Two of a Kind Options

[Leyviur]

"Lina, why don't you come play with us anymore?" a young girl with green hair asked her playmate.

"I do, Molan! Lina's just been a bit busy lately!" a girl whose appearance was equally young replied.

"You've been staying in your house much more ever since Fia left," Molan's cheeks puffed out and her brow twisted, signifying her discontent.

"That's because nobody's around to clean the house anymore, so Lina has to do it..." Lina defended.

"That's a lie and you know it," Molan said, her look of dissatisfaction not lifting from her face, "You never clean your house. Ever."

"Molan, I heard from Fia that if you make faces like that, you'll get all wrinkly and old-looking really fast," a young boy, who had until now remained silent among his bickering friends, said to Molan.

Lina escaped from the scene as Molan temporarily turned her attention and temper towards Gill, giving Lina another three day reprieve.

She hoped.

*

"Lina! Why did leave all the food out after you finished eating? They'll spoil!" a girl of about 15 with short blue hair and small wings on her back scolded Lina as she walked into her house. Lina whispered something to herself about how she was getting it from everyone today.

"Honestly, I don't know how Fia's lived with you all these years, you don't help around the house at all," Serene continued as she put all the items, previously scattered about a table, back to their proper places.

"Lina does too!" Lina tried to argue.

"Really? What was the last time you helped clean?" Serene challenged. Lina thought of answering - she HAD helped clean before, but that was when Fia was still living with her and was so long ago she barely remembered it, so bringing it up now probably wouldn't have helped her case. Instead, she started cleaning up some of the garbage so Serene would at least stop yelling at her.

The house was a mess after Fia had left with Ein somewhere; the two hadn't told anyone where they were going, and left a note saying "we'll be back," and left without anybody knowing. To be honest, this was a frequent occurance and they always came back after one or two weeks, but this time it'd lasted for eight months and they still weren't back yet, though they sent a letter once a fortnight assuring everyone that they were alright. Rumors had been circulating within the village that the two had ran away and eloped and Fia was pregnant, which was why they'd been away for so long.

"Do you think we should get Cierra to help us?" Lina asked, but immediately regretted bringing up the idea.

"NO!" Serene turned and yelled, then calmed down, "I mean... no. You know what happened last time we tried to get her to help us here."

Lina did. They had asked Cierra to come over to their house for dinner once, and Cierra had offered to help with the cooking. Eventually she became overly frustrated with using a controlled fire and waiting for the food to finish cooking, so she decided instead to use her magic and cast and incendiary spell to quicken the broiling process, but she had apaprently forgotten that the house was made of wood and her fire spells were used primarily to incinerate living matter.

It took two weeks for Lina and Serene to repair the house. Lina could still smell the leftover scent of burned wood even now. After that, everytime Cierra came over, they confined her solely to the dinner table and made her promise never to use her magic inside the house. It was a wonder Soala's house was still standing; Cierra spent most of her days cooped up with Soala claiming that they were 'studying magic,' but the last time Lina and Serene visited them (or tried to - they never made it past the front door), they seemed to be in the middle of something that involved a lot of unsavory sounding noises. Cierra had later told to them they she and Soala were conducting an experiment on how magic affects sprites' bodies, looking quite flustered while offering her explanation. Serene appeared not to believe Cierra's story at all, but Lina couldn't fathom why. Serene had muttered that it probably did involve their bodies but not magic, and Cierra had blushed viciously, but Lina had absolutely no clue what Serene had meant by that. Were Cierra and Soala playing like how Lina did with Molan and Gill?

"What the--is this yours, Lina?" Serene's voice snapped Lina out of her thoughts. She looked up at Serene, who was holding something between her index finger and thumb gingerly, as if it were something dirty. Well, okay, it probably WAS something dirty, considering Serene had just dug it out of under one of the cupboards, and it looked dark and slimy.

"That's the sandwich Lina lost last month," Lina said, remembering how she had turned around for a second and lost sight of her meal, "Lina was wondering where it went..."

Serene answered by shrieking and tossing the moldy old sandwich out the window, after which she scolded Lina some more while calling her a child, an insult which Lina ferociously defended herself against.

The sandwich, by the way, had fallen a long ways down and plopped onto the head of Soala, who was on her way back to her home from the marketplace, from where she had bought many exotic and expensive items that were questionable in nature. Considering she was attempting to look her best when she went home to Cierra (it was an anniversary for the two and Soala wanted to make it special), a moldy sandwich on her head was decidedly something she could have done without. She responded to the descent of the ruined sandwich with many words in the language of the sprites that couldn't possibly be translated to English - and even if they could, they wouldn't be allowed to print, anyway.

*

Lina laid awake in her bed that night, unable to sleep for some reason. Most days she tired easily and would sleep immediately, but tonight, her mind was working overtime, disallowing her sleep.

"Serene?"

"Mmm?" Serene turned around in bed to face Lina. The two slept on the same bed since Cierra had destroyed Lina's on a previous visit and Lina refused to sleep on the floor.

"What do you think of Ein?"

"Uhhh... what do you mean?" Serene asked groggily, still half asleep.

"Do you like Ein?"

"Of course I do," Serene slurred, "he's my friend, right?"

"No, I don't mean like that..."

"Oh, you mean like that. No, I don't like Ein like that. Why do you ask?" Serene yawned, a bit more awake now. She remained curled under the covers because the night air was cold, and she slept with nothing but a pair of panties on - Lina thought it strange, but Serene's wings always got tangled in her clothes if she slept with anything more, so Lina didn't question it.

"Lina just wants to know if Serene likes Ein," Lina replied.

"Well, even if I did, I can't be with him because... well, it wouldn't work," Serene said, and rolled over to go to sleep with her back turned towards Lina.

"Why not?" Lina asked, suddenly incredibly curious.

"Well..." Serene trailed off, making Lina's desire for the truth even worse. Lina pestered Serene further by playing with her wings, which she knew Serene hated.

"Okay, okay, fine!" Serene surrendered, "It's because Ein likes Fia."

"Is that all~?" Lina asked. Serene wasn't someone who would've just given up someone she liked to another girl so easily.

"Y... yes," Serene replied, but seemed unsure of herself. No, actually, it seemed that she was nervous. Embarrassed, even.

"So... who DO you like?"

"I... I'm not saying."

"Not even a hint?"

"No."

"Not even a small one?"

"No." Serene's refusal to grant any information to Lina made Lina start playing with her wings again. Or try to, at least. Serene had turned around and was now facing Lina, hoping that this would discourage the smaller girl from her endeavors.

Unfortunately, Lina was much more determined than Serene thought, and attempted to get to her wings by hugging her and reaching around to her back. The two girls struggled for a while before they were both too tired to continue.

"Fine, if you want to know so much, the person I like is a girl," Serene said.

"A girl?" Lina asked, "You ... like girls?"

"...yes," Serene said, her voice a bit shaky, "Do you... think that's strange?"

"Lina doesn't think so," Lina answered, "It's just, I've never heard of a girl liking a girl before..."

Lina's thought processes soon turned to who the desired girls was.

"So who do you like?"

"You asked me for a hint, I'm not telling you any more."

"No fair~" Lina whined, "You can tell Lina! Lina won't tell anyone!"

"No," Serene said, "I'm not saying."

"Stupid Serene," Lina sulked, but was too tired to stay angry, and gradually drifted to sleep, her arms still around Serene.

Serene, sure that Lina was asleep, slid her arms around Lina's body, and hugged her, Lina's face pressing against her bare chest.

In a low voice, Serene whispered, "The girl I like is the one in my arms right now."

*

Lina was frustrated. She had asked Serene to give yes or no answers while she recited a list of names of people she thought Serene might have favored. Lina was determined to find out who it was that Serene had set her sights on. Of course, Serene had said 'no' to every name Lina had recited, and Lina had run out of names of people they knew. So she fell back on her last resort to dig the truth out of Serene: begging.

"Please tell Lina who you like! Lina will be cleaner from now on!"

"No."

"Is it one of your old friends Lina doesn't know?"

"No."

"Is it one of Lina's friends?"

"You could say that. I guess..."

"Is it Molan?"

"It'd be funny if it was, but no."

"Cierra?"

"Cierra's with Soala."

"Fia?"

"No."

"Nyaaaaaa~~! Tell Lina who you like! Pleeeeaaase?" Lina begged.

Serene turned around from from her current project - a wooden carving of some sort, and began walking towards Lina. Reading Serene's serious expression, Lina assumed Serene was about to hit her over the head for being annoying like she usual, so she squeezed her eyes shut. However, what followed was something that Lina didn't expect. She felt arms around her body, followed by something warm pressed against her lips.

Lina's eyes shot open, and she was staring into Serene's face, whose lips were envoloped over Lina's, her eyes closed and her cheeks a light shade of red. The unexpected kiss made Lina's blush with a shade of red matching that of Serene's. Although the kiss was sudden and unexpected, Lina didn't resist, allowing Serene this rare moment of tenderness. When Serene finally broke the kiss, Lina was at a loss for words. She just sat slowly down in a chair and stared at Serene, who was looking at Lina expectantly.

"So... Serene likes... Lina?" Lina stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Y...yes. Are you disgusted?" Serene asked, a worried look on her face.

"N, no! Lina isn't disgusted," Lina assured her, "Lina is just surprised!"

"Oh, I see..." Serene said, looking to the side awkwardly.

"How long have you liked Lina?"

"I don't know... a long time, I guess. Didn't you think it was weird I kept living with you and didn't leave?"

"Lina thought you just liked being near friends... Lina didn't think Serene liked..." Lina trailed off.

"Lina..."

"It's okay!"

Serene was surprised. "What...?"

"Lina accepts!"

"What do you mea--"

"Lina accepts Serene! Lina will be Serene's girlfriend!"

"But I thought you liked boys?"

"It's okay, Serene, you're enough like a boy, so Lina can like Serene back!"

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment..." Serene mused, but could barely keep her happiness contained. Lina accepted her! Better yet, Lina reciprocated! She didn't think Lina would, but she did, and now it felt like Serene was the happiest person in the whole world.

"Lina wants a favor though!"

"Wh-what favor would that be?"

"Lina wants to try kissing again! Is that okay?"

Serene didn't know how to respond to such a request, but she was all too happy to oblige.

*

Lina and Serene snuggled closer together as they looked up at the star filled sky through the rooftop window of their bedroom.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Lina?"

"Yep! Just like you, Serene."

Serene blushed, and hugged Lina closer to her. Despite losing everything and everyone she ever cared about, she'd finally found her happiness; it was right here, in Elendil, a young girl named Lina.

"Serene?"

"Huh?"

"If you want, when you're ready, we can go back to Lacrima Castle and make baby arcs together so you won't be lonely anymore."

Serene blushed furiously at this suggestion, but then she realized that Lina had no idea what she had just inferred - not to mention that such a thing between two girls was impossible, anyway.

"I don't think that would work out very well, Lina."

"Huh? Why?"

"Nothing, I'll explain it some other time. Besides," Serene replied, kissing Lina on the cheek, "I'm not lonely. I have you with me, Lina."

Lina giggled, and returned the favor, though she was a bit too short to do so properly and missed the mark, kissing Serene's bare chest instead, and causing both girls to blush uncontrollably. The two girls cuddled silently, and no words were really needed.

"I love you, Lina."

"Lina loves you, too, Serene."

Well, maybe except those words.

~FIN~

[Leyviur]

~EPILOGUE~

Ein and Fia were exhausted. Their travels had taken a lot of energy, and then they had to stop in a town for a month to find a healer because Fia was about to have Ein's baby. The two noticed a bizarre sight when they entered Fia's house - parts of it was completely remodeled (though they correctly assumed that Cierra had found her way into 'helping out' again) and the table was full of items like whipped cream, strawberries, among a collection of other food items.

"Maybe they're baking a cake?" Ein suggested. Fia agreed.

"Won't Lina and Serene be so surprised that we're back?" Ein chimed.

"Yes, they'll be happy too, we brought a lot of gifts for them."

The two went up to the bedroom in order to set down their baggage, oblivious to the sounds that were emanating from the other side. Ein was the open that threw open the door and yelled "SURPRISE!" Unfortunately, the ones who were surprised were not just Serene and Lina.

Passers by of Fia and Lina's lodgings later described the bizarre mixture of noises that emanated like nails on a chalkboard mixed with a dog having all four of its legs amputated with no anesthetic. Nobody outside of Ein, Fia, Lina, and Serene knew what happened inside because they refused to talk about it afterwards.