Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related content belongs to Square-Enix and Disney.
A/n: I know what your thinking, not another one of those dumb high school fics. And you're absolutely right. But I wanted to try writing one. If you're one of those awesome people that read everything I write, thanks for reading, and sorry I'm too ADD to just focus on one story, but I'll finish them all soon enough. They're almost done anyway… Please review, unless you're going to yell at me because you hate high school fics. Well, I guess you can flame me, but it'll just make you look kinda dumb.
About this story: This is Namine-centric, with some adult themes, violence, language, illegal use of alcohol, you get the picture. After one of those crazy high school drinking parties (you know the ones) Namine figures out she's pregnant, with absolutely no memory of what happened, and no idea who might have gotten her pregnant. I'm sure you can imagine the chaos that can ensue when she not only has to tell her friends, but her parents. You may not want to read this if you're against crack pairings, drama, or Final Fantasy VII characters.
Chapter One: Party Time!
She paced her large walk-in closet anxiously, what to wear? It was Halloween tomorrow night, a Saturday, that made today the day that everyone's last minute plans fell into place. She had to look her best so the older kids would invite her along! Being a Freshman at Twilight High wasn't easy, she owed everything about her status to her looks, being way too shy to gain popularity on her own. It's not like she was necessarily proud of that, but it made things easier to bear.
Shaking her head to get her mind back on track, she reached into her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and several shirts. She tossed them onto her bed and stared down at them, finally pulling on the jeans and pacing again while looking down at the shirts.
"Namine! Hurry up, we're late and now we'll have to walk!" Her sister yelled from outside her door.
"I'll be right out!" She hollered back, throwing on a white long sleeved shirt and pulling a black t-shirt on over it. Tossing her shoulder length blonde hair out of her face, she grabbed her messenger bag and ran out the door.
Kairi stood impatiently in the entrance hall, tapping her foot as she waited for her younger sister to barrel down the stairs after her. She opened the door for the girl and waved to their mother as she stood watching them from the den, coffee in hand.
"Have a good day, girls!" She cried after them, pulling her robe tighter around her shoulders as she watched the morning news. Kairi smiled brightly and quickly closed the door behind her, running after her little sister.
"Geez, what took you so long? Dad already left and the other car crapped out, so mom couldn't find us another ride." Kairi flipped her hair hurriedly, adjusting her bag over her shoulder as she linked arms with the blonde girl.
"I'm sorry, I woke up late again…" Namine said quietly, glancing back over her sister's shoulder at the manor fading into the fog behind them.
"It's alright, I was going to walk anyway!" Kairi grinned at her, holding a finger against her lips. Namine gave her a questioning look, but the other girl shushed her. "Sora called me last night, he wanted to meet me on my way to school!" She squealed happily and Namine cringed away from her. "I know he's going to ask me out tomorrow, he's romantic like that!"
The blonde girl watched the sidewalk ahead of them sadly, if her sister was going to walk with Sora again, that meant they were going to ditch her first, and it was a good two miles to Twilight High.
Sure enough, not ten blocks from home Sora appeared on the sidewalk ahead of them, wearing a thin grey sweatshirt and shivering from the cold morning air. Kairi blushed madly at him, but he acted completely oblivious, just taking her hand and telling her another one of his stories. Namine wanted to roll her eyes, or tell them to get a room, or something, but as usual, she remained quiet. Eventually, she had stalled enough so they had vanished ahead of her, finally letting her continue her walk in peace.
She was almost to school when Selphie and Yuffie loomed over her out of the morning fog covering the town. Yuffie giggled darkly, wrinkling her nose at the younger girl. Namine groaned internally, Yuffie Kisaragi, 19 year old super-senior with the world's biggest crush on a junior named Riku. She was cool, she was mean, and above all, she was severely punk. Everything necessary in intimidating a freshman like Namine. Selphie, on the other hand, actually liked Namine. She was sure that was the only reason Yuffie wasn't meaner to her.
"Morning, Namine!" Selphie sang, waving enthusiastically at the girl. The gave a timid wave back as the two girls bounded over to her, Yuffie going so far as to put an arm around her shoulders.
"Hey kid, got any plans for tomorrow night?" The older girl asked casually, tongue-ring flicking out into the air dangerously.
Namine shook her head, her hand tightening on the strap of her bag. Yuffie and Selphie lead her forward down the sidewalk, the large high school coming into view ahead of them. Tall trees lined the walkway up to the school, the few leaves remaining now tinged shades of deep red and orange. The fog only seemed to grow thicker as they approached the schoolyard, kids loitering in front of the steps. Namine watched Roxas start yet another 'struggle' match with his best friend Hayner, Olette watching from nearby.
Riku stood nearby talking quietly to a senior named Axel, and when Yuffie saw him she immediately released her hold on Namine's shoulders and stalked over to him. She watched her go with slight interest, before Selphie's somewhat annoying voice broke her train of thought.
"Wouldn't they just be the cutest couple?" She asked, gesturing over to the two. Yuffie was now hanging off of Riku's arm, and he hadn't seemed to notice her there. Namine looked doubtful, but nodded all the same. The bell rang, causing the students to scatter in near panic. They always seemed to act like the bell signaled the end of the world, running every which-way so as not to be late for class. Namine waded through the energetic students nervously, being jostled back and forth as kids ran into her in the hustle.
She had made it halfway up the stairs to the front door when a couple of boy ahead of her decided to start a wrestling match, knocking her off balance. Namine gasped in surprise as she turned her ankle on the step behind her and slipped backwards. She cried out as a pair of strong arms caught her from behind, stopping her fall. She knew something had gone horribly wrong when the students around her fell silent and stared at her in amazement. Shaking nervously, she turned to look at her savior, her heart skipping a beat in slight terror as her gaze settled on his casual green eyes.
Of all the people that could have caught her, it was Reno. Axel's twin brother. She could have died from shock.
The kids around her quickly filed into the school as she stood there staring at him in horror. He simply watched her with mild interest, shifting his cigarette from one corner of his mouth to the other. His hands rested in his pockets and he slouched slightly, staring her down. She couldn't believe she had touched him and survived.
"You should watch where you're walkin', kids in this school can be crazy." He waved his fingers in the air and grinned, stepping past her and entering the school.
She heard a muffled noise and slowly turned her head to lock eyes with her sister. Kairi mouthed the words 'oh my god' and gestured for Namine to come over to her. She quickly grabbed the girls arm and dragged her into the school behind him.
"Are you insane? Have you heard those stories about Reno? He beat some guy up just for calling him a 'poser'!" Kairi whispered urgently in her ear.
"Well it's not like I knew he was behind me!" Namine shot back, rushing down the hall as the late bell rang. Kairi watched her little sister disappear into her first period math class, shaking her head worriedly.
xXx
Having survived her first three classes, Namine hid behind her lunch tray in the cafeteria. She had finished her food in record time, and was now trying to finish her homework. No such luck, however, as Tidus and Leon plopped down at the table beside her.
"What was up with you and Reno earlier?" Leon asked almost worriedly, watching her shift behind her tray uncomfortably. She shrugged and put the tray down.
"Nothing, I fell and he caught me." She said quietly, groaning mentally as Aerith and Tifa sat down across from her and smiled.
"Hey, Namine, I found an awesome party to take you to tomorrow night!" Tifa grinned and whispered across the table to the girl. She slammed her gloved hand down on the table when Tidus tried to lean in and hear.
"Really? Who's going to be there?" Namine asked with interest, she'd never gone to a real high school party before. Tifa shrugged.
"Leon's going, some other kids. Most of them are older than you, so you probably don't know them. But it'll be fun, I'll take care of you." She winked at the younger girl as she thought about it.
Much to her horror, Axel chose that moment to walk by their table. Upon seeing her, he stopped and leaning over the table top.
"Hey Namine, heard you finally met my brother today!" Tifa swatted at him as his black jacket brushed against her. He swatted back and she growled menacingly. Namine just nodded meekly at the red-haired senior.
"You know, he's a lot nicer than people give him credit for. All those people he killed? Yeah, they deserved it." He laughed as Tifa shoved him away rudely.
"Go away, Axel!"
Namine hung her head in embarrassment. "Why is it such a big deal? Nothing happened, he just caught me!" She said quietly to Tifa. The older girl shrugged.
"Because, you know. He's really intimidating and scary and kind of cool, but he was nice to you. It's exciting!" The bell rang yet again and Tifa jumped up from her seat.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, I'll come by to pick you up pretty early, okay?" They waved to each other and Namine watched her friend walk away down the hall.
xXx
She swung her legs back and forth beneath the counter, a cup of hot cocoa clutched in her hands. She sipped it gingerly as she gazed down at her literature textbook, picking up her pen every once in a while to jot down some notes. Kairi slammed the door open and took a seat next to her sister.
"You doing your homework for the weekend?" She asked with mild interest. Namine nodded and closed the book. She turned to look at the older girl, the hot mug still clutched in her hands.
"What?" Namine asked quietly, sipping from the cup as Kairi leaned back leisurely.
"Oh, nothing really. I just wondered what your plans were for tomorrow night." Namine shrugged.
"Tifa said she was going to take me to a party." She replied, finishing her cocoa and putting the cup in the sink. She grabbed the book off the table and walked out of the kitchen, Kairi quickly following.
"A party? You can't go to a party!" Kairi said almost angrily, her fists balled at her sides. Namine blushed and walked faster, running up the stairs and opening the door to her bedroom. Kairi closed the door behind them and stared daringly at her little sister.
"Why not? It's just a dumb Halloween party." Namine set the book down on her computer desk and turned to watch her auburn haired sister flop down on her bed.
"If Tifa is taking you then everyone else there must be seniors, or even graduated! You can't go to that party, I bet they'll be doing all sorts of illegal stuff!" Namine could have laughed, like she really cared if anything about it was illegal. She sat down at her computer and turned the chair so she could watch Kairi.
"It's not that big of a deal, if anything happens I'll just come home, okay? You can even come and check on me." She smiled innocently at Kairi. The older girl watched her suspiciously, but agreed.
"Just be careful, call me if anything happens and I'll come running." Namine smiled and nodded.
xXx
"Hey girls, your father and I will be home tomorrow morning, but don't try having a wild party while we're gone, Mrs. Gainsborough is staying here to watch the house since Shera has plans for the night. Is that what you're wearing, Namine? You're going to freeze to death! Oh never mind, I've got to go, be good you two!" Their mother ran out of the living room and grabbed her coat from the closet, waving enthusiastically as she darted out the door. Namine looked down at herself.
"You really think it's going to be that cold? Maybe I should grab a coat…" She was wearing a pinstriped white dress that stopped just low enough to cover her underwear, and Kairi had given her some fishnets to wear with her heavy boots. She had even gone so far as to put black eyeliner and lipstick on the girl's usually light face, effectively making her look dead, though she hadn't meant to.
"Nonsense, you look great." Kairi waved the comment off and jumped to her feet. "But if anyone dirty hits on you, slap them and call me!" She said harshly. A loud knock sounded on the front door and Kairi ran out to the entrance hall to answer it.
"Hey, I'm here for Namine." Tifa smiled from the other side of the door, raising a hand in greeting. Kairi huffed but let her sister dash out the door. She waved a finger threateningly at Tifa.
"You take care of her, she's just a freshman!" She slammed the door before Tifa could respond.
She stared down at the blonde girl in surprise. "Is she always like that?" Namine nodded grimly.
Little kids were already running back and forth down the street as they walked along, even though it was barely dark out. The sun had just begun to set, casting an orange light out over the town. They had been walking for a while when Namine realized she hadn't been here before. They were over behind the school somewhere, with a park nearby. The tall trees loomed over them and Namine shuddered.
"Who's house are we going to?" She asked nervously, walking close to the other girl.
"It's a guy named Vincent's house, it's really big. Yuffie, Aerith, and I are all pretty good friends with him. We convinced him to let us have a party there. Hey, there it is!" She pointed up ahead and Namine stared ahead at it.
It was a mansion, even bigger than her house, and it looked kind of decrepit. She couldn't believe someone would actually live there. She hesitated at the front gate, staring up at the wrought iron bars.
"Come on, Namine!" Tifa called back to her.
She rubbed her shoulders nervously and ran to catch up with the older girl. Tifa pounded heavily on the door, the sound echoing around inside. Several moments later, the heavy doors creaked open to reveal a tall, dark man with his face obscured by a crimson cloak. He glared down at them with eyes that matched his attire, a golden claw scraping along the doorframe.
"Who's this?" Namine shivered at him voice, she had to admit it was beautiful. Tifa watched him stare down at the young girl proudly.
"This is Namine, she's the coolest freshman at Twilight High! Namine, this is Vincent Valentine." She bowed lightly, more to break the gaze he had on her than anything.
"Pleased to meet you." She mumbled shyly. He grunted in response, shifting to the side to allow them to enter.
"Come in, Yuffie and Cloud are in the kitchen getting things prepared." he said calmly. Tifa bounced into the large entrance hall and Namine quickly followed her. She didn't exactly want to be left alone in this house.
They made their way back to the kitchen and Namine took a seat across from Yuffie, watching her mix some punch. Yuffie stared at her in surprise.
"Namine? What are you doing here?" A grin broke out across her face and she poured a cup of punch. Handing it across the table, she gave it to Namine.
"Tifa asked me to come." She said meekly, taking the punch and sipping at it. Yuffie grinned wider.
"I didn't know you were that cool. Here, have some pizza before everyone gets here and eats it all." She passed Namine a box with most of a pizza still in it. She took a piece and munched on it as she watched Cloud work on something he had cooking on the stove.
It wasn't long before people began showing up, and Namine had to admit, she didn't know most of them. A giggling blonde girl sat down beside her and she jumped nervously.
"Hi, I'm Elena, what's your name, cutie?" She tried to stifle her giggles as she leaned over towards Namine enthusiastically. She could smell the beer on the girl's breath and she almost laughed. She'd never seen anyone actually drunk before.
"I'm Namine." She said loudly, so she could hear her over the blaring music. The girl nodded.
"That's a beautiful name! I think I heard about you, actually, let me think. Oh yeah, you're the girl that Reno mentioned last night!" She looked around the room, swaying slightly in her seat. Namine's eyes widened in horror when she realized what the girl was doing.
"Oh, please don't-!" Too late, Elena stood up and waved her arm above her head.
"Hey Elena, wasted already?" Namine stared at him in terror as he approached them, white dress shirt unbuttoned casually and the cigarette usually in the corner of his mouth now lit. Elena laughed and slapped his stomach.
"Button your shirt, you hooker." She laughed so hard Namine thought she was going to fall off her chair. "Oh, anyway, isn't this the girl you said fell on you?" She gestured over at Namine and the girl jumped in her seat in fear. She felt a blush rise up in her pale face as he stared down at her again.
"Yeah, that's her alright." he stated. Namine thought she might die. He walked around Elena to stand beside her, leaning down so she could hear him.
"I never thought I'd see you here, who'd you come with?" he asked. Namine shivered, swallowing back the lump in her throat.
"Tifa brought me. Do you know her?" She nearly strained a muscle fighting back the urge to stutter.
Reno nodded. "Yeah, I know her, she's alright I guess. Kind of bossy." He laughed softly and Namine forced a smile. "You want some punch? It's not bad." he offered her a cup he grabbed off the table behind her and she took it, afraid of what he'd do if she didn't.
Axel appeared out of nowhere, hanging off of his twin's shoulders happily. "Hey! You made it! And you two are getting along nicely." He grinned down at Namine and Reno pretended to hit him.
Axel shoved him back and Reno stumbled slightly. 'He's drunk…' Namine realized, watching him in shock. She hadn't even noticed! He didn't smell like he'd been drinking at all…
"Be nice to this one, she's shy!" Axel said loudly, pointing at Namine. Reno looked back at her and ruffled her hair slightly. She couldn't believe it.
"Na, she's a cool kid." He threw an arm over his brother's shoulders and Namine watched them with interest. They really did look alike, but she had heard they weren't identical. For one thing, Axel had black marks on his cheekbones, and Reno had red marks, almost like scars.
"Hey! Good to see you, man!" Reno yelled when Vincent appeared out of nowhere. He took a seat next to Namine and leaned forward towards her.
"Hey, I thought you should know, no one knows where Tifa went, but she's not here. It's okay, though, you seem to fit in pretty well." he said quietly, his deep voice rolling down her spine.
"Oh, that's alright, I didn't really expect her to stay with me." She said sadly. Vincent nodded.
"She's kind of like that when she drinks, don't worry about it." She found herself staring at his crimson eyes, like she was in a trance.
"How did you guys meet?" She blurted out, eyes going wide at her unexpected question. He leaned back slightly and shrugged gently.
"We used to work together, her and Cloud got part-time jobs with the company I used to work for. They always wanted me to come with them and do things, and they always dragged Yuffie and Aerith along. It was a lot better than sitting here alone, anyway." Namine nodded in understanding.
"Yea, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have very many friends." She said, realizing that she was leaning extremely close to him, and he really didn't seem to mind. She sat but back and stared at him in confusion.
"What's wrong?" he asked as she held a hand to her head.
"I'm not sure, I feel really weird." he stared at her for a moment before laughing deeply. He took her empty punch glass and refilled it for her.
End of Chapter One