Final Project

X.

Beck shot his head up when a loud sound disturbed him from his sleep. Well, it wasn't exactly loud and his sleep left a lot to be desired. He had been so tired earlier that his body didn't care what position he put it in, it was going to sleep. Feeling how drowsy he still was, he didn't think he slept for long.

As the sound continued, he finally realized that it was Tori's laptop, once again letting her know that she was being video chat requested.

"Damn, you're popular," Beck mumbled, sitting forward and wiping his hands all over his face in an attempt to wake up.

But Tori didn't answer. The TV was still on, though he could hardly hear it, but the glow that emitted throughout the room made his eyes squint from soreness. He looked at the other end of the couch to see her sleeping, her legs curled up into her chest. The blanket that he assumed she got was only covering her feet, but it was still over his lap.

When that damn infamous blooping stopped, the room filled with silence again, except for the low incoherent talking coming from the TV.

He wondered if he should go back to his room. His latest sleeping position wasn't helping him any, and he didn't want to just take over Tori's bed, even though she wasn't currently using it. Which made him wonder how she was sleeping like she was. The couch wasn't really comfortable to sit on for long periods of time, let alone to sleep on.

He didn't want her to wake up all sore, so figured he would try to wake her up enough to get her to move to the bed so he could leave without feeling guilty.

Leaning to the side, he lightly touched her shin and shook it gently, whispering loudly, "Tori."

She didn't even budge. He scooted a little bit closer to her, this time putting his hand on her knee and shaking, "Hey, Tori."

This time she groaned lowly and waved her hand at him like she was trying to shoo away a bug. Her hand reached down to try to blindly find the blanket, but when she wasn't able to retrieve it, her hand went limp and she fell asleep again.

Man, she can sleep through anything when she's tired. He didn't want to keep trying and failing, so he stood up in front of her, wrapping his one arm around her shoulders and the other one underneath her knees. As he picked her up, he realized that it was like lifting nothing at all because she was so light. He made sure to squeeze her close to him so her head would lean against his shoulder instead of falling back.

He carried her up the couple steps that lead to the bed, stepping up to the side of the bed to lay her down. But something stopped him before he did. Looking down at the girl in his arms, he noticed that her hair was extremely messy, but the way it framed her face made her look even more gorgeous than usual. Her hand was clenching his shirt, and he could feel and hear her heart beating steadily.

He very quickly realized that he was just standing there holding her, and in the embarrassment of wondering what she would think if she woke up to this, he leaned over to lay her down gently. In an attempt not to disturb her, he was basically leaning against her as he did, his arm that was around her shoulders momentarily trapped.

Beck felt Tori's breath hitch in his ear. It made him freeze, but whether in fright that she caught him putting her to bed (though he wasn't sure why he was frightened by that thought) or in a paralysis trance moment, he wasn't sure. He felt his skin get tight and heat up at the same time, and he never thought he could get goose bumps while being hot.

He knew he needed to move, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it yet. His face was by her neck, but he had to close his eyes when he continued to feel her steady breathing against his skin, in his ear, encircling his whole being.

It's happening all over again…

This is what he thought when a sudden burst of emotions exploded in a single instant. And if you ever went from feeling nothing to feeling everything, you know that it's probably the best human experience ever.

Raising his head slightly, he found out how soft her cheek was against his own. His lips were now next to her ear and he wanted to tell her…tell her how much she amazed him everyday, tell her how much he adored her, tell her that she was all…

When he opened his lips to breathe, he felt her body clench underneath his. This sudden reaction caused his eyes to pop open and he backed away a bit. When he looked down at her, even though it was dark, he could still tell that her eyes were closed. Whether she was still deeply sleeping and her body was just reacting to what was going on or not, he wasn't sure, but something else did occur to him: He was way too close to his best friend's girlfriend. Even though he didn't do anything, he still couldn't imagine Andre being very happy with the current situation.

Quickly, so as not to linger at all, he pulled himself away from her and exited the room.

As soon as she heard the door shut, Tori snapped her eyes open and stared into the darkness. Then she turned on her side, grabbed a pillow, and hugged it against her chest as she curled herself into a ball again.

And as soon as Beck entered his room, his laptop was going off to indicate a video request.

"Don't people have anything better to do?" He asked himself somewhat bitterly, but when he stepped in front of his laptop to see who it was from, his heart dropped into his stomach.

Call from: Andre

Shit! Does he know? Of course, that would be impossible, unless he hired someone to install cameras in Tori's room so he could watch everything that went on in there.

It's Andre, not Jade…He had to remind himself. Sighing, he clicked on the accept button and Andre came on the screen.

"What's up, Man?" Beck asked as he slouched in the chair.

"Dude, Tori's not answering any of my video requests. What have you guys been doing this whole time?" Andre asked, obviously a bit angered, but still trying to keep his cool.

Beck raised his hands in an attempt to calm him down, "Chill out, everything's fine. We just happened to spend the whole day with our guide chick and she took us over to—."

"Oh!" Andre suddenly interrupted him, "Hey, there's Tori now! Gotta go!" And then Andre ended the call.

Beck sat there, totally dumbfounded. Tori just called Andre? Which means she's still awake…or did she happen to wake up when I closed her door? His heart started beating faster when his mind went back to the moment right before he left. She must have been awake…her reactions basically prove it.

He stood up quickly, hating himself for even giving himself the opportunity to do what he just did with Tori. But it was nothing! His eyes caught his camera on the nightstand by his bed. He instantly thought about the picture they took the day before and felt a huge urge to study that picture like he was going to have a test on it.

Almost angrily, he snatched it and, like he weighed three-hundred pounds, flopped back on his bed.

The next day, Friday, was the festival. Shiori had morning and an afternoon class, so she wasn't available to take them out prior to. Beck and Tori decided that they would just check out a few of the stores that were somewhat close to the hotel, that way they wouldn't get lost and they could still get back in time for Shiori to get Tori ready.

They decided to not even mention the night before. There was only a brief moment when anything was mentioned, and that was when Beck asked her how her chat with Andre went.

She looked at him like she was confused about how he knew about that but didn't want to ask, "It was fine. He called and it woke me up."

Beck stared at her, wondering if she meant that his call, before Beck left, was the one that woke her up, or if she was trying to hide something.

But she quickly fixed herself, "Actually, I don't know why I just lied. I was the one that called him. And it was nice. He played me his new song."

Truthfully, that confession made Beck's day. He was glad that she was still able to tell him the truth, even if this truth really meant nothing at all.

While they were out looking around, Beck ended up purchasing a kimono for himself for the festival. It was a black two-piece with a red dragon on the back. Tori knew it would look stunning next to her red and gold kimono.

When Shiori said she was on her way over, they made their way back to the hotel and said they would meet back up again in about an hour. It would take Beck five minutes to get ready, but knew Tori was going to go through a transformation, and quite frankly, he was excited as hell to see what Shiori was going to do to her.

Shiori was the one that texted Beck that they were ready and to come across the hall and "pick them up." When he knocked on the door, Shiori answered and motioned him to come inside with a huge smile on her face. If he didn't already know it was either of them, he would have introduced himself.

For one, Shiori looked completely different again. She had the white face paint on, and her false eyelashes made her eyes seem a lot bigger than they actually were, and her green eye shadow that went nearly up to her thin eyebrows made her eyes look darker. She had on a long green kimono, and a huge green hair piece that looked like a fan was on top of her head, her hair pulled back into a tight bun.

But when his eyes fell on Tori…nothing on Shiori mattered. Tori's long red kimono hugged her body in all the right places. He could tell the sleeves were huge, like the ones he had on, but she looked so cute standing there with her hands clasped in front of her. Shiori didn't put the white face paint on Tori, but only slightly powdered her, making the red lip stick stand out in a way that lip stick normally doesn't. Her golden eye shadow was put on thickly like Shiori's also, but Tori's eyes penetrated his soul with how the extreme eye liner was applied. It curved at a point on the outside of both of her eyes, giving them a more almond shape, but it looked like she stuck with her natural eyelashes. Her hair was also up in a bun, but a sexy messy one, with strands still falling down around her face.

"Sooo…how you like?" Shiori asked, taking note of both their expression the whole time he studied her. Beck was as mesmerized as any guy could be, and Tori couldn't even hide her smile from how pleased she was that he liked it.

"It's all for you—!" Shiori sang the title line to Janet Jackson's song, dancing around Beck as she made her way to the door, "Let's get going you two!"

When she left the room, Beck and Tori smiled at each other.

"You look absolutely amazing," Beck told her with full sincerity.

Tori looked down quickly, feeling like her smile was permanently plastered on her face, "Thanks, Beck. You do, too."

Smiling in return, he held out his hand to her, "Shall we go?"

Without thinking about it, she put her hand into his.

The festival was everything they had hoped for, especially when it came to really getting a feel for the culture. People were putting on plays, wearing masks and beautiful, colorful outfits. They even looked like they were using real swords during their pretend battles. Little stands were set up all around, selling small knickknacks that were nice enough for Beck and Tori to pick up a lot as souvenirs for themselves and their friends and families.

When it began getting a bit darker, dancers wearing short kimonos began making their way down the main street the festival was held at, followed by large floats that looked like dragons and tigers, multiple lanterns aligning all of them. As the show went on, they began bringing out the floating lanterns, releasing them into the sky as soon as the fireworks began.

Beck and Tori were still holding their floating lanterns while watching the fireworks, not wanting to let them go.

Beck kept glancing over at Tori, still amazed at how wonderful she looked. She eyes were sparkling with the fireworks, all the shadows and lights complimenting her kimono.

When she happened to glance over to find him staring at her, she tried to hide her smile by rising the lantern up in front of her, "Wanna release them together?"

Stepping on front of her, he held up his lantern, too. Looking in each other's eyes, they both knew exactly when the other was going to push their lantern up into the sky. They continued to watch their lanterns follow each other, until they joined the huge group of other lanterns and they lost track of their specific ones.

Then, what seemed like out of nowhere, Beck asked her: "Can I ask you a question?"

Tori smiled playfully, "Does the one you just asked count?"

Beck smirked a little at her, but shook his head, "And even though it's gonna sound a bit rhetorical, I really want an answer."

Tori tried to keep her smile, but the way he talked was beginning to make her a little nervous. She felt her stomach tighten as she nodded.

Beck looked around quickly, wondering if Shiori came back around them yet. He still didn't see her, and was hoping he wouldn't get interrupted once he started: "Would you rather do something with the possibility of regretting it later…or regret never doing it at all?"

Tori's eyes averted directly into his as she realized that that was probably a question she would have never expected to get asked. She pushed a small strand of hair behind her ear, "Don't you know that regretting something is like—."

"Is like not living at all, yeah, I know the phrase," Beck finished for her, "But I think everyone regrets something sometime or another. I'm just asking you which one sounds more…bearable."

Tori looked away from him. What exactly is he trying to get at? Why is he even asking me this? And why is he insisting on an answer? She glanced back at him, seeing that he was still waiting for a response. She looked away again. This is way too nerve-wrecking…is this about last night? Should I just tell him that I was awake and apologize for acting like I wasn't? She felt him step closer to her. Why does he care about what I regret! I regret nothing! Nothing! Everything that has ever happened has been for the best and for a reason…

"Tori…?" He was watching her inwardly argue with herself and wanted to know what she was thinking.

She answered quickly, almost snapping, "I would rather just regret never doing it. Because if everything is fine with my life as it is, then I must have made some sort of right decision in the past. No harm done."

He looked completely taken aback by her answer, "So you mean to tell me that you'd rather wonder what could have happened over finding out and saying at least you tried?"

Tori's face felt so tight, that she was sure she looked emotionless, "Exactly."

They continued to stand there for some time. Tori was acting like she was still interested in the festival people going by, but she wouldn't be able to tell about anything she just saw. She felt Beck's eyes digging into her, and finally he said: "I don't believe you."

She quickly looked at him. He was absolutely, completely, to the core serious. She noticed that he had the same look in his eyes as he did…all that time ago. That longing, yearning look. The look of wanting to do something so badly, that nothing else seemed to matter.

Tori swallowed roughly, "I'm not lying. I don't lie."

"Liar."

Her mouth dropped open as he called her this. How…how dare he! There was not many things that she could be called that would truly insult her…but for Beck to outright snap that word in her face like it was nothing was both angering and hurtful.

She didn't even know what to say. She was actually embarrassed even though no one else around them had any clue what they were talking about. She lowered her head and walked around him, needing to get away from him at that moment.

"Why didn't you just tell me you liked Andre?" Beck called after her, his heart pounding out of his chest for where this conversation was going. Honestly, he knew he didn't think his original question through enough to really consider all the options. Honestly, he didn't think she would answer like she did. It all started to go wrong from the start, but he held so much in last night and all day that he was dying to talk to her about…everything.

Tori stopped abruptly and turned back around to face him, "What are you talking about? He's my boyfriend!"

"No, I mean two years ago," Beck took the steps to get closer to her again, "When you said you couldn't kiss me because of Jade. Why didn't you just tell me it was because you liked Andre?"

She didn't even care if she looked completely foolish standing there with her mouth hanging open in astonishment. What in the hell is he talking about! She turned her back on him quickly, angry that she wasn't able to look him in the face when she shouted, "I never lied to you!"

Tori rushed quickly through the crowd, all the colors of all the kimonos mixing to become one big blur. Who is he to bring up the past like that? And why? And what in the world makes him think that I lied about anything that day?

She got stopped abruptly when two Japanese men stepped in front of her. They looked a bit concerned that she wasn't having a good time (and it was only then that Tori realized that a couple tears dripped down her cheeks, probably smearing her make-up a bit), and offered her a cup of water.

She had been thirsty for quite some time, and she tried to offer them a small smile in courtesy as she took the cup. Without thinking, she tilted her head back and drank the whole thing at once. It wasn't until she swallowed all of it that she felt a burning sensation in her throat and in her chest.

She realized the two Japanese men were gone. And almost immediately, she felt her world begin to spin, and if she thought the colors blurred together before, the blur was now being mixed in a blender.

Shit, what did I just drink…!

She took a step back, but that alone caused her to lose her balance. She felt herself falling back before she was grabbed by someone.

"Tori? Tori, what happened?" Despite being dizzy, she could tell the voice belonged to Beck.

She lifted her hand to show him the cup, "I drank some water…"

The cup was roughly snatched from her fingers, and this is when she heard Shiori's voice, "She drank a double shot of Habu sake."

"What the hell's that?" Beck asked.

"It's just awamori mixed with snake venom."

"What?" Tori yelled, standing on her own but instantly regretting that she did. She felt Beck's arms around her again.

"Don't worry!" Shiori said quickly, "It's not harmful. Everyone drinks it here. But if you're not used to it, it can be quite a doozy. You took it well!"

Even though she was trying to be encouraging and funny, Tori only groaned and pressed her face into Beck's shoulder. She wasn't even thinking about the conversation they just had that caused her to end up like this. At least I don't feel sick. She thought. Just dizzy.

"Let's go back to the hotel," Beck said, his voice sounding deeper when it was close to her ear and her face was close to his chest. She could vaguely feel his arms securely around her…and she could smell his scent all around her, too. The silk of his kimono felt cool and comforting against her face, making her rub her face up and down on it.

Shiori laughed, "Yeah, the festival's nearing its close anyway. Oh, and don't be surprised if she starts…like, hallucinating."

"Was that drink some sort of drug, too?" Beck asked.

Shiori shook her head, "No, and even though the venom is distilled from the alcohol, it can still have some effects on the mind."

"Great," Beck said dryly.

"I'm sorry…" Tori mumbled into his shoulder.

"No…I'm sorry, Tor, it's my fault," Beck said lowly so that only she could hear. She leaned herself into him more, his body feeling way to good pressed against hers. She felt him begin to lead her in a direction, probably towards Shiori's car, so they could head back.

Tori lifted her head slightly so that she could see somewhat where she was going. To her surprise, the world wasn't as incomprehensible as she thought it was going to be.

"Aw, look at the cute kitten," she said, pointing to their right.

Beck looked, but all he saw was one of the floating lanterns that made its way back down to the ground.

()()()()()()

First off, I'd like to apologize for taking a bit longer to update. Secondly, I would like to give a HUGE thank you for the awesome amount of reviews this story is getting. For all you authors out there, you know how rewarding reviews can be.

Also, I know not many of you have ever drunk Habu sake, but let me tell you, it's definitely a doozy like Shiori said. It comes in a bottle with an actual snake at the bottom and his mouth pried open so all the venom releases from his teeth. I recall having about 6 shots of it when I was in Japan…or maybe I was in Guam at the time…maybe Hong Kong. Either way, I was a pretty big alcoholic at the time, but even I started hallucinating that I was in a Bon Jovi music video jumping down an alley. Don't ask…I don't know.

Anyway, Tori didn't drink THAT much, so don't expect this to turn into an "I have no idea what I'm doing so I'm gonna just do anything!" kinda story. Tori is still gonna have a brain. So to end this long ass AN…I hope you guys enjoyed this update!