(A little note for the readers; to make this story work, and to make it funnier, just pretend that only Sora saw the nobodies on the TV back in part nine, pretend that Riku wasn't there. I'll likely rewrite that chapter soon so that it was only Sora. Sorry for the inconvience! - Sulhadahne)
013: ROXAS, the KEY OF DESTINY
and
000: NAMINE
in
The Perfect Summer
The sun was bright over the beaches of the Destiny Islands, and the children were all outside, dressed in their swimsuits. Some lazed about on the sand, some went out on their boats to travel to the other islands, and the few hard workers stayed on their back porches, doing summer homework as they sun bathed. Only three children were not partaking in the gorgeous shimmering sunlight.
"I swear, it was a member of the Organization!" Sora shouted into his phone, the desperation showing in his voice. The voice that responded did not sound very desperate; more like, dry and unbelieving.
"... on the television?" Leon muttered, and though Sora couldn't see it, he was cocking an eyebrow.
The boy nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah!"
"... and he was?"
Flushing, Sora tried to think of the best way to describe what he had seen. In the background, his two friends sighed and held their heads, prepared for the inevitable; that Sora was going to embarrass himself.
"He was... flying out of a window."
Leon blinked. "Flying? Was it Xaldin?"
Sora scratched the back of his head. "No, he wasn't really 'flying', he was... on a hospital bed."
"... Sora, what the hell?"
Both Kairi and Riku groaned and dropped their heads at the same time. Flustered, the other boy tried to recover. "Just listen! He was on this hospital bed with this girl, and it busted through the window of the hospital and flew out over the street, and then the darkness swallowed it up!"
"... you haven't been getting too much sun, have you?"
Groaning, Sora smacked a hand to his forehead. "I'm telling the truth Leon!"
"And I'm telling you that we've only heard rumors of Organization since their downfall, just speculation. Stop worrying Sora, enjoy your summer. You'll be back at work soon." With that, the phone clicked, and Sora dropped his hand with a sigh.
"That went well." Riku muttered. Sora sent a dark looked his way.
"Didn't see you talking to him." The boy seethed.
"I'm not the one who saw the recently dead come back to life on his TV screen." Riku sent back. Before Sora could retort, Kairi stood and put her hands up to hold them apart.
"This isn't helping guys." The two boys frowned and turned away, and Kairi sighed. "It does sound crazy... maybe you were seeing things, Sora."
"I wasn't, Kairi, I promise. I saw the black cloak, and the picture was small, but I kinda recognized the guy. It looked sorta like the guy we fought on Olympus!"
Sora's two friends shared a nervous look. They wanted to believe their friend, but it really sounded like he'd gone off the deep end. "Sora..." Riku murmured. "They're dead. We killed them. If you feel guilty, I understand, but you have to let go."
Sora knew when to quit. With one last disgusted sigh he turned and left the room in a huff. "Sora-!" Kairi attempted to follow but Riku put a hand on her shoulder. When she glanced back, he shook his head. Riku knew the boy needed some time alone.
Said boy was stomping down the sandy street, sending clouds of the stuff into the air. The few people sharing the road with him waved in front of their faces and sneered but Sora didn't notice. He was lost in his own angry thoughts. Why didn't anyone believe him?
Sure, it sounded ridiculous, but Sora gave his word that it was true! Why couldn't his friends trust him? That was what hurt the most; being treated like a dorky idiot when there was an Organization member alive somewhere!
Okay so it was a weird story but still... couldn't his friends take his word for it?
Eventually the boy stomped down to the busy, crowded beach, and stood in the sand. It just burned him that he knew there was a danger out there and he couldn't do anything about it! Frowning, he glanced around the beach... and his eyes landed on the solution. The ice cream stand! A salty sweet ice cream bar would cool him down. With a new happiness in his step he ran down the beach towards the stand.
His heart was pounding a little faster at the idea of the ice cream. Excited the boy slid to a stop in front of the stand, spraying sand everywhere once again, and once again, he ignored all the complaints and reached into his pocket for his wallet.
"Oh!" The girl behind the counter saw Sora and grinned shyly. "Hello, Sora. Are you hungry?"
The boy nodded eagerly, pulling out the bills. "One sea salt ice cream bar, please." He said. The girl smiled.
"Your usual, of course." Sora chuckled boyishly as she turned to get the dessert.
"Have you been out in the sun today, Sora?" The girl asked as she retrieved it. Sora blinked. "You're face is rather red." At the mention of it, Sora turned darker still, and chuckled nervously.
"Oh, uh... I guess I haven't been using sun screen." The brunette smiled, and the girl smiled back. They stood quietly for a moment.
"Uh... here's your ice cream." The girl held it out, and for a moment it seemed Sora had forgotten what to do with it.
"Oh! Thanks!" He grinned and handed the money over, fumbling with it a little. The girl smiled understandingly, and waited for him to pull himself together.
"Always nice to see you, Sora." She called out to him as Sora walked away. He was walking backwards, watching her, and waved to her as he walked. And, as could be predicted, he ended up tripping over someone's beach chair and flipping head over heels into the sand.
"Oh! Sora!"
Sputtering and floundering, the boy leapt to his feet, and waved reassuringly. Luckily the chair had been empty. "I'm fine! Bye!"
A little shocked, the girl just waved half heartedly and watched him go.
Sora, on the other hand, was shaking his head and berating himself mentally. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Now his ice cream was dotted with sand. And here he was going ga-ga over the ice cream girl! Kairi was his girlfriend, she was the one he cared for, the one he'd searched planets to find! And he still had deep, strong feelings for her.
So why was Sora getting flustered and shy around this other girl? It made him feel horrible. The ice cream hadn't cooled him down, it had worked him up even worse. Not only was the Organization coming back, but he was cheating on Kairi. Okay, it wasn't actually cheating... but it felt bad.
Sora glanced down at his ice cream and sighed. He wanted to throw it away. But somehow, thinking of the ice cream girl made him smile, and he ate it anyway.
-= =-
The screen door slammed closed and Kairi sighed. Both boys had left the house, still steaming, and she was left to her own devices. Boys could be such trouble, she thought with a sigh.
The girl was in her room, her arms crossed, leaning on the window cill. She looked almost lost, her eyes faraway. The sunny sky didn't seem to cheer her. Kairi was tired of the boys fighting, tired of the hot summer, and tired of feeling torn.
Just as she thought this, the one who caused her pain appeared below. Blushing, she spun around, shut her eyes tight, and insisted to herself that she had seen nothing. And yet, a moment later, she was facing the window again, searching desperately for his face in the crowd.
There he was! The one that sent her heart into a flurry of beating!
He was tall, taller even than Riku, with crazy hair. He wore a bandana around his head, and in front of the cloth, he had spiky bangs, and the back was frazzled, spiked, and altogether crazy like he was some sort of rock star. The boy wore a permanent cocky grin, had lightning blue eyes, and dressed in a lazy goth-rocker sort of way. On the beach, he was wearing knee high combat boots, black cargo pants held up by a spiked belt, and a torn up band tee shirt with a button up shirt over top, half on, half off. He was bad boy to the core.
The total opposite of Sora. Shame drove Kairi to spin back around, but she regretted it immediately, and soon found herself staring at the stranger again. Everyday he'd pass under her window on his way towards wherever, and each day she found herself watching him.
She felt like a criminal, sneaking looks at the boy when Sora wasn't around. The two were such opposites... Kairi had never been attracted to the darker type before. If she had been, she would've gravitated to Riku more when they were growing up. But Sora had always been her ray of light, the one who she'd do anything for. Why the sudden change?
Depressed and confused, Kairi plopped down onto her bed and closed her eyes. Maybe sleep would help. The girl stayed on her bed for a good hour, but hardly fell into more than a light slumber.
-==-
Sora had a stomachache once he returned to Kairi's house, and his mood had plummeted even further. He checked the front hall for his friends, and when he saw it was empty, called out to them.
He took the steps two at a time, and moved towards Kairi's room. Sora saw her curled up on her bed, red hair falling over her face, and his heart melted. She looked so small and fragile, but in truth was strong in spirit. Slowly and quietly, he moved towards her bed, and stood by her. His hand moved to her face, trailing her cheekbone.
How could he have been thinking of someone else? When he had someone like Kairi...
"You okay?"
The boy smiled and nodded. "I'm fine." As Kairi sat up, he sat by her on the bed. "You?"
The girl nodded half heartedly. "Just a little depressed."
Concerned, Sora put his hand on hers. "Wanna talk about it?"
She violently shook her head. "Not really."
The tone of her voice shocked Sora, but he hid it. Instead, he comforted her the best way he knew how. The boy drew her into his arms, and set his head on top of hers.
Both hid a darkness in their hearts that they could not share, and it depressed them. But they wouldn't have to worry for long; it would be all right in the end.
Sora returned home a few hours later, having been unable to shake off his depressed mood. He was afraid of the Organization... if they were coming back, he had to do something. But no one believed him, which meant, he was on his own.
How could he, from his little island home, somehow stop the Organization from doing whatever new nefarious deed they had planned? He didn't even have a gummi ship, much less a plan. But still, he was the Keyblade Master! He'd find a way! Cheered slightly, Sora walked through his living room to the kitchen to get a snack.
-==-
Midnight that night, the teenagers of the Destiny Islands were still awake and partying, enjoying their time off of school. Kairi, exhausted, had finally fallen into a deep sleep; Sora was snoozing in his own home, and the eldest boy was playing video games at his house. Riku was a night owl, unlike his two "early bird" friends.
Axel traveled the darkness quietly, keeping a mental note of the location of the other two keyblade bearers. He didn't want them interrupting his mission before he got to his goal. Sora was the one he was looking for, and Axel wasn't going to leave until he got a look at him. The shadow portal that he stepped out of led to the street in front of Sora's house, and luckily, the street was rather empty. Axel glanced around one more time before racing across the street towards the front door.
It was no problem for him to create another portal and slip inside. Within the house was dark, and no one was awake. That made his job easier.
The red head hurried up the stairs quietly, taking a right. He could sense the boy's power, and followed it to the right room.
Snoring came from within; Axel rolled his eyes. During their time together, Axel had never noticed Roxas snoring. Must've been a "Sora only" trait.
Axel used the shadows once again to sneak into the room, and came upon the sight of a snoring teenager sprawled messily across his bed. He wore moogle boxers and a yellow wife beater. The entire room was a mess; Axel carefully moved through it, trying not to trip on anything.
"Slob..." Axel shook his head and chuckled. Another trait that Roxas and Sora did not share. Roxas was meticulously clean. Were they really related? It didn't seem like it.
Axel knew they were though. In the end, they had the same kind heart, the same bright light in them. They were definitely connected. With a soft sigh, Axel sat in a chair near Sora's bed, his eyes settled on the peacefully sleeping face.
"Hey..." He muttered quietly. He felt a little stupid for what he was doing, but he knew no other way. "Uh... it's Axel. Been a while, huh?" He chuckled softly. "... can you hear me, Roxas?"
Sora continued to snore. But Axel didn't give up. The red head leaned over a little further and kept speaking.
"Everybody's back but you, and Namine, I guess. Larxene's got her man, so I figure you've gotta be next right?" Axel hoped. In all truths, there was a chance Roxas wouldn't come back. He had a heart - Sora. There was no reason for him to be reborn. But that wouldn't stop Axel from desperately hoping.
Desperation made him mumble as he spoke. "Come on, do something Roxas... can't you hear me at all? Maybe you're asleep too... I couldn't come during the day, Sora would have a heart attack... and that wouldn't be good would it?" He laughed, and Sora stirred a little, but he remained asleep.
Sighing, Axel fell quiet. He'd been crazy, sneaking onto the island to talk to a ghost. Maybe Roxas couldn't hear anything anymore. Maybe he was totally a part of Sora. Axel's look darkened as the ideas drifted through his mind, and he was so out of it he didn't hear the thundering footsteps rushing up the stairs.
The door slammed against the wall as Riku burst into the room, his Keyblade in hand, leaping at Axel with killer intent. The man immediately recovered from his depression, summoning his chakrams and leaping out of the way.
The Keyblade's tip slipped through the chakram and caught, and Axel used his momentum to pull it out of Riku's hand and throw it out the window. It crashed to the ground below, which finally woke the sleeping teen. Sora leapt up in his bed with cries of, "What the hell!? Riku?"
Both teens now had their eyes on the red head, who still had his weapons drawn. But instead of looking angry or determined, they both looked rather confused. Sora began to let out sputtering laughter, a hand over his mouth. Riku just looked mortified.
It was then Axel remembered what he was wearing.
"All right, all right, let it out..." The man sighed and crossed his arms, his maid uniform ruffling. Sora fell out of bed and onto his ass as he cried and laughed together. Riku continued to stare.
"What?" Axel asked, shrugging. A devious grin came to his face, and Riku faltered. "Like what you see?"
Apparently Riku could summon his Keyblade back to him, as Axel found out.
-= =-
Across the town, Kairi remained asleep, curled into a ball on her bed. Even as a small shadow slipped from her heart, she remained in peaceful slumber. The shadow grew as it moved off the bed to the floor, and it stretched skyward. In a matter of moments, it formed the shape of a girl, much like Kairi, but with blonde hair. Namine, in shock, glanced down at her frame, her hands, mouth agape.
"Kairi...?" She spun around to face her friend, but the girl was still asleep. Amazed and in awe, Namine laughed as she patted her arms, as if to make sure it was real. "This can't be..."
Still, something felt like it was missing, though Namine felt more "whole" than even when she'd been with Kairi. There was still something she needed.
Feeling confident, the girl smiled at Kairi one last time, before spinning around and rushing out of her bedroom.
Once out on the street, Namine closed her eyes and tried to sense the person she was looking for. It was easy to find him, it was like her heart was trained on him. Namine knew just where to look. The girl set off running through the darkness.
The boy was on the beach, partying with friends by a bonfire. As a social butterfly, he was surrounded by friends, all dressed in punk or goth clothing. They were drinking from glass bottles and laughing loudly, the fire reflecting off their faces.
Namine crept closer to the fire, but for a moment paused. She was second guessing herself. What was she doing there? The boy wasn't going to talk to her, a random stranger. Besides, she didn't look like she fit in at all, in her pale white dress. Frowning, Namine tried to think of a better plan.
For a moment she closed her eyes and thought. Her mind stretched... she had an idea...
-= =-
"Come now, Larxene, you're being unreasonable."
The blonde woman's eyebrow twitched and she crossed her arms. "You're being an idiot."
Richard just chuckled kindly and held the black and blue Lolita dress up towards his girlfriend. "Come now, it's beautiful! And you're just the beautiful woman to wear it! Won't it be an improvement on that maid uniform you've been wearing."
"Since you would get enjoyment from my wearing it, no." Larxene seethed, turning on her heel to stomp away.
"Come on, he goes along with all your S and M stuff, doesn't he?" Marluxia joked. The savage nymph turned her anger on him, slamming her fist into the wall next to his head.
"Don't get involved."
"Y - yeah, whatever." Marluxia sighed, eyes twitching.
Suddenly a dark portal formed in the room, and a young blonde girl raced in. She saw the dress and quickly snatched it from Richard.
"I'm very sorry, but it's an emergency!"
With that Namine disappeared once again.
The room was rather quiet for a moment.
"Looks like some more of the family's back..." Marluxia muttered, hoping to get the attention off of him. It didn't work. Larxene drew a knife.
-= =-
Namine had never spent much time in high school or amongst other teenagers. Otherwise she would know the difference between the Lolita "doll" style, and gothic-punk. The only thing the two truly had in common was an affinity for black. But the girl did not know that she probably would've been better off snatching an Organization cloak.
Nervous, she stepped down the beach path towards where her crush and his friends were, hoping beyond hope that it would work, and she'd get to talk to him.
As she got closer, some of the crowd turned to look at her. Namine felt even more nervous, her face flushing. Why were they staring? Was something wrong with the dress?
The Lolita dress Namine was wearing was black, with blue ribbons tied around the waist and the edge of the ruffles, and with her blonde hair and soft face, she did look like a living doll. The teenagers ahead of her were staring both in awe and confusion.
The last one to look up was him. One of his friends patted his shoulder and pointed to Namine, and he glanced over. His eyes widened, and suddenly Namine became very afraid. She paused in her walking.
... What am I doing? She asked herself, on the verge of tears. I don't know what to do. I'm making a fool of myself!
Frightened, she was unable to move forward or back, and instead stared at the sand, gripping her dress tightly. Suddenly two feet came into her few, and she heard his voice for the first time.
"Nice look. You're a real doll baby, cutie~." She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling, so Namine looked up again. The teen was grinning ear to ear and seemed genuinely pleased. Namine found she couldn't help but smile back.
"T - Thank you." She found herself curtsying, which was strange, but the teen seemed to like it. He cooed, which was rather strange for a gothic rocker to do.
"Aww, she really is a doll! I love her!" Suddenly he swung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Namine's heart beat heavily in her chest - I have a heart?
"Be careful, Darren." One girl called out.
"Yeah - dolls are fragile, you don't wanna break her!" Another laughed.
"Don't worry!" Darren's voice was slightly deep, but rough - it sounded kinda like Axel's voice actually. "I think this doll's tougher than she looks."
Namine beamed.
-= =-
"So this is your punishment?" Riku asked. He had to be the one to ask, since Sora couldn't speak of the maid outfit without bursting into giggles.
"Yeah. I didn't have time to change before I came here, I snuck over in between my chores. Another of my punishments." Axel crossed his arms and sighed. It was actually kind of awkward to talk to him, since he was sitting in the way a man might, legs slightly apart... but he was in a short skirt. Both Sora and Riku kept their eyes skyward for the sake of not wanting to go blind.
"So why are you here anyway?" The brunette asked. Axel's face became the color of his hair.
"Oh... uh... well, since everybody else has their heart now, I figured... I hoped Roxas would be coming back. But... I guess not."
Sora, understanding, nodding, his eyes darkened. "Sorry. I guess... since he's in me he's not coming back."
The mood darkened considerably, and Axel sighed, hanging his head. "Yeah... that's what I figure."
The three sighed in unison.
"So now what, you going home?" Sora asked.
"We can't just let him leave, he's part of the Organization!" Riku almost shouted.
"Quiet down!" Sora sighed and glanced at the door. "You're lucky my dad could sleep through a hurricane."
"Hey, look, I know we've got some issues in the past, but I promise the Organization isn't doing anything bad anymore. We've got our hearts, what more could we want?" Axel shrugged, but Riku didn't seem convinced. Sora could tell it was going to end badly if he didn't step in.
"Look, come on, guys! I think we both know what's important here." Sora told them, putting a hand on Riku's shoulder and Axel's. They both remained quiet for a moment.
"And that is?" Riku muttered dryly.
"That I was right ALL ALONG!" Sora leapt to his feet, thrust his fist into the air, and cheered. "The Organization is back! I'm not crazy! Whooo!" Riku huffed and dropped his head as Sora began to bounce on his bed. "I can't wait to shove this in Leon's face!"
"And you told us to be quiet?" Axel muttered.
During all the commotion, not even Axel or Riku noticed the darkness slipping away from Sora's body, slipping to the floor, and easily sliding under the bedroom door into the hallway. In moments the form shaped into a boy, who ran down the stairs and disappeared into the night.
-= =-
Once he was fully formed, Roxas looked at his new body in glee. He was alive again! Alive! He could feel his heart beating in his chest! It was weak, slightly, but it was there. For it to beat like a human's, he still needed something more. So, as much as he wanted to turn around and find Axel, he had something else to do first...
His heart leading the way, Roxas headed to the place where she was. The sand crunched beneath his feet as he headed towards the ocean. She was there somewhere, he could sense it...
Finally he saw a silhouette near the waves. The girl was sitting near the shore, looking out over the waves. Her hair was long and brownish-blonde, and she had brown eyes. Slender, and about Roxas's height, she wore swim shorts and a tank top. Roxas stared at her from afar, too nervous to approach.
After a moment the girl stood and stretched, before reaching for the edges of her shirt. Roxas almost squeaked and spun around, but then he noticed the girl was not stripping. She was simply removing the shirt to reveal her swim suit. He let out a sigh, his face red.
The girl continued to slip out of her shorts, revealing a blue one piece suit. She set her stuff aside on the sand and moved towards the ocean. Roxas walked further down the beach to watch as she moved into the waves.
Hands spread apart, she performed a dive once she was far enough in, disappearing under the waves. A thought occured to Roxas; wasn't it dangerous to swim at night? This girl didn't seem fazed at all though. She reappeared, throwing her hair back, before removing a tie from her wrist and tying it back.
Once that was done, she began swimming laps of free style, back and forth through the waves. Roxas watched with awe. She was like a dolphin the way she swam, smooth and fluid.
After at least ten laps, the girl paused, surfacing again. Roxas ducked back a little, but there was really no way to hide on the expansive, empty beach. The girl's wandering eyes found him.
For a moment there was an awkward silence. "Uh... hi." Roxas muttered, scratching the back of his head.
"Hello. Is that Sora?" She asked. Roxas shook his head before mumbling.
"No, I'm uh... my name's Roxas."
The girl waded out of the waves back onto the sand, water dripping down her form.
"Oh. Hello, Roxas." She waved, and smiled, and didn't seem at all bothered that Roxas had been standing, dumbfounded, watching her.
They stood quietly for a moment. "So... what's your name?" Roxas figured if he was going to make a fool of himself he might as well do a thorough job of it.
"I'm Laura." The girl smiled and held out her hand. Roxas took it and grinned.
"Nice to meet you."
A moment later they were sitting on the sand together, and Laura was wrapped up in her towel.
"So you're a swimmer? Are you on a team?"
The girl shook her head. "I used to be. But my family doesn't really have the money for it anymore. My dad was laid off so we're a little tight on cash."
Roxas frowned, but the girl didn't seem real depressed. "Is that why you took the job at the ice cream store?"
She nodded. "I wanted to pitch in somehow." She smiled.
"That's very kind." Roxas smiled.
Laura shrugged. "It's my duty to help." She turned to him. "What about you? I've never seen you around here."
"I'm not from the Destiny Islands." He admitted, setting his arms on his knees.
"Another world, huh? What brings you here."
"I'm... visiting friends." Sora was his friend, right? So it wasn't really a lie. Roxas didn't like lying but he couldn't really tell the truth in this instance.
"Who?" Laura thought perhaps she might know them. In fact she did.
"Sora, he's kinda like a brother to me." That's the simple way of putting it.
"He's a nice guy. I think he has a crush on me." Roxas flushed, and frowned together. Laura glanced up. "Did I say something wrong?"
He shook his head. "No, uh... I know he doesn't like you. He has a girlfriend."
The girl nodded. "I thought so, but he has been acting weird."
Roxas's blush became darker. "Well uh,... that's kinda my fault." The girl, curious, looked up again. Great, now you have to explain. Good going!
Flustered, Roxas sighed. "I sort of... told him I liked you. He was probably flustered around you because he was trying to think of a way to... 'hook us up'." Nice cover up! Now, prepare for rejection. The teen glanced away and frowned darkly, as if trying to pretend that he didn't care what the girl thought.
Laura chuckled. "You could've told me yourself. You're... rather interesting." It was her turn to blush and glance away. "Cute, too."
Roxas, eyes wide, spun back around. He smiled.
"Uh... thanks."
Laura laughed again as the tension diffused slightly. "You're welcome."
-= =-
"Borrowed, huh?" Darren chuckled, shaking his head. "I know a lot of people that like to 'borrow' stuff, but don't worry. I won't tell." The two were sitting next to each other on the sand a little away from the bonfire.
"It - It really isn't like that!" Namine insisted, flustered. Darren winked at her.
"Of course not. Pretty doll like you wouldn't do such a thing." Frowning, Namine pouted, and that got to him. "I'm only picking on you. I know you wouldn't steal. Sorry, okay?"
Namine nodded. "Thank you."
"Told ya she was fragile, Darren!" A friend chuckled. Namine shook her head. It seemed like the doll nickname was really sticking.
"Don't mind them, they're just a bunch of hooligans. We don't really do all the stuff everybody thinks we do. That's just our rep. All this?" He held up the glass bottle in his hand. "Just root beer."
Chuckling, Namine rolled her eyes. "Why do you make people think that about you?"
He shrugged. "It's fun. Not like I care what they think anyway." He nodded back towards the town, and then looked at the cooler. "Want a drink?"
Namine shook her head. "I'm okay."
The boy shrugged and took a sip of his drink. "So where're you from? Never seen you around."
Now Namine saw another flaw in her plan; she hadn't come up with any background information for herself. She couldn't exactly tell him where she was really from. That was a bad idea.
"I'm, uh... I'm from Twilight Town." Nice save! Smiling, Namine mentally congratulated herself as Darren spoke.
"Cool. I've got a bunch of friends over there. Nice skating grounds." Darren smirked. "You ever skate?"
Namine shook her head. "I've never tried."
His smirk became a smile. "I'll have to teach you sometime."
0-0-0
It took a few minutes for both Axel and Riku to notice the sense of darkness. Once Roxas had truly formed, his darker soul became like a blip on the radar for both of them. They jumped up at once.
"Sense that?" Riku asked.
"Yeah." Axel glanced out the window.
"What?" Sora did not sense it at first, but soon he did. He didn't have a strong connection to the darkness, but Roxas was his nobody; he could feel him. "Roxas..."
"That's... Roxas?" Shocked, Axel stared at the boy, before racing out the door.
"Axel!" Sora leapt from his bed and followed after, Riku close behind.
The three raced down the sandy street towards the beach, where Roxas was, hurrying as fast as they could. It was rather easy, as everyone seemed to step out of the way of the speeding, red headed maid that was careening down the road. If they weren't standing in the road in shock, they were running away in fear. It was easy going.
-=-=-
"ROXAS!"
The aforementioned blonde shot up in surprise and shock, glancing up at the pathway in a mix of happiness and horror. It was strange; he really was happy to see his best friend again, but this wasn't exactly the way he had wanted to introduce him to the girl of his dreams. Not to mention that he was currently an insult to his sex in a lacy maid outfit.
"Oh my..." Laura stared at the man, not sure whether to stand up and run or attack the oncoming threat. Roxas placed a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"That's uh... well,..." The boy sighed. "I don't really want to claim him as my friend but he'd be hurt if I didn't." With that Roxas stood and stepped forward, and smiled brightly. Though he pretended not to be, he was thrilled to see Axel.
A moment later the taller man's scrawny arms wrapped around him tightly and pulled him into the air. Both of them were laughing happily, though Roxas's face was smashed into the white frill of Axel's collar. A moment later he saw two others run up, and the boy was set on his feet. Immediately someone else crashed into him and hugged him tight.
"You're alive!" Sora squealed happily, to Roxas's shock. Sure, he was the boy's nobody, but they hadn't exactly known each other for very long. Then again, Sora was just the type of person to be happy for complete stranger's good fortune. Roxas smiled and hugged him back.
Laura, on the other hand, stood with a surprised look on her face. "Alive?" The group of boys seemed to suddenly notice her. "What do you mean?"
Roxas flushed and tried to think of an explanation. "Oh, uh... Sora's just being dramatic. I just... uh..."
"He left us without saying anything." Riku said quickly. Roxas smiled at him. Thanks for the cover!
Riku nodded back with a smirk. Welcome.
"We were playing cards." Axel quickly said. "And uh, betting stuff. I lost." He motioned to the outfit, and Laura seemed to understand.
"Oh! I see." She giggled. Axel sighed, and glanced at his friend.
"Gonna introduce us?" Axel asked. Roxas nodded.
"This is Laura." Roxas then motioned to the boys. "You know Riku and Sora, and this is my friend Axel."
"Pleased to meet you." She bowed slightly, and then turned a playful glare towards Sora. The brunette looked confused.
"What?"
She walked over to him, arms crossed. "You should've told me that Roxas liked me. All this time I thought you were straying from Kairi." Laura admitted.
Then it clicked; Sora understood. He didn't like Laura, Roxas did! A big grin came over his face and he laughed. "Sorry, I just didn't know what to say."
"That's all right. He told me himself." She turned and smiled bashfully at him. Roxas turned as red as Axel's hair.
"Axel?"
The group turned and watch another person join them, a young woman. Axel grinned at the sight of her. "Hey, Cam!" He turned to his friends. "My girlfriend, Cameron." He draped an arm around Roxas's shoulder. "Come meet her!" He practically dragged the teen to Cameron then, though Roxas didn't really mind.
Laura laughed, and followed, though Riku and Sora lagged behind. The shorter boy grinned at his friend. "You still think they're up to no good?" He asked.
Sighing, Riku shrugged. "Well... I'm not sure." Sora set his puppy eyes on Riku and the silver haired boy finally gave in. "All right, I'll leave them alone!"
Before the brunette could let out a celebratory cheer, Riku frowned at him. "But if they do anything suspicious..."
"I know, and I'll be right there with you, promise!" Sora told him.
-=-=-
Namine suddenly glanced up the road. Up at the crossroads, she saw a familiar group of people heading home, and she smiled. Axel and Roxas were both back too! Her smile turned to a grin.
"Friends of yours?" Darren asked, looking up the road. Namine nodded.
"I should probably go see them, I haven't seen them in a while." Though she actually didn't want to, she stood and turned to the boy. Darren followed suit.
"Mind if I join you?" He asked. "I won't butt in."
Namine smiled. "I'd like that."
-=-=-
"Sora! Roxas!"
Heads turned towards the source of the sound, and both teens lit up at the sight of Namine running towards them.
"Namine!"
She leapt on the nearest one first, which was Sora. The boy happily returned the hold, and when he let her go, Namine immediately leapt on Roxas. Then she turned to Axel. And she blinked.
"Why are you dressed like that?" She asked, gawking as she took in his dress. The red head was looking at her in a similar way, but with admiration instead of disgust.
"Why are you dressed like that?" He asked. Namine glanced down and flushed.
"Point taken." She muttered. Suddenly an arm came over her shoulders.
"I happen to like it." Darren grinned at the group, and then turned to Namine. "So, anyone here I should be jealous of? Any rivals?"
The girl turned bright pink and could find no words to say. The boys laughed.
"Don't worry, they're taken." Riku told him. As he did, Axel put an arm around Cameron's waist, and Roxas and Laura glanced at each other shyly. Sora just grinned.
"I'm dating her... sister." Namine and Kairi were kinda like sisters.
Speaking of, one last person joined the group. Kairi was walking sleepily down the road towards them, having awoken and felt Namine's presence.
"Hey!" The red head saw Sora and Riku and began moving towards them. Both boys looked up and grinned. Sora, feeling more confident since he knew he was no longer "cheating", raced to his girlfriend and swept her off her feet.
"Sora - WOAH!" The girl laughed and hugged him back, with no reservations whatsoever.
-=-=-
A week or two passed since that night and Laura continued to work at the ice cream stand, waiting for the day he would come back. Roxas had promised to come visit, and soon, but Laura didn't know how soon that would be. But she would be patient. She wasn't one of those girls who, after the first date, waited by the phone every night for him to call back.
Still, she was really anxious. So lost in thought, she was, that she didn't notice the hug group approaching her stand for ice cream. She only noticed when suddenly, she looked up and saw about eight people in front of her.
"A'right, whaddya want?" One frightening looking man asked, a tall man with an eye patch. He was pushing a woman in a wheelchair, and the woman did not look pleased.
"You asshole..." She whispered vehemously. "Not only do you drag me to this godforsaken place but you've got sand EVERYWHERE in my frickin' seat!"
The man only grinned back and winked. "Don't worry, I'll clean you off later..." Her response was to elbow him behind the knee. It looked very painful.
"So, come on, Xaldin, whaddya want, hmm?" A cute, dark skinned girl chirped happily. She had an arm wrapped around a taller man who had large side burns, and a very displeased look on his face.
"... nothing, thanks."
The next person looked like a total whacko, dressed in the weirdest, most random colors, and she was riding on a blonde man's back. The girl leaned forward over the man's shoulder, into Laura's face, and asked, "Do you have pickle ice cream?"
The blonde man sighed and responded for her. "They don't have pickle ice cream, Susie."
Disappointed, the girl leaned back and looked down at him. "But you're really smart! Couldn't you invent some for me?"
His pale skin turned bright pink. But he nodded. "... yes. But for now, please get something like chocolate!"
"One chocolate please!" The girl cooed. Laura had to smile.
"Um, okay." Then she turned to the last two and grinned. "Hey, Axel, Cameron."
The two smiled, and Axel gave a little wave. "Sorry to swarm you like this, but they all wanted to meet Roxas's girl. Well, and have ice cream." Axel admitted.
"Where is Roxas?" Laura asked.
Axel blanched. "Well... uh.. about that..."
-=-=-
Flushing red, Roxas pulled at the end of his clothes, sitting in his room. He refused to come out.
"This isn't fair..." The boy muttered. Suddenly he stood and shouted, "Come on! I didn't even betray the Organization, I only left for a while!" He screamed. By standing, the short skirt rose even higher. Even though he was alone, Roxas blushed and began shoving it back down.
Outside, Luxord and Demyx happened to be walking by, and listened to the short rant for a moment. They glanced at each other.
"He's kinda right, ya know." Demyx admitted. Luxord nodded in agreement.
"I think the Superior's just having fun now..."
-=-=-
More weeks passed, and with all the nobodies back, it was time for the Organization XIII to make an important decision; what to do now that they all had their hearts. The original point of the organization had been to become whole again, so, now what? They decided to have a meeting.
Acting as messenger for Xemnas, Lily began searching for the Organization members to tell them the news.
First place she thought to check was the video game room. Sure enough, three members of the organization were present there: Demyx, Axel, and Roxas. A few non members were there as well: Bebe, who was happily cheering Demyx on as he raced against Axel, and Love, who was watching the game with interest. She had never seen video games before. Roxas was standing nearby, but he wasn't dressed in his uniform; he was wearing black slacks and a button up white shirt.
When Lily walked in, Roxas smiled. "Hey, could I get your opinion?" He held his arms up, and glanced down. "Any good?"
Smiling, the woman nodded. "You look handsome." Roxas flushed and smiled.
"See? You didn't need our opinion." Axel told him without looking away from the TV screen. Lily frowned and stepped forward, shutting the machine off. Bebe, Axel, and Demyx all complained at once.
"You two have a meeting to go to." Lily pointed at Axel and Demyx. Both of them pouted.
"Hey! But why isn't Roxas going?" Demyx asked, glancing at the boy. Roxas looked as if he wanted to know why, too.
Lily smiled. "Don't worry, I'll cover for you." Roxas grinned and headed out the door to finish getting ready.
"Thanks!"
"Say hello to Laura for me!" Bebe called out. Then she turned to Lily. "Are we still having our poker game?" The non members of the Organization had decided to play a game of cards while the others were busy in their meeting.
Lily nodded. "Meet up at the designated place in about thirty minutes." Bebe cheered, while Love simply smiled. She didn't know what poker was, despite her old master having been such a gambler. But she figured she'd go with the group anyhow.
Moving on, Lily entered the labs next, since that was likely where Vexen and perhaps Zexion were. She was right; both of them were working on something in the back of the room. Susie was sitting on a desk nearby, swinging her legs off the edge. The girl waved happily to Lily, and Lily waved in return. She approached the two men.
"... the flavor seems fine, but the consistency of the substance leaves much to be wanted." Zexion commented on whatever the two were looking over.
"It looks like green puke, that's what it looks like. Pickles are meant to be in jars, not in ice cream, this simply isn't working." Vexen sighed and hung his head. His partner looked contemplative.
"You could try making it into a smoothie." The man said. "It might look nicer."
Vexen picked his head back up. "Hmmm... that might work."
"Sorry to interrupt, but the meeting's about to start." Lily broke in at that point. Both men, having just noticed her precence, glanced up in surprise.
"Oh, Lily. Yes, of course." Vexen closed the cover over the tupperware box in front of him and stored it in a nearby fridge.
"We'll be there presently, Lily." Zexion told her. The woman nodded and moved on her way.
"Are we still playing cards?" Susie asked as Lily walked back out.
"Yes we are." As Lily left the room and headed towards the drawing room, she heard Susie shout, "I wanna be the Joker!"
Sitting in the drawing room was Namine, Cameron, Amanda, Larxene, Richard, and Darren. Namine, Amanda, and Cameron, having founded a friendship on their shared artistry, were sitting by the window and comparing sketches, sharing their work and asking for critiques. Larxene was of course, laying across the couch reading her trademark de Sade, while Richard and Darren seemed to be in deep conversation.
"I never really liked the Lolita style till I saw Namine in it. It was gorgeous! Seeing your girl dressed like a gothic prima donna, it's just great." Darren told the older man with a broad grin. Richard seemed very intrigued.
"Really? What exactly is this style?" Darren continued to explain what it was, as Lily approached Larxene.
"Please give me permission to kill both of them." The blonde turned to look at Lily with an annoyed gaze. Lily just smiled.
"Richard you brought here yourself, and as for Darren, Namine would be absolutely crushed."
"Time for the meeting already?" Namine looked up from Cameron's drawing. The group turned their attention to Lily.
"Sure is. And the poker game is still on for today."
"Which, unfortunately, Namine and I will be missing." Darren stood then, grinning lightly. He glanced at Namine, who smiled shyly in return. "I have a promise to keep."
"And what's that?" Cameron asked as she filed away her drawings. Namine and Amanda both began putting their things away as Namine answered the other girl.
"Well, he uh... told me he'd teach me to skate." Namine seemed thrilled at the idea.
"All right then, I guess I'll see you all later." Lily excused herself and headed off to find the others. As she walked down the hall she passed Selene and Erin, who were both dressed in exercise gear and running the castle at full sped. Lily reminded them of the card game before moving on.
In the library, Lily found Xigbar, Xaldin, Luxord, Jess, and Lydia. The three men seemed to have been spending the time playing their own card game. The two girls were talking in the back corner quietly.
"Ah, dammit, how many fucking flushes can you pull out of thin air here?" Xigbar cursed, turning to his lucky blonde friend.
"Well, I am the Gambler of Fate." He smirked and shrugged. "I must be under a lucky star."
Xaldin, who had lost seventy dollars in the last hour began to roll up his sleeves. "I'm gonna make you see stars -"
"Gentlemen."
The three glanced up as Lily looked at them. Any anger diffused at that moment; everyone was scared of the Superior's woman. In her own way, she could be as frightening as her man. "I believe we have a meeting soon, you should save your game for later." Lily told them. She didn't need to; Luxord had already tucked the cards and his winnings safely away.
"And are we still having our game?" Jess asked.
"Yes. Will you be joining us, Lydia?" Lily turned to the other girl.
Of all the girlfriends/boyfriend in the castle, Lydia was the shyest. Also, she didn't really have the capabilities to play a card game, without the use of her sight. When Lydia confirmed that she was coming, Jess glanced up in surprise.
"But... will you be able to play?" She asked. Lydia smiled.
"I've learned that if I hum lightly under my breath, I can see a little. It's rather blurry, but it'll be enough to play the game, I think. I'd like to have some fun." She said. Luxord smiled at her, and though she couldn't see it, Lydia somehow knew he was doing it.
Once again Lily went on her way, to find the rest of the Organization team. Marluxia she found rather quickly; he was sitting in one of the spare rooms, making out with his girlfriend. Once she told him the news and bid goodbye to Mary, she found Lexaeus in the weight room, and last but not least, she found Saix on his usual spot with two very odd companions.
"So, berserkers react to the moon?" Walter asked. He was sitting on the edge of the precipice, looking up at the heart shaped moon above.
Shaking her head, Selene's little sister corrected him. "We like the moon, yeah, but we respond whenever someone or something we care about is in trouble." Moon told him. "My sister gets really mad whenever I'm in trouble."
"Oh, I see." Walter responded. "So what makes you go crazy?"
She shrugged. "Nothing yet, I'm not old enough to go berserk." Turning, she looked back at their silent guardian. "Saix, what makes you go berserk?"
The two children both looked up at him expectantly. Saix remained stoic, for a moment, then sighed. He thought over his answer for a moment. "... if the Organization were in danger,... or my leader..." Saix would kill anyone to protect the group or Xemnas. "... you, Moon, your sister..." Both Selene and the other girl had wormed their way into his heart. Trying to think of something else, the man shrugged. "Anything that I am charged with protecting."
The children turned back to each other, their curiosity satisfied. "I think, if somebody tried to hurt you or something, I'd go crazy!" Moon admitted to Walter. The young boy turned pink, and blinked.
"Uh... o - okay." He wasn't quite sure how to take that.
Chuckling, Lily approached Saix and glanced at him. "How've they been doing?"
"Fine. Though this is a strange world for children, they weren't exactly ordinary to begin with." Saix, despite himself, smiled. "I'll be at the meeting momentarily." Lily nodded and moved towards the children.
"Moon, Walter, time for bed."
Both children groaned. Walter, well trained, stood and sighed, heading for the stairs. "Night, Moon." The girl, on the other hand, immediately grinned and raced towards the stairway.
"Only if you catch me!" She giggled. Having known she would do that, Saix was already on her tail, chasing after her with amazing speed. Of course, just the idea that a little girl could run fast enough that Saix would have to run that fast to chase her... well, that was frightening.
Walter stared in shock, mouth wide open. "... wow..."
Lily giggled at his reaction. "You're going to have your hands full." She said. The boy flushed.
"Whaddya mean by that?" The woman could only laugh.
"You'll see."
-=-=-
"The first reunion meeting of the Organization XIII may now commence." Xemnas declared, looking out over the gathered members. They were in the hall with all the tall chairs, and every chair was full, except for...
"Where is number thirteen?" The man asked.
"On his date." Axel replied, jumping to his best friend's defense. "He didn't know that the meeting and the date were at the same time, and it was too late to back out. Said he was sorry."
Xemnas sighed and let it go. "Fine. Then, to begin with..."
"Okay, somebody explain this game to me."
"You're from a world of cowboys and you've never played a card game, once?" Erin asked, confused that Mary had no talent with poker at all. Mary laughed sheepishly.
"Too busy stealing from banks I suppose." She said. "So, what's the goal here?"
"I'm also very confused." Love stared at the cards in her hands with no idea what to do with them, or what the symbols meant.
"Uh, maybe poker's a little too much right now." Richard stated. "How many people actually know how to play?" About five of the eleven raised their hands.
"All righty then, Go Fish it is." Lily stated.
"Isn't this a rather large group for a game of Go Fish?" Jess, ever the pessimest, had to throw in.
"Come on, poker's not that hard to teach, and it's a lot of fun!" Bebe cheered from the peanut gallery, which was Amanda and Susie who sat on either side of her.
"I say we play Hide and go Seek!" Amanda offered, throwing her hands in the air.
"If you haven't noticed, this room isn't the best place to do that in. There are thirteen pillars, and that's it." Selene pointed out. Susie looked around as if examining it.
"Hmm... I know!" She grinned. "We can hide behind the pillars!"
All eyes stared at her. Susie's bright grin didn't falter. Far above her, Vexen let his head fall forward and he sighed.
"Susie, oh Susie..." He groaned.
"This brings me to my first point." Xemnas stated. Then he turned his glare down on those sitting in the circle below them. "Why are you all here!?"
"Where else are we to go?" Cameron asked him. "The only other really big room is the front hall."
"Then why don't you go there?" Xemnas's eye twitched.
"Hehe... about that..." Xigbar, his second in command, chuckled nervously. Slowly, the Superior's angry eyes turned to him. Xemnas knew that when Xigbar chuckled (no matter what kind of chuckle it was), bad news was on the way.
-=-=-
In the front hall was a large group of teenagers, all dressed like goths or punks, holding skateboards. Most of them were already using the Castle That Never Was's strange decor for skate ramps or grinding, except for two in the back. One blonde girl was nervously standing on a skateboard, afraid to fall, hardly moving at all. Whenever Namine almost fell, Darren was right there to catch her, teaching her how to do it.
And of course, she was wearing a cute little Lolita dress.
-=-=-
Xemnas looked like a bear whose cubs had just been threatened.
"Come on, they're just kids, they're only having fun." Having made the mistake of defending the skaters, Xaldin felt Xemnas's glare on him.
"So, um... what's a poker hand again?" Love asked. Suddenly, Luxord was kneeling beside her, having used the darkness to poof down to the bottom of his pillar - seat. He took a look at Love's cards and began flipping them around.
"Use those." He pointed to the cards, and then poofed back to his seat.
"That's cheating, ain't it?" Mary asked.
"Why are you playing number ten!?" Now Luxord was melting under Xemnas' death glare.
"Well, um, I wasn't really playing, sir, I was only helping -"
"During an Organization meeting!"
"Sorry, sir, you're right, it won't happen again."
Suddenly, Selene sat up straighter and growled slightly. Saix was immediately by her side, having quickly left his chair. Xemnas was dumbfounded.
"Not you too!"
"What's wrong?" The berserker asked his mate. Selene glanced at him, a feral look in her eye.
"Something's affecting Moon..." She stated. Then she turned an angry glare towards Richard.
"Wait! What did I do?" The man asked sheepishly. Sure, Larxene's anger was fun, but he didn't want a berserker blowing up at him.
"Is your son with my sister right now?" The woman asked, the anger in her eyes rising.
"They should both be in bed, I don't know -"
"Excuse me, woman." Larxene suddenly poofed down in front of her boyfriend.
"Number eleven!" Xemnas shouted. The blonde ignored him as she stalked up to Selene.
"Only I get to threaten or intimidate him. Got it?" She shoved her finger into Selene's chest. The woman growled in response, and Saix stepped forward as well.
"Stay out of this, Larx -" But before he could finish, Selene stepped forward again.
"Your man had better keep his son from my sister!" Selene shouted.
"WAHOOH! Chick fight!" Xigbar cheered. A very irritated Xemnas turned his rage on his second in command.
"Shut up, you imbicile, you're supposed to be backing me up!"
Looking very defeated, Xigbar pouted. "B - But... it's a chick fight!"
"All right, everyone, why don't we all calm down and sit down?" Lily offered as she stood and moved towards the two women. Larxene and Selene continued to glare at each other. Suddenly Susie leapt up and draped an arm over both Larxene's and Selene's shoulders.
"Everybody should love everybody!" The girl shouted. But, in Selene's heightened, almost berserker state, she jolted at the girl's approach, and her arm snapped out.
Suddenly, Susie was out of harm's way, being held by Vexen on the other side of the circle. Saix had grabbed Selene's arm in time, besides, but Vexen still didn't look happy.
"Why don't we all cool off?" The Chilly Academic asked.
"Would everyone return to their seats, PLEASE?" Xemnas begged.
"YES! I won! I got poker!" Lydia cheered. Apparently, during the craziness, some of the girls had continued playing cards anyway. Xemnas finally snapped.
Standing up on his chair, he shouted to the entire room, "WE ARE HAVING AN OFFICIAL MEETING HERE - !"
DING DONG!
The man blinked.
"... we have a doorbell?"
Apparently so, as it rang a second time.
"I'll get it!" Demyx cheered. Anything to get out of the crazy, heated room. He raced towards the front door.
"I uh, had it installed." Axel admitted. Xemnas turned his fury on the red head. "Y - You know! For the pizza delivery guy, and all!"
Suddenly the man pointed a gloved finger at Axel. "Three more weeks of wearing the outfit!" He declared. Axel's mouth fell open.
"B - B - B - But - But Superior!"
"SILENCE OR I'LL BE TRULY CRUEL!"
Axel knew when to shut up.
-=-=-
Meanwhile, happy to be free of the insanity of his friends, Demyx was skipping to the front door. As it rang a third time, he muttered, "I'm coming, I'm coming," and pulled on the handle.
What he saw was a somewhat familiar form. He was a tall, muscular brunette who Demyx had the unfortunate luck to have met in his life as a nobody, who wore leather and a fur collar and had a mean scar across his nose. And he didn't look too happy. In fact, he had his arms crossed, was tapping one of his feet, and had a twisted death glare on his face to rival the one Xemnas was currently wearing. Demyx stared at Leon in shock, and they both remained still.
"Well..." The man muttered, his tone low and dangerous. "Going to let me in?"
Demyx immediately screamed and slammed the door shut in his face, turning tail and running towards the meeting room while shouting something that sounded like, "Mommy!"
It was just another day in the World that Never Was.
Though perhaps, with its denizens having their hearts again, it wasn't the home of the Nobodies anymore, so the name didn't really fit any longer.
Then again, "The World" just didn't sound quite as cool.
-=-=-
It's the end!
The final chapter!
It's all over!
Well, okay, that's kinda a lie, but kinda not.
I hope you've enjoyed this series as much as I have, I absolutely love writing it and I've really enjoyed creating the characters for it. These people are nuts. XD
Yes, this is the last chapter of the series for a little while. BUT.
Since there is now, a "14th" member of the Organization, that of course means that the girl "Xion" should be mentioned in this series. But I won't write a story for her until the game about her comes out and we all know more about her.
So, eventually, there will be a fourteenth chapter to this story.
UNTIL THEN! I have a request.
I want you all to request one shots from me.
If you like this series and want to see more from it, then send me a PM about what you'd like. Do you want a one shot of a certain pairing? Would you like the Organization to have a movie night? Do you want certain people to go on a double date?
Please request whatever ideas you have for this series, and if it's good, I'll write a one shot for it. I'll do whatever you ask; crossovers, angst, comedy, whatever.
I'm sure some of you would want to know more about where these relationships go. It's up to you to ask.
Since I'm outta prompts, I'd like you all to give them to me. If you want more of the OrgLuv series, you'll have to come up with an idea.
It could be something simple, like, "Susie messes up an experiment and turns Axel into a little girl." Or, "Cameron, Amanda, and Namine have a long talk about their boyfriends over their artwork." Something like that.
I'll do my best!
Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed for this series. You all mean so much to me. I really enjoy hearing from you, and I hope you'll participate in the requests.
I love you all! It's been a blast!
SULHADAHNE