'You show me how to see

That nothing is whole and nothing is broken'

~Utada Hikaru, Sanctuary

Sora

After a week in the psychiatric unit of the hospital, Sora watched as Kairi proudly walked her way out of the hospital, a pair of shorts and a pink T-Shirt was all she needed, she looked beautiful in anything, really. He felt the grin explode onto his face before he could stop it, and to his delight, she smiled back at him. It'd been a long week to say the least. For the past seven days he kept waiting for her to tell him to leave, or for him to wake up and discover this had all been a dream. Because this had to be far too good to happen in real life.

'She loves me' he thought to himself as he offered her his arm and lead her to the car that her mother had driven to pick her up. It hadn't been easy when her mother was finally allowed to see Kairi. There'd been more tears than Sora thought humanly possible to produce, and an endless tornado of questions whirling around the room, making even Sora dizzy, and he wasn't even the one the woman was asking questions to. Kairi didn't tell her mom everything-not her job, at least. But simply told her mother she'd grown too lonely to bear. Sora didn't argue with any of it. She was alive, and that was all he could ask for. She loved him. That was more than he could have dreamed to ask for.

Sora had sat down with Kairi's mom the previous day, and explained to her why he needed Kairi to accompany him to Radiant Gardens. In the beginning, she argued that her daughter should stay with her to recuperate before moving to another town. However, Sora's charisma won out as he assured her time with friends in a city with such nice weather year-round would be good for Kairi.

Sora helped Kairi into the passenger seat of the car and shut the door for her.

"I'll meet you at the house, okay?" He said, and she nodded and smiled back at him. He followed Kairi's mother's car in his own rental, Demyx seated beside him, and arrived safely at Kairi's old home. Sora exited the car and followed the two women into the house. Kairi babbled about how nice the city would be and how cool the shops and clothes would be. But she never said anything about their friends. Not one word. The thought of their friends slightly worried Sora, as he only had about a week left, and he'd heard no word on where Xion was or if Roxas had made a concrete decision as to whether or not he'd be joining the rest of them in Radiant Gardens. This was cutting it close.

They spent the afternoon packing and chatting with one another, reminiscing about old times with Kairi's mom. Sora hadn't realized what time it was until he happened to glance outside and realize that it was already dark outside.

"Oh dear, look at the time!" Sora exclaimed, setting down the tea that Kairi's mother had kindly made for him. Kairi glanced up at the clock and widened her eyes in surprise. Obviously he hadn't been the only one to lose track of time.

"I'm sorry mom, but we've really got to be heading out, we have a plane leaving really soon, and we need to meet up with everyone else." Kairi explained, standing up to stretch her arms up above her head. Kairi's mom nodded slowly,

"Take it easy, Kairi." The woman warned, and in response the red haired girl crossed the room and pecked her mother on the cheek,

"I will, don't you worry. I love you." Kairi assured, leaning down to hug her.

"I love you too, dear. So much." Sora felt like he should have been looking away-something to give privacy to such a special moment. After a moment Kairi straightened up and turned to Sora,

"Well, are we ready?" she asked, a twinkle in her eye that made Sora want to kiss her fervently. He nodded, and turned to Kairi's mom,

"Always a pleasure." The woman smiled and forcefully wrapped Sora in a hug tighter than what he thought a woman her size could give. He'd forgotten how much he loved Kairi's mom. Eventually, though Sora found himself driving Kairi away from her mother and towards the airport.

It was a fairly silent car ride, though Sora knew not to worry. This was a contented silence. Knowing about the hectic chase for Xion he knew was coming, and an emotional reunion with everyone, he cherished the calm before the storm. He guessed that Kairi sensed this as well.

She'd been listening in on Sora's phone call the night before, as Sora first called in to check on Roxas, and after learning that he and Naminé were doing fine, he had then called Riku, who was beside himself with frustration as he'd had no luck in finding Xion in the past week. It was about to become difficult for the two of them to spend any real time alone together once they were reunited with Roxas, Naminé, and Riku and tasked with finding Xion in the next five days before Sora's deadline. Alone. Sora felt his innards flip as his mind took him to a place devoid of clothing as he remembered they'd be sharing a hotel in Radiant Gardens. Granted, he doubted much would happen. She'd been very clear that she'd need some time before they slept together. She said she needed to deal with the fact she'd slept with many other men.

While Sora knew that this was for the best, he couldn't help but want her and want to show her he loved her no matter how many men she'd been with before. They were together now, and they would have each other for a very, very long time. But instead of bringing anything up, Sora drove into the airport parking lot in silence, left the car with Demyx to return to the rental company, and led his girlfriend to the counter.

Riku

It had been a week, and Riku and Aqua could not find Xion. They had no leads, no clues, nothing. With each passing day Riku became more frustrated, more impatient, and more panicked. What if she'd died somewhere in some back alley? He'd started watching the news every evening to see if any news had shown up on a dead girl. Thankfully, nothing did. But that only meant she was out there and he was still without her. On that particular afternoon Sora had called, asking for an update and warning Riku that he, Kairi, Roxas, and Naminé would be in Twilight Town in two days. They only had five days left before Sora's deadline, and Riku knew that if he didn't find her before then, she'd be lost to him again. His fist tightened over the seat belt strapped across his chest and he forced himself to focus on the road ahead while Aqua steered them towards a section of the city that they'd not yet covered.

Riku had printed an old picture of Xion he'd found on social media, and he and Aqua had taken to the streets, showing pedestrians the picture and asking if they'd seen her. So far not one person had recognized her. Besides Aqua, that is. When Riku had shown her the photo she'd gasped and called for the friend she'd been staying with, Ven, to come look at the picture. Ven had sworn and apologized to Riku for about the 70th time that week. Ven and Aqua's friend Terra had helped them look for Xion on occasions, but Riku picked up quickly that he and Aqua were working out issues of their own, and Riku had stayed largely out of their bickering.

"Where are we?" Riku asked uneasily. He wasn't afraid of a rough neighborhood; he knew he could take care of himself well. However, even with his knowledge of Aqua being a bouncer, he wondered if she'd be okay if shit hit the fan. Aqua turned on her blinker and turned left down a stretch of older houses and looming trees.

"The West side. Lots of old buildings over this way. Not a bad place, though, but this just may be the perfect place to find her…if there's any place in Twilight Town that you want to consider 'rough' this is it." Aqua explained, and parked her car in the empty parking lot of a Quizno's. Riku felt his heart begin to race as it always did when they began a search. His watch told him it was about four in the afternoon. Plenty of time to find a lead…hopefully. Aqua glanced at him as they started down the road. "Don't worry, we'll find her." She assured, squeezing his arm reassuringly.

Riku was grateful for Aqua. She'd been a supportive friend to say the least. He had no idea where he'd be if she hadn't offered to help him. He knew he owed her big time when this was all over. Maybe he could help her with her problems with Terra and Ven. Maybe not.

It took them nearly thirty minutes to find someone outside despite the clear weather. As usual, Riku was hit with a sea of denials, and he felt the jaws of disappointment gnawing at him sooner than usual. Aqua continually steered him down a new street, towards a new person, onto the next step. And though he appreciated her efforts, he felt his soul growing weary.

"Aqua, can't we quit early tonight?" He pleaded after a woman had snorted at him and told him to get lost. The blue haired girl and scowled,

"Why, Riku, is that any way to find your friend? You can't just give up when you get upset, that's letting her win." Riku sighed, and continued walking. He knew she was right. Xion wanted to stay hidden. And he wasn't going to let her win. Not like this.

So the two trudged on, zigzagging through street after street, restaurant, and playground, without anyone identifying Xion. It was dusk before the two started to head back to Aqua's car. Riku felt a cold knot in his stomach, again feeling the bitter punch of defeat. How long would they do this?

It was near Aqua's car, only a street or two over, when they spotted a man with jet black hair crossing the street ahead of them. Before Riku could protest, Aqua had started off towards the man, shouting, "Excuse me, sir?!"

The man turned abruptly and watched with skeptical eyes as Aqua raced towards him. Once Riku caught up, he recognized immediately that the man was high. His heart plummeted.

"Yeah?" The man questioned gruffly. Riku gapped for a moment before handing over the picture of Xion,

"Have you seen this girl? I'm looking for my friend." The man moved the paper farther away and closer to his eyes, before he began to laugh,

"Oh, shit, you're looking for Xion?!" Riku nearly kissed the man.

"Yes, that's exactly who I've been looking for! Is she alright? Where is she?" Riku sputtered, his chest constricting.

The man snorted and said, "Why would I tell you? If you can't find her, then she obviously doesn't want you to find her." Riku nearly killed him this time. Aqua gasped, and Riku glared down at the man, his brain surging to think up some sort of excuse. He was high. Drugs. That was it!

"But I was looking to…you know, buy some things…I'd heard she'd stopped selling." Riku desperately wished that this would work, and after a beat of silence, the man's eyes brightened in understanding.

"Ohhhh, that's what you need, huh? Nah, she didn't stop selling…I'll tell you what, I'll tell her she has a client waiting. She'll meet you behind the holy house at midnight, got it?" The man drawled, grinning at Riku knowingly. Riku nodded,

"The holy house, huh?"

"Where she does every deal. The holy house on DriftWood Street." The man said, and stumbled a bit, "Listen, I've got to get back. But I'll tell her you'll be there." Riku nodded, and with that, the man continued on up the street. Riku gasped, and Aqua had to grab his arm in order to keep him upright. They made it back to the car, and as Aqua drove Riku back to Ven's place where he'd been graciously invited to sleep for the week. His mind raced a thousand miles an hour. She was here. She was here and he'd be seeing her at midnight. Riku's body began to shake, and before he could stop himself, tears began to dribble down his cheeks.

Aqua glanced over at him, and frowned at him, "Hey, what's wrong?" he couldn't answer her for the longest time. It wasn't until she parked in Ven's driveway that he gulped in a breath of air and told her,

"She's a drug dealer. She sells people DRUGS. She's hiding out with creeps like that, and I could have stopped her. God, I fucking let her go. I let her go and I let her get worse, and God…why didn't I just fucking call her? Why didn't I write or text or visit or something?! I'm such a fucking idiot!"

Aqua paused, thinking for a moment, before telling him, "Riku, she had control of her actions. She chose to do this. You didn't make her do drugs. You got busy. You got busy with life, and that's something we all do. We all do it and there's nothing we can do about it. What counts is that you're making it right now. You're going to get her and you're telling her what she means to you. That's such a brave thing to do…and if she doesn't listen, it's on her, not you."

Riku spent another moment to collect himself, and glanced at his friend, "Thank you, Aqua." She smiled and nodded,

"Of course. Now come on. We need to go tell Ven and Terra about our plan. You only have a few hours until you see her."

Roxas

At first, Roxas felt the cold, raw need to have a drink like mad, nearly breaking down and buying a six pack multiple times. But he always found himself staring at Naminé, wondering if she'd stay if he got piss poor drunk in front of her. The thought of her seeing him like that made his skin shiver, and he always held off the urge. It was hard, to say the least. He found himself sweating in concentration, willing himself not to go out and have a drink. There were moments where he wondered if this was at all worth it.

And on the fourth day of that week, he woke up and found it slightly easier to function, to work, to joke around with Axel and Naminé. It wasn't a breeze, but he knew he could do it. If for no other reason than to make sure that he wouldn't fuck up in front of Naminé. The girl he was finding himself staring at more and more, watching her smile curve its way across her face when he told a joke, the way her face scrunched up when she stretched. The way her legs looked in her pair of white shorts. That woman was driving him madder than the lack of alcohol. He craved her. And he hadn't a clue how to come on to her without seeming like an enormous pervert.

It was a week after their confrontation about his drinking when they finally got a call from Sora that he and Kairi would be there the next day. A week of holding hands and blushing and hugs goodnight. A week of Axel teasing the two of them relentlessly whenever he was over.

"To think, we'll finally get to see Kairi again tomorrow." Naminé mused as the pair reclined on his bed, her head on his shoulder. Roxas nodded, his cheek rubbing against her hair.

"It'll be like old times again. Almost, that is. Sora never called Kairi his girlfriend during the old days." Roxas replied. Naminé snickered and agreed,

"Yes, I hope they're not terribly gross about the whole ordeal." Roxas straightened up a bit and exclaimed,

"Oh, there are strict rules in this house, young lady. There shall be no sexy times in this house!" Naminé giggled wildly while Roxas squeezed her a bit tighter to his body and smiled to himself.

"Right, because you'd never break that rule!" Naminé responded, poking his side.

Roxas feigned offense and gasped, "Why, Naminé, are you suggesting I'm a manwhore?" This just made Naminé laugh harder, and Roxas finally rolled his eyes and grabbed her around the waist, "You little shit, I'm as pure as an angel!"

"Which angel, Lucifer?" Naminé shrieked as she tried to wriggle out of his grip, only making him begin to tickle her.

The two kept that up for a moment, her getting wrapped up in his arms, "Aren't-You. So…FUNNY!" He shouted in between breaths. But just as he finished his shouting, the two stopped moving altogether.

They'd ended up Roxas on top of Naminé, his hands wrapped around her hips, hers gripping his T-shirt's collar. Their noses were only a few precious inches apart. Roxas felt his breath slow and his eyes drift down to her lips, her eyes wide and flickering over his face. Their heads tilted. Her eyes fell to his lips. He waited until they were so close that he felt her breath on his nose.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked softly, so gently that it barely sounded above a whisper. She shook her head, first once, then more. His heart cartwheeled out of his body, and he leaned down, and touched lips to hers. And he couldn't believe that it'd taken him this long to do it, because as he kissed her once, he couldn't imagine ever stopping.