AN: Here it is! EppieandKarma's request story. I'm going to go back to focusing on Chapter Seven now that I've reached my word goal and won NaNoWriMo (my novel was too short - only 40,000 or so words, so I started the side stories to boost my word count. I submitted and won last night). Anyway, I will keep working on "Be Not Afraid" and will get that out as soon as it's finished. It might end up being a Christmas present though. :)

This story was fun to write, actually, because I knew from the beginning the "conflict" was going to be contrived and idiotic, yet I didn't care. I couldn't make it deeper because then I'd have to elevate Ingus from minor character to central character and, as one reviewer pointed out, there's already too many characters. :) Plus, it's more about the characters anyway. Still, it was fun to write about the two of them. Though, I couldn't resist throwing in some plot devices such as the cherry tree (cough) and the mysterious relationship between the Director and Riku's mother. This story operates on two degrees - everyone is no more than two people removed from another character. Oh, also, if you don't like het, don't read this side story! There's an obnoxious amount of het in it, especially for me. Also avoid if you hate WAFF (warm and fuzzy feeling)

Many epic thanks to my reviewers: EppieandKarma for making me laugh really hard when I read her review for the first time, and for forcing me to write the first happy, het story I've written in... oh... about four years now. :) To Segaaa for making me ridiculously happy when she called my writing seductive. Lastly, to anon. I usually leave very long replies even for short reviews, but I'm afraid I'll have to keep this short for you. Thank you for the review. I'm glad it intrigued you. When I originally began conceiving this story, it was always an ensemble piece. There are dozens of tiny little threads - lives that seem unconnected and distant, yet each has a story. SoaHB is about the way these tiny threads converge into one tapestry of a greater story about mistakes, regrets, love, and hope. By the end of chapter ten, you'll begin to see what I mean as people begin to meet and individual paths turn into group stories. Still, I understand that the slow going means SoaHB isn't for everyone.

Side Story Two: Not Your Song

So far so good
You try to sing along to the radio
But it's not your language not your song
It's from some other time ago

And you're thinking about how someone died that day
The you that was so carefully planned
But then again maybe this life is like a sleeping mountain
Waking up to shape the land.
~"Shasta", by Vienna Teng

The phone rang one evening. Ingus was asleep on the couch and Sara was busy balancing their checkbook and paying bills which were quickly becoming overdue. Strange how quickly their world had shrunk again, after freedom had felt so liberating. Strange how, only three years ago, they'd exchanged vows beneath the cherry tree in the center of Radiant Garden, and signed the contract which bound them to each other not with chains, but with a love that had forever been present.

Sara caught the phone on the first ring, worried that it might wake Ingus up. The man was a ridiculously light sleeper, to the point of bordering on an insomniac at times when even the smallest whisper could wake him up. "Altney residence, may I ask who's calling?"

On the other end of the line, a female voice said, "This is Elmyra Gainsborough . I'm looking for Ingus Altney."

Sara glanced over to the couch where Ingus had passed out over an hour ago. She's tossed the throw over him so he wouldn't get cold. "He's asleep right now. Can you leave a message?"

"Of course I can, child. Tell him Dr. Gainsborough called and I have the results back from his blood work. If he could call me back, I'd like to make an appointment to go over them with him." The woman explained kindly.

Tests? Appointments? Doctors? Sara hadn't heard anything about this! Ingus usually told her everything. It was part of the promise they made when they were younger; no secrets from one another. "I will let him know." She answered sweetly, and hung up.

Ingus sat up on the couch. "Who called?" He asked drowsily, still waking up from his nap.

"A woman named Elmyra Gainsborough. She said you're blood work came back and she wants to make an appointment to see you." Sara tried to carefully keep any accusation out of her tone. It would do no good to jump to conclusions or make accusations. "What's all this about?"

"Nothing, really." Ingus answered softly, as he made his way to the table and picked up the discarded cordless phone. "Hopefully, it's just routine."

"Ingus." Sara said, in the tone of voice she often took with Sora and Roxas when they were trying to pull a fast one on her. The one that said 'I am very disappointed in you right now.' "No secrets, remember? We promised."

"I don't really feel like talking about it right now." Ingus said instead as he picked up the phone and walked away.

Sara crossed her arms, just a little more than hurt.

Eighteen years prior

The Hikaru mansion was brightly decorated in vibrant yellows, greens, reds, blues, and oranges. The rainbow of bold, bright colors reflected in the balloons, streamers, confetti, and even the brilliant scarves the staff and slaves wore around their necks, special for the occasion. Lady Hikaru had spared no expense for the fifth birthday of her only son, Cloud Hikaru.

Sara tried not to mope about and let her jealously show as she shadowed her mother about the manor as the woman attended to the final details of the impending party. But this was easier said than done. Sara's eighth birthday party had consisted of cake and presents, a quiet affair celebrated only by Sara, her mother, Ingus, and Freya. Compared to the banquet of Cloud's party, Sara's had been little more than a snack, and it irked the girl immensely.

"Don't mope about!" Shara admonished Sara, when the little girl had brought it up. "Cloud's a noble. Things are different for them." This was how Shara explained most things to Sara. Ingus wore a collar because he was a slave, and things were different for slaves. Cloud went to a fancy school because he was a noble, and things were different for nobles. Chelinka never showed the same affection towards her son as Freya and Shara showed towards their children because Lady Hikaru was a powerful and influential researcher. On and on it went. Sara was beginning to think everything happened by complete and random chance… just because.

When Sara got bored, she decided to search out Ingus to play with him. At least he usually let her win, even though Sara was careful to make sure he won some of their games as well. She found the eight-year-old on the porch with Deusericus, the two of them absorbed in their own books as they shared a seat on the porch swing. Deusericus was Chelinka's husband, though Sara's mother had explained that he was neither a lord nor a commoner, but merely something caught somewhere in between. At that age, Sara didn't know what any of that meant, only that she liked the quiet, solemn young man who always seemed to have a treat on hand for her and Ingus.

He glanced up when he saw Sara standing there and offered the little girl a warm smile. "Finally decided to seek out some sanity, did you?" He questioned, gesturing for her to take a seat on his other side. Ingus glanced up from his book, expression unreadable.

Sara nodded, and jumped up on the porch swing on Deusericus's other side. "It's so boring! Why does Cloud get to have such a big party anyway?"

Deusericus shrugged and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, a gesture most common when he was thinking. "In Chelinka's mind, simple does not exist. She only wants what's best for her son." He paused, then added, "Not that Shara and Freya don't want what's best for the two of you, either, but things are different when you're a noble. You can't just enjoy something for the sake of enjoying it without there being some ulterior motive." He sighed, as though this particularly realization depressed him.

Ingus turned to face Deusericus, his expression completely deadpan as he assessed, "That's too complicated! Why doesn't everyone live simply?"

Deusericus's smile was wry as he said, "Yes, why don't we?" He closed his book and stood up. "Run along, you too. I have to go see what my darling wife is up to. If you see Cloud, please keep him distracted so he doesn't get underfoot."

Sara had absolutely no desire to reenter the chaos from which she'd most recently escaped, so she remained seated long after Deusericus had departed. Ingus, who normally followed Sara's cue on all things, despite being a few months older than her, remained seated as well. When they were alone, Sara leaned over to investigate the book that Ingus was reading. "'Myths and Legends of Radiant Garden'." She read aloud. "Is it good?"

"Of course it is, Sara. Master Deusericus gave it to me." Ingus flipped open to a page with an illustration of a mountain and a small, robed man with over-large round ears standing at the pinnacle with a sword raised to the heavens. "'King Mortimer," Ingus read from the text on the accompanying page, "was known most for his wisdom and his cunning. He tricked the dark god who ruled the land and forged the first light. Yet he alone was not enough to drive back the dark god. So he called upon three youths in his employ and blessed them with the power to open hearts and unleash the light within. This gift was called the keyblade, and each youth used their keyblade to bath the emptiness in light, and from the light a radiant garden was born. King Mortimer, seeing what had come to pass, thus named the kingdom he borne Radiant Garden, and it knew prosperity."

"That's so silly!" Sara said, afterwards. "There's no way a device like that exists, let alone was responsible for the birth of a kingdom! Remember what teacher said? Years ago, the nomadic people of Figaro and Dalmasca came south because they didn't like where they were living. They built Radiant Garden. King Mortimer was just the king who handed it over to Ansem when it became obvious that Ansem was the better leader."

"This version's more interesting." Ingus said with a shrug, not bothering to get angry at Sara's accusations. "I think it's better to believe the pretty version than remember the ugly one."

Sara, never one to lose an argument or let Ingus have the last word, opened her mouth to argue back, but shut it when she saw Cloud walk out onto the porch. The five year old was dragging a stuffed animal with him, the bears head thumping against the floorboard with every step.

"Good morning Cloud!" Sara greeted at the same time Ingus added in a softer tone, "Morning young master."

Cloud stopped and grinned, showing off nice white baby teeth. Sara subconsciously felt in her mouth where her incisor tooth had fallen out just two days prior. Her mother had wrapped it up for her and taken it to the temple to be offered as a prayer for Sara's continued good health. Cloud was too young to lose teeth yet. "Morning Sara! Ingus! Guess what today is!"

Sara rolled her eyes, but Ingus had the patience of a monk. "What is today, Master Cloud?"

"My birthday! Did you get me lots of presents?" He crawled up onto the bench in between Sara and Ingus, in the space that Deusericus had vacated.

"I'm sure your parents got you lots of presents." Sara bit out, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't want to play with Cloud. Cloud was a baby, and spoiled too. Hmph. Why did he get to have the big birthday celebration anyway?

Ingus decided to change the subject before Sara said something that would upset the five-year-old. "Are you excited for the party?"

Cloud nodded. "There's going to be a big cake, and games, and friends, and presents, and clowns, and horses. Mommy said so."

"Sounds terribly exciting." Ingus never let the tone of his voice change from politely interested. Sara was jealous of the slave's ability to mask his emotions. Was that something slaves inherited naturally? After all, Freya was equally talented at simply putting up a wall that hid all thoughts from view.

Cloud, being five, didn't notice. He propped his teddy bear up beside him and said, "Pooh bear here says it would be better if there was honey, so I asked Mommy for honey for Pooh."

With the topic changed from the party, and Ingus and Cloud engaged in a conversation about Cloud's stuffed animals, Sara crossed her arms and leaned back, resigning herself to her own childish jealousy.

Present Day

Odd, Sara thought when she woke up the next morning, Ingus's arms wrapped around her waist in a warm embrace. Sara didn't dream, period. Yet for some reason the memory of Cloud's birthday had become lodged in her head. She rolled over and kissed Ingus's cheek, reluctant to wake him. The clock read four-oh-two am, so Ingus still had another half hour with which to sleep in. She got up anyway, took a shower, and made some tea.

It was a shame, Sara mused as she sat down at the kitchen table, that she an Ingus never seemed to cook in their kitchen. Sara made all the meals for the entire Hikaru family, and thus for Ingus and herself as well. She supposed that when she and Ingus had a child of their own, all that would change. It wouldn't do to raise their child as she herself had been raised. The child deserved a chance to be something other than a servant to a noble family.

Half an hour later, Ingus woke up and took his own shower. Sara poured him a mug of tea as well and greeted him with a kiss when he emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. After all, what need did he to have for modesty around his own wife. Sara found herself fascinated with his back, which was free of scars. The few times Ingus had misbehaved enough to warrant true discipline, Lady Hikaru had taken a belt to his backside. It had welted and hurt, but eventually it healed with no sign of it ever existing.

In contrast there was Riku's back. Sara didn't know why she thought of the Hikaru family's young slave. The boy was a lot like Ingus, in many ways, quiet and solemn. But his desire for something greater than what he'd been born to, that desire which pushed him to study so hard in hopes of gaining his freedom, that was markedly different from Ingus, who passively accepted his place in life. Riku's back was marked by scars, including the terribly disfiguring one which had tightened the muscles in his shoulder and destroyed his range of freedom. It was easy to forget most days, but just yesterday she'd watched as Riku began to reach for something in the cupboard, stopped half way, and reached instead with his other arm.

Sara shook the thought from her mind and asked Ingus, "So, what are your plans for the day?"

Ingus shrugged and took a sip of his tea. "This morning I have an appointment at the clinic. This afternoon the Director has asked me to check on progress with the new reactor experiments."

"You never mentioned having a doctor's appointment." Sara said carefully, trying to keep any accusation out of her voice.

"I didn't want to alarm you. It's just a routine check-up."

"But you had a routine check-up two weeks ago."

Ingus stood up and put his mug in the sink. He retreated back to the bedroom to get dressed. Sara didn't follow him. She didn't want to be a harpy and pry too much into his life. He wasn't a slave anymore – he was entitled to some privacy at least. Yet… they'd sworn to each other at their wedding that they would not keep secrets from each other.

Sara sighed, and decided to let it go for now. Ingus would tell her when he was ready. He always had before.

Fifteen Years Prior

The first rock hit Ingus squarely between his shoulder blades, and though the slave winced he did little more than keep walking. It was when the second rock missed, skittering off of Sara's shoulder instead, that all hell broke loose. Sara spun around to see a group of classmates standing some distance behind them, almost to the gates leading onto the school grounds. They were holding a handful of small rocks, no bigger than Sara's thumb really, in their hands.

"What are you doing?" Sara questioned coldly, with all the authority she could summon in her small eleven-year-old body. Beside her, Ingus merely raised on hand and placed in on her arm in a placating manner, an unspoken plea to let it be. But Sara, quite frankly, was sick of listening to these cretins tease and torment Ingus simply because of the leather and iron collar he wore around his neck.

One boy, the leader of the band of bullies, laughed and jested, "We're playing target practice. Your stupid slave boyfriend is the target and we're practicing."

Sara raised one eyebrow. She knew from experience that it wasn't always a good idea to get angry straight off. The last time she'd tried that, those stupid bullies had dragged Ingus behind the school and beaten him until his eye had turned black and swollen shut. Meanwhile, Ingus hadn't lifted a finger to defend himself, more afraid of the state-required whipping that was punishment for attacking a free person than he was of any damage those meanies could do. "I think your aim needs work." She responded drolly.

The leader flushed bright red and stamped his foot against the ground. "S-shut up, you stupid slave lover! You're no better than he is. Slave lover!"

Ingus squeezed Sara's arm gently and said, "Let's go, Sara. They're not worth our time."

Sara wanted to protest, but the words died on her lips when she looked into Ingus's eyes. She knew, from experience if from nothing else, that Ingus would be the one to suffer if she continued trying to fight these bullies.

"Yes." She sighed. "Let's go home."

The jeering continued, punctuated now by the rocks the bullies threw at both of them. It frayed on Sara's nerves until, softly, she heard Ingus whisper, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me."

"Do you really believe that?" She questioned, surprised. They'd both heard Deusericus say the same thing, often when admonishing young Cloud for getting in fights at school. Stupid, Sara had thought of the man, of course words could hurt you. They cut deeper than any stick or stone possibly could.

Ingus nodded. He glanced back behind himself briefly and said, "Most days, I have to in order to get by."

Sara wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug, and together they walked home from school.

Present Day

Sara would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that she was a creature of routine. She craved it, enjoyed it, delighted in the familiar.

That being said, there was really nothing routine about her mornings anymore, nor had there been any semblance of routine since Riku had entered their house only a few weeks prior. With a sigh, the maid set two slices of toast – butter, no jam because that made Riku sick – and a cup of herbal tea – again, no sugar for the sake of Riku's delicate stomach – out on the breakfast counter just as the silver haired teenager entered the kitchen for breakfast that morning.

"Morning Sara." The boy greeted politely, as he always did, taking a seat at the counter. This morning, it was just the two of them, because Ingus had gone for his mysterious doctor's appointment and Cloud had informed Sara last night that he planned to spend the night at his friend Tifa's place. Not that Sara's job included keeping track of Cloud, who was an adult and could do as he pleased without letting her know.

"Good morning Riku. Did you sleep well last night?" Sara asked politely, already turning her attention away from him into order to pull a breakfast quiche from the oven.

"As well as any, I suppose." That was how Riku tended to answer any question Sara asked him – with a non-answer. Sara had figured out rather quickly that the boy didn't do it on purpose, rather that he'd learned a sort of placating diplomacy some years ago and had yet to fully separate what people wanted to hear from what he actually wanted to say.

A comfortable silence fell between them, as Riku ate and Sara began dishing the quiche out onto plates for breakfast. With Cloud and Ingus gone, Sara had some leftover. She served up an extra plate and set it before Riku. "Try some of this."

The boy eyed it warily. Thus far there'd been exactly two breakfast dishes that Sarah had made that hadn't ended with Riku throwing up his breakfast before it even had a chance to settle. "What is it?"

"Quiche. It's beaten eggs, milk, spinach, broccoli, and cheese. The crust is just flour, salt, and shortening – solidified vegetable oil."

Tentatively, Riku took a bite of the food and Sara unconsciously held her breath. They both waited for a few minutes before Riku finally took another bite. "It's good." He complimented.

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. If it doesn't make you sick, I'll make it more often. I've been worried about you getting enough protein."

Riku laughed lightly. "You worry too much."

It was true, so Sara smiled and replied, "Someone has to."

While Riku ate, Sara brought the rest of the food to the dining room for the Hikaru family to eat. When she returned, Riku had finished and was washing dishes without being told. Sara began drying them off and putting them away. After a moment, she asked. "Were you ever teased as a child, Riku?"

The slave shrugged. "Sure. Lots." He said, almost too lightly. "We all were, even though between the five of us we made up a quarter of our grade. Teased, beaten, nearly raped on one occasion."

"What?" Sara slammed the pot she was drying down on the counter, sending stray flecks of water onto her pinafore.

Riku startled at the loud noise, but recovered quickly, his hands trembling very faintly as he responded, "What, did that never happen to Ingus?"

"No! It most certainly did not! He was teased and bullied and beaten up a few times but never… never that! What happened?"

Riku shrugged. "I had to stay late one day to talk to a teacher. Kairi waited for me at the gate. Some classmates saw her and dragged her off behind the school. I came out, heard her scream, and ran to find her. There were only two of them, and I knew some pretty dangerous self defense moves, so it wasn't hard to get them off of her." He shrugged again, and managed a small smile as though it was just another day in his life. Why did Riku's stories always unnerve Sara so much? Was it because she was realizing just how sheltered Ingus had been? That compared to Riku, Ingus had barely been a slave at all?

"But… weren't you punished for attacking someone free?" Sara asked, feeling morbid fascination rise in her gut.

Riku nodded. "Sixty lashes. It's how I got this scar." He pulled up his shirt to show off where a long white gnarled scar traced the contour of his ribcage. His smile turned distinctly smug as he added, "But it was worth it to save Kairi."

Sara couldn't help herself. She set down her towel and wrapped her arms around Riku. Hugging him tight to her chest. "I'm sorry that happened to you."

Riku didn't shrug her off, but merely stared at the water. After a minute of silence he said, "Sara… that's what happens to slaves. There's nothing to apologize for."

Nine years prior

They'd just finished eating dinner – Palom and Porom were helping Shara clean off the kitchen table and begin the process of washing dishes – when Lady Chelinka walked into the kitchen, carrying a thick manila folder.

Palom noticed first. "How's it swinging boss lady?" He greeted, giving the blond haired noblewoman a soapy, wet fingered salute. His sister, Porom, swatted at him playfully with the towel.

Chelinka smiled at both of them, used to the antics of her two overly energetic assistants, but she had not come into the kitchen to talk to them. "Ingus." She stated, turning piercing blue eyes on the slave in question, who was currently still at the table, mending one of his shirts where the seam had fallen out. He looked up when his name was called, and Chelinka took a seat beside him at the table, placing the manila folder in front of him. "I received a copy of your SIAT scores today."

Ingus nodded and set the shirt and needle aside, reaching out tentatively to open the folder. Sara, who was sitting beside Ingus with her own sewing project – an embroidered shawl for her mother – glanced over Ingus to see the folder, not at all trying to hide her interest.

"Thirty." Ingus read from the first page.

Chelinka nodded. "Not at all a bad score, though a bit lower than what I'd normally accept. Still, you have promise. How about it? Would you like to become one of my assistants?"

Porom had set down her towel and wandered over to look at Ingus's scores as well. From across the kitchen, Palom shouted, "Yeah! Come join us! It'd be like a party."

But Ingus shook his head. "Thank you, Mistress, but I am content to simply be."

Sara frowned. "But don't you want to go to college?" She asked, even as Chelinka was already gathering up the profile. "You always listen to Palom and Porom's stories so intently." Indeed, Sara had assumed that Ingus did want to pursue a higher education, since he always seemed so single-mindedly focused on schoolwork and maintaining high grades. She'd thought that, perhaps, he wanted to someday work in Chelinka's laboratory.

Ingus glanced hesitantly between Chelinka and Sara, before finally settling his gaze back on Sara. Calmly, he explained. "I am content here. And, with no disrespect meant for my gracious mistress, I have no desire to add more debt to my bond, not when it is so close to being paid off."

If Ingus expected to Chelinka to be mad, then he was disappointed, for the noblewoman merely smiled softly and said, "I don't blame you. Were it me, not even the thought of having free run of the lab would be enough to sway me from the tangible presence of freedom. How much is left, anyway? Six years?"

Ingus smiled. "Thereabouts." He said, at the same time Sara chimed in. "And two months!" Ingus reached out grabbed Sara's hand in his, squeezing gently.

"We've been counting down the days." He explained. "We want to get married as soon as the bond is released."

Chelinka smiled warmly, and rose enough to kiss Ingus gently on the forehead. It was a motherly gesture, from a woman who had always been more like a mother than a mistress, though it had only begun after Freya had died unexpectedly when Ingus had still been a child. Before then, Chelinka had been coldly detached, even towards her sons. "You are very much like Deusericus, Ingus. Always planning so far ahead with all the excitement of youth." To Sara she added solemnly, "You two will make such a lovely couple. You've been careful about contraceptives, correct?"

Sara blushed, and with an embarrassed glance at her own mother, who was stern-facedly observing the interaction, she nodded.

"Good! I'd hate to see you two end up in a terrible situation like that. It's not something any young couple should experience." With that, Chelinka snapped the folder on the table and stood up. She nodded to Shara and left, her business finished.

When she was gone, Palom whistled. "Sara and Ingus sitting in a tree!"

Porom rolled her eyes. "Oh, grow up." She muttered, yanking on Palom's braid, a coil of auburn hair which reached almost to his knees and was his pride and joy. Palom squawked indignantly and swatted at his twin sister, throwing droplets of soapy water across the kitchen.

Shara said with a sigh, "You're almost an adult Sara, but I could have lived without knowing about your sex life."

Sara blushed scarlet and screeched, "Mom! It's not like I wanted you to know!"

And in the midst of all the chaos, Ingus leaned back in his chair, covered his face with his hand, and began to laugh.

Present day

Dinner was a quiet affair. It usually was. Afterwards, Ingus and Sara sat across from each other at the table where, so many years ago, Sara had asked Ingus to marry her. The wood was worn and rough, water stained and faded. Her mother had once said, "This table has seen families and children born, homework completed and meals prepared, food passed from one person to another. This table has seen the winters go by, and the death of loved ones, but it has also seen summer, and the light of life that exists within us all."

Now, as Sara sat across from Ingus, she wondered if more than just the table was keeping the two of them apart. Words of a poem, half forgotten in her mind, rose up. We are not together here. She realized.

Politely, she asked, "How did your doctor's appointment go?"

Instead of evading her questions as he had this morning, Ingus said, "Well. I hope to have the results back soon."

"What are you being tested for?" Sara asked, the curiosity killing her.

Ingus met her gaze and said, "I'll tell you when the results come back."

Sara stood up and left the kitchen without another word. She didn't want to face Ingus right now, not when her hands shook with anger and frustration. She headed for the front porch, her usual place to go when the kitchen wasn't relaxing enough. She was, then, mildly surprised to see the Director seated on the porch swing, engrossed in a book read by lamplight.

"Good evening, Director." Sara greeted politely, taking a seat on the porch swing.

The Director looked up, and pushed his glasses up his nose like he used to when they'd been younger. "Evening, Sara. What brings you out here?"

Sara sighed and glanced up at the stars, which were beginning to emerge in the sea of the sky, one by one little lights. "Did you ever fight with Lady Hikaru?"

The Director closed his book and stared up at the stars as well. "All the time, especially when we first got married."

This surprised Sara, because in her early memories of the Director, he was always the calm, quiet one. Always yielding to his wife's every demand. He couldn't see the two of them fighting with each other anymore than she could see Ingus keeping secrets. Except that Ingus was keeping secrets, so it made sense that the Director fought with his wife.

The Director seemed to sense this, because he asked, "Why? Having a fight with your husband right now?"

Sara shook her head. "I'm trying to keep it from getting there, but it's hard."

"When I got married, Chelinka's father informed me that it was never a good idea to go to bed angry with your spouse, but I didn't listen because a woman wiser than he had given me better advice. She'd said, it's okay to be angry. It's okay to rage against the world and maybe your partner. It's okay to feel emotions and sometimes withhold forgiveness for wrongs done. Just don't ever let anger turn to hatred, for that's when it's destructive power sets in." The Director rose and stretched. He turned to Sara and said, "A relationship without conflict isn't a relationship at all – it's a power dichotomy. He's not your slave, but neither are you slave to him."

"Who told you that?" Sara asked curiously. The Director never talked about his early life, from before he got married. This was the very first time he'd ever even mentioned it to Sara, though Sara had known because her mother had told her, once, long ago.

With a wry smile, the Director said, "Riku's mother, Lucrecia, actually. Back when she was about the same age as Roxas and Sora are now. Though, it doesn't look like she passed on that particular piece of advice onto her son."

To say that Sara was shocked would have been an understatement. The Director had known Riku's mother? How? When? She opened her mouth to ask these questions but closed it when the Director added, "Those secrets are for another time. You should go have a fight with your husband. It's best not to let wounds like this fester."

Sara nodded and stared at her feet, remaining on the porch swing until long after the Director had departed.

There was a superstition about the cherry tree in the center of Radiant Garden, located quietly in a clearing in the park there. They said that it had been there from the beginning. In the legends, it was the first thing that sprouted when the keyblades unlocked the light, but more likely than not it had always been there. Planted at the very beginning. Yet the stories went that any promise made underneath its leaves would always be kept. This was the place where hearts connected.

It was early spring, and the cherry blossoms had just begun to bloom – a sea of pink across the blue sky. It was chilly out still, and everyone huddled in their jackets. Ingus stood beneath the tree, the priest from the temple of Minerva beside him. All eyes turned to Sara when she appeared, dressed in the green wedding gown she'd borrowed from her mother, the one with tiny pink flowers like cherry blossoms embroidered into the fitted bodice. Sara's eyes, however, were only on Ingus. The man she'd loved her whole life.

Then they were standing beneath the tree, and the priest was speaking, telling about Minerva's blessing on her children. It was a story Sara knew by heart, but he might as well have been speaking a different language. Her hands were in Ingus's and the man was smiling at her in a way that made her heart flutter like a shy school girl with her first crush. Strange how Ingus had so much power of her – for love was the most frightening power of all – yet he would never use it against her, just as Sara would never use her power over him against him.

Then there were vows. Sara spoke first. "I, Sara, swear before the goddess who protects us all to love and honor my husband, to cherish him. To stand behind him through the worst of times, the best of times, and everything in between. My life is his, and between us I vow to never keep secrets." With those words, she slipped the wedding band – a bracelet made of platinum, diamond, and emerald – around his wrist.

"I, Ingus, swear before the goddess who has delivered us all to love and honor my wife, to cherish her. I vow to respect her, to stay by her side when she's sick or healthy, overjoyed or frightened. Between us there can be no secrets, this I vow." He slipped his own band, a simpler ring of silver, zircon, and sapphire, around her wrist.

Together, they said. "And with this vow of words unbroken, my life to you I now do swear. To stay, for all eternity, with you."

Beneath the cherry tree in the early spring, before Sara had even become used to seeing Ingus without the collar he'd worn for so long, two people in love made a promise. And Sara could only hope that promise would remain. Unbroken.

Present day

Sara meant to talk to Ingus and confront him about the secrets, she really did. But when she saw him again, she realized that she honestly didn't have the heart to. Somehow, forcing Ingus to tell her what he was hiding felt even less equalitarian than not fighting apparently was. She decided that, rather than let it become a wedge between the two of them, it was best to let the matter drop completely.

So she did, and she'd nearly forgotten about it until a few days later when the phone rang again. Ingus picked it up this time, and after a brief conversation hung up and said to Sara, "I have another appointment tomorrow."

Sara merely raised an eyebrow. "I'll let the Director know you won't be coming in."

Her husband shook his head. "I want you to come with me this time. The results from my latest test are in and I want you there with me."

"Why?"

Ingus sat down at the table and put his hands over Sara's. "I want you to know what's happening, and it will be easier for me if you're there with me, with Dr. Gainsborough there to help me tell you."

"All right." Sara nodded, and the next morning she found herself at Kadowaki Medical Center, sitting in one of the examination rooms as Dr. Gainsborough's daughter, a sweet young slave who had introduced herself as Aerith, performed the routine vitals check on Ingus.

Sara was nervous, fidgety and unable to sit still. Ingus had somehow managed to make all this seem both routine and dire all at once. She jumped when the door opened and Dr. Gainsborough – a free woman in her early forties – walked in, a clipboard underneath one arm. Sara immediately moved to Ingus's side, even as Dr. Gainsborough smiled and said, "I have good news for the two of you."

"About what?" Sara asked. "Ingus hasn't told me anything."

At Dr. Gainsborough's pointed stare, Ingus looked sheepish and said, "I didn't want to worry her, in case it turned out to be nothing."

Dr. Gainsborough rolled her eyes and offered Sara a sympathetic smile. "Men." She teased lightly. "They think they can handle it all on their own, never mind that they worry the rest of us to death."

Ingus did, on his part, look properly chastised. "Sorry. I thought it would be best if I didn't say anything at all but," he met Sara's eyes, "I was wrong."

Sara squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "We're married. Remember our vows? To always lean on the other for support? I'm here for you so you don't have to carry everything on your own. Now, tell me what this is about."

Dr. Gainsborough stepped in before Ingus had a chance to open his mouth. "It's really about nothing at all." She explained. "Ingus complained of fatigue and muscle pain, so I ran a blood test. When the results came back with a low blood count, I ran another test to be sure it wasn't Myeloma – a cancer of the blood cells. These are the results." She held up her clipboard and handed it over to Ingus, who took it without looking at it.

Sara gently reached over Ingus's shoulder and flipped to the page that contained the final diagnosis. "Acute Anemia." She read aloud. "'Recommended to take iron supplements and eat plenty of red meat.'" She laughed and hugged Ingus around his shoulders. "We can do that!"

Ingus hugged her back, turning to bury his face in Sara's shoulder, where her hair cascaded freely over her shoulders. He didn't say a word, but then again he didn't have to. Sara sighed and gently stroked his hair. "Oh Ingus, we swore to face down the future together, so we wouldn't have to go alone. When you're worried or sad, angry or scared. Tell me. It's why I'm here."

"I know Sara." Ingus shifted slightly, and sat back up. "Come what may, let's face it together from now on."

AN: Yay! Happy ending! *Tries to remember the last time she wrote a story with a happy ending. Fails*

To explain the lyrics from Shasta since they aren't immediately obvious, the first part, especially the lines "You try to sing along to the radio / But it's not your language not your song" refers to the way Sara becomes thrown off balance when Ingus starts keeping secrets from her. In the second paragraph, the first two lines have to do with the fact that not only is Sara a control freak, she's also very idealistic at times. Yet even so, her life's not as she imagined it. The last two lines refer to the fact that, even though it's not what she had in mind, it's still a wonderful life full of love and promise. This is actually unusually esoteric of me. Normally I'm more straightforward when it comes to music. The other Vienna Teng line is "We are not together here." And it's from the song "Between."

Minerva, for those who are unfamiliar, is the incarnation of the Lifestream in the FF7 Complication. Radiant Garden is made up of several nations which were either conquered or converged, resulting in a rich mix of religious diversity. The nobles, however, are mostly atheist with a few exceptions (Laguna, a lesser noble, follows Hyne; the Director believes in Yevon).

Palom and Porom's appearances are based on their design in Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. This is why Palom has long hair.

Next Time: Chapter Seven (hopefully, then the next side story). Riku angsts. Squall starts talking. Sora gets bad advice from his friends. More angst. Cloud offers relationship advice.

Remember to feed the review monster. It's much appreciated.

Until next time,

Lockea