My Obstinate Familiar

Chapter 5 – Reviewing the Situation

Naminé was awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a creaking floorboard, but when she opened her eyes, she was not able to make out anything but darkness. She quickly sat up as she again heard the creaking, but this time it sounded closer. Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned her head, but her vision was quickly blocked off by a blindfold. Her body instinctively tensed, and she immediately raised her hands and tried to remove it.

Gentle hands covered hers, halting all movement.

"Shhh," whispered a deep soothing voice, "It's only me."

Upon recognizing the voice, Naminé relaxed. She did not question his presence in her room, but she felt relieved that it was him and not someone else.

"Relax," he said gently. He placed his hand in the middle of her chest and gave her a nudge to lie back in bed. With her heart thumping wildly, she obeyed.

She felt the same hand travel up the side of her neck until his fingers caressed her face and his thumb stroked her cheek. She sighed as she leaned in to feel the warmth of his hand. She turned her head towards his hand, and he ran his thumb lightly over her lips, which parted slightly. The bed shifted as he leaned down to plant a light kiss on her other cheek.

She felt his hot breath as he traveled down to whisper in her ear. "My beautiful witch, tonight you will feel something you've never experienced before."

Her breath hitched as she felt his hand travel painfully slowly down her neck, leaving a trail of warmth that branched outward and shot down her arms and to the tips of her fingertips. She involuntarily shivered. The hand paused for a moment at the center of her chest, and she wondered if he would take the time to caress her there as he had the night before. His hand barely brushed it as it continued its journey.

He carefully lifted her nightgown until it exposed her belly. Her breathing increased at the same time his hand touched her bare skin. She felt every touch, every caress as his fingertips lightly trailed down her stomach, sending both tickles and shivers throughout her body. They continued further south until they brushed the lining of her panties for a moment. Then they slipped underneath.

She arched her back as she felt his hand reach its destination, sending warm waves of pleasure. As an unconscious response, her legs opened a little wider. Her mouth opened in a silent cry as the smallest actions were sending bolts of electricity throughout her body. Lips lightly brushed the hollow of her ear and whispered soothing words and forbidden desires that made her blush a deep red and made her stomach flutter. His fingers mimicked his words, and she shuddered in anticipation.

She cried out as a powerful wave came upon her. All of a sudden her body began to grow hotter and hotter until she felt like she would explode at any moment. She tossed her head back and forth wildly as her body unconsciously swayed to and fro to the rhythm his hand created. Sometime during his ministrations, the blindfold had slipped from her eyes. As she opened her eyes to gaze at the man who controlled her dance, they fell upon the mischievous and desire-filled blue eyes that she had known for many years, the blonde hair that always shone in the sunlight, and the beautiful face that she did not recognize until recent memories came flooding back to her.

Naminé jumped into waking, sweat running down both sides of her face. Both her hair and her sheets were damp with her sweat. She panted from shock and sheer exertion as she tried to calm herself down. She hugged her knees to her chest in an attempt to soothe the warmth and ache in her abdomen, but it would not fade away. She told herself over and over that it was just another dream, something that was not real…but this one was more vivid and lifelike than all the others from the past few days. It tormented her to no end, and it left her more exhausted than before.

These dreams seemed to grow progressively worse with each passing day. She knew that it was wrong to see things and feel things in this way especially for her familiar. She of all people knew her familiar best and thought of him as unruly, incorrigible, and downright…obstinate! But ever since he turned into a human, impure thoughts kept plaguing the witch no matter how much she tried to push them into the deep recesses of her mind. She thought that by not seeing him for a few days, these thoughts would subside and everything would go back to normal. However, it seems that the thoughts have somehow turned into vivid dreams, which made Naminé's situation worse.

She knew that the relationship between a witch and her familiar were different for every witch, but for a witch to indulge in…romantic relations? It was unheard of! No witch had ever considered such a thing. There were no records of it or even any stories because it was not even thought possible.

So why is it only her that had this problem?

Naminé rubbed her eyes sleepily as she summoned a splash of cold water to hit the small boy sitting on all fours. She cast a shield to block the water droplets as he shook his head back and forth to dispel the water. It glared at her and began to growl.

"Hungry," he said, slamming his hands on the ground. "Hungry!"

She sighed as she magically cleared away the spilt food from the ground and from her clothes. "I told you that if you do this, then you'll get to eat. You know, you're a smart dog, but you're really stubborn, aren't you?"

The little boy continued to growl, but it was an odd to hear a dog-like growl from a human.

She flicked her wand in the air, and a small grey cloud loomed over the boy warningly. His growls began to subside just as he realized that he was going to be dowsed in water again if he didn't obey.

"Now," she said as she summoned another bowl of food. She approached the dog carefully, watching for any of the slightest movements. His ears perked up as his eyes caught sight of the bowl. He took a step forward, and she paused, wondering if he was going to jump on her again to get to the food.

"Sit," she commanded.

She watched as the boy sat, not taking his eyes off of the bowl. She slowly and carefully set the bowl down in front of him, and he remained where he was although his drool began to drip from his mouth. Once she stepped back and nodded, he dove into the bowl and ate greedily. He eyed her warily and occasionally glanced at the looming cloud. Once he was done, he looked at her once more, staring at her for a minute or two, and upon seeing her stern look, he huffed and turned around.

She smiled victoriously as the he made his way back to the base of the tree and lied down. Then she got up and walked over to him, ruffling his hair and giving him praise. The boy stiffened at first and then remained silent, but Naminé knew that he was satisfied about receiving attention.

She sat on the spot next to him. She sighed while wiping the sweat on her brow and leaned back, closing her eyes and enjoying the gentle wind on a nice sunny day. At some point, Coco had nestled against her, making her smile and gently petting the top of his head from time to time.

It had been about two days since she took temporary custody of the dog, and she had quite a difficult time training him. She tried different methods including bribery and positive reinforcement, but it didn't exactly work out the way she wanted. In the end, she found that splashing water as punishment worked best, and she was satisfied to finally reach some sort of understanding with him. He would need more practice to enforce the training, but it was, at least, a start.

"I see that you actually got that dog to settle down for once. That's a lot of progress," someone called out. Naminé opened her eyes and turned her head towards the voice. Coco also noticed and raised his head to look, but upon seeing his master, he laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

The witch smiled as she saw Larxene in the distance. As her friend drew closer, Naminé stood, brushing the dirt off of her dress. She frowned as she realized that she had dirt and grass stains on her white dress and quickly cast a spell to get rid of them. Then she turned to greet Larxene.

"Had a rough night?" Larxene asked, getting a good look at Naminé. The witch knew that she must look exhausted to the blonde. She had dark bags under her eyes, which she could barely keep open.

Naminé smiled weakly. "Something like that." The truth was that she couldn't go back to sleep right after having that dream and was afraid of having another one. The trouble was that the thoughts and fears of that dream plagued her while she was awake, so she couldn't really do anything about it.

"So what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check on things over here and see how you were doing. I was worried about Coco's training, but I can see that I didn't have any reason to doubt you," Larxene said as she placed her hands on her hips and cast a wary glance at the little boy.

"So how much longer will the potion last?" she continued. "I thought that he might have transformed back by this time."

Naminé nodded. "He will be back to his original form at least by the end of the day, if not sooner."

"Good, because I don't know how long my excuse will last. Having him being 'checked by a witch specializing in animal behavior' got me through the first day, but now the kids are asking about him and when he's coming home." Naminé chuckled as Larxene sighed. "I don't even know why Axel and the kids have such an odd affection for the beast, after all the trouble he caused."

The witch's smile soon faded as she saw how troubled her friend looked after mentioning her husband.

"Larxene, what's wrong?"

She was a little hesitant before replying. "I feel guilty for always relying on you, Naminé. You've done a lot for me, and now I've somehow gone and messed things up."

"What do you mean?" Naminé gestured for her to come inside so that they may converse at a more comfortable setting. After magically tethering Coco to the tree, she led the way to the living room where she plopped down on the couch. She motioned for Larxene to sit down next to her.

The woman sighed as she adjusted her skirt and sat. "The day before yesterday…that morning when we switched Roxas and Coco, I found out that Axel had been stealing the money we've been saving for a long time."

Naminé gasped. She knew that those funds were for restoring their house.

"Do you know what he used it for?" she asked.

"Probably on that wench from the pub," Larxene answered bitterly.

"So you don't know."

"No! I don't know!" her friend cried. "I haven't properly talked to him these past two days! I'm so angry with him that I can't even stand to look at him!"

"So you're avoiding him?"

"Yes, but it's not like he's even trying to explain things to me either! He just keeps saying to wait a few days. Wait a few days for what? To tell me what I've been suspecting all along?"

"What about Roxas? Did he tell you anything?" She kept her facial expression neutral even though she was downright anxious about him.

The woman buried her face in her hands. "He won't tell me a thing about it even though I've been asking him every time I see him. I spoke to him this morning, and he just brushed me off and changed the topic! I know for certain that he found out what Axel was up to. He's been tagging along with Axel every day, and now they're both out late at night. It's driving me insane!"

Naminé looked shocked because he didn't say anything, and she was inwardly disappointed that he was still human. There was a stir in the depths of her abdomen, but she pushed it down. "He hasn't told you? How is that possible? The spell on the collar should have worked. He should have been able to tell you everything!"

"I don't know," Larxene replied slowly as she put a hand over her tired eyes. "Maybe it malfunctioned?"

The witch shook her head. "I thought that, too, but once an order is given, the spell on the collar ensures that it will be carried out. The only times it can weaken are when new orders are given. The spell hasn't weakened enough for it to stop halfway." She said nothing about what Roxas revealed to her a few days ago, the information about wanting the order to be carried out. But she was completely sure that she meant it when she said that he was to obey Larxene.

"The order you gave him to listen to me? Did that make the spell malfunction?"

"No, it should still be in place. It just means that Roxas must have found a loophole of some sort."

There were, of course, other ways to throw off a spell, including a counter-spell and sheer will power. However, familiars can't perform magic, according to her knowledge. He doesn't even have the will power to help her with chores let alone break a spell. But since he was very intelligent, it was most likely that he found a way around the spell. It was the only explanation she could think of.

"So what do I do now?" Larxene sighed dejectedly, her eyes glazing over. "I don't think I can take much more of this. If this is how it is after two days, I don't think I can last a month."

Naminé placed a comforting hand on the woman's knee. "There has to be some explanation, I'm sure of it. It just…it doesn't seem like Axel to be doing things like taking money and seeing that woman…"

"If there was such a reason, why hasn't he tried to talk to me about it? Why does he keep telling me to wait?" Larxene choked, biting back tears. "Naminé, he didn't even say anything when I confronted him about it. He didn't even try to talk to me!"

She looked away, staring absentmindedly at a spot on the carpet. "I'm just so…tired. I'm really exhausted from all of this…"

Naminé tried to say more to calm her down, to reassure her. Nothing she said, however, brought any comfort to her friend. Larxene just seemed so sure, so certain, that her husband was cheating on her with another woman and wouldn't listen to any reassuring words Naminé had to offer. It made the witch feel sad for her friend and also angry with Axel. She wanted to do something to help her friend more, but she was afraid that her magic might interfere and make things worse instead of better. She already interfered enough as it is…and she had to abide by the oath she made for herself when she took up this position, which was to help people and not to be too involved in the customer's business. Even if that customer was a dear friend.

With a heavy heart, the witch had no choice but to send her friend on her way home with a potion to calm the nerves. After seeing Larxene in such a sensitive state, Naminé felt that this was the least she could do. Coco – who had by then transformed back into a dog – left with her. Sensing his master's dampened demeanor, he silently and obediently walked by her side.

Naminé sighed as she retreated into her cottage, tidying up. Then she went downstairs to do some work to help alleviate some stress. There wasn't much she could do since she was still without a cauldron, but she would gather ingredients, do some research, and prepare her work station.

She looked at the list of orders that had grown since that fiasco and set her mind to work. Despite the fact that she told her current customers that their orders would be delayed, most were patient enough to wait until she had the time to buy a new cauldron. That didn't stop the incoming orders, however, and soon Naminé realized that if she didn't start on her work soon, she would never finish the potions in the time that the customers would return for it. She walked over to her shelves lined with potion ingredients and gathered them together. She put them into separate piles and placed a note at each pile, making sure to leave the book that contained the recipe.

Usually, organizing and gathering things would help Naminé calm down as potion-making did. But no matter what she did, she could not stop thinking about Larxene. She felt guilty that she couldn't do any more for her friend, and she very much wanted to walk up to Axel and demand to know what he was up to. He had to know what he was doing to his wife, how miserable he was making her feel.

But she was scared.

Axel and Larxene were the first friends that she made in this town, and she didn't want to lose them. She was even grateful to them for showing the townsfolk that Naminé meant well and wanted to help. She didn't want to see the couple fight or even separate because of this. If they only spoke about it…If they would only talk to each other…

And that Roxas. What was he doing? He was only making the situation worse. After all that she did to ensure that he would carry out her order, he somehow managed to work around the spell. She should have never entrusted this mission to him. He, of all familiars, most likely couldn't comprehend the delicate situation between a husband and a wife. She must have assumed that he would be intelligent enough to figure that out and handle it with care. If she ever saw him again, she would give him a piece of her mind, she would.

She looked down at the list and frowned. There were some orders that required more complex ingredients for equally complex potions, and many of them were not on Naminé's shelves since they were expensive and hard to come by. She walked across the room and knelt down. She knocked twice on the ground, and a trap door opened to reveal a box. She took it and looked through her savings, counting the coins.

Naminé sighed dejectedly once she finished. There was enough to buy a cauldron but not enough to also buy the ingredients she needed. She might have to venture out to the forest and see if she could collect at least one or two of the ingredients, but the rest could not be found by merely foraging. She would have to find another way, but she would do that after she bought her cauldron.

As she put the money into a small pouch that she put around her neck, she pondered over which route to take when she departed for the market. Then a thought crossed her mind.

She stood up and made her way up the stairs and to the front door of her cottage, grabbing her cloak, her headscarf, and her broom on the way. She intended to visit a friend who used to be her upperclassman back at the Academy, and she looked up to him in admiration and always sought his advice when it came to her studies. He specialized in cultivating plants with magical properties and would give her some plants when she was low on money. She didn't do this often since she felt as if she was imposing on him, but…she would have to ask this favor once more.

It took Naminé about two hours of flying, which would have to be about a day's journey by foot. It would have been shorter if she had remembered the way, but she somehow reached a place that she recognized. From that point, she knew which direction to head to. She wasn't even sure if her friend would be in the same place, but she would know soon enough once she climbed the hill before her.

Right as she reached the top of the hill, her eyes spotted the familiar gigantic glass building below with numerous smaller glass buildings attached to it. It was a building that was difficult to miss, but average people and low ranked witches and warlocks were unable to find such a place. It was under many disguise and camouflage spells since her friend didn't really want to be disturbed by "lousy fools who merely seek an escape to a problem with a simple solution" according to him. Only trained and competent wizards or a select few – which, in Naminé's case, she happened to be both – were allowed to know his home's exact location.

She made her way over to it and stared up at the entrance of the greenhouse. As grand as the greenhouse's size was, its structure and design were very simple. She admired the grand double doors that stood before her and then reached out to pull the rope that hung to the right side. Almost immediately, a bell rang loudly and echoed throughout the building.

When the doors opened, a man with long pink hair stood before her, donning a long light green tunic with many dirt stains near the hem and thick brown gloves. She saw slight surprise and recognition in his blue eyes covered by the goggles he wore.

"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting company, but come in," the upperclassman stood aside and beckoned the young witch inside. She took off the scarf on her head and brushed the bangs from her forehead. She immediately took off her cloak and draped it over her arm. It was very warm in the greenhouse, and like always, it sported a variety of exotic plants.

He showed her to one of his numerous work stations and gestured for her to sit while he brought over a tray that held biscuits, cookies, and elegant tea cups with a matching tea pot. Once he set it down before her and she helped herself to some snacks, he left the room and entered one of his attached greenhouses. Whenever Naminé visited, Marluxia always did his work in front of her since he was on such a tight schedule.

"So what brings you here, Miss 'White Witch'?" the pink haired man said as he brought over a terracotta pot that contained a deadly looking lily. She poured some tea and then magicked the cup to levitate over to him. He nodded in thanks.

"Nothing…really…" Naminé answered, eyeing the bright purple flower with razor sharp teeth in its center. She took a sip of her own cup. "I just felt that it was quite a long time since I visited."

"Mmm," Marluxia said absentmindedly as he took a pair of shears from a nearby drawer and snipped the bud. It dropped to the table while squealing in pain. After a few seconds, it withered and died with its mouth open. Marluxia pulled tweezers and a shallow dish from his pocket and began to pluck its teeth.

"That's an interesting plant," Naminé noted. "What project are you working on this time?"

Without looking up, Marluxia said, "I'm not at liberty to divulge the contents of my client's request. It's a rather complicated process."

"Is it all right for me to be here though?"

Marluxia glanced at her. "Naminé, you do not specialize in the growth and care of magical plants, so I do not see any harm in showing a process that you are obviously unfamiliar with."

She smiled uneasily. She forgot how blunt Marluxia could be. "That's right. But I was also wondering if it was safe for me to be here."

He turned back to his work. "I'm not doing any harmful stages of the process at the moment."

Naminé took his silence as a cue to carry on with "meaningless conversation," as Marluxia would put it.

"Speaking of 'harmful stages,' I recently had a sort of accident while working on one of my potions, and it kind of…ruined my cauldron."

He frowned. "That doesn't sound like you. You're usually very meticulous as I am when it comes to work."

She smiled inwardly at the compliment. "I was distracted…at that moment."

"By what?" He sounded quite curious.

"My familiar was up to mischief again," she answered.

For a long time, there was silence, and Naminé wondered if he was going to ask further. She knew that she would usually rant about it to the point where Marluxia would tire of it and scold her for being so obsessed, but she was relieved when he didn't ask about it. "Cauldrons are quite expensive, you know."

"Yes, it's quite inconvenient. I only have enough money saved to buy a new one. But I noticed lately that my orders are piling up. I don't think I could even afford to buy some of the ingredients…So I was wondering…if you could…"

He did not take his eyes off of his work, but she could see his eyes narrowing in concentration. At least…that's what she thought it was. It might have been annoyance. "You want some of my plants for your potions," he guessed.

She looked down at her cup, feeling guilty for visiting for such underhanded reasons.

"Dahlia," he called.

A white cat appeared from the doorway across the room and approached them. She still looked as graceful and majestic as when Naminé last saw her. Dahlia was, of course, Marluxia's familiar, and she was born with the rare ability to talk. As far as the witch knew, Dahlia was one of the few familiars who could do so. There was once an overly curious professor who questioned Dahlia over the mysteries surrounding familiars and their abilities, but the cat remained silent and refused to answer.

"Yes?" she asked, her blue eyes travelling over to Naminé who waved in greeting. The cat bowed her head in respect.

"Naminé is in need of some plants."

Dahlia turned towards the witch. "Do you have a list with you?"

She took out a piece of paper containing the information and handed it to the cat who took it with her mouth. Then she sauntered away, exiting at the door closest to them.

"Thanks. I owe you one," Naminé smiled gratefully.

"Mm. Another to add to the growing list of favors, I suppose," Marluxia replied, crossing the room to pick up another deadly looking plant. It was another flower with a complete set of teeth, but this one was more energetic. Marluxia quickly drew back when the plant began to snap at him. He took a nearby bottle and sprayed it over the plant. He waited until it settled down before bringing it over to the table.

"So how are things around here lately?"

"Work comes and goes as usual. It's never a dull moment, but I do wish to have more time for other things."

Naminé sipped her tea. "Why not take a day off? You've been working really hard."

"I cannot. It'll be detrimental to the schedule I laid out, and I have orders piling up left and right." Like the lily, he snipped the flower and began to pluck out its teeth.

Naminé remained quiet at this point since Marluxia seemed to be really focused on his task. She could tell, however, that he was considering her suggestion, and it made her smile.

She took this time to look around some more and to enjoy her tea. Sometimes their conversations would end in silence, but it was more of a comfortable atmosphere between friends.

Naminé sighed in envy as she remembered her friend's familiar. So graceful. Such a good assistant. She wished she could have a familiar as helpful as Dahlia. The cat was as much an assistant as she was a companion to Marluxia, and even though he didn't voice it, Naminé knew that the warlock was grateful to have her around. It let him concentrate on his work.

She wondered what it would be like to have that kind of relationship with a familiar. It must be nice and not at all chaotic. If she had an assistant, then she would be able to do twice as much work and earn double the amount. If she saved enough, she could even renovate her cottage!

But alas, she was on her own when it came to her work, and it wasn't going to change. Thinking about familiars made her recall her current situation with her own familiar. All the complications and arising problems were beginning to give her such a headache. She sighed heavily as she remembered how complicated her life had become once Roxas turned human.

Naminé was startled as Marluxia also sighed, more out of frustration. He stopped midway in his de-teething, setting down his tools and removing his gloves and goggles. He pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to get rid of a sudden headache.

"W-what is it?"

He looked pointedly at her. "That was about your tenth sigh."

"Was it?" she said uneasily as the edge of her mouth twitched.

"What's really the problem, Naminé?"

Naminé tried to keep a straight face. "I don't know what you mean. Everything's fine."

He shot her a look that told her that he clearly wasn't buying it.

"You can't keep running to me or to anyone else whenever something goes wrong, Naminé. You always do this, but you're lucky I'm in a good mood to listen. So I would appreciate it if you would get right to the point and just tell me what problem is plaguing you this time."

Naminé bit her lip. Did she really always run to him for advice? No, she remembered times that she didn't rely on Marluxia when she was in trouble…but then again…during those times, she would run to Kairi…

"It's not about your familiar, is it?" Marluxia asked, getting straight to the point.

Naminé's eyes widened.

"How did you…?"

"I only made an observation that was clear only to a witch or a warlock," he said, looking at her familiar-less side. Just then, his own familiar suddenly appeared and jumped onto the table. Her blue eyes looked at both of the witch's sides, searching for the wolf.

"Roxas' scent around you isn't as strong as it usually is, and there is something about his scent that is quite strange," the cat observed quietly.

Marluxia reached a hand over to his familiar and scratched the area between her ears. She purred in contentment while staring curiously at the dead flower on the table.

"Thank you, Dahlia," he said as she jumped off the table and strode away through the doors leading to the greenhouse to collect more plants. Marluxia silently turned back to Naminé and stared at her, expecting an answer.

The blonde witch looked down guiltily, staring at her clenching and unclenching fists on her lap. "You're right. It is about my familiar. I just…I don't know what to do anymore."

"Did he cause that much mischief for you to burn your potion?" the pink haired warlock asked bored.

She shook her head. "It's not that. He…he drank one of the potions I was making for a client."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow.

"It was…it was the Transformation potion, the one that turns animals into humans for a short time," she explained. "But Roxas being…Roxas…he's become more unbearable and uncontrollable than before, and…and – " She couldn't really say any more without breaking down.

Both of Marluxia's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "That is…quite shocking. I don't think I've ever heard that happen before. I thought that he stole yet another expensive piece of meat from the butcher."

Naminé's shoulders began to shake, and she covered her eyes, trying to fight back the frustrated tears that threatened to fall. Voicing her problem out loud and having someone understand the situation completely had made her more relieved yet more…upset.

"I'm…guessing that it's much more than Roxas turning human…?"

She nodded silently, looking at her clenched fists that rest on her lap.

"Well, then…are you…forming…romantic feelings for him?"

Her head snapped up, her eyes widened. "No! No, that can't be! I've only been with the human Roxas for two days, and he's been - "

"But you've known the familiar Roxas for years," the gardener pointed out, "Is he any different from when he was a wolf?"

Naminé averted her eyes. "No, not that different. He's still obnoxious and disobedient as he's always been. But he's been…very difficult. He's been making…advances towards me, and I don't know what to do."

Marluxia raised an eyebrow. "Sexual advances?"

A blush stained the witch's cheeks as she gave a silent confirmation.

"And you think pushing him away and running here would solve your problem?"

"What else am I supposed to do?" she cried. "There's nothing about an antidote or a reversal to this potion except to wait it out! My uncle told me to stay away from Roxas, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to do that when he's…when he's…like that…and acting…like that. Not to mention that it's been days since he drank the potion, and he's still human!" She covered her face in shame, refusing to picture Roxas that first night he transformed.

The gardener let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Naminé, there's nothing wrong with finding people attractive."

"Not when it involves your familiar! How would you like it if Dahlia made the same advances towards you?"

Upon hearing her name, the cat poked her head through the door. The pink-haired warlock and his familiar exchanged glances. The cat gave him an amused smirk.

"I admit that it would be quite awkward," the warlock coughed, and the cat retreated into the room. "But what I meant, Naminé, is that you've been pushing aside your…womanly urges for the years that I've known you, keeping yourself as pure as a nun. You have no experience when it comes to men, and you do not even know how to handle one when he makes strong advances."

"But I told him to keep away from me and to not come near me. Shouldn't that count?"

"That depends...How did you tell him? Were you assertive?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "No…I guess it wasn't enough."

"Then do you feel attracted to him?"

"W-what?" she stared at him with wide eyes. She heard the question clearly, but for some reason, her brain was having trouble processing this.

"Are you attracted to Roxas?" he repeated.

Naminé looked down, taking some time to think about it. Did she find Roxas attractive? He most certainly wasn't ugly, and she did describe him as the "naked Adonis" that first night…She remembered every touch and every advance, which made her heart pound and her face flush deeply. After reflecting upon her actions and her reactions, Naminé came to a conclusion. She now knew the answer, but the witch simply did not want to acknowledge it. It made things profoundly complicated, and she certainly did not want to think about it. In her mind, she knew it was wrong, completely and utterly wrong.

But she knew. She most likely knew the whole time and was just in denial.

Marluxia clearly saw the answer through her expression.

"It's understandable that it would hit you rather hard once you've seen someone highly attractive."

"He's still the same arrogant familiar though. I would have thought it would cancel out," she answered quietly, "And it's not like I haven't seen extremely handsome men before though."

"But you probably haven't ever seen someone so appealing, so delectable to you that you can't stop thinking about him or even the possibility of you two being together no matter how complicated the situation is or will become. Maybe it haunts you every day, maybe you dream about it every night."

That rendered Naminé silent as she let the thought sink into her.

The warlock nodded and took a sip of his tea. "I'm not saying that you should harbor feelings for your familiar and pursue it, but you should also consider and sort out your own feelings on that matter. If you're to do anything about your current situation, you need to be prepared and stand your ground, and any hesitation or break in your resolve will only make things worse. Once you've done that, I'm sure that you'll be able to handle the problem easily."

"But what about my uncle? He told me that it's dangerous to be in the same vicinity and that I should stay away from him."

Marluxia crossed his arms. "Your uncle may be one of the most intelligent minds in the Academy, but even he cannot unlock the secrets and mysteries of feelings such as love and attraction. Also, this is a problem between you and your familiar. Outsiders should not be involved."

Naminé looked down at her lap. It wasn't exactly the advice she wanted to hear, but the way he said it made her ponder his words. He made it sound easier that it actually is. She guessed that there was truth in his words, but she wondered if she could really do that. Could she sort out her feelings for Roxas? Even after admitting to herself of her attraction for her familiar, a part of her didn't want to touch it at all, and a different part of her was tired of it all and wanted it to end, to let it die. Then there was a tiny part of her that was curious about it. She would have to somehow reconcile all of these parts and come to some sort of compromise.

She closed her eyes, knowing that it was going to be difficult.

"Now…if you may excuse me…I have to get back to work. I'm behind as it is, and my client is waiting anxiously for this order…"

"Oh! That's right. I'm sorry for keeping you busy with my worries," Naminé gathered her things and hastily tied the scarf over her head. At that moment, Dahlia entered the room with a basket full of the plants. The witch stooped down to grab the basket and to lightly pet Dahlia's head in thanks.

Marluxia walked her to the entrance with Dahlia trailing behind. As Naminé stepped outside, she turned to face the pink-haired man.

"Thanks again, Marluxia. I promise that the next time I visit it won't be because I'm running away again, and I'm sorry that I always run to you for advice."

He waved it away. "Just be sure that you have everything figured out."

She smiled gratefully, "I will."

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

Yo! It's been a while, hasn't it? I meant to update on this fanfic's second birthday, but then I couldn't exactly tie together some parts. This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to chop it and put it into the next chapter. Thanks for being patient! Hope this chapter was fun for you. It was fun for me to see Naminé struggle with her feelings. More to come, I'm sure. And in the next chapter, I can guarantee that we'll see some Naminé and Roxas interaction. Muahaha. Look forward to it!

Before I go, I must must thank my lovely reviewers. A big thank you to: Namiroku, GummyDrive, Polymoly, Q-A the Authoress, Vi ChaN91312, purpleeninjaaa, Kiome-Yasha, JustieC, TheShadowKissedAngel, aquagirl (Aw. Thanks so much! :D), Imagamerchic (Thanks! lol. Yes, it is becoming quite a recurring theme...I think my next one will change that. :D), LightSky, Vanguardian 101 (Woah. A bazillionth time, you say?), livelaughlove87878, DegreeBound205, and Xerrex. Thank you guys so much!

Thanks for reading! See you at the next update!