Golden Mist
Disclaimer – Don't own it, never will. OCs, however, are mine!
A/N: Sora's birthday! She always seems to get her way, eh? ;3
Anyways, please enjoy, and I assure you, there is action in future chapters~
DGM/GS SPOILERS ABOUND!
I Hope You Dance
Lee Ann Womack
…X…
Cat groaned, not even bothering to try to hide her annoyance. Sora smiled down at her friend and the Exorcists warmly, practically trying to win them over by using her cute charm alone. Her brown-haired friend frowned deeply, crossing her arms over her chest in a signal of defiance. "I don't think so, Sora." She finally said, no part of her betraying any emotion other than disdain.
Sora whined like a puppy, her pale blue eyes now pleading. "Please Cat? You haven't celebrated my birthday with me since that one year you were at the club!"
"Maybe I have something better to do," Cat countered coldly. Sora Rykier rolled her pale blue eyes. She wasn't going to give up that easily, and she doubted that the short Exorcist had anything better to do. And not only was she determined to drag Cat along to her birthday party, she wanted some of the teenagers from the Order to join in on the fun as well. After a few more minutes of begging, cursing, and threatening, Sora offered a smug grin as Cat threw her hands up into the air.
"Fine, fine, I'll come! May I now be left to eat my dinner in peace?" Cat's friends were faintly surprised that she gave in, but at the same time, were relieved. Peace and quiet always seemed impossible with Sora and Cat in the same room.
"Thank you!" Sora gave her friend a tight hug, which Cat stiffened at. Having forgotten her friend's intense dislike for physical contact, Sora backed off quickly with a nervous chuckle. Coughing slightly, she turned her attention to the others Cat was sitting with. "Will some of you join us as well?"
Immediately silence fell over the table, all of them waiting for another idiot to take the plunge by accepting or declining. Finally, it was Allen of all people to speak first. While offering Cat's friend a soft smile worthy of a debonair gentleman, he said; "I would be honored to join your celebration."
After that landmine had been dealt with, Lavi and Lenalee also grudgingly agreed to come, too. Kanda remained silent, not really being a person who enjoyed stupid things like parties and the like. Chaoji finally declined, but Krory and Miranda made up for the lack of the other two males' presences.
Having looked like a person who won the lottery, Sora pranced and jumped around like a bunny high on sugar. Cat's perpetual grimace was still in place on her face, not looking forward to tomorrow evening. She tried, she really did, to seem excited about spending a few hours with friends, but just wasn't exactly fond of the idea. Sighing, the girl hoped it at least went over well…
…X…
Standing in front of the club nestled amongst the other buildings within the town, Cat sighed, her friends by her side. None of them had bothered to dress up or do much of anything for the occasion, although Cat carried a leather-bound book with her. If someone didn't bring the crazy woman a gift, they'd all have hell to pay. So, spending what little money she had accumulated over the years, the female Exorcist had gone out and found a novel she thought her friend would like.
She remembered looking through the aisles of books, before a ginger-haired teen had come over and started making suggestions. Cat had seen him working the counter when she walked in, but since there was no else there, she figured he just wanted to talk to someone. Unfortunately she found that most of the books the dolt was recommending were adult novels, rated M for one reason alone. Snapping shut one of the books, a light blush on her face, the girl had snapped at the book clerk and demanded that he show her a book worthy of actually reading.
Finally, and with a quivering hand, he had handed her a small book, unlabeled and seemingly old. After a quick scan and a discussion about the plot, Cat had bought it, praying Sora would like it. She knew her life was practically on the line because of the damnable book.
Shaking her head, Cat grumbled, starting up the steps to the club, its blue-and-black sign shining in the light of the moon. Before daring to raise her fist to knock on the heavy wood doors though, Cat turned to address the assembled group. "Don't do, say, or think anything stupid, otherwise we'll never make it out alive." Her declaration confused some of the people, not realizing that Sora could be as vicious as a mother bear protecting her cubs at times. Needless to say, Cat preferred her head attached to her body, rather than rolling down the cobblestone streets.
Turning around, Cat was startled as the doors were thrown open, nearly bowling her back down the stairs. Grabbing onto the stone railing, she hissed like a cat at her friend who stood there, beaming widely. "Welcome! Come in, come in!" Sora insisted, holding open the doors for the seven Exorcists. That's right, seven. Having been a group effort involved, they managed to drag the fearsome Kanda along with them.
The light-brown haired girl closed the door behind the teenagers and young adults who looked around in wonder. They had only been there once before, but this time it was decorated with almost random objects. Some of the items included; silver garland hanging from the rafters, leaves tied in bunches and scattered aimlessly along the bar, summer flowers sitting in vases on the tables, and even more strange objects. The stage lights were on, shining down on the relatively small wood stage were Aaron stood, tuning his guitar. He looked up at the arrival of the Exorcists, but quickly went back to what he was doing, his gold wedding ring glittering in the hot light. York stood behind the bar, cleaning glasses, but also looked up to offer a flashing smile and a bit of a wave.
"So how does it look?" Sora cooed, dancing around, her usual blue summer dress flowing around her elegantly. She clapped her hands together before reaching out and grabbing Cat, making her prance around as well.
"Gah, Sora, stop!" Cat spat in-between twirls and broke free, before slamming right into Lavi. Stumbling around for a moment, the she-wolf shook herself to break free of the confines of dizziness before glaring at her childhood friend, who ignored her blatantly.
Chattering madly, she pointed to the table in the middle of the room, where they began to sit down. Kanda however, being the anti-social jerk that he was, went off on his own to enjoy the quiet of one of the corners near the door. Everyone made it a point to ignore him, except for Sora who finally went over to ask if he wanted anything.
"To be left in peace for once!" He ground out, eyes as sharp as daggers. Sora's smile fell briefly before she wandered back over to the other six.
Regaining her confidence though, she offered a large grin. "Perfect number," she sang. She knew after all that the middle table, the one closet to the stage, was the only one in their entire place that could hold six people at a time. Two on each side, with the exception of the ends, which only held one person apiece. Cat and Allen held those special spots, while Lavi and Lenalee sat on the side closet to the bar, with Krory and Miranda sitting opposite of them. Finally Sora plopped down onto a tall bar stool, overlooking the six victims.
Closing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest, Cat cracked one eye open and glanced over at her mental 'friend'. "Happy birthday, ya crazy fruitcake."
Sora stuck her tongue out at the other wolf, but the smile and twinkle in her eyes never left her face. "Thanks," she said upon the others also giving their birthday wishes to the lucky girl.
"How old are you?" Lavi asked, setting his chin down on the palm of his hand. His one emerald eye looked amused as Sora feigned being insulted.
"Who ever told you it was polite to ask a woman her age?"
"She's 19." Cat said, not bothering to open her eyes as she spoke. She twisted her head this way and that, happy to hear a few pops coming from her neck; she hadn't had the best of sleep the night before and still wasn't feeling so great.
The others seemed startled by what Cat said, and they turned questioning eyes to the sky-eyed girl. Sora frowned with disapproval at Cat, but it was lost on the other girl who practically seemed asleep. "Yes, she's correct; I'm 19 years old today. So what if I'm three years older than my dear idiot friend?" Upon saying this, Sora hopped off the bar stool and wrapped one arm around Cat in a headlock.
"Garr!" The brown-haired girl shoved the older one off of her, giving the birthday girl a withering look the entire time. When all she received was a pointed look, the exorcist pulled out the book and handed it to Sora. Said girl squealed like a tiny child before twirling around, the book clutched tightly in her delicate hands. "Thank you!" She cried to Cat, her eyes wide and lit up with pleasure.
"You owe me; I wasted so much money I had earned over the years for that worthless thing! I was also harassed by an employee of the bookstore!" Staring down her friend, Cat earned chuckles from her friends who were amused by the two she-wolves. Sora merely came back over, offered Cat a hug, which was shot down immediately.
Sora suddenly gave a wicked grin, in which she proceeded to ask Cat what the employee had looked like. Cat went on to describe the lanky red-head who wore glasses and a bit of an evil smirk on his face. He had seemed polite at first, she claimed, until he started handing books that belonged in a trash can somewhere. "I've never been one to support the burning of books, but the crap he was handing me almost became an exception."
"I know who that is, the little rascal. His name is Theo Starnin; he's an okay kid, but he does have a bit of a twisted side to him." She shrugged, as if she too was at wit's end with how to deal with the strange teen. Cat just shook her head, not really caring about the personal details since she didn't plan to return to that particular store anytime soon. About to open her mouth to say just that, everyone turned their head as the phone near the bar rang, and York picked it up. He spoke to what sounded like an old friend of his, giving his bellowing laugh every now and again.
Finally hanging up the phone, he gave Sora and her gathered entourage an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but a friend of mine is in town and I'm going to go and meet him. All I ask is that I don't come back to find smoldering ashes where the club once was, alright?" After Sora gave a quick nod, she pushed him out the door while handing him his coat.
"Go out and enjoy yourself, eh?" After the door closed behind him, she returned to the bar stool she had been perched on earlier. "So what's new in your world?" The question was directed to all of the exorcists, and they began to prattle about simple things like recent fights and chaos within the Order itself. "What do you mean by chaos?" Sora tilted her head, her eyebrows scrunched up in a questioning motion.
"There's a new member named Sol Faolan." Cat said simply, sipping at the tea Aaron had handed them only moments ago. He had retreated to lean against the bar near Sora, listening intently to what they all had to say. He didn't quite understand the secret war that was being waged, but he did understand its importance. "To say the least, he's a jerk that I'd like nothing more than to choke with my bare hands."
Sora frowned, not approving of her friend's vicious attitude towards him. "Why do you say that? What did he do to rub your fur the wrong way?"
Everyone turned their attention to the black wolf who sat there, staring down at her tea. Finally, she spoke; "It's just that he pisses everyone off. I don't know what happened to him, but I doubt it was bad enough to give him the right to be a jackass. And I…" She trailed off, wondering if she should admit she recognized his piercing eyes, but then decided against it. It'd raise too many questions. "Never mind," she said simply.
In the mean time, Aaron, the brave yet stupid fool that he was, attempted to walk over and offer Kanda something to drink. When his sharp eyes flashed up at the poor, unassuming human, Aaron froze, feeling like a piece of prey caught between a rock and a predator. Not even bothering to say anything, Kanda stood and stalked in the direction of the door. Once he reached it, instead of opening it like a normal human being, he kicked it down in one swift kick before disappearing into the night.
Everyone sat there, staring at his retreating figure as Sora sighed and slapped her forehead. Aaron turned around, glaring half-heartedly at his wife. "I told you to stop inviting people over who destroyed the place, but did you listen? Of course not," he said evenly, leaving the main room in hopes of finding a broom, some nails, and a hammer.
"Hun, you might as well pray that a new set of doors falls from heaven," Sora called after him. Figuring he heard her anyways, she shrugged helplessly. "Shouldn't have poked the rabid bear with a stick."
The silver wolf simply sighed before noticing Allen also looked a bit annoyed. Smirking as a conniving plan came into her mind, Sora suddenly grabbed her husband as he returned. "Oh, I forgot that Aaron and I have some dinner reservations! If you don't mind, we must be taking our leave." Aaron raised one eyebrow, wanting to ask what on earth she had taken to make her think they were going out for dinner. Hadn't he spent half the day preparing a romantic dinner that was already set up on the roof of the club? All he received from his wife though was a wink and a slight nod in Cat's direction. Still not sure what Sora had in mind, he just shook it off before deciding it was best not to question her and set the hammer he had grabbed on the bar.
"Oh, okay," Lenalee said with a smile. Everyone began to stand up and leave, but Sora immediately cut Allen and Cat off before they could follow their comrades out the door. "I don't think so, you two!"
"What are you doing?" Cat hissed, not wanting to stick around longer than necessary. The girl latched onto both Allen and Cat, dragging them in the direction of the stairs.
"I had Aaron set up a romantic dinner for the two of us before, but it would seem that you two are the ones that need to get reacquainted! So, you're going to stay here and enjoy yourselves tonight." They had finally made it to the roof, and Sora pushed the two in the direction of the table that already had a candle in the middle and food ready and still steaming. Cat opened her mouth to bark at Sora in annoyance, but the girl clucked her tongue. "Nope, I won't hear it. Please, just try to have fun." The kind smile she wore made Cat silent, and even Allen had no complaints. Satisfied they wouldn't try to leave for the time being, she turned and left, waving at them before shutting the hatch that led back down into the club.
Cat went and sat down, already grumbling to herself in the wolves' tongue. Allen, in the meantime, was looking around with awe. Lights were strung around the parameter of the roof, making it almost have a Christmas-like feel to it. Sure, it was the middle of summer, but it was the thought that counted, right? Finally taking a seat opposite of the annoyed girl, he offered her a reassuring smile. "Let's do as Sora says and enjoy the night while we have the chance." Cat glared at him in response for a moment before relenting and the two of them began to chow down on the wonderful food that sat before them.
After the meal had been completed, the sound of music drifted up making the two exorcists look over the edge. In the streets they saw a few people walking around like carolers, singing and playing instruments. They stopped near the alleyway that rested near the club, and Allen stood up, offering his hand to Cat. She seemed confused at first, but when he requested a dance, she grinned widely and accepted the offered hand.
Moving to the empty space on the roof, Allen placed his Innocence-laden hand on Cat's side while his right hand grasped her hand firmly. They began to turn, slowly but surely, the pace picking up after a moment. "It feels great to dance with you again," Allen whispered, his head instinctively leaning forward towards the shorter girl.
She chuckled, her brown orbs sparkling with amusement. "It's not as fun as it was that night we had half the people from this very town celebrating with us." He gave a hearty laugh, throwing his head back and briefly interrupting the flow of the dance to regain his breath. "What's so funny?"
Still chuckling slightly, he spoke. "It's just that all I can remember is when you latched onto my hair – which was long at the time – and you looking back at me. Then everyone started whistling and calling us out because of how we were positioned." Gray eyes lively, he remembered how much he had enjoyed that spirited dance with the girl before him. Allen raised his arm to spin the brown-haired girl around a few times before sweeping her into a dip. When all he did was grin down at her as he pulled her back up, she stuck her tongue out at him. Feeling a bit frisky, he closed the distance between them in order to nip her tongue lightly with his teeth. The girl made a yelp of both pain and anger and she growled sharply when he smirked triumphantly.
"Haven't you ever been taught not to stick your tongue out at people? It's just not polite at all."
"Sh-shut up!" Cat spat at him, face bright red with embarrassment. In all honesty, she had never expected the boy to do something like that. Sure, the girl knew it wasn't a bright idea to do that, but still…!
Wrapping one arm around her, he looked apologetic. "Forgive me?" He asked in a breathy whisper as he placed his forehead on hers. She studied him for a moment, face still twisted into a frown, but she finally smiled a bit. "Fine," and with that said, Allen scooped her up bridal-style, making the she-wolf blush even more. She clung to him like he was an anchor of support, her head buried in the crook of his neck. Laughing, he finally set her back down on her feet, earning nothing more than a swift kick to the shin.
"Ever do something like that again, and it won't be your shins I've kicked!" Her threat made, she turned towards the hatch, more than ready to go back to the Order and sleep. Bending down, she pulled on the handle onto to find it had been locked. "Son of a bitch," she swore out loud. Allen made a noise of protest at her choice of words, but she ignored him in favor of tugging on the handle roughly. When it wouldn't open, she stood back up, taking deep breaths to contain her anger.
Cat's eyes widened as she felt herself being picked up again, and she was just about to scream at the boy when she paused. "Allen?" His Innocence was activated, the familiar white cloak enshrouding his form. Silver eyes that shined like stars looked down at her, just begging to have her trust him. While her eyebrows were knitted together in worry, he looked completely calm before he suddenly leapt from the roof of the Black Howl Club to the next roof over. They traveled this way all the way until they reached the edge of the town where the forest separated the normal people from the Order.
Landing neatly on the grass, he once again placed Cat down before deactivating his Innocence. "Yes, I heard your threat, but you seemed frustrated and tired." Dipping his head down, he looked at her through his eyelashes. The girl crossed her arms and tapped her foot for a moment before rolling her eyes and walking away.
"I appreciate the fact that you were thinking about me, but if I were you, I'd stay behind the aggravated girl." Stopping, she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'd also sleep with a club." Nodding at him once, she continued on her way, leaving a stunned Allen standing there.
…X…
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Loving might be a mistake but it's worth making…
…X…
Gah, I apologize for the late update. Shit happens, and Kitty wasn't a happy person these last two days.
Anyways... Yay for angry Cat! :D
-chuckles- Anyways, they finally got a moment alone, thanks to Sora. She's nuts, I swear!
Next Chapter: The wolves discuss Yuki's death and Cat's health.
When Cat undergoes tests and finds out why, can anyone calm the irate she-wolf?
-PA
