Chapter Ten

A Little Twist from a Little Kiss

Nothing else really happened since that day. I mean, of course we got grounded when Dad came back from his trip, but it was only for two weeks. I didn't care really. Being grounded was the least of my problems. My brothers moaned and groaned, not much from Cloud or Ven really, though. Roxas and Sora were annoyed with it the most. All we could do was go to school, come home, do homework, and that was it. We couldn't go hang out with friends, or even really hang out with each other unless it was for school.

Since Kairi and I always shared notes whenever we had class together, and she was my best friend...and she was also Kairi, it didn't take her long to figure out what actually happened at the party (to a degree). She found out a week after the event, but she did find out. That's what mattered. She promised me she would interrogate me the second I wasn't grounded anymore, and I wasn't looking forward to it at all.

Like Sora, Kairi was very adamant about keeping her promises.

"Naminé, come on."

"Well, uh—"

"It's been a whole two weeks! You're officially not grounded anymore. So I think I have a right to know now."

"I told you. Xion and I—"

"I already know you guys left the party together. I've got witnesses."

I raised an eyebrow in question. "Witnesses? Like who?"

"Well, Demyx is one of them. Riku also saw you giggling with Xion while leaving. And then apparently Zexion caught sight of you too. Oh! Olette also saw you two riding off, along with Pence."

I blinked. "I thought we were being sneaky when we left."

Kairi snorted. "When you think you're being sneaky, you're not." She then raised a playful eyebrow at me. "So, what did you guys really do?"

I looked around to make sure no one was listening in on our conversation while walking away from the school and over towards my house. There was really no one around to be listening in, and I felt stupid for looking in the first place, but I had to in order to make sure. Then I turned to my anxious best friend and took a deep breath before I explained to her the entire story of what actually happened on the night of that party.

I told her how Xion stole a couple of beers, and we rode off on her bike to head up to the clock tower to look at the stars and try them out. I mentioned how horrible the beer tasted, how nice the view was despite my fear of heights, and then I got to the part I was hesitant on telling Kairi about.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said in the most excited voice I've heard from Kairi since she and Sora got together, "are you telling me that you, my best friend, and my twin sister actually kissed?"

We stopped walking, and I couldn't help but glance around again warily before turning back to Kairi. My face grew warm when I thought about that kiss and how great it was. "Y-Yeah," I admitted while glancing down and away in embarrassment.

"That's great! What happened after that?"

I sighed. "Roxas called Xion, and I had to be taken home. We've, uh, never spoken about it since then."

I was pretty sure if Kairi and I were not in public, she would have been in an outrage. "What? Why the hell not?" she demanded. Either way, her anger was easily seeping through her voice.

"I don't know, okay? When school came back around, Xion acted as if everything was normal, and you know how I am with confronting people. Besides, it was just a one time thing anyway. Obviously she doesn't like me or anything. That'd be dumb," I said with a small laugh.

Kairi rolled her eyes dramatically at that. "Don't be so sure."

"Why?" I dared to ask hopefully, "Has she—Has she said anything to you?"

Quickly, a grin fell into place. "So what if she did?"

Wow, Naminé, way to let your mouth just run like that carelessly around Kairi. I clutched onto my shoulder bag a little tighter as I began to walk forward, not really caring at the moment if Kairi would follow me or not. "I-I'm just asking!"

Kairi caught up to me in a matter of a seconds, still grinning. "You totally like her, don't you?"

"I don't really know," I said quietly. "I mean, we barely just became friends a few weeks ago, and she seems great and all, but—I don't know. It was just two friends kissing really—probably—possibly." I just wanted to know what it meant, mainly for Xion and not me. I didn't want it to be like nothing happened.

"Oh, God, don't be like how Xion was with Riku. I don't need a repeat of that."

Once more, we stopped walking, but that was because I completely and totally stopped in my tracks. Did I hear her right?

"What?"

Kairi glanced at me. "What? You don't know about Xion and Riku?"

Now I was extremely confused. "Uh, I thought they were good friends?"

"Oh, they are!" said Kairi. "They're pretty close. They got so close, though, that they dated once. It was okay for awhile, but then Xion began to pull the same stuff you're pulling with me right now. Thinking you're only just friends and it was a one time thing and —anyway, long story short, they dated for awhile, but it didn't work out. And the reason was that it felt like nothing changed except some added kisses and stuff. Those idiots could have broken up nicely and gone back to being friends a lot sooner if they actually talked out their feelings." Kairi shook her head before turning back to me. "But, yeah, I'm not saying you and Xion would end up like that. What I'm really trying to say is you two should talk things out." She sighed. "Problem is my sister can be awful sometimes with confrontation too."

Honestly, my mind just couldn't wrap its head around the fact Xion dated Riku. I knew there was something there between them. I guessed it was something that could have been—something that happened—but it didn't work out and now they're still good friends. Well, for now was the keyword. Who knew if it'd happen again? for good too? Besides, that clearly meant Xion wasn't—

"Hey, Nami? Nami!"

By the time Kairi shoved me a third time, I almost fell over and let out a squeak as I straightened myself up. "Huh?"

She shook her head at me. "You're just as bad as Sora." Okay, Kairi, I'm totally worse than Sora. This is also the boy my family bets he'd be the one to sleep through the apocalypse, because he's that much of a heavy sleeper. And you're dating him. "Anyway, I was saying my sister can also be pretty dense sometimes too. She probably doesn't know you like her. If you told her, maybe—"

"Uh, no thanks," I said immediately before she could finish. "I'm good."

"Naminé!" whined Kairi.

"It was a one time thing, Kai. I told you that."

She smirked. "But it doesn't have to be."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Absolutely not, Kairi! I don't even know what I would say. Besides, she's acting as if everything's fine and nothing happened since the party, so it's obviously not that big of a deal."

"Yeah, but it's a big deal to you." Kairi grabbed hold of my arms, setting me in place and making me look up at her. "Nami, that was your first kiss. You felt something. My sister felt something. Now you two need to work out what exactly those feelings were and where to go from there. You know that."

I sighed softly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I just don't know when would be the right time."

"Just ask her if you two can meet in private somewhere and that's it." Kairi gave me a soft smile. "I know it sounds complicated. I know it's hard for you to confront others. And I know this is especially difficult because this is your first kiss with a girl you've only known for a few weeks. Not to mention you probably don't have all of your feelings figured out, and neither does she. It'll be okay, though, I guarantee it. The worst that could happen is her saying no to feeling anything about that kiss and that's it."

I bit the inside of my cheek before saying, "Well—"

"Naminé, I know you've been wanting to ask her about it, and now you can! Just talk to her. That's all you have to do."

The thought was extremely nerve-wracking. Xion didn't mention that kiss to me ever since it happened, and it seemed I never had the chance to. If I tried, I backed out a second or two later, despite I really did want to know what it meant to her—then maybe it'd help me figure out what it meant to me.

"J-Just talk?" I asked Kairi tentatively.

Kairi smiled at me. "Yes, just talk."

I folded my lips together before taking her arms off me, turned around, and began walking ahead. "I'll think about it."

My best friend let out one of her most dramatic groans ever before stomping after me like the drama princess she could be. (No, not drama queen, she was the princess.)

When school came around the next day, I took Kairi's advice. I tried to find the perfect opportunity to talk to Xion alone, which definitely wasn't the easiest task in the world for me. I thought about finding an opportunity to ask her in math, but it got too distracting. It wasn't until art class came around that I asked if we could talk somewhere private.

"How about under the bleachers right after school? The boys don't have lacrosse practice until 3:30, so that gives us half an hour."

"Uh, sure."

Xion smiled at me in reply.

The second the school bell rang, I gathered all my stuff as quickly as possible and made my way over the bleachers. Surprisingly, no one was really around. Did this place really become that abandoned until lacrosse practice started?

"Psst, Naminé, over here!"

I turned my head to find Xion motioning for me to follow her under the bleachers. I followed her until we were in a good, secluded area where I felt quite sure no one would try to eavesdrop on our conversation.

"Alright, Nam, what did you want to talk to me about?" Her gaze was completely and totally on me, ready to hear whatever I had to say to her. While that was reassuring, it also made me feel nervous. Could I really ask her, after all this time, about that kiss? Was it even the right thing to do? After all, it happened weeks ago. What was the point in bringing it up again?

I mean, I did know why. I just wasn't sure if I could really do it. If I didn't, Kairi would probably smack me, though. Then I would smack myself.

Might as well get it over with.

"Naminé?" Xion's gaze began to look worried.

I fiddled with my fingers, feeling like I was about ready to scream or make a run for it. I forced myself to take a deep breath before saying, "I know it's been awhile, but I can't help but wonder about that kiss we had at the clocktower."

I watched as Xion's eyebrows rose a little in shock, and her eyes widened ever so slightly. She seemed quite surprised that I even bothered to mention it. "Yeah? Um, what about it?"

"Well, I—," Come on, Naminé, just spit it out already! "What did it mean?"

"...Huh?"

I was beginning to regret having this conversation happen. "What did it mean...for you?"

Xion pointed a finger to herself. "To me?" I nodded my head wordlessly. "Erm, I, uh—what did it mean for you?"

I almost laughed at how she turned the conversation right back to me. It made me realize that if one of us didn't confess soon enough, we would just keep tossing the question back and forth between us endlessly.

"It was the best kiss I had in my life."

Xion snorted slightly before giving out a small laugh. "Naminé, I think that was the only kiss you ever had in your life."

"Yeah, well," I said as softly and quietly as possible, "it was still great. I mean, wasn't it the same for you? You were kissing me back! Right?"

"Um…"

For some reason, I bothered to keep going, because now there was anxiety filling me up, along with a feeling that was rather fluttery and warm. A feeling I wasn't very familiar with. "I-I like you, Xion." She blinked at me, stunned. "I think I've finally come to terms with it, after trying to deny it for awhile now, since I'm not exactly out and about yet, if you know what I mean." I didn't stop there. My mind wasn't connecting well with controlling my mouth. All these fuzzy, warm feelings were messing up with the connection. "I felt attracted to you when I first saw you when shopping for uniforms. Then, I think it grew when we became friends, and kinda just exploded when we kissed. Now I know." I paused before speaking again, tentatively grabbing hold of Xion's hand in the process. "We don't have to do anything about this, really. I just—I just want to know what you feel. Because, after that kiss happened—and we didn't take the time to talk about it—I was really confused and didn't know how to act around you. So tell me, Xion, so I don't have to be so confused anymore."

There was a moment of silence between us. I bet it only lasted for a few seconds, but in that moment it felt like it lasted for hours. My eyes stared into Xion's, realizing for once just how incredibly blue they were. Kairi's were like that way too, but they weren't like Xion's. When I looked into her eyes, it felt like looking at the ocean or even a part of the sky. An ocean or a sky I wanted to get lost in, even if it wouldn't last long.

Suddenly, Xion pulled her hand away from me, and she took a few steps back. I stood there in shock and confusion, wondering why she was acting this way. Already I was beginning to feel like I was losing her. She was becoming the Xion I first met; the one who seemed rather quiet and guarded, but wasn't that way at all when you got to know her better and she got to know you. I didn't want that Xion again.

"I like Riku."

What?

The only sound I could hear for a second was a mental, inward shatter. As to what shattered, I had no idea.

"I-I've liked him for awhile now, and—I don't know if Kairi or anyone else told you—but we dated once. And I've been meaning to tell people we got back together. I just haven't gotten around to it yet," Xion continued in a quiet voice. "I guess you're the first to know," she added with a small laugh. "I had a bit to drink when we kissed, Naminé. I wasn't in my right mind. I was only giving you your first kiss as a friend. Nothing more." An apologetic look crossed her face. "I'm sorry."

She walked away without another word.

For a second, I didn't know what to feel. Was I supposed to be angry? Should I have even been relieved that we at least established what that kiss meant to the both of us now? I had no idea. However, it seemed my body knew how to react, because I could feel the familiar burn and itch behind my eyes, and the world became a little blurry as I felt something wet trail down my cheeks.

"How could I be so stupid?" I whispered to myself.

I walked in the opposite direction Xion took, looking down at the ground to hide my crying face from the world. Of course, it made me blind to where I was going, so it was inevitable for me to bump into someone.

"Whoa, sorry, I—Naminé?"

I just didn't expect it to be the person I had avoided for the past few weeks.

After the party occurred, I'd been avoiding Cloud most of the time afterwards. I know I couldn't truly blame him for what he said to me. He wasn't actually thinking of torturing the truth out of me then or even now, but still. I was being stupid and didn't bother trying to reconcile after that happened. I just kept on ignoring him.

"S-Sorry," I whispered, "I didn't mean to get in your way."

"You weren't," he told me. "What's wrong?"

Slowly, I glanced up at him to find he was rather concerned, and it only grew when he saw my face. I took a deep, shaky breath before saying, "I'm sorry for everything I said to you after that party incident. I know I should have apologized sooner, but—I just—I'm sorry." I somewhat hugged myself as I managed to keep on talking. "I'm just going to go ask one of my friends if they can give me a ride home. I don't really want to talk about what's wrong right now."

"Okay," Cloud said as he placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Just know I'm here if you ever need to talk." He paused before saying, "You don't have to be sorry. I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you."

"Yeah, I know," I muttered. "It's okay, Cloud, I forgive you." Besides, I've dealt with worse.

I gave him a smile as reassurance, and he smiled back at me slightly before letting me go, since he had to go to lacrosse practice.

I actually didn't get myself a ride home with a friend. I just started walking out of the school with all my materials in my bag. Besides, I didn't want anyone to see me cry. That would raise questions. And the last thing I wanted was to be interrogated by someone about what happened, especially if it was alone and by someone who knew me well.

There was a sound of a motorcycle coming up, but I ignored it, figuring it would pass by me eventually.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing walking all alone?"

I stiffened, slowly turning around to look at whoever was riding his/her motorcycle. It sounded like a guy, and their outfit consisted of dark pants, some black and white Converse, a black shirt, a black motorcycle jacket, and a black and red helmet. I saw there was black nail polish on his fingers, along with a few pieces of jewelry that looked familiar, such as a black spiked leather bracelet on one of his wrists, and a chain on his pants.

By that point I stopped crying, but I bet my face didn't look so pretty. Still, I was too shocked to even care as I looked up at the person still wearing their helmet. "Vanitas?"

He stopped his motorcycle on the side of the street where I was, turning his motorcycle off while taking off his helmet with a grin. How he managed to not get helmet hair, I had no idea. Unless his hair now, the way it was all the time, had been his helmet hair. "What's up, dollface?"

"Don't you have lacrosse practice?" I sniffed while placing a strand of hair behind my ear.

Vanitas scoffed at that. "Yeah, but coach isn't gonna care if I come or not. Besides, it's just one practice." His careless attitude changed when he took a good look at my face. I swore something flickered in his eyes, but it quickly went away with a chuckle. "You look like shit."

I frowned. "Well, uh, thanks."

There was a few seconds of pause before Vanitas grumbled and held out his helmet to me. "Get on."

I stared at him in slight surprise. "Why?"

"Because leaving you out here to walk back home alone with that shitty face would make me an even bigger asshole than I usually am, and my assholery has a limit."

I sighed heavily. "Vanitas, I'm not really in the mood for your jokes right now."

"Let's be honest. I'm betting you're not looking forward to going home right now. You'd rather be anywhere else than there, because if you go home, you're going to be flooded with all these stupid questions and overly sympathetic, concerned faces. And, trust me, you want to get as far away from that as possible. It can get suffocating."

Unfortunately, Vanitas was pretty much right about all of that. I really didn't want to go home, because then whoever did come home would start asking me questions. And I just wanted to forget about this whole thing, because it was obviously all for nothing.

Without another word, I grabbed hold of the helmet in Vanitas' clutches. He smirked as I got on the motorcycle behind him and placed the helmet over my head before holding onto his waist. I didn't have any idea where we were going, but I didn't care. As long as it was somewhere else other than home, it didn't matter.