Simply Simple
Chapter 4: Save Tonight
The time Roxas spent with Naminé continued to increase throughout the rest of the week and on into the next. Where ever Naminé went Roxas was always guaranteed to be right behind her with a bright smile upon his face. They now ate breakfast and lunch together. They walked to and from their classes. Hell, if Roxas was a female he probably would have followed her into the bathroom.
At first, Zexion was okay with it because Roxas seemed to keep his distance and ignoring him came fairly easy. However, just a few days ago, little Roxas began wandering into territory that was precious to Zexion. Now that he knew Naminé's home was only a short walk from his house he began walking to and from school in the company of Zexion and Naminé. Roxas took away the only alone time he was allowed with Naminé, and for that reason Zexion loathed the little punk-rocker.
Actually, that was only part of the reason. The true reason – the reason Zexion would only admit to himself – was that he hated the way Roxas made him think about Naminé. Now that he never received any alone time with the girl he began to realize how lonely and pathetic his life was without her.
Without Naminé he was just a boy with a book, and what good would a book do him when he needed someone to talk to? A book cannot speak. It can't give you a warm smile to let you know that everything's going to be fine. It doesn't giggle at your sarcasm. It's not warm to the touch. But most of all, a book can never replace Naminé …
Naminé was his only true friend … She was the only one who understood him … She was the only one that he needed … And she was the only one he had ever loved.
That's right, Zexion was in love … or he assumed he was in love. In all honesty he wasn't familiar with the emotion, so it frightened him. These feelings of jealousy, longing, and desire were all new to him. He didn't know what to do or how to react, but he did know that he wasn't about to let that little punk take Naminé away from him. He had to win her back and to do that he needed to steal her heart, but there was a tiny problem with that plan …
Zexion was romantically challenged.
Though he hated to admit it, he needed help … badly, but he couldn't go to just anyone. He needed someone who knew everything about this mysterious emotion. Sadly, the only person he could think of was Marluxia, and that fact alone was depressing because it meant he had no one to turn to. He was in this mess alone. Or was he?
It wasn't until his last class of the day when he realized that he had the answers he needed all along. In fact, he had a room full of helpful information that most students today neglected. And that's how Zexion ended up in the romantic novel section of the library …
… Still as lost as ever.
"This is useless …" Zexion spat before storming off to the front desk.
"Good Afternoon, Zexion," The young librarian who's name tag read 'Hello, I'm Aerith. How my I help you?' spoke as she peered over the counter, "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"No … I was wondering if you could … help me …" Zexion muttered, his stormy eyes cast off into space while his slender arms folded over his chest.
It was all too obvious that he wanted to be anywhere but here and in this predicament, and Aerith would have been lying if she said it didn't startle her. From the moment she checked out his first book to now, Aerith had never seen Zexion so … out of place. Even more astonishing was that he was acting this way in the library; his second home!
"Anything for my favorite student," Aerith replied with a warm smile upon her face.
"I'm looking for a good … romance novel," Zexion voice became unusually muffled as he spoke the last two repulsive words.
"A what?"
"…A romance novel …"
Aerith blinked, obviously thrown off by the boy's statement, "Since when have you liked romance novels?"
"Never!" Zexion snapped before explaining himself, "I just … want to broaden my selection … since I've read almost every book you have to offer."
"… I see," Aerith smiled. It was a smile that stated she knew exactly what Zexion was up to.It was a smile that Zexion despised.
"Don't give me that look."
"What look?"
"You know 'what look.'" The male hissed.
"I'm sorry, Zexion, but I don't know what you're talking about." The smile never once disappeared from the woman's pale-pink lips.
This conversation was obviously going nowhere, so Zexion gave up and changed the subject, "Are you going to help me?"
"Of course I am. That's why I'm here," Aerith replied as she began to type away at her computer, "Well, my personal favorite is Pride and Prejudice, but you might want to try Ravished. According to our database it's pretty popular." Aerith's emerald eyes scanned the seemingly deserted library before continuing, "1001 Ways to be Romantic might be helpful too, but it's not in the school's library. You'd have to go to one of the book stores in town for it."
"I don't plan on spending my money on something like that …" Zexion stated while giving the woman a cold stare … She knew too much.
"It was just a suggestion," Aerith replied, "But luckily for you Ravished was returned this morning."
"Yeah … lucky me," Zexion muttered, obviously thrilled beyond imagination, "Now where can I find it?"
"Romantic Novel section, number QA-478," Aerith replied as Zexion trudged off … possibly to his doom.
After checking out his new book he crammed it within the depths of his bag, never to let the pink monstrosity see the light of day; at least, not while he was in public. He then dismissed himself from the library and arrived at locker 289 right as the bell rang. As usual, hundreds of teens instantly fled their classrooms and rushed through the halls in an attempt to get out of the slowly decaying building as fast as their little legs would let them.
It wasn't until a few seconds later when he spotted her. Her golden locks and radiant smile were easily distinguished from all the other mundane children. Unfortunately, she wasn't alone, and that beautiful smile wasn't directed his way. Zexion's cold eyes became frozen while his once impassive features shifted to hatred.
It was happening again … that tight feeling in his chest. It was too much … he couldn't stand to look at them. So he left. "Out of sight, out of mind," right? Zexion sighed. Obviously that ridiculous phrase wasn't speaking of love … because even after he was long gone he could still picture them smiling and laughing together.
And it sickened him …
000
When Naminé arrived at her locker thirty seconds later she was surprised to find that Zexion was nowhere to be found. It was unusual not having him around, almost as if her day could never become complete now that Zexion wasn't there to greet her and ask how her day went. In fact, just the thought wiped the once cheerful smile from Naminé's pale face.
"Zexion's gone missing," Roxas spoke, stating the obvious, "Did he have somewhere to be this afternoon?"
"I guess so …" Naminé muttered as she opened the door to her locker, unable to shake the feeling that she was missing something important.
"He didn't tell you anything?"
'He never does …' Naminé thought to herself while answering Roxas' question with a slow shake of her head.
Roxas huffed, "I'm not surprised. He never seemed like the type of person to say when he's leaving or where he's going. He just … goes."
"Well, life has unexpected twits and turns," Naminé commented, "Something urgent might have come up and forced him to leave in a hurry," Naminé paused to think about what she had just said, "Though I hope nothing horrible has happened … His parents do travel a lot …"
Sensing the sudden panic with his newly acquired friend, Roxas decided it would be best to cut the girl off before she let her mind wander any further, "I'm sure it's nothing that bad, Naminé," Roxas assured, "Don't worry so much. Besides, you don't want wrinkles, do you?"
"Wrinkles …?" Naminé questioned as she tried to find some kind of connection between worrying and physical aging. Stress maybe?
"Yeah. When you worry your forehead wrinkles because of the expression on your face," Roxas began to explain, "So the longer you're worried, the longer that expression remains and creates wrinkles."
She tried not to, really she did, but she just couldn't stop herself from laughing at the boy's logic, "But that's as silly as you parents telling you your face will sick if you make ugly faces, and we all know they just say that so you'll stop making faces at random strangers."
Roxas chuckled, "Maybe, but until the professionally trained scientist figure it out you should relax and quit assuming the worst … Though you are pretty cute when you're worried."
Naminé's voice caught in her throat as Roxas leaned down and planted a tender kiss upon her smooth forehead. The kiss itself was brief, after all they were still in school, but it was enough to make all thoughts of Zexion vanish. All of her troubles were swept away that exact instant and replaced with an inner warmth similar to a cup of hot coco on a chilly winter day. Sadly, that feeling didn't last long.
"No Zexy today?" Larxene questioned as she arrived at Naminé's side, "That's not like him …"
A violent title wave of worry washed over Naminé's delicate form, but she wasn't going to let it carry her out into sea this time, "It's no big deal," Naminé spoke, trying to convince both Larxene as well as herself, "If he doesn't want to hang around a wait on me then he doesn't have to."
"Yeah, but he always walks with you," Larxene definitely wasn't making matters any better.
"So, Zexion's not aloud to change his mind?"
"Well … sure, but don't you think it's odd that he did it without warning?"
"No, I don't," Naminé calmly replied, though her slamming locker said differently.
Larxene and Roxas stared at Naminé in bewilderment as the loud clang continued to echo down the halls. Obviously, it wasn't okay, and obviously Naminé did care, but the two teens weren't about to point that little fact out. Instead, Roxas decided to chance the subject.
"So … uh … You ready to head home, Naminé?"
"Yeah …" Naminé replied, taking a moment to collect her thoughts before heading for the door.
Once they were at a safe distance, Marluxia and Axel decided to come out of hiding.
"Man, I've never seen Nami snap like that," Axel stated, never once unlocking his emerald eyes from the girl's retreating form.
"She's almost scarier than Lar—" The heated stare radiating from Larxene's azure eyes caused Marluxia to choke on his own words, "L-lar-large … sharks …"
"Wuss …" Lexaeus spoke up from behind, earning a snicker from Axel.
Marluxia huffed, "I didn't see you bothering to move from your hiding place either."
Lexaeus chose to remain silent and stoic. He would never let them know that he secretly had a fear of women … especially angry ones.
"Either way, Roxas is a brave young soul," Axel sighed as he sent a salute Roxas' way, "His valor shall never be forgotten."
Both Lexaeus and Marluxia silently agreed with a simple nod. They then gave the brave young boy a moment of silence to honor his heroic deed, and if they were wearing hats they would have held them over their hearts as they shed a gentle tear.
Honestly, if Larxene wasn't so thankful for this moment of silence, she would have gone down the line giving each one a well need smack across the back of their heads. Instead, she rolled her eyes, gathered her things, and went along her merry way.
000
"You … uh … seem a little upset," Roxas noted.
Naminé's answer came as a sharp, "I'm fine."
Roxas winced slightly before slowing his pace, making damn sure he had a safe distance from the girl before asking his next question, "… A-are you sure? Cause it looks like Zexion's disappearance is bothering you."
"It's just …" Naminé sighed as her defenses fell, "He only runs off like this when he's angry … so I hope I'm not the cause of it …"
"Why would you be?" Roxas asked, "Do you think you did something wrong?"
"I don't know …"
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. You're too nice to be mean."
Naminé smiled, deciding it was best if she just let the conversation die down. She didn't feel much like conversing anyway, but Roxas had other plans.
"So … Do you and Zexion go way back?" Roxas questioned, trying to stir up a conversation.
"Actually, I met him last year."
"You're lying!" Roxas gasped, "The way you're acting makes it seem like you two haven't been apart like this since middle school."
Naminé giggled softly, "Well, Zexion is a close friend …"
"I see … So, tell me, how did you met?"
"We had study hall together, and every day he would sit in the same lonely desk at the back of the library," Naminé began to explain, "He reminded me of myself … so I assume that was my reason for approaching him that day … I was never that good at introducing myself to others, so, at first I froze, but then I noticed he was reading Hamlet, one of my favorite tales. It was easy after that … Sort of …"
"'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.'" Naminé spoke, as steel-blue eyes rose from the pages of the book to stare at the girl, "I-It's my favorite line from the story …" Naminé's eyes feel to the title of the book, "Do you mind if I sit with you?"
Zexion said nothing as his eyes returned to the story, but he did reply with a gentle shake of his head.
Naminé smiled softly as she sat down in a chair from across the male before pulling out her Algebra homework that she neglected to finish last night. Silence consumed the two as each worked on their desired task; however, Naminé didn't want to let what little of a conversation she had started die down. So, she spoke up with a simple question, one she hoped would get her an audible answer.
"Is this your first time reading, Hamlet?"
Zexion, once again, replied with a simple shake of his head. It was in that moment when Naminé realized why no one ever bothered to sit by him. He simply lacked an interest in verbal communication. But a few seconds later, Naminé was proven wrong.
"Seventh." Was the one, solitary word that rolled off the male's thin lips.
At first, Naminé was a little startled that he had actually said something, but then confusion set in. 'Seventh? Seventh what?'
Without even looking at her, Zexion picked up on the female's confusion before deciding to elaborate, "This is the seventh time that I've read Hamlet."
Naminé's sea-blue eyes widened before she gasped, "The seventh time? Wow! I've only read it four times."
"What about his other plays?"
"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to read many of the others," Naminé replied, "But Macbeth was interesting."
"Favorite?"
"Oh that's easy, Hamlet," Naminé smiled, "All the others are still fantastic, but Hamlet stuck with." Naminé chewed on her bottom lip, "What's your favorite?"
Zexion simply held up the book as he continued reading. Silence once again.
'Well … it was nice while it lasted …' Naminé sighed to herself as she continued to work on her homework; but, Zexion wasn't finished just yet.
"'There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,'" Zexion spoke up, gaining Naminé's attention, "It's my favorite line too."
A smile drifted across Naminé's face, "My name is Naminé Komura, what's yours?"
"Zexion Izumi …"
"And we've been good friend ever since," Naminé concluded her brief tale with a smile.
"It figures that the only way to get him to talk is by mentioning a book …" Roxas chuckled.
"Well, Zexion isn't interested in a lot of things, so it's hard to find something that he'll enjoy talking about right away," Naminé spoke, "but that's what makes him such a fascinating individual."
"Yeah … mysterious people always are the interesting ones," Roxas agreed, "but once you know everything about them they aren't that interesting anymore."
Naminé thought about his words for a moment before questioning, "Are you still talking about Zexion, or people in general?"
"Let's face it, Naminé, there's really not that much to the guy," Roxas spoke, "He's a quiet, stuck-up, reserved, bookworm."
"On the outside, yes, but you've yet to discover what's beneath his outer crust."
"And you have?"
"Not yet … but I hope that someday he'll let me."
"… Have you ever thought that maybe there's nothing more to discover?"
"I've only known him for a year," Naminé retorted.
"And yet you barely know anything about him."
"Well, not everyone can be an open book."
"Right, Zexion's more like a stubborn clam that'll only open if you take a crowbar to him," Roxas chuckled softly.
"You're right, he's exactly like a clam," Naminé agreed, "But prying him open will only end badly. Instead, you have to wait until he feels safe so he opens up on his own."
"You have too much time on your hands, Naminé," Roxas concluded.
"Probably," Naminé giggled as she stepped up onto the wooden porch of her home.
"Hey … Um, do you want to hang out sometime this weekend?" Roxas questioned before they said their good-byes.
'I wouldn't trust him …'
"A-actually, I have a lot of homework I need to catch up on …" Naminé muttered, "So I don't know if I'll be able to …"
"That's okay," Roxas replied with a warm smile, "Some other time?"
"Y-yeah. Definitely."
"Alright, I'll see you later, Naminé," Roxas spoke before leaving Naminé behind to reflect on the day.
Truthfully, Naminé didn't even want to think about today's events. She wished she could just forget about them, but then they would only sit within the back of her mind constantly reminding her that they were still there. At least the day couldn't get any worse, right?
Wrong … Naminé's horrible day was just beginning …
000
Zexion was sleeping soundly when a gentle rapping at his window shattered his peaceful dreams. The male mentally cursed himself for being a light sleeper as he rolled over in bed and covered his head with his thick comforter, easily dismissing the noise. He snuggled back into the warmth of his bed and just as he was drifting back into the land of slumber, the tapping began again.
With a groggy groan, the male rose from his bed and whipped back the black curtains, only to find golden locks glowing in the moon's light. Honestly, he wasn't surprised to find her standing outside his window considering this wasn't the first time. In fact, she was the only one who came to his window in the middle of the night. So had it been anyone other than Naminé he would have been startled.
After unlatching his window and swinging it open to let the cool night breeze kiss at his cheeks, he stared down at little Naminé and watched as her blue, satin night-gown fluttered about her delicate figure. Had the gown been any shorter Zexion might have caught a glimpse of the girl's unmentionables.
He easily suppressed the oncoming blush.
"I didn't wake you did I?" Naminé softly questioned, her eyes remaining on the grass below.
"Yeah …" Zexion sighed, he wasn't one to lie.
"I-I'm sorry …" Naminé sighed, "I just … wanted to talk with you—"
"It couldn't wait until morning?" Zexion quickly spat, only to regret it moments later after noticing the girl's body tense, "Sorry …"
"It's okay … I deserve it …" Naminé chewed on her bottom lip, "I guess it can wait."
The girl began to turn and leave, but she was stopped the second Zexion's hand flew out and caught her wrist, "You've already woken me up … you might as well stay and share what's on your mind." Zexion's lips curled into a tiny sparkle of a smirk, "I might not forgive you if you leave now."
After helping the girl climb into his room, the two sat in silence upon his bed. Zexion watched in mild irritation as Naminé played with the hem of her night gown, not even attempting to start the conversation she had come all this way for. Though he welcomed the pleasant sight of Naminé's innocent figure dressed in a way that was almost seductive, Zexion was growing extremely impatient with her.
He sighed, though in the silence of the room it seemed more like a loud grumble, "So, what did you want to tell me?"
Naminé's petite figure tensed once again, "I … I just …" Eventually Naminé could no longer stand his cold gaze and spoke out, "Please don't stare at me like that … I know I'm wasting your time, and I'm sorry, but what I have to say is very personal so please bear with me."
"Sorry …" Zexion sighed, the harshness in his features slowly softening.
Naminé smiled as she slowly inched her way closer to Zexion, "Why is it that everyone sees you as such a cold individual when your eyes clearly show someone warm and welcoming?" Her sparkling blue eyes locked with his while her slender body crawled closer and closer. She was like an exotic animal on the prowl, and Zexion was her target; her prized piece of meat.
Zexion found himself at a loss of words the closer Naminé approached him. In fact, she had backed him into the headboard and was now maneuvering her way into his lap. To put it bluntly, Zexion was in quite an awkward predicament.
"Zexion …" The way his name rolled off Naminé's sweet tongue sent shivers down his spine.
Naminé clutched at the front of Zexion's shirt, gently pulling his body closer to hers, "What do you think of me? Am I just a friend to you, or can I be something more?"
In a strange and unexplained burst of courage, Zexion wrapped an arm around his beauty's hip while the other hand cupped her delicate chin before answering, "They say the best lovers begin as close friends … and I couldn't be any closer to you then I am right."
"Oh Zexion … Do you truly mean it?"
"With all of my heart …" Zexion smiled before pulling Naminé into—
Zexion's eyes snapped open as he sprang from his cold, damp sheets. Was that … some kind of horrible nightmare? His eyes instantly darted to the pink book upon his bed – the culprit for his horrific dream – and let out a violent hiss. How dare that poorly written piece of literature affect his subconscious mind!
"Worthless piece of trash!" Zexion growled beneath his breath before hurling the book into his open closet.
That was the last time he would ever fall asleep after reading a romance novel. In fact, he was finished with them all together. They could burn in hell and he wouldn't even attempt to save them, not even with his own urine.
Now disgusted by his own train of thought, Zexion plopped back into bed and snuggled into his sheets; however, sleep refused to easily return. Every time he shut his eyes he could see her leaning in for the tender kiss that she longed for. Her pleading azure gaze would forever be etched into his memories, and, sadly, he enjoyed it. He loved the way her lips begged for his and the way her hands tugged at his shirt, but what he loved most was that she desired him. To bad it was only a dream …
To bad it was a dream evoked by a trashy romance novel …
Zexion groaned into his pillow as he tried desperately to just forget everything and go back to bed, but his mind was still racing and refused to be calmed. Though, had he not already been awake he might not have heard the gentle rapping at his window.
'No … it's just my imagination …' Zexion tried to tell himself, but the tapping only continued to steadily increase in both pitch and urgency. Eventually, Zexion could no longer ignore it, forcing him to pull back his curtains and swing the window open, nearly beaming his visitor upside the head.
"Sorry, Naminé," Zexion grumbled as he watched the girl's body slowly relax.
"I … I didn't wake you did I?" Naminé softly questioned, her eyes fixated on the dewy grass below.
Zexion suddenly felt a rush of Déjà vu, "Actually, no …"
In reality, the only time Naminé ever showed up at his window was when her father was being a drunken bastard – to put it bluntly. He didn't beat her or anything; he was just … unreasonable during these times. He neglected the fact that he was a single parent, as well as a father, and often did things a single bachelor would do … This, of course, never sat well with Naminé.
Of course, Zexion didn't actually find out about this until the third time she visited him late into the night. He finally sucked up the nerve to question the girl, and her answer was rather peculiar. Naminé never liked to talk about the things he did or the things he said, she only told him that her father became 'immature' when he was drunk.
Though this was true, he didn't find out the true cause of her late night escapes until a few months ago, but it wasn't from Naminé's lips. Larxene explained to him that her mother passed away due to illness when she was ten. It was her reason for her depressed sate, and it was her father's reason for moving them to the islands; although, that wasn't always the reason. Before the move, they wanted to get her ill mother out of the polluted city and into the clean island air, but once she died they just wanted to escape the memories. Unfortunately, Naminé found herself trapped by these painful memories, and since her father was drunk most of the time she turned to the next best thing, a friend.
"What did he do this time?" Zexion softly questioned, instantly sensing her sadness.
"… He's brought home a woman and they're being annoying loud …" Naminé replied, her voice cracking as she tried to fight back tears, "I just … couldn't listen to it anymore …"
"Come on …" Zexion's voice grew soft as he extended a helping hand.
Once Naminé was inside, Zexion patiently waited for the girl to compose herself. Unlike his dream, rushing the matter would only make things worse. It was best to let her come out on her own … that is, if she came out at all. Most of the time she never bothered to elaborate, and Zexion never liked to pry his nose into matters that didn't concern him. All he knew was that Naminé was troubled, and she needed a shoulder to cry on.
"I hate to be intrusive, but … c-can I stay here tonight?" Naminé shyly questioned.
"Of course," Zexion replied as he rose from the bed, "Just wake me up when you're leaving." Zexion was just to leave his room and head for the couch in the living room when Naminé stopped him.
"A-actually … can you … stay with me?" Naminé's meek voice asked, practically begging him not to leave.
"Uh … sure," Zexion sighed, "I'll leave when you fall asleep."
Naminé slowly shook her head, "I mean … stay … for the entire night …"
Even in the darkness of the room, a soft shade of pink could be seen on both of their faces. Fortunately for Zexion his hair hid most of his face as well as his flushed cheeks. 'It's no big deal,' He tried to convince himself, 'She just wants me to stay … it's not like anything's going to happen.'
"Oh, okay," Zexion calmly spoke, "I'll just go grab some extra blankets and pillows from the closet so—"
"I … I don't want to kick you out of your own bed …"
"And I can't let you sleep in the floor." Yes, that's right, Zexion could be a gentleman!
"Well … there's enough room on your bed for the two of us …"
"A-are you sure about this?" Zexion asked, cocking a slender lavender brow.
"I-it not like we're going to do anything," Naminé stuttered, only deepening the blush upon her cheeks, "It's just … I don't want to be alone …"
Zexion caved, "Do you want the wall?"
"It'd be best if you slept next to the wall … I don't want to climb over you as I leave," Naminé replied.
"Right …" Zexion agreed as he quickly climbed into his bed and slipped into the sheets, keeping his back facing Naminé.
Silence consumed the room as Naminé adjusted herself, and after a few minutes Zexion could feel the warmth of her body heating his back. She was so close. Too close. But he wouldn't dare shove her away in her time of need. Hell, he would never shove her away, but her body gently resting against his back was too much. And these feeling welling up from within were maddening. They made him want to—
"Zexion?" Naminé spoke, receiving a soft grunt as a reply, letting her know it was okay to continue, "Did I do something wrong?"
Zexion inwardly sighed, "Of course you didn't. Your father just—"
"I'm … not talking about my father …"
"Then what are you talking about?"
There was a long pause before Naminé eventually answered with a, "Never mind … Good night."
"Good night, Naminé," Zexion sighed as he inched closer to the wall.
For the first time in his life … he needed a cold shower.
000
Morning came rather quickly, much to Zexion's relief, so when his alarm went off at its usual time Naminé was quick to jump from the sheets. Not wanting to disturbed the motionless Zexion, Naminé quietly tip-toed to the window, only to be stopped by his voice a moment later.
"Naminé …sometimes others don't know how to see a situation from someone else's point of view," Zexion's tiered voice spoke, "so sometimes it's okay to give them a hint, just to let them know something's wrong."
A smile slowly graced Naminé's lips. Even when he was half asleep, he still knew just what Naminé needed to hear, "Thank you …" With nothing left to say, Naminé crawled out the window a headed home in the soft morning glow.
Once she arrived home, Naminé immediately hopped in the shower and began her normal morning routine. When she was finished she realized that she had a few minutes to spare. Enough time to have a little chat with her father.
Finding him wasn't hard. He was sprawled out across the couch in a lazy manner, moaning and groaning about his head hurting and the room spinning too fast. Obviously, he was suffering from a sever illness known commonly as a hangover. Maybe it wasn't the best time to talk with him, but Naminé went for it anyway.
"Um … dad?"
"Oh! Nami! Thank God!" her father groaned. His once calm and collected face was twisted in pain as his amber eyes pleaded with his daughter, "Could you be a dear and get me some ice water?"
"Sure …" Naminé sighed, and – being the darling daughter that she was – left to fetch her helpless father a glass of water.
Naminé's father, Xemnas Komura, was a very infamous and ruthless businessman – if you couldn't tell. Like most businessmen, he put his work before his family life. "It's all about your connections," He would always say, and he used this little saying as an excuse for attending late night 'business meetings.' His reasons for drowning himself in alcohol, however, were for less than social causes. In fact, he never touched alcohol until the day his wife passed away.
"Thank you, Nami," Xemnas spoke, taking the glass from his daughter. Naminé was even kind enough to include an aspirin with his water which he quickly swallowed before rubbing the cool surface of the glass across his forehead.
"Dad? Can I talk with you?" Naminé questioned as she seated herself next to her incapacitated father.
"Of course you can, Nami," Xemnas replied as he draped a comforting arm over Naminé's shoulders, "What's on your mind?"
"I … um … really hate to see you like this …" Naminé spoke, getting strait to the point, "And I don't appreciate you brining home random women for your amusement. If you want to replace mom, that's fine, I just wish you'd replace her with someone respectable."
Xemnas sighed as he lowered the glass form his forehead, "You know I could never replace your mother …"
"Then what are you trying to do?"
"Well, Nami, sometimes a man gets lonely. He has needs that—"
"I don't care to hear about that …" Naminé interrupted, blushing from embarrassment. Obviously there was still some remaining alcohol floating around in her father's system.
Xemnas chuckled softly, "But seriously, no one can ever replace your mother, Naminé. She was such a wonderful woman that brought the best of me out," Xemnas smiled softly before taking a sip of his water, "As corny as it may sound, I fell in love with her again and again with each day that passed." Naminé smiled as she listened to her drunken father babble on.
"I remember this one time when she was seven months pregnant with you. We went to grocery store together and this old couple passed us and as they were walking away the old woman turned her husband and said something about more and more teens were getting pregnant and how your mother probably wasn't even out of school yet," Xemnas' smile grew two times as wide, "The look on her face was priceless. She stormed up to that little old woman and shouted, 'Just so you know, I'm twenty-fucking-two years old and married as a virgin to my husband three years ago. Maybe next time you run into a pregnant bitch you won't start making false assumptions!'"
The two laughed together at the cherished memory before Xemnas added, "And then, just to throw the poor old woman for a loop, she smiled and thanked her for calling her a high-school student."
"Mother was always so beautiful," Naminé sighed while her father agreed with a silent nod.
"I'm sure you'll be just as beautiful," Xemnas replied before planting a loving kiss atop his daughter's head.
"I hope so," Naminé replied with a gentle smile.
A moment later, the door bell chimed throughout the house, letting Naminé know she extended her time a little too far.
"That's probably your little Zexion friend," Xemnas spoke, "Better get going to school so you can make lots of A's."
"I'll do my best," Naminé spoke as she rose from the couch before leaning down to press a gentle kiss upon her father's nose, "Don't burn the house down while I'm away, okay?"
"Yeah, I know, and I'll stay away from the oven," Xemnas rolled his amber eyes.
"Good boy," Naminé smiled before rushing off to the door before the bell would ring a second time. However, upon opening the door she was surprised to find Roxas instead of Zexion.
"Ready to get going?" Roxas questioned with a smile.
Naminé slowly blinked as she tried to compose herself, "Uh … yeah," She shut the door behind her, making sure it locked, "But we can't leave just yet. Zexion must be running a little late."
"Actually … he walked by a minute ago while I was waiting for you," Roxas replied, "I tried to wave him down, but I think he was ignoring me."
"Oh … I see …" Naminé muttered, "I guess there's no point in waiting then."
Naminé remained characteristically silent during their walk to school because the entire time she couldn't stop herself from thinking, 'I did do something wrong …' And with this depressing thought came floods of questions.
Why was Zexion angry with her …?
Why was he avoiding her …?
Unfortunately … she had no answer.
000
"Good morning, Zexion," The Aerith greeted, "How was the novel? Did you like it?"
"I can honestly say it almost makes me want to never pick up another book for the rest in my life," Zexion flatly stated, earning a small giggle from the woman.
"Liked it that much?" Zexion rolled his eyes while returning the pink eyesore.
"Don't be surprised if you come back tomorrow and find that all the romantic novels have mysteriously turned into ashes," Zexion stated before wandering off in search of one of his favorite books. He desperately needed a well written work of literature to ease his troubled mind.
And what he ended up walking out with was a story he hadn't read in a while …
Hamlet …
Disclaimer: How many times must I say it … Kingdom Hearts is not mine! There! I hope you're happy … T-T I also don't own the story Hamlet or Macbeth, that's good 'Ol Willy's masterpieces, nor do I own Pride and Prejudice, Ravished, and 1001 Ways to be Romantic. XP
Hikari: Once again the title has something to do with music. Save Tonight is the title of my favorite Eagle-Eye Cherry song. It played while I was writing the scene with the Naminé/Zexion fluffness so I just had to use it. X3
And what's this? Insight to Naminé's home life? How interesting. Even more interesting that Xemnas is her father. XP but not really. I was originally going to have it be Ansem – the wise – but just the thought of him getting some tail was disturbing and I didn't want to traumatize poor Naminé … or myself. XD And I can honestly say that if Marluxia wasn't already her friend then he would have been the father. Lol! So much originality … I know, I'm overflowing with it.
Anyway … Thank you so much to those who reviewed!! I loved and appreciated every single one of them! I also want to thank those who added this story to their favorite or alert list! It makes me happy to know that this many people are enjoying the story. X3