Valiant Hearts II
Chapter XVI
Awakening - Crossroads
Olette had spent the last two days with Yuffie and had no intention of going back home for now. She couldn't stay at Yuffie's place forever, but it was a nice time being there, and the brunette didn't want it to end yet. She had skipped Tifa's training twice in a row now.
“Really? She kissed you?”
Yuffie was lying on top of a wall, looking at the sky and talking with Olette, who sat next to her, looking down at her.
“Stop saying it as if it were intentional! I told you that she was sleeping and she just happened to move over and—”
“I bet you were all blushing and red and embarrassed and—”
“Yuffie! You're a terrible tease, seriously. I don't feel like that about her and you know that!”
Olette was complaining and Yuffie once again started laughing and turned over to avoid seeing the tomboy's fierce red face.
“Yeah, sure. Maybe I should tell Kairi, I wonder what she'd say about—”
Yuffie put a hand on her mouth, but it was too late. Olette was still a bit sensitive when it came to Kairi, and the trickster had tried not to talk about her. It was nice and fun teasing Olette, but not if she got depressed over it.
“Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to—”
“I'm fine. Really. But I'm so not going to forgive you if you tell Naminè that she...me by accident!”
Olette whispered “kissed” and jumped on top of Yuffie, starting to tickle her. Olette had learned that Yuffie's weak spots were her ribs and she mercilessly abused that knowledge to punish her for being a tease.
“Ah, stop it, stop it, I give up.” Yuffie was laughing with tears in her eyes.
Olette stopped on request and went back to her sitting position, looking over the town. Yuffie had told her about the time the Heartless had taken over Hollow Bastion. It was unbelievable that the town was already this peaceful.
“I thought I was gonna die.” Yuffie was breathing heavily, still lying on the wall.
Olette grinned and looked down at Yuffie. They hadn't done much the last two days but lazily lay around and work on some of Yuffie's tools. It wasn't anything special, but Olette enjoyed her time with Yuffie.
“You still owe me for letting you stay at my place,” Yuffie started out of nowhere.
Olette knew. But she had no money, so what else could Yuffie want?
“I'm gonna take my pay for today. Close your eyes for a moment.”
That couldn't be anything good, but she was used to Yuffie's teasing by now. It wasn't that bad, really, but sometimes the ninja was quite the sadist.
Closing her eyes, Olette could feel Yuffie getting into an upright position next to her. Would she tackle her off the wall? That was dangerous; even Yuffie wouldn't do that. Tickle her? Olette wasn't really weak to that. What...
Something was really close to her face and breathing on it. Out of reflex, Olette opened her eyes, looked directly into Yuffie's peridot eyes, and backed away from her without thinking. Yuffie acted faster than Olette. She lay one hand on her neck and pulled Olette towards her.
Olette hadn't really kissed anyone before, but even though Yuffie seemed forceful, it wasn't like that at all. It was the opposite, the black-haired girl was really gentle and cautious. It was a nice feeling. Yuffie's lips weren't especially soft or anything, but to Olette, they did seem that way. It took her a few seconds to realize what was going on—that Yuffie was kissing her—to make her finally pull away.
She wanted to be angry, wanted to give Yuffie a evil glare, but things didn't work that way. With a surprised look and blushing like a ripe tomato, Olette looked at the ninja who was smiling like a rainbow.
“What wa—”
Yuffie hold a finger upright before her face. “Payment, lovely, payment. Or rather, first rate.”
Olette went back to a normal color and sighed. That was Yuffie alright. But to kiss her...!
“Sexual harassment.”
Yuffie was looking a bit confused. “What?”
“Sexual harassment. You kissed me without my consent and—”
“You seemed to quite enjoy it. That's plenty of consent.” Yuffie was back to smiling in a mean way.
Olette couldn't argue with that. She had enjoyed it. And it wasn't so bad, actually. She just wanted to tease Yuffie.
“And the next time you're going to grope me, huh?” Olette could be mean too.
“You sure are bold. I can do it right now if you want.” But Yuffie was on a different level.
Slightly blushing, Olette turned around, crossing her arms before her chest. She never knew when Yuffie was serious and when not. Better not take the risk.
“Don't worry, I'm not gonna do that.” Yuffie waved her hand and whispered something to herself.
“You just said 'not here anyway', didn't you!” Olette slowly backed away from Yuffie.
“Maybe.”
The devil. Yuffie was the devil. But Olette liked her anyway. It never got boring with her around.
“Want to go and watch Naminè's training?”
Yuffie seemed to think about it for quite a few minutes. Olette was looking at the clouds that were slowly flowing with the wind far above them. The sky was a wonderful blue that day.
No answer came. Olette looked down on Yuffie's face and she had her eyes closed. Was she thinking? Or...
“Don't pretend to be asleep or I'm gonna throw you off the wall,” Olette said in a purposefully cold tone.
“Yeah, let's go.” Yuffie was wide awake and smiled awkwardly.
“You go first. Who knows what you'll do to me when I let you behind me, you pervert.”
Yuffie sighed and went first, jumping from the wall onto a nearby roof. From there she leapt onto a pile of boxes and onto the ground. Olette followed after and kept an eye on Yuffie. She hadn't made a big deal out of the kiss because she hadn't really minded. It had felt nice and she even slept together with her in a bed.
“Want to make a bet?” Yuffie was saying.
“Why not? What are the stakes and what about?”
“Whoever's first at the canyon and touches Naminè,” Yuffie said, and starting running.
Olette was confused for a moment, but then noticed that the ninja hadn't mentioned what the stakes were. But she wouldn't lose to Yuffie, whatever the odds were. Olette started running and had almost caught up with Yuffie when she started shouting something.
“If I win, you have to go on a date with me.”
Olette was so surprised that she lost her balance and hit the ground, Yuffie laughing and getting away. By the time Olette got up, Yuffie was not in sight.
“Now she's done it.”
Summoning both of her Keyblades, Olette utilized her full power and made a astonishing run for it. Yuffie was evil to the core for pulling such a trick to get an advantage over Olette.
At the entrance to the canyon, Olette finally caught up with Yuffie, who looked rather amazed that she had managed to get there that fast. However, going at full power took its toll, and Olette and Yuffie ran, neck and neck, towards Naminè and Aerith, who were in the middle of training.
“If I win, you have to pay me a thousand munny for each time you tease me for one week.”
“You're insane!” Yuffie shouted and went ahead of Olette.
Aerith and Naminè had already noticed the two girls that were running towards them like mad. Naminè was in the middle of a fire spell when Yuffie and Olette simultaneously jumped towards her, causing Naminè to lose control of the spell that detonated right over them, causing a huge dust cloud.
“I won!” Olette was shouting.
“No, I did!” Yuffie replied.
When the dust cloud vanished, an angry Naminè was squashed under Yuffie and Olette, who both had landed directly on top of her. While Olette had grabbed her shoulder, Yuffie had gotten a hold of a leg.
“Get off of me, now!” Naminè shouted, and both girls got up, amazed by that outburst.
“What are you girls doing?” Aerith was confused and looked rather angrily at Yuffie and Olette.
“A bet. Who'd be the fastest to run down from the living quarter and touch Naminè,” Yuffie explained. “And I won.”
“You didn't. Naminè, tell her,” Olette defended herself.
“You both crashed into me out of nowhere. How am I supposed to tell anything?!” Naminè said angrily, turning around.
“We're in the middle of training. Olette, Tifa wants to talk with you. You really shouldn't skip her training. She is worried about you.”
Olette felt guilty, but didn't really want to go to training. Tifa would surely ask her about Kairi and she wanted to avoid that.
“Let's consider this a draw and get out of here before Naminè blows us up,” Yuffie whispered.
“Sorry about that, Naminè. See you later!” Olette shouted, and ran off with Yuffie.
“Those two...nothing but nonsense on their minds,” Aerith grumbled, and helped Naminè clean dust off her dress.
“But they seem to get along fine,” Naminè said.
---Valiant Hearts---
“It's your fault that Naminè is angry with me.” Olette seemed really cold and distant.
“You accepted the bet, and you also crashed into her. Don't give me all the blame.”
Olette only sighed and ordered a coffee from the waitress that was walking by. “Put some milk in it, please.”
Yuffie leaned forward and flicked Olette's forehead. She couldn't stand being ignored.
“Ouch. What was that for?”
“Ignoring me. I don't like that.”
Olette made an angry face, and without further notice, leaned forward and also snipped Yuffie's forehead.
“What do we do about the bet?” Yuffie was asking, rubbing her forehead.
“You didn't bet on anything, and we don't know who won anyway,” Olette said, taking her coffee from the waitress.
“Of course I did. If I win, you're going on a date with me, I said.”
Olette almost spat her coffee out. That hadn't been just a taunt? Yuffie was serious about that?
“You could just have asked to go on a date, tch.” Olette sighed.
She didn't really mean it. It would have been really weird to have Yuffie ask her out on a date. She had never been on a date, and with Yuffie, that would be a hell of permanent teasing.
“Go on a date with me, will ya?”
Olette was so surprised that she swallowed way too much of the hot coffee and started coughing. Who in her right mind would ask bluntly like that right after the other party told so?
“I was joking!” Olette said, still coughing.
“And I'm serious. I thought you'd decline if I asked like this, so I made it a bet. I'd say we had a draw. You go on a date with me, and I won't tease you at all that day.”
“It was a week! And a thousand munny for each time you would!” Olette started arguing.
“Do you really want that? Would be kind of boring.” Yuffie knew that Olette didn't really mind as much as she made it seem.
“Okay, you win.”
Olette sighed and took a nip of coffee.
“Hey, Rydia, do you know if Cid finally got around to repairing the cinema?”
“I doubt it. He's been working on something else.”
“Tch. Useless Cid. Well, I asked for the date, so I'm gonna figure out what we can do. Most things are still being repaired. I never asked, but what are your hobbies?”
Olette couldn't decide if she was amazed by Yuffie's bluntness or simply amused by it. Either way, it didn't look like the date would be all that bad. Yuffie seemed really serious about it.
“I spent most of my time playing Struggle...err...I'll explain that another time...and sitting on a hill, watching trains come and go. I always wanted to go to the beach back there, but never made it.”
“The beach, huh? Never been there in this world.”
“Don't stress yourself. The date isn't today. I decided to drop by Tifa's to do some training. I feel bad about skipping out.”
“You're such a good girl, it's blinding me!” Yuffie covered her eyes with her hand, as if Olette was emitting a bright light.
“Way to exaggerate. I'll see you later, Yuffie. Take care of the bill for me, okay?”
“Wait!” Yuffie shouted, but Olette was already gone.
“Should I put it on your tab, Yuffie?” Rydia rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.
“Yeah...” The ninja sighed, and started thinking.
“The beach, huh?”
---Valiant Hearts---
“She's back, Aerith.”
“Olette, we're still training. You barely left here half an hour ago,” Aerith said, looking a bit annoyed.
“I decided to stop skipping training. Do you know where Tifa is?”
“Probably home, being lazy.” Aerith rolled her eyes.
“I'll check. Thanks.”
“I hope Tifa will be busy again. The last two days she cooked out of boredom. My stomach still hurts,” Naminè said.
“Don't let her hear that. I love her food, but I understand if it's a tad too spicy for you girls.” Aerith giggled for a moment.
Naminè gave a nod and took a deep breath. The training had gotten harder after they had come back from their trip to Port Royal, which is what Leon decided the world would be called.
Naminè had gotten better as well. She was able to repeatedly use grade two instantaneous magic and was learning more difficult types of magic like lightning and gravity now. There were a lot of problems with gravity magic, as it proved to be really incompatible with Naminé. She was rather skilled with fire, ice, and cure, but she was really bad with gravity.
“We'll only try a few more times and then stop for today. You've worked really hard the last two days. You can take it easy today.”
“Thanks. I want to support Kairi, and I need to become stronger for that.”
Aerith smiled. She was thinking of how Naminè reminded her of Tifa, who always worked hard to get stronger to help Cloud. Hoping that things wouldn't turn out like they had with Tifa and Cloud, Aerith resumed training with her apprentice.
---Valiant Hearts---
“Don't wanna.”
Tifa was lying on the couch and listening to music that could only be described as very loud guitar and yelling. Olette was standing behind her, talking to her. It had cost her quite a bit of effort to go in, but it hadn't felt all that bad to see this place after a few days of not being there.
“Oh, come on. I know I shouldn't have skipped training, but I really wasn't in any condition to go.”
“Look, how about you tell me you're sorry that you left here without a word and stayed at Yuffie's place? And then you skipped training too. I didn't hear one word from you telling us what happened or even that you'd be staying at Yuffie's place,” Tifa said, totally indifferent towards Olette.
“I don't suppose if I say sorry now it will do anything.” Olette looked at the ground with a guilty expression.
“No. If you want to show me you're sorry, just stay there and wait.”
Olette stood there, waiting. Five minutes passed without Tifa even moving a finger. The longer she listened to the music, the better it sounded. There was a rhythm to it, a melody, but it was much more powerful than anything she had ever heard.
“What's this music called?”
“You're still here?!” Tifa abruptly looked over her shoulder. “Metal. Heavy metal, to be accurate.”
“It's not bad, but you really need to get used to it,” Olette said, liking it better with each second.
“You think so? Aerith hates my music, so I only ever listen to it when she is out.”
Tifa seemed to be more interested in talking to Olette about music than seeing her being sorry.
“Yeah. Now that I listen to it...guitar, bass, drums...is that another guitar in there?” Olette was observing the music with her ears.
“You've got good ears. And good taste.” Looking at the clock, it was still about two hours until Aerith came back from training with Naminè. That was plenty of time.
“Take a seat. I'll show you one of my favorite tracks.” Tifa went up and changed one CD for another.
Loud and strong guitar riffs came out of the boxes. A female vocalist was singing. The lyrics were interesting, to say the least.
Go now, if you want it
Another world awaits you
Don't you give up on it
You bite the hand that feeds you
“What's this band called?” Olette was now sitting on the couch, next to Tifa, who was lying on the couch with closed eyes, enjoying the music.
“The Black Mages. They're an awesome band, one of the best.”
“Never heard of them,” Olette answered truthfully. But she liked the music, the sound of it. “I wish I could play like that.”
Tifa started laughing and then took a deep breath. “Don't think about it. Playing an instrument is hard work. I used to play the piano, way back in my own world, but I haven't touched one in many years. Aerith tells me it's a pity, she really likes the piano.”
“How about this track?” The previous song had ended and a new, more powerful song played, which went higher and higher, only to just suddenly drop.
“It's awesome. What's its name?”
“'The Decisive Battle.' There are no vocals like in most of the songs from The Black Mages, but they're still damn good.”
The name reminded Olette of why she had come here in the first place. She wanted go get back intro training.
“Tifa, listen, I—”
“Psh. Be quiet and enjoy the music.” Tifa made an annoyed face. It was one of her rare chances to listen to her music without Aerith nagging her about it.
Olette didn't dare to speak up again, she didn't want to lose the sympathy Tifa had found for her.
---Valiant Hearts---
“You're spacing out, Kairi. Training is over for today. I can't have you like this. Get yourself together. You have the weekend off, so use the time,” Leon said, and walked off.
Deep down, he was worried about her. It wasn't like her to space out like this. Not like her at all.
“Shit...it's still bothering me,” Kairi swore, and kicked a rock. Dematerializing Oathkeeper, she looked to the sky. She didn't feel like doing anything for now. She felt like just going home and lying down. She had to come up with a way to be friends with Olette again. But that was much easier said than done.
While walking back, Kairi bumped into Naminè, who apparently had finished her training as well.
“Aerith isn't with you?”
“She's shopping for dinner. One more day of Tifa's food and we'll die, I told her.”
“Better not let Tifa hear that,” Kairi giggled.
“I won't.” Naminè joined Kairi's giggle.
Things were mostly back to before, except they weren't awkward at all. Kairi knew that whatever she did, Naminè wouldn't stop wanting to go out with her. She might as well get along with her and tell her whenever she got too close. It had worked pretty well so far, and Kairi didn't even need to tell Naminè anything. It was better than in the beginning, even.
“Leon literally kicked me out. Tomorrow and the whole weekend I won't have training, only enough time to sort out my thoughts.”
“Will you tell me what's on your mind?” Naminè asked, and stopped.
“You know what's on my mind, Naminè.” Kairi turned around and looked at the blonde girl.
“But I want you to tell me, not to guess at your feelings.”
“It bothers me that Olette seems to be avoiding me now. I hope it won't stay like this. I like her.” With a swift gaze at Naminè, she added, “as a friend.”
“I know. You can't think of us as anything but friends. For now, that is fine. But one day, I will change your feelings.”
Kairi blushed and turned her back on Naminè. “You hang out with Aerith too much. You almost sound like her now. “
“You think so? I like Aerith. I don't think it's a bad thing to be like her.” Naminè walked past Kairi and looked over her shoulder, smiling at the redhead.
“Let's go home, Kairi. I sure hope Tifa hasn't started cooking yet...”
Kairi nodded, took a deep breath, and walked forward.
She was right, Naminè was right. People couldn't read her mind. She had to talk to them to make them understand. It felt much better now that Naminè had spoken openly about her interest in her. The pressure was gone, and it didn't feel awkward to be with her.
“There is some awesome noise coming from our house.” Naminè pointed in the direction their house was.
“I guess that's Tifa, listening to her music at maximum volume. She always does that when Aerith is out of the house. I don't mind the music, but she turns up the volume too far. Worse, she refuses to turn the volume down. Let's go to the Sand Pearl.”
“The Sand Pearl?” Naminè asked, slightly confused.
“Rydia's coffee shop. I guess you don't know yet. I often go there when I need to think.”
“I don't think I want to expose myself to music of that volume...so yeah, let's go.”
Naminè took Kairi's hand as if it were only natural to do so and smiled. Kairi averted her eyes but didn't take her hand away. Acting distant towards Naminè really hurt for some reason.
“At least I can hold your hand without you snapping, unlike when I first got here,” Naminè teased the redhead.
“You didn't just 'hold my hand' back when you first got here,” Kairi teased back, giving Naminè such an overly serious glare that they both started laughing.
“I hope you can get along with Olette. I don't think she simply gave up on you.”
Kairi sighed, remembering the scene from two days ago. She hadn't figured out how to deal with the problem yet. For now, all she could do was wait for Olette to forgive her.
“Don't let it bother you too much. Olette is really, really tough. She won't give up from just that.”
“That's what you think, Naminè. She looked really disappointed back there. I feel still horrible when I imagine her face.”
Naminè stopped and stared at Kairi with a very unusually serious look. “Kairi, absolutely nothing good will come out of beating yourself up over this.”
Kairi was puzzled for a moment and looked oddly at Naminè. “Aerith told you to say that, didn't she?” Kairi smiled a little evilly, but it was a smile nonetheless.
“You figured it out already? That's so unfair,” Naminè complained.
“It's not like you to say something like that. But it's very like Aerith. You're influenced by her too much.” Kairi started teasing her again.
“You could use some influence from her too. At least you could be more open about your feelings then!” Naminè let her hand go and took a few steps forward.
“...what direction is the Sand Pearl in?” Naminè asked without turning around.
“Not only influence from Aerith but from Olette too. Jeez, you get influenced too easily,” Kairi said, and stepped up to the blonde girl.
“Influence this, influence that, you sound like a broken record!” Naminè said, and turned around, a wide smile on her face.
“Aren't you worse for liking a broken record?”
“Meanie!” Naninè couldn't hold back any longer and started giggling.
“My pleasure,” Kairi said and bowed, joining her giggling.
“We're terrible actors,” Naminè said, taking Kairi's hand again.
“I know. Doesn't stop us, though.”
Kairi led the way and Naminè saw the Sand Pearl for the first time.
“Rydia is a really nice woman. She was here even before Leon and the others. She lost her home world to the Heartless like most people here.”
“Are all people in Hollow Bastion from other worlds?” Naminè was a bit astonished.
“Most are. Ansem the Wise brought them to this world, and they built this place to give people who lost their world a home.” Kairi made a short break. “That's what Aerith told me.”
She had met Ansem, and he was by no means a wise man. He had been corrupted by darkness and had tried to destroy the worlds, to engulf them in darkness. Even the highest minds could fall deep.
“Is it hard for you?”
Kairi stopped, not knowing what Naminé was getting at.
“I know you're pushing yourself to act like this. It feels odd for you to play along. I don't want you to keep doing that. It's...weird.” Naminè averted her eyes.
Kairi looked at the ground and let go of Naminè. She was right, she wasn't being her usual self, but how could she be? Olette was still upset with her.
“You're right. But I wanted to stop running away from my problems. I've never been to anyone what you want to be for me.”
“That doesn't mean you have to stop being yourself. I like you for who you are, Kairi. Not for who you right now pretend to be.”
“...I see.”
Naminè walked past Kairi, again smiling. “Just be yourself.”
Kairi's thoughts were a mess. Was it wrong to try her hardest to live up to Naminé's expectations? She wanted to get along with her, but now Naminè told her she should stop pushing herself so hard. Why?
“You're thinking too hard again. It's written on your face, big and wide. Stop doing that, Kairi. People like you, even if you don't fulfill everyone's expectations. You're doing your best. That is enough.”
“But—”
“No buts!” Naminè had gotten loud. “Don't always think so hard. Just do what your heart tells you to.”
Kairi looked into the eyes of a very serious Naminè. Was that really the right thing to do? Just listen to her heart, to hear emotions?
“I...”
---Valiant Hearts---
Tifa got hit on the back of her head with a coiled up magazine.
“Ouch, what was that for?”
The next attack hit Olette.
“Why me too?”
Aerith was towering over the two of them. When she had come home, Tifa was showing Olette several of her treasured CDs. Olette had totally forgotten why she had come home in the first place.
Aerith looked down at Tifa, who was sitting on the couch. “You. I don't care if you listen to this infernal noise when I'm not around, but to drag Olette into liking this stuff is just wrong.”
She turned to Olette. “And you! I thought you were going to ask Tifa to resume training. What happened to your decision?”
“I, um, sort of got distracted. I did ask Tifa to train me! She just didn't want to.”
Tifa looked, shocked, over to Olette, like she had just sold her out to the devil.
Aerith was looking rather angry. Very angry. “Tifa, I thought we talked about this. We decided to personally train them and not have Leon assign people for that. We wanted to ensure they could protect Kairi when we aren't around.”
“Give me a break, Aerith.” Tifa rolled her eyes. “I didn't say I would never train her again, I just didn't feel like it today. You're overreacting. What is wrong with you, anyway? Did something happen?”
Aerith's mood changed quickly, from angry to excited. Cid had told her some news and Tifa would be even more excited than she was if she heard. To find her and Olette fooling around with CDs instead of training had just turned all the excitement into anger.
“You won't guess what's finally done.” Aerith had a huge grin on her face.
“Just tell me. You know I hate your cryptic messages and riddles.”
“The Seventh Heaven. Cid finished building it.”
“What, really? Took him long enough!” Tifa jumped off the couch so abruptly that Olette was startled.
“He says he still needs to do details here and there, but it should be less than a week until we can open.” Aerith grabbed Tifa by the wrist, preventing her from running off.
“What are you two on about?” Olette had gotten curious.
“Back in our world, I owned a pub in the slums called Seventh Heaven. I asked Cid to build a pub here since we don't have one. Nobody else has any experience running one, so Aerith and I will do it.”
Olette was astonished. “You two are full of surprises, aren't you?”
“If you knew what else they've been doing back in their own world, you'd be even more amazed.”
All three of them turned around to look at the black-haired girl who stood in the door.
“Yo.”
“You know I don't like it when you tell people unnecessarily about our past.” Tifa gave Yuffie an explicit glare.
“Just sayin'. Don't get angry, Tifa. I heard the news about the pub. I can help out if you want.”
“You'd rob our customers.” Aerith showed an evil grin.
“Oh come on. You know I don't steal from people.”
“Not anymore,” Aerith added.
“Point taken. You're still angry about what happened in Wutai, aren't you?”
“No, I'm just teasing you. If you want to work in the pub, ask Tifa,” Aerith said, and left for the kitchen, giving both Tifa and Olette a this isn't over yet glare.
Tifa looked at Yuffie and sighed. To refuse her wouldn't do any good. With a wink, Tifa signalized her approval. “I wanted someone to do the waitress job anyway, since I'll be behind the bar and Aerith will be in the kitchen. No goofing around at work.”
Olette felt a bit left out and decided to ask a question she had been wondering ever since she arrived in Hollow Bastion.
“What did you live on until now if you're only now picking up jobs?”
“Committee money. Since Hollow Bastion is getting better, though, it would be really impudent to keep relying on that money. I really like working in a pub, too, so one comes to another,” Tifa explained.
Olette assumed it had been something like that. Rebuilding a world took a lot of effort, especially on the administration level, and they didn't have time to work normally.
“Most of Hollow Bastion doesn't need supervising from us anymore. Only a few parts, and we can manage that outside of work.”
Tifa stood up and looked down at Olette. It was time the girl learned to train independently from her. “Once the pub is open, you will have to train alone, or with Kairi and Naminè.”
With that, Tifa walked away upstairs, and left Olette alone with Yuffie.
“Is that really what you want? To get back into training?” Yuffie asked Olette.
“Yeah. I feel it's the right thing to do.”
Her voice was completely free of doubt.
---Valiant Hearts---
“I never thought you would say that, Kairi.”
Naminè was sitting on the roof, next to Kairi.
“I'm sorry.”
“Don't be. There is no reason for you to be.”
Naminè's voice was sounding really odd.
Kairi didn't want to say anything, and it felt rather awkward between them now. The previous easy atmosphere was completely gone.
Why did she say that? Where had it come from? Listening to her heart, sure. But why did she have to speak it out loud? It was so embarrassing.
“I...I'm...not...I'm not...laughing.” Naminè tried to stop giggling but she just couldn't control herself.
“God, why did I even say that? I never even thought about it before, it just...came out!”
“Kairi, I'm sorry...but...it's just funny. You're a really nice girl, but you always take everything so seriously. And then you come and tell me your dream is to become a singer! That's just odd!” Naminè started laughing again, but stopped shortly after, finally trying to suppress the urge.
“I don't know! I can't remember thinking I wanted to be a singer. My voice isn't even suited for that sort of thing.”
“Oh, now you're lying. Your voice is really nice. I can imagine you singing, but it doesn't fit with your...character.”
“I guess you want to be an artist?” Kairi tried to change the topic.
“Me? I don't know...I don't remember anything before I came here. No memories of my childhood, nothing. I like to draw, but if to be an artist is really my dream...I don't know. I want to be close to you. That's all that counts for me right now,” Naminè answered truthfully.
Kairi blushed and looked away. Even if they now understood each other better than before, and it wasn't as awkward when Naminè told her she liked her, it was still an odd feeling to have her so close and yet keep her so far away. Was that being cruel?
“I'm a horrible person.”
“Why do you think so?” Naminè was confused at the sudden topic change.
“I'm here, sitting right next to you, looking at the sun that's slowly going down, so close to you. And yet, I'm keeping you so far away from me. It must hurt, right? You must think it's cruel.”
“I don't. I would, if I didn't understand you. But I just have this feeling...I can't explain it...that tells me that you're not a bad person. You're really nice, you just...need time. I think.”
Kairi was amazed at that answer and sat there, looking at Naminè with wide eyes. “Maybe I need a push. I did need one back when I was chosen as Keyblader, so maybe I need another to get over myself.”
“What do you mean?”
Her heart was beating so fast, Kairi felt slightly dizzy. Should she do it? Maybe it really was a push she needed, and Naminè was so cute and nice. No matter what she said, Kairi felt like a bad person deep inside. Taking a deep breath, Kairi turned around, looked straight into Naminè's eyes, and leaned forward too quickly for the blonde girl to respond.
Soft lips met, and Naminè felt a familiar heat surging up inside her. Laying one hand on Kairi's neck, Naminè responded to the kiss, joining in, tasting the redhead's delicate lips, smelling her scent, and enjoying herself to her fullest.
Kairi felt weird, kissing a girl, kissing Naminè. But it wasn't the same weird feeling she had back on the island when Naminè had kissed her. No pictures of memories, no dark past came up, showing her long forgotten pain. It was pleasant to feel the smooth texture of her lips, to be this close to her. Her heart was still racing, but it was different from before. Not anxiety. Not fear. It was excitement, and Kairi didn't want to break the kiss until she finally had to stop to breathe.
Both didn't dare say a word, astonishedly looking at each other. Neither of them had felt like that before. It was like finally seeing the light of the sun after many years in darkness. After a long and cold tunnel, entering a big flower field in full bloom.
Naminè slowly turned away, touching her own lips with her fingers. It still seemed unreal. Illogical. Mysterious. Kairi had kissed her, completely out of her own free will. And nothing bad had happened. It was a wonderful sensation, and Naminè was blushing deeply. For the first time, she didn't dare to look directly at Kairi.
“Did...” Kairi looked away. Thank God the deep red sun was concealing the color of her face. She was speaking really softly, a completely different voice from her usually serious and composed voice. It was like she was finally herself, after so much time.
“Did... ou like it?”
“Yeah.” Naminè wanted to make a clever remark, to say something better. But nothing came to mind. It was like she was unable to think.
“Did you...like it?” Naminè now asked Kairi.
“Yeah. A lot.”
“Can...I kiss you again?” Naminè was having problems talking. She had never felt this nervous before, but it wasn't unpleasant at all. It was like a happy nervousness.
“Hm...” Kairi only nodded.
The sun was sending her last rays of light over the rooftops of Hollow Bastion when the two girls' lips met again. In close unison, caressing each other, understanding each other, they shared a moment of such intimacy that they didn't even notice that someone was standing not too far away from them, silently crying to herself.
---Valiant Hearts---
“You look horrible. Did something happen with Kairi?” Yuffie was already in bed. It was pitch-black outside.
“No. Nothing at all.”
Olette's voice was moody, and it was clear that she was angry. It was too dark to see her face, but Yuffie was sure that Olette had been crying. She just had a feeling for it.
“Really? You sound like you've been cry—”
“It's nothing, damn it!” Olette suddenly yelled, and turned around.
Yuffie decided not to ask more. She knew when to stop asking. Getting up and staying behind Olette, she hesitated a moment. Was this the right decision? She knew how it would eventually end. She knew what she gotten herself involved in.
Looking at the broken girl in front of her, alone and sad, and with a mental sigh, she ignored her worries. Embracing Olette from behind, Yuffie could now feel that she was shaking and crying. Not saying a word, both of them stood there in the darkness, until Olette had finally calmed down.
Taking her hand, Yuffie pulled Olette into bed, ignoring that she was still wearing all her clothes, that her hair was a mess, that her shirt was wet from tears. She knew exactly how despair felt, how it felt to be all alone in the darkness. And she didn't wish for anyone else to experience that.
Soon, Olette had fallen asleep and Yuffie still hugged her, not letting her go.
“I'm not going to let you go.”
And with those final words, the ninja also fell asleep.
The next day came, and when Yuffie woke up, Olette was gone. She heard sounds from the kitchen. Had she gotten up to make breakfast? But Olette had seemed really hurt, and it hurt Yuffie to just look at her. There was definitely something wrong with her.
“What're you doing?” Yuffie walked half-dressed in the living room that included the kitchen.
“Breakfast. Want some?” With a big smile, Olette looked at Yuffie.
Olette was so cheerful it was disgusting. It was false cheerfulness, and Yuffie knew it the moment she looked at her.
“No...no thanks.” Yuffie couldn't bear it.
It made Yuffie sick to see this. That wide false smile. That fake cheerfulness.
“No? But it's really good. Here, have some.” Olette placed a plate on the table and looked with her false cheerfulness at Yuffie.
Unable to take it anymore, Yuffie walked up to Olette, and before her expression could change to confused, Yuffie forced the brunette into a chair.
“Stop this right now! I know you feel nothing like this! Stop running away from your problems!” Yuffie yelled at her furiously.
“What do you know how I feel!” Olette stood back up and pushed Yuffie back.
“I don't, so tell me!”
Those words had the desired impact. Olette stumbled back and looked at the ground. It was wrong to let it out on Yuffie, who had been caring for her these past three days.
“I like you...I want to be with you...but I can't if you run away from your problems,” Yuffie said, getting closer to Olette.
“I...it just hurts so much...”
“It always hurts. I don't want to see you like this, Olette. If you feel like crying, I'm here for you. You don't have to put up an act.”
Olette only nodded. She didn't feel like crying anymore, and dropping her cheerful act felt so much better. But how would she deal with it?
“I'm here for you. I will stay by your side as long as you need me.”
Yuffie stood in front Olette for a moment before the brunette took her hand. It felt a bit rough, but Yuffie didn't want to take her hand away.
“Can you do me a favor?” Olette was looking really down.
Yuffie nodded.
“I want you to kiss me.”
Yuffie could feel her heart jump a little, but it was only for a short moment. She had wanted to kiss Olette ever since the first night they had spent together. She had a cute face, and it had always been a shame that she hadn't gotten to kiss her.
Yuffie was surprisingly pretty embarrassed about it and closed her eyes before she moved in to Olette's face.
More nervous than she had anticipated she would be, Olette closed her eyes too. Seconds later, she felt Yuffie's lips on her own. It was a nice feeling, even though she felt miserable. Like a little fire inside her that was burning her pain and bad thoughts away. It helped to forget what she saw, what she heard.
Yuffie enjoyed it, but not quite as much as she thought she would. It must have been because Olette was hurt. The kiss left a little bit of empty feeling inside, as if she hadn't earned it.
Olette broke the kiss, and looked over at the clock. It was time to leave. She didn't want to see Tifa, to go out, but she wanted to stop acting like a little child.
“My training...”
“I know. I'll wait for you. See you later.”
Yuffie wasn't smiling, but she didn't seem sad either. Olette could feel how much Yuffie cared for her, how much she meant to her. It hurt to leave her behind now, it hurt to leave her place. Already out the door, Olette heard her name being called.
“Olette.”
Turning around once again, Yuffie had closed in so fast that she almost stumbled over her own chaos on the ground, kissing Olette for a second again.
“I'm here for you.” Yuffie smiled at her, her eyes sparkling.
Olette felt a bit better through those words. Nodding, she finally left, leaving Yuffie behind.
Yuffie wandered into the kitchen and looked inside the fridge, only to close it a split second later. Scratching her cheek with a sigh, she looked inside her wallet.
“I knew I was pushing it with feeding two people. Gotta ask Olette later...wait a second.”
With a diabolical smirk, Yuffie looked towards the door.
---Valiant Hearts---
Kairi and Naminè had spent some more time on the roof, kissing two more times, before they went to bed. Both had a hard time sleeping, thinking about what happened. Kairi felt different from before. She had only thought of it that moment, but she had been right.
All she had needed was her own decision to move on. To give herself another push. To jump over her shadow. And it had worked.
Kairi could see Naminè now in a different light, and it was weird how easily she got embarrassed just thinking about now. Had she fallen in love with Naminè?
Late at night, Kairi noticed something different. If she was able to see Naminè like this...what about Olette? Wasn't it horrible of her to completely ignore her in this? Olette had confessed to her too...
“Back to being a horrible person...” Kairi whispered to herself.
But what could she do? Kairi had no idea if Olette even wanted to be with her anymore. Going and kissing her would probably do more harm than good. Telling her what happened would probably just hurt her.
And what about Naminè? One of them would end up hurt anyway. It was only logical to pick Naminè after what happened between them.
“Logical, huh...” Logic was what made her like this, cold and oblivious to other people's feelings. She had finally changed. For the better? Kairi didn't know, but it felt better than before.
“Think outside of logical...” Kairi told herself. “Why does this have to be so complicated? Whatever I do now, someone is gonna be hurt...it isn't fair.”
Restless, Kairi turned over once again. How had she managed to push herself this far anyway? Was she just fed up with being an emotional ice block? Or did she, deep down, long to respond to the affection Naminè was showing? Maybe it was both. Taking Naminè's advice, she had done it on impulse, without thinking about the consequences. It had worked, to some extent. She felt different now, like a completely new person. But it had also spawned new problems.
New problems...
With that one thought in mind, Kairi finally fell asleep.
The next morning wasn't her best. With only very few hours of sleep, Kairi's hair was all wild and uncombed, standing in thousand directions. Her eyes were only half-open. She had never felt like this before. Getting only a little sleep on a mission was one thing, since she often used to rely on adrenaline to wake her up, but she was at home right now.
“Did you get hit by one of Cid's machines?” Tifa was curious as to what had caused Kairi to look like that.
“So...sleepy...” Kairi laid her head on the table, cursing her always busy mind.
“And here comes yet another one that looks like she got under a truck.”
Kairi turned around and saw Naminè, the hair no less wild and no less sleepy than Kairi, as she walked down the stairs.
“What the hell did you two do that...oh...oh... I see.” Tifa was grinning so widely that Kairi could virtually feel it.
She couldn't help but blush and point at Tifa. “Keep me out of your perverted mind!”
“Looking at you two, it's not me who's perverted,” Tifa continued to tease.
“Stop it, Tifa. Or should I show them how you look when we get up?” Aerith said, who was standing behind Tifa and holding a plate with breakfast.
“I'll behave.” Tifa was quiet all of a sudden.
“Good girl.”
Kairi and Naminè somehow finished their breakfast and just wanted to get back to bed, but they weren't allowed to. Kairi was freed from training by Leon, but Naminè wasn't.
“Kairi, uh...do you want to come and watch my training?” Naminè asked.
Tifa was immediately about to make a snippy remark, but she caught Aerith's glare and decided against saying anything. Instead, she sulked in her chair. Sometimes Aerith could be a real party pooper.
Kairi wasn't sure how to react. After yesterday evening, she wasn't sure what to do with Naminè. They had kissed a few times. Did that mean they were going out? Did Naminè think that? But...
“Yeah, I'll come by.”
“Good. Then I can check your skills. I guess you've gotten rusty since our last session,” Aerith threw in.
With a loud bang, Kairi let her head fall onto the table, sighing loud enough to make it comical.
“Talk about misfortune,” Kairi said, causing Naminè to giggle.
“It's not so bad, Kairi. At least you're not alone.”
Kairi lifted her head and met Naminè's gaze for a second. They both got slightly embarassed and looked away. Tifa smiled to herself. She was smelling that there was something going on between the two girls.
“I guess even Keybladers have their own 'problems', don't they?” Tifa said. She finished the last piece of her breakfast and left with a hasty “See you later!” before Aerith could punish her.
“Jeez, that Tifa. Don't let it bother you, Kairi. I'm sure she is happy for you too.”
Happy? For what? Did something happen? What were they think—
“It's not like that!” Kairi deeply blushed and waved with her hands.
“Oh, it isn't? That's too baaaad.” Aerith was smiling widely and Kairi just knew she wasn't taking her seriously.
“It really isn't like that! We just ki—” Kairi closed her mouth before she could finish that line.
“You 'ki'?” Aerith looked at the two girls, who were really embarrassed about it.
“Nothing at all! I'm going to Yuffie's!” Kairi left her dish on the table and left before Aerith could ask anymore embarassing questions. Naminè was left alone, completely at Aerith's mercy.
“So, what did you two do?” Aerith asked with a knowing smile. “Did you kiss? Or...”
Naminè could only guess at what Aerith was implying, but she nodded. “Yeah. We kissed. It's...just that. We kissed. Don't tell Kairi I told you! But I'm not feeling too good about it.”
“How come? I thought you liked Kairi a lot.” Aerith was confused. What did Naminè mean?
“Yeah I do. I love her. But...I think it would be really mean for me to snatch Kairi away like this when Olette isn't around. I like her a lot and...”
Naminè sighed. It had kept her awake for most of the night. Back in the pirate world she had wanted to be together with Kairi, but only if Olette was with them too. Was that a lie? If she searched her feelings, she found that she really did want to be with Kairi...but it was like it was wrong as long as Olette was away.
“Hm...and I guess Olette likes Kairi too?” Aerith had already figured as much, but hearing this from Naminè was pretty much a confirmation of what she suspected was going on.
Naminè looked a bit panicked, but Aerith smiled as usual. She wouldn't gossip about this. Maybe it would help to tell her about all what happened...
Starting from the point where they had thought Kairi had died, Naminè told Aerith the whole story, up until the point where she and Kairi kissed. It felt so good to finally talk to someone about it that she completely lost track of time.
“So, you want to be with Kairi, but you don't want Olette to drift away from you two. The question is, does Kairi, does Olette want that?” Aerith had mixed feelings about what to tell Naminè.
“Kairi doesn't want Olette to leave either. She is really bothered by what happened. I don't think she wanted things go to this way. I...don't know about Olette right now.”
“I think you should talk to Olette and tell her honestly what happened. If Olette is really your friend, then you shouldn't have secrets from her.” Aerith looked at the clock. It was already past twelve. What had Kairi been doing for so long?
---Valiant Hearts---
Kairi couldn't believe what she saw. Running over to Yuffie's place, she had seen Olette standing in the door from a distance. What amazed her was that suddenly Yuffie jumped Olette, kissing her. It was a shock for Kairi. Had Olette gotten over her this fast?
“I can't believe this...”
Kairi had walked away without talking to Olette. She felt a pain in her heart but couldn't explain it. She had only seen Olette as a friend all this time. Why had it hurt to see her kiss Yuffie? If she was happy with it, shouldn't she, as Olette's friend, be happy for her?
It didn't seem to be that easy. Nothing seemed to be easy for her.
“Why the hell does everything have to be this complicated?!” Kairi yelled, and kicked a stone.
Frustrated with herself and how everything around here had changed, she wanted to escape from all it for a few hours. So she went down to the canyon, as just screaming out loud and letting it all out was the best way to get rid of built-up stress.
“I can't believe her! Being all emotional and not coming home and then getting together with Yuffie—with Yuffie, of all people! Just like that!” Kairi shouted. She summoned Oathkeeper and went berserk on a few rocks.
Breathing heavily a good ten minutes later, Kairi was finally exhausted enough to calm down and think about it rationally and logically.
“I shouldn't assume things. I should just go and talk to Olette...I hope she will talk to me at all. But...what should I say? 'Hi, I saw you and Yuffie kissing, are you dating?' Yeah, sure. That's rude, at best.”
Should she just go and say whatever came to mind? Maybe she was overthinking things again and that had led to this situation in the first place. Kairi didn't want to make it any worse than it was.
A good fifteen minutes later, a still-winded Kairi with a summoned Keyblade and wild umcombed hair showed up at Olette's training place.
“What the hell happened to you? Are we under attack?” Tifa asked, and stopped so suddenly that she got a frontal hit from Olette, knocking her over.
“Damn, that hurt!” Tifa moaned, and rubbed her chin.
“Olette, I...need to...talk...you...” Kairi got out in between heavy pants.
Olette didn't respond and avoided looking at Kairi. After yesterday, she didn't even want to see her, much less talk to her. Kairi had betrayed her.
“Look, it's really important.” Kairi had calmed down and stared at Olette. Tifa was standing by and looking confused.
“Can you leave? You're interrupting my training.” Olette was really cold towards Kairi.
“Okay, you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. I'll do the talking, then.”
Olette looked away and pretended to ignore her. What was it that Kairi wanted to say? Brag that she was together with Naminè now? That she didn't want to be with her? That she had chosen Naminè over her?
“Yesterday, I kissed Naminè. And...I think I started to see her as something different than a friend.”
Olette knew. She knew all about it. She had overheard all of it. Why the hell did she have to listen to this crap? Getting angry, Olette clenched her fist. If Kairi didn't finish soon...
“But...I don't think I can be with Naminè without feeling guilty about this...not giving you a chance. I don't want you to be left all alone. I like you too, and—” Kairi didn't get to finish.
“Who says I'm alone! I have Yuffie and you know what, I'm tired of your ever-changing mood. One day you reject us, the next you're up the roof happily fooling around with Naminè. Who the hell do you think you are that you can screw with my feelings like this?!” Olette yelled at Kairi, furious.
“I never said anything about the roof...did you watch us?” Kairi was confused and felt a little violated inside.
“I overheard you. I was coming up there because I wanted to be friends with you again. But you know what, screw that.” Olette couldn't stop herself. She was crying inside, asking for someone to stop her, to stop her from making it all worse.
“Then why are you so angry? I never said anything to Naminè about being together with her. I thought the whole night about what a horrible person I am that I did this without you around!” Kairi felt like she was being accused of a crime she hadn't committed.
“You are a horrible person! If you're that concerned about me, why didn't you stop? Why did you kiss her again? Why did you two look all happy?”
“Wouldn't you have looked happy too in that situation?!” Kairi was now yelling back, having reached her limit. She knew she wasn't completely in the right, but Olette was going overboard.
“But I am not in this situation! You are! And that's the point, it's always about you!” Olette was about to rush and hit Kairi, but Tifa stood between them.
“Both of you, shut up!”
Tifa could be really loud if she wanted to, and it had the desired effect. Both girls, surprised and intimidated by the sudden outburst, went quiet.
“From what I hear, you're both at fault here. Don't go and blame everything on each other. Kairi, leave now. I won't repeat myself.” Tifa was scary when she was this serious, and Kairi didn't dare to object.
“Olette, training is over for today. I want you to think about what you just said. About what you accused Kairi of.”
Kairi looked at the ground and left in one direction, Olette in the other.
Who does she think she is? It's obviously she who is wrong!
Both of them shared that thought. And both felt that they had just broken something that could never be repaired. It hurt, both of them, but they didn't want to show it. It was a horrible feeling.
Back at home, Kairi lay on the couch, hating herself and Olette. She had done the wrong thing, but Olette was the one overreacting. She and Naminè weren't dating. They only kissed a few times. She was finally able to deal properly with her feelings, and now? Olette seemed to hate her.
“What's wrong?” Naminè was looking down on her.
“I had a fight with Olette. She saw us, overheard us last evening. She's really furious about it,” Kairi said and turned around.
“I know. I met her on my way home. She was waiting for me, wanted to talk to me.”
“What did she say?” Kairi was really curious now.
“She wanted to know what was happening to us three, why we are drifting apart.”
Kairi grit her teeth. She knew exactly what was happening to them. And it was mostly her fault too.
“I explained to her what happened between us. She wanted me to smack her for being a idiot.” Naminè seemed so much different than usual.
“You smacked her?”
“Kairi, Olette is still my friend...I don't want you two to fight.”
With that, Naminè left for upstairs. Looking back one last time, the blonde girl said something else.
“I love you.”
Kairi was left alone in the living room. Dropping back on the couch, Kairi stared at the celling.
“Why does my life have to be such a mess...”
And with a slight melancholic expression, Kairi closed her eyes.
---Valiant Hearts---
“What happened to your cheek?” Yuffie was shocked that Olette came home with a glaring red hand mark on her right cheek.
“It's nothing.”
“Did someone hit you? Are you okay? Was it Kairi?” Yuffie stopped one step short.
“I said it's nothing!” Olette burst out, and knocked over the table with a kick.
Yuffie didn't dare get close to Olette. She seemed really furious, even beyond yesterday. What in the world had happened today?
“I'm going to bed. Good night, Yuffie...” Olette said, sounding very exhausted.
“It's not even dark out...okay. I'll join you later,” Yuffie replied, knowing it would be best to leave Olette alone for now.
Crawling into bed, Olette felt horrible. Her cheek still hurt. Naminè had explained everything to her, but what had it changed? She was now with Yuffie and she didn't want to leave her. She liked Yuffie. But how did Yuffie feel about her? Did she like her? Love her? What was she in for?
Thinking about it, Olette slowly fell asleep. She didn't notice when Yuffie went to bed, laying right next to her. Yuffie leaned over and smiled at Olette's sleeping face. The past two days had been pretty dramatic, but she had also gotten a whole lot closer to Olette.
Kissing Olette on the cheek, Yuffie laid down next to her and grabbed her hand, smiling happily.
End of Chapter XVI
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