A Simple Answer

"... and you take me the way I am."

- - x

Naminé was different. She knew she was different. Riku knew that she was different, but he didn't care. And it bothered her that he didn't care.

It shouldn't, really, but it just did. She didn't know why, but she was irked, although she was more curious rather than irritated.

She was fine when he befriended her. She was all right with that. The mansion got lonely sometimes and Riku, with mischief sparkling in his aquamarine eyes and his teasing comments, made it all the more better. Even though he teased her and he laughed until she got red in the face, she never really got mad. Sure, she threw her crayons and markers and pencils at him, but she couldn't get mad because by the time he dodged every single object thrown at him, he would make his way to where she sat and wrap his arms around her shoulders. And he would laugh in her hair and say, "Just kidding" and she would go red from the way he was making her feel.

… making her feel.

It was strange because she was a Nobody and Nobodies aren't supposed to feel, right? But every time he teased her, every time he hugged her, she was feeling something.

And for some reason, she felt that he kept on forgetting that she is a Nobody, that she is different.She was extremely flabbergasted when the silver-haired boy asked her out some time after she and Kairi had finally found a way to separate. She sputtered in shock and surprise and looked at him incredulously. He laughed and ruffled her hair with his hand in which she tried to swat it away with her own much smaller hand.

"Are you serious? You want to go out with me?" she finally had asked after she pieced words together in her mind.

"Of course. Is there something wrong with that?" he said back.

She said nothing, but he knew that she was being skeptical. And she knew that he knew that he would be having a one-sided relationship. He sighed and took her petite hand and held it in his and told her, "I don't care, Naminé." And he took her body and held it against his, her head burying itself into his chest, tears wetting his shirt. And she didn't know why she was crying because Nobodies can't display emotions.

Now here she was, standing on their apartment balcony that overlooked the still sleepy Twilight Town with the early sun kissing its buildings, thinking of how and a bit more why he loved her. It's funny because she hasn't thought like this in so long, musing about how it was weird that a Somebody was in love with a Nobody and a Nobody tried to feel the same for a Somebody, but couldn't because it all comes down to the fact that Nobodies don't have feelings.

A pair of arms slid around her waist and a trail of soft kisses was placed on her neck up to where her ear was.

"Mornin', Néné," Riku whispered huskily yet sleepily into her ear. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. A bubbly feeling of… something arose in her stomach and she felt calm and content.

"Why are you up so early?" he asked after the two had looked over the town for awhile in silence.

"Just thinking…" Naminé replied quietly. Her hands gripped the sheets that surrounded her body as a light breeze passed by them.

Riku's arms loosened so that his hands can be on her hips so that he could make her face him. She looked up into his eyes and puckered her lips. Chuckling lightly, he leaned forward to kiss her. When he did, there was a pounding reverberating everywhere on her body and she felt her head go light, but it was a nice feeling, yet she didn't know what it was. It was such a simple kiss, yet she always got this feeling whenever their lips touched.

When she pulled away, she asked, "Riku, not to be cheesy or anything, but just tell me why you love me."

He raised a brow. "Why?"

"I just want to know why you love me instead of someone else who could…"

She found the sheets more interesting. He sighed. His hand lifted her chin up so that she could look at him.

"Babe, I love you for you. I don't care that you're a Nobody to everyone else. You're Somebody to me and that's all that matters."

Her breath hitched and she felt the corners of her lips lift up. She couldn't help but laugh and she didn't know what she was feeling, but she jumped and wrapped her legs around his waist and held on to his neck. His hands slipped under her thighs so that he could support her weight.

"Tell me, why do I feel so happy?"

"Because I love you and you love me?"

"But I can't feel, Riku."

"I'm pretty sure you love me, otherwise you wouldn't be straddling my waist right now. Having a heart doesn't mean anything. A person can have a heart and not give a damn. But you, you don't have a heart yet you care so much."

It was a simple answer, so simple, yet it made her understand a lot more.

Maybe she can feel something. After all, she cried and laughed and smiled before and those were signs of emotions. Just thinking that she can feel made her happy. What made her even happier was that Riku loved her because he just did, not even caring about the fact that she was different.

So she threw all those doubtful thoughts away, thoughts of being void of any emotion, thoughts of Riku loving someone who doesn't love him back – she loved him just as much as he loved her in a way – and kissed Riku with all the love she could muster, even if she didn't have a heart.

Because for that moment, Naminé forgot she was a Nobody, forgot that she can't feel, and knew she was somebody to Riku.

- - x

LIKE, WHAT THE HELL. So like, when writing this, I kept on straying from the fact that Naminé is different and Riku doesn't care about that she is different and I kept on going into the fact that Nobodies can't feel anything which I DID NOT want to go into!

This was, like, terrible. I'm not completely satisfied with the middle part, but the beginning and ending are all right. I guess. GAH. I'm terribly sorry about it being so disgustingly horrible and for the retarded title. I really couldn't think of anything. Really.

I just had had HAD to write to "The Way I Am". Whenever I hear that song, I can't help but smile and sway along. But, as I was writing this, the story kept on going from what I was feeling to flippin' sad! So I had to rewrite it in order to give the mood as to how I feel whenever I hear this song. Understand?

Anyways, hoped you kind of enjoyed?