Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ kira.kira ❯ chapter four ( Chapter 4 )

.∙-*| kira kira : a Japanese onomatopoeia used to describe the twinkling of the stars |*-∙.

Thanks to: Lucifer, Makoto Kudou, and Exileian for reviewing the last (mini) chapter. ^^;; Any bit of encouragement seems to help my muse as of late…

A/N: At this point in the fic, Naoe is Nagi's character in the kabuki play. More notes at bottom.

Warnings/Disclaimer: see prologue

-thoughts-

kira.kira

by Koyuki Aode

Chapter 4

The scent of maple leaves was stagnant in my lungs. Time held me captive in the moment with Crawford, binding me with my own insecurity.

"How old are you?" Crawford asked calmly, testing the patch of grass between us with the toe of his shoe. His eyes flickered between my face and the crushed blades. Now I was transparent; Crawford could see through Naoe and watch my true face. I wondered at what he saw.

The wind's invisible hand plucked at a twisted, dry leaf on a branch above us. When finally I released a small puff of air, the leaf crashed at the hem of my costume. "Fujihara Nagi desu," I said softly.

"What?" he asked, frowning in confusion.

I raised my tone. "If I am to tell you my age," I explained steadily, "I want to know who you are. I want to know what to call you, other than Crawford."

He blinked quickly as if to absorb my words, then opened his mouth to speak. "Crawford Bradley... Brad. You may continue to call me Crawford." His glasses flashed and a pleasurable chill tickled my skin.

"Doozo yoroshiku." [1] I nodded and gave a satisfied smile.

"Doozo yoroshiku." He nodded. "I am twenty-five," he added for incentive.

"I am fourteen," I said finally.

"Fourteen?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

One side of my mouth twisted upward. "Almost."

"Almost?"

"... In two months," I sheepishly admitted, tapping my fan against my thigh and watching the graceful shadows of the trees.

He gave a soft "Hm," a chuckle and confirmation. "And you concern yourself with your father's affairs?"

"My father's life," I corrected, still refusing to look at him.

"What makes you think I will kill him?"

"You have that weapon, and you work for that businessman. And my father has no chance of gathering the money he needs. He refuses to get help."

"No one else in your family knows?"

"He will not tell them," I said mournfully. In the midst of feeling sorry, a realization hit me. "... Why does any of this matter to you?"

"We are both actors," said Crawford, "I may work for Takaguchi, but his thoughts aren't mine. I act independently, no matter the situation." He paused and worked to catch my gaze again. When he succeeded, he added, "I apologize for calling you stupid earlier." I blinked confusedly at this, but he nodded. "You are intelligent for your age, and I admire your conviction."

If we had not been alone, I would have been convinced that these comments did not address me.

Before I could react, his fingers grazed my ear, tucking some of my wayward hair back. Several leaves fell between us.

The scene reminded me suddenly of several plays; a romance blossoming between two clumsy lovers (without the wistful music of course, and in the wrong season). I blushed at the thought and raised my sleeve to my mouth to stifle a smile. My gaze fell to the grass as I pondered how shocking the entire situation was, how silly I was acting in the face of such power.

"Is this what you're really like," Crawford wondered aloud, "Or are you playing someone else?"

"You claim to have an eye for such things," I murmured into my sleeve.

What happened next was the most frightening and wonderful experience of my life.

Crawford's cologne overpowered me, and I felt my back pushed into a tree trunk as his palms slipped over my wrists. Without warning, I found his nose bumping into mine. There was the slightest contact between our lips.

Our eyes met through his glasses. They were a captivating, cloudless navy blue, as inviting to my attention as the evening sky. And they seemed to say, where I saw a twinkle: I want you to be mine.

All at once, I was breathless and wildly drinking air. And I enjoyed it. I held to him as if I'd fallen and he'd caught me again; what lingered in my fingers was a fear of his departure. My senses wanted to continue smelling him, knowing him and feeling him.

But my mind became active again, and my body sprang into delayed reaction.

The tree shook with a sudden gust as I pulled away, provoking a rain of leaves that would veil my escape. His fingers reached for me through the thick, fragile wall between us, but I ran as quickly as I could, lifting my costume and skittering away in the most unladylike manner I could muster.

But you are not a lady, Common Sense whispered to me. And he is much older.

-You cannot belong to him.-

The road suddenly became blurry, and my legs lost all will to move. My ribs ached as I gasped against my obi [2]. I let my costume fall back into place and stretched out the burning muscles of my hand. Instinctively, I searched my sleeves for a handkerchief hidden somewhere, in hopes of cleaning my stained face before I reached home.

I did not find it. Instead, two angry sets of footsteps rushed up to me. "What the hell are you doing?" Haruki asked me, grabbing my wrist and half-dragging me in some direction.

I was so distraught that I found I had trouble stopping my tears. "I... I got lost..." was the best I could say.

"You idiot!" Haruki yelled. He raised his arm and brought his palm against my cheek with such a force that I next found myself facing the ground. The sound belatedly reached my ears, and I stayed there, supporting my weight on my palms and knees, watching the ground erupt with stains.

"Haru," Natsumare warned, "Not so hard. 'Tousan will know..."

"Who cares?" Haruki muttered, looming over me. "Do you have any idea how much effort 'Tousan has put into finding you?"

"I'm s-sorry..."

"I'm so sick of hearing that!" I watched the ground with anticipation as Haruki's shadow reached for my hair.

A larger shadow appeared and blocked him. I looked up to see the pale suit wedged between us. "Is that any way to treat your brother?" said Crawford coolly.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsumare challenged, his tone set with an equal calm.

"A member of the audience." Crawford thrust my fan at me behind his back. I took it quietly and lost it in the folds of my lap. "I imagine it must take quite a bit of acting on your parts to exude such grace on stage. I commend both of you for your efforts."

"You must not have an eye for kabuki." Natsumare's hands clenched into fists and he took one step forward. His eyes slipped down to me. I cowered behind Crawford. "I wonder if you were watching something else."

"O-hana," [2] Haruki muttered, remembering the bouquet from the previous day and looking slightly amused. "The flower sender." Crawford nodded.

In this instant, an idea sparked in my mind. I remembered Crawford's question about the flowers having arrived "in time," and wondered if there was any connection to him saving me now. Was it possible that he knew what would happen?

My chance to pursue the theory disappeared as 'Tousan yelled at my brothers from afar to return home. They hesitated as they complied, threatening me with their eyes in their departure.

Crawford turned and helped me to my feet, catching my fan before it fell to the ground. "This is typical then?" he whispered. I turned my face away as his fingers ghosted along my bruised cheek.

"No... Please... Do not worry about--"

"You need to tell your father," he said urgently, gripping my sleeve. "They almost--"

I let out a gasp of surprise as my father's arm hooked around my waist and pulled me back. "Stay away from him!" My mouth opened to protest, but I had nothing to say that sounded logical. 'Tousan's face, his real face, peered at mine. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said shakily.

"You do not look fine," he said with growing anger. He turned to Crawford. "Why must you harass him? I have two days left!"

"'Tousan," I whined, tugging convincingly on his sweatshirt, "Can we please go home?"

My father kept his body as a barrier between us. "Why did you come here?" he challenged Crawford. "I've seen you in the audience. Why do you keep coming back?"

Crawford simply nodded, hefting his keys in his right hand. "Call it a whim," was his vague reply. From the way his face froze, I knew he was sharing a dangerous moment with my father.

They looked away from each other as the wind shifted, and Crawford turned on his heel. "Jaa," he gave a small wave. "I'll see you again." He disappeared into the street.

'Tousan stepped into my view. "Nagi-kun," he said carefully, "Why do look at him that way?"

"Wh-What do you mean?" I feigned confusion. I was unsure myself of what I felt when Crawford was with me. My father's expression made my doubts stronger, but I knew I could not deny the embodiment of my heart's dreams. I looked away.

"What did he do to you?" Somehow he knew. He knew something. I shook my head.

"...Nothing happened, 'Tousan."

His hand came upon my neck, gently pushing my chin up. "Your face betrays you."

My lips played with soundless words until I managed to whisper: "... He didn't hurt me..."

'Tousan's eyes went cold. "He is gaijin," he said with a growing bitterness, "And he is employed by Takaguchi. He does not respect you. Do you understand?"

"I understand," I murmured.

He sighed as he led me back to the theater. "I wish your brothers would watch you more closely."

I could not find the courage to say just how often they did.

[tbc]

[1] "douzo yoroshiku" = the equivalent of "how do you do" or "pleased to meet you"

[2] hana = flower(s); in this case, Haruki's mocking Crawford by adding the honorary prefix "o," as in "the all-important flowers" (o.O though it could be "go"... I dun remember quite well and my brain's fuzzy...)

A/N: Ugh I hate being sick. What's worse is my roommate got me sick, and I'm more sick than she ever was.... On the bright side, this fic is seriously eating me alive (moreso than the germs). And I don't think the Plato/Greek homosexuality we're covering in Lit class is helping me get away from the C+N muse. ¬.¬ Plato's good love material, just... not conducive to studying. ^-^;

I didn't really pick an age for Nagi until this chapter, so... yeah. X3 Sorry of this was all just bad stinky cheese to you. I kinda liked it. XP Oh, and I don't think the warnings will be changing for this fic anytime soon. (I'll say the word "sequel" and we can pretend we didn't hear it. X3) Bah, I've got the next chapter of PYG *sooooo close* to being finished, but k.k is a spoiled brat.... XP Oh well.