A/N: As always, first off, thank you to all my lovely reviewers! You guys are over-flowing with awesomeness – and you're all so thoughtful in your reviews! I adore them.
So… this chapter actually didn't take me very long to write, I just had to finish up a challenge fic first. Sorry for the wait (but look at the bright side, I did it within a month!)… by the way, a reminder is that Whiplash's and LiD's stories have almost caught up with each other. After the opening scene with Whiplash, everything is happening simultaneously for the two bands, okay? Just letting you know… well, hope you like the chapter!
Btw, I know I've been doing this for a while, but with Whiplash it may get more prominent… there's going to be more slang used, you know? The thing is, it's slang from where around I live and stuff, so I don't know if everyone will, like, understand it, you know? If it gets to be too much, then let me know, okay? I'll think of something then, otherwise, hope it's cool with you guys.
Summary: AU: Riku's band has the chance of a lifetime--they've finally made it to the Nationals. Between a wild road trip to the finals, band bonding and heated rivalry, which band will rise above the rest for a shot at fame? Sokai, Namiku, AkuRoku. Rated for strong language and suggestive themes.
Disclaimer: Yes, yes, everything belongs to Square and Disney, okay? Jeez.
LiD: Rise and Crescendo
Chapter Nine: Repercussions and Reunions
"Can we please go check on Roxas?"
"Axel, no – Xiggy knows what he's doing, and we can't just leave the car by the roadside, right?"
"Can't you just stay here – "
"Dude! Having two guys in a bush is suspicious as it is, but three, four? C'mon, you know better than that."
"Huh – I otta kick Xiggy's ass; why the hell did he have that shit on him?"
Demyx rolled his eyes at his blazing friend. Heh, blazing – that was kinda like flaming. And if Axel wasn't even somewhat flaming, then Demyx would eat his guitar (which was currently resting in his arms as he strummed away absently) with his hair gel for dressing. The fauxhawked-boy just wished the redhead would come out with it, jeez. The moron. Speaking of which, Demyx said,
"Look, man; it wasn't Xiggy's fault – he woulda been tokin' out too, if Roxas hadn't done it first. Hey, we all woulda – so maybe we should be thanking Roxas, for, you know, taking one for the team?" It made sense to Demyx. What was the point in worrying over everything, jeez? The redhead always made a mountain out of a molehill.
This wasn't the first time one of them had gone a bit overboard – although, normally weed didn't make anyone puke… that had to be some seriously bad shit for it to have that as an effect.
Axel huffed and leaned against his black convertible, the spray-painted flames running along the sides, reflecting the eighteen-year-old's mood well. Again, Demyx was reminded of flaming. The redhead brought another cigarette to his lips, having chain-smoked through a crapload of fags already. The guy was really worried about Roxas.
Oh, wait – that made sense.
"Demyx?" Axel said, without turning around to look at the blond, who was sitting up on the ledge of the backseat, so that his feet rested on the leather. Demyx looked up mildly, stilling the strings. There was a cool silence in the late evening, where neither said a word.
In the distance, he heard another heaving wretch from behind the bushes. Eww, and a splattering sound… and a rowdy, encouraging laugh from Xiggy ("Atta boy!" Xiggy called out, no doubt slapping a nauseas Roxas on the back). Dumbass, Demyx shook his head.
"Hey, Dem?" Axel called again, softly from where he stood as he stared into the dark bush of forest beside the car. Raising his eyebrows at the tinge of fear in his best friend's voice, Demyx casually replied,
"Yeah?"
"You know this wouldn't have happened if Roxas hadn't gone through so much weed, right?"
"Huh? What – no, whoever gave that stuff to Xiggy just didn't do it right – not our – "
Axel sighed dramatically and interrupted, "That's not the point, Dem."
"Come again?" Demyx cocked his head to the side, and watched Axel throw him a glance over his shoulder. Then, the redhead looked around quickly before turning back to the blond and saying,
"Look, Roxas is upset," the redhead had dropped his voice a lot, "because, well, you know his step-sister, right?"
"You mean Larxene?" Yeah, Demyx knew the bitch. "The one with way too much attitude and long nails?" Nails that left scratches on pale skin, even if Roxas wouldn't admit it.
"Yeah."
There was a pause. Sighing, Demyx put the guitar down and scooted over so he could hear Axel better. Easing the blond another glance, the redhead opened his mouth –
there was another wretch in the distance, though no splattering this time – and grimaced as he motioned in Roxas' direction with his head. Leaning in, he said quietly, "We ran into her at the hotel that Roxas spent the night in."
"No way! Why the friggin' hell would she have been in Tortuga?"
"That's exactly what me and Roxas thought. But – "
"Did she give you and Roxas a hard time?" Demyx cursed again in his head. Larxene? What the… why… she wasn't following Roxas, was she? No way. Even Larxene wasn't that evil, right?
"No, see, she didn't see us – "
"That's 'cause she's a moron," Demyx cut in.
"Anyways, we overheard a conversation she was having with some guy – "
"Probably a new boyfriend. Wait, did he look like a jerk? Someone Roxas should be – "
"Stop interrupting me. Dammit, Demyx, I don't know, me and Roxas were in a closet for frig's sake, we couldn't see – "
"A closet, eh?" Demyx snickered and leaned back, mindset shifting quickly. Heh, closet… Axel glared heatedly, and hissed,
"Yeah? So? It was the only place to hide, so – "
"You sure about that, Axel? Sure there wasn't anything else?"
"What are you talking about, Demyx? Roxas is my friend, and we were hiding from his bitch of a sister because Roxas didn't have the balls to spit something on to her friggin' face so – "
"Whatever, Axel."
"Demyx! What the hell? Tell me what you mean!" Demyx blinked. There wasn't panic in Axel's voice, because it was overlaid with genuine curiosity. Meeting the redhead's emerald eyes, Demyx could have sworn he saw a flicker of hope? in his friend's eyes.
Well, it was now or never; moments where the question was right there and no one else was around, were rare.
"Axel, come on; you think I'm stupid? Roxas isn't just a friend to you, is he?" Axel said nothing, eyes steeling for the worst. Off in the distance, another splattering – no, a splashing – sound was heard, and Axel bit his lip nervously in spite of himself. Shaking his head, Demyx continued with a smug smirk, "Ha! I knew it! Dude; you're flaming."
Axel shot the blond a scowl and swung a punch in Demyx's general direction. His fist was met with a thick skull, and some hair gel. Demyx laughed it off though – figures! Ha! Demyx had been right along about Axel, hadn't he? Heh, he wasn't a complete moron, sweet. He was gonna hang this one over Axel's head for the rest of –
"You – you don't… care?" Axel had been watching Demyx laugh cheerfully. Demyx slid down so he was sitting properly in the seat. Propping up his feet on the head of the driver's seat, Demyx frowned and thought for a moment. Did he care? Maybe… maybe he would have, if this had been a bit more shocking.
Come to think of it, Demyx had been a bit surprised when he'd figured it out… what, three years ago? But now… it was almost like he'd gotten accustomed to the idea without Axel really saying a word. One of the benefits, he supposed, from knowing the guy since they were kids. In fact, if Demyx had made the comment and Axel had claimed to not be gay (or bisexual, Demyx thought, remembering that discussion at band rehearsal), that would probably send Demyx into flabbergastion.
Demyx grinned up at him.
"As long as you don't try and feel me up at night, it's cool, man. You're always gonna be cocky-assed, too-friggin'-charming-for-his-own-good-Axel to me."
Axel, for the first time since they'd pulled over so Roxas could be sick from bad weed, laughed. Demyx raised an eyebrow, but grinned anyways – the redhead sounded relieved. Yeesh, had Axel ever thought there was a reason to worry?
"Hey, guys! Look who's back in action, eh?" Xiggy's voice interrupted, rugged as the two came into view. Xiggy had an arm around a very pasty-skinned, blood-shot-eyed Roxas. The blond stumbled a bit, and his eyes were still glazed over. The kid was trembling, no doubt from the combination of a bad trip, and the cold of the evening – wait a second, weren't Roxas' clothes lighter before he left? Demyx shook off the thought, though, as he opened the car door.
"Rox? Feeling any better?" Demyx asked, while Axel started up the car. The kid's lips were practically blue, and as Demyx tugged the kid back into the convertible, bringing a chill with him. And the dampness…
"What the hell, Xiggy? Why is he soaking wet?" Demyx shrugged off his black, leather trench coat quickly, and wrapped it around Roxas. Dammit – the kid's teeth were chattering, and his fingers were like ice.
"Ah, well… after he kinda puked out his guts, he stumbled around… and, uh, there was this little pond… "
"Xiggy!" Demyx almost whined – the moron. He would have to –
"Ow!" Xiggy called out from the passenger seat, glaring. "Faggot, what was that for?" Axel, it seemed, had struck the drug-dealer somehow, and hissed, as he shrugged off his own trench coat,
"Can't you friggin' pay attention? I'm amazed Roxas didn't drown, with you taking 'care' of him!"
"Hey! At least I fished him out of it!"
Axel rolled his eyes and threw his coat aimlessly into the backseat, still irritable. Demyx sighed, wrapping Axel's coat around Roxas as well. He did this, remembering how when Demyx was a child, he'd fallen out of his window during winter: his grandfather had dug him out of the snow and his grandmother had layered him in blankets and served him endless hot chocolate. Huh – even though it had been his fault, in the first place, for being stupid enough to try and catch a snowflake from his bedroom.
Heaving a groan, Demyx shifted around, propping his feet against the seat in front of him (much to Xiggy's annoyance), and sprawled Roxas across the seat, resting his head in Demyx's lap. Roxas shivered with the movement – poor kid – and Demyx weaved an arm under Roxas', settling it across his chest, and held him tight.
He grimaced – anyone looking was going to think he was completely gay, or something, jeez. But still, he couldn't leave Roxas to fend for his own body heat… with another sigh, Demyx pulled up the hood of Axel's trench coat, covering Roxas' face entirely. The blond mumbled something incoherent, but was too stoned to really take in what was happening.
There. Now, people might just think it was a kid or something. And, Roxas would be doubly warm… and Demyx still had his arm around the kid to hold him in place. Roxas shuddered, and curled up against him – Demyx growled,
"Stop that: I am trying to keep you warm, kid. Not cuddle with you, jeez." Roxas didn't seem to hear, instead whimpering and nuzzling closer to Demyx's chest. Shit, the kid was icy cold, stealing Demyx heat and he smelled like puke. And algae, or something… nuclear toxins, maybe? Whatever was being dumped into ponds these days. And he reeked of pot… ugh – whoever gave Xiggy that stupid, shit-ass weed needed to be shot. Repeatedly.
Dammit all, if Demyx could drive, he would have so switched spots with Axel. The redhead was flicking his eyes to the rearview mirror in… in envy as it was. Demyx rolled his eyes, and mouthed (feeling like an idiot – Axel was jealous of Demyx to steal Roxas; the thought was laughable) with a shrug,
Sorry.
LiD
Okay, so far, so good.
Riku hadn't said anything last night (well, Sora and Tidus had all fallen "asleep", and tucked tightly into bed when Riku came in) – they would be safe for a while. Well, that's what Sora was telling himself, anyways. Most of the physical evidence was gone anyways – his nose had stopped bleeding, as had most of their cuts; they had cleaned
themselves up; Kairi had even dabbed some make-up on all of them (with much fidgeting on their part) to cover up the worst of the bruises before they left for downstairs.
Naminé and Riku were already in the convertible outside, and Kairi was finishing up her hair before the other three headed down. Truth to be told, no one wanted to risk being caught on their own – who knew? Maybe Riku actually had X-ray vision or something, and could see through every lie? Or mind-reading abilities? Or an outstanding knowledge of make-up colour application?
No, wait; that would be really weird.
Speaking of make-up…
"Tidus, I'm pretty sure that your black eye is invisible at this point," Sora said, watching Tidus continue to dab powder over his face, particularly his nose. Tidus jumped a little, and quickly put the cosmetics down.
"Oh! Oh, yeah… I, uh… see, there was this little red-bump-thing, and, heh, I just thought you know, I should cover it up, and like… you know… heh…" Tidus rubbed the back of his head, with a very sheepish grin. Catching Sora's smirk, Tidus burst out in a huff, "Hey! Can't guys be pretty too? Look at that guy on Destiny's Idol… you know, the host? He's a total metero and the ladies love him? Right?!"
"Whatever you say, man. Whatever you say," Sora replied with a wave of his hand, standing up from his chair. "But just so you know… you can tell us anything, you know? And besides… don't chicks dig the whole guy-on-guy thing? You're opening up whole new doors for yourself, man!"
Tidus grinned wryly. "Eh…?" he began, mock-fluttering his eyelashes. "Don't you have a girlfriend, Sora?" Sora, in turn, managed a laugh.
"As much as you want me, you'll have to get through Kairi first!" Sora grinned, knowing full well that Kairi was in the bathroom and could hear every word.
"Hey, I'm cool with three-way," Tidus said casually, smirking. Sora let out an audible groan, and smacked his forehead. He should know better than to play, er, 'word association' games with Tidus.
Kairi's voice suddenly rang through the bathroom door,
"Hey! Can one of you pass me my Mellow Mocha 24-Hour Lip Sheen?"
Sora grinned and replied, readying a pillow in front of himself,
"Sorry! I think T's borrowing it… and I have to say, it's quite the colour on him!"
The pillow served good purpose – a good three nail polish bottles were chucked in his general direction.
Kairi came out of the bathroom rolling her eyes –"boys" – and headed straight out the door after grabbing her purse. She was waiting, however, for them at the front lobby – Riku and Naminé were waiting in the car, sharing what looked like an enjoyable conversation. Sora grinned – 'bout friggin' time.
LiD
Winding streets before him, Roxas weaved his way through rushing people with cell phones attached to their ears; high-class cars and pimped rides; intimidating public transit; and past boutiques and branded stores.
This place was nothing like D'Arc – oh sure, Roxas' hometown was a nice place in the suburbs, but downtown? Roxas could still recall the first time Axel had taken Roxas to explore the real D'Arc… not something that could easily be forgotten.
Funny how he could recall a memory almost three-years-old, yet that morning had slipped past him completely. And last night, for that matter. After having shaken off the initial "Holy crap! I've been drugged, again! I must have been kidnapped and taken to an awesome hotel suite to be interrogated by high-profile agents working for the president and senate and…" phase, Roxas realized they had arrived in Twilight City, and had taken his first glance.
Apparently, he had been stoned yesterday on some bad shit – Xiggy had apologized for that, with a few prompting glares from Axel. But as to why Roxas was wearing different clothes than he remembered changing into yesterday morning, his friends hadn't explained, and Roxas figured he was better off not asking.
He had to admit though: it sucked ass to have missed the initial entry into this incredible city – the media capital of the world. Roxas couldn't have been more ecstatic – there were plenty of just-released special additions DVDs (and the new kick ass Green-ray discs for his Gamestation 4 and GSP) and Roxas was sure his father had enough connections to get him into some premiere or another. At least the man was good for something.
Ah – here he was supposed to be.
When checking into their hotel suite, the lady at the desk had informed them that all contestants for the Clincher had some sort of announcement-square-meeting-place-thing to attend to this morning. Axel and Demyx had already left once Roxas had given them the a-okay – there was no way Roxas was gonna jump outta bed right away after a night like that. Axel had looked particularly grudging about leaving, but Demyx had eventually dragged him out the door. As for Xiggy? Well… who really knew where Xiggy ever was, anyways?
"Yo! Roxas!" Turning he saw them – Demyx and Axel, standing at the edge of a crowd gathered around a small wooden stage. Oh man – they'd better not have to perform on that.
Making his way over to his friends, he only just fought his way over when the announcer began,
"Welcome all!" There was a cheery response from the crowd, even at this hour in the morning. Standing on his toes, Roxas could see it was a fat, squat man with dark brown hair and goatee. "Welcome to the seventh annual Battle of the Bands!" There was a roaring from the crowd, and the man waited to continue.
"Now, the opening ceremonies will be in two night's time – however, events are going on all over the city for you young musicians to mingle!" Another roar or approval. "By the beach, there will be various sports for you to sign up, as a team – open to all, regardless of skill level! In the fourth district, all the vendors are out and holding a sale… special discount if you show your Registration Card! And in the second district… "
Roxas tuned out of the man's speech, as he continued to list the events. His eyes were more concerned with the crowd – he had caught a familiar face and locks of brunette, but it couldn't be… could it? She lived so far away… but… he hadn't seen her in years. Right?
"Roxas, yo! Isn't that Larxene?" Roxas's attention suddenly snapped to the stage at Demyx's voice. Eyes now distracted from their search, and on the stage, Roxas saw another familiar female.
It was Larxene.
Shit.
She was standing on the stage – clad in her Radiant Garden uniform, oddly enough – and was standing next to a young man with light brown mixed with light red hair (what Roxas would've mistaken for pink). He frowned – whatever this was, it could not be good. Roxas' eyes remained on the stage for a moment, expecting her to say something – although he was careful to shift behind some people, avoiding her gaze on the crowd.
Why was she up onstage? Maybe his father was sponsoring this whole thing, and she was a representative? But… why… hadn't he chosen Roxas to come down? It's not like either Dad or Mya knew that the real reason Roxas was taking a "trip" this summer was because of his band…
Roxas was still lost in his thoughts, when a female voice called from beside him, "Roxas!"
Spinning around, Roxas' eyes widened. Yes! It had been her – Roxas wasn't going crazy. She had been weaving through the crowd, and her deep brown hair and soft face had still managed to catch his attention. As good as it was to see her, Roxas wasn't prepared for her throwing her arms around his neck in an embrace. He laughed though – she was as affectionate as he remembered, then. Still smiling, Roxas greeted her carefully,
"Olette! I – it's been a while, hasn't it… ?"
LiD
Idiot, Kairi hissed to herself.
Everything would have been absolutely friggin' fine if Tidus didn't sweat like a pig.
Dammit, this was so not cool! Kairi sat absolutely still, seething. Maybe, if she didn't do anything, Riku would forget she was there. Woohoo! That would mean no protective-wrath for her. It was all the blitzball player's fault, anyways. Tidus had wiped his face with his handkerchief, and wham-o, Riku was saying,
"Whoa! Tidus… um, you really did get into Kairi's make-up bag this time, didn't you?" The silver-haired teen was staring at the foundation-smeared handkerchief suspiciously. Kairi wanted to smack her head against the front seat – no, better yet, she wanted to smack Tidus. Argh, the idiot. Oh, and here he goes, trying to make everything okay –
"Dude! I – heh, well, it's a funny story, actually… uh… see…" Tidus scratched his head, in complete lack of alibis. At least he was smart enough to carefully look out the window as he was talking, even though much of the make up remained on him. "Well, okay, there was this chick, right? And she totally dug meteros, you know? And – and this girl was hot, Riku! Don't look at me like that – you woulda said the same thing!"
Riku pulled over the car to the side of the road they'd been driving on, and turned to look at Tidus. Riku's sunglasses were still on, completely hiding his eyes, and the boy's face was entirely stoic. Kairi, beginning to panic, butted in,
"Tidus!" she gasped as convincingly as she could. "You broke into my make-up bag to impress a girl? You – you horrible, insensitive, conniving, manipulating little monster! I hope you and your libido burn in hell!" There, that sounded about right. Well, maybe she overdid it a bit, but… Riku laughed here, and Kairi sighed in relief as subtly as she could. Sora, who had been sitting silently up until now, laughed awkwardly as well.
"Nice man, nice," Riku said, peering at a nervous-Tidus over his shades. Then the silver-haired boy suddenly brought his hand to Tidus' face, and smearing some of the make-up from around Tidus' eye. "Guess Kai will be wanting that back – whoa! Dude, sorry… ?"
Tidus had flinched horribly as Riku pressed against his blackened-eye, and Kairi squeezed her eyes shut. Just deal with it, she willed the blond jock. Be a man, come on…
"Whoa! Tidus, I think you're having an allergic reaction or something, your skin… it's all… " The original concern in Riku's voice had fled, and now there was an edge to it. "… swollen. Tidus, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a black eye. You know… something you get from… I dunno, let's say… fighting?"
It was amazing how Riku hadn't even wondered if maybe Tidus had been brutally attacked and mugged. Immediately, the concept was that if Tidus had taken a beating, he probably deserved it. And as horrible as that sounded, Kairi couldn't help but grimly agree – so far, the theory had proved correct every damn time.
"Uh, uh… the girl was crazy, Riku! I swear! I just tried to say hello, and she called her brothers – there was like, fifteen of them – and they were like, 'yo don't touch my sista', man' and they were like BAM-O all at once and I – uh, I… " Tidus fumbled off, feeling Riku's glare through the shades. Riku was as stoic as ever; grabbing a few napkins from under his seat, he suddenly turned and passed them to Kairi and Sora.
"Wipe your faces."
"What?!" Kairi gaped, holding the tissues. Riku calmly watched them over his sunglasses, and repeated,
"Wipe your faces. This shouldn't be a problem, right? If nothing's wrong?"
"But – but my make-up will get all ruined! Do you know how long I spent on it?" Kairi attempted to protest. Riku shrugged, and turned to Sora,
"Okay, since Kai's being stingy – you do it. Wipe your face, Sora."
"Bu-but…!" Sora stammered, but Riku smothered him with a glare. Hanging his head, Sora relented and ran the tissues over his sweat-glistened face. Kairi gritted her teeth – as much as Sora looked up to Riku, he needed to stop being the obedient-little-brother sometimes.
Sora didn't look up, but he didn't need to – the tissues were covered in smeared off make-up and foundation, all coloured to his skin tone. Shit.
"SORA!" Riku burst out. "Sora! Did you jump in with Tidus as well? Or did someone hurt you? Sora, answer me!" Kairi flinched at his voice – ohoho, they were in so much crap. Swallowing, Sora looked Riku right in the eye, and said uneasily,
"Look, Riku, there wasn't exactly a girl, per sae, really…"
Kairi's eyes bulged, and Tidus had a look of utmost horror on his face. Dammit, this was not the time for Sora's sense of… justice to come in! Not now! Why did the idiot have to be so damn self-righteous? Why the… argh…
"Yeah! See, there was this jerk, and he – " Kairi added, trying a last-ditch save. Tidus cut-in,
"He was trying to hit on Kairi! A total creep! Did you just expect Sora to stand by?!"
Riku angrily cut in, "That's no excuse, guys! Sora was sick, you know that – ".
"Excuse me?" Sora cut in, sounding a bit offended. "Wouldn't you have done the same?"
"Especially if it was, oh, I dunno, Naminé?" Kairi added slyly, a brilliant idea sparking in her head. Loser… Naminé, who had been sitting quietly, started.
"Wha-wha… I… " the blonde spluttered, face burning red. Kairi grinned – oh, as much as she pitied her at this moment, Kairi's self-preservation kicked in.
"So, Naminé, speaking of which, did you and Riku have fun yesterday?" Kairi teased, punching Naminé lightly in the arm. The blonde didn't speak; only went steadily redder, averting her gaze.
"Yeah, Riku," Tidus jumped in, catching on. "Why'd ya go off all on your own? Hmm? Something you two wanna tell us?"
"O-ohoh!" Kairi smirked maliciously. Ooh, this could be fun too. "Whatchya all up to? Huh?" A laugh escaped Sora, even if he was unwilling to directly join in the wicked fun.
"Guys!" Riku burst out, cheeks stung by pink. The lead guitarist revved up the car, distracting himself with the road. Tidus was still grinning cheekily though, and prodded,
"Hey, hey, hey, Naminé! Riku doesn't blush a lot, but damn, you should see him now!" the blond turned to Naminé, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. Naminé, even though she looked like someone could fry an egg on her face, burst out laughing.
"No, really, Tidus… " the girl trailed off though, gaze shifting to out the window. Riku was determinedly staring out the front window, while Tidus laughed and Sora was biting back a grin.
Heh, well, at least Riku wouldn't be bringing this up later. He probably wanted to forget the entire conversation as fast as he could. Tidus turned around – he must have been thinking the same thing – and exchanged a quick smirk with Kairi. Boys weren't so stupid then. At least, not all the time.
The car had gone quiet. Kairi exchanged a glance with Sora, and they both let out a quiet sigh of relief, as they sank down in their seat. Phew.
That was a close one.
LiD
It's Roxas! All the way down here… Roxas!
Beaming, Olette took Roxas' hand in both of hers. Tilting her head to one side, she said,
"Totally! It's really good to see you again – I'd never have thought to meet you down here!"
Roxas grinned, albeit awkwardly – Olette had loved that smile, and still did. Pity he wasn't fully doing it – then again, it wasn't everyday a high school girlfriend popped up. When he smiled, it wasn't sharp, or sadistic, or even arrogant… there was a genuine charm about it. And right now, after having lost contact with him for so long… ?
After a moment's hesitation, Roxas swung an arm around her shoulders (It still feels right, Olette thought wistfully, it still feels good to have him so close), turning her to face his companions.
"Guys, you remember Olette, right?" Roxas said cheerfully – carefully. The other blond – Demyx, if Olette could recall well – laughed and reached forwards to give her a hug of his own. He, at least, didn't seemed fazed by familiar faces.
"Dude! Olette, what are you doing down here? In a band?" Demyx pulled back, holding her at arm's length, while Olette laughed and shook her head.
"I came down to the square to hang out… it's the biggest thing in Twilight City… I'd have to be pretty stupid not to, don't you think? Besides, all the sales are going on," Olette grinned, raising her eyebrows at Demyx. It was true – she had come down here expecting something to help her pass the time, and had run into a whole different gem. Green eyes sliding once again to Roxas, she found herself frowning a bit as she looked beyond.
Near Roxas, Olette could make out a certain red-headed young man. She bit her lip – if he didn't want to introduce himself, that was perfectly fine with her. Roxas, however, didn't seem to clue in as he said,
"Aw, c'mon, Axel – you remember her, don't you? Olette? My ex?" Olette winced only mildly at the word ex… yes, they had gone out, back when Olette still lived in the City of the Arc. When she'd learned she was moving away, her and Roxas had silently, mutually agreed to break-up. It hadn't been messy; it hadn't been dramatic – it had just happened.
"Yeah… hey, Olette," the redhead said dully, not quite meeting her eyes. Olette shifted awkwardly – goodness, finding Roxas meant finding Axel. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Olette replied politely,
"Hello, Axel. It's nice to see you again."
"I guess."
Well… that hadn't changed one bit, then. Why had she put up with Axel's attitude, in the first place?
Eyes back to Roxas, she took in his glinting blue eyes; his messy, blond hair and his wry grin… Olette shook herself mentally, and smiled again. Roxas sent a mild frown Axel's way – the redhead had wandered off with a mild 'catch-you-later-man' to Roxas, a cigarette pinched between his lips – but he turned his attention back to her quickly.
"So why… ?"
Olette shook her head, smiling to herself. As absent-minded as always… yet it was almost relieving, to know Roxas was almost the same one she'd left behind.
"I live here now, remember?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Roxas flushed a bit ("Right…" he mumbled), but laughed anyways. Before motioning for her to follow him away from the crowd, Roxas asked Demyx,
"Mind if I hang out with Olette for a bit?"
Demyx cocked his head a bit to the side, eyes flipping in the direction that Axel had taken off. A strange expression crossed his face – but it lasted only a moment, because he simply shrugged and smiled softly.
"Sure," he said. "Whatever, man." And with a salute he was off, presumably to wherever Axel had gone. They were alone now – just the two them. Olette and Roxas – her Roxas, it used to be. Out of instinct, she reached up and lightly stroked Roxas' hair, patting it downwards. She wondered if he still fought with it everyday, trying to flatten it to no avail. Roxas caught her wrist, and smirked nostalgically – he shouldn't be allowed to keep doing that, she thought as she flushed pink – and said,
"So, uh – I was going to offer to take you, you know, around town… "
"… but it's my city, isn't it?" Olette finished, grabbing his hand and weaving her way through the crowd.
"I – uh, Olette... it's good that you're here, but you don't have to – "
Olette giggled – hearing him blunder about for words, hearing that moment of vulnerability always made her laugh. Looking at him over her shoulder, Olette saw his eyes were cast anywhere but on her, and he was rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. You're so ridiculous sometimes, Roxas.
"Cut it out, Roxas – I know you'll love having your own tour guide for the city."
Roxas laughed behind her, tension lifting and Olette's heart skipped a beat – goodness, why did she ever have to move away?
Before long, they were ambling through the vendors in the fourth district, Roxas looking for souvenirs, Olette kindly pointing out anything worthwhile. Olette couldn't help but laugh the entire time – Roxas was still Roxas, spending far too much of his munny on movies, games, gadgets, and more movies.
Particularly horror and action films – although the occasional, rare independent film made its way into his bags as well. Raising a delicate eyebrow, Olette asked,
"Still want to be an actor?"
Roxas grinned as he handed over his credit card for the latest movie he'd picked up – Exterminator: Zero – Unrated Special Edition.
"And make it to Pinewood?" she continued at his silent answer, taking one of his bags to ease the load. Reluctantly, he allowed her to share the weight. Roxas grinned sheepishly at her question, and replied,
"Kinda, yeah. I – I dunno… this band is important to me too, you know?"
Olette smiled vaguely at the answer – yes, the arts were important to Roxas. One of the only things she never had to talk him into doing was writing a poem for English class, or practicing for a music test… Olette smirked a little at the thought of Roxas achieving his dream – making it onto the big screen, his name printed at the top of a DVD case, he was that famous. Or even winning this competition… again, his band photo on a cover of a CD selling nationally…
"You have big dreams, you know that, Roxas?"
"I know."
"I just hope you reach them, that's all."
Roxas nodded, giving her a funny look, then went back to browsing the local Cinepodium for more videos.
Back when she lived in D'Arc and they'd gone out, Olette had even gone to see some of his play performances. Even if she hadn't been biased towards him, she wouldn't have been able to deny that the guy was good – though he really ought to watch more romance films… those had some acting he could look up to.
Not just the acting, either – a good romantic comedy would've lightened his brooding personality, as well.
LiD
Sighing, Naminé leaned back into her seat, and pulled her legs up, curling them underneath her. For once, she was sitting up front with Riku – although she suspected it had more to do with Riku wanting to be rid of Tidus' teasing, then it did of him wanting her around. After the celebrations last night (the initial shock of being asked to dance by Riku still hadn't worn off, goodness – a hue of pink brushed her cheeks everytime her mind lingered); after all the time they'd spent together so far, she did hope that something had progressed – the timid silences were beginning to annoy even her. As incredible as it sounded to most, Naminé wasn't even that quiet of a person to begin with, honestly.
Not at Radiant Garden, anyways. No – she was Junior Leader of the Visual Arts Department in her student council, she ran the art displays that went on once a month, she helped organize the paintings of backdrops for the annual musical that Radiant Garden took so much pride in… but somehow, she didn't think even Kairi would believe
that – that Naminé played strong roles in her activities. Then again, the two sisters were apart for so much of the year, sometimes Naminé didn't think her and Kairi would ever, completely understand each other, as much as they wanted to.
"Something wrong?" Riku asked from beside her, quietly. Tidus, Kairi and Sora were currently engaged in 'owning' each other with their Gigabyte DS, so they hardly paid attention ("You filthy sonuvabitch! That Red Shell was a cheap shot!" Kairi hollered, kicking Tidus while Sora chortled). Naminé smiled softly and turned to the silver-haired teen.
The first response that came to her head was, 'nothing'. But that, she had learned, would serve no purpose, as Riku would most likely pry anyways. So instead, she replied,
"Just… " Damn, saying what was really on her mind was harder than it seemed. Biting her lip, Naminé decided on, "… tired." Riku smirked, and replied,
"From the celebrations? Ha, yeah – all that dancing wore out my legs… I don't think I'll be able to stand up on stage during the finals." Naminé laughed (and blushed) – goodness, the dancing had been a lot of fun… once they'd caught on, that was. With Riku's attention for beat, and Naminé's eye for details, they'd eventually picked up on the steps and were soon swinging with the rest of the locals in the celebration. It had been awkward as hell, but the locals were exuberant – and persistent, Naminé felt. Smiling to herself, she had to admit – it had been a long time since she'd had that much fun… dances were never her thing. Although, the last one she had attended had been before the school year ended… before… before her Headmaster…
Shaking her head of such thoughts, Naminé tuned back into the reality to realize Tidus had been listening, and was now teasing,
"Ooh… dancing… did you two have fun? Were you holding each other close?" Riku, had he not been driving, looked like he could turn around and punch the blond jock. Instead, however, Riku managed to reply with a smirk,
"Yeah? So what if we were dancing… you still haven't told me what you three were up to." Tidus gulped.
"Ah… well… I… yo! Dude! Pull over, I totally need some pepperoni right now! How about pizza, guys? Huh?"
Naminé exchanged a brief glance with Riku – and despite the heat that inflamed her face (again), she burst out laughing at the amused expression on Riku's face.
LiD
Two shopping bags, three hours, and one thousand munny later, Roxas and Olette found a quaint little sandwich deli to stop in for lunch. The sun's rays were at their highest now, and Olette was glad to find an outdoor table closer to the beach, but with an umbrella perched over it.
Settling Roxas' purchases – and Olette's, which Roxas had insisted he pay for – by their table, Olette slipped down to sit across from Roxas. A waiter was at their table in no time, despite how busy the place seemed to be. Olette saw Roxas give a start – their waiter was a Hypello, after all. Not exactly something he'd see back home.
"Hel-lo-lo… what can I get yoo, Mish-te-ter?" the blue, amphibian-like-creature said with his strange accent. He was akin to a hammer-headed shark, only much shorter, with walking legs and, well, bold blue skin all over. The Hypello smiled, and Roxas replied, blinking back his awe,
"Uh… just some… (Roxas checked his menu quickly) 'Shea-Shide-Shubs'… pleash? I mean, 'please'?" Roxas was frowning, wary of his pronunciation. Olette giggled – if there was one thing she enjoyed about Twilight City, was the vast diversity of both race and culture. The fourth district – where Olette and Roxas had just been – was a mainly Hume area, but now… goodness, this was the place to be. When the Hypello turned to her, Olette answered with a smile,
"Make that two, please."
"Of coursh, mish. I shall return with your or-de-ders shoon."
Though he had quickly managed to mask his surprise for politeness, Roxas allowed his eyebrows to rise again as he looked at Olette. A slight smile tugging on his lips, Roxas asked,
"Whoa – what… who… did you see that?"
"It was a Hypello, Roxas. Come on, surely you've seen them in a movie or two."
"Well – yeah – but… I didn't think that, you know… they were… real or something… wow…"
Olette shook her head, trying her hardest not to laugh at the blond. Looking up, he asked, "What other races live here? Oh! Do you guys have Bangaas? And Guado? And… oh, are there Shoopufs? Can we ride one?" The excitement in his eyes glittered – Olette really did break out laughing.
"Roxas!" she giggled. "You have to let me answer a question first! Okay, look, yeah – we've got tons of different races around… ever heard of Seeqs? Viera? Ronso?" Just watching his face was enough to make Olette's day. How long it had been… and how much he had changed. Olette knew of Roxas' real status: of his prominent lawyer of father, his landscaper step-mother, and aloof step-sister.
She'd even met them a few times – aside from that, the two had mostly spent their time with Roxas taking her out. What always amazed her the most, was that Roxas always had enough class to steer away from raves and wild parties with her.
No – with her Roxas, it was dinner, it was movies, it was picnics where Roxas nearly always forgot something (how adorable his expression of frustration was)… it was
perfect. And considering they were only fourteen at the time, their friends had all been awed and impressed with the maturity of their relationship. Well – all except Axel, but he didn't seem very friendly in general. Olette merely kept his name out of the conversation; her and Roxas were able to enjoy themselves.
Again, Olette found her heart wanting to burst – why had she ever had to move away?
"… I was thinking of maybe going on a Shoopuf ride, sir… I was wondering… " Roxas was saying, and Olette smiled. Just like him, to engage the waiter – who had served their subs, at this point – in talk about the city, gathering information in a courteous, yet assertive manner. And he didn't want to be a lawyer – honestly.
Sometimes, when they had gone out, Olette couldn't help but think maybe Roxas exaggerated his problems with his father. Surely, his dad wanted the best for his son… and Roxas had the makings of a great lawyer, just like his father.
"… well, shir, I was just talking to the Moogles by the bank, there may be something tomo-ro-row – "
"Oh! All right… I… thank you… " Though Roxas didn't say it, there was a silent, you're dismissed, on the end of that sentence. The Hypello nodded, then wandered off back to the kitchens. Roxas (finally) began to eat his sub, washing it down with the water the Hypello had brought with them. Her own forest-green eyes dancing, Olette asked,
"So? Will we be riding Shoopufs over the lake tomorrow?"
Roxas, surprisingly, heaved a sigh. Meeting her eyes with guilty oceanic eyes, he replied, "I… we'll see, okay?" Olette raised an eyebrow, but carefully allowed herself not to react. She didn't want to scare him off, for goodness' sake. An apologetic smile on his face, Roxas continued, "Just… I mean, Axel and them are gonna want to spend time dragging me around town too, you know? And – and we have band practice, you know, for the Finals, and… I… jeez, I dunno. I'm sorry, Olette."
Olette allowed herself to smile, despite the crushing disappointment that had suddenly thrown itself on her. Nothing new, she supposed.
Even back at D'Arc District Secondary School, Olette remembered the same thing to interfere with plans. Always, it was: 'Axel wanted to hang out…', or 'Axel says I've been ditching him a lot lately…', or even worse, 'Axel's getting on my case about hanging out with you, again…"
And always, every single time, it ended with '… sorry, Olette. It's not your fault, but he's my best friend, you know?' No, she had wanted to say. Best friends don't try and drive you and your girlfriend apart; best friends don't make sexist comments whenever your girlfriend hangs around; best friends… ugh, it would go on forever in her head.
Whatever he was, Axel was not a 'best friend' to Roxas – the guy was a complete asshole… and Olette wasn't one to drop profanities like that very often.Olette had
simply stopped saying these things after a while – they always ended in a fight, Roxas being fiercely protective of his 'friend'.
The only consolation that she had was that Roxas was perhaps just as loyal to her, when he fought with Axel.
Roxas had tried though, she supposed. He'd drag Axel aside, give him a 'talking-to', then drag him right back for the mess to start all over again. Goodness, why couldn't he see? Guys like Axel never change – they suck you into their pit of abuse, drugs and partying so fast that you'll end up vomiting your heart out before you hit the bottom. Roxas, however, was a whole different story – dammit, he… if only she'd gotten to him sooner in freshman year, before he'd been 'adopted' by Axel and Demyx. What a world of good she could have done…
… but then, there was no point in wallowing the past. Her blond-haired companion was tugging on her wrist with guitar-worn, cigarette-burned hands, motioning to the beach. Beaming up at him, Olette followed suit.
Maybe this was a second chance.
A/N: Woot! Done that chapter… sorry Olette's point of view was so boring. Well, I kind of liked the whole talking-about-the-past thing, but I mean… there wasn't a lot of action, I know. Hope you found it informative, if nothing else… or maybe intriguing? Same with Demyx… I hope he's okay. I always thought of him as kind of dorky, and could-be-affectionate, so yeah…
Review please?