lightwithin | 5th ♥ [Audio]

[-Now- the words are Kairi's. She's walking up to him, following his eyes and looking toward the tree as well, even as she asks him what he's talking about. Sora's disappeared again, though the movement of the branches is still proof of his presence.

Riku folds his arms, still watching in expectation.]

Sora's just being a moron again, that's all.

[But there's a hint of a grin on his face as he says it.]

[At that, she can't help but giggle. For a moment, it's as though the pair of them are in a different time and a different place, like he's fallen asleep on the shoreline in the middle of the afternoon instead of huddling under a blanket battered and bruised.]

Riku, are you dreaming?

[A slight smile comes to his face, outside of the dream.]

Yes.

[Surprised by his answer, Kairi can only stare at him for a moment. She wants to wake him, to ask him what he's dreaming about, but he doesn't smile like that very often.

She couldn't.

But that won't stop her asking.]

Oh? What about?

[Will he even be able to answer? It doesn't matter. Kairi's smiling too.]

Sora's trying to get the paopu fruit.

But it won't work. He forgot about the data.

[That's right, the data. Abruptly, the paopu tree flickers, and Sora immediately drops from it into the ocean. He looks back up at it, surprised, and Riku shakes his head at him. Surely he knew that DiZ had been working on codifying entire worlds?]

The data?

[That doesn't make any sense.

And yet,

It's funny.

Kairi tries to stifle her laughter, first closing her mouth and then covering it with both her hands. But she can't help it. It's so silly, on top of everything, for Riku of all her friends to be talking like this.

And so she laughs.]

Mm-hmm. DiZ did it.

And he took all the fruit off the trees.

[It would be pointless to waste his efforts on something like that, he'd said. The islands were just a trial run, to ensure everything would work correctly should they later need the data-simulated worlds.]

He, what?

[That isn't funny so much as it is utterly confusing. Why would he do something like that? Did he do it or was Riku just mumbling about his dreams? Should she wake him? He shouldn't worry about this kind of thing right now.

Tentatively, Kairi reached out and gently shook Riku by the shoulder. But when she spoke, her tone was all command.]

Riku? Riku, wake up.

[He wakes instantly, though the cloud of sleep still fuzzes his mind. Riku's eyes snap open, his expression locking back down to its careful neutrality as he forces himself upright. He shakes his head in impatience to clear it of the fog--and remembers quickly that that is in fact a bad idea--and looks around, settling on Kairi.]

Kairi? What is it?

[Despite how groggy he looks, she still smiles.]

You lazy bum.

You were dreaming.

And, well, talking in your sleep.

[She shoots him a concerned look, the question unasked; is he okay?]

I was?

[He remembers dreaming. After all, Kairi had just pulled him out of it. And considering how the skies of the islands had been starting to darken, how the waves had been beginning to roll, he's fairly certain she woke him up just before it took a turn for the worse.]

What did I say?

[Her smile takes on that mischievous air usually reserved for teasing Sora.

She shouldn't tease him. But it's too easy.]

Oh, nothing.

[For a moment, he just looks at her, uncomprehending. But then he's incredulous, and for an instant it's just like being on the islands again.]

Nothing? Come on, Kairi, spill it.

Well...

[She bites her lower lip.]

You were talking about Sora and the paopu tree. And DiZ and data.

Heh, it didn't make a lot of sense.

[To her at least. She's hoping that it will make sense to him.]

Oh.

[He sits back, leaning against the wall. Now that he knows it's not an emergency, it takes more effort than he's capable of to hold his head up. So he rests it against the wall--inconspicuous enough, right?]

DiZ has been creating a virtual world, where everything is made of data. The idea is to be able to put something real into that world and have it interact with its surroundings as though they were real.

Oh.

[That doesn't sound like a very good idea. In fact, Kairi knows that it isn't one. It didn't end well for him.]

He shouldn't.

Why not?

[He'd begun the project when they'd found out just how desperate the Organization was to keep hold of Roxas and Xion. If there was no other way to keep them from coming after the two Nobodies, the virtual world would be the best place to hide them.]

If things keep on as they are now, there won't be any choice.

[Kairi shook her head, her hair tossing with the wordless denial.]

It doesn't work like that, hearts or worlds. He said so.

He did?

[This is news to Riku.]

When did he say that?

It was on the Organization's world. He had a machine. He said...

[She shakes her head. She can't remember exactly what he'd said. It had all been so confusing, with she, Sora and Riku almost getting there too late and Xemnas interrupting. But she remembers the important part.]

That he was wrong, that he'd been a fool. And then the machine exploded and you... Looked like you again.

[She doesn't know whether she wants to see his expression at that or not. She shouldn't have said it. She should have just stopped.]

I see.

[He doesn't. But he -does- catch the implications of what she says.]

How long had I... looked like him?

[More importantly, how long had -Kairi- seen him looking like that? It burns to know that he transformed in front of her in the first place, even if she's reassured him several times that it hadn't bothered her. He hadn't planned on revealing himself to either her or Sora until he'd managed to completely master the darkness within himself, so that she wouldn't see him looking like that...

What had happened?]

[She shrugs and then shakes her head.]

I don't know.

We only met again an hour or two before that.

[Maybe more, maybe less. She couldn't tell how long Sora had struggled with that blond nobody while they were all trapped in cards, and the fight with Saix had seemed to last forever, but she knew that was only because all she could do was watch.]

[Riku nods, but the knowledge that he'd managed to come so close to keeping it from her and failed at the last moment is almost worse than knowing she'd seen him in Ansem's form altogether.

Almost.]

I guess if we ever do get back, I'll tell him that.

[Or maybe not. What would happen if he changed what had already occurred in Kairi's past...? It hurts his head just thinking about it.]

[She nods.]

Mm. Maybe, it'll help.

[But it's already happened to her so... How could it? Still, she's trying to be reassuring, and it was never a good idea to tell Riku that there was something he couldn't do.

She watches him. She's trying really hard not to get caught at it but between the way he showed up and his talking in his sleep, she's not doing a very good job. She can't tell if the way he's sitting is just regular cool Riku, or if it's because he's too tired to sit up.]

Maybe... I should go and look for the others.

[It was a silly idea. She knew it the moment she said it. She hadn't meant leave the library! But she couldn't tell if she was just worrying too much or if there was actually something wrong. Xanth might know. Or even Ironhide.]

[Go -outside-?

This time, Riku -remembers- that shaking his head is a bad idea. He drags one hand down his face, before pushing himself away from the wall. His hands remain on the floor for balance.]

It's too dangerous. If you went outside you'd just wind up hurt. Especially if you went by yourself.

[It's not as carefully-phrased as he'd usually put it. Riku can't find the words fast enough to phrase it any other way, though. And if she's going out, he's going out too. There's no way he's going to just sit there while Kairi's willingly putting herself into danger like that.]

They'll be back. Ironhide can take care of himself, and he won't let anything happen to Xanth.

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[Commentlog] Kairi totally does not understand the concept of spoilers, does she? XDDD

[Commentlog] She up and told Olette their whole story upon first meeting. Girl has no concept.

[Commentlog] Oh, Kairi...

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[Commentlog] ...lololol REWRITE TO NOT BE CRAPPY ANYMORE! \o/