Author's Note: Whoo! It's time for chapter three! And, I lied; I actually have seven chapters planned for this story... Whoops.
Anywho... I think it's time for more angst! Dundundun-da!
--
Five-Leafed Clover
Sequel to 'Even My Shadow Left Me' a fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.
Chapter o3 - Hydrangea (Vanity, Frigidity)
--
"When the night, turns to day,
I know that people change but you just stayed the same.
You would swear, on your grave,
That you would never become exactly what you hate.
Now you're gone,
And you're on to the next one.
This time I gotta live without you,
That's just the way it has to be,
This time I gotta live without you
And you're on to the next one.
On to the next one."
On To The Next One by Escape the Fate
--
Chae Lim arrived at the Illusion around five o'clock. She was wearing a pair of navy blue dress pants, and a button-down shirt, tucked into them. Kitten heels were on her feet, but they were driving her nuts already.
King, standing behind the bar, waved at her. "Over here!" she called.
Chae walked over, smiling nervously. "Um... hi. I'm here."
"You're a little early, don't you think?" King asked, but she was joking. "It's okay. I don't mind..." She looked Chae up and down, and made a 'hmm...' sound. "What are you wearing?" she asked.
"What? I'm too dressed up, aren't I?" she panicked. "I'm sorry... I just thought..."
King began to laugh, shaking her head. "Don't be silly... I just... well, I sort of expected you to wear a dress," she replied. "Since you're singing for a paying audience."
Chae blushed. "Oh... I'm so sorry... I didn't realize--"
"Hey, it's okay. You don't need to freak out," King said soothingly. The girl was wound up pretty tight... probably due to the fact that her boyfriend had amnesia. She patted her shoulder. "I have a couple of dresses out back. I bought them for the last girl, but she didn't work out. You're a little smaller than her... but they should fit."
Chae nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"Alright... go pick one, get changed, and come back out here," King instructed.
"Which way is it...?"
King pointed to the door that read, 'Back Room - GTFO'. Chae Lim went to it, and disappeared into the back room.
It was easy enough to find the dresses. They were in clear dress bags hanging from a coat rack. She began to sift through them... the first was a shiny pink one. It hurt her eyes. That was a no. The next was turquoise... but there were too many sequins. After that, it was a crimson one. She liked it, but when she checked the size, she found that it was just two sizes too big for her... she put it back, disappointed. Upon second thoughts, she was glad; the color reminded her of Alba.
The last two were her size, luckily. One was short and green, and the other was longer, purple, with short sleeves and it was made of satin. It didn't hurt her eyes, it didn't remind her of anything in particular, and it wasn't too revealing. She went with the purple one.
It hung past her knees with a slight flare. The material was smooth, and it felt nice. She checked the mirror, and everything seemed fine... well, the dress was fancier than her hair-do and shoes, but that didn't matter.
She left to go present herself to her new boss.
King clapped her hands together in approval. "Very nice... now, let us see..." Her eyes roved again, checking Chae over for any imperfections. "Your shoes... why are you wearing heels?" she asked.
"Oh, well, I wanted to look nice," Chae replied simply.
"You're going to be standing on stage for three hours. Those'll kill your feet," she said. "There's a pair of black ballet flats in the back. You're a size eight, right?" King asked. Chae nodded. "Thought so. Put your hair up, too... here..." she handed her a butterfly clip. "It doesn't have to be perfect... just keep it out of your face."
Chae sighed, and went back to the back room to fetch the ballet flats and fix her hair. She hadn't expected her appearance need to be... so well-maintained for this job. She was almost regretting it.
She went back to King once more, who nodded. "That's perfect... good. You can just sit at the bar until it's time for you to go on," she said.
Chae Lim sighed, and sat down on a stool. It was six thirty... half an hour until showtime.
She wondered what she had gotten herself into.
--
It was the second night Alba had had a dream involving Chae Lim and Soiree.
He, Chae and Soiree were in that red sports car... Chae, sitting up front with him, and Soiree, laying down in the backseat, bobbing his head the to the music that was blaring from the radio. Somewhere, he had heard the song...
"Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right, I swear I'm right..."
It didn't matter. He was driving... fast, but smoothly, through the city. It was pitch black, aside from the city lights. Soon, they were out of the city... driving somewhere...
They arrived at a cemetary. Soiree jumped out of the car, followed by Chae Lim. Soiree knew where he was going; he made a bee line for a certain grave. Chae Lim followed slowly behind him. He followed both of them.
A young man with short blond hair and red eyes was there, as well. In his arms was a bouquet of red roses, and he was placing them on a grave with tears in his eyes. He nodded to the young man, knowing him, but not exactly.
A woman (of considerable bust), with long, curly blond hair, wearing a yellow and black tight pleather suit was just staring at two conjoined graves. She appeared emotionless, but was speaking softly to the headstones. A few more graves down, a dark-skinned man, large and muscular, in a red and black shirt, was kneeling in front of a grave that was covered in many different colored flowers.
Five people were standing at the last grave. Two were blond men with broad shoulders; one had long hair and blue eyes despite his asian looks, and the other had short hair and brown eyes. The third was an older gentleman in a black, three-piece suit. His tanned skin was heavily wrinkled, and his white hair was slicked back. The last two were a man and a woman; the man was dressed in an ornate chinese robe, with long, black hair bound into a braid that nearly reached the ground. The woman was elegant in her black and white riding suit, every lock of her blue-black hair in perfect place. But her eyes were red, and the men were standing around her protectively, trying to comfort her. Whoever laid in that grave, they were sorely missed. Soon, the group walked away, the man in the chinese robe with his arm around the woman. Now, he could see that the man with long blond hair was trying his hardest not to cry, and the man with short blond hair was rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. The older gentleman simply pushed his sunglasses back up his nose, and walked away.
He finally caught up to Soiree and Chae.
The grave they were standing in front of was Fate's. Alba remembered that Fate was their adopted father... Soiree's fists were clenched, and Chae slipped her hand into his. She gave him a hopeful smile.
"So... this is Fate," Alba muttered. They both gave him a funny look. He looked back at Chae Lim.
Fate. His entire reason for needing to defeat Duke... for becoming the Don of Southtown. If he had never done those things, would he have met Chae Lim? Would he and Soiree have grown up together, or would they have been adopted seperately? His life would have become completely different without...
Fate.
--
"Get the fuck out."
Kasumi was taken aback. "What?"
"You heard me. Out, now. I'm sick of your shit."
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't understand what's gotten into you today. Go back to bed... you're being a grouch."
He had forgotten that they'd been together so long, Kasumi was used to him getting angry and yelling for no reason. "No, I mean it. Get. The. Fuck. Out."
"How long were you on the internet last night?" she asked, raising a brow.
His fist clenched, and he slammed it on the counter. "I'm not playing around with you, woman! I said get out of my house!"
"Okay, aside from the fact that I was in the middle of making you breakfast when you suddenly decided to throw me out... what's going on?" she asked.
"You. Ever since you found out I was dying, you've gone ballistic. You've scared off doctors, you're too clingy, and you're trying to take over my life..." he said. "And I'm not taking it. So get out. Now."
"But--"
"Before I call the police."
Kasumi picked up the frying pan, and threw it into the sink. "I've tried really hard to be patient with you, but you know what?" she rolled up her sleeves, and marched towards the door, her face red. "Fine. I'm gone, since you want out so badly." She put on her shoes. "Send my stuff over to my parents house."
She slammed the door, but Iori didn't jump.
He sat on the couch, biting his lip until it bled. His fists were clenched so tightly that his nails were biting into his palms. He wasn't going to cry...
As he went to lock the door, he found that despite his best efforts, his cheeks were wet, for the first time since he was a kid.
He'd broken up with women before... he'd learned to take it one step at a time, because they could be scary bitches. Step one was kicking them out... step two was changing the locks.
He picked up the phone to set step two into motion.
--
Luise sighed as she laid in bed, and glanced over to the red-haired man sleeping beside her.
Somehow, he had found his way into her room in the middle of the night.
Somehow.
And she hadn't stopped it. She had probably encouraged it. She wasn't even sure of what she was doing...
No, in her heart, she knew.
She wasn't trying to keep Alba and Chae Lim apart; she was trying to keep Rekha and Judiem from trying to destroy the world with their 'love'. And, unfortunately, Alba and Chae Lim were their most prefered hosts.
But guilt nagged at her. Chae would be devastated... no, they hadn't actually done anything. They were just sleeping. But in his confused state, Alba would probably want more. And instead of going to the woman he truly wanted, he would go to her. And she could welcome him, and keep Judiem and Rekha apart... or she could shun him, throwing him back to Chae Lim, where he belonged.
Over the past month, she and Chae had a tentative friendship. Chae was grateful for the assistance with her medical bills, and that someone cared enough to check up on her. And Luise respected the girl's sharp mind and cautious optimism about her situation. She remembered most of what had happened, due to Rekha's lack of control, and secretly resented herself for it. Luise had been the one to cheer her up, in the absence of her lover and her close friends.
Was it fair, she wondered, to keep two loving souls apart because their love could be destructive? It was like telling someone they had no choice of where their life would lead. But could they be trusted to keep their true selves at bay... no, not their true selves. Alba and Chae Lim were people. They had their own unique personalities and beliefs. But were they strong enough, then, to keep the alien consciousnesses dwelling inside them at bay?
They had proved once that they could not, because of her lack of action, her pity for the plain, human lives that they'd led. Rekha, in fact, had almost escaped...
No. Judiem was too adamant about finding her. He was obsessed, crazed, when it came to Rekha. In helping to destroy Lakia's world, he proved that he was willing to go to any lengths to keep her... because he knew Rekha's fickle heart could be easily lost to another.
Luise rolled away from Alba, looking at the wall.
She didn't want to...
but it wouldn't be right to lose another world, an entire race, because she felt sympathy for two young lovers.
--
It was time for the show to end on Chae Lim's third night of work at the Illusion... she had begun to draw quite a crowd. People found her voice to be soft and deep, calming and thought-provoking, easy to listen to, but full of emotion, and they liked it... just as King had expected. The girl could hold a note perfectly, on instinct, and could sing a myriad of American soft rock songs and showtunes.
The Illusion had been packed, and King had made three times the profits that she usually did. She'd even had to turn people away, because they were in danger of creating a safety hazard with all the people packed into lounge.
And, at the end of the night, as King was wiping down the bar and making a list of what liquor she would need more shipments of, a young blond man with crimson eyes was waiting for Chae Lim, holding a bouquet of roses.
It made her blush.
"Great show..." he complimented her shyly, as she took the roses.
"Oh, thanks Rock," she said.
"It was a full house, all thanks to you..." he replied, smiling slightly.
"Mmm... I guess, but it made me really nervous," she said.
"What? You did great!" he said in surprise, giving her shoulder a nudge.
She grinned, and took a seat on a stool. "Yeah, I guess so," she finally agreed, smiling a little more.
King looked over, pleasantly surprised. "Well, young man!" she huffed. "You haven't been to see me in ages!" she feigned offense.
"Sorry, King," he replied, his cheeks heating up.
She eyed the two of them, leaning against the bar. "Oh... I see..." she said, grinning again. "You didn't come to see Madame King, did you? You came to see my little songbird!"
The three of them shared a laugh, knowing how ridiculous that was... After all, it was well-known in Southtown that Chae was the 'Don's girl' and 'no one messed with the don's girl'.
But Rock was staring, and he couldn't help it.
"Songbird? But Athena didn't arrive yet!" a chirrupy voice said.
They looked over, to see Athena Asamiya standing there in one of her usual pop idol outfits.
Chae Lim rolled her eyes.
"Oh, hello, Athena," King greeted her. "I didn't realize that you were a drinker..." she began, "but the bar is closing, so you'll have to leave soon."
"Athena doesn't drink! I have an image to keep up!" Athena huffed, her cheeks turning pink. "I came to see Chae Lim!"
Well, that was certainly a surprise.
"Um... okay," Chae began. She and Athena weren't friends; they hardly knew each other. In fact, they wouldn't know each other at all if not for the KOF. They had no mutual friends, and Chae couldn't understand why someone would want to be that damn hyper all of the time. Even Mignon came down from her sugar rushes. "What do you want?"
"Athena's lawyers are putting a court-ordered injunction on this establishment!" she announced.
"WHAT?!" King roared, slamming her fist down on the bar. "What the hell is your problem, Athena? This is my bar!"
"Uh-uh!" Athena said, wagging a finger. "Athena was having a concert in the next city over... but it was totally ruined when all of the boys who were bringing their dates came here instead!"
That, of course, was hardly true. The stadium was still two-thirds full, and her label had still made enough money off of the concert. However, while singing autographs, she had overheard one of her many fans complaining that her friends were supposed to come, and had gone to the Illusion instead, selling their tickets to some people of a younger crowd. Being used to packed stadiums that were full of screaming fans, she had remembered that that concert was not, in fact, packed to the brim. And being a spoiled pop-princess, she had used her psychic powers to find out why. She had tracked it back to the Illusion and Chae Lim.
"What?" Chae said, standing up. "You can't do that!"
Athena shook her head, with a bright smile. "Athena sure can! You were stealing her fans with your... evil rock music! You were purposely trying to steal profits from Athena's label over your jealousy during the KOF!"
"A judge bought that?" King replied snidely.
"Mmhm!"
"That's bullshit!" Chae said, knocking over the stool she had been sitting on. "That's not true at all! I don't care if you're a stupid pop princess, or if you have ridiculous powers, or if you had a stupid concert! I didn't even know you had a concert in town!"
"Well, no one can prove that, can they?" Athena replied.
"Haha..." Rock began to laugh, shaking his head. Athena pouted, glaring at him.
"What's so funny?" she said, stomping her foot.
"No-nothing..." he replied, also standing up. "You're just threatened by her sound, aren't you?" he replied.
"Yeah, right!"
"People like the way she sings, because it isn't the same regurgitated pop crap that you spew all of the world. It's different, and it scares you," Rock said, grinning.
"Y-yeah... yeah right!" Athena repeated.
"Whatever. Don't come in here and threaten King and Chae Lim when they didn't do anything at all," Rock replied.
"In fact, Athena... you can stick that injunction in your ear," King told her.
"Or not, because this bar is closed down until I'm out of the Southern United States," Athena retorted quickly.
"I think you will... I think you'll get that injunction repealed immediately, or I'll show the entire world what a brat you really are," King said, folding her arms over her chest.
"Athena thinks you're bluffing!" Athena said in a sing-song voice.
"Oh, really?" King said, her smirk growing. "Look up there," she said, pointing to a small black camera mounted in a corner, near the cieling. Athena paled. "Yes, that is a security camera... and I will put that tape on the internet if you don't get that injunction repealed by tomorrow morning," she threatened.
"No one would believe you!" Athena shouted, stomping her feet again.
"Chae, if you please," King said with a wave of her hand.
"My pleasure," Chae replied, before spinning around and planting her foot into Athena's chest, knocking her back. "Get the hell out of this bar!"
Athena panicked, not used to everyone... well, not worshipping the ground that she walked on. She teleported out, leaving two rather satisfied women, and one young man with a nosebleed.
For Chae Lim had forgotten exactly how short that green dress was... and it had ridden up a little too much during that kick.
--
At the end of her hasty teleport, Athena found herself in the foyer of the luxurious Beart mansion, almost one hundred miles from Southtown.
It wasn't too long before Ninon noticed her presence, and walked out to see what she wanted. The youngest Beart was not too thrilled to see her.
In fact, her exact words were, "Get the hell out of my house, you idiotic, over-indulged brat."
Athena didn't seem to care about the insult. "Don't you want to know why Athena's paid you a lovely visit?"
"That would be wonderful, if the visit was actually lovely. Get out, before I place a hex on you," Ninon warned.
Athena was growing frustrated; why didn't anyone like her today? "Nuh-uh! Not when you hear what Athena has to say...!" she taunted, wagging a finger. "Athena has the answer to all of your problems..."
"I don't have any proble--"
"Your boy problems."
Ninon raised a brow, but then decided, "Go on... I'm listening..."
"Athena knows why Rock Howard doesn't like Ninon!" she said cheerily.
Ninon's fists clenched, and she was suddenly riled. Probably because Rock Howard was her one weakness, and he worked 60 percent of the time, everytime.
"Out with it, you... airheaded ninny!" she said.
"Rock Howard has a girlfriend!" Athena sang happily.
That only served to make Ninon more angry. "Stop singing! That isn't good news! He's supposed to be my boyfriend!" she said. Of course, this had never been arranged; after the incident at Geese Tower, Alba, Soiree and Chae Lim had been rushed to the hospital, and she had never gotten her end of the deal from Luise... because it had been dependant on Alba's help.
"Don't you want to hear who it is?" Athena asked.
"YES," Ninon hissed. "Tell me right this minute!"
Athena was all too happy to oblige. "It's... Chae Lim," she said.
Ninon thought that was fishy. Chae Lim was dating Alba... and she didn't seem the type to cheat. As much as Ninon was obsessed with Rock, she was also a very realistic person. "What are you talking about, Athena? That's so ridiculous."
"Oh-ho-ho! Wanna bet?" Athena countered, still smiling as if she were terrifically pleased about something. Which, she was. She was about to get back at Chae Lim and King by using Ninon Beart. Athena was a pop idol, but she wasn't that stupid. She was just very spiteful when things did not go exactly as she had planned them.
Ninon thought about it... Athena was flighty, for sure... but she wasn't Mignon. She didn't run around making things up to suit her whims. "What do you want me to do about it?" she asked.
Athena shrugged. "I don't care what you do. That's up to you. Just thought Athena should tell you, you know, as a friend..." she said.
"But we're not friends," Ninon pointed out.
"How do you know Athena doesn't want to be friends with you? Athena loves everybody!" Athena said in that fake love-love-sugar pop princess voice.
"I'll give it some thought," Ninon said diplomatically. "But thanks for the tip."
"No problem!" Athena said, doing a little twirl, and then teleporting out.
Ninon didn't mull over her choices very long. As sensible and nihilistic as she was, she was also a teenager, and her black heart was still very fragile. Rock Howard, in her eyes, had taken the precious gift she had given him and smashed it to a million pieces with a hammer. And Chae Lim was to blame.
"I'll curse that little whore..." Ninon swore, heading up to her room. "Let's see her try to steal anyone else's lover away when she can't even talk to her own..."
--
It was three o'clock in the afternoon when Alba recieved a call from the hospital.
He looked to Luise, grinning happily, for the first time since he'd woken up.
"Soiree's awake," he said, snapping the phone closed.
--
Author's Note: Sweet. Next chapter is in the works. Sorry this took so long; I have a lot of projects, including a Blue Mary cosplay that's taking forever. I also might be getting a puppy. Go me.