Peanut

Light looked up at Riku, honestly surprised that he was asking what to do. What, he wasn't just going to storm away because she was ticked? Normally when one of them was angry, the other person got angry too. His question was a good one, too. How did she want him to prove it, anyway...? "...I want..." she said slowly. "...To have a date-night with you."

"Prove it," Lightning challenged as she rose to her feet. She picked up the towel with her, wrapping it around her waist and tying it so it was a long skirt. If Riku said it wasn't the way that she saw it, then he needed to prove her wrong. She wasn't insane--Serah saw what happened and perceived it the way Lightning did, or so she believed.

"That depends," Lightning said lowly before she could stop herself. "Are you going to lead me on when it's good for you and then leave me alone when you get what you want?" Her piercing blue eyes should have told him what she was referring to, though he should have known what it was already. The incident with the phone.

Lightning bit her tongue as she sat and met Riku's eyes, knowing that getting into a fight with Riku here wasn't wise. There was plenty she could say to him and all of them would cause him pain. A part of her wanted to let him have it, but it was hard to fully feel that way, since she just called him "family" a few hours ago.

"I don't need help," Lightning said, briefly realizing that Serah now grabbed her towel and started walking away to give the fighting couple some privacy. The thing was, she didn't need privacy, because she didn't plan on sticking around. She set her hands on the ground and sat herself up, proving her point at the same time--She didn't need help.

I thought I heard his voice, Light thought, briefly shutting her eyes before she opened them once more and turned her head to look at Riku. "I'm fine," she said shortly. "I'll come up when I want to." He didn't have to take her anywhere; she could walk freely now. And she was glad she didn't have to depend on him, since he ticked her off earlier.

Lightning furrowed her eyebrows, and since her head was turned in her sister's direction, Serah's face was the first she saw. What, was everyone leaving? "If you want to go in, that's fine," she murmured. "Just leave me here." She was going to relax a little longer in the sun, though she then started to realize that it was a little cooler than before and the sun was setting. How long was I out?

I really don't think that's a good idea, Serah opened her mouth to say. But as Riku went for Lightning, she knew he wouldn't listen. She leaned over, nearly tipping over to the side completely when she lost her balance. She set a hand on Lightning's shoulder, wanting to wake her up. "Hey, Lightning?" she called, shaking her lightly. Surely she'd want Serah to wake her up, to stop this from happening.

Serah lifted her gaze from the book to Riku, not surprised that he wandered over to them. But... "That may not be the best idea," she said quietly, shaking her head. Lightning was...irritated, with Riku. It happened a few hours ago that he flirted with her in front of everyone and then disregarded her once he had Kairi's phone. He spoke to her since then, and she spoke back, but Serah could tell she was a little ticked.

The hours passed and the sun began to set. Even then, everyone hung out by the pool. They were all so deprived of fun that they were milking today for all it was worth. All of them disappeared in turns: some going to get books from the library, Namine to get more art supplies (and Roxas with her). As Serah read a book from her towel, she looked over at Lightning, who was laying on her stomach on her towel, her head resting in her arms. She exhausted herself swimming earlier; she had been out for the past hour. But now that everyone was finally separating and going inside, Serah wondered if she should wake Lightning or not.

Roxas smiled softly, able to at least make out the confused expression on Namine's face. She didn't have to say anything. "...Someday you'll understand," he murmured, lifting a hand to set on the top of her blonde head. Instead of just giving her a pat on the head, he briefly ran his hand over her hair before he took it away and turned around, starting to walk away so Namine could sort out her thoughts.

Roxas rose to his feet, looking down at Namine from his slightly elevated height as water dripped from his legs and onto the ground. "It's okay. You don't want me to say it, so I won't," he repeated. "But Namine? ...I'm not going to stop trying to make you feel special." Even if he wasn't allowed to use the words, he'd still show her through his actions that she was special. He wouldn't give up on her; he'd be someone worthy of her.

Roxas blinked in surprise, lifting his gaze to Namine when she stood. What did he say wrong? But even if he didn't understand that, he knew that this wasn't a matter he should push, at least not now. "Alright," he said quietly. "Then I won't say it." But he'd still express his feelings and convictions through his actions.

"I mean it," Roxas said simply. "I couldn't lie to you about something like that." He wouldn't lead her on falsely and he wouldn't try to flatter her just to get her on his side. He complimented her because he truly believed she was wonderful.

Roxas looked right at Namine, speaking boldly for once. "I could compliment you all day long and it wouldn't be enough." He looked straight at her, wanting her to know that he believed his own words to be true. Namine truly was fantastic.

"Shame," Roxas said, glancing at Namine before he looked back at the game. "Your talents would be wasted." Even if today was a fluke, she still had better things to do than keeping score--like taking photos. Even if that was a new form of art for her, she had a knack for it.

"Says the girl who scored five points for her team," Roxas pointed out, tapping Namine with his elbow. Alright, one of those, he purposely fumbled so she could score. But the others were all her; she had a surprisingly wicked serve.

"I was bummed we weren't put on the same team," Roxas confessed, following Namine's gaze to the new game. "I thought we might have made a good team." They were together before, when they were looking for treasure in Neverland, but it wasn't the same.

Roxas looked away, smiling sheepishly. "You caught that, huh?" He shouldn't have been surprised--After all, Namine was smart. And he wasn't overly subtle with the passes either, because he wanted her to be prepared for it to come to her.

"Oh, that?" Roxas shrugged. "That's no big deal." It really wasn't; it didn't take much magic and he had no other use for magic today anyway. Besides, having a headache with the sun glaring off the pool would have been horrible; he wanted to save her from some pain.

"Well thanks," Roxas said with a small smile, his hand hesitantly leaving Namine's head. He wanted to keep it there for longer, but it would have been unnatural for where they were now. He still had his goal of getting stronger, and once he met that, he'd feel worthy of asking Namine to date him.

"Guess you're not as hardheaded as the rest of us," Roxas joked, lifting a hand and setting it atop Namine's blonde head. The movement felt surprisingly natural, like this conversation did. Maybe it was time he stopped trying to do what Sora and Riku did and just be himself.

Roxas looked over at Namine, automatically blushing at the expression on her face. But then again, everything about her made him blush. "You know, that header of yours almost made it back over," he joked to break the tension. It was a shame that it didn't go high enough to make it over the net when it hit her head.

Roxas smiled sheepishly, realizing he was caught in the act. He meant to heal her subtly, just because he wanted to make her feel better, not because he wanted credit for anything. But the job was done, so he sent his Keyblade away and reached for his towel, ruffling his spiky hair with it to get it more dry.

Roxas faintly noticed Lightning say she was taking a break from the pool too, but he was more focused on Namine. He figured she'd have a headache from Sora's spike. He summoned a Keyblade to his side, silently casting a Cure spell that would take Namine's headache away.