rlm@0: Prism Hearts 
rlm@0: Chapter 11
rlm@0: Love is the Gift
rlm@0: by Amazoness Duo
rlm@0: amazonessduo@hotmail.com
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "She just left?" Relm asked anxiously. "She didn't say anything?"
rlm@0: The painter paced the expansive room, chewing on her lower lip. That
rlm@0: wasn't how things were supposed to happen. Yuffie was supposed to
rlm@0: come in and confront her with another girl. To get jealous and demand
rlm@0: to know what was going on. Granted, they weren't dating so it wasn't
rlm@0: like Yuffie had a right to demand what she was doing with anyone, but
rlm@0: she'd hoped Yuffie was too headstrong to care about that tiny fact.
rlm@0: Eiko had helped make sure Yuffie could escape the dungeon so that
rlm@0: she'd eventually stumble on her with Celeste, a very realistic
rlm@0: painting that Relm had made. If Yuffie didn't want anything to do
rlm@0: with her when she was available, maybe if Yuffie thought she'd lost
rlm@0: the chance, the ninja would do something. Now it seemed that plan had
rlm@0: all but fallen apart.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Well..." Eiko sat on Relm's bed, looking down at her hands. Yuffie
rlm@0: hadn't really said much. The ninja girl had looked hurt and confused,
rlm@0: but that wasn't what Relm had been looking for. Eiko had tried to
rlm@0: convince Yuffie to go back in to talk to Relm, but Yuffie had
rlm@0: disappeared. "Not much," she finally decided on saying. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "This was a stupid idea. I need to go find Yuffie. I need to talk to
rlm@0: her."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "And say what?" Eiko asked, looking over at the girl in the
rlm@0: bandanna. " 'Thanks for treating me like crap. I'm sorry for making
rlm@0: you sad. Can I hang on your arm again?' " She only had what she'd
rlm@0: heard from Relm to guess what had happened with Yuffie, but from what
rlm@0: she'd heard of how they last parted ways, there wasn't a big reason
rlm@0: to feel guilty over any of this.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Pausing, Relm considered this. With a sigh, she nodded. "I guess
rlm@0: you're right. I don't know what I could say to her right now that
rlm@0: could make her understand. I've tried to get it through to her, but
rlm@0: it's like she's just not listening." The painter crossed her arms,
rlm@0: pouting. Looking up, she tried to stare up into the heaven's. "Mom,
rlm@0: was it this hard with dad? Are all ninjas this difficult? Or am I
rlm@0: just lucky?"
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Before the heavens could answer Relm's question, the door burst
rlm@0: open. Or, rather, it would have burst open if it was anyone other
rlm@0: than the prim and proper princess of Alexandria, Garnet. But even for
rlm@0: her, it whipped open rather swiftly. "Have either of you seen Kairi?
rlm@0: I wanted to talk to her about something before she saw my mother, but
rlm@0: I can't find her."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Eiko could tell that Garnet was more worried than she was letting
rlm@0: on. The princess looked terribly distracted. A cold chill passed
rlm@0: through Eiko as she slid off the bed. "Garnet, what's wrong?" She
rlm@0: hurried to the princess's side. Despite being a rather regal
rlm@0: princess, Garnet could be very impulsive at times. Having the
rlm@0: princess run off into trouble without her didn't sound good to Eiko
rlm@0: at all.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Kairi...?" Relm spoke the name as if speaking it for the first
rlm@0: time. Her eyes widen as realization slowly sinks in. Everything had
rlm@0: been happening so fast. She had been too wrapped up in her own
rlm@0: problems to be thinking clearly. Kairi. The girl who was the key to
rlm@0: all this. The girl that Celes had sacrificed herself for. If anything
rlm@0: happened to Kairi, Celes' sacrifice would be in vain "We have to find
rlm@0: her. Now. She could be in trouble." Whatever her concerns about
rlm@0: Yuffie, they would have to be put on hold until after Kairi was safe
rlm@0: and sound. 'Some protector you're turning out to be. I'm sorry,
rlm@0: Celes.'
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Garnet nodded, turning back to the hallway. "I can't find Kuja
rlm@0: either," she said, in a whisper that betrayed her fear.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Though Relm didn't understand the significance of Kuja's
rlm@0: disappearance, it hit Eiko loud and clear. The gravity of the
rlm@0: situation weighed heavily on her small frame. The girls that Kuja
rlm@0: took to his personal workshop never came back. No one knew what
rlm@0: happened to them. Eiko had almost been taken their herself. Garnet
rlm@0: had personally ordered the guards to let her go and had been trying
rlm@0: to keep her from Kuja ever since. If they didn't get to Kairi soon,
rlm@0: there wouldn't be anything left to save. And if Relm was right about
rlm@0: Kairi being the Keyblade Mistress and needing to unleash the light,
rlm@0: then they would all follow shortly afterwards. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "No! Not over there! How can we see the moonlight falling over the
rlm@0: water with all those decorations in the way?" Selphie stood on the
rlm@0: dock, directing the hapless boys under her command to finish up the
rlm@0: decorations. The festival was going to be that night and she wanted,
rlm@0: no, needed it to be perfect. What with all of the strange things
rlm@0: happening on the Destiny Islands, they all needed a way to relax, to
rlm@0: forget it all. And she had practiced her dancing every day with Yuna
rlm@0: so that she and Quistis could dance on the beach under the moonlight
rlm@0: with the waves lapping at their feet. She wanted that perfect moment
rlm@0: with the cute blonde girl she was so in love with. It was that
rlm@0: thought that she fixated on, that pushed her forward to make the
rlm@0: festival a success. If the adults were too scared to have a festival
rlm@0: this year, let them stay inside and sulk. She knew that would never
rlm@0: help. Now, more than ever, they needed a chance to have fun, to laugh
rlm@0: and twirl under the stars. They all needed this and Selphie was going
rlm@0: to do her best to make sure they had their festival. "Put that over
rlm@0: by the waterfall. It'll look great there."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: A soft chuckle behind Selphie shook the brunette from her
rlm@0: singleminded devotion to the task at hand. "Those poor boys." Quistis
rlm@0: wrapped her arms around Selphie from behind, rubbing the smaller
rlm@0: girl's stomach. "I had no idea you could be so bossy, Selphie."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Hmph..." Selphie mock pouted as she rested against Quistis. "You're
rlm@0: mean, Quisty. I'm not being bossy. I'm just... taking charge of the
rlm@0: situation. Someone needs to if we're gonna be ready in time for the
rlm@0: festival." 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Oh, don't pout." Quistis pulled Selphie closer, nuzzling the
rlm@0: smaller girl's ear. "You're cute when you're bossy. And it's sweet
rlm@0: that you'd work so hard to get the festival ready." The blonde smiled
rlm@0: wryly. "Or that you'd make the boys work so hard for the festival."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Wriggling in Quistis's grasp, Selphie turned to face the other girl,
rlm@0: looking up into her glasses and smiling brightly. Her hands rested on
rlm@0: Quistis's shoulders as her green eyes stared up into crystal blue.
rlm@0: The brunette giggled, smiling brightly. "Like I said, someone has
rlm@0: to." Standing on her tip toes, the smaller girl's lips brushed across
rlm@0: the blonde's, a small kiss that still managed to spark an electric
rlm@0: haze across her heart. Still smiling, she pulled Quistis's glasses
rlm@0: off and slipped them on herself, looking up at the blonde girl. The
rlm@0: brunette gave her best scholarly look as she pushed the glasses up
rlm@0: the way she'd seen Quistis adjust them a thousand times before. "And
rlm@0: I've even been studying for it. Yuna's been teaching me how to dance."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Placing a finger on Selphie's nose, Quistis couldn't help but smile
rlm@0: at the bundle of energy that was her girlfriend. Many people on the
rlm@0: Destiny Islands admired Quistis. Even many of the adults listened to
rlm@0: her ideas. But the one she admired was the childish girl in her arms.
rlm@0: The blonde wanted to try and fix everything, worrying incessently
rlm@0: over things she couldn't hope to change, working late into the night
rlm@0: over small details that eluded her. She got depressed easily,
rlm@0: withdrawing further into her studies in an attempt to drown out her
rlm@0: concerns. But Selphie always managed to grab her by the arm and drag
rlm@0: her away from all of that, leaving her worries as well as her books
rlm@0: in a cluttered pile on the floor. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: It wasn't that Selphie didn't get depressed. Even the energetic
rlm@0: brunette had been hit by the loss of her friends and the coming storm
rlm@0: that threatened their island paradise. But Selphie always bounced
rlm@0: back. No matter what happened, she would see it through, finally
rlm@0: breaking away from what troubled her with the same exuberance she did
rlm@0: everything else. And it was this that Quistis admired her for. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: The blonde traced her fingers over Selphie's cheekbones, standing
rlm@0: close to the smaller girl on the pier. A wild gust of wind brushed
rlm@0: past them, the smell promising rain that would not be long in coming.
rlm@0: 'In a way, the entire universe is a giant puzzle. One piece doesn't
rlm@0: make sense without another. To unravel its mystery, you need to have
rlm@0: the whole. People are the same way. One person alone doesn't make
rlm@0: sense. You need that other piece to truly understand. That other half
rlm@0: that balances you out. My Selphie...' Selphie's cheeks began to warm
rlm@0: under her touch, turning a delicate pink beneath her fingertips. The
rlm@0: sight of Selphie looking up at her, blushing faintly with the
rlm@0: blonde's glasses perched on her nose, made Quistis's heart spin
rlm@0: dizzily. There had been a time when she had wanted to travel just as
rlm@0: much as Riku had. But eventually she had come to realize that
rlm@0: sometimes you can find everything you're looking for right at home.
rlm@0: Maybe in another lifetime, she had searched through worlds to find
rlm@0: this girl that she held so close. But in this one, she had been right
rlm@0: next door all this time. Laughing softly, Quistis pulled up the hat
rlm@0: that hung at Selphie's back. "You took Irvine's hat again?" She set
rlm@0: it snugly on the brunette's head, resting her fingers under Selphie's
rlm@0: chin so she could get a good look at her in the hat.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Pouting again, Selphie met Quistis's warm gaze. "I didn't take it. I
rlm@0: borrowed it. He's busy helping Tidus and Wakka put up the decorations
rlm@0: anyway. Besides, I look cuter in his cowboy hat than he does anyway."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: The smile Quisits had been wearing broke into a grin. "You can say
rlm@0: that again." Leaning forward, she gave Selphie another kiss, not near
rlm@0: as short at the one Selphie had given her. The two stood upon a world
rlm@0: in its death throes, preparing for a mad party in an attempt to stave
rlm@0: off the horrors that awaited them, but that was only one aspect of
rlm@0: things. At that moment, they were simply lovers basking in the simple
rlm@0: things, the power that lay in a single kiss. Mirrors upon mirrors
rlm@0: upon mirrors. At any one second, at any given perspective, reality is
rlm@0: a thousand different things and reality is nothing at all. In the
rlm@0: end, reality is simply a suggestion. And rather than let her natural
rlm@0: inclination to worry turn Quistis's world into a waiting game with
rlm@0: the Angel of Death, she let her world become a taste of heaven, a
rlm@0: taste that lingered on Selphie's lips. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Thank God Quistis showed up." Tidus fell back onto the sand,
rlm@0: staring up at the cloud filled sky. The clouds that he used to
rlm@0: imagine as all sorts of fun things now merely looked dark and
rlm@0: malavelont, misshapen boogeymen waiting for their chance to become
rlm@0: real. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and ignored the
rlm@0: strangely waiting storm clouds. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Ya. I thought we'd never get a break. Selphie can be as bad as
rlm@0: Lulu." Wakka rested against a tree, stretching.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Hmph..." Irvine crossed his arms, still watching the girls kissing
rlm@0: on the pier. "I gave her my hat and what do I get? Nothin'." He
rlm@0: sighed, brushing back his ponytail. "Some festival this is gonna be."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Tidus nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, if it's a festival, there'll
rlm@0: probably be dancing and stuff." He let that sink in for a moment
rlm@0: before looking at the other two boys curiously. "Who are you gonna
rlm@0: ask to dance with you?"
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Wakka shrugged. "I don't know. Dancin's not really my thing, ya
rlm@0: know? Though if Lu asks, I'll probably dance with her."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Irvine sat up, shaking his head. "Girls aren't like that, Wakka.
rlm@0: They want you to go up to them all smooth-like." He grinned,
rlm@0: pretending to be doing just as he said. He gave Wakka his most
rlm@0: winning smile, winking. He took the other boy's hand, holding it
rlm@0: warmly. "Hey there, good looking. How 'bout we show 'em how dancin's
rlm@0: really done?" 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Wakka blinked in confusion, staring at Irvine for a long moment. He
rlm@0: finally pulled his hand away from the cowboy, wondering just how
rlm@0: steeped in fantasy Irvine was at the moment. "Umm... I don't know
rlm@0: whether other girls go for that or not, but not Lu. She's way too
rlm@0: bossy to care for that sorta thing. She pretty much gets what she
rlm@0: wants."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Yeah, and it's not like your approach worked on Selphie," Tidus
rlm@0: added helpfully. He didn't notice Irvine wincing. "She just laughed
rlm@0: and said that was sweet and that she was going with Quistis." He
rlm@0: rested his head back on his hands, ignoring the clouds again. "I
rlm@0: think I'd probably ask Yuna. She's a great dancer. And she's really
rlm@0: pretty."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Irvine shook his head. "Well, yeah, I guess. But she's so shy and
rlm@0: quiet. And she's been spending all of her time with that weird
rlm@0: catgirl lately. Speaking of which..." The cowboy grinned widely.
rlm@0: "Maybe the catgirl doesn't have a date yet."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "But she's a cat..." Wakka pointed out.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "And what a cat," Irvine said, whistling.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "But she's still a cat." Wakka blinked again. What wasn't Irvine
rlm@0: getting? That was just.... weird....
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Tidus laughed, watching the other two boys. "You just wanna ask her
rlm@0: because she reminds you of Selphie. They're both hyper and bubbly."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "And what if that's part of it? At least the catgirl isn't already
rlm@0: chained at the hip to some other girl on the island." Crossing his
rlm@0: arms, Irvine frowned. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Yawning tiredly, Tidus pushed himself to his feet. "Well, you can
rlm@0: ask her in a bit. I'm gonna go find Yuna and see if she wants to
rlm@0: dance with me at the festival."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Wakka nodded, not getting up. "You go ahead and do that. I'm just
rlm@0: gonna wait and see if Lu winds up asking me."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Grinning, Tidus waved. "Good luck, you two!" He bolted off across
rlm@0: the beach before Selphie could regain her composure and get them back
rlm@0: to work.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "So what's the festival like?" Rikku asked curiously as she walked
rlm@0: side by side with Yuna across the beach. The water lapped right up
rlm@0: near their feet. They were both walking barefoot, Rikku's paws
rlm@0: leaving strange marks in the sand. She knew that a lot of the rest of
rlm@0: the Islands' children were on the other side of that particular
rlm@0: island preparing for the festival, but Yuna had preferred more peace
rlm@0: and quiet. That didn't particularly bother the catgirl. She usually
rlm@0: got along well with people, but she'd rather be with Yuna anyway. She
rlm@0: knew Yuna better than the rest of them, even if she could tell there
rlm@0: was a lot that the quiet girl wasn't saying. Still, it had been a
rlm@0: small victory that Yuna had confided in her earlier. It made her
rlm@0: feel... special. She was happy to be the one that Yuna would tell her
rlm@0: worries to. It was nice to be close to -someone-. She was on an
rlm@0: island chain somewhere far, far away from anywhere she'd ever been,
rlm@0: seperated from her big sister and the rest of the Radical Dreamers by
rlm@0: countless worlds. It was taking all she had to be optimistic about
rlm@0: things. But it seemed easier with Yuna. In a way, it felt like the
rlm@0: other girl needed her. And that let her push her concerns to the
rlm@0: side. She hadn't been able to help Kairi much, trapped as a cat for
rlm@0: most of that time. But now she could finally talk again. Maybe she
rlm@0: could actually help. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Well... It's just something we have every year or so. All of the
rlm@0: Islanders gather together and celebrate late into the night. There
rlm@0: are feasts and dancing and singing and...." Yuna smiled, twirling
rlm@0: lithely on one foot. The wind tugged at her kimono as she did. "It's
rlm@0: wonderful. Some people tell stories and you get to play all sorts of
rlm@0: games. Sometimes father would...." For one bittersweet moment, Yuna
rlm@0: couldn't tell if the memory of her father made her feel warm and
rlm@0: happy inside or if the emptiness that his absence at this festival
rlm@0: and every festival she would ever go to in the future created inside
rlm@0: of her would drag her down into a sea of tears. All she could do was
rlm@0: try to freeze the thought exactly as it was, pushing it back deep
rlm@0: inside of herself and continuing. "But this year, the adults are too
rlm@0: worried about everything. The storms that are approaching, the weird
rlm@0: holes that have been appearing on some of the islands, the
rlm@0: disappearance of Kairi, Riku, and Sora, everything. Because of all
rlm@0: that, they cancelled the festival. Selphie thinks that's a mistake,
rlm@0: so she's organized our own festival."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Rikku nodded excitedly. "That sounds like fun! I can't wait till
rlm@0: tonight, then." The catgirl watched the other girl for a moment,
rlm@0: trying to pick up on that shadow that covered Yuna when she spoke of
rlm@0: her father. Whatever it had been, it seemed to be gone now.
rlm@0: Nevertheless, Rikku wanted to be careful not to let it get any worse.
rlm@0: She knew that Yuna had lost her father some time ago, but she didn't
rlm@0: know much beyond that. And Yuna seemed to try to ignore the topic, so
rlm@0: it was difficult to find out anything else. But even then, Rikku
rlm@0: wanted to protect the blue- and green-eyed girl. She might be younger
rlm@0: than Yuna, but that didn't mean she couldn't protect her. After all,
rlm@0: Yuna had saved her life. And besides, the quiet girl seemed like she
rlm@0: could use a guardian. And who better than thief extraordinaire,
rlm@0: Rikku? Grinning inwardly, the catgirl pictured herself in some of her
rlm@0: older sister's self-serving poses. Yep. She could help. Any trouble
rlm@0: she saw coming, she'd send it yelping off in pain. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "Are you okay, Rikku?" Yuna asked at last, watching her friend's
rlm@0: goofy expression.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Laughing nervously, Rikku shook her head. "I'm fine. I was just
rlm@0: thinking. It's been a long time since I've been to a festival. The
rlm@0: last time I went was with the rest of the Radical Dreamers. My
rlm@0: friends," she added helpfully. "It was at East Heaven Kindom. It was
rlm@0: really, really nice. All sorts of food you could ever even dream
rlm@0: about. One of the princesses there, Mint, kinda reminded me of big
rlm@0: sis. We were there to steal this Relic, an ancient magical book, and
rlm@0: she showed up to steal it, too. It seemed she'd been kicked out of
rlm@0: the kingdom. So she and Yuffie were both bragging about how they'd
rlm@0: kick the other one's ass until they finally ended up wrestling on the
rlm@0: floor. It was so funny! Zidane and I were just laughing and Kid was
rlm@0: all pissed off about it." She grinned at the memory, her cat ears
rlm@0: twitching subconsciously in the wind. "We all got thrown in the
rlm@0: dungeon after that, because we were all just standing there while
rlm@0: Mint and Yuffie were rolling around on the floor, trying to take the
rlm@0: book from the other."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Yuna giggled into her hand, watching the catgirl. She certainly was
rlm@0: interesting. She'd never met anyone like her. Rikku was part of a
rlm@0: mysterious band of theives/performers who travelled the worlds in
rlm@0: search of various treasure. Yet she wasn't scary or menacing in the
rlm@0: least. She was just... silly. And spirited. It was interesting
rlm@0: hearing her stories as they sat up late at night in her usually empty
rlm@0: home. Yuna shook her head, her hair fluttering in the breeze. She
rlm@0: tried to stifle her giggle. "But that's awful that you all ended up
rlm@0: in the dungeon."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Shaking her head, Rikku just smiled again. "No, it wasn't that bad.
rlm@0: We didn't stay in that long. Mint knew the guards, some guys named
rlm@0: Biggs and Wedge that I swear I've met in half a dozen other places,
rlm@0: and they let us all out." Laughing again, she placed her hands behind
rlm@0: her head. "Mint and Yuffie kept bitching at each other until Kid and
rlm@0: I finally had to drag Yuffie off so we could catch our ship out of
rlm@0: there. I guess if you travel enough, eventually you'll meet someone
rlm@0: like you."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "I don't think so. I think you might find someone who seems a bit
rlm@0: like you, or who acts similarly. But we're all different somehow. If
rlm@0: I looked over a thousand different worlds, I'd never meet someone
rlm@0: quite like you," Yuna explained, watching the catgirl. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: Blushing faintly, Rikku was glad that her fur made it impossible to
rlm@0: tell. She smiled ecstatically, her embarrassment growing as she heard
rlm@0: a steady purr resonating within her. She tried to stifle the purr,
rlm@0: but it refused to die down. She was glad that Yuna would think that
rlm@0: about her. Even worse, her tail was swishing about happily behind
rlm@0: her. Before she could get it under control, it thumped against Yuna's
rlm@0: rear, making the other girl take a quick step forward in surprise.
rlm@0: Rikku could only stare forward, mortified. Stupid Dragon's Tear and
rlm@0: it's half-done job. Stupid half-cat body.  Her heart thundered in her
rlm@0: chest, feeling to Rikku as if it should be just as audible as her
rlm@0: purr by now. Surprisingly, Yuna simply turned, walking backwards
rlm@0: slowly so she could look at Rikku. The young summoner was still
rlm@0: smiling. A wave of relief crashed down over the catgirl's head, cold
rlm@0: and refreshing. Maybe she hadn't totally screwed that up after all.
rlm@0: "Thanks, Yunie," she said at last, smiling wide enough to show her
rlm@0: fangs. "I don't think I'd ever find anyone like you, either."
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "I'd argue, but then I'd be contradicting myself." Yuna giggled. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "And I can't let you do that," Rikku agreed, purring happily.
rlm@0: Without warning and with only the barest of thoughts, Rikku took one
rlm@0: of Yuna's hands in one of her soft paws. It felt like there were a
rlm@0: thousand different things that she wanted to say at once, but the
rlm@0: words eluded her. Just a cacophony of emotions and feelings surged
rlm@0: through her. But being here with Yuna... She had to say -something-.
rlm@0: Anything would do. She hoped. Squeezing the brunette's hand in her
rlm@0: own, swirly green eyes gazed into Yuna's blue and green eyes, hoping
rlm@0: to get across whatever her words failed to through her eyes. "Yunie,
rlm@0: I won't let anything bad happen to you. Whatever's happened to you
rlm@0: before now... I won't let it ever happen again. I'll... I'll protect
rlm@0: you. From everything. I promise." It was and wasn't what she wanted
rlm@0: to say at the same time. Whatever the case, she knew it was the
rlm@0: truth. She wanted to protect this fragile flower, wherever the winds
rlm@0: may carry her. She wanted to be there by Yuna's side, there to help
rlm@0: her through everything. Yuna needed her, right? And she wanted that
rlm@0: so badly. To be needed. To help. To be able to make things better.
rlm@0: She'd always been Yuffie's little sister. She loved her sister
rlm@0: dearly, but she'd never been able to protect Yuffie, only managing to
rlm@0: help a bit here and there. Yuffie was too sure of herself to allow
rlm@0: anyone else to do things for her. But with Yuna... She wanted to make
rlm@0: sure nothing bad ever had to happen to her again. She wanted to fight
rlm@0: off Fate itself to make sure she could always have a smile. A real
rlm@0: smile. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: "I..." Yuna blushed, her eyes locked onto those swirly emeralds,
rlm@0: almost drowning in them as they pulled her in. "I want that, too..."
rlm@0: she whispered at last, furiously embarrassed that she'd admit that.
rlm@0: But she did. Sometimes she could get so tired of being strong for
rlm@0: everyone. She wanted to be able to collapse sometimes, to have
rlm@0: someone to catch her when she stumbled. She trusted this catgirl,
rlm@0: this thief from another world, this bouncy young girl with an
rlm@0: indomitable spirit. Rikku was sweet and devoted and warm and... For a
rlm@0: moment, Yuna couldn't tell which way was up. Her world seemed to have
rlm@0: turned upside down. Her heart was dizzy, lost in conflicting
rlm@0: thoughts. What she wanted to do and say clashed with what she thought
rlm@0: she should do and say. Her mind and heart struggled on the
rlm@0: battlefield of her soul for what felt like a short eternity. And
rlm@0: finally, it ceased to matter what the outcome was going to be. Soft
rlm@0: lips pressed against hers, paws holding tightly enough onto her
rlm@0: shoulders that she could feel the claws digging through the fabric of
rlm@0: her dress. Whiskers tickled her upper lip, and Rikku's soft, furry
rlm@0: form pressed against her. Yuna slowly melted into the kiss. For this
rlm@0: moment, she didn't need to know what to say or what to do. There was
rlm@0: only this moment. Of soft, neko kisses and the wonderful fragrance of
rlm@0: the rain encircling them. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: By now, trying to stop her purring would be almost impossible.
rlm@0: Rikku's chest and throat vibrated with the happy purr that seemed to
rlm@0: come from the very depths of her soul. She couldn't explain why she
rlm@0: had kissed the quiet, sometimes sad girl, but she also couldn't
rlm@0: explain why not. It just seemed right. It was what she'd wanted to
rlm@0: do. It was what her words had wanted to express but couldn't. It was
rlm@0: the manifestation of the emotions and feelings that burst through her
rlm@0: like a fireworks display. And now it seemed perfectly right. Yuna's
rlm@0: soft lips opened and closed against her own lips as the taller girl's
rlm@0: hands went to her furry waist, pulling her closer. Thoughts were lost
rlm@0: to Rikku as she kissed deeper, her scratchy tongue pushing between
rlm@0: Yuna's lips as her claws nearly dug into the brunette's shoulders. 
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: So this was a kiss... A beautiful moment in time wrapped up in silk
rlm@0: and offered up on the wings of angels. It was a precious gift that
rlm@0: could topple kingdoms and move mountains, a gift that when combined
rlm@0: with the dewdrops of love could become a force that could move the
rlm@0: very stars in the sky. And now it was in Yuna's hands. So delicate,
rlm@0: so fragile, yet so strong and powerful that it left her breathless
rlm@0: and shaking. So enraptured by Rikku's kiss was Yuna, her mind so far
rlm@0: away from the world around her, that she didn't see the waves moving
rlm@0: as something large pushed through the water towards the Destiny
rlm@0: Islands.
rlm@0: 
rlm@0: