Tears

Looking at Xion's still form, Riku could almost convince himself that she's only sleeping.

Almost, but not quite.

He kneels at her bedside, her hand clasped tightly in his own, watching her peaceful face as her chest continues to rise and fall in shallow intervals. He is desperate.

As the days pass into weeks, his hope begins to falter. After a month, he can no longer hold back his tears.

They fall, unbidden, temporarily staining the bedsheets.

Riku knows if their positions were reversed Xion would be strong as ever, would never cry for him.

Why can't he be stronger?

Author: Set before "Love," but after the great battle against Xehanort. (Which means, yes, he has yet to tell her flat out that he loves her. Ouch.)

I almost worked in a Kairi comparison here, but that'd be a little creepy. ^^;

To my reviewers:

vanitas1776: I have to say, your reviews are very spot on.^^ I'm glad you liked the last chapter. :D There will be a drabble dealing with the moment Xion is put in this state AND the moment she wakes up from it... So worry not! :)

Espionage247: Cool, glad you think so! And yes, but I was heavily influenced by Amatus's RikuShi child Haruki where her brother is concerned.^^ He's too adorable! Lol. I also have a son of Terra and Aqua, twin children of Roxas and Namine, a son of Sora and Kairi, and a daughter of Axel in there... They make quite an interesting group, to say the least. (And I was considering having thier story not only crossover into different universes, but also deal with some of the better next-gen Disney sequels like the Little Mermaid 2 and the Lion King 2.)

XIIIXV: Yeah, I like to mix up the parent's features when I make next-gen kids. I mean, a child can look just like their parent, but usually they get a little from each... And yeah, it is kind of like Harry Potter, lol. "You have your mother's eyes..."

DMGSilverAirHead03: Yeah, I think she'd be very caring with her children.^^ And very protective. o.o Just wait till Hikari starts going off on her own and getting into hot water... I almost don't know who I pity more: The people who cause trouble for Riku and Xion's children, or their kids for the punishments they'd get for stepping out of line. ^^;

Till next time! :D