"Struggling With Feelings"

By: Justin T. Melanson

Author's Note: Now it's time for Athena to learn about how her mom met her dad, something that she didn't even know about, at least from what I can gather anyway.

Disclaimer: I do not own King of Fighters, or any of the characters involved in this fanfic, save for maybe Athena's mom. All characters are the sole property and rights of SNK Playmore, Inc. However, I do own the original character, Haruna, who is Athena's mom in this case, and Hiro, who is Athena's dad here, however, her parents will most likely be relegated to the backburner for the remainder of this story.

Chapter 7: Is it Yes, or is it No

Athena and her parents had a good long talk at the dinner table about everything that was going on in her life, she was honest about it, and felt it was high time that she got it all off of her chest. Her dad, a serious person most of the time, didn't chastise her about dating, instead, he actually listened to her, and his wife when they had something to say, and remembered all the details about how he and Haruna came to be husband and wife, even backing up some of those claims of hers.

Her parents were supportive, they had met Kensou many times in the past, and actually liked him. Even though he had a tendency to be a little lazy at times, they could see he had a good heart and would do everything in his power to protect their daughter. To them, this was one of the most important characteristics they would look for in any guy who would be trying to get with her.

After dinner, Athena cleared the table, helped do the dishes, and went to her room to let everything sink in. Truthfully, she still had a fair amount on her mind as to whether or not she should really go for it with Kensou or not. Even though tonight's conversation with her folks helped a lot, she was still scared. However, she felt a desire to face the unknown, to see what could be in the future for her, and quite possibly Kensou too.

No less than 10 minutes passed when her phone rang, she had a feeling who it was, it had to be Sanae.

"Hello?" said Athena into the receiver.

"Hey Athena," her friend Sanae responded, "How are you? Everything OK?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," affirmed Athena, "I had a good talk with my folks about things, they actually told me something I didn't know."

"Oh? Like what?," asked Sanae, curious.

"For one, they were best friends like me and Kensou are, and like me, mom was resistant to him for the longest time, throughout high school even." said Athena.

"Really? Oh this is interesting, perhaps it's a sign?" asked Sanae again.

"Anything is a possibility," said Athena, "Right now, I am still on the fence about whether or not I should take a chance with Kensou or not."

"Athena, I think you'd be a fool not to," said Sanae in a firm tone, "Believe me when I say this, his loyalties are with you, and you alone. I would love it if I had someone who was like that with me."

"But, how do I know if it'll work out or not?" countered Athena, "What if it doesn't? What then?"

"Honestly, I can't answer that one for you," said Sanae, "But I believe in the saying that the quality of your life is directly proportional to the amount of discomfort you're willing to subject yourself to, to quote a man named Tony Robbins, whom my mom had me listen to when I was younger, I should give you some of his CDs, a lot of what he says makes sense."

That drove it home for Athena, Sanae had a point, and Athena herself knew it. She had no idea who this Tony Robbins person was, but the quote definitely rang a bell with her. She decided then and there that if Kensou asked her out again, she'd say yes.

"Sanae?" asked Athena.

"Yes?" Sanae asked back.

"When did you get so wise?" asked Athena with a laugh.

"Let's just say experience plays a role in this one," said Sanae with a hearty laugh, "Anyway, I hate to do this, but I must go."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," said Athena as she hung up.

Athena went downstairs and spent some time with her folks before she decided to call it a night, around 10 PM, she started feeling tired. She undid the covers, hopped in, and less than five minutes later, she was in dreamland dreaming about what could happen tomorrow...