A/N: So, the last part of this chapter borders on M rated. If you don't like M-rated romance….then you might want to skip the last part 400 words of this chapter. Who are you kidding? You wouldn't be reading fan fiction if you didn't like smut! (Also, I really appreciate shotgunhero. She's a great beta and friend to help me with this work!)
.
.
Chapter Twelve:
.
.
.
The train ride to Kyoto had been fairly uneventful. Sora and Leon had watched the Gerard Butler and Emmy Possum Phantom of the Opera movie on his tablet, splitting up the earbuds between them.
The music wasn't quite as impressive without the surround sound effect, but huddling over a tablet together made for a more intimate viewing. Leon felt it was a small price to pay to have the opportunity to enjoy the scent of Sora's orange blossom shampoo. He was having a very hard time keeping his hands to himself and their sudden unchaperoned state didn't help matters.
"Maybe we shouldn't have come," Sora fretted. "We could have helped with Yume. I feel bad that she'll miss out on the parade."
Yume had woken up that morning with an ear infection. So, after they had their bags packed and were ready to head out the door, Chikara and Midori announced their decision to skip the festival in Kyoto. Sora's parents would stay home with their ill toddler. However, the couple insisted that Sora and Leon go to the festival without them.
Leon wasn't going to argue, but Sora had looked extremely apprehensive about spending a weekend alone with him. "She's in good hands," Leon assured her. "There's nothing you could do for Yume, that her parents can't do."
Though there was plenty that Sora could do for Leon that no one else could. Many had tried before, but all had failed.
The train stopped at the main station just as the final credits to the movie ended. He gathered their bags and led her off the train car. They weaved through the crowd of fellow passengers until they stepped outside in the warmth of the mid-day sun.
"It feels a little strange to be taking a few days off of practice," Sora said.
Leon adjusted both his and Sora's duffle bags over his right shoulder and wrapped his left arm around Sora's waist. He drew her close to his side as they walked. "Even I realize that it's important to relax." He pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her rose-red head.
"People are staring," Sora pointed out. "Public displays of affection are frowned upon here."
"Let them stare. Maybe they'll get ideas and the Japanese birth rate will go up again."
Sora laughed and snuggled against him. She began to hum the music from the final scene in Swan Lake absently. "I am starting to miss the performances."
Leon said nothing. He didn't really miss the performances. He always preferred the hours of practice and preparation over the final show. Those hours of pain, sweat, frustration, and creativity were what forged the bonds of partnership. He liked to win in competitions, but compared to the hard work, both the competitions and final performances often felt hollow. Except, his performances with Sora often contained an element of spontaneity as they often ad-libbed and followed one another's cues. It was during those moments that he truly felt alive.
"After we check in to the hotel, we'll change into our festival yukatas." Sora glanced up at him, her caramel eyes glittered with excitement. "Then I'm taking you to the Golden Temple. This will be the second parade for Gion Matsuri, so it's not as big as the one from last week. Actually, it wasn't until two years ago that the second parade took place. It was on hiatus for forty-eight years!"
"You're quite the tour guide," Leon mused in surprise. "I wouldn't think that you would know all this. You've been out of the country for quite some time."
Sora whirled on him, her hands flying to her hips in indignation. "You think I would ignore the happenings in my homeland just because I live across the Pacific Ocean? You think I have no national pride?"
"N-n-no," Leon stammered, caught off guard by her vehement outburst. "I was just not expecting such trivia."
"You think this is trivia? I'm giving you history. The festival started in 869 as way to appease the gods during an epidemic. So last week, a boy would have been selected to serve as the messenger to the gods and he wouldn't be allowed to step foot on the ground for four days. And the floats are made without any nails."
It sounded like she was reading from a pamphlet in the tourist office, but Leon didn't want to upset his volatile partner further. "So, compared to last week's festival, how will this weekend's differ?"
"It's definitely less busy and less crowded this weekend. Last week they shut down the streets to traffic and the three days before the parade are full of festivities."
"So still pretty crowded, but not as crowded."
"More or less."
After Sora checked in with the receptionist, she returned to Leon in the lobby, and handed him one of the keycards. "We're on the third floor with a view of the street. Sunday morning we can watch the parade from our window."
"I guess we'll have plenty of room for an epic pillow fight," Leon teased. "What with two double beds all to ourselves."
Sora was a couple of steps ahead on the staircase and turned in front of him, meeting him eye to eye. "Actually, I explained to the receptionist that half our party was unable to attend. She converted our room to one full-sized bed. We're being refunded the difference in price."
Leon felt dizzy for a moment and he grabbed the handrail with his free hand. If things were going to progress with Sora, she was the one that had to make the move towards intimacy. He should have known that her inexperience would simply be another hurdle for her to overcome. "I'm not sleeping on the floor."
A playful smile danced across Sora's lips. "No, you're not." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "I think we can manage to share." She twirled on her heel and sprinted up the remaining stairs.
Leon adjusted the bags over his shoulder and then ran after her.
.
.
OoO
.
.
Sora raked her eyes over Leon's lean frame as he leaned against the rails to gaze at the koi in the waters surrounding Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Temple.
He looked good in the yukata. The somber black fabric with bright silver embroidery of a tiger complemented his pale coloring. She brushed her palms over the skirt of her white yukata with rose and lavender blossoms.
"They definitely look happier than the ones in that New York hotel," Leon commented, glancing back at her.
Sora walked towards his side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him. They looked down at the water together, their reflections mirrored up at them. They made an attractive couple. "That first time at Kaleido Stage when you refused to perform with me on the trapeze; I never would have imaged you'd be with me here in Kyoto a little over two years later."
Leon sighed heavily and braced his forearms on the rail. "I was such an âne."
"I'm sure you were, but what does that mean?"
"Jackass," Leon translated. "I had no right to put you in that situation." He reached for Sora's hand and entwined their fingers. "You had no idea how much I hated seeing you perform with Yuri at the ICF. I may have won the competition, but it was only because you didn't snatch the prize out from under me. If I could go back in time and talk to my past-self; we'd have won that competition together with the Angel Maneuver."
"We did win the competition together in the end, Leon. We were the stars of Kaleido Stage," Sora reminded him gently. Her thoughts drifted to Fool. "Did you ever see him?"
"See who?"
"The Fool," Sora explained.
"Are you calling me a fool? Because, I'll admit, I was and am."
Sora leaned her cheek against Leon's shoulder. "That may be, but that's not what I'm talking about. The spirit of the circus never came to you?"
"Are you seeing ghosts?"
"We do have to go back. Maybe we do need to do this Phantom of the Opera. Or Rapunzel." She looked searchingly into Leon's lavender eyes. "You'll understand when you meet him."
"You're scaring me a little, Sora. What are you talking about?"
"Nevermind," Sora murmured. "Let's keep walking. I want to show you around the city. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for over a thousand years. It's my favorite place to visit in the world."
"That's because you haven't seen Paris yet," Leon assured her.
.
.
OoO
.
.
On their walk back to the hotel, they went to Ginkaku-ji, the Silver temple. As they were walking down a set of steps they passed a couple of geisha with their skin caked with white makeup, ruby red lips, and black lacquered hair. Leon had stared at them, bewildered by their elaborate kimonos and makeup.
"They represent classic beauty in Japan," Sora said.
"I prefer your beauty," Leon answered. "Though, this does give me an idea. I think for our exhibition we need to showcase some of your heritage and mine."
Sora looked back towards the geisha and the small steps the confines of their kimonos allowed. "Kimonos aren't exactly useful for acrobatics."
"I doubt if ninjas wore kimonos," Leon countered.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Let me think about it a bit more." Leon gestured towards a kiosk with foods skewered on sticks. "Do you have any dinner plans?"
"That works," Sora agreed. She scanned the various options the seller had — chicken, eel, squid. "Do you want to know what the meat is?"
"No." Leon shook his head. "No, I do not want to know."
Sora ordered them skewered eel, a box of salted edamame, and seaweed salad. "We'll need to dispose of the trash at our hotel. It can be difficult finding trash receptacles here."
"Why is that?"
"About twenty years ago most public trash receptacles were removed to reduce terrorist attacks. The fear was that poison could be dumped in them undetected," Sora answered. It didn't seem any stranger of a reaction than the airport security in the states making people take off their shoes.
"So, are we going to watch Japanese game shows back in the hotel room?" Leon took one of the skewers and ate one of the slices of roasted eel.
"You can't think of anything else you'd rather do?"
A sly smile spread across Leon's lips. "I can certainly think of something I'd like to do."
They finished eating while they walked, stuffing their trash into the box that held the edamame's empty shells. Sora was nervous, but doing her best to put up a brave front. She had such strong feelings for Leon and knew he felt the same about her. However, they were partners and an ill-fated romance would blow up in both their faces.
Leon unlocked their door and stripped out of his yukata. He sat on the bed with his back against the pillows in his boxers and turned on the television. The drone of the gameshow barely registered in Sora's mind as she could only focus on Leon's chiseled body exposed before her.
"Why don't you sit beside me and we'll watch this for a while? Let our feet rest for a bit," Leon suggested.
Sora went to the closet where hung her Hapi robe. She stripped out of her yukata, feeling Leon's eyes on her the whole time, and then put her robe over her underwear. She then went to the small table where a bottle of chilled wine waited on ice. She'd requested a bottle of plum wine to be in their room for their return that evening. The refund for the smaller room paid for the extra expense. She plucked out the bottle and uncorked it. There were two glasses, but she left them on the table.
With the bottle in hand, she sat beside Leon on the bed.
"You know, if you wanted to discard the underwear and just wear the robe, I won't complain," he said with a waggle of silvery eyebrows. "What's in the bottle?"
"Wine," Sora said, lifting the bottle to her lips and taking a sip.
"You planning to drink it all by yourself?"
Sora held it out for him. "I was planning to share."
Leon took the bottle and drank a mouthful. He nodded at her, handing the bottle back. "Very sweet. What kind is that?"
"Plum." She gestured towards the television screen where two adults wore large blowup animal suits and were sumo wrestling with one another in a pool of chocolate pudding. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"
"As I don't speak Japanese, I'll say no."
Sora snorted. "I speak Japanese, but couldn't tell you what is happening."
"I feel I should confess. I'm not interested in the television." Leon took the bottle from her hand and set it on the floor next to the bed. "I am interested in what's underneath this robe of yours."
Sora traced her finger along his jawline, feeling the whiskers of his evening beard, down his throat, and along his collarbone. "Maybe it's time you find out." She pressed her lips against Leon's and lost herself in his embrace.
He picked her up and laid her flat on the bed, kissing her, with his hands roaming her body. He removed her bra without taking off her robe somehow. His lips found her breasts and his tongue did magical things while she buried her fists in his thick, silky hair. Suddenly, her panties were gone and she shivered from the chill in the room.
Leon hovered over her, his face in front of hers, concern darkening his pale eyes. "Are you okay?"
Sora's lips quivered into a smile. "I'm just a little nervous."
"I don't want to scare you, but just how far do you want to take this?" His jaw clenched in discomfort. "Because if you aren't ready for anything more than a little heavy petting, I've got to hit the shower right now."
"I'm ready, for whatever," Sora said with a determined nod.
Leon's eyes narrowed. "You tell me to stop if you're uncomfortable or if you change your mind." He stayed at her face, kissing her softly while his left hand traced down the contours of her abdomen until his index finger rubbed at her entrance.
The shock of Leon touching her so intimately caused Sora to sit up abruptly, slamming her forehead hard against his. They both cringed in pain. "Sorry," Sora murmured. "I just wasn't expecting that."
"It's okay," Leon grimaced. He laid down beside her, breathing heavily, and Sora scanned the length of him.
"You're still wearing your boxers," she pointed out.
"Feel free to take them off me. It's only fair, as I've taken off your underwear."
Biting her lower lip nervously, Sora reached for his boxers and slipped them over his hips and down his legs. Her eyes were drawn to his erection. That was supposed to fit inside of her?
Leon sat up and pulled Sora onto his lap. He kissed her fiercely, his strong arms banded around her possessively. "We have all night and a bottle of wine to figure it out, amoureaux."
Sora strongly suspected they wouldn't be leaving the hotel room for the rest of the weekend.
.
.
.