I don't think I deserve it, selflessness
Find your way into my heart.
All stars could be brighter
All hearts could be
W a r m e r
Chapter 8
The emerald eyed man helped poor Namine up, dusting his tuxedo jacket off.
"Um…Are you alright, miss?" he asked again, feeling uncomfortable under her twinkling gaze. Namine shook her head to wake herself up, smiling.
"Oh, I'm fine!" she assured. The emerald eyed man smiled in relief, removing his mask for a split second.
"That's good. Wouldn't want Sir Roxas to kick my ass later for hurting his date," he joked. Namine let out a hearty laugh, holding out a hand to shake. He look it.
"I'm Namine," she said cheerfully, her heart working overtime. What was this feeling? she thought to herself. I'm getting Goosebumps.
"I'm Riku. I work as a waiter here, but Sora likes to introduce me as his best friend," he said. Namine pulled her hand back, blushing.
He's so cute. she thought, feeling the color fill her cheeks. She eyed his long platinum hair that hung down past his shoulders, his perfectly pampered tuxedo that was perfectly symmetrical, and of course the emerald green eyes that held her immobile.
Although she smiled and blushed with this flawless stranger, a small portion of herself was drowning in guilt. It wasn't supposed to be emerald eyes she was staring into, it should have been that bright ocean blue…
Speaking of which, the owner of said ocean eyes came barreling through the crowds around them, breathing heavily and tripping over his own feet. Namine turned to him for only a mere second before repositioning her attention to Riku.
"Namine, thank god you're ok…" he broke off, noticing the adoration Namine held towards his brother's best friend. "Hello, Riku."
Riku bowed before Roxas, but a chill ran through his spine. Why was Roxas giving him the look of a devil? He had just caught his lady for him, did he not? He shuddered, turning to face anywhere but at the blonde who was sizzling in anger. Which was unfortunately (for him) at Namine.
"So…what were you two doing?" Roxas asked through clenched teeth. Namine sent a surprisingly cheerful smile his way.
"I'm sorry for running…I got claustrophobic. Anyway, I kind of ran into Riku and he helped me up." she said, flattening the fabric of her dress out. Roxas raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Well, I shouldn't ruin your evening, so please, go on and have fun," Riku urged, still shaking from the death glare he couldn't see. He bent down to pick up the muffins he had dropped.
"Oh, here. Let me help you," Namine said, bending forward. Riku protested, but as a determined young girl, Namine ignored him.
It was then that Riku felt the full force of a doom glare on his back. Vicious hate filled eyes, a soft ocean blue raging in a tsunami of anger. A larger shudder rippled down his spine and set his hairs on end, and he froze, turning around silently to face the blonde.
Roxas was fuming. In Riku's imagination, with Roxas towering over his crouched form, flames were raging in the background. The furious tsunami had become a hurricane, whistling winds racing across his pupils and the ocean spray disappearing behind walls of resentment. Riku released a small squeak of terror, rushing to finish collecting the small treats which he had dropped. Once he had secured all of the muffins, he placed them back on the tray, snatched the ones from Namine greedily, and bowed before both blondes before sprinting off in the opposite direction.
"Riku!" Namine called after him, wondering why he had ran off so unsuspectingly. She began to take a few steps after him, but Roxas grabbed her wrist.
"He has work to do, Namine," he said stiffly. She turned to him, slightly annoyed by the tone in his voice, and harshly pulled her hand away. She glared at Roxas, who glared back.
"Well he might be a waiter, but he's still at a party! He can have some fun too!" she growled. Roxas' eye twitched, and he huffed, turning around.
"Fine. Go then, if you want to. Go!" he spat. Namine flinched slightly from the venom coating every word he muttered, and felt extremely guilt as she watched him stomp away. She couldn't help but snarl at him when he was being so…so… so mean! what did Riku do to deserve that kind of treatment? Absolutely nothing!
The guilt slowly dissolved inside of Namine, and she picked up her dress. Pouting, she wandered after the speedy waiter.
Meanwhile, a still fuming Roxas sat himself down at the top of the stairs, hiding in the shadows away from the party. He blocked out the music, blocked out the laughs and cheerful conversations, blocked out the world; he just wanted to be alone.
Roxas was always alone. He never wanted friends, he never wanted pets. He just wanted to be alone. Sora worried about him because of this, but a person like Sora would never understand; he was the exact opposite of Roxas, who liked striking up conversations with random strangers and helping out anyone in need. Roxas just wanted to be unseen, unheard, invisible. That was why he changed his name before Namine and her father - he didn't want unneeded attention.
And Namine; the one person Roxas thought he could open up too, walking away, searching for another man. He laughed humorlessly to himself, shaking his head as his eyes narrowed. Why was he so naïve? How could he believe that she would like him for who he was? A lonely, cocky bastard. An emo, depressant, antisocial, unwanted, invisible, lonely bastard. He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in his knees. Of course, at his own party, he would go unseen, seemingly fading into the darkness.
"Roxie, you're being emo again."
"Remember what I said about hypocorism, Venny?"
Roxas looked up to find his older brother walking up the stairs, his tuxedo jacket draped over his arm and his mask clutched in his hand. He was smirking that knowing smirk as he came over to sit besides Roxas. He pulled one knee to his chest, resting his arm on it.
"What's eating you?" he asked sincerely. Roxas shrugged, placing his chin back on his knees.
"Namine." he answered begrudgingly. Ven nodded in acknowledgement.
"Come on, tell me everything."
So he did. Roxas completely opened up, venting about every tiny fraction of a second he had spent with the girl. The day they first met, the way she found Xion, the rose, her father, up until Riku. Once he got into the topic of the silver haired lady killer, he began to hiss, spitting his name out in complete hostility. Ven nodded silently, soaking up the information like a sponge.
"So you're jealous." Ven concluded. Roxas' head jerked up, surprised.
"I'm not jealous!" he denied hopelessly. The real answer was written all over his face.
"Please, Roxas. I've known you since birth. You've never been this way around someone other than family," Ven scoffed, smiling as he threw a punch at his shoulder. Roxas pouted, opening his mouth to protest, but Ven stopped him.
"Roxas, I know jealousy when I see it. Remember that one time when Olette hung out with you way to much? Hayner got so mad, he gave you a black eye? Or even when Kairi started flirting with Terra to see Sora's reaction. He got pissed, remember? Its even happened to me once before. Trust me, I know." he chuckled. Roxas sighed in defeat, knowing his brother was right; Ven was always right.
"Alright, fine. I'm a little jealous." he finally admitted. Ven smiled in satisfaction, standing up. Roxas smirked. "And since I have proven you right once again, How exactly did you get jealous in the past?"
Ven blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "That's a story I'd rather not tell."
Roxas wouldn't have it. "Come on, tell me!" he whined using the little brother persuasive tone.
"Ugh…I'm going to regret this…in high school Shizuka wanted to go to some dance with this random guy I didn't know. She said she wanted to go with him because he was her best friend and he couldn't get a date, so I was cool with it. At the dance, I saw the dude kiss her on the cheek and…yeah. I sorta…pushed him against a wall and punched him…just once! And I asked him what he was doing…and well…he said he was gay."
Roxas burst out laughing, his mood lifting fast. Ven blushed furiously, poking his fingers together in embarrassment.
"That is gold. You got jealous over a gay guy? That is gold." he said between chuckles. Ven smacked him playfully as they walked back down the stairs.
"Shut up. It's bad enough Shizu teases me about it," he mumbled. They both saw said girl look up and wave, beckoning them forward.
"Ventus Shinra. Jealous of gay people." Roxas announced. Ven smacked him once again.
"Go find your girlfriend, Roxie."
"Hypocorism, Venny."
Meanwhile, Namine had finally caught up to the flustered Riku, who was huffing out air and looking to and fro in a frantic manner. She tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump.
"Lady Namine!" he called loudly, clutching his heart in shock. Namine giggled.
"Did I scare you?" she asked sweetly. Riku gulped, looking all around the oblivious blonde.
"Well…yes. Why did you follow me?" he asked, continuing to glance around in anxiety. Namine pouted.
"Roxas was being a butthead like always and I wanted to know why you ran off so fast," she explained. Riku gulped again.
"Well I assure you that I'm fine. Please, go enjoy your evening!" he urged. Namine stomped her foot.
"I won't have that! I finally caught up to you and now you're shooing me away?"
"No, I wasn't-"
"And I finally got away from Roxas, too."
"That's the problem, miss-"
"We're going to have a nice dance whether you want to or not!"
Without the boy's consent, Namine dragged poor Riku into the crowds, stopping somewhere near the center. She smiled warmly, pulling his hand onto her waist as she placed her own on his shoulder. They began swaying awkwardly, neither one knowing what to do.
Namine blushed. She didn't know what had come over her in that split second. What had caused her to act so brave? One second, she was trying so hard to strike up a conversation with this cute silver haired teen, and the next Roxas shows up and she was as daring and courageous as a shark feeder. Roxas… it was Roxas! He always seemed to bring out the feisty side of her personality, the one that didn't back down from a challenge. Maybe it was his influence that caused her to act this way…
"Miss? What's wrong?" Riku asked sincerely, pulling her away from an expertly twirling older couple. Namine shrugged.
"Just thinking to myself," she answered shyly, Pulling her head down and staring at a button on his tux. Riku was at least two feet taller than her.
"What about, Miss?" Riku pushed. He wanted to convince her to return to Roxas; it was obvious that that was where she belonged.
"Just my feelings. It's nothing to worry over," Namine mumbled. right on the money. This is a perfect chance. Riku thought to himself, smiling.
Feelings about the young master, no?" he whispered into her hear. Namine shivered, pulling back to stare at his face incredulously.
"Why do you have to call him young master?" she asked. Riku smirked; he never mentioned his name.
"Because he is young, and he is a master of the house."
"But that doesn't make sense. He's eighteen. That's too young?"
"It is, Miss. One must graduate college in this household to inherit any portion of the industry."
"Like Ven?"
"Yes, Master Ventus is already working."
"Why are you talking all formally?"
Riku was silent. Speaking in high aristocratic form was a habit he acquired from attending so many parties. It was bad enough Sora chastised and teased him for it, but now Namine?
"Sorry. You get used to it after a while," he mumbled, slumping forward slightly. Namine released a small smile.
"So what part of industry is Ven inheriting?"
"I don't know. That information hasn't been released yet. Ven will announce it tomorrow."
"Oh."
"You've been avoiding the main question."
Namine pursed her lips. She didn't want to tell Riku that she was secretly thinking about Roxas; that would be weird and uncomfortable! She blushed furiously, trying and failing to conjure up a decent excuse. Would she tell him the truth?
"It's Master Roxas, huh?" Riku smirked, noting the blush in Namine's cheeks worsening as she ducked her face away from his sight. "So I was right."
"It's nothing, really! It wasn't feelings like that." she replied, flustered. Her face reddened even more as she struggled to control her blush. Riku was right, though. She was thinking about Roxas, and much to much. Was it that obvious?
"Oh, but I think you're just lying to yourself, Namine. Denial is common among those in love." Riku chastised, chuckling as Namine stumbled slightly at the L word. She looked up, bright as a cherry, completely appalled.
"I am not in love with that scum bag!" she defended childishly, her lower lip jutting out. "And I am not in denial!"
"The first stage of denial is denying that you are indeed in denial," Riku commented smartly, confusing the already frustrated blonde. She shook her head, glaring.
"Stop saying freaky things! You're confusing me!" she gushed, exasperated. Riku smiled. just a little more.
"Namine, when you see Roxas, what do you think?" he asked, putting just the right amount of curiosity into his eyes for a persuasive effect. Namine blinked by the sudden question, shrugging.
"Well, I see him as a cocky, stuck up know-it-all. He knows just what to say to get under my skin, stole my first kiss, and bullies me nonstop. He's shy, and lonely from a distance, but as you get closer, he's really inconsiderate and could care less about others.
"But then that time I found Xion…he seemed really worried. And then he looked genuinely happy to see her safe…I guess it made me a little happy to see some compassion in his cold heart. The next day he asked me to the dance in a not so flattering way, but it was charming. The rose was just…I don't know. I couldn't say no. but then when he came to pick me up, he was all cocky again…and then he just kissed me. Out of no where. I won't deny that I liked it, but still! My first kiss!" Riku smiled. She really had no idea what she was saying anymore; she was just letting off steam. "Then the car ride, he looked so…distant. Worried. And then we got here, and I liked the house a lot, and he was so relieved. It was so weird. But after I got changed and ready, he was worried again. Around then he looked…scared. Scared for me. And when we walked down those stairs, I understood; his mother wouldn't accept me. But why did it matter if she accepted a poor citizen like me? It's not like I'm dating her son. I'm just here as a one time thing." Namine frowned. She didn't like the sound of that.
"When he protected me, I felt so happy. It was the first time in a long time that anyone's done something like that. You know, I always feel so safe around him. As much as I hate him, I can trust him with my life; I just know I can. He's sweet, caring, kind, and sometimes he just reminds me of a giant fluffy teddy bear, and I just want to hug him." she continued to rant, her expression becoming softer the longer she went.
"Ok, I'll stop you there. Namine, think about what you just gushed to me about, and think hard." Riku interrupted. Namine pursed her lips, recalling. As the words crashed down on her like a tidal wave, she blushed, looking up at Riku carefully. He pulled her away from another dancing couple as they flew by.
"Well? Would you call that love? You describe him as a cocky know-it-all, inconsiderate, shy, lonely, protective-my favorite, a teddy bear, sweet, caring, and kind. This is just me, but I think your head over heels for this guy." he smirked as she turned tomato red. Beyond embarrassed, Namine pushed herself away from Riku, pulling him back to a table away from the dancers.
"B-but...I-" she began, but Riku put a finger to her lips.
"It's not me you should be dancing with, Namine. You know who you really want to be with." he said reassuringly. He bent over, placed a sweet kiss gingerly on her hand, and walked away, leaving the gaping Namine dumbfounded.
She had sincerely thought that Riku was a very cute boy who had taken a liking to her. She honestly concluded that they could have become closer. But she never expected him to drag out her inner ugliness and vent her feelings about a specific spiky haired blonde. She never expected him to want her to return to said blonde, who was probably furious. She groaned out loud, falling into a chair and burying her face in her hands. She sat there for a long time, mentally banging her head against a wall, waiting for the night to end so she could go home.
"Hey," she heard Roxas whisper softly into her ear. She didn't move, just listened to the sounds of the chair beside hers scrape along the floor. Roxas sighed.
"I'm sorry about before. I shouldn't have snapped like that," he said sincerely. Namine peeked an eye out over her arm, squeaking at his proximity. He was resting his head on his arms in the same way, but with his chin up and very, very close to her face. She blushed, burrowing again.
"You're forgiven." she mumbled. Unknown to her, Roxas scooted closer.
"Can you tell it to my face?" he asked sarcastically. She sighed, pulling her head up.
Only to be captured by his lips again. This kiss was softer, gentler, as if testing cold waters. Namine froze again, but soon melted into his soft touch, kissing him back. He pulled away first, all too soon, with that cautious look on his face. Namine slowly opened her eyes, her lips tingling.
Roxas braced himself for the slap, but it never came.
"Now, you're definitely not forgiven," she mumbled, pouting. A furious blush still stained her cheeks, but all thoughts of Riku had faded. Roxas smiled, relieved and thankful for this answer instead of one that caused him physical pain.
"But you enjoyed it," he pushed, sitting back in his chair.
"Did not."
"You so did."
"No I didn't!"
"It's written all over your face, Namine."
"You wish it was…"
"It is."
"Not."
"Whatever you say, princess."
Namine pursed her lips. This childish banter would lead to nowhere.
"Why did you come back to get me, Roxas?" she asked quietly. Roxas' smirk faded and he looked distantly into the crowd.
"Because," he answered simply. Namine frowned, poking his arm.
"That's not an answer," she pointed out. Roxas sighed.
"I had a talk with Ven. He said…that you were the first person I've ever opened up to that isn't family. He said…that you…were important to me." he mumbled, blushing slightly. Namine sat back, a bit shocked.
"Ven said that…or you did?" she murmured. He shrugged, standing up and holding a hand out for her to take. He smiled, reaching for her.
"I say it. Namine Saito, I might just like you as more than a weird frozen-yogurt-counter-girl friend. Now I believe you owe me a dance?"
LOL, did anyone notice that Riku was kind of acting like a gay best friend? X3
song used: Louder than Thunder, The Devil Wears Prada
(I really like this song and this chapter. and although the song is kind of emo, just don't think of it that way. focus on the lyrics at the top of the page. :3)
