Chapter 19: The Pull II

"Naminé?" Kairi lightly knocked on the locked door to her sister's studio. "I'm coming in, okay?" She pushed the door open and squinted. The sun filled the predominantly white room with a nearly blinding light. The drastic change was enough to sting Kairi's eyes. "Wow."

"Did you just wake up?" Naminé asked with a bemused tone.

It was a question adequately answered with a tired and haggard appearance. "How long have you been up? It's so early." Kairi made her way to the window and leaned against the wall next to it. It was the only place in the room where the light wasn't frying her eyes out.

"I don't know. I just had a good night of sleep, I guess. I woke up and I just had to paint something." Naminé indicated her covered easel with her head.

Kairi nodded. Her twin was very private about her works in progress. Kairi never quite understood that thing about unfinished projects that made them worth hiding from curious eyes before completion. "How long have you been working?"

"Only an hour."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"I don't mind you being here. You actually caught me just before I refilled my paints." Naminé appeared to examine her sister. "Is that your shirt?"

Kairi looked down at her clothes and sighed. She forgot she was wearing it. She braced herself for a speech and answered, "No, it's Sora's."

"So scandalous! How late did he stay last night?" Naminé asked coyly.

The question took Kairi by surprise. No judgmental look? No disappointing sigh? "I took him home around one in the morning last night," Kairi answered cautiously. She warily eyed her humming sister. "Is everything okay? You're really… chipper today."

Naminé threw her closet door open. Extra supplies and unfinished easels rested against the wall of the makeshift storage room. "I'm feeling great today for some reason. It's just one of those days, you know? I even woke up smiling." She dragged out an old bean bag. "Here. If you're staying for a while, at least make yourself comfortable."

Kairi thanked her sister and made herself comfortable in the corner. "Is your mood related to your late arrival last night?"

"First of all, ten at night is not late. And second, why must you assume that I can't be happy unless it involves a boy?"

"I didn't mean that!" Kairi quickly backpedaled. Happy Naminé apparently did not equate to a different person. "I was just wondering, that's all. You're normally sour when it comes to Roxas."

"I'm kidding." Naminé opened her sketchpad on her lap and smiled. Her hand trailed across the paper as she spoke. "To be honest, it might have something to do with that."

Again, Kairi found her interest piqued. "What? Seriously?"

"Try not to twist my words on this one, but it turns out Roxas isn't the guy I thought he was." Naminé quietly sketched an image only she could see, focusing her complete attention on the task. "Have you ever found yourself pleasantly surprised like that?"

Kairi smirked. "Can't say I have. In fact, you've criticized me for being too trusting and assuming the best."

Naminé rolled her eyes. "Well I'm not wrong! I find it hard to believe that everyone is actually projecting their real self."

"Apparently there's some merit in that," Kairi joked.

Naminé smiled. "Shut up." The blonde continued to sketch, occasionally looking at her twin. "I never thought I'd say this, but Roxas isn't a total jerk after all. Don't—"

"I knew this day would come!" Kairi cheered. "I told you that you'd change your mind when you got older!"

"That doesn't make your ten-year-old self prophetic. It just makes you lucky," Naminé shot back.

"So what changed?" Kairi turned herself over on the bean bag and leaned forward. "Did you go on a date? Go for a walk on the beach? Kiss under the moonlight?" Kairi waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"None of the above. Actually, he embarrassed me in front of everyone by making me parallel park. Romantic, right?" Naminé didn't wait for an answer. "He turned out to be more similar to Sora than I thought. He turned into a little kid over free ice cream!"

"You either complimented Sora's personality or made fun of it and I can't decide whether or not I should be offended." Kairi laughed as she adjusted her sitting position once more. "You also got ice cream with Roxas. Was it a date?"

"You know I like Sora and his lovable personality. He's cuter too. And no, it wasn't a date." Naminé dropped her pencil and erased something, occasionally looking up at her sister. "I had to pick him up, he made me practice my driving, and the ice cream parlor just happened to be nearby."

Kairi raised a brow. "You actually think Sora is cuter than Roxas?"

"I never said anything about Roxas."

"Then you were talking about…?" Kairi hung the question with a teasing smile.

Naminé stopped working and slowly answered. "Not… Roxas?"

"Exactly. It was Roxas," Kairi said with finality. "Who else would you be comparing Sora to? Let's be honest: you made a conscious decision not to make a clear comparison because you thought I wouldn't pick up on it."

Naminé grinned upon hearing her twin's analysis and resumed drawing. "You think you know it all, don't you?"

"I do," Kairi said cheekily.

"Let's make it clear that Sora is better-looking and has a better personality than his Roxas. Sora isn't nearly as moody or frustrating."

Kairi propped her head on her hand. "I don't think Roxas is annoying. He's a little broody, but I think he just takes things more seriously than Sora. He's got this air of maturity, I think."

"That's because you only saw the way he used to act and never felt the brunt of it. I've seen the sides of Roxas you haven't."

"Yeah, I bet you have," Kairi teased. She was forced to dodge an eraser aimed at her face. "I'm kidding. And should I be worried that you find my boyfriend more attractive than yours?"

Naminé deadpanned. "Very funny. And yeah, you should be extremely worried. I've made it my mission to steal Sora away from you. I'll just convince him that it was always 'Sora, Naminé, and Riku' when we were younger. From that, I'd tell him the girl he actually fell for was me. It shouldn't be too difficult considering he isn't the brightest crayon in the box."

"Yeah, I'm working on that," Kairi said with a sigh. A second later the twins found themselves laughing. It wasn't a real knock on Kairi's boyfriend, but it also wasn't without base. Sora gave them plenty of reason to laugh at his expense.

"All jokes aside, I think Sora's awesome. And I already said that part of the reason why I've changed my view of Roxas is because he's similar to his brother in more ways than I thought." Naminé folded her hands on her sketchpad. "Also, he's head over heels for you. I bet he's whipped."

"I really really hope you find a boy you like one day." Kairi crossed her arms and gave her sister a knowing look. "You'll realize how little control you have, mostly because you'll feel guilty and because there are lots of fun things to do instead." Kairi smiled to herself. "It's funny. We were actually just talking about this last night. It's a little too easy to get hooked on those things."

"You know you have to tell me now, right?" Naminé folded her legs under herself and threw her hair over her shoulder, something she used to do a lot when Kairi ranted about boys last year.

Kairi sat up and inhaled slowly. "It wasn't anything special, really. We just talked about the future. And earlier when we were at Riku's, I sorta made a comment about how we don't hang out with our other friends as much. Like, we were turning into one of those couples who disappear and ditch the rest of their friends."

"Did he think so too?" Naminé asked.

"I don't think so. He didn't look offended though." Kairi began to curl her hair around her fingers, a recognizable sign that she was torn about something. "He said he'd be happy as long as we hung out, but I know he'd rather it just be us."

"I think he's just being a bit of a baby. I mean if he knows that we're leaving in three weeks, then he—" Naminé stopped when she saw the guilt pass through Kairi's face. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

"We don't know for sure—"

"Kairi!" The disapproving tone from the younger twin finally made its appearance. "You're not going to convince either of our parents to stay for an extra week. Dad said we're not staying the whole summer and already bought our plane tickets. It's not debatable."

"What are we going to do for two weeks at home? It doesn't take that long to get school supplies and finish summer homework!"

Naminé frowned. "Well don't get mad at me. I don't really wanna leave either."

"Right," Kairi shook her head. "Sorry, I just… I don't want to think about it. We only have twenty days left. I hate the thought of leaving Sora and Riku so soon."

"Well it's not like you haven't been able to hang out! You three get together like every other day, and it feels like Sora's always around." Naminé's shoulders sank. "Kairi, quit moping."

Kairi continued to play with a fold of the bean bag, a pout stubbornly etched on her face. "No. I have a right to sulk and whine. This sucks."

"Well then let's talk about something less depressing! I woke up happy this morning and I'm counting on that to last all day." Naminé jumped out of her seat and pushed Kairi aside to make room for herself on the bean bag. "Come on, a little space for your sister please!"

Kairi grudgingly moved over, but remained prone with her back facing up. Naminé shook her and sat upright—first on Kairi's back— before moving into the space her sister gave her.

"Kai, turn that frown upside down!" Naminé chanted.

"Fine." Kairi turned herself over and lay on her back. "Happy?"

"You're so clever." Naminé jabbed Kairi's sides with her fingers until she got a few reluctant giggles from her twin. "Isn't being happy so much more fun?"

"It's hard to be happy when you know you have to leave your best friends in less than a month," Kairi drawled.

"Let's talk about your hot boyfriend then. There's a happy thought."

"You think he's hot? I thought you said he was cute."

"He's both, but more cute than hot. Riku's the opposite."

"Roxas too."

"Yup. No!" Naminé quickly corrected. "We're talking about your boyfriend."

"Can't we talk about the hotter twin?" Kairi asked teasingly.

"No. And that's a no because there is no 'hotter twin', not because I don't want to talk about him. I mean Roxas. I mean I don't want to talk about Roxas, but it's not because he's the hotter one." Naminé paused. She was almost sure she made absolutely no sense whatsoever. She probably didn't say anything convincing either. Still, she found a reason to smile. Her sister ditched her depressive state in favor of a giggle attack after the flustered explanation. "Kairi, let's talk about Sora. Is he really as good as everyone made him seem?"

Kairi bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. "To be honest, he's not that great."

Naminé's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's so disappointing after all that build up!"

"You believed me?" Kairi looked at Naminé like she'd lost her mind. "Nam, you don't even understand, and I hope you never do. It's unreal."

"So is that a yes?"

"If he was your first kiss, then everyone who might follow him would be like kissing a slug."

"Kairi, that's disgusting."

"It's true!" Kairi covered her face. "Remember those guys I dated before? They don't even compare. I almost can't believe how different it is. And honestly, it scares me. Is he that good because he kissed so many girls, or is it just because he's a natural?"

"I really hope it's the latter— for your sake," Naminé added. "What's the difference? I'm sorta jealous now."

"I may or may not have analyzed his technique," Kairi explained as she sat up, "but I think he just knows when to make adjustments."

"Eew!" Naminé made a face, getting a laugh out of Kairi.

"You asked! He knows when to speed up, slow down, and when to back off a bit. There's also never any tongue."

"Oh— why did— ugh! No! I changed my mind! No more!" Naminé covered her ears as Kairi continued to list several reasons why Sora made a great kissing partner. "I can't hear anything!"

"Don't be such a baby." Kairi pulled Naminé's hands from her ears. "You'll discover what you like when you start kissing those icky boys too. And when you do, just know that my boyfriend does it better."

"Wow. I really can't wait now."

"But seriously. He's also really good with his hands. Not awkward with them at all." Kairi leapt to her feet and ran to the other side of the room to escape her sister's clutches.

"Okay! I've heard enough. Thank you."

Kairi smiled and leaned against the doorframe. "Thanks for cheering me up. I know that was your plan all along."

"I honestly could've done without the dirty details, but you're welcome." Naminé stood and began to collect her dirty brushes. "I've actually been curious about your relationship anyway."

"You know you can ask me anything, right? We're best friends too, not just siblings."

"I know. But if you keep dumping those details like that, then I don't think I'll ever ask again," Naminé joked. She then abruptly stopped in her tracks and stared at Kairi. "Do you have anything planned today?"

"Not until tonight. Is something wrong?" Kairi asked.

"Let's bake today, just like we used to with Mom when we lived here," Naminé declared. "We can bond and play on that cool baby website like we used to. Sound good?"

Kairi grinned from ear to ear. "That sounds like an awesome idea. Grocery shopping in twenty?"

Naminé nodded, rushing by Kairi with her dirty equipment in her arms. "I'll make the list!"

Kairi made her way to her room to freshen up. Perhaps her insecurities regarding her sister were unfounded. Kairi felt like they restored a waning connection, and perhaps Naminé's light mood helped that happen. Kairi also knew that her relationship with Sora was a genuine topic of interest. She knew her sister. Naminé wouldn't ask to spend more time together unless she wanted to talk to someone.

Behind all those grimaces and shudders, Kairi knew that her sister wouldn't mind hearing more. It was such an unbelievable rush of comfort for Kairi. She itched to tell stories. She wanted her best friend back, judgmental or not. It just so happened that Naminé was even more receptive.

It may have been biased on her part, but Kairi resolved to thank Roxas later. Something really gave her the feeling that Naminé's mood was largely the result of whatever happened between her and Roxas the previous day. Kairi couldn't wipe the smug look off her face. She always thought the two could get along. Not only that, but she thought they liked each other too. And if that was the case, Kairi couldn't be happier.

It meant she was right all along.

Why was today so awesome?

Maybe it was the weather. Naminé loved it when it was breezy on a warm day. There weren't quite as many clouds as she would have liked, but it had to be one of the better days since she and Kairi came to vacation on the islands. They had been vacationing for about two months, and undoubtedly this was the best day so far.

Naminé ate another spoonful of cookie dough. Was it the smell of freshly baked pies? The blast from the past probably invoked some fond memories. She remembered all the times of her childhood when she, Kairi, and her mother would all visit the farmer's market, pick the freshest fruits, and bake them in bready perfection. Even if it was only with her sister this time, the fact that they employed every little tip and trick their mother told them made it seem just like old times.

And just like old times, Kairi was awful at it. From her wasteful cutting to her complete ineptitude to evenly cover a tray with pie dough, Naminé found herself doing most of the work. Kairi resigned to mixing, but only after Naminé had carefully measured all the correct ingredients.

It was a great bonding experience though. Naminé learned a lot about her sister's relationships, enough to make her face grow warm with embarrassment. To think that someone like Sora did what he did truly surprised her. She always thought of him as a rather innocent boy, but apparently Kairi knew how to drive him crazy. Naminé wondered why Kairi said she never felt she had total control. It sure sounded like she dictated the pace of everything.

Of course, there were a few things that made Naminé anxious. Rather than giving into the urge of preachy advice, Naminé nodded and asked questions instead. She knew she had no right to tell her sister how to properly live her relationship. She also didn't have one of her own. It was something Naminé thought she was improving: when she placed herself in Kairi's position, her advice would seem worthless. It'd be similar to Kairi telling Naminé about different drawing techniques without ever having drawn before.

It all came down to trust, and Naminé trusted her twin. Kairi was old enough to make her own decisions. It helped that Sora was a good guy too.

"Nam, we're using your picture with Riku's now!" Kairi called from the living room.

"Go for it!" Naminé replied from the kitchen. She ate another spoonful of cookie dough as she dried the dishes.

"You're going to miss the birth of our baby? I'm hurt, Naminé!" Riku whined.

Naminé rolled her eyes and smiled at the trio huddled around Kairi's laptop. For the past hour, Kairi and her friends had been toying around on a website that predicted a baby's appearance based on the combination of two "parent" pictures. Naminé participated for a while until the pies finished. "Riku, something tells me you're not truly hurt if you had a baby with nine different… er, things. Heck, you had a baby with Sora."

"Hey, our baby was beautiful!" Sora said defensively.

"That he was," Naminé agreed, "but so were most of Riku's children. That being said, I bet ours will be better." The doorbell then rang, but no one on the couch made a move for the door. "Any of you expecting someone else?"

"Nope!" Kairi replied without looking up.

Naminé laughed. "Well don't move all at once. I'll get the door, I guess." With her cookie dough in hand, Naminé made her way to the door. She opened it as soon as she recognized the person standing outside. "Hi!" she greeted with a wide smile. "I didn't know you were coming by!"

"Sora didn't—"

"Oh! Naminé, I forgot to tell you that Roxas said he'd be coming over soon!" Sora yelled from the couch.

"I think she sees that, Sora." Roxas stepped inside and greeted everyone in the living room. He then turned around and sighed. "You guys can leave now!"

Naminé peered over Roxas's shoulder and waved. "Is that Axel and Xion?"

Roxas was quick to answer. "No."

"Hi Naminé!" Xion yelled from the car.

"Good-bye!" Roxas snapped before pulling the door shut. "So annoying…"

"That wasn't very nice," Naminé said disapprovingly. "Do you treat all your friends like that?"

Roxas smirked. "You tell me."

Naminé wanted to retort, but she felt three burning stares coming from the living room. The trio held firm even when Naminé made eye contact. "What?"

All three broke their stares and looked at each other. "Should we?" Kairi asked both Riku and Sora.

"I honestly can't believe we didn't think of it before," Sora said with a shrug.

"Do it. I wanna see," Riku urged excitedly.

Naminé quirked a brow. "Anyone wanna let me in on whatever you guys are discussing or…?"

"Don't mind us!" Kairi shooed. "Go check on the pies."

"Pies? Is that why it smells so good in here?" Roxas asked. He followed Naminé to the kitchen. "I thought you were baking cookies."

"Pfft, no. What made you think that?" Naminé asked after eating another spoonful of dough. "Oh. This."

Roxas looked at Naminé with disbelief. "That container is half-full. Please tell me you at least made one batch."

"And if I didn't?" Naminé asked with a sheepish smile. She frowned immediately when Roxas snatched the cookie dough. "Hey!"

"You do realize how unhealthy this is, right? And you ate this much?"

"It's good. What's wrong with a little snack?"

"Yes, what could possibly go wrong when you eat a massive amount of raw cookie dough?" Roxas rolled his eyes and threw the container in the fridge.

Naminé crossed her arms. "The first thing you do when I let you in is take my food. Are you out to ruin my day or something?"

"More like saving your life. Are you trying to get a stomach ache?" Roxas asked with a smirk.

"I'll have you know I have a tummy of steel," Naminé bragged. Her whole body jerked when Roxas poked her abdomen. "Hey!"

"Right. Steel." Before anything more could be said, Kairi shrieked from the living room. Roxas and Naminé ran over. "What's wrong?" Roxas asked.

All three teens were staring at the computer screen, completely taken aback. "This… no way. This thing is broken," Riku declared.

"I… I must have this. I need this in my life," Kairi whispered to Sora with pained desperation.

"Holy sweet cinnamon rolls wrapped in candy bacon…" Sora said as he locked his gaze on the screen. He broke away and saw everyone staring at him weirdly. "What?"

Naminé began to walk over. "What is—"

"Don't come any closer!" Kairi ordered with an authoritative finger pointed at her sister. "Get back! Both of you!"

Roxas flinched. He took a few steps backward with his hands raised. "Er, sorry. I thought there was trouble."

Naminé was obviously unconvinced and stood her ground. "Kairi, are you guys still on that stupid website?"

"It's not stupid! It is a great domain that yields images of beautiful future children!"

Riku gingerly placed his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "That's a bit of a stretch, Kairi."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." Naminé rolled her eyes. She waved for Roxas to follow her to the kitchen. "Come on. Let Kairi play and don't worry about it."

"Mind explaining what that was all about?" Roxas pointed in the opposite direction.

"They've been on that website all day. It basically makes a baby picture based on the combination of two 'parent' photos. Kairi and I used it when we were younger."

"Why?"

"To see what our babies would look like if we married a celebrity. Why else?" Naminé shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Some of them have been pretty funny at least. Riku's babies were all extremely beautiful."

"Why does every girl think he's hot?" Roxas asked.

"Because he is. Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?" Naminé teased.

"Of course not," Roxas replied quickly. "Besides, I wouldn't want anything to do with a girl who'd date a guy based solely on looks."

"Who said his physical appearance was his only upside?" Naminé took a step closer and tapped Roxas on the chest. "And who said anything about wanting to date him? That's envy I smell, I'm sure of it!" She laughed when Roxas's face went red and allowed him to distance himself. "Hey, not all of Riku's offspring were beautiful. We had to make sure the simulator was working correctly, so we paired him with a picture of a horse."

"A horse?" Roxas asked incredulously.

"Yes. Needless to say, it was a train wreck. A relieving train wreck at that." Naminé seemed to ponder her words. "Though I don't suppose that does you any comfort, knowing that the only way to get an ugly Riku baby is to pair him with a non-human being."

"Who said I needed comfort? I'm not jealous of anything!" Roxas defended.

"Your face says otherwise," Naminé sang with a giggle.

Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you wake up today with the goal of being annoying?"

"No, I woke up with the intent to have fun. I've been having a great day so far, and it just so happens that annoying you is also fun." Naminé slid into a chair at the table, admiring the pies that sat in a row. "What did you do with your day? Was it at least half as awesome as mine?"

"I was with Axel and Xion the whole day. Make of that what you will." Roxas sat at the table and pulled one of the pies closer. "Is this what you did the whole day? Make pies?"

"Yup. Kairi and I used to do it a lot more with our mother when we were younger. I ended up doing most of the work since Kairi's an awful cook, but I got some juicy— albeit sour— details about Sora. Apparently he's as good a kisser as everyone made him seem."

Roxas shook his head. "I can't believe you two talk so casually about that stuff."

"About what?"

"Us."

Naminé smirked. "Who said you were included?"

"I meant all your guy friends," Roxas quickly clarified with a blush. "First you went on about Riku, and now you tell me you and your sister talked about my brother."

"I don't see the problem. I think we can approach the subject lightly because we've known them for such a long time. I know I'll never be able to date anyone in the group seriously."

"That didn't really stop Kairi."

"But Kairi has always liked Sora. It was only a matter of time before she realized what kind of 'like' she was feeling." Naminé crossed her legs and tucked her hair behind her ear. "I would never be able to date any of the guys. I've known them for a long time, and I suppose that's why I'm comfortable complimenting them. They're not about to come onto me or read into the things I say, you know?"

"So it's almost a brotherly relationship?"

"I guess. I've never had a brother, so maybe this is the closest thing to it. I figure I'd be able to tell my brother that he's cute and would make beautiful babies with everyone except a horse, right?"

"Yeah…" Roxas answered hollowly. "You know, we've known each other for a long time too."

"Yes we have. Your point being…?" Naminé asked. She felt as if she were missing something.

Maybe Roxas was just being weird. He creased his brow before shaking his head. "Never mind. I don't know where I was going with that either."

"…Okay!" Naminé shrugged. She wouldn't bother herself with it. "So why exactly did you swing by? I assume your original plan wasn't to question me."

The change of subject seemed to snap Roxas out of whatever he was thinking about. "Oh! You ready to get our free ice cream for today?"

Naminé laughed loudly. "You can't get it alone?"

"I can, but I figured you wanted ice cream too. It's also another opportunity to utterly fail at parallel parking, if you're up to the challenge," Roxas teased.

"What time do you want to go?"

"The sooner we get it, the better."

That settled it. While Roxas retrieved his car keys from his brother, Naminé went straight to her room. As she gathered her belongings, something slipped from her wristlet and slowly fell to the floor. Naminé picked it up and smiled. It was one of the photos from the previous night. Prompted to look for the other one, Naminé compared the two and settled with the one that captured her on Roxas's back. She decided that Roxas should have the other. He deserved it after coming up with the save that allowed them to compete.

Naminé tucked Roxas's photo in her wristlet and displayed the other on her mirror. It was a shame that neither caught Roxas smiling. He'd not only appear happier, but he'd be just as popular with the ladies as his brother. Though, she probably wouldn't have been the one to win free ice cream with him were that the case.

A knock at the door got her attention. "I'm coming," she called over her shoulder.

"I'll grant you some mercy and pass that opportunity up." To Naminé's surprise, it was Kairi who answered. "So you and Roxas are going out?"

"We are getting ice cream," Naminé nodded. She ignored her sister's play on words. "Make sure Riku and Sora take home their pies."

"I will. Are you sure you don't want to leave with me and Sora tonight? You're gonna miss out!" Kairi sang.

"I'd rather not be the third wheel, thanks."

"Fine. But can I show you something before you leave?" Kairi presented the tablet she was holding behind her back.

Naminé took the iPad and gasped. Was this the image that spurred the outburst from earlier? It had to be. Never before had Naminé seen such a beautiful, perfect, and ridiculously adorable baby. A small messy tuft of blonde hair sat on the smiling baby's head, and the lightest blue eyes shined with happiness. The baby would have been perfect for any photography studio. The little baby was all sorts of perfect, so perfectly cute and so perfectly… edible!

Naminé gushed. She wanted to eat the baby up! Not in the cannibalistic way, but rather the overzealous expression of extreme affection. "Oh. My. Goodness."

"Is that not the cutest baby you have ever seen?" Kairi jumped in excitement. "I have to have him, Naminé. I need him."

"This baby is… I don't even…" Naminé handed the tablet over and covered her eyes. "I can't. If I find out where that baby is, I might just kidnap him."

"Funny you mention that, actually. He's your baby, after all." Kairi allowed her gaze to linger a bit before turning off the screen. "Well, yours and Roxas's."

"You lie!" Naminé accused. That beautiful being came from combining her picture with Roxas's? The thought alone was crazy enough to make Naminé laugh.

"I'm dead serious. You saw him, Nam. That baby is fucking beautiful." Kairi opened the door to the room and stepped out. "Do me a favor and seduce Roxas, 'kay? We'll figure everything else out later, just as long as I get this adorable little nephew," Kairi joked.

Naminé nodded and went along with her sister. "You can count on me, Kai. I'll find a way to get in Roxas's pants."

"H-Huh?"

The surprised squeak from Roxas made both girls burst out in laughter. Instead of explaining their words, Naminé closed the distance between her and Roxas and pinned him against the wall. She pressed her finger to his chest and smiled seductively.

"Hey you," Naminé greeted suggestively, "I think we've wasted enough time. Why don't we forget about the ice cream and start making a baby?"

While Roxas turned into a stuttering hot mess, Kairi and Naminé broke down even further. Their laughing fit caught the attention of the other boys, who ran over when they saw Kairi on the floor. While Sora helped his girlfriend up, Riku gently pulled Naminé from Roxas. The giggling blonde nearly collapsed in his arms, unable to contain herself.

"Roxas, what the heck is going on?" Sora picked up Kairi, holding most of her weight while she howled in laughter.

Like a fish out of water, Roxas's mouth opened repeatedly as he tried to form an explanation. "I-I was… she was really close… I-I don't… they were doing something and said… I—"

Riku groaned. "I don't understand a damn thing you're trying to say."

"Aww, leave him alone!" Kairi said between gasps of air. "Nam and I were just kidding around! Give me a minute!"

"Must have been some joke," Sora scoffed. "You were on the floor!"

"It was a great joke! I asked Roxas to help me make a baby, but I think he declined," Naminé said. She thanked Riku for keeping her on her feet. "Relax, boys. Kairi and I just had one of our moments. We're fine!"

"Sorry about that, Roxas!" Kairi patted the boy's shoulder. "But seriously, you and Nam would make a killer baby."

Riku threw his arms up. "Are you serious? That's what this was about?"

"You're just jealous!" Kairi called. "You're bitter because the most beautiful baby made tonight wasn't yours!"

"I'm not jealous!" Riku covered his ears and walked away. Kairi quickly followed him, pulling Sora along by the hand.

As he passed the blondes, he smirked, pointing to his eyes before turning it on them. In return, Naminé flicked her wrist and made a whipping sound. She smiled victoriously when Sora resorted to a childish rebuttal and stuck his tongue out. She then turned to Roxas and fixed her hair. "Sorry about that. Are you all right?"

Roxas blinked slowly before nodding vigorously. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."

"I'm guessing that was a bit surprising. I didn't actually plan to use you in the joke, but you were in the area," Naminé explained.

"Joke?" Roxas asked. His eyebrows rose as he finished processing the recent event. "Oh, right! The joke. The baby-making one. I mean the baby picture thing. Right."

Naminé paused to examine Roxas more closely. Did she hurt him? He was still plastered against the wall. She didn't think she pushed him that hard, but maybe she got carried away. His face was also tinged with a blush. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't look so well."

Whatever she said seemed to do the trick. Roxas pushed himself from the wall and reassured her that he was fine. Before they left, Naminé called her sister over one more time. Despite Naminé telling Roxas to meet her in the car, he waited at the door until Naminé finished talking with her sister. They left right after.

Even though Roxas had earlier teased her about parallel parking, he ended up behind the wheel. Naminé guessed it had to do with the fact that they were riding in his car. He probably didn't trust her with it.

The car ride didn't remain quiet for long. Seemingly back to normal, Roxas turned to Naminé at a red light and asked, "So what was the deal with Kairi not saying something important?"

"You were eavesdropping?" Naminé asked with a smile. "If you're worried, their relationship is fine. I talked with Kairi today and found out that she didn't tell Riku or Sora that we're leaving in three weeks. If you ask me, that's pretty important."

"You're leaving in three weeks when there's more than a month left of summer?" Roxas asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because our father said so. I'm not too happy about it either."

Roxas didn't ask any more questions, so Naminé sat silently for the rest of the car ride. Now that she had time to think, it was really a shame that they'd leave so early. It was a strange combination of feelings. To think that she didn't even want to visit the Islands in the first place seemed so long ago; now, with the end of her vacation nearing, it seemed like the majority of summer passed in a flash.

Funnily enough, it all led down to one person: Roxas. He was both the reason she didn't want to come and the reason why summer whizzed by in the blink of an eye. Befriending him skewed her sense of time, and over the course of nearly two months, she felt like a different person. She felt lighter, less edgy. She didn't have to look over her shoulder or remain on high alert from a possible word bout. Or maybe that was unique to just this one day.

Even so, to think one person would make a world of a difference was something Naminé never dreamed of. Life was a lot easier as Roxas's friend, and hopefully he thought likewise. Naminé laughed to herself. She tried to imagine the face of her pre-summer face if someone ever told her that she'd be getting ice cream— by choice— with him after a couple weeks of spending time together.

Naminé stole a peek at Roxas. She never appreciated it before, but his hair was really messy. It wasn't the bad kind of mess, but a disorderly mess. Sora's hair didn't fare much better, but at least his had a unique semblance of organization. Roxas's just seemed to be all over the place. She had to wonder if he spent any time at all fixing it. Did he just give up? There was something incredibly funny about that. Of all the things in the world that could defeat Roxas and remain out of his control, it was his hair. At least that's what she assumed.

He did gel it once, back when they went to Club Spades. It wasn't styled any differently though. Maybe he intended to make it look messy like that. Surely he would fix it up differently if he could.

Roxas's voice abruptly broke into her thoughts. "Are you going to stare at me all day or are you coming down?"

Naminé squeezed her eyes shut and laughed. "Whoa, we're here already? Sorry about that." Naminé followed Roxas to the end of the block. The parlor was three blocks down the road.

"So Sora told me that he and Kairi are leaving for Disney World tonight," Roxas said casually. "Does that have anything to do with the fact that you guys are leaving prematurely?"

"Yeah, but it was sorta planned on Kairi's part. When our father told us we'd be leaving early, he bought us annual passes to the park. Kairi decided to go tomorrow," Naminé explained.

"They told me you were going." The pair quickly crossed an intersection.

Naminé nodded. "I am. Riku and I are leaving tomorrow night. We're gonna spend the night at his condo in the area and go to one of the parks in the morning with Sora and Kairi. You can come too if you want. I'm sure you have a ticket. Your brother does."

"I do have a ticket, but I have to work tomorrow." Roxas scrunched his nose. "Why go with Riku when you can go with your sister?"

Naminé shrugged. "Maybe I want to give my sister some alone time with her boyfriend."

They soon reached the parlor, which wasn't nearly as busy as the previous day. The interior looked more appropriate for everyday use, and all evidence from the special event had been cleaned up. Since there was no line, they were able to quickly make their orders. Naminé rolled her eyes when Roxas again frowned upon her choice of flavor. When he questioned her on how much cookie dough she had already eaten, she blamed him for taking it away from her. Though it was a complete lie, she enjoyed making it seem like his actions backfired on him. In reality, Naminé simply wasn't the type to try new foods or flavors. The name didn't exactly appeal to her. Why would she want salty ice cream?

Roxas led her to the same spot, and each took their places atop the table. Idle conversation passed much of the time, with subjects ranging from the day's events to Roxas's list of can't-miss rides at Disney. The differences it had with Naminé's list sparked a lively debate, and the two bantered back and forth over the inferiority of each other's recommendations.

When they finished their ice cream, Naminé finally got Roxas to open up on the details of his outing with his friends. She was happy to hear that the reason for their get-together was a celebration: Axel and Demyx had signed a deal that would move them to Twilight Town, which was the place to be as an aspiring musician hoping to break into the business. Roxas explained that they would take anything they got there, whether it was a reality TV show appearance, opening for more renowned artists, or collaborating with others in the studio. The group unanimously decided that a reality TV show would be the most lucrative and degrading gig as a possible future. Naminé agreed.

Just as they were beginning to leave, Naminé saw two familiar faces across the block. She waved them down and told Roxas. He didn't react the way she assumed. Instead of waving them over, Roxas attempted to drag her away and leave as quickly as possible.

"Hey! Didn't you just see them?" Naminé asked as she planted her feet.

"I did, and that's why we're leaving. Let's go," Roxas hissed.

"Now that's not very nice!" Naminé chided. "For your information, I already waved to them. If you're ashamed to be seen with me, you're gonna have to suck it up."

"I'm not ashamed to be seen with you." Roxas looked over Naminé head and cursed under his breath. "Great. Listen to me. Whatever you do, don't take anything they say seriously. They're gonna—"

"I must say, I did not expect to run into anyone, much less you guys!" Xion greeted as she skipped over to them. "On a date, perhaps?"

Naminé answered, "Nope, just a friendly outing. Much like yours, I'm guessing." She turned her attention to Axel. "Hi there. Roxas just finished telling me about your future prospects. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Axel responded.

Naminé stood in place, forcing Roxas to stay as well. "Do you have any idea when you'll be leaving?"

"Around the end of next month. We've got quite a bit of time left here, but it'll be busy." Axel shrugged. "I'll make the most out of everything. That's the plan."

"So what brings you two here? Are you getting ice cream too?" Xion asked.

"We actually just finished ours and were just about to leave. We can keep you company for a while if you'd like though," Naminé said with a smile.

Roxas didn't seem as keen on the idea. "Actually, we—"

"Sounds great!" Xion took one of Roxas's arms and dragged him to the door of the ice cream parlor. "Come and order with me. Axel, will you find us a table and keep Naminé company?"

"Sure." Axel shifted his attention to the blonde and motioned for her to follow. As soon as they sat down on the table, Axel chuckled. "So, you and Roxas huh? He told me things had improved, but I didn't think I'd see you alone together."

Naminé hesitated. On one hand she was very curious about the things Roxas might have mentioned, but on the other she felt an obligation to be reserved. Roxas might have left a few things out for a reason, which she'd have to ask about later. She took the conservative approach. "We've managed to set aside our differences. I think I'm starting to see why you guys like him. He's not that bad."

"No, he really isn't." Axel looked over his shoulder into the parlor. "Did he say anything to you as we were approaching? Anything about what we talked about earlier today?"

Naminé was taken aback. He probably didn't hear anything, but why did he assume Roxas said something? He wasn't wrong. "No, nothing about that." Naminé was satisfied with her answer. It wasn't a lie if applied only to the second question.

"Did he tell you that we'd tease him? I know he had to have said something." Axel kept his eyes trained on the pair ordering ice cream.

Naminé allowed her curiosity to get the best of her. "Why do you think he did?"

"Because we talked about you. Or rather, we teased him a bit. Poked and prodded, nothing serious."

Naminé heard Roxas's request repeat in head, but her curiosity got the best of her. "Why did you tease him?"

"Before we woke him up today, we heard him say your name in his sleep." Axel laughed and turned his full attention to Naminé. "That's all."

Xion knew what she wanted to order, and she knew what Axel wanted as well. They always ordered the same thing thanks to Roxas's insistence. Still, that didn't stop her from pretending to look at the menu to get a few extra minutes alone with her best friend.

"You win," Roxas said.

To an outsider, it seemed out of the blue. Xion, however, knew it had to do with her wager. "I could've gathered that much after this morning," she joked. "That means you're not obligated to hang out with Naminé when your siblings are together. And yet here you are."

Roxas crossed his arms. "She's a friend now. Why is it so surprising?"

"You mean besides the quick turnaround?" Xion quirked a brow. "You didn't have to lie. You said you had to be dropped off at her house because you were going home with your brother, who happened to be over there with Kairi. That might have been true, but you obviously didn't go home with Sora. You came here, and your brother is nowhere to be found."

"That's because Sora didn't tell me that he wasn't planning on going home tonight. He's going to Disney with Kairi." Roxas pulled out his phone. "Don't believe me? Ask him. It sounds weird, but it's true. Ask Naminé too."

"I believe you." Xion frowned. Their conversation quickly escalated into something antagonistic, which was something Xion was hoping to avoid. She quickly changed the subject. "You work tomorrow, right? Let's hang out. I'll pick you up and stay at your place for a while."

Roxas seemed to grow very uncomfortable. "I'm actually calling off and moving it to the day after tomorrow."

"And why's that?" Xion asked before submitting her order of sea-salt ice cream.

"Because I'm going with Naminé tomorrow morning," he blurted.

To say Xion was shocked was an understatement. They recognized each other as friends yesterday, and now they were going to amusement parks together? That was the last thing Xion expected to hear. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Roxas replied sheepishly. "I… she offered and I accepted. Sora and Kairi are going to be there for a few days. We're just gonna be with them tomorrow."

"Sounds… fun!" Xion chirped. Though her face displayed otherwise, Xion felt herself becoming more annoyed with each second. First, he ditches his friends to go over Naminé's under some lame excuse. Now he's going to Disney with her. Xion almost found it funny. Roxas gets a new friend— thanks to a wager— and he's willing to shift his schedule around her. As his best friend though, Xion got his spare time outside of work.

Xion didn't feel an ounce of shame for her jealousy. She knew she was jealous. Not only did he put a whole day off for Naminé, but he also prioritized her over spending time with his best friends. Xion knew there was a kind of novelty with new people, but why couldn't he do the same for her?

"Make sure to come to my place as soon as I get off work so we can make the most out of that day." Roxas's words pulled Xion from her thoughts.

Instead of snorting, Xion nodded. "Of course. We've got to work around that busy schedule of yours, after all."

Naminé was quite sure her sides were on fire. The people she surrounded herself with were apparently bad for her health: every time she felt the burning sensation wane, someone would say something hilarious and the process would begin all over again. Laughing was fun until it became painful.

But she couldn't really stop.

"Naminé, if you don't mind, I'm going to have to ask you a series of questions," Axel said in a very casual manner. "Has Roxas ever asked you to eat any of the following? First, a banana."

"No," said Naminé with a shake of her head. She bit back a smile.

"A lollipop?"

"Nope!"

"Sea-salt ice cream?"

"Yeah, he has."

Upon hearing her answer, Axel shot a look of disgust toward Roxas. "You're sick."

"How is that sick?" Roxas asked defensively.

"To think you would sink so low… yeah, I bet you'd love to see her mouth around your favorite popsicle!"

"Gross!" Xion exaggerated her gag. "I thought you said you were going to be more subtle!"

"I was, but Naminé was starting to calm down. We were losing momentum." Axel pointed his thumb over at the laughing blonde.

Naminé wasn't quite sure how much she could take. For the past ten minutes, Roxas's best friends had been on a tear, teasing Roxas with little digs and embarrassing stories. She was quite sure everything she was hearing were things she never would have heard from Roxas himself. And sure, some of them had to do with her, but it was all said in fun. They weren't joking with the intent of offending her, but rather the intent of roasting Roxas.

The poor guy was helpless. Every time he tried to defend himself, it seemed like Xion and Axel had a way of twisting his words. It reminded Naminé of her relationship with Kairi. It was nice to see that Roxas too had people who knew him so well that they always seemed a step ahead. There was comfort in knowing she wasn't the only one to feel outmatched in certain conversations.

"So I saw online today that you unblocked Roxas," Xion said to Naminé. "That was done by you, right?"

"Yup. Roxas hasn't been able to access my account, thankfully." Naminé shot a look toward the boy and stuck her tongue out.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Xion tapped her chin. "Sure, he doesn't get on yours, but he can see it now from his profile. And I just so happened to be browsing at his house this morning and found a very interesting search history."

"I forgot about that!" Axel yelled. "That was amazing."

"What did you find?" Naminé inquired.

"Oh, nothing really. Roxas apparently thinks that he doesn't have to clear his browser history anymore. Apparently he's found a suitable replacement to… more shameful content."

"Guys, cut it out. That's not even true!" Roxas interrupted.

Xion wasn't impressed. "Which part? Are you talking about your browse through her photo album or the fact that you look at por—"

"Both," Roxas said with a glare.

"He has a thing for blond-haired, blue-eyed girls, just so you know," Axel informed in an aside to Naminé.

"He's into that whole superior race thing?" Naminé joked.

"I think he just likes looking at himself so much he prefers partners of similar traits."

"What a narcissist."

"Tell me about it."

"Okay, enough already!" Roxas slammed his hands on the table. "I knew you guys would do this. How would you like it if I made up a bunch of stuff about you and told Naminé about it?"

"That's the thing. We don't have to make stuff up. You're actually a pervert," Xion said confidently.

"Oh yeah? Well then I guess you won't mind me telling Naminé or Axel that you once had an erotic dream about Sora!"

"What? I did not!" Xion yelled back.

"Well that's exactly what you told me the morning after you were dared to kiss him!"

"You're making that up!"

"Holy crap he's telling the truth!" Axel shouted. "You always do that thing with your hair when you lie!"

Xion looked down at her hand. Sure enough, she had twisted her hair in her finger. "He's lying!"

Roxas turned to Axel soon after. "And I don't know why you're laughing so much. You always defend your psychotic girlfriend and justify everything she does!"

"Hey, do not bring Larxene into this!" Axel warned.

"Well that was fast!" Xion quipped. Namine could tell she was happy to divert the attention. "But that can't possibly be true. It's not like you stuck with her after she pulled a knife on you once."

"Hey, she may be a little crazy sometimes, but it's totally worth it when you get to the bedroom!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner!" Roxas announced. "There's nothing more arousing than a life-threatening moment, is there?"

Naminé watched as the trio traded shots and accusations. She didn't quite believe what she was hearing, but all of them were either lying or knew way too much about it each other. What was more interesting, however, was the way Roxas acted around them. Despite the offensive and embarrassing words, all three of them were smiling and playfully shoving. What looked like a fight turned into a group dynamic. To an outsider, they were a bunch of loud young kids shouting obscenities. To them, they probably saw someone who'd stick around no matter what the circumstance.

To think that Roxas connected with more than one person on such a level astounded her. Before, she thought it impossible for him to achieve that type of friendship with anyone. But he did, and it really allowed him to really express himself. Naminé smiled idly as she watched him sandwiched between his closest friends. She knew at that moment he was having fun. He couldn't hide that even if he tried.

"Man, sometimes I wonder why I bother hanging out with you guys. Grow up," Axel barked as he turned his back on them.

"Aww, I think we hurt Axel's feelings!" Roxas frowned at Xion and wiped at a nonexistent tear.

"Oh no! Group hug to comfort the little baby!" Xion and Roxas both wrapped their arms around their older friend and squeezed as hard as they could. Naminé laughed as Axel screamed his lungs out. He couldn't break their hold.

"I'm going to light both of you on fire while you sleep tonight. Count on it." Axel smirked as the moment passed.

"You'll have to muster the willpower to escape from Larxene's clutches first," Roxas teased.

"And we both know that won't happen, so we'll be sleeping soundly. Count on that!" Xion finished with a high five to Roxas.

"Makes my job easier." Axel turned to the forgotten observer and gasped. "Whoa, sorry you had to see all that! I hope we didn't scare you. That's the last thing Roxas wants, believe me."

"No, you didn't. You guys are very interesting people," Naminé complimented.

"We probably have to go. Sora called me a lot ten minutes ago. I think he needed the car," Roxas said as he looked at his phone. "I'll see you guys later."

Everyone at the table stood. Axel twirled his keys as he threw his trash out. "Sounds good. We have to get going too. I still have to drop this one off. Larxene's going to kill me."

"Oh please. Just admit you're ditching me for sexy time." Xion walked over to Axel before turning to Naminé. "It was nice seeing you again. I'll have a bunch of stories about Roxas prepared the next time we meet."

"It was nice seeing you guys too. Bye, Axel!" Naminé waved as they began to walk.

"See ya! If Roxas tries to make a move on you, don't hesitate to scream!"

"I won't!" Naminé called back with a giggle. She turned around and smiled at Roxas. "You seem to love your friends very much."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "They're okay, I guess." He seemed to ponder something before speaking. "You didn't believe anything they said, right? I knew they were going to be like that."

"I'll believe what I choose to believe. For example, I wholly believe that both of them have seen you naked. I've been around you for a summer and I've already seen you in your underwear."

Roxas scratched his head. "Fine, they might have seen me naked, but that doesn't mean everything they say is true."

"Right, right." Naminé giggled. "There's nothing wrong with being small, Roxas. Really." She left a mortified Roxas rooted in place.

"That's not even true!"

Kairi, Sora, and Riku were already gone by the time they got back. Naminé found a note left by her sister detailing their plans. She also included that she the boys about their shortened summer. Apparently they took it well.

Naminé stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She felt like she had a really long day, but every moment of it was awesome. Her mood seemed to last through the passing hours. She normally hated being alone in a large house, but today was different. Tonight she would paint and dance and blast music like nothing else mattered. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Naminé turned upon hearing the knock on the wall. Roxas entered the kitchen with his keys in hand. "Hey. You wanted me to come to the kitchen because?"

Naminé smiled and held out a paper plate. "It's for you. I hope you like apple pie. I gave you two slices, but it's half of the whole thing."

"O-Oh. Thanks." Roxas took the plate and grinned. "I should go. Do you need to lock your door?"

Naminé nodded and led him to the entrance. "Yup! I've got to keep the house safe all by myself. Tonight's gonna be an adventure."

"Feel free to call. I'll probably… well, I'll probably be doing nothing," Roxas said with a wince. Just as he stepped outside, he turned around again with a blush on his face. "Uh, can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me another thing, sure." Naminé giggled. She loved making that joke.

"Do you wanna… um, instead of going with Riku tomorrow night, do you just want to follow Sora and Kairi tomorrow morning? With me, of course," he added quickly.

Naminé laughed. "I thought you had work tomorrow."

"I do, but I can move that to the day after." Roxas shifted his weight onto one leg and looked around. "I just figured… well, you offered and I thought about it, and if Sora gets to go, I guess I can go too, you know…"

"Yeah. That sounds good to me," Naminé answered.

Her answer caught Roxas off-guard. "What?"

"I said yeah. Let's go to Disney tomorrow morning. It's only three hours away, right?" Naminé asked.

"Y-Yeah! It's not that long of a drive at all," Roxas said. "You're serious?"

"I actually planned on not going. Kairi told me that all three of them left tonight after she told them about our new summer timeline. I could have followed, but I wasn't comfortable with the idea of driving that long by myself. No offense."

"No, none taken!" Roxas shrugged. "Cool! We can call them when we get there and hang out with them and all. You probably don't want to be stuck with me the whole time."

"That's dependent on your walking speed. If you walk too slow, I'm leaving you behind. But I'm fine with anything. The more the merrier, right?" Naminé smiled.

"Awesome!" Roxas began to walk backwards from the door. "So I'll see you at five?"

Naminé's smile dropped, which was enough to get a laugh out of Roxas. "What? Five in the morning? That's so early! No earlier than six!"

"Park opens at eight, Naminé! If you want to ride everything in the park without running around like a maniac, you'll need every hour!"

Naminé groaned. He was right. Not only was the park large, but it was also the peak of summer. The lines were probably going to be ridiculous. "Fine. Five thirty as long as you're driving!"

"Deal!" Roxas said with a wide grin. "See you in a couple hours!"

"Don't remind me!" Naminé laughed as she closed the door. She rested her head on the door as she locked it. The thought of being awake again in eight hours made her reconsider her plans. One of her options involved an all-nighter. She'd get the best of both worlds, but she'd probably be dead tired around the park.

Naminé sighed. She'd have to forego her previous plans and go to bed early. Her painting could wait for another time, and she was sure she'd find herself alone at home at least one more time to have her own little dance party.

After a relaxing shower, Naminé threw on a fresh pair of clothes, locked down the house, and hopped into bed. The events she recounted brought a smile to her face. She turned on her side.

She knew falling asleep was going to be difficult. It was earlier than usual, and a part of her still wanted to spend the remaining hours of the day. But most of all— and most unexpectedly— Naminé found herself awake for another reason. It was something she'd only trust telling herself.

Nothing at that moment was more powerful and mind-stimulating than the excitement of seeing Roxas in the morning.

Redeeming Endeavor: Huge thanks to everyone who added LPA to their favorites! Another round of applause to those who subscribed as well! Thank you for adding me to your author lists as well.

Thanks to Versivalia, xXxGothicButterflySpiritxXx, Hegodart, dreamingleaf7, chibixbabe, Kiome-Yasha, TheWitchNamine, elspoek1, Xantaxa539, Brown Eyed Sage, Lil Leif, Alecdot, CheshireBlue101, Gear001,Tenshi Yami, ThatGuy, Gumi Harue, Caramelized, Abominable-IcePrincess, Ayperi, Purpleeninjaaa, Pili1995, Burai Stelar, TwinToshiro, Ash09, illusional writer, A Story In The End, , rokunami, Omega, Kingdom13, KurukiXV, TalesOfStuff, animeluv3, AWEZOME, Dramamamapwnsall, GreyPurpleBlack, Revenge of the Red Pen, kingdomheartsoverload, Squishy Moogle, The Dismotivator, onesmartgoalie, Muledragon, Roxanime, SuperTacocat, g-peachy-chan, Toni Heart, FuryOfTheNight, EclipseoftheSol, Draco Oblivion, EnterAbyss29.91, Lulu, FromSoraXWithLove, abidethestance, Happy Reader, DegreeBound205, randomwriter19, vicucha, VenVen, Dreamer's Samhain, and Justice333. I can't believe how supportive you guys have been. I've gotta get better!

Chapter Data- Word Count: 10,260. Total Editing Time: 1369 minutes.

Harmless Author Fact #19: I absolutely LOVE roller coasters. Cedar Point is great. Six Flags also has awesome rides. I really wanna travel the world and ride the best coasters. It's one of those unattainable daydreams I have.

Take care now! I'll see you around.