Naminé pulled Zexion gently across the playground to the swings. The sky was overcast and boring, but small streaks of sun still shone through. It had rained in the morning, but now around twilight it seemed things were drying up. She kicked off her sandals and squished her toes into the sand. Zexion just sat down slowly onto one of the swings, staring somewhere farther away then the ground. Naminé walked over and sat down on the swing next to him.

"The sand feels nice," She said, smiling softly. Zexion didn't comment or reply. He had this blank look on his face, like he wasn't in the world; wasn't part of it.

Naminé stood up and walked the few steps over to Zexion. She sat down on his knees and lifted his chin so he would meet her eyes.

"Hey, look at me. What's wrong?" She asked. He hadn't been like this earlier…

Zexion stared back at Naminé, recognizing the sympathy and care in her eyes. Naminé looked back into his blue eyes, the color of a dark night, warily.

"Zex?" She asked quietly, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

Zexion closed his eyes and let out the smallest sigh, then rested his forehead on Naminé's shoulder. She dropped her hand to her lap.

"There's just…a lot…going on…lately." He said quietly, "It's not…there's not any problems between us, this…" Zexion picked up her hand and brought it to his chest. She could feel his heartbeat softly beneath the probable cotton-polyester blend of his sweatshirt. "This…is more than you know…to me…

"But too many things just seem to be…thrown off a cliff lately. So much of my life just…seems to be collapsing. Like these walls around me are just closing in, and I can't stop it no matter how hard I try, they just keep suffocating me. It's just…stressful."

Naminé sat quietly, listening to Zexion's thoughts. He removed his head from her shoulder and looked at her cautiously, almost like he didn't think she'd understand.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," He said, "I'm just…really pressured lately and I feel so…exhausted. But I can't rest, because I'd have even more work to do." Zexion closed his eyes, resting them tiredly. He lowered Naminé's hand back to her lap and made another soft, almost inaudible, sigh.

"What exactly…is it stressing you?" Naminé asked, "If it's work or researching of some kind, I'll help you if you want."

Zexion opened his eyes, "It's not exactly work…though maybe just one part of it…I don't know…"

"We could go to the library…"

I don't know. It's not just work, Zexion thought; it's more than just that…But letting her help might ease at least some of my troubles…

"Maybe. If you want to." He replied. He looked at his watch.

"I should get you home," He said, smirking, "Before your dad gets back and gives me the evil eye."

Naminé giggled and got off Zexion's knees. She felt water drop on her head and reached up a hand to touch her hair.

"Oh," She said, looking up into the gray sky, "It's raining again."

Zexion stood up off the swing and walked over to her as Naminé removed her sandals from the sand and slipped them on, brushing the sand off her feet. The drops of rain began to fall harder and faster. He took her hand and they began to walk the few blocks towards her house, getting soaked by the almost random downpour.

"Zex? Will you just promise me something?" Naminé asked as they neared her home.

Of course, anything, he wanted to say. Instead he gave her his full attention, looking up from the sidewalk, and nodded.

"When…you get stressed or depressed like this…promise me you'll tell me, because you know I hate to see you so withdrawn into yourself, and…because you can't be constantly stressed like that…without everything falling apart. So tell me next time; talk to me; don't just swallow it down and not say anything. Okay?"

They reached Naminé's house, and she climbed the few steps to stand under the porch, unlocking her door with a key under the mat. Zexion stood at the bottom of the steps, watching Naminé as she turned back around to face him. He gave her a small smile and nodded back to her. "I promise."

She smiled back, paused, and then hopped back down the steps to stand in front of him. Naminé pecked him on the cheek thoughtfully, and then dashed back up the steps, slipping into her house with a smile.

As she closed the door, Zexion turned away, a small smile on his lips. He pulled up his hood and began the long walk home in the wet rain. Naminé wouldn't keep him from getting stressed like this, but she helped in ways.

Zexion gave a shiver as the rain made his bones grow cold. His body might be cold, but his heart wasn't, and just letting her share some of his burden was certainly a simple promise he could keep.