It was quite entertaining to see all the different theories. The reveal will come soon, so you won't have too long to wait on that.

I was planning on releasing this a bit sooner but the ending was giving me problems. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy nevertheless. Thanks for the reviews/comments! They help more than you know!

Justice T.

"I mean, if you think you can handle it I guess it's okay. It's going to hurt . . . but that's normal. We'll just keep practicing what we're doing now. We'll keep training and pushing our limits until the pain doesn't bother us anymore." ~Sora (age 15)

. . .

What You Do in the Dark

. . .

~Preparation~

Voices floated around me. I couldn't discern the owner for all of them but the comfort was instantaneous. The invisible weights on my body were starting to disappear, and when I blinked a blurry brown and peach blob filtered in front of my eyes. I opened my mouth to speak but all that came out was a croaking sound.

"Shhhhh, it's okay, baby. Don't speak." Big fingers stroked my bangs, my eyelids, and my vision instantly cleared away.

I gasped, squinting to make sure what I was seeing was real. He gave me a big smile. "Don't strain yourself. Just close your eyes and relax."

"Daddy?" I blinked repeatedly.

"It's okay. You'll be out of here soon." He gave me another smile and rubbed my arms a little. I barely noticed the numbness going away, it was as if the pain was flowing out of my arms and into his fingers. I stared at his hand and he froze. "What's wrong?"

The tears came unwillingly and I kept blinking. My throat was still clogged, but even if I had been able to speak I wouldn't have attempted even a whisper. Instead, I slowly lifted up my hands, shaking.

He knew what I wanted. There was something in his eyes, something I never saw before. It was like he was seeing me for the first time, like I had just come into the world instead of through an unnatural coma. He leaned down and swooped me into his arms, hugging me close. I continued to cry and gripped him as tightly as I could. It was the first time I ever cried out of happiness.

The rest of the pain, any lingering unpleasant sensations, disappeared. For an instant I thought I saw something black travel up his fingers but it was gone before I could question it.

He rubbed my back and sat on the bed, still holding me as if I would be lost the second I slipped from his grasp.

"I can't believe it. She's made a full recovery."

My dad nodded, eyes narrowed at the clipboard my doctor was examining. "All her vitals are stable?"

"Stable indeed. Immune system is stronger than most kids I've seen. Why, just an hour ago she was showing the signs of a paraplegic. It's nothing short of a miracle."

I stared, watching in awe as my dad's lips pulled back into a wide grin. Everything the doctor said from that point on went through me. I twitched, gripping his hand tightly. All that mattered was that we were touching. I wanted it to last as long as possible. He squeezed me back lightly and I felt a new rush of energy shoot through my spine. I twitched again and smiled.

"Just sign here and here."

"Right." My Dad nudged me, looking me directly in the eyes. "Do you need to go to the restroom?"

I shook my head, clutching him tighter.

He placed a single hand on his hip, giving me a no-nonsense look before cocking his head towards the restroom. I sighed and ran in, not even ashamed for being caught in the lie. I finished quickly and went right back to his hand, fingers transforming back into a white vice. Normally, behavior like this would probably send him over the rails. But instead he just smiled. "Come on."

It was almost comical when we reached the car. We both just stared at it, hand in hand, wondering how this was going to work. Well, I was wondering how it would work. Dad was probably starting to get a little exasperated by my antics. "Namine, you can't sit in the front yet. You know that."

My eyes shot up timidly. My hands shook.

He looked a little sad now, smile faltering. "It's just for the car ride."

I swallowed. "My hand is stuck," I mumbled.

He grinned, plucking each finger off one by one. "You sound so much like your mother right now." There was a certain edge to his voice that I didn't catch.

Instead I climbed into the car, staring down at my lap. The energy burst from before drifted away as quickly as wind-blown grains of sand. Now, embarrassment made me fidget.

He was silent for most of the car ride, staring straight ahead. When he spoke the soft tone he had used was replaced by his usual one for me, strict and business-like. "How do you feel?"

"F-fine."

"If there's anything, anything at all, let me know immediately. Okay?"

"Okay."

He reached out, lightly ruffling my hair. I leaned into his touch and instantly felt sad once he moved his hand away. "We have a lot to talk about."

"I'm in trouble?" I wilted internally. I didn't want to spend quality time talking to Dad about punishments. We always talked about that.

But, as was the norm that strange day, he surprised me by laughing. It was such a hearty sound, I didn't realize I was smiling until he quieted down. "No, you're not."

I turned towards the window. "Is it a surprise?" I had almost forgotten that my birthday was coming up.

"No. Don't worry, you'll see."

This response only made me more impatient. When we got into the house I felt my shyness creeping up, prepared to act as a buffer in the conversation. Even if I wasn't in trouble, what Roxas did at school was bound to come up. And that was something I didn't want to talk about.

No. I just wanted Dad to hug me again.

He looked at me, took in the longing in my eyes, before setting the keys down on the counter and gesturing towards the couch. I walked over to it, reaching it first and sat squarely in the middle. He moved next to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I leaned against him, staring at the blank TV. He sighed, rubbing my side. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, almost whispering.

"Nothing," I mumbled. There was too much going through my head, I couldn't say anything. The prominent thought that kept jabbing towards the surface was the fact that Dad was being . . . different.

It reminded me of the stories that Mom always told me as I slept. She talked a lot about when they first met. Their friendship, the gifts, and the eventual romantic dates came up often. My favorite stories were the ones when Dad comforted her when she was sad. She always said one hug from him would instantly make her feel better. He had the best hugs.

And she was right. Now that I had finally experienced it I could say it. The fact that he had never hugged me, barely even touched me, slipped away. Every troubling thought was gone. I simply sat there, content.

Dad just stayed quiet and continued to rub my side. And we stayed like that until Mom got back from work. "Sora!"

I flinched. Her voice had risen past a certain pitch, not exactly a shriek but higher than the shouting I was accustomed to. Dad simply gave me a final squeeze before removing his hand, standing up. "Yes?"

She quickly sped into the room, instantly approaching me and pulled me off the couch. She tilted my head this way and that, as if she were checking for bruises. "Are you okay?" I didn't have to see her facial expression to know she was panicking. "Are you alright?"

I gave her a single nod.

She huffed and stood, crossing her arms. "You should have called me the moment you found out she was hurt."

"Yes, I know. I panicked. She was paralyzed from the waist down. I made a split decision and I didn't want that on your mind during work."

I took a step back as my mom let out a divisive snort. "If you wanted some alone time with her, you could have said so."

"That's not why I did it, Kairi, and you know it," He refuted. His eyes were hard, black, instead of the natural blue color I had inherited.

"Of course it isn't." She looked down at me. "Namine, Dad and I are going to have a short talk. I'll let you know when dinner is ready."

I turned and headed to my room, grateful that the door shut out most of the yelling. It was going to be a long night.

Whenever yelling is involved, my parents tend to lose track of time. But for them to reach that state is pretty rare, so the fact that it coincided with Roxas putting me in the hospital made me nervous. Then again, I was still confused as to what Roxas actually did.

As my head filled up with images of Roxas' face the yelling stopped. I tilted my head towards the door, timidly awaiting the conclusion of their verbal assaults. Their voices were calm now, swaying in the air like the free forming tidal waves at shore. I peeked out from behind my slightly ajar bedroom door. For an instant there was nothing, and then I heard footsteps pounding against the floor. Soft, hesitant steps.

I moved back just as my dad entered. He shut the door, leaning against it. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I whispered. I was starting to feel more antsy every time someone asked.

He looked down, his expression thoughtful. "It's very important for you to understand that Roxas is very dangerous."

I looked away, shifting my legs back and forth from on top of the bed. "Okay."

He sighed. "Namine, I'm serious. We just . . . I just want you to be safe." He sat next to me, resting a hand on my back and slowly moving it up in circles. "You understand, right?"

My back seized up upon contact and I gasped. He instantly removed his hand. "We have company. Be good." He stood up. I followed suit, shaking somewhat from his touch. His fingers had felt . . . cold. I frowned just as he wrapped a blindfold over my eyes. He guided me back into the living room setting me on the couch. He walked away and started talking to a man whose voice I didn't recognize.

"It's going to take time. You know that."

My dad's response was quick and sharp. "As long as she's ready, so be it. I wouldn't come to you if I wasn't serious about this."

"Right." I felt a new, heavy hand tap my shoulder. "Come on, kid. Time to go."

I tried to back away from him but my mom kept me from moving. "It won't be for long. This man is a friend of ours. You'll be completely safe. I'll pick you up for school on Monday."

"I don't want to go," is what I desperately wanted to say but all that came out of my mouth was a muffled sob. My hands rose up to pull the blindfold from my eyes but the strange man's hands kept them back.

"Trust me. You're not going to want to take that off." He ushered me towards his car. "Don't make this difficult. You're going to sit, stay still, and not say a word until I say so, got it?"

"Where . . . where are we going?" I asked.

He sucked in a breath, a hint of conflict warring within his deep voice. "He's really kept you in the dark, huh?"

I didn't know what to say, and I didn't know what he meant, so I just stood there. He let out a rough chuckle before strapping me into the seat. "Well kid, just know that after today you won't have to worry about that scary little brat making you pass out anymore."

I shuddered. "Roxas . . . "

"Hmmnn?" The man chuckled. "Did you say something?"

"His name . . . is Roxas."

That only brought in more laughter and I frowned. It clashed violently in my eardrums, making me shake. He was obviously teasing me. "Whatever you say."

He slammed the door, shutting me away from my parents, my home, and towards a new lifestyle I'd learn to adapt for years to come.