Chapter Thirteen:

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Kyoto might have be Leon's favorite city in the world now too. He was always of the mindset that dedicated practice led to greatness. By the end of their second day in Kyoto, Sora had proven that theory correct. He had never felt so good!

They were on the final stretch of the train ride back to Tokyo and Sora slept soundly next to him, her face pressed against his chest with his arm secured around her. He didn't care that they attracted attention. They were star circus performers and used to being scrutinized.

What he did care about was their sleeping arrangements back at her parents' house. She would not be sleeping on the floor and he knew they couldn't fit comfortably on that small twin mattress. He'd be having a discussion with her father. From what he knew of Chikara, the man preferred blatant honesty.

"Sora, we're here," Leon whispered in her ear, gently shaking her awake.

"Oh wow, I slept the whole ride?" Sora rubbed at her eyes. "I must have been more tired than I thought."

"You needed the rest. You didn't sleep much over the last couple of nights," Leon reminded her with a grin.

They took the connection that led them walking distance to her childhood home. Chikara sat on the step of the front porch with a wooden block in his left hand and a knife in the right. He looked up at smiled at them as they approached. "How was the festival?"

"Not as crowded as I remember," Sora answered.

Chikara nodded. "It was the second weekend of it. It will grow as more become familiar with it. Any problems?"

"No, it was a great experience. How is Yume?" Leon asked.

"Perfectly happy and cheerful." Chikara began to carve on the block again and it's true shape began to reveal itself. It was a little rocking horse.

"May I speak with you privately?" Leon asked.

"Certainly, Leon." Chikara set aside the carving and closed his knife. "Your mother is just getting ready to take a trip to the grocery store, Sora. Would you mind accompanying her?"

Sora cast an anxious look between the two of them, but didn't argue. "Of course," she agreed.

"Why don't we go for a walk around the gardens?" Chikara suggested. "The trees offer excellent shade from this summer sun."

They walked alongside each other, Leon only a few inches taller than Chikara. For a Japanese man, Chikara was fairly tall. Though, he didn't forget that Sora's father had a knife in his pocket and he prepared himself to be stabbed. He'd gone over this conversation in countless scenarios on the train ride, but now that the time had come, his mind felt empty.

"Sora cannot keep sleeping on the floor. It's bad for her back and will start to affect her performance," Leon stated.

"I agree."

"Therefore, I plan to stay in a nearby hotel," Leon answered.

"With or without Sora?"

"Preferably with, but that is her decision. I realize that Yume's birthday is next week and Sora's original plan was to stay until then." Leon stared off into the distance. A mother duck and her five ducklings waddled outside the nearby pond. He watched as they jumped into the water one by one and began to swim. "I've never seen her as at peace as she is here. We do need to go to France, but if the accommodations can be more comfortable, then we can stay here a few weeks more."

"You obviously care for Sora," Chikara said. "Is she more than just a partner to you? I read about you on the internet. Many called you the devil. You've been known to injure your partners without a second thought."

"I've been callous in the past," Leon admitted. "I was devastated after my sister's death. Our parents had died years before. I know what it is to be without a family, but Sora has you. I don't want her to regret not spending enough time with you all."

"Perhaps I phrased my question poorly. What are your intentions with my deceased brother's only daughter?" Chikara asked, his eyes glinted protectively.

"To be with her as long as she'll allow me. She is the most precious person in the world to me." Leon almost said he loved her, but he wouldn't admit that to anyone, but Sora herself. He hadn't the courage to make such a proclamation yet.

"We would love to have you both stay a few more weeks. You won't be moving into a hotel, Leon, unless Sora tells you to leave. We'll come up with another arrangement." Chikara settled his hand on Leon's shoulder. "While Sora can take care of herself, remember, I am a father that knows well how to use a knife. If you hurt her, I'll carve you up."

Leon stopped in place,a little disconcerted by Chikara's tight grip on his shoulder. "What sort of arrangement did you have in mind?"

"Well, you see, Midori and I weren't exactly sitting around doing nothing over this past weekend." Chikara let his hand fall away from Leon and he took out his knife. He started to carve at the rocking horse again. "But, I need you to take Sora out for the afternoon. The arrangements should all be done by then."

"What sort of arrangements?"

"We converted her old bedroom into an actual guest room fit for actual adult guests," Chikara explained.

"That sounds expensive," Leon said with a frown. Sora would be upset if she felt they were being a burden on her parents. She was sensitive about such things. "Would you be offended if I offered to help cover some of the cost?"

"I'm sure my pride will survive."

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OoO

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Midori had gathered all the items on her list while Sora trailed after her with Yume in her arms. "Did you take her to the doctor for her ear?"

Midori's cheeks darkened. "She was never sick. I'm sorry we lied to you."

Sora stared between her mother and sister. "What do you mean? Why didn't you go with us to Kyoto then?"

"Your father wanted to give you and Leon some privacy." She set the items down at the cash register and the clerk began to ring up her order, bagging the groceries as well.

Sora felt her own cheeks redden. That privacy led to an entire weekend of the two of them becoming intimate. She was still sore and surprised that she wasn't walking funny. Leon said that her natural athleticism played a factor in her recovery. "We did have a nice time."

Midori smiled knowingly at her. "I'm sure you did. And remember the time we talked when you were fourteen?"

They had talked about many things over the years, but Sora knew exactly what her mother was referencing. At fourteen is when Midori gave her the "talk" about men and women and exactly how babies were made. "Yes, I remember."

"Good." Midori nodded. "If you have any questions on the matter, don't hesitate to ask. I'm not here to judge you, Sora. I'm only here to love and guide you as best I can."

Sora's eyes watered at the sincerity of her mother's words. "Thank you, Kaasan."

"Yume's party is next Saturday. You'll help with the decorations and cake?"

"Of course."

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OoO

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As soon as Sora returned with her mother, Leon snatched her elbow and started them back towards the train station.

"Where are we going? I was hoping to take a nap."

"The silks studio," Leon explained. "Besides, you slept on the train."

"Can't I change first?"

Leon scanned her up and down and shrugged. "You look fine."

Sora jerked her arm out of his grasp and folded them in front of her chest. One did not want to hear the description of 'fine' out of their lover's mouth.

"You look beautiful as always, Sora," Leon said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I just didn't want you to see inside the house yet."

"Why not?"

"It's a surprise."

"Maybe I don't like surprises?"

Leon laughed. "You love surprises and you'll like this one."

They made it to Eye Candy Tokyo with little difficulty. The studio was more than happy to accommodate the couple if they paid a monthly membership fee. One of the instructors, Fuu, recognized Leon and Sora.

"I saw you two at the ICF!" She smiled widely at Sora, her bleached hair an orange color. She tugged on one of her bangs. "You're the reason I colored my hair." She stared at Sora's hair. "Is your hair naturally that color?"

Sora nodded. "My mother was from Holland. I inherited my hair from her."

"Ah. Well, it made me cry when you did your Angel maneuver. You looked so sad! You were amazing to watch, except it looked like something broke inside you — your heart. And then you fell. Your partner was so sweet. He didn't get mad or anything, just helped you off the stage. The silence in the performance hall was deafening." Her dark eyes glistened with tears. "It was so touching. Then I saw you'd perfected the move in a performance in California!" She smiled. "I wish I could have seen it."

"Thank you," Sora said, touched at the emotion in Fuu's voice.

Fuu turned towards Leon. "You looked terrifying, but you seem pretty approachable now."

Leon smiled at Sora. "That would be her doing."

Fuu rubbed her hands together eagerly. "This is so exciting! Do you know much about silks?"

Leon shook his head. "Assume we're completely ignorant."

"Can you come tomorrow?" Fuu asked. "My husband does silks too and it might be better if we both worked with you. Do you have a choreographed performance already? Or at least a song in mind?"

Sora thought about Leon's suggestion that they incorporate some of their culture into their performance. "I was thinking something J-Pop. Fast and exciting."

"I've already got a list of ideas!" Fuu gestured towards their clothing. "You'll have to wear something a little more fluid than that."

"We weren't expecting to work out today," Leon explained.

"We're generally open in the afternoons and evenings," Fuu said. "However, Rick and I can be here ten tomorrow morning and work with you a couple of hours."

"Rick is your husband?" Sora asked.

Fuu nodded. "He's Australian. His father used to wrestle crocodiles!"

"That doesn't sound like a long-lived career," Leon said with a frown.

"Well, he mostly hunted them, but occasionally he'd have to wrestle one before he could make the kill. He didn't do it for sport. In some places the crocodile population grew too thick. Well, Rick didn't want to wrestle animals. So, he took to acrobatics. I trained in Sydney and that's where we met three years ago. Having you two here might help call attention to our studio. We could use some good publicity!"

"I think this is the start of a mutually beneficial friendship," Sora said with a bright smile. "We'll be here at ten."

"And maybe you could do some open practices for the students," Fuu suggested. "I'm confident you'll pick up the skill fairly quickly."

"As long as it's not the choreographed performance for our exhibit. That's why I couldn't finish the move at the ICF," Sora explained. "Another couple had spied on my partner and I. They hurt themselves trying to perform our tricks and I couldn't do it without feeling guilty."

"It wasn't your fault they cheated," Leon murmured.

"You are so sweet," Fuu gushed, hands clasped and smiling at Sora. "I could tell you were sad, but now I know why. I'm so happy you're here!" She reached out and grabbed Sora's hands and jumped up and down in excitement. "It's going to be so cool!"

Sora smiled, all thoughts of the injured couple from the ICF pushed to the back of her mind. Besides, they had both recovered and even attended one of the Swan Lake performances. Fuu's eagerness was contagious and Sora was excited to start preparing.

"We best return home now. We will see you and Rick in the morning," Leon said.

They returned to the train station and waited near the tracks. Sora purchased a couple of Ramune drinks from the vending machine. She opened them and handed one to Leon.

"Watermelon?" Leon asked. He took a sip and smiled. "Very nice. What flavor did you get?"

"Strawberry," Sora answered. She held it out towards him. "Do you want to try it?"

Leon shook his head. "So, if your mom was from the Netherlands, does that mean you have dual citizenship?"

Sora nodded. "My EU passport is locked in my parents' safe. My Japanese passport gets me everywhere I want to go. I only went to Holland once when I was four. I don't really remember anything except there were tulips."

"Do you have any family still there?"

"My grandparents," Sora answered. "They fought for custody of me and when my father's brother and his wife won. They blame my father for mother's death since he was driving." Sora shrugged. "They used to send a card every year for my birthday with a check."

"Do they still do that?"

"Yeah," Sora answered.

"The Netherlands can be reached by rail from Paris. You might want to consider paying them visit."

"That would be nice." Sora took both their empty bottles and tossed them into the recycling bin. "I'll write and let them know I'll be nearby." She looked up at him and bit her lower lip, choosing her words carefully. "Will you come with me, if they do want to see me?"

Leon's expression was dead serious. "I'd go to the ends of the earth for you, Sora."

Sora breathed out a sigh of relief. "I think Northwestern Europe will be far enough!"

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OoO

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"So, your father and I have a surprise for you," Midori said, greeting Sora and Leon at the front door of the Naegino household.

Sora glanced at Leon, but he merely shrugged. He didn't want to ruin the surprise. Chikara had asked him to take Sora out for the afternoon so he'd have time to have the new bed delivered and assembled.

They followed Sora's mother inside. Leon walked alongside Sora with his hand pressed lightly against the small of her back. He could feel the coiled tension within her muscles.

Chikara had Yume sitting on his shoulders as he stood in front of the door to Sora's childhood bedroom. "Why don't you go on in, Sora?"

"Okay," Sora said, her brow furrowed suspiciously.

She opened the door and gasped at the sight. More than just the bed had changed. Her old twin mattress was replaced by a full-sized bed, new bed covers of dark purple with turquoise flowers, and new curtains to match hung from the window. At the foot of the bed was a wooden trunk of cedar and a turquoise rug covered most of the floor.

"We decided to turn it into an actual guest room," Chikara explained. "Why don't you two explore it? Your mother and I will be in the kitchen working on dinner."

Sora ran her fingers over the silky bedspread. "It's so pretty." She smiled up at Leon. "I'm a bit jealous that you'll be getting this all to yourself."

"What makes you say that?" Leon asked.

"You deserve the bed. I'll keep sleeping on the floor in Yume's room."

"No."

"What do you mean — no?"

"I spoke with your father about my intentions, Sora. Do you really think that after this weekend I can go back to pretending I'm okay with you sleeping on the floor in the room next door?" Leon stepped toe to toe with her. He tilted her chin up with his index finger. "Either we share this bed, or I'm going to stay in a nearby hotel until we leave Japan."

Sora's mouth dropped open and Leon used his finger to shut it.

"If I stay in the hotel; we'll need to leave after Yume's birthday. However, if we share this room we can stay longer. We can stay a few weeks more. It gives you more time with your family." Leon leaned down, his forehead pressed against hers, his warm breath ghosted over her lips. "I would really rather prefer staying here with you."

Sora took a deep, steadying breath. "It seems my parents are okay with the idea." She pressed her lips gently against Leon's. "I can't complain about sharing a bed with you."

"Good." Leon wrapped his arms around Sora and kissed her back, walking her backwards until her knees hit the bed and she fell onto the mattress. "Now, if you want to take that nap, I'll just lay right here and hold you in my arms."

"Works for me," Sora said, snuggling against him on top of the covers. Sora thought back to Leon's comment about Japan's declining birthrate. It seemed that her parents were doing their best to make sure Sora helped contribute to Japan's future population!

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OoO

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The Eye Candy Tokyo studio was empty, save for Leon, Sora, and their two instructors. They were in the back of the studio, in an area cordoned off for private lessons. Sora and Fuu sat on the floor, side by side, stretching and chatting good-naturedly. Fuu's husband, Rick, was taller than Leon, leanly muscled, darkly tanned, with dirty-blond hair slicked back into a low ponytail and with a thick Viking beard that covered the whole of his throat. The Australian ex-pat focused on inspecting the silks and evaluating the safety of their session.

Leon stretched his arms high above his head, gripping his left fingers with his right hand and arching his back. He and Sora had spent most of their time dancing of late, so it felt good to return to acrobatics. A faint smile touched his lips as his mind drifted to the acrobatics he and Sora experimented with back at the hotel.

"How is your upper body strength?" Rick asked, ambling over towards Leon.

"Sufficient." Leon's arms dropped to his side. He could feel the Australian sizing him up. "Did you want to have an arm-wrestling contest?"

"Nah," Rick drawled with a lazy grin. "Let me show you some basic maneuvers. Then you try to imitate them. If it's too hard, just let yourself fall to the floor. It's not a far drop and it's well padded. I'm used to my students face-planting a few dozen times."

Leon cocked his eyebrow, but said nothing. If this upstart crocodile hunter thought he could intimidate Leon Oswald, he had another think coming! "You have my undivided attention."

Rick's eyes shifted towards Fuu and Sora on the floor. "I doubt that," he muttered under his breath. He wrapped his hands around the silks and started to twist himself higher towards the ceiling. Then he supported his weight with his arms braced under him and his legs extended behind him. There was a slight tremor in his muscles, but otherwise he stayed perfectly horizontal.

He began to unwind, twist, and rotate. Finally, Rick landed lightly on his feet. "Your turn, Leon."

Using the same techniques as Rick, Leon wrapped his hands around the red, silky material. He wound himself up and then proceeded to hold the exact same horizontal pose as Rick. He made a point to hold the form for twenty seconds longer, noting the scowl on Rick's rugged features. He then mimicked the short routine of twists and rotations.

"The Devil of the Trapeze does not disappoint!" Fuu cried out. "I've never seen anyone take the to the silks so quickly!"

"That's because you haven't seen Sora yet," Leon said, brushing off the compliment.

Fuu and Sora used one set of silks while Rick and Leon utilized the other set. By the end of the two hours, all four were soaked with perspiration.

They ended the session by watching one of Fuu and Rick's couple routines. It was a majestic dance that impressed even Leon. He thought Rick was a bit of a prick, but witnessing the chemistry between the Aussie and Fuu was a thing of beauty. Leon felt his mood improve when Sora slipped her hand in his as they watched the routine together.

"I can't wait to do that with you!" Sora whispered.

Leon nodded. The grace between Rick and Fuu was seamless. He could only imagine what he and Sora might achieve with the right music and routine. The audience would be moved to tears!

Rick and Fuu landed effortlessly on the matt beneath the silks. Sora began to clap and cheer and Leon clapped as well, though far less enthusiastically than his partner.

"I want to work individually a bit more," Fuu said. "I'm thinking after three days of basics then we can work on a dual routine. I'll partner with you Leon while Rick partners with Sora, then after we feel you both have the routine down, we'll see how you do together."

Leon didn't care for Rick being in such close proximity with Sora, but he recognized his groundless jealousy. It was the prudent method to adopt and if he insisted on working with Sora immediately, without a solid skill set, he would endanger them both. His pride wasn't worth her safety.

"Thank you both, so much!" Sora clasped her hands together and bowed deeply at the waist. "This has been far more productive than I thought and I really appreciate your help."

"The honor is ours!" Fuu said, bowing just as deeply as Sora and mirroring her. "I never imagined I would have such talented students! It is a pleasure to see your work ethic first hand!"

Rick shuffled next to Leon as they watched the two Japanese women in their continued bows. "Those two could be at that all day," Rick sighed. "They're both so ridiculously polite and respectful."

Leon snorted. "Unlike us ungrateful bastards."

Rick punched Leon lightly in the upper arm. "I like you, bastard. It's not often I meet someone that can handle the silks like you did. I've got respect for you."

"And I you," Leon admitted. "Just be careful where you place your hands when you're working with Sora."

"Aye, mate. And you best be minding your hands when you're working with my wife," Rick warned.

The two men exchanged scowls. Rick's expression softened first. "You're alright, Frenchy."

"You're not so bad either, Crocodile Hunter," Leon grunted. "Sora! Enough of the bowing, it's time to go!"

"Oh! I'm so sorry to leave to early," Sora apologized to Fuu with another bow.

"And I'm sorry to have kept you so long!" Fuu rejoined.

"Seriously?" Rick asked.

Fuu straightened, as did Sora. They both grinned. "No, we're just messing with you two." She winked at Sora. "Gaijins — they fall for it every time."

Sora giggled and then skipped over towards Leon. She looped her arm through his and tugged playfully. The bell at the front of the studio chimed, signaling the start of the regular classes. "Shall we be off then?"

"See you both tomorrow," Leon said. "At ten o'clock."

"How about nine?" Rick suggested.

"Are you sure?" Fuu asked.

Rick shrugged. "It's been ages since we've been challenged like this. I kind of feel like we were just getting started." He looked over towards Leon and Sora. "How long are you two staying in Tokyo?"

"Two or three weeks," Leon answered.

"Yeah, then we could use the extra hour," Rick said. "Let's skip tomorrow though — we're all going to be sore. I'd like to suggest Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from nine until noon."

Fuu rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. And if you want, Tuesdays and Thursday we can spend a couple of hours brainstorming for routine ideas."

"We can agree to that!" Sora enthused.

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