A/N: Hey guys! This is my first ever fanfic, and I'm quite excited about this. I love NamiRox stories! Comments and reviews are much appreciated! Enjoy!"Alright, fine, you can have a puppy," her mother said, sighing as she finally gave in to her daughter's pleas.

"YES! Thank you, mom! Thank you!"

Naminé skipped out of the kitchen, squealing at the top of her lungs. Her mother sat at the table, shaking her head at her daughter. Naminé had wanted a puppy since she was three years old, but her mother was always vehemently against the idea. Those things liked to drool and defecate all over the place. But she decided that it was high time Naminé took on a responsibility that matched her maturity. She began to regret it though as she saw Naminé twirl around the living room, finally smashing her foot against the stair railing.

Nothing could dampen Naminé's mood. Her mother finally agreed to own a dog! She practically sang as she made her way down to Twilight Plaza, where the pet store was.

The bell on the door jingled, announcing Naminé's entrance into the Pet Parlor. She was greeted with squawking birds, scruffling hamsters, and overall the telltale smell of animal. Naminé made a beeline for the puppy pen. Adorable little furballs ran around the enclosed "Puppy Pavilion." She gasped audibly as several of them ran to the edge of the pen, tongues lolling out of their tiny mouths.

"Cute, aren't they?" a voice behind her asked. Naminé jumped a little and she whirled around to face the person who dared to intrude on her happy time with the puppies. But her anger melted as she saw the boy who asked the question. She first noticed his bright blue eyes. The ocean blue orbs glinted a bit, laughing at her surprise. Then she noticed his smirk. It was teasing, but still kind. Her eyes went to his blonde spikes. How did they stand up like that? Then she saw his Pet Parlor apron. He worked here.

"Hey, don't you go to my school?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think I recognize you. The name's Roxas," he held out his hand, smiling.

"Naminé," she replied, taking his hand and shaking it. His hands were warm. It felt so right to hold it. And his smile, what a nice smile… Suddenly, Naminé could feel her face heating up. She quickly pulled her hand away.

"Ah! Well, uh, about, um, your earlier question… Yes, they're cute," Naminé stuttered, looking away from Roxas and at the puppies.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed, "These ones just came in. They're extra excited because it's a new environment for them."

"You like puppies?" Naminé asked.

"Love 'em," Roxas replied, walking past her and reaching a hand into the pen. The cute little things began jumping up and licking his fingers, covering them in lovable drool.

Naminé took in the sight thoughtfully. She'd never seen such a tough-looking guy act so soft and kind. He even admitted to liking soft, cuddly things. She leaned over his shoulder to look at the puppies.

"I'd like to choose one today," she said. She giggled as a dark-colored furball fell back, exposing his belly and rubbing his back ecstatically into the floor.

"That one loves attention," Roxas laughed, pointing at the puppy. "You really want one? Come here, there's one I want to show you." He led Naminé to the other side of the pen, where other puppies played. He stuck his hand into the pen again, letting the little guys attack his fingers. Once they calmed down, he picked up a Golden Retriever. This one was a bit larger than the other puppies, but it had the energy of all the smaller ones combined. It wiggled around and tried to bite Roxas's ears. Naminé giggled as Roxas tried to calm it down.

"This one," he said as he tried saving his ears from excessive slobber, "has been here a bit longer than the other ones."

"It's precious," Naminé cooed, reaching her hand out to it. Immediately, the Retriever stopped going for Roxas's ears and lunged for Naminé's fingers.

"Whoa!" Roxas yelled. He sprang forward to keep the puppy from attacking Naminé's face. But she was unfazed. With both hands, she cupped the Retriever's face into her hands, making faces and baby noises to it. The dog twitched uncontrollably with joy.

"I think he likes you," Roxas laughed, shifting the dog's position in his arms.

"I think I like him," Naminé giggled. The Retriever had quite the charm about it. The way it nipped at her fingers, and the goofy little grin, Naminé wanted nothing more than to sweep it up and take it home.

"Can I please hold him?" she begged. Her eyes went puppy-wide as she looked at Roxas. She thought she saw a blush creep onto his face.

"Uh, sure," Roxas said, clearing his throat and looking away. He looked back to ease the puppy into her arms. He made his way to the counter.

"Seems like you found the right little guy," he said, punching some buttons on the keyboard. "Can I have some of your info for our records?" Naminé went over to the counter and gave Roxas her name, number, etc. In turn, he gave her a list of instructions for new owners and a record of shots. The puppy was still due for more shots, so Naminé couldn't take it home right away.

"What are you gonna name him?" Roxas asked, tilting his head the way the puppy would.

"Hmm," Naminé pondered, "I'm not sure. I'm thinking Mr. Perkington. It's a regal name."

"You would seriously take your dog outside the house with that name?" Roxas snorted. "I think he would be too embarrassed."

"Well, then what would you name him?" Naminé puffed, slightly put off that Roxas refused such a wonderful name.

"Uh, I dunno. Bob?"

"Oh come on, I would not want to be friends with a guy who'd name anything Bob."

"Well, I can't really think of anything else!"

"Some imagination you have."

The two teens laughed at their banter. They looked at the puppy, now thinking of an actual name they could give it.

"Ruffers?" Naminé suggested.

Roxas and Naminé looked at the puppy, gnawing at a chew toy hanging on a rack by the counter. "Rrrr…grrr…ruff…rrrr," it growled, trying but failing to acquire the desired toy.

"I think we got it," Roxas said, turning to Naminé and smiling.

Such a warm smile, she thought. And his eyes, so kind… I could get lost in—

"Naminé?"

"Huh?" So she really did get lost…

"We'll take Ruffers to the vet tomorrow morning. Why don't you pick him up in the afternoon?"

"Sure," Naminé said. Roxas held out his arms for the puppy. Naminé's face fell when she realized that she would have to give her Ruffers back. She looked from Ruffers back to Roxas.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "he'll be here tomorrow." He smiled. Even though her arms felt empty without the weight of her puppy, Naminé's heart was warm. She gave Ruffers a kiss on the head and said goodbye to Roxas.

The next day, Naminé was very jittery. She couldn't wait to hold her Ruffers in her arms again. She tried to kill time by puppy-proofing the entire house, but it only took up about two hours. She spent the rest of her morning looking up new puppy owner tips online. Finally, it was past noon. Afternoon meant after noon right? So she sped out the front door and down to the Plaza.

When she reached the outside of the store, Naminé stopped. She quickly glanced at her reflection in the window and flattened some parts of her hair. She was a little sweaty, but at least she didn't smell. She briefly wondered why she even bothered to check herself when she opened to door with a jingle.

She heard an excited bark. Ruffers! Her baby was calling to her! She ran to the counter and heard footsteps from the storage room. She cleared her throat and stood a little straighter, awaiting a certain boy. But instead, a sweet-looking old woman greeted her at the counter.

"Ooh!" she exclaimed, raising a feeble index finger, "You must be Naminé." Naminé nodded. The old woman turned to the computer to type something in. She tapped the keys slowly with her index fingers. "I've been expecting you." She then gave Naminé a stack of papers and a pen. "Sign where it indicates, dear," she instructed. Then she fumbled around for something under the counter.

Naminé flipped through the pages, signing her name. She felt a little disappointed, but she couldn't pinpoint why. She put the pen down and the old woman resurfaced with a box.

"For you, my dear," she flourished, "A collar and leash for the new puppy."

"Oh," Naminé protested, "but I—"

"The puppy's a little bit older than the others," the woman continued, not hearing Naminé, "so it can walk around freely. You should take it on a walk!" She gestured flamboyantly toward the door.

"But," Naminé tried again, "I didn't order a collar or leash."

The old woman leaned over the counter. "It's on the house, dear," she whispered. She gave Naminé a knowing smile as she walked to the puppy's cage.

Naminé opened the box on the counter. Inside, she found a red leather collar, with a matching leash. From the collar hung a gold nametag, with "Ruffers" inscribed on it.

She tried to imagine her anonymous benefactor when Ruffers came running around to corner and smashing into her legs. Naminé laughed as she fastened the collar around his neck and attached the leash to the collar.

"You know," the old woman said, reappearing, "there's a reason this one stayed longer than the other puppies." Naminé looked at her curiously. "Roxas was particularly fond of this one. He wouldn't sell it because he said that he hadn't found the right owner for it." Naminé gasped. She could feel warmth creeping across her face. She headed for the door and called out her thanks and goodbye to the old woman, who simply waved and smiled at her.

Once girl and dog met the afternoon sun, Ruffers bounded about, pulling Naminé in all directions. She laughed with joy as she ran around the Plaza with him. Finally, she reeled Ruffers in. He panted and drooled as she patted his head and rubbed his back. She was scratching his neck when she found something tied to the collar. Inquisitively, she tugged at the string and a folded note fell to the ground. She picked it up and opened it.

"You know, a great place to walk dogs is Sunset Hill."

Naminé smiled as she and Ruffers made their way up Sunset Hill. She always enjoyed the view from the top of the hill. They way the sun blended the colors in the sky made her want to do the same on an empty canvas. Ruffers was more excited than she was as he tugged on the leash and raced for the top. When they made it, Naminé saw an incredibly familiar silhouette leaning against the railings.

As if on cue, the silhouette stood up, turned around, and began walking toward them. Naminé yelped as Ruffers began furiously tugging at his leash, wanting nothing more than to greet this person with his tongue. Ruffers brought her to the center of the square, and Naminé gasped as she recognized the face of the silhouette.

"Roxas."

"Hi, there," he greeted. He looked down at Ruffers, who was pawing at his pants. He bent down and stroked the top of his head, laughing softly as Ruffers licked his face. Roxas stood up and looked at Naminé. Both stared at each other and then in different directions, lost for words.

Suddenly, Ruffers, too excited, ran in circles around the two of them, wrapping them in the leash. Naminé crashed into Roxas. They were chest to chest, and Naminé noticed how face to face they were.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Please don't let me fall onto him!

Naminé's wish came true. They teetered in her direction. She screamed as she threw her arms around his neck and bringing his chest to her cheek, knocking them off balance, and sending them toward the ground. Naminé shut her eyes and gritted her teeth, waiting for the crash and pain of cold, hard ground against her back. But instead, it was just a THUMP. She slowly opened her eyes. Roxas had softened their landing by putting his arms out and catching them in a push-up position. It lessened the blow, but still didn't change their compromising position…

Both their faces went beet red and they started stammering apologies. Naminé let go of Roxas's neck and he tried pushing himself off of her when, of course… the dog…

Ruffers wanted to join in on the dogpile. He jumped and landed on Roxas's back with a wheeze, sending Roxas's face toward Naminé's. She expected a full on headbutt complete with cracked skulls and bloody noses. But instead, she felt soft lips on hers. She opened her eyes and saw blue ones wide open in shock. Roxas had caught himself again. With a yelp, he shot backward, only to lose his balance on top of Naminé and fall over to his right and crash into the ground. Now, both teens were on their sides.

Naminé broke the silence. She started shaking, which turned into giggles, which burst into bouts of laughter that rang through the hill. Roxas, shocked at first by her reaction, joined in heartily. Both laughed until tears rolled down their faces. Wiping them away, they looked at each other, and saw each other.

The sunset threw a brilliant light onto their faces, illuminating their eyes. Roxas wrapped his arms around Naminé's waist, and she wound her arms back around his neck.

And with the sun setting, their legs still tangled, and the crazed puppy bounding about, Roxas and Naminé fell in love.