It is late, I am tired, and I have an early class tomorrow, but I finished the chapter. Go me. Quick side note: do any of you all know of a good free music arrangement software? I have Finale, but it's being a butt. I've heard good things about MuseScore. Any help would be appreciated! :)

It was hard to see Riku like this when he didn't know what he could do to help. He could see the problem and knew in his heart that something was very wrong, but he had now idea of what to do about it. Riku wasn't making it any better by keeping it from him and the others. It drove Sora crazy when he did things like that! It was like charging into battle while intentionally ignoring the resources at your disposal. He didn't understand it. It seemed completely ridiculous and not helpful at all. Why couldn't Riku see that he didn't have to face this alone?

However, he had grown up with Riku, had seen him face different problems and obstacles over the years, and he knew it was more complicated than he made it out to be. Sora knew how hard it could be to get Riku to open up about anything, especially problems. When they were younger, it had been due to a strong sense of pride. Riku wanted to be the one to solve his own problems and prove himself. Now that they were older and had been through so much together, Sora could tell that there was more to it. Riku had become more self-conscious and aware of the consequences of his actions. Yes, the pride was still there, but to a lesser extent than before. It was now more about protecting his friends and saving them from the pain when he took a blow. It was his way of trying to atone for the mess he had made when they had first left Destiny Island so long ago.

This was all very noble and whatnot, but Sora didn't care about the reasoning behind it. He wanted to do something to help. He had never been the kind of person who stayed back and waited for conflict to subside; he needed to get involved, especially if his friends were being affected. Yet here he was, sitting on his butt and doing nothing because he didn't know what was going on. It was so frustrating! Why did Riku have to be like this? Was it really that difficult to explain things?

Even though he was frustrated, Sora was determined to do something. So he did the only thing he could think of: do everything he could to keep Riku from thinking negatively. He would be a shining beacon in Riku's dark world and help lead him to safety, away from the grasp of Ansem.

He had felt pretty confident about his success on that front when he had left Riku's room to go and find Kairi. Riku had been smiling and laughing, something he hadn't been doing much for the past few weeks. That simple display of happiness had sent a rush of guilt through him. How had he not seen that his friend was struggling? He should have noticed that something was wrong much sooner than this.

He pushed the thought away and firmly ignored it. There was no point in focusing on what he couldn't change. The past was in the past, and he didn't have time to worry about it. Right now, he needed to work on what he could do, not what he should have done. Even if it wasn't much, and it wasn't. He had no idea if it was actually helping, but Riku had seemed happier. So he decided that he needed to at least talk to Kairi about it. Maybe, if they put their heads together, they could figure out what else they could do.

That was the hope, anyway. They might not be able to do anything else. But Sora was optimistic and very, very determined, and he knew Kairi was, too. They would find something to help Riku, no matter how small it was.

It was with that thought in mind that he turned around a corner and almost ran headfirst into Kairi. She had been rushing down the corridor, worry clearly written on her face. She skidded to a stop in front of him and tried to gather herself before speaking. "How's Riku doing?"

Sora sighed and ran a hand through his hair, letting his worry show for a moment. "I don't know. I think he's feeling better." He quickly covered up his more pessimistic feelings with a grin. "But I'm sure we can help him. We can figure out how to fix this if we work together!"

He did truly believe that they could get through this together. He knew that Kairi would be on board as well. Now if only they could get Riku to work with them-

"I don't think Riku wants us to help."

"What? Of course he wants us to help! He can't go through this by himself."

Kairi shook her head and smiled gently at Sora's outrage. "You're confusing want with need. We all know that he's going to need help, but he's going to avoid it. That's just how he is. He'll be afraid of hurting us again, especially since Ansem is involved."

Sora stayed silent for a few moments, processing the information. It made sense, but at the same time... "That's so dumb!"

Kairi stared at him in surprise at his outburst before falling into a fit of giggles. It confused him a bit because he didn't know why she was laughing, but it was good to see someone feeling happy. Besides, when Kairi laughed hard enough she snorted, which was hilarious. When the inevitable first snort came, Sora joined in with his own giggles. They laughed together in the hallway for a little while, both of them feeling much better about the situation when their mirth subsided.

When they quieted down, Sora turned back to Kairi. "So what was so funny, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing," Kairi replied with a grin. "Just your reaction, I guess." She started down the hallway, stopping to look back when she realized Sora wasn't following her. "Are you coming?"

"Where?" He called, running to catch up with her.

"Riku's room. Where else?"

Sora looked at her in surprise. "I thought you said he didn't want our help."

"He doesn't. I'm just ignoring that fact." Kairi moved with long, confident strides, her face set with determination.

"What? Why?" Sora quickened his pace so he could walk next to her.

She shot him a grin. "Because you're right: he is being dumb. We have to help him. Doing this by himself would take too much time-"

They both skidded to a halt when what sounded like a loud explosion rumbled through the corridor from the direction they were headed, shaking the walls in it's wake. Sora and Kairi shared an alarmed look before running to the source: Riku's room. "And time is the one thing Riku doesn't have," Kairi finished, panic shining through her voice.

When they burst into the room together, Sora was taken aback by how much had happened in such a short amount of time. Everything was in shambles, the walls were cracked, and the atmosphere felt heavier than it had before. Other than their own heavy breathing, the room was silent and still, which only added to Sora's fears. Why wasn't there any movement? Was Riku okay?

A quick, frantic search answered his question, but it didn't make him feel any better. Riku was lying on his bed, unconscious. Sora had a moment of panic when he thought Riku wasn't breathing, but he calmed down slightly when he noticed the shallow rise and fall of his chest. It was alright. Riku was still alive. That was good. Even though he tried to focus on that small positive, a part of his mind was trying to convince him that this was somehow his fault. He had left too soon, thinking that Riku was doing better. If he had stayed longer, if he had been there…

He pushed those thoughts away as he rushed to Riku's side. Thinking like that would do nothing to help his friend. He was going to be okay. They just had to get him somewhere that they could help him more than they could here. Kairi ran over with him and helped him support Riku's weight as the carried him out of his room towards the infirmary. He was going to be okay. He had to be.