A.N.: Hello everyone, and welcome to my new Namixas!! Man, it's been a while since I've written about these two…hopefully you'll enjoy this idea for as long as it lasts…because I really don't know how long this will last.

I originally got the idea from watching a certain MTV show…you'll see which one I mean if you haven't already figured it out. Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: Me don't own Kingdom Hearts. You keep hush-hush, and everything will be all right. Or so you hope.

Bold: Emphasized words.

Italics: Slightly emphasized words, quotes, flashbacks…and anything else I can think of.


"What Happens After Next?"

By

Malcolm Yuy

Chapter 1: Why, Oh Why?!

I hate women.

Wait…let me rephrase that. I hate love.

Or the lack thereof in my life.

But first, why don't we get down to introductions? My name is Roxas Hidou, a nineteen-year-old blond-haired, blue-eyed student attending the University of West Destiny.

And…I have a slightly jaded side it when it comes to women. Can you notice..?

Maybe if I had more time, I would recount my previous debacles with the opposite sex…

But, I don't…that, and I'm too lazy right now to tell you people about the whole thing…you'll find out later anyways…

So, maybe we should move to the beginning of this story.

First, the setting…Dorm Room Twenty-Two on the Second Floor in the U.W.D. University Suites…

Secondly, the supporting characters…my cousin Sora Léger, who coincidentally is also my roommate…and Axel Tirer, my best friend, my other roommate, and comrade ever since fifth grade.

And the activity…? Watching the Gamers' Channel…

Hey, we had nothing else better to do, as it was a Friday afternoon. And, we were done with classes for the day. So, I sat on my bed, situated across from my cousin's while he was sitting at his desk, watching TV, turning back and forth to surf the web every few moments upon his laptop. And Axel…

Well, let's just say, Axel was reading a "certain" magazine. One not intended for kids.

And me..? Well, I was currently glued to watching a female whose voice was currently discussing the flaws of a game. I managed a laugh at her comments. Emerald eyes glanced up from their reading as I turned to glance over at my long-time friend.

"I can't believe you're laughing at such a lame comment," my porcupine-haired friend stated, before training his orbs back towards his current piece of…literature. I just rolled my eyes at this statement.

"Whatever." I went to turn my eyes back on the screen, yet, just as it did, it just so happened that the show went to commercial. I sighed annoyingly, frowning at my now "new" predicament. My brown-haired cousin looked at me with the same eye color that came from our family line.

"What are you so sour about..?" he asked.

"Commercials," I obviously answered.

"I bet it's something else besides that," Axel singed as he turned a page. I gave him an icy glare. He just seemed to wave it off as he turned another page. "That's not going to work Skater Boy," he muttered as he ignored my gaze. I just frowned.

Damn, he's good.

"And why would you think that, Axel?" I questioned as I glanced back to the TV screen. Crap. It was still on commercials. Since when did it take this long for a commercial break..?

"Because Roxas, you may claim that I don't know anything, and in the past, you may have been right…but now, I know for a fact that you're pretty bitter about something…and it's not just because of the commercials. It's been simmering in that little head of yours for a while now," a face with fiery hair replied. I just bared my teeth at him in anger.

"You know cous', he does have a point there," the spiky-brunet relayed. I just turned my eyes over to him.

"Shut up Sora," I said. He just blew off my comment as he looked back towards his laptop screen.

"I was just saying…" he trailed off. I just rolled my eyes as I looked to the back of his head. A moment later, I decided to switch my gaze back to Axel.

"So Axel, what are you reading over there?"

"An article that might actually interest you," he implied as his green eyes looked up at mine, smirking all the way. I just raised one of my eyebrows in curiosity.

"And why would that be?" I questioned.

"Because it might help…alleviate the reason why you're so cynical," the redhead explained as he thrust the magazine article into my face. After skimming the article title for a few seconds, my eyes widened in shock…

..and in anger.

"HOW TO NAIL THE GIRL OF YOUR DESIRES IN TEN DAYS?! WHAT THE HELL AXEL?!" I exclaimed loudly as I threw the book back to my companion. It smacked him in the face, causing Sora to laugh hysterically. I turned over to give him a death glare.

"And I thought you were browsing the web, cousin," I said. Sora just shrugged his shoulders as his bangs filtered his face.

"Well, after hearing Axel's conviction, I just had to see how you would respond. Hilarious," he replied. I just continued glaring at him.

"Well I'm glad I amuse you…Axel, you know I'm not into this crap. I'm not that kind of guy," I stated as I shifted my glance back to my flaming friend.

"I know, but still…this relates to your sourness…"

"And how would it relate to my 'sourness' exactly..?" I inquired.

"When was the last time we've seen you with a girl…? Never..?" Axel implied. I narrowed my orbs at him in rage.

"You're exaggerating and you know it," I said. Axel smiled his white dents before chuckling.

"I know, but still…it's been four years Rox. The last time you had a girlfriend was in your sophomore year of high school, remember..?"

Remember? Oh, I remember all right.

Remember how I said earlier that I was too lazy to recount my past history with women? Well, you're about to hear why I've been…a little sour over the opposite sex…

Oh boy. Here we go.

"Yeah, I remember…"

The last thing I wanted was to rewind the last four years of my life. Let's just say…it left some emotional scars in my heart.

"What was that brunette's name? Olette..?" Sora asked. I just nodded my head.

"And what happened in particular..? You know, throughout the long years we've known each other, you never really explained why you broke up with her," Axel said.

"He's right. You never really told me why either. And then afterwards, you started acting emo as hell," my brunet relative added. I sighed as I chose to rest my eyes.

"I know…she cheated on me. That's why. Happy..?" I admitted.

"Ouch. With who..?" Axel questioned.

"Hayner Kanningu," I answered, my words laced with malice. As my eyes opened, they were filled with sadness as my cousin widened his eyes in wonderment.

"Wasn't Hayner once one of your best friends?" I turned my azure irises onto him.

"Was cousin, was…it doesn't matter anymore," I mumbled as I decided to look off into the distance. I particularly didn't want to be reminded about my previous relationship with Olette, or of my former "friend" for that matter. And hopefully, my last words would shut these two up. But of course, they just had to keep pressing my buttons.

"That solves a few questions. That could be a reason why we haven't seen you with any girls…but why for this long..? I mean, come on man, that was a crap-out ending of a relationship, but you're young. Didn't you get over it?" Axel questioned. I frowned as I listened to his argument; and, one-by-one, I inwardly began answering the questions…

The reason why I hadn't been with a girl in so long..? First, you had to examine how my fallout with Olette affected my stance on women.

To make it short, the outcome made me a little bit bitter towards the opposite sex. And even though I got over it for the most part, there are still a few…remnants that linger on.

How does this addresses my current "dilemma…?" Let's just say on the record that I began to have withdrawal issues, to the point where I practically ignore the fairer sex altogether. Don't you fine that just peachy…?

..I sighed as I closed my eyes again. "Yeah, I got over it. So what..?" I could feel a smirk forming upon my fiery friend's lips. I then opened my eyes.

"Isn't it about time you show it then..? You know, Larxene would love to set you up with this friend of hers. She just transferred here from Twilight Town," Axel mentioned. I rose an eyebrow in interest.

"And do you know her personally..?" I asked.

"No."

"Then sorry, no dice." My friend then sighed in defeat.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to be a pedophile for the rest of your life, and use Viagra to have a 'party in your pants'," the redhead remarked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. I got up from where I sat.

"That's it. I've heard all I want to hear from you today Axel. I'm leaving," I announced as I began walking towards the door. My cousin got out of his chair as he followed me. I turned to observe him. "What do you want?" I asked coldly.

..I admit, I may've sounded a little too cold for my liking. But what-the-hey, I was pissed.

"Can I come with? I'm tired of being cooped up in here," Sora said. I groaned as I nodded my head.

"I guess. See you later Axel," I said.

"See ya," he waved off as he returned to reading his mag. Sora and I then left the dorm room, entering the little makeshift kitchen, before leaving the apartment altogether…


"You didn't have to get all grumpy back there you know," Sora stated as he and I set our lunchtrays upon a small table. We were now at the school's SLC, the Student Lunching Center. A food court basically. I sighed as I took a sip of Coke. Ew…too much water. I don't like Woke.

"I know. But I wouldn't trust Larxene to set me up with someone that she only knows…I can't see why Axel's dating her to begin with," I replied as I took a bite out of my cheese quesadilla. Mmm…cheesy goodness.

"Me and you both cous'…but it's whatever makes him happy I guess," my brown-headed relative said as he took a bite of his hamburger. I stopped eating for a second as I looked down towards the white of the table.

"I guess." At least Axel has a girlfriend…Ugh, man, now I'm really starting to get out of it. I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts.

"So cousin, what have you been up to lately huh?" I tried to brush off my depression as I looked into Sora's blue eyes. He just shrugged as he took a taste of his drink.

"Oh, you know, this and that…trying to plan for my anniversary," he gave his over-the-top smile in relating to me his…events. I rolled my eyes at him.

"I understand that you're ecstatic Mr. 'I'm Been Dating This Super-Hot Girl Since Ninth Grade, and I want to have bunnies and doggies and fishies with her, oh my!'" I exclaimed in a girly voice. Sora just laughed at my reaction, before realizing what I just said about him.

"So you admit you think Kairi's-hey! I do not want to have bunnies and doggies and fishies with her! I'm not that effeminate!" he glared. I just chuckled at him in response.

"Ooh, I didn't know Sora could use big words; I'm shocked," I replied in mock amazement. He was now the one rolling eyes at me.

"Don't be so surprised. You know I'm not that dumb."

"Yet people can't always tell from your first impression," I mentioned as I made my index finger rose. Sora smirked.

"That's right," he said. We then just sat for a few seconds as I allowed my words to sink into his brain. His mouth gaped open right before he was going to take another bite of his burger. "Hey! That's not true!" he shouted.

"And I almost thought you wouldn't catch on…" We then shared a laugh, before allowing silence to envelop us. Once our humor quieted down, my cousin cleared his mouth before he began to speak words.

"So, seriously…I'm trying to plan for the anniversary. It'll be my fifth year together with Kairi," Sora announced as he began biting into his side of fries. He then followed it up by taking a sip of his soda.

"And what..? You can't come up with anything..?" I inquired. Blue orbs narrowed as brown eyebrows furrowed in depression.

"Not after everything we did in previous anniversaries…Tenth Grade, our first year together, we went to the beach…Eleventh Grade, it was a play at the Bard's Theatre…Twelfth Grade, we saw a concert featuring her favorite band…and last year, our fourth, a picnic in Lover's Valley…I'm beginning to run out of ideas at this point," the brunet replied as he scratched his spiky hair. I set my mouth into a thin line as I scratched my chin.

"Hmm…then how about this? Why don't you take her over to The Old Mansion?" I suggested. Sora raised his eyebrows in lack of knowledge.

"The Old Mansion..?" he managed to mumble. I slightly inclined my head forward.

"The Old Mansion. It's on Oak Street. It's an old but great traditional restaurant. It serves good food," I answered.

"Hn. Sounds intriguing…go on," Sora prodded.

"Well then, maybe you could take her to a movie afterwards. Is there any movie she's been wanting to see for a while..?" I asked. Sora tapped his chin as he pondered for a moment.

"Actually, there is…" he mentioned as he dreamed for an instant, before coming back to the present. Sora then focused his gaze upon me. "This is shaping up pretty good. Anything else..?" the brunet questioned. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to think of something…

And then my mind wondered back to that stupid article...damn you Axel.

But wait a minute…that stupid reading may have just given me an idea.

"Scented candles," I muttered. Sora just gave me a peculiar look.

"Scented candles..? Do I look like Axel to you..? Maybe you need to get out of the gutter," he advised. I just huffed.

"And you, my relative, need to stop thinking like the majority of post-pubescent males on the planet. Yeesh, grow a brain…" I then took the last bite out of my meal, now leaving me with my "Woke." Super.

"Then why did you mention scented candles, if not to be used for their primary…use?" Sora asked, as he sucked up some cola. I just sighed as I looked away from my fellow family member.

"They can have other uses...and I was thinking along the lines of good, 'clean,' romantic fun," I said, quoting "clean" with my fingers.

"Okay, you have now caught my interest. Continue," the brunet stated sarcastically. I clockwised my eyes at him.

"Well, here was my suggestion, before you had to say your perverted little statement…I was thinking that maybe you could clean our room, put some blankets on the floor, and then…have some scented candles and flowers nearby. And to add to the romantic mood, you could put on some soothing music…and that's just the prelude," I added. My cousin raised a dark eyebrow.

"And then what..?"

"A massage cousin, a massage…then whisper sweet nothings in her ear, followed by some light-to-passionate kissing…and as long as you keep your hands where they should be, you should have a sex-free, passionate anniversary. Savvy..?" I smirked, lying back in my chair as I allowed my words to take effect. Sora seemed to take some time to actually think about it become coming to his own conclusion.

"You know what Roxas..? That really sounds…perfect…Are you sure you didn't read that magazine article..?"

"I got two words for you Sora, two words…Shut up."

"So seriously Roxas, how come you can give good romantic suggestions as a single, while I, a 'taken', can't think of a single thing?" Sora asked, as we were now traversing the campus grounds. We walked through Lover's Valley on the way back to our dorm, an area of very small hills with green grass covering the area, before hitting a slew of trees. I managed a smirk as I glanced to him.

"Oh, I don't know, because having a girlfriend is slowly depriving you of intelligent, independent thoughts..?" I made my snotty comment, and then the spiky-brunet suckerpunched me in the arm…hard. "Ow," I muttered as I grabbed my arm in pain. My relative just glared at me with steely blue eyes.

"Very funny." I managed that same cheesy grin he performed earlier that day.

"At least I thought so. Can't blame a guy for tryin'," I said. My grin then eased back into its normal position as I continued to speak. "On a serious note though, I don't know…" A smile appeared on Sora's face before he decided to reply to my response.

"You know what I think? I think that even though you appear to be a sarcastic and cynical guy when it comes to women, deep down inside…you're a hopeless romantic at heart, who would like to be in a nice relationship," he stated. I fluttered my eyelashes at him.

"Oh, you figured me out…Keep dreamin'," I replied, using my "girly" voice in the earlier part of my sentence, before switching back to my normal voice. Sora smirked in reply.

"Will do." Sora then gave me a mock salute. I just laughed at his gesture. He joined in, and then we stopped walking as we hit the end of Lover's Valley. We turned to face each other as varying levels of people walked by in the surrounding area. "Hey Roxas..?" Sora asked.

"Yeah Sora..?"

"I wonder…have you ever just browsed the SLC, your classroom, or, just any area, see a girl, and thought about talking to her?" the brunet questioned.

I just closed my eyes.

"Yeah, but then I think of every possible scenario I can think of to not think that thought," I responded. Sora just sighed.

"You're hopeless."

"I know." A light breeze then filtered through the air as it brushed me and my cousin. Sora groaned as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Then how about this? I go back to the dorm, and you just stay here and think about it. I'm not asking you to ask the first girl out that you see here, just for you to actually get past your negativity spiel."

My negativity spiel..?

"And, if you're truly over Olette like you say you are, then maybe you'd actually consider picturing yourself with another person," Sora stated. I just gave him a perplexed expression.

"Okay…who are you and what have you done with my cousin?" I asked as I placed my hands upon Sora's shoulders, slightly shaking him. My relative managed a laugh.

"I'm still here. I just care about you cous'. And I can tell that you need someone." My mouth set back into a thin line at his sentence, as my hands slid off of his shoulders and retreated into my jean pockets.

"And supposing you were right, 'cause you're not…would you tell Axel about this? I don't want him trying to set me up on blind dates," I explained. My cousin just lightly chuckled.

"Don't worry, I won't…" I nodded my head.

"Good. Then I'll see you in a few…" I smiled.

"See ya." Sora then left me to myself as walked uphill, back towards our dorm. I sighed as I turned around, before I began walk back towards the SLC. I began to contemplate about what we talked about earlier.

"Have you ever just browsed the SLC, your classroom, or, just any area, see a girl, and thought about talking to her?"

"Yeah, but then I think of every possible scenario I can think of to not think that thought."

"You're hopeless."

"Maybe I am…" I trailed off as my blue orbs caught sight of a young woman, who looked to be around my age. Straight brown hair with blonde highlights, and hazel colored eyes adorned her features as she sat down at a nearby bench. I inwardly smiled to myself as I continued observing her. She was wearing a dark colored golf shirt, blue jeans, and flip-flops. I thought she looked pretty nice. I was sure I could feel slight warmth on my cheeks as I looked upon her…

Until I saw what I assumed to be her boyfriend, that is. She smiled at the preppy guy as he grinned at her, before the two leaned in to give each other a brief kiss.

Correction, boyfriend…and meanwhile, I could feel my heart lurch at the couple's interaction.

"Damnit."


"I'm back," I announced as I made my way back into the little kitchen that made up the entryway of my dorm. Axel rolled his eyes as he grabbed a root beer from the fridge.

"I'm so glad," he said. I just looked away from him as I stood besides the gigantic food cooler.

"Whatever. Where's my cousin..?" I asked. Axel jerked his head back towards the door to his right.

"He's watching TV. Why? Something happened..?"

"You'll see." I then opened the door behind us as we walked into the small area. Sora sat on his bed, flipping channels. Ironically, the same thing that I was complaining about previously was on the screen.

Commercials.

Don't you just love them…?

Anyways, as my pyromaniac friend and I entered the room, Sora noticed us and turned his head around. A small smile appeared on his face as he examined the two of us.

"So, have you thought about it..?" he questioned. Axel raised his eyebrows in confusion as he looked back to me.

"Thought about what?" I ignored him as I looked straight at my blood relative.

"Yeah, and I've decided...I no longer want to be single," I replied. I turned to see Axel smile in surprise. Before he could get out anything though, my cousin intervened, smiling as well. He rose up from the bed to stand across from me.

"Great. 'Cause I signed you up for MusicVision's Next," he stated as he walked past us to go back in the kitchen.

"Great," I echoed, not quite catching what he just said. "Wait…" A few seconds later, it finally clicked in my mind as my eyes widened in shock.

"WHAT?!"


What has Sora gotten Roxas into..? Now do you see how the title's involved..? More things will be explained in the next installment of What Happens After Next?!

And that's the end of the First Chapter. I hope I've delivered something different to you people, so I hope that if you enjoyed this, then please review…and secondly…

For you readers who review, I got a favor to ask. Or, more like a suggestion. I was thinking before that Roxas would be narrator and we would see the story through his eyes…though, with this story based around a certain reality dating show, we wouldn't get to see everything we normally would…so, I propose this: Instead of this story being a one-person narrative, it will be two; that means, our other protagonist will have a voice…

This means that if this is approved, then our other lead will be the narrative voice in the next chapter…and then in Chapter Three, we switch back to Roxas, and so forth. In short, this story would be longer (probably about five chapters instead of three at least), and we'll get more character depth…so what do you say? Vote in your review if you want this to happen.

So until next time readers, enjoy your week, and as always, please leave a review…or criticisms if you like. 'Till next time, adieu!!- Malcolm Yuy