Valiant Hearts II
Chapter XIV
Old new Life -
Confrontation of Feelings?
Empty hallways filled with the echoes of sinister screams. The whole complex was abandoned, seemingly because of what was occurring in its depths, in places where a normal visitor could not have gone. One could only imagine what terror was waiting on the lowest levels.
“As I said, failure shall not be tolerated.”
The Superior was standing upright before Luxord, amidst a mass of darkness, which was actually his quarters—a half-destructed and empty hall. This was the place where he had tortured the girl, and this was the place where he would punish those who dared to defy him and those who failed to meet his expectations, his orders.
And Luxord had failed.
His eyes were wide open in fear, fear of the things he was seeing inside his head. His mind was put through unimaginable nightmares, his own trickery made his greatest enemy. A hell of fear, desperation and darkness waiting for him, and only occasionally, Xemnas decided to lift the spell, allowing Luxord's mind to find itself back in reality.
But it was just another way to punish him, Luxord knew well that the Superior was unforgiving and never showed any emotion. The gambler swore to himself that if he somehow survived this without going insane, those girls would pay for what he had to endure.
Xemnas raised his hand, and it was the signal of yet another hell to come. Not physical pain was it that Luxord feared, as his cards would aid him there, but the terror. Terror to his mind, the one piece he could not trick, not simply heal with his powers.
“No!”
The echo of his desperate scream reached even the most outer parts of the complex, the vibe of his voice capable of warning everyone else what awaited them if they failed like he had. That was Xemnas' greatest weapon. Terror.
Hours passed with Luxord being kept in his mental prison. He would only last so long before his wall of sanity broke down, his mind losing its shape and drifting into chaos.
The darkness finally vanished, only gradually allowing Luxord to see the real world again. Xemnas was still standing before him with a frozen expression, an expression he kept always and at any time.
“Do not fail me again.”
“Yes…”
---Valiant Hearts---
None of them had spoken a word since then. Kairi still thought about Yuffie's message from the night before and was avoiding looking into Naminè's and Olette's eyes. How should she answer? What should she answer? Did Naminè know?
“I was against it, but Leon is so ridiculously stubborn!“ Tifa complained, standing in the kitchen and talking to her lover, who was making some omelettes for the girls.
“You don't need to yell. Save that for later, you're going to have to do plenty of that if Leon pushes the matter too far,” Aerith said, giving Tifa a that is enough look.
“I know…but—!”
“No buts. Here, have an omelette.”
Aerith suppressed any further conversation by giving Tifa two plates of breakfast and sending her over to the table, where the girls sat.
Olette was still half-asleep, her head lying on the table. The whole night she had thought about…it. Naminè wasn't in good shape and was resting her arms on the table, holding up her head. Overusing magic often caused headaches over days. Kairi had gotten very little sleep and was leaning back in her chair, opposite to Olette, thinking so hard that she didn't even notice Tifa putting a plate in front of her.
“They look terrible. I'm going to tell Leon that—”
“He won't be listening, Tifa. The earlier they're over it, the better. I want to forget about it too, so please, could you give it a rest?”
Aerith was slightly annoyed at the persistence of her lover so early in the morning. She didn't like the idea of the girls reporting in the day after they had gotten home either, but Leon was still their leader.
“Some leader he is…” Tifa muttered. She sat down at the table and started sulking.
The following silence was so awkward that Aerith stood up, walked over to the living room and put on a CD, even though she didn't like music at breakfast. The song was “Twilight Treats” by Thorn of a Rose, one of Aerith's favorite artists.
A few seconds into the song, Olette moved, seemingly slowly waking up completely from her half-asleep state.
“Hey…I know that song. Where did you get it?”
“Leon gave it to me. He got it from…well, sort of a friend. Or so he says.”
Aerith remembered exactly which friend and where Leon got it. But if she told Olette, she would probably ask Leon, and if there was one thing to avoid, it was questioning Leon's past.
“Hm…”
“How do you know it?”
Naminè was only half-present, Kairi still deep in thought but subconsciously eating breakfast with Tifa, who was already on her second bagel and watching Aerith, who had, out of the four, the most graceful manners. Or manners at all.
“Just…from home. I guess. I don't really remember, but when I hear it, I think of a certain someone. It doesn't feel pleasant to think about her, though. She and her friends had always been a pain. Somewhat, I guess.”
Olette tried to forget about it and just continued to listen to the song, starting on her breakfast.
“Naminè, you don't like eggs?”
Aerith was worried about her apprentice. Had she gone over her limits in the past few days and suffered some permanent damage? Or was she just still tired?
“Oh, I just…I have a headache,” Naminè explained, but then picked up her breakfast. A slight cough escaped her. She still wasn't completely healed, but it was much better thanks to Aerith.
“If that is all, then you're going to be okay. The cure magic I used gives your immune system a strong boost, so you should be fine soon. Don't get sick again, please.”
Aerith was happy that it had worked so well. Naminè had been sick, and to cut it down to just a cold and occasional coughing was much more than she had hoped for. Usually the human body wasn't able to recover that quickly.
The atmosphere was tense and none of them wanted to start any conversation. They would have to speak a lot later, when they had to report every detail to Leon.
“Everything is going to be okay, you four.”
Aerith had long finished her food, and looked from one girl to another, finally stopping at Tifa.
“Why am I included in the list?” She was still sulking.
“Because right now, you're acting worse than the others.”
Tifa began to sulk even harder. “That's not true. You're just being mean for no reason.”
Everyone finished eating and Aerith collected the plates, giving them forcefully to Tifa. “If I'm so mean, here. Go and wash the dishes so you don't have to suffer anymore.”
It was a smile of the devil. Tifa knew that arguing with her right now was useless. They were all not quite happy that Leon had ordered the girls to report the day after they had come back, ignoring their poor conditions.
Aerith just stood behind Tifa, drying the wet plates. The night before, they had talked long into the night about what to do with the girls. For the first time in months, they had had a serious argument.
---Valiant Hearts---
Tifa was leaning on the door, arms crossed and wearing a stony expression. After her initial happiness, she was mad. Really mad. Kairi had run away, got herself almost killed and hadn't told her or Aerith about it. And now Aerith disagreed with her that they'd need to punish Kairi for the act.
“Do you plan on letting her get away with this sort of thing?”
Aerith was sitting on the bed, looking straight at Tifa, hands resting on her lap. She knew why Tifa was mad. She felt the same, yet different. Kairi was sorry, they both knew it, but Tifa still insisted on punishing her, even if it only served an educational purpose. Aerith was more lax on her, which was weak, in Tifa's opinion.
“No, but I don't think punishing her is what we should do. She, and we too, suffered enough already. We should make clear to Kairi that she doesn't have to hide anything from us, that she can talk to us if she has worries.”
“But that's the same as letting her off the hook! I know she is sorry, and I'm not saying we should punish her that much…at least restrict her freedom for a few days. I don't want to see her hurt, and until I'm absolutely sure that she will talk to us next time, I want her to be always in sight.”
Aerith let out a sigh and shook her head slightly. Tifa was stubborn, but not dumb. It was just that she couldn't let go of the thought that Kairi might do something stupid again.
“You want to make Kairi a prisoner in this house? Look, Tifa…I want Kairi to trust us, and I think you want it too, but confining her inside the house would only make it worse. She would feel like we're doubting her more than ever, holding her prisoner. I see your point, but your method is wrong.”
Tifa angrily hit the door. Why was Aerith so against her? She was always so easygoing with Kairi! Sure, she had a point, but…but…
“If we always overlook whatever she does, one day, the thing we fear most will happen. She'll get herself into trouble and won't come back!“ Tifa yelled at Aerith.
It had been ages since Tifa had yelled at Aerith. They were a very close couple and almost never argued. Aerith would have won most arguments anyway, and Tifa knew it. She was just weak against Aerith. But this time, Tifa wouldn't back down. This was too important for her.
“Don't you dare even think about that!” Aerith yelled back.
Tifa was stunned by Aerith's outburst. She had never seen Aerith lose her temper. The brunette woman covered her face with her hands. It was unfair of Tifa to say something like that!
“Do you think I don't care about Kairi? Do you?! If so, then please, open your eyes, Tifa! I was just as worried as you were, but you're taking a step back, not forward!”
Aerith stood up and looked with fiery eyes at Tifa. The black-haired woman couldn't stand that gaze. It was like her emerald eyes were piercing right through her, looking inside her mind. Averting her face, Tifa felt less angry than before. “It's just…I'm so worried that she might do something like this again…she came back, but only thanks to King Mickey. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if he hadn't come by!”
Tifa tried to keep her composure and not start crying. The thought of Kairi vanishing for good was a bit much.
“It's not like I'm not worrying! And please, don't talk about what would have happened. I want this nightmare to end already. We should be happy that she is back. I think…punishing her would only make it worse.”
Aerith had completely lost her usual calm attitude. She was drained and angry. She hadn't been like this since her world had gotten destroyed and she had lost many of her friends.
“So what do you think we should do? Talk with her, that's all? I know Kairi is not stupid, but I feel like just talking won't be enough. Punishing her is also a way to show we care about her. Don't you get it, Aerith? I want her to know that we care about her. Like…parents care about their children.”
Aerith understood what Tifa wanted, but still shook her head. It was useless to force someone to understand others cared, and Tifa had to learn that.
“I…know we're not her real family, and she must be longing after her real one, but…I love her just like she was my own child.”
Tifa stepped forward and took Aerith's hands, closing her eyes. “I know you feel the same. That's why I don't want to lose Kairi, no matter what happens. I need her, just like I need you, Aerith…”
“Don't tell Kairi that, she'd be scared for her life.” Aerith tried to lighten up the mood. She hated fighting. Hated arguing.
It took Tifa a moment to catch up, but she then blushed furiously. “I didn't mean it that way! Gosh, you're a pervert, through and through!”
Aerith couldn't help but smile. It hurt her most when she was arguing with Tifa or Kairi. She just couldn't stand it. She would do anything to stop fighting with them. “I know. And you are telling me I'm a pervert? I think I have to remind you of—”
“No, you don't! God, if you ever mention that in front of Kairi, I'll…I'll…”
“Explode out of embarrassment, I bet.”
Tifa couldn't help but look away, red as a ripe tomato. They still hadn't found a solution to their argument, and Tifa would not let it go. But her anger was mostly gone. Had that been her intention all along?
“I still think just talking to her won't be enough. I want her to…stay here for a while. Let her wounds heal and…I don't know, but I don't want her to leave anytime soon!”
“I know how you feel. But what you want to do would only make her feel worse. We would be treating her like a rebellious child, and it would only make things worse. It would make her feel like we don't trust her the least.”
Tifa had finally come to reason, and Aerith was happy that they could stop arguing at last. Aerith got closer to Tifa, laying her arms around Tifa's waist and pulling her even closer. Resting her head on Tifa's shoulder, Aerith took a deep breath and closed her eyes, waiting for Tifa to say the one sentence she wanted to hear. 'You were right, my flower. I understand now.'
But things don't always go like that.
“Your hair reeks. When was the last time you took a bath?”
That was not what she wanted to hear, and Aerith made a slightly angry expression. “Talk about yourself. Your clothes smell like the unspeakable. When did you last wash them?”
They were teasing each other, both in silent understanding with each other about what they would do with Kairi.
“You mean you forgot to wash them! It's your week.”
Aerith bit her lips. They were still standing like lovers who were about to share a close moment, but once they started their game of tease and be teased, there was no stopping it.
“And who is always producing so much laundry that we have to wash—”
“At least I'm not wearing those long dresses! They're a pain to wash.”
“You'd look good in a dress, Tifa.”
“You really think so? Hm…maybe I should borrow one of yours.”
“Absolutely not. Not in a hundred years.”
“Stingy.”
“I would lend you one, but I'm absolutely sure you'd give it back in pieces.”
Tifa went silent for a moment. Aerith was hard to beat at this, especially because what she said was mostly true.
“Wait a second…” Tifa took a deep sniff of Aerith's dress, followed by an expression that could only be described as absolutely disgusted. “It's not your hair that reeks…it's that ominous dress of yours!”
Aerith went glaring red, like a child that was found out while stealing candy. “It's not my fault! I forgot that it's my week, and ran out of clean clothes!”
Tifa had a devilish smile on her lips, like she had just won a fight. “So you did forget! The oh-so-perfect Aerith Gainsborough forgot something.”
Tifa made an exaggerated gesture and started giggling at Aerith's blushing face.
“You're terrible. If I were to act like that every time you forgot something, I'd long have died from suffocation!”
“Whoa, that's really mean!”
They continued to tease each other for a while, resulting in both of them lying down on their big bed, gasping for air from laughing and exhaustion.
“Say, Tifa…how long should we stay like this?”
“A few more minutes, at least. I can barely talk.”
“Not that…”
Aerith had noticed it earlier, when Tifa called her by her full name. They were living together, lovers, and with Kairi they were a family. But only for their close friends. In name, they were completely different people, not related to each other.
“What do you mean, Aerith?”
But was now really the right time for that? They had just gotten Kairi back and had had an argument too. Maybe waiting a bit more was better after all.
“I'll tell you later. Maybe.”
“Teasing me again?!” Tifa got up and looked over at Aerith.
“Maybe.”
“You're the devil woman, Aerith!”
“But you still love me, don't you?”
“Point taken.”
“We should go to sleep, it's already past midnight.”
“I feel like you're escaping from this, but you're right.”
One day…one day, Aerith wanted to tell, wanted to ask Tifa for that.
---Valiant Hearts---
They were all there. Leon leaning on the wall, arms crossed. Cid in front of his computer, ready to log their report. Yuffie sitting on an old box, swinging her legs back and forth. Kairi, Olette and Naminè sitting on chairs next to a table, still sleepy and not fully recovered from their trip. Aerith was sitting just an arm's length away from Kairi, and Tifa was standing behind Aerith.
Their report had taken over three hours, and Leon had given them no break. They were done, but he was now asking about details.
“First, this man you three were fighting. You said you beat him on the ice shelf she created.” Leon pointed at Naminè.
“Naminè. Her name is Naminè. Stop being a prick, Leon,” Tifa snarled at him.
“And then you fought him again in the town, and shortly later on the path between worlds.”
The girls gave a simultaneous nod, and Leon laid a hand on his forehead.
“It doesn't add up. First you win, then later, he seems to have powered up and you have barely a chance, and just minutes later, he is insanely powerful and you are defeated overwhelmingly. Such things only exist in Cid's video games.”
The smoker complained and cursed Leon for looking down on his games.
“Are you sure you fought the same guy three times? Maybe you mistook him for the same guy, but he was someone else. It doesn't make much sense otherwise,” Leon questioned Kairi.
“I don't think there are many guys like that. Using cards as battle tools and all the piercings? No, that was the same guy, I'm absolutely sure,” Kairi replied.
“Cid, do you have any data on such a guy from our raid on their headquarters?” Leon was skeptical. It made no sense. Did the guy use some trick? Extreme healing magic? But even Aerith wouldn't be able to heal damage like a cut-off hand in just a few minutes.
“Nope, nothing, not a hint.”
“Leon, I have a theory about his abilities.” It was rare for Yuffie to speak up while others reported.
“If you're fooling around, I'm going to be mad.”
“I specialize in tricks and tools. I think this guy does too. Remember that Kairi mentioned he first used cards while shouting their names? What if each card stands for a different ability, just like how I use many different tools?” Yuffie made a few gestures, to accompany her explanation.
“Don't be ridiculous. If that were the case, why would he limit his battle tactics to just the same things every time?” Leon rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed at Yuffie.
“Now who is fooling around? Do you think I would use something new if I knew the old things worked on my enemy? No offense, Kairi, but if he was able to beat you with whatever he was using, there was no need to let the enemy know what else he was capable of.”
“You're reading way too much into this, Yuffie. From what they reported, he was more than just sure he would win. There is no need to keep your abilities a secret if you're going to kill everyone that knows about them anyway.”
“It's just my theory, but don't come back later complaining to me about it when he kicks your butt,” Yuffie said, and waved her hand at Leon.
Tifa was snorting over Yuffie's comment and earned an evil glare from Leon in response, and another from Aerith, shutting her up.
“We will find out when he makes his next move. No use in worrying about this now.” Cid knew that Leon still had some questions, and it really was meaningless to discuss the matter of the enemy and his unknown abilities any further.
Leon sighed and held his left hand to his forehead. “Okay, next. That ice shelf. Aerith, I will need your opinion on that, but be serious. I've never heard of you doing something crazy like that. Naminè, you first. How did you do it?”
“I…don't remember much. We were in danger and I saw this one recitation to call upon power of Celsius in one of Aerith's books. I didn't think it would go out of control like that.”
“Not really much…Aerith, what kind of recitation spell was that?” Leon was obviously unsatisfied.
“I try to keep it simple. For recitation, there are different beings to call upon. For ice, there are not as many as others. The only ones on the god grade I know are Shiva, Jormungard, Fenrir, and Celsius. Shiva is the weakest, the Queen of Ice. Jormungard is a forgotten entity, and has no power left. I also never tried to recite from him because back then, he was known to be unpredictable. Fenrir is, for me, the highest form of ice recitation magic I can manage. Even then, it takes a while to set up the spell. But Celsius…Celsius is the Empress of Eternal Freezing, way beyond Fenrir. There are several beings like her in the recitation chain of beings…”
Tifa was covering her face in her hands, trying to prevent herself from laughing. When Aerith was asked about magic, she went on and on, and if you got lucky, she finished before the blood started running out of your ears.
“…and that means, god grade beings are generally unpredictable. Commonly, we use king or knight grade beings for recitation. Even I have problems with some of the stronger beings in that grade. But to call upon the most powerful being…Naminè was extremely lucky that her magical potential is not as big as mine. If I were to do something so reckless and lost control of it, the entire world would end up frozen. Basically, using any recitation beyond the lowest being on the god grade will inevitably result in a loss of control.”
Leon was already rolling his eyes along with everyone else. But Aerith wouldn't shut up until she finished her recital.
“I never met anyone who could control such spells. Not even Merlin or King Mickey could. I think master Yen Sid would be able to, he is an excellent magus. I believe he was able to master a recitation on Adamant. Adamant is a god class being from the life circle and—”
Tifa put a hand on Aerith's mouth, forcing her to be quiet. “I think they understand. In short, it's more than just dangerous to use those recitations. Don't use them, no matter what happens, Naminè. Or else we'll all be forced to hear the full story on this.”
That was actually a very scary thought and everyone present except Tifa took a step back.
“I wasn't finished,” Aerith complained.
“Now you are,” Tifa said, and for once, roles were reversed and Tifa gave her partner an angry glare.
“Don't worry, Tifa, I'll tell you alone the whole thing later,” Aerith said with a killing smile.
“That's that. I expect you to be more cautious from now on. No dangerous spells. Both of you.” Leon pointed at Naminè and Aerith, and both of them started to sulk. It was special to be able to do recitation magic, so how could Leon understand how hard it was to control it?
“There was something else that disturbed me. That guy, Jack Sparrow. Did he find out that you were from another world?” Leon looked straight at Kairi.
“I don't think so. He seemed smart, for a pirate, but I don't think he understood who we were. He didn't ask any questions, so I guess he knew I wasn't going to tell him anything,” Kairi replied to the question.
That was a relief. If people came to understand that there were other worlds, order would break down, panic and disbelief would reign. They had to avoid that at all costs. Keyblades seemed to have some kind of illusion effect on their masters, preventing people on different worlds from finding out about them. However, there was no way to disguise the others. If they came along, it was obvious to people on their worlds that they didn't belong there. That was the reason people beside the Keybladers were usually forbidden to enter other worlds. There were exceptions, like the raid on the headquarters of the Nobodies.
“Good. Try to avoid dragging civilians into our battles in the future. None of us want to repeat past mistakes…”
Kairi remembered that incident. She didn't want to, though. It had been not entirely her fault, but she was the Keyblader, in the end, the guilt came to haunt her.
“You three will be grounded in Hollow Bastion for some time. Yuffie will be going on recon missions. Once we spot the Organization, and deem it safe, we will send you three out. If anything happens, you will immediately come back, and there are no exceptions to this order. That is all.”
Tifa was feeling much better. She had been thinking a lot about how to tell Kairi that she wasn't allowed to leave Hollow Bastion for some time, and Aerith said that it was Tifa's job to tell her. She would do the talking later, since she was better at it. Tifa was a bit offended, but couldn't argue on that. Now that Leon had them grounded, she was satisfied. Looking at Aerith, she could see that the brunette was too. Aerith would never admit it, but she was more than happy that Tifa had insisted on the fact that they had to punish the girls somehow and grounding them wasn't too extreme but still a punishment.
It was finally over. Starting at eleven in the morning, it was now past two. They were tired, hungry and exhausted, especially Kairi, Naminè and Olette.
“Let's go back. Let's go home,” Aerith said, rubbing her temple.
---Valiant Hearts---
Kairi was in her room, sleeping. Olette was sitting on the table in the living room, lethargically eating some snacks, Naminè was lying on the couch, reading a book that Aerith had given her: Ezatin Mios – Beings Beyond the World.
Tifa was out shopping for dinner, and Aerith was doing the laundry. None of them was eager to talk about what had happened yet again. Tifa and Aerith had heard everything in their report. Kairi was still not fully recovered, Naminè's headache had gone worse, and Olette was just tired. Olette had done most of the talking when they had had to report about the time they had spent in the unfriendly town.
“Olette, could you help me with the laundry? There is another basket on the stairs, could you get it for me?”
Aerith was standing behind her with a basket full of freshly washed clothes. Since Naminè and Olette had only a few sets of clothes, they had to wash them often. Tifa and Aerith had spent a little fortune on new clothes for the girls, since neither of them had more than what they wore when they first arrived.
Their taste was fairly simple, though. Naminè preferred a simple dress, such as the one she wore when she first met Kairi. She had two in white, and a black one. Olette kept her old clothes and got some others. Long jeans, and several tops, close in looks to what she usually wore.
“Sure. Oh, and…I'm sorry for running away with Kairi like that.”
“You should be. But enough of that. I'm happy that all three of you are back.”
Olette didn't know what to say. Ever since she had learned that her home, Twilight Town, was a fabricated world, she kind of doubted everything. But for once, she felt a little bit at home.
They used the balcony to dry the clothes, and Olette was in charge of hanging the wet clothes from the second basket. She had a hard time, mostly because half of that basket contained various pairs of underwear from about anyone living in the house.
“Wow…I didn't know something like this counts as underwear.” Olette was holding a black thong.
“That's Kairi's,” Aerith said, absolutely casual.
It took Olette a second to comprehend that she was holding Kairi's underwear in her hands. She went from astonished to glaring red in a split second. “W-w-what?!”
“I'm just kidding,” Aerith said with a huge grin. “It's Naminè's.”
“That's not any better!” Olette complained, and put the thong away.
“You're so easy to tease, I just couldn't resist. Just like Tifa.” Aerith smiled, much to Olette's delight.
“Actually, you comparing me with Tifa is a bit scary,” Olette said, thinking about the relationship the two women had.
“I think you know I didn't mean it like that.”
Olette just nodded and they silently finished doing the laundry. They both were sitting on the table when Aerith started a conversation.
“So, you have a thing for Kairi?” Again the casual tone.
Olette almost spat out the juice she was drinking and started coughing. Just where and from whom…?!
“What gives you that idea?” Olette sort of panicked. This must be the feeling one got when left alone with the parent of the boy or girl one had a crush on.
“Hm…let's see. For one, your reaction earlier at the thong. I could have sold you off as big tomato. Then, you almost spat your juice out at my question now. And then…well, let's just say it's womanly intuition.”
Olette went red like a light bulb at Christmas. She had to defend herself somehow. It was not like that!
“Everyone would spit at such a sudden question! And I think everyone would show some reaction if you told them who that underwear belongs to!”
“So you don't like her?” Aerith was looking with her sparkling eyes at Olette.
She found happiness with Tifa, so if anyone had to be together with Kairi, Aerith would like it to be a girl. It seemed really unrealistic, though, that Kairi would come to like anyone in a romantic way.
“You won't talk to her about it, right?” Olette made a serious face, looking straight back at Aerith.
“I won't if you don't want me to.” Aerith was serious too. If Olette really looked at Kairi like that, then she would not tell Kairi. Olette had said nothing about not telling Tifa, though, and Aerith smiled a bit on the inside.
“I do like her. But it's complicated.” Olette was a bit embarrassed to tell Aerith.
“What's so complicated about it?”
“Naminè and I are very close. We both like Kairi, and we both told Kairi that we like her, and we told each other that we like Kairi.”
Aerith was slightly confused for a moment but then caught on. Olette continued to talk, and it was obvious that she really wanted to talk to someone outside of their little love triangle.
“Naminè and I know that Kairi can only go out with one of us. That is…if she likes one of us back.”
Aerith smiled and laid her hand on Olette's. “I don't think she has a crush on anyone. So you two just need to work hard for her to like you.”
“I don't really want to go out with her if that means hurting Naminè. I think she feels the same.”
It was quite obvious in what direction the conversation was going.
“I see the problem. You don't want Naminè to get her heart broken, and vice versa…”
“I think…I only wanted her to know how I feel. How Naminè feels about Kairi is obvious. I think…I only want to know how Kairi feels. In the end, even if she were to say yes to me…I would turn her down. If being together with her will make Naminè feel all alone, I really don't want that.”
“You really do like Naminè, don't you? Why don't you two try and go out with each other?”
Olette blushed a bit at the thought, but immediately shook her head. It wasn't like that between them.
“Kairi and Naminè are different. We're close friends, we can't go out.”
Aerith giggled and got up. She had known that Naminè was in love with Kairi, but that Olette was too had been sort of a surprise. It was kind of sad, though, that most likely none of the girls would have their dream fulfilled. In the end, it would be really odd for Kairi to develop lesbian interests.
“I hope everything works out in the end.” Aerith didn't know what else to say. If it made Kairi happy, Aerith would be happy to do whatever she could to support them.
---Valiant Hearts---
Two days of doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and recovering had gone by since they reported. They were mostly back on track, thanks to Aerith's strong healing magic. Aerith had kept quiet, even to Tifa, about Olette and Kairi, and the girls didn't talk much. Naminè tried to give Kairi some space, and Olette avoided Kairi, afraid of the answer to her question. Kairi herself often slept till noon or past that and then only got up to eat and went back to bed. Her mind was occupied with several things at all times.
Why did Olette have to fall in love with her too? Naminè had been so intrusive before, but thank God she kept a distance now. It made Kairi's life much easier. Whatever happened between Naminè and Olette, it seemed like the brunette had a positive effect on the blond girl.
But she had to postpone her thoughts on that. She had to get well fast to resume training. Kairi wanted to become stronger than anyone else. Strong enough to never lose a battle again. Both Olette and Naminè had resumed their training this day, but Kairi needed Aerith's approval to resume training.
Olette had gotten well enough to resume training with Tifa, but it was completely different from before. Sure, they still did physical training, and Olette had gotten really proficient in using two Keyblades, and learned a few different moves from Tifa that involved fighting barehanded.
“Physical strength is important, but if you lack skill, you lose a lot of potential. Since we can't cut down on physical strength training, we'll be changing the program. You're doing three hours of physical training each day. Mondays and Thursdays, you're going to do speed training. I mean speed like slashing away as fast as you can. You will do that until you reach a NAM of over ninety-five.”
“What does ANM mean? And somehow, ninety-five sounds like a lot…” Olette didn't even start complaining about three hours of working out each day. It was useless to complain once Tifa had set her mind on something.
“Number of Attacks per Minute. Means you've got to hit any target over ninety-five times a minute.”
Olette looked like someone just dropped a building on her. Tifa couldn't be serious! That was totally crazy to demand.
“Can you even do that?” Olette was demanding a demonstration.
“My NAM is one-hundred-and-fifteen. Watch.” Giving Olette a stop watch, she put on her gloves.
Tifa turned around and focused on a sandbag that was fixated on the wall. It was heavy and made of leather, reinforced with thin iron thread. Olette could hit that thing as hard as she wanted and it wouldn't budge.
“Go!” Olette called, and could barely trust her eyes.
Tifa was like a different person. Ice cold eyes, never letting the enemy escape her gaze, insanely fast yet powerful hits on the sandbag. It didn't bounce, it was a stationary target, but it let out dust from the impact on it. Olette could barely believe it. It was hard to count the number of hits, but she was sure that Tifa had surpassed one-hundred by the time the watch stopped.
“That's amazing…seriously.” Olette clapped with wide eyes.
“When I'm under the influence of time magic from Aerith, I manage over two-hundred. It's dangerous, though. I'm relatively safe, because I fight bare-handed, but if you were to go beyond one-hundred, you could injure yourself. It'll take years for you to reach ninety-five, though, so don't worry.”
Years? Just how long did Tifa plan to train her? For all her life? Some people really were too enthusiastic about their job. It wasn't even a job, so why was Tifa agog on training her?
“We'll start today with physical training. Since you only got out of bed, I want you to run the old course three times before we start working on your muscles.”
The old course was through the living quarters, past that through the castle, taking the lift to the bottom of the canyon, from there running up all the way to the industrial quarter, and from there back to the living quarters. Roughly three miles. Olette had to jog or run the track, and the only break she would get was when she took the lift.
“Ow, go easy on me, Tifa. I won't run away, you'll have plenty of chance to torture—er, I mean, train me.”
Tifa's eye twitched in a scary manner. Olette took this as a sign that she better get going.
---Valiant Hearts---
“I heard how good you've gotten with recitation magic, so I'll start teaching you more instantaneous magic to balance your abilities. Relying too much on recitation magic will prove ineffective against a fast enemy. We'll start by the next grade of Fire, Ice and Cure magic. I'll teach you a few new magics when you get proficient at using the old ones at grade two.”
Aerith walked over to Naminè and stopped behind her, laying both hands on Naminè's shoulders and taking a deep breath.
“Now, picture fire magic and try to pour a bit more magical energy in it. Then picture a big fireball, and unleash your power. It's a simple matter of getting used to the new image. It'll take you some time to get used to it.”
Naminè was shocked at the amount Aerith talked about magic. Tifa had talked to her a bit before Naminè went to training near the canyon, giving her a brief warning that Aerith was a real maniac when it came to magic. She could talk for hours without break.
Aerith took a few steps forward and focused on a formation of rocks nearby. Index and middle finger sprawled out, the others in her palm, Aerith concentrated for just a split-second and sent a fireball on the formation. It exploded with an impressive bang.
“That's what a fire two spell looks like. It's very useful for close combat, since the explosion isn't that strong but the fire is several thousand degrees hot. A point-blank hit would be fatal for about anyone. But it is mostly used to divert the enemy's attention, and you can use that spell very often in succession.”
Naminè was half-numb from all the talk. There was a limit to how much information she could take in at once. For now, she tried to burn the image of the fireball into her mind.
“Try it. It shouldn't be too hard.”
It was weird not to use a recitation, but instant magic was, at higher grades, almost as powerful as recitation magic, but without the need to recite anything.
Magic energy gave shape to what otherwise only existed in the mind of the caster. If the caster pictured a fireball, magic energy could give shape and existence to it.
The stronger the magic, the bigger the ball had to be, and the stronger the pictured effect had to be. While for the very basic spell, a torch was enough to ignite it, a bigger ball required a much bigger fire. It was extremely important to find the right balance between magic power and the picturing effect. If the effect was too strong, the magic would be crushed in the caster's mind. Too weak, and the magic would stay raw and eventually break free, resulting in a spell running amok.
Naminè started with a flame the size of a campfire. The ball was over twice the size of the previous spell, but it was just her first try.
She failed instantaneously. The flame devoured the entire ball, eating up the magic.
It was normal to fail the first few tries. Some magicians took months and years to learn the correct balance for the highest grade instant spells. The problem didn't occur with recitation magic as the power was not formed inside the magician but just called into him. It was a matter of creating the magic itself or just calling it down.
“Try it again. I usually go with fivefold the size of the basic spell for the next step.”
“Fivefold? But…” Naminè coughed for a moment. It was rather chilly down at the canyon.
“You don't need to rush. Magic takes a while to get used to, but once you get a grip on how to use a spell, you don't need to practice it often.” Aerith smiled, patted Naminè's head and went back to her position.
The ball. Five times the usual size. That alone was hard. It was like lifting a car when you're only used to lifting hundred-pound weights. It didn't mean the pressure was just five times the usual amount. It was much higher.
Using the flame of an abnormally big bonfire, the ball caught fire and grew in size. Things were looking good. It grew and the magic finally materialized at the end of Monochrome's blade. It was a nice blaze and the ball was in a stable form. It must've been a few thousand degrees hot. Air was flickering around it. It was a success.
But it wasn't to be.
The ball collapsed back upon itself. Losing all structure and the magic rapidly vanishing, the spell failed. Only almost a success.
Naminè was breathing hard. It took a lot to try new spells, and Naminè was still not completely sound and well.
“You almost had it. Take a break, I know how stressful new spells are.” Aerith was honestly amazed at her apprentice.
“Thanks, Aerith. You're a really good teacher. You talk a lot but it actually helps.” Naminè had failed the spell twice, but once she had gotten really close.
Aerith didn't know if she should be embarrassed or thankful, so she didn't say anything. They had taken some canned juice with them. Aerith picked up two cans and walked over to where Naminè was sitting. Closed eyes, her back on a big rock, a bit tired.
What were Kairi and Olette doing right now? Kairi wasn't allowed to get up, so she was probably all alone in the house. Naminè was feeling pity for her, but tried to shake that feeling off. Kairi wouldn't want to be pitied. Olette was probably being worked to the bone by Tifa.
Tifa preferred to drink beer after training, but Aerith didn't like the bitter taste of it. And Naminè was still underage. Aerith could bet that she was trying to get Olette to drink it. She would behead Tifa if Olette turned out to be like her. One troublemaker adult in the house was enough, not to mention that Olette could have a negative influence on Naminè if that happened.
Naminè looked up, startled, when Aerith held a very cold can on her cheek. She had used a weak ice spell to cool them down. They had been standing in the sun for over an hour.
“Thanks…Aerith, you're looking really scary…” Naminè was more afraid of Aerith's face than of the remaining training.
“Oh, really? I was just thinking that Tifa better not make Olette do something improper.”
“Uh… right…”
Naminè could feel it. It would be Tifa's last day if Olette came home and something was odd. She made a mental note to never listen to any of Tifa's propositions. She would tell Olette later.
---Valiant Hearts---
“She is trying to kill me…seriously, I'm telling you!”
Olette was laying facedown on her bed, soaked, and so tired that she was unable to move. Olette had thought that a real battle was bad,and injuries were hard to endure, but this felt much worse. Tifa had worked her literally to the bone. Olette had passed out in training and Tifa had brought her home. Naminè had been there for just a bit over ten minutes, so she was rather worried.
“I don't think she wants to kill you.” Naminè was not sure if Olette was being serious.
“Nah, if it's Tifa, she really would do it. Not intentionally, though. She just knows no limits.” Yuffie had come over to visit the girls because she was bored. And hungry.
“I'd rather have you train me, Yuffie.” Olette sighed.
“Won't do. You're more the brute type. Two Keyblades 'n stuff. I work with tools and tricks, none of you girls has the wits and speed for that.”
“Well, thank you for the compliment.” Olette grumbled and turned over. A hot shower, dinner, and bed. Those were the only things important right now.
“If you invite me for a date, I'll think about it.”
“A date?” Naminè was looking a bit confusedly at Yuffie.
“Yeah. Going for dinner, watching a movie, a bit of kissing and ending up waking up together.”
Olette was blushing red. Was Yuffie being serious? A date? And all that stuff she said…
Olette was struggling for an answer but nothing came out. It got even worse when Yuffie went up and walked over to Olette's bed, getting as close as making the brunette feel her breath on her face.
“Don't you like me?” Yuffie was trying to sound as seductive as possible.
If something like that happened, Olette would've let out steam of her ears and nose. Her body wouldn't listen to her and moved away. She was like a rabbit caught in Yuffie's trap.
To top it all off, Yuffie was getting closer, as if to kiss Olette. A strange mix of panic and excitement was coming up in Olette. Yuffie was not much older than she. Maybe a year or two. And even though she was kind of a tomboy, she was cute. Olette couldn't believe she was thinking stuff like that.
Afraid and excited, Olette closed her eyes, waiting for the kiss. If she couldn't prevent it, she would at least take it like a woman.
But nothing came. On the contrary, someone pulled her cheeks. It hurt a bit. And someone started laughing. Laughing really hard. Opening her eyes, Olette was looking in Yuffie's face, who was almost drooling from laughter.
“You're such a child! You were so thinking I was going to kiss you, weren't ya!”
That was so mean, Olette could only look embarrassed. Naminè was laughing too. And she had had such a hard day too! She would pay Yuffie back, for sure!
“If I really had to pick, I'd rather go with cute Naminè here on a date.” Yuffie let go of Olette and looked straight at the blond girl.
Yuffie had changed her target. Now it was Naminè's turn.
“Yuffie, I think that is quite enough.”
Aerith had entered the room, holding a few folded towels, and was looking at Yuffie with a certain glare.
“Jealous, Aerith? Could it be that you want to go on a date with me?” Yuffie was still playing around.
“Do you want me to ask Tifa if she wants to go?” Aerith could play her game. And she was good at it.
“Uh, no. I remember last time…oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you.”
“Must be hard. I mean, just the size is so different.” Aerith could be a real devil.
That hurt. Yuffie had a few self-esteem problems and had a complex about her little bust. How dare Aerith make fun of her!
“It's not my fault that Tifa is such a boob monster!” Yuffie had damned herself; Aerith now knew where her weak points were.
“So Naminè and Olette are monsters too? They're both bigger than you.”
The girls blushed slightly, and Naminè pulled on her dress, looking down at her body. Olette could only figure that Aerith had been together with Tifa quite some time to be able to tell something like that. It was a bit embarrassing anyway.
“You must have marbles for eyes! Look!” Yuffie thought that she had the best chance by picking Naminè.
Yuffie pulled up Naminè and stood next to her. Aerith first looked interested, then gave away a devilish grin. Looking Naminè (who was more than just slightly embarrassed by that) and Yuffie (who was nothing short of angry) up and down, she came to a conclusion.
“Naminè wins. Sorry, but flat is flat, Yuffie. Maybe we should call you Princess Boobless.” That hurt. Aerith had won.
Yuffie made an angry fizzling sound and made her way out of the room without saying another word, stomping and sizzling over the humiliation.
“I'll get you back for this!”
Then there was stomping down the stairs, and a door was banged closed. The whole house was silent for a second, until Tifa showed up in the doorframe.
“Did you make Yuffie mad again, Aerith? Jeez, every time the same. You really shouldn't be so mean to her.” Tifa was actually smiling more with every word.
“Don't lie. I know you love it when I tease Yuffie. I'm the only one that gives her a beating in her own game too,” Aerith replied. She was also smiling.
Olette just didn't know what to think of this crazy town and its people anymore. They were way weird. She missed her daily Struggles and face-offs with Hayner and Pence. Even their fights with Seifer's gang, Rai's annoying loud attitude, Fuu's less-is-more behavior. They were all…not real. Was that really true? Olette didn't know much about Cid, but he didn't seem like a person who would make such an elemental error.
But there had to be some way to get back…get back…home. It was her home, virtual or real. That made no difference. One day, she would go back, find a way, meet her friends, for sure!
Naminè had gone back to reading a light novel she had borrowed from Aerith. A story about an evil association trying to exploit the resources of the planet, gradually killing it, and a resistance group, called terrorists who were trying to save the planet. Naminè thought that a few of those people looked a lot like the people from Hollow Bastion.
How long would she have to wait before going to approach Kairi? Did she even want to anymore? On that alien world, in the time she had spent with Olette, there was one thing she had learned about herself, her feelings. One side of her wanted to be with Kairi, but the other cared about Olette just as much. That inner conflict left her without answer to the questions in her head. What did she want to do?
“Dinner will be ready in an hour. Olette, please take a shower before that. Tifa, you too. You two smell like dogs who've been playing in the dirt.” Aerith was merciless when it came to cleanliness. No shower meant no dinner.
“I'll go first, Olette. I'll massage you later, otherwise you'll drop dead by tomorrow evening. Aerith here would kill me.”
“Oh, don't be silly Tifa, I would never do that.” It was crystal clear what Aerith really meant.
The outlook of being massaged was nice. To have it done by Tifa was quite the contrary. Olette was fearing for the worst. If Tifa's massage was as rough as her training, then that was going to be her end.
The two women left, leaving the door open and the two girls alone. They hadn't seen Kairi for the whole day. Well, until now.
“You two look exhausted.”
Even if they both had feelings for her, that was no reason to avoid them.
“Kairi!”
Olette somehow managed to sit upright but going down the ladder was a bit too much. Hugging her would give the wrong impression too, Olette thought. Naminè wasn't as thoughtful and jumped and hugged Kairi. It didn't seem to annoy Olette or Kairi, but she still let go after a few seconds.
“I'm sure Tifa is working you to the bone, Olette.”
“She's trying to kill me, honestly.”
“I believe you. Actually…yes, I really do. I can so imagine Tifa doing that. But I believe you can live up to her expectations. If anyone can, then you.”
Olette blushed a bit and scratched her chin. It wasn't like Kairi to praise her. It was clear that she wanted to motivate her, but Olette was happy that Kairi did it at all.
“And I'm sure you're living up to Aerith's expectations already, right Naminè?”
“Yeah. I'm trying my very best!”
Naminè blushed and jumped happily on the spot. It was like someone had given her an expensive sweet. Being praised by Kairi was special for Naminè. They'd both been praised, no less, and the apprentice magician looked up to her partner, who was smiling from heart at her.
Kairi could see how hard they were training. It made her feel guilty for laying around all day. Tomorrow, she finally could go back to her daily routine. Kairi would train so hard that she would beat that Organization guy the next time they met for sure.
“Want to go to that place tomorrow, you two? I think I'll be free to go out from tomorrow on. Aerith would put me into a cage if I were to go anywhere tonight.”
“If I'm alive,” Olette replied, but she would go, even if Tifa actually broke her.
“I'll go for sure,” Naminè said, and looked up to Olette. “I'll heal you if you can't move.”
Kairi was surprised how well they got along. It was nice to see them like that. It let Kairi feel at ease.
“You two really get along now, hm…” Kairi was a bit curious about what had happened between them. She had already noticed when they had their own little reunion on the path between the worlds.
“We do. A lot of stuff happened. I understand now how Naminè feels.”
“And I'm not the spoiled child I was when I first got here. I'm…a bit sorry about my behavior back then.” Naminè was a bit embarrassed, thinking back.
“I heard most of what happened when you reported. But you didn't tell Leon what happened that made you get along this well.” Kairi was drilling for an answer.
“That's a secret.” Naminè giggled and held a finger upright in front of her mouth.
“Yep, a secret it is,” Olette approved, and had a big smile on her face.
Kairi would never get out of them what exactly happened. Maybe it was better like that. Sometimes, less was more. And if they got along like this, it was enough for Kairi. It made her sort of happy.
Out of a lack of possible topics they could talk about, Kairi just chose something casual.
“Tonight's dinner is gonna be fried potatoes. I can't wait.” Kairi was sitting together with Naminè on her bed. Olette had gone back to lying down on her bed. She was too tired to sit, even when Kairi was there.
“I hope I'll be able to eat anything at all. I feel like moving my arms will need a miracle.”
“I'll feed you,” Kairi was smiling and teasing her.
“That's unfair, I want to be fed too!” Naminè demanded, looking at Kairi.
“You'd want to be fed by her anyway,” Olette teased her.
“So what? You too, Olette!”
“What are you two, nine years old?” Kairi tried to end their mutual teasing.
“Would you feed us if we were nine years old?” Olette was now teasing the redhead.
“Nope. You two are old enough to eat for yourselves.”
“Whoa, that's mean. You said you'd feed me, right, Naminè?”
“You did, Kairi. Are you going back on your word?”
Kairi stood up, sticking her tongue out at Naminè.
“You two…are teaming up against me, aren't you!” Kairi was now playing the hurt and fragile girl. But they didn't buy it. Her acting was catastrophic.
“Yeah. We're best friends now. You can't escape,” Olette replied, completely casual.
“Olette is right. You're all ours, Kairi.” Naminè made a devilish smile, something she had copied from Aerith.
“Who are you two and what did you do with Olette and Naminè?!” Kairi was having fun. It was the first time in a very long time that she had fooled around with girls her age like this.
“We could ask you the same,” the two girls replied, laughing.
“You seem to be having fun.”
Tifa stood in the doorframe, wearing only a long towel and laughing.
“How long have you been eavesdropping, you evil spirit?!” Kairi was embarrassed to be seen by Tifa while fooling around with the other two.
“Long enough to know who'll feed whom at tonight's dinner.” Tifa had such a big grin on her face, Kairi got more embarrassed by the second.
“I'm not gonna feed anyone!” Kairi was objecting.
“Oh, we'll see about that.” Tifa laughed again and walked past Kairi, not without petting her head. “Olette, the bath is free. Go now, while it's hot in there. You'll feel a lot better after a hot shower. It relaxes the muscles.”
“If every muscle that hurts is going to be relaxed, I'll end up as pudding.”
Tifa was rolling her eyes when she left and Olette got down. It was an atrocious process. Every step hurt. And then, she had to look forward to a massage by Tifa after dinner.
“See you two at dinner. Keep your pants on.” Olette waved and hauled herself over to the bathroom door.
“Olette!” Naminè squeaked and started coughing for a second.
“Don't worry, Naminè is wearing a dress. No pants.”
“Your heart is pitch black, Kairi, did I tell you that?” Olette said, and vanished into the bathroom.
“I'm sorry, Naminè, but I think I'm going to leave you alone until dinner.” Kairi was suddenly not feeling so good anymore. With both of them around, it was okay, but now that she was alone with one of them, she felt the pressure.
“Don't worry, I have this book to read.” Naminè pointed at the cover of the light novel that was lying on her pillow. She knew what was going on, and understood Kairi's side too.
“Shin-Ra, huh…” Kairi knew the story. And she knew who wrote it. It wasn't just fiction.
“It's really interesting. So…see you at dinner.” Naminè didn't like it, but went to her bed and opened the book.
Three weeks ago, Kairi would have said something like this was impossible. Naminè understanding the situation and leaving her alone.
Things really had changed.
---Valiant Hearts---
“Aerith told me about your little talk this afternoon.”
Olette stopped breathing for a second. Had she misheard what Tifa said? Or…Aerith! Olette finally noticed that she hadn't asked Aerith to not tell Tifa about it. There was no telling what she would do to her now! She was lying on the couch, half-nude, being massaged by Tifa.
“I don't think Aerith would lie to me about it, and I take your silence as confirmation that I'm right.” Tifa made a cracking sound with her knuckles.
Olette was more than just worried. Tifa didn't sound very happy about the fact that she, Olette, had a crush on her precious foster daughter. That cracking sound only made it worse.
Was she in serious danger? Kind of helpless, Olette feared for a moment that Tifa would threaten her and tell her to leave Kairi alone or something. Or worse, start to harass her and put her through even crazier training.
“I…what are you talking about, Tifa? I'm not sure—” Olette felt a sudden pain and stopped.
Tifa's eyebrow twitched from anger and she had pushed a bit too hard on Olette's left arm. It wasn't like her to try to stay calm and rationally think things over. But out of all things, Aerith would seriously never forgive her if she did something serious to one of the girls.
“I'm not going to do anything to you. I only want to talk.”
In a sense, that was even more scary than an angry Tifa. Olette never talked much with Tifa about personal things like that. Why was she starting now? Because Aerith had told Tifa about her crush on Kairi?
“You better be honest with me. I really hate it when people lie to me.” Tifa did sound very serious.
Olette nodded as far as that was possible in her situation and waited for the first question. It felt like a ruthless judge was over her, waiting for her to make a single mistake to find her guilty.
“You like Kairi?”
That was to be expected. Olette nodded but then decided to actually answer her. “I do.”
It was obvious from Tifa's tone that she wasn't pleased to hear that. “How much?”
“I…love her?” Olette was not sure if that was the right thing to say.
“Do you or not?”
Was it the indecisiveness in her statement that made Tifa angry? Or the fact that she was in love with Kairi?
“I do.” Tifa said she should be honest. There was no telling how much Tifa knew, and Olette decided to be honest.
“That's good, then.”
What just happened? Tifa had made a sudden character change and didn't sound so angry anymore. Olette actually relaxed for a second, until Tifa leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
“You better be serious about her.” It was accompanied by a gruesome smile, Olette could see it from the corner of her eyes.
“What do you think about Naminè?”
Olette didn't know what to answer. What did she think about Naminè? Thinking about it, if she had any romantic feelings for her, they must be well-hidden.
“She's a friend…but I love her. Not in a romantic way, I'm sure about that.”
That was the closest thing to the truth she could say without dying of embarrassment. It was already pretty painful to say. She must be as red as a tomato.
“I see. So, it's about that. You don't want to destroy the bond you share with Naminè?” Tifa was actually pretty good at this. Maybe the rough girl was just all a facade and she was actually pretty sensitive about romantic stuff?
“I don't get why you two are like that, though. Can't you stay friends, even if the other goes out with Kairi?”
Or not. This was definitely the Tifa she knew, irresponsible and rough.
“I don't want to see Naminè hurt.”
Tifa only listened, seemingly thinking.
“I know I'm asking for the impossible.” Olette sighed.
Tifa had finally finished her massage and knelt on the ground, looking straight in Olette's face. “Some resolution you have. Not even trying, and already whining about it.”
It was all she could say. Tifa wasn't really pleased that now even Olette had developed a crush on Kairi, but Tifa knew that she couldn't keep Kairi alone forever. It would be a cruel and evil thing to do.
Slowly, Tifa walked away to the stairs, fighting with the feelings of a parent who wants to protect their child and the feelings of a friend that wanted to see the other one happy.
“You better be grateful to Aerith. If some guy were to come up and tell me he had a crush on Kairi, I'd throw him out the window without a second thought.”
Olette was left behind, alone with nothing but her thoughts. A little bit of desperation was in her voice…
“Just what should I do…?”
End of Chapter XIV
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