The Aura Being, I took your suggestion and tweaked it so it can fit with this chapter. I will take the other part of your suggestion and place it in a future chapter.
killingtex, what Organization XIII does will be pretty vague in this story, but it's explored a little bit in this chapter and I might just add some more information in future chapter. How Riku and Xion knew about Roxas will be hinted in this chapter and be explained a bit more in the future as well.
The car that Ventus is driving is a Toyota Sequoia… which is an eight-seater to those who know nothing about car-types like me (I had to look it up for this chapter and this was the nicest one I found that is an eight-seater). This car is used when they all go out (Vanitas, Roxas, Ventus, Sora, and their parents), but Ventus, who shares his with Vanitas, and his parents have their own cars as well. Hope this makes sense.
Sorry if this chapter is somewhat sloppy, I really did wanted to upload this weekend.
Well, enough announcements!
Enjoy!
Chapter 12: Aces, Straights and Flushes
Saturday: October 15
"Naminé, Xion! Ven's here!" Kairi screamed as she ran down the stairs.
She grabbed her purse from the couch and checked her reflection one last time. As she opened the door, she saw Sora hop out of the car and wave once he saw her. Kairi smiled and waved back, stepping out of the house at the same time Aqua opened her door. Both girls looked each other in surprise, but they soon started laughing as they walked towards the car.
"You didn't take long," Riku said to Kairi as she got in the car.
The red-head stopped laughing and glared at Riku, receiving a smirk in return. She innocently sat next to him, making sure she elbowed him as she got comfortable. "I don't take long. And it's not like I'm trying to impress someone."
"Right, good luck with that," Riku replied, nodding towards Sora who was trying to catch a dragonfly passing by. "Oh, and by the way, you have something on your nose."
Kairi's hand flew to her nose as she turned around to ask Aqua about it. However, she saw her giggle quietly and shake her head, indicating she had nothing there.
"Ow, what was that for?!" Riku yelled as he rubbed the back of his head.
She glared at Riku once more but didn't say a word. They were soon joined by Naminé and Xion, who sat in the back with Aqua, and Sora, who sat in the middle row with Kairi and Riku. Ventus soon drove off once he made sure everyone was settled in. Everyone soon began to talk to one another except for Ventus, who made sure Terra didn't change the radio station.
They arrived to Ventus' house twenty minutes later, Sora getting out first to let the girls out from the back row. He smiled sheepishly at Naminé, who was gaping at their house. It was a white and green two-story house, two sizes larger than Axel's home.
"No need to be shy," Ventus said, pushing Naminé gently towards the door.
"Roxas!" Sora yelled out as Terra closed the door once everyone was inside. "We're here!"
"No need to yell, Sora," Roxas replied, waving hello to the group as he approached them. "I was in the living room."
"Mom and dad left already?" Ventus asked. He received a nod from Roxas and turned to the twins. "Did your parents go to the town hall meeting too?"
"Yea," Kairi answered. "But I'm sure they won't be back till midnight."
"Is this everyone?" Roxas asked.
"Olette went to the meeting because she needs to make a report for the school newspaper. She dragged Hayner with her," Kairi said amusedly.
The boys shook their heads at her response, feeling sorry for their friend. They've been to the meetings twice, and it was somewhere they didn't want to go ever again.
"What about Pence and Axel?" Aqua asked.
"Pence's dad took him bird watching so he can escape going to the meeting. Axel said something came up," Xion responded, wondering if Axel was forced to go town hall by his parents.
Before anyone else could say anything else, they heard a loud chirp from the living room. They walked to the sound of the chirp, where they saw the bird hopping around he's cage.
"Momoko?" Riku asked, reading out the label on the cage.
"Yea, mom named him that because the bird reminds her of a peach," Sora said, glancing up at the ceiling before retuning his attention to his friend. "Anyways, ready for another rematch, Riku? Kairi, you can go against me once I win."
"Only in your dreams, Sora. Your reflexes are too slow."
"Oh yea? Let's go right now. I have the game set up and ready to go!"
They held a steady gaze before they ran up to Sora's room, Kairi sending the group an exasperated, but amused, look before she followed the boys. The six remaining talked with one another for a while until Terra, Aqua, and Ventus went upstairs to his room. Xion left once she heard Kairi scream for her help, knowing the boys were teaming up against her.
"Your house is pretty big," Naminé said quietly.
"Yea, I guess so. You want me to show you around?"
Naminé looked at the bird, who had fallen asleep despite their loud voices and laughter. She nodded and stood up, feeling a little nervous to be alone with Roxas in his home. 'It's not like I've never been alone with him before… so why do I feel nervous?' Naminé thought as she followed Roxas to the backyard.
Her nervousness was replaced by awe as she looked around. There was a pool, a tree house, a barbeque area, and a small garden with a bird bath. They both walked around for a few minutes, Naminé enjoying the beauty of the garden and the tree house. However, she noticed the uncomfortable look Roxas had when they were standing in front of the tree house. Knowing what he had gone through, she wrapped her arm around his and led him to the house once more, where he continued to take her around the house.
"Your house is really big and pretty nice. So why does Axel…" Naminé trailed off, wondering if she should finish her question.
"Hosts all the parties? Well, he tried to host one here two years ago because it's bigger than his, but we didn't want to deal with anything after the party's over. It's too big to clean and we don't want to get into too much trouble. That doesn't stop him from trying to have one here before he graduates, but that's not going to happen," Roxas answered, amused at his friends attempts. His expression soften as he saw Naminé nod shyly. "It's alright to ask, Naminé. I don't mind."
She nodded and smiled. Roxas happily answered any questions that she had, especially about the art they had throughout the house. He then took her upstairs, pointing out all the rooms before taking her inside his room.
"You can sit anywhere you want. I'll bring us something to drink," Roxas said. "You can also look around, but there's nothing much to see. Sorry for the mess, though."
Naminé giggled as she took a quick glance around the room. "It's not a mess, it's actually cleaner than Kairi's. Just don't tell her I said that."
He chuckled and nodded, quietly closing the door as he stepped out. Naminé stood standing in the middle of the room for a couple of seconds before she decided to explore his room. She slowly spun around to have a brief view of the room, spotting a television with a game system plugged in, a stereo, a bed, and a closed closet. She then approached his bookcase, which was full of movies, games, CDs, books, and a couple of his ceramic figures. Next to it were two skateboards, a pair of shoes, and a sealed box.
A glare soon caught her attention. She looked towards the window and saw the glare was being reflected from one of three photo frames on his desk. She let out a small smile as she approached his desk. The first picture she saw was of him with Olette, Hayner, and Pence. The second picture was of him in middle-school with Xion and Axel. Her smile widen at the third picture. It was of a young Roxas standing in front of the tree-house with Sora, Riku, Terra, Ventus, and Vanitas. All of them had a bright smile, and although Vanitas was smile was smaller in comparison to the other boys, he had a protective arm over Roxas.
'This are very cute,' Naminé thought, her curious eyes wondering around the room to find more pictures. She quickly found two more frames by his drawer next to his bed. Sitting hesitantly on his bed, Naminé viewed both of the photos. The first one was of all them in the first week of school. The second photo took her breath away and made her heart beat fast. It was of a young Roxas, Vanitas, and a young woman who had her arms around both boys.
'She must be their mom. They resemble her, esp-'
"Sorry I took long," Roxas said as he opened the door, unknowingly startling Naminé. "I ran into Sora and Ven as I was leaving the kitchen. They forced me to help them make snacks for everyone else." He rolled his eyes and closed the door with his foot. "I had to take some to Vanitas too. Anyways, I hope you don't mind popcorn, sandwiches, and raspberry iced tea."
"That's fine," Naminé replied. "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."
"It's no problem."
He sat down on the bed and placed the tray in between them. He handed Naminé a cup and pushed the tray towards her as he took a bit off his sandwich. She smiled and grabbed a handful of popcorn, occasionally taking sips of her drink. They talked with one another about various subject, eating their snacks in a steady pace.
Feeling confident, Naminé asked what she had in mind for a month. "Roxas, why is our table painted black and blue? Kairi forgot to tell me about it on the first day of school. I asked Xion, but she kept changing the subject."
"Oh, uh, well…" Roxas drifted off, running his hand through his hair. "We were celebrating being in the Organization for a whole year, so we decided to paint our table black with blue streaks. Actually, we were just supposed to spend the whole day together and go to the beach but something came up for the Organization and we were split up. We didn't meet until later that night and we had the buckets of paint with us, so we decided to paint the table. We made it a declaration of our friendship and that the table belonged to all of us."
"Did you get caught?"
"Yeah. Axel and I took the blame. We didn't want to get into Xion trouble and risk not being able to see her again. In the end, the both of us just cleaned the school during the weekends for the whole year. That, and I got kicked out of the Struggle team," Roxas added quietly. "It was a miracle we didn't get charged or expelled. I think our boss had something to do with that…"
"You weren't forced to repaint the table?"
"They thought about it, but since it didn't do any harm to anyone, they let it be. They said they'll repaint it once we graduate, but I doubt it. The principal just told the school it was a prank from someone and whoever did it was charged and expelled. I guess that settled everything, although some people still believe it was us or Seifer and his gang. Not that they're wrong…"
Naminé nodded, glad that they didn't get into too much trouble. "So, what do you do in the Organization?"
"I can't say anything specific. We weren't suppose to say anything of our existence, but Riku somehow found out about us. We don't do anything bad," Roxas said quickly after he saw Naminé's alarmed expression. "We just do a few things for the town and school, but behind the scenes. Truthfully, I don't even know the purpose of the things we do. No one does, except for our boss and anyone close to him."
"Is Xion-"
"She's no longer a member, but she helps out occasionally."
Naminé noticed the uncomfortable expression Roxas had, so she decided to no ask why Xion was no longer part of the Organization. She was curious to know how Riku found out about them, but if Roxas couldn't say much about their association, she let the matter drop. But as she thought more about Riku, she began to realize that he shared a strong relationship with Xion and he knew more about the things that were going on than anyone else.
'Just like the time Roxas got into a fight. He reacted faster than everyone else… and it seemed he understood what Axel was talking about. It's as if he knows how to read the situation… I wonder if that's how he was able to find out about the Organization… '
Wanting to make Roxas feel more at ease, she pushed those thoughts out of head and asked, "Is there a town meeting every month?"
"Yea. It's usually from two to six. They talk non-stop about policies, the budget, and what to do during the holidays. After the meeting's over, anyone who attends it goes to the mayor's house for a get-together. It's more of a party with an open bar, but it's still not worth going to. Ma-"
"ROXAS!"
Both blondes jumped, Naminé unconsciously reaching out for Roxas' arm. It took them a few seconds to realize it was Sora who screamed out his name. Naminé released her grip and looked towards the door, waiting for Sora to come in.
Roxas shook his head and said, "I'll be back."
He stood up, grabbed the tray, and left the room. Since Sora's room was next to Roxas', Naminé was able to hear muffled voices, which were soon followed by a loud thud and a mixture of laughter and groans.
"Sorry about that," Roxas said as he closed the door. "Xion and Kairi said you might enjoy this game. Do you want to play?"
"Ok, but I'm not good at video games."
"Don't worry. I'll teach you." He walked towards the television and got the game ready. "Besides, this game's easy and you can just button smash."
He handed her a control and briefly explained what each button does. Roxas started the game, teaming up with Naminé in the first few rounds to help her.
"You're pretty good at this."
"Thanks. I just don't know how you do those jumps," Naminé replied, trying to mimic his moves.
Roxas paused the game and placed his hands on top of Naminé's to show her how to jump. Naminé blushed lightly but didn't pull her hands away. "You first press this button, push the stick up twice, and press the same button again. You have to do faster than how I showed you."
With Roxas hands guiding hers, Naminé was finally able to do the jump. She shyly thanked him and they continued playing. After winning a couple of rounds teamed up, they decided try a free-for-all. The first three rounds were won by Roxas, but Naminé soon got into the rhythm of the game and won the three following rounds.
"Want to make this the last round?" Roxas asked.
"Yea, my hands are getting a little tired. I'm getting a little hungry too."
"Me too, but I'm sure we're not the only ones. Sora usually gets hungry around this time."
Naminé smiled, not surprised that the brunette got hungry in certain hours. She quickly turned her attention to the last round, wanting to keep her winning streak going. By the two minute mark, Naminé was winning by five points. Not wanting to lose, Roxas began to nudge her with his elbows in an effort to distract her. However, Naminé began to do the same to him a few seconds later. They soon began to tickle each other, forgetting about their match.
Roxas quickly wrapped his arms around Naminé and gently pushed on the bed. He then continued to tickle her, pressing his body close to hers so she wouldn't be able to the same to him.
"Al-alright Roxas. Y-you win, you win," Naminé breathed out in between her laughter.
Roxas stopped and smiled at her, but he didn't push himself off her. With her breathing under control, Naminé realized the position they were in. Roxas was on top of her, his hands and knees supporting his body but trapping her in the bottom. She felt her face heat up, but somehow, she didn't mind the position they were in.
'His face… it's sharper than Ven's. And his eyes are a shade darker too. They look the same from far away, but up close… they look so different… and they act different too. Roxas' smile and laugh… the way he writes and how he stands…' Still in her thoughts, Naminé lifted her hand and placed it on Roxas' cheek. 'Why does it feel I met you before?'
Roxas eyes widen and his breath hitched. Although he noticed that Naminé had a distant look in her eyes, he still didn't know how to react. He was saved from making any movements when he heard three rapid knocks on the wall, startling Naminé out of her thoughts. As he pushed himself up, he removed Naminé's hand off his cheek and pulled her up as well. A second later, his door flew open.
Vanitas leaned by the doorway and grumbled out, "I'm hungry."
Roxas sighed and nodded. He got up and sent Naminé a reassuring smile before he left the room. A tense silence remained, Vanitas making it worse as he glared at Naminé.
"Not crying this time, are you?" Vanitas sneered out unexpectedly.
Naminé stared at him confusedly, thinking when she ever cried in front of him or anyone else other than Aqua. She didn't reply back, unsure how to answer his question. They soon heard voices coming towards them and footsteps heading downstairs.
"Hey, we're going out to eat," Ventus said, placing a hand over Vanitas' shoulder.
"Are we all going to fit?" Naminé asked a little nervously.
"Yea, we'll find a way. I'll be waiting in the car."
Vanitas pushed Ventus' hand away and walked away, the older blond following him with a small smirk. Naminé grabbed her purse as Roxas opened his closet to take out a jacket and a small thin blanket. They walked downstairs in silence, Naminé thinking of something to say. She wanted to talk about what happened in his room, to apologize for her impulsive actions but she was too shy to tell him. Roxas walked towards the living room and placed the blanket on top of the bird's cage, who was still sleeping.
"Just to keep him warm," Roxas said unnecessarily. "We should leave, we don't want to keep anyone waiting."
He smiled at her and opened the door, letting Naminé pass first. She smiled in return and they both walked to the car as they made small talk. This was one of the qualities she appreciated about Roxas. He would try to make the situation less awkward although he might sound awkward himself. He tried to make her feel at ease and not mention what happened until Naminé felt comfortable talking about it.
"You placed the blanket on Momoko's cage?" Ventus asked as Roxas got inside the car.
Roxas nodded and sat on the back row next to Vanitas.
"Where do I sit?" Naminé asked quietly.
Vanitas reached out to her arm and pulled her down, putting her on top of Roxas' lap. Both blondes blushed, Roxas turning his face away from her back. His blushed deepened when Riku sent him a small smirk. Aqua smiled apologetically to Naminé as she pushed up her seat, quickly closing the car's door to keep the warmth in.
"So, where are we going?" Sora asked, casually placing his arms over Kairi's waist to hold her from falling off his lap.
"How about that pizza place we always go to? They never close when the town's having a meeting," Ventus said as he began to drive.
Everyone agreed, playfully pressuring Ventus to drive faster. He turned up the volume to drown their voices but he increased his speed, his growling stomach encouraging his actions. They arrived to the pizza place fifteen minutes later, everyone walking quickly to the restaurant to get out of the cold. They were immediately seated, being served four pitchers of soda and appetizers as they sat down.
"The appetizers are on the house. The usual, right?" the owner asked Ventus.
"Yea and thanks for-"
"It's no problem. Thanks to you boys I'm-well that doesn't matter. Enjoy and we'll come with your food soon."
The group thanked him, passing the appetizers and drinks around before settling into their own conversations. Aqua and Terra quickly separated themselves into a private conversation, ignoring the impatient looks Vanitas sent them. Ventus, Riku, Naminé, and the twins turned their attention to Roxas and Sora, who were competing to see who could eat the most bread sticks within two minutes.
"Let's call a tie," Roxas coughed out.
Sora nodded, taking large gulps of his drink to satisfy his dry throat. The group laughed and again divided themselves into their own conversations. As soon as their order arrived, all ten hands flew to grab a slice of pizza. Their chatter continued throughout the meal and as they exited the restaurant once everyone paid their share.
"Where to now?" Aqua asked, huddling in between Ventus and Terra to try to keep warm.
She looked around for an answer but didn't know whether they where shrugging or shivering from the cold. Kairi wrapped her arms around Sora and Riku, the latter handing Xion his gloves to keep her hands warm. Roxas took off his jacket and draped it over Naminé's shoulder, silently convincing her to take it. She thanked him and wrapped it closer to her body, walking close to Roxas to share her warmth. They walked faster towards the car, pushing their bodies forwards against the cold wind. Ventus quickly unlocked the doors and started the car to turn on the heater.
"Now what?" Terra echoed.
"Well, it's almost eleven. Can you drop us home, Ven?" Kairi asked.
"Yea, it's no problem."
The car ride was silent, for the warmth was slowly putting everyone to sleep. Vanitas, Riku, Aqua, and Terra were leaning on the window for support while Kairi laid her head on Sora's shoulder. Xion, Roxas, Naminé, and Sora forced themselves to stay awake, the young brunette wanting to have a strong hold on Kairi and not let her slip. Ventus slowed down as they got closer to the girls' home, the wind making it a little difficult to see in the dark.
"Hey, we're here. Aqua, wake up," Ventus whispered, turning around to wake her up. She slowly opened her eyes and stretched. "You need to get off to let the girls out. Sora, wake up Kairi."
Sora gently shook her, whispering in her ear they arrived. The girls thanked Ventus for the ride and stepped out. Sora waved goodbye to the girls and walked Aqua home as Roxas walked the twins and Naminé to their home. The twins bade him goodnight and went inside, leaving the door slightly open for Naminé.
"Thanks for letting me borrow your jacket and for today," Naminé said as she handed it back to him. "I had fun."
"No problem and so did I." He smiled at her but noticed the sad look she had on her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I didn't get to say goodbye to Momoko," Naminé replied softly.
"You can visit him anytime you want. Just let any of us know."
Naminé's eyes lightened up and she nodded. Roxas smiled and hugged her goodnight, making sure he heard the door lock before heading back to the car. On the drive home, Roxas could smell Naminé's scent on his jacket.
'Her scent smells nice… like the waves and strawberries.'
He blushed and shook his head, hoping no one was paying attention to him. As he looked out of his window, Naminé stood by her's watching the moonlight reflect on the ocean.
'His scent… salty like the ocean… but also sweet...'
She quietly giggled at the thought of a teenage boy having a sweet scent. She turned away from her window and got ready for bed. However, her thoughts kept going back to Roxas, causing her heart to beat a little faster. Taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes, her subconscious kept replaying the events of earlier and fogging her mind with Roxas' natural aroma throughout the night.
I hope I didn't make the seating arrangements confusing. When Ventus picked them up in the beginning of the chapter, it was (from left to right): Ventus and Terra on the front seats; Riku, Kairi, and Sora on the middle row; Aqua, Xion, and Naminé on the last row. When they went to the pizza place, it was: Ventus and Terra on the front seats; Riku, Xion, and Aqua on the middle row; Sora, Kairi (on Sora's lap), Vanitas, Roxas, and Naminé (on Roxas' lap). On the way to drop of the girls: Ventus and Terra on the front seats; Riku, Xion, and Aqua on the middle row; Vanitas, Sora, Kairi (on Sora's lap), Roxas, and Naminé (on Roxas' lap).
Momoko translates to peach child in japanese and well the bird does remind me of how a peach looks like, hence his name.
I'm hoping to upload a Halloween-related chapter this month, and I'll try my best to do it before this holiday(?). I have an idea for what costumes Roxas and Naminé might wear, but I'm still debating... Anyways…
Halloween is this month! What is your favorite treat or trick?
For next chapter: Halloween plans and what the cooking-class trio should make as a treat.
Any suggestions, go ahead and comment (:
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorite! I really appreciate it ^-^!
