Things to Come – Things to Go
There was quite an audience watching them. Someone (and Olette had a very good idea who that someone was) had leaked the info that the Keybladers were having a all-out mock battle against their advisors. While Olette and Naminé had already gotten used to the magic-enforced clothes from Rydia, it was a first test for Kairi. A large part of the previous evening had involved strategic planning for this battle.
Kairi's outfit consisted of a short skirt, a sleeveless shirt, and sneakers with reinforced soles and gloves. Both shirt and skirt were flaming red, complimenting her hair color, the sneakers and gloves a simple black.
Both parties were getting ready. Naminé was using Monochrome, Olette was wielding Circle of Life and Hero's Crest, and Kairi was using Oathkeeper. They were up against Tifa, Aerith, and Leon. All three of them actually armed for real combat. Aerith was again using a staff, and Leon was using his customized weapon he called a gunblade.
Yuffie was sitting on a rock high up next to the battlefield and would act as arbiter for this battle. They would fight until either Leon's party went down or until all three of Kairi's party were unable to fight. Yuffie wasn't too happy that she wasn't included in either party. On top of that, Olette had spent the entire evening before with Kairi.
"Don't forget what we planned. I trust you two." Kairi looked vividly at the other two, who each gave her a quick nod. They had no way of overpowering Leon's team, especially not Tifa, so they had to outsmart them. It was their luck that the strongest and most problematic member of the team was also the easiest to trick.
Barely twenty meters distance was between them. Leon was going to abstain from using any elaborate tactics against the Keybladers. His team already had the advantage in power.
"Just don't kill them, Tifa." Leon turned around and looked at the rather too-eager woman.
"They won't die that easily. Don't go easy on them." Tifa grinned widely and happily, pleased that she was now able to show her first student ever what she really was capable of. She cracked her knuckles, ready to go.
"Let's start, then. On my count!" Yuffie was using a megaphone. There was quite an audience on the town walls and even down in the gorge. "Go!"
Both parties dispersed, only their mages keeping still as they began casting. Olette was on a straight collision course with Tifa. Leon had retreated behind Aerith and was analyzing the situation. Kairi was right behind Olette. They were both going to take Tifa on.
Leon retreated further when the magic aura around Aerith became dangerously dense. She was casting something big.
"…and consume those foolish enough to stand in my way…Ifrit!" Aerith aimed at the center of the field.
"…to lay waste to everything in your way…Leviathan!" Naminé was also aiming right at the center.
A flash of light blinded everyone on the walls, but not the contestants. Erupting fire and walls of water clashed forces in the middle of the field. Smoke arose and filled the battlefield as both mages now changed position.
Naminé was not as powerful as Aerith, but she had the elemental advantage on her side. The ground in the middle was now scorched and glowing hot, the field filling with water.
The impact drove Olette to her knees. Tifa attacked her head-on, despite the fact that Olette was using an edged weapon. But so far, everything was going according to plan. Olette had locked down Tifa and was holding against her.
Tifa was about to hit with her dominant fist when Kairi appeared behind her and attacked her blind spot. Tifa acted in a matter of seconds and jumped high above the smoke. It was dangerous to take both of them on at once. In that case…
"…let the earth tremble before your power…Titan!" Aerith needed to get rid of the water; it was impeding Tifa's footwork.
"…weaken my enemy and protect me from his magic…Carbuncle!" Naminé had already left the slippery ground behind and had positioned herself on higher ground, standing on a couple of elevated rocks. The clouds in the sky increased in density in a matter of seconds while the ground started to shake. Aerith was probably planning something big.
"Not bad, Naminé. Going and preventing me from getting rid of the bad conditions hindering Tifa and Leon." Aerith had a feeling that this had been Kairi's idea. She must have calculated that Aerith would try to support her partner.
The ground exploded beneath her. Tifa had just rushed head-on into the smoke and had hit the ground, smashing a crater in the ground and sending rocks flying everywhere. Kairi hadn't expected it, and in an instant Tifa was right in front of her. She didn't lose any time attacking. Grabbing Kairi violently by her hair, Tifa threw her with all her might towards the other shadow in the smoke.
Leon had hardly registered an object flying right at him before it hit him with full force. The impact was enormous and he lost his hold on the wet ground. The trembling induced by Aerith's magic made it worse, but he didn't get far. Behind him erupted a wall of stone, and both he and the object crashed into it, smashing it to pieces.
That idiot Tifa! There was almost zero visibility and she shouldn't have been throwing people around. Friendly fire was the last thing they needed, especially not from Tifa. If she was unsure where and who someone in this wall of smoke was, then she should first make sure it wasn't an ally.
He was just a second too slow getting up—Kairi already had her Keyblade at his neck. Leon knelt on the ground, having difficulty in determining who his enemy was through the smoke and debris from the wall's explosion.
Tifa had lost her orientation after throwing Kairi and was looking around, knowing there was one more girl out there. Visibility was near zero. But the water had actually worked out to her advantage. Hearing wasn't one of her better skills, but it was good enough to allow her to sense and block the full-force onslaught from the dual-wielding girl. As she used her metal-enforced gloves to block the swords, Tifa was pressured by a second attack from her left.
Naminé had sneaked up to the two fighting shadows and was now right behind Tifa, who had her hands full parrying Olette's wild attacks.
A small ball of air exploded violently at Tifa's back, sending her flying. She rotated around her own axis and smashed into something not even ten meters away.
Leon was suddenly freed from his checkmate when Tifa crashed into Kairi. Both of them went sliding over the still-wet ground. Grabbing his gunblade, Leon was not a second too late. Olette came running after Tifa, jumping and attacking him head-on.
Leon spun around, dodged Olette's attack, and grabbed her leg at the same time. Jumping while still holding her, he used his full power to throw Olette to the ground, knocking the wind out of her on impact. Using the momentum, he directed his left hand at a spot inside the smoke and shot multiple fireballs, causing several explosions in the location where he thought Olette was.
A massive fireball exploded in the sky over them. The red shimmering light was clearly visible through the smoke. Tifa knew that sign. Aerith was going to unleash something brutal, and even she wouldn't walk away unscratched. Tifa didn't like leaving it all to Aerith, but she couldn't help it now. Leon retreated as well. He did not exactly know what was going to happen, so he decided to assert the situation before taking any further action.
"Naminé! Olette!" Kairi shouted, all three of them returning to their starting point. "Pattern four!"
Aerith had created an elevated position with magic for herself and was observing the smoke-filled field from above. Tifa was the first to jump out of the smoke. She landed next to Aerith, sliding a few meters over the ground from the speed. Leon followed a few seconds after.
"Hold on to something." Aerith smiled and got ready. The air around her started to spark, and Tifa could feel the magic energy getting very dense. Aerith really took this seriously.
"Lord of Dragons, heir to the throne of Blaze, I plead to you to grant me your power and air to destroy my enemy…" Aerith knew that the girls had something planned. Kairi was not so stupid as to leave aside the fact that Aerith was a powerful summoner as well.
"Envoy of chaos and misery, Lord of the Dark Sphere, I call you to annihilate what stands in my way…" Naminé had studied several eidolons by now and was capable of drawing power from them. However, she was still far from actually being able to summon them like Aerith could.
"…so I cast away your chains. Unleash your power and destroy my enemy! Bahamut!" Aerith finished her summon and the clouds above them were ripped apart by a gigantic dragon-like monster that flew over them and the town's walls.
"…I summon your power, cursed lord of the dark dimension, dark messenger! Diabolos!" It was easy to locate the enormous beast that Aerith had summoned. Taking this one on without protection would probably kill them. They really were going at it.
Without warning, Bahamut was suddenly chained by dark, glowing steel. His claws, his wings, his mouth were all chained, and the otherworldly shackles became tighter the more he struggled. It was nothing more but than playing for time.
Aerith knew that it would take too much energy for her to make Bahamut break Diabolos' chains and release him. Tifa and Leon instantly jumped back into the smoke. The clouds above them were getting denser yet again, it seemed as if it would start to rain soon.
Naminé was breathing heavily. She coughed for a few seconds. "I'm fine…" Naminé said after seeing Kairi's worried look. She retreated a few steps and got ready for another spell.
Olette was in position. Tifa would probably show up first and attack her head-on again. Before she did that…Kairi gave a quick nod, and Olette let her Keyblades fall. She grabbed Kairi with both hands by Kairi's left arm and pulled her along, rotating twice before throwing the tactician with all her power towards where she thought Tifa was located.
Kairi was feeling like her arm was about to come off when she flew past Tifa at an unbelievable speed toward another shadowy figure. She braced herself for the impact—Leon had no time to evade and instead blocked the attack. Kairi's speed was too high, though, and the redhead forced him back a few steps.
Kairi immediately retreated a few steps and observed Leon. Both of them were staring each other down. Both were using a single weapon and could use simple magic. Whoever made the first error was the loser of this battle.
Leon was sick of getting pushed around. Enforcing his gunblade with magic and enlarging it to a multitude its normal size, he attacked Kairi. He now possessed a large advantage in power and range, which would force Kairi to continuously evade.
Sparks were flowing from Olette's Keyblades as Tifa continuously hacked at her, trying to break her defenses. Using both fists and even her legs, Tifa was completely overpowering Olette both in strength and speed—but her gloves were wearing down from the continuous clash on metal.
She jumped back and left Olette a little room to breathe, analyzing her surroundings for a second. She then sped right past the dual-wielder and hit a stone wall with full force, causing it to crumble into several larger blocks. Olette could see where this was going and put some distance between herself and the martial arts fighter.
The smoke was slowly getting thinner and visibility was returning, and Naminé was instantly wary. It was too early. She looked around, and of course… Aerith was standing there, using wind magic to blow off the smoke. But it wasn't exactly a disadvantage. Naminé could now target Tifa, who was unaware of her.
"Those who lie in eternal rest, hold young forever by your power…" She started her recitation.
Aerith was still busy using typhoon magic. The smoke was too dense to blow it away with lesser magic—Tifa had to handle herself now.
Leon was still completely dominating Kairi, driving her into a corner. Kairi was aware of what her instructor was doing. Luckily she still had a trick up her sleeve. Leon followed a pattern of hits, so Kairi evaded another vertical hit and jumped to the right, throwing Oathkeeper at the surprised Leon. He blocked the rotating Keyblade with his gunblade and the weapon disappeared, reappearing in Kairi's hands.
"I forgot you could do that…" he said, and defended against another throw. Kairi was skillfully recalling the weapon, using it as an unlimited throwing weapon as she slowly drove Leon back. "But you're forgetting something important here!"
Leon threw his massive weapon at Kairi. The girl had to jump to the left side to evade a direct hit.
It was all part of Leon's plan. He was right there when she landed, unable to defend. He landed a brutal hit right to her stomach, then hit her four more times before grabbing her leg again and throwing her up in the air. He shot several fireballs after her.
Kairi shot out her own fireballs at the last second. The heat of the colliding fireballs reached her and burned a few strands of her hair. Using the smoke as shield, Kairi readied her weapon for a frontal assault, using the momentum from the fall to attack Leon.
But she fell right into his trap. Leon was no longer on the ground. By the time Kairi could see, he was right above her with his sword, ready to slash her. Kairi moved her own blade into the path of Leon's weapon and avoided a direct blow, but she was still smashed into the ground.
Kairi lost consciousness from the impact and was down for the count.
"…stop her flow of time! Shiva!" Naminé fired her magic directly at Tifa, who found herself suddenly attacked from the front and behind. She defended against Olette out of instinct but took a direct hit from the magic. In a matter of seconds, Tifa was enclosed in an ice block, seemingly frozen alive.
Olette noticed that Kairi was out. Apparently, Yuffie didn't count Tifa as out, as she was only frozen, so the battle continued.
Leon approached quickly, aiming for Naminé. He had to get the little witch out of the way quickly.
Aerith was preparing to undo Naminé's spell, aborting her previous summons of Ramuh. What a hassle, she thought. Tifa really should be watching out for herself.
Leon took a severe hit to his right shoulder from Olette, who was using both her Keyblades as throwing weapons. She really was dangerous when Kairi taught her. Using her speed and the ability to recall her weapons to her advantage, Olette circled around the swordfighter, putting him under tremendous pressure.
He took several hits to his legs and arms. Olette was not an opponent he would normally seek out on his own. This girl was something Tifa ought to be dealing with. But there was no use complaining. Blocking the next approaching weapon, Leon did a three-sixty turn with his gunblade and forced Olette to break her circling for just a moment.
That was enough to put some distance between them. He stared Olette down, fully aware that Naminé was right behind the dual-wielder, ready to fire her next salve of magic at him. If he was locked down again, then he would be unable to evade her attack. A powerful combination.
This wasn't good. They were a team and had had enough training together to know exactly what the other one was doing. He and Tifa were nothing like that. The girls had the clear advantage in strategy, but they were outmatched in raw power. As long as Aerith was standing, Leon's side wouldn't lose easily.
Naminé, however, was taking a different approach. Now that Kairi was down for the count, the pattern had changed. It was a risky, pitting her magic against Aerith, and Naminé wasn't sure how long it would work, but it was worth a try. If she could bind Aerith, it would be a great achievement.
"To chain down the force of the heavens, maiden of the sea…."
"…let Inferno rampage! Ifrit!" Aerith used a summon-powered spell, shooting a massive pillar of flames against the ice block that Tifa was in. But she was too slow. Naminé had hurried her spell.
"…sing the song of silence, Siren!" Naminé figured that Aerith didn't know that she could draw power from this eidolon and had used the right moment to use her spell. Aerith was suddenly chained by invisible chains, and the flame pillar ceased to be in a matter of seconds.
Aerith struggled and tried to get free, but the magic was well done despite Naminé's lack of experience. Aerith could command Siren as well and knew how to break the chains, but it would take a bit of time.
Leon and Olette were still in a lockdown when Olette was surprised by an ear-piercing cracking sound. With a frightening growl, Tifa broke free from her cold prison and seemed to be quite furious. She ran towards Olette, and at the same time the younger girl was suddenly attacked from behind by Leon. Several fireballs scorched her back, but thanks to the protective clothes, she didn't take much damage. She did, however, lose her balance and focus.
That was all Tifa needed. Olette looked up a second too late, and Tifa was already right in front of her. "Final…"
Olette dropped her blades and covered her chest with her arms. She wouldn't make it in time with weapons.
"…Heaven!"
Tifa's punch left Olette breathless, and the world seemed to move in slow motion for a second. With enormous speed, Olette was sent flying across the field. She smashed violently into a formation of stones.
Naminé was the only one left. She knew that she had no chance, but she refused to give up. It had come down to this, and she would go all out. If something went wrong, at least Aerith was right there.
"Ruler over the the heavens, child of gods, betrayer to your creator, hail upon my wish, and obliterate everything that stands before you. Archangel of Virgo, holy envoy of destruction, unleash your hatred upon the fools that come before you and…" Naminé could feel the magic pressure pushing down on her.
Aerith could feel it too, and it was something she wasn't capable of stopping. She had no time to summon a similar powerful eidolon. Not correctly, anyway. And if Aerith couldn't control the Angel of Virgo, neither could Naminé.
"Tifa! Stop her! If necessary, knock her out by force!" Aerith yelled, and jumped down from her rock. Reckless girl!
Yuffie shouted and yelled for Naminé to abort. It Trying to overpower all three of the enemy group was stupid!
Tifa heard Aerith and saw her running. Naminé was doing something crazy and Aerith seemed to want her to stop it. She jumped up on the rocks and was right in front of the young mage when all hell broke loose.
"…with the heart of darkness, fallen angel, destroy them! High Seraph—Ultima!"
Time seemed to stand still. Tifa was caught in a monstrous explosion and was sent flying. Leon was pushed to the ground, and Aerith protected herself with an emergency spell from Carbuncle and witnessed the chaos. Naminé had failed to properly summon the Angel of Virgo, and the built-up magic just exploded aimlessly. An uncontrolled holy spell.
Naminé fell to ground, unconscious but seemingly fine. Aerith took a deep breath. Just a magic overload. That girl would have a tremendous headache.
-Valiant Hearts-
The crowd dispersed after Yuffie declared Leon's party the winner of the mock battle. To most of the audience, it had looked like a life-or-death battle, and they weren't so wrong. Both parties really had gone all out. Naminé had gone a bit too far and knocked herself out with a magical overload, but at least it was a flashy way to lose.
Tifa rubbed her hands. It was, after all, not the brightest idea to hit edged weapons head on like she had done. Aerith had warned her about it, but Tifa had wanted to try it for herself. Leon had taken the most damage and was on his way home. He had refused to get treated by Rydia, who had been among the spectators. He had his own pride.
Tifa stood right over Kairi, who was out cold. Olette was far on the other side of the field, lying uncomfortably in a pile of rocks. Neither seemed to be injured badly.
Rydia had already come down and was just meters away from where Tifa was. "Don't worry, she's just unconscious. Man, I wish I had some clothes like that." Rydia painfully remembered the day before and changed direction before she could meet up with Tifa. Instead she went in the direction of the other two girls.
Tifa was dangerous in many ways, Rydia thought, painfully aware that the skirt she herself was wearing wasn't the optimal clothing for the windy canyon area. Aerith was already looking after Naminé, so she went to look after Olette.
The brunette had a lot of bruises, but it seemed like she had no dangerous injuries. Rydia took a deep breath and rolled Olette over. Her face was more badly damaged than her body. She had a swollen lip and a black eye. She looked like she had just lost a bar fight.
"You're a genius to have made those clothes, Rydia. Tifa went flying across the canyon and yet Naminé is completely fine. She'll have a monstrous headache later, though!" Aerith shouted from up above. She picked up the girl in white.
Being praised like that made Rydia embarrassed. And slightly uncomfortable. Olette was heavier than she looked, but at least her Keyblade had dissolved. Yuffie arrived after somehow managing to get the crowd to leave.
"How's Olette? That bitch hit her with everything she had." Yuffie accompanied Rydia, who felt even more awkward. There must be some weird aura or something that turned everyone involved with the Keyblades into lesbians. Yuffie was just another victim.
"She's fine, but she's going to be pissed for a while. She's got a black eye." Rydia didn't stop when Yuffie went to look at the face of the girl Rydia was carrying on her back. That eye would hurt—the clothes didn't protect her head, after all.
"I should've called a foul on that." Yuffie snorted and sighed. "Well, what's done is done. I think they did great. Thanks for giving them this stuff." Yuffie was referring to the clothes and showed Rydia a grateful smile.
"How's the princess over there?" Tifa shouted, carrying Kairi like a bag of flour under her arm. She was still knocked out and would probably not come to for a while. Leon had done quite the job on her. But he was a sore loser. Olette had clearly had an advantage over him and he was probably mad that Tifa had gotten to kick Olette's ass, not him.
Aerith was indeed carrying Naminé like a princess. She was light enough for that. There was still some atmospheric magic around her, but Aerith got gradually rid of it by exerting her own magic aura. It was just a matter of going easy on the girl. "Sleeping peacefully."
The three women, accompanied by Yuffie, reached Tifa's house. Laying the three girls down on the couch and the armchairs, Rydia quickly waved goodbye and left, oddly nervous. Aerith gave Tifa a brutal glare and the black-clad woman scratched her cheek.
"Rydia, wait!" Tifa went after the green-haired woman, who seemed even more nervous now. Why was Tifa coming after her all alone? Why was Aerith staring through the window like a mad lion? Should she escape, or…
"About yesterday, I…uhh…" Tifa wasn't too big on saying sorry. Which was making the problem worse.
"No…no!" Rydia waved her hands in front of her chest and ran away screaming, leaving a surprised and confused Tifa behind. Aerith was still giving her the cold glare when she came back in.
"I tried!" Tifa defended herself and went a bit angry at how unreasonable Aerith was regarding this.
"You scared her for life! You flirt." Aerith put such a cold emphasis on the last two words that Tifa felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Now that really hurt!
"Flirt? I just…well…it was supposed to be a joke." Tifa didn't know what to say. She had never won an argument against Aerith, especially not when Aerith was mad at her for something.
Yuffie was sitting in a corner and looking very amused by the fight between the two women. But the air was quickly becoming a bit too heated. She didn't want to be around when all hell broke loose. Grabbing Olette and slapping her cheek gently, she tried to get her to come to.
It took a few minutes, which seemed to Yuffie like covering in a ditch on a battlefield, to get her to open her eyes. "WhathappenwhereamIand…" It was total gibberish. Yuffie supported Olette and made her stand, slowly pulling her away from the fighting women. Aerith was now wearing her "I see" expression, which meant that something big was coming.
Getting up the stairs with the still half-unconscious Olette was difficult, but she eventually managed. Just after Yuffie closed the door behind her, she could hear the two women getting louder. Aerith seemed really mad. Well, considering what Tifa had done…
Laying Olette down on her bed, Yuffie took a deep breath. This was tiring. Maybe she should try to clean up her own place…but that would be a giant hassle…maybe later. First…
Olette was just lying there, defenseless and asleep again. Yuffie had disliked her new outfit in the beginning, but looking at it now…the clothes really did look good on the brunette. Leaning over her, slightly drooling and with evil eyes, Yuffie went and opened the buttons of Olette's jeans and pulled off her boots.
Breathing heavily, she took off her vest and was about to pull up her shirt when Olette started talking in her sleep. "Kairi, watch out…"
It was an instant mood killer. Always Kairi! Yuffie ruffled her hair and kicked the wood frame of the bed, hurting her toes. "Goddammit, fuck." She tried to suppress a scream but it hurt a lot. At least it distracted her from the mumbling Olette.
"Damn you, Kairi!" Yuffie cursed and opened the door. It was quiet now. When had it gotten so quiet? It wasn't a good sign. With a sad look back at Olette tossing on her bed, Yuffie accepted that her mood was completely gone. She sneaked down the stairs to find only Tifa sitting at the table.
Yuffie didn't notice it at first, but there was a big red hand mark on Tifa's left cheek. It was almost shining. Careless as she was, Yuffie opened her mouth. "What happ—" She didn't even get to finish.
A very angry Tifa glared in her direction. It was one of those moments when the animal instinct of humans took over. Yuffie immediately closed her mouth and turned around, breaking out in cold sweat. It was much too dangerous to talk to her now.
What followed could only be described as a hissing growl. It sent a chill down Yuffie's spine.
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
Yuffie determined that it was better to leave. Quickly. She'd come back at a later time. Much later. Going through the rooftop window. Yes. That was a good idea. Yuffie didn't say a word and quickly left the house.
Where had Aerith gone? Maybe it wasn't that important right now. Yuffie felt like she had just escaped from a lion's den. Turning around, Yuffie could have sworn she saw dark clouds gather exactly over the house. That was a bad omen…
-Valiant Hearts-
The evening came, and there was no sign of Tifa. Aerith had come back sometime after Yuffie had left and before Kairi woke up. Aerith refused to tell anyone why she was mad, but Kairi knew the only possible reason for it could've been Tifa's actions from the day before.
Naminé woke up late in the evening. While Kairi took a shower, she feared that Aerith was mad because of her. The absence of Tifa, however, seemed to be a more reasonable cause. Something must've happened between those two. Even Naminé didn't dare to ask the still-mad Aerith.
It was after eight when Naminé finished her shower. She went to check up on Olette, while Kairi went back to her room. Rydia had passed a letter, through Aerith, to her, and she was eager to read it.
Kairi unfolded the letter and read over it carefully. It was instructions on the clothes. She would have to tell the other two these things. Right now, she just wanted to sleep, but her growling stomach demanded something to eat. With Aerith as she was, it was unlikely she'd cook anything, and trusting Olette or Naminé with that…well, it couldn't hurt to eat out once in a while.
Kairi left her room and knocked on the bathroom door. There was no sound of water gushing and Naminé didn't reply. Kairi opened the door to check. She really wasn't there. Maybe she was still in Olette's room.
Opening said door, Kairi was in awe of what was before her. Naminé and Yuffie were standing together, kneeling over a nearly naked Olette, using markers to draw things on her face.
"What…are you doing?" Kairi's voice was like the sound of a gong. Naminé looked up and seemed not a bit embarrassed about doing something like this. Yuffie was, similarly, smiling and holding several brightly colored markers.
"Here, take one." Yuffie offered blue, green and yellow markers to Kairi, who stepped closer, looking at Olette. It was like a rainbow had taken over her shape. Kairi knew that Olette would be mighty pissed when she woke up. The blue around her left eye seemed a little odd, though.
"I am going to grab something to eat. It's late, but I'm hungry. Naminé, you coming with me? I don't want to ruin your…fun here, though." Kairi facepalmed, then looked down at the very…colorful girl. It worked with Tifa, so maybe…
"Olette, it's time for dinner!" Kairi shouted, and was nearly hit in the face by sudden rise of the girl. "It really worked! What the…" Kairi stepped back. This was becoming a little bit ridiculous.
Kairi had to avert her eyes. Olette's whole face was painted in several colors. It looked funny. Despite the fact that it had been a rather cruel thing to do, it was funny. Kairi had to suppress the urge to laugh. Yuffie and Naminé were not able to control themselves as well as she was, though.
It took Olette a bit of time until she was fully awake. Her head and left eye hurt quite a bit. Damn that Tifa…Olette only remembered that she had been hit and then everything had gone black.
"You should…take a shower and…put on some clothes." Kairi turned around, feeling a little bit embarrassed now that she took a closer look.
"Why the…" Olette looked at her side. There was no reason to actually ask why she was nearly naked. "Yuffie!" That sex-crazy girl! This was all her doing. Grabbing her blanket, Olette threw Naminé and Yuffie out of her bed and hid herself from Kairi.
"I was going out to get something to eat. Naminé, you're coming with me. You coming too, Olette?" Kairi grabbed the still-snickering Naminé and dragged her to the door. Olette was still hiding herself away from Kairi.
"We'll be at the new Asian restaurant." Kairi left, pulling Naminé with her.
"Olette is going to be really angry when she notices her face. Show me that marker." Kairi looked at the marker's label until finally found what she was looking for. "You drew stuff on her face with permanent marker? Naminé, you…" Kairi sighed. Both of them were in civil clothing already, so they quickly left without talking to Aerith.
They were barely out the door when they heard what had to have been Olette noticing her face. Her scream "Yuffie!" was probably heard through half the quarter. Kairi could imagine how mad the brunette girl was. She looked up and spotted a snickering Yuffie escaping from the rooftop window.
"She really overdoes things like this…" Kairi said, and continued to walk. Naminé was right behind her, feeling a bit guilty all of a sudden.
-Valiant Hearts-
"I swear, I am going to get her and throw her into a giant bucket of paint," Olette cursed while stuffing herself with noodles. The new restaurant turned out to be a place that mainly served noodles—so-called "ramen" served in bowls—and different kinds of sushi. None of the three liked raw fish very much, so noodles it was.
It was a simple place, but full of Asian-orientated decoration. There were big white plates on pedestals, big white and red paper lanterns on the ceiling, and much more. The place was rather full at the time and it had a nice atmosphere with the buzzing sound from all the guests. The tables and walls were mostly fine wood. It must've cost a lot to get this place together.
"I'm amazed you went out of the house looking like that." Kairi was already half-finished with her bowl and was watching the other two. Naminé was surprisingly a big eater. Olette, not so surprisingly, was too. Kairi suddenly felt ill when she thought of the bill. Olette was already having her second serving.
Olette's face was still covered with the bright colors of the markers. Naminé had already apologized and promised to help her get the color off. Yuffie had yet to show her face, and it was ticking Olette off.
"I put up with most of her pranks, but this is too much. I am really going to hit her!" Olette's anger just made her more hungry. She munched away.
Not in the mood, or having the energy in Kairi's case, to talk much, they all finished their food. Kairi and Naminé waited for Olette to finish her second bowl. Kairi paid, not without wondering if she should demand payment for her Keyblader services, and the three of them stood aimlessly in front of the restaurant.
"Should we go home or go by that place?" Olette offered, and Naminé jumped the gun, taking her hand and happily agreeing. Kairi knew it was futile to resist, and she didn't have any energy to do so anyway. Dragging Kairi along, the girls made their way up to the top of the castle. They hadn't been there in a long time.
The stars were already out, and despite Hollow Bastion's being a lively town, they were nicely visible this far up. The wind made the three girls move closer together. Naminé leaned on the guard rail, happily stargazing. Kairi looked at her for a bit and then went to look at the stars as well. Things like these were nice too, once in a while.
Olette only pretended to watch the stars. Even though Naminé was between them, Olette's left eye was continuously looking at Kairi. The cold wind brought back a memory from not so long ago. The days in the future. The cold, starless nights. The kiss they shared in secret. They hadn't talked about it ever since then. Had Kairi simply forgotten?
None could tell how much time passed, but Kairi left the happy Naminé alone and went to one of the benches to sit down. She wasn't as sturdy as Olette and didn't have powerful protection like Naminé. Come to think of it, was she really okay? Naminé had said she had lost control of a super-powerful spell in the end and the magic energy blew off right on top of her. Maybe she just wasn't showing it.
"Mind if I sit here?" Olette stood in front of the deep-in-thought girl and was so nervous that she was sweating despite the cold. At least Kairi couldn't see that in the darkness.
"Already done stargazing?" Kairi moved to the side and made some space for Olette to sit.
"Too tired to stand there. Naminé's amazing." Olette sat down and looked nervously over at Kairi.
"You did a good job against Leon and the others," Kairi said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Neither Naminé nor I could have gone against Tifa like that." Looking at Olette, Kairi smiled a grateful, happy smile. "You're amazing too."
Olette's heart skipped a beat. Why did this girl have the worst possible timing ever? The second after Olette remembered that kiss, Kairi put on such a cute smile. Olette sighed deeply. Was there no easy way out of this? If only she could just forget about her…but how was she supposed to do that? Living in the same house, having the same fate as a Keyblader, fighting together. Not to mention that Kairi essentially was dating her best friend.
"Kairi…do you remember that night when we barely survived the cold of the desert in the future?" Olette couldn't resist asking. Had Kairi forgotten about it?
"Of course I remember." Kairi looked to her side, right into the face of the brunette girl. "How am I supposed to forget that kiss? I still haven't told Naminé about it." Kairi was not the naïve and dense girl from before. Circumstances had forced her to adapt to the world, adapt to what was happening around and to her. "Did you tell Yuffie?"
"Not yet…I don't think I can. Yuffie's not like Naminé. She wouldn't just let that go…" Olette looked at the ground. Now that she thought about it, wasn't that really betrayal?
"I don't know why I haven't told Naminé yet. Considering the past and how much she likes you…" Kairi smiled, a little melancholy, and looked at the sky. "I get the impression she wouldn't mind. And that's what hurts."
"What do you mean? Isn't it better that she doesn't mind? You don't need to feel guilty, then." Olette was confused and continued to look at Kairi, who seemed to be absorbed in looking at the stars.
"That's the point. I've never felt truly guilty that we kissed. Just that I am keeping it a secret from Naminé." Kairi leaned slightly back, using her arms to support herself from falling back over. "If…if things had gone the other way…if you and Naminé switched places, would you…feel betrayed?" Kairi's voice wavered just a little bit.
Olette thought about it for a long time. Kairi didn't look or say anything. Looking at the stars herself, Olette imagined Naminé as the one with lingering affection for Kairi…the one that Kairi secretly kissed. But no matter how hard she wanted to be able to tell Kairi she would feel betrayed, said feeling just kept missing from her imagination.
"I thought about it…I…I don't think I would. I love Naminé…not like you, of course. But I…don't know. I just couldn't think of her as someone who could take you away from me." Olette felt oddly happy talking like this. "…from me, huh…"
"I wonder why life, why loving someone, is so complicated." Kairi rarely lamented on reality. It wasn't something one could easily change. Only one's own actions mattered. One could only do what one was capable of.
"Maybe it's just us. Naminé doesn't seem to think it's complicated at all." Olette looked at the back of the blond girl.
Kairi went quiet and so did Olette when neither continued their conversation. They just sat there in silence. Below them, the town wrapped in darkness. Many houses had still lights shining through their windows. It was getting colder as it grew late.
Naminé came back to Kairi, and soon she had fallen asleep on Kairi's shoulder. Olette too had moved closer and was trying to get a little body heat from the other two. So close together, Olette still was torn apart on the inside. She enjoyed this.
But it was only human nature that desires won against guilt. Olette was so close to Kairi that she could hear her breathing slowly. Closing her eyes, Olette grabbed Kairi's right hand. The redhead made no move. She didn't draw her hand away in disgust. It was the opposite.
Olette's fingers intervened with Kairi's. Here, on the top of the castle in darkness, only seen by the stars, with Naminé so close, they held hands. Olette knew it was wrong, and so did Kairi. But they weren't strong. People are weak, and that is why they bond together. And before their own desires, they are even weaker.
More and more lights in the town went off. It was getting late. The night wind was so cold that each of them had goosebumps. But the two still held hands. Kairi finally broke the spell when she let go and stood up cautiously, as to not wake up Naminé.
"We should go home. It's late and cold." Kairi just stood there, next to the bench, looking down at the sleeping Naminé. She loved her, no matter what was between herself and Olette.
Olette too, stood up and thought of carrying the sleeping girl. It would be easier for her. The wind was blowing on her back, and whirled her hair up like a storm. Just…once more.
Grabbing Kairi's wrist, Olette slowly pulled her towards her. Kairi didn't resist. She seemed to instinctively know what Olette wanted. Laying her free hand around Olette's neck, Kairi moved in on her own. A dark cloud shoved itself in front of the moon as if to silence any witnesses. In the darkness under the stars, Kairi and Olette shared another kiss, one full of forbidden passion.
-Valiant Hearts-
It was past eleven when they finally got home. Olette carried Naminé to Kairi's room, where Kairi took over. Olette quickly turned around and left for her own room. She wasn't even in the mood to scold Yuffie anymore. She was stopped briefly by Kairi, who grabbed her wrist.
"Sleep well." Kairi smiled reluctantly and let go.
"You too," Olette responded, with a smile of her own. Things were oddly…normal between them, considering…
Opening the door to her own room, Olette found herself in darkness. No lights on meant that Yuffie was either already sleeping or still out, so Olette looked in the lower bunk. Yuffie was there, fast asleep. Olette climbed up and undressed on her own bed. Looking out the window, Olette touched her lips with her pinky finger, going over them.
She lay down and closed her eyes, something caught her attention. Yuffie had woken up. Had she been too loud? "Where were you so long? I couldn't find you for hours." Yuffie didn't seem to want to come up, and Olette was too tired to go down to answer, so she just answered while lying there.
"I was at the observation deck with Kairi and Naminé, stargazing. We had to carry Naminé down. Took us a while. That's all."
"Stargazing, huh? Take me along next time," Yuffie murmured, and seemed to have fallen asleep again.
Olette didn't bother to answer and turned around, closing her eyes and mind. She quickly fell asleep herself.
But Yuffie was still awake. Gritting her teeth under her blanket, the girl whispered to herself, so that nobody could hear. "Liar…"
Kairi next door knew nothing about Yuffie's growing grudge against her. She looked straight at Naminé's face as both of them lay comfortably in Kairi's bed. She was worried. Was it really right to keep this from Naminé any longer? Twice…twice she and Olette had kissed, and Kairi still couldn't feel guilty about it. But keeping it a secret from Naminé was painful.
-Valiant Hearts-
Kairi was eating breakfast alone in the living room when Naminé came down the stairs with amazing bed head. She was dressed in just a very long shirt. Without words, Naminé put some bread in the toaster and sat down, resting her head on the table.
"You don't look so good, Naminé. What's wrong?" Kairi said, and almost jumped up when Naminé turned her head and let out a pain-filled moan.
"Your voice is too loud…" Naminé ranted, and looked at Kairi with slightly red eyes. "Headache…" the girl murmured and turned back to resting her forehead on the cold table.
Kairi figured that the payload of her actions the day before finally had come. From her behavior, Kairi concluded that it must be a very, very bad headache. Maybe it would be best for Naminé to stay in her room for the day.
Olette came down a few minutes later while Naminé was munching halfheartedly on plain toasted bread. Raising her hand to wish everyone a good morning, Olette was about to open her mouth when Kairi put a finger to her lips, made a shushing noise, and pointed at the pain-stuck girl.
"I heard she overdid it, but this bad? What exactly did she do?" Olette whispered, sitting next to Kairi.
"I don't know, but let's just keep it quiet today…" Kairi whispered back. They both noticed how close they were and moved their chairs further apart.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Tifa and Aerith," Olette said, and was amazed by that simple fact. Aerith was not one to skip on breakfast—at least not on making some. And Tifa skipping a meal was about as strange as that vanishing grinning purple cat.
"Leon was already here earlier. Tifa's at his place. She and Aerith are apparently still fighting. He asked me to get Aerith to make up with her before Tifa ate him into bankruptcy," Kairi said while standing up and walking to the coffee machine.
Usually she wouldn't let Naminé drink coffee, but she couldn't bear it today, seeing how miserable she felt. Naminé had never had this bad a headache from using magic, but Aerith seemed to resort to coffee as well when she overdid it.
After brewing some rather light coffee, Kairi put a large mug in front of her and filled it with with the steaming hot drink. "Thanks…" Naminé groaned. She took a sip, burning her tongue. "Hot!"
"I'm going to Leon's place after this. He wants me to tell you what we did wrong and could have done better in yesterday's fight. I don't really want to, though…I'm aching all over," Kairi complained and looked at Olette. Maybe she could get her to tag along.
"I'm not coming with you, stop looking." She didn't need to be psychic to know what Kairi was thinking in this situation. Leon was strict and sometimes cold, but he really was a very skilled leader. Olette couldn't really stand him, though.
"Tsk, nice friend you are," Kairi complained, and somehow managed to get herself up. "I'm changing clothes…" Kairi was just wearing a long skirt and a cheap shirt at the moment, and that was hardly an outfit she could wear outside.
Olette wondered how long Yuffie intended to sleep. She still hadn't forgiven her for the marker prank the evening before and there was still marker on her face. Maybe it would come off with another shower.
Naminé was still on the table, still eating bread, and just waved when Kairi left, now dressed in casual clothes.
Olette was up in the bathroom, taking a shower when a very grumpy and very gloomy-looking Yuffie came down the stairs.
Yuffie was in a bad mood. Olette was blatantly lying. Not she had to find out if the other two were in it too. Sitting across the table, Yuffie leaned on her arm and looked out the window, then eyed Naminé. "What did you three do yesterday evening?"
Yuffie knew. She had followed them in secret and had seen everything. Olette and Kairi talking, them holding hands and kissing. Olette was cheating on her and thought she wouldn't notice!
Did Naminé even know about it? How long had this gone on? Was Olette secretly sleeping with Kairi when they were on missions? What about that trip to the future? Hadn't Olette said they had been adults there? Yuffie was angry and hurt about this broken trust.
"Your voice is too loud…" Naminé looked up, feeling terrible. After the battle, there had only been a slight headache. But now her head felt like it was about to explode into a million tiny fragments any second.
"We were just looking at the stars…why do you ask?" Naminé was curious as to why Yuffie was in such a bad mood, but she didn't ask. She wanted to stay quietly at home in her room, without much talking.
"Actually, I was there. I saw you by accident and followed you. You fell asleep halfway." Yuffie was now looking grim, not gloomy. She seemed like a volcano that was about to explode.
"Why didn't you join us?" Naminé was confused. She often didn't understand the things Yuffie did. Kairi said that she was too trusting to doubt people, so she wouldn't understand.
"Did Kairi tell you that she and Olette kissed after you fell asleep? They sat there for quite a while, holding hands too." Yuffie was getting riled up. She wanted to confront Olette about it, but she wanted to test Naminé first.
"Really? They kissed?" Naminé sat up, but was still feeling terrible. She was more surprised than anything else.
"Yeah. Both of them cheated on us behind our backs with each other. Who knows how long this has been going on!" Yuffie seemed content that she had found an ally.
"That's nice. I really wanted Olette to get along better with Kairi." Naminé was completely oblivious to the actual problem in Yuffie's eyes.
"What?" Yuffie at first didn't understand what the girl was saying. It was like someone had taken all the wind out of her sails.
"I knew Olette still liked Kairi!" Naminé seemed rather proud that her guess was correct, but her enthusiasm quickly vanished when Yuffie hit the table with her hand.
"You can't be serious! That's all you're gonna say? Aren't you the slightest bit offended that Kairi is cheating on you behind your back?" Yuffie was now furious. How could this girl be so easygoing? It pissed her off.
"Why would I be offended? I don't understand you, Yuffie…isn't it a nice thing that they are getting closer?" Naminé didn't understand what made Yuffie so angry. It was just a kiss…
"So, would you mind if Kairi kissed me or anyone else?" Yuffie asked, only intending it as a mock question. But Naminé took it seriously and was suddenly deep in thought.
"Hm…maybe a little. Olette is special, though!" Naminé said with a wide grin. That pissed off Yuffie even more.
"Forget it. I need to get out of here." Yuffie just left as she was, slamming the door behind her. Naminé was left behind in confusion.
Naminé finished up her breakfast and went back to her room. Thinking about Yuffie, Naminé soon came to realize why Yuffie was so mad. Kairi had told her about this before. People could only be with one other person. So Yuffie must have felt that Olette was abandoning her. Probably.
Naminé lay down on her bed and grabbed the small CD player that Kairi rarely used. A girl she often met in the library had lent Naminé a few of her CDs full of what was called classical music. Listening to some music didn't help much, but she didn't like the silence of being alone.
Why did everyone always think about things in such a complicated way? She didn't mind if Olette and Kairi were close or if they kissed. She wished Kairi would include her, though. It would be even nicer. Maybe Olette didn't want that. She couldn't understand why Yuffie was so angry about this. It didn't mean Olette was going to stop being with her.
Turning around, Naminé stopped thinking about it. She would just ask Kairi later.
-Valiant Hearts-
Kairi was on her way home when she came across Yuffie, who seemed to have been waiting for her. Kairi wasn't in the mood for any of her pranks, so she stood still and looked up, watching Yuffie as she sat on a nearby roof. Seriously, that girl had a odd affiliation for heights.
"Do you want something?" Kairi just wanted to get home and lie down.
"Yeah. I want my girlfriend back, you thief!" Yuffie was not going to come down. All things considered, she would probably try to hit Kairi, and that'd end pretty badly.
Kairi guessed that Yuffie had somehow learned what had happened the night before. What should she say? Why did Yuffie come to her with this? Sure, she was part of it, but shouldn't she clear this with Olette? "Did you talk to Olette yet?"
"Not enough that you're hogging all the attention, being the mighty important Keyblader. No, that's not enough. You're trying to get all the girls as well. Is Naminé alone not enough?" Yuffie was already in a fury and was well on her way to start shouting.
"You should calm down. You're saying bullshit because you're angry." Kairi was pissed off. Yuffie had reason to be angry, but Kairi just couldn't accept Yuffie's taking it out on her. Especially if she hadn't talked to Olette.
Kairi left and didn't care about anything else Yuffie yelled after her. That girl had some problems. It wasn't her fault alone. Olette had played an equal part in everything. True, she felt guilty towards Yuffie for going along with Olette, but right now she was more mad than guilty.
Kairi stopped. She was mad? Did the feelings for Olette run deeper than she allowed herself to admit? Kairi didn't want to say things like, "It won't happen again." In fact, Kairi had been thinking about the kiss ever since that morning. Kissing Naminé was nice, and it wasn't like Olette was a better kisser. In fact, she was a bit worse and too cautious. But…Kairi couldn't help but feel that she wanted more.
This was becoming a real hassle. What should she do? She had at least to talk to Naminé first before Yuffie and her big mouth told her things that weren't true.
When Kairi got home, she could tell from the outside that it was better not to go into the house. Tifa and Aerith were in there arguing. Tifa was shouting, but Kairi couldn't understand it from where she was standing. Aerith was standing there like a statue—cold, angry and arms crossed.
Kairi watched them for a few minutes. Tifa proceeded to get more and more hyper. She was standing near the window now. She hadn't noticed Kairi yet. And then it happened. Tifa flailed her arms around wildly again and hit the window. There was enough power behind to send shards flying everywhere. The whole window was trashed.
"Fuck!" Tifa jumped back and shook her hand. She had several glass shards stuck in her hand. Touching any of them hurt like hell. Tifa was tough, but weak against things like this. Blood was already dripping onto the ground. This was the last thing she needed while fighting with Aerith!
"Hold still, idiot." Aerith grabbed her partner's wrist and surprisingly, Tifa stood still. Her tone had fundamentally changed. Maybe it wasn't so bad that she had injured herself like this after all, if she could patch things up now.
"I'll numb your hand with ice. It'll hurt a bit later, but bear with it." Aerith was still angry. She was unexpectedly the jealous type who didn't like it one bit if Tifa fooled around with other women. It had never happened before, so Tifa had been really surprised at how angry she had gotten.
"Thanks. It'd be a pain to remove these on my own." Tifa sat down and laid her hand on the table. It wasn't a very nice view. Half a dozen shards were stuck in her hand, four on the upside, two in the palm.
"You're really a klutz…didn't you notice you were standing next to the window?" Aerith finally calmed down. She knew she had a problem where she didn't notice just how angry she got when she snapped. She always felt sorry for it afterwards.
"Never fool around with Rydia again like that." Aerith blushed slightly after saying so and shut up Tifa for good by using ice magic on her wrist. It numbed the pain and Tifa could barely feel her fingers.
"I won't, I promise," Tifa sighed. She really wouldn't. If she had known that Aerith would get so angry, then…
Tifa twitched when Aerith pulled the first shard. Thanks to the cold, the blood wasn't flowing well, so it didn't bleed very much. The other shards followed quickly, which was followed by Aerith getting some bandages for her injured lover.
Tifa was still sitting at the table, waiting to regain feeling in her hands, when Kairi entered the room. Aerith was cleaning the floor after she had closed the shutter of the window to stop the warmth of the room from escaping.
Kairi pretended to be in the dark about what had happened. Tifa would flip if she knew that Kairi saw everything. "What happened here?" She stood, apparently confused, in the middle of the room.
"Tifa accidentally hit the window. I'll call someone to replace the window later," Aerith answered and Kairi had the odd feeling that the two wanted to be alone.
"I'll be in my room," Kairi simply stated and left for upstairs.
"Thanks for letting me keep my face." Tifa smiled faintly. "Aerith, I'm…really sorry. I really intended it as joke. I won't do something like that again." Tifa felt real remorse, as opposed to her fights with Leon.
"As long as you understand, it's fine," Aerith replied and finished up cleaning the shards. Thank God most had flown outside.
Tifa leaned back in her chair and let out a deep sigh. Aerith was really scary when she was angry. Thank God that was over with.
Aerith stood right behind Tifa and she leaned forward, looking down at the injured woman. "I'm not mad anymore, but the new window is gonna come out of your pocket, miss," Aerith said, smiling.
"I figured as much." Tifa shrugged and returned the smile.
Smiling wider, Aerith closed her eyes and let her head sink until her forehead touched Tifa's. "Did you know that some people are planning a big dance party at the castle? Do you think you still fit in your dress from back then?"
Tifa thought about the day she had confessed to Aerith and they had gone to live together. That one night at Reeve's place. Tifa blushed when she thought about how innocent she actually had been back then. It had been the best decision of her life to stop chasing after someone who could only chase himself.
"Who's organizing the party?" Tifa dodged the question about the dress. Aerith didn't know yet that Tifa had accidentally ruined that dress and had yet to buy a new one for such occasions. She would probably get mad again.
"Rydia is doing most of it. A few people are helping her. I don't know the details, but a girl that works in the tailor shop…I think Garnet is her name…is doing this to advertise for the shop. If you buy a dress there and you're a dance participant, you get a discount." Now Tifa could see where this was going.
"Okay, we'll go there tomorrow." Tifa feared for her wallet, but Aerith didn't ask for such things often, so it was okay. Maybe it was unexpected for the woman, but she kissed Tifa as reward. A slow, gentle kiss that made clear that she had forgiven her now.
-Valiant Hearts-
Kairi found Naminé lying on the bed, still plagued by headache. It would be nice to be able to ask Aerith what to do against magic headaches, but thinking about it, Kairi really didn't want to butt in. Tifa and Aerith let her stay in this house and fed her and everything and didn't ask for anything in return. They were her family. So she was being considerate and was giving them time alone.
Sitting down on the bed next to the exhausted girl, Kairi patted her head to get the girl to look at her. "How are you feeling?" It was obvious that the answer wouldn't be good, but Kairi wanted to ask anyway.
"Better now. You're staying with me for a while?" Naminé's voice was like a plea for help. Kairi smiled genuinely and leaned towards the girl, kissing her on the cheek.
"Sure. But…I have to tell you something before that." Kairi's heart suddenly beat faster. It wasn't that she was scared Naminé could get angry. It was the possibility that Naminé would get sad that scared her.
"Yesterday, on the observation deck after you fell asleep…" Kairi couldn't look straight into Naminé's blue eyes. "Olette and I…kissed. We sat there too, for a while, holding hands. And while we were in the future…we also kissed once." Kairi felt suddenly pretty terrible for admitting these things.
"I know. I didn't know you also did in the future, though. Yuffie told me. She got all mad about it. Why are you all so concerned about it?" Naminé was still puzzled as to why everyone was so hung up on a few kisses.
"We kiss all the time, and Olette or Yuffie don't complain about that. What's so different if you and Olette kiss?" Naminé could see that Kairi was seemingly shrinking back every time she said "kiss."
"It's complicated," Kairi said, and thought about how to best explain this to the girl before her. She was practically immune to common sense, so that wouldn't work. But then how…
"Why? Why is it complicated? Why is it bad that you and Olette like each other? I don't mind if Olette kisses you…I don't want to kiss her myself, but if you both want to kiss each other, I don't understand why you shouldn't."
At that moment, the door opened. Olette came in, holding a book in her left hand. "Oh good, Kairi, you're home. I borrowed one of your books because I was bored and I'm here to…sorry, did I interrupt something?" Olette blushed a deep red when she saw Kairi doting on Naminé on the bed.
"Yuffie found out about what happened yesterday. She's pretty mad, and already had a go at me. Naminé knows, too." Kairi explained it short and dry, making Olette drop the book.
Olette knew this would happen, but she still couldn't stop herself. Why was she so weak? Why couldn't she just be happy with Yuffie? Why did her life have to be so stupidly complicated? Why did she feel sad despite the fact that she had taken the initiative by kissing Kairi?
"Olette, are you feeling sick?" Naminé looked at her friend.
"No…just feeling a bit dizzy." Olette staggered and Kairi jumped up to catch her. She had taken it much worse than expected. If she was going to be like this, then why had she kissed her?
Kairi got Olette to lie down on her bed next to Naminé and stared down right into the green eyes of the girl below her. She couldn't help but feel that this issue wasn't going to end very well.
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