Early today... I know... I caught a cold... on the first day of summer break... fuuuuun~
-_- Yeah... fun...
SHOOOOOL'S OUT, FOR SUMMER! SCHOOOOOOOOOL'S OUT, FOR EVER! Love that song... and it's so true! I'm free until the end of August :D
Anyway, someone requested I write replies to their review in my author's note, so I suppose I will XD
So, to 813 i love you 813, no, the story is not done yet :P Did you guys think I would have just stopped the story when Axel and Roxas got together? Psh! I'm not like that ;P You guys still have to learn about Axel's obsession with his dad, about Roxas' parents past, things about Riku, and Ellie, and Sora, and not really Kairi... but Namine as well XD So, be prepared to be surprised :P However, the story does end eventually, and I will stop posting :P
To the Pirate Mage, I would NEVER leave you guys on a cliffie like that :P Oh wait, I do... hm... ;P And I love the "he's gay!" moment as well XD It cracks me up every time I think about it XD Also, thank you for your wonderful fanart :) It's adorable and perfect! If anyone wants to see it, it's on my favorites on deviant art :) My name is the same on there as it is on here, so I shouldn't be that hard to find.
Thanks to Buddy Cakes and P5ng-Me-A'Wy for your reviews :) You guys didn't say much, so I don't really know what else to say XD
And finally, to withnospaces... hun, I don't know whether to strangle or hug you. Your review certainly made me feel better after nearly failing the chem final, but really? Really? I honestly don't know what goes through your head sometimes... most of the time, actually. Thanks for putting spoilers in there, by the way, even if you did censor them in the most entertaining of ways. I'm sorry I don't give you enough credit, and that you search for Ellie when you play Kingdom Hearts now, though, I'm not really sorry, so it's kinda pointless for me to say that... hm... Also, your grammar fails most of the time, so I highly doubt you edit the chapters I give you in your head... And what happened with chapter 25 was absolutely hysterical! Chika and I laughed for like, ten minutes after you stormed off XD (For those of you who don't know, which is pretty much everyone, I printed out chapter 25 after I finished it, and I gave it to Miss withnospaces, but I only printed the first page in Times New Roman. The rest was printed in Windings so she couldn't read it. I was getting back at her for some reason... can't remember what though...) Finally, to your signing off thing, love ya too, I'll probably drop out of school now, drugs sound entertaining I'll probably try them some, and why the heck did you write our theatre name there o.O And you are not the best ever. -_- Or maybe you are. I don't know.
Yeah... that's my friend for you... finally reviewing after the story is over, even though she has YET to finish it...
Alright, a few more things I need to say; I drew the necklace Roxas gives to Axel. It's on my devart if you want to see it. There should be a link on my profile. :) Also, I'm thinking of posting Elephant on devart. If you think I should let me know, AND I have a poll up asking a question about Something about the Rain. Please answer it :) I really need the information.
So, that's my wondrous author's note for chapter 28. Have fun reading the chapter, review, and I'll talk to you guys on Monday, when I post the next chapter. :) Thanks for everything, Rocket Ship! :) You're an awesome beta! She also drew a fanart for the story if you guys want to see it :) Also in my favs on devart.
~Sunechirei
Full Chapter Title: I owe my solitude to other people
"Why are you leaving?" I asked, my voice low. Naminé looked as though she were about to cry as she shook her head, obviously not wanting to talk to me. But this conversation had to happen. "Is there a reason you don't want to stay here? Did something happen, what?"
"Roxas..."
"Did I do something?" I wanted to know. If I'd done something to hurt her, then maybe I could fix this. Maybe she wouldn't have to go, and she would tell Dad that she wanted to take back her two weeks notice and stay with us. Maybe...
"This doesn't... it's not important," she told me, glancing down at her feet. "I just... I have... I have to..."
She wasn't going to stay. No matter what I said, she was going to leave. She probably just wanted to get away from Radiant Garden for a while, being older, and she wanted to go to school, but she didn't want to tell anyone.
If that was so, why did I feel so guilty?
"Axel?" I asked, gasping. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Standing in front of me, grinning like a maniac, was my red-haired boyfriend. Sea-green eyes were narrowed slightly, almost as if he was a cat, and I happened to be his prey. He was wearing somewhat nice clothing; a button up black shirt and jeans, and just visible on his neck was the silver chain of the necklace I'd given him for his birthday. It was the nicest thing I'd ever seen him wear.
I, on the other hand, had just woken up, so I was in my pajamas, and I probably looked as though I had been rolled down a hill. It was something close to that... I'd just fallen out of bed, a sure sign that bad things were going to happen.
"I'm here to pick you up," Axel told me, patting me on the head. "First day back at work."
He dressed up for work? Axel? Dressed up? For Work?
Yeah right. He was so planning something.
"Um... okay," I said hesitantly, stepping aside to let him in. "But why are you coming to pick me up?"
"Because Mr. Boss-man told me that you refuse to drive still, and he didn't want to wait for you this morning."
I froze. Dad wasn't here? That would explain the noise I heard this morning around five, and the fact that no one bothered to answer the door. So, either Dad was expecting Axel to eagerly agree to come pick me up, or he wanted me to get over my driving issues.
I really wanted to, you know, but every time I grabbed my keys, or sat in the driver's seat of the car, I remembered the instant before that crash, then waking up drenched in blood, the pain, and Axel, lying there lifelessly...
Just thinking about it again made me feel sick to my stomach.
I never wanted to drive again.
"Alrighty then, Roxas. Now it's your turn to get dressed so I can take you out," Axel teased, steering me towards the stairs. "I'll be waiting down here." All I could do was nod and head up to my room, not really sure what was going on. Either Axel really was just going to work, or he was going to kidnap me.
Honestly, I liked the second idea better.
So I got dressed quickly, making sure I didn't look horrible, but at the same time not like my mother had just dressed me. It's so awkward when you look like that, and then all the guys at your school make fun of you...
When I thought I looked half decent, I scrambled out of my room, wondering what that strange sound reaching my ears was. The farther down I got, the clearer the noise became. It was Mom's piano being played. A nice melody, though one I didn't quite recognize. It seemed familiar, like I'd heard it once before, but only once, but I couldn't quite place where I had.
Walking into the living room, I witnessed a scene I never thought I'd see; Axel, sitting at the grand piano, playing that tune. I watched him, not wanting to interrupt him. He seemed to be blissful, almost as if he hadn't played a piano in a while. I figured he hadn't, as he'd been hospitalized for a while, then he was trapped in his house which didn't have a piano.
I watched him for a time, wondering if I could recognize the song he was playing. However, the music stopped before I could.
"Like it?" Axel asked me. I nodded.
"Where's it from?"
"Nowhere," he said, smirking. "I wrote it."
"You wrote it?" I walked towards him, not sure if I should believe him or not. Sure, Axel's a genius, and sure, he mentioned a few things about liking music before, but writing music? I didn't think he had the patience to do that. But, he insisted he did.
"I've actually played it for you before," he told me, playing the melody of the song quietly. He'd played it for me before... that would explain where I'd heard it, but I hadn't known him for that long. I would have remembered him playing it for me.
"When?" I asked.
"The first time I met you, and the Christmas party where I got you drunk." That's all he said before playing again, and I was really confused. Not about the Christmas part... I knew that most of my memory from that night was gone, but I clearly remembered the first time I met Axel.
Standing next to me in the lobby, listening to screamo music. The song he was playing now was too gentle.
"What do you mean, the first time you met me?" I asked. He'd mentioned something like this before, at the Christmas party actually. Something about a meeting I didn't know about, and then there was what Ellie said about him loving me for a long time. But how long?
Axel stopped playing after I asked him that question, and he sighed. "Let's see, the first time I met you... huh."
"What?"
"It was at a Christmas party your parents held about sixteen years ago."
Sixteen years? He met me when I was three?
I tried to question him about it, but he shut me up with a kiss.
"It's not important, Roxie. Let's just get out of here before your dad starts asking why we're late." He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room. The two of us were unaware of the eyes watching us.
"Look, Naminé, just tell me. What happened to you?" I asked her, grabbing her arm before she could leave. "First you break up with me, then you stop talking to everyone, and now you're leaving Radiant Garden? What's going on?"
"Roxas, please just let it be," Naminé begged. "It's not important-"
"I think it's very important. You're just randomly packing up and leaving. No warning other than your two week notice to my father, but only he knew about that. Not even Kairi and Ellie guessed this was going to happen. How do you think they feel? And Axel? He's pretty upset about this."
Naminé's eyes traveled up to mine. Perfectly blue, with tears forming at the corner of her eyes. "You've never called him Axel before."
Naminé wasn't at the front desk when Axel and I walked in the building, which was weird. She always sat there, typing away, making sure calls got directed to the right place, and things like that. Boring work, you know?
She wasn't there, but Kairi was, searching around the desk frantically. Axel and I exchanged glances before he called out to her.
"Hey Kairi. What's up?"
The auburn haired girl jumped, looking back at us fearfully.
Fearfully...
Why would she be so afraid? Was something happening? Was another person hurt? Maybe it was Riku or Sora this time, which would explain her reaction, but it could also be something else.
What ever it was, I wanted to find out. Right then and there.
"You okay?" I asked her, taking a step forward. This seemed to be the wrong thing to ask, as she suddenly burst into tears. "Whoa!" I exclaimed, "Did I say something? What's going on?"
"Naminé's leaving!"
I let go of Naminé's wrist and took a step back, surprised by the sudden onset of tears. There was something about the way she was looking at me that hinted at something, like she was urging me to ask her the one question I couldn't figure out.
"Why... why would that make you so sad?" I asked, not sure why me calling Axel by his name was such a shocking thing. Surely she knew that the two of us were "getting along," so to speak, and me calling him by his name wasn't that big of a deal. Maybe...
"Roxas," Naminé muttered, her hand coming up to brush a few strands of hair out of my face. It was such a simple, kind gesture, but it reminded me of our relationship; when the two of us were both happy at the same time. Instinctively, I grabbed the hand, not really sure what I should do after that. "Roxas, I know you don't like things to be left unsaid, but this time, I think you should just let it go."
"No!" I exclaimed. "I can't let this go! You're important to me, I can't just sit back and let you leave!"
"Yes, you can." She pulled away. "You can, and you will. Please, Roxas."
After Kairi's outburst, Axel and I exchanged glances. He looked petrified, guilty, almost, like he knew this was going to happen someday, just not right then. At first, I didn't believe what Kairi was saying. She probably just meant that Naminé was leaving the office for the day, but I knew that assumption was so stupid a two year old could tell me that it wasn't true.
"What do you mean," Axel asked slowly, but Kairi just shook her head, unable to talk. "She's quitting her job?" A nod. "But she's staying in Radiant Garden, right?" This time, Kairi didn't move, but her eyes closed, and she let out a small sob.
I knew then I had to talk to Naminé. We'd been avoiding each other since Valentine's day, and even more so since Axel's birthday, but it was time to put that to an end.
"When does she leave?" I asked, glancing over at Axel to let him know that I was going to find her. He nodded, which went unnoticed by the frantic Kairi. She sobbed and told me that today was Naminé's last day.
I felt my stomach drop. Two weeks had gone by since Axel's birthday, and two weeks since she would have turned in her notice to quit. Exactly two weeks. She must have seen something.
"I said no. Tell me..." I trailed off, looking down at my feet. She had to have seen something. Then, I decided to ask the one question I'd been running from for four months. "Why did you break up with me." I felt Naminé flinch, but she sighed.
"Roxas, look at me," she commanded, and I followed her order, not sure what she wanted. When my eyes met hers, she closed the distance between the two of us in an instant, kissing me intently. I followed her lead, pushing back against her lips, not sure why I was doing it.
When she pulled away, there were more tears in her eyes, and she leaned her head against my chest. "I love you, Roxas. I didn't want to break up with you."
"Then you shouldn't have!" I exclaimed. "I love you, Nami. I really do-"
"But you love him more."
"Where is she?"
Kairi sniffled. "She should be in the parking garage by now, getting in her car. She just cleaned out her desk..." It was then I noticed how empty the front desk seemed. No papers, no photos, nothing that would suggest Naminé had ever been there was present. She really was leaving.
"I have to go," I muttered, turning towards the door. "I'll see the two of you later." I headed quickly out towards the parking garage. I knew exactly where Naminé's car was, so it was easy to track her down. She was walking away from me, her back facing me. Even from the back, I could tell she was depressed.
"Naminé!"
At the sound of my voice, she turned around, and stopped, her eyes wide. I finally managed to catch up to her, and despite my heavy breathing, I managed to ask in a low voice, "Why are you leaving?"
I was speechless.
Naminé wasn't.
"I know, Roxas, that you and Axel have something special. You're different around him, we can all see that," she said, looking away from me. If what she said was right, then there really wasn't a reason for me to keep my seeing Axel as secret. But...
"At first," Naminé continued, "I could deal with it, not knowing really how you felt about Axel, or what has happened between the two of you, and I was okay with that. But on his birthday, at his party, you gave him that necklace, the one you original bought for me... I saw you give it to him, and he looked so happy, as did you... I just can't stand being around that!" She screamed the last part, clenching her fists against my shirt. "I can't be around the two of you knowing that I lost you to him."
"Naminé," I started to say, but she slapped her hands over my mouth, shutting me up.
"I love you, Roxas. I really love you, and because of that I can't stay here. I'm sorry."
She moved away from me, leaving me there, half dead. I wanted to say something to her, but it was too late. I wanted to apologize, but she was gone. She drove off, away from me, from this work, and from this life of hers, without even letting me say goodbye.
That was the last time I ever saw her.