Disclaimer: I own nothing. Seriously.

Hey guys Script here, coming to you live from the Kingdom Hearts fanverse!

Before I get started, I'd like to apologize for any inconsistencies, I'm a guy, trying to write from a girl's perspective, so if you notice anything that doesn't seem right, let me know and I'll fix it.

This fic is actually a gift for St. Iggy the Pyro; hope you enjoy it! It's also a spin-off of my other story Kingdom Hearts: The Stuff of Heroes, check it out if you have a chance...

Enjoy!

Up All Night: The Science of Sensation

{Naminé}

There's a knock at my door.

I shrug into my robe and slippers as I cross my cabin—we're staying on the Gummi ship in case we need to relocate in a hurry.

"Who's there?" the question is more an anxious reflex than necessity; the only other people on the ship are Axel and Roxas, but Axel's been asleep for the past two hours—he went to take a nap, mumbling something about his back being sore. What an old man.

I'm a little worried though; I haven't heard from Roxas since noon. He went out to get the lay of the land, but he told me to stay here because of all the Wielders and Heartless running around—he doesn't want me to get hurt.

I think it's really sweet of him to worry about me, but I can't stand not knowing what's happening to him—I can't explain why...I just need to know that he's okay.

I open the door, and start giggling immediately—it's more a nervous reflex than anything else, but once I get a good look at his outfit, I can't help but laugh—Roxas is dressed in one of those silly t-shirts that's supposed to resemble a tuxedo.

I trap the giggles behind my lips long enough to kiss him, slow and deep, and then I pull away, high from our liplock, but dying to ask:

"What's with the getup?"

"I dress to impress." The words roll off Roxas' tongue like milk and honey. His outfit isn't overly flashy, just his t-shirt, stone-washed black jeans, and skate shoes, but he's still fine if I do say so myself.

"What's the occasion?" I wonder, shifting closer to him. My finger traces the skin around his collar, catching the fabric and pulling him closer. I can feel the blush heating my face as I idly wonder what that skin would taste like, and I hope he thinks my blush is from the touch, not the thoughts behind it.

Roxas smiles broadly, his perfect teeth sparkling. "It's a surprise. You have to get dressed first."

I can't help but smile back—his joy is infectious. "I'll be right back." I duck back into my room and rifle through my closet, settling on a black mini-dress and knee-high black canvas sneakers with white tips.

"You look...amazing." Roxas breathes when I step back out to meet him, and I feel like a million bucks.

"You clean up pretty good yourself," The words are heartfelt, and I want nothing else in the worlds than to be by his side. "So what's the surprise?"

Roxas takes my hand in his and grins. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?" His fingers twine with mine as he leads me out into the warm Twilight Town evening; perpetual summer weather isn't always a bad thing.

"Where are we going?" I wonder. "Axel said we're supposed to stay here. We're here to stop Maleficent, not for fun and games." I grit my teeth. I'm starting to sound like Axel. Sure, he's fun most of the time—or at least that's what I assume, I've only known him for two days—but when it's time to get down to business, he can be a real funkiller.

Roxas smirks, and the sheer boldness in his grin makes my knees weak. "What Axel doesn't know won't hurt him. It's just one night." He slips an arm around my shoulders. "Nice try kiddo, but you're just going to have to be patient." He gives me a brief squeeze, and then twines his fingers with mine again.

Our hands fit together perfectly, and even though I'd be perfectly content if this is the surprise, I can't help but wonder where he's taking me.

My questions are answered soon enough, when Roxas leads me to the entrance of the Twilight Town annual carnival. I remember seeing it once, while I was working on Sora's memories. The rides and stuff were there all the time, but it was only open once a year—at least it seemed that way—I only saw people there once, and the rest of the time everything was shut down. Diz wouldn't let me go—he said I needed to focus on the task at hand, not fun and games.

If Axel was here, he'd probably be saying the same thing.

The carnival itself is pretty big; there's a roller coaster, and a bunch of other fun-looking rides, and a ton of food vendors. From what I can remember, it's a one-night-only event, but the carnival is open all from dusk until dawn.

"Wow..." my lips are moving before I have time to think about what I'm saying, and Roxas smiles down at me.

"I thought you'd like it." He smiles and leads me up to the ticket booth. "Two please." He's polite and respectful, and he pulls me closer as the elderly man behind the counter looks takes the munny from him.

The man pulls two tickets off the spool like nothing and hands them to Roxas. "Have fun kids."

"We will," I smile up at Roxas and then we head through the gates together.

Roxas turns to me, eyes bright, his blonde spikes highlighted by the wild carnival lights. "Where to first, babe?"

I can feel the tears welling up; Roxas has just given me the best gift in all the worlds: choice. In the whirlwind rush of emotion, I want to jump in with both feet, to experience everything.

"Can we go on the roller coaster first?" I wonder, stretching up on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"Anything for you, baby girl." Roxas murmurs against my lips. "This is your night."

Impulse takes me, and before I can stop myself, I'm dragging him toward the roller coaster as fast as I can go.

It's only after we've been in line for a few minutes that I realize that I may have been a little hasty with my decision. I feel a little less brave, a little less like a hero.

"You're shaking; Are you okay?" Roxas leans down to whisper in my ear.

"I'm good. Just nervous." I admit, but I'm afraid that if I say anything else, I'll start hyperventilating.

Roxas presses his lips gently to the corner of mine, the ultimate method of persuasion. "Nervous, huh?"

"Y-yes?" My breath hitches, just as much from the kiss as from fear.

Roxas kisses me again, and my brave front crumbles.

"I'm scared—I've never been on a roller coaster before." I allow.

Roxas pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head. "Me neither. But you know what they say about fear?"

I shuffle along with him as the line moves before answering. "What?"

"Fear is only a sensation. Kind of like when you get a papercut and then stub your toe—you stop feeling the papercut when you stub your toe because stubbing your toe hurts worse right?

"Right..." I'm not sure where he's heading with this one.

"Fear works the same way. I guess I'll just have to distract you." Roxas voice has a strange4 huskiness to it and he presses his lips to the hollow behind my earlobe, trailing back along my jaw to my lips.

The fear is instantly quelled, smote by an intense, almost unbearable surge of desire.

Someone in line clears their throat and Roxas pulls away, smirking.

"Better?"

My mind is still scrambled from his kisses, and it takes me a minute to respond—my voice is still a little too breathy for public use when I answer, but I can't bring myself to care while Roxas is next to me. "Yeah."

Roxas takes my hand to help me down into the seat of the ride—when did we get here?

My heart jackhammers in my chest, the healing balm of Roxas' lips only lasts for so long, and as the lap bar ratchets into place, I realize it's too late to back out now.

Too soon, the train click-click-clicks out of the station and starts up the hill. The wood seems too rickety, the lap bar too loose and I'm suddenly very afraid of falling out of the ride.

Roxas' fingers are warm and gentle against my cheek, slowly trailing over my shoulder and down my arm to grip my hand comfortingly. "It's okay. I'll be right next to you the whole time."

"I know...But if we die, I'm making your afterlife a living hell." I respond, trying to cover up my fear with sarcasm.

Roxas' lips are on mine again as we crest the hill and the fear settles again, desire burning my veins like wildfire. He pulls away with a smile and winks. "Have fun!"

The scream that escapes me as we plummet down the first hill is a happy one. Adrenaline surges through me, pure life energy and thrill. If this is what living feels like, I never want to stop. I let my hands leave the lap bar, raising them in defiance of my previous fear.

The ride is over too soon, and Roxas leads me to the exit, twirling me almost like we're dancing.

"Did you have a good time?" He wonders, and I can see the worry in his eyes that maybe I didn't enjoy myself.

"Are you kidding? That was incredible!" I'm still a little stoned on epinephrine, and maybe I'm a little too giddy, but I can't find it in me to care.

"So, does this mean you're over your fear of roller coasters?" Roxas smiles.

"I don't know..." I bat my eyelashes, trying to sound more sultry than girly, more sexy than cute. "I think I might need another lesson on...sensation first."

"If you insist..." Roxas leans down slowly, teasing.

Another flash of desire drives me wild and I grab hold of his collar, pulling him down to crush my lips to his.

The universe blackens.

I can't hear, see, smell, or feel anything for a beat.

Two.

Three.

Four.

And then it explodes in a vibrant burst of color and heat and all I can feel is his lips on mine.

That's when it hits me.

That is the science of sensation: the fact that when you're with the center of your universe, nothing else matters.

Go figure.

And...That's a wrap. Hope you all enjoyed that! Don't forget to Review and check out The Stuff of Heroes!

Peace, out.

~Script