Made For Each Other
~*~
Part VI
The wind rippled the black curtain of his hair across his face, causing it to get caught in his long eyelashes and yanking a low growl from the back of his throat. Annoyed, Luka pushed the silky strands away from his face and pulled a tie out of his pocket, yanking the offending hair out of the way for good.
Inhaling deeply, he filled his lungs with smoke and a wave of relief flooded over him; no one was going to get between him and his cigarettes. Especially not annoying little bitches like Hiryuu. Smiling smugly to himself, he meandered slowly on back to the house, taking his time and not caring that night was slowly falling and that the day's warmth was slowly fading.
Now that he was away from the house, he had let go of all his problems, all his worries. Hiryuu, Nell, Luel, and everything else got pushed to the back of his mind, where it was promptly forgotten. Out here, he wasn't a part of that life; he was merely a spectator, on the outside, looking in.
Taking one last drag, he dropped the smoke and ground the life out of it beneath one sharp-booted heel. Deciding rather regretfully to hurry a little more and reach his house before night fell completely, he carefully concealed the rest of the nicotine sticks in his overcoat; if Hiryuu found these, they would be gone before he could ever begin to cuss her out. Damn her! Just who did she think she was?! Showing up at his house one night, taking over his life, and trying to run it along with her own! He didn't even know who this girl really was!
His brow creased and a stormy light kindled in the golden depths of his eyes. If she ever tried to interfere with his life again, so help her God, because he would not hold back next time! The 21st century's greatest wizard had had enough. It was the last straw, the one that broke the camels back. The volcano was smoking and it would take only the tiniest spark to set it off.
~*~
Letting out a rather loud yawn and stretching like a cat, Hiryuu pulled herself off the couch and headed down the hall to her room just in time to run into the still simmering Luka. One glance that took in his brooding glare and creased forehead and she veered slightly to the side, making sure she stayed well out of his way.
Luka watched her out of the corner of his eye and sneered inwardly. "That's it, little girl. Learn your place!"
As soon as she disappeared into her room, he let the sneer take physical form on his lips and ducked into his own, tossing the cigarette package onto his bedside table. There was little chance the "Golden Dragon" would be coming into his room again, so he figured it was safe to leave them out.
There was another mystery that he had yet to figure out: what was all this gibberish about a golden dragon? He supposed it could be some sort of wizard or witch's title, but then, wouldn't he already know about it? Gold was supposed to signify a master level of accomplishment, but what did the dragon part mean?
Growling in frustration, he flicked the light off and flopped into bed, sleep claiming him almost instantly. As he slept, his dreams were plagued with images of gold color dragons in wedding dresses and packages of cigarettes and he tossed and turned fitfully.
~*~
"Well how about this one?"
"Too expensive, dear, pick another one."
A frustrated growl. "Mother! You've said that about almost every dress we've looked at so far! We're not getting anywhere!" Nell whirled around impatiently to face her unruffled mother and shot the older woman her best glare.
"I like this one," the third member of their party interjected, before things escalated into the third world war. "It's not too bad, is it Madame Batolli? And I could make up the extra if you have a certain price limit."
Nell's eyes sparkled as she ran over and her mother answered kindly, "Thank you Hiryuu, dear, but that won't be necessary. I think this one will do fine." The witch's eyes crinkled up in a smile as her daughter and the wizard fawned over the lacy white dress. "Find someone and try it on Nell."
As Nell ran off, Madame Batolli caught Hiryuu fingering the dress gingerly between thumb and forefinger, a wistful look in her violet eyes. Smiling again, she slipped an arm around the girl's slender shoulders. "You'll get to wear one someday, you know. Your time will come."
Hiryuu jumped slightly at the unexpected reassurance. "Well . . . that is . . . if I manage to find someone who will have me," she answered, her voice threaded with uncertainty. "Most men do not appreciate the fact that I am wizard. The only ones that truly understand are other wizards, and they get fed up with my power very quickly, you see." She turned away quickly to hide tha tears that were stinging the corners of her eyes.
The taller woman's eyes shone with sympathy that was quickly masked; the girl did not need a pity party! All she needed was a little . . . push in the right direction.
Smirking slightly Madame Batolli answered, "Well, you might not be looking hard enough. It seems to me that a perfect match is sitting right under your nose . . ."
But before the Golden Dragon could inquire as to what Nell's mother meant, Nell returned and soon all was forgotten as the dress was presented before them.
An hour or so later, the three women laughed and chatted as they finished their lunch underneath the warm sunshine. The dress needed a few more minor adjustments, and would be delivered to their house within the next few days.
Nell practically shone with joy and although Hiryuu was happy for her friend, Madame Batolli could see the lonely longing in her eyes whenever she looked at her love-struck daughter. Sighing inwardly, the older woman resolved to do whatever it took to see that Hiryuu and Luka got together. It was obvious that they were perfect for each other; they just didn't know it yet.
Catching the witch's unfocused stare, Hiryuu shot her a confused look and then jumped a little as a waiter lay the bill at her elbow. Paying the bill and ignoring the protests of the two others with her, Hiryuu stood up and grinned. "Ready to go?"
The entire way home, Nell chattered about Luka and Hiryuu found the words washing over her in a wave, not really sinking in. She let her mind wander guiltily and found that her thoughts turned to none other then the moody Luka. "I wonder what Luka's doing now," she thought, only to be interrupted by a hand waved rudely in front of her eyes.
"Hello! Earth to Hiryuu!" Nell called, retracting her hand.
"Huh, oh! Sorry Nell" Hiryuu smiled sheepishly. "You needed something?"
"Yes, I just wanted to let you know that if Luka proposes to you anytime within the near future, you can have a double wedding with me and Luel!" The eighteen-year-old smiled.
The wizard felt her cheeks heat up and she averted her eyes. "Uh . . ."
"Nell!" Madame Batolli exclaimed, kicking her loud-mouthed daughter in the shin. Ignoring the girl's cry of pain, she said hastily, "Don't worry about what Nell said, dear. You just forget all about it. I don't know what came over her!" A deadly glare was shot at the offending party.
Sullenly, Nell muttered something along the lines of, "I didn't mean anything by it, mother," and was silent for the rest of the walk home.
When they reached the house, Hiryuu disappeared into her room without saying much and locked the door behind her. Throwing herself onto her bed, she buried her face in her pillow and let loose the flood of tears she had fought to hold back all the way home.
Part VII
