A/N: Hello everybody, my name is Ken Giovanni, but I would greatly appreciate if you would call me Ken. This Story "A Masked Man No More" shall be my first FanFic and therefore i would appreciate you critiquing my writing. Now To give you a short overview here is the basis of the story, since this is a Roxas X Namine Fanfic you know what to expect, pairing wise. This is going to be highschool romance (i know what you guys are thinking, but allow me the chance of one chapter or even less to convince you that this is no ordinary rip off of sooo many other stories.) Roxas is a man of many faces. IE he able to change his personas flawlessly making social interactions a popularity almost second nature. Yet like the rich man with no friends he ponders upon why can he forge no real connection with any other person (besides his twin brother Sora.) From there things can only get better as he defends the petite blonde girl from the anime club from a couple goons trying to have their way with her. The Summary isn't much but I urge you to read on.
Chapter 1: Life is a Masquerade
There I was on a balcony. Standing next to the most beautiful woman I've ever had the pleasure to see. I stood beside her not worrying about how I got there or what time it was. Pretty soon we began rambling on about some subject long lost by my sub conscious.
As I looked up from our deep conversation minutes or maybe hours after we had begun, I saw that the bright afternoon sun has quickly faded into a breathtaking evening. we talked and talked until the night turned to dawn. Then we both shared a last dance to an oh so familiar tune. We swayed to the rhythmic waltz until finally something broke the atmosphere.
It was a loud noise that resonated throughout the balcony. It was indistinguishable at first...Then I started to recognize it... It cant be...that was my alarm...CRAP! It was such a good dream as well. Anyways its not like I wont get to have this dream again. It is recurring after all.
Always the same dream but the same thing vexes me every single time. I can never remember a detail about the beautiful girl who accompanied me through the night. I can never remember her face, her figure, or even her name.
As I stopped pondering about my mystery lover, I raced my twin brother Sora to the one and only bathroom that we were allowed to enter. And as I suspected, he anticipated my movements and swept my leg, hogging the bathroom and most of the hot water for himself.
"Hurry your ass up fatty!" I yelled
"Your the fatty smart one! You were too damn slow," My twin replied
"Don't be smart about it." I replied dryly
"No need to be so sour Roxy, after all is that how you should treat a brother who just set your single ass up with a date?" He replied snickering
"I told you, you turd, I didn't want a date! Besides Knowing the girls you tend to pick, she's probably and air headed cheerleader." I replied coldly
"Hahahaha, you're really not a morning person are you? Cheer up Roxane, no need to PMS. Besides its Friday today." Sora replied cooly
"Guess your right...Meet you at football then?" I asked.
"Life takers and Heart breakers, you know it!" Yelled Sora.
I couldn't help but crack a grin at my brother's last sentence. He and I are twins, even though we act differently, we talk differently, and we most certainly look different from one another. But never the less, he's my brother. He always had a knack for lightening the mood in a room. What else would he be useful for? Kidding.
Running into the bathroom right after Sora exited, I took my quick but equally as cleansing shower then changed into my usual attire of a Pastel Blue dress shirt accompanied by a navy blue sweater vest, then tan slacks with a leather belt. The I clipped my all important and all knowing blackberry bold to my hip and slipped my orange Zippo lighter into my right pocket. Grabbing my bag as I run down the stairs I slipped on my black dress shoes. Then right on queue:
"I should start dressing like a gay guy too, maybe I'll get more girls like that." Snickered Sora dawning his jeans and hoody.
"Nothing wrong with being gay, right?" I replied cooly
"Hahaha guess not, but you are strait right? Hahaha Kidding!"
I just gave him the PISS OFF WE'RE GONNA BE LATE look. The bike ride to Twilight High wasn't bad, it was just under 2 miles. It went especially quickly if you had a certain someone racing you. As we crossed our pre-designated finish line we dismounted and chained out rides. Before entering the school gate I quickly put on my best plastic grin and walked to the ever monotonous first period class (which just so happens to be history) all the while waving and greeting people who I hardly know or only know by face.
It sickens me that I have to put on a nice and shiny facade just for school. After all images are everything in today's media run world. As I neared the liberal arts building I felt every spec of life leave my body through the nearest exit it could find. The lib. Arts building was the color of albino dog shit, and it smells of dying dreams. Besides those 2 factors it wasn't such a bad place to die. History would be most unbearable if it wasn't for flame headed saving grace that was my friend Axel.
Axel was and absolute player (playuh as he pronounced it
"No mames guey, PUTO!" Axel yelled in my direction.
"Callate Pendejo!" I said with a smile. I'm very glad no one speaks Spanish in this class (I don't know hot to speak Spanish either but I know enough to insult you).
"Same shit different day, nothing changes man. In fact I think I'll dip class today," I said.
"Lucky prick, at least you could afford to dip class with your good grades and shit," Axel complained.
"Well it helps that I actually do the work Mr. Zexion gives us," I snickered
"Why waste my time on things that already happened? I should be worrying about things that are happening NOW. Like that pretty little blonde right there," Axel snidely replied
"What are you going to do? Impress her with your abnormally red hair, then tell her she could feel your spikes?" I said.
"Your just jealous of my fucking awesome hair..." Axel trailed off
"Hahaha, you won't get her Axel, not now, not ever, atleast not with that attitude" I retorted as I waltzed out of the classroom.
I took a right turn out into the senior patio, passing the beautiful millennium garden placed right in front of the marble benches. I quickly walked to my favorite spot to hide away from the stress' of high school. There was small corner by the Freshman football field that had a small crop of trees which were perfect for having discreet sex, making out, or just plain hiding (although I've never done the first 2, especially there). As I neared the tree line, I whipped out my blackberry and put it on silent, then from the opposite side of my pants, I took out my orange Zippo lighter and started to ponder:
School sucked, and sucked hard (if Sora were here he'd probably say "that's what she said!"). Learning is ever so important, but being opened like a garbage can and expected to spit the garbage then dump into out during a test isn't learning. Its practically a draconian punishment. Practically the only saving grace of the day were the final periods. Chemistry and Football. Chemistry was taught by a cold hearted old man named Dr. Xehanort. But he wasn't cold hearted in the bad way. He was practical, he didn't "pussy foot" around the bush. He got down to business. His class was basically the only class that actually managed to teach me something.
Then good old football. Well not necessarily football, sports is usually taken up by the last period of the day. Football season started, and besides I make a good receiver. I guess my life wasn't too damn bad, I guess it was just the people who surround me that makes my world a bad sitcom. Then all of a sudden my lighter was knocked out of my hand and a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Possession of a lighter on school property and dipping class? Your in some deep shit." Xion said with a grin as she kissed me on the cheek.
"Well your one to talk smart one, what are you doing skipping first period?" I asked.
"Hahahaha, Its just Honors Geometry, knowing the difference between a cirlce and a damned square is all you really need. And besides! Can't I say hi to my occasional friend with benefits? She giggled.
She spotted the grin that formed on my face but didn't see my cheeks redden. "Haha your cute you know that?"
"So, honors now huh? Aren't we getting smarter?" I said bluntly
"If your trying to be a little emo kid, you better change your wardrobe," she snickered "I don't think gay mixes with emo at all,"
"What makes it gay?" I demanded jokingly.
"Honestly for a guy with good grades, you are pretty damn slow," She said as she got up.
"I know huh? Sometimes I just don't think, hahaha" I laughed and shot her a small grin
"I'm surprised you think at all," Xion snickered, "Anyways what are you doing all the way out here?"
"Ironically enough, I cam here to think," I said
"Awwww, the little emo kid needs some space," Xion teased, "Im just fucking with you, you know you could tell me what wrong right?"
"Where is this coming from Xion?" I asked very surprised.
"Well you know just because we kiss occasionally and never acknowledge a relationship doesn't mean we're not good friends!" She exclaimed.
"Hahaha, I guess so, Want me to spill my guts and give you a good sob story?" I asked.
"What ever you need Roxy" She said sweetly.
"Why does everybody have to be fake? Every girl that comes to me has the same generic smile, the same damned clothes and the same mentality of: 'I'm good looking so I can get you to be mine without knowing you'. Honestly Life is a never ending masquerade!" I said
"Well, Isn't that you too? You told me before that you wear a mask to school everyday, you hid who you are, you're just another receiver for the football team, but really your more. Your a martial artist, an exceptional ballroom dancer, and probably the most dapper gentlemen I have seen, even though you dress like a gay guy." She gave me a wide smile with the last sentence.
"Well anywhoo...I gotta get going, love ya!" she said standing up beside me.
"Where the hell are you going?" I asked as I ran after her.
"I got Art II in building 5," She complained, "I got a long way to go,"
She hugged me and turned the other way to walk to her next class. What the hell was that about? Xion was something different, she wasn't just another pretty face, she was just...different. She's a good friend though, probably the best I've ever had (not including Sora). She'll always be there for me but we'll never be together. It's a shame though. I would have liked to have a real girlfriend for a change, instead of these random girls that sora keeps on setting me up with. I plugged into my blackberry and found "It's all Love" By EOM and Wax on the music menu. I pressed play then I let the beat take over and let the rap flow through my mind.
Why'd everybody clown Rodney King when he said the Why can't we all get along thing
But it makes perfect sense to me, but history tells us it just wasn't meant to be
I agree with Jim Morrison, people are strange, some of the are worse, Their evil and deranged
And their usually ones that control shit
Weather from the podium or the poll pits
Why can't it be love, strait forward, true, pure. Or maybe I'm just naive like that.
Teaching us not to love but be haters
Making war in the name of the creator
Well if God's on both sides
Imagine if both sides taught God loved both sides
Why can't I have peace of mind and a calm heart?
…...And on that faithful day the world ends, I hope I have a wife or a girlfriend
Cuz the last thing I wanna do is kiss her and look her in the eyes and tell her I'm going to miss her sweet love.
Then a deafening RING pierced my ears through my headphones. The bell rang, I decided to skip second period as well. Geometry never suited me anyways. I slipped my ear phones back into my ears I dozed off beneath the canopy of branches. As the blue sky faded into black, I found myself standing up in a sea of rolling hills. de my way up towards a balcony, a familiar one at that. For some odd reason, I felt happiness at the sight of it, I felt comfortable, at ease, no mask to hide behind. Then as I turned around I saw something that nearly stopped my heart in Its tracks. I caught sight of a Woman. She greeted me with that oh so familiar voice that I can never remember and a smile that seems to disappear every time I try to remember. It's the first time I noticed my surroundings as well, we were in a simple white room with a matching balcony, no furniture at all, simplicity and elegance. Again, like many times before we talked our hearts out until the final moments where we would waltz together. I took her hand led her to the center of the white room, then we swayed to the waltz matching one another's movements. Then as the final notes faded something happened that was unexpected. She leaned towards me as we took the last step and then, as if struck by lightning, we shared a moment of bliss. We stole a kiss from each other and I finally saw her face clearly. Cerulean blue eyes pierced my soul and my heart. Whether the stolen kiss lasted an eternity or whether it was just a small peck, I felt I could have died happy. We said our goodbyes once more. My heart sank at the thought of leaving her yet again. But this is a dream after all, it's not real.
The next thing I knew, I was ripped away from the white room and I woke up to the same obnoxious bell that I've been bitching about for the past 3 years. I checked the time on my blackberry and placed my lighter back into my pocket. As shocked as I was that it was halfway into Period 5, I lazily walked to the locker rooms to prepare for football.
After word: So you might notice a few underlined words, these words are basically sound tracks which I will provide the name of down here on the After word.
Waltz: Howls moving castle Theme
Alarm: Simple and Clean PlanitB remix
Ending song: Its all love By Wax Feat. EOM