A/N: I do not own any characters. So I'm almost officially a graduate! And I am also "Valedictorian." So hopefully you guys can forgive the long months between updates. I'll be finishing this off soon I hope.

P.S. Thank you to the person who put my story in the "A Little Bit More" Community. :)

Chapter 17: Is this real?

Roxas grinned as he shut and locked the door behind him. "Miss me?"

Namine blushed and nodded.

"I can't believe you're here," she said quietly.

Roxas quickly took her in his arms, holding her close.

Namine smiled. "I like your hugs." She felt the rumble in his chest when he laughed.

"Hey… don't laugh at me." Namine mockingly frowned, looking up at him.

"I'm not laughing at you… I like your hugs too." Roxas said, holding her a little tighter. "So am I forgiven?"

"Hmm." Namine tapped her chin.

"I'll do anything." Roxas puffed out his bottom lip.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"Dinner. And a movie." Namine decided after a few long seconds.

"Alright, it's a date. Where do you want to go?" Roxas let out a little sigh of relief. Looks like Namine doesn't carry a grudge like her cousin. Thankfully.

"Here." She said simply and smiled.

"Here? I don't…"Roxas looked down at her confused, and she gently pulled out of his arms.

"I've got Frozen so now all we need is take out!" Namine tossed him the hotel menu as well as the take out menus while she put in the movie.

Roxas watched her with a smile. She was so beautiful and simple. And all he wanted to do was grant her every wish. Even something as simple as sitting on the couch, eating Chinese, and watching a cute Disney movie. Hopefully Sora was having some luck apologizing to Kairi, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had his own making up to do with Namine.

"I think I want Chinese. What do you think Nami?" He held up the Chinese takeout menu.

"I love Chinese food!" She grinned.

"Then that's that."

Outside the hotel…

Kairi's heart was beating hard and fast when she finally saw Sora outside the hotel. He was waiting for them on the sidewalk, looking scared and flustered, but his eyes didn't leave her face when he saw them coming through the double doors. She was silent when they finally came face to face, even though inside she wanted to scream and say everything she had felt up until that point. All those feelings were slowly bubbling beneath the surface.

Riku and Axel looked at each other before simply walking away, leaving Kairi and Sora to simply stare at each other. Riku glanced behind him just once. He honestly did feel guilty for potentially ruining his best friend's chance with a nice girl, though he'd never tell Sora that… After all, he did play match maker.

Sora finally opened his mouth to speak. "Kairi, I really need to explain–"

Kairi interrupted him mid sentence. "Sora. Please let me say something first." Was she really about to do this?

Sora frowned, feeling defeated, and nodded.

Her heart felt like it was going to explode, but she went forward anyway. She had to get this out now. "Sora, ever since I started talking to you on WarScape, ever since I learned your name… I've felt something for you. I'm going to try my best to explain, but I suck at talking about my feelings." She half smiled, looking down at her feet and trying to calm herself. She had Sora's full attention now.

"I look forward to every chance we get to talk to each other, even though it's every day on a stupid game. I look even more forward to seeing your face when we get to video chat. I really like you… And I think it might even be more than that now." Her cheeks felt like they were on fire but she couldn't stop.

"But how do I know any of this is real?" She looked up at him. "How do I know it's not my imagination? It's a stupid game and not anywhere close to real life. What if these feelings are just part of the game?!" She didn't mean to get so emotional, but it was really how she felt. She was hurt that he lied, but she was hurting more that everything between them could simply be a fantasy. Or worse: he didn't feel the same way.

Sora was taken back. Everything she said made perfect sense, but it hurt him to know she was afraid her feelings were false. That his feelings were false. All he had wanted to do since he realized his feelings for her was to tell her. He didn't pretend at all. He gave her his real self in every form.

"Everything… everything was real, Kairi. All the talking, all the texts, everything. That was all me. It might be a stupid game, but I am real and so was everything I shared with you." Sora took her face in his hands. "Tell me… is this real?"

And he kissed her.

Kairi let out a squeak of shock, tears slowly streaming down her face. But the shock was quickly forgotten and she wrapped her arms around Sora, kissing him back.

Her lips were soft and warm, and he could hardly believe he had finally kissed the girl he had wanted for so long.

In a dark room somewhere else…

Vanitas drummed his fingers on his desk, still half hoping Ariae would log back on. Her goodbye was startling. He still had a lot of work to do if he was going to steal her away from Sora.

He finally sighed and shut his laptop. He stood up and grabbed his phone and jacket. He needed a long walk. Preferably to somewhere near a sushi restaurant. He was getting hungry.

As he walked aimlessly, he saw two very familiar figures hiding behind a bush.

"What the hell are Axel and Riku doing over there?" Vanitas thought. He decided it wouldn't hurt to check it out.

"You owe me twenty bucks." Riku said, holding out his hand to Axel.

"Shit…" Axel reached into his pocket pulling out a twenty-dollar bill.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Came a voice so sinister it made Axel's skin crawl.

"What do you want Vani?" Riku said, stuffing his newly acquired cash into his pocket.

Vanitas cringed at the loathsome nickname. "Don't call me that!"

"Whatever." Riku shrugged him off and peeked back through the bushes.

Vanitas looked over his shoulder. "Is that… Sora?" He wrinkled his nose. How the hell did he get such a pretty girl like that?

"Yep. I bet Axel he'd kiss her." Riku said simply.

Vanitas took out his phone and discreetly snapped a picture. It might come in handy later for blackmail with Ariae… He could ruin that internet fling and maybe even…whatever that was Sora was having with that poor girl.

"She's much too pretty for him." Vanitas said as he walked away, the gears slowly turning in his head.

Someone else spying…

Her heart was slowly breaking but she expected this. She was no one. She was weird. Everyone thought she was annoying anyway. And here she was, proving them right by basically stalking Sora and this girl, who was some much prettier than her. And he was kissing her just as she had always imagined he'd kiss herself.

She let out a quiet sob before turning away.

"Either I let go, or I fight harder… What will it be?" She said to herself.