Chapter 18: The Pull

Kairi stretched her arms above her head and sighed in delight, soaking up the sun's warm rays. "Isn't this nice, Sora?"

Sora cracked one eye open. "Hmm?"

"This. You, me, and Riku hanging out just like the old days."

"Yeah, it is."

"You know, honestly I've been feeling like all we do is make out now. Not that it isn't fun, but it's nice to be around our other friends."

"Guys, I'm really happy for you and all, but you seriously need to work on including your other friends in the conversation," Riku interrupted.

"Sorry," apologized Sora on behalf of himself and his giggling girlfriend.

The trio of teens lay comfortably on their separate rafts, lazily floating about in Riku's backyard pool. It was Kairi's brilliant idea to spend the day together. Their morning began bright and early with a fishing trip at sea, which provided the boys an opportunity to settle their fish competition once and for all. Coming off a close victory, Riku then invited his friends to his house for lunch.

It was the kind of summer day they dreamed about in school. None of them had any obligation that day and had the complete freedom to do as they pleased. Feeling particularly rebellious, the trio went so far as to jump in Riku's pool before right after eating.

If the lounging didn't make them feel like badasses, then the blatant disregard for a rule enforced by their parents certainly did.

"Riku, your phone is ringing," Kairi informed as she turned herself over.

Riku paddled over to the edge of the pool to retrieve it. After a very quick conversation he hung up and pushed off the wall. "That was Xion. She's coming over."

"Oh? Does she come over often?" Kairi asked slyly.

"Not as often as Sora at your place," Riku shot back.

Kairi splashed Sora for laughing at his best friend's joke. "So why is she coming over now?" she asked Riku.

"She went to pick Roxas up from work, but he told her he didn't need a ride since your sister was coming to get him."

"Whoa, did I hear that right?" Sora added himself to the conversation. "Naminé was picking up Roxas?"

"What's wrong with that? Isn't she supposed to be around Roxas when we're together?" Kairi asked as she ran her hands through the water.

No longer needing an excuse to spend excessive amounts of time with Kairi, Sora had no problem sharing the minor detail he left out. "She technically doesn't have to when he's working."

"Wait, you guys know about the bet?" Riku asked nervously. "How much did Xion tell you?"

"You mean you know too?" Kairi questioned with genuine surprise. "How?"

"Okay, hold on!" Sora sat up in his raft and floated between his friends. "We're pooling our information. Right now."

"Ha! Pooling. Nice one, Sora."

"Wow, I didn't even try!"

"As much as I love Sora's puns too, Riku," Kairi quickly interrupted, "I think we should all talk before Xion arrives. Sound good?"

Riku coughed. "Right. Sounds like a plan."

The trio quickly filled in the gaps of their knowledge. Most of their information was known to both parties, and it was more a matter of how each came to know about the bet rather than what each of them knew. The conversation quickly devolved into a discussion about Roxas and Naminé, then to a discussion about Naminé herself, and finally settling on a critical analysis on Kairi's relationship with her sister.

Kairi found herself saddened as the conversation progressed. It seemed as if her best friends always knew something about her twin sister that she had not, a feat she had never encountered before. Sora and Riku weren't exactly Naminé's closest friends, but they seemed to hear certain details that eluded her.

"You okay, Kairi?"

She looked up to see Sora paddling toward her, a worried look on his face. Riku's vacant raft floated behind him. "No, I was just thinking."

"What about?"

"My sister," Kairi admitted. "I was just wondering why she doesn't talk to me like she used to. Do I look like I'm judging you when you talk to me?"

"Um, no. You don't."

"What changed then?" Kairi threw her head back in frustration. "This bothers me, Sora. It bothers me that my own sister isn't comfortable talking with me anymore. We used to talk about everything— like you, for example— but we haven't had a… I don't know. We haven't had a real conversation in a while."

"Are you sure it's her?" He placed a comforting hand on her back. "Maybe it's you. You've mentioned before that you can't stand her judgmental look, whatever that is."

"But why does that make her avoid me then? I don't do the same thing to her." Kairi dragged her hand along the surface of the water.

"Maybe she's looking out for you. Roxas doesn't like showing that he cares for me. In fact, he tries really hard to make it look like he doesn't really like me. But I know deep down inside that he does."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Maybe you shouldn't assume the intent of Naminé's actions. She knows that you don't like that look she sometimes gives you." Sora tried his best to cheer his girlfriend up. "All I'm trying to say is that Naminé cares for you too. She's curious about us, you know. I bet she has a ton of questions that you're just dying to answer."

"I'm not going to—" Kairi stopped when Sora gave her a disbelieving smile. "Fine, I might want to tell her about everything, but I can't do any of that if she never comes to talk to me!"

"You hate that look, so she avoids putting you in that situation. Wouldn't the best course of action be initiative on your part? It shows that you're willing to talk, for one, but also that you're not going to be pushed away if she accidentally gets all parent-like on you," Sora advised.

Kairi looked up from her reflection in the water and stared at her boyfriend in awe. "Have you been drinking again? When did you learn how to act like a grown-up?"

Sora folded his hands behind his head. "If Roxas was your brother, you'd come up with rationalizations about why he doesn't like playing co-op games with you too." He seemed to stop mid-thought but chuckled afterward. "Well, I call them rationalizations. It's very possible that I'm being delusional."

Kairi giggled and pulled her boyfriend closer by the raft. "Hey, you."

"Hmm?" Sora was surprised by a soft kiss to his lips.

"Thank you," Kairi gratefully added when they parted. "If it counts for anything, I don't think you're being delusional. I think you have a very clear understanding of sibling relationships."

"I told you. If I'm around, they do it with their eyes. As soon as I leave Kairi's halfway on top of him."

"Gross."

The couple in the pool looked up to see Riku and Xion standing at the edge, a disapproving look on both of their faces. Xion faked a gag, but quickly hid behind Riku to dodge Sora's splash.

"Don't get mad at us." Sora stuck his tongue out. "You just have terrible timing."

"You are such… you are such a butthead."

Roxas stumbled as he walked, bouncing from store wall to lamp post for support. He laughed uncontrollably, attempting to stay in step with his companion.

"You have to admit," Roxas gasped, "that was hilarious."

"Ha ha. I'm ju st about dying."

"Me too!" Roxas howled as another fit of giggles took over. "You managed to block the whole street!"

Naminé looked down at the keys in her hand. She had to quell the appealing urge to use them to inflict pain. "If you just took over when I asked—"

"It wouldn't have been half as funny!" Roxas finally managed to gather himself. "I told you exactly what you needed to do."

"Whatever. I'll never even have to parallel park in Radiant Garden. That's what parking lots and garages are for."

The teens continued down the block toward the ice cream parlor. The downtown area had been particularly crowded that day, and neither of the two knew the reason. The masses had forced them to find alternative parking, and as it turned out, there was one available spot between two cars along the curb. It just happened to be exactly what Roxas was looking for too.

Naminé's final driving test was a simple parallel park. Since she never tried the maneuver ever before, Roxas had to explain the most effective way of doing it. Hearing how it was done and actually attempting it were completely different things, however. Naminé had about three attempts before the pressure of waiting cars began to stack behind them. Being his usual unhelpful self, Roxas only laughed when Naminé began to lose her cool.

The gig was up when the cars began honking. At that point, Naminé parked the car, climbed into the backseat, and pouted until Roxas properly fixed the parking job. She waited for all the waiting vehicles to pass before leaving Roxas laughing in the driver's seat.

"Don't cross!" Roxas reached out and grabbed Naminé's hand before she stepped into the intersection. He inadvertently pulled her off balance, but helped her stay on her feet by taking a shoulder to the chest. "Ow."

"Why aren't we crossing?" Naminé reclaimed her hand and folded it behind her back.

"Because the ice cream parlor is right there." Roxas pointed to the entrance just a few buildings down the block. "It looks pretty crowded."

"You had to pick the one place that everyone goes to," Naminé muttered. She and Roxas weaved their way to the entrance, stopping just outside the door. "So is this the best ice cream parlor in town or something?"

"It is, but it's never this crowded either," Roxas said under his breath. "Come on. The line itself doesn't look that long."

Roxas held the door and followed Naminé inside. The tables that were normally spread around the parlor instead lined the walls to maximize floor space. A line led to a table opposite to the ice cream display, piquing the interest of the pair. Upon Roxas's insistence, they made their way over to the mysterious line. It was entirely possible that some sort of fundraiser was being held on that particular day. It wouldn't be the first time the ice cream shop allowed an organization to hold events on their premise.

"Hi." Roxas grabbed the attention of a red-shirted employee. "I was wondering what was going on here and hoping you could tell me."

The employee flashed a smile and handed Roxas a pen. "Yes, I can tell you! Here at—"

Roxas flinched when the speakers above him blasted microphone feedback before quickly returning his attention to his informant.

"—that we have every quarter. For the summer, we have couples participate in the contest!"

"I'm sorry, what sort of contest is this again? I couldn't hear you the first time," Roxas asked as he leaned closer.

"A couple's challenge for free ice cream for a whole week!"

Roxas zoned out for another ten seconds. "How long?"

"A whole week!" the employee parroted. "Here's a sign-up card if you and your girlfriend here are willing to participate. It may look a little crowded, but we would love for more couples to join in on the fun. There's only fifteen minutes before the festivities begin!"

The assumption made by the employee forced Naminé into the conversation. "Oh, no that's not what this is. I'm not—"

"What my girlfriend meant to say was that we will be right back!" Roxas sang as he pulled Naminé away from the table.

She immediately reclaimed her arm from his hold. "What the heck are you doing?" she questioned. "I am not your girlfriend!"

Roxas crossed his arms. "Fine. Will you please be my girlfriend then?"

Naminé gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

"Of course not!" Naminé blurted. "What kind of proposal is that?"

Roxas looked back and forth like the answer was on a wall somewhere. "Er… a serious one? I thought we went over this, so be my girlfriend already."

"You are ridiculous. No, that wasn't serious and no, I won't be your girlfriend! In fact, I'm leaving now." Naminé started to walk by Roxas, but was held back by his hold on her wrist.

"Wait! Please? Come on, hear me out for a second!" Roxas pleaded with puppy eyes.

Naminé growled. When did he learn how to do that? "You have ten seconds."

"No." In an instant, Roxas's demeanor changed completely to one of apathy and calmness. "I have thirty minutes, actually."

"That's how you use your ten seconds? You're not very smart…" Naminé froze when she noticed what the blond was holding in his hand. "My keys! When did you—"

"Unless you plan on walking home, I suggest you sign yourself up as my girlfriend, Naminé." Roxas twirled the keys around his finger, pulling away just before the angry teen across from him could snatch them back. "Tsk tsk! Just for that, you're gonna have to dig in the butt pocket if you want these back." He tucked them into his back pocket and smirked.

"Give them back!"

"Whoa, hon! Not in front of everyone!" Roxas nearly yelled. It was just enough for those around him to assume that the girl was going for a feel. He leaned in close and whispered, "Sorry, Naminé. That's a no-touch zone… unless you're my girlfriend, of course."

"Even if I was, the only thing I'd want to touch your butt with is a hot iron."

"So you could brand me, huh? I didn't know you were so possessive," Roxas retorted with a smirk.

Naminé wanted to wipe that stupid look off his face. She didn't quite understand how he managed to infuriate her so easily. "Are you trying to piss me off? Why are you being so… annoying?"

Roxas blanched as if insulted. "I'm not trying to annoy you and I already asked nicely. And isn't it obvious? Free ice cream for a week, Naminé. That's free sea-salt ice cream for seven days. Seven days of free sea-salt ice cream. Sea-salt—"

"Okay, I get it, I get it!" She waved her hands to stop him. "Why me though? Why can't you ask some random girl to help you out? I don't want to pay, but I'll live without it. Go ask that girl." She pointed across the parlor.

"Why would I do that? Wouldn't you ask a friend to help you out instead of a stranger if you were me?"

Naminé paused as his words sank in. Did he just…?

She was sure that she heard him correctly. He just referred to her as a friend. Did he even realize it? He didn't seem to. Did he really consider them as friends? Since when? She brushed both the question and the strange new feeling aside. "Roxas, what if we get caught?"

He seemed to pick up on the fact that he was winning her over. His eyes gleamed with excitement. "We won't! There is absolutely nothing that those couples can do that we can't fake, I guarantee it. All we have to do is sell it. It's a short challenge, so it's not like we have to act for long!"

Naminé eyed the sign-up card warily. Should she? She was probably going to regret it later. It looked like he really wanted that ice cream though. "I'll help you on one condition." Naminé had to fight down an eye roll— and a smile too— when Roxas's face lit up. "If at any point in the game we are required to kiss, I am out. I am not wasting my first kiss on a guy who isn't my boyfriend. And I'm definitely not having it on a game for free ice cream."

"Deal! So you'll sign up?" Roxas began writing his name and information on the card, unable to contain his excitement.

"One more thing," she added. "I want my keys back." Naminé held her hand out expectantly. It wasn't so much a need to have her belongings; rather, it was a test to see if she could even trust him to trust her. Maybe it was a way of seeing if he really thought of her as a friend too.

To her surprise, he didn't hesitate to return them. He just placed them in her hand. There were no further questions or skeptical glances of doubt. "There you go."

Naminé stared at the keys in her hand and smiled. She was tempted to tease him and make a beeline for the door, but something rooted her in place. She only hoped the reason wasn't because of the way he was smiling at her. "Thanks. Now hand over that card. I better get free ice cream out of this too."

Xion felt partly responsible for separating Riku from his friends, but he insisted that it didn't trouble any of them. It wasn't like she asked them to leave; instead, she completely failed in hiding her true feelings.

She infuriated herself. She couldn't hide like she used to. The sudden change to transparency scared her. If Sora and Kairi could pick up on her thoughts solely through vibe alone, then she was being too obvious. What changed? She had always been able to put up a convincing front.

She watched Riku walk his friends to their car with a frown. She didn't want to make Riku choose between her and Sora and Kairi. She knew how important they were to him. If there was one thing Xion wanted to avoid at all costs, it was the growth of her relationship with Riku at the expense of Sora and Kairi's friendship. She would have to stop stealing him away from them. It wasn't right.

But who else could she go to? She wasn't that close to the rest of her friends. She had Axel, but he was always busy ever since entering the working world. With all that he had to struggle with, she wasn't about to dump her problems on his plate and add the extra stress.

The past few days only made Xion realize how close and dependent she had become on Roxas. He was always there for her when she needed to rant, and he'd even sit through a bashing session when it was about him. It was something she didn't realize until she found herself alone for hours on end. The solitude never bothered her before she met Roxas. She thought she wanted it.

But it hurt when Roxas told her to leave without him. It stung because it was the first time that Roxas picked another person over her. Her feelings transformed to anger; whether it was directed at herself or Naminé, she didn't know. Did she even have a right to be angry? She could have had Roxas all to herself if she never made that stupid wager.

Xion knew what she wanted in the past though. She had Roxas in mind when the idea was born, and she wanted to do something for him— something significant and impactful— to thank him for everything he'd done for her. What better way than to repair a relationship that obviously should have been a friendship? All she wanted was for him to be happy.

The goal was to get Roxas and Naminé to understand each other. It became obvious to her that in the process of gaining that understanding, something started to develop between them. When she thought about it before, Xion didn't think it would bother her in the slightest. It was supposed to be great: she would have not only cleared years of misunderstanding, but she'd also open an entirely new door for Roxas.

Maybe he'd find love before she left. The possibility of seeing Roxas in such a state was so appealing before her own feelings started getting in the way.

Suddenly she hated the idea. The possibility that he was growing closer to another girl disgusted her.

Xion loved him. She loved him as much as she loved her parents and more than any of her other friends. If she had to have a friend at all, it always would have been him. He had become a necessary part of her life and she was powerless to prevent it.

Part of her hoped that Roxas felt the same way, but the other side prayed that he didn't fall victim to it as she did. The fact of the matter was that he didn't have a future with her. If they ever took that next step, Xion knew she'd never forgive herself for trapping Roxas on a path of sadness. She had to make sure that he didn't need her.

And that was the ulterior motive all along.

Xion utterly failed at pushing people away. She tried her best to deny Roxas's friendship, but he ended up winning that fight. All that followed was a string of happy losses. She experienced the very things she wanted to avoid with his friendship. She became attached, and she knew that perhaps to a lesser extent, Roxas had also.

But she couldn't continue. Not with her condition and the inevitable misery it would bring him.

Her last gift to him was also supposed to accomplish a hidden goal: she had to find someone to replace her before she left at the end of summer.

She planned to remove herself from his life without a trace. It would be like tearing off a Band-Aid: she'd hurt him initially, but she hoped her departure would be something that wouldn't leave a lasting impression. Since her plan to avoid friendship failed, it guaranteed that separation would be an unpleasant experience. Thus Xion wanted to at least reduce the sting as much as possible.

Naminé was supposed to take her place as Roxas's friend. The development between them was supposed to sweeten the deal: if on the slim chance that they actually fell for each other, Roxas would definitely have an easier time forgetting the best friend that abruptly left him.

But Xion's feelings contradicted everything she aimed for. She wanted to stay by Roxas's side. She wanted to be selfish and keep him around for as long as possible. Her heart betrayed her rationale and told her that it was better to have Roxas watch as she slowly lost herself. Her feelings seemed to denounce every good thing Xion wanted to do for the person she loved most.

She was paying for it now. The whole ride to Riku's was a mental battle with herself. Did she really want what was best for Roxas? Was she being selfish? If there was one thing she knew, it was that she was stupid. It was the only conclusion with consensus from every part of her.

She hoped Riku could help her. He had to know something she didn't since he handled Sora and Kairi's new relationship remarkably well. If there was someone with an answer, or at least someone to provide a way to deal with her conflicting feelings, Riku would be that person.

Xion shook her head, feeling incredibly disappointed with herself. Who else would she have to depend on? How many more people would she have to bother because she couldn't get her head straight?

"Xion? Are you okay?"

She looked up to see Riku closing his front door. "You didn't have to make them leave, you know," Xion said. "I… I don't want to separate them from you."

"Relax, it's fine—"

"No it's not! The last thing I want to do is screw over your friendship because I can't deal with my own!" Xion yelled. The outburst took them both by surprise. "I-I'm so sorry!"

"Easy there," Riku comforted as he rushed over to join her on the couch. "Xion, whatever you're thinking right now, you can stop. You didn't steal me away from my friends. And even if I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, Sora and Kairi will always be my friends and nothing will change that. Just relax and let me know what's going on."

Xion bit her lip before entwining her fingers with Riku's. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize for anything. You're my friend too, you know." Riku placed a hand on her back and soothed her with a slow rub.

Xion leaned her head on Riku's shoulder and sobbed. Her attempt to hold back her tears was futile. "How did you do it?" she asked. "How come I can't do the same thing?"

Like any other guy, Riku felt the panic set in when Xion started crying. He shifted uncomfortably. "This is about Roxas, isn't it?"

Xion nodded shamefully and sniffled. "I-I'm sorry. First you have to see Sora and Kairi and now I'm dumping my problems with you."

"You're not going anywhere, actually." Riku pulled Xion by the wrists until she was planted next to him again. "Xion, let me help. Contrary to what you might think, seeing my best friends together doesn't bother me as much. Sure they annoy me sometimes when they make me wait, but I'm happy for them."

"How? That shouldn't be possible! If you really liked Kairi as much as Sora did, then how are you okay with this?" Xion furiously swiped at her tears, her frustration boiling over.

Riku inhaled deeply. Her words stung, but he knew she was saying it out of frustration. He answered calmly, "I guess it's because I always sort of saw it coming." When Xion didn't say anything, he continued. "I liked Kairi a lot, but I also knew Sora did too. Even though I knew that, I didn't immediately back off like you think I did. I did fight for her, you know, even if it was a losing battle."

"I don't understand. I really don't understand how you can see the girl you once liked with another guy."

"It helps that they're my best friends." Riku shrugged. "This isn't about Roxas, is it? It's about Naminé."

Xion grabbed a tissue from the nearby end table and wiped her runny nose. "It's about Roxas."

"It's about Roxas and Naminé then."

Xion closed her eyes and clenched her fists. She didn't want to admit it, but Riku was right. "What am I doing wrong, Riku?"

Riku remained silent for a while. He breathed in slowly before he spoke. "Our situations aren't exactly comparable. I know my best friends, so if I wasn't going to end up with Kairi, she was going to end up with someone I approved. If you think Naminé and Roxas are growing closer, then I don't blame you for being uncomfortable with it."

"Riku, I don't think I should be around Naminé if Roxas is around. I think she knows how I feel about him." Xion buried her face in her hands.

"Is it a stretch to spend some alone time with her then? Get to know her a little better. Or you could—" Riku paused and shook his head. "No, never mind."

"What?" Xion sat up. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing helpful."

"Any idea of yours would be great right now."

Riku shifted, unsure of whether or not he wanted to say what he was thinking. "My relationship with my friends wasn't the only difference. I also never stopped fighting. I question whether or not that's a good idea though. If anything it opens you up for some really depressing moments."

"What do you mean?" Xion questioned.

"Chasing a girl only to realize your best friend is always ahead of you does a number on your self-esteem, Xion." Riku cleared his throat. "All I'm suggesting is that maybe you should try. It's another thing entirely to watch your best friend drift away without ever taking a chance."

"I don't want to hurt anyone though! None of this was supposed to happen. I wasn't even supposed to have friends, let alone fall for one."

"Then you have to decide on what you really want." Riku stood up. "Sometimes the only way to settle your feelings is to put them in the open."

Xion was left alone in the living room to weigh her options. Just as expected, Riku told her everything she needed to hear. Her choices were clear. She could continue what she was doing, which entailed being miserable. She could try to come to terms with Roxas's new friendship, but that didn't guarantee the end of her own feelings. Her last option was to take the selfish route and fight for her best friend. It was the proverbial all-in.

It didn't take long for one of those ideas to embed itself in her mind. Xion knew deep in her heart which option she wanted to take.

And she hated herself for it.

Roxas and Naminé stood side by side as the owner of the establishment— who looked like an older version of the red-shirted employee that helped them earlier, leading Roxas to believe that the two were probably related— announced to the other patrons the game that was about to take place. Roxas noticed that many of the patrons were couples themselves who opted not to participate.

He wasn't complaining though. It was their loss for not competing for free ice cream. It was his benefit that they chose to watch too as it meant less competition.

The owner approached both him and his secretly-fake girlfriend. "First up, we have Roxas and Naminé!" The crowd clapped politely upon their introduction. "It looks like you two are our youngest competing couple! Tell me, how long have you two been dating?"

The teens shared a look of pure horror. Out of all the possible ice-breaking questions, of course it'd start with a question that could blow their cover. They made a split second decision, both of them nodding to each other after what was hopefully a telepathic conversation.

They answered at the same time.

"Three years."

"Five months."

Silence.

Roxas clenched his jaw and sent a wide-eyed stare Naminé's way. She glared right back at him. Before the crowd could fully comprehend the strange moment, Roxas did the first thing he could think of to salvage their situation. He brought the microphone closer to him and added sweetly, "And eight days."

A collective "aww" replaced the awkward silence. "Will you look at that? They have it memorized down to the very hour, I bet!" The emcee encouraged the crowd to give them another hand before moving on.

In a fake public display of affection, Roxas pulled his "girlfriend" into a hug. "You are so lucky I can think on my feet," he growled.

Naminé pretended to laugh, lightly patting Roxas's back. "I'm not the one who's breaking the rules for free ice cream!" She parted from him, whispering so only he could hear. "And are you dumb? Three years? So we started dating when we were thirteen? Seems legit to me."

"It was love at first sight," Roxas said with a shrug. "Get over it."

The exchange couldn't have appeared more affectionate.

The moderator introduced four more couples that were most likely real before informing the contestants of the rules. "All right, couples! The rules for this game are as follows: on the open floor before us are one hundred envelopes containing either a number or a blank piece of paper. You and your partner will have one minute to choose up to ten envelopes to collect, and no more than that!

"Now, you are allowed to open the envelopes you pick up! If you pick up a blank, you can throw it away and grab a new one. But be careful! Only half the envelopes even have numbers. Checking every single envelope might only end up wasting time. The numbers you pick up will be chosen lottery-style. The first team to have three numbers called is the winner! That being said, let's bring out the couple's condition of the week!"

One of the servers handed the emcee a manila envelope. He smiled upon reading the contents. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's the blind piggy back ride!"

"Is he serious?" Naminé hissed at her fake boyfriend as the other participants cheered. "Is that even a thing?"

Roxas frowned. "I think so."

"The rules of this condition are as follows: one partner must carry the other at all times. The rider will direct their blindfolded partner toward the envelopes, and only the rider can pick up and open the envelopes! And finally, the only body parts of the riders that can come into contact with the ground are their hands!

"If the rider is dropped, the couple is automatically disqualified! If the rider's feet touch the ground, the couple is disqualified. Put simply, only one pair of hands and one pair of feet may touch the ground. Remember all the rules now! Couples, I ask that you wait outside the shop while we prepare! Use this time to talk it over amongst yourselves as well!"

Roxas and Naminé followed the server in red outside with the other couples. Breaking away from the rest of the pairs, Roxas led Naminé to one of the tables and sat on it.

"Okay, so here's the plan: we collect ten envelopes as fast as possible, you open all of them and get rid of the blanks, and then we collect more. We repeat the process as necessary since we probably won't have time if we check every envelope we pick up. Sound good?"

Naminé laughed. "You're getting a little too into this, Roxas."

"It's free ice cream! Free sea-salt ice cream!"

"For the next week, limit one per day," Naminé recited the terms.

"Whatever. Let's just not mess this up." Roxas hopped off the table. "Get on my back."

Naminé recoiled away from him. "W-What?"

"The others are making sure they're doing things properly. Look." Roxas pointed to the competing couples. All of them were making sure their riders weren't touching the ground under any circumstance. "Come on. We have to make sure your feet won't touch the ground."

"Seriously?" Naminé groaned and gingerly wrapped her arms around Roxas's neck. What was she doing? This was supposed to be a quick in and out trip for ice cream, not some contest.

The prospect of free ice cream— something that she wasn't exactly going to die for like Roxas would— somehow placed her on the one back she never thought she'd ever find herself. At least the event was somewhat degrading for the guys. Forced to wear a blindfold while giving a piggyback ride to their girlfriend? That's a surefire formula for exploitable shame and crowd entertainment. That being said, how could she pass up the opportunity to ride Roxas?

Naminé ceased all thinking in an instant. How in the world did her brain arrive at that thought?

"Um, hello?" Roxas turned around, sending her a puzzled glance.

"Huh?"

Roxas pouted. "You're wasting time! Just get on already and let's get this over with!"

"Oh, right." Naminé lifted a leg so he could secure her, only to yelp and shove him away when she felt his hands. "That's my butt, you idiot!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Roxas scratched the back of his head, blushing madly. "I didn't know."

"This better not be your excuse to feel me up," Naminé muttered before climbing on his back. This time, his warm hands ran under her thighs and he held fast without a hitch.

"D-Don't flatter yourself." Roxas adjusted his grip, holding her high enough so that she had completely free arm movement above his shoulders. "Can you see?"

"Yeah." Naminé crinkled her nose before sniffing Roxas's head.

"What are you doing?"

"Your hair smells really girly." She sniffed again. "Is this conditioner? What kind do you use?"

"P-Pay attention!" Roxas growled. He suddenly bent over.

Naminé squealed in surprise. "A little warning next time!"

"Meh, you survived. Can you reach the ground?"

"Just fine." Naminé ran her fingers along the cement floor to make sure. Her feet were far from the ground as well. "This is so not worth the free ice cream."

"Say that after you've won and had it," Roxas grunted as he stood up straight again. "You're… you're kinda choking me."

"Huh? Oh!" Naminé loosened her arms, releasing Roxas from an inadvertent headlock. "Sorry. I'm getting off."

Roxas removed his hands and allowed Naminé to stand. A green-shirted server— he looked identical to the one in red— walked up to them and handed Naminé a blindfold, instructing her to put it on for her boyfriend.

"I almost forgot about that part." Roxas turned around. "Pardon my opinion, but I think you need the ice cream more than I do. Do you even eat?"

"You better not be complaining about how light I am when it'll be the reason why you carry me for so long."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Pardon my opinion, but I don't think you could lift anything heavier than me with those arms of yours."

"Hey!"

With all the preparations complete, the girls led their respective partners back inside the ice cream shop.

Naminé looked at all the other couples competing against them. "Do I have to hold your hand?"

"We've been dating for three years, five months, and eight days. I think we're over the honeymoon phase," Roxas joked.

Naminé giggled and wrapped her arms around Roxas's neck, hoisting herself onto his back. "I forgot about that part."

"How could you?"

The regular lights inside the parlor were turned off, now replaced by multicolored disco balls and strobe lights. Loud house music blared from the speakers, smothering all outside noise.

Roxas wondered what things were like beyond the blindfold. He never thought he'd find himself in an environment that mixed the smell of waffle cones with club music. He shrugged Naminé higher onto his shoulders. He needed to focus. If he wanted free ice cream, he needed Naminé's help. She could only help him if he did his part too.

"Don't drop me, okay?" Naminé said directly into his ear. Her warm breath on his ear sent a tingle down his spine.

"I won't," he reassured.

"All couples ready?" the owner's voice boomed over the music. "The game begins in three! Two! One!"

"Go!" The spectators yelled.

Naminé didn't waste any time. "Straight. Keep going, keep going…. down, right here!" The blonde collected three nearby envelopes with one hand, anchoring herself to Roxas with the other. "Okay, up and to the left." She led him around twice more before finally reaching ten envelopes.

"Is that ten?" Roxas asked as he readjusted his hold. The extra weight was beginning to take a toll thanks to all the bending and standing.

"I'm opening them now." With all their envelopes in her hands, Naminé struggled to open them.

"Forty-five seconds!"

"Done yet?" Impatience was beginning to settle in his voice.

"I only opened four and three were blanks! My hands are a little full!"

"What are the other couples doing?"

Naminé took a quick peek around, hearing the crowd cheer wildly around one couple. "Oh my gosh. She's tucking the envelopes in his pants."

"Well then do that!"

"I am not stuffing my hand down your pants, Roxas!"

"Free ice cream, Naminé! Free. Ice cream."

"Will you shut—" the blonde was about to yell at her fake boyfriend, but an idea struck her. "No! That's it! Roxas, open your mouth!"

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine!" He obeyed, knowing full well how stupid he looked.

Naminé took all the envelopes and shook them so the paper fell to one side. She then aligned all the empty sides and placed them in Roxas's mouth. "Bite down!" With the envelopes secured between his teeth, Naminé began tearing all the envelopes, ripping them open from the side instead of the top. The spectators laughed and cheered their approval. Of the six envelopes she had to check, three of them were blank. She tucked their numbered papers between her thigh and Roxas's hand.

"You're a genius!" Roxas said after spitting paper from his mouth.

"We need six more!" Naminé directed Roxas once more, quickly replacing the blanks.

"Twenty seconds!"

Naminé repeated their method on the next set. The process went by much faster, but only two of their six new envelopes contained numbers. With ripped envelopes and scattered pieces of paper littering the floor, Naminé had trouble discerning the sealed envelopes from the used ones.

"I won't have time to check all of them," she warned as Roxas bent over again.

"We'll cut our losses," he grunted as he straightened out. As Naminé predicted, time ran out before she could check any.

"Time!" the emcee called as the music lowered. Naminé hopped out of her fake boyfriend's grasp, pulling the blindfold off him. She realized he was breathing heavily, most likely from having to bend over with the added weight so many times.

Naminé giggled. He really wanted that free ice cream.

"Now, if all of you would open any remaining envelopes, we'll get started!" As the emcee gathered the younger kids that would be picking numbers from a hat, Naminé and Roxas opened their remaining envelopes. Of the four they grabbed before time ended, three had numbers.

"Only one was blank!" Roxas said giddily.

"Calm down. We don't even know if we even won anything." Naminé looked at their nine numbers, taking four of them and handing Roxas the other five.

One by one, the kids that pulled the numbers read them into the microphone. Nearly every number called got a reaction from one of the couples. Roxas cheered obnoxiously when two of their numbers were called in a row, but his enthusiasm turned into anxiety when three more numbers were called. With only one number needed, Roxas closed his eyes and began to bounce in place.

"Please let us win, please let us win…"

It took all of Naminé's effort to keep from laughing. The possibility of free ice cream made Roxas emulate his brother in the most embarrassing manner possible.

"And the last number, little lady?" The emcee held the microphone close to the little girl's lips.

"Thirteen," she timidly spoke.

Naminé looked down at one of the numbers in her hand. Thirteen was one of them.

They won.

"We won…" Naminé mumbled in disbelief as she showed Roxas the third number. "We won!"

"We won!" Roxas repeated ecstatically. He held up their numbers, jumping like a child who just received the best present in the world.

"Eight, fourteen, thirteen," the owner confirmed. "What do you know? We have a winner!"

The other couples and the crowd politely cheered for the winning couple. Roxas pulled Naminé along by the hand to accept their prize.

"Here you go!" A blue-shirted server—one who looked exactly like the one in red and the other in green— handed each of them a paper card.

"Congratulations to the winners of this quarter's Couple's Challenge! I suppose we should have seen it coming! The longest-dating couple is expected to have the best chemistry after all!" The moderator offered the pair the microphone. "You've got quite the lady there!"

Roxas laughed, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, she always finds a way to put my mouth to good use." As soon as the words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in laughter. "Wait—"

Naminé slapped her forehead.

"Whoa there, young man! This is a PG-13 event!" the owner joked, fueling the crowd's merriment. "Thanks to all the couples who participated in this month's challenge! To show our gratitude, please accept this coupon for discounted ice cream on your next visit!"

As the event reached its end, the winning pair claimed their first taste of free ice cream. Per usual, Roxas ordered his sea salt ice cream next to Naminé's cookie dough.

"Oh! Don't forget your pictures!" the green-shirted server handed them two Polaroid photographs.

Naminé bubbled with laughter. The first picture was captured during the game. Roxas held his partner securely on his back, biting down on a few envelopes. Naminé was caught in the process of checking an envelope's content, her face painted with anticipation and curiosity. "This looks absolutely ridiculous!"

Roxas couldn't help but smile as he looked over the second photo. Someone managed to capture the very moment he and Naminé realized they won. They were staring at each other with wide eyes, mouths agape in total disbelief. The photographer decided to caption the photo along the white portion with the words "Three years, five months, and eight days" written neatly in permanent marker.

They looked just like a real couple.

"You know, you were actually right about this." Naminé caught Roxas's attention as she ate another spoonful of cookie dough ice cream. "Pretending to be a couple was definitely worth the free ice cream."

Roxas felt his heart skip. "Y-Yeah," he stuttered. "It tastes better when it's free." He followed Naminé outside, sitting on the table from before.

As he relished the salty sweetness of his icy treat, Roxas lost himself to his thoughts. He had forgotten that they pretended to be together to enter the contest in the first place.

Curiously enough, the thought disappointed him.

"That was more fun than I thought," Naminé sounded as if the event occurred a long time ago. "We make a half-decent team, huh?"

Roxas grinned. "Guess we do." He looked at Naminé's ice cream. "You should really try sea salt ice cream."

Naminé looked at her own dessert before looking at the one in Roxas's hand. "Maybe I will. I have free ice cream every day for the next week. That's plenty opportunity to try it."

"Good." Clearly satisfied, Roxas sighed happily. "Maybe you'll be able to work on your parallel parking while we're at it."

"Oh be quiet."

True to Naminé's order, Roxas allowed himself to soak up the comfortable silence. The sun was just beginning its slow fall, casting long and tall shadows from the west. He glanced over at Naminé. She seemed to watch the cars drive by, a serene smile gracing her face. His eyes flicked to her hands and delicate fingers wrapped around the spoon she used to absentmindedly play with her melting ice cream. He returned to her face. In her eyes was an honest reflection of who she was at that very moment: a content, carefree, and comfortable girl.

She looked absolutely gorgeous.

Roxas broke his gaze. He could feel his lips curling into a smile. His heart pounded hard in his chest. For the first time, he could admit to himself that his attraction to Naminé didn't bother him anymore. Instead, it made him feel giddy inside. Everything was lighter. It made him feel happy.

He didn't quite understand her yet. He couldn't say he knew the reason why she actually helped him after he forced her into the contest with him. Despite all of it, she worked with him. He didn't have to come up with reasons why they weren't friends anymore. He didn't have to lie to himself and rationalize a list of reasons to spend time with her.

She was his friend.

Roxas felt a pair of eyes focused on him, so he looked over to meet them. Slowly, as if they were looking into a mirror, the teens smiled at each other before breaking into a laughing fit.

Sheer proximity alone brought the smiles to their faces. They laughed without words, just as friends did when an inside joke passed between them. They laughed because they could, like they had years to make up for of missed opportunities and adventures.

"You ready to go back home?"

Roxas breathed in deeply, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'm ready when you are," he sent a sideways glance her way, "but I wouldn't mind spending a little more time here."

Naminé stood up from the bench of the table. Roxas watched her walk away, feeling a well of disappointment gush forth and wondering if she actually wanted to leave. But she surprised him by going to the trashcan and returning to the table. The letdown he experienced earlier dissipated as she got closer and closer.

Instead of dropping back into her seat, she motioned for Roxas to move over. "Excuse me."

"So do you have something against table benches, or do you always sit on the table like you're the only one here?" he asked while sliding over.

"Don't you get it?" Naminé giggled upon hearing her old words. "You're supposed to sit next to your friends at the table… or on it, if that applies."

Roxas snickered and scratched his nose. "Of course. Forgive me for forgetting."

Naminé flashed him a smile and settled herself next to him. "Consider yourself officially forgiven."

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To Handwritten, Ash09, elspoek1, Draco Oblivion, li'miss sunshine, Burai Stelar, Versivalia, Tenshi Yami- Angel of Darkness, chibixbabe, Kiome-Yasha, Hegodart, TwinToshiro, Squishy Moogle, Gear001, Happy Reader, Dramamamapwnsall, Pili1995, GreyPurpleBlack, KurukiXV, Aaralynne, Allied Forces, Muledragon, Xai, 18summer, Brown Eyed Sage, namiroku, Lulu, Kingdom13, knight, Rescued-Doll, zestycrouton, Lil Leif, spadejackspade, ineedmoreaffectionthenyouknow, Xantaxa539, Sw1ft Blad3, Roxanime, abidethestance, Claymore Person, EnterAbyss2991, ThatGuyFromThatPlace21, and Spanish Girl, thanks so much for your legitimate[LY AWESOME] input.

Chapter Data- Total Editing Time: 491 minutes. Word Count: 8,179.

Harmless Author Fact #18: If I had a superpower/ability and could only choose one, it'd be telekinesis (not to be confused with telepathy). I always thought it was the best power ever.

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