"Namine, are you even listening to me?" Kairi asked. That was the ninth time today that she had had to jog Namine out of la-la land, and she was getting sick of it.

"Sorry, Kai," Namine said, immediately turning her blank expression to a happy one.

But Kairi had known Namine since diapers, and knew exactly all of her tricks.

"Sorry Nami, but I don't find those emo kids all that interesting," she blurted, and then covered her mouth.

Namine swung her blonde head around.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Kairi said quickly, "I just don't like emo kids is all."

"Well neither do I," Namine replied, "I just liked the music."

Kairi rolled her eyes. Emo kids were very moody, and their music was just the same. Why did Namine, of all people, like it?

"Death songs are not cool," Kairi said.

"They're not suicidal," Namine said. "There's nothing in Helena or Famous Last Words that says anything about death."

Namine was so clueless.

"The songs are weird."

"They're deep."

"What you call deep I call creepy. Besides, how are you so obsessed with these people if you don't even know who they are, Nami?"

That was true. But, not knowing who they were only made Namine think of them more, in truth.

Anyway, it was Saturday afternoon. Kairi and Namine had gone shopping, one of their favorite hobbies.

Another good thing about it was, they could pick out dresses for the Homecoming Dance, even if it were a month off.

They had gotten there five hours before, and it hadn't taken Namine long to find a dress. It was black, with silver and gold horizontal stripes.

Kairi, however, was a different story, and she had a bad day today.

When they had gotten to the mall, Kairi had spilled a mocha latte on her self and sent Namine to go purchase an up to the minute outfit so she wouldn't be burned.

The poor blonde had to run all the way across the food court, through the bathrooms, and through Hot Topic to get the clothing Kairi needed.

Next, Kairi hadn't been able to get out of a particular dress she'd been trying on.

So, she had Namine put her foot on Kairi's back and yank on the zipper.

She yanked it so hard, the entire dress ripped in half and Kairi wound up paying for it.

After that, Kairi hit on the sales clerk, so Namine yelled at her for being dishonest in her relationship to Sora and they were escorted from the mall by two beefy security guards named Biff and Brick.

After sneaking in a back entrance, they found a small store that only stored prom dresses.

Now they were trying them on.

After an awkward silence, Namine spoke again.

"Kai, the mall's closing in fifteen minutes," she said, looking at her watch. "You've got to hurry up."

After Kairi bought a cherry spaghetti-strap thingy, they left the mall.

---

"YEAH!" Roxas said as he ran into the room, waving a vivid ruby piece of paper in his hand.

Hayner and Olette looked up.

Hayner was sitting on a tartan chair in the corner, staring out the window despondently.

Olette had been eating vanilla ice cream and sitting on Roxas's chaise longue.

"What?" Hayner asked, startled.

Roxas shoved the red sheet of paper into his face. Hayner read aloud:

"NOTICE!

Anyone with ties or contact information

To the band who performed during the blackout

Please come forth now.

If we find that you have lied, there will be serious penalty

If you have information on the band

Please contact the school at—

It's a list of school governors," he finished.

Roxas was still grinning. Olette wasn't.

"Why are you so joyful?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I be? We're renegades!" he exclaimed, high- fiving Hayner as he did so.

"I thought we were already renegades," Hayner protested.

"We are, but this takes it to a new level," Roxas said, stealing Olette's spoon and taking a mouthful of ice cream.

"So… how about a few more concerts?"

The other two grinned.

"Excellent."

---

When they went into school on Monday, Roxas already had the game plan.

Planned.

"Hayner," he said, using the type of tone a general would use to address lesser soldiers. "You go put these flyers up. Everywhere. In the gym, in the halls, even in the bathrooms."

"EVEN THE GIRLS' BATHROOMS?!"

"JUST GO!"

"Okay."

The blond boy picked up the mountain of flyers and ran off down the hall.

Roxas turned to Olette next.

"Go spread the word in the hallway," he told her, "And do it quick. Don't tell them our names."

Olette ran off in the same direction as Hayner.

Roxas, however, had an in school detention in the chorus room, so he would spend the day looking for new talent.

It was an easy job for someone like him, anyway.

He strode down the hall to the choral room, but was stopped when he saw someone in front of it.

It was Kairi Endrosse, the biggest prep in the universe. She had long, straight red hair and big navy eyes. Roxas had to admit, he had always found her beautiful, but he hadn't the slightest clue why she was speaking to him.

"Whaddya want, prep?" he snapped.

Kairi, to Roxas's extreme shock, grabbed his hand.

"Roxas," she said, her eyes widening. "Who performed during the blackout?"

Roxas gulped. Should he tell Kairi, the most beautiful girl in the school, or maybe even the county—about the band?

No.

"I don't know," he said simply.

She let his hand drop.

"Oh."

He arched a brow.

"Why?" Roxas questioned.

"Oh, because my friend Namine loved you guys," Kairi said hastily.

Who was Namine? Roxas had heard her name before… and it sounded so familiar too.

Namine.

"Thanks anyway, though. I'll see you around, Roxas," Kairi said as she walked off, her Ugg boots thumping along as she went.

Roxas opened the door to the choral room. There was no one in there but the administrator.

"Is a girl named Namine in your class this period?" he divanched.

"Yes, there are two, Namine Kostolaris and Namine Princeton."

Roxas put a foot up against her piano. This was going to be harder than he thought…

"Thank you."

"Go take your seat in the back, Roxas."

Roxas sighed and made his way to the back of the room. A big blue plastic chair sat there, and he hated it.

"Hello, my friend," he murmured as he sat. "Good to see you."

Hehe.

Roxas was just getting settled when twenty or thirty students began to file in. He looked around th crowd, looking for a familiar face that could be Namine, but there was none.

"Okay class," Mrs. Gainsborough said, "Take out your programs. Today are the solo performances."

The class grumbled despairingly.

"Oh, shut up and get out your programs," Mrs. Gainsborough snapped. The class was silent as they pulled out their papers. "Yes, Namine?"

A tiny blonde girl in the back row had her hand raised. Her golden hair was tucked over one shoulder, and her huge sapphire eyes shimmered.

"I was just wondering… may I go first?" she asked shyly.

"Mrs. Gainsborough looked surprised for some reason.

"Yes, dear," she said, almost at once. "And… Roxas?"

Roxas looked up. Why was the teacher addressing him?

"What?" he asked.

"Can you rate the students' performances for me? I'd do it myself, but I have paperwork to do."

"Uh, sure."

He took the teacher's place at the piano. He had had some prior experience with the keyed instrument, but was not an expert or anything.

"Uh… Namine… your turn," he said to the beautiful blonde girl.

She looked up at him, and smiled happily. She stood in front of the piano. Roxas looked at her, and her grin widened. Why was a prep so happy with him?

"Do you know… Clocks, by Coldplay?" she asked bashfully, going red.

Roxas knew that song.

"Yeah, want me to play it?" he asked, poising his fingers on the keys.

"Please," she said warily.

Roxas began to play the song, a slow but beautiful tune. Namine grinned and her voice sang through the room.

The lights go out and I can't be saved

the Tides that I tried to swim against,

Have, brought me down upon my knees

Oh I beg, I beg, and plead, singing.

Roxas gasped, but hoped no one could hear. She had the prettiest voice..

Come out with things unsaid

Shoot an apple off my head

And a trouble that can't be named

And tigers waiting to be tamed, singingYou are

You are

Confusion that never stop

The closing walls and ticking clocks

gonna, Come back and take you home

I could not stop that you now know, singing.Come out upon my seas

the Cursed missed opportunities

Am I a part of the cure?

Or am I part of the disease, singingYou are

You are

You are

You areAnd nothing else compares

And nothing else compares

And nothing else comparesYou are

You areHome, where I wanted to go[home

Home, where I wanted to go[home

Home, (you...)where I wanted to go[home (...are)

Home, (you...)where I wanted to go, (...are)

She finished, and Roxas saw the choral teacher clapping with great gusto.

"My, my! Namine! That was amazing!" she exclaimed, and Namine quivered with delight.

"Thank you," she said simply, and took her seat in the back. Roxas kept his eyes on her for the entire period, and then watched her when she left.

He had found the right kind of talent that the band wanted.

---