Shardy's Fanfiction

Fortune||OrphenxCleao 101 Kiss Theme #2

2006-02-14T16:50:29Z

Thanks so much to Cynlee for giving me the information on the Four of Diamonds for fortune-telling. Helped me out bunches! ^_^

Title: Fortune
Series: Majutsushi Orphen
Pairing: Orphen x Cleao
Rating: PG
Genre: Introspective
Word Count: 550
Warnings: Mild language
Kiss Theme: 2/101 Four of diamonds
Summary: A strictly dialogue story when Orphen encounters a rather nosy fortune teller in the market.
Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. NEXT!

"Four of diamonds."

"What?"

"That's your fortune."

"I don't recall asking you to read my fortune, old man."

"No, you didn't. But I read it, anyway. You seem interesting enough."

"Isn't that thing kind of personal?"

"If you believe in it, it is. Do you?"

"Not really."

"Uh-huh. Who's the girl?"

"What girl?"

"Don't be dense, boy. The young lady with the blonde hair you were with."

"Oh, Cleao? Just a friend of mine."

"Do you like her?"

"What?"

"Do you like her?"

"She's just a friend. Nothing more."

"Really."

"What the hell are you getting at?"

"Have you kissed her yet?"

"What!? Cleao!? H-h-hell no!"

"You stuttered."

"Because that was a stupid question. Do we even look like we're together?"

"She seems quite fond of you."

"That's her business."

"What are you doing here? In the market, I mean."

"Shopping for supplies."

"Anything else? You seem agitated."

"I just don't like shopping, okay? Didn't you read that in my fortune?"

"I thought you weren't interested in your fortune."

"I'm not."

"I see. She's cute, isn't she?"

"..."

"Oh, my, what a dirty look. Protective, are we?"

"If you must know, Cleao's like a little sister to me."

"So, you would never kiss her."

"I'm leaving."

"It would be in your best interest to do so."

"...Excuse me?"

"You may see a sibling-like relationship, but she perceives differently."

"I told you that's her business, why should I care? And how the hell do you know all this, old man?"

"The cards tell me."

"Give me a break."

"Observing my subject is key, too."

"Observing?"

"You two have passed me about four times."

"Cleao tends to jerk me around."

"And you allow it?"

"Better than putting up with her whining."

"Do you enjoy being with her? Spending time with her?"

"I really don't care. As long as she's quiet."

"So, would you kiss her?"

"Why do we keep coming back to this?"

"Would you?"

"No."

"Not even just to experiment? For kicks?"

"No."

"Even if you fell in love with her?"

"Would never happen."

"How do you know?"

"I don't have to read tarot to know that."

"This isn't tarot."

"Then what the hell is it?"

"Just simple fortune telling on a standard deck of playing cards."

"And I suppose I had the Joker."

"No. Four of diamonds."

"Oooh. Even better."

"Wanna hear?"

"No."

"And you're not curious?"

"NO."

"Where did she go, anyway?"

"...Oh. She's in that shop over there. She didn't want me to come in with her."

"Is that a surprise?"

"Kinda. I'm the one with the money."

"Maybe she already paid for it and now it's ready."

"If she's been in my wallet with my knowing, I'll kill her."

"Now, now. Maybe the present is for you."

"Doubt it. My birthday was months ago."

"Born during midsummer?"

"...yeah...I was."

"Heh. No wonder you seemed interesting. Perhaps she's simply buying you a present just because."

"Trust me, buddy. She's not buying me anything."

"The cards say otherwise."

"How many times do I have to say that I don't believe in that bull?"

"Perhaps you should start."

"..."

"Orphen! Orphen, stop playing around with your poker buddy and let's go!"

"Well, whaddaya know? Her Highness has returned."

"May you have a good day, sir."

"Uh...yeah. Same to you. Later."

Four of Diamonds: You are to expect a loss through your own carelessness. You should concentrate more on things than you do. Jewelry or a gift will soon be received. You are much beloved by one of the opposite sex. There will be a conference or discussion that will be of great benefit to you. And there is something you must take care of. Do this as soon as possible.

http://www.jimclass.com/SeanceCardFortunes.html

-End-

My Hime||Chapter Five

2006-01-07T04:57:36Z

Yay! Finally! I got chapter five done! w00t!

Title: My Hime [Chapter Five: Intrigue and Oatmeal]
Series: Majutsushi Orphen
Pairing: Orphen x Cleao
Genre: Humor/Action-Adventure/AU
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Overall Rating: R
Warnings: Strong adult language. Mild violence.
Chapter Word Count: 3,617
Word Count Thus Far: 16,351
Summary: A certain dark sorcerer is forced to play bodyguard for Totokanta's 'princess'. And she has no qualms constantly making trouble for him! Can he get out of this nightmarish babysitting job quietly or will he end up strangling her himself?
Disclaimer: Most definately NOT mine. ^^;;
-Previous Chapters-
A Matter of Money
Lilia
Sorcerous Guardian
Tricks Up My Sleeve

Note: Chapters 1-4 are linked to the story on ff.net as they have been erased from my LJ.

***

Chapter Five

***

Four days into the job and already Orphen was debating whether or not this money was worth it. Whether it would be disguising herself as a guard of the estate or suddenly making her horse gallop in a random direction during a riding trip, Cleao’s little “tests” were driving Orphen frickin’ crazy! He knew she was doing it deliberately to make him bonkers, and as much as he would love to just let her go off, Daddy-darling would toss Orphen off without a dime to his name.

Somehow, Orphen suspected that Cleao and her father were in on this together. As if the old man’s death glares shot not-so-subtly in his distinct direction during dinner weren’t enough of a clue.

Perhaps once the week was up, his first payment might make this hapless situation not seem so…hapless.

Though, Orphen couldn’t help but admit that there was an upside to all of this. Not much of an upside, but still an upside.

This morning certainly proved to be promising. It was still a little early for breakfast, but Orphen’s stomach was a demanding little bastard first thing in the morning and therefore Orphen could not wait the extra hour. However, as he entered the kitchen, that same stomach did flip-flops once he spotted who else was there.

“What the hell you do want, you magician of doom and evil!?” the tiny man screamed upon Orphen’s entry. Another, much younger troll stood beside him, sighing softly to himself.

“Hi, Orphen,” he greeted far much quieter in a tone that was both polite and timid.

“I have enough going on without dealing with your crap, too, Volcan!” Orphen yelled back. “Now go do whatever it is you’re supposed to do and I won’t hurt you this time.”

“Why don’t you make me, pretty boy?” Volcan challenged, enraged simply by Orphen’s presence. His brother, Dortin, just looked on helplessly. One would think Volcan would be a little more respectful, considering he owed quite a sum of money to said “magician of doom and evil”.

Who just now stuffed him in the oven.

“What’s wrong?” someone suddenly inquired in a soft-spoken tone just as Orphen reached for one of the oven knobs that would roast Volcan alive. “I thought I heard shouting.”

Orphen quickly grabbed Volcan out of the oven, literally tossing the surprised troll to the side and slamming the door. “Oh, Mariabella, hi! Morning!” he greeted enthusiastically with a small wave, smiling so widely he could feel the muscles creak with in their protest. “How are you?”

The older Everlasting daughter giggled softly as Cleao’s guardian looked rather cute in a silly sort of way when he smiled like that. “I’m doing well, Mr. Orphen,” she answered shyly. “Yourself?”

“Heh heh…couldn’t be better.”

It was downright embarrassing, really. Mariabella, of all people, having to walk in when Orphen was violently abusing a poor, defenseless troll. Not that Orphen sympathized with Volcan in any way, but he much doubted Mariabella viewed the troll in the same light the sorcerer did. Mariabella was about as flaky as she was pretty. At least as far as Orphen could tell, anyway.

Which was a good thing. Granted, a woman with brains was something to be admired but also scared Orphen out of his mind. Living with Azalie all of his life was to blame for that. And Cleao, who was even more terrifying…except Orphen couldn’t tell if she was smart or just insane.

Okay, so he did wish that Mariabella had a little more to her than a pretty face. But at least she was quiet.

“So, what are you here for?” Orphen inquired, pulling the question from the top of his head really, mainly relieved that the conniving little trolls decided to make themselves scarce.

“Well, I heard some shouting on my way to the dining room,” Mariabella explained, her voice even softer than before. “I was hoping nothing had been going wrong.” She peered up at Orphen, blue eyes shining through her long lashes. “Is everything okay, Mr. Orphen?”

“Er…yeah, everything’s great,” he answered, feeling his heart skip a beat and his face growing hot. “Just getting some breakfast.”

Mariabella blinked in surprise. “But breakfast will be served in less than an hour.”

“Yeah,” Orphen replied with a shrug as he opened the cooler to search the various contents of food stored within, “but I can’t wait that long.”

“I see.”

He glanced over at her, but she just simply smiled back at him. But it was a gentle, cute smile. Not a smile that usually made zapping sensations of an agitated kind shoot up his spine. In spite of himself, Orphen felt more and more relaxed. At least with this girl, he didn’t have to struggle while clinging onto the final tearing threads of his sanity.

“Where’s Cleao?” Mariabella glanced around the kitchen, expecting her little sister to pop up at any moment.

“Probably still asleep,” Orphen grumbled, taking out a can and rummaging for the opener. “Geez, I think she can operate in the confinements of her own house without my help.”

Mariabella giggled. “You’d be surprised.”

No, actually he wouldn’t. Especially considering the events of the other night when Cleao tried to escape via underground, but he wasn’t going to get into that. No doubt Mariabella would want all the juicy details and Orphen didn’t feel like talking much.

A few moments later, Orphen sat at the small kitchen table with his early breakfast of oatmeal. Mariabella sat down across from him, apparently perfectly content with just sitting there and watching him eat instead of fixing something for herself. “Why are you up so early, anyway?” he inquired.

“I’m usually always up around this time,” she explained with a smile. “I’m not much of a sleeper. Unlike Cleao. I figured she was still asleep so I was a little surprised to find you down here. You normally aren’t up at this time, either, so I guess it’s only natural for me to direct your question back to you.”

Staring at her in surprise, Orphen paused in mid-chew. He took it back. Apparently, Mariabella was more observant than she was letting on.

“I…couldn’t sleep well last night,” he replied once he recovered from his latest discovery that the Everlasting daughters were obviously more in depth than he realized. It was true. Because their rooms were joined, Cleao thought it would be a wonderful idea to practice her dot code: the result was waking up at three in the morning to a series of tapping on his wall that was so out of rhythm Orphen wanted to rip his ears off. Or blast away the wall that separated their rooms into nonexistence.

The only problem with the latter option was that particular wall kept Orphen and Cleao separate and he wanted to keep his distance from her as much as he could get away with. Especially at night. Lord only knew what she would do to him in his sleep.

He shivered invisibly. Ugh. Not something to think about. Especially not during breakfast.

“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Mariabella sympathized. “I know how annoying having a room next to Cleao’s can be sometimes.”

Orphen blinked at her. “But…you sleep at the other end of the hall.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

If only he could be blessed with such an option.

“But…” Mariabella paused for a moment and Orphen could’ve sworn he saw her cheeks reddening slightly. “Once you get used to her, she can actually be a lot of fun to be around. In spite of her annoyances.”

Fun? Chasing after a spoiled princess was not Orphen’s idea of fun. A tiny part of him teased that he could show Mariabella what “fun” really was. The thought came upon him so randomly that Orphen’s spoon was pushed a little too far into his mouth. It fell on the table with a clang as Orphen started choking.

“Mr. Orphen!” Mariabella exclaimed in surprise, running to his side and began patting his back forcefully. It wasn’t too long before his choking finally stopped and he took deep inhales to help his lungs work properly again. When he felt he was back to normal again, Orphen sat up and grinned a little sheepishly at her, scratching the back of his head.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Must’ve went down the wrong tube. Um…thanks.”

Mariabella took a step back and it was obvious now that her cheeks were indeed redder than what would be considered normal. “Are you all right now, Mr. Orphen?”

“Yeah…um, Mariabella?” Orphen felt his own face begin to heat up a bit again.

“Yes?”

“Please…don’t call me ‘mister’, okay? I am not a ‘mister’ in any way.”

She tilted her head. “Would you prefer ‘Sir Orphen’, instead?”

Orphen felt a nasty chill. That was even worse! “No,” he replied firmly. “Just ‘Orphen’, all right?”

“But I can’t address you informally!” Mariabella cried, seemingly shocked by the mere suggestion of such a thing. “We’re not familiar with each other, therefore we can’t be on a strictly first-name basis.”

“Why not?” Orphen demanded. “I’ve only been addressing you by first-name.” He would be damned if he had to start calling everyone here “Mr.” and “Miss”. Especially Cleao.

Mariabella just smiled, not saying a word, leaving Orphen with the feeling that he missed something obvious. “I’d better go wake Cleao up,” she announced as if the subject of name propriety never came up. While she spoke, a few servants entered the kitchen, glancing briefly at Orphen and Mariabella as they prepared for the morning’s meal. She departed with Orphen staring after her.

“You’re the new bodyguard, are you not?” one of the servants inquired which snapped Orphen out of space. He looked up at a plump, middle-aged woman who apparently must be one of the cooks.

“That’s right,” he answered, wondering what business was it of hers. And the fact that she was staring down at him like she was sizing him up and he wasn’t meeting her standards irked him even more.

“I’d be careful where I put my eyes if I were you, young man.”

Orphen’s face flushed violently but the cook had already returned to her duties without another word. Growling savagely, he pushed himself to his feet and stormed out of the kitchen, wanting nothing more than to wring the neck of the next person who had the misfortunate of crossing his path today. No fat old hag was going to tell him what he could look or not look at. As far as he was concerned about Mariabella, Orphen had every intention of looking and enjoying doing so, and that ancient bitch could shove it!

Proper addressing. Averting his eyes to maintain respect. Who the hell did these people think he was, some kind of backcountry redneck? God damn it, he was a sorcerer from the Tower of Fang, top student of the greatest magical university in the continent!

It was time to remind these rich bastards that it wasn’t just another member of the lower peasantry that they had hired into their service.

***

Cleao was beyond pissed off, and for those who understood her side of the situation could probably not blame her for being so. She downed her breakfast with the speed of a starving dog and was out of the dining room before anyone could ask anything of her. Set on her destination, she saw only forward after she marched out of her father’s study and through the front door. Several yards away from the house, she could see that Majic was trying to master some kind of spell. His teacher relaxed on a tree branch above him, reclined against the trunk with his hands folded behind his head.

“Hey, Cleao,” Majic greeted, taking a much needed break from his lesson which had been going on for the past hour.

Cleao ignored him, instead standing directly beneath his perch and focusing her gaze on Orphen. A long stretch of silence ensued as she was waiting for him to acknowledge her first and, while Orphen was well aware she was present even before Majic said something, he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction.

Majic seized the opportunity to sit on the ground and rest. Knowing these two, this little battle was going to take a while.

And it probably would have taken the entire afternoon, to be honest. However, Cleao was far too angry and thus had caused her patience to wear down next to nonexistent. Barely ninety seconds had passed before she exploded, “You get down here right now!”

Orphen gave a her a dismissive, sideways glance. “Maybe I don’t wanna,” he shot back.

“Damn you, I said get down here!”

“Make me.”

Majic couldn’t help but think that while Cleao was being a little unreasonable in barging over here like this without an explanation, his master wasn’t making matters any better. He predicted that things could only get worse from this point, and was proven right when Cleao scrambled up the tree as if to actually take Orphen up on his childish response.

Oh, this…this could not bode well.

“Cleao, what the hell!?” Orphen cried when he opened his eyes again and (due to the fact that the tree branch was only wide enough for one person) found the young Everlasting daughter practically on top of him. It was in his surprise that he wasn’t able to prevent Cleao from literally shoving him out of the tree. And because the branch was maybe only six feet above the ground, by the time his teleportation spell formed into a thought he had slammed into the grass, landing on his back. Stunned, Orphen just lay there, staring into a dizzying sky above him.

“Take it from me, Majic,” he mumbled when he finally got the sense enough to speak properly, “no money is worth this abuse.”

Majic decided it best not to get involved by replying that he had already thought that to begin with. So he only smiled and nodded.

Eventually, Orphen shook the stars away and sat up to see Cleao standing triumphantly over him. “Looks like I made you,” she announced with a super-sweet smile.

“Go to hell.”

“Oh, come on, Orphen, you don’t have to be so mean.”

He rolled his eyes, unable to believe what he was hearing. She pushed him out of tree, he almost broke his back as a result, and yet he was the one being mean? “What the hell do you want?” he asked in exasperation. Just give her whatever she wants and she’ll go away.

“Why weren’t you at breakfast this morning?” Cleao demanded, hands on her hips. If her tone wasn’t bad enough, Orphen could not take her glaring down at him like he was inferior. Majic began slowly scooting away. It was times like these that were best for one to make himself scarce.

“What’s it to you?” Orphen snapped, rising to his feet in spite of his spine’s outraged protests.

“I’m asking the questions!” Cleao shouted. “Now explain yourself!”

“I don’t have to explain a damn thing to you!” Orphen yelled. “I am just your guardian, not your frickin’ slave. Where I go and what I do is none of your damn business. I don’t have to be glued to your side twenty-four-seven, and trust me, I don’t want to be. I’m just here to keep you from running off only because I get paid a good amount of money for it, and that’s all!”

The blow came before he could even register she had moved. Majic cringed at the sound of open-palm meeting face. Too surprised to react, Orphen just gawked at Cleao, looking angrier than the young apprentice had ever seen him. In fact, the enraged sorcerer looked torn between wanting to nurse his wound and wanting to smack the daylights out of the little wretch in retaliation.

“Just remember who owns your ass,” Cleao snarled.

Orphen snorted. “You sure as hell don’t,” he spat nastily.

Instead of arguing, the sickening sweet smile returned to her face. “Really, Orphen? Are you sure about that?”

His eyes narrowed dangerously. Majic looked confused; where was she going with this?

Cleao reached into her pocket and unfolded a slip of paper both boys recognized to be the contract Orphen had signed upon being hired. “I thought you were way too fast reading this, so it’s no wonder that you missed the fine print,” she continued. She presented the paper to Orphen, making sure to point out a particular paragraph. Orphen snatched the contract away, bringing it closer to his face in order to see it better.

I hereby acknowledge Miss Cleao Everlasting to be the caretaker of my basic needs, food, clothing, shelter, etc. in return for my services as a guardian. Every aspect of my life she will be in charge of. I will answer to her and only to her, even if the master of the household himself should demand otherwise from me. With this signature, I announce Miss Cleao Everlasting to be my master until she either relieves me of my services or the end of my days, whichever comes first. In gratitude of everything that I could need provided by Miss Cleao Everlasting, so I vow to always watch over her and obey her wishes without protest.

And at the bottom, clear as the sun shining upon the sheet, was Orphen’s signature.

“Oh…oh, wow,” Majic breathed, having read the words over his master’s shoulder. This certainly changed everything now.

Cleao smirked. “I guess that’s what you get for not reading the fine print.” She ‘tsked’ with sardonic disappointment. “Silly, silly Orphen.”

At the moment, Orphen was breathing so hard the other two wouldn’t be surprised if he started foaming at the mouth. “This. Is. Bullshit,” he hissed, hands balled into fists so tightly it was as though he was struggling with every ounce of his being to keep from ripping Cleao apart. “Do you hear me? This is fucking BULLSHIT!!”

Cleao still continued to smile at him as though everything was right and dandy with the world. “I figured you might like the idea.”

“What!? You bitch! You--!”

He was cut off neatly when Cleao placed her finger over his lips. “I think we both know that you have a job to do, correct? That is if you don’t want to be fired. And I’m sure your girlfriend wouldn’t like it if you were. What was her name again? Azalie?”

Orphen smacked her hand away with a vicious force that she didn’t seem to be phased by. “You leave Azalie out of this. And for your information, she’s not my girlfriend.”

Cleao shrugged indifferently. “Whatever. But she would be so disappointed if you were to be let go of this golden opportunity, am I right?”

“Shut up!”

“Am I right!”

Nothing.

Cleao smirked once more. “Thought so. But as long as you do as you’re told, I’m sure that won’t be a problem. Now, come, my strong and undefeatable guardian. I have lessons in ten minutes, and who knows what disasters might befall me during then?”

“One can only hope,” Orphen sneered, yet he followed her anyway. Majic lingered a few paces behind, seemingly forgotten and glad of it.

Something just wasn’t adding up to him. There was no way Orphen would sign his life away like that, and Majic was pretty sure his master had read that contract thoroughly. He was sure…but not completely confident about that now that he thought back on it. His master had been under a lot of pressure, with the future of Azalie’s guild riding on his shoulders and all. Could he have perhaps missed that little technicality?

Well, not much could be done about it now. And that wasn’t what was bothering Majic, really. What got to him was Cleao’s entire attitude. Majic wouldn’t have called her ‘nice’, exactly when he had first met her. But a few minutes ago…

If she was faking it all, why? Majic thought about discussing the subject with his master, then decided against it. It seemed the mere mentioning of Cleao’s name might send the young apprentice on a sudden excursion to the moon from his master’s wrath. So he decided it best just to play it by ear and see where it would lead them. Surely it couldn’t be anything too dangerous, right?

Meanwhile, Orphen stomped a few steps behind Cleao, her calm demeanor contrasting sharply with his thunderous aura. “Listen here,” he growled at her back. “You may have won this round, but once I find out what you’re up to and how you managed to pull that contract off, it’s over and I will make you pay. You got that, princess?”

Cleao looked coyly at him over her shoulder. “Considering the light of our new situation, I now have the pleasure of giving you my first official command: zip it.”

And despite his soft, throaty snarls, Orphen didn’t say another word.

***

I suppose it’s a good thing he’s so easy to manipulate. Daddy’s beginning to lose patience with him. I don’t blame Daddy, really. The hick doesn’t make that much of a bodyguard, does he?

Cleao paused in her nightly ritual of journal writing, trying to collect her thoughts together. Then her quill returned to the paper.

I’m partially to blame, I suppose. I let things go too far today. But he left me no choice. He’s so stubborn. What else was I supposed to do?

We’re running out of time.

Briefly, she glanced over at the bedroom door, but saw something else entirely.

Don’t worry, Lilia. I’m trying. Honestly, I am.

-End of Chapter Five-

x-posted to spoiled_rough, pepper_muse

A Fairy Tale||Orphen x Cleao 30 Kiss Theme #15

2006-01-05T07:43:04Z

Um...yeah, okay. Remind me to never listen to Mai-Hime while writing. Because this little drabble...is frickin' twisted.

But ever deliciously so! XD

Title: A Fairy Tale
Author: Alchephiliac (aka: Shardy)
Series: Sorcerous Stabber (Majutsushi) Orphen
Pairing: Orphen x Cleao
Rating: R
Genre: Tragedy
Word Count: 262
Warnings: Character death, disturbing themes
Kiss Theme: #15 Perfect Blue
Summary: The story of the sorcerer and his maiden. If only that's all it is.
Disclaimer: You wouldn't want to know what I would do to Orphen if I had created the series. That's why God gave it to Yoshinobu Akita instead.

***

Long, long time ago in a far away country, there lived a sorcerer. He was said to be the best sorcerer the continent had ever known. And while it was true that he was hardly selfless, gentle, or kind, he was honorable and gifted with his magic. He had two companions that traveled with him wherever he went: a young boy that was his apprentice, and a girl whose relationship to the sorcerer remained unknown. Some say the sorcerer and the maiden were lovers…but that wouldn’t explain the consistent, and rather violent, fighting between them. Some say they were enemies…but that didn’t explain why they were traveling together.

Some say that it wasn’t her fault.

And some say that she was the sole cause of his fate.

It so happened that the girl had been kidnapped by a terrible monster. Typical damsel-in-distress situation? Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is still in debate whether the monster had used her as bait to lure the sorcerer there…or if she had lured him there herself. Whatever truly happened could only be guessed at. The only sure thing is that a battle had ensued for her freedom. Legend says that the battle had taken place in the sky and had been so terrible, both monster and sorcerer were destroyed.

Again, the girl’s role in the tragedy is questionable as both sides of the debate say that her perfect blue eyes shed not a tear as she kissed a crimson droplet she had caught on her finger from the sorcerer’s blood as it rained from the sky.

-End-

x-posted to 30_kisses, spoiled_rough, tower_of_fang, pepper_muse

Spellbound||Orphen x Cleao||30 Kiss Theme #14

2006-01-03T03:19:34Z

Title: Spellbound
Series: Majutsushi Orphen
Pairing: Orphen x Cleao
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff/AU
Word Count: 388
Warnings: Mild sexuality
Kiss Theme: #14 Radio-Cassette Player
Summary: Another AU set in present day in which Orphen is a popular rock star and Cleao is a schoolgirl/secret fan. Companion to Dirty.

***

Listening to his songs was one of Cleao’s favorite pastimes, but in order for no one else to find out about her secret crush on the incredibly popular (even if trashy) rock star who named himself “Orphen”, it was on a rare occasion that she got to engage in her clandestine activity. Cleao came from a high-class society so prestigious that if they could make listening to the kind of music genre Orphen sang illegal, they would. Cleao supposed that Orphen’s popularity with the lower classes (who practically made a cult for him) that prevented such a law from passing.

Cleao didn’t understand why her kind of people were so hard on Orphen. Did they not realize that he was more than just a singer head-banging and suggestively pelvic-thrusting on a stage while his fingers worked magic upon his bass? Orphen was actually a well-educated individual, having received a scholarship to one of the country’s most elite universities when he was only fifteen-years-old. For some reason, he never accepted.

She didn’t care as she swayed to the music in the sanctuary of her attic as it poured from the old cassette player. She couldn’t buy any of his albums, so the only music she had of Orphen’s of what she managed to record from the radio upon a blank cassette tape. She couldn’t even afford to download the songs to her computer lest her mother or older sister discover her secret. And blaring the music as loud as she wanted to was out of the question. For as high up as the attic was, the music would still be heard throughout the house.

Her eyes were closed as she danced about the attic, and, in her mind’s eye, Orphen was her partner. Singing to her. His voice was so powerful. Critics in favor of him said that his voice alone made magic, casting spells over his audience. A sorcerer of the music industry.

She already knew that. They didn’t have to tell her something so obvious. He already had her spellbound. She dreamt about him every night. There he would sing to her. Kiss her. Make love to her. It stupid to dream like that, as it would never happen in real life.

Oh, well. At least in her dreams, every note he sang was for her.

-End-

x-posted to 30_kisses, tower_of_fang

Art of Stargazing||Orphen x Cleao 101 Kiss Theme #001

2006-01-02T06:09:29Z

Title: Art of Stargazing
Series: Sorcerous Stabber (Majutsushi) Orphen
Author: Shardy
Pairing: Orphen x Cleao Everlasting
Rating: PG
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 1,037
Warnings: Adult language
Kiss Theme: #01 Starlight
Summary: There’s only one way to truly appreciate the night sky.
Disclaimer: Orphen belongs to Yoshinobu Akita. I'm just an obsessed fangirl writing this for fun.

***

“What are you staring at so intently?”

“The sky.”

Well, he kinda figured out that much. What Orphen was asking if there was anything in the sky Cleao was looking at specifically. Not that he really actually gave a damn, but she had been standing there with her head craned upward for the past ten minutes. Though perhaps there was a twinge of curiosity as he left his place by the fire to join her ten feet away.

“Oookay,” Orphen drawled for a moment. “Let’s try this again. What exactly in the sky are you staring at?”

Cleao glanced away from her stargazing to glare at Orphen like he was an idiot. “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of stargazing before,” she teased, trying to keep her lips from turning upward in a smile.

“Stargazing, eh?” He snorted, causing any intention of Cleao grinning to vanish completely. “I’m sorry,” he continued in a snappish tone, “I thought stargazing was done lying down. Unless you really want a kink in your neck.”

This time, Cleao didn’t bother hiding her smile at all, and Orphen felt a chill run down his back. Uh oh…what did he just say?

“Lying down, you say?”

Oh, great. Leave it to her to twist his words into something sick.

Without waiting for him to come up with some kind of defense, Cleao lowered herself to the ground until she was lying flat on her back, spreading her body out comfortably over the grass. “Wha-what are you doing!?” Orphen choked.

“I’m just laying down if that’s okay with you, Oh-Magical-One,” Cleao replied nonchalantly. “No need to get all jumpy.”

Orphen snorted again, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance. “I was not getting jumpy.”

Instead of answering to that claim, Cleao sighed deeply, stretching her arms out. “You’re right,” she whispered. “It is much better from this angle.” She turned her head to peer up at him. “Wanna join me?”

“Not really.”

“Oh, come on, Orphen!” she persisted. “Stop being such a sour stiff all the time.” Not waiting for his protests, Cleao quickly sat up, grabbed Orphen’s arm and tugged him down onto the grass. He landed on his rump next to her with a soft “Oof!” erupting from his lungs upon impact. However, Cleao wasn’t done with him yet as she pushed him onto his back by his shoulders.

“Isn’t that better?” she inquired, grinning down at him.

“Shut up and get off me,” he spat.

Cleao turned her nose up indignantly. “You’re so rude, you know that?”

Orphen just rolled his eyes, and then turned his glare to the stars above. What the hell did he care what she thought about him? If she refused to appreciate true greatness when she saw it, well that was her problem, not his.

It was nice, though. Lying here in the soft grass, gazing up at the sprawling galaxy high above them, the world seemingly at peace, everything quiet…

Speaking of quiet, Orphen realized its distinct presence and glanced over at Cleao. She was still lying next to him, staring up at the sky as if he wasn’t there. He thought she was a little too close to him for comfort as he could feel the warmth radiating off of her. Orphen cringed, suddenly feeling very, very awkward. There was a rare silence between the two of them and it was making him utterly uncomfortable.

“Something wrong, Orphen?”

Orphen jumped slightly, realizing that he had been staring at her. He felt his face begin to burn and was glad it was too dark for Cleao to pick up on it.

Dammit, I knew coming over here was a bad idea! Why does she always manage to drag me into these screwy situations?

“Nothing’s wrong,” he snapped. “Just shut up and watch the stars, okay?”

Angry now at his attitude especially when she had done nothing to instigate it this time, Cleao sat up. “Maybe I don’t want to!” she exclaimed.

Fed up, Orphen rose to a sitting position as well. “You know, I don’t have to put up with this bullshit. I’m leaving.”

“No! I was leaving first!”

“Not before I leave!”

“I’m the one leaving!”

“No, I am!”

In the midst of their latest argument, both Orphen and Cleao seemed to forget their close proximity to one another. As a result, when they stood up quickly at the same time, Cleao’s head conked Orphen in the lower jaw.

Bonk!

And they both collapsed back onto the ground in a heap due to the sharp blow. A few minutes later when Cleao managed to recover, the top of her head was throbbing unbearably. Trying to shove the pulsating pain to the back of her mind, she discovered that she was sprawled on top of Orphen, their faces provocatively close. Orphen still seemed to be too dazed to be aware of anything going on around him.

You’re the type of girl who likes to make her own fairy tale. Why don’t you kiss your enchanting prince?

Cleao felt her heart begin to pound faster than normal cardiac pace. Heavier, too, as though her ribcage would not be able to hold the thundering muscle in for much longer. It really was her chance? Plant a nice one while Orphen was still out of it. Her fairy-tale dream really would come true. After all, all she had ever wanted was one kiss from Orphen. Just one kiss…

“Um…Cleao…?”

Her head may have dipped only a centimeter or two, and then Cleao quickly rolled back to her original spot on the grass. Orphen sat back up, staring at her. Did she just…? Was she…?

No. No way. I must’ve just imagined it.

Cleao refused to look back at him even as Orphen stood and went back to the fire. She just remained lying achingly still, gaze fixated on the night sky. Only she could barely see the cosmic display thanks to the veil of unshed tears that horridly blurred her vision.

It wasn’t that she didn’t miss her chance or anything. She just didn’t want one kiss from Orphen.

She wanted many. As countless as the blanket of stars that encompassed the world in its embrace.

-End-