A/N I am fixing a name I got yelled at a few times for. I relooked it up. I am sorry for the confusion before. I am not going to go back and fix it in the original chapters that I have uploaded. Thank you for understanding. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I have been writing more of the story itself out. Plus I keep reading through the story and get lost in the story line myself. I hope that means that it is a good story. If anyone would like to beta this story I would be happy to let you. I don't have one so all mistakes are mine.
Layla sat under the tree absorbing everything Sora had told her and realized that she didn't care if Sora failed at anything. When Sora failed in the past Layla may have been harsh but now she realized the reason was because she knew that Sora could do anything if she put her mind to it. When she failed to accomplish those achievements she had felt like Sora hadn't tried hard enough.
She thought back to that fateful circus festival. She had thought, at the time, that Sora had lost the focus that she once had. Now she knew that Sora didn't believe in that kind of stage. She believes in a happy stage. She wanted to share the stage with Sora once more and join her in completing the stage that she had set in motion so long ago.
With a smile she rose and went to join the girl that had captured her heart so long ago. There was no way she was letting her go without first talking to her and making sure the girl knew how much she loved her flaws and all. As she reached the training room she heard a soft voice whispering to herself, she looked into the room and saw Sora looking at a picture and speaking in Japanese to it.
"Sora," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around the girl. "Who is that?"
"My parents, I was telling them about you," Sora responded with a blush.
"I hope you told them that I am your girlfriend because I am not going anywhere. I love you and I am not going to let you leave me and I will never leave you." Layla told her tightening the hug and kissing her on the cheek.
"I told them that I love you, but I do believe that you told them how you felt." Sora replied snuggling into the arms wrapped around her with a happy smile.
"Get changed we need to talk to Ken and hope he accepts us. I need to thank him for being there for you when everyone was against you. I am so sorry Sora," Layla told her.
"You don't need to apologize Layla," Sora told her.
Hearing her name coming from Sora's mouth without the honorific made shivers run up her spine. 'God I love that feeling,' she thought. Giving in to temptation she kissed Sora tenderly, Sora eagerly returned the kiss wrapping her arms around Layla's neck tightly to hold her close and make that kiss last longer. Layla reluctantly broke the kiss. She put her hands on Sora's shoulders and took a step back.
"Hurry up," she said as she turned away before they went any farther.
Sora grinned as she changed. She was happy to know that she had that kind of effect on the older girl. Her smile fell when she thought of the confrontation that was coming when they saw Ken and the girls again.
When she finally left the changing room she wasn't smiling anymore. Layla figured that it was because of seeing Ken and the girls. She just took her hand as they waked to the reception desk to find out where Ken was.
"Sora?" came a timid voice. Both Sora and Layla turned to see Anna sitting in the waiting room chairs. "Can I talk to you? Please?" She asked looking at Layla with pleading eyes.
Layla nodded but asked, "What room is Ken in?"
"201," she told her. "Thank you."
Layla nodded and gave her a stern look. Anna nodded back. Sora looked between the two after noticing that they were communicating without words.
"I will see you soon," Layla told her. Looking at Anna, "we need to talk later."
"Ok," she replied.
After Layla left Anna asked Sora to sit. After sitting a few seats away Sora looked over at the other girl. Anna was looking at her hands.
"I am sorry I said those things to you," She was feeling down and knew she was in the wrong. "I was upset about what happened to Ken." She explained quietly.
"How is he?"
He will survive, but he needs to be more careful about what he does." Anna let her know, "he needs to stay here for a while."
"I see."
"When we were walking up here your new friends reminded us about how new your relationship actually was. I kind of forgot about that, considering the fact that I have known that you liked her for so long. As fast as you went to go find her when she disappeared it kind of gave it away you know."
At this Sora blushed a little bit remembering what had happened after they had returned to New York after finding Layla. She had blocked out her feelings after that. She really hadn't talked to Layla a whole lot until they had met up in Kalos' office. She had thought about calling Layla after they had performed the phoenix but didn't want to sound needy.
"Originally I realized I liked Layla bout that time but I pushed it away and didn't think about it. It helped that we didn't have much contact after that. It wasn't until you brought it up again that I really started thinking about it again. I had thought that maybe it was just a crush, but I found that I love her with all my heart. Thank you for pushing me with it, but I have never seen Ken or any other man as being someone that I could like that way." Sora admitted, "I told Layla everything about what happened when I joined Kelido Stage."
Anna realized exactly what she meant when the other girl had lifted her head and gazed into her eyes. "Well that explains why she was even more pissed at me then before she went to find you. I am sorry we acted like that and I am glad we are friends now."
"What do you mean even more pissed at you?" Sora asked confused.
"She almost smacked me for making you cry but almost looked like she wanted to kill me before she left," Anna explained. "I am so sorry I never meant to make you cry and hurt your feelings. I was stressed from watching Ken collapse."
"I know and I am sorry that I was an idiot when it came to his feelings. Maybe we should go and see how he is doing. I think I need to apologize to him."
"Alright let's go. Just don't let your girlfriend kill me please." Anna tried to break the tension that had developed after Ken's name reentered the conversation. It worked because Sora was now smiling and had a bit of a blush on her face. As they reached Ken's room the two girls noticed that everyone except Layla was out in the hall.
"Layla asked to speak to Ken alone. She seemed upset about something," Mia explained.
"Layla is a little frustrated because of the way we treated Sora when she first joined Kelido Stage," Anna told her. This caused Mia to duck her head and blush.
The two older women looked at each other curiously but didn't say anything. Hope on the other hand ran up to Sora and hugged her.
"You aren't sad anymore right?" she asked worriedly. She didn't like seeing her idol crying.
"No, Hope, I am not sad anymore," Sora told her returning the girl's hug. "I am going to knock and go in. I think I know what she is talking to him about."
Sora knocked then walked into the room. She didn't even wait for an answer. As she walked in Layla and Ken both looked at her.
Ken looked angry, which shocked Sora. She had never seen Ken angry before. Layla on the other hand looked as if she had been crying. She had quickly turned back towards the window she had been looking out of before the knock. This worried Sora a great deal.
"Is everything ok?" she asked to break the silence.
"No, everything is not alright," Ken spat. "How can you have those kinds of feelings towards someone that has treated you so horridly so many times? You haven't even spoken to her in years." His heart started to race a bit as he yelled at Sora, "I have always loved you since the first time I saw you." He ended with a whisper.
"Ken I have to tell you something that I realized not that long ago myself. I could never see you as anything more than a very good friend."
"Why?" He asked sounding a bit like a petulant child.
"Because I love Layla and have for a while now even though I locked away those feelings after we went to find her in New York. That is why it hurt so much when she said she was disappointed in me." Sora explained not looking at Layla and fighting a blush.
"But what about when you first came to the stage? She was a bitch to you than. She wouldn't accept you until you almost killed yourself to do a stunt in a week that it took her months if not years to perfect."
"I respected her from the start because she was the star, but I also understood that she was upset with me because I came in off the street and didn't have the training that she had, plus the fact that Kalos made me perform when I wasn't even part of the team and it was my first day even being there made everyone hate me. You were my first friend and the only one that was kind to me. You taught me how to use the trapeze and you helped me to learn many other things. I know I learned everything out of order and maybe that was Layla's fault but she may have thought that I had some experience with it when I didn't. I have already forgiven her why won't you? Hell she could of killed herself when she slammed into the wall that day and the fact that she was starving herself didn't help. I blame myself for that if I wasn't so weak then she would have been able to count on me more. I love her, Ken. I am sorry but if you can't accept that then I will have to choose her over you." Sora told him sadly.
She hoped he would come to the right decision and not make it harder on both of them. Layla had come up behind her as she was talking and was surprised at how long Sora had liked her. Layla had watched Ken's face as the realization that Sora could never be his dawned on him. Acceptance had come over his features when he realized that what Sora said was the truth.
"I don't want to lose your friendship Sora. You are a very big part of my life and I don't know what I would do if I had lost it. I will accept your relationship but if Layla ever hurts you again I will never forgive her." Looking over at Layla, "you understand that?"
Layla just nodded. Their conversation before Sora came in told her how much he cared about Sora and how mad he was at her.
"We should go and let Ken rest," She told the younger girl. Sora nodded wished Ken a goodnight then turned and they left together.
After telling everyone goodbye the two women finally made it back to the apartment. They didn't say much to each other just shared a brief kiss then went to bed. Neither felt like eating dinner.