aoi hoshi

Naminé slicked back a few sweaty strands and offered him a small grin. "Great. I think I'll have to cool down in a minute though. My legs are starting to feel like jelly." She noticed his wandering gaze, but kept her own directed at the mirrors ahead. It made her feel happy, good? She wasn't quite sure the word, but it was nice to be seen as someone more than just a friend. Even if he didn't want to be more than just a friend... "You?"

Naminé started herself a slower rate than Roxas but quickly built herself up to a steady jog. Sweat beaded at the base of her forehead before trickling down the sides of her face. Every once in a while, she would glance at Roxas as he ran. Her heart pounded harder each time she did. He just looked so...attractive (sexy even though her mind quickly dismissed the idea) when he was working out; something other girls in the room seemed to take notice of as well. The blonde tried not to glare, but the ogling brought a sour pout to her lips. She didn't like it at all...

She took his hand gratefully and followed him towards the treadmills. "Right. I don't have much stamina, so I'll probably have to take a few extra breathers," Naminé explained. Roxas could likely run a few miles without breaking a sweat, but Naminé needed a chance to build her endurance.

She placed a hand on top of his, smiling gently. "I know. Thank you for that." He really was the best. Sometimes she caught him staring at her and wondered...did he like her the way she liked him? I do like when he watches sometimes...which maybe that's weird? I don't know.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Naminé sighed. "I'm okay. It's...annoying, but they're not worth bothering with." And they really weren't worth the effort. Besides, I don't want to get Roxas in trouble with the dean over it.

Naminé copied his movements again, holding her leg behind her. She touched her toes after, doing her best to ignore the slight burn that rushed through her thighs. Behind her, a few of the jocks present stared; one whistled slowly while his friends snickered. Her brows furrowed. Were they looking at her? "Ah, right. I remember that," she murmured distractedly and moved to occupy the space beside him on the mat.

Naminé watched the blond a moment, slightly mesmerized by how his muscles flexed during the stretch before mimicking his movements. "That makes sense," Naminé replied, "Kairi would have us stretch when we came here too." Though, admittedly, the blonde hadn't participated in all those exercises either. Kairi had much better flexibility than Naminé did from her keyblade training. Naminé had hoped that maybe some of that strength would have transferred to her as well but living inside Kairi's heart didn't seem to offer those kinds of benefits.

A series of blue mats decorated the other side of the room. A few were occupied but most were free to use, so Naminé walked over to one towards the back. "Now what?" she asked. Her hands were on her hips as she appraised their surroundings. She wasn't too accustomed to doing stretches. Kairi had showed her a few last time she was there, but they hadn't visited the gym in a while.

Naminé nodded and pressed her fingers together with a cheerful smile. "Okay, I'll follow your lead then!" She tried to keep her eyes off his athletic form as much as she could. The sinews of well-defined muscle visible were distracting, however...

The gym was less crowded after dinner, but the usual groups of jocks was still present. Naminé looked around, holding one arm behind her back as she tried to find an open machine. She was dressed in white but had traded her usual dress for a pair of leggings and sports bra. Wandering eyes flickered across her body as she walked, but the gazes weren't as piercing. Or at least they didn't feel that way with Roxas beside her. "Where do we start?"

As she withdrew from him, Sora sighed a little, unable to hide his disappointment. Why couldn't they be together? Why couldn't he suck it up and just tell her the truth? Because losing Kairi scares me the most. If she didn't feel the same way...nothing would ever be the same between them...I wonder what Riku would say? What was he even doing right now? Sora hadn't seen his best friend much the past few days. Naminé smiled and bit into her own half of the sandwich. Tonight would be interesting. That was for sure.

Sora melted at her touch. Her fingers, which were slender and soft, felt like a balm against his scalp. He wondered again briefly if she felt anything like he did. Like he was her remedy the same way she was his. That the idea of being away from her, of watching her with someone else again nearly killed him. Would saying something ruin that? Would she hate him? "We should probably get back to Roxas and Naminé..." "I suppose that's fair," Naminé replied, "Though I think having you there will help deter any...um wrong looks." She wasn't quite sure what the best way to describe the looks would be. Just that they made her uncomfortable being at the gym by herself. I remember last time how many boys kept wanting to show me how to lift...Luckily, Lightning was there. They seem to be a little less aggressive when she's around.

"That is true," Sora murmured, his grin returning, "You and me. The dream team, huh?" He rested his chin on the top of her head before putting his forehead against hers, drinking her in slowly. "You'll have to be patient with me though," she warned, poking his cheek lightly, "I'm not strong like you, and no starting fights." She added the last statement after a minute, thinking of how protective and impulsive he could be. She didn't want him getting expelled because of some other guy.

"We got this," Sora assured again, taking his other hand to weave through her hair. The strands fell through his fingers like red silk. "They can't compete with the heartless we've fought. Not even with a shadow." "I definitely need to build my stamina up," Naminé added light heartedly. She'd like to be able to run for more than a few minutes at a time, and she wouldn't deny that part of her motivation involved seeing her companion's athletic build up close.

"I think that's a good plan," Sora replied with a gentle smile. His hand slid to her waist then, bringing her into a hug. "It'll be okay, Kai. This will get handled. One way or another." He had doubts about the culprits coming clean, but he at least trusted the dean to do something about it. "Maybe you and I can hit the gym after dinner today then?" Naminé suggested with a mirthful smile, "I could use a partner at the gym myself." Especially with the weights and gawking her presence seemed to elicit in that setting. She had a feeling it was due to her work out clothes though. She had seen quite a few lingering gazes on Kairi as well.

Sora placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Whatever you want to do, I'll support you." He just wanted this nightmare to end for Kairi's sake. He hurt him to see her treated this way. "I think so," Naminé answered. She handed Roxas half of her sandwich. "I can't eat it all, so you should take half." She hoped things would be resolved quickly. If they weren't Naminé could only foresee the situation escalating.

"You did?" Sora blinked in surprise before grinning happily, "Congrats! You deserve it. Though..." Sora trailed off and a frown returned to his lips. "I bet that is what set her off. She doesn't look like a freshman either, so you doing better must have really bothered her." Naminé considered the question thoughtfully. "She's mentioned one girl not being too happy after her presentation, but I don't know if she was there in the cafeteria." Maybe jealousy was part of the problem after all?

"I really don't get her problem with you," Sora said. His anger was building again. Kairi didn't deserve to be treated like this! And over what!? "Do you have a better grade than her or something?" "But who could hate Kairi of all people that much?" She could understand herself as someone able to make enemies with relative ease. Her tampering with memories and simply having the ability to see those private moments weren't exactly boons, but...Kairi? The girl whose light helped save the worlds? Save Sora? Naminé didn't understand at all.

Sora came to stand beside her, holding out the newspaper. The images matched perfectly. "I think we've found our culprit," Sora noted darkly. But what possible reason, what could Kairi have possibly have done to warrant such behavior? It didn't make sense. Naminé picked a fry off his plate and dipped it in ketchup. "Who do you think did it? The poster I mean?" she asked between bites.

"Alright." Sora squeezed her hand. They'd get this handled. Sora would make sure of it. "We shall," Naminé agreed. A picnic for just the two of them would be nice. It would give them a chance to talk away from Alexis and her posse. "There's a nice shady spot underneath the big oak outside we can use too." Otherwise, Naminé's porcelain skin would burn, and one sunburn had been enough of an experience for a lifetime.

Sora caught Roxas's look and shook his head, coughing. "We have to go grab something important. I think we figured out who did this." It would be just proving it to the Dean. "We'll wait outside the cafeteria for you then," Naminé replied and slipped the sandwich she had bought into her purse. She couldn't handle being around Alexis for much longer. At least Roxas is here...

"We should," Sora affirmed, setting his tray down and picking up a to-go box instead. "We have to figure this out before anything else happens." She bumped his shoulder lightly. "Well, thank you." It did mean a lot to her.

"Do you still have a copy somewhere? We could compare the two and see." Because I'm pretty confident that they have something to do with it... Naminé placed a hand to her cheek to hide her blush. "You're too much sometimes, Roxas." Did he really think she was beautiful? Sometimes Naminé felt that she really was a ghost--always on the outside looking in, never really visible.

"What picture was used of you?" He didn't have a copy of the poster on hand, but he remembered that it hadn't looked like anything Kairi had knowingly been part of. A stolen moment. Naminé bit her lip but nodded in agreement. She couldn't let Alexis see her react. It would give her power much like it had given Marluxia and Larxene power back at Castle Oblivion. Visible weakness was easily exploited. "Right. I just wish...she would't stare like that."

Sora furrowed his brow. This Veronica...she sounded jealous of Kairi. Hmm...and her friend is a photographer... "School paper? Did someone...take your picture?" Naminé tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, trying her best to gesture secretively to the group. Or rather Alexis. "Alexis is over there," she whispered, "You remember her, right?"