Utena, Revolutionary Girl Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of Dust ❯ Like Someone in Love ( Chapter 11 )

Title: Heart of Dust

Chp 11. Like Someone In Love

Rating: PG-13

**Like Someone In Love by Bjork

The characters are not mine I am just borrowing.

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Ringing?

An alarm clock…

She didn't own an alarm clock.

Juri pulled the covers around her head attempting to block out the noise. The ringing wasn't stopping which proved it wasn't a dream. And that meant someone was stupid enough to be standing in her room, right by her bed, at arms length, holding of all things a shrill alarm clock. Before she merely reached out to grab the intruder and beat him into a bloody pulp for disturbing her sleep, Juri tried to determine who it was.

It certainly wasn't any of the girls. Dorothy and Cathy both knew how much she needed sleep especially with the hours she had been working combined with midterms.

Duo was prone to such things but there was no way Cathy would let him do something so completely suicidal.

In fact now that she thought about it there was only one person who would dare wake her in such a manner. Only one soul stupid enough and confidant enough in Juri's love for him would ever dare, and it couldn't be him because he was supposed to call before he visited. In fact he wasn't due for a visit for about a month. But however improbable there was still that incessant ringing accompanied shortly by a poorly stifled chuckle that was unmistakable.

Like a wild cat let loose from a cage Juri jumped out of bed and tackled the intruder with the brute strength of a panther. Tore the offending noisemaker out of his hands, shut it off and tossed it aside. He laughed and smiled brightly as his elder sister held him to the ground.

"I swear by all that is holy Sorata Arisugawa I will make you pay for waking me at this hour," Juri growled fiercely, but there was almost a playful lilt to her tone.

The young man shrugged casually, still smiling, and then winked. Juri removed herself sighing and laughing softly as she sat on her bedroom floor.

"You were supposed to call me," she chided.

"I decided I had to arrive early." He sat up and fixed his baseball cap. "Independent sources have informed me you could use your little brother's company."

She shook her head, "Oh no I'm doing great."

He huffed and then slapped his hand on Juri's shoulder, "Right. Let's go get some coffee."

"You buying?"

"Of course." He stood up and riffled through his pockets and then glancing over his shoulder with a slight grimace asked, "Can I borrow a couple of bucks?"

Juri took in a deep breath; nodding her head and exhaled in something of relief as a long absent smile drifted over her face. It was a good thing that he decided to show up early; she needed his company.

They both exited the house after Juri fumbled for something decent to wear, deciding on a pair of jeans and the only clean shirt in her room, which happened to be a mysterious rainbow T-shirt she'd owned since high school. She never claimed knowledge of how it ended up in her wardrobe and she'd never confess exactly why she hadn't just thrown it out, or given it away. She had her reasons and somehow greeting the afternoon sun, hair pulled back in a sloppy ponytail, and Sorata at her side, she felt like she was seventeen again.

Sorata's car was a miserable little thing (an oddly un-luxurious rental sedan), barely clinging to life, but he insisted on driving. The two ended up at a drive-thru espresso café. Sorata ordered some blended concoction and Juri stuck to her usual, a large chai tea. After escaping the drive-thru the two headed for a park they had played in as children.

He pushed up the sleeves of his jacket as he sat at the small stone picnic table, took a long sip from his blended drink and waited for his sister to start talking. It was always best, he found, to let her begin, prodding only got him icy glares and the only thing he wanted chilled was his coffee. Looking her over he tried to determine her mood, which could be anywhere from elated to miserable under that stoic mask she liked to hide behind. Sorata noted that she was probably at a cross of a million different emotions which he understood completely if what Dorothy had told him was correct.

Juri's eyes were focused on the playground in the distance, empty since summer was over and children in school. After a taking a few sips and one gulp from her tea she sighed, resting her head in her hands, elbows planted firmly on the table, and shut her eyes. Sorata prepared himself.

"How's school," she asked maternally.

"Perfect," he beamed.

"And Auntie Haruka?"

"Still smokes too much but the tea house is doing well and so is she."

"Good," she breathed. "And this 'hot' girl you're so excited about…tell me about her."

His smile reached ear to ear at the very mention of the subject. "She's perfect! Beautiful! Her name's Arashi. Her family owns a small temple and is renowned for their swordsmanship," he paused. Juri looked like she was asleep, but she popped an eye open encouraging him to continue, "She really wanted to be able to meet you, but since I decided to show up early she had to stay and help her sisters...er… well sister with things. You'd love her. You have like sensibilities."

"Oh," she sat up straight. "Explain."

He shook his head; "Just a bit overly serious is all…"

"Hmm… She sounds interesting. I hope I get to meet her."

"You will…because she's the one," Sorata said confidently.

Juri perked and eyebrow, "What do you mean… 'The one'?"

"The one I'm set on loving forever," he replied seriously. "She's perfect Juri and she loves me. She's the only one."

The fallen beauty was speechless but found something to say soon enough, "Don't you think you're a bit blindly optimistic about things?"

"No." He was very sincere. "She's it. I'm certain of it. I'm never wrong."

"Like you weren't wrong about the others?"

"I never said they were perfect. Nor do I recall ever saying they were the one. She's the one I have decided on. Nothing will ever change that." He was firm on the matter and then smiled. "Are you happy for me?"

It broke her heart in some places but she nodded, "I'm happy for you Sora… I just…"

He stretched his arms out with a yawn, a knowing expression on his face, mentally urging her to continue, happy when she did. As she spoke his concern dipped like a wave, high, then low, then high again. Such a turbulent sea his sister seemed to be in. He wondered if there was anything he could do to calm it, but there was really nothing. In the end he smiled broadly and chuckled.

"And these are the days of our lives," he said merrily. "How is it you always end up in the middle of drama?"

"I don't know. It's been fairly calm for a while now though."

"But you're still worrying about things you shouldn't."

"True."

He thought for a moment, "And Kanoe…isn't that? Isn't that the one who-"

She cut him off, "Yes, yes that would be the one." She deflated a bit and then caught the perplexed expression on her brother's face, "What?"

"Nothing… nothing… just uh…" he waved his hands defensively, "Don't worry about it."

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**Lately I find myself out gazing at stars
Hearing guitars like someone in love
Sometimes the things I do astound me
Mostly whenever you're around me**

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The rest of the afternoon the siblings prowled around town, stopping to eat at one of Sorata's favorite restaurants, touring the Ohtori campus and finally resting to have a drink at The Valerian. During this time Juri managed to find out more about the love of her brother's life and the girl's two sisters. She discovered the eldest, Suzuka, was like her younger sister, quiet and reserved with a pretense of offering advice when it seemed necessary. The middle sister, Faye, was the black sheep, loud and brash with no inclination of carrying on the family's traditions. He couldn't really say enough about Arashi though, the way she looked, how she spoke, the odd little looks she would cast his way when he was being overly playful. It was clear as day, he was lost in love and Juri just prayed everything would work out for him.

"How's your soda," Juri asked finishing up her lager.

"You just couldn't vouch for me could you," Sorata asked with faux irritation.

"Nope, consider it payback for high school."

"Oh C'mon," he tried not over act but the moment got the better of him as he threw up his hands in defeat. "I can't believe you still blame me for that."

"The one time Sora… the one single solitary time I was ever out past my curfew and you wouldn't let me in the house."

He chuckled, "But it was funny. Besides it was your own fault for forgetting your key."

Juri huffed, "Whatever… What time is it?"

He checked his watch, "'Bout six…gotta work?"

"No."

"Gotta date?"

"I wouldn't call it a date."

"What would you call it," he waggled his eyebrows.

"I'm not sure." She pushed out her chair and stood up. "Let's go. Duo and Cathy are dying to see you again."

"You're actually going to leave Cathy alone with me and Duo? Remember what happened the last time?"

"I'd like to forget that ever happened."

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**Lately I seem to walk as though I have wings
And to sing like someone in love**

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Duo released a low whistle as Juri walked out into the living room. Cathy's jaw was slightly agape and her brother, well her brother just grinned. Their reactions were certainly warranted as hardly anyone in the room could recall the last time they had seen Juri dressed so…well…feminine. Her thick auburn locks were upswept and held with pins, silky red blouse and black slacks hugging her every curve and shoes neatly polished.

"Explain," Sorata asked with a jovial smirk, "how this isn't a date?"

"It's not."

"Well at least let us know who the lucky girl is," Cathy pleaded, the curiosity killing her.

Juri shook her head., "I'm afraid you'll just have to suffer until I return."

And with that she took her leave.

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**Sometimes the things I do astound me
mostly whenever you're around me**

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It had taken exactly two weeks before Juri was free to respond to the cryptic request that had been left on her answering machine. During those two weeks she was strung between work, school, and Shiori. Work and school she could handle, Shiori had been another matter altogether. But the sea calmed and suddenly the stoic angel found herself no longer needed, although the same could not be said of Dorothy, which Juri found oddly amusing. The goddess could defend herself against the violet-eyed girl; she had no worries there.

After a session of phone tag few could rival Juri finally contacted Kanoe. A day was set and attire imposed. Dress, was the command and the auburn haired beauty new exactly what that meant. Formal wear, not necessarily a dress but something that a tie and jacket restaurant would allow without hesitation. A smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the first time she had ever been taken to a place like that, wealthy patrons, and a single page menu where every dish was over twenty dollars.

The restaurant was about an hour and half out of town in Juuban, which was the closet thing around to a big city. She arrived on time and handed the valet the keys to her lowly Toyota with a sad sigh. The young man who took the car just shrugged and went on his way. She was comfortable to an extent around high-class elegance, but the place in which she stood was above and beyond anything she'd ever experienced. The maitre d' picked up on her discomfort immediately as he stepped over with a wax smile.

"Can I help you with something?" The question was more of statement that screamed 'you really don't belong here do you'.

Juri noted the snobbery and slid into one of her more intimidating tones, "I'm meeting a friend. Reservations for Kanoe Ryuujin." She caught the slight bead of terror at Kanoe's name and continued, "I'd doubt she'd appreciate my being late."

"Of course," the maitre d' sputtered. "Please one moment while I locate your suite."

"Suite?"

"Ah yes…," he thumbed through a leather bound book the size of the complete Oxford Dictionary and looked up cautiously, "You seem to be the last of you party to arrive."

"How many are in the party?"

"Three total. Please follow Mr. McFile up to the suite."

He motioned to a tall young man by the elevator whose dark hair was covering one side of his face.

She bit back her concern and stepped over to the elevator.

"Ryuujin party," she stated.

He nodded and pressed the button for the elevator. It opened with a ding and the two stepped inside.

"Why a suite?"

"Hmm," he looked over at the panther curiously and then he realized what she meant, "First time here?"

"Yes."

"This restaurant is exclusive to a very select few. We offer private dining for clients and their guests, who may or may not want to be seen in public together. There are suites, halls, and then the main ball room reservations are not easy to come by thus making our clientele limited and usually very rich."

"How very analytical."

"Indeed."

The doors to the elevator opened and Juri followed the young man down an extravagant hallway that reminded her of a hotel she'd been in once. Stopping at suite number 5A the young man handed Juri a card key and left her to her own devices.

With a deep breath Juri swiped the card and entered the room.

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**Lately I seem to walk as though I have wings
Bump into things like someone in love**

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The "suite" was a divinely inspired room, reminding Juri of the romantic elegance of a vampire movie. Candles were everywhere, flickering about, and casting grand and strange shadows. The table was set for three, roses as a simple centerpiece, fine china and antique looking silverware, cloth napkins and sturdy oak chairs. Curiously empty she stalked closer to the table and waited. Perking and eyebrow when she heard a muffled gasp, followed by a low chuckle that was distinctly Kanoe coming from down a short hallway.

And she was compelled by curiosity to discover exactly what was going on. So she moved down the short hall unprepared for what greeted her.

To be continued…