Fixed the formatting issue that shouldn't have even been there

The whole thing had been Riku's idea. Namine had never been able to get out much, if at all, during her time in Castle Oblivion and the Old Mansion. Now that she was free, she had a chance to, she actually had a choice. She really wanted to experience more of the outside world, and there was no better way than to see it with a friend.

However, Namine was the one who made the plan. They'd meet up to eat together sometime after Riku was done with training, and after that they'd explore together. They would stick to one world at a time, and Riku would guide them with what he knew about the worlds. This wouldn't be the only night, of course; Sora, Kairi and Roxas wanted to help after tonight, and the three were sure even more people would want to join in.

Namine was excited, she could barely wait. When the night came, she hurried to the place they picked as fast as she could. Riku wasn't there yet, but she was seated and given a menu to look at while she waited. It wasn't long before the waitress arrived.

"My name's Olette, I'll be your server today." The waitress stole a glance at the empty spot of the table with an undisturbed menu and smiled. "Can I get you something to drink while you wait?"

The blonde ordered a coffee, the first drink she saw on the menu. It was soon brought out to her. After testing it, she decided that it wasn't bad, though it was definitely an acquired taste.

Time passed, and he still hadn't shown up. Namine started checking her phone to see if something had come up. Five minutes after getting her drink, ten, twenty, with no voicemails or texts. Olette came back a few times to see if she was ready to order, but she kept waiting. Riku was probably too busy to contact her, that was it. He had extra training or something came up. He'd be here any minute.

Twenty-five minutes of waiting. Other people in the restaurant started watching, wondering what was going on. Their looks ranged from confused to pitiful, some of them thinking the other party didn't plan on showing up, no doubt. But that couldn't be what happened. Riku wouldn't do that.

Half an hour. She wasn't so sure now. Maybe Riku decided she wasn't worth his time. The others were probably wondering why they wanted to waste their time on something like this. They didn't have to show her around, she could experience the world on her own. She knew that this behavior wouldn't be like them, any of them, but she couldn't truthfully say it was impossible, either. It'd be what she deserved, after meddling in their lives like she had.

Another ten minutes went by without a word from Riku. Namine started looking through her menu, trying to ignore the silent phone that was in her hand. After this long, Riku would surely understand if she ordered without him. She wasn't sure how much longer she should wait before giving up, and besides that, she was hungry. If he wasn't there by the time she finished eating, she'd probably just quietly go home. Whatever was going on, she shouldn't have had to wait this long without hearing from him. She'd order something small and light, but still-

"Hey there, angel! Sorry to make you wait." Namine looked up when she heard the loud voice across the table from her. She could tell just from listening that this wasn't Riku; it was too loud, too cheerful, and what was she just called? Angel? This guy must've been the opposite of Riku. As he sat down, she gave him a close examination. Spiky blond hair, blue eyes, and a black and white dress shirt- he even looked like his opposite. Who was this guy, anyway?

"I tried to get here on time, I promise! But you know my roommate, he always wants my help with his crazy ideas. He held me up, but I got here as soon as I could. You're not upset with me, are you?" the stranger went on. He was acting like they already knew each other…she didn't like this.

All she had wanted was to spend time with a friend, get out for a while in the real world. Everything was going wrong, she wasn't used to this, didn't know how to deal with it. Her fists clenched together in her lap, she wasn't sure what to do next. Riku was missing, a stranger in his place… Her first instinct was to quietly ask him to leave, or to leave herself. But before she could do either, he leaned forward, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"My name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven. I'm sorry if I scared you. I'll leave if you want me to, I understand, but…" He paused to look around. Probably to make sure her friend wasn't approaching, that would've been a weird conversation. "Your date still doesn't look like they're coming, right? You looked so upset, I was hoping some company would cheer you up. And besides, you're so pretty, you deserve better than eating here by yourself, anyway!" He flashed her a grin while waiting for her reaction.

Namine was too stunned to speak. She wasn't sure what to expect from this guy, but so far he was really nice. A lot kinder than most of the people she'd met. And the way he- Ven, right? - looked, he reminded her of someone else she knew, which helped her relax a bit. Whether she reject him or not, Ventus deserved an answer, at least.

"I'm Namine," she replied, returning his smile. If things went badly, she could always leave early, right? Besides, this was a chance to make a new friend, and she didn't want to pass that up. She nodded, indicating he didn't have to leave. It would be okay, she could handle this.

"I can stay, then?" Ven's grin grew wider, and his voice grew with it, as he began to speak again. "I knew you'd forgive me, angel. You're the sweetest!"

Soon after, Olette came back to the table and the two placed their orders. They chatted while they waited, only stopping when their food arrived. They talked about each other, getting to know one another and enjoying each other's stories.

While Ventus was talking about his best friends, Namine heard a small noise. She checked her phone and saw that Riku had left her a message, apologizing multiple times and asking if she still wanted to meet. She sent him a quick text back, letting him know she wasn't upset or mad, that it was okay and that they could try again a different day, maybe tomorrow. Another message confirmed that the next day would work for Riku as well and promised he'd definitely be there, on time and ready to make things up to her. With the only other problem of the night settled, Namine returned her focus to Ventus.

"You know…" Ventus looked up at her after a long pause. "You seem so sweet and kind, and I…" He started spinning his drink around in his glass using the straw, trying to find the right words. "It's hard to understand how someone would want to miss a date with you. Anyone would be lucky to have that chance. And you deserve better than that, too."

"O-oh, it's not like that, really." She turned away, her face turning a bit red. "We're just friends. He was going to show me around. I haven't had the chance to see much of this place. I've always been…too busy." She looked back up at him, offering a smile. "It wasn't really a date."

He laughed after a brief pause. "I guess I made a scene over nothing then, huh? I don't really mind, though. I'm glad I've gotten to meet you. You'd make a really good friend."

"We can be friends, if you want!" The response was a bit too eager, but Namine couldn't stop herself. The idea of making new friends was too promising.

Ven quickly nodded, appearing to be just as eager. "Of course! Nothing would make me happier."

"So, I'll see you again sometime, right angel?"

Namine giggled. "Right. Whenever we get the chance. And maybe we could do something besides dinner next time…I don't think I want to go out for dinner again anytime soon."

Ventus flashed her a grin. "It's a date!"