6/24/14

The main computer has been fully repaired! As the Den-O Driver would say! FULL CHARGE!

I can now return to writing my stories and drawing in comfort!

As such I've finally buckled down and edited the first chapter of the Love Trilogy, following the ReReReRe we've got some nice warm chapters and are no longer tied to Radiant Dawn.

I'm really excited about these next entirely 'original' chapters and hope you continue to enjoy the story as I search my brain for a proper ending. Though I should also focus on the now as CH26 and 27 continue to frustrate me...

Beautiful Love

"Well, well! Hello there! Aren't you quite the take?"

Nephenee turned to see Heather out her window with a smile. The cerulean haired woman put a plate down and opened the window to face her…her…

"What's up?" Heather asked seeing the confusion in Nephenee's face.

"I…don't know what to call ya…I mean…friend is-"

Heather laughed "Simple…I'm your girlfriend and you are my girlfriend. That's all."

Nephenee blushed, still not used to the term but she had to admit it was the best way to describe Heather.

It had been a few weeks since the end of the war, Nephenee was determined to help Crimea heal and Heather was with her every step of the way. Eventually the two returned to Ohma alongside Brom to help the town in any way they could before returning to their lives.

"I think I know why you came by, Heather."

Heather tilted her head "Really? I think it was obvious, I came to see you."

"…and ask about our date." Nephenee added to which Heather just grinned.

"I'm sorry about pushing it off for so long Heather…I just-"

Heather held her hand up "No need to explain beautiful…I didn't think things would calm down immediately after the war…and hey, even now there are people in Begnion and Daein workin day and night to bring their nation back to prosperity. It's a long process."

Nephenee remained silent, it's true that that was the main reason she had postponed the date so long. However she has had a few free days. "I'm just…so nervous…I want to be with Heather I really do…I just…"

"Neph…"

Heather reached past the window sill, placing her hand on Nephenee's left cheek and turning the woman so they were facing each other. After a few moments of looking into her eyes she nodded.

"Scared…I thought so."

"H-heather! I-"

"No…Neph, it's okay, it really is. It's one thing to say that we'll be alright…but we really won't know until we're out there…arm in arm…among strangers."

Nephenee breathed in deeply and looked to Heather, the rogue was always smiling around Nephenee, stating it was because she could see her beautiful face at all times now.

"Heather…tomorrow…I promise."

Heather smiled, as Nephenee prepared to turn away, Heather leaned in and kissed her cheek. The cerulean haired woman flushed as Heather winked "See you then, beautiful."

After she vanished, Nephenee's hand slowly came to her cheek.

"Sis…why do you look so happy?"

Nephenee looked down at her little brother whose head was leaning to one side and his face was full of questions.

"Since you came back…I've never seen you this happy sis."

Nephenee kneeled down and put one hand on her brother's head "I have someone…who cares so much about me…it just…feels good."

After a short silence the little boy smiled "I'm happy that you're happy."

"Heather…once again with that…beautiful smile."

"Hey mom."

Heather dropped her bag on the table and began to prepare some soup as her mother looked on.

"Sweetie…when do I get to meet her?"

"Mom."

"Heather."

As the rogue's hands flew about the kitchen she glanced over at her mother "Soon, I promise."

Looking away she missed her mom's smile "Heather…I'm so glad you found such a pure love…I hope she is pure enough to stop you from stealing."

Heather laughed lightly "Mom…I don't steal."

"It's not borrowing."

Heather, with the bowl of soup in hand walked to her mother who took it from her. "What's her name again?"

Hearing that a lump formed in Heather's throat, breathing slowly Heather kneeled in front of her mother "I told you yesterday mom…her name is Nephenee."

"Nephenee…what a beautiful name."

"You said the-"

Stopping herself Heather smiled sadly as her mother began to eat her soup.

"It really is."

"Nephenee! Nephenee!"

"I can't talk, I'm busy!" Nephenee stated as nicely as she could while walking, albeit a little quickly, up her hometown road.

The man caught up with her anyway. "C'mon Nephenee!"

"Rae, I'm really, really busy."

Standing in front of her he took one of her hands into his "Neph, one night is all I ask…"

"I've said no before." Nephenee stated taking her hand back and walking around him.

"Well I don't take just nos. Is there a reason? I'm not trying to be pushy, just one dinner; I just want to be with you."

Nephenee continued walking, the words were familiar but no feelings stirred inside her.

"Rae…I'm sorry but no means no."

Nephenee sighed; she wasn't as strong as Heather who screamed at any guy who asked her out. She couldn't bring herself to raise her voice; she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Turning she faced him and held her hand up before he could speak "Rae…I'm going out on a date with someone tomorrow."

"O-oh…"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell ya sooner…I just…"

"It's alright...I hope he knows how lucky a guy he is."

Nephenee fidgeted with her sleeves at his statement "I'm sorry Rae."

Sighing Rae turned away "No. I should apologize. If I had known…"

Scratching his head he faced her again "Hope it goes well."

After he left, Nephenee couldn't help but feel bad.

"That expression doesn't look good on you…oh who am I kidding you look incredible no matter what."

Nephenee found herself being spun about to face Heather who pulled her in close.

Being so close to the rogue's face, Nephenee felt her face redden. Since returning to Ohma, Heather unshackled any restraints she had and regularly pulled her in, not caring if there was anyone around.

Every once in a while Heather asked her if she should stop, not wanting to push but Nephenee didn't want to say no regardless of how she felt, she wanted to be with Heather along with everything it entailed.

"H-heather…I-I…"

She couldn't focus on her words seeing Heather so close to her.

"Neph."

Heather let her go, allowing the other woman to cool down and gather her thoughts.

"What was that about, Neph? That guy seemed to be hasslin you."

"N-no hassle…he just wanted to take me out…on a date…"

Nephenee saw Heather's brows furrow. She could swear the rogue was going to track the man down and yell at him.

"Heather, he's a nice guy…he's just been askin a lot cause I didn't explain I had a date already…"

Heather sighed and nodded "Ah…I see…well, can't blame me for wanting to go speak my mind to the guy. You are my girlfriend after all."

Nephenee smiled before embracing Heather, the feelings that came to her all but confirmed that this is where she wanted to be.

"Tomorrow."

Heather whispered as she hugged Nephenee back and smiled.

"Tomorrow will be…perfect."

Late noon the next day

"Give that back!" Nephenee yelled finally catching up to her little brother and taking her scarf back.

"Aw, you caught me! Let's go again!" He reached for the scarf but she pulled it away.

"Listen…I really need this for tonight…alright?"

The little boy nodded at Nephenee "Sorry sis."

Patting his head she smiled "It's alright, be good for mom alright?"

The boy nodded and walked away to find his brothers as Nephenee tied the scarf around her neck.

"Nephie."

Turning Nephenee smiled, another woman with much shorter hair that was the same color as her own stood before her "Nell."

"Mom told me you were actually goin out tonight. Who asked you out? I mean no offense-"

"No guys have ever talked to me before, I know. Anyway, what are you doin back? I thought you were supposed to be here tomorrow?"

Nell smiled "I figured visitin family would be open any day so I came a day early."

Nephenee walked past her sister who kept looking at her with a smile "Well don't you look nice, this must be really important."

Nephenee smiled to herself "It is…listen…sis…I haven't told anyone yet and it…it makes me feel bad."

Nell approached her sister with a concerned look on her face "What is it Nephie?"

"I…I'm not…I'm not goin out with a guy."

Nell leaned in closer "What was that last part?"

"I'm not goin out with a guy…"

Nell pulled away and looked her sister dead in the eye. After a short silence she spoke "So…what your sayin is…you're goin out with…another woman?"

Nephenee nodded as Nell asked "How long ya been with this person?"

"A few months back…we…got together durin the war…"

Nell put her hands on her hips "You haven't told mom?"

"I'm worried…about what she might think…"

Nell sighed "She is a lil ol' fashioned so I get that…either way, your secret is safe with me till you wanna tell mom."

Nephenee smiled "You're the best sister ever."

Nell brushed off the compliment with a sarcastic "I know."

Outside, Nephenee walked down the Ohma road, as she reached where it connected with the main road Heather appeared near her. She never really figured out how the rogue did that but it didn't bother her.

"Heather…hey."

"Hey yourself beautiful."

Heather put her arm around Nephenee's waist and the two began walking towards Tol.

Tol Market Street

As they strolled through the main road they spotted a few vendors and shop keeps hang up their lanterns, the orange sky above would begin to darken soon.

"This reminds me of that day we spent together in Melior. Remember that?"

Nephenee nodded then thought more about the moment "Wait, was that a date?"

Heather smiled "You could say that."

"Gallia?"

"Yeah."

"How…how long have you…felt this way about me, Heather?"

Heather looked at Nephenee and smiled "I'm not sure…I thought you were beautiful from the moment we first met and to be honest I wanted to stay around just to flirt…but after getting to know you…how…honorable you are about things…I realized…you aren't just beautiful, you're a beautiful person with a pure heart. There aren't that many people around."

Nephenee nodded slowly, seeing someone looking at them, the man kept his eyes on them as they passed by. Nephenee looked at their interlocked arms and felt a bit of tension as Heather spoke.

"Next thing I know…I wanted to know more about you…then get closer to you…normally I'd have been much more forward but suffice to say I didn't think you were…y'know…like me."

Nephenee tightened her grip on Heather's arm "There's nothing wrong with you Heather."

"I-I know-"

"You're love is still love."

Heather felt herself blush at that, something that surprised Nephenee just as much.

Coughing Heather pointed to a rather nice looking eatery "T-that's where we're headed. C'mon."

"Heather, I don't think-"

"Money is not an issue, not for you."

Nephenee smiled and allowed Heather to pull her along.

As they ate they talked of days gone by, their solo experiences during the rebuilding and the readjustment to living in Ohma as peaceful country civilians.

"Geez…you're so fit."

Nephenee looked up as Heather reached over and ran her hand along Nephenee's bare arm. The cerulean haired woman felt her arm tingle as Heather's fingers slid down it before withdrawing.

"All that farm work and holding that big shield really helped out I imagine."

Nephenee nodded "Fit as a fiddle."

"So…you have two sisters."

"Yeah. Nell and Nora…both of them left home a while back though Nell is visiting."

Heather thought of the three of them in her head, two other women resembling Nephenee? No doubt they were beautiful as well.

"Heather?"

Looking at Nephenee she noticed the woman was giggling "You're drooling."

Heather gasped before grabbing a napkin and wiping her lip.

"Now what could you possibly have been thinkin about?"

Grinning the rogue shook her head "Nothin."

As Nephenee laughed Heather returned to her food, the former Halberd felt eyes on her again and turned. There were many more people sitting and enjoying their meals, no one was really looking their way but she could swear she felt something.

Shaking her head she looked back at Heather and a rather obvious question came to mind, something she never bothered to ask Heather about.

"Heather…you flirt a lot, right?"

"Yeah…why? If you think when I talk to other women-"

"No I mean…in the past…when you asked me out you said you never did anything like that before. You've never had a…uh…a different girlfriend…before me?"

Heather put her fork down and thought to herself, Nephenee noticed the change in her expression and apologized.

"We really should talk of lighter things…I was just…curious…"

"Nah, it's fine…there were a few people in the past I…liked…but once they found out how I was…"

Nephenee reached across the table and put a hand on Heather's, the rogue looked up to see her smile and laughed to herself before continuing "They were friends once…then they didn't want anything to do with me…like all the time we spent together no longer meant anything to them because of how I was…though there was one other like me who actually had feelings for me…"

"Really?"

"Yeah…we tried…but she couldn't handle being out in public with me. It made her too nervous so she broke it off almost immediately after telling me she wanted it…I never saw her again after that and it made me feel…well…not good."

Heather looked at Nephenee again; she couldn't help but feel good at seeing Nephenee's truly concerned expression.

"It was a long time ago…then I met you…honestly, you made a lot of things happen to me that I never expected and here we are out on a date…I don't think I could be happier with myself than right now."

Smiling to each other they returned to eating and moved back to lighter conversation.

Once they finished their meal they returned to the streets of the town and continued walking even closer to each other, enjoying each other's presence.

The sky above was growing ever darker and the stars were beginning to appear.

"Neph…tell me something."

"Somethin like what?"

"Something I don't know about you…or maybe something about how you first came to realize you…had feelings for me."

Nephenee thought back to her first meeting with Heather. She thought Heather's behavior around her was strange but she didn't think anything about how they were now, arm in arm on a date.

"Well…one strange thing happened after the javelin incident in my tent."

Heather remembered that "When I fell on top of you…"

"I felt so…strange during that whole thing…but what was stranger was that night when I was layin in bed."

The rogue turned to the woman next to her "What happened?"

"I had a…dream of the incident…"

After a short silence Nephenee continued "It…we…you…"

Heather leaned in close "I kissed you?"

Nephenee grew red causing her to wish it was darker so Heather couldn't see it.

"That must've been…hard to deal with Neph."

Not the reaction she expected, Nephenee looked at Heather but remembered that she was questioning so many things about herself after that dream.

"I never…gave a thought to liking another woman in any regards. I was…confused…"

"That was also around when you started avoiding me."

"I'm really sorry about that Heather…I just-"

Heather laughed lightly "It's fine…I have to say I do feel much better to know it wasn't something I said that pushed you away. I was really paranoid at that time that I did something bad."

Nephenee shook her head "No I was just-"

"Figuring stuff out." Heather finished for her, Nephenee smiled as Heather came to a stop "That aside…"

The gold haired woman walked to a vendor with Nephenee close behind, an even brighter smiled appeared on the former Halberd's face as Heather turned to her.

The night sky fully lit with stars above them, the two sat near a tree with partially eaten cakes before them.

"You remembered the kind I like…"

"Of course!"

Heather giggled before leaning close to Nephenee and using her finger to take some of the frosting stuck to the woman's cheek.

Nephenee blushed as Heather licked it off her finger "Sweet. Though I think that may just be you."

"Heather…"

"Come on."

As the rogue walked ahead with Nephenee's arm in her grasp the former Halberd felt those eyes again.

"Stop. Forget about it. This night is about you and Heather."

The sense vanished and Nephenee quickened her steps to be next to Heather.

The pair now sat atop a high hill looking out over the rest of Crimea and to the ocean beyond. Heather knew how Nephenee loved to breathe in the ocean but with Ohma and Tol so far away from the coastline this was the best she could do, not that the former Halberd was complaining.

Nephenee laid her head against Heather and breathed in the clean night air.

"Neph…what did I ever do to deserve you?"

Smiling the cerulean haired woman spoke "You were…yourself…"

After a short silence Nephenee took her head away from Heather and faced the rogue.

Since she admitted to caring for the rogue, she'd had this insatiable urge and all night it had been gnawing at her.

Heather felt the same thing and looking into Nephenee's eyes at this moment she knew it was right.

Slowly Heather leaned in with Nephenee meeting her halfway.

Their lips finally met, Heather's heart practically bursting in her chest. Nephenee felt herself completely washed with warmth and absolute comfort as she continued kissing the other woman.

Heather brought her arms to Nephenee and with a small push the two fell to the grass, Heather on top of Nephenee continued to kiss her.

After a few more moments they separated, breathing heavily.

Heather brushed a stray strand of hair out of Nephenee's face.

"Was that your first kiss?" Heather asked.

Nephenee swallowed "Y-yeah…w-was it…bad…"

"No…but the next one will be better."

Without waiting, Heather leaned down and kissed the woman below her again.

As they kissed Heather felt Nephenee's hand move along her side and pulled away, wearing a sly smile she kept her eyes on Nephenee who just blushed fiercely "I-I…Heather-"

Laughing it off Heather sighed in contentment before speaking "Nephenee…I don't want to leave here…if I could I would stay here, on this hill top, with you…forever."

Nephenee looked at the sincerity in Heather's eyes and smiled the blush still strong "I'd love to…stay here with ya as well…Heather."

Nephenee whispered something as Heather leaned down again, all those days after they got together, all the times they'd look each other in the eyes. All the times the magnetic pull wanted to close the distance between them, they were finally free to let it happen and Heather was going to make up for all that lost time.

With the moon high above, Heather and Nephenee stopped at the front door to the former Halberd's house.

"Heather…tonight was…wonderful."

The rogue smiled "Every moment I'm with you is wonderful."

As Nephenee's hand went for the door knob she shook her head. Instead she turned and embraced Heather before kissing her again.

Surprised the rogue smiled inwardly as she kissed Nephenee back.

Separating the pair kept their eyes on one another.

With the intense warmth in her heart, Heather knew what she had to say to let it all out.

"Nephenee…I love you."

The other woman felt herself swallow as an ecstatic feeling of happiness came over her.

"Heather…"

Nodding inwardly she continued "I love you too."

Nephenee stood at her front door, watching as Heather walked away, the rogue kept turning towards her, feeling that if she didn't keep her eyes on her she'd vanish.

Once Heather disappeared into the night Nephenee entered her home, intense happiness, relief and all around warmth swirled within her.

"Heather loves me…and I love Heather…nothing could be better than this…nothing."

Heather entered her home with powerful feelings of her own. She'd never thought that someone like her would find love, she thought herself to be the hopeless misunderstood flirt. Yet her connection with Nephenee continued to grow and tonight solidified that she'd do anything for the woman.

Looking out the window to the moon Heather exhaled deeply.

"Sweet dreams beautiful."