Prism Hearts 

 Chapter 11

 Love is the Gift

 by Amazoness Duo

 amazonessduo@hotmail.com

 

 

 

 "She just left?" Relm asked anxiously. "She didn't say anything?"

 The painter paced the expansive room, chewing on her lower lip. That

 wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Yuffie was supposed to

 come in and confront her with another girl. To get jealous and demand

 to know what was going on. Granted, they weren't dating so it wasn't

 like Yuffie had a right to demand what she was doing with anyone, but

 she'd hoped Yuffie was too headstrong to care about that tiny fact.

 Eiko had helped make sure Yuffie could escape the dungeon so that

 she'd eventually stumble on her with Celeste, a very realistic

 painting that Relm had made. If Yuffie didn't want anything to do

 with her when she was available, maybe if Yuffie thought she'd lost

 the chance, the ninja would do something. Now it seemed that plan had

 all but fallen apart.

 

 "Well..." Eiko sat on Relm's bed, looking down at her hands. Yuffie

 hadn't really said much. The ninja girl had looked hurt and confused,

 but that wasn't what Relm had been looking for. Eiko had tried to

 convince Yuffie to go back in to talk to Relm, but Yuffie had

 disappeared. "Not much," she finally decided on saying. 

 

 "This was a stupid idea. I need to go find Yuffie. I need to talk to

 her."

 

 "And say what?" Eiko asked, looking over at the girl in the

 bandanna. " 'Thanks for treating me like crap. I'm sorry for making

 you sad. Can I hang on your arm again?' " She only had what she'd

 heard from Relm to guess what had happened with Yuffie, but from what

 she'd heard of how they last parted ways, there wasn't a big reason

 to feel guilty over any of this.

 

 Pausing, Relm considered this. With a sigh, she nodded. "I guess

 you're right. I don't know what I could say to her right now that

 could make her understand. I've tried to get it through to her, but

 it's like she's just not listening." The painter crossed her arms,

 pouting. Looking up, she tried to stare up into the heaven's. "Mom,

 was it this hard with dad? Are all ninjas this difficult? Or am I

 just lucky?"

 

 Before the heavens could answer Relm's question, the door burst

 open. Or, rather, it would have burst open if it was anyone other

 than the prim and proper princess of Alexandria, Garnet. But even for

 her, it whipped open rather swiftly. "Have either of you seen Kairi?

 I wanted to talk to her about something before she saw my mother, but

 I can't find her."

 

 Eiko could tell that Garnet was more worried than she was letting

 on. The princess looked terribly distracted. A cold chill passed

 through Eiko as she slid off the bed. "Garnet, what's wrong?" She

 hurried to the princess's side. Despite being a rather regal

 princess, Garnet could be very impulsive at times. Having the

 princess run off into trouble without her didn't sound good to Eiko

 at all.

 

 "Kairi...?" Relm spoke the name as if speaking it for the first

 time. Her eyes widen as realization slowly sinks in. Everything had

 been happening so fast. She had been too wrapped up in her own

 problems to be thinking clearly. Kairi. The girl who was the key to

 all this. The girl that Celes had sacrificed herself for. If anything

 happened to Kairi, Celes' sacrifice would be in vain "We have to find

 her. Now. She could be in trouble." Whatever her concerns about

 Yuffie, they would have to be put on hold until after Kairi was safe

 and sound. 'Some protector you're turning out to be. I'm sorry,

 Celes.'

 

 Garnet nodded, turning back to the hallway. "I can't find Kuja

 either," she said, in a whisper that betrayed her fear.

 

 Though Relm didn't understand the significance of Kuja's

 disappearance, it hit Eiko loud and clear. The gravity of the

 situation weighed heavily on her small frame. The girls that Kuja

 took to his personal workshop never came back. No one knew what

 happened to them. Eiko had almost been taken their herself. Garnet

 had personally ordered the guards to let her go and had been trying

 to keep her from Kuja ever since. If they didn't get to Kairi soon,

 there wouldn't be anything left to save. And if Relm was right about

 Kairi being the Keyblade Mistress and needing to unleash the light,

 then they would all follow shortly afterwards. 

 

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

 

 "No! Not over there! How can we see the moonlight falling over the

 water with all those decorations in the way?" Selphie stood on the

 dock, directing the hapless boys under her command to finish up the

 decorations. The festival was going to be that night and she wanted,

 no, needed it to be perfect. What with all of the strange things

 happening on the Destiny Islands, they all needed a way to relax, to

 forget it all. And she had practiced her dancing every day with Yuna

 so that she and Quistis could dance on the beach under the moonlight

 with the waves lapping at their feet. She wanted that perfect moment

 with the cute blonde girl she was so in love with. It was that

 thought that she fixated on, that pushed her forward to make the

 festival a success. If the adults were too scared to have a festival

 this year, let them stay inside and sulk. She knew that would never

 help. Now, more than ever, they needed a chance to have fun, to laugh

 and twirl under the stars. They all needed this and Selphie was going

 to do her best to make sure they had their festival. "Put that over

 by the waterfall. It'll look great there."

 

 A soft chuckle behind Selphie shook the brunette from her

 singleminded devotion to the task at hand. "Those poor boys." Quistis

 wrapped her arms around Selphie from behind, rubbing the smaller

 girl's stomach. "I had no idea you could be so bossy, Selphie."

 

 "Hmph..." Selphie mock pouted as she rested against Quistis. "You're

 mean, Quisty. I'm not being bossy. I'm just... taking charge of the

 situation. Someone needs to if we're gonna be ready in time for the

 festival." 

 

 "Oh, don't pout." Quistis pulled Selphie closer, nuzzling the

 smaller girl's ear. "You're cute when you're bossy. And it's sweet

 that you'd work so hard to get the festival ready." The blonde smiled

 wryly. "Or that you'd make the boys work so hard for the festival."

 

 Wriggling in Quistis's grasp, Selphie turned to face the other girl,

 looking up into her glasses and smiling brightly. Her hands rested on

 Quistis's shoulders as her green eyes stared up into crystal blue.

 The brunette giggled, smiling brightly. "Like I said, someone has

 to." Standing on her tip toes, the smaller girl's lips brushed across

 the blonde's, a small kiss that still managed to spark an electric

 haze across her heart. Still smiling, she pulled Quistis's glasses

 off and slipped them on herself, looking up at the blonde girl. The

 brunette gave her best scholarly look as she pushed the glasses up

 the way she'd seen Quistis adjust them a thousand times before. "And

 I've even been studying for it. Yuna's been teaching me how to dance."

 

 Placing a finger on Selphie's nose, Quistis couldn't help but smile

 at the bundle of energy that was her girlfriend. Many people on the

 Destiny Islands admired Quistis. Even many of the adults listened to

 her ideas. But the one she admired was the childish girl in her arms.

 The blonde wanted to try and fix everything, worrying incessently

 over things she couldn't hope to change, working late into the night

 over small details that eluded her. She got depressed easily,

 withdrawing further into her studies in an attempt to drown out her

 concerns. But Selphie always managed to grab her by the arm and drag

 her away from all of that, leaving her worries as well as her books

 in a cluttered pile on the floor. 

 

 It wasn't that Selphie didn't get depressed. Even the energetic

 brunette had been hit by the loss of her friends and the coming storm

 that threatened their island paradise. But Selphie always bounced

 back. No matter what happened, she would see it through, finally

 breaking away from what troubled her with the same exuberance she did

 everything else. And it was this that Quistis admired her for. 

 

 The blonde traced her fingers over Selphie's cheekbones, standing

 close to the smaller girl on the pier. A wild gust of wind brushed

 past them, the smell promising rain that would not be long in coming.

 'In a way, the entire universe is a giant puzzle. One piece doesn't

 make sense without another. To unravel its mystery, you need to have

 the whole. People are the same way. One person alone doesn't make

 sense. You need that other piece to truly understand. That other half

 that balances you out. My Selphie...' Selphie's cheeks began to warm

 under her touch, turning a delicate pink beneath her fingertips. The

 sight of Selphie looking up at her, blushing faintly with the

 blonde's glasses perched on her nose, made Quistis's heart spin

 dizzily. There had been a time when she had wanted to travel just as

 much as Riku had. But eventually she had come to realize that

 sometimes you can find everything you're looking for right at home.

 Maybe in another lifetime, she had searched through worlds to find

 this girl that she held so close. But in this one, she had been right

 next door all this time. Laughing softly, Quistis pulled up the hat

 that hung at Selphie's back. "You took Irvine's hat again?" She set

 it snugly on the brunette's head, resting her fingers under Selphie's

 chin so she could get a good look at her in the hat.

 

 Pouting again, Selphie met Quistis's warm gaze. "I didn't take it. I

 borrowed it. He's busy helping Tidus and Wakka put up the decorations

 anyway. Besides, I look cuter in his cowboy hat than he does anyway."

 

 The smile Quisits had been wearing broke into a grin. "You can say

 that again." Leaning forward, she gave Selphie another kiss, not near

 as short at the one Selphie had given her. The two stood upon a world

 in its death throes, preparing for a mad party in an attempt to stave

 off the horrors that awaited them, but that was only one aspect of

 things. At that moment, they were simply lovers basking in the simple

 things, the power that lay in a single kiss. Mirrors upon mirrors

 upon mirrors. At any one second, at any given perspective, reality is

 a thousand different things and reality is nothing at all. In the

 end, reality is simply a suggestion. And rather than let her natural

 inclination to worry turn Quistis's world into a waiting game with

 the Angel of Death, she let her world become a taste of heaven, a

 taste that lingered on Selphie's lips. 

 

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

 

 "Thank God Quistis showed up." Tidus fell back onto the sand,

 staring up at the cloud filled sky. The clouds that he used to

 imagine as all sorts of fun things now merely looked dark and

 malavelont, misshapen boogeymen waiting for their chance to become

 real. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and ignored the

 strangely waiting storm clouds. 

 

 "Ya. I thought we'd never get a break. Selphie can be as bad as

 Lulu." Wakka rested against a tree, stretching.

 

 "Hmph..." Irvine crossed his arms, still watching the girls kissing

 on the pier. "I gave her my hat and what do I get? Nothin'." He

 sighed, brushing back his ponytail. "Some festival this is gonna be."

 

 Tidus nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, if it's a festival, there'll

 probably be dancing and stuff." He let that sink in for a moment

 before looking at the other two boys curiously. "Who are you gonna

 ask to dance with you?"

 

 Wakka shrugged. "I don't know. Dancin's not really my thing, ya

 know? Though if Lu asks, I'll probably dance with her."

 

 Irvine sat up, shaking his head. "Girls aren't like that, Wakka.

 They want you to go up to them all smooth-like." He grinned,

 pretending to be doing just as he said. He gave Wakka his most

 winning smile, winking. He took the other boy's hand, holding it

 warmly. "Hey there, good looking. How 'bout we show 'em how dancin's

 really done?" 

 

 Wakka blinked in confusion, staring at Irvine for a long moment. He

 finally pulled his hand away from the cowboy, wondering just how

 steeped in fantasy Irvine was at the moment. "Umm... I don't know

 whether other girls go for that or not, but not Lu. She's way too

 bossy to care for that sorta thing. She pretty much gets what she

 wants."

 

 "Yeah, and it's not like your approach worked on Selphie," Tidus

 added helpfully. He didn't notice Irvine wincing. "She just laughed

 and said that was sweet and that she was going with Quistis." He

 rested his head back on his hands, ignoring the clouds again. "I

 think I'd probably ask Yuna. She's a great dancer. And she's really

 pretty."

 

 Irvine shook his head. "Well, yeah, I guess. But she's so shy and

 quiet. And she's been spending all of her time with that weird

 catgirl lately. Speaking of which..." The cowboy grinned widely.

 "Maybe the catgirl doesn't have a date yet."

 

 "But she's a cat..." Wakka pointed out.

 

 "And what a cat," Irvine said, whistling.

 

 "But she's still a cat." Wakka blinked again. What wasn't Irvine

 getting? That was just.... weird....

 

 Tidus laughed, watching the other two boys. "You just wanna ask her

 because she reminds you of Selphie. They're both hyper and bubbly."

 

 "And what if that's part of it? At least the catgirl isn't already

 chained at the hip to some other girl on the island." Crossing his

 arms, Irvine frowned. 

 

 Yawning tiredly, Tidus pushed himself to his feet. "Well, you can

 ask her in a bit. I'm gonna go find Yuna and see if she wants to

 dance with me at the festival."

 

 Wakka nodded, not getting up. "You go ahead and do that. I'm just

 gonna wait and see if Lu winds up asking me."

 

 Grinning, Tidus waved. "Good luck, you two!" He bolted off across

 the beach before Selphie could regain her composure and get them back

 to work.

 

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

 

 

 "So what's the festival like?" Rikku asked curiously as she walked

 side by side with Yuna across the beach. The water lapped right up

 near their feet. They were both walking barefoot, Rikku's paws

 leaving strange marks in the sand. She knew that a lot of the rest of

 the Islands' children were on the other side of that particular

 island preparing for the festival, but Yuna had preferred more peace

 and quiet. That didn't particularly bother the catgirl. She usually

 got along well with people, but she'd rather be with Yuna anyway. She

 knew Yuna better than the rest of them, even if she could tell there

 was a lot that the quiet girl wasn't saying. Still, it had been a

 small victory that Yuna had confided in her earlier. It made her

 feel... special. She was happy to be the one that Yuna would tell her

 worries to. It was nice to be close to -someone-. She was on an

 island chain somewhere far, far away from anywhere she'd ever been,

 seperated from her big sister and the rest of the Radical Dreamers by

 countless worlds. It was taking all she had to be optimistic about

 things. But it seemed easier with Yuna. In a way, it felt like the

 other girl needed her. And that let her push her concerns to the

 side. She hadn't been able to help Kairi much, trapped as a cat for

 most of that time. But now she could finally talk again. Maybe she

 could actually help. 

 

 "Well... It's just something we have every year or so. All of the

 Islanders gather together and celebrate late into the night. There

 are feasts and dancing and singing and...." Yuna smiled, twirling

 lithely on one foot. The wind tugged at her kimono as she did. "It's

 wonderful. Some people tell stories and you get to play all sorts of

 games. Sometimes father would...." For one bittersweet moment, Yuna

 couldn't tell if the memory of her father made her feel warm and

 happy inside or if the emptiness that his absence at this festival

 and every festival she would ever go to in the future created inside

 of her would drag her down into a sea of tears. All she could do was

 try to freeze the thought exactly as it was, pushing it back deep

 inside of herself and continuing. "But this year, the adults are too

 worried about everything. The storms that are approaching, the weird

 holes that have been appearing on some of the islands, the

 disappearance of Kairi, Riku, and Sora, everything. Because of all

 that, they cancelled the festival. Selphie thinks that's a mistake,

 so she's organized our own festival."

 

 Rikku nodded excitedly. "That sounds like fun! I can't wait till

 tonight, then." The catgirl watched the other girl for a moment,

 trying to pick up on that shadow that covered Yuna when she spoke of

 her father. Whatever it had been, it seemed to be gone now.

 Nevertheless, Rikku wanted to be careful not to let it get any worse.

 She knew that Yuna had lost her father some time ago, but she didn't

 know much beyond that. And Yuna seemed to try to ignore the topic, so

 it was difficult to find out anything else. But even then, Rikku

 wanted to protect the blue- and green-eyed girl. She might be younger

 than Yuna, but that didn't mean she couldn't protect her. After all,

 Yuna had saved her life. And besides, the quiet girl seemed like she

 could use a guardian. And who better than thief extraordinaire,

 Rikku? Grinning inwardly, the catgirl pictured herself in some of her

 older sister's self-serving poses. Yep. She could help. Any trouble

 she saw coming, she'd send it yelping off in pain. 

 

 "Are you okay, Rikku?" Yuna asked at last, watching her friend's

 goofy expression.

 

 Laughing nervously, Rikku shook her head. "I'm fine. I was just

 thinking. It's been a long time since I've been to a festival. The

 last time I went was with the rest of the Radical Dreamers. My

 friends," she added helpfully. "It was at East Heaven Kindom. It was

 really, really nice. All sorts of food you could ever even dream

 about. One of the princesses there, Mint, kinda reminded me of big

 sis. We were there to steal this Relic, an ancient magical book, and

 she showed up to steal it, too. It seemed she'd been kicked out of

 the kingdom. So she and Yuffie were both bragging about how they'd

 kick the other one's ass until they finally ended up wrestling on the

 floor. It was so funny! Zidane and I were just laughing and Kid was

 all pissed off about it." She grinned at the memory, her cat ears

 twitching subconsciously in the wind. "We all got thrown in the

 dungeon after that, because we were all just standing there while

 Mint and Yuffie were rolling around on the floor, trying to take the

 book from the other."

 

 Yuna giggled into her hand, watching the catgirl. She certainly was

 interesting. She'd never met anyone like her. Rikku was part of a

 mysterious band of theives/performers who travelled the worlds in

 search of various treasure. Yet she wasn't scary or menacing in the

 least. She was just... silly. And spirited. It was interesting

 hearing her stories as they sat up late at night in her usually empty

 home. Yuna shook her head, her hair fluttering in the breeze. She

 tried to stifle her giggle. "But that's awful that you all ended up

 in the dungeon."

 

 Shaking her head, Rikku just smiled again. "No, it wasn't that bad.

 We didn't stay in that long. Mint knew the guards, some guys named

 Biggs and Wedge that I swear I've met in half a dozen other places,

 and they let us all out." Laughing again, she placed her hands behind

 her head. "Mint and Yuffie kept bitching at each other until Kid and

 I finally had to drag Yuffie off so we could catch our ship out of

 there. I guess if you travel enough, eventually you'll meet someone

 like you."

 

 "I don't think so. I think you might find someone who seems a bit

 like you, or who acts similarly. But we're all different somehow. If

 I looked over a thousand different worlds, I'd never meet someone

 quite like you," Yuna explained, watching the catgirl. 

 

 Blushing faintly, Rikku was glad that her fur made it impossible to

 tell. She smiled ecstatically, her embarrassment growing as she heard

 a steady purr resonating within her. She tried to stifle the purr,

 but it refused to die down. She was glad that Yuna would think that

 about her. Even worse, her tail was swishing about happily behind

 her. Before she could get it under control, it thumped against Yuna's

 rear, making the other girl take a quick step forward in surprise.

 Rikku could only stare forward, mortified. Stupid Dragon's Tear and

 it's half-done job. Stupid half-cat body.  Her heart thundered in her

 chest, feeling to Rikku as if it should be just as audible as her

 purr by now. Surprisingly, Yuna simply turned, walking backwards

 slowly so she could look at Rikku. The young summoner was still

 smiling. A wave of relief crashed down over the catgirl's head, cold

 and refreshing. Maybe she hadn't totally screwed that up after all.

 "Thanks, Yunie," she said at last, smiling wide enough to show her

 fangs. "I don't think I'd ever find anyone like you, either."

 

 "I'd argue, but then I'd be contradicting myself." Yuna giggled. 

 

 "And I can't let you do that," Rikku agreed, purring happily.

 Without warning and with only the barest of thoughts, Rikku took one

 of Yuna's hands in one of her soft paws. It felt like there were a

 thousand different things that she wanted to say at once, but the

 words eluded her. Just a cacophony of emotions and feelings surged

 through her. But being here with Yuna... She had to say -something-.

 Anything would do. She hoped. Squeezing the brunette's hand in her

 own, swirly green eyes gazed into Yuna's blue and green eyes, hoping

 to get across whatever her words failed to through her eyes. "Yunie,

 I won't let anything bad happen to you. Whatever's happened to you

 before now... I won't let it ever happen again. I'll... I'll protect

 you. From everything. I promise." It was and wasn't what she wanted

 to say at the same time. Whatever the case, she knew it was the

 truth. She wanted to protect this fragile flower, wherever the winds

 may carry her. She wanted to be there by Yuna's side, there to help

 her through everything. Yuna needed her, right? And she wanted that

 so badly. To be needed. To help. To be able to make things better.

 She'd always been Yuffie's little sister. She loved her sister

 dearly, but she'd never been able to protect Yuffie, only managing to

 help a bit here and there. Yuffie was too sure of herself to allow

 anyone else to do things for her. But with Yuna... She wanted to make

 sure nothing bad ever had to happen to her again. She wanted to fight

 off Fate itself to make sure she could always have a smile. A real

 smile. 

 

 "I..." Yuna blushed, her eyes locked onto those swirly emeralds,

 almost drowning in them as they pulled her in. "I want that, too..."

 she whispered at last, furiously embarrassed that she'd admit that.

 But she did. Sometimes she could get so tired of being strong for

 everyone. She wanted to be able to collapse sometimes, to have

 someone to catch her when she stumbled. She trusted this catgirl,

 this thief from another world, this bouncy young girl with an

 indomitable spirit. Rikku was sweet and devoted and warm and... For a

 moment, Yuna couldn't tell which way was up. Her world seemed to have

 turned upside down. Her heart was dizzy, lost in conflicting

 thoughts. What she wanted to do and say clashed with what she thought

 she should do and say. Her mind and heart struggled on the

 battlefield of her soul for what felt like a short eternity. And

 finally, it ceased to matter what the outcome was going to be. Soft

 lips pressed against hers, paws holding tightly enough onto her

 shoulders that she could feel the claws digging through the fabric of

 her dress. Whiskers tickled her upper lip, and Rikku's soft, furry

 form pressed against her. Yuna slowly melted into the kiss. For this

 moment, she didn't need to know what to say or what to do. There was

 only this moment. Of soft, neko kisses and the wonderful fragrance of

 the rain encircling them. 

 

 By now, trying to stop her purring would be almost impossible.

 Rikku's chest and throat vibrated with the happy purr that seemed to

 come from the very depths of her soul. She couldn't explain why she

 had kissed the quiet, sometimes sad girl, but she also couldn't

 explain why not. It just seemed right. It was what she'd wanted to

 do. It was what her words had wanted to express but couldn't. It was

 the manifestation of the emotions and feelings that burst through her

 like a fireworks display. And now it seemed perfectly right. Yuna's

 soft lips opened and closed against her own lips as the taller girl's

 hands went to her furry waist, pulling her closer. Thoughts were lost

 to Rikku as she kissed deeper, her scratchy tongue pushing between

 Yuna's lips as her claws nearly dug into the brunette's shoulders. 

 

 So this was a kiss... A beautiful moment in time wrapped up in silk

 and offered up on the wings of angels. It was a precious gift that

 could topple kingdoms and move mountains, a gift that when combined

 with the dewdrops of love could become a force that could move the

 very stars in the sky. And now it was in Yuna's hands. So delicate,

 so fragile, yet so strong and powerful that it left her breathless

 and shaking. So enraptured by Rikku's kiss was Yuna, her mind so far

 away from the world around her, that she didn't see the waves moving

 as something large pushed through the water towards the Destiny

 Islands.