Chapter 13: Mate

Mate…How did my supposedly non-existent love-life get this complicated?

I've been avoiding Naminé for nearly four days now. It was hard and probably involved more lies than I'd care to admit, but talking to her was just so awkward. It changed everything. We weren't just friends now. We were…mates (I still nearly hyperventilated at the term, given its connotations).

"Boys, I'm heading out to the grocery store. Do you want anything?" Mom called up the staircase. Both Sora and I popped our heads around the doorframe of my room.

"Some chips would be great," Sora said, pushing his eyebrows up with a grin.

I shrugged, unable to think of a single snack that wouldn't make my already uneasy stomach churn. "I'm fine. We still have some of that ice cream in the fridge."

"Alright, I'll be back in a little bit." There was a bit of shuffling as Mom struggled to find the keys that she had sworn were on the counter just seconds before and then, the front door slammed shut and the sound of the engine of Mom's aging minivan revving slowly faded as she backed out of our drive way.

I yawned, stretching my arms over my head as I slowly walked back into my room. Sora followed and picked up one of the Wii controllers we had abandoned on the floor. He eyed me with a suspicious smirk tugging at his lips.

"So, you've been avoiding Naminé lately, huh?"

I froze but molded my expression into that of confusion as I fed the console a new disk. "I'm not avoiding her."

"You two always hang out together," Sora said, pointing his remote at the glowing box in the corner of the screen, "but I haven't see you trailing after her these past few days. Reason?" He picked a moving and cartoonish red boat as an arena for our characters to fight in but paused before either of us could hastily move our fingers across the plastic remote.

Irritated, I picked up the other controller and took the game off of pause, forcing Sora's fingers to mash buttons in an attempt to prevent his character from dying at the hands of the scaly enemy and my own vicious assaults. "Can't we just play the game?" I ask.

"We are playing the game," Sora countered smartly, "but that doesn't mean we can't talk while we play." I released a frustrated grunt when my green-clad hero was thrown across the battle arena, wishing Sora would just drop the subject. So what if I used my illness to miss the classes I had with her? So what if I lied about why I couldn't come to training? I needed time to think. I needed her to break the tension first and tell me exactly where I stood.

"It's complicated," I finally said and picked up a glowing sword, swiping it at Sora's character who flies back into the boat's mast.

Sora snorted. "You sound like a girl. Now, just tell me what's going on before I call up Kairi and have her tell me."

"Why can't you drop it already? I thought you didn't like me spending so much time with Naminé anyway," I said hotly and threw a large cardboard box at Sora's blue hedgehog character, causing him to fly off the boat and into an endless abyss.

Sora's character came back after a moment, hovering on a white platform before snatching the sparkling bomb and chucking it at my character. "Because, you smile when you're around her and…I want to hang out with you too, but you need her just as much as she needs you."

"She's fine without me," I muttered and paused the game again as my character got caught in a fiery explosion. "I shouldn't even be friends with her. I shouldn't have anything to do with her, especially since I can't stay…"

"It doesn't matter how long you stay," Sora replied softly, "you can't control that, but you can control what you do with that time, right? So, don't just drop out of her life, Roxas. Enjoy what time you do have together even if your relationship gets a little 'complicated.'"

I didn't like Sora being right at all, but I knew he was. Naminé wasn't going to find out about my disease, but I wasn't going to throw away our friendship either. I had to set things straight, no matter how awkward the conversation would be.

"I'll talk to her tomorrow." I couldn't ditch anymore training anyway, since Lightning would have my hide mounted on the wall opposite of her bedroom door so that everyone would be able to jeer at me for all of eternity. Sora smiled and started the battle up again, landing a swift blow to my character's head.

KHKHKHKHKH

The clouds above, heavy with rain, floated across the sky gloomily. My eyes watched them glide almost imperceptibly as Naminé's nimble hands worked beside me, crafting yet another picture during Biology. I had barely said more than five words to her today, but I would try to strike up a conversation when the bell rang. I didn't need to have the teacher announce the contents of our conversation to the entire class.

Naminé flicked her eyes in my direction for a moment, lips pursed. I knew she was mad at me for blowing her off and the tongue lashing that would soon follow wasn't something I looked forward to. I averted my gaze quickly, distracting myself by doodling useless swirls in my notebook.

When our teacher dismissed us into small groups, I felt sorry for the girl was sitting in between us. I didn't know anything about her other than the fact that her name was Molly, and she wasn't high on the popularity pyramid.

"I'm a little squeamish…" Molly confessed quietly, "so, um…I don't know who's okay with starting the dissection…" Her eyes met mine but I pretended not to notice. It wasn't that I, personally, was squeamish, but the formaldehyde was not something stomach wished to engage with up close and personal.

Without a word, Naminé picked up one of the pointed tools sitting next to our deceased creature and pulled it across the dead rat's stomach with little effort. "What's next?"

Molly blinked in surprise at the now exposed organs of the creature but hastily adjusted her glasses and brought the instructions close to her face, reading the next several steps. Naminé exacted them perfectly, and I watched with fists clenched underneath the table.

KHKHKHKH

"Skipping out on training today, or should I tell Lightning that you've actually deigned to work with her?"

I didn't answer her but continued down the hallway towards the cafeteria, my shoulders grazing empty air as the few students still absent from their respective classes lingered against the lockers.

Wrong move.

Naminé stalked forward, growled and pulled me back, her nails digging into the skin underneath the fabric of my shirt. "What is going on with you? You've been acting strange, even for you, and you need to tell me what's going on, now."

"I'm not one of your subjects," I snapped. Another wrong move.

I honestly don't know why I'm being so resistant. I was going to talk to her, right?

"You may not be one of my subjects," Naminé hissed, pushing me back, "but I am not someone you want to trifle with." Her eyes were ice.

I involuntarily shuddered at the primal glow in her eyes. "I'm not trying to make you upset," I said slowly while rubbing my now sore and most likely bruised arm.

Naminé snorted. "Well, you're doing a pretty damn good job of it, but I guess if you don't want to talk…" She turned away from me, body rigid. "Then, I'll just go. I'll tell Lightning you aren't interested in training, and you and I…I don't know."

My heart dropped and it felt like the breath had been knocked right out of me. I couldn't lose her. I didn't want to die with anymore regrets than I would already be bringing to the grave.

"Naminé," I spoke softly, but I knew she could still hear me, given her enhanced auditory abilities. She didn't move. "I'll…tell you everything." I sighed, dreading the consequences for what I would soon be revealing. "Just…can we talk somewhere…more private?"

"…Let's grab lunch first." Naminé then grasped my hand gently and pulled me into the cafeteria. I could feel people staring at us as we stood in line. Nobody knew about my illness, but it seemed like everyone knew about my friendship with Naminé, who was now becoming increasingly popular from her dancing stint at the party. She, of course, has no recollection of what happened for most of the party, but welcomed most of the people with a friendly, albeit stiff, smile.

Naminé gave a fleeting smile to the lunch lady as she paid for her saran-wrapped sandwich and an orange juice. I bought a bottle of water and a pack of strawberry poptarts.

When we were up in Naminé's little sanctuary tucked in the old art room upstairs, there was a brief silence as we ate our food. The colored drawings, manifestations of Naminé's quick hands, stared down at me, forcing my body to shrink further into the folds of the musty couch. The atmosphere wasn't comfortable and my hands shook each time I lifted my pink shaded poptart to my lips.

"So, what's been going on, Roxas?"

I swallowed and my smile was wavering. "This…isn't easy to say Naminé, but…um…you were acting a little…weird at the party."

Naminé raised an eyebrow. "Weird?" she repeated. Her voice faltered a step at this word, no longer authoritative but uncertain.

"Yeah," I said and added with a hesitant laugh, "and you told me something very…interesting."

Naminé's face shifted from confused to panicked, her eyes darting from my face to her hands. "The full moon…It had to have been the full moon, but I've never lost control because of it before…"

"I should have been a little more cautious…," I mumbled, absentmindedly walking one of Naminé's paint-spattered brushes across the wooden coffee table at our feet, "Kairi did warn me, but I just didn't know you were going to—"

"What did I do?" Naminé broke in with wide eyes, "What did I say to you?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Well, you danced pretty up close and personal with Seifer—"

"Seifer?" Naminé balked in disgust.

"Unfortunately, but then…I got you away from him and…we…danced," I said with an embarrassed cough and looked away. Sunlight filtered in from overhead, casting golden halos upon us as the sound of birds dancing on the glass filled the void silence between us.

Naminé's cheeks turned sanguine and averted her own gaze from me. "…What else happened?"

"You told me something…" I stopped myself, digging my hands into the fabric of the sofa. It felt like the words were stuck in my throat, refusing to let my lips form a single syllable.

"Roxas," Naminé whispered and leaned forward, her eyes desperate, "What did I tell you?"

"Youtoldmewewerematesandthenyoukissedme!" I blurted quickly before hiding my face in one of the pillows, feeling like a little child hiding from the boogie monster.

Naminé didn't say anything for a moment. I thought she didn't understand a word I had said.

"You weren't supposed to know…" she murmured, "not yet. This just makes things more complicated."

Tell me about it. That's what I wanted to say. Instead, this came out of my mouth:

"So, are we, like…together now?" I lifted my face from the pillow. It was something I shouldn't even be asking, but to deny my attraction would be a flagrant lie. "I mean…we're friends…which is cool. Completely acceptable. In fact, I think it would be better if were just friends." I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my head at this. I shouldn't be complicating things, attraction or not.

Naminé smiled weakly, finally meeting my eyes. Her blue orbs were weary but soft. "Once my kind imprints on their mates, it's forever."

"Imprints?"

"It's like this insane connection that happens the moment you first see your destined mate. Time stops and they become yours until death do you part," Naminé explained softly and my stomach churned at the thought of leaving her in less than six months.

Till death do us part wasn't far off at all.

"But, if your mate like, dies or something," I asked quickly, my words nearly toppling one another, "what happens then?"

Naminé shrugged simply and followed the patterns of shadows slowly crawling across the walls. "Then, we're out of luck. We shape shifters mate for life. After our mate is gone, we normally live in isolation, raise pups if we have any and communicate with our clan only when necessary."

I wanted to throw up.

"But how do you know that I'm your…you know, and I don't even get how these relationships work. Is there some kind of ceremony? Do we date?" I kept blurting questions senselessly. My lungs felt like they were made of lead, the lurking darkness as the edge of the room seeming to slink ever closer.

"I knew the moment I met you, Roxas," Naminé placed her hand on mine, "I tried to deny it—you being human and all—but I knew the truth. I didn't want to tell you at first because our ways…are unconventional to humans. We do have a ceremony, but there's no real 'dating.' We go out together beforehand, but we usually move more by instinct, if you know what I mean."

Both of our cheeks lit up profusely like exploding fireworks.

"Ohh…but…" I shook my head, "I don't know about this, about us…"

Naminé's eyebrows furrowed and her lips pulled down into a hurt frown. "What do you mean? We're mates. No one can change that, Roxas. Unless…you don't have feelings for me? You are human after all, and perhaps, that makes you immune to imprinting…."

I wanted to go along with her logic wholeheartedly, but my ambivalence and true feelings wouldn't let me.

"It's not that I don't…like you in that way," I answered carefully, "but don't you want to build up to a relationship?"

"We already kissed, Roxas. We've already crossed the boundaries of friendship, and I'd rather not start some cliché friends-with-benefits soap opera that would only cause more pain than anything." She smiled lightly at this, causing my own lips to repeat the pattern.

I nodded reluctantly. "I don't want that either, but…it just seems…fast." At least that was a half-truth.

"If I recall," Naminé retorted smartly, "human relationships tend to move at quite a fast pace, especially at our age."

"But—"

"And most of them aren't good friends before dating," Naminé added, pressing a finger to my lips before I could protest again. I closed my eyes and allowed our lips to mold against one another, heat spreading through my body. She wasn't leaving any room for arguments, was she?

But, guiltily, I made my mind forget the imminent future and Death's black veil waiting to swallow me whole. All that my mind could process was the here and now—the softness of her lips, her feathery eyelashes caressing my cheeks, the hand she wound in my hair, and my firm hold around her slim waist.

We broke away too soon, panting in a desperate attempt to reclaim the supply of oxygen we had lost. Naminé arched an eyebrow at me, her face glowing with satisfaction. "So, do you still want to be just friends now? I thought that once you found out, there'd be no reason not to but if you're unsure then we can just be friends for as long as you need."

Her smugness made me pout, and I looked away. We couldn't be together long enough to have a life together, but shouldn't I just value this time while I was still alive? I made a commitment to be there for her, initially as a friend, but it could extend into a romantic relationship, right? And if my disease really starts to debilitate me, I'll tell her the truth.

"I…I want to be with you, Naminé," I said softly and cupped her cheek gently, pressing a tender kiss to her lips. A blast of sunlight erupted again, cloaking us in a heavenly light as the approaching shadows were banished into their uninhabitable realm.

KHKHKHKHKHKHKH

The skies were dismal as we marched, fingers entwined, onto the flattened plains of the clan's training grounds.

Lightning arched an eyebrow when she saw our interlocked hands, smirking. "Better pay up, Noel. I was right."

Noel, one of the clan's key hunters, rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I won't have anything until after tonight's hunt, where I'll hopefully be able to secure some good meat without having those weird things bounding through the forest again."

"Weird things?" I asked Naminé and moved my eyes across the surrounding pine trees encapsulating us suspiciously.

"Something's been killing members of my clan," Naminé answered darkly, "We're not sure what they are, but they don't seem human. They're too strong, too fast."

"And we have another problem besides those freaks," a new voice spoke. He was tall, well-toned and had a head of blond hair lighter than mine. I had seen him around the colony or sparring with Noel in the fields, but we had never been formally introduced.

Naminé bowed her head respectfully towards the man. "Snow, what unfortunate tidings have you brought to add to our funfest?"

"Just that your favorite dark entity is planning on making his grand appearance in the clearing tonight," Snow said sarcastically.

Naminé sighed, disentangling her hand from mine to set it on her hip. "And he expects me to meet with him in order to force me into an unwanted and gag-worthy marriage?"

"Well," Snow chuckled, "what did you expect? Though, I'm sure he'll be disappointed with you already having a mate." Snow jerked his thumb at me, and I flushed, feeling completely exposed while simultaneously wondering how many of Naminé's people knew about us.

"How did you—" Naminé began but Snow cut her off.

"Serah," Snow stated simply.

Naminé didn't let go of my hand. I raised an eyebrow at the name, feeling familiarity tickle the back of my mind.

"Is she the one who had a baby?"

Snow grinned and jerked his thumb back to himself. "Yeah, and I'm the baby's proud daddy."

"You forgot idiotic," Lightning quipped with a twitch of her lips.

"C'mon Light," Snow said, "I thought we had an understanding."

Lightning rolled her eyes. "We do, but that doesn't make it any less true."

Snow sulked at this, and I wasn't sure what to do, so I clumsily blurted: "Uh, congrats."

Snow clapped me on the back, his mood lifting instantly, and I stumbled forward, feeling his handprint melt into a dark bruise underneath my jacket.

"Thanks, glad to know our future king is such a family man. You already have the number of kids you want mapped out?"

"Snow!" Naminé chided with a furious blush. The brawny man laughed but didn't apologize. My gaze was anywhere Naminé's face wasn't, crimson painting my hallowing cheeks. "You're making him uncomfortable. Humans aren't so free when it comes to the mention of child-bearing, and…given our age…"

"Sorry your highness," Snow replied, "I just thought I'd have a little fun, but I should probably get back to Serah before little Claire starts screaming again."

"You better," Naminé warned with a smirk, "or I'll send Fang and Lightning to give you a thorough ass-kicking."

Snow brushed her words away with the assurance that he could easily take on the dark haired warrior and his quick-footed sister-in-law. Naminé nodded her head mockingly, but let him return to his mate without another word.

"So, what have I missed for training?" I asked hesitantly.

Lightning approached me coolly before landing a swift blow to my chest. I was on my back immediately, unable to block her attack.

"Clearly, you've forgotten how to defend yourself. So, we'll spend a little time on reacquainting you to fighting, and then, I'll show you what you've missed."

I wheezed, carefully getting back on my feet and brushing dead grass from my hair. "Sounds fair."

Naminé helped me up and then, pecking my cheek, informed me that she had some meetings to preside over. "I'll be back when you're done with training, and if I'm not, please use your meddling skills for good and rescue me."

"That boring, huh?" I chuckled.

Naminé shook her head. "You have no idea."

I watched as she faded amongst the gnarled branches and leafy foliage until Lightning handed me my sword. "Sorry to break up the love fest," Lightning said, "but we need to start training. Noel here will be your sparring opponent once we've caught you up."

Noel and I exchanged awkward waves; he spoke first. "I guess I have to be more careful with you now, considering the Queen would have my hide if anything happened to her mate."

I wanted to tell him the term mate made me uncomfortable, but I bit my tongue and smiled weakly as Lightning handed me the hilt of my blade. "I guess so."

KHKHKHKHKHKHKH

I stared into the amber liquid resting in my bowl, spoon poised but not daring to scoop the broth into my mouth. Naminé said it was a traditional stew made with wild flora and animals that surrounded the colony. I wasn't so sure my stomach would agree with it, so I just stared as chunks of meat bobbed and buoyed from the flavored waves.

"I promise you won't die of food poisoning," Naminé teased. She swept another spoonful of broth past her lips.

I shrugged. "I'm just not super hungry is all."

It felt weird eating with everyone. Normally, Naminé and I retreated to the top of some large oak tree and ate amongst the fading hues of a sunset. There was neither a marble table stretching from one wall of a cave to the other nor were there flickering lanterns stationed along the cavern walls. It was just us and nature.

"Tch, I'm sure," Naminé said, "all that training and you can't even eat one spoonful." I started to protest but Naminé stopped me with a spoonful of her own broth. I swallowed the hot liquid and could resist another moment before hastily devouring my simmering stew.

"It's good, isn't it?" Serah asked. The pink haired woman smiled at me as she cradled her infant daughter, who gurgled contently as her tiny blue eyes wandered from one gleaming prize hanging on the wall behind us to the glittering stalactites above.

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "Yeah, it really is."

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Serah assured kindly, "I'm sure this isn't the type of feast you're used to. I know I would be hesitant to eat anything I had never seen from your people."

Noel chuckled and bit into an apple. "You're always too nice, Serah. He could dishonor the entire clan, and you would still be making excuses for him."

"I'm not always nice," Serah pouted, looking to Snow beside her, "am I, Snow?"

"No, you're quite the fighter when you need to be. I would already be out trying to find those freaks killing our people if you weren't," Snow agreed. He planted a swift kiss to her temple.

Serah smiled smugly at Noel, who only shook his head and muttered inaudibly under his breath. I chuckled at the interaction, causing both adults to blush with embarrassment and look away from each other stubbornly.

"Are they always like this?" I asked Naminé.

"Pretty much," Naminé said, "especially with Noel being her brother-in-law."

I nodded. "That makes—wait…what?"

"Noel is Lightning's mate," Naminé explained. Lightning was on Noel's right, watching the scene unfold with amusement. There wasn't, however, any indication of her affection towards Noel.

"Really? They don't really seem like a couple…"

Naminé laughed. "Everyone says that, but neither of them are really that affectionate—at least not in public. With Lightning as the commander of my army and Noel as the lead hunter, they can't appear weak in front of the rest of the clan."

"Makes sense," I said and reached for the pear across the table. My stomach was already churning, but I wanted to stow away the green fruit for later.

"After dinner we should probably—"

"Your highness!" Fang called, drenched in the cold night that had descended quickly as she stood at the mouth of the cavern. "The Dark King…he's here!"

Naminé bolted upright and drew the blade from the sheath on her hip. Her ivory skin glowed when she walked into the night, and I watched, paralyzed, as she disappeared without a word to anyone. I knew that it was implied that I was not to meddle. It was obvious. But no one was watching me.

I slunk out, my body pressed closely against the wall, while the rest of the clan conversed in harsh whispers, trying to decide what would happen at the end of this confrontation.

With the moonlight dancing off the trees, I delved deeper into the forest until the entangled branches became less gnarled. My muscles begged for respite and I could feel my knees start to buckle. I ignored the manifestations of my disease and kept trudging forward until I came to the clearing where Naminé stood across from a malevolent figure. Thinking I was being smart, I hid behind one of the thick pine trees, watching their interactions from a distance.

He wasn't what I expected. Tall, lean, a head of auburn hair and attire that wasn't the all black wardrobe my mind had always imagined. I'm sure the girls swooned over him. Thankfully, though, Naminé didn't. She glowered.

"Genesis," Naminé spat, "what the hell do you want?" A fierce wind howled through the trees and sent wisps of her hair into a chaotic frenzy.

Genesis extended a red-gloved hand with a flourish that swept his ruby cloak back. He wasn't fazed. "My dear, you wound me. I simply wish to talk."

"I wasn't born yesterday, you egotistical jackass. What did you really come for?" Naminé's voice was sharp and unrelenting. I smirked when I saw Genesis' smile drop and his verdant eyes narrow.

"You never did beat around the bush," Genesis sighed dramatically, "but you know what I came for." He tried to kiss her hand, but Naminé reeled back and snarled.

I stepped forward. The branch beneath my foot, out of spite, crunched and I stumbled forward into the center of clearing. Naminé looked like she wanted to throttle me while Genesis eyed me mockingly.

"Now, who pray tell, is this? Humans aren't usually allowed amongst our kind…"

Well, at least I finally get to see what we're up against, right?

KHKHKHKHKHKH

A/N: I debated who should be the Dark King for ages and while I was looking through a list of male final fantasy characters and Genesis just popped out to me. I played Crisis Core and he was honestly one of my favorite characters and villains of all time just because he's so poetic but deadly at the same time. I'll probably be throwing some 'Loveless' quotes in upcoming chapters. Also, Genesis won't be super old but in Namine and Roxas' age range.

Anyway, I've been trying to populate the clan a bit so the presence of FF13 characters can be attributed to that (and the fact that I'm playing 13-2 right now). I'll probably be throwing Sazh, his son and Vanille into the mix as well.

Story Notes:

-Naminé and Roxas' relationship is moving much faster, but not only do we have a limited time for them to have a romantic relationship, but I always pictured the shape-shifters having a much more forward relationship. They get to know each other but that simply comes with a romantic relationship. Plus, they've known each other for quite a while…

-I paired Noel with Lightning instead of Yeul just because I feel that Lightning needs an equal to lean on and Noel, being both strong and mentally capable, seemed like a good fit.

-I admit that the whole concept of imprinting was inspired by Twilight. Initially, this story was going to have that feel to it, but since I've gotten out of that life-phase, this story will have no intentional parallels with the series aka the 'weird things' are NOT vampires.

Questions? Ask away:D!

Review Replies:

Jackpot786: Aww, you're too sweet! Thank you so much for your kind words and support!:D!

Thank you all of you lovely people who have read, reviewed, alerted, and favorited this story!:D!

I can never say this enough and hope that this chapter will be a fun read for all of you!:D!