A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for taking sooo long to update! I've been really busy, as explained in the author's not. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank everyone who left me pms/review with ideas! They were all really good and, like I said, I'll give you credit if I use them. Thanks again! :D Well, Hope you like this chapter, it took me FOREVER to write! D:
Oh, and before I forget, I've started working on a collab story with a friend of mine on this site. Her username is strawberrySOLDIER and the story is on her account. Anyway, it's a Roxiri story, and I highly recommend that you read it! It's really amazing, and stawberry's writing is pure genius! XD It's called, "Behind the Mask" and there's some SoraxNamine fluff in there, which you'd already probably guess, that I'm writing! ^^ So please read it, it's her first story, and my first collab, I would really appreciate it! Oh, and I'm working on the next chapter for it, so look out for it!
Day 4- Tuesday; 26 days left...
The blond stirs in her sleep, letting out a content sigh as she snuggles her head deeper into her pillow. Images from the day before danced in her mind, from the beach, to P.E. and back again. She sighs again, and a smile forms on her face, before it melts away when her cell phone begins to ring loudly.
Naminé groans but sits up and bed, and looks at her clock. 4:26 is what it read.
Who could be calling me so early? She thinks to herself before picking up her phone, and looking at the caller I.D on the screen.
Kairi's name flashed on the screen. Of course... Only she would call so early! Naminé thinks bitterly before flipping her phone open and placing it next to her ear.
"Hello?" She says, her voice still laced with sleep.
"OHMYGOSHNAMINE!" Kairi yells into the phone, causing the blond to wince and yank the phone away from her ear. Kairi continues talking at an abnormally high speed, unaware that she almost shattered the blond's ear drum.
"Kai...Kairi!" Naminé yells back, trying to catch the other girl's attention.
"Yeah?" The red-head replies back, breathless from talking so fast.
"I have no idea what you just said! And why are you calling me so early?" The normally quiet blond says, her hand rubbing her temples to stop a headache that was forming due to the red-head's yelling.
"Sorry! It's just that I learned something last night, and I was going to tell you then, but I knew that you'd already be in bed because of all that happened yesterday. So, I decided to go to bed too and tell you in the morning..."
"Oh? And what happened to that plan?"
"Well, I went against it and told you now! I just couldn't wait any longer! And I knew that if I told you in the morning, you wouldn't have enough time to plan!"
Naminé's curiosity began to get the better of her, "Plan what?" She then smirks to herself, "Wait, let me guess. Roxas confessed his feelings for you last night, and you just couldn't wait to tell me. That's why you called me so early because wanted me to start planning your guys' wedding!" Naminé then begins to laugh when Kairi started spluttering incoherently on the other line.
"N-no! It's not like that at all!" She says in her defense, but Naminé knew she was blushing. "A-anyway, the REAL reason I called you was to tell you that today is Sora's birthday!" She announces happily.
The blond gasps, "W-what? Is that true?"
"Yup! Roxas told me himself!"
"B-but, why didn't Sora say anything about it yesterday? I know we all just recently became friends... he could have still told us!"
"Well, Roxas told me that Sora never really likes to talk about his birthday, because if his fangirls heard about it, they'd never leave him alone! They'll crush him with the infinite gifts they'd give him!"
Naminé sighs, "Yeah, you're right. Then, what's the point of telling me this? We have to go to school today, and it's not like we can throw him a party there. His fangirls would find out!"
"Which is why I thought of this brilliant plan! See, me and you won't go to school today. We could set up the party and tell Roxas to keep Sora occupied until we finish. Then, we'll invite the rest of the gang, bring Sora over, and surprise! Happy birthday Sora!" Kairi says with a smile.
"What? You expect us to ditch school?" Naminé says with disbelief.
"Nami, Nami, Nami! Poor, little, naïve Naminé!" Kairi shakes her head. "It's not ditching if we have an excuse! We'll say that I was sick, and I got you sick too, and we stayed home! Duh!"
"I don't know Kai." The blond says uneasily.
"Aww, please Nami! Don't you want Sora to have a birthday party, where he doesn't have to be afraid of his fangirls showing up?"
"Well..." She started but was cut off by the red-head.
"Great! Make sure you convince Sora that you're sick! I'll meet you after I explain everything to Roxas. Now, get some sleep, you'll need it!" She hangs up, leaving Naminé to just stare at the "call ended" notice that flashed on her cell phone. Err, Kairi! You're just lucky I'm not a violent person! With that, she closes her phone, and goes back to bed.
7:45 A.M.
Sora stifles a yawn as he sit up in bed, where he stretches a bit before getting up fully. He heads to the window and opens the curtains, watching the sunlight filled the room. He then sighs sadly, "Happy Birthday to me..." He whispers to himself, dreading the thought of having to hide that fact he's another year older today.
Clearing his thoughts, Sora heads to his dresser and takes out his uniform. When he does, he heads to the bathroom and takes a quick shower.
After freshening up, the brunette heads downstairs, expecting to see the Naminé and Ai there. But, when he enters the kitchen, he sees no sign of them, which is weird, since Naminé was always awake before him.
Shrugging it off, Sora decides to make pancakes for him and his "wife." He takes out all the materials, and mixes them into a batter, which he pours into a skillet. Expertly, he flips the pancakes and places them on a plate.
When he was finished, he sat down and began to eat silently, hoping that Naminé would come down soon and join him.
However, even after he has finished his meal, the blond still hasn't come down. Sora's protective side soon took over, and he quickly went upstairs to Naminé's room.
He knocked lightly, and he barely heard Naminé's voice mumble a weak "come in." Sora enters her room and instantly spots the blond, cocooned in her blankets.
"Naminé? Are you okay?" The brunette asks as he walks closer to her bed. Naminé's head pops out from the blankets and Sora could see that her cheeks and nose were red, and that she was shaking.
"N-no. I-I'm not feeling.. so good." The blond replies back meekly. Sora places a hand on her forehead and checks her temperature. As he does so, he notices that Naminé's face turns redder.
"You're burning up!" He exclaims, his voice filled with concern. "We have to stay home today, I have to take care of you!"
"No!" Naminé yells all of a sudden, startling Sora. "I-I mean, don't worry about me! I-I don't want you to miss school just because of this... little cold." She says, putting on a weary smile.
"Are you sure? I could stay..." Sora saw her shake her head, causing him to sigh. "Okay, I'll go. But I should at least take Ai with me."
Sora shouldn't have to take Ai on his birthday! Naminé thought to herself before she opened her mouth, "Sora, could... could you let Ai stay here? I-I don't want to be alone today."
The brunette looked at her before nodding, "Sure. Well, I should get ready for school. Oh, I made some pancakes. I'll bring them up for you.
"Thanks. I'll see you after-school."
Sora turns to leave, but spots a hairdryer on Naminé's bed stand. "Uh, why is that here?" He asks curiously.
"Uh... I took a shower before I went to sleep! I was going to dry my hair but I was too tired, so I just put it down and went to bed. I guess sleeping with wet hair got me sick!" She says quickly.
"Oh. Okay, then." He then exits the room. Naminé waited until she was sure Sora had left, before she got up and headed to the mirror in her room. I'm glad I paid attention to Kairi when she told me how to make myself look like I'm sick! She thinks to herself as she removes the red blush make-up she had put on her face. She then puts back the hairdryer, which she had used to heat up her forehead.
7:55 A.M.
DING DONG
Naminé rushed to the door and opened it, revealing her red-headed friend, who was carrying a box of decorations.
"Hiya, Nams!" She greeted after she had put down the box. "How'd it go with Sora?" She questions as she places her hands on her hips.
"Uh, okay I guess. But he really wanted to stay and take care of me..."
"Aww!" Kairi coos. "That's so cute! See? He really cares about you!" She says, causing her friend to blush.
"S-shut up. L-let's just get this house decorated for the party!"
"Roger!" She says with a wink. She dumps the contents of the box she had. "Kay, we'll hang some streamers here! And put balloons there! And... Oh my god!" She exclaims all of a sudden.
"What?"
"I just realized we don't have a cake! We can't have a party without a cake! And I don't know how to bake one, and we also can't just drive to a story to buy one." Kairi explains as she paces around the room. "What about your parents? Can they go and buy one?"
"Um, no! If we ask them, they'll know we ditched! Besides, they left because they want us to have a more learning experience with this project!" Naminé replies with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, Okay! Well, can you make a cake?"
"Yeah, I can. Once I made this delicious tasting triple chocolate..."
"I don't need your whole life story! Just get into the kitchen and work your magic!" Kairi said as she pushed her into the kitchen.
"Wait! Do you know what Sora's favorite flavor is?" Naminé questioned.
"Uh... White!" Kairi guesses.
"What makes you say that?"
"Well, he likes you! And you're always wearing white, so it makes sense!" The red-head says before she pushing Naminé again and closing her in the kitchen, leaving her to think about what Kairi just said. She soon shakes her head and begins working on the cake.
8:00 A.M.
With Roxas And Sora
"Hey Sora!" Roxas greets his cousin as they enter their first period class.
"Hey." The brunette greets back with a smile. "Where's Kairi?" He asks when he sees no sign of the red-head. Usually she was the one who carried Rise, but now the spiky blond was left to cradle the baby.
"Oh.." Roxas starts as he diverts his eyes, "She's, sick! Yeah... so I told her to stay home and that I'd take Rise."
"What a coinkidink!" He says, using his favorite word instead on coincidence. "Nami was sick too!"
"Really? Guess Kairi got Naminé sick."
"Nah, Naminé said she didn't feel well because she slept with her hair wet. It's just weird that they both got sick on the same day..."
"I don't know man..." Roxas says, feeling uncomfortable for lying to his cousin, "Maybe it's just that time of the month.." He says without really thinking. When what he said registers in his mind, he blushes. "Uh! I didn't mean it like that, um... Never mind! Class is about to start..."
Sora laughs as his flustered state, before going to his seat and listens to Tifa as she enters the class.
"Good Morning class!" Tifa greets as her eyes scanned the class. It was then that she spotted and empty seat next to Roxas and Sora.
"Sora, Roxas, where are your wives?" She asks them.
"They're home sick." They answer simultaneously.
Tifa crosses her arms, "Both of them? At the same time? On the same day?" She gives them a questioning glance.
"Yeah..." The boys answer.
"Hmm." She looks to Roxas and notices he has the baby. "Well, Roxas has Rise, but where's your daughter, Sora?"
"Uh, she's home with Naminé. I was going to bring her with me but Naminé wanted to keep her at home, so she wouldn't be alone."
"Alone? Isn't she with her parents?"
"No. They left us alone to make this project more realistic, for when we do have a kid, our parents won't be there to help us."
"Wow. Parents leaving to make this experience more real. What a great idea! I should make that a requirement for this project!" Tifa says as her eyes shined.
"What? No way! It wouldn't be wise to leave two hormone-crazed teens home alone! Who knows what could happen." Roxas states with a frown.
"Okay, calm down! Anyway, let's begin with today's lesson..."
8:45 A.M.
"Kairi! The cake is ready!" Naminé calls from the kitchen.
Kairi enters the kitchen and inhales deeply, inhaling the sweet smells. "Wow, Nami! It smells so good!" She says as she walks up to the blond, who was putting the finishing touches on the cake. "And the cake looks fabulous!" She compliments as she scans the delicious dessert.
"Thanks! I just hope Sora likes it..."
"Of course he'll like it! Sora would love anything made by you!" The red-head says with a wink. "Now, come help me finish decorating!" She says before making her way to the door. She then suddenly stops, "Oh my god!"
"What now?"
"Presents! We don't have any presents!" She turns around, a frantic look on her face.
Naminé gasps, "No way! I can't believe I forgot about that!"
"Hmm..." She snaps her fingers, "I know! I could make him a lucky charm out of thalassa shells! And you, you could draw him a special picture."
The blond smiles, "Yeah, that's a great idea! I'll start drawing it after we finish everything else!"
After-School
"Where's Riku?" Sora questions as he taps his foot impatiently. "He was supposed to be here already!"
"Come down, Sora! I'm sure he's just running a bit late. Besides, why do you want to go home so badly?"
"Because, I'm worried about Naminé! She had a really bad fever, I just want to make sure she's alright."
Roxas smirks, "You really do care about her, don't you?"
"Of course I do! She's my friend!" The brunette says.
"Not what I meant. I mean, that you care about her, as in more than a friend."
"What? N-no! I barely know her!" He replies back with a small blush on his cheeks. "Besides, what about you and Kairi?"
"What about us?" Roxas says, getting flustered again.
"You like her!" Sora says with an amused smile.
"No! I... Urgh! Where are you Riku?" The spiky blond mutters angrily.
Meanwhile
"Okay, I finished the lucky charm. Have you finished your picture yet, Nami?" Kairi asks her friend.
"Yup! Check it out." She lifts up her sketchbook and shows her her drawing. It was a picture of her, Sora, and Ai sitting on a sandy beach. A beautiful sunset was emerging in the back. And next to the couple and their baby, stuck in the sand, was the blue surfboard with the paopu decal that they had used.
"Aww! It's perfect! Sora will love it!" She give her a thumbs up. "Now, I want you to go upstairs and pick out a sexy dress to wear!" She exclaims.
"W-what for?"
"Don't you want to look absolutely stunning for Sora's special day? It's not everyday he turns 18!"
"But... I don't own any sexy dresses!"
"Well, it's a good thing I brought one for you!" She pulls out a lovely white dress from the box she had. It was v-neck, spaghetti strapped dress, that had 4 tiers (layers) with a bow positioned in the middle of the chest area.
"Wow, Kai. It's beautiful! But, I can't wear it! You should, it'll look way better on you."
"Nami! I brought it for you! You have to rock Sora's world, ya know!"
The blond blushes, "Okay. I'll wear it." She looks to her friend. "Thanks Kairi. For everything..."
"Hey! Don't thank me until you and Sora get together!" She smiles. "Now go change!"
XXX
Riku pulls up in his car, and honks his horn. "'Bout time!" Sora says as he run to the car. He jumps in and see that Olette, Hayner, Xion, and Riku all had secretive smiles on their faces. "What?" He asks, and they all laugh, saying it's nothing. "You guys are weird." He states, as Roxas climbs into the car.
"Hope you don't mind, but we're all going to Naminé's house." Riku says as he starts the car.
"What for?"
"I was thinking we could all just hang out. Before Xion and I head back to College." The silver-head says.
"Um, okay I guess." Sora says. Maybe I should tell them, about my birthday Nah, it'll just seem selfish... Did I really expect them to do anything about it? They don't even know it's today. He sighs, causing Riku to look at him from the rear view mirror. He smirks, Not long now Sora...
Strife Residence
When they arrived, Naminé and Kairi heard them pull up. "Naminé! You have to stall Sora a bit more. We have to give the other guys some time to hide so they can say 'surprise!'"
Naminé heads outside and was approached by Roxas first, "Roxas, take the other through the back door and hide in the living room. I'll stall Sora." The spiky blond nods and quickly took everyone to the back.
"Nami! What are you doing outside? You need to get into bed! And why are you wearing a dress?" Sora said as he ran up to her, his face full of concern.
"Sora don't worry, I'm okay. As for the dress, you know soon." The blond says with a smile.
"Well..." All of a sudden Ai's cries could be heard from inside.
"Ai!" Sora exclaims as he reaches for the doorknob.
The guys need more time! Naminé thinks, her mind trying to think of something to keep Sora occupied.
She acted on instinct, as she slaps Sora's hand away from the door and hugs him.
Sora's breath hitches in his throat. He hears Ai's cries quiet down, and he relaxes, but why was Naminé hugging him?
He felt his resolve melt away, as his arms slowly circled her waist, unconsciously pulling her closer. He rests his head in the crook of the her neck as she laid hers on his shoulder.
Moments passed by, but to them it seemed like an eternity. Naminé slowly pulls back, a beautiful pink blush adorning her face. She then says three little words that Sora never thought he'd hear.
"... Happy Birthday, Sora..." The words roll off her tongue as if she had practice saying them for years. The smile on her face was absolutely amazing. She gave the brunette a wink as she back up until her back hit the door, then reaching behind her, she turned the knob and swung the door open.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone inside cheers, throwing confetti everywhere.
Sora blinked. And blinked. And blinked some more. Then a huge, dazzling smile spreads onto his face. "Aww, you guys! Thanks so much for this! I love you!" He exclaims happily and hugs the person closes to him, which was, of course, Naminé. The blond turns many shades of red, this hug was more embarrassing than the last one they shared.
Sora quickly pulled away, his eyes flicking to the cake on the coffee table. "Wow! That cake looks amazing! Where'd ya get it?"
"Actually." Kairi speaks up, "Nami made it!"
"Really?" Sora exclaims as he turns to the blond, who shyly nodded. "That's really cool! It looks really professional! Can I blow out the candles now?" He asks, eyes shining like a small child. The gang nods, smiling at Sora's actions.
Sora closes his eyes and silently makes his wish. He then blows out the candles and quickly cuts a piece of the cakes and stuffs it into his mouth. "Mmm, it tastes as good as it looks!"
"Don't stuff your mouth just yet! You have presents to open!" Kairi says as she pulls out her gift.
Sora grabs the gift being handed to him and tears off the wrapping paper. "Cool!" He states with a smile as he observes the beautifully crafted thalassa charm. "Kairi it's really great. I like how you put my face on it!" He says as he tries to mimic the face on the shells.
"Our turn!" Hayner and Olette say simultaneously. "We're sorry if it's not that great, it was a short notice." The green-eyed brunette explains as she hands Sora their gift. Sora opens it and found a star shaped box that opens to place things in.
"I made it in wood shop." Hayner say.
"I came up with the design and painted it!" Olette explains.
Sora smiles, "Thanks guys! I really like it!" He said with a smile.
"This is from us." Riku says and Xion nods. He hand the brunette a square-shaped box. Sora opens the box, removes the tissue paper and pulls out a hooded jacket.
"No way! This jacket..."
"I saw you looking at it at the mall. Thought you'd want it." The silver-head says with a smile.
"Yeah. Thanks you two!" He says as he puts on the black and white checkered hoodie. It kinda look like something Roxas would wear...
"Happy birthday cuz." Said blond says as he hands the brunette a flyer. It was a coupon for free sea-salt ice cream for a month.
"Thanks Roxas! Can't wait to have that free ice cream!"
"S-sora. This is for you." Naminé speaks up as she shyly hands him a piece of paper. Sora carefully takes it and flips it over. His eyes widened as he took in the beautiful drawing. "Wow..." He exclaims breathlessly. "This- is amazing! I can't believe you captured one of my favorite moments so perfectly! Thanks Nami, I love it." He says as he flashes her a heart-warming smile.
"So, whose up for party games?" Kairi questions.
"Aren't we a little to old to play such childish games?" Roxas asks. "Besides, I've got all the work you missed today. So I suggest we get home so you can work on it!"
"Aww, you're such a party pooper, Roxi!" Kairi pouts, "Okay, fine." She gives in.
"Yeah, we have to go too. Akira's getting fussy." Olette says as she struggles with the baby.
"Guess we'll go as well." Riku says, "Sorry, Sora, but enjoy the rest of your birthday with Naminé." He says with a smirk.
Soon the house was empty, Sora, Naminé, and Ai were the only ones left.
Sora turns to the blond and gave her a small smile. "So, you were never really sick, were you?" He questions her, but his eyes danced with happiness.
Naminé blushes and nods, "Sorry for making you worry."
"It's okay. This party made up for it!" He laughs. But he then grows serious, and surprises the blond by pulling her into a hug, "Thanks again Nami."
"It's not a problem, you deserve to have a normal birthday with friends." She smiles as she hugs him back.
"Happy birthday Sora..."
A/N: Wait for it! Okay now! Group AWWW! So much fluff in this chapter :D I spent most of my Saturday writing this chapter, so you better like it! ^^ So, thanks again for all the great ideas! I'll try to use one in the next chapter, so hopefully, it won't take as long to update! Thanks for reading~! =D
OH, a link to a picture of the dress Namine is wearing is in my profile!
~Review Replies from chapter 6~
Lightning Strife: Thank you! ^^ I had fun writing those parts, I'm glad you liked them! So sorry for the late update, hope this longer chapter can make up for it! XD
DemyxPlaysMySitar: Thanks again for the ideas! Aww, thanks you're an awesome writer too! ^^ No way! You're dog ate it? I'm so sorry.. D: I hope you get to play it someday. I know! I'll lend you mine, I kinda already passed it.. ^^; Again, sorry! Well, hope you like this chapter!
kingdomheartsgirl101: Thanks for the awesome ideas! I really appreciate it! And I'm glad you liked chapter 6! Yup, I passed 358/2 days two. I cried at the end. (Heck, I even cried when Roxas said, "Looks like my summer vacation is.. over." in KH2! XD) Thanks again, hope you like this chapter!
Angle09: Hiya! Thanks again for the ideas! ^^ And I'm glad you like how the story is progressing! Oh, yep! I'll definately add some Roxiri and Haynete moments in here! :D I read your one-shot and left a review already. ^^ But, I'll say it again... It was AMAZING! I loved every moment of it! Haha, hope you like this chapter!
Abysilityy: Hey, glad you like the last chapter! ^^ Again, sorry for taking so long to update! But, I hope you like this chapter :D Oh, and I saw that you updated "Cold Taste" . I'll read it as soon as possible! ;)
Nami chan XlV: Hi, thanks so much for the review! Glad you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one too! Oh, and sorry for the late update!
: Thanks so much for the review! I'm really glad you like this story so far! :D So sorry for taking so long to update, hope this long, fluff-filled chapter makes up for it! ^^
Animelover09: Haha, glad you liked the volleyball part! XD Oh, Mae? She, Suki, and Akane are busy plotting evil things XD Don't worry, they'll come back soon... About your review to chapter 7, what are some of the ideas you have?
Laugh-out-loud94: You're welcome! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you like this one too! Again, sorry for the late update!
PonyboySlashLover: Thanks so much for your review! Mean a lot! ^^ I'm really glad you like the story so far! I hope you like this chapter! Oh, and sorry for the late update! And thank you for the add! :D
Kasumi Kusanagi: Hi again! ^^ I'm really glad you liked the last chapter! Hope you like this one too :D Again, sorry for the late update!
And as a reply to your reply to my reply to your review (Haha, I just wanted to write that! XD) Really? Hmm, I guess it's not like Final Mix, where they added things. Oh well. I passed 358/2 Days a while ago, now I'm sad :( Are you going to get Birth by Sleep in Japanese too? Or wait till it comes out in English?
Dark x Rose13: Hey, thanks for the ideas! :D Glad you liked the last chapter, I made this chapter even longer, so I hope you like it too! ^^ Anways, sorry again for the late update!
~Again, please go read strawberrySOLDIER's story "Behind the Mask"!~
