Fireworks
Roxas&Naminé
Author's Note
Oneshot for PrincessNamine23. Finally! Sorry I've done such a bad job at replying. I hope you like it. :D For my You Are the Music in Me readers/reviewers: a little Roxiné to satisfy your needs until chapter two. For the rest of you: Enjoy. Read on!
Disclaimer: Nope. D':
x x x x x x x x
For PrincessNamine23
Listen to her h e a r t b e a t pounding, pounding, she loves you boy, you're just too b l i n d
x x x x x x x x
I've always been afraid of fireworks.
It started when I was five. It was the Fireworks Festival on Destiny Islands and my mom had told me to wait at the beach while she got me some snacks. I was dressed in a cute kimono and my hair was up in two buns. I was happily playing amongst the sand and waves when I looked up and saw bright lights rocketing toward the dimming sky. I was awed by this...until they exploded.
I screamed.
Not so much because I was a baby, but because it scared the crap out of me. I started crying, looking around for my mom. But as I turned around I came face-to-face with a spiky-haired blond boy my age. He took my hand, smiled, and said, "Don't be afraid! Those are fireworks! They're made with stardust."
I stopped crying long enough for him to explain to me that stardust was magical: if you wished really hard under a shower of stardust (aka, fireworks), your wish would come true. He told me his name was Roxas and that his wishes always came true. I believed him, introduced my name as Naminé, and we both shut our eyes and thought of our wishes. I want to be friends with Roxas, I wished as hard as I could. When I was done, I opened my eyes and smiled. He smiled back, his cerulean orbs shining.
"You're pretty!"
That was ten years ago, the only time we spoke.
He had never been in any of my classes. When I finally saw him, he was in my junior year of Art. It was the second week of eleventh grade and there we were: sketching out our feelings on that day's topic: Surprise. He came in with a pass, saying something about his schedule getting mixed up. I didn't hear anything, other then the words he had said to me long ago:
You're pretty! You're pretty!
He didn't recognize me. I was tempted to remind him of that day oh-so long ago. But I didn't. I clammed up. Chickened out. He was just so gorgeous and...perfect, sitting there under the bright lights of Art Class, only a mere three desks away.
I never talked to him during school. He was one of the popular kids: a species that didn't know I existed. It was now summer vacation and I was in my room, buried within pages and pages of my art. I was always drawing and had some of my best ones hung up in my room. The wastebasket was overflowing.
My mom poked her head in my room. "I'm going to the store for a--Naminé! You're honestly still inside? It's such a gorgeous day. Go outside and work on your art there."
Reluctantly, I agreed and grabbed my sketchbook, my iPod, and a few pencils. I came outside to find a beach chair splayed out under our shady tree, waiting for me. Jeez. Mom is so weird sometimes, I thought as I eased back in the chair. My mom got into her car and drove off. I opened up my sketchbook and turned to my latest sketch. It was a romance picture: a girl and a guy standing under a large cherry tree, fingers intertwined.
To be honest, I loved it. I had spent my last two weeks on it, a new record. It was one of my best. Maybe even the best.
I had just started sketching when I heard someone skate past me, the roll of the wheels whizzing on the sidewalk. I glanced up, only catching a profile of blond hair and a checkered wristband. Shrugging, I turned back to my sketchbook when the sound zoomed through my ears again. I looked up. The skater was going to fast for me to see his face. Annoyed, I bent down to retrieve my iPod, scrolling through the list of songs when a noise filled my ears once again.
But this time, it was a voice.
"God. What does a guy have to do to get a girl's attention around here?"
Startled, I dropped my iPod back on the grass and shot my head up. Oh. My. GOD. It's Roxas Yoshida."Um, hey," I stuttered out. I realized I was staring at him and then dropped my gaze.
"Weren't you in my Art class?" he asked, studying me. I nodded, unable to speak. Nice job Naminé, I scolded myself. "So. I'm seeing you didn't take my hint," Roxas chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling. They had the same familiar look, just like when I first noticed them ten years ago.
"Hint? Wh-what hint?" I chided, looking around me, cautiously, fearfully. He gave me his million dollar smile and I could feel my cheeks getting red, warm, and possibly, revealing. Roxas sighed over-dramatically and I couldn't help but smile.
"What's your name?" Roxas asked, one corner of his mouth going up. I blushed a deeper red and stared down at my cuticles.
"Naminé," I mumbled. I glanced up at his face. I swore a saw a slight flicker of change, as if he remembered something, but it went away. I mean, how many girls out there are named Naminé? "And you're Roxas, right?" I asked, even though I knew exactly who he was. His eyes sparkled as if he was flattered that I knew him. Then again, everyone knew him.
"Yup," he smiled. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. "God. It's so hot," he complained, wiping his forehead with his arm. I glanced back at my house: cool, air conditioned, and comfortable.
"Do you want to go in for a Coke or something?" I blurted out, silently shaming myself for not asking earlier. He nodded and said it'd be great if he could. I picked up my things and he followed me inside where we were greeted with a refreshing burst of cold air. I took in my first deep breath since he had arrived. My breathing had gotten shallow and quick, the perfect match to my heartbeat.
"Feels good," Roxas grinned, breathing deep. I led him to the kitchen and opened the fridge as he took a seat at the table. I took out two Cokes and some nachos. "I'll heat up the cheese," Roxas offered.
"It's all right. I'll-"
Roxas ignored my protest as he took the canned cheese of the counter, read the instructions, and stuck it in the microwave, peeling the top off. He hit a few buttons and turned back to me, a cocky smile on his face. "Girls don't have to do everything," he smirked. I blushed and busied myself emptying the chips into a big bowl. For a few minutes, the only noise was coming from the nacho bag. The microwave beeped and I jumped a mile. Roxas laughed.
When I got the cheese out of the microwave and emptied it into a small salsa bowl, I turned around and saw Roxas looking through my sketchbook. "H-hey!" I cried, startled.
"You're a wicked good artist Naminé," he said, studying each page.
"Oh. Thanks...I guess." I shrugged.
"You guess? Whaddya mean?" Roxas demanded, shutting the sketchbook close with a light thud. Suddenly self-conscious, I quickly turned to face the fridge and pretended to adjust a cute New York magnet I picked up on my last family vacation to America.
"Well...I didn't get into the Advanced Art class. They said my drawings were cute, but too amateur," I chuckled nervously, remembering my embarrassing rejection. I was about to cry when they shot me down but I refused to do so in front of the leader of the AAC. That would have made me look like even more of an amateur. I shook the scene out of my head.
"So? Who're they to say that?" Roxas wanted to know.
"Eh? They're professionals--"
"Well they're fuckheads."
I blushed. "Roxas, they've been drawing longer then I have."
"So what?" Roxas scoffed. "Screw them. Just keep drawing Naminé. They'll realize they're the retards when you're rich and famous." I laughed and Roxas helped himself to a nacho.
And so it went.
Every day during summer vacation Roxas would come over. Usually by then I'd have some sort of snack for us to munch on while we talked. We'd talk about...well, everything. It took a while for me to become comfortable around Roxas. Sometimes I'd look at him and wonder if he remembered that day. But if he did, he never let me know. Then the dreaded day I had been so scared would stop our meetings, our friendship, my current life, had finally come.
The last day of summer.
I made nachos again, remembering the first day he came. It was already late, 6:23, and he still hadn't shown up. Roxas was really late, but it wasn't like him not to call. Had he decided not to come? The doorbell rang and I hurried to get it. Roxas was standing in a traditional Japanese suit for men. I gaped at him. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Uh...hey Naminé."
"Hi," I mumbled in disbelief.
"Well...it's the last day of summer...so I thought you might want to check out the Fireworks Festival," he grinned. I didn't say anything so he pressed on, "Oh. You probably don't have a kimono or anything, huh? Well that's ok. I just thought--"
"No!" I cried. "It's ok. I'll go change upstairs," I let Roxas in and then rushed up to my room, locking the door and leaning against it. "Pull yourself together Naminé," I told myself sharply. I picked out a black kimono with white dragonflies and a white sash. I put together a bun and slid two white chopsticks to hold it. Wow. Real original, I thought, as I slid my cell phone and wallet into my inside pockets.
I went downstairs and peeked out shyly from behind the staircase. "Roxas?" I asked. "Are you ready?"
He looked up from the nachos and grinned. "Yup! Wow, you look great," he said, jumping up. I thanked him and we went outside. I locked the door and looked at him. "Do you want to walk? The beach is only a block away," Roxas asked me.
"Sure," I said, following him. When we got to the beach, the boardwalk was already buzzing. Stalls had been set up and they had been decorated with colorful lights and banners. It was starting to get dark and I knew my childhood fear was coming back to get me: the fireworks. Why'd I come? I thought miserably as I saw a clock hung above a stall strike 6:45.
"What time do the fireworks come on?" I asked a vendor. He looked up with his very brown eyes and blond hair.
"Hey Naminé!" the vendor grinned.
"Hayner?" I asked, astonished. "What're you doing here?"
"Selling cotton candy," he smiled. "The fireworks come on at seven." He held out a giant fluff of blue on a cone. "Want one?"
I pushed the fluff-ball away and hissed at him, "You have to help me get out of here!" He raised a blond eyebrow and scrunched up his nose. I almost laughed out loud at him. Hayner has the weirdest face expressions. It made me feel a little better.
"Why?"
"Because. You know I hate fireworks!" I pleaded.
"So why can't you just leave?" he wanted to know, pushing a gob of cotton candy into his mouth. I looked away in disgust as he chomped on it, a piece falling on to the counter.
"I'm here with Roxas," I whispered, picking up the fallen piece of cotton candy and dropping it in a bin. Behind me, Roxas was looking at selections of chocolate. Hayner choked on his cotton candy. I slapped him on the back until he stopped coughing.
"Roxas"-wheeze-"Yoshida?" Hayner looked like he couldn't believe his ears. Then again, I don't blame him. I nodded and he shook his head. "Naminé! Don't walk away from this perfect opportunity!" Hayner warned me.
"What opportunity?" I asked, confused.
"Dude! School's gonna start tomorrow. If you snag Roxas you can get to the top of the food chain! You'll be popular!" Hayner was waving his arms around. I lowered them and glared at him.
"Hayner! You know I don't care about that," I whispered. He muttered angrily and I giggled at his expression: knitted eyebrows and his lips pressed together.
"Naminé? You want to walk around?" Roxas asked. I jumped and turned around.
"Um..." I looked at Hayner who was looking at me, his brown eyes wide. "Sure," I sighed. Roxas looked at me strangely but followed me through the crowds. Roxas stopped me at a small stall.
"You want one?" he asked, pointing to little cakes and treats. My eyes widened just like a little girl and he laughed. He bought a slice of a chocolate cake and a small, square white cake with a strawberry on top. He handed me the strawberry one.
"Thank you," I said before biting into it. It was soft, sweet, and creamy. I looked at Roxas. He had already bit off half of his cake and I giggled. He had chocolate on the tip of his nose. I reached for a napkin on the counter and wiped it off. He looked surprised. "You had chocolate on your nose," I smiled shyly.
"Thanks," he laughed. We finished our treats and walked further down the boardwalk. A group of squealing girls and guys with hard expressions were gathered around a specific stall. I pulled Roxas over there. Roxas pushed us through the crowd and I could feel eyes on us. I knew people would be taking about this for weeks and I'd never be able to just slink out of it.
"OHMYGOD," I heard a girl gasp. "It's Roxas Yoshida!" A few other girls sighed and fanned their faces. I rolled my eyes. Then I saw what the big commotion was.
There was the fluffiest, cutest, and all around best stuffed panda I had ever seen. I stood there with my mouth open, staring at it. The boys gathered around were trying to win it for their girlfriends. There was only one available. You paid three bucks for a ball the size of your thumbnail and tried to throw it into a small hole no bigger then the ball itself. It was a long distance away from the table to the hole. So far, no one had made it.
"You want it?" Roxas asked me.
"Well, yeah!" I said, never taking my eyes off of it.
Roxas plunked down three dollars and said, "Give me a ball."
I happen to know for a fact that Roxas is captain of the Blitzball, Struggle, and Kendo team. He was the best athlete at our school and held the fastest time for running the mile in all the high schools in our district. But I still knew the chances of Roxas winning the panda for me were really slim. He grabbed the tiny ball, squinted, and hurled it forward with God-knows strength. I gaped at it.
The ball flew forward, making a perfect spin and WHUP! It went straight in. The girls cheered as the astonished, dazed vendor handed the panda to Roxas. He seemed reluctant to give it to Roxas. Roxas gave it to me and I gave him a tight hug, which was pretty daring. For me, I mean. "Thank you," I whispered and I could feel him grinning as he hugged me back.
"Hey Yuffie," I heard someone say. "Let's go. It's almost time for the fireworks!"
My heart stopped for a split second. I dug out my cell phone and flipped it open. 6:57.
"Roxas, I have to go." I told him. "Thanks for the cake and the panda. I had a lot of fun."
"Huh? Wait Naminé! What's wrong?" he touched my arm.
"I'm sorry, but I really need to go," I apologized, turning away once again. I quickly walked down the boardwalk and had just reached the beach when Roxas grabbed my hand.
"Naminé. Tell me what's wrong." his expression had hardened. I could see irritation etched into his sculpted features.
"I...I just--"
"If you don't like me, then just tell me," Roxas softened. His voice was soothing and I felt so bad. I took a deep breath as I glanced up toward the boardwalk. Time was running out and soon...
"It's not that! I'm just scared of fireworks--AHH!" I screamed, clapping my hands over my ears. They had started and they were louder then I had ever imagined. Roxas' blue eyes widened. Then the sparkle I knew so well returned to his eyes and he looked like the little boy he had once been.
"Naminé," he said in the same tone he had spoken to me ten years ago. "You don't have to be scared. They're made with--" He suddenly stopped and looked away, focusing on the ocean.
"I know," I said softly, taking a deep breath and bringing my hands down. "Stardust. Right?"
He looked at me, astonished and disbelieving. "H-how'd you--"
I took another deep breath. "You told me that. Ten years ago, on this day."
Roxas looked as if someone had struck him with a frying pan. "Wait. You mean...you were that girl at the beach? The one with the two buns and the...the one who was scared of fireworks?"
"You remember that? That day?" I drew in a breath.
"Yeah. I used to think of her every day. Until..." his voice trailed off and my heart sank along with it. Until he found another girl? Until he moved on? Until he forgot about me? Until what?
"Until...?" I questioned.
"Until I met you. You just made me put her aside for a while. I had something else to think about," Roxas gave me a half-smile and my heart rose back out of the deep hole it had sunk into. He really did remember! "So you're still scared of fireworks?" he asked, amused. I glared at him and he chuckled.
"You know," he said after a comfortable moment of silence. "I always wondered how I could've gotten you to stop being so scared of fireworks. I have one idea, if you want to try it," he said, giving me a sly smile.
"What is it?" I asked in a shaky voice as another bunch of fireworks exploded.
Roxas looked into my eyes and my breath stopped as he leaned in. I was surprised to find myself meeting him, my arms wrapping around his neck and his hands closing around my back, but I took that extra step forward and closed the space between us. I could hear fireworks in the background, people ooh-ing and ahh-ing but it faded out as I closed my eyes, listening to my heartbeat and the melody that carried me through.
x x x x x x x x
And she's s m i l i n g, singing that song and smiling; she's found you boy, so hold her t i g h t
x x x x x x x x
Author's Note
Ew. I hate the end. D: It was bad and so...ugh. I really wanted to try writing in first-person. It was definitely fun, but I'm not so pleased with it. :\ If you're wondering about the lyrics, I wrote them. Stupid, I know, haha. Please send me a review. It was bad, for sure, but I'm just glad I posted this up. There won't be an epilogue or more chapters but I'll definitely post up more oneshots. Thanks for reading!
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