Hayner and Xion didn't have what you'd call an easy friendship. For starters, the two of them were polar opposites. Hayner's brash, obnoxious tendencies overshadowed Xion's meek, quiet traits, so it always seemed their conversations were more like arguments. Truth be told, Hayner was just a loud kid. Then, there was the issue of Xion's heart…or lack thereof. Hayner didn't quite understand the concept of being a Nobody, no matter how many times the poor girl broke it down into pieces for him. He struggled with her fake smiles, and half-done attempts and conveying emotions, when in all truth, it was all she could muster. Without a heart, emotions were a vague concept to the Nobody girl. Every so often, Hayner and Xion would visit the train station in secret, Hayner acting as a teacher of emotion to the confused girl. While most of the sessions ended in failure, or more confusion on Xion's part, it brought the two of them closer together, despite their obvious differences.
"Xion…are you listening?" Hayner sighed, his hands on his hips. "Take that hood off. No one's going to see you, silly girl."
Xion reluctantly removed the hood concealing her face and nodded, allowing Hayner to get a decent look at her. Pale as always, the girl stared at Hayner with a resistance, it seemed. The older boy was never sure what to make of her blank expressions, but he always assumed she was thinking on something, hard.
"Walk over there." Hayner pointed towards a sunny spot in the middle of the plaza. "Just…stand there for a second. Let the sun warm up your face. That's kind of how happiness works. It's warm, it makes you feel better, when you feel awful. Go ahead, go." The boy prodded, nodding his head in her direction.
Xion walked into the sunny spot, with Hayner trailing close behind her to see her reaction. At first, Xion smiled at the warmth, her lips curling into a small peaceful smile, which quickly faded into a straight laced, taut expression once she noticed Hayner ogling her.
"Is happiness supposed to burn?" Xion asked, wincing at the heat. Hayner sighed, angrily, and yanked her out of the glare.
"I only meant the initial warmth, not the freakin' long exposure!" He shouted, causing the younger girl to step back, staring at him with fear and resentment. Hayner, realizing his mistake, took a step towards her, his arms extended, but she stepped away again, her lips trembling.
"Xion..I'm..I didn't mean to yell. C'mon, you know me. I shout. Especially when I can't make things work." Hayner spoke softly, throwing his hands up in frustration. He didn't mean to upset Xion, but it was one of those things that couldn't be helped.
"Well, I'm sorry that you can't make me work." Xion replied bitterly, putting her hood up in defiance. "I have no idea what happiness is supposed to feel like, and I'm trusting you entirely with this, so don't scream at me if I can't understand what to do."
Hayner took her in his arms, despite her squirming and distain.
"Hey, stop wiggling. This is another way people feel happiness. It's a hug. I know you can hug back." Hayner smirked as he concluded, hoping his embrace would win the girl back over in his favor.
Xion craned her head up to look at him, her hood slipping from her head, as she reluctantly wrapped her arms around him. "I don't feel any happiness, Hayner." She mumbled curtly.
"I know you don't." Hayner replied flatly, smoothing her hair as she buried her head in his chest, equally frustrated with these "emotion lessons." Hayner had tried every trick in the book to try and explain emotion to this girl who couldn't even fathom a laugh, or even a tear, and it always ended this way.
"I'm just a shitty teacher." The blonde boy shrugged, sliding out of her grip and turning away from her. It irritated Hayner that he couldn't help his friend, but he tried to conceal it as best as he could. From behind, he heard Xion's soft footsteps, every step in his direction.
"I don't think you're a…bad teacher. I just don't think this is something you can teach." Xion piped up, patting Hayner on the back. He turned to face her, a dopey, exasperated smile plastered on his face.
"You think?"