---

"Hi, Roxas," a voice said.

Roxas turned to see Olette in her black leather trench coat.

Her hair was still down, but it looked black because of all the rain in it. It had started to rain around an hour ago, but Roxas had brought an umbrella with him in case such an event happened.

Her face looked paler than ever.

This was a sad thing, for in her healthier days Olette had always been tanned bronze.

She had huge dark circles, and her eyes were bloodshot. There was an air of depression among her too.

"Hey, Let," Roxas said, and held out his umbrella. She took to it gratefully. "How are you feeling?"

"No real change, Roxas," she said simply.

He looked her in the eye. He saw a misery etched into the emerald.

In Roxas's eyes, Olette saw a mixture of many things: Confusion, Anger, and Resentment.

And… could this be?

Was Roxas in love?

They walked to the corner of Tram Common, where Olette lived. She was just a little bit away from the woods that led to Namine's mansion when she spoke to Roxas.

"Roxas?" she whispered.

Roxas had to stoop down to hear her.

"Yeah, Let?" he smiled at her, and she tried to, but it looked like she didn't want to.

"I… can't come to school anymore," she finished. "I'm too weak. It took a lot of work for my mom to let me go to the Homecoming Game, and she almost wouldn't let me go to BlackOut."

Roxas swallowed.

"I can visit you, right Let?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course," she said.

They stood there for a moment, Roxas's eyes on the horizon. The setting sun reflected in his tears for Olette.

"Roxas," Olette said again.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You… did you see Hayner the other day?" she said.

Roxas remembered. Hayner had been blank as a clean whiteboard on that particular encounter.

"Yeah, why Let?"

"It's because…" she said, "I went over there to tell him about it."

"I know," Roxas replied. "He seemed sad."

"Yeah, and you know what else?"

"What?"

Olette looked back out at the horizon, and Roxas guessed she was not feeling too well.

"What else, Let?"

"Hayner told me something."

"Like what?"

"He told me… that he loved me, and if there were a cup with my sickness on it, he'd drink it."

Romeo and Juliet, Roxas thought.

"Ultimate sacrifice," he mused.

"Yeah," Olette said this with a certain amount of purity. "I never thought Hayner would be like that. But… that would be something I'd expect from you, Roxas."

Roxas turned to her. "Me?"

"Yes. I never really thought you belonged with the emo kids. You were… kinder than any emo I ever knew."

"Thank you," Roxas said. "Ooh."

He had said "ooh" because the sun had fully set by then. A rainbow had formed over the sky.

"C'mon," he said, and Olette strode next to him, "Let's get you home."

Stowing his umbrella in his bag, Roxas bought them both some watermelon (which was very generous, because it is costly) and took Olette to her house.

They bade hasty goodbyes, and Roxas went home.

"Hi, Roxas," his mother said as soon as he came in the door.

She was a tall woman, with gingery red hair and big ocean eyes that Roxas had inherited. A light brown mole rested beside her mouth, and at the moment she was leaning against the counter.

"Hey, Mom," Roxas said, running a hand through his wet hair.

"I saw the BlackOut. It was so good," she said. "And… who was your singer?"

Roxas raised his brows.

"You mean, Namine Princeton?" he asked.

"Oh, yes sweetie. She was so talented," his mother stated, handing Roxas a sandwich.

"I know," Roxas said, his mouth full. "That's why I hired her."

His mother was quiet and serene, but when next she spoke, her tone was serious.

"Did Olette tell you?" she asked.

"Yes," Roxas said. "About the disease, and about Hayner."

"Hayner?" his mother asked.

"Nothing," Roxas said hastily. "Look, Mom, I've got to go call Namine, okay?"

"Okay."

Roxas put his bag in the hall closet and ran up the stairs.

He truly intended to call Namine, and see what she was up to. And, possibly get some info on Sora.

"Hello?" was her answer.

"Hi," Roxas said.

"Hi. Who's this?" Namine asked.

Roxas groaned.

"C'mon, you just heard my voice for ten minutes straight! It's ROXAS!"

"Oh!!! Hey!!! That sure was awesome!" she screamed.

"Totally."

"And that last line… WHOO!"

"Ha-ha, yeah."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, but then Roxas decided that he should just get straight to the point.

"How's Sora?" he asked recklessly.

Namine was silent for a few seconds.

"Oh, he's… fine. How do you even know him?"

"Oh… I, I don't, it's just… you guys left together and all, so I…"

"Hehe. Yeah," she said, leaving no clues. "We went to go see a movie."

A sudden burst of anger shot up inside Roxas.

"That's cool," he fumed.

"You okay, Roxas? You sound tense," Namine said.

Roxas switched the phone to his left ear and took a breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine, not tense," he said, his tone loosening up a bit. Why was he getting so freaked out about this? He didn't even have the RIGHT to be mad; he barely even knew Namine, and he didn't know Sora at all.

"Ooh! I've got another call! I'll see you tomorrow, Roxas!"

CLICK.

"What just happened?" he asked himself. "I got dissed AGAIN. What's wrong with me today?"

He sank back onto his bed, and shut his eyes. His skull seemed to be pressed down into his brain because of all the stress.

RING. RING.

"Roxas," Roxas answered.

"Hi, Roxas." It was Kairi.

"Hello, Kairi. What are you doing?"

"Watching Laguna Beach with Namine and Sora. You?"

Kairi was with Namine and Sora, which meant Kairi and Sora had heard Roxas and Namine's conversation.

"Nothing much."

Roxas heard Namine talking with someone in the background, though it was faint.

"Ohmygosh! What'd you say, Sor? That's bad."

"No, it's true. He's like that."

"Hehe, ya sure?"

"Yeah, totally. So, are you coming to my party?"

"Most definitely. You know I'd never miss your party. It's too important."

"Glad you feel that way, Nami."

Roxas squeezed the found receiver. Namine and Sora had pet names.

"So, Roxas, I'd like to invite you to something."

"Huh?"

"Well, get this. Sora's having a big party tomorrow, and he heard you talking to Namine on the phone. She told him you were friends, and since any friend of Namine's is a friend of Sora's, he told me to call and invite you."

"Me?"

"Duh. So you're coming?"

Roxas looked at a poster on his wall, deep in thought. Should he go to this party and meet Sora?

Either way, Kairi was not one to be refused. So…

"I'll be there," he said.

"Oh, and the theme is Las Vegas."

"Cool."

CLICK.

"IF one more person hangs up on me…"

---