Afraid Of Being Alone.

I never realized how true the saying 'You never know what you have until you lose it' was until I spent an entire weekend without Naminé.

I mean I've spent tons of weekends without Naminé before I met her, but now that I do know her and I spent both Saturday and Sunday without her...my life was just so empty. Maybe even pointless.

Well, at least I still had Salty.

Axel decided to pay me a visit on Sunday. We watched with slight interest as the kids played with the small white kitten, who seemed excited to have new playmates. I couldn't help but notice how less energetic the kids were, however; they knew Naminé wasn't coming to play with them today, and the thought broke my heart.

"I tried calling her this morning but she didn't pick up," I groaned and leaned into my palm, "I want to confront her but she told me if Riku did that she'd call the cops and put a restraining order on him. I'm pretty sure she'll do the same for me."

"Naw," Axel waved me off, "Naminé hates Riku at the moment. She thinks you hate her. Therein lies the difference."

I shook my head. "I dunno, man."

The redhead leaned back against the couch and rested his arms on top. "Well, your fault for blowing up on her."

I groaned a second time and clutched my head in my hands. "Don't remind me." I heaved a defeated sigh. "It can't be entirely my fault, though; I mean, I wouldn't have blown up on her if she didn't give me so many damn mixed signals!" I raised my head and threw my hands up in the air. "Snuggling, holding hands, kisses on the cheek...best friends don't do that! That's couple stuff!"

On the floor Miyo was hugging Salty a little too tightly. The poor cat was struggling to wriggle out of her grip. I felt bad for him.

My male best friend shrugged his skinny shoulders. "I guess the only thing you really can do at the moment is keep trying to get a hold of her." He watched Koji playfully tug on Salty's ears. "How's Sora, by the way?"

"He should be coming soon. He said he had something to tell me." Right on cue the door rang and I scrambled to answer it. "Hey bro," I greeted him as I opened the door and stepped aside so he could come in, "How was soccer with Riku?"

The brunet looked a bit happier than when I last saw him on Friday, which was good. "It was alright, I guess," He rubbed the back of his head as he moved towards the TV room, "Riku's a little upset, though. I'm guessing Naminé's still peeved."

Axel chuckled as Sora sat next to him on the couch. "Duh. Who wouldn't be?" He stretched his arms. "Did Riku talk to you about it?"

"Kind of," My brother shrugged, "I mean...I explained how I was kinda bummed when he told everyone, and that he could've told a couple of people beforehand. He said he regretted not doing that because Naminé hasn't been responding to any of his calls." He turned towards me. "Any luck with you yet?"

"Nope," I sighed as I took a seat next to my brother, "She's not answering my calls either. I'm kind of worried now."

"If males are the stupid species females are definitely the complicated species." Axel muttered. "No amount of experimentation and research will ever lead to fully understanding them. God." His phone began to vibrate, and he groaned. "That's probably Larx-" He blinked at the caller ID, "Nope...it's Riku." My brother and I exchanged anxious glances as the redhead held the phone up to his ear. "'Allo? Ah, Riku! So nice to 'ear from you!"

A loud feline cry erupted out of nowhere; either Miyo or Koji probably pulled on Salty's tail a little too hard. Sora immediately rushed over to his kids and I scooped Salty in my arms. I hoped Riku didn't hear any of that.

"Uh," Axel faltered for a second, "No, that was just the TV. Hm? Yeah, so I've 'eard. Nope. Hm, maybe. I can ask 'eem if you want and I'll call you back later. D'accord, will do. Adieu." He canceled the call and turned towards me. "Riku was asking about Naminé."

I raised an eyebrow as I comfortingly petted Salty's back, trying to get him to calm down. "What makes him think Jacques would know anything about her?"

"He's probably desperate to get a hold of her," Sora pointed out, "So he's probably asking everyone who went to the party that night. He already talked to me about her."

"Yeah," Axel frowned, "He told me to ask Ventus if he knew anything."

I swallowed hard. "So...er, what are you gonna tell Riku?"

"I'm gonna tell him that Ventus doesn't know anything either. This way we can stall him some more and give you enough time to patch things up with Naminé."

I ruffled my hair. "Huh, I guess that makes sense." My frown returned. "But...what if I can't get a hold of her?"

"Well," Sora tapped his index finger against his chin, "You could always try talking to her as Ventus. She opened up to you twice and you guys are supposed to be complete strangers. Surely that's supposed to mean something."

"But what if she starts using Ventus instead?" I exclaimed, and when my brother and male best friend stared strangely at me I sighed. "I have this theory that Naminé's just using me as a sort of substitute object of affection because she doesn't wanna be around Riku for now. It's the only logical explanation for doing all that couplely stuff with me."

"Unless she really does like you." The redhead rolled his eyes. "Plus I don't think she's the using type. She doesn't even seem like the type who would do it without even realizing."

"But you'll never know," I protested, "She's the most unpredictable person I've ever met. I don't know what to think of her anymore."

Sora frowned. "But...you still love her, don't you?"

My chest began to ache for some reason. "Of course I do," I sighed, "I honestly think it's impossible for me to fall out of love with her...unless she's secretly some kind of serial murderer or something. Psychos aren't exactly my type.

"I know this sounds ridiculous but I honestly think I was made for that girl. I feel like I've been searching for her my entire life and I just wasn't aware of it until it was too late.

"Even if she never returns my feelings I don't think I can ever separate myself from her - even if it means I'm gonna have to put up with this whole hard to get crap for the rest of my life." I rubbed my eyes tiredly. "I...I may get frustrated with her every once in awhile but that doesn't mean I don't ever want to see her again. The second I stopped yelling at her I began to feel guilty. I really wanted to just rewind everything and pretend I never said that."

Axel let out a low whistle. "You're really serious for this chick, huh?" When I nodded dismally he laughed. "I really can't believe you're willing to torture yourself over this. There are other fi-"

"I don't want chicks or fish!" I growled, "I want her!"

"Okay," The redhead resumed slowly, "Well, there are other girls out there."

"But no one's ever captured me like she has," I complained, "I'm pretty sure this is a once-in-a-lifetime-thing. It's an opportunity I can't miss out for the world."

"But if this is an opportunity why is she so bent over another guy?" Sora pointed out, "Roxas, maybe Axel is right. You might think she's the one but...well, maybe she isn't. You have to know when enough is enough, man. I really don't want to see you get hurt anymore."

I shook my head stubbornly. "No, you guys just don't understand. I love her. I've never loved anyone like this before. I've gone through my entire life without feeling any sort of affection towards anyone else, and then this girl pops out of nowhere and suddenly I feel like I'm fifteen trying to deal with my first real crush. This has to mean something, you guys." I frustratingly ran my fingers through my hair. "I can't give up. It's impossible to give up."

The brunet and the redhead exchanged uneasy looks. "Well," Axel sighed, "You seem impossible to sway at the moment so I guess the only thing I can do for you right now is ride this one out with you. Are you sure about this, Roxas?"

"More than anything."

My brother chuckled. "I guess I have no choice but to support you either. I guess you're right to an extent; I mean...you really haven't felt this way towards anyone before."

I nodded. "Exactly, which is why I can't let Naminé go. There has to be a reason for all of this."

Sora gave me a rueful smile. "Yeah, hopefully." He scooped his kids up and began to make his way towards the door. "Anyways, I better go."

Axel stood up as well. "Yeah, me too."

My brother gave my male best friend a sly look. "So how's Larxene doing?"

The redhead groaned. "Don't remind me. Honestly, if she was a nightmare before she got pregnant I have no idea what to call her now."

The brunet laughed. "Oh man, looking at you brings back terrible memories: weird food cravings at the strangest times, crazy mood swings-"

Axel wearily raised his hand. "I know, I know."

I ruffled the back of my hair. "Um, so I guess I'll see you guys later?"

"Yep," My best friend smirked, "Later."

I mussed up Koji's hair and kissed Miyo on the cheek before waving everybody off. When they were all gone I wandered back into the TV room; Salty was sitting on the couch, mindlessly licking his paw. I sat beside him and reached over to play with his ears.

If everything was back to normal Naminé and I probably would've gone out for a walk right now. Salty would've gone with us.

Salty mewled and crawled onto my lap. I scratched behind his ears and smiled when he closed his eyes. "It sucks without her around, doesn't it?" The kitten rolled over on his back and I rubbed his belly. "Hm...what to do, what to do…"

An idea struck me, and I stood up with Salty cradled in my arms. "Hey, do you wanna go for a walk?" When the kitten blinked up at me I grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

I figured some fresh air would do some good for the both of us. When I left the building and stepped out into the sun I stared down at Salty again. "Er, do you need a leash or something? Do cats even have leashes? Do people even take cats for walks…?"

Salty shrugged his shoulders, and I sighed and placed him on the ground next to me. He let out a soft meow and began to trot forward, and I rubbed the back of my head and decided to follow him.

I knew people were looking at us strangely because I could feel their eyes on us as we strolled down the sidewalk. Salty was just a few paces ahead of me; it was good this way so I could keep an eye on him. Since he was so tiny he would be hard to find if I lost him.

Sometimes women my age or mothers with their children would stop me and ask if they could pet Salty. I was pretty sure the women were trying to flirt with me by how sickly sweet their voices sounded and the way they stood a little too close when they held my cat in their arms. Salty seemed to get the hint too, because after five minutes he'd start fussing and we'd make some excuse to keep walking.

What a smart cat.

Right after crossing the street Salty stopped dead in his tracks. I raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" I asked, but before he could hear me he zipped off towards the park and my eyes widened in fear. "Hey! Salty, come back here!"

He could run fast despite having such short legs. I grunted when I skidded to a stop in front of the jungle gym, frantically looking left and right. I began to truly panic when he was nowhere in sight.

"Salty!" I cupped my hands around my mouth and began to yell his name while walking around. "Where are you?" I added in a lower voice, "And I thought you were smart…"

"Roxas?" My heart stopped beating for a good five seconds. I turned around and found Riku standing a few feet away with Salty purring in his arms. "Hey, funny seeing you here!"

I gave him a sheepish smile. "Er, I see you've found my cat."

Riku jostled Salty in his arms. "So this is Salty!" He chuckled and rumpled the fur on the small kitten's head. "I've heard a lot about you, you little rascal."

I began to grow nervous for some reason. "I guess Naminé's told you all about him."

"Yeah," He frowned, "Though I haven't talked to her all weekend. She's mad at me."

Hm… "Oh...yeah, Naminé told me what happened."

"Getting the silent treatment from your girlfriend is the worst." Riku moved to sit on a nearby bench and I went to follow him. "Talk about making me feel like a total jerk. I guess I deserved it, though." Salty nuzzled his head against his chest. "We've been fighting a lot, actually."

I raised an eyebrow; now that was something I wasn't expecting. "Really?"

He sighed and nodded. "She keeps saying how I never make time for her, and now that I think about it it's kinda true. I've just been so busy with work lately, and now that I'm moving to Radiant Garden in a year I have to work even harder." He shook his head. "I don't want to lose her, though. I really meant it on Friday when I told her I loved her."

My heart painfully clenched together, and I awkwardly coughed into my fist. "Erm, maybe she just needs time."

"That's what everyone's been telling me, but to be honest with you I feel like I don't have enough time to fix everything." Riku groaned and passed Salty over to me so he could clutch his head in his hands. "A year is a long time but I feel like if I don't fix it now I'll never get a second chance. She doesn't know how much I need her. She's...I don't know," He laughed a little, "This might sound corny but...Roxas, I honestly think she's the one."

I really wanted to leave now, but I couldn't think of a good enough excuse. "W-what makes you think that?"

"I dunno - she's...she's just everything I've ever wanted in somebody, I guess. I mean, look at Sora and Kairi: they've been together since they started college, right? I'd always look at them and think, 'Wow, I wonder if I'll ever find a love like that', and I did! Whenever I'm with Naminé everything just feels right, y'know? Like everything's falling into place. When I first saw her the only thing I could think of was, 'Oh, there you are. I finally found you. Where have you been hiding all this time?'" He laughed again. "Cheesy, I know, but that's honestly the way she makes me feel."

I found it both eerie and depressing how Riku and I felt exactly the same way towards one certain person.

The only difference between us was that Riku was so much more ahead of me, and his goal was attainable. Possible.

"But you're probably right," Riku interrupted my thoughts, "She needs time to cool off. It's not smart to reason with an angry person anyway. I'm actually just making my way back from her place, but she wouldn't answer the door." He scratched the side of his head. "I had a feeling she'd be with you, but seeing as we just ran into each other at the park she probably just didn't want to talk to me."

I gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sure she feels the same way, you know. In the beginning she wouldn't stop talking about you."

I wanted to laugh bitterly to myself when his eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, she'd just keep going on about how perfect you were. It got annoying after awhile, but I let her do it because I could tell she was happy." I sighed. "Just...just keep trying, Riku. Don't give up on her. She wouldn't want you to do that." I noticed Salty had fallen asleep and I stood up. "I better head home. The little guy's sleeping."

"Yeah," The artist stood up and patted me on the shoulder. "Thanks for listening, Roxas. Naminé was right when she said you were a good friend."

I gave him a sad smile. "I try to be. Later, and good luck." I turned on my heel and began the walk back to my apartment with Salty snoozing peacefully in my arms.

Riku really loved Naminé, didn't he? His whole schpheel on how he felt about her probably destroyed what was last of my self-esteem. I felt like all the things I told Sora and Axel earlier were for nothing.

I took my time walking back home. There was nothing waiting for me there anyway.

A/N: Chapter Inspiration: I'm Lost Without You by blink-182.

This chapter's a little short, I noticed =\ oh well, haha. Thanks to all who've read, reviewed, favourited and alerted so far!