ACT 7

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In front of Maria's door.

"Can you leave me for a while, Taichou?" Maria said her back facing Ohgami.

Ohgami nodded. "I understand." He turned around and left her.

The Russian never felt this kind of nervousness in her heart. 'Why is my heart beating so fast? I wanted to be angry with him. But there is something holding it back. What's wrong with me? Why am I like this?'

She touched the door knob and closed her eyes. 'You're weak, Maria! Just accept it! You can't pretend forever that you're strong!'

Maria couldn't believe what she thought about herself. 'Am I weak? Am I always pretending?'

Those words repeated like a recorder in her head.

Before she opened the door she yelled out a Russian curse and slammed the door shut.

THUD!

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Iris heard the loud noise while she was going upstairs. "Yaah! What's that?" she asked Kanna when they met in the middle of the stairway.

"Well, who else can speak Russian here?" Kanna said.

"Maria?"

"Uh-huh. . . and I suggest you should not go there. It's for your safety." Kanna bent down to give Iris a narrow look.

"Kanna, don't scare Iris like that!"

Kanna shrugged. She straightened herself again and smiled at Iris. "Well, I'm going now. I have a mission to take this script to our friend in Hana-Yashiki." The red-haired wave her hand before leaving. "See ya."

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Hours later, at the stage.

"Godspeed, fair Helena. Whither away?" It was Sumire. It was the start of Hermia and Helena's conversation.

Sakura responded quickly, "Call you me 'fair'? That 'fair' again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O HAPPY fair! Your eyes are lodestars and your tongue's sweet air more tunable than lark to shepherd's ear when wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear." Her sad expression accentuated her words.

Sumire almost believe in her act. Her eyes widened.

Sakura continued. "Sickness is catching. O, were favor so! Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go. My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye; my tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, the rest I'd give to be to you translated. O, TEACH me how you look and with what art YOU SWAY the motion of Demetrius' heart!"

Now Sumire was awed and almost forgot her lines. "Uh. . .Oh. . . I frown upon him, yet he loves me still." Sweat was covering her face. 'Why is she suddenly this good?'

"O, that your frowns would teach my smiles such skill!" Sakura declared, totally into her role as Helena.

"I give him curses, yet he gives me love."

"O, that my prayers could such affection move!"

'She got that one pretty right,' Sumire said to herself. "The more I hate, the more he follows me," she responded.

"The more I love the more he hated me."

"His folly, Helena, is no fault of mine."

"None but your beauty. Would that fault were mine!" Sakura said sadly.

She couldn't believe how impressed she was. 'How could a kiss change her like that?'

Sakura's eyes blinked. She was waiting for Sumire's response.

Sumire gave her a don't-forget-that-I'm-still-the-top-star-of-this-play face.

Sakura gave her a sheepish smile. 'Okay, why is she looking at me like that? Did I get it wrong?'

"Okay, my turn's over." Sumire excused herself to another place. 'What if she steals the spotlight? NO, I won't let that country mouse beat me!' she thought, almost paranoid.

Imaginary flames lit her up like a torch and laughed at herself crazily. 'Ohohoho! YES! Nobody can beat Sumire Kanzaki!'

Sakura looked a bit scared and distanced herself from the other woman. 'Ehh. . . What's wrong with her?'

Sakura turned the next page and next act was between Helena and Demetrius. A trace of blush crossed her cheeks.

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Maria was silently sitting on a corner staring blankly at her script.

"Maria-san! Let's practice!" Sakura said eagerly, startling the Russian.

The Russian looked at her and studied the younger girl's face. 'She seems pretty happy,' she said to herself.

Sakura gave her a cheery smile. "Maria-san, are you ready?"

Maria blinked. "Uh. . . Oh, yes. That's right. Now where are we?"

Sakura found Maria's reaction cute. 'Maria-san's blinking her eyes?' She giggled.

'What is she chuckling about?' Maria asked herself. She smiled too despite that. 'How did she do that? She's making me smile although I felt miserable.'

Sakura pointed to the page in Maria's script and beamed at her again. This time it was Maria's turn to flush.

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"Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair? Or rather do I not in plainest truth tell you I do not, nor I CANNOT LOVE YOU?" Maria said now standing beside Sakura.

Sakura replied, sounding hurt, "And even for that do I LOVE YOU the more. I am your spaniel, and, Demetrius, the more you beat me I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel: spurn me, strike me, NEGLECT ME, lose me; only give me leave unworthy as I am to follow you. What worser place CAN I BEG in your love and yet a place of high respect with me than to be used as you use your dog?"

Maria stared at her for a moment. 'Is this really Sakura?'

The Russian turned the page and delivered the next response. "Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit, for I am sick when I do look on thee."

"And I am sick WHEN I look NOT on you," Sakura said touching Maria's arms.

"You do impeach your modesty too much to leave the city and commit yourself into the hands of one that LOVES YOU NOT, to trust the opportunity of night and the ill counsel of a desert place with rich worth of your virginity," Maria said avoiding her eyes.

"Your virtue is my privilege. For that it is not night when I do see your face, therefore I think I am not in the night. Nor doth this wood lack worlds of company, for YOU, in my respect, are ALL THE WORLD. Then how can it be said I am alone when all the world is here to look on me?"

Maria looked at her again. "I'll run from thee and hide me in the brakes and leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts."

Sakura knelt before her. "The wildest hath NOT SUCH A HEART AS YOU. Run when you will. The story shall be changed: Apollo flies and Daphne holds the chase; the dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind makes speed to catch the tiger. Bootless speed when cowardice pursues and valor flies!"

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"That was well delivered, Sakura. You have outdone yourself," Maria commented after the whole act was over. They sat down for a while.

Sakura blushed at the compliment. "This wouldn't have happened without your help."

Maria looked at the floor. "Is that so?"

Sakura leaned on Maria's shoulders and closed her eyes. 'It's because I love you. That is why things like this happened.'

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?" Sakura responded not moving from her position.

"What did you feel after the kiss?" Maria asked.

'Why is she asking?' Sakura opened her eyes and met Maria's own.

The Russian gave her a serious face.

'Why Maria-san? Do you have doubts about it?' Sakura's thoughts were troubled. 'What did I feel? Why? What did you feel? Didn't we have the same feelings?' Her face fell, and she was unable to say a word.

Maria turned her gaze away. "Sometimes, we need to pretend and act in a certain way so that things can turn out well. But, in the end, we just can't keep pretending to be something we're not. I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm sorry for confusing you like that..."

Sakura felt as if the whole world was collapsing around her.

". . .Our life is a play. . . it's already scripted. It is something unchangeable," Maria continued.

"Then leave it as it is!" Sakura exclaimed. She hugged Maria tightly, afraid that the Russian would leave her. "I don't need you to pretend. I just LOVE you for who you are!"

"Sa-sakura?" Maria's eyes were shocked in disbelief. "But I thought you were-"

"NO! It was you! It was you whom I LOVE! No matter who you are. No matter if you're a girl! I love you, Maria-san! I LOVE YOU!"

Maria couldn't speak. It was as if the words were stuck in her throat.

Sakura lifted her head. Her eyes were now brimming with tears. She leaned closer.

The Russian was unable to move.

Sakura brought Maria in closer and kissed her. The green-eyed woman was unable to withdraw as the kiss went deeper.

'O, damn! What have I done to her?' Maria exclaimed to herself her eyes wide.

Sumire, who was there watching them, raised her eyebrows in confusion. 'Okay, is that part of the practice or is that the same as yesterday?"

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"Iris, please don't drag me to the stage . . . I can walk by myself," Ohgami complained as the French girl pulled him by the hand.

"Iris wants to practice with Oniichan now!" the blue-eyed girl said.

"Okay. Okay. I know that, but you don't have to hurry me."

Iris looked at him a bit angrily. "Iris has to because we're already late! Right, Jean Paul?"

"Okay, you win." Ohgami suppressed a smile.

Iris entered the stage first but it shocked Ohgami when she yelled.

"NYAA!"

"What is it, Iris?" Ohgami quickly caught the view of Iris' attention. 'No, IT CAN'T BE!' Ohgami's jaw almost fell in disbelief.