A/N: K, I hadn't done a one-shot in a while, so I decided to write this. And I wanted it to be more in-canon than AU this time. Though, I confess, I'm full-on addicted to writing AU now. But, sometimes, I need to cater to those who want more in-canon fics as well. That way, everybody's happy. XD This is long again, but this one needed serious development. And I thought it sucked at first. Key words at first. XP

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Escape

Sora decided that they should leave for Disney Castle the week after King Mickey sent them the letter. It would give them the time they needed to prepare. In the meantime, Kairi anxiously wondered if Sora would allow her to come with him and Riku. She may not have proved herself as a skilled warrior for certain yet, but she was willing to train as much as possible. Though every time she asked her friends if they would spar with her, Sora, being the concerned, caring boy he was, flatly refused. Riku agreed with her, but the Keyblade wielder would give him this deadpan look that basically commanded him to think twice. Needless to say, not being able to train with anybody disheartened Kairi. After all, she was absolutely confident that with practice, she would improve on every aspect of her fighting.

Currently, she knocked on the door to Sora's house to discuss with him their oncoming mission. If he wouldn't let her join him and Riku, she had practiced some convincing counterarguments that were sure to persuade him. She smiled brightly upon him answering the door and resolved not to beat around the bush in terms of posing her question.

"Sora, could I come with you guys to Disney Castle? I feel like I can really help both of you out. With training, I'll be the best, I promise."

An easygoing grin Kairi had glimpsed on his face prior to her question froze before vanishing entirely. As much as she hated to admit this to herself, she knew that she would have to convince him.

Pacing on his doorstep, Sora feverishly messed up his hair, his way of thinking something through. However, in this case, it was undeniably nerve wracking for him. The expression on his face was one of skepticism and nervousness. And she could tell what exactly ran through his mind as he agonizingly paced. What if she died? What if some villain kidnapped her again? What if she failed at utilizing her Keyblade again? Sure, sure, she as of yet had little experience with it like he had first starting out with his weapon. But, what if she didn't become a natural at fighting like he had become? She was a Princess of Heart, and last time he checked, they didn't exactly wield swords. All these thoughts and inquiries she registered on his face. Sora was an open book like that.

Finally, after a shaky sigh, he told her, "You can't come."

His protectiveness over her showed her that he genuinely cared about her and that he wanted her to remain in his life. He didn't want her to die, Kairi could see that. But, it also showed that he secretly possessed an overwhelming lack of faith in her. The key word here was training. Practice made perfect, and couldn't it apply to warding off Heartless, too? She knew she had the capability to fight, to pull off more graceful moves that two teenage boys certainly didn't have the physiques for. Besides, Riku seemed to accept the fact that she could hone her potential by sparring. Why couldn't Sora? She was a teenage girl, not some delicate flower that needed constant protection.

Placing her hands on her hips, she gave off a defiant stance. "I can do this, Sora. All I need is time and training, and I'll get better. Besides, it can't be just you two out there. You need help."

Raking his hands through his hair again, Sora glanced up at the sunny, bright blue sky hopelessly, as though desperate for answers from some higher power. He worried needlessly, as far as Kairi was concerned. It wasn't as though merely going to Disney Castle would result in a life-or-death situation in itself. She would be determined. She would rely on the wisest, most adept teachers to help her along the way. At least she wasn't stupid enough to not acknowledge that she required help for her battling skills.

Sora sighed restlessly. "Look, we'll find help. You don't need to be in the line of fire."

"Oh, come on, be reasonable! It's not like I'm naïve any more."

"K, you really want to know why I won't let you come?" he yelled out of frustration and what Kairi only knew to be a hint of anxiety. "You could get kidnapped again. Do you have any idea how much that scared me last time? I can't let it happen again. And you'll...you'll..."

Somewhat out of her good humor at this point, she frowned slightly. "I'll what, Sora?"

"You'll...just be in the way."

Her hands clenched into fists by her hips. "That was the point of me wanting to go. So I won't be in the way. So I won't be a burden to you and Riku. If memory serves, I only got kidnapped because Axel just happened to know where I live. It had nothing to do with me wanting to go anywhere. Honestly, Sora, I'm not an idiot."

He looked abashed, shuffling his feet on the "welcome" mat. "I'm not saying you are."

Since she could never remain angry with her closest friend long, Kairi's annoyed pout softened into a reassuring smile. "I won't be in the way. And I know it won't be easy. That's why I have to go with you guys. I might not make it easier, but I'll at least try to help."

"It's not that simple, Kai. I could lose you."

"It is that simple."

"We're leaving in a few days...and I really want you to stay here."

Her redhead temper was fired up by these words. So after all that trouble of nearly persuading him, she still could not force Sora to change his mind. Kairi felt like she failed.

"I'll make sure to oversleep then," she said with a hint of bitterness before stepping off the porch.

Admittedly, she was aware that her stinging words would hurt him due to their callous sharpness. Perhaps she overdid her inner rage a little. There was no denying that she cared about him, but he should have realized that she could be determined. He should have supported her willingness to help rather than to spurn it. Looking at him, she could sense that he would do almost anything for her. Almost. But, he refused to give her the opportunity that made everything else pale in comparison. Though Sora called out to her to come back, that he was sorry, she found that she couldn't stop walking. She needed to breathe. If she couldn't breathe, then she worried that she would cry. Why couldn't he trust her with something as important as this?

Earlier that day, she had spoken to Riku regarding this issue of whether or not she would accompany them on this next adventure. He told her that he was fine with it, as long as Sora agreed with him. Well, that hadn't worked out too well, had it? Instead of boating out to the island they often went to, even if they were all teenagers now, Kairi walked straight home without so much as a backward glance. Arguing with Sora had given her a headache that took everything out of her.

At one point, when she was many, many steps away from Sora's house, she closed her eyes and listened to the ocean. Its waves crashed over the white sands of the beach she walked alongside, playing without a care in the world. Though, she thought with a wry smile, ocean waves didn't have any feelings. Seagulls squawked loudly, declaring their presence near that vividly blue expanse of water. All these sounds relaxed her, eased the anguish of her argument with Sora. She was comforted.

Unfortunately, what she felt being near the ocean didn't translate to sleeping well that night. Kairi had vivid dreams that verged on nightmares. Terrors haunting her mind consisted of hordes upon hordes of Heartless attacking her two best friends. And she wasn't there to save them. She was blocked by Saix, an Organization member who proved that he was worse than Axel (by far, worse). Her former kidnapper, now thankfully dead, had returned in this nightmare. Ignoring her shrill screams that implored of him to let her go, he only tightened his grip. Black and blue bruises started forming on her arms, expanding wider and bigger, darker and more painful. Her vision was all black, there was so many Heartless threatening to kill Sora and Riku. She had to fight!

If that evil Saix would release her to stop this hurtful bruising, she could save them. Meanwhile, her Keyblade floated in mid-air, inches away from her grip. Just as she reached out for it and her fingers grazed the handle, the shadows surrounded her all at once. She could barely breathe—she was being suffocated...

Kairi's sapphire blue eyes snapped open, her hands tightening on the sheets out of fear that made her feel so ashamed. It was just a dream, nothing more. However, she couldn't resist the urge to look about for Heartless creeping around her room. Not even a pair of bulbous yellow eyes—they weren't here on Destiny Islands again.

Relaxing her fingers, Kairi let out a long sigh that summed up all of her overwhelming relief. Obviously, she knew what was going on. This horrific nightmare reflected her fears of being unable to set out on her friends' newest adventure. She worried that someone else would hold her captive while she had to watch Sora and Riku suffer. How could she sleep easily after dreaming up something like that? A walk on their favorite island would do her some good, she figured, as she removed the sweat soaked sheets from herself. Putting on a lavender hoodie, a pair of socks, and her favorite pair of blue high-tops, she slowly crept down the stairs. Seriously, she thought, she really should have avoided erupting into a full-blown argument with Sora earlier that afternoon. Maybe that way, she wouldn't have had the Heartless invading her dreams, trying to break her and destroy her life.

A cool sea breeze whistled across the pier once she arrived at that familiar spot where five boats were docked. Wrapping the hooded sweatshirt more tightly around her, Kairi hopped into one of the boats, checked for leaks, and soon started rowing. Lost in her thoughts, she blankly focused on the island ahead at the same time. Soon picking up, the wind rustled through the coconut trees and sent strands of her auburn hair flying. Somewhat irritated at this, she smoothed down her hair before using the oars to row again. On a normally calm day on the islands, she would enjoy the sweet smelling wind. But, this was night, cool and dark and silent. It was almost intimidating to be out here. She could only pray that the boat wouldn't tip over, because she never really learned to swim properly. Ironic, considering she lived on an island, but she had been apprehensive.

Eventually, she rowed the boat ashore and stepped out of it to admire the scenery of this place, though it was always familiar. Just like a best friend. Kairi simply had to smile at that thought, gazing at the swaying trees and sparkling stars above her. Now, the rush of the wind didn't feel that threatening or cruel but welcome. She stood in a perfect place, idyllic in both appearance and atmosphere. Here, no one and nothing could harm her, especially not the dark creatures from her nightmare. Kairi proceeded to stroll along the shore, occasionally looking up at what looked like a treehouse community to her. It brought back so many memories. She delighted in these, but she would always remember one special cave, more of a cove actually.

Before she could walk in a different direction, before she remotely contemplated wandering somewhere else, she walked as though her feet controlled her. She wondered if they actually did. It was more out of impulse than anything else, out of pure nostalgia. Walking wasn't quite fast enough. Kairi started running to that secluded location, the one that she and Sora and Riku called their own. If there was one thing in the world that could comfort her, it was this cave. Breathing out a shaky sigh, she felt better from that...that...

"Whatever it was, it was nothing. It doesn't mean anything. I mean, they're not really going to let something like that happen...are they?" she asked herself, crouching down near the entrance to the tunnel behind the small waterfall. Sometimes, during the day, miniature rainbows could be seen here, the waterfall acting as a liquid prism.

Once she crawled through the tunnel, Kairi smiled upon glancing upon all these childhood scribblings on the rock walls. These innocent years spent in this secret cave, scribbling and sketching, she looked back on fondly. This was before any Heartless, any darkness, and any stealing of innocence happened. She and Sora would hang out here the most, enjoying the tranquility of being children. Stepping over toward one drawing in particular, she knelt down to stare at it. What a memory that was, too. As six-year-olds, she had etched out his face, and he had done the same with hers. The laughter that came about when they realized their likenesses were so different than what they looked like in person...How simple it all was back then without any fighting each other to be heard.

The paupau fruits that connected the two faces hit home to her, like it had when she had looked at it after being separated from Sora. With that drawing alone, it was destined that the two of them be together...wasn't it? To never be apart, to always be in love with life and each other. Both of them assumed in their heart of hearts that they would become romantic eventually. Sora seemed to know that, despite his naivety. Tentatively tracing the smiles of the drawn faces, though, she had her second thoughts concerning that, considering their argument this afternoon. It still hurt like none other. Maybe he loved her, maybe not—either way, he was suffocating her.

Putting up her hood despite the dryness in here, Kairi continued to gently trace the drawing. Could she love Sora now? He was kind, funny, sweet—everything she could possibly look for in a guy all into one. But, if he couldn't believe that she could learn to fend for herself, how was she supposed to put faith in herself? She would have to do it alone, with or without his approval. Perhaps they were better off as friends at this rate.

Even with this sorrowful thought in mind, she didn't cry, didn't shed a tear. No, Kairi's eyes remained dry, probably because she came by this realization that was correct. It was accurate. Sora indeed was suffocating her with his needless concern and worrying. He more than made up for the fear she honestly didn't have any more. As much as she would have jumped at the opportunity for them to be together a year ago, she doubted she could love him in that way now. She had been younger back then after all.

She shifted uncomfortably on the cave floor, still unsure if this was what she really wanted to do. To not be in love with Sora any more was one thing. What if he pushed her away forever if she told him this herself? He'd never been that type of person, but he could turn against her any time he wanted. Maybe friendship wouldn't be enough. Because one way or another, she would join both him and Riku to fight alongside them. Friends did that for each other when they depended on each other for something like this. She could no longer stand by and hope and pray for the next Keyblade War to end.

As she planned on abandoning this cave for the night, she caught sight of what appeared to be a pair of iridescent eyes, a lighter blue than Sora's. Practically stumbling backward from shock, Kairi asked herself what a random intruder would be doing here. No one knew where this place was located.

Her surprise quickly turned into absolute irritation that someone interrupted her private moment by most likely standing in the shadows the whole time. It was bad enough that Sora didn't believe she would throw herself into weapon training, Riku didn't mind but their friend apparently had had to say yes too, and she argued with Sora over the matter. But, an intruder? She felt nothing but rage at this point, and she suddenly didn't care who this mysterious person was. Fearlessly, she strode toward where she saw those eyes to fend off their owner, ready to use force if necessary. She raised her hand to strike, when a gloved hand grabbed her wrist.

"Who. Are. You?" she asked evenly, her teeth gritted on every word.

The enigma stepped out from the shadows, his eyes dully yet brightly glittering in a way she couldn't quite describe. They were beautiful, those eyes. That was undeniable. And then there was his purple-silver hair and his face that seemed to have no contours but sharp, striking edges. Kairi refused to get caught up in all this attractiveness, especially once she noticed the black cloak he wore. An Organization member. Weren't they all supposed to be dead?

"Zexion," the teenager replied crisply.

"There we go with that X name," she half-snarled, her voice dripping sarcasm. "What do you want to do with me? Kidnap me? Sorry, I'm not as weak as I used to be."

He returned her frosty glare with one of his own. "If you must know, I have lived in this cave for the past week now. I have nowhere else to go. I've traveled throughout the worlds ever since my near-death experience."

Why did this Zexion boy reveal this much to her regarding what happened to him? She only just met him, and frankly, she disliked what she perceived thus far.

"So? Why are you telling me all this?" she asked almost condescendingly.

He snorted derisively. "To merely explain myself. I wouldn't lower myself to following you around."

"Too bad you didn't die like the rest of them."

Staring at him warily, Kairi noticed his tight grip on her wrist slacken, eventually letting it go entirely. Some...emotion (though she thought the Organization members weren't capable of such) flickered in his eyes before disappearing.

"Yes," Zexion murmured contemplatively as he proceeded to walk about the cave, absorbed in his own thoughts. "I should have died that day. He was a good fighter."

"Who was?" Kairi resolved to continue her interrogation in order to find out what the Organization's true motives had been. It could help Sora and Riku.

Appearing to be drawn out of his reverie, he glared harshly at her. "And why should I tell you all of this?"

"Well, it's just the two of us in here. There's nothing else to do but just talk and get to know each other...I guess."

Zexion snorted again while the redhead wondered whether this was such a good idea or not. However, there was something about this boy that intrigued her. Maybe it was the sharp face or the purple-silver hair that vaguely reminded her of her friend Riku's or those mysterious eyes. But, there was also this familiarity about him, as though she encountered him from her blurred past. Somehow, she assumed that sharing a conversation would at least hold off on him potentially killing her.

In fact, he told her in a warning tone, "I was Number Six of the Organization XIII. I could easily kill you here and now. You are virtually defenseless."

Proudly sticking out her chin, she replied, "Try me. I don't care."

"Hmph, your bravery, though undeniably foolish, almost impresses me."

If that was supposed to be a veiled compliment, she would take what she could get, she supposed as she casually threw back her hood. His gaze drifted over to her, specifically her auburn hair, for a few fleeting seconds. When he seemed satisfied enough, he looked away as though the sight of her would mortally wound him. There was definitely something there that reminded him of a long ago place where a long ago person lived. So she guessed. Who did she remind him of?

Gradually, Zexion stared at her again, less cruelly than before. "I acted out of loyalty to this so-called Organization at the time. I thought this one I fought would prove valuable to us. I tried convincing him to join our side, casting my illusions, disguising myself as Sora."

He was stopped by an angry cry from Kairi. "What?"

"Don't you wish to listen to my story? Or perhaps the part of me disguising myself as your beloved is simply too much for you to take," he said in his toneless yet sarcastic manner.

Despite recognizing this as a cue for her to be silent, Kairi stubbornly retorted, "Please. He's not my 'beloved.' He's just a friend. I think I'll handle myself just fine."

"Then what is he to you?"

"Shut up!"

Zexion gave her a chilly nod. "Very well. I suppose the heart is truly a fickle thing after all. So, his heart proved too full of light for me to penetrate. Your friend Riku...has skills even I can never obtain."

"So you fought Riku. Wow. He really should have killed you when he had the chance."

As merciless as this sounded coming from a Princess of Heart, Kairi suddenly didn't care if her heart was the purest one of all or not. This Zexion boy or man or however old he was since it was too difficult to determine utterly disgusted her. In his days in the Organization, he surely must have pulled off some underhanded schemes. To impersonate one of her friends to pit the other friend against him was what was too much to take.

Ready to run out of that cave, she felt the meddling gloved hand grabbing at her wrist again.

"I knew you," he told her lowly, his eyes abruptly locked on hers. "A long time ago. Can you possibly try to remember?"

Loathing him fully and without a hint of hesitation, she roughly pulled her wrist away. "Drop the act."

She left the cave soon after, refusing to spare him a passing glance.

A few nights later found Kairi rowing out to their childhood island against her better judgment. Still, she had had a strange dream the night before, and she wondered if there was any way Zexion could decipher it for her. It involved some memory that had to be only hers, for she was a small six-year-old girl talking cheerfully to a taller boy who appeared to be four years older than her. The boy resembled Zexion in almost every physical aspect, especially the vivid cerulean eyes and the constantly disheveled hair. As she babbled on about skipping ropes and ice cream cones, a vague smile flitted on his face. He took out a munny pouch to give some of the coins to a vendor who happened to sell these delectably cold ice cream cones. He chose vanilla; she chose paupau flavored.

After licking off the ice cream that made her entire face light up in a beaming grin, little Kairi hugged her older friend. Shocked initially, he froze from the impact of such a cute, innocent gesture as this. Throughout his life thus far, he had rarely experienced the joys of any kind of love. Eventually, he relaxed enough to gently embrace her in return. The moment they shared would endear them to each other forever, they had both been so sure. But, that was before the experiment went terribly awry...

So she had to know more about this mysterious boy who looked like Zexion. Sure, the Organization member happened to lure Riku into darkness, but all of a sudden, she didn't care about that. After all, she refused to hold and keep a grudge for the rest of eternity.

She had also made up with Sora regarding his adamant stance on her not going with them on the following quest. However, he hadn't yielded, and she remained somewhat unhappy over that whole situation. One way or another, she would convince him. In the meantime, her boat washed up on shore, granting her the opportunity to get out. Almost reluctantly, she entered the cave, aware of the possibility that Zexion would sneer at her for being a hypocrite. As much as Kairi hated going back on her word, this was the one case in which it was acceptable. Though she stayed wary of him in case he attempted to manipulate her thoughts and emotions. She would be extra careful around him. Once she stepped into the cave itself, she saw him sipping from half of a coconut.

"Coconut milk," he said condescendingly, wrinkling his nose yet forcing himself to drink it nonetheless. "It has never appealed to me. Yet, if I'm ever going to survive here, I must do this."

She placed her hands within her sweatshirt pockets, the same one from a few nights ago. "It's more of an acquired taste. You pretty much have to have grown up on the islands to like it."

"Hmph...Never assumed I would see you here again."

Kairi smiled wryly, pushing aside a strand of hair. "I didn't think I'd come back myself. It's hard to get along with someone who took advantage of your friends."

Folding his arms across his chest, he stared upward. "The past is the past. It can never be altered, no matter how many people wish it to be so."

As flat and toneless as his midnight voice (she considered his voice to sound like night for some odd reason) usually sounded, there was an echo of past sorrows hinted. This member was someone who must have gone through so much in so little time. Perhaps all Nobodies had been that way. Looking back, Kairi remembered how Sora told her about them about a week ago. No empathy had been in his tone, just bitterness and anger, except for Axel, Roxas, and Namine. Even with those three exceptions, he remained totally confused concerning them. Whereas Kairi realized she could comprehend that these Nobodies were once people, too. And a tragic happenstance occurred to each Organization member to turn their world upside down.

Instinctively, she murmured to him, "I had a dream about the past last night. It was me when I was little. And...and I think I was at Radiant Garden, but I can't be sure. There was this boy I was talking to with purplish hair...He kind of looked like you."

Instead of a drastic reaction like she predicted, he coolly inclined his head. "You remember. Did this boy's name ever come up while you were speaking with him?"

"Pfft, no," she said irritably, shaking her head out of frustration. "It got blanked out. It's so stupid, so cliché. I can only assume it's happened to everyone I know at some point."

Stroking one of his ridiculously long strands of hair, he sighed. "I figured as much. The boy's name was Ienzo."

"Ienzo...," Kairi repeated, her eyes widening slightly. "It does sound familiar."

Casually, Zexion kicked the forgotten coconut, still half full of naturally made milk, aside as he stared at her. Odd, how he could nearly unnerve her, tear her apart, with just one gaze. Though his voice was always such a careful monotone, his eyes held real emotion, raw and true in its own unique way. He could be as deadpan as he preferred, but Kairi knew it all went back to those eyes that drew her in. They could read her mind in a scary sort of way. Cryptic, calculating, and captivating all at once. Could she be drawn to him as well? Even when she first saw him, there was something purely charismatic that attracted her. It was the mystery, the darkness, and the cynicism that contrasted with her and her friends.

"Allow me to tell you about him," he abruptly told her in his calm, even tone, yet his eyes shifted uncomfortably. "He was often ignored by his peers, who could not by any means accept his genius for what it was. One girl, one and only girl, acknowledged him, and they became friends. She was too innocent not to be ignored. Her light was what gave her this title of Princess of Heart. But, they couldn't enjoy their friendship long, for Ienzo was consumed in studies of the heart. An accident occurred, separating him and the girl for what was assumed to be forever. However, they were fated to meet again."

"You," Kairi whispered, stunned. "It makes sense. Why couldn't I remember you before?"

Retreating to the corner of the small, hollow cave he called his own, Zexion shrugged in an aloof manner, as though the answer to that question didn't concern him too much.

She thought he was attempting to persuade himself more than anyone else when he replied, "Nobodies are nothing but heartless shells. We as the Organization were mere shadows of what we once were, the darkest parts of our former selves. If we are remembered by an outsider, it's a miracle. And I'm not one for miracles."

Heaving a long sigh that revealed his suppressed emotions (for Kairi found it hard to believe anyone lacked them), he stared at her so...longingly, she blushed. "Besides, it was destiny that brought you here, clearly. Somehow, you have always belonged on these islands with other children like you. That particular drawing over there,"—he pointed to the etched faces—"proves that you and that boy..."

"You think that Sora and I are meant to be?" Kairi interrupted him with a fond smile on her face. "I thought we were."

"You thought?" Zexion reverted back to his cold, dismissive self that she began to ponder over whether it was true or just a façade. "Odd. In those sugarcoated fairy stories, I could predict that the princess chose the hero in the end."

Part of her wanted to shudder at the thought of being a princess. She could barely get around the fact that her blade looked like it came from the garden.

In denial, she shook her head. "Sometimes—well, in this case—the hero is just a friend. It's all so stereotypical, actually. That's why they're only stories. You can't compare them to real life."

She proceeded to walk over toward that drawing that once held every possible meaning in the world to her. Of life and of laughter. Of love and of promises. Of sunsets and of dreams to go out in the world, away from their peaceful islands. The positives of her life came before the negatives in her mind. Kneeling down in front of it, she once again traced the smiles on their faces.

"Sora will always be my friend. That'll never change," she said reassuringly, smiling lightly. "But, he is...well, he isn't stupid, but he does have some growing up to do. I'm not sure if he is all I want in a guy any more."

Haltingly, he stepped over toward her. "You want someone more mature."

Kairi thoughtfully nodded, still focused intently on the drawings. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I do. It's not that I don't want Sora to change—not for the world—but...I've changed. I changed the minute that witch kidnapped me. And then this year I got kidnapped. It happens all the time. I couldn't rescue myself! I had to wait for someone else to do it."

She pounded her fist on the wall, frustrated and angry and pained, since she realized that was where the desire to hone her fighting skills came from. "Again and again and again! It was Sora, too. And as much as I care for him, he's too overprotective of me! He doesn't think I can do anything, least of all fight."

It all came out, that bitterness, that pain. She could only hide behind a smile for so long.

Tears welled up in her ocean blue eyes that practically spilled over on her flushed cheeks. She cleared her throat while she furiously wiped at her face. Since Zexion was a Nobody, she assumed she would receive a disdainful reaction for all her trouble. Instead, she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders that spun her around to face him. He stared at her attentively, his eyes flashing with a sort of determination. That was what she called it.

"I see," he responded analytically in spite of his action. "Sora sees you as someone who is supposed to smile and look pretty, so to speak. We did have a woman in our Organization, one of the best fighters as well. Just because you're a princess doesn't necessarily imply you are weak and defenseless like all the others."

Wiping the remnants of her tears away, Kairi unceremoniously flipped back her hair to put on a brave face. "Yeah, you're right. It just hurts me that Sora didn't put any faith in me at all. He jumped to conclusions by assuming I would fail before I even tried."

He released his hold on her shoulders and stepped away from her. "I could teach you."

"What?" she asked, bewildered that he would do this for her.

"I will teach you the basics of fighting, since it is clear to me no one else wants to do it. I am sure that you will be capable of taking direction."

That was rather charitable of him. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure that the seriousness of his expression showed he meant it. He did.

"Why were you even in the Organization anyway? I mean, you seem so willing to help me with my training."

Cautious as to the way she was breaking through him, Zexion took yet another step back.

"I...I had nowhere else to go. Nobodies that can take on human form are so incredibly rare. And there was no chance that the village would have welcomed me back, after all I'd done to its people. How I cursed them all. You were sent away, considering you as the princess had to be protected at all odds. I never saw you again."

Kairi stood up, stretching her limbs. "It's fate that we're seeing each other now, isn't it?"

In disbelief, Zexion stood there, numb from her kindness that was really her and not the hostility she showed him a few nights ago. Even after what he did to Riku (to name one of many crafty schemes he plotted) and even after impersonating who he assumed to be her true love, she opted not to reject him. Instead, she dreamed up that memory and resolved to bring him back into her life. It seemed to be the good times they shared as young children that mattered the most to her. And he had had a stronger sense of feeling back then. Maybe that had proved to her that their friendship could live on. She was quite the optimist in that respect.

"Compassion," he said flatly. "It is so...human of you. As for me, I doubt I can feel anything any more. I'm thankful that you have nostalgia over our time together. But, you only just remembered."

Kairi would not settle for giving in to his bleak sarcasm that came out of his mouth like poison. For certain now, she knew that this was his curtain. The possibility of falling in love with a childhood friend terrified him secretly. He could sort things out in his head over and over, but it couldn't stop whatever would happen between them. Touching his elbow to show him that it was more than compassion, she told him, "I may have, but we were still friends back then. All of my years in that Radiant Garden place may be blurred, and it might take me the rest of my life to bring those memories back. This one happened to be the first one. It must count for something. Like you said, I was the only friend you had."

"And that must make me the ideal target for your pity," he whispered, looking down at her yet vaguely nervous to look into her eyes. "Just before I became a Nobody, I had lost everything. Besides, we both know that Sora will surely end up as something more to you."

Impulsively, she touched his face with one hand. "Ienzo, this isn't out of pity. This is out of something that should have happened and is happening. We can be much more than we were back then. No matter what you did, it all comes back to that memory."

Eyes widening in disbelief from her soft words, he inquired gently, "You're sure?"

"More than I am about anything, Ienzo."

Hesitantly, slowly, she touched her lips to his. A tingling went up and down her spine as well as throughout her entire body. Zexion's lanky arms soon wrapped around her waist as he kissed her back.

There was suddenly so much warmth in this cool little cave that she relaxed in his arms. He was dark, yes, but it wasn't as severe as before. And he had been harsh to her on that first encounter. But, a single memory was all it had taken. Her life tasted even sweeter, just as sweet as the taste of his lips. Kairi stroked his hair after she reluctantly broke the kiss, her eyes never leaving his.

"I can fall in love with you, easy," she said caressingly.

A smile, a genuinely small smile, flickered on his lips. "Yes. Perhaps you were right about us Nobodies really feeling things. I would advise that we begin your training sooner rather than later, however."

She smirked teasingly. "Don't go easy on me."

He returned her smirk readily. "I would expect nothing less, especially from you."

A/N: I think my characterizations of Zexion had been fairly weak in the past. That's why, sadly, I don't plan on making a sequel to Heartless Passion. So, this time, I decided to make his actions and even words more subtle, I guess. I didn't want him to be so drastically...well, I won't say emo, but I guess something like that. Heck, I don't know. XD I know it was pretty weird that I had Kairi be sarcastic at times, but I wanted her to be more like a real person and less of a Sue. Besides, hopefully, by KH3, she'll be as cool as Aqua. Let's hope so.

Hope you enjoyed this fic. Call it a comeback from diminished inspiration no thanks to homework. JUNIOR YEAR SUCKS!