Chapter 17: Magnetism

Ansem didn't spend a lot of time with his daughters— perhaps less than he should have— but he still knew them well enough to know that they were ready to get rid of him.

Based on the way his twins were acting, he concluded that their two-day quality time session was more than ample. Still, he was happy to have spent his break with them. Perhaps it was best: young people had a tendency to forget responsibilities without a parent around to remind them.

But if his daughters were anything like him when he was their age, their tamed charade would disappear as soon as he left the car. Teenagers amused him greatly. Perhaps they forgot that parents were young once. He remembered how independent he wanted to be at that age; how he thought he was carving his own path of rebellion. It felt good to bend the rules, to ignore curfew. It was thrilling to go on late-night joyrides and drink around the pool with friends. If anything, the decade he grew up in was far more unruly than the current one.

His daughters needed to be reminded that they were still young. His ex-wife was the one who suggested he visit their twins, knowing full well that Kairi was up to something.

Admittedly, Naminé surprised him. He didn't expect to see her so… passionate around someone else. He knew that his daughter and Roxas had trouble getting along, but he walked in on something different. Tension was high between them, but it wasn't the same as before. Perhaps he would have to keep a closer eye on them, but Roxas hardly worried him. He could tell he commanded the boy's respect, possibly through sheer intimidation alone. Regardless, whatever was transpiring between the boy and his daughter would probably be good for them both.

As expected, Kairi was a different story. He knew she was hiding something from him as soon as she began talking incessantly about their summer experience. The older twin had a tendency to embellish her stories with many details when she lied. Just as he did in his younger years, Kairi only told her parents the sparse and general occurrences when they asked about her life. Most teenagers did. Perhaps her lying wouldn't be so obvious if she opened up to them more, but such expectations were unrealistic.

It didn't take long for Ansem to realize that Kairi was trying to hide what was just under his nose. He somewhat expected that Kairi held romantic feelings for one of her friends here at the Islands. He just hoped it would be Riku instead of Sora. Riku was such a nice and well-to-do boy.

He liked Sora though, and he knew the young man had no intention of harming his daughter.

Ansem looked at his daughter who was dutifully watching the road as she drove. It seemed she had no intention of telling him of her new relationship. He grinned. It was just like her to think she could hide it.

He trusted his girls. Forcing Kairi's hand would have been great if he meant to polarize her, but he quite enjoyed her affection—even if it undeserved at times. He learned a great deal from failure, and so his daughters would learn from making mistakes. Besides, Kairi inherited his drive and determination. Nothing was going to stop her relationship with Sora unless she wanted it to end. His opinion was irrelevant; any attempt to interfere would only push her to make rash decisions.

"What's so funny?"

Ansem pulled himself from his thoughts. He must have been a bit too transparent. "I was just thinking about the past, is all. This is the first time you've ever driven me to the airport."

"You serious, Dad?" Kairi sent a skeptical look her father's way. "Do all parents do that?"

"Do what?"

"Mark the first time of every little event? This isn't the first time I've driven you, but you make the distinction anyway."

A deep laugh filled the car. "When you have kids of your own, you'll understand." If he and his ex-wife did their job correctly, then Kairi wouldn't even begin to know the feeling for a good ten years or so.

Seemingly satisfied, the more rambunctious twin dropped the subject. Ansem peered into the rearview mirror and chuckled. His other daughter had her focus entirely on a page of her sketchbook, a charcoal pencil held loosely in her right hand. Some things never changed; the book could have easily been attached to her body.

"How do you draw while the car is moving?" he asked out of curiosity.

Naminé didn't even glance up. "You get used to it after a while."

"You haven't discovered any new interests or hobbies recently have you?"

This time he got her to look away from her page. She smiled wryly. "If you're asking if I have a remote interest in medicine, then no. You know I can't stand the sight of blood or dead bodies."

"Depending on where you go after medical school, you might not even have to see many cadavers or blood for that manner." Ansem relented from his daughter's stare. "Or you could pursue a career in an artistic field. You know you'll have my support no matter what you decide to do."

"That's all I ask for."

A silence passed between them before Ansem spoke again. "You know, pharmacy is also a great field to… never mind." He laughed it off. "What are your plans after getting rid of me, if I may ask?"

As expected, each twin expected the other to answer. The lapse of conversation perhaps meant that neither of them wanted to tell him. Eventually, Naminé did. "We'll probably go home and rest a little bit before meeting up with friends."

"I see." Ansem stroked his beard. "Do the boys come over often, by the way? I was surprised to see them over when I arrived."

"Not really. Roxas has work every other day and Sora sleeps in like summer never ends. We only see them when we're at a party at someone else's or when Riku calls us to hang out. They were at the house when you came because we had just gotten home from the sleeping at the beach," answered Kairi.

Ansem hummed in amusement. His daughter was lying again. The boys were probably over more often than she thought he would have liked. "Well, I'm glad to hear you're having fun. Just remember to act responsibly."

The sigh that met his words brought a smile to his face. "Yes, Dad. We know."

Roxas sighed contentedly as he stretched on his bed. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to experience an enjoyable, uninterrupted undie time.

Though it was a few hours from nightfall, Roxas found himself exhausted. A long day of work and a late movie night with Xion apparently made a great formula for all-day fatigue.

It made his private time much sweeter. With the girls' father leaving, Sora stopped bothering him since Kairi would once again step in to fill the time void she so suddenly left behind. He also got his daily dose of Hayner, Olette, and Pence. Having filled his social interaction quota for the day, Roxas wanted nothing more than to laze about in bed for the rest of the day.

The fan above hummed faintly, spinning at its maximum speed. Roxas felt hypnotized by the motion, mostly drawn to the wonderful gusts of air it created. The weather outside was ridiculously hot, allowing him to appreciate the wonderful invention that was air conditioning.

If Roxas needed another excuse to justify his current state— that is, clad in only his boxers— he had one.

Roxas grabbed a pillow and pressed it against his chest, relishing the coolness against his skin. A relieved chuckle slipped through his lips. Perhaps it was strange, but he found cold pillows to be among the little things in life that pleased him greatly. Had it been cold, Roxas would have indulged in another one of life's joys: a warm pile of clean laundry, fresh out of the dryer. The feeling of falling into one of those was nothing short of glorious.

Thinking about the other side of the spectrum only reminded Roxas of how hot it was, so he flipped the pillow and made use of the other side. He already had his system down: with the warm side of the pillow facing the fan, it wouldn't be long before it cooled so he could repeat the process.

Roxas paused. Did he really have so much time to himself that he actually developed a method?

His cell phone rang, clearing the thought from his head and erasing the possible introspection that most likely would have followed. He grabbed his phone and accepted the call without checking.

"Hey," Roxas greeted, swinging and kicking his legs over the side of his bed.

"Are you busy?" The voice belonged to Xion.

Roxas looked down at his body and flipped his pillow over. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Xion answered with a musical inflection. "You wanna go out tonight? Axel and Demyx are in charge of the tables at Spades tonight. VIP access, what what!"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "You know me too well. VIP access is the icing on the cake. Plus, my first experience there was so magical. You wouldn't happen to feel drawn to the place too, would you?"

"Why do I get the feeling that I hit a nerve?"

"That would be your intuition picking up on my scathing sarcasm," Roxas said matter-of-factly.

"You're so full of yourself," Xion giggled. "Sorry for bringing up the bad memory."

"No worries. You can buy me sea-salt ice cream the next time you see me as compensation."

"Yeah, that's not happening." A small shuffle occurred before Xion spoke again. "Since we just got off the topic of that awful night, have you spoken with Naminé at all today?"

Roxas groaned. "No, I haven't. And if you want complete honesty, today has been one of the better ones in a while."

"Aww, but you seem to enjoy the little arguments you have with her."

"To be honest, they're rather exhausting." Roxas lied. He hadn't told her anything following the beach party. Letting her know that he and Naminé were trying to work things out meant that he lost their wager.

Xion snickered. "I suppose you should stick to the texting huh?"

A growl buried itself into the pillow Roxas placed over his face. "That was a one-time thing. And thank you for reminding me that I need to kill my brother."

"First of all, I am one hundred percent sure that you would have continued your text conversation had you not been discovered. Don't deny it. And second, leave your brother alone. He's just doing his job."

"And I am one hundred percent sure that he went above and beyond the call of duty. In my eyes, justice is me beating him senselessly and excessively."

"Technically, you were obligated to talk to Naminé…"

"You're really stretching the terms of our agreement."

"I try," Xion said guiltlessly. "Well, I'm leaving you alone for now. I know you're busy and all, but be ready."

Her words and tone confused him. "What?"

"Bye-bye, Roxas."

A pair of low beeps followed soon after. Roxas dropped his phone off to the side, puzzled by the abrupt end to the conversation. He breathed deeply. Xion had a knack for ruining undie time. If she wasn't physically present and making a ruckus, she was intentionally being weird and attempting to be blind side him.

Still, she was but another one of life's joys. He wasn't a social butterfly like his brother, so perhaps that was the reason why he valued a best friend so greatly. Granted, said best friend was both a well of fun and happiness and a thorn at his side, but that made the friendship all the more genuine. Who wanted a best friend who wasn't a total nuisance every now and then?

Roxas flipped the pillow once more and closed his eyes. He was fine with a best friend who liked to flip the switch every now and then, but the world would be a more enjoyable place if his pillows managed to stay cold when he wanted them to.

Sora flippantly browsed the TV catalog, changing the channel at an impractical speed. He had been unable to contain his excitement since Kairi texted him in the morning and announced that she'd be visiting him as soon as she and Naminé saw their father off.

Since when did text messages have the ability to slow time? Maybe it was just him, but Sora had never seen time move so slowly. It even passed faster at school, a feat that he used to deem impossible. Why did time have to be such a tease?

A light knock at the door snapped Sora out of his reverie and compelled him to sprint to the front door. However, the rush of excitement fizzled as quickly as it appeared when he opened the door.

"Xion?" Sora questioned. It was understood that he was more surprised by her outfit than her appearance. Why would she wear black, full-bodied robe when it was so hot outside?

Before Sora pestered her with more questions, she held a finger to her lips and smiled. Sora soon returned it when she held her other hand in the air and showed him what she was holding.

"One of those days?" he whispered out of caution. It was unnecessary, but the lowered voice made the whole situation feel more covert and important.

A mischievous glint fluttered in Xion's eyes as she nodded silently. She pulled the hood of her outfit over her head, hiding her blue eyes from direct view.

"Good luck." Sora stepped aside, allowing Xion to continue upstairs. Though tempted to follow, Sora returned to the couch and waited with restored patience. His brother was in for quite the surprise.

The sounds alone would do well in killing time.

Roxas was startled out of his dazed pre-nap state when the doorknob to his bedroom shook violently. He would've brushed it off as his imagination if it didn't happen again.

"Sora, leave me alone!" He threw another pillow over his body as a precaution. "I'm serious. Now's not the time!"

The doorknob continued to jiggle until it came to an eerie and abrupt stop. As soon as Roxas began to question whether or not his brother actually left, the lock of his door began to turn.

He froze, inexplicably paralyzed by the horror-movie-worthy event. And, ever so slowly, the doorknob rotated and the air staled with a click. The door seemed to take its time in opening, and in the end it revealed the visitor at the threshold.

Roxas's eyes widened at the sight of the hooded figure, a surge of fear and adrenaline coursed through his veins. He watched as a set of lips curved into a sinister smile, one that only his best friend could pull off.

And then, in proper terrifying fashion, Xion raised her arms out before her and brandished a long hilt from her sleeves.

It was the handle of a double-bladed lightsaber.

Without missing a beat, she turned it quickly in her hand. The toy sword buzzed to life as one of the plastic blade ends stretched outward. Another quick twirl extended the counterpart. Xion transferred the toy sword to her left hand, flicking the light switch off with her right hand.

Roxas suddenly didn't care that he was only wearing his underwear. He only returned the hard gaze he was receiving, though his was most likely laced with traces of fear and excitement.

Xion's words suddenly made sense to him. If only he understood her warning.

Three thoughts occupied Roxas's mind at that moment. The first was that his first lightsaber was hidden underneath his bed. The second was that he didn't remember where he hid his second toy sword. And the third thought, which was undeniably the dominant idea, was that he was totally, majorly, and royally screwed over.

The fan above came to a complete stop.

"Oh shi—"

"Nothing against Dad or anything, but I'm really glad that we're about to see our real friends again." Kairi drove with a huge smile on her face.

Naminé almost felt nauseous. Knowing her sister, she effectively stated she was excited to see Sora again. Heaven forbid they go two days without seeing each other. "I enjoyed our time with Dad."

"I did too. It was fun beating him at golf."

"We started with a bogey handicap, so you didn't really beat him."

"Hey, if you think about it, I did very well!" Kairi cast a sideways glance her sister's way and smirked. "I think you're just mad because you ended up in last place."

"Let's pretend I thought that getting the highest score in golf was the goal."

"I'd rather blame your athletic incompetency," quipped Kairi. She wasn't wrong to do so. To be blunt, her sister's physical ability left much to be desired. Seeking a change of subject, Kairi switched the gears of their conversation. "Did you text Roxas to let him know we were on our way?"

Naminé almost blanched at the suggestion. "No, I thought you texted Sora already."

"I did, but a reminder doesn't hurt. Just call him and let him know we're a couple minutes away."

"You want me to call him?" Naminé asked disbelievingly.

"Or text, whatever. Just let him know. Sora probably forgot by now anyway."

The blonde shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She and Roxas had undoubtedly improved their treatment of one another, but calling him felt weird. She felt strange enough having his phone number. It wasn't like they were friends or something.

Then again, they were supposedly trying to be just that.

Foreign feelings aside, Naminé willed herself to press the call button. To her relief, Roxas didn't answer.

"He didn't pick up," Naminé announced.

Roxas rolled out of the way before the plastic blade made contact with his bare chest. He fell onto the floor hard, but ignored the winded feeling and reached under his bed for his weapon. Just as his saber lit up, Roxas quickly blocked an incoming slice to his neck.

"H-Hold on a second!" the half-naked blond stammered.

"Time's up!" Xion laughed maniacally as she took another swing, missing Roxas's right shoulder by a few centimeters. She watched him dart over to the other side of his room. "You can't run away from me!"

"Can I at least put some clothes on?" Roxas nervously looked around his room. Where was his second sword?

"You wasted that chance." Xion lunged at Roxas again, her blow deflected by Roxas's single lightsaber. The impact sound effect buzzed after a second-long delay.

The blond ran over to his closet door and threw it open. He inwardly cheered when he saw the handle of his second sword. In the most dramatic fashion possible, Roxas took the lightsaber in his left hand and swung it to life, smirking at the sound of his two humming blades. "I was looking for this. Looks like we're even now."

Xion's lips curved into a wry smile. "That's what you think."

With both weapons in hand, Roxas was finally able to take the offensive. Without an ounce of hesitation, the blond ran at his enemy poised to defeat her.

Naminé awkwardly stood off to the side as her sister wrapped her boyfriend in a long and tight hug. It took all her effort to keep quiet. They would be ones to miss each other that much after only a few days.

"How are you, Naminé? Did you enjoy some nice parental quality time?" Sora acknowledged the blonde's existence.

"It was fine. I'm sure Kairi will tell you all about it." She shared a look with her twin. "Is Roxas upstairs?"

"Yup. You should… see what he's up to. I bet he'd love to know that you're here already." Sora had a creepy smile on his face, almost as if he was trying to hide something.

She shrugged it off. He was probably trying to subtly hint that he wanted to be alone with Kairi. If the last time was any indication of what went on in her sister's relationship, Naminé wanted to make sure she was nowhere to be found.

A loud crash froze her in place, followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. Naminé slowly continued up the stairs, wondering what Roxas was doing that would make so much noise. She cautiously approached his slightly ajar door and pushed it open.

The scene before her belonged on the list of things she never would have— or should have— seen Roxas doing. Dressed only in his boxers, Roxas straddled his best friend and pinned her wrists to the floor. He wore a devilish smirk as he spoke, "You. Lose. Again." It wasn't until he finished his taunt did he notice the blonde standing at his doorway in utter shock.

Realization, wide-eyed mortification, and complete horror crossed Roxas's features in quick succession.

"I… I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean t-to interrupt," Naminé stuttered as a blush burned her face.

"Wai—" Roxas reached a hand out, but Naminé slammed the door behind her as she ran. He quickly got off Xion as if to give chase, but he stopped at his door when he realized he wasn't dressed. Embarrassment turned into anger as he turned his gaze on his best friend. "Xion!"

She flinched back from the volume and desperation in his voice. "W-What?"

"Go after her! You have to explain everything!"

"What? Why do I have to?" She pushed herself to her feet.

Roxas threw his drawers open and began digging for clothes. "Because I need to change! You should've let me when I said so!"

"I— fine!" Xion sighed in annoyance. She left the room and hurried downstairs, trying to determine why Roxas was so insistent on offering an explanation. They got caught playing a game. Was that a legitimate reason to freak out?

Xion found Naminé pacing in the kitchen, sketchbook and pencil in hand. Despite the blonde's efforts, she completely failed at trying to look busy. Xion walked into the room, lightly rapping the wall to announce her arrival. "Naminé?"

Naminé looked up before averting her gaze. "Oh! Don't mind me, I'm sorry… I didn't really see anything, so you're fine. Really, you are."

Xion chuckled sympathetically. "Whatever you're thinking, I'm very sure you've got the wrong idea. Roxas and I were just playing a game— a lightsaber fight, I swear," she quickly added for clarification.

Naminé shifted uncomfortably and stared at the floor. "You don't have to explain yourself. I didn't see anything, really—"

"But you did," Xion said curtly. "You saw the uh… aftermath of a duel. Not that they all end like that!" Xion fumbled for the right words. "Roxas and I play this really fun game where one person is the master and the other is the apprentice and see there's this Rule of Two and… I'm not explaining this well at all! I swear it's not as weird as it sounds!"

Naminé smiled apologetically. She felt as if she stumbled upon something shared between the pair of friends. The knowledge of that made her swell with disappointment. "I probably won't understand, will I?"

Xion sighed in defeat. "We just turned something into a little game. It's hard to explain…"

"It's not your fault. I should've knocked first. I mean I heard noises, so I should've assumed he was… busy." Naminé again looked down at her blank page. "I'm making this more awkward than this has to be, aren't I? I didn't mean to screw up your time together."

"No, you aren't! I actually really want Roxas to hang out with you!" Xion walked up to Naminé, stopping at a distance more appropriate for a friendly conversation. "I mean you obviously wanted to see him, right?"

Naminé's eyes widened. "Why do you say that?"

"You wouldn't have come into his room if that wasn't the case. Or am I wrong?"

"I was just going to check up on him since Sora and Kairi were having their moment," Naminé explained.

"Don't let me get in the way then!"

"It's fine, I saw that he was doing quite well anyway."

Xion gulped. Her attempt to steer the conversation fell flat. She hoped to fluster the blonde with her implications, but instead she got smacked with hostility. Was Naminé mad at her?

Part of Xion felt victorious, but the half she wanted to win urged her onward. She could use this. Her mistake didn't have to translate into failure.

"Well you look bored here by yourself. Why don't you come and hang out with us?" she offered.

"I don't think Roxas would—"

"Xion? Naminé?"

The girls turned to find Roxas slowly entering the kitchen. Xion noted the way the two avoided eye contact.

"I was trying to explain that whole thing Naminé saw, but… maybe it would be better coming from you." Xion shuffled out of the room and darted up the stairs.

"So did Xion tell you that we were playing a game?"

"Did you borrow that term from Sora and Kairi?"

"What?" Roxas furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You heard me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You and Xion. You guys obviously have a thing going on."

"What? Are you serious?"

"I should be asking you that. If you wanted to spend time with your girlfriend, then you should have just told me." Naminé crossed her arms.

Wow. I don't even know where to begin with that." Roxas scratched his head angrily. "I think you're really confused."

"Enlighten me then."

"I'm getting the vibe that you're angry at me again and I don't know why."

"I'm angry because you—" Naminé abruptly stopped. "Forget it. Go and continue your game. I'll be down here."

"Naminé!" Roxas followed the blonde into the living room. "There's nothing like that between Xion and me. I know she told you that. Why are you getting mad at me for that?"

"Leave me alone, Roxas. That's not the reason."

"Then what is?" Roxas persisted. He never got an answer. Naminé simply crossed her arms and stared out the window, refusing to even acknowledge his presence. "The silent treatment? Really?"

Naminé didn't react.

"Fine." Roxas turned on his heel and stomped up the stairs. What was her problem? She wasn't even giving him a chance to explain. She was mad at him, but didn't give him an explanation. He tried to be civil, but that only resulted in the silent treatment.

He almost laughed. No matter how hard they tried, they always ended up fighting.

"Judging by that scowl on your face, I take things didn't go well," Xion noted as Roxas entered the room.

"Are you really judging that on my reaction instead of chance?" Roxas grunted as he dropped on the bed.

Xion closed the door and joined him on the bed. She lifted his head so he could rest on her lap. "Are you giving up?"

"I'm just not going to talk to her. She obviously wants nothing to do with me."

Xion smiled softly as she ran her hands through his hair, getting a long sigh out of him. It was her way of helping him relax. He'd need it. She planned on dropping a bomb. "That's where I think you're wrong."

"Where?"

"I think she wants everything to do with you." Xion fought down a smile. "I think she likes you."

Bomb dropped.

"What?" Roxas shot up.

"I think she likes—"

"Why would you even suggest that after what happened?" yelled the blond.

"Because I like watching you freak out. You try to act so cool all the time and when I say that Naminé likes you all hell breaks loose."

"You're a bitch."

"I know." Xion pushed Roxas back onto the bed and sat next to him. She smirked. Apparently that line was a little too early. Thank goodness for safety valve options. "I know you've been hiding something from me. Naminé doesn't exactly walk up to your door to hang out on a whim, and you've never been so concerned about her so much that you'd yell at me to go fix it."

"Sorry," he apologized meekly.

"Do you mind updating me on what's going on?" Xion opened a floodgate. Roxas told her everything that happened, from the drunken night to the car ride to the text conversation. Every little detail surprised her. Roxas actually wanted to be Naminé's friend, or at least reach that level of civility. "So you told her that you thought she was hot?"

"Is that all you got out of this?"

"No, but that certainly stands out. I can't believe you did that." Xion let out a low whistle.

"I really wish I hadn't."

"But it's obvious that I'm on the verge of winning, so I'm motivated now too." She lightly slapped the blond's cheeks. "How are you going to fix this?"

"I don't know. I have to give her space, right?" Roxas's question was met with a harsh slap to the face. "Ow!"

"Are you dumb?"

"Did you just slap me?"

"Are you dumb?"

"No! And you just freakin' slapped me!"

"Have I taught you nothing? That was the whole point of Project Perfect Boyfriend!"

"Project what?"

"Never mind!" Xion quickly covered her tracks. "Girls want guys who chase them and fight for them! Grovel at her feet, Roxas! Grovel at them!"

"I'm getting the feeling I lost you somewhere."

"Ugh, you need to read romance novels." Xion stood and primed herself for lecture. "If you want to find your way into a girl's heart—"

"You are blowing this way out of proportion."

"—then you have to fight for it. You don't give her 'time to think,' Roxas. You chase her!" Xion slammed her hands on Roxas's shoulders.

"So how do you think I should go about doing this? I'm not exactly in the mood to run around and play tag and she isn't either."

"You don't literally chase her," Xion scoffed. "You force her to listen to you, kinda like what you did in the car when you called her hot."

Roxas rolled away from her. "Stop bringing that up!"

"Fine. You get my point though. You either force her to listen or force her to want to talk to you."

Roxas glared at his walls. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to get Namine to listen to him, so that was off the table. How could he make her want to talk to him though? She seemed pretty intent on ignoring him.

His eyes landed on his game system. The case of Portal 2 was still sitting on top of it. As he recalled the time he played the game with her, an idea struck him. "I think I have something."

"What?" Xion tore herself away from her phone after finishing a text. "A good idea, I hope?"

"Yeah. I think I know just the thing to make her talk."

One expression, one look, one second. It was all Naminé needed to discover that Xion liked Roxas.

Naminé picked up on Xion's attempt to manipulate her, and she supposed she had her sister to thank for that. Kairi was, after all, the only girl who could consistently outwit her. Xion wasn't nearly as practiced.

Naminé threw the attempt back at Roxas's best friend and shed some light on the truth. Everyone who suspected Xion was right. Granted, the girl had a way of misleading others.

Not Naminé though. Not only was she a girl too— boys were a bit too dense to notice— but she could scheme with the best of them.

Naminé almost missed Xion's attempt to confuse her too. From that point onward, Naminé felt angry. What was Xion trying to pull? Was she trying to get her to admit something about Roxas?

That wasn't going to happen.

Xion was good, but Naminé was better. She knew a smug face when she saw one. For a second— perhaps shorter— Xion almost seemed happy at Naminé's suggestion that the "best friends" were together.

But no matter how much she thought about it, that wasn't the reason why she was angry.

Her anger was directed at Roxas, and maybe even at Xion. She blamed him for straddling his best friend and playing weird games with her. He had to be an idiot. How did he not realize how Xion felt about him?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Not only did he abruptly end their text conversation yesterday, but she had a feeling it had to do with Xion.

Naminé groaned. There it was again.

It was inexplicable and irrational. Roxas had friends. He had good friends, and Xion happened to be one of them. But why did she have so much trouble accepting that? It annoyed her.

It annoyed her that Roxas and Xion had inside jokes. It annoyed her that they played games together, that they had their own thing for so long, that they—

No. She wasn't annoyed with them. She was angry with herself for being bothered by it.

It didn't make any sense. It shouldn't have bothered her at all.

It was strange. Part of her was rooting for Xion, but the other part found the brunette really annoying. She wanted Xion and Roxas to be together in a sense, but at the same time she found herself disgusted by it. She didn't like how Roxas completely missed the fact that his best friend had feelings for him. She also didn't like how his best friend had feelings for him in the first place. Was she okay with that?

It wasn't supposed to matter, but it did. Why was that the case?

Naminé jumped when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. It was Xion.

"Hey," the brunette greeted. "You okay?"

Naminé forced a smile. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because something just happened between you and Roxas— and I guess me too— so I wanted to know."

Naminé didn't have to fake her expression anymore. At least Xion was direct. "It's nothing. I'm not mad, I promise. I was just… shocked."

"I understand." Xion slipped her shoes on and threw her black coat over her shoulder. The handle of her toy sword was tucked under her arm.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, I… I have to see someone. It's nothing serious though." Xion opened the door. "See you. Tell your sister I said good-bye!"

Naminé watched Xion leave through the window she was sitting next to. Something about the departure felt… staged. Xion was either hiding something about her destination or removing herself from the situation. Naminé didn't have the time to contemplate it since Roxas ambled down the stairs with a tangle of cords and a game system in his arms. Naminé raised a brow. What was he doing?

She watched him silently. Even after he started setting up at the TV, Naminé held onto her suspicion. Not once did he turn around to look at her. She tried to ignore his presence, but she couldn't' focus on the blank page of her sketchbook. It didn't surprise her. She'd been staring at it for the past ten minutes and couldn't find the will to draw.

She discreetly looked up to peek at the TV screen. Roxas was playing the same game he played with her. She watched him for a while, fighting down a smile when the computer voice would say something smart.

Roxas eventually reached a point where he couldn't figure out what to do. Naminé watched intently, her amusement slowly turning into frustration. She bit her lip, tempted to offer a possible solution or make a comment on how he tried certain methods repeatedly when they've proven to fail on a consistent basis. When Roxas tried one method for the umpteenth time, she broke.

"Maybe if you try it again it'll work this time." The words left her mouth before she realized.

Roxas's reaction came delayed. "I can't think of anything else."

"And your current methods are working so well that they're worth repeating, right?" Naminé fought a smile when Roxas turned around to face her.

"Got any bright ideas, genius?"

"I do. Why don't you try shooting the far wall at the top left?"

"This one?"

"The far wall."

"So this one."

"On the left!"

"Where?"

Naminé clenched her jaw. Was he doing this on purpose? "Give me the controller."

"No."

"Seriously?" Naminé placed her sketchbook aside and held out her hand. "I'll do it for you. Give me the controller."

"Since you think you have the solution, why don't you come and get it?" Roxas smirked mischievously.

The blonde huffed before walking over to him. She snatched the controller from his hands and stared at the buttons. "How do I shoot again?"

"I saw that coming," Roxas sighed. He tapped the button Naminé was supposed to press and watched her carry out her suggestion. It seemed to be the first step of the solution, but beyond that point was another impasse. "Ha. Harder than it looks, huh?"

"Like you were doing any better."

"Mind giving me the controller back?"

"No." Naminé held the remote closer to her body. "You gave it up."

Roxas laughed and rolled his eyes. "I gave you the controller so you could try your idea. It didn't work. Time to hand it over."

"You got like, twenty tries or something!" Naminé continued playing, shooting her portals in a random fashion. "I'm not finished yet."

"You can't just take over my game!"

"I just did."

Roxas crossed his arms and slumped, force to watch Naminé play the rest of the level. Every now and then it seemed like she stumbled upon another step, but she oftentimes ruined her momentum with haphazard portal placement. Still, he got her to talk to him again. Even if she did it out of necessity, it was better than her being mad at him.

Watching her play and make funny facial expressions was also entertaining, but he would never say it aloud.

He idly watched the screen until something hit him. "Wait!" The volume of his voice made her jump. "Oops. My bad."

"What?" Naminé ground out.

"Shoot it a little to the right. Right there, yeah." Roxas got on his knees and pointed to the screen. "Now shoot your other one… yeah."

"I was going to try this next." Naminé said nonchalantly.

"Right. I'm sure you were."

"Ha!" Naminé pumped her fist and dropped the controller next to Roxas. "That's how it's done!"

"I helped you!"

"No, I helped you." Naminé giggled, reveling in her feeling of superiority. "You would have been here for an extra twenty minutes had I not saved you."

Roxas smirked. "Well, if you think you're so great, why don't you solve the next one?"

Naminé raised a brow. She debated whether or not she really wanted to take the remote Roxas was holding out to her. She would've denied it if it wasn't for that condescending tone of his.

Challenge accepted.

"Fine. Try not to be too discouraged when you find how much smarter I am."

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Laughing." Kairi walked to Sora's door and cracked it open. "It's real!"

Sora shrugged his bare shoulders. "So is laughing a rare occurrence now?"

"It is when you put Roxas and Naminé together!" Kairi quietly closed the door and leapt onto Sora's bed with him. "What does it mean?"

"That they found a cure or undid the curse?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Sora wrapped his arms around Kairi and pulled her close. "Back to cuddling."

"No. We have to get ready. We're meeting Riku tonight for a movie, remember?" Kairi's actions contradicted her words. Instead of taking her own suggestion, she rested her head on Sora's chest and closed her eyes.

"You know you don't want to go out tonight either." Sora yawned loudly to emphasize his point.

"Not a chance. We're not turning into that couple who disappears and neglects friends." Kairi held herself up at eye level.

"But I like disappearing," Sora said suggestively. His fingers lightly brushed her lower back as he captured her lips. "Let's just stay inside today."

"We can't," Kairi murmured against his lips. She felt herself slipping away. "We have to leave soon."

"In five minutes then."

Kairi inhaled deeply as Sora planted kisses down her neck. Five minutes couldn't hurt. She allowed herself to indulge for the short time.

It wouldn't have been a problem if it didn't turn into forty. Her phone rang, and out of courtesy she had to answer. Sora pouted as Kairi answered with a smile. "Hello?"

"Where the heck are you guys? I've been waiting here for ten minutes already." Riku complained.

Kairi frowned. "I thought we were meeting at eight?"

"Well then why are you still late? It's ten minutes past that!"

Kairi checked her phone and covered her mouth. "You've got to be kidding me." She glared at her boyfriend.

"Time sure flies when you're having fun— ow! Okay, okay! I'm getting ready!"

"Was that Sora? Come on, guys!" Riku growled into the receiver. "You're seriously that horny?"

"We'll meet you in twenty." Kairi hung up and quickly searched for her shirt. "This is your fault! You said five minutes!"

"I got carried away!" Sora whined. "Can you blame me?"

"Flattery isn't going to save you now. And put a shirt on, please!"

"You're the one that took it off," Sora muttered as he searched his closet. He pulled on the first one he could find. "You're not mad at me now, are you?"

Kairi adjusted her shirt and frowned. "No, I'm not. I just wish you'd stop… being addictive, I guess. We have other friends, you know. And since we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, don't you think that's enough time?"

"The rest of our lives?" Sora squeaked.

Kairi smiled devilishly. "I knew that would work. But really. We can't forget about everyone else. How would you like it if Riku and I started dating and you were the one that had to wait?"

"I get it." Sora opened the door to his room and allowed Kairi to lead the way. The couple ambled to the lower level of the house, finding Naminé and Roxas in front of the TV. Sora laughed upon seeing his brother. "Is he sleeping?"

Naminé looked away from the TV screen. Sure enough, the boy at her side had fallen asleep. "Oh. No wonder why he got so quiet."

"You need to move him to a bed, Nam," Kairi advised as she slipped her shoes on. "Sora and I are heading out. Why don't you and Roxas order something to eat?"

"We'll see." The blonde eyed the departing pair. They must've gotten carried away with things. She fought the urge to frown and smiled weakly. "Have fun then."

"We'll be back in a few hours!" Sora closed the door behind them as they left.

Naminé sighed and looked down at Roxas. He was knocked out. It only felt like a few minutes ago that he was helping her advance through a few levels of the game she was playing. Playing the game herself only made her realize how time-consuming gaming actually was. She mentally swore that she'd never buy a system, lest she throw her life away to alternate universes.

A smile formed on her lips when Roxas shifted. The pillow he had been using was now securely wrapped in his arms. His head therefore lay flat against the carpeted floor. Naminé turned the game off and lightly nudged her sleeping companion. She then remembered that he was a deep sleeper, and in turn she gave him a hard shove.

"Hmm?"

"You fell asleep," Naminé informed. "Kairi said that you should go to bed."

Roxas cracked his eyes open before slowly closing them again. "Too far."

"Then you're gonna stay on the floor?"

Roxas made a whining sound before crawling over to the nearest couch. He pulled himself onto it and fell with a huff. "Happy?"

"You're really dramatic." Naminé picked up the pillow he left behind and brought it to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Here." Naminé dropped onto the same sofa where her sketchbook waited. "Go to sleep. You obviously need it."

"I never told you why I wasn't wearing anything earlier, did I?" Roxas mumbled with a yawn.

The sudden change of topic caught Naminé's interest. "Do I even want to hear a reason?"

"I was having undie time," Roxas continued. "Xion interrupted undie time like she always does to overthrow me as master."

"I can't imagine why," Naminé snorted. When she realized what she said, she winced. Part of her was grateful Roxas didn't really comprehend the blow. "I'm guessing undie time is underwear time?"

"Yeah. Underwear time. When I don't feel like changing or putting clothes on after a shower. Undie time." Roxas's head fell limp against the seat cushion, a pillow held tightly against his chest.

Naminé shook her head. Hearing that stripping down to his undergarments was not part of his game with Xion, the blonde felt somewhat relieved. She stared at Roxas. Had he always been so weird? Perhaps weird was the wrong word. He seemed almost… intriguing. Little by little Naminé felt like she was getting closer to seeing who he really was and how he normally acted when he felt like he didn't have to put a front.

Like how he acted when he was alone with Xion.

"You're playing with your best friend's heart and you don't even realize it," she whispered softly.

He looked so relaxed when he slept. His face wasn't contorted in anger, nor was it curled into a condescending look. He looked innocent, even defenseless. Hugging a pillow in such a way made him appear even child-like. All of it was a completely different light.

She looked down at her open sketchbook and pulled it onto her lap. A thought came to her, and she knew what belonged on the blank page in front of her. Pulling her phone out, Naminé stole one lasting glance at the sleeping boy, extracted her favorite pencil from the spiral spine, and began drawing.

A whole week passed in the blink of an eye.

Naminé nervously stared at the steering wheel of her car, curling her fingers around its soft leather handle. Despite her obvious improvements, she couldn't shake the fear of driving alone for the first time.

Every other day, Roxas would come over at some point in the day and go for a few driving lessons. Under his direction, she comfortably drove at night and somehow survived driving through a rainy day akin to a torrential downpour.

It came as a surprise when Roxas told her that she'd have to pick him up from work.

The prospect of the task wouldn't have been as scary if she didn't have to drive alone. If she knew where the place was, then it'd be even easier. She knew she could drive when someone else was in the car. She also knew she was a safe driver when she wasn't simultaneously looking for her destination.

Neither of the two applied today.

The car behind her honked. Naminé jumped, realized the light was green, and quickly drove forward.

The blonde had to admit that she was also a little miffed. It seemed as if Roxas came up with completely ridiculous reasons just so he would have a ride home after work.

"You need to learn how to use street names and develop your sense of natural direction. You can't use landmarks forever, and what happens if you don't realize you're driving in the wrong direction?" he said the previous night.

What was wrong with landmarks? It was the best way of remembering directions. Turn right at the red-roofed building. If she passed the grocery store, she went too far and had to make a U-turn. It simplified everything.

On the topic of U-turns, Naminé executed them rather perfectly. No more curb-bumping for her.

"There it is!" Naminé cheered victoriously upon seeing the indicated building from her printed map. One perfect U-turn later, she turned into the predominantly-vacant lot and pulled into a spot. The maneuver was a lot easier when she didn't have to worry about hitting other cars.

The driving trip was an overall success, passed with flying colors.

Having arrived two minutes early, Naminé sent one text to her sister to let her know that she was alive and another to Roxas to let him know she arrived. She looked up in time to see Xion walking out of the building, a frown etched on her face. Naminé turned off her car and was about to greet the brunette, but it seemed like she had no interest in staying. Xion hopped into her car and drove off.

Slightly concerned, Naminé locked her car and approached the building. Roxas's workplace was apparently an animal hotel that doubled as a shelter. As she opened the door, a bell rang to announce her arrival. She was greeted by a large orange cat. It rubbed itself along her leg, making the blonde giggle. "Hello to you too!" She reached down to pet it.

"Naminé?"

Said girl looked up to see Olette wiping her hands with a paper towel. She rubbed the cat's cheek one more time before standing. "Hi Olette! How are you?"

"I'm great, thank you. I see you met Nomnom."

"Nomnom?" Naminé repeatedly incredulously.

"The cat. Roxas and Hayner thought it'd be an awesome name and it kinda stuck," Olette explained. "But I'm guessing you're not here to adopt or pick up a pet, right?"

"Oh, I'm here to pick up Roxas. I guess in that sense I am picking up an animal," Naminé joked and folded her hands in front of her. "He told me he'd finish around this time."

Confusion turned into realization on Olette's face. "Ah! That explains why Xion left alone. He's just cleaning up a few things right now. You can go back and get him if you want." She pointed to the back room from where she emerged.

"I'll just wait out here if he's coming out soon." Naminé busied herself with the photos on the wall. She'd occasionally stumble on a picture of Roxas. Her easy favorite had Roxas laughing with a whole litter of kittens walking all over him.

It was half-adorable, half-emasculating.

"You made it!"

Naminé turned to see Roxas smiling at her. She was still getting used to the new way of greeting. "Were you expecting otherwise?"

"Of course not. I taught you." Roxas crossed his arms and stared at the wall of photos beside her.

"So do you like kittens or something?" Naminé raised a brow and pointed to a photo of Roxas holding a kitten against his face.

"A little, I guess." He rolled his eyes when Olette snorted behind them. "Ready to go?"

"Ready when— aww! There's a kitten on your head in this one!" Naminé gushed and giggled.

It was the one picture Roxas was hoping she wouldn't spot. "Yeah, we should probably go now." He dragged her out the front by her arm.

"It was so adorable!" She looked over her shoulder. "I want to look at more!"

"No."

Naminé looked at him and found he was blushing. "Ah, is someone embarrassed?" She poked his side, making him yelp in surprise. "Is someone ashamed that his little softie side was exposed?" Naminé cooed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Roxas briskly walked to the passenger's side of Naminé's car and waited for her to unlock the doors.

The driver found it more appropriate to tease him a little further. "You try to act so tough all the time, while all you really wanna do is play with kittens all day! Isn't that cute?"

"Oh forget it! I'll just have Xion get me!" Roxas groaned, reluctantly giving in much to Naminé's satisfaction.

"Is Roxas getting mad at me?" Naminé exaggerated her pout, laughing when Roxas ignored her. Having unlocked the car, she followed Roxas's example and got in. "If there is one thing that will never get old, it's taking advantage of every little opportunity to make you blush."

"I'm not blushing. It's just hot outside." Roxas turned the air conditioning to the highest setting.

"I see. In other news, I recently discovered that I've had these mind reading powers lying dormant within me all along." Naminé pulled out of her parking spot. "That's my way of lying to tell you that I know you're lying, by the way."

"I'm not lying," Roxas insisted. "That's why you're driving to the ice cream parlor."

Naminé stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot. "So I'm your chauffeur now?"

"Yes, but," Roxas spoke slowly, "it's also tradition to get ice cream after work."

"You're such a liar."

"If you don't believe me, go and ask Olette! They all know I get ice cream at least once a week."

Naminé seriously considered doing just that, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. "You better not be lying."

"I'm not! Go down Sunset Avenue, take a right on Paopu Boulevard, and continue south until you reach the parlor." Roxas leaned back into his seat. "This will be good for you too. You need to learn the roads, and there's one more thing I want to make sure you know how to do."

Naminé waited until the road was clear before merging onto it. "I hope you know that since you're making me drive you, you have to pay for my ice cream now."

Roxas frowned before an idea struck. "I'll take that deal on one condition."

"And the condition is?"

"You pass your last test."

Naminé raised a brow. It seemed easy enough. "All right. Bring on the free ice cream."

Redeeming Endeavor: To those of you who added LPA to their favorites or subscription list, I thank you.

Huge thanks goes out to Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, Revenge of the Red Pen, elspoek1, Gumi Harue, Ash09, EnterAbyss2991, li'miss sunshine, Lil Leif, Burai Stelar, Spellbound a.k.a soragirl4ever, Lulu, TwinToshiro, xglitter-gloss, KurukiXV, Happy Reader, Gear001, Versivalia, Muledragon, Ayperi, Brown Eyed Sage, Belt-Fed Rager, Draco Oblivion, 18summer, illusional writter, Aaralynne, typewrite, Handwritten, JacindaWeire, abidethestance, Pili1995, RoxasLuvsCookies, Kutsuri, Music-girls-wings, Caramelized, and namiroku. I loved hearing from you guys!

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 846 minutes. Word Count: 9,057.

Harmless Author Fact #17: My favorite kind of M&Ms were Crispy M&Ms.

Take care, and see you around!