A/N: So I've received some positive feedback. That's good :) I hope you all continue to enjoy it.

Chapter 3: Floating

Today was the day of Roxas and Kairi's first friend date. It was called a friend date, because it was not a date. Two, they were just friends spending time together. Three, Kairi wasn't emotionally ready for a date. Four, she didn't really know Roxas. She was hoping today would change that. He was her friend now. She wanted to be as close as possible. Friends were supposed to be close.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. They would be going out for dinner at a seemingly formal restaurant. So, her attire was semi-formal. She tried to be dressy without being too dressy. Being dressy was the sign of a date. She didn't want Roxas to think it was more than it actually was. Sora may have broken her heart, but she wasn't ready to replace him just yet. Part of her still hoped it was all just a nightmare. She finished the necessary touches she needed on her natural-looking makeup and was satisfied with her appearance.

Kairi was dressed in a simple, light pink dress. It was strapped and showed a bit of cleavage, but not too much. It also hugged her curves in all the right places. She liked to dress plain. She wore a pair of pink wedges to match. It was one of her typical summer outfits. Nothing special. She had conditioned her hair and combed it so that it was silky smooth. This was also nothing special. She couldn't help but think it especially shined tonight. She wore her usual pendant with a pair of matching diamond stud earrings. Her makeup was barely noticeable. She smiled. It may have been nothing special, but she couldn't deny her excitement.

Ding

She allowed herself to grin. Roxas was ready. She quickly grabbed her white handbag and made her way to the door. She pulled it open and was surprised at what she saw on the other side. It was Roxas. She just didn't know he cleaned up so well. He was wearing a pair of black slacks and a button-down blue shirt. He was still working on tucking it in. She thought it brought out his eyes. On his feet were the shiniest black shoes Kairi had ever seen. He looked very sharp; she liked it. "Hey," she greeted casually once he finished tucking in his shirt.

"Hey, Kairi. Ready to go?" Roxas asked. He looked hopeful. She nodded almost too eagerly. He smiled. "All right then. Hope you don't mind walking. I don't have a car or anything," Roxas added as they began walking down the stairs.

"No, that's okay. I don't have a car either. I usually walk everywhere. I like walking," Kairi answered kindly. Right now, she felt okay. She wasn't worried about what Sora said or her extreme disappointment. This was her time to spend with her friend, Roxas.

They exited the front doors of the apartment complex and were greeted by the fresh, island air. Kairi always loved Destiny Islands at night. It seemed brighter than it was in the day. All the street lights and building neon signs were on. Even though it was night, nothing was dark. The Main Island was the place to be at night. Everything was lit up like a Christmas tree. Still, like all night life, Destiny Islands had its dangerous patches. To avoid getting into any trouble, Kairi made sure to stay close to Roxas as they walked and chatted.

"Really? You were in Destiny U's graduating class of 2005? I'm surprised I never saw you. It wasn't that big of a campus," Kairi awed.

Roxas shrugged. "I didn't really stand out much," he quietly answered. Kairi now understood why he didn't. Roxas didn't seem like the outgoing type, not that Kairi was outgoing in college. He just seemed like the type of person to keep to himself. The only people that really stood out to her in college were the people she was trying to avoid. "I did manage to see you a couple of times. You didn't seem to want to attract attention to yourself either," Roxas added with a small smile.

Roxas's attachment to her made sense now. He saw that they had something in common way before she even knew him. He did sort of have an idea of who she was. Not in that 'stalker' kind of way, but in the 'I've seen you around before' way. "Yeah, I didn't like to be in the spot light. I really focused on my work in college. I was trying to get out as soon as possible for someone. But that turned out to be a bust," Kairi laughed. He frowned. She quickly decided to change the subject. Tonight wasn't supposed to be full of bad memories. "Hey, there's the restaurant," Kairi pointed out.

The two would be having dinner at Paopu Hut. It was one of the best places to go for a buffet dining experience. Kairi had only been there once. It was during her high school years. Sora had taken her there before prom. When Roxas invited her she didn't suggest going somewhere else. She wanted to make new memories at the restaurant. Also, she couldn't deny that the food was excellent. They entered the restaurant and paid for their dining experience. Kairi paid her own and Roxas paid his own. It was another example of how this was a friend date, not a date. They were seated in a booth next to a window; they sat across from each other.

"What can I get you two to drink?"

"I'll have a lemonade, please," Kairi requested with a smile. She could tell the waitress was only a high school student. She didn't want to give her a hard time.

"Just a water," Roxas shyly mumbled. She could see the faintest blush on his cheeks. She wondered if he was nervous.

She leaned across the table and smiled at Roxas. She lifted his chin with her hand and forced him to look at her. His eyes widened from the contact. "No need to be so shy, Roxas. She's just a high schooler. Now, come on, the food awaits!" Kairi exclaimed happily. She decided it would be her goal of the night to get Roxas to come out of his shell. She wanted to know more about him. He intrigued her.

"A-All right," he stammered.

Kairi walked over to Roxas's side and pulled him out of the booth. She then proceeded to drag him to where the buffet was located. He appeared to be shocked at her actions. She couldn't help but smile. She wasn't just a whiny brat. She had a fun side too, and she wanted to show him that side. If he could stand her emotional one he deserved to see the good one.

Once they filled their plates they went back to the table. Their drinks were waiting for them. "This looks good, huh?" Kairi asked as she stared down at her food in awe. It definitely looked better than the microwavable meals she'd been living off of since college. Kairi wasn't much of a cook. Roxas nodded as he took a bite of his teriyaki chicken. "Is that good?" Kairi asked; a mischievous gleam was dancing in her eyes.

"Yeah," Roxas answered happily once he was done chewing. Kairi grinned. She grabbed her fork and stole a bit of chicken from Roxas's plate. "Hey!" he protested almost angrily. She giggled and popped it into her mouth. Roxas feigned a pout as he took another bite of his chicken.

Kairi smiled. "That was pretty good," she laughed, "Sorry for stealing."

"No, that's okay," Roxas replied with a similar grin. He swiped a bit of salad from Kairi's plate and quickly crammed it in his mouth.

"Hey!" Kairi cried with a playful pout, "That salads mine!"

Roxas laughed, "Well, you just lost that bit of it." Kairi couldn't help but laugh as well.

The rest of the night went well. Roxas and Kairi shared several laughs over the silliest of things. Kairi decided she really liked Roxas's company. He was really funny, charming, and well-spoken. Whenever he made a joke she struggled to make herself stop laughing. She also found out he had a bit of a weakness for keyblades. She couldn't blame him, though. They were excellent weapons. Sora loved them too. Roxas's favorite color was blue. His favorite animal was a lion. Roxas laughed when Kairi told him her favorite was a kitten. He joked that his lion could eat her kitten; he was a typical boy. She judged he was just a little afraid of letting people in.

They decided to also have dessert at the buffet. They had a delicious looking apple pie Kairi wanted to try. They grabbed two slices and then dumped vanilla ice cream on top. This was the way Kairi liked to eat her pie so she suggested Roxas give it a try.

"Come on, Roxas. Take a bite. It's good!" Kairi urged before she took a bite of her own pie. She was instantly in heaven; it tasted so delicious. She loved the combination of the heat from the apple pie and the cold from the ice cream. Roxas looked down at the pie. He seemed unsure. "Try it!" Kairi commanded as she stifled her laughter. He looked so confused.

"All right, here's goes nothing," Roxas muttered as he took a bite. The look of his face was enough to assure Kairi he was completely satisfied. Pure elation was oozing from his pores. She'd never seen him happier. It was so out of character for him, but she liked it. "That was good," he finally said.

She grinned in satisfaction. When she was right, she was right. It only shocked her that Roxas had never dared to put ice cream on his pie before he met her. She watched as he eagerly gobbled down the rest of his slice.

"If you don't eat that I'll eat it for you," Roxas threatened with a sly smirk. He must of noticed she was staring.

"No!" Kairi cried as she quickly began to eat her pie. She'd never let anyone else have her pie. It was far too delicious.

Once dinner was done, the two decided to take a stroll around town. It seemed like a good way to help digest the large amount of food they had just eaten. Kairi also sensed Roxas wasn't ready to return home. She couldn't blame him. She wanted to stay out a bit more too. She looked toward the black sky; it was a moonless night. She thought it was fitting. She didn't understand why that was. She just thought it suited the mood.

"So, Kairi. Can I ask you a question?" Roxas suddenly asked.

"Sure," Kairi answered. She directed her gaze to Roxas. She could spot the troubled gleam in his cerulean eyes. There was something eating at his conscience. She couldn't help but wonder what it was. Did she do something wrong? Or perhaps he was having stomach pains from all the food?

"I don't know if this is too personal of a question, but who is Sora? You called for him when you were waking up the first time we officially met. Since then, I've wondered who he is," Roxas explained. By then, they had stopped walking. She could tell he was only asking out of her concern for her, not because he was a nosey bastard. Still, she didn't know if she was comfortable enough to talk about Sora. He was a major part of her, even though he shouldn't be. If she revealed who Sora was, she would be revealing nearly everything about herself. She didn't know if she was ready for Roxas to see all that she was. "It's all right. You don't have to tell me," he stated with a reassuring smile, "I understand."

Her eyes were wide. "What do you mean you understand?" she asked curiously.

He sighed and stared toward the moon. "I have someone like that too. Someone I don't like talking about for specific reasons," he answered nostalgically.

She smiled gently. Perhaps he could understand her. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'll tell you about him someday, but for now, I'd rather continue having fun," she answered.

Roxas nodded and smiled at her. She could see the happiness flooding his cerulean gaze. He almost reminded her of Sora. For that instance, he seemed carefree. She kind of liked it. She wanted to make him look this way more often. Not because of Sora, but because she wanted him to be happy. He was her friend, after all.