Disclaimer: I don't own Kaleido Star characters. I just love this series that I was able to come up with this kind of story.
A/N: I've been thinking about this story for a long time and recently, I just finished watching Kaleido Star series again. And I had this crazy idea to write something about Layla x Sora pair. I love those two and I need to get this out of my system. I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments or reviews are highly appreciated.
Warning: Sora will be a male character in my story, just so you know. If you don't like the idea of it, maybe this story is not for you.
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An Asian male was briskly walking along the hallway of Bridgeford Academy. He sure was late for his supposed meeting with the owner of the academy, Kalos, at his office a few minutes ago. He checked his wrist watch again, puffed his cheeks, as he panicked. He's definitely running a little late.
On his way to Kalos' office, he bumped into someone that he shouldn't have.
Oh great! What an odd way of timing to make me later than ever. Sora groaned mentally.
A tall woman with long, golden blonde hair that fell perfectly on her waist, flawlessly accentuating her statures appeared before him. He had never seen a beauty like this. His heart immediately reacted on its own, making him speechless for a few splitting seconds of his life.
His Hazel brown orbs suddenly connected on her Coral blue eyes and for some reason, he couldn't look away. Now, his aching butt that kissed the cold floor right after he collided with her earlier was long forgotten.
He was snapped out from his daze and realized what was happening, his eyes widened. He stood from the floor while he rampantly bowing ninety degrees over and over.
"I… I'm so sorry. I'm sorry," Sora squeaked, feeling guilty about what happened. The female before him blinked several times, taken aback at how flustered the male was.
She made no movement, her face showed no emotion. She's busier than usual for her to dwell too much in this awkward situation with a man she had never seen before.
She moved a step backward, ready to leave when their eyes met again. The blondie slightly squinted her eyes studied his brown orbs, causing the male to look uncomfortable. But then again, she left her thoughts behind and sidestepped the guy because there was clearly an important thing to do than to stay along the hallway with a stranger.
She was a few meters away when she took one last glance at Sora and once again, brown eyes clashed with Coral blue eyes. She immediately looked away with her flushed cheeks. She somehow hoped that the man didn't catch that.
His eyes looks familiar, I think I've seen it somewhere. Layla wondered.
--
"Uncle, I just want to live a normal life at the Academy. No one has to know that we're related." Sora was firm with his request because he doesn't really like the idea of him being the talk of the town plus they might think that there's a strong connection conspiracy that's why he got in the Academy.
The original plan was to really admit Sora at the school without going over with exams and interview but the young boy was stubborn enough to refuse the easy way and insisted that he'll go through the process of getting in like everybody.
Kalos Eido, the owner and uncle to Sora, was sitting lazily on his leather chair with his elbow propped over his not so organized desk, full of paperwork, while his chin was over his palm.
"Have it your way. By the way, are you planning to check the theater club?" Kalos asked with a knowing smile. Sora shrugged.
"I can't let this day pass without visiting that special place, can I?" He answered distractedly as his mind wandered to his encounter with the goddess earlier. He was looking from afar outside the office' window, giving a good look at the skyline as some portion of it peeked through the windowpane.
"Uncle…do you perhaps know all the students here?... because I bumped into some pretty lady earlier on my way here."
Kalos raised his eyebrow, looking interested. His nephew was not the type to be interested at a girl, since he was so focused on his study. At least it was what Sora's guardian back in Japan had observed. Only one lady was on his mind the moment the young man blurted about a pretty lady, not that the other female around the school wasn't pretty but most of the male population was captured by Layla's beauty.
"By pretty lady you mean, the one with long, golden blonde hair and a pair of Coral blue eyes?"
Sora whipped his head toward his uncle because he just described the lady's features just exactly how he remembered it. By his reaction, Kalos already knew that he was right after all.
"She's a bit of a huge chunk of a walking ice glacier. But her eyes, there's another story behind it. Does she even smile?" With that question, the look in his eyes sparkled with interest to the ice queen.
"Uh-oh, you're in big trouble my nephew." Kalos' lips quirked up with a slightly teasing tone.
"She seems trouble to me, uncle." He murmured before vacating the room leaving the older male in his thoughts.
Kalos began to wonder how Layla would affect his nephew and vice versa. One thing for sure, everything would be interesting at his academy from now on.
--
The theater club members huddled around the stage when Mia had laid her plans for the play for the upcoming open house for the public at the school. They usually held it every year at Bridgeford Academy so that the profit of sold tickets of the show will be given as a donation for their charity. To add up with that the audience will have fun to watch their play which was a win-win situation. It became a tradition thing for the students of Bridgeford as their simple gesture to help other people who are in need.
Mia Guillem, a second year high school student and also a scriptwriter for theater club, had excitedly prepared a phenomenal tragic story of Romeo and Juliet for their next show. However, she hasn't decided on the climax of the story yet as she indeed needed an opinion of the others especially their president, Layla Hamilton.
"The climax of the story would be a fighting scene between Romeo and Juliet. They should kill each other in order to solve the war between their family clan but couldn't because of how their love resurfaced in the midst of killing each other." Just by imagining that scene, it made Mia's emotion electrified.
All of them agreed as they visualized how their president would portray the role of Juliet Capulet.
"Do we have to use swords for the fighting scene? Why don't we use guns to somehow add a modernization flavor to the story?" Yuri Killian, a junior and the vice president of the club, suggested and glanced at Layla for an approval.
But Layla was lost in her thoughts that she didn't even dare to pay attention to their small conversation about the play. The other members had anticipated for the goddess' response with expectant eyes but no one came from her. She has the last say on how the play should roll so they were really looking forward for her opinion. The young lady Hamilton was in deep thoughts of the guy she bumped into earlier along the hallway. Her eyebrows were knitted at the center.
Who is he? I haven't seen him before but his eyes bothered me a lot. It was definitely familiar and I couldn't figure it out. Damn. Layla groaned inwardly.
Yuri cleared his throat in hopes to get Layla's attention. He failed at his first attempt so he did that again, this time a little louder.
The blonde snapped out of her thoughts and blinked as she turned her head to her members and tilted her head in curiosity at the silence filling the room.
"We were just talking about our next show. Are you okay, Layla?" Yuri frowned. His hand automatically went on her back.
"About the play~"
She was cut off in the midst of talking when a loud thump came from the entrance and a small figure from afar entered, clearly unaware of the stares he's getting at. All their eyes were locked upon the approaching young man with his perfectly styled hair, his hair pushed back up revealing his forehead.
The members began to whisper with each other at the sudden intrusion of an unfamiliar man. Layla's brow went up and Yuri couldn't miss that reaction from her.
She usually displayed her stoic face to everyone but this one was different, she actually showed interest in that man.
Sora stopped on his tracks when he realized the situation. His eyes rounded in surprise and a bit embarrassed. He obviously didn't expect that the place was occupied.
"Hello everyone, I'm Sora Naegino. I'm a new student here. I don't mean to intrude. I just thought that no one was around since the doors aren't locked," He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I'm just checking this club. I'm sorry." He bowed with his polite gesture of bowing in ninety degrees just like what he did earlier with Layla. Upon lifting his head, his eyes unexpectedly connected with a pair of familiar blue eyes. He paused.
Layla began to walk toward him which surprised everyone. She wasn't the type to entertain people.
"We are not open for any auditions to accept new members, so I don't think you need to check this club right now." Layla was so straightforward about it, leaving Sora unfazed.
"For a second, I thought you're mute. You didn't utter any word earlier."
"I don't think I have to."
A build up of tension was real inside the theater and everybody, except for Yuri and Sora, held their breaths. The ice queen and the fiery newcomer looked at each other for so long that no one back down, equally stubborn.
Yuri let out a small laugh and tried to be the mediator as he introduced himself to the new student to somehow ease the tension. "I'm Yuri Killian by the way, vice president of this club and this young lady here is Layla Hamilton, our president."
He offered his extended hand to Sora for a handshake to which the latter accepted with a smile but his eyes never leaving Layla.
"Do you ever smile? You have to loosen up. You know wrinkles? They actually do happen." Sora pointed out, his lips slightly quirked up as he saw how Layla's eyes twitched for a brief second.
No one really dared to talk boldly to the ice queen like that. Even Yuri, the closest one to Layla among the rest of them, had to filter his words before spitting it out. Nonetheless, the new guy was brave enough to taunt the ice queen.
"What is he doing? He's actually calling his grim reaper for his death." One of the members had whispered to the other.
"Are you serious? What makes you think that you can talk to me?" Layla asked with her cold as snow tone that almost everyone began to shiver in fright.
"I can talk to you simply because you're talking to me as well. I'm just responding to you according to your replies." He grinned, breaking Layla's retort on the spot. She glared at him for a few seconds before regaining her composure as she gave him a flat look.
"You have to leave. We're quite busy here." Layla responded while flipping her golden blonde hair with her hands as she walked away and waited for another snarky remark coming from him but to her dismay, he just shrugged.
"See you around then, goddess." Sora flashed a genuine smile to Layla just in time when she faced him, leaving her in deep thoughts and curiosity.
Layla crossed her arms, a habit she usually makes when she's thinking. She closed her eyes briefly before facing her members, vaguely sidetracked.
Who are you Sora Naegino? She thought.
--
Sora had spent his whole time roaming around the academy to further familiarize his self at the place. This was definitely a long way for him at a foreign country. He didn't expect that he'll unthinkingly book a flight to America. Then his thoughts wandered to Layla, the cold, pretty lady at the theater. He was amused by her little antics when he's engaged in a conversation with her. She's somewhat careful of how she would behave, trying her best not to show any emotion. He suddenly felt the urge to unleash her emotions and from then on, everything will be interesting.
He marched down along the West Wing, taking the same path to the theater but before he even reached the front door of the theater, a small glass box located within the area had caught his attention. There he saw a gold cup, together with a picture frame of a familiar woman while holding the trophy. He hover the glass with his hand, tracing the face of the woman in the frame. His eyes began to water unexpectedly with a smile on his face.
"I missed you. I'm here now, and with all my might. I'm going to protect your stage." He whispered softly, his Hazel brown orbs filled with sorrow and pain.
His little grief was cut off upon the occurrence of one person. He was agitated by Layla's serious death glare, brows furrowing in annoyance.
"Don't you dare touch that! You just got here and you dare to touch things that you're not supposed to." Layla fumed in anger as she instantly approached Sora.
"I was just looking…" He trailed at her sudden outburst.
"Looking?! What if you break the glass? Get your hands off of this!" She glared, securely blocking his view from the glass box. She vowed to protect this memory with all her heart that she can't let anyone, especially a stranger to destroy it.
Sora looked straightly at her with his serious but gentle gaze. He doesn't know why this girl was so protective of that thing but he would never ever do something stupid to break it. On the second thought, he was glad that someone besides him was taking good care of his mother's memory.
"I know how important that is… believe me when I say I do. I'll just leave so calm down, okay?" Sora shook his head as he slid his hands in his pockets.
"Sooner or later, you'll be the death of me Layla Hamilton. Seriously, you don't have to stalk me by simply popping out of nowhere around me. All you have to do is ask, I'm more than willing to come to you." His mood suddenly changed from serious to a playful one which irritated the blondie.
She scoffed. "Don't think so highly of yourself, Sora."
"Awe, are we on first name basis now, Layla?"
She bit her tongue and pursed her lips, stopping herself from showing so much emotion to this man before her.
"You're so annoying." Layla said dryly.
"You're so pretty when you're annoyed." He teased. Her face was now in deep shades of red.
He chuckled. No one knew that the ice queen can be so shy like this.
"I mean it tho. You're pretty." Sora confessed sincerely in almost a whisper. Layla was taken aback by his sudden declaration. Her heart reacted involuntarily.
"Whatever!" Layla rolled her eyes and made a run somewhere far away from him.
She can't understand herself. She's not usually like this, to boldly feel several emotions in one day. She had perfectly built her walls to protect herself but that man, named Sora, could easily extract her emotions out of her system to that extent.
"You bother me, Sora Naegino." She sighed.
--
To be continued…