Gohan Roxas: Now that I've got at least one person who's interested in this story, I'm gonna keep it up.
Roxas: What's the purpose of this chapter?
Gohan Roxas: To set up your relationship with Naminé, of course.
Roxas: What?! *blushes*
Seventh Heaven
Twilight Town
1100 hours
6th April 2012
"Tribal! We ain't got all day!" the muscular black man shouted.
"Yes, Mr Wallace," Roxas replied hurriedly. Working at Seventh Heaven had its ups and downs. The ups were that the hours were decent, as was the pay. The downs were that the bar's owner, Barret Wallace, was, for lack of a better term, a hardass.
A blonde man sidled up next to Roxas, helping him clear the table. "Don't worry, Ventus. Barret's always tough on the new recruits."
Roxas looked at him. "1) Call me Ven. 2) I'm not worried. 3) I've worked here for over a year, Hayner."
Hayner shrugged. "You're still the newest here."
"Thanks," Roxas deadpanned.
"Don't mention it." His friend grinned.
Not including Barret himself, there were six people who worked at Seventh Heaven: Roxas (known to the locals as Ventus Tribal), Hayner, Olette, Pence, Yuffie and Serah.
"Hey Ven!" Pence, the chubbiest member of the group, called out.
"Yeah?"
"She's there again."
"Who?" Roxas feigned ignorance.
"You know exactly who," Yuffie giggled.
Roxas glanced guiltily out the window of the café and saw her sitting down reading a newspaper at their rival, Galbadia Garden.
Her name (he'd been told) was Naminé Villiers, and she was the same age as him. She'd lived in Twilight Town her entire life, and led an apparently very boring life, always following the same routine.
She saw him from across the street and waved. Blushing to the roots of his hair, he returned to his cleaning. Though he didn't see or hear it, he was sure she giggled.
Olette let out an "awww", to which Pence scoffed.
Yuffie clapped her hand on Roxas' shoulder. "Who'd have thought the son of a war hero would be too scared to talk to a girl?" she teased.
"Well, I haven't talked to a girl I was…" He coughed uncomfortably. "…interested in since…" he trailed off.
Everyone else in the room's faces dropped. They all knew what that meant.
"Hey! Slackasses!" Barret roared at them. "This ain't no social club! Get back to work!"
"Yes, Mr Wallace," they said simultaneously.
Roxas took his place behind the counter, checking the register's contents. It was a policy of Barret's that the register be checked every two hours. After Yuffie made off with 500 munny one week, it was a requirement.
When he looked up from his task, a distinctively blonde girl stood in front of him, one hand clutching a newspaper. She smiled at him as he looked up.
"Aah!" he called out instinctively.
The blonde girl's smile fell. "Well, if you're gonna be that way, I won't talk to you." She resolutely turned around, her arms crossed.
"Uh…" Roxas' words failed him. "I was just…surprised to see you. Don't you normally spend the morning at Galbadia?"
She opened one sapphire eye and looked at him. "Yes I do, but they don't have any employees as attractive as you. Well, physically attractive, at least."
He flushed, to which she giggled and turned around. Her laughter stopped, however, once she spotted the gold band on his ring finger.
He noticed her detached look and tilted his head. "Something wrong?"
"Uh, no, it's just…" Her gaze returned to his face. "Are you married?"
"I was," he replied in a small voice. "Not anymore."
Her eyebrows furrowed. He was still wearing his wedding band, so it hadn't been a divorce. That left…
"I'm so sorry," she said to him.
"Thanks."
She held out one petite hand. "I'm Naminé Villiers."
He shook her hand. "So I've heard. I'm Ro- I mean, Ventus Tribal."
She looked at him, but did not comment on his strange slip-up.
"Tribal!" Barret shouted at him. "Aren't ya gonna take her order?"
"Sorry, Mr Wallace," Roxas called back. He looked back at Naminé. "So what'll it be?"
She giggled. "One cappuccino, please and thank you. Extra sugar."
He gave her a side-long glance. "You sure about the extra sugar? You're sweet enough without it."
She blushed at his compliment. Despite this, he mentally face palmed. You hardly know this girl and you're flirting with her? Shame on you, Roxas.
"Okay, extra sugar on the side," he said then. "Just in case you don't need it."
"Thanks," Naminé replied, the blush still perceptible in her face.
**KH**
Roxas' Apartment
Twilight Town
1630 hours
8th July 2012
Roxas smiled at the letter in his hand. It appeared to be from Ventus' half-brother Vanitas, and read as follows:
Hey Ventus,
How've you been, man? Gotten any girls yet? I really don't see what they see in you. You haven't got enough muscle on you to pick up any chicks, but somehow you do. I'm never gonna figure it out.
Mom misses you, you know. No idea why she misses your scrawny ass so much, but she does. Must be something to do with the fact you look so much like Zidane.
Anyway, that's really all I can think of to write. I was never good with this sort of thing. And no wisecracks about my grades being low.
Vanitas
PS. CALL MOM EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, ASSHOLE.
Roxas grinned and went into the small kitchen. He opened the microwave and placed the letter face down in it. He set it for a minute, and, once that time was up, he looked at the back of the letter, revealing the letter's true message.
Roxas,
I know how much you like how I write for Vanitas, so no complaining, okay? I know you're smiling right now, I just know it.
We miss you, bro. Not just me, but all of us. Axel, Riku, Terra, Aqua… Oh, by the way, Terra finally got the guts to ask Aqua on a date! True, he had to get a push from Riku, but he did it.
You remember how I said I was dating a girl named Kairi in my last letter? Well, I forgot to tell you that we were actually engaged. And we got married last week! Wish you could've been there, man. You'd have been best man for sure. As it was, Riku filled in. Man, you were mentioned in the best man speech more than Kairi or I were! Check out the USB in the envelope, by the way. It's full of photos of the day, so you can at least feel like you were there.
That's all from my end, dude. Hope you feel okay. Like I said, we miss you, bro.
From Sora (and his new wife, Kairi)
PS. Seriously, have you met any girls yet?
Roxas laughed as he went towards the discarded envelope. Sure enough, there was a small USB stick in the bottom. He plugged it into his computer and skimmed through the photos. Sora looked dapper in his simple black suit, while the white-clad auburn-haired girl, presumably Kairi, positively glowed in her wedding dress. Axel looked ever-so-slightly ridiculous in his own suit, as did Riku, the substitute best man. In the next picture, Kairi had apparently slammed a piece of the wedding cake into Sora's face; Sora, presumably looking for vengeance, was trying very hard to kiss her sloppily on the cheek. Kairi looked like she was laughing. The final picture was of the two of them, both with no cake on them, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.
There was a knock at the door. Roxas did not close the pictures. Instead he just went to the door and answered it.
Standing in the doorway, looking pretty as ever, was Naminé. "Hi, Ventus."
"Naminé!" Roxas said quite loudly. "No offence or anything, but… How do you know where I live?"
"Serah told me," she shrugged.
"Oh right. I'd forgotten that Serah is a major matchmaker, and also dating your older brother."
"Can I help it if she's hopelessly in love with Snow?" she asked innocently, pushing past him into the apartment. She spotted the computer, and the wedding photo of Sora and Kairi. "Who's that?"
Roxas floundered silently before coming up with a good choice. "That's Terra and Aqua, two of my friends from Radiant Garden. They got married over the weekend, and Terra emailed me the photos."
"Aww, that's so sweet," Naminé chirped. "They look so in love."
"Believe me, they are," he replied wryly.
Naminé looked at him nervously and muttered something about "the Girl Code."
"The Girl Code?" Roxas asked, oblivious.
Her eyes widened. "You heard that?"
Roxas nodded.
"Well, I was just thinking that maybe I might have to break the Girl Code."
"Break it?"
"Yes-do-you-want-to-go-out-with-me-Ventus?" she asked with inhuman speed.
"What?" He looked at her with wide eyes. "Did you just ask me out?"
She nodded quickly. "And by doing so I broke the Girl Code. The girl never asks the guy out."
"Really?" He smiled at her. "Well, sure, I'll go out with you."
"You…will?" Her eyes looked that of a deer in a pair of headlights.
"Yeah."
He became acutely aware of Naminé clinging to him, and blushed.
"Thank you!" she shouted happily.
He did not reply. He was too busy blushing.
**KH**
Streets
Twilight Town
1700 hours
8th July 2012
From a black convertible, the black-haired man peered through his binoculars as the blonde-haired man that was his target hugged a woman of a similar age as she left his apartment. He smirked and picked up his phone. "Master," he said in a hoarse whisper. "I've found him." His blue eyes flashed crimson as his grin turned savage.
Gohan Roxas: Dramatic conclusion alert!
Naminé: Ventus, who was that weird guy?
Roxas: Guy? *looks at Gohan Roxas*
Gohan Roxas: I'm not saying anything.