Wow, it's been forever since I last updated. And on a cliffhanger too! So sorry guys I've had the chapter written for a couple weeks, but things have been so hectic I didn't have time to get it edited. Again, uber sorry. But hopefully you think this chapter was worth the wait. I had so much fun writing it!
Uber thanks to darklightningdevil, and japaneserockergirl for reviewing. Thx to those who favorited. Man, do I love getting feedback! And of course thanks to my editor.
This chapter is a wee bit different from those in the past. I probably won't do this again, but it was absolutly nesassary for this chap.
Enjoy!
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Okay, calm down. He'll be here soon.
It's going to be all right.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Need to relax.
It's going to be great.
***
Okay, calm down. Man, do I feel like a nervous chick.
It's going to be all right.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Need to chill.
It's going to be great.
xXx
Roxas rang the doorbell to Olette's house. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. The door opened, revealing a guy a few years older than himself. The guy ran his fingers through his brown chin-length hair and narrowed his eyes at Roxas. Roxas immediately recognized him as Olette's older brother.
"Um, hello. Is Olette here?" Roxas stammered. He had never really been around Leon much when he had been younger, but the guy still had managed to intimidate him.
"Yes. Who's asking?" Leon's tone was harsh, but Roxas detected faint amusement in it.
"Leave him alone, Leon," said a voice from behind the guy. Leon opened the door wider, allowing Roxas to see Olette.
Roxas let out a breath of relief. "Hi Olette."
She smiled apologetically. "This idiot is my brother Leon. Don't worry. He's just giving you a hard time."
Roxas laughed nervously. He glanced at Leon, noticing that he was watching him with a smile on his face.
Roxas held out his hand for Leon to shake. Leon took it, looking impressed.
"So, you're the guy Olette won't stop talking about," Leon said, giving Olette a smile.
"Hopefully it's all good stuff," Roxas replied, starting to feel less tense.
"Oh crap. I forgot something. Hold on. I'll just be a minute," Olette exclaimed before disappearing up the stairs.
Leon rolled his eyes after her. Turning back to Roxas he said, "She might be more than a minute. Why don't you come inside to wait?"
"Sure. Thanks," Roxas replied, stepping inside the house.
Leon led him into a large sitting room and sat down. Roxas stood for a second, before deciding to sit in a plush green armchair.
Leon smirked. "Nervous?"
Roxas nodded.
"Don't be. Just take care of her. Cause if you don't, I'll have to kill you," Leon joked, but Roxas could tell he was being serious from the look in his eyes.
"I'll take care of her," Roxas responded, looking Leon straight in the eye.
Leon smiled. "Good. Now, how bout I show you Olette's baby pictures."
"I will hurt you if you do," Olette laughed, entering the room.
Roxas stood up from his chair. He saw that Olette had put on the turquoise necklace.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yup."
The three of them walked over to the front door.
"Bye, Leon," Olette said, opening the door.
"It was nice meeting you, man," Roxas said. Even though he had met Leon before, he knew Leon didn't remember him.
"You too," replied Leon. He waited for Olette to go outside before saying to Roxas, "Please don't hurt her. Keep her safe."
"I would never hurt her. I promise," Roxas replied.
With that, he stepped outside, Leon closing the door behind him.
xXx
Roxas focused on the road, resisting the urge to stare at Olette. Her brown hair was pushed back from her face, her bright green eyes unhidden. She was wearing no makeup, which was something Roxas was attracted to. He hated when girls caked on so much goo that they no longer even looked like themselves. But not Olette. She had never worn makeup when they were younger and still didn't. Another thing that hadn't changed about her.
But some things definitely had. She was wearing a green long-sleeved shirt that emphasized her curves. Roxas realized he had been peeking at her from the corner of his eye. He quickly snapped his attention back to the road.
"So, where are we going?" Olette asked.
"If I told you, then it would no longer be a surprise," Roxas answered, grinning.
"I hate when people say that."
"Don't worry. It'll be fun," he responded.
"I know," Olette said.
Roxas turned into a parking lot. It was nearly deserted. He pulled up to the front and parked the truck.
"A train station?" Olette asked.
"Yup." Roxas grinned at her and got out of the car. He walked around and opened her door.
"Wow. Chivalry isn't dead," she replied, jumping down from the car. "Thanks."
"No problem."
"So, is this the special place?" she asked.
"Nope."
Roxas reached over and laced his fingers in hers. They walked up the stairs and into the train station. The lady at the ticket booth smiled at them as they walked up to her.
"How can I help you?" she asked.
"Two tickets to Sunset Terrace, please," Roxas replied.
"That'll be fifty munny," the lady stated, handing Roxas the tickets.
Roxas let go of Olette's hand and dug into his pocket for his wallet. He pulled out the munny and gave it to the woman.
"Enjoy your day." She grinned at them.
"Thank you," Olette and Roxas responded. They turned away from the ticket booth and went to find their train.
"So, Sunset Terrace? What's there to do there?" Olette asked.
"You're not very patient are you?" Roxas teased.
"I'm just curious."
They finally found their train. Roxas handed the conductor the tickets. He headed towards the back of the train, Olette trailing after him.
"Roxas, there are seats up here," she said.
"I know, but I want to find an empty car," Roxas replied.
They continued walking from car to car until they found one with no one in it. Roxas sat down in the last seat and slid over to make room for Olette. She sat and leaned her head on his shoulder. Roxas caught a whiff of her grapefruit shampoo. This is going good, he thought. He put his arm around her, bringing her closer to him.
* * *
Olette leaned on Roxas's shoulder, waiting for the train to start. Despite Roxas's arm around her, she was cold. She shivered involuntary, goose bumps covering her arms. Roxas turned away from the window and looked at her.
"Is this okay?" he asked, worried.
"Yeah. I'm fine," she answered, not wanting to explain that the reason for her shivers was because she tended to get cold when nervous.
Roxas smiled at her, but said nothing else. He just kept staring at her with those bright blue eyes of his, almost as if he still couldn't quite believe they were both here together.
"So how did your interview go?" she asked after a minute, trying to break the silence. It wasn't awkward, but she felt if they remained quiet for much longer she would explode.
"The newspaper thing? It was okay. The article comes out next week, I think," he replied.
"What sort of things did they ask?"
"The normal stuff. 'How do feel about HEART?' ' How has it changed your life?' 'Do you appreciate the things the Xemnas and the others have done for you?' It was a lot of smiling and saying, 'Yes, HEART has made my life better.' All that crap," he responded, his voice turning acidic on the last words.
Olette caught the faint pain in his voice. "What's wrong?"
Roxas looked back at the window. "Nothing," he replied.
"Roxas."
He didn't move.
"Fine, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said, sympathetically
He sighed and turned his head toward her. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to talk about this on a first date." He paused and grinned. "I want you to see how great I am before I tell you all my faults," he said, his tone light.
"But this isn't our first date." The words slipped out of Olette's mouth before she realized what she was saying.
Roxas's eyes grew wide.
Where did that come from? she wondered. But the words felt right. She felt as if they were true. How is that possible?
The two of them stared at one another. Roxas's brilliant blue eyes seemed to display ten different emotions at once. She held his gaze, trying to decipher each one individually. He stared back at her, as if she were puzzle he couldn't quite solve.
The train jerked forward, beginning to move. Olette turned away from Roxas, looking ahead. But she could still feel him watching her.
***
Roxas looked away from Olette. What did she mean by 'this isn't our first date'? Is she simply counting the fire thing as a date? Or is Axel right, and she's remembering?
Roxas shook his head, trying to clear the thought. The last thing he wanted was to hope for something that would never happen.
***
They sat in silence as the train traveled on. Finally, Olette turned to him. He was staring out the window, watching the scenery pass by in a blur.
"Where are we going?" Olette asked again, sounding excited. She wanted this date to get better, not that it was horrible, but so far they had yet to really talk to one another.
Roxas looked at her and grinned. "You'll see."
Olette feigned pouting. "I want to know now!" she exclaimed in a fake bratty voice.
"Patience is a virtue," Roxas replied, smiling.
"Fine. If you won't tell me willingly, then I shall have to force you."
Roxas raised his eyebrows. "And how do you intend to do that?"
"By doing this." She pressed her lips up against his. He teasingly pushed her away after a few seconds.
"That's fighting dirty," he laughed.
"Care to tell me where we are going?" she asked.
He pondered for a second before saying. "So let me get this straight. Either I tell you where we are going and you don't kiss me. Or I get to keep the surprise and kiss you. This is such a dilemma." He paused to smile at her. "But I think I shall take my chances with the latter."
He gently lifted her chin and brought her to him. His tongue slipped into her mouth. Olette felt herself turn red, glad Roxas's couldn't see. He kissed her harder, but still in an affectionate way. She took his hand, the one not around her shoulder, and intertwined her fingers with his.
He squeezed her hand before pulling away.
"I think we're here," he said, looking out the window.
Olette peered out the window, realizing that everything was still. They both laughed, amused that they had been so occupied that neither had realized the train had stopped.
Standing up, they got off the train.
"So this is Sunset Terrace?" Olette said, once they had walked down the steps away from the train station.
"Yup," answered Roxas, taking her hand.
Olette looked around as they walked. On either side of the street were small shops. People were strolling about, enjoying the warm weather. Roxas moved out of the way as two young boys ran past him, holding what appeared to be blue ice-cream. He turned to her and grinned. She smiled back.
"So what do you think?" he asked.
"It's really pretty here," she answered, looking all around her at the vibrant flowerbeds.
"You haven't seen the best part yet," Roxas replied.
"And that would be?"
Roxas shook his head. "Not yet. That's for later." He stopped in front of a small building.
Olette looked up at the sign. ""Sunset Horizons'?"
"Yup." Roxas led her inside the building. He went up to a podium with a woman standing behind it. Olette looked behind her, seeing tables full of people eating and having a good time.
"Hello. How may I help you?" she asked.
"Table for two," replied Roxas. "And is it possible for us to have a table outside?"
"Sure thing." The hostess smiled at them and began walking towards the back of the restaurant.
Olette and Roxas followed her, passing by the tables of people. Several of the groups dining consisted of large families, small children hopping up and down in their seats. A few tables held groups of people their age.
At one table sat a man with long dreadlocks. He stared at her with harsh, blue eyes, his mouth in a tight line as if he were angry. Olette glanced at Roxas, seeing if he had also noticed the strange man, but he was looking straight ahead.
The hostess guided them to a table on the balcony, near the railing. Olette gasped as she looked out, seeing the bay spread out below.
She heard Roxas and the hostess chuckle from behind her. Feeling her cheeks warm up, she turned back around.
"Was that the best part?" Olette asked, after the hostess had told them their waiter would be there shortly and walked away.
"Not even close," replied Roxas. He stood behind the chair farthest from the railing, waiting for Olette to sit down. She walked over to the other chair and pulled it out, preparing to sit.
"Oh," he said.
Olette looked up from her chair. Roxas was still standing, an embarrassed look on his face.
Olette blushed again, realizing that he had been waiting to pull out her chair for her. "Sorry," she said.
"That's okay," Roxas responded seating down. "I just thought you would want to sit in the chair facing the bay, so you could see it."
"Now I feel really stupid," Olette laughed.
Roxas grinned and picked up his menu.
"You're not going to order for me, are you?" Olette asked in a teasing manner.
Roxas looked up from his menu, a confused expression on his face. "No. Why would I do that?"
Olette laughed. "Sorry. I was just kidding. I read this book once, where they went to a fancy restaurant and the guy was the only one given a menu because the guys ordered for their dates in that restaurant. And you seemed so fond of opening my door and pulling out my chair that I thought you liked the old fashion dating rules."
Roxas's cheeks reddened as he smiled sheepishly. "I just thought you would appreciate that kind of stuff."
"I do. It's rare to find a guy with manners," she replied.
"Oh. You misunderstood me. Once we've gone out a few times I won't have to do all the chivalry crap," he joked.
Olette picked up her napkin and threw it at his face.
"You all ready to order?"
Olette turned her head, seeing that the waiter had come up to the table. She jumped slightly, surprised.
Sora grinned, amused. His left eye was purple, the bruise from where Hayner had punched him healing.
"Hi Sora. You work here?" Olette asked, the shock wearing off.
"Sort of looks that way," he answered kindly. "You guys want something to drink?"
"Sure. I'll have an iced tea," said Olette.
"And I'll have a Coke," answered Roxas.
"Okay. I'll be back with those soon," Sora stated, writing the order down before walking away.
"Ouch. That black eye looked like it hurt. Wonder how he got it," said Roxas.
"You haven't heard? Hayner punched him in the eye last week. That's why Hayner hasn't been at school. He got suspended for fighting."
"Why'd he punch him? I know Sora can be a jerk, but still."
"Sora met up with Hayner to apologize to him about the rumor," she paused, involuntarily flinching at the memory of the whole school believing her to be easy, "He told Hayner that even though he hadn't spread the rumor, he hadn't tried to stop it either. He felt bad about it and wanted to confess to Hayner what had happened. Hayner, being the hot head he can be sometimes, punched him, not caring that Sora was apologizing," Olette explained.
"Wow," replied Roxas.
"Si," Olette responded.
"Ah. So you take Spanish, I'm guessing."
"Yeah. How'd you know?" she asked.
"Axel takes it too and he likes to break into Spanglish sometimes," he answered.
"I tend to accidently do that on class work," laughed Olette. "What language do you take?"
Roxas shook his head. "I took Spanish freshman and sophomore year, but that's it. Señor Ansem is a real heartless teacher."
"I know!" Olette agreed.
"Here you go," said Sora coming up to their table and setting their drinks down. "You guys ready?"
Roxas and Olette nodded.
"I'll have the Jalapeño Taste Explosion Burger," Olette said.
"And I'll have the Uber Burger with extra onions," Roxas, said after Sora had written Olette's order down.
Sora smirked.
"What?" Roxas and Olette asked in unison.
"Nothing. I just thought you two were on a date."
"We are," Roxas replied.
"Okay. Forget I said anything," Sora responded. "I'll be back soon." Before he walked away Olette thought she heard him murmur, "Kissing's gonna be a bitch for those two."
Roxas chuckled, having also heard it. "Onions and jalapeños. Yum."
Olette realized what he meant. "Damn. I didn't bring gum or mints."
"That's okay. I like the taste of jalapeños," Roxas replied, a mischievous smile on his face.
"And I don't mind onions."
"Guess it's good that we're together, then.
Olette smiled. "Yeah. It is."
They continued chatting and joking around until their food came.
Olette's mouth watered as the smell of her burger wafted up her nose. She picked it up, not caring that Roxas was watching and took a huge bite.
"That's attractive," Roxas said, before taking a bite of his burger as just as large as she had.
"Ha ha. Very funny," she replied her mouth still full of food.
"Ugh. That not so much, but I really mean it. Most girls are too afraid to eat more than a salad on a date."
Olette swallowed and grinned at him. "Not to sound like a bad chick flick cliché, but I'm not like most girls."
"I know," Roxas replied, his blue eyes focused on hers. Olette felt them piercing through her, but she kept his gaze.
Roxas gasped and looked away.
"Are you okay?" Olette asked worried.
"I'm fine. Just spicy onions." He grabbed his Coke and took a sip.
"You sure?"
Roxas smiled and nodded. Olette noticed his eyes were focused on her nose instead of her eyes. A definite sign he was lying.
***
Olette frowned slightly, but said nothing. She turned her head to the bay and watched as the boats floated serenely.
Roxas took a bite of his burger, trying to rid himself of the horrible feeling that had just washed over him. It was weird enough to feel like someone else, but when that person happened to be a girl, it was worse. It was hard to explain, even to himself, what it felt like, but it was certainly different. Girls thought differently, and as much as he hated to admit it, girls were more likely to feel deeper emotions.
Although the emotion Olette had produced was dim, it had been enough to make him feel uncomfortable. Her confusion had mixed with anxiety, as well as the desperate need for answers. Roxas had felt as if there were a pit in his stomach. Something was missing and if the hole wasn't filled soon, he would feel broken forever.
Or at least that was the way Olette felt.
Roxas watched her as she stared off into the bay. Why would she be feeling such a thing? he asked himself.
But he also knew that sometimes people weren't aware of their darkness. Or they were, and they buried it down deep inside them, masking the pain with other happier thoughts.
Roxas looked away from Olette. Her emotions lingered, but they stayed in the background, his own thoughts and feelings dominant.
She turned back to him and smiled. Her eyes were melancholy. Clearly she had been thinking about something that was troubling her.
"You okay?" Roxas asked.
"'I'm not sure. It's just that I feel as if…"She trailed off as if she realized what she had been about to say. "Never mind."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. As you said, we're getting kind of personal for a first date. Guess I've read too many chick lit novels. They tend to act unrealistically and tell their inner most thoughts to each other," she replied, smiling.
Roxas grinned. "I wouldn't know. I don't really read those kinds of books."
"I would hope not," Olette laughed.
Roxas smirked in response. "So you ready to move on to phase two?"
"Yup."
Roxas raised his hand in the air. A few minutes later, Sora appeared.
"All done?" he asked.
"Yes. Thanks," replied Roxas.
Sora picked up their plates. "I'll be back with the check," he said, before walking away.
"So what's phase two?" Olette questioned.
"Just wait and see. But I hope you're not completely full yet."
Olette raised her eyebrow, intrigued.
Sora came back and placed the check on the table. He then rushed off to a nearby table, where a harassed-looking mother was waving frantically in order to get his attention.
Roxas picked up the bill and examined it. He reached into his pockets and pulled out the correct amount, plus a decent tip.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes. Can't wait for the next surprise," she replied.
They stood up and walked through the restaurant, his arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist.
***
They strolled through the streets, occasionally pausing to peek into the quaint shops.
More groups of people their age were out and about, enjoying the later hours of their Saturday.
Roxas led Olette to a small, brightly-colored stand. A long line of varying ages stood in front of the stand, clearly waiting for something. Roxas and Olette joined the line.
"And what is this for?" Olette asked, curious.
"Olette, if I tell you it would ruin the surprise," Roxas teased.
The line began moving, the two of them getting closer to the front every ten seconds. Finally there was only one person in front of them.
"One, please," the man said to the vender.
The vender reached inside of the stand and pulled out one of the strange blue ice creams Olette had seen the young boys holding earlier. The man handed the vender some munny and moved out of the way.
"Two, please," Roxas requested, stepping forward.
The vender reached inside of the stall, to where Olette assumed there was a freezer, and pulled out two ice creams. He handed one to Roxas and the held the other as he waited for Roxas to pay him. After Roxas had paid, the vender handed him the second ice cream and winked at him, smiling at Olette.
The two thanked the vender and walked over to a bench close by.
"One of those for me?" Olette asked, teasing him.
"Nope," Roxas laughed, but a few seconds later he handed her the ice cream. "I guess you can have it," he said, smiling.
Olette stared at the strange-colored desert. She glanced over at Roxas ,who was licking his merrily.
"What flavor is it?" she asked, a tiny bit hesitant.
"Sea-salt," answered Roxas between licks.
"Huh?"
Roxas stopped eating and looked over at her. "You'll only find it in Twilight Town. It's one of the things we're really proud of. Try it. I promise you'll like it, if not love it."
Olette raised the ice cream to her mouth and took a small taste. "Wow!" she exclaimed. "That's incredible!"
Roxas grinned smugly. "Like it?" he joked.
Olette took a huge bite before answering, "This tastes really good. It's salty, but sweet."
Roxas chuckled. "Careful. If you eat too fast, this stuff will create the worst brain freeze you'll ever have. Trust me on this. Demyx once dared me to see who could eat one the quickest. I won, but it was a terrible price to pay."
"I'll keep that in mind," replied Olette, taking another lick.
Roxas laughed again and went back to eating.
A few minutes later, Olette finished her ice cream. She wiped her sticky hands on the sides of her jeans and looked over at Roxas, still eating his ice cream.
"I'll be right back," she said, getting up to find the nearest trashcan.
It took her a few minutes to cross the lane due to the immense crowd of people trying to make their way toward the train station. It was getting close to sunset, the sky already beginning to darken. Parents walked swiftly, clutching the hands of their children. A small girl in pigtails smiled at her as she passed by.
"Oh, sorry," Olette said, accidently bumping into someone.
"Not a problem, miss," replied a rough voice.
Olette looked up, seeing the man with dreadlocks from the restaurant. He smiled at her slightly before continuing on his way.
Finally, after getting through the crowd, she located a trashcan and tossed in the popsicle stick. She stood there, watching for a break in the enormous throng of people. After a few seconds, one appeared. She ran forward through the brief, unoccupied space. Someone yelled a profanity at her as she brushed by them, but she kept on going until she reached the other side.
Roxas stood up from the bench when he saw her. She walked over to him.
"That was exhilarating," she said sarcastically.
"I was worried I was going to have to call in a missing person's report. You completely vanished from sight for a couple of minutes," Roxas joked.
"It was terrifying," Olette laughed. "Hey, where did you put your trash?"
"Over there," Roxas answered, pointing to a trashcan about five feet away from the bench. He smirked, seeing the expression on her face.
"You jerk!" Olette cried out, but still beaming at him.
"Sorry, couldn't resist."
Olette looked around at the now almost deserted streets. There were still some small groups still hanging around, but they consisted of teenagers.
"Where are we going next? I'd love to go down to the bay."
Roxas shook his head. "Sorry, but if we do that, we'll miss it." He grabbed her hand and began running in the opposite direction of the station.
"Where are we going?" she asked, out of breath from the sudden rush.
"It's time for the best part!"
The two of them dashed up a steep hill.
"Roxas!"
"Sorry, but we need to hurry," he replied, a little breathless himself.
Where the hell is he taking me?
xXx
Olette watched, amazed as the sun slowly dipped beneath the clouds. For a few seconds the sun and earth collided, until it disappeared underneath the surface, leaving the sky an assortment of blues, pinks, and oranges.
"There's a reason the place is called Twilight Town. After the sun sets, it's almost of if the world stops. Everything's still. The stars come out and blanket the sky. All the worries of the day evaporate leaving behind an impossible-to-disturb calm," Roxas said softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
Olette looked away from the now darkened sky and turned to him. "Thank you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.
He put his arm around her and pulled her in tighter. "You're welcome."
"I've seen the sun set before, but never actually watched it. I just thought it was something that happened every day, nothing special. Can't believe how stupid I was," she replied.
"You're not stupid, Olette." He reached up his left hand and stoked her cheek. They moved forward, their lips caressing one another. She reached up under his shirt and ran her fingers up and down on his chest.
Feeling Roxas flinch beneath her touch, she pulled back. He withdrew his mouth from hers, but nestled his nose up against hers.
"It's okay. Just want to make sure I don't lose control. We are in a public place after all," he laughed, quietly, so only she could hear.
They pulled apart from each other and looked around, seeing the other couples sitting on the hill were in a similar position to the one they had just been in. Roxas laid back, Olette followed him and leaned her head on his chest.
Roxas lifted his arm and pointed up at the sky. "That's Orion," he said.
"I know. I'm taking Astrology. But I didn't know you were into it," replied Olette.
"My parents were astronomers," he said, softly.
Olette lifted herself up off his chest, propped herself up on her elbow, and looked at him.
"They died in a car crash when I was thirteen," he stated, continuing to look up at the sky.
"I'm sorry," Olette replied sympathetically.
He turned his head and looked at her. "That's why the article really bothers me. I'm sick of saying HEART is my family. It's not true. Sure I love Axel and Demyx like brothers, but I would much rather have my parents still be alive. And I'd do anything to get my…" He stopped talking abruptly.
"Roxas, you're crying," Olette whispered.
His blue eyes bored into her, the frustration and sorrow evident in them. He wiped away the tears trickling out of his eyes and turned back to staring at the sky.
Olette laid back down and closed her eyes. Roxas reached out and laced his fingers together with hers. She squeezed his hand encouragingly.
***
Roxas stared up at the sky, Olette by his side.
"Roxas, this is re-"
"Huh?" he asked, wondering why she had stopped in mid-word. "Olette?" he asked, worried now.
He lifted his torso gently off the ground, so as not to disrupt her. She stayed still. "Olette?" he repeated.
"Roxas," said a voice with a British accent from behind him.
Roxas turned his head, seeing Luxord and Xaldin. He glanced around. All the other couples were motionless.
"What do you want?!" Roxas shouted, knowing the other people couldn't hear him. He was used to Luxord stopping time and knew the rules of it. He gingerly picked Olette up off from himself and laid her head on the ground. Standing up, he faced the two men.
"Don't talk to us that way. We are your superiors," barked Xaldin.
Roxas gritted his teeth together, but repeated in a more respectful tone, "What do you want?" He paused. "Sir," he added staring at Xaldin.
Xaldin narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Luxord smirked, clearly amused.
"Sorry to bother you, Roxas, but you neglected to tell us about your night's events. You know the rules," Luxord explained calmly.
"Last time I checked, I'm a legal adult. You have no right to control me," Roxas replied.
Luxord sighed, but continued smiling. "Laws of normal people don't apply to us. You know that. As long as you are part of the Organization, you will obey our rules."
"I never chose to be a part of this," Roxas growled.
Luxord's light blue eyes smoldered. "No matter, you are a member of the Organization and you will comply with what you are told. This is your warning." Softening his tone he added, "I've always treated you with respect, Roxas. Out of the third generation you are my favorite pupil. I've always been proud of you. Please don't destroy that. You have a great purpose. One that others would kill for." He turned and began walking down the hill. "Enjoy the rest of your date," he called from over his shoulder.
Xaldin continued to glare at Roxas. "Just because Luxord is kinder than he should be doesn't mean what he says should be taken lightly. This is your only warning. Screw up and someone," he paused looking over at Olette, "could get hurt." With one last hateful frown, Xaldin turned and followed after Luxord.
Realizing he only had a few seconds until Luxord resumed time, Roxas ran over to where Olette was lying and laid down, placing her back where she had been before.
"-ally nice," Olette said, moving her head closer to his.
Roxas twisted his head to the left, seeing that the nearest couple had begun moving again.
"Roxas?"
He turned back to face her and smiled. Sliding down a bit, he leaned toward her and gently kissed her nose. Then he moved down to her lips, kissing her more passionately.
She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.
I love you, Olette, he thought, too afraid to say it aloud. And I'd do anything to get my best friend's memories back.
***
Olette pulled away and smiled seductively at Roxas. "You know, onions and jalapenos are an excellent combination."
Roxas laughed. "Yeah. They do taste good together." He smiled and kissed her again, more intense than ever before.
I thinking I'm falling in love with you, whispered Olette in her head, too afraid to say it out loud.
She didn't know what was more terrifying. The possibility of being rejected or falling so hard thst it would be impossible for things to ever be the same.
xXx
Olette sang along to the radio at the top of her lungs. She turned to Roxas, who seemed unable to concentrate on the road, he was laughing so hard.
"What?" Olette asked, knowing the answer already.
"You suck at singing," Roxas replied, smiling.
"I know," Olette responded, sounding proud.
Roxas took his eyes off the road and smirked at her.
"I climb so high. It blows me away sometimes," sang Olette, even louder than before.
"Who sings this?" Roxas asked turning back to the road.
Olette gasped jokingly. "You don't know who this is?"
"Apparently not," Roxas said.
"Thousand Foot Krutch; they're one of my favorite bands," answered Olette.
"Oh yeah. Demyx likes these guys. Aren't you guys doing your project on them?"
"Yup," she replied.
"Speaking of the project, when is it due?" Roxas asked.
"I think next week. Who are you and Fuu doing yours on?"
"Lostprophets," answered Roxas.
"I love that band!"
"Is there a band you don't like?" Roxas teased.
"Plenty. Don't get me started on those," Olette laughed.
"Wouldn't dare," he replied.
The car became silent then, with the exception of the radio. Olette reached over to turn it off as the song ended, transitioning into commercials.
"Thank you, Roxas. This was really great," Olette said.
"I had a good time too. Thanks for asking me out," Roxas replied, taking a second away from focusing on the road to smile at her.
"Only 'cause I knew you'd be too shy to do it yourself," she teased.
The corner of Roxas's mouth twitched downwards. He glanced at her quickly, his features contorted with confusion, before turning back.
"Sorry," Olette apologized, assuming he was angry at her comment.
"No. I know you're just teasing, but…" he trailed off.
"What?"
Still staring at the road he asked, "Olette do you know where you got the necklace you're wearing?
Olette lifted the turquoise charm up from her neck. "This? No. I found it with some of my old stuff from back when I was like thirteen. Why do you ask?"
"Just wondering," he replied.
"I know it's not from another guy, if that's what you were implying," she said, watching carefully for his reaction.
He tensed up for a second, but said nothing.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Silence fell for a second time.
"So…?" she said after a minute.
"Huh?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to do something like this again," Olette gushed.
Roxas turned and faced her. His blue eyes brightened. "I would really like that." He paused for a second and continued, "In fact, I was, um wondering, if we were, um…" he stammered and quickly looked forward.
"Going steady?" Olette offered, trying to hide her amusement over his discomfort from her voice.
He nodded.
"You're not going to pin me, are you?" she joked.
Roxas smirked. "No."
"Yeah. I believe we are officially a couple then," she replied, beaming.
"Good," he stated.
Olette smiled. "Yeah. It is," she replied seriously.
Roxas pulled on to Olette's street. After parking next to the sidewalk he turned off the car engine and got out. He walked over to Olette's door and opened it for her.
"Thanks," she said, getting out.
Roxas slung his arm over her shoulder as the two of them made their way to the door.
"This was really great. Thank you so much," Olette said as they stood on the porch.
"I had a lot of fun too. It was a great evening," Roxas replied. He looked over at the windows before asking, "Your brother isn't going to be watching us and try to kill me with a baseball bat if I kiss you, is he?" Roxas joked.
"No. Leon was just giving you a hard time earlier. He's actually really nice when he's not being a moron," she laughed.
"Great. Then I guess I can do this." Roxas wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.
He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently. Olette reached down and hooked her thumbs through his belt loops. Roxas kissed her more fervently.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed a female voice.
Roxas and Olette jumped apart and turned their heads to where the front door was opened.
A petite girl with black hair in a pixie cut stood in the hallway, her hand on the door.
"What's the matter, Yuffie?" a voice called from behind her. Leon appeared in the doorway and put his arm around the girl.
"Oh. Hi, Olette. I didn't know when you'd be home so…" he began.
"You invited someone over? Are Mom and Dad home?" Olette asked, her eyebrows raised.
"They're at a party," Leon answered.
They all fell silent for a moment. That is, until Yuffie stepped on Leon's foot.
"Ow!" he exclaimed. Looking over at her he said, "Oh yeah. This is Yuffie. Yuffie this is my little sister Olette and her boyfriend."
"Hi," Yuffie said.
"Hello," Roxas and Olette replied.
Yuffie smiled at them and then looked over at Leon. "We probably should get going."
"Okay. Let me just grab my duffel bag," Leon replied.
Roxas and Olette moved to the side as Yuffie stepped out of the house.
"It was nice finally meeting you. Leon talks about you all the time."
"It's all terrible stuff," Leon said, exiting the house with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"He's lying," Yuffie laughed. "He's very sweet when it comes to you. It's really adorable."
"Leon? Sweet? You sure?" Olette teased.
"Shut up," Leon replied, smiling. He and Yuffie began walking to his truck. After opening the door for her and tossing his bag in the backseat, he yelled out, "No offense Roxas, but if you don't leave in the next five minutes after I've gone. I'm going to come right back and kick your ass!" He laughed, showing Roxas that he was only half serious.
"Don't worry. I'll be leaving soon," Roxas replied.
Leon waved and walked over to the driver's side of the car.
After he had pulled out of the driveway and was out of sight, Roxas turned back to Olette.
"So, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday?" he asked.
"Yup."
Roxas gave her one last sweet kiss, before walking back to his car and driving off.
Olette stood on the front step until he disappeared from view. She grinned to herself and stepped inside the house.
***
Roxas lay on his bed, reading. With the exception of someone's music playing down the hall, the mansion was silent.
The teenagers had woken up earlier in the morning to discover all but Marluxia were gone. Larxene had been brave enough to ask the already annoyed man where they had all had gone. Marluxia had simply rolled his eyes and told her she wasn't at liberty to know that.
"If anyone else had asked he'd have thorns stuck in their head," Demyx had whispered to Roxas after witnessing Marluxia not getting angry.
"Yeah. But, Larxene's always been his favorite," Roxas had replied.
Now everyone was relaxing, enjoying the free hours without the elders breathing down their necks.
Roxas looked up as someone knocked on his door.
"Hi. Can I come in?" asked Demyx.
Roxas nodded.
Demyx walked in and stopped at Roxas's dresser. He picked up a small black iPod lying there and began scrolling through the menu. "Man, you really need to get new songs on this."
"Thanks," Roxas replied sarcastically. "Now, what do you want?"
Demyx placed the iPod back on the dresser. "Just wondering how last night went."
"It was good," answered Roxas.
"Come, on. You got to tell me more than that."
"I didn't think you were one for gossiping," Roxas responded, smirking.
"Shut up. I just knew it was a big deal for you. Axel told me about your history with Olette."
"There's really not much to tell. We had a good time," Roxas replied. He paused and then added, "Hey, how did your date go? With the fan girl?"
"She's not a 'fan girl'; or at least ,she's a fan but, she isn't creepy. Actually, it was really nice. I'm going to ask her out again," Demyx said. He furrowed his brow. "I hope the freshman girls don't rip her apart from insane jealousy over me." He beamed, thinking of the imaginary cat fight.
Roxas rolled his eyes. "Wait. I thought she was a freshman."
Demyx snapped out of his day dream. "Oh, no. She's a junior. I'm not that big of a pervert."
"Says the guy who just a few seconds ago was picturing three freshman girls fighting over him."
"It was a nice image," Demyx sighed.
Roxas chuckled. "Now, can you get out? I want to finish this book."
"Sure. I have some songs I need to work on. Bye." He left the room, closing the door behind him.
Roxas opened up his book and tried to find his place. Another knock on his door interrupted him.
"Come in," he said, slightly irritated
Naminé opened the door and peeked in. "Is this a bad time?" she asked softly.
Roxas sighed and closed his book. "No. Come in."
Naminé opened the door wider and walked in. She stood there, unsure of where to sit. Roxas's desk chair was covered with dirty clothes, making the bed her only option.
Roxas sat up, pulling his legs under him and gestured to the foot of the bed, indicating that she could sit there.
Her pale cheeks turned pink, but she perched herself on the edge of the bed, as far away from Roxas as possible.
Roxas chuckled, but stopped when he realized it would probably hurt Namine's feelings. She blushed harder, but said nothing.
"So, what's up?" Roxas asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Naminé smiled meekly at him. "I have something important to tell you. If I'm right, then I think you'll be really happy."
"Is this what you tried to tell me before?"
She nodded. "Then it was just a theory, but now I'm surer."
"What is it?" he asked, more interested than before.
Namine's slight smile got bigger. "I think it's possible that Olette's memories are coming back to her."
Roxas's eyes widened. What?! he thought. That's incredible. I knew something was different about her. She… He stopped and shook his head.
"Naminé, you know that's not possible. But thanks for trying to make me feel better," he said.
"Roxas, it is possible! Aren't you happy?" she asked.
She gasped as Roxas's face contorted in pain. A few tears escaped from his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away.
"What's wrong?"
"Why would you say those things? Get my hopes up like that," he replied harshly.
"Please, Roxas. I'm not just saying these things. It's possible. She can remember!"
"Get out!" he ordered, shaking.
"What's wrong with you?" she demanded.
Roxas gasped and began choking.
Naminé realized what was happening. She reached out and grabbed his hands. "Roxas, you have to control the darkness better. If you just ignore it, it'll destroy you. You can't just bury it. You need to fight it!"
Roxas stopped choking. He slowly breathed in and out until the shaking also stopped. Naminé released his hands from her grasp.
"You okay?" she asked.
"I think so. What the hell just happened? I just got so pissed all of sudden and I couldn't stop. Why does this keep happening at random moments?"
"I've told you before. If you keep letting it build it will eat at you," she replied.
"But I used it yesterday. I haven't been ignoring it. It's impossible to!"
"The darkness is getting stronger. It's mixing with your desires and fears. It's going to keep getting worse, until…" she broke off.
"Until what?"
She shook her head.
"You can't tell me?" he asked.
"Sorry," she whispered.
Roxas reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. Sighing, he said, "It's okay. Now, can you tell me why you think Olette is remembering?"
"Yes. Roxas, do you know how I manipulate people's memories?"
He shook his head.
"First I break apart the bonds that connect the memories. Well, they're actually more like chains, linking each separate memory with one another. Once the chains are broken I can create new ones and use those to mask over the old ones. Then I fasten the chains back together again. Rarely, and I really mean almost never, do the old memories hold such strong emotions that they break the chains connecting the fake ones. Slowly they trickle through the cracks, allowing the person to get flashes of them. I believe that's what has happened to your friend," she explained.
"Wait. So strong emotions break these fake memories?"
"Yes, that is why it is impossible to erase children from their parent's memories. There is too much love in those memories for a parent to forget their child. That's why the Organization kills everyone's…" she trailed off, sobbing.
Roxas moved closer to her and gently rubbed her shoulder, trying to pacify her.
"They wanted to kill Olette, because I told them how you felt about her and how she had seen you use your ability, but I promised them that her emotions were weak enough to cover up the memories of you. But, I couldn't erase you from your parents, and even if I physically could have, I wouldn't have. It was too cruel. So they murdered them, by plotting that car crash. They could have killed you in the process, but they chose take the risk anyway. Everyone's parents are dead because of me. And everyone's friends too," she blubbered.
"Naminé, this isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself," Roxas said.
She gasped, trying to stop crying.
Roxas thought for a minute before saying, "Wait. Xemnas told me that if I had been recruited sooner, no one's parents would have died. He said that by you taking pity on me, you were able for the first time to completely rewrite someone's memories. But…"
"He was lying, Roxas, trying to anger you, so you'd snap. This isn't your fault it's mine," she replied.
"No. It's not. Naminé, you need to stop beating yourself up about this. You tell me all the time that the darkness isn't my fault. You need to take your own advice and realize that what those bastards do is not your fault."
"But so many people have died because of me. Zexion's, Demyx's, and Larxene's parents. Even Axel's dad is dead," she said.
"They are? I knew Zexion's parents were, but not the others."
Naminé nodded. "Every last one of them. Although Demyx and Larxene don't know it. The only parent to not die at the hands of the Organization was Axel's mom and that's 'cause she died of cancer when he was five."
Roxas looked down at the floor. "He never told me that," he whispered. Looking back up at Naminé, he asked, "If Olette's emotions are strong enough to remember me, then is there hope for Demyx? Will he ever remember his past?
"No," she answered sadly, "I never gave him new memories. I just broke the chains connecting his old ones. And I just can't reconnect them because his memories were shattered in the process. My ability wasn't as developed back then as it is now. Demyx will never know his past. And for that I am truly sorry."
She stood up from the bed. "See you later, Roxas. And thank you."
She walked over to the door and left, leaving Roxas alone.
Whoever's music that had been playing had stopped. The house was silent.
Roxas picked up his book and found his place. But no matter how hard he tried to focus, he was unable to.
Namine's visit had produced more questions than it had answered.
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Hoped you guys liked it!
Also, for those who don't know what "pinning" means, it was something they did back in the 50s, I believe. When a couple went steady, the boy would give the girl his school pin.
Happy Vexen month. (Even though I hate him.)
I already have the next chapter all typed up. As soon as my fantastic editor works her magic, I'll have it posted.
Please review! Makes me happy and when I'm happy my characters tend to be. Unless of course they're feeling angsty that day.
Have a great weekend! And thanks again!