Chapter 5: Dynamic Equilibrium

Though those Radiant Garden sisters had only been at the Islands for three days, Xion was sure the girls spent at least a third of those seventy-two hours with their male twin counterparts. At first she thought the amount of time was in her favor; but as the hours passed, she actually grew a little worried. Roxas and Naminé apparently took their fighting to the web. Xion couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for that. After all, she was the one who ordered Roxas to befriend her.

Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

Nevertheless, Xion knew that she would have to use some effort to ensure that she'd win the wager. So after picking Roxas up from work one day, she thought it would be a good idea to take the blond pair to the mall. Neither party knew the other would be coming along. This gave her a chance to see how they were doing too.

And to supervise Roxas.

"Ugh, you had to take the slowest route." Roxas shook his head as they passed a highway. "This isn't the best way to get to the mall, you know."

Xion ignored Roxas's insult and kept her eyes trained on the road. "I'm stopping by a friend's house first. What are you in a rush for? Looking forward to the summer dress sales too, I'm guessing?"

"If I had any influence on this matter, I'd be home by now." Roxas sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Well it's a good thing you don't. I know you secretly want to spend your day shopping with me anyway." Xion smiled to herself as she turned on a more familiar road.

"What are we doing here?" Roxas asked abruptly as he recognized the neighborhood. "Sora told me he wasn't meeting up with Kairi until later today."

"That's great for Sora, I guess. But you and I are going to go shopping with Naminé today!" Xion drummed on the steering wheel with excitement. She parked on the street, unbuckling herself and stepping out of the car. "Wait here. I'll be back in a sec."

"No thanks, I'll walk home."

"Stay," she ordered sternly. Xion ignored the glare she received from Roxas and ran to the door, ringing it multiple times. To her delight, Naminé answered.

"Xion? What are you doing here?" Naminé looked at the girl in surprise.

"I'm here to take you to the mall. I get emails on special sales and there's one today that we just have to go to."

"I'm actually busy right now." Naminé rubbed her upper arm and looked down the hallway. "Kairi and I are going through the clothes we left here and boxing the ones that are too small. Sora was going to take us to the donation center later today."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Xion clapped her hands together and walked inside. Naminé raised a brow, but instead closed the door behind her. "So you need new clothes?"

"Oh, that's not what I meant…"

"Kairi!" Xion's call echoed throughout the house. The redhead walked out of her bedroom, looking for the owner of the voice.

"Xion… I didn't know you were here!" Kairi smiled widely as she walked into the living room. "What's going on?"

'Your sister and I are going shopping—"

"Wait—"

"And I was wondering if you wanted to join us!" Xion continued without letting Naminé interrupt.

Kairi looked to the ceiling in thought. "I don't know. I really want to go, but I still have some stuff to do. Besides, I don't need new clothes as badly as my sister. I updated my wardrobe over this past spring break."

"All right!" Xion looked at the blond, nodding in approval at the sight of her white dress. "You look like you're ready. Shall we head out?"

"I actually have more clothes to sort through than Kairi…"

"Naminé, I got it. I promise that you won't owe me anything too. Besides, don't you need to get new bras?"

"Kairi!"

"What? This is a house of ladies! Why so embarrassed?"

"There's a sale on that stuff too!" Xion bounced excitedly. "Where's your stuff? Let's go already! The stores have been open all morning!"

"...Fine. Just give me a sec." The blonde retreated to her room, leaving Kairi and Xion alone in the living room. They started talking as soon as Naminé was out of sight.

"Is Roxas in the car?" Kairi asked with a hint of a smile.

"Yup. I sorta sprung this on him too. I figured that if I tried talking them through it, I'd make life harder for myself. Say, is there anything in particular that Naminé has an eye for? Something that she can't resist checking in a store that's having a sale, to be more specific."

"Dresses. For sure. I don't know if you noticed, but she doesn't wear shorts or pants like I do." Kairi motioned at her ensemble— a pink t-shirt and khaki shorts that ended above mid-thigh— and pointed down the hall. "She's a dress girl."

"Perfect. I'm sure I'll be able to lure her with that then." Xion finished the conversation as Naminé stepped out, looking more presentable.

"Kairi, I just threw all my small clothes on the bed. Everything else is still good, so don't give any of that stuff away." Naminé looked through her shoe rack for the appropriate match. "Xion, when can I expect to be back home?"

"Oh, in a couple hours I guess…" Xion shrugged. "Let's hurry. I left my car running. Hopefully it's still there…"

"You don't have to worry. This is a nice neighborhood. Nobody would steal your car," Naminé reassured her.

"It's not your neighbors I'm worried about." Xion grinned widely. "Kairi, I'm sure I'll see you later. Let's go, Naminé!"

"See you guys later!" Kairi saw her sister and friend off, closing the door behind them. As soon as she locked the door, she ran to the window in hope for a show. She came just in time to see Naminé turn on her heel and attempt to run back inside. Kairi laughed as Xion pulled her back and essentially threw her into the back seat. She was sure that Roxas was rattling off about her presence, made obvious by the angry look and animated conversation he seemed to be having with himself.

Kairi watched them drive off. She hoped that Xion could do what she and all of her friends had failed to do for the past years. Roxas seemed to listen to her, and Naminé was too nice to say no to a girl she wasn't completely comfortable with.

If anyone had a chance, it was Xion.

Xion made sure to separate the two on the car ride over and found a parking spot immediately. She was sure that both Roxas and Naminé were angry at her by the time she opened the doors to the first store.

Well they could hate her all they wanted. They just couldn't hate each other.

In the department store, Xion dragged Naminé over to the women's section (Roxas in tow) in hopes of bonding with the girl. At first, Naminé was adamant that she didn't want to be there, but retail therapy was apparently a real thing.

"Ugh, where is my size?" Naminé furiously flipped through a rack of dresses, spending just a second on each article in her search.

"I believe the section you're looking for is maternity—" Roxas felt the wind leave his system as an elbow connected with his gut. Xion returned his glare with a warning finger. His comment went unnoticed by the shopping blonde.

"Ah-ha! Found it!" Naminé pulled the hangar from the stand and held it up victoriously. "Xion, did you find the other ones?"

"Yup. Roxas has them." Xion pointed her thumb at Roxas as she looked through a sea of shirts and skirts. She pulled out one of each article of clothing, satisfied with her combo. "Come on, Roxas. Let's go to the fitting rooms."

Roxas grumbled to himself as they walked. He didn't like how Xion and Naminé were getting along; it almost seemed against the rules. And with Xion actually here, he couldn't do anything. He was so powerless that he was carrying the very dresses that Naminé wanted to try on. What had he been reduced to? A slave. If Xion thought she was doing something to improve things between him and Naminé, she was so wrong. Forcing him to come to the mall only fueled his desire to fight back.

"Roxas, give me those." Xion took the clothing out of Roxas's arms and replaced them with Naminé's purse and her own wristlet. "Watch our stuff while we try these on."

"Just take them with you!" Roxas flushed. He didn't want to be seen holding such feminine objects!

"No! Just watch them!" Xion held her hands out to keep Roxas from giving them back. "Wait here. We might need you later." Before Roxas could protest, Xion and Naminé disappeared into the fitting rooms, leaving him to stand awkwardly outside.

Now, Roxas generally considered himself a secure person. He liked to think that opinions of strangers didn't really matter to him, and he was comfortable with his image. But he looked like a whipped boyfriend.

It wasn't long before he heard Xion calling his name. "Roxas! Roxas, are you there?"

"What do you want now?" he asked, clearly irritated with his best friend.

"Could you fetch us a smaller size of this dress?"

"What—" The piece of clothing was thrown on his head. "—dress?"

"Get it one size smaller," Xion ordered. "And hurry up! I want to hit the food court soon!"

The blond rolled his eyes in frustration. Now he was an errand boy? Xion was really getting on his nerves. Nevertheless, Roxas obeyed, walking over to the same area they were before.

The dress in his hand had the number four on the tag. Roxas got to work on looking for a three.

As he shuffled through the dresses, Roxas grew more and more annoyed with his errand. There were many with size two and size six, but he couldn't find the one he was looking for. The stupid purse he was forced to carry was also getting on his nerves. The damn thing would weigh his arm down and fall to the crook of his elbow, refusing to stay in place. He eventually threw the straps over his shoulder and held it down with his arm.

As Roxas searched, he began to notice the strange looks people were giving him. He particularly noticed a little boy staring at him, mouth agape. His mother came by, saw Roxas, and pulled her child away, whispering something in his ear. Though he returned to the dress rack, Roxas couldn't help but feel a little insecure.

It didn't take long for him to grow frustrated with his search. Ignoring his instinct and male ego, Roxas called over an employee to ask for help. "Excuse me!" he caught the woman's attention. "Hi. I'm looking for a dress, and I'm pretty sure it's in this area," he motioned at the rack with the wristlet he was holding, "I need this in a smaller size. This one's a four."

The woman raised an eyebrow at Roxas as she walked over. "Er, sir… or ma'am…"

"Sir?" Roxas half-asked, unsure over the reason why the woman was confused. Was there a woman behind him?

"Right. Sir, I don't think a smaller size is the right fit for you…" the woman folded her fingers in front of her and made a face like she was in pain. Roxas's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh no! The dress isn't for me!" He quickly pulled the purse from his shoulder and threw the wristlet inside. "I'm getting it for uh… uh… my girlfriend. Yeah, I'm just holding her stuff. She wanted me to find a three."

The employee's eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry sir!" she laughed to herself as she ran over to the rack. "I'm terribly sorry. I just assumed—"

"Uh, it's okay I guess…" Roxas scratched the back of his head. He couldn't tell who was more embarrassed.

"You said that was a four, right? Here, take a size two." The woman exchanged dresses with Roxas. "A three doesn't exist. Dress sizes like these are only even numbers."

"R-Right. Thanks." Roxas skittered away in shame. As soon as he reached the dressing room, he threw the dress over the door.

"What took you so long? I was about to change back and look for you." The dress on the door slipped into the interior of the dressing room.

"You didn't tell me that the next smallest size from a four was a two," Roxas grumbled uncomfortably. "And take your stuff back. I don't want to carry it anymore. This purse is heavy. What do you keep in here?"

"Oh man up already. It's not that heavy." Roxas's eyes narrowed at the sound of Naminé's voice. "I'll be out in a minute anyway."

"Great," he muttered under his breath. "Xion, please tell me you're almost done too! I really have to use the bathroom."

"I've got a few more to try on before I decide on which ones I'm getting. Just go to the bathroom now!"

"I'm not going to walk into the men's bathroom with a freaking purse," Roxas hissed. His eyes darted to the dressing room on his left. Naminé closed the door behind her, an armful of dresses with her.

"Here, I'll be taking that." Naminé took her belongings, and Xion's, from Roxas and smirked. "I didn't take you for the insecure type. Is there something you have to tell us? Perhaps a reason why you're getting so worked up?"

"Shut up…" Roxas looked away, knowing his face had reddened considerably.

With some much needed alone-time, Naminé discreetly made her way to another area of the women's department.

Along the way, her thoughts returned to her conversations with Xion from the dressing room. Naminé gathered that Xion was trying to befriend her, but the girl mentioned nothing about any involvement with Roxas's strange change of interaction. Sure, he wasn't as angry as he was before— that was a nice plus— but all the anger was turning into annoyance. What was once vicious and scathing was now frustrating and irritating. She wanted to rip her hair out.

Even when being directly asked, Xion had told her that she knew nothing as to why Roxas suddenly found it appropriate to be around her so often. For years, their main mechanism for dealing with each other was just to avoid each other. When that was unavoidable, they would try to ignore each other.

And that never worked.

Nevertheless, Naminé resolved to fight back. If Roxas thought annoying her was the way to drive her away, Naminé was going to prove him wrong and drive him away. She may have avoided Roxas with utmost effort, but she did not twiddle her fingers from a distance.

She knew what made him tick too. Years of aggression meant taking advantage of every opportunity and making use of every bit of knowledge gained in the battles.

Naminé was confident she could play Roxas's game better than he was. She happily walked around the area before sobering at the sight of everything.

Right. This was the lingerie area. Skipping around with a smile was weird.

The blonde cleared her throat. Xion wasn't lying: the sale here really was store-wide. Naminé got to work, searching through a pile of bras— on clearance! — and occasionally looking up to see if anyone was around. If she were to be honest, Naminé hated shopping for these. There was no telling how comfortable these bras would be until she wore them.

After searching for several minutes, Naminé was sure that she would not find what she was looking for. She turned on her heel, off to search and meet up with Xion again.

"I didn't—"

"Holy shit!" Naminé cursed loudly as she walked right into Roxas. Her eyes flew to his and she immediately frowned. "What the heck are you doing here?"

He laughed as Naminé brushed past him, not even waiting for an answer. "What a potty mouth! I had to use the bathroom, which coincidentally is always in the women's underwear section. And as I was saying, I didn't expect you to be the type to look for expensive pieces of clothing that collectively have less than a square inch of fabric."

"I wasn't looking at that stuff." Naminé huffed as she walked faster. Roxas easily kept up with her. Stupid taller legs…

"Of course you weren't. You just happened to be eying that G-string—"

"I was not!"

"—before I decided to sneak up on you." Roxas laughed gleefully, dodging Naminé's smack with ease. He followed her around silently, smirking all the while.

He realized that he was actually having fun messing with Naminé. He thought it was a good thing. If it continued like this, then he'd be able to stand her and still be able to win the agreement.

Surely it wasn't because he was actually enjoying her presence. He just liked making fun of her.

They reached a moderately short line to the register, both of them silent and avoiding each other's eyes. A distance sat between the two, maintained by their stubbornness. Nevertheless, when Naminé walked up to pay, Roxas walked behind her.

He watched as the cashier rang up the prices and was surprised to find that Naminé's spending wasn't through the roof. If anything, she was getting what his mother would call a "bargain."

"I'm sorry, hold on…" Naminé stopped the cashier and looked at one of the dresses she bought. "Mind if I run and switch this one with another color? I'll only be a sec."

The cashier— Roxas realized it was the very same woman who helped him eariler— looked behind the pair and nodded. "Sure. There's no one behind you, so go for it!"

"Thanks!" Naminé looked at Roxas curtly before running off.

"You have a very pretty girlfriend, mister." The woman smiled at Roxas as she removed the hangars from the dresses. Roxas recognized that the dress he was sent out for was the one in Naminé's pile.

Though he wanted to tell her otherwise (and how far she was from the truth), he could only blush and nod. "Th-thanks."

"I'm sure she'll look adorable in this."

"Roxas!" The boy turned around to see his best friend running toward him. He was about to speak up, but Xion didn't give him a chance. She dropped a few articles of clothing in his arms. "There you are! Here, take these. Pay for me, yeah? Thanks babe!" she ran off without explanation, leaving Roxas behind.

He looked to the cashier, who seemed to be glaring at him. He smiled weakly.

"Excuse me, Miss!" Naminé walked briskly to the register, a different dress in hand. "Could you switch this with that one?" Naminé pointed to the dress that Roxas had to fetch. The cashier smiled, her eyes darting to Roxas like she was exacting some sort of poetic justice.

"Of course, sweetie. It'd be my pleasure!" She unceremoniously tossed the replaced dress under the counter. "Do you have a membership card for an additional discount?"

"I don't, sorry."

"That's fine!" the woman chirped. She scanned a card that hung around her neck. "I have one, and an employee discount. I'll give you both!"

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" Naminé gushed excitedly. After paying at a considerable discount, Naminé took her bag with a wide smile. "Thanks so much! I really appreciate it."

"It's nothing! Someone ought to treat you right. You deserve it! Have a nice day."

Naminé raised a brow in confusion, but nodded anyway. "You too!" She looked back at Roxas, eying the clothes in his arms. After meeting his eyes, she walked off silently.

Roxas approached the cashier, feeling extremely awkward. The cashier, though very professional in keeping opinions— falsely believed opinions— to herself, was not as receptive to him. He was tempted to explain that he wasn't a two-timing pimp, but figured that he would dig himself into a deeper hole if he said "I actually don't like the girl you just gave mega discounts to" and chose to remain silent.

After paying, he walked away as quickly as possible, feeling the woman's eyes burning holes in the back of his head.

"Xion, you made me look like a total cheater in front of the cashier!"

Roxas and Xion were again waiting in line, this time for something in the food court. Naminé had wandered off, saying that she needed to take care of something. She promised to meet up with them while they ate.

"That's not my fault. I wasn't the one who went along with the whole 'you have a pretty girlfriend' act. You dug yourself into that one." Xion laughed at the expense of her best friend. "By the way, we're sharing a sandwich. My treat."

"It better be. You made me spend all my money just now for your stuff."

"Hey, some of that 'stuff' you paid for is for you. And I didn't make you spend anything. You owed me quite a bit for buying you ice cream after work so many times. Sea-salt ice cream isn't free." Xion crossed her arms as she directed her attention to the menu. "Why don't you go find us a table? I'll get the sandwich."

"Whatever." Roxas stalked off.

He lazily strolled around the food court, passing many empty tables before picking one on the outer edge. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. Amazingly, they had already been at the mall for about an hour. His eyes found Xion ordering their food, pointing at the glass for several ingredients. Behind her, Naminé was staring up at the menu.

Roxas watched the girls like a hawk, hoping to analyze the blonde's relationship with his best friend. Something irked him when he saw them laughing together like they had some sort of inside joke. A growing suspicion filled him. What if Xion was telling Naminé things about him so she could use them against him? That'd be counterproductive to Xion's cause, but he couldn't help but think the two were conspiring against him. He wouldn't accept that the two became instant friends. Surely Naminé was smart enough to notice that Xion was up to something.

Then again, maybe she wasn't. Roxas wasn't one to hold a high opinion of the girl.

When he noticed the girls heading toward him, he quickly looked off in a different direction. He didn't want them to see that he was watching them the whole time.

"I haven't had a sub in a while. I've kinda been craving one," Xion said as she sat on the opposite corner of Roxas. Naminé was forced to sit beside him or in front of him at the four-person table.

She did that on purpose, Roxas noted mentally.

"I always get the same sandwich. Kairi likes to make fun of me for it, but I'm not the exploratory type when it comes to food." Naminé removed the wrapper of her sandwich and began eating.

"Funny. Roxas is the same way." Xion looked at her own sandwich, holding a knife over the near-center of it. "It's a foot-long, but it's not your favorite. How much do you want?" She asked Roxas.

"Just cut it down the middle. I'll eat it."

"Ha! Yeah right. How about a tiny little section for you?" Xion smiled at her best friend.

"Just give me half! Besides, why did you ask if you already determined it yourself?"

"To mess with you, obviously!" Xion laughed loudly as Roxas tried to steal her sandwich. She moved it out of his reach with ease. "Ah, I knew sitting farther from you was a good idea. How does a third sound? Four inches."

"At least five." Roxas haggled.

"Five? Five inches?" Naminé spoke up in between bites. She looked at Roxas and smiled mirthfully. "That's a rather… generous measurement."

Roxas felt his face warm as the girls across from him howled in laughter. "Hey—"

"You're right!" Xion wiped a few tears from her eyes as she made a cut through her sandwich. "That is generous. No way in hell is he—"

"Just give me my food already!" Roxas tore the rest of his portion from Xion's sub, ripping the last bit that hadn't been cut. "You guys don't know anything…"

"Oh great. Here comes the alpha male attitude to compensate." Xion and Naminé shared yet another laugh together. Roxas rolled his eyes. Anything he said at this point would be twisted and used against him, so he quieted himself and ate his food. He had to get them back later.

Roxas listened as the two girls conversed, noticing how easily they got along. And it did annoy him; was Naminé just trying to get Xion on her side? If that was the case, then he would have to deal with his best friend too. Some best friend she was…

He finished before both girls and took it upon himself to steal Xion's drink for himself. He was hoping it would annoy her, but she didn't even seem to notice. She was too engrossed in a conversation regarding school and classes. Who talks about school during the summer?

"You've been eying my sandwich for the past minute or so. Are you trying to tell me you're still hungry?"

"You gave me a third of your sandwich, and I haven't eaten since noon. What do you think?" Roxas said grumpily. Xion rolled her eyes.

"Here. I'm done with mine." Both Roxas and Xion were surprised to hear Naminé offer her own food. "I've got to… use the bathroom or something. Just take it."

"Aww, look Roxas! It's your favorite!" Xion pushed the remaining sub in Roxas's direction after realizing he wasn't going to get it himself.

"I'm not hungry anymore." Roxas looked away with a frown. He knew he was being childish, but he wasn't going to eat Naminé's leftovers.

"Don't be silly. Just eat it. I don't care anymore." Naminé stood up, pulling her purse over her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll be happy to hear there's six inches there."

Roxas glared at Naminé's back as she walked away, ignoring Xion's loud giggles. Why was everyone ripping on him today? The cashier lady, Xion, Naminé… what was it about today that made him the target?

"Well, eat up!" Xion ordered him as she took a bite out of her own food. "I know you want it. It's your favorite sandwich. Sure, there's some extra veggies you don't typically get, but are you really going to pass that up right now?"

"Did you see the way she looked at me? I was like a dog to her. She must think she did something charitable. Here Roxas, you can have the rest of my table scraps." Roxas pouted, but he still ate the sandwich.

Xion giggled, rolling her eyes. "You have an inferiority complex, Roxas. You're coming up with an excuse, an explanation, and a justification for not eating what was just offered to you out of the goodness of her heart. Just eat your sandwich."

Roxas grumbled, but he knew she was right. And since Xion was right, he felt the need to come back with something. "And whose side are you on anyway? Four inches? Oh, that's so hilarious."

"Oh my gosh!" Xion pressed a hand to her chest, trying hard not to laugh. "You're actually insulted!"

"Of course I am! You're acting like it's true and joking along with her! Everyone thinks you've seen it and before you know it, everyone will think it's the truth!"

"Well for one, I have seen it, however accidental it was—"

"Yeah, for like a second!"

"— and I admit I didn't get the chance to study it," Xion continued, leaning forward and lowering her voice, "but who cares? We're joking, Roxas."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that people will believe rumors anyway!"

"You are so insecure! Why is this a big deal?"

"Because I'm not four inches!"

"Well what the hell do you want me to do about it?" Xion raised both her arms and her voice. "Should I announce it to the whole food court? Attention everyone!" Xion stood up and yelled the last bit to the crowd. Roxas immediately reached over the table and held her arm. The crazy bitch was just about to climb onto the table!

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Telling the world that you're not four inches. Isn't that what you want? God forbid two teenage girls joke about your size."

"Xion, just sit down!" Roxas hissed as he sat back down himself. "Fine. Just drop it. Just… next time, don't agree with her. You're my best friend. You can laugh, but really, don't be all 'that's definite generous' and that stuff…"

"Fine. I apologize for damaging your ego." Xion uncrossed her arms and finished her sandwich.

The two friends sat in an awkward silence, something that typically followed an awkward conversation. It was a grudging truce between them, a compromise that neither of them were completely satisfied with. But they were best friends. Best friends don't exactly stay angry at each other for a long time.

Xion cleared her throat after sipping her drink. Roxas, who was in the middle of stuffing the last of his food in his mouth, looked up.

"So… how's the sandwich?"

Naminé knew she had to be quick. Before they reached the food court, Naminé had excused herself from her enemy and her new friend to check a particular store that most men didn't dare to enter.

In truth, the bras here were more expensive, but they were so much more comfortable. Naminé thought she deserved at least comfort.

She returned to the store after eating, already slightly oriented with the selection. Not only did this give her the privacy from awkward onlookers that the department store lacked, but she could shop without worry of anyone finding her. She could also buy something expensive without Roxas looking over her shoulder.

She knew it shouldn't have bothered her, but Naminé felt extremely self-conscious when she had to spend in front of him. Perhaps it was the words he spoke to her on the first day.

Naminé shook the thoughts away from her. Why think about him now? She could buy these without feeling guilty now.

After trying several on, she was confident with her size choice. The blonde walked around the store, picking out several types and designs. With a few in hand, she turned around to head to the register.

"Oh, so that's your size."

"What the f—" Naminé bit her lip to keep from cursing, glaring at the smirking boy who was standing in her way once again. "What the heck are you doing here?"

Roxas smirked down at her, sidestepping out of her path and falling into step behind her. He was tempted to make a "generous" joke, but she did give him half her sandwich. He chose to spare her. "Xion said to find you since we're leaving in a bit."

"And how exactly did you find me?"

"Well I obviously checked a few stores. But then I remembered how you were eying some of the more interesting pieces of lingerie and figured you'd come here. Who knew I'd be right?"

"Psh. Who knew you'd be such a pervert. But I guess that's typical of guys your age."

"H-Hey, I didn't come in here to look at this stuff! I came in here to look for you!" Roxas blushed deeply as he looked around the store, finally noticing what was around him.

"Right. Because Xion couldn't have done it herself. If you're looking for the stuff that's meant to spice things up, then you'll want to head to the back of the store." Naminé pointed a thumb behind her. Why isn't he leaving yet? I have to pay for this stuff!

"I'm not here for the—"

"Excuse me ma'am, could you help my friend here find what he's looking for?"

"It's quite all right." Roxas shook his head and backpedaled away. "I was just leaving." Naminé watched with a satisfied smirk as the boy darted out of the store.

"He's just embarrassed," Naminé explained to the confused employee. She looked down at the undergarments in her hand and fell in line, relieved that she'd be buying them in peace.

She felt great after she left the store. First, she had a feeling she won the battles today. Second, she managed to humiliate Roxas in a lingerie store. And third, she was about to go home and get away from him, hopefully for the remainder of the evening.

Overall, that had to be a good day.

Redeeming Endeavor:

Chapter Data- Total editing time: 438 minutes. Word Count: 5,632.

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