A/N
I am so very sorry for this taking soooooo LONG! I been busy with work and have been getting ready to move states and was struggling to find time to sit down and work on this. So! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I know it was a long wait and I would promise to put out more chapters more constantly… but I don't want to lie to you oh reader of my stuff! SO as always, reviews and feedback are very much wanted, needed, encouraged, and appreciated! Please enjoy.
Valiant Hearts III
Chapter 5
Aftershock – Arising Suspicions
"Powerful force in all things, Saint of Holy loan me a shell to withstand this destruction!"
Aerith stood between a set of medical tent and a few ruined buildings where many of Hollow Bastions refugees took shelter from the chaos of battle when she slammed the bottom of her reacquired staff into the ground and shouted through the massive explosion high above against the cavern ceiling.
A barrier of magical energy formed around both the tents and the improvised shelters just in time to protect them as shrapnel rained down from the stone sky.
"What the hell was that?!"
Aerith didn't have to look over her shoulder to know Tifa's shouting in her ear along with the explosion reverberating off the cavern walls, only making Aerith's headache worse as she concentrated on maintaining the fairly large barrier against the shockwave of destruction.
Tifa, whom had been at the sorceress's side as her protector throughout the fighting, watched as shards of stone and shrapnel bounced harmlessly away from those shielded under the energy dome while anything not within the barrier was shredded to pieces before looking to her lover with concern as she noticed the brunette's strain against the falling debris.
"Aerith, don't strain yourself!" Tifa shouted as the shockwave of the explosion reverberated off the cavern walls.
Gritting her teeth, Aerith ignored her lover's words and held the barrier up against the wave of stone and dust; she knew she had to protect those that could not protect themselves. So she will endure this pain and protect her home and its inhabitants.
Pushing against the strain of her body and mind, Aerith willed the magical dome to hold steady as the shrapnel and stone from the explosion began to dissipate to just a large cloud of dust.
Noticing this, the Sorceress lifted her staff from the ground before her barrier collapsed, leaving all that were within it safe and unharmed, while everything not within the dome was totally destroyed. Nothing but rubble, splintered wood and chunk of the cavern ceiling remained where buildings and tents once stood.
Upon closer inspection, Aerith could see bits and stains of red between some of the rubble and stone, even the shape of outstretched arms among other things that were once whole people crushed and buried around them…
The Sorceress felt sick at the sight as her mind processed what she was seeing. She knew this War caused death, just another reason she fought so hard to end it… but to be this close to this bloodshed… and to imagine someone she loved to be one of those bodies…
Tifa and Kairi were the first to pop into her head at even the slightest chance of being buried under a pile of rubble; and the thought of either of them or anyone else she cared about crushed under the rubble terrified her.
The brunette immediately looked over to her girlfriend, who was looking grimly at the blood stained rubble as well, almost as if to reassure herself that she was alive. Only for her mind to jump to another important matter, a certain redheaded Keyblader she considered a daughter somewhere on this battlefield fighting for her life.
"We need to find Kairi!" Aerith said frantically; the thought of her adoptive daughter being caught in the explosion and hurt or possible… dead… she couldn't even imagine what she would do.
"We need to find her now!"
The panicked words of her lover caused Tifa to pull her eyes away from the bloody stone and crushed bodies of those who perished to see Aerith looking around franticly, looking from the direction of where the explosion against the cavern ceiling to the direction of the battles still raging in the distance.
It was a miracle, in the Martial Artist's mind, that the two of them and the survivors around them even had a moment of reprieve; but she knew that it would not last long; they needed to move before any Nobody's found them.
Looking over her shoulder, the brawler looked at the numerous non-competences that took shelter in the buildings that still stood thanks to the Sorceress' barrier. She knew these people need protection… and she so very much wanted to do what Aerith wanted and find Kairi, but who would protect these people?
Suddenly out from between a pair of ruined buildings came a mangled body of a Berserker type Nobody before it exploded into the silver dust all Nobodies turned into at death, surprising both women and causing most of the non-combatants to scrabble back or shout in fear.
Recovering quickly, both Tifa and Aerith looked in the direction of where the body originated.
Out of between the buildings came two figures, one was clearly pulling up the rear of the duo as they came into the light.
Ashe lowered her sword as she entered the clearing while Basch followed behind her with his spear in hand, protecting his Queen's back. The two warriors of Rabanastre made their way into the clearing up the two women, the Queen addressing them without preamble looking at the Martial Artist.
"Tifa," she then looked to the Sorceress "Aerith, are you two okay?" The Queen asked with concern before she took note of the frantic expression on the Brunette's face causing her to frown and raise a questionable brow to the dark hair Martial Artist.
The Mage answered with a question of her own.
"Have you seen Kairi?"
-Valiant Hearts III-
Rubble and dust still floated down around Kairi as she, Olette and Naminé stared in amazement at Xion's back after the actions with a gravity spell to repel such a powerful attack, the idea of such a simple spell never occurred to the redhead. And judging by the stunned looks on her blonde and brunette lovers, they were thinking something rather similar.
Naminé's mind was in a blur of thought after she witnessed such a simple spell to neutralize such a massive scaled attack with ease. Ideas and theories of how to utilize certain spells to counter different types of offensive attacks, and even as she stared in awe at the mysterious girl the Kairi called Xion, a girl that seemed to have a connection to Kairi somehow.
The young Sorceress glanced at the redheaded Keyblader and judging by how the two acted and the way the she spoke to the raven haired girl made it sound like Kairi was trying to help the girl remember who she was and… just who was this girl, Xion?
And those actions taken by the two brought more questions for the furious redhead, questions she would ask her when the time was right.
Olette on the other hand was staring at the girl with a mix of awe and fear.
At first when the girl… no Kairi called her Xion… When the girl named Xion used that gravity spell to fend off and return the wave of needle like energy bolts right back at that Eye-patched bastard she was relieved! But after the moment passed… the brunette realized how dangerous this girl could really be even after she witnessed what this girl did to Basch, Ashe and their men.
They were lucky she, for some reason, began to fight for them out of nowhere and the thought of this girl turning on them now made the brawler fearful.
'How would we be able to stand up to her? She just blew up a member of Organization XIII!' Olette mentally deliberated as she watched the raven haired girl. Suddenly she remembered how Kairi approached the girl after she killed that giant Nobody. She acted like they knew each other. The way she asked her if she remembered her name or who she was even after she and Naminé tried to stop her.
The brunette's gaze slowly shifted over to the redhead, her mind wondering even more so than ever at what happened to Kairi after they were separated. But she too knew that this was not the time to ask her, but she would ask, and she would get an answer from her lover, however, only when the time was right.
Kairi could feel the scrutiny of both the blonde and the brunette, their staring making her back and right side tingle, as she slowly moved forward, closing the distance between Xion and herself.
"X-Xion?... Are you okay?" The redhead spoke softly, as if not to spook the smaller girl.
Upon hearing her name, one she was slowly growing accustomed to, Xion slowly turned to give the approaching Keyblader a slide long glance. Her eyes still a dull light but not void like they were before.
Kairi felt a ping of hope swell up even more as she still saw that light in her sister's eyes, the hope that her sister was in there somewhere somehow.
"Xion… do you remember, do you remember that being your name?" The redhead repeated her earlier question before Xigbar fired on them in hopes of bringing out more of the Xion she remembered from the false memories of her fabricated life while still moving cautiously towards the black clad girl.
Both Naminé and Olette were close behind her, ready for any hostile actions on Xion's part.
The raven haired girl watched as Kairi closed the distance between them before she slowly moved to fully turn and face the redhead; her movement speed matching the other girl's almost as if deliberately mimicking her as she approached.
When their gazes met, pairs of ocean blue eyes that were exactly the same in every way. The only difference being the emotions they contained, one filled with anxiety and hope while the other were filled with a faint confusion and, if Kairi was being optimistic, curiosity.
The nervous redhead slowed to a halt as she now stood, once again, only a foot apart from Xion.
They observed each other for a moment before the Keyblader raised her hand timidly to reach out slowly to give the other girl time to decide on how to react as she closed the distance more and more until she noticed Xion's shoulders stiffen and tense, causing her to stop, as she watched Kairi's hand reach out. Her eyes locked on the motionless appendage as Xion's instinct kicked in to intercept and crush it.
Only… she knew that this girl, Kairi, would never attempt to harm her; the memories they shared told Xion that much as her body's tension slowly relaxed, an action the redhead noticed before she continued her previous action and closed the distance between her outstretched hand and the raven-haired girl's cheek.
Once again, Xion stiffened only to immediately begin to relax as Kairi smiled at her, causing the smallest of the pair to unconsciously lean into the other girl's touch.
Olette stood starring; mouth agape at the display before her, and Naminé was not doing any better with her eyes wide like saucers as they stood side by side with each other before the brute of the pair recovered with a little shake of her head as she took a step forward as Naminé did something similar and followed after her.
Both moving to either side of the redhead as they kept a close watch on Xion, and as they step around the redhead the raven-haired girl's eyes locked on to Olette first then Naminé second as they stood at Kairi's back before she inhaled sharply and took a slight step back. Her intent clear as she reached out into the open air with her hand as any Keyblade wielder does to summon it, and the way her eyes locked on to the blonde and brunette... Kairi could tell what Xion was about to do.
"Xion… these are my friends," Kairi started calmly as she raised her hands up in a gesture made to soothe someone as Naminé and Olette tensed behind her, both ready for any coming attack. The sorceress having a weak but stunning instant lightning spell ready and the brute with a very tight fist, much like how she knocked the girl out when she saved Ashe.
"They won't hurt you or me, search the memories, our memories." Kairi continued as she watched the light of a half formed keyblade start to materialize in the smaller girl's hand.
Xion hesitantly pulled her eyes from the other two girls before they landed on her sister's own eyes. Seeing the truth behind them and at her words, Xion began to feel a ping of familiarity from the blonde and brunette until a sharp pain hit into her mind, causing her to bring her hands to her head with a gasp as memories poured into her mind and mingled with what she and Kairi shared.
Memoires of these two girls… Olette and Naminé.
Memories of fighting together, learning together, becoming comrades battle after battle, being friends and eventually… lovers? Xion's consciousness felt the memories come and go as she felt fragments of them stay with her; showing her that these two were not a threat to her or Kairi, just like she said.
Lowering her hand and dismissed her forming Keyblade and looked at Naminé and Olette again, her gaze now void of its previous hostilities, causing all three other girl to relax slightly.
Then a sudden wave of explosions sounded off in the distance in a muffled way, as if they were inside rather than outside where the explosion happened. Causing the three to look around in puzzlement at the realization that they were inside a magical dome shield, blocking out any attacks or attackers, whom were many as the base of the dome had dozens of lesser Nobodies clawing and bashing on it.
Kairi immediately looked to Naminé who shook her head with a frown.
"This isn't me." She said as she looked around the shield closely.
Olette narrowed her gaze on the Nobodies outside the barrier as they tried to get to them.
"Now that I realize it… it did get pretty quiet after this gir-" Kairi glared at her, making the brunette cough and clear her throat. "Ahem… after Xion finished off that big bastard." Olette finished with a glance between Xion and Kairi; one gazing at her dully while the other had a teasing smile on her face and gave an approving nod, both causing a light blush to the brunette's cheeks and causing the blonde to stiffen her giggles.
As Kairi turned away from Olette and looked at Xion a couple steps away, who seemed to be watching all of them one at a time before looking out at the enemies beyond the barrier before she lifted open hand and then squeezed it into a fist.
Then, without warning, the dome glowed briefly before suddenly letting off a wave of kinetic energy and threw all but the larger Nobodies away and turned them to dust.
Kairi felt her eyes widen at the display, as did Naminé and Olette's.
"Xion. Is this your barrier?" She asked her sister the obvious question she knew the answer to, but she needed to verify.
Xion looked at her with those dull eyes and gave a simple nod.
"Amazing!" Came a very cheerful voice at the edge of the barrier. Naminé had used an analyzing spell Aerith had showed her to look at the properties of the spell Xion used, and what she found caused her little outburst before she moved from her spot by the magical dome and up to raven-haired girl with a bright smile on her face as she approached her.
Olette tensed out of worry for the blonde's close proximity to the dangerous girl while Kairi watched the somewhat confused look cross Xion's face as Naminé stopped directly in front of her.
"You used Barrier's shield and Jewel's mirror in one single spell with a triggered reflection of any kinetic energy transferred into the barrier as a sort of shockwave absorber! Your amazing Xion!" Naminé practically gushed as she animatedly praised Xion; causing the black clad girl to look at the white clothed girl in a sort of baffled expression, as if she didn't know what to make of the blonde's admiration.
Kairi had to outright hold her sides as she tried not to laugh at the expression on Xion's face while Naminé smiled at her happily; Olette on the other hand narrowed her eyes on the confused girl and silently pouted.
Suddenly a devastating force landed against the barrier, causing a massive wave of cracks to web out across the side Olette was standing near. Out of instinct, the brunette summoned her keyblades and took a defensive stance while facing the direction where the blow came from ready to attack whatever might try to break through.
Only to pauses and lower her guard at who was standing on the other side of the dome.
Dust from a destroyed large Nobody drifted away from the barrier as Tifa lowered her fist and met Olette's gaze. Clearly the martial artist punched through the Nobody that was where she is standing now, and hit it hard enough to go through it and slam into the magic shielding them.
"Tif-!"
"Olette! Is Kairi with you?!"
Olette was cut off by Aerith as she ran up behind the brawler while casually sending a fireball into an approaching Nobody with a swing of her staff, turning it to dust, her expression one of panicked urgency, a far cry from the sorceress's usual reserved demeanor.
She opened her mouth to give an affirmative, only to be cut off again, this time by the redhead in question; which caused the duel-wielder to huff slightly from being interrupted, her pouting not going unnoticed by a certain blonde mage who giggled quietly.
"I'm here Aerith!" Kairi spoke up, causing Aerith's expression to shift into one of relief at the sight of her adoptive daughter, as she stepped around the brunette to move closer to the edge of the dome before suddenly the cracks in the barrier began to mend and seal into the smooth surface it was before the martial artist's attack landed… then it began to glow once again.
The Keyblader's within the dome all turned wide eyed at the caster of this magical shield as she raised her hand just as she did before, luckily Kairi reacted immediately.
"Xion stop! They are not our enemies!" the strategist shouted as her sister's hand stopped just as she was about to release the kinetic energy her barrier absorbed, giving Kairi a confused look.
If they were not their enemies then why did one damager her barrier? Xion's mind questioned as the redhead began to approach her once again. Slowly she reached her hand out as the raven-haired girl eyed her curiously now as Kairi's hand moved to rest on her outstretched arm and give it a slight squeeze before she gently pushed her arm down to rest at her side, giving the smaller girl what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
"They're our friends Xion…" Kairi pulled her hand away from her sister's arm as Xion's gaze left her the redhead and moved over to the two women outside of her barrier, whom finally took notice of the raven-haired girl standing with the other three Keybladers with wide eyes as this is the first time seeing the girl up close, both taking note of the similarities between their adoptive daughter and the black clad girl, more specifically of how she resembled the redhead when they first met her back in Traverse Town for what felt like so long ago.
Tifa and Aerith eyed the girl suspiciously, both knowing this was not the time of place for idle conversation that could wait till after the fighting was brought to an end.
"Friend…?" It was barely a whisper. But Kairi along with all those present heard Xion utter in the eerie silence that surrounded them, a fact that did not escape the red-head or those around her.
Kairi gave her sister one quick glance before looking over the surrounding, taking note of the lack of silver figures roaming and clawing at the resisting fighters of Hollow Bastion; along with the unnatural hush that fell over the cavern as less and less sounds of battle bounced off the stone walls of Sanctuary.
Until a slow roar of victories cries rose up to replacing the chaotic sounds of battle.
Kairi looked between her sister back to her adoptive parents then finally resting on both Olette and Naminé; all save Xion looked about the cavern in confusion as the black haired girl still stared at Kairi with a puzzled look before Olette voice what they all were thinking to an extent.
"Did we win?" She asked simply, not really expecting an answer.
"Look!" An answer came in the form of Tifa pointing up to the breach in the stone sky as flecks of silver and white retreated up the tunnel, bit by bit the remaining forces of the Organizations invading force fled.
Never in the many battles Kairi had fought, never had she seen the Nobodies retreat in such a manner when they had clearly had the advantage in numbers as they drove themselves against those dubbed a target from their superior in a mindless determination to the point that they were completely wiped out or until they are victories for their masters.
But never retreat in such a fashion unless ordered to…
"Xigbar! He ordered the retreat." Kairi exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence finally.
"Or Xion killed him and scared the little bastards away!" Olette proclaimed happily as she looked to the shorter girl next to her with a twinkle of respect in her eyes along with a hint of fear.
A fear at what this Xion could do. If she could truly take down a member of the Organization so quickly, then what would she be able to do to her or anyone else here? A harsh memory of the girl she Naminé and Kairi fought in that terrible future before they escaped.
Was this that girl before whatever took place in that time? Olette have to keep a close on her.
"Regardless, we need to find the others." Kairi's words interrupted the brunette's thoughts as she turning to her sister, whose gaze never left the redhead, as she rested her hand on Xion's shoulder gently and met her unflinching gaze.
"Xion, can you drop your barrier?"
With a small tilt of her head, the magical dome began to dissipate into nothing, allowing both Tifa and Aerith to reach the four girls within; or more specifically a certain brunette woman quickly crossed the distance separating her and the redheaded Keyblader before embracing her, an obvious gesture to show how concerned the Sorceress was for her daughter.
"Aerffimmaohky." Kairi muffled out into the pink clad woman's embrace as she looked up at Aerith from her spot in the woman's chest with a faint blush on her cheeks at her position against her motherly figure as audible giggles could be heard behind her.
With heat engulfing her face, the redhead quickly turned around in the brunettes embrace and glared at the brute of a fighter… or rather a pair of brutes.
Tifa had stood close to her apprentice and both had smirks on their faces as they giggled together at the scene before them while a certain blonde had enough control over herself as she held stifled her own laughter, causing her shoulders to shake slightly.
"And what, pray tell, is so funny you two?"
Aerith questioned sternly as she looked at the two offending women, to Kairi's amusement, she watched the martial artist sober immediately and Olette look away sheepishly with both of them spouting a bout of 'Umms' and 'Uhhs'.
Kairi grinned as she watched the flustered display of both her girlfriend and her adoptive parent before sticking her tongue out teasingly towards the pair; finally causing the Naminé to burst into a fit of adorable giggles of her own, causing both the raven haired woman and the brunette Keyblader to glare at her reproachfully as a blush covered both their face's.
"Oh! And what is so funny Naminé?!" Tifa spoke up as she glared at the smaller blonde.
"Heheheh! Just... All of you, I'm just so happy your all safe." Naminé stated simply, causing more than one round of glancing about between those present… all but one that was only an onlooker to witness the strong bonds that held this family together.
Xion watched the antics between her sister and those around her, a strong feeling of familiarity struck her mind while watching the redhead interact with the two women along with both other Keybladers.
A single word worked its way to the forefront of the black clad girl's mind before she spoke in barely a whisper.
"Friend…?" The word was hardly a murmur as all present heard it before turning to its source.
Kairi looked with wide eyes along with Naminé and Olette, although both Aerith and Tifa only rose curious if not confused eyebrow at the word the silent girl uttered word.
Nodding; the redhead stepped out of the reluctant arms of her adoptive parent and approached her sister and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"That's right Xion, these are our friends…" A thought occurred to Kairi, now that the fighting seemed to have been put to an end, as she realized that the rest of the members of Hollow Bastions would be scattered throughout Sanctuary after being in their own battles.
"And we need to find the rest of our friends." The Keyblader finished with a squeeze to Xion's shoulder while giving a reassuring smile before turning to Aerith and Tifa, whom watched this exchange between the two girls as they traded glances with one another.
"Any idea where the others are? Leon, Cid, Cloud, or Yu-"
"Yuffie!"
Olette's exclamation cut off Kairi, causing her to look over her shoulder at the brunette, seeing that she was pointing up into the air towards a winged figure that seemed to be making a beeline for them.
An act a certain quiet and extremely dangerous girl noticed immediately…
-Valiant Hearts III-
Yuffie finally spotted the person who she was looking for as she flew over the ruins of Sanctuary after the silver bastards fled; which the ninja found odd.
One moment she and Cid were ducking and dodging claws or cutting them off, or rather in the old piolets case, blowing them up into silver dust, and then in the next moment a massive explosion rained dust down on every one on the ground and the Nobodies were in full retreat; upon seeing that a wave of anxiety hit the winged girl.
The last time the Organization retreated was when Kairi had gone missing… This thought process sent a wave of scenarios through Yuffie as possible reasons for their enemies to fall back; ranging from the Organization actually losing to the point they actually wanted to retreat, to the possibility that the Nobodies possible captured Kairi, Naminé, or… Olette!
"Ha! Lookin like we got them silver bastards on the ru-WHOA Where the hell ya goin!?"
Cid's shouts caught up to Yuffie's ears as she suddenly took off with strong flaps of her wings to ascend higher and higher, her eyes already searching the ground for a certain brunette franticly, and the longer it took for her to find the brute of a Keyblader only escalated the panic welling up in the young ninja.
Until she finally spotted the girl she was on the lookout for towards the back wall along with several other figures whom she recognized the closer she got as she spotted both Tifa and Aerith along with Kairi, Naminé and…
"Is that…?" Yuffie pondered out loud at the sight of a black haired girl standing in between the other Keybladers as she angled herself in their direction; closing the distance between as she also noticed the quick movements of the girl cloaked in black as she appeared to be moving to stand in front of everyone else almost like she was going to try and intercept-
"OH SHIT!"
Yuffie's exclamation had barely left her lips before a massive ball of fire, quite possible a Firaga spell, was hurled at her, causing the young ninja to spiral to the side, feeling the heat sting on her skin as the magical attack passed her by mere inches causing her spin through the air while flapping her wings wildly to right herself to try to stay aloft, and once she managed to regain her balance she immediately began looking around frantically for a second attempt to knock her out of the sky.
An attack that never came, instead she heard cries of alarm and the clashing of metal on metal.
"Olette, back off!"
Looking back down in the direction the Firaga spell and the shouting originated from, the young ninja's eyes went wide at the sight before her.
There she spotted Kairi shouting and rushing forward in alarm towards that black haired girl who was wearing the chains she was previously restrained with as they jingled slightly while dangling uselessly around her small frame; her hand was outstretched with her palm aimed up at Yuffie about to launch another spell at the flying ninja.
But that wasn't what stunned the winged girl. What shocked her most was that Olette must have immediately gone to stop the black clad girl by rushing forward with her Keyblades in hand, swinging at the girl without thinking; an attempt to stop her from sending another spell Yuffie's way.
Only her attack didn't connect with the girl, but with her white Keyblade that was held up in a reverse grip to block the oncoming attack. Although the blades shook from the effort to halt Olette's attack, the girl's face remained blank as she turned her gaze to meet the brunette's furious one before she suddenly moved to bring her other hand over palm up and facing the duel-wielding Keyblader, likely to use another destructive spell.
Olette's eyes widened as she realized her position and that she just left herself open for counter-attack.
However before the Keyblader could make move to evade or a spell could be used, Kairi closed the gap between her and them to intervene.
Yuffie watched as the redhead practically leapt between the two girls in a panic, reaching out to immediately grab the black-haired girl's arm to gently but firmly lower it to her side and prevent her from lashing out again while she reached out with her other arm to rest and push against Olette's shoulder, not hard enough to shove her over, but enough force to tell the brute to back off.
"Xion stop! Olette, I told you to back off!" Kairi nearly yelled through gritted teeth as she addressed both girls, her eyes moving between the two to ensure neither of them made another move at each other.
The young ninja could hear the fear in the normally level headed strategist as she cautiously approached from the air, her wings outspread to help her glide steadily to the ground; an action that did not go unnoticed by Xion as she tensed up and rounded on Yuffie, causing the redhead to tighten her grip slightly on the girl's arm to keep her from having another go at the winged girl.
"She is a friend…" Kairi whispered into the girl's ear, causing the black clad girl to glance blankly between Kairi and Yuffie briefly before slowly relaxing to stand next to her sister. Blue eyes still trained on the ninja, or more specifically on her wings that she started to fold tight against her back as she slowly approached them; a flicker of… curiosity under Xion's dull gaze.
This caused Yuffie to raise a confused brow at the probing stare her wings were receiving from this girl as she approached the small group before being approached by Olette immediately, followed closely by Aerith.
"Are you okay Yuffie?" the brunette asked, her eyes already looking over the other girl's body for injury, and aside from a few cuts and bruises from battling the Nobodies and the slight burn on the side of her face from the heat alone that the firaga spell put off, and being magical in nature, it was substantially hotter than any natural fire.
"Yeah yeah, I'm fine, just a few scratches, oh and a bit of a burn on my pretty face thanks to your new… friend?" she replied while she gestured to Xion, who gave a small inquisitive head tilt at Yuffie's mention of the word friend and the motions she made towards her.
"Here, let me help." Aerith stated before moving in front of the young ninja with her staff in hand.
"Children of the Earth let us endure." A green glow filled the air before Yuffie hissed slightly as she felt the stinging pain of her cuts and bruises along with the faint burn on her face began to rapidly heal.
"Ugh… never gonna get used to that." The young ninja groans quietly while rolling her shoulders, making her wings bounce slightly, as the curative spell finished its work as Kairi approached them followed closely by Xion, Naminé and Tifa.
The later kept a suspicious watch over the black haired girl. Taking note of how she did her best to be close to the redhead as much as possible all the while attempting to attack and eliminate anything she deemed a threat to her.
With that little bit of information tucked away, the brawler would keep a close eye on this girl, especially after that display of her magical power and her combat effectiveness… the martial artist could tell that she could pose a considerable threat to everyone in Hollow Bastion, and it seemed the only one who she'd listen to… was Kairi.
She'd have to keep that in mind incase this girl became hostile.
Aerith watched as the trio approached, seeing Tifa eyeing Xion closely as the girl immediately moved to stand at Kairi's side while Naminé either ignored or hadn't noticed the change in the martial artist's demeanor while she closed the distance between her and a pair consisting of a certain redhead and brunette.
"Are you two okay?" the small blonde asked immediately as she stopped in front of Kairi and Olette before looking them both over for injuries.
Her bright blue eyes narrowed the time her nose scrunched up as her lips shifted into a little frown while she looked over the redhead's bloody shoulder before going over what was still left of the brunette's more severe cuts and bruises from after the young mage had healed earlier; all her fussing brought tired smiles to their faces.
"Great Dream of the Unity be a blessing for our bodies."
Naminé casted a healing spell over Kairi and Olette, filling the air around the pair in a green light. She noticed how both girls shivered slightly, their bodies feeling the effects of the curative magic.
Once there injuries were healed the blonde gave them both another once over for any other wounds before taking a step toward the pair and placed a hasty kiss on Kairi's cheek before, and to the surprise to majority of those present, quickly moving to place a kiss on Olette's cheek as well.
Both girls blushed brightly while the young mage took a step back with a smile on her face while everyone else around them, bar Xion, gazed at the trio with wide eyes as the redhead and brunette looked between each other and their blonde companion.
Kairi knew Naminé and Olette were good friends, but this was the first time she'd seen the blonde… kiss her or anyone else before, on the cheek or not; and by the look on the brunette's face, or rather how red it was and how wide her eyes were as she met the redhead's gaze, she clearly didn't expect it either.
Through all the shock faces, Naminé only smiled brightly.
"Umm.. w-what was that for?" Olette finally spoke as she tried to fight back the heat in her cheeks and push passed this embarrassing situation, although her voice was an octave a little higher than normal as she nervously glanced between the beaming blonde and the somewhat stunned redhead.
Her only reply was a giggle as the young mage turned away with that same smile still on her face, feeling rather pleased with herself.
Kairi could have sworn she saw the brute's uncovered eye twitch for a moment there as she coughed loudly to get everyone's attention, or rather to push passed the awkward moment as the heat in her cheeks died down.
"Ahem… Now that we have attended our injuries, I think it's time we find the others and see what we can do to help any of the wounded we can."
The strategist ordered rather than suggested, and with no one objecting but rather giving either silent nods, or murmured in agreement as Aerith began moving in the direction of the center of the Sanctuary as Naminé followed alongside Tifa and Olette with Yuffie trailing after the pair of brutes while Kairi turned to look over the surrounding area that was left in ruins after the battle with that monstrous Nobody and the massive explosion caused by Xigbar's own attack being turned against him.
Stone blocks and shards shredded what was left of the buildings that were surrounding them, leaving only collapsed wooden structures along with crumbed remains of tents and Kairi felt a cold shiver go down her spine as she took note of the red stains among the ruined buildings.
She swallowed down the bile that was rising up in her throat before looking away from the butchery, now wasn't the time for worrying about the dead when the living were the priority.
As the redhead made to move forward she felt a grip tug on her sleeve, bringing her to a stop as she looked over to see her sister, meeting her gaze with dull eyes as she tightened her grip on the sleeve of the Organization coat she was wearing. Xion's hand slipping up to the blood tattered remains of Kairi's shoulder, pulling at the shredded fabric, her eyes searching for… something, a faint light in her gaze.
Olette glanced back as she saw Kairi wasn't following behind her before she noticed why, already beginning to glare at who had stopped the redhead and at how close the dark haired girl kept on getting to her girlfriend, she knew how dangerous this girl could be and she was ready to summon her keyblade in an instant if she sensed even a hint of hostility; and judging by the way Tifa and Yuffie had stopped and were eyeing the younger girl, one being suspicious while the other was more curious and wary as far as the brunette could tell, they were both just as tense as her.
All the while, Aerith and Naminé had stopped to look back; the younger sorceress with a look of curiosity while the older mage's gaze was one of caution as she tightened her hold on her staff but kept a relaxed posture as she observed the smaller girl interact with her adoptive daughter.
Kairi was tense for a moment as she felt her sister's hand slip passed the torn part of her sleeve and press against the newly healed wound left after the battle with that massive Nobody, her eyes roaming over her skin as she searched for any injury.
She found none… That girl… Naminé, Kairi called her… She used curation magic.
Xion glanced over her shoulder, oblivious at how tense her sister was to her touch, looking at the blonde, noticing her smile at her as their eyes met and she tilted her head as she felt the magical energy emitting from the other girl.
'She was a powerful magician...' Xion concluded before looking back at the healed wound until she glanced up and met Kairi's blue gaze with her own, noticing the smudges of dirt and blood on her face before reaching up and rubbed the filth away with her bare hand, causing the chains still dangling off her to jingle as she moved.
Kairi's eyes widened as she watched her sister reach up and caress her face, feeling her rub her fingers into her cheek, attempting to wipe away the grime from all this fighting; and while this was happening the Keyblader could feel the heat on her back as she felt a number of eyes on her back.
Her face heating up as she felt like she was a little kid having their face cleaned by their mother after running around in the dirt all day! So embarrassing!
Kairi slowly reached up and caught Xion's hand and gently pulled them away, causing the younger girl to tilt her head, a gesture her sister seemed to do anytime she was confused or curious about something and in either regard… the redhead found it adorable regardless.
"Umm… Xion, there is no need to do that right now… we need to move and find my other friends, your friends too once I explain to them the situation." Pausing, Kairi gave the shorter girl's hands a squeeze. "Then we can get cleaned up, okay?" She asked meeting her sister's gaze with a reassuring smile.
As she gazed into those blue eyes that were practically identical to her own, Kairi could see the dullness to those eyes fade a degree before the dark haired girl's hands squeezed the older girl's hands in her own and nodded slowly before she attempted to test her vocal cords once more.
Xion could feel her throat was as dry as the stone she stood on, causing her to swallow hard in an effort to help loosen it up before in a raspy whisper, she spoke.
"O-okay…"
Kairi's smile grew when her sister spoke once more as she tightened her grip with her sister before she nodded happily.
"Okay!" The redhead said much too brightly for the situation they were in, but she didn't care. She was breaking through to Xion more and more.
She then turned back towards the others and noticed all the eyes on her, causing her smile falter slightly as she met their gaze one by one.
Many of them filled with suspicion directed at Xion, making her gulp at what was to come. She knew that it was going to take some time to explain what happened to her, but she knew the real challenge was to convince the others that Xion was not a threat… especially after that display of power she used on Xigbar.
But no matter how long it took, she'd convince them. She had to! She wasn't going to let them take her sister away from her or imprison her. Not when she was making progress with Xion the more she interacted with her
Kairi looked back at her sister once more and gave her another reassure squeeze as she tugged her along to follow her closely before she moved to take the lead of the group, mentally preparing herself for the long debrief she would no doubt have to give to everyone… But she had to do this… she had to convince them.
"Sorry for holding us up; we need to help who we can, and then we need to find the others. I… have a lot of explaining to do." She said before she began maneuvering across what was left of Sanctuary as the others followed, all of them noticed the determined fire in her eyes as she continued to mentally prepare herself while the others responded with different levels of acknowledgement.
Olette's face hardened before nodding silently.
Naminé's features shifted to one of concern and worry as she nodded slowly.
"Damn right you do!" Tifa barked with a look that was a mix of concern and anger crossing her face as Aerith elbowed her, making the martial artist grip her side while the sorceress smiled at her before nodded in reply, being much scarier than Tifa was.
Yuffie hummed in thought as glanced back and forth between Kairi and Xion until she met the redhead's gaze before giving a small nod.
Each response only fortified the first Keyblader's resolve! Until a loud growl emanated from her stomach, causing her face to heat up in embarrassment as her demeanor was contradicted immediately!
The redhead hoped no one had heard anything… but judging by the sudden rise of giggles coming from behind her… she knew it was in vain.
Pushing down her humiliation she continued on with Xion's hand clasped in her own while the others followed behind her through what was left of their Sanctuary.
'This is gonna be a long day…and I still haven't eaten yet!' Kairi mentally grumbled to herself.
End of Chapter 5