"No, I'm fine, I swear," she promised, yanking her arm away and tugging down her sleeve. "It was a one-time thing," she lied.
Kairi looked at the girl, concerned and a bit frightened. "I think you're beautiful anyway," she said shakily.
"Y-you… do?" Namine gulped, tears in the corners of her eyes. Kairi nodded, sporting a matching set of teardrops.
The red-head embraced the smaller, blonde girl tightly. "I love you, Namine. Please don't ever hurt yourself… please…"
"I… I can't promise you… that," she whispered into Kairi's hair. "B-but I guess I'll try…"
"No!" Kairi cried, shaking the blonde girl by her shoulders. "You have to promise!" A teardrop slid down her cheek. "When you hurt yourself… it'll hurt me…" she bit her lip, trying to pick out the right words.
"That doesn't make any sense," Namine said, shaking her head.
Slowly, Kairi reached her right arm over and slid up the sleeve of her short-sleeved T-Shirt, revealing cut across her upper arm.
She left her sleeve rolled up and hugged Namine again, tears flowing freely. Sooner or later, they separated, and without a word, Namine kissed Kairi.
It would be a long summer.