Chapter 7: What Was That, Nami?

The play practices continued.

My experiences and relationships went through a constant not level course. It was like a train going up and down hills.

For some strange reason, my connections with Riku didn't continue to deteriorate. However, my bond with Roxas only strengthened.

Focusing on Riku, we continued our daily practices. But after each visit to his house, we didn't seem to stiffly say our lines anymore. We seemed to be…improving.

I didn't want It to be. I wanted to shout and scream at him for all he had done to me and Roxas but I just couldn't do anything. His behavior was a complete change to what it was before and after the fight. It seemed to take on a…how should I put this…lukewarm state?

Our conversations continued to take on a lighthearted air to it. We actually socialized while we practiced. I saw his smile more often, and he continued to give me more and more of his true personality.

Even at school, I was kind of shocked to see Riku act the same way as we did at his house. Every once in a while he would wave or smile at me and I would find myself completely flustered. I thought he despised me for that incident last week. It had only been a week for goodness sake! Only a week since he beat Roxas up and showed disgust of me.

Yet he started to express this strange fondness of me. He still showed his dark side to Roxas for me letting him practice with me, but he completely changed what he showed to me.

Then changing to Roxas, we started just meeting up with each other after school and we just practiced wherever place was available.

But every once in a while I would catch Riku's eyes on me whenever we decided to practice during lunch break or after school in one of the classrooms. Even in the library he would sometimes walk in and I would see him in the distance just watching.

It was kind of creepy and normal at the same time. He wasn't really pervading into my personal space but he just looked at me every once in a while…okay you could say a lot.

Then the most awkward moments would be when he actually talked to me in public. Well school counted as that too right?

Roxas had forgiven me, Riku was talking half stalking me…what is going on in this small, crazy world of mine?

"Hey…Xion."

I turned my head to the voice. I hadn't recognized it. But the thing that surprised me was that I actually had recognized it.

Well at least I should have.

My azure eyes blinked a couple of moments in disbelief. There right before my eyes was Namine Bennett.

Namine Bennett. The girl who used to be my best friend?

Going back a couple of days, I guessed I had forgotten that that girl had even existed in the midst of it all. And ever since Roxas had come we had an unspoken falling out…

"X-xion?" She muttered and clutched the sketchbook in her arms even tighter.

I averted my attention from my thoughts and to the girl before me. What did she want?

"What is it?" I uttered out feeling very awkward inside. It felt just too weird to be talking to someone who was supposed to be your best friend but suddenly disappeared from your life out of your own free will. But she had wandered back. Completely out of her character you could say.

"Do you want to hang out after school…?" She looked at me and mumbled a few words under her breath. "Maybe we could go to the mansion like we always used to."

I blinked a few more times and slowly nodded. The blonde's face suddenly brightened and she tipped her head in a gesture of thanks.

Then she mumbled something to me. "Is it just me, or have I completely forgotten about you in the past week…?"

Then we both started laughing.

"Y-yeah!" I let out a choked snicker while wiping away a tear. "I'm so so sooooo sorry Nams! I think it had something to do with Roxas, no?"

Namine looked away with a blush on her face. "I guess so."

I got up and shook her shoulders like I used to do with a ridiculous grin on my face. "You like him don't you?"

She stared at me like I was nuts and shook her head like crazy, the same blush on her face. But even though she had me going there for a while but I sat down on my desk once more and looked at the clock. The break time between classes was almost over.

"Oh come on Nami! I know you do. Just tell me what's up!"

She bit her lip and look away with all the usual gestures like anyone would express when they liked someone. I was really beginning to speculate whether she had given up her little façade with Riku.

"It's just that…we're related."

WTF MIND BLOWN

My mouth felt like it dropped to China and my eyes just stayed locked with hers. The shy blonde did her best to avoid eye contact and she held her hands behind her back with inconfidence.

"I know that I shouldn't be telling you this-" She began to mutter.

My hands locked onto her shoulders and I began shaking her again. "TELL ME RIGHT NOWWWWW!" Like a crazed idiot which brought quite a hint of suspiciousness in the classroom despite there being quite a small number of people. I just thank my lucky stars that the teacher wasn't in here.

"We're not blood related!" She blurted and I stopped shaking her.

"Then how are you related?!"

"Roxas is my stepmother's brother's son!" Namine squealed and I dropped my hands from her shoulders. (A.N. TAKE NOTE. I got this idea from an anime I watched a while ago. Forgot what it was about but barely remember the name. I think its called 'Hey Kids, I 'm Your Father!')

I slowly sat down on my desk clearly stupefied by this news. Namine was related…to my friend.

But why was I so mind blown?!

Namine looked away clearly feeling guilty. I put up a hand to stop her.

"Don't go. It's just that I'm kinda surprised okay Nams?" I said to her calmly assuring myself not to frighten her. "Then...no offense, but isn't that kind of...wrong?"

Namine blushed once again and put both of her hands on the table.

"This is none of your business."

I blinked once. Then again. After that the idea finally settled in my head. But i knew the subject would be in my head for a loooooooong time. I nodded my head vigorously to show that i understood.

She looked at me at first acting quite speculatively but she eventually opened up and switched to another subject to put off the shock and awkwardness.

"T-this must be pretty weird for you right?" I nodded at her question. "Then about after school…where should we hang out?"

I blinked. Where was this getting to? My shoulders rose in a shrug. "How about that old mansion? We always used to hang out there and eat ice cream together. How 'bout that place?"

Glad that we were off the awkward part of the conversation, she gave me that 'shy original Nams smile' and nodded vigorously, glad that she got a friend back.

"Meet me at the woods after school okay? At that tree that shakes."

I chirped in agreement and she left my desk with ridiculous grins on both of our faces.

But take note: mine quickly disappeared for obvious reasons…