Chapter 2
"So what happened after that?" Geni asked Sora. It was after dinner, and they were up in her room. Geni was organizing all of the new clothes, shoes, accessories, and so on that she bought that day as Sora was paging through the photo albums on the floor, selecting pictures for Kairi's birthday present.
"Well, Captain Hook forced me to walk the plank. As I teetered towards the edge, all I could remember is Peter telling me to believe. It was strange, but I felt as light as a feather. I jumped off of the wooden board and fell a little ways before I stopped. I had closed my eyes when I jumped, so when I peaked through them, I saw myself floating around with some kind of golden dust flying off of me."
"I guess the pixie dust worked then." Geni was holding up a new pair of capri's and a t-shirt while she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Pixie dust?" Sora turned another page in the journal, now looking at pictures of Yao, Ling, and Chien-po as they surrounded Mulan and Shang in a large bear hug.
"You said Peter had Tinker Bell fly around you? The golden dust that comes off of pixies has some special properties; one of them helps ordinary people to fly." She carefully folded the capri's into a drawer and hung up the shirt in her closet.
"Interesting. I wonder if that is how those treasure hunters fly around."
"The three you met in Hollow Bastion?"
"Yeah."
"Don't know. I've only met them once; usually they're flying around trying to find valuable objects. I wonder why they think there is something in Hollow Bastion though."
"You have Donald to thank for that, I believe."
"Why I am not surprised?" She laughed as she finished folding two new pairs of jean, a pair of shorts, and hung up several new shirts and a hooded sweatshirt. The few pairs of casual shoes she bought went into the closet, and her new accessories and such went into a box on her dresser. All of the bags on her bed were empty, save one which she had secretly hidden under the rest. "Well, that's everything."
"Feel better now?" Sora asked as he sat up. Dozens of pictures were scattered around him, fuel for his project.
Geni began to pick up all of the shopping bags on her bed. "Yeah. Now I won't have to worry about messing up all of my good clothes now." There were only a few bags left, and she eyed Sora as she picked them up. She tried shifting around her bed so he couldn't see her stuffing the bags into one for storage. However, the last bag still held one article of clothing in it she wanted to hide before he could see or say anything.
Unluckily for her, Sora stood up and went to help her pick up bags. "Here, let me help," he said as he picked one up.
"No, no! I can get these," she said quickly. "I'll just put them away to use when we go to the grocery –" But it was too late. Sora got to the last bag before she did.
He picked it up and felt something heavy in it. "Hey Geni? I think you forgot something."
"Oh, that's probably just the leftovers from lunch. I'll take it down to the kitchen," she said as she reached for the bag.
"Oh! What did you guys have? Did you go to that burrito place...I...like –?" He paused as he opened the bag. What was in the bag was not a burrito, or even a sandwich, but several small pieces of cloth. "Um, Geni? What is this?" He looked up at her, seeing her beet red and in shock.
As she suddenly snapped out of her stupor, she grabbed the bag out of Sora's hands and dashed over to her dresser and stuffed it in one of the drawers. "I-it's nothing, Sora. Just something Kairi made me buy." She quickly slapped her hand over her mouth, wanting to disappear into the floor right then and there. "I-I mean..."
"Was that a swimsuit?" Sora asked, looking confused. "Why are you embarrassed about that?"
"I-I'm not! I just don't swim that often, and I burn very easily, and...and..."
"Yeah, right. Or are all those pictures that Queen Minnie sent of you in the sea behind the castle fakes?"
If she could have turned any more red, she probably would have. "Alright, fine, you win," she said sullenly. She turned around and looked out the window at the ocean only a few blocks away. "It's not that I hate swimming – I love to in fact. It's just that, with the kind of swimsuit Kairi made me buy, it feels...kind of..."
"Revealing?"
"Well, it is a bikini. I've only worn one piece suits before." She turned and looked at Sora. "I guess I'm just a little uncomfortable wearing it, is all."
"Then why not wear a t-shirt or something over it? You could still wear it then but no one would have to see it. But..."
"But what?"
"I think Riku might be a little disappointed..." he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
"SORA!" Whack! "Out, out!"
"I'm going, I'm going!" Sora quickly grabbed the photographs and albums and sprinted out the door before any more blows came flying his way. The door quickly slammed behind him.
"Idiot!" he heard her yell at him before all he could hear were things being slammed all over her room and her footsteps thundering across the floor.
"Look! I was kidding! Honest!" Sora heard less pounding and throwing of things, but Geni still didn't answer him. "Geni! Come on, it was only a joke! Riku probably thinks you look good in whatever you wear!" Silence. A few small thuds came close to the door.
"Do you think so?" he heard her say quietly from the other side.
"What? Is that all? You're worried about what Riku might think? He's not as tactless as you think, you know."
"But all he knows is me wearing clothes that cover practically every inch of skin." Her door opened a crack as she spoke softly through it. "What...what if he thinks I'm ugly?"
"What?" Sora almost did a double take. "Are you serious?" He pushed the door open with his free hand. "Is that what you've been worried about? That Riku thinks you're ugly? Even if you had a pimple the size of a moon crater, he wouldn't care. You have a good heart and he knows that – how else did the two of you get together?" he finished softly, giving her an encouraging smile.
She looked at Sora, nodding slowly. "You're right – I don't know what I was thinking."
"You were just a little self conscious," he replied with a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about it. And like I said, if you still feel uncomfortable about it, just wear a shirt or something over it. No one will care." He gave her an encouraging smile. "Now, how about we..."
As Sora and Geni got down to working on Kairi's birthday present, their next door neighbor happened to be contemplating along the same lines, although it was not for his red headed friend. Riku lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, as he racked his brain quite thoroughly. Not only was the upcoming Saturday Kairi's fifteenth birthday party, but it also happened to be exactly one year from the day that Riku and Geni had first met. He wanted to do or get something for her, to show her how much getting to know her meant to him.
Back before they met, Riku spent his days wandering the lonely worlds he stumbled through in his search to help awaken Sora from his slumber. Once he had found out about Roxas, it had taken all of the patience he could muster to not storm the Organization's fortress in order to retrieve him. However, after his first nearly fatal encounter, he had learned his lesson. Not too long after his transformation, he met Geni. She had brightened his life considerably, even though she was bathed in a life of darkness as well. Even when he felt as if the darkness he controlled would consume him, she would stay right beside him in heart and spirit to help him battle it.
And so he wanted to do or give something to her, to show her how important she had been in his life. But the problem was, what? Whatever he got her she had probably seen, had, or used at the castle. And considering her wide array of knowledge of other worlds, she had probably done anything she had wanted to as well – at least, within reason considering her past circumstances. So here he was, fuming over his lack of creativity. He laid his arm over his eyes, shutting out the soft light from his overhead lamp. He lay there for almost a half an hour, before he groaned and turned over onto his stomach, shoving his face into his pillow in frustration.
Riku's dad happened to be walking in with a basket full of laundry at the same time he heard his son groan. Looking over at him, he furrowed his brows in concern. "Something the matter?" he asked nonchalantly.
He saw Riku lift his head off of the pillow slightly. "What...do you get someone you care about, and have kind of known for a long enough time, but who has probably seen so many things already that nothing would be new to them anymore?" he asked before laying his head back down.
Riku's father smiled; he had a pretty good hunch as to what ailed his son. He came in the room and placed the basket with his son's laundry in it on his desk. Coming over to sit on the edge of his bed, he asked "Boy...or girl?" He placed a small emphasis on the latter of the choices.
There was a slight pause before a mumbled answer. "..."
"What? You'll have to speak up son, or at least take your face away from that pillow."
"...girl," he finally replied, tilting his face away from his father.
"Aha! So that's what has been troubling you, I see – the finicky female of our species." Riku turned and slowly sat up to look at his father. "This wouldn't happen to be about a pretty spiky-haired young girl who just happened to have moved in next door a few weeks ago, is it?" His father laughed as Riku's face radiated the heat from several suns. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, from the time I've gotten to speak with her, she is a very nice girl and has a wonderful and caring personality. To tell you the truth, I think she would like anything you gave her."
"That doesn't help my situation much dad," Riku groaned as he flopped back onto his bed.
"Well, then. I guess there is only one piece of advice I can give you, which any girl – no matter how young or old she is – enjoys."
Riku sat up quickly, looking to his father in earnest. "Yeah? What is it?"
"Attention." There was utter silence, besides a few grasshoppers buzzing outside of the window in earnest. "I'm serious. Any girl who would trade all the flowers, chocolate, jewelry, and gifts in the world for a chance to be with you won't care what you do with her or get her as long as you are together. Starting to catch my drift?"
Riku looked down at his bed, thoughtful for a moment or two. Suddenly, he jumped up with a large smile on his face. "Yeah, I think I do. Thanks dad," he said as he clapped his father lightly on his back before he raced out of his room and down the hall.
Mr. Tamohara smiled as he slowly stood up and walked over to pick up the laundry basket. "Still got it," he said to himself quietly with a large smile. However, his smile vanished when he realized Riku had run out without putting his laundry away, leaving him with a full basket. He yelled back down the hallway, "Riku! Wait a minute – get back here!"
And so the next three days on the island passed by in relative calm. Sora worked hard on finishing Kairi's birthday gift and Riku on his secret surprise for Geni. On that Friday, Selphie took Kairi to the downtown shopping district of the island while Wakka, Tidus, Sora, and Riku took all of the decorations over to the island. Pink and white streamers and balloons were hung throughout the tree house and platform, lights were wound up the trunks of the coconut trees and on the platform, a fire pit was dug and wood was placed in it ready to ignite a wonderful bonfire, and two tables had been brought over – thanks to some of Geni's magic. In the center of one was an open spot for the cake Geni was currently working on: they had decided on a round cake with blue waves and pink flowers which read "Happy Birthday Kairi" in red frosting on the top. The other table was laden with brightly wrapped packages in numerous sizes from all of the friends to Kairi.
Sora had just finished stringing the last of the lights on the platform when he felt a surge of magic on the beach behind him. Looking back quickly, he saw Geni step through a portal with a few plates and a bowl or two stacked up in her arms and a basket hanging from one of them. "Alright! Food!" he cried happily. Quickly hanging the rest of the lights in his hand, he hopped off of the railing he had been standing on and sped down towards the sandy shore.
Geni was balancing the plates full of food and the large basket in her hands when she heard feet running her way. She looked up from her task to see Sora thundering her way. Smiling, she quickly put up a barrier just in case he couldn't stop in time. "Hungry Sora?" she called teasingly.
And, just as predicted, as Sora tried to slide to a stop in the sand he bumped into her invisible shield, allowing him to ungracefully fall upon his rear with an oomph! He laughed, and quickly stood up to dust off his shorts. "Of course – prepared as always I see. Is that lunch?"
"You think I would be that cruel, after all of the hard work you guys have done around here? The place looks great!" she said with a smile. "I'll put the party food out for later, and then I brought sandwiches and drinks for everyone. Where are they anyway?"
"Right here!" Sora and Geni looked up to see Wakka striding towards them. "I just finished with the bonfire pit, Tidus is finishing hanging streamers, and Riku's somewhere around here...haven't seen him in a while – I think he's on the other side of the island." Wakka came over and finally noticed all of the food in Geni's arms. "Lunch? Alright brother! I'm starving!"
"Easy Wakka. Here." Geni shifted the plates in her arms and slipped the basket to him. "There's plenty for everyone – I made sure of that," she said as Wakka's hand quickly slipped inside of the basket to find a mound of wrapped goodies. "I'll go set this up. I figured I would bring most of the food over while the cake is settling with the first coat of frosting."
"You're that far on it already?" Sora asked incredulously as he quickly dug inside of the basket for a sandwich, vying for it with Wakka.
"Except for the decorating, it's done. Where are the tables Sora?"
"Over on the platform," he gestured while chomping down into bologna. "Mmm, good stuff."
Geni quickly walked up the steps and onto the platform where she saw Tidus hanging the last of the white streamers. The platform was dazzling, with a mix of pink and white streamers and white lights hanging all over the place. The tables were laid with a white tablecloth, and plates, napkins, and silverware were already waiting to be used. Geni quickly went and distributed the plates and bowls she was carrying, and then placed some serving utensils with their corresponding edible. "Tidus, this looks wonderful!" she exclaimed when she was finished and Tidus had stepped down from the railing he had been using.
"Thanks," he replied, running his hand through his hair. "I hope Kairi likes all of this – but most of all, we'll have to thank Selphie for keeping both of them out of our hair."
"You know that's not true," Geni said. "Selphie might get underfoot at times, but that is what makes her herself."
"I know." He sighed, looking out towards the ocean.
"Still missing Yuna?" she asked softly as she joined him.
"A little," he admitted. "I wish I could have stayed with her in Spira." His bluish-purple eyes stared across the sea, his heart trying to see what his eyes could not. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Geni smiling sadly at him.
"You'll see her again one day," she said softly.
"How do you know?" he asked her. "Spira is so far away, and..."
"Have faith and trust in yourself and her, and you will," she replied softly but sternly. Her blue eyes seemed to glow for a moment in the afternoon light, shining like the rippling of the waves on the ocean they were gazing at. Tidus could only stare at her, wondering to just what extent her magical abilities lay. She broke their eye contact, smiling widely at him, before she turned around. "Well, Kairi and Selphie will be here in a few hours, so we had better finish, right?"
"Uh, yeah!" he stuttered as he quickly followed her down the stairs of the platform. Wakka and Sora were sitting on the pier still eating the sandwiches she had brought. Tidus's mind quickly went into food mode like his friends, and dashed the last few feet to plunge his own hand into the basket. An irritated sound came from Wakka, who had been delving in at the same time. The two stared at each other, electricity darting between them, until Geni quietly stepped between them and gently shoved her own hand into the basket. Both of them immediately turned red, and withdrew their hands. Once she had grabbed one of her favorite peanut butter and jam sandwiches, she smiled at the two of them and went and sat down next to Sora, her legs swinging off of the side of the pier.
"The platform looks wonderful. You all have definitely been hard at work," she complimented him as she opened her sandwich and took a bite.
"Thanks," Sora replied as he swallowed the last of his. "Everything is done, except for bringing the rest of the food and setting up around the bonfire. But all of that will only take a few minutes anyway. By the way, aren't you warm?" he asked, referring to her ensemble that day. Geni was wearing some of her new clothes she had bought earlier that week; a pair of denim capri's, her hooded sweatshirt, and her favorite sandals. She had liked the sweatshirt immediately because of the design. It was a chocolate brown in color with a zipper down the front, and a pair of gold wings took up most of the back in an elegant sort of way.
"Not really. The breeze is really nice today, and I thought it might get a little chilly tonight. Besides, I haven't worn this yet and wanted to try it out. It's really comfortable."
"Sure," he said, crumbling the plastic wrap in his hands. "Did you remember to bring your swimsuit?"
"Um...yes?" she said, turning away from him.
"You're wearing it already, aren't you? You wore that so no one would see it." He paused, looking down at her. "Are you still that unsure about wearing it?"
She didn't reply right away, but continued to munch on her sandwich in silence. "I know I'm being a little paranoid, but I just don't feel comfortable in it yet. Maybe later, maybe not. I just don't know." She shifted on the pier, her feet swinging lazily – or anxiously? – over the water.
Sora knelt down next to her. "Whatever you decide, it's up to you," he said quietly. "Just know that most of us will probably be swimming later anyway." He saw her nod, and take another bite out of her sandwich. Standing up, he stretched. "Well, I suppose we had better get finished. Tidus, Wakka – you two done yet?" He crossed his arms behind his head and looked towards them. Each of them had several wrappers next to them by now, and they were both working on another.
"Just finishing," Tidus said quickly as he popped the last morsel into his mouth. He gathered the wrappers around them and piled them into the basket. "By the way, where's Riku? There are hardly any left and I still haven't seen him."
"Right here!" They all turned, seeing their silver haired friend trotting up the beach from the direction of the plateau where the paopu tree was. "Did you guys save me anything?"
"Hey, if you're late you lose out on the grub, brother," Wakka said with a smile. "But, I think we left a few for you." Riku quickly walked up and onto the pier towards the basket Wakka offered him.
"Thanks," Riku said gratefully.
"So where have you been?" Sora asked.
"Oh, sorry. I meant to finish helping you guys out earlier, but one of the palms on the other side of the island looks like it uprooted partially in the wind last night, and hit part of the lookout tower. I was just cleaning up – too bad the wood is too new to use for firewood."
"Oh, that is too bad. That poor palm tree – was it one of the little ones too?" Geni asked, evidently concerned and wanting to change the subject of her swimsuit.
"What?" Riku replied, as he was opening his sandwich. "Uh, yeah, it was. Since it was so little there was hardly any damage, but I didn't want anyone to get hurt because of it."
"Good thinking," Sora said. He turned back to his friends. "Well, I guess we had better get finishing. Selphie and Kairi we'll be here in about two hours." He turned to Geni, who was getting the basket and garbage from Wakka. "Do you need any help bringing the food over?"
"No. Everything is done, except for finishing the cake – and even that will only take me a few minutes to finish. I only have to add the flowers and the lettering. So I'll be back in about a half an hour with the rest of the food. Do you need any help around here?"
"Nope," he said, looking around. "All of the sleeping bags and blankets are up in the tree house, the lights and streamers are hung, the presents are ready, and you're getting the food. I think that's everything," he said, sounding a little surprised at how much they already had finished.
"Okay, well then I'm off," she said. Walking over to Riku, she asked him, "Do you want another sandwich?"
"Just one," he said, sticking his hand in the basket she was holding out to him. "If I eat too much now I won't have any room for dinner."
Geni laughed. "Alright then. I'll see you all in a little bit." She walked down off of the pier and waved a hand in front of her. A glowing portal opened and she stepped through it, and within seconds both she and the light disappeared.
"She has gotta teach me how to do that, ya?" Wakka said wistfully.
"Why? So you wouldn't be late for class all the time, like you usually are?" Tidus retorted.
"I wouldn't talk, Tidus. What about that frog invasion from last year?" he sent back at him. Tidus paled, and Wakka grinned. "Aha! Which science experiment are you going to save this year? The crickets or the fish?"
"Shut up Wakka!" he stuttered.
"Oh ya? Make me!" he said, puffing out his chest.
"Guys, guys!" Sora cried, intervening before they got into one of their noogie fights again. "Do you want to ruin all of the hard work we put into today?" Tidus and Wakka backed down, the fight draining out of them.
"No," they both said unhappily.
"Then let's get going. After we're done, we can do whatever we want until the girls get back."
"Okay," Tidus agreed. He looked up at Wakka. "First one done gets the biggest slice of cake tonight!" Before Wakka could respond, he was off and running towards the tree house.
"No fair!" Wakka bellowed as he ran after his friend. Sora and Riku could only shake their heads. As the shouting died down to a dull roar, Sora turned to him.
"So, what have you been up to Riku?"
"I told you, didn't I? The tree –"
"Riku – the wind last night couldn't topple over a teddy bear."
Riku gulped, seeing as he was found out. How does he always see right through me? he thought to himself. "Okay. I was working on a present for your sister."
"What for?" Sora asked, puzzled. "Our birthday –"
"Isn't for months, I know. But today is...kind of special. It's been exactly one year since we met."
"Really?" Sora said, incredulous. "I didn't realize it's been that long."
"Yeah, it has," Riku said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I just wanted to do something for her, to let her know how much knowing her has meant to me. That's all."
"And so you were getting whatever it is ready?"
"Yeah. You don't mind, do you?" Riku asked.
"Nah, of course not. I hope it goes over well," he said as he clapped him on his shoulder. "You know, I just wanted to tell you thanks. Geni seems to be really happy here, even though the adjustment from the Disney Castle was a big one for her. So, thanks for helping her out, okay?" Sora gave his best friend one of his largest grins to date.
"Yeah, well, it's no big deal, you know," Riku said, his ears dusted a faint red. He suddenly jumped to his feet. "We'll, let's finish up. She'll be back soon with the rest of the food, and Kairi and Selphie too." Sora nodded his reply, and the two of them jogged off to finish helping Tidus and Wakka.
All too soon, the sun was beginning to drift down towards to the horizon. Riku, Sora, Wakka, and Tidus had finished all of the preparations for the party, and Geni had soon arrived carrying the rest of the food in the picnic basket and held a large, round cake in her hands. As she finished setting up the food, she heard a shout from Tidus. Turning around, she saw him waving towards a small canoe heading for the island. She unconsciously spread out some of her magic towards them, and sensed it was Selphie and Kairi. Selphie had already blindfolded Kairi, so she probably already knew something was up. Smiling, Geni looked over her handiwork one last time, before turning and sprinting down the steps towards the four boys already on the beach.
"Ya! Selphie, Kairi! You guys finally made it!" cried Wakka as they met them at the pier. While Selphie was docking Tidus was tying a rope from her canoe to the dock. Kairi was sitting silently in the prow, her blindfold tied tightly around her eyes.
"Sorry – it was hard to drag the birthday girl away from the stores," Selphie replied. "But here we are. You ready Kairi?" she asked her friend.
"Yes, if I could see where I was going," she said with a laugh. "What's this all for anyway, you guys?" as she carefully stood up.
"Wait and see," Sora said, grabbing both of her hands and helping her onto the dock. Tidus had already helped Selphie up. "Are you ready?" he asked her.
"For what?"
"You'll see..." he said mischievously. Sora gently took her by her shoulders and pushed her along the beach towards the platform where her surprise party awaited her. Selphie giggled in anticipation, and Geni was nervous – she hoped that Kairi liked the cake she had worked hard on. As they strolled up the stairs, the friends fanned out behind Kairi. "Okay guys!" Sora cried. "1...2...3..." he counted as he quickly untied the knot from the blindfold and slipped it off of Kairi's head.
"Happy Birthday Kairi!" all six of them shouted at once. Kairi's eyes grew large. The platform was decorated with pink and white streamers, her favorite colors. Lights were wound all around the railings and trees, making the area sparkle. There were two tables: one laden with food and a beautiful blue and pink birthday cake, and the other was piled high with presents just for her.
"You guys..." she said, her eyes moistening. She turned around to stare at her six best friends in the entire universe. "Thank you all!" she said as she jumped at them, grouping as many as she could into a huge group hug. She caught Sora, Selphie, and Tidus, and then went again to get Geni, Riku, and Wakka.
"Hey, hey! No waterworks!" Wakka exclaimed. "This is a party, ya? Let's get it started!" And from out of nowhere he popped a party favor, sending streamers and confetti all around them.
"Alright!" Tidus shouted. "Finally, we can eat!"
For the next few hours, the friends ate and talked, and overall goofed around on the island they preferred to call their "second home." The food Geni had prepared was quickly being consumed, and she was glad she had more prepared back at the Akeno's just in case. However, just as Wakka and Tidus had finished their fourth helpings or so of everything, they decided to go for a swim before they opened Kairi's presents because it was getting too late to go.
"Ya! Chicken fights all around! Me and Tidus versus Sora and Riku! Whaddaya guys think?" he said.
"Sounds good to me," Sora replied. All four boys quickly slipped off their shirts. Having thought ahead for once, they had worn their trunks to the party. Laughing and shouting, the four of them raced into the water, leaving the girls to watch with amusement.
"No matter how big they get, they're just little boys at heart, aren't they?" Geni said with a chuckle as Riku dunked Sora under the water and he came up sputtering, looking for revenge.
"Aren't we all? I mean, young at heart," Selphie quickly added. "Why don't we join in?"
"I'm for it," Kairi said. "I haven't swum for days. And besides, it will be too dark in an hour or two to go. Let's go!" Selphie and Kairi quickly peeled off their outer layer of clothes to reveal two modest bikinis underneath. Both were traditional – they had a French cut bottom with a fitted top. Selphie's sported yellow polka dots, while Kairi's was pink with flowers on it. Geni, on the other hand, hadn't moved from her spot where she was leaning against the railing.
"Aren't you coming Geni? You did remember to bring your suit, right?" Selphie asked her.
"I…I did. I just don't feel like swimming at the moment."
"Come on! It'll be fun, we promise."
"That's okay. I think I'll just go wade for a while before I go in," she said. She quickly took off her capri's, but left her hooded sweatshirt on and walked down to the beach. The two girls eyed her suspiciously.
"What's with her?" Selphie asked Kairi. "I think it looked nice on the mannequin."
"I don't know," Kairi answered with a shrug. "Maybe she's just too self conscious about it."
"Well, I can fix that," Selphie said determinedly, and raced off towards Geni.
"Selphie! Wait! Maybe you shouldn't –" But her words went unheeded. She ran after Selphie, hoping that nothing bad would come of it.
Geni waded in and out of small sand dunes that were slick with salt water. Riku and Sora were trying to topple Wakka and Tidus not too far away from her, and they were laughing and trying to outdo each other as usual. She also tried to keep herself from looking worried. It's not that I don't want to go swimming, but…
"GENI!" She quickly turned around to see Selphie barreling towards her.
"What? What's the matter?" she asked, concerned. Selphie trotted up to her.
"You need to loosen up," she said defiantly, and suddenly grabbed for the zipper that concealed her torso.
"Selphie, no! Don't do that! Selphie!" she cried. She tried to tug the zipper away, but Selphie was forceful, and didn't let go no matter what.
"It's only a swimsuit!" she retorted, rationalizing her ridiculous actions.
"I said I do not want to go swimming!" Geni hollered at her. By this time, the boys had ceased their game and were staring at the two girls squabbling. Sora and Riku had walked out of the water and stood by Kairi, all three unsure of what they should do.
"What's going on?" Riku asked. "What's wrong with them?"
"Geni doesn't want to take off her sweatshirt and go swimming," Kairi sighed plainly. "But I don't see why not."
"She already told me she was unsure about wearing it," Sora told them quickly. "She's only worn one piece suits before, unlike the one she said you two made her buy. We should probably tell Selphie to cut it out."
"Either way, let's just break it up before Geni starts using her magic on Selphie or something," Riku finished. The three of them sighed and quickly dashed over to where Selphie had gotten an inch on Geni.
"Almost…there!" she said with a huff.
"Selphie – I said stop it already!" Geni cried. "I don't want to go swimming…I've told you that already!"
"Fine, then just take your sweatshirt off already so we can admire your new swimsuit!" And with that, she gripped the zipper one last time and shoved herself slightly into Geni, knocking her off balance. And…zwip! "There, see? That wasn't so –"
And there was silence.
