Masigla says, yay! Mwahahaha… I'm trying to make up for all the non-updating-ness so… you better give me reviews. xD –has nothing else to say-
Oh yeah. I'm going to start spelling the three Twilight Town people's names according to how it was in some sites… supposedly this is the correct spelling but we'll see when the game comes out. But for the time being I'm changing it to Hayner, Pence and Olette.
Just a little more 'till Kingdom Hearts II is in our hands!
The Art of Love
Masigla
Roxas watched her silently as she was immediately immersed in her drawing. She was so immersed; she didn't notice him staring at her serious face.
"Done." She said after a couple of minutes. Roxas immediately stopped staring before she caught him. She gasped, as if she herself didn't know what sort of creation she made. Roxas looked at the piece of paper.
She drew him. She drew Roxas, just as she saw him on his skateboard in the morning.
Chapter Two
Misunderstanding
"Hey," Roxas squinted his eyes as Naminé's were still wide open in shock, "is that… me?"
Naminé didn't know how to reply to his inquiry. Would he get mad if she said yes? "I guess so… It does look like you, right?"
"Yeah." He blinked a couple of times, as if he didn't comprehend. "It's really accurate… It's like you completely memorized the memory of me skateboarding this morning."
Naminé blushed slightly from embarrassment, "I… I have a good memory… it's close to being photographic but it's not quite that."
"I see," the curious boy said, taking the binder from her and examining it with his eyes, "this is real good, Naminé. I like it."
"Thanks, Roxas." She said. Even though Selphie had established his nickname to be BHK, no one actually called him that except for Selphie. "I think we better get going to class."
"Good idea." Roxas stood up. He handed her the binder back as she stood up and straightened herself out. By this time, a lot of people had already arrived and were roaming the halls. Roxas still had to stop by the lockers and get his stuff before heading to his first period class, while Naminé already had her English things and could just start on her way. They parted ways, bidding each other goodbye with a "See you later", then leaving.
At lunch, the group sat together as usual, minus Hayner who was sitting with the cheerleaders. It wasn't like he sat with them at lunch anyways. Olette claimed to have never witnessed him sitting at their table unless he was miraculously single, which didn't come by often.
The rest of the day came pretty much like an ordinary day after that morning. Naminé went to her classes, took notes, doodling, staring out the window, getting up and going to the next class, and it went on.
When dismissal time came, Naminé found no one was there to walk home with. Riku had student council business to attend to, neither Sora nor Kairi could be found, Selphie had tennis practice, Olette and Pence had school newspaper things to do, Tidus and Wakka had blitzball, Roxas had probably zoomed off on his skateboard for he too was nowhere to be found, and Hayner… well, that needed no further explanation.
She sighed as she stepped out of the school gates and started for home. It was so boring without anyone to walk home with, and it made her feel weird for not having an after-school activity. Kairi and Sora didn't have one either, but everyone would just say they had each other, so it didn't matter. Naminé—well, she didn't have anyone. She did have her art, but she felt lonely sometimes just sitting there painting or sketching something.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking through the humble streets, she arrived at her house, where her mother welcomed her before briskly walking back into the kitchen. She seemed busy preparing for this night's guests. Her dad was on the phone on a seemingly important call, and Matsuzawa was cleaning some of the windows.
"Good afternoon, Miss Fujiwara." He greeted with chipper, then turned back to wipe the windows with a moist towel in a circular motion. Taking off her shoes, Naminé trudged upstairs where she dumped her backpack by her door and then stepped out the French doors into the balcony. The sea breeze was great and exhilarated Naminé. She stood there, in her Destiny High uniform, with her golden hair flowing with the gentle wind.
She closed her eyes and let the breeze relax her. It was like meditating—except she wasn't sitting down in some fancy style with her fingers positioned in a specific way. She was interrupted when she heard a car pull up into the driveway of Kairi's house, which was right next to Naminé's.
Naminé watched as Kairi's father, the mayor got out of the car in a hustle while her mother got out and followed him with a slower pace. Kairi, their only child, got out slowly. Then Naminé noticed something amiss.
Kairi was crying.
"What's going on?" Naminé thought. She went back inside her room, shutting the French doors closed and attempting to open the door to her room to get out and visit Kairi when Matsuzawa appeared at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Are you going anywhere, Miss Fujiwara?"
"Umm," Naminé stopped mid-track, "I was going to visit Kairi next door."
"Oh, I'm afraid you can't do that right now, miss. Your mom told me to tell you that you should start preparing. Your guest shall be here in only a few moments."
"Oh," Naminé expressed a look of disappointment, even though she knew it wouldn't work because Matsuzawa wouldn't be able to do anything about it. "That's fine. Thanks for telling me."
"No problem, miss."
Naminé walked back into her room and peeked out the windows before changing. Sora and Kairi were together on her porch, hugging each other tightly as Kairi seemed to be crying even more than Naminé first saw while Sora stroked her auburn hair. She really wanted to escape, now. She wanted to run down there and comfort her best friend, too. She decided to call Kairi immediately after the dinner and started preparing.
She was clad in a white dress. It was beautiful. Naminé loved that dress. She had gotten it the year before at a designer's boutique in Twilight Town. It was a halter, and the end of the dress ended at around her knees and each layer was cut unevenly at the ends, yet it was stylish. She paraded in front of the full-length mirror before putting on white sandals with laces that went up half her lower leg and putting her hair up in a bun.
' '
Ding, dong.
"Oh my goodness, that must be her!" Naminé heard her mother shuffle across the second floor and rush down the stairs. All the while after she was done preparing, Naminé had been doing her homework in front of the TV. Her mom came in once and checked if she was wearing something nice, and received complements before going back down to make last-minute preparations.
"Naminé, your mother wants you downstairs!" Matsuzawa said after knocking briefly on her door. Naminé struggled to get her stuff in place and straighten her dress out before meeting the guest.
"Oh, and this is Naminé, our youngest daughter coming down the stairs!" Adeline announced. The woman standing by the door had long, brown hair, teal eyes and fair skin. Naminé smiled as she approached the woman.
"Naminé, this is Miss Charlotte Clare, from New Twilight. She runs the Beauregard Academy of Arts, right outside Twilight Town."
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Clare." Naminé curtseyed.
"You can call me Charlotte, Naminé." Charlotte smiled, "Your parents have told me of your amazing art talent. Are these all your works displayed in the hallways?"
"Yes, indeed, ma'am."
"Wow, that's quite a lot for a fifteen-year-old like yourself."
"Naminé has a profound passion for art," her father stated. Naminé stayed silent—this was oftentimes how dinners went. Her parents and the guest did most of the talking, while Naminé sat there like a prized trophy on display. Sometimes she wished she could do something bad, just to get out of having to do this like Hayner could, but she knew that if she did that, she would regret it.
When the four sat down to dinner, boring conversations ensued. Halfway through, she suddenly remembered Kairi and couldn't stop worrying. She found herself mercilessly poking at the singular pea on her plate, her face showing that of extreme immersion in something other than what was being discussed at the table.
Finally, it was time for Miss Clare to depart. They bade her goodbye, and watched as she drove off into the night. After her departure, Naminé's parents brought up an important subject.
"Where's your brother?"
Naminé shrugged, "On a date?"
The two of them sighed, as if they were almost hopeless of their older child.
"Alright, we'll wait up for him. You can go to sleep now, Naminé… if you've done all your homework." Adeline said.
"I have, don't worry." Naminé yawned as she bade her parents a good night and went upstairs into her room, immediately grasping the phone. She swiftly dialed her best friend's cellphone number.
"Hello, this is Kairi. I'm not able to answer your call right now, sorry, so leave a message after the beep."
Naminé decided to try again.
"Hello, this is Kairi. I'm not able to answer your call right now, sorry, so leave a message after the beep."
Third time's the charm, they say.
"Hello, this is Kairi. I'm not able to answer your call right now, sorry, so leave a message after the beep."
Naminé sighed. "What's going on… she couldn't be asleep, it's only 10:30." She decided to call their home phone.
"Hey, Sakagami residence."
Naminé was in shock at first.
"…Sora?"
"OH. Uhh, hey, Naminé! What's up?"
"…why are you in Kairi's house this late at night…"
"Uhh, long story."
"…"
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"What do you think?"
"Okay," Sora hushed his voice, as if what he was about to say was to be kept secret, "Naminé. You're Kairi's best friend so I can trust you with this, Kairi—"
And the line was cut off.
"Sora? Sora!" Naminé called into the phone, hoping to somehow get a response. This was when she started getting real worried.
' '
"Kairi…" Sora looked at his girlfriend. Her finger was pressed onto the plunger of the phone's base, cutting off the call. Her eyes were puffy from crying and she had a desperate look on her face.
"Please, Sora." Kairi cried out softly, "Don't tell anyone yet. Even if it's Naminé."
"Kairi… they're going to find out sooner or later. You should tell them instead of them finding out themselves."
"I know, Sora… but… I'm afraid."
"You shouldn't be." He hugged her again. "It's not your fault…"
' '
Naminé set down the phone on her nightstand. Now she was just completely confused. So Sora was at Kairi's house late at night and was going to tell her something he wasn't supposed to when oh joy, the timing was perfect and his call got cut off.
She changed into her pajamas and lay down on her bed, thoughts racing through her head of the possibilities. Rolling over to her side, she could see a little through the window and saw Sora walking out of Kairi's house. So, he wasn't staying over like she thought he was. That was a relief.
Soon she found her eyelids getting heavier and heavier, until they closed and Naminé was sent off into a deep slumber.
' '
"Morning, Naminé!" Olette greeted when Naminé opened the door next morning.
"Where's Kairi?"
"I don't know," Selphie shrugged, "we came to her house and their err, butler… said she left early."
"Early?"
"Yeah, early."
Naminé looked down. There was something weird going on here, and she wanted to know what.
"Something wrong?" Olette asked.
"Nothing." Naminé sighed. "Let's walk. Dad needs Matsuzawa this morning so he can't take us to school."
"Okay."
' '
When they arrived at school, Naminé noticed more weird things. Roxas had arrived early as well, without Sora. It was rare that they didn't go to school together, living in the same roof and all.
"Yeah, uhh," Roxas scratched the back of his head, "he left early."
The girls, and now Tidus who had just walked in, had their jaws hanging wide open.
"Sora… left early?" Selphie said in disbelief.
"Are you sure you know your own cousin, Roxas?" Tidus inquired in a joking manner, "This is a first. The only time we've ever heard of Sora waking up early is to open Santa's presents on Christmas."
"…he still believes in Santa…?" Roxas raised his eyebrow.
"Shh, we have fun every year making Sora think he exists." Selphie snorted. Naminé stayed back a bit, trying to glue all the pieces together. Soon the conversation turned into one of Tidus and Selphie telling Roxas about Sora still believing in Santa.
When they finished and Selphie and Tidus had started bickering about gummy bears, Naminé pulled Roxas towards her.
"What's up?" he said, not quite accustomed to Naminé wanting to talk to him.
"Did Sora come back late last night?"
"Y-yeah… why?"
"He was at Kairi's house."
"…obviously."
"Never mind." Naminé sighed and walked away. It was like she was the only one who witnessed what was happening. It was driving her insane—what if something terribly wrong had happened?
And the day progressed. Finally, it was social studies, the first period that day that Naminé had with Kairi. Naminé sat down on a desk, waiting for her best friend to arrive and sit beside her so Naminé could ask what had happened.
But, when Kairi arrived, she looked at Naminé, and then away. She did not seat herself beside the blonde, but she stayed away and sat in the farthest seat possible.
At lunch, Sora and Kairi still sat at the table, though they did not talk. The others didn't notice as much as Naminé did, because they just thought that they were having a lover's moment and were having silent time together.
But Naminé knew there was something wrong.
Selphie came up to Naminé in between classes after lunch that day, her face showing concern.
"Is Kairi mad at me, Naminé?" She didn't sit next to me in English class. Or in algebra."
"She's been avoiding me too, Selphie. There's something really wrong here."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Just come with me after school today."
"Okay. I guess I could skip a tennis practice… this seems important enough."
' '
Five minutes left of last period. Naminé was tapping her pen impatiently on the table as the teacher wrote on the board. Those seated around her were almost scared of her being impatient—where was the quiet, patient Naminé that went to school at Destiny High until that day, when an impatient, overly serious-looking one took her place? Even Selphie, who was sitting beside her for that period, was intimidated.
When they were dismissed, Selphie and Naminé packed up their bags and left right away. They had asked one of their classmates if they had seen Kairi, and they were told that she had already left.
"Jeez, Kairi's fast."
"Shh, not important, Selphie." Naminé said. Selphie bit her lip. If Naminé was being this serious, something must definitely be wrong.
"Hey, where are you guys going?" Called out a voice from behind them. Selphie turned around.
"Riku… we're gonna find out why Kairi's been avoiding us."
"Oh yeah, she has been." Said the silver haired teenager. "…is Naminé okay?"
"I don't know." Selphie sighed, "She's really uhh… deep in thought about this."
"I'll come along." Riku said.
Naminé mumbled incomprehensibly. Riku and Selphie gave each other confused looks and continued on.
' '
"I'm coming!" said Kairi inside her home. Her voice was muffled since Naminé, Selphie and Riku were just standing outside. She opened the door, and saw her three friends. "Oh."
She shut the door.
"Here, let me handle this." Riku got in front of the two girls and rang the doorbell again. They could hear Kairi sigh with aggravation from inside. She opened the door.
"I'm not talking." She said sternly, and started closing the door when Riku set his foot in in the door's path, disabling Kairi from closing it.
"Kairi, this is important," he said, "you've been avoiding all of us but Sora lately. What's up."
She didn't answer. She stared at Riku's foot and glared up at him. With a swift move, she stepped on Riku's foot. Because of reflexes, Riku's foot moved and Kairi was able to shut the door.
"Goddamnit mother—" Riku refrained from finishing the sentence.
"What a bitch!" Selphie said out loud. "Oh my GOD! You know what? I don't care if she ignores us." she flipped her hair and left.
"Wait, Selphie.." Naminé said, but she was too late. The brunette had gone and she was not coming back. She looked at Riku, who still seemed calm but in pain, one because his foot just got stomped on, and two, he couldn't believe Kairi would do that.
"Up for another go at it?" Naminé asked him.
"Hell no."
"Okay." Naminé stepped up and rang the doorbell. She didn't even know if Kairi would answer or just leave them there until they gave up.
Silence.
"I guess she's not answering." Naminé told Riku, who shrugged. Then, just about when they were about to give up and leave, they heard something from inside.
Naminé pressed her ear against the door.
She could hear Kairi sobbing silently.
"Kairi…?" Naminé said with a gentle voice, "We know you're in there."
"Go…. go away…" She sobbed some more, "I don't need you guys… I don't need any..one…"
"Yes you do." Riku said. "Come on, Kai. What happened? We don't like how things are going."
"You won't understand, Riku!" Kairi cried out.
"Well how the hell are we supposed to know unless you tell us?"
"You just won't!"
"Kairi, please!" Naminé pleaded, "Just tell us!"
"NO!"
"Kairi!"
"No, I'm not telling! Please, go away!"
"Alright, then." Riku shoved his hands into his uniform's pockets. Naminé gave him a look of question and followed him as he walked down the path.
"You're just leaving? Like that?"
"If she doesn't want to tell me, I'm not going to force her to. She'll tell us when she's ready." he told her.
"I guess." Naminé looked down as he left. She looked back at Kairi's house one more time before attempting to leave. At the last minute, she made a different decision. She walked up to her porch, and sat down on the steps.
Just waiting.
She could still hear Kairi sobbing, but after a while it stopped and she could hear Kairi trudge up the stairs. When one would enter Kairi's house, the stairs would be the first thing you would see.
Soon, it grew dark. The streetlamps were on by then and she even heard Matsuzawa go out of the house and call out Naminé's name in an attempt to find her. However, the fencing that divided the Fujiwara property and the Sakagami property prevented him from seeing her.
Naminé glanced at her cellphone.
It was 6:17. She had waited nearly an hour and a half outside the porch, and no one noticed her there.
The door opened.
"Naminé?"
Naminé looked back. Kairi was there, shocked.
"What are you doing here?"
Naminé reached into the pocket of her skirt (which was awfully weird, but efficient) and pulled out a small package of Kleenex tissues.
"I'm here to hear you out, Kairi." Naminé smiled, "Riku said he'll just wait… but that's him. People don't know… but I don't like waiting."
"Naminé…"
"So are you still mad at us? Or are you going to claw my eyeballs out now?"
"No…" Kairi broke into tears again, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I've been avoiding you guys, and I even hurt Riku's foot… but everything for me has been so… so scary! I'm p--… p--…… p--…p--…"
"P--….?" Naminé's eyes widened in shock.
"I'm petrified, Naminé!" She sobbed, "I'm afraid!"
"Of what?"
"I'm afraid of losing my mom!" Kairi cried out.
"Why? What happened?" Naminé held out the Kleenex and Kairi took some, wiping her eyes. Streams of tears rapidly poured out from her blue eyes.
"She… she has cancer…."
Masigla says, HAHAHAH. I love you guys. :D Lots of foreshadowing heeeeere.
(You know you wanna press that review button…)