Forever Love

Roxas smiled a little around his straw and started out, passing Sora and stepping out into the hall. He would freshen up too. Kairi met Sora's gaze and smiled softly. Right, she would see him soon. She believed him too. He would make this fun for her if he had to, but...she figured just being with him would be a good time on its own.

Roxas nodded. "Cool. Should we leave you girls to get ready?" he asked, smiling a little. Kairi rolled her eyes at him, and his smile turned sheepish. "It doesn't take us an hour to get ready, Roxas," Kairi declared, then taking a sip of her smoothie. "Hey, I was just trying to give you enough time," Roxas said in his defense. He chuckled when Kairi stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine, we'll go. C'mon, Sora." He stood from his seat, taking another slurp of his smoothie. He poked Namine lightly in the shoulder. He would see her soon.

Kairi recognized that look on Sora's face; he was upset. Not that she could blame him. She was hurt too, and angry. "Well...until then," she began, looking to the blondes. "Sora mentioned going to see a movie. You guys want to go?" Roxas perked up at the question. "That new superhero movie?" he asked, blinking. Was that the one Sora wanted to see? When Kairi nodded, he smiled. "Yeah, sure! Wanna head out tonight?" He looked between his friends. He was all for a movie.

Roxas turned his head to gaze at Namine at the mumble. His eyes softened at the memory of those girls who practically stalked him and bullied her. Just the image of Namine so upset and crying... Roxas wanted to hold her tightly and never let her go. Sorry I couldn't be there for you.

Kairi shrugged faintly. "Some girls in class are pretty snobby, but I don't think they would take it this far..." One girl was the worst of them all. Veronica. Kairi got a top score in the class on an assignment, and Veronica hadn't exactly hidden her distaste. "Then again, the people here aren't like the people we grew up with on Destiny Islands." She said the last bit to Sora, her eyes on him now. The islanders were lovely, incredibly kind. Radiant Garden...wasn't so radiant sometimes.

Kairi shook her head, taking her hand back from Sora's. "No. My first thought was Noel, but he's not that cruel," she explained, then taking a sip of her drink. She wasn't sure who else could have done it. "It had to be someone who witnessed your fight," Roxas declared, lifting an eyebrow. "The question is who has a personal vendetta against you, Kairi."

Kairi lifted a hand and placed it on Sora's closest to her. She gave him a small smile as well, squeezing his hand. She then looked to Namine. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise." Namine may not have said anything, but what could she say at the time? It really wouldn't have mattered. "Besides, if you tried, I probably wouldn't have noticed. I was kind of...distracted." All the hoots and hollers didn't help things. Roxas's eyebrows furrowed at that. He heard the commotion, of course, but now that he knew the reason, he wasn't exactly pleased.

Roxas rolled his eyes at Sora as he took a spot next to Namine on her bed. He didn't find it weird, considering Sora and Kairi were on the redhead's bed. He would be careful not to spill his smoothie though. Namine wouldn't be very happy about that, he was sure. Kairi took a sip of her smoothie and sighed at the flavor. Delicious. "I'm better," she admitted with a faint nod. "Sora helped a lot." She gently nudged him with her shoulder. "Sorry I ran off on you, though." She felt awful about leaving Namine, but she had been so overwhelmed.

Kairi nearly asked another question regarding Roxas's feelings toward Namine, but that was when the blondes walked in. She sat up, her hand next to Sora's arm as she leaned against it. "Hey," she greeted with a soft smile. She was glad to see Namine; she kind of ran off on her before... "We brought smoothies!" Roxas chimed with a crooked smile, holding the tray up slightly. The smoothies were Sora's idea, and Roxas actually gave him props. Smoothies were always the girls' favorite since they found them at the cafe. "Paopu flavor for Sora, as usual. Strawberry for Kairi, blueberry for Nam, and sea-salt for myself."

Kairi smiled slightly. "He likes her, huh?" she asked, though she didn't really need an answer. Roxas wasn't as subtle as he may have thought. Kairi caught him checking Namine out more than once, and he spent a lot of time with her when he prepared for his performance at the festival. Apparently she wasn't the only one who noticed. Roxas gave Namine a comforting smile. "Don't worry. You guys are going to be fine," he said, speaking of her and Kairi. As if Kairi would actually be upset with Namine for what just happened. Roxas couldn't see it going down that way; they were both in a rough spot. Like he told Namine earlier--Roxas wouldn't have known what to do in that situation either.

Sounds like a double date, Kairi thought, nearly blushing. But Sora was right, she did need to get away from prying eyes for a little while. "Alright. We'll see what they say," she agreed, looking from the comforter to the boy beside her. A movie didn't sound so bad. Roxas carried four smoothies on his tray as he walked with Namine to her dorm room. They managed to take down a lot of the posters with Kairi's "advertisement" around campus. Riku and Lightning were handling the rest, as far as he knew. The blond looked over at the girl next to him, gently nudging her with his shoulder. She'd be okay. Kairi wouldn't be upset with her.

Kairi stared at Sora's hands on his stomach as she lay on her side next to him. His cologne wafted toward her when he plopped down, and she took in a breath that calmed her to some degree. "We don't have to," she said softly, tucking her arm under one of her pillows. "That costs munny, and that would require leaving my room..." She didn't think she could do that just yet.

Kairi smiled weakly. Count on Sora to cheer me up, as always. She scooted over on her bed, closer to the wall, and patted the spot beside her. Right by her side? She would hold him to it, right now. Besides, his presence always brought her comfort.

Kairi shook her head and then rolled over to face Sora, bringing her legs up on the bed. She rested the side of her head against her arm as she looked at him. "Beats me," she muttered. "I just hope this is where it ends." She didn't want this to go further than it already had. This was bad enough.

Kairi continued to gaze at the ceiling, her hands resting on her stomach. "We had the photography students come in to one of our classes and shoot us as we sketched out our projects for the end of the semester," she explained. "It had to have been from then, unless someone's been following me around." She didn't want to think of that possibility. It was too creepy.

"...Noel?" Kairi asked, looking at Sora out of the corner of her eye. It was the only person she could think of. "...He thought we did...things. And he said I wouldn't with him." It made sense that he would spread something so vile for revenge. How disgusting. "But...I don't think he would stoop this low." Who else could it be?

Kairi sighed and dropped her bag by her bed. She collapsed onto it, legs hanging off the edge as she stared at the ceiling. "Finally," she breathed. "Privacy." Away from prying eyes and judgy words. She was ready to forget today ever happened.

Kairi kept her grip on Sora's shirt, gazing from his phone to him and then hiding her face in his shoulder again. His warmth comforted her in this moment. Sora himself comforted her. Where would she be without him? Roxas dug out his phone when it chimed, releasing Namine's hand from his grasp. "Sora asked me to grab some smoothies before meeting them back at the dorm. Want to go with me?" He would get her one too, of course.

Kairi took her head out of Sora's shoulder and looked up at him while they were close. His face was a bit blurry due to her tears, but he was still as handsome and sweet as ever. She wasn't sure what to say, but she did smile weakly. "...Will you go back to my room with me?" she asked quietly. She didn't want to be alone right now, especially without Sora. He was her rock. Roxas took one of Namine's hands and held it in his, starting to pull her with him down the hall. He would be with her the whole way. Just the thought of her being in Kairi's place infuriated him. He couldn't imagine Namine being ridiculed like this.

Kairi clutched Sora's shirt. "I'm so sorry," she whimpered. She didn't want him to see that or witness the way everyone treated her. It wasn't her fault this happened, no, but...she still felt responsible somehow. "I don't want you think of me differently. Even if it wasn't me..." It was just her face manipulated onto a picture, but it was the insinuation. "You matter to me, Sora. What you think of me matters. And this..." This could change things. Roxas nodded. "I seriously doubt the dean is going to let this fly," he replied. He stepped forward, even closer to Namine now as he lifted a hand to rest on hers near her chest. "Namine, I know you think you could have done more, but...I wouldn't have known what to do either. We'll go back to your room, take down these posters on the way, and meet Kairi there. You can talk to her then, okay?" She didn't have to be sad. Roxas hated the sight of her down expression; it hurt his heart. Namine had enough misery in her life. She didn't need more, especially when she didn't do anything wrong.

Kairi's tears fell as she buried her face in Sora's shoulder. It didn't even matter to her who did it; she didn't want people to see it. How was she going to even show her face around campus now? Most of all, what about her friends? "...I didn't want you to see that," she mumbled into his shirt. Sora, of all people... How embarrassing. Roxas lifted a hand to rest on Namine's shoulder. "Hey, don't feel bad. I'm sure Sora doesn't know what to say, either," he tried. What did you even say in this situation? He looked over and saw another poster on the wall. He used his free hand to rip it down and wad it into a ball. Whoever did this was the lowest of the low.

Kairi stopped when Sora stood in front of her, and then when he wiped at her cheek, she lost it. She shook her head a little and ducked her chin, more tears leaving her eyes. It wasn't going to be okay! Someone plastered those flyers all over campus! Everyone knew about them by now, and there was nothing she could do to fix it. She would face ridicule every time she left her room now! "Sora, I can't--I can't do this right now, okay?" She had to get away from everyone. As sweet as he was being, he didn't get it... She was seen as a sleaze now. He would never know how that felt. Roxas stopped in front of Namine, catching the look on her face. That smile wasn't genuine. "Hey," he replied, eyebrows furrowing. "Are you okay?" Nobody said anything to her, did they? He knew the poster revolved around Kairi, but Roxas still worried about Namine.

"I don't care, just...away from these people," Kairi called over her shoulder as another guy eyed her up and down. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get that image out of her head before it burned into her memory. Stop looking at me, stop looking at me.... A tear slipped past her lashes as she rounded a corner quickly. She had to hide. Roxas noticed that a lot of the students dispersed when Kairi fled, but...why? He looked over a wall and saw a picture, one that was clearly photoshopped, because Kairi would never pose so provocatively. What the hell? Roxas thought, searching for Namine. He found her after another short walk, and she looked defeated. "Namine!" he called, picking up his pace into a light jog to reach her. Was she alright?

Kairi nearly answered, but another wolf-whistle in her direction made her hide her face in her hands. "I have to go," she said, then turning to flee again. She had to get out of here, escape to her room or something. She couldn't be in front of all these people right now. Sora, especially. He shouldn't have had to see that, but...

Kairi yanked her wrist from the grasp instinctively, thinking it was another guy trying to come on to her. Her glare fixed on the person, but then she realized it was Sora. She lowered her gaze instantly, unable to look at him right now. Not during all of this... She lifted the flyer she still had in her grasp, though it was mostly wrinkled by her tight hold on it now. See for yourself. Roxas watched Sora run off, but then he rose to his feet to see where Kairi had come from. Wasn't she supposed to be with Namine?