"You know what I don't understand?" Riku said, cocking his head, studying Kairi in her short silk skirt. A mischievious smile spread over his face. "I don't understand why you don't wear that pretty bridesmaid's dress." Xemnas looked up from the plate of snacks he was carrying upstairs to Aqua. Everyone was going out that evening. Be it to other worlds, or somewhere in the city. "Oh it's much too formal for the Dark Inn in Christmas Town," Xemnas said, "but your right, Riku, Kairi should find someplace to wear her dress again." Kairi smiled briefly at her father, then shot Riku a wicked look. He grinned at her. After Xemnas had left the kitchen, he said, "You look hot tonight." He said it in a matter-of-fact way, though his eyes lingered on her. Kairi no longer tried to figure out what Riku meant by some of his comments-whether he was truly giving her a complement or subtly mocking her.
She let a lot of what he said roll right on by. Maybe she had finally gotten used to him. "You're getting used to making excuses for him," Roxas had said after she told him what had happened on Saturday night. Kairi had been furious at Axel for his stupid trick. Riku wouldn't admit to being in on the stunt. he shrugged and said, "You never know what Axel's up to. That's what makes him fun." Of course, she had been angry at Riku too. But living with him day after day, she saw how he struggled. Since his father's death there were hours when he seemed completely lost in his own thoughts. She thought about the day he asked her to go for a ride and they had driven through his father's old neighborhood. She had told him that she had been there that stormy night. He had barely spoken after that and wouldn't meet her eyes the rest of the way home. "I'd have been a stone not to feel for him," Kairi had told Roxas, and ended the discussion there.
Both Riku and Roxas were inclined to avoid each other. As usual, Riku disappeared into a Dark Corridor as soon as Roxas glided into the driveway. Roxas always came early to play for a few minutes with Sora. Kairi saw, with some satisfaction, that this time Roxas couldn't concentrate, though the home team was down by two in the rubber match of the series with Terra coming up to swing. Second base was stolen while the pitcher was sneaking peeks at Kairi. Sora grew frustrated the third time that Roxas couldn't remember how many outs there were, and stomped off to call Isa. Kairi and Roxas seized the opportunity to slip out of the house. On the way to the glider, Kairi noticed that Roxas seemed unusually quiet. "How's Cupcake?" "Good." Kairi waited. He usually told her a funny Cupake story. "Just good?" "Very good." "Did you get a new bell for his collar?" "Yes." "Is something wrong, Roxas?" He didn't answer right away.
It's Riku, she thought. He still has himself all wound up about Riku and last weekend. "Tell me!" He faced her. With one finger he touched the back of her neck. Her hair was pinned up that night. Her shoulders were bare, except for two thin little straps. The top she wore was a simple camisole, with small buttons down the front. Roxas ran his hand down her neck, then across her bare shoulder. "Sometimes it's hard to believe you're real," he said. Kairi swallowed. Ever so gently he kissed her throat. "Maybe . . . maybe we should get on the glider," she suggested, glancing up at the windows of the house. "Right." He opened the door to his new glider. There were roses on the seat, more lavender roses. "Whoops, I forgot," said Roxas. "Do you want to run them inside?" She picked them up and held them to her face. "I want them with me."
"They'll probably wilt," he told her. "We can stick them in a water glass at the restaurant in Christmas Town." Roxas smiled. "That will show the maitre d' what kind of class we have." "They're beautiful!" "Yeah," he said softly. His eyes ran all over her, as if he were memorizing her. Then he kissed her on the forehead and held the roses while she got in the glider. As they drove in the Lanes Between, they talked about their plans for the summer. Kairi was glad Roxas landed the glider safely and took the old routes in Christmas town rather than the main roads. The trees were cool and musky with the crisp snow air. Light dappled their branches like gold coins slipping through angels's fingers. Roxas glided through the winding roads with one hand on the handles of his glider, the other reaching for hers, as if she might slip away. "I want to go to Atlantica," Kairi said. "I'm going to float out there for hours, in the deepest part, with the sun glinting off my tail-" "Till along comes a big fish or a shark," Roxas teased. "I'll float in the moonlight, too," she went on. "The moonlight? You'd swim in the dark?"
"With you I would. We could skinny-dip." He glanced over at her and their eyes held for a moment. "Better not look at you and drive at the same time," he said. "Then stop driving," she replied quietly. He glanced quickly at her, and she put her hand over her mouth. The words had escaped, and she suddenly felt embarrassed. Couples dressed up and on their way to expensive restaurants didn't pull over to make out. "We'll be late for our reservation," she said. "You should keep going." Roxas eased the glider off the road. "There's a snowbank," he said. "Do you want to walk down to it?" "Yes." Roxas came around to help her out of the glider. "Are you going to be able to walk in those shoes?" Roxas asked, glancing down at Kairi's high heels. She stood up. Both heels sank straight down into the snow. Kairi laughed, and Roxas picked her up. "I'll give you a lift," he said. "No, you'll drop me in the snow!" "Not till we get there," he said, and hoisted her up higher till he held her legs, letting top half of her fall over his shoulder as if he were carrying a sack.
Kairi laughed and pounded him on the back. Her hair was coming out of it's pins. "My hair! My hair! Let me down!" He pulled her back, and she slid down the front of him, landing in the snow bank, her skirt riding up, her hair tumbling down. "Kairi." He held her ever so tightly against him, she could feel the trembling up and down his body. "Kairi?" he whispered. She opened her mouth and pressed it against his neck. At the same time, they both fell into the snow bank in a heated kiss. A few moments later they righted themselves again. "I never knew how romantic Christmas Town could be," Kairi said, resting against the snow bank they were sitting on, smiling at Roxas. Then she looked past him at the pile of snow on the ground.
"Maybe you should pull your keyblade outta there before it gets frozen in the snow." Roxas reached down and sighed. He tugged the Key out, grunting, then sent it away, sitting back down next to Kairi. "Ow!" The smell of crushed flowers filled the air. Kairi laughed out loud. "What's so funny?" Roxas asked, pulling the smashed roses from behind him, but he was laughing too. "What if someone had come along and seen you in your Organization cloak? Wouldn't Xemnas murder you for exposing the Organization?"
Roxas tossed the flowers into the woods, and pulled her towards him again. He traced the silver zipper on the front of her dress, then kissed her cheek. "I would've told them I was with an angel." "Oh, what a line!" "Kairi, I love you!" Roxas said, his face suddenly serious and determined to make her believe him. She stared back at him, and bit her lip. She knew nobodies didn't have any emotions. Sora had told her that. "This isn't some kind of game for me. I love you, Kairi, and one day you're going to believe me." She put her arms around his neck, raising an eyebrow. "Love, Roxas? Nobodies cannot feel anything." She partly believed him, because, oddly enough, she was falling for the blonde spikey-haired nobody.
But part of her knew that nobodies cannot feel any emotion. She sighed, because she trusted him, like she trusted no one else. One day, she'd have the nerve to tell him how she felt. She'd say those three words. I love you, Roxas. She'd shout it from the top of Castle Oblivion. It took a few minutes to straighten themselves up. Kairi started laughing again. Roxas smiled and watched her try to tame that rose colored mess she called a head of hair-a useless effort. Then he got up, peering into the woods, watching a few heartless form. They're numbers were growing bigger by the minute. He jumped over rocks, and logs, summoning Oblivion.
"Kairi stay here!" He shouted back at her, worried for her safety. The moon glinted off of his Keyblade as he jumped into the mass of heartless. Kairi got worried, getting up and running after him. "Roxas wait!" She shouted as she panted, trying to catch up with him. Roxas was steadily slashing at the heartless, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Kairi get back!" She shook her head. "No!" Being the stubborn Princess of Heart she was, she was /not/ going to let Roxas fight alone. She summoned Destiny's Embrace, diving into the swarm of heartless. Roxas blinked twice, astonished. "K-Kairi what are you...?" She grinned. "This time, I'll save you."
He shook his head frantically, fear in his eyes as more heartless manifested. "NO! End of fucking story!" His eyes went wide in fear, as Sora's Darkside manifested behind Kairi. He knew there was only one option: use his entire being in an attempt to wipe them all out and save his Princess. He picked Kairi up and tossed her into a snow bank. Rude, and rough, but effective. Kairi shouted at him, snow in her hair. "What the hell are you doing?"He rolled his eyes, building up his energy. "Saving your life, Princess." As the heartless surrounded Roxas, tears filled the red-head's eyes.
"W..why?" He chuckled sadly as he finally let the massive attack out, eradicating all the heartless in the area, dropping to his knees. "B..Because I love you." Kairi ran over just as he fell, and caught him. "Ro..Roxas.." He groaned in pain, slowly starting to fade away. "S..sorry. Looks like.. I won't.. be around for our next.. date.." He closed his eyes as Kairi shook him. "N-No! d..don't leave! Don't fade on me.. please.." She pleaded, silent tears falling. "R-Roxas!" He completely faded, his voice echoing in the air around her. "I love you... Princess." Right after he was gone, a heartless came behind her, knocking her out in a violent slash with it's claw.