Glory and Tragedy – Beyond Myself
Darkness. The claws of beasts, their raging breath, the eyes that sparkle in the limitless black, giving birth to hate and death. No will, only thirst for destruction. A force not created by nature, but still innate to the universe. Beings as old as time itself. The envoy of chaos and pain. The end of all things.
The Heartless.
Towering over the immeasurable mass of Heartless devouring the world below him, Xemnas watched in absolute indifference. This mission was a failure as well. The Heartless were way too hard to control to reap the hearts of worlds. Contaminated, dirty, filthy—they were crawling over it, devouring it, destroying the last speck of the fabric that made the world.
Next to him was Saïx, bathing in the hate of the dying world, fascinated by the power the Heartless had as a whole. Next to Saïx were Luxord and Demyx. One was smiling in amusement, the other smiling for no particular reason.
"Lord Xemnas..."
They had started addressing him this way not too long ago. It made no difference to him. Titles were worthless and served purpose only to the weak and foolish.
"We will wait. Both our plans have failed, but it matters not. There are many paths for us to take." No laughter. No malicious smile. Only absolute certainty.
While everyone else remembered emotions from their days as humans, Xemnas did not. He was a cold, calculating monster that even Saïx would not dare anger. Xemnas had no need for emotions.
Opening a gate of darkness, Xemnas vanished and left the remaining Organization members behind.
"Xigbar." Luxord was playing with two dice in his left hand, trying to relax his nerves. They had taken a full assault on this world, and he had witnessed first hand the horrifying power Xemnas wielded. He was not wounded badly, but it was still an annoyance.
"What do you want, Luxord? I am not going to help you in your retribution against some silly children, Keybladers or not." Xigbar was in a fool mood. Xemnas was pushing him to hurry up with his research, but he was not Zexion.
Luxord threw him an icy glare. "Nobody asked you to. If I remember right, you got your ass kicked pretty badly by some wannabe ninja chick. So keep your mouth shut, fool." He paused, then took a deep breath. "This is the second world that's gone down. I am already bored of constant genocide. There is no risk."
Luxord looked over to Saïx, who was still watching as the spectacle of the world below them turned into nothingness. Demyx was already gone. Luxord could speak freely now, but not too loudly. Saïx had good hearing. Too good.
"How is Xaldin?" Luxord asked. "When will you be finished with him?"
It was not compassion for Xaldin that woke his curiosity, but rather the chance to rise in power if he played his cards well. The chance to become as powerful as Xaldin or even Saïx. The chance to grasp power beyond his imagination.
Xigbar tried to remain cool, but Luxord could see that he was surprised. "Soon," he answered in a low voice. "You don't need to know more." He suddenly turned around and opened a gateway. "One day your gambles will be your doom, Luxord."
Xigbar's warning words were still lingering in the air once he had vanished.
Luxord watched the last moments of the world that had fallen prey to the darkness thanks to their power. It was too easy to massacre these lowly insects. He wanted revenge. He had let those silly little girls make a fool out of him. It was his own fault for taking them lightly, but he would not be satisfied until he had beaten them, violated them, and killed them. He would not go that far if not for the…punishment by Xemnas he had to suffer for his failure.
"Return to Oblivion, Luxord," Saïx commanded without even looking back. His face was covered in deep shadows of malice, his eyes feasting on the chaos below him. He did not want anyone disturb him while he did the one thing that still pleasured him. "That is an order."
Words absolute. Words that did not let leave place for objection. An order to vanish or face the consequences. And Luxord knew he did not stand a chance against Saïx.
Opening a portal and stepping through, Luxord entered the world of darkness—a world he was so familiar with and yet one that seemed so alien. He was not welcome here, and he did not want to be, either.
He still had questions. Xigbar was hiding something. But what? It was impossible to know what his Superior was planning…what he had ordered Xigbar to do. He was not their leader without reason. He was the most powerful of them all. If collecting hearts wasn't this inconvenient, there would be no need for these roundabout tactics and schemes.
Leaving the gateway, Luxord stood in Oblivion, or what was left of it. The attacks from those lowly humans from Hollow Bastion had caused a lot of damage. They still hadn't repaired all of it and never would. With Vexen and the others dead, there was no need. Wasted effort. There was only one beside Xaldin whose body was preserved.
Luxord walked past Demyx's quarters. That crazy idiot was playing around with his sitar again. Should he try and order him to do a recon mission on the world he had encountered those pesky little girls? No…he shouldn't disgrace himself any further.
"Xigbar." Luxord had finally reached the laboratory that Xigbar had remodeled. There was no need to ask. In a large test tube at the end of the room, lit by dim green light, Luxord saw what he wanted to see.
"I see you have been successful. What about the other?" Luxord walked behind Xigbar, who was deep in thought over various documents.
"I am busy, Luxord. Lord Xemnas gave me new orders. The other will not be completed until I have fulfilled his expectations. Now get lost."
That was definite. No matter what question he asked, Xigbar would ignore him. Luxord knew that much.
He gave the specimen in the test tube a closer look and found it to be frighteningly accurate. It perked his interest. Xigbar had come a long way in a short time. It was a shame that they had to…get rid of Zexion. He had been a brilliant mind. Luxord had liked him, as far as the members could like anything.
"Don't you have something to do? Get out." Xigbar threw one of his needles at Luxord, missing him by inches. Xigbar was under tremendous pressure from Xemnas. He had no time to waste.
Luxord took the hint and left without a word, annoyed at the impatience Xigbar was showing. Just what had the Superior in mind now? It was useless to attack worlds by themselves. Both approaches had failed—they just lead to the destruction of the world. He could still see the fields of bloody massacre that he caused. At first it had been thrilling, but now it was just like beating a cripple with a sword.
Returning to his quarters, Luxord sat down. His room was overflowing with things—dice, cards, hourglasses—but beside those, it was plain. The bed was just a simple silver frame with a plain white mattress and blanket. He was sick of its color. The whole place, all of Oblivion, was the smoky silver of nothingness.
Sick of it. So infinitely sick of it. He spent most of his time roaming other worlds, and wished he could leave now. But going now after he had just failed a mission would be bad. The Superior didn't care what they did when they weren't on missions as long as it didn't endanger their plans. Marluxia had been quite the fool to rebel against him.
Lying down, Luxord tried to remember what his Somebody had been like. He knew tiny bits of information regarding some of the members' pasts, but it was an unspoken rule to not talk or ask about those. Luxord watched his own hand, as if fascinated by the power he had.
He didn't understand what some of the rebels had been talking about. Getting a heart? Becoming human again? Ridiculous! Which kind of idiot would give up the power he had? As far as Luxord could tell, he hadn't aged. He didn't need things humans did. He was superior to those lowly insects. Yes…
He would crush them. Kill those little pests. Those Keybladers.
---Valiant Hearts---
A world between worlds. A dimension doesn't exist until recognized. It could seen, but was not sure if it really was. Alive? An existence? Human?
Before it, images. Of the distant past? The future? A time that hadn't come to pass? A prophecy? Who would know…who wanted to know?
Then before it was the abyss, a flow of images shaking faith.
An eternal dark castle, immeasurable and blurred, made of shadows itself. The castle itself, looking at the horizon, with invisible eyes penetrating the fabric of space. On the horizon—light. Golden doors, with unnatural and beautiful marks. The doors were solid light. The frame of hope, towering over the dark castle.
Images. People. Keybladers. Heartless. A fight continuing for countless centuries, for countless ages. For all eternity, the clash between light and shadow. Voices. Growling. Howling. The raging breath of the monsters devouring the light. Dark dust staining the ground, further than any eye could see. People. Talking.
"This is madness, Emilia! Did you not read the prophecy? Alios mars elas rix! Darkness beyond twilight. That is where you are heading!"
Worlds. Changing. The flow of time, raging and escaping from the iron grip of two impossible powers fighting. Keyblader and Heartless dying alike. For each that fall, a thousand take their place. For a thousand that fall, the battlefield mourns. And yet the strife continues forever.
A war of unimaginable scale. A speech of courage. A warning.
"True evil does not appear as darkness
True evil looks just like the light of justice
infiltrating your thoughts
corrupting your very being
until you yourself have become part of it
the true evil which is lurking in the shadow of justice."
A new battle beginning. A woman with fiery red hair, familiar and alien, known and unknown, alive and dead, leading the warriors, slaying the beasts, cutting apart the darkness to become what they most feared—the annihilator of worlds.
Words, from nobody and everywhere. Penetrating the mind. A truth, older than the mind. Older than all worlds and even the doors of light and the eternal black castle. A voice, like old paper rustling in a gentle breeze, talking from within space itself. To anything. To nobody. Ever repeating, unheard.
"Beneath the Heart, Light.
Beneath the Light, Darkness.
Beneath Darkness, Power.
Beneath Power, the Heart."
A power was given. To the Heartless. To Keybladers. A clash of powers destined to be and not to be. People crying, mourning, despairing, and yet living. Victim to emotion, the worst and most supreme of all gifts. Families. Clans. Worlds. Bonding and destroying themselves in hate, only to repeat the circle of endless war.
The dark castle. Five towers. The first, born before time, to be—only to die. A sacrifice. A warning. The message never forgotten. A truth hold dear for all eternity.
"The Enemy of my Enemy is still my Enemy."
The second tower. Guarded by nothing. An abandoned child in the pitch black night. Crying. Yelling. Screaming its last words before dying and being reborn endlessly.
"Welcome Twilight.
Welcome Blackness.
Welcome Inky Night.
Only in Darkness,
Can I see your Soul."
The Keybladers. Desperate. Angry. Resolute. A few of them emerging to be legendary, leaders of the war, slaying thousands, millions of Heartless, their eyes cold as ice, their technique deadly, their heart on fire, their mind sharp as Death's scythe.
Their fight going on for centuries. The war creating what would come to hunt them. From nothingness they came, not human, not Heartless, but residing in the twilight of the worlds and shadows, waiting, quietly to take what they thought rightfully theirs.
"If Light and Darkness are only illusions of our mind,
what does that make the nothingness of the Nobodies?
The Truth? A Lie?
We will never know for we are entitled to follow the illusions."
The third tower. Hostage to its own being, guarded by itself, killed by itself, reborn by itself. Silent until the circle broken, Keybladers destroying it, leaving it in ruins forever, reborn never again, its dying words echoing through the pitch-black darkness for all time.
"Down there it was tangled and dark.
Down where the Darkness feasts on us.
Down. Down. Down.
It was there that we first recognized,
that we are naught but pawns in a game,
the most hated ones, forever screaming 'Eureka.'"
The fourth tower. Two towers. One tower. Infinite towers. Nothingness. All of it and yet nothing. Made of light forged in darkness. Made of darkness forged in light. Ruler over everything and the lowest slave. Its command and plea heard by tyrant and pawn alone.
"The Following statement is false:
The previous statement is true.
Welcome to our mind."
The end of all time. A spear of light and courage piercing the darkness. The begging of all time. Darkness engulfing the light and devouring it, growing from feeding on it. A conflict beyond the measures of time and space. A hatred running deeper than the bonds of the worlds.
The last tower. Gates of darkness. Warning words, promising words. Words to shake one's soul, to rip it out, chew on it and put it back in. To corrupt and destroy the pure, to take away the light and morals. The ultimate invitation to one's own doom.
"Behold, for that behind this gates,
lies all you desire,
lies all you fear.
Once stepped past,
there is no way back,
for there is nowhere you could go back to.
Be one of us, be one of the legion.
Behold, for this gates lead to infinite darkness."
The images fading, last words echoing through the eternity that is the abyss. Words to change destiny. To lead one from doom to victory, and victory to doom. To reverse what is written.
"Evil doesn't care."
---Valiant Hearts---
Light. Her eyes hurt badly. Where was she? Was she alive? Her body hurt. Just trying to move hurt incredibly badly…like every nerve in her body had been put beyond its limits. Her mind hurt. Kairi. Olette. Were they alive?
Slowly opening her eyes, Naminé felt her eyes sting badly from the sunlight. The ground was hard stone. Familiar stone. But her mind was too chaotic right now to comprehend anything beside the need to look for the other two.
Something was in her hand. It was warm. Looking down, Naminé could see the ground and her left arm. Running down that arm was a little bit of blood. But that was not all. In her hand was another. Turning her head slightly, Naminé saw red hair. A face was on the ground, unmoving. But her hand was warm.
Kairi was alive. Naminé could feel it.
Turning her head as far as she could without passing out from pain, Naminé tried to find Olette. Nothing. She wasn't next to Kairi, and Naminé didn't have the power to turn around.
Voices. She could hear voices from the distance.
Now that she thought about it, the ground was unusually rough. Holding Kairi's hand and taking a deep breath, her consciousness faded away again.
---Valiant Hearts---
"They seem to be fine, considering the crater in the ground left from the impact. It's been almost a week since they left and the portal exploded. I wonder where they were that long."
Earlier, in the late afternoon, an explosion shook Hollow Bastion's foundations. When they went to investigate what it was, they found the three girls lying in a crater several feet in diameter.
None of them had regained consciousness so far. Rydia had taken a look at them since Aerith had been a bit run down with stress and worry. All three of them were brought to Aerith's house since they seemed physically fine aside from a bit of bleeding and some scratches.
Now, Rydia was sitting on the couch in the living room of the house. Tifa was standing behind her, and Leon and Cid were on the opposite side of the room. Yuffie was in the room Olette was resting in, watching over her and waiting for her to wake up.
Aerith was watching over the other two. The group had found Kairi and Naminé holding hands. Their grip had been so tight that they just laid them down in the same bed. It was as if they refused to let go of each other.
Leon had been the first on the scene and had noticed that all three of them were dressed in oversized, randomly-put-together clothes. No one had no idea why they were wearing them. At any rate, they wouldn't find out until the girls woke up.
"I am eager to know what happened to them, but it might be dangerous to push them now," Leon said. "I will give them some time before they have to report. Tifa, tell me when they regain consciousness. I'm going to get some sleep." He took a deep breath, sighing. "I'm relieved they're back."
Finally, he left the room.
Aerith came downstairs. They had arranged for shifts for looking after the girls. It was late in the evening now—over six hours had passed since they had picked up the girls. They could do nothing but wait.
With a silent exchange of nods, Tifa walked up to Aerith and stopped her for a moment by hugging her briefly before heading upstairs. Tifa was usually embarrassed when showing affection in front of others, but Aerith's tired and stressed face was getting to her.
It was awfully quiet. They had so many questions, but nobody had answers.
"Nothin' ya can do but wait this one out." Cid opened a window, allowing the cold but fresh night air to come in. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply.
Aerith was leaning on the wall next to the stairs, closing her eyes. She had slept terribly during the last week. In fact, she had spent a few nights wide awake. Tifa had always been right by her side. They were both exhausted.
Yuffie was no different. As she worried about Olette, she had spent a few nights on the roofs, looking at the crater the portal's explosion had made. Nothing. The area was still off-limits. The portal itself seemed extremely unstable. Cid had tried to open the portal by force again, but it just caused another explosion. Whatever was causing the portal's instability was still in effect.
Yuffie tried to stay awake as she leaned with her back against the wooden frame of the lower bunk of the bed Olette was resting in. Yuffie could finally relax a bit, knowing that the girl was safe. The past week had been one big nightmare.
She had always known it could come to this. She was aware of the dangers Olette and the others were putting themselves in. How many times had they come close to death now? Yuffie knew it was wrong, but she instinctively wished for Olette to stop. Stop being a Keyblader, and to stay with her.
But Yuffie could never ask Olette to do that. Of all things, asking her to stop and sit idly by was the one thing she couldn't do. Yuffie had never worried this much about someone before. It was a horrible feeling to stay behind, unable to do anything, not knowing if Olette were still alive, if she were well.
How much longer would it be until one of them died? Until Yuffie could no longer hide the despair she was feeling? She loved Olette. It was so painful to think about losing her.
Yuffie closed her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest. This was making her crazy. If Olette hadn't come back, what would she have done? Could she ever have dealt with it, as she was doing now?
Something hit her head—it was the hand of the sleeping girl behind her. Quickly turning around, Yuffie could see Olette reluctantly opening her eyes, trying to understand where she was.
"Olette! Can you hear me? Olette!" Yuffie leaned over a confused-looking Olette, trying to get her to recognize her. As Yuffie waved her hand in front of her face, she could see Olette's pupils following, but her mind couldn't seem to keep up.
With a sudden sting of pain, Olette recalled what she had seen, recalled how she had died and been reborn endless times. The pain, the pain, the infinite pain running through her body—it left an eternal mark on her mind.
Suddenly breaking out in cold sweat, Olette tried to get up, but it was too late. Her eyes rolled back and the full vision came back to her. The fight, the bloodshed, the horrors of what she had seen. Leaning over the edge of the bed, Olette felt like vomiting, but nothing came. She breathed heavily as the images raced through her mind.
Yuffie could only watch in horror as the ghostly pale girl looked as if she were about to collapse again. She quickly grabbed Olette by her shoulders and pushed her back down. Olette seemed so light—there was no resistance. And then Yuffie looked directly into Olette's eyes and instinctively pulled back. Those were the eyes of a person who had seen unimaginable horrors.
Yuffie leaned down and hugged the terrified girl, trying to calm her down. And it really worked. Slowly, the visions in Olette's head faded.
A single tear rolled down Olette's cheek as she finally found herself safe. No more visions, no more distorted images, no more. Only Yuffie.
"Don't let go," Olette whispered, and calmed down considerably. Her breathing was already going back to normal.
"What just happened to you?" Yuffie was honestly frightened now.
"We…" Olette opened her eyes wide. "Where are Kairi and Naminé?" she asked immediately, trying to get up. "Are they okay? Did they make it? What…time is this? When did we vanish?" Olette had a thousand questions.
"Uh, it's late. I don't know what time exactly. It's been a week since you three vanished in that portal. Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Yuffie almost shouted. She looked at Olette with watery eyes.
"Are the other two okay? Do we…look any different?" Olette finally managed to pull free from Yuffie's tight embrace and looked down at herself. Her hands, arms, legs. It seemed like they were back in their own bodies. In their sixteen-year-old bodies! She had to see the others. Had to see for herself if they were okay!
"Kairi and Naminé are in their room." Yuffie was worried. What if they were also experiencing whatever Olette had just gone through? Against her better judgment, Yuffie helped the brunette girl up and they made it to the door.
Olette could barely walk—not because she had no energy or was injured, but because she had gotten used to her adult body. Relying on Yuffie felt a bit odd. But why was she even thinking about that?
In the hallway, Yuffie suddenly remembered that she should have informed the others sooner. "Aerith! Come up! Olette's awake!" She knew she should have called for her as soon as Olette opened her eyes, but things had been so chaotic that she simply hadn't thought of it until now.
Aerith came right up, followed by Tifa and Leon. Most of the others were standing around the stairs down below. "What is she doing up? Yuffie, what are you doing?" Aerith was immediately by their side, trying to take Olette from Yuffie, intent on getting her back to bed.
Olette flailed out with her arms, looking at Aerith with fiery eyes. "I have to see the others! They could wake up any second. You better be there if they do!" Olette seemed to be trying her hardest to make her way alone to Kairi's room. She still looked terribly pale, but if something was going to happen to Kairi and Naminé…
Aerith didn't know what to say. She had never seen the girl so determined, and neither had Tifa or Yuffie. It must have been something really important if she had to force herself to walk and see them at a time like this, so Aerith went to open the door and Yuffie went back to supporting Olette.
Nothing could prepare them for what happened next.
A loud crashing sound came from inside the room. Aerith threw open the door and stepped in just in time to see something incredibly odd. Kairi was facing the door, her Keyblade drawn. Behind her on the ground was Naminé, so frightened that she was unable to move.
"Don't come any closer, you monsters!" Kairi shouted. She seemed furious. A sudden pain in her head forced her to divert her attention, and she clutched at her head. Her breathing was abnormally fast, and both of them were pale as ghosts.
With a roar of terror, Kairi started to slash and hack at empty air, her eyes wildly looking through the room, not even seeing the others. She was out of control—completely swallowed by the vision inside her head. Kairi slashed apart invisible foes until her Keyblade got stuck in her drawer.
That was enough for Olette. She focused her whole energy in her legs and made one big jump through the room, grabbing Kairi and crashing with her to the ground.
"Wake up!" Olette yelled, and slapped the redhead.
It worked. The madness left Kairi's eyes and she found herself on the ground beneath Olette, who was sitting on top of her, looking relieved about something. The Heartless. They were gone! Had it just been a dream?
"You saw it. Didn't you? Saw the war! The Keyblader. The Heartless. I saw it too!" Olette felt like she was about to pass out, but she couldn't allow that just yet. The sudden push of her limits had been too much—but first she needed to confirm one thing.
"We are back. We made it. We were only gone for a week! Kairi…are you okay?" Olette was dizzy. She didn't even have the energy to move away from Kairi.
"Now I'm okay." Kairi was tired. Now that she could remember everything—the pain, the vision—she felt incredibly tired again. "Thanks to you."
Those were the last words Olette heard. She passed out, falling right on top of Kairi, who was just too exhausted to mind. Smiling from the bottom of her heart for a brief moment, she also went back to sleep, this time a deep, dreamless one.
Aerith was already looking after Naminé. As far as she could tell, she was only scared to death, not delusional or hallucinating like Kairi. She didn't have enough energy to get up or even talk, and Aerith picked her up and put her back to bed. Physically, she seemed fine, but Aerith knew that something extraordinary must have messed with them to make even Kairi hallucinate like that.
Tifa pulled the unconscious Olette from Kairi while Yuffie just stood there, looking bewildered and helpless. With a sigh, the woman left Kairi to Aerith and carried Olette back to her room.
By the time Tifa got back to the living room, Yuffie was gone. Aerith was still checking on the girls and watching over them, so it became Tifa's job to inform everyone—to tell them they had woken up, but that they were still not in the condition to even walk, much less answer questions.
"But they seem fine. A good night's rest will do the trick, I think. I suggest we all go and get some sleep now." Tifa yawned. She felt relieved now that she knew the girls were all okay. Well, okay enough.
"I agree. I'll come by tomorrow to check on them," Leon noted. Upon seeing Tifa's angry face, he added, "Don't worry, I won't bombard them with questions." Even though he was harsh on most of the committee members, he deeply cared for his friends.
Cid ruffled his hair and left together with Leon after wishing everyone a good night. Rydia made her way home as well. The living room seemed suddenly very empty, but it didn't bother Tifa. Aerith was waiting at the top of the stairs.
"They're fine, but they must've been through something horrible. Naminé was conscious but couldn't even talk. She was like she was traumatized." Aerith seemed worried, but not too worried to hide how tired she was.
Tifa grabbed her hand and pulled her with her towards their bedroom. "You can continue to worry about them tomorrow."
---Valiant Hearts---
Now that the three girls were safe, each morning felt a bit unreal. The images still haunted them in their sleep. Was it a vision? The prophecy of a coming war? Whatever it was, they would have to deal with it if it came to be. There was no use brooding over it.
They had spent more than two days in bed, resting both from physical and mental injuries. Having that much time to think, they all realized several things.
Kairi felt she could not go on like this. It was one defeat after another. Each time they just narrowly escaped death. What were they fighting for if all their results were failures? What were they training for? The enemy was always one step ahead of them, scheme after scheme ready for them.
They all felt the same. Hadn't it just been luck that they escaped this time? What about the next time? They knew that something lurked in the shadows ahead, something indescribably evil.
Yuffie caught up on lost time, spending her days from morning to evening in Olette's room. Half of the time, much to Olette's annoyance, she was not just in the same room but also in the same bed, clinging to Olette as if she were a pet that had been lost and suddenly returned home.
"Yuffie, I know you missed me, I missed you too…but—" Olette turned slightly pale. "Get. Off. Me." She kicked Yuffie quite violently until she finally could breathe again. "Now I know why some people say love is a poison!"
Yuffie sulked for a second in the corner of the bed, just to crawl back to her girlfriend a bit later. As Yuffie arranged herself next to Olette, Olette gave her a warning glare. "I am still injured. Don't try anything." She didn't need to specify what exactly. It was clearly visible in Yuffie's eyes.
"I have no idea what you mean."
What a blatant lie! Olette snorted and started to laugh. She rolled over, continuing to laugh until her stomach hurt. Yuffie really had gotten worse at lying. Or had Olette gotten better at detecting them?
"But I guess I can give you a little service." Olette moved over Yuffie and slowly moved down, kissing her girlfriend. Yuffie immediately laid her arms around the brunette and pulled her down. After a few tries and some fighting to get free, an out-of-breath and gasping Olette freed herself from the horny girl. "I said little, you sex-crazed thing!"
Yuffie just smiled happily and licked her lips.
"Somehow I think I should stay here…who knows what you'll do to me at your place!" Olette rolled her eyes, but the desired effect didn't take place. Yuffie was absurdly cool about it.
"My place is a…bit messy. I'm gonna ask Tifa to let me stay in this room with you." Yuffie averted her eyes when she said "bit" and Olette mentally took a few steps back. If even Yuffie said it was messy, it was either filled to the ceiling with things, or the whole place was burning and shooting rainbows.
The Keybladers were only a room apart, but it seemed like there were worlds between them. Olette knew that Kairi had her own problems to deal with. One failure after another. If the Heartless alone weren't enough, now they had the Organization to deal with. In many ways, her journey was only getting harder.
The bliss of Olette's belief in peace was long gone. The Heartless weren't just a failed experiment of a mad scientist. They weren't a virus that was infecting worlds. They were just the shadow counterpart of hearts themselves. And Kairi knew she could not blame her failures on facts like that.
But how? How could they beat the foes standing before them? How to spoil their unknown scheme? No one knew much about the enemy, and while it might have been possible for some of them to be killed by the united power of their small stronghold, there were apparently still many left.
Olette had to get stronger. Not just for herself, but for everyone around her. To protect her world. Her friends. Her family. To protect the ones she loved. To protect Naminé.
The anguish that rushed through her felt disgusting. She felt like she was peeking into Kairi's thoughts and emotions. Since Olette had been close to Kairi for a long time now, she knew that Kairi blamed herself. But nothing Olette could say would help remedy that. So she didn't say anything.
At times like these, Olette felt powerless. Why was there nothing she could do for her? She wanted to shoulder some of the blame, but Kairi always took all of it onto herself. Sometimes Olette wondered if she could last, if one day she broke under the burden. Before that day came, Olette would find a way. Find a way to break down this wall of unfair responsibility.
Days came and passed. After four days of "imprisonment" as Tifa jokingly called it, they were finally allowed to go out for the first time. Leon had been patient with his call for a report, but he was at his limit now. The same day they were allowed to leave the house, he called them in for a report.
It was detailed and painful. Everyone couldn't believe what they heard. Cid was excited about the idea of a gateway leading two ways on the time axis as opposed to the space axis, and he blurted out a lot of technical things nobody understood.
Kairi told everyone about how they aged, how they were different from before. Even though it was painful to remember those few days, she didn't leave out a single detail.
Finally she got to the day they found the logbook. Kairi was as pale as a ghost after she finished telling everyone about what they had found written in it, and the meeting room went silent as everyone tried to stomach what they had heard—absolute destruction.
Aerith was one of the most shocked. Seconds after hearing what happened, she tried to reconstruct what could have caused the desertification. Only really powerful magic could have been the source of such a phenomenon, and Tifa figured as much. Aerith was outside, pale and staring into the air when Tifa joined her.
"It sounds like a horror vision of the future." Tifa just casually stood next to her partner. She wasn't looking good, either. Kairi had just told her about the entry that described how Tifa died.
"Would…would things really go that way? Would they end like that? This is the first time I've ever been afraid of my own powers…and afraid of the future." Aerith was badly agitated; she was trembling. She was genuinely frightened by her magic talents.
Tifa gently pulled the frightened woman close and laid both arms around her, trying to ease her worries. At last, the trembling stopped. Tifa could feel small little drops of cold on her chest. "It seems like it's about to rain…" She patted Aerith's back, knowing it was all she could do.
Cid sat alone in a corner near the stairs leading to the next district. He was smoking a single cigarette, looking at the smoke that soon dispersed into the air. From what Kairi told him, he at least died in a heroic manner. He smiled a melancholy smile. "Goin' out with a bang, huh…doesn't sound too shabby."
Yuffie was alone on the roof, looking over the town. All of this, turned into ruins and desert. She couldn't possibly imagine how Olette had felt, finding out everyone was dead. Kairi told her that Leon, in the future, saw her die—slashed in half by some monsters from the Organization. And Olette was fighting against them.
Leon was sitting against a wall in the back room of the house in complete darkness. His future self had failed. Failed to protect anyone. To protect their town, even their world. They had trusted him with the fate of the world, and he had failed them. How many more times would he have to go through this? How many more times would evil just take everything from him?
He grabbed the pendant he always wore and thought of things he had lost. Of her face. Of the one face he would never forget, never as long as he was alive.
In iron solitude, Leon looked at the ceiling. "No more. I will not allow a future like that to come true." He would not make the same errors twice. He would never lose one of his friends like that again.
Holding his pendant firm in his left hand, Leon stood up. "I will protect them." He walked to the door that led back to the main room, then turned around one last time.
"Rinoa…"
---Valiant Hearts---
The report now finished, everyone was dismissed. Each of them needed some more time alone. Kairi, Naminé, and Olette were the last ones in the room when everyone left.
"What do we do now?" Olette directed her question at Kairi. Initially they had been on their way to another world when the Destructia Incident, as Leon dubbed it, had happened.
"Nothing. Leon said that we'll remain here for the time being. No training." Kairi turned around and her serious expression meant that she wasn't joking. "We should spend as much time with the people we love as we can. You two saw what could happen. I don't want any of us to have regrets on the next mission." Kairi was rarely this straightforward.
Without waiting for a reply, the redhead left. Naminé quickly ran after her and left Olette alone, but at the door she turned around once to see the lonely Olette sitting in the now-dark house. Naminé felt a sting in her chest. This wasn't right…
"Our loved ones, huh…it's funny for you to say that, Kairi." Olette whispered to herself.
Olette stood up and walked to the door, then paused for a moment. "Come out, Yuffie. You're creeping me out, you stalker." She looked around. Olette knew Yuffie would not leave her alone.
"You're really getting sharp." Yuffie jumped down from the roof and stood behind her, slightly annoyed she was found so easily. But given that Olette spent so much time with her…
"Let's go home. I'm tired." Olette just wanted a good night's sleep. Maybe things would look a bit brighter the next day. She wasn't really in the mood for Yuffie's teasing, but she was somewhat used to it by now.
Olette walked out the door and went to turn right and noticed only after a few steps that Yuffie was still standing behind, all confused. "What's wrong? I really don't want to go anywhere. Sorry, Yuffie, not today."
"I wasn't joking when I said it's messy. I've been crashing at Cid's place since the day before you came back."
Olette literally took a few steps back. Just what in the world had Yuffie done to her apartment? "Did you blow up the fridge or something?"
Yuffie just smiled and scratched her chin.
"Seriously?!" Olette shouted, followed by a heavy sigh.
Olette walked back to Tifa and Aerith's place, followed by the black-haired girl. The room next to Kairi's was big enough for two, so it was possible…but thinking about how Naminé spent every night with Kairi annoyed her somewhat.
The door was open, and it seemed weird to knock after staying here for so long. Aerith was sitting on the couch, Tifa using her as a lap pillow. They didn't seem to be in the best of moods. It was rather…gloomy.
"I know this is going to sound weird…anyway." Olette coughed and took a deep breath to relax. "Yuffie kind of…did something to prevent us from staying at her place. Can we stay here for the time being?"
Olette knew that Aerith would probably clash with Yuffie because of her total lack of order, but where else could they stay? Cid's place wasn't exactly…safe.
"What do you think, Tifa?" Aerith looked down at her partner, who seemed to be deep in thought all of a sudden. She looked at Olette, then at Yuffie. Then she closed her eyes and waved with her hand.
"No. Yuffie's too much of a bother." She got the intended effect. Yuffie seemed to be really offended.
With a quick pinch, Aerith had Tifa hissing in pain. "You were just joking, right?"
Aerith liked teasing Yuffie once in a while, but Tifa usually went overboard. She really didn't know how to hold back.
"Ouch, Aerith, wait, that hurts!" Tifa was trying to get up, but Aerith had her completely under control.
"You were just joking. Am I right, dear?" The last word was drawn out so long and in such a hissing voice that Tifa quickly nodded, afraid of what punishment awaited her if she didn't comply.
"So that's that. Yuffie, I am going to throw you out if you cause chaos like at your own place. I remember quite clearly what a messy person you are!" Aerith warned the ninja.
Yuffie was about to say something but got her mouth covered by Olette's hand. "Thank you, Aerith. I'll see that it doesn't turn out badly. Right, Yuffie?" She looked at her partner, who had turned several colors and who now seemed to be trying to yell through the hand.
"She says yes." Olette smiled at Aerith and dragged her girlfriend away, up the stairs. She should tell Kairi and Naminé that she was staying there with Yuffie for the time being.
Speaking of the devil, both girls came down the stairs just as Olette started thinking about how she should deal with Kairi. There were still some…issues left to deal with.
"I didn't know ninjas could change colors. How funny," Naminé commented upon seeing Olette and Yuffie. It made the Keyblader realize that she was still covering Yuffie's mouth. Yuffie herself had stopped struggling. Olette let her go, and Yuffie gasped and took one deep breath after another.
"You almost got me killed there, you brute!" Yuffie said, and turned around.
Olette plain ignored her act and turned to Kairi and Naminé. "We are…well. We're going to stay in the empty room for the time being, because Yuffie is too stupid to keep her apartment in order." Olette said it in such a way that made it quite obvious she was mad that Yuffie had finally reached the most extreme level of mess possible in her own apartment.
"Hey! Take that back." Yuffie yelled, much to the amusement of Naminé.
"Well, I don't mind, but…are you two gonna be okay?" Kairi looked at the arguing couple with questioning eyes. They were every bit as bad as Tifa and Aerith, if not worse.
Amidst all the chaos, as Tifa and Aerith were having a very…serious discussion about teasing people too much, someone knocked on the door.
Aerith looked through the window from where she was sitting and saw Rydia standing outside, carrying a big bag. It was quite late by now, so what exactly…?
"It's open!" Aerith shouted, and Rydia looked through the window and waved to Aerith. The room was rather full by now. Aerith and Tifa were on the couch, Kairi and Naminé were still standing on the stairs, watching Yuffie and Olette argue about something no one understood, and now Rydia was standing between the fronts.
"Oh, you're here too, Olette. I was looking for you at Yuffie's place, but there was nobody there…and Yuffie, what exactly…was that…smell?" Rydia was getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Hearing that, Olette gave Yuffie a very serious "this is not over yet" glare and walked towards the green-haired woman.
"It's just…Yuffie doing her usual nonsense. Don't question it, you won't like the answer." Olette sighed and noticed the big bag that Rydia was carrying. "You brought something?"
"Oh. Yes, I finished the clothes I was making for everyone. I started working on them after King Mickey brought you back. It was a lot of work!" Rydia seemed quite proud of herself. Kairi and Naminé had followed and the three girls were now standing around Rydia.
Yuffie was left alone in a corner, sulking over the fact that Olette always turned her attention completely towards Kairi and Naminé whenever they showed up. It was unfair of her. And the worst was, it seemed like Olette thought that was normal. It really pissed her off.
"I still need to do the final enchantment, but you need to wear these to let the spell fixate on you. Who'll go first?" Rydia was worried that Naminé wanted to go first. Her final enchantment would be very…difficult in comparison.
"I'll go first," Olette said, and she looked over to the corner where Yuffie was glaring over at her. "If you peek, you'll see just how much of a brute I am." Olette was obviously mad that Yuffie had called her that, and the sparkling in her eyes just confirmed that.
"You can't wear anything below the clothes, or else the enchantment won't work. Don't worry, underwear doesn't count as wearing something." Rydia smiled at the girls' surprised faces.
Suddenly, Rydia was attacked from behind. Two strong arms wrapped around her—but that wasn't the problem. The hands had landed directly on her chest. Tifa had sneaked behind her and was groping Rydia.
"Why did we never get clothes from you, huh? Where are ours?" Tifa said, and continued to grope a horribly embarrassed, frightened and shrieking Rydia.
Kairi took a few steps back and so did Naminé and Olette. Behind Tifa was Aerith, who was very, very slowly coming closer. Kairi had the unpleasant feeling that they were about to witness something terrible.
Rydia finally got loose and backed up against the wall, her crossed arms in front of her chest. Her wide eyes were staring at Tifa. Said woman had just noticed that Aerith was emitting a rather…dangerous aura. Judging that staying was most likely a very bad idea, Tifa took one last look at Rydia and licked her lips deliberately so that Rydia was clearly able to see it.
Tifa then made a quick departure, leaving the house through the front door before Aerith could catch her. Kairi thought that an angry Aerith was every bit as dangerous as someone from the Organization—if not worse. At least, she was feeling very, very unwell in her presence right now.
"Kairi. Naminé. Olette. Yuffie. Rydia. When you see Tifa, tell her…that there is punishment waiting for her." Aerith's voice was slow and somewhat creepy. Everyone nodded quickly and watched the woman smile in a very unpleasant and villainous manner before she left the house.
"I just saw my life passing before my eyes…" Olette said, taking a deep breath.
"Me too…" Kairi added, and realized she was sweating.
"I wonder if Tifa also likes Rydia in addition to Aerith," Naminé said, causing Rydia to give her a shocked and frightened look.
What the hell was wrong with everyone in this house? Was there some invisible aura that turned everyone living here into some sort of lesbian? At least the girls didn't seem to be as bad as Tifa. The image of Tifa looking at her and licking her lips was branded in Rydia's mind. She would have nightmares about this for weeks.
"A-anyway…the clothes…" Rydia stuttered, and asked Olette to follow her to the bathroom.
---Valiant Hearts---
The day ended with Tifa staying out late and sleeping on the couch, Aerith being too dangerous to talk to, and the Keybladers getting new outfits with personal enchantments. Rydia was so tired after doing the spells that she went straight home. At least, that was she said. Kairi thought that she was mainly fleeing from Tifa.
The night passed, and Hollow Bastion moved on. The news of the future was kept strictly confidential. It was branded in their minds, yet the group refused to just give up. They would change the future. A future like that was not acceptable.
Knowing what could happen, a few people had their own ideas of what to do. Leon had a very long and detailed talk with Cid. Not much about the actual attack was recorded, but from what Kairi told them, the city's defenses had been useless. Even if it meant spending a lot of time and money, Leon was determined to come up with new ideas and pull through. Cid was overjoyed by that idea.
Aerith and Tifa decided that there was something they should be able to do. For the time being, they had friends take over their bar. Knowing that they couldn't really teach any more techniques or strategies to the girls, they took a different approach.
"I'm really not sure about this, Tifa…"
Olette was wearing the new outfit that Rydia had designed for her. It provided some protection and was still easy to move in, plus there was a small amount of lingering support magic embedded in the clothes, which helped lessen the damage from fighting. The outfit was made up of long black jeans (not too tight and not too wide) and a tight orange shirt with a black vest on top of it. The look was completed by long laced boots which were a deep dark gray. Olette thought the clothes looked rather cool.
Tifa was stretching, warming up. She had (kind of forcefully) taken Olette hostage and had brought her to their old training grounds. "Even if I can't teach you any more, you can still learn some things from me by fighting against me," she reasoned.
While Olette wanted to disagree, it did make sense. She lacked combat experience that wasn't a plain old fight for survival.
"Here I come!" Tifa yelled out, and instantly vanished from Olette's field of view. Instantly summoning both Keyblades, Olette sensed something behind her and instinctively turned around and blocked with both blades crossed. Something caused an impact and the force drove her back, her feet leaving grind marks in the ground.
Tifa had closed in on her in a single moment and had attacked her with full power. Olette's wrists were feeling slightly numb and her arms were shaking. If she had taken that hit undefended…
Tifa and Olette were in the same branch of fighting, but there was a huge gap in power and skill between them. The least Tifa could do was to provide situations where Olette could accumulate experience and develop her own tricks.
"You better be ready for this!" Tifa was up to something. Speeding towards Olette, she jumped and came straight at Olette. It was impossible for Olette to win a straight battle of brute force. Tifa was in the air and ready to take her out for real.
Olette threw Circle of Life in Tifa's direction, but tried to aim at her legs. Once she immobilized Tifa, she wouldn't be a threat—but that was too simple. Tifa hit the sword with her bare fist and shattered it into pieces. The sword rematerialized in Olette's hands. So it wasn't beyond Tifa to even temporarily destroy a Keyblade's form!
Olette jumped backwards, narrowly escaping the impact that left a small crater on the ground. The hit caused a dust cloud and Olette backed up—but thinking herself safe was an error. Several big rocks suddenly came flying towards her from the cloud, and Olette had her hands full defending against the rocks with her Keyblades.
She ran to the side, trying to evade Tifa's line of sight from inside the cloud, and tried hard to think of a way to counter. Olette was at an enormous disadvantage in ranged combat. Tifa was clearly more experienced here. And Tifa could overpower her in close combat. So…
The time for thinking was over. With incredible speed, Tifa shot out of the cloud, trying to hit Olette, who parried every hit with her Keyblades. Jumping back, Olette finally noticed that Tifa had driven her into a corner. She wouldn't be able to evade or deflect the next blow easily now, so there was no choice but to take it head on!
Olette readied herself, took a steadfast stance, and waited for Tifa to attack.
And the attack came. Tifa closed in at high speed, using her full power to hit the two crossed blades. Brute force collided with brute force. Olette gritted her teeth. This was demanding everything she had. Tifa was still applying power, trying to crush her defense and punch her into the wall behind her.
Olette's wrists were going numb. She just couldn't withstand this much power. Was this woman even human? And how did Aerith manage to keep a monster like this in check?!
Olette was at her limit. Her footwork was nowhere was good as Tifa's and she was losing ground with every second.
Tifa grinned and raised her second fist. Olette went pale. That bitch could fight with both hands? Now that was really unfair. Now every one of her advantages was overpowered by Tifa!
"It's way too early in the battle for you to be thinking so much!" Tifa said, and hit with her second fist, destroying both Keyblade forms but stopping before she hit Olette. The dual wielder, now on her knees, was separated from Tifa's fist by not even two inches.
The fist relaxed its form and changed its shape to a helpful hand, one that asked Olette to take the help in getting up. "That wasn't bad. I wasn't going with the intent to kill you, but I was using my full force. To be able to keep up as long as you did is not bad."
Tifa grinned and patted Olette on the back. "But you've still got a ways to go if you think you can spend so much time in a fight thinking about your enemy. Want to go and see how Naminé is doing?"
Tifa already knew that this short a fight was all she could put Olette through for now. The Keyblader's hands were still shaking very slightly, and so were her legs. She first needed more stamina and endurance, but those things would come with time.
"Maybe…we shouldn't fight here." Olette turned around. There was a hole in the ground, some parts of a wall had been destroyed by flying rocks, and there was sharp shards of rocks everywhere. It wasn't exactly a safe place anymore.
"Aerith will have my head…" Tifa sighed upon looking at the results of their short sparring match.
On another side of the town, at the canyon, Aerith was busy with something else. Tifa's idea was a good one—to teach them about combat was one thing, but to let them experience it was something else. Aerith couldn't fight in town, since magic users caused a lot of destruction in narrow areas, so they were back at the canyon.
"I won't use summoning magic against you. Not yet. But I will use my full power, so give it all you have, Naminé." Aerith at least had the decency to warn the girl. She knew that Tifa was a bit rough in her methods, but training this way would be a good experience for Olette.
"Let's start!" Aerith said, and moved her staff in front of herself. Naminé had never seen Aerith use a staff before, so she didn't know what to expect, but Aerith had a strong tendency towards fire and lightning. Whatever was coming, Naminé could block that attack.
"Let the souls that sleep be awakened…Dark Mist!" Aerith launched her first attack and surprised Naminé by using incantation magic right at the start of a battle. If she hadn't been taken by surprise, Naminé could have countered her spell.
A dark mist, like the spell's name, flowed straight over the ground. It was chilling and seemed to suck up the dew from the morning. The younger mage used ice magic to create a platform under herself, providing a higher standpoint.
Naminé was wearing the same protective clothing Olette had gotten from Rydia, but hers was more geared towards protection than mobility. Her outfit consisted of a dress that looked like something right out of a book. It had a fitted bodice and a very wide and long skirt that reached to her ankles. The half-boots that came with the outfit were a perfect match. Rydia was still working on a hat. The entire outfit was infused with protective magic, which stayed in effect as long as Naminé had magic energy.
Aerith had vanished while Naminé had been busy creating her platform. Naminé looked around, but Aerith was nowhere to be seen. Naminé closed her eyes and tried to feel the magic energy. With a shock, she realized that the entire canyon was full of lingering magic thanks to the mist. It was the perfect disguise for a mage fighting another mage.
Something was odd, though. Naminé acted purely on instinct when she used ice magic to create barriers around herself. Seconds later, several fireballs that seemed to come from nowhere impacted on the shields, causing them to explode violently. Naminé had no choice but to jump down into the mist, taking cover from the flying shards.
"Thundaga!" Aerith was somewhere to her right.
Suddenly, Naminé was violently shocked and hit by electricity. But it was not the spell itself that hit her—the mist had converted the electrical charge and stunned her. Thank God Naminé was wearing her protective gear. It would've ended badly otherwise.
Naminé was unable to aim with the mist floating around, but she had an idea. Behind her was the ice platform. Directing Monochrome at it, Naminé used a full-power gravity spell to turn the ice into a gigantic gravitational force. And it worked! The mist flowed towards the ice block, condensing around it.
She could finally see why she hadn't been able to spot Aerith. The mist was not just a conductor for energy, it was also magic that caused hallucinations. It was, in truth, a lot higher than she thought—easily six feet.
Aerith was not too far away. She was standing still, casting something. Incantation magic again! This time, Naminé wouldn't let her complete her spell. "Fira!"
It was all she needed, as a medium-sized fireball hurled at Aerith would force her to abandon her spell. But it failed. A few meter short of her, the fireball impacted into something invisible.
"A super-thin ice wall?!" Naminé needed to do something quick! Given the time Aerith had to cast this spell, it must've been powerful. She had to—
"…and halt the flow of life! Shiva!" Aerith looked at Naminé with a victorious, confident smile. The ground before her was freezing. Ice crystals formed and began to erupt from the frozen sheets. They were coming at Naminé with incredible speed. She tried to use fire magic to prevent them from hitting, but it was too late. Naminé fell into Aerith's trap.
There was no way for her to stop summoning-powered magic with simple instant magic. Naminé felt the biting cold on her arms and face when the crystal hit, completely engulfing her in ice. She was unable to move a single finger, frozen solid.
Aerith was slowly gliding closer, wary of any counter-magic, but Naminé had completely lost this battle. It was virtually unthinkable for her to beat Aerith, who had been her teacher not long ago, and who was a very powerful mage capable of using strong summoning magic.
Aerith hit the ice block with her staff, causing it to shatter. Naminé had taken no real damage, but she was icy cold. At least the clothes had protected her somewhat, even when frozen and immobilized.
"You shouldn't have left the ice platform. It was a good idea, but if you use ice magic as shields, you need to place them further away from yourself." Aerith helped the younger girl up and smiled. "But you did okay for your first time. The idea to use a gravity spell on the ice was not bad!"
Naminé looked up and could see Tifa and a somewhat ragged-looking Olette, walking in their direction. Tifa was waving with her hand while Olette had trouble keeping up. "I guess Olette did about as well as you."
Naminé didn't say anything and just sighed. It wasn't really a battle they could win. It wasn't a fight. It was a demonstration of power. Tifa and Aerith had had years to train and get experience in real fights. Not to mention that attack on the Organization that they had undergone before she'd showed up.
Tifa took Aerith by the hand and dragged her along, leaving Naminé behind, who waited for Olette to reach her. When she did, the fighter sat uneasily down on the ground.
Naminé knew that each one of them had gotten a new outfit from Rydia, but she hadn't actually seen Olette's outfit. Naminé looked at Olette with shining eyes.
"What? You want to say something?" Olette wasn't in the best mood after getting beaten up by Tifa like that. She only noticed Naminé's clothes now and was rather impressed by the image they gave off.
"You look so cool!" Naminé said, out of the blue, and circled around the sitting Olette a few times, watching her quite intently. Now she wanted to see Kairi's outfit, but the tactician had locked herself up in her room, brooding over books and a ridiculous number of papers, trying to come up with new and efficient methods of fighting the Organization members.
"You look nice, too. Really witch-ish." Upon Naminé's slightly displeased face, Olette corrected herself. "I mean that in a good way. Like a real sorceress." She knew that Naminé disliked the word witch. Olette didn't know why, but she usually avoided that word anyway. It had just been a slip of the tongue.
"Was Tifa as tough as Aerith?" Naminé asked, and sat down next to her friend. She was still a bit cold from that last attack. The two women who had fought them just now were standing a good deal away from them, talking, probably discussing the results from their fight.
"You have no idea." Olette lifted her arms and showed Naminé her slightly blue-colored wrists. "If I hadn't gone full power from the start, I would be mush right now." Olette sighed and let herself fall back into the dust on the ground.
"Aerith was the same. They are completely different from how they were when they trained us…I had no idea that she was so powerful. And she lied to me, too!" Naminé finally remembered that Aerith had said she wouldn't use summoning magic. And yet, she had used Shiva to power her ice spell!
"You can't expect your enemy to tell you the truth." Olette knew that herself, but it was a valuable lesson for Naminé.
"I'm going to the library after this. Aerith talked about a book I should read. It's about support magic. Want to come with me?" Naminé was a great attacker by her own standards, but she was a poor support when compared herself to Aerith. Powerful magic like her Dark Mist spell was out of reach for Naminé.
"I'll pass, thanks. I'm gonna lick my wounds, as Tifa said." Olette took a deep breath and got up, helping up Naminé as well. She couldn't help but feel that she was some kind of hero in a game with these clothes and all of this training. "Must be one hard game, though…" she whispered to herself.
"I'll see you later, then!" Naminé left her. Tifa and Aerith were apparently arguing about something. Tifa was loud and flailing with her arms, while Aerith, looking angry, was standing there with crossed arms, listening to whatever Tifa was shouting.
Olette lowly made her way back to the town, thinking about what she should do now. Yuffie had been fast asleep when she had gotten up and was probably up to something right now, but Olette just didn't want to put up with her at the moment. She was all worn out from that little fight. Damn that Tifa, having to go and use all her power…
"Heeeeeeey, Oleeeette!" There was only one person around that would shout her name like that. Looking up, Olette spotted Yuffie sitting on a high wall at the edge of the town, looking down into the canyon.
Olette sighed. She was absolutely not going to go all the way up there. With a hand signal, she told Yuffie to get her ass down off that wall if she wanted to talk. And talk was the only thing Olette had enough energy left for.
If Yuffie was going to tease her like usual, Olette was going to hit her. She just wasn't in the mood for any games.
Yuffie was quick on her feet, so she was already waiting for Olette by the time she entered the town from the canyon. "That took you…" Yuffie made big eyes and seemed speechless upon seeing Olette. "You look hilarious! Are those clothes Rydia's idea of cool?" Yuffie started to laugh so hard that Olette felt like hitting her to calm her down. They were kinda cool.
"Oh, be quiet. I'm going to get lunch at Kupo's, and I'm gonna drag Kairi out of her room if necessary. She skipped breakfast." Olette was clearly pissed off at Yuffie's behavior. Olette wasn't just playing around, so to be this amused by an outfit was totally unnecessary. "Are you coming, or do you want for me to wait here until you're finished laughing?"
"Why, do you always need to have Kairi hold your hand?" Yuffie shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and followed an irritated Olette, who didn't speak.
"You don't have to be that angry!" Yuffie said and tried to grab Olette's hand.
"You're not really in a position to give me fashion tips, Yuffie…" Olette didn't want to have this conversation.
"What do you mean by that?" Yuffie stopped and looked down at herself. It was her usual attire. What was wrong with it? It looked rather nice, and it was easy to move in, so what was Olette's problem?
"I mean exactly what I said," Olette sighed, and turned around after a few meters.
Yuffie wasn't too dumb or slow to take a hint. "Look, it's just…your clothes do look a bit comical from my perspective." Yuffie tried to explain herself, but now that she thought about it, maybe she really had overdone it a bit by laughing like that. She grabbed Olette's hand again.
"You really need to learn what consideration means, Yuffie. Now get moving, I'm starving. And no, I am not going to eat you." Olette pre-emptively rolled her eyes and pulled free, but now she was going at a much slower rate than before.
"I wasn't going to say that." Yuffie had a big smirk on her face.
"You were thinking it. It's still written all over your face." Olette gave Yuffie a scolding look.
"Not true!" Yuffie was still smirking. "But now that you mention it, you were gone for a week and injured for the past few days, so…"
"No. Maybe later." Olette turned her down and finally relaxed. "You should have seen what I looked like as an adult," she said a second later, and grinned. "You'd still be drooling."
Yuffie waved her away and covered her mouth. "I can just look at Tifa for that."
"I swear to God, I am going to hit you one day." Olette clenched a fist and threatened Yuffie, who jumped a few steps back and pretended to be scared.
Both of them continued on this way until they reached Kairi's room. Olette threatened to kick down the door and drag her out if she didn't come out voluntarily. Kairi was starving anyway, so she went along to grab something to eat, since Tifa and Aerith were still out. It was likely the two were still arguing down in the canyon. Olette just hoped that Aerith wasn't going to blast Tifa out of Hollow Bastion because of what had happened yesterday.
Kairi functioned as buffer between the two not-quite-seriously-fighting girls and brought the mood back to a normal one. Yuffie never liked teasing Kairi much. Kairi saw through Yuffie too easily and didn't react like Yuffie wanted.
"I like your new outfit, Olette. How's the protection spell?" Kairi was curious about it since Olette was the only one of the three who didn't have her own magic energy to feed the spell. Thus, either Rydia or Naminé had to "refresh" the spell, as Rydia put it, every seventy-two hours.
"It's quite nice. But against a monster like Tifa, it's only of limited use." Olette wasn't big on the technical details, but the clothes at least seemed to be virtually indestructible as long as the magic worked.
"I wanted to see yours, Kairi. What does it look like?" Olette kept the conversation going, much to Yuffie's annoyance.
"You're gonna find out tomorrow. We three are going to have a mock battle against Tifa, Aerith and Leon. That's why I spent all morning trying to come up with a plan to at least get in a hit or two." Kairi casually explained everything and didn't notice that Olette and Yuffie had stopped in their tracks.
"A mock battle? Against all three of them at once?" Olette could suddenly see her life passing in front of her eyes. Again. Yuffie was showing a similar reaction, and was rather worried about Olette now.
"We have Rydia on standby in case someone gets injured." Kairi was secretly a bit excited about it, since she had found a few interesting maneuvers. Leon probably wouldn't expect them, and their teamwork was likely also lacking.
"I hope today doesn't end…" Olette sighed and followed up after Kairi.
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