Hiya everybody! Looks like this chapter is done.
You know, I was thinking of posting another fanfic...
Thanks to my reviewers! Ah, I worship thee!
Chibi Tomb Robbress- Heehee! Although I kind of object to Brooklyn falling off a cliff. Maybe just going to some foreign country? And Bryan...good idea...but I don't know who to pair him with...
ariotlatio- Yep! A while in the waiting, eh? Aw, I'm touched! Thanks a bundle! Hmmm, maybe you're FRENCH-Canadian...
Torri-Chiobie- I know! Seriously, that took a long time...
Hippochick- Glad to know you are back! You like Kirei? Aww! He's my personal invention! -nod nod- You'll probably see a bit more. And about Yuri's hair...I don't know...I had a weird urge to do that...
Crying Chococat- Wheee! A new reviewer! You are always welcome! Thanks for your compliment! -happy blush-Probably more fluff in future, but his hair may stay for a bit.
wolf of the snow- Thanks! Review on! -grin-
Melitot Proud Eye- Yesss...reeeaaaddd...Anyway, thanks a bunch! Wow, another new reviewer! I feel loved! Your name is cool. Where is it from? Or how did you think of it?
personne du monde- ...yeah...well, Thanks for reviewing! Heehee!
cry of the wolf- I feel for you...but...thanks! -smile-
Inoure- Um...thanks? Yeah! Another new reviewer! What does YOUR name mean?
So that's it! Enjoy!
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Aya reluctantly pulled out of Yuri's embrace. " Yuri." She gently stroked his cheek to get his attention.
Yuri slowly opened his eyes, which were hazy and blurred with passion. He tried to kiss her again but Aya resisted, albeit with a great amount of willpower.
" Yuri." She repeated, cupping the side of his face. " Before this progresses, I need to talk to Brooklyn."
" Brooklyn?" Yuri's dazed expression cleared and his brow furrowed slightly.
" Yes. I told him I wouldn't be involved in a relationship, but if you and I…well, I have to explain it to him. I'll be right back." Aya smiled and kissed Yuri briefly. She then ran off, leaving Yuri to look after her like a lovesick dog. Well, actually, wolf.
Aya dodged through the crowd, looking for Brooklyn. Finally, she saw a familiar figure walking out the front doors. She ran quicker and caught up with the person.
" Aya!" Brooklyn's eyebrows arched elegantly in surprise.
" Hi. Look, I know I said I didn't want to date anyone but…" Aya broke off, unsure of how to put it. Her eyes darted to Yuri, who had followed her and was now standing a distance away with his coat and bag. Brooklyn followed her gaze.
" But you want to go out with Yuri." He finished for her, a sad smile on his face.
" Brooklyn…" Aya bit her lip, a bit ashamed.
" It's alright. I understand. Don't worry. Maybe I'll get another chance someday." Brooklyn's smile became lopsided. " In the mean time, can we still be friends?"
" Of course! Thank you so much, Brooklyn. You've always been so nice. Here, I' sorry." Aya handed Brooklyn the necklace he had given her.
" No, no." He carefully closed her hand around the silvery mass. " You keep it. In memory."
" Thank you." Aya hesitated. " Help me – help me put it on?"
Brooklyn's smile grew. " Of course." He gently drew the chain around her neck and clasped it. Aya was holding her hair out of the way, and Brooklyn's fingers brushing her bare neck made her tremble. There was no denying it, she was attracted to Brooklyn, but…more so to Yuri.
Brooklyn pretended not to notice Aya's shiver, but he did, and it put hope in his heart. He lightly rested his hands on her shoulders, and looked deep into her eyes. Slowly, very slowly, he leaned forward.
" Brooklyn, don't – " Aya whispered, unable to move. She was lost in his beautiful jade-tinged cerulean eyes.
" Shhh. Just one last time. For my memory." Brooklyn persuaded. Aya seemed slightly unwilling, but allowed herself to be pulled in anyway. He had been very understanding about the whole situation.
Her eyes closed as Brooklyn's lips touched hers. She remembered his scent, and the way he tasted like honey, but now it seemed more obvious than ever. But even as she though that, she knew that she shouldn't be doing this; it wasn't fair to Yuri.
Finally, Brooklyn pulled away, lingering a bit. He looked at her tenderly and spoke in a low, soft tone. " See you tomorrow." Then he was gone, this time with Aya staring after.
She was jolted out of her reverie by a hand on her shoulder. Yuri was looking at her with a confused, worried expression.
" Yuri." She smiled at him. " Let's go home."
Yuri smiled back and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Aya snuggled closer and stared at him in adoration.
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Aya slowly wandered down the street, wrapping her light jacket around her. It was late afternoon, and she was going for a stroll. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger, thinking about how she and Yuri had cruised around the neighbourhood. It had been very nice; they had talked a bit, and kissed a bit. Aya's lips curled up in a small smile as she remembered the sight of Yuri with his hair strewed messily around his shoulders. His face had been a little flushed and his eyes sparkled. Aya imagined she must have looked the same way.
She passed a small café, and a flash of pink caught her eye. Mariah and Emily were inside, and apparently waiting for their drinks. Aya walked over and pushed open the glass door, the chime above tinkling. She quietly tiptoed up behind Mariah. Emily caught her eye and continued to talk with the feline girl, pretending as if she'd seen nothing.
Aya crept up, and…" BOO!"
Mariah jerked in surprise, looking around wildly. She saw Aya and her expression changed from startled to slightly annoyed. " Ha ha. Very funny."
" I spotted your hair from a mile away." Aya laughed as she sat down in the chair next to Mariah and Emily. " Where've you guys been? I haven't seen you all day!"
" We have classes together, Aya." Emily pointed out.
" Meh." Aya waved it off. She glanced around, taking in the café. It was a nice place, mostly made of dark, polished wood. The lighting was dim and candles twinkled on the tales. Oil paintings of landscapes decorated the walls.
" Your order. Two cups of hot chocolate, strawberry parfait and slice of truffle cake." A light, French-accented voice came form behind the girls. The waitress had come back and delectable desserts were perched upon her silver tray. The hot chocolate was in clean white mugs, and it was topped with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and marshmallows. The food came on silver dishes.
After the waitress had set down the dishes she turned to Aya. " Would you like to order?"
" Ah…sure. I'd like a hot chocolate and…" Aya flipped through the tasselled menu. " A bowl of chocolate-dipped strawberries."
The waitress nodded and left.
" This is a really nice place. What's it called?" Aya asked.
" Maison de Chocolat. It's owned by the Dubois family." Mariah sipped her drink contentedly.
" But don't they own the coffeehouse near the school?" Aya was confused.
" The Dubois own half the restaurants in town." Emily rolled her eyes.
" Really?" Aya raised her eyebrows.
" Yep. They're a very French family. Cooking, art. Very rich too. You know, their son, Oliver, goes to our school and he often cooks in the cafeteria." Emily chewed her truffle cake.
" Your order, mademoiselle." Came a soft voice from next to Aya. She looked over and saw a small boy with delicate features standing there. An apron was tied around his waist to protect his fine clothes, and a tray was in his hands. His longish, lime-green hair fell into his soft violet eyes and was covered with a blue beret.
" That's Oliver." Mariah put in helpfully as Aya stared at the feminine boy.
Oliver looked up, confusion evident in his mauve eyes.
" Hello Olly. We've been talking about you." Emily smiled brightly.
" Er…" Oliver didn't know what to say to that. He carefully put a mug and dish in front of Aya and held the tray against himself. " It's nice to see you again."
" Oliver, this is Aya. Aya, Oliver." Mariah nodded to each as she made the introductions.
" Enchante, mademoiselle." Oliver, polite as always, bowed low.
" Hello, Oliver." Aya smiled warmly. She liked this little boy. He was absolutely adorable. She resisted the urge to ruffle his hair and pinch his cheeks.
" Dreadfully sorry, mademoiselles, but I must be getting along. Will you need anything else?" Oliver spoke in his lilting French accent. When the girls all shook their heads, he bowed again and left, his hair a golden-green form the candlelight.
" Bye, Olly!" Mariah called. Settling herself back into her chair she turned to Aya and Emily. " He's adorable, isn't he?"
" Very. Those eyes and hair? Awww!" Emily agreed, taking a swallow of her drink.
" And his accent and manners? Such the perfect little gentleman!" Aya held her hands against one cheek, batting her eyelashes.
" I'd love a kid like him." Mariah sighed, biting one of the strawberries on her parfait.
Emily however, was interested in something else now. Her sharp emerald eyes had landed on Aya's finger, upon which a white-gold ring shone. " Isn't that Tala's class ring?"
Aya blushed and spread her fingers in front of her. The ring glistened on the middle finger of her right hand. It had a large, square garnet in the middle that was surrounded by little diamonds. " Yes, it is."
" Why would he give you his class ring?" Mariah demanded, grabbing Aya's hand to get a better look at the piece of jewellery.
" Um…because he wanted too?" Aya offered weakly, trying to tug her hand out of Mariah's grasp.
Mariah pulled off the ring and inspected it. Sure enough, on the inside there were letters and numbers inscribed. It read, Tala Valkov 2004-2005.
Aya nibbled a strawberry as she watched Mariah and Emily study the ring.
" You guys are together now, aren't you?" Emily asked, reaching over to take a strawberry from Aya's bowl.
" Sort of…" Aya mumbled from around a mouth full of fruit and chocolate.
" What about Brooklyn?" Emily eyed Aya.
" Eh…" Aya made some indistinguishable sounds as she grabbed for the ring. Mariah kept it well out of her reach.
" Fickle, fickle girl!" The rose-haired girl exclaimed, eyebrows almost in her hairline.
" No – " Aya protested. " It's not like that – "
" Yeah, yeah. We know. We were just kidding. It's about time anyway." Mariah handed the ring back and stole a strawberry.
" So, off me! How are you guys doing? Any progress on the Rei front?" Aya slipped her ring back on and drank from her cup.
" Well…it's better. He asked me to go to the movies with him." Mariah blushed, looking down.
" That's great!" Aya exclaimed, patting Mariah's shoulder. " What about you, Emily?"
" Romantically, Max has no idea I exist." The spectacled girl spoke morosely.
" You should make the first move!" Mariah punched her fist in the air.
" I don't think…" Emily trailed off helplessly as her friends began chatting about what she could do. Emily had absolutely no say in the conversation. She sighed and pulled Aya's bowl close, her eyes upon the chocolate-covered fruits inside.
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" You know, I was – I need to tell you guys something." Aya began uncomfortably. It was dusk and the girls were walking home. " Yesterday, I was on my date with Brooklyn when…" And so she told her friends all about what had happened that night.
When she had finished, Emily had a horrified expression, while Mariah looked grimly satisfied.
" I suspected something like that was happening." The rose-haired girl growled.
" What? How did you know?" Emily's eyes widened even more in surprise.
" You're extremely clever, Emily, but you don't really observe people as much. You may not have noticed at the time, but remember when Tala was six? That year he was out of school for about five months. When he came back, he was so different. Remember, he used to be such a nice boy. He'd share his lunch and cookies all the time, and he's always stand up for others. After those five months though, it was like he had become a completely different person. He became the first to push a kid in the mud, and he got new friends." Mariah looked at the darkening sky as she spoke.
" I sort of remember…but what does that have to do with his father?" Emily mused, still stunned from the earlier information.
" When he was nine he was the lead in the school play. I was supposed to help the actors change costumes, since I'd missed the auditions. When I came in to give him his robe, I saw that he'd already taken his shirt off. There were a bunch of fading scars and one long gash tearing across his back diagonally. It was fresh and bloody, with newly forming scabs at the edges. It still makes me wince at when I think about it. I tried to ask him about it, but he just grabbed his costume and pushed me hard against a wall. I never linked his father to it until he was twelve. I was passing by, and I saw his father shove him into a wall and slap him. I was only ten; I was too scared to do anything. You remember, Mr. Valkov was always so frightening. And now, well, I just kind of got used to Tala the way he was, and I've hardly thought about the things I've seen. Maybe if I cared more…" Mariah seemed engrossed with the few twinkling stars.
" It's not your fault! His father creeps me out too." Aya shuddered. " Even worse, the old Tala kind of reminds me of his father."
" So what're we going to do?" Emily asked, her freckles standing out even more on her paled complexion.
Silence followed. None of the girls had an answer for that.
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" Tala! Where've you been?" A cheerful blue-haired boy leapt up to greet his friend. He was met with a stony silence.
" Hey, you're not still mad at me for eating that cookie, are you?" The boy laughed uncomfortably.
Tala gave the boy a cold stare. Then he brushed past him with his nose in the air.
" Tala! That wasn't very nice!" A blond boy exclaimed, jumping up.
" Heh. What. Ever." Tala pronounced each syllable distinctly, before shoving the blond backwards. The poor boy landed in a mud puddle.
" Tala!" Several other children stood up.
" Look what you did to poor Maxie! What's gotten into you?" An Asian boy with a short braid shouted.
" Ha. Do. You. Think. I. Care?" Tala shot back as he began to walk away.
The children were left staring after him in amazement. They were all thinking of how nice Tala had been, five months ago.
Five months earlier-
" Hey guys! I'm going away next week, so I brought some stuff to have a party!" The happy redhead bounced up, a beaming smile on his face.
" What did you bring?" A blue-haired boy grinned, eyes greedily staring at the basket the other boy had.
" Calm down Ty! There's plenty to share." Tala pulled the heavy basket into the centre of the children. They all squealed in delight as they saw the boy take out delicious-looking cakes and cookies. The kids instantly attacked the food.
Tala watched his friends with a wistful expression on his face.
" Are you okay?" A quiet slate-haired boy asked, munching a cookie. " You aren't eating anything."
" I'm not hungry." The redheaded boy looked sad. " I'm going to miss you guys. Promise you won't forget me?"
The slate-haired boy solemnly placed a hand on Tala's shoulder. " I promise."
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