Chapter 25: Unrequited

"Stop fidgeting," Sora ordered his cousin sternly. His blue eyes didn't waver from the winding road ahead and his hands were firm upon the leather steering wheel. "You'll be fine. You've (somehow) made it this far. A family dinner isn't going to screw you over."

Roxas sighed. "Yeah, but this sounds like a pretty big deal to Naminé. She said her parents are really judgmental, and I'm afraid that they'll hate me and…and…"

"Won't let you date Naminé anymore?" Sora finished with a wry smile.

"Yeah…"

"Well, I still think you need to stop worrying. You'll pull it off. You always manage to and I'm sure you'll charm the pants off of her parents." Sora smiled, flicking his eyes only briefly to see a smile blossom across his cousin's lips.

"I hope you don't mean that literally," Roxas retorted smartly.

Sora snorted, pulling into a long cobblestone driveway. "We're here."

"Is it really big?" Roxas asked nervously.

"If by big, you mean a ridiculously huge mansion that I couldn't even dream to own then…yes. It's big." Sora stated, resisting the urge to whistle at the estate. He had heard rumors about how magnificent the Misaki Manor was. Naminé had bragged numerous times over lunch how extravagantly she lived, but to see the actual mansion was a completely different thing. There was topiary carefully molded into the silhouettes of exotic animals, an array of perfectly groomed flora, that rivaled even Aerith's, arranged almost condescendingly along the driveway and the sides of the house. Hell, Sora could even make out the outline of a big freaking gazebo perched behind the house.

Roxas moaned and his head fell back against the leather headrest. "Great and I'm sure they have a crap ton of breakables that I'll have to dance around till I'm blue in the face."

"I hope you don't mean that literally," Sora mimicked with a smirk.

Roxas rolled his eyes and maladroitly opened the door. "Just help me to the door."

Pulling the keys out, Sora exited the car and went around the other side. The two cousins walked together, Sora gripping the sleeve of Roxas' jacket and Roxas staggering along the pavement as he attempted to keep up with his cousin's pace.

Once they were at the door, Sora placed a hand on Roxas' shoulder. "You'll be fine," Sora encouraged with a final grin. "Call me when you need to be picked up. I'll just be hanging out at home playing the new Animal Crossing."

"You certainly have an exciting life Sora. I hope Kairi doesn't mind you're playing a game instead of spending time with her," Roxas said with an amused smile.

Sora shook his head and spoke animatedly. "Actually, Kairi has the game too so we're going to visit each other's towns and maybe fish on the island for a little while. Kairi said she'd even caught an extra Hammer Head for me!"

Roxas had to resist the urge to laugh as his hand found its way to the doorbell. "Again: You have an incredibly exciting life Sora."

"More exciting than dressing up in a monkey suit for a dinner," Sora shot back. He climbed back into the car and revved the engine.

Roxas mumbled a reply that was lost among the engine sounds and released a shaky breath. When the door opened, a well-dressed butler stood before Roxas. He was old but had a kindly face that crinkled when he smiled at the blind boy.

"And you must be Master Strife," the butler said in a heavy British accent.

Roxas nodded and tried to ease his building tension with a smile. "That's me."

The butler made a grand flourish towards the open door. "Welcome then Master Strife and make yourself at home. Dinner is already prepared so you can take a seat in the dining room if it pleases you."

Roxas murmured his assent, but awkwardly remained in the foyer. What could he do now? Without Naminé's guiding hand, he was clueless.

"Don't be shy Master Strife. You are quite welcome…unless…," the butler paused, placing a finger on his chin thoughtfully, "You would like to see Miss Naminé first?"

Roxas nearly swallowed his words out of eagerness. "Y-Yes! I mean that would be nice."

The butler chuckled to himself as he went into the dining room to fetch the fair haired girl. A moment later, she came out at a brisk, excited pace before practically flinging her arms around her boyfriend.

"You came!" she beamed incredulously.

Roxas traced his thumb along the curvature of her cheek. "I said I would."

"I know, but I was getting worried that you decided you didn't want to come…"

"You shouldn't be so negative," Roxas said, "I came and everything will go fine." I hope…

Naminé answered with a slightly more relaxed reply, but then bashfully nudged her boyfriend in the ribs. "So…do you like my dress? It's not new but I haven't ever worn it before."

Roxas wished he could physically see the dress. He imagined, like the very house they were standing in, it was beautiful—a real masterpiece that enhanced the natural beauty of its occupant. "You look amazing."

Naminé blushed, tugging at the pale blue fabric as she averted her eyes from the affectionate face before her. "You're too sweet…"

"Miss Naminé," the butler bowed before the blonde, "your parents wish that you return to the dining room so that you can begin the dinner. Arnold has prepared quite a feast if I do say so myself."

"Alright. Thank you Jeeves." Naminé wrapped her hand around Roxas', squeezing tightly. "Time to face the music." Roxas tightened his hold around her hand reassuringly and followed Naminé's rigid pace to the dining room.

Once inside, Roxas knew instantly that both of Naminé's parents were eyeing him, practically burning holes through his suit. Roxas loosened his tie nervously, but forced himself to ooze charm. "Mr. and Mrs. Misaki," Roxas greeted cheerfully, "it's nice to finally make your acquaintance. I've been looking forward to this meeting for quite some time. Naminé often speaks of you." 'Not in the best of ways, but hey, I'm not going to say anything.'

Mr. Misaki cast his daughter a disdainful sneer. "I'm sure she does. Now, why don't you and Naminé take a seat so we can talk." Mr. Misaki gestured towards a chair completely isolated from the rest of the family. Naminé pulled out her own chair, prompting Roxas to take a seat. The blond, however, felt paralyzed. The smile was still intact but his limbs were stiff.

"Are you hard of hearing boy?" Mr. Misaki barked coldly.

Roxas shook his head and hesitantly started towards a seat. His hand brushed across the nape of Naminé's neck, leaving goose bumps in its wake; the chair beside her was empty and Roxas pulled gently on the wooden frame. He couldn't see the frown deepening on Mr. and Mrs. Misaki's faces but he could feel it.

"Is…something…wrong?"

Mrs. Misaki sipped her wine silently, but Mr. Misaki answered icily. "I thought you wished to gain our approval?"

"I do!" Roxas hastily countered.

"Then…it would be in your best interest to sit where you are supposed to. I'd rather not have you be so brash as to think that you can openly sit with our daughter like that." Naminé wanted to dig her fork into her father's hand. He was being absolutely ridiculous. If Seifer were here, she would be forced to practically sit on his lap.

Roxas clumsily moved away from his chair, bumping against the table and shaking their feast much to Mr. Misaki's annoyance, until he found another empty chair at the end of the table. Mr. Misaki made no protests when he pulled out this chair, so Roxas took his chances and planted his bottom on the satin cushion.

"Bon apatite!" Arnold happily instructed with an elegant brandishing of his wooden spoon. Everyone thanked the chef and were soon filling their plates with freshly carved prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and a beautifully crafted fruit tart for dessert.

"Would you like some potatoes Roxas?" Naminé asked sweetly.

"Sure." The blind boy replied, stretching his arms out to grab the hot porcelain dish. The sudden heat of the dish, however, caused the blind boy to sharply drop it onto the table. A few cracks spider webbed along the sides of the creamy porcelain from the impact and a splotch of potatoes hanging over the edge of the dish flew onto the well-polished floors.

Mrs. Misaki wrinkled her nose. "We just cleaned those floors…"

"It's just potatoes," Naminé defended her boyfriend quietly but her parents ignored her and Mr. Misaki quickly took the initiative to verbally jab Roxas.

"Well then, I'm sure Roxas here can afford to pay for our floors to be cleaned again. Your family does have money, don't they?"

Roxas swallowed nervously and placed his spoon down gingerly—anything that could enable him to stall for just one more moment. Naminé glanced at her boyfriend surreptitiously, hands quaking as she tried cutting her green beans into smaller bites.

"We're…," Roxas sipped at his water, "Well…my Mom works part time at a local flower shop and my Dad did work in construction for a while, but right now he's looking for work."

"So essentially," Mr. Misaki deadpanned, "You're broke."

"How sad," Mrs. Misaki murmured distastefully.

"Money isn't everything," Roxas tried with his most winning smile. Now, he was starting to understand why Naminé was hesitant about having him over.

Mr. Misaki snorted condescendingly. "Typical thing for a poor person to say. Do you plan on following in your father's footsteps?"

Roxas' blood began to boil underneath his skin, but he forced a friendly smile to remain intact on his face as he could practically feel the tension roll off Naminé's body in waves. This wasn't her fault. "I'm hoping to pursue a career in musical composition. Writing scores, instrumentals…"

"Business is far superior," Mr. Misaki said icily, "You won't make a dime writing music, especially with no lyrics."

"Sometimes I write songs with lyrics," Roxas retorted with a level voice, "and you never know. I could end up writing a score for a summer blockbuster. I think it just depends on how hard you work, right?"

"Does anyone want a piece of the fruit tart?" Naminé offered with an anxious smile. No one made an effort to hand over their plate.

"Hmph, I suppose, but I'd say that financial security is far more important. You can't expect to provide for anyone without financial security," Mr. Misaki stated coolly.

Roxas shrugged unaffected. "True, but it depends on what you mean by financial security. If you mean a nice little house, food to eat, and clothes on your back then I think that anyone who works hard enough can provide that, but if you're talking about luxury like this well…that's an entirely different scenario."

"Aren't you charming?" Mr. Misaki grumbled. He gave his daughter an unappreciative glare which she promptly avoided by averting her gaze to the oh-so interesting fruit tart on her plate.

Roxas smiled. "I'm trying to be…" 'Though it's not working very well…'

"Yes…" Mr. Misaki said not too quietly to himself, "You do seem like a nice enough boy. It's just a shame that…" He trailed off with an evil glance at his daughter's now curious boyfriend.

"What?"

Naminé could feel her heart hammering in her chest. "Father…please!"

"Naminé is already engaged," Mr. Misaki finished simply with another sip of wine.

The air in the room and in Roxas' lungs grew thick. "Y-You can't be…serious, can you?"

"Oh, he's serious alright," Seifer's voice suddenly slithered into room before his figure stood behind Mr. Misaki's chair with an arrogant smirk that mirrored Naminé's father. Mrs. Misaki didn't say anything, remaining passive even as her daughter's eyes pleaded for mercy.

"Naminé is engaged to Seifer here," Mr. Misaki explained without a drop of sympathy for the blond boy or his daughter. "I'm surprised she led you on for this long, but sometimes…a father has to step in and take the reins."

"You monster!" Naminé screamed. She looked, petrified, over at her boyfriend, but no words came from his lips.

Seifer added snidely. "You can leave now."

Naminé grasped Roxas' hand. "Roxas!"

He pulled away violently and pushed himself away from the table. His voice was cold but broken. "You…lied to me."

"I didn't…I mean," Naminé shook her head vehemently, "please let me explain!" Desperately, Naminé snatched his wrist again in an attempt to keep him from leaving.

"Let go, Naminé!" Roxas ordered sharply, but her hands were steadfast causing Roxas to rip his arm away from her and into the glass cabinet behind them. Mrs. Misaki gasped as several pirouetting ballerinas and fairies shattered onto the floor, their once beautiful limbs dismembered and scattered. Oblivious to the chaos surrounding him, Roxas fled from the room, a trail of broken vases, potted plants, and glass figurines in his wake.

He had no idea where the exit was, no idea how he would manage to call Sora without Naminé finding him first, and he had, of course, absolutely no idea when his brain could finally stop and process the notion of his girlfriend being engaged to someone other than him.

KHKHKHKH

"He wasn't a good fit for you anyway Naminé. You're far better off with Seifer. He's a much better man and provider than that Roxas boy could ever hope to be," Mr. Misaki commented with another nonchalant sip of his wine.

Seifer supplied his own cruel remark to which Mr. Misaki laughed and clapped the vile man on the back while Mrs. Misaki was bent on the floor trying to piece back shards of her most loved treasures.

Tremors crept up Naminé's back, fingernails digging into her skin until blood ebbed and flowed from the new crescent shaped wounds. The tears hidden behind her eyes fell, diving down her cheeks before splattering silently on the glass speckled wood. "I hate you," she choked out fiercely, "and I'm going to find Roxas!"

Mr. Misaki and Seifer laughed, the former of the two wishing her a good luck that was drowned up by the hammering of her heart. The maids who weren't cleaning up the glass fiasco watched sadly as their young ward sprinted through the house.

Lucile gently called the blonde girl. "Naminé!"

"What is it…Lucille?" Naminé panted with bleary eyes. She could barely see behind all the tears swimming along her irises.

"I just saw your young gentleman wander into the gardens," Lucille stated softly.

Naminé nodded and hugged the elderly woman. "Thank you."

"True love does only come once," Lucille said before shooing the girl away, "Now, shoo and find that boy of yours before it's too late."

Naminé didn't reply but followed another path of destruction into the garden outback. When she saw him, he was standing against a tree slipping his cell phone into his pocket. Not wanting him to flee, Naminé approached silently until she was only a few feet away. "Roxas?"

Roxas jolted upright, realizing who it was instantly. "…" He couldn't run now. The blond boy was positive he was outside, but by the street? He didn't want to take any chances regardless of the lack of cars at this hour.

"Please," Naminé beseeched, "listen to me. I know this looks really bad but—"

"What?" Roxas interrupted acidly, "You were going to tell me eventually that this relationship meant nothing to you? That I was just one more fling before the wedding?"

"But that's not true!" Naminé defended quietly, "Seifer…I don't even like him."

"Then why are you engaged to him?"

"You've met my father, haven't you?" Naminé asked hotly, "He's the one who set us up so that his company and Seifer's dad's company (which will eventually be his) could merge. I'm nothing but a pawn to him Roxas! I told him I didn't want to be with Seifer, but then he planned this whole stupid dinner thing so that he could make us break up."

Roxas was quite for a few heartbeats before a question slipped from his lips, dripping not with acid this time but confusion and sudden anger towards the man Naminé was forced to call her father. "What about your mom? Have you talked to her about it?"

Naminé snorted and crossed her arms. "There's not a snowball's chance in hell that she'd ever help me. It doesn't even matter that Father is cheating on her. She just wants more money so she can buy more of those useless things. Trust me, if it were between saving those stupid figurines or me from a fire, I'd be screwed. My mother could care less about me as long as I stay her pretty little glass doll." The few words left Naminé's lips with a muffled sob that forced any lingering anger Roxas held against the blonde to dissipate.

He may not have been able to see her teary eyes or red tainted cheeks, but he didn't have to. The sounds emanating from her body were enough of an indicator.

"You really bottle a lot up, huh?" Roxas asked softly, "I always had this feeling that you….as confident as you are, have been hurting inside. I guess I know why now…just sucks that I was too stupid to just sit down and listen to you."

"So…," Naminé sniffled, her voice childlike, "you do believe me?"

"110%" Roxas answered, a small apologetic smile etching itself on his face. He couldn't hold this against her. Naminé all but flung her arms around his neck and skimmed her nose along his jawline. Their hearts which were once beating furiously had settled down to a slow, rhythmic rate.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear, her words like a gentle wisp of wind.

Betwixt shock and joy, Roxas whispered back, "I love you too."

"Promise me you won't let my Father or Seifer ruin us," Naminé ordered with a determined but gentle gaze that she fixed upon her boyfriend.

"I promise," Roxas replied, sealing the deal with a tender kiss.

KHKHKHKH

Xion fiddled with the volume on her laptop until I Need Your Love (Feat. Ellie Goulding) was wafting through the speakers at a comfortable level. Roxas was sprawled on her carpet, eyes closed. He had already given her the details of last night's dinner and how he and Naminé had planned to keep their relationship covert when it came to her parents.

"You really don't think they'll figure it out?" Xion asked.

Roxas twisted his mouth and shrugged. "It'll work until we figure something else out."

"You really do believe her though? I mean she could have just been lying…"

"Just because I'm blind," Roxas explained, "doesn't mean that I can't see." When Xion made no response, Roxas continued. "It's weird, but it's like a sixth sense. I could just tell that she was telling the truth. I mean I wasn't there that long, but even I could see that there was a huge disconnect between Naminé and her parents. They didn't really seem to care about Naminé at all, just money."

"…"

"Xion?" The raven haired girl didn't offer a verbal response for a few minutes, leaving her companion to deal with a fresh wave of concern. "Something wrong?"

Xion shook her head, keeping her gaze away from the blind boy and guarding the tone of her voice. "It's…nothing. I just spaced out for a minute." The obsidian haired girl changed the song before it could repeat again.

"Alright…" Roxas replied and resumed daydreaming.

KHKHKHKH

Xion's heart thundered in her chest. It was only sound that filled her ears. None of the hallway chaos that erupted around her was audible. 'Just do it. Just. Do. It.'

Roxas was standing by his locker, awaiting Sora she was sure. Xion's body felt rigid as she approached him, but the injections of adrenaline circuiting through her body kept her pace swift. There was no awareness on the raven haired girl's part of the blonde girl walking down the hallway opposite of her. There was just him and the hammering of her heart.

"Roxas…" The blond boy turned his head towards the sound of her voice, but before he could response, Xion's lips crashed onto his.

Several students passing by, paused to gape at the sight. One student's gum even dropped out of his mouth. The worst reaction, however, came from Naminé. The flaxen haired girl stood mere feet away, her eyes wide as her entire body was encased in a feeling of petrification. Then, the tears came releasing her muscles as she ran down the hallway she came from.

Not even a moment later, Roxas shoved Xion off him. His own eyes were wide. "What…why…why did you do that? I have a girlfriend Xion!"

"I know!" Xion cried, "but dammit Roxas! I have feelings for you too! Can't you see that?"

Numbness started to infect his body, but a deep glare fixed itself on his face. "I have a girlfriend Xion," Roxas repeated. "I like you, but I don't have any feelings for you. I just wanted to be friends."

Xion swallowed and scrubbed at her eyes furiously. The sting of rejection was like an iron on her heart. "I guess…that's that, isn't it?"

Sensing her sorrow, Roxas tried to reach out to his dark haired companion. "Xion…I still want us to be friends."

Xion, however, started to back away from Roxas. Tears glimmered along the rim of her eyelids. "It's okay Roxas…I understand. Look, I have to…go to class anyway."

"Xion, wait!" He blindly attempted to grasp her wrist, but she was already gone.

KHKHKHKHKH

For the next few days, Roxas found no sign of his girlfriend. She was absent or sitting incredibly far away even in his music class and none of the student body seemed eager to share any information of their Queen's whereabouts. They just gave him pointed looks and glares throughout the day and whispered rumors of his malevolent, cheating ways.

"Can't you ask Kairi where she is?" Roxas pleaded with his cousin as they entered the school building.

Sora sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I did except she said I couldn't tell you."

Roxas' face hit the glass doors before he could push the metal bar. "What? Are you serious? We're cousins Sora!"

"I know! I know! But…Kairi's my girlfriend," Sora countered weakly, "and it's not like she dropped off the face of the earth. You'll run into her eventually."

"Yeah…"

Sora grinned apologetically. "Sorry."

"I'm going to head to class."

Sora's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Ven said he'd help me out, so I'll just call him real quick." Roxas shrugged, fishing his phone from his back pocket.

"I'll at least take you to your locker," Sora said and Roxas agreed, allowing his cousin to guide him to his orange metallic slate.

Roxas smiled. "Thanks."

"I owe you something, don't I?" Sora asked with a light laugh.

"I'll give you that," Roxas retorted. Sora grinned and left the hall.

A few minutes passed in silent after Roxas had called Ventus, but then Roxas heard a voice that made his heart drop.

"I don't know. Probably sometime later today," Naminé said with an uncaring shrug of the shoulders. She really didn't care about her upcoming party. Handing invitations was just one more reminder that she wouldn't be giving one to Roxas.

Selphie flipped her hair snootily. "Well, we'll have to make an entrance."

"Yeah…"

Roxas began walking towards the sound of her voice, legs like thick chunks of lead. Neither female noticed his approach and continued to walk. "Naminé!" Roxas called finally, his hand grazing her pale shoulder. Naminé stiffened and Selphie mouthed a silent 'Oh my gawd' as she shot Naminé an expectant look. "Naminé, listen! I know there have been some rumors about me and Xion but—"

"What Roxas?" Naminé snapped icily, "I saw you and Xion kissing! And I should have known you two were too buddy-buddy to not have something going on!"

Roxas swallowed back a lump of shock. "Y-You saw?"

"Yes, I saw!" Naminé retorted acidly.

"Cheater!" Selphie sang, making Roxas wished he could properly glare at the annoying brunette.

"It's not what it looked like Naminé," Roxas tried explaining, "I didn't kiss her, she kissed me! I told her I wasn't interested but I—"

Slap!

Naminé's breath was ragged as she stared up at the blond boy. Her hand tingled and there was a hollowness that started in the pit of her stomach and built into her heart. "Just…leave Roxas," Naminé choked out, turning her back and heading the other way.

"Naminé, wait!"

Naminé's frame shook and spun on her heel sharply. "I trusted you Roxas. I trusted you and you betrayed me. Now, leave me alone!" Selphie cast Roxas another harsh glare before trailing behind a fleeing Naminé.

Roxas stood, holding a hand to his cheek. "What am I going to do?"

KHKHKHKHKH

"What's wrong sweetheart? You've been real quiet since we left," Aerith said, one arm looped around her son's and the other carrying a basket for groceries.

Roxas shrugged, the frown still intact on his face. "It's nothing."

Aerith sighed. "I know it's not nothing. Did something happen between you and Naminé?" Roxas flinched, and Aerith's face quickly slipped into a motherly frown. "Oh sweetie pie, I'm sorry. What happened?"

"She…," Roxas rubbed his face with his free hand, "She thought I was cheating on her."

"Why would she think that? Did you cheat on her?"

"Mom!" Roxas interrupted, "I didn't cheat on her. Xion…she kissed me. I told her we were just friends, but Naminé saw and…"

"Now everything's a mess?" Aerith finished with a weak smile. The clouds overhead seemed to express the blind boy's sorrow as they darkened and hid the sun behind a thick veil of grey.

"I don't even know what to do?" Roxas said defeated, "How do I show her that I…care about her and want to be together?"

"Hmm," Aerith brought the hand around her son's arm to his head and gently stroked his hair. "You know…money doesn't buy love, but maybe if you bought her a meaningful necklace or bracelet, she might believe that you're committed."

"But Mom," Roxas argued with cinched eyebrows, "we're broke."

"You still have some money saved up from that summer job you had before…everything," Aerith reminded, "and if you need me to, I can afford to pay the difference."

"Mom…"

Aerith kissed the top of her son's head. "It's fine honey. Money isn't everything and I think your father would be fine if I gave you a twenty. It's not like you're buying something stupid with it."

"Will you help me pick it out?" Roxas conceded with a small grin.

"Of course," Aerith said, "I wouldn't want you to pick out something she doesn't like. Oh! There's a shop up there! C'mon!" Roxas laughed as his mother dragged him into a local jewelry shop.

KHKHKHKH

"Do you think she'd like something with a diamond?" Roxas questioned while tapping his fingers against the display glass. He really wished he could just look at the jewelry.

Aerith gazed down at the diamond pendants in the case and pursed her lips. "I just feel like she has plenty of necklaces like that hon…"

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

Aerith glanced around the store, her eyes catching glimmers of gold, silver, and a kaleidoscope of gems until they landed on a certain display holding a row of empty charm bracelets. "That's it! You could buy her a charm bracelet. They're sterling silver so they won't rust and you can personalize it to reflect your relationship."

"You really think she'll like it?" Roxas asked hesitantly. He couldn't screw this up.

"Your father bought me a charm bracelet when we were still dating. It was the best present he had given me then because it meant something to us. It wasn't just an expensive trinket that I would only wear once or twice. In fact, I still wear it." Aerith lifted her wrist and the charms jangled noisily in response.

Roxas smiled. "I forgot you had that, but…what kind of charms would I put on it?"

"You don't need to put many. Just a few." Aerith picked up a Ferris wheel charm from the glass container. "What about a Ferris wheel charm? You went to the carnival right?"

"Yeah and…do you think she'd like a heart too since you know…" Roxas trailed off as a pink hue blossomed across his features. Aerith smiled knowingly and picked up a small silver heart.

"I think that would be perfect and oh, here's a little music note too." Aerith attached the three charms onto the bracelets hooks and silver glinted promisingly.

After paying for the bracelet, Roxas abruptly wrapped his arms around his mother, embracing her gratefully. "Thanks Mom."

"You're welcome sweetie."

"I'll pay you back as soon as we get home," Roxas promised but his mother brushed his words away gently.

"It was only seventy dollars sweetie and your happiness is worth every penny," Aerith said as she wrapped her arms around the blond tightly and lightly kissed his head. "Though…you better tell me how it goes with Naminé. Spare no details," Aerith teased, releasing her son so that he was arm's length.

Roxas laughed and grinned. "I promise."

KHKHKHKH

"Please!"

Xion clenched her fists and walked faster. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Xion, you have to talk to Naminé. She won't listen to me and I…" Roxas abruptly deflated, "I miss her Xion. I want to be with her, but I can't when she thinks I cheated on her."

"I'll text her," Xion grumbled unhappily as she reluctantly pulled out her phone.

"No," Roxas said with a shake of the head, "You need to tell her in person because I have to give her something."

Xion eyed him skeptically, the burn of her rejection still white hot in her chest. "Do I look like your fairy godmother?"

"Please Xion…"

"Ugh," Xion groaned, finally snatching his wrist and leading him towards end of the hall where Naminé's telltale corn silk hair was shining from the outside light like a beacon. "Naminé!" The blonde turned around, but her face quickly contorted into disgust at the sight of her former best friend. "I know you're pissed at me and Roxas, but he's telling the truth."

Naminé paused. "How do I know that you're telling the truth? You hate me."

Xion wanted to roll her eyes but looked around at the students milling by. "Did Roxas kiss me or did I kiss him?"

A moment of silence passed, but one girl looked up from her textbooks and pushed back her thick glasses. "You kissed him first and then he pushed you away and said that he just wanted to be friends." More students affirmed the girl's story and Xion added. "See?"

Naminé hesitated at first but then took a few steps towards Roxas. "So…you didn't cheat, huh?"

"Just like you're not willingly engaged?" Roxas asked with a smile.

Naminé bit her lower lip and shyly shuffled her feet. "Does this mean that we're back together then?"

"I didn't know we had broken up," Roxas retorted with a grin. Naminé mirrored his expression and wrapped her arms around his waist before pulling out a slim vanilla card with his name on it.

"I almost threw this out, but here's your invitation to my birthday party next Friday. I hope you can come." Naminé pecked his cheek, her lips brushing against his dimple.

"I wouldn't miss for the world, though…I am surprised this went so well. I didn't think you'd listen to Xion." Roxas then brandished the small velvet box from his back pocket. "So…I bought you this charm bracelet to show that I'm really committed to this relationship. I would never cheat on you Naminé, please believe that."

Naminé's face glowed and she took the charm bracelet from its box, dangling the silver in front of her face and noting the three charms clipped onto it. "Roxas…this is…beautiful. Thank you." She snapped it around her wrist, replacing the diamond bangle coiled around her translucent skin.

"The charms represent our relationship…the Ferris wheel is for our first date at the carnival and the music note is for when did our duet and the heart is for the first time we…" Roxas coughed, blushing scarlet.

"Said I love you," Naminé finished in a whisper, taking his hand. "Let's go get a couple of malts, my treat."

"I'd like that, but first, I should thank Xion," Roxas said. Naminé simply nodded her head, but when Roxas called out to his raven haired godmother, there was no response. Roxas frowned.

"I'm sure she already knows," Naminé consoled and Roxas bobbed his head uncertainly as he followed his girlfriend down the hallway.

KHKHKHKHKH

When Naminé dropped Roxas back home, he could barely restrain himself from running up the driveway and bursting through the door. "Mom! Mom!" Roxas called excitedly, but his mother's voice didn't echo back. Instead, he could hear the sound of sobbing, police walkie-talkies, and his father's panicked voice that repeatedly cracked.

"Dad? What's going on?" Roxas felt his way through the entryway, but his father found him first.

"Roxas…," he croaked weakly, "Vanitas…he…" Cloud swallowed back a layer of tears. "He attacked your mother…"

Roxas' heart nearly stopped as he fell to his knees. "But…is she…okay?"

"The p-paramedics took her to the hospital, but Vanitas really did a n-number on her. I know you can't see it but the house is in shambles. He pushed the c-china cabinet on her, kicked her God only knows how many times and…" Cloud finally broke down in tears. "I wasn't there to p-protect her…Dammit…It's like I can never do anything right!"

"Dad…," Roxas shook his head, "Where are Vanitas and Tifa? Did you tell Tifa?"

"The police were just cuffing Vanitas when you came and Tifa…she's—"

"I'm so sorry!" Tifa cried, abruptly wrapping her arms around her ex-husband's son. "This is all my fault! If I had just been a better Mom then maybe-"

"It's not your fault Tif," Cloud said weakly, "It's all our faults. I should have been a better father. Aerith and I should have waited. Believe me, it's not all your fault."

"Still…I—"

"I hope that pretty little slut of yours burns in hell!" Vanitas screeched, thrashing as the police hauled him out of the house.

Booth Cloud and Roxas' frames shook, but Tifa's hysteric sobbing stopped both males from lunging at the psychotic obsidian haired cretin. Roxas breathed out shakily, "So…do you think Mom will be okay?"

Cloud put an arm around his son's shoulders. "I sure hope so son. I'm going to call your sister and then we're going to go to the hospital, alright?"

"Yeah…"

'Please let her be okay…'

KHKHKHKH

A/N: So…this took a bit a twist at the end eh? This chapter is much longer than the last couple and there were a lot events going on as well. A lot of making up and then breaking up for sure and with only three chapters left things will reach their boiling point in chapter 26 which will feature Naminé's birthday party. I'm still debating on the venue, but I'm not thinking a yacht will work out. Hotel is a good possibility as well as an arboretum. The house could also be interesting but then there's her parents who, as you have read in this chapter, really aren't big RokuNami shippers lol.

I'm really amazed that there are only three chapters left though…It's just crazy since this has been what, 3, 4 years in the making? Better late than never I suppose.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, read, favorited, and alerted this story! I'm always grateful for you guys!

I hope you can continue to read, favorite, alert and review:D!

If you would like, I have two teaser stories posted and would love, Love, LOVE some feedback. I can't post links but they're titled: Dark Side and Torn Between You. Check them out if you're bored, are looking for a new FF to read, etc. I would love to hear from you!:D!

Review Replies:

AJ: Thank you so much for reading and review. Haha, Kairi is a go-getter:D!

Satan Claws: Thanks for taking the time to give me your input. A blimp would certainly be interesting:D!

X-blade025: I am teetering between that and the hotel right now, but it would be a nice space. Thank you, I really did my best to keep this chapter engaging and full of plot points. Yeah, she's in her own little world half the time and Xion was surprised but was also pretty confident about their twin-ness since they are identical:)I'm excited to write the conflict up and thank you for reviewing!:D!

Psychowithespn: Those are good points too. I'll have to keep playing with ideas. Yeah, haha he's more lucky than the average Joe thanks to some good ol' deus ex machine, but I hope this chapter showed he's not exactly the most graceful person in the world. I appreciate you taking the time to continue reviewing and hope you like all the drama in this chapter!:)