Breaking the Girl
Chapter Four: I Promise
Late that same night Roxas and Naminé returned to the dance where the crowd had grown considerably tame and mellow. Mostly all that remained were the couples pressed closely together and swaying to a slower song as their girl's eyes drooped and the boys just smiled softly at them. Axel and Larxene were tucked into a corner and murmuring things to each other that only they knew. Some outgoing girl had managed to coax Cloud into spending time with her. Roxas recognized her as Tifa Lockhart.
However he couldn't move any farther than the opening of the large tent as he clasped Naminé's hand a little too tightly in his. She showed no signs of discomfort despite it and he continued to hold on.
"I'm sleepy," he heard from somewhere close by as Kairi and Sora dragged themselvs off the dance floor and into a chair. The redhead slumped in the boy's lap and rested her head against his shoulder.
Everyone looked so content and...fragile. Innocent. Then Roxas glanced at Naminé and couldn't help but notice the slight hint of red on her cheeks and the windswept appearance of her hair. Though they had tried hard to dust themselves off their clothes still had a minute rough appearance to them. A lightish brown tint that tainted their once perfect coloring.
Roxas hoped the others wouldn't notice.
"Hey Roxas," Cloud called as he held onto Tifa's hand and approached the two still frozen in the doorway. "we're leaving soon. Go find Sora and Kairi and I'll get Axel and Larxene."
With a nod Roxas set off in the direction of his twin and sighed as he stirred them from their light slumber.
O-O
"Where did you guys go last night?"
Roxas couldn't look Sora in the eyes. "We just went outside."
His twin grinned wryly. "I see. So does that mean you two are seeing each other too?"
Shaking his head violently Roxas answered, "No. I don't - "
But Sora hadn't heard him. "Maybe you'll fall in love with her. And we can all get married together or something. Girls like that type of thing right? Roxas?"
Getting out of bed hastily and leaving the room Roxas didn't offer an explanation except for "Sorry." Sora watched him go in confusion, wondering if he had said something wrong.
Roxas's head swam with visions of last night and the small noises from himself or Naminé - he couldn't remember which - and Sora's comment had only spiked a strange surge of emotions in his chest that he didn't want to feel. Something like an attachment had formed. A bond. Something stronger than he wanted to feel.
'Maybe you'll fall in love with her.'
'Maybe I will.'
'Maybe I don't want...'
Shaking his head frantically Roxas sprinted out the front door onto the porch, passing Larxene and Axel seated nearby. Axel waved to him and called out his name but he didn't stop. He just kept running. Because if he kept running maybe these feelings would go away.
"Roxas!" Axel called after him.
"Let him go," Larxene insisted while watching the blond boy grow farther away.
He couldn't understand where his feet were intent on taking him but he didn't protest. That house held Sora and Kairi and Naminé and all the people he didn't want to see. All the things he didn't want to think about or remember. All those people...
'Are you alright?'
'She's getting worse.'
'I'll be fine.'
'We need to treat her.'
'I'll always be here for you.'
'Something's wrong.'
'You promise?'
'Hurry! I think she's - '
'Yeah. I promise.'
Doubling over from running Roxas realized he'd reached the stables when he heard the scratching of chocobo feet against the dirt of their stalls. He panted a bit before regaining himself and using the wooden wall to pull himself upward.
Listing against the wall for support he murmured, "You lied" and continued onward without looking back.
O-O
Monday morning marked the beginning of the end of summer as the first day of school. Roxas found it hard to keep his eyes averted from the quiet blond by his side as the six of them - he, Sora, Axel, Kairi, Naminé and Larxene - wandered the battered dirt road in dawn's bright sunlight toward the small school building roughly a mile from home. Kairi and Axel would only be staying for a few more days before they went back to their own house.
Axel had a lazy arm draped over Larxene's shoulders as they walked, the vibrant haired teenage girl murmuring things to him that the others couldn't hear. Sora and Kairi walked with hands clasped as Sora chatted to her in an animated tone while grinning and gesturing with his free hand. Laughing in her silver bells way the slender girl listened to him talk about his summer with true interest.
But Naminé didn't talk. Roxas didn't talk. He didn't make bodily contact or whisper sweet things to her or reminisce about the dance. They hadn't spent much time at it anyway.
He didn't bring up what happened after or why either of them allowed it to take place.
Or that this was the first secret Roxas had ever kept from his twin.
"Hey Roxas you remember when Zell tried to eat the feed in Cloud's back pocket? And Cloud made that squeaky screaming noise? Eh...Roxas?" Sora poked his brother in the face to get his attention.
Roxas scowled. "Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
'Please don't ask me that.'
"Leave him alone Sora," Kairi chastised while drawing the brunet's attention away from his brother. "Maybe he didn't sleep well."
'Or at all,' Roxas added silently as he stared straight ahead and shut out the world around him. All at once the small school house loomed ahead and they began to break off into their respective groups with the older two heading in one direction while the younger four ventured in another.
However Sora left Kairi's side long enough to go in search of someone he had dearly missed.
"RIKU!"
The tall and muscular teen's mane of silver hair flicked over his shoulder with a jerk of his head as he glanced up to see the energetic brunet hurtling towards him. Taken aback he had little time to react before Sora tackled him to the ground in a bear hug.
"Sora..." Although he tried to feign annoyance he couldn't hide a smile. He had missed his best friend just as much.
Roxas normally would've have had trouble suppressing his own smile except Naminé still stood by his side, watching the scene with him. Her delicately pale features lit up at the sigth of the two boys talking in animated tones to each other and catching up on their summers spent so far apart. Riku usually traveled quite a distance during the school months to help on his grandmother's farm. But in actuality he lived a ways away with his parents ands and younger sisters.
Needless to say Sora dearly missed him when he was gone.
With her hands on her hips a willowy woman with pinned up auborn hair approached the boys and cleared her throat loudly. "Would you all care to come in side and join us please? We'd like to start class."
Roxas waved a half hearted goodbye to Axel and Larxene as he joined the others inside.
School would help him keep his mind off the previous night. He hoped so anyway.
O-O
From down the hallway he heard the pitiful sobs and immediately shot up in bed. His bare feet hardly touched the floor as he dashed into her bedroom and expected to see that shivering blond form sitting up on her bed.
But instead he saw his mother seated by the bedside and sobbing into her hands. Confusion rang through him like a bitter cluster of notes as he inched forward slowly and examined the motionless body on the bed.
Wavy chestnut hair spread out underneath her and the faded pink nightgown clothed her sickenly skinny body. Underneath her closed eyelids lay the most beautiful green eyes. Yet he realized that they would never open again.
'Yeah. I promise.'
Roxas stared blankly at his mother and sister while his blue eyes bled tears of deep sorrow.
He wanted to scream and yell and hit things and burn his entire house down. He wanted it all to go away and die and never bother him again. The memories. The pain.
'You promised.'
O-O
"Roxas Strife!"
Jerking out of his dream Roxas lifted his head from the desk and blinked up at the teacher. Upon seeing the desperate gleam of pain in his eyes she faltered in her reprimand and touched the locket around her neck gently.
"Is everything ok?"
He nodded several times as he felt the heat of eyes on him from all directions. Including Naminé who had taken a seat just besdie him. He could feel her violet eyes watching him and could sense the concern brewing within them. But he couldn't bring himself to look at her even for a second.
"I'm fine," he added for good measure. Sighing she returned to the front of the class and continued the lesson. Sora shot a strange look at him from the front row for all of two seconds that gave Roxas chills. He could sense an almost angered vibe from the brunet and knew he'd get yelled at during lunch.
Speaking of which.
"Alright class it's time for your lunch period. Please try to keep it down the students next door are still working right now."
As soon as the words left her lips Sora tore from his seat and dragged Roxas into the back of the classroom and glared harshly at anyone who stood in his way. The blond had never seen him pull off a glare before and it sort of scared him.
"Why didn't you tell me something was wrong!" he whispered harshly while staring straight into Roxas's scared blue eyes.
Swallowing thickly he replied, "I'm sorry. I've just been thinking about Mom lately. And Aerith."
All the ire left his twin at the mention of their mother and sister. Aerith had gotten very ill not too long ago and suffered for two months before the illness finally claimed her life. Their mother followed shortly after though the cause of her death was still unknown to her sons.
"It'll be alright Rox." Sora drew him into a tight embrace. "Do you want to go outside and talk about it?"
Roxas glanced up and noticed Naminé standing there with hollow eyes. She didn't say a word but deliberately stared back at him. After a moment or so of locked gazes he glanced away.
"I'm fine. We can do it later."
Sora let him go and turned around to find Kairi when he met with the same hollow stare Roxas had just glimpsed.
"Oh hi Naminé." After flashing a bright smile for the girl he left the two alone and sought out his girlfriend.
Neither moved in any direction as Roxas thought over what to say and Naminé continued to give him that same lifeless stare. He almost shivered though it obviously wasn't cold and began to feel a little embarassed.
"Naminé?"
He hated looing at her like that with her sunny hair combed over one shoulder and her plain white dress adorning her and nearly blending with her skin. A girl shouldn't be that pale. Those eyes betrayed no emotion though her stance seemed a bit rigid. Angry? No. Then what?
Finally she spoke and her voice startled Roxas. "You never mentioned your sister."
He shrugged. "I don't like talking about it."
"Was she pretty?"
He paused and considered his answer. "She was beautiful."
Naminé nodded once and broke a faint smile. "If you want we can forget last night."
Roxas froze.
'I don't think I could.'
He nodded despite the thought. "Yeah. It never happened."
Taking her hand he led her to his desk and took out the lunch Cloud had made for him that morning. For the first time that day they finally talked like they used to.
He couldn't help but wonder though. In the back of his mind.
'Could it happen again?'
Author's Notes I really have to apologize for taking so long to update with this chapter. I'm think I promised fast updates and then I took forever. I'm really sorry. My sister who checks over my work was sick with mono for some time and I didn't want to push her. So that's one of the reasons why it's taken so long. I promise after this that I will update at least once a week if not more than that. Thanks for being patient with me.