AN: Yeah... you're probably going to hate Fiyero even more after reading this, but it will get better in the next chapter, I promise.

Vinkunwildflowerqueen: I completely agree. I hate those pants.

EmeraldReine: This update (yes, another one today!) is for you, but if you're looking for Fiyeraba fluffles, it's not going to make you happy :3.

Elphaba'sGirl: Nope ^_^. But keep guessing!

Queen Failey: She's not literally the daughter of the ocean, but I guess you're getting closer. (And yeah, that's actually a pretty good idea. She might just do that in the next chapter or so O:).)

Musicgal: Girl, I still love your reviews so much! :D I love reading your favourite lines and the fact that your reviews are always so long :3. I know, I'm hating Fiyero, too, at the moment. Your theory about why he is acting that way is interesting, but it's not the reason... though you're not wrong about it, either :3.

EmeraldElphaba: ...not exactly, but you're close, too. And you'll find out if your other theory is true in this chapter ^_^.

Sorry for the ridiculously long AN - again. Moving on now.

Chapter 6. Beauty in the water

When Galinda came to Adurin Iir again, during summer vacation nearly six months later, she was shocked at the change of mood between her friends.

It all started out innocently enough. Lori and Hamold greeted her warmly when they saw her, and she kissed their cheeks. 'It's good to be back,' she beamed, and Hamold laughed. 'It's nice to have you back, Galinda.' His face darkened a little. 'Perhaps you could bring everyone to their senses.'

Galinda frowned. 'What?'

'Your friends,' Hamold explained with a roll of his eyes. 'They're acting like they've all gone insane.'

'It's Yero's fault,' Lori added. 'Just go in, sweetheart, and see for yourself.'

Puzzled, Galinda had moved towards the sitting room she knew her friends liked most. She found Elphaba there, curled up in a chair, reading; the green girl looked up when she heard someone enter and her face broke into a smile. 'Galinda!'

'Elphie!' the blonde exulted, and Elphaba put her book away and rose to her feet to greet her friend. Galinda immediately flung herself at the other girl in a giant bear-hug. 'Oz, Elphie, I missed you so much!'

'I missed you, too, Glin,' Elphaba said honestly. 'It's good to have someone relatively normal around here again.'

'Relatively?' Galinda frowned, feeling the tiniest bit offended, until the rest of Elphaba's words got through to her. 'Wait, what? Elphie? What do you mean?'

In reply, Elphaba pointed towards the door. Fiyero came walking in, bouncing a little and humming his stupid song; Cohvu was right behind him, looking as grumpy as Galinda had ever seen him. 'Fiyero, for Oz's sake, I was trying to talk to you!'

'I don't want to talk to you!' Fiyero snapped. 'You're obnoxious and annoying!'

'Do you even know what 'obnoxious' means?' Cohvu demanded. 'It's a miracle you even pronounced it right!'

'Don't you dare pretend that I'm some kind of brainless idiot!'

'You are a brainless idiot!'

'I'll just go talk to someone else then!' Fiyero sneered, before turning to Elphaba. He grinned at her. 'Hi, Fae.'

She ignored him, turning her back towards him.

'She stopped talking to you after you called her a wilted cabbage leaf this morning, remember?' Cohvu reminded him snappily.

Galinda gasped, horrified. 'Fifi! You did not!'

Only then did the guys notice her and Fiyero flashed her a beaming smile. 'Hi, Glin.' He kissed her hand in an exaggerated gesture. 'I would kiss you on the lips, but my current girlfriend is really into loyalty and stuff.' He rolled his eyes. 'Ah, well. I'm going to dump her soon, anyway – she's boring.' Suddenly, his face brightened. 'Hey, Glin! You and I should date!'

'What?!' choked out Elphaba and Cohvu at the same time, and Fiyero beamed at the blonde girl. 'I mean, like, seriously – I'm a perfect, handsome, popular prince, you're a perfect, pretty, popular blonde girl – we'd be perfect together!'

Cohvu looked about ready to murder his friend, but Galinda sniffed and crossed her arms. 'No way, Tiggular,' she declared gruffly. 'No one who calls my best friend a wilted cabbage leaf could ever even dream of becoming my boyfriend.'

That earned her a sincere smile from Elphaba and a squeezed in her hand from Cohvu. 'There. I'm glad you agree with me.' He glared at Fiyero. 'He's been horrendible lately.'

'I am not!' Fiyero protested. He huffed. 'Just because you suddenly feel the need to criticise everything I do!'

'Because everything you do is either mean or brainless! You've been behaving like an idiot!'

'Are you calling me stupid?'

'You said it, not me!'

'I hate you!' Fiyero yelled at his friend. 'If you were a real friend, you wouldn't be like this! You're supposed to support me and never let me down, remember? What happened to our promise to be best friends forever, huh?'

'Best friends forever?' Cohvu hissed, slowly rising to his feet. 'I'm supposed to support you and never let you down? What about you, Yero?'

'I have always supported you!' Fiyero declared hotly. 'And I would never let you down!'

'You already have!' Cohvu shouted back at him. 'You've been treating us like garbage, Fiyero! You don't call your friends names and you don't bully them! And support? Don't make me laugh! If you've always been so supportive, then where were you when my grandfather died, huh? You didn't even listen to me when I tried to tell you about it!'

Now the prince looked baffled. 'Your grandfather died?' He hadn't even known that.

'Two months ago,' Cohvu said, suddenly quiet. 'I asked you to come to the funeral with me, and you promised you'd be there. You weren't. Elphaba was there. She was there to support me, and she did an amazing job doing so, but you weren't there.'

Fiyero looked confused. Vaguely, he did remember that Cohvu had been trying to tell him something, but he hadn't really been listening – he'd been thinking about which jacket he was going to wear to the party that night.

Elphaba bristled. 'You don't even remember?!'

Sheepishly, he shook his head. Elphaba was about to fly at him, wanting nothing more than to scratch his eyes out, but Cohvu's hand on her shoulder calmed her down. 'Don't,' he said. 'He's not worth it.'

He looked at his friend. 'I don't want to throw away twelve years of friendship, Fiyero,' he said quietly. 'But if this is the person you are now, then you're not giving me much of a choice.' With that, he silently left the room.

The others were quiet for a while. Fiyero looked at the two girls with wide eyes, and Elphaba said in a low, threatening voice, 'You'd better change that attitude of yours, Fiyero. It can't go on like this or you're going to lose us all.' She gazed up at him. 'Unless you prefer the company of your new friends over us,' she said, trying her hardest not to sneer. 'If that's the case, and you don't want our friendship anymore, anyway, then just keep on doing what you're doing and you'll get your wish.' She rose to her feet. 'Come on, Glin.'

The blonde followed her friend without so much as casting another glance in Fiyero's direction, leaving him alone in the middle of the sitting room.

They went outside and onto the beach. It was nice out there; it was summer and rather warm outside, and not for the first time, Elphaba longed to just jump into the brightly sparkling sea to cool down. But then again, she probably shouldn't – she'd end up a melted puddle of green goo, and she didn't really fancy that. 'I just don't understand what's the matter with him.'

Galinda let her head drop against Elphaba's shoulder as they walked. 'I know. I can see why you've been craving for some normal company,' she said teasingly, and Elphaba chuckled. 'Yes, well, Fiyero is hardly to be called 'normal' anymore, and Cohvu… He's still a good friend, but every time he and Fiyero are in the same room together, I feel like the moment one of them opens their mouth, all hell is going to break loose. He's really had enough of it, and I can't blame him, either.'

'Perhaps he could use some normal company, too,' the blonde said with a mischievous twinkle in her cerulean eyes. Elphaba laughed. 'Yes, why don't you go and try that out?' she suggested. 'I think it's about time you make a move.'

Galinda abruptly stopped walking. 'What?!'

The green girl laughed again. 'Oh, come on, Glin. We all know that you like Cohvu.' She pursed her lips and made kissing sounds. 'Cohvu and Galinda, sitting in a tree…'

Galinda blushed furiously. 'No!' she protested. 'I don't like him like that!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Sure. And I'm a sea turtle.'

Galinda stuck out her tongue and wandered off towards the sea, letting the waves wash over her bare feet as she held up her skirts to prevent them from getting wet. 'Yes, well,' she mused quietly, staring out over the sea, then giving in with a sigh. 'Okay,' she admitted. 'I might like him just the tiniest bit.'

'He likes you, too,' Elphaba assured her, and the blonde's eyes lit up. 'Really?'

Her friend nodded. 'He talks about you a lot. And the look on his face when he looks at you… He's definitely got a crush on you. You should ask him to go on a date.'

Galinda flushed. 'Elphie! Girls don't ask boys on dates!' she protested. 'It has to be the other way around!'

Elphaba shoved her playfully, making the blonde stumble and almost topple over into the water. 'Don't be such an old-fashioned priss!' she teased, and Galinda grinned widely. 'Oh, you're going to get it, you mean little…' She was cut off when she suddenly stumbled over a small rock in the sand and lost her balance. She flapped her arms, but to no avail; she toppled over and fell right on her behind in the sand. A wave washed over her skirt, as if to humiliate her further, and she grumbled. 'My new dress!' she wailed, and Elphaba sniggered. 'Oh, poor you. Now you found yourself an excuse to go and buy a new one. The horror.'

'Shut up, Elphie,' Galinda giggled, playfully scooping up some sea water in her cupped hands and throwing it at Elphaba. The water hit her bare arm and legs, and Elphaba gasped.

Galinda's hand flew to her mouth in horror when she realised what she'd done. 'Oh, Elphie, I'm so sorry! I wasn't thinking…' She trailed off, however, when no burn marks appeared on Elphaba's skin. No sizzling sound. No redness to be seen. Just smooth, green skin.

She looked up at Elphaba with wide eyes. The green girl herself was gaping at her arm, then raising her skirts to look down at her legs, not believing what she was seeing. 'What… I mean, how…'

'Elphie,' Galinda whispered in awe. 'You're not allergic to water anymore!' Immediately, she jumped to her feet and started bouncing up and down. 'Now you can take showers and baths and swim and dance in the rain and-'

'Galinda,' Elphaba interrupted her, shaking her head. 'I don't think my water allergy just subsided.'

Galinda's face fell. 'You don't?'

Elphaba shook her head, then knelt down at a safe distance from the water. When a wave slowly approached her, she tentatively reached out, touching the water with her fingertips; she already braced herself for the burning sensation, but there was none. It was just cool, moist, liquid… water.

She stared at her own fingers in amazement, then inched closer to the water to touch it again. 'I think…' she whispered, and then she looked up at Galinda, excited. 'I think I'm only allergic to fresh water.'

Galinda screwed up her nose in thought. 'You're allergic to rain,' she said slowly. 'You can't drink normal water… but… have you ever even tried touching salt water?'

'Only tears,' said Elphaba. 'I figured they didn't burn me because they come from my own body, but… but what if they don't burn me because they're salt?' She looked at the sea longingly. 'What if I can really touch salt water?'

'Why don't you take a swim and find out?' Galinda suggested with a smile, and Elphaba moved another meter or so towards the water. It reached her ankles now, and she held her breath for a moment. 'It's not burning. It's really not burning!' She jumped up and down, then threw her arms around Galinda – who was still wet from her fall into the water, earlier, but who cared? It didn't burn her, anyway!

Galinda laughed as her friend let go of her and started wading into the sea. Now the blonde grew worried. 'Elphie, are you sure you should-'

Splash. The green girl had already disappeared under the water, ducking down beneath the surface.

Galinda waited a bit anxiously, her heart pounding. The water was shallow here, but still – Elphaba couldn't swim yet. 'Elphie?' she called.

Just then, Elphaba surfaced again, jumping up and down in the shallow water. 'I can really touch water!' she exclaimed happily. She looked at the point where the water got deeper. 'Only I guess you're going to have to teach me how to swim.'

Galinda laughed, relieved. 'I'll teach you tomorrow,' she promised. 'We'll ask Lori and Hamold to help, and Cohvu, and…' Her voice trailed off, and a shadow crossed Elphaba's face for a moment. She shook her head, drops of water flying from her long raven hair. 'I'm not even going to tell Fiyero,' she said flatly. 'He probably won't care, anyway.'

Galinda hugged her friend. 'Oh, Elphie…'

'It's fine,' the green girl said with a shrug. She snorted. 'I just hope he'll come around soon.'

'Me too, Elphie,' Galinda sighed. 'Me too.'

Then she punched her friend's arm. 'But who cares about that stupid Fifi? You can touch water! Some water, anyway.'

Elphaba immediately beamed again. 'I know, right?' She jumped up and down again, making her friend laugh at her enthusiasm. 'Look, there's Cohvu!' She grabbed Galinda's hand and pulled her with her. 'Let's go tell him!'

Galinda stopped her. 'No,' she said, grinning. 'Don't tell him. Show him.'

Elphaba laughed. 'What, just jump into the water? He'll get a heart attack!'

The grin on the blonde's face widened. 'Exactly.'

'Ooh.' Elphaba chortled. 'You wicked girl.'

'Let's pretend we're fighting,' Galinda whispered, then started yelling at the green girl. 'You're so stupid!'

'Galinda, this is mean.'

'You're the worst friend ever!'

'Glin, I'm really not playing along. I feel bad for Cohvu.'

Cohvu walked up to them, heaving a sigh. 'Guys, come on,' he said tiredly. 'Please not you too. What are you fighting about now?'

Elphaba opened her mouth to tell him that they weren't really fighting, but just then, Galinda screeched, 'I hate you, Elphaba Thropp!' and pushed her friend so hard that she ended up falling face-first into the water.

Cohvu already started panicking, but Elphaba quickly scrambled to her feet again, glaring at the blonde. 'I said I wasn't going to play along!'

Galinda smirked at her. 'You didn't have to.'

Meanwhile, Cohvu was nearly hyperventilating. 'Elphaba!' he spluttered. 'You… the water… you're… what…'

'She's not allergic to salt water, Coco!' Galinda exulted, bouncing up and down. 'We just found that out! She can swim in the sea! Well, she can't actually swim yet, but she could, if we taught her!'

Cohvu gawked at the green girl with wide eyes. 'For real?'

She nodded, smiling, and he grinned at her. 'Wow, El… that's really cool.'

She beamed at him. 'I know, right?' Then her face fell a little. 'Only it's kind of lame that I only just found that out,' she complained. 'I've been living ten years of my life thinking that I couldn't touch water at all! I could have learned how to swim ages ago, and gone swimming with you on hot summer days…'

'Yes, well,' Galinda chimed in, 'be happy that you found it out now, instead of when you're fifty.' She tugged at Elphaba's hand and took Cohvu's as well. 'Come on, let's go and tell Hamold and Lori.'

Elphaba pulled her hand out of her friend's grip. 'I'll go,' she told her friend, raising one eyebrow meaningfully. 'You stay here for a while longer and talk to Coco.'

Galinda gulped, but mustered all her courage and nodded bravely. 'Yeah… I'll do that.'

Elphaba laughed and squeezed her hand. 'Good luck.' Then she walked away, leaving the two alone on the beach.