Recappy From the Last Chappy: Next to Sasuke, in the audience, Krystal plopped down, sinking low to sit the same way she had the day before as she rubbed her temples, sighing. "What's with you?" asked the Uchiha.
"Fangirls," was all the explanation she needed to give. Somehow, the gaggle had found them again. "Man, I'm tired. Wake me up when we go for lunch?"
"Okay," he replied and then gasped (in an embarrassingly loud way.) She had fallen asleep instantly, leaning against him and making his face turn red. Not again . . . . He did not move her, though. Calmly, he instead faced forward and watched as Annora fell again.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Elegant X Honor
He could remember, so well, when she was sixteen and as she grew years older. Watching as she learned the secrets of make-up; witnessing as she went through her first boyfriends; she had matured, gradually, right before his eyes . . . .
During adolescence, her hair had been jet-black, and she had the slightest hint of baby fat lingering with a full mouth, making her seem vulnerable. She had been so much more confident then, some would mistake it for arrogance. She had also been very much unafraid of flirting with an Old Timer like himself.
He recalled one particular incident, sometime before his debuting concert. She had only been around a few months less than him in the business, but at times, it was clear that he knew more. He was seated at a table in the middle of the AGA Agency, in the Earth Country, in the meeting room, working on song lyrics when she hopped up onto the table and slid over to him. "Hey, Old Timer!"
"It's 'Good morning,' in this business, Jail Bait. Respect your senpai," he replied, setting down his pencil.
"Oh, Jail Bait," she teased sarcastically. "Am I supposed to take that as in you find me attractive? I mean, you'd only go to jail if you tried anything with me." Her deep rosette lips formed a small grin, just barely flashing her pearly whites.
He smiled in return. "And that, is the beauty of 'if.' Rest assured, Jail Bait, I don't plan on doing anything like that with you, ever."
"Ever, huh? Sounds like a long time. Are you sure you can resist me that long?" she asked playfully.
He thought it over for a moment, humoring her. "Come back when you're wearing less make-up. You look like a prostitute."
Annora pouted, but brushed off the comment with a joke. "So you've discovered my night job. What are you writing, anyway?"
He handed her the paper, resting his cheek into the palm of his hand. "Just some lyrics I kept hearing in a dream, last night. Mostly. Some of them have changed, since then."
"Oh," she said, reading them over.
.:Xx♥xX:.
Into his hotel room, the present Yuuta and Annora entered, carrying with them a few snacks and cartons of Chinese take-out they had obtained from a nearby vendor in the name of their pre-concert tradition. The items were placed on the edge of the bed, along with the VHS of a romance starring Fujikaze Yukie. He looked at the tape, a little dismayed. Yukie was a good actress, and he did not mind romances, but they made for an awkward atmosphere. However, Annora had insisted she wanted to see it, and he lost the debate.
Annora kicked off her heels, sitting on the side opposite of him and also removed the chopsticks from her hair, earrings, too. Because the room was a tad stuffy, she unzipped her outfit a little past the collar bone. She paused-hand still on the zipper-blushed, and zipped it back up a smidgen. She realized the chances of anything happening were slim, but she could not help her nerves. It had to have been more than butterflies in her stomach. The entire population could not have been strong enough to give her the feeling she had . . . . Moths. Those could easily be mistaken for the same fluttery-winged insects.
Yuuta shook his head, a gesture unseen by her, as he could only guess what was going through hers and wondered again if she was maybe planning something. He laughed to himself silently, rolling up the sleeves of his dark blue dress shirt (he had changed out of the other clothes earlier; now, his jeans were not faded and he had a white shirt under the other one, which was unbuttoned to the bottom of his chest.) Annora was not that sort of girl, despite how she could speak, at times. No, because of her beliefs, he could be sure.
Another memory resurfaced itself, and his face fell. It was one he looked back on with mixed review. She had grown another year older, another year 'wiser;' had not quite matured much, mentally, but around the childish adults she met, she certainly was not to blame.
.:Xx♥xX:.
They were in the Lightning country, two weeks' worth of travel from their home in Iwagakure in the Earth Country. Awaiting the concert, they had arrived in Kumogakure days earlier ("they" being Yuuta, his manager, Annora and other backups.) Because of the way this hotel had been set up, the group had been able to rent out the entire floor; there were that many people.
"All right, Elegance, I've got fan mail for you," Bryan had begun as he opened the door to Yuuta's room with a bag in hand, fishing for the said items. "So soon as I find it," he muttered and then did, pulling out a large stack held together tightly in packaging twine. "There it is-" abruptly, he stopped. Only then had he looked up and noticed Yuuta was not alone. Teenage Annora waved at him with chopsticks in hand, the other being occupied with ramen. He frowned. "What's going on in here?"
Annora swallowed her ramen and said, "It's not what it looks like. It looks like we're two friends, eatin' ramen as we watch 'The Adventures of Princess Fuun,' but as soon as you close the door, Old Timer and I over here are gonna do it."
He looked at her disapprovingly, until Yuuta reassured him that she was jesting and leaned forward from using the headboard as a backrest to receive the mail.
"Oh, I see . . .," he said, looking at the two with a quirked brow. "Annora, I have a letter for you, too. From you mother-I think."
A sweat drop formed on her head, but she reached to receive it, anyway. "She knows I'll be back in only a couple weeks . . . ."
"Overall, it's a little over a month. That's too long without hearing from your kid, in parents' eyes," Yuuta had remarked distantly.
She made a face and thanked Bryan. As he left, he paused in the door way, and moved the door to stand ajar even further. "I want this door OPEN, when she's in here. Understand?"
Annora laughed and Yuuta put his head in his hand, shaking it. "Party-pooper!" the teen exclaimed.
"Not that there was a 'party' to be had," assured the celebrity as he began opening one of the fan mail letters. Bryan, shaking his head, left. "Huh. I got a marriage proposal."
"Well, it's about time you settle down, Old Timer. With your youth startin' to go and all."
"First off, I'm not that old. I'm twenty-nine. Can we keep the age jokes to a minimum, please? Second, I've been down that road already. Didn't end very we-" Oops.
"You were MARRIED before? What happened?" she asked loudly, clearly shocked. She stopped reading her mom's letter.
"It's . . . . I don't want to talk about it," he said sadly, eyes hard as ice. "It didn't . . . end well."
Pouting, she pestered him, still."Why? What happened? I mean, now that I think about it, you haven't had a girlfriend the whole time I've known you. Dates and 'lady friends,' but nothing steady-I can't even imagine you being tied down . . . . Did she do something to make you lose faith in women?"
"I told you I didn't want to talk about it!" he whispered fiercely, wary of the door standing open. "Nobody-I literally mean nobody-in this business knows and I'd'ruther keep it that way! Let it go!"
". . . ." His head was bowed, and the only view he had of her face was her mouth, lightly pursed and her hands, folded timidly. This had been the first time he had used a tone like that with her, ever. "They . . . say that you have to tell someone, in order for the poison to seep out . . . . Makes it easier to pull out the thorn."
"I've already talked," he replied, tame. "My sister knows what happened."
"So then that means only a little of the poison was let out, since you still have such a hard time. That thorn is driven in deep, still . . . . For some of those wounds, it will take more than one listening ear to heal," offered the girl.
Their eyes met, then. He saw something in hers, so soft, big, brown and sympathetic, curious, too. For a reason unknown to himself, he dropped his eye level and then stood, walked over to the door, closed it and locked it. Hesitating still, he started, "Her name was Zakuro . . . ."
.:Xx♥xX:.
One of the dreaded scenes in the movie distracted Yuuta from his reverie as Yukie and her male lead shared a heated kiss that, from what he knew of the movie, would grow to something more. He glanced to Annora peripherally, seeing her blush and stiffen, as well, and he realized that they were positioned quite close. The moment she looked to glance at him, he looked back at the screen, turning red himself as he started to sweat.
Sighing on the inside, he laid the side of his head visible to Annora into his hand, wanting to hide the evil shade from her eyes. To his dismay, and expectations, the couple on the screen were becoming more intimate, searching each other with hands and strengthening his discomfort. He shifted a small margin away from her, but it did not help. Hoping to reveal the tension with a small joke, he nudged her gingerly and said, "Hey, don't get any ideas."
She laughed nervously along with him, though her mind was screaming, Crap! Is it that obvious?
Then, they watched in silence, Yuuta's line not having quite the effect he had in mind, as it did not relieve much or for long. He used the hand that was holding his head aloft to rub his temple when, finally, the screen blacked into another scene: Yukie gossiping about the "best night of her life" with friends.
Annora sank a little, laying her chin atop folded hands in contact with the sheets. Momentarily, tension left her shoulders, as they slacked and her elbows spread with a relieved sigh . . . until her senses screamed all over again when she came in contact with him. No! she screamed mentally when she thought of moving. If I move like that, he'll suspect I like him-Just act like it's no big deal! Calm down, act normal . . . slow down, heart . . . .
She's so warm, he thought, laying down his arm as he glanced to her. Cradling the back of his head with the other hand, he used the alternative in gently brushing her arm with the back.
She raised her head, looking from the close contact to his face, immediately spellbound. Her eyes flashed from his to his mouth and back again. She swallowed, heat flushing her face as the moths and butterflies reproduced so that they not only filled her stomach, but traveled along every vein and nerve in her body. While he leaned in, her breath was drawn from her body, and she closed her eyes.
His warm air hit against her lips, sending a shiver down her spine. Her top lip was in contact hair-fine with his bottom lip for the briefest of time frames before he quickly withdrew. He came back again, touching his lips to hers, but not quite close or long enough to be called a kiss when high-pitched squeals from the screen startled them apart. It was Yuuta's wake up call, as he then rushed into the connecting bathroom.
Oh my God . . . I almost blew it, he thought chillingly, leaning with his back against the door, head hung back. So easily, temptation had come knocking, and like a young, naive child, he had almost answered it. He took in a deep breath, held it, and sighed.
"Y-Yuuta? A-are you okay?" asked Annora from the other side.
He opened his eyes widely. "I'm-I'm fine!" he squeaked. After clearing his throat, he spoke again. "I'm fine . . . . Be out in a moment."
"Erm . . . o . . . okay."
Sighing, he flipped on the light switch and trudged to the sink. The faucet poured a rushing fountain of ice-cold water that he cupped in his hands to pool and splashed on his face. With it trickling down his mug, he was able to cool and calm down. He leaned with his hands on the counter, observing himself in the mirror. What a flushed mess.
.:Xx♥xX:.
"Oh my, Old Timer," she had commented empathetically when he finished. Sitting up on her knees, she moved closer to him; squeezed him, gently. "I'm sorry . . . . How long has it been since you've seen Krystal? That's the daughter, right?"
"Yeah, she's my little girl," he answered, setting the base of his left palm into the corresponding eye, blocking the chance for tears. "I haven't seen her since I left. She should be 'round nine, now."
"I see . . . ." After a moment, she pulled back and clasped her hands over his, bowing, so they touched her brow. He saw her mouth move and only barely made out her words. "Dear Lord, hear me as I pray to thee. I ask of you, oh great one, to send one of your angels down to Earth, so she may heal the wounds of this man before me; cut the thorns from deep in his heart and pour into the hurt a mending power, instead of the rivers of salt he's faced.
"And please, merciful one, don't let him give up. Do not let this be the last time Old Timer experiences love. Let this angel of healing pull him from the darkness, release his demons. Don't let Zakuro's actions rule him and his ability to trust again . . . . In Jesus's name, amen."
As Yuuta heard this, he could not help the smile ruefully. Over the years, he had thought back upon this memory quite a bit. Little had she known, that she was talking of herself the entire time. She was the angel God had sent, who mended his wounds, pulled out the thorns-all that she had prayed for . . . .
.:Xx♥xX:.
Almost everything. If everything she has prayed for happened, then he supposed he would not be hiding out from her. But he was not ready for that. Not with her, not with anybody.
Another part of him argued that claim to be "crap." After twelve years, even he had to admit how pathetic that sounded-and how asinine the excuses were that he had been piling out of fear. He placed his forehead at the edge of the counter, arguing mentally. Groaning, he grabbed clumps of his hair and pulled-not hard enough to pull out, but enough to relax him a little.
Annora knocked on the door again, asking, "Are you sure you're okay . . .? It's been about ten minutes," in a way that he could hear the tinge of sadness.
Of course! Despite her density, even if she was not pounding on the door, demanding to know what happened, he could be sure there was no way she could have mistaken what nearly happened. She had wanted it, too, just as well as him, but since he had pulled back as rudely as he had . . . she probably thought she was being rejected.
If he told her the truth, he would have to tell her how he felt. On the other hand, if he did not explain himself, then she would possibly let go of whatever small pillage of hope she had held on to . . . and . . . possibly . . . move . . . on?
No.
.:Xx♥xX:.
He must be really upset, she thought woefully. What happened? Did my breath smell? Am I that unattractive? Is it our age? Disheartened, she poised her fist to knock again and readied herself to say his name, when he opened the door, finally. "Oh! Are you okay? Do you maybe have a fever? You're face looks flushed."
Yuuta shook his head, realizing he was right when seeing her discouraged look and heard the same tone in her voice. "No, there is no fever . . . but . . . ." He took hold of one of her hands with both of his slowly, still looking into her eyes, and rested it to his chest. "There's something a little strange about it's beating," he explained.
She dismissed her previous expression and looked at him with round-eyed embarrassment; gulped, taking into mental notice the pace of his heart. A strange discovery was made as she took her free hand and checked her own heart. In amazement, she looked up at him. "They're the same . . . . Our heartbeats-they're in sync!" Pin-drop soft, she questioned, "Wait . . . why would you're heart be beating so fast?"
Innocently, he smiled and stepped a little closer, lacing the fingers of one of his hands with her hand that was on him. "It's a strange condition. My heart only beats like this, for you."
Her pink blush deepened. "Wha-?" She was kissed on the forehead and went silent; the pink turned red. It was a wonder how she could stand stable as he rested his brow on the crown of her head. Smiling to himself, he whispered:
"You're not the only one, with these feelings . . . . I've loved that it was you're peaceful brown eyes on me, always. Annora . . . did you ever know, that I had mine on you?"
She immediately gandered up, looking into his eyes as she tried to comprehend what was going. Thinking aloud, she put the pieces together. "Those are like the lyrics of Eyes on Me."
"Mhm."
"Eyes on Me is a love song."
"Yes . . . ."
This time, she was more tentative. "Are . . . . You're in love with me, too?"
He nodded and gently took her hand, bringing both down to their sides as he steeped closer. Sweetly, he placed a prolonged kiss on her lips. Annora closed her eyes, taking in the impossibly adorable taste, until he withdrew.
At that moment, she reopened her eyes, gave a crescent-white smile, and laced her hands behind his neck. He pulled her in close, by the waist, grinning at her gesture of approval and meshed his mouth against hers again . . . and again . . . and again, deepening the last one by cupping the right half of her face. Her hands slid down to his chest, delicately holding onto parts of his shirt as her mind went into ecstasy.
Yelling from the TV interrupted them again. They both looked at it blankly and then to each other. Smiling, Annora walked over to the TV and pressed the power button, never taking her eyes off him. He smiled back, and welcomed her when she came back and kissed him again.
That night, Annora did not go back to her room. That night, Yuuta did not stare at the ceiling, wondering, but stared at it with dreamy eyes, knowing. They would sleep, sharing the same, content, lovely musical dream . . . .
My last night here with you?
Maybe yes, maybe no
I kind of liked it your way
How you shyly placed your eyes on me
Oh, did you ever know?
That I had mine on you
End of Chapter Twenty-Three
Next Time on .:Roses are Red:.! Chapter Twenty-Four: Blushing Rubies
"Nice going, Stupid."
"Shut up!" Krystal retorted, feeling around for a place where she could set the box down and did as such. Then, she looked for the doorknob, muttering, "Jeez, it's not like I locked us i-"
He heard her jiggle the doorknob angrily. "What?"
She mumbled something incoherently, but when he urged her to repeat herself louder, she said, "It's locked."
.:Xx♥xX:.
Aki's Author Corner
Just a few notes to be put in this Author's corner :) I'm glad I was able to get this out a little bit earlier, than normal. That's just cuz the next chapter came to me pretty easily, though -sweat drop- Anyway, there are some things I prolly should clear up.
Title of this Chapter: "Elegant X Honor." Basically, it's "Yuuta X Annora." "Elegant" is the english translation for "Yuuta" (kinda why his stage name is "Elegance") and "Honor" is the meaning behind Annora's name (though her name is actually English, already.)
Fujikaze Yukie: This is the stage name of that actress from the First Naruto movie that Team Seven had to protect. "The Adventures of Princess Fuun" is the movie she stars in that the team is watching at the beginning of it.
Iwagakure: Village Hidden in the Rocks. I accidentally said in one of the recent chapters (I'll fix it soon) that Yuuta lives in the Rock Country, when in all actuality, it should by the EARTH Country, instead.
Kumogakure: Village Hidden in the Clouds.
Annora's Beliefs: For those of you whom did not catch it, Annora is Christian. Part of Christianity is that you shoudl remain abstinent until marriage.
Lyrics at the End: Those are part of the lyrics for Eyes on Me, by Faye Wong, not myself.
Okay... So that should about cover it. The times of travel between Kumogakure and Iwagakure were an estimate based off of a map of the Naruto World (they have one on a website known as leafninja [.com]), so I may be wrong on those... Have any other questions?Leave it in a review or message me privately, you'll find the link to do so on my profile (just informing those who are new... It took me awhile to figure that one out XD)
.:Xx♥xX:.
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