[ He caught her hand tightening and would have done the same thing if she hadn't first. He didn't like talking about what she'd done to him either. For one, because it made something inside him run cold, a chill that spread outward from his heart at the fear of something like that happening again - the knowledge that his worst fear had already happened. That reaction started to flare up again as the second reason caught up to him again - that look on Naminé's face.

It'd suddenly occurred to him that, now, Sora might know things about him even he didn't know. That previously only Naminé had known and he'd tried purposefully not to make her think about. This was that gulf between them that they'd talked about once or twice before; that Arden had tried to reconcile personally. Now he considered giving voice to those thoughts - how much he cared about her sitting right alongside the constant reminders of what she was capable of doing to him again. He never considered she'd do it on purpose; she hadn't done it willingly the first time either. But she could do it. If someone threatened her life and told either of them to make a choice between her life or his memories... it would be a kind of death regardless. That was what Riku was afraid of on his behalf too.

But for the moment, he swallows and tries to focus on her fears. ]

I get it - about the smell of roses, I mean. I only know one way of dealing with that, but it may not work for you. I had to replace those memories with something fresher, so that I'd automatically think of those better memories instead.

[ Like with her, for example. ]

But that's asking someone to face their fears head-on. It won't do if you got too sick to even stay around them for very long.

[ He looks down at their clasped hands, and tries to get her to relax the hold as a means of comforting her, letting their fingers twine side by side but in a loose way. ]

Either way... it sounds like you feel bad for being afraid still. I don't think you should feel bad about that. Maybe you can start there.