I know I had said in the previous chapter that I was gonna update in July and I didn't. Honestly, I didn't think that I had it in me to post this. I lost someone very dear to me and it's been so hard. He was my biggest supporter; he was the reason why I even posted the very first chapter. But I promised him that I'd continue, for he wanted to see the end of this story. He had been begging me for months to write a story specifically for him, and I shall honor that wish. He wanted a RokuNamiVen story and I will comply. I'm sorry to say that as a result of honoring his wishes, this story will take a backseat. Please forgive me, dear readers.
I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or Disney.
Enjoy The Silence
Monday, May 25
The sky outside was a bit too clouded for her liking. Naminé was much more fond of clear blue skies, but what could she do? She certainly couldn't control the weather. She let out a sigh as she looked away from her window and walked over to her dresser. She looked into the mirror and examined her face more closely.
As it turned out, Curaga was quite effective after all. The cut on her cupid's bow had completely closed and a small scar was left in its place. The gash on her forehead was complete gone, as it if had never been there. The bruise under her left eye was also a bit smaller, it didn't look as purple as before but it was still rather noticeable. Naminé wished that she had bought some makeup; at least that way she could cover up the bruise on her own. She walked away from her dresser and made her way towards her door, only quickly glancing over at her nightstand to look at her digital clock to see the time.
6:45am…at least I got a good night's sleep.
She left her room and closed her door; her eyes fell on Roxas's door across the hall. He should have been awake at this point since they had to be at the company offices before 7:30am. She considered knocking on his door, but there was a big chance that he was in the shower or something. So instead, Naminé made her way down the stairs and walked into the living room. Naminé could hear shuffling noises coming from upstairs, a clear indication that the other house occupants were awake.
Naminé giggled. I could swear that women were the ones who take long to get ready, not men.
She looked over at the home theater furniture set, specifically at the Wii. She seriously considered playing that one fighting game, even if she didn't know squat about the gameplay. Besides, all she had to do was senselessly beat the living daylights out of her opponents by randomly pressing buttons. How hard could it be?
Naminé walked over to the home theater set, she looked at one of the shelves with all the Wii games alphabetically organized. She giggled at that, it was safe to assume that Sora was the one responsible for their order. Her cerulean orbs scanned the boxes and it wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. She carefully pulled out the box and marveled at it.
"Isn't it a bit early to be playing video games?" asked a smooth voice.
Naminé didn't even have to look over at the staircase to know who was speaking to her. "Good morning, Riku." She said pleasantly. "I'm not too sure if I do actually want to play, but since you guys are the ones taking so long…"
Riku chuckled. "Good point."
She could hear him approaching her so he finally looked up at him. He was wearing a forest green long sleeved shirt that was rather skin-tight. Other than that, the shirt brought out the vibrant hues of his own viridian orbs. She was about to look away when she noticed that his faded dark grey jeans were also awfully rather form-fitting, especially around his crotch area. She quickly tore her eyes away before he could notice where she had been looking…while also trying to hide her heated cheeks.
"Is Vayne here yet?" Riku asked.
"I haven't checked yet." Naminé replied. "But I don't hear any car honks."
"There won't be any." Riku said. "Don't you remember that the gate will open automatically now? Vayne installed the system on Saturday night."
"Oh." Naminé couldn't quite recall when that had happened. She had spent most of the day playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess with Riku and Sora. Not to mention that she couldn't stop worrying about Roxas; the blond had walked outside to the pool area and spent over an hour talking with Aqua, Kairi, and Xion. What the conversation had been about was a complete mystery to her, for neither the three girls nor Roxas had said anything.
But there was a very noticeable change in Roxas. Before the four of them had stepped out, he had been very romantic with her. He had held her, kissed her, and was even quite forward with her. But after Saturday afternoon…he barely even looked at her. He didn't talk to her, it seemed like he went out of his way to ignore her. Naminé had attempted to talk to him multiple times throughout all of Sunday, but he spent most of his day locked up in his room.
"Naminé? Are you awake?" Riku sounded concerned.
She shook her head and then turned to smile at him. "Yeah, I just blanked out for a bit." Naminé placed the game back on the shelf and looked over at the staircase. "Think I'll go get my sketchbook and draw instead."
There was a small smile on his chiseled face. "You got a sketchbook?"
Naminé beamed. "Yup, Roxas gave it to me as a gift last Thursday."
Riku's expression changed instantly. "He did?"
Naminé nodded, though her smile was fading the more his expression darkened.
"Did he give it to you personally?" his voice sounded deeper than normal.
"No." Naminé replied. "After we got back from the company offices that day, I fell asleep and when I woke up, I found my sketchbook and a pencil case on my desk."
"So how do you know it's from him?" Riku asked curtly.
Why is he giving me this attitude?
"Because he and I had talked about his…illegible penmanship earlier that day and inside my sketchbook there was a note that said 'I practiced'." She said in a steady tone.
"And that means it's from Roxas how…?" His emerald orbs seemed to be burning into hers.
"He promised that he'd practice writing better." She said. Naminé was finding it a bit difficult to keep her voice strong when he kept giving her such an accusatory look. "He smiled at me when I showed him the note."
"He confirmed it?" Riku hissed. "He actually said it was from him?"
"Of course he did!" Naminé said incredulously. "He bought it for me!"
She didn't like his sudden hostility; she knew that Riku liked her, but it wasn't her or Roxas's fault that Roxas was thoughtful enough to buy her a sketchbook and pencil case. Riku certainly didn't like it, but it didn't mean that he had to yell at her for it.
There was a loud clinking noise coming from outside the house and that immediately drew both Naminé and Riku's attention.
"Vayne's here." Riku muttered.
Not wanting to remain in the same place and deal with Riku's jealousy, Naminé walked away from him. She made her way to the front door, trying her hardest to push away the last few minutes out of her mind. Taking a step outside, Naminé was more than relieved to inhale fresh air. Since the sky was so cloudy, Naminé could easily see the shiny black Cadillac Escalade driving up to the house. She glanced back at the gate to make sure that it would automatically close, which it did.
From inside the vehicle the merry-looking redheaded chauffer waved at her, a gesture she immediately returned. "Good morning, Vayne." She rasped.
"Good morning Snow." Vayne smiled pleasantly at her. "Still got that throat infection?"
Naminé gave him a weak smile. "Y-yeah, it just won't go away."
"Hmm." Vayne's brows creased in a thoughtful manner. "Have you been taking any type of medication?"
"You mean like cough syrup?" she asked.
"Yeah." Vayne smiled. "I know a really good brand that works wonders on any type of larynx maladies. It's called Esuna."
"I'll look for it next time we go grocery shopping." Naminé rasped sweetly.
Vayne's burnt sienna colored eyes left her and focused on something behind her. Naminé turned around to find that her three house mates were walking towards the door. Much like her own face, both Sora and Roxas's face were cut free. She couldn't even tell if the cuts had left any scaring, which it probably would, but other than the faint bruises on their faces, they looked normal.
"I call shotgun!" Sora boomed. He moved Roxas out of his way, nearly slamming his cousin straight into the door frame before he ran past Riku.
The blond blinked rapidly a few times before he turned to glare at the energetic brunet. "Dammit Sora, watch where you're going!"
Sora didn't reply verbally, rather he hopped into the car and gave Roxas a big, toothy grin. This made Riku shake his head while Naminé suppressed her laughter.
"Is he always like that in the mornings?" Vayne chuckled.
"Sadly, he is." Riku answered. "…most of the time."
"It's way too fucking early for this shit." Roxas grumbled.
He looks so exhausted; he probably didn't get much sleep last night.
Naminé wanted to ask Roxas what was wrong, but she could feel Riku's gaze upon her. She followed Roxas as he walked to the left side door, even though Riku wasn't following her and he had walked over to the other side. Roxas opened the car's door and looked at Naminé over his shoulder.
Her initial reaction was to smile at him, but the idea crashed quickly. His eyes looked so devoid of life, his expression unreadable. He looked away from her and got inside the car, but rather than sitting in his usual spot, he sat down at the back seat, where she normally sat. He then fished his iPod out of his jeans and put on his earphones. Naminé entered the vehicle, closed the door behind her and sat down in one of the middle seats, Roxas's usual seat.
Is he okay? She looked over her seat and saw that Roxas was staring out the window.
Does he normally behave this way when he's tired?
The sound of a door closing made her look up; Riku had sat down in Sora's usual seat. He looked at her, then at Roxas and then he turned his gaze to the front.
"Everyone all buckled up?" Vayne asked in a cheery voice.
There was a collective sound of seatbelt buckles clicking at that.
As the ride to the company offices went, Naminé couldn't help but let her thoughts be filled with Roxas. She wanted to talk to him; she wanted to know if something was bothering him, maybe there was something she could do or say that would cheer him up.
She recalled how he had looked when he had come into the house after his talk with Aqua, Kairi and Xion. Roxas had looked annoyed, angry, but more than anything…he looked so disconsolate. His beautiful sky orbs had such a mournful glow to them. She had wanted to get away from playing Mario Kart, but sadly, Sora had been more than insistent on her playing. Even after Aqua had taken the two sisters back to her apartment after dinner, Roxas had secluded himself in his room. She didn't see much of him for the remainder of Saturday, and she only saw him a few times on Sunday.
What could Aqua have said to him for him to act like this? Did…she yell at him? She certainly looked upset when she walked in on us in the kitchen.
Naminé then remembered that Kairi had also walked in on them in a much more…compromising state. It was very likely that the redhead had shared her discovery with Aqua and Xion. But hadn't both sisters expressed enthusiasm whenever Naminé mention that she was falling for Roxas? Hadn't Xion offered to be her own matchmaker? Why would they hound Roxas by himself? Why not include her if she, too was involved?
Was it safer to assume that Roxas had seduced her and she didn't have a clue? Naminé might have never felt that delicious heat before in her life, but she had certainly enjoyed it. She had wanted more of it…and if she was being honest with herself, she still did. But beyond his fiery touches, she wanted to hold him. To run her fingers through his windswept golden locks and to kiss him until her lips fell from her face.
The Cadillac came to a halt and Naminé looked out her window; they had arrived at the company offices. But what stood out to Naminé was that Vayne had parked in the back parking lot rather than the front end.
"How come back here, Vayne?" Naminé asked the driver.
"Didn't you see the legion of reporters at the front?" Vayne asked in mild surprise.
Naminé blushed. "No…I wasn't really paying attention."
"It's okay." Vayne smiled.
"I think the bigger question is WHY there were so many reporters." Sora said.
Vayne chuckled. "To get a picture of you guys!"
"But why?" Sora asked confusedly.
"Haven't you guys been watching the news?" Vayne asked incredulously.
"We don't really turn on the TV unless we're gonna play video games or watching a movie on the Blue-Ray." Riku answered.
"Ah, I see." Vayne smiled. "Well you might want to take a look-see. You guys are being called the most anticipated band since Final Fantasy!"
"What?"
Naminé looked at the back seat and saw that Roxas had removed one of his earphones and was now giving Vayne his undivided attention. "Are you serious?"
"Very much so." Vayne beamed at Roxas. "Not even The Organization had this much hype."
There was absolute silence in the car for a few minutes until Vayne broke it by chuckling. He shook his head at the quartet's baffled expressions before he opened his door.
"Anyways, you guys should get going!" he said as he leapt out of the vehicle.
Riku was the very first to react and opened his door before Sora and Naminé did the very same. After all four members had gotten out of the car they followed Vayne inside the building, going past the security guard offices until they made it to the lobby.
Naminé noticed that not many people turned to look at them, something that made her feel quite relieved. She was worried that the faint bruises that she, Roxas and Sora had on their faces would have to be explained to entire staff. She had been so caught up in looking to see if any employee had been looking at them that she didn't notice Terra approaching them until he spoke.
"You're all looking better." The tall brunet smiled. "I'm definitely going to personally thank Kairi and Xion's grandma for recommending Curaga."
"Are the girls here?" Sora asked.
Terra nodded. "They're waiting for you guys in your dressing room."
"Cool!" Sora beamed and he instantly began to walk away, heading in the direction of the first floor staircase.
"Are you coming with us?" Riku asked Terra.
"No, I have other things to do." Terra huffed. "I'm waiting for someone to show up."
Naminé could tell that whoever it was that Terra was waiting for wasn't a welcomed guest. Terra's voice and expression clearly indicated great dislike. He walked away from them, taking Vayne with him, leaving Roxas, Naminé and Riku behind.
"We should get going…" she murmured.
Roxas was the very first to walk away towards the first floor staircase. Naminé watched him with a torn expression; she wanted to talk to him but he seemed so unapproachable. What could she say to him? What words or actions could she offer him to get him to speak to her? She shook her head and moved forward, with Riku trailing behind her.
Naminé knew that the use of makeup could do wonders on anyone, but she had underestimated its power. When she had walked in to their dressing room she quickly had spotted both sisters chatting about merrily with Sora. They both looked absolutely flawless; it was as if Vanitas had never laid a finger on them, no one could guess that these two beautiful girls had encountered such an abusive beast. And then Naminé noticed another woman in the room. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant braided bun, with four long braids falling past her waist. The obsidian shade of her hair brought out the porcelain hues of her skin tone, her face itself was pure perfection. She was dressed in a form-fitting black dress with a neckline so low cut that her most prominent of womanly gifts were displayed in all their glory.
Naminé had never known that such dresses could exist, but here was this beautiful woman wearing one. It took a lot for Naminé to tear her eyes from the ebon haired woman's cleavage, it was just that impressive.
"Guys, don't be rude." Xion said dryly. "You can stop staring at her like that."
Naminé looked around and noticed that both Riku and Roxas looked utterly embarrassed by Xion's comment. Their cheeks were a bright scarlet shade, and both of them were trying to focus on anything else in the room but the buxom woman.
"Sorry about that Lulu." Kairi said apologetically.
"It's quite alright." Lulu said. Her voice was by far the most sensuous thing that Naminé had ever heard out of any woman's mouth ever. "One gets accustomed to it as the years pass. Sadly."
With a body like hers it seems that being looked at is inevitable. Not to mention that cleavage window…oh who am I kidding? I'd love to have her killer body.
"Anyways," Kairi smiled. "Lulu here came to do your makeup."
"Um…"Sora said shakily.
"Don't worry, she signed a confidentiality agreement." Xion tittered. "Not that she needed to do that, she's completely trustworthy."
"Thank you Xion." Lulu smiled.
Goodness, even her smile is attractive. Naminé looked over at Roxas and to her surprise, their eyes met. He gave her a crooked smile and Naminé quickly smiled back at him.
"Come on then." Xion smiled. She reached out and grabbed Naminé by the hand and led the blonde to her makeup station. The raven haired girl looked up at Lulu and beamed. "Time to work your magic!"
About thirty minutes passed before Lulu was finished applying makeup on all four singers. Naminé had been a bit taken back that not only did her face look fresh, but Lulu had made Naminé's brows thicker and darker. She had also contoured Naminé's face to make her look more masculine, something which not even the makeup ladies from Friday had been able to really do. Lulu had spent most of the time working on Naminé, since all she had to do for the two cousins was conceal their bruises. Lulu did work a little bit on Riku, just enhancing his already perfect face with a few touches here and there.
She also managed to do their hair; well at least Riku and Naminé's hair since neither Sora or Roxas's hair were willing to bend to gravity's rules. Naminé's hair was a bit more centered on her eyes, specifically her left side. This led to covering both the somewhat visible gash on her forehead and a bit under her left eye…even though the bruise had completely disappeared with all the makeup Lulu had used.
"Lulu, you do have a magic touch for beauty." Kairi said in an upbeat tone. "What's your secret?"
Lulu finished working on Sora and looked over at the redhead. "You just have to know what you're doing, that's all."
"Whoa." Sora said in amazement as he examines his reflection. "I don't normally say this, but I look good."
There was laughter around the room as the lively brunet got out of his seat and joined his band mates who were all standing about.
"You're gonna look even better when you put on the clothes we have for you." Xion said encouragingly. She walked past the four of them and into the sitting area. She stood next to the large sofa and it was then that Naminé noticed that there were four plastic-protected ensembles spread across the sofa's three seating cushions.
Xion grabbed one of ensembles and smiled at Naminé. "This one is yours, Snow."
Naminé walked over to the petite brunette and took her clothes by the clothes hanger. She looked at the dark colored plastic covering her outfit for the day and then back at Xion. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Xion smiled. She then leaned in and whispered into Naminé's ear, "There's something else in there for you. You'll really need it."
Naminé blinked in confusion but Xion ushered her towards the dressing stalls. Once inside, Naminé hung her garments on the wall hook. She removed the plastic and was immediately met with a white undershirt with a note on the center.
I think this will be better than your binding wrap, it's a compression shirt. I know it sounds kinda painful, but I've been assured it's not. It's certainly less noticeable and it's much more effective. Love, Kai.
Naminé grabbed the bottom of the undershirt and felt the material; for as thick as it looked, it felt quite thin.
It feels like nylon and spandex…it feels really nice, actually.
Once she made sure her door was locked, Naminé removed her long sleeved shirt and placed it on the second wall hook. She then unclipped her binding clip and began to unwrap her chest, her eyes on the compression shirt. She finished unwrapping her chest, letting her breasts free of their confinement. She grabbed the compression shirt and removed it carefully from the clothes hanger and marveled at the garb.
Naminé was about to put it on when a sudden and unexpected noise came from the stall next to her. She froze momentarily as the stall next door closed and was locked. She could hear the tearing of the plastic cover before there was shuffling noises that sounded rather like pants being unzipped.
Regaining her senses, Naminé quickly put on her new compression shirt and realized that it felt much better than the binding wrap. It felt much lighter too, as if she wasn't wearing anything at all. She quickly removed her cargo shorts and put on her mint colored tablet pants. She then removed her copper colored tee that had the words 'Chain of Memories' in white on the center. After she had finished dressing, she grabbed her own clothes and hid her binding wrap between her shirt and shorts. Then she covered it all with the dark plastic and walked out of her stall.
As soon as she had walked out, she heard the other stall door opening. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that it had been Roxas who had been her stall neighbor. He was wearing dark grey slim-fit jeans and dark red ¾ sleeve shirt with the number 'XIII' in black. She looked away and was glad that she did, otherwise she would walked into Xion.
"What do I do with my clothes?" she rasped at the brunette.
Xion took Naminé's bundle of clothes out of the blonde's hands and smiled. "I know where to put them."
Naminé watched as Xion walked over to Kairi with Naminé's clothes in her hands. The raven haired girl then placed Naminé's clothes on top of medium sized armoire in the back of the sitting area and began to unfold Naminé's clothes. Xion then grabbed one of the many clothes hangers and hung Naminé's garments. Xion was about to close the armoire's door when the binding wrap fell onto the floor.
Naminé's heart stopped beating at that moment, but Xion quickly picked it up before tossing the wrap inside the armoire and hastily closing the door. Naminé felt a wave of relief as no one else caught that little mishap; Sora was talking animatedly with Kairi, while Riku was lounging about in front of the makeup station. Naminé decided to go sit down on the love seat while Roxas walked over to Xion.
"Hey Xion." He called to her. "What's with today's getup?"
"We can't have you guys looking unkempt for your very fist personal interview." She replied gleefully.
"We have an interview today?" Naminé rasped worriedly.
"I don't blame you for forgetting." Xion said sympathetically. "Just about anyone forgets when they're going to be interviewed by the 'Chilly Academic'."
"Well, at least Axel certainly loves to forget." Kairi giggled. The red head walked over to the seating area with both Sora and Riku in tow.
"Who are you talking about?" Sora asked as he sat next to Naminé.
"Do you remember that really pompous guy from the Q&A panel on Friday?" Roxas said as he sat down on the single seat couch.
"Oh you mean the guy in that weird lab coat?" Naminé rasped.
Roxas nodded, but his eyes were not focused on her. "Yup, that guy."
"Oh great, that creep." Sora muttered.
"Why is he interviewing us first?" Riku asked the two sisters as he sat on the large sofa's armrest.
Kairi made a face that had great dislike written all over it. "Because he and Xemnas are old college buddies, so the Superior lets Vexen have all of the exclusives."
"I get the impression that this man isn't liked." Naminé rasped thoughtfully.
"It's because he talks down to people and act like he's a god among humanity." Xion huffed.
Kairi looked over at Sora and Riku. "You guys should go ahead and change."
The two best friends got their garments from the redhead and then walked over to the dressing stalls. Roxas got out of his seat and began chatting with Xion; his expression changed as he spoke with the petite brunette, he looked less tired. Even his eyes seemed to have a spark of life in them. Naminé looked away, she thought that she had moved past any jealousy over Xion's relationship with Roxas, but this certainly proved she had been wrong.
Did I do something wrong? He doesn't talk to me and he even avoids eye contact with me!
Had she genuinely done something to him? Had she said something she shouldn't have? What had happened from Saturday morning to afternoon that caused this cold behavior from him?
"You okay?"
Naminé looked up to see Kairi looking down at her worriedly.
"I think something is wrong…" Naminé said quietly.
Kairi sat down next to Naminé. "Why do you say that?"
Naminé leaned closer to Kairi and whispered, "Because Roxas isn't talking to me anymore."
"He isn't?" Kairi looked incredibly guilty and she sighed.
"What did you, Aqua and Xion say to him on Saturday?" Naminé said in slight desperation.
Kairi faltered; she had opened her mouth to speak but ended up exhaling weakly.
"Please tell me." Naminé urged. "He won't even look at me. What did you three say to him? Did you tell him to leave me alone? What?"
"Nami…" Kairi whispered. "We only asked him to-"
One of the dressing stalls opened and Riku walked out; he was wearing a navy blue crewneck sleeveless shirt with the words 'Darkness' in black letters, embroidered pocket washed skinny jeans and a leather bracelet that looked like two belts glued together. His shirt certainly served a great purpose; to show off his toned arms.
The silveret sat down on the large sofa, since all of the clothes that had been laid out were now being worn. Barely two minutes passed since Riku had sat down when Sora walked out of his dressing stall wearing a yellow sleeveless hoodie with black drawstring waist shorts. Unlike the rest of them, Sora was wearing the crown necklace that Kairi had given to him last Friday.
Kairi stood up from her seat and walked up to Sora with a pleased look on her face. "You look great, I'm definitely going to keep your style like this."
"I have a style now?" Sora grinned.
Kairi poked his stomach. "You better believe it! Forget the adorable part, we're going for hot instead."
Sora's cheeks turned a faint pink shade and kissed her cheek, which caused her own to lighten with a rosy tint.
"Get a room." Riku said pointedly.
"You jealous, Riku?" Kairi said while placing a hand on her hip.
"Burn!" Sora boomed which caused the room to be filled with laughter. The silveret didn't even try to hide his laughter but he did shake his head.
"So, moving away from Sora and Kairi's need for some privacy," Roxas chortled. "When is this weirdo getting here?"
"He's supposed to be here at 8am." Xion said heatedly. "But as history has shown us, Mr. I'm-Better-Than-Anyone-Else likes to show up whenever he damn pleases."
"So what are we supposed to do until he gets here?" Roxas asked her.
"I think there's a deck of cards in one of the makeup station drawers." Kairi replied.
"Anyways, we have to get going." Xion said. "Kairi and I have to finalize the details for tomorrow's photoshoot."
"Another one?" Sora frowned. "Didn't we just do one last Tuesday?"
"Sora, I suggest you start becoming fond of photoshoots." Kairi giggled. "Because you're going to be doing a lot of these from now on, trust me."
"Anyways, we'll see you guys later!" Xion smiled. Both sisters waved goodbye as they left the dressing room.
As soon as the door closed behind the two girls, Naminé felt a wave of nerves crash over her. I wish I'd have brought my sketchbook.
She looked over at Roxas hoping to see his beautiful sky blue eyes and that crooked smile that she adored so much. Their eyes did meet, but only for a few seconds before he looked away. Naminé's desperation grew; her need to know what was wrong was being cultivated with every moment of silence that passed between them. She watched as he got up from his seat and walked over to the four makeup stations, opening the drawers as he looked for something.
"What are you doing, Rox?" Sora asked his cousin.
"I'm looking for that card deck that Kairi mentioned." The blond answered.
Sora walked over to the single seating sofa and sprawled out; his feet hanging from one of the armrests, while his arms covering his face as he let out a loud yawn. Riku was leaning into the cushions of the large sofa, his verdigris orbs fixed upon the ceiling above him.
Naminé closed her eyes; she could hear the opening and closing of the drawers as Roxas continued his search for that card deck. She opened her eyes and looked over at the makeup stations where she could see his reflection on one of the vanity mirrors. His eyes were downcast, his expression lifeless.
Should I go up to him and just ask him what's wrong?
She looked back at Sora and Riku; the brunet still had his arms covering his face, while the silveret had now closed his eyes. This was her opportunity to talk to Roxas and get her answers. She looked back at Roxas and much to her surprise his reflected eyes were looking right at her. Her heart began doing somersaults, she was about to smile at him but it died before it formed on her lips. There was pain, regret and bitterness written on his handsome face. Her lips quivered as she felt tears beginning to gather in the corner of her eyes. When his own orbs noticed this, his expression softened a bit.
"What's wrong?" She mouthed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He mouthed back.
Naminé was far from convinced, and he could see that, so he gave her a soft smile. But she couldn't return it; she didn't have the heart to return his obviously forced smile. Neither was able to hold each other's gaze and they both ended up looking away. She felt her heart become heavy, the air around her seemed to thicken and her breathing quickened.
"I found it." Roxas announced.
Sora immediately sat up straight in his seat, Riku opened his eyes and gave Naminé a questioning look, for which she shook her head. She must have looked more distressed than she thought, but Riku's attention left her when Roxas neared them.
"So what game are we playing?" Sora asked drowsily.
"Uno." Roxas replied.
"How are we gonna play Uno with a normal deck of cards?" Riku said boorishly.
"I didn't say that this was a normal deck." Roxas said curtly.
He placed a deck of cards that was held together with an elastic band. Naminé saw that the cards had a black background with a red oval and the words UNO in white at the center.
"Holy crap!" Sora immediately grabbed the deck and removed the band. "We haven't played this game since we were little!"
"How do you play Uno?" Naminé rasped.
A slew of cards flew out of Sora's hands when she had spoken. In fact, all three males looked at her in disbelief. This quickly triggered her blush much to her adding embarrassment.
"You seriously don't know how to play Uno?" Riku asked as he leaned forward.
Naminé shook her head.
"Okay, time for Uno 101!" Sora said determinedly. He leaned down to pick up the cards that had flown out of his grasp and then kneeled before the rectangular shaped table in the center of the room. He looked through the cards and picked out a few ones before turning to face Naminé. "The game is really simple; if someone lays down red colored card, you lay down one of the same color."
Naminé noticed how some cards had the same color, but different number. "What if they're not the same number?"
"That only applies if you put down say…a 5 blue." Sora looked uncharacteristically serious as he explained the rules. "Say I don't have a single blue card in my hand, but I do have a 5 green. Since the numbers are the same, I can put down my 5 green card and it's still valid."
"But what if you don't have the same color or number?" Naminé inquired.
"Then you eat from the pile." Riku replied. "You can only have seven cards in your hand when you start. The rest will be in a pile unless they're at play." He grabbed seven cards at random and then put down one which was a 7 red, while the rest of the cards were laid face down on the table. "Let's say that I just played that 7 red and it's Sora's turn. But he doesn't have any reds or sevens, so he has to eat from the down pile until he finds a red or a seven."
"There are a few exceptions." Roxas added, though his eyes avoided her gaze unlike the other two. "If you get a +4 card, you can not only have your opponent eat four cards, you can also change the main card to any number or color you like."
"So a +4 card is like a reset card?" Naminé asked Roxas, hoping that he would look at her.
He didn't. "I guess you can call it that. There are also the skip turn cards."
Sora held up a card that had a circle with a line in the middle. "This is a skip card. You can skip the next person's turn, but only if it's the same color that's at play."
"You know, I think it'll be easier to understand if you play, Snow." Riku smiled.
"I think maybe he should just watch." Roxas said.
Naminé was hurt by his words, the fact that he still hadn't looked at her in the eyes wasn't helping either.
"People learn faster through hands-on practice." Riku insisted.
"I agree." Sora added. "Plus, it'd be mean to leave him out."
"I wasn't trying to be mean." Roxas said defensively. "I just thought it'd be better for Snow to see how we play before he tries playing it."
No one said anything further while Sora shuffled the card deck quite a few times. He then began handing out the cards to each of them.
"Are you even counting, Sora?" Riku smirked.
"I am counting!" Sora said proudly. "…I'm counting on you guys to keep track of how many cards you have."
Riku snorted loudly while Roxas let out a hearty laugh. Naminé immediately covered her mouth so that Sora wouldn't hear her feminine sounding laughter.
After Sora was done passing out the cards, each member counted their cards to make sure they had the right amount. When everything was set, Sora had placed the rest of the cards face down on the table and then grabbed the top card from the pile and flipped it over.
"Okay, we're starting with a 9 yellow." Sora said briskly. "Who's going first?"
"Go Snow." Riku said encouragingly.
Naminé looked down at her hand to see what she had; 0 red, 2 and 4 blue, 7, 8, 9 green and a +4 card. She had both a nine and a +4, she could use either one and it would be valid.
Maybe I should save my +4 card.
She placed down her 9 green card and smiled.
"Okay good." Sora smiled. "You can pick whatever direction we should play in, clockwise or counter clockwise."
"Oh!" Naminé looked at the guys and debated. If she chose clockwise, Sora would be next, but if she went counter clockwise, Roxas would be next. "You can go next Sora."
"Sweet!" the brunet beamed. He looked at his cards and then placed down a 0 green. "Go Riku."
The silveret looked at his cards and frowned. "I got a crappy hand."
"So I take it you're hungry then?" Sora said smugly.
Naminé wasn't sure what Sora meant. But it quickly dawned on her when Riku started grabbing cards from the down pile.
"Eat piggy, eat!" Sora laughed.
"Holy shit, Riku." Roxas snickered. "How hungry are you? That's like the seventh card you've eaten."
At his eleventh card, Riku smirked. "You look hungry yourself, Roxas."
The silveret placed down a +4 card with a 4 red and Naminé was worried that this would spark a fight between the two.
Much to her own relief, Roxas pursed his lips and shook his head. "Gee Riku, how nice of you to buy me food."
Roxas ate four cards and then at last, looked at Naminé. "It's your turn."
"But you didn't play a card." She said.
"When you get a +4, you don't play a card." Roxas explained. "It's kinda like skipping the turn, except for the eating part."
"Oh okay." Naminé smiled. She looked at her hand and saw her 4 blue, so she placed it down above Riku's 4 red.
Sora's eyes narrowed at her. "You know Snow, I wasn't feeling hungry."
"Star eating Sora!" Roxas laughed. "You're looking rather scrawny these days; you could sure use more meat on those bones."
Sora frowned; he grabbed a card and immediately placed it down. "Nah, I told you I wasn't hungry."
It had been a 3 blue, which was valid. Riku quickly placed down a 3 yellow, which was followed by a 5 yellow from Roxas.
Naminé's jaw dropped, she didn't any fives or yellows. She was gonna have to eat.
"Feeling hungry, Snow?" Roxas smiled. "Why don't I treat you?"
Naminé couldn't help but blush as she began grabbing cards, hoping for something good. On her fourth card, she got a yellow skip card which she immediately played. "Sorry Sora."
"Uh huh…sure you are." Sora said in mock anger. The façade didn't last long and he cracked a smile at her.
Riku then laid down an 8 yellow, which caused Roxas to play an 8 blue. She looked at her hand and saw that her 2 blue had a + symbol on it.
"Does this card count?" she asked as she showed her +2 blue card.
"Yes, it does." Riku said rapidly. "Eat two Sora."
Sora hung his head and grabbed two cards from the pile. Riku then played a 6 blue.
"Goddammit." Roxas muttered as he began grabbing cards.
"Keep eating fatty!" Sora beamed as Roxas was on his eighth card. "Damn, you're really hungry."
"Shush." Roxas hissed. He looked up at Naminé and gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry Snow."
It had been a blue skip card. Naminé shook her head and waited for Sora to lay his card down.
"Man, I wish I had a better hand." Sora sighed as he placed down a green skip card.
Riku gave Sora a dirty look. "Some best friend you are."
Sora gave Riku a big toothy grin while Roxas placed down a 7 green. Naminé placed down her own 7 green as well.
"What's with all the green?" Sora frowned, and then placed a 7 red. "Let's change the color, shall we?"
"Skip a turn Roxas." Riku said amiably, placing down a red skip card.
Roxas puffed up his cheeks and the then let the air out. He looks so cute when he does that.
"Skip a turn Sora." Naminé rasped and placed down a red skip like Riku.
"Boo!" Sora crossed his arms.
"Skip another turn, Roxas." Riku said lightly and played a yellow skip.
This time Roxas narrowed his eyes at the silveret, though he still didn't say anything. Naminé wondered whether Riku was skipping Roxas on purpose.
Naminé looked down at her cards; she had her 0 red, 7 and 8 blue, 8 green and her +4. She really didn't want to use her +4, but either she ate, or Sora ate.
"Sora…" she rasped shyly. "Do you want to eat?"
"NO." Sora said immediately. "I've got a crapload of cards already, thanks."
"Sorry!" and with that she placed her +4 and her 8 blue.
Sora groaned, though it sounded more like he was crying. He took his four cards while Riku and Roxas laughed loudly. Riku played a 9 blue and Roxas 9 red. Naminé was grateful that she had her 0 red and played that card. She realized then that she only had two cards left, and if things went well for her, she could win the game.
Sora placed down a 4 red and then looked at Naminé's cards. "Wait, how does he have two left?"
"Wait, what?" Roxas looked at her and then playfully narrowed his eyes at her. "Oh you're so getting it now."
"Make him eat Roxas!" Sora said eagerly. "Snow looks too skinny anyways! He's the one that needs more meat on his bones!"
Naminé had to once again cover her mouth to hide her laughter. Riku placed a 5 red and waited for Roxas. The blond had quite a smug smirk on his face that Naminé found rather attractive.
"Snow…" He said in a merry voice. "Have four cards on me."
Roxas placed his +4 and a 9 yellow. Naminé covered her cheeks with her hands momentarily before she grabbed four cards from the down pile. As she grabbed her fourth card, Naminé realized how small the down pile had gotten. She then looked at her new cards and saw that she had gotten yet another +4 card.
I still have a chance of winning this!
"Snow needs to eat more, if you ask me." Sora said mirthfully. He placed down a 6 yellow and gave Naminé a playful smile.
"Only Roxas can make that happen." Riku said as he placed a 0 yellow.
"Yeah no." Roxas murmured, placing down a 4 yellow. "That was the only +4 card that I had."
Naminé beamed at him, which caused Roxas's cheeks to turn faint pink. She placed a 6 yellow card and then looked back at Roxas. This game had somehow managed to break that weirdness around the two of them; honestly it felt like things were back to normal, they could both look at each other just fine.
"Snow, you don't hate me by any chance, do you?" Sora pouted.
"What?" Naminé chuckled. "Of course not, Sora! Why would you say that?"
Sora placed down a 7 yellow card. "I feel like you do. You keep playing cards that don't help me!"
The blonde covered her mouth yet again as another fit of laughter overtook her. She managed to see Riku playing another 7 yellow before Roxas placed a 7 red card.
Perfect!
She placed a 9 red and looked over at Sora, who looked half-nervous and half-amused. The energetic brunet beamed and placed a 9 blue, giving her a nod of approval.
"Finally there's a different color." Riku said with zest. He placed down a 5 blue and leaned against the seat cushions.
"Fuck!" Roxas hissed. There was laughter from the other three as Roxas grabbed the cards he needed, which turned out that he didn't need too many. When he looked at his third card, he placed it down which revealed a 7 blue.
Naminé quickly added her own 7 blue, growing more giddy as she only had three more cards left.
"I don't like that look on your face, Snow." Sora said suspiciously while placing a blue skip card. "We need to make him eat!"
"We totally would." Riku agreed. "Except we don't know what his cards are and we don't know if anything we play will aid him rather than hurt him."
"I got something." Roxas said and played a green skip card. "Not that it'll do much."
Naminé gave Roxas a reproachful look with a pout to complete her look. Roxas's shoulders lowered as his eyes widened a bit and his cheeks turned a crimson shade.
"Dammit!" Sora groaned. He didn't need to grab too many cards, as on his second card he got a 5 green and exhaled loudly.
Keep playing green! Keep playing green!
But unfortunately, Riku placed a 5 yellow. Naminé tried her hardest to not outwardly show her panic as Roxas looked through his cards. He ended up placing a 5 green much to her joy.
She quickly placed her 8 green and tried to stay calm, because no matter what cards were played, Naminé had this game won. A +4 and a 9 green card, she was happy that she had decided to save her +4 card.
"Snow really needs to eat." Sora narrowed his eyes as he placed an 8 red card. "He's down to two again."
"Crap." Riku muttered and placed a 6 red.
"I wish I had a +4 card." Roxas grumbled and put down a 6 green.
I won! I won!
Naminé beamed radiantly. "I won!"
"What?" the three guys said simultaneously.
She placed down her two cards and watched their reactions with absolute joy; Sora leaned against his seat and looked at the ceiling, Riku threw his cards on the table and shook his head disapprovingly, and Roxas rested his head on his left palm with a scowl on his face.
"How did he beat us at our own game?" Sora huffed. He looked over at her with a disbelieving look, and a slight pout.
"We taught him well, I guess." Roxas mumbled. "Good game Snow."
Naminé gave him a loving smile, hoping that he wouldn't revert to his distant behavior from earlier. His expression softened, his eyes were illuminated with tenderness and best of all, Roxas gave her a crooked smile. Her spirits soared, she felt her lungs filling up with what felt like the cleanest of air, and her lips created what she was sure was her best smile.
Their eyes met and everything around him blurred, she had eyes only for him. He reached out his free hand across the table and held his palm open. "Here…"
Naminé beamed at him and quickly reached out for his hand. She clasped their hands together and intertwined their fingers, gazing at their joined hands in a loving manner. She then looked up at his face was a bit surprised to see him giving her a disapproving look.
"I meant the cards." He said pointedly, releasing her hand as if her touch burned his skin.
Naminé looked down at the table and saw that there were several Uno cards in her area. He hadn't meant to hold her hand…
"O-oh." She murmured. She gave him a quick smile and began collecting the stray cards and then she gave them to him. Roxas took them from her and then placed them all together in a stack, before he tied them in place with the elastic band.
"You don't even know if any of us want to play another round." Riku hissed at Roxas.
"No one said anything." Roxas snapped.
"You should have asked anyway." Riku snapped back. "The world doesn't revolve around you, Roxas."
"Guys, don't start." Sora said tiredly, but unfortunately, his comment went unheard by the other two.
"Did you bite your tongue with that statement, Riku?" Roxas said acidly. "I'm pretty sure that that applies to you more than it does to me."
"Does it really?" Riku said crossly. "I guess it would kill you to think of others first."
"Says the guy who acts like everyone else is below him." Roxas fumed.
"Guys, knock it off!" Sora yelled in an irritated tone.
"At least I don't take credit for things other people do." Riku said furiously.
"What?" Roxas hissed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh how convenient of you to forget!" Riku sneered.
"That's enough!" Sora snarled. He got up from his seat and glared at his cousin and his best friend.
"Easy Sora." Roxas said warily.
But before Sora could say anything further, the door opened and Terra walked in looking quite pleased. "Okay guys, interview time!"
"Is that Mad Scientist guy here?" Riku asked, his voice still carrying an edge to it.
"Of course he isn't." Terra said dryly. "So instead of endlessly waiting for that guy, your interview will be conducted by someone else!"
"Who?" Sora asked.
"Oh you'll see." Terra smiled. "Time to go to Grand Hall A."
Naminé stood up from her seat and watched Roxas do the very same. He and Riku exchanged a heated gaze, which was quickly broken by Sora pushing Riku forward. The two best friends followed the older brunet out of the room, leaving Naminé in the room behind with Roxas.
"Naminé." Roxas spoke in an emotionless tone.
"Yes?"
"Do you know what Riku meant?" he asked her in the same tone. "When he said that I took credit for what other people do?"
"No." she replied earnestly.
He gave her a piercing look and then he shook his head. "Let's go."
She watched him leave the room without glancing back at her, not even bothering to see is she was following her. Her heart became heavy; her eyes began watering as tears collected.
I don't get what's happening; Roxas has never looked at me like that before. I know that I've barely known him for about two weeks, but…
She sat down on the single couch and sank into the cushions. What had she gotten herself into? When she had decided to take Snow's place, she hadn't intended for anyone to know her identity. Not Riku, not Roxas, not anyone.
She certainly didn't plan on falling in love so unrealistically quickly. She wished she hadn't, but it happened before she knew. And now his silence and indifference was hurting her more than anything else had ever done. But this wasn't the root of her problems, being Snow wasn't what had her in this uncertainty.
I need to know what Aqua, Kairi and Xion said to Roxas.
"Naminé?"
She looked up and gave Riku a soft smile. "Hey."
"Aren't you coming?" he asked her concernedly, his eyebrows creasing.
"Yeah." She exhaled shakily.
"Is something wrong?" He walked over to her and reached out to cup her right cheek.
"I was just thinking, that's all." She said feebly.
"About what?" he asked in a soft voice.
"Roxas." She whispered.
Riku's face hardened and his eyes narrowed. "Don't listen to anything that jerk says, Naminé."
Naminé looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait…"
"Roxas likes to talk out of his ass, he never stops to think about other people's feelings." Riku hissed. "Seriously, don't ever let him get to you."
"No, it's not like that-"
"Don't defend him, Naminé." He said crossly. "Roxas isn't worth your breath." Riku straightened up and helped her stand up and gave her a soothing smile.
"No, it's not anything he said." Naminé said in an annoyed voice. "Quite the opposite…I feel like he's avoiding me."
"That's actually a good thing!" Riku said with a soft smile. "Naminé, Roxas isn't someone you should even try to be friends with."
"But Roxas-"
"What about me?"
Naminé's heart stopped, her breathing ceased and her eyes widened in horror as they landed on the handsome blond. He was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed, but the worst part was that he looked absolutely livid.
"I came back to make sure you weren't hurt or anything Snow, but what do I find instead?" He said crossly. "Not only are you fine, but you're saying shit behind my back."
"No, th-that wasn't it!" Naminé said shakily; she got up from her seat and began walking towards the taller blond. "Roxas, I swear I wasn't gossiping about you!"
Roxas didn't reply, he merely raised his eyebrows.
"Don't waste your breath with this guy, Snow." Riku said acidly. He placed a hand on Naminé's shoulder, stopping her from moving towards Roxas.
Roxas's eyes narrowed; his heated glare pierced her heart and Naminé felt like she could cry. The blond turned and left the room and Naminé pushed Riku's hand away from her shoulders and bolted after Roxas.
"Roxas!" She yelled. "Roxas wait!"
"What do you want?" He growled. He turned around and glowered at her.
"Roxas, please…" She breathed. "I swear I wasn't saying anything bad about you!"
"Oh really?" He snapped. "Then what were you saying? What was so important that you had to talk to Riku about?"
"I was telling him that I was worried about you!" Her voice was starting to break.
"Some way of showing concern there, Naminé." He hissed. "Why didn't you just ask me if something was wrong instead?"
"How could I?" She hiccupped. "You've done nothing but avoid me almost all weekend!"
His eyes shifted; the harsh glare softened a bit, but his brows remained furrowed.
This is it, this is my chance!
"Did I...do something wrong?" she whispered. "Did I say something mean?"
His expression changed entirely; his eyes avoided hers and his lips became a thin line.
"Roxas…" She said softly. "Please tell me what's wrong."
She noticed that his fists had balled up, so she reached for his hands. To her joy, he intertwined their fingers together and finally looked at her.
"You haven't done anything wrong, Naminé." He said tenderly.
"So why are you avoiding me?" She took a step closer to him so that there was little space between them.
Roxas exhaled deeply. "…because Aqua said that if I didn't keep a distance from you she would-"
"There you are!"
Both blonds stepped away from each other as Sora walked over to them. "We can't keep the interviewer guy waiting or Terra will get pissed."
"We were on our way." Roxas replied.
"It looked more like you were standing there and talking." Sora mumbled. "Hey, where's Riku?"
"Here."
Naminé turned around and saw that the silveret was approaching them with a solemn look on his face.
"Let's head upstairs!" Sora beamed. He turned around and began walking towards the fourth floor staircase.
Riku walked past Naminé, but not before he gave her a wary look. He then followed his best friend and disappeared from her line of sight.
Naminé turned to face Roxas. "What were you saying?"
Roxas merely shook his head. "I'll tell you later." He began walking away, and Naminé could feel that her heart hammering in frustration. When he noticed that she wasn't walking beside him, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "Come on."
She walked forward, but her eyes were fixed on the carpeted floor. She only stopped when his sneakers came into her view. She could feel the tears gathering up in her eyes again, and gave an involuntary sniffle.
"Naminé…I promise I'll tell you later."
She remembered his words about him keeping his promises and nodded. Naminé flowed Roxas up the stairs towards the fourth floor with her eyes looking at the back of his head every now and then. She felt like she was wasting valuable time by being quiet, when she should instead be asking about what Aqua had said to him.
Whatever it was, it clearly had something to do with me or otherwise he wouldn't be avoiding me. Her eyes looked up at him again. I know he said that he'd tell me later but…I have to know.
"Roxas." Her tone was solemn, her voice steady and her eyes determined.
The tall blond stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. Naminé wasn't surprised to see her own serious expression mirrored on his.
"What did Aqua say to you?" It was clear from her businesslike voice that she wasn't going to back down from her stance until she got her answers.
"I promised you I'd tell you later." He said in a humorless voice.
"It's later." She said as sternly as she could.
But instead of answering her Roxas simply rolled his eyes, turned around and continued walking up the stairs. Frustrated with his lack of response she ran up the stairs and stopped in front of him with her arms stretched outwards, blocking his path.
"Tell me." She said crossly.
Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You know, you really should learn to be patient."
"I am a patient person." She replied. "But your silence is really draining my patience."
"Then I suggest you learn to enjoy the silence." He said curtly before pushing her right arm away so that he could continue his way to the fourth floor.
More frustrated than she ever was, Naminé watched as Roxas reached his destination and kept going. Naminé walked up to the fourth floor where she found him standing in the middle of the hallway.
If he thinks I'm just gonna let the subject drop, he's got another thing coming.
"Roxas-"
"We need to find Grand Hall A." Roxas told her.
"I don't care what we have to find." She hissed. "All I want is for us to talk."
Roxas exhaled loudly. "Not right now, I already told you we'd talk later."
He moved forward and she followed him. "Roxas, this whole situation isn't fair to either of us! Aqua wants you to keep a distance from me and neither of us wants that!"
Roxas stopped walking; she had hit a nerve there.
"I don't want you to distance yourself Roxas." She softened her voice when she stood directly behind him. "I…I want you near…"
Roxas slowly turned around, his eyes searching her. He looked torn; half-elated and half-disappointed.
Naminé gulped. "And you, Roxas…you don't want to stay…away f-from me…right…?"
She reached out to grab his left hand but he walked away instead, leaving her in her spot. She watched as he walked down the hall and looked over at one of the doors before he opened it and entered the room.
Maybe I have this whole thing wrong. Maybe I read too much into Roxas's words and actions. Maybe Kairi and Xion were wrong about me being in love with Roxas. Maybe he really does want to keep a distance and maybe Aqua didn't truly blackmail him into it…
She could feel the tears sliding down her heart shaped face and splattering on her shoes or the carpet beneath her.
….maybe I'm in denial…
But the biggest thing that bothered her was that she knew that she shouldn't be feeling this way to begin with. She was Snow Martin, not Naminé. Not at least in the eyes of the world, even if she was herself in Roxas's eyes.
Maybe Roxas is onto something here…something that I should have taken into account. A relationship between us wouldn't be able to work as long as I'm my brother…
And he knew that, whether because he realized it, or because Aqua had made him. The more she considered it, the more likely it was that this was why he was acting so distant. Aqua had told him that he needed to stay away in order for her to continue with the façade.
She looked over at the area where Roxas had walked into a room and was a bit startled when she saw Sora peeking his head out of a doorframe. As soon as his eyes found her, he began to wave enthusiastically at her.
Naminé waved back at Sora and tried to give the brunet the best smile she could muster. Sora went back inside the room and Naminé quickly wiped away her tears on the bottom of her copper colored tee before she walked to her destination.
She found Sora waiting for her inside the room with a big, goofy grin on his face. Much to her own surprise, Roxas was standing right behind his cousin.
"You'll never guess who's doing the interview." Sora grinned at her as she passed the threshold.
Naminé raised an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Terra had said it wasn't the creepy scientist guy."
"Yeah, it definitely isn't him." Sora said happily, his relief was thinly veiled.
"So who is it then?" Roxas's voice was laced with impatience.
"Someone you know well." Sora said smugly.
"We know this person?" she rasped inquisitively.
"Oh uh, actually, you don't know him Snow…" Sora said apologetically.
"But I do?" Roxas's voice had changed and he sounded quite curious. "Who is it?"
As the two cousins engaged in a game of questions, Naminé's eyes wandered around the room. She quickly noted that the whole size of the room was the size of her entire house…the pool patio included. What drew her attention the most was the center of the room; there she spotted what looked like a living room set straight out of a TV show. There was a large brown leather couch in the center with two individual single sofas on each flank. In front of all the seats was an oval shaped with a glass top, and on top of the glass was an ornate vase.
Is this a photoshoot set or did I walk into a sitcom set?
She then noticed a large green screen behind the "living room set", she also noticed a multitude of photography lights and light reflectors all set up around the area. She also noticed a small make up station a small distance way from the "set" and a rectangular table laden with various accessories and other trinkets. She noticed a familiar looking silveret looking around the area, with all of the female employees throwing flirty looks his way…which went unnoticed by Riku.
She hadn't been paying attention to the fact that her feet had begun moving forward and she ended up bumping into Roxas. "Sorry!"
He gave her a quick smile. "It's okay."
"There you are!"
Both Naminé and Roxas looked over their left side to see a young man walking over to them. The man was rather chubby; his messy black hair was held up by a black headband with gray lining. He had a red jersey on that had a skeletal looking dog with three bones above it and the words "Dog Street". Naminé felt like she had seen this round faced brunet before but couldn't quite place where.
"Pence!" Roxas said excitedly. The two guys hugged and clapped each other on the back as if they were lifelong friends.
"Say cheese!"
Naminé turned to her left and was quickly met with a camera flash. She blinked rapidly as her eyes focused on the photographer.
It was a young man with wavy looking blond hair that was styled upwards in an oddly manner. He was grinning from ear to ear, his chocolate colored eyes were lit up with mischief and he had an overall aura of a troublemaking child. The photographer looked like he was around her same age, if not one or two years older. At most.
"Hayner!" Roxas beamed. The two of them high-fived each other and then bumped their forearms together. "How have you been, man?"
"Alive." Hayner snorted and smacked the back of Roxas's head. "Don't you see me standing here?"
"Still a smartass as always." Roxas chuckled and then hit the back of Hayner's head.
"Still a bonehead as always." Hayner smirked.
The two narrowed their eyes at one another before they both burst out in laughter.
"You two haven't changed a bit." Pence smiled.
"But what would be the point in changing?" Sora asked. "You'll become boring."
"See Pence?" Hayner pointed an accusatory finger at his friend. "Sora knows what's up!"
"So I take it that you're conducting this interview, Pence?" Roxas smiled at the brunet in question before looking at Hayner. "And judging by the camera strapped around your neck, I take you're the photographer."
Hayner raised his head proudly. "Damn right I am."
"Terra called us about an hour ago." Pence explained. "And since we were still in town, we couldn't say no."
"So… the fact that this interview will the very first exclusive has nothing to with it?" Roxas asked in an amused voice.
"Of course not." Pence said honestly. "We just wanted to see you guys."
"Speak for yourself." Hayner scoffed. "First dibs baby!"
The four guys all busted out laughing and even Naminé had to cover her mouth to hide her own. However, it seemed like she hadn't concealed her laughter well enough as Hayner looked right at her. Naminé turned a bright shade of pink and attempted to hide behind Sora.
Sora turned around and smiled at her. "Oh let me introduce you!" He looked over his shoulder and said, "Guys, this here is Snow Martin."
Naminé smiled shyly and shook hands with both Hayner and Pence.
"Wow." Hayner said in awe. "You look like a girl."
"Dude, come on." Roxas swatted Hayner's arm. "Haven't you ever heard of androgyny?"
"Well yeah." Hayner said dumbly. "But he's something else."
"Seriously Hayner?" Sora said disapprovingly. "Way to make him feel awkward!"
"You're so insensitive, Hayner." Pence frowned. "Hard to believe you're getting married."
"You're getting married?!" The two cousins exclaimed simultaneously. But yet, for their unison, there was a difference in their delivery and tone. While Sora was both surprised and excited, Roxas was shocked and even fearful.
"Why does everyone always sound so surprised?" Hayner grumbled.
"I feel bad for her already." Sora snickered. "So who's the unlucky bride-to-be?"
"I'll have you know that Olette said that she felt like she was the luckiest girl in the galaxy." Hayner said proudly.
Sora beamed. "Congratulations!"
While Hayner thanked Sora and talked about how nervous he had been prior to proposing, Naminé looked over at Roxas. She was startled to him looked so hurt…how he had looked when she had been talking to him out in the hallway paled in comparison to this. And that hurt her deeply.
Roxas looked up and gave Hayner a big grin. "Congrats man! When's the wedding?"
"On October 24." Hayner said, a soft smile appearing on his boyish face. "Olette always loved the fall season, so it seemed like the perfect way to tie the knot."
"So how come we haven't gotten any wedding invites in the mail?" Sora said reproachfully.
"Maybe it's because I have no friggin' clue where you live." Hayner said dryly.
The conversation carried on about how Hayner had gathered the courage and popped the question to his fiancé. But with each tidbit that came to light, the more Roxas forced himself to look happy for his friend. It was clear that the news was hard on him, and Naminé couldn't bear to watch. Even when the conversation moved on to the quartet reminiscing about the "good old days", Roxas kept his expressions in check.
She looked back over at the accessory table and saw that Riku was still standing there, oblivious to all the girls in the area who were still trying to catch his attention. Not wanting to stay near Roxas, Naminé walked across the room and tapped Riku's shoulder when she had reached him.
"Oh hey." He smiled at her when their eyes met.
"How come you're here by yourself?" She asked.
"I don't know the other two guys." Riku replied.
"Really?" She was genuinely surprised by his response.
Riku chuckled. "You can't seriously think that I'm friends with all of Sora's friends."
Naminé noticed how Roxas was left out. "Aren't they from Destiny Islands?"
"Nope." Riku said succinctly. "According to what Terra said to me before you got here, these guys are from Twilight Town. Definitely not Destiny Islands."
Naminé giggled. "Thanks for the clarification."
"Glad to help." Riku smiled. He then picked up a bracelet from the table and frowned; the bracelet looked like two small leather belts glued together. "Holy shit, what made them think I'd wear this?"
Naminé looked down at the table and noticed that it was divided into four different sections of items and each section had a piece of paper taped at the top with each of their names. She looked down at Riku's section and noticed a necklace made entirely out of…handcuffs.
"Are you into bondage by any chance?" She asked as she held up the handcuff necklace for him to see.
"Not even." Riku scowled at the trinket, grabbed it and then tossed both necklace and belt bracelet on the table disdainfully. He looked over at Roxas and Sora's sections and shook his head. "Looks like they don't fare much better either."
Naminé walked over to her section and was quite relieved to see that most, if not all, her items had stars. Necklaces, rings, bracelets, wristbands, just about every item were to her liking.
"You got all the normal looking things." Riku frowned. "I get the S&M theme, Sora got skulls of all things and Roxas got a bunch checker patterns. You get stars…how is this fair?"
"Just lucky I guess." She said sweetly as she grabbed a necklace with three stars on it. The star on the left was colored black, the middle was gold, and the one on the right was silver. The chain was long enough for her to put on the necklace hassle-free, and when she placed the stars right in the middle of her clavicle, Naminé beamed at Riku.
"That looks great on you." He said softly.
"Riku! Snow!"
Both Naminé and Riku turned around to see Sora waving at them; the jovial brunet was standing on the "living room" with Roxas being directed how to sit by Hayner.
"I guess we're doing the photoshoot first." Naminé mused.
"Looks that way." Riku agreed.
The two walked over to the "set" and waited to be given instructions from Hayner. Under normal circumstances, Naminé would have hoped to sit beside Roxas, but not this time. She would much rather sit beside Sora or Riku, and if need be, she'd sit alone.
As it turned out, Hayner decided to have Roxas stand up and walk behind the couch, while Naminé sat directly below him. She tried to hide her discomfort but knowing herself she probably failed; this was confirmed when Hayner asked her to stop fidgeting. But relief came in the form of Sora who sat next to her and put her at ease. Much more so when Riku sat on her other side, she didn't even care that Roxas was watching when she beamed at Riku.
If Roxas wanted her to enjoy the silence, then he too would have to do the same.
The photoshoot took less time than Roxas had anticipated, perhaps because Hayner was cracking jokes all the time. Maybe the punch lines were a little lame at times, but he never failed to get a smile from the musical quartet. After several group shots were taken, Hayner decided to do individual shots of each band member. As soon as one finished, they would proceed to interview with Pence.
Roxas was the first to finish with both tasks; the questions Pence asked were rather simple and mostly were about how as a leader, Roxas had come up with the idea of forming the band. Everything was going great up until the part where Pence asked how he had reacted to Naminé's or rather, Snow's inclusion.
While Roxas had replied in the nicest way, his thoughts drifted over to the blonde in question. He knew that she was upset with him and she had every right to be. Roxas was sitting down on a folding chair that had been brought out for him after he had finished his interview. Admittedly, there were four chairs, one for each of them, so Roxas decided to make use of one.
Sora was still being interviewed by Pence while Hayner was finishing up Riku's solo shots. Hayner signaled for Naminé to sit on the large sofa couch while Riku got up from the same furniture. Hayner walked away to a small table that had all of his camera equipment along with a laptop while Naminé and Riku conversed among themselves.
Roxas's blood began to boil the moment that Riku gave Naminé a couch pillow and swatted her playfully with it. Naminé was laughing merrily as she grabbed the pillow from his grasp and returned fire, all while Riku gave her a loving look.
Are you fucking kidding me? She couldn't sit still whenever I was near her and she's all fine and dandy around Riku!
You can't really blame her; you've been acting like a douche to her.
Like that's my fault? I wish I could just take her and run off!
Then why not tell her the truth? Just tell her that if you're near her, then Aqua will take Naminé to live with her. Once you tell Naminé the truth, the two of you can avoid Aqua and still be together.
That's what I intend to do…if Naminé's still willing to talk by the end of the day.
Roxas looked over at Naminé as her solo shots were underway. She was leaning against the couch pillow looking unbelievably adorable. She had such a beautiful smile on her face, her cerulean orbs glowing with such tenderness…she truly was the most gorgeous being he had ever laid his eyes upon. Hayner continued to have Naminé change her position for the following 20 frames, with the impossibility of Naminé looking less than breathtaking. Roxas knew that Hayner was going to have a hard time choosing which picture of her to use.
Roxas blinked when he felt someone approaching him. Darting his eyes away from the beautiful blonde, Roxas saw Terra looking right back at him with a scowl on his face. It didn't take long for Roxas to know where this was going to go.
"Aqua told you didn't she?" Roxas said emotionlessly.
"She did." Terra replied curtly. "Roxas, I don't think that I have to tell you of how grave the consequences could be if you pursue a romance with Naminé."
"You're right, you don't." Roxas said acrimoniously.
Terra sighed and sat down on the folding chair next to him. "Look, I know that this situation is far from normal, but when Naminé decided to take her brother's place, Aqua reassured Snow that Naminé would be safe."
"I'm not going to rape her or anything." Roxas said acidly.
"I don't know you well enough to reply to that." Terra said seriously. "And even if you're being honest, another problem will be how the two of you outwardly behave. You might think that it would be easy to keep a distance from her under the public eye, but it's not."
I'm already struggling to stay away from her and it's only been two-and-a-half days.
"Trust me, your body language will speak volumes." Terra continued. "Even standing next to one another will cause the gossip from fans and press alike."
"Terra, I get it." Roxas said testily.
The tall brunet didn't say anything more as he sat in his seat. Roxas looked over at Naminé as she lay down on the leather sofa smiling at Hayner as he announced the last frame was taken.
"And we're done!" Hayner announced loudly.
Riku walked over to her and helped her stand, this action caused Roxas's anger to rise.
"What about Riku?" Roxas hissed at Terra.
Terra raised an eyebrow. "Riku doesn't know Naminé's secret."
Like hell he doesn't!
"But if he's near her, he'll surely pick up on something!" Roxas insisted. "That's how I found out. Riku isn't stupid, he can put two and two together!"
"You have a point." Terra said thoughtfully. "But you can't just shoot at random Roxas. You need solid evidence."
Oh I'll find your evidence…
There was a loud noise from the entrance as the two large doors were slammed open. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing as Terra stood up from his seat.
"TERRA DOHRING!" screeched a voice. Vexen Even Prince stormed into the room, his white lab coat rising into the air as he stomped over. He had a look of utter rage as he made his way to Terra.
"Hello Vexen." Terra said pleasantly. "How nice to see you."
"Don't you dare mock me!" Vexen hissed in a shrill voice. "How dare you give away MY exclusive?!"
Roxas noticed another man had entered the room; he was a tall lanky man with an eyepatch on his right eye, a large jagged scar on his left cheek that barely stopped under his left eye. His hair was dark with the exception of several grey streaks, all of it appeared to be tied up into a ponytail. Much like Hayner, this man had a camera strapped around his neck, which was lightly bouncing as the man walked forward.
"Well Vexen," Terra said, still keeping his voice as pleasant as possible. "Perhaps if you would have arrived in time, you could have been doing this interview right now."
"SILENCE!" Vexen howled. "I'll teach you to make a fool out of me!"
"Say cheese." Vexen's photographer said to Naminé and Riku, who were standing side by side. Riku quickly hid Naminé behind him before the camera flashed. "Oh bummer, I didn't get the girl in the shot."
"Girl? What girl?" Vexen hissed, his green eyes immediately seeking Naminé.
Sora quickly ran to his best friend's side to conceal Naminé even more from Vexen's view. Roxas quickly made his way over to her and wrapped her in his arms, making sure to keep her facing his chest.
"Could this be true?" Vexen said gleefully. "There's a girl among the Keyblade Wielders?"
"No, there isn't." Sora hissed.
"Then why are you hiding…him?" Vexen sneered.
"Because you're being an asshole." Riku snarled.
"How dare you insult me!?" Vexen snapped. "Mark my words, Keyblade Wielders! I'll ruin you all, I'll find a way to destroy you!"
"You need to leave the premises." Terra growled. "I'll personally escort you outside so that the other paparazzos can bask in your embarrassment."
"You'll regret ever crossing with me, Terra." Vexen hissed. He turned around and quickly left the room.
"You sure have a cute little lady in your band, boys." Smirked the eyepatch guy. "Sure makes me wonder who gets first dibs on her."
"Braig, leave or I'll call security." Terra said angrily.
Braig raised an eyebrow at Terra. "It's Xigbar, actually."
"Whatever, just get out." Terra hissed.
Xigbar chuckled and quickly took two shots at the group. "I gotta tell you boys something: you all have killer angry looks. That'll come in handy some day, I'm sure."
Xigbar left the room and closed the two large doors behind him. A few moments passed before anyone in the room moved. The first person to do was Naminé; she looked up at Roxas, her eyes silently asking if Vexen was gone. It pained Roxas to see the fear and uncertainty in her beautiful eyes, so he smiled as warmly and lovingly as he could. Naminé closed her eyes and rested her head on the crook of his neck, her grip on his shirt tightening.
Roxas sighed as his body crashed on his bed, his hands seeking his pillows so that he could squeeze the crap out of them. After their unpleasant encounter with Vexen, Terra had told them to head on home. He, Sora, Naminé and even Riku bid their goodbyes to Hayner and Pence, but not before exchanging cell phone numbers.
After getting a hold of Vayne, the four singers were taken to their beloved home…Sora, who still had plenty of energy to burn took it upon himself to invite Vayne to stay and play video games. But the redheaded chauffer politely turned the offer down saying he had things to buy for his new apartment.
Once again, Sora took it upon himself to volunteer not just himself, but Riku to give Vayne a hand. And much to Vayne's surprise, Sora didn't take no for an answer, completely ignoring his best friend's opinion of wanting to sleep. And so Roxas and Naminé were left alone in the house. But much like him, Naminé had locked herself up in her room, no doubt sleeping.
Or maybe she's drawing…man, I wish I could draw, all I do are crappy looking stick figures.
Roxas's thoughts drifted way from Naminé and to Olette…she was engaged, her wedding would be in a few months and he was invited. Roxas felt strangely hollow and yet…he was happy for her. Hayner could give her everything that he could not.
Hayner certainly isn't keeping their relationship a secret like I had done. The only way Sora even found out about us was because he lives with me, but otherwise he'd remain clueless to this day…just like Hayner and Pence.
Roxas had been surprised that not once in the entire time he had spent talking with Hayner did he bring up the subject of having dated Olette. Roxas was sure that Hayner would have chewed him out for it, but either Hayner still didn't know or chose not to say anything.
If she hasn't said anything…why hasn't she said anything?
Maybe for the same reason you haven't.
Roxas was about to take off his pants when he heard a soft tapping on his door. He got up and walked across the room, knowing very well who was knocking.
He opened his door to see a drowsy looking Naminé. "Hey Naminé."
"You left your phone downstairs." She murmured. "It's been ringing for the last few minutes."
Roxas frowned. "No, my phone is up here. Hell, it's in my pocket." To prove his point, he pulled out his cell from his jeans.
"Then who has a red cell phone?" Naminé yawned.
"Sora." Roxas smiled. "That dummy left it here. Kairi's probably the one calling him now."
"Hmm, maybe." Naminé mumbled. She turned around and began walking towards her room when Roxas called out to her.
"Naminé…!" he breathed. "I can talk now."
Naminé stopped in her tracks and clenched her fists. "Let's talk later."
And with that she opened her door and closed it behind her, leaving him speechless. His phone began vibrating in his hand and he glared at it. It was from Riku.
What the hell does he want?
His anger dissolved when he read the message; it had clearly been written by Sora.
Kairi and Xion are coming over! Pool party! 8D
Roxas shook his head. You just want to see Kairi in a bikini.
I do not! D8
Roxas smirked. Liar, you know you do.
…you said it, not me…but yes.
Roxas put his phone down on his bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He walked out of his room and across the hall to Naminé's. He knocked on her door and waited for a favorable reply.
"…it's open." She said solemnly.
Roxas opened her door and found her sitting in her desk, drawing away. "Hey, um, Kairi and Xion are coming over."
"They're probably checking on you." She said emotionlessly.
Roxas scowled. "Especially if they know that we're alone."
Roxas walked up to her desk and peered over her shoulder as she let her imagination venture out in its current path. Roxas felt like he should say something to make it less awkward.
"That's a nice sketchbook."
Are you freaking serious? Compliment her drawing, not the damn sketchbook!
Naminé looked up at him with a confused expression. "Thanks…it's the sketchbook you gave me."
I did what? When did I ever do that?
"I gave it to you?" he frowned. "When was that?"
"Last Thursday." She answered. "Remember when you said you were going to practice your penmanship? You even left me a note inside the sketchbook!"
"Can I see the note?" he asked warily.
"You took it!" she laughed. "Wow, you have a horrible memory Roxas!"
When did I take a note from Naminé…? The only one I took was Riku's…
It all clicked in his head. Of course he couldn't remember giving her the sketchbook, he didn't even buy it in the first place.
"Naminé…" Roxas said slowly. "Last Thursday…was that the day we fell asleep in your bed?"
"Yes…" she answered shyly, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks. "When I woke up, I found the sketchbook along with a pencil case here on my desk. Do you remember now?"
"Yeah…I remember now." He smiled. He leaned down to her level and pecked her lips. "Thanks."
She blinked in surprise and he heard a soft gasp coming from her pink lips. "Y-you're welcome."
Roxas ran out of her room and quickly opened his door. He looked around all over his room, thinking wildly of where he could have placed the very incriminating note.
He looked over at his trash can and saw a crumpled piece of notebook paper. With his blood pumping Roxas grabbed the paper and smoothened it out.
And there it was; in neat, eligible, slanted to the right handwriting.
Here's a gift for you, I hope you like it.
I practiced.
No wonder she thinks I gave it to her, it says 'I practiced'.
But what exactly did he practice? Sneaking into a girl's room while she's sleeping? Creep.
It doesn't matter, I have evidence now that Riku knows her secret. Especially since Naminé had been wearing a strapless dress that day.
There was a loud buzzing noise coming from downstairs.
"Roxas!" Naminé called from outside his room. "Kairi and Xion are here!"
Roxas smiled. Looks like I won't be the only who has to stay away from Naminé.
RIP Gabriel Mendoza, you were the big brother I always wanted and I love you with all of my heart.