A/N: Heyyy… been a while, no? Sorry, school has been totally hectic. I managed to crank out this chapter in like a few days for you guys, since it wasn't too hard to write. Lots of talking and stuff… hope you still enjoy though. Listen up! xD
Thanks again for all your reviews – you guys are awesome and totally push me to keep writing this! Also, thanks for your patience. Without further ado… begin! ( : (this one's a long one, btw)
Disclaimer: No! Yeesh!
LiD: Rise and Crescendo
Chapter Twelve: Hear, Hear
Where the hell Roxas was, Axel had no idea. And quite frankly, keeping tabs on that little blondie was becoming more trouble than it was worth.
Okay, no. Roxas was worth the world. Not, of course, that Axel would ever say that. Then again, maybe if he did it would do the whole world a favour… who wouldn't want Axel professing his –
"Dude! Where are you taking us? To a strip club?" Demyx chuckled at his own wit; Axel rolled his eyes. Honestly, as great as Demyx was, he was a total moron most of the time. And "clocking in" at four-twenty wasn't exactly helping. Axel's own nerves were feeling a bit jittery – maybe he shouldn't have accepted that damn baggie from Xiggy? Axel knew very well his eyes were bloodshot, his senses were flaring and dammit all, Roxas was the only thing on his head. Freaking lame – pot was supposed to loosen your concentration, not throw you into a whirlwind of solid colour. What a jip.
"Yeah, Dem, in the middle of the bloody afternoon, I am taking us to party 'cause we're that cool to…" Wait, what was Dem blathering on about? Roxas at a party? "Ahhh… you know. That."
"Haha, sure…"
Pulse pounding in his head, distorting the already bent sidewalks, Axel said over his shoulder, "Roxas! Any idea where that jerk went?"
"Awha?"
Sigh. You know what? Who cared anyways… life was good as it was. Nothing wrong with that. Axel replied lazily, muscles feeling unstrung, "Never you effing mind…" Hands jammed in the pockets of his pale blue jeans, Axel added, "Yo, dude, where are you taking us?"
"Ehhh…" Dem stopped for a minute behind him, so Axel swirled around to face him. Whoa… bad idea. Very bad. World swirling not good at all… what the hell Xiggy, honestly? Wait! Where was Xiggy! Where was Roxas, for that matter? Dammit all! Off he goes, yet again, that Roxas… Demyx leaned against the brick wall of building (or at
least Axel assumed it was brick – it was red and hard and Axel didn't care much to make sure) and replied, "Dude, I think we were looking for food."
Food? Axel frowned – he was definitely hungry, come to think of it. Food was good. "Yeah, whatever. Maybe we'll run into that jerk if we go…" Demyx obviously wasn't listening anymore, and Axel glared at the fauxhawked teen when Demyx ran past him shouting,
"Dude! A beach! Beaches have food and chicks and food and water and –"
"Roxas?"
Dem stopped, turned, and gave what Axel thought was a funny look. Not that Axel was in any position to be guessing emotions, feeling his pulse racing in some sort of horror-film roller coaster ride.
"Yeah, Ax, maybe Rox too." Axel grinned, and would have remained perfectly content if Demyx had decided to add on snickering stupidly, "Dude, you are whipped for –"
Dem couldn't finish the rest of that line, what with Axel's hand introducing Dem's face to the sand.
LiD
"Wait, what?! He took his band – they came in first, right – and now they're all down here? Sora and Kairi – damn, she was a – eh, uh… nothing, I meant, she's a wholesome girl, Naminé, but… Tidus? Who the hell is that? And… Riku? That Riku? You mean the neighborhood emo hasn't just crawled into a hole and died yet? Why hasn't Sora –"
"Roxas!" Naminé exclaimed, exasperated. They had gone through this all, already, Roxas knew. But, this was… preposterous! (Been a while since I used that one; Axel would have laughed his ass off, Roxas thought mildly, feeling a twinge of guilt at not hanging out with them at all). Shaking his head slightly, Roxas retreated further into his hood despite the sweat-stained smog of downtown Twilight City. What if Sora was out right now, looking for his wonderful, wholesome, suave cousin? What if Naminé had simply lured him into a trap! It always happened like that in the movies, always! The pretty little petite girl ends up being the bitch and totally manipulates the hero of the story, and oh boy, Roxas swore he would not be one of those idiots sleeping with the enemy…
… wait, Naminé? Manipulative? She didn't look like she could hurt a fly – hell, she probably was a vegan too or something, never had a McChocobo burger in her entire pure life. Roxas jammed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and (but not before glancing around one last time) turned to look at the girl.
"Look, Naminé, I'm serious – they're really here?" Roxas inquired quietly. Naminé sipped on the slushie (that Roxas had insisted on buying for her), then replied"Yes, Roxas, why would I lie about something like that? What could I possibly gain from that? If I was really out to get you, don't you think I would have kept all that information about Sora to myself?"
Blackmail! Roxas burst out mentally. That's what this was! She wanted something in return, but… what the hell did he have?
"Eh, Naminé… okay. I get it. That's cool."
"Good," Naminé responded, sounding a smidgeon miffed at having been doubted for so long. Restraining the urge to roll his eyes, Roxas replied,
"I'm sorry that, you know, I just wasn't getting it. It's been…" Pausing for a moment, deciding how much truth there would be to tell, Roxas continued with, "I've had a rough day and enough on my plate as it is, with this whole – "
"Tell me about it," Naminé interrupted gloomily, zoning out. Although Roxas was a tad indignant about having been completely shafted, he was curious enough to ask,
"Yeah? Got drama stirred up, have shit hit the fan and…"
"Hell yes. I just … this morning didn't go to well, you know? Its just like, the whole day started off bad and …" Naminé sighed and again, her thoughts seemed to take her away from the bustling street they were walking down. For reasons completely unbeknownst to him, Roxas felt guilty over Naminé's obvious discomfort. Dammit all, Roxas was starting to feel guilty about everything. That's what he got for allowing himself a conscience, honestly (maybe if you listened to me more, you wouldn't be in this predicament, the said conscience sneered in response).
"Eh, hey, I – you … saying stuff helps!" Roxas bit his lip – he had opened his mouth mostly to override the stupid voice in his head, but now he was too far in to back out. As bad as he felt for the girl, he didn't care enough to sit back and listen to some blondie's gripes and bitching. Naminé, in return, said in a voice as icy as her drink,
"Bit rich coming from you."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" He had just been trying to help – well, okay, pretending to want to help, and she snaps!
"Come off it, Roxas – I can tell you aren't exactly in a desirable position yourself, or you wouldn't be hiding from the moral police like some sort of sinner." Moral police… that was just too perfect for Sora; Roxas actually laughed. Damn straight, that kid had a heart of gold and the strongest sense of righteousness than of anyone Roxas knew. Because Sora was so freaking right – he knew it, Roxas knew it, dumbass Riku knew it and nobody would say anything, so here Roxas was wandering around frickin' paranoid out of his mind because Sora had to go and make everything right all the time…
… it was funny! It was freaking hilarious! And now here he was, trying to blame this all on everyone's knight-in-shining-armour! Dammit, if Sora could just see his million-dollar cousin, Sora would probably piss himself laughing!
Gasping for breath, Roxas had to throw himself on to the steps of a formidable building (probably a bank or something) and fell backwards, still giggling as he made a grab for the railing. Naminé… she…
"You think…" Roxas laughed again, before propping himself up on his elbows to look up at a still-standing Naminé, "You wanna deal with my life? We'll swap, huh? You can deal with… with…" And Roxas stopped, so suddenly that even he felt the awkward silence. Quietly, Naminé sat down next to him, ignoring the strange looks from passer-bys, and prompted timidly,
"What, Roxas? What's wrong?"
For a brief moment, Roxas considered just blurting everything out. Just vomiting it all up into the lap of this tinier-than-life sweetheart, and letting someone else deal with it. But Roxas could already taste the wretched aftermath of the explosion – or maybe it would be an implosion, come to think of it – and decided against it. While a very simple conclusion, Roxas still felt incredible difficulty – like dragging - a - pair - of - snowshoes - through - a - blizzard - difficulty – in letting it slide. Instead, he settled on saying quietly, eyes on the cement steps he was sitting on, "It's just… my step-sister. I… she… I don't exactly get the benefit of the doubt with her, you know?"
He felt Naminé's hand on his knee, and he felt a double reaction of soothing and a sharp wince. "She… there's a hand in this competition, I think. Something foul afoot, and she seems to think I'd want to have something to do with it." Roxas wasn't entirely sure why he was saying this aloud, except for the fact that it seemed like a good political move. Screw over Larxene and win some trust from this life-sized sugar-puff; dammit, this girl was bringing out the ex-Radiant Garden in him.
Naminé's hand tightened on his leg suddenly, but when Roxas looked up, Naminé's blond tresses were covering her face. She was facing the cement, one hand on his knee and the other one clutching her own – apparently, lost in deep concentration. Raising an eyebrow, Roxas nudged Naminé gently.
"It's amazing what people think they can make you do," Naminé said softly, still not looking at Roxas. "And then, you figure out that all along you didn't have what it took to just… " Biting his lip, Roxas was tempted to prompt her further, but decided against it. She was looking kind of moody. And dammit, Roxas had had enough explosives from under meek rocks for one day.
A few more moments of silence (awkward, on Roxas' part) passed, before Roxas stood up. He offered his hand to Naminé, who accepted and pulled herself up. As they began to walk – Roxas was glad, because they were getting some really funny looks sitting in front of a big old bank – Roxas commented lightly, trying to change the course of conversation, "I'm sure there's plenty of things you can do, though, right? What do you study at the ol' Garden?"
Naminé gave him a sidelong look, and responded with a slight smile, "Visual arts… taught by the Headmistress herself."
"Headmistress?" Roxas asked in surprise. When had…? "What about old Ansem?"
"He's… no longer with us," Naminé said in a terribly tight voice.
"How – "
"He's dead."
"Uh... okay."
Dropping the subject, Roxas took the lead through a crowd of people, grabbing Naminé's wrist. Despite the hustle and bustle of the downtown sector, another awkward silence had settled itself around them. Ansem had died? That wise old man without any laugh lines around his eyes, but had never said a harsh word to anyone? Dammit… Roxas knew there was no sense in even wondering why Larxene hadn't told him… but still. Too bad.
Casting a glance over his shoulder, Roxas winced when he saw a downcast Naminé holding onto his hand. Hmm. His hand – for a brief moment, Roxas considered gently flirting with her if it would make her feel better, but quickly changed his mind – that was way more Axel's forte than his. Tactful conversation might go over a bit easier. Ehh… when had this ever been so hard? Dammit, why couldn't Roxas think? Everything was just going around in circles, everything seemed to be flashing by yet dragging on forever, his emotions were totally shot; this was… ugh. Roxas' head was lightly beginning to pulse – he needed to sit down, that's what he needed.
"Roxas?" Naminé's soft voice grabbed his attention. "Roxas… you're shaking." Shit. Roxas snatched his hand away rather rapidly, tensing his hand into a fist. He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets, shakily searching through them. "Are… you okay?"
No, Roxas suddenly wanted to snap, realizing what was wrong. Friggin' hell no. But if Naminé had already caught him like this, he sure as hell wasn't going to dig his grave any deeper. Gritting his teeth over the throbbing headache he was feeling, Roxas winced discreetly when Naminé's voice pierced his eardrums with a, "Roxas? Are you – "
"Hey! Look – you hungry? There's a café right up there…" grabbing Naminé's hand once again – not before forcing his hand to steady itself – Roxas traipsed through the shoppers and jay-walked the road (much to Naminé's horror and protest – and the anger of a screaming driver) to the Sunset Terrace Ice-Cream Parlour. Ice cream was good. Females liked ice cream. And quite frankly, he wouldn't mind the distraction either.
Once they entered the cool shade of the quaint café, Roxas immediately turned to her. "What flavour?"
"Huh? Oh! I mean, um…" Naminé fumbled for a minute, before continuing, "Hey, wait. You were already kind enough to buy me that slushie – I'm quite capable of paying for myself, thank you."
"Don't be ridiculous; that was my treat, as is this. So just let me get this – "
"No thank you, this is not a date or something, you've got nothing to prove – "
"Naminé, come on now. It's complimentary, okay? Besides, you don't even need to tell me the flavour. I can just guess by looking at you."
"Oh? Would you like to try?" Naminé questioned in a tight voice, yet to anyone who didn't float among the high ranks of society, the question would have sounded completely sincere and even sweet.
This, needless to say, infuriated Roxas more than any outburst ever could have. Not to mention that his nerves were still jittery; he was resisting the urge to twitch and tremble madly; and he did not need this kind of bullshit talk. Roxas was not going back to this, these endless circles painted in gold and blinding to the eyes. He very well wanted to roll his eyes and sneer, you're a Garden student, honey, or have they still not slapped some reality onto your faces yet?
"Yeah – let me guess, a pure vanilla white? I'll get you a drink, too, but we'll make sure its vir – "
"Marble! Marble with steamy hot fudge, honey-coated chopped almonds and topped with the biggest, juiciest cherry they have in this whole damn shop!" Naminé stood trembling from the outburst, tote bag held in both hands in front of her, in the process of being snapped open. The entire (albeit small) shop had quieted down at their argument, and someone made an empty cough. Roxas bit his lip, watching Naminé, who was growing steadily pinker. Finally, the clerk broke the silence by declaring in a small voice,
"That would be sixty-four munny, for the lady, please." The clerk gave a small smile, and then continued, "That's, of course, with the cherry free."
Naminé looked shattered, mortified and on the verge of undignified tears; Roxas smirked and walked up to the cashier, placing a two-hundred-munny note on the counter. Resting his elbows on the counter, Roxas said simply, "And I'll take a pure, white vanilla two-scoop. Keep the change."
LiD
A whirlwind of emotions seemed to have ripped through their day, leaving Kairi and her friends scurrying in its wake.
"Calm down! I'm sure she's okay… and no, Kairi, I don't think she's… wait…"
Kairi wasn't listening, though, and she simply continued striding down the street. Past shops and restaurants, clubs and bars, Sora trailed after her, struggling to keep up.
"Kairi!" He tried again, running out of breath. "Think about it! We're not gonna just run into her! Okay? Naminé's probably just shopping and sight-seeing, or maybe she's up on some hill, sketching… you know her! She's not stupid! Nothing's happened, trust me!"
"How do you know?" Kairi spun around and screeched. How could Sora have any idea? He… he… he didn't have a naïve little sister to worry about; it wasn't his idea to bring her along in the first place, he… "It's been almost six hours and she hasn't come back yet! She could be shopping, she could be doing crazy-artsy stuff, OR she could be kidnapped, or being mugged, or beaten, or, or …"
"Raped, killed, molested, brutalized; yeah yeah, we all know what Most Wanted feeds us. But come on – don't you think your sister is smart enough to stay away from dangerous places? And I mean, it's still sunny outside – and tons of people are around! Think about it!"
Crossing a cheap, greasy restaurant, striding past a rosy ice-cream parlour, shoving through crowds of people and jay-walking across heavy traffic roads, Kairi was on a rampage. For another fifteen minutes, Sora chased after the fiery redhead.
"Kairi! Kairi!"
She whirled again, but this time, Kairi knew her eyes were shining and her cheeks were flushed against pale skin. "Sora? What if… "
Sora didn't need to hear anymore. He put on a burst of speed to catch up with her, and wrapped her up in his arms. Resting his chin on her head, Sora squeezed her and said softly, "Let's head back to the hotel, huh? We can see if Riku and Tidus have come up with anything… hmm?"
Kairi, at this point, wasn't answering. She merely allowed Sora to take her hand and lead the way.
LiD
Turning back to face Naminé, Roxas smiled bemusedly at her. "Well? Go on and sit down, babe. I'll bring these right over." He supposed that in any other situation, even Naminé would have smacked him across the face for the derisive tone. At the moment, however, she was clearly too humiliated to even think clearly. Good – but even with this blissful triumph (over what, Roxas wasn't entirely sure) Roxas's hands were still itching to go for his pockets.
Grabbing his cone and Naminé's sundae, Roxas precariously made his way over to one of the double-seaters in the café. It was a smooth white table with pink and gold stripes on the seats (how gay, he thought mildly) – all matching the rosy décor of the place. The walls were painted in the washed colours of a sunset, and the main light in the
center of the café was a crystallized sun-shape. The staff was all dressed to match too – Roxas almost pitied them.
Ice cream set on the table, and silent Naminé seated across, Roxas sighed. Her blonde bangs were over her bowed face, shielding, no doubt, shining eyes. Her pale, slender hands were resting on the table, clasped firmly together. Feeling a white-hot pierce of shame, Roxas stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket and leaned back, far too awkward to speak.
A minute passed.
"Eh… Naminé? I… uhh… your sundae's… yeah. Heh, big cherry. Haha? No? Okay."
Two.
The cherry on Naminé's sundae was slipping off the top of its pedestal of ice cream, making an agonizingly slow descent to the rim of the sundae cup.
Five minutes.
A song had started up. A gentle summery tune with just a hint of a minor scale, adding an evening mystique to the melody. Roxas checked his watch – holy shit, already seven at night? What the hell? Granted, there was still a fair amount of light outside to psyche out the unexpecting, but still…
"Naminé? I'm… sorry?" Roxas pleaded slightly. The condensation on the glass cup was really beginning to show. Ah hell; how was she supposed to help out with this whole Sora situation at all if he'd caused her to blow up at him? "Hey, Naminé, look… I'm sorry." He took a deep breath, and right through his teeth he continued, "Obviously, I totally humiliated you and that wasn't fair. At all. And you've… I mean, we've been getting along really well and I blew it. Sorry I fu – "
"It's fine." Naminé finally reached forward, and began picking lightly at the sundae. Roxas nearly wanted to cry in exasperation – this girl was being totally anal, honestly. Instead, he continued,
"No, honestly. I don't know what the hell I was thinking." And just for the freaking hell of it, Roxas leaned over and actually grasped her hand. He was too damn good at this. "Okay? I crossed the line and I… I just… rough day, okay? Not fair to take it out on you." Rough day, his ass. Sure, he'd had it bad, but he sure as hell had dealt with way worse and kept his temper in check.
"Right."
Holy crap. She obviously wasn't buying it as completely as Roxas would have liked, so he played it off with some mildly hysterical laughter. "Crap. Women are complex as hell, you know that? What do you want from me, Naminé? Roses of apology? A funeral for my pride? A song of remorse?" Okay, now he was losing it again. That sneering, bitter Roxas was coming back and this was not going to help his situation at all.
"A song would be nice." Her words were so soft, that Roxas almost didn't catch it. Allowing himself a grin, Roxas replied,
"Sure thing: How the lady never forgiveth me for humiliating thouest, for I called her the chastest, and so she broke into vulgar raging screams and now she doth hate me with her aggressive pacifist…" He paused for a moment. "Nature. Pacifist nature."
Naminé, in spite of herself, burst out laughing. "Only a drama student," she laughed, "would use that kind of language for an apology. It barely even rhymed." Roxas smirked – genuinely, this time.
"So I take it you liked it?" Roxas asked, helping himself to a spoon and some of her rapidly melting sundae. Namine giggled again, taking scoops from her sundae much more happily.
"Completely. A work of art; I've got just the thing to compliment it," Naminé replied, beaming. Reaching into her bag, Naminé pulled out a thick notebook. Flipping through it, Roxas could see a number of sketches and pictures – all of which deeply impressed him. Roxas told Naminé this, and she simply laughed and thanked him. Then, pushing the book to face Roxas, Naminé tapped her finger on the picture.
"See?" she declared proudly. "I call this one Birth by Sleep." Roxas studied the pastel sketch: it consisted of intertwining vines, all interlocked to form the shape of an hourglass. The hourglass, notably, was on an angle, so thus the sand proportions (in this case, though, Naminé had placed in delicate rose petals as opposed to grains of sand) must have been skewed to their actual timing. "Well?" Naminé prompted eagerly.
Roxas blanked. "Um… it's clearly depicting the fact that time is a natural process, and yet the warped angle on this, here, um, hourglass shows that maybe it's nature that controls time and the balance is unbalanced, and… the flower petals represent gentle power? Roses and thorns? So… by just letting things flow, things as miraculous as birth will happen? Eh… passive assertiveness?"
Naminé's eyes sparkled, and with a grin she asked, "Is all your BS this carefully thought out?"
"Pretty much." Roxas smirked back. Naminé laughed, and Roxas held up the book. "You mind?" Naminé shook her head with a smile – hell, if Roxas knew anything about emotions as an actor, it was an admiring smile from her. Roxas began flipping through the book, never ceasing to be amazed by the talent that ran through her slender hands. Disheartened eyes, the merriest smiles, withered flowers and raging oceans… damn. This girl had mad skillz. The 'z' and everything, seriously.
When he got to the back of the book, Roxas raised an eyebrow. "Rushing wind…" Naminé went very pink, very quickly.
"Hey, hey, hey! Tha-that's enough!" she exclaimed, leaning over to snatch it out of his hand. Laughing, he held it out of reach, but agreed to stop reading aloud. Naminé
settled herself back in her chair, and mumbled bashfully, "They're lyrics. I was trying to help out the band."
"Sora's band?" Roxas asked, intrigued now. "They haven't finished their lyrics yet?"
"Well, it's not Sora's fault really, writing lyrics is more Riku's – "
Roxas snorted. "Well, obviously nothing's gonna get done with that dumbfu – "
"Roxas," Naminé warned gently. Rolling his eyes, Roxas continued carefully,
"Okay. Well, I'm not quite surprised at the obvious inadequacies of certain persons within my cousin's selected friends." Naminé hid a smile, and grinning, Roxas continued, "Let me have a go at them. C'mon; I can write anything better than him tenfold. Seriously."
Somewhat nervously, Naminé pulled a pen out of her bag and handed it to Roxas. Roxas, sighing, leaned back and began, "Well, first, honey, this is just not gonna work. 'Rushing wind'? Try… 'Wind rushes'." Roxas jotted that down. "See? A thousand times better than anything Reeking-poo could ever write." Naminé choked on biting back a giggle, attempting to look stern though. "This? 'Hushing cries'? Well, everyone knows songs have to rhyme, so how about… 'Cries hush'?"
"That doesn't make a lot of sense," Naminé said with a crinkled brow. "How about 'Voice hushes'?"
"Sure." Roxas scribbled out the original, and rewrote Naminé's suggestion. "Now… one more line… okay. See, this line here is crap. 'I'm sorry I couldn't hold the tide'? What the hell? That doesn't even rhyme with the original."
"Hey! That one was my line!"
"Whoops. Hey, okay, whatever, sorry. I was just being honest… this is good, though, the 'sorry' part. It adds a nice touch. But can't you find something to rhyme with 'hushes' and 'rushes' – "
"Blushes? Shushes? Lush? Crush? Crushes?"
"So… 'I'm so sorry, but…"
" '… the tide crushes.'. Perfect. You know what, Roxas? I think I like that."
"So you're thankful for my help?" Roxas asked innocently.
"Of course!" Naminé exclaimed, somewhat bemused. Roxas gave a wicked grin, and replied,
"All right. Well, then, this is my reward. I'm just gonna…" Roxas, however, didn't finish. Instead, he clicked the pen open and began scribbling a note in her book. Once he finished, he read aloud to an anxious Naminé,
"A message: dear Craptacular – my bad, Reeking-poo ("Roxas!" Naminé exclaimed, laughing a bit). You're lucky I was here to save your lame-ass with my talent, dedication, and passion. Inasmuch, I'm going to have to request you keep your disgusting face ("Aww, Roxas, seriously, give it back…") away from me – or if we have to come in contact, just hide it behind that horrid mop of prematured horse tail. We don't need to see what comes out of it ("Ahh! You can't write that! Give it back!" Naminé burst out, looking sterner). With love, Your Superior. P.S. You're fired from life, emo-boy."
"Roxas! You can not write that! I… give…" Naminé exclaimed, half-guiltily-amused, half-annoyed. Roxas, however, snickered, and clicked the pen. "Now for round two…"
"Roxas!"
"Ahh! I'm writing!" Roxas laughed when Naminé leaned over to snatch it from him. Roxas held it above his head, well away from her reach. Naminé, however, pounced across the table and knocked the book to the floor (the few remaining patrons edged their chairs closer to their tables). Unfortunately, Naminé's co-ordination wasn't too wonderful itself.
With a groan, Naminé realized that she had landed flat out in the left-overs of the sundae dish.
Roxas bit his lip, worried about another sudden outburst – until she burst out laughing. Roxas, in spite of himself, threw back his head and laughed as well. Naminé was quick to climb to her feet once she recovered from her fit (one of the clerks peered over, trying to decide whether they were completely mad or not), but doubled up again when she collapsed back onto her chair.
Still shaking his head, Roxas said, "Damn, Naminé, here… sorry about that. Your shirt…" Roxas handed Naminé back her book and stood up. Naminé tucked the book back into her bag, but shook her head upon glancing down at her own front as well. Her white blouse was completely smeared in the leftover fudge, ice-cream and general sugary goo of the sundae. Offering her his hand once again, he led her down the hall where the bathroom signs were hung.
Once outside the "Family Bathroom", Roxas leaned against the door, still smirking at Naminé. "Very graceful, you know. Your teachers would be so proud." Naminé laughed.
"So? You going to make your ex-teachers proud and be a gentleman?" she responded. Roxas grinned and held the door open to the bathroom.
"You go in there and clean yourself up – when you've finished moving the mess from your shirt to the rest of the bathroom, just open the door a crack and I'll slip in my sweatshirt for you, okay?" Naminé complied and slipped in, closing the door behind her.
Roxas, moving as quickly and subtly as he could, transferred all of the items in his hoodie pocket – including, say, the more questionable ones that he doubted even Naminé truly suspected him of – into his jeans. Cramming everything in, he managed to squeeze it all into his various pockets just as Naminé was opening the door.
"Hey!" she whispered, her slender hand flapping around like a dying fish. Just for the hell of it, Roxas waggled the sweatshirt tauntingly near her hand, coaxing her to come on out and get it; all the while laughing. When Naminé finally retreated her hand and locked herself in the bathroom again, Roxas relented and knocked on the door.
Roxas handed her the now-empty hoodie (although, Roxas was fairly certain there would be a certain level of smoking-scent on it… not too much, though considering he had barely chained through anything today thanks to Naminé). A few minutes later, Naminé emerged with the blouse presumably tucked in her tote bag. She looked a little strange, wearing his large Jordan Falcon Underground sweatshirt and her pinkish-red skirt, but whatever. At least she was clean.
Now clad only in a red t-shirt, Roxas motioned with his head to leave the dessert café.
"What, sick of me? Heading home already?" Naminé teased, lightly shoving Roxas through the door.
"It's almost nine o'clock," he told Naminé as they exited the parlour. "And little girls shouldn't be playing out after dark, right?" Though he had meant it in good humour, a very strange expression crossed Naminé's face, Roxas thought. Then again, it could have simply been a trick of the streetlights – Naminé quickly laughed lightly.
"I guess so. I'm not a big-city girl."
"Yeah? Man, you should see D'Arc. That place is crawling with people and shops… mostly people shopping, really. It's like the national heroin or something… gimme a hit! Gimme a hit! I swear, it's a matter of time before someone makes a proper documentary about that kinda crap. I'd kill to see that in theatres."
"Ha! Isn't that kinda ironic, going to pay to see that movie? Then buying popcorn and pop, and maybe some candy while you're there… oh, and I bet there's a mall nearby where people would go while waiting for the film to start…"
"Hey, hey, I was just saying… yeesh. You think way too hard, Naminé." Roxas shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling the slight chill now, and surveyed the street. Damn, it was mostly dark and seemingly empty, but everyone knew that was when the real shit went down. Big gangsta shoot outs and cop fights… okay, not really. But still. Trying to keep his mind off of it, Roxas mumbled, "Besides, I'd just get them pre-ordered to my house…"
Naminé shook silently with laughter.
LiD
" … So to make a long story short, the ass-hat ends up falling about ten feet and breaking through the ice into the lake, and I'm stuck in a janitor's closet for the next four hours smelling like banana peels."
"I'm sure Riku didn't mean to…"
"Of course not. The man is a saint." If Naminé hadn't gotten into the swing of Roxas' strange character, she wouldn't have caught the tinge of bitterness in his tone. Not wanting to cause any conflict, and not being able to bear any more slander against the poor Riku (who wasn't even here for his side of the story), Naminé didn't press it.
How strange, this cousin of Sora's. When Sora had described him, he had seemed almost… untouchable. Beyond the constraints of lower-class life, so caught up in his dramatic arts that he never had to worry about a thing of reality. She'd pictured a lofty, if not snobbish, young man. But this, him? The first to fly off the handle when they'd met, full of bitter resentment and snarky comments, yet so sociable when he chose to be? His hands were jammed in his pockets, and he was leading the way absent-mindedly through the dark streets.
While Naminé was thankful for the company in such a large city, she shuddered very slightly when she remembered his earlier words."Little girls…" How many young men were foolish enough to drop such a disturbing line? Naminé went slightly pink, thinking about Roxas very mildly flirting with her. And yet, the last time that particular line had been delivered, it had ended with a redhead being sent back to his room and a very angry Riku. Casting Roxas a side-long look, she tried again to understand just why him and Riku didn't seem too fond of one another. Too strange? Too angry? Or perhaps, competing, as peculiar as it seemed, for Sora's attention?
Sora… what was she going to do? She had as good as promised Roxas that she wouldn't speak a word of their meeting to his cousin, but surely, Sora would want to know…? Would he? Would he want to know this Roxas? Eyes shifting to her sandaled feet, Naminé chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip.
No. No… she liked this Roxas, and it would be stupid to risk this tentative alliance for something Sora needn't even hear. Even if Sora had been so kind to her so far…
… oh damn. She owed Sora and the others one, but… wait.
Something occurred to her so suddenly, that Naminé almost tripped on her own feet. Roxas turned around quickly, asking if she was all right, and Naminé brushed the question off by asking,
"Roxas… that thing you mentioned way earlier… you said something weird was going on? With your step sister?"
Roxas raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then responded, "What? Oh, yeah, but I mean, that's probably just her being a bitch. She likes doing these kinds of things… probably testing me or something so she could hang it over my head. I dunno."
Naminé stuffed her hands into the front pocket of Roxas' hoodie, and looked up ahead. The hotel they were staying at was very close, and Naminé was starting to think very hard about the band she'd neglected all day. Crap.
"Roxas… you sure? Your sister – "
"Step-sister, and yeah, I mean, she's been like that since forever. It's just Larxene's thing…"
"Larxene?" Naminé stopped walking. They stood on the elegantly lit path that led up to the front foyer, lined with cherry blossom trees and a garden spotted with flowers and fountains. The curtain of night had drawn in closely now, and she had to step closer to Roxas to see his face. "Your step-sister is Larxene? Tall, blonde – "
"Bitchy and controlling? Sounds about right. Why, you know her?"
Naminé cursed under her breath, and said slowly, "Not really. She… she goes to Radiant Garden, right?"
Roxas groaned. "Riiiight… crap. Secretary of Student Council… shit, she loves that role. She only got it 'cause she was appointed, I swear, no one in their right mind would vote for her…"
"Hell yes, she was appointed! By the President of Student Council!" Naminé exclaimed, realizing full well that Roxas was completely clueless to her sudden hysteria. "Don't you see!" she continued. "It's… he… argh!"
Naminé stared up at the hotel, her fury at herself rising. Why hadn't she pursued the topic earlier? It was late, and there was no time to keep talking now… but if Larxene had a hand in it, then it was a guarantee that hewould be involved as well.
Damn Marluxia. Count on him to make everything his business, even if it was probably just for some sick form of entertainment.
Larxene: Marluxia's right hand man. Or woman. Whatever. Their little clique of seniors who owned Student Council, made the decisions and the grades, made sure the juniors and every other inferior grade knew that… ugh. Of course, Larxene had been semi-nice, nay – polite, to Naminé back when she had been dating Marluxia. But as soon as the pink-haired idiot and her broke up, she…
… she was Roxas' step-sister? Casting a glance at the alarmed Roxas, who was watching her strangely but saying nothing, Naminé felt a sudden surge of pity.
Pausing just before continuing down the path up the grounds, Naminé told Roxas, "Okay… I just… wow. Sorry, but… trust me, she's probably up to something. And… keep an eye on her, would you? Especially if it's something that might compromise the fairness of this tournament…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don't think I'll keep an eye on her though… I'd rather not spend time with that thing."
Naminé sighed. "Fair enough. I… okay. That's all right. I…" Damn, what an awful end to what had become an alright day. Trying to smile, Naminé said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Roxas. I… thanks. You took a lot of stress off of me after… and, yeah. I had a good time." Naminé held out her hand, and Roxas (though still bemused) shook it.
"Sure thing, Naminé. It was my pleasure; have a good night, okay?"
"'Course. You too."
"And, umm… Naminé?" Roxas asked, looking slightly apprehensive. "About today… and… you know, the whole, well, today?" Naminé raised an eyebrow. "Could we like, not mention this to certain people…?"
"Including passing certain notes?" Naminé quirked an eyebrow as she asked. Roxas laughed slightly,
"Exactly. I'm, uh… my hotel is down that way, so…" Roxas rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Naminé nodded in understanding, and watched him leave, heading back down to the main road after saluting her off. Naminé shook her head and grimaced slightly. All the stress that she had shed off after spending the day with Roxas had come roaring back with him too. Damn Larxene… and Marluxia? What could he possibly want by adding his filthy hand to this competition? It was a freaking band thing, where a bunch of teenagers got together, got high, rocked out and hoped for the best. Not… not the International Academy Awards, or something.
"I'm sure we can spend time together again, either way, hm?"
Naminé shuddered, thinking of that ungrateful slime even being near her again. But then again… she trusted Roxas; that much she was sure of. Right, because he's been so honest to his own blood, a voice in Naminé's head drawled. Naminé winced. Still… he had seemed upset about Larxene. What would he have to gain about lying about that? Unless… he was on Larxene's side? This was just some ploy, he was just a pawn in those two aristocrats little games?
Damn this, Naminé couldn't be sure. Shaking her head, Naminé realized her feet had brought her to the front foyer elevator. Stepping inside the empty compartment, Naminé leaned her forehead against the cool metal of the wall as the elevator rode up. If this whole thing could become a problem, if Marluxia was going to make this all explode in everyone's faces…
… then, would it be worth it?
Questions still tingling in her mind, Naminé moved to room 519, pulling out her key-card. This was ridiculous. This vacation was supposed to be fun, not cause more problems with that… him… the whole freaking school…
Naminé heard the reassuring click of the door, but before she could even lay her hand on the knob, the door flew open.
"What. The. HELL?"
She saw a flash of red hair and the door was slammed in her face again. Naminé, panicking slightly, checked the room number. 519. She checked the time. 10:00pm. Eh… what time had she left them, again, in a total rage? Oh, crap. Major crap.
The door swung open again (as Naminé expected, Kairi had used this dramatic tactic since they were kids) and Kairi, leaning on the doorjamb, her face both alight with fury and wrought with worry. Her hair was disheveled, she looked pale – although she was flushed with anger now – and was glaring heatedly at her sister.
"Well?" She spat at Naminé. Naminé dropped her gaze, and felt Kairi grab her by the shoulder and drag her into the room. "WELL?"
"Kairi, calm down, you'll wake up the entire hotel," Naminé heard Sora's soothing voice hush. Sora, goodness, Sora… she couldn't tell him, and now she definitely wouldn't be able to look him in the eye…
"BE QUIET? BE QUIET? DON'T YOU TELL ME TO BE QUIET!"
And all hell broke loose.
LiD
Sora sighed in relief at the sight of Naminé, and settled into the armchair.
" … I'll have you know if you died, I would have bawled my effing eyes out, okay? I would have emailed mom and dad, and even though they'd kill me, I'd do it because I was so freaking worried. I mean, I can not believe that you – " Sora cut Kairi off from her rampage on Naminé, by asking Naminé quickly,
"Naminé – are you okay? Is everything all right?"
Naminé nodded in response. Sora quirked an eyebrow – she sure as hell didn't look all right. Kairi seemed to catch onto this as well, and she managed to ask in time, "Yeah?" The hysteria was still there, if not more reined in. "Sure you weren't cold? Hmm?" Kairi pinched the fleecy sweater Naminé bore, and Naminé winced. Sora shifted his feet so that Naminé could lower herself on the couch across from his armchair.
Naminé, sounding desperately on the verge of tears replied, "This? It belongs to a friend of mine! I… met up with an old friend from Radiant Garden, and we just… we were talking, and I lost track of time…"
"Naminé," Kairi cut in, her voice very tight (although her muscles had relaxed somewhat at the words 'old friend' and 'Radiant Garden'), "You could have at least taken your cell phone with you. How were we supposed to reach you?! You know I
called fifteen times before Sora realized your phone was sitting on the nightstand?" Sora tried to grin encouragingly at Naminé, but the girl had lowered her head and was staring at her sandaled feet.
In Sora's opinion, she looked totally strange. He was so used to seeing her dressed all proper and clean, but this bulky sweater with her pristine skirt was incredibly awkward. Shaking his head slightly to refocus, Sora leaned forwards so his elbows were resting on his thighs, his hands clasped together. Kairi was still ranting on about phones, payphones, internet, GPS, ah… who knew, it was Kairi, for goodness-sake.
"Look, Naminé," Sora said quietly, getting both the girls' attention. "Look, just… you scared the crap out of everyone, okay? And…" Sora paused for a moment, not entirely sure if he should continue, but said, "I know that this morning was kind of… stressful, for you, and we get that you need your time and all, but I mean…"
"I… I know," Naminé said in a very small voice. Still not looking up, Naminé asked, "Where… are Riku and Tidus…" There was growing dread in her voice, though she needn't finish the question.
"Yes," Kairi snapped, half-annoyed, half-pitying. "They're still out looking for you. I think they said they'd finish up by checking the other four hotels that us bands are assigned to, and then… well, they'll be back. Someone needed to make sure you'd get back okay. I mean…" Kairi sounded as though she was going to go on a bit of a rant again, but thankfully, her cell phone ringing cut her off. Flipping it open, Kairi began pacing around the small living space as she spoke. Sora watched Naminé cringe as they heard the conversation.
"Yeah… yeah. Don't worry about it – you did what? Oh, for goodness sake, just come back now… she's here. Yeah, yeah. We – I know. Okay. Don't – Tidus, holy crap, not so loud, you'll wake up the whole neighborhood! Yeah, okay; you can tell her yourself when you two get back!" And Kairi flipped her phone shut, pursing her lips.
A moment of silence enveloped the three, and Sora struggled for words. While he had never seriously believed that anything had happened to Naminé, he wasn't going to lie about being a teensy bit afraid. But, she had said that she'd simply been hanging out with a friend. She forgot to call about curfew. No big deal! Hell, Sora still did that sometimes with his mom. Whatever. This would be cool; this would be okay.
Naminé shifted uncomfortably.
They didn't have to wait very long before an annoyed, "OH, she decides to come back now!" penetrated the room.
Tidus and Riku stood positively livid at the door. Sora groaned internally – these two needed a good smash across the head sometimes, honestly. This was not going to go well, if Sora knew anything about their "lectures" (lectures are, after all, for the coherent).
Tidus was the first to storm into the room, flushed in the face. His hair looked windswept – well, more than it usually did – he was shaking slightly from the cold and his hands were clenched into tight fists.
Striding so that he stood right in front of Naminé – with his ass in Sora's face, jeez – Tidus exclaimed, "What the hell? What the friggin' shit is wrong with you? Do you know how long we were out there looking for you? You… I… "
Naminé bit her lip, but didn't look up; didn't say anything.
Tidus collapsed on the sofa next to Naminé, and threw back his head, covering his face with his hands. "Shit," Tidus muttered. "I am so frickin'…" Sora noticed Naminé edge away from Tidus, moving to the farthest side of the couch. Furrowing his brow, Sora tried to catch Naminé's eye. He wasn't going to demand an explanation in front of everyone, but if she would just look at one of them …
Now Riku walked over, but his was more of a calculated step; Sora found this far more alarming than any of Tidus' explosions. Sora stared at Riku, trying to get him to make eye contact. Lay off, he wanted to say. We've already taken care of Nam –
"Whose sweater is that?" Riku suddenly demanded, voice like a blunted knife – not enough to kill, but definitely had shaken Naminé. Amazingly, Naminé actually raised her head a bit, glanced at Sora for a mere moment, before dropping her gaze again and answering,
"A friend's. From school."
"Yeah?" Tidus jumped in, "From that prep school… Jordan Falcon Underground?" He scoffed. "Right, that is probably so popular with a bunch of sissy-boys and stuck-up chicks."
"Tidus!" Kairi snapped, smacking him on the back of the head. "Look, I'm really glad you guys offered – you offered– to go out and look for Naminé, but we found her, me and Sora took care of it…"
"Why, Naminé, does that sweater smell like smoke?" It was Riku's deathly quiet voice again. Kairi jumped, and Sora grimaced. He had noticed, but he had been planning on approaching Naminé about it afterwards… ugh, Riku could be such a pain sometimes.
"What?" Kairi exclaimed, and she leaned over the back of the couch to actually sniff Naminé's sweater. Turning her head to face Naminé while she was still leaning over, Kairi demanded, "Yeah, Nami… what kind of friend was this?"
"I… uh… he smokes, so?" Naminé responded, for the first time, sounding a little defensive. "I mean, it's not smart, and I've tried to tell him so many times to quit, but you know… people are stubborn like that…"
"Wait a second," Tidus interjected once again. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… you just take off and leave in the morning after seeing some pink-haired pansy; you're gone for the
whole day without a cell phone, and now you're telling us you were hanging out with some guy none of us know, who smokes, wanders around big cities and skateboards? And he gave you his sweatshirt? What did you have to do to get it, jeez, Naminé?" He didn't sound at all like he was trying to be cute or funny. This was, by all means, a blatant accusation.
Naminé's head had snapped up to look at Tidus, looking angry for the first time. Tidus simply gazed angrily back, and Riku, ever the watcher, simply stood back and observed with a stony expression. Sora scowled, but Naminé broke in, "Look! I'm really grateful that you were out looking for me – what if I had been in trouble? So, I mean, thank you, and I'm really, really sorry I was so stupid – it wasn't fair at all! I totally crossed the line, and I swear, I won't do this again. I – " Naminé didn't seem able to continue, so she bit her lip and stared at the wall just past Sora's head.
"Tidus, she already explained herself to us, okay? So just… whatever. Is everyone okay now?" Kairi asked, crossing her arms across her chests. No one responded, so Kairi, in an uncharacteristic display of cheerfulness, told Naminé, "Okay, so just give me that sweater, if you don't mind. I can't stop smelling smoke, and I'd rather we left it out here than in one of our rooms..." Kairi held out her hand, but Naminé shook her head.
"I'll just go change, don't worry – I can bring it out after."
"Why?" Dammit, Riku, just get off of her case.
"Wha-what?" Naminé replied, standing up.
"Why not just get rid of it now?" Riku leaned against the wall, regarding her carefully.
"Um, well…" Naminé looked flustered. "I… well, I'm not wearing anything underneath." This last part was said very quietly, and Naminé moved towards the door to the room she and Kairi shared.
Tidus laughed a hollow laugh. "Nice. No shirt, smells like smoke, dude's sweater, comes back late at night… makes us go wander around and find her while she's out doing…"
"I'm sorry! I – "
"Just get off of her case!" Sora exclaimed, standing up. "She hasn't done anything wrong – maybe a bit stupid, yeah," – Sora threw an apologetic look over his shoulder to Naminé – "but she's back, she's apologized, she's explained herself. We've all done stupid lame stuff like this… it's no – big – deal. Leave it; leave her."
Riku, unsurprisingly, simply left the main room and headed to the smaller bedroom, closing the door behind him. Tidus, however, burst out, "Excuse me for trying to look out for her! Do you know how many creeps there are?"
"Like you?" Kairi sneered, who seemed to be growing increasingly angry again.
"Hell yeah! Well, no, but I mean… guys way more desperate than me, who'd trick – "
"Oh… you think my sister's stupid enough to fall for some lame-ass-flirting? She shot you down, buddy, so I think she's fine."
"What?! You want Naminé to come back like this, I mean… she seems like…"
"Like what, Tidus? SAY IT."
"A… a…"
"Ugh! You're so behind the times, Tidus! You're not Naminé's – or any female in your life, for that matter – walking chastity belt or something! Dammit, Naminé can do what she wants, and if she wants to talk about that kinda stuff, she has me to ask for advice or whatever – women do not need men like you to jump and protect our precious 'virtue'! You are such a chauvinistic, pig-headed, hypocritical – "
"Whatever! I'm going to bed!"
"Good!"
And the door slammed, leaving Sora, Kairi and a mortified Naminé standing alone in the ringing silence.
"I… I'm going…" Naminé said softly, moving towards the door to the other room.
"… to bed. Good idea. And you are so lucky I'm mad at that idiot right now, that I'm not even gonna call mom and dad about this. We'll just pretend it didn't happen, okay?" Kairi said, handing a mug of hot chocolate to Sora, before cuddling up with her boyfriend on the couch. Sora wrapped an arm around Kairi and accepted the mug, pressing his mouth into her crimson hair. Mmm… finally. A chance to actually relax. "And… Nami? About this morning?"
"We'll, um, talk later?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay. Now goodnight, Nami. I'll come around later." Sora watched Naminé nod, and slip into the room.
Sora sighed, relaxing his muscles and he felt Kairi do the same. He was laying across the couch now, his legs stretched out. Kairi lay in between them, her head resting on his stomach. Grabbing the remote, Sora flipped on the TV and began mindlessly surfing through. Kairi buried her face in his navy t-shirt, and sighed,
"People are such pains." Sora pinched her. "That wasn't funny, Sora. That hurt," Kairi pouted, punching him lightly in the stomach. Sora laughed, and ran his fingers through her silky hair.
"Sorry, babe," Sora whispered. This was comfy – these couches were nearly as good, if not better than the beds. Which was, of course, part of the reason Sora opted for taking the pull-out bed here. Laughing slightly, he asked her, "Now that all the fuss is over, what do you say about spending the night?"
Kairi rolled her eyes and laughed. "Right, 'cause its just so far from 'home'." Then, readjusting herself so she could struggle with pulling out the bed, she continued, "But, hell, why not."
Grinning, Sora spread himself out on the now folded out bed. Kairi lay down beside him, one arm around his waist.
All was well. Naminé was safe and sound, the band was kicking into full gear rehearsals, there was so much to see and do, the tournament rounds were starting up… this was good. He had known there was nothing to worry about.
"Night, Kai."
Poor redhead was already snoozing, so Sora simply snuggled in close to her.
LiD
Stumbling bleary-eyed into the front foyer of their hotel, Roxas shivered. Holy crap, this place got cold at night. Man, he hoped he'd get his hoodie back eventually – he liked that one. Limited edition Jordan Falcon, only the greatest skateboarder, like, ever.
Taking the stairs – everybody knew that the bloodiest murders happened in secluded elevators, jeez – Roxas made the laborious climb to room 347. One step… two…shit, out of breath. Breath. And he hadn't even gone through a pack today… he… ahhh… crap. He had been doing so well, while distracting himself with befriending that Naminé-girl, he had managed to shake off the cravings that passed off (Roxas winced, feeling stupid for almost having gotten caught by Naminé). Dammit, Roxas was almost mad enough to pull one out right now – then he remembered the smoke detectors, not to mention the security cameras, and those handy "Non-smoking" signs everywhere.
Ahh… shit.
Approaching his room door, Roxas fumbled with his wallet for the key card. Clicking himself into the room with his key, Roxas rolled his eyes when he saw the lights still on but no one in sight. Figures. Killing the planet, one light switch at a time, while they were probably out partying. Dropping his wallet on the counter of the kitchenette, Roxas went over to the fridge, knowing full well Demyx probably stashed it.
Uh-huh. Oh, and look, Xiggy had even found some nooks and crannies to put his, uh, stuff in.
And there was booze. Most likely Axel's doing.
With a slight wince, Roxas realized he hadn't pitched into the group fridge at all. He'd do a bit of grocery shopping tomorrow, since they'd be here for another week or so. And he'd make sure he hung out with the guys too – first Olette, now Naminé. Jeez.
After pouring himself a glass of milk and grabbing an orange, Roxas plopped on the couch. He had just found the remote (under the seat cushions, seriously, guys, come on) when the pattering of feet caught his attention.
Bare feet. The kind of children. Or ninja-masters.
And closer they whence came! From the bedroom, they approached… the door was opening from the room…
Tensing up, Roxas lifted the remote up, prepared to throw it. Hey, he had an orange too – but he was hungry, so Roxas put that back down. Come on, jerk-face, let's see what
"Roxas? Where have you been?"
Axel was standing at the door jamb, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his brilliant emerald eyes like jeweled daggers.
Roxas breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back on the couch, putting his feet up on the small table. No crazy ninja-warriors today, thank goodness; yet still, Roxas was too exhausted to pick a fight with Axel. So he replied, "Nothing. Just out… met a friend of mine."
"That's great, you know; heaven forbid you not hang out with friends." Roxas could practically taste the sarcasm dripping from every word. Feeling a blanket of uneasiness wrap around him, Roxas managed to choke out,
"Sorry – I just… I got caught up… I'll make it up to you guys…"
"Whatever. We need to get rehearsing; actual tournament starts day after tomorrow."
Roxas felt stung by the complete shrug-off at his apology, and bitterly managed to reply, "Oh, come off it, Axel. It's not like you were doing anything productive, either, just checking out the – "
"I don't give a shit about who or what you've been checking out, Rox. And buddy, the party's tomorrow, remember? Then again, you haven't been around the hotel enough to actually know what's been going on, have you?"
"I – "
"Crap, just forget it. Just get to effing bed already so we can actually do something tomorrow – "
"Don't – don't you tell me what I can and can't do! I said," Roxas growled, "I'm sorry. So just…"
"Okay! Okay! Apology accepted! Oh, how gracious of Roxas to actually decide he wants to talk to us! Holy shit, Rox, you just… you know what? You're already in your bed, as
far as I can see." Axel slipped back into the room where the twin beds were, and grabbed a blanket and pillow. Chucking them at Roxas, he snapped, "Sleep tight."
"Fine! At least I get the TV!"
Axel didn't even dignify that with a response, instead slamming the door on the bedroom. Roxas, scowling, kicked off his shoes, threw off his belt and set up the pull-out couch. Flicking off the TV and tossing aside the orange, Roxas rested his head on the semi-soft pillow. Axel was so lame.
So dramatic.
So…
… ugh.
Punching the pillow a few times, tossing over between his stomach and back, opening and closing his eyes…
… dammit.
Kicking off the covers, Roxas sat up, tugged off his t-shirt and jeans, and laid down again, snuggling under the sheets. He had to get up tomorrow morning now, and talk to Axel in the morning. And maybe snoop on Larxene. Maybe talk to Naminé again. And all while avoiding Sora… assuming, of course, that the blondie stuck to her word.
Why the hell did life have to be so dramatic?
A/N: Aaaaand BAM! What will happen next time:-P And what is going on with Roxas and Naminé? Surely, some new plays aren't being put in teh game? Or maybe… I don't know, you'll have to stay tuned to find out! Okay, that was lame. Anyways. Thanks… if you guys like what you're seeing, drop a comment. If not, you can tell me that too. Until next time, then (which will hopefully be soon, what with the holidaze coming up and all)!
Muchos amor (sorry for killing the Spanish language),
XX – diamonds – XX