Changes (Kaito Tenjo)

Chapter Eight: The Surprises

"L-Lala..." He picks up a shirt off of his bed and pulls it on.

"Umm, what're you doing here?" He asks, then coughs.

"I brought you some work you missed out on." I hand him a folder, which he takes and places on his desk, which is already stacked with papers.

"Wow, Kaito...have you got a job or something? I've never seen so much paper." Kaito sits down on his bed, and casts a glance at the desk.

"I'm an astronomer. I research all the Dimensions, and since you told me about the others, you have supplied incredibly useful information. I think I'm ill because of overworking."

"Oh. Is there anything I can do to help?" He shakes his head.

"Unless there's anything else about these dimensions that you know about. Particle structures and the sort."

"Oh." I sit on the edge of his bed whilst he sits on a spinning chair. He chews a pen whilst analysing data; it's the same thing he does in his IT classes. He sits next to the door and when I'm waiting for him, I often mouth conversation.

"So, apart from giving me more work to tire myself out on, was there another reason you came?" He turns around and smirks at me.

"You know, like the fact that you couldn't stand the day without me?" A sly smirk appears in place of the concentrated frown from a couple of seconds ago.

"There's my Nova Boy."

"You're making me sound like your pet dog, Lavinia. Since when did I become your property." His tone is playful but also a bit serious.

"Tenjo Kaito, did you just call me Lavinia?" Nobody ever calls me Lavinia, not even the teachers. The only person who does is my mother, but that's only when I'm not following 'proper royal protocol.'

"It's your name, isn't it?" He asks.

"Well, yes." I snap.

"But, no one ever calls me it. I dislike being called Lavinia. It makes me sound posh and elegant. Regal." Kaito lifts an eyebrow.

"But, royalty are supposed to be regal aren't they?" I sigh and smile to myself.

"I don't like being Royalty, Kaito-kun. I want to be like other girls. I want to be able to climb trees and scrape my knee without my servants following after me. I want to eat takeaway, not the cardboard tasting food from home. I enjoy travelling Dimensions because it helps me to define who I want to be. I shouldn't enjoy it, after all, as Mother tells me, wishing for an illusion you know is fake will only lead to a more painful downfall." Kaito places a hand on my shoulder.

"Lala...your mother is wrong. Haruto, my younger brother, wished for me to smile again, when all I did for almost two years was frown. Haruto...he had an illness. Everyone believed it to be incurable, but through duelling, we found a way. I had wished for so long that he would be healthy again, but everyone told us that it was impossible to cure him. Both myself and my brother have defied odds."

"Wow...I had no idea about Haruto. He seems so...lively. You'd think he's never been ill a day in his life. I may not want to be Queen, but I have no choice. I just wished being who I am in my blood meant being who I am in my head."

"Who are you in your head?" Kaito asked me. I found it comforting that I could talk to him like this and he didn't seem to judge me. I loved this with Kaito. How I could talk to him so openly.

"I'm Lala. Not, Her Highness, Princess Lavinia. I don't have to walk around in diamanté dresses or silk dresses or heels. I don't have to worry about tearing expensive material. As Lala, I can wear my hair down or in a scruffy bun or ponytail. As Lavinia, I have to wear my hair difficult does or tight does. When I'm Queen, I swear I'm changing the entire system. However, I can't ascend to the throne unless I find myself a King. Has to be someone powerful, capable of ruling and handling difficult situations with ease." I sigh heavily, remembering when I was first told this information. If only I could confess my true feelings to Kaito: I'm sure he could fit the bill, however I wouldn't want to inflict all of the pressure of being royalty upon him. When I look up from the floor, Kaito's grayish blue eyes are looking directly at me.