Forever Love

"Yup," Roxas answered with a faint smile and nod. He showed Namine to the free weight section of the gym and demonstrated a basic exercise for her arms. "Just do a few curl-ups, but keep your back straight and feet shoulder-width apart," he instructed patiently. "Bad form is pain later." He grimaced a little. He learned the hard way.

Roxas got a drink from the fountain, wiping his mouth when he finished. He turned and caught a girl's gaze as she passed him to get to the fountain too. He mumbled an apology as he stepped out of her way, starting back toward Namine. Did she just give him "the look"? Did girls even do that? Regardless, Roxas raked a hand through his spikes, starting back toward Namine. Time to get to work.

"Sadly winded," Roxas chuckled breathily, tearing his eyes from Namine to focus forward again. He slowed the treadmill down more. "I'm gonna hit the fountain. Go ahead and cool down and I'll be back in a sec." He offered her a small smile and hopped off the machine, starting toward one side of the gym to the water fountain. He needed a breather; Namine was so...mesmerizing. Did she realize that? Sometimes she took his breath away, which was half the reason he was winded in the first place.

Roxas slowed his pace to a walk on the treadmill, tilting his head back slightly to catch his breath. He looked to his side at his companion and his eyes roamed her figure. He couldn't help it. He was a guy, after all, but...at least he wasn't as bad as the jocks around here. He caught a few in the mirror checking Namine out again. It didn't sit well, but he couldn't exactly control where they looked all the time. "How you doing?" he asked. She looked pretty warmed up, and great, as expected.

"No rush. Go at your pace," Roxas encouraged with a wink. He then started his treadmill and got to his warm up. He kept an eye on Namine throughout, making sure she didn't overdo it, but she knew her limits. He had to admit--she was still beautiful even with sweat forming on her pretty face. Sexy even. The realization had Roxas fighting a blush. Don't go there.

Roxas nodded again. "You're welcome." He took in the warmth of her small hand, her touch delicate and light compared to his more calloused fingers. Regardless, he rose to his feet and offered his hands to her. "So, let's get started. Cardio first." They had to get their newly-acquired hearts pumping. Then again, Namine always had Roxas's skipping beats.

Roxas nodded and sat upright. He placed a hand on Namine's shoulder. "Right, well, the offer still stands if you need it," he told her gently. He would stick up for her in a heartbeat. The thought of other guys checking Namine out was unsettling. Roxas caught himself doing it a lot lately but...she'd never said anything if she caught him. She didn't act like he bothered her, like the jocks. Did Namine ever notice him?

Roxas looked over his shoulder to glare pointedly at the jocks. Idiots, he thought with disgust. So he wasn't the only one who found Namine attractive. At least he didn't come off douchey about it. He touched his toes from this position, leaning forward a little. "If you feel uncomfortable, let me know," he said to her, glancing in her direction. "I'll tell those tools to buzz off."

"She probably learned that from training with Axel--er, Lea," Roxas said, remembering that the guy he'd known in the Organization wasn't Axel but Lea, a whole person instead of a Nobody. Like Roxas now. The blond continued his stretches, holding his leg behind him one more time before he sat down to stretch too. Still, he had to avoid looking over at Namine. What would she think if she caught him staring?

Roxas stood next to Namine and smiled weakly in encouragement. "Just basics. Leg stretches. Arms too," he said, then demonstrating. He stretched one arm behind his head, holding it and pressing on his elbow. "Stretching's important. Keeps your muscles from getting too sore when we're done." Of course, he wouldn't push it too much this time, since both he and Namine were starting out again.

Roxas smiled faintly and touched her back, motioning with his head toward the more spacious side of the room. "This way," he told her, starting in that direction. He glanced to the wall of mirrors that were often present in gyms, catching Namine's figure again. Focus, Roxas, he told himself. She looked great, but...he took his own appearance into account too; he wore a grey shirt with cut-off sleeves and basketball shorts. Since wielding the keyblade, he'd been in good shape. He hadn't been to the gym in a while, but he was pretty confident in his ability to lift the same amount of weight.

Don't stare, don't stare, don't stare, Roxas repeated in his head, focusing forward. The second Namine took off her light jacket to reveal her outfit, his stomach flipped. He would have to concentrate really hard on exercising and not her figure--which was great. Why did she want to go to the gym again? "Stretching," he stated with a small smile. "Then we'll warm up with some cardio." They would focus on arms later, though.

Kairi took in that sigh and smiled weakly. Was that disappointment she sensed? She grabbed the paper and the poster before nudging Sora gently with her shoulder as she passed. Time to go.

Kairi felt her heart drop. Right...they had to get back. "Mm," she hummed, biting her lip. But...she wanted nothing more than to stay right here, in his arms, face-to-face, his breath brushing her cheeks whenever he spoke to her in that low, velvety voice of his... Why can't it just be like this all the time? Why can't I tell him how I feel? In truth, she was scared of ruining things between them. If they tried and it didn't work, what then? Kairi removed her forehead from Sora's silently, her fingertips trailing over his smooth skin as she took her hands back. Time to get back to their friends. Roxas smirked. "Good," he said, squeezing her hand gently before he released it. They would go tonight then, after dinner, like she suggested. He doubted too many people would be there that late, which was best. He didn't like the idea of anyone checking Namine out. Roxas had to admit that jealousy flared within him when he thought about it.

Kairi took in a steadying breath when Sora adjusted their position. Her forehead against his like this...she could feel his spikes against her skin. "Mm," she hummed in agreement to his statement. They were the dream team. Little did he know that it was her dream to be with him, but...more intimately. Of course he wouldn't find out about that. She couldn't ruin their friendship. Kairi moved her hands to rest along the side of Sora's face and jawline, her fingers in his hair again. Did he realize how he made her feel? Like she was weightless, floating, in bliss... Home. Roxas grabbed Namine's smaller hand before she could get it too far from his face. "Don't worry, I won't," he promised. "As long as nobody looks at you the wrong way, we won't have any problems." He wouldn't tolerate that kind of behavior toward Namine. The only person that he thought was allowed to look at her was him. Then again, he didn't know how she would react to that...

"Nuh-uh," Kairi said with a faint shake of her head, squeezing Sora gently. He was right. Heartless were ten times worse than bullies. They could do this. And if things didn't go their way, they would adjust. "Together, we can do anything." "I can help with that," Roxas said with a confident smirk. The keyblade required lots of stamina, that was for sure. He could give her tips. Besides, seeing Namine in the gym wouldn't be so bad either. In fact, he doubted his imagination could do her justice.

Kairi wound her arms around Sora's neck, one of her hands resting against the back of his head, her fingers in his spikes. The way his hand had slid along her waist just then sent chills up her spine, but it felt so good at the same time. "Sora," she whispered, closing her eyes. He was the best. "Absolutely," Roxas agreed. He didn't train as much with the keyblade anymore, and he had been so busy with his music that he didn't get to the gym often. Going with Namine would definitely motivate him. More time with her and the added benefit of getting stronger? Not to mention that he could show his strength to her... He was definitely interested.

Kairi smiled weakly at her best friend. She placed her hand on top of his on her shoulder. "Thank you," she told him softly. She appreciated his support; it meant the world to her. "...Let's talk to them first. If they don't turn themselves in, we'll go to the dean." They couldn't rat them out without getting an explanation from the culprits themselves. They needed to give them the chance to at least apologize. If not, the dean was next on their list. "You know," Roxas said, glancing from the sandwich to Namine, "if you keep feeding me like this, I'm not always going to look this good." He then bit into the sandwich, the flavor exploding on his tongue. Delicious. Between Namine making him lunches or getting him snacks for his rehearsals in the past, and now this? He was bound to put on the freshman fifteen.

"That has to be it," Kairi replied softly, looking to the boy beside her. "And considering the photographer who published these pictures is the same one who came into my class that day--and who we just saw sitting with her at lunch--it makes sense that she got him to do the job for her. He must have experience with photo editing." She put her hands on her hips. "Guess now we can either confront them about this or go to the dean ourselves." Either way, this ended today. Roxas lifted an eyebrow. "Hmm..." he hummed thoughtfully. That would make sense. Envy could turn even the friendliest people into monsters. "Think maybe she and Sora connected the dots?" It would explain why they took off in such a hurry.

Kairi set the paper down, tucking her red hair behind her ear. "I got highest marks on a pretty big assignment a week or so ago," she declared. She had been so proud of that too... "I saw how upset she was, but...I didn't think it would come to this." Public humiliation? That was low. Roxas watched as a few students played hacky-sack across the lawn. "I don't know. She's so nice..." She went out of her way to help others. She always did the right thing. "Maybe someone's jealous of her for some reason." That was all he could think of. "Has she ever mentioned anything?"

Kairi's face fell. So it was true. Veronica set this up, and she asked that guy for help. "I can't believe this..." she mumbled. What did she ever do to Veronica to initiate this kind of attack? Kairi was nice to everyone, minded her own business, and did her work. What else could she have done? Roxas strummed a little. "Not sure. Someone with a personal vendetta against Kairi, for sure," he assumed. "But...I don't have any guesses as to why." It didn't make sense.

Kairi ventured upstairs with Sora quickly, and once they reached her room, she immediately went for the trash bin near her desk. She saw the crumpled piece of paper immediately and did her best to flatten it. Sora got a copy of the paper on their way here to compare. "Okay, let's see..." she muttered, flipping through the paper for the right page. She hoped this picture of her made it into the paper... Roxas leaned against the oak tree beside Namine, munching on a fry as he tuned his guitar. He brought it with him practically everywhere, in case inspiration struck. He didn't think that was necessarily the case, but it would help add to the peaceful atmosphere the campus provided today.

Kairi grabbed her box and nodded. She then slipped her hand into Sora's. "Let's go," she encouraged softly, taking a step toward the exit. She wanted this mystery solved. Roxas grabbed his tray and turned his attention to Namine. "Well, shall we?" It would just be them for lunch today, not that he minded. They would sit outside and enjoy the nice weather, away from prying eyes.

Kairi agreed and grabbed a box too. As she filled it up, she looked past Sora to Roxas and Namine. "Guys, we're going back to the dorms. We'll be back in a bit, okay?" They had to settle this. Kairi couldn't focus on anything else at the moment. Not until this was done. Roxas perked up at the words from the redhead. "Uh, yeah, sure." Why were they going back there? Roxas gave Sora a look. Are you finally going to tell her how you feel?

Kairi nodded. "Back in my room," she said. She wasn't hungry anymore. In fact, she wanted to go take care of this right now. "Should we go?" Roxas chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's nothing," he told her shyly. He was just being honest.