WELL now lookie here. Dark Rose has an update...but probably not what you were expecting. I know, I know, I have another story. But, this one just came to me, and it wouldn't go away. Every time I tried to make headway with the newest chapter of TPWTC, this stupid idea kept invading my head. It just wouldn't leave me alone! So, I wrote down a first chapter, pretty quickly actually.

And, for those of you wondering where the hell I've been for the past few months, I'll let you know now:

...wait. This isn't the place for me to tell you what I've been up to. I'll just put that on my profile. Duh. SO if you're all that curious to know what I've been doing (because yes I actually have been doing things that pertain to story-writing), just look at my profile. 'Nuff said there...

ANYWAY, well. Yeah. This story...just sort of came to me. And since it wouldn't leave my head alone until I wrote it down, I figured that since you guys have (regretfully) not had an update from me in a while, I'll post the first chapter. It's definitely a change of pace from my other story. But you have to let me know what you think about it, please. I have no idea when I'll get back to this story. Who knows? Maybe I'll even write both of my stories at the same time. But, it'll be nice if I get some feedback from you guys because... well, you know, you're the one reading it!

It's going to be totally AU, with a much simpler plot line than my other story. Third person; I'm trying out omnipotent. Everyone in this story looks how they look in Kingdom Hearts 2 so Naminé, Sora, Kairi, etc are all about 15. The pairing is Namora/Sominé/whatever you prefer to call it. Fun fact: the number of words without any of my Author's Notes is 5,941. Damn, that must mean I talk like a lot... really sorry about that.

Well, I guess I've said all that I want to say. Please let me know what you think, and... enjoy.

Summary: It IS possible for a guy and a girl to be "just friends." But at some point in time, they will fall for each other...maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late . . . .

. . . . . . . . . or maybe f o r e v e r.

Chapter One: Sudden Emotional Overdose

There's just something about summer vacation.

Maybe it's the way it looks: unbelievably blue skies, open and cloudless, letting the sun shine its brightness on everyone. Umbrellas, swimsuits, and colorful flip-flops. Whatever the sight is, summer just looks happy.

Maybe it's the way it sounds: no matter where you go, the sounds of summer follow you. Whether it's the sound of water coming from a sprinker, or the sound of someone biting into a ripe watermelon, or the sound of waves on the ocean. Summer just sounds happy.

However, in the midst of this wonderful summer, there's one particular girl on Destiny Islands who doesn't look or sound happy at all.

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Naminé huffs in annoyance for what seems to be the millionth time today, glancing once more at the clock that never moves fast enough for her liking. Five more hours to go, and she can finally get out of this place.

Tapping her fingers on the counter, the flaxen haired girl inwardly groans as she sees yet another person approaching her window. Plastering on a ridiculously feigned smile, she greets the new customer.

"Welcome to Typhoon Treats, how may I help you?" she manages to sound not too annoyed this time. Even so, saying those nine repetitive words is slowly but surely driving her insane.

At least the customer is nice. Without much of a hassle, the blonde gets his order to him while Hayner rings it up. She's left with her thoughts once again.

Yes, in case it isn't painfully obvious already, Naminé has a part-time job at a foods department. She works at one of the many food stands at Destiny Islands Amusement Park, the most popular attraction on Destiny Islands.

It's alright… for a job. The only downside to it is that it takes up most of her time now that it's summer vacation. She's just moved to Destiny Islands at the start of summer vacation. After she got settled in, her parents suggested that she'd get a job, so she can make new friends before the new school year starts. Naminé figured it wasn't a bad idea…

But now, she's realizing that it's probably one of the worst decisions she's ever made.

Think about it: when PO'd moms come to complain about an undercooked chicken wing, they complain to her. Or when the line is literally never ending, and the customer that's waited the whole time decides to take out their frustration, they take it out on her.

And she can't do the same to them; she can't possibly offend the customer. The customer's always right, even when they really aren't.

Needless to say, that logic kind of makes her want to scream.

But, she's trying to look on the bright side: she gets in for free, and she gets to eat whatever's left over after the park is closed. The quiet girl has also managed to make friends here; she works with them and sees them almost every day. Not to mention, she can always use some money. So, it's not too bad.

The girl looks around, sighing sadly. Unfortunately, she's not scheduled with her newest, closest friend, Olette, for today. Nope, today she's stuck with Axel, Hayner, and Pence. She gets along fine with all of them, but she's only really gotten close to Olette.

Also, because fate loves her so much, she's also scheduled with the biggest shrew of a supervisor: Larxene. She despises Larxene, who is cunning, intimidating, and not afraid to abuse her power.

"Naminé!" she hears someone scream her name.

"Yes?" she squeaks, turning around to face light jade eyes glaring in her general direction.

"Stop slacking off and do something! You're not being paid to just stand around!" Larxene sneers.

The smaller blonde looks around to see what everyone else is doing. Axel is leaning against the wall, playing with a lighter. Pence is listening to music next to his register. Hayner is sleeping on his register. It's obvious that Larxene is singling poor Naminé out, but she's used to it by now.

"Alright," Naminé obeys quietly. She heads over to the broom, deciding to sweep the floor.

Honestly, she would love nothing more right now than to cheerfully smash Larxene's head in with a bat of some sort, but she can't. Larxene's her supervisor. Naminé knows her place, and although she may not like it, she has to listen to her conniving leader. Not to mention, Larxene towers over the poor girl like a fortress, and Naminé can't help but feel a little scared and intimidated whenever she's with her.

The phone rings as Naminé begins sweeping the floor. Larxene grumbles while walking to the phone, but then talks in a feigned pleasant voice when she answers it.

"It's Larxene. What do you need?" There's a pause, "A transfer?" her eyes dart over to Naminé for a split second before she examines her nails. "Yeah, we do, but…" she's starting to get impatient, but professionally keeps it from her voice

As for Naminé, well, she's sweeping the floor, beaming in excitement from what may happen. From what she can understand, some other food stand has just called, and they need more people. Since Larxene doesn't really need Naminé to be there, Naminé may be able to leave this horrible food stand for the day, meet some new people.

Maybe even make a new friend.

"Okay, I'll send someone over…" Larxene complies reluctantly, still keeping her voice sickeningly sweet. "Bye! Have a good day!" She hangs up, grumbling once more.

"Naminé…"

"Yes?" Naminé's trying very hard to keep the excitement out of her voice. She doesn't want to hope, in case she's hoping for something that may not happen.

"Head on over to Paopu Paradise. They need more people there…" Larxene makes the bitterness in her voice very clear. Larxene would love nothing more than to keep Naminé around, just so she can keep torturing her. But orders are orders, and if Larxene wants to keep her job, she has to obey them. "Looks like today's your lucky day…"

"Okay!" the excited blonde doesn't hesitate to throw the broom in the corner, and make her way to the door, but not before asking:

"Why is today my lucky day?" Naminé can't help herself; she wants Larxene to admit the fact that she can't mock her for the rest of the day.

"Uhhh…are you stupid? Don't you know who the Head Supervisor at Paopu Paradise is?" Larxene hisses the question.

"No…" the smaller blonde shakes her head, now honestly curious.

"Wow! Slow much? Sora Matthews! You know, the guy everyone's talking about?" Even with her apparent annoyance towards the unfortunate Naminé, she can't help but hit a lighter note when she talks about a boy.

"Oh…" Naminé states indifferently, "Well…bye!" and before Larxene can say anything else, the girl with blue eyes darts out the door. Destination: Paopu Paradise.

Sora Matthews… she has heard of him. Apparently, he's some hotshot, gorgeous looking guy that everyone loves. It's only his first year here, and he's already gotten promoted to Head Supervisor. So, with the combination of looks, popularity, and power, he gets pretty much whatever he wants, whenever he wants. That's probably why Larxene let him have a transfer, even though she obviously didn't want to.

Naminé bites her lip. What if he's more of a power-abuser than Larxene? She doesn't think she'll be able to handle it, much less take orders from him. Naminé's heard countless girls swoon over him because of his looks and how "nice" he his, but she's never actually seen or talked to him. Maybe he isn't nice at all, and girls just think he is because of his looks. Maybe he's some arrogant jerk that only cares about himself…

The flaxen-haired girl spots Paopu Paradise. It's a small food stand that sells all kinds of different fruit smoothies and ice cream, including the Paopu fruit, which is where the place obviously got its name from. It's located on the far side of the park, sort of secluded from everything else. So, it's not very busy.

But wait…if it's not busy, then why do they need extra people? Something's not right…

Pondering this, the slightly confused Naminé approaches the food stand. She sees no lines, no people occupying the tables, nothing. It's eerily quiet; even the music that plays throughout the park seems to avoid the place.

Taking a deep breath, Naminé opens the "Employees Only" door and finds herself in an air-conditioned place that smells wonderfully of different kinds of fruit. Everything is clean and meticulously in order, not a thing out of place.

So, why is she here if everything's manageable already? It doesn't make sense…

"Hello?" the blonde calls out uncertainly, walking around the small food stand to look for this Sora Matthews. He's not anywhere to be found in the kitchen area, so she makes her way to the back room, hoping to find him there.

She does.

He's lying on top of the freezer, sleeping.

Naminé scoffs, muttering to herself, "Wow, what a lazy…did he call me here just so he can sleep and leave me to do all the work? I don't think so…"

She gently shakes him, trying to wake him up. He mumbles incoherently, slowly turning around, giving her a full view of his face. She stops for a moment, slightly stunned at how true all of those rumors seem to be.

…But that's not going to change anything. He has a job to do.

"Wake up!" she says urgently, shaking him harder. He grumbles, opening his eyes to confront whoever's rudely disturbing his sleep.

Their eyes meet in that moment.

Naminé first notices how friendly he looks; he has a kind face that contains some boyish charm. Naminé then notices that his brown hair is in an adorable array of odd spiky sections. Naminé also notices that the most stunning feature of his is—without a doubt—his eyes. One look at them, and she can't help but think of the sky, or sapphires, or anything else that happens to be incredibly—aesthetically—blue.

Sora, on the other hand, is a little baffled. He sees exquisite crystal cerulean eyes set in the middle of a gentle porcelain face. He sees bright golden hair, curling gracefully over a shoulder. He sees the overhead light shining behind her, and she looks like an angel. He's about to ask if she is, but reality comes back to him in the next instant.

"Oh!" he yells out, abruptly sitting up. "Sorry…" he mutters an apology, running a hand through his hair and then scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He jumps off the freezer and looks down at the mystery girl, an apologetic look still on his face.

"It's fine," she responds promptly, giving him a small smile. He chuckles nervously.

There's an awkward pause before he finally says, "So… ummm… who are you?" he tilts his head, causing a few of his chocolate spiky strands to fall in front of his (Naminé admits) gorgeous face.

Before she can answer, he notices her name-tag and answers his own question, "Naminé…." he looks up, as if recalling a wonderful memory. "Naminé, huh? It's beautiful."

Looking back down to the girl, he asks, "So, Naminé, why are you here?" and resumes to tilting his head to the side once again.

The girl in question snickers awkwardly at his strange reaction to her name, "Umm…you called Typhoon Treats for a transfer… right?" She bites her lip anxiously, worried that he actually hasn't. That's just like Larxene, to send her to the "amazing" Sora Matthews and the place he works at, just to embarrass her.

Thankfully, his eyes widen with recognition. "Oh, right! I did!" He chuckles at his own forgetfulness, looking down at his shoes, "Well, thanks for showing up! I'm sure we'll get along great."

Then he looks up and smiles.

Now more than ever, Naminé notices that she's never seen a smile quite like his before. It's friendly, sincere, and makes every inch of his face light up, bringing a strange sense of excitement to her heart.

She returns his smile hesitantly, swiftly glancing around to see if there are any customers. There aren't, so she turns her attention back to Sora. It takes her a moment to remember what they've been talking about.

"No problem, but… do you really need help? It seems as though you can manage this place by yourself…"

Sora lets out a hearty laugh, shaking his head slightly, "Of course I can; why do you think I was sleeping? Hardly anyone comes here, you know. It's such a tiny food stand…"

"But... Larxene said you really needed help, and that's why I got transferred…" The blonde furrows her eyebrows, perplexed.

"I know. I made it up!" He grins cheekily, swinging both of his hands up behind his head.

"Why?" she asks finally, still more confused than ever. Now it's her turn to tilt her head to the side.

He rolls his eyes at her playfully, "Because, I hate being by myself! It's so boring! …So, I pretended I needed help so I could get some company!" He's waving his hands around ridiculously, smiling all the while.

Naminé can't make sense of him. His strange, over-excited rant is making her dizzy. She just doesn't understand him. One minute, he's shy; the next, he's all frantic and smiley. This shocks her; she's normally able to make some sense of everything. She laughs awkwardly and hastily makes her way out of the back room, trying to avoid the strange boy.

"What's so funny?" she hears him ask loudly, following her out of the back room.

"N-nothing!" Naminé immediately replies. Even though he is very friendly to her, she's still extremely shy and not much of a talker. In addition, he really confuses her and makes her feel nervous, even though she's only met him five minutes ago.

Needless to say…she kind of wants to avoid him.

But Sora doesn't seem to care. "Doesn't sound like nothing!"

No answer. She doesn't even look at him. Meanwhile, her heart slightly increases its rhythm.

This shocks her, too. Her heart hasn't ever really pounded for someone like this before. But why for him?

Sora stops pursuing her, slightly hurt by her lack of response. Has he done something wrong? No…he hasn't done anything, so why does he feel so horrible? It doesn't make any sense; she's just met him and already she's becoming detached.

Sora's always been charismatic, someone that gets along with everyone, so this brush-off from Naminé is new to him.

Then he thinks of something.

"Naminé…is there something bothering you?"

The blonde gasps softly and lowers her head, reacting to the question.

Bingo.

Instinctively, he rushes over to her in his attempts to comfort her and cheer her up. He can't stand seeing someone looking so distant and…alone.

"Wanna talk about it? I'm a good listener!" he smiles at her, trying to get her to open up.

"Um, no actually, I do not want to talk about it, especially not with someone I hardly know." Naminé is internally glaring at the boy. He's the one that's bothering her. Her face is hot, her cheeks are burning, her heart is pounding, and it's all his fault.

Why won't he leave her alone? That's all she wants.

"Aww, don't be like that. You know you'll have to talk to me eventually, so it may as well be now. No time like the present, right?" Another cheesy grin from yours truly. It still doesn't get her to talk; she just looks up at him, silently pleading for him to leave.

The brunette pouts, "I just want to know what's wrong…" saying it more to himself than to her. He scratches the side of his head in thought, still confused as to why she's being so aloof.

Naminé's facial expression softens; she kind of feels bad. He really does seem to care…a lot, which is strange. She's not used to someone caring about her so quickly.

He doesn't seem so bad. Maybe she should tell him…

Sora tries a new method. "Would it help if I wore a paper bag over my head?"

No response. Internally, she's actually smiling, but she won't let him know that he's getting to her.

"I can draw a smiley face on it, too!"

She cracks a smile, raising an eyebrow. Is he serious?

He looks at her with determination, smiling mischievously. "How about if I tickle you instead?"

That's more effective.

"Ack! No! Don't!" She automatically coils away from him, her dislike of tickling overcoming her dislike of her sudden emotional overdose.

He laughs, advancing on her. "Actually…I think that will help a lot! It's already got you talking, and I haven't even done anything yet!"

She gives in. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" Since he's dying to know and everything. Why is he so persistent about this anyhow?

"Good." He stares at her patiently, waiting for her to explain.

She deliberates for a few seconds, trying to figure out exactly how to say it without sounding like it's his fault.

Well…it is his fault, but he's definitely not trying to make her so anxious. He's completely oblivious to what he's doing to her. She just can't make any sense of it, is all. She doesn't want to bother him when it's really nothing he can control. Not to mention, he's one of the nicest people she's ever met. If Naminé hurts his feelings, she'll feel awful.

Finally, she decides on something simple, "I-it's…it's you."

There's a pause before Sora realizes what she's getting at.

"It's…me? I'm the one bothering you?" he's confused and slightly hurt, and it shows in his voice.

She looks up at him in a rush, "N-no! P-please, don't take it like that. W-what I mean is...is y-you're just so…" she trails off. What does she think of him, exactly?

"I'm so what?" he drones, pouting slightly. He's upset that he's already made such a negative impression on her.

But, why should he feel upset? She's just a girl…someone he doesn't even know…

"Tell me," he demands softly, his eyes pleading. He has to know.

"Well... you're strange," she admits bluntly, finally. An unforced, genuine smile is making its way across her face, though she can't quite understand why.

"…And that bothers you?"

"N-no! Please understand! I-I've just never met someone like you before. I like you! Really, I do! You're just confusing me a little, is all…" Her face is the color of a strawberry. Why does she sound so stupid? What's making this so difficult?

"Oh, is that all?"

She gives him a meek nod. Immediately relieved, Sora can't help but notice how cute she looks when she's all flustered and embarrassed.

"Well, if that's the case, then… you're pretty," he chuckles at his fake retaliation, sending her a cheeky smile. He surprises himself; he normally doesn't have this much confidence when it comes to talking to girls, but those words have flown out effortlessly.

Heat scatters across her cheeks. He's making her feel nervous again, and she still doesn't like it. Her smile falters and he frowns slightly in response, sort of sad to see her smile go.

The sudden silence makes him aware of how uncomfortable he has made her… and himself. Thinking about her reply, he's getting a tad bit self-conscious. He's strange, huh? How is he supposed to feel about that? Not to mention, she's making him feel nervous, and he doesn't like it, either.

It's really silly how just a few words can make things so… awkward.

She's about to stutter a reply to his compliment when…

"Hello?" a customer breaks them out of their hypnotic state. They snap their attention to the window, immediately getting back to the rhythm of their job.

The customer orders a paopu smoothie. Sora rings up his order, and Naminé makes the smoothie, giving it to the customer.

"Have a nice day!" Naminé smiles politely as the customer leaves. Sora takes a moment to admire her smile once again, a goofy grin absentmindedly forming on his lips. She turns to face him and furrows her eyebrows, silently questioning his actions. He shakes his head and looks away for a few seconds, embarrassed that she's caught him looking.

A few moments of awkward silence, and then…

"Everyone always orders the paopu smoothie," Sora states, desperate to make conversation.

"Why's that?" Naminé quirks an eyebrow, as eager to get away from the uncomfortable silence as Sora is.

Sora thinks for a second. "Well, it tastes really good; better than mangoes!" He casts a sideways glance to her, smiling at his comparison. "And the legend's always nice to think about, I guess."

"What legend?"

"You've never heard of the legend before?" He's slightly surprised. Supposedly everyone had heard of the fruit's story.

Naminé shakes her head. "I moved here a few weeks ago, so I don't know as much about this place as everyone else does."

Sora nods. "Ohhh, okay. Well…the legend is that if two people share one, then their destinies will be intertwined forever. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what…" for some reason unknown to him, he suddenly feels a bit nervous telling the girl the story.

Nervous again? What's going on with him?

"Hmmm… that's sort of sweet." Naminé smiles, glancing upwards. Sora chuckles slightly.

"What's so funny?" Naminé asks matter-of-factly.

Sora shakes his head in amusement. "I was just thinking about my friend, Selphie. She thinks it's the most romantic thing ever and wants it to happen to her so badly."

He's saying this, once again, with the wild, exaggerated hand gestures. Naminé laughs inwardly, wondering if he even realizes that he does it all the time.

"Well, it is romantic…in a way. I mean, if you're sharing it with someone, they probably mean a lot to you. And because they do, you want to be with them as much as possible… right?"

"Yeah, that makes sense." Sora shrugs, looking down at his feet.

"Have you ever shared a paopu with anyone, Sora?" the blonde teases. Immediately, she feels her face heat up again, and she can't help but feel confused. Why should she feel embarrassed? She just asked him a question…

Sora's head snaps up. A few seconds pass before he replies.

"Uhh….nope," he chuckles softly while rubbing the back of his head.

Naminé's expression softens at his shyness. Her heartbeat increases, startling her again. Trying to sound as calm as possible, she replies.

"Oh…"

Another awkward silence…

Both parties shift their gaze elsewhere, before the silence is once again broken by Sora.

"But, I think I will…someday."

Surprising himself, he dares to look into her exquisite eyes again. Her angelic face makes his mind go blank and his breath catch in his throat. He feels his stomach doing nervous somersaults.

Or maybe…they're excited somersaults. He can't tell the difference. But whichever they are, he kind of likes the feeling.

He opens his mouth to speak, but can't. What's making this so hard? Why is it so hard to say what he wants to say around her? Sora's panicking, trying to figure the mystery out.

Then she smiles at him.

Her smile gives him a great feeling. He feels warm on the inside, like he's melting. He returns her smile and notes the pinkish hue of her face as a response. The fact that she's as insecure as he is gives him enough confidence to finally formulate a sentence.

"I guess it's like what you said. I want to share it with someone very important to me…" Sora looks down, not out of nervousness, but out of habit. He always looks down when he's in deep thought, unconsciously placing a hand over his heart and smiling peacefully.

Naminé smiles at him. "Of course. Her heart is still hammering away. The thought of her sharing the fruit with Sora crosses her mind, making her face heat up even more so.

"Urghh...no! Why am I letting him get to me like this?" she thinks, getting annoyed with herself and her emotions. "He's a good-looking boy, so what? He's no different from any other boy who's been blessed with good genes. No different at all."

"So, tell me about yourself, Sora," Naminé states out of the blue, as if his answer will prove the fact that there's nothing extraordinary about the boy before her.

Who knows? Maybe if she finds out more about him, she'll even find herself disliking him.

The boy in question smiles at her and launches into an animated story, which is actually a bunch of little stories. He talks about his two best friends, Riku and Kairi, how irritated he gets because Riku always wins their races, how he and Kairi always watch the sunsets, and how they've all been together since he can remember. He talks a bit about his cousin, Roxas, who he's very close with. He mentions how they're very different people, but they're hardly seen without each other. Also, he and Roxas are only a few weeks apart in age, Sora being the older of the two. He talks a bit about his friends Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, how they're all fun to sword fight against, go to the beach with, or just be with in general. But with how he talks about everyone, he makes it very clear that Riku and Kairi are his two best friends; they can never be replaced.

He tells her of things that people wouldn't normally tell strangers, like his extreme love for puppies, or that he prefers to eat ice cream with a fork. He recalls his mom a few times, enthusiastically declaring that she's the best cook ever. He especially loves her apple pie, and the way she arranges marshmallows in hot chocolate to look like a smiley-face. His favorite color's blue, and he almost never wears matching socks because he gets too lazy when it comes to pairing them after the laundry's done. He has an extreme fear of frogs, and… oh yeah, he believes in Santa.

As a rough summary, he imparts random, odd things that make Naminé question the boy even more. She feels as if she's learned everything and nothing about him… all at the same time. The nonsensical story-telling makes her feel lightheaded, but strangely giddy, too.

And that thought almost renders her speechless.

Okay, so maybe she's wrong. He's definitely not like anybody she's ever met before.

She can tell a lot about him already. His friends mean the world to him; he'll never give them up for anything. He seems to have a happy demeanor most of the time, always lightening the mood, being optimistic. Expanding on that, he has a wonderful mix of seriousness and goofiness in his personality. He's impulsive, tending to speak before he thinks, and he's also very compassionate, thinking of everyone's well-being.

Maybe it's the way he is that makes him so strange to her. Yes, that must be it. He's so loud and illustrious; he practically shines, automatically standing out. Although, it's becoming obvious to Naminé that he doesn't need to be loud to get noticed. He's just one of those people that automatically become a winner to peoples' hearts, never an afterthought.

Maybe she's just gotten used to him, but she no longer feels nervous as he looks her in the eyes, or when he smiles her way. She can feel herself unintentionally smile as well, in response to his. Something about being with him just feels natural, like they've been friends for months, maybe even years.

"What about you, Naminé? Tell me about yourself," his eyes are full of life as he asks her. He wants to know more about the girl who's been acting so differently around him.

Apparently, the fact that she's shy hasn't crossed his mind yet.

"Ummm… w-well..." Naminé's stunned to silence at the sudden question. She doesn't even know where to start, especially not after the very detailed story he's told her.

"Ah…" he's beginning to understand. "That's okay. I'll just ask you questions. How about that?"

Well, that makes things easier. She nods in response, a bit happy that he's caught on. She's not nervous at all anymore, but her shy demeanor isn't going to go away as easily as her nerves.

"Okay, hmmm…" the strange boy looks upwards, thinking of a good question. "Well, why did you move here? And where from?"

"I used to live in Twilight Town. My dad found a better paying job out here, and it's closer to family…" Naminé says matter-of-factly, but a little sadly. She doesn't expect Sora to show her sympathy, though. Whenever she talks to people, her sadness is usually overlooked, or mistaken for something else almost all the time.

Sora, however, picks up on it right away.

"You miss your old home and friends… don't you?" he asks her sympathetically.

She nods, slightly bothered (and surprised) by the fact that he can read her so well. But, she figures it's just the compassionate virtue he seems to possess.

"Don't be sad. Just because you don't see them every day doesn't mean they're not your friends anymore!" He nudges her playfully.

"I know, but I still miss them…"

"I'm sure they miss you, too… but you can't let it get to you, you know. You have to try and think positive." He smiles excitedly, trying to get her to return it.

She stares back at him dubiously, silently questioning him exactly how she's supposed to think positively about her situation.

He seems to notice her doubt. "Think about it like this: every day you're not with them brings you closer to the day that you will see them. You just have to be patient!" He ruffles her hair playfully.

There's a pause as she considers his way of thinking.

"I never thought of it like that…" she admits, smiling slightly.

"There you go! You're smiling! That's good," he sighs happily, grinning in return. He comes to the conclusion that her smile can outshine anything, even the sun. "And don't forget that you have your new friends, too, right?"

"…Right," Naminé agrees happily.

"So, how many friends have you made so far?"

Naminé fidgets shyly, "Well… only really one person. Her name's Olette…"

Sora gasps dramatically, eyes wide, placing a hand over his heart. "Are you saying that I'm not your friend, Naminé?"

"O-oh, w-well, I mean…" She tries to correct herself, but she's cut off by Sora's laughter.

"Kidding, only kidding. You don't even have to say it, I know I'm your best friend," Sora teases with a poke to her shoulder, smiling easily.

Could this be considered flirting? Well if it is, Sora's completely oblivious to the fact that he's doing it.

"Of course you are." Naminé rolls her eyes, smiling wryly. She surprises herself. She normally doesn't have enough nerve to be sarcastic, at least not outside of her thoughts. Most of her thoughts are kept under lock and key, but somehow, he's brought it out of her.

"You shouldn't be so mean to your best friend, Naminé," Sora jokes again. He walks towards the back room, grabbing a plastic bowl and fork on his way.

The blonde follows him, curious as to what he's doing. When she reaches the back room, she sees Sora open the freezer containing ice cream, staring at it longingly.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm eating ice cream!" the brunette says excitedly, scooping chocolate ice cream in his bowl. Although, how he manages to do it with a fork is a mystery.

"Sora!" Naminé hisses. "We're still working! We're not allowed to eat unless we're on break!"

"Well, I guess I'm on break then," he retorts, closing the freezer and sitting on top of it. He immediately indulges, ignoring the blonde's complaints.

"You know what I mean. We're not supposed to eat that food; it's for the customer!" Naminé chides him again, panicking slightly.

"Naminé, I'm hungry…" Sora pouts, lightly arguing back. He doesn't like the fact that he's upsetting her, but all he wants to do is eat. He doesn't understand why she's so anxious about this…

"But, you'll get in trouble!" She casts a glance out the window, making sure that no one's coming.

Sora laughs at her virtuous yet naïve integrity, finally understanding. "Naminé, no one comes up here. I'll be fine! Trust me."

The blonde sighs, giving up. "Fine, but…if you get fired, don't forget that I warned you."

"Duly noted…" he says, playfully dismissing her warning. He looks down and sees her glaring at him. He laughs inwardly. She's annoyed, and he finds it funny. It's over such a small matter, too.

Then he realizes something.

"You know, I should break the rules more often!" He grins broadly, making her reproachful glare intensify slightly. He makes note of how cute she looks when she's angry, immediately blushing slightly at the thought.

"And why would you want to do that?" she asks, almost impatiently. She knows that he's just pulling her strings, but she's letting him do it anyway. It's one of the weird effects he has on her.

He smiles warmly, trying to hide his reddened face, "Well, look at how much you're talking to me now! You've said more to me in one minute than you have for the whole hour you've been here."

She takes a moment to think about his answer, but doesn't get what he's implying, "So?"

Now finished with his ice cream, Sora jumps off the freezer, throwing the bowl and fork into a nearby trashcan. Naminé is still staring at him, waiting for his answer. Noticing her persistent stare, Sora chuckles to himself before explaining his motives.

"Sooooo..." He rolls his eyes playfully. "I should break the rules more often, so you'll talk more!"

She furrows her brows, still a bit confused.

He sighs, shaking his head slightly. "It's a shame that you're so shy, Naminé, because I like talking to you. A lot, actually!" He smiles brilliantly at her, his eyes emitting a certain spark that has never been seen before.

"Oh…" She looks down at her feet. She doesn't know why she's coming to this conclusion now, but she finds that she likes the way he says her name. The way he accents it is just... perfect.

There's another silence. Sora can't tell if it's awkward or not. He's worried that he's made her feel uncomfortable again, but all of his worries slip away when she looks up and smiles at him.

"Thank you," Naminé says earnestly. "I-I like talking to you, too."

Sora returns her smile. "I-I'm glad…" he says, stuttering slightly himself.

The two fly into conversation effortlessly this time, talking about favorites and friends and anything under the sun. It's like they're in their own little world where it can be anything, even nine in the afternoon. Naminé hasn't been this happy since before she's moved here, and Sora hasn't found it so easy to talk to someone before. Their thoughts and words fly freely around each other, bringing them closer in one day than they could have ever imagined.

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Hmmm... maybe summer vacation isn't all of it. While most people are happy with just that, it's not everything. Sometimes, you just need somebody to make your day seem brighter, even if it's only by a little.

And it looks like Sora's just showed up to be Naminé's somebody.

Just a quick comment: the little "nine in the afternoon" line came from Panic! At The Disco's song "Nine in the Afternoon." I didn't really take anything from the song to make this chapter, I just really, really wanted to include that in the story somewhere. I think the title of the song is so cool, because it can never be nine in the afternoon. But yeah, it's a good song, too.

Also: yeah, I didn't give them Japanese last names, shame on me. Although the last name "Hikari" fits with Sora's personality, I don't think it flows well with his name, if you know what I mean. I mean, say it out loud: Sora Hikari. It just doesn't work, in my opinion. So, I gave him a last name that "flows" much better, and that happens to be Matthews. I'll slowly do the same for all of the other characters, too. Although, it doesn't matter much; last names are just last names. I just wanted to give an explanation in case people are curious...

So, what would I like you to comment on? Well, the overall story, of course. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Are you indifferent? And how did I do with characterization? I tried my best to keep everyone as in-character as possible, including the minor characters. And of course please comment on specific things: What did you like? What did you hate? What did I do awesome on? What did I suck at? Remember, I do prefer constructive criticism, so... yeah, just be honest. It's the most helpful review you can give, if you're just honest. Trust me.

'Kay, enough of my rambling.

Soooo what are you waiting for? Clicky el Review Button below por favor =P (Yeah, I haven't taken Spanish in a while...can you tell?)