Chapter Seven: Stupid Things Guys Do: Part I
Well, looks like Ilya and Maxi finally understand each others' feelings, and it's about freakin' time, too! But what about poor Xianghua? If any of you think I hate her because of the way I've portrayed her in this fic, I don't. Not really. I would, but she's so darned cute. Especially when she says "Just joking!" in her adorable (but 87% helium) Japanese voice! If anyone knows the name of her seiyuu, please tell me. She sounds familiar and I want to see if she's done anything else, video game or anime or whatnot.
"Huh?" Ilya asked intelligently.
"We're going too. We're all after the same thing, right?" Kilik shrugged.
Maxi noticed the reproachful look Xianghua was throwing at Ilya and sighed. 'In more ways than one ...' he thought.
"Er ... I guess ..." the young Russian surmised.
"Besides, your knee still hasn't healed. And I want to make sure you guys don't do anything stupid."
They both frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" Maxi asked.
A playful smile graced his lips. "Nothing. Anyway, would you mind if we tagged along?"
The two looked at each other; Maxi looked cynical, and Ilya grinned at him. "I suppose not," he said finally.
"Great! Then let's get going!" ***
The journey was quite slow for the first few days. Ilya's knee wasn't fully healed, but it quickly became less painful. She didn't want to change into a wolf in front of Kilik or Xianghua; she'd had a bad enough reaction when she'd done so before Maxi. She didn't dare complain, however, because she didn't want to appear weak. She'd never heard the end of it from her siblings for minor weaknesses she'd exhibited as a child.
They passed through a few small towns on the way, picking up supplies and resting for the night, with the men in one room and the girls in another. It was on the fifth night that Xianghua spoke to Ilya for the first time in nearly a week.
"Maxi seems really happy now that you two are together," she said quietly as she changed into some loose-fitting clothes for the night.
"Together?" Ilya wondered aloud as she replaced the bandages on her leg. "Well, I wouldn't really say THAT ... it's not official or anything."
"It doesn't have to be. I can see the way you two look at each other."
"Are you mad?" Ilya inquired. Xianghua was facing the other way; she couldn't tell.
"No. I don't have a right to be. Besides, Kilik said ..."
'Alright,' Ilya thought, 'he finally worked up the nerve to tell her!'
"... that I should just be happy for you two."
Ilya's heart sank. "He didn't say anything else?" she asked flatly.
"No." Xianghua finally turned to face her. "Why?"
She sighed. "Ah, nothing. It's just that he's such a moron!"
"Hey, you shouldn't talk about him like that! He's a very nice person."
"Which is exactly what I'm talking about," Ilya replied as she herself changed out of her clothes. "He's nice AND he's shy. That's what makes him a moron."
"I don't quite understand your reasoning."
Ilya rolled her eyes, a habit she'd never been able to break. "Well, it's more like he's acting like a moron than actually being one, you know? He should really practice what he preaches."
"What's that mean?"
"He talked to me about being honest with your feelings, and then doesn't do it himself."
"Huh?"
Ilya sighed angrily. How could she be so DENSE? It was obvious she was talking about Kilik's feelings toward Xianghua. She just couldn't comprehend why it was so hard for others to understand such things.
"Look, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" She walked out of the room and up to the door of the one Maxi and Kilik were sharing. Maxi answered, and gave her a smile.
"Here for some late-night fun?" he teased.
She shook her head and frowned, albeit not entirely maliciously. "Move." He obliged, and she walked up to Kilik. "Get your ass in there and tell Xianghua how you feel," she ordered, scowling.
"What?" He looked shocked.
"You heard me. You told me to be honest with my feelings, and I'd like to see you do it yourself."
"But ..."
"NOW!"
He got up and immediately left the room, heading toward the one the girls shared. "You're playing matchmaker?" Maxi asked, raising his arched eyebrows at her.
"It's soooo obvious he likes her, and from the way she talks about him, she likes him too but doesn't realize it yet. It pisses me off when I see people like that!"
"Hey, we were like that once, too."
"I know that, but hell, I didn't have to WATCH it, now did I?"
He let out a brief laugh. "I bet the twerp is stuttering like crazy right about now."
"Probably. He seems really shy about that kinda thing." She frowned at him. "You certainly aren't."
"Hey, is that such a bad thing?"
"No, I guess not." ***
"Er ... that is to say ..."
Kilik was having his share of difficulty trying to find the right words to express his feelings. His eyes refused to meet Xianghua's, and she was very confused by his behavior. "What?"
"I ... have feelings for you," he finally blurted out, blushing like crazy and looking at the floor.
"You ... you do?" He nodded. "Well, I ... I kinda like you too, but ..."
"But what?"
"But ... there might still be a chance Maxi will leave Ilya for me ..."
"What do you mean? Don't you see how happy they are?" Now Kilik was getting upset that she seemed so intent on seeing the two split up.
"Think about it. Maxi doesn't remember a thing about us. Maybe he'll forget about Ilya, too!"
"That's ridiculous," Kilik said, shaking his head. "You can't sit around waiting for something to happen. Ilya taught me that."
"Ilya, Ilya, Ilya!" Xianghua cried out, throwing her arms in the air. "That's all I ever hear about! What about me? I know it's selfish, but I hate how much attention she's getting! So what if she's strong! So what if she's smart! I don't care!"
"Xianghua ..." Kilik was beginning to understand the girl's feelings toward the Russian.
"She got the man I love ... he never even notices me. He'll never see past Ilya! I'm the one who loves him! He hasn't even known her a month!"
"What are you talking about? Are you gonna try to break them up?"
"I ... I don't know." She sniffled, holding her tears back. "It probably won't last, anyway ... he's a playboy, and she's probably only a one-night stand in his eyes."
"I don't know about that ... remember how he acted around those women he only wanted to bed? This is really different. I think this is the real thing."
"If it does work out, though, I'm gonna take matters into my own hands!"
Xianghua burst into frustrated tears, and Kilik held her while she cried. He was quite heartbroken that Xianghua didn't exactly return his feelings, but was nonetheless concerned about her fixation on breaking up Maxi and Ilya's relationship.
Meanwhile, Ilya was getting pretty nervous. She and Maxi were sitting on the bed, not speaking, not even looking at each other. Maxi felt like a fourteen-year-old boy, anxious and inexperienced (though that certainly was not the case here). Oh, how he wanted to feel Ilya's body against his, but he knew he she wasn't ready yet. The girl had never known a man's touch, and he wasn't one to force himself on a woman who didn't want it. (Heheh, that's sorta an allusion to a very good fic by my friend Crissy – update it soon, why don'tcha? I wanna read more!)
"So ... uh ... think she likes him, too?" the pirate asked uneasily, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh, I'm SURE she does," Ilya replied with false confidence (she was extremely apprehensive). "But I don't think she quite realizes it yet. I bet if Kilik tells her how he feels, that'll push her to admit it."
"I never thought of you as one to try to bring people together."
She glanced at him briefly, then looked away. "Why?"
"Dunno ... maybe it's your personality. You seem more preoccupied with your own problems. You've got a whole slew of 'em, too."
She giggled. "I guess so. But you do too."
Maxi shrugged. "I suppose." He paused uneasily. "So ... er ... what are you gonna do when this is all over? The journey?"
Ilya shook her head and then brushed her short red hair from her eyes. "I'm not sure. But I am pretty certain Anatoli will come hunt me down and drag me back to Kolmyr ..."
His heart sank. "Really?"
"Why?" she taunted. "You wanna settle down, get married and have a million kids?"
The Russian was surprised when he smiled at her. "Maybe."
"Oh God ... I don't even want one kid, let alone a million."
"Is that so? Why not?"
"I don't wanna be FAT."
He began to laugh. "You didn't seem the shallow type – but I guess I was wrong when I assumed you weren't."
She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Shut up. You're foppish and vain, and I never talk about that, do I?"
Maxi laid back on the bed and stretched his arms. "They're certainly taking their sweet time ..."
"Maybe she just decided to rip his pants off and make sweet love to him," Ilya said with a perfectly straight face.
The pirate was quite amazed by her bluntness, and laughed again. "I doubt it. The little twerp is probably more cherry than you."
The girl glanced at him with her eerie eyes, and he couldn't fight it any longer – he had to ask. "Why are your eyes two different colors?"
"Er ... it all goes back to the day Cervantes came to Siberia ..."
"Oh ... sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"No, no, it's okay. Well, you see, after he stuck his arm right through my daddy's chest, and killed my sisters, and so on, he grabbed me by the throat, pulled a hand back, and POW – drove his index and middle finger into my eye socket." Maxi winced. (If you've ever read the later volumes of the X manga by CLAMP, this should be kinda familiar.) "See, it really did a lot of damage, and so now there's no pigment, and I'm completely blind in it."
"No wonder you hate pirates, eh?"
"Oh, yeah. But you know, you're not that bad." She paused and grinned. "Even if you are a bit narcissistic."
He returned her smile, and looked up at her from his position on the bed. Being a man, he would be quite content to take her then and there (he couldn't get it out of his mind, the perv) but dared not; she'd never forgive him. It was something a pirate would do.
"Ilya ..." he began, and she looked at him good-naturedly. "I'm sorry."
"About what?" An expression of impatient confusion appeared on her face.
"Just ... if anything ever happens between us ..."
"Look, let's not talk about that. I'm way too uneasy as is."
Grinning, he nodded. "Alright."
At that very moment, Kilik entered the room, and the two gave him looks of hope and curiosity. "So, how'd it go?" Ilya inquired.
"Fine," Kilik lied, knowing better than to disclose Xianghua's confessions. "She said ... er, that she feels the same way but she's not really over Maxi yet."
Ilya gave Maxi a sideways glance. "My, you certainly are a lady- killer." He gave her an uncertain sort of smile. "So, Kilik, do you feel better since you told her how you feel?"
He beamed. "Yeah ... yeah, I do. You were right, it was the best thing I could've done for myself."
"Great, then. I'm going to bed." Ilya gave Maxi a flirtatious grin and Kilik a small wave as she left, and Kilik turned to the older man.
"Um ... Xianghua is really upset about you and Ilya, and ... I don't know, it might be better if you two share a room."
"What?!"
"She's so angry, she might do something mean to her. And considering the way Ilya is, she'll do something mean right back. Probably worse, actually. So I'll share a room with Xianghua and try to talk to her about a few things."
"Um, okay ..."
"Great." Kilik caught up with Ilya as she was about to open the door to the room she was to share with Xianghua, and explained that he was going to stay the night with the Chinese girl and try to smooth things out. Feeling confused and more nervous than ever before (if that were at all possible), Ilya nodded anxiously and went back into Maxi's room.
Hmmmm .... could Kilik be pulling an Annabelle? Or is he seriously trying to talk Xianghua through her jealousy? Short chapter, I know ... but the second part is on the way. Please, PLEASE review, I'd like to hit 10 reviews before starting the next chapter. Thankie. Who knows, maybe Sansaku will pop up again next chapter! And things could become truly steamy, not just pseudo-sexy! R&R, pleasie! Woo, I just said that, hahah. Laters!
Well, looks like Ilya and Maxi finally understand each others' feelings, and it's about freakin' time, too! But what about poor Xianghua? If any of you think I hate her because of the way I've portrayed her in this fic, I don't. Not really. I would, but she's so darned cute. Especially when she says "Just joking!" in her adorable (but 87% helium) Japanese voice! If anyone knows the name of her seiyuu, please tell me. She sounds familiar and I want to see if she's done anything else, video game or anime or whatnot.
"Huh?" Ilya asked intelligently.
"We're going too. We're all after the same thing, right?" Kilik shrugged.
Maxi noticed the reproachful look Xianghua was throwing at Ilya and sighed. 'In more ways than one ...' he thought.
"Er ... I guess ..." the young Russian surmised.
"Besides, your knee still hasn't healed. And I want to make sure you guys don't do anything stupid."
They both frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" Maxi asked.
A playful smile graced his lips. "Nothing. Anyway, would you mind if we tagged along?"
The two looked at each other; Maxi looked cynical, and Ilya grinned at him. "I suppose not," he said finally.
"Great! Then let's get going!" ***
The journey was quite slow for the first few days. Ilya's knee wasn't fully healed, but it quickly became less painful. She didn't want to change into a wolf in front of Kilik or Xianghua; she'd had a bad enough reaction when she'd done so before Maxi. She didn't dare complain, however, because she didn't want to appear weak. She'd never heard the end of it from her siblings for minor weaknesses she'd exhibited as a child.
They passed through a few small towns on the way, picking up supplies and resting for the night, with the men in one room and the girls in another. It was on the fifth night that Xianghua spoke to Ilya for the first time in nearly a week.
"Maxi seems really happy now that you two are together," she said quietly as she changed into some loose-fitting clothes for the night.
"Together?" Ilya wondered aloud as she replaced the bandages on her leg. "Well, I wouldn't really say THAT ... it's not official or anything."
"It doesn't have to be. I can see the way you two look at each other."
"Are you mad?" Ilya inquired. Xianghua was facing the other way; she couldn't tell.
"No. I don't have a right to be. Besides, Kilik said ..."
'Alright,' Ilya thought, 'he finally worked up the nerve to tell her!'
"... that I should just be happy for you two."
Ilya's heart sank. "He didn't say anything else?" she asked flatly.
"No." Xianghua finally turned to face her. "Why?"
She sighed. "Ah, nothing. It's just that he's such a moron!"
"Hey, you shouldn't talk about him like that! He's a very nice person."
"Which is exactly what I'm talking about," Ilya replied as she herself changed out of her clothes. "He's nice AND he's shy. That's what makes him a moron."
"I don't quite understand your reasoning."
Ilya rolled her eyes, a habit she'd never been able to break. "Well, it's more like he's acting like a moron than actually being one, you know? He should really practice what he preaches."
"What's that mean?"
"He talked to me about being honest with your feelings, and then doesn't do it himself."
"Huh?"
Ilya sighed angrily. How could she be so DENSE? It was obvious she was talking about Kilik's feelings toward Xianghua. She just couldn't comprehend why it was so hard for others to understand such things.
"Look, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" She walked out of the room and up to the door of the one Maxi and Kilik were sharing. Maxi answered, and gave her a smile.
"Here for some late-night fun?" he teased.
She shook her head and frowned, albeit not entirely maliciously. "Move." He obliged, and she walked up to Kilik. "Get your ass in there and tell Xianghua how you feel," she ordered, scowling.
"What?" He looked shocked.
"You heard me. You told me to be honest with my feelings, and I'd like to see you do it yourself."
"But ..."
"NOW!"
He got up and immediately left the room, heading toward the one the girls shared. "You're playing matchmaker?" Maxi asked, raising his arched eyebrows at her.
"It's soooo obvious he likes her, and from the way she talks about him, she likes him too but doesn't realize it yet. It pisses me off when I see people like that!"
"Hey, we were like that once, too."
"I know that, but hell, I didn't have to WATCH it, now did I?"
He let out a brief laugh. "I bet the twerp is stuttering like crazy right about now."
"Probably. He seems really shy about that kinda thing." She frowned at him. "You certainly aren't."
"Hey, is that such a bad thing?"
"No, I guess not." ***
"Er ... that is to say ..."
Kilik was having his share of difficulty trying to find the right words to express his feelings. His eyes refused to meet Xianghua's, and she was very confused by his behavior. "What?"
"I ... have feelings for you," he finally blurted out, blushing like crazy and looking at the floor.
"You ... you do?" He nodded. "Well, I ... I kinda like you too, but ..."
"But what?"
"But ... there might still be a chance Maxi will leave Ilya for me ..."
"What do you mean? Don't you see how happy they are?" Now Kilik was getting upset that she seemed so intent on seeing the two split up.
"Think about it. Maxi doesn't remember a thing about us. Maybe he'll forget about Ilya, too!"
"That's ridiculous," Kilik said, shaking his head. "You can't sit around waiting for something to happen. Ilya taught me that."
"Ilya, Ilya, Ilya!" Xianghua cried out, throwing her arms in the air. "That's all I ever hear about! What about me? I know it's selfish, but I hate how much attention she's getting! So what if she's strong! So what if she's smart! I don't care!"
"Xianghua ..." Kilik was beginning to understand the girl's feelings toward the Russian.
"She got the man I love ... he never even notices me. He'll never see past Ilya! I'm the one who loves him! He hasn't even known her a month!"
"What are you talking about? Are you gonna try to break them up?"
"I ... I don't know." She sniffled, holding her tears back. "It probably won't last, anyway ... he's a playboy, and she's probably only a one-night stand in his eyes."
"I don't know about that ... remember how he acted around those women he only wanted to bed? This is really different. I think this is the real thing."
"If it does work out, though, I'm gonna take matters into my own hands!"
Xianghua burst into frustrated tears, and Kilik held her while she cried. He was quite heartbroken that Xianghua didn't exactly return his feelings, but was nonetheless concerned about her fixation on breaking up Maxi and Ilya's relationship.
Meanwhile, Ilya was getting pretty nervous. She and Maxi were sitting on the bed, not speaking, not even looking at each other. Maxi felt like a fourteen-year-old boy, anxious and inexperienced (though that certainly was not the case here). Oh, how he wanted to feel Ilya's body against his, but he knew he she wasn't ready yet. The girl had never known a man's touch, and he wasn't one to force himself on a woman who didn't want it. (Heheh, that's sorta an allusion to a very good fic by my friend Crissy – update it soon, why don'tcha? I wanna read more!)
"So ... uh ... think she likes him, too?" the pirate asked uneasily, running a hand through his hair.
"Oh, I'm SURE she does," Ilya replied with false confidence (she was extremely apprehensive). "But I don't think she quite realizes it yet. I bet if Kilik tells her how he feels, that'll push her to admit it."
"I never thought of you as one to try to bring people together."
She glanced at him briefly, then looked away. "Why?"
"Dunno ... maybe it's your personality. You seem more preoccupied with your own problems. You've got a whole slew of 'em, too."
She giggled. "I guess so. But you do too."
Maxi shrugged. "I suppose." He paused uneasily. "So ... er ... what are you gonna do when this is all over? The journey?"
Ilya shook her head and then brushed her short red hair from her eyes. "I'm not sure. But I am pretty certain Anatoli will come hunt me down and drag me back to Kolmyr ..."
His heart sank. "Really?"
"Why?" she taunted. "You wanna settle down, get married and have a million kids?"
The Russian was surprised when he smiled at her. "Maybe."
"Oh God ... I don't even want one kid, let alone a million."
"Is that so? Why not?"
"I don't wanna be FAT."
He began to laugh. "You didn't seem the shallow type – but I guess I was wrong when I assumed you weren't."
She punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Shut up. You're foppish and vain, and I never talk about that, do I?"
Maxi laid back on the bed and stretched his arms. "They're certainly taking their sweet time ..."
"Maybe she just decided to rip his pants off and make sweet love to him," Ilya said with a perfectly straight face.
The pirate was quite amazed by her bluntness, and laughed again. "I doubt it. The little twerp is probably more cherry than you."
The girl glanced at him with her eerie eyes, and he couldn't fight it any longer – he had to ask. "Why are your eyes two different colors?"
"Er ... it all goes back to the day Cervantes came to Siberia ..."
"Oh ... sorry. I didn't mean to pry."
"No, no, it's okay. Well, you see, after he stuck his arm right through my daddy's chest, and killed my sisters, and so on, he grabbed me by the throat, pulled a hand back, and POW – drove his index and middle finger into my eye socket." Maxi winced. (If you've ever read the later volumes of the X manga by CLAMP, this should be kinda familiar.) "See, it really did a lot of damage, and so now there's no pigment, and I'm completely blind in it."
"No wonder you hate pirates, eh?"
"Oh, yeah. But you know, you're not that bad." She paused and grinned. "Even if you are a bit narcissistic."
He returned her smile, and looked up at her from his position on the bed. Being a man, he would be quite content to take her then and there (he couldn't get it out of his mind, the perv) but dared not; she'd never forgive him. It was something a pirate would do.
"Ilya ..." he began, and she looked at him good-naturedly. "I'm sorry."
"About what?" An expression of impatient confusion appeared on her face.
"Just ... if anything ever happens between us ..."
"Look, let's not talk about that. I'm way too uneasy as is."
Grinning, he nodded. "Alright."
At that very moment, Kilik entered the room, and the two gave him looks of hope and curiosity. "So, how'd it go?" Ilya inquired.
"Fine," Kilik lied, knowing better than to disclose Xianghua's confessions. "She said ... er, that she feels the same way but she's not really over Maxi yet."
Ilya gave Maxi a sideways glance. "My, you certainly are a lady- killer." He gave her an uncertain sort of smile. "So, Kilik, do you feel better since you told her how you feel?"
He beamed. "Yeah ... yeah, I do. You were right, it was the best thing I could've done for myself."
"Great, then. I'm going to bed." Ilya gave Maxi a flirtatious grin and Kilik a small wave as she left, and Kilik turned to the older man.
"Um ... Xianghua is really upset about you and Ilya, and ... I don't know, it might be better if you two share a room."
"What?!"
"She's so angry, she might do something mean to her. And considering the way Ilya is, she'll do something mean right back. Probably worse, actually. So I'll share a room with Xianghua and try to talk to her about a few things."
"Um, okay ..."
"Great." Kilik caught up with Ilya as she was about to open the door to the room she was to share with Xianghua, and explained that he was going to stay the night with the Chinese girl and try to smooth things out. Feeling confused and more nervous than ever before (if that were at all possible), Ilya nodded anxiously and went back into Maxi's room.
Hmmmm .... could Kilik be pulling an Annabelle? Or is he seriously trying to talk Xianghua through her jealousy? Short chapter, I know ... but the second part is on the way. Please, PLEASE review, I'd like to hit 10 reviews before starting the next chapter. Thankie. Who knows, maybe Sansaku will pop up again next chapter! And things could become truly steamy, not just pseudo-sexy! R&R, pleasie! Woo, I just said that, hahah. Laters!