Chapter Fifty-Two:
A/N: I know I said that it wasn't going to happen, but all of you TessaxAdette fans (and I know that there are some out there) are getting your wish. I figured that it was about time something good happened to the characters for once. And the prologue will FINALLY make some sort of sense. Oh, Alex, whatever happened to you?
And I apologize if my grammar and/or spelling has been crap lately, my regular word processor is screwing up, which means I've been using Wordpad. It doesn't have spell check, and that makes for many mistakes.
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Fine, you were right.
It had been two hours since the survivors escaped Balamb. An island nation with a population of tens of thousands dwindled to six teenagers: a Garden Instructor; an international outcast; a sharpshooter; a child of two Mages; a girl who lost a lover; and Tessa. During the time on the vessel, silence had become the status quo.
Hunter had stayed by himself, sitting in a corner and casting dark looks in Tessa's direction, but she hadn't noticed. Adette and she had sat down by the railing as the dark-haired girl cried herself to sleep. It took everything Tessa had to keep from smiling. She was safe, they were both safe. Of course, there was nowhere safe to go, but that didn't matter. Everything that mattered was the girl in her arms.
I knew it.
Tessa had been silently debating with Shiva as to whether or not she was in love with Adette, something they had been doing ever since they'd first come together as GF and host. Then Shiva got the answer she wanted and Tessa hadn't wanted to give. However, when it was out there, Tessa realized that she did feel better.
I'm in love with Adette. Are you happy now? I'm in love with a girl who just watched her fiance get blown up. And to make matters worse, it was because of the GF I gave her! How do I approach her, huh? "Oh, hey, I know I've been a bastard to you ever since the kiss, but since your fiance is dead I think we should become a couple." Doesn't sound like it would work.
I wouldn't recommend doing that. Might complicate things. Speaking of complicated...
Looking up, Tessa saw Hunter walking over to her with a sour disposition. Quistis and Irvine were in the control room with the door shut, and she really didn't want to know what they were doing.
#What do you want?# Tessa asked the young man.
#Alex was right,# was what he said. #Remember? She used to tell us about how she came to Garden after her family was killed when the dead rose. A woman named Ada brought her and dropped her off. We used to laugh and call her a liar, but she was right.#
Her lips formed into a snarl, and Tessa unconsciously drew Adette closer in a protective embrace. Hunter noticed it but said nothing. #What gives you the right to talk about Alex? I ought to shoot you right now for even mentioning her name.#
Hunter sighed and sat across from the two women. #I know I screwed up with Alex. You were raped,# Tessa flinched at this, #and Alex tried to fix it. I didn't stop her and she got killed. Nobody blames me more than me. Not even you.#
"Hnn?" Adette muttered. The other two were quiet, but the sleeping girl continued to sleep.
#Hunter, you cannot justify your actions to me. You were her boyfriend, you could've gone with her.#
#No!# Hunter pointed a finger accusingly at Tessa. #It's your fault she's dead. If you hadn't of gotten drunk and gone off with that idiot Brit in the first...#
#You are not blaming my rape on me!# she hissed. #Just get the hell away from me before I throw you off of this vessel.#
#Fine,# Hunter said as he stood up. #But I'm not the one all over some tocaro right now.#
Tessa snarled again and was about to attack when a pale hand pushed Hunter face first onto the deck. He yelped and Adette stirred, blinking back to consciousness. She moaned and looked up at Tessa, who looked down with a small smile on her face.
"TOCARO?" Fujin screamed in Hunter's ear as she dug her fingers into his shoulder. He howled again and the door to the control room burst open. Quistis and Irvine ran on deck, shock on their faces.
"Ow!" Hunter yelled as the grey-haired warrior drove her knee into his back. Tessa openly laughed as Quistis and Irvine pulled Fujin off, the woman giving Hunter one final kick in the side. "Is she insane?"
"What's going on?" Adette asked sleepily as she rubbed her bloodshot eyes. A few sticky strands of hair were brushed out of her face by Tessa's hand. "Huh?"
Here goes nothing... Tessa told herself.
Hands covered with dry blood found their way onto Adette's cheeks. It could be easily seen where the tears had cut a path through the dirt on her face. "Adette, do you remember what happened in the cargo hold yesterday?"
"..." was the response.
Then Tessa's filthy lips met Adette's in a passionate kiss. It took the shorter girl by surprise, but she didn't pull away. Instead, her lips parted and she slid her tongue into the other's mouth, running it along the interior of Tessa's upper lip.
"Well, this day hasn't been a complete nightmare," Irvine said with a laugh. Quistis elbowed him in the stomach before he could say more, though.
"Damn tocaros," Hunter said before Fujin, breaking free of a distracted Quistis and Irvine, connected a boot with the back of his head.
"Umm..." Adette said as they finally parted. Tessa watched as her dark eyes flitted to the other people gathered around them. Irvine was staring at the girls from under the brim of his cowboy hat, waiting for more; Quistis was in shock, unsure of how to act; Fujin nodded approvingly at her friend; and Hunter muttered to himself, darkly glaring at the two girls. It was obvious to Tessa that he would be a problem if Adette and she were to have an actual relationship. "Could you guys excuse us?"
"Sure thing, ladies," Irvine said. He leaned down and grabbed Hunter by the collar, dragging away the gagging boy. Fujin and Quistis walked to the control room, leaving the girls alone.
"You said that you weren't a lesbian," Adette whispered. A greasy string of hair fell into her face, and Tessa reached forward to tuck it behind her ear. It was like they were back on the train.
"Hey," Tessa said with a giggle. "You said that you didn't know any lesbians. Don't pull that on me."
"Did you just... when did I... what?" Adette could say nothing coherent, so Tessa just leaned in and kissed her again. Softly, her tongue wetted the cracked skin of Adette's lips.
"Just forget it. All of it. We're alive, and we're right here. Don't over think things," Tessa whispered back. "It took me forever to get here. To realize how much you mean to me. I don't want to lose you, so just forget everything. We're on a blank page."
Tears sprang into Adette's eyes. "But she's dead. She was everything I had. I don't even have my ring anymore."
Tessa took Adette's grimy hands in her own and lifted them her to lips with a kiss. "You still have me. Hopefully, you always will. We have been through too much to give up right when we're starting."
Adette didn't answer. She just began bawling and slumped forward onto Tessa's shoulders. Once more, weary arms slipped around Adette. However, it was different. Whereas before it had been awkward and meant to comfort, now it was loving and warm.
I told you loved her.
Fine, you were right. Now shut up. And thanks...
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A/N: Aww, fuzzy, fluffy, cuteness. I know it's a short chapter, but hopefully it flowed nicely. If it didn't, then boo hoo. Oh well, so we have two couples now. Fujin and Hunter are NOT getting together, that I can guarantee. But fans of my trademark pessimism need not despair (ironic, no?), there is much more sadness ahead. Also, Shinra, and the Blonde a.k.a. Elena, return soon.