"Namine? You alright?" Namine nodded and gave him a small smile as she leaned back again onto the bed. "I'll get you some water, hang on."
"That's not necessary. Tell me. Does Kairi like him?" Namine whispered, pushing her fingers lightly against her pale neck.
Riku shrugged. "I guess. I mean she didn't seem all that interested at the idea at first. But she accepted. But that was after what she said about having feelings for yo-" Riku stopped mid sentence and looked at her for a long moment.
"About what?" Namine asked curiously, picking up her sketchbook.
Riku looked at her for a minute longer before raising a hand to smack himself in the head. Of course! He had been about to blow everything up for Kairi. "I need to stop spending so much time around Sora. I'm turning into him."
"Who? Who does she love?" Namine asked urgently, standing up she looked a little more threatening with a frown on her face then she normally did.
"Er, Well. She's at Sora's right now." Namine turned around and closed her sketchbook with a snap.
"Take me there."
------------------------------------------------------ON the Way Back from the Auditorium, Roxas and Axel
"You've been rather quiet. What are you thinking about?" Axel said looking back at the younger boy who was slowly tagging along behind him.
"Things." Roxas shrugged and walked past the older boy, Axel winced he hated that tone, the one Roxas used when he had been in the Organization. Dark. Evil. Hot. Why do I have to get turned on at every friggen thing?
"What sort of things?" Axel finally said trying hard to hide his emotions and apparently succeeding. As unlike Sora as Roxas was he still had this sense of obliviousness about him.
"Kairi and Sora." Roxas stopped walking and turned to look at Axel. "Did they ever strike you as a couple?" Axel really wished they could be talking about them as a couple and not Mr. Brightside and Optimistic with Ms. Giggles all around. Lucky Aran Bastard. Gets to hang all over the guy of his dreams and here I am suffering.
"Well I guess they could be. But what does it matter? Let them do what they want." Axel gave a nod and a playful smile and then kept walking past Roxas. Roxas stood there still before speaking again and his voice back to it's normal way of talking.
"It matters to me. Sora is my other half. I want to make sure he makes the right choices."
"Roxas. Roxas. Roxas. You're your own person. Make your own choices." Axel said cheerfully and turned around again, and continued his walking once more. Still Roxas did not move.
"I am me. I know that. But I know what Sora wants." Axel frowned and finally stopped walking. Roxas's voice annoyed him. Protective. Caring. Non-Roxas.
"And what is that? That Sora wants?"
"Riku. He wants Riku." Roxas finally said. Axel felt his blood boil. "We have to stop this, Axel. Riku and Sora are both getting hurt by it. We need to help!" Roxas pleaded for the help of the other.
"Sorry. Talk to me again when you're the Roxas I remember." Roxas stamped his foot and shouted out and Axel's turned back.
"You mean the Roxas who betrayed you and left Organization 13." Axel didn't respond and just kept walking away. Roxas gave up and turning on his own heels raced off to find somewhere to plan things out.
Axel finally stopped as he leaned against a wall and with a faint whisper, "Not the Roxas who now apparently fancies Riku. Not that Roxas." Axel put his head against the wall and then looked up into the sky seeing the dark blue, remembering Roxas's eyes.
"The Roxas I loved."
----------------------------------------------------------------- At Kairi's House
"Sora? I really don't remember inviting you over."
"I'm sorry Kairi. I don't want him to suspect me."
"Who? Riku?"
"Yeah."
"Your hopeless. Just tell him you like him. He likes you. What's stoping you."
"Guys can't like guys. It's all physical." Sora stated looking up at the ceiling in Kairi's room as Kairi made up a sleeping bag for him. Kairi shook her head at him.
"You know. Looking at you. No one would think you think like that."
"But it's true." Sora rolled over and looked at Kairi.
"Yeah. Well you think of me in a physical way I'm sure."
"Huh? No way. I love your personaility too."
"Not as much as Riku's." Kairi spoke simply as a mother would scolding a child. "Just get with it Sora. You two were meant to be."
"I can't. He doesn't really love me. And I don't want to get hurt."
"Sora…"
"What?"
"I know your trying hard. But I still think about Namine. This isn't working."
"It hasn't been going on for long Kairi. Just wait awhile longer."
"Sora. Maybe you should give Riku a try."
"No. Now leave me alone" And with that he rolled over and closed his eyes shut. Just then the door to Kairi's room burst open and in stepped a whole bunch of people.
"Yo peoples! Didja miss us?" Aran stepped into the room and bounced around. "SORA! YOU ARE HERE! Roxas said you were! So I got all excited! What do you say we go and hang out sometime! I got a lot of cool video games and, and lots of other stuff!" Aran tackle glomped Sora who just sat there blinking a few times in confusion.
"Aran. Er. I don't think that was what Roxas wanted us to do."
"Roxas told you to come here?"
"Out of my way." A new female voice entered and a ghostly looking figure hovered into the room and turned to look at Kairi a smile plastered on her pale fragile face.
"Namine!" Kairi squealed barely able to contain herself she threw her arms around the other and held her close. "I missed you." Namine just smiled back at her and then looked about.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOMG. It's a ghost." Aran said pointing at Namine.
"That's just Namine."
"Oh."
"Lesbians. Sweet." Alex said taking out a camera.
"ALEX!" Jenny slammed him heavily on the head.
"This place is rather small. I think we should leave."
"WHAT IN THE NAME OF HELL IS GOING ON UP HERE! I'm only one apartment down you know." A familiar voice soon filled the room as a certain muscular dark haired upperclassmen joined the tight fit into the room.
"Squall!" Sora said grinning.
"That's Leon."
"Woah. That dude has muscles." Aran pointed out to Liam who merely shrugged and wrapped an arm around Aran shoulders.
"What exactly were you up to down there anyway?" Kairi cut in, you were pretty noisy yourself.
"Well, er,…I was." Leon seemed lost for thought.
"Leon? Where in the name of hell did you go?" a softer and yet strong voice spoke and up from where Leon had come.
"C-C-C-" Sora said holding out his hand and pointing at the blonde figure climbing the stairs, his clothes rather awkwardly ruffled. "C-C-c-c-"
"Yippee! Charades! I can do this! C'mon Liam, your on my team!" Aran squealed pulling at his boyfriend's arm.
"Um, Cactus?" Sora shook his head.
"Compass?"
"You idiots! It's the dude's name!" Jenny shouted.
"Carlos?"
"Tractor." Aran grinned widely at his guess. And Liam just shook his head at his boyfriends actions.
"Cloud! Cloud Strife!"
"Yo." Cloud said nodding to everyone in the room once. Then turning back to Leon. "Hurry. I'm bored." And with that Cloud walked back down the steps.
"Dude. He's cool." Aran stated and with a small snort was hit in the back of the head by his boyfriend.
"Why is Strife at your apartment Leon?" Sora asked confusedly. He had always believed the enemy rumor rather then the good friends one.
"Well, er, I, Just asked him to come over. No reason." Leon shrugged and began heading back down the steps.
"That's weird."
"Your Mom is weird." Aran said grinning, "Oh yeah! Own!"
"Shut up Peanut Gallery." Aran received another hit on the head but this time by Jenny.
"Namine? Are you really here?" Kairi asked looking into the matching eyes to her own. "I missed you so much." Namine smiled and giggled and then nodded.
"Of course I am silly."
"Are you guys gonna make out or what. I'm losing tape here."
"ALEX!"
"Kairi?" Sora said meakly. He hadn't expected to see Namine return. And at his words Namine turned to him her mouth open about to say something but then she closed it and pulled away from Kairi.
"I have to go. I'll see you later Kairi." Namine gave Kairi a small smile before turning away and disappearing out the door.
"Ten bucks those two hot guys downstairs are making out right now!" Aran pushed into the awkward moment.
"Will-Will all of you GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" Kairi shouted and next thing Sora, Aran, Liam, Jenny, Alex, Evelyn, Alexiel, and such knew, they were out on the street.
"Way to go guys." Alexiel said getting up and shaking her head at all of them.
"Don't be mad Alexiel! I wasn't trying to!" Aran squeaked. "I just wanted to see those two guys make out. Their hot." Aran grinned cheerfully.
"You really don't ever shut up do you?" Jenny said hitting the boy once more on the head.
"WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP DOING THAT!" Aran whined and started "crying".
Sora stayed over to the side rocking back and forth in a huddle position. What could he do. His plan was falling apart. At this rate he would have Riku breathing down his neck, literally. Why do I have to like him too? It's gotta be all physical. Just then he felt a hand land on his shoulder and it made him jump.
"Hey? What's got you knickers in a twist?"
"Heh.Heh. Liam said knickers." Aran giggled off to the side with Evelyn as Alexiel just shook her head at him and then grabbing him by the collar dragged him away.
"It's rude to listen in on people's conversations." She said as she dragged him away.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! No Alexiel! Don't take me away! I want Liam! Liam make her stop!" Liam rolled his eyes and waved bye to his friends before turning back to the depressed Sora.
"What do you say we go for a walk?" Liam offered and nodded in the direction of the park. Sora merely nodded and followed.
The park was the perfect place to relax, sweet smells of flowers roamed out of every inch and a tall sturdy wooden swing set hung in the middle next to a kiddy slide. Sora took a seat on one of the swings and lightly swung back and forth as Liam just leaned against the pole that held up the set. His actions reminded Sora of Riku deeply.
"So? Tell me. What's going on? You look heartbroken. Did you happen to just get dumped or something." Liam was looking straight at him and not up at the sky as Sora was doing.
"Well, er, I guess I sort of have been. Kairi and I were going out. I loved her. And I-I wanted to be with her. And now she loves Namine. I can tell. I can't keep them apart for my own selfish reasons." It was hard but Sora was proud of his answer, even if he did feel bad for lying to Liam.
"Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you like Kairi?" Liam looked over at Sora and he put his head down to think about it. "You should know right off the bat what you love about her."
"I love…I love how she's always there for me. Trusting. Understanding. Caring. Even if sometimes she can be a real jerk and can tell me I'm stupid. I know I'm loved. I know that no matter what she'll be by my side. Even without a stupid promise. I love his-er-her looks. She's good looking after all." Who am I describing? Kairi? Or Riku?
"Weird. It is exactly like he says." Sora looked over at Liam and noticed the boy was frowning slightly into the dirt now of the playground.
"Who?"
"My idiot boyfriend. Who else?" Liam turned and grinned wickedly at Sora who blinked a few times. "I do the same things with him. But when I asked him that question. Why he loved me. He gave me the oddest reason."
"Which was?" Sora hated to admit it but he was a sucker for love stories. Always had been even in Kingdom Hearts he loved seeing all those couples end up together.
"My heart told me too." Liam gave a small smile as if taking in a precious memory. "Odd isn't it?"
"Well, it worked. Your with him." Liam nodded and got up from the pole and knelt down on one of the swings to look up at the sky again, he didn't even try swinging though.
"Yeah. But he told me that it's true for everyone. He says there is no such thing as "true love". Just luck. He says that what decides it at first is looks but then you get to know the person and you fall for them through personality."
"That's a beauty pageant answer." Sora teased grinning slightly.
"What can I say? He's a drama queen." Liam said laughing. "For me and him. He must have fallen for me based on looks. We met at school. First day. I had no idea his feelings surprisingly. Until of course, he finally told me. But it was after 2 years together that he finally told me."
"2 years. Woah. I've known Rik-I mean Kairi since we were little."
"Yeah? Well over that period of time. He was treating me like an experiment. To see if it was really a true emotion. And wasn't just physical. So what do you think? Smart move?"
"Yeah. He's smarter then he looks. Oops! No I didn't mean to be mean!" Sora and Liam both laughed and then looked down at the ground again in silence.
"Well if you ask me. I think you should try talking to him, he can be a bit of a spaz but I'm sure he'd love to help you out." And with that Liam got up and waved goodbye and left. Sora waved bye back and sat on the swing a little while longer until he heard light footsteps get louder as they entered the park and there was Roxas heaving deep breaths as he saw Sora and then hurried over to him.
"Sora. I'm sorry. I didn't mean too! I just had to send them in! I didn't mean to get Kairi mad at you. Really!" Sora just grinned at his other half.