Sorry that this took so long my stupid flash drive thought that it would be funny if it changed the original file and make it to where I can't open it any longer…. And right in the middle of when I was working on it! –fume- anyway… this chapter's kinda long-ish…
Oh and I'm just guessing on the last part of this I have no idea what the inside of a tattoo parlor looks like!
Chapter 16: Not Meant to Be
A KuroFai Story
-Wednesday-
"You said you wanted a tattoo right?" Ashura asked, suddenly. I looked over at him from the sink, currently busy with my morning routine of trying to convince Fai that I was eating in the mornings
"Yeah." I said, turning the tap on. "Why?"
"I'll pick you up after school, and we can go look for one," he said stretching the word 'look'. "And maybe I'll let you get one on Saturday."
"Really?" I seriously hadn't expected to let me get it so soon! But I thought it might be best to test the waters though. "So I can get what ever I want, right?"
"No," He snapped, refolding the newspaper that he had been reading and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "I'll let you choose, but if I don't like it you're not getting it." He said around the butt of the cigarette, as he lit it and took a slow drag.
I pouted lightly, reaching over and turning the tap off. "Alright," I huffed, grabbing my backpack off of the tile floor. "Okay I'm going; the bus'll be here any minute."
I moved past him, and felt something wrap around my wrist. I turned, and found him towering over me, with a smirk. I felt confusion, and a bolt of fear flashed through my body. "A-Ashura-ou?" I asked, hearing my voice squeak a little. It had been a while since he'd been this close…
His smirk widened, and he reached a hand up, grasped my chin with it as he brought his face uncomfortably close to mine. "How do you intend to pay me?" he chuckled, lightly stroking my cheek.
"Umm…" I responded, my mind focusing on a way to escape rather than thinking of a way to pay him back. "I-I could-?"
"Hmm, I think another auction would pay perfectly," He said, cutting me off, and I felt my eyes widen.
"We had one several days ago!" I snapped, tearing myself away from him, glaring up at him angrily.
"No, that was more of a house call," he responded, crossing his arms over his chest.
I rolled my eyes, and glanced at the clock. I panicked, noting that my bus would be there now. "Okay, whatever! But I really have to go!" I said hurriedly, bolting out of the kitchen, practically jumped into my shoes and ran out the door.
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"Yuui Flowright, please come to the front office for check out. Yuui Flowright to the office for check out." A female voice called out over the intercom, interrupting Ms. Souma's lecture.
I blinked, wondering what Ashura was doing checking me out in the middle of fifth hour, but I wasn't complaining. I quickly gathered my stuff off of the desk and shoved them into my bag.
"Yuui, turn in those papers I gave you on Friday before you leave." Ms. Souma said, still writing down notes on the board.
I winced having forgotten to actually do them. "I left them at the house, can I give them to you tomorrow?" I lied, placing an ashamed look on my face when she turned towards me.
There was a moment of silence, before. "Alright, but if they're not in tomorrow, I'm not taking them up for a grade." She said, turning around again.
"Thank you!" I said, picking my backpack up and headed out the door.
When I arrived at the office Ashura was leaning against the counter, reading a college brochure as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Hey dad" I called out letting him know I was there. Long ago he'd told us to call him Dad in front of the school staff. I vaguely remember him saying something about if he ever needed to check us out for some reason, its better to call him 'Dad' than 'Uncle'.
He looked up and raised an eyebrow for a split second, before he raised the pamphlet in his hands. "Son, why didn't you that some of the local colleges were handing out scholarships?" He asked, pushing himself off of the counter.
I placed an amused smile on my lips, realizing we had an audience. "'Cause we already have me signed up for college." I lied. Of course, any one who looked at my record recently would know that that was a lie, but oh well…
Ashura placed a hand on his chin in thought as he stopped in front of me. Although he had his back to our listeners, he still kept his facial expressions perfect. "Ah now I remember." He said, mock pride filling his voice, and even his eyes were filled with it as well. The same pride a father gave his son when he was truly proud of him. "Seems like your old man really is getting old!" he joked, ruffling my hair.
I felt an empty hollowness fill through me when I realized that the only times he's ever looked at me like that was when he's acting. But I continued to hold the smile on my lips.
"Well anyway, lets go before we're late for your appointment." He said, walking past me and out of the office, making me walk fast in order to catch up to him.
Once we left the building my smile dropped off of my face, and tried to keep up with him.
"Who's car is this?" I asked, opening the door, and sliding inside. Ashura didn't own his own car, but frequently borrowed from clients, if the need to have one ever arose.
Ashura slid into the car, ignored my question as he turned the ignition, and the car roared to life. I shrugged, not really bothered that he was ignoring me, as even the littlest thing could piss him off, and turned on the car stereo.
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"Hello, what can I help you find?" a man asked, leaning over the counter in the empty parlor.
"Umm, I'm just looking for now…" I responded, looking around at the pictures that lined the walls.
"This your first time being here?" I heard him ask, as I noticed, Ashura sitting down in a chair by the door, fingering the pocket he kept his cigarettes in.
I nodded, looking over at the man again.
"Well on this wall we have the back tattoos," he said pointing to the wall closest to the cash register. "And on the back wall we have the arm one, and that one we have the leg tatts." (1) he pointed again to each wall for emphasis, before his hand landed on a large book. "And this is some of the larger ones."
I pursed my lips in thought. I had already decided when I was younger that I would get a back tattoo, but I had told Ashura that it would have to get a large one…. I stretched out my arm and motioned for him to hand me the binder.
He handed the binder over to me. "If you have a question on how big some of those are just ask me, alright? Are you getting it today?" he asked.
"No we're just browsing our options for today," Ashura responded for me. I nodded, and sat down next to him, and flipped to book open, admiring the art work of the first design. But I couldn't picture me getting something like that so I flipped to the next one.
"If you don't find one in this book," Ashura whispered, his mouth close to my ear. I shuddered lightly when I felt his breath move my hair a bit. "Just know that you're NOT getting a tramp stamp." 2) He said voice stern.
"I know. "I grumbled, continuing to flip through the book.
I blinked noticing small tabs marking the different sections throughout the book. I quickly read each one, when I got down to the last one: Tribal. (3)
I grabbed the tab, and flipped it over to that section. My eyes widened when I took in the first design, feeling my breath catch in my throat. I looked up at Ashura with begging eyes, I HAD to have this one!
Ashura furrowed his eyebrows at my look, and I pushed the book into his hands. Placing one hand on his shoulder I pushed myself up to where my mouth was by his ear. "Please?" I whispered.
"Excuse me?" Ashura called out, and I pulled my head back a bit to look at the man. "Will you tell me how big this one is?"
The man looked at me then Ashura, before he walked over, and took the book out of Ashura's hands. He let out a low whistle. "Jeez, kid, you certainly picked a big one…actually I think that's the largest one we have…" he mumbled, rubbing his chin. "Okay, so you want the Phoenix?" He asked looking over at me. I nodded my head quickly. "Hmm… Hey you mind if I use blondie here as an example? It's easier to show how big it is that way." He asked, this time looking at Ashura.
Ashura frowned lightly before nodding, and I quickly stood to my feet in front of the man.
"Okay, I need you to take your shirt off. And don't worry I'm not like that, so you don't have to worry about me doing anything like that. Especially not with your boyfriend around." He joked, smiling at me reassuringly. I smiled back at him, brushing off the comment about Ashura being my boyfriend, (after all I was practically laying on him, anyone who didn't know he was my 'Uncle' would think that way), and took my shirt off flinging it into the seat I'd just been sitting in.
"Now I need you to face the back wall please." He said, pointing at said wall. I positioned my body, and I stood with my back to Ashura. The man moved to the side of me a bit, to where both Ashura and I could see the book. "Okay this part, right here," he motioned to the top part of the design. "That goes on the bottom of the neck," he said, reaching around and tracing a circle on the back of my neck. "Around this area."
"And all of this right here," he motioned to top circular parts and the very bottom part of the design. "That goes all along the back." He trailed his hands down my back, stopping just short of my scar. "Well it goes further down, but we find it best to avoid scars unless we have permission, so we'd have it stop just right above the scar."
"Now these parts over here." He said motioning to area coming off of the first circular part. "Those go along the arms, to about here." He said tapping a spot a couple of inches about my wrist. "And these ones wrap around the ribs to about… here." He finished explaining, talking about the tendrils that made up the last part of tattoo, turning my body to motion to a spot near my belly button.
I looked over at Ashura who looked deep in thought, his arms crossed over his chest, and a frown set on his face. I bit my lip hopefully, now wanting the tattoo more then ever. "Ashura?"
He raised his eyes to meet mine, and I pleaded through eye contact. I'd never asked him for anything before (excluding spending money) and I really really wanted him to grant me just this one request.
He let out a low sigh, and finally said. "Okay… but you owe me!" he snapped. But I ignored that last part, choosing rather to focus on the happiness that filled me.
I grinned, picking up my shirt, and put it on as Ashura went to schedule and appointment for this Saturday.
1)Incase you missed it up there, im just guessing on how the inside of a tattoo parlor looks like…
2)its what my parents call a tattoo on your lower back. And let it be known that I DO NOT think that people who get tattoos down there are tramps. I've wanted one for a while, but now I want Fais tattoo.
3)I just figured that it would go in that category… if you want to see what it looks like go to my DeviantArt I've got a link to it on my profile.
I tried to describe the tattoo to the best of my ability and hopefully I did okay…