Chapter 1: Disturbing Memories
"Ne, Rika-chan, daijobu desu ka?" A hand extended toward me. I took it and stood up. I smiled at the boy who helped me up.
"Hai. Arigatou," I replied. He was staring intently at me and without meaning to, I started to get lost in the depths of his blue eyes. Such warm eyes the color of the ocean; and I loved the ocean.
He waved a hand in front of you. "Rika-chan," he prodded. I woke from my trance. "Ah, gomen Ro…"
The sound of a certain princess's voice faded away to be replaced by the sound of someone entering her room. She sat up.
That dream again… she thought, rubbing your eyes. Who was that boy? I almost heard his name…It's too bad I had to wake up at that exact moment. His name was Ro-something… You sighed. He's in my memory… he called me Rika-chan. But…I'm not Rika! My name is Mayuko. So why…?
"Mayuko-hime," the person who had entered said. You turned to her. "Olette. How many times do I have to tell you, call me Mayu or Mayuko." she said. "Demo—," Olette started to say but Mayuko cut her off. "No buts, Olette. You may be my lady-in-waiting, but you're still my friend."
Mayuko-sama is so nice and calm, Olette thought. Her mistress was like that with all the servants in the castle, though she was particularly keen on making Olette call her by her name only.
"H-hai, Mayuko-hi—I mean, Mayuko," Olette said, smiling. "That's better," said Mayuko. She stood up from bed. "Olette, there's no need to fix my bed for me. Go back to your room and get dressed. We're going out today with Kairi and the rest," Mayuko said to Olette.
Olette looked taken aback. "Demo, Aerith-san might get mad and—," she started saying but again Mayuko cut her off. "I'll take care of Aerith. Now go and get ready." Mayuko urged her friend.
"Hai! Arigatou gozaimasu, Mayuko-chan!" Olette said happily and left the room.
Mayuko grinned as she picked up the phone on her bedside table.
"Ohayo, Mayuko-sama. What can I do for you?" the operator asked. "Onegai, put Aerith through," she replied. "Hai." The phone was connected to the kitchen phone. After a few rings, Aerith picked up.
"Hai?" she asked. "Aerith, Olette will be coming with Kairi, Namine, Yuffie, Selphie and I to the town," Mayuko replied, getting straight to the point. "Mayuko-hime? Demo, doshite? Doshite Olette?" Aerith asked, surprised. "Because she's my lady in waiting, that's why," said Mayuko. "Alright Mayuko-hime. She will go," Aerith said, sighing. "Good," said Mayuko and she hung up.
Wonder what to wear… thought Mayuko. She entered her walk-in closet and stared at her clothes. She finally decided on a light-colored V-neck tank top, a red miniskirt with a green belt, and black leggings underneath.
Then she put on the necklace her mother gave her and her ring, with the crest of the kingdom, and strapped on her sandals. Then there was a knock at the door. It opened and there stood Olette wearing a blue blazer over a sleeveless turtleneck plus a black skirt and brown boots. Her hair had been tied into 2 half-pigtails with red ribbons.
"Oh, Olette! Um, can you help me with my hair?" Mayuko asked. "Hai, Mayuko-chan. Shall I braid it for you?" Mayuko smiled and nodded.
Olette started combing her mistress' long golden-brown hair. Then she braided it, letting a few strands escape. "There." Olette smiled at her work. "Arigatou, Olette. Now, what do you say about us meeting with Kairi and the others?" Mayuko asked. Olette nodded enthusiastically.
They left the room and into the corridor. They went down the stone steps to the lobby of the palace, where Kairi, Namine, Yuffie and Selphie were waiting.
Kairi was wearing a white pouf-sleeved blouse with a ribbon tied at the neckline and a red-orange skirt plus red loafers.
Namine was wearing a black long-sleeved turtleneck under a white zip-up t-shirt hoodie with a yellow ribbon on the neckline plus a dark violet skirt and yellow ballet flats.
Selphie was wearing a simple white dress with pink lining and hemlines and pink lace-up sandals.
Lastly, Yuffie was wearing a peach-colored long-sleeve, a red and black checkered skirt, a sailor's hat and brown combat boots.
"Hey girls," Mayuko called to them as soon as she and Olette got down. "Mayu! And you brought Olette! Cool!" Selphie exclaimed. She was always the hyperactive one.
"Hello Mayu, Olette," Namine said calmly. "Mayu, Olette! Where d'you think we should go to?" Kairi asked. Kairi and Namine were twins but were complete opposites. They were also Mayuko's adoptive sisters, thus they also had the title of princesses.
"How about that café? The one owned by those guys named Leon and Cloud," said Olette, giving Yuffie a meaningful Look. Yuffie instantly flushed. "What?" she asked irritatedly. "Oh, I don't know, I just thought maybe you had a crush on that Leon guy," Olette replied slyly. Yuffie flushed deeper.
"What's it to you? I know you go there to check out that employee of theirs, that boy named Hayner," said Yuffie. It was Olette's turn to blush. "W-what? No way!" she exclaimed. The other girls laughed.
"All right, break it up, you two. We're supposed to have fun this day, not fight over who likes who," said Kairi. At this comment, they all cracked up again, even Olette and Yuffie.
"Let's go, come on. It's almost time for lunch anyway, and I'm hungry," said Selphie. "You're always hungry," said Namine. "But we should go."
They got out of the palace gates and headed to the café.