Chapter Seven:
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The summer sun clung stubbornly to the early evening sky. Sora tugged at the skirt of her skin-tight dress self-consciously. While it was a beautiful dress, it was way too revealing! On the way back from Coney Island, they'd stopped at a boutique in Chinatown. For that evening's Broadway performance, Sora's gym clothes and casual outfits weren't appropriate. Layla had insisted on finding Sora a suitable option.
Sora chose a pale lavender, silk qipao dress. In spite of the slightly flared skirt, it would have been impossible to walk in the dress if it wasn't for the slit that stretched up to her mid-thigh. Of course, the strappy silver sandals she wore that laced up her calf didn't help ease her walking.
Layla clapped her hands and Yuri wolf-whistled appreciatively when Sora stepped out of the boutique's dressing room. Leon merely nodded, but his silent approval meant the most to her.
While Yuri had offered to send a car for them that evening, Leon and Sora chose to walk to Broadway. It wasn't a great distance and it would most likely prove faster given the congestion of the streets. Though, part of Sora was sad that she and Leon couldn't have taken a motorcycle to the performance, but that would have been impractical with her dress.
"What is going on in that head of yours?" Leon asked as they waited for the crosswalk light to flash for pedestrians. He looked like a modern-day prince in his tailored slate gray suit. His long, pale hair was tied back in a simple braid, a leather strap secured it. Silver cufflinks flashed at his wrists and the lavender vest under his suit complemented both his eyes and her dress.
Sora slashed him a look. "I was just imagining how I might try to ride a motorcycle with this dress," she admitted.
Leon chuckled and then pressed his hand gently against the small of her back as the pedestrian light lit up. "That would prove quite a challenge." He started to guide her across the street. "I'm not sure the dress would survive."
"That was my conclusion!" Sora said with a laugh.
They started to pass by a Japanese couple that were pointing excitedly towards the Phantom of the Opera marquee. The boyfriend stretched his right arm out to take a selfie with his camera phone, however his girlfriend kept complaining that it wasn't a good enough picture.
"Sumimasen," Sora interrupted the couple. "My partner and I would be happy to take a picture for you."
The young woman smiled in relief. "Hai, kudasai." She took the phone from her boyfriend and held it out towards Leon. "With your height, perhaps you would take it?"
Leon nodded and accepted the smartphone. The words were in kanji, but it was easy enough to figure out the camera icon. He and Sora stepped back and the Japanese couple posed together. The boyfriend's arm looped possessively around his woman's waist and she turned towards him with her hand pressed lovingly over his chest.
Sora stood to Leon's side and looked at the camera screen as he shot off a couple of photographs. He handed the phone to Sora and she glided towards the couple from her homeland. Sora would have preferred to have run towards them to show off the images, but with her dress, she could either walk gracefully or fall on her face.
The boyfriend smiled faintly and the girlfriend cried out gleefully. "Arigato!" She elbowed her boyfriend and they both bowed gratefully at Sora and Leon.
"Ie, ie. Nande mo nai," Sora answered. She looked over her shoulder at Leon, noting the scowl on his face for not understanding Japanese. "Leon, we should hurry," she said jerking her chin at him.
Leon blinked, the clouds in his lavender gaze vanished. He took a couple of long strides and was at her side once more. The warmth of his hand rested against the small of her back again, the heat of it soaked through the thin fabric of her dress.
"We should pick you up some jewelry," Leon murmured.
"I'm fine," Sora argued. "Besides, no one is going to be looking at me. Why would they when they have someone like Layla on stage!"
Leon hummed, but didn't answer. "We still have forty minutes before the show."
"Layla recommended we get there early," Sora reminded him.
"I think we have time for a detour," Leon said. He pointed towards a storefront across the street. "There," he said. "Let's have a quick look."
Sora followed the direction of his finger and gaped. It was a jewelry store with diamonds glittering in the window. "I don't think we have time for that."
"I think we do," Leon argued and the pressure on her back became insistent. "If we have time to take pictures of strangers, we have ten minutes to spare on accessorizing."
Sora let Leon lead her, it was easier than arguing. Her partner was a stubborn man and a temperamental one. He was already tense about their upcoming evening of sharing box seats with Yuri. It was a small matter to visit a jewelry store to appease him.
"This is too much!" Sora whispered vehemently, spying the price tags on some of the displays.
Leon led them away from the diamonds and towards the back of the store. He gestured towards a salesman — a balding, elderly man with thick glasses. "Do you have any amethysts? Preferably a necklace and earrings set."
"Oh, well, yes, of course," the salesman said with an eager smile. He had perfectly straight and white teeth. He led them towards a display case and unlocked a drawer. He pulled out the drawer to reveal a simple pair of amethyst studs with an elegant amethyst and diamond necklace. He pulled out the necklace and held it out towards Sora.
Leon took the necklace and held it up to Sora's neck, the stones rested coldly on Sora's chest. "Nice. What do you think, Sora?"
"I think it's much too nice," Sora protested. It was a beautiful necklace and it matched her outfit, and Leon's as well. However, she'd seen the price tag. This necklace cost more than she earned in a month performing at Kaleido Stage.
"We'll take it and the earrings," Leon told the salesman, ignoring Sora's argument. "We're in a hurry."
"Of course, sir," the salesman said. "I'll ring it up. You may want to help the young lady put it on if you're in a hurry. Cash or credit?"
"Cash," Leon answered.
Sora balked at Leon as he secured the ostentatious necklace at her throat. He looked down at her with an intense look of concentration. "Don't argue, just accept a simple act of generosity for what it is," he whispered.
Leon picked up the earrings and Sora snatched them from him. "I can put on my own earrings." She dropped her voice. "What are you doing with that much cash on you?"
Leon shrugged. "I visited an ATM earlier."
Sora narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. That meant he planned to stop and get her jewelry. "You planned this." She looked over at the salesman, he had known exactly where to find the requested necklace. Had Leon called ahead and arranged this?
He didn't deny it. Which only confirmed his guilt in Sora's opinion.
They stepped out of the jewelry store not ten minutes after entering it. Leon gazed down at Sora with pleasure. "The necklace and earrings suit you. And stop fretting. I plan to freeload off you and your family while we're in Japan." They paused outside the Madam Butterfly marquee to stare at the promotional poster of Layla in her crimson dress. Her long blond hair fluttered behind her on an unseen gust of wind and the sleeves of her dress spread wide like wings of a butterfly "Besides, it gives me pleasure to buy you gifts."
"Well, I don't need these things," Sora hissed. "All I want is your friendship."
They picked up their tickets at Will Call and were then escorted by an usher in a black suit with polished brass buttons to an elevator . It led to their private boxed seats on Stage Left. Sora was acutely aware of the number of eyes on her and Leon. The audience milling about whispered amongst themselves, trying to determine if they were a famous couple or merely rich.
Once they were in the elevator, she stared at their reflections in the mirrored interior. They did make a striking couple. If Kalos saw them now, he'd want to make a promotional poster for Kaleido Stage.
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Leon prided himself on his patience. Though, it was being severely tested in having to share a box with Layla Hamilton's overbearing father and Yuri Killian. He had planned to purchase Sora an evening gown for the performance, but Layla had done so instead.
He'd decided to find another means to show that Sora belonged to him. While she rested in their hotel room, he'd looked up a nearby jeweler in the Broadway district. It wasn't too difficult to find what he wanted and to arrange a sell with the elderly jeweler. He'd visited the ATM in the lobby of their hotel to simplify the transaction as he knew time would be of the essence.
"You look enchanting, Sora," Yuri said. He reached for Sora's hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
"Ah, so this is the famed Sora Naegino. I suppose I should thank you. If you and my fool daughter hadn't been so determined to pull off that ridiculous maneuver and she hadn't injured her shoulder, she'd probably still be in that frivolous circus," Richard Hamilton scoffed.
"Layla's rivalry with Sora inspired her so much that she worked hard to rehabilitate and perform on that injured arm," Leon corrected. He reached for Sora's hand and was pleased that her palm was dry, just as during any of their performances. Even against a tyrant, Sora was cool under pressure. Her problem came when her superiority meant crushing the dreams of lesser performers.
Richard looked Leon up and down, his cerulean eyes — the same as Layla's, assessed him critically. "And you're the Frenchman that lost to my Layla and Yuri in the Circus Festival."
Sora squeezed Leon's hand, offering a small comfort as his heart ached at the memory of his sister dying in a hospital bed. Sora knew about Sophie and his promise. Their partnership represented the fulfillment of that promise. It was either callous or ignorant of Richard Hamilton to bring up the subject.
"More like withdrew from the competition due to the death of his sister and partner," Yuri said quietly. His indigo gaze met Leon's and they were dark with regret.
Richard's face paled.
Sora cleared her throat. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hamilton," she said with a bright, forced smile. She turned her caramel eyes onto Leon and pleaded with them for him to keep his cool. "Let us focus on the performance." She tugged on Leon's hand and pulled him towards their seats.
Leon allowed himself to be led by his partner and settled into a plush, red velvet chair. Yuri and Richard Hamilton sat in the seats behind them. The lights began to dim and the orchestra started to play.
Yuri leaned forward, his head between Sora and Leon's seats, and his lips close to Sora's ear. "The necklace is stunning," he whispered.
Sora beamed at him. "Thank you, Yuri. It's a gift from Leon." She pulled back rosette-red colored hair from her neck to display the sparkling amethyst earrings.
"I suppose you do have good taste," Yuri said, turning his head towards Leon. He leaned back into his seat as the dark crimson curtains of the stage were drawn back.
The music was stunning, Layla's voice was hauntingly beautiful, and her stunts were impressive. Unfortunately, the three didn't go together. Madam Butterfly was an opera, but the creative team behind this monstrosity decided to transform it into a musical. Leon cringed at one bizarre choreographic move followed by another. Layla's fellow performers didn't possess half her charm and it made her stunts seem even more forced.
Sora's cool hand slipped into his and he was surprised at the dampness of her palm. Sora was never nervous for herself, but for her friends….that was a different matter.
Leon rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand in comforting circles. This was only the first performance of the acrobatic operatic-musical. Perhaps, they'd be able to sort out the errors and create a more cohesive show.
The curtains closed for the mid-show break.
Yuri blew out a worried sigh. Leon glanced over his shoulder to see Richard Hamilton had risen from his seat, his hands fisted at his side, and an angry scowl on his crimson face. He turned on his heel and stormed out of the box.
"Where is he going?" Sora asked, keeping her voice soft. The murmur of the audience below them was chillingly quiet.
"Layla never wanted this," Yuri explained. "She only agreed to this show because of her father's insistence. She worried that the choreography, music, and singing clashed." He shook his head, blond hair tossed from side to side. "She was right." He shifted his gaze between Sora and Leon. "It is pretty terrible."
Leon saw Sora's lip quiver. She chewed her bottom lip to still it, but didn't fool him. Her uncharacteristic sweaty palm was enough of a clue. Leon met Yuri's gaze with a steadfast expression, one performer to another. "What happens if the show gets canceled?"
Yuri grimaced and rubbed his forehead with the heel of his hand. "Maybe her father will get off her case? Or maybe he'll insist her manager arrange another part in the movies."
"Should we go to see her?" Sora asked hoarsely, a nervous tremor in her hand. "Maybe she could use encouragement."
Yuri shook his head and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "She knows we're here," he argued. "It will mean more to see us in the audience." The door to their box opened and a waiter appeared to ask if they wanted anything. Yuri ordered a bottle of red wine. "We're going to need it."
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OoO
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"It was terrible, I know," Layla groaned. Yuri had a limo waiting for her as soon as the show ended. She didn't stay to greet the audience, and the clapping at the end of the performance had been polite. She was simply grateful that the attendees hadn't jeered and thrown rotten vegetables.
Leon and Sora were in the back of the limo as well, looking like a pair of high-class New Yorkers in their elegant dress. Their presence was meant to be a comfort, but with their witness of her performance, Layla felt like an even greater failure.
"You did well," Sora said with a sincere smile. An expensive amethyst and diamond necklace twinkled brilliantly as it adorned her neck.
Layla's gaze shifted from the necklace to the possessive arm Leon had secured around Sora's waist. The two appeared as a powerful, successful couple. She arched an eyebrow. Had the Grim Reaper fallen for her protege? "I did the best I could with a terrible situation."
"It wasn't all bad," Yuri said. "It just wasn't good together. The acrobatics felt forced. It's a tragic story and the fluttering about the stage you did seemed bizarre. They shouldn't have tried to make it into a musical."
"I did enjoy the death scene at the end where you stabbed yourself." Leon's lips twisted into a pained grimace. "It felt like you were putting yourself out of your misery."
Layla buried her face in her open palms. "They had to make it a musical. It's impossible to sing an opera while performing acrobatics. It's worse than Spiderman, isn't it!"
Yuri's hand rubbed soothing circles between her shoulder blades. "At least nobody was injured."
"My father left before the second half, didn't he?" Layla glanced up from her hands and stared directly into Yuri's indigo eyes. He couldn't lie to her. He averted his gaze and she knew it was true. She'd been too afraid to look at their box after the intermission. She laughed bitterly. "I did this show for him and he couldn't even bare to stay for the whole performance?"
"You shouldn't keep trying so hard to please him," Sora said. Her caramel eyes pleaded with Layla. "You have so much talent, Layla! You should do what your heart leads you to do. You perfected the Legendary Great Maneuver and the Angel's Maneuver!" She smiled brightly. "And maybe its just this particular show. You did so well on Salome In Vegas!"
Layla's lip twitched up into a smile. It was hard to believe that after she had rejected Sora repeatedly, the young woman would become her champion! Her protege and then rival was now her inspiration. Her gaze shifted to Leon, thinking about the similarities to her discounting Sora to the way he'd treated her upon joining Kaleido Stage. They'd both been intolerable jerks, and yet Sora respected and cared for them.
"Regardless," Layla said, "I appreciate your support in coming tonight. I had hoped the show might come together." She shrugged. "I guess I shouldn't count on miracles though."
"Why don't we have some late night pizza?" Yuri suggested. "I know a twenty-four hour diner in Queens. Maybe we can hash out where the performance could use improvement." He gestured amongst them. "Between the four of us, we have some of the greatest performers in the world. If this show can be salvaged, we'll find a way."
"I don't think the show can be saved," Leon interjected. "I'm sorry to say this, Layla."
Sora elbowed him harshly in the ribs and he grunted in surprise. Sora smiled sweetly at Layla as if nothing had happened.
Layla sighed, agreeing with Leon's assessment. He was a jerk, but at least he was brutally honest. "Enough about me, what about you two? When do you leave for Japan?"
"In the morning," Sora said.
A short while later, the limo parked outside the diner Yuri suggested and the four trapeze artists enjoyed a late night pizza and garlic sticks. By the end of the meal, Layla could almost forget about the tragic state of her Broadway career.
She and Yuri dropped Sora and Leon off at their hotel. As soon as they vanished behind the lobby door, Yuri leaned towards her and nuzzled playfully against her neck. She could smell the blend of wine and pizza on his breath. She felt a stab in her gut knowing that he'd had to drink in order to get past the intermission of her performance.
"I have an idea, Beautiful."
"Oh?" Layla asked, closing her eyes in pleasure as he gently nipped her tender flesh.
"With Sora and Leon away from Kaleido Stage, why not go back? Just for a season. I'll go with you, if you want. Or I can open a circus here, something simple. There is no need to embarrass yourself with a poorly composed musical."
Layla didn't answer, but she couldn't argue that her heart hadn't already agreed to the suggestion. She had tried her hand at Broadway and movies, but she never felt happier than when she performed on stage with the circus.
She thought back to the Alice in Wonderland circus performance that inspired her to become a trapeze artist. It was the same show that had inspired Sora. Maybe, she should return to basics and do that show?
"I can see the gears turning in that clever mind of yours." Yuri nipped at her tender flesh teasingly. His strong hands glided over her flat stomach and his thumb brushed the underside of her breast. "How about we go back to my place? I'll help that body of yours relax and we'll continue this story in the morning."
The tension Layla felt began to uncoil and she leaned against her lover. "No more talking tonight."
Yuri leaned back and flashed his pearly white teeth in an eager, hungry smile. "No more talking."
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Leon unlocked the door to their hotel room and held the door open for Sora to slip inside under his arm. She leaned against the wet-bar, fumbling with the necklace's clasp, and watched as Leon secured the door and shrugged off his suit jacket.
"You want some water?" Leon asked, walking past her towards the refrigerator. He took out a couple of bottled waters without waiting for her response.
Sora took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She held out her necklace towards him. "You need to return this to the jeweler."
Leon frowned and then reached past her, his hand grazed her forearm, as he set one of the bottles on the bar behind her. "It is a gift. No refunds, Sora." He stood over her, invading her personal space.
"It's too expensive, Leon. I cannot possibly pay you back for this!" She prodded her hand against his well-toned belly, wanting him to take the necklace. "It was a great accessory for the evening, but you need to return it to the store and get your money back."
"I'm not taking it back, Sora," Leon said flatly, his lavender eyes darkened and anger rolled off him in waves. "I told you, it was a gift. Don't insult me by rejecting it."
Sora wasn't as naive as Leon seemed to think. Did he really think that she didn't notice the way he held her at night? They were partners, not lovers! She had put a lot of blind faith into him when they agreed to travel together in their off season. They had goals to perform in a way that combined perfection with fun. He was making things complicated and she needed to be perfectly clear.
She stared up at him without flinching. "I'm not going to have sex with you, Leon," Sora stated bluntly.
A flash of emotion — hurt? passed through his pale eyes and then it was gone, replaced by annoyance. He leaned closer until Sora could feel the heat from his body, one hand melded around hers to close the necklace within her palm, and he brushed his lips over the shell of her ear. "I don't sleep with naive, little girls, Sora." He leaned back abruptly. "Drink your water. I'll sleep on the pull-out sofa. I'd hate to endanger your virginity, little girl."
Sora trembled with humiliation as he turned his back on her and slammed open the closet. Leon gathered the bedding for the pull-out sofa. And to think, tomorrow he was going to be meeting her family!
"I'm not worried about my virginity, you big jerk!"
She set the necklace next to the unopened water on the bar and strode across the room. She grabbed his upper arm and forced him to look at her. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes, but she ignored them. She didn't have time to cry and make him call her a little girl again. "We're partners — you and I, Leon Oswald. You will respect me, as I respect you. I'm inviting you to live with my family. I wanted to be clear about the boundaries of our relationship, because Japan is very conservative. Sharing beds, even platonically, is scandalous!"
Leon's expression remained neutral. His eyes were calm fields of heather without a single flicker of emotion.
Sora dug her nails into his arm painfully, but still, he didn't flinch. "I'm sorry if I offended you about wanting you to take back the necklace. I'll not say any more on the matter, but hear me, Leon Oswald, no more extravagant gifts. My friendship cannot be bought, you already earned it. And just because I'm a virgin, doesn't mean I don't have feelings!" She spun around and stormed into the bedroom section of the suite.
"Sora—," Leon protested, his voice gruffer than usual.
She slammed the door, not wanting to argue with him. Sora braced herself against the closed door and let her tears fall freely. She didn't want him to see her break down. She liked Leon. He was smart, attractive, determined, and talented. She'd have to be blind to not appreciate his lithe body and handsome complexion. If there was a description in the dictionary for pretty boy, Leon Oswald's picture would be right there.
What she didn't like was his reputation. He went through partners on the trapeze quickly enough, but she wasn't worried about their working relationship — they were a perfect team. It was his rotating bedmate companions that bothered her. It shouldn't bother her, but it did, because she was a one man only kind of girl and he was a love them and leave them kind of guy.
"Sora, I'm sorry," Leon's muffled voice called through the door. She could see his bare feet from the sliver of light under the door. "I shouldn't have said that."
Sora sobbed and then quickly covered her mouth, hoping he didn't hear.
"You have no idea how much I treasure our partnership. You helped me keep my promise to Sophie. To me, that alone is worth everything I own and ever will own. A necklace seems but a pittance in comparison," Leon continued.
Sora said nothing. She wanted to yell at him to leave her alone, she wanted to open the door and hug him, and she wanted to yank him into the bedroom and toss him on the bed and explore the hard planes of his physique. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do more, and it scared her.
"I accept your apology," Sora said quietly. "I'll see you in the morning."
"I"ll leave your water bottle by the door," Leon said. "Sleep well, Sora."
She brushed her damp palms over the front of her new dress. She wouldn't be able to unzip it without help, but she couldn't very well ask him. She opened the door a crack and snatched the water bottle. She set it on the nightstand and then laid on top of the covers fully dressed, staring out the window at the New York skyline.
If only she was the 'love them and leave them' kind of girl. This time with Leon might have been quite a bit different. But she believed in true love and would settle for nothing less. She thought briefly of her run in with Kei. It was strange that fate would have them cross paths so far away from home.
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*Sumimasen = excuse me.
*Hai, kudasai = Yes, please *Arigato = Thank you
*Ie, ie. Nande mo nai = No, no. It's nothing.