Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (II), Roxas, Kairi, Naminé, etc.

Author's Note: This epilogue…is kind of, like, my baby. Even though it has very little relevance to the main characters, I had fun writing it. I love antagonists. Love them. I mean, people aren't supposed to, but I do. I love Xemnas and Xehanort and Voldemort and Captain Barbossa and Mojo Jojo. The only villain I can ever remember that actually scared me was Sephiroth. (God, that guy is creepy!)

Warning: This is, like, the last addition to this story! And that is well-worth a warning, I think!

Quick Author Babble: It's NAMINÉ-VISION! (Not as fabulous as Riku-vision, but, I mean, whatever.)

Epilogue: A Slight Obsession

Naminé Clark walked along the sidewalk at a slow pace, feeling the early summer heat beat down on her tank top donned back. Summer vacation would be starting soon, and she'd be going to university. The thought made her slightly nervous. She knew it was no big deal to be going to a local college, considering she'd still be living at home, but the thought of leaving Destiny High hadn't really occurred to her as something major until recently.

She had, in all truth, reigned in that school, and she didn't want to uproot herself from it. Everybody adored her in their own way—the boys, for their own perverse reasons, and the girls, for her keen eye for fashion.

Well, not everybody, Naminé thought. She stopped and shook her shiny blonde head. No! I absolutely cannot think about him! I promised myself I wouldn't!

She released a heavy sigh, trying to erase the imprint of that very same boy that seemed to be forever on her mind. It was no use. Somehow, her thoughts always drifted back to—

"ROXAS!" A screech echoed down the narrow street. Naminé was nearly run over by a blond blur, and then, a few seconds later, a red one. The red blur stopped temporarily, and Naminé could see that it was actually a girl. Her hair was dripping wet, making dark splotches on her orange T-shirt. "DON'T RUN!" she yelled. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU THREW A WATER BALLOON AT ME! YOU JERK!"

She launched a blue balloon across the road, hitting the blond blur directly in what Naminé imagined to be its neck. A dazed, good-looking boy fell over on the sidewalk as it exploded, covering him in some sickly, brown goo.

"Ugh!" He stood up, leaving a brown stain on the sidewalk. Naminé's eyes widened as he turned to look at the redhead. It was, no question, Roxas. He was even handsome covered in mystery garbage. "What the hell is this?"

"Maple syrup," said the girl, coming up to him with a satisfied smirk on her face. She dipped her finger into some on his face and ate it. "Ah, the sweet taste of revenge."

"That's really devious, Kairi," he remarked with an impressed nod. "It's no wonder you're my girlfriend."

Naminé stared. That thing was his girlfriend? She was shocked. Horrified, even. She hadn't heard anything about Roxas dating! Why did nobody know about this?

The redhead—Kairi—shrugged. "You've taught me everything you know, I suppose." She laughed maliciously. It was clear that she believed that she was actually the teacher of the two.

Roxas's eyes gleamed with that mischief that made girls, and even Naminé right at that moment, swoon. "Not everything," he said. He swung his sticky arms out wide. "Why don't you give me a hug, Kai-Kai?"

Kairi let out a terrified scream and turned to run backwards, running right into an unprepared Naminé. They both fell painfully on the cement.

"Ah!" Roxas's so-called girlfriend gasped. "I'm so sorry! Are you…"

Roxas came up behind her. "Just because you hide behind an innocent civilian doesn't mean I'm not going to get you." Then he stopped. They both stared at the blonde girl, who steadily started to make her way to her feet.

"Naminé?" Roxas breathed, and as soon as her said her name, she felt her shoulders automatically go up to her ears, as if ice cubes had been dumped down her shirt.

"Ah…I…" she scrambled up quickly, her heart pounding a mile a minute. She felt blood rush to her face. This, of course, didn't help her embarrassment. "Hi. Sorry, I should go…"

She turned to leave. She felt like a complete and utter idiot. She had to get out of there, and fast. So, to her not-so-pleasant surprise, when a sticky hand took hold of her wrist, she was forced to stop. Naminé forced her head back reluctantly to look into the bright blue eyes of the ex-love of her life.

"Wow, Naminé!" he exclaimed as if he was having really good luck that day, despite that he was covered in syrup and talking to the girl he had deemed hopeless many months ago. "I haven't seen you around lately!"

That's because I've been avoiding you, moron.

"Ah…well. I've been really busy," she said instead. She wondered why she was being so shy. This should've been no big deal for her. He was just another boy, after all…

"Oh, that's right! You're graduating this year, aren't you?" Roxas beamed. Was he happy to get rid of her, or was he just being nice? How was it that she could never tell? "Congratulations!" He patted her on the back with gummy arm. Naminé cringed as the cold, glue-like substance met with her skin and part of her tank top.

"Don't touch people when you're all disgusting!" Kairi shouted at him. She moved to slap him off of the blonde girl, but stopped when she realized she would become syrup coated as well if she did anything. He winced in embarrassment as he realized what he'd done. He quickly moved away from her, his face tinted red.

"Ah, sorry," he apologized. His reddened face made Naminé, in turn, blush as well. He was still so cute!

But I feel way too frozen to flirt with him now, she thought sensibly. Besides, he has a girlfriend.

She paused and felt her head snap up in shock. The question escaped her lips before she could even think.

"Are you two dating?" she asked, and was met with two opposed answers.

"No, no," said Kairi, waving her hands in the air and shaking her head quickly back and forth.

"Yup!" Roxas answered at the exact same time with a confident nod. They looked at each other, startled. Naminé stood there in a cloud of confusion.

"D-Don't listen to this idiot." Kairi quickly intervened, her face bright red. "Half the time he has no idea what he's saying. We aren't dating. We're, uh…we're just fr—"

"In love," Roxas finished with another triumphant nod, and Kairi stared at him in obvious horror.

"WHAT ARE YOU—?"

"She's told me she loved me," he told Naminé a little too proudly, holding up three fingers, "three times."

"I…that was…it…!" Kairi whisper-yelled. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she sat down on the bench and covered her face with her hands. "I'm so embarrassed."

Roxas glanced over at the still-bewildered Naminé and shrugged. "She denies these kinds of things," he explained patiently. "Anyway, how are you doing?"

Oh, well, if you must know, I just found out that the person that I'm inexplicably obsessed with is in love with another girl.

She wasn't going to tell him that. "Oh, college applications and planning for the graduation ceremony have been stressful, but they're all over now."

He nodded. "I see. That's good. Oh, we were just heading to the canoe dock. Want to join us?"

Naminé stared at him. "The canoe dock?" Her parents always told her to stay away from there because it was really dangerous at high tide. She considered this. Although Roxas was known for being a daredevil, his half-girlfriend-half-not seemed like a perfectly stable person. It couldn't have been that bad. "Umm…sure."

Roxas threatened Kairi that he was going to hug her if she didn't get moving. The redhead shrieked and cleared the way to the beach for the two blondes behind her.

xXx

Roxas was looking into the water beneath his feet curiously as small waves lapped at his sneakers. He looked back at the two girls sitting on the edge of the dock and grinned.

"I think I should go for a swim and clean myself off," he said. "Mind if I take off my shirt?"

Naminé felt like she had been hit with a wave of heat. She quickly looked down, blushing like she had never blushed before. She glanced at Kairi. Her face was red as well, but her tone was serious as she said, "Yes."

He pouted at her. "What? Boys take off their shirts all the time when they swim."

Kairi flapped her hand at him. "That doesn't matter. Nobody wants to see that. Besides, your shirt is disgusting too. Take it in with you."

Roxas opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead just smirked at Kairi and jumped into the water. There was something about that look that said, "You've already seen that and more." And indeed, when Naminé looked back at the girl, her face was still quite coloured.

I am not disappointed that I didn't get to see Roxas shirtless, Naminé told herself. That's right. I am totally not.

She sighed and watched as his blond head bobbed up occasionally from the water. She could see a trail of brown gook follow him, floating on top of the water for a few moments before disappearing.

"I'm pretty sure that's water pollution," she said. Kairi laughed. It seemed to be very peaceful where they were. Separated from civilization almost. It was very quiet besides the occasional squawk of a seagull and the lapping of the water against the coast. That is, it was until…

"Kairi!" A raven-haired girl literally attacked the teenager sitting beside Naminé. "I hoped you would be here! Have you been ignoring me for Roxas?"

"N-No, I haven't."

"Just because you guys are a 'thing' now doesn't give you the right to avoid me. That's just mean."

"I-I know it is, Yuffie."

"And are you trying to replace me, huh? Who's this girl sitting beside you? Why haven't you introduced us—" She paused and shifted her gaze to a startled Naminé. The reaction was immediate. The calm atmosphere immediately turned venomous. The blonde girl found that she was instinctively glaring.

This girl!

She was the one who had always been around Roxas, willing to pick a fight with her at any moment. She made fun of her every move and was always willing to say that she hated her guts. Needless to say, Naminé wasn't too fond of this girl.

"Blond wad?!" Naminé's archenemy—Yuffie—cried. "Kairi, what's she doing here?! She's not trying to steal Roxas away from you again, is she?!"

"What do you mean, again?" Kairi sighed. "Roxas and I didn't…you know…start…" She blushed heavily. "Dating since three months ago."

Naminé looked at her. Three months ago. She had been ignoring Roxas for five. This tidbit of information, for whatever reason, made her feel relieved.

So I didn't kiss an already taken guy, she thought. Then she froze. The kiss! That's right! She and Roxas had kissed what felt like a long time ago. It wasn't the most magical moment of Naminé's life. She had felt like she had deserved it. But, now that she thought about it, that day was one of the few times she'd had good, genuine fun. The thought made her heart ache, but only a little.

"That doesn't matter! What's your evil scheme, devil woman?" Yuffie asked her pointedly. Naminé glared at her. "Evil scheme"! The only thing she wanted to do now was leave.

A hand firmly grabbed Yuffie's shoulder, and a boy only slightly taller than her seemed to appear out of thin air. He had pretty blue eyes, but what seemed like the most uncontrollable hair Naminé had ever seen in her life. She jumped. This boy! She recognized him too! He always sat with Roxas for lunch!

"Sorry," he apologized, not noticing her wide eyes. "Yuffie's a little insane."

"Insane?! Don't be a jerk!" Yuffie kicked him, hard, in the shin. As the spiky-haired boy hopped on one foot, rubbing at his leg and swearing, Naminé looked over Kairi suspiciously. Now that she thought about it, she looked familiar. But she couldn't place her as easily as she had with the others.

Then she suddenly saw it—a turquoise dress, a black, gold-tinted mask, and of course, those tell-tale locks of crimson hair. Roxas's "date." The one, she was sure, he had abandoned her for on one of rockiest nights of her life.

"You…you're that girl from the winter masquerade!" she exclaimed, pointing an index finger at the redhead. Kairi looked back at her, surprised.

"Huh?" Her violet eyes were wide, as if she had just been accused of killing someone.

That's right. She was that mystery girl that Naminé had spent so many nights envying with all her heart. The one that, she was sure, Roxas had beat up Riku for, the one he had chased after as he fled from the scene, the one that had caused him to tell her,

"You and Riku deserve each other!"

She had spent that night totally out of it. When she'd gotten back home, she'd laid in her bed for hours, just crying and thinking about what a horrible person she was. She threw herself at people. She had no self-respect. The only person that suited her was the school playboy. That was what she had been told that night. Not to mention that it had been said by the person she liked. So, rightfully, she ignored Roxas for the rest of her days at Destiny High, but it still stung—just a little bit—whenever she thought about him, the only boy that had ever refused her in such a harsh manner.

Naminé continued gaping at Kairi, and the other girl looked at her in confusion. Somehow, knowing that she was the masquerade girl hurt her a lot more than her being Roxas's girlfriend. She couldn't quite explain it, but every time she breathed in, she shook a little.

"N-Never mind," she said finally. The innocent deer-in-the-headlights look Kairi was giving her was too much. At that moment, Roxas came up to the shore. He was soaking wet from head to toe, his blond hair falling over his face. His clothes stuck to him and made suction-y sounds when he tried pulling them looser. When he walked over to the group of friends, he made little squelches with each step he took.

"Oh, hey, guys," he greeted with a wave.

"Roxas? Did you just go swimming full-clothed?" The brunet boy looked surprised and a little amused.

"Only because Kairi didn't let me take my shirt off," he replied, pointedly glaring at the redhead.

"Well, she was right. No one wants to see that," Yuffie piped up.

"What?! Do you guys think I'm obese or something?" Roxas asked, obviously insulted. "That's it. I'm taking it off." He reached for the bottom of it.

"Oh my God."

"Roxas, do us all a favour and keep your clothes on."

"Don't you dare! It's embarrassing!"

This mindless banter was really upsetting Naminé for whatever reason. It was just a group of kids having fun. What was wrong with that? But looking at who was here—the boy she wanted, the girl who already had him, her archenemy, and the guy who seemed to keep them all together—was just too much for her. She stood abruptly and turned to look at the scene. Kairi was forcing down Roxas's shirt as he tried to pull it up, Yuffie was cheering for what seemed like both sides, and Sora was lying on the ground with hand over his forehead, giving the occasional sarcastic comment. Maybe they wouldn't notice if she left.

She turned around and started walking in the direction of, well, anywhere that wasn't there. But she'd only taken three steps when she heard Roxas's voice call out to her,

"Naminé! Where are you going?"

She took a deep breath and turned to face them with a small smile on her face. "Home. I'm tired. You all have fun."

"We can go with you if you want," Kairi said. Naminé shook her head quickly. That was the last thing she wanted.

"No, it's okay. I'm just…I'm just going to go." They were looking at her with what seemed like worry. But that would be ridiculous. She'd only been friends with them for what? An hour? Maybe less? "See you."

She turned, keeping her strides calm and steady for a moment, but before she could think about it thoroughly, she was picking up pace. Soon she was running full speed down the street. She felt the heat get to her and her lungs burn, but there was something so depressing inside her that she welcomed the pain. When she reached the park, luckily shaded by trees, she finally stopped. There were few children; only a few older-looking ones. She sat down on the abandoned swing set and sighed. She was so unlucky. What a way to end her high school career.

Naminé thought about Roxas miserably. It was unlike her to be so emotionally moved by a guy like that. It was embarrassing and horrible. Had she really liked him that much? She moved uncomfortably in her seat at the thought. If that was the case, maybe she should be glad to get the heck out of that school.

She wiped at her wet eyes and sighed. It was deep, throaty, and quite obviously a sad sigh coming straight from the heart. It made her feel slightly better.

"Naminé?" A voice broke through the silence that was nursing her depression. She looked up, startled, to look at the soaked form of Roxas Hernandez, staring at her from a short ways away. She nearly choked on air at the sight of him.

"Roxas?" She pulled herself up, allowing the shock inside of her spread to her face.

At the sight of her rare expression, he burst out laughing. "Jeez," he chuckled. She noticed the slight shortage of breath when he talked. Had he chased after her? He sat down on the swing beside her, taking in a deep breath. "Why'd you run?" he asked, the question so direct that it made her uncomfortable.

"Why'd you follow?" she snapped before she could control herself. Truth be told, she was grossly happy with the fact that he did.

He shrugged. "Reflex."

"Won't your girlfriend get mad?" There was slight irritation in her voice, but, at the same time, deep regret.

Roxas laughed. "Are you kidding? She was yelling at me to run faster."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yup. Kairi's that type of person." He smiled proudly as he said it, like a father would. After a few seconds, he shook himself awake. "Anyway, what's up with you? I doubt that this is your house."

She blushed as she thought about her lame excuse. "It's nothing. I just want to swing. Is there anything wrong with that?" Roxas raised an eyebrow at her. She stomped her foot on the ground. "Anyway, why are you being so nice to me? It's not like we're on good terms with each other. The last time we spoke was, like, a million years ago. And the last thing you told me was…" She stopped. Why was she saying so much? It was best to just shut up.

"That you and Riku deserved each other, I know," Roxas grumbled almost immediately after she had stopped talking. This act completely threw her off. It was almost like he had memorized it. "That was really horrible. Actually, all that crap I said to you was really unfair. I feel really guilty about it." He met her wide-eyed gaze with an apologetic one. "Sorry, Naminé."

She stared at him. She had been expecting to feel relieved at these words, but it just made her feel worse. She looked down at her shoes. "No, it wasn't unfair," she sighed. "All that was true. I just didn't like hearing it."

The silence that filled the space between them afterward made her feel nervous. She had said a really lame thing just then. She turned to him, a cringe apparent on her face, only to see that he was giving her a really hard glare.

"If you think things like that," he said, "it's not going to help you. It's just going to discourage you." He got up from the swing. She watched as his anger, like magic, completely disappear to be replaced by a grin. "Don't let jerks like me say things like that." He held out his hand to help her up. "Okay?"

Naminé accepted the hand and stood up, and found her sight getting all blurry.

I really missed out on something fantastic, she couldn't help thinking as she looked at his comforting demeanour.

"Damn, I'm getting all emotional," she muttered.

He laughed. "That's all right." He put a hand on her shoulder. "We should head back. Everybody's worried." As if on cue, his cell phone began to ring. The ring tone was something hardcore. Naminé was pretty sure she recognized Steppenwolf. "Hello? Oh, yeah, Kairi. She's right here. Yup, she's okay. We're heading back now." He paused and his eyes widened. "Dammit, you're right! My mom said to be back before five! Ugh, that witch." Naminé glanced at him. He didn't seem the type to say that about family members. "Yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't call her that. Sorry. Okay. I'll just tell her I wanted to walk you home, no big deal. Alright. Hey, Kairi." A crafty smile came upon his face. "I love you." He sounded incredibly seductive. He winced and pressed the END button on his phone. Naminé looked at him quizzically. He sighed, sounding quite hopeless. "She hung up on me."

Naminé stood there for a second, not quite sure what to do, and then burst out laughing. "You two sure have a complicated relationship."

He nodded. "Nice smile you have there. You should use it more often."

Naminé turned bright red and looked back down at her shoes.

This guy…she couldn't help thinking in slight irritation. I can never tell if he's flirting or being just plain nice.

"Well, anyway, we'd better hurry. Godzilla is waiting at home for me." He scratched the back of his head and rolled his eyes. Then, picking up the pace, he started walking back in the direction of the dock. Naminé lulled behind him, looking at the still damp creases in his shirt, hearing him softly muttering to himself on how his next dare should be to kill his mother, and smiled.

I hope I'll make some new friends this summer.

Well, that was a good way to wrap things up for our blonde friend. I always thought that Naminé was in quite a miserable position. And not just in my story, I mean, in the games too. I mean, having the hero fall in love with you only because he thinks you're someone else! That sucks!

Um, well. Anyway.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT! I love you a lot. I love Roxiri a lot too, so I'll write one again someday, for those of you who've been asking. But, please be patient for that development. I have other stories coming up too, so it's going to take awhile. I'm starting a SoKai next and I'm quite pumped.

Thanks sooo much! I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

Read and review!

Ciao!

- perfect sorceress -