Ahoy! Sorry I haven't seen you all in a while. But the good news is that my Driver's Ed class is FINALLY done, so I'll have a lot more time to write. Hehe, you didn't know I was taking DE did you? Eeee, ATA on the road!
To my reviewers...
YuhiruK.A.A.K.J.: You're thinking about making a Cc story? Rock on! You're idea sounds uber cute! It's like seven minutes in heaven, cept it's ten…and it's days, not minutes. Hehe. Anyway, Wilhelm, he is a mystery man. I tend to think he is a not so good guy cause he is in cahoots with the I-think-he-killed-Ziggy Voyager guy and the I-like-to-eat-Realian-brains Virgil guy.
Misunderstood: Why thank you! It is tricky to make a crazy couple like this work, eh?
Ruler of Dark and Light: Methinks there will be some smoochin' in this chapter to keep ye satisfied. I will say no more.
Xeora: Ha! ATA will smite all yaoi-haters with her spiffy god-like omniscientness! Bruahah!
Angstling: Grammar hates me. No matter how many times I check through the chapter one little mistake always makes it to the final cut! Grrr. But thank you wonderfully for the lovely compliments, yes?
KBkyle92: Yes. "That" question. Hehe, chaos is so evil!
KOS-MOS rox: Oooooo a shrine! KEWL! ATA must make a shrine now!
kikyogirl900: Thank ya! Hey, did your fic ever work out? I hope you found out what was wrong!
Wends: I've gotten so many different "It was chaos' voice" "It wasn't chaos' voice" things I don't know what to think anymore! Eee. Xenosaga III, where are you in my time of need? You heard it is Albedo? Maybe, but wouldn't that be like, the second time he came back to life?
Nine reviews for one chapter? Wow!
One week anniversary. It was going to be perfect. Nothing would go wrong. And the more I told myself that, the heavier the weight in my stomach got. But hey, planning and placement are what Realians do best. But that doesn't mean we still can't screw it up. And with my track record, I need all the help I can get. Especially for the fiasco I had in mind.
I wanted to plan something…extravagant. Something elegant. Something just for him that he would never forget for as long as he lived.
I had already enlisted the help of MOMO and Shion to keep chaos busy for the better half of the day. When asked why, I told them it was a surprise "thank you" party. They got all giddy in their girlish way and I heard Shion whisper, "Why is it always the gorgeous ones?"
I didn't know what that meant. But they were helping so I didn't pry into it.
With the promise of chaos being out of the way, I hurried on with the rest of my task. I started with the mind numbing process of making the room spotless. I picked up crumpled piles of clothes off the floor (mostly his) and made up the disorderly beds. I picked up his junk of computer pads and engine reports from the tables and stuffed them into the closet. Then, after vacuuming, dusting, primping, and polishing the rest of the small space, the first part of my plan was complete. Now on to the fun stuff. Decorating this place to make it fit for a king.
…but, decorating with what?
Duh, with flowers and candles and stuff.
…but, where am I going to get those?
Buy them, of course.
…but I'm broke.
…
You must have some money…
Nope. None.
…
…oh
I wasn't just broke. I was flat broke. I only had one dollars worth of credit on me. One. I didn't have an expenses card. I couldn't even take out a loan. And all the stupid procedures I have to go to for getting that Y-data stuck in my head, courtesy of Jin, eat up my already meager wages. Just a few of the mighty fine perks of being a Realian.
How was I going to pull this off without any money?
Hmmm…Ziggy, Jin, and KOS-MOS obviously don't have any…Shion might have some but she's busy entertaining chaos…and of course Matthews won't be of much help…neither will Allen…
I suppose I could ask Jr., he's got loads to spare…
But then he would never let me live it down. I can hear the taunts already.
Speaking of Jr…
Wait, he's got those games on his ship where you can win money, right? What are they called, slots? Yeah, slots. I'm sure I could get a little extra cash from there.
So I headed for the Durandal.
Game Room read the neon sign above the entrance. I proudly strutted in, feeling quite intelligent to remember that the Durandal had gambling aboard. The way to get rich quick, if you were lucky. So I've heard.
But I didn't need luck. I had state-of-the-art technology invested in my eyes and reflexes. Plus if all else failed I could always hack into the system and trip the cash flow.
I can't believe I am going to attempt to gamble my way into chaos' heart.
But there is no other way.
Taking a seat at the closest available slot machine, I inserted my precious bit of money. The contraption sprang to life and the pictures started to rapidly spin.
I watched it very very carefully; my eyes were glued to the screen as I analyzed every detail. It was a simple matter of memorizing the pattern of the rotations and then stopping it at the correct time so the pattern with the most earnings lined up. It did require a bit of precision of my part, but nothing I couldn't handle. Simple really.
Right…
THERE.
I punched the stop button and relaxed in my chair, confident of victory.
One cheery…two cherries…three cherries.
"WINNER!" The machine belted. It lit up and made a racket with whistles and bells going off that caused me to jump. A million coins spilled out from the slot and fell on to the floor.The people around me looked on in envy and went back to their games with renewed enthusiasm.
Jackpot. This is way too easy. Realians could get rich in a heartbeat if they went to their local gambling holes once a week.
I happily pushed my winnings off to the side and slipped in more money for another round.
I'll have enough in no time.
"WINNER!" The slot screamed again, but I was smart enough this time to plug my ears. The others around me started to stare. They watched as a million more coins fell into my lap.
"Did that guy just get two wins in a row?" I heard one ask.
"Yeah, I think he did. Lucky!"
"Lucky? Isn't that, like, impossible to do?"
I ignored their mystified chattering and quickly added to my winnings. Out of the corner of my eye I saw their mouths drop.
"Hey you!" hissed the boy sitting next to me.
"Hmm?"
"Yeah you! You won three times in a row man! How? You aren't cheating or anything right?"
"No. I'm not."
"Is your machine broken?"
"I don't think so."
"Then how!"
"It's just a matter of timing and speed. There's nothing to it."
"Really?"
"You must have great coordination!" said a bubbly woman to my right.
"I guess so."
"What do you need all that money for anyway?"
"I'm broke."
"Oh I see. Well looks like you're not anymore! Hehe!"
The machine hollered out again. The coins were beginning to overflow around me. A crowd was beginning to form behind my seat. I listened to see what they were prattling about.
"He hasn't lost yet?"
"No! He came in and won four straight games!"
"I bet it doesn't last."
"I don't know. He seems pretty determined."
"What's it for?"
"Probably some chick."
"Ohhh that's so romantic! I wish my boyfriend had that kind of luck!"
Two more earnings later and the crowd was pilling almost as fast as the coins. I didn't see why they got so much entertainment out of this. But I guess a good winning streak doesn't happen too often. Human minds can get such simple pleasure. I mean, just listen to their conversations…
"Why is everyone crowded around here?"
"Didn't you hear? A guy who until about ten minutes ago was broke and now he's winning the jackpots like crazy! And it's all going toward a fund to take his girlfriend out on a fancy date!"
"That's so cool! What a lucky girl!"
"Why can't you be like him and win all that money for me and take me out on a fancy date?"
"Uh, why is he doing it again?"
"I overheard something about a girlfriend. Oh! I bet he's trying to get enough money to buy her an engagement ring! Those things are so expensive nowadays! Especially if you want really really nice one!"
"Wow! I bet the poor dear is going to just die of shock when she sees it!"
"Die? Of shock?"
"Hmmm? DIE? Hey you! Didn't you hear? His wife-to-be is in the hospital and she…she could die! He's trying to get enough money to pay for her surgery!"
"A surgery? It must be something critical if it's that expensive!"
"What an amazing guy…Yeah! Keep those slots rolling!"
Where the heck do people come up with this stuff?
I went from impressing some girl to saving my ill fiancé on her death bed. Geeze…
…
Hehe…If only they knew…
"WINNER!" The machine screeched tiredly for the seventh, and final time. Instead of the usual mountains of coins, only two blipped out from the slot. I tapped the screen in puzzlement and came to my conclusion.
"Guess it's out of money…" I stated.
There was a chorus of awed whispers throughout the now jam-packed room. They started urging me to move to another slot, but I figured I had more than enough money, and had caused more than enough fuss.
"Sorry. I think I'm done here," I said.
There were grumbles and downcast looks.
"HEY! What in the world is going on over here?" barked a commanding sounding voice from the entrance, "Make a path, make a path, official coming through."
The crowd parted for an uptight looking man wearing a neatly pressed Durandal uniform.
"What's all the excitement? Nothing to see here! Go on go on, you're blocking the entrance! What if there was an emergency? Go back to your games or shoo!"
After a few rude remarks which I did not feel obligated to repeat, the crowd evaporated save for myself…and the sissy cop who was even more ruffled than before.
"YOU," he said pointing an accusing finger at me, "Are you the cause of all this trouble? And what's with all the spare change? Have you been tampering with the slots?"
"No. I just won. A lot. I got lucky I guess."
"Well move your "luck" somewhere else! You're disturbing the peace!"
"It's not like I asked for all this attention. But I will be quite happy to leave…if you can arrange some means of transportation for all my winnings."
Why bother? I bet I could jam all this money into that big fat ego of yours.
He huffed and protruded a large sack from one of the counters.
"Thanks…" I said dryly.
I stuffed my mountain of money into the bag, without any help from the smirking sissy cop, heaved it over my shoulder and turned to leave. I wasn't looking forward to carrying this weight around. But maybe I still could get the last laugh…
"You know…" I said at the threshold, "You'd better watch your attitude. You're never going to get a boyfriend if you keep acting like that."
His face turned a deep shade of purple and I hauled out of there before he decided to arrest me.
The rapidly approaching twilight hastened my pace as I dragged my colossus of change to the Kukai Foundation.
Stupid dainty law-dude and his stupid heavy money bag.
chaos could arrive back any second and I'm still over here dawdling.
I hadn't even bought anything yet for goodness sakes. Grinding my teeth and ignoring the ton of metal pressing against my back, I hurried into the nearest convenient store and slammed my money on the counter.
"Uhhh…can I h…help you sir?" asked the clerk turning a pale shade of yellow.
I craned my neck to the side of the sack.
"Listen," I said flatly, "I'll make this simple. I am in a huge rush. I've got about thirty minutes to turn a tacky, poorly decorated room into a romantic evening for two. So I will make you deal: I'll trade my huge amount of perfectly legal change for whatever I ask to have."
"W…what kind of things are you looking for?"
I paused.
"Twenty candles, twenty candle holders, a couple dozen roses, vases, plates, glasses, silverware, table cloth, good wine, chocolate candy, chocolate cake, anything else chocolate you might have, and oh…you wouldn't happen to have fruit scented shampoo would you?"
Ten minutes of rapid gathering and wrapping later, I left the shop of the now extremely happy clerk with an even heavier load on my back. But I was optimistic. Getting the room together would be a snap after all that noise.
I reached the soon to be romantic getaway in record time. Someone upstairs still liked me for the room was still empty. I grimaced and let the heavy load fall with a thump.
Owww...
Only stopping a few minutes to catch my breath, I dragged out all my purchases and the panic-stricken decorating began.
Focus now.
Roses in vases, table cloth on table, plates, glasses, wine standing ready…
Chocolate in plain sight, soap under the table for later…
Twenty candles in respective holders ablaze, fire alarm working one hundred percent…
I was starting to have fun with this, as strange as it sounded. I began to hum a tune I had caught chaos singing in the shower the other day and continued to spice up the room. I scattered the candles in various places and set the bundle of roses neatly on the table. I sliced up the cake into even pieces and put one on each plate. I popped the cork on the wine and poured a few drops into the glasses. I wrapped the candy in a huge red bow and finished off by dimming down the lights.
The only thing left to perfect now, I realized, was myself.
But…
After rushing around totally stressed for most of the day and already suffering from lack of sleep, did I dare look in the mirror?
…
WHAT THE..!
Needless to say, I was not a pretty sight.
After much frantic scrubbing, washing, and brushing later, I was struggling into some cleaner clothes in the bathroom.
I didn't even have enough time to put on socks as I heard the doors swish open.
I frantically buttoned up the rest of my shirt for good measure. I pressed my ear to the wall and listened, five excuses already lined up in case chaos didn't like what he saw.
"Canaan! I'm ba…"
His sentenced ended with short gasp.
That was a good sign…
I undid the top of my shirt and left my feet bare.
I opened the door and poked my head out. My chaos was standing there in his typical space uniform with his mouth gaping open like a fish.
Adorning my face with a casual smirk, I stepped out and mused, "Good evening chaos. Do you like my little display?"
"Like? Like isn't even the word…how…when…?"
"Today, while you were out. Now…come here…"
Grabbing his wrist carefully I pulled him in and pressed him snugly against me. His rigid frame quickly relaxed and he nestled his face into my chest.
"You still haven't told me why…"
"Do I need a reason to spoil you?"
"I guess not, but…"
"I'm teasing," I said, pulling back, "In case you have forgotten, it's been exactly one week since…" I tapped my head to finish my statement.
"Really? Already? It doesn't feel like it's been seven days at all. And that's why…?"
"Yes."
"Wow…"
He smiled cutely at me. Even in the weird outfit and the darkened room he still looked lovely. The glow of the candles seemed to radiate and show off his finer features. His hair, his eyes, his face…
Was it the dim lighting or was his radiating face a pale shade of crimson?
I squinted down and asked, "chaos, are you blushing?"
He looked startled and retorted, "Yeah, so?"
I knew then I had him under my complete control.
My eyes widened in mock astonishment. "You mean my chaos, the prince of calm and cool is getting embarrassed over a little surprise anniversary? I'm quite flattered."
"Don't rub it in."
"Oh, but I will. I will enjoy this greatly I can assure you."
A teasing smirk flickered across my face, "Now, come sit."
I led him by the hand over to the table and he suddenly found a great interest in the floor underneath him. I pulled back his chair, like a gentleman was supposed to do, and he quickly sat down. I took my seat across from him and gazed at him fondly.
"What?" he asked.
"You look fantastic."
He sank a little lower in his chair. "Nothing compared to you," he said meekly, "I didn't even dress up."
"So? You always look fantastic."
He face changed from cherry colored to strawberry colored.
I leaned in closer until our noses were almost touching.
"chaos…" I cooed.
"Yes?"
"Aren't you going to have your cake? Or do I have to eat it all by myself?"
He looked down at his treat suddenly like he hadn't even noticed it was there. He wordlessly began to stuff his face and downed the cake a little quicker than he usually ate.
He hiccupped and wiped a napkin across his lips.
"Done already?"
"It was really good."
"Another piece?"
"Please."
He ate this one much more slowly and his face regained that familiar chaos smile. I stabbed my fork into my slice.
Roughly eight pieces of highly saturated chocolaty fat later, we leaned back in our chairs with full stomachs and slackened belts. We were picking at the candied chocolates now.
"I think that's the best thing I've ever eaten in my entire life," he said.
"I know that's the best thing I've ever eaten in my entire life," I said.
"It was all wonderful, really."
"Oh, but it's not over yet."
"There's more?"
I reached down and pulled out my poorly wrapped present of mango and kiwi scented soap.
"Goodness Canaan!"
"Open it. I think you'll be surprised."
He excitedly pulled off the bow and paper. He held the two brightly colored bottles in his hands and burst out laughing.
My confidence faltered. "Something wrong?" I asked.
"No no no! Nothing's wrong at all, I just can't believe you got me…this!"
My face sunk. "You don't like it, do you?"
"No! Canaan," he said earnestly, "this was really, really sweet of you. I love it. Seriously. I just can't believe you found any of this stuff! I thought it was a one time deal!"
Relief flooded me and I said proudly, "Well, the guy at the store said they were pretty limited."
"I'll bet. Oh…now I feel all guilty. I didn't even get you anything."
"I don't need anything."
"Still…" He paused and gazed wondrously around the room, "I can't believe you did all this…"
"Why not?"
"Well, no one ever, you know, throws me parties or surprises. Usually I'm the one who does it for them. I can't even remember the last time someone gave me a present."
I shook my head. "Shame on everyone then. You deserve way better than that."
"I don't really mind though," he said quickly.
"Don't make excuses," I scolded.
He sighed. "All right all right, whatever you say," he said with a grin, "Anyway, I am virtually exhausted from eating so much, so I am going to go try out my new present and take a nice, hot bath."
He wobbled up from his seat and made his way to the washroom behind me. I stretched lazily in my chair in utter triumph and paid no mind.
Never in a million years would I have dreamed what would happen next.
I felt a pair of hands placed on my shoulders and then wrap around my neck. I felt a hot cheek placed on the side of my head. His hair fell effortlessly across my face. His gently breathing tickled my ear. I didn't dare to move.
"cha…" I was able to sound out.
Remember that "control" thing I was talking about a little while ago?
He sensuously pressed himself closer and whispered, "Thank you so much for this evening…Sweet dreams Canaan…"
I sighed in contempt and closed my eyes. I always loved it when he held me, but this was so much nicer.
Something moist…something…delightfully warm…pressed up against my cheek. The door behind me opened and then closed.
I blinked in utter puzzlement.
What in the world was that?
I grazed a finger across my cheek. It was hot to the touch and I was positive it was a lovely shade of magenta.
It dawned on me that the only explanation was…
Did he…did he…did he just…kiss me?
I nearly fell out of my chair in shock.
I vowed never to tease chaos about his blushing again. I was sure my face had gone from orange to purple and back again by now.
He kissed me…on the cheek…could that mean…is it possible…that he just…might…
Love…me…?
Finally some kissing! Even in its subtly reduced form, it still is something right? Don't worry. ATA wants mouth to mouth as much as you guys! Oh, and the whole "Canaan is broke beyond belief" is a bit of a shout out to my lovely reviewer Wends. Keep on trucking!
Cheers-ATA