Author's Note: Hey everybody! As usual, lately, I don't really have much to say... this is chapter two of the dance sequence. There is actually some dancing in this chapter... and a few surprises of who else happens to be at this dance. Heheh. I do have stuff to explain about it (now that I'm really thinking) but I'll take the time and do that in a blog instead of here... So, enjoy!
As soon as they were out of eyesight of the house, Kairi yanked the tiara off of her head. She tousled her hair in an attempt to get it to what Aerith had had it at originally. Then she marched up to Namine and halted her.
"Hold still," she said. She stood on her tip-toes and planted the tiara on Namine's head. She pulled a couple of pins out of her own hair and pinned the tiara down.
"There, it matches you much better."
Namine reached up and gently touched the tiara.
"Why?" she asked.
Because! Kairi insisted silently. You deserve to be a princess for a night.
What brought this on?
You! You forget I can hear your thoughts sometimes. I've heard you, you were thinking all afternoon how you shouldn't be going to this, how you're not special, how you don't fit the part, how you're afraid that you'll say or do the wrong thing, how you feel like you don't belong. Well, quit worrying about it! The only people who you have to answer to are us. And, even then, none of us care what you look or act like. And, to top it all off, you are beautiful tonight, Namine! Not that you aren't beautiful all the time, but tonight you are exceptionally beautiful. And, tonight, you will also be a princess.
All while this was going on, Kairi's hands were on Namine's shoulders and the two girls had locked eyes as if they were sharing an audible conversation. Kairi's face was set in determination. A smile slowly grew on Namine's face, after the initial look of shock had worn off.
"What's going on?" Riku asked, looking at the two girls.
"Don't worry about it," Kairi said, patting Riku on the arm. "Just give Namine a hug and tell her where you think she belongs."
Riku furrowed his brows, but put an arm around Namine anyway.
"Where I think you belong?" he mused.
Namine looked up at him.
"Where do you think you should belong?" he asked.
Namine shrugged.
"Ah," Riku said, understanding. "Well, I don't know about you…" He hugged her closer. "But I think you belong with me."
Namine looked up at him, saw that he was being truthful and threw her arms around his neck. He hadn't exactly been expecting this reaction, but he went with it. He put his arms around her and held her there.
"Are you trying to make Namine stand out?" Sora asked Kairi, quietly so that Namine and Riku wouldn't hear. (Though, they were pretty occupied amongst each other anyway.)
Kairi shook her head. "I didn't want the tiara, and Namine could use a night where she's a special person."
Sora nodded. He slid his hand into hers.
"I think you look nice though, too," he said.
She smiled.
"Hey!" Xion called, looking back on the four of them. "Are you guys coming or not? Roxas and I have no clue where we're going."
Sora and Kairi laughed and ran to catch up to Roxas and Xion. Namine and Riku followed at a slower pace, but they were still coming.
xx
It had been a very long time since either Riku or Sora had been to the school. And even though Kairi had an entire year on them, even she felt that she had been away for a long time. She vaguely remembered starting this school year, but she hadn't gotten very far into it before other, more important, things had happened. So much had happened…
The auditorium was decorated with streamers and balloons; there were also congratulatory signs for all of those graduating.
"Something that'll never happen to us," Riku muttered, nudging Sora in the rib.
Sora laughed. "Yup."
"So, is this what a party looks like?" Xion whispered to Kairi.
"More or less," Kairi replied with a shrug.
"When's Selphie going to pounce on us?" Riku asked, scanning the auditorium. "It's her fault we're here anyway."
Kairi decided she wasn't going to mention the fact that if she hadn't pestered her dad about the whole thing, this wouldn't have happened. However, she honestly felt that she could stand up to Riku about it, given the fact that Namine had started to look like she was enjoying herself.
The boys had all escorted the girls in. Given the animated way in which Sora tended to talk, he and Kairi had since been merely standing near each other. Though, the way they were oriented around each other made it quite obvious that they were dates. Roxas and Xion had digressed to holding hands, each finding escorting incredibly awkward. Namine, however, had her arm linked pleasantly around Riku's and she was looking around the room with bright, expectant eyes.
"There she is," Sora said, pointing to the brown-haired girl. Selphie, dressed in a yellow sundress, was happily being spun around by a boy that they hardly recognized. Sora and Riku vaguely remembered going to school with him, but only Kairi could match a name to the face: Irvine.
"What kind of hat is that?" Roxas asked, nodding at Irvine.
"It's a Stetson," Riku said. "I'm not sure why he's wearing it."
"It's because he can get away with it," Kairi said. "We can't wear hats in class."
"You can't do much with those uniforms," Sora pointed out.
About then, Selphie took notice of them. She grinned and dragged Irvine over.
"You guys remember Irvine, don't you?"
"Uh…" Sora began.
Riku elbowed Sora and nodded.
"Now, Irvine, this is Namine, and Roxas, and Xion."
Roxas and Xion both nodded. Namine give a little wave.
Irvine tipped his hat at them.
"Where are Tidus and Wakka?" Sora asked.
Selphie pointed first to the drink table, where Wakka was flirting with a dark-haired girl with an equally dark dress made up of primarily belts. Then, Selphie pointed to the dance floor, where Tidus was dancing with a brown-haired girl wearing a purple and white dress.
"You guys should get out on the dance floor," Selphie said.
Irvine grabbed Selphie's hand.
"I like this song," he said. "Can I have this dance?"
Selphie's face lit up instantly and allowed herself to be taken back onto the dance floor.
Kairi turned to Sora.
"Shall we?" she asked.
"Kairi, you know I can't dance," Sora said, rather quietly.
"I know you can't dance," Riku said.
Sora sighed.
Kairi grabbed onto his hands. "Come on," she said. "It'll be fun!"
Sora then allowed himself to be dragged onto the dance floor.
"Do you want to dance?" Roxas asked, looking at Xion.
She shrugged. "Maybe later. Let's go get punch!"
"Okay!"
The two of them made their way to the refreshment's table.
Riku looked down at Namine.
"Do you want to dance?"
"I don't know how to."
"It's okay," he said. He spun her about. "I do."
Namine, slightly dizzy from the sudden spinning, straightened the tiara on her head and grinned. She nodded to him.
"Let's go then."
He smiled and escorted her onto the dance floor. He placed her right hand on his waist, took her left hand in his right, and put his left hand on the small of her back. He smiled down at her and she smiled right back.
"Just feel the music and go with it," he said.
She nodded.
Slowly, in time with the music, they began rocking back and forth, then Riku started moving them throughout the couples on the floor. Namine kept stepping on his feet.
"Sorry," she muttered after the third time.
Riku laughed it off, like he had done the other two times.
"Here's a thought," he said. "Put your feet on mine, I promise it won't hurt."
Namine gingerly put her feet on his.
"Sorry," she said. "It's just, I've never danced before."
Riku smiled. "I know."
He began dancing the complete waltz-step to the dance. They passed by Sora and Kairi, who were just in each other's arms, rocking back and forth. Namine reached out to poke Kairi and missed. She also almost fell in the process. Riku tightened his grip around her. She laughed nervously.
"Relax," he told her. "It's fine."
"How is it that you know how to dance so well?" she asked.
He laughed. "Haven't you heard what everyone else says about me? I do everything well."
Namine rolled her eyes. Riku smiled sheepishly.
xx
Meanwhile, Roxas and Xion were trying to decide which type of brownie they wanted. Out of the corner of her eye, Xion saw someone oddly familiar. No one else she knew had that spiky of hair.
"Cloud?" she asked.
Cloud instantly looked over. When he saw them, he grimaced.
"What's that look for?" Roxas asked.
Cloud gestured at the apron he was currently wearing.
"Tifa tried to get me to wear a hat…" He leaned in closer to them. "But, thankfully, my hair wouldn't let it stay on my head."
Roxas and Xion both laughed.
"Who all is here, then?" Xion asked.
"Oh, a whole bunch of us," Tifa said, coming up behind them with a replacement tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Kairi's dad called Aerith, saying that his original caterer flaked out. So, Aerith and I came up with a plan to fix that. Cid, Aerith and I were in the kitchen all of yesterday, practically. Cid, unfortunately, couldn't make it this evening. But, someone had to stay back in Hollow Bastion. So he's there with Merlin, Quistis and Zell. Cloud, Zack, Aerith, Rinoa, Leon and I are here."
"And she's made us wear these stupid aprons," Cloud muttered.
"Zack didn't complain," Tifa chided.
"Aerith told him he looked good in it," Cloud muttered. "And, for the record, Leon complained."
Tifa just shrugged.
"Well, if Heartless attack, the battle won't last very long," Xion mused. "Not with all of us here."
"This is Destiny Islands High," Cloud said. "Nothing's going to show up."
"Well, Cloud and I need to get back to work," Tifa said. "We'll be seeing you guys around!"
"Sure thing!" Xion said.
Roxas merely nodded, he had shoved a random ham-and-cheese bite into his mouth.
"Poor timing," Xion told him as Cloud and Tifa made their way back to wherever it was they were maintaining the food that wasn't already out on the refreshments table.
Roxas shrugged.
"Well," Xion said, looking out at the dance floor. "We could try dancing."
"Xion," Roxas said. "Neither of us know how to dance."
"Namine doesn't, and she and Riku are doing just fine."
"Yeah, well, obviously Riku knows how to dance."
"We could just do what Sora and Kairi are doing," Xion said. "That doesn't look too hard."
"Do you want to?"
Xion shrugged. "Maybe just a tad."
Roxas put the cracker he was holding in his mouth, dusted his hands off on his pants and offered a hand out to her.
"Let's give it a shot," he said. "We can afford to live a little."
She smiled and let him take her out onto the dance floor.
xx
Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi were still standing relatively in the middle of the dance floor. They weren't moving around like some of the other couples that knew how to dance. But, they were content.
"I didn't really want to go to this at first," Kairi said. "But I'm glad we could go."
Sora grinned and rubbed her back. "I'm glad we could go, too. I've missed stuff like this. Just, stuff where I'm not responsible for everyone's safety. Plus, I get to be with you."
Kairi grinned. "And I get to be with you!"
Sora grinned too. He leaned down and touched his nose to hers. They rubbed noses for a bit before kissing each other.
"I love you," Sora said.
"I love you too!" Kairi replied.
