Whispers in the Dark
Chapter 03: Secrets by Sunset

Author's Notes: Apologies. This chapter is not proofread by anyone but me because my beta's kinda busy at the moment, I think. Be prepared for TERRIBLE grammar.

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The real secrets are not the ones I tell.
- Mason Cooley

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Riku could never refuse a challenge, particularly if said challenge involved going toe to toe with Sora.

He was a winner by nature, driven both by the heat of competition and the sweet, addictive high of victory that followed every time. Even if he didn't cross the finish line a winner, he made sure that everyone who faced him remembered how hard they had to grind, how desperate they had to sprint, how fiercely they had to fight to get ahead.

Sora knew this best, competing in everything from wolfing down a meal first to catching butterflies in hand without crushing them. Competing had become such an integral and regular part of their daily interaction that they'd developed a reputation for it.

It wasn't that Riku didn't compete with other people, of course. He welcomed the sight of any misguided person thinking they could run in his league as much as he welcomed the sight of their retreat afterwards. It was just that Sora was the only one who kept coming back. Every time Sora would come around the corner with a new challenge to throw down, it would rekindle the fire inside, burning as fiercely as the first time.

Sora was the only one who changed, who evolved, who returned with an edge just a little sharper, his reaction a bit quicker. Sora was the only one who could almost predict the direction of his swings as they sparred instead of fighting on raw instinct. Sora was the only one who'd raced him enough times to figure out Riku's likely route on the island course.

Sora was the only one who got better. He learned.

For Riku it was all about knowing that he had come out on top in the end. It was knowing, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was the best, if not better than most. It was about being satisfied when someone else had come up short though a small part of him knew that the feeling also shrank his shortcomings and erased creeping doubts, even just for a little while.

Over time, it became an all encompassing, ever pressing need. It was an insatiable frame of mind, a state of being encapsulating everything that he did. It drove him to excel in schoolwork and projects, it drove him to spar with the kids on the island, it even drove him to fight Sora for the affections of the redheaded daughter of the mayor.

Those things never motivated Sora as far as Riku knew. He wasn't that type of person with a different type of motivation. He had a fire all right, but it burned a different color, a different intensity that strengthened rather than repelled his own. Riku couldn't describe it.

It wasn't until now, waiting outside the Science Department's door and debating whether or not to go into the lab that Riku wondered if maybe all this time, it hadn't been about winning for Sora.

Maybe for Sora, it was't that he wanted to win.

Maybe for Riku's other half, it was that he had nothing to lose, and all the friendship to gain.

Every time a competition ended, there was another common story, another inside joke, another shared experience, another strand of memory reinforcing their bonds of friendship. Sora would be discouraged for a time, skulking off by himself to ruminate on defeat, but he would return in no time like, as if nothing had transpired.

That fire he felt when racing against Sora… that same fire must have been the same reason why he was now back in a place he swore never to come back to on sheer principle: Ludwig's lab.

Maybe he was a glutton for punishment? After all, the longer he was around Ludwig, the more he risked coming down with a bad case of stupid.

Still, he just couldn't leave it alone, especially with the way things had ended on such an unsatisfying note before. While the conversation with Ludwig had been unnerving enough on its own, he'd still left the lab believing that he'd come up as the victor in that bout of verbal jujitsu, cold defiance trailing after him like a smoky shadow. When enough time had passed an he had enough time to reflect on the true nature of their encounter and the subjects juggled between them, it had dawned on him with growing irritation that if someone else had been listening in, they wouldn't have known Riku was trying to win at all.

It felt like he and the scientist had gone head to head, challenging each other to a meeting of the minds. It felt like he'd lost.

He was inside the door before he had a real plan, a victim of his own impetuous nature.

Riku hadn't even bothered to utter a hello. There were no formalities, just that insatiable need to find a loophole in his arguments. To find a fault in his logic. Only that would constitute as a win.

"Okay, fine. So let's say we weaken the dark," Riku started. First weapon in the arsenal. First point of interest. He tried to ignore a brief image of Kairi and Sora cheering him on in his mind. "That's all well and good, but that sort of thing is only a temporary solution, isn't it?"

Ludwig, unaffected, waddled over to a table on the other side of the room where piles of papers and notebooks threatened to spill over onto the floor. Riku briefly wondered if Ludwig just wasn't aware of how messy his lab was or if he just didn't care.

As if in response to his thoughts, Ludwig set out the beakers on a counter, spending quite some time clearing the clutter.

"Ze point, my boy, of only reducing the darkness may seem trivial, but to lessen ze darkness means more lives saved does it not? Surely someone of your alignment vould understand such a notion."

"…It's just what you said before," Riku said slowly, "that where there's light, there will always be darkness."

"Vhy yes, I believe I did," Ludwig said, blinking so obliviously that it made Riku shuffle as his irritation, barely detectable, grew a bit in size.

"If that's true, then just because there are good people in the multiverse, there will always be Heartless and Nobodies. It means everything we've been doing is useless. We'll never win."

"Vell, it vould not constitute a vin in ze vay zat you are thinking," he replied, sweeping several rolled up papers and maps under his arm. His vague response left Riku at a loss.

"Let's explain ze way zat ze universe words, shall we?"

Riku shrugged, "Fire away."

Ludwig beamed, glad to have someone to reveal his findings to, "Consider zis… Ze universe is again, a great balance of ze light and ze darkness. Presumably, zat vas how everything vas in ze beginning. Equal parts of chaos and order. Zat is a true state of harmony."

Riku nodded, thankfully finding the explanation a little less winded than his other spiels.

Ludwig moved to another desk, cleared more clutter, and set the papers down. Riku watched as the duck unrolled the documents carefully and spread them flat on the surface of the table. Starmaps similar to the ones that he had been looking over in the gummi ship were revealed before him.

"Ze universe existed in complete balance until some new element, some catalyst, created an imbalance, making light and dark uneven. Vhen ze difference became too large, ze darkness was able to create physical manifestations of itself. And that spells catastrophe for worlds like yours and mine."

Riku nodded again, wondering where he was going with it.

The universe had been at its most peaceful state when everything was even. He could understand the notion, idly drawing parallels with the scientist's words and what had happened to Destiny Islands. Riku's state of harmony was to be with Sora and Kairi. Those days, though filled with restlessness, were also filled with the warmth and hope strong enough to settle in his heart. Back then it had been enough.

Riku nodded, "Catastrophic events… you're talking about the heartless. Something tipped the scale in the beginning. That's why the darkness is outweighing the light. The heartless are here because something happened a long time ago that made the dark a little stronger than the light."

Riku's words slowed near the end, more chilling realization creeping up behind him like familiar phantoms.

Sort of like how Riku had been the catalyst for Destiny Islands. He had tipped the scales himself?

He tried to put his insecurities aside in favor of at least figuring out some questions he still had.

"The catalyst is to blame," Riku encouraged him.

"Correct," Ludwig replied.

"And knowing this harmony stuff is going to help us reduce the heartless how?"

"Every scientific theory, including reducing ze heartless, must come from years of research. So ze more you know about something, ze easier it is for you to find a way to be rid of it."

Riku watched as he opened up another starmap beside the cheery starscape of Destiny Islands. This time it was the dark and barren World that Never Was. It was a stark contrast between the worlds, laid out side by side as if to illustrate the scientists' point. Sunlight. Moonlight. Light. Dark. Where Riku's life began, and where it almost ended.

"And you found it's impossible to get rid of the darkness altogether," Riku concluded. Here they were again. Same argument. Same projected end.

Only this time, Ludwig surprised him by shaking his head, "Oh no, zat's not ze case. Ve certainly discovered a vay. Our methods were effective, only sometimes ze result is… unsatisfactory. But that's a topic for another day."

Woa, wait a minute there, Riku thought. What are you hiding?

He frowned and slowly made his way to the table to stand at Ludwig's side, eyes scanning the maps. He decided to dig deeper, if not just for the fact that he felt the scientist was trying to downplay the importance of his statements.

"Unsatisfactory? I mean if you found a way to get rid of the darkness, why not just use it already?"

"It is quite complicated," Ludwig said.

"I'm a smart kid. Try me."

Riku was surprised when Ludwig hesitated. Before, he'd been practically oblivious to any and all tact. So NOW he was exercising hesitation? This had to be good, Riku thought to himself and crossed his arms again. But even skepticism could not mask his worry or his suspicion.

Ludwig took a deep breath and let loose a rapid fire explanation that went over his head, "Vell, to be rid of ze darkness completely, you must think of ze darkness and light as a spectrum. When one side is eliminated, zen so must the other extreme. One for one. Only zen will ze necessary balance for peace will result."

"Okay. I was just kidding earlier. I don't follow," Riku said flatly. "Try again in slower English."

Hesitation forgotten, Ludwig looked almost too happy to slow down and explain on a simpler level. Riku felt like he was in school again.

"Vell, let's look at the dark and light as shades of grey, shall ve?" Ludwig took several pens from an open drawer and set them down next to each other on the table, ordering from lightest to dark. "Most see ze darkness and light as two opposing sides. But zat isn't true. Ze truth is zat zey are like steps in a black and vhite ladder zat goes from lightest to dark. In a spectrum, if you will. It begins with vhite…"

Ludwig placed his finger at the beginning of the line of pens, at the whitest, "…and ze colors gradually become grey the closer they get to ze black. Zat is the nature of a world. Zat is the nature of everything." His finger trailed all the way to the other end where a black marker ended the line of pens.

" At one end you have pure vhite and at ze other end zere is only pure black. Again, Ze universe is like zis! Vhen you vant to get rid of either ze right or ze left extremes, you have to take off zem both."

Ludwig snatched the farthest pens on both ends, black on the right and white on the left, representing the removal of light and dark.

"Even when you take away these two, ze greys would remain untouched. Hence, there is perfect balance."

"So, in a world with blacks, greys and whites… if I want peace, I have to get rid of pure white and black. You can't just take away one or the other, it has to be both." Riku nodded. He was calling pure light and pure dark extremes. It made sense.

"Ze universe finds harmony in moderation. An extreme vhite or black in any form causes conflict by its very nature. Alone, extremes are unpredictable, zey cause imbalance. Fighting against each other, it is even vorse. Zey cause var and strife of all kinds. Catastrophic in some cases," Ludwig's eyes shined, explaining almost as if this was good news to be had.

Riku wasincredulous. Why do you sound proud of that!?

Still, he let the information sink in. The suspicion burrowing its way into his chest was still there.

Pure light and pure darkness was the problem with the universe? That was a first. It was a done deal that the heartless had to go, but he was saying that pure light was a problem too. How could an extreme of light, what he perceived as goodness, hope and purity, really be a detriment to the multiverse?

He scratched his head, agitated. Once he was done looking at Ludwig like he was a few cards short of a deck, he placed one hand on the map of Destiny Islands and the other on the map of The World That Never Was, fingers brushing the crisp, yellowed paper, "And these?"

"Examples of extremes of course. Ze black and ze vhite. The two pens at each end."

Riku nodded, quiet again for a moment, "These maps are examples of worlds of light… and worlds of darkness?"

When Ludwig nodded, Riku looked alarmed. It struck him suddenly, "But if you use this method, if you take the black and white pens, these worlds disappear? When the dark's gone, my world is too? What happens to people on it?"

Ludwig was about to reply, but Riku beat him to the punch, voicing his suspicions. Riku was surprised with how well he controlled the tone of his voice. At worst, he sounded unimpressed, but his thoughts were far from friendly,

"What about Sora and Kairi, do they disappear too? Destiny Islands is just one of a hundred worlds of light. You've been shoving your nose into my life, and you're saying the only way you've found so far save people is to wipe me and my friends out?"

If it was just Riku alone being sacrificed for peace of the universe, Riku wouldn't have even blinked. He would have just bowed his head and marched death row like a dead man. But Kairi and Sora were at stake too, and that was unacceptable.

"Vell, it vas only for visual purposes. Destiny Islands, by all means is not pure light." He admitted.

Riku's confusion overshadowed his relief. Worlds didn't get any lighter than Destiny Islands. Most others in retrospect were pretty bleak.

"Let me correct myself. Destiny Islands is light, but not only light. Ze vorld of Destiny Islands is filled vith a large cast of characters ranging of both lights and lesser dark. It is varied. Destiny Islands has some greys here and zere." Ludwig explained, "You and ze princess for example. You two haff nothing to vorry about. You two are not part of ze extremes due to your travels and origins. You have pieces of both light and dark, hence you have become a greys in a wide range of many other greys. Everything from your personality to your intentions place you more towards ze middle of the spectrum. Both of you are safe."

"Me and Kairi are greys," said Riku, sensing a second part to his explanation. "Um… you do know that Kairi's a Princess of Heart? As in pure of heart, filled with light, honest to goodness not-grey Princess of Heart? She's like one of the purest people I know. How can she be anything but light?"

"All vill be explained in due time," Ludwig assured him. "Let us just assume due to certain circumstances, she is considered a grey."

Riku had his hands on his hips, visibly irritated. Following this line of argumentation would veer them off the main track, "Whatever, whatever. Fine. So me and Kairi are in the middle. Fantastic. What is all that stuff supposed to mean?"

"It means vhat vould end up disappearing vould only be one element composed of one or more extremes. Zere is only one thing that would classify as an extreme of ze light."

"Just one?" Riku raised an eyebrow and narrowly resisted shaking his head at the doctor. He instead turned to the starmaps, placing light fingers on the surface of the paper. A tiny voice wished that he, Sora and Kairi were home.

"Just one pure element of light."

"What exactly could…" Riku's words died on his lips. A chill rose up from his spine as he unconsciously pressed down with his palms on the starmap of Destiny Islands, slightly wrinkling the fragile paper under panicked fingers.

Not what. Who.

Riku turned, eyes narrowing as he turned back towards Ludwig. His fingers carelessly brushed the maps and the image of Destiny Island came fluttering gently to the ground at their feet, "No."

Ludwig only responded with a look of sympathy.

Riku shook his head again and pointed, "Not happening."

Ludwig nodded. "Luckily zere is still time. Ve can still find alternate vays."

Riku was hardly appeased. In fact, he was clearly disturbed by the idea. It was hard not to be mad at Ludwig, but Riku had more common sense than people gave him credit for. He knew his anger was directed at someone trying to solve the problem, not make it worse. To release the tension, he raised his fingers to massage his temple. He felt a headache coming on.

Riku exhaled, "First of all, you need to get your facts straight. He isn't all light. He's like me. We have parts of… of everything. He's got parts of the organization and Roxas and we've been through everything in the dark. We're the same. If I'm somewhere in the middle grey, then he's the grey at the dead center. He isn't an extreme light. That's the most ridiculous… it's stupid."

Ludwig gathered the fallen starmap in his hands, setting it back on the table, "You are right, your friend isn't only light. But like any other scientific problem, you must learn everything you can of ze subject. Otherwise, only parts of your theory vill be correct."

Research the subject? Um, hello, I'm his best friend?

"I know Sora," Riku insisted.

When Ludwig surveyed the spark of defiance and blind faith in his friend, Ludwig only shook his head and conceded the argument. Riku could read his thoughts, 'There would be no convincing this one.' The duck patted his arm again and smiled, "Ve vill find another vay."

Riku wasn't sure how long he spent thinking to himself. It was a lot to absorb at once. He wanted to believe so badly that there was a way to be rid of the darkness for good.

But from what he was saying, there was no way. The only way to win in the sense that he'd fought so long for, would be for Riku to say good-bye to a dear friend. If he wanted to destroy the darkness, he'd have to let the very hope of the universe disappear with it. Which was wrong because the theory incorrectly classified Sora as an extreme.

Besides, what proof was there that this theory had any validity? Where was the concrete evidence that any of this was true and not just the speculations of a madman with an inclination to blow up obscure parts of the castle? If there was, he had yet to show it. It was all just assumptions and half-truths that didn't mean much in the long run.

It was a good thing that he was seeking other methods. Otherwise, Riku was likely to say some things he knew for sure would start a world war if this duck was royalty.

That was the last thing he needed right now.

A slight movement caught his eye.

At the other end of the room, sat a beaker filled with a murky green substance. While the beaker itself wasn't suspect, its position dangerously close to the edge was. By the time that he turned his full attention to it, it was already teetering off the edge and sliding off.

Ludwig followed his eyes and just barely let out a, "Oh dear me." before a loud poof erupted. It hit the floor and suddenly there was smoke and wood chips everywhere. The room trembled from the pseudo-explosion. For something that packed less punch than the previous blast, it sure did made his ears ring from the noise.

Riku scrambled out of the room with Ludwig, black smoke billowing from the doorway they escaped out of. Riku came out of the room unhindered, but Ludwig had the misfortune of running into someone only a few steps out of his lab. When Riku turned back, he saw Ludwig being stared down by a furious looking chicken. Riku was just far enough so he wasn't breathing in the giant cloud of black, but still wisely situated out of reach of this new, angry looking character.

"Ludwig Von Drake!!" the chicken squawked, looking into the charred doorway and then into the messy hall where pieces of furniture, floor and ceiling had been scattered in both explosions. She had her hands on her hips, feathers puffed and ruffled in agitation. Just behind her, several equally livid musicians held broken violins.

"Clara Cluck!" He chuckled and pulled at his black necktie nervously. "Vhat a pleasure it iz to see you!... Vhat brings you here?"

By now the chicken, whose eyes were dangerous slits, was already advancing on the duck, "You've disrupted our sessions for the last time."

"It is all for a good cause you know," Ludwig said, hands up in defense. Even as he spoke, he was inching backwards, anticipating a quick escape. Clara Cluck and her entourage of musicians were wise to his tactics and circled around him.

"I'll show you good cause!" Clara squawked and they all took off running at the same time into a nearby room. Riku blinked when he thought he felt a change in the rhythm of the world around him. The air seemed to beat quicker as crashing was heard inside the chambers where they'd run off to.

Riku only shook his head. This must have been why Disney Castle was one of Sora's favorite worlds. Only people like Sora and Kairi could love a place like this.

He straightened his jacket and moved further down the hall with a light cough, deciding to leave the crazy cast of characters to their own devices. Besides, he had more important things to think about. Struck with the inexplicable need to be around the people he cared about, he shadowed away into the winding halls of the castle in search of his friend.

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The great thing about Sora was that even if things got a little chaotic, he could quickly remedy the situation in his own unique way. Never mind the fact that half the time, things were chaotic because of him. His presence was a force of change in itself. Wherever he went, things were irreversibly changed for better or for worse. Things never went according to plan and it was purely by talent, sheer stubbornness and (when the occasion called for it) the flinging of sharp objects that generally hurt on impact that Clarabelle Cow was able to keep things from going south.

As Clarabelle marked off a few notes onto her cluttered To Do List, she wondered if it had anything at all to do with the fact that the boy was a Keyblade master. He was an appointed hero of worlds and experienced traveler of realities.

By some ironic twist of fate, he also was the type of person who could never sit back and watch, even if the cardinal rule of world-walking was never to meddle in the affairs of others. It was like throwing a six year old into a room filled with buttons and telling him not to touch anything.

Oh she'd heard rumors of his exploits. She'd pried the real stories out of those involved every time. That was her job, in fact, as a gossip columnist. She not only to use the words from their lips, read between the lines, and tell the story that they DIDN'T. The Daily Boggle, Disney Kingdom's most circulated newspaper, reached the thousands of residents within the Kingdom and she prided herself on maintaining the article's popularity to earn a consistent space on the second page.

Before the invasion of the heartless, the existence of other worlds had been kept a strict secret. No one outside of the Enchanted Kingdom's highest minds knew other worlds existed. Since the heartless had laid siege to the castle, awareness of entities outside of their realm spread. She had free reign upon the speculation of other worlds. She chased the most engrossing stories like a starving hound.

For a while, the gossip column revolved around the coming and goings of the Narnians, animal counterparts visiting from a parallel world. Now, it just so happened that the most riveting pieces of gossip came from the young boy looking over her shoulder her clipboard.

Today, she wasn't a gossip columnist. Today, she was an organizer, and a first-rate one at that.

She'd made it her personal agenda to make this upcoming party the event of the season, one they would remember for years to come. Or at least spark enough connections to earn a discount at the local beauty salon.

Was it wise to have the catalyst for chaos at her side?

She knew that Sora had absolutely nothing to do with fact that the chefs in the kitchen were falling behind schedule in the catering, that the reservations were completely disorganized and that the band was slacking off in their practice (something about mad scientists)… but she couldn't help but think that Sora was a determining factor in the chaos. None of these things had happened except when Sora was present.

In the ten years that she'd mastered the art of Party Hosting, this had been the first time that she'd been blindsided by so many setbacks. The party she'd been organizing for the better part of a year was in a mere week, and things were far from prepared. The only conceivable difference from all the other parties was Sora's presence, so was it really odd that she would make a connection?

To his credit, though, he was a very good errand boy. Things were quickly fixed when she sent him on any runs through the castle.

(It helped he could fly. That had been mentioned in the gossip column once or twice too.)

And boy would things be interesting with the three main subjects of her gossip column walking and talking amongst the party guests. Every moment with the Destiny Trio was gold. She could feel all the articles she wanted to write practically typing themselves in her mind.

Speak of the devil! She thought as the familiar sound of feminine giggling filtered in from the corridor outside. Both Sora and Clarabelle turned in time to see Kairi amble into the guestroom. She raised her head to reveal a charming smile that drew Sora and Clarabelle like a moth to flame. Even her dress today, though a simple purple design with frills at the hem of the dress, accented her figure and made her glow.

Max's older cousin, Debby Goof, must have given it to her earlier that morning. The Goof had made herself personally responsible for the care of the three children. Clarabelle internally complemented her fellow resident on her good taste. Sora was at Kairi's side even before Clarabelle could return the girl's smile and say hello.

"My, if it isn't Lady Kairi," she said and set her hooves on her hips, clipboard in the other hand. She was glad to see the young princess so lively. "What brings you here so early in the morning?"

Kairi came closer to Clarabelle beside the wooden desk where the rest of her paperwork sat. Within Kairi's arms was a black ball of fur that Clarabelle instantly recognized as Figaro the cat. Shortly after, Sora moved in to spoil the kitten rotten with attention. He had found the sweet spot behind the kitten's ears, an action that Figaro rewarded with obnoxiously loud purring.

Kairi shifted her weight on one leg, "This little thing almost knocked over the fish bowl in our room. I woke up right away."

Clarabelle laughed. "That must be Cleo."

"The cat's name is Cleo?"

"No, the fish." Clarabelle supplied. "They're sweethearts, but they weren't always. Back then, we had to hide Cleo in the guestroom because Figaro kept getting into all the other rooms trying to get at her."

Clarabelle leaned over and said in a lower voice, "The usual finicky business with cats and fishes, you know."

Clarabelle stood straight again and then continued, "He couldn't get past our defenses for a time. One day when we realized Figaro had found her, we came to see him with his face against the glass and not in the water. Cleo must have been a darling to Figaro because now he adores her."

Kairi stared, open mouthed and amazed. And then, with no change in expression save for a slight redness to her cheeks, she mumbled, "Oh, that's cute."

Sora was half leaning over and scratching beneath the kitten's collar when Figaro clawed at his uniform and made a quick lick at Sora's face before he could pull it away. Sora backed away, wiping his nose with an amused expression. Kairi hugged the kitten tighter and placed an affectionate kiss atop its head.

After, it swiped playfully at Kairi's necklace until Sora stole its attention again. She paid it no mind.

"I just want to hug him to death," Kairi said and Sora nodded understandingly as the kitten took to licking his fingers. "Pack him in a suitcase and steal him when I go."

"Her Majesty the Queen is awful attached to Figaro," Clarabelle said.

Kairi nodded, "Yeah, well… Dad never lets me keep any pets anyway."

Sora nodded understandingly, an action that made Kairi remember all the times they'd tried to hide a pet in his house. His mother had refused to let anything into the house with fur, feathers, scales , let alone anything that walked on more than two legs.

Puppies, Sora's apparent pet of choice, were ruled out by two of those restrictions. Despite Sora's adamant pleading to get one, his mother had not relinquished her tyrannical stance, not even when Sora had returned from his absence. Not even when he had gained a bizarre and slightly alarming ability to attract dogs from the neighborhood and birds from the pond, each with a strange tendency to neatly following him in a line. (Every time he was asked, Kairi watched him just shrug it off and say, "Maybe they know friends of mine.")

"How's everything going?" Kairi wondered when she noticed the clipboard.

Clarabelle's eyes lit up and the cowbell around her neck jingled in response to her sudden movements. She narrowed her eyes, shifting side to side as if to watch for eavesdroppers.

Kairi waited for her to come up for breath sometime in the middle of her rant, but she never did. Beside her, Sora was counting how many commas she could toss into the sentence before she ended them.

"Well, if you really want to know the down and dirty, Clara Cluck's been raving mad about Ludwig and the instrument incident, which, in case you haven't heard, I'll discuss with you later. She's been holding her temper for a good long while, so he's had it long and coming. Since then, Ludwig hasn't been near his lab and the minstrel's gallery is in shambles, plus, Horace Horsecollar's been up in arms in laughter, but he hasn't exactly been on Ms. Cluck's good side, if you catch my meaning. Just the other day-"

"I mean how's the party going?" Kairi asked, and looked confused when Sora showed her his hand. 5 commas.

Clarabelle corrected herself, standing straight again and clearing her throat. She probably hadn't even realized she'd been speaking an octave lower than her usual droll, "Ahem, it's going quite fine and dandy," she said. "Sora's been lending me a hand."

Sora grinned at the mention.

"Bit behind schedule though, so help is certainly appreciated." Clarabelle gave a pat on Sora's head.

"Want help?" Kairi wondered, settling Figaro in her arms more comfortably when he twisted into an odd position. He mewed in protest when Kairi almost set him down onto the floor. "Okay, okay."

Clarabelle waved away her offer as Kairi brought Figaro back into her arms. The kitten stopped struggling once back with her. "That's quite all right dear. I'm quite the connoisseur when it comes to class and all that it entails. There is no party like a party organized by yours truly."

Was Clarabelle posing?

The door opened behind them and the trio turned to see who it was. A young woman that Sora recognized but Kairi didn't came into the room with several pieces of folded paper carefully grasped in her hands. Her features were mild-mannered and the color of her eyes and short, cropped hair very closely matched the earthy browns of her dress. Her attire stopped just below her knees and she had to make sure that the tail end of her dress wasn't caught in the door as she closed it.

"They're finished!" the newcomer said and held out what looked to be several invitation cards, each one with an intricate design that differed from the other. One card had swirling accents of gold while the others were written in silver or blue ink. "I haven't looked over most of it, but these are the results."

Clarabelle clasped her hands together, "Roxanne, darling, have I ever told you what a lifesaver you are?"

"More than once?" Roxanne asked and peered around the guestroom as if searching for something, "Have you seen Max?"

Roxanne seemed slightly disappointed when Clarabelle shook her head. She hadn't seen the smaller Goof since earlier that morning. Clarabelle's voice was syrupy sweet as she teased, "Looking to spend some quality time with the Captain's son?"

Roxanne clapped her hands over her cheeks and shook her head.

Clarabelle took the invitations and opened them all one by one, inspecting them for quality. Her eyes widened and then narrowed, filled with anger, "Lord, Roxanne those printers are going to be the end of me. Look here, Roxanne, at the bottom right. 'His Makesty the Hing.' His Makesty! Oh, Roxanne, I hope you go back down to the printers and make them fix it before I go down and toast them over an open fire-"

Kairi and Sora looked at each other. The kitten between them looked up and mewed in confusion.

Roxanne came beside Clarabelle as her melodramatic ranting continued and examined the invitation more closely to find the source of the complaint. She pursed her lips and shook her head. "I knew I should have supervised."

"-roast them on a spit and serve them for dinner-"

The sound of the cowbell ringing around Clarabelle's neck as she made threatening chopping motions prompted Roxanne to say, "I guess I'll go fix it then."

"-week! A week and they're still trying to give me a heart attack. I'll likely keel over before the festival-"

Sora patted Kairi's arm and moved away. He came up beside Roxanne with an open hand. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "You up for a small errand?"

The room seemed brighter as Sora excitedly and ran over to the windows in response, unlocking one and then pulling them completely open until a slight breeze was coming into the room. Kairi was confused, but Roxanne must have understood what it meant because the gesture seemed to make her smile.

Kairi noticed it now that the curtains were moved aside, that on the tower on the other side of the castle was another open window. What she suspected was the printers room was all the way on the other side of the castle, connected by a long stretch of roof quite a distance below.

They all watched as Roxanne took a piece of paper from the desk and a quill from atop a stack of paperwork and scratched several words into the paper. She dotted the final sentence, humming a musical note, and then handed it to Sora half-folded.

"Give this to them and they'll fix everything. Promise." Roxanne said. Then, after a moment of thought, she quickly ran towards the window, pushing one side open wider.

Kairi made a small, "Oh!" as Sora made a running start towards the open window.

Before she even knew enough to try and stop him, Sora was already leaping out the window like a madman, and falling out of sight. Kairi was at Roxanne's side in an instant, leaning out the window with Figaro securely in her other arm, and watching Sora leap from tower to tower over dangerous heights. Several times, he caught a draft and used one of his infamous gliding abilities to cross the distance, and then he made her heart skip a beat as he fell. Just one quick extension of his arm and Sora would grab a flagpole or a stone jutting out of the wall, and his fall would be broken.

It only took a mere minute and he was on the other side of the castle, knocking on the window of the other tower as he balanced on an overhang. He was almost as small as a pea from her perspective. The printers' window opened and he slipped inside with the note.

"I love it when he does that," Roxanne said and Kairi just stared as the young woman straightened her skirt and proceeded to the door with the bad invitations. "I'd better get over to the printers."

"I thought you took care of it with that note?" Kairi wondered.

"No. It just says to wait for me before they do anything. I just wanted to watch him fly," she said with a sweet laugh and slipped out of the room humming the same tune that everyone on the world seemed to inherently know.

Clarabelle, who had instantly lost her anger to affection for Roxanne, "She's a good girl. She's good for Maxie."

Kairi turned to Clarabelle, Figaro swayed with her motions and mewed, "They're…?"

Clarabelle laughed and waved a hoof, "Don't be silly! Maxie's too wrapped up in trying to catch Mona's fancy that Roxanne only watches from afar. She's had a liking for him since they were children and it would be the most gossip-worthy news if only they'd just be the childhood sweethearts they should be. They look so pretty together."

"Well, just because they look cute together doesn't mean they're meant for each other. Why doesn't Maxie… um… I mean, why doesn't Max like Roxanne?" Kairi wondered.

"It's not so much the knight in shining armor so much as it's the damsel this time. Roxanne doesn't try to stand out to the boy. Because that's the way it is with all the sweet girls," Clarabelle answered. "They deserve more than they get, but they usually don't say much about it. Sometimes the people closest to us can be the most dense. Sometimes the ones we care about are the ones who just. Don't. Get. It. "

"Mmm…" Kairi said noncommittally.

Clarabelle marked off other notes on her clipboard, but she was peering at Kairi from the side. "You must know how that goes."

Kairi almost dropped Figaro. The kitten let out a mew of distress, trying to situate himself back into a comfortable position in Kairi's arms. "Wait, what?"

"Oh nothing. How have things been with the young sir?"

"The who?" Kairi said, finally composing herself.

"Why Sora, of course. You came a long way to see him," Clarabelle said and Kairi detected the slightest amount of eagerness hidden by false apathy. She was trying not to look interested, but all signs pointed to her dying to know even the slightest tidbit about the two. After all, wouldn't that be something if there was romantic tension between the Keyblade Master and the Princess of Heart. It was downright fairytale.

"Of course. He's my best friend," Kairi frowned.

"Just best friends?" Clarabelle fished. "You're two peas in a pod. Birds of a feather. You two match so well, I could write an entire column on it."

"Please don't," Kairi laughed nervously. "My love life isn't as exciting as everyone makes it out to be."

"Please, you probably know everything from his favorite food to his favorite color," Clarabelle insisted and Kairi's cheeks turned a rosy pink when the words 'Ice Cream' and 'Sky-Blue' came to mind as soon as Clarabelle finished.

"Again, he's my best friend. It'd be silly if I didn't know those things about him," she said. "Sora would know what mine and Riku's favorite color and food are for sure."

Clarabelle tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Well he can't say much of anything right now."

It wasn't until Kairi frowned that Clarabelle realized she might have been being insensitive and she waved her hooves in front of her defensively. "I don't mean to be cruel. I'm sure his voice will come back. Maybe he just needs time."

"Of course it will." Kairi sighed, moving to the window. She reached out and touched the material of the curtains. They felt good on her fingers. "I just… wish I knew what happened."

Clarabelle leaned forward and whispered behind a hoof, "Well, you, me and half the castle honey. We'd all like to know what happened with all that fuss they made and whatnot."

Kairi turned slowly, and looked up at her, "What?"

"Why, the great commotion they made when they took Sora back to the castle. Haven't you heard?"

Kairi shook her head. This was news to her.

"Well, here's the short of it, though truth be told I can never really just summarize things," she finished, but hesitation filled her features. It was genuine this time, as if she feared that what she had to say wasn't suitable for the princess. Inside, there was a twinge of disapproval and Kairi made it her mission to get everything out in the open if not just on principle that people should stop tip toeing around her. She could take whatever they could throw at her and then some.

"Could you do that for me?" Kairi wondered. She wondered if she'd have to use the puppy eyes. It would be a force to be reckoned with, particularly if she was holding a kitten. Cute begets cute.

Clarabelle relinquished graciously, "Well all right! But only because you're a sweetheart."

Clarabelle cleared her throat, "Well… if you recall a while back, Sora came to the castle not too long ago to see the King about this whole 'getting rid of the heartless' matter. All was quiet on the front, quiet before the storm and all. But as usual, things are never quiet for long. Next thing you know, they're going on another epic quest for the history books. Queen Minnie spills to me that they're jumping worlds again, saving this and that and the usual business that comes with being a hero," Clarabelle explained.

Kairi slowly grew more concerned with every word.

"And here's where things get eerie. One night, the four don't come home at all. They're missing for days on end and Queen Minnie says nothing but you can tell she's on edge. And when the Captain and the mage come home with Sora and the King, all of a sudden, they lock themselves inside certain parts of the castle and no one hears from them for a week. Isn't that odd?"

"That… is weird. Did you ever find out?"

"What? You mean why they went missing in action? Or why they were locked in the east wing?"

"Both," Kairi replied.

Clarabelle sighed, crossing her arms, "Well, as much of a sleuth and mind reader I pride myself on being, I wasn't able to gleam so much as a smidgeon of information. I didn't even get a morsel of gossip from those that were there. Not Roxanne, not Maxie, not the Captain, the court mage or even the King or Sora." She pouted. "Do you know how nerve-wracking it is to only have enough material for a sub-par column? Monday's column was muck. It wasn't my best work."

She patted Figaro restlessly, "Ah… I'm a little bit more worried about my friend right now."

"Ah? Oh yes. Forgive me, darling, I get carried away at times. Should I not have told you then?" she wondered. "It will make your pretty little head spin with worry."

Kairi shook her head, "No, I'm glad you told me. Me and Riku have been in the dark lately and no one wants to tell us anything. Not even King Mickey or Donald or Goofy."

"That is surprising. Usually Captain Goofy is my frontline informant. He usually spills everything I need to know purely by accident."

Kairi exhaled slowly, "You're the first person that's actually let us know even a little bit about what happened. Riku asked King Mickey once, and he couldn't say anything. I bet Sora asked King Mickey not to tell us," she said, though her next words were half to herself. "It's like Karma for Riku. Only this time, I'm not allowed to know what happened either. Was it really that bad when they came home?"

"Well it's just that I hear my story from the girls and their point of view was… rather limited. The servants would pass by the locked chambers and press their ears against the door. My idea. Brilliant, really. And when they did, they could just barely hear all this racket going on behind closed doors. The residents downstairs supposedly heard all this yelling and all this furniture being broken," she explained and leaned in before she continued, "And the King set curfew for all the residents of the castle. He hasn't set curfew since the heartless invaded our walls. No one's seen any heartless, mind you, but they have heard people running back and forth in the halls outside their door, and shadows moving around in their rooms at night."

Kairi placed a worried hand over her lips, "Could be just rumors."

"Maybe, darling. Maybe." She paused, and then whispered in a way that gave Kairi the chills. "But maybe not."

She knew Clarabelle was just excited to gossip, but Kairi could feel the conversation moving towards a tone and subject that was making her uncomfortable. On the one hand, she wanted desperately to know what happened to Sora. On the other hand, she disliked the way she was using Sora's ordeal as the most popular buzz for the rumor mill.

"Does the King still enforce curfew?"

Clarabelle shook her head. "That's been done away with, honey. Now we can move about as late as we want."

Kairi looked confused, "Since when?"

And a tiny alarm went off in Kairi's head when Clarabelle replied, "Now that I think of it, since you two came."

The news was startling and her feet itched. She wanted to get out of the room. It had taken an inexplicable turn for the stuffy, and she found it hard to breathe despite the open window on the other side billowing fresh air into the room.

So this was part of the reason why everyone was so tight lipped around them. They mostly didn't know anything, save for secondhand experiences that left them to speculate things on their own. Hardly foundation firm enough to figure out anything themselves.

Still, what she'd learned felt important somehow, like the clues of what to do next were sitting in a pile of useless information. They were staring her right in the face, beckoning her to sift through everything and find it. Maybe she just needed someone to talk it out with. One person came to mind, and it certainly wasn't Sora.

She bit her bottom lip. And… maybe she also wanted someone to talk to because … she could feel the cold flicker of fear making its way up to her throat.

She swallowed the feeling as if it were something tangible and quickly excused herself, hugging Figaro close to her as she went.

---

Riku stared at the rainbow pile of muck that was his meal and poked it with his fork, wondering if it would break into song any time soon. He wouldn't be surprised, especially after his spoon had done so only moments before.

The moment he'd sat down to eat the absurdly colorful meal, the spoon had come alive in his startled fingers, spouting rhythmic sonnets and poorly formed limericks aimed to give him good cheer.

To his horror, even attempts to silence the spoon by shoving it into his food was met with loud gurgling and odd stares.

At least Riku was a quick learner. On his second trip to the cafeteria, he had banged each utensil on the counter before using them, avoiding the ones that insulted him for the offense.

Talking knives were probably bad company anyway.

Once he was sure that none of his eating utensils could rebuke him for his bad mood, it was back to the table in the corner to ruminate by himself. It was only when he was sitting in front of his tray again that he sighed, his gloomy thoughts already seeming to have stifled the hunger pangs.

It was the third time in two days that Mickey had refused to divulge anything on the matter of Sora. He wasn't sure at the time what he expected after being rejected twice, but he certainly hadn't expected a simple shake of the head before he was dismissed. Riku didn't put up much of a fight before he left.

Ironic, how he couldn't hold Mickey in rebuke for holding secrets. Not when he'd done the same for Riku once.

If Mickey was anything, he was reliable. Things told in his confidence stayed in his confidence. He knew he could confide in the King about anything from his present concerns to his past fears. If he so much as hinted that he wanted the King keep all of it confidential, no one aside from them would know.

Back when he, Sora and Kairi were they were still chasing each other around the multiverse, trying not to get roped into the schemes of Organization XIII, he hadn't wanted Sora to see him in Ansem's form. He just wasn't ready for Sora to see him like that yet. He hadn't been able to accept the image of the dark-skinned man in the mirror, so how was Sora supposed to be able to do just that?

Riku stabbed the lifeless fork into his plate of food. He had justified his actions back then, and it had seemed right.

Now that it was being done to him? Well, it left him feeling hurt and offended and all kinds of wrong. Riku knew that this must have been one ironic orchestration of the universe to turn his own karma back on him. It wasn't Sora in the dark, now he was walking the universe blind and wishing more than anything that he wasn't. Mickey wouldn't tell him what was wrong with Sora, no matter how much he pestered the king.

At times, he felt irritated towards Mickey and Riku lashed out unconsciously in tiny ways: clipped words, pursed lips and short-lived accusing glances. Mickey certainly seemed guilty for it until Riku's softer side got the better of him and Riku's small acts of accusation ceased. After all, Mickey had done him this same favor once upon a time, so pressuring the King would only put them both in a place they didin't want to be.

Even if he wanted to press the King for answers, he couldn't. Not for a while, anyway.

The mouse-eared monarch was going to be occupied all afternoon with kingly duties of his own. Mickey's schedule was packed with appointment after appointment with the townspeople, each eager to get even a few minutes audience with their leader. The long queue of people trailed outside the castle gates was evidence of his popularity with the people. One by one, each of the waiting citizens would be ushered into the castle to voice their own respective problems. It was an open session of sorts, one he remembered vaguely hearing about in old myths and dated storybooks. It left little time for Riku to spend with the King, and that meant that the little demons of his past would be banging around inside of his head again.

Not that he could blame Mickey for prioritizing the kingdom over killing time with Riku. Things were hectic, especially with the Kingdom's yearly celebration being organized at very nearly the same time this. Festival of Star-something-or-other.

If that weren't enough to give him a full schedule, he more recently confided in Riku that he was very close to departing on an off world mission later in the week, apparently one of the utmost importance.

He would have killed to have someone to talk to at the moment, though. Some small part of him even considered going back to the cafeteria and retrieving the Sonnet Spoon so he could listen and not have to think anymore.

Luckily, the powers above must have heard his prayers, because just before he resorted to cutlery for company, the one person he could count on to have good timing made herself known.

She came bursting into the Great Hall earlier, breathless from a half-sprint. She came in a whirlwind of red and purple and hints of black, though the latter was from the cat fur that speckled her dress. That was easily remedied when Riku carefully wiped off of her once she was within reach. Kairi was completely unconcerned by it and moved away his hands.

She leaned forward just as he settled back on his place at the bench. She had planted her palms on the surface of the wooden table as he raised an eyebrow. Her words were short and to the point, "Heard some things. Can I talk to you?"

Riku didn't hesitate to stand up again. "Yeah."

"Come on, let's go somewhere."

Riku dumped his food and abandoned his tray as quickly as possible and together they shadowed away into the long corridor outside the Great Hall until they found a more secluded spot in an alcove just far away enough from the main corridor that their voices didn't carry. Two large sandstone pillars on either side were massive enough to hide them from the eyes of any passerby. Once Riku was sure they had their privacy, Riku dutifully found a suitable section of wall to lean against beside a window and Kairi move close enough so that her whispers could still be understood.

Kairi's explanation of Clarabelle's findings was short, sweet and to the point, characteristic of the girl in front of her. Riku listened intently, nodding occasionally, but not showing any other change in seriousness or mood.

Finally, when Kairi trailed off with the last bits of information, Riku's expression was decidedly grim. He thanked her and then crossed his arms, looking contemplative.

Kairi took the initiative. "What's on your mind?"

It was her subtle way of asking, 'What do we do now?'

Riku took some time to think, tapping his chin. To her credit, she was patient and withstood the length of his silence with ease.

"It's good we finally get a piece of it," Riku said finally, "but to help Sora, that's not much to go on."

"Isn't it?" she agreed. She had hoped Riku would pull sense out of the mess, but it was apparent that more discussion was in order.

She shifted her gaze, thinking back to the time that she had first come upon Riku in the Great Hall. Now that she was in front of him, she realized that his posture was worse than usual and his eyes were more inclined to scan the distance rather than to focus on her. He must have already been in an unhappy mood by the time she came to him. She knew this look on him and easily identified it as disappointment.

"Did you ask…?"

Riku pressed a finger to his temple, a sure sign that she'd been right. It was also apparent she'd touched a sore spot. "I did. Mickey isn't going to tell me anything. Looks like he promised Sora."

"Probably."

Riku shook his head. So stupid.

"When it comes to keeping quiet, the king's good on his word. At this rate, the real story's gonna come from somebody else," Riku surmised. Kairi approved of the idea, but found it considerably less appealing when she couldn't think of a sensible way to go about it. Most of their attempts to get Sora to talk were met with failure and creative ways to wordlessly change the subject. These types of secrets weren't topics that came up casually in conversation.

Her face lightened considerably as a thought came to her.

"We could lock him in a closet 'til he gives up," Kairi said, surprising Riku with a bit of good humor.

"Sora or the King?"

"If it's a really small closet, both," Kairi replied just as quick. "But we'd have to use duct tape instead of locks. They have built in keys."

Her face and her voice had been so serious that Riku couldn't hold back a small laugh.

"Yeah, right. Getting answers straight from the source is too convenient." A trace of humor remained, but Riku's voice grew softer as he looked down the corridor, "I don't know if he's ready yet."

From the look on his face, Kairi could see he still harbored a small piece of hope that Sora would find a way to communicate on his own, even just in part. After the note they'd found in the library it was become increasingly more clear that it he wasn't going to relinquish on his own. Maybe because he couldn't.

Sora had never kept secrets from them before. From the time they met until now, he'd always shared his own personal insight and feelings as easily as he had shared with them the contents of his lunch. The secrecy was so uncharacteristic of him, that in the back of his mind, Riku wondered if he was being forced to keep the secret.

Was someone or something holding him back?

"There's always Max or Roxanne," Kairi said, remembering the very short list of people that Clarabelle unintentionally given. "King's lips are sealed. Goofy and Donald are too close to him. I don't know Debby all that well… so maybe those two. They're reasonably… well, they're reasonable."

Riku thought for a moment, "It's a start…" and then slipped past her without another word. He moved down the hall and Kairi kept behind him like a shadow.

He never felt Kairi's eyes trailed up and down his form, marveling at his composure. She hoped in her own mind that she seemed just as together. Her gaze slid down his sculpted arm and stopped on his hand. Then on his fingers.

And she couldn't stop the feeling that they looked too lonely.

She increased her pace just barely enough so that she was walking more alongside him rather than behind him. Once she was sure that Riku wasn't looking, she reached out for the fingers as they walked down the hall, but a surprisingly small amount of insecurity was enough to bring her hand to a halt. She gathered herself. Maybe if she did it more subtly…

Tentatively, like she was asking permission, she grazed her fingers against his.

And held her breath when a swirl of darkness met her fingers. Or rather the hollow aura of where the darkness had once been in him and had never been since. As it had a habit of doing on rare occasions, echoes of his past that occasionally surfaced and brought the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

He didn't seem to respond, save to just shift his fingers just barely enough so her hand wouldn't slip away. It wasn't much. But he didn't let go either.

They were holding hands now. Kairi could hardly keep a smile from creeping into her face.

The action had been impulsive, one that she hadn't thought completely through until she was already touching him. She wasn't even sure whether it was for her own reassurance or for his, but the warmth of his hand around hers issued away most of her fears anyway. Fears about the residual dark. Fears about Sora. Fears about herself.

She was careful to only move her eyes down to their connection.

This hand, though far from pure, had carried her through the abyss and sought out her heart when he'd believed it lost. This hand was carrying her now in another sense, bolstering her against uncertainty and doubt.

Admittedly, there were still things between them that kept them from really reaching from each other. She could forgive his past, but it was difficult to forget his lapse of judgment. She couldnt ignore the scars inside him, etched and engraved by darkness trying to worm its way inside his heart, leaving empty trails through where the malevolent power had once moved.

Since their recent attempts to bridge the gap between them, though, it was getting easier.

Kairi had her ghosts. Riku had his. Those ghostly doubts danced at the edge of their minds, their actions, their thoughts. Some ghosts were less prominent than before and others, to Kairi's relief, were replaced entirely with the beginnings of specters of hope.

Both left behind by Sora on the islands, he had vowed to never let the darkness touch her again.

She believed him.

---

They moved through the castle with ease, especially since the sight of them deep in conversation and holding hands was hint enough for everyone to leave them alone. They spoke quietly and covertly, covering lighter subjects when people passed too close for their liking and reverting back to the more serious topics when they were alone in the more uninhabited parts of the castle.

They stopped only once and that was to ask a seamstress where Max or Roxanne might be. Luckily, the two were relatively nearby, and even in the same location as the other. They were both spending their time in the castle's inner courtyard, a designated work area for the carpenters as the festival's construction neared completion.

They took great care to keep their interaction to themselves. The only time either of them had become too loud was when Kairi had burst into laughter at the mention of the spoon incident, and he'd had to wait three full minutes before her laughs subsided long enough for him to say anything of importance.

They passed the servant's quarters after some time, moving into an intersection of hallways that branched out into different wings of the castle and Riku felt strangely relaxed.

If Riku had been on another world, he might have spent some time analyzing the surroundings to see if any threats were present. Riku had been surprised enough times on the battlefield to be aware, even when he was with Mickey, who had this strange ability to feel danger coming.

Onlookers may have had the impression he was relaxed and aloof, but beneath the outer layers of his composure, he was usually tensed and ready.

It must have been the welcoming atmosphere of the world that had worn down his wariness, the comforting, protective hum of the Cornerstone over the entire castle gradually lulling him into a sense of security. Even the topic they'd begun to discuss was lighter in nature, drawing him into his thoughts .

That must have been why he was completely unprepared for what was coming next.

Just as they'd moved into the center of the hallway, a red and black blur came bounding around the corner at a speed that Riku just barely had time to react with a sharp intake of breath.

Whatever it was, it apparently had as fast a reaction time as Riku because it ended up leaping over the entire span of their height to avoid crashing into them.

In the span of two rapid heartbeats, Riku had already halted Kairi and spun her back behind him so that he was in between her and the new threat. In fact, Riku even had his hand drawn forward low in front of him, ready to summon the Keyblade to battle. A thought flashed in his mind: the threat everyone refused to speak of? Could this be it?

No, Riku realized when the blur landed. Just an honest mistake.

When Riku and Kairi had a chance to accurately survey the situation, Riku realized he was being dramatic. Of course there would be no heartless in the castle. Teenagers with oversized weapons maybe, but not heartless. All the tension drained from the atmosphere as humor and relief settled in its place.

"Sora!" Kairi said, a little breathless from the surprise. "I thought you were helping Roxanne at the Printers?"

Sora recovered from the near collision faster than humanly appropriate, flashing them a cheesy grin and a thumbs up cheery enough to remind them of a certain blue skinned genie they'd met before. Sora had obviously finished helping Roxanne with the printers from the looks of it.

He had the face of a boy who had discovered hidden treasure, his eyes glittering with a touch of mischief. He took an eager step forward, taking both Kairi and Riku's hands in his and bobbed his head in the other direction. He probably expected them to drop everything and follow. It was easy enough to get them to come when they were children, especially since he could be unfalteringly determined and sometimes he would be deliberately annoying until the other party gave in. It could be anything from a pretty stone, a new toy, a secret place. Whatever the discovery, he'd only have to pull them along and they would be off, even without a suitable explanation.

This time, they simply looked at each other and hesitated, obviously still hung up in their serious conversations before. Sora tilted his head in confusion, thinking he'd caught them at a bad time.

"What's up Sora?" Kairi wondered, trying not to sound fishy. Sora mistook this for curiosity, so he pointed an excited finger down the hall where he'd come, his own confusion instantly forgotten. He could hardly contain himself and Kairi laughed, glad to see that him so lively.

Riku had a similar expression on his face, at ease, though a bit guarded and careful. He shook his head, "You kids go ahead. I've got some stuff I need to take care of first. Find me a little later?"

Sora motioned with a bigger emphasis in the direction he was trying to pull Kairi, using comically wide sweeps of his hand. When Riku dismissed the offer, Sora's face fell, replaced with a small pout. He was not impressed as Riku descended into laughter, or when Riku strode forward, placing an amused hand on his shoulder.

"Don't look at me like that, Sora. I'll see what you want to show me tomorrow, okay? Tomorrow. What I'm doing right now is important."

Riku made an exasperated noise when Sora made a face at him. "Well, how about later, huh? It might not even take that long to finish my thing, all right?"

When Sora raised his eyebrows, Riku said, "It's a long story, so I'll tell you later. Kairi's waiting."

Sora's face lit up as he remembered his original intentions and he pulled Kairi forward without any further delay.

Kairi couldn't stop a surprised yelp from escaping her lips. She wasn't sure how Sora and her had accomplished it, but they spun around the corner with alarming speed. Against all reason and physics, Kairi was still on her feet in the end and she couldn't hide the smile on her face. A delighted squeal came involuntarily, even as she spared one last glance at Riku as his image disappeared around the corner.

Her distraction was quickly remedied by another sharp turn around another corner and the realization that Sora's fingers were curled so tightly brought her back to the here and now where her heart was beating furiously.

She must have been doing it. She was touching him, but she was also feeling the extension of his aura in the warm energy of his fingers.

It must have been her status as a princess that allowed her to do so. While she had learned a great deal about what it meant to be a Princess of Heart from the refined princesses of other worlds, there was still a great deal that even they didn't know. Kairi was an anomaly, a young woman with undiscovered potential and abilities that she could only discover by falling end over into them on accident.

This one particular sensing ability she had discovered soon after returning home, the very contact of Sora's hand against hers and the charm in between had seemingly sparked something in her to life that had been sleeping before. After, she found she could have tiny glimpses into the state of a person's essence, just by touch. Application through shaking peoples' hands was brief, very ephemeral and very faint... but always present. Eventually, she was able to tap into the subtle nuances of each contact. Each touch was different, in what Kairi could only vaguely describe with color or temperature. Even if done with the same person, it would deviate in experience, a fact that she attributed it to how people were changing every day. They were never the same person they were the day before as they were in the present.

Touching Sora's heart after barely grazing Riku's was such a big shock, it was almost like dipping her hands in hot water after standing out in a snow storm.

When she had reached out for Riku's hand before, her spirit met the haunted, strong spirit of a boy-turned-man too soon. Her essence had swirled and mixed with his, and it was like walking down a dark alleyway surrounded by suffocating dark. Only the dark never touched her, it hovered at the edge of her vision with no intention of coming anywhere near. With Riku, she had felt safe. She'd felt his protectiveness and determination like a wide force field, extended to prevent history from repeating and caring for her better than he cared for himself.

With Sora, it was almost like she had stepped out from the cool shade and into the sun. Though things were disjointed and almost… strange. Like looking through glasses that weren't hers, the world inside Sora's aura was warped and so slightly off center that she almost didn't detect it. But things were also so much sharper. Brighter too, almost to the point where it was blinding.

At first, she thought maybe the disorientation was a result of the adrenaline, the intrigue of what Sora might find so fascinating and urgent affecting her perception. A second examination of the emotions stirring in her chest revealed an unfamiliar flutter that she couldn't attribute her special ability to touch, not really.

She didn't bother to investigate the sensation, or its nature. She simply enjoyed it, baskedin it.

The tiniest details of the world she had neglected before came to her in a rush. The rays of light shined into the hallway through the windows, splashing the colorful tints of faded red and blue banners onto the walls around them.

Sora had slowed his run, so she could run alongside him and not behind him, and that was when she noticed the time of day. The day was coming to a close and the sun was barely crashing into the horizon. Splashes of color of almost every shade made her eyes widen. She'd seen sunsets before, but this…

She hadn't even known she was laughing again until Sora looked to her with the most brilliant smile. It made her breath catch in her throat, but only a moment.

They tore past staircases and long, glowing hallways adorned with candles and intricate architecture. They passed by surprised servants and chattering patrons. They ran past fountains and towering sculptures of heroes past. They ran until her legs were tired and sore, but she insisted they keep going even when he slowed down to let her rest. Sora stared back with sweet affection and finally came to a stop as they approached a long, dim corridor that only a single candle was there to illuminate. She was careful to watch her steps as it turned into a spiral staircase of stone. He placed an arm around her back and ushered her higher, the suspense only increasing her excitement.

After an eternity of stairs and doors that led to nowhere, he stopped her, allowing the two of them to catch their breath.

Two nondescript wooden doors sat unimpressively before them, beckoning her forward. She stepped up at his insistence, his arm sweeping in front of her. He turned the doorknob slowly, and Kairi held her breath as he slowly pushed it open. The sight before her made her gasp as he brought her inside.

Beautiful.

---

Riku didn't waste any time looking for Max and Roxanne when the two troublemakers left his sight.

The open courtyard was a bustle of animals, equipment and unfinished banners spread out over a large expanse of field. Decorations, ladders, tools, scaffolding and other miscellaneous items had their own individual junk piles at different corners of the towering stone walls. Carpenters banged away at the beginnings of what looked to be a stage as gossiping maids painted and prepared the more finished parts of the construction.

When Riku walked into the courtyard, he immediately spotted Roxanne on the northeastern side. She was standing apprehensively beside Max, trying to prevent his father from toppling a dangerously high pile of pots and pans. A loose rope coiled on the ground spoiled their efforts, ensnaring Goofy's ankle and guaranteeing the Captain an abrupt tumble into the pots and pans anyway, despite Max's best efforts. Max only cringed at the loud clatter before sighing hopelessly, seemingly used to his father's clumsiness. Roxanne came to him again, pulling his father out before murmuring something silly to lighten Max's exasperation.

Max was the first to sense his approach, but when they all saw him shift his eyes to the entrance, Riku was greeted with several warm smiles. He tried to return the good spirit.

Oh, they wouldn't be smiling if they knew exactly why I was here.

"Hey Riku, what's up man?" Max wondered. "Things've been kinda crazy around here lately."

Riku looked around, "I can tell. Festival?"

"Yeah. Couple of days 'til Doomsday. Clarabelle's a nutcase when it comes to this stuff. Everything has to be done to the tee or she goes all nutzoid," Max rolled his eyes. "She had a two hour rant earlier about Donald setting something on fire. It was ridiculous."

"Sounds like a party. Hope I'm invited," Riku said.

Riku stepped back when Goofy's excessively enthusiastic voice broke in.

"Why O'course! Don't be silly Riku! You're always welcome, ahyuck!" Goofy said, trying to detach a pot from his head. It had gotten lodged onto his scull in the fall. Roxanne took hold of one side while Goofy tried to pull away. His head slipped out of the pan with a loud pop and the momentum sent him falling back into the pile with another clatter.

Riku briefly wondered how Sora was still alive after having travelled so many worlds with the destructive duo before he was brought back to reality by the more sensible Goof.

"To tell the truth, I think you're actually the guests of honor during the whole…" Max moved his hands, searching for the right words. "The whole shebang. You, Kairi, Sora, Donald, Goofy. You know, the gang."

Riku crossed his arms, "All of us?"

Goofy laughed. "Well, sure! After all, you're the reason why we have all these stars in the first place. If they would'a disappeared and then where would we be? Not a very good Starlight Festival unless you got stars to celebrate and all, right?" Goofy explained. He gave Riku a pat on the shoulder, which he fought to shrink away from.

"I suppose," Riku said, though he felt a strong distaste for the captain's choice in words. Riku was hardly a savior of anything. Maybe one day in the future when he'd done enough good in the multiverse, he'd be able to accept honors, but for now he was just someone trying to make up for past mistakes. Having him of all people for a guest of honor seemed like a cruel joke or at the very least an ironic twist of fate. After all, he'd caused more than a few stars to blink out before he'd even started saving much of anyone. Sure, his journey had been made with good intentions to restore Kairi's heart. He'd still sacrificed many a world in order to do it. He had voluntarily chosen the welfare of his best friends over the welfare of entire worlds.

He would've felt more comfortable being burnt at the stake rather than celebrated for what he did.

On second thought, maybe just beaten with a stick. Being burned at the stake was outdated and it would have made an awful mess.

Roxanne must have detected some of his discomfort because she changed the subject, "Would you like to help? There's still a lot to be done and we'd really enjoy your company out here."

Riku spied out of the corner of his eyes few carpenters that had stopped their work to their conversation unfold. Some at least had the grace to drop their eyes back to their work, but one worker even injured his hand with a hammer, trying to look productive and failing.

"I'd love to, but I have some things to take care of first," Riku said and then shifted his gaze from person to person. "Can I talk to you and Roxanne about something?"

Roxanne and Max looked at each other and gave a shrug. "Well sure! I don't see why not. I'm free for the moment anyway." Roxanne said.

Goofy straightened. "Why, you kids go and chat. I'll handle all this out here, you can count on me," Goofy said determinedly and saluted in the most exaggerated fashion. Even before Max could protest and try to keep his father from destroying some other poor soul's work, he had marched away to another side of the courtyard to assist a young maiden carrying a box of assorted decorations. She accepted easily until she realized who the offer had come from, and then hastily tried to retrieve the basket from Goofy's 'helpful' grasp.

"I guess," Max shrugged, though his eyes were still following his father with much concern.

Riku looked around again. The eavesdroppers went back to their projects again, renewing their work with new vigor. Unconvinced, Riku pursed his lips and motioned to a more secluded part of the courtyard where unmarked crates were stacked. They were well within view of everyone in the field, but at least they would be out of earshot.

"Come on, let's talk over there."

They dutifully followed Riku, chatting lightly with each other about the banners. Riku kept decidedly quiet on the short walk, still debating with himself on the proper way to start. He'd been confident speaking to Kairi, but now that he was here, he wasn't so sure. He still hadn't quite decided by the time all three of them stood at the appointed spot in front of the supply crates, a far too short distance for his taste.

Max was first to speak, "What's up Riku? What's on your mind?"

Riku hesitated. Great. Now what?

He could just surprise them out right with a question, catch them off guard while they weren't expecting it. They probably thought he was just pulling them aside to ask advice, or even to gossip about the castle's latest events. Max had even made an opening for him, allowing him the opportunity to get straight to the heart of the matter.

Still, Riku felt that it wasn't the right course of action at the moment. It almost felt like going through with it would be the equivalent of beating them over the head with a club. For this delicate sort of situation, he had to exercise a little more finesse. Get them opened up and be sympathetic to his plight before asking a thing.

Pressured by the silence, Riku was speaking before he could really compose himself, "Me and Kairi and Sora have been through a lot this past year or two."

Max and Roxanne looked at each other. "I see," Max said, mood falling.

He paused again when someone passed by a little close for his liking. "Things that no one else has really gone through but us. So we're kind of connected in a way. We know each other."

Riku paused, feeling awkward again. This was something akin to finding a working path in the woods. If their expressions were anything to go by, he'd found a fork in the road and charged off into the bushes to his left.

Whatever, just keep going, he thought. He'd gotten this far, he might as well finish.

"So… Sometimes we feel what the other is feeling. We finish each others' sentences. We get a sense of what the other's thinking. We're connected."

Riku watched them carefully as they nodded,. "Kairi and I have been feeling the same thing lately. That even though it's been quiet on our end of the universe, though everyone we really care about is safe and sound… there's still something wrong."

Max swallowed, "Ya think? With what?"

"Sora," he said, not skipping a beat.

And then there it was. Like a wave, the almost tangible change in atmosphere had washed over them at the mention of a single name.

Riku easily caught the first signs of their nervousness: shoulders tensed, hands seized by nervous fidgeting, frozen expressions. Still, it surprised him. He had expected them to be elusive on the subject, but not this much. He felt like he had stepped on a switch that brought about a premature end to his would-be investigation.

Riku softened his tone and he relaxed a little himself. It could be that they were only tense because Riku was tense. He knew how negative feelings were contagious.

"Me and Kairi are… worried," Riku said. He watched as Roxanne and Max's expressions softened slightly. He wasn't born into the world a public speaker, but he knew he needed to be honest. The residents of Disney Castles were naïve, but they certainly weren't simpletons. Sometimes it wasn't complicated explanations or manipulative nudges that could sway them, but the most subtle stirrings of honesty and need.

So he dug deep, like Kairi had taught him to do and he just let it flow without censoring or impeding any of his thoughts, "Me and Kairi have… done some things we're not proud of in the past, direct or indirect, and Sora's gotten the short end of all our mistakes. He always does and it pisses me off all the time how he just takes it like it's his job to take it. And I guess after what everything, I … we just want to make sure we do everything we can to watch out for him."

"I can understand that," Roxanne spoke and her face was so forgiving that Riku couldn't help but feel grateful. His hope was held in suspense as he realized Max was still silent. It shocked him that the smaller Goof was so unmoved. Riku sighed and ruffled his own hair to try again. Maybe he just had a poker face. Maybe he certain someone did feel it. Maybe he just needed a little coaxing…

Dig deeper, he imagined Kairi's voice in his mind.

"Listen. Me and Kairi can feel that something is wrong with Sora. And… it's tough not knowing. Word is that you and Roxanne are the only ones who know what went down, and after you two, I really don't know where to go," Riku said. When he still didn't receive an answer, "I know that you and Max were there with him when he needed you, and I'm grateful. But what he went through, it wasn't normal. And we need to know."

Riku looked behind them and eyed a certain Captain of the Guard knocking over some scaffolding in the background. Max followed Riku's eyes to the man and the two boys watched Goofy stroll across the courtyard together, "Haven't you ever seen someone go through something and wish you could make it easier for them?"

Max's eyes were distant and thoughtful. A crack in the façade. Riku knew he touched on a soft spot. He had to push harder.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Max was quiet for some time. The young woman at his side was watching him as carefully as Riku as, gauging her decision purely on him. Roxanne had been an open book a moment before, one whose pages were begging to be read. One small movement from Max, a purse of his lips and a hardening of his eyes, and she was closed again. An unspoken agreement hovered between the two, strengthening Roxanne's persistent silence. If he could just get Max to give in, Roxanne would tell him everything, he just knew it.

Max sighed, closing his eyes and waving off Riku as if he were annoyed, "I made a promise. So did Mickey. We can't tell you anything."

Riku felt a wave of anger rise up in him, particularly when he had made the extra effort to even speak to Max on a personal level. He rarely spoke about the demons that haunted him nightly, and it took much prompting and even a few intense arguments with Kairi to even make Riku feel it was okay to show.

All that effort and Max really felt nothing? Riku tried to ease his anger by clenching and unclenching his fist at his side, and he hoped the creaking of his leather gloves weren't too loud.

"Listen. Max," he tried again. Frankly, how the heck was he supposed to come across now?

Max locked eyes with Riku, and the fire inside was extinguished. There was something different in the way the words crossed his lips, the way his shoulders relaxed, the way he returned Riku's gaze unfalteringly.

"Like I said, me and Roxanne were both there, but so what? I made a promise," Max insisted again. "I can't tell you anything."

Max's eyes wandered to Roxanne and his words had somehow changed from hard-edged to subtly sympathetic. Roxanne's eyes had widened and then her countenance changed, radiating admiration for the teenager beside her. She'd sensed the change in him too.

"Riku… People like you and me, we keep our promises," Max's eyes were on his father, his eyes revealing he was thinking of a time not so long ago when all he could do was wait and pray, "but we also understand what it's like to feel helpless."

Max slapped Riku on the back as he passed. "So good luck figuring out what happened. I've got to make sure everything's done on time or Clarabelle will freak out. I'll see you later, Roxanne."

Riku watched him retreat, filled with a deep gratitude that left him speechless. Roxanne solved that problem for him by stepped forward. Amidst the clamor and the banging of the courtyard, he heard her words loud and clear.

"He promised." She said. "I didn't."

---

The view that awaited her on the other side of two ordinary doors struck her speechless and breathless all in the same instance.

Her eyes roamed the ornate the sunroom before her. Great pillars of white rose up at different points of the room, leading the glass panes of the expansive windows to a stained glass masterpiece overhead.

Sparse, carefully considered furniture accented the room at different points, splashed by in hues of vibrant reds and yellows from the colored glass.

She ambled into the room after Sora, realizing with even more surprise when that the room itself had not been the point of their journey.

Her eyes adjusted to the light, and saw that just outside the glass panes was a view of the massive expanse of kingdom below. They were standing atop what Kairi assumed was the highest tower of the castle and the entire town lay before her like an offering, a feast for the eyes.

Row after row of houses, city buildings, and shops stacked on top of the other in the curve of the valley. Two mountains of breathtaking size held the kingdom protectively between them, beckoning the sun to set between where the sea was waiting to catch it in the distance.

Kairi placed a hand over her heart. It beat fiercely in wonder.

Before she get a hold of her surroundings, Sora pulled her forward and pushed open the glass door across the way. He was behind her in an instant, placing excited hands on her shoulders and ushering her out onto the balcony with a goofy smile. They didn't stop until they came to the railing.

Sora did something of a double step with his feet, and then dramatically stretched out his arms to the view.

A gentle breeze ruffled Kairi's purple sundress as she laughed. Sora's voice was silent at the time, but the action was so pronounced that she could practically hear what he would have said like an echo in her mind, "Ta-dah!"

She brushed red locks of hair behind her ears against the soft flutter of wind and took one, slow sigh.

"Would you look at that," she trailed off, speechless. "Riku's gonna be sorry."

Sora gave a resigned shrug, dismissing the thought. He'd tried, and Riku had refused the offer. He'd had 'more important' things to do. His loss. Besides, he could always drag the stubborn boy up another time. The sunroom wasn't going to sprout legs and move to another part of the castle any time soon (that was something only the kitchenware was fond of doing. The sunroom was dependably inanimate). Still, it did bother Sora that the majority of Riku's time at the castle wasn't with him. For a best friend who should have missed him to death, and carried a worried chip on his shoulder the size of a gummi ship, he sure spent an awful lot of time with his head in the books. What he should have been doing was hunkering down beside Sora and figuring out new ways to wreak absolute havoc without getting caught. After all, it had been long time since he'd gotten in trouble, and he feared his reputation for mischief was starting to suffer.

Maybe Kairi could convince him to relax a little for once.

"Who showed you this?" she wondered about the view.

Sora brought his hands up and did two successive motions. First, he brought his hands up, flapping them in an eccentric talking motion. Then, he drew his hands up near his head like two objects suspended on both sides. They were both quick, almost indiscernible motions, but Kairi had a slight inkling of what he meant.

"Who's that supposed to be? Donald and… Goofy?" she smirked when Sora nodded. "Sora, just… this is amazing… Look at everyone, they're so small from here."

Sora took out his notebook and scribbled something noncommittal about water balloons.

"Sora!" Kairi slapped his arm when he tried to look innocent. "That's terrible! Just don't blame me when the King makes you sit in a corner for a day or two."

Sora nudged her with his shoulder.

Kairi made a noise with her tongue, "Yeah whatever, you dork."

Sora returned his attention to the view, resting his elbows on the railing and making himself comfortable. He inhaled deeply, sounding satisfied and full.

Kairi mirrored his actions, coming up so close beside him that their bare shoulders made the lightest of brushes. The close proximity had been an accident, but now that she could feel the inviting warmth of his shoulder, she couldn't bring herself to pull away. She shuffled experimentally, moving ever so slightly and was pleased when Sora didn't move away from her touch.

An idea came to her in that moment, inspired by the contact. The time just seemed right for a little something extra, she decided. He was sun kissed, warm to the touch, and even the shadows of the waning afternoon accented his features into a picture perfect sight. He was distracted at the time, eyes moving along the winding streets, stopping occasionally to watch the bustle and hurry at day's end.

In fact, he was so busy staring out at the kingdom that he didn't know she was studying him so closely.

She felt soft amusement from Namine, and was pleasantly surprised when her inner self helped to bolster her courage. Just when she thought about turning back and letting the moment pass, Namine gave her the slightest of nudges. Kairi managed to straighten up just long enough to bring her arms around his neck in a close embrace. Sora seemed to tense up at first, but she'd felt him relax in her arms as she spoke.

"You always give me the best," Kairi said. "Thank you Sora. It's beautiful. I'm glad I got to see this with you."

She pulled away and returned to her spot at his side, heart secretly racing. She let the silence sit between them, with the tang of excitement lingering in the air like an aftertaste. She felt conflicted, though, uncertain if she would have done it at all if Riku were there.

A part of her was glad that Riku wasn't there with them. If he had been there on her other side, she would have felt obligated to turn and give him a similar embrace. Rarity gave things value, and since Sora was the only one present to receive this particular act, she felt it was special.

On the other hand, if Riku had been there, she was certain the action would earn from him a bit jealousy. The two boys competed with each other often enough, and Kairi would have been hopelessly oblivious not to know she was often the center of their rivalry. When she realized that she almost liked the idea of a jealous Riku, she guiltily shoved the idea into the corner of her mind, just as mild disapproval rose from the part of her that was Namine.

Being a princess of heart offered no more insight in her own affairs or relationships or if these conflicting feelings were even appropriate. She bit her bottom lip.

Kairi shook her head light, deciding it was better to just be happy and enjoy the moment while she could. Since Destiny Islands had been seiged by the dark, she'd gotten used to running full speed, with life and the multiverse relentlessly throwing challenge after challenge in her path. Considering her past luck, the sudden lull of peace was sure to be broken in the weeks or even days to come by yet another invading evil, so times like these were to be remembered and treasured.

It came to her suddenly that she'd never been able to fully watch a sunset before.

Destiny Islands harbored some of the most beautiful sunsets she'd ever seen in her life and she'd ended so many of her late afternoons watching the last light of day play tricks on the water. After a while, the glowing orb of the sun would become too intense to behold with the naked eye at and it was only after the sun sank below the horizon that she could watch and witness. Here in the Enchanted Kingdom, the sun was far easier on the eyes and almost cartoony in its lessened intensity. This particular sunset, she could watch in its entirety. It was well past breathtaking, something that had surpassed her expectations for an otherworldly sunset.

"I used to watch these alone and wish you and Riku were there. Walking home school by myself was the worst," she said and curled an arm around his, feeling satisfyingly normal. After all, this was what it was supposed to feel like. To be normal. To be able to stop, to laugh, to watch sunsets, to absorb the worldly sights around them.

"But we'll stay together from now on, right?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt strange. The high she'd been riding on seemed to fizzle out and die as a long silence followed.

Kairi hadn't been expecting much of a response. Sora's silence contantly reminded her of his condition. Still, her words hung in the air like someone had snatched them from her and put them on display. Just a minute before, she'd been content, bathing in the company of her best friend and looking fondly towards the future. Now it felt almost like the heartbeat of the world had died down to a nervous hum.

A soft dance of pins and needles had crawled up her arm from where she touched Sora, and she felt the glow of his happiness fade to what felt like… a cool indifference?

Suspicious of the sudden shift of unsettled emotions she felt from the boy beside her, she tried to catch a glimpse of his face.

"Sora?"

When Sora turned away, that strange feeling took hold again. Cold premonition seized Kairi's heart.

---

Once Roxanne started, there was no stopping her. She was a well of information, and it slowly occurred to Riku during her explanations that maybe she hadn't just been a bystander. Roxanne spoke with a clarity that only those at the heart of things could possess. Riku wasn't dealing with rumors or secondhand stories as Kairi had. Roxanne was quickly turning out to be a firsthand witness, tried and true.

"When I first met Sora, he was barely flying in from Destiny Islands," she started thoughtfully. "I was with Max at the time with some papers for the King, when Max introduced me to him. Normally, I don't really see otherworlders, let alone the Keyblade master. I'm just a handservant, see. I'd just been at the right place at the right time because Max suggested me when the King was selecting an attendant for Sora."

Roxanne beamed. Riku tilted his head. He and Sora had never been assigned attendants before. Roxanne answered his unasked question, "Ah, well. Mickey is very, very busy these days but he wanted Sora's needs tended to."

"His needs?" Riku asked.

Roxanne shook her head, "Not what you're thinking. I was only supposed to do little things here and there. Let him know meal times, make sure he knows where different rooms are, fetch him if the King wanted to meet with him… and ah…. Keep him out of trouble."

"I think I get it now." A smirk tugged at Riku's lips.

Roxanne scratched her cheek, "I liked him. He… was so bright and happy and pure. They don't tell the servants much, but I think I already knew from the beginning he was the keyblade master. He had to be, he was like all the rumors said. Mickey, Goofy, Donald and him were close and everything they said about him was true. "

"What happened after?" Riku asked, coaxing her on when she was veering a bit off course.

"Mmhm… The first week or so, they were mostly in the library, surrounded by books and papers and research. Sometimes me and Debby Goof would find them in the study at really late hours talking and reading over the firelight."

"They were looking for something, maybe?" Riku pointed out. "Did you ever see?"

Roxanne looked flustered, and almost ashamed. "Well, that's- that's just… that's so presumptuous for someone like me. I'm only a handservant in the company of a Keyblade master and… and… just what right would I have to pry into the affairs of a king."

"Sorry I asked," Riku said, surprised. He tried to be sympathetic. "Relax. I didn't mean any harm. I was only trying to figure this out. I want to help Sora and the King. I thought you might have seen something I could look into later."

Roxanne nodded, "I want to help you, I do. But even if I asked, I don't think he would have told us much. He knows we worry."

"Might be better that way. It's not a privilege to know what we know sometimes." Riku admitted, though he was speaking more to himself than Roxanne at the time. Knowing what they did about the dark, the nobodies, and the nature of the more foreboding worlds of the multiverse would leave most of the care free residents of the Enchanted Kingdom huddling in dark corners talking to themselves. "The burden can heavy."

Riku saw how attentive she was being, "Never mind. Go on."

"Whenever I brought them something to eat at night in the library, I always saw them looking at the older books that were falling apart, if that helps."

What could they possibly find by searching in past, Riku thought to himself. What books did he read? "Again, I don't mean to push, but did you spot any titles? I need something. Anything."

Roxanne shook her head, but here eyes grew distant as she tried to recall anyway. "They were all musty and… most of them were worn away and weathered. I didn't think much of what they were reading at the time. I only knew much later that it was relevant to the heartless and that's just because Debby told me so. At the time, we just thought he was just catching up with Mickey, getting familiar again. I didn't know if reading was Sora's hobby or pastime."

Sora? A reader? Riku laughed a little.

He motioned for her to go on after a moment of her confusion.

"Sora didn't need much attending. He was so accustomed to the castle that he only every asked me one or two questions. It was mostly just talking about you and Kairi. So those first few days were very uneventful. It was much later in the week that I learned they were leaving offworld. Me, Max and the Royal court were able to see them off, but the destination remained secret."

"Nothing there either, huh?" Riku wondered. Roxanne shook her head apologetically.

"No. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

Roxanne's eyes were distant. "He was very nice to me. He liked to tell me stories when I asked, and he always meant well. He was very kind. Back then, he felt… whole." Then she frowned and Riku physically felt the fear creep back into Roxanne's thoughts. He could smell fear on her like he could smell the dark. It was gradual, slow and subtle, but it was definitely there in the air between them. It snuck up on her as surely as he could feel it creeping up on himself. "It was when he came back that he was… different. It was all because of the time they were gone, I know it."

"How often did they return here."

"Well, every other day, almost. They always resupplied or had audiences with the people, or even just to see the Queen. We never worried because they were never gone long. They always came back."

Riku frowned, knowing what was coming next. "And then one day they didn't."

Roxanne nodded, looking grave.

"They disappeared for a time. No transmission. No letter. No bottle. Nothing. It wasn't until Minnie went to the Cornerstone to pray that they returned home from offworld." Roxanne explained. "The ship landed and we didn't think anything was wrong. But Mickey came out, telling us that they needed emergency care. Everyone was a mess. It was… not good."

"That serious? Well, how come nobody had any curative magic? Any potions or elixers would've done. The castle's never in short supply, not while Mickey's running the place." Riku insisted.

"We did. So many times. We were so scared for them," Roxanne lifted her eyes from the ground. "You see, the magic helps a lot and I've seen it do wonderful things! It heals the worst of our injuries, and those in dire straights can always count on the King if he can help with his keybalde."

Roxanne trailed off a bit, significantly quieter. "… but too much of the magic and the body forgets what it's like to heal itself. Too much at once is dangerous, so when they came back and things were really bad… well, we could only use enough to keep them from…you know?"

"I know," he said, drawing on his previous experience and gleaming a bit of insight on the way his partnership with the King had worked. Mickey had gone great lengths not to overuse magic whenever possible. Even in the most serious of scuffles, Riku had been lucky enough to avoid having to cast multiple Curaga spells. Mickey was a careful fighter and Riku's welfare had always taken priority.

The invisible enemy became all the more daunting to Riku. It was apparently something too powerful to protect Sora from.

Riku's features softened when he noticed her wringing her hands. The residents of the Enchanted Kingdom, even Roxanne, had seen little troubles aside from the heartless. Even then, the heartless left little evidence of the carnage they inflicted. They never left bodies. They devoured the heart, leaving no evidence that trouble had even taken place. Such a grave homecoming of the King and his injured knights must have been a scary shock for people who never bore witness to the aftermath of battle.

Roxanne, at least, had the constitution to gather herself and continue. Riku suspected she was empathic to his urgency.

"We brought them to the rooms and tried to make them better. The first few days we managed to make them well enough so that they could leave the room. Only that's when everything went wrong. Sometimes when I would come into Sora's room to check on him, Sora would start… I don't know, he'd start talking to me like… I don't know. The way he acted and the way he felt, he just… wasn't in one whole piece anymore." She stopped, "Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"Yes," Riku said, rubbing his forehead.

"It never got bad until one day I came to his room with some new bandages and water, and then there was all this noise inside. Debby came outside, but she never told me what was going on in the room, she just told me to stay out," said Roxanne. "The look Debby's face as she came rushing out of the room. She even slammed the door. She didn't even let me ask… "

Riku must have looked significantly disturbed because Roxanne suddenly looked apologetic. She moved back to the topic at hand, since the things she was currently saying had such a detrimental effect on him.

"After that, Mickey and Donald and Goofy came and it got quiet after a little bit. I guess they fixed everything as best they could." Roxanne moved beside Riku and sat down on a crate. She wiped her hands with the towel that was tucked into the sash at her waist. She still had some sawdust at the tips of her fingers from working with the carpenters earlier in the day. It was a nervous motion.

"The day after, me and Max had to come help Sora get to the throne room where the Cornerstone was. He couldn't walk on his own, and Donald and Goofy were still a little hurt too so me and Max... We took him downstairs where the Cornerstone of Light was and they didn't come out until the darkest hour of the night. His Majesty had me and Max closed off the wing that day. Everyone but me and Debby went into the room. We stayed outside bringing them whatever they asked for."

She looked up at Riku, "When me and Max went to our rooms at night, weird things would happen and I couldn't sleep alone. Max let me stay with him unless he had to be with Sora during one of his… moments."

"Moments?" Riku uncrossed his arms. It was a motion that made Roxanne shuffle slightly.

"I don't know. That's what Max called them. Times when Sora wasn't Sora. It just kept getting worse and worse, and there were fights inside the rooms. Really bad fights that they had me go outside for, so at the time I didn't know who it was, or why they were fighting or even see much. But I knew that things were only getting worse. Eventually, His Majesty and the Queen said that they couldn't help Sora anymore and that the only help would come from someone closer to his heart." She said and locked eyes with Riku.

"So that's why ...," Riku said, crossing his arms and letting his eyes wander skyward. "Only we can fix Sora."

"Yes. Sora hasn't felt lost it since you came. With you around, he's been stable. And good," Roxanne said. She knew that Sora was a good person, so she was glad his friends were there to help him. Roxanne raised her eyes, and it was only when Riku's connected with hers that she spoke. "But the wounds go deep."

Her sympathetic words betrayed him. The stinging smell of fear was thick in the air, deceptively sweet.

---

Kairi leaned forward, trying to get a decent view of his face, "Sora?"

She raised a hand and placed it on his back, but Sora barely responded to the touch. His shoulders fell slightly and then all at once, he lowered his head. Before Kairi could even contemplate his posture, he turned back around and excitedly took her hand. The ghost of his turbulent emotions had disappeared with the motion, and the change was so quick that Kairi felt a little upset.

His other hand was raised in gesture, something important at the edge of his lips. His mouth was open, ready to speak. Then, as if he'd momentarily forgotten his own disability, his lips were moving quickly, silently. The words never came.

He exhaled quickly, frustrated with himself.

"Sora…" Kairi said, drawing closer. "I'm sorry."

He sighed and backed away slightly. It was so like Kairi to feel responsible for something she had no control over. At times, that quality in her was more of a burden than a comfort.

Kairi still appeared suspicious of his earlier actions, brows furrowed. Looking at her now, he wondered if she would press him or leave it alone like he was hoping she would. Her eyes had a glint of something that Sora had seen looking in the mirror lately, a wistful hope that maybe things would get easier or simpler. It was that ephemeral voice from within, uselessly wishing it could all go back to the way they it was before.

That nagging fear he knew that was always there, the fear that she'd end up waiting forever. That she'd always be looking at their backs. That she'd always be left behind.

"Sora, just tell me we're going to be together. You, me and Riku."

Sora contemplated her words for a moment. Then, a smile pulled at the edges of his lips. It was convincing, and if she'd been anyone other than Sora's closest friend, she probably would have mistaken it for a genuine smile. He was trying to make her feel better, and the two of them were painfully aware of his facade.

Sora raised a hand and motioned towards her heart. Then, he brought it back to his, as if to draw an invisible line connecting them.

"I know," Kairi said. I'm with you, and you're with me.

In any other circumstance, she would have glowed. At the moment, the declaration only made her heart heavy in her chest.

"Lately, it seems like you're sad." She drew his hands to her lips, as if to kiss them. "And you know when I'm with you, it makes me feel that way too."

Sora rubbed the back of his neck.

"You can tell me, Sora. You really can. We want to help. I know you can't speak, but if you wanted to you could find a way. A letter or writing, through someone else, through pictures, I don't know," she said. "Me and Riku know something is wrong."

A strange aura settled over Sora, and her fingers trembled at the returning wall of indifference. His smile was still present, as vibrant as the sunset and twice as endearing. But somewhere in the mess of his feelings, there was a new, foreign sensation that felt out of place in his aura. It was that of resignation.

Her imagination ran wild, sensing a vast distance that had never been there before. Like someone had built a wall between them while Sora was away. Even through the bond they shared, she knew Sora could feel her mental hands pressing against the barriers, taking in his aura and trying to feel him behind it.

Why did he feel so far away?

That look on his face…. It could hardly be called a smile at all.

"What's hurting, Sora?"

Sora slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper. The edges were crisp, as if he'd spent an inordinate amount of time writing and folding it into a perfect square. He stared at it for a moment and then at Kairi.

He frowned and then reconsidered, shoving it back into pocket. When he pulled his hand out, a small notebook and a pencil came out with it. He noisily scrawled two words onto the pad before handing it to Kairi.

I'm okay, it said.

She held the notepad in her hand, trying not to look exasperated. "Is it that you can't say? Or… that you won't?"

Sora had the notebook again.

No.

"I'm just trying to help. Just what's holding you back? Me and Riku want to help. We're here for you if you need us," she insisted.

Nothing wrong. I'm okay because of you.

Kairi gave him an incredulous look, "That's sweet, but if you're trying to change the subject, you might need to try harder."

There was a stillness that settled over him, as if he were sobering up to a grave truth. Despite his attempts to hide it, Kairi had caught every variation in his face, every untruth in their bond. They had both made valiant efforts to hold back the tide of feelings that threatened to burst through the connection, but streams of consciousness broke through anyway. Even now, he could feel the sting of hurt, piercing her from inside him. Sora shook his head to himself before finally taking the notebook again.

I think it's time to head home.

Kairi tried to hide her surprise, "What? We just got here a few days ago. Are you sure you're okay to go home?"

Not me.

"You mean…" she motioned to herself. Sora nodded.

"Sora, I'm staying," She insisted, the first cracks of anger in her physical composure showing through the curling of her fingers into loose fists. "I don't care if it's safer on the island, I'm tired of waiting for you and Riku to come home. I hate being helpless, and I hate not being able to help you if I know I can be there for you."

Sora swept her hands into his, pleading. If only she'd just understand. If only she could just do this one thing for him…

"You're stuck with me," she said firmly, dashing his hopes. The hurt finally made its way into her eyes past the anger.

Her voice faltered, "Why are you always trying to leave me?"

Sora looked exasperated and ran his hands through his hair, taking a step back from Kairi as she read the notebook. It was a stab straight to his heart and he'd been caught so unaware that he'd physically recoiled.

He hadn't meant for things to end up this way. Bringing Kairi up to the sunroom was supposed to be a good memory, time spent with her baring his soul (even in silence) and being open to hers. He was supposed to be listening to her reminisce about childhood stories, talk about what was going on at the islands, joke about her times with Riku as of late.

How was everything so wrong?

I don't want to, he wrote.

"Then why do you keep doing it?" she replied. "Do you know what it feels like?"

No, Kairi thought clutching the paper. Sora never knew what it felt like to have to wait while his best friends ran around playing hero. She'd had to wait all her life, had to let the violent current of change and darkness sweep her everywhere but by his side. She'd spent sleepless nights burying her head under the pillow as her mind constantly invented new scenarios in which Sora disappeared or Riku was swallowed by the darkness. How could she leave him now that she finally played a vital role in his recovery?

She wondered when she'd become too delicate to handle, when she'd become something so fragile and ethereal that she'd had to be put on the shelf for safekeeping. She thought she'd proven herself already, having a heart determined enough to wield a keyblade.

Then, she stopped, connecting the dots.

Maybe the reason he'd brought up home was because he was scared. She had discovered a vulnerable part of his defense, broaching a topic that he wasn't ready to address. Just what was it that he didn't want her to know? Was he afraid of what she'd think of him? Was he like Riku in his deepest despair: Ashamed of what he'd done? Afraid of what he'd become?

Could she ever really hate either of them? Never.

"Sora I will never leave you. No matter what's happened to you, you're still Sora. And I still care about you."

She closed the distance between them, even if Sora leaned away from her touch. She looked concerned.

Kairi just kept pressing, just kept getting closer. Every time Sora backed away, Kairi surged forward again in both body and heart. She was digging too deeply, so obsessed that he was only inches away that she didn't realize she was digging her own grave. She had to go home before everything came toppling down.

"Talk to me."

He'd allowed Riku and Kairi to stay on a whim, stricken by a sudden insufferable need to have them within arms reach after so long without their touch.

"Please."

It was so like them. Gentle and cautious even in their relentlessness.

He wished things were different. He wished Kairi and Riku would just accept the way things were now. He wished that he didn't have to go through the things he did, he wished the world would just work out for once in his life.

He was sinking…

Stupid, stupid Sora, he thought. It was a mistake. It was such a stupid mistake.

Sora brought the pencil back to the pad. Tell her to go home. It was simple enough. Maybe he could get through to her. Tell her she couldn't stay. Reason with her why he had to do this alone.

Just write… just one word… Home.. just write … only…

His hands were unsteady and that feeling in his chest, that breathlessness. The world trembled underneath his feet.

Was this..?

Oh no.

It was happening to him again.

Not now of all times. His eyes fell on Kairi, whose eyes were filled with concern.

He heard her say, "Are you okay?" and it echoed like he was standing in a cavern instead of in the open air, overlooking the kingdom. The world spun and moved underneath him, though Kairi was unnaturally steady in the tremors. The shadows flickered malevolently, twisting as the sun sank deeper towards the horizon.

Dread took hold of him, the thought of Kairi seeing him and even being near him striking fear into his normally immovable heart. If she was hurt, he wouldn't know what he'd do.

A swell of determination rose up in the midst of all his confusion and disorientation.

Roxas's voice broke through, Breathe.

With Kairi in his line of sight and Roxas within, he'd barely grasped a lifeline thrown into the dark. He wasn't going to drown while Kairi was there because if he drowned, Sora would be out of the picture and Roxas would be asleep and the only thing left of the two of them would be it.

Kairi moved with him as he stepped away, trying to steady him and he looked at her gratefully. The ground was closer now that he was on his knees. He grit his teeth, spending all his energy and focus on trying to regain something of himself.

Only the comfort of Kairi's hand at his cheek was keeping him grounded in reality. A lifeline that was slipping away as the torrent of chaos inside became stronger. He could feel a subtle wave of panic rise up and he was stricken with the sudden need to have her close, he drew his arms around her neck.

He was torn between wishing Riku was close too and being glad Riku wasn't there to see him fall.

Kairi was panicking now, like he was, but he could only hear her voice distantly, like the current had carried him far away from the other end of the lifeline.

Even as he floundered, that tiny voice that sounded eerily like his own, but wasn't, whispered in his mind: Don't forget yourself. Just remember. Remember that Kairi is here, and that she is always here. She won't let us drown.

Roxas's words held him at bay…

And then there it was. It breathed just beneath his thoughts, in all it's gloom and malevolent intention. It was scratching to get to the surface in long powerful strokes, and he was just barely hanging on by a thread, hoping that his reserve, his will and his focus was enough to hold it at bay. He felt like he was drowning in dark waters again, a constant flow of churning energy threatening to swallow him whole. The intensity was almost enough to make him snap. The lifeline was so hard to hang on to, and it would be so easy to let go.

Don't. Don't let go.

It halted, curious, peering through his eyes and gazing at Kairi with curiosity.

And then it moved forward again, in one terrible pressure until he felt the whole world pressing down on him.

There was a point in the madness that he thought it was over, that he'd lost to it. It was one unstoppable landslide of change, and a shifting of his consciousness from day to night. There was even a lull in his perception, a moment where a veil of darkness fell over his perceptions and all he could see was a black silhouette of someone who used to be special to him kneeling before him. She was bathed in accents of red and yellow and - she was beautiful even in the dark.

Inside, a single pillar held up everything that he was. He teetered on the edge of stability, moments away from crashing down in one terrible stroke. The last slipping of light from the tentative time of twilight to the dark. A chipping away of the final pillar before it cracked.

So much. There was just so much inside fighting. Trying to get out and he was just so tired, really tired, when he knew he couldn't let it win, it was just so hard, he prayed there was something, a second chance.

And then Kairi came in close.

At first he felt a touch of terror, that she was too near him when he was on the edge. That she was going to be hurt when he gave in, and the thought physically hurt him in the deeper part of his chest.

She lightly touched her forehead to his.

With her eyes closed and her hands gently cupping his cheeks, even the mere possibility of hurting Kairi seemed far away in his mind. In a mere touch, the waters of his chaos had receded in the presence of soothing light.

She whispered to him everything was going to be all right, she promises, just stay with her, she'll keep him safe, and it became a sort of mantra, a prayer and…

Soft hands took his, fingers closing in comfortingly. Roxas? Kairi? He didn't know.

And the world was still.

There was no black energy. No sea. No storm of emotions. No looming intentions or foreign curiosity that was him, but wasn't. The thing inside stirred, but was swept away by the lull of her voice, and the gentle press of her hand on his back was the last touch needed to send it into slumber.

There was nothing in Sora's weary world except Kairi. Beautiful, sweet Kairi and the sunlight. In the burning red of the sun, he was cradled by a single thought:

She knew.

She always knew how to save him.

A light when all others went out.

The moment passed, and he sank, exhausted in her arms.