I Fall, I Falter.

Radiant Garden?

That was, like, an eight-hour flight away from here!

"I was offered an opening for an art gallery," Riku explained as the crowd began to whisper amongst themselves, "And it was an offer I couldn't refuse. That city is practically flooded with culture - you know how it is!" Everyone laughed awkwardly for a moment, and then broke out into some more cheering. I guess even though they were disappointed and shocked they were willing to support him, which was nice.

Sora and Naminé were still reeling from their shock, however; it was quite obvious since the both of them looked like they were just slapped in the face.

"I know it's a bit unexpected and it's definitely a huge change, but it's something I've always dreamed of: owning my own art gallery in one of art's biggest cities...it's both frightening and exciting at the same time, but I'll never forget where my roots are. I'll never forget any of you, and I'll be sure to come back to visit as many times as I can." The crowd hooted again, and Riku grinned. "Alright, well...that was all I needed to say. Let's continue the party, shall we?"

In seconds the crowd dispersed and everything went back to normal. Axel and I sort of just stood there in the midst of the moving bodies, unsure of what to say or feel.

"Guys!" Demyx appeared out of nowhere with his arms flailing, "Did you just hear that?"

"No, idiot," Axel rolled his eyes, "Of course we didn't." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Heavy stuff, eh? Didn't even have the courtesy to tell his best friend and his girlfriend first."

I guess it was fitting to say that Riku and Naminé were officially in a relationship - that kiss proved it - but now that Riku was moving far away...what did that mean?

"Hey, you better find your girl," The redhead nudged me, "She's probably upset."

"Yeah," I reached underneath my hat to ruffle my hair, "Sora's probably bummed out too."

"We'll take care of your bro," Axel shrugged, "Just go find Naminé."

I nodded diligently and separated from them. I noticed both my brother and Naminé had disappeared somewhere, and I frowned. It was going to be a little hard looking for her when there were so many people…

I assumed she'd be somewhere far from Riku. If I were her I wouldn't be in the mood to see him at the moment. I scratched my head and looked around, trying to figure out where I would go if I just found out my boyfriend (that didn't sound weird at all) was moving somewhere far away. My head turned towards the stairs and I was reminded of our little conversation in the bathroom. Hm…

I hesitantly made my way up the stairs, hoping no one would notice me. When I reached the bathroom I frowned when I realized no one was there. Where could she be?

I wandered down the hallway a bit and noticed that one of the doors were closed. I gulped and pressed my ear to the wood, closing my eyes. Sure enough I heard faint sobbing on the other side of the door, and my chest ached.

What was I supposed to do now? Do I knock? Do I leave her alone? Do I 'accidentally' stumble inside?

I wanted to just walk in there and hold her, comfort her and tell her that she didn't need Riku. I wanted to tell her that she didn't need anyone else but me, because I wouldn't do anything like that to her. I wouldn't keep something like that from her. I wouldn't even think of hurting her like that - I wouldn't think of hurting her at all, actually.

Filled with a newfound determination I rapped my knuckles against the door. "Go away," Naminé spat, "You're the last person I want to see right now."

At first I thought she was talking to me, but then I realized she probably thought I was Riku. "Naminé," I called, "Please open the door."

A few minutes later the door opened, and I came face-to-face with a crying Naminé. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were glazed over and her bottom lip was trembling. My heart was breaking. "O-oh," She sniffled, rubbing her eyes, "Ventus...I-"

"Er, I couldn't help but notice you running up the stairs after Riku's...announcement," I lied, "And um…w-well I wanted to know if...if you wanted to talk about it…" My hand reached for my hair, "B-but if you need your space I understand-"

She pulled me in and closed the door behind me. I noticed we were in Riku's room, and I vaguely wondered how many times she's been here before. "How could he do this to me?" She screamed, and I was taken aback at her sudden burst of anger, "He didn't even tell Sora, his best friend! He's probably more devastated than I am!" She growled (I would've thought it was cute if not for the situation she was in) and grabbed a pillow. "He can be so inconsiderate sometimes." She pulled the silver bracelet off her wrist and tossed it onto the nightstand.

I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her angrily pace the room. "Inconsiderate?"

"Don't get me wrong," She replied shortly, "Riku's one of the sweetest guys I've ever met but sometimes I think he mixes up his priorities. He makes time for me and all, but...I don't know," She stopped walking and squished the pillow in her small fists, "His work seems to be the most important thing in his life. I don't want to sound selfish or anything but it makes me really mad sometimes. I need some attention too, you know..."

"But...I thought you and Riku were happy together," I frowned, "I mean...you appear to be happy, at least."

"We are happy," Naminé sighed exasperatingly, "Well, I'm happy. I was happy...until this came up." She plopped down beside me and buried her face in the pillow she was holding. "I don't understand why he bothered to deal with me when he knew he was going to do this."

"Maybe he found out just recently." I suggested. I didn't know why I was standing up for Riku. It felt right at the moment.

"Even so he could've informed me," She groaned into her pillow, "Now everything's messed up. He's moving far away and I'll never see him again."

"Don't say that - he said he was going to come back and visit every once in awhile, and he isn't moving 'till next summer. That's a long time from now."

"But how am I supposed to stay in a relationship where I know when it's going to end?" She threw her hands up, "I'm just going to be spending most of the time counting down the days, if you know what I mean. I'm going to be too preoccupied expecting the end of it all." She groaned again and buried her face in her hands. "This is giving me a headache. I wish Roxas was here..."

I gulped. "Um, maybe you should just go home and rest. Give yourself time to sort things out. Maybe you can talk to Roxas this weekend or something if you really want to."

"Yeah," She tugged on her hair, "I think I'm going to do just that. I see Roxas every Sunday but I think I'm gonna need to heckle him tomorrow. This is bad." She stood up and gave me a defeated smile. "Thanks for letting me vent to you a second time. I really needed that."

I smiled in return. "Don't worry about it. So I'm guessing you're not going to tell Riku you're leaving?"

She scoffed as she opened the door. "Heck no. He's not going to have my attention for awhile, that's for sure."

I couldn't help but feel hopeful somehow. She was mad at Riku...so did that mean she was going to spend more time with me? I really hoped that was the case. Maybe I did have a chance after all…

I waved Naminé goodbye before she left, and once she was gone I decided to look for my brother. She was probably right when she said he was probably more devastated than she was; Sora wasn't very good when it came to dealing with bad news.

My phone began to vibrate; it was a text from Axel. They were already in the parking lot, and they were with my brother. I anxiously searched the crowd, wondering if I should say goodbye to Riku or not but I decided in the end that my brother was more important at the moment - besides, he was the one who hurt him and Naminé.

When I reached the parking lot I found Demyx, Axel and Sora leaning against Demyx's car. "Hey," I jogged up to them; I noticed the forlorn look on my brother's face and I felt uneasy inside, "Are...are you alright, Sora?"

My brother looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. "No, not really…" His smile immediately turned into a frown and he glared to the side. "I can't believe he just threw this out there without telling anyone. Clearly you saw that everyone in the crowd was just as shocked as Naminé and I were."

Axel shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe he was doing it to be dramatic."

Sora chuckled darkly. "I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case - Riku's the type who would do that anyway." He sighed in defeat and deflated his shoulders. "I guess there really isn't anything I can do at the moment. He probably already made up his mind, and it really was a dream of his to have his own art gallery in Radiant Garden someday…" He sighed again. "I wouldn't wanna stop him from achieving that."

I frowned and stuck my hands in my pockets. I was surprised my hands were able to fit since my jeans were so tight. "Naminé's peeved at him; she said she didn't want to talk to him for awhile."

Demyx turned towards me. "Oh, you managed to talk to her?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She's gonna talk to me tomorrow about it, apparently."

Axel smirked. "Great, you know what this means: you get to spend more time with her."

I blushed and dropped my gaze to the floor. "W-well we really don't know what'll happen from this point-"

"But Axel's right, Roxas," Sora pointed out, "Naminé's too angry to be with Riku right now, and aside from him you're her closest friend. She's gonna want to be with you most of the time." He rubbed his neck. "You should probably call her tonight. Tell her I told you what happened. The sooner you speak to her the better."

"I guess." I ran my fingers through my hair. "She's probably on her way home now."

"Which means we should be heading home so you'll be able to talk to her," Axel grabbed my shoulders and flipped me around so that I was facing Demyx's car, "You heard your brother: the sooner you speak to her the better! Demyx, get behind the wheel!"

"Hey bro," I glanced over my shoulder to address Sora, "If you need someone to talk to I'll be around, okay?"

"I know." He grinned his usual grin and I began to feel a little better. "Thanks, Roxas. I'll see you Sunday." He turned around and ducked into his own car.

When Demyx dropped me home the first thing I did was get rid of the colour in my hair. For some reason the dye made my scalp really itchy, and it was irritating.

As I stepped underneath the hot water of the shower I thought about Riku's behaviour. It was a little strange for him to hide such a big secret from everyone. I'd figured he would at least tell Sora or Naminé since they were the closest to him. Did he even consider their feelings?

What about Naminé? They were in a relationship for Pete's sake. I thought relationships were about cooperation! Wouldn't he wanted to have told her beforehand so they could work something out? Everyone knows long-distance relationships don't last very long!

Ugh, I sound like such a girl.

Once I was sure my hair was back to blond I changed into a clean pair of boxers and collapsed on my bed. It was almost midnight. Would Naminé be in the mood to talk to me?

I grabbed my phone in one hand and the tiny blue paper crane in the other. I scrolled down my contacts list and stopped on her name, and my insides tingled with anxiousness. Should I…?

Before I knew it I had my phone held up to my ear. Dammit.

Naminé picked up after seven rings. "H-hello?" Her voice was thick with tears, and I gulped. Suddenly this didn't feel like such a good idea anymore.

"Naminé," I breathed, "I'm home now. Sora told me what happened. Are you okay?"

"Roxas," She seemed to sigh with relief, "You don't know how happy I am to hear your voice." She hesitated for a moment. "Er, is...is it okay if I head over right now? I know it's late but-"

"N-no, no...I don't mind. Come over. Bring Salty too - I miss him." My pulse was hammering out of control at this point.

She laughed quietly, and it made me smile. "O-okay. We'll see you in a bit, then."

Once she hung up I laid flat on my back against my mattress, staring up at the ceiling and twirling the paper bird in between my fingers. I didn't know why I felt so nervous. Maybe it was because it was so late and Naminé was coming over. Maybe it was because there was a slight possibility of her staying the night…

My face heated up and I shook my head. I'm not a pervert, I am not a pervert.

Ten minutes later my door rang, and I shot straight up from bed. Hm, that was fast. I quickly stashed the paper crane in my nightstand drawer and pulled on a white t-shirt. When I opened the door Naminé was standing there with tears streaking her face. Salty was snoozing calmly in her arms. I stared at her wordlessly, and she stared back for a few seconds before running into me. I was shocked at first, but after a bit I adjusted myself and wrapped my arms around her before kicking the door shut.

Salty woke up and glanced up at me in confusion, probably wondering how he got here in the first place. I grinned sheepishly and ruffled his furry head. "Hey buddy," I said to him, and when he meowed and touched my neck with his paw I heard Naminé giggle against my shirt.

"I'm sorry for bothering you at this time," She sniffled against me, "B-but...I really need someone to talk to right now."

I led her into the TV room and sat down on the couch. Salty crawled onto my lap and I played with his ears. "That's okay. You know I'll always be around for you, Naminé - it doesn't matter what time of the day."

She laughed softly and crawled into my arms, and I hugged her closely. Salty mewled and tried to squeeze himself in between us, and I rolled my eyes. "Fine, fine," I muttered and widened the space between Naminé and I so he had enough room to fit.

My blonde companion laughed some more as Salty nuzzled the both of our necks. "I thought you wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning."

"Turns out I was wrong," I smiled sheepishly, "Plus once Sora called and explained everything it made me want to go home." I leaned back against the couch and hoisted my legs up so I was lying down, and Naminé lowered herself on top of me. At first I felt a little uncomfortable but she didn't seem to mind, so I tried to feel the same way. Salty crawled out from underneath her and climbed on her back.

"I bet he hasn't even noticed I left," She grumbled, "I mean, if he did he probably would've called by now." She shifted around in my arms a bit and pressed her cheek against the side of my neck, and I stiffened. "Boys are stupid."

I snorted. "Oh, thanks."

She giggled softly; her warm breath tickled my skin. "Anytime." She sighed against me and I felt her eyelashes flutter against my neck as she closed her eyes. "I don't know what possessed him to think that I would be okay with this."

"Well he isn't moving 'till next summer...you still have a lot of time to work things out."

"I know," She sighed again, "But...what really bothers me is why he even agreed to get into a relationship when he knew this was going to happen. Couldn't he just wait 'till he moved, or something? He could find a pretty artsy girl there he could spend time with," She huffed, "Or at least pretend to spend time with, if that makes any sense."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't follow."

"He's a workaholic, basically," She muttered against my collar; above her Salty had curled up on her back and was sleeping soundly, "I know it seems like we spend a lot of time together, but we really don't. I'm always asking him to hang out but he's either busy with some art stuff at a friend's gallery or whatever or he's busy creating his own masterpieces." She blew upwards to get her bangs out of the way, and when she was unsuccessful I brushed them away for her. "Thanks. So yeah…" She shook her head, "I'm angry at him. I don't want to see him for awhile."

Her last words made me almost go into cardiac arrest. "Well, he's eventually gonna want to talk to you about it," I tried to keep myself from sounding too excited, "What if he randomly shows up at your door one day?"

She scoffed, much to my amusement. "Just because he shows up at my door doesn't mean I'm gonna answer it."

"Uh...what if he breaks in?"

"Then I'll call the cops and slap a restraining order in his face, duh." She snuggled closer to me, and I began to feel even more uncomfortable. "Let's not mention him anymore. I don't wanna think about it for now."

"Well...if you don't want to talk about him what do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing. Let's sleep." She yawned. "Goodnight."

I rolled my eyes. "Since when did I give you permission to sleep here?"

"Never." Her voice was slightly muffled against my shirt, and I sighed.

"I can at least show you to your room. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't wanna spend the night on a couch." I raised my upper body on my elbows to pluck Salty off of her back. "C'mon, lazy. Get up."

My shorter companion groaned and shook her head. "Nngh…" She rubbed her eyes cutely and rolled off of me. When she opened her eyes she stared at me for a bit, and then broke out into a fit of giggling.

I sat up with Salty still cradled in my arms. "What's so funny?"

She removed her hand from her mouth. "You were in your underwear this entire time?"

I completely forgot I was only in a t-shirt and boxers. I stood up quickly, my face bright red. Salty was making a strange noise in his sleep...sort of like a cat-like laugh, if that made any sense. Dammit. "Do you want to sleep in a nice comfy bed or not?"

She sighed. "Fine, fine. Lead the way, Grumpy."

I led her to the guest bedroom next to my own room. "Uh, I'll go get you something to change into. Hold on." I handed her Salty and jogged into my room to fetch some sweats and a shirt. When I came back she was sitting on the bed; Salty was snoozing beside her. "Here you go." I tossed her the clothes and rumpled the back of my hair.

She clutched the clothes in her fists and held them close to her chin. "Thanks." She murmured. She tugged on her hair. "Um, so...I guess I'll see you in the morning?"

I swayed awkwardly by the doorway. "Uh, yeah. 'Night, Naminé."

She gave me a small smile. "Sweet dreams, Roxas."

I closed the door and shuffled my way back to my room. I pulled my shirt off before sitting on the edge of my bed. I sighed and messed up my hair again.

The way she was snuggling up against me like that, it made me wonder if she was just using me because she didn't want to deal with Riku at the moment.

I had a feeling she did know how I felt about her, and she's just using that to her advantage for the sake of having some guy to love.

But was Naminé really that kind of girl? She was so unpredictable sometimes. I could assume she was the sweet and innocent type...but assumptions only go so far. Naminé did say she was hiding things from me…

I guess this was what happened when you were only second-best.

I swung my legs onto my bed and pulled the sheets up to my shoulders. My thoughts were tiring me out both physically and emotionally.

As tired as I was, however, I couldn't stop thinking...therefore I couldn't sleep. I was too worried over the possibility that Naminé was trying to use me.

She wouldn't do that, would she…?

There was a knock on my door, and I sat up immediately. "N-Naminé?" I whispered anxiously and swiveled to the side to turn my nightstand light on.

The door hesitantly creaked open and Naminé bumbled inside with a furry bundle in her arms - Salty, no doubt. I heard her sniveling, and I frowned. "What's wrong?"

She sat on the foot of my bed and placed Salty beside her so she could rub her eyes. "I don't want him to go, Roxas," She wailed, "I don't want him to leave."

Great. Riku. It was always about freaking Riku.

I raised my hands to my hair. "I thought you didn't want to talk about him."

"I don't," She sniffled, "But that doesn't mean I can't stop thinking about him." She groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I'm so confused right now."

I thought back to the conversation we had in Riku's bathroom. She said she didn't want to lose me either, but she wasn't this upset. Maybe it was because she knew I wasn't going anywhere.

If I was in Riku's place would she be this depressed and confused over me?

"Try and sleep it off," I suggested wearily, "Maybe you can talk to him in the morning or something-"

"No," She cut me off sternly, "I'm still not going to talk to him."

Now I was confused. "Er, and why's that…? Clearly you don't want him to go anywhere, so-"

"I'm still angry over what he's done. He needs to learn first."

Girls… "Okay, well...whatever floats your boat, then." I shifted around a bit. "Just try and get some sleep." When I didn't hear her moving I looked back at her. "What is it?"

"Um…" She was fiddling with the sheets, "I...I was wondering if I could, erm, sleep here. With you. I kind of don't want to be alone…"

My theory over Naminé using me because she didn't want Riku around resurfaced in my brain, and I exhaled sharply. "Naminé, you have a boyfriend. It wouldn't be right if we shared a bed."

She tugged on her hair. "I-I know, but…"

"Did you hear what I just said?" I raised my voice a little, "It wouldn't be right. Plus, best friends don't do stuff like that - especially when one of them is in a relationship!" My eyes hardened a little. "Best friends don't...don't hold hands. Best friends don't cuddle up against each other. Best friends don't give each other prolonged hugs. Best friends don't do the things you've been doing to me in the past few months!"

Salty woke up from my loud voice and darted his eyes between Naminé and I. He was probably trying to figure out why his mommy was on the verge of crying and why his daddy looked so vexed.

I didn't know why I was so angry. I guess everything she's ever done to me - holding my hand, hugging me a little too closely, kissing me on the cheek, leaving her hand on my face a little longer than she was supposed to - came rushing forward and I just couldn't hold it in anymore.

I didn't want to be Riku's understudy. I didn't want to be second-best. If being first was impossible I would've rather been nothing at all.

Her eyes widened a little bit and my frustration died as quickly as it came. Guilt tortured my insides when a fresh around of tears rimmed the bottom of her eyes, and I wanted so badly to take back what I just said - what I just yelled, actually. "I-I'm sorry," She stood up and rushed out of my room. She didn't even bother to bring Salty with her.

I cursed under my breath and tore my sheets away as I scrambled to my feet. "Wait, Naminé-" I jogged down the hallway, looking left and right for her. Don't tell me she left…

I heard my front door slam shut. Yep, thought so.

I banged my forehead against the wall and punched it afterwards in aggravation. I was so stupid. Why did I do that to her? I could've at least said it in a more polite, calmer way. She probably thinks I hate her now.

A soft mewl distracted me from my thoughts and I turned around; Salty was standing a few feet away from me with his white head tilted to the side. He noticed that we were the only ones in the apartment and he began to cry. A lump formed in my throat as I bent over to gather him in my arms, and I tried hushing him as I made my way back to my room. He was so small, so vulnerable.

"I know, I know," I sighed as I crawled into bed with him, "I miss her too."

A/N: Chapter Inspiration: Day Old Hate by City and Colour.