Disclaimer: I do not own Kaleido Star.
A/N: This idea kind of popped in my mind in a split second. No, it's not Leon's birthday. It's not even close to it. He's a SCORPIO! But, I just couldn't wait that long. So, I decided to right it now, and post it while I still had the idea fresh in my mind. I hope you enjoy...and please review!!
The Perfect Gift
By:littlemissvampire21
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"Happy Birthday Leon!"
Everyone greeted me the same way today. They always said 'Happy Birthday Leon!' or 'You're 19 now!.' I personally don't need a reminder of my age, nor the date. Instead, I would like peace and quiet. However, that won't do in a place like this, especially if Ms. Sora Naegino is around.
I looked around the crowded room, only to find Sora near the back next to Layla. Ever since the 'Angel Act', I must admit that our relationship is growing stronger, however, she still bothers me entirely too much. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted another one of my "friends", Yuri Killian. He smirked seeing that my attention was on him.
I flipped my hair around, ignoring his small gesture and made my way to the center of the room. The crowd shifted toward my direction. Looking around, I saw gifts in their hands. I sighed and sat down in a chair, only to have a shower of gifts coming my way. Various people were trying to hand me their gifts all at one time.
I grabbed for a simple gold one. Looking at the wrapping style, it seems as if it were a book. If I were to guess, this one was probably from Mia. Opening the card, I found myself smirking at the name scribbled on it. Mia. Of course, that was only to be expected. I carefully unwrapped the paper and found a manuscript of "Swan Lake." Where does she find this stuff?
"Thank you Mia." I tried to give her a smile. In the end, I'm not quite sure if I succeeded.
The whole day seemed to be moving in slow motion. I opened everyone's gifts, finding simple items that I didn't really care for, but out of the kindness of my heart, I still said 'Thank you.'
It had seemed like a full day, yet it was a mere two hours. Luckily, my birthday was on a weekend this year. Once everyone started to clear out, I grabbed all of my presents and headed toward my dorm room.
I set the pile of gifts in my bedroom and decided to sort through them. During the "party", I didn't have much time to actually see what they were. I only noticed the big details. Looking through the pile, I found books, picture frames, and all sorts of things. However, when I looked closely, I realized that I never received a gift from Sora.
I sighed it off, trying to think of the excuses she would give me. Does it look like I care? I don't care if she gives me a gift or not.
I got up and headed toward the kitchen. My gifts were neatly sorted now, and I decided to take a walk. Being stuck inside all day clogs up my mind. Fresh air is what I need. I walked down the slight hill, reaching the park nearby within five minutes.
Kids of various ages were playing with a frisbee. I also spotted a few high schoolers, by the looks of it, playing some soccer. Parents were chatting nearby and I could hear the sound of cars dealing with the afternoon traffic.
It didn't take long before I drifted off into thought. I didn't realize the young girl headed in my direction.
"Oh sorry--" I started off, but realized that she looked familiar.
Looking down, I spotted a large sum of purple-pink coloring. "Sora?!"
"Oh, hi Leon! I mean Happy Birthday Leon!" She gave me one of her famous smiles. I hate when she does that. It's hypnotizing.
"Hello Sora."
I didn't feel like talking now. After all, I was in the middle of a nice walk.
"Did you like your birthday party?"
I only nodded, though she saw the expression on my face. With that, she knew what I really thought of it. It's amazing how she understands my small gestures and expressions. I've never found anyone else who can do that. Maybe it's because we spend almost every waking hour of our work days next to each other.
"Yea, I guess some people were a little too over the top." She giggled.
"You think so?"
She nodded. We stood there, soaking in all of the noises around us. "Oh Leon, I forgot, what do you really want for your birthday?"
I looked at her. Her round, brown, puppy dog eyes were staring up at me. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I had a little trouble picking something out for you, and well--"
I stopped her. She said enough already. "There is only one thing I ask for, but I know that nobody can give it to me."
"What is it?" Sora leaned in.
I looked around the park, spotting all the families walking by. They seemed like they were all having a good time.
Sora looked at me. "Oh! You want a family...someone to love."
I turned to face the Japanese woman. "Don't tell anyone, okay."
She smiled and gave a small gesture that reassured me. I gave her a small smile and gestured for her to follow. We passed all of the families and children, walking toward the old cemetary at the far end of the park.
I took her to a small gravestone and kneeled. She looked at me for a second, then looked at the gravestone. Fluffy Oswald. She got the jift and kneeled as well. Sora never had the chance to meet him; in fact, I always hid him from view. I never told anyone about him.
When we were done, we carefully got up. As we walked back, I could feel her eyes on me.
"I didn't know you had a dog."
"I never told anyone." I whispered.
She paused for a moment or two. "You really loved him, didn't you."
"He was my only family." I looked down toward the ground. My mind was blank at that moment.
Sora struggled for words. "I-I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Today is the anniversary of his death."
My mind continued to feed my mouth causing me to say random things about my past. Why am I telling her these things?
Sora stopped. "I think I know what I want to get you."
I turned around to look at her. "What?"
She smiled and ran away. "You'll see!"
I shrugged and walked back to my dorm. I had some serious thinking to do. Sora was always different than the others, I must hand her that, but lately, I've been collecting a different vibe from her.
Just then, I heard a knock on the door. Did she get my present already? I slowly made me way to the large door that led to the outside world. There, I was met by, none other than Sora. Her hands were positioned behind her back. I raised an eyebrow, suspicious.
"It's the best I can do, but I can tell you one thing." She paused. "This gift is from my heart. I care about it deeply."
She slowly brought her hands toward me. In them, I saw a small stuffed animal. It was a white dog; it looked almost like Fluffy...but how did she know? I never explained in depth about him.
She must of noticed because she giggled and explained herself. "Do you remember that one time when the whole gang went out to eat? You were supposed to pay, but you had to go somewhere, so gave me your wallet."
I eyed her, giving her a cold look.
She back away. "Don't worry, it's not like I intentially looked through it. The picture just fell out."
I stepped back, thinking about the situation. My mind drifted off to that day. Oh yea! I always had that picture in there for a keepsake.
"I truly didn't mean to barge in." She continued.
"It's fine." I said and accepted the small gift. Looking down, I could feel my cold exterior melt away. I never showed anyone this side of me before. However, Sora's seen this side many times. "Thank you."
She nodded, and began to walk off.
"Wait!" I stopped her.
I ran up to her and bent down as if I were going to whisper something in her ear, but instead, I gave her a slight peck on her cheek. "Really, I mean thank you."
She looked up at me, a slight blush arose on her face. "N-no problem."
I stepped back and let her walk away. My mind was still blank, but I still couldn't help but think of her...just a little.
