Ugly
Angelica Diablo
Disclaimer: Don't own Ronins, Pumpkins wrote the song, do own Pirro and Jezzalyn,
and that's all I have to say.
"I don't look in the mirror
I don't like what I see staring back at me…"
Pirro began to wake up when she felt her bed moving under her. It was…breathing?
What the…?
She slowly made herself focus her foggy mind. Wait, this couldn't be her bed; she was
sitting up. Groggily she moved her head, her cheek sliding across the warm fabric her
face was resting on. Further investigation of her immediate surroundings let her know
that she had her arms around the something that was breathing. Wait a minute…
She forced herself to open her eyes and she found herself lying in Cye's arms. She must
have fallen asleep while they were talking or something. Before she could relish the
moment further she noticed what it was that had woken her up; the phone was ringing
in Cye's apartment. She pulled her head off his chest and blushed to find that they had
tangled their limbs together in their sleep. Quite an awkward position to be in after only
seeing each other face to face for one day.
She was about to try to wake him when he opened his eyes under his own power and
smiled down at her. "Good morning Pirro." He said in a morning-choked voice.
"Good morning to you too…but you better get up, your phone's ringing." She told him
in a soft voice.
"Everything is clearer
I'll never see what you see…"
Pirro was starting a pot of coffee when she heard Cye tapping lightly on their adjoining
bedroom wall. "Yes?" She called.
"Great news! That was Kento on the phone, my good friend I'm always telling you
about. There's going to be a get together at Mia's, and they want to meet you! Kento
says that he's heard so much about you over the past few months, but never meeting
you made him think you might be a ghost or something." Cye joked. He was obviously
excited to be seeing all his old buddies again. Yet Pirro felt as if someone had just
punched her in the stomach.
"Pirro? Can you hear me?" Cye asked through the wall when she didn't reply right
away.
"Yeah…" She answered softly.
"Well, its in three days, can you come?" He asked her hopefully.
Pirro paused for a moment to think it over. "Sure! I'd love to meet these people you've
been telling me about for the longest time." She said in a cheery voice that wasn't totally
her own.
"It's not me
So beautiful and free…"
"We'll meet Kento at his place before the party, then drive to Mia's together." Cye was
saying as they headed down the road in his car. Over the past few days they had made
plans together, and although Pirro felt deathly afraid of how his friends would react to
her, she was drawn into the excitement of Cye's contagious enthusiasm.
Pirro gazed out the windshield, holding on to her seat with a slightly tighter grip than
most people would. Cye glanced at her as he drove and asked, "What's wrong? Don't
like driving?"
Pirro blushed. "I rarely ride anywhere by car since I never really leave the apartment,
I'm just not used to riding at such a high speed." She confessed. It was true enough,
cars did set her on edge, but her main source of anxiety was still meeting his friends.
Cye smiled at her as he pulled into Kento's driveway. "Here we are." He announced,
then looked over at her warmly. "Come on." He said in a softer voice, sensing her
tension.
"I'll never be what you need
Can't help at all…"
"So what's with you? You look like you tangled with the wrong waffle iron or
somethin', what happened? Cye never told me you'd be all messed up." Kento asked in
his usual cocky voice, not really meaning to be insulting. He'd been expecting another
girl along the lines of Cye's usual girlfriends. Cye had the face to attract girls like
Jezzalyn, and even if Cye wasn't being biased, his girlfriends were usually – at least in
looks – similar to the beautiful Jezzalyn.
The scar-covered-one before him instantly looked hurt. "It was an accident when I was
younger." She said quietly.
Oh. Kento noticed Cye was giving him a warning look to not crack any more jokes
about Pirro's appearance at that moment.
"Hey, I was just joking with you. It's okay, right?" He asked.
When Pirro forced a smile, Kento grinned. "Come on, we're gonna be late." He told
her.
Pirro looked at Cye for a moment. Time seemed to stand still as she debated asking Cye
to take her home right then and there. Kento's loud voice cut into her thoughts as he
asked, "You comin'?"
Pirro nodded and followed him to his van with Cye at her side. Kento went against his
nature long enough to pretend he didn't hear Cye whisper to Pirro, "It'll be okay. You
don't have to worry, they'll like you."
"I was born so beautiful
But now I'm ugly…"
"Hey! How'd Sage beat us?" Kento complained grumpily as they pulled in front of the
manor. Sure enough, Sage's car was parked out front.
"Hey! Fashionably late as always Kento?" Sage shouted to them from the porch as
Kento and Cye climbed out of the van, Cye turning to hold the door for Pirro.
"Of course! With a fine Lady to boot!" Kento shouted back as he slammed his door
shut, a large grin spread across his face. Fortunately during the ride over Cye had
gotten Kento and Pirro talking, and soon Kento seemed to have won Pirro over aside
from his earlier lack of self-control when it came to what words fell out of his mouth.
"So just who is this mystery girl Cye?" Rowen's voice came from the doorway as he
stepped outside with Mia to greet the new arrivals. Mia was just smiling quietly as she
waited for Cye's reaction.
"Everyone, meet Pirro." Cye announced as he held out his hand to help her out of the
van, even though she didn't need it. He felt like being a gentleman at that moment.
"And I rot in my skin
As a piece of meat does, every day…"
Pirro had expected the shocked looks on their faces as she came into the light. Mia,
although she had tried to be discrete in her shock, hadn't been able to keep her hands
from fluttering up to her throat in surprise.
Sage noticeably shifted his weight, even though he was good at controlling and
concealing his emotions. Pirro was so used to spotting these things, she picked up on it.
Rowen had opened his mouth to apparently say something, but had stopped before
making a noise and it took him a moment to close his mouth again.
Pirro noted that all three of them had looked at her, then promptly looked away again so
as not to offend her. Yet it was their looking at the ground that offended her most. She
started to feel ashamed, and was again tempted to beg Cye to call the whole thing off.
She was even prepared to call for a cab so he could stay here and hang with his friends.
Who was she to begrudge him these people?
"I know I'm nothing…"
Pirro glanced from one to the other of them. Cye broke the tension quickly by saying,
"Well, aren't you going to at least say hello?"
"Yeah guys, don't be rude or anything!" Kento reprimanded them playfully, but he got
his point across. All three of them standing on the front porch appeared embarrassed as
they smiled at Pirro apologetically.
"I know there's nothing I can say
To change
The judgment in their ways…"
"I'm sorry Pirro." Mia was the first to apologize. "Please, come in. Ryo's inside starting
a fire in the fireplace, and White Blaze has apparently taken over the couch." She said
with a smile.
"Yeah, ever try to get a white tiger off a piece of furniture when he doesn't want to
move? It ain't easy, let me tell you." Rowen told Pirro with a smile.
"Tiger in the house?" Pirro asked, looking a little uneasy.
"Sure, didn't Cye tell you about White Blaze Pirro?" Sage asked, slightly ribbing Cye in
the process.
"Sure she knew about him." Cye said almost defensively.
"I just didn't think he'd be in the house…" Pirro said as she hesitantly followed the
others as they funneled into the house. Pirro had remembered Cye mentioning the tiger
plenty of times in his sleep, but she still found it hard to believe that this beast would be
not only in the house, but taking over the furniture.
"I'll never be what you need
Can't help at all…"
Once in the house they all gathered in the living room where Ryo had a nice blaze going
and was adding logs to the fire.
"Hey Ryo! Guess whose here!" Rowen called as they entered the room.
"What?" Ryo asked as he turned to look up from his creation.
Pirro was standing behind Cye, in the farthest area of the room from the fireplace. Ryo
noticed her and smiled awkwardly in her direction. "Hey, what's up?" He asked her.
"Not much." She replied, eyeing the fire. As the others chose places to sit down she
made her way to the seat farthest from the fire in the room. Cye noticed this as he sat
next to her but didn't say anything.
Pirro's skin was sensitive to heat, and she was still a bit afraid of the flames. Ryo
seemed to notice the look she had given the fire, and appeared to feel bad that he had
built it in the first place, but he sat down near it and smiled at the room anyway.
"My love was so beautiful…"
The room was filled with tension, even though on the outside everyone was happy.
Pirro did her part to keep the conversation going, but inside she was still nervous.
After about fifteen minutes Kento blurted out, "So where's the food? I'm starved!"
"Wow, you've been here a full quarter hour before you mentioned food Kento, a new
record!" Rowen commented. The whole group laughed as Kento puffed himself up and
acted proud.
On the way to the kitchen, Pirro took the course that kept her as far away from the fire
as possible. She was trying not to be edgy, but she just couldn't help it. Even though
these people weren't trying to exclude her, she knew that she just didn't fit in
completely. They had a deep past that held them together, and she just wasn't a part of
that…she wasn't a part of their world in so many ways.
Everyone helped themselves to sheet pizza buffet style, and then sat down around the
table to eat. Pirro was thankful for the excuse of food to not speak as much.
"But now I'm ugly
Yeah…"
Pirro almost dropped a piece of pizza in her lap when she jumped in surprise at what
she saw before her. Four figures, three men and one lady, had just appeared out of
nowhere.
"Hey Sekhmet, Kale, Kayura, Dais. How are you doing?" Ryo asked.
Pirro instantly recognized the names. Cye didn't seem to be surprised by their sudden
arrival; so she decided it couldn't be that big a deal. Then the warlords spoke. The first
thing out of Kale's mouth was, "Who the hell is that?" Indicating Pirro.
"She looks like something White Blaze dragged in." Dais muttered under his breath.
That was it. Pirro was through. She knew that with time she'd be able to fit in with the
others, they were at least making an effort to take her in. But these people? Nu-uh. No.
Way. She set her pizza down on her plate, stood up, turned around, and walked out of
the room.
As soon as Kayura saw Pirro leave she turned around and smacked both Dais and Kale.
She just felt like she needed to get out of the house. Run away, just like every other time
someone commented on her scars. Let them think what they wanted, and get away.
Always, every day, just get away.
Cye was angry. "What is with you guys today? Why do keep picking on Pirro because
of her scars?" The other Ronins and Mia fell silent and looked down at their plates. The
warlords and Kayura shifted uneasily.
"We didn't mean…" Kale started.
"Yeah. Right." Cye said as he stood to follow after Pirro.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
Pirro strode towards the road. On second thought she headed into the woods.
"I'm good enough but I'm not there…"
The shade of the forest felt good on her skin. She blinked back any tears that threatened
to spill over.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
She was hurt by the comments of the warlords, but also embarrassed by her own
actions. She didn't know which was worse.
"The sun is out but I'm not there…"
Why should she even care? She didn't know these people; she didn't have to. She could
go home and forget about them and live her life.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
Cye…That's why she cared. She didn't want to ruin his night, but she felt that her
actions already had. Guilt bubbled up inside of her and she quickened her pace.
"The sun is out but I'm not there…"
Why did she have to have come? She should have just told Cye that she couldn't make
it…Then he could have had his party and just come back and told her about it.
"I'm good enough, somewhere…"
She sat down at the base of a large pine tree and leaned back against it's trunk with her
eyes squeezed shut. She didn't even hear the soft footsteps following her.
"I'm good enough, somewhere…"
"Pirro?" Cye asked tentatively. She jumped slightly at his voice, but didn't open her
eyes.
"What? Look, I'm sorry for ruining the party…" She started.
"No. You didn't." He said cutting her off. "They shouldn't have said that to you." She
remained quiet. Finally she heaved a tear heavy sigh that nearly broke his heart. He sat
next to her and whispered, "Pirro…"
"I don't look in the mirror
I don't like what I see staring back at me…"
Pirro was pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and trying to stop her tears.
"I didn't mean to make such a stir…"
"I told you, it wasn't your fault. Stop thinking that it was." Cye instructed. "They had
no right to say what they did. I'm sorry you had to meet them if they're going to treat
you that way…"
"No." Pirro said. "They're your friends. They aren't used to people like me. I don't
blame them. It happens. It's my life. This is just how people act around me."
"They're good people. They shouldn't act like that."
"Cye, it's okay. They didn't know. Now they do. It's over." Pirro told him, knowing
she was visibly shaking no matter how much she tried to control it.
Cye was silent for several long moments while Pirro collected herself enough to wipe
her bitter tears away and look over at him. "I can't help it that I'm this way. They can't
help it. You can't help it. This is life. This is my life." She said, not realizing she was
shouting by the end of it.
Cye winced back when she screamed in his face. Realizing what she was saying Pirro
sat back and just looked at him. He was beautiful, he would never know what it was
like to be tortured daily because of his face. His perfect face, covering his perfect heart.
Pirro found herself crying again, though this time not because of what they'd said to her,
but from the wave of emotion she felt at that moment for Cye, but not daring to move or
speak for fear that her own mouth would betray her.
"Everything is clearer
I'll never see what you see…"
Cye was watching her closely. Suddenly he could sense a change in her, and instead of
looking at him with a forced calmness like a mask, she was sitting ridged and practically
holding her breath as she looked at him. Cye finally got her to meet his eyes, waited a
moment, then said, "Fine. It's over. We'll let it be if you want to Pirro. If you want to
we can go home right now. If you want to we can go back to the manner. If you want
to…we can, we can go to the moon for all I care! Pirro, they are my friends back there,
and I love them as family, and if they hurt you they're going to feel sorry and apologize.
I know they will. And if you give them time, like Kento, they will accept you too. But
for now, it's not them I'm worried about."
Pirro looked down at the dead foliage on the ground as if it were the most interesting
pattern of shapes she'd ever seen in her life.
"And I rot in my skin
As a piece of meat does, every day…"
"Pirro…" Cye whispered as he reached out and cupped the side of her face in his hand
to get her to look back at him. Her eyes flickered up to meat his. "Pirro, I don't care
what they say. You have been the best thing in my life. You have taught me so many
things with your words. You, Pirro, you have taken my burdens on as your own and
carried them with me in the dark, alone, living through a bedroom wall. I don't know
many people who would do that for someone else unless they had a good reason." He
told her.
Before Pirro could even part her lips to reply he'd caught her mouth in a kiss that sent
her mind reeling. Stars were bursting behind Pirro's eyes. Never before had any man
ever gotten close enough to so much as brush against her if he could help it. This kiss
filled her with such a longing to be close to him it overpowered her and she found
herself wrapping her arms around him and pulling him to her.
"I know I'm nothing…"
"Um, guys? I think we found 'em." Rowen announced uneasily. He really didn't feel
like breaking those two up at the moment.
Mia was looking like she might actually cry. She felt so horrible about what had
happened. Kayura was looking sorry herself, and Dais, Kale, and even Sekhmet were
hanging back after the tong lashing Kayura had given them.
After a moment Cye and Pirro broke apart when they heard Kento clearing his throat.
Both of them blushed as they turned their heads to see the entire party standing there
looking uneasy.
"Hey Pirro," Kento started. "Listen, we're all really sorry…"
"We didn't mean to hurt you like that, we didn't mean…" Ryo continued.
"It's not like we were trying to be cruel or anything…" Rowen cut him off.
Pirro waved them off, again turning her eyes downward to the ground. "Listen. It's
over now, okay? You didn't know." She insisted. "I didn't mean to…"
Cye cut her off with the wave of his hand. "Don't apologize for ruining the party
again." He told her. "You didn't."
Pirro nodded and kept silent, even though she still regretted running off. Well, almost
anyway. That kiss was worth it…
Pirro sighed again and slowly got to her feet with Cye's help. She looked up at the
others. Kayura walked foreword and said to her, "You haven't ruined anything." She
said assuringly.
"You know, I heard a rumor that there was ice cream back at the manor." Sage said, his
way of making a peace offering at that moment.
"REALY?" Kento asked, his mood suddenly lightened completely.
The whole group walked back towards the manor, the tension from earlier seemed to
have been broken now that the apologies had been made. Cye walked beside Pirro, and
after several moments he took her hand in his. "Pirro?" He asked tentatively, obviously
still slightly embarrassed that their 'moment' had been walked in on.
"Yeah?" She asked him in a fairly soft voice so as not to attract the attention of the
others.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine." She answered.
"Because I'm ugly…"
Authors Note: Please review and tell me what you think. I'm not gonna become a
better writer because one morning I woke up and found that someone hit me with a
talent stick. Please give me any ideas as to how I can improve; all your comments are
greatly appreciated. Thank you.
~Angelica Diablo
Angelica Diablo
Disclaimer: Don't own Ronins, Pumpkins wrote the song, do own Pirro and Jezzalyn,
and that's all I have to say.
"I don't look in the mirror
I don't like what I see staring back at me…"
Pirro began to wake up when she felt her bed moving under her. It was…breathing?
What the…?
She slowly made herself focus her foggy mind. Wait, this couldn't be her bed; she was
sitting up. Groggily she moved her head, her cheek sliding across the warm fabric her
face was resting on. Further investigation of her immediate surroundings let her know
that she had her arms around the something that was breathing. Wait a minute…
She forced herself to open her eyes and she found herself lying in Cye's arms. She must
have fallen asleep while they were talking or something. Before she could relish the
moment further she noticed what it was that had woken her up; the phone was ringing
in Cye's apartment. She pulled her head off his chest and blushed to find that they had
tangled their limbs together in their sleep. Quite an awkward position to be in after only
seeing each other face to face for one day.
She was about to try to wake him when he opened his eyes under his own power and
smiled down at her. "Good morning Pirro." He said in a morning-choked voice.
"Good morning to you too…but you better get up, your phone's ringing." She told him
in a soft voice.
"Everything is clearer
I'll never see what you see…"
Pirro was starting a pot of coffee when she heard Cye tapping lightly on their adjoining
bedroom wall. "Yes?" She called.
"Great news! That was Kento on the phone, my good friend I'm always telling you
about. There's going to be a get together at Mia's, and they want to meet you! Kento
says that he's heard so much about you over the past few months, but never meeting
you made him think you might be a ghost or something." Cye joked. He was obviously
excited to be seeing all his old buddies again. Yet Pirro felt as if someone had just
punched her in the stomach.
"Pirro? Can you hear me?" Cye asked through the wall when she didn't reply right
away.
"Yeah…" She answered softly.
"Well, its in three days, can you come?" He asked her hopefully.
Pirro paused for a moment to think it over. "Sure! I'd love to meet these people you've
been telling me about for the longest time." She said in a cheery voice that wasn't totally
her own.
"It's not me
So beautiful and free…"
"We'll meet Kento at his place before the party, then drive to Mia's together." Cye was
saying as they headed down the road in his car. Over the past few days they had made
plans together, and although Pirro felt deathly afraid of how his friends would react to
her, she was drawn into the excitement of Cye's contagious enthusiasm.
Pirro gazed out the windshield, holding on to her seat with a slightly tighter grip than
most people would. Cye glanced at her as he drove and asked, "What's wrong? Don't
like driving?"
Pirro blushed. "I rarely ride anywhere by car since I never really leave the apartment,
I'm just not used to riding at such a high speed." She confessed. It was true enough,
cars did set her on edge, but her main source of anxiety was still meeting his friends.
Cye smiled at her as he pulled into Kento's driveway. "Here we are." He announced,
then looked over at her warmly. "Come on." He said in a softer voice, sensing her
tension.
"I'll never be what you need
Can't help at all…"
"So what's with you? You look like you tangled with the wrong waffle iron or
somethin', what happened? Cye never told me you'd be all messed up." Kento asked in
his usual cocky voice, not really meaning to be insulting. He'd been expecting another
girl along the lines of Cye's usual girlfriends. Cye had the face to attract girls like
Jezzalyn, and even if Cye wasn't being biased, his girlfriends were usually – at least in
looks – similar to the beautiful Jezzalyn.
The scar-covered-one before him instantly looked hurt. "It was an accident when I was
younger." She said quietly.
Oh. Kento noticed Cye was giving him a warning look to not crack any more jokes
about Pirro's appearance at that moment.
"Hey, I was just joking with you. It's okay, right?" He asked.
When Pirro forced a smile, Kento grinned. "Come on, we're gonna be late." He told
her.
Pirro looked at Cye for a moment. Time seemed to stand still as she debated asking Cye
to take her home right then and there. Kento's loud voice cut into her thoughts as he
asked, "You comin'?"
Pirro nodded and followed him to his van with Cye at her side. Kento went against his
nature long enough to pretend he didn't hear Cye whisper to Pirro, "It'll be okay. You
don't have to worry, they'll like you."
"I was born so beautiful
But now I'm ugly…"
"Hey! How'd Sage beat us?" Kento complained grumpily as they pulled in front of the
manor. Sure enough, Sage's car was parked out front.
"Hey! Fashionably late as always Kento?" Sage shouted to them from the porch as
Kento and Cye climbed out of the van, Cye turning to hold the door for Pirro.
"Of course! With a fine Lady to boot!" Kento shouted back as he slammed his door
shut, a large grin spread across his face. Fortunately during the ride over Cye had
gotten Kento and Pirro talking, and soon Kento seemed to have won Pirro over aside
from his earlier lack of self-control when it came to what words fell out of his mouth.
"So just who is this mystery girl Cye?" Rowen's voice came from the doorway as he
stepped outside with Mia to greet the new arrivals. Mia was just smiling quietly as she
waited for Cye's reaction.
"Everyone, meet Pirro." Cye announced as he held out his hand to help her out of the
van, even though she didn't need it. He felt like being a gentleman at that moment.
"And I rot in my skin
As a piece of meat does, every day…"
Pirro had expected the shocked looks on their faces as she came into the light. Mia,
although she had tried to be discrete in her shock, hadn't been able to keep her hands
from fluttering up to her throat in surprise.
Sage noticeably shifted his weight, even though he was good at controlling and
concealing his emotions. Pirro was so used to spotting these things, she picked up on it.
Rowen had opened his mouth to apparently say something, but had stopped before
making a noise and it took him a moment to close his mouth again.
Pirro noted that all three of them had looked at her, then promptly looked away again so
as not to offend her. Yet it was their looking at the ground that offended her most. She
started to feel ashamed, and was again tempted to beg Cye to call the whole thing off.
She was even prepared to call for a cab so he could stay here and hang with his friends.
Who was she to begrudge him these people?
"I know I'm nothing…"
Pirro glanced from one to the other of them. Cye broke the tension quickly by saying,
"Well, aren't you going to at least say hello?"
"Yeah guys, don't be rude or anything!" Kento reprimanded them playfully, but he got
his point across. All three of them standing on the front porch appeared embarrassed as
they smiled at Pirro apologetically.
"I know there's nothing I can say
To change
The judgment in their ways…"
"I'm sorry Pirro." Mia was the first to apologize. "Please, come in. Ryo's inside starting
a fire in the fireplace, and White Blaze has apparently taken over the couch." She said
with a smile.
"Yeah, ever try to get a white tiger off a piece of furniture when he doesn't want to
move? It ain't easy, let me tell you." Rowen told Pirro with a smile.
"Tiger in the house?" Pirro asked, looking a little uneasy.
"Sure, didn't Cye tell you about White Blaze Pirro?" Sage asked, slightly ribbing Cye in
the process.
"Sure she knew about him." Cye said almost defensively.
"I just didn't think he'd be in the house…" Pirro said as she hesitantly followed the
others as they funneled into the house. Pirro had remembered Cye mentioning the tiger
plenty of times in his sleep, but she still found it hard to believe that this beast would be
not only in the house, but taking over the furniture.
"I'll never be what you need
Can't help at all…"
Once in the house they all gathered in the living room where Ryo had a nice blaze going
and was adding logs to the fire.
"Hey Ryo! Guess whose here!" Rowen called as they entered the room.
"What?" Ryo asked as he turned to look up from his creation.
Pirro was standing behind Cye, in the farthest area of the room from the fireplace. Ryo
noticed her and smiled awkwardly in her direction. "Hey, what's up?" He asked her.
"Not much." She replied, eyeing the fire. As the others chose places to sit down she
made her way to the seat farthest from the fire in the room. Cye noticed this as he sat
next to her but didn't say anything.
Pirro's skin was sensitive to heat, and she was still a bit afraid of the flames. Ryo
seemed to notice the look she had given the fire, and appeared to feel bad that he had
built it in the first place, but he sat down near it and smiled at the room anyway.
"My love was so beautiful…"
The room was filled with tension, even though on the outside everyone was happy.
Pirro did her part to keep the conversation going, but inside she was still nervous.
After about fifteen minutes Kento blurted out, "So where's the food? I'm starved!"
"Wow, you've been here a full quarter hour before you mentioned food Kento, a new
record!" Rowen commented. The whole group laughed as Kento puffed himself up and
acted proud.
On the way to the kitchen, Pirro took the course that kept her as far away from the fire
as possible. She was trying not to be edgy, but she just couldn't help it. Even though
these people weren't trying to exclude her, she knew that she just didn't fit in
completely. They had a deep past that held them together, and she just wasn't a part of
that…she wasn't a part of their world in so many ways.
Everyone helped themselves to sheet pizza buffet style, and then sat down around the
table to eat. Pirro was thankful for the excuse of food to not speak as much.
"But now I'm ugly
Yeah…"
Pirro almost dropped a piece of pizza in her lap when she jumped in surprise at what
she saw before her. Four figures, three men and one lady, had just appeared out of
nowhere.
"Hey Sekhmet, Kale, Kayura, Dais. How are you doing?" Ryo asked.
Pirro instantly recognized the names. Cye didn't seem to be surprised by their sudden
arrival; so she decided it couldn't be that big a deal. Then the warlords spoke. The first
thing out of Kale's mouth was, "Who the hell is that?" Indicating Pirro.
"She looks like something White Blaze dragged in." Dais muttered under his breath.
That was it. Pirro was through. She knew that with time she'd be able to fit in with the
others, they were at least making an effort to take her in. But these people? Nu-uh. No.
Way. She set her pizza down on her plate, stood up, turned around, and walked out of
the room.
As soon as Kayura saw Pirro leave she turned around and smacked both Dais and Kale.
She just felt like she needed to get out of the house. Run away, just like every other time
someone commented on her scars. Let them think what they wanted, and get away.
Always, every day, just get away.
Cye was angry. "What is with you guys today? Why do keep picking on Pirro because
of her scars?" The other Ronins and Mia fell silent and looked down at their plates. The
warlords and Kayura shifted uneasily.
"We didn't mean…" Kale started.
"Yeah. Right." Cye said as he stood to follow after Pirro.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
Pirro strode towards the road. On second thought she headed into the woods.
"I'm good enough but I'm not there…"
The shade of the forest felt good on her skin. She blinked back any tears that threatened
to spill over.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
She was hurt by the comments of the warlords, but also embarrassed by her own
actions. She didn't know which was worse.
"The sun is out but I'm not there…"
Why should she even care? She didn't know these people; she didn't have to. She could
go home and forget about them and live her life.
"I'm good enough but I don't care…"
Cye…That's why she cared. She didn't want to ruin his night, but she felt that her
actions already had. Guilt bubbled up inside of her and she quickened her pace.
"The sun is out but I'm not there…"
Why did she have to have come? She should have just told Cye that she couldn't make
it…Then he could have had his party and just come back and told her about it.
"I'm good enough, somewhere…"
She sat down at the base of a large pine tree and leaned back against it's trunk with her
eyes squeezed shut. She didn't even hear the soft footsteps following her.
"I'm good enough, somewhere…"
"Pirro?" Cye asked tentatively. She jumped slightly at his voice, but didn't open her
eyes.
"What? Look, I'm sorry for ruining the party…" She started.
"No. You didn't." He said cutting her off. "They shouldn't have said that to you." She
remained quiet. Finally she heaved a tear heavy sigh that nearly broke his heart. He sat
next to her and whispered, "Pirro…"
"I don't look in the mirror
I don't like what I see staring back at me…"
Pirro was pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers and trying to stop her tears.
"I didn't mean to make such a stir…"
"I told you, it wasn't your fault. Stop thinking that it was." Cye instructed. "They had
no right to say what they did. I'm sorry you had to meet them if they're going to treat
you that way…"
"No." Pirro said. "They're your friends. They aren't used to people like me. I don't
blame them. It happens. It's my life. This is just how people act around me."
"They're good people. They shouldn't act like that."
"Cye, it's okay. They didn't know. Now they do. It's over." Pirro told him, knowing
she was visibly shaking no matter how much she tried to control it.
Cye was silent for several long moments while Pirro collected herself enough to wipe
her bitter tears away and look over at him. "I can't help it that I'm this way. They can't
help it. You can't help it. This is life. This is my life." She said, not realizing she was
shouting by the end of it.
Cye winced back when she screamed in his face. Realizing what she was saying Pirro
sat back and just looked at him. He was beautiful, he would never know what it was
like to be tortured daily because of his face. His perfect face, covering his perfect heart.
Pirro found herself crying again, though this time not because of what they'd said to her,
but from the wave of emotion she felt at that moment for Cye, but not daring to move or
speak for fear that her own mouth would betray her.
"Everything is clearer
I'll never see what you see…"
Cye was watching her closely. Suddenly he could sense a change in her, and instead of
looking at him with a forced calmness like a mask, she was sitting ridged and practically
holding her breath as she looked at him. Cye finally got her to meet his eyes, waited a
moment, then said, "Fine. It's over. We'll let it be if you want to Pirro. If you want to
we can go home right now. If you want to we can go back to the manner. If you want
to…we can, we can go to the moon for all I care! Pirro, they are my friends back there,
and I love them as family, and if they hurt you they're going to feel sorry and apologize.
I know they will. And if you give them time, like Kento, they will accept you too. But
for now, it's not them I'm worried about."
Pirro looked down at the dead foliage on the ground as if it were the most interesting
pattern of shapes she'd ever seen in her life.
"And I rot in my skin
As a piece of meat does, every day…"
"Pirro…" Cye whispered as he reached out and cupped the side of her face in his hand
to get her to look back at him. Her eyes flickered up to meat his. "Pirro, I don't care
what they say. You have been the best thing in my life. You have taught me so many
things with your words. You, Pirro, you have taken my burdens on as your own and
carried them with me in the dark, alone, living through a bedroom wall. I don't know
many people who would do that for someone else unless they had a good reason." He
told her.
Before Pirro could even part her lips to reply he'd caught her mouth in a kiss that sent
her mind reeling. Stars were bursting behind Pirro's eyes. Never before had any man
ever gotten close enough to so much as brush against her if he could help it. This kiss
filled her with such a longing to be close to him it overpowered her and she found
herself wrapping her arms around him and pulling him to her.
"I know I'm nothing…"
"Um, guys? I think we found 'em." Rowen announced uneasily. He really didn't feel
like breaking those two up at the moment.
Mia was looking like she might actually cry. She felt so horrible about what had
happened. Kayura was looking sorry herself, and Dais, Kale, and even Sekhmet were
hanging back after the tong lashing Kayura had given them.
After a moment Cye and Pirro broke apart when they heard Kento clearing his throat.
Both of them blushed as they turned their heads to see the entire party standing there
looking uneasy.
"Hey Pirro," Kento started. "Listen, we're all really sorry…"
"We didn't mean to hurt you like that, we didn't mean…" Ryo continued.
"It's not like we were trying to be cruel or anything…" Rowen cut him off.
Pirro waved them off, again turning her eyes downward to the ground. "Listen. It's
over now, okay? You didn't know." She insisted. "I didn't mean to…"
Cye cut her off with the wave of his hand. "Don't apologize for ruining the party
again." He told her. "You didn't."
Pirro nodded and kept silent, even though she still regretted running off. Well, almost
anyway. That kiss was worth it…
Pirro sighed again and slowly got to her feet with Cye's help. She looked up at the
others. Kayura walked foreword and said to her, "You haven't ruined anything." She
said assuringly.
"You know, I heard a rumor that there was ice cream back at the manor." Sage said, his
way of making a peace offering at that moment.
"REALY?" Kento asked, his mood suddenly lightened completely.
The whole group walked back towards the manor, the tension from earlier seemed to
have been broken now that the apologies had been made. Cye walked beside Pirro, and
after several moments he took her hand in his. "Pirro?" He asked tentatively, obviously
still slightly embarrassed that their 'moment' had been walked in on.
"Yeah?" She asked him in a fairly soft voice so as not to attract the attention of the
others.
"You sure you're okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine." She answered.
"Because I'm ugly…"
Authors Note: Please review and tell me what you think. I'm not gonna become a
better writer because one morning I woke up and found that someone hit me with a
talent stick. Please give me any ideas as to how I can improve; all your comments are
greatly appreciated. Thank you.
~Angelica Diablo