The week had been a little better with Ike supporting her. She did things she thought she'd never do, like have Ike as a math, science, P.E, and food tech partner. She enjoyed time with Ike, and somehow, Ike thought the whole week was their anniversary it seemed. Saturday mourning, Aerith woke up a minute before her alarm went off. She shut it up and called Hanna.
Hello, this is Hanna speaking, who's calling please?
"Hanna? It's me, Aerith. I-"
Ah! Aerith! Good to hear from you. Listen, I just got word from Mist that-
"Hanna..."
Oh, sorry. Something you'd like to say, your highness?
"Do...do you want to go...I don't know...to the mall with me?"
Will Ike be there?
"No, I'm not inviting him..."
I'll be there.
"Thanks."
Alright, tell you the news when I get there, okay?
"Alright. Bye Hanna."
Bye Aerith!
They both hung up. Aerith had no idea what she was doing, but she needed to talk to Hanna. It was like a quest, and she was on it. She walked over to her closet and got out a pink shirt that had short sleeves and a purple flower on it, with a pair of neon girl shorts on the hanger along with it. "I need to clear my mind..." She told herself.
Hanna arivved at the front door a few minutes after Aerith got changed. When she opened the door, she was greeted by Hanna, who was wearing a long, black dress with faded, white outlined roses at the bottom. Long sleeves (as usual) with her hair in a long, dark fushia poiny tail. "Ready to go, princess?" "Yeah..." Aerith replied softly. Her parents were always gone on the weekends, so she was alone on those days. She shut the door behind her and locked it. They started walking down the street, passing friendly people and nice salesmen and women. The mall was 20 miles away and Aerith nor Hanna owned a car, or a lisence. "So, are we going to walk, pin down a cab, or call a friend?" She only knew one person that owned a car and that was Ike. He had his lisence and would feely give her a ride, but she didn't want to bother him. "I think we can tough it and walk." Aerith said. "Ike's the only person you know with a car, huh?" Hanna replied. Hanna didn't have anything against Ike, just when he got all 'lovely' like with Aerith, Hanna gets dipleased. 'A proper princess does not show commoners that sort of effection until she is ready to marry' Hanna would always tell her. Aerith didn't care. As long as they loved each other and treated each other with love, she would be happy. "Yes" Aerith said, sort of looking of. It's not her fault he has a lisence. Hanna sighed and handed Aerith her phone to borrow, "I guess..." she replied. Aerith took the phone and typed in Ike's number.
Hello?
"Ike? It's me, Aerith. I was-"
Aerith! I'm happy you called! I-
"Sorry, Ike, I just need a favor real quick."
Oh, what?
"I was wondering if you could take me and Hanna to the mall real fast, since, you could drive and...like..."
Of course! I'll come by right away!
"A-alright...see you."
See you!
Ike hung up the phone. Aerith hung up and gave Hanna the phone. "That was fast." Was Hanna's only response. Taking the phone, Aerith asked "Hanna, there was something you wanted to tell me, right?" Hanna put her phone in her bag and looked back at Aerith. "Yes, there was."
Hanna stood close to Aerith, as if it was a secret. She grab Aerith to pull her closer. "Gefforey is ingaged to Elincia." She whispered. Aerith's herat pounded. Elincia was ingaged? Not to Ike? GEFFOREY? She was starstruck. Hanna leaned back. "H-how do you know this?" Hanna looked off. "Well..." She began. "I was...following Elincia and Gefforey to see what they were up to, and I herd him say 'Will you marry me?' then she automaticlly said 'YES!'." Hanna jumped up and re-acted what Elincia did. Aerith began laughing, then, something came to her mind. "Why did she follow Elincia? If she's more concernd about me and Ike, why follow Elincia?" She thought about what to ask. "I don't understand..." She began. Hanna looked at her in question. "Understand what?" She asked. "Why would you follow Elincia and Gefforey around?" Hanna froze. She'd been caught. "Well, I, er...um..." Aerith kept a straight, mad face at Hanna. She wanted answers. "I..." Hanna sighed and looked back at the uterly ticked off Aerith. "Fine, alright, I'll talk. I guess, I don't...hate Ike...and wanted you...two to be...together?" "Ah-HA!" Aerith yelled pointing at Hanna. "I knew you didn't hate Ike!" "I don't..." Hanna admited. "I just want to see you and Ike together, not Elincia and Ike together..." Aerith looked towards the ground. Sure, her and Ike can now try to be lovers, but Ike would be heartbroken by his love just leaving him like that. "Should you...tell Ike?" Aerith asked, looking towards the ground. "Why should I do it? Your doing it." "Wha-!" Hanna started to explain. "If Ike does get heartbroken, he'll need some sort of comfort, and that comfort will be you, Aerith." "But, I can't..." "Yes, you can." They both sat in silence. Aerith finally spoke up. "Alright." She said. "I'll tell him.
Ike pulled up a few minutes after they were done talking about Elincia and Gefforey. Hanna had to admit, Ike had a pretty good taste in cars. He had a blue mustang with flame-looking red patterns on the side. All windows were tended and he had rimes that stuck out. They were gold . "W-w-wow..." Hanna said. "You...have a...n-nice taste, Ike." "Ya like?" Ike asked. Aerith kept quiet. She loved his car, but she was still nervous from telling him. "alright Aerith." Hanna said. "You can ride shotgun." Aerith nodded and opened the passangers side door. She sat in a leather seat that was black and had a flame-ish patteren on it. "Hello Aerith!" Ike said, cheerfully. "hi..." Aerith said in a very low pitch. "Alright, I'll drop you guys off and call me when you want to come back ho-" "Why don't you come with us?" Hanna said. "Well, I...um...okay." Ike said, surprised Hanna said that to him. They finally reached the mall and Aerith got out slowly. Ike went over and opened her and Hanna's door. "Aerith?" Ike asked, opening the passangers door. "Are you oka-" He was cut off by Aerith grabbing him and hugging him. She didn't want to tell him! It was way to painful to see Ike sad again! She was nearly to tears. "Aerith! Your depression kicked in again! Here, let me get the chocolate!" "no, Ike." Aerith said, swallowing her tears. "I have to tell you something important..." "Oh my god, how'd you get pregant?" "What!" "Oh, it's not that? Whoops.." "Of course not! It's something like...love." Ike looked at here as if he was already heartbroken. "Y-your...married?" "Well, marriage is involved, but it's not me who's involved." Ike sighed with relief. "Sooo, who's involved?" "It's...Elincia, she got ingaged to Gefforey just yesterday." Aerith said, looking as if she had done something terriable. "She's ingaged...to Gefforey?" Ike asked. Hanna was right, he was heartbroke. Even if he'd love Aerith a little more then Elincia, she still was his girlfriend. But now, he felt nothing. "Yes." Aerith replied. She felt really bad after saying this to him. Hanna gestured towards Ike, as if saying 'make your move girl.' Aerith nodded at Hanna and walked over to Ike. "Ike...?" Aerith asked, putting a hand on Ike's unresponsive face. She held him in a hug while he was crying. He'd never felt this way before. She kept a held on Ike until he broke away. "Well, I...want to leave..." I'll go with you!" Aerith said, grabbing both his hands. Ike looked at Aerith. "Your amazing..." He said grabbing her and holding her. Aerith gave Hanna 30$ to pay for a cab, since, she didn't want to leave just yet. "I'll see you two later then." "Bye Hanna!" "bye..." Aerith rolled up the window. She turned and looked at Ike who had kept a straight, non-speakable face. "Was that...really true?" Ike asked, thinking it was all mostly a joke. "Yes..." Aerith said. "All of it." Ike thought he'd cry once more, but held in his tears until they got to his house. "Ike..." Aerith began, after getting out of his car. "I'm...here to help you...if...you-" Ike grabbed her (once again) and headed towards his house. He was speed walking into the halls, down the stairs, opening his bedroom door, slamming it behind, and letting out a huge, painful cry. He held Aerith close and she thought she'd die of suffacation. She held him back, and tried to say comforting things. "Ike, I...um..." everytime she tried though, she ran out of things to say. Finally, after a half an hour of Ike crying, he looked up at Aerith and kissed her. Aerith both wanted to slap him for kissing her like that, and wanted him to keep going. "Why must he do this to me?" She thought. Ike let go of Aerith and told her he apreciated what she'd done, and also apreciated telling him what she knew about Elincia. Eventhough he jerked away from kissing her, he still held her close to him. He sat next to her on his bed and gave her a light hug, which, he didn't let her go. Aerith let him do whatever he wanted to with her, besides bad things. He would rub his face against hers and love on her and do a bunch of things he'd never done to Elincia. "Aerith, have you played Professor Layton before?" "no..." she replied with her face fully blushing with him so close to her. Ike reached in his nightstand top drawer and pulled out a new, silver DSi. "It's a fun game." He replied. He didn't have a DS, so all the DS games he had, he played on the DSi. He slid his hands around her waist and held the DSi in front of them. Aerith continued blushing. Before too long, it was 9: 02. "Ike, I must go." "No, please!" "Ike..." Aerith sighed. Her parents wouldn't be back until Monday, but Aerith wanted to sleep all day tomorrow. "Please Aerith, stay a little longer! Maybe, an hour! Give me an hour with you! PLEASE!" "IKE!" Aerith gently slapped Ike. "Get a hold of yourself, Ike!" Aerith yelled at him. "Did you just assault me?" Ike said, putting his hand on where he got slapped. "Not quite.' Aerith replied to Ike, who, was laying on the floor. "I need to go, Ike. I can't stay forev-" Ike kissed her. He didn't want her to leave just yet! He would think she was leaving and never return to him. "I don't want you to go..." Ike said, with a few tears in his sky-blue eyes. She hated when he cried! Finally, she gave in. "Alright, Ike...I'll stay..." Ike held her and cuddled with her some more. He had a nice, sunny smile everytime she looked at him, and she rather enjoyed it. It turned midnight and Aerith told Ike over and over again "I have to go, Ike!" and Ike always responded with the words 'I don't want you to go Aerith! Stay!'. Ike finally thought of something to say. "Alright Aerith." He began. "If you want to sleep sooo bad, why don't you spend the night here?" Aerith went into non-stop blushing. Sleep? At Ike's home! "But I'm...a female." Aerith told him. "I couldn't posably stay in a house with a man alone!" "We wont be alone Aerith. My parents will be back at 6:00 am, so I'll be in my room and you would be in the room upstairs if your so picky." "I am NOT picky! I am obeying laws that my parents gave me! They-" "If they don't care about you, why do you obey them all the time?" Aerith turned pale. Why did she listen to them? They hated her, and Ike's parents would welcome her. And Ike's not the type of person that would rape a girl. Then why should she worry about anything? Aerith stared at the ground. "They don't care about me..." Aerith started thinking hard. "Aerith...?" Ike asked, waiting for a response. She looked up at Ike. "I don't know why I obey them, Ike. I really don't." So, Aerith agreed to spend the night with Ike. She would be upstairs and he would be down stairs. Nothing bad would happen.
