Chapter 19: Vulnerable
Sometimes, Roxas hated walking. It may sound like a strange sentiment, but, when you're pretending not to be blind, it's more understandable. After all, whenever the blind boy walked, it was never straight. He constantly veered and weaved like he was an accident waiting to happen. At school, of course, he did his best to disguise his unnatural gait by attempting to move slower, but even Roxas knew he wasn't always successful. In fact, if it weren't for Sora's guidance Roxas probably would have walked into more poles, people and walls than he usually did on a regular basis.
'I feel like such a klutz…Looking at me now, I'm sure no one would really believe I won the MVP award for soccer last year.' Roxas sighed sullenly as he allowed his mind to reminisce on the bittersweet memories of his athletic glory days. Sure, he had hated the person he had been back then, but playing soccer had always been a passion of Roxas' since he was a child. It had enabled him to break out of his shell and actually make friends—especially since he started about the same time his family had moved away from Twilight Town…and Naminé.
'Naminé…'
Even the thought of the blonde female made Roxas' heart speed up. A notion that still boggled the blind boy's mind. Admittedly, Roxas did have a crush on Naminé when they were children, but he had never thought those same feelings would bubble up to the surface again when they reunited. After dating several girls before his incident, Roxas had considered himself entirely immune to her and was certain that he could save her without pushing past the friendship boundary.
'And look how well that turned out,' Roxas thought to himself sarcastically before an abrupt searing pain manifested itself across his entire face. Gingerly, Roxas put his hand in front of his face to touch the object he had walked straight into. The cold metallic surface made Roxas roll his eyes and grumble aloud for his cousin.
The happy-go-lucky brunette who had abandoned his cousin to stare obliviously at a tank of fish placed in the display window of the local pet shop quickly bounded over. "What's up co—Huh? Why's your face all red? Were you thinking about Naminé again?" Sora wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Roxas could only wish he had regained his sight as he imagined throttling his clueless cousin.
"No Sora," Roxas ground out angrily, "I hit a pole because you weren't guiding me!"
Sora held up his hands defensively before stepping back, "Hey now, no need to get hostile. It's not like this happens all the time or anything."
"What do you mean this doesn't happen all the time! Just yesterday, I almost fell down into the sewer because you got sidetracked by some stupid hot dog stand and the day before that—"
Sora quickly interceded before his cousin could continue his diatribe. "Okay first, you've never had one of Hal's hotdogs because, if you had, you would have understood and second off…You know I have ADD!" Sora whined guiltily. "I can't help that I'm distracted easily, it's in my genes!"
"Whatever," Roxas murmured before readjusting his cane so that it was longer, "Let's just go. My Mom's probably worried already."
Sora dropped his head sighing but complied as he forced himself to be a more attentive guide. A task that Sora had always found nearly impossible. 'And Aunt Aerith trusts me to get him home safely because…?'
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"What the-!"
Roxas who had been weaving closely behind his cousin stopped and furrowed his eyebrows. "What is it?"
Sora shook his head in astonishment, seeming to swallow not only saliva but his words as well. "I…Your…It's destroyed!"
"Destroyed!" Roxas repeated incredulously before his head involuntarily whipped from left to right. "What's been destroyed!"
"The windows…the car…your mom's flowerbed…" Sora shook his head again as his azure gaze traced the profanities spray painted across his Aunt and Uncle's garage door again. The entire Strife estate looked as though a hurricane had come through and decimated the whole front yard, including Aerith's garden and the garage. Garbage cans that had once neatly lined the side of the house were now thrown haphazardly on their sides near the front door, the family's rusted SUV was now windowless and the front door, which had also been severely keyed, was barely even attached by its hinges, and Aerith's flowerbed and delicate landscaping lay in shambles as bits of flower and topiary littered the neatly trimmed grass.
"What! W-Who would do something like that! I'm…I'm going inside!" Roxas angrily exclaimed before carelessly rushing along the stone pathway that led to the front door.
"Roxas…be careful," Sora warned, "You're gonna get—" Sora cringed as he watched his cousin trip and fall into the wall near the door. "Hurt."
Once again, Roxas extended a hand to feel the surface he had collided with before balling his hands into fists. 'Really? A klutz attack now?'
Inwardly, Roxas fumed. Being blind was such a pain! All he wanted to do was go inside his house. He wasn't trying to do brain surgery.
Stepping over a broken flowerpot, Sora tentatively grabbed his cousin by the arm and pulled him away from the wall. "Here," The brunette offered with an uneasy smile, "let me help."
"I'm fine Sora," Roxas quietly protested but allowed himself to be led to the door. Maybe he should ask his parents for a guide dog? 'It'd probably do a better job than Sora…not that, that's hard to accomplish…'
"Well…I'm still helping," Sora replied as he carefully ushered his cousin through the door. Once inside, however, both teens could both hear Aerith's muffled sobs from the kitchen, and Cloud's booming voice as he yelled into what was presumably the telephone.
"Mom? Dad?" Roxas called as he cautiously used his cane to follow their voices into the kitchen.
Hearing her son's voice, Aerith's tear stained face lifted from underneath her arms. "Roxas! Sora! You're back!" More tears filled her jade eyes as she embraced both boys. "Did you see the damage?" Aerith asked, directing her question to Sora as the brunette detached himself from his Aunt's fierce grip.
"Yeah…," Sora answered scratching the back of his head, "I saw it, but…who could have done it? I mean no one I can think of actually hates you guys."
Finally releasing her blond haired son, Aerith sighed and rubbed her face tiredly. "I don't know either…but it had to have been when we were out to lunch with your parents and Yuffie."
"I just got done talking with the police," Cloud announced hanging up the phone, "They said no one reported any suspicious activity earlier, but they'll start an investigation soon."
'Soon? We don't have time for this!' Roxas thought to himself angrily. There had to be an easier way to find out who did this. After all, who would have stooped so low as to…
"Vanitas!" Roxas blurted, quickly earning the attention of everyone in the kitchen.
Cloud cast his son a disapproving stare, "Roxas, I know you don't like Vanitas but that doesn't mean you should just accuse him like that."
"But—"
"I think he's right."
"Larexene?" Cloud asked surprised, "Since when have you been home?"
Larexene shrugged and pulled out an extra seat so that she could rest her feet. "Does it really matter? You should be calling Tifa right now, not playing twenty questions with me."
"But Larexene," Aerith interrupted quietly, "We don't know—"
"Mom," Larexene said looking at her mother with serious jade eyes, "what other deranged psycho path would put your name and a string of profanities together with spray paint?"
"She does have a point Mom," Roxas agreed softly. Sora remained silent during the conversation, feeling that it wouldn't be right if he expressed his own thoughts on the matter.
Aerith's eyebrows furrowed and she looked to her husband who was clearly conflicted. "Should I call Tifa? Maybe the kids are right…?"
"…It's worth a shot I guess…" Cloud sighed before running a hand through his gold hair. If they were wrong…Tifa would never forgive any of them. Not even Aerith.
Aerith nodded and with a shaking hand picked up the phone and dialed the number of her best friend and husband's ex-wife. On the other end, Aerith could hear the phone ring a few times before Tifa's voice could be heard.
"Hello?"
"Tifa," Aerith began nervously, "I was just wondering if…if you knew what Vanitas has been up to today."
Instantly, the dark haired woman became defensive and her voice became razor sharp. "Why would you ask that? I'm pretty sure Vanitas isn't on your priority list."Aerith cringed and slowly twirled a strand of her chestnut colored hair around her finger.
"Well…you know that I would never assume anything Tif, but…someone vandalized our house earlier today and after the big spat between—"
"You think Vanitas did it, don't you?" Tifa accused sharply, making the jade eyed woman cringe again. "You two are always doing this! Can't you just leave my son the hell alone! It's not like either of you—"
Cloud abruptly snatched the phone away from his wife. "Knock it off Tifa! We're just trying to figure things out! We don't know for sure that he did it, but after that fight I wouldn't exactly find it odd that Vanitas would-Ugh! Just let me talk to our son!" Cloud snarled as he resisted the urge to throw the phone at the wall.
"You, Cloud Strife, are not talking to—"
Tifa's angry voice suddenly cut off and Cloud furrowed his eye brows in confusion. "Hello? Ti—"
"Enjoy my little present, Pops?" Cloud recoiled slightly at the sinister voice on the other end and Roxas, who could easily hear his brother's snake-like voice with his enhanced hearing, wasn't able to suppress the brief shudder that raced up and down his own spine.
"Vanitas…," Cloud uttered as he shook his head in disbelief, "Why would you do something like that, especially now that we're moving?"
Vanitas cackled, "Just consider it my parting present; I'm sure it'll be loads of fun to clean up."
"Dad," Roxas interjected with a frantic expression, "You have to call the police! We can't let him just get away with it!" 'So much for common ground, but…It's not my fault he turned out this way, right? Everyone has choices and Vanitas has always made bad ones.'
"Just let me handle this Roxas," Cloud ordered calmly, "I'm sure if I talk to Tifa, we can all work something out."
"The sightless wonder has something to say to me? How cute. Let me guess, he wants me behind bars, right?" Vanitas asked sarcastically before bursting into another fit of cruel laughter.
"Where is your mother, Vanitas?" Cloud said with gritted teeth. Normally, Cloud was a relatively calm man, but when it came to his eldest child, the fuse had been cut very short over the past some years—especially after Vanitas had been sent to juvie for multiple accounts of theft, street fighting and vandalism.
On the other line Vanitas snorted and spat coldly. "Like I care, she probably went off to cry in a corner or something."
"Vanitas…," Cloud growled as his hands clenched into tight fists, "Get your mother on the phone…Now."
"Sorry Pops, no can do. I've got some plans to attend to. Don't have too much fun cleaning up my present." Vanitas said smugly.
"This conversation is not—"Cloud stopped and looked down at the phone. "The line's dead. He hung up."
"I'm sure we can just call up Tifa later and get things settled," Aerith suggested calmly as she placed a comforting hand on her husband's shoulder.
The blond father's shoulders sagged and he looked to his wife with a doubtful expression. "I don't think we'll be able to settle things for a while. Tifa's not going to pick up the phone and we have to get packed up this weekend. It'll all get settled eventually though..."
Listening to his parents' distressed voices, Roxas could only feel infinitely frustrated and helpless. If he had his sight, he would have practically tossed Vanitas into the police station. His family didn't deserve this and it made him angry to think that it was his own brother who had done this.
'I just hope nothing worse happens because of Vanitas…'
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"A tutor?" Mrs. Misaki repeated with little interest as she applied a fresh coat of red lipstick in front of the bathroom mirror. "I suppose that would be fine. I'll have someone take care of that before Monday, dear."
Naminé bowed her head politely and smiled nervously. "Thank you Mother." Naminé never wanted to make her mother unhappy. She was always afraid of making mistakes and losing the little affection her mother gave to her. Although, being an only child, Naminé was fortunate enough to not have to compete for her parent's attention with other children. The blonde already had enough competition between her parents' work, friends and secret lovers. "Oh and…Um, Mother?" Naminé started uncertainly.
Mrs. Misaki didn't look up from the mirror as she puckered her now cherry red lips. "Hmm…"
"I…Maybe we can go—"
"Oh!" Mrs. Misaki exclaimed with suddenly wide eyes as she quickly brushed the remaining make up sitting on the counter top into her Dolce make up bag. "I almost forgot! Natalia and I were going out to dinner tonight!" Mrs. Misaki laughed quietly to herself. "I can be so dense sometimes. Anyway, Ta, Ta darling! Arnold's here when you're hungry later tonight!"
Naminé sighed but watched in silence as her Mother flitted in a flurry of designer fabrics out of the bathroom and down the steps. Looking into the mirror, Naminé smiled weakly at her reflection. "Guess it's just me again tonight…"
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Friday had finally arrived and Roxas wasn't sure if he was eager or anxious that school was already done with. Leaning up against his cousin's car, Roxas patiently waited for Naminé. The blonde had explained that she just needed to grab a few things before she came out, but Roxas had been completely fine with it. He really didn't want her to see his multiple klutz attacks on the way to the car. Already, within the ten minutes since they had separated, Roxas had made a face plant into the dirt, had almost been hit by two cars and had walked straight into another pole (Thank you Sora).
"She almost back?" Roxas asked aloud to his cousin who was sitting in the driver's seat of the car. Yet another thing that scared Roxas—especially being blind—Sora's driving.
"Yeah, here she comes now. Get ready to move to your left a little so she can get in," Sora suggested.
Roxas nodded and inched a little to the left as he listened to the evident sound of her heels clicking across the pavement.
"We all good to go now?" Roxas asked.
"Should be," Naminé said with a smile, "Now that I've got my IPod for us to use."
Roxas returned the smile and made a gesture towards the car. "After you."
Naminé giggled almost incessantly as she climbed into the backseat of the car. "I've heard of going green but…," She had to stifle another giggle onslaught with the palm of her hand.
"What?" Roxas asked with furrowed brows. Clearly, the blind boy didn't get it.
Naminé swatted his question away as she laughed quietly to herself. "It was nothing…you just gestured to a tree instead of the car, that's all."
In his mind, Roxas wanted to slap himself upside the head. He probably looked so stupid! "Haha, I knew that. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention," Roxas said with an uneasy laugh.
Naminé arched an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm sure that's it."
"Yeah, well," Roxas mumbled as he began to lift himself into the seat next to hers, "I'm sure you—AHH" Catching his foot on the car step, Roxas momentarily flailed before landing face first onto the cushioned seat beside Naminé's leg. Lifting his face from the leather seating, Roxas knew his face was bright red with embarrassment, but Naminé merely giggled as Sora murmured under his breath "Smooth."
"I'm…Wow, I'm really sorry," Roxas apologized as he clumsily attempted to upright himself.
Naminé shook her head and watched in amusement as Roxas accidentally slapped himself with the metal end of the seatbelt. "It's fine…I guess I just never noticed how clumsy you really are."
More heat flooded Roxas' cheeks. Wow, he must look so stupid right now. Fumbling again, Roxas finally managed to properly put his seatbelt on. "Well…Um," Roxas coughed awkwardly, "if you're ready Sora, we should probably get going…" The last bit came out of the boy's mouth quietly, but the brunette still managed to hear it.
"Don't worry Rox, we're going," Sora answered as he lightly rolled his azure orbs.
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"So," Naminé began shyly as the duo (Sora having left them at the front door) entered through the door, "This is your house, huh?"
Roxas rubbed his face, gently nursing the new blossoming bruise that he had gained just moments before when he had walked into the door. "Yeah, this is it."
In a sense, it was strange for the blonde girl. She had only once been in a home that wasn't classified as a mansion. Normally, her parents had forbid such contact with what they called the 'common world,' but Naminé was beginning to see things a little different. Sure, it still sucked that Roxas wasn't rich, but maybe there was something to being poor too? The house, though not of a gargantuan size, had a certain charm to it and Naminé couldn't help but admire the vintage décor. Everything seemed to have this 1950's feel to it. It was very…homey.
"I like it; it seems very comfortable," Naminé commented with a smile.
Roxas nodded but sighed dejectedly. "Yeah…It's just too bad we have to move now."
Naminé jolted upright as though suddenly struck by lightning. "W-What! You…You're…Where are you moving!"
"It's really not too big of a deal," Roxas said reassuringly, "Some financial things just got in the way so now we're gonna move in with Sora's family."
Relief was evident in Naminé' tone as she exhaled. "O-Oh…well at least you'll still be at school."
Roxas nodded as he tried not to appear too awkward just standing in the front entry way. In the back of his mind, Roxas also really hoped Naminé didn't ask about the house's recent make-over. Now, there's a conversation Roxas would just love to have with Naminé. Sure, his parents had taken care of most of the damage, but well…spray paint wasn't exactly easy to remove and neither was reattaching a car door evidentially.
"Yeah, I'm glad. I'd hate having to transfer again, especially now that I've gotten used to things at Twilight High."
"And you must be Naminé," a cheery voice chimed from just outside the kitchen. Looking up, Naminé saw a petite woman with chestnut colored hair, vivid jade eyes and a wide, inviting smile. 'Wow…This must be his mother…I really hope I don't make a bad impression…'
Naminé bowed her head politely and nodded. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. Strife."
Aerith swatted the away the formality in Naminé's voice as she laughed lightly. "You can just call me Aerith; Mrs. Strife just sounds too formal and I'm not that old, right Roxas?" Aerith's jade eyes flickered over to her son expectantly.
"Right," Roxas quickly agreed and Naminé couldn't help but giggle at how fast he had responded.
"Well, I'll let you two get to studying. Dinner should be ready in a little bit," Aerith said staring towards the door before turning around to look at Naminé, "I hope you like spaghetti, Roxas said you did."
Naminé quickly nodded her head. "I do, but you didn't have to go all that trouble making it. I'm really not that picky."
Again, Aerith swatted away the blonde's comment with a smile. "It's not a big deal, and besides," Aerith paused as her cherry blossom colored lips widened into a teasing grin, "it's not every day that my son brings a pretty girl over to the house."
"Mom!" Roxas exclaimed as red quickly invaded his cheeks. Naminé also found her cheeks to be hotter but she couldn't help but laugh slightly when she saw Aerith wink at her and leave the room.
"I'm really sorry about that," Roxas apologized, "My mom is well…she does that stuff to me a lot."
Naminé shook her head and smiled. "It's fine, really. Your mom seems really nice." 'And she actually knows you exist…unlike my Mom.'
"Yeah…she is," Roxas agreed, "but she can also be super embarrassing and overbearing sometimes."
"Well, that's better than being ignored isn't it?" Naminé quietly murmured, thinking her words too soft for the boy to hear. However, being blind, Roxas' hearing was very acute and the words she had spoken did anything but slip past his ears.
'Ignored…?' Roxas shook his head, wishing he could see her face so he could tell if there was evident hurt in her features. It was in her voice but only for a brief moment before it dissipated underneath her façade of cool. "Well, um…I guess we should get started on your piece, huh?"
Naminé's head shot up as she pulled herself from her sullen thoughts; she looked to Roxas and smiled lightly. "Yeah, we probably should."
"Alright, the piano isn't too far away; my Dad put it in the family room just around the corner," Roxas explained as he carefully began to maneuver towards the direction of the living room. 'Thankfully it's not too far away. I just hope I don't kill myself getting to the piano bench…again.' Because, admittedly, Roxas did have a nasty habit of face planting onto the floor when he wasn't using his cane. It was a little sad, especially when tripped over next to nothing, but Roxas truly wanted to know his home so he could move about with minimum assistance. It was already annoying enough when his parents hovered about him when they were out together…He really didn't need their overly watchful gazes when he was at home too. Truthfully, the blond really wanted to assert his independence the best he could—blind or not.
"Oh," Naminé nodded as she pointed to the end of the room, "I see it over there."
"Yep, there it is," Roxas agreed with a nervous smile. Should he take her hand so she can lead him over there? Or, should he just trust his instincts and follow the path blindly? 'I really would hate to face plant in front of her…again, but would it seem too forward? Not that I've never just grabbed her hand before or anything—'
"Roxas, are you okay?" Naminé asked as she tentatively waved a hand in front of the blond's face. He jerked back slightly, but seizing the opportunity quickly, albeit clumsily, grasped her petite hand within his own.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Let's go." He started to pull her slightly, but once she began moving Roxas was clever enough to allow Naminé to take the reins so to speak.
As for Naminé, she was still slightly flustered by his actions. Roxas had been impromptu with these types of gestures before, but it never ceased to make the girl blush. Yet, it also never ceased in making her confused either. Was this a sign that he was interested in her or was this just something he did with all his female friends? Naminé had always been so certain that this gesture was reserved simply for her, but when she had seen him do the same with Xion in the halls…It began to cast a little doubt on the blonde Queen's perception of where their relationship was heading—something that Naminé was very unaccustomed to.
'Stop over thinking things,' Naminé mentally chided herself, 'It's like so pathetic…' And Naminé Misaki was anything but pathetic; thus, shaking her platinum locks, Naminé pulled Roxas behind her determinedly until they reached the piano bench.
"So, um I like brought my IPod over like you asked…," Naminé mumbled, freeing Roxas' hand as she dug her IPod Touch out from her Coach purse. Nimbly using her manicured fingers, Naminé pulled up the song and handed the now humming ear buds to Roxas.
Roxas nodded his head as he quietly listened to the song, mentally taking note of each chord and change in melody. "I really like it…The melody is simple but really well done."
"You'll be able to play it then…right?" Naminé asked nervously.
Roxas chuckled lightly and smiled as he eased himself onto the piano bench. Opening the piano's cover, Roxas gently set his fingers onto the key before fluidly mimicking the song Naminé had shown him (Song in Mind: Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift). Naminé watched as his hands danced along the keys completely mystified at Roxas' duplication talent.
"This sound right to you?" Roxas asked as he finished the last few notes of the song.
Naminé shook her head in disbelief before quickly uttering. "It sounded…perfect! How did you…How did you do that so fast?"
"Oh thanks um…," Roxas scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, "It really depends on the song but, playing for as a long as I have, definitely helps."
"I'm sure it does," Naminé agreed before fixing her attention back to the task at hand, "but…um I guess we should we start practicing soon, huh?"
An amused smile flitted across the blond's face. "We probably should, especially since my Mom usually isn't too patient when it comes to dinner; she's pretty uptight when it comes to being on time for dinner."
"Well…I think that's nice though," Naminé said quietly, "My parents and I…we rarely eat dinner together since they're so busy with work. And, I mean I know this sounds like totally lame but…I kinda wish my Mom was more like that so my family could all eat together." 'Even if my father's a cheater…'
Stunned, Roxas found himself unable to speak for a moment, but…in the blind boy's defense, it really was unexpected. She had only once been this open to him regarding her family, but it had been such a sensitive topic that he had quickly changed subjects. Now, however, it was becoming more and more evident to Roxas that her parents must have played a key role to her transformation. 'I only wish I could have been there for her then…maybe things could have been different.'
"I'm…really sorry," Roxas finally replied shaking his head mournfully, "which I know sounds super cliché but I really am. I mean you're…you deserve more than that Naminé."
Naminé shook her own head as she tried to feign a smile. "It's okay. Like I said before, we all have our own lives and that's just how it is. I'm used to them being distant." Naminé really didn't know where all this vulnerability was coming from but strangely it felt nice to share with someone else. Naminé knew she shouldn't let such weakness take over, but maybe she was beginning to feel tired? 'Tired?' Naminé mentally reprimanded, 'Focus Naminé! You don't need anyone's charity. You need to stay strong and suck it up. Quit telling him sob stories!'
"But it's not okay Naminé," Roxas replied sternly, "You should be a priority to your parents; You shouldn't feel like they don't care about you."
Naminé's eyes widened at the keen accusation and she quickly lost what little control she had of her emotions. "I-I never said I felt like that. My parents love me, I know that."
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to say that. It just seemed like—Never mind. We should probably start practicing now." Mentally, Roxas wanted to slap himself. For someone who was blind he could be well…really blind when it came to girls' emotions. 'Me and my big mouth. I shouldn't have said anything.'
"What?" Naminé asked, "It seemed like what?"
Roxas scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I'm really sorry. It's just the way you talk about them…your tone. You sound so uncertain and well…sad."
"S-Sad?" Naminé stuttered.
"Yeah, and look, I just care about you, okay?" Roxas confessed with an apologetic smile, "You're my friend and it makes me worried when you talk like that."
This time, Naminé was the one finding herself speechless. How in the world could he gather all of that from her tone? No one had ever paid that much attention to anything she said—not like that anyway. And…why was it always so strange to her that he seemed to care about her or notice the little things that no one else noticed about her?
"Um…T-Thank you," Naminé said once she had organized her thoughts enough to form a coherent sentence, "You're really sweet and I'm not mad at you. I'm just not used to people caring so much about me."
Attempting to lift the tension, Roxas cracked a grin and joked lightly. "Well, you better start getting used to it because we're friends Naminé and that's what friends do."
Naminé pushed back a strand of platinum hair and flashed a genuinely happy smile before she playfully pushed the pianist. "Yeah, yeah just start playing already piano man. We've got a lot of practicing to do before the performance next week." Roxas' grin only widened as he finally allowed his nimble fingers to dance fluidly across the piano's smooth white keys.
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"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound…" Naminé quietly finished singing and her eyes, which had been closed during the song, fluttered open delicately before she shyly averted them from the blond pianist.
She hadn't sang in front of anyone in years and it made her feel extremely self conscious and unsure of herself—A thought that, of course, made Naminé internally cringe since she was supposed to be the definition of confident.
Roxas, who had been silently accompanying the blonde, played the last few notes of the song before speaking. His voice was low but still soft. "You're really good Naminé. Why haven't you ever sang before in class?"
"I-I don't know…I guess I just never thought I was that good," Naminé confessed, nervously fidgeting as a heavy blush began to taint her porcelain skin.
"Strange…," Roxas murmured with a soft chuckle, "I didn't peg you as the type of person who wasn't…well confident about her skills." 'At least not now anyway…'
"I'm not!" Naminé immediately defended before realizing her desperation and bowing her head shamefully. "I mean…It's just that I really don't sing in front of people so I never really knew if it was worth practicing…"
"Well, I definitely think you should keep going with it," Roxas encouraged, "You could get vocal lessons and everything."
"Maybe…" Naminé agreed softly.
Roxas opened his mouth in preparation to speak, but was cut off by the sound of his father's voice entering the room. "Dinner's ready now," Cloud announced looking from his son to the blonde haired girl before smiling lightly at her. "You must be Naminé. It's nice to meet you, I'm Cloud Strife, Roxas' father."
'Talk about look-alikes…' "It's nice to meet you too," Naminé answered with a smile of her own. Though, inwardly, Naminé couldn't help but be slightly shocked at the uncanny resemblance Roxas had with his father. It wasn't that Naminé didn't understand how genetics worked, but…it just seemed a little odd that Roxas was nearly identical to his father—An almost perfect and younger copy. 'Though…I guess it's good to know that he ages well,' Naminé mused to herself before following her clumsy crush into the family's dining room. It really wasn't much—not in comparison to what Naminé was used to—but it was the simplicity of the room that Naminé found to be its most likable trait. There weren't million dollar chandeliers looming precariously above the table, simple cloth placemats replaced an expensive silk tablecloth and the wooden cabinet sitting in the back of the room was filled with simple plates decorated with elegant flowers instead of priceless pirouetting ballerina figurines waiting to be shattered. It was the type of room that Naminé should have felt disgusted with, but oddly enough it made her feel relaxed.
"You can sit anywhere you'd like sweetie," Aerith said, popping into the dining room with a large pot of spaghetti.
Naminé hadn't realized she had just been standing in the room and hurriedly pulled a chair out to try and hide some of her embarrassment. Flicking her eyes over slightly, she noticed Roxas awkwardly walked into the end of the table before his father gently ushered him into the across from her own. 'That's a little…odd' Naminé thought before quickly shaking the notion away. Nothing was wrong with her crush. He was perfectly normal. 'Well…besides the clumsiness of course.' Though, admittedly, Naminé found his lack of coordination to be an endearing trait.
"Is Larexene coming to dinner tonight?" Roxas abruptly asked once everyone was sitting down and the family had said grace. He hoped he didn't sound rude because Larexene was still his sister, but…she did have a tendency of being cruel when it came to Roxas bringing any sort of girl over. In a weird way, Roxas knew it was his older sister's twisted method of looking out for him, but it didn't make things any less awkward.
Aerith dabbed her lips with a napkin and shook her head. "She has a date tonight."
"Oh," Roxas breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."
Cloud chuckled under his breath knowingly before looking at Naminé. "Our daughter has a tendency of scaring people, especially any of the girls her brother brings over."
"I'm sure she's not that bad," Naminé said nicely. Roxas snorted but didn't say anything.
"Well," Aerith amended with an amused smile, "She used to be worse, but since Roxas' acci—"
Roxas eyes widened and panic flooded his voice as he blurted loudly. "Can someone pass the butter!"
"Huh?" Aerith looked over at her son before realizing her mistake, "Oh! I'm sorry sweetheart—I mean um…" Glancing back at Naminé's confused expression, Aerith exclaimed in an overly cheerful voice, "Does anyone want a roll? They're fresh out of the oven."
Gratefully, Cloud reached into the warm basket and put a roll onto his plate. Roxas, on the other hand, declined the offer but his mother placed one on his plate anyway as her gaze shifted to the only other female in the room. "Roll hun?"
Naminé shook her head politely as she twirled another clump of spaghetti onto her fork. "No thank you. I'm good but…um the spaghetti is really amazing."
"Thank you!" Aerith beamed proudly, "It's one of our family's favorites, especially Roxas"
Looking to her crush, Naminé was about to smile until she felt a glob of spaghetti sauce land between her eyes. "Did you just…Did you just flick spaghetti sauce at my face?" Naminé exclaimed bewildered as she lightly dabbed the red sauce with her finger. Yup. It was spaghetti sauce.
Roxas didn't blink as his grey tinted eyes widened; his face like a deer caught in headlights. He had just been trying to scoop a little extra sauce onto his spaghetti but it must have flung off by accident. 'And hit Naminé in the face.' Great. That's just what he needed. "I-I…It was an accident I swear!"
"Now Roxas, you know what we've said about trying to start food fights," Aerith teased in what Roxas could tell was her best attempt at relieving the tension.
"I really didn't mean it," Roxas apologized again, "It's just I'm—"
"Blind," Cloud added. Roxas nearly choked at the statement and Aerith nudged her husband in the ribs hard. Cloud looked to Aerith with a small frown but caught on quickly as his azure eyes grew big with embarrassment.
Naminé tilted her head to the side. "Blind?" 'That's an odd word choice…?'
"He means blind to the people around me!" Roxas amended hastily, "I'm super oblivious!"
"He really is," Aerith added, "It's a miracle when he doesn't end up hugging the floor."
"Or attacking it," Cloud inserted with a small laugh.
Roxas pulled his lips into a tight smile. "Thanks guys." 'I only hope Naminé believes it.'
"I guess that makes sense," Naminé agreed with a giggle, "He is pretty klutzy at school."
Roxas laughed awkwardly. "Heh, heh. So, am I forgiven?"
"Of course. It's no big deal anyway. I'm just glad you didn't do it on purpose." Naminé replied as she wiped away the remaining sauce with her napkin.
"Trust me," Roxas murmured under his breath, "That's the last thing I want to do."
"So," Aerith asked after a moment of silence, "Who wants pie? I made cherry."
In his mind, Roxas let out a long sigh as he felt any lingering tension leave the room. At least the worst was over now. Once they ate pie, Naminé would leave and his parents wouldn't have any more opportunities to blow his secret.
"I'll have some," Naminé smiled as she extended her plate. She hadn't had cherry pie in ages and the blonde knew it was homemade too making it extra good. It was only in her wildest dreams that her mother would ever make something this delectable with her own hands.
'I really like his parents…they're so nice.'
KHKHKHKHKH
It was nearly ten o'clock when Roxas descended the stairs. Naminé had left close to three hours ago after finishing her slice of pie and Roxas had been happy that, within the last half hour or so of her stay, his parents had managed to keep their mouths shut about his blindness. They had even been relatively charming and Roxas felt confident that Naminé had been at least a little impressed by his parents.
Now, however, Roxas was carefully making his way to the kitchen since well…he was a teenage boy and teenage boys ate a lot—regardless of stuffing themselves at meals. Thankfully, Roxas wasn't attempting the stairs without the aid of his cane. That never ended well. Plus, it took forever.
Grr…Out of habit, Roxas looked downwards at his stomach. Yeah, forever would not be a bright idea. 'Better get going…'
Luckily, it didn't take Roxas more than a few minutes to reach the kitchen and using the cane, Roxas easily found the fridge. 'Now, the only thing left to do is figure out what I want to eat…Hmmm…' Roxas reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He couldn't help but feel extremely grateful for some of the apps he had—including a very useful picture taking app that allowed him to easily distinguish foods without always having to play blind charades with it.
Picking out an apple from the fridge, Roxas used the app to take a picture of it, waiting only seconds before the app replied in a robotic voice what the object was. Roxas grinned and sunk his teeth into the fruit, relishing the sweet flavor before wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He was definitely going to ask his Mom what kind these were so she could go buy more.
Hearing the sound of his parents' voices from the living room, Roxas eagerly began edging out of the kitchen and towards the sound of their voices.
"You talk with Tifa?"
Aerith barked out a sarcastic laugh and Roxas, at the unusual tone in his mother's voice, suddenly stopped to listen. "Oh we talked," Aerith muttered darkly, "And I don't plan on talking to her again."
"Aer, this isn't like you…What did she say that was so bad?" Cloud asked gently. His wife was a sweet woman so Tifa must have said something that really set her off.
A strangled sob found its way past the jade eyed woman's lips as she weakly exclaimed. "She brought up Ven."
'Ven? Who's Ven?' Roxas wondered with a perplexed expression. His parents had never mentioned anyone named Ven.
"Why?" Cloud prompted softly as he wrapped a comforting arm around his wife. For a moment, Roxas could hear his mother sob as she cried into his father's shoulder. Then, regaining her composure, Aerith answered in a broken voice.
"I-I was just trying to talk to her about disciplining V-Vanitas and then…and then s-she starts ripping into m-me by saying that I was the horrible m-mother for putting my son up for a-adoption when she knew…" Aerith paused again to suppress a bubbling sob. "She knew how hard it was to put Ventus up for adoption! And…A-And we only did it because we couldn't afford to give him the life he deserved…Roxas was healthy but Ven…we c-couldn't afford all of the medical bills…Not with everything else we had to pay for. And God! S-She just made me feel even worse about it!"
Roxas nearly fell backwards at his mother's confession and his eyes had widened, making the blond seem almost bug-like. Ventus. He had a twin brother named Ventus. 'W-Why couldn't they have at least told me? I have a right to know, don't I?' But, Roxas was far too shocked to be angry. He couldn't believe he had a twin brother that his parents had put up for adoption!
Cloud who had been silent as he listened to his wife's story soothingly stroked her hair back as he quietly whispered, "I know. We would have kept both of them if we could, but you know we did the right thing. Ven is happy where he is and we don't have to worry because we know his family has the money to take care of him."
"B-But," Aerith hiccupped softly, "Why would s-she even b-bring that u-up?"
"Knowing Tifa, she's just really upset right now—not that excuses her behavior—but just give a few days. She'll apologize."
Aerith leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and sighed dubiously. "I hope so."
From inside the kitchen, Roxas gripped the apple in his hand until his nails made small crescent shaped dents in its green skin. 'What am I going to do?'
KHKHKHKHKH
"Seifer is the key to our family's future success, you remember that Naminé."
Naminé turned on the sink and splashed water on her face until she was sure the memory of her father had been completely washed away. She hated her father sometimes. The way he acted towards her made Naminé wonder if he even cared or if all she was to him was a way to advance his own ulterior motives. Naminé's father had been very clear that night—after she had been forced to apologize to Seifer—that if she didn't at least pretend to love Seifer, her allowance and even her inheritance would cease to exist. And that was something Naminé couldn't handle. Shopping was the one thing she had besides art that took her mind off her family situation. It made her feel like her parents actually cared.
'…I wish my family was like Roxas'. His parents are so nice and they love Roxas and each other…' Which was more than Naminé could say of her own parents. She had to compete for her parents affection. Heck, her father probably loved Seifer more than he loved her. Her mother wasn't much better either, especially considering the fact that she'd dump Naminé in a heartbeat if it meant a chance at fine dining with her model friends. Naminé was always number two on her parents' priority list and the blonde couldn't help but envy her crush's family dynamics. 'Maybe one day I can become a part of their family too,' Naminé silently mused before blushing madly and shaking her head. 'We haven't even started dating and, besides, the only guy I'll be walking down the aisle with is…Seifer…'
Naminé sighed sullenly and picked up a brush. She was being silly. Naminé knew she needed to stop freak mode and start entering Queen mode. It was Saturday now and the party was only hours away. The blonde's court would be waiting and she couldn't let them down. Besides, soaking up some extra attention was certainly the pick-me-up Naminé needed—especially if it was from a handsome blond boy. Oh yes, he could brighten her day any time.
Once Naminé had finished styling her hair and applying her makeup, the blonde decided she was ready to head downstairs and prepare to leave for Selphie's house. The brunette lived a good hour or so away from Naminé's mansion and wanted to make sure she arrived at the perfect time. Naminé hated arriving to a party too early, but coming a half hour late made sure she didn't seem too eager or desperate.
"Miss Naminé, you look absolutely delightful," Lucille complimented as soon as Naminé had entered the foyer.
Naminé beamed and ran a well accessorized hand through her platinum locks. "I just got it like this afternoon, except for the skinny jeans," Naminé explained, gesturing at her dark washed skinny jeans before moving to smooth the silk of her yellow halter top.
"Well, it looks great," Lucille smiled gently. She had always been the most motherly and encouraging one amongst the staff and Naminé had always loved that about the elderly woman. "Will you be heading out now, or would you like Arnold to fix you up a snack before you leave?"
"I'll be fine," Naminé answered and brought out the keys to her convertible, swinging them around her finger.
Lucille nodded. "Alright, have fun at you party then Miss Naminé and try to be back before morning. I don't want you having too much fun." The older woman teased and Naminé rolled her eyes as she tried to ignore the subtle blush igniting in her cheeks.
"I won't be out too late."
Jokingly, Lucille tapped her watch and Naminé only smiled as she left her house.
KHKHKHKH
"Like, oh my Gawd, you look like so hot!" Selphie exclaimed once Naminé had entered through the door. The students that were already milling around the house stopped momentarily to fix their gazes on the Queen.
Flashing a perfect smile, Naminé flipped her hair to the side and replied smoothly. "Designer."
"I can like totally tell," Selphie gushed before gesturing to her own outfit with a secret smirk playing at her lips. "I just like got this today myself. It's designer too."
Naminé flicked her blue eyes over to Selphie boredly, but when she appraised the bubbly brunette's attire, Naminé felt her heart instantly drop into her stomach. 'That's like…not even supposed to come out yet!' Naminé thought as her eyes caught sight of Selphie's hasn't-even-hit-the-shelves-yet Versace mini dress. Selphie's parents were rich, but they weren't nearly as rich a Naminé's family. They couldn't afford to splurge that much on a dress, could they? A thick flood of jealousy and insecurity invaded Naminé's body as she continued to think, but, holding back the grimace threatening to taint her lips, Naminé remained in Queen mode as she nonchalantly complimented the secretly satisfied brunette. "You look hot, Selph. Yellow is like so your color."
"I like know, right?" Selphie agreed with a wide grin. Naminé resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead asked Selphie if she had seen Roxas yet. "Hmm…," Selphie replied tapping her chin thoughtfully, "I don't think he's like here yet. Least not that I've seen anyway."
"Huh, well he said he was coming so I guess I'll just mingle until then," Naminé said before weaving her way over towards the pool table. Several of the school's well known jocks and cheerleaders were there already, including Naminé's auburn haired friend Kairi. Maybe a few compliments from her court would lift her spirits and break the blonde from any gruesomely insecure loser-like thoughts?
KHKHKHKH
When Roxas, Xion and Sora arrived at the party it was already close to eight o'clock. Roxas hadn't wanted to be one of the first people at the party due to the headaches he tended to get for being at any party for too long, so the trio had decided they'd stop for a little ice cream before entering what Xion had proclaimed as the 'lion's den.'
Now, however, they were standing just outside the door waiting for the air headed hostess to greet them. Xion cast a suspicious gaze at Roxas and crossed her arms as they waited. "So, you're not gonna just ditch us the entire night to hang out with your beloved Naminé, are you?"
"I didn't ditch—Okay, I'm sorry for how—"
"Much of a pathetic lovesick puppy you've been?" Xion finished in an overly sweet voice. Sora snorted under his breath at the accusation.
Roxas sighed. "Yeah…For that. I guess I've just been really caught up with trying to help her that I forgot to be a good friend too, but…I never meant to like put my friendship with her above any of ours and I'll try harder not be such an idiot about it."
"Apology accepted!" Both Xion and Sora exclaimed.
"Though, you do know now that this means you owe us a day with no Ice Queen breathing down your neck, right?" Xion asked expectantly.
"Yeah," Roxas smiled, "I figured that."
Abruptly, the door swung open and even Roxas looked up as heard the annoyingly bubbly voice of their hostess, Selphie Tanaka.
"Oh my Gawd, it's like so great to see you!" Selphie giggled though her jade eyes conveniently overlooked Xion as she embraced the two cousins. Roxas nearly gagged at the obnoxious fumes coming from her perfume and wasn't surprised when Sora coughed slightly once the two were released from Selphie's air depriving grip.
Sora coughed aloud again and loosened the first button of his polo shirt. "Great to see you too Selphie and uh…Nice party."
Selphie flipped her hair obnoxiously with a toothy grin. "Thanks! I worked like so hard and like you wouldn't believe how like hard it is to find good catering these days! I spend like twenty minutes trying to find the like perfect place. It was like so exhausting!"
"That really would suck," Sora said awkwardly, looking to Xion who only rolled her blue orbs with obvious sarcasm.
"Oh it did," Selphie agreed before looking to her Queen's beloved crush with false enthusiasm. She was very tempted to steal him away once Naminé had been dethroned—just to spite her really…though he was very hot. 'But also like too…nice.' Selphie didn't like 'nice' guys. They had too much loser potential. "And I see that you like made it too Roxas! Naminé's gonna be like so happy to see you."
"Well," Xion interjected with a false smile and a sarcastic voice, "the Ice Queen is just gonna have to wait a little bit before she can dig her claws into him. We already called dibs on his presence so…if you don't mind, we'd like to go in now and eat your food."
"I'll be sure to let her know," Selphie said with blatant scowl, but moved out of the way as the trio entered her home. Sora and Roxas both muttered apologies as they passed her, but only Sora's could be heard as Xion looped her arm around Roxas and with a brisk pace, dragged him over to set of available chairs to sit in.
"Here," Xion ordered before abruptly pushing the blind boy onto the seat beside her own. "Sora can sit on the other chair after he gets us some food."
The happy-go-lucky brunette who had just arrived to their spot a few seconds ago tilted his head with a confused expression. "Say whaaat?"
"You heard me," Xion replied while crossing her arms authoritatively, "Go get us some food."
"Please?" Roxas added with a grin. He could already smell the food and he was hungry. Not a good combination—especially for a teenage guy. "You know these people better than I do anyway so it won't be as awkward. Plus…you know…"
"Fine," Sora sighed after a moment of looking between his cousin and the demanding obsidian haired girl. He just hoped no one annoying would decide to take the initiative and talk to him. Sora could only hear so many 'likes' in one day.
KHKHKH
Once Sora had found the refreshments, he hadn't been shy about stock piling a few plates worth of food for him, Roxas and Xion. In fact, he probably robbed the bubbly host of the party of enough food that she would soon be forced to bring out more. Not that Sora felt guilty. It wasn't like Selphie was poor.
'Hmm…now what else is there to eat—'
"Hey Sora."
Sora almost dropped the plates in his hand as he spun around but luckily a smiling red headed girl helped keep him balanced. "K-Kairi! I mean um…Hey! What's up?"
"Oh Sora," Kairi said with a giggle as she shook her head, "You're so silly sometimes."
Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, heh. Sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Being silly is…relaxing and I think it shows you have a sweet side," Kairi admitted before realizing her words with a distinct blush.
Sora's face now held a slight pink tint as well as he mumbled a word of gratitude under his breath. "So um…where's Naminé? Don't you two usually hang out at these things?"
"I don't know where she is," Kairi answered with a suddenly cold voice, "but if you want to go find her, than be my guest." 'Should have known he liked Naminé.'
Sora reeled back slightly at the tone of her voice. "Um…No thanks. I was just asking for Roxas to be honest. I've never really been interested in her at all. Not enough to go find herself myself anyway, but…Is there something wrong Kairi?"
Kairi, who had quickly perked up after her crush's confession, only blinked her eyes as though she hadn't heard the question at all. "Huh? What did you say?"
"I asked if something was wrong because you just got all…cold on me and that's not like you Kairi. The Kairi I know is kind, caring, really sweet and-," Sora said with a smile before he realized how close he was to confessing his feelings to Kairi and quickly shut his mouth.
"Oh," Kairi breathed, feeling relieved, ecstatic and slightly guilty at the same time. "I'm s-sorry. I just…" Kairi felt her throat wither as the words she had prepared to say for years turned to ashes behind her lips.
Sora tilted his head, his lips pulling into a concerned frown as he looked at the abashed Kairi. "Are you okay, Kairi?"
"I'm…," Kairi shook her head, "I'm fine…I should probably go now…" Sora opened his mouth to protest but the red head quickly escaped into the crowd before the brunette could even utter a syllable.
After staring at the red head's disappearing figure, Sora shook his own head hastily and followed after her until he found his childhood friend sitting dejectedly outside near the Tanaka's pool.
Approaching cautiously, Sora quietly eased himself next to her. Kairi's violet eyes barely flickered over to him, but she made it evident enough that she acknowledged his presence. "So…," Sora began hesitantly, "What's wrong Kairi? I've never seen you so upset before. Was it something I said?"
Kairi exhaled shakily and closed her eyes. "No…Sora. You didn't do anything wrong. I was just…being stupid. And I thought that maybe…" Again, the words behind Kairi's lips remained trapped.
"Maybe what?" Sora asked as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Kairi buried her head in her knees and hastily shook her head. "It's…Never mind."
"Uh-uh, no never minds," Sora teasingly chided, "It's obviously something important, so…I'm not letting you off the hook!"
"Sora," Kairi groaned tiredly.
"Kairi," Sora mimicked.
"Stop it!"
"Nope! I'm gonna find out!"
"Ugh…"
"C'mon Kairi! Tell me!" Sora begged. When Kairi didn't answer the brunette only grinned and, since they were so near the edge of the pool, Sora figured it would be a shame if he passed up the opportunity to push the sulking Kairi in. So, Sora didn't pass up the opportunity and Kairi went flailing back into the water with a loud shriek.
"Now will you tell me?"
Kairi's flaming violet eyes widened. "I can't believe you did that Sora! Just because I didn't want to tell you that maybe I was hoping you liked me more than a friend does not mean you have the right to push me in the pool! Moreover, do you know—"
"You like me?" Sora asked with a big grin.
"Yeah, I do," Kairi fumed as she swam to the edge of the pool. Sora helped her get out still grinning like an idiot. "Now if you excuse me," Kairi mumbled wringing out her shirt, "I'm gonna go—" Kairi's eyes abruptly widened as Sora's lips crashed onto her own and a warm tingling glow filled her body as she gently closed her eyes in response.
After a moment, Sora pulled back; his face still set in a big stupid grin. "I like you too Kairi."
KHKHKHKH
"Wow like I can't believe you beat Naminé!" Rikku and Yuna cheered as their leader lounged victoriously on one of her chaise sofas.
"I like told you girls I'd one-up her. My outfit was like way hotter than hers and she like totally knew it," Selphie beamed. Now all the plotting brunette needed to do was keep her clothes as up to date as possible so she could show Naminé up every day. Though, with her being so caught up with her boy-toy, that shouldn't be too hard.
Rikku clapped her hands excitedly. "So…when do we like get to kick her off her throne?"
"We're like so bored of waiting," Yuna whined.
"Trust me girls," Selphie said with a smirk, "I've like already noticed her going like downhill…fast. As long as she keeps like hanging around her pathetic boy-toy, it'll only be like a matter of time before she's entered loser-dom."
KHKHKHKHKH
Naminé enjoyed attention. In fact, the blonde relished it. She loved soaking up the endless compliments and flattery because it made her feel important—wanted. When she was amongst her peers, it was never a question of if she was wanted there because she was always wanted.
"That's so funny!" Naminé laughed as one of the basketball players recited the punch line of one of his favorite jokes. It was obvious to the blonde that the male had intended to impress her, and while not interested the jock, Naminé had appreciated the joke he had made.
"Thanks, I heard it from my Dad when I was a kid," The guy, Jared, said as he flashed his queen an eager smile.
"Unfortunately, the only jokes my Dad tells," one of the cheerleaders commented with annoyance, "are like totally lame ones. He even—"
"Naminé!" Confused, the blonde turned around but her lips quickly pulled into a frown when she noticed who was stalking towards her.
"Riku," Naminé spat with obvious distaste, "What do you think you're doing here?"
Riku sneered angrily at Naminé. "I actually came to talk to you, if that's alright?"
"Ugh. About what Riku? I told you to leave me alone already," Naminé retorted with an exasperated eyeroll.
Clenching his fists, Riku tried to retain his bubbling anger. "If you give me a minute with you alone, you won't ever have to see me again."
Naminé barked out a sarcastic laugh before flipping her platinum hair haughtily. "I hope that's a promise because otherwise it's not a very good threat."
"Naminé," Riku growled.
"Whatever. Fine. Might as well get this over with, right?" Naminé asked looking back at the other popular kids surrounding her with a small shrug. A few of the students snickered while others mouthed a simple 'good luck' to the blonde as she lazily followed Riku into one of the only secluded areas in the house—the sitting room.
Crossing her arms, Naminé tapped her heels impatiently on the jade colored carpet of the room. "So, what was so important that you needed to tell me Riku because if it's about being my boyfr—"
"It's not about that you stupid bimbo!" Riku angrily spat, interrupting the blonde who was now stunned the silver haired boy's abrupt outburst. Smirking creepily, Riku slowly began to advance towards the girl and Naminé, paralyzed by fear, found herself glued to the carpet she was currently standing on. "I told you that it wasn't game over yet…Not until I say it is!"
Naminé's lips quivered and she felt her heart thunder so hard against her chest that she was sure her rib cage was going to burst. She was trying to keep her cool but already she could feel sweat pool at the base of her forehead and cascade down her cheek. Whatever was going on with Riku was not good and for once, Naminé didn't feel confident—She was scared. "W-What's going on, Riku?" Naminé stammered nervously, "You're really starting to f-freak me out."
"Oh, Naminé," Riku chided with an eerie, low chuckle, "Not so confident after all, are we? I'm not too surprised though…not really anyway. Ever since he's come around, you've seemed less sure of yourself."
"T-That's not true," Naminé weakly defended, "I-I'm completely s-sure of mys-self and…I think you need to l-leave."
Riku cackled. "Or what? Your pathetic Prince Charming is going to save you? Give me a break Naminé." Riku stepped closer so that he was no able to cup her cheek gently. Naminé recoiled and tried to slap his arm away but Riku caught onto her wrist, holding on so tightly that Naminé was sure the bone was going to break. "Ah-ah-ah, hasn't anyone told you that hitting people isn't nice?"
"L-Let go!" Naminé snarled as she attempted to swipe Riku with her only free arm. In her mind, red alarms were blaring and the blonde knew she needed to leave—Now!
Riku, however, only growled dangerously before he slammed the blonde against one of the walls, pinning her to its ornate wallpaper tightly. "Game over, princess."
Naminé's eyes widened and let out a bloodcurdling scream.
KHKHKHKH
(At the same time this is happening)
"Ugh…I'm gonna go find somewhere quiet to sit for awhile. My head is pounding," Roxas mumbled groggily as he carefully began to maneuver his way out of the chair he was sitting.
Xion nodded and told him that she'd come find him when they were ready to leave since she was fairly confident that Sora was going to get a lift from Kairi.
Roxas wasn't too sure where he was going, but he didn't care too much about that. It was just nice to be away from all the noise. Being blind, he could only handle so much before he felt like his head was going to explode. Several people laughed and joked carelessly as he clumsily passed by, even ignoring him when hit the walls or any of the antiques nearby—One of which the blond managed to break after he had been randomly hit in the face with someone's Frisbee and ended up falling back into a decorative dresser that held said antique.
The only thing Roxas really hoped, however, was that he didn't look too awkward as he walked with one hand grazing the wood paneling of the hallway and the rest of his body as close to the wall as possible. 'I wonder how much longer we're gonna stay? I really want to go home but Naminé's at the party and I should at least say—' A loud, horrific scream shattered Roxas' thoughts before he could barely make out a desperate plea for help. Roxas' heart nearly stopped dead in his chest, his eyes growing large as sudden recognition dawned upon him—'Naminé!'
Without another thought, Roxas ran. He ignored his peers' loud protests as he pushed, crashed or bumped in them. He ignored the shattering havoc behind him. He ignored the mummers. He ignored the dizziness building in his head from all the stimulants. Roxas just ran until he found her, until he heard his snake-like voice.
"Naminé!" Roxas called desperately.
The silver haired boy, however, covered the girl's mouth so that she couldn't speak. "Hmph…isn't that just so cliché? Prince Charming comes just in time to save his—Oof!"Naminé was abruptly released as Roxas slammed blindly into Riku's stomach, sending him tumbling onto the carpet below with a clear, loud THUD! He may have been blind, but Roxas still knew how to fight. Hearing the slight movements and shuffling of his opponent was enough of a hint for Roxas to let his instincts take over and rescue his princess.
"Naminé, are you alright?" Roxas asked, breathing heavily as he closed his eyes—listening for her voice and his.
Naminé whose mascara was now smeared and lining her cheeks, sniffled as she clutched onto the fabric of her now ripped halter top—making sure it didn't fall and expose her pale skin. "R-Roxas, I'm—Look out!"
Roxas instinctively turned his head towards the sound of her voice, but was unable to stop Riku's assault as he swiftly kicked the blonde in the stomach, eliciting a loud and painful groan from his lips.
The silver haired boy smirked as blood ran down his lips. "Thought you could beat me, huh kid?" Riku laughed sinisterly. "Well, guess you're out of luck."
"No way!" Roxas spat before delivering a speedy undercut at Riku's legs, sending him back onto the ground. "Get out of here Naminé!" Roxas called before blood began to trickle from the side of his head where Riku had decided to punch him.
Naminé could feel her frame shudder, but dutifully she sucked in her emotions and ran to get their peers. She wasn't going to let Roxas get hurt because of her—not more than he already was anyway.
Watching Naminé run away, Riku snarled and slammed the blonde's head into the glass coffee table nearby, causing several shards to fly and rain down upon the blond's head. "You! You ruined everything! She would have been mine if you hadn't shown up!"
Roxas didn't respond at first as he kicked Riku, who had been towering over him to deliver consecutive punches, in the stomach so hard that the tropical eyed senior flew into the nearest wall. The sound of Riku's head hitting the ornate wallpaper made Roxas cringe slightly, but satisfied he stood up and called out mockingly to crumpled figure that was Riku. "Really? I find that hard to believe because I think Naminé would have rather dated a tree than you."
"Roxas!" Naminé exclaimed as she and the rest of the peers rushed into the room. It had taken a few minutes, but eventually the blonde had gathered Selphie and the rest of the party goers and led them back to the party. Sora had been frantic when she had found him and Kairi and told them the news, but that was understandable considering they were cousins. Xion was concerned of course and had, much to Naminé's annoyance, even cried when she mentioned the blond boy of their affections was bleeding.
Naminé, however, quickly pushed that aside once she noticed Riku on the floor and Roxas standing up victoriously—albeit covered in blood. Carefully clutching the fabric of the leather jacket Selphie had lent her, Naminé stepped closer to Roxas and asked tentatively. "Is he…?"
Roxas nodded his head. "He's unconscious…I'm pretty sure. I mean I gave him one heck of a kick and considering I played soccer…Well, I'd say it he'll probably be out for awhile."
"That's good," Naminé said with a sigh of relief, "I was so—"
"Worried about you!" Xion exclaimed followed by Sora who was scowling at his cousin.
"I'm glad you're okay Roxas, but…I am not telling Auntie about this one."
Roxas sighed, wincing as he felt the back of his head. "I didn't expect you to."
"C'mon, I'll call your parents," Sora said before looking to Kairi apologetically, "I'll call you later. I gotta take my cousin to the hospital."
Kairi nodded and smiled. "I'll be waiting."
"I'll come with you," Xion offered but Roxas shook his head.
"My parents will want to talk to me alone."
"Neither of you have a car!" Xion protested, "How do you plan on getting to the hospital with no car?"
"They can take mine," Kairi suggested before placing the keys in Sora's hands, "Just return it tomorrow at school. I can always get a ride home with Naminé, right?"
Naminé's head snapped up and she nodded. "Yeah, that'd be fine."
"Problem solved," Kairi smiled, pecking Sora's cheek as she helped an irritated Selphie usher the rest of their peers out of the room.
Xion opened her mouth to ready a response, but decided against it as she waved good-bye to her friends and left the room.
Sora swung Kairi's keys around his finger and looked over at his cousin. "You ready?"
"Just give me a minute," Roxas replied.
Sora smiled slightly, looking between the two blondes. "Kay. Just make it fast. I don't need you fainting on me."
Once Sora had left, Roxas addressed Naminé gently. He was sure the adrenaline in his body was running out because everything was beginning to feel numb and hazy, but he had to make sure Naminé was alright. "Are you…okay?"
"M-Me?" Naminé gasped nearly laughing, "You're the one who got into a fight!"
"He still…He still tried to hurt you Naminé!" Roxas said nearly choking as he fought back his anger, "Don't make this about me! I…I know you had have been scared out…" Roxas paused to shake a wave of disorientation off. "Out of your mind. I would have been."
Naminé closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. Riku had almost had his way. She had looked like a complete wreck in front of everyone, and now Roxas, the one who had saved her, was wondering if she was okay. Answer? Naminé didn't even know. She just confused and a little scared. Roxas had saved her…had performed a heroic deed. Did that mean he cared that much about her? Was she still just his friend?
"I'm…really not in the mood to talk about it," Naminé finally admitted. She needed time to regroup. She needed time to regain her confidence. Naminé needed time to reassemble her mask.
"Are you sure?" Roxas prodded, "You know I'm—" The adrenaline in Roxas' body dispersed, the blood loss finally allowing Roxas sink in the black void of unconsciousness.
KHKHKHKH
A/N: I can't even begin to explain how happy I am to be finished with this chapter! I've never written anything this long before (28 pages on word (close to 12,00 words)) but I thought it would be an awesome present to all my readers since the wait was so obnoxiously long! Something that I, of course, apologize for but I figured I'd resist the temptation of writing a short chapter and, though it took longer, write something that would be satisfying for you guys and move the plot along better. I also had the worst writer's block…EVER! Nothing seemed to come out onto the computer and if it did, it wasn't very good. I actually had to go back and watch Mean Girls to get back into the groove of things.
I'm really debating though…Should I do long chapters like this even if it takes a while or go with shorter chapters?
Next, I was thinking…I'd love to see what songs fit this story? You can include as many or as little songs as you want into a review! I just want to know (unless it's super obvious) why you think this song would fit and also where—Chapter 1? The story as a whole? A certain part of a chapter?
I also think it would be super cool, again if anyone wants to, for Half Alive to have a story cover. I'm not artzy enough to come up with anything but if any of you guys has anything just PM me!
Story wise: A LOT of things happened due to the length. Naminé though…I hope she was more likeable in this chapter. I know opinions will continue to fluctuate as the story keeps going, but I really enjoyed showing her more vulnerable side in this chapter. It was nice to see her become a little more human and less Ice Queen. I also liked writing Roxas with a little more backbone in this chapter too. I really wanted to show that despite being blind he's still strong , I hope the humor was...okay? I suck at humor but I tried to be funny with his clumsiness.
Next Chapter: It will probably have some Ventus time in it (especially after our big reveal), some awkward romantic tension between Naminé and Roxas, but no more Riku! He's all taken care of now and will probably just be mentioned in terms of what happened to him after the party.
If you have any questions about the chapter, please ask! I don't mind talking about it! :D!
Lastly, I CANNOT BELIVE HALF ALIVE REACHED 300 REVIEWS! I was in total awe…completely stunned that we've made it this far! As always, I am so grateful for all of your support! Your reviews, favorites and alerts are so AMAZING!
I have no idea for a goal since I still feel like 0.o but we'll put 320 up and see what happens lol :D!
Review Replies:
Artism: It's always the quiet ones that surprise us. Huh…I hadn't realized that but I totally see it! I agree! I've been chatting with someone who knows a lot about it and now I've tried to be more conscious of everything he does and how he does it so I can try and make it as real as I can. Thanks oodles for your review! Your book sounds awesome! Tell me when you publish it:)
KissTheThunder: Aww, thank you! I'm happy to hear that you like it! Also, thanks for taking the time to review!:D!
EverLastingDayDreamer: I hope I portrayed the blindness better! Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! :D!