Redeeming Endeavor: Rated T for sexual themes, use of profanity, and illegal consumption of substances of which I do not endorse.
Chapter 15: Action Potential
"I got it, Roxas!"
"Set! Set! Set!"
"Go!"
Roxas leapt as high as his legs would allow, slamming his hand into the volleyball placed perfectly by Sora's set. He watched the ball fly at a steep angle to the corner of the court, barely landing within the lines.
"Yes!" Sora cheered wildly behind the blonde. Before Roxas could do anything else, his brother mauled him, sending the twins into the sand. "We won! We won!"
Roxas grimaced, attempting to free himself from his brother's grasp. "Ugh, get off me! You're so freaking sweaty!"
Sora laughed, hopping to his feet and pulling Roxas up after. He attempted to wipe the sand from his face, but he only worsened his condition when his sandy fingers made contact with his eyelids. "Ah! My face!"
Roxas rolled his eyes as a smile formed on his face. "You're kind of an idiot."
Sora squeezed his eyes shut, laughing at himself. "Do you think you can get Kairi for me?"
"Kairi!" Roxas called out. That was the extent of the aid he gave his brother. He turned to their beaten opponents, not surprised to see both of them exhausted. "You guys all right?"
Ven cracked a smile. "I can stand, so I think I'm all right." The uncanny look-alike turned to his teammate. "Hayner, you planning on getting up anytime soon?"
"Kairi! I need your help!"
Sora attempted to walk toward the water with his eyes closed, but he tripped on a small dune. Everyone ignored his unmanly shriek.
"Give me some time," Roxas's coworker laughed as he lay in the sand. "I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow morning."
"You should have exercised a little more," Roxas chuckled, pulling his friend to his feet. "Or does a five set volleyball match fill your whole summer quota?"
"You got that right," Hayner panted. "Dude, the water is looking really good right now."
Roxas set his sights on the glistening water, becoming more aware of how hot and exhausted he felt. "I was doing just fine until you mentioned it."
"Ack! My eyes! They burn! They burn!"
The blond twin sighed in between labored breaths. "Sora, quit rubbing your eyes."
"But it hurts so much!"
"That's because… ugh," Roxas gave up. He went over to Sora and picked him up, throwing his sandy arm over his shoulders. "Can you please stop being so embarrassing?"
Sora turned his head, his eyes squeezed shut. He grinned. "Sorry, Roxas. I didn't mean to damage your swag."
The blond shook his head, following Ven and Hayner to the water. "I could drop you right now."
"At least take me to the water," Sora said cheekily. As the water lapped at their feet, Sora tore away from his brother and tossed himself into the waves. He stayed underwater for a bit before resurfacing, his face now clear of sand.
"Better?" Roxas fell to his knees, sighing as the cold water washed over him. He shivered in relief.
Slowly opening his eyes, Sora turned around and sat up. "A little."
Roxas laughed at Sora's bloodshot eyes. "You look awful."
"You look tired," Sora shot back.
"We can't all have an unlimited source of energy," Roxas shrugged.
The two of them fell into a silence, smiling as the water rinsed the heat off their bodies. Despite the setting sun, the air still felt dry and hot. Roxas was thankful that the water was cold and relieving. He glanced at his brother, who once again dunked his head below the water's surface. Despite their differences, Roxas felt a sense of pride in knowing that they were siblings. He wasn't dead weight when it came to sports, and his brain certainly made up for his lesser athletic ability, but Sora carried them to victory.
"Hey," Roxas called to his brother. "We make a good team, don't we?"
Sora smiled, bumping Roxas's outstretched fist with his own. "You bet!" He put his weight on his hands, leaning back into the water. "We're pretty much unstoppable."
"How do we excuse losing two of the five sets?" Roxas laughed.
Sora shrugged. "We like to play with our food before we eat it." He laughed along with his brother, unable to maintain his bravado. "Either way, I always knew we were gonna win."
"Yeah, and we won in the end, after all." Roxas shifted his attention to a fast-approaching jet ski a little farther out to sea. "Is that Riku?"
"Has to be. Oh look!" Sora pointed to the ski tube following a couple ways behind. "So that's why Kairi wasn't answering me."
Roxas shielded his eyes from the sun and looked to where Sora was pointing. He saw Xion and Kairi on the tube, holding on tightly as the Riku sped by. A wave sent the tube flying into the air, and it landed with what looked like a hard bounce. Kairi, unable to hang on, flew off the tube like a ragdoll and crashed into the water.
The boys, along with Xion and Riku, broke into a fit of laughter as Kairi resurfaced.
"You okay?" Riku yelled, turning his jet ski around.
"That was awesome!" Kairi laughed. The redhead turned to shore, spotting Roxas and Sora sitting in the water. "Sora! Did you see that?"
"It looked like it hurt!"
"She got shitwrecked," Roxas said at a volume only Sora could hear. "Oh, looks like she's swimming over here."
Sora swam out a bit to meet her, and it was far enough so that Roxas couldn't hear. He turned his attention to Xion, who waved at him from the ski tube. He waved back before Riku led her away. When he returned his gaze back to Sora and Kairi, he immediately looked away. With Sora and Kairi pressed together so closely, he assumed that she displaced her bathing suit underneath the life vest she wore.
Seeing as how Hayner and Ven were having their own conversation, Roxas chose to return to the picnic table. After a final rinse, he crawled out of the water and walked along the wet sand to avoid the hotter surface farther inland. He reached the point parallel to the food site and made his way up. As he approached, the music blaring from the old stereo got louder and louder.
To his surprise, he spotted Naminé sitting on the picnic bench. A red cup sat between her knees as she wrote something down in her sketchbook. She didn't notice his approach until he was only a few feet away.
He couldn't stop a smile from forming on his face, however much he wanted it not to happen.
Naminé was the first to speak. "You and Sora had quite the long game." She didn't bother to look up from her sketchbook.
Roxas snuck a peek. A rough sketch of the sunset filled the page, along with color prompts in the lightly written in the spaces of the major subjects. He looked away, noticing how she closed her book and kept it out of view.
"You were watching?" he asked, resuming the conversation she started.
"I looked over every now and then," She admitted with a shrug. "And every time I did, Sora was making some ridiculous save."
The corners of Roxas's lips tweaked. "Ven and Hayner had some good hits. Plus, Sora had back court most of the time." He didn't know why he felt the need to explain. He also didn't understand why he felt a little hurt that Naminé only noted Sora.
"I don't think he ever gets tired." Naminé laughed to herself. She turned around just as Roxas managed to extract his own cup from a bag. She picked up a permanent marker nearby and handed it to him. "Wait. You're gonna need this. Selphie didn't buy enough cups, so we're marking them with names."
"Oh, thanks." Roxas took the marker and wrote his name along the curvy surface of his cup.
"You're such a show-off." Naminé remarked, a hint of a smile on her face.
"What'd I do?"
"Did you have to use your left hand to write that?"
Roxas froze as an old memory flew back to him. He immediately turned to Naminé, who appeared troubled by her own words. Puzzled but hopeful, Roxas opened his mouth to ask a question. "Hey, do you—"
"I think I'm going to go on a short walk…" Naminé muttered before stalking off.
"Wait!" Roxas attempted to grab Naminé's wrist, but she quickly brought it closer to her body and moved on without another word. Though he really wanted to chase her, Roxas rooted himself where he stood, paralyzed by the shock of her words. He watched her walk at a brisk pace, away from their friends and toward the emptier side of the beach.
Roxas fell onto the picnic bench, empty cup in hand. What were the chances, he thought. Just earlier in the day, he had thought about the very same memory. What were the chances that she, inadvertent as it was, would bring it up as well?
It was apparent to Roxas that he wasn't the only one who remembered their past. She wouldn't have noted his writing hand if she didn't remember. She also called him a show-off, which indicated that she knew he didn't always use left hand for writing. If she knew that much, then she probably— no, had to remember that defining event.
Roxas stared down at his empty cup and frowned.
Before the day ended, he decided that he and Naminé were going to have a long talk.
The sky went dark late in the day, and one by one the stars filled the empty void hanging above. Play Island was far enough from the coastal lights that most of the stars were visible and offered one of the better stargazing experiences, much to Roxas's delight. In addition to that, a few clouds tamed the light of the moon. The stars would be even more visible had Roxas moved farther away from the fire.
But the fire was a necessity. Not only did it light up their party site, but it kept them at a cozy warmth. Though the day had been very hot, nights along the beach cooled considerably in part of the water and sea breeze. There was a constant wind blowing inland, carrying the cool air over the sea to the sandy beaches.
Roxas shivered slightly as he lay in the sand. After the strange debacle with Naminé, he felt the need to isolate himself from everyone else. He picked a spot a good walk away from the picnic table— the location where all of his friends gathered— and stayed there throughout the sunset. He didn't have a problem with any of them, but he needed some time to sort out his thoughts.
It became obvious to him that Naminé was making efforts to avoid him anyway. She returned from her walk not too long after she left, but she refused to acknowledge his presence and instead surrounded herself with other people. And every time he returned to the table to refill his drink, she never even looked in his direction.
"Hey, aren't you hungry at all?"
Roxas lifted his head from the sand and allowed Xion to settle next to him. She dropped a plate on his chest as she dug her feet into the cool sand.
Roxas looked down at the plate, grabbing one of the four slices of pizza stacked on top of each other. "Thanks." He mumbled. He bit into his food and resumed his stargazing.
"Hey, help me find the Big Dipper." Xion nudged as she stared up at the sky.
Roxas took only a second before pointing at a certain area of the sky. "Right there. Follow the stars that make the handle."
Xion searched the sky and smiled when she recognized the famed figure. "Ah, how did I miss it?"
"Inexperience," Roxas said matter-of-factly. "If you go to the very end of the Dipper, you can find Polaris as well. Just go up in a straight line…" Roxas pointed the way to the North Star with pizza slice in hand.
"And there's the Little Dipper." Xion finished, drawing out the figure with her finger. She fell back into the sand next to Roxas. "You'd think I'd get the hang of this after doing it every winter."
Roxas smiled. "Some of us are slow learners."
Xion gave him a playful shove. "I'll have you know that I can pick out Orion's Belt like a pro now."
"You don't say…" Roxas elevated himself onto his elbow, careful to place the plate of pizza on Xion. "Are you telling me you're able to spot what's possibly the most recognizable star arrangement in the sky?"
"Be quiet, you!" Xion grabbed a slice of pizza. "Forgive me for not spending hours of my time staring at lights in the sky that probably no longer exist."
"Touché," Roxas laughed as he chewed on the crust of his first pizza. He returned to his previous position after picking up another pizza.
They lay in silence for a long time, content with staring up at stars and listening to the occasional outburst coming from the party site. Every now and then they would exchange a look or glance, usually because they managed to take an overheard sentence and change the context to something funnier.
Roxas somewhat forgot how much he enjoyed having Xion around. They didn't really have to be doing anything either, but just having her in the vicinity was a comforting notion. Her presence alone seemed to make him a little more cheerful, if not downright happy.
He turned his head, staring directly at his best friend. A calm smile graced her face as her eyes took in the light of the sky. It took her a few moments before she noticed Roxas staring. With a puzzled smile, Xion asked, "What's up?"
Roxas shrugged, returning his gaze to the stars. "Nothing really. I just enjoy moments like these."
Xion moved closer to him so she could lean her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad the presence of your best friend doesn't bother you."
"It never will," Roxas noted quietly. "Xion, have you ever found yourself thinking about something from the past that involves another person and she coincidentally brings it up that same day?"
"Care to explain? That sounds a little confusing." Xion furrowed her brow.
"Say, for example, you were randomly thinking about the very first thing you said to me."
"You mean when I asked if you were left-handed too?"
"Yeah," Roxas nodded. "After thinking about that memory, I bring it up without you ever telling me that it crossed your mind."
"Ah, I see what you mean!" Xion exclaimed. "That's happened to me before."
"Pretty weird when it does, right?"
"Definitely," Xion nodded. "Can I ask why you brought this up?"
Roxas shifted uncomfortably. "It sorta happened to me today when I was talking to Naminé."
"Oh my. You've been spending quite a lot of time with her," Xion remarked slyly.
"Because of you."
"Oh, right," Xion rubbed her cheek in embarrassment. "Forgot about that."
Roxas perked up. "Wait, seriously? Are you telling me that I could've just done what I wanted?"
Xion smirked confidently. "Isn't that what you've been doing anyway?"
A twitch of his lips was all the indication Roxas allowed. "I wouldn't have wasted my time had I known you didn't care."
"I don't think any of it was wasted time. Besides, you're breaking the rules right now anyway," Xion pointed over to where Sora and Kairi were sitting. "I don't see Naminé in the vicinity."
Roxas frowned, resting his head in the sand once again. "It's not my fault. Naminé is the one avoiding me."
Xion stilled, intrigued by Roxas's obvious displeasure with his situation. Perhaps it had something to do with his earlier question. "Why is that? Did you bring up something from the past?"
Roxas looked away. "Not really."
"Then what?"
Though he was clearly uncomfortable, Roxas explained. "Remember when I told you that I didn't remember how Naminé and I started fighting?" He continued after Xion nodded. "I lied."
"I figured that much," His best friend took it in stride. "Why?"
"Because it's embarrassing," Roxas frowned. "You won't understand."
"I won't have a chance to unless you tell me."
The blond sighed, taking the last piece of pizza from the plate that rested on his chest. "We were really young, probably four or five years old. It was the first day of school, and all of us had to say something special about ourselves."
"That's adorable," Xion giggled. She grabbed Roxas's left hand, holding it up against her own. "Let me guess: you told everyone you were ambidextrous?"
"I tried to," Roxas cracked a smile. "I couldn't pronounce the word at the time, so instead everyone thought my name was Andy Dexter."
Xion bit her lip, the thought of a young Roxas amusing her greatly. "Wow, you're adorable."
Roxas blushed. "A-Anyway, after showing everyone what I meant—"
"How'd you do that?"
"By writing my name. Though I'm pretty sure my A's were backwards in both cases."
"Haha! Sorry, go on."
"After that, I went to my seat. At the time, I just knew her as the girl who liked to color," Roxas recalled. "I don't think I need to explain who that girl was."
Xion smiled, pulling up from her position to lean on her elbow. "Paired up right from the start."
"Only to screw up everything," Roxas finished. "Of course, the first… assignment, I guess, was a coloring project. It was going pretty well until I had to switch to my left hand. When I did, I accidentally hit Naminé's arm with my elbow."
Xion smiled sympathetically. "I have a feeling this is going to be a letdown."
"She got really mad at me when I did that and told me I was using the wrong hand," Roxas said quietly. "I told her it was easier when I had to color the other side of the page, but she didn't really care. I got angry at her, so the next time I bumped her, it was on purpose." Roxas shifted in the sand, tucking his hands underneath his head. "It messed up her coloring pretty badly, so naturally she cried."
Noticing how morose Roxas became, Xion opted to keep her opinions to herself.
"I remember how angry I was back then, and it's kind of weird. The way I thought was just… strange. I thought she made fun of me, so I wanted to get her back," Roxas said with a humorless laugh. "I was stupid."
You were young," Xion assured. "As juvenile as the thinking was, it's normal. It's expected."
"I guess, but that was the defining moment." Roxas raised his hands in front of him. "I'd be lying if I said that day had no influence on my writing hand. I think I'm slightly better with my left, but I convinced myself that using that for writing was the wrong hand. Silly, isn't it?"
Xion gently took Roxas's hands and gripped them in her own. "You've always had a problem when it came to forgiving yourself," Xion reminded. "I think you're giving this one event too much credit."
"Too much credit?" Roxas repeated incredulously. "Xion, anyone with eyes and ears would see that Naminé and I can't be within a few feet of each other before starting a fight."
"Not anymore though!" Xion defended. "You can deny it all you want, but I know that you guys have improved. I've been watching. You say that you can't help but fight, but just yesterday I caught you playing games with her. Not only that, but you two are apparently capable of working as a team."
Roxas pressed his lips together stubbornly. "I guess…"
"You know I'm right!"
"That still doesn't change the fact that I can't talk to her without somehow twisting the conversation into an argument or fight of some sort," Roxas said with a hint of exasperation. "I just don't know how to talk to her normally!"
"Do you have to?" Xion asked the question as soon as Roxas finished. "As unusual as your behavior may be around each other, I think you guys found something that works. It's just the way you are. If you guys have conversations filled with backhanded compliments and jabbing insults, then so be it. Heck, we occasionally tease each other too."
"Yeah, but we can have conversations like these!" Roxas scratched his head in frustration. "We pretend to be condescending and tease each other for fun, but when we want to talk about something serious, we can turn that off. With Naminé, I…"
"Do you want to change things with her?" Xion asked bluntly.
"I don't really know what I want," Roxas admitted. "She's just… she's just really confusing."
"To you, perhaps. You wanna know what I think?" Xion asked as she stood on her feet. She didn't wait for his answer before continuing. "I think you want to fix things between the two of you, but you're still in denial. It all comes down to the fact that you two have this sort of chemistry, which unsettles you because you can't bring yourself to believe that it's possible between you two."
"How does that make any sense?"
"Just think about it." Xion held out both of her hands for Roxas to take. "If you ask me, keep changing as you are now. I used to think that you guys could do without all the fighting, but I think it's a part of your strange relationship."
"Don't be ridiculous..." Roxas blushed slightly before taking Xion's hands. He easily stood with her help and wiped the sand that stuck to his body.
"If you come to accept it, I think you'll find that I'm actually being truthful." Grabbing Roxas's arm, Xion began to pull him toward their friends. "Let's go and party now, all right? We've done enough thinking for the night, and now we just need to loosen up and have fun."
Roxas warily eyed the drinks that rested in everyone's hand and groaned. "Yeah, 'cause I can't wait to see everyone drunk in a couple hours."
What Roxas was dreading the whole night finally came to happen only an hour after he joined everyone.
"Oops!"
Roxas flinched, helping Selphie back onto her feet and off his lap. "You okay?" He asked tentatively.
"Pfft, I'm fine! Sorry about that," she said with a giggle.
Roxas smiled weakly as his tipsy friend walked off.
There were few things in the world that made Roxas more uncomfortable than being surrounded by drunken people. He himself didn't drink alcohol, so he often found himself to be the subject of sobriety and witness of embarrassing material. Besides, he didn't quite understand the appeal of getting drunk or consuming the drinks illegally. He had to admit, though: it made him feel out of place at times. He didn't quite understand a lot of the jokes that flew between his inebriated companions, but whatever they whispered unintelligibly through cupped hands, it was downright hilarious.
He always wondered why people chose to drink to the point of losing themselves. Was the hangover in the morning really worth it? He didn't know. He wouldn't know, and he probably never would. But he wasn't one to judge. He knew for a fact his friends weren't the only ones in the world to ignore the rules.
Nevertheless, he felt a twinge of disappointment when he saw Naminé holding a bottle of hard lemonade across the fire. She seemed to be laughing a lot with Aqua and Kairi, leading him to assume that the drink in her hand was not her first.
He didn't take her as someone who drank, but expected her to be more like him. It surprised him, but he didn't allow anyone to notice.
Roxas took a look around the fire, gauging everyone's sobriety. Based on their behavior, he concluded that Selphie and Olette were already drunk, Ven and most of the guys were about to join them, and Sora and Kairi were content with the occasional sip from the same bottle.
On his left, Xion conversed animatedly with Riku. He'd grab a piece of the conversation every now and then, but it seemed to border either total incoherence or an inside joke. Both of them were laughing a lot.
It was pretty annoying.
On his right sat Axel, who was probably as sober as he was. Axel was a guy who could hold his alcohol, and he liked to call it both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it was hard for him to get drunk, but a curse because it was "mad expensive" to get him inebriated when he wanted to be.
He and Axel had quietly come to some sort of understanding as soon as Roxas joined the camp fire. They hadn't said anything to each since the sun was still up, but they knew that no apologies were necessary.
Just beyond Axel were Sora and Kairi. The couple stared deeply into the fire, seemingly mesmerized by the way it danced and flickered. Roxas watched in amusement. Maybe their drink opened a part of their minds and made fire infinitely more interesting. Perhaps they'd have a heart-to-heart with Axel later.
"Are you listening to those two?"
Roxas shifted his attention to his best friend— the one that wasn't flirting with Riku— and looked around the fire. "Which two?"
"Selphie and Olette," Axel said. "I don't think they're aware of how loud they're talking, but for the past couple minutes Olette has been telling Selphie all about her first time with Hayner."
Roxas flicked his gaze to Hayner. The boy had fallen asleep. "Huh. The cat's officially out of the bag."
"And then some," Axel chuckled. "Selphie now knows how clumsy Hayner is in bed. And apparently their first time was a failure."
"I don't think this was meant for our ears," Roxas said before taking a gulp from his water bottle.
"Well I heard it all. Poor guy had no idea what he was doing and couldn't find the right place to—"
"Ugh, Axel!"
"I'm just repeating what I heard."
"Fire!"
Everyone— excluding Axel, Sora, and Kairi— flinched away from the sudden surge of heat. Roxas looked around for the person who stirred up the flames.
It was Naminé.
"Somebody get that girl under control!" Riku joked after the fire subsided. The group laughed, but someone took Riku seriously enough and extracted the bottle of lighter fluid from Naminé's hands.
"My goodness she's hot," Axel observed. He turned to Roxas quickly. "The fire, I mean. Not Naminé."
"Of course you did," Roxas shook his head. He spotted Naminé walking toward Kairi and Sora, a huge smile on her face. The couple, still entranced by the flames, continued to add small branches to feed the fire that flashed with new life. He laughed when she inserted herself between them.
"I think she's a little tipsy," Xion whispered into Roxas's ear. "She's super bubbly right now. Guess she's one of those kinds of drunks."
"Is that rum?" Roxas turned around to face Xion.
"Coconut mixed with cherry soda. Did you even hear what I just said?"
"I did, but your alcohol breath was really distracting," Roxas flinched backward when Xion intentionally sent a breath his way. "Very funny."
"You're welcome to try some," Xion said, holding her cup out to him. "I have no intentions of getting drunk before midnight."
Roxas raised a brow. "So it's free game when the clock strikes twelve?"
"Pretty much!" Xion giggled and took another sip of her drink. "Will you look at those two? They're hammered."
Roxas followed Xion's finger. Sure enough, she was pointing to Olette and Selphie. "Yeah, Axel already pointed them out. Olette divulged some private information and… yeah. Oh no, they're standing up…"
"Excuse me, everyone!" Selphie and Olette stood, inexplicably laughing. "I think it is the perfect time to start a drinking game!" Selphie exclaimed as she held her arms out.
A few murmurs followed.
"Wow, they're totally trashed."
"Someone got shitfaced…"
"They're gonna hate themselves in the morning."
"I'd still tap that."
Roxas blanched. Who the hell said that?
"Listen guys, listen." Olette quieted the group. Roxas noted it was hard to take a droopy-eyed Olette seriously. "Listen. Listen. Guys, listen. Guys. Guys."
"You sound like a broken washing machine!" Selphie doubled over as she burst out laughing.
"What the hell does that mean?" Olette howled before breaking into a fit of giggles. The girls fell to their knees, laughing at their own joke.
"How does any of this make sense?" Roxas facepalmed, hiding his smile from everyone. He might have been the uncool kid for not drinking, but at least he knew he wasn't the one embarrassing himself in front of everyone.
"Who knows?" Xion shrugged. "At least we get a free show."
After a few more minutes of their antics, Selphie and Olette tried to explain a game they had in mind. Thankfully, Aqua and Ven stepped in to put the largely incoherent rules in simple terms.
"All right. So basically, it's 'Never Have I Ever' mixed with 'Bullshit' mixed with 'Truth or Dare.' We're gonna—"
"I need a refill…" Selphie got up to get more alcohol, but Pence and Ven stopped her.
"We're going to go around the circle and say our thing," Aqua continued. "If our experience does not coincide with the person, we drink. The twist is that you can lie. You can lie by making up a fact about yourself, or you can lie by not taking a drink when somebody says something that you've done."
"For example, never have I ever left Destiny Islands," Ven said. "If you have left Destiny Islands before, you drink. If you have and you want to lie, you don't drink. The key is to call someone out for lying. You can call me out if you knew that I lied, or call someone out who hasn't taken a drink. At this point, we have to trust everyone to tell the truth."
Aqua resumed the explanation. "If you're called out for your lie, not only do you have to drink, but the person who called you out is entitled to ask you a truth or dare."
"That's a game that'll get people smashed if I've ever seen one," Axel whispered to Roxas with a snicker.
"This has the potential to start so many fights…" Roxas groaned. If the game revolved around calling people out, he prayed he wasn't someone's target. Perhaps the fact that he was drinking a non-alcoholic beverage would deter people from pointing him out. His drink wasn't really slurring his speech or impairing his judgment.
"So the last one standing is the winner?" Riku asked.
"If we even get that far, yes. There's a lot of us, and something tells me we won't make it to the end of this game." Aqua sent a quick glance leftward where Ven was trying to seat the two party spirits.
"The person who loses first though is the party's beer bitch!" Selphie shouted. "And that person has to fetch and deliver all the refills if someone requests it."
"Just what you need, more beer…" Riku chuckled. "Well, fine. Let's start this thing up. Who's going first?"
Like most of their drinking games, this one started off slow since everyone attempted to remember the rules. The game started with relatively tame facts as people named off boring experiences. Pence, for example, had never seen snow. Much to everyone's surprise, Selphie never had a fake ID (only Riku and Axel drank to that), Ven had never been to Radiant Garden, and Aqua had never been to Disney World.
Everyone forced her to drink with them, if only to drown her sorrows for never visiting the Happiest Place on Earth.
Roxas knew his friends better than that though. These facts were meant to get everyone drinking. Drinking led to a more social crowd. The increased openness meant the drunken spilling of everyone's darkest secrets.
Everyone was a winner. They were all losers too, but drunkenness had a way of keeping that thought at bay.
"Never have I ever learned how to read music," Olette declared. At some point during the game, Pence voluntarily got up to refill Olette's drink with water. She became marginally calmer that way.
"Bull," Naminé countered loudly. Everyone turned to face the giggling blonde. "I know for a fact that Hayner plays guitar. Like hell he wouldn't teach you!"
"Aww shit, Naminé called her out!" Sora covered his mouth in shock, trying to stir up some drama. Apparently a couple sips of his drink brought him back from the world of fire-staring.
Olette shrugged and took a drink of her water. "Damn, I know that would've gotten everyone here…"
"Pfft, I don't know how to read music," Selphie scoffed. "I would've been fine."
"Yeah, but you're already wasted," Ven patted her head before turning to Naminé. "So what will it be?"
"Good question!" Naminé clapped her hands together, a crooked smile on her face. "Olette, truth or dare?"
"Dare me. Let's see what you got!" Olette challenged, much to the delight of everyone around the campfire.
"Fine. I dare you to…" Naminé looked around, making eye contact with everyone as she tried to come up with an idea. She stopped when her eyes landed on Hayner, who was still asleep between Pence and Ven.
"I dare you to teabag Hayner."
"…"
"…"
"… Is she serious?"
"Ahahahaha!" Axel broke the silence with a loud laugh. "Naminé, that is probably the best thing you've said all day!"
Roxas and the group joined in a second later, adding to the laughing cacophony. The sheer ridiculousness of the dare was funny enough, but the fact that it came from Naminé surprised everyone, including Roxas.
He'd never really seen the Naminé currently on display.
Roxas clutched his sides when Olette stood up and stretched, indicating that she was actually going through with the dare. He knew there was no way Olette would actually do such a thing while sober; for once, he was actually glad she was drunk.
As Olette slowly snuck over to her boyfriend, a chorus of groans and snickers filled the space.
"Oh no… no way…"
"Aww hell no, she's actually doing it!"
"I can't watch this…"
"I cannot believe this is happening!"
"This is going to be hilarious."
"Man, I wish I was Hayner right now."
Roxas cocked his head and desperately searched for the person who spoke the last thing he heard. What the hell?
Axel whipped out his phone, quickly turning on the camera. "I have to record this. I just have to."
Roxas shook his head, making sure to stay out of the camera's view. "That's going to be online by tomorrow morning, isn't it?"
Axel held his phone up, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was recording. "Of course! Oh— oh shit, she's—"
Chaos erupted around the fire as Olette tea bagged Hayner not once, not twice, but three times.
She fell into the sand next to Hayner, unable to stand any longer. The crowd roared and howled, laughing wildly. Xion and Riku had fallen onto their backs after witnessing the dare, unable to put together even the simplest of sentences. Kairi had her face stuffed into Sora's chest in disbelief while her boyfriend wiped a few tears that left his eyes. Axel, somehow, had fallen on top of Roxas.
The loud laughter was enough to wake even Hayner, who, in his dazed state, asked Olette what was going on. She patted his head gently and told him to go back to sleep.
When the chaos finally subsided, Roxas sucked in multiple deep breaths in an effort to dispel the cramp in his side. The game resumed, only the facts seemed to take a more daring turn. After Naminé's dare, everyone was in the mood to start getting crazy. Roxas decided that the group had officially reached the threshold of the fun, or the point where people were buzzed enough to do— or say— something stupid.
"Never have I ever…" Kairi paused for dramatic effect, "Never have I ever had a soul!"
"Ooooh!" Axel hopped to his feet, pointing at everyone and laughing maniacally. "Drink, biatch! Drink!" The redheads high-fived, reveling in their soulless moment while everyone shook their heads. Though the two barely knew each other, they were apparently alliance by some bond known only to them.
"Why are we so awesome?" Kairi asked Axel while they returned to their places.
"I ask myself that every time I wake up and begin my day, to be honest," Axel remarked.
Naminé came next. A few people muttered in excitement, hoping Naminé would state something juicy or at least funny. Their expectations were met with slight disappointment.
"Never have I ever kissed a girl," Naminé declared from her spot between Kairi and Sora.
Roxas discreetly sipped his water when the other guys drank. Just when he thought he got away with his lie, he made the mistake of meeting Kairi's eyes.
Damn it.
Kairi pointed directly at Roxas with a cruel smile on her face. "That's a load of crap if I've ever seen one."
Everyone— save for Naminé, Roxas noted— cheered when Kairi called him out. Roxas quickly tried to come up with a lie or at least pursue one, but he knew it was futile. He could have made up some story about how he kissed someone when he was younger, but Kairi wouldn't have any of it.
Roxas resorted to whatever he had left. "It's kind of pointless to call me out, Kairi. It's not like drinking this is gonna make me crazier."
"I'm glad you made the distinction, Roxas," Kairi said as she clapped her hands together, "but 'kind of'' is different from 'not' isn't it?"
The way Kairi looked at that moment personified everything evil in the world. Roxas wrote himself a little reminder to warn Sora that his girlfriend might be a vessel for demons to walk the earth.
Soulless bodies were probably ideal anyway.
The dreaded question dripped sweetly from the redhead's lips. "What will it be, Roxas? Truth or dare?"
The blond gulped. There was absolutely no way he would pick dare. He caught wind of Kairi's thoughts regarding his relationship with Naminé, and everything he came up with that Kairi could possibly use had to do with his antithesis. And if Kairi thought that Roxas was crushing on Naminé— and he certainly wasn't— then she would definitely exploit that.
Truth was safer. The most Kairi could get out of that was the fact that he thought Naminé was probably the prettiest girl he had ever encountered. Revealing that to everyone would definitely be embarrassing, but he knew everyone would agree.
No! No, it would be embarrassing because everyone would know that he found her physically attractive despite how embattled they were. Roxas's mind slowed. If everyone knew that, then chances were that they'd jump on Kairi's bandwagon.
But that was a chance Roxas was willing to take. The alternative was a more embarrassing and damaging dare.
His solution was simple. "Truth," he said confidently. A few people groaned about the sober kid, but Roxas went about formulating his answer in his mind. He simultaneously steeled himself for the inevitable.
Kairi thought for a moment before asking her question. "Let's say I spiked your drink so you wouldn't remember what happened for the rest of tonight when you woke up tomorrow morning. Who would you rather wake up next to, Xion or Naminé, and why?"
It took all of Roxas's efforts to not gape and ask if she was serious.
Whatever possessed Kairi a moment ago had apparently left her body. That was her question? Sweet mercy! In his mind, Roxas was leaping for joy. He thanked whatever force out there helped him out before returning to the moment. It was probably the easiest question of his life. He didn't even have to think about it.
"Well that's easy," Roxas chuckled. Though unable to ignore the gleaming cerulean eyes staring from his periphery, Roxas looked directly at Kairi and answered. "I'd rather wake up with Xion. For one, we're best friends. Two, if it was Xion, then I know automatically that I didn't do anything weird or sexual or—"
Roxas paused. The gravity of his words hit him with the force of a thousand stampeding elephants.
"Wait—"
Too late.
His answer was eaten up by his friends like a horde of hungry hyenas. Every time Roxas tried to speak, his words were drowned by howls of laughter and screaming jokes. Axel went so far as to cradle Naminé in his arms and hide her from Roxas's view, declaring that he would protect her with his life. The temperature seemed to increase proportionally with the volume, and pretty soon Roxas found himself feeling extremely hot, embarrassed, and exposed.
"I can't believe you said that!" Xion pressed her forehead into Roxas's shoulder, her body seemingly vibrating from her giggle fit. "And poor Naminé!"
"K-Kairi tricked me!" Roxas crossed his arms stubbornly. He was sure his face was reddened.
"Yeah, a buzzed Kairi tricked a completely sober Roxas into thinking that 'spiked' meant 'turned into a rowdy sex beast' and that whoever you woke up with told you a lot about your previous night. Somebody thought about that one long and hard, huh? That's quite the imagination you got there." Xion nudged Roxas with her elbow.
"I didn't think about it at all!" Roxas groaned, hiding his face in his arms. "And of course nobody waits for my explanation!"
"Oh, you explained yourself all right." Axel dropped a heavy hand on Roxas's shoulder. "Now I see why you don't drink. You'd turn into a total sex fiend and hound after Naminé," Axel teased with a snicker.
"I guess underneath all those inhibitions, there's a darker side just begging for release," Xion joked, laughing at her awful pun.
"You guys are all assholes." Looking everywhere that didn't put Naminé in his line of sight, Roxas prayed that the group would get over his answer soon. A flood of regret filled him as he berated himself for answering without thinking. He apparently underestimated Kairi's craftiness. His brother's girlfriend was far more potent than she let on, and perhaps more dangerous while under the influence of liquor.
For a moment, he hoped that misfortune would fall upon Kairi, but took it back after a few seconds. It was his fault for not taking her seriously enough, and he promised himself not to let it happen again. Instead, a few revenge schemes lined up in his head. Kairi won a battle with embarrassing ease. He'd have to return the favor someday.
Though he looked directly at Kairi, Roxas couldn't help but succumb to a pull of his gaze. Catching a glimpse of her white dress, Roxas locked his eyes onto Naminé's form. A daring glance upward made his heart jump in shock.
Time seemed to slow as Naminé smirked, her smile all kinds of alluring. Roxas stared back. To his surprise, Naminé giggled behind a hand and flashed him a wink.
He immediately turned away.
If his mind wasn't jumbled before, it was now. Why did she wink at him? What did it mean, if anything? Roxas's head spun at a dizzying pace, unable to comprehend the simple act. But most of all, Roxas found himself deeply bothered by his reaction.
Naminé had an excuse— alcohol— to explain her actions. On the other hand, Roxas hadn't even taken a sip of the substance all night. Why was he the one feeling all weird and unsettled?
As predicted, the game collapsed long before it could finish.
Not that Kairi minded. If she drank any more, she would probably be in the same state as half her friends. It was a sound decision to stop drinking at the point between sobriety and total delirium.
She and Sora took a quiet leave and separated themselves from the rest of the chattering group. Kairi normally didn't mind being around their friends, but alone time with Sora was scarce. Plus, a few of their friends— her sister included— found it to their liking to insert themselves right in the middle of a private conversation or moment, so Kairi and Sora did what any smart couple would do.
The couple strolled along the long beach, the waves lapping at their ankles and erasing their footprints. Occasionally, a strong gust of wind would blow past, allowing the pair to walk even closer together. Hand in hand, Kairi and Sora continued on their path away from the campfire and toward a more private sanctuary.
The search for the entrance was methodical, and it didn't take long for them to find their secret pass. After a quick look around, Kairi followed Sora into a familiar and small cavern.
Kairi was grateful that Sora thought to bring one of the lanterns. She raised her hands before her to test her sight, but nothing was visible in the thick darkness. If not for Sora's presence a few steps ahead of her, fear would have quickly made its way into her system.
"I'm turning the lantern on, okay?" Sora's quiet voice echoed off the walls.
"Go for it." The darkness wasn't exactly a necessity in Kairi's book.
The dim glow of the lantern filled the cave with light, coloring the walls and vegetation that surrounded them. Little by little, Sora increased the intensity of the light until it reached its maximum output. The light reached nearly every facet of the cave, save for the farthest corners.
"When was the last time we were here? Spring break?" Kairi asked. The redhead ran her hand against the cold stone walls where they had drawn the silliest of illustrations.
"Yup. Riku came with us that time. I'm pretty sure we marked something new…" Sora bent down and observed a lower area of the wall. "Here it is!"
Kairi walked over to where Sora was crouching and placed her hands on his shoulders. "What is that?"
"I think it's supposed to be a…" Sora tilted his head in an effort to make sense of the drawing, "… you know, I have no idea. But we wrote the date here, and that's all that matters!"
"To think your drawings would get worse with time." Kairi giggled, taking another walk around the cave.
A moment of silence passed before either of them spoke. "So you've never forgotten a kiss, huh?"
Kairi raised a brow at Sora's skeptical tone, but smiled nonetheless. "Nope, not even once. Not even drunk ones." She turned away from him. "That was meant to get you to drink, what with all the girls that you've made out with."
Sora groaned, slapping his forehead with a hand. "I didn't make out with a bunch of girls, Kairi. They were quick kisses that I had to do." Slightly offended that Kairi would think so lowly of him, he continued. "Besides, you can't make that claim anyway."
"What claim?"
"You can't claim that you have never forgotten a kiss," Sora said. "You did forget a kiss, Kairi. But you wouldn't know that if you forgot that it happened, right? How can you say you've never forgotten something that you never remembered anyway?"
Confused, Kairi turned back to Sora. "Um, what? Isn't that the whole point of forgetting? Not remembering?"
"That's my point. You claimed to remember every kiss, but you can't because you can't remember the ones you've forgotten. To you, the kiss never happened. But to someone who remembers, the reality is that you forgot. What if I claimed that I never forgot how to spell a word I've seen at least once? Like the word 'sophisticated.'
"You point out one day that I spelled it incorrectly. I say that it's fine, because I say I've never encountered it before. But, you know for a fact that I have encountered the word before. You tell me that. My reality says that I never forgot how to spell something I've seen. Yours says that I've forgotten that I've encountered the word, and thus I do forget how to spell words I've seen. Get it?"
Kairi blinked, astonished by the amount of thought Sora poured on her. "So apparently alcohol turns you into a philosopher."
Sora shrugged with a chuckle. "Maybe I should carry a flask of whiskey in school to improve my test scores."
"I see your point. Good job." Kairi folded her hands behind her back and smiled. "But there's a second point in there. Why bring it up? Are you saying that I have forgotten a kiss?"
"Yup," Sora nodded. "Our first kiss."
Now Kairi was really confused. Did Sora remember that drunken night too? "When was this first kiss, exactly?"
"Think about it. I brought it up earlier today. The whole thing about our first meeting?" Sora attempted to lead Kairi through the memory.
So it wasn't the drunk one. "We were really young, and it was before school started too," Kairi recalled. "Riku was there too."
"Yup. Riku was the one to tell me to talk to you and ask you to be our friend." Sora walked closer to Kairi as if to simulate their childhood. "Don't you remember, Kairi? You were my first girl friend, after all."
Kairi's face went blank before her eyes widened. She quickly looked up at Sora, realization dawning on her.
She hit him hard on his chest.
"Ow!" He rubbed the spot where she punched him. "What was that for?"
"What was that for?" She repeated with a gape. "We had just met and you already kissed me! Haven't you heard of pacing?"
Sora stared, smiled, and then broke out laughing. The pain and the coming bruise were already forgotten. "Haha! You remember!"
"I can't believe you did that!" Kairi pointed an accusing finger at Sora.
"Riku tricked me! He said that boys are supposed to kiss their girlfriends— I swear I didn't get what he meant at the time— and since you agreed to be my friend, I just did what I was supposed to do!" Sora explained quickly.
"I can't believe this! You've always been a gigolo!" Kairi laughed as she dodged Sora's arms. "If I remembered, I would have seen this coming!"
"Oh stop it!" Seizing his opportunity, Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi and locked her in place. "I'm not a whore, Kairi."
"Could have fooled me." Kairi turned around in Sora's arms and cupped his face in her hands. "I think I made myself forget that moment. I didn't want to believe that I had cooties."
"You'd rather not have cooties than remember the day we met." Sora feigned disappointment, loosening his hold until his arms fell around her waist. "I see you have your priorities straight."
"I do now, so thanks for reminding me." Kairi pulled away slightly, taking in every feature of her best friend— no, boyfriend— in that fleeting moment. Had he always been that much taller than her? "Back then you had an infectious disease. Now, you're…" Kairi stopped herself, deciding that her words would be embarrassing.
Sora, however, was attentive enough to notice. "I'm what?" He asked teasingly, a sly grin curving his lips.
Kairi inwardly groaned. Did she have to say it? Probably. She was going to. Besides, Sora was her boyfriend. Better to say it in the confines of their privacy.
"Now, you're just really really hot and irresistibly kissable," Kairi admitted with a red face.
"How about a reintroduction then?" Sora's voice fell into a whisper as he leaned forward.
Kairi just about melted on her feet. If it wasn't for Sora holding her so closely to him, she was sure her legs would have given out.
After sending tremors of pleasure coursing through her body, Kairi felt numb in every area that wasn't somehow in contact with Sora's. It was if her senses homed in on the physical contact and focused on the sensations of her hands, lips, and lower back. His face felt warm beneath her fingertips. His hands, which pressed so strongly against her back that she lost her sense of self against him, set her nerves on fire.
And his lips. Each tiny movement and small adjustment sent shivers down her spine. Kairi was sure her mind blanked. She felt like she was being read perfectly, like an open book, and Sora merely acted on every one of her desires. His lips moved so perfectly, balanced between a lustful hunger and a restrained gentleness.
Kairi forced herself to part from him and breathed in the cool air with heavy breaths. With her forehead pressed against his, Kairi could feel the bursts of Sora's warm breath, stained slightly with the smell of alcohol, against her lips. Her hands slowly traveled from his face to his neck, and then down each of his arms. She was surprised to find his skin covered in goose bumps, the result of his hair standing on end. A surprising sense of pride filled her. Had she done that to him?
"W-We should probably head back soon," Sora said shakily. He slowly unwound his arms and returned them to his sides, but lightly kept a grasp on Kairi's hands with his fingers.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea."
Awkwardly, Sora and Kairi knelt on the ground to pick up the lantern. Both of them stopped when the other reached for the handle.
Kairi dared to look into Sora's eyes at that moment. His gaze, normally a piercing blue, was glazed over with a new and powerful feeling. She recognized it. It was probably similar to the way she was staring at him too.
Lust.
Her gaze temporarily flicked over to Sora's hand, which rested on the handle of their light source. She was about to reach out and take his hand when it dropped to the small knob at the base.
Kairi met his eyes again, and she was sure they were thinking the exact same thing.
"I don't want to leave yet."
Kairi wasn't sure who vocalized the thought. It didn't matter. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to indulge her feelings and satiate her desires.
As the light dimmed into total darkness, Kairi closed her eyes and fell back, embracing the warmth of Sora's body as his lips found hers once again.
Roxas sat upon the bent palm, away from all the drunkenly dancing folks around the loud camp fire. After the game collapsed, Roxas quickly escaped to solitude, detouring only for a refill. No one had noticed he left, a fact that relieved him when someone loudly asked where "the sober kid" went. His presence was soon forgotten when somebody cranked up the stereo and brought it by the fire.
He wouldn't have minded if Xion came by, but she disappeared with Riku, Kairi, and his brother. He wondered for a moment if they stuck together, but Sora and Kairi didn't seem drunk enough— in other words, patient enough— to deal with Xion and Riku. The latter pair participated in the drinking contest that accounted for the collapse of the game. Needless to say, it wasn't long before the increased consumption of alcohol took effect.
Had he not been there, Xion would've followed Riku to watch him pee.
Roxas found it funny that alcohol had a way of stealing one's bladder control. It seemed that once someone had to use the bathroom once, they were doomed to repeat the act every half hour or so. When he thought about it, Roxas kind of felt bad for the girls. Where did they take care of their business?
Before the disgust settled in, the sound of someone's approach reached his ears. The blond turned around, spotting a lone figure walking away from the upper level of the shack. Stepping into the moonlight, the person quickly formed into a recognizable face.
"Hey there," Naminé greeted with a bubbly smile. She approached Roxas at a slow but steady pace, stopping at the base of the palm.
"H-Hi," Roxas responded lamely. He realized he had no idea how to react to a tipsy Naminé.
"What's your deal? You've been acting all weird today."
"No I haven't," Roxas said defensively. If anything, she was the one acting weird.
"Listen…" Naminé began walking up the bent tree, balancing with each careful step forward. "If this has anything to do with the fact that you think I'm hot—"
Roxas's face reddened considerably. "I—"
"Just listen! If it has anything to do with that, get over it. Everyone, including me, already knows. Am I letting it affect me? Of course not."
"You're drunk. Of course you're not letting it affect you," Roxas said pointedly.
"I'm not drunk!" Naminé held her arms out, "I'm just buzzed. Maybe a little tipsy, but I'm not drunk. I'll prove it by saying the alphabet backwards. Do you want me to do that?"
"Please don't." Roxas frowned and hopped off the tree when Naminé kept walking. "You're going to fall."
"Not if you stay still."
Roxas didn't understand her words until she pressed her hand onto his head, using him to keep her balance. "You're definitely drunk."
"And you need to lighten up!" Naminé hopped off the tree, landing right in front of him. She poked him hard on the chest. "I have an excuse for acting weird. You, sober kid, have none."
"So you're aware of how strange you're acting?"
"Completely. But I'm okay with it. I don't care if you want to push me away or make fun of me or whatever. I'm feeling way too awesome to care."
Roxas found that he was able to grin. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Damn straight."
"You're going to regret this come tomorrow morning."
Naminé giggled, walking to the base of the palm once again. "Not my problem— at least, not right now. My future self can deal with that on her own."
Roxas shook his head, laughing at Naminé's antics. It couldn't have been any clearer to him. She was drunk. Even if she didn't think so, she was drunk.
He watched her for a while, allowing her to use him as a safety net. Every time she reached the end, she would hop off and restart. The process repeated until he asked her a question.
"You remember our first meeting, don't you?" Roxas watched her closely.
"I do, Andy Dexter." Naminé giggled. "You were so mean back then. As mean as you are now."
"You were mean too." Roxas crossed his arms indignantly.
Naminé stared at him for a while until he grew uncomfortable. "I guess I was jealous that you could use both hands to color," She finally said. "Drawing and coloring was a big deal to me. I wanted to be the best. Then you show up with your ability to color with both hands."
"You were still better than me."
"But you were able to do something I couldn't when it came to coloring." Naminé bent down, falling into a sitting position on the trunk. "And then you hit my arm after I told you that you were using the wrong hand. That ruined my drawing."
"I know," Roxas said quietly. An uncomfortable gap of silence prodded its way into their conversation. "It was the only time I ever made you cry, you know. At least, the only time I made you cry over something I did to you."
"I know." Naminé smiled solemnly. "It was also the first and last time you ever messed with my art work."
"You noticed."
Naminé nodded. "If it matters anymore, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I actually think it's really cool to be ambidextrous."
Roxas smiled. "And I'm sorry for ruining your drawing, not that I expect it will change anything."
"Apology accepted," Naminé said with a giggle. "And no, it won't change a thing between us."
Roxas frowned. "I'll take it."
"It doesn't have to," Naminé clarified. "We've gotten by for years the way we did. If I wasn't so buzzed, I highly doubt we'd be having this conversation right now."
"You mean if you weren't so drunk?"
"I am not drunk! I just balanced on a tree! That's proof right there!"
"Yes, because a totally sober Naminé just starts to walk up trees like it's no one's business."
Naminé pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Hmm. Point taken."
"So you admit that you're drunk?" Roxas smirked.
"Nope!" Naminé shook her head vigorously. "I'm not!"
"Then why don't we place a bet?" Roxas asked. "Loser cooks breakfast for the winner tomorrow morning."
"Sounds like you're really trying hard to get me to cook for you."
"Don't flatter yourself," Roxas said with a grin. "I just find it funny that you're here, but there's no kitchen in sight."
"That is getting so old!" Naminé groaned, fueling Roxas's laughter. "Whatever. I accept the terms as long as you admit something."
"What might that be?"
"Admit that this is fun." Naminé motioned with her finger, alternating between pointing at herself and Roxas. "Admit it. You find it fun when we fight like this. Not when we're really tearing each other apart, but when we're teasing."
Though taken aback, Roxas only needed a moment to come to terms with what Naminé was saying. And what Naminé was saying wasn't entirely wrong. Behind all the denial, he did enjoy his conversations with Naminé, however strange and confrontational they were. "Fine. I admit it. I think talking with you is kinda fun. Happy?"
Instead of an answer, Naminé jogged away. "Eww! What, do you like me or something?"
"W-What? Where did you get that?" Roxas quickly reverted to the defensive.
"You find me attractive, and now you just admitted you liked talking to me!"
"Well I take everything back! Talking with you is the worst!"
"Nope! There's no takesies backsies!"
"Takesies backsies?" Roxas repeated incredulously. It was only then that he realized Naminé was making fun of him. It disturbed him greatly that she was willing to use his opinion of her physical attractiveness against him. Great.
"I accept the bet!" Naminé declared as she walked away. "I'm warning my future self to keep an eye out on you too."
The sober of the two rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you do that."
"Oh, and another secret!" Naminé ran back to the palm where Roxas was standing.
Just when he thought she was going to stop, she kept going and crashed into him.
Roxas stood rigidly still as Naminé hugged him.
"W-What are you—" Before the question completed, she parted from him.
Holding a finger to her smile, Naminé whispered, "Don't tell my future sober self I said this, but she thinks you're kinda cute."
The only action available to Roxas at the moment was to gape in complete shock. Naminé, on the other hand, ran off giggling.
"Be prepared to make breakfast tomorrow!" She sang as she left.
Roxas released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Naminé left his line of sight. Only after a few gasps of air did he realize his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
If Naminé proved to be drunk, he'd be the winner. He wouldn't be the one cooking in the morning in that case. There was no way Naminé was fully aware of her actions, was there?
But as he thought about the most recent event, Roxas couldn't help but hope that he'd be the loser tomorrow. The implication that she was more sober than drunk when she said that made Roxas feel very funny.
And as foreign as it was, he had to admit that he liked it.
Redeeming Endeavor:
Chapter Data: Word Count- 10,682. Total Editing Time- 826 minutes.
Harmless Author Fact #15: I played the clarinet for eight years, four of which were throughout high school. I wasn't that great, but I admit that I was a band kid in high school. Those band trips for competitions were the most fun I've had in high school anyway.
Thanks to everyone who recently added this story to either the alerts or favorites list! I'm always delighted to see so many people finding this story.
Huge thanks to the reviewers (I believe there were around 49 of you!) for giving me some input! zestycrouton, Emorii, elspoek1, overreactiveteenagemindsxo, Brown Eyed Sage, RoxasLuvsCookies, Burai Stelar, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Shan, BruHaeven, Aaralynne, li'miss sunshine, TwinToshiro, Morgead'sgirl, Fyrrian, abidethestance, Milly22, Allied Forces, Gear001, KurukiXV, Ash09, Revenge of the Red Pen, Stonekipsta, TheWitchNamine, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, SavoringHappiness, Zoe the Hunter, mimee67, Gumi Harue, Roxa-XIII, Hegodart, Ayperi, EnterAbyss2991, Muledragon, Max927, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, Lupus7, Halolink109, loveit, Haleybird, eion sairy, Verethragnan, Happy Reader, Draco Oblivion, A fan, IvoryBelles, Happy B-day, Owned 4123, and The Demon of the ink, this one's for you!
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