two
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The dice lands on two.
Move up two spaces.
You land on a dusk.
Go back three spaces.
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.
Sora avoided her for the first month.
And the month after that.
And the month after that.
He was well aware that he was being rude, but he couldn't help it. He knew his housemate and Naminé were related, but he didn't think they'd look so… alike. The resemblance was too much to bear (although Naminé admittedly looked more… elegant. From what he had gathered, Kairi's closet consisted only of oversized shirts and sweatpants), so for the time being he decided to keep ignoring her like always.
Besides, all Naminé asked of him was to let her cousin live with him. She never said anything about interacting with her.
"Mornin'."
Sora can already tell by Axel's tone that this isn't going to be a conversation that he'd enjoy having. Although, he does have to admit that his fellow co-worker was clever in his choice of location. There is no way he can escape the elevator before hearing what the older man had to say.
"What?" Sora asks, already irritated. Axel merely grins.
Much like himself, Axel Flamen was a great asset to the military division of Caelum Industries. He was, by far, the best at using the weapon model known as "the chakram", which was fitting since he was the one who designed it. But apart from work, Axel was one of the few friends that actually understood (and followed) Sora's philosophy. They both shared the "we're young, so we might as well attain as much bodily pleasures as we can" attitude, but there is one thing about Axel that bothers Sora greatly.
He is the best of friend of Sora's twin brother Roxas.
"So…" Axel raises his eyebrows suggestively with a sly smirk. "When do we get to meet your new fuck buddy –I mean housemate?"
Sora narrows his eyes.
"Never," he spits harshly.
"Oh come on now," Axel whines. "Spill the deets. Is she at least any good? What's she into? Cowgirl? Reverse cowgirl? Or maybe she's more into missionary…"
Sora closes his eyes and begins rubbing his temple in annoyance.
"No. I wouldn't know, and I never will know," the younger man answers.
Axel inhales sharply and rakes a hand through his fiery red spikes. "Oh, she's playing hard to get, huh?"
Sora resists the urge to face palm himself. "No, you twit. Think logically. I can't try anything with her. I live with her, so I'd have to see her every day. That means that if anything happens between us, I'd actually have to commit."
Since Axel is well aware of Sora's commitment issues, he decides to say nothing to remain unbiased. Sora is silently grateful about this decision.
When the elevator doors part, the secretary already has her hands authoritatively placed on her hips as if she'd been expecting them. On her golden nametag, the name Larxene is engraved in bold Times New Roman font; the same name that belongs to Axel's on and off girlfriend.
"Hey babe," Axel greets, leaning in for a quick peck.
She immediately pushes him away without losing the rhythm of her stiletto heels tapping against the marble floor. Sora mentally notes that it is an off day for them.
"Do you boneheads know what time it is?" she asks incredulously.
"Sexy time?" Axel guesses, trying to lighten the mood. He then notices the absence of workers wandering the hallways. The floor seems completely abandoned. He gulps.
Sora quickly glances at his Rolex. "It's 9:04."
"Exactly," Larxene deadpans. "You were supposed to be in the meeting room five minutes ago at the absolute latest."
Sora and Axel curse under their breath as they run down the hallway.
Kairi sighs heavily as she unlocks the door to her new home.
Her new home.
Regardless of the tangible, visible things like the bills (augh, the bills); Kairi still can't bring herself to mentally and spiritually believe that this, this loft here, is her new home. It had been nearly three months since she'd moved to New Twilight, and she'd moved hoping that she'd have a different, better, happier life, but she knows that she is off to a very, very slow start.
She is currently unemployed, a bit of a loner, and spends her days sitting around eating sea-salt ice cream as life happens all around her.
The sound of movement suddenly distracts Kairi from her depressing thoughts.
At first, she thinks she might be hallucinating, but her ears perk upward when she hears it again.
The sound of creaking wood.
She glances at the wall clock. It is ten thirty in the morning. Sora is usually gone by eight, and his "lady friends" are out of the door by nine. Who could still be here?
Fearing the worst, Kairi tiptoes to the kitchen, sets her ice cream down on the island, and retrieves an unused frying pan from the stove. As quietly as she can, she walks up the spiral staircase and listens for the creaking again. Upon closer inspection, she realizes that the creaking is coming from her room: not Sora's, not the bathroom, but her room. She gulps and shakily makes her way to her room.
Who –or what—was she going to face in there? A kleptomaniac? A stray, rabid moogle? A ghost? Kairi steps into her room and raises her frying pan. She is physically poised to attack, but scared shitless mentally.
She cranes her head to the side and is pleasantly surprised to find a girl around her age, if not a year or two older inside. She is dressed in a simple black beanie, black hoodie, and black pants (the freaking uniform for a burglar), and she has short, stylish jet-black hair that only few with the right bone structure could pull off. She was one of the rare exceptions that could pull off this hairstyle.
However, the most important detail is this: she is going through Kairi's closet.
The girl senses Kairi's presence and turns to face her with an emotionless expression. She is not scared, alert, or guilty. She's just a pretty little thing with a kind looking face. A kind confused looking face.
Naminé? the pretty little intruder thinks as she looks at the red haired lady.
Kairi screams and swings her frying pan in the petite girl's direction. The girl is quick and ducks so fast that Kairi barely sees her move. With one swift movement, the girl manages to take the pan from Kairi's hands and holds her wrist in place. Kairi squirms, but for such a small thing, this thief certainly has a firm grip.
"Please calm down," says the housebreaker. Kairi merely continues to struggle against her grasp. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm not here to steal your things."
"Then why are you looking through my closet?" Kairi cries.
"To check if someone else other than Sora lives here," the intruder answers swiftly. Kairi stops struggling and looks the girl right in her bright blue eyes. It doesn't take much effort; they are practically the same height.
"You… you know Sora?" Kairi asks timidly. Knowing this makes her feel slightly relieved.
The girl withdraws her hand from Kairi's wrists and offers it to her in a friendly manner.
"I'm Xion," she says.
Five minutes later Xion finds herself cooking breakfast alongside Kairi, whom she offered to cook breakfast for after scaring the wits out of her. Although the redhead was quite hesitant at first, she finally gave in and took a chance. Was she really going to pass up the opportunity to make an a friend?
In the kitchen, Xion goes straight to work. Bowls in the top left cabinet. Whisk and cutting knife in the right drawer. Cutting board on the bottom right cabinet, eggs and vegetables in the fridge, etcetera. She knows this place well. She's been here before –countless times, she may add.
Kairi seems to notice this as well because she suddenly asks, "So um, how do you know Sora?"
"I'm a good friend of his," Xion answers as she cracks two eggs and puts them in a bowl. "I'm practically his little sister. I live right next door with my sister Yuffie in 16B. I come here maybe once or twice a month to check on him, but when he's not around I clean the place up sometimes. When I have time I might make him something to eat, too."
"That's so nice of you," Kairi says, "but isn't he old enough to take care of himself?"
Xion almost laughs. Sora may be twenty-three, but his maturity could still use some work after a certain incident.
"Kind of, but there's no harm in a helping hand," Xion decides to say as she mixes the bowl's contents with a whisk. Kairi then washes her hands beside her and starts cutting up some vegetables.
"What about you?" Xion suddenly asks. "He never told me he was living with someone. How do you know him?"
And how could he not tell her about this new housemate? She knew he was hesitant to share some things after "the incident", but this? This was gold. Was he actually committing to another human being other than himself this time, or was this girl just desperate enough to become his long-term sex slave? Xion mentally scratches out the latter as an option. It was disrespectful… and downright cray.
"I actually just moved here," Kairi answers as she pours the chopped vegetables into a separate bowl. "And to be wholeheartedly honest, I actually don't know him," Kairi adds sheepishly.
Oh ho ho, Xion thinks. Possibility number two is actually starting to look possible, but this girl doesn't seem like the type. She can cook, she's alert, she can carry out a conversation without sounding like a total snob, and she's cute. She's not another airhead supermodel from Caelum Industries in a slutty dress and six inch heels. She seems like the long-term relationship type. A keeper.
How did Sora manage to snag this one?
"For reasons that I'm still trying to figure out myself, my cousin Naminé thought that it would be a good idea if I moved in with him," Kairi explains, "but he's not exactly home most of the time, and when he is, he's very… evasive."
Xion chuckles and shakes her head disapprovingly. Of course Sora was going to be evasive with his new housemate looking like that. Cousins? She and Naminé could be twins for crying out loud.
"But perhaps this is what Naminé intended," Kairi mumbles sullenly, completely unaware that Xion could still hear her.
"Don't take it personally," Xion advises as she turns on the stove. "Sora's beauty and the beast: completely in love with himself. His motto is literally 'Fuck bitches, get munny'."
Kairi chuckles and begins to gather the unused equipment for washing.
"Does he always-"Kairi doesn't get a chance to finish her question. Xion already knows she's referring to Sora's "lady friends."
"Yeah," the dark haired girl answers with a smirk. Kairi shakes her head with disapproval.
The girls spend the remainder of the morning in a comfortable silence as they finish making their meal, and in ten minutes time, they sit across from each other in the dining room eating their omelettes du fromage with bacon on the side.
"So what do you do, Xion?" Kairi asks as she drinks her paopu juice with satisfaction.
Xion takes a bite of her omelette, excuses herself, and then says, "I'm a romance novelist."
Kairi beams excitedly. "No way! I'm into writing, too, and I love romance novels! Have you published anything yet?"
"As of late, I've had one book published and I'm currently working on something right now," Xion informs.
"That's so exciting," Kairi says, and the sparkle in her eyes tells Xion that her admiration is genuine. "I've always respected writers. They always seem to have the ability to find the words that you can't say, and they can move you with what once was a blank document. I find that so inspiring." She then looks at little Xion and beams at her. "You must be really good. Successful writers are so hard to come by in the city. You'll have to let me read your work sometime."
"Sure thing," Xion promises with a smile. Sora better get his shit together because he is missing out. "What about you, Kairi? You're new here. How are you finding Twilight Town so far?"
"It's all right," Kairi admits brazenly. "The house is very nice, but I'm starting to get tired of it after being locked inside for three months."
"Well, you don't have to lock yourself inside," Xion points out whilst raising her fork.
"I don't really have a choice," Kairi mumbles with slumped shoulders, and Xion gets the hint.
The black haired ninja places her utensils down and sighs heavily. "You don't have a job, do you?" Kairi freezes, but luckily for her, Xion senses her discomfort immediately. "Don't feel bad, Kairi. This is New Twilight. It's extremely hard for newcomers to find a job in the first five months, and from my personal experience, it's even harder for writers. The companies here like to look for someone with experience, someone who's seen a lot of things, so I suggest getting to know the city a little better and finding a job that will make you stand out. This is completely normal, so don't beat yourself up for it. It took me six months to find my first job, and that was only with the help of Sora's brother."
Kairi, who feels slightly better, looks up at Xion with hopeful indigo eyes.
"We've all been there," Xion assures whilst raising her glass of paopu juice. "And trust me when I say that it will all be okay in the end."
Kairi smiles and raises her glass as well. "I'll take your word for it."
When they finish the remainder of their drinks, Xion is the first to speak up.
"I actually have to meet with my publisher in an hour," Xion says as she gets up from her seat. "So if you'll excuse me."
"Oh, of course," Kairi says in an understanding tone. She leads Xion to the door and opens it for her with a slight bow.
"It was really nice meeting you, Kairi," Xion says on her way out the door. "It's so nice to have a conversation with someone who's actually… fully clothed."
Kairi almost laughs. "You get used to it after a while."
"And I'm so sorry our first encounter had to be like this," Xion adds guiltily. "I really didn't mean to snoop through your things. I was just so shocked that Sora was living with a decent human being!"
"It's okay," Kairi chuckles. "It was very nice meeting you too, Xion."
Her neighbour leans against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "So I guess I'll see you around?"
Kairi nods, and then adds jokingly, "Most likely. I'm here all week. Badoom tch."
Xion lets out a laugh as the door closes, but it is a pity laugh. She knows Kairi is broken inside. She knows, because she sees herself within her. She was there not too long ago, and she would give anything back then for help. Kairi needed a helping hand –a push, and Xion wanted to contribute to that push, because that's what Roxas did back then. He pushed her in the right direction, and she was extremely grateful for his kindness regardless of the events that followed.
So without further ado, she fishes her phone out of her pocket and makes a very important phone call.
"You can't avoid her forever, you know."
Sora doesn't bother looking up from the blueprints that he is currently examining. He already knows whom the deep, mysterious voice belongs to. Instead, he chooses to look outside the glass walls. The dark shade of the sky outside suggests that it is slightly past midnight.
Perfect, he thinks. Kari –or was it Kairi? –should be asleep by now.
"I can, and I intend on continuing to do so," Sora says with determination. He continues to avoid eye contact with his lifelong best friend.
"Until when?" his companions asks while placing a pale hand on the edge of the drafting table. "She lives with you, Sora. You're bound to run into her sometime whether you like it or not, so you might as well get used to her company."
"I don't want her company," Sora admits. It sounded less harsh in his head.
"Why? Because she looks like-"
"Riku." His name becomes a warning.
The older man sighs. "Does it not bother you that you feel uncomfortable living in your own home? And do you even consider how that poor girl must feel? Naminé told me a few things about her. She just graduated from Radiant Garden University after majoring in Journalism for four years. New Twilight is a big city, Sora. She's probably having a hard time finding a job all on her own. You could easily give her one."
Sora tries not to let his guilt show. He's a helpful person by nature, but he can't even look the girl in the eye. The first time he saw her, his vision was (thankfully) hazy due to his overconsumption of elixir the night prior. The second time, she moved in. He thought his eyes had been deceiving him when she looked up at him with those blue, blue eyes, but it wasn't a hoax. She was the spitting image of… of…
"She's not like her," Riku reminds softly. It wasn't hard to figure out what –or who- his troubled best friend was thinking about. He practically wore his heart on his sleeve. "She's an entirely different person on the inside. You don't have to be friends, and you certainly don't have to date her. (Sora snorted at this.) Just give her a chance."
Sora sighs heavily and begins to roll up the blueprints for packing. After bidding Riku farewell, he leaves the office wordlessly and sits in his car in the parking lot for a good five minutes while raking a hand through his messy locks. After his little episode of contemplation, he starts the engine, pulls the parking break, and hits the gas pedal.
The drive home is one filled with guilt and frustration.
tbc
Phew, that took me a little longer than I thought. I woke up sick this morning and have been bedridden for the last 17 hours, lol. However, my mom did bring me some green dragon sushi, so there's a bit of a silver lining! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the second chapter, nonetheless.
I chose to make Xion and Kairi writers simply because they struck me as the type to cherish moments through words. There's just something I find so sincere and touching about their characters (: Also, I may post some songs in the author's notes that inspire me throughout the later chapters, so stay tuned for a soundtrack!
Special thanks to Amulet Misty for reviewing the last chapter and for those who put this story on alert! Once again, please kindly leave a review to give me your opinion on the story, and I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can!