Enchantment Passing Through

By the Almighty SporkGoddess

Chapter 5: May This Confession Be the Start

"You are all I'll ever want, but this I am denied

Sometimes in my darkest thoughts, I wish I'd never learned

What it is to be in love and have that love returned

Is it written in the stars

Are we paying for some crime

Is that all that we are good for

Just a stretch of mortal time

For some God's experiment

In which we have no say

In which we're given paradise

But only for a day"

- Written in the Stars - Aida

Rain sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rant at you like that. But someone had to say it."

I didn't respond.

"Fine, just ignore me." She stood up in aggravation. "Just don't hurt Allenby. She's had enough problems without you."

"Rain…" I began to say.

But it was too late; she'd already left. Yet again, she'd walked out on me without a word.

The door opened again in a few minutes, and I glanced up.

"I knew you…" My face then fell as I found myself staring at the angry face of Domon. Great…

"Stay away from Allenby." He snarled.

"Why?"

"You're not right for her!"

"And what is right for her?" I wasn't in the mood to take his ranting. When I had met him that time in Neo Turkey, he had done it to Rain countless times, and she had just shrugged it off. But I wasn't willing to do that.

"I don't know what is, but I do know that it isn't you!"

Now I was getting angry. "You already have Rain… why do you care?"

"How do I know you won't hurt her like you hurt Rain?"

"When did I hurt Rain?" I asked.
"You caused her to cry!" He accused.

"That was actually your fault…" I pointed out.

"You were the one controlled by the devil! It was Rain's weakness that saved you… if it had been up to me, you wouldn't had the chance to meet Allenby!"

"Need I remind you that I was the one who cornered you? Rain saved your life before she saved mine." I clarified.

His face contorted even more, and he lunged forward and grabbed me by the collar.

"What are you trying to say!?" He demanded.

"I'm saying that you have no right to keep me away from Allenby. It's not like you LOVE her or anything…"

That was when he dropped me and began attacking. The punches and kicks flew, and it was just now I that learned exactly how this man had gotten the title of the King of Hearts. It was the natural way for Domon to argue, and unlike his verbal skills, he was very good at it.

We were still mercilessly fighting each other when a pair of green eyes encountered our brawl.

We didn't notice it at first until we saw her disapproving gaze, and immediately we stopped.

"What the hell are you two doing!?" She demanded.

Then another woman poked her head in – Rain. I saw Domon involuntarily flinch.

"Allenby, what's that noise…" Her voice stopped at the sight before her. "I see."

"I can explain…" I began, but Rain cut me off.

"Can't I leave you two alone for ten minutes? Men are so selfish." She sighed. Allenby just stood there, torn.

"Rain…" Domon began, but likewise she stopped him from speaking as well.

"Don't even try, Domon. I know you don't like Seitt. I didn't ask you to talk to him."

She turned to the motionless woman beside her. "Allenby, are you ok?"

"I…" Allenby's voice broke, and she fled from the room.

"Look at what you two have done." Rain muttered. "Don't you see how much this is hurting her? Seitt, you claim to be in love with her, yet you can't even acknowledge how much pain you're putting her through!"

I remained silent. Domon was looking smug, but Rain turned to him. I got the hint and left the room, but listened by the door:

"Domon, what were you thinking?!" Rain demanded.

"Someone had to tell him." He snapped.

"Tell him what? This is Allenby and Seitt's concern, not yours."

"Don't tell me you're ok with this." He said.

"I don't know how I feel anymore." Rain sighed. "Yes, it's weird, but if they're happy together then why care?"

"Because it's wrong!" Domon protested.

"Why is it wrong, though?"

"Do I really even need to answer that?"

"Obviously yes, since I don't know why it's so big of an issue you felt you had to attack him over it!" Rain sounded both pained and frustrated.

I pondered this conversation for a few minutes. I had seen the underlying pain in her eyes before, and I could hear little tremors in her voice now as she spoke. She probably didn't even realize it herself, and it goes without saying that the thickheaded martial artist didn't even have a clue, but I had known Rain for a while, and I could clearly tell what she was thinking. And she was jealous that Domon cared so much about Allenby.

This caused me to sigh out of vexation and anger. What he was doing to Rain was exactly what I was doing to Allenby. It wasn't fair to either woman, and it was just a perfect example of how stupid men can be.

Speaking of stupid, I certainly was. I had spent so much time fixating on the woman I had once been in love with that I had completely neglected the girl who had helped me get over her, the one who truly mattered now.

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Allenby's POV

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I sat alone on the couch in my living room, silently reflecting on what had just happened. Had Seitt really done that? Was I just a crutch to lean on until he saw Rain again? Was it all just a lie? Just a façade? Or, even worse, was I just a meaningless rebound?

My thoughts were interrupted by Rain's entering the room.

"Are you alright?" She asked gently.

I nodded. "The real question is, is everything ok with you and Domon?"

She laughed, which sounded refreshing to hear after so much arguing. "You shouldn't be so worried about us. You're the one I'm worried about."

"Don't be, it's fine." I smiled weakly. "You can't help it that you're so lovable."

She frowned. "I wouldn't say that much. Anyway, we'd better go… Domon and I have a lot to talk about."

I knew that that was my fault, and immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry for the mess I've caused."

"We'll get through this… we always do." Rain said. "Don't worry about it, you just work things out with Seitt."

Soon, the Japanese man appeared.

"Rain…"

"Domon, we can discuss this privately later. Allenby has other things on her mind."

I could see the tension between the two, and hoped that Rain was right. Then again, she probably was.

After the two had left, I stood up.

"I know you're still here." I called.

"Hi." Seitt stepped forward.

"Hi." I wasn't about to be all cordial to this guy. He had, after all, practically abandoned me when I needed him most.

"Let me explain…" He begged.

"I'm listening." I said coldly.

"Yes, I was a jerk. Rain was here and I panicked. Do you know what it was like to see her again? It was like being dropped into the middle of a thought that's haunted me for over a year."

I wouldn't even let him meet my gaze. He continued:

"I felt like she had ripped my heart out and stomped on it when I heard that she was going to throw out my number. I overreacted, though, and made a bad situation worse. I'm really sorry, Allenby… but when you left the room like that… it woke me up. The sadness Rain had made me feel earlier was miniscule compared to how I felt when you walked away. It made me realize how much more you mean to me than Rain. What I have with you is real… I don't deserve it, but for some reason I have it. And that means more to me than you can imagine."

I felt my eyes misting over, but still wouldn't look up, so he laid his hand on my cheek and forced me to look into his eyes.

"Allenby Biazury… I love you."

Tears flooded my eyes, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I… I love you, too." I whispered before kissing him.

Author's Note: *sniffles* That was so beautiful… ;_; Anyway, I felt bad making Seitt such an asshole, so I tried to redeem him in this. I still have absolutely NO idea where this is going, but I'll play it by ear and see. ^_^ Anyway, the title for this chapter comes from Elaborate Lives from Aida, which I have been quoting like there's no tomorrow. Hey, it's just who I am! ;)