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"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 2: The Way They're Meant to Go

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“Dear Diary, lately, I’ve realized I never really ‘loved’ Elianaron.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s as sweet as he can be, and he tries his best to make me happy, but, while we have this party-animal sickness in common, I feel like that’s all we share between us: a love for partying.  Poor Ell, I know we’ll always be friends, but, there’s just nothing romantically stable between us, and what we do have will only last a little bit longer.  But, that’s no problem, because, I’ve already given my heart to someone else, and I know ending this relationship with Elianaron will be the start of something wonderful with his brother Aranelion, to whom, I’ve given my heart and my dreams.”

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   The elevator doors opened on floor to Aranelion and Elianaron’s apartment, and the minute Aranelion and Camillia stepped free from it, their ears were immediately rocked by the same wave of bass notes that Aranelion had hoped to escape.  They paused, and Camillia could see a stressed look of annoyance grace Aranelion’s face.  She giggled and said, “Don’t worry Air…he’s just getting practice in before he leaves.  Besides, we can go up to my apartment later anyway.”

   While Camillia abruptly walked up to the door to the apartment, Aranelion was slow to follow.  Something about how things were going seemed off to him; still, he loved getting to be with Camillia like this, and the promise of getting to spend a quiet evening with her for once, as they did only rarely, was too wonderful to pass up, even if something about how things were going continued to bother him.

   Brushing off his concern once more, Aranelion got a better grip on his pencil and folder filled with papers and dashed a few strides to catch up with Camillia, who was already at the apartment door, banging on it in annoyance.

   “Darn you Elianaron!  Open the door!  The building could be burning down and you wouldn’t know it!  They’d find your charred body clutching your electric blue bass!  Grr,” she cried in annoyance.  As Aranelion walked up, she immediately stopped banging, crossed her arms and turned her back to the door, behind which, they could hear Elianaron continue singing and playing bass notes, oblivious to her cries.

   Once Aranelion got to her, he could see Camillia, her lower lip quivering, as she muttered, “I can’t stand him sometimes…I feel he’s more interested in just having me around than actually paying attention to me when I speak…”  Unaware of Aranelion’s presence, she added in a whisper, “He’s not like Aranelion…Air actually listens to me, and keeps his eyes on me when I talk…I’m not just a commodity for him…I’m his friend.  Why can’t Elianaron be more like that?  He’s a nice guy…but he treats me just like Daniel and all the other party regulars do; they treat me like the good looking girl I am, but only for my looks…they couldn’t care less about who I really am…not like Air.”

   Aranelion let out a small gasp, lucky to come to a stop within hearing distance of her words, but out of her range of notice, as he pulled his keys from his pants pocket.  As he listened, he began to understand more about how this relationship between Camillia and his brother was working; it wasn’t that Camillia didn’t like Elianaron, caring about him more than those guys at the parties she mentioned, but as she had gone through so many of those relationships, she was beginning to realize it was far from what she wanted in an ideal relationship.  She was even going as far as to say she was looking for qualities that he alone seemed to possess; that she had only seen in him so far in her life.

   He smiled gently as she fell silent, closing her eyes and hanging her head as she sighed sadly.  He thought, “Oh…I hope she hasn’t given up on her heart’s desires.”  Closing his own eyes, he added, “Camillia, please, don’t give up on love yet…it’ll come to you.  Don’t let the troubles of your past make you believe you deserve less than what you long for…it couldn’t be further from the truth.  It should only make you fight harder for what you want…I should know…I’ve been fighting all my life…and I’ll keep fighting.”  He paused, opening his eyes and murmured, “I’ll fight for you.”

   This caught Camillia’s attention, causing her to look up as she unfolded her arms and stood straight after leaning against the wall.  She brought a hand up to her mouth and let out a giggle and a weak smile as she saw him standing there, holding his keys in one hand, and clutching his pencil between his teeth like a dog chewing on its favorite bone.

   “Aww Air, you look so precious!” she cried, “I wish I had my camera right now!  That is so cute!  You look like a sweet little puppy!”

   In annoyance, but still holding the last of his words to heart, Aranelion let out a huff of air causing his pencil to fall into his hand as he replied, “Come on Camillia, that’s just silly.  Besides, I was only keeping it there so I could find my keys; heh, if I didn’t, we’d be stuck out here until seven waiting for Elianaron to leave for his gig.”

   As he walked up to the door, ready to put his key into the lock so they could get in, Camillia’s eyes went bright with the hint of an idea.  She quickly grabbed Aranelion’s arm and exclaimed, “That’s not a bad idea Air!  It’ll teach that conceited jerk a thing or two if he comes out here and sees us sitting in the hallway!  Hey!  Until then we can work on those song lyrics of yours!”

   Camillia did a couple skips in a small circle, giggling with glee at her idea, while Aranelion was unsure of doing such a thing to his brother.  However, after Camillia called him a conceited jerk, and having overheard her opinion of him being no better than the guys that she was bogged down by in the past, he was willing to go along with her to make her happy, and again, the wishes of his own heart got the better of his judgement, and already mad enough at Elianaron for keeping him and Camillia apart, he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to spend more time with her, and if they got to work on some music that made things even sweeter.

   However, as he let out a loving grin of a smile, he gently took hold of Camillia’s arm, thin enough for Aranelion’s hand to wrap full way around it, to stop her little prance, and after getting her attention he whispered, “Only one problem Camillia…he knows I have my keys with me, and the only explanation for me not having them now would be if I accidentally locked them in the car.”

   But again, he answered his own question, causing Camillia to smile wide once more.  As their eyes met, Camillia grinned and reached for Aranelion’s keys as he held them in the air near his face, taking them and dropping them into her purse.  Placing her purse by her feet, she took his hand in her own, rubbing it and saying, “And now he’ll feel even guiltier for locking us out won’t he Air?”  She paused and with even more enthusiasm she continued, “And hey!  If he asks why we didn’t go up to my apartment we’ll just make him look even sillier by encouraging his girlfriend and brother to go up to her apartment alone when he’s constantly trying to come between them.”

   Aranelion was able to smile, his toothy grin finally relaxed; somehow Camillia always made everything better, and now he had a perfect and flawless excuse to sit with her for a good half an hour to work on song lyrics before having to put up with Elianaron as he left for the party.  It was also a good opportunity to get back at him, while at the same time, above all, he valued the time with Camillia, which he cherished more than anything in the world.

   Seeing Aranelion’s smile, finally at ease, Camillia’s eyes lit up once more, for she knew Aranelion was final comfortable with the plan.  She knew the two brothers were close even through an argument, and she didn’t want to encourage them to fight, but at that point, she was so sick of Elianaron turning in to the same guys she was fed up with, she was willing to do anything to help Aranelion win the fight, so maybe afterwards she could talk Elianaron out of that party lifestyle, and at the same time, she could spend more time with Aranelion, who she was growing to love more and more each day, and every time he smiled, for he was, she had discovered, the perfect guy she had mentioned to Delilah before she left, when referring to how suitable and proper a guy Hidama was.

   Camillia had learned that Aranelion was just as decent, loving, and good as Hidama was, but possessed something she could never find in Hidama; Aranelion it seemed, was indeed her dream come to life, come to save her from giving up on love.

   Of course for now, Aranelion simply nodded, glanced at his hand in hers, then at his folder and chuckled softly, saying, “Well, now that that’s solved…I could use your expertise on the last lines of this song…I swear with that dang bass guitar I couldn’t clear my head enough to concentrate.”

   Camillia could feel her heart begin to race; Elianaron never asked her for her opinion or help with his music, and here Aranelion constantly turned to her for advice.  She loved it, she loved him and everything about him.  It was enough to make her heart swoon with joy.  Of course, for now she contained this wave of growing romance for him, wanting to deal with Elianaron first before telling him how she felt…which she hoped would be soon.

   Hiding the rush of romantic excitement, Camillia giggled softly and as the two sat down beside the apartment door, putting the twanging bass notes out of their thoughts and concern, they went over the last lines of Aranelion’s song, specifically, the ending of the final chorus, which was slightly different from the first times it was sung.

   Of course, that half hour just flew by for them, and Elianaron, unaware of what was happening but looking forward to the gig he had tonight, certain he would outshine them all, packed up his bass guitar, but groaned in annoyance when he realized Camillia had yet to come home.  Still, he thought little of it, thinking maybe she might have asked Aranelion to drop her off there ahead of time, and fed up with it all, Aranelion went on to Kawai’s early.

   Elianaron let out a sigh and said, “Maybe I shouldn’t be so mean to Aranelion; it’s not like he’s trying to steal Camillia from me…he just wants to be her friend, and it’s not like she’ll want to hook up with him anyway.  He is my brother after all…and Mom wouldn’t like it if I hurt my poor, older twin brother anyway.”  Elianaron chuckled to himself as he grabbed his set of keys, unaware of what was about to happen.

   As he stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind him, he was stricken with confusion and surprise at what he saw at his feet.  There were Camillia and Aranelion, sitting side by side, talking and laughing, both with pencils in their hands, fixing up the last of the lyrics to the song.  Aranelion, continuing his thought as Elianaron stepped out, let out a laugh and said, “Aww Camillia, this is so awesome!  You’re the best at fixing up my lyrics…heck, not even those darn bass guitar notes of Elianaron’s are enough to stop your talent!”

   Camillia let out a laugh in reply, before looking up and to the right of Aranelion where Elianaron, stunned and with his guitar at his side now loomed over them, a questionable but angry look in his eyes.  Aranelion, seeing the look in Camillia’s eyes switch from sheer joy to an almost sudden terror, glanced behind him, caught a glimpse of his brother’s red tank top out of the corner of his eye.  He glanced back at Camillia, who before was so enthusiastic about playing a trick or two on Elianaron, was now caving in from some sudden fear.

   Aranelion realized Elianaron was somehow different from those guys at the bar that Camillia compared him to; she didn’t want to hurt him, because she knew he was still good underneath this new exterior he showed off to the rest of the world.  It’s not that he scared her, but when it came down to it, she was afraid, even approaching ashamed of hurting him or causing the two brothers, who she loved dearly, to fight unnecessarily.  It was also quite possible that Camillia was going to have trouble breaking off with Elianaron, especially when only half an hour ago, he heard her whisper that she was almost ready to give up on finding true love, almost completely convinced that she couldn’t do any better and to be content with what she did have.

   But no, something else was spoken earlier.  Aranelion had said, “I’ll fight for you.”  Having fought for almost his entire life for everything from acceptance, for his mother’s well-being, for his father’s memory, and for the safety of those he loved, he wasn’t going to give up now, even if the enemy he had to face now was his own brother, who infact needed his help just as much as Camillia did, this new life of his causing the stability he once had spiral down and out of control.

   Fixing a determined glare at his brother, Aranelion let out a grin, standing up and saying, “Well, finally you come out of your little cave have you?  I was wondering if I’d ever get back into my apartment!”

   Elianaron’s eyes were taken over by a bewildered look, causing him to raise an eyebrow in response to Aranelion’s question.  Frowning on the verge of anger but still in a reasonable mood, he asked, “What do you mean?  Don’t you have your keys with you?  If not, how could you even get home?”

   Camillia stood up slowly, coming up right behind Aranelion, peeking around at Elianaron from behind his shoulder.  While Elianaron crossed his arms waiting for a response, Aranelion crossed his as well, continuing to grin, unfazed by Elianaron’s almost intimidating glare.  He let out a chuckle and said, “That may be true dear brother of mine, but in this case I wound up locking my keys in my car on accident.  Don’t worry, it’s safe in the parking garage, but I was hoping I could come up here to get my second set from you so I could get them out.  Of course, you seemed to be so busy with your music that you didn’t hear the knocks on the door or the rings of the bell, did you, Ell?”  A sparkle came to his eyes as he made up that rhyme to annoy Elianaron, and waited for a reply.

   Then, just as Camillia had predicted, a somewhat fiery and betrayed look came to Elianaron’s eyes as he pointed at Aranelion, glancing at Camillia and said, “Don’t give me that innocent act Aranelion, acting like all you could do was wait for me to come help my poor, stupid brother, after you supposedly ‘locked’ your keys in the car.  That was awfully dumb of you, and even more so, why didn’t you just go up to Camillia apartment and call me?”

   Aranelion grinned, glancing back at Camillia who was able to smile again; after answering his own questions so many times before, this was going to be fun to embarrass Elianaron.  He raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully and said, “Gee Elianaron, you make it sound like Camillia and I planned this…but why would she do it to you?  From what I’m hearing you’re accusing her of playing a trick on you, and that I am as well.  But, to answer your questions, look at it this way; one, if you couldn’t hear the banging and the doorbell ringing, what are the odds that you could hear the phone?  Second, considering how much you ‘love’ Camillia, why on earth would you encourage us going up to her apartment alone together?”

   He was answered by a sickened gasp from Elianaron; he lowered his hand, glaring at Aranelion with more anger than he ever had before in his life.  It seemed their new lifestyles were driving these brothers apart, changing them both, but Elianaron more negatively than positively, for before now, he would never feel such intense hatred for his twin brother; before, they were the best friend the other had, besides Hinsei Hidama.  That was over, and Elianaron was angrier than ever; however, he had come to recognize this change in him, and wasn’t going to let it destroy his relationship with his brother, or the kind soul his mother had raised him to be, and his father had encouraged him to become.

   Still, Elianaron glared at Aranelion fiercely, while Aranelion, arms folded with a grin on his face, softened it a little bit, seeing the intensity and anger in his brother’s eyes.  He could see the change in him, and concerned more for his brother than anything else, he let out a laugh and said, “Oh come on Elianaron; it’s not like you to pout and brood over getting teased a little.  Honestly, Camillia and I were just working on those lyrics of mine, and we’re done now, so I’m sorry if I upset you.  Just hand me your keys real fast so I can get back inside and you can get on your way.”

   Convinced the argument was over, Aranelion unfolded his arm and held out his hand having asked Elianaron for his keys, one-hundred percent positive he would get them.  Camillia glanced between the brothers sadly, for she could feel the tension flaring between them, tension that when she met them a little over a month before, was never once present; she feared that taking up residence in the city would be the thing to undo their bond for good.

   Elianaron glanced at his brother’s hand, then at his face; in his heart, he knew it would be best to just let it go, but as he glanced at Camillia standing behind Aranelion and watching him anxiously, then back at Aranelion slowly, something inside him told him it wasn’t time to give in to Aranelion just yet.  The brothers locked eyes, and as Elianaron clenched his shut angrily, letting out a huff, he snatched his keys up into his palm and looked away, adjusting the strap of his guitar on his shoulder.  He turned away, leaving Aranelion in shock as he waited for an explanation.

   Slowly putting his keys in his pocket, Elianaron got an idea, and would be able to trap Aranelion into a corner, which he would have a near impossible time coming out of.  He glanced back at his brother and girlfriend and said, “Hmm, well, if you really did lock your keys in your car, then you can’t get anywhere without mine right?”  Aranelion, confused by this, nodded slowly; Elianaron then turned around and said, “Then I’m in control of this situation, and I say, since you don’t have to be at Kawai’s until nine, that you come with Camillia and me to the first hour and a half of the party.”

   Aranelion let out a shocked gasp, narrowing his eyes at Elianaron, growing angrier by the minute; he was trapped, because if he wanted to back out of this, his only way out would be admitting that he lied to Elianaron and getting his keys back from Camillia, and he certainly couldn’t do that.  He simply had no choice but to go to the party with them, but what his concern was, was why in the world Elianaron had suggested such a thing to begin with.

   Then, almost as if he was reading his brother’s mind, Elianaron, his eyes sparkling and grinning with the joy of victory, lunged forward with his hand, grabbing his brother’s shirt collar and pulling them nose to nose.  Camillia let out a gasp, Aranelion cringed in sudden shock, and Elianaron chuckled softly, whispering, “You think you’re so perfect for Camillia…that may be so; I mean, you do fit her in some ways, but you’ve yet to prove to anyone you have that party spirit.  Even though she loves to relax with you, you’ll still have to go with her to the occasional party, even she would tell you this.”

   Aranelion opened his eyes fully, glaring at his twin brother in annoyance.  Elianaron could only continue to grin; Aranelion didn’t understand his brother’s reasoning.  While Elianaron was trying to get back at Aranelion for teasing him, it now seemed like he was trying to help him develop a relationship with Camillia by dragging them both to a party so he could show her his party spirit. Aranelion cocked his head, giving Elianaron a look of uncertainty.

   “Trust me,” Elianaron whispered, “You and I can settle this little score between us, and you can prove to both me and Camillia that you can party like the best of us.  Don’t think that this is over though Aranelion, for this is hardly settling things between us.  If you’re going to have Camillia, then she’s going to have to drop me first, and that means you have to win her heart over completely, you understand?”

   It almost seemed that a wave of reasoning and understanding had swept over Elianaron, bringing him back to the days before they took up residence in Starshine Town.  As Aranelion looked back fully at his brother, Elianaron’s smile once again appeared genuine, possessing that friendly and caring spirit it once did, and he knew that bad blood could never survive between them for long.

   He slowly returned Elianaron’s smile, nodding softly and whispering, “Take it away Elianaron…”  He paused, glancing back at Camillia, before looking back to Elianaron and added, “Look, I’m sorry about before…it’s just…I…”

   “Look, no need to explain Air; if she loves you there’s nothing I can, or would do, to try and hinder it,” Elianaron started, “I’ve kept a good enough eye on you both and well, I won’t stop her from following her heart, nor will I stop you either.  Of course, like I said, it also doesn’t mean I’m gonna back down that easily.  She’s gonna have to dump me on her own…so, do me the favor I’m doing you and don’t try to persuade her one way or the other.  This is between us…and we have to let her choose…but like I said, a little third-party persuasion is alright.”  As he let loose his grip on Aranelion’s shirt collar, he added, “Or rock and roll party persuasion of course.”

   He stood up straight, letting Aranelion loose, then spoke up once more; “So, are you in or out Aranelion?  Heck, if not, you can always stay sitting beside the door for a couple hours right?  Or…wait, I could drop you off so you can see your regular drunks at Kawai’s.”

   Elianaron let out a chuckle, and Aranelion knew the competition was still on, and heck, he had that spirit within him; he was ready to take Elianaron on.

   Glancing at Camillia, he let out a laugh and said, “Whatever Elianaron; you think you’re so bad, I’ll show you I’ve got the same party disease you do…only mine is under control obviously.”

   The pink cat gathered up her boa and purse, letting out a sigh as she did so, for all she wanted was a quiet night, perhaps with Aranelion so they could write music, but now both of them were in another competition with each other, and even worse, she was afraid this very party disease Aranelion spoke of would spread rampantly throughout him and take him over as it did Elianaron, which she dreaded, for she loved Aranelion’s stable, but carefree outlook on life, and was determined to turn Elianaron down the same road, even if for now she could only watch and wait for them to solve things out between each other.

   She walked up to Elianaron, scowling and said, “That’s just mean Elianaron; Aranelion has to get to his job tonight.  The last thing he needs is to get caught up in another one of our stupid parties…”  She paused, glancing at Aranelion, lowering his voice and saying, “When are you going to settle down Elianaron?  Someday you’re gonna have to abandon this kind of lifestyle…both of us are!  After so many years it’s starting to sicken me.”

   “Ready to go?” Aranelion asked, as he walked by then, folder and pencil in hand.  He paused, looking at her smiling as he adjusted his hat so it fit better around his ears.

   Camillia looked at him nervously, just praying the stability and carefree nature she loved would hold true and he wouldn’t become the party animal Elianaron turned into.  She turned back to Elianaron and whispered, “Please, once it’s time for him to go to work, I’m going to take him.  I’m awfully tired anyway, I don’t think I can handle more than a couple of hours.  I can take him to Kawai’s then come home and relax.”

   Elianaron glanced at Aranelion, shook his head and said, “Well, how will he get home?  You’d be better off telling me where his keys are so I can give them back to him when he needs to leave, and then you can stick with me until I go home.  Don’t worry girl, I’m only playing until ten, then I can bring you home and he’ll have his car to get back home with.”

   She let out a small gasp when he said this; it was as if he knew that she had Aranelion’s keys the whole time.  Conceding defeat, she looked into her purse to find his keys, only to be stopped by Elianaron, who took her hand and whispered, “No, don’t get them now, just…hand them to me when he’s not looking and I’ll pretend to go get them while you two get in the car.  Heh, that’ll teach him for playing a trick on me.”

   Camillia was confused; if Elianaron knew she had Aranelion’s keys, then obviously he would have to know that Aranelion too was part of the trick; he had even mentioned this.  Still, what would pretending to go along with the joke prove?  It was almost as if Elianaron was convinced that it was Camillia alone that had coordinated the joke, perhaps sneaking Aranelion’s keys from him in a moment of seduction and making him think he had locked them in his car.  What on earth was Elianaron thinking?  It was as if he was taking up for his brother while shooting her down into the dust.

   Whatever was going on, she let out a whimper and a whine, hanging her head and crying, “Alright, let’s go…let’s just get going before you’re late.”  She ran ahead a few steps to the elevator while Aranelion and Elianaron, walking side by side, began to follow.

   “What did you say Elianaron?  Whatever it was, I think you were a little too harsh with her, I mean, she is awfully tired…why can’t you just let her stay here and rest?” Aranelion asked.

   Elianaron, slipping back into his usual demeanor, let out a chuckle and said, “I just exposed hers and your little trick…made her think I blamed her for the entire thing by asking her for your keys back and saying I’d pretend to get them for you.”

   Now it was Aranelion’s turn to be confused once more.  He looked at Elianaron and replied, “What are you thinking?  It’s almost as if you’re trying to drive her away from you!  Heck, you’ll drive her away from both of us if you keep this up!  She’s our friend!” in a pained whisper.

   The elevator doors opened and Camillia dashed into them while Elianaron laughed once more and whispered, “Please, I was only giving her a taste of her own medicine.  She played a trick on me, and thus I played one on her.”

   As they reached the elevator, Aranelion grabbed Elianaron’s arm, stopping them both and said, “Well, what about my payback, hmm?  What are you going to do to me?”

   Elianaron shook his head and said, “You’re my brother Aranelion, my twin brother, I mean, we play tricks on each other like this all the time.  You know there’s never any lasting dissention between us, so what good would it be here?  We’re settling the dispute by going to this party together, that’s all there is to it.  As for Camillia, sometimes I feel she just takes things way too personally.  Now no worries; I can handle this, and so can she, as well as you.”

   He pulled Aranelion forward and onto the elevator where the three of them rode down it, silent, but glancing at each other, Camillia standing apart from the twins, as far as she could, kind of upset with both of them now, but Elianaron more than either of them.

   The walk to Elianaron’s SUV was equally as silent and tense.  As he walked beside Camillia he glanced at her and said, “Give me his keys; you go ahead and get in the car with him and I’ll go ‘get’ them.”

   She let out a sigh and said, “Whatever Ell…I don’t see why you’re doing this; all three of us know that the keys aren’t in his car.  Why can’t we just be adults and make up?”

   Elianaron stepped in front of her, snatching the keys from her hand and replied, “Oh, Air and I have already made up…he and I always make up…you just haven’t learned how our little games go.”

   Camillia glared at him, and putting her boa back on she said, “You know something Elianaron?  I wish you stop acting like a jerk and be sweet again like you were when you moved here.  Humph, and you wonder why I like Aranelion better now.  At least he’s not a stuck up meanie like you are.”

   With a huff, she stormed ahead, and Elianaron let out a laugh, followed by a sigh as he shook his head.  He muttered, “I have turned into an animal haven’t I Camillia?”  He watched as she caught up with Aranelion and continued, “But it’s better this way I think…you and Aranelion need each other, and you’re better for him than you are for me; but, maybe I could still abandon the party scene a little for you, for us all…just…break it off with me…please, for me and you…and for Aranelion.”

   As he slowly caught up with them, he knew it would be better for him to tell her this out loud, but, he hung on to this game he played with Aranelion, and wasn’t going to persuade her to go in either direction; he was only hoping this showdown between them tonight would be enough to help her with this choice.

   When they arrived at the party, Camillia watched as Elianaron introduced Aranelion to all of his friends, and could see Aranelion was already enthusiastic about what was to come.  She was scared; as much as she cared about helping Elianaron, she wasn’t about to let Aranelion lose control like he did.  She was beginning to think that breaking up with him would be the perfect wake up call, and because of his strong bond with his brother, Aranelion could help him through it.

   Still, as Elianaron got ready to play the first song and the party goers got ready to dance, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to do this.  She walked up to Aranelion, who was cheering with everyone else, and taking his arm she had to raise her voice to be heard when she said, “Aranelion!  I…I think I’m going to break up with Elianaron…but, I don’t know how…I don’t want to hurt him.”

   Aranelion could  barely hear what she said, but had heard enough of it to know what was about to happen.  He pulled her to the edge of the crowd where they could hear better, and said, “You’re not gonna hurt my brother Camillia…he’s not going to break down if you break it off with him.  My only question is…what’s with the sudden decision?”

   Camillia let out a small gasp, looking at Elianaron once more before returning her gaze to Aranelion’s face.  She lowered her eyes and said, “It’s not really all that sudden I guess…I just, for awhile now I’ve realized I was never truly happy with him…and at the same time I…I realized someone else was able to make me happier than he ever could, despite how much I will always love him as a friend.”  Her voice got quieter and smaller with each word she spoke; for the first time, she felt shy and embarrassed just for saying such a thing to Aranelion.

   He could sense this nervousness in her; he simply smiled, let out a happy sigh, and pulled her into a hug.  She was startled at first, but slowly returned the hug as he said, “Just tell him the same thing you told me, every last word of it.  Be honest with him; I know my brother, and he’s still caring and understanding…any human from here to Cliffdale Heights could tell you that.  Everything will be okay, I promise.”

   As they pulled out of their hug, he grinned and said, “And you don’t have to worry about me…I won’t catch any party animal disease or anything, and Elianaron will be okay too.  I’ve had a talk with him and he let me know he’ll be alright.  Let’s try and enjoy ourselves for now and you can talk to him when you get home tonight.”

   Camillia smiled, but before she could answer, the spotlight flew over the two and Elianaron looked to them, speaking to the audience, “And these two, ladies and gentlemen, of course Camillia the Cat, and my twin brother Aranelion.  Let’s give them a round of applause as they start off the first dance of the night, what do you say?”

   The two looked to each other as the audience cheered, and Aranelion in good spirits let out his own shout, and taking Camillia’s hand, pulled her into the middle of the crowd, shouting to Elianaron, “Let it roll Ell!  Take it away!” Elianaron returned the cry, and started his band off with the first song, called “Do You Love Me?”

   Aranelion’s good spirits and encouragement brightened Camillia’s heart and she found the will to party again.  She and Aranelion lit up the dance floor, and what was most interesting was how quickly Aranelion took to the party scene.  It was true; despite his more stable and carefree outlook on life, he was still able to party as hard as his friends.  Camillia was finally able to see this side of him, as was Elianaron.  The only difference was Elianaron already knew it was there, but had to encourage Aranelion to show it, and as he played and sang, he watched the two of them dance happily.  For once, things were finally going right; all it would take now was for Camillia to find the courage to take Aranelion’s advice to break it off with Elianaron, and hopefully confess her feelings to Aranelion afterward.

   By the end of the song, the entire party was up and dancing; however, the focus was still on Aranelion and Camillia, who struck a pose at the end of the song.  Camillia had her hands in the air, and Aranelion flexed his fingers, almost as if he was using sign language.  As the crowd cheered, Camillia’s smile turned into a gasp; she saw Aranelion glancing at her, but her eyes moved to the hand he held up in the air.  The way his fingers were bent…she saw that he was signing, “I love you” to her in sign language, but where only she could see it, and no one else could know it.

   After he saw her recognize this, he shook his head, grinning, and headed for the door; since they had decided he should take his own car before they left, he figured it would be best to head on over to Kawai’s, for he knew he had just gone against the deal he made with Elianaron, even though Elianaron had done this too in his actions towards Camillia’s earlier.  In his heart he knew this had done nothing for Camillia’s decision, which she had already clearly made, even though he was unsure if he was the one she had give her love to.

   Elianaron watched as Camillia dashed off after Aranelion, and again he knew what was coming down.  He thought, “I’ll always love you Camillia, but you’re happier with Aranelion, and well, he can take care of you better than I can.  I have to do a lot of changing before I’ll be ready for any serious commitment, but I know it’ll come for me someday, and both Air and I will have someone to love.  For now, I’m just glad you two can be happy.”  With a grin on his face, he continued on with the party and started the next song.  This was out of his hands now, and he knew that he would have to hold true to his promise, not just because he promised Aranelion and Camillia he would, but to help shape a promising future for him, and for all he would ever become.

   Outside, Aranelion was getting into his own SUV, but was stopped by Camillia, who cried out to him and asked, “Aranelion, where are you going?  It’s only eight ‘o’ clock?  You have at least half an hour right?”

   Aranelion glanced at her, still smiling, but able to see she was in distress over something.  He shook his head and said, “I remembered I promised the act before me I would come in early so he could get off early…he’ll owe me about half an hour in the future this way…and it’s extra pay for the month too.”

   As he got into the car, buckling up and putting his keys in the ignition, Camillia grabbed his arm, keeping him from closing the door as he started up the vehicle.  She cried, “But Aranelion!  What about back there?  Didn’t you sign me something in sign language at the end of the song?”

   The hybrid echidna let out a sigh and said, “Aww Camillia, just…yes I did, and it’s a silly question for you to ask because you and I both know you know plenty of sign language to know what I meant.  I feel kind of stupid doing it now, but I just couldn’t help myself…when your heart starts screaming something at you it’s kind of hard to ignore it…so I let it out in the quietest, simplest way I could think to.”

   Camillia looked at him in disbelief, hanging on even tighter to his arm and whimpering, “Stupid?  Why do you feel stupid for it?  I mean…is that how you really feel?”

   Aranelion looked straight ahead of him, knowing he wasn’t following the advice he had given her earlier by trying to deny his feelings, but he wasn’t ready to speak it yet either.  He sighed, hanging his head and said, “Look, Camillia, you’re still Elianaron’s girlfriend, and I’m not going to steal his girlfriend from him.  I signed it because you told me that you were ready to give him up anyway, but you also mentioned having someone else you care about…so I…I, never mind.”  He growled softly, slamming his free fist on the steering wheel, growing more and more embarrassed and feeling even dumber than before; he was only making a fool of himself now.

   “But Aranelion, I…you shouldn’t feel stupid…I mean, how can you know…?” Camillia started.

   Slowly pulling his arm free from her grasp he shook his head and said, “Just forget about it okay?  Please!”  He pulled the door shut, but rolled the window down and said, “I’m gonna be late…Camillia, I’m sorry.”

   He put the car into reverse, but before he could pull free from the parking lot, Camillia ran back up to the driver’s side window and cried, “Aranelion, please!  Can we talk about this later?  Please, I have to talk to you…it’s important…please.”

   Aranelion clenched a tightly inhaled breath, letting it out slowly as his cringed eyes also opened.  He looked at her, still feeling stupid for how he was acting, but at the same time he recognized that he had no need to be.  He knew Camillia was more concerned about him than anything else, and also knew that he would have to practice what he preached and admit his feelings to her eventually, especially after what he had done, and even more so now that things between her and Elianaron were dissolving.

   He let out the rest of his breath in a happy sigh, looked to her, smiling and said, “Fine with me…when’s a good time for you?  I’ll be off work around eleven.”

   Camillia finally smiled again and said, “Wow, umm, that’s earlier than normal isn’t it?”

   Aranelion grinned and said, “Well, the boss is bringing in some new acts tonight.  It’s a rule, the newer acts have to start off working later hours.  Since I’m a popular act I’ve gotten earlier hours, so that’s why.”

   “Oh,” she said, letting out a giggle with a sparkle in her eyes.  She continued, “Then, umm, just come up to my apartment went you get home…because I do, I need to talk to you about something…okay?”

   Glancing up at the now full moon, Aranelion nodded and said, “Sounds good to me…I’ll see you then.”  As he got ready to drive off, he added, “Besides, I have something to tell you too.”  He paused, then finished, “Goodbye.”

   As he pulled on to the road and went on his way, Camillia clasped her hands together over her heart, a few happy tears welling up in her eyes, she shut her eyes tightly to suppress them, inhaling and exhaling a shaky breath as she looked up to the moon and stars and whispered, “Oh Aranelion…please…please tell me the words we need to speak are the same.  It would be my dream realized…made real.  Let it be…please.”

   She looked back to the building, and realizing she had to deal with Elianaron first, she sighed quietly, running back to the party, even though the late night talk she had planned with Aranelion, as well as what she had to tell him, remained the focus of her thoughts.

Description
"Wandering to Love"
By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl
Chapter 2: The Way They're Meant to Go

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“Dear Diary, lately, I’ve realized I never really ‘loved’ Elianaron.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s as sweet as he can be, and he tries his best to make me happy, but, while we have this party-animal sickness in common, I feel like that’s all we share between us: a love for partying.  Poor Ell, I know we’ll always be friends, but, there’s just nothing romantically stable between us, and what we do have will only last a little bit longer.  But, that’s no problem, because, I’ve already given my heart to someone else, and I know ending this relationship with Elianaron will be the start of something wonderful with his brother Aranelion, to whom, I’ve given my heart and my dreams.”

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   The elevator doors opened on floor to Aranelion and Elianaron’s apartment, and the minute Aranelion and Camillia stepped free from it, their ears were immediately rocked by the same wave of bass notes that Aranelion had hoped to escape.  They paused, and Camillia could see a stressed look of annoyance grace Aranelion’s face.  She giggled and said, “Don’t worry Air…he’s just getting practice in before he leaves.  Besides, we can go up to my apartment later anyway.”

   While Camillia abruptly walked up to the door to the apartment, Aranelion was slow to follow.  Something about how things were going seemed off to him; still, he loved getting to be with Camillia like this, and the promise of getting to spend a quiet evening with her for once, as they did only rarely, was too wonderful to pass up, even if something about how things were going continued to bother him.

   Brushing off his concern once more, Aranelion got a better grip on his pencil and folder filled with papers and dashed a few strides to catch up with Camillia, who was already at the apartment door, banging on it in annoyance.

   “Darn you Elianaron!  Open the door!  The building could be burning down and you wouldn’t know it!  They’d find your charred body clutching your electric blue bass!  Grr,” she cried in annoyance.  As Aranelion walked up, she immediately stopped banging, crossed her arms and turned her back to the door, behind which, they could hear Elianaron continue singing and playing bass notes, oblivious to her cries.

   Once Aranelion got to her, he could see Camillia, her lower lip quivering, as she muttered, “I can’t stand him sometimes…I feel he’s more interested in just having me around than actually paying attention to me when I speak…”  Unaware of Aranelion’s presence, she added in a whisper, “He’s not like Aranelion…Air actually listens to me, and keeps his eyes on me when I talk…I’m not just a commodity for him…I’m his friend.  Why can’t Elianaron be more like that?  He’s a nice guy…but he treats me just like Daniel and all the other party regulars do; they treat me like the good looking girl I am, but only for my looks…they couldn’t care less about who I really am…not like Air.”

   Aranelion let out a small gasp, lucky to come to a stop within hearing distance of her words, but out of her range of notice, as he pulled his keys from his pants pocket.  As he listened, he began to understand more about how this relationship between Camillia and his brother was working; it wasn’t that Camillia didn’t like Elianaron, caring about him more than those guys at the parties she mentioned, but as she had gone through so many of those relationships, she was beginning to realize it was far from what she wanted in an ideal relationship.  She was even going as far as to say she was looking for qualities that he alone seemed to possess; that she had only seen in him so far in her life.

   He smiled gently as she fell silent, closing her eyes and hanging her head as she sighed sadly.  He thought, “Oh…I hope she hasn’t given up on her heart’s desires.”  Closing his own eyes, he added, “Camillia, please, don’t give up on love yet…it’ll come to you.  Don’t let the troubles of your past make you believe you deserve less than what you long for…it couldn’t be further from the truth.  It should only make you fight harder for what you want…I should know…I’ve been fighting all my life…and I’ll keep fighting.”  He paused, opening his eyes and murmured, “I’ll fight for you.”

   This caught Camillia’s attention, causing her to look up as she unfolded her arms and stood straight after leaning against the wall.  She brought a hand up to her mouth and let out a giggle and a weak smile as she saw him standing there, holding his keys in one hand, and clutching his pencil between his teeth like a dog chewing on its favorite bone.

   “Aww Air, you look so precious!” she cried, “I wish I had my camera right now!  That is so cute!  You look like a sweet little puppy!”

   In annoyance, but still holding the last of his words to heart, Aranelion let out a huff of air causing his pencil to fall into his hand as he replied, “Come on Camillia, that’s just silly.  Besides, I was only keeping it there so I could find my keys; heh, if I didn’t, we’d be stuck out here until seven waiting for Elianaron to leave for his gig.”

   As he walked up to the door, ready to put his key into the lock so they could get in, Camillia’s eyes went bright with the hint of an idea.  She quickly grabbed Aranelion’s arm and exclaimed, “That’s not a bad idea Air!  It’ll teach that conceited jerk a thing or two if he comes out here and sees us sitting in the hallway!  Hey!  Until then we can work on those song lyrics of yours!”

   Camillia did a couple skips in a small circle, giggling with glee at her idea, while Aranelion was unsure of doing such a thing to his brother.  However, after Camillia called him a conceited jerk, and having overheard her opinion of him being no better than the guys that she was bogged down by in the past, he was willing to go along with her to make her happy, and again, the wishes of his own heart got the better of his judgement, and already mad enough at Elianaron for keeping him and Camillia apart, he wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to spend more time with her, and if they got to work on some music that made things even sweeter.

   However, as he let out a loving grin of a smile, he gently took hold of Camillia’s arm, thin enough for Aranelion’s hand to wrap full way around it, to stop her little prance, and after getting her attention he whispered, “Only one problem Camillia…he knows I have my keys with me, and the only explanation for me not having them now would be if I accidentally locked them in the car.”

   But again, he answered his own question, causing Camillia to smile wide once more.  As their eyes met, Camillia grinned and reached for Aranelion’s keys as he held them in the air near his face, taking them and dropping them into her purse.  Placing her purse by her feet, she took his hand in her own, rubbing it and saying, “And now he’ll feel even guiltier for locking us out won’t he Air?”  She paused and with even more enthusiasm she continued, “And hey!  If he asks why we didn’t go up to my apartment we’ll just make him look even sillier by encouraging his girlfriend and brother to go up to her apartment alone when he’s constantly trying to come between them.”

   Aranelion was able to smile, his toothy grin finally relaxed; somehow Camillia always made everything better, and now he had a perfect and flawless excuse to sit with her for a good half an hour to work on song lyrics before having to put up with Elianaron as he left for the party.  It was also a good opportunity to get back at him, while at the same time, above all, he valued the time with Camillia, which he cherished more than anything in the world.

   Seeing Aranelion’s smile, finally at ease, Camillia’s eyes lit up once more, for she knew Aranelion was final comfortable with the plan.  She knew the two brothers were close even through an argument, and she didn’t want to encourage them to fight, but at that point, she was so sick of Elianaron turning in to the same guys she was fed up with, she was willing to do anything to help Aranelion win the fight, so maybe afterwards she could talk Elianaron out of that party lifestyle, and at the same time, she could spend more time with Aranelion, who she was growing to love more and more each day, and every time he smiled, for he was, she had discovered, the perfect guy she had mentioned to Delilah before she left, when referring to how suitable and proper a guy Hidama was.

   Camillia had learned that Aranelion was just as decent, loving, and good as Hidama was, but possessed something she could never find in Hidama; Aranelion it seemed, was indeed her dream come to life, come to save her from giving up on love.

   Of course for now, Aranelion simply nodded, glanced at his hand in hers, then at his folder and chuckled softly, saying, “Well, now that that’s solved…I could use your expertise on the last lines of this song…I swear with that dang bass guitar I couldn’t clear my head enough to concentrate.”

   Camillia could feel her heart begin to race; Elianaron never asked her for her opinion or help with his music, and here Aranelion constantly turned to her for advice.  She loved it, she loved him and everything about him.  It was enough to make her heart swoon with joy.  Of course, for now she contained this wave of growing romance for him, wanting to deal with Elianaron first before telling him how she felt…which she hoped would be soon.

   Hiding the rush of romantic excitement, Camillia giggled softly and as the two sat down beside the apartment door, putting the twanging bass notes out of their thoughts and concern, they went over the last lines of Aranelion’s song, specifically, the ending of the final chorus, which was slightly different from the first times it was sung.

   Of course, that half hour just flew by for them, and Elianaron, unaware of what was happening but looking forward to the gig he had tonight, certain he would outshine them all, packed up his bass guitar, but groaned in annoyance when he realized Camillia had yet to come home.  Still, he thought little of it, thinking maybe she might have asked Aranelion to drop her off there ahead of time, and fed up with it all, Aranelion went on to Kawai’s early.

   Elianaron let out a sigh and said, “Maybe I shouldn’t be so mean to Aranelion; it’s not like he’s trying to steal Camillia from me…he just wants to be her friend, and it’s not like she’ll want to hook up with him anyway.  He is my brother after all…and Mom wouldn’t like it if I hurt my poor, older twin brother anyway.”  Elianaron chuckled to himself as he grabbed his set of keys, unaware of what was about to happen.

   As he stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind him, he was stricken with confusion and surprise at what he saw at his feet.  There were Camillia and Aranelion, sitting side by side, talking and laughing, both with pencils in their hands, fixing up the last of the lyrics to the song.  Aranelion, continuing his thought as Elianaron stepped out, let out a laugh and said, “Aww Camillia, this is so awesome!  You’re the best at fixing up my lyrics…heck, not even those darn bass guitar notes of Elianaron’s are enough to stop your talent!”

   Camillia let out a laugh in reply, before looking up and to the right of Aranelion where Elianaron, stunned and with his guitar at his side now loomed over them, a questionable but angry look in his eyes.  Aranelion, seeing the look in Camillia’s eyes switch from sheer joy to an almost sudden terror, glanced behind him, caught a glimpse of his brother’s red tank top out of the corner of his eye.  He glanced back at Camillia, who before was so enthusiastic about playing a trick or two on Elianaron, was now caving in from some sudden fear.

   Aranelion realized Elianaron was somehow different from those guys at the bar that Camillia compared him to; she didn’t want to hurt him, because she knew he was still good underneath this new exterior he showed off to the rest of the world.  It’s not that he scared her, but when it came down to it, she was afraid, even approaching ashamed of hurting him or causing the two brothers, who she loved dearly, to fight unnecessarily.  It was also quite possible that Camillia was going to have trouble breaking off with Elianaron, especially when only half an hour ago, he heard her whisper that she was almost ready to give up on finding true love, almost completely convinced that she couldn’t do any better and to be content with what she did have.

   But no, something else was spoken earlier.  Aranelion had said, “I’ll fight for you.”  Having fought for almost his entire life for everything from acceptance, for his mother’s well-being, for his father’s memory, and for the safety of those he loved, he wasn’t going to give up now, even if the enemy he had to face now was his own brother, who infact needed his help just as much as Camillia did, this new life of his causing the stability he once had spiral down and out of control.

   Fixing a determined glare at his brother, Aranelion let out a grin, standing up and saying, “Well, finally you come out of your little cave have you?  I was wondering if I’d ever get back into my apartment!”

   Elianaron’s eyes were taken over by a bewildered look, causing him to raise an eyebrow in response to Aranelion’s question.  Frowning on the verge of anger but still in a reasonable mood, he asked, “What do you mean?  Don’t you have your keys with you?  If not, how could you even get home?”

   Camillia stood up slowly, coming up right behind Aranelion, peeking around at Elianaron from behind his shoulder.  While Elianaron crossed his arms waiting for a response, Aranelion crossed his as well, continuing to grin, unfazed by Elianaron’s almost intimidating glare.  He let out a chuckle and said, “That may be true dear brother of mine, but in this case I wound up locking my keys in my car on accident.  Don’t worry, it’s safe in the parking garage, but I was hoping I could come up here to get my second set from you so I could get them out.  Of course, you seemed to be so busy with your music that you didn’t hear the knocks on the door or the rings of the bell, did you, Ell?”  A sparkle came to his eyes as he made up that rhyme to annoy Elianaron, and waited for a reply.

   Then, just as Camillia had predicted, a somewhat fiery and betrayed look came to Elianaron’s eyes as he pointed at Aranelion, glancing at Camillia and said, “Don’t give me that innocent act Aranelion, acting like all you could do was wait for me to come help my poor, stupid brother, after you supposedly ‘locked’ your keys in the car.  That was awfully dumb of you, and even more so, why didn’t you just go up to Camillia apartment and call me?”

   Aranelion grinned, glancing back at Camillia who was able to smile again; after answering his own questions so many times before, this was going to be fun to embarrass Elianaron.  He raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully and said, “Gee Elianaron, you make it sound like Camillia and I planned this…but why would she do it to you?  From what I’m hearing you’re accusing her of playing a trick on you, and that I am as well.  But, to answer your questions, look at it this way; one, if you couldn’t hear the banging and the doorbell ringing, what are the odds that you could hear the phone?  Second, considering how much you ‘love’ Camillia, why on earth would you encourage us going up to her apartment alone together?”

   He was answered by a sickened gasp from Elianaron; he lowered his hand, glaring at Aranelion with more anger than he ever had before in his life.  It seemed their new lifestyles were driving these brothers apart, changing them both, but Elianaron more negatively than positively, for before now, he would never feel such intense hatred for his twin brother; before, they were the best friend the other had, besides Hinsei Hidama.  That was over, and Elianaron was angrier than ever; however, he had come to recognize this change in him, and wasn’t going to let it destroy his relationship with his brother, or the kind soul his mother had raised him to be, and his father had encouraged him to become.

   Still, Elianaron glared at Aranelion fiercely, while Aranelion, arms folded with a grin on his face, softened it a little bit, seeing the intensity and anger in his brother’s eyes.  He could see the change in him, and concerned more for his brother than anything else, he let out a laugh and said, “Oh come on Elianaron; it’s not like you to pout and brood over getting teased a little.  Honestly, Camillia and I were just working on those lyrics of mine, and we’re done now, so I’m sorry if I upset you.  Just hand me your keys real fast so I can get back inside and you can get on your way.”

   Convinced the argument was over, Aranelion unfolded his arm and held out his hand having asked Elianaron for his keys, one-hundred percent positive he would get them.  Camillia glanced between the brothers sadly, for she could feel the tension flaring between them, tension that when she met them a little over a month before, was never once present; she feared that taking up residence in the city would be the thing to undo their bond for good.

   Elianaron glanced at his brother’s hand, then at his face; in his heart, he knew it would be best to just let it go, but as he glanced at Camillia standing behind Aranelion and watching him anxiously, then back at Aranelion slowly, something inside him told him it wasn’t time to give in to Aranelion just yet.  The brothers locked eyes, and as Elianaron clenched his shut angrily, letting out a huff, he snatched his keys up into his palm and looked away, adjusting the strap of his guitar on his shoulder.  He turned away, leaving Aranelion in shock as he waited for an explanation.

   Slowly putting his keys in his pocket, Elianaron got an idea, and would be able to trap Aranelion into a corner, which he would have a near impossible time coming out of.  He glanced back at his brother and girlfriend and said, “Hmm, well, if you really did lock your keys in your car, then you can’t get anywhere without mine right?”  Aranelion, confused by this, nodded slowly; Elianaron then turned around and said, “Then I’m in control of this situation, and I say, since you don’t have to be at Kawai’s until nine, that you come with Camillia and me to the first hour and a half of the party.”

   Aranelion let out a shocked gasp, narrowing his eyes at Elianaron, growing angrier by the minute; he was trapped, because if he wanted to back out of this, his only way out would be admitting that he lied to Elianaron and getting his keys back from Camillia, and he certainly couldn’t do that.  He simply had no choice but to go to the party with them, but what his concern was, was why in the world Elianaron had suggested such a thing to begin with.

   Then, almost as if he was reading his brother’s mind, Elianaron, his eyes sparkling and grinning with the joy of victory, lunged forward with his hand, grabbing his brother’s shirt collar and pulling them nose to nose.  Camillia let out a gasp, Aranelion cringed in sudden shock, and Elianaron chuckled softly, whispering, “You think you’re so perfect for Camillia…that may be so; I mean, you do fit her in some ways, but you’ve yet to prove to anyone you have that party spirit.  Even though she loves to relax with you, you’ll still have to go with her to the occasional party, even she would tell you this.”

   Aranelion opened his eyes fully, glaring at his twin brother in annoyance.  Elianaron could only continue to grin; Aranelion didn’t understand his brother’s reasoning.  While Elianaron was trying to get back at Aranelion for teasing him, it now seemed like he was trying to help him develop a relationship with Camillia by dragging them both to a party so he could show her his party spirit. Aranelion cocked his head, giving Elianaron a look of uncertainty.

   “Trust me,” Elianaron whispered, “You and I can settle this little score between us, and you can prove to both me and Camillia that you can party like the best of us.  Don’t think that this is over though Aranelion, for this is hardly settling things between us.  If you’re going to have Camillia, then she’s going to have to drop me first, and that means you have to win her heart over completely, you understand?”

   It almost seemed that a wave of reasoning and understanding had swept over Elianaron, bringing him back to the days before they took up residence in Starshine Town.  As Aranelion looked back fully at his brother, Elianaron’s smile once again appeared genuine, possessing that friendly and caring spirit it once did, and he knew that bad blood could never survive between them for long.

   He slowly returned Elianaron’s smile, nodding softly and whispering, “Take it away Elianaron…”  He paused, glancing back at Camillia, before looking back to Elianaron and added, “Look, I’m sorry about before…it’s just…I…”

   “Look, no need to explain Air; if she loves you there’s nothing I can, or would do, to try and hinder it,” Elianaron started, “I’ve kept a good enough eye on you both and well, I won’t stop her from following her heart, nor will I stop you either.  Of course, like I said, it also doesn’t mean I’m gonna back down that easily.  She’s gonna have to dump me on her own…so, do me the favor I’m doing you and don’t try to persuade her one way or the other.  This is between us…and we have to let her choose…but like I said, a little third-party persuasion is alright.”  As he let loose his grip on Aranelion’s shirt collar, he added, “Or rock and roll party persuasion of course.”

   He stood up straight, letting Aranelion loose, then spoke up once more; “So, are you in or out Aranelion?  Heck, if not, you can always stay sitting beside the door for a couple hours right?  Or…wait, I could drop you off so you can see your regular drunks at Kawai’s.”

   Elianaron let out a chuckle, and Aranelion knew the competition was still on, and heck, he had that spirit within him; he was ready to take Elianaron on.

   Glancing at Camillia, he let out a laugh and said, “Whatever Elianaron; you think you’re so bad, I’ll show you I’ve got the same party disease you do…only mine is under control obviously.”

   The pink cat gathered up her boa and purse, letting out a sigh as she did so, for all she wanted was a quiet night, perhaps with Aranelion so they could write music, but now both of them were in another competition with each other, and even worse, she was afraid this very party disease Aranelion spoke of would spread rampantly throughout him and take him over as it did Elianaron, which she dreaded, for she loved Aranelion’s stable, but carefree outlook on life, and was determined to turn Elianaron down the same road, even if for now she could only watch and wait for them to solve things out between each other.

   She walked up to Elianaron, scowling and said, “That’s just mean Elianaron; Aranelion has to get to his job tonight.  The last thing he needs is to get caught up in another one of our stupid parties…”  She paused, glancing at Aranelion, lowering his voice and saying, “When are you going to settle down Elianaron?  Someday you’re gonna have to abandon this kind of lifestyle…both of us are!  After so many years it’s starting to sicken me.”

   “Ready to go?” Aranelion asked, as he walked by then, folder and pencil in hand.  He paused, looking at her smiling as he adjusted his hat so it fit better around his ears.

   Camillia looked at him nervously, just praying the stability and carefree nature she loved would hold true and he wouldn’t become the party animal Elianaron turned into.  She turned back to Elianaron and whispered, “Please, once it’s time for him to go to work, I’m going to take him.  I’m awfully tired anyway, I don’t think I can handle more than a couple of hours.  I can take him to Kawai’s then come home and relax.”

   Elianaron glanced at Aranelion, shook his head and said, “Well, how will he get home?  You’d be better off telling me where his keys are so I can give them back to him when he needs to leave, and then you can stick with me until I go home.  Don’t worry girl, I’m only playing until ten, then I can bring you home and he’ll have his car to get back home with.”

   She let out a small gasp when he said this; it was as if he knew that she had Aranelion’s keys the whole time.  Conceding defeat, she looked into her purse to find his keys, only to be stopped by Elianaron, who took her hand and whispered, “No, don’t get them now, just…hand them to me when he’s not looking and I’ll pretend to go get them while you two get in the car.  Heh, that’ll teach him for playing a trick on me.”

   Camillia was confused; if Elianaron knew she had Aranelion’s keys, then obviously he would have to know that Aranelion too was part of the trick; he had even mentioned this.  Still, what would pretending to go along with the joke prove?  It was almost as if Elianaron was convinced that it was Camillia alone that had coordinated the joke, perhaps sneaking Aranelion’s keys from him in a moment of seduction and making him think he had locked them in his car.  What on earth was Elianaron thinking?  It was as if he was taking up for his brother while shooting her down into the dust.

   Whatever was going on, she let out a whimper and a whine, hanging her head and crying, “Alright, let’s go…let’s just get going before you’re late.”  She ran ahead a few steps to the elevator while Aranelion and Elianaron, walking side by side, began to follow.

   “What did you say Elianaron?  Whatever it was, I think you were a little too harsh with her, I mean, she is awfully tired…why can’t you just let her stay here and rest?” Aranelion asked.

   Elianaron, slipping back into his usual demeanor, let out a chuckle and said, “I just exposed hers and your little trick…made her think I blamed her for the entire thing by asking her for your keys back and saying I’d pretend to get them for you.”

   Now it was Aranelion’s turn to be confused once more.  He looked at Elianaron and replied, “What are you thinking?  It’s almost as if you’re trying to drive her away from you!  Heck, you’ll drive her away from both of us if you keep this up!  She’s our friend!” in a pained whisper.

   The elevator doors opened and Camillia dashed into them while Elianaron laughed once more and whispered, “Please, I was only giving her a taste of her own medicine.  She played a trick on me, and thus I played one on her.”

   As they reached the elevator, Aranelion grabbed Elianaron’s arm, stopping them both and said, “Well, what about my payback, hmm?  What are you going to do to me?”

   Elianaron shook his head and said, “You’re my brother Aranelion, my twin brother, I mean, we play tricks on each other like this all the time.  You know there’s never any lasting dissention between us, so what good would it be here?  We’re settling the dispute by going to this party together, that’s all there is to it.  As for Camillia, sometimes I feel she just takes things way too personally.  Now no worries; I can handle this, and so can she, as well as you.”

   He pulled Aranelion forward and onto the elevator where the three of them rode down it, silent, but glancing at each other, Camillia standing apart from the twins, as far as she could, kind of upset with both of them now, but Elianaron more than either of them.

   The walk to Elianaron’s SUV was equally as silent and tense.  As he walked beside Camillia he glanced at her and said, “Give me his keys; you go ahead and get in the car with him and I’ll go ‘get’ them.”

   She let out a sigh and said, “Whatever Ell…I don’t see why you’re doing this; all three of us know that the keys aren’t in his car.  Why can’t we just be adults and make up?”

   Elianaron stepped in front of her, snatching the keys from her hand and replied, “Oh, Air and I have already made up…he and I always make up…you just haven’t learned how our little games go.”

   Camillia glared at him, and putting her boa back on she said, “You know something Elianaron?  I wish you stop acting like a jerk and be sweet again like you were when you moved here.  Humph, and you wonder why I like Aranelion better now.  At least he’s not a stuck up meanie like you are.”

   With a huff, she stormed ahead, and Elianaron let out a laugh, followed by a sigh as he shook his head.  He muttered, “I have turned into an animal haven’t I Camillia?”  He watched as she caught up with Aranelion and continued, “But it’s better this way I think…you and Aranelion need each other, and you’re better for him than you are for me; but, maybe I could still abandon the party scene a little for you, for us all…just…break it off with me…please, for me and you…and for Aranelion.”

   As he slowly caught up with them, he knew it would be better for him to tell her this out loud, but, he hung on to this game he played with Aranelion, and wasn’t going to persuade her to go in either direction; he was only hoping this showdown between them tonight would be enough to help her with this choice.

   When they arrived at the party, Camillia watched as Elianaron introduced Aranelion to all of his friends, and could see Aranelion was already enthusiastic about what was to come.  She was scared; as much as she cared about helping Elianaron, she wasn’t about to let Aranelion lose control like he did.  She was beginning to think that breaking up with him would be the perfect wake up call, and because of his strong bond with his brother, Aranelion could help him through it.

   Still, as Elianaron got ready to play the first song and the party goers got ready to dance, she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to do this.  She walked up to Aranelion, who was cheering with everyone else, and taking his arm she had to raise her voice to be heard when she said, “Aranelion!  I…I think I’m going to break up with Elianaron…but, I don’t know how…I don’t want to hurt him.”

   Aranelion could  barely hear what she said, but had heard enough of it to know what was about to happen.  He pulled her to the edge of the crowd where they could hear better, and said, “You’re not gonna hurt my brother Camillia…he’s not going to break down if you break it off with him.  My only question is…what’s with the sudden decision?”

   Camillia let out a small gasp, looking at Elianaron once more before returning her gaze to Aranelion’s face.  She lowered her eyes and said, “It’s not really all that sudden I guess…I just, for awhile now I’ve realized I was never truly happy with him…and at the same time I…I realized someone else was able to make me happier than he ever could, despite how much I will always love him as a friend.”  Her voice got quieter and smaller with each word she spoke; for the first time, she felt shy and embarrassed just for saying such a thing to Aranelion.

   He could sense this nervousness in her; he simply smiled, let out a happy sigh, and pulled her into a hug.  She was startled at first, but slowly returned the hug as he said, “Just tell him the same thing you told me, every last word of it.  Be honest with him; I know my brother, and he’s still caring and understanding…any human from here to Cliffdale Heights could tell you that.  Everything will be okay, I promise.”

   As they pulled out of their hug, he grinned and said, “And you don’t have to worry about me…I won’t catch any party animal disease or anything, and Elianaron will be okay too.  I’ve had a talk with him and he let me know he’ll be alright.  Let’s try and enjoy ourselves for now and you can talk to him when you get home tonight.”

   Camillia smiled, but before she could answer, the spotlight flew over the two and Elianaron looked to them, speaking to the audience, “And these two, ladies and gentlemen, of course Camillia the Cat, and my twin brother Aranelion.  Let’s give them a round of applause as they start off the first dance of the night, what do you say?”

   The two looked to each other as the audience cheered, and Aranelion in good spirits let out his own shout, and taking Camillia’s hand, pulled her into the middle of the crowd, shouting to Elianaron, “Let it roll Ell!  Take it away!” Elianaron returned the cry, and started his band off with the first song, called “Do You Love Me?”

   Aranelion’s good spirits and encouragement brightened Camillia’s heart and she found the will to party again.  She and Aranelion lit up the dance floor, and what was most interesting was how quickly Aranelion took to the party scene.  It was true; despite his more stable and carefree outlook on life, he was still able to party as hard as his friends.  Camillia was finally able to see this side of him, as was Elianaron.  The only difference was Elianaron already knew it was there, but had to encourage Aranelion to show it, and as he played and sang, he watched the two of them dance happily.  For once, things were finally going right; all it would take now was for Camillia to find the courage to take Aranelion’s advice to break it off with Elianaron, and hopefully confess her feelings to Aranelion afterward.

   By the end of the song, the entire party was up and dancing; however, the focus was still on Aranelion and Camillia, who struck a pose at the end of the song.  Camillia had her hands in the air, and Aranelion flexed his fingers, almost as if he was using sign language.  As the crowd cheered, Camillia’s smile turned into a gasp; she saw Aranelion glancing at her, but her eyes moved to the hand he held up in the air.  The way his fingers were bent…she saw that he was signing, “I love you” to her in sign language, but where only she could see it, and no one else could know it.

   After he saw her recognize this, he shook his head, grinning, and headed for the door; since they had decided he should take his own car before they left, he figured it would be best to head on over to Kawai’s, for he knew he had just gone against the deal he made with Elianaron, even though Elianaron had done this too in his actions towards Camillia’s earlier.  In his heart he knew this had done nothing for Camillia’s decision, which she had already clearly made, even though he was unsure if he was the one she had give her love to.

   Elianaron watched as Camillia dashed off after Aranelion, and again he knew what was coming down.  He thought, “I’ll always love you Camillia, but you’re happier with Aranelion, and well, he can take care of you better than I can.  I have to do a lot of changing before I’ll be ready for any serious commitment, but I know it’ll come for me someday, and both Air and I will have someone to love.  For now, I’m just glad you two can be happy.”  With a grin on his face, he continued on with the party and started the next song.  This was out of his hands now, and he knew that he would have to hold true to his promise, not just because he promised Aranelion and Camillia he would, but to help shape a promising future for him, and for all he would ever become.

   Outside, Aranelion was getting into his own SUV, but was stopped by Camillia, who cried out to him and asked, “Aranelion, where are you going?  It’s only eight ‘o’ clock?  You have at least half an hour right?”

   Aranelion glanced at her, still smiling, but able to see she was in distress over something.  He shook his head and said, “I remembered I promised the act before me I would come in early so he could get off early…he’ll owe me about half an hour in the future this way…and it’s extra pay for the month too.”

   As he got into the car, buckling up and putting his keys in the ignition, Camillia grabbed his arm, keeping him from closing the door as he started up the vehicle.  She cried, “But Aranelion!  What about back there?  Didn’t you sign me something in sign language at the end of the song?”

   The hybrid echidna let out a sigh and said, “Aww Camillia, just…yes I did, and it’s a silly question for you to ask because you and I both know you know plenty of sign language to know what I meant.  I feel kind of stupid doing it now, but I just couldn’t help myself…when your heart starts screaming something at you it’s kind of hard to ignore it…so I let it out in the quietest, simplest way I could think to.”

   Camillia looked at him in disbelief, hanging on even tighter to his arm and whimpering, “Stupid?  Why do you feel stupid for it?  I mean…is that how you really feel?”

   Aranelion looked straight ahead of him, knowing he wasn’t following the advice he had given her earlier by trying to deny his feelings, but he wasn’t ready to speak it yet either.  He sighed, hanging his head and said, “Look, Camillia, you’re still Elianaron’s girlfriend, and I’m not going to steal his girlfriend from him.  I signed it because you told me that you were ready to give him up anyway, but you also mentioned having someone else you care about…so I…I, never mind.”  He growled softly, slamming his free fist on the steering wheel, growing more and more embarrassed and feeling even dumber than before; he was only making a fool of himself now.

   “But Aranelion, I…you shouldn’t feel stupid…I mean, how can you know…?” Camillia started.

   Slowly pulling his arm free from her grasp he shook his head and said, “Just forget about it okay?  Please!”  He pulled the door shut, but rolled the window down and said, “I’m gonna be late…Camillia, I’m sorry.”

   He put the car into reverse, but before he could pull free from the parking lot, Camillia ran back up to the driver’s side window and cried, “Aranelion, please!  Can we talk about this later?  Please, I have to talk to you…it’s important…please.”

   Aranelion clenched a tightly inhaled breath, letting it out slowly as his cringed eyes also opened.  He looked at her, still feeling stupid for how he was acting, but at the same time he recognized that he had no need to be.  He knew Camillia was more concerned about him than anything else, and also knew that he would have to practice what he preached and admit his feelings to her eventually, especially after what he had done, and even more so now that things between her and Elianaron were dissolving.

   He let out the rest of his breath in a happy sigh, looked to her, smiling and said, “Fine with me…when’s a good time for you?  I’ll be off work around eleven.”

   Camillia finally smiled again and said, “Wow, umm, that’s earlier than normal isn’t it?”

   Aranelion grinned and said, “Well, the boss is bringing in some new acts tonight.  It’s a rule, the newer acts have to start off working later hours.  Since I’m a popular act I’ve gotten earlier hours, so that’s why.”

   “Oh,” she said, letting out a giggle with a sparkle in her eyes.  She continued, “Then, umm, just come up to my apartment went you get home…because I do, I need to talk to you about something…okay?”

   Glancing up at the now full moon, Aranelion nodded and said, “Sounds good to me…I’ll see you then.”  As he got ready to drive off, he added, “Besides, I have something to tell you too.”  He paused, then finished, “Goodbye.”

   As he pulled on to the road and went on his way, Camillia clasped her hands together over her heart, a few happy tears welling up in her eyes, she shut her eyes tightly to suppress them, inhaling and exhaling a shaky breath as she looked up to the moon and stars and whispered, “Oh Aranelion…please…please tell me the words we need to speak are the same.  It would be my dream realized…made real.  Let it be…please.”

   She looked back to the building, and realizing she had to deal with Elianaron first, she sighed quietly, running back to the party, even though the late night talk she had planned with Aranelion, as well as what she had to tell him, remained the focus of her thoughts.