Disclaimer: This disclaimer disclaims the disclamation of its disclaimancy, and anything else you want to be disclaimed.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's the update. Wow, finally up to chapter 11! I feel accomplished! And thank you guys, so much... for those who reviewed my past chapters. I really appreciate it, you have no idea. Especially the long thoughts, I love those! It lets me know that you guys enjoy it and my story somehow reached out to you. You guys are the best.

WS: Where is my KH cast? I've missed them last chapter.

-A pointy brown spike is clearly visible, sticking up from behind a table-

WS: Sora? Is that you...

-The spike shifts as a hushed chuckle is heard-

Sora: -Changes voice- No... there's no Sora here. I'm just a table.

WS: -_-

-Hears hushing from behind the table; also hearing voices from the other KH cast quietly scolding Sora for giving away their hideout with his stupidity-

WS: Okay... is my entire KH-cast hiding behind that table? Really?

Sora: -voice is still changed- ...No, we're not, you're imagining it. I already told you, I'm a table!

-Sora grunts as someone jabbed him in the stomach-

WS: Okay...Really. I know you guys are there. C'mon, Sora already gave it away...

-Multiple jabs were sent to Sora again, and a "OW!" is heard from behind-

WS: -rolls eyes-...'Kay, this is ridiculous.

They'll come out eventually... For now, you guys can just read on with the story...

-Crosses fingers with hope that you guys will like this one...-

-» «-

First Love

-» «-

Chapter 11

Brother Dearest

x3

Sora just couldn't believe it... that this was actually happening.

"Ven…" His expression gleamed with pure shock. Pluto's barking continued, but Sora subconsciously tuned it out. He'd become too stunned. Sora looked with disbelief, "No way... this isn't real..."

A chuckle escaped from Roxas' doppelganger. He shook his head, "Well cousin, sorry to disappoint you. But this is real," and grinned widely.

He had carefully approached the fallen brunette and the redhead girl tangled up on the grass, trying to ignore and carefully avoid the dog that continued growling at his presence. Pluto had finally quit his barking and backed away, whining slightly, after Sora had finally tuned in his loud barking– he commanded Pluto to knock it off, slightly agitated by him, while Ven had untangled the leash off him and Kairi. Ven held out a hand to his cousin with a grin visible on his robust features. Sora had slapped his hand into the offer; a bright, welcoming smile appeared on his face. Ven had pulled him up.

Sora immediately threw an arm around his cousin... who he hadn't seen in years. He pulled him into a hug and patted his back. "Wow... It's... really good to see you, Ven." Sora pulled away from the hug and took a good look at his cousin, his hands remained on his shoulders that proved he wasn't just an illusion. Sora... was just really happy to see him again after too long.

"And you, Sora." Ven's pearly whites showed through his wide smile. Sora continued looking at Ven, still shocked, and unable to believe that he was actually right there in front of him now. Ven turned his attention down to the confounded girl sitting on the ground. He politely offered his hand out to her, this time, and she had accepted the kind gesture.

"Kairi... this is my cousin, and Roxas' brother." Sora introduced, as he watched his cousin help her up.

Roxas... has a twin? The surprised expression on Kairi's face was clearly visible from the news.

"Hey," Ven greeted sincerely. Kairi looked up at the handsome blonde who spoke, "I'm Ventus... But, everyone just calls me Ven. What's your name?"

"Kairi," She answered, breathless from his appeal.

"Kairi," He repeated, mostly to himself. It was his way of remembering a new face, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too..." Kairi's eyes met his. Her gaze mesmerized his features.

Kairi, who was astonished by the twins' comparison, hadn't realized that she had leaned forward to intently study his face. "Wow..." she whispered softly to herself. Kairi was astounded by the fact that he was very identical to Roxas. Ven slightly leaned back as her pretty face neared his own. She had leaned a little too close to the point where they were almost touching.

The blonde misconstrued her action, "Uh...?"

Kairi finally realized her own action and immediately pulled back... ashamed from her forwardness.

"I'm so sorry!" She quickly apologized. Ven chuckled at how odd she seemed... But he still thought she was cute.

"It's just... wow! You really look like Roxas..." She was just used to the fact that twins would have some type of physical detail... that usually separates their identity. But since their features appeared to be exactly the same... she could easily believe that he was Roxas, if they told her he was. It was slightly spooky... but at the same time, impressive.

He grinned, and bantered, "Well... you could say it comes with the package of being twins."

Kairi gave an abashed smile, a slight tint of pink spread across her cheeks, "I just... I didn't know Roxas had a sibling, or that he has a twin. He's never mentioned it before."

"Yeah," Ven anticipated, "I'm not surprised… That definitely sounds like Roxas."

"Huh?" Kairi didn't know what he meant by that. She was puzzled.

"Roxas doesn't like letting anyone know he has a brother... or to be more specific, a twin." Sora finally joined into the conversation. Kairi blinked, confused, and tilted her head to look at Sora. Sora had thought she looked adorable like that. He tried to suppress the heat within his cheeks.

"Really? How come?" She asked him.

"Beats me," Sora shrugged his shoulders, oblivious to his cousin's reason, "He never really talks about it."

Kairi had looked over to the spiky-blonde, contemplating if he knew. But Ven ruffled his own spikes and just said, "Eh, It's a long story."

"Oh," Kairi said. It was none of her business– she felt that it would be rude for her to be nosy, so she didn't coerce into their history.

A witty smile just appeared on her face. "Are you sure it's not because... you're his evil twin?" She jested.

Ven was taken aback, but caught the hint that she was only kidding. He smiled at the silly question.

"Hey, now..." He acted to be hurt by her words. He decided to play along with her, and gave a childish frown. Sora, who was beside him, had laughed at his goofy expression.

"Why does everyone say I'm the evil twin? Why don't they ever consider that maybe... my little brother is the evil one?"

Kairi laughed. She shrugged, and then shook her head, "I don't know, Ven, Maybe because the older brother usually is?"

"What... that's not true!" Ven retaliated, "I swear, he's the evil little brother who's been out to get me... from the get-go!"

All three teens had burst out into laughter. Ven's eyes looked upon Kairi, and then looked over to the spiky brunette and smirked.

"I like her. She's funny... cute and really pretty, too." While pointing at the redhead who was now blushing from his compliments, he asked Sora, "Is this my future cousin-in-law? Cause, I approve." He held his thumb up as approval. Sora choked by Ven's assumption, and his face had fumed red.

"W-What? How'd you come up with that? W-We're just friends!" He spluttered, embarrassed. The two boys were facing each other, so lucky for Kairi... they hadn't notice her blossomed face.

Ven snickered, amused that one harmless, little question somehow worked up his cousin.

"I dunno. Just asking," He shrugged blatantly.

"Um... anyway," Sora coughed, trying to quickly change conversation, "Does Roxas even know you're here yet?" Ven had noticed his immediate change of subject, and didn't endeavor it.

"Nope, since I just got here not too long ago." Ven answered with honesty. He inquired, "where is Roxas, anyway?"

Kairi interjected, "He's on a study date," She was kidding again, but they didn't seem to catch it this time.

"Really!?" Both Sora and Ven asked at the same time, surprised. They didn't know that the truth was... Roxas is just doing an assignment with Namine. But Kairi smirked mischievously to herself and advanced it.

"Yep!" She chirped.

Ven faked a surprised gasp, "What… No way... Really? Roxas is too much of a prude to go on date... How's that possible?" Both Sora and Kairi laughed, when Ven jokingly mocked his own twin. His eyes flickered with keen interest, "So, who's the lucky girl out on a date with my little bro?"

Kairi giggled, at the fact that Ven took interest in his twin's love-life. "She's my friend. Her name is Namine."

"Your friend, hmm?" A grin plastered on Ven's face. He turned and asked Sora, "Do you know her? And is she cute?"

"Who, Namine?" Sora mused with thought. He gave an honest opinion, "Yeah, actually, she's really cute." Kairi was slightly taken aback that Sora thought so... and somehow, a slight stingy feeling secretly crept up inside her. And she didn't know why or what it was.

"Nice... go, Roxas!" Ven applauded to the person who wasn't even present.

Sora was dumbfounded, when he finally recalled the conversation they were having, "Wait a minute... Namine?" he repeated, "Namine and Roxas– on a date... together?" Sora asked Kairi. She smiled, assuring, and nodded her head. Sora's expression was surprise. He didn't expect that... or even suspect anything between the two blondes.

"Wow," He breathed out, "I hadn't realized that there was something going on between them..."

Kairi laughed, "Sora, there isn't. I'm just kidding," She finally admitted the truth.

"Oh." Sora said, sheepishly.

"Okay... wait," Ven wanted clarification, because he was still confused, "So... Roxas isn't on a date?"

"Yeah... sorry," Kairi assured, "They're just working on a school project together. It's not a date, I don't think."

Ven chuckled, and then he nodded, "Oh, okay. That clears things up. Besides, Roxas on a date... with a really cute girl?" He scoffed, jokingly.

Sora laughed. "Where'd you even get that idea, Kairi?"

The redhead giggled, "Well... to be honest, I think Roxas sort of seems interested in her. I've seen the way he looks at her sometimes." She shrugged, "But I don't know... I'm probably just imagining it. I tend to do that a lot…"

Then, Kairi put a finger over her lips, gesturing to the boys to keep a secret. She laced her fingers behind her back and smiled, "I'm kind of on a secret mission to set them up anyways. Because I personally think they're cute together... but that's just me. I'm a hopeless romantic." The two boys laughed at how adorable she was.

"Hey, do you think Namine seems interested too?" Sora grew curious, pondering over the possibility of Roxas and Namine becoming a couple.

Kairi blinked. "Oh... I haven't really thought about that." She hadn't until now. She wondered if Namine would be interested. But Kairi suddenly remembered that the last time Namine had mentioned to her about having any feelings or interest toward anyone... It was toward–

She snuck a glance over to Sora, and wondered to herself if Namine still liked him, since she never mentions it anymore... maybe, she did secretly? Kairi didn't know why, but she felt a bit guilty. Maybe it was because she had been spending a lot of time with Sora lately. If Namine knew, what would she think? Kairi pondered.

Ven had looked down at his watch and read the time. "Hey guys, sorry to break up our little party... but I need to head inside," he suddenly remembered that he had to get some things done, since he'd just arrived. "I have to finish unpacking my things. You guys coming in, too?"

"Oh, right." Sora chuckled, realizing that they've been outside for a while, and remembered why they came here in the first place. It was to play a few video games with Kairi before dropping her home, "Yeah, let's head inside."

All three of them had approached the door to the house. Sora went in first, while Kairi following behind him. Ven however had stopped and looked over at the dog that started growling at him again from a short distance away. He blinked, and then shook his head.

"I don't get it..." Ven ruffled his spiky blonde hair, and then he chuckled, "I love dogs. But they always seem to hate me for some reason." After Ven said that, Sora had peek his head out and saw Pluto, who stopped growling when he'd seen his owners face. He finally backed away and went into the dog house.

"…Evil twin brother, I tell ya..." Kairi harmonized, while Sora laughed behind her. Ven turned to them, shaking his head with a defeated sigh. But he laughed too.

By the time all three teens had gone in, Ven had parted with Sora and Kairi and headed upstairs. Sora had decided to give Kairi a little tour inside. He was amused the entire time, by Kairi's stunned expression whenever he showed her a section of his house. Sora's house had three stories; upstairs was the bedroom level, the 2nd level, which was the main level; it was where the kitchen and main rooms were. For the 3rd and downstairs level, it had the workout, entertainment and game room. He'd already finished showing Kairi the main floor of his house, and since he couldn't show her the top floor, since the parents were up there, he decided to lead her elsewhere.

The entire house was endowed, and it left Kairi breathless. The interior design was built in a way she'd never seen. If Kairi didn't know any better, she felt as if she was in a rich Malibu house. By the time they reached the spiral stair case that connected all three floors, she paused. On one side, it led to the upstairs, while the other side went down. But it wasn't the beautifully designed staircase that amazed her. It was the stunning view outside the large window, which was built into one entire side on the wall of the house, and it overlapped to the ceiling where the moon's light shined through. A gasp escaped her as she gazed out the window, admiring the ocean that expanded out into the horizon. She became enthralled, mesmerized by how beautiful it was. Sora smiled to himself as Kairi continued to gawk in complete astonishment.

"The game room is downstairs," Sora's voice pulled Kairi back into reality, "C'mon, this way." He motioned for her to follow him down the stairs and she did. When they reached to the bottom, Kairi froze again, completely flabbergasted. She suddenly felt as if she was in an arcade. It had a lot of gaming systems, and even a small bar was built into one corner. There was a Foosball table, which was right next to a pool table... and in another room she caught a glimpse of an actual pool...

"Oh my God, Sora..." Kairi gasped, her jaw hung low, "You have like... everything!" She was too overwhelmed by everything she'd seen in his house. He literally had everything… Well, everything that a person their age could want.

Sora, who had went over to grab a few games off the counter, chuckled. "Nah, no way... Not everything." He obligated, humbly. Sora... he was always humble, nice, and courteous. Kairi just didn't understand how a guy like Sora almost seemed perfect. But perfect wasn't possible... she didn't believe anything could be perfect; unless, of course, someone could prove her wrong…

"Well… Almost everything, then," Kairi giggled. She playfully stuck her tongue out at him when he looked back at her. He'd only smile, and then shook his head. She was too adorable.

x3

Roxas had finally pulled up into his driveway, pressing the remote button built into his compartment to open the garage door. After he had successfully parked inside, he pulled his keys out of his ignition and gathered his stuff, before exiting his car. The first thing on his mind when he entered into the house was to head up to his room to relax. But when he approached the stairs and was about to thread up, he paused. Distant and excited screams coming from downstairs caught his attention.

He decided to go down the stairs, the cheering becoming louder as he neared. That's where he saw the back of his cousin's head, and he was occupied playing the Marvel VS Capcom game with someone. He looked to the other person, seeing the back of a girl with long red hair. That's when he realized it was Kairi. Roxas looked to the large, wide-screen TV and saw that player one had just been defeated by player two. The titled words on the bright screen flashed… Player 1, Game Over!

Sora had dropped his controller and yelled out, "WHAT!" and the girl beside him, Kairi, triumphed from victory.

"Th-that's not possible, no way!" The spiky brunette rejected, unwillingly to admit his defeat. Kairi had turned and faced the boy beside her.

"King? Pfft!" Kairi mocked Sora playfully, "What were you saying earlier, about being a pro gamer? Ha, looks to me that you're going to end up losing your bet."

An amused Roxas, who was watching on the side, had seen the gleaming grin on the auburn girls' face. She was teasing the glowering Sora. Sora had turned to face Kairi too, with a childish frown. She giggled at his expression. Sora and Kairi continued to make faces at each other to kid around, and then they would laugh. After their laughs dimmed, a good long moment of silence followed after. That's when they stopped, staring at each other with soft smiles on their faces.

As a bystander, Roxas noticed how close they were to each other. Amusement filled into him when he distinguished flirting. To him, it was like watching two love-birds sharing a moment, and he laughed in his own mind by the thought. Roxas had decided to break the moment. He grinned to himself, and let out a cough to catch their attentions. They jumped by the sudden appearance of Roxas, and quickly scooted away from each other; they hadn't realize that he's been present to the entire scene, so they both flushed, completely embarrassed. Roxas walked over to the now red-faced couple.

"Hey… Sora, Kairi," Roxas had a wide grin on his face.

"O-oh, h-hey," Sora stammered, and Kairi too, greeted him but was busy trying to hide her crimson cheeks; but Roxas could still see it. He laughed.

"There you are," The brunette was still trying to collect his composure, "Did you finish unpacking...?"

"Huh?" Roxas was dumbfounded. "Unpacking... what? Was I supposed to unpack something?"

Sora paused. He suddenly realized. Oh, fudge…

"Wait… you're Roxas?" He stupidly asked, trying to make sure which cousin he was speaking to.

Roxas was completely lost. He raised a brow, "Uh… yes? Who else would I be?"

Kairi had remained quiet. She remembered the conversation earlier before they entered the house, and how it was mentioned that Roxas didn't like bringing up his twin… so she didn't want to be the one to do that.

"Ah…" Sora just said. Dumbly mistaken, he chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry... I'm kind of brain dead right now from all the losing that I have to endure… because of Kairi over here." He used Kairi as his excuse. Kairi had scowled, and Sora winced when she playfully slapped him.

Roxas laughed. He asked Sora, "Did my dad want me to unpack something? I can do it now, before I head to bed." The spiky-blonde had asked, thinking maybe his father told Sora to tell him to unpack something, but hadn't gotten the chance to inform him about it yet.

Sora and Kairi was confounded when he mentioned heading to bed this early. But Roxas chuckled, "Yeah, I know… It's still early, but I'm already feeling a little sleepy."

"Nah… it's okay. I'll do it, Roxas, since you're tired." Sora bided. He mentally slapped himself, for the white lies and keeping a secret from Roxas. The secret that Ven was in the house, and that was the only reason he'd mistaken him as the wrong twin. But earlier, Ven had asked Sora not to say anything, and that he wanted to surprise Roxas later tonight.

"You sure?" Roxas hesitated on the offer. Sora just nodded.

"Thanks… Well, I'm going to head up now then. See ya later guys. Have fun with your games, and don't let Kairi beat you too much, Sora."

Roxas laughed when Sora gaped at his words. Sora had looked over to the smirking Kairi, before frowning back at Roxas.

The spiky-blonde was about to turn and leave, but he remembered, "Oh, I forgot," Roxas looked over at Kairi, and said, "I wanted to invite you to my birthday party this weekend, Kairi."

"Oh, this weekend?" Kairi asked, becoming excited at the thought of a party. Roxas grinned, and nodded. Sora eagerly looked at Kairi, hopeful that she'd accept the invite. But Kairi already loved going to parties, so she easily accepted, "Yeah, sure!"

"You're coming? Woo, awesome!" Sora said happily, and Kairi smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Alright, see you then." Roxas gave a charming smile, "You can bring a friend, too. I don't mind." Kairi gleefully cheered. When Roxas had offered, he was secretly hoping Kairi would bring one particular friend. And it was the certain blonde girl who had appeared in his mind, just before he had stridden up stairs.

x3

By the time he reached the top of the staircase on the top floor, his foot accidentally knocked against something. He looked down, seeing at a pair of chucks that weren't familiar to him. He'd only shrug, assuming that it was probably new sneakers that Sora had bought recently, and forgot he left it there– although, he couldn't recall Sora ever being interested in converse shoes. He pushed them to the side with his foot; in case someone else might trip over them by accident... Roxas walked around the corner and entered his room.

He dropped his things onto the bed, before pulling his shirt over his head… and then went over to his closet to retrieve new clothing to change into. After he finished, he went back over to lie onto the mattress. Roxas let out a comforting sigh. A good long moment passed while he closed his eyes and finally relaxed. Though after a while, he had grown bored and began to feel restless. His eyes opened, and he turned his head to the side, looking over to his alarm clock that sat on his dresser... 9:37 PM. It was way too early for him to go to bed... He sat up, and decided to find something to do.

Roxas had reached into his bag, pulling out the book that Namine had left with him to read... His ocean-blue eyes read upon the title, and thought about how much Namine really loved this book. He figured he would end up liking it too, from what he remembered hearing about it. Even though, he wasn't a fan of reading novels... He ought to give it try again.

Plus, he did promise Namine that he would.

Roxas stood and walked over to his drawer. He pulled it open to retrieve an item inside. After he found what he was looking for, he'd gone over to the round black sofa in his room. Before he took a seat onto it, he reached and switched on the light to the lamp. He sunk into the soft furniture and placed the frames over his eyes before opening the book to read.

As the moments passed, he'd actually been absorbed into the first few pages of the story. It was surprising to him. He was actually getting into it and kept reading. Roxas had been caught wanting to read more– indulged to even notice that someone had suddenly appeared by his door.

The back of Roxas' head was faced towards that person, who was now leaning against the door-frame They crossed their arms over their chest, patiently waiting to see if Roxas would notice them there. That person watched, surprised to see Roxas reading a book, but also amused, by the fact that the blonde hadn't noticed their presence by now.

The boy had decided to approach Roxas from behind, quietly. He'd rested his arms on the top of the Sofa beside the other blonde, leaning over slightly to get a glimpse of what he was reading. He used one hand to rest his cheek on it, and raised a brow when he finally noticed what book Roxas was reading.

"Uh, Roxas... don't you know that book is for female audiences?"

Roxas had frozen when he noticed the familiarity of the sudden voice. It wasn't just any voice, but it was a voice that sounded exactly like his. The book he held slipped from his hands, and he slowly turned to look behind him. That's when he felt as if he was now looking directly into a reflection, seeing an exact replica of himself. But his doppelganger had a big smile on their face, while he had a bewildered expression on his own. Roxas' eyes grew wide, hidden beneath his frames, from the sudden surprise. Ven blinked when he noticed the glasses on his twin's face.

"Whoa… nice glasses," He complimented his brother's commodity. "Dang, I forgot you have prescriptions..." Ven mused, "I still don't understand how I have 20/20 vision, while you need reading glasses... I mean, we're twins." He snickered at his own thought.

Roxas suddenly shot up from his seat and backed away, filled with disbelief. He quickly pulled the glasses off his face, trying to get clear view of the boy standing within a short distance. Roxas was unable to believe what he clearly seed with his own eyes. After many years since the last time they were with each other... How could he be here now? Was he dreaming?

"Why'd you take them off? They looked good on you. It made you look very intelligent." The doppelganger grinned jauntily, "Maybe I should get a pair of my own… But I'd have to use the fake ones, of course." And then, he chuckled.

Roxas was too stunned to reply– he couldn't grasp for words. Ven stopped his ranting, and greeted his baffled brother.

"Hey there... handsome guy, it's been a while, huh?" Ven said, buoyantly.

"Ve...Ven...?!" Roxas finally got words out, no longer rendered speechless. He was still trying to compose himself.

"Wh-what the f-"

"Whoa, now!" Ventus premised, stopping Roxas' just before saying a cuss word, "Don't curse, Rox! That's not like you at all." He walked around the furniture and approached his brother, reaching out to pull him in for hug. But Roxas pulled away, stepping back to keep distance between them. Roxas' brows furrowed down, a frigid look was suddenly directed toward Ven.

"What the hell you doing here...?"

Ven stopped his attempt for an embrace, when he noticed Roxas' expression.

His eyes narrowed away from his twin... he exhaled sadly, and then frowned.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're not happy to see me?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. His voice became stern, "I don't know… Ven, why don't you tell me?" It was because after all these years, he hadn't came to visit, and now here he was... acting as if nothing had happened in their past.

Ven crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head in dismay, "Roxas, that's not how you should talk to your older brother. It's disrespectful, y'know."

"We're twins." Roxas said as a matter-of-fact, "You're born earlier than me by only ten minutes."

"Nonetheless, I'm still considered the oldest, aren't I?"

"Answer my question." Roxas demanded, with a serious glare in his displeased eyes.

"Which?" Ven cocked his head, innocently. Roxas grunted, annoyed by his brothers antics.

"I said... What the hell are you doing here?!" He repeated the question, louder this time.

"Visiting... family? And C'mon, little bro–"

"Don't call me that," Roxas cut in, but Ven only ignored his command.

"–It's almost our birthday. I just wanted to spend it together for once. When was the last time we actually had a birthday together?" Ven gave Roxas an acute smile. Roxas scoffed at him.

"Really, Ven? After all these years... why now?"

Ventus hadn't replied. He'd only averted his eyes away from his twin. Roxas only grew more annoyed when Ven had avoided being direct. It was something Ven was naturally good at that... avoiding question that he didn't feel obligated to answer.

"Whatever," Roxas rolled his eyes, "Does dad even know you're here? Cause obviously, I didn't."

Ven nodded, "Yeah, of course. He's the one who bought my train ticket in the first place." Roxas suddenly grew irritated. Their father hadn't even informed him that Ventus would be coming...

"Wait..." Roxas paused– a sudden thought in his mind left him feeling distraught. If Ven was here, didn't that mean…? He suddenly felt anxious.

Roxas asked with hesitance, "Are you here with...?"

"Mom?" Ven finished his question, "No, I'm here alone, alright? Now will you stop interrogating me?" he defended; feeling victimized by all the questions.

"Oh," A smirk appeared on Roxas' face when he realized…

"I get it. Mom doesn't even know you're here..."

"What? What makes you think that?"

"Because, you said dad bought your ticket, Ven." Roxas claimed.

"So it's true... Mom doesn't know, does she?"

Ven scoffed and retorted, "Maybe? But so what if she didn't? Would it even matter? "

"Actually, yes, it would." Roxas remarked, "Look where you are, Ven. You're here, with us... with dad. You know mom won't react well to this, if she finds out."

"And... so? I mean... come on, Roxas, you know mom. She's either working all day, or she's too busy with her new boyfriend to even notice I'm gone, anyway." Ven had countered, defensively. But after, it had caused the younger twin to turn away, because he didn't want to argue over it.

Roxas had placed his hands onto the counter that was behind him. He lowered his head, as his blonde bangs hovered over his eyes as he closed them. Now, his back was facing towards the other twin, Ven.

After a short moment of silence, Roxas' voice finally broke it.

"Do you mind? I'm heading to bed now."

Ven raised an eyebrow. "What? It's still early."

"It's been a long day," Roxas said, "I'm tired."

Honestly, it was only because he wanted Ven to leave. He felt that he needed to be left alone... or he would completely lose it. Having Ven around him made him feel uneasy, even infuriated.

Ven hesitated. He let out a sigh, when he finally conceded to his brother's proposal.

He had turned to exit the room, but halted at the door. Looking behind and over his shoulder, he turned to face Roxas again.

"By the way, just so you know..." Ven tried to explain, trying to get a few things off his chest and brought up reason as to why he was partially there. He continued, even if Roxas' back was still faced towards him.

"Mom and I… we miss you, a lot. We always have. Even if you don't miss us... we still do, Roxas. If you refuse to believe it, then fine. But we're only human. We make mistakes, and have regrets. I don't know what I could do to prove that we're really sorry... but, all we ever wanted was for you to just... hear us out. At least, hear me out." Ven stopped, eagerly hoping for a reply from his brother…

Roxas hadn't said anything. Ven shook his head, and sighed dejectedly.

"I know we haven't always been there, especially when you needed us most. Even after what we've done? We don't deserve your forgiveness... but we're hoping one day, you can reconsider..."

Finally, he had given up for the night; trying to reach out to Roxas felt nearly impossible to him.

"Good night, brother." was the last thing Ven had spoke, just before he left the room. Roxas' eyes opened, and his fist closed tightly on the counter. He finally exhaled the breath that he had held in.

x3

Ven had walked down the stairs, approaching the bottom level of the house to check up on what his cousin and the girl, Kairi had been doing. Although, when he walked into the room they were in, his eyes grew wide when he saw a very awkward situation– Kairi on top of a struggling Sora; who was being pinned down by her, against the carpet and tied up with the game remotes wires. Sora wailed to be freed from the headlock Kairi had him in.

Are they wrestling? Ven approached them, his eyebrows raised, "Um... what the heck?"

Kairi's attention looked up from Sora and over to the blonde now standing a few feet away.

"Roxas?" Kairi meekly asked, as she calmly sat on a struggling Sora.

"Nope," Ven shook his head and smiled, "Sorry, you've got the wrong twin."

Sora pleaded for Ven's assistance, "Cousin! HELP ME... Please!–"

"Nah ah!" Kairi stopped him.

"Don't help him, Ven... He doesn't deserve it," The redheaded girl grinned mischievously, as Sora flails to break free, "Sora's a big, fat cheater! He cheated in our game just because I was beating him by a mile! He's such a SORE LOSER!"

Ven couldn't contain his laugh that he tried to suppress. He thought this was hilarious. Seeing his cousin being handled by a pretty girl... It was comical.

"Sorry Sora," Ven shrugged, with sympathy visible on his expression,

"But Kairi's right... As horrible as it sounds, sore losers do deserve to be punished."

"WHAT! You're taking sides with a girl, over your own flesh and blood?! What kind of a cousin are y–...AGH! –" Sora was cut off when Kairi restrained and tightened the headlock she had on him. Ven had burst out into laughter.

x3

It was getting really late now. Namine had already gotten ready for bed and changed into her night gown. Namine sunk into her soft bed, and hugged one of her plush dolls against her chest while she stared up into the ceiling of her darkened room. She had an interesting day, she thought. She doesn't remember the last time she got to spend time and hang out with anyone who wasn't Kairi. And she enjoyed having someone else's company, honestly. Roxas... he was really fun to be around... The thought of him made her cheeks tingle... so she tried to think of something else.

Namine's thought drifted onto the incident from earlier that night, when she had gotten home after being dropped off. She had walked into her house, a strong burning stench reached her senses when she walked in and realized that there was smoke escaping from the kitchen. She had ran over and found that something cooking on the stove was overcooked and burning. It happened because Cloud had fallen asleep on the couch and forgot that he was attempting to cook dinner for the night... since Namine wasn't home to do it. She was the one who usually cooked dinner for her and Cloud.

Cloud had told her that he just wanted to try it out for once, since he couldn't always depend on her for a home cooked meal and eventually had to learn how to do it himself. But he was solemnly bad at cooking... and things like what happened tonight... occasionally happens when he tries and attempts it. She laughed at the recalling memory. Oh, Cloud... Namine sighed, lovingly, at the thought of him. She loved her brother, dearly. She wondered– what would her life be like... if she didn't have Cloud there with her? She believed that sibling relationships were gifts, and something to appreciate and cherish.

As moments passed, her eyes finally began to feel heavy, and she was almost drifting off into sleep... That is until her phones ringtone loudly went off. Her eyes opened, and she looked over to the only bright light emitting in her room. She rolled over and reached for her cell-phone. When she retrieved it, she looked over the caller ID and saw her best friend's name.

Namine answered. Her delicate, yet tired voice spoke, "Kai?"

"Nami! I miss you!"

One hand hovered over her mouth when a yawn escaped her, "Kairi... It's a little pass midnight, you're not sleeping yet?"

"Nope! But neither are you, I see!"

Namine rolled her eyes and laughed, "That's because you called me when I was trying to go to sleep..."

"Opps," Kairi's chuckle was heard through the phone.

"Why are you calling this late, anyways, Kai?"

"Sorry, I would have called earlier, but I just got home a little while ago."

"Really?" Namine leaned back down on her bed, "Where from?"

There was a slight pause on the other line, before Kairi answered, "Just from a friend's house. And hello, silly! the reason I called was because I have to know what you're going to wear tomorrow for school."

"...Wear tomorrow? The school uniform... I mean, we don't have any other choice..."

Kairi laughed, "No! Don't you remember what tomorrow is? It's... Formal Friday!"

Formal Friday... Namine tried to recall. She suddenly remembered that once a day during the school year, they're required to wear any formal clothing that the students choose. It was a day where many students would dress up formally for fun, instead of the everyday school uniform. She completely forgot about it. Boys would usually dress up in suits... and well, girls would wear... dresses. Namine became distraught when she remembered that little detail. Namine disliked dressing up in formal dresses... she liked simple outfits that made her feel comfortable. Now she felt thankful that Kairi had called her, despite how late it was. She would gone to school in her regular uniform, and would probably look like an idiot being the only one not dressed up.

"Oh... I... I forgot. I don't know what I should wear... actually."

"…Nam! Why don't you wear the dress that I've bought for you, you know... the baby blue dress that I got for you a long, long, looong time ago!"

"You mean the one you bought for me a couple of weeks ago?" Namine corrected, laughing to herself. Kairi always exaggerated everything. She was too cute.

"Oh... was that really only two weeks ago? Wow. It felt like forever... My bad... maybe it's because you haven't even worn it yet, silly! Yeah, that's why! So will you wear it?"

Namine thought about it for a second. She loved that dress; it was a stunning choice from Kairi. But honestly, she hadn't worn it yet, because she didn't think a dress that beautiful would look good on her. But she had no other choice, because she didn't really own any other dresses for Formal Friday... She sighed dejectedly.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to wear that."

An excited squeal was heard from Kairi's end of the line. Namine giggled at her friend. How Kairi could be so energetic all the time, especially at this hour, was beyond her.

"Alright Nami, can't wait to see you in it! I'm sure you'll look so lovely!" Kairi pepped, "Don't forget to wear the matching sandals and cute purse with it too, okay?! Anyways, I'll let you go to bed now. Good night, Nam, love you!"

Namine's lips formed a smile, "Good night, Kai. Love you too." She returned, just before their conversation ended.

Chapter Hint: "Even after what we've done? We don't deserve your forgiveness..." [– Ven]

*Author's Note: I really had a lot of fun writing this. I'm such a dork, I was actually smiling while writing it. but I'm not too sure if you guys liked it… especially since it was only about Roxas. (Ha-ha... Roxas had reading glasses. That nerd)

Roxas: T_T

(...A CUTE nerd, I mean T_T)

It was about Ven mostly too, rarely any Namine :( Sadly, not much of the other characters in the story present here either. Plus, there was like... no interaction between Roxi and Namie... -runs and hides as objects are flown at her-…

Ahem… -holds shield in front of her so she could continue talking- You know what really disappoints me? I had about 3 more scenes that I wanted to write in this chapter... but I couldn't fit it all in. The chapter was getting way too long. One was specifically a Namine/Roxas scene, but now it'll have to be in the next chapter. And the other scenes, I looked forward to those too because I wanted to express it before it goes bye-bye. I had like every little detail in mind. Nevertheless, I'll get the next one with those scenes out, as soon as I can.

I really like Ven's character, he's fun to write– just like Xion from the previous chapters. And I have to ask, what do you guys think of Ven so far? Good or bad guy? (; Either way... Good job Venni-boy! You're new to the story and you're playing your part well, so far!

Ventus: -poses-

Roxas: -shoves Ven over- ):

WS: What the...?

Sora: Ha-ha! He's jealous of Ven, so I told him to do that!

WS: What? Bad, Sora!

...and is that true, Roxas, you're jealous? D:

Roxas: -sniffles and nods-

WS: D'aw... -huggles Roxas-

–A fruit splats right into WS' face–

Sora: -Burst out laughing while clutching his stomach-

WS: -slowly wipes the fruit juice from face…and becomes enraged- Sora . . .

Sora: Yes…?

-Sora becomes horrified when he sees the scary glare WS' is giving him-

Sora: I-It... wasn't me!

WS: Uh… yes, it was! You were laughing!

Sora: I was only laughing! I swear–… -run away screaming as WS chases after him-

-On the side, Ven snickers while casually bobbing a fruit-

Ven: Revenge is sweet (;

P.S. Gah! I'm so excited to write the upcoming chapters when all the characters have interactions with one another! I have so much planned… so stay tuned for it, guys! I would appreciate your opinions on this chapter: Was it disappointing, did you enjoy it? I hope some of you out there liked it or if not, then I'm such a disappointment -shoots self-