eleven
.
.
.
The dice add up to a total of eleven.
You land on a dusk.
Move down eight spaces.
.
.
.
Riku stands just outside of the venue, nervously toying with the transparent box in his hands.
How long had it been since he'd had a date? Two, three years? He didn't care much for dating, unless Sora or Selphie unknowingly set him up on one, and he hadn't met any girls that interested him before. He was living the dream: he was satisfied with his life, his job, and the relationships he shared with his friends and family—but then he met a girl in a coffee shop. When she turned around to face him that day with her oversized glasses and frizzy red hair, she effectively turned his whole world around.
She was a breath of fresh air in a world that revolved around munny and technology—a beacon of hope for his best friend. Looking at her was like looking at a hint of promise, or a glimpse into a brighter future. She was the kind of girl he admired; the kind he wanted to learn from; the kind he wanted to do grand gestures for because he knew that she'd truly appreciate them. For twenty-six years, it seemed that he hadn't known the true meaning of the word desire until now.
The sound of the elevator doors opening distracts him from his thoughts. He jumps every time he hears the familiar ding, but it had always been a false alarm until that moment. Selphie is the first to skip out, followed by Sora who seems to be conversing with someone animatedly. Riku's eyes then land on Sora's conversational partner and his heart stops.
Did his eyes deceive him, or was his best friend talking to a goddess?
"Hey Riku," Selphie greets as she leans against him with crossed arms. "You look handsome tonight," she says, admiring his dark slim fitting suit. He had also tied his hair back into a low ponytail—something he only did on special occasions.
"Thanks," he says, unable to keep his eyes off the divine being.
The red-haired beauty suddenly stops in front of him with her hands laced behind her back. She looks directly at him with an anxious expression on her face, and if her indigo eyes hadn't smiled the way they just did, he never would have known that the young woman in front of him was his date.
"Do I look okay?" she asks, pulling at her cape to show it off.
Riku clears his throat and playfully scans the area around him before snaking an arm around Kairi's waist.
"Excuse me ma'am, but I think we need to leave before my date sees me," he whispers into her ear, and she chuckles as he leads her into the ballroom. Behind them, Selphie elbows her date in the gut as he gags.
Inside, the dance floor is packed with well-dressed employees and their dates. Silver cloths made of silk adorn the circular tables, and the combination of candlelight and blue and purple spotlights give the atmosphere an overall romantic feel. Silver trees line up the sides of the ballroom, each with a string of lights weaving through its branches. In the back of the room, the DJ rests on a balcony, and because the ball was taking place on the highest building of the upper district, the dome-shaped roof made entirely of glass panels contained a spectacular view of the night sky and all its starry glory.
"Ladies and gentleman," the DJ says into his head mic, his voice booming across the entire room and capturing the attention of everyone inside. "Now presenting Selphie Tilmitt of Belle and her date, Caelum Industries' own Sora Fair."
The crowd breaks out into applause as the two walk towards each other on opposite staircases. Sora offers his arm to Selphie and she wraps her arms around it almost instantly. As the spotlight hits them both, the two smile and wave as they walk down the final staircase and stop when the next pair of names are announced.
"Presenting the lovely Kairi Hart escorted by Riku Masamune of Caelum Industries."
The sound of applause fills the room again, only this time, there are plenty of wolf whistles in the air. When the spotlight hits them, Riku presents the corsage he had in the box earlier to Kairi and places it on her wrist with a gleeful smile. Then, without warning, Riku takes his date by the hand and spins her, her hands landing on his chest afterward. Cheers sound from the crowd once again and some women even sigh in delight.
As they make their way down the third staircase, Sora can't help but realize how good his best friend and assistant looked next to each other. He had never noticed before, but they looked like a pair of gods walking straight down from Olympus.
Selphie feels Sora's fists clench. It could have been him up there accompanying the goddess, but he fancied himself a god and was too prideful to ask.
His cerulean eyes then zero in on the corsage around Kairi's wrist. The flower had been carefully wrapped onto the band with a pink ribbon, and Sora only knows one florist that used that particular shade of pink.
"Well, well, aren't you two a sight for sore eyes," says a familiar voice. When the applause dies down and everyone returns to minding their own business, Riku and Kairi come face to face with Axel and Larxene, both dressed in an olive green and black colour scheme.
"Wow Axel, I could hardly recognize you with your hair gelled back," Kairi says while nodding in approval. "You look good."
"Don't get used to it," the pyromaniac mutters. "Besides," he says as he haughtily tugs on the lapels of black blazer. "I always look good."
Kairi rolls her eyes as Sora and Selphie casually enter the conversation.
"So where's the calamari at?" Selphie asks, desperately searching the area for the breaded squid.
"Some guy was handing them out on a tray earlier. He might be by the fondue fountain," Larxene informs, and the stylist sprints off without a moment's hesitation. Sora slaps his forehead, not even bothering to go after her and face the wrath of her obsession.
"Kairi, would you like to dance?" Riku asks, bowing and offering his hand to her like a true gentleman.
"It would be my pleasure, kind sir," his date accepts with a playful curtsey.
"Hey, wait—"Sora calls out as the two make their way to the dance floor.
"We'll meet you back at the table for dinner!" Riku says over the music. He and Kairi then become one with the sea of dancing people, far away from Sora's range of vision.
Larxene cackles beside him.
"Well isn't this ironic?" she asks with a mocking tone. "The great playboy Sora with not even one girl on his arm. Your assistant is clearly out of the question—and your league, I may add."
"Give him a break, Larxene," Axel says as he pulls her to him by the waist. "Even if it is true," he adds with a whisper, and the two snicker at the lonely employee before them.
"Ha ha," Sora laughs, his chuckles laced with sarcasm.
Axel supportively claps his friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy. We've all been there before—actually, wait, no, we haven't. You may just be that rare exception—"
"This pep talk isn't making me feel any better," the young man informs with bitterness.
"Sorry," the pyromaniac apologizes. "But check it. Hot blonde in the red dress. 2 o'clock," he then says, pointing in the general direction of the young and attractive woman sitting alone at the table marked with the number 8 in the center. "D tits, and I've seen her walk around earlier. She's got tons of junk in that trunk. Park that baby home."
Sora scrunches his nose and shakes his head. "No thanks. I think I'm just going to head over to the bar for a few drinks."
Larxene and Axel share a look as the brunet dismisses himself without another word.
"What's up his ass?" Larxene asks.
"Not quite sure," Axel answers as he wraps his thin arms around his girlfriend's waist from behind. "But I know what will be up yours later," he seductively whispers into her ear.
Larxene turns her head to the side to face him with a look of disapproval. "You're disgusting."
"I know," he says as he pecks her lips without warning. "But you love it."
Larxene throws her head back with a laugh and rests it on Axel's shoulder. "Yeah, I do."
In the middle of the dance floor, Riku effortlessly pulls Kairi into the standard waltz position and leads her with graceful steps and ease.
"I didn't know you could dance," Kairi admits as she follows him effortlessly. He was a wonderful dance partner.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me," Riku says with a smirk. He properly guides her into a quarter turn and pulls her back in for the box formation that Kairi had taught Sora a few days prior. When she smiles up at him, he suddenly decides that she may not know much about him, but there are plenty of things he wants to know about her. He wants to know if red is her natural hair colour, what her favourite flower is, why she moved to New Twilight of all places…
However, the moment is lost a few minutes into their little dance.
"Somebody has to tell him," Kairi mutters. Riku sighs. He'd hoped that tonight's festivities would be calm and relaxing, but all good things came to an end eventually.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," the silver-haired man says in a playful voice to lighten the mood. He then lowers his mouth to Kairi's ear and whispers, "Rock paper scissors."
Kairi pulls away with a laugh, capturing the attention of everyone on the dance floor. She turns her attention back to an amused Riku with tinted cheeks.
"Are you serious?" she whispers.
"Dead serious," Riku says with a smile that betrays his sincerity.
Kairi raises her fist with a competitive grin. "You're on."
Back at the bar, Sora sits on a vacant stool and downs his shot of elixir in two seconds flat. He shuts his eyes and shakes his head as the familiar feeling of vodka spreading through his chest overwhelms him. He can feel the heat spreading through his veins, though he's unsure if the heat's true source is from the alcohol or the anger bubbling inside of him.
It was so simple. Asking.
But it was also so difficult.
It wasn't like a game where he could predict the outcome with every move he made. Lasting relationships that mattered, like Axel had said, required risk and a different attitude. Playing it safe clearly didn't work with Kairi, so was it possible that all his earlier theories were… wrong? Sora slams the shot glass back down with a sigh.
One girl.
One little girl with big dreams is all it takes for him to realize that he's been such a fool. She's taxed him mentally and she doesn't even know it.
He tries to smile when he sees his assistant laughing on the dance floor with all eyes on her, but he can't bring himself to mean it. He is glad that, out of all people, it is his best friend that can make her happy, but he can't let go of the possibility that, had circumstances been even slightly different, it could have been him making her laugh on that dance floor instead of downing drinks at the bar making philosophical epiphanies.
Sora sighs. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
"What's gotten you in a slump?" a familiar feminine voice asks, and when Sora looks up, he swears that some divine force must be laughing at him from some unreachable place.
"Naminé," he breathes, drinking in her short but elegant turquoise dress. It ends just above her knees and adds colour to her face, if not her entire being. Seeing her in something other than white was always refreshing.
It had been a while since he'd seen her in person, and he can't help but notice that she looks happier this time round. It hurts, but at the same time he's happy, and he's still trying to figure out how that's entirely possible.
"Where's your date?" she asks, occupying the seat next to him.
"Probably stuffing her face with the last of the night's calamari," Sora answers. He hadn't meant for it to be a joke, but Naminé laughs anyway, so he braces himself for the flood of memories that overwhelm him: glassy blue eyes watching him through a curtain of ashen coloured hair, skilled fingers working away at a blank sketchbook page, the smell of paint on his clothes, countless Polaroid pictures on a bed, soft, pale hands reaching out to cup his face…
"So what's wrong?" Naminé asks as she smoothes out her dress.
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Sora answers through slightly teary eyes. She's just as beautiful as he remembers.
His ex-girlfriend pouts. "Don't be like that. You know I still care about you."
"I know, but I don't want you to see me like this," Sora admits shamefully. "I'm having a moment of weakness."
"Isn't that when you need to talk about things the most?" Naminé points out. Sora groans. From talks about life to choosing the best soap for his dishes, she had always been right.
"Now lay it on me," the artist demands.
Sora sighs and leans into his palm. "I've been an ass, haven't I?"
Naminé chuckles into her hand. "And what makes you say that?"
"For two years I've seen women as easy—commodities, even, because I thought that it was pointless to engage in something that wouldn't last," Sora confesses. "That mindset was kind of like a defense mechanism, wasn't it? I always thought that if I kept things easy and evasive, I would be happy without the looming threat of being left behind. I thought that the meaningful relationships advertised in the movies were impossible. Now… I'm not so sure."
"Sora," Naminé says softly. She reaches out to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder and he instinctively tenses. Then, when the familiarity sets in, he finds himself relaxing into her touch.
"I think you're over romanticizing these meaningful relationships," she starts. "Running into the sunset with the credits scrolling upward—yes, that may be bullshit, but perhaps relationships that matter are a lot simpler than that. Maybe a good relationship doesn't rely on the overhyped canoe rides or the late night drives to the beach. At the end of the day, maybe it just relies on the sole ability for two people to communicate and understand each other. That isn't entirely impossible—I can already think of a handful of people that you could do that with. Perhaps that's why you get along so well with Xion, with Riku, with your mom, and a few others. And, to a certain extent, I know you can relate to Kairi, too. That's why I sent her to live with you. You, above everyone else, can understand how she feels, how she works. You're just what she needs, and you need her, too. I don't just make these decisions out of the blue, you know."
Sora's index finger swirls around the tip of shot glass as he drinks in the facts. Perhaps that's exactly why it hurt him now. Kairi mattered, and he let her down. It was all a matter of miscommunication, misunderstanding, and pride. Next time, he wouldn't let that get in the way.
He turns to give Naminé a thankful smile. That's why he loved her. She was always so smart.
"Thank you, Naminé," he says graciously.
She playfully pinches his cheek. "It's no problem at all, Sora."
Back in the middle of the dance floor, Kairi scans the ballroom with bright, excited eyes and comes across a familiar sight: Roxas, dressed in an all black suit and turquoise tie, laughing with Axel with a glass of wine in hand. Watching the two makes her heart swell with the warm sensation of friendship, but the moment is gone as soon as it comes. If Roxas was there, then where was…
Kairi unexpectedly pulls away from Riku and looks around with heightened senses and widened eyes.
"Wh—Kairi, what's wrong?" Riku asks with concern. His date slowly raises her hand and points a shaky finger towards the bar. His viridian eyes follow her arm and land in the general direction of her finger. He squints, trying to find exactly what it is that's captured her attention, and feels his heart skip a beat when he sees it.
Without a second thought, he grabs Kairi's wrist and cuts through the couples on the dance floor at an outstanding pace.
"S-Sora!" Kairi stammers when trips on the end of another woman's dress and falls into her boss' awaiting arms.
"K-Kairi…" he mumbles, his cheeks heating up at their close proximity. Naminé merely sits back on her stool, enjoying the circumstances that the housemates have found themselves in. Sora then clears his throat and pushes Kairi upright as Riku helps her steady herself.
"What are you doing?" Sora then asks while crossing his arms at his friends with suspicion.
"We were just, uh," Kairi starts, wracking her brain for a believable answer.
"They're about to start the welcoming remarks. We came to find you so that we could all find our table together," Riku answers while effortlessly maintaining his calm, cool, and collected demeanor. "I hope we didn't interrupt your conversation with Naminé."
"No, no, it's fine," Naminé insists as she waves her left hand in front of her face. Kairi's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets and she watches her cousin's engagement ring glimmer in the purple light. She immediately grabs her hand and pulls her into a tight hug, hoping to hide the rock from Sora's line of sight.
"Hey, cuzzo!" Kairi greets with far more enthusiasm than necessary.
"Hello to you too, Kairi," the artist greets, chuckling as she pulls away from the embrace. "Wow, you look amazing."
"So do you, as usual," Kairi says with a nervous laugh. "Now, why don't you go take that amazingness to your table before dinner, hm? Wouldn't want to be late for your father's opening speech!"
Naminé raises an eyebrow at her cousin, but when she sees the desperate look in her eyes, she nods and understands.
"Right, I'll head over to my table now," the blonde-haired woman says as she hastily hops out of her seat. "Enjoy the rest of the night!"
When the artist is out of sight, Riku and Kairi sigh in relief.
"You two are acting weird," Sora notices with skittish eyes. "Did you two hook up in the bathroom when I wasn't looking?"
"No!" Riku and Kairi exclaim with reddening cheeks. After sharing a moment of awkward eye contact, the two drag an apprehensive Sora to their table, which was located just by the right side of the dance floor.
Dinner proves to be an uneventful affair.
After the CEO's welcoming speech, the five-course meal, consisting of words that Kairi can hardly pronounce, is served and thoroughly enjoyed. For majority of the meal, Riku and Kairi sneak expectant looks and elbow each other, but Sora mistakes it for flirting and merely watches the two from the corner of his eye with confusion.
When dinner is over and the DJ opens the dance floor again, Sora excuses himself to go to the washroom and Selphie makes a beeline for the bar.
"I'm hopeless," Kairi concludes as she slams her head onto the table. "I don't think I can do this, Riku."
He places a reassuring hand on her shoulder and lifts her up with a small smile. "Hey, I'm just as hopeless as you are. Why don't we try being hopeless together?"
Kairi bites her bottom lip, considering it. "You mean… tell him together?"
Riku nods. "So that neither of us have to go at it alone."
Kairi feels a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips as she looks into Riku's comforting eyes. He places one of his pale hands overtop hers and squeezes to reaffirm his support. With a long sigh, Kairi nods in agreement, but when Sora returns to their table, Riku feels her stiffen under his hand.
"Sora," Riku starts, his voice stern. "We have to tell you something."
Kairi looks up at her date in disbelief. Were they actually going to go through with this?
"Sure, what is it?" Sora asks excitedly, thinking that nothing but good news could escape his friend's mouths.
Riku sends Kairi a look that says your turn.
Kairi gulps.
"Y-you see, ah…" Kairi mumbles, "It's about your brother…"
Sora's brows knit together in suspicion. "Did something happen to Ven or Van?"
The fact that her boss no longer considers Roxas his brother makes Kairi all the more hesitant to tell him.
"No," Riku says uneasily. "It's about Ro-"
"Sora, Riku, Kairi!" Axel exclaims without Larxene or Roxas in tow. Judging by his inability to walk in a straight line, the trio finds it reasonable to assume that the pyromaniac had been drinking. "How are you this fine evening?"
When the older man lands on Sora's lap, the brunet pinches his nose in disgust. "Dude, you reek of alcohol. Get off me."
The red-faced Axel places his hands on Sora's shoulders and pouts. "Awe, but I just want to have some fun! You, you called me your… your, uh," he hiccups, "bro the other day!"
Sora sends his best friend a pleading look. Riku only braces himself for what follows.
"What's the problem, Sora?" Kairi asks with her head innocently cocked to the side. "Axel just wants to play!"
Riku shakes his head at her. "No, you don't get it. Axel likes to give lap dances when he's drunk."
"Woohoo!" the older man cheers, removing his blazer while doing sensual body rolls near Sora's chest. "Someone get some H20 for this combustion reaction because it is about to get hot in here!"
The weapons specialist shoves him off without hesitation and grabs him by a spike. "Just how many drinks did you have?"
"A couple," the pyromaniac admits whilst scratching his cheek with guilt. "Selphie and I were having a… a… contest at the bar," he then confesses, struggling to breath evenly.
"Doesn't Selphie like to strip when she gets borderline tipsy?" Riku asks.
Sora merely shrugs. "Not my problem." He then begins to search through the contacts on his phone and holds the device up to his ear when he finds the one he's looking for. "Hello? Larxene? Yes, table five. Thanks, bye." The younger man lowers himself to level with the pyromaniac that is now sitting cross-legged on the edge of the dance floor. "Hear that, Axel? It's home time for you."
"What?" he asks incredulously. "But I don't want to—ahh!" he screeches as his girlfriend grabs him by the ear.
"Let's go," she orders, barely waving to the trio as she drags her boyfriend towards the exit.
"Sora, how could you?" Axel asks, feeling more and more betrayed with each passing meter placed between them. "I thought we were bros!"
"Anyways, what were you two going to tell me?" Sora asks, disregarding Axel's whines of protest. When the couple is out of sight and earshot, Riku and Kairi recollect their thoughts once again.
"We were going to tell you that… that…" Kairi stammers as she twiddles her thumbs. "That there's something you should know about Nami-"Kairi is cut short when a familiar shadow looms over the entire table.
"Sora, Riku, Kairi," greets the deep and eerie voice that could only belong to their boss.
"President Ma—Xemnas!" Sora exclaims, quick to correct himself.
"To what do we owe this special visit?" Riku asks, face impassive.
"I just came by to say how wonderful it is that you three were able to make it to tonight's event," he says, his usual smirk making its way to his lips. "And to congratulate Mr. Masamune on his offer to Radiant Garden."
Sora sends his best friend a look of confusion. "What offer?"
Riku confidently stares daggers at the President, refusing to be bullied by someone who outranks him. He is well aware that Xemnas only brought up the offer in front of Sora and Kairi knowing that they'd persuade him to take the job, but he wasn't going to let that happen. Riku knew his place, and it was in New Twilight.
"Don't worry about it, Sora," Riku says through gritted teeth. He stands to level himself with the President and sends him a stern look. "Sir, if it isn't too much trouble, could we please discuss this elsewhere?"
"Of course," Xemnas nods, acknowledging his prized employee's request. "Enjoy what else the night has to offer, Sora and Kairi," he then says, saluting to the two as he and Riku walk towards the slightly quieter hallway.
"Well, it looks like it's just you and me," Sora points out with a smile, now feeling as if he had taken his assistant to the ball in the first place.
"Yeah," Kairi acknowledges with a nervous chuckle. She looks towards Riku, who appears to be mouthing the words "I'm sorry" as he turns around once again. She slaps her forehead and groans, feeling as lonely as ever.
"What do you think Mansex meant by that offer?" Sora then asks. Kairi thinks back to her conversation with Xion about Riku over a month ago.
"Did you know he was offered the role of President twice? Twice, but he turned them both down. He would have been stationed in Radiant Garden, but he stayed because he wanted to be with Sora."
"I'm sure he meant nothing by it, Sora," Kairi says as she drills her forehead into the palm of her hand.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asks, his warm, tanned hand gently wrapping around her wrist to pull her hand away from her face.
"Not really," Kairi admits, seeing no point in lying to her friend more than she already has. "I just… there's something I really need to tell you."
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait," Sora insists. "Now come on, I think you need a live a little and drink something."
"No, Sora," Kairi refuses. "It's really important."
"No, what's more important is that you're not enjoying yourself at a party," Sora says. "Your body language suggests that what you're about to tell me is causing you a lot of stress, so you're clearly not ready yet. I'm sure that, in time, I'll understand. Don't worry. Now come on!"
Kairi's entire body goes limp as Sora grabs her by the wrist and drags her to the bar.
"Ah, Sora, I don't really drink," Kairi confesses timidly.
"Relax, I'm not going to get you shitfaced," her boss assures with a laugh. He then turns to the bartender with a grin. "She'll have a shot of strawberry elixir, and I'll have the green apple one." When the bartender returns with their orders, Sora hands Kairi her respective shot glass and clinks his glass with hers. "Bottom's up," he says, and he forcefully tips her glass over at the same time he drinks his.
When Kairi swallows her fill, she looks as if she had just sucked on a sour lemon. Then, when her taste buds learn to appreciate the taste, she smiles and nods in approval as the warm sensation spreads through her chest.
Sora chuckles. "I had a feeling you'd like that one. Bartender!" he hollers. "We'll have another!"
When the two finish their second shot, Sora takes Kairi by the wrist again and pulls her towards the dance floor. "C'mon, let's dance!"
"B-but," Kairi starts, her vision beginning to haze. "I… I need to tell you… something…" But I… suddenly can't recall what…
Sora smirks victoriously as the effects of the elixir kick in. Finally, Kairi could let loose and de-stress. He laces his hand with hers and joins the crowd, their bodies consistently rubbing against each other as they dance—more like jump—along to the fast paced music.
"Hey, Kairi!" Sora yells over the music. "Do you want to see how we dance in New Twilight?"
"Sure!" she yells back, randomly bursting into a fit of giggles.
Then, without warning, she feels Sora pull her back to his chest. She gasps as his hands graze the sides of her breasts ever so slightly and slither their way down to her waist. When he subtly begins to grind his hips against hers, she gets the hint and turns to the side to look him in the eye. He merely winks at her, his eyes holding a promise of seduction as a flash of red passes through them. She chuckles and places a hand on his cheek before joining the steady rhythm of his hips. She had been a university student once: she could handle this.
For quite some time, Sora and Kairi lose themselves in each other amidst the chaos on the dance floor. Sora decides that his assistant certainly knows how to work her hips and that her body feels incredibly warm pressed against his, and when Kairi feels his lips graze the back of her neck accidentally, a shiver runs down her spine as her entire body aches with pleasure. Her head immediately snaps to the side to look at him again, and for a moment, the entire world slows down as their eyes lock. Kairi's indigo orbs are hazed with lust and desire, and Sora's aren't far off.
The playboy part of Sora dares him to have a taste, but the caring part of him knows it would not only be wrong, but selfish to satisfy his needs over Kairi's. His alcohol consumption clearly had something to do with his bold behaviour (he hadn't fully recovered from the shots he had taken prior to dinner), but he wouldn't let it possess him any longer. He had to pull away, but there she was again, enticing him with her mysterious innocence and incredibly pouty lips that just looked so damn sweet—
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asks when Sora feels himself being pulled to the side with his dance partner. His vision isn't completely impaired, so it doesn't take him too long to recognize the young man in front of him.
"Riku," he says, snapping out of his trance.
"Did you give Kairi something to drink?" his best friend asks accusingly as the redhead snakes her arms around her date's neck.
"Yeah, but it's not like I was going to take advantage of her or anything," Sora says defensively.
"You looked like you were getting pretty cozy on the dance floor," Riku points out with narrowed eyes. Sora isn't sure if he's disappointed or teasing him, but luckily, the sound of the DJ calling everyone's attention distracts them both.
As the DJ informs everyone that it's time for an important announcement, Kairi feels Riku's heart skip a beat beneath the palm of her hand, thus forcing her to return to reality.
"Sora," she gasps, and she looks up at Riku with a frightened expression. She berates herself for having let the alcohol take control of her system.
"Sora," Riku calls, and he has his best friend's attention almost immediately. "We have to leave."
"What? Why?" he asks. "They're about to announce something."
"Sora, please," Kairi pleads, hugging his arm in desperation.
"Why are you two so persistent? This could be important," Sora insists as he tries to listen to the CEO's final speech of the night.
"In that case, there's something you need to know," Riku says, stepping in front of his best friend to block his view. He takes a deep breath and looks straight into Sora's ocean eyes. "Roxas and Naminé are—"the sound of heavy applause and cheers fill the room, effectively cutting Riku off.
Kairi tightens her grip on Sora's arm and steals a fearful glance at the stage located just at the end of the dance floor, expecting to find Roxas and Naminé standing alongside her Uncle Noctis, but four employees of substantially older age take their place. Roxas and Naminé remain on the edge of the dance floor, clapping alongside the silhouetted forms of everybody else.
As it turns out, the announcement had been about the retirement of four cherished members of the industry, and the ball was thrown as a farewell party for their loyalty and magnificence. There was no mention of Roxas and Naminé, and on top of that, there was no mention of an engagement whatsoever. The world had bought Riku and Kairi more time. They weren't aware how much, but they were thankful for the few they were given, nonetheless.
"Aww, it's sad to see Master Eraqus and Yen Sid go," Sora says as he applauds with tears on the brim of his eyes. "Anyways," he says as he wipes his eyes dry, "what are you two so damn eager to tell me?"
Riku and Kairi share a look before smiling at their mutual friend.
"Nothing," Riku answers calmly as the DJ begins to play the final tracks of the night.
"There's just something on your lip," Kairi says, pointing her index finger at the specific spot on her housemate's face.
"Really?" Sora asks as he looks down to check. Kairi then flicks his nose and pulls back to laugh beside Riku. "Fuck you guys," Sora curses as he childishly crosses his arms. "Don't be surprised if you're missing your eyebrows in the morning."
Kairi jumps and throws her arms around both of the boys to bring their faces together. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Hey, Sora," Pence calls, running towards the trio with haste. He pauses directly in front of the man he called to catch his breath then says, "Your date is going overboard."
The photographer points at Selphie, who appears to be twerking on top of table 12 with her dress halfway down her petite body, surrounded by men cheering her on. Sora feels a drop of sweat threaten to run down his forehead as he watches the scene with embarrassment. He walks over, takes his date by the arm, and throws her over his shoulder despite the punches of protest that she slams onto his back.
"Let's go home," Sora suggests as if he didn't have a thrashing girl on his shoulder.
"Yes," Kairi says as she links arms with both of the boys. "Let's."
After dropping Selphie and Riku off via cab and walking the rest of the short way home, Kairi enters her room feeling a lot better than she had when she left earlier. As she places her corsage on her work desk, she recalls the events from earlier that night with fondness. Riku had been a wonderful escort, and Sora would still be the same when she woke up in the morning.
He would still have the same bright blue eyes, the same craving for Nutella crepes, and the same goofy smile that she'd learned to grow fond of overtime. Life was going to stay perfect for a little while longer.
A knock on the door suddenly distracts her from her reverie.
"Come in," she says as she begins to remove the bobby pins from her side ponytail.
Sora pokes his head through and walks in, still dressed in his suit but without the tie and blazer.
"Hey," Kairi greets as she continues to hunt for bobby pins. "What's up?"
"I just wanted to apologize for my behaviour," Sora answers, getting straight to the point as he sits on the edge of her bed. Kairi feels a familiar shot of pleasure rush through her body as she recalls the feeling of his lips against her neck.
"U-um, it's okay," she says, her knees weakening at the memory. "Alcohol does strange things to people. I'm as much to blame as you."
"Oh," Sora says as his face heats up. "I wasn't necessarily talking about that, but yeah, sorry for that, too."
"Oh," Kairi repeats, her cheeks turning red as well. "Then what were you apologizing for?"
Sora sighs and runs a hand through his spikes as he pats the vacant spot beside him. Kairi joins him not long after.
"I'm sorry that I didn't ask you to the ball," he confesses, and Kairi feels her heart rate increase tenfold. "I thought I didn't need to, since I've grown accustomed to the attitude of easy girls, but you're not like them at all, Kairi. You deserved to be asked, and I failed you. Sorry if it seems like I don't appreciate the things you do for me, because I do. I truly do appreciate them."
"Sora…" Kairi says softly.
"I appreciate you making sure I have something to eat before we leave every morning, I appreciate your lectures about my ties on the floor, I even appreciate you letting me have the last sea-salt ice cream bar in the box, because no matter how much you want it, you always insist that I eat it. All of these things may be small, but they mean something to me, Kairi. They tell me that you care about me, and I wanted to let you know that I…" Sora stops and rubs the back of his head before continuing. "I care about you, too, so I'm sorry."
"Aww, Sora," Kairi coos as she pulls him in for a hug. He is hesitant at first, but when he reacquaints himself with the familiar feeling of a warm embrace, he wraps his arms around Kairi's waist and pulls her close.
"That's so sweet," Kairi whispers. "You're forgiven."
"I'm also sorry that I snuck five cards into your deck when we were playing slapjack a few days ago," he mumbles into her hair.
Kairi immediately shoves her housemate off and pokes him in the chest. "I fucking knew it! You better wash the dishes for the next five days! One for each card that you snuck into my deck!"
"Did I say five? I meant four," Sora says sheepishly.
Kairi frowns at him. "Nice try."
Sora shrugs and falls back on Kairi's bed with a grin. "Hey, can't blame a guy for trying."
Something then captures the young man's attention. As a licensed weapons specialist with years of training, his senses have become acute and unfailing, and Sora swears that he sees something fall off the edge of Kairi's vanity table from the corner of his eye. He sits up and finds a small turquoise card beside him on the bed—presumably the object that had fallen earlier.
"Hey, Kairi, I think you dropped—"he cuts himself off when he sees two familiar names on the card. He didn't mean to pry, but the names are hard to miss—especially when they're in metallic silver writing.
Mr. & Mrs. Noctis Caelum, he reads, humbly request the honour of your presence at the marriage of their daughter, Naminé Fleuret Caelum, to Mr. Roxas Gainsborough Fair…
Sora's grip on the card tightens.
"Sorry, Sora. I was just trying to get a bobby pin that was stuck in my hair. What were you sayi—"Kairi freezes when she sees the object in Sora's hands. She'd forgotten that she hid it on the edge of her vanity table when Selphie walked in to help her get ready earlier that night. Her heart leaps out of her chest when she sees the hurt look on Sora's face.
"S-Sora," she starts, her voice quivering. "I can explain!"
But before she is given the chance to, a blur of black and brown streaks past her and slams the front door shut.
tbc
Chapter Inspirations: The slower song that Sora and Kairi were dancing to was Who Do We Think We Are—John Legend. Him and his sexy everything, man.
I think I can predict the two words that are going through your head right now: Oh, shit.
Oh shit indeed! My first cliffhanger! This is so exciting, haha, and hooray for super early updates! I don't have much going on in my new home at the moment, so I thought I'd make the best out of my freedom and write away! I hope everything turned out okay.
When I first wrote the notes for this chapter, I didn't have much planned, but I'm pretty pleased with the way it came out! It was a lot funner to write than I thought. A lot of things in this chapter weren't even supposed to happen, like Axel getting drunk, Sora and Kairi grinding it up on the dance floor, Sora apologizing to Kairi, but those scenes entertained me and were essential for relationship development (minus Axel getting drunk lmao), so what the hell, why not right? Nam's speech wasn't supposed to be that long either, but I thought she needed some warmth to her character.
Special thanks to Amulet Misty, TheNiceCritic, Wildgirl404, InnocentSerenade, ICanHazSkillz, KittyKat1217, DestinyKeyblader28 and Shadowred for reviewing the last chapter at such an outstanding pace! And at ICanHazSkillz, since I couldn't reply to your review via PM message, I'll do it here: yes, I did reference Zuko of all people, because I'm biased and he's my childhood crush lol. Thanks to the people who favourited and/or put this story on alert, and I'm sorry for any missed or misspelled pen names!
I hope you enjoyed the eleventh installment of D&L. Please kindly leave a review to let me know what you thought/what you'd like to see, I'm sorry for any grammar errors that I might have missed, and I'll get started on the next chapter asap! It's quite short, but we'll see how it turns out. Peace!
PS. I'm curious. How old do you think I am?