual desire.

No, no! That's not it! she thought quickly, chastising herself with a pinch to her arm.

"Keiya, you ready to try?" he called, swimming back over to her. She shook the blush off her face.

"Um, I-I don't think—"

"Don't worry; I'm going to show you everything. I won't let go of you," he promised.

Keiya took a deep breath, again imagining his arms tight around her, the feel of him guiding her through the water.

"Fine," she murmured, reluctantly rising from the ground. Riku gave her a satisfied smile.

Just as Keiya set down her bag and slipped off her shoes, she heard a whine coming from behind the brush, something almost animalistic. She jumped with a start and fell a step back. A-a bear? A rodent? The leaves shook as if something were rustling them from inside. At another cry, she realized the suspect was terribly hurt. Concern swelled her heart, and she cautiously, curiously approached the source of the noise.

Suddenly, as she was closing in, a boy no more than seven tumbled out of the brush with leaves in his hair and tatters in his clothes. He rubbed the back of his head and proceeded with his whining until he noticed her next to him, when he jumped to his feet in embarrassment.

"Is something wrong? Are you hurt?" she asked carefully. The boy sniffed back a sob and frantically wiped his tears, dropping his empty wicker basket to the ground.

"I'm, uh, n-no, I'm not hurt," he stuttered, looking up at her shyly, dirt on his face. He self-consciously gripped the hem of his shirt as he spoke.

Keiya looked back at Riku and signaled to him that she'd be there in a minute, then knelt down next to the boy and picked up his basket. She couldn't think of anything to say; handling children was not a familiar task to her. She enjoyed watching them when Riku gave his lessons, and when they talked to them in town, but a situation like this—comforting a crying child—drew blanks in her mind. She was afraid she'd mess up, that she'd make him cry more or hurt him or cause him to hate her.

She settled for handing him his basket and lightly patting the dirt and leaves from his hair. He didn't tense under her touch as she'd anticipated; rather, he seemed to be grateful for the attention. Riku approached them soon after, his hair and clothes soaking wet, and knelt down next to her.

"What's going on here?" he asked with a warm smile. Keiya couldn't help but steal a wistful glance at him before turning back to the boy. He was so good with children. She found it incredibly charming, his playing teacher.

"I…I wanted to play scavenger hunt… with the other kids," he started meekly, fiddling with the fabric of his shirt, "but they won't let me play with them and I can't find my way back!"

Riku gave an amused sigh, took the basket from the boy, and promptly stood up. "Well then, we'll just have to beat them, won't we?" he stated, looking down at him and Keiya.

The boy stared in shy bewilderment and Keiya rose to stand next to Riku, who was trying to drain some of the water out of his clothes.

"Guess you're off the hook for now," he said to her smugly. She blushed in response and gave an innocent shrug.

"What's your name?" he asked the boy.

"I-it's Jun."

Riku smiled at his new junior's skittish reluctance and suppressed excitement. The boy was grinning ear to ear, lowering his head to try to hide it. His scraggly black hair fell just above his grey-green eyes, clear as water.

"Alright, Jun, starting now, we're your teammates. I'm Riku, and this is Keiya," he said, gesturing to himself then her. "Do you have the list of what you need to find?"

"Yeah, right here!" Jun exclaimed happily, retrieving the list from his pocket. Keiya and Riku shared a secret glance, a small smile of agreement. She saw that familiar playfulness gleam around his irises, but found that she couldn't hold the eye contact; she turned away a split second later, too flustered to dare to return his gaze. Riku's lips curled to a slight frown, but he forced himself to recover when Jun handed him the list.

Riku read it aloud:

One snail shell

The branch of a ginkgo tree

Ripe wild berries

A large sunflower

A stone good for skipping

"This isn't so bad. We'll have it done in no time," Riku said, brimming with confidence.

"But it started an hour ago," Jun pointed out despondently. "Someone could have won already."

Riku smirked, looking the list over a second time. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. We have an edge—trust me."

Keiya gave him an imploring look, but he didn't explain himself further. Both Keiya and Jun watched him walk over to pick up his bag and put on his shoes with questioning faces.

"Alright," he said, wringing his clothes out a last time. He slung his pack over his shoulder and then picked up Keiya's things, handing them to her as he approached her.

"Ready?" He nudged Jun playfully, earning an enthusiastic smile. "Let's move out."

~…~

Jun picked a last soft, red berry and plopped it in the basket with the dozens of others. Riku gave a nod of approval and pulled out the list again.

"We've got the snail shell, the branch, and the berries, so what should we look for next?"

"There's a field up ahead that has wild flowers. Maybe we should try to get the sunflower?" Keiya suggested.

Riku looked down at Jun, who was grinning up at Keiya with a sparkling glint in his eyes. The older boy raised an eyebrow.

"Does that sound good to you, Jun?"

"Oh, y-yeah, sure!" the boy said quickly.

Riku sighed. Cute, he thought in amusement.

They found the flower field easily: a wide hilly plain past the edge of the forest with everything from lilacs to rose bushes, from dandelions to tall grasses and black-eyed-susans. The variety was overwhelming, and it was impossible to look out and determine one flower from another—even the sunflowers. Riku and Jun split up from Keiya, and all began searching for sunflower stalks amidst the plentiful bushes and overgrown weeds.

When the boys were alone, Riku asked, "So what is this scavenger hunt for, anyway? Something with the town?"

"Uh-huh, they do it every year, but I've never won," he replied a little sadly. "No one ever wants to be on my team."

"And why's that?"

He shrugged and said shyly, "I dunno…"

"…What about your friends?" he asked carefully.

"O-oh, well…" The boy's face fell. "I don't really have any…"

Riku watched his pupil with concern, looking over his hunched posture, the striking distance in the boy's eyes, his messy hair, his pale skin that seemed never to have touched the sunlight. He could imagine this boy indoors by the window, watching his classmates play outside. He could see him sitting in the back of the room at school, hesitant to approach the other kids, taking refuge in his solitude.

"Jun, have you ever tried to talk to the others? Have you ever asked to play with them?"

"I-I… I don't think they'd say yes…" he admitted shamefully.

Riku smiled in understanding. He's not an outcast—he's just never tried to make friends. He put down the basket and knelt next to the boy, who was still shuffling nervously about in the weeds.

"Listen, Jun," he said, prying him away from his search. "Don't hide because you're afraid they'll reject you. If you want to make friends, you have to be confident."

The boy cocked his head. "Confident?"

"Yeah, confident. You need to be sure of yourself. Don't let them see you're nervous. Show them your strength and they'll want to be your friends."

"B-but what should I do?" he asked cluelessly, a slight tinge of anxiety on his face.

"Well, for starters," Riku said, "you can go up to them and introduce yourself. Ask if you can play with them. Take small steps. They're kids just like you are—they want the same things."

"But what if they say I can't?"

"Then they're not good people to be friends with. They're not worth it, and you'll make different friends."

Jun hesitated, then nodded in place of words. Riku could detect easily the sheer uneasiness behind the boy's weak front. He was afraid of disappointment, of rejection, but he had never tried to overcome it. He was sheltered somehow, and had lived his life longing for companionship but too fearful to try to obtain it.

"You can't be afraid to take chances," Riku added. "That's what life is about, and that's the only way to get what you want."

"O-okay."

"So you'll try it?" he prompted with a smirk.

Jun swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut as he nodded again. "Yes."

"As soon as the scavenger hunt is over?"

"Okay, I will!" he said, scratching the back of his head, trying to shake off Riku's persistence.

"Good," he said proudly. He stood and stretched his arms, then picked up the basket. "Now let's finish this hunt."

"Okay!"

~…~

Keiya wandered the depths of her thoughts as she scoured the field for a solitary sunflower. Her hands were dusted in pollen and her hair woven with loose petals, but she hardly noticed. Her mind lingered on her incomprehensible emotions; her heart was wrought with bliss and confusion.

Definition Four: A beloved person.

That one's ridiculously redundant, she derided with a blush. 'Beloved' is practically the same word as 'love,' and you're not supposed to use the word in its definition…

Suddenly, when she came out of her trance, she found herself face to face with a cluster of big, bright yellow sunflowers, all of them in full bloom. She smiled triumphantly and picked the largest in the patch, then searched the horizon for the others and ran to meet them.

~…~

Riku stood by a bush of violet flowers, examining each one, trying to choose the one with the brightest color and prettiest petal arrangement. Jun was a few feet away still looking for his sunflower, but Riku was taking a break of distraction. He was absorbed in finding the perfect flower that would match her eyes and rest neatly behind her ear.

I wonder when I can tell her… he thought distantly. I wonder if she's ever even thought about me… like that.

He thought of how her face had softened with a blush the night he'd dared to kiss her cheek, how she hadn't once withdrawn her hand at his touch no matter how sudden or forward. She had even come to him in the middle of the night for consolation; at any rate, she trusted him—maybe even liked him. But did she love him? He envisioned her reluctance to look at him and the fade of her smile when he asked her to return with him. He couldn't decipher that.

Riku bit his lip in contemplation. Maybe I should just tell her… "I love you." Just thinking the words made his mouth run dry. That's not… so hard…

He dreamt the night before of taking a wild chance, of cornering her while no one else was around and kissing her senseless. He'd pressed her to the wall with one hand at her waist and the other in her hair. He'd kissed her and held her and made her feel dizzy. He'd kissed her until his veins were on fire. Then, when he had stripped away all her resistance, she'd whispered that she was in love with him.

Not so sure that would work, though, he thought with a small, self-spiteful smirk.

When he made his decision, in a satisfied trance, he carefully plucked a flower from the bush and left just the right amount of stem intact.

"Nee-chan is really pretty," Jun's voice came from nearby.

Riku's eyes snapped over to him and a blush crept up his own face.

"Keiya?"

The younger boy was watching her from across the field with a childish air of affection. Riku almost became jealous—almost—when he saw a colorful lily in Jun's basket. One of his small hands rested atop it, as if to protect it from danger.

Riku's eyes narrowed. That little punk… I didn't mean that confident.

Coming to his senses, he shook off the senseless beginnings of competition and turned back to his own flower, simpler and smaller. What am I thinking? He's just a kid. But jeez, so much for taking small steps. He'll make friends in no time at all.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of small hands cover his eyes from behind and give a slight tug that caused him to stumble backwards. He caught himself just before he could fall and hastily hid the flower behind his back as he came face to face with his attacker. Keiya's laughter rang like music in his ears.

"Beat you," she sang, holding out the sunflower, a bright grin on her face.

Riku crossed his arms and looked smug. "For once?"

She gave a mock-pout and placed the sunflower in the nearby basket. He watched her move, took notice of the sway of her hair and the grace in her steps. He felt the urge arise to take her in his arms and press her body to his.

"I've never seen you so spacy," she commented, approaching him again. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking about something."

She began picking the stray petals out of her hair, drawing his gaze. Riku felt his hands tremble in a longing to brush them out for her. He could casually run his fingers through her hair, caress the soft strands to his heart's content, then subtly place a hand on her waist and lean in closer…

"What about?"

I love you.

"It's nothing, really," he mumbled as he pretended to look for Jun. He fiddled with the flower he held discreetly behind his back, trying to come up with some phrase he could use along with it.

"I thought it would look nice on you?" God, no. She'll just laugh. Maybe… "It made me think of you?"

He tried to mouth the words while she wasn't looking, but ultimately bit his tongue and scowled in embarrassment.

Ugh, this is terrible. How do I even think of this stuff?

Shoving aside his insecurities and resolving to dive in head first, Riku casually held the flower out to her and fought back an eager tinge of pink. She saw nothing but confidence; inside, his head was spinning and his thoughts, grappling.

"For you," he said simply, managing a nonchalant smile.

Keiya beamed in surprise and felt her lingering blush intensify at his gesture. Their fingertips touched when she brought her hand to receive it, where both hands suddenly froze in mutual longing. His thumb absent-mindedly traced a small circle on the back of her hand, and her eyes became brave and met his without prompting. She felt her world rock back and forth around her.

Riku's face became more serious as he gently tugged the flower away and stepped in closer to her. Without allowing himself time to reconsider, he began stroking her hair back around her ear, gently tracing the side of her face and reveling in the silkiness of her skin. All he could think of was how perfect it would be if he could kiss her now. His body seemed to want to force the words out of him. He couldn't even speak for fear he would release his confession.

When he was finished, Riku smiled at his work and drew back to admire it. Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders but accommodated his flower with ease, and her eyes seemed to brighten in vivacity with the violet accent, although there was a new sparkle evident that trapped his heart, which he couldn't find the means to explain.

Keiya could only focus on taking shallow breaths as she gazed up at him. He was close, so very close. She found herself aching to lean into his chest and wrap her arms over his broad shoulders. The distance was unbearable; she needed to be closer. She cautiously, bravely moved to take a step forward, but out of anxiety tripped and stumbled into him. He caught her with an arm secure around her waist.

Definition Five: To feel a passion, devotion, or tenderness for.

She felt herself ready to sink and melt into his arms. That one seems right… she thought dizzily, leaning into his grasp.

Riku stared.

Beautiful…

Out loud, a voice seemed to command him. He swallowed nervously.

"Keiya…" he started, staring down at her, one hand still unknowingly in her hair. She watched him in a trance, unable to find words of her own, though to Riku it looked like expectancy or utter confusion.

Out with it.

He shifted his hand to the side of her face, tracing down to her neck and shoulder. His caress sent a concealed shiver down her spine.

Tell her now.

His voice was quiet and breathy, but he managed a steady tone.

"Keiya, I…I—"

"Found one!" came a shout from behind.

Riku turned around sharply, a scowl crossing his face as disappointment sank into his body. The words were on the tip of his tongue. Jun stood before him holding up the sunflower proudly. Riku recognized it as the one Keiya had picked, but when she walked around him to stand next to the boy, he just sighed and let it go.

He mumbled an angry phrase to himself before putting on a mask of collection and joining the other two. Jun was showing Keiya his sunflower, which had "been right there all along," while she merely nodded and indulged in his excitement. However, Riku noticed that he was clutching his flower behind his back, crushing it, and before long, he simply let it fall to the ground. His eyes, Riku noticed, were fixed on the one he had already given her.

Poor kid, Riku found himself thinking. His steam let off and he recovered with a smile.

"Okay," Riku started as he neared them. Keiya gave him a shy, apologetic smile, though she was still flustered herself and her eyes couldn't meet his for longer than a second. He tried to ignore this and told himself he'd get another chance.

"Now we just need the skipping stone. That'll be easy. We'll find it back at the river."

"That's where we need to meet when we're finished," Jun said, still grinning over his victory.

"Perfect." Riku found it in himself to smirk. "Let's get moving."

~…~

Keiya was surprised to see Riku chose a stone fairly quickly while all the others seemed to be dwelling on it. Children Jun's age were in large groups, holding stones of various sizes and colors, arguing over what "skipping" even meant and what such a stone would look like. She saw Jun sink behind them, in an effort to hide himself from his classmates and neighbors.

Riku placed their stone in the basket and led them to the spot where the other teams that had finished were situated. No winner had been declared; evidently, there was one more challenge. The judges, a few teachers and shop owners from the town, began reigning in the participants, urging them to hurry with their decisions before time was up. Riku's face remained purely confident. Everyone else was ignorant and confused.

"Alright, children," said a bubbly woman. "While we're making sure you have found everything on the list, a few members of your group should line up along the river here with your stones."

"Ready, Jun?" Riku asked, brimming with eagerness.

"I-I guess so."

Keiya volunteered to stay near the basket while Riku prompted Jun to follow him with a wink. She couldn't help but think of how he would behave as a father, how tender and playful a parent he would make. And without realizing it, in her mind, she thought of herself alongside him. She thought of him teaching their son to skip stones in a river, taking their daughter for walks on weekends and giving her pretty flowers for her hair. Their house, their children, their life.

Her heart sank when she came to her senses and she lowered her head.

At the river, boys and girls took turns throwing their stones at the judges' request. Riku and Jun stood side by side, and Riku began explaining his directions very carefully. The boy listened attentively, eyeing the others with a growing competitiveness.

"Hold it like this," he explained, demonstrating, "then you bend your knees, chest forward, and swing your arm out. Let go when it's directly in front of you so that it skips straight."

"Okay, I think I got it."

Around them, stones flew straight into the water, rippling violently then sinking to the floor. The river was lined with disappointed faces. From the sidelines, Keiya crossed her fingers. She watched Riku hand Jun the stone and demonstrate one more time empty-handed how he was to throw it.

I hope he wins, I hope he wins…

He nervously positioned his arm across his chest, looking up at Riku for assurance, and after running a mental double check of his posture from his head to his toes, threw the stone straight out onto the surface of the water.

It skipped one, two, three times before it plopped beneath the surface with a small ripple and hardly a sound. There was a cheer and applause among the competitors, and before he knew it, Jun was radiant in the spotlight. The few groups who hadn't yet gone flung their stones into the river deliberately and joined in with the crowd in accepted defeat.

Keiya ran over to meet them, smiling broadly for his victory. He flushed in embarrassment and bashfully scratched his head at her praise.

"Jun, you did great! You're the only one who was able to do it!"

"U-uh-huh, yeah…" he murmured sheepishly, grinning up at Riku who settled for a thumbs-up.

"Wasn't that good for a first try?" she prompted Riku excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah," he acquiesced. He turned to Jun. "Hey, don't you have a medal to claim?" He pointed toward the judges' panel.

"Oh, yeah! I'll be right back!"

"No need—I think you have some friends to make," he reminded him with a devilish look.

Jun just nodded with his newfound self-esteem and started for the panel, but stopped abruptly half-way and looked back at his mentor.

"You have to come with me—you did half the work!" he called.

Riku was about to decline, but Keiya pushed him forward and waved him on. He shrugged and followed the boy, hands in his pockets, to watch him receive his prize.

Keiya stood by the edge of the river with the other kids, amidst wild chatter and excitement. Some had begun playing tag, others were trying to copy Jun's successful maneuver. From afar, she saw Riku pin the small blue ribbon to Jun's shirt and give him a pat on the back. It made her proud just to watch; he had enormous generosity behind his thick obstinacy. She was so transfixed on watching the scene that she failed to pay attention to her surroundings. As she saw Riku push Jun toward a group of kids, she was shoved aside by a child who had crashed into her while playing. She gasped and staggered for balance, then felt her foot slip from the edge of the bank, and the cold rush of water suffocate her as she plummeted into river.

Riku stood with his arms crossed and watched his young rookie tentatively approach his classmates. As he'd expected, Jun was welcomed whole-heartedly into their game, with no fuss made over his victory ribbon or stares of disapproval. The younger boy gave him a wave and mouthed a 'thank you.' Riku was overwhelmed with satisfaction, and watched proudly as he and his new friends ran off together.

Job done.

When he heard the restless babble behind him pierced by a gasp, he turned around to investigate. A few young girls were standing by the riverside, some of them looking around concernedly for help. Riku hastened his steps and, as he got closer, broke into a run; all he could make out was a blurry figure quick beneath the surface, being pulled by the rapids downstream.

He couldn't tell it was her until he was closing in on the river. His heart gave a sick lurch and he almost lost his ability to think quickly. Trembling slightly, he kicked off his shoes as he ran and plunged into the water with a dive.

The water was deep, and she was far ahead of him, her body traveling limply under the water's pressure and coarse bends. His eyes narrowed in determination and regret, and he swam harder than he ever had before, praying that she wasn't breathing, blaming himself for not being there to save her faster.

When he neared her body, he grasped her around the waist, secured her against him, and fought the current to try to get them ashore. The rapids clashed around him now that they were in a rougher part of the river, and he was helpless when a sudden sharp turn sent him crashing into a rock jutting out from the land. He saw spots of blood dot the water and felt a searing pain in his head, but he continued kicking upwards and pressing her to his chest, knowing the clock was ticking, keeping his arms locked with hers.

When they broke through the surface, Riku cast her onto the land promptly and unceremoniously. He hoisted himself up next, then pulled her away from the river and flipped her onto her back. His hands were shaking, his own breath was not fully recovered and his head was stinging, but none of that mattered. He grasped her by the shoulders and tried to shake her awake.

"Keiya! Keiya, wake up!" he cried, his own face blanched as white as hers. He felt her skin, smooth and cool. "Keiya!"

She didn't budge; her eyes had slipped shut long ago and her lips were pale and slightly parted.

"Call a doctor!" he ordered to someone behind him.

He could hardly remember how to react; he was fortunate that his hands seemed to know what they were doing. Carefully, he laid her on her back, tilted her head upwards, and began rescue breathing immediately. If he was conscious of the fact that he was practically kissing her, it didn't distract him. His body worked independently from the anxiety poisoning his mind. All he could focus on was forcing air into her lungs and keeping her nose pinched shut and waiting for her to come back to life. He breathed into her all his pleas and prayers.

He found himself ready to panic when he had to start chest compressions; she remained sheet white and motionless.

This isn't happening. You need to wake up!

Riku pushed down on her chest, trying to keep a steady rate in his frenzied state of mind. He felt he was breathing enough for the both of them, sucking in air uncontrollably. He counted aloud and reached eighteen all too quickly. She wasn't moving. It was time to restart rescue breathing.

Move, Keiya! Breathe! You can't die… he thought, horror-stricken. You can't die!

At the second breath, he felt her body give a start. He pulled away instantly and watched her cloudy eyes snap open and her body gasp for air.

"Keiya!" he breathed in relief.

She rolled to the side and began coughing up water, coming out with choked sobs and gasps. Her fingers clenched the grass as she still struggled to breathe, letting out dry wheezes and involuntary coughs. The world seemed to be spinning all around her. She heard voices, saw burs of color through her eyelashes. And she felt her body spasm as she fought to expel all the water from her lungs.

Riku held her firmly by the shoulders as she tried to sit up and grabbed a towel offered to him by a terrified bystander. A doctor was running up to them from a distance, along with Leon and a few other adults. He carefully wrapped the towel around her frame and patted her on the back until the last of the water came up and she was able to breathe clearly.

She trembled violently, huddled in a ball, and couldn't restrain a downpour of tears. When he placed his arms around her, she leaned into him and grasped his shirt for security. Terror ran cold through her body, along with guilt, regret, and the dreaded feeling of stupidity. She couldn't even manage to thank him, she was so speechless.

When the doctor and the others arrived, Riku hesitantly handed her over after a quick, reassuring stroke to her cheek. Her skin hadn't yet resumed its normal color, and her eyes were still wide and scared. She didn't make a sound, only whispered to him something incoherent before the doctor pulled her away.

Riku was commended for his excellent performance and composure in performing the rescue and CPR, but he couldn't comprehend the praise. I almost lost her, was all he could think. He had no pride in having saved her, nothing to boast about even to her. The fact was that he had failed to get there sooner, to collect her before she passed out, to stop her from slipping in. He had only gotten lucky. He took a deep, shaky breath and brought a hand to his forehead.

I almost lost her.

His stomach churned at the thought.

Never again.

~…~

"Do I… really have to do this?" she asked, dipping one foot into the lake.

"Yes," he snapped. He left her no room for argument.

Keiya sighed and reluctantly eased herself into the water, coming into his arms upon entry. He gave her a warm smile and made sure to keep his grip firm so she would feel secure. Subtly, he brought her out into the center of the lake where neither of them could stand, then loosened his grip.

"Now kick your legs gently and move your arms back and forth. Don't worry—you won't sink. And if you do, I'm here to get you."

She nodded obediently and began treading like they'd been going over. As she got the hang of it, Riku let go of her waist completely. He drew back when she reached for him and forced her to keep going. She was worried at first, but trusted him, and it didn't take long for her to become completely comfortable in the water.

While confined to her bed a few days earlier, she had searched through a book from the library, one which she was hoping would give her some clarity. She'd hidden it in her pillowcase during the day, when Riku sat with her, but at night, she read the same page over and over:

Love: passionate, unexplainable affection; absolute trust; the complete relinquishment of one's heart to another.

"Perfect," he praised. "Now I'll show you how to back float." He drew her into him.

His touch stole her breath, his voice quickened the pace of her heart, and his presence—his simple presence—dominated her thoughts, her actions, and bent her will.

She was his.

Whether he wanted her or not.

She watched him swim around while they took a break, her arms draped onto the land of the riverbank. When he dove underwater, her lips parted on their own accord and the words spilled from her mouth like the water in the river: I love you.

She dipped her hair back in the water, enjoying the refreshing rush of coolness and calm. Part of her wanted to risk repeating those heavy words to him, but she couldn't muster the courage. Self-consciousness consumed her every time she thought she could try.

For now, she settled for "Thank you." She said it every night, and in her mind, she played the three-word phrase. She said it in code. All that was missing was his response.

~…~

Author's Note: I think this is longer than the last chapter!

Um, please note that I got the CPR instructions from various CPR websites, so please do not take any of this educationally. Also, most of the definitions are from Merriam-Webster ©, so they get the credit.

Anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it! Such a much-needed break from anxiety for me… (Well, for most of the chapter.)

Please review and tell me what you think, what you liked or disliked, or I probably won't take the time to write stuff like this again. Seriously. It helps. And they're really starting to trickle down lately…

Well, chapter 31 is next! Thank you for reading!