Riku swiped his key card silently. After the first month of bothering Ansem and Ienzo, they gave him his own security access to the labs. Every week, like clockwork, he came down to the basement hoping that something changed. Every week, he was disappointed. He came in the evenings, soon after the apprentices finished their work for the day. Their work was futile however. Nothing changed here, and nothing changed outside either. Everyone hit dead ends, one after another. Today, he thought even he was going to find one himself. If not for the Fairy Godmother's arrival, Riku felt he was close to breaking.

And why shouldn't he, he thought as he made his way downstairs. The others had each other. Who did Riku have for himself besides Sora and Kairi? His best friends had left him alone in the worlds. He flitted from group to group, hoping that he could find his place with them, but making new friends was never his best skill. Sora was better at companionship than he ever would be. And Kairi? She might never realize it, but she made Riku feel wanted. Even on that last day before the battle, she invited him to watch one more sunset with her and Sora.

"I just need some time alone, Kairi," he remembered telling her. She had that face on, the one that he remembered from their childhoods. She wanted to insist that he come with her, he knew it. Riku had almost changed his mind and accepted her offer, when she shook her head.

"I'll let you have your time then." Kairi turned away and went to join Sora on the paopu tree where he waited.

That damn paopu tree. The last place he saw his best friend in this world. The place where he found Kairi nearly comatose with grief. A place that was once a safe haven for him and his friends.

A tear trailed down Riku's cheek as he reached his destination. He entered the room Ienzo made for Kairi in an offshoot of the lab. Riku was thankful that though she was fully asleep through this process, she still had a place to herself.

Ienzo explained it once when Riku's visit coincided with his remodeling. "We're all still trying to change. True, we are essentially experimenting on Kairi, and that does not sit well with Master Ansem. That is why I suggested we make a small home for her here, for when she wakes up. After all, Kairi is from Radiant Garden, and she should have a place to call home here as well. It's not much, but she can make it her own."

Always stoic Riku did not comment on it at the time. His heart was not able to form the words necessary. Instead, he gathered trinkets and memories from everyone to give the room some character. Drawings from Naminé hung on the wall, and on the desk sat a seashell sculpture from Xion. Queen Minnie sent flowers via Aerith to freshen up the clinical atmosphere. These small touches reminded Riku that this was a different situation from Sora or Ventus's sleep.

He sat down in a chair next to her bed, just as he had every week since she went to sleep. "Hi Kairi. I'm back," he started. "We finally have a new lead." He took her right hand in his own. Her left hand was connected to the vital monitors and the IV.

Kairi's eyebrow twinged at his words. He tried not to read into the reflex. Ansem explained that sleeping patients, even in medically induced sleep, still heard the sounds around them. He encouraged Riku's visits for this reason alone.

Riku continued with his report for the day. If all went well, this might be the last one for a while. "Today, we mined through the last of Cid's data on Sora. I almost gave up. What more could I do that no one else was already doing?" Kairi's brow twitched once more. "I said almost. I almost did it when the Fairy Godmother arrived in Merlin's house. Master Yen Sid sent her."

Her first curled slightly, and Riku held back a laugh. It seemed she had conflicting feelings about the master. "He sent her because she is the master of dreams. If only she had been around during our Mark of Mastery exam… Maybe we would have had an easier time," he said lightly.

When he saw no response from Kairi, he said, "She said that since I've been inside his dreams before, I could be the key. Dreams connect us to Sora. Mine and two others. She didn't explicitly say it, but I know she meant you were one of the others." His voice broke. "So it's time for you to wake up."

Nothing again. Riku clenched her hand a little tighter, a little more desperately. "I know you can hear me. You need to wake up now. Sleeping the time away is not the way we'll find him. I can't do this alone anymore." He ran a hand over her head. "How am I supposed to do this without you and him? Is this punishment? I asked for some time alone, and now you will never be there for me!" Riku whispered loudly. His throat was sore, and the tears fell freely now. "I need you, Kairi. You have to be there with me to yell at Sora when we find him. He left us both, and it's up to us to find him. So please, please, please wake up." He dropped his head on her lap.

For a few moments, the only sounds in the room were the hiss of the vitals monitor and their breathing. Riku sat up and wiped his eyes with the back of glove. Once again, he ran a hand over her hair. He gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

Riku stepped back, taking a deep breath. He tried his best. There was only one thing left to do before he left. He took the envelope out of his jacket and opened it. Inside was a photo he printed from Cid's data models. He spent more time than he admitted with the data models. Exploring Sora's data and seeing all of the people he met in his adventures through his eyes was eye opening for Riku. It gave Riku a reason to keep mining through the never-ending amount of data on Cid's computer.

He placed the photo inside the frame that Yuffie gave him. It was the three of them, Riku, Sora and Kairi watching the sunset together on their island. Just as it should have been that day, and just as it would be once again. He put the frame on the little table next to Kairi's bed, and without another word, left the basement as quickly as he could. It was time for his own sleeping experiments.

If he had stayed only a minute longer, he might have heard the soft, "Riku," that came out of Kairi's lips. If he heard that, then he might have also heard her whisper, "I need you too."