This is a special edition chapter because our computer now has (fanfare) Microsoft Word! Hooray! Confetti! Balloons! Now Naminé's name will have its accent mark all the time! YAY! Now, then: This chapter was also handwritten around the time "Hey There, Delilah" came out, and I was hyped up on DDR (and still am), so I particularly hope y'all enjoy this! (This chapter, we get to see Ame take on a new breed of enemy: Private school Senior!)
"I'll need a scientist, an engineer, and a black guy to sacrifice himself in case something goes wrong."—Eric Cartman, South Park
Chapter 25: Delilah and the Butterfly
The next day was a big one for Roxas and Naminé because today was their first official day of school at Destiny High.
The group sat under their favorite tree on a small hill in the hour before classtime started. The two former Nobodies looked at their schedules and found that they had 2nd period, lunch, and 3rd period together.
"This is so weird," said Naminé slightly nervously, "We haven't been separated since we started dating!"
Roxas fidgeted in his uniform—a white short-sleeved Sunday shirt, a light blue plaid tie, navy blue pants, and comfy black sneakers.
"Biology 1," he read glumly, "First period; lucky me."
"English," she read hers, "Well, that won't be so bad."
It was almost time to go; since Naminé would have to be away from Kairi for first period (Kairi would have Biology with Riku and Roxas), Ame took hold of her heart pendant and increased her radius to the entire school campus. She then did it for Roxas.
"Thanks, Ame," he said dully.
"Aw, come on, Roxas," said Naminé sweetly, "It's just two classes! We'll have a lot more time together than apart."
"Yeah, but…" he blushed profusely, "…I don't like being away from you."
"Don't worry, Roxas," Sora smiled, "Ame and I'll take care of her! She'll be in her English class with Ame, and I'll be next door in mine!" Naminé went up to Roxas and hugged him.
"I'll see you in Math," she murmured, "You look handsome, Roxas." He smiled a bit and touched her head.
"You look really hot in that uniform," he said quietly in her ear, making her giggle.
"Feel better?" she asked, pulling back.
"Almost." He put his hands in her hair and kissed her deeply.
"Okay," he beamed, "Now I feel better." She blushed and giggled.
"I'll see you later," she said, joining Ame and Sora, "Try to survive!" Riku started to drag Roxas off.
"Bye, Naminé," he said, half-struggling, "I love you!"
"I love you too, Roxas!" she called as Ame and Sora toted her away.
"Come ON!" the other four shouted.
After school that day, the others were on the beach in their regular outfits. Riku had his guitar out and was playing one of Roxas and Naminé's favorite songs for them. Ame was just walking back from her house and was behind them. Kairi came up behind her and motioned for her to be quiet, so Ame watched silently as Riku nimbly played. She was impressed!
Roxas was holding Naminé by the hands, dancing her in circles, and singing to her.
Hey there, Delilah
What's it like in New York City?
I'm a thousand miles away
But girl, tonight you look so pretty
Yes, you do
He held her closely and stared adoringly into her eyes.
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
She looked down shyly, but he gently lifted her face.
I swear it's true
Ame watched them with a blushing smile; they were so beautiful together, with the sun brightening Naminé's hair and sparkling in Roxas' eyes. She lowered her gaze to Riku and saw the same light showering his long, silver-blue hair with gold, warming his muscles, and shining off his guitar. None of them noticed her, and she was glad. She wanted to hear Riku play some more.
'Riku,' she thought softly as her cheeks turned pink, 'If only you knew how I feel right now.'
When the song was over and Riku set his guitar aside, Ame knelt behind him and hugged him around his chest, closing her eyes as she leaned in his warm back with a soft blush.
"You never told me you played guitar," she said softly. Riku blushed in a flare of red and touched her hands.
"Sorry," he smiled, "Guess I left that part out." She chuckled and kissed his cheek. Roxas was holding Naminé in a hug and slow dancing with her, still singing quietly to her.
"So you guys liked your first day of school?" Ame asked.
"It was all right," Roxas shrugged, "once I got to be with my girl again." Naminé giggled.
"How was he in Biology, Kairi?" Ame asked.
"Oh, he was fine," she answered, "He looked a little nervous, but he lived." After a little bit, Ame asked Riku, "Will you play something for me?" He turned pink.
"Sure, Ame," he said, "What do you wanna hear?"
"I don't care," she said with her forehead against the back of his neck, "As long as it's you." He blushed harder; that was what he'd said to her on the roof of her house that night.
"Okay," he said and picked his guitar back up. Ame turned around and sat back to back with him. Before he could play anything for her, though, Selphie ran up to them.
"Hi, Selphie!" Kairi greeted her, "What's up?" She stopped in front of them and bent over to catch her breath.
"Hi, Kairi," she panted, "Is…is Ame with you guys?" Ame appeared from behind Riku with as much surprise as the rest of them.
"Yes?" she said with a slight blush on her face.
"Ame," Selphie stood up, "I heard you and Kairi won the DDR tournament last week."
"That's right," Kairi nodded.
"Well, there's a girl down at the arcade who wants to challenge you!" Selphie announced. Kairi and Ame blinked.
"Who?" Kairi asked.
"Ame!" she answered. Everyone looked at Ame, and she turned bright pink.
"Me?" she almost squeaked, "Why?"
"She said she wants to make you pay for jostling her off of her throne," Selphie explained, "Zuleste has always been the queen of DDR, and you and Kairi bumped her down to 2nd place for the first time ever."
"It's not like we did it on purpose," Kairi said defensively.
"Yeah, it's not their fault they rock harder than her," Roxas smirked. Ame blushed appreciatively and nodded to him.
"So, what does she want?" she asked Selphie, "A DDR showdown?"
"Pretty much," she shrugged, "I told her not to, but she's seeing red right now." Riku looked at Ame with worry.
"What are you gonna do?" he asked gently. She thought for a minute and half-smiled.
"I fought Heartless too, you know," she stood up, "This'll be a piece of cake. You guys want to watch?"
"Heck, yeah!" Sora piped as he sprang up, "This I've got to see! Zuleste has been stinking up the arcade with her airs for years!"
"What do you mean, Sora?" she asked as they all walked off.
"She goes to East Creek Prep, the girls school over on Vagan's Isle," Sora explained with distaste, "She's always cruising through any place with a step dance game and strutting around like she owns the place and she always leaves her mark, including here. We're all sick of her."
"Don't worry," Ame smiled, "I'll chase her off!"
"Can't wait to see it!" he grinned. Riku came up and put his hand across her waist.
"Whatever happened to shy and insecure chib-Ame?" he teased, making her blush.
"I told you," she answered, "I'm always confident in battle. I've fought Heartless and other evil creatures before with Master Hana. I think I can handle a private school prep." She side-hugged him cutely.
"Besides," she added quietly, "when I'm with you guys, I can do anything…especially you." He smiled, caught at a loss for words.
Despite what she said, Riku still saw a change in the girl he'd fallen for; when he met her the first time, she was shy and uncertain. Now that she'd made friends and let herself fall for him, she was confident and alive. He loved that about her; he loved everything about her. He felt his heart swell with deep affection and glow with a light that no one had ever given him before.
Ame marched through the thick glass doors of the arcade and headed straight for the DDR section holding Riku's arm like a lady with an escort as Sora and Kairi walked beside her with Roxas and Naminé by Riku. Selphie trotted ahead to the small crowd gathered around the antagonist and announced their presence.
The crowd parted to admit the waterbender. After a fleeting moment of the old social nervousness, Ame jumped and front-flipped in the air with her thermos water flying around her in a precise pattern. She landed squarely in front of her challenger, a 17-year-old private school senior with flaming red hair (like Axel's, only not spiky) that reached past her bottom and a Scots-plaid mini-skirt as her uniform, along with a white polo shirt that had her school's emblem on her left.
"You must be Zuleste," Ame said pleasantly enough as she put her water back.
"You must be Ame," she replied stingingly, "I saw you win last week; I'd like to offer you my congratulations."
Ame raised a sarcastic eyebrow; this girl reminded her of a cunning bandit she'd taken down once when she was 13. She knew better than to let herself be suckered by this girl.
"Would you, now?" she folded her arms.
"I'd like to," Zuleste replied, "but I won't!"
"So what would you like?" Ame asked calmly. The older girl slowly walked to her with narrow eyes and touched her finger to the plate of Ame's chest.
"I'd like you to stand back," she said maliciously, "and watch the queen in her court." Ame met her eyes steadily and almost narrowed them.
"If you're gonna take me on," she said lowly, "you won't be queen of this castle." Zuleste smirked.
"Based on what?" she taunted.
"Stand back and I'll show you," said Ame.
"Not a chance!" Zuleste shoved her backwards, "By right of status, I go first!"
"If it's a status issue," Ame retorted, "then you don't know who you're dealing with!"
"Ask me if I care!" Zuleste shouted, "I'm taking my throne back!"
The floor they were standing on was a DDR floor board with four screens hanging from the ceiling. Ame was back at the front of the crowd with her friends and they watched as Zuleste chose "Bad Boy" by Cascada as her song. She stepped and sang it; she was pretty good, too. Ame noticed, however, that she kept watching at least one of the screens, which you had to do or you'd miss. Ame half-smiled to herself; she'd found her advantage.
Zuleste stomped, ending the song to applause with an arrogant look of satisfaction.
"Top that, new girl," she taunted again, snapping her fingers, "and I'll let you have that tiara over there, the one only winners keep."
One of her flunkies was holding a delicately crafted silver tiara with two pearls and an oval-shaped sapphire in the middle.
"This is over a tiara?" Ame asked ridiculously.
"Don't flatter yourself, Miss Middle Class," she replied, "I've got plenty more like it. It's the prestige that comes with it."
"If it's that you want, then I don't care," Ame said, irritated to the max, "I only came here to chase you off, and I'll do it without watching the TV!"
She marched briskly onto the DDR board, her indignation spreading like a brush fire. Her only desire now was to shut her up.
'I don't know who this girl thinks she is,' she thought, 'but she picked the wrong girl to deal with!'
As the introduction of her song started, Ame spun around gracefully with her arms flowing. Her outfit changed in a magical light to the one she'd worn in the contest, only it was green now.
She closed her eyes and started to sing.
Ay, yi, yi
Ay, yi, yi
Ay, yi, yi (she opened her eyes)
Where's my samurai?
Her eyes alight with sparkling ripples, Ame stepped on every arrow without once looking at any of the monitors.
I was searching for a man Someone who is strong,
all across Japan
just to find
to find my samurai
but still a little shy
She looked over at Riku with a smile.
Yes, I need
I need my samurai (wink!)
As she sang the chorus below, she sent little water butterflies flying on the first part and on the second part, her outfit changed the colors in the song.
Ay, yi, yi Green, black, and blue Ay, yi, yi Green, black, and blue Ay, yi, yi
I'm your little butterfly
Make the colors in the sky
I'm your little buttefly
Make the colors in the sky
Ay, yi, yi
Ay, yi, yi
Where's my samurai?
As she repeated the above stanza on the last line, she looked over at Riku and winked. He smiled shyly back at her, which made her smile brighter as she continued to step and sing without the help of the TV screens.
I was searching in the woods
and high upon the hills
just to find
to find my samurai
At this point, it's up to the reader's imagination.
Someone who won't regret Ay, yi, yi (Repeat)
to keep me in his net
Yes, I need
I need my samurai (finger snap)
I'm your little buttefly
Green, black, and blue
Make the colors in the sky
The crowd was impressed with the way her outfit changed to green, black, and blue when she sang them. Zuleste remained cross-armed and silent.
Finally, Ame finished with "Green, black, and blue, make the colors in the sky" and stomped the last arrow amid thunderous applause. It was obvious that Ame had won again.
Sora and Kairi started up a chant of "Ame! Ame!" Roxas walked up to the person holding the tiara.
"I'll take that," he said brightly and smugly as he gingerly took it in his hands and brought it to Ame.
Remembering how he'd felt winning the Struggle finals (even if it wasn't real), he crowned his "sister" the R-Kade DDR Queen.
"Congratulations, sis," he winked.
"Thanks, Roxas," she beamed and shrugged cutely as Riku and the others came up to her.
"I don't understand it!" Zuleste nearly screamed, "You just about came out of nowhere! How could I lose to someone like you?" Ame walked to her.
"You probably won't understand this," she said calmly, "but you lost because you were afraid to lose. You'll never win a battle while fearing defeat. Your fear was your downfall, and your pettiness clouded your judgment. That is why you lost.
"Set up your kingdom elsewhere," she finished without arrogance, "This is my castle now." The crowd cheered and her friends surrounded her. After one more glare, Zuleste spun around and snapped her fingers, leaving with her entourage in a huff.
In a very cool manner, Sora said, "Ding-dong, the witch is dead."
"Ame!" Selphie burst through, "That was amazing! You wiped the floor again! I knew you could do it!"
"Look, Ame," Riku laughed, "It's your public." All the kids were cheering for her.
"Didn't know I had one," she blushed with her hand in his elbow.
"I think they want an encore," he observed. Ame blushed with a giant sweatdrop and a nervous smile.
"Sorry, everybody!" she said, "I've got English homework to finish!"
She then made her way through the crowd with Riku by her side and her friends behind her and they left the arcade together.
"Well, that was fun!" Sora chirped as he stretched.
"Snack time at my house?" Ame offered. They agreed and Ame called Ichi-san.
Author's Review:
So now we've seen Ame kick some boo-tay! Totally cool, huh? Don't worry, we won't see Zuleste anymore. She was sort of modeled after Azula, the psycho princess of the Fire Nation on "Avatar." I hope y'all enjoyed this! Might be a bit lame plot-wise, but you know…Please leave reviews and cookies and BRACE YOURSELVES FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!