One School, One Destiny

Can't you be happy?

---

Saturday, October 4

Xion quickly opened her sister's door. The blonde was sitting on a chair beside a desk, drawing something intensely on a paper.

Naminé turned to see her twin, quickly smiling. "Plot twist; Xion got out of bed early on a Saturday!"

Xion—with eyes wide open and messy hair—looked around. "Mom, Mom… It's Mom's birthday!"

"I know." She nodded. "See? I am making her this birthday card."

Xion walked to look at the red card with the beautiful image of a woman on it. "It's amazing!"

"Thanks… It's almost done. We should go to her room and congratulate her!"

Sora woke up early and begun walking around the house with eyes closed. He took baby-steps and his hands walked before him, feeling the walls. He breathed heavily, but managed to get to the first floor eventually. There, he heard high heels in front of him.

"What are you doing?" He could imagine Tifa crossing her arms.

"Uh… Walking around with my eyes shut?" Came to honest answer.

"Yes, I can see that. But, why?"

"…To see if I'm good at being blind?"

A sigh came and Sora quickly opened his eyes to see his Mother walk away to the living-room.

"What? It's important!" He called.

"I just had to have a child, didn't I…?" She mumbled.

"Gee, thanks, Mom!" He yelled but quickly smiled. He sat next to her on the couch. "Wanna see something amazing?"

"No."

"I don't care; look!" He pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "See? A picture of me and my real girlfriend Kairi! I took it yesterday, during our date."

She examined the picture of the two kids in the restaurant carefully, but didn't seem too excited. "Sora. I taught you better than that. Seriously, paying your childhood friend to pretend to be your girlfriend… You should be ashamed." She handed him the phone.

"You are not serious, woman!" He yelled.

Xion and Naminé tried to search for their Mother all over the second floor, starting with her bedroom. But the woman was nowhere in sight. They came downstairs and they met her at the living-room, sitting casually and scanning the bills.

"There you are!" Xion called.

Quistis turned to face her daughters. "Hmm?"

Naminé and Xion nodded to each other with a smile. "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" They both began to sing.

Quistis shook her head and smiled happily.

"Happy birthday, dear Mom! Happy birthday to you!"

"Oh, wow…" Their Mother took off her reading glasses and sat them on the coffee table beside her.

"Happy b-day, Mom!" Xion quickly ran to her and hugged her tightly. "May I say you don't look your age at all."

"Haha!" She laughed lively. "Thanks, babe."

"Happy birthday, Mother…" Came Naminé's shy voice. "I made this for you this morning." She handed her the birthday-card.

"Um, thanks." Quistis quickly set it on the table, next to her reading glasses, not even bothering to glance at it.

"So, Ma, what are your plans for this magnificent day?"

"Well, I've planned to go on a yacht with some friends, to celebrate… Apparently it was supposed to be a surprise, but you know them. Too bubbly."

"Sounds awesome!" Xion nodded excitedly. "Don't have too much fun, though." She added with a wink.

---

"Do you know what's cool?"

"Ice?"

"No. Well, yeah, but that's not what I wanted to say." Sora lay comfortably on the couch. "My life seemed jumpy and messy and weird…"

"Here we go again." Tifa rolled her eyes.

"And suddenly… It's as if things sort themselves out, you know? Kairi—out of the blue—decides to date me, I met new people, I somewhat manage to keep in touch with my childhood and other friends, I—again, out of the blue—befriend Riku again… Like, what is going on?" He grinned happily.

A knock came and Tifa frowned. "How 'boat you get off your happy cloud and answer it?"

"Can't you be happy for me, woman?" He sighed and dragged his body towards it. When he answered it, he froze. "K-K-Kairi?"

"Hey…" She smiled timidly. "What's up?"

"N-Nice, but… What are you doing here this early?"

She raised an eyebrow. "…Don't tell me you've forgotten."

"What?"

"We are supposed to meet Riku soon! You know, to hang out after such a long while…"

"Shoot!" He jumped. "I completely forgot about that! Ah, man, thank God I woke up extra early today to pretend I am blind."

"…Do I even wanna know?"

"Probably not."

"Kairi! Haven't seen you in such a long while." Tifa stood next to Sora and smiled sweetly. "How are you doing?"

"Mrs. Lockhart! I'm fine, how are you?"

"Good, good…"

"See, Mom?" Sora put a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Told ya we're dating!"

"Which leads me to the next question…" Tifa nodded. "Kairi, why are you doing this to yourself?"

"H-Huh?" The girl froze.

"I mean, you do know Sora, right?"

"Mom!"

"Sora; the boy who walks around the house, pretending he's blind. The boy whose jokes are worse than a Christmas dinner with a half-dying Grandmother. The boy who sings love-songs to his pillow."

"W-Well, I think it's sweet and—wait. Love songs?"

Tifa nodded sadly.

"Okay, Mom, see ya later!" Sora grabbed his girlfriends' hand and ran upstairs to his room.

"…I give them a week." The woman shrugged.

---

Xion opened the door when the knock came. She was surprised to see her boyfriend standing there with flowers in hand.

"What are you doing here? Did we plan a date or something?" She asked, glancing for some reason at her wristwatch. "Oh? Are these for me? Thanks!"

"Yeah, right, dream on." He moved the flowers away from her reach. "Those are for Quistis."

"You… Actually remember her birthday?"

"Of course." He shrugged casually. "Where is the young woman, by the way?"

Xion giggled softly. "At the living-room. Come on in!"

They both walked inside. Quistis remained in her position, still checking the bills with her reading-glasses on. Naminé was sitting at the other end of the sofa, tapping her fingers nervously at her thighs.

"Oh, Mom! Guess who came to wish ya happy-birthday!"

Quistis looked around with pursed lips. When she noticed the boy, her face immediately lighted up. "Axel! Aw, I don't believe it!" She got up from her place and quickly walked over to him.

"Happy-birthday, Quistis!" He handed her the flowers and then hugged her.

"Aw, it's so lovely! Oh, thank you, dear! You shouldn't have…"

"That's really sweet of you, Axel." Naminé smiled.

"Oh, hey there, Nams! You're so quiet, I didn't even notice you." He walked to her place and ruffled her hair.

"Okay, you know what?" Quistis said. "You all wait here. I am going to make us all some breakfast."

"Wow, Mom. Usually you ain't the one to make breakfasts."

"I'm in the mood!" She announced and quickly walked away towards the kitchen.

"Uh, I love it when you're here!" Xion hugged her boyfriend tightly.

"Aw, thanks, babe!" He smiled genuinely and hugged back.

"Ew, don't get the wrong idea." She pulled away. "It's just that when you're here, Mom actually cooks. I love food, not you."

"Figures." He frowned at which Naminé laughed.

---

Kairi sat on Sora's bed as her boyfriend glanced from her to the computer.

"So, uh… What's up?" He asked.

"Good. You?"

"Yep, yep…" He nodded.

"Sora?"

"Hm?"

"…Why did you pretend to be blind?"

"I think it's important."

"Oh?"

"…And I was waiting for the computer to download this game I want since last night."

"Oh."

Sora sat on his chair and faced the computer. Kairi relaxed her muscles and sat more comfortably on the bed.

It was quite early, but Kairi was thrilled when she woke up that morning. It seemed so long ago since she, Sora and Riku spent time together as best friends. Although everyone were aware that things between Sora and Riku started to go downhill, Kairi never fought with either of them. However, she did grow apart from them and let her mind be mostly occupied with school, Leon, Selphie and her problems with Aerith. But after such a long time, things seemed to fall into their correct places; although the relationship Kairi had with her Mother was still intense, she had her best-friend Selphie to help her out. Even Yuna kept on defending and protecting her little sister's pride. Kairi kept on doing as best as she could in school, and reached high grades that involved lots of hours of studying. The only thing that still bothered her was her ex-boyfriend; according to her new boyfriend, Leon congratulated them and said he didn't care anymore about their relationship. Kairi refused to believe it—not after the scene he threw at Seifer's party.

Only thinking about Seifer's party made her feel as if years had passed, but in reality it has been a little bit less than a month. She could remember vividly attending it happily with Leon by her side, being dragged to play Seven Minutes in Heaven, spending time with Sora in a dirty closet, being kissed by him… And eventually breaking up with Leon Loire.

Although she still felt guilty, she tried to shrug it off. Leon didn't seem to hold grudge, and he didn't send dirty looks in school, nor did he talk badly about her with others. But the anger she felt towards him—no matter if she had the right to or not—made her want to stay away from him as possible.

Selphie asked her after the sudden breakup whether she ever loved Leon or not, and her question was followed with an explanation about what 'love' is—Kairi thought about it that night and came to the conclusion that she didn't really love Leon. She was, however, crazy about him, loved to spend time with him and feel his protective arms around her. She knew that if Sora hadn't kissed her that day, she's have no problem falling in love with Leon—she felt it as the months went by; that feeling of wanting to see more and more of Leon, wanting to feel him, smell his scent and hear his delighting voice.

She felt bad that she was sitting on Sora's bed while thinking of Leon. It felt like cheating. 'Oh, but who cares?' She thought to herself. 'I'm a master in cheating…'

No matter how much she liked the tall dark-haired teenager, fate had a say in it and they broke up. 'No, not fate… It was my slutty behavior.'

She thought that all the guilt she felt was already washed away from her, but apparently she was wrong. Kairi suffered from a minor mantel crisis, because she always thought she was a good girl, honest and reliable, she never rushed with any guy, and in fact, she has only dated Leon. Leon never put pressure on her and they never passed the making-out stage. However, she found out that she wasn't as humble as she thought she was—after all, she had no problem kissing Sora and cheating on Leon.

She wasn't sure why she decided to date Sora, besides the fact that he kissed her. But the only thing she could think of was that when Leon was hurting her and screaming at her, Sora was there to comfort her. And when they were younger, back in middle school, she liked Sora a lot—more than a best-friend—and she spent years wishing he'd ask her out. She didn't know if the spiky brown-haired boy was shy or simply not into her, but he never did. But not too recently ago, she found out that apparently he wanted to go out with her for a long time. And so—since both teenagers seemed to like each other in the past (and even during that time)—Kairi allowed herself to date Sora, her childhood best-friend.

She wasn't sure how the relationship with him would work out or even if it was the right thing to do. The two have only kissed twice, and aside from that, none of them seemed to pull a move. She knew many girls were after the hyperactive boy in high-school, but she wasn't too sure if he ever dated any of them. She didn't know if he can be protective as Leon, make her feel tingles and sparks as Leon made her feel, if his arms could wrap tightly around her waist as Leon's… She didn't know anything, even though she knew him since they were little kids.

Her relationship with him and Riku was unbreakable. They were always together, spending almost each and every day at the Play Island. She recalled them having plans of building a raft and going far away from home to explore new, undiscovered places. Right before high-school, the three made a promise to never grow apart from each other and always stick together. Although they broke their promise, it didn't matter to the female. Finally, Sora and Riku sorted things out between them and they were going out together as best-friends; a thing they didn't do since the beginning of high-school.

She decided to let all worries of Aerith and Leon drop off of her mind, as she stared at Sora's figure; the boy was clicking fiercely on the computer (obviously the computer finished downloading the game) and he probably forgot that the red-haired girl was even in the same room as him.

For some reason, she didn't mind it at all. She simply smiled and thanked God that they were all friends again.

---

The three teenagers sat in the dining-room, waiting patiently for Quistis to finish cooking.

"May I say you look wonderful today, Xion?"

"Oh, shut up." She tried to organize her messy hair with her fingers.

"You, Naminé, are as beautiful as ever."

"Hehe… Thank you." She hid her smile with her hand.

"Ah, you make me sick. Pretending to be this gentleman… Yuck!" Xion grimaced.

"I am not gentleman." Axel explained. "I'm actually pretty rough. Ask your Mom. We are hitting it off."

"Really, Axel? Because I don't feel anything." Quistis walked with plates of pancakes. "Not really manly, if you ask me."

"Q-Q-Q-Q… Quis—I'm s-sorry!" He stuttered.

"Oh, Mom, score!" Xion jumped and helped her set the dishes on the table.

The woman smirked. When everyone settled down she looked around. "So, how are you doing in school, kids?"

"Ah, it's so boring! Especially History!"

"You used to love History."

"'Used to' are the key-words." Xion added.

"I-I'm doing fine…" Naminé took a bite of the sweet treat. "My grades are actually even higher no—"

"What about you, Axel?" Quistis leaned forward and smiled at the boy.

"Oh, well, um…" He looked over at Naminé, but her bowed head gave him the sensation she didn't want to complete her words. "Actually, I'm sort of troubled… But I'll work things out."

"That's nice. Well, it's your last year, Axel. No need to worry too much, right?"

"Yeah!" He smiled optimistically.

---

After a while, Kairi realized that smiling at Sora's childish features and waiting patiently for him to stop playing whatever he was playing wasn't going to work.

"Well, come on, Sora!" She frowned, frustrated at her childish boyfriend. "We promised Riku we'd meet him, like…" She checked the time on her phone. "Ten minutes ago! He's probably waiting!"

Sora still took his time as he kept on playing. "Yeah, yeah… Five more minutes."

"Grr, no! Get up, Lockhart, right now!"

"Aw, but Mommy! I'm about to get to the first awesome Boss!"

"A what?"

"A Boss… You know…"

"No." Kairi sighed. "I don't know. And I really don't want to know, either. Get up already!"

"Five more minutes and that's it, I promise!"

"That's what you said five minutes ago! Your time's up!"

"This time I promise for real!"

"Gee, aren't you just a great convincer." Kairi rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Hehe." The boy laughed a bit.

"Sora." Kairi stood next to the chair he was sitting on. "You must stop. You're addicted."

"No, I'm not." He argued. "I can stop anytime I want."

"…I just don't want to."

"That's exactly what addicts say!" She took a step back and threw her arms up in the air. "You're so pathetic."

"Yeah, yeah… Whatever you say, baby…" He didn't seem to even care about her statements. He just kept on clicking quickly on his keyboard.

Kairi—who decided to let the 'baby' name pass by unnoticed—didn't know how gamers had the ability to click on so many buttons in such a short time. It seemed impossible. Well, maybe not 'impossible', but definitely complicated. "Remember Plankton from SpongeBob?"

"Of course!" The spiky-haired guy finally paid attention to her words, but his eyes were still fixed on the screen. "He's so stupid! I mean, why not just ask from someone to buy him a Krabby Patty? Ain't that easier?"

"Right." Kairi raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, you always laugh at him, remember? Because he is married to a computer."

"Oh, yeah. Keren!"

"Well, you see?" She raised her voice again. "You're just like Plankton; married to a computer!"

"Hey! That's not true! The computer is my lover, not my wife!" He tried to justify his weird obsession.

"Sora, enough. I've heard from your friends that lately, all you do is stay here and play. There's a life outside, you know?"

"'Outside'…" Sora pretended to recall lost memories. "I think… I think I've been there once!" He announced dramatically. "But the graphics ain't all that great."

"Come on, Sora! Drop the stupid games. Put your efforts in more valuable subjects; study, go out with friends, find some sport you like—"

"Hold it right there, woman." He sounded offended, but that didn't stop him from playing. "I do have a sport I often exercise."

"Oh, yeah?" Kairi folded her arms. "And what is that?"

"I surf." He answered confidently.

"You do?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Yep. The Internet!" And then of course, he laughed.

"…Done with the stupid, nerdy jokes?"

"Eh… Eh, yeah…" His laugh died out.

"Good. Now get up." She left his room without waiting for his response.

---

Xion and Axel went out to buy milk and a pack of sugar at the supermarket located in Major Marine. It was one of the biggest supermarkets Destiny Islands held and even Xion had to admit the prices there were outrageous. But that didn't stop everyone from loving the place; it held every product people around seemed to need—from the basics to the most bizarre and unheard ones. Their walk mainly involved the couple teasing each other, poking each other's ribs and very rarely exchanging genuine smiles and short hugs.

As they stepped into the big store, the girl was surprised to immediately spot a familiar face in such a big place. "Roxas?"

His blond yellow spiked hair flew from left to right, as he was obviously looking for something. He didn't hear the call and kept on moving forward.

Xion and Axel smirked to each other. Then they ran quickly, avoided the people around and grabbed each of Roxas' shoulders and yelled 'boo!'

The startled Roxas released out a yelp and turned around quickly. He breathed heavily and put a hand over his chest. "Oh, you guys… You scared me to death!"

The couple grinned happily.

"Didn't think I'd see ya here, my boy."

"Well… See, my Mother has this headache. But there is this one really good brand that makes those green tea bags. It eases her pain."

"Didn't you say you lived on the other side of the Island?" Xion cocked her head to the side. "Why come all the way to Major Marine?"

"Actually, I've never been in this store." He confessed. "The first time I set foot in Major Marine was when you invited me to your house, Xion. There is a smaller supermarket, though, near the school. I usually go there, but today they ran out of those tea-bags…"

"Still pretty far away from home." Axel pointed out.

"W-Well… Uh." He scratched the back of his head. "The supermarkets near my place don't really have these kinds of stuff… They're pretty small and, well, empty…"

"No worries, darling!" Xion jumped happily. "We'll help ya find what you were looking for!"

"Thanks, guys." He smiled. "What are you looking for, by the way?"

"We need sugar and milk. Xion's Mother wants to make some more sweet desserts, even though we already had plenty of pancakes."

"Wow, that sounds cool!"

"I'm telling ya, every once in a while she has this phase where she just has to bake something sweet." Xion shook her head. "It's quite weird. Especially since she is pretty much against sugar and junk-food. She says it ruins girls' figures and turn them fat."

"She is kind of right, you know." Axel defended her. "But it's her birthday today; she has every right to do whatever she wants, no?"

"Oh, is it your Mother's birthday today, Xion?" Roxas quickly absorbed the information he was given. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks! Hey, why won't you come by and say that to her yourself?"

"Uh… I can't. I mean, she doesn't know me and—"

"So? She'll meet ya now."

"—and I gotta go get to my Mom and—"

"Aw, it'll be quick, I promise!" Xion pouted. "Please, Roxy! It'll make her super happy!"

Roxas was always an outsider in previous schools. People used to mistaken him for a weak boy who couldn't fight back. The truth was that Roxas was a very moody teenager who got angry occasionally, but learnt how to fight back his negative urges for the sake of his Mother. This made the kids in his previous school harass him even more. After he switched schools, the jocks took the opportunity of a new kid coming and picked on him there, too. However, it seemed as if after his struggle with Seifer Almasy, and after he befriended him and other kids who were considered 'popular'—nobody was harassing him anymore. He even found himself near pretty girls like the Trepe twins, something that never happened before. He decided that next to his new group of friends, he could be real and not fake personalities and moods anymore.

However, having a cute girl like Xion Trepe pout in such a manner made something inside of him twist. He couldn't decline her kind offer, especially since she was obviously trying to make her Mother happy. Roxas had a soft spot for kids who did everything for their parents.

"Uh… Okay, fine, but I won't stay long!" He promised, mostly to himself. "Let's get our things and go to congratulate Mrs. Trepe!"

"Yay!" Xion jumped happily, hooked her hands with Axel and Roxas' and raced around the area.

---

"This is so lovely." Kairi smiled lazily.

Riku, Sora and Kairi decided to go to the Play Island, since it was their usual hung-out place when they were kids. They found it fitting to reclaim their friendship where it all began in the first place. They were all sitting on the warm sand, looking at the blue ocean and smelling the salty water. The sun still shone brightly in the sky and Kairi put her hand across her forehead to gaze better. She looked to her left and noticed how the warm sun kissed Sora's tanned skin. When she turned to her right, she admired the way the sun shone upon Riku's long silver hair.

She sighed happily, again thanking God for making things right.

"Ah!" Sora yelled happily and lay on the sand. "I've missed this."

Kairi and Riku remained sitting there.

"Psh." Kairi rolled her eyes. "It's you two's fault, you know? Boys are so stupid…"

"Umm." Came Riku's response.

"Hey! Girls ain't better!" Sora fought back.

"Yeah, right." Kairi smirked.

"Would you guys just be quiet and enjoy the view?" Riku said. It was a question, but knowing their older friend, they knew he tried to demand them.

Kairi and Sora—who knew how to handle these kinds of situations with Riku—smirked to each other evilly.

"You're right." Sora pretended to look serious. "Let's treasure this peaceful moment."

"Precisely." Kairi agreed.

After a short pause and exchanged amused glances between the couple, Sora broke it off with a cough. "Ahem, although this is really nice, you know what would be better, Kairi, my dear?"

"Oh? What is it, my lovely, lovely Sora?"

Riku raised an eyebrow at their odd behavior and exchange of words.

"Two words; the first starts with a 'T' while the second starts with an 'A'."

"Oh, my, couldn't it possibly be…"

Sora and Kairi both grinned to each other and took a deep breath to yell loudly. "Tickle Attack!"

"Oh, shi—" Before he could finish his thought, the younger teenagers jumped on top of him, knocked his body down and started tickling him. "N-No! No, no!"

The couple laughed hysterically. Kairi aimed for his neck, while Sora had no problem lifting his shirt up to get better access to his ribs.

"Uh, stop! Stop! Rape!" Riku managed to scream in between laughter and screams.

"You're enjoying it, though!" Sora grinned as his fingers continued to slide quickly on Riku's belly.

"N-No! Stop! Hahahaha, b-but… But… S… Stop it!"

---

"Mom, you're so popular today." Xion said as she closed the door behind her. "Look who else came here to congratulate you!"

"Oh?" Quistis turned around to look at her daughter, her daughter's boyfriend and a new blond with blue eyes. "Hello."

"Um, h-hey…" Suddenly Roxas regretted taking in Xion's offer. But at least he managed to understand how the Trepe twins turned out so pretty;

Quistis was a tall woman, with light yellow hair, just like Naminé's. Her darting blue eyes looked like marble and seemed perfect above her rosy lips. Her pale skin looked young and fresh, and Roxas realized he forgot to ask Xion how old her Mother was (either way, he'd probably be too shy to ask for such a thing). Quistis Trepe had a thin body frame and slender legs that seemed to work constantly in the gym to get the perfect figure models had. Her collar-bones were visibly noticed as she wore the fancy black shirt and frilly white skirt; Roxas wasn't sure if it really was a shirt and a skirt, or a combined dress. What he was sure of, however, was that Mrs. Trepe was beautiful, just like her daughters. He wondered if Mr. Trepe, wherever he was, was a beautiful man, as well.

"Mom, meet Roxas."

Quistis broke into a smile that Roxas found plain but hypnotizing. "Nice to meet you, Roxas. I am Quistis Trepe."

"N-Nice to meet you, Mrs. Trepe. O-Oh, and, uh… Happy birthday!"

"Oh, thank you so much!" She slightly bowed her head. "Xion, Axel, did you get what I asked for?"

"Right here." Axel lifted up his plastic bag that contained the products.

"Wonderful! Roxas, will you join us for some desserts? I'm quite the baker, if I'd say so myself." She laughed, and Roxas was surprised that it didn't sound high and fake like the upper-class people sounded in the movies; hers was young and cheery, as if she was a teenage-girl. It pretty much reminded him of Xion's, although Xion's was louder and lower.

"U-Uh, thank you, Mrs. Trepe, but I can't. I gotta get back home and—"

"Xion, Axel, you're back? Oh." Naminé stopped in her tracks and smiled politely. "Hello."

"Hey!" Roxas waved a little.

"You're staying for dessert, too?" Naminé asked innocently.

"Uh…" Roxas looked around. He was still amazed by the size and beauty of the mansion, but he was more amazed by the beauty of the people around him; the Trepe girls were gorgeous and could easily pass as models, he thought. And Axel was a handsome tall man with piercing green eyes and an attitude that made him even more desirable.

He looked from Naminé's patient compose, to Axel's smirk, to Xion's pout and finally, to Quistis' gentle smile and the frames of her hair that tugged the tips of it, probably sticking to her rosy pink lipstick. He wanted to say 'yes', but his Mother was still on his mind. She told him it wasn't severe, but he wanted to check up on her.

"Oh, I'd love to… But I need to go see my Mother."

"Well, why won't you go there and come back? It'll take some time until I'll make all the sweets, anyway." Quistis suggested.

"He lives pretty far away from here, Ma." Xion explained.

"Axel, you already got your driver's license?" The woman asked.

"Not yet." He shook his head.

"Well… How about you take my car and drive Roxas to his house, quickly?" Quistis said. "Take the Shore Road. It's slightly longer than the Main Road, but it's always empty and no police is there. It'll be quicker than the bus, for sure."

"Sure." Axel shrugged.

"B-But, I thought you said you don't have your driver's license!" Roxas widened his eyes.

"Well, yeah, not yet. But don't worry, I totally have this down." He laughed and patted Roxas' shoulders. "Hey, don't look so frightened! I won't get us killed."

"But it's… Illegal."

"And being as handsome as me is also illegal, but here I am."

"A-Axel!" Roxas pouted.

"Don't worry, Roxy." Xion smiled. "Ma won't put ya in danger. Axel drove me some times; he's pretty good."

"I think it's wrong…" A whisper came.

Roxas seemed to be the only one to catch it, and he turned around to see Namine shifting her leg across the floor. He pursed his lips and thought over it; 'if Mrs. Trepe herself suggests it, then it is probably safe. She even mentioned a road that was free of traffic and police.'

"Uh… Fine, okay, yeah." Roxas agreed in defeat.

---

Olette Pracalato sat in her room that Saturday. Her Mother pleaded her to get out of the room and have some breakfast for almost two hours, but the girl refused and locked herself in the room. She tried to ignore her Mom's pleading screams and her stomach making hunger sounds.

She took a piece of paper and continued to write the sentences she wrote every morning;

'You are fat. You don't deserve to eat. If you want to see food, just stare at your legs. Don't open your damn mouth and don't eat. Keep it shut, like it should be. Fat, fat, fat! Wanna be good? Be thin! The only thing you deserve is more cuts.'

You could say that during that time, Olette Pracalato hated herself.

---

Roxas and Axel drove in Quistis' car, which Roxas learnt was an Aston Martin DB9. Roxas really didn't care about the name; all he cared about was how the car looked; fancy.

When Axel took him practically by hand towards the car, his mouth fell open. The black car looked more expensive than the cars in the commercials. It was black, shiny and looked weird like an alien, but Roxas decided he loved it. He kept wondering how a person gets his hands on such a car, and suddenly he tried to guess Mrs. Trepe's profession. After all, the blond had problems buying his Mom the green-tea she liked, so he couldn't possibly imagine how someone can afford such a big mansion and a fancy car.

Fighting the desire to drool all over the seats, Roxas sat quietly next to Axel. He was glad to see that the red-haired boy really did know how to drive safely.

"So, is everything okay with your Mom?" Axel tried to start a conversation.

"Oh, yeah. Just a bit of headache, nothing major."

"Okay. Uh, where to?"

"Oh, um…" Roxas never took the Shore Road, and the only way he got home was with the bus, which used the Main Road. "I think you need to keep going straight."

"Hmm." Axel nodded. "So, you, Xion and I still didn't get to spend some time together, as we promised."

"Your fault for failing school." Roxas teased with a smile.

Axel grinned. "How are you doing in school?"

"Uh." He groaned. "The more I learn, the less I seem to know."

"I totally understand ya. Say, after Quistis will get over her cooking drama, why won't the three of us go out? You think your Mom will allow it?"

"I think so…" Roxas usually stayed home, because he never had friends to hung out with. And the first time Xion offered him to hung out with her, he declined because he didn't have a way to contact Rinoa. However, when he told her that he made some friends in school, she broke into a huge smile—she hasn't smiled that way in a long time, and Roxas felt something sting inside of him. She told him that he should go out as much as possible with them and befriend even more children. He couldn't help but think that she had high expectations.

"It's settled, then! I have an awesome place to show ya."

"Is it near Major Marine?"

"It's out of Destiny Islands."

"What?" Roxas stared. "You can't drive past the ocean."

"Hahaha, you don't say." Axel laughed. "We'll rent a boat. Stupid."

"Hey, don't insult me!"

"Oh, no, I'm not insulting you. I'm describing you." He grinned.

"Meanie." He pouted and crossed his arms. "Anyway, what is this place?"

"It's called Twilight Town."

"Oh, the next city."

"Yep. Trust me, you'll love it there."

---

Hayner invited Seifer to his room, but he didn't look thrilled or happy. In fact, he had a frown on his face.

"Dude, come on, talk to me."

"Why did you come here, Seifer?"

"What do you mean, 'why'? I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine." Hayner sat on his bed with a sigh.

Seifer looked around. He then took a chair and placed it next to the bed. He sat on it and stared at his friend. "You've been down for days now. What's up?"

"Nothing." Hayner turned around, not wanting to catch Sefier's stare.

"Hey." Seifer used his right hand to lift Hayner's chin up; although the grip was tight, Hayner could feel every drop of care and friendship in it. "Don't fuck with me, okay?"

"I'm not. I'm really fine."

The truth was that Hayner Struggle was lying. He was really down during that time, and no matter how much he tried to change his mood, he couldn't. Instead of having fun with his friends, he was down because of his old-friends. Whenever he hung out with Seifer, Cloud or Sora and even Rai, his minds immediately drifted to Olette Pracalato and Pence Wonder.

"Did I… Do something wrong or something like that?" Seifer asked.

The frowning boy quickly looked up and wanted to slap himself for worrying his friend. "No! No, of course not…"

"Then why won't you tell me? Maybe I can help you."

"I just… There is nothing to do about it. It's my own thing, you know?"

"So you admit something's up."

"I…" He paused. "Dude, let's just forget about it."

"I can't. It bugs me to see ya so hurt all the time." Seifer said truthfully.

Hayner felt his heart bit faster and a small smile tug his face. Not too recently ago, when he found out that Seifer helped Kairi and Sora hook up just to get back on Leon, he feared that the guy would try to betray their friendship as well; after all, both Leon and Hayner used to fight with Seifer a lot, up until they all reached high-school. So he couldn't understand why Seifer faked friendship with Leon, while his friendship with Hayner was real. And even though Hayner at first doubted their friendship, the fact that Almasy came all the way to his house on Saturday made him realize that he could always trust him.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

---

When Roxas already recognized the area and gave Axel clear directions, he realized what he was doing and froze.

He was showing this guy where he was living.

Roxas felt as if there was no air left in the beautiful black car and suddenly he hated it and wanted to run out of it. The safety belt was tight and made him want to puke.

He didn't want Axel to know the place he was living at. He simply didn't.

"Okay, which one?"

"Uh…" Roxas held his stomach and flinched.

"Dude, you okay?" Axel asked, trying to take quick glances at Roxas while driving.

Roxas thought about pointing at a nice house and say that that was his home. But then he remembered that Axel would still be there, and Roxas couldn't just enter a house that didn't belong to him. He instantly regretted taking in Mrs. Trepe's offer. He didn't know the woman and was sure he'd just be another bothering mouth to feed.

"Dude…?"

"It's… That one." He pointed at the grey old building.

"Okay, cool." Axel casually drove and stopped the car next to the place.

Roxas had to flinch; such a fancy car didn't belong to such a place.

"You want me to go in with ya?"

"N-No!" Roxas screamed. "Just, uh… Wait here. It won't be long."

"Got it." Axel nodded and Roxas couldn't understand why he wasn't making comments about the area.

Roxas nodded awkwardly, took the plastic bag with the tea-bags and ran to the building. When he entered his house, he closed the door behind him and breathed in relief.

"Roxas?"

"I'm here, Mom." He walked to her small bedroom.

Rinoa was lying on her single bed, a glass of water next to her.

"Oh, no! You feel worse, don't you?" He panicked and ran to her side. He put his hand on her forehead to check if she had fever.

"'Worse'?" She laughed. "I feel a lot better. I did some cleaning and got tired, that's all."

"Mom, I told you, you shouldn't work while you're sick."

"I'm not sick." She smiled. "It was just a small headache. Almost completely gone."

"Hmm." He bit his lip, feeling depressed for some reason. "I got the tea. I'm going to make you some."

"Oh, I'm so sorry you had to go such a long way for me…"

"Don't!" He ordered. "I told you I'd do it. It was no problem."

"Thank you, love." She smiled and sighed happily.

Roxas went to the kitchen and boiled water. "Actually… I was running late because I was visiting Xion's house again."

"Is she your girlfriend?" She called softly from her bedroom, but since the apartment was small, he heard her well.

"N-No!" He stuttered. "She has a boyfriend. I told you about him. His name is Axel."

"Do you get along with him?"

"Yeah." Roxas nodded even though she wasn't in the same room as him. "He even drove me here."

"Oh, he's older?"

"…A year older." Roxas knew his Mother asked that since she thought Axel had a driver's license. He didn't want to tell her the truth about the driving part, in fear that she'd have a heart attack. So he was settled with telling her only about Axel's age. "I visited Xion's house because it's her Mother's birthday and I wanted to congratulate her."

"That is so sweet, Roxas. I'm proud at you."

"Yeah." The water was done boiling and he used a tea bag to make the tea. He kept the rest of the package in the kitchen. "Mrs. Trepe is very nice. She invited me to stay over for dessert and asked Axel to drive me here quickly."

"So you're going back there?"

He walked to her room with the hot cup. "I-Is that a problem? 'Cause I can stay, I'm totally fine with that!"

"Hehe, of course it's not a problem. You should go there, it sounds fun."

"But you…"

"I feel good. And I am sure this tea will make me feel even better." She took the cup out of his hands. "Thank you. So how do you plan on getting back there?"

"Axel's waiting down… To drive me back."

"Oh, he's here?" She widened her eyes. "What are you doing here, then, keeping the nice boy waiting? Go back to him!"

"Uh… Are you sure?"

"Absolutely!" She nodded and sat on the bed, being careful not to spill the hot liquid over. "I was actually planning on going for a short walk. Don't worry about me."

"Uh… Okay. I won't be long! And Xion said I could use her phone to call you, so I'll keep in touch."

"Okay. If I don't answer, don't worry; I'd probably be out for a walk."

"Okay." He smiled. "Thanks, Mom." He knelt down and kissed her forehead for a long time.

"I love you." She held his hand.

"I love you more."

---

"You guys, I'm going to buy us some ice-creams, okay?" Kairi asked.

"Ooh, ooh, I want chocolate!"

"Vanilla is fine." Riku said calmly.

"Okay, be right back!"

As Kairi left to the opposite direction of the ocean, towards the little shops at the shore, Sora stared at Riku's figure; the silverette got affected by Sora's position, and so he was also lying on the sand. There was a space between them, where Kairi had previously sat. Sora bit his lip and decided to get closer to Riku. He scooted over to him and lay back down, setting his head on Riku's shoulder. He could immediately feel him tense up.

"Sora?"

Although the younger boy's head was below Riku's, he lifted it up and stared at Riku's bright eyes. Since they were kids, Riku—being the older—used to say stuff that Sora found weird. He remembered one time that he cried for no reason, and Riku told him that maybe it's someone far away who cries for his help. Although Sora didn't quite understand many of Riku's saying back then, he admired his way of thinking and liked when he talked. Sometimes he ordered him to talk non-stop about whatever he wanted, just so that Sora could get the chance to stare for a long period of time at Riku's marvelous eyes.

"I missed you." Sora whispered and used his hand to stroke Riku's right cheek. He then perked his head slightly upwards, to kiss his left cheek. "A lot."

Riku seemed to relax as an understanding gaze leaned upon the boy. "Me, too."

---

When Axel and Roxas came back, Quistis was thrilled that they made it safely.

Roxas heard a beautiful melody. "Wow…"

"That's Xion playing, you know." Axel smiled.

"Really? That is amazing!"

"Yeah, let's go." Axel again took him by the hand (Roxas was getting used to that) and led him to the room next to the living-room.

Roxas didn't notice it the first time he visited the place. There was a grand candelabra hanging from the ceiling. The room was white and mostly empty, but a black grand piano stood proudly in the middle of the room. Xion was sitting there, moving her slender fingers quickly across the instrument. She didn't flinch, nor did she turn around to greet the boys back, so Roxas figured she didn't notice them entering. But what did surprise him though was that Naminé—who seemed to hear a mouse's voice—didn't notice them, either. The blonde was sitting next to Xion, leaning her head on her twin's shoulder.

Axel leaned against the door frame and smiled. Roxas kept on staring, admiring Xion's talent. The blond was never good with music and didn't play any instrumental. The only thing he knew was one single song on the guitar, and he messed up a lot even in that. But instead of feeling envy, he was glad when he met good musicians. Roxas' living-place contained many poor people who were playing music in the streets to earn some money. Roxas admired them all and searched in the depths of his backpack to see if he could get some money to hand them.

He thought that life was cruel; 'people with absolutely no talent make big hits and turn rich, while the real musicians are pushed aside and forced to struggle for their living.'

Roxas was woken from his thoughts about the cruel world when he heard an angelic voice that matched Xion's beautiful music.

"~Play another song here, then you can leave.~ Naminé's voice was quiet but stood out a bit more when she sang. Thankfully, Roxas heard it perfectly well. "~With your delicate wings I used to weave."~

Roxas stood next to Axel. The two exchanged smiles between them and listened to the twins' performance.

---

Olette was crying quietly in her room. She breathed heavily but it didn't help. The razor blade was still in her hand and the blood was tripping slowly.

But she felt alive.

Her computer was playing loud music to muffle her cries and hisses.

She closed her eyes, twisted the blade deeper in her wrist and sang weakly along: "~Cut that invisible cord or I'll starve you.~"

---

Riku was always a guy who treasured his pride. However, he wasn't an arrogant infant as some people thought he was, back in elementary-school. He was simply brave and stood his ground when society put pressure on children and tried to change their values.

Sora was the only one who spotted Riku's unique personality and befriended him immediately.

Riku didn't mind that a slightly younger boy was obviously looking up to him and copying his every move. After all, Riku was about four years old when he met little Sora. He could remember that his Mother took him to the Play Island to walk down the shore during one chilly night, almost fourteen years before the day they reclaimed their friendship. Four-year-old Riku walked by the shore with his Mother and turned around at the sign of running children. Then he noticed two boys using wooden swords and pretending to fight each other. They both had spiky and messy hair, but the brown-haired child had longer and darker hair.

As if sensing the gaze, the 3-year-old dark-haired boy turned around and stared at the gazing Riku.

"Riku?" His Mother asked. "Are you okay?"

When Riku came to the realization that it was rude staring at other people—especially people he didn't know—he was about to turn around and continue walking with his Mother. But then, the boy broke into a huge grin and waved the hand that wasn't holding the toy. Riku was sure that he was waving at him; after all, only he and his Mother were at that area. But he couldn't understand why this little guy was so excited to see him. Then Riku tried to remember if he knew him by any chance, but he was sure he would remember such a happy smile and wild hair.

Deciding that this kid was simply weird, the silverette still chose to tilt his head to the side and lamely wave back.

"A friend of yours, darling?"

"…I guess."

As days went by, Riku and his Mother spent more time at the Play Island. He didn't know why his Mother suddenly urged him to go out to those walks with her, but he didn't object. Riku was quite the serious and mature type of children, so he wasn't too eager on going to the Play Island almost every evening, where they were lots of happy children. But even if his Mother would have asked him the most absurd thing, he'd probably do it for her. Moreover, he was glad he could spend time with her. Usually, his older brother Sephiroth grabbed most of her attention. He was 11 at the time and talked with her about his grades, his friends and many other things Riku didn't understand, since he was only 4. So having her almost every evening just for him was nice.

But after only four days of going there, his Mother decided that she wanted to sit on one of the benches. Most parents sat there as they watched their children play around. Riku wasn't playing around with nobody, so he decided to sit next to her. The place was crowded that December evening, but his Mother spotted a place. She walked down there and Riku looked up to see a black-haired pretty lady sit there. When the lady noticed the woman and the child, she immediately scooted her bags away and made some place for them to sit.

"Thank you." His Mother said politely.

"Sure thing!" The lady replied cheerfully. She then looked carefully at the serene boy, but her eyes were bright and she had a gentle smile. "Yours?"

"Yes." His Mother laughed a bit.

"Oh, he's so pretty!" She cheered, causing the spoken boy to heat up.

Riku wasn't sure how Mothers were supposed to look at each age, but for some reason he could tell that the pretty lady was younger than his Mother. Her long hair fell in her laps as she exchanged words with his Mother. When he was done thinking about suiting names for the lady, he heard parts of their conversations.

"Oh, that jumpy brown-haired sweetheart?" His Mother smiled.

"Yep!" The young woman nodded. "That's my boy."

Riku turned around and noticed again the cheery boy from three nights ago. The one who waved for no reason.

The boy was fighting swords again with the same dirty blond, but that time, an orange-haired boy was with them.

"Hehe, we should get them together!" The young lady clapped her hands together.

Riku wasn't sure what that meant, or whom she was talking about, but his Mother was laughing and nodding in unison. It seemed to him that just spending several minutes with this young girl (after glancing at her some more, Riku decided that she looked too young to be a Mother. Although she said that one of the boys was hears, he figured maybe she meant they were her younger brother) made his own Mother young and cheery again.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart, by the way!" She smiled and extended her hand.

"Rosa. Rosa Harvey." She shook her hand.

Riku paused. 'Tifa.' He tried to utter the name. He didn't know the meaning of it, and didn't even ever hear it before. But it decided it suited the girl.

"Ma, I'm thirsty!" The same cheery boy came running to Tifa.

Riku froze.

The older boy watched as Tifa handed him a bottle of water that she took out of one of her bags. As he was watching the boy drinking eagerly he realized two things; the first was that Tifa really was a Mother, and the second thing was that her son was the boy who seemed to know Riku, even though Riku didn't know him.

When he was done drinking he handed the bottle back to his Mother and turned to leave back to his two friends. "Thanks! Oh." He finally noticed Riku.

Riku just stared, not thinking that it is rude to stare anymore.

"It's you!" Came that grin again. "Hey!"

"Um… Hi."

"You two know each other?" Tifa asked.

"No!" He shook his head from side to side, and Riku thought the way his hair looked that way was funny.

"Why won't you introduce yourself, hunny?"

The third thing that Riku noticed was that his Mother didn't seem to remember the boy when she asked whether he was his friend or not. He wondered if she had memory problem—since it happened three nights before that day—or if she simply didn't take a good look at the boy in order to remember him. But Riku couldn't understand how someone could not remember the spiky hair and the amazing blue eyes. When he looked up, he noticed that Tifa didn't have blue eyes at all.

Riku obeyed his Mother. "I'm Riku. Nice to meet you."

"My name is Sora!" Sora pointed at his own chest. "Wanna be my friend?"

The women laughed and even Riku found his forwardness amusing, so he cracked a small smile.

"Sora. You don't go around asking people if they want to be your friends. You need to show them you can be their friends."

After the statement being said, Riku decided that Tifa Lockhart wasn't only beautiful, but also smart.

Days passed and Riku and Sora met each other almost every day. At first, Riku was settled with sitting aside and watching the jumpy boy play around.

Weeks passed and Sora somehow managed making Riku play a bit with him; it all happened in between silly pouts and hypnotizing smiles.

Months passed and Riku couldn't stand a day without the cheery boy. He wanted to spend most of the day with him, and he did. He sometimes even got quite jealous when Sora seemed to pay more attention to his two other friends—Tidus and Wakka, as Riku learned their names were—than to him. But Sora admired Riku's protective side; when some annoying boy came to tease them, Riku magically made him frown and leave them alone. Nobody knew what in Riku made the young bully walk away, but Sora looked up at Riku as if he was a hero. Even Wakka and Tidus looked thankful, and Riku shrugged; he only wanted to protect Sora, but that didn't matter.

Years passed. Sora and Riku were best-friends. And that was all that mattered.

When Riku came back to reality, he put his hand around Sora's waist.

"Promise me we'll never fight again and that we'll always stick together and be best-friends forever." Came Sora's childish plea and Riku thought he was still acting like his three-years-old self.

"We already made this kind of promise. And we broke it."

"This time it's a new, better promise! We'll promise that if we'll have an argument, we'd speak instead of try to blame each other. And no more ignoring each other… It hurts me when you do it…"

Riku felt something in his check sink lower than the Titanic. "Alright. I promise." He nuzzled his nose in Sora's messy hair. "Promise, too."

"I promise." Sora felt the chills running through his body, so he scooted even closer. "I lov—"

"Should I get jealous or something?" Kairi asked. They looked up to see her smirking face.

"Riku was just telling me how much he wants us to tickle-rape him again later."

"Oh, fucking hell no." Riku shuddered.

Sora laughed and disconnected himself from the boy. "Sweet, ice-cream!" He took the chocolate one from her.

Kairi handed the vanilla flavored to Riku and sat again in between them with her strawberry flavored ice-cream.

Riku's treat remained untouched, while Kairi was licking hers slowly. As for Sora—his was almost half-finished within seconds. They all stared at the ocean, only allowing sounds of bites and licks to take place.

"I love you boys a lot…" Kairi whispered.

---

While Xion and Naminé continued playing the piano and singing—apparently still not recognizing the boys' presence—and while Roxas was still admiring their talents, Axel pursed his lips and stared at the blond.

When Axel drove Roxas to his home, he wasn't surprised about the poor area; he already guessed by Roxas' odd behavior that his living place wasn't as good as he claimed it to be. The buildings there were small, grey, dull and old. Sometimes Axel thought that they were about to collapse.

Axel himself wasn't living in a big mansion as the Trepe's. In fact, his Mother and he lived in a small apartment; although it was nothing fancy, it was cozy and Axel liked it. Axel was never ashamed of it, so he couldn't understand why Roxas was. The redheaded knew that the apartments from the inside were ever worse than from the outside, but he once had a friend who lived in that area, so he visited this kind of apartments many times. He was aware that it was awful living there, but he obviously didn't make fun of others for it.

Roxas—who seemed much attached to Xion and Axel—obviously didn't trust them enough yet, if he was hiding this kind of fact from them. So Axel decided that he wanted them to spend as many time as possible, to get to know and trust each other better. He knew that it was practically pointless, since his Mother and he had different plans in mind, but he decided to spend the time by trying to do something good for the girl and the boy.

He kept on staring at Roxas' smiling, amazed face, blocking the music and noticing only the younger boy. Axel didn't know what exactly had in him, but he wanted Roxas to be closer to him, he wanted him to like him, he wanted him to tell him his deepest secrets.

Axel wanted to protect Roxas, for one reason or another.

---

Seifer was organizing his short hair in front of Hayner's mirror. Hayner himself seemed to be in a better mood. He was changing his shirt to a dark blue one while listening to Seifer admiring himself.

"Dude, I think you're a narcissist."

"Did you look at me? I'm frickin' hot. Why would I not love myself?"

Hayner rolled his eyes as he pulled the shirt down to his body.

"You look good in this color."

"Don't try to flirt with me."

"I'm not trying to flirt with you; it comes out naturally."

"Your stupidity comes out naturally." Hayner teased back. "And as for your narcissistic behavior… Not all that glitters is gold, you know."

"~I know how it looks but all that glitters ain't gold.~" Seifer began to sing.

"Excuse me?" He raised an eyebrow.

Seifer smirked than quickly grabbed Hayner's hands and started moving him from side to side, mimicking a messy dance. "~Let's make immeasurable moves to the left, or the right, but no central!~"

"Uh, Seifer!" Hayner complained but started laughing.

"~Let's make this biblical and hang from our invisible cords!~"

---

The girls finished their songs and the boys immediately applauded. Xion turned around in a much more relaxed way than Naminé, who jumped and yelled.

"Nice job, girls."

"It was, like… Like wow! I mean, that was awesome!"

"Hehe, thanks." Xion smiled.

"Your voice is so amazingly beautiful, Naminé!"

"T-Thanks, Roxas…"

"That was beautiful, indeed." Quistis walked in. She wore a yellow and blue apron that was decorated with a green flower. "Such a nice birthday present."

"Hehe, you're welcome!" The raven-haired daughter smiled.

"Now, come on, kids. The cookies are ready for now. Soon the cheese cake, chocolate cake and muffins will get out of the stove, too."

"Wow… You… You shouldn't have…" Roxas scratched the back of his hair.

"Hey, for such amazing kids, I'd do it all night long." Quistis reassured with a smile and Roxas decided that he liked her.

---

When Kairi came back home, she couldn't have been any happier. Her mind drifted to Riku and Sora and the reunion they all shared that morning. She knew that the best days were only ahead of them.

"Where have you been?" Aerith asked.

"Uh… Out?" Kairi noticed that even though her Mother was considered 'young', lately her face was covered with wrinkles; probably due to stress and worry. "With Riku and Sora."

"Without letting me know?"

Kairi sighed. "It was early and I didn't want to wake you up, Mom. What's the big deal? I was out in the Play Island, nothing more than that."

"Kairi. It doesn't matter even if you go downstairs to pat a cat. You still have to let me know! You know, I was worried sick!"

"I'm sick, too! I'm sick of you treating me like a baby!"

"Enough, Kairi! You went out and came home last night, and you sneak out of the house early in the morning." The Mother frowned. "What's going on?"

"What? I wasn't sneaking out! I told you, I spent time with Sora and Riku! And yesterday, I didn't come late at all! I came the moment you called me!"

"No, you came twenty minutes after I called you. What took you so long?"

"It takes time to get home, you know… We were having sushi."

"So?" Aerith shrugged. "Leon always drives you the moment I call. Twenty minutes by car? Really, Kairi?"

"Uh… I…" She felt her cheeks heat up. "I never said I was with Leon…"

"Excuse me?" Her eyebrow rose up. "Who were you with?"

"Uh… Sora…"

"Sora? I thought you were out on a date, though?"

"Ah… I was…"

Aerith paused and stared blankly at her.

"Me and Leon, we, uh… Broke up. A while ago… Didn't I tell you?" She felt sweat covering her palms and her good mood sinking down.

"…Are you dating Sora now?"

"…Yes."

"Even though you broke up with Leon not too recently ago?"

Kairi knew where this conversation was going and she knew what Aerith thought of it. "No, stop! I'm not some… Bad girl or something like that!"

"You sure don't make it sound the opposite way."

"Mom!"

"Kairi!" She cracked and screamed. "Is this what I taught you? Switch boys like that? What on Earth were you thinking? Sora? What about Leon? He was so good and lovely and polite… What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? I just walk in and you instantly attack me! I didn't do anything! I have the right to date whoever I want!" She flushed. "Things didn't work out between Leon and I, end of story!"

"And why's that?"

"None of your business!" She ran upstairs and slammed her door shut, apologizing in her mind for disturbing Yuna's peace.

---

Roxas, Xion and Axel—after spending about two hours more in the mansion and eating many delicious and sweet desserts—went out of the house, just as Quistis went out to her yacht party. They asked Naminé if she wanted to join, but she simply shook her head and ran upstairs.

Roxas wasn't too sure why Naminé was shy; she was the complete opposite of her sister. Roxas himself was considered quiet, but he thought that Naminé was too gentle and delicate. He could barely hear her sometimes, and that made him feel bad because he really wanted to get to know her better. Sometimes he tried to figure out why the blonde wouldn't talk with him more than two words in English class, and it made him think that maybe she disliked Roxas; he didn't know why, but he felt sick just from the mere thought of it. Naminé seemed to like Axel a lot, but whenever Roxas tried to reach out for her, she turned him down in a polite way.

"Does your sister hate me?" He asked when they were heading towards the Play Island.

"Who, Naminé?" Xion looked at him weirdly. "Of course not! What makes you say that?"

"Well… I dunno… I mean, she talks to me and smiles but… Nothing more than that."

"No worries, my boy." Axel smiled. "She's just shy."

"You both are stupid. My sister ain't 'shy'. She just chooses the people around her carefully. And you, Roxas, are very blind."

"Huh?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Xion threw her hands in the air. "Naminé likes you. A lot."

"W-What? Where'd you get that from?"

"Uh, hello, Earth to Roxas?" She waved her hand in front of his face. "You can tell it just by looking at her. She never befriended people quickly, but for some reason, she befriended you."

"No…" Roxas shook his head. "We just talk sometimes during English class…"

"Naminé never talks to anyone during English class. Art, yes, sometimes. But never English." She smiled. "Trust me, I know my sister. She likes you. Just push it a bit, give it some time, and I'm sure you two will end up being close friends!"

"…You think so?" He bit his lip. "I mean, I started meeting many people and befriending some, but… She seems to be the only one who's out of my reach."

"Why won't you ask her to hang out with ya, then?" Axel asked.

"Um." Xion shook her head. "Knowing her, she'll probably take it the wrong way and decline. What you need is try the thing with baby steps. Have some people around when you hung out with her, so that it won't be awkward. Also, she won't find the situation intimidating. From there, I'm sure things will flow."

"Okay, yeah." He nodded. "I might give it a shot! Too bad she didn't want to come today with us, though…"

"Why do you want to be so close to her, anyway? What, have a crush on Nams?" Axel teased and nudged Roxas' arm.

"N-N-No!" The blond blushed. "It's just that Xion and I… We're pretty close, I guess. So I don't understand why it can't be the same with Naminé…"

"Just 'cause we're twins, doesn't mean we have the same interest." Xion explained. "But trust me, Roxas; you are one interest we do have in common."

"Okay, enough of it." Axel ordered. They all stopped in their tracks when they reached the shop to rent boats. "It's a short and sweet ride, guys. No more than fifteen minutes. Ready to hit Twilight Town?"

"Ready!" The younger teenagers yelled excitedly in unison.

---

After Kairi left home, Sora invited Riku to his house. When they entered it, Riku instantly smiled. Everything was the same as always; the boutique of flowers in the middle of the coffee table, the dark blue sofas, the white curtains… He loved Sora's house and spent most of his childhood there. He practically felt as if it was his second home.

"Welcome home, Riku!" Sora joked, but the silverette was sure it held some seriousness it in.

"Man… I sure missed this place."

"W-Well, yeah, but… You missed me more, right?"

"Sure." He ruffled Sora's hair.

"Oh, you're back? Too bad, I was starting to enjoy the peace." Tifa's voice came from upstairs.

"Mom! Knock it off, I'm not alone here!"

"Is it Kairi again?" Tifa started to come down to the first floor. "Good. I found a therapist who deals with masochism. He'll be able to convince her to break up with you."

"Mom!"

"What? It's for her own good." She faced her son. "And besides—" Then she paused and widened her eyes.

"Hey there, Tifa." Riku said smoothly. He never had a problem calling her by her first name, since she was almost like a second Mother to him.

"Riku? Is that really you?"

"Yep." He shrugged with a smile.

"Oh my God!" She laughed and ran to give him a hug. "I can't believe you're actually here!"

He caught her with ease and chuckled. "Me, neither."

"Mom, leave him alone!" The frustrated Sora ordered.

"Oh, look at you!" She held Riku's face in her palms. "Aw, you're as pretty as ever! I haven't seen you in such a long time!"

"I know." He nodded. "But as I can see, time only does wonders to you."

"Oh, stop it!" She playfully punched his shoulder.

"How come you're never this nice to me?" Sora pouted.

"I simply don't like you."

"Gee, thanks, Mom!"

'Don't worry. I like you.' Riku wanted to say but he decided to laugh instead.

"Hey! Don't encourage this woman's behavior, Riku!"

"Don't tell him what to do, Sora!"

"Oh, wow…" Riku held his arm. He hissed, but still laughed. "It's hard to guess you're Mother and son."

"I feel the same." The Lockharts said in unison.

Tifa giggled but then stopped. "Aw, I wanted to stay here and chat, Riku!"

"We can. I'm not going anywhere." He said.

"Yeah, but I planned to meet a friend of mine at the café and I'm already running late." She glanced at her wristwatch. "Uh, you'll come by more often from now on, right?"

He took a quick glance at Sora who was nodding in assurance. "Definitely."

"Awesome!" She clapped her hands. "Well, gotta fly. It was very nice to see you, Riku!" She kissed his cheek, noting his warm cheeks. "Have fun and keep it safe, yeah?" She ruffled Sora's hair and walked towards the door. "Bye now!"

When she was gone, Sora scratched the back of his head. "Why does she always say that…?"

"Uh…" Riku scratched his cheek.

"Oh! It's probably a reference to that time we tried to make her dinner, but ended up almost burning the kitchen!"

"Ah, yeah. Yeah, I bet it is." Riku agreed, almost too quickly.

---

And so, the three friends went to a trip on a little boat. A muscular guy with a dark moustache was rowing the boat for them, and they paid from the beginning. Roxas felt ashamed when Axel paid for the three of them, though the older teenager didn't seem to mind at all.

Roxas looked around the ocean and admired its clearness. "Wow, it's so amazing in here!"

"Uh… I don't feel good." Xion breathed heavily. "How did I get here? Where are we going? This is so off limits, I mean… Leaving Destiny Islands?"

"Relax, Xi." He smiled. "It's the next city; super close. Don't let the ocean intimidate you."

"It's so wrong!"

"Since when do you care about what's wrong and not?" Axel joined the conversation.

"We need to get back home! I mean… Do we even know where we're going?" She almost yelled, not caring that a stranger was sitting next to her.

"Yes." Her boyfriend shrugged.

"No, no… Oh my God, no."

"Xion?"

"What do you want, idiot?"

"…Have you never left the Islands?"

Silence.

"…Is that true, Xion?" Roxas looked at her.

"I… Uh…" She flushed and shook her head violently. "What do you want from me? I was born and raised here my entire life!"

"Wow…" The blond continued to stare.

"I didn't have anywhere to go! Mom always invites me to fancy trips, but I decline because I want to stay with Nami girl! This is my home!"

"Oh, brother." Axel sighed.

"Don't 'brother' me, Axel! And as a matter of fact!" She yelled dramatically. "I just remembered that I did go out of Destiny Islands once!"

"You did?" Roxas asked.

"Yes! When I was, like, four! I went on a hotel in The World that Never Was!" She announced proudly. "Don't remember much, but it counts, right? Right? Right?"

"That's… Pretty far away." Axel calculated.

"It was a trip from Cid's work!"

"Who's Cid?" Roxas cocked his head to the side.

"My Father's name." She replied with an emotionless gaze.

"Oh…"

"Well, Xion, it's your lucky day. You're finally getting out of the Islands for a while. Oh, look, it's there!" Axel pointed at Twilight Town's marine.

"…This is Twilight Town?"

"Just wait and see." The redheaded smirked.

They got out of the boat with the help of the muscular man.

"Thanks, bro." Axel handed him a tip. Roxas didn't know how much money he handed him, but the man seemed satisfied. Then Axel turned around and breathed the air happily. "See this? This is, my friends… Twilight Town."

"You seem familiar with this place, Axel." Roxas smiled and turned around. Most buildings there were painted orange and yellow and the entire place screamed 'summer', in Roxas' mind.

"That's 'cause it's like my home here."

"You were born here?"

"Nah, man." He smiled. "I was born in Radiant Garden. But this is close enough."

"Okay, and…" Xion scanned the area around her nervously. "And what do we do here?"

"We can walk around for a while. Then I want to show you something."

"Um… Okay." She nodded. "Let's go to that direction and see what those stands are."

They walked away from the marine, encountering many people with suitcases and smiles.

"I think they sell jewelry here." Roxas pointed out the obvious, staring at the jeweler stand.

"Gee, ya think?" She teased playfully.

They walked around the crowded area some more. It seemed as if the town was a giant yard with games, stands and laughter, just like some sort of a theme-park.

"Hey, let's head out to the tunnels."

"What's that?" Roxas asked Axel.

"It's almost like the outskirts of this town. And it's close to the place I want to show ya. Also, it's quieter there."

"Okay." The two said in unison and followed the male.

As they kept on going forward, the theme-park scene changed into a quiet street with houses covered in orange and yellow.

"Those are the tunnels."

"What's in there?" Xion asked.

"How should I know?" He shrugged.

"Sorry, I just thought that this place is like your home or something." She rolled her eyes.

"It says…" Roxas read from the big sign faced in front of one of the tunnels. "'Underground tunnel system number four. No entrance!' Hmm…"

"'No entrance'?" Xion mimicked. "…Ooh, ooh, Roxas, let's get in!"

"What?" He panicked. "But it says not to!"

"Exactly! Seems like an adventure to me!"

"But, Xion—"

"Come on!" She grabbed his hand firmly.

"Oh, man… I really feel as if I'm on my last legs right now."

"What? Stop talking gibberish and let's go!"

"Sorry, kiddo." Axel held her arm tightly and didn't let her go any further.

"Hey!"

"Can't let ya get Roxy here into trouble. He's too cute and innocent for that."

"T-Thanks… Thanks." Roxas hid his face from Axel's gaze.

"Oh, you're no fun." She crossed her arms childishly.

"That's why I'm taking you to some fun place. It's right there." He proudly pointed upwards.

"…You brought us all the way here just so that we'd see a giant clock?" Xion asked dryly.

"No. I brought you all the way here just so that you could sit on the giant clock."

"Sit on it?" Roxas looked up way high at the giant building with the big clock at the top of it.

"Yep. It's the Clock Tower; one of Twilight Town's most famous places. You can take those stairs and sit there, gazing at the entire Town. The view is beautiful. Come on, now."

Again the two shrugged and simply followed Axel. As they faced the building, Axel pointed to the staircase to the right. They all climbed many stairs.

"Uh, this is endless…" Xion complained.

"Stop being lazy, Xi. You're a cheerleader, you know." Her boyfriend reminded her.

"Doing flips and splits is nothing like going up the stairs!"

"We're here."

When they got to the last stair and looked ahead, Roxas and Xion instantly widened their eyes, as their jaws dropped open.

"Well, what 'da ya think?" Axel smirked.

"What is this place?" Roxas looked at the entire city from there.

"It's so… Beautiful." Xion admired the view, as well.

"This is, my friends… The Clock Tower."

---

The boys were left alone in Sora's house. Sora was somewhere in the kitchen, while Riku was watching the TV.

"Hey." Sora got closer to Riku who was sitting on the sofa. He reached with his hand to Riku's face while the silverette noticed the red apple he was holding. "You want this?"

"Eh…" Riku scratched his cheek and stared. "Okay, what did you do with it?"

Sora's eyebrows frowned and he quickly pulled his hand to the side of his body. "What? So if I'm offering you something it means it is… Bad? Gee, have some faith in your friends, will ya?" And with that he turned around and began to walk away.

The older teenager sighed, staring at his best friend's silly figure. "I… Kinda like apples. Yellow are more to my liking, but… I don't mind red. Give it to me."

Sora turned around, eyes filled with joy. "Aw, you trust me!" He threw his body on Riku, causing them both to fall over the couch and leave them in an awkward position.

"E-Eh! Get off me." Riku moved away some hair behind his ear, but did nothing in order to actually make Sora get off him. He even found the situation amusing. "We look gay."

"I can't, Riku!" Sora yelled dramatically, as he continued to hug his friend tightly. They were both lying on the sofa, Sora's head pressed hard against Riku's chest, while Riku's left elbow supported them. "I love you too much!"

Riku smirked. "You're disgusting, Sora. Didn't you need to go and take a shower or something?"

"Right." This made Sora get up with a smile. "There ya go!" He handed Riku the apple and began to walk upstairs.

Riku smiled as he shook his head and took a bite out of the red food.

"Oh, and by the way, Riku?" Sora's voice came from the second floor—hummed—yet clear.

"Yeah?" Riku called, slightly louder than his usual way.

"I licked it. All over it."

Riku's smile dropped and he stared at the apple in his hand, with disappointment and hatred. Then he gritted his teeth and threw it on the floor. "Dammit, Sora!" He yelled, but all Sora did was laugh evilly as the bathroom's door got slammed shut.

---

Naminé Trepe rubbed her eyes tiredly as she sat on her bed. It was late afternoon and her Mother was still on that yacht party since noon. She noticed on her way upstairs that the red birthday-card remained untouched on the coffee-table.

But she didn't expect it to be any other way.

---

"This place is wonderful."

"Yeah." Roxas agreed.

"How'd he find it?"

"No idea. But where the Hell is he now?"

"Ooh, Roxas using bad language; sexy." Xion smirked.

"X-Xion!"

She threw her head backwards and laughed. "No idea. He told us he got another surprise and left. He's so full of surprises today, huh? Well, I don't care; he'll have to go through those awful stairs again."

"He's a nice guy, though…"

"Never said he isn't." Xion didn't smirk, grin or tease—she smiled for real.

Roxas stared again at the tiny city and the cars that looked just like ants. He even spotted a train passing by. "It's probably very nice to have him as a boyfriend…"

"I don't mind sharing him with ya." Xion shrugged.

"U-Uh, no!" Roxas realized that he said it out loud. "I-I don't mean it like that! It's just that—"

"Hey there." Axel came back.

"Uh." Xion groaned. "Seriously, how do you go through all these stairs without painting like a horny pig?"

"…What? 'Horny pig'?"

"First thing that came to my mind." She shrugged and he took the seat next to Roxas, with the blond being in the middle. "Anyway, Ax… How'd you find such a beautiful place?"

"A secret."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes.

"But this is great!" Roxas avoided looking at Axel after Xion's serious tone of voice about sharing her boyfriend. "I'm glad you brought us here."

"Well, you were nice travelers."

"Only 'nice'?" Xion twisted her face. "Dude, I set my foot out of Destiny Islands! I'd say we're frickin' awesome!"

"You're right…" He nodded. "You did great. In fact, you deserve a little something extra."

"We don't want to have sex with you, Axel. Well… Maybe Roxas does, but…" She smirked.

"Xion!" He screamed angrily, not believing that she had actually said that. His face heated up and the breath got stuck in his throat.

"Oh, I want to have sex with him, too, but that'll have to wait 'till the night." Axel replied casually with a smile.

"Uh…" Roxas blushed even more and hid his face in his lap.

"Hehe, be careful not to fall, man. Anywho… Up for the icing on the cake?"

"'Icing on the cake'… Seriously, who says that?" Xion bullied.

"I do. Here we go." He took three blue bars out of a plastic bag.

"What is it?" Xion asked and Roxas took a look as well.

"It's called sea-salt ice-cream. It's very popular in Twilight Town."

"'Sea salt'?" Roxas pouted. "Sounds… Salty, I guess."

"Just try it. Trust me, you'll love it." He handed each a bar.

They stared at it.

"Well? Go on, try it." Axel pushed them.

"…You try it first!" Xion pointed at Roxas.

"Hey! Are you selling me to death?"

"If you'd die, I promise to eat it too, and die with you." She paused. "But, yeah, you die first."

He took a deep breath and bit it. "Ah… Ah! Salty! Yuck!"

"Axel! Are you trying to poison Roxas?"

"If I'd try to poison anyone here, Xion, then it'd be you. Not my sex partner."

"…Sweet."

"Huh?" Xion looked at Roxas,

"It's… Sweet." He looked weirdly at the bar.

"You just said it's salty; decide."

"It's salty… But also sweet."

"…Alright, I'm going in!" She took a bite as well, twisted her face, paused and stared at the bar of ice-cream. "It's kind of salty… But sweet at the same time."

"And that is, my friends… The sea-salt ice-cream."

They paused and stared at the city, the Tower they were spending time at and at the blue bar.

"…Why are you always announcing things so dramatically?"

"Shut up, Xion, and keep on with the thoughtful pose."

---

Pence Wonder used to be a cheery boy that liked to investigate and explorer the unknown. But during that time, he kept mostly to himself.

When he was slightly younger, Saturdays used to be fun days in which he went out with his two best friends, took pictures of their adventures and had a good laugh. But then high school came, and he kept mostly to himself.

In truth, it began before high-school. It began in elementary-school.

Pence hated himself and he hated people for making him hate himself. But no matter how much the school's bullied harassed him, pushed him and insulted him, he didn't think that it was their blame.

He blamed Axel Bellek for his torture.

---

After their first hung-out at the Clock Tower, Xion, Axel and Roxas went back to their houses. As Xion arrived home, she saw Naminé searching in the kitchen's cabinets and drawers.

"Nami girl?"

"Ow!" She quickly lifted her head up and it hit the oven.

"Oh, Nami girl!" Xion rushed to her side and patted her head gently. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah!" Naminé smiled and got up carefully. "You're back!" She hugged Xion tightly.

"Yeah." Xion smiled and released the blonde. "So, whatcha doing?"

"Searching for chocolate. Mom hid it somewhere and I can't find it."

"Oh, Mom's back?"

"Yeah. The yacht party is over but she's soon heading out for a restaurant."

"I see. And wait, she hid it?" Xion raised an eyebrow. "Why would she do that? What's the point of having chocolate in the house, if you can't enjoy it?"

"That's exactly what I thought!" Naminé pouted. "And I doubt she'll tell us where it is, because, you know, she thinks it's unhealthy and fattening and everything."

"Uh, how can she say that after today's sweets? But, well, she is right." Xion admitted.

"But it's still delicious!"

"Yeah… You're right." Xion smiled. "Tell you what, maybe I'll just go and ask her?"

"Um… Would you?"

"Yeah!" Xion smiled widely. "I bet that after a few pouts, cute smiles and hugs, she'll melt away. Is she upstairs?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. Stay right here!" Xion winked and ran to their Mother's room.

Naminé leaned against the refrigerator and sighed. Quistis would have never told her about the location of the chocolate. But when it came to Xion, the blonde woman would do anything to please the raven-haired twin. Naminé countless of times wondered why did their Mother allow Xion to have chocolate, yet she hid it away from Naminé, every single time. She sometimes wondered why Quistis seemed so friendly and kind to Xion, but cruel and mean to her. They were both twins, they were both her daughters, they were both kind; so what did she find in Xion, that didn't appear in Naminé?

'Probably Xion's beauty and funny attitude.' Naminé bit her lip. 'She is the successful twin, after all.'

"Mission accomplished!" Xion jumped right next to Naminé, before the blonde could wonder some more. "It's in the upper drawers, third from the right!"

Naminé quickly nodded, grabbed a chair, stood on it and opened the drawer. "Oh, yes!" She took the box of chocolate and gave it to Xion. Then she carefully jumped off the chair. "Thanks, Xion!" She hugged her tightly.

"Oh, please. It was nothing for my powers. For I am the great—" Xion did a pose. "—Xion-man!"

Naminé giggled. "Shouldn't it be 'Xion-woman'?"

"Don't know, don't care! As long as I have my awesome powers!"

Naminé laughed and opened the box and stared dreamily at the chocolate bars. "Oh, wow…"

Xion smiled warmly at her sister's happy face. Then she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket, so she took it out and smirked as she noticed the ID Caller. "Why, hello there, darling!"

"Hey, Xion." Roxas greeted. "What's up?"

"All good, what about ya?"

"Nice. Did you make it home okay?"

Xion rolled her eyes. "No, I died three times."

"What?" Roxas' voice sounded angered. "Who did this to you?"

"Huh… Roxas?"

After some seconds of silence, he talked. "Uh… Oh, huh, right… Yeah, don't mention this moment to anyone, okay?"

Xion laughed. "We'll see."

"Is that Roxas?" Naminé asked, her face already covered in chocolate.

Xion laughed even more. "Y-Yeah. Wanna talk to him?"

Naminé nodded excitedly and wiped her face clean with a towel.

"Hey, Roxy, Naminé wants to speak to ya! Try not to sound blond next to her, okay?" She handed the phone to her sister.

"Hey, Roxas!" Naminé called happily.

"Naminé! Hi! How are you doing?"

"Hehe, all good! What are you doing?" She played with a bar of chocolate between her fingers, but dropped it back to the box before it melted.

"I came home a few minutes ago. What about ya?"

"I'm eating chocolate!" Naminé stared excitedly at Xion. "Xion found me that box I was searching for, and it's yummy!"

"Oh, glad to hear that!"

"Hehe, thanks. So did you do this English report about the—"

Xion smiled slightly. Staring at Naminé talking to Roxas so excitedly made her want to fall asleep, and never wake up. But she was grateful for the scene, because she knew her two favorite blondes were happy. And so, she was happy.

Not caring to ask for her phone back, she turned around and went upstairs again.

---

Monday, October 6

"I can't believe she actually said that!" Selphie gasped.

Kairi nodded sadly. "It was awful. She made me feel like…" She lowered her voice. "You know, a slut."

"Of course, of course." She nodded quickly. "God, this is awful."

"I don't know what's going on in my Mom's mind, but I'm sick of it."

"Did you talk with Sora or someone about it?"

"No!" She quickly protested. "Of course not. You're the only one who knows all of this…"

"Hmm… I'm just sad because I can't do much to help…"

"Hey." She put a hand on her shoulder as they sat in their seats, waiting for the teacher to arrive. "Just the fact that you listen to me helps me a lot. I really need someone to talk to, and thank God you're my friend."

---

"So…" Xion smiled knowingly. "Still worried about Naminé?"

"Hmm?" Roxas closed his locker. "A bit. I mean, I'm not worried. I'm just upset that she doesn't try to befriend me or get to know me better… You know, like you do."

"…Are you seriously stupid?"

"What?"

"Hello! Earth to Roxas!" She waved her hand in front of his face. "She took my phone away yesterday, because—apparently—she wanted to speak to you!"

"…So?"

"'So?'" She put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean, 'so?' She never takes my phone away to talk to anyone! She simply doesn't talk to anyone! The first time it happened was yesterday. With you. And she was the one to ask for it."

"W-Well, yeah, but—"

"And she didn't ask you for anything. She simply talked about nothing in particular."

"She talked about our English report."

"Do you think she really cares about it? Trust me, she was trying to befriend you."

"Y-You think?"

"I know. Trust me, my sister does like you and is trying to befriend you. You have English today, right?"

"Yes. Should I talk with her there?"

"Definitely." She smiled and walked with him to his next class.

"What should I tell her?"

"Talk about nothing in particular. It's the best thing."

"Got it!"

"Oh, and Roxas?"

"Hmm?"

She paused and grabbed his little face in his hands. "Trust me; if she'll only see a tenth of what I see in you, she'll definitely fall head over heels for you."

---

"Hey there, Naminé." Riku walked down the hall to his Biology lesson. During his walk, he saw the 'blonde version of Xion'.

"O-Oh!" She flinched a bit at the direct approach. "Hello, R-Riku." She slowed her pace so that they could walk side by side. She wasn't sure if he just wanted to say 'hi' and for her to say it back and leave, or maybe he actually did want to walk with her. Either way, she decided to attend the second option, since she thought it was rude to simply leave.

"Um. You sure are a lot… Quieter than Xion."

"Oh."

"I didn't mean it as an insult."

"O-Oh, no, no!" She fisted her fingers around her skirt. "I mean, I know you didn't."

He smiled slightly and Naminé instantly brightened up.

Naminé was always some sort of an outcast when it came to students. But truth was, many people tried to befriend her, mostly because everyone could sense that Xion loved her a lot. Kids easily followed Xion since she was considered one of the most popular girls in their grade, even in the entire school. She was the captain of the Cheerleaders' Team, she was the best actress in Drama and she was a girl who knew how to have fun in parties without losing the head. Therefore, many relied on Xion and decided to try and approach the timid twin, as well.

But no matter how many tried, Naminé pushed them all away.

When the Blitz-Ball Players greeted her, she greeted back, but that was about it.

Until something changed.

She didn't know how, but somehow she didn't find it hard anymore to talk and communicate with people anymore.

The only thing that freaked her out was that good looking boys (such as Roxas Heartilly, Axel Bellek, Riku Harvey and Leon Loire) actually seemed friendly enough, even with their dazzling smiles. Xion always told her to be wary around handsome lads, for they were 'using their good looks to lure innocent, young girls to their caves of sins.' Xion always did have a strange way to teach the blonde stuff, but Naminé was glad she wasn't as blunt as she used to be back in middle-school. She did start, however, to think that Xion is a hypocrite—she was always around pretty people.

"Something on my face?" He grinned.

"Huh?"

"You've been… Gazing."

"I was?" She yelped. "S-Sorry! I was just thinking!"

"About how handsome I am?" The grin turned into a smirk.

"W-Wha—?"

"Haha, sorry, I was just kidding." He flipped his hair gently out of his eyes and gave her that friendly, chilling smile again. "Didn't mean to startle you."

"O-Oh. No, it's okay." She smiled back.

"Ri-ku!" A high voice came.

"Oh, God…" Riku stopped in his tracks and sighed.

"Huh?" Naminé turned around.

"Riku!" A brown-haired boy puffed his cheeks and stared angrily at him. "You've got some explaining to do, alright!"

"Uh, Sora…" Riku scratch his cheek and glanced awkwardly at Naminé. "Not now…"

"Oh, yes 'now'! Why haven't you been answering my calls and texts?"

"Sora."

"I tried to reach you all night! Where have you been?" He demanded while tapping his foot loudly on the ground.

"Sora! I spent the entire weekend with you!"

"Doesn't matter! You should still answer whenever!"

"Oh my God, please. Stop. It looks as if you're my obsessed girlfriend or something."

"Listen here, Mr. Harvard." Sora's eyes narrowed and Naminé gulped; the childish looking boy suddenly had a dark aura around him. He stood at the tip of his toes and tapped Riku's chest. "You better start treating me as if I am your obsessed girlfriend, because, trust me, I know how to ruin your life."

Riku actually gulped out of fear. "O-Okay… Sorry. Won't, uh… Won't happen again?"

"Damn right, it won't." Sora stopped poking his chest and standing on the tip of his toes. "Now, where were you last night?"

"Home. But I had a talk with my Dad… You know how it is."

"Umm…" He nodded, but his eyes were still narrowed and a frown was set on his face. "Now tell me you missed me."

"Dude! I've been with you all weekend!"

Sora's intense glare was enough to do the trick.

"I, uh…" He actually felt embarrassed that he had to put up with Sora's scenes next to Naminé Trepe. As a matter of face, he felt embarrassed that he had to put up with Sora's scenes whenever. "I… Missed you."

"…Good!" He smiled back and hugged him tightly. "I missed you, too!"

"Oh, boy…" Riku rolled his eyes.

"See how everything works better when you obey me, Riku?"

"Sure is."

"Oh? Oh! Hello there, Naminé!" He waved excitedly.

"Um… Um, hello?" She smiled back sheepishly.

"Oh, right! I'm Sora! I'm a close friend of Xion." He explained.

"How close?" Riku asked, amused.

"Jealous?" Sora beamed.

"Only in your dreams."

"N-Nice to meet you…" Naminé finally said.

"Nice to meet ya, too! Ya know, Xion can't stop talking about ya! It's like, 'Naminé this', 'Naminé that', 'Naminé is so cute', 'Naminé is the best cooker ever'. 'Naminé is innocent', 'Naminé is perfect'… I mean, really!"

"Wow!" She smiled as a deep blush covered her cheeks. "This is so…"

"Oh, please." Riku managed to put his hand on Sora's shoulder without shuddering much. "You go on like this about me, too."

"I know." He answered shamelessly.

"Oh…" Naminé's eyes were still clouded and her cheeks were pinkish.

"Haha! You're cute!" He pointed at her and then turned to Riku. "She's cute, Riku. I like her."

"Sure you do."

"T-Thank you both… Really. But I have to get going to Art." She stopped her weird thoughts about her sister and looked at the watch in her cellphone.

"It's cool. I have to get to my own lesson, as well." Riku said.

"Oh, what, you two just gonna ditch me here, in the middle of the hallway?" The annoyed boy spoke.

"No." Riku flicked Sora's nose playfully. "You have to get to your History class."

"Oh, man!" Sora puffed his cheeks and sighed. "Fine. Well, bye, Naminé. Oh, and I'll see you at Math." He quickly pecked Riku on the cheek and fled the scene.

Riku let a puff of air come out of his mouth, but the girl wasn't so sure that he was annoyed. He had a gentle—almost invisible—smile.

"Um… Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Riku stopped walking again and she swore he got paler. "Oh, God help me, no. The last person on this Earth that I'll ever date is this jock."

"Uh?" She cocked her head to the side. "I thought you were friends."

"We are." He nodded. "But he's… You know, Sora. Plus, he dates Kairi."

"Who?"

"Kairi. She's a friend of mine. I got to meet between you two. Trust me, you'll like her."

"O-Okay." She decided to believe his words.

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Music: Biblical, by Biffy Clyro.

So here's another update! I'm on my vacation now so I'll have more time to write. Please leave your opinion (: