We Hold Your Hand

Pairing: Mai x Leona x Athena

Genre: Romance/Drama

Disclaimer: I do not own King of Fighters or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! My name is Yuri! Now…I kinda feel that Leona should get more love. She's becoming another of my favorite girls in the King of Fighters series. She's the type that makes you want to hug her, if you know what I mean. XD Hehe! A-anyway! Please don't me mad at me with this pairing. I kinda feel that she deserves a waifu.

Please enjoy~!

Leona takes a walk once again in the busy streets, crossing her arms with her calm expression. She's…not been herself lately, especially when she's on her missions with her comrades. She says she's fine, but deep down inside, she's really not. Ever since that incident where she could not control her Orochi power and went berserk on two perverts who tried to molest her. They got what they deserved, but that wasn't enough for her really get rolling. But her rampage got interrupted by Mai and Athena and fought her in order to free her from the Orochi power. Now, it still lies dormant within her, but she promised herself to gain control of herself harder just in case it wants to come out on its own again. She knew what she did and the price she paid when she used it. She never, ever wants to hurt other people again using that intense power.

Just thinking about it makes her heart ache. She clenches a fist to her chest while looking back and forth at her surroundings. Thankfully they are minding their own business, but some of them are staring at her spectacular chest due to her being shirtless, only wearing a yellow tank top and wearing camouflage pants with black lace-up boots. She rolls her eyes at the perverts who are staring at her and just keeps on walking. She shows no emotion however while doing it. She has no time to lecture those who are undressing her with their eyes.

However, there are two familiar people who are just turning a corner. Mai Shiranui and her girlfriend, Athena Asamiya. The happy brunette notices the military girl and gives her a big wave.

"Heeeeey~!" she calls. "Leo-nya~! Over here, Leo-nyaaaaa~!"

Athena sweat drops. "Y-you're calling her that? Since when?"

Leona turns toward Mai with a cold stare. "I prefer you not calling me that, Mai."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was wearing that cat outfit while we were put in that dreary place," Mai shrugs.

"So that's the reason…." Athena now gets the picture.

"Say, Leo-nya~" Mai says. "Whatcha doing all by yourself? You can walk with us if you want~"

"I prefer to be alone," Leona simply says. "Now if you'll excuse me…" Before she turns to leave, Mai grabs her by the wrist.

"Awwww, come on!" the brunette whines. "You got that lonely look on your face while walking, so that tells me you DON'T want to be alone."

"None of your business…"

"It is my business. Now, come on!" Mai tugs on her until she's in the middle of the couple.

Athena giggles nervously. "D-don't mind Mai. She's really out of it today."

"No I'm not!" Mai declares. "I'm just trying to get Leo-nya to interact more~"

"And I keep telling you not to call me by that name," Leona closes her eyes.

"Too bad! I'm calling you that from now on!" the brunette spits a raspberry and links arms with the bluenette and the idol does the same.

"Wh-what are you two doing?" Leona asks.

"What's it look like~?" Mai says. "We're walking together! I don't want to separated from you!"

"Me neither~" Athena agrees. "Leona-san, you should really open up more."

The bluenette closes her eyes again. "No thanks. This is rather…awkward being with the two of you."

Mai pouts adorably. "Heeeeey…!"

"Ahaha…this was YOUR idea, Mai," Athena points out.

"I know, I know! I want to spend some time with Leo-nya! She hasn't been with us since that incident!"

"You mean that was a month ago?" Athena asks.

"Exactly," Mai says turning toward the bluenette. "She hasn't spoken to us for a long time, even when I tried to contact her."

"I…I had some things to do, that's all," Leona says. It isn't a total lie, but she keeps part of it a secret.

"Really? I'm really feeling it's more than that," Mai says, stopping and turning toward the military girl. "You mind telling me what it is, Leo-nya?"

"M-Mai, let's not put pressure on her," Athena says, waving her hand. "I'm sure Leona-san has her reasons for not telling us what's going on."

"For an entire month?" Mai says, putting a hand on her hip.

Leona doesn't say anything for a minute. She avoids eye contact with both of them as she walks ahead of them, head down with her long bangs covering her expression. Her fists are clenched, but only for a bit before loosening them. She cannot let her emotions take control of her and her Orochi power will be released a lot sooner than she'll realize.

"Listen, you two," she says softly. "A lot of things have been on my mind lately. And…I don't want to talk about them right now."

Mai and Athena exchange looks. She DOES have a point there, but…they can't help but feel a bit bad for her if they leave her alone like this. Mai gently puts a hand on her shoulder with a smile on her face.

"Hey, Leo-nya," she says. "If you really have problems, talk about them with us. We're your friends, remember? If it's anything that we can help you with, please just say the word~"

"That's right!" Athena agrees. "You'll realize how close we'll be if you do that."

Leona looks back and forth at the two. Their sincere smiling faces tell her that she can trust them. She lets out a soft sigh.

"Alright. Why don't we go somewhere private, then?" Leona suggests.

"No problem! To my home, away~!" Mai pumps a fist as she walks ahead of the two girls.

"Wait, we're going to your house?" Athena asks.

"Of course! Almost no one is there at this time, so we got plenty of privacy!" Mai says. "Now let's go, let's go!"

Leona thinks about it for a moment. Athena puts her hand on the bluenette's shoulder to give her a reassuring smile and encourages her to follow her girlfriend. It takes about 20 minutes for them to get to Mai's Shiranui compound. When they arrive, they go to Mai's room and the brunette offers some tea for them to drink while they talk. Leona just sits there, emotionless as she just stares at the cup of tea Mai just served her while the ninja sits next to her girlfriend, sharing a few giggles here and there. Then, they look up at the military girl.

"So…do you want to tell us what's bothering you?" Athena asks.

Leona hesitates as she shifts her eyes to the side. Should she tell them? It HAS been a month since she last spoke with them. She's not the type that would show her true feelings. That's another reason why it's so difficult to tell how she's really feeling. But…they are her friends and she should trust them as they trust her. They know she's never going to be the same murderous person she was back then. She takes a few deep breathes and lets out a soft exhale.

"You know how I went berserk that one time?" Leona says.

"Yes?" Mai says.

"And…and you two saved me?" Leona continues. "Well…I was thinking about that day…the day where I couldn't control myself….and I murdered two people. Yes, they deserved it, but when I was fighting you two…I…I almost killed Mai." She looks down at the floor, clenching her fists. "I couldn't help but think about what I did. Last time I did something like this and went back to normal…I couldn't forgive myself. And now look what I almost did to Mai."

"But I saved you!" Athena says, gesturing towards herself. "Sure I had to fight hard to subdue you, but it was all worth it. I treated Mai's wounds later on, so she's okay. See?"

"Yes, but like I said, I can never…ever forgive myself about what I did that day," Leona says.

Mai shakes her head. "Sure you can. It's all in the past now. I'm okay. I'm fine, see? Athena's really good with treating wounds. So you don't have to worry about it anymore."

"I-I see…" Leona's eyes remain on the floor.

Athena decides to step in and gently take her hand in hers. "Listen, Leona-san. I know you're carrying that burden from that day, but I want you to know that you're never alone. That's what I told you when I was freeing you from the Orochi power." She gently puts her hand toward her own chest.

"A-Athena!?" Leona gasps.

"Can you feel it?" the idol says softly. "This is my heart beating…beating for you. You may not realize it but…I fell in love with you when I hugged you like that. Yes, I'm with Mai, but that doesn't mean that I can't love another at the same time. Mai actually didn't mind when I told her this earlier."

"Huh? She knows?"

"Yup~!" Mai replies, waving her arm. "Lucky for you, I'M in love with you, too! We can't be left out, right, Leo-nya~?"

Leona looks back and forth at the two girls and then down at her own hand being held by Athena's. A couple tears fall freely from her eyes, down her cheeks and dropping on the floor. More and more tears start to fall as she gently takes Athena's hand, puts it close to her cheek while crying softly.

"Mai…Athena…" she whispers. "What did I do…t-to deserve you two?"

The ninja and idol embrace her from both sides with soft smiles on their faces.

"You're accepting us~" Mai says, kissing her on the cheek. "That's really good~"

"Thank goodness!" Athena agrees.

Leona turns toward Mai to get a full on first kiss from her. The brunette cups both hands to her cheeks as she does this until they pull away for Athena to have her turn. Those kisses are so soft and moist to Leona. She has never felt this way before. But now Athena and Mai are showing her the meaning of true love. She kisses both of them again for the second time before pulling away, gazing into each other's eyes.

"You see, Leo-nya~?" Mai says. "You're never alone. We'll always be there to hold your hand, to help you in need. You understand?"

"We love you, Leona-san," Athena whispers as she embraces her around her neck. "Please…stay by our side for as long as we live…"

More tears drop from Leona's eyes again. She hasn't shown THIS much emotion in a long time. And in fact, she WANTS to show it. Because Mai and Athena are the two people she trusts very well. She closes her eyes as tears fall and nods her head.

"Yes…I will…Mai…Athena…" she whispers back.

And so this three way relationship starts immediately. Leona will never be alone again thanks to Mai and Athena being so helpful and supportive. It'll truly be unforgettable for her.

A/N: I REALLY hope I got Leona's character right. Yes, I looked it up, don't worry! I did my research before doing this sequel!

Long and detailed reviews like always.

Have a nice day~!