Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction ❯ 30 Kisses: Arc and Yucie ❯ Serenade ( Chapter 9 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: wish_wielder 
For Theme #14 (radio-cassette player).
Anime/Manga: Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Angst / Drama / Comedy / Shoujo | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.30.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 807 | Status: Completed
For Theme #14 (radio-cassette player).
Anime/Manga: Petite Princess Yucie Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Romance / Angst / Drama / Comedy / Shoujo | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 05.30.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 807 | Status: Completed
Title: “Serenade”
Author: Wish Wielder
Pairing: Arc/Yucie
Fandom: Puchi Puri Yucie
Theme: #14 (radio-cassette player)
Disclaimer: “Puchi Puri Yucie” and all respective properties are © Gainax/Yucie Committee. “What Hurts The Most” is © Rascal Flatts. Meg “tN!!” D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own “Puchi Puri Yucie” or “What Hurts The Most.”
NOTE: Because radio-cassette players weren’t around in medieval times, this one’s AU (don’t get used to it - I’m not privy to AU fics -sweatdrop-). Also, if you want to listen to the song used in this Kiss, go to the band’s website (wwwDOTrascalflattsDOTcom) and look for the banner that says “The New Single ‘What Hurts The Most’ Click Here To Listen.” You have to give them your e-mail address, and they’ll e-mail you a link to where you can listen to it.
“Serenade”
Arc felt like he had lost track of all time since that day. Maybe that’s why he was so shocked to see the date, February 14, circled in big red maker on the calendar on his kitchen wall. He already wasn’t feeling particularly great that morning, but seeing that brutal reminder made his stomach drop to his feet and beyond. February 14. Three weeks since that day.
Three weeks since life as he knew it collapsed around him.
He turned from the calendar and headed over to the sink, where he proceeded to fill a silver kettle for some tea. Once the kettle was on the stove, he fetched his morning paper and sat down at the kitchen table to read. Maybe today he’d find a story about someone who had it worse than he.
This had become his ritual since that day. He would wake up, usually with more than enough time to get to work, and he’d trudge to the kitchen, where he would make some tea. He’d fetch his paper and read the daily news over a cup of the aforementioned tea. He usually skipped breakfast, and after a brief shower he’d head off to work. After finishing his day at the dojo, where he worked as a kendo instructor, he’d come home. Sometimes he’d have a small meal, sometimes not; usually he just went to bed. It was a ritual, and the numbing sensation it gave him got him through. He didn’t see a problem with it, though a part of him knew he was wrong.
It wasn’t always this way. He used to look forward to work, to seeing his friends and students. He used to be ok around other people. He used to be…well, happy. Then his world turned upside down with a flourish only she could cause.
He should have seen it coming, though, like most people, he never did. He never saw the tears, the screams, or the pain that followed a break-up. Hell, he never even saw the break-up! He never saw the problems his extra time at work had caused, or the problems her friends would cause. He had opened the dojo a year before with a college buddy, and they had been working hard to get everything in order. The dojo finally started picking up, and he had been able to return to a more normal schedule. However, by then, it had been too late.
He still saw the tears pooling in her eyes, running down her cheeks as she told him she was leaving. He still heard her voice running through his head, telling him that she couldn’t take it anymore - that she was tired of waiting for him to “grow up” and “being alone in this relationship.” He heard every reason she had given him, including those she accredited to her friends. He remembered scowling at that comment; he had always been on good terms with her friends, and knowing they had suggested that she leave him was a bit stinging. Worst of all the memories, though, was that he still heard the door slamming, closing her off from him forever.
And he had just stood there, like the idiot he was. He had let her walk away.
He glanced back at the calendar as he poured himself a cup a tea. The box wasn’t only circled because it was Valentine’s Day; he had had another reason. The second reason he had worked late so many nights, even after the dojo was in running order, was because he had been saving up for the ring inside the little box that rested on the shelf below the calendar. He had planned it all out months ago; he would propose tonight, after a perfect evening, and she’d say yes. They’d be married, and they’d live out the rest of their lives together, happily.
Yucie had had other plans.
He looked up from his tea as he heard a knocking on the door, and he sighed. He put his mug down and walked over to the door, opening it to see Yucie. He could see the bottom half of her work uniform, black slacks and a white apron, underneath her cream-colored coat and frowned. What was she doing here, and why was she heading to work so early? He knew she didn’t have to report for another hour or so.
“Y-Yucie?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. She gave him a strained smile, one that looked like it had no place on her usually cheerful face, and pulled her coat closer to her.
“Hi, Arc,” she said. “Did you get my things together? We’re going to be really busy today, and Papa asked me to come in early.”
“I…what?” he asked, confused. She frowned.
“Didn’t you get my message?” she asked.
“Message?”
“The one I left last night,” she said. “I called around five, but you weren’t home…or you weren’t answering your phone, but whatever the case was I left a message saying I would be stopping by this morning to get some things I had left here. I had asked you to get them together for me so I could just pick them up and go.”
“I didn’t check my messages last night,” he said. He hadn’t been checking his messages for a while now. She sighed and shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I should be able to collect them pretty fast. Can I come in?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, moving aside to grant her entrance. She walked past him, her gait stiff and uneasy, and immediately began to search for her things. He closed the door and watched her, wondering just what to say. He walked over to his radio and turned it on, quietly playing with the buttons until he found a station he liked.
“Do you need any help?” he asked.
“I got it,” she said, her voice clipped. He looked away, back to the radio, and remained silent.
He wanted nothing more than to walk over to her, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to apologize, to tell her how much he had loved her - how much he still loved her. He wanted to tell her things would be better, that he’d be better, and that she didn’t have to be afraid to love him again. He wanted her to know he would never hurt her, and that he knew he was a moron for doing it once. He wanted her to know that he had learned his lesson, that losing her was killing him, and that he needed her. He needed her to be there with him, to be his again.
He felt the familiar prick of tears behind his eyes, and he bit his lip. He couldn’t cry again, especially not in front of her. He was having a hard enough time staying there, away from her, he didn’t need to deal with tears, too. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to block out the pain and longing as he heard her moving around behind him, when the DJ on the radio had to blow everything.
“This one goes out to all you lovers out there who aren’t today, for whatever reason,” he said over the wavelengths. “Here’s hoping this new song will get you right with your love on this, the most romantic day of the year, because nobody should be alone on Valentine’s Day.”
His eyes widened as he heard the hauntingly familiar bars over the radio, and he glanced over at Yucie, who was packing up her bag. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t even notice him, or the radio. He smiled softly as his hopes rose; maybe this was a sign. Maybe fate was working for him for once instead of against him. Maybe this was his chance to get her back. Maybe -
“Well, that’s about all of it,” she said. “I can’t find my sweater, though…oh well. If you do, can you drop it by the restaurant?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he said. He’d have to act quickly, he realized as a plan formulated in his mind. He only had one chance to set things right. She walked past him and towards the door as the second verse started.
“I guess I’ll see you around, then,” she said, her voice quiet. She hesitated at the door, and he bit his lip; it was now or never.
“Wait!” he called. She turned to look at him, confusion marring her brown eyes.
“Y-yeah?” she asked. What was that in her eyes? Hope? He took a deep breath and began singing along with the radio, quietly at first.
“Still harder, getting up, getting dressed, living with this regret,” he sang. His voice gained strength as he continued, and he slowly began walking towards her. His eyes locked on hers, and he gazed at her with all the emotion he had felt since she had left. “But I know, if I could do it over, I would trade - give away - all the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken.”
“A-Arc?” she asked, her eyes wide with confusion. He stopped before her and put a hand on her shoulder, the other one coming up to caress her cheek. Her eyes slid closed at the familiar touch, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“What hurts the most,” he continued, his voice full of emotion, matching the song perfectly, “is being so close, and having so much to say, and watching you walk away. And never knowing what could’ve been, and not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do.”
As he finished, he captured her hand in his own and brought it up to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles. She leaned back against the door, trembling, and let out a shaky breath. He saw tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, and he bit his lip again, wondering if he had done the right thing. Would she understand? What was she going to say? What would he do if she just pushed him away and walked out for a second time, leaving him forever?
“Please, don’t,” she whispered. The first tear slid down her cheek. “Arc, I can’t -”
“I love you,” he said, his voice still wrought with emotion, “and I always have. I never stopped, Yucie. I’m so sorry for everything, and I -”
“Shut up and kiss me,” she said, not caring how cliché she sounded. He smiled and placed a hand by her head on the door, steadying himself as he leaned closer to her. He rested her hand over his heart, his hand still clutching hers, and he nodded. Without another word, he leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers. He was unsure at first, but when she pressed against him, almost begging him to soothe her aching soul, any insecurity he might have possessed vanished. He leaned against her, trapping her against the door, and deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she immediately granted him entrance, moaning as he slid his tongue into her mouth, entwining it with her own. He pulled away a moment later, much to soon for either of their liking, and nestled his head in the crook of her neck.
“I’m so sorry, Yucie,” he said. She freed her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him like he was a lifeline of sorts.
“I didn’t want to come,” she said, her voice breaking as more tears fell. “I knew if I did…I didn’t know what would happen. I was so scared of seeing you again, knowing how hard it still was. I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to stay away from you. I still love you so much…these past three weeks have been torture.”
“And you’re the one who left,” he said, a slight grin on his face. “Imagine how it was for me.”
His grin grew at her giggles, and he pulled her closer.
“Hey, Arc,” she said, her voice curious. “About that sweater…the pink one you gave me last year. Do you know where it is?”
His face flushed, and he looked away. He knew exactly where it was: in his bed, next to his pillow - right where he had left it when he woke up.
“I-I took it to get cleaned,” he sputtered. “It’ll be back in a day or so.”
“I see,” she said, not fully convinced. She glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned. “I have to get to work, but I’ll come back afterwards. I get off at eight.”
“Valentine’s Day rush?” he asked.
“Every year,” she said. She grinned at him. “The price you pay when you’re a chef at the biggest restaurant in town.”
“Just don’t eat anything,” he said. “I’m going to make you dinner tonight.”
“I love you,” she said, kissing him again. He smiled and nodded, opening the door for her.
“I love you, too,” he said. “And don’t forget it!”
“Never,” she said. She gave him a final kiss before rushing out. He looked at the bag with her things in it, which she had left by the door. He smiled and closed the door, leaning against it as he looked at the rust-colored satchel. His eyes then fell on the small velvet box under his calendar, and his smile grew. Things definitely wouldn’t go exactly as he had planned tonight, but he still had a use for that ring.
Not seein’ that lovin’ you
That’s what I was tryin’ to do
Owari
a.n.: -smile- Ok, I couldn’t wait for the CD to come out! And, as you saw in the note, the song’s up on their site, so I listened to it, wrote down the lyrics, listened to it some more, and wrote down the next Kiss. -grin-
And! Happy Valentine’s Day, chicos! This is your VDay present. Well, this, and…I got a little Arc/Yucie pic up on my dA account. So you get a fic and a pic! …please ignore how weird that sounded… -sweatdrop-
The pic: wwwDOTdeviantartDOTcomSLASHviewSLASH28961654
Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don’t flame. If you can’t say your CC without flaming, don’t bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az’s bonfire for the yummy s’mores.
Author: Wish Wielder
Pairing: Arc/Yucie
Fandom: Puchi Puri Yucie
Theme: #14 (radio-cassette player)
Disclaimer: “Puchi Puri Yucie” and all respective properties are © Gainax/Yucie Committee. “What Hurts The Most” is © Rascal Flatts. Meg “tN!!” D. (Wish Wielder) does not, has never, nor will ever own “Puchi Puri Yucie” or “What Hurts The Most.”
NOTE: Because radio-cassette players weren’t around in medieval times, this one’s AU (don’t get used to it - I’m not privy to AU fics -sweatdrop-). Also, if you want to listen to the song used in this Kiss, go to the band’s website (wwwDOTrascalflattsDOTcom) and look for the banner that says “The New Single ‘What Hurts The Most’ Click Here To Listen.” You have to give them your e-mail address, and they’ll e-mail you a link to where you can listen to it.
“Serenade”
Arc felt like he had lost track of all time since that day. Maybe that’s why he was so shocked to see the date, February 14, circled in big red maker on the calendar on his kitchen wall. He already wasn’t feeling particularly great that morning, but seeing that brutal reminder made his stomach drop to his feet and beyond. February 14. Three weeks since that day.
Three weeks since life as he knew it collapsed around him.
He turned from the calendar and headed over to the sink, where he proceeded to fill a silver kettle for some tea. Once the kettle was on the stove, he fetched his morning paper and sat down at the kitchen table to read. Maybe today he’d find a story about someone who had it worse than he.
This had become his ritual since that day. He would wake up, usually with more than enough time to get to work, and he’d trudge to the kitchen, where he would make some tea. He’d fetch his paper and read the daily news over a cup of the aforementioned tea. He usually skipped breakfast, and after a brief shower he’d head off to work. After finishing his day at the dojo, where he worked as a kendo instructor, he’d come home. Sometimes he’d have a small meal, sometimes not; usually he just went to bed. It was a ritual, and the numbing sensation it gave him got him through. He didn’t see a problem with it, though a part of him knew he was wrong.
It wasn’t always this way. He used to look forward to work, to seeing his friends and students. He used to be ok around other people. He used to be…well, happy. Then his world turned upside down with a flourish only she could cause.
He should have seen it coming, though, like most people, he never did. He never saw the tears, the screams, or the pain that followed a break-up. Hell, he never even saw the break-up! He never saw the problems his extra time at work had caused, or the problems her friends would cause. He had opened the dojo a year before with a college buddy, and they had been working hard to get everything in order. The dojo finally started picking up, and he had been able to return to a more normal schedule. However, by then, it had been too late.
He still saw the tears pooling in her eyes, running down her cheeks as she told him she was leaving. He still heard her voice running through his head, telling him that she couldn’t take it anymore - that she was tired of waiting for him to “grow up” and “being alone in this relationship.” He heard every reason she had given him, including those she accredited to her friends. He remembered scowling at that comment; he had always been on good terms with her friends, and knowing they had suggested that she leave him was a bit stinging. Worst of all the memories, though, was that he still heard the door slamming, closing her off from him forever.
And he had just stood there, like the idiot he was. He had let her walk away.
He glanced back at the calendar as he poured himself a cup a tea. The box wasn’t only circled because it was Valentine’s Day; he had had another reason. The second reason he had worked late so many nights, even after the dojo was in running order, was because he had been saving up for the ring inside the little box that rested on the shelf below the calendar. He had planned it all out months ago; he would propose tonight, after a perfect evening, and she’d say yes. They’d be married, and they’d live out the rest of their lives together, happily.
Yucie had had other plans.
He looked up from his tea as he heard a knocking on the door, and he sighed. He put his mug down and walked over to the door, opening it to see Yucie. He could see the bottom half of her work uniform, black slacks and a white apron, underneath her cream-colored coat and frowned. What was she doing here, and why was she heading to work so early? He knew she didn’t have to report for another hour or so.
“Y-Yucie?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. She gave him a strained smile, one that looked like it had no place on her usually cheerful face, and pulled her coat closer to her.
“Hi, Arc,” she said. “Did you get my things together? We’re going to be really busy today, and Papa asked me to come in early.”
“I…what?” he asked, confused. She frowned.
“Didn’t you get my message?” she asked.
“Message?”
“The one I left last night,” she said. “I called around five, but you weren’t home…or you weren’t answering your phone, but whatever the case was I left a message saying I would be stopping by this morning to get some things I had left here. I had asked you to get them together for me so I could just pick them up and go.”
“I didn’t check my messages last night,” he said. He hadn’t been checking his messages for a while now. She sighed and shook her head.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I should be able to collect them pretty fast. Can I come in?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, moving aside to grant her entrance. She walked past him, her gait stiff and uneasy, and immediately began to search for her things. He closed the door and watched her, wondering just what to say. He walked over to his radio and turned it on, quietly playing with the buttons until he found a station he liked.
“Do you need any help?” he asked.
“I got it,” she said, her voice clipped. He looked away, back to the radio, and remained silent.
He wanted nothing more than to walk over to her, take her in his arms, and kiss her senseless. He wanted to apologize, to tell her how much he had loved her - how much he still loved her. He wanted to tell her things would be better, that he’d be better, and that she didn’t have to be afraid to love him again. He wanted her to know he would never hurt her, and that he knew he was a moron for doing it once. He wanted her to know that he had learned his lesson, that losing her was killing him, and that he needed her. He needed her to be there with him, to be his again.
He felt the familiar prick of tears behind his eyes, and he bit his lip. He couldn’t cry again, especially not in front of her. He was having a hard enough time staying there, away from her, he didn’t need to deal with tears, too. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to block out the pain and longing as he heard her moving around behind him, when the DJ on the radio had to blow everything.
“This one goes out to all you lovers out there who aren’t today, for whatever reason,” he said over the wavelengths. “Here’s hoping this new song will get you right with your love on this, the most romantic day of the year, because nobody should be alone on Valentine’s Day.”
His eyes widened as he heard the hauntingly familiar bars over the radio, and he glanced over at Yucie, who was packing up her bag. She was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t even notice him, or the radio. He smiled softly as his hopes rose; maybe this was a sign. Maybe fate was working for him for once instead of against him. Maybe this was his chance to get her back. Maybe -
“Well, that’s about all of it,” she said. “I can’t find my sweater, though…oh well. If you do, can you drop it by the restaurant?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he said. He’d have to act quickly, he realized as a plan formulated in his mind. He only had one chance to set things right. She walked past him and towards the door as the second verse started.
“I guess I’ll see you around, then,” she said, her voice quiet. She hesitated at the door, and he bit his lip; it was now or never.
“Wait!” he called. She turned to look at him, confusion marring her brown eyes.
“Y-yeah?” she asked. What was that in her eyes? Hope? He took a deep breath and began singing along with the radio, quietly at first.
“Still harder, getting up, getting dressed, living with this regret,” he sang. His voice gained strength as he continued, and he slowly began walking towards her. His eyes locked on hers, and he gazed at her with all the emotion he had felt since she had left. “But I know, if I could do it over, I would trade - give away - all the words that I saved in my heart that I left unspoken.”
“A-Arc?” she asked, her eyes wide with confusion. He stopped before her and put a hand on her shoulder, the other one coming up to caress her cheek. Her eyes slid closed at the familiar touch, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“What hurts the most,” he continued, his voice full of emotion, matching the song perfectly, “is being so close, and having so much to say, and watching you walk away. And never knowing what could’ve been, and not seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do.”
As he finished, he captured her hand in his own and brought it up to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles. She leaned back against the door, trembling, and let out a shaky breath. He saw tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, and he bit his lip again, wondering if he had done the right thing. Would she understand? What was she going to say? What would he do if she just pushed him away and walked out for a second time, leaving him forever?
“Please, don’t,” she whispered. The first tear slid down her cheek. “Arc, I can’t -”
“I love you,” he said, his voice still wrought with emotion, “and I always have. I never stopped, Yucie. I’m so sorry for everything, and I -”
“Shut up and kiss me,” she said, not caring how cliché she sounded. He smiled and placed a hand by her head on the door, steadying himself as he leaned closer to her. He rested her hand over his heart, his hand still clutching hers, and he nodded. Without another word, he leaned down and gently placed his lips on hers. He was unsure at first, but when she pressed against him, almost begging him to soothe her aching soul, any insecurity he might have possessed vanished. He leaned against her, trapping her against the door, and deepened the kiss. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she immediately granted him entrance, moaning as he slid his tongue into her mouth, entwining it with her own. He pulled away a moment later, much to soon for either of their liking, and nestled his head in the crook of her neck.
“I’m so sorry, Yucie,” he said. She freed her hand from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him like he was a lifeline of sorts.
“I didn’t want to come,” she said, her voice breaking as more tears fell. “I knew if I did…I didn’t know what would happen. I was so scared of seeing you again, knowing how hard it still was. I knew I wouldn’t be strong enough to stay away from you. I still love you so much…these past three weeks have been torture.”
“And you’re the one who left,” he said, a slight grin on his face. “Imagine how it was for me.”
His grin grew at her giggles, and he pulled her closer.
“Hey, Arc,” she said, her voice curious. “About that sweater…the pink one you gave me last year. Do you know where it is?”
His face flushed, and he looked away. He knew exactly where it was: in his bed, next to his pillow - right where he had left it when he woke up.
“I-I took it to get cleaned,” he sputtered. “It’ll be back in a day or so.”
“I see,” she said, not fully convinced. She glanced at the clock on the wall and groaned. “I have to get to work, but I’ll come back afterwards. I get off at eight.”
“Valentine’s Day rush?” he asked.
“Every year,” she said. She grinned at him. “The price you pay when you’re a chef at the biggest restaurant in town.”
“Just don’t eat anything,” he said. “I’m going to make you dinner tonight.”
“I love you,” she said, kissing him again. He smiled and nodded, opening the door for her.
“I love you, too,” he said. “And don’t forget it!”
“Never,” she said. She gave him a final kiss before rushing out. He looked at the bag with her things in it, which she had left by the door. He smiled and closed the door, leaning against it as he looked at the rust-colored satchel. His eyes then fell on the small velvet box under his calendar, and his smile grew. Things definitely wouldn’t go exactly as he had planned tonight, but he still had a use for that ring.
Not seein’ that lovin’ you
That’s what I was tryin’ to do
Owari
a.n.: -smile- Ok, I couldn’t wait for the CD to come out! And, as you saw in the note, the song’s up on their site, so I listened to it, wrote down the lyrics, listened to it some more, and wrote down the next Kiss. -grin-
And! Happy Valentine’s Day, chicos! This is your VDay present. Well, this, and…I got a little Arc/Yucie pic up on my dA account. So you get a fic and a pic! …please ignore how weird that sounded… -sweatdrop-
The pic: wwwDOTdeviantartDOTcomSLASHviewSLASH28961654
Comments and constructive criticism welcomed. Please, don’t flame. If you can’t say your CC without flaming, don’t bother. Flames will be used to fuel Az’s bonfire for the yummy s’mores.