Rooftop Confessions

It was a breathtaking sight.

The city was bathed in the orange glow of the sun. Buildings lined the horizon, some with flat rooftops and others as sharp spires that pierced the heavens. Twilight Town's famous clock tower stood majestically. It was the kind of image you'd see on a postcard, but it was plain as day before Naminé's eyes.

She searched the rooftop until she acquired her target: Sora. He sat cross-legged, back hunched, with elbows digging into thighs. He palmed his chin, staring into the lavish cityscape. He looked so…lost. She walked forward, her blond tresses waving in the wind. She wore an elegant white summer dress.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

It was obvious that nobody was sitting there, but he answered anyways by shaking his head. She sat down and drew her knees close to her chest. She sneaked a closer look from the corner of her eye. His cheeks were gaunt with dark shadows and his mouth was set in a grim line. "Did Roxas call you over?"

She smiled guiltily. "Something like that. Are you okay?"

"No." It was a blunt, direct, but honest reply.

Out of everyone in Twilight Town, Naminé knew him best. They came from the same place, Destiny Islands. She had dealt with him long enough to know what to do. He was a wallower, the type to indulge in pity and kept his feelings bottled up. For every compliment he received, he would shoot it down with a witty retort that doubled as a self-deprecating comment. He had to be coaxed into anger so that he could release his pent up emotion.

"How do you feel?" she asked, sending out her feelers.

"What do you think?" It was a gruff reply.

"Let it all out. I'm here for you."

He sat there, considering the proposition, and closed his eyes, feeling the cold breeze against his face. It was one of the reasons why he liked it up here. Although Roxas complained about how crappy the apartment was, the building held too many memories. He couldn't abandon it. Even if his room was so small that he couldn't walk five feet without crashing into something, it was here that he completed the first thing worth a damn in his life—The Keyblade Chronicles.

Whenever things got tough, he would climb to the rooftop and watch the sparkling landscape. The sky had a way of calming him down. He would gaze up and allow himself be swallowed by an endless blue. He didn't have to think; he just let himself go.

"I feel like…" The words were stuck in his throat and his brain was a jumble, a broken mirror with jagged cracks. "I feel like I lost."

She was taken back. "Love isn't a game."

"I know it's not," he snapped. He struggled to put his feelings into words. Everything was scattered. His mind couldn't stay straight; it kept going in circles. "It's just… Damn it. I lost. Game over." He clenched his fists, fingernails digging into palms. "The only thing that kept me going was the hope—I know it sounds pathetic—but I hoped that they would eventually split. They were together for what, ten years? Since high school, sophomore year. That's incredible. It's gotta be a record. How can they stay together for so long and not get tired of each other?" He knew he was rambling.

"Sora…"

"Yeah, I know. What if it was me, right? I thought, I just thought, hell; I don't even know what I thought. I'm just an idiot." He managed to keep his guard up for a very long time. He deliberately ignored any news of her. But this was the final attack. Out of nowhere, it struck, and he was left destroyed. Years of defense had crumbled in one afternoon.

"Don't say that about yourself," she admonished. "You're more than that, Sora. You're a true friend."

He choked out a miserable laugh. "Yeah, that's me, a true friend. Nothing else but."

"I don't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it? Tell me."

She couldn't say anything.

"I thought so." He closed his eyes and fell on his back. "I lost and he won." It was just that simple. Girls weren't supposed to be prizes in the games that men played, but when two people want the same thing, it became a competition. And he lost this one.

"I met her first. I thought that would count for something. We even shared paopu fruit together but that legend's just bullshit. It makes sense though. None of that really matters. People can't control their feelings. If they could, I would've given up on her the moment I left Destiny Islands. They were perfect for each other. She's beautiful, he's handsome, and when you put two pretty people together, you have the perfect couple."

Naminé hated it when he was like this. But she listened intently. It was part of the process.

"He was always stronger than me, faster, and taller. I always hated how tall he was. Great at sports, athletic, and smart too. He's the total package. I was dumb to think I could ever compete."

Sora wasn't popular back in school. He was simply average in looks, intelligence, and probably personality too. He didn't stand out. Not like Riku.

"I was just lying to myself this entire time. There was never a chance they'd split. My only solace was that they weren't married yet. Now, I don't even have that anymore. Marriage… The final fucking frontier." He was breathing hard, having spilled his guts out.

Naminé's clutched his arm firmly. "Are you finished yet?"

"What?" He glanced at her; and her eyes were wet with tears. "Naminé?"

She hugged him fiercely, arms wound tightly around his body. "You don't have to hold back, Sora."

"Who says I am?" he said, laughing. "I'm just …" He choked back a sob. He couldn't finish the sentence. The hug demolished his defenses.

She held on as he shook silently, weeping in her embrace. Her dress was getting damp. She wanted him to let it out—all that raw emotion, pent up hope, and disappointment that went unanswered for a decade.

He couldn't remember how long he was there. By the time he realized he was crying, it was already dark. The sun, long gone, was replaced with the night glow of Twilight Town. He pulled away, drawing a deep breath.

"How do you feel?" the blonde asked.

"Pathetic."

"Sora—" She stopped when she saw his grin.

"But better. Thanks for being here for me."

"You're welcome." She felt relieved and a little happy. She sidled closer since the night chill had descended. They sat there together, relishing in each other's warmth. It was a funny situation. Their roles were reversed. It was usually Sora who helped her when she was in trouble. If it wasn't for him… She didn't want to imagine a future without him. He was the one who rescued her from herself.

"I always saw myself as the hero," he said.

She wondered if he was telepathic. She certainly thought of him as a hero. "What do you mean?"

"In my story, the keyblade wielder. I'd imagine I was him."

"Oh."

"And Kairi was the princess. I wrote them together because it makes sense. The hero always gets the princess. It's supposed to be destiny. When I finished the first two books, I still had hope. That was the one thing that kept me going. But I've been stuck for the last nine months. I'm getting nowhere with my story and now this happens. This writer's block might be my subconscious telling me to give up." He noticed Naminé's unusually long gaze. "What is it?"

She averted her eyes, abashed. "I just had a bad thought."

"A bad thought? Come on, tell me."

"Well, it's just… I'm happy we were able to meet each other."

"How's that bad?"

"We only met because they got together, right?"

"Really?"

"Jeez, you don't even remember how we met?"

"I'm trying very hard to forget those days," he said, smiling sadly.

"For what it's worth, I think the person that you are now, who you became because of everything that's happened, is a person better than anyone I ever know."

He was stunned by the admission. "Even better than Roxas?"

"Just by a little bit, but don't tell him that."

"Whoa, seriously?"

They laughed.

She quieted down and a thoughtful expression crinkled her face. "Sora…there's something I have to tell you…" She struggled to find the right words. Whatever she had to say, it must've been serious. "The truth is…well, how can I say this?" She squirmed and fidgeted. He couldn't help it; her internal struggle was just too adorable and he started to laugh. "Hey, I'm being serious here!"

"I'm sorry, it's just—you're too cute."

She blushed. "I hate it when you say things like that. Because then you start to give me hope…"

He sensed that the conversation had taken an unexpected turn. "Naminé?"

"I—" She hesitated. This continued for a while. She hemmed and hawed as he waited patiently. She bit her lip, closed her eyes, clutching her knees, and steeled her resolve.

"I love you."

His heart stilled, the blood flow stopped in his veins. He felt the sensation of pinprick needles spreading through his body. It was getting hot. "W-wha—"

She held up a hand to stop him. "It's okay," she said, laughing at his baffled face. She let out a long sigh. "Whew! That felt really good. I've been waiting to say that for a really long time now." Her cheeks were warm. She was trying to avoid eye contact but her insides were bubbling in giddy elation.

Did he miss something here? "Naminé, you just confessed to me," he stated incredulously.

"I know. Did you forget about your troubles?"

"I—well, yeah, but that doesn't matter right now. You said something really shocking right now! Was that a joke or something? You shouldn't pull stunts like that!"

She grinned at him. "Who says it's a stunt? It's the truth."

He was at a loss for words. "What about Roxas?"

"He's my boyfriend, of course I love him. Is it strange to say I love you even as I love someone else?"

"Um, yes? There are rules about these kinds of things," he explained, desperately trying to make sense of the situation.

She giggled madly, as if high on some kind of drug. "Relax. I've felt this way about you ever since we met. But I know that…in your heart, there's only one person, right?"

He avoided her face and fixed his stare into the ground.

"You still love her, even after all this time… If you weren't so hung up on her, you would've been mine already." His heart dropped at that declaration. "But I guess it's impossible for me. I can't replace her. I understand how it feels; you can't really forget your first love. Time helps though. Eventually, I learned to move on." She touched his chin, and turned his face to hers. "You deserve better than her. Move on…like how I did."

She gave him a small kiss on the lips.

It was her sweet finality.

She withdrew and watched as conflict played over his face. He felt his lips and smiled apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I never realized—well, maybe—I didn't actually think that—"

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm happy with Roxas now, and that's thanks to you too."

He was the luckiest guy in the world to have a friend like Naminé. What did he ever do to deserve her? Actually, the more pressing question was how should he act? She just threw a giant monkey wrench into the works. "This doesn't make things awkward between us, does it? I mean, you said you love me, like in the present tense, not past tense, and I'm just trying to figure out…"

"Sora."

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"Okay."

"It's a complicated feeling," she admitted. "I don't really know how to describe it. But things are fine just the way they are. Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry about it?"

She thought about it for a second. "Okay, how about this? If Roxas and me ever break up, would you mind becoming my boyfriend?"

How could he deny her sweet offer? "So I'm just a consolation prize?" She slapped his hand. "I'm joking!"

"How rude." She couldn't keep her frown for too long and a smile broke out.

"Okay, yes. In the unlikely event that you and Roxas break up, I'll definitely be there for you."

"It's a promise then."

She stuck her hand out.

He shook it.

Somehow, he got the feeling he made a deal with a witch.

What a day. Naminé, his best friend in Twilight Town, just confessed to him. It was weird, considering she was dating Roxas and all, but he had to admit, it felt really good—almost good enough to forget about Kairi. Keyword: almost.

"Thanks, Naminé." He exhaled on his hands to warm them up. "But I don't know how I can do it. Moving on… It seems impossible."

She gripped his hand. "Nothing's impossible. Remember, you're not alone. We'll be there with you, all of us, me and Roxas. You don't have to run away anymore."

He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. He squeezed her palm in gratitude. "Thanks…" They sat there in a comfortable silence. "But just to confirm, is that a real promise we just made?" Naminé punched his arm. "Ow!"

She stuck her tongue out. "What do you think?" She got up on her feet. "Let's get out of here. It's getting cold." She walked to the rooftop entrance and disappeared, leaving him alone on the roof.

"She never answered my question…"