Chapter 2: Repulsion

For the fourth time that day, Naminé was forced to apologize to a stranger she unintentionally ran into thanks to her sister's pulling.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled over her shoulder as Kairi dragged her along. The redhead seemed intent on getting their bags as soon as possible. "Kairi, nobody is going to steal our bags you know. And at this rate, I think we'll get to baggage claim before it even starts up."

"I just want to make sure…" Kairi said off-handedly. Intrigued, Naminé planted her feet in place, putting a stop to the forced following.

"Kairi!" The blonde pulled her arm out of her sister's grasp. "Will you relax? I accidentally knocked a child down a while back thanks to you. Can we slow down?"

"No, we can't!" Kairi seized Naminé's wrist and pulled her along once again. "Just keep going. Besides, they're waiting for us."

"Who is?" When no answer came her way, she asked again. "Kairi, who's waiting for us?"

"You'll see! My gosh, just keep walking! We're almost there!"

"Why can't you just tell me—"

"Kairi! Naminé!" A loud voice caught the twins' attention. Up ahead, a familiar friend waved ecstatically in their direction. Each of the girls smiled at the sight. Dropping Naminé's wrist, Kairi ran over and wrapped him in a bear hug.

"Sora!" She laughed as he swung her around, pulling away when he set her down. Naminé giggled to herself, walking at her own pace to her sister and their old friend.

Sora tilted his head, spreading his arms wide for Naminé. "I know it's been a year, but don't I get one from you too?" he asked with a grin.

Laughing, Naminé ran into his arms and gave him a good squeeze. "It's been a while, Sora. You've gotten so much taller since last summer!" Naminé stood back, ruffling his spiky hair. "We used to be the same height too…"

"Yeah, when we were ten!" Sora folded his hands behind his head, laughing with the girls. "How was your flight?"

"Just fine. Naminé slept the whole way. I couldn't. You wouldn't believe how excited I was for this trip. Where's that brother of yours?" Kairi looked over Sora's shoulder as if he'd magically appear there.

"He went to park the car. That was like ten minutes ago, so he should—oh." Sora looked over his shoulder. "Roxas! Over here!"

Naminé went rigid at the sound of his name. She leaned toward her sister and whispered harshly, "Why is he here?"

Kairi shrugged. "Don't ask me!" She smiled innocently as Roxas came to join them. Unlike Naminé, Kairi enveloped Roxas in a hug too. "There you are! Were you trying to hide from me?"

Roxas smiled, releasing the redhead from his embrace. "I wouldn't do that to you." He looked up, meeting Naminé's eyes. His smile immediately dropped. "Oh. It's you."

Naminé scowled. Of course he'd greet her rudely. That's all he ever did. "I was happy to see Sora again. I'd be lying if I said the same for you."

"Good. The feeling's mutual."

"Easy, guys!" Kairi let out a nervous laugh, stepping between the battling blondes. "It's been a whole year. Don't you have anything else to say to each other?" The two stared at each other, their expressions unreadable. Kairi looked back and forth. "Well?"

An awkward silence fell over the group. Nearby, a child began to wail.

Roxas was the first to speak. "What's with the face? You're making the kid cry."

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "My face? It's your—"

"Oh, I think your bags are coming!" Sora interrupted loudly. Kairi sighed in relief. "Roxas, Naminé, why don't you guys collect the bags? I'm going to get everyone breakfast. Maybe we're all hungry."

"I'm not—" Naminé tried to tell them that hunger wasn't the reason for her attitude, but was quickly quieted by Kairi's interruption.

"I'll go with you!" Kairi turned to Sora with a smile. "The usual, Naminé?" The blonde nodded wordlessly, albeit angrily. "All right. We'll find you guys, so run along now!"

"That didn't go so well," Sora muttered when Kairi caught up. He held out his arm, linking it with Kairi's. "A whole year older and they're still fighting like kids. How in the world did you convince Naminé to come on this trip?"

"Desperation," Kairi said vaguely. Sora grinned at her, waiting for an explanation. "Fine. I blackmailed her again. She was pretty adamant about not coming, but I got my way in the end."

"Was it easy?"

"Of course not!" Kairi exhaled slowly. "She was complaining how her summer was going to suck and all this stuff thanks to Roxas. I told her to put up with it."

"Isn't that making it harder on yourself?" Upon arriving at the cafe, Sora held the door open.

"What do you mean?"

"You could have just 'sided' with your sister. You know, give her a pep talk of sorts."

"My method worked just fine. I'm here, aren't I?" Kairi smiled.

"Yes, but I think a different approach would have made it easier. For example, you could have pretended to side with Naminé and go with the whole 'don't let some boy drag your summer down' approach. Xion and I tried it a couple days back with Roxas and it worked like a charm."

Kairi raised a brow. She was impressed. "Hmm. Someone's gotten a little more intelligent with another full year of school under his belt, huh?"

"Meh, I wouldn't say so. I just wasn't going to let Roxas and Naminé's—whatever they have—keep you guys from coming here. I missed you both."

Kairi smiled. Did Sora realize how charming he sounded? Probably not. "Sora?"

"Yup?"

"I'm really glad we're together again."

Sora grinned, draping an arm over Kairi's shoulders. "Me too, Kairi."

"There. Those are ours."

"You're telling me this because…?"

Naminé huffed. Roxas was so much more annoying than she remembered! "Why the heck did you even come if you weren't going to help?"

"I was forced to. If I had a choice in the matter, do you think I'd be here with you?"

"You didn't have to come down from the car."

Roxas blinked. "For once, you're right. I'll be in the car." He turned to walk away, leaving the gaping girl behind him.

"Hey! Cut it out and get back here!" When he didn't stop, she stomped her foot and yelled, "Roxas!"

He froze, his bored eyes meeting her angry ones. Sighing, he turned on his heel and returned to his old spot. A heavy silence fell over them as the bags approached their position. "Which ones?" he asked quietly.

Taken by surprise, Naminé stared dumbly at the boy. "Huh?"

"Which bags?" Roxas clarified impatiently.

"O-Oh. The black suitcases with the red ribbons are Kairi's. The ones with blue ribbons are mine," Naminé said quickly. "They might be a little heavy, so just get one at a—" she paused as Roxas effortlessly pulled both of Kairi's bags from the belt, gently setting them down next to him. "—time," she finished. She stood for a while, noticing a few seconds too late that her bags were slowly passing her spot. "Wait! What about mine?"

"You have arms. Get it yourself." Roxas shrugged as he moved Kairi's bags out of the way.

Naminé growled. This boy was a bona fide douche. "You are freaking unbelievable…" she muttered angrily. Running over to her bags, Naminé struggled to pull her first one off the belt, huffing when she finally did. Before she could get her second one, however, a hand wrapped around the handle and pulled it off the belt. Naminé looked up to see Roxas smirking.

"Better get used to heavy lifting, princess. You won't have servants or maids helping you every waking moment of your life."

"For your information, I have neither of those. I'm not some spoiled brat who expects everything to be handed to her."

"Tch. Could have fooled me."

"Are you remotely capable of speaking to me without including an insult?"

"Nope." Roxas smirked cockily. "Oh, for consistency's sake, your hair is a mess."

Naminé only got one smack in before their siblings returned. "Naminé, cut it out!" Kairi ran over, her presence ending the emerging physical (and most likely one-sided) fight. "Seriously, you can't just… I don't know, ignore each other when you guys are alone or something?"

"How can I when this brat is constantly shouting orders at me like I'm her butler?" Roxas defended.

"I'm shouting at you because you're being an ass!"

"Oh forget it!" Kairi groaned. "Stop fighting and eat. Stuff your mouth with something before you two say anything more… here, two chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles." Kairi held the bag up in defeat. Both Naminé and Roxas grabbed the bag. Realizing the other's hold, they glared at each other once again.

"Let go. This is mine," Roxas said sternly. He pulled at the bag.

Naminé didn't relent. "It's mine. Didn't you just hear her?"

"She said chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. That's obviously my order."

"It's the same order!" Sora came running over, holding another bag out. "Sorry, Roxas. Here you go." Smirking victoriously, Naminé snatched the bag from his grip. Sora scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about the wait. They made these ones fresh."

This time, Roxas smiled smugly at the blonde. He turned to his brother. "That's fine. I'm sure they're better than yesterday's leftovers anyway." He took his bag, pulling out a doughnut. "Your bags are there, Kairi."

"Thanks, Roxas." Kairi took one of her bags and held her drink in the other. "Sora, can you get my other one?"

"Of course!" Sora took Kairi's bag with his free hand. Naminé looked around, hoping someone could take her other bag.

As luck would have it, the only person with a free hand was Roxas. Maybe someone would be willing to take it. "Um, can anyone help me with my other bag?"

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, then at Roxas. "Think you can get that for her, Roxas?" Kairi asked.

Roxas looked at Naminé and smiled. "Sorry," he said as he pulled out another doughnut, "but my hands are full."

Sora and Kairi could only groan as Naminé attempted to pull both of her bags. "Fine. I'll do it myself," she growled. Before she could take a single step, her nemesis blocked her path.

"Someone forgot to say please." His lips curved into a one-sided smirk.

Infuriated, Naminé shoved right by Roxas, struggling to pull her bags behind her. "You can forget about it. I don't need your help." As the words left her mouth, she dropped her breakfast bag on the floor.

"Nam, let Roxas help," Kairi said tiredly. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

Naminé exhaled slowly. Suck it up. She told herself. If not for you, then at least for Kairi. Naminé opened her eyes. "Roxas, will you please help me with this bag?" Roxas stood still for a moment before walking over, only to grab the suitcase that Naminé had not indicated. Before she could protest, he took it from her grasp.

"This one's heavier, isn't it?" He pulled it behind him, ignoring Naminé's look of surprise. "Can we get a move on already? I'd like to leave the airport before the day's over."

The car ride was surprisingly quiet after the first ten minutes. Then again, Roxas was intent on keeping quiet, a silent protest to his forced duty.

Adjusting the volume of his music player, Roxas looked around the car. Sora kept his eyes trained on the road, occasionally glancing in his rearview mirror for other cars. Directly in front of Roxas, Kairi was asleep against the window. The corner of his lips curved upward. Maybe that's why the car ride got quiet. It looked like Sora and Kairi's conversation was cut short.

Kairi stirred in her seat, but didn't wake up. Roxas caught Sora stealing a glance, making him shake his head in amusement. Sora was always excited to see Kairi, and when she showed up, it was like nothing could bring him down. Maybe it had to do with the fact that their old trio was reunited with every visit. Sora, Riku and Kairi would always go off on their own, leaving him with Xion.

Not that he minded. Xion was his best friend, after all.

Roxas returned his thoughts to the sleeping girl. It had only been a few months since Kairi last came, and it was then that he noticed how much she had changed since last summer. She was shorter this time around (though that probably had to do with the fact that he and Sora just got taller), but she looked more mature. Her hair was longer too, much different from the style he remembered from their childhood. He thought it made her look more feminine anyway, and even prettier.

Roxas looked to his side to see the blond twin, discreetly looking her over. Though he would never admit it out loud, Naminé had changed the most in his eyes. Just a year ago, he would have never even called her pretty. It was a different story now. Naminé somehow looked a lot more womanly, and her hair fell neatly just past her shoulders. She was a bit paler than her sister, but he thought it suited her.

Roxas stole a glance at Naminé's face. What was different about it? When he first saw her at the airport, there was something he couldn't quite place. It looked different this time around. It made her look… older. At this rate, she was only going to get prettier. Maybe it was her eyes. Roxas always thought she had nicer eyes than her sister. Again, yet another detail that he would never vocalize.

Roxas frowned when he remembered how she looked at him. The intrigue he felt when he examined her was replaced with anger and annoyance. Naminé might have looked like an angel, but she had some serious attitude issues. If there was one thing consistent about Naminé, it was her spoiled nature and sense of self-entitlement. He couldn't stand how she walked around like her life was so hard when her family was loaded. What was her biggest problem? What designer clothes to wear to school? Probably not even that. She probably went to a private school with the other rich kids.

And what's with that expectancy for help? Did she think everyone in the world existed solely to do her bidding? He grunted mid-thought. Of course she did. Everywhere she went, she had to act like a princess.

Returning his attention to the window, Roxas looked around at the surroundings to find that Sora was close to his workplace. But at the intersection where Sora had to turn, Sora went straight. Roxas immediately frowned and pulled out an earphone.

"Sora, you missed the turn." He looked over at his brother.

Sora peered into the rearview mirror with an apologetic smile. "Actually, I was hoping we could stop by the art store first. Kairi gave me directions, and since it was on the way, I thought we could stop there first."

Roxas scowled. "What does Kairi need art stuff for?"

"It's not for Kairi," Naminé interjected. Roxas looked at the blonde with a frown. "It's for me."

Roxas inhaled deeply. He turned back to his brother with an order. "Sora, I need to get to work."

Sora looked into the rearview mirror. "Not for another half hour you don't."

"I wanted to get there early," Roxas shot back. "Turn around now."

"Just what exactly is your problem? When you find out that the stuff is for me, suddenly it's a huge problem? You have half an hour to get to work! I won't take more than fifteen minutes in there!" Naminé said indignantly.

"My problem? My problem is I can't just whip out a credit card and buy a whole art store. I have to work. Ever heard of it?" Roxas spat angrily.

"I have, actually. You don't need to be so mean about it."

"Roxas, let it go. We're here already anyway." Sora parked into a spot near the door. When Roxas answered with a glare, Sora again gave him an apologetic look. "Come on. Kairi promised Naminé that the first thing they'd do when they left the airport was get Naminé some supplies."

Roxas glared at the blonde sitting across from him. "Are you serious?" he asked sharply. "Are you freaking serious? What? Mommy and Daddy's island mansion not good enough for you, Naminé? You're unbelievable."

"What the heck? Why are you so angry at me?" Naminé asked with equal fury. "So you're going to be fifteen minutes early instead of thirty minutes early. Is that such a problem that you have to lash out at me?"

"I'm lashing out at you because of your stupid 'me-first' attitude! What? Did Kairi have to coerce you with gifts to get you to go on vacation?" Roxas was on the verge of yelling.

Sora, getting a little nervous from all the scathing questions, tried to alleviate the tension. "Um, would you guys like to go to the beach—"

"Shut up," The two replied curtly. Sora squeaked and sank into his seat.

"Just quit complaining! For your information, I'm paying for this out of my own pocket from money that I made from my own job! And secondly, Kairi promised we'd stop here so I would put up with you!"

"Oh, god forbid that you have to put up with someone who says no! Damn, what would I give for a perk like that? Sora, I'm stuck with someone I don't like. Better buy me a new car so I can put up with her!"

Naminé, fed up with arguing, unbuckled her seatbelt and roughly shoved Roxas. "That's it. Sora, just take Roxas to his work. I'll be ready to go when you get back."

Roxas also unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door. "Yeah Sora, wouldn't want to be late in picking her up. She might make you buy her an island if you make her wait too long."

Sora, extremely flustered from the fighting, looked around helplessly. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Walking. As long as I get away from her," Roxas said angrily.

"Screw you, Roxas." The doors of the car slammed simultaneously, making Sora flinch in his seat. As the car fell silent, Kairi finally woke up, having slept through all the noise. She turned to Sora, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Oh, is this the art store?" she asked as she sat up. "Naminé, we're… oh. Where is everyone?"

Sora leaned his head back and sighed. "Naminé is shopping. Roxas went to work."

"Oh." Kairi turned in her seat and closed her eyes. "Good. For a second there I was afraid they'd start fighting… well, wake me up when we're home."

Roxas's scathing words never left Naminé's mind, simmering between her ears all the way home. Under normal circumstance, not only would she be excited to have new supplies, but delighted to be in their summer home again. The one story house was just a block or two from the beach, so despite its size, it wasn't exactly cheap. Naminé was more than okay with it. Unlike her home in Radiant Garden, nothing in the house was beyond austere, nor was it indulgent. They didn't have the latest entertainment systems or state of the art kitchens, nor did they have a shower with more than one showerhead. If anything, it was the closest Naminé would get to living in the "upper middle class."

With Sora's offer to handle the bags, Naminé and Kairi were free to explore the house. As expected, the interior was well taken care of with housekeepers. The leather couches remained plush and decorated with pillows, and the entertainment center remained free of dust. The deep, steel sink of the kitchen looked shiny as ever, and the marble countertops reflected the light that filtered through the slightly opened blinds. Four tall chairs were tucked neatly underneath the island countertop, and a larger wooden table was set neatly in the dining room.

"Huh. It's cleaner than I expected," Kairi muttered as she looked around.

Naminé nodded. "I'm going to my room." Her sister waved her off, signaling that she heard. Walking down a long hallway, Naminé walked to the end and opened the door on the left. Her room here was much smaller and conservatively decorated; cool colors comprised the bedding and furniture, making a very comfortable and calm dwelling. Naminé smiled. Though it was tempting to throw herself on the bed, something else was calling her attention.

Walking to her dresser, she looked into the mirror and took off her earrings, something she didn't normally wear anyway. When she set them down, she caught sight of an old birthday present. She ran her hand over it, then opened the engraved jewelry box and pulled out the single key that sat inside.

She left her bedroom and opened the door of the adjacent room. She slowly pushed the door open, smiling widely at the familiar sight of her studio.

The room was just a bit smaller than her bedroom. An easel and chair sat directly in the middle of the room, and a rolling platform desk was placed nearby. Walking to the window, Naminé pulled the blinds open and allowed the light to pour in. Though dust floated about in the air, Naminé could only laugh in delight at the sight of her lit studio. Three of the four walls were white, an assortment of old artwork hanging about. The last wall— one perpendicular to the window— was painted black.

Messages and even older drawings decorated the lower area of that wall. Naminé bent down, looking at the chalk work of her younger self. Kairi's drawings— the only other person allowed in this room— also remained untouched. Their names and dates decorated the higher parts. Naminé smiled. If she stood back and observed, the drawings unofficially documented their growth. As she started from the bottom and looked up, the drawings and handwriting improved with the height. Each of their signed names was paired with the date of their visit. Looking at the latest one, Naminé shook her head slightly.

From the looks of it, she hadn't grown much. She wouldn't accept the possibility that she didn't grow at all. Not getting taller was just a reminder that she was growing ever closer to adulthood. She kind of enjoyed being a kid.

A knock at the door stole Naminé's attention away from the chalk wall. The door opened a smidgeon, allowing Kairi to peek her head in. "Naminé! Have you checked the garage?"

"No. Is there a reason why I should have?"

Kairi smiled widely. "This is just something you have to see for yourself." Kairi turned and left. Allowing her curiosity to get the best of her, Naminé followed her sister to the garage. Upon arriving, she gasped.

Two cars sat side by side, a note attached to each of them. Kairi looked at her sister and smiled. She held up a longer note in her hand. "From Dad," she said. "I found the note on the fridge." She handed Naminé the note and ran over to the red car. She took the note attached to the windshield and read aloud, "Kairi, I know pink is your favorite color, but I hope red is close enough." Kairi laughed, peering into the interior of the car. "This one's mine! My own little baby!"

Naminé giggled, setting her hands at her hips. "Good. I wanted the white one anyway." The blonde walked to the other vehicle, doing the same thing as Kairi. "Naminé, I can't express how proud I was to hear you received a perfect score on your driving test." Naminé cringed slightly, but continued to read. "Hope you love your gift. Love, Dad." She looked up from the note to meet the mirthful eyes of her twin.

"Oh give it a rest. You have your license, and you're at least… well, you can reach the pedal! That counts for something!" Kairi joked.

Naminé smiled, but receiving the car only made her feel worse. Roxas's stinging words repeated in her head. She didn't ask for the car she knew she didn't deserve. "I don't think I'll be driving mine anytime soon."

"Speak for yourself!" Kairi said excitedly. "I can't wait to take this baby out for a spin. Where's Sora? I bet he'll freak when he sees this!"

Naminé followed her sister out of the garage, giggling when she saw Kairi drag Sora behind her. She looked around the room, noticing that most of their stuff had been taken down from the car with the exception of her supplies. Pulling her cell phone out, Naminé walked out to the car to finish the job as she made a call. She had someone to thank, after all.

The line picked up shortly after. Naminé smiled at the sound of her father's voice. She walked off, pinning the phone to her ear with her shoulder. "Hey, Dad. Yeah, we're at home now. We just saw the cars..."

"Naminé, let's go!" Kairi whined. "How long does it take to put a swimsuit on?"

Naminé opened her bedroom door with a huff. "I already told you that I was putting all my stuff away. Have you?" Naminé closed her bedroom door, juggling her bag and towel.

"That can wait. Let's just hurry to the beach. Riku and Sora and Xion will be there before us at the rate you're going!"

Naminé huffed. This was supposed to be a vacation. Why was she being rushed? "Is Xion the one you met over spring break?"

"Yeah. I think you'll like her. She's very open once you get to know her, and she gets along really well with everyone. She's kinda like Roxas too."

Naminé immediately frowned. Like Roxas? Naminé didn't need another Roxas in her life. Just the name was too much for her. "Oh, that's great."

"I think they have a thing for each other too. We just have to wait and see." Kairi shrugged. Naminé scowled. Who in the world would date that guy? What'd he do? Charm her with his insults? Woo her with piss poor attitude?

"She must be a saint," Naminé muttered as she got into the car. "And Kairi, is this necessary? We can walk, you know."

Kairi smiled, inhaling deeply. "I'm going to ignore that and ask you a question: do you smell that? That's the new car smell, Naminé. Who in the world doesn't like the new car smell?"

"I'm impartial." Naminé shrugged.

Kairi, looking extremely insulted, shook her head and turned the engine on. She clapped her hands in delight. "I can't believe this is actually mine! And it has a sunroof! Where is the switch for that? But the new car smell… I want to keep it. Does the new car smell go away faster if you open your windows?"

"Kairi, I honestly don't know." Naminé didn't really care either.

"I think it does. We're driving with the air on. I want the smell to stay forever." Kairi squealed, bouncing in her seat. "This is so exciting! Isn't this so exciting?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Kairi. Let's go before I change my mind."

Kairi laughed and opened the garage with a remote. "Come on, Naminé! Vamoose!"

Redeeming Endeavor:

Chapter Data: Uploaded on 21/6/2011. Total editing time- 525 minutes. Word Count: 4,676. FF seems to inflate that number all the time...

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