Forever Love

Kairi's eyes darted among the group of people, going from one person to the next. She completely forgot Namine was with her; if her friend tried to reach her, she couldn't hear her. All of the voices and cat calls and whistles blurred together. Kairi turned around instantly and started away, but a guy stopped her. "Hold on, sweetheart. I want you to take my measurements," he crooned, moving closer to her. Kairi lifted her hands and shoved the guy away from her. He ended up getting caught by two of his friends, and they all "ooh"d at her action. Not only did the sounds blend together, but her surroundings became blurry--moisture filled her eyes. She ground her teeth together and fled, pushing her way past people to get away as fast as possible. Roxas, who had been speaking to Sora about one of their mutual classes, stopped short when he heard the commotion. He turned his head, he and Sora hanging out on a brick half-wall that separated the walkway from the campus grounds. A blur of red hair moved quickly past them, but with the crowd of people around, it was hard to see just who it was. A gap allowed him a glance. "Hey...wasn't that Kairi?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing as he then looked to Sora. What was going on?

"Girl, I'll model for you any day!" another guy shouted from across the hall, eliciting laughter from his peers. "You'll like my measurements!" "Ugh, how desperate can you be?" a girl snickered as she walked by with her friend. "Practically advertising what a sleaze you are. Pathetic." All of the remarks echoed in Kairi's head as she looked around, her pulse beating in her ears. This couldn't be happening... Who would do this? Was it Noel? Did he put someone up to this because she wouldn't...? He was the one who assumed something happened with her and Sora that day in the classroom! Kairi's grip tightened on the paper, her fingerprints pressing creases into it. I have to get out of here. I can't... I can't...

Kairi caught sight of the poster too. She saw that a lot of people held them and then stared at her, but why? As they passed a bulletin board, Kairi noticed another one. She stopped, placing a hand on Namine's arm to stop her too. That was when she realized what everyone was gawking at--her. It was a picture of Kairi. She snatched it from the wall and studied it with wide eyes. Yes, it was her face expertly photoshopped onto a model's body from a magazine. She wore jeans and her top was only lingerie as a male model cradled her body. Bold letters covered the spread, reading, "Let Kairi take your measurements and you'll get to score! Meet her in Room 119 in the fashion wing for your own personal fitting!"

"Nope," Kairi replied with a shake of her head, flipping through a magazine for more fabric patterns for future projects. "And honestly, I don't want him to. He's a jerk." She looked over at Namine and then at the path ahead, seeing most people meet her gaze and turn away--or snicker. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She didn't understand... Were people talking about her fight with Noel? No, it wasn't discreet, but it didn't involve any of these people.

As the movie played on, Lightning found herself dozing off. Her head rested against Riku's shoulder, his warmth comforting and inviting and all-around soothing. She absently snuggled closer to him, leaning into him more. She exhaled a soft breath. Thank you, Riku....

Light's smirk remained at Riku's gesture. She looked up at him from her place next to him, her side against his. He was undeniably good looking, that was no secret. But...most guys that looked like him were complete jerks. Riku proved her wrong. He was good, and gentle, and kind. As tough as he could be, and as tough as Light herself could be, they were comfortable enough with each other to let those guards down. It was...nice, to connect with someone on that level.

Lightning sat next to Riku and moved a little closer to see the screen. She rolled her eyes and smirked. "Typical," she murmured. He would choose a tough-guy film. Oh well, it was better than a drama. Besides, she figured she would fall asleep with him here anyway.

Light smiled faintly. “Okay. You pick.” They would watch a movie, but since she picked the last one, it was Riku’s turn this time. They had the same taste in movies, so she didn’t worry too much on what he would choose.

“I woke you up. Don’t you want to go back to sleep?” Lightnlng lifted an eyebrow slightly. Riku may have said not to feel sorry for coming over late, but she still disturbed his rest. As nice as it was to see him shirtless with disheveled hair, she didn’t want to keep him up if he needed to sleep.

Lightning smiled softly at the words. The sincerity she saw in Riku’s eyes before wasn’t a figment of her imagination; it ran deep within him. Every word he spoke was laced with honesty. Even if his words could have said one thing, his eyes couldn’t lie. That, she realized, drew her in from the beginning.

“Mm,” Light hummed around her mug. After taking a sip, she tilted her head. “But that goes both ways, right?” She had her secrets too. Maybe with time she would tell him, but....not right away. Her secrets were too dark to share now.

Light gazed at Riku for a moment. She caught the slight change in his eyes. “I won’t push it,” she told him. He could open up when he was ready. They were still getting to know each other; not everything needed to be out in the open just yet.

Lightning smirked. “Any other secrets you’re hiding from me?” She was just teasing, but she wouldn’t mind getting to know Riku better. So far she found him very interesting. There was more to him than met the eye. She just knew it.

Lightning looked at the mug and then at the symbol on Riku’s pants. “Do you have a thing for mice?” she asked with a smile, then carefully taking a sip of her drink. It warmed her immediately. And soothed her. But, Riku did that just by being with her.

Lightning had been holding her breath, but at Riku’s murmur, she released it in soft chuckles. On the inside, however, she still tried to steady herself. The way he had smirked, and the way his nose brushed hers... and then there was how he practically breathed that question against her lips. Lightning tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. That was close, so close. She actually felt a bit disappointed it hadn’t happened. But, maybe that was for the best. A better moment waited for them, she guessed.

Light’s heart fluttered at his touch. His fingers were calloused—no doubt from that sword fighting he bragged about on their date—but they were gentle. The skin of his back and chest warmed her arms in the chilly room. “Like you said,” she whispered due to their close proximity, “a bit much.” Of course, she didn’t consider it a bad thing. Not anymore. The way Riku looked at her, his eyes were so sincere.

Lightning kept her grip on Riku’s hand for another moment before she stepped forward. Her arms encircled him, her chin ducked close to his chest so she could hide her face a little—it flushed with shyness. And flattery. “Just a smidge,” she teased gently, smiling a little to herself. This guy...he softened her up. She never though the day would come, but she couldn’t even remember what day it started. Riku just...snatched her up and didn’t let go. And she didn’t want him to.

Light blinked. “Riku...” she replied quietly. How could she respond to that? She felt the same as him, of course—her life was changed because of his presence in it. He was great to her in ways she never expected.

Light looked up at that. She tightened her grasp on Riku's hand slightly. "...Important how?" she asked. Yes, she was naturally bold, but her lack of sleep didn't help; normally she wouldn't have asked it to so outright and would have instead teased him. Tonight, however, that was a different story; she wanted to know what exactly he meant by that. They flirted--oh, how they flirted--with each other, they cuddled a little while watching a movie once, held hands, and he came to her rescue. How important did that make her?

Light lowered her gaze from Riku's face to his chest. She admired his muscles--definied pecs, nice abs, good arms too--and then diverted her focus to their hands. She...felt good, with her fingers linked with his. "Thank you," she muttered. He was very good to her. Amazing, really.

Light entered Riku's room with his insistence, lifting her hands to her face after she stepped in. "I'm sorry," she mumbled into her hands. She hated doing this. He'd come with her to her room multiple times the past few nights to help her calm down after her nightmares, but this just kept happening. She felt ridiculous.

Light stopped and looked back at Riku when he grabbed her wrist. Fear flashed over her expression briefly, but she calmed herself quickly since it was Riku and not Chase holding her wrist. She took a small step closer, speaking quietly so she didn't wake anyone else in their rooms. "...I had another one," she admitted weakly, glancing up at Riku. He knew of her nightmares. She'd had a few the past few days.

"Um..." Light admired how messy Riku's hair was with sleep. She lifted a hand to her head and sighed, focusing. This wasn't such a good idea, now that she was here. She didn't want to come off as weak, yet here she was. "You know what? Never mind. It's...dumb." She lowered her hand and felt her cheeks heating up. "Sorry to bother you." Light turned to leave, feeling ridiculous. She was a grown woman. Running to a guy when she had a nightmare was...childish.

Lightning tucked her hair behind her ear. Yeah, she definitely woke him up. "Hey," she greeted softly. She couldn't ignore how his voice sounded when he was sleepy--all heavy and low. It was...adorable, really. "Sorry I woke you..."

Later that night Lightning knew it was late, nearly midnight, but...she couldn't sleep. She found herself out in the halls of the dorms and approaching one particular room--Riku's. She knocked on Riku's door softly, hoping she didn't wake him up. She felt awful for stopping by, but...she needed to see him. She had a horrible nightmare about Chase.