"Sweet Seduction"

By: Yuki Schiffer ;)

~a Roxas & Namine fic~

~~Chapter 1: Can I Truly Tell Her How I Feel?~~

It is almost time for the curtain to once again open and the next act of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera to begin. Before this act there is luckily a short intermission. Backstage, Namine and Roxas rehearse one last time before they appear on stage.

"I don't think I can do this, Roxas." She says with much nervousness to her best friend and lead in the play. As he looks over to her smaller form, he puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder to calm her nerves. "You'll be great, I promise, Christine." He says as he winks at her. She smiles and moves onto her position on the stage.

The orchestra begins to play the piece "Don Juan" and Namine is cued in along with Roxas, The Phantom.

Don Juan (Phantom): You have come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge, in pursuit of that wish, which till now has been silent, silent… I have brought you, that our passions may fuse and merge- in your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me- now you are here with me: no second thoughts, you've decided, decided… Past the point of no return- no backward glances: our games of make believe are at an end… Past all thought of "if" or "when"- no use resisting: abandon thought, and let the dream descend… What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us…? Past the point of no return, the final threshold- what warm, unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return…

Aminta (Christine): You have brought me to that moment where words run dry, to that moment where speech disappears into silence, silence… I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why… in my mind, I've already imagined our bodies entwining defenseless and silent- now I am here with you: no second thoughts, I've decided, decided… Past the point of no return- no going back now: our passion-play has now, at last, begun… Past all thought of right or wrong- one final question: how long should we two wait, before we're one…? When will the blood begin to race the sleeping bud burst into bloom? When will the flames, at last consume us…?

Both: Past the point of no return the final threshold- the bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn… We've past the point of no return…

~~~~AUDIENCE CLAPPING~~~~

****CURTAIN FALLS****

As the curtain falls, both Namine and Roxas look at each other in approval. "You did a stupendous job, Miss Christine Daae." Roxas said as he winked at Namine. She smiled and returned the compliment. "Thank you, Mister Phantom, Sir." She said as she stuck her tongue out in a childish manner. He chuckled and gripped her chin to make her face him, which shocked her. "Don't stick your tongue out your mouth unless you don't have a problem with me putting it in mine." He winked at her and walked off just before her face became red with obvious embarrassment.

Roxas…just said that to me? She blinked and walked toward her dressing room in a daze. After quite a few minutes of her being in her room, she felt her door open just as she was about to remove her clothing and a blonde head poke out of it. "Roxas?" She asked in embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm sorry Namine; I didn't think you would change anytime soon!" He yelled, trying to hide his embarrassment. "It's okay Roxas; it's not your fault." She said with her eyes closed and her body turned away from him. She heard the door close and a sigh of relief was let out by her. Not knowing that Roxas was still in the room with her, she turned around and came face to face with him.

She never really noticed how attractive he is but, now that he was close enough for her to examine, she was at a loss for words. As he came closer to her, she could only widen her eyes in slight fright and turn red. "Um, you really did a good job out there, Namine." He said with the cutest blush on his face. She walked slowly toward him and touched his red face with tenderness.

"Thank you but, I think you did a better job than I, Mr. I-got-the-lead-role. Besides, your singing is much more grand than mine." She said shyly as his hand came up to cover her hand which was on his face. Her eyes widened as she remembered what she was doing. She turned away as fast as she could and walked away slightly before being gently pulled back.

"Uh Namine, would you like to go out with me?" He asked in a gentle tone as he pulled her closer to him. As his scent intoxicated her, she was slowly becoming his pray. Namine's breathing hitched and almost became hyperventilation. She was shocked that her best friend was doing this to her. I can't let myself become that dumb girl who is in love with her best friend like in the movies. I won't allow it.

"Uh…sure…when?" She asked innocently while smiling up at him. "Um…tonight after everyone has gone, I will return to you and we'll go somewhere, ok?" His breath tickled her neck as he lowered his face and sent chills up her spine. She shivers and Roxas slightly grins at how he can affect her; pleased with himself.

How can I let him affect me in such a way? Do I really and truly desire him or is this just him seducing me, blinding me? Do you really and honestly love me back Roxas? Do you? She asked herself when he led her to the nearest wall still holding her tenderly. As her back reached the wall, she was pulled flush against his chest. Her breath came out uneven and in short gasps as he enveloped her in his aroma.

Not wanting to let this progress any further, she gently pushed Roxas away and smiled up at him when he looked down at her in confusion. "Uh, Roxas?" She asked him when he was leaning his face toward hers. "Yeah?" He asked lazily with some seduction in his voice. "R-Roxas…I think you should get going. I mean, if you want to go out somewhere I should get dressed for the occasion, no?" She asked nervously and frightened.

He stands up straight quickly, processing her question in his mind. "Correct, I must leave you to change." He says as he strides over to her door with a small sheepish grin. She smiles and waits patiently for her door to close. –CLICK- She deeply sighs as the door closes and she is broken form her reverie.

It's been years since I fell for you and in those years, you never noticed me. Why after so long, do you want "US" to happen? Why after I finally almost completely got over you? She questioned; holding her head in her hands.

After she quickly dressed herself in her comfortable street clothes, she waited for Roxas patiently and eagerly in her dressing-room as told. She couldn't help but feel nervous as she heard faint footsteps which she thought to be his. As though she had been psychic, he entered her room in black skinny-jeans, a white button-up collar shirt, a black tie, and a black vest. "Hey there, Namine." He said with his infamous grin. She smiled shyly and looked down. "Hello there, Roxas." She whispered with the most innocent of tone in her voice.

He smiled and kneeled before her to see her sweet face. She shied away from him and her hair covered her face. He was confused as to why his best friend was acting this way. She usually only acts this way with guys she likes. Does she like one right now? Does she not want to tell me about him?

He brushed it aside, knowing that if this was the case, she would tell him sooner or later. "Um… Roxas, where are we going?" She asked regardless of how weak and unsure her voice sounded. He thought about it, having second thoughts of showing her to his room and finally telling her his feelings for her since their younger days of life. "Uh… Well, I was thinking of just taking an evening stroll around here just to…I don't know… talk?" He sounded unsure and nervous of his decision.

She made a face of confusion and she came closer to him as if she were to kiss him but held back and smiled pleasantly at him. "Okay, so we'll just be walking around, then? Like when we were children and we would walk around the house just to find something to do." She stated with a far-off look in her eyes. He nodded and led her out of her dressing-room. She almost fell over with how suddenly Roxas pulled her off her seat; he luckily caught her just in the nick of time.

Ignoring how close their faces were, Namine got up and followed Roxas as they walked hand-in-hand through the different hallways of their workplace. Eventually, they ended up going outside of the building and into the broad and colorful streets. The nice cool air of the outside brushed her cheeks lovingly and with great delicacy. As Roxas saw her enjoy herself on their "date", he contemplated on whether or not to tell her once-and-for-all how much she means to him.

Am I really willing to give up my valuable friendship with her? She means so much to me and I don't want to lose her whether she is my best friend or my girlfriend. Can I truly tell her how I feel?