Chapter 7
It was called "Balamb Garden."
The place looked nice, far nicer than her company warranted she thought. "Are you sure this is the place? It looks really expensive, and it's not like we're dressed for the occasion." She looked down at her simple outfit, a white collar shirt and slacks. It was what she normally wore to work. Sora was worst off though, since he wore a regular shirt, shorts, and sandals.
The building's exterior presented a pleasant façade, made out of garish materials that seemed to glow in the evening light. Heavy concrete, colorful gardens, and expensive lights surrounded the building. Large glass windows allowed visitors to peer in and see high ceilings with hanging chandelier lights, smooth polished floors that looked slick enough to slide on, and well-dressed servers that looked more like butlers than waiters.
Sora gave Xion a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. Actually, I've always wanted to eat here but I could never find the proper excuse."
From the way it looked, who didn't want to eat here? The biggest obstacle was probably how much it cost just to get in. "Proper excuse?"
He nodded. "Take a look inside, what do you see?"
She peered through the pane glass, which revealed the fancy interior, and saw nothing but…couples. Oh…"OH! So I'm just an excuse now?"
"Are you complaining? We could go to a different place if you want."
She had no idea if he was being serious or not, and also wondered if he could even afford to pay for himself, much less the two of them, but she wasn't able to think about it for too long before he walked in anyways. "Hey!" She followed after him and entered the restaurant. He was stopped at a podium before the Maître d', a well-dressed man with a small mustache and rigid posture.
"Name?" the Maître d' asked in a snooty accent. Xion had to suppress a snort. This guy couldn't be real.
"Could I see the manager?"
The Maître d' looked up in surprise. He scanned Sora's outfit with obvious distaste. "I should be sufficient enough to handle your issues Monsieur…"
"Hikari."
As soon as he answered, the Maître d' immediately went through the reservation list and discovered no "Hikari" on it. "Sorry monsieur, but your name is not on the reservation list."
Xion tapped on his shoulder. "Sora, let's just go, we don't even have a reservation."
He wasn't about to give up though. "That's why I asked for the manager. Look, I know her, she can vouch for me."
The Maître d' gave off a haughty laugh. "Ah, as if I've never heard that one before. I'm sorry monsieur, but I do believe that you will not be dining here tonight." Even if she didn't like his attitude, Xion agreed.
"Is there a problem out here?" a dainty voice called.
The Maître d''s eyes went as wide as saucers. "Madame! No no, there is no problem here, just some people who think they can lie their way into our restaurant, but no! I will not stand for it." He stomped his right foot for emphasis.
A brunette woman, wearing an elegant dress that flowed from her neck, emerged to see the guests. As soon as her eyes fell on Sora, she immediately brightened.
"Ohmigosh! Is that you Sora? That really IS you isn't it?" She leapt at him, putting him in a tight hug that shocked both Xion and the Maître d'.
"Long time no see Selphie," the writer greeted back, a bit uncomfortably.
"A really long time, where the heck have you been all this time!" she admonished, slapping him on the arm.
He winced and rubbed the spot. "Seriously, what is it with women and hitting me?"
Selphie just giggled. "I didn't believe it when Kairi told me, but you're actually here!" She suddenly noticed the dark haired woman behind him. "And who's this? Is she your girlfriend?"
They both answered at the same time, "No."
"We're just—"
"—friends."
Selphie blinked. "You guys are so cuute!" she gushed, completely ignoring what they just said, and electing to focus on how they said it. She approached Xion and stuck her hand out. "My name is Selphie Tilmitt."
Xion looked at the proffered hand, and followed her arm up to see excited green eyes and a Cheshire cat grin. Her brunette hair curled on the sides of her face, giving her a youthful and almost childish appearance despite her age. "I'm Xion," she introduced, shaking the other woman's hand.
"Nice to meet you Xion!" Selphie turned to the Maître d' and grinned, "Would you be a dear and get these two a table?"
He wanted to protest, but thought better of it and acquiesced, "Y-yes, Madame."
"Great!" She returned her attention to the couple and gazed at them for a quite a long time, unnerving the both of them.
"Um, Selphie?" Sora said.
Selphie shook her head furiously and crossed her arms. "Sora, don't you know the rules for my restaurant?"
"Uh…" He did, but he didn't think she actually meant it at the time. It just seemed like the musings of a love-obsessed high school girl who didn't know any better, and because applying that rule in real-life would make no business sense. "No?"
She gave a dangerous giggle. "You know the rules Sora, only couples allowed!"
He face-faulted. "She actually did it…"
"Only couples allowed? Did you know this Sora?" Xion asked a bit confused.
He waved his hand apologetically, "No, no, I mean, some restaurants are really meant for couples, but its more of a suggestion than an actual rule but…"
"In Balamb Garden, we only serve people in love!" the brunette squealed.
"I can't believe you actually went through with it. Actually, I'm more surprised that your restaurant is still around with a stupid rule like that in place."
"Humph!" Selphie snorted, putting her nose up at him. "You just wouldn't understand Sora. That stupid rule is the reason why my restaurant is so popular! Once you take your date here, you're guaranteed to fall in love!"
"Guaranteed to go broke you mean?"
"I thought they were already supposed to be in love with each other," Xion observed.
"It's the intention that counts," she explained. "You have to come in with the expectation of falling in love."
"Selphie, can we just get a table already?" Sora interrupted, before she could get into her long rants about love.
She was disappointed but obliged anyways. "Only because it's you Sora. I'll let you in this time. But if anybody asks, you two are a couple for tonight! I have a reputation to maintain you know." Selphie was being…Selphie.
"I get it, if anybody asks, we're a couple."
For some reason, hearing Sora say that made Xion's heart speed up.
The Maître d' finally returned, "Monsieur Hikari, your table is ready."
"Perfect timing! Xion, can I borrow you for a moment?" Selphie asked.
Xion looked to Sora for advice but he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Uh…sure."
"Great! Please lead Sora to his table," she ordered. "Follow me."
Xion complied, following the manager through the restaurant. The interior was fantastical and luxurious. It really was an amazing place, and like its namesake, there were flowers everywhere. The interior lighting was low, keeping the atmosphere intimate. They finally stopped at a bar. "Wow, there's even a bar here," she let out.
Selphie took a seat on the counter and motioned for Xion to do the same. It was a smooth surface with a reflective sheen, showing off high quality woodwork and craftsmanship. Behind the counter was a gentleman cleaning out glasses with a white cloth. Behind him were shelves lined with bottles, with every kind of alcoholic beverage you could think of. "This restaurant isn't only for couples. We also do wedding receptions."
"Receptions?" That made sense. If it was a place just for couples, it wouldn't make much sense to have a bar.
Her eyes twinkled. "Yup! Kairi's reception is going to be here!" The raven haired girl was shocked into silence. Did Sora know this? Was this the reason why he brought her here? To scout out the place, so to speak? "I'm actually the maid-of-honor."
Xion nodded dumbly. "So what's this about?"
The manager folded her hands beneath her chin, wistfully recalling the past. "I haven't seen Sora in ten years…" she said softly. "Then he shows up on my doorstep with a girl. Now if you know Sora like I do, Sora does not just walk around with random girls." Xion's face was turning red. "So tell me, who are you exactly?"
She felt under the gun, like she was being interrogated. "I'm nobody," she sighed. "I just work under Sora's cousin, Roxas. I was brought along unexpectedly. There's really nothing between us."
The brunette giggled madly. "Don't be so serious! I'm just curious is all. How about a drink, on the house?"
She needed one, badly. "If you don't mind."
"Bartender, two margaritas!" she barked.
"Right away Miss Tilmitt," he answered.
Selphie gave Xion a sidelong glance. "You remind me a lot of someone…what was her name…" She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Nam…no, Naminé! That was it!" she snapped.
Xion didn't know if she should feel offended or not. "Thanks?"
"No problem!" she said obliviously. "The reason I called you over is because I worry about that guy sometimes."
"About Sora?"
"I never saw him with a girlfriend. So when he walked in with you, I just thought…he actually found someone."
"Here you go ladies," the bartender greeted with two fresh margaritas.
"Thank you, you're a dear."
"Only the best for my boss," he said simply.
The "boss" took a sip. "I just want him to be happy, I owe him a lot."
The dark-haired woman couldn't let a comment like that go uncontested. "You owe him?" She put the margarita to her lips and downed a portion.
Selphie grinned like a thousand-watt bulb. "If it wasn't for him, I never would've met my soul mate!"
She set the glass against the counter, half-empty. "Your soul mate?"
"Uh huh, he's not here right now, but he should be back in time for the wedding." She seemed to miss him, whoever it was.
"Oh, where is he?"
"It's to be expected. It's part of his job."
"Does he work overseas?"
"He's on the road, you might have heard of him. His name is Tidus."
"T-Tidus? The star player of the Destiny Island Chasers?" she almost yelled.
"The very same," she acknowledged, her eyes twinkling. She loved revealing her boyfriend's name, they were always so shocked.
"Wow, how did you two meet?" No wonder Selphie could afford to run such a high-class restaurant, her boyfriend was a blitzball superstar!
"Sora was the reason we were able to meet each other. I guess you can say I feel a debt to him. This restaurant is probably because of him."
Sora was responsible? "Really? How is that?"
"Sora got us together, and for that I'm forever grateful," she said quietly. "I can never forget the feeling of happiness he gave me; I just wanted to give others the same happiness."
"So that's why…"
"Yeah, that's why I made a rule about couples-only. My restaurant is almost as popular as the legend of paopu fruit!"
"Pow-pu fruit?"
Selphie put her hand up to her mouth in shock. "You never heard of it? It's this island's most famous legend." Xion's blank face told her everything. "Basically, when two people share paopu fruit together, their destinies will be intertwined forever."
"Oh…"
"And if you go to Balamb Garden, you will fall in love, guaranteed!" she winked. She finished off her drink. "I've held you for long enough, you crazy kids go have fun now!" Xion laughed nervously, they weren't that far apart in age!
Selphie led Xion to the table where Sora was waiting. He was concentrating pretty hard on the menu. "Sora!" she yelled, grabbing the brunet's attention.
"What is it?"
"Remember the rules!" she warned, wagging her finger. "People are watching, and don't let your date down okay? I'll see you at the wedding!" She spun around and skipped away, leaving two dumbfounded people.
Xion took a seat across from him. "Hey." She was surprised at how comfortable the seat felt, it was almost like a throne. She put her hand on the table cloth and felt the smooth material. "This place sure is fancy."
"Selphie inherited the restaurant from her family. It wasn't always like this though. It was more of a hole-in-the-wall before."
She opened the menu in front of her and scanned a long list of fancy names and foreign dishes. She had no idea what to pick. She peeked over her menu and saw that Sora was doing the same. Shouldn't he be curious? "Aren't you going to ask me something?"
He smiled placidly and put the menu down. "She probably asked who you are right? Probably because she's never seen me with a girl before."
Right on the money, how did he do it? "She said you were responsible for getting her together with Tidus."
"Oh, that?" he laughed. "That was completely accidental on my part."
"Accidental?"
He pulled out a handkerchief and laid it on his lap. "I may have been responsible but it wasn't on purpose. Selphie was a friend of Kairi's from middle school, and Tidus was a friend of Riku's on the high school blitzball team," he explained. "After Kairi and Riku got together, I didn't want to be a third wheel, stuck between a couple. So I asked them to each bring a friend. That way, I wouldn't feel so weird."
"And that's how they met."
"Yup. So instead of being stuck between one couple, I got stuck between two. Can't say its an upgrade going from third to fifth wheel."
It felt like he was omitting some details. "That can't just be it…" she replied, unconvinced.
"What makes you say that?"
"You're not that kind of person," she stated.
There wasn't anymore to the story. Okay, so there was just one small detail he forgot to mention. "Well…I might've scared Tidus into asking her out."
"Scared him into asking her out?" she gasped.
"No no, I mean, after they hung out, he started to like her but he didn't have the courage to actually ask her out. At the time, I was still shocked by the whole thing with Kairi. I didn't want him to go through the same thing I had to go through."
She knew it. Although he tried to come off as a villain, the truth was, he really was a nice guy deep down inside.
A waiter approached them. "Are you ready to order?"
After they settled their orders, they were served a glass of wine, compliments of Selphie.
"So what happened after the crash?" Xion slipped out. It had been weighing on her since they left the hilltop view. He always left before he could finish the story, but not this time, she wanted to know once and for all how it all went down.
He acted as if he didn't hear her, sipping on some wine in the meantime.
"Sora?"
"What do you think happens when you run into a car on a scooter?"
Was it a trick question? "You get hurt?"
"Exactly. I got hurt, and I got hurt bad. I was surprised when I woke up the next day…"
When he woke up the next day in a hospital bed, stirred awake by the heartbeat monitors, with no idea of how he got there. The last thing he remembered was leaving Riku's apartment and after that, it was all blank. He tried moving his head but a neck brace kept him from looking around. His head was fixed, giving him a pretty clear view of the ceiling. It was a grid of tiles with tiny holes. He heard the door open.
"Sora, you're awake!" a voice rejoiced.
"Kairi…" He could her footsteps draw close. A hand smacked him on the head. "Oww! Kick a guy while he's down why don't you?"
"You had me worried," she said guiltily. She leaned over, putting her hand on his forehead. "When I heard you got into an accident—god, it was the worst feeling in the world. Are you okay? You don't have like, amnesia or anything like that do you?"
Seeing Kairi fuss over him like that was kind of amusing. "No, I'm pretty sure I remember everything."
Her shoulders fell in relief. She was still wearing her uniform. "You know…prom is in a week."
"Prom? So what—oh…" Shit. He did not expect this at all. "Crap."
"I guess we won't be going this year," she said sadly, pushing a stray strand out of the way. "And I was really looking forward to it too!"
He knew it was too good to be true. For every good thing that happened in his life, an equally as shitty thing would soon follow. It was the rule of Hikari, what comes up must come down—hard. He had tempted fate far too much in the past week and this was his punishment, his divine retribution, and Kairi was the one who had to pay for it. He couldn't let her down, not like this. Then he realized, "You can still go. I don't have to be there."
She looked appalled. "How can you say that? No self-respecting girl would go to prom by herself!" She grazed his forehead.
"Hey hey! I don't mean it like that, I just meant, you could go with someone else."
"Oh, you're right…but who would ask me out? I kind of made it clear that I was going with you." If he only could.
He wouldn't want some random guy taking her out though. It had to be someone he trusted. There was only one person he could think of, one person that he didn't mind at all since he was his best friend. "What about Riku?"
"What about Riku?" she repeated.
"You should ask him."
She gave a small frown. "I would think he'd have a date already."
Nope, all his dates were discarded in a corner. "He doesn't, he's free."
"Are you sure?"
She deserved to have fun. Even if he couldn't confess at prom, there were still plenty of chances in the future. "Yeah, I'm sure. I don't want you to suffer on my account. Go have fun." What was the worst that could happen?
"Okay, I'll make sure to have enough fun for the both of us! I'll go talk to him right now!"
The food finally arrived for Xion and Sora. It was delivered on special plates designed to make the food look absolutely delicious. It was prepared immaculately. Sora took a bite of the cuisine, feeling the taste of heaven linger on his tongue. After living in hell for so long, it tasted like salvation.
"So then…"
"I was the one responsible," he finished. "I was the one who told Kairi to go out and ask Riku to prom. I thought he was the safe choice, but that wasn't how it turned out. Obviously."
"Then that photo…"
She had quite the memory. "You still remember that? Heh, my mom was telling the truth in a way. That photo was the last time I truly smiled. You saw the cast on my arm right? That was after I was released from the hospital. Kairi came to see me before leaving with Riku. My mom took that picture as a memento."
The plate looked tantalizing, but she lost a little bit of her appetite. "There was no way you could know."
"Maybe if I paid a little more attention, if I had thought less selfishly, I could've seen it coming." He was beating himself over things he had no control over, and it was making Xion uncomfortable. "I waited up all night that day, waiting for them to come back, but I never heard from them."
"Sora…"
He ignored her plea. "The whole weekend passed without a word. I couldn't get in touch with either one of them. I was starting to get worried. It wasn't until I went to school on Monday that I heard it from Selphie."
Sora walked aimlessly around the locker-lined halls, keeping an eye out for any sign of Kairi. It was just before school, when all the students were shuffling to their friends to catch up after an eventful weekend. The place was abuzz with post-prom excitement. He couldn't find them.
"Oh, Sora!" He turned around to see Selphie jogging up to him. "How's it going?" she greeted energetically.
He looked around before answering. "I was looking for Kairi and Riku; you have any idea where they are?"
"Oh, didn't you hear?" she asked, surprised to see that Sora was apparently out of the loop.
"Hear what?"
"Kairi and Riku are official now!" His heart stopped for a second. Just relax, official could mean anything. "That's right, they're an item!" Item could mean a lot of things; it was still open for interpretation! "They're together, as in boyfriend and girlfriend, no doubt about it!" There was…no hope. "I never thought about it but they really do look cute together. I wonder why I didn't see it before? I'm so glad for her…"
Sora didn't listen to the rest of her pointless blabbering. Her voice faded out, and he could neither hear nor see. He could only feel his heart sink through his chest, seeping out with every last ounce of energy he had left in his body. "How did you find out?" he asked weakly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"She told me. Heck, the whole school knows. You didn't hear the news from them?"
No, he heard it from you Selphie! "I've been trying to call them all day, but I never got a response."
"That's weird…"
It was weird, what the hell was going on here? There had to be some kind of explanation, this was just a joke right? He ran off, leaving Selphie chattering to herself. There was no way his off-hand suggestion could actually cause this. Riku didn't even like her! No, that wasn't true; he just never showed any signs that he did. Maybe he secretly liked her all along? But being a couple involved two people didn't it? That meant that Kairi—did she like him too?
The bell rang, signaling the start of class, but he was still wandering the halls. He didn't feel like going to class, not until he could confirm it for himself.
Then he heard it.
Her voice, Kairi's laughter bouncing through the halls. It was faint, but to his trained ears, it gave him a trail to follow. He stalked the hallways until he reached the school entrance. He could see them right outside. They stood next to each other in a conversation. It seemed like any other day. They would wait for him, just like this, after school. The only difference was…
…they were kissing each other.
He couldn't breathe. The world got white-hot, he could hardly see. An opaque veil was thrown over his eyes. He tried to blink off the dizzying spots. Get a hold of yourself Sora! He put his hand on the wall, to keep himself from falling over. It was all he needed to see. It was enough. Just…just go to class and forget about it.
Nothing to see here.
He slipped into the classroom and didn't hear the teacher ask for an excuse. He didn't see the knowing eyes that fell on him, he didn't hear the excited chatter and rumors flying around the room, and he didn't realize that school was already over. He sat there, alone in the classroom, chanting a refrain to himself, "Damn it…damn it…damn it…DAMNIT!" He slammed his free fist against the desk. It hurt. His whole body was hurt. He was beaten, broken, and battered. He even looked the part with the cast on his arm. He stood up and kicked the desk hard. The pain shot through his foot but he didn't care. The pain was a good distraction. "Fuck me."
He belted out in laughter, a maniacal desperate laughter that held no trace of humor. Tears leaked from his eyes. Then he saw himself, back in elementary, on the swing, all alone.
Stop it Sora.
Just STOP IT.
He took a deep breath, calming himself down. He couldn't go back to that. He couldn't become that child again. He wouldn't waste Kairi's effort like that. It wasn't the end of the world. So what if they were together? This was high school, where the standard length of a relationship was a week—a month at most for the lucky ones.
He laughed, for real this time. There was no point in getting riled up. Just wait it out for now. Just pretend and be happy for them.
It was this one thought that allowed him to go home that day. When he finally reached his house, he was surprised to see Kairi waiting on his doorstep.
She shuffled nervously. "Sora—" she called curtly, unsure of what to say.
Just keep a keep straight face. "I heard the news. Congratulations." He tried his best not to sound bitter.
She didn't pick up on it though. "I'm sorry," she apologized, "for not telling you earlier. I wanted to but Riku said…we should've kept quiet. We didn't know how you would react."
That made no sense at all. "Better that I find out from Selphie than from you right?"
Her face fell. "I'm really sorry…I guess the cat's out of the bag now."
"I'm happy for you," he said as neutrally as possible. "I just wondered how it happened." It was sick, he knew it, but it was with morbid curiosity that he wanted to know. Like knowing exactly how your father died, in all its grisly detail.
Kairi did something odd. She changed, and it felt as if the entire world went bright. "He showed me a side of himself that I never knew existed," she revealed, smiling as she recalled it. "It was so strange…he didn't act the way I expected him to. He was different. He made me feel…special." She was spouting generic platitudes. The whole thing sounded like any other high school prom story.
He was sure, they wouldn't even last the month.
Sora finished the last piece of his meal. "This is pretty good," he remarked.
Xion quietly sipped her wine glass. "It is isn't it?"
"I wouldn't expect anything less from a place like this." He took the handkerchief off his lap, folded it neatly, and set it down next to his plate.
"Hey…" she offered weakly.
"That was the beginning of the end," he said, resuming his story. "After that, I said I was happy for them even though I was secretly miserable. Riku was always a bit of a playboy. I figured that they'd break up eventually, and that I'd be there to pick up the pieces, but that never happened. They continued trucking on. Even though I refused to see it, everybody else called it 'true love.' They were inseparable.
"That's when I finally saw it for the first time. Kairi's true smile. The kind of face she could only show around her lover. I realized then that she was truly happy. That Riku and Kairi, legitimately, loved and made each other happy. That smile, it was dazzling, wonderful, but haunting. It hurt me because never in the ten years that I knew her, could I ever make her smile that way.
"I couldn't pretend anymore. I couldn't feign happiness for them. I couldn't admire. I couldn't do anything. So I started avoiding them. Kairi more than Riku, but I couldn't stand it when they were together. I hated myself for feeling that way. I felt so weak and useless. I thought to myself, 'they're better off without me.' I would just get in the way, me and my jealousy.
"It wasn't hard to avoid them. All I had to do was become busy. I didn't do much until that point. Riku had blitzball, Kairi had the student council, and I joined the newspaper. Whenever they called to go hang out, I just made excuses. I had a story to write, I had to help my mom out at the floral shop—it didn't really matter. I had to show up sometimes, just to keep up appearances, but I learned how to shut myself off. Just to avoid the pain of seeing them together. I became cold to them.
"They wouldn't let me go, they weren't willing to. They confronted me. I told them half-truths. That I needed space. That I felt like a third wheel. They tried to reassure me, but that wasn't even the problem. So I ran.
"That's when I met Naminé and the others. After we graduated, I went to Twilight Town and cut all ties with them. The only way they could reach me was through Naminé." He finished talking, and drank the last of his wine.
"You've been through a lot."
"You can say that again." He let out a sigh. "I'm real sorry about this."
She was confused. "What for?"
"For boring you with my story."
That was a boring story? She should be the one apologizing, for not being interesting enough to say anything back. "Not at all, actually, now that I think about it, your story reminds me of something…" She tapped her finger against the table top.
"Like what?"
"Ah! Have you ever heard of the The Keyblade Chronicles?"
He gave the most unsuspicious answer he could think of. "Who hasn't?"
"You remind me of…Sky. He's the main character in the book. Have you ever read it?"
He was the one who wrote it. "Something like that."
Something about The Keyblade Chronicles made her loose. She must've been a fan, and it was probably a topic she really liked. "Sky had to go through a lot of obstacles too. He also—"
"We should get going," he interrupted. He really didn't want to hear about his own story, especially since he was blocked at the moment. "It's getting pretty late. Wouldn't want to give my mom any weird ideas."
Her face red, she agreed.
They returned to Sora's house late in the evening. When they reached the foyer, they saw Roxas and Naminé still up, watching TV on the couch. The couple turned to them.
"Hey guys! How did it go?" Roxas asked excitedly. Could he not be so obvious?
"It was fun," Xion said honestly. "I'm going to go wash up." She darted up the stairs before she could come across any embarrassing situations in front of her boss.
"She left pretty quickly didn't she?"
Sora was tired; he didn't want to deal with his cousin's antics at the moment. "Ease off the pedal there. Nothing happened between us." He slipped his sandals off and leaned against the wall.
"That's too bad."
"What did you guys do for the day?" the brunet asked, trying to steer the conversation away from himself.
Naminé smiled. "Same thing as you guys, I was showing Roxas around."
"Yeah, did know there's this ice cream place that has a talking cat? What was it called again? Kate Siths?"
"Ket-shee," Sora and Naminé both said together.
They both laughed.
"Jeez, don't gang up on me all at once now," the blond protested darkly.
Sora shoved off the wall. "Hey Roxas, you think we can talk for a moment, in my room?"
"Sure, what's up?" Roxas got up to follow his cousin up the stairs and into his room. The blond naturally took the bed while Sora sat down by his desk.
The brunet leaned forward with a serious expression. "So tell me Roxas, why did you really bring Xion here?"
Roxas' face lit up like a teacher who got the answer he was waiting for. "What do you think of her?" Nice, answering a question with another one.
He'd play along though, less trouble that way. "She's a nice girl who might be too down on herself."
"Doesn't she remind you of anyone?" the blond asked.
He thought about it. Xion was just…Xion. "Can't say she does."
"She goes out with me," he hinted.
"You mean Naminé? I don't see any similarity."
"Really? To be honest, I don't either."
"Then what's with all the questions?" Sora shot impatiently. Maybe Roxas should learn how to get straight to the point instead of dancing around everything!
"Hear me out!" the man replied, trying to calm his cousin down. "The truth is, I'm thinking of expansion. It's about time Twilight Delivery went overseas."
That was true, but…"I fail to see how that has anything to do with anything."
"I'm getting there," he reassured. "Twilight Delivery is located in Twilight Town, it's where it all started—it's the home base. There's no way I can just leave it to expand, so I have to let someone else handle it."
"So what you're saying is…"
"I want Xion to handle the Destiny Islands expansion." Sora was shocked. He didn't think that Roxas could be so forward thinking. His success wasn't a fluke after all. "Naminé did show me around, but I was looking for office and warehouse space."
So that explained it. "So you wanted to bring her here to get her familiar with the place?" He had to hand to him; Roxas had completely won this round. "Man, you really fooled me. I totally thought you were trying to do another one of your stupid introductions again."
Roxas didn't smile back and shifted his eyes. "Well…about that."
"Wait; are you still serious about that?"
The blond let out a chuckle. "Xion has all the tools she needs in order to succeed; the only thing holding her back was a lack of confidence."
The brunet rubbed his chin. "I can see how you can think that." The dark-haired woman insisted quite strong that she was nobody special. Perhaps a little too strongly.
"I talked to Naminé about it and she suggested that I…introduce her to you."
Naminé was the one who suggested it? "Why?"
"Don't be dense," he scolded. "Naminé told me about all the things you did for her. She says you have a special talent for opening people up, like you have the key to unlock their hearts."
It wasn't like he did it on purpose. "So I'm just a confidence-booster, a workplace training tool for you?" he joked.
Roxas gave him a hard stare. "It's nothing like that. It's just—I'm not stupid Sora." Where did that come from? He sounded angry.
"I didn't say you were?"
"I know. About you and Naminé."
A chill went through Sora's spine. So he knew. Was he angry? Was he going to flip out? "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play me for a fool. She told me everything. I know she loves you," he stated, as if it were a fundamental truth.
"You mean 'loved.' She has you now," he corrected.
He gave a sardonic laugh, it sounded terrible. "No, she definitely still loves you." The blond didn't waver; his stare was still fixed upon his cousin.
Sora met his eyes, confused and guilty. "What are you trying to say? You think I'm going to steal her or something?"
"You can't blame me for thinking that way." His voice was hollow.
"Roxas?"
"On our first date, you know what the first thing she said was?" Sora shook his head. "That she loved you. You're like her goddamned savior and when I think about it, there absolutely no logical reason why you two shouldn't be together. Despite that, I didn't give up. I busted my ass and did everything I could to get her to like me."
"And it worked." Come on Roxas, there was nothing to worry about!
"Maybe, maybe not. You know why we're still together?" he asked cynically.
Sora frowned. "No."
"It's because I trust her. I have no choice but to. It's the only way I could stay with her. Knowing that she still has feelings for you keeps me honest. I know that if I screw up just once, she'll be in your arms in no time."
What the hell was Roxas talking about? What kind of twisted relationship was he imagining? "Isn't that weird? Keeps you honest? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?" he stammered out. This wasn't Roxas. He was supposed to be grinning and joking—this wasn't like him at all!
"It's the same with you and Kairi isn't it?" He put out a dismal smile. "Besides, just because I know Naminé loves you doesn't mean she doesn't love me as well."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Wasn't it you who said that we can't help who we fall in love with?"
Sora did say it. Many times. All as excuses against Roxas' introductions. "That's—"
"You want to know the real reason why I try to hook you up with girls all the time?"
Was this a rhetorical question? Of course he knew! "To repay me for introducing you to Naminé!"
He laughed dejectedly. "Nothing as noble as that. It's because…" He broke the stare, his eyes downcast. "…I'm afraid."
"Afraid? Afraid of what?" What could Roxas, the self-assured business owner, the supremely confident always-gets-shit-done Roxas, what could he possibly be afraid of? Then it finally dawned on him. Did he really think…? "I'm not going to steal Naminé from you."
Roxas smiled sadly. "You already did."
Sora couldn't figure it out. Why was Roxas so damn certain that he would steal Naminé away? Aside from that small kiss—and it was a goodbye kiss—there was nothing going on between them. They were just good friends.
"Anyways," Roxas said, breaking the awkward silence, "Don't tell Xion about her promotion. I want it to be a surprise. Good night." Before the brunet could say anything, he was gone.
Sora was left alone in his chair, staring at the closed door. He had no idea that Roxas was so insecure about his relationship with Naminé. On the surface, it looked like everything was just fine between them. There was no reason for him to ruin that.
Right?