Disclaimer: I don't own KH of FF or anything in this story.
A/n: Hmm, we've got some Namine+Reno, Namine+Riku, and Namine+Axel so far… How confusing. But I guess I knew this was going to wind up uncontrollably crack when I started it.
Thanks for the reviews, everyone, I was so happy that I'm updating a whole week earlier than planned! And yeah, Namine demands a lot of pity in this story, and sorry if she's OOC, I don't usually write like this, but I needed her to be shy and passive. Well, here's a long, fluffy chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter Four: Innocent? Maybe Not…
Namine wasn't sure this was really happening, she watched distantly as people greeted them, only to stop after realizing exactly who it was hanging off Reno's arm. Several groups of girls were huddled in the entrance hall, hoping to find someone to pounce on for the night. Half of them scowled darkly at Namine and the several of them instantly began flirting with Reno. The others simply stood there dumbfounded as he walked past them with the shy girl stuck to his arm like a lost puppy.
The lights around them dimmed and she realized they had already entered the gym, streamers and balloons decorating the room. Cords ran back and forth across the ceiling, supporting walls made of cloudy transparent fabric. It gave the gymnasium a soft of magical atmosphere and separated several groups of students.
"Hey everyone! We'd like to welcome you to the first semi-formal dance of the year, glad you could make it! Things are running a little behind schedule so I'll make this quick. Before we begin I just need to remind you that dirty dancing is strictly prohibited at school functions, since some of you had some problems at that last dance. School rules are still in effect, so please keep them in mind. Other than that, sorry to stall, so let's start this party!" A peppy senior girl cheered from the stage and everyone followed suit. Her overpowering school spirit made Namine cringe and she watched as the girl disappeared off stage and the DJ took his rightful place front and center.
The speakers began to pound furiously and music blared around them. The gym was full of people and Namine couldn't believe so many actually attended school dances. A hand fell on her shoulder and she spun around to see who it was. Kairi stared back at her angrily.
"What are you doing?" She demanded, voice raised above the music. Namine faltered, she didn't know what to say.
"Socializing!" Reno leaned down and smiled widely at her, pulling his arm tighter around Namine's shoulders.
Kairi tapped her foot and raised an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, sure. What the hell are you trying to do to my sister, Reno?" He gave her a blank look and leaned back again.
"If I was trying to be sneaky, would I take her to a social event?" He replied, staring the angry girl down. "She wanted to come, she does have a mind of her own, you know." He spat accusingly and it was painfully obvious that he didn't care at all for Namine's sister. She dug her fingernails into his shirt defensively as Kairi turned on her instead.
"Why do you want to hang out with people like him? And what makes you think you can date him? He's four years older than you!" Sora appeared by her side and he gave the blonde a sympathetic look.
"Why can't you just leave me alone! Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't want to be like you?" Namine surprised herself and broke away from Reno, vanishing into the crowd of people on the dance floor.
Kairi was always butting in on her life, trying to mold her into something she didn't want to be anymore. Too upset to really watch where she was going, she ran straight into someone and nearly tripped. An arm reached out and steadied her, and she looked up into Riku's aquamarine eyes.
"I wondered where you were, but you really should be more careful. A lot of people here would be more than happy to start a fight for accidentally bumping them." He smiled at her and she sighed, life just kept getting more and more complicated…
"Where's Reno?" he asked, a hint of suspicion in his tone. Namine gestured back over her shoulder.
"Fighting with my sister…" She said miserably. "I don't even know why he actually brought me here." Riku glanced over her shoulder and saw the red headed man standing several meters away talking angrily with Kairi. The song ended and a slow song started to pound gently out of the huge speakers on the stage.
"Hm, well, let's dance." He grabbed her hand and she gave in, people were acting weirder and weirder around her. He pulled her closer as a new song started and she moved awkwardly.
"I don't know how to dance." She mumbled quietly in his ear when he pulled her close. He just shrugged.
"No one knows how to dance in high school, don't worry about it. Just follow my lead." She nodded and moved her feet delicately as he moved, taking her hand in his to distinguish them from the crowd of awkwardly shuffling teenagers. They turned gently with the slow beat of the music, and Namine became aware of the fact that he was slowly shifting his face down until their cheeks brushed with every other step.
She watched the other people in the room, dancing happily with their partners. Everything seemed so wonderful, her heart sank at the thought that the chaos in her life was just beginning. Riku gently began running his hand up and down her back and she wondered if she should stop him. The song was ending and she leaned back away from him, silently happy to be free again. She didn't necessarily have anything against Riku, she just didn't know him very well. He let her go and smiled down at her. Stepping back, she forced a smile and quickly began scanning the room to see what had happened to Reno.
There were tables set up along one wall and she spotted him lounging in a chair. She began to wade through the sea of students when she realized he was talking to Yuffie and Larxene. They were talking so loudly she could hear them from her spot on the edge of the crowd.
"I still can't believe you did it." Larxene laughed and Yuffie joined her.
"Why her?" Yuffie asked, making a face.
"What's wrong with her?" Reno asked, giving Yuffie a quizzical look.
"Nothing I guess, if you like shy, antisocial poser girls." She replied. Larxene laughed again and Reno shrugged. When he didn't reply the two girls started to laugh all over again and he watched them blankly.
"Why did you ask me to come here?" Namine asked bravely, approaching their table. Yuffie and Larxene fell silent and watched her. Reno jumped up from his seat and opened his mouth to reply.
"Namine! Dance with me next, you gave Riku a chance!" She looked up in surprise as Axel leapt out from the dance floor and threw an arm around her. Reno moved forward angrily as his brother tried to pull her back into the mass of badly dancing students.
"Axel, she's my date, get your own!" He said harshly. Axel just stuck his nose in the air.
"No way, you can have her all night, I have to leave in half an hour." He pulled her back gently and she complied, watching Reno over her shoulder. He stared after them and she could have sworn he had a hurt look on his face, but he disappeared out of sight when a group of chattering girls walked between them.
"Burn…" Larxene laughed at the irony and Reno glared back at her.
"You do like her, don't you?" Yuffie snickered.
"Shut the fuck up, you are so annoying! You two are only here because no one wanted to take you and everyone else worth talking to is here. Does Riku even remember your name?" Reno snapped. Yuffie bristled with anger, trying to hide how much that hurt.
"If she's so embarrassing to know then why is it the guy you've been chasing for years wants her?" Yuffie threw her chair aside and stormed out into the hall at his comment. Larxene gave him a dirty look and ran after her. Once they were gone, he heaved a sigh and fell back down into his seat. Staring out across the dance floor, he spotted Axel's red hair and watched as he tried to teach Namine how to dance to a normal song.
He had her standing in front of him with his hands on her hips, moving smoothly to the beat of the music. She looked embarrassed, but she was trying anyway. Axel leaned down and breathed against her neck, making her back stiffen. Reno growled angrily, his stupid brother always had to copy him…
"Been ditched, too?" Reno looked up when Cloud took the seat next to him, leaning on the table in boredom.
"Yeah…" He leaned back and crossed his arms.
"Why Namine?" Cloud asked, staring across the table at him. Reno sighed and thought about it.
"Just look at her." He said, gesturing through the crowd to where his brother was blatantly flirting with her. Cloud followed his gesture and watched the girl for a moment.
"You'd better not hurt her." He said stiffly. Reno's gaze snapped back over to him.
"Why would I hurt her?" He asked cautiously.
Cloud shook his head. "I know you, Reno. Just don't." he hardly thought that was a fair assumption, but he watched angrily as Axel leaned down and kissed Namine's shoulder. He burst from his seat and charged across the room, Cloud watching with interest from the table.
"My turn." He shoved Axel aside rudely and grabbed Namine's hand. She stared up at him with what looked like relief and followed him through the crowd away from his twin. He pulled her out into the hall and she shielded her eyes from the bright glow of the lights.
"Reno, why did you really bring me here?" She demanded. He whirled around and stared down at her.
"Look, I just like you, alright? I'm not up to anything, I'm not trying to trick you! I can't stand very many people, so it's not often I actually like someone. Why does everyone think I'm trying to pull something?" He released his grip on her hand and threw his arms in the air. He spun back around and leaned on the wall, slapping a hand to his forehead.
"Do I look that suspicious?" He mumbled. She felt sorry for upsetting him, but moved forward carefully. His flame red pony tail hung down past his shoulder blades and she tugged on it playfully as he moped.
"You look beautiful tonight…"
"Thank you." She chirped. "Do you want to dance?"
He glanced back and nodded. "Let's just hope no one tries to pick a fight, you're getting popular." He almost sounded angry, but he took her hand again and she followed him back to the gym. He moved back to the table and took his seat again, nodding to Cloud, who still hadn't moved. Namine wandered over and sat next to Reno, staring out at the people dancing in front of them. She glanced over at Cloud and noticed how rejected he looked. A slow song started to play and Reno jumped up from his seat. Grabbing Namine's hands, he pulled her to her feet and she looked back at Cloud helplessly as she was dragged yet again out to the dance floor.
To her surprise, he pulled her up against his chest and held her hand gently. It didn't feel nearly as awkward dancing with him as the other two, and she relaxed a bit as they moved smoothly across the floor. She leaned her head against his shoulder and watched the people around them. She saw Riku with a much younger girl, and he was watching Reno with hatred. He looked away when he noticed Namine watching him.
"Did someone dare you to come here?" She asked suddenly. Reno hesitated and his step faltered, but he didn't stop.
"Yeah, Yuffie dared me to go to this dance, she said I had to find a date and dance with her or I lose." He said quietly in her ear. She made a sound of understanding, but didn't actually respond. "And before you say it, no I didn't just ask you because of that dare." he rolled his eyes.
"Can we go?" She asked shyly. He looked down into her eyes and gave her a quizzical look.
"I don't want to be here anymore…" She sounded a little upset and he stepped back. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and lead her out of the gym.
Several teachers waved and wished them goodnight as they walked back out the front doors. He hesitated when they reached the sidewalk.
"Do you want me to take you home?" He asked, Namine shuddered at the thought of her mother yelling at her again.
"No…" She murmured sadly. "Can I go to your house? I mean, my parents are going to kill me anyway…" She felt awkward, but it felt like going home tonight could seriously mean death. Reno just smiled.
"Sure, if you really want. But I'm warning you now, it's a hole in the dirt next to your house." He turned and walked away down the street, giving her the chance to change her mind. She quickly followed him as he turned and entered the neighborhood.
It was late and Namine was tired. She rubbed her face as they walked along, turning down side streets and winding through the maze of identical houses. He turned sharply and she watched as he jumped the wooden fence to a nature park across the street. Stopping on the other side, he motioned for her to follow and she decided to obey, climbing over the wooden boards of the mostly decorative fence. He disappeared into the dark shadows of the forest and she cried out when he left her there alone. Stumbling down the sidewalk in the darkness, she bumped into him and quickly apologized. He paused there for a moment before continuing down the path through the trees.
Namine glanced around nervously, it was too dark to see anything. She could hear Reno walking ahead of her and followed close behind, trying to stay as close as possible. He glanced back at her and grinned.
"Namine." She jumped at the sound of her name and made a choked noise in response.
"Are you afraid of the dark?" he asked. She was quiet for several moments.
"Maybe a little." He laughed softly and she pouted at him through the darkness, forgetting that he couldn't see her.
"We're almost there."
The walk seemed to take forever, weaving down the path through the park. The sidewalk alternated between asphalt and woodchips, the transition always making Namine nervous for a moment. The path dipped down again and the asphalt ended, sending her tumbling forward into the woodchips when she failed to realize the sudden ledge. She cried out in surprise and landed on her hands and knees.
"You alright?" Reno leaned down and grabbed her arm, hauling her to her feet. She hissed in pain and pulled a chip out of her palm. Her skin was so pale, she could see the blood seeping out of the cut.
"I can clean that up for you when we get there, come on." She let him pull her along in the dark, lights finally visible ahead through the branches.
Minutes later they came to another fence and there was a sparse neighborhood behind it. Reno helped her over the fence and jumped it easily, shoving his hands back in his pockets as he moved out under the light of a streetlamp.
"Home sweet home, huh?" He motioned towards the house to their left and grinned. It was a two story shack, in Namine's opinion, but anything was better than her own home. He ran up to the door and pulled it open, holding it as Namine walked in ahead of him.
She glanced around nervously, it smelled like cigarettes. An older woman sat on the couch watching the news, and she looked up in surprise when she noticed the small blonde standing there.
"Who's this?" She asked quietly when Reno walked in behind her. He threw an arm around her and grinned proudly.
"Hey mum, this is Namine, she got kicked out of her house and needs a place to stay the night." The woman nodded in understanding.
"Alright, nice to meet you Namine." She smiled warmly and the girl offered her a small smile and wave before Reno ushered her forward.
"Oh, I told the boys they could play your video games downstairs, I hope that's alright." She called when they left the room and walked into the kitchen. Namine looked at him questioningly, but he moved forward and opened what she had assumed was a closet door.
"Yeah, me and Axel don't share a room too well, so mom makes me live down here." He said, motioning for her to go ahead of him again. She walked in and began down the rickety staircase. "Okay, so I won and I get to live down here instead." He added, closing the door behind them.
Excited voices echoed up at them from below and Namine looked around curiously as she reached the bottom and moved around a beam into the room. Axel, Roxas, and Olette were seated nonchalantly on the ratty couch, cheering as Axel and Roxas fought on their video game. They all looked up in surprise when the two arrived and Olette jumped up excitedly.
"Namine! I didn't know you two were dating!"
Namine blushed profusely and Axel looked sad. Reno cleared his throat and walked over into the bathroom across from the stairs.
"Come in here, I can clean that cut for you." He whispered. She followed him in and he pulled some cleaning solution down from the cupboard. Turning on the water, he pulled her hand under the stream and scrubbed at it gently. He dried it carefully and put on the solution before bandaging it with some gauze and athletic tape, leaving Namine with an odd bandage around her hand. She stared down at it until Reno pulled it up again and kissed her palm.
"All better." he said, walking out of the bathroom and throwing off his coat. He jumped onto his bed against the wall and watched the two boys continue their battle. Namine moved over and squeezed onto the couch beside Olette, smiling at the girl. At least she sort of knew someone.
"Did you have fun at the dance?" The brunette asked. Namine nodded.
"It was alright. I didn't see you there." She said quietly. Axel kicked Roxas and started yelling about cheating, and the two boys tumbled off the couch in a wrestling fit. Olette shook her head and took their seats, giving the girls more room.
"Yeah, we all left early to go see a movie." She said. She leaned forward towards Namine and lowered her voice.
"Hey, I heard some stuff from Selphie, can we go in the bathroom?" She asked somewhat urgently. Namine nodded in confusion and stood up. Reno watched as they wandered over to the bathroom and closed the door.
"Okay, I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but I just have to know, are you really pregnant?" Olette asked quietly, clasping her hands in front of her face.
Namine stared at her in shock. "Selphie told you that..?" Her voice shook slightly and Olette nodded.
"Yeah, it's true." She mumbled. Olette didn't seem too surprised, she must have really thought about it.
"Your parents are actually going to let you keep it?" She blurted out. Namine looked up at her sharply.
"Not really, they're practically kicking me out." She knew it sounded bitter, she really hated her parents now.
"That's terrible! You can live at my house if you really need to, we have spare rooms and everything. Have you gone to a doctor yet?"
Namine shook her head. "They'll give you a bunch of information when you go, but you should do it soon, the baby will be healthier." She held a hand to her head, how could Olette react so naturally to this?
"Well anyway, I'm sure you don't really want to think about it right now, just relax. Everything will work out, I'll help you through it, okay?" She put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and smiled reassuringly. Namine couldn't help it, she burst into tears and threw her arms around the other girl.
"I can't do it, I just can't. I have no idea what I'm doing, my family doesn't even want to know me anymore, and everyone at school just thinks I'm a whore!" She sobbed miserably. Olette hugged her and patted her back.
"Who cares what people think? You can do it, lots of girls go through this every year, so don't tell yourself it's impossible. Everything seems impossible in a bad situation, but it's really not. My family can help you, we've been through it before without disowning anyone!" Namine broke away and rubbed her hands over her face. She sniffled softly and leaned against the door again.
"Riku and Axel keep hitting on me…" She mumbled. Olette smiled grimly and nodded.
"Always want what you can't have, huh?" She giggled at the thought of Axel being so jealous over his brother.
"Since when were you two dating, anyway?" She gave the blonde girl a sly look and Namine sighed.
"We're not dating." 'I think' She replied. "He's just a lot nicer to me than most people at school…" It sounded dumb, but she wasn't sure how to explain it. Olette gave her that 'whatever' look and moved to open the door.
The boys were still at it, sitting haphazardly on the floor as they pounded buttons. Reno had moved over to the couch and waved to the girls as they walked back into the room.
"I'm so tired…" Olette yawned. Reno motioned over to his bed.
"You girls can sleep there, we'll suffer on the floor for you." Olette smiled at him and jumped on the bed.
"Oh, Namine." Reno got up and moved over to his dresser and shoved most of what was usually its contents out of his way. He pulled open the bottom drawer and tossed a pair of sweatpants and a small shirt at her.
"I'm willing to bet you don't want to sleep in that dress." She blushed lightly and thanked him, watching Axel suspiciously as his head shot up. She stuck out her tongue at him.
"Like I'd really change in front of you." She rolled her eyes and went back to the bathroom to change.
Minutes later, she returned and crawled under a blanket next to Olette's now sleeping form. She watched the light from the TV dance around the room as she tried to fall asleep. She couldn't believe she was here, she wouldn't be surprised if her parents decided not to let her back in the house tomorrow morning. Her eyes slowly drifted closed to the sounds of the boy's hushed voices.
End of Chapter Four