My Words Never Came Out Right.

I don't get how some people see love as a science.

With science you only have facts, problems, definitions and formulas. Everything is exact. Precise. Once you find the answer there's not much else you can do.

I personally don't think love is a science.

I think it's a philosophy.

I think it's a philosophy because when you think you've found the answer a billion more come out of nowhere, and then you suddenly feel like you haven't made as much progress as you thought.

I think it's a philosophy because once you're fallen into its trap you start thinking. You start thinking a lot. You over-think everything, over-analyze everything. Everything becomes a question to you, and even though you're tired of asking yourself the same questions over and over again you strive to find the answers.

And sometimes you never find those answers, so you spend the rest of your life searching for them.

I have a feeling I'm going to end up like that.

"You're a very lucky guy, Roxas." Riku's voice was echoing in my head as I drove to Naminé's on Sunday morning. "You're a very lucky guy, Roxas."

What the hell did he possibly mean by that?

Maybe he was trying to give me a self-esteem boost. False hope. Maybe he was trying to bring me up so he could break me down when he and Naminé finally make their relationship official. Maybe he was pretending to act like a good guy so he can be a real jerk later when he really becomes Naminé's boyfriend.

"You're thinking again." Naminé's voice brought me back to reality; I turned to my right and found her sitting in the passenger's seat. How did I drive all this way without dying in a freak accident? "I thought you said you were gonna try and not think about it so much."

"Sorry," I ruffled my hair when she frowned in disappointment, "I...well, it's harder than it sounds."

She touched my shoulder, and I sucked in a breath. "I know...but you have to try your best. When you're sad it makes me sad too."

"I know," I turned around so she could take her hand off my shoulder, and I turned my key so the car would start, "I'll try harder, I promise."

I could hear the grin in her voice. "Good." When I turned the corner she spoke up again. "Do you wanna go out for a walk later? It's nice today."

When I stopped at a red light I turned to her and smiled the best I could. "Yeah, I would like that." Her face lit up, but it wasn't as bright as it was when she looked at Riku last night.

I'm never going to be able to compete with him. I'm no match for Riku.

Maybe I'm just running around in circles. Maybe I'm not even chasing anything.

So why am I still running?

"Roxas!" Naminé hollered indignantly, and when I looked up I noticed we were already parked underneath my apartment. I slowly turned towards her and winced at her frustrated expression. "You just promised me you were gonna try harder!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I muttered as we climbed out of my car, "Okay, I'll try harder starting…now."

She sighed. "How did we end up getting here in one piece? I was trying to start a conversation with you the entire ride but you just kept staring forward like some kind of robot." I was about to walk towards the elevator when she stepped in front of me. "You worry me, you know."

The guilt pushed against my chest and I swallowed slowly. "It's not like I mean to-"

"But you're making me worry anyway," She interrupted while narrowing her eyes, "And you have no idea how bad it gets sometimes."

My eyes widened slightly. "B-bad?"

"Yes," She retorted as we resumed our walk to the elevator, "Some...sometimes I can't sleep because I think about you and how sad you look. At work you look less than half-alive and you don't know how bad it makes me feel," She pressed the 'up' button and threw her eyes to her flipflops, "A-and...the fact that I can't do anything to make you feel better just makes me feel so useless."

The guilt was enough to kill me. We stepped into the elevator and I sucked in a breath. I could feel the tension hovering over our heads but I didn't want it to be there. I wanted to make it go away somehow...but how could I do that?

"Naminé," I called her name softly, and when she looked up with me with melancholy eyes I suppressed the urge to cringe, "You're not useless. Don't ever think you're useless. Y-you're...you're very important to me," My heartbeat was racing and my palms were growing clammy, "Even though I don't really show it...it's true. You mean so much to me, and you have no idea how much you've helped me in the months we've been friends. I...I felt like you opened my eyes more to...t-to a lot of things. Before I met you I was stubborn and immature-"

"You're still stubborn, you know." She sniffled as if she was holding back tears, but she was giving me an impish grin and it made me feel a little better.

"Okay just immature, then," I corrected myself for her and her smile broadened by just a fraction, "And...well, now that we're friends I feel like everything I've known before was just me refusing to look at things from another perspective...if that makes any sense. I feel like you helped me to see things from different angles."

If I felt a little braver I would've confessed everything I felt about her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. In sense I was confessing...just in a very indirect way.

She sniffled again - I could see the tears clinging to her eyelashes - and let out a watery laugh. "Oh, Roxas," She approached me as the elevator doors slid open, "You make me so happy."She encircled her arms around my waist and pulled me towards her, burying her face into my shoulder.

You make me so happy.

Was that something worth over-thinking? Should I be over-analyzing that?

I laughed as I shuffled the both of us out of the elevator. "Naminé," I murmured into her hair as I squeezed her, "It's a little hard to walk like this."

When she pulled away from me her cheeks were tinged pink. "Sorry." She grabbed my arm and dragged me down the hallway. When I fumbled with my keys she rested the side of her head against the doorframe. "Y'know...I really meant it when I said you make me happy."

I felt warm for some reason. "I know." I smiled as I led her inside my apartment. I watched her skip over to the kitchen and I shook my head amusedly. My fingers absently ran along the shoulder of my shirt, and when I came across wet fabric I immediately looked down and raised an eyebrow.

So she really was crying…

As she was busying herself in the kitchen I rubbed the back of my head. I heard her popping bread into the toaster as I approached her slowly. "I didn't know I make you happy." I admitted quietly.

"Of course you do, Roxas," Her back was still turned to me, "Why wouldn't you make me happy? You're my best friend."

The term best friend made me cringe. "I know but...now that I know I'm worrying you and stuff...it makes me feel bad."

She finally turned around and placed her small hands on my shoulders. "Well, the worrying would cease if you told me what's going on."

"I already told you I can't."

She frowned. "Not even one little detail?"

I reached for her wrists and pulled her hands off of me. There had to be something I could tell her. I didn't want to leave her in the dark, but at the same time if I told her anything I'd blow my cover. What was I supposed to do?

Was there something I was supposed to tell her…?

"Well," I spun her around so that she was facing the counter, "I guess I could tell you one thing…"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Yes?"

I reached for the butter knife that was stuck in the Nutella jar and placed it in her hand. "Er...well, I figured out what's going on between Axel and Larxene." I reached for the loaf of bread.

Her platinum blonde head tilted to the side. "And…?"

Well, Axel did say I could tell her. I sucked in a breath. "Erm, Larxene's pregnant."

Naminé nearly dropped the knife. "What?"

I laughed a little sadly as I took the knife from her and continued to spread the Nutella. "You heard me."

I caught her tugging on that little piece of hair near the back of her head from the corner of my eye. "Wow. I wasn't expecting that."

"Believe me, I wasn't either."

She tugged a little harder. "So...what's gonna happen now?"

I screwed the Nutella cap shut and dropped the knife into the sink. "Axel said Xemnas is gonna let Larxene work until the last three months or something-"

"So they're keeping the baby?"

"Yeah, but thing is…" I rumpled my hair as I opened my pantry to return the Nutella to its rightful place, "Larxene isn't talking to Axel."

Naminé grabbed the saucers of toast and moved to the kitchen table. "That sounds like something she would do."

I sat across from her; her face was pensive as she stared down at her toast. "Yeah...but I told Axel to try talking to her this weekend. I hope he's gotten through."

My shorter companion chewed thoughtfully. "Mm, yeah." She swallowed and smiled at me. "Y'know, I think their baby's gonna be really cute."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Well, I'm just trying to mash Larxene and Axel's features together in my head," She scrunched her forehead and squinted a little as if she was trying to solve a difficult puzzle, "And...I think their genes will mix well."

I chuckled and shook my head. "You're so strange."

She giggled. "Well, you're teasing me again - that's a sure sign you're returning to your old self. See how much better it feels when you talk to someone about stuff?" Her eyes lowered to her glass of milk. "I know it's been hard for you lately...and that thing with your dad probably made things worse but…" She bit her bottom lip and peered up at me beneath those black eyelashes of hers, "You know that I'll always be here for you, right? Even if you don't want to talk about it...I'll be here."

That warm feeling returned to me. "I know you will be." I replied softly just as the door rang. As we both stood up I turned towards her. "Oh...before I forget - um, Axel's younger brother's getting married-"

Her eyes lit up as we walked to the front door together. "Oh, really? That's exciting!"

"Yeah, and I was invited...but I'm allowed to bring a guest." I forced the lump down my throat. "Er, I was wondering if you wanted to come w-with me - I mean, if you don't want to t-that's okay...b-but the wedding isn't until next summer so you have loads of time to decide-"

"I'd love to go with you." She placed a hand on my arm and smiled at me before unlocking the door, and my nerves suddenly exploded.

"Really? You'll...y-you'll come with me?" I gaped at her.

My blonde friend giggled at my stupidity. "Of course I will. Anything for a friend - a best friend."

Ouch. That killed it.

I spent most of the morning watching silently as Naminé played with my niece and nephew. I smiled a little as they laughed together, though at the same time I couldn't help but feeling sad on the inside.

Was that all I really was to her? A best friend?

As she hoisted Miyo over her head I thought back to our conversation before Sora dropped his kids off and I dissected every sentence, every word, every letter. Was there anything in that conversation, that moment we had alone that hinted at something more than just a close friendship? Was I missing something? Was she waiting for me to realize her true intentions?

Or was my habit of over-thinking things giving me false hope like it always did?

"Y'know," Her low voice snapped me out of concentration; we were sitting in my television room and the kids were gone, "I'm this close to wringing your neck." She slowly reached for my neck, and when I gulped and backed away she sighed and shook her head. "Roxas…"

This was getting worse, and the worse I was getting the more worried Naminé was getting over me. It was a horrible sort of chain reaction. "C'mon," I reached for her hand and pulled her up from the couch, "Maybe some fresh air will do some good."

"If it works I'm gonna lock you out of your house and make sure you inhale a week's worth of fresh air." My shorter companion muttered as I led her out the door.

Before Naminé I used to think all girls were the same. I used to think they all shared the same thought process, outlooks on life, interests and all that stuff. I guess it was because most of the girls Axel set me up with were kind of similar.

As I watched her skip around the sidewalk I realized that on first impression she didn't even seem like an ordinary girl. Even at first glance you could tell she was something else.

Or maybe you're like me - you knew she was something else but didn't realize it until later on...when it was too late.

We walked down the street - Naminé was a little ahead of me because things like shop display windows, signs with interesting phrases, colourful flowers, shiny cars and chirping birds would catch her attention and she would run up to investigate them - and I noticed how the world would stop and stare at her. People passing by would give her a quick glance, and I could tell from the looks on their faces that it wasn't out of disgust or annoyance or anything - they were fascinated. I could see the light in their eyes as they glanced over their shoulders to peek at the quirky blonde peering into the bookshop window. When the corners of their mouths twitched upwards as she dragged me into the ice cream store I knew it wasn't because they were inwardly making fun of her - they were admiring her.

We reached our usual park, and I continued to pay attention to my surroundings. When we approached a small bridge she leaned so far over the edge her feet lifted off the floor. She was awing at the fish squirming around in the water below. The fish, who were mindlessly circling each other just seconds before Naminé arrived, immediately looked upwards to greet the blonde who was sticking out halfway from the bridge to greet them. I swear some even poked their little heads out of the water just to see.

Even the damn fish knew she was special.

"What are you doing?" I chuckled as I inched towards her; I scooped a spoonful of sea-salt ice cream into my mouth, "You're gonna fall in."

"Look, Roxas," She giggled, pointing towards the group of fish, "They want to say hello." She waved at the fish before pulling herself away from the edge of the bridge. Phew.

I shook my head in amusement. "Sometimes I wonder how old you really are."

She puffed her cheeks and placed her hands on her hips. "Hey, you clearly saw that they wanted to have a conversation!"

I rolled my eyes and reached for her wrist. "All of that Nutella must do something with your brain, I swear..."

She yanked herself out of my grasp. "Not funny."

I turned around and raised a hand to my hair. "Sorry." When she giggled I rolled my eyes again. "Why must you always do this to me?"

Her hair swished a little as she tilted her head to the side. "Do what?"

I hung my head. "Confuse me."

"I don't understand." Her voice was a little quieter now.

I let out a bitter laugh and threw my hands in the air. "To be honest with you, Naminé, I don't understand either." I shook my head and frustratingly ran my fingers through my hair. "Sometimes I feel like I know you, and sometimes...sometimes…" I hung my head, "I don't even know."

I could hear her footsteps. Seconds later I felt her hand against my cheek; she tilted my head upwards so that I was looking in her eyes. I was so scared I nearly dropped my ice cream. "Is this what you've been worrying about?" She asked softly; her eyes were unreadable, and I hated it.

I wanted to be able to read her. I wanted to know what she was thinking right now, at this exact moment. I wanted to know what was going through her head. I wanted to know why she was caressing my face with her hand like she loved me and not someone else - someone who was clearly more suitable for her.

I wanted to know if she was hiding something from me just like how I was hiding something from her.

But at the same time...I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer.

I really do think I'm bipolar.

A weak mewl scared us apart, and I leaned against the railing of the bridge for support. My heart was thudding painfully, and my cheek was still warm from her touch. "W-what was that?" I wheezed as I tried to catch my breath. The effect Naminé had on me...it was enough to kill me, I swear.

"I don't know," She was looking left and right, "But it sounded like a cat." The quiet mewling resumed again, and the both of us looked at each other quizzically. "It sounds like it's hurt, Roxas."

I was a little disappointed our conversation had to be cut short because of some animal, but at the same time I was relieved. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready to tell her just yet.

But how much time did I have left before it was too late? Maybe it was already too late.

I felt Naminé slip her hand into mine, and my heart felt like it was getting electrocuted. Why was she doing this to me? "C'mon, I think it's coming from over there."

My throat felt like it was closing. I couldn't stop thinking about what would've happened if that cat or whatever it was didn't interrupt us. I couldn't stop wondering why the sound of an animal was more important than the issue we were discussing. "N-Naminé-" I moaned; my voice was hoarse, like I was about to cry. Was I going to cry? I wasn't so sure. It sure felt like it. I had every reason to, anyway.

I mean, as of right now a cat was more important to her than me.

I was always going to be second-rate to her.

And I was this close to admitting everything...

"Oh," Naminé's voice pulled me back to reality; she let go of my hand and scrambled over to a tree just a few feet away, "It was a cat - a kitten. Look, Roxas - he hurt his paw."

I pushed my sad thoughts away and knelt by her side. A tiny white kitten - it looked nothing more than a few weeks old - was curled up by the foot of the tree, its large blue-grey eyes glistening with fear. Its left front paw was pressed against its furry white chest, as if the kitten was trying to protect it from something. My heart sank at the sight of the small animal; it did look like it was in pain.

When Naminé reached for the kitten my eyes widened. "What are you doing? It might have some kind of disease!"

The kitten fearfully shrunk against the tree trunk, but Naminé insisted and gathered the small animal in her arms. "I'm not going to leave him here," She protested as we stood up to full height; the kitten seemed to like her immediately (surprise, surprise) because it snuggled deeper into her embrace and closed its eyes, "Give him some of your ice cream. He might be hungry."

"Cats eat ice cream?"

"Well, they drink milk. Ice cream isn't that different." She grabbed the spoon from my ice cream cup and inched it closer towards the kitten's mouth. "Here, try some. It's really good." The miniscule animal shyly licked some of the ice cream, and when it decided that Naminé really was telling the truth it licked the spoon some more. My blonde companion jostled the cat in her arms and giggled. "See, I told you."

I wrinkled my nose. "You're not gonna take that home...are you?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "No, not yet - I'm taking him to yours first." She began to walk out of the park, and I had no choice but to follow her.

It was like our conversation from a few minutes ago never happened - at least to her.

Was I that unimportant?

Ugh, I can't believe I'm getting jealous because of a stupid cat.

When we returned to my place Naminé gave her new friend a bath in the kitchen sink (my kitchen sink…) and some warm milk in a bowl (my bowl…). We watched him (I decided to see for myself if the thing really was a boy, and Naminé was right after all) happily lap the milk into his small mouth, and when he was done he flipped his tongue upwards to lick his pink nose.

"Gah, he's so cute," Naminé cradled the small kitten in her arms and tickled his tummy; the cat meowed lovingly and nuzzled his head against her shoulder, "He needs a name."

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the side of the couch. "You need to take him to the vet, you know."

"I know that," She rolled her eyes as the kitten reached upwards to paw her hair, "His paw needs to be checked out, anyway. Hm…" She squeezed her eyebrows together in concentration, "What's a good name for a cat…"

I closed my eyes and let myself drift off for a moment. I still couldn't stop thinking about our conversation on the bridge. I wanted to bring it up again...but how could I without making things awkward?

"Hey!" I opened my eyes and noticed that the kitten had somehow jumped out of Naminé's arms and onto the coffee table, where my cup of half-finished (and nearly melted) sea-salt ice cream was sitting.

I chuckled as I watched the small animal devour the rest of my ice cream. "He really likes it, doesn't he?" The cat practically shoved his whole head inside the pink-and-white striped paper cup. "I guess it's his favourite flavour."

Naminé pulled the kitten out of the cup and wiped his face with a napkin. The cat mewled and reached for the ice cream, but my shorter companion shook my head. "That's enough for you, mister," She scolded playfully, tapping his nose with an index finger. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she glanced in my direction. "That's it!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

She held the kitten up at arms' length and grinned at him. "From now on you shall be known as...Salty."

My eyes dulled. "You're gonna name him Salty…?"

"Yep," She smiled at me before cuddling Salty against her chest, "I think he likes it. Do you like your new name, Salty?" When the kitten mewled in agreement she laughed. "See, told you!"

I leaned into my palm and rolled my eyes. I feel like everybody I know - family, friends and now animals - is insane.

"Can you come with me to the vet tomorrow after work?" Naminé asked as she stood up; I guess she wanted to go home and coddle her newfound love, "I think Salty wants you to be there."

I ruffled my hair as I reached for my car keys. "Yeah, sure."

The entire car ride to Naminé's house was defined by one word: distracting. Salty kept pouncing out of Naminé's lap and onto mine, and he even managed to climb over my head and cover my eyes at least twice. He was pretty able-bodied despite the fact that one of his paws were injured. What a resilient little guy.

I wish I had his determination.

I guess I can see why Naminé would never want to be with a guy like me - I'm comparing myself to a freaking cat for Pete's sake…

"Oh!" As Naminé stepped out of my car with Salty in her arms she whirled around and poked her head backinside, "I forgot to tell you - Riku's having a party this weekend and he wanted me to invite you. He's inviting everyone, actually."

A party? Okay, there had be some kind of special occasion for this… "Um, oh...that's...that's nice of him." I ruffled my hair and tried to avoid Naminé's eyes. "I...I guess I'll get back to you on that. I'm...I think I can go...but I'll have to double-check."

For some reason Ven's voice popped into my head:

"You know it's okay to say no."

But I couldn't say no...I could never say no to her.

Wait...did she say Riku was inviting everyone?

"That sounds good," She smiled, "Well, I guess Salty and I will be seeing you tomorrow!" She skipped away from my car and to her front door, and I sat confusedly in the driver's seat.

The moment Naminé closed her door my phone began to vibrate. I glanced at the caller ID and groaned at Axel's name blinking almost tauntingly up at me.

I knew it.

I freaking knew it.

A/N: Chapter Inspiration: Andrew Belle - All Those Pretty Lights.

I don't know why I decided to throw a cat in there. I figured Salty would add some interesting new opportunities for the storyline =)

Merci beaucoup to all of those who have read and reviewed this story and supported me so far! You guys are all awesome!