"3332 Midnight Avenue."

I pause, hesitating at the door and leaning my head against harsh wood. I'm tired, I'm really tired... "...what?"

He pronounces every word slowly, making every letter count. "3-3-3-2 Midnight. Avenue."

I don't say anything for a long time, fingering my bruise, hoping that the pain will provide an escape. I need a place to think, I need to be alone. But my heart would never allow it, and neither would Riku. We both care too much, and we're both horrible liars. Sora would be so ashamed.

I swallow and waste one last glance on Riku. "Meet me at my house at five. We're going to have to explain stuff to Dad."

He simply gives me a half-hearted thumbs up from the couch. "Always happy to help, Kairi."

I force out a chuckle. I should have punched him twice. "Oh no, the pleasure was all mine." Then I leave and slam the door as hard as I can.

Don't Be a Gentleman: Guarded Embrace

I'm walking with nothing but the wind to guide me. There's still plenty of light out, but it doesn't stop the chills traveling up my spine. It sucks that I feel scared now, now when I finally know where he is, when I need my strength the most for what's to come.

Sora . . .

I stop, pausing a few feet across from the house. It's very simple, with rich green walls and a wooden entrance. There's only one window to the right of the door, and the blinds are closed so I can't see inside. The silence is almost overwhelming, but finally a noise shatters the quiet as Mrs. Wilmington steps out to the front porch.

Sora's mother looks a lot better than the last time I saw her. Her skin isn't as pale and her light brown hair seems to have gotten back some of its former shine. I can't help but smile as her laughs travel through the wind. It's not hard to see where Sora gets his trademark grin from either.

Of course, I instantly tense up like a deer in headlights when her eyes reach me. Darn it!

"Kairi?" Her voice is soft and timid and in what feels like a hour she's next to me, looking me over as if she were checking for wounds. "My god, they released you from the hospital already?"

I shrug. "Guess so." I try to repress the urge to shrink away as she continues to stare. The truth is that besides the bruise on the left side of my neck, I don't feel pain anywhere else. But I guess that doesn't matter much in the long run. Hmm, but it is sort of unnatural that I was able to heal so quickly with the way Dad described my injuries. Did Sora have something to do with this?

"Oh Kairi." Her hands roam through my hair and I pull away from my thoughts as she cries. "I owe so much to you."

I smile lightly. "I'm fine, Mrs. Wilmington. Really."

She just blinks at me, as if I hadn't said anything at all. I see the guilt in her eyes followed by fear. Her eyes are vivid and clear, it's obvious that whatever she went through as a heartless will be remembered for a long time to come. It hurts to think about, but I try to make myself feel better by acknowledging the fact that she still stands before me. It's one thing I've done right in these past couple of weeks.

"Kairi . . . would you like to come inside?"

What? She's inviting me inside? "Oh, well, I wouldn't want to intrude," I stutter, nearly facepalming myself at the lie. Pfft, didn't want to intrude my ass. Why else are you here, Kairi? Sometimes, it just makes sense to argue with yourself. Right? Please tell me someone out there understands this.

Ah, but I guess Mrs. Wilmington won't take no for an answer. "Please, there's something I wanted to give to you. After all that's happened, after you saved my life . . . I just need to pass this on," She says, eyes frantic with desperation.

How ironic, I'm being begged to go into Sora's house. "Alright." I follow her slowly into the house and take in my new surroundings. The furniture is rearanged in a way that gives the house a 'proper' feel. Everything is neat (sometimes even symmetrical) and the bookshelves and desks are dusted to perfection. The air seems cleaner to, and it almost makes me nervous enough to notice my rampant heart beat. "The place looks nice," I say politely before sitting on a couch that smells strongly of mint and some other cleaner that makes my nose twitch.

She smiles briefly, walking behind the couch. "It's been amazing how Sora has stepped up. He's been so responsible, he moved most of the furniture himself without help from the hired movers. He's been helping me . . . get over the darkness, as he calls it. I thank the spirits every day for such a thoughtful son."

Hearing her talk about Sora makes my stomach swell up with pride and guilt at the same time. I fidget and look down. "Sounds like him. He would be perfect," I mutter shamefully.

"Oh no, he reminds me every day that he isn't. He's really hard on himself." Her voice drops and I have to strain my ears to catch the next couple of sentences. "He's been real serious as of late. Always working to support me, even though I've been able to find work. At this rate he'll get sick if he doesn't rest."

I swallow. "Where is Sora now?"

"Ah, he went out to grocery shop. He should be back in about fifteen minutes. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

There's a beat of hesitation in her response. I try not to judge, but I can't help suspecting a few white lies in the remark. Is she trying to get us back together? "I hope so," I reply, blushing slightly at the thought of seeing Sora's smile once more.

"Yes, I'm sure of it," She says with determination. After that her footsteps drift away and I see the dark side of her back as she goes down the hall. Hmm, probably going to get whatever thing she wanted to pass down to me. I sigh and try to relax, moving my legs in and out of a crossed position. I let my eyes wander, finding no comfort in the bleach-white bookshelves, the blank screen tv across from me, the clear cut table. It's too quiet, too stiff and strict. I feel like something will break if I move an inch.

And then my heart screams against my chest in panic as the front door opens. "Mom, I'm home!" Sora shouts, voice straining. I see a bob of brown spikes as he carries five grocery bags at one time, running right past the couch and into the kitchen.

Oh god, his voice. Tremors run down my back almost instantly while my legs freeze. Sweat sprouts from my brow and I hold my breath in. Oh, Light help me now.

"Mom?" Pans bang in the kitchen along with the sound of produce crashing into tile. "Ah, dang it!" I try to stifle a giggle. Still as clumsy as usual, Sora. Leaning back against the couch, I breathe in slowly so that my heart will stop protesting. My hands are already starting to sweat, ugh! I rub my palms together.

"Sheesh, it's so quiet. I guess she's in her room or something," Sora says in a muffled tone (he's probably carrying something). "I hope she's okay."

Now that I've gotten over hearing him talk I'm anxious for him to notice me. A part of me wants to bolt for the front door (he left it open) but I already know that's futile. There's no way I'm leaving this couch. I repress the urge to flinch as I hear his footsteps approach me. He hasn't said anything yet, I wonder if he even sees me.

It's quiet. He's not walking anymore. Silence. He's probably staring at me. Still silent. Why is my heart beating so loud? I open my mouth to say something but no words come out, just a short ragged exhale. The exhale turns into a whimper and I bend my head forward, staring at my thighs. Damn, what am I doing? Sheesh, I can't even look at his face. Why can't I move?

I jump as the sound of his clumsy footsteps start up again (his shoes are still way too big). From behind I'm brave enough to look at him, and I see his full white T-shirt and baggy black pants. His shoes are actually not as big as I imagined. They're regular Champions, shoes that hug his feet tightly in black laces. I look at the back of his head (he got a hair cut) and shiver as he closes the front door. Then he turns.

I rapidly look away, chewing my bottom lip and digging my nails into my legs. I am so on edge, this is so freakin' unfair. What's wrong with me? Ugh, I hate this! I've been waiting so long and now I can't even . . . even . . .

He's sitting next to me. He's literally two feet away, oh dang. Come on, lift your head Kairi! Look. Up.

"Kairi?" He touches my shoulder and I yelp, shaking. He moves his hand away so fast I almost blink and miss it. "Sorry," He says quietly.

"No. No, please, I was just surprised." I stare at him from the corner of my eyes. He looks a little pale, but also healthy. His eyes are blue (thank goodness) but I can't read them. His face is full of sadness though, and he's slouching, his posture almost submissive. I straighten myself up and stop torturing my poor thighs long enough to finally say something that makes sense. "I missed you."

He smiles bitterly while rubbing his own fingers. "I've missed you too." His tone lowers as a shadow passes over his eyes. "But . . . I thought your dad didn't want you to see me."

Was it really Dad or was it just you, Sora? The thought makes me angry and I cross my arms. "I think you were the one who didn't want to see me," I mutter.

He blinks then stares at me, eyes narrowed. "Kairi . . . I almost killed you," He says.

My mouth trembles at his harsh tone. Ugh, his mom wasn't kidding about him being more serious. "No you didn't."

Sora glares at me for a couple of seconds before sighing and rubbing a single hand furiously against his brow. "You just don't get it. You really don't."

Excuse me? "I don't get it? You mean to say I don't understand?" I growl at him. "Well maybe I don't get it but I do know that you've avoided me for weeks. You never called, you moved without telling me, and then you even got Riku involved in your little guilt trip! You're right, maybe I'm missing something. Perhaps I'm the problem." I glare at my useless legs as I try to get them to move, but they still won't budge. "Maybe I should leave," I grumble, but my body disobeys my wishes. Every stiff muscle is tied to the couch. God, I hate it.

Sora gives me this strange smile, it's almost a smirk. "Alright then, if that's how you feel go ahead. The door's not locked."

I glare at him. "You want me to leave?"

He shrugs. "If that's how you feel, I won't stop you." He isn't smiling anymore but there is a hidden challenge in his eyes.

I blink, gripping my knees. I want to do it. I want to strut away from the couch and slam the stupid door in his face, rattling the walls, sending the books off the bookshelf. But even now, even with the temptation I still can't move. It's like my legs are made out of noodles and my shoulders cling to the couch in a death grip. This is just so annoying! Why?

His chuckles bring my head back up. Sora looks away, hunched over with his hands covering his stomach. His voice is hoarse and bitter. "You're afraid."

"What? Don't be ridiculous." I shake, covering up my own chest, as if the motion will hide my heart. "Of course not."

Sora turns fully, a small smile playing on his lips. "You're not?"

"No." I swallow again, trying to stop the anxiety building up in my chest. "I'm not scared of you."

Sora stops smiling, dropping his hands to his sides. "I can see you shaking."

"I'm just cold."

"Just cold?" He stands, walking in front of me, destroying any chances of me escaping.

I muster up enough courage to spout my next retort vehemently, "Yep."

He doesn't say anything. Instead, he lifts his hands and grabs my shoulders, brushing his thumbs across the barest hints of my skin that my shirt doesn't cover. I gasp as he pulls me up and wraps me in his arms. I instantly heat up all over as he runs his hands down my back, stopping at my waist. "Does that feel better?" He asks softly, breathing against my neck.

I'm shuddering violently and my vision is becoming blurry. I hug him tightly as the tears continue to spill and I sob loudly. "S-Sora . . .Sora . . ." I keep muttering his name and it sounds like my throat has been run through by a ragged razor. I cough it away and cry some more, gripping him as hard as I can. He doesn't protest or say anything after that, he just lets me cry all over him. Eventually he gets us back into a sitting position on the couch with me leaning against his chest while his hands stroke my hair up in messy curls.

After a few minutes I sit back, utterly humiliated and heated up from within my heart to my flaming cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." He lets go of me. "I'm making things worse."

I close my eyes. "Can I at least ask why you were avoiding me?"

Sora sighs. "To be honest, it's sort of a long story."

I shrug and hold up one hand to my chin. "I'm waiting."

He nods before staring straight ahead with blank eyes. "Do you remember what the other me said when you were at my house . . . and the strings were still controlling me?"

"Yes." I hold his hand for support and sit still.

He grits his teeth and clenches his fist, eyes watering. It's almost as if he's fighting the influence now, as if he's guarding against invisible strings. "It was just so hard to hold back. They kept pushing and slicing my skin. I tried to make myself numb to the pain, tried to distance myself so that I wouldn't . . . wouldn't . . ." He breaks off and bursts into sobs. "Oh god . . . oh god . . ."

My eyes widen and I shake him. "Sora? Sora! Sora, it's okay. I'm here, I'm here. It's not real, okay. Please." I gasp as he pushes me away and scoots to the farthest side of the couch. He's shaking and moaning, hugging his knees to his chin and hiding his face. It reminds of when I first found him in his room, keeping the darkness at bay. "Sora, snap out of it!" I shout.

"No, you be quiet!" He's still shaking and his eyes flash. "You wanted to hear the truth? You want to see me vent? Then let me finish!"

I tremble and say nothing, staring at him. He blinks at me, seeing through me and continues. "I couldn't control it, couldn't stop the images of your blood dripping from my hands. Of my fingers gripping your hair, pulling out each and every strand. I saw your thighs split apart and bones were crushed and I," he breaks off, looking down, staring at his hands as if he's already holding a corpse. "I had to keep fighting, had to keep it back. But then you came and I couldn't stop it." He cries and covers his face.

I almost feel afraid to touch him. Sora may have looked normal before, but he seems even more broken than Riku. Anything could set him off, but at the same time I can't just let him think like this. I swallow and try again to reason with him. "Sora, I'm the one who made you give in. I asked you to trust me, and you did."

"At what cost?" He stares at me desperately and from the way he tilts his head I can tell he's looking at my bruise. I bring my hand up to shield it.

"Sora, it was my choice. Please, don't blame yourself for the aftermath of the fight. If I had just trained a little more before the battle, then I probably would have been able to defend myself better." I take his hand quickly before he can say anything else. "We're both here now, we're both alive now. That's all I need to be happy. This is enough." Except it isn't. I've always wanted more, but that's what started this problem in the first place. It's time to be selfless. Riku and Sora need this now. After what they did for me while I was at the hospital I have to return the favor. That's what friends do, and that's what I should have been focused on saving.

People fall in and out of love, but our friendships can last forever. They will last forever, I'll make sure of it.

With these ideas running through my head, I hug Sora to my chest, waiting patiently as he sobs lightly into my shoulder.

All reviews are appreciated. Thanks guys for sticking with me this far.

As for me, just trying to survive school as most of us are. Anyway, enjoy yourselves and have a great weekend!