Greetings, readers! First off I want to just apologize for not updating this story in a while; between my other story and my razy work schedule I've unfortunately had to neglect it. But my other story is done now, so I will be resuming this and focusing more on updating it. Just know I have NOT forgotten or abandoned this story! I hope you all enjoy and I thank you all for your patience.
It was the day before the engagement party, and Kira was in her bedroom, adding the last paint stroke to her father's painting. She had worked on it for two weeks now, and she nodded to herself, draping a thick cover over it to prevent smudging. She cleaned herself up, sighing lightly as she headed back to her room, glancing into her father's room to see he was snoring lightly. She continued to her room, shutting and locking her door. She climbed out the window, smiling with anticipation as she headed towards the forest. The party was not even on her mind as she weaved through the trees as if she were making her way across a crowded ballroom to her partner, finally finding him as she looked up, sighing contently as he hopped down before her. Over the past few weeks they had formed a close bond, becoming more and more invested into this secret life and more and more distant from her reality.
"You smell like paint again." Ralph smiled.
"Yes... I finally finished it tonight." Kira replied. "Maybe now I can make one for you."
"But will your family be suspicious?"
"Not if I can help it." She giggled. "What shall we do tonight? We could take a stroll along the path, a dip by the waterfall, star gaze..."
Ralph smiled lightly, stopping for a moment to plop down so he was more at her height. She turned, noticed him fumbling for something, holding something in his large fist. "I made something for you."
Kira tilted her head curiously, looking up at him. "What is it? You didn't have to make me anything..."
Ralph smiled, opening his hand to reveal a small wood carving, heart shaped, with a small hole to place on a necklace. "It is a gift for you... for you to cherish our friendship when you have to be united with your human love."
Kira took it tenderly into her hands, feeling the smooth parts where it was carved. She reached to the back of her neck to take off the necklace, placing Ralph's carving on it and putting the necklace back on. "I love it. I will always keep it close to me. Thank you for making it for me."
Ralph nodded, and they made their way to a small clearing where they liked to rest and gaze at the stars. She looked over at him as he told her stories about the constellations and showed her the pictures the stars formed. When he noticed her glance over at him, he smiled at her as she studied his face.
"Are these drawings you make like the pictures the sky makes?" Ralph asked.
"Well... something like that... only they aren't dotted like stars, I make them with lines..." She hesitantly reached a hand forward to trace a finger along his jawline. "Like I would draw a line for here..." She traced along the other side of his face. "Here..." She leaned a bit closer, her hand tracing down his neck and along one of his broad shoulders. "Here..." She whispered.
Ralph smiled, drawing her close, her eyes crossing a bit as he rested his forehead against hers. "Could... our lines come together?" He held her hand tucked in his large one. "Like this?"
Kira chuckled lightly, staring into his eyes dreamily. "Yes..." She became a bit nervous then, bowing her head a bit as they rested on their sides, blushing lightly.
"Is something wrong?" Ralph asked, frowning a bit and lifting her head gently.
"No... I just... I... I feel a very... deep connection with you. I am not sure if you feel the same. It's all so new to me." Kira replied.
Ralph smiled warmly, exhaling lightly. "I do, too, with you... I have many friends in the animals here... but never have I had a..." He paused a moment.
"A what...?" Kira tilted her head.
"Well... I... I wish you could be..."
"Yes...?"
"... my companion." Ralph looked into her eyes, smiling shyly.
Kira smiled sweetly at this, gently holding his face with her hand. "I... I would like that, too..." She frowned then, remembering Felix. "But I'm to be married soon..."
Ralph frowned. "Yes... you are being united with your human mate."
Kira looked back up ant him quickly, furrowing her brow. "I... I care about him, but... I... I don't want to lose you, Ralph... I don't want to give up what we share together, what we have, I- I don't-"
"Shh..." Ralph hushed her, petting her hair gently. "I will always wait for you. I've lived for a long time, and I know that even if something tries to keep us apart, we'll meet again in a new form. When a tree dies, It becomes a part of the ground, and new life grows from it."
Kira looked up at him, biting her lip for a moment, emotion building up, threatening to swell over the boiling point. "Tell me, Ralph."
"Tell you what...?" He tilted his head.
"Say the words, Ralph... and I'm yours. Just tell me what I need to hear. Please, Ralph..."
He smiled lightly, wrapping his arms around her and leaning close to whisper into her ear.
"I love you."
That was all she needed to hear, sighing contently as she leaned in closer, and though neither had never really kissed another before, it suddenly came so naturally to them, sparks flying as they held each other lovingly, their hearts beating with a new found excitement. Ralph held her steady as she thread her fingers through his hair, never feeling so content, so blissful in her entire life. They kissed and held each other, sharing their new found love for each other for what seemed like an eternity, the only thing dousing the flame of this love was the veil of sleep. Ralph smiled down at her sleeping form, returning her to her bedroom as he did every night, planting a soft kiss on her lips before sadly retreating into the forest... now he regretted more that he had to leave her.
Felix paced around his apartment excitedly, muttering to himself as he prepared himself for the engagement party. When he was finally ready, he speedily headed up to Kira's apartment, knocking on the door and clearing his throat, adjusting his tie. Gene opened the door and let him in, knocking on Kira's door to get her up. All night she had dreamed of Ralph and their budding love, but when she was jostled from her slumber, she realized what today was and a great dread came over her.
The party for the engagement. How could she keep this up? Would she live as Felix's lover by day and Ralph's by night? No, this was wrong, very wrong. Her mind told her that if she backed out of this commitment now, she would never hear the end of it and be forever tormented by her father... her reputation would be ruined, especially if her secret were found out. But in her heart she knew she only belonged to one... to her Ralph. how could she satisfy both? Which had more say, more governing power? Internal struggle comes from a disagreement of the mind and the heart... to make this choice, she would be offering a great sacrifice either way. As she readied herself in her room she came to conclude this fact, and understood that to maintain both lives would take much effort and was close to impossible. She sighed lightly, opening the door to see Felix waiting outside her room anxiously.
"Kira! Barely five minutes out of bed and you look as pretty as a flower petal!" Felix beamed.
"Thank you... we should probably begin setting up for the party... the guests will be arriving in a couple hours..." Kira replied.
"Yes, that would be a good idea." Felix nodded, and the two began setting up the tables and putting out food brought over the night before from Mary. After they finished up, Kira took out her painting, still covered, placing it on the wall where Felix had hammered a nail in. She would uncover the painting she made when the guests arrived. Felix smiled at her lightly, but as she bent over to set up a couple more things, her necklace hung a bit under the collar of her dress, and Felix noticed from it hung a third item. "Say, Kira... what is that there by my seashell?
"Hm?" Kira looked down, gasping and pulling up her collar to cover it. "It's nothing... just something I found in the-" She stopped herself, not wanting Gene to know she had been wandering in the forest lest he scold her, or worse, keep a closer eye on her. He paid them no mind as he read the paper in his chair. "I... found it while walking along the sea shore the other day. It was charming so I kept it."
"Oh..." Felix replied, tilting his head. Before he could say any more, there was a knock at the door. Gene rose from his chair to answer it, smiling when he saw it was Mary.
"Good morning, Gene! I know I'm a bit early but I wanted to see if you needed help setting up!" Mary chirped.
"Ah, Mary! No, we're just about ready for the guests to arrive, come in and make yourself comfy!" Gene said, letting her in.
Within the next hour, guests started popping in one by one, and they all admired how pretty Kira looked in her light pink summer dress, which fell down a few inches below her knees in light ruffles. Mary helped serve some afternoon sandwiches for lunch and she had some baked deserts ready to be served following as well as a small cake. Gene poured out drinks for everyone as they talked among themselves, and after some time, Gene tapped on his glass to get everyone's attention.
"Thank you all for coming, this is a special day for all of us." Gene started. "I knew I would be proud to see the day Kira made someone great out of herself, and that day is soon approaching. This is a time to celebrate! I won't be around forever, and now I'll have relief knowing she'll be well taken care of.. as well as myself, of course..." Everyone chuckled a bit with him. "Now I'll let the kids have the spot light for a bit, I'm sure there's plenty they want to say!"
Felix and Kira looked at each other, quietly urging each other to go first and becoming a bit flustered.
"Well now, looks like the cat's got their tongues!" Don said, laughing heartily.
Kira glanced at Felix. "It's okay Felix, really... you can go first... then later I can go and show father his..."
"Oh, alright... but don't say I didn't insist on ladies' first!" He smiled bashfully, clearing his throat and taking Kira's hand politely. "Well... I have to say that I've never been so happy in my entire life... I love Kira something awful and... I've always cherished her as a friend. I hope that's something that never changes. She's... she's a dynamite girl..." He glanced over at Kira, blushing a bit. "You make fire works go off in my heart and... I can't wait until we're married proper."
Felix then bent down on one knee, taking a small box out of his pocket and opening it, revealing a beautiful diamond ring. He beamed, gently taking her right hand and slipping the ring on her finger, kissing her hand gently. A series of 'awws' swelled among the party guests, and Mary giggled lightly, smiling at Gene. "Oh, they're so precious!" She said quietly to him.
Kira exhaled lightly before she spoke. "Felix, I too have appreciated our friendship. It's comforting to know I have someone I can depend on and come to when I have troubles. This will be a big change for both of us, but I know we will make things work. For today, let's just be happy and enjoy ourselves."
The party guests clapped politely, but Felix's smile saddened a bit. Her words were not as heartfelt and enthusiastic as his, and it tore him up inside. He wanted her to be happy, but he wanted to be with her too, and knowing that fulfilling the second was causing a lack of the first, it broke his heart.
He didn't have long to think to himself as a slice of pie was placed before him by Mary, dessert being given out to the party guests. About halfway through, Kira stood, gaining everyone's attention once more.
"I'm sure you're all wondering what this mysterious piece is hanging on the wall. If you hadn't notice, I ask to draw your attention to it now. It's something I have been working on diligently these past few weeks, and I am now ready to proudly show it. This is a gift for my father, whose consistant dedication has made this day possible." Kira said as she reached over, taking off the cover draped over the finished painting, and the party guests looked upon it in interest. The painting was of Gene, divided into four squares with his face painted in each of them, each square a different color; red, green, violet and gold. The party guests complimented Kira, and Gene grinned, chuckling lightly.
"Well, it certainly adds to the room decor! I'll put it on that back wall over there by the window!" Gene exclaimed. "Thank you, Kira." He nodded to her.
After some time, the party guests finished up and started to leave, thanking Gene and congratulating Felix and Kira on their engagement. When it was just Gene, Kira and Felix, he turned to her, smiling lightly.
"Kira... did you want to come to my place for a bit?" He asked.
"Sure..." She smiled. "I need to take a bit of a breather."
In Felix's apartment, she watched him pace around a bit, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "Kira... I... I know this is hard for you... but... are you... are you even somewhat happy we're going to be married?"
Kira glanced to the side, sighing lightly. "It's not that I'm marrying you that causes me discomfort... it's the manner and the circumstance..."
"Oh I can't bear it anymore, Kira!" Felix whirled around, sighing shakily. "I'm at a loss here! I want to help the situation but I don't know how to make you happy!"
"There's only one thing that can make me happy and it's something I can't have!" She cried, getting up and going to the window. "I feel like I'm a prisoner in my own life! I don't want to be a part of my father's scheme anymore, I want to go out and be free!" She shut her eyes tightly.
Felix slowly approached her, standing about a foot behind her as he reached a hand out. "Kira, please don't shut me away. You know you can tell me anything. I love you... I'd do anything to make you happy. At least... at least if we're married, we can make your father happy and he won't scold you."
"You honestly think this marriage is going to please my father?" Kira turned to look at him. "Perhaps for some time... until he wants something else, some other way to control our pitiful lives! It will make it easier for us to be his puppets, he will have both of our strings to make us do as he pleases like silent, obedient fools!"
"Kira... I... I know that it may seem this way, but he IS your father... don't you think he just wants what's best for you?"
"What's BEST for me? You mean to say you doubt my words?"
"I think you're just... this is a bit too far, Kira, your father isn't a monster, but you're making him out to be... he-"
"Indeed he is!" Kira shouted. "You did not see what I did growing up, you did not live behind closed doors to see how he did to my mother like he tries to do to me, he shattered her dreams and kept her locked away from the world, only releasing her to parade her around like some show dog! That's all he does, Felix! He puts that proud grin on, he tells everyone what a wonderful daughter he fathered! Ha! The daughter HE fathered!" Kira plopped down in a chair. "I curse my mother for ever falling in love with him."
Felix was a bit shocked at her outburst, twiddling his fingers and kneeling down to her. "Kira... I won't let him do that to you. I wouldn't want anyone to hurt you, ever. I'll do whatever I can to support your wishes... I'll... I'll honor and respect you."
Kira's bottom lip trembled a bit, looking up at him as tears filled her eyes. "I know this... but I... " She looked away. In her heart she knew that she longed for another... and if Felix ever knew, she would deeply hurt the one person she had always depended on. "... what if I... could not make that same guarantee for you...? What if... what if I wished something that would break your heart?"
Felix tilted his head. "I don't understand. Kira, what's the matter...? You can tell me..."
Kira shook her head. "You wouldn't understand..."
"Me? Not understand? I always understand... you've told me everything."
Kira smiled a bit through her sadness. "It's something I barely understand myself..."
Felix hugged her close, and she hugged him back, closing her eyes. "I'll be here when you're ready. I'll always be here."
"I know." She sighed lightly, resting her head against his chest.
Soon, night fell, and she wandered up the stairs to check on her father, seeing he was asleep. Her sadness turned to anticipation, her feet light on the floor as she climbed up top the roof, feeling the breeze through her hair as she descended the fire escape, running to the trees where she knew Ralph would be waiting. From the window, Felix drew back the curtain, watching as she fled into the woods like a bird in flight. He tilted his head, beginning to realize that there was perhaps something more hidden in the trees and brush that she sought after so ardently.
"Kira..." Felix pressed his hand against the window pane. "What are you hiding from me...?"
And here we end for tonight! Will Kira be able to keep this double life up for long? Will Felix discover her secret? More to be revealed in upcoming chapters! Thank you for your support thus far and please review! :)