I dreamt last night.

I dreamt of the Komainu I am following. He told me he knows that I am following them, that he senses my nature. 'What do you mean by that?' I asked. He said, 'You're awakening as a souhei.'

That is, of course, a fancy on my own part. I can only dream of wielding the power that I am certain they possess. I, too, would like to make my mark on the world.

—

It was no dream, after all. I woke in the dead of night to see a huge lion standing over me. His eyes were the color of clear skies. It is not the one I have been following; this one is younger. I can feel it, somehow, like his mind is touching my own. Is this what it is to be souhei? How does one bond with a Komainu? Is it as a melding of the minds?

He says he felt me reaching out, searching. He says he has been waiting for a souhei to unlock his strength.

But how do I do it?

—

He tells me there is no longer any need to trail the pair I'd been following, my new companion.

I disagree, although I have relented for the moment. There is no doubt that those two can sense, if not me, then him.

Instead, I have focused all of my attentions on him. It is a strange ability, to touch the heart of another—I am certain it is the heart, and not the mind, less the intricate layers of thought and knowledge…it's something more primal. My companion's heart remains unguarded, eager to find a new kind of strength. It is not what I expected. The other Komainu I've encountered—studied from afar—have served some altruistic goal, traveling to where evil has settled, to exorcise it. My companion's heart is more occupied with a selfish hunger for power—to what end, I am unsure, though, I expect, so is he.

I know my own goals. I want to change the world. If I must harness this selfish lion's power for my own, then so be it.

—

Much has happened.

As souhei and Komainu, my companion and I are able to communicate through dreams. It is intimate, in a way, to invade the privacy of one's sleeping conscious, and neither of us cares for the intimacy, but it is through this that we found the doors. Perhaps it is a metaphor in our unconscious minds, and not truly doors that we found, but we opened them. And once they were open…

My senses are heightened, and often, if I concentrate, I can experience the things my companion experiences—the hunt of an animal, the sights and smells, the feeling of the life leaving it. It's heady.

More, knowledge that I have no memory of gaining comes to me. How to weave spells, for example—spells! Fire, thunder, ice, all follow my will! My companion, as well, has similar abilities, those that he can wield in a human form, and those he can harness as a lion.

He grew bold, with this new power.

He tried to ravage a small village we passed.

I would not have it. It was wrong, it was not the mark I wish to leave on the world.

I discovered that, not only can I experience his experiences—I can also influence them.

It was a contest of wills, but I won. He is weak, after all.

He follows only my will, now.

His eyes no longer reflect a cloudless sky.

—

The amber eyes of my companion haunt my dreams now.

—

It will be easier to achieve my goals if I have numbers. There are many Komainu, and few souhei. I have had little trouble recruiting more to my cause.

I will make my mark on the world. I will make it better.

—

They all have yellow eyes now.

—

Two hearts lay at my feet, still warm, only recently stilled. Only recently torn from their owners' chests. I can feel the blood on my hands, can practically taste it, though it was not I who took it.

I was wrong. The souhei would not accept my vision of the world.

The Komainu went in a rage at his companion's death. He was strong—just as his companion had been—and I could not bring him to heel. His heart…it was still bonded with his dead companion. It would not be swayed.

Is this the strength of a true bond? Have I made a mistake?

No.

No, it is they who are mistaken.

Can't they see that I only want it to be better?

They will see. They will see when I remake this world.

—

Sora had felt the tension growing in Riku as they read the string of journal entries together; now his eyes were slitted, the rage coming off of him almost tangible. He was silent, but the stiff shoulders, the balled fists, said it all. His coffee sat, forgotten, on the counter.

It was clear, even without reading further, that Ansem had been like Xehanort. That, in fact, he had gotten further than Xehanort had.

As far as they knew.

"Riku," Sora murmured. He hoped it was placating. "Whatever happened, it's in the past. This Ansem—"

"He killed them," Riku bit out. He jabbed a finger at the journal entry. "My kind. Dead. One of you, dead."

Sora frowned down at it, the silence between them sharp, biting.

"Xehanort—he'll do this, too." Riku's lips were still turned up in a snarl, but there was an undercurrent of something else.

Worry, fear, maybe. It wasn't just his own life—his own will—on the line, but Terra's, as well.

Maybe even Sora's. It worried him, too, a little, but he couldn't imagine abandoning Riku at this stage. It wasn't the kind of person he was.

Sora caught Riku's eyes with his own. "No. We'll stop him. Someone must've stopped Ansem, right? We'll be the ones to stop Xehanort, before he gets any further." It was hard, holding Riku's gaze, but Sora didn't waver. "We'll do it, I promise."

Riku pursed his lips. "What makes you so sure?"

Sora raised his eyebrows. "Because, Riku. You've already won, once."

Riku's eyebrows were still drawn down, mouth tight.

"We'll be stronger together," Sora nodded as he said it, conviction evident in his voice. Sora put a hand to his chin, thoughtful. "Riku…" He bent and turned the journal back a few pages, pointing at another entry. "This here. He said he could experience the same things as the Komainu, right? I wonder if it's like—like in the dream realm." Sora pressed his lips together. "After you ran off, it was like…I was feeling the same things as you, for a time. I can't explain it, but. I felt like I was running, too."

Riku's gaze sharpened, and he took a step back. "You—?"

Sora shook his head quickly, holding his hands out. "It wasn't on purpose!"

Riku's shoulders relaxed a fraction. There was a pause, and then: "So we've already started—" he waved his hands vaguely.

Sora nodded, his face brightening. "And, when we were sparring? I have never done anything like that before, either."

Riku's face softened, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I know you didn't—you weren't trying to steal control." He glanced back up. "Is it just that simple, though?" There was a look in his eyes that Sora didn't recognize. "I just…let you in?"

It was vulnerability, Sora realized, and maybe Riku realized it, too, because the look was gone almost as soon as Sora noticed it.

Sora hummed. "But what about the uh…magic? Maybe we should keep reading."

Riku sighed, shrugged. He rubbed his eyes and turned back to the counter. He picked up his cup of coffee and gestured at Sora with it. "Coffee?"

Sora stood, joining Riku at the counter. "Yes, please."

Riku obliged, producing another mug and pouring the coffee in silence, except for a soft inquiry of, "Cream and sugar?" It wasn't until after Sora had wrapped his hands around the mug that he spoke again. "I don't think Xehanort has enough control yet to use magic. Or maybe he doesn't know."

Sora lifted his eyebrows. "That's good, then, right?"

Riku nodded slowly.

Sora stirred his coffee absently. "Are there others? Like you and Terra, or like me?"

Riku stared into his mug. "Somewhere, probably. We thought there were no souehei, but we were wrong. So there are probably more Komainu than we know about." He shrugged. "I don't know how to contact them."

Sora bumped his shoulder. "That's okay."

A notification sounded from Riku's phone, and he tapped the message. "It's Yen Sid." Riku's fingers moved on the screen, sending a reply. "He said he has something for us and asked where we were."

"Did he say what?"

Riku shook his head, tilting his phone to show Sora the message. A second message appeared on the screen.

"Ah, he said he's sending it over."

"Mn." Riku tapped the counter, and Sora had a vivid image of a cat flicking its tail back and forth in thought. "Sora."

Sora blinked at the suddenness of Riku's voice. "Yeah?"

Riku opened his mouth, and then closed it, shaking his head. "Never mind."

Sora tilted his head. "No, what is it, Riku?"

Riku ducked his head, his voice low and fast. "Dating…why do you want to do that?"

Sora raised his eyebrows, bemused, and then his lips stretched into a smile. "I like you. I thought that was obvious."

Riku looked at Sora through his eyelashes. "But isn't this enough?"

"This?" Sora's smile slipped.

Riku exhaled. "This," and this time when Riku said the word, Sora felt a slight tug, like a string pulled taut between them.

Sora stared. "What was that?"

Riku huffed a sigh. "A bond. It's still new, but…"

"Oh." Sora pursed his lips, processing. "So, a bond…like…"

"I think that's what Ansem was talking about, even if he didn't know," Riku mused. "It's…" he hesitated. "Not something we share lightly." Softer: "It would make sense, then, if 'their hearts beat as one.'"

"Oh," Sora said again.

"So, there's no need to date," Riku finished, a hint of irritation lacing his voice.

"Oh." Comprehension dawned on Sora, a flush following in its wake.

Riku, noticing, let out a small laugh. "Wow, Sora, you're slow."

Sora scowled half-heartedly. "I'm still learning about all of this, you know!"

"Alright," Riku conceded. A beat later, his phone rang, and he answered it with a brief, "Yes, send him up," before hanging it up. "Yen Sid's messenger," he supplied.

It wasn't long before a knock sounded at the door, and Riku opened it after glancing through the peephole.

A young man, shorter than Sora, stood on the other side of it, shaking black hair from his eyes. "Oh, hiya guys! You must be Sora and Riku. I'm Mickey." He held out a bundle wrapped in brown paper. "Yen Sid sent me to deliver this."

Riku accepted the parcel. "Thanks."

Mickey beamed. "No problem! I have to get back, but good luck. I hope that comes in handy!"

Riku and Sora watched his hurried departure down the hall, eyebrows raised, until he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Wow," Riku murmured, closing the door.

"What?"

Riku brushed his shoulder against Sora's casually. "I didn't think it was possible for someone to be happier than you, is all." His eyes sparkled as he said it, his tone light.

Sora pouted. "You're mean, you know that?"

Riku made a noise in his throat, somewhere between a purr and a laugh, if Sora were to guess.

"So, what is it?"

Riku set it on the counter, a little away from their coffees, and tugged off the paper. There was a note on top: I appropriated this, but I thought it wise to deliver it to one who can make use of it. And beneath the paper, gleaming dully, a wooden Komainu mask that matched the drawings they'd encountered in their research. It was red, stylized, with swirls of gold, and carved fangs done in bone yellow.

Riku's fingers hovered over the lacquer. "I always thought these were just masks," he murmured.

Sora studied the whorls and age-cracked paint. "Isn't it?"

Riku trailed his forefinger over a wooden cheekbone, and it seemed that the gold shone a little brighter. "No. See for yourself." He pulled his hand away, gesturing to Sora to touch the mask.

"It's warm," Sora mused. More than that, he could feel a pulse of energy, a low vibration beneath his hand.

Riku frowned. "So much of our history, lost to darkness." He made to pick up the mask, and what had been a low gleam suddenly grew in intensity, and both Riku and Sora drew their hands back in surprise. The light dissipated, and Riku reached down again, turning the mask over and studying it. "I think…" He held it in front of his face and inhaled, eyes bright. "Interesting. It makes it easier for me, to hold a human form." At Sora's puzzled expression, Riku placed the mask back on the table. "It's not a natural form for me," he explained, "So it takes energy to maintain it."

Sora poked at the mask. "Something tells me there's more to it than that, though. Don't you think? Or else Yen Sid wouldn't have…borrowed it."

Riku nodded, sipping his coffee.

"Ansem's journal mentioned that the one he was following had a mask," Sora said slowly, "but nothing about masks after that. Like…none of the…uhm, ones he controlled, there's no mention of masks. Do you think maybe it protects you?"

Riku shrugged. "Maybe there's more we haven't read yet. Or he just didn't write anything."

"Right, right. We shouldn't take any chances, right? Oh, but I could try to control you with it on?"

"We could try." Riku made a face at his empty coffee cup. "Alright, Sora." Riku took up the mask again, this time fitting it fully to his face. When he growled "Stop me," it was muffled by the mask, and yet, Sora heard the words clearly, just a moment before Riku sprang into action.