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Description
"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 1: Sibling Rivalry

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   "Dear Journal, it’s been a few weeks since Elianaron and I returned to Starshine Town, and still, he’s shamelessly throwing himself at Camillia.  That first morning he made breakfast for her, well, all of us, but I could see it in his eyes and the sort of casual glare he gave me; this was one battle between us that he was bound and determined to win.  He knew I liked Camillia, and possibly it was a deep enough romance for me to woo her into returning her love.  Whatever it took, he would have Camillia, whether I liked it or not."

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   After living with Camilla for a few weeks, Aranelion and Elianaron began to settle into their new lives in Starshine Town.  To get them started, Camillia helped them find a new apartment in the same building as hers, albeit a few floors lower than her, it was just the same as living across the street for them; perfect for Elianaron, and sheer torture for Aranelion.

   Elianaron was almost trying too hard it seemed, to win over Camillia’s heart.  He made a point to have breakfast with her every morning when Aranelion often slept in because of his sometimes late hours at Kawai’s that he put in playing the piano.  Elianaron always made sure to put an emphasis on Aranelion could see; if he was around, Elianaron turned up the flirting even more.

   If he and Camillia were watching television together, and Aranelion were to walk into the room, he would immediately cuddle close to Camillia, putting his arm around her as Aranelion walked by.  He’d hold her hand everywhere they went, and as far as Aranelion could see, Camillia was buying it.  She’d always smile at him, and he could always make her laugh, and even more, he was the perfect match for her party-girl personality.

   As time went by, Elianaron quickly made friends with other musicians in Starshine Town, whom he would frequently get together with to play rock music, playing the bass guitar as always.  They were the center of every great party in Starshine Town, and Camillia, as socially active and fun-loving as she was, couldn’t resist going to a great party; rocking and dancing into all hours of the night, it appeared that she and Elianaron were literally a perfect match.

   At least, that is what Aranelion thought, and maybe others that watched the two go by.  While his brother took up a job working in a local music supply store with his band buddies, Aranelion took up a more, quiet life, showing how different these identical twins were.  He got a job playing piano for a local night club called Kawai’s, and while playing piano was something he loved, it was a job that kept him out late at night, and had him sleeping until late morning everyday.

   He could play any song you threw at him, and while Elianaron and Camillia partied the nights away, Aranelion was becoming a local celebrity himself as he entertained the people of the city.  He was living one of his dreams, and was having a fun time doing it, and this allowed for him to put his romantic thoughts of Camillia out of his mind.

   Of course, this doesn’t mean he didn’t think about her.  In his heart, he still loved her, and still longed to be with her.  In the mean time, he would do his best to be her friend, supporting her in everything she did.  He would make sure she had a fresh cappuccino in the morning, and that the flowers on her dining room table were always fresh; he even brought her a bouquet of roses when she won a local beauty pageant in those first weeks, and made sure when there was a string of cold nights that she was warm and comfortable.  It didn’t seem like much to him, but he was just trying his best to look after her, even while Elianaron guarded her heart like mad.

   The peak of the confrontation came down a few weeks after they had moved into their new apartment.  That evening, while Camillia was at a photo shoot, Aranelion and Elianaron, who once had to rely solely on each other for companionship, now found each other sitting together in their apartment with hardly a word to say between them.  Elianaron was tuning his bass guitar, while Aranelion sat at the table, working on lyrics for his latest song.

   Annoyed by the constant twang of bass notes, he lightly hit the table with his fist and said, “Ugh, Ell, please…can’t you tune that thing later tonight when I’m not here to be bothered by it?  It’s impossible to concentrate on anything with you tuning your stupid guitar.”

   Elianaron brushed the tip of his Mohawk clear from his face.  He chuckled softly and said, “Aww gee, Air, I have to do it now, because I have a gig I’m playing at later tonight.  Sorry but you’ll just have to put up with it or leave.”

   “Grr…you and all your excuses, I swear Elianaron, is there ever a night you aren’t partying to death?” Aranelion groaned.  “I’m surprised you’re even taking a break from it now, or that you even have a job…it’s almost as if being a party animal is your profession,” he added.

   Putting his guitar back on its stand, Elianaron stood up, laughed and said, “Well excuse me, I didn’t realize sitting at home all by myself every night was the more favorable choice.  At least Camillia and I know how to live.”

   Aranelion winced, closing his eyes and trying to hide his anger, knowing that his brother purposely brought Camillia into the conversation.  Keeping his cool, he looked down and scrawled out a few more words on the sheet of paper before him, before tucking the pencil behind his ear and sticking the paper into a folder filled with sheets of his song lyrics and other notes.  He stood up, taking the folder and the pencil from behind his ear, smiled at his brother and said, “For your information Ell, I have a job at the night club…notice the word ‘night’ in that phrase…I’m hardly alone every night.  I like to party and socialize…I just choose to do it in more…let’s say, a dignified and mature manner.”

   As Aranelion walked to grab his car keys, Elianaron scowled at his sarcasm.  Aranelion was the more knowledgeable of the two, and knew how to handle these arguments better than he did, and this time was no different.  He would answer Elianaron’s attacks logically, and then finish him off with his own shot of sarcasm; it was a battle Elianaron would never win as long he let Aranelion’s sophistication get to him.

   Seeing that Aranelion intended to go somewhere, he decided to concede defeat and start a new conversation.  “Hey, where are you off to Air?  You don’t have to be at Kawai’s until nine, right?”

   This was the moment Aranelion was waiting for.  Pausing as he put his hand on the doorknob, he grinned, fixing his hat so it fit better on his head as he looked back casually at Elianaron and said, “Oh, did I forget to mention that Camillia asked me if I would pick her up from her photo shoot?  She told me she would have asked you but she thought you’d be too busy getting ready for your gig or whatever.” Elianaron’s jaw dropped slightly, as he could see the glow of satisfaction beaming from Aranelion’s smile.

   Rolling his eyes and sitting back down, Elianaron growled softly, taking his bass guitar in his hands and said, “Whatever Air…just bring Camillia home and get back to your English toffee and sophisticate life and leave us alone alright?”  Before Aranelion could answer, Elianaron began to practice the base notes for a song he was going to perform, ending the conversation right then and there.

   Aranelion sighed in annoyance; as he opened the door he muttered, “Ell, I love you, but sometimes you just drive what little sanity I have left up a wall and into the floor.  Ugh…”  He paused, looking back at Elianaron once more and added, “English toffee?  What the hell?  Ugh.”

   Poor Aranelion and Elianaron; despite how closely knit these two brothers were, it seemed that their new lives gave them more of a reason to be so persistent in this feud over Camillia.  Since they didn’t have to rely solely on each other for friendships, unlike their fights in the past had done, it wasn’t easily dissolved.

   Getting into his car, again, that Camillia had bought him, as well as one for Elianaron, Aranelion drove across town to where Camillia’s photo shoot was wrapping up.  He walked into the building, only to see the last couple of shots Camillia was having done.  After a few minutes, the photographer announced he had gotten all he had needed, and that she could leave.  The pink cat picked her black boa and purse, only to look up to see Aranelion standing just inside the doorway waiting for her with a smile on his face.

   For whatever reason, Aranelion made Camillia happy in a way Elianaron could not.  She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but just hearing his name, seeing his smile, or hearing his voice was always enough to make her smile, and this time was no different.  A wide smile formed on her face as she ran up to him; to his surprise, she abruptly embraced him, hugging him tightly as she greeted him.

   “Hey Air!  It’s so great to see you!  Are you here to give me a ride home?” she asked.

   Slightly startled and puzzled by her question, Aranelion gently returned her hug and replied, “Yeah…didn’t you ask me if I would pick you up today?”

   Pulling back enough to look at him, Camillia smiled sweetly, laughed and then said, “Got you!  Of course I did silly!” As she let out a laugh, Aranelion smiled in return, chuckling softly in response.  He glanced down at his hand that held a soft drink he had bought for her on the way.  He held it up and said, “I had to fill up the gas tank on the way, so I got us both a drink on my way here.”

   “Aww Air, you’re a sweetheart!  I’m dying of thirst,” she started.  Taking the drink from Aranelion, she opened it and added, “I haven’t had a drink since we started shooting a few hours ago…this is perfect; how thoughtful of you to think to get one for me.”

   As she took a long swallow of her drink, Aranelion glanced at her; Camillia sure gave him a lot of admiration and praise for being Elianaron’s girlfriend.  He was sure had he been around, that this wouldn’t have taken place.  Was there something Camillia was trying to hide from him, from them both?

   Almost as if she was reading his thoughts, Camillia twisted the cap back on her drink, sticking it in her purse before asking, “You didn’t bring Elianaron with you did you?”

   Eyes widened slightly, Aranelion shook his head and replied, “No, he had to finish getting ready for a show he has tonight.  Before I left he was tuning his bass guitar and driving me crazy; it’s impossible to concentrate on writing lyrics with that racket going on.”

   He opened the door for Camillia and as she walked outside, she paused, looking to him with a laugh and said, “Oh tell me about it.  I can’t get a moment of peace after a photo shoot with him practicing some of his songs.  I don’t blame him for wanting to get practice in, but gosh, he could do it without the amp turned up full blast.”

   Camillia walked outside to Aranelion’s car.  He paused again, puzzled by this; from what she just said Elianaron’s persistent bass practice bothered them both the same way and was yet another thing they had in common with one another.  Needless to say he was enjoying this time with Camillia, and without Elianaron to hinder either of them, he was going to enjoy it freely.

   Brushing any confusion or concerns from his mind, a smile spread across his face.  He opened the door and ran after Camillia, who had already let herself in the passenger’s side seat.  As Aranelion eased into the driver’s seat, she smiled and said, “What kept you?”

   Grinning, he replied, “Nothing, just had to get my thoughts together is all…you should have waited and let me get your door for you.”

   He put his key into the ignition and started up the car; as Camillia buckled up, she looked at Aranelion silently, almost as if she was simply trying to study him.  Elianaron never offered to open her car door for her, nor was he ever as accommodating as Aranelion was by holding the door open for her.  Elianaron was a fun, party guy sure, but he also didn’t have the same, well, gentleman-like manners that Aranelion did, and she liked that about him.

   Coming out of her thoughts, she quieted down a bit, and laughed softly, almost whispering, “Oh, that’s okay…I’m used to getting my own doors anyway.”  She paused, for she could see Aranelion glancing at her when she said this before putting his eyes on the road and pulling into traffic.

   It was quiet for those first few moments; when he pulled up to a stoplight, he exhaled slowly and then said, “This show of his…Ell’s I mean, are you going to it tonight?”

   “I was,” Camillia started.  She looked to Aranelion and said, “But I figured that we could hang out together tonight…maybe, we could exchange song lyrics again and stuff like we did that one time.  I think I…I think I just need a break from the parties.  All that dancing and rock music can get boring night after night.”

   Aranelion glanced at her once more before the light ahead of him turned green and he pulled forward.  He replied, “That sounds good to me…but what will Ell have to say about it?”

   “Who cares about Elianaron?” Camillia exclaimed suddenly, “Why does he have to be a part of everything we do and everything we say?  Can’t we just forget about him for once?”

   Coming up to the next stop light, Aranelion pushed down the break too quickly, causing the car to jerk slightly before he let it pull to a smooth stop.  This sudden statement from Camillia had surprised him to say the least, especially when everywhere she and Elianaron went they were holding hands, laughing and talking with glee, only for Camillia to refute his mention in this way.

   As traffic moved along before them, Aranelion looked to her with concern, while Camillia lowered her eyes, staring at her hands as they rested in her lap, fingering the cap of her soft drink.  She glanced up at him and murmured, “Sorry…”

   Aranelion managed a grin, shaking his head and saying, “It’s okay, you just startled me is all; nothing to have to worry about.  Anyway, who cares what Elianaron has to say right?  You don’t have to party every night if you don’t want to, and that’s all there is to it, right?”

   Having answered his own question, Aranelion’s cheeks flushed red slightly as he realized this.  As traffic pulled forward again, Camillia watched him as she did before, becoming lost in this gaze and his face.  She didn’t understand it, but she knew that while Elianaron made her happy in some ways, Aranelion made her happy in others, and much more so than Elianaron ever could.  The more and more time she spent with Aranelion, the more she was able to realize how much she really cared about him, and this time was no different.

   Even so she was able to smile, blinking twice to come out of this trance; she giggled softly and said, “Of course…I don’t see how he can keep up with it every night.  There are some nights I just like to relax.”  She paused, glancing at Aranelion’s folder on the back seat and continued, “Did you say you were working on lyrics earlier?”

   Happy that the conversation was back on track, the flushing in Aranelion’s cheeks subsided, and with a smile he replied, “That’s right…but Elianaron and his bass guitar made those last few lines kinda difficult to get out.  I might still tweak them a bit before I put them to music.  I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

   Taking a sip of her drink and slowly twisting the cap back on, Camillia answered, “Well, do you think he might still be at the apartment when we get back?”

   “Actually, I think he was expecting us to be honest,” Aranelion started, “Last thing he told me was just to hurry up and bring you back and…and get back to my life so you two could get back to yours.”  He paused, wincing slightly as he said those last words, almost hesitantly, wondering whether it was actually appropriate to tell her that or not.

   Camillia let out a slight gasp, barely audible, before she looked to Aranelion and said, “Well, that wasn’t very nice of him now was it?  Hmm…he’s begging for trouble I’ll say that much.  I wonder…”

   Aranelion couldn’t believe what he was hearing; it was almost as if Camillia was looking for a reason to completely ditch Elianaron that night.  Still, as much as he loved Camillia, he couldn’t do that to his brother, so he immediately jumped to Elianaron’s defense.

   “Now hold on Camillia, he only said that after I had spit a fair amount of sarcasm his way…I deserved it,” he started.  He then thought, “Of course that English toffee remark was a little harsh,” before continuing, “Can’t you just tell him you don’t feel like going tonight?  If not he’ll think I just talked you out of it.”

   The pink cat let out a soft laugh as she looked at Aranelion.  She smiled and said, “Oh come on Air, you’re way too nice to him.  I know you two are close being twins and having only each other for companionship for so long and all, but if you want something you’ve got to fight for it right?  Even you should know that.”

   His cheeks flushing red again, Aranelion replied, “Who said I wanted anything out of him?  I just don’t want to start another fight with him.”

   “Ha!  You see?  You just proved that there’s something you want from him!  When you said you didn’t want to start another fight with him you just let me know that I’m right!  You can’t just back down to him this easily Air!  From what you’ve told me you’ve always been the leader; you can’t let things change just because he has a little more fire power with his reputation!” Camillia exclaimed.

   Poor Aranelion felt flustered, and hot, and so instead of responding to Camillia right away he rolled down the front two windows as they pulled up to the last stoplight on the trip home.  As he tapped the steering wheel repetitively, he looked to Camillia and said, “You’ve got it all wrong Camillia; there’s nothing I want out of Ell right now, and what I meant is I don’t want to start another unnecessary fight okay?  All you have to do is tell you don’t want to go to the party tonight and that will be the end of it.”

   Shot down by Aranelion’s response, Camillia crossed her arms, letting out a small, “Humph,” for she knew there was a feud between him and Elianaron, whether Aranelion would admit it or not.  She was slowly getting fed up with Elianaron and his unstable, party animal lifestyle.  While it was something she loved to do, it also wasn’t a major part of her life like it was his, and the more and more she learned of Aranelion’s more mature lifestyle, the more she was growing to like him better, even if this wasn’t the only reason for this.  She wasn’t going to let Aranelion back out of a fight so quickly, and she would help him through it.

   Still, if she didn’t know exactly what they were fighting over, she couldn’t help him much.  If she knew that the fight was actually over her, things would be much different, but, since she didn’t, it was sort of a game for her.  It would be a way to make Aranelion happy and play a joke on Elianaron at the same time, plus it would help her get closer to Aranelion.  Despite not knowing about the feud over her, she knew one thing; she knew that as long as Elianaron had staked his claim over her, there was no way Aranelion was going to feel comfortable getting close to her, whether it was over respecting his brother, or out of fear of him.

   As Aranelion pulled forward again, and the car picked speed, the tip of Camillia’s long ponytail started to flutter up in the wind that now rushed through the open windows.  As it whipped around in the breeze, it began to tangle and flick at her eyes.  Swatting at it with her hands and trying to pull it back from the wind, Aranelion could see the problem out of the corner of his eyes.  “Oops, sorry about that Camillia; I’ll roll your window up,” he said.

   Yet as he rolled the window up, it wasn’t enough time for Camillia to pull her hair free of the rising window, and many of the strands got stuck in the now closed window.  Letting out a slight squeak of a laugh she cried, “Aranelion!  Roll the window down, roll it down!  My hair is caught!  Oh help!”

   Aranelion looked over at her in shock at the situation; feeling even more flustered he did his best to hide his blushing as he quickly rolled Camillia’s window down, freeing her hair from the window, and rolling it back up when she had pulled it clear once more.  While he had to keep his eyes on the road he glanced over at her, letting out a slight chuckle and asked, “Are you, heh heh, are you okay?”

   Petting her now tangled hair, Camillia stuck out her lower lip and said, “Aranelion how dare you…you know I’m tender headed…and the last thing I need is knots in my hair or split ends, and all you can do is laugh at me.  You’re so mean.”

   “Aww gee Camillia, don’t be like that,” Aranelion started.  As he turned into the parking garage, he looked at Camillia with a grin on his face, only to see she wouldn’t crack out of this pout that easily.  Pulling his vehicle into a parking spot, he slowly shifted the car into park, and continued, “Besides, I can brush the knots out for you if you need me to, and I’ll be sure not to hurt your scalp.  Anyway, that little calamity could do nothing to spoil your beautiful hair, trust me.”

   As he turned the car off, Camillia looked to him, and he to her; as their eyes met, Camillia uncrossed her arms, and smiled, giggling softly and said, “Aww, how sweet of you Air.”  She paused, running her fingers through the ends of her hair and said, “I think I’ll be okay…it wasn’t that bad.  Hee hee.”

   Camillia fell silent, looking back up to him, sensing the nervousness and apprehension in Aranelion’s heart.  Her heart went out to him, admiring his sensitivity, kindness, and caring, as well as his politeness…and the fact that he treated her like a lady, as opposed to Elianaron, while he did love her, didn’t treat her the same as Aranelion did, which was with much less respect and concern.

   She exhaled deeply, unbuckling her seatbelt and said, “Well, I better get up there and tell Ell how things are gonna be; then, we can look at those new lyrics of yours.”  She gathered up her boa, purse, and drink, and then paused, turning around once more and kissing Aranelion quickly on the nose, letting out a giggle, and getting out of the car.

   Chills ran up and down Aranelion’s back after she quickly kissed him; despite some slight confusion at what was going on, he liked it, and he grinned before grabbing his folder from the back seat, getting out of the car and locking it up.  As he caught up to Camillia, she continued her thought from earlier.

   “I don’t think it’ll bother Elianaron much, besides, it’s not like we were invited to this party to begin with.  His band was just hired to play for it, so he was just gonna bring me along…why, I don’t know.  I guess he thought I’d enjoying watching him play the same roll of songs that he does every night,” Camillia explained.

   As the two walked to the elevator out of the parking garage, she glanced at Aranelion and said, “You know Air, you let Elianaron get away with too much I think.  I know he thinks that just because you don’t like to party as much as he does that it means you’re a boring person, but he’s wrong.  You’re…you’re better than he is.  You actually have a stable life and fun job, so there’s no sense in what he says.  Just, don’t let him get to you okay?”

   Aranelion felt a tingling sensation run up his spine again, but he felt better after what Camillia had said, and for whatever reason, felt brave enough to take Camillia’s free hand in his own.  She glanced down at it as they waited for the elevator, and the two exchanged glances and smiles.  They may have had nothing more than a strong friendship at that point, but it was a comforting one, and he was thankful for that.

   He wasn’t sure exactly how Camillia felt about him, nor was she aware of how deeply this rivalry between him and Elianaron went out of their love for her, but it was clear that no matter what these two would be friends for life, and there was still the promise for so much more they could be in the days to come right before them.

Description
"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 1: Sibling Rivalry

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   "Dear Journal, it’s been a few weeks since Elianaron and I returned to Starshine Town, and still, he’s shamelessly throwing himself at Camillia.  That first morning he made breakfast for her, well, all of us, but I could see it in his eyes and the sort of casual glare he gave me; this was one battle between us that he was bound and determined to win.  He knew I liked Camillia, and possibly it was a deep enough romance for me to woo her into returning her love.  Whatever it took, he would have Camillia, whether I liked it or not."

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   After living with Camilla for a few weeks, Aranelion and Elianaron began to settle into their new lives in Starshine Town.  To get them started, Camillia helped them find a new apartment in the same building as hers, albeit a few floors lower than her, it was just the same as living across the street for them; perfect for Elianaron, and sheer torture for Aranelion.

   Elianaron was almost trying too hard it seemed, to win over Camillia’s heart.  He made a point to have breakfast with her every morning when Aranelion often slept in because of his sometimes late hours at Kawai’s that he put in playing the piano.  Elianaron always made sure to put an emphasis on Aranelion could see; if he was around, Elianaron turned up the flirting even more.

   If he and Camillia were watching television together, and Aranelion were to walk into the room, he would immediately cuddle close to Camillia, putting his arm around her as Aranelion walked by.  He’d hold her hand everywhere they went, and as far as Aranelion could see, Camillia was buying it.  She’d always smile at him, and he could always make her laugh, and even more, he was the perfect match for her party-girl personality.

   As time went by, Elianaron quickly made friends with other musicians in Starshine Town, whom he would frequently get together with to play rock music, playing the bass guitar as always.  They were the center of every great party in Starshine Town, and Camillia, as socially active and fun-loving as she was, couldn’t resist going to a great party; rocking and dancing into all hours of the night, it appeared that she and Elianaron were literally a perfect match.

   At least, that is what Aranelion thought, and maybe others that watched the two go by.  While his brother took up a job working in a local music supply store with his band buddies, Aranelion took up a more, quiet life, showing how different these identical twins were.  He got a job playing piano for a local night club called Kawai’s, and while playing piano was something he loved, it was a job that kept him out late at night, and had him sleeping until late morning everyday.

   He could play any song you threw at him, and while Elianaron and Camillia partied the nights away, Aranelion was becoming a local celebrity himself as he entertained the people of the city.  He was living one of his dreams, and was having a fun time doing it, and this allowed for him to put his romantic thoughts of Camillia out of his mind.

   Of course, this doesn’t mean he didn’t think about her.  In his heart, he still loved her, and still longed to be with her.  In the mean time, he would do his best to be her friend, supporting her in everything she did.  He would make sure she had a fresh cappuccino in the morning, and that the flowers on her dining room table were always fresh; he even brought her a bouquet of roses when she won a local beauty pageant in those first weeks, and made sure when there was a string of cold nights that she was warm and comfortable.  It didn’t seem like much to him, but he was just trying his best to look after her, even while Elianaron guarded her heart like mad.

   The peak of the confrontation came down a few weeks after they had moved into their new apartment.  That evening, while Camillia was at a photo shoot, Aranelion and Elianaron, who once had to rely solely on each other for companionship, now found each other sitting together in their apartment with hardly a word to say between them.  Elianaron was tuning his bass guitar, while Aranelion sat at the table, working on lyrics for his latest song.

   Annoyed by the constant twang of bass notes, he lightly hit the table with his fist and said, “Ugh, Ell, please…can’t you tune that thing later tonight when I’m not here to be bothered by it?  It’s impossible to concentrate on anything with you tuning your stupid guitar.”

   Elianaron brushed the tip of his Mohawk clear from his face.  He chuckled softly and said, “Aww gee, Air, I have to do it now, because I have a gig I’m playing at later tonight.  Sorry but you’ll just have to put up with it or leave.”

   “Grr…you and all your excuses, I swear Elianaron, is there ever a night you aren’t partying to death?” Aranelion groaned.  “I’m surprised you’re even taking a break from it now, or that you even have a job…it’s almost as if being a party animal is your profession,” he added.

   Putting his guitar back on its stand, Elianaron stood up, laughed and said, “Well excuse me, I didn’t realize sitting at home all by myself every night was the more favorable choice.  At least Camillia and I know how to live.”

   Aranelion winced, closing his eyes and trying to hide his anger, knowing that his brother purposely brought Camillia into the conversation.  Keeping his cool, he looked down and scrawled out a few more words on the sheet of paper before him, before tucking the pencil behind his ear and sticking the paper into a folder filled with sheets of his song lyrics and other notes.  He stood up, taking the folder and the pencil from behind his ear, smiled at his brother and said, “For your information Ell, I have a job at the night club…notice the word ‘night’ in that phrase…I’m hardly alone every night.  I like to party and socialize…I just choose to do it in more…let’s say, a dignified and mature manner.”

   As Aranelion walked to grab his car keys, Elianaron scowled at his sarcasm.  Aranelion was the more knowledgeable of the two, and knew how to handle these arguments better than he did, and this time was no different.  He would answer Elianaron’s attacks logically, and then finish him off with his own shot of sarcasm; it was a battle Elianaron would never win as long he let Aranelion’s sophistication get to him.

   Seeing that Aranelion intended to go somewhere, he decided to concede defeat and start a new conversation.  “Hey, where are you off to Air?  You don’t have to be at Kawai’s until nine, right?”

   This was the moment Aranelion was waiting for.  Pausing as he put his hand on the doorknob, he grinned, fixing his hat so it fit better on his head as he looked back casually at Elianaron and said, “Oh, did I forget to mention that Camillia asked me if I would pick her up from her photo shoot?  She told me she would have asked you but she thought you’d be too busy getting ready for your gig or whatever.” Elianaron’s jaw dropped slightly, as he could see the glow of satisfaction beaming from Aranelion’s smile.

   Rolling his eyes and sitting back down, Elianaron growled softly, taking his bass guitar in his hands and said, “Whatever Air…just bring Camillia home and get back to your English toffee and sophisticate life and leave us alone alright?”  Before Aranelion could answer, Elianaron began to practice the base notes for a song he was going to perform, ending the conversation right then and there.

   Aranelion sighed in annoyance; as he opened the door he muttered, “Ell, I love you, but sometimes you just drive what little sanity I have left up a wall and into the floor.  Ugh…”  He paused, looking back at Elianaron once more and added, “English toffee?  What the hell?  Ugh.”

   Poor Aranelion and Elianaron; despite how closely knit these two brothers were, it seemed that their new lives gave them more of a reason to be so persistent in this feud over Camillia.  Since they didn’t have to rely solely on each other for friendships, unlike their fights in the past had done, it wasn’t easily dissolved.

   Getting into his car, again, that Camillia had bought him, as well as one for Elianaron, Aranelion drove across town to where Camillia’s photo shoot was wrapping up.  He walked into the building, only to see the last couple of shots Camillia was having done.  After a few minutes, the photographer announced he had gotten all he had needed, and that she could leave.  The pink cat picked her black boa and purse, only to look up to see Aranelion standing just inside the doorway waiting for her with a smile on his face.

   For whatever reason, Aranelion made Camillia happy in a way Elianaron could not.  She wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but just hearing his name, seeing his smile, or hearing his voice was always enough to make her smile, and this time was no different.  A wide smile formed on her face as she ran up to him; to his surprise, she abruptly embraced him, hugging him tightly as she greeted him.

   “Hey Air!  It’s so great to see you!  Are you here to give me a ride home?” she asked.

   Slightly startled and puzzled by her question, Aranelion gently returned her hug and replied, “Yeah…didn’t you ask me if I would pick you up today?”

   Pulling back enough to look at him, Camillia smiled sweetly, laughed and then said, “Got you!  Of course I did silly!” As she let out a laugh, Aranelion smiled in return, chuckling softly in response.  He glanced down at his hand that held a soft drink he had bought for her on the way.  He held it up and said, “I had to fill up the gas tank on the way, so I got us both a drink on my way here.”

   “Aww Air, you’re a sweetheart!  I’m dying of thirst,” she started.  Taking the drink from Aranelion, she opened it and added, “I haven’t had a drink since we started shooting a few hours ago…this is perfect; how thoughtful of you to think to get one for me.”

   As she took a long swallow of her drink, Aranelion glanced at her; Camillia sure gave him a lot of admiration and praise for being Elianaron’s girlfriend.  He was sure had he been around, that this wouldn’t have taken place.  Was there something Camillia was trying to hide from him, from them both?

   Almost as if she was reading his thoughts, Camillia twisted the cap back on her drink, sticking it in her purse before asking, “You didn’t bring Elianaron with you did you?”

   Eyes widened slightly, Aranelion shook his head and replied, “No, he had to finish getting ready for a show he has tonight.  Before I left he was tuning his bass guitar and driving me crazy; it’s impossible to concentrate on writing lyrics with that racket going on.”

   He opened the door for Camillia and as she walked outside, she paused, looking to him with a laugh and said, “Oh tell me about it.  I can’t get a moment of peace after a photo shoot with him practicing some of his songs.  I don’t blame him for wanting to get practice in, but gosh, he could do it without the amp turned up full blast.”

   Camillia walked outside to Aranelion’s car.  He paused again, puzzled by this; from what she just said Elianaron’s persistent bass practice bothered them both the same way and was yet another thing they had in common with one another.  Needless to say he was enjoying this time with Camillia, and without Elianaron to hinder either of them, he was going to enjoy it freely.

   Brushing any confusion or concerns from his mind, a smile spread across his face.  He opened the door and ran after Camillia, who had already let herself in the passenger’s side seat.  As Aranelion eased into the driver’s seat, she smiled and said, “What kept you?”

   Grinning, he replied, “Nothing, just had to get my thoughts together is all…you should have waited and let me get your door for you.”

   He put his key into the ignition and started up the car; as Camillia buckled up, she looked at Aranelion silently, almost as if she was simply trying to study him.  Elianaron never offered to open her car door for her, nor was he ever as accommodating as Aranelion was by holding the door open for her.  Elianaron was a fun, party guy sure, but he also didn’t have the same, well, gentleman-like manners that Aranelion did, and she liked that about him.

   Coming out of her thoughts, she quieted down a bit, and laughed softly, almost whispering, “Oh, that’s okay…I’m used to getting my own doors anyway.”  She paused, for she could see Aranelion glancing at her when she said this before putting his eyes on the road and pulling into traffic.

   It was quiet for those first few moments; when he pulled up to a stoplight, he exhaled slowly and then said, “This show of his…Ell’s I mean, are you going to it tonight?”

   “I was,” Camillia started.  She looked to Aranelion and said, “But I figured that we could hang out together tonight…maybe, we could exchange song lyrics again and stuff like we did that one time.  I think I…I think I just need a break from the parties.  All that dancing and rock music can get boring night after night.”

   Aranelion glanced at her once more before the light ahead of him turned green and he pulled forward.  He replied, “That sounds good to me…but what will Ell have to say about it?”

   “Who cares about Elianaron?” Camillia exclaimed suddenly, “Why does he have to be a part of everything we do and everything we say?  Can’t we just forget about him for once?”

   Coming up to the next stop light, Aranelion pushed down the break too quickly, causing the car to jerk slightly before he let it pull to a smooth stop.  This sudden statement from Camillia had surprised him to say the least, especially when everywhere she and Elianaron went they were holding hands, laughing and talking with glee, only for Camillia to refute his mention in this way.

   As traffic moved along before them, Aranelion looked to her with concern, while Camillia lowered her eyes, staring at her hands as they rested in her lap, fingering the cap of her soft drink.  She glanced up at him and murmured, “Sorry…”

   Aranelion managed a grin, shaking his head and saying, “It’s okay, you just startled me is all; nothing to have to worry about.  Anyway, who cares what Elianaron has to say right?  You don’t have to party every night if you don’t want to, and that’s all there is to it, right?”

   Having answered his own question, Aranelion’s cheeks flushed red slightly as he realized this.  As traffic pulled forward again, Camillia watched him as she did before, becoming lost in this gaze and his face.  She didn’t understand it, but she knew that while Elianaron made her happy in some ways, Aranelion made her happy in others, and much more so than Elianaron ever could.  The more and more time she spent with Aranelion, the more she was able to realize how much she really cared about him, and this time was no different.

   Even so she was able to smile, blinking twice to come out of this trance; she giggled softly and said, “Of course…I don’t see how he can keep up with it every night.  There are some nights I just like to relax.”  She paused, glancing at Aranelion’s folder on the back seat and continued, “Did you say you were working on lyrics earlier?”

   Happy that the conversation was back on track, the flushing in Aranelion’s cheeks subsided, and with a smile he replied, “That’s right…but Elianaron and his bass guitar made those last few lines kinda difficult to get out.  I might still tweak them a bit before I put them to music.  I couldn’t wait to get out of there.”

   Taking a sip of her drink and slowly twisting the cap back on, Camillia answered, “Well, do you think he might still be at the apartment when we get back?”

   “Actually, I think he was expecting us to be honest,” Aranelion started, “Last thing he told me was just to hurry up and bring you back and…and get back to my life so you two could get back to yours.”  He paused, wincing slightly as he said those last words, almost hesitantly, wondering whether it was actually appropriate to tell her that or not.

   Camillia let out a slight gasp, barely audible, before she looked to Aranelion and said, “Well, that wasn’t very nice of him now was it?  Hmm…he’s begging for trouble I’ll say that much.  I wonder…”

   Aranelion couldn’t believe what he was hearing; it was almost as if Camillia was looking for a reason to completely ditch Elianaron that night.  Still, as much as he loved Camillia, he couldn’t do that to his brother, so he immediately jumped to Elianaron’s defense.

   “Now hold on Camillia, he only said that after I had spit a fair amount of sarcasm his way…I deserved it,” he started.  He then thought, “Of course that English toffee remark was a little harsh,” before continuing, “Can’t you just tell him you don’t feel like going tonight?  If not he’ll think I just talked you out of it.”

   The pink cat let out a soft laugh as she looked at Aranelion.  She smiled and said, “Oh come on Air, you’re way too nice to him.  I know you two are close being twins and having only each other for companionship for so long and all, but if you want something you’ve got to fight for it right?  Even you should know that.”

   His cheeks flushing red again, Aranelion replied, “Who said I wanted anything out of him?  I just don’t want to start another fight with him.”

   “Ha!  You see?  You just proved that there’s something you want from him!  When you said you didn’t want to start another fight with him you just let me know that I’m right!  You can’t just back down to him this easily Air!  From what you’ve told me you’ve always been the leader; you can’t let things change just because he has a little more fire power with his reputation!” Camillia exclaimed.

   Poor Aranelion felt flustered, and hot, and so instead of responding to Camillia right away he rolled down the front two windows as they pulled up to the last stoplight on the trip home.  As he tapped the steering wheel repetitively, he looked to Camillia and said, “You’ve got it all wrong Camillia; there’s nothing I want out of Ell right now, and what I meant is I don’t want to start another unnecessary fight okay?  All you have to do is tell you don’t want to go to the party tonight and that will be the end of it.”

   Shot down by Aranelion’s response, Camillia crossed her arms, letting out a small, “Humph,” for she knew there was a feud between him and Elianaron, whether Aranelion would admit it or not.  She was slowly getting fed up with Elianaron and his unstable, party animal lifestyle.  While it was something she loved to do, it also wasn’t a major part of her life like it was his, and the more and more she learned of Aranelion’s more mature lifestyle, the more she was growing to like him better, even if this wasn’t the only reason for this.  She wasn’t going to let Aranelion back out of a fight so quickly, and she would help him through it.

   Still, if she didn’t know exactly what they were fighting over, she couldn’t help him much.  If she knew that the fight was actually over her, things would be much different, but, since she didn’t, it was sort of a game for her.  It would be a way to make Aranelion happy and play a joke on Elianaron at the same time, plus it would help her get closer to Aranelion.  Despite not knowing about the feud over her, she knew one thing; she knew that as long as Elianaron had staked his claim over her, there was no way Aranelion was going to feel comfortable getting close to her, whether it was over respecting his brother, or out of fear of him.

   As Aranelion pulled forward again, and the car picked speed, the tip of Camillia’s long ponytail started to flutter up in the wind that now rushed through the open windows.  As it whipped around in the breeze, it began to tangle and flick at her eyes.  Swatting at it with her hands and trying to pull it back from the wind, Aranelion could see the problem out of the corner of his eyes.  “Oops, sorry about that Camillia; I’ll roll your window up,” he said.

   Yet as he rolled the window up, it wasn’t enough time for Camillia to pull her hair free of the rising window, and many of the strands got stuck in the now closed window.  Letting out a slight squeak of a laugh she cried, “Aranelion!  Roll the window down, roll it down!  My hair is caught!  Oh help!”

   Aranelion looked over at her in shock at the situation; feeling even more flustered he did his best to hide his blushing as he quickly rolled Camillia’s window down, freeing her hair from the window, and rolling it back up when she had pulled it clear once more.  While he had to keep his eyes on the road he glanced over at her, letting out a slight chuckle and asked, “Are you, heh heh, are you okay?”

   Petting her now tangled hair, Camillia stuck out her lower lip and said, “Aranelion how dare you…you know I’m tender headed…and the last thing I need is knots in my hair or split ends, and all you can do is laugh at me.  You’re so mean.”

   “Aww gee Camillia, don’t be like that,” Aranelion started.  As he turned into the parking garage, he looked at Camillia with a grin on his face, only to see she wouldn’t crack out of this pout that easily.  Pulling his vehicle into a parking spot, he slowly shifted the car into park, and continued, “Besides, I can brush the knots out for you if you need me to, and I’ll be sure not to hurt your scalp.  Anyway, that little calamity could do nothing to spoil your beautiful hair, trust me.”

   As he turned the car off, Camillia looked to him, and he to her; as their eyes met, Camillia uncrossed her arms, and smiled, giggling softly and said, “Aww, how sweet of you Air.”  She paused, running her fingers through the ends of her hair and said, “I think I’ll be okay…it wasn’t that bad.  Hee hee.”

   Camillia fell silent, looking back up to him, sensing the nervousness and apprehension in Aranelion’s heart.  Her heart went out to him, admiring his sensitivity, kindness, and caring, as well as his politeness…and the fact that he treated her like a lady, as opposed to Elianaron, while he did love her, didn’t treat her the same as Aranelion did, which was with much less respect and concern.

   She exhaled deeply, unbuckling her seatbelt and said, “Well, I better get up there and tell Ell how things are gonna be; then, we can look at those new lyrics of yours.”  She gathered up her boa, purse, and drink, and then paused, turning around once more and kissing Aranelion quickly on the nose, letting out a giggle, and getting out of the car.

   Chills ran up and down Aranelion’s back after she quickly kissed him; despite some slight confusion at what was going on, he liked it, and he grinned before grabbing his folder from the back seat, getting out of the car and locking it up.  As he caught up to Camillia, she continued her thought from earlier.

   “I don’t think it’ll bother Elianaron much, besides, it’s not like we were invited to this party to begin with.  His band was just hired to play for it, so he was just gonna bring me along…why, I don’t know.  I guess he thought I’d enjoying watching him play the same roll of songs that he does every night,” Camillia explained.

   As the two walked to the elevator out of the parking garage, she glanced at Aranelion and said, “You know Air, you let Elianaron get away with too much I think.  I know he thinks that just because you don’t like to party as much as he does that it means you’re a boring person, but he’s wrong.  You’re…you’re better than he is.  You actually have a stable life and fun job, so there’s no sense in what he says.  Just, don’t let him get to you okay?”

   Aranelion felt a tingling sensation run up his spine again, but he felt better after what Camillia had said, and for whatever reason, felt brave enough to take Camillia’s free hand in his own.  She glanced down at it as they waited for the elevator, and the two exchanged glances and smiles.  They may have had nothing more than a strong friendship at that point, but it was a comforting one, and he was thankful for that.

   He wasn’t sure exactly how Camillia felt about him, nor was she aware of how deeply this rivalry between him and Elianaron went out of their love for her, but it was clear that no matter what these two would be friends for life, and there was still the promise for so much more they could be in the days to come right before them.