Battle of the Mages
Love is Argumentative
She had liked him. Maybe she had even loved him. But she had ruined all of that. Their chances were now almost zero. But she hadn't meant it like that. He had cut her off before she could finish. She had meant to say that she couldn't do this yet. They were moving too fast, and she didn't know if she was ready for a serious relationship. Also, she wanted - no, needed - to find Tai before anything else happened. But Cloud had misunderstood. And it was mostly Kylie's part.
Cloud lay sprawled on his bed in his dark room, eyelids half closed. He felt disjointed. Thoughts swirled around his head, but he refused to focus on any of them but one.
That was it.
There was nothing else.
He had no chance with Kylie.
And that made him wonder what use he was then.
Cloud rolled over and reached under his mattress, pulling out his knife. He rolled back onto his back, raising his arms into the air.
Slowly, meticulously, he lowered the blade to his arm, finally adding scars to his previously unmarked arm.
Drops of blood fell onto his stomach from his outstretched arm, his unburned hand holding the knife. However, the cuts gave him no comfort this time. Cloud removed the blade from his skin after only a few cuts. He growled and threw the knife. It buried itself halfway to the hilt in his wooden door.
Somebody knocked on the door.
"What?"
"Your fights in an hour."
"Cancel it."
Phil, for he was the one who'd knocked, was outraged. "What! Why?"
"I burned my hand badly, and I can't hold my sword." Phil sighed.
"Fine." He then walked away.
Cloud continued to stare up at his ceiling, before finally closing his eyes and going to sleep.
About half an hour later, Cloud's door burst open. He sat bolt upright, tired and disoriented.
"Wha -"
"Okay, you know what, you're dumb! I wasn't even done with my sentence, and you just went off on your own and made conclusions that were wrong!" In the doorway to his dark room stood Kylie, glowing red. The rubies in her bracelet were also glowing with an eternal light as she walked to the middle of his room, in front of his bed, flipping on his light. The light around her faded entirely as the electric lights came on.
"What are you talking about?" he almost yelled. How had she gotten in so quickly? He hadn't heard her pick the lock, and that was usually pretty loud. Unless you were a professional, but little did he know, she could transport from one place to the next.
"I am talking about us. What I was going to say earlier, was, I don't think I can do this yet, you twit! And you interrupted me before I got the last word out, and got the conclusion that I wasn't interested, which, as I said before, is wrong!"
Cloud was angry now as well. "Maybe if you didn't lead everybody around you on and then crush their hopes with a few words I would be more inclined to trust you!"
"Leading people on? This is not about that, although I will address it in a minute! This is about you interrupting! You shouldn't do that! You could, oh, I don't know, get the wrong idea!"
"The wrong idea? You said that you didn't like me!"
"I said nothing of the sort!"
"It's what you meant!"
"No it wasn't and you know it! Now back to leading people on! How and when have I ever done that? And why don't you trust me?"
Cloud gestured wildly at her. "You're doing it now!" Kylie stretched her arms out and looked down at herself. She was wearing a fitted t-shirt, jeans, and toe socks. "And trusting people is really hard for me, and I trusted you almost inexplicably, and I don't anymore, because of earlier!"
"How am I leading you on? What on earth are you smoking?"
"Just looking at you is hard! Kami, you're just so friggin perfect! And everyone knows it, and everyone wants you, and you can't see that!"
Kylie's hand went to her mouth. "You think I'm perfect…?" Then she outstretched her hand, palm facing Cloud and shook it, dismissing that idea for the moment. "Wait, that's not the issue at hand! I don't do anything to flirt with them, or, as you so eloquently put it, lead them on!"
"It's every single move you make! It's every word you say! You're just so tantalizingly delicious! When we were out do you have any idea how many guys were staring at your butt?"
Kylie raised an eyebrow, and said almost calmly, "Were you?"
Cloud blushed violently. "No, I wasn't! That's not the point!"
"Then what is the point? That I'm pretty?"
"Kami Kylie! You're gorgeous! You're a friggin goddess and the only one who doesn't see it is you!"
"Wait, so now we're talking about my self-esteem? I have plenty, thank you very much! We were talking about you interrupting and how many misunderstandings that can cause!"
Cloud shook his head; messy blonde spikes scattering even more. "I do not interrupt, usually! You just say things that any regular person would misunderstand, then say something at the end, but by that time their hopes are crushed and they don't care anymore! And anybody would have misunderstood that! And no, we were never talking about your self-esteem! You're the only one who doesn't see that you flaunt your beauty everywhere you go!"
Kylie looked highly offended. "I do not!"
"Yes you do, with all of your fitted clothes! Kami, every single piece of skin that you show is so horrible and hard, because I just want to touch it!"
"I never show any skin anyway! Only my arms and occasionally my legs! What about you, always flaunting your skin!"
Cloud was confused. "What skin?"
"Oh I don't know, for example, your chest! And your arms!' She pointed to his bare torso, since he almost never slept with a shirt on. "And you're always training with your shirt off! I see how all the other girls look at you!" Cloud shook his head again.
"It's not the same! I can protect myself against a few girls, and I don't have every guy ever born stripping me with their eyes and staring at my butt!"
"So, what, you want me to dress in baggy clothes and never leave my room?"
"No!" yelled Cloud. "I just want you to be mine!" The two adults stood, panting, glaring at each other. That had to be the most unorthodox love confession anyone had ever heard, ever.
Cloud strode forward, grabbed Kylie, and kissed her hard. She returned the kiss, attacking each other's lips. Kylie's hands wrapped around his head and neck, tangling themselves in his blonde spikes. Cloud had his arms wrapped tightly around her back.
A while later, they parted. Kylie stood back, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Kylie's hand flashed out to slap him. He caught her wrist. Her other hand was about to hit him and he grabbed that wrist too. She tried to wrap her leg around his ankle to trip him, but he blocked it, and tripped her. They fell onto the ground, with Cloud lying on top. Kylie growled, and Cloud smirked.
"You can take care of yourself, huh?"
Kylie growled again and thrust her knee into his abdomen. He grunted in pain, and rolled off of her, their positions switching. She smirked down at him, even though he still held her wrists in an iron-like grip. "I can burn you into cinders in less than a second, but I don't want to kill you."
"How kind," he growled, wrapping one of his legs around both of hers. He flipped them over, so that he was on top again. Kylie struggled, but this time he was sitting on her legs so she couldn't kick him again.
"Let me up!"
"No! Do you have short-term memory loss or were you just not listening to our whole conversation?"
Kylie growled. "Let me up!"
"No!"
"The minute I yell for help, people will come running, and who do you think they'll believe? The strong stoic fighter, who they've only ever seen with the girl in question, or the poor, weak girl who is being sat on by the warrior?"
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "They execute people for that here. Do you really want me to swing?" Kylie winced.
"No. I just thought you'd b thrown out." Cloud shook his head.
"No. Usually, they can tell if the girl is lying. If they can't tell, or if the guy is guilty, they hang him."
Kylie winced again. "That's not what I had planned." Cloud got off of her, and grabbed her hand, pulling her to standing position. Her eyes flashed and she slapped him. This one he didn't try to dodge. He figured he deserved it. She turned on her heel and left, slamming the door behind her. It just bounced open again. Cloud strode angrily to his door. The doorknob had been melted off. Cloud felt his temper boil again as she slammed her door.
He wrenched his open and yelled, "Stop melting my doorknobs!" That was the third one she'd melted in a week. He slammed his door, holding it with his hand to keep it from opening again. She wrenched her door open.
"If you wouldn't be such a jerk and a loner and not lock it all the time, I wouldn't have to!" Slam.
Open. "You lock yours too!" Slam.
Open. "Only when I'm changing or want to be alone! Did you forget our fight already? Or maybe you have short-term memory loss! Do you want anyone to walk in while I'm changing? Or is that a right you want just for yourself?" Slam.
Open. "I am not a pervert, so stop trying to make me out to be one!" Slam.
Open. "You said that you just wanted me to be yours!" Slam.
Open. "Yes! I did! I really like you! I think I'm falling in love with you!" Slam.
Open. "Yeah, well, me too! I really like you too! Falling in love…Probably!" Slam. Open. "And after last night I feel a lot closer to you!" Slam.
Open. "Me too! We should date!" Slam.
Open. "I would like to do that!" Slam.
Open. "Me too! So, are we officially going out?" Slam.
Open. "I guess so!" Slam.
Open. "Good!" Slam.
Open. "Good!" Slam.
Open. "I'm happy!" Cloud yelled before slamming his door.
Open. "Me too!" Kylie screamed, slamming her door. Cloud didn't answer. He'd said everything he'd wanted to say, and he was now dating the girl he was falling in love with. He grinned and lay back down on his bed. His cheek stung where she had slapped him, his burned hand was aching, and his abdomen was throbbing in pain from the knee to it. But that didn't seem to matter anymore.
Kylie sat grinning like a maniac on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. She really liked Cloud. She was even falling in love with him. Her throat hurt from the screaming, her wrists ached where he had grabbed her, and her hand stung where she had slapped him. But she was in a state of euphoria, and she loved it. She was dating now, and she had a boyfriend, even if she'd gotten him in the most unethical, and weirdest, way ever.
Kylie's grin widened before she closed her eyes and laughed maniacally into her pillow. He thought she was gorgeous; a goddess. Kylie squeezed her eyes shut harder.
He thinks I'm pretty!