Author’s Notes: I’d like to thank Laine for her help in writing

 this. ^-^ And I’d like to thank my brother, Cloud, for a lot of the

 ideas that show up in Prism Hearts. Without his Kingdom Hearts RPG,

 Kairi’s travels through Prism Hearts would be completely different.

 

 Prism Hearts

 Chapter 5

 Time’s Scar

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 ‘What was the start of all this?

 When did the cogs of Fate begin to turn?

 

 Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now,

 From deep within the flow of time...

 

 But, for a certainty, back then,

 We loved so many, yet hated so much.

 We hurt others and were hurt ourselves.

 

 Yet even then, we ran like the wind,

 Whilst our laughter echoed,

 Under cerulean skies.’

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Kairi struggled through a fitful sleep. Something felt terribly

 wrong, but she couldn’t make out what. But that feeling that things

 weren’t right pervaded her sleeping form as she tossed and turned.

 She tried to push through the thick fog that clouded her mind, to

 force herself to wake up. The harder she tried, the more confused she

 became. She could feel herself in bed, the blankets wrapped around

 her. But she could also feel herself somewhere else, waves lapping

 somewhere nearby. She rolled onto her side. The bed shifted under

 her. Her hands opened and closed slowly, damp sand pressing against

 them. It felt like she was in two places at once. Water slowly rose

 and fell against Kairi’s hand. It must be the waves she had heard.

 Was she back home? But which home? The Destiny Islands or the room

 she so often found herself in? Or both?

 

 Footsteps slowly approached her, but Kairi couldn’t tell if it was

 from the beach or the room. Her eyes struggled to open, but they felt

 so heavy. Her whole body felt weak and exhausted. She just wanted to

 sleep, even though she felt that someone was watching her. 

 

 The footsteps grew closer, finally stopping next to her. ‘Get up!’

 she told herself. Now wasn’t the time to be lying there. She needed

 to see whoever it was. But despite her concerns, she just couldn’t

 work up the will to get up, let alone to open her eyes. 

 

 The footsteps finally stopped abruptly next to her. The person or

 creature that had made them seemed to be studying her for a long

 moment. She strained to get up, but the most she could manage was to

 clench her fists, one in cool water and the other in bed sheets.

 

 The person watching her tsked, looking down at her. “Zere will be

 great enemity between you and ze worlds. Tis not speculation. Tis

 histoire. You are ze key to opening it all up or shattering it all

 completely. Which will you decide?” the voice finally said in a

 feminine French accent. A soft sigh escaped the girl above Kairi

 before she turned to leave. “But first you must decide where you are,

 no?”

 

 Kairi wanted to respond, to ask the person what she meant, but all

 she could get out was a weak, sleepy grumble. What did she mean that

 she could destroy everything? She was only one of the seven

 princesses. And the doorway the princesses could open was already

 sealed, so her importance was over. Now she was only a girl searching

 for her friends. She tried one last time to get to her feet, pushing

 off from the bed. 

 

 And she was up. She blinked wearily, a hand going to her eyes to

 shield them from the sunset that greeted her. It stretched out lazily

 along the horizon before her, beautiful swirls of pink and orange

 marking the sky above. The sun glinted from both above and below, as

 if it were in two places at once. It took her a moment to understand

 why. It was reflecting off of the water she had been feeling later.

 But she was not on a beach somewhere. She was in the middle of a vast

 ocean, no land in sight. Her feet were resting on the water. The

 water shifted under her, almost throwing her off balance. It still

 felt like water, but she was somehow walking on it, the liquid

 holding her up. She shot her gaze about quickly, trying to spot the

 girl who had been speaking earlier, but she was all alone on the

 ocean. 

 

 “Why don’t things ever make sense!?” She called out in anger and

 frustration. 

 

 ‘Because it’s not real,’ a voice whispered in her ear.

 

 Kairi jerked around, trying to spot the voice. She sighed when she

 realized it was the one that always seemed to appear in her head.

 “Why won’t you leave me alone? If you aren’t going to help me find

 Riku and Sora then you could at least stop bothering me all the time.”

 

 ‘Maybe you’re looking in the wrong places. I know where Riku and

 Sora are,’ the voice taunted.

 

 “Where? Where are they? I need to find them!” Kairi said

 desperately. This trip had already been so long and grueling. She

 longed to see her friends again, to laugh and cry with the two of

 them by her side. She just wanted it to be over. 

 

 ‘Going to give up already? Riku wouldn’t give up so easily. He’d

 keep going until he found you. No matter how far. And Sora never

 returned to the island because he’s still looking for Riku. So they

 can both come back to you on the island. Only you won’t be there.

 Because you gave up in the middle of nowhe.’

 

 “I’m not giving up! I won’t give up until I see them again! No

 matter how long it takes!” Kairi cried out, her fists clenched

 angrily as she scanned the horizon for any sign of the voice. “I… I

 love them! Nothing will keep me away from them! No matter how many

 worlds I have to travel across!”

 

 A chuckle filled Kairi’s mind. Slow at first, but increasing in

 volume. It seemed to come from deep within herself. It took Kairi by

 surprise when she found herself to be chuckling as well. She stopped

 immediately, disturbed by the source of that eerie feeling. ‘Very

 well, Princess. Keep up your search. But remember, the door is

 waiting for you as soon as you’re willing to accept reality. Come

 back to me. I’m waiting.’

 

 Trying to ignore the voice, the brunette kept travelling forward,

 trying to focus on getting away, far away from the voice at the

 ‘reality’ that it claimed to be from. The voice, the feelings, they

 all seemed to swirl about inside of her. Like a thought she couldn’t

 get rid of, neither willfully thought up or willingly kept. She

 hugged herself, trying to force away the confusion. She had to

 concentrate. 

 

 Onward and onward she traveled, the only sight the shifting water

 beneath her feet. The sunset was slowly disappearing, the sky

 becoming a deep purple. Stars began to hint at their existence in the

 skies above. And still she was no closer to finding out where she was

 or where she was going. Kairi sighed, collapsing. Hunched over, her

 hands rested on her thighs as she tried to think. This wasn’t getting

 her anywhere. There had to be some way to... 

 

 She blinked. That reflection in the water, it wasn’t her own. She

 stood up again, looking down below her. The reflection in the water

 was someone else as if she were standing on someone’s feet. With a

 flash of recognition, her eyes went wide. “Riku!” she called out.

 “Riku!!” She blinked back tears. He couldn’t hear her. “Riku!!!” He

 blinked beneath her, starting to look around. It looked like he had

 faintly heard something. A surge of hope welled up within Kairi, her

 hands held tightly to her chest. “Riku! I’m right here!” He kept

 scanning around, looking about him. “Look up! Please look up, Riku!”

 she pleaded. If he saw her, then maybe they could find a way to be

 together again. She wouldn’t be on this quest alone. 

 

 She needed him, needed someone to help her forget the cold reality

 that kept being forced upon her. She needed to get to him. Kneeling

 down, she tried to claw at the water, trying to reach him. “Riku!”

 Her fingers broke through the water, hands plunging into the waves

 beneath. And suddenly, so did she. As if the ground had been dropped

 out from under her, the princess dropped into the depths. As water

 surrounded her, she could see him up above, on the surface. But she

 couldn’t swim up to him. It felt like her body was a lead weight. No

 matter how hard she struggled, she kept sinking lower into inky

 darkness. He grew further and further away, disappearing as the

 darkness overcame her. She reached out, remembering his words from so

 long ago. ‘Take my hand, Kairi. Take my hand and everything will be

 all right.’ Her arm ached against the water as she struggled to reach

 him, plunging ever deeper. She could see him, reaching for her. But

 even that dissipated into nothingness as she sank.

 

 And she landed heavily onto something soft. For a moment, she could

 only lie there. “Riku...” she said mournfully. So close... If only

 she could have reached out faster, then maybe... 

 

 “Told you that you were looking in the wrong places,” the voice

 chided from the other side of the door. 

 

 Kairi sat up immediately, her eyes wide. Not here. Anywhere but

 here. Sure enough, she could see her room once again, pictures of the

 Destiny Islands, Riku and Sora on the walls. Figurines from a dozen

 Squaresoft games littered her desk. Dolls she had made lay all over

 her bed. This was the last place she wanted to be. She couldn’t deal

 with it at the moment. “No...” She sighed, picking up the Riku and

 Sora dolls and hugging them as tightly as she could. 

 

 “I already knew you didn’t like it here, Kairi. Why else would you

 spend all of your time escaping into fantasy? Playing games and

 watching fairy tales and pretending you were this pretty girl on an

 island where you two best friends were boys who were in love with

 you. Oh, and your whole suicide stunt. I think you’ve made it

 blatantly obvious you don’t like it here, Kairi. I think everyone

 knows that but you. Because you’re so obsessed with your fantasy

 world that you can’t step back for a second and remember the sad

 lonely girl you really are,” the voice said, sounding frustrated.

 

 “This can’t be real,” Kairi whispered, getting off the bed. She

 slowly walked to the locked door to her bedroom, squeezing the dolls

 in her arms. They were the boys she loved, yet here they were only

 fluff and cloth. 

 

 “It is, Kairi. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can open

 the door and step out into reality. Reality is darkness. But it’s

 also Truth. So the Truth is darkness.”

 

 Kairi shook her head, kneeling in front of the door. “No, it can’t

 be like that. Even in the darkness, there will always be light.

 Grandma told me that. Back.. Back at the palace. I can remember

 that.” A smile of satisfaction lit up her face. She could remember

 bits and pieces of her life back at the palace as a princess. That

 gave her some hope. She didn’t just have memories from this place. 

 

 “That’s only because we can dream. Dreams are the light. But hopes

 and dreams are lies. Only there to delude ourselves with visions of

 what we wish would happen,” the voice argued. 

 

 “It’s not like that. It’s not,” Kairi replied softly, resting her

 head against the door. “It can’t be. I have to find Riku and Sora. I

 need to be with them again. And we’ll travel to all sorts of

 beautiful places.”

 

 “I know you’re lonely. I know you miss them,” the voice whispered,

 pressing it’s own head against the door. “I just wish you could

 accept things, Kairi. You’re so far away because of this. And no

 matter how hard I try, I can’t get you back. Because you keep running

 away. Come home, Kairi. Please,” the voice pleaded. 

 

 Fingers slid under the door, lying there. The princess slowly

 reached out, taking them. They curled over her own, trying to hold

 onto her. They felt warm and soft against her hand. And it felt so

 nice to be near someone in this creepy room. Even if it was some

 faceless person behind a door. But she felt like she could almost

 remember who it was. Almost...

 

 The hand held onto her tighter, starting to squeeze her hand

 painfully as it gripped her own. Kairi felt a pit of anxiety in her

 stomach. She tried to pull away, but the grip was too tight. “Hey...

 Let go. That hurts.” She yanked back, but still with no results.

 “Oww...” A shattering sound got her attention, her heart pounding.

 Her window had burst. She could see water gushing in as if the house

 were underwater. She tried harder to pull her hand away to no avail.

 Water was quickly filling the room. It was already up to her thighs

 and she couldn’t stand up to get away from it because of the hand.

 “Let go!” she cried. She was cut short by the rising water. She was

 quickly submerged in her bedroom. Books and figurines floated past

 her in the churning waters. She was going to drown. That thought

 horrified her. She was going to drown in that lonely, evil room. 

 

 The hand holding hers tightened further and yanked her forward. The

 door was no longer there. Neither was the rest of her room. She moved

 swiftly through the water, finally breaking above the surface of the

 water. Her lungs burned painfully, her body weak. Her knees gave out,

 her body slumping back into the water. But arms were quickly around

 her, pulling her out of the water. “It will be all right, Kairi. I

 have you.” She looked up weakly to see the cloaked boy she had met

 some time ago. Her head collapsing against his chest, she passed out.

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Sephiroth watched a small floating image before him. There were

 several keyholes in front of a larger keyhole. One of the keyholes

 had lit up. “Kefka,” the soldier murmured to himself. That was one

 down. There were only so many left. It was only a matter of time.

 Kefka hadn’t understood that he was serious when he had said that

 Kairi was the key to all of this. She was the important thing, not

 her keyblade or her friends. But now was not the time to act. All he

 could do was sit and watch and wait.

 

 “So she’s opened one of the Keyholes already? She may be more

 trouble than we had thought,” a woman said, crossing her arms. 

 

 “One little girl is not going to be a problem. Kefka was a fool. As

 long as she can’t get close enough to use her Keyblade, she isn’t a

 problem. I’d simply wipe her out with an Eidolon, but I’ve been

 forbidden from doing so,” the bishounen said, pouting. 

 

 “Destroying her would only be problematic. Why kill that which we

 can use? She is the key to obtaining all of our goals, after all.

 With her, we can unleash the Heartless entirely. And then we can do

 what we will in our own worlds. I already have such plans for mine,”

 a soft voice said, slowly smiling. “We never would have been able to

 accomplish our goals before, but we have banded together to make our

 dreams come true. Let’s not forget what is important. Realizing our

 dreams, no matter how we must go about it.”

 

 “Yes. Kefka forgot about that. But his dream was one of madness. He

 couldn’t fight off the Princess. She was too strong for his madness

 shrouded heart. Just be careful none of you make the same mistake,”

 Sephiroth said. Closing his hand, he dispersed the image. “I have

 work to do. I’ll leave the rest up to you for now. Don’t make the

 same mistakes Kefka did. And remember, I want her alive.” Turning, he

 exited the dark room.

 

 The pretty boy grinned. “I guess that means it’s my turn. I better

 hurry home to make sure everything’s going according to plan.” With

 that, the white haired boy disappeared in a flash of light. 

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 Kairi awake with a start, glancing around a dimly lit room. The

 kitten that she had rescued was rubbing it’s head into her chin,

 purring softly. She smiled softly at it, scratching its chin. It

 looked up at her with its odd green eyes, questioningly. The ocean

 was gently washing up on shore somewhere not far from where she was.

 She sat up slowly, looking about the room. This didn’t seem familiar.

 At least it wasn’t her bedroom. She sighed in relief. 

 

 “You’re up,” a voice said.

 

 Swallowing, the princess tried to pinpoint the voice. She finally

 found it on the bed rather than in her head. Another good sign. It

 was the silver haired cloaked boy. He was sitting on the edge of the

 bed, watching her. Well, as best as one can watch someone while

 wearing a blindfold. She reached out slowly for it, but he moved

 away. “Why do you wear that?” she inquired, watching him as he stood

 up.

 

 “To blind myself from the darkness. So I won’t see it anymore. I’ve

 already looked too deeply into it. This way I can keep from staring

 at it again. If you look too deeply into the darkness, it stares back

 at you,” He explained. 

 

 Kairi nodded simply. She didn’t exactly understand, but that seemed

 to be the best explanation she could get. “Who are you?” she asked at

 last.

 

 “A friend,” was his only reply.

 

 Sighing, the brunette slowly got to her bare feet. Looking around,

 she finally spotted her shoes. She stared at them for a long moment,

 thinking. “You saved me. What you said about their being light even

 in the darkest heart. If it weren’t for you...” She shuddered at the

 thought of being possessed by the Slave Crown. What horrible things

 would Kefka be making her do?

 

 The boy said nothing for a long moment. He undid the blinds, letting

 them raise up and let light into the room. It was small and messy, a

 room in some small village. The ocean rolled nearby. “You’re looking

 for your friends, aren’t you?”

 

 Nodding emphatically, Kairi stood up. “With all my heart. I have to

 find them. They need me. I know it.”

 

 “One of them is searching for the other. You’ll find him by

 searching for the one he is looking for. Your paths will eventually

 cross if you seek the same thing,” he said, turning back to Kairi.

 

 “Riku...” Kairi nodded. “If I look for Riku, I’ll run into Sora.”

 That made sense. Then they could find Riku together. And they could

 all be together again. She smiled. That sounded so perfect. She

 looked down at the kitten. Having hopped off the bed, it was now

 rubbing against her ankles, meowing. It almost sounded like it was

 trying to say something. She reached down, picking it up. Petting the

 kitten, she looked up thoughtfully at the cloaked boy. “But where do

 I look for Riku?”

 

 “You can’t reach him yet. He was locked away when Sora locked the

 Doorway to the Darkness.”

 

 Kairi’s shoulders slumped. “But.. There has to be some way to reach

 him, right? He can’t be locked away forever.” Her heart skipped a

 beat. All that Sora had done to save everyone couldn’t have doomed

 Riku. It didn’t seem fair that Riku would have to suffer so that

 everyone else would be safe. Damn it, she wanted to Riku to be there,

 to smile at her. He couldn’t be lost forever. 

 

 “There is always a Doorway to the Light. That is the door he is

 behind now that the darkness is banished. If you can unlock the

 Doorway to the Light, you can reach him,” the boy explained.

 

 “Great! Now where’s the Doorway to the Light? If I can find that, I

 can meet up with Sora and we can open it up and see Riku again.” She

 felt almost giddy again. She finally had some inkling of what was

 going on, of how to find her friends. She was anxious to be underway. 

 

 “It isn’t that simple,” the silver haired boy warned. “The Doorway

 to the Light has several locks on it. These locks are Keyholes that

 reside within the hearts of several people. You must unlock all of

 them in order to unlock the Doorway to the Light.” He watched her

 disappointment for a moment before continuing. “You have already

 unlocked one of the Keyholes. The Keyhole of Madness lay within

 Kefka’s heart. You must unlock the rest before the Doorway to the

 Light will open.”

 

 Kairi nodded thoughtfully. It had been hard enough to unlock Kefka’s

 heart. But if that was the only way to save Riku, she had to do it.

 He would do no less for her. “Whatever it takes,” she said at last. 

 

 “Good. I was hoping you would say that. He needs you. You’re the

 only one who can save him. Go and find the Keyholes. Unlock them.

 Then you will find the Doorway. Behind it lies your friend. And the

 Light. It is the only way to stop the Heartless. When the Doorway to

 the Darkness was closed, they were cut off. They are limited in

 numbers now. By opening up the light, you can vanquish them forever.”

 

 “No more Heartless,” the princess repeated. ‘And no more of that

 messed up reality. That’s tied into the Heartless, that voice said.

 So if I can stop the Heartless, I won’t ever have to go back. We can

 go back to our islands,’ she thought to herself. 

 

 “You’re the only one who can open the door, Kairi.” The boy turned

 from her, heading out the door. His work here was done. For now.

 

 Kairi could only watch him go. He seemed so familiar. But she didn’t

 know what to say. “Thank you,” she said as he reached the doorway. He

 paused for a moment but said nothing before disappearing through the

 doorway. Kairi sighed, clutching a hand to her heart. She knew what

 she had to do. Even if it did feel a little overwhelming. But she’d

 already unlocked one of the Keyholes. What were a few more?

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 ‘Dear Diary,

 Hi again! Well, we’re working on the Island Festival after all. The

 adults cancelled it because of all the weird stuff going on lately,

 so we’re gonna throw one ourselves. I’ve been so busy making

 decorations for it that my hands hurt! But as long as we can have our

 festival, it doesn’t matter. Besides, Quisty has been rubbing my

 hands when I complain about it. *blush* So I’m happy about that. I

 was complaining about it earlier while she was studying on the beach.

 At least I got her out of the house, even if she insisted on bringing

 her book with her. And she just nodded, looking at me with those

 pretty blue eyes of hers looking at me through her cute glasses and

 then she reached out and took my hands, rubbing them. And it felt a

 lot better because of that. We talked a bit while she did that, even

 though my mind was elsewhere. I hope it wasn’t too obvious.

 

 That hole’s still there on the island. It’s looking bigger now. It’s

 really spooky. There’s just nothing there. Wakka said someone should

 take a look. Then he asked Tidus to go do it. Tidus shook his head,

 saying he wasn’t gonna do it and that Wakka should because Wakka’s

 older. I’m starting to wonder if Kairi fell down that hole. I sure

 hope not. I’d hate to think she was swallowed up by that big scary

 nothingness. It almost made me want to go in to look for her, but I

 just stood closer to Quisty as we all stared at it. We finally left,

 trying to think of something to play to get our minds off of it. But

 I don’t think the hole’s gonna go away. And what happens if it keeps

 getting bigger? We can’t ignore it forever. 

 

 But that’s what we have the festival for! To forget about things

 now. We’ll deal with things later on. Right now we have that to worry

 about. I’m in charge of the Destiny Island Festival Committee! It was

 Quisty’s idea to give it an official sounding name. So we put it all

 together and since it was my idea, I get to be in charge. We’ve been

 drawing up plans of all the stuff we wanna do for it. The boys

 weren’t too thrilled about the whole dance on the beach under the

 stars, but I told them that we’re doing it anyway. I’m dancing with

 Quisty at the festival whether they like it or not! Tidus is just too

 shy to ask Yuna to dance with him. If he doesn’t ask soon, Lulu’s

 going to and he’s gonna lose his chance. Seems like everyone like’s

 Yuna. I can kinda understand. She’s a bit like Quisty. They’re both

 really thoughtful and quiet sometimes and get depressed over little

 things because they’re worried about disappointing everyone. If only

 they’d realize we love them anyway! They don’t have to be perfect.

 But I’d be better off telling Quisty that than my diary. I’ll

 remember to do that later when she’s being quiet again. 

 

 Tidus and Wakka are putting up some decorations right now. I can

 hear them hammering away. It’s hard to think. But I’m still exhausted

 from running around all day collecting stuff for the decorations, so

 that’s probably part of the reason. Lulu’s using her magic to light

 some fires so we can see. It’s not too late, but some really dark

 clouds have rolled in and it’s hard to see. Yuna’s giving moral

 support and carrying some of the decorations from place to place. Now

 that I think about it, I’ll probably ask her to teach me how to dance

 before the festival. I know Quisty’s a great dancer because she’s a

 scholar-type and she learned that sorta thing for some reason. Yuna’s

 a great dancer, too. Sometimes she’ll dance out in the waves and it’s

 really, really good. I wanna be good, too, when I dance with Quisty

 during the festival, but I can’t ask her because then it won’t be a

 special when we do. So I’ll get Yuna to teach me. I’m so excited! I

 can just imagine twirling about with Quisty under the stars! If these

 dark clouds ever go away. Grrr... Go away! I want my starry nights!

 

 The seas have been getting angrier, too. It’s like they’re restless.

 I was collecting shells on the beach for the decorations and the

 waves just pulled back for a moment. Then this big, dark wave came

 crashing into me. I was so surprised that I let go of everything I’d

 collected. I tumbled around until I was completely dizzy and then the

 water rolled right back out. When I finally got back to my feet, I

 realized one of my sandals was missing. The wave stole it! Anyway, I

 ran off after that, deciding to look a little further inland on the

 island for things to make decorations. I don’t like how angry the

 ocean looks. It’s not that beautiful aquamarine it used to be. It’s

 all jagged and very dark. I hope it’s not a bad sign. 

 

 Oh, good! There’s Yuna. I’m gonna go ask her to teach me how to

 dance. We don’t have much time until the festival, so I’m gonna try

 my hardest for it! Booyaka!

 

 Selphie Tilmitt’

 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

 Relm sat on the edge of the dock, idly swinging her legs above the

 quiet waves that rolled up to graze the shore as Yuffie paced

 restlessly out of the corner of her eye.  The ninja’s light footfalls

 on the worn wooden planks were steady and rhythmic, lulling her into

 a sense of peace that seemed so at odds to everything that had

 happened.  They had appeared in Arni out of nowhere, two days ago,

 lying just out of the clutching grasp of the sea.  The fishermen had

 taken them in, thinking them victims of a rough sea.

 

 But how could that have been?  They had been in Kefka’s prison, and

 then they were here.  The only way it could dubiously be explained

 was Kairi’s Keyblade, but the princess was still asleep.  

 

 “When did they say she was going to wake up?” Yuffie demanded for

 the umpteenth time, scowling.

 

 “They didn’t say, but they’re pretty sure she’ll be fine.”  The

 artist turned slightly to watch the water rise and fall as if it were

 breathing, orange-gold sunlight edging the waves.  ‘I’d love to paint

 this…but all my paints are back in Narshe.  Assuming Narshe stills

 exists.’  She closed her eyes for a moment, marking the loss that

 still seemed fuzzy and undefined.  Had all that really happened? 

 Celes…and Kefka…and Interceptor?  Or was everything, even her being

 here, just a dream?

 

 With a sigh, Yuffie sat down besides her, leaning back until the

 ninja lay flat against the boards.  “Well, at least we’re safe for

 now.”

 

 “Are we really?”  Relm asked in a soft voice, remembering that her

 grandfather had presumed the same thing.

 

 “Huh?”  Yuffie raised her head, surprised at Relm’s dampened

 spirits.  She’d thought that the other girl would have been perky and

 optimistic till the sun fell out of the sky. It just goes to show you

 how different people can be from what the seem.

 

 She reached out and patted Relm’s shoulder, a bit awkwardly, but

 sincere nonetheless.  “Hey, it’s ok.  No one would dare to cross the

 world’s greatest ninja, after all!  So you’re safe here with me.” 

 She grinned her trademark grin, hoping to rouse a bit of cheer.

 

 Flushing, Relm smiled a little. “Thanks, Yuffie.” Lying back on the

 planks, she rested her head on Yuffie’s bare stomach, curled beneath

 the large sun in the sky above. She closed her eyes but they

 fluttered open instantly, visions of Celes and Interceptor and the

 burning buildings of Narshe invading her thoughts. Better to watch

 the sea, she decided. With Yuffie. Yes, she could believe that things

 would be all right as long as she had this ninja girl to protect her.

 She scooted closer. Yuffie smelled so nice and felt so warm. She took

 solace in those little things. They calmed her, soothing her spirits.

 Yes, she’d be fine. ‘I’ll be all right, Interceptor. You just rest,

 my friend. I know I’ll be safe. Yuffie can protect me for now.’

 

 Yuffie lay there awkwardly, staring up at the brilliant blue sky.

 She could feel Relm’s eyelashes tickling her stomach as they blinked.

 This wasn’t quite the reaction she’d been expecting when she’d

 attempted to raise the artist’s spirits. The back of the blonde

 girl’s bandana swished in the wind, moving across her ribs. But then,

 what could she do? Push her away? The girl had just lost her

 surrogate family and her best friend. Even if it was just a dog. So

 it made sense that she was feeling a bit clingy. It wasn’t like it

 was that hard to suffer through. Though part of her wanted to explain

 that she wasn’t something to cling onto. She was a ninja and a thief,

 not something cute and cuddly to grapple onto. But she decided to let

 it pass this once. The younger girl needed some comforting and it

 looked like she’d have to try her best. Hesitantly, Yuffie reached

 down, placing a hand on Relm’s head. ‘Now what?’ she thought.

 Sighing, she let her hand drop. Maybe she wasn’t the best for this

 anyway. After all, she’d spent her whole life looking out for

 herself. She wasn’t used to trying to perk someone else up. 

 

 Relm looked up when she felt Yuffie’s hand pull away. Giggling

 softly, she reached up, pulling her bandana away. Medium length

 blonde hair fell about Yuffie’s stomach. Relm rested her head back on

 the ninja’s stomach, looking up the small slope of Yuffie’s chest to

 the short haired ninja, waiting.

 

 Yuffie smiled nervously at the artist, looking at those deeply

 intent blue eyes. It seemed fairly obvious why she had gotten rid of

 the bandana. ‘I’m not good at this stuff! I’m not used to dealing

 with kids! Well, except my little sister, but she’s not around right

 now.’ Reaching down, Yuffie’s fingers brushed through Relm’s soft,

 blonde hair. The artist smiled happily, still looking up at her.

 Yuffie relaxed a bit as she kept stroking the younger girl’s hair.

 ‘At least she seems to be feeling a little better. So I guess it’s

 worth it. But she better not be expecting this all the time.’ And it

 really wasn’t so bad, feeling the silken hair under her fingers, the

 other girl's warm breath against her stomach. There was something odd

 in those eyes, though. And Yuffie wasn’t a stranger to weird eyes.

 Her little sister had strange, spiral eyes. And Cloud had shining

 green eyes. But there was something more subtle about these. They

 were normal eyes, she decided at last. It was the look  she was

 getting that was strange. So direct and intense and... something. She

 felt a little embarrassed having that warm gaze directed at her.

 ‘Great. She’s probably gonna think of me as a mother figure or

 something. And I am not a mother figure.’

 

 Relm, on the other hand, was thinking anything but motherly thoughts

 about Yuffie. “Yuffie? Do you have a boyfriend?” she asked at last.

 It seemed quiet, the sound of seagulls and the waves all a part of

 the background.

 

 Shaking her head, Yuffie looked back up at the clouds thoughtfully.

 “No, I’m too busy. Not that I really want one anyway. I see all these

 couples around me like Cloud and Aerith, Rinoa and Squall, and I just

 can’t see myself like that. Nothing against Aerith or Rinoa. I just

 can’t see myself like that with some boyfriend.”

 

 Relm smiled, pleased with Yuffie’s response. “Good.”

 

 “Good? Why good?” Yuffie asked, blinking, looking back down at the

 artist. That was an odd line of questioning. And she didn’t see why

 that would be a good answer anyway. She just didn’t care about

 finding a boyfriend right now. There were too many other things to

 worry about. It wasn’t anywhere on her list of priorities. 

 

 “No reason,” Relm said, smiling secretively, tracing images on

 Yuffie’s stomach with her finger. The warm skin felt like a wonderful

 background for her. She could imagine her brushes running over it,

 drawing the images in bright colors on Yuffie’s skin. “You should

 really let me paint you sometime,” she said absentmindedly.

 

 “I’m not really sure I’d be a good model for a portrait,” Yuffie

 replied, sweatdropping. 

 

 Relm giggled. “I was thinking about something else, but a portrait

 would be nice, too. And you’d be a great model. Ninjas can be patient

 and sit and wait for hours to ambush someone. So just use that deep

 well of patience and it’ll be done quickly.”

 

 Yuffie frowned. She was a great ninja, after all. She couldn’t argue

 with that. She sighed in defeat. “Yeah, I guess you can. Sometime.

 Maybe.” She could imagine Aerith having a picture painted of her.

 That girl could be patient. But she just couldn’t see herself sitting

 there, being sketched. But if it made the girl feel better, then she

 guessed she could suffer through it. And it might make for a good

 picture. Relm was obviously very good with art. It might be

 interesting, she thought grudgingly.

 

 “Great!” Relm squealed happily. It was nice to have other things to

 think about. And right now she was happy just to be thinking about

 Yuffie. And feeling her so close. She shifted a bit, resting her head

 now on Yuffie’s chest. The ninja almost sat up, but Relm didn’t move.

 Yuffie sighed and stayed where she was. The artist could feel the

 small green top under her cheek, and the soft skin underneath. And

 beneath all that, the gentle thump of Yuffie’s heart. It was the

 heart of her princess, the ninja she had long awaited. She smiled at

 the thought. “It must have been Fate,” she said softly.

 

 “What must have been Fate?” Yuffie asked, watching the quirky

 artist. She sure was acting strangely. But then, all artists were a

 little strange, weren’t they? At least, Zidane had said so. But who

 was he to talk? Yuffie tried to look up again, but her eyes kept

 being drawn back to the head on her chest, to Relm’s bright blue

 eyes. Her keen intuition was telling her to be on guard, but logic

 told her there was nothing to fear from the younger girl. But still,

 she couldn’t quell her growing unease.

 

 “Meeting you. Finding myself lost somewhere far away with you. The

 two of us sitting under the endless sky right now. It must have been

 Fate. I don’t think this is all an accident. We were destined to

 meet. I was destined to rescue you from a frosty death. We were

 destined to travel together. Destined to fall madly and passionately

 in love,” Relm said, her eyes sparkling. Yes, it was all Fate, a

 guiding hand that had led her to this beautiful moment. Her budding

 romance with her very own ninja. Just like her mother.

 

 “Destined to.. What?!” Yuffie blinked, her mind whirling at the

 artists words. That had certainly not been what she had been

 expecting. Possibly a surrogate mother figure, but a lover? Where was

 Relm coming up with all of this stuff? She tried to get up, but Relm

 pinned her. She was stronger than the artist, but Relm had caught her

 by surprise and Yuffie’s head was still spinning. The blonde had

 straddled her, looking down into her eyes. Yuffie could easily push

 the girl off, but she found herself paralyzed underneath the blonde

 artist. 

 

 “Destined to fall in love and spend forever together. Don’t you

 believe in Fate?” Relm asked curiously, looking down at the older

 ninja girl. “I guess I’ll just have to prove it to you.” She

 whispered. Leaning down, she could see Yuffie’s wild eyes as she got

 closer. Her own heart pounded feverishly, a delicious thrill cycling

 through her blood. Had this been what it was like for her mother

 while falling in love with her father? It was definitely dizzying. 

 

 Yuffie felt Relm’s lips press against her own, soft delicate petals

 that seemed to melt against her own, flowing into them. She could

 only sit there, aghast at what was happening. This little artist girl

 had just professed her love for her. And here they were on some other

 planet. And she was pinned underneath her, being kissed. Not just

 some stage kiss, but a true, warm kiss. ‘Stop her!’ part of Yuffie

 cried out. ‘She can’t do that to you!’ But Yuffie’s body refused to

 cooperate. She could only lie there, subject to Relm’s will. That

 thought sent a shudder through Yuffie. No one could control her but

 herself. So she needed to get up and prove it. But Relm kept kissing

 her. And for some reason, Yuffie couldn’t get herself to push the

 young artist away. Her hands had reached Relm’s stomach, but she

 couldn’t call upon the strength to force her off.

 

 “Now what the bloody ‘ell is this?” a bemused voice asked. 

 

 Yuffie shoved the artist off, standing up and whirling about. She

 winced as she heard the splash behind her. Relm was not going to be

 happy about that. Wait. Why did she care if Relm liked it or not?

 Relm deserved to get dunked for trying to kiss her. Well, not exactly

 trying. Damn technicalities. Yuffie tried to cover her embarrassment

 with anger, glaring at the intruder. “Kid?! What are you doing here?”

 

 The blonde thief laughed, her hands on her hips. “Didn’t know ya had

 it in ya, Yuffie.” She winked, sending an angry flush across Yuffie’s

 cheeks. “And here I always thought you’d be the one on top.”

 

 Relm yanked herself back up onto the dock, soaking wet and

 grumbling. “What was that for?! You could’ve asked me to stop!” She

 hugged herself, shivering in the light breeze. Her hair hung wetly

 across her face. She tried to blow some wet hair from in front of

 her, but it stubbornly refused to move.

 

 “Wouldja have stopped?” Kid asked, still grinning. She had been glad

 to see her fellow Radical Dreamer, but she found the situation she

 found Yuffie in the be endlessly amusing. 

 

 Relm crossed her arms, frowning. “No. But she could’ve tried, at

 least, before throwing me into the water.”

 

 “I didn’t through you, I just... Wait,” Yuffie shook her head,

 trying to clear her thoughts. “Like this is my fault. You were the

 one who started... Just don’t do that!”

 

 “I can’t make any promises,” Relm said stubbornly. 

 

 “Kid! There you are!” A voice said behind them. 

 

 Kid had a caught look on her face, but it melted away as she turned

 around, masking it. “And if it isn’t the light o’ my life right now!

 How ya doin’ Leena?”

 

 “I thought you were supposed to be getting my Komodo scale necklace

 right now. If you’re still around here, there might not be any when

 you get there. And then I’ll be the only girl in the village without

 one. You don’t want that to happen, do you?” Leena asked. She seemed

 to be taking this incredibly seriously. And why wouldn’t she? It was

 a big deal in a world filled with fishing and the everyday facets of

 life. This was something important, a gift that all boyfriends got

 their loving girlfriends. And Kid was her boyfriend. Or something

 like that. So Kid was going to get her one. Whether she liked it or

 not.

 

 “Just about on my way, darling,” Kid said, trying to appease the

 redhead. “Just getting some help from a friend of mine. Isn’t that

 right, Yuffie?”

 

 “Who’s the one on top with you two?” Yuffie asked dryly, raising an

 eyebrow. 

 

 Kid gave her a dirty look before grinning back at Leena. “Well, off

 we go. We’ll be back with your necklace before you know it, love.”

 She kissed Leena’s cheek as she walked by, dragging Yuffie behind her.

 

 Leena sighed reluctantly. “All right. I’ll be waiting, Kid. Come

 back, soon! I’ll be done babysitting by then!” She waved at the

 departing thieves.

 

 “Wait! I’m coming, too!” Relm said angrily. She wasn’t about to let

 Yuffie leave her behind. She had to teach the ninja a thing or two

 about Fate. Yuffie was hers, most definitely. She just didn’t know it

 yet.