A/N: I'm really, really, really sorry updating so late. it's been months hasn't it? Anyway, I've made you wait long enough so I'll explain myself later. Here's the last chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts (duh)
Finalé and Beginning
They were in the middle of the dance floor, Roxas and Naminé. She had her hands on his shoulders, his on her waist, both of them swaying slowly to the soft beat of the song. He tilted his head downward a bit, so that he was looking straight at her.
"Naminé?" She raised her head, so that they gazed softly into each other's cerulean eyes.
"Yes, Roxas?"
"I've been meaning to tell you for some time now." He took in a deep breath. "I-"
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Roxas opened his eyes, pulling himself out of the imagination he had made of what could happen. He raised his head from his slumped position, his eyebrows furrowed in slight frustration. He couldn't do it. And he couldn't understand why.
Roxas laid back against his chair, lacing his hands behind his head. This was it. The prom was going to be that night. Which meant it was nearly time for the finale. Him telling Naminé his feelings for her. The mere thought was making him nervous.
He got up and sat on the windowsill, trying to calm himself by looking into the twilit sky. He had been trying to imagine the scenario, the words he would use, what they would be doing when it happens. He had done it quite a few times already. The scenario always came to him as them dancing. He supposed that would be the time when they would be closest to each other. But whenever the scenario came to the point of him about to say what he has to, everything freezes. He couldn't visualize the words he would say. He supposed it would be as simple as: "Naminé, I like you" but for some reason, he couldn't see himself saying it. He had to be prepared, he had to see how he would do it. He wanted to do it as perfectly as possible. But he couldn't even get as far as getting ready.
Roxas sighed. Why couldn't he see it? He was usually pretty good at imagining things. Was the idea that him drawing up the courage to tell a girl he liked her so impossible that it was beyond imagination? He hoped not, otherwise all his efforts until now would have been a waste.
He took a seat back in front of the computer and smiled. He had been passing time in front of the computer earlier. He was currently rereading the latest entry on Naminé's blog, and even though he's already read through it a dozen times, he still wasn't tired of it. Because it was proof besides her smile that he had really made her happy that day. He, once again, read through her post.
Happy Valentine's everyone!
Something happened today. One of my friends suddenly came out of nowhere during lunch and led me to the school office...
...where the receptionist had a card and a rose waiting for me...
And I was like, Oh my god, WHO???
But one person already came to mind.. I asked him but he said no. And then my girl friends kept on teasing me about other guys. I really wanted to know who gave me the card and the rose, so I walked up to all these guys and asked them.
And I so laughed at their reactions. --;
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
But because of my extraordinary ability to bug people, I finally got the truth out of this person.. my guy friend who said 'no' earlier..
HE'S THE ONE BEHIND EVERYTHING!
It didn't say much about how she felt about the entire thing but he could feel her euphoria spilling from her words. He smiled, satisfied for now. Maybe he would read through it again in another hour, when the bubbly feeling inside of him would start to wear off.
He had to think of a way of telling Naminé. He couldn't just leave it to 'make it up as you go'. He had to be prepared, because he wasn't prepared for what might happen if things go wrong...
He reached over to his bed and took the Tigger plushie Naminé gave him in his hands.He pulled it close to himself, at once feeling some of the strain on his mind melt away. It was just so comfortable. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It was already four in the afternoon. He stood up and gently placed the plushie at the corner of his bed. The time for getting ready was done.
"Let's see if happy endings really can happen."
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Roxas walked through the double doors into the hotel where the prom was being held. Sora walked alongside him, but unlike Roxas, he wasn't nervous about anything at all, and he noticed it.
"Something wrong Roxas?" he asked. "It's not like you to get nervous about, well, anything."
"I'm fine, Sora," he smiled. "It's just that there's some stuff that's making me nervous."
"Right," he smirked. "And what exactly... would..." he trailed off, staring at something over Roxas' shoulder.
Roxas turned to see what he was staring at. Kairi, wearing a pink gown, had just walked through the doors, and Sora was already probably lost at the sight of her.
"Hi Sora! Hi Roxas!" she greeted, waving.
"Hi Kairi," he replied. Glancing at Sora, he added, "Sora says hi too."
She giggled, a little red coloring her cheeks, seeing how Sora was still ogling at her. Roxas nudged him with his elbow. "Say something," he hissed.
Sora managed to shake off a bit of the daze he was in and blushed red instead. "Hi Kairi. Erm, nice weather?"
"Dope, why would you talk about the weather when you're indoors?" taunted a voice. They turned and saw Riku enter. "C'mon Sora, haven't you learned anything from watching me?"
The taunt seemed to shake Sora more into his senses. "Well excuse me for not being as smooth as the great Riku," he smirked.
Riku was just about to make a comeback when Hayner, Olette, and Pence came out of the the hotel's ballroom. "What are you guys doing standing out here?" Hayner asked. "The prom's in there you know."
"We were just getting Sora out of his fantasies of Kairi," Roxas teased.
"Hey! I'm not the one who's nervous about the prom just because of his date," Sora shot back.
"Speaking of dates," Olette interjected before things got out of hand, "Naminé is waiting for you inside Roxas."
Roxas gulped hard upon hearing this. His nerves were already quite rattled. And now he was about to meet with Naminé, to be her date for the prom. And not only that, later tonight, he was going to tell her that he liked her. Roxas put a hand to his forehead. Things were getting way too stressful.
Kairi, seeing his condition, gave him a light nudge with her elbow. "Don't think about it too much," she smiled. "Take it one step at a time, and just follow your heart. But you should start with seeing her first."
Roxas smiled at her and nodded. He went ahead of the others and walked through the doors into the ballroom. The place was predominantly decorated in red, from the tablecloths to the drapes. In the center of the balroom was a dance floor, which was in front of the stage. The tables were put along the side of the dance floor and filled the remaining space of the ballroom.
Roxas' eyes scanned the ballroom for a certain face. There were quite a few people already there but he didn't see Naminé. But when he felt a tap on his shoulder, he knew he had found her. Or the other way round to be more exact.
"Hi Roxas," she smiled. Roxas didn't even have anything to reply with. He was just like Sora, lost just at the sight of the one he likes.
She was wearing a mint green cocktail dress, which stopped just short of her knees. He had to say that the dress really suited her. Since he came in, all the girls had been dressed in gowns, and he honestly had trouble imagining Naminé in a large flowy gown. She had her hair curled a bit, and she had some light make up on, all of which, he wouldn't say added but gave her a different kind of beauty.
"Wow." Roxas was very careful not to accidentally speak his thoughts out loud. Not that he was insulting her but still...
"Hi Naminé," he finally answered after a ten-second silence. "You look great."
"Thanks," she said, smiling even more broadly. "You don't look too bad youself. Where are the others?"
"They got caught up talking just outside the ballroom," he answered. "You wanna go join them?" he asked.
Truth be told, he didn't exactly want to go join the others. It's not that he wanted to avoid them or anything, it's just that he wanted to spend more time with Naminé, just them.
"Nah." Roxas perked up at her answer. She linked arms with him and pulled him further in to the ballroom. "They'll come in eventually anyway. Besides, I came here with you," she smiled.
Roxas blushed a bit at what she said. She really was sticking to what she said long ago, that she wouldn't leave him alone if she could help it. But he wondered if she was doing it just because they were friends...
"Heh, it doesn't really matter much. As long as we can stay like this...," he smiled.
However, he remembered that they just might not be able to stay that way, especially because of what he planned to do that night. He shook his head. No, he couldn't think like that. He had promised himself he would tell her everything, and even more important, he had promised Naminé.
"Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you," Roxas said.
"Really?" Her eyes eidened in interest. "What is it?" Roxas smiled and reached into his pocket pulling out a wrist corsage of white roses.
"Oh my gosh, Roxas." Her eyes softened when she saw the delicate accesory. "It's so pretty. You've really prepared for this night, haven't you," she joked.
"Not exactly...," he thought, reflecting on the events a few hours ago:
Roxas was already done preparing, or so he thought, and was just about to leave with Sora when their mother stopped them at the front door.
"Are you boys just going there without anything for your dates?" she asked.
He could sense a bit of incredulity in her voice. Was it really expected of them? He wondered if Naminé was waiting for something from him. Worry started to grip him. What was he going to do? He had to leave for the prom, he didn't have time to look for something for Naminé.
"Judging by the looks on your faces, you've got nothing ready," she sighed.
"Well, technically, I don't have a date," Sora reasoned smartly. "So it's just Roxas you have to tell off."
"Sora!"
"Okay, okay! But I really don't have anything prepared, so what can I do?" he shrugged.
"Over there on the table. The red one is for Kairi, the white is for Naminé. Really, the things I do for you boys..." She mumbled the last bit, walking off and shaking her head in disappointment. Apparently, she expected more from her boys.
Roxas walked over to the table and looked at the two packages. He knew instantly that their mother had gone into her garden again and arranged these flowers herself. He made a mental note to thank her properly when he and Sora got home. But at the moment, he really had to go...
Roxas smiled sheepishly, knowing he wasn't fully responsible for the wonderful gesture. "Well, I had help."
"Still, it's beautiful. Could you help me put it on?" she asked.
"Sure." He took the item in one hand and Naminé's wrist in the other. He gently tied the laces around her wrist, being careful not to tie it too tight. He took a step back and looked at her. He chuckled silently to himself. It had worked the other way around. Instead of the corsage making her more beautiful, Naminé had made the corsage look even more precious. After all, she was already beautiful to begin with.
"But I don't have anything for you...," He looked at her and saw that she was a bit disappointed in herself. Really, she was just too nice.
"Naminé, I didn't do this expecting anything from you," he smiled comfortingly. "Besides, I'm not sure it I would look good with a boutonierre on me," he joked. (A/N: A boutonierre is the flower pinned to the guys coat...I think...)
"Thank you," she said, smiling that sweet smile of hers. "And for the record, I think a boutonierre wouldn't look half bad on you."
Roxas laughed a bit at this. "Come on, let's go to our table."
They walked (actually, it was more like her dragging him, he had no idea what she was so excited about) toward their table, where they saw Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie already seated.
"Hey guys," Selphie called. "It looks like the program is about to start. Everyone's rushing in here."
True enough, when they turned, people were flooding through the double doors into the ballroom. It looked like Olette was going to lead in announcing what was going to happen that night, as they saw her reluctantly detach herself from Hayner. He and the others made their way to their table, while Olette walked up onto the stage with a microphone in hand.
"Good evening everyone!" she greeted. "I'm sure you're all itching to get started, but still, we have a program to follow. And first on the agenda is the cotillion! So will all the dancers get ready? The rest, please enjoy the show!"
The cotillion, Roxas had almost forgotten. He supposed it was because of that he managed to ask Naminé to the prom, when he accidentally lost his temper thinking Naminé had gotten a partner when she didn't. Though it ended up with her asking Pence to be her partner, it also entailed Roxas being her date. He really didn't mind Pence dancing with Naminé anyway. He really wasn't much of a dancer.
"Roxas, we've gotta go get ready now," Naminé said. She had an unsure look on her face, like she felt like she wasn't supposed to leave him. But Roxas simply smiled at her.
"If you're worrying about me, don't," he grinned. "I'll be looking out for you during the cotillion, so you better dance your best. You too, Pence," he added, facing the raven-haired boy.
"Sure," he answered. "Are you sure you're alright with this?" He actually looked a bit nervous when asking this, like Roxas was going to go berserk on him if he went through with dancing with Naminé.
Roxas laughed a bit. "Well, I can't exactly go out there without knowing the steps right? Go on. I told you guys anyway, I'm no dancer."
He watched as everyone seated at his table got up and went outside to prepare for the cotillion. He hadn't realized so many people had signed up. Nearly half of the people in the ballroom got up and went outside.
The lights in the ballroom dimmed and focused on the dancefloor between the tables. The orchestral music started playing, and all the dancers entered the ballroom. Roxas' eyes scanned the mass of dancers for a certain pair, or actually, just Naminé.
He saw them at the opposite side of the dancefloor. It was quite hard to keep track of their movements due to the mass of people that were dancing, but he managed somehow. As he watched them dance fluidly to the softly playing music, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous and left out. But hey, what could he do anyway? There's no way he was going to hold this against Pence, it was his fault in the first place for misunderstanding.
The orchestral was slowly increasing in tempo and intensity, and so were the movements of the dancers. Roxas watched Naminé as she gracefully moved along with her partner, flowing through her movements as if she were water. He continued to watch her, mesmerized, and had hardly noticed the final note of the music, the bow of all the dancers, and the applause of the audience.
Snapping into his senses, he applauded along with everyone else. The dancers dispersed and went back to their tables. Roxas lost sight of Naiminé in the crowd and for some reason, she didn't return with the others.
"Hey Pence," he said, calling the attention of the boy. "Where's Naminé?"
"She said she was going to get something she had left with a friend of hers," he replied. "Oh, there she is," nodding toward the dance floor.
Sure enough, there Naminé was, crossing the dance floor, headed toward their table. But for some reason, she had a sad look on her face.
Roxas unconsciously put a comforting arm around her. "Where did that come from??"
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Roxas," she apologized, bowing her head. "I took off the corsage you gave me before the cotillion, but now I can't find it."
Roxas smiled. Naminé was a bit too thoughtful that she worries about things she shouldn't.
"Is that it? C'mon, you don't have to apologize about that," he smiled.
"But Roxas-" He cut her off immediately, smiling comfortingly.
"Enough. It's really alright, don't even give it another thought."
She finally smiled. "Alright, because you said so," she giggled.
Roxas smiled, glad that he was able to cheer her up. The prom activities continued, dinner, a small presentation and such. Roxas and Naminé were together the whole time, having their pictures taken and engaging other people in conversations.
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A few hours had passed when he felt a nudge from Kairi. He turned to her and she pointed to her wrist, mouthing 'the time'. He gave her a confused look but nevertheless, checked his watch for the time. His eyes widened in shock. It was already midnight! He only had one hour left to tell Naminé what he had to.
But how would he even do it? He had actually been hoping that Naminé would be the one who would bring up the subject as she was so keen to know who it was that Roxas liked. Roxas glanced at her and sighed. She was to absorbed in the prom to remember that he was supposed to tell her tonight. Well, that meant it was up to him.
On cue, a slow song started to play. He turned to Naminé.
"Hey Roxas, wanna dance?" she asked. That saved him a bit of trouble.
"Sure," he smiled.
They walked hand in hand toward the dancefloor. Roxas ignored the rapidly increasing rate of his heart beat. He needed to be calm to do this. Upon reaching the dancefloor, they faced each other, Naminé placing her hands on his shoulders, Roxas placing his at her hips. They slowly started to sway to the beat of the song.
Roxas looked at the girl he was dancing with, the girl that made his heart beat so. Her blonde hair that reached just past her shoulders, her pale skin that radiated an aura of innocence, her soft skin which felt like silk to his touch and sent electricity through his nerves whenever he was in contact with it, her azure eyes, which gave a soft yet penetrating gaze..
He was about to tell her everything.
"Naminé?" She raised her head, so that they gazed softly into each other's cerulean eyes.
"Yes, Roxas?"
"You've forgotten haven't you?" he asked, smiling playfully.
"Huh? Forgotten what?" Confusion was clearly written on her face.
"That I promised I would tell you tonight," he reminded her.
"Oh!" Realization flashed across her face. "That's right! Heehee, I guess did forget, I was having too much fun tonight."
"So do you still want to know?" he said, teasing her.
"Of course I still want to know!" she smiled. "So who is it?" She looked at him, waiting for an answer.
"This is it. Just three words Roxas! 'I like you', that's it!"
Roxas opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He just couldn't say it. Even though he wanted to, his body was too stubborn to actually follow his brain. His natural instinct was fighting it, just like that time when he told Kairi. Only this time, it was worse. He sighed. Now what?
Roxas smiled as an idea came to him.
"You're going to have to guess again, just like when we tried to figure out who the other was going to ask to the prom," he smiled. "Say a name and I'll tell you if it's right."
She smiled playfully. "Alright then. Is it me?"
Roxas smiled. He wasn't surprised that Naminé had started with herself. He felt like saying 'Aren't you full of yourself' but decided not to ruin the mood.
"Yep, you got it." He pulled her into a hug, his affirmation that she was truly the one he had feelings for.
He felt Naminé hug him in return. "So does this make us a couple?" she asked.
Unfortunately, Roxas' brain had chosen an untimely moment to stop functioning, and he was unable to really analyze what Naminé had said.
"But what about the guy you like?" he asked stupidly.
"Stupid!" she laughed. "I'm saying that I like you too!" Roxas could only grin in return. He pulled her into another hug, and they continued to sway to the beat of the song.
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Roxas had never believed the stuff that happened on TV dramas and fanfics. He had thought that they were an illusion, and those that created and entertained those things were escaping reality by hiding in that illusion.
And even though the recent events were nothing close to the drama found on TV and fanfics, it had changed his view a bit. The reason he never believed in happy endings was because he hadn't even believed that they could start. But there he was, dancing with the girls of his dreams, who had accepted and returned his feelings. This was that beginning. So maybe, just maybe, he thought and hoped, as he pulled Naminé closer to him...
"I can believe that happy endings are real."
A/N: Yay! It's finished! Again, I'm really, really sorry for the late update. I had to lay off for the first few weeks because of school, but then I lost my momentum and I had trouble writing again. And there have been so many distractions... sorry again.
But it's finally finished! It took me a really long time to get back into the story. Sorry for those guys who were expecting a kiss or something, let's just say that's not how the story goes.
Thanks to the people who supported this fic! I really appreciated your reviews. Hehe, plz review, I really want to know how you guys saw this story as a whole. Suggestions are welcome, as well as criticism, as long as they're done a way I can actually use it (meaning no senseless flaming). Thanks again!