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Butterfly Effect - The idea, used in chaos theory, in which a very small difference in the initial state of a physical system can make a significant difference to the state at some later time, so called from the notion that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings may set off currents that will grow into a large storm.

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;

For want of a horse, the rider was lost;

For want of a rider, the message was lost;

For want of the message, the battle was lost;

For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost,

And all for want of a nail.

It was during their first moment of truly carefree happiness that Quiet felt, even if just for a moment, that she was not in control of herself.

While the parasites that permeated her skin and kept her alive would give her urges and try to dictate her behavior, she was always fully aware and in control of her actions. Being in direct symbiosis with "the Ones that Cover" for survival meant that she was less susceptible to blindly following their suggestion, ironically enough.

Imagine her surprise when the first true challenge to her willpower in a long time came not from the parasites, but from being held by Big Boss under the rain after she had nearly crashed into him during their little game. As the clouds parted and rays of sunlight filtered through, she stared into his eye for a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity of bliss.

She had never experienced such a strong impulse in her life before, as the desire to close her eyes and lean forward to meet his lips overwhelmed her.

The flapping of birds overhead broke her from her thoughtless reverie, and with that, she came back to her senses.

Their gazes wandered at the clearing sky above until they met once more, and then she softly broke away from his warm grip. Picking up her boots, she vanished from his sight, effectively turning herself invisible. She rounded a corner, pressed her back against a metal wall, and let herself slide down it until she was sitting on the floor.

What was wrong with her? She was thinking and acting like a lovesick schoolgirl, not a highly-skilled soldier! Or, at least, how she'd expect a lovesick schoolgirl to think and act; she had no firsthand experience on such matters herself. She had been fighting since she could remember, so she had never really stopped to think about what romantic entanglements entail.

Revolver Ocelot's words echoed in her head.

"She's in love with the legend."

At that moment, she had felt like her whole world had been laid bare. She might not wear much in terms of clothing (due to her unique circumstances), but she had never felt so naked or vulnerable before. Her whole body felt like it was at the verge of melting, and she was sure it had nothing to do with the salt water she had been doused with just moments earlier.

Even if she could speak, she wouldn't have tried to refute those words. She had started to realize the nature of her attraction when she leaned in to look outside a window in the helicopter and accidentally gave him a good view of her "assets". His stoic demeanor would be unquestioned by ordinary people, but Quiet was far from ordinary these days. She noticed the nearly-imperceptible flush on his cheeks that would've fooled anyone else as he stared forward vacantly, acting as if he were deep in thought. Since then, she gave him plenty to look at as they traveled aboard the Aerial Command Center. She enjoyed feeling his eye on her, being the sole object of his focus even if he pretended she was not…

Maybe she had lost control far earlier that she'd realized.

Yet, despite how troubling that was under the current circumstances, she felt so, SO good…

These emotions, completely foreign to her until now, were a sweet and delirious torment she wanted more of. So much more.

Thinking like a lovesick schoolgirl was so very pleasant…

"Child, are you well?" the voice of Code Talker, the old parasitologist, brought her back to reality as he vocalized the question in their native tongue – Navajo. He worked the pushrim of his wheelchair, moving closer to where Quiet was sitting.

All she did for a few seconds was nod dumbly. "I'm fine. I'm fine," she replied in the same language. "I was just thinking, Elder."

"About the Snake?" The corners of Code Talker's mouth curled upwards. "I shouldn't even be asking something so obvious, should I? After all, anybody could see why you would be troubled, after the events that just transpired."

"Y-you were watching?" Quiet's head jerked upwards towards the old man, her cheeks tinting a deep crimson as the pigmentation around her eyes changed to resemble an ink blot in the shape of a butterfly.

"It was not my intention. I was simply nearby at the moment it happened. But it is a good thing, young one, that there are other things in your life outside of fighting and seeking revenge."

Quiet cast her vision towards the floor. She had explained the whole situation to Code Talker the day she had been tortured, and how a part of her still wanted revenge, so at that moment, she had refused his offer to take the treatment that would rid her of the vocal cord parasites within her. So she vowed to never speak the English language again – that way, she would not endanger Snake while she could stay here in Mother Base, most likely to the chagrin of the majority of the staff.

But that little moment under the rain had actually come close to endangering him, even if what her whole being was screaming at her to do was to show affection.

Kazuhira Miller's words now resonated with her. "His life isn't yours to take."

She didn't want to take Big Boss' life – if anything, she'd want to offer her life to him.

So what was more important to her: revenge, or being with Snake?

Why was she so driven to taking revenge, anyways? She had tried to assassinate the legendary soldier, and got set on fire and fell down several stories for her trouble. Her internal organs were ruined, yet here she was, still alive. Ironically enough, it was her failure to kill Big Boss (twice!) that's given her the opportunity to actually meet the man behind the myth and develop feelings for him.

Shouldn't she be glad that, for once in her military career, she had failed a mission objective? It was a strange way of thinking, but if it wasn't for that failure, she'd still be an XOF assassin, performing wet-work as ordered of her like a machine with no other purpose but to follow orders. Here in Mother Base, despite the friction she had with the great majority of the staff, it was different.

She had lived her life up to that point as if she were dead.

Ironic that it took for her to have one foot in the grave for the events that would make her feel alive to transpire.

Not only that, but recently, she had dreams in which she had to speak in order to save Snake's life, and then leave him forever, to die alone, without ever being able to express her feelings to him face to face. Every time she'd wake up from those dreams, her eyes would be wet with tears.

What if a situation like that came to pass? Could she bear to have to leave him?

At that moment, Quiet realized that her desire for revenge wasn't all that important, and that she valued other things far more.

"Elder…about the Wolbachia treatment…"

About a week had passed since Quiet had subjected herself to the treatment to sterilize her vocal cord parasites. While the process would take much less time in a normal person, she was a different matter altogether.

"We must first isolate samples from 'the ones that cover' that live on your skin, as the Wolbachia will also affect them," Code Talker had said. "The parasites on your skin will eventually die off if males are not present to continue reproduction, greatly shortening your lifespan. To prevent this, I'll return the male samples to the community of parasites that live on your skin once we have confirmed that the English strain in you no longer presents a threat."

That she was undergoing treatment was currently a secret only she and the elder man knew about at the moment, so that meant that her role as Venom Snake's field support remained unchanged. She wouldn't have it any other way; she knew the Boss could handle himself just fine when going solo, but she'd much prefer to be out on the field with him than cooped up in Mother Base.

(Plus, she could always get a good look at him in action through the scope of her rifle. She enjoyed that a lot)

As the Pequod took them to the area of operations for their next mission, she could hear Snake's breathing through the deafening noise of the helicopter's rotor blades, which had taken a peculiar, regular rhythm. Turning her head to face him, she came to meet his sleeping countenance. This was the first time she had seen him drift off while they were in flight; he must've been extremely tired.

A mischievous idea sprung forward in her mind, as she slowly and silently approached the sleeping figure. His prosthetic hand lay relaxed on top of his lap as he quietly slept. Taking a seat on the floor next to him, she placed her right hand on top of his own mechanized one.

She blushed as she realized what she just did. This was her first time holding someone's hand in this way, and even if it was made of metal, her heart began to beat faster.

A little yelp escaped her as she noticed the pilot, Swooping Hawk, had turned his head back to look at what she was doing. She became ever redder as the pilot of the Pequod studied the situation. If she could still sweat, she'd be doing it right now.

The pilot of the Pequod (referred to simply as "Pequod" himself by his comrades in honor of the aircraft he commandeered), flashed her a grin and a thumbs up. "Nice goin', Quiet," he whispered as he turned back to mind the controls and the sky ahead.

Quiet let out a sigh of relief at this. Maybe she could enjoy holding onto his hand for a little while longer…

"It's your fault! They're dead because of you!"

If Quiet had something, anything she could toss at Emmerich right now, she would be doing so.

How dare he?! Snake was already in enough anguish, already!

"What?" Miller answered angrily at the accusation.

"He's right," interrupted Snake. "I killed them, with my own hands." Despite the stoicism in his voice, Quiet could feel the sorrow behind those words.

"They were on your side! I'm on your side! And you turned them all to ashes," mouthed Emmerich, making Quiet want nothing more than to stop holding her invisibility camouflage and put the hurt on that man. Must he turn everything about himself?

Thankfully, Ocelot patted that man's shoulder and made him back off, so there was no reason for her to stop being invisible. She wanted to be here for this, after all, but she knew full well she was not exactly welcome in the eyes of most of the Diamond Dogs. She didn't want to interfere in their mourning.

The ceremony continued. Rather than giving his men a burial at sea, Snake caked his face in their ashes. "We'll make diamonds from their ashes," he told Miller once the latter asked what they would do instead. "Take them to battle with us."

It was no wonder why so many would put their differences aside in order to work under this man. Why she was smitten with him despite her never holding these feelings for anybody before was no mystery, either.

"We are Diamond Dogs."

She hoped that included her, too…

Hours later, the crowd dispersed, everyone returning to their posts. Snake and Miller exchanged words she could not make out, and afterwards, he was alone on the helipad, staring at the night sky ahead, as if lost within a world of his own creation.

She just stood in place, taking in the coolness of the sea breeze. She wanted to reach out to him, do something, anything, for him.

"Quiet." His voice startled her. He knew she was there?

"Thank you," he softly muttered. "For being here."

No longer being able to resist, she ran towards him while making herself visible. Her arms wrapped around his midsection from behind, and she pressed her head against his shoulder. He was warm… but she could feel his heart beat slowly, filled with sorrow.

They stayed like that for a good long while. Under different circumstances, she would have savored the moment, but for now, all she could do is hope the words she cannot speak reach him like this.

"Sorry I didn't say anything while Kaz tortured you. I was afraid that if I said anything, he'd try something more drastic next time." She gripped him harder as he said this. So that was it…she closed her eyes and focused on the rhythm of his heart.

After some time, Snake turned around, breaking her hold on him. "I'll see you later." A bittersweet smile adorned his lips as he spoke those words.

Quiet hoped that he understood what she wanted so desperately to say.

You are not alone.

"Are you certain about this?" Code Talker asked as she paged through her medical report.

"Yes," Quiet replied in Navajo. "Please deliver that message for me. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

After a month in treatment, the English strain within her was finally gone. She was no longer a transmission vector. With this, she turned her back on her desire for revenge. With this, she hoped, she could become a Diamond Dog just like everyone else in this offshore facility.

No, not just like any other Diamond Dog. She wanted something else, too.

"Did you manage to do that other favor I asked of you, Elder?" she asked, still in Navajo.

"Yes," replied Code Talker as he placed a green box the size of a textbook forward. "Although I cannot understand why you would need these. The young men of the Research and Development team were surprised at such a request."

"I have something in mind," Quiet replied in her native tongue as she took the box under her arm. "Elder…thank you so much. For everything you've done."

The old man smiled warmly. "It was not a problem. Just live for yourself, young one, and do not be chained by the past anymore."

Quiet nodded, vanished, and headed back towards her cell. As she walked back, she noticed Pequod high up in the air. Did that mean that he had dropped Snake on the Medical Platform? Using her abilities to quickly jump atop a nearby crane, she saw as he entered an area still under construction not far from her cell. She then proceeded to scan the deck, and was pleasantly surprised that there was nobody outdoors at the moment. Perfect.

She opened the box Code Talker had given her, and pulled out a pair of pistols from inside. Making her way towards the door Snake had stepped into, she picked a nearby corner and flattened herself against the wall, holding one of the weapons in her hands and leaving the other one lay on the floor. After a few minutes, Snake stepped out the door. Peeking out of cover, Quiet took aim and pulled the trigger.

A tiny jet of cold water hit Snake on the cheek. "Wha-?!" He exclaimed, startled at the sudden attack. Quiet giggled as Snake wiped the water off his face. Maybe a little "revenge" here and there wouldn't be so bad, if it's like this.

"Quiet…? What was that all about?" Snake flashed a tiny smile at her. She bent over to pick the water pistol she had left on the floor (and made sure to take just long enough to give him a nice view like she often does in the helicopter) and presented it to him.

"Oh…so that's what you want. Alright. I'll play along."

Accepting the water pistol Quiet was holding out for him, Snake nodded. "On the count of ten."

The rest of that afternoon flew by as the two engaged in a mock battle with water pistols. Despite Quiet's superhuman abilities, Big Boss was still a legendary soldier and was more than able to keep up with her. The first deck of the Medical Platform was their battleground, floors and walls slippery with the water of missed shots.

"Damn, need a reload," Snake growled under his breath. There should be a faucet just around the corner…

But he stopped in his tracks as he felt an object poke his back, accompanied by soft humming. He raised his hands and let out a soft chuckle. "I guess you win this one," he said as he turned around to face her. Granted, he could use CQC and turn the tables, but that'd be overkill for a lighthearted game like this.

Quiet kept aiming the water pistol as a sly expression adorned her countenance. Taking a step towards Snake, and then another, and yet another, she got closer and closer to her quarry, never breaking eye contact. She wrapped her free arm around his neck, bringing their bodies closer, the toy pistol pressing against his belly.

His warmth was intoxicating.

"Eh?" Snake froze in place, waiting for her next movement.

Quiet simply inched closer towards his lips, closing her eyes partway.

"Quiet, wait, the parasites in you…"

She tossed the toy pistol aside, and brought her now-free right hand to his face, cupping his cheek. Pulling back her face a little, she stared into his eye, shook her head, and gave him a gentle smile. Next, she pressed her forehead against his, careful not to disturb his horn, and closed her eyes, hoping he understood the gesture.

"All right…" Snake murmured. She could feel his breath getting closer. "I trust you…"

Hearing him speak those words from him sent a jolt of pleasure through her whole system.

When their lips connected, the feeling was compounded, and the world around her became a hazy dream.

She let out a soft moan within his mouth, and shivered as his strong arms snaked their way around her body, the coolness of his metallic prosthetic against her lower back causing her to shiver slightly.

Snake broke the lip-lock and stared into her eyes as she fluttered them open. Despite breathing through her skin, she could only describe herself at the moment as being "absolutely breathless". Snake's real hand parted with her body and his thumb rubbed gently at the corners of her eyes. "What's with these?" he asked.

She hadn't noticed during the exhilaration of their passionate moment that her eyes had welled up with tears. Smiling sheepishly, she nestled against his chest.

"We should probably go somewhere else," Snake admitted as he caressed the back of her head.

They broke the hug, and Quiet grasped his hand, the flesh-and-blood one this time, while vanishing away. Even if she was invisible, Snake could feel her fingers interlocked with his.

The next thing Snake felt was a peck on his cheek.

"Heh, aren't you getting touchy-feely? All right, let's go somewhere more private."

Quiet couldn't help but think that from then on, life was going to be great.

Butterfly Effect / Chapter 1 [Divergence Point]