Disclaimer: All characters and references from Kingdoms Hearts and Final Fantasy that appear are the property of Square Enix.
/The weather in all the center and north of Radiant Garden will be warm with temperatures averaging 21 degrees Celsius, in other news.../
A woman in her late twenties with long wavy brown hair combed in a way that surely needs a lot of time and hairspray announced the weather in a very animated way.
Sitting on a sofa in his small living room, Roxas held the remote in one hand and looked obliviously to the news that were broadcasted that morning.
It had been an hour since he had told Namine almost everything that had happened and she still didn't leave the kitchen. "It would have been better to not tell her anything." He told himself meanwhile in his mind appeared the image of the girl's pale face as she listened. Her baby blue eyes were wide open and her lips were slightly parted in apparent shock.
'Your wish? Is it really that important?' Her question lingered in his head making him clench his jaw.
Roxas knew she only asked out of curiosity not because she knew anything about him, yet he couldn't help feeling angry with her for being nosy. He was aware that it was childish and stupid to bother with something as trivial as a question but it was inevitable, the fact was that something in her exasperated him... very much.
"Umm exc... excuse me, ahm I'm going." Namine said finally appearing at the entrance of the room. Her gaze was fixed on the ground.
"I'll accompany you." He said turning off the TV and walked to the door at the other side of the room. "Are you coming or not?" She meekly nodded.
Roxas lived in an apartment building that was built six months ago and for what she saw from the inside she could say that these were quite comfortable and nice. Namine's father had told her that if the apartments were built near the city they would be expensive but the blonde didn't feel confident enough to ask something so trivial like that, not with the conversation they had.
The boy drove her to her home that was just twenty minutes from his house. To her surprise Roxas had an old black Nissan, nothing expensive or flashy as she thought he would have.
During their way neither of them did an attempt to start a conversation so they just let the music from the radio fill out the silence. Namine kept her eyes fixed on the window avoiding at all costs look at guy beside her and tried just watch the suburbs where she had lived for five years.
"It's the white house on the right." She indicated with her finger pointing there.
Without a word the boy parked his car in front the house and waited for Namine to get out. She noticed the red car parked in front of her garage and a chill ran down her spine when she recognized it.
"Oh no..." the girl breathed getting out the car and jogged to the door but when she was about to insert the key into the doorknob her hand was trembling difficulting the movement.
"What happen?" Roxas advanced unnoticed to her side and looked at her expectant. She shook her head and opened the door poking her head first.
"I thought she would be here." The blonde thought as she walked around the house. Everything was just as she had left; she went upstairs and headed to her room with Roxas following her.
"Aren't your parents in home?" He asked her with genuine interest.
"... they left the city for a while." Namine replied reluctantly and then she thought "why am I giving him explanations?"
At the end of the staircase the artist saw that her bedroom door was slightly open which was strange because she remembered having closed it before leaving. She slowly approached the door and pushed it to enter. The first thing she saw or rather who she saw left her with mixed emotions that she couldn't make out but at least she could separate one 'anticipation' because she had already seen the car outside her home.
"Kairi?" Namine said softly but was high enough to attract the redhead's attention who was sitting in bed with her back at her.
Kairi jumped up and looked like she had seen a ghost, her eyes were wide open, swollen and red besides she was wearing the same clothes that she used for the party and her makeup was smeared. In short, she was a mess.
"NAMINE!" without a second thought she threw herself over the blonde and embrace her so tightly as if she would disappear in thin air. "Namine, oh thank god, are you okay? Are you hurt?" her voice was full of relief.
"I'm fine, don't worry." Namine said corresponding the embrace. She was feeling safe for the first time since she woke up that day.
Kairi suddenly moved away from her abruptly and looked at her with a scowl.
"Where were you? Did you know how concerned were all of us? God Namine something could have happened to you, I almost had a heart attack when Yuffie told me that you'd gone alone and also you didn't answer your mobile! What the hell were you thinking?" She was ranting and making strange gestures with her hands meanwhile the blonde was just staring at her without emitting a sound until her friend finally finished.
"I'm sorry, really, I tried to call but I had no signal and then my mobile ran out of battery."
"And where were you? I called everyone and no one knew where or with whom were you?"
"I umm..." she looked at the floor trying to figure out a way out of this inquiry without looking like a complete lunatic but her mind was not cooperating much.
"She stayed with me." Roxas said getting into the room. "I mean in my house. I don't think we have presented, my name is Roxas." He said calmly to the redhead with a charming smile and walking to the blonde's side. "I saw Namine as she was leaving the party and noticed that she wasn't quite right to drive so I offered myself to take her home to which she agreed but when I asked her address she was fast asleep in the passenger seat. Also I tried to call from her phone, but as you know it had no battery so I take her to my home."
"I see... and your parents didn't say anything when you came home with a girl?" Kairi replied quirking a brow suspecting of him.
"My mom was surprised when I got home." Roxas added with a chuckled. "But after I explained her everything she said Namine could stay in the guest room but I had to take her home in the morning. But she slept until late. " He finished smiling at Namine who blushed and looked at her feet.
The so natural way in which he said that lie eliminated any hint of doubt that Kairi had and at the same time amazed Namine of the facility with which he said all that, he was almost like an actor who was repeating the lines in a script.
"Ka... Kairi you... did you tell my parents about...?" Namine asked unsure of wanting to know the answer.
"I was going to do it if you didn't appear. They called to my house and I told them we had a sleepover and you were still asleep. You should be thankful that it was me who'd answered or you would be in serious trouble." Kairi said frustrated and somewhat exhausted pinching her temples.
"So... sorry and thank you Kai you're the best!" the blonde said sheepishly.
"What will I do with you Nam?" Kairi said in a motherly way before turning to face Roxas. "I really appreciate that you looked after her and brought her home in one piece." The redhead said smiling kindly.
"It's nothing, well I must go. Bye Namine and umm... redhead."
"Kairi, my name is Kairi." Roxas nodded in understand and then left the room.
"Hey Roxas I'll accompany you to the door." The blond girl said walking to catch him in the stairs. "Umm thanks for not telling her about... you know." She whispered as they descended the stairs.
"There's nothing to thank, I didn't plan to tell her anything in first place and you can't tell anyone what I told you, understand?" They were at the front door when he told her this, turning to face her. He wasn't annoyed just being cautious.
"I know." He nodded at her response and then he left allowing Namine to close the door and return to her room where her friend was waiting for her.
Today is Wednesday, one of the less pleasant days for Namine, the reason... PE and it wasn't that she hated exercise but rather was the fact that coach Terra made them run thousands of laps in the track.
For people like Olette and Riku, who shared this terrible class with the artist and had good physical condition was easy to bear that kind of torture, but for someone with little resistance as she it was a real pain. Luckily this Wednesday she had gone with the school doctor saying that she had stomach ache and the doctor gently gave her a receipt for not doing exercise for today which made her feel ecstatic. So there she was sitting on the shady side of the bleachers with her sketchbook over her lap and a pencil in her hand tracing lines on the white surface with utter concentration while his companions ran like horses in the sun.
Suddenly the sound of something heavy falling to the ground attracted the girl's attention to the track.
"Olette! Are you okay?" Riku asked approaching her. The brown haired girl was kneeling with a grimace of pain on her face.
"Yeah, I just tripped." She said with a reassuring smile trying to stand.
"Davis, what happened?" The coach came up to them. Riku helped her to stand up although with difficulty.
"I'm fine coach, I tripped that's all."
"Someone who is born clumsy, stays clumsy; don't you think Olette?" Yuna sneered a few meters ahead of them.
"Yuna you-" Olette growled through clenched teeth throwing a venomous glare.
"It's enough you two. Can you walk Davis?"
"I think so." She replied supporting her right ankle but a wave of pain went up her leg and almost made her fall again if Riku hadn't held her before.
"It seems that you twisted your ankle, Gray take her to the infirmary," the coach spoke to Riku but Olette interrupted him.
"Ummm... I'm fine, really, it's nothing. I just need to sit a moment. "
"Are you sure?" Riku asked
"Yep, it happened to me before."
"Well go and sit in the bleachers. Everyone else continue running." Terra ordered his students whistling his whistle.
Riku carried her up to where Namine was and helped her sit next to the blonde being careful not to touch her ankle.
"Okay girls I'm going, I still have laps to give." Riku said with a grin before returning to the track.
"Sometimes I wonder if he's really a guy of sixteen years, he's so… broody. How can that be?" The brown haired girl said looking towards Riku
"That's something we'll never know. How are you feeling 'lette?" Namine asked her with concern.
"I just twisted my ankle but I'll survive. What are you drawing Nam?" She responded touching softly her ankle.
"Ahh this? It's just something to not get bored."
"Ohh come on, let me see." Olette said giving Namine her best puppy eyes.
"Umm okay." Namine said giving up and handing her sketchbook to the girl.
"Re... really you just drew this out of boredom?" Olette asked her bewildered. Before her eyes was a perfect sketch of a dandelion swaying in the breeze.
"Yeah, why?"
"Namine, it's very good even if it isn't finished."
"Now all are critics, or what?" The blonde said rolling her eyes playfully.
"Something like that but… I really love it. Would you give it to me when you finish it?" Olette giggled at her friend childness and returned her the sketchbook.
"Sure!" Namine beamed.
"Evans, Davis to the changing rooms, now!" the coach yelled from the entrance to the gymnasium.
"Coming!" Both girls screamed in unison.
The blonde kept her things in her backpack and helped the other girl to get up and get to the changing room. They changed the ugly sports uniform for their regular clothes and went to the infirmary where Aerith, the doctor in charge, bandaged Olette's ankle and gave her some painkillers. Then both girls came towards the cafeteria where their friends were.
"Hey girls, how was PE?" Hayner asked them unusually animated.
"Normal, the coach made us ran like racehorses oh, Nam made an excuse for not doing exercise and Olette fell down, the usual." Riku replied nonchalantly.
"Are you ok 'lette?" Kairi asked worried.
"Ye… yeah Kai, Nam accompanied me to the infirmary and the doctor gave me painkillers so I'm ok." The girl said sheepishly scratching her cheek with her index finger.
"Why didn't you do exercise today?" Hayner asked curiously.
"Because I had a stomachache." Namine explained.
"Really? What convenient, don't you think?" He said sipping her coke.
"What do you mean?" Namine said narrowing her eyes.
"Umm nothing, you're just very lucky, I think."
"Guys, don't argue okay." Kairi intervened, preventing either of them say anything else.
"What are you guys talking about?" Sora said approaching to the gang with Roxas trailing behind.
"Oh nothing important Sora, Kairi was just stopping an argument." Xion said nonchalantly.
"Is that so? Oh guys this is Roxas. I saw him in the hallway and since he's new and all I told him to have lunch with us." Sora said taking a seat at the table.
"Why is he here?" Namine thought with a frown looking at the hour in her mobile.
After Roxas took Namine home on Saturday morning she hadn't heard from him. The boy didn't come to school on Monday and Tuesday she saw him once in the halls. In some ways, it relaxed her because she had time to forget her 'accident' and enjoy her normal daily life now that her parents told her they would return in two days or so.
Sora cleared his throat "Well Roxas I want to introduce this adorable redhead, her name is Kairi and she's my girlfriend." The brown haired boy said, giving Kairi a kiss on her cheek. Roxas noticed that Namine shrugged uncomfortably in her seat and rolled her eyes while Kairi was giggling. "The girl with short black hair is Xion, beside her is Olette and sitting at her side is Hayner and in front of him is Namine although you already know her." Everyone in the table greeted him with a smile except for Namine who was looking at him warily.
"Hi, I'm Roxas nice to meet you all guys." he said carefree, scratching the back of his neck.
"Hey Roxas, how school treated you so far?" Xion said trying to break the ice.
"I'm not complaining though some things are different compared to my other school."
"Really?" She asked baffled.
"Yup, in my other school there weren't many students but I'll get used."
"Where are you from Roxas?" Hayner asked him.
"Twilight Town."
"That's pretty close." This time was Kairi who talked.
"It is, but my dad was transferred here and thought it would be more comfortable for everyone if we moved."
"Don't you miss Twilight Town?" Olette said.
"A little but dad promised we would go back even if it's just to visit." Roxas said a little downcast.
Namine couldn't believe her eyes, Roxas the guy who had behaved like a complete idiot from the first moment he met her was laughing and chatting with her friends like nothing! "How strange is this guy." the blonde eyed cheerless to her friends but when Sora told one of his silly jokes and the whole table busted in laughter she noticed that Roxas' voice was somewhat... bland, even when he was laughing.
Soon the bell signaling the end of lunch rang and everyone gathered their belongings and went to their classes. Roxas and Namine walked behind the group in silence until the boy held the girls' wrist stopping her in her tracks.
"There's something we have to discuss. Meet me after school at the school gate." he told her before walking outside the cafeteria with the same emotionless voice she knew.
"Who does he believe he is to give me orders?" She muttered annoyed fingering the wrist that the boy held seconds before and continue her way.
"Class is dismissed; don't forget to bring your copies solved." Mr. Reno, the math's teacher, said in a bored tone keeping his belongings in his bag while the students ran in a rampage to the door after all this was the last class of the day.
Namine was the last one to leave the building knowing what fate had kept for her behind the double front doors. There he was, leaning on a tree with his schoolbag beside him.
"You're late."
"The bell just rang."
"Then you're just slow." He said smirking mischievously to her.
"Is this what you wanted to tell me? If it is then I'm going home." She stated walking past him.
"In fact it's not but you have to know that you're slow." He said walking closely behind her.
Namine turned to face him with an annoyed expression in her face. "Oh thank you for pointing it for me, now excuse me but I have so much more important matters to attend than to hear how slow my pace is."
"Haha you're so funny, now let's go there's someone who wants to meet you." He retorted with a mocking laugh.
"Me?"
"No, the Mad Hatter but he's not in the vicinity so you're coming instead." The boy started to walk.
"You don't have to be jerk, you know?" She said pouting slightly and crossing her arms in her chest.
"Whatever, come already." He rolled his beautiful blue eyes.
Both of them walked for a good ten minutes with Roxas leading the way. Namine was taking in her surroundings, she had been here a few months ago when Xion, Sora and she visited Riku's house but she was sure that Roxas wasn't taking her there.
"Where are we going?"
"There's a park up that hill. A friend of mine told me that he would see us there, by the way ... Did you see that your car is in your garage?"
"Yeah, how did you fix it?" She asked curiously.
"Does it matter?"
"... Thanks"
"..."
"..."
"We're here." Roxas adverted from the metal gate of the park. He took out his mobile from his pants pocket to check the time. "He should already be-"
"As impatient as usual eh." A deep voice said from the other side of the park.
"Who's there?" Namine exclaimed creepily squinting her eyes in order to see the person who talked.
"I'm not impatient Axel. You're the one who has a reputation for being late to everything, always."
"Not always, by the way, is that the way to talk to your dear friend who came to help you with your problem? Manners Rox, got it memorized?" A tall and lanky man said approaching the teens. His fiery red hair and green eyes made him look a little intimidating. He was wearing black faded jeans with leather jacket over a red T-shirt.
"Whatever you say Axel." Roxas rolled his eyes in a playful way.
"So... where is she?"
Roxas pointed behind him where little Namine was standing with uneasiness.
"Re... really? Are you kidding me, buddy?" Roxas shook his head. "Does she have it?" Roxas nodded.
"Can you stop talking about me like I wasn't here?" Namine huffed.
Axel walked straight to her, when he was less than a meter from he stopped in his tracks and stared directly in her eyes. "Hey there, the name's Axel, got it memorized. What's yours?"
"Na... Namine." She stuttered taking one step aback
"Okay Namine would you please show me your mark?" He asked leaning over her with a mischievous smirk.
"What mark?" She thought taking a few more steps back and looking at Roxas.
"Namine show him the tattoo." Roxas ordered more than asked her.
"Eh? b... but-"
"Just do it." he stated.
"... fine." She dropped her backpack on the floor, took off the light blue hoddie she was wearing and with her right hand lowered the collar of her white shirt to show the black mark on her left shoulder.
Axel's acid green eyes widened with shock and a crooked grin appeared in his lips. "You're totally screwed man." Roxas groaned deflated.
"What's with their reactions?" Namine thought fazed zipping her hoddie again.
I'm so sorry for the long wait but I was stuck with my final exams and everything but hey now I'm finally in summer vacations wiii, so I'll try to update a little more frequently now :3!
Guys, I would greatly appreciate if you leave your opinions, constructive criticism or suggestions and again, thank you very much to all those wonderful people who added "Intertwined Lights" to their alert list or favorite list, I truly appreciated it.
Till next chapter :D!