Romeo and Juliet: the Play
Ch3: Saints

"Kanda!" Rinari's voice was no longer quite as friendly. "Hold still!" she commanded. She ran a brush through his long black hair, admiring how long, silky, and shiny it was, not to mention there was not a split end in sight. How could such wondrous hair be only washed with something as simple as soap?

Kanda openly scowled at her, twisting again the rope that bound him fast against the chair. "Can you untie me now?" he said, bored.

"Almost," Rinari said as she finished curling the ends of his hair as she stranded white pearls randomly in the black mass. "There, she said, proudly patting her handiwork. "I hope Rabi's done with his share…"

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"There! Finished," Rabi said, sighing contently. He didn't exactly know how, but he got roped into helping the cast to put on their costumes and such. "Costume?"

"Check."

"Lines?" Rabi asked.

"Check."

"Perfect," Rabi grinned. One less finished, now he didn't have to worry anymore about Allen.

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Allen stood in one of the wings, a little nervous, and wishing that for once he wasn't so stupid and that he hadn't been suckered into doing a play. Kanda would be laughing at me if he could see me right now, he thought miserably. How was he supposed to earn the other's respect if Kanda was too busy laughing (or mostly likely just smugly smirking) at him instead?

He could hear Rinari on the other side of the, her voice drifting across the Science Department turned theater as she narrated the beginning, and the occasional screech of "that's my precious Rinari up there!".Yes, we all know who your sister is, Komui. "Two households both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny…" Why does the prologue have to be so long? He thought, bored, and tempted to seriously fall asleep.

"…which but their children's end, naught could remove. is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; the which if you with patient ears attend, what here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend." Finally, finished! Allen thought gleefully only to be disappointed as he was forced to listlessly listen to the banter and fight between the Montague and Capulet followers.

Every time his cue came, Allen thought the words coming out of his mouth sounded incredibly out of character and stupid, especially the one part where Romeo was pining after some woman called Rosaline or something like that.

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like a thorn," Romeo said, voicing through Allen.

"If love be rough with you, be rough with love…" Rabi replied as Mercutio, smirking. They were surrounded by quietly chatting actors, so that their own voices and lines wouldn't be overwhelmed. Allen, Rabi, and Crowley – who was playing Benvolio, recited their lines to each other for several moments.

An orchestra was playing in the background, happy and boisterous, and it was at the moment that Allen looked up, and had it not been for the fact this was the actual performance, his jaw would've dropped to the ground and kept on going. Sir Capulet – played by Komui, to his sister's urging, had gotten up on stage for the actual Sir Capulet had called in sick – and Juliet entered the stage, but it wasn't Sir Capulet he was concerned of.

It was who was playing Juliet.

Allen suddenly felt his cheeks flushed, and saw how he and Kanda suddenly and froze and how the Japanese boy refused to look his way, but that didn't mean he wasn't allowed to stare.

This must be Rinari's handiwork. His eyes trailed all over Kanda and his costume, poorly hiding his admiration. Boy, did she do a good job. Rinari's sewing skills shone through on Kanda's thin, tight costume of sapphire satin, violet fishnets, and black lace – very gothic, but it only enhanced Kanda's dark, exotic beauty.

Allen felt even stupider saying his next lovesick words or Romeo, and slightly queasy, because there was some truth in Romeo's words. "…To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

This was only a play, so why on earth did Kanda suddenly look so femininely attractive? Was Kanda thinking the same thing? "Which mannerly devotion shows in this?" Allen raised an eyebrow. Was the other really blushing, or was it the light? He found himself hoping it wasn't the latter."For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" Allen asked.

"Aye, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer," Kanda replied.

"Oh, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

Somehow in the conversation between "Romeo" and "Juliet", they had moven closer, and Allen began to twirl Kanda in a slow dance to match the sweet, lilting melody. Allen drew a little closer, brushing his lips against Kanda's and then drawing back in slight embarrassment. "Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged." Hey, Rabi didn't change this part at all! Allen realized.

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took," Kanda commanded.

"Sin from thy lips? Oh trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again." Maybe this isn't so bad, Allen mused as he grabbed Kanda's chin, forcefully smashing their lips together again.

Kanda smiled softly, again, challenging Allen's sanity. "You kiss by the book."