Pairings off all kind

Underneath the surface

The most beautiful woman entered her room and looked tried.
Slowly she sat down and tried to ignore the headache that was forming itself.
Dead.
She still couldn't believe it.
Dead.
Her brother.
More then once she had trued to kill himself.
Dead.
How could that be?
How could anyone kill him?
But it hadn't been anyone.
It had been one of the faceless.
Killed by a god.

A bittersweet smile formed on China's face and she raised her head until she could look outside.
It was the perfect weather, the kind of weather that gets everyone to leave their house to go for a walk.
China hated it.
Dead.
Again and again sge told herself, he was never going to get on her nerves.
He was never again going to run her plans or try to get her to correct him.
She missed him.
Killer by a god.
The gods he had no longer believed in, the gods that he had called greedy and merciless.
It seemed he had been right, there had been no mercy.
Not for him.

China wondered what Bliss would think about his own death.
With a sigh she got up and left the room again.
Her time to mourn was over, the burial would have to be organised and certain preparations had to be made.
Dead.
While China walked trough her library she wondered if she would have died if Bliss hadn't come.
Probably not.
Still, he was dead.

Aurora had heard a lot of her, she had heard the rumours above her beauty abd above her cold heart.
She, most people claimed, is as heartless as she is beautiful.
When people gossiped they told her hiw smart the most beautiful woman of the world was.
How smart and how heartless.
How determined she was and how cold.

Now that China walked into the room, Aurora knew that the part about her beauty hadn't been a lie.
About the other thinghs she still knew nothingh.
The oy other thingh she noticed was the exhaustion on her face.
China looked like a battery that had run out of energy.

,,You look awful."greeted Aurira her, while the most beautiful woman took place next to her.

,,And you look just like a littel sunshine."replied China and told the bartender that she would like to have a martini.
The bartender just starred.
China sighed.

,,Thank you."Aurira said abd then glared at the bartender ,,It is impolite to stare, Don't you think?"

The bartender looked at her with confusion, as if he was waking up from a dream ,,But she is so beautiful."

,,That is not a reason."told Aurora him and glared again at him.

The bartender walked away.

,,Maybe I should hire you as a bodyguard."remarked China amused.

,,Of course you should, I would be great. Like a ninja."

,,You aren't a ninja."replied China with a frown.

,,That's why I would be like a ninja."

,,How is someone like a ninja?"questioned China.

,,I guess by beeing a ninja."replied Aurora with a smile.

China sighed ,,I am organising Bliss burial."

,,How is that going?"asked Aurora.

,,I think I am going to let him be buried in the family crypt."told China her.

,,He would have hated that."remarked Aurora.

,,Certainly."admitted China ,,But if he doesn't like it, he can come back and complain."

,,I can't imagine Bliss complain."admitted Aurora.

,,That is because you never met him, when he was still young, he was so...different."told China her ,,Anyway if he had wanted to have a different burial he should have let instructions."

,,I don't think he knew he was dying."replied Aurora.

,,Nobody ever does."

,,How is it going with Valkyrie abs Skulduggery?"

,,They are all angry I betrayed them."said China with a sigh.

,,It was a long time ago."

,,That doesn't matter.
At least not to them."said China and looked down at the Martini the bartender had brought her.
Aurora felt as if she could she the loneliness on China's face.

,,They will come around."assured Arora her, but it was an empty phrase.

,,Maybe."China said, but she didn't sound as if she believed it.

Spontaneously Aurora got up and hugged her.
Normally China would never be herself allowed to be hugged, but this was an emergency.
Slowly she hugged Aurora back.

China never invited someone in her private rooms.
They were like a castel that was only hers and no one was allowed to enter it.
Out of that reason she had no photos no paintings, nothing that indicated a personal life.
No one ever saw these rooms, there was no reason to pretend.

,,I like it."said Aurora and it sounded honest.

When China turned around she could watch Aurora, who was looking at the titles of the books.

,,You are the first one."told China her and in the back of her mind she remembered someone else.
Back when she had lived somewhere else, there ha been someone she had let into her life.
She had let her walls down for this one person and in the end she had been left with a shattered heart.
Again she was about to risk letting someone hurt her.

,,I feel honored."Aurora replied and then smiled at her ,,Maybe you could give me a littel tour?"

Chinas private life only consists of two rooms and a bath room, that are both not very big.
Still she shows Aurora every thingh in the two rooms.
First the living room and then the bedroom.
While she leads Aurora trough the rooms she can feel her warm present.
Again and again Aurora asks her about the story from one thingh or another.
China is letting her walls down.

When the kiss comes it is no suprise to either to them.
It is soft and sweet.
It's a beginning.

In a way it reminds China off all the people that look at her lips and what to kiss her.
Off all these people's that want to get behind her walls, but they never plan to stay.
They look at her and they find her beautiful.
All they see is the outside and that's all they ever want.

China remembers the party her family would throw and the gazes that followed her everywhere.
Sometimes she can still hear her family whispering into her ear that she has to use the way she looks.
As if that's all she is.

When Aurora looks at her China looks back into her eyes and she feels recognised.
As if Aurora knows who she is.
Understands.

When the kisses become more abd more serious China wonders if Aurira really knows who she is.
Does she kniw about all the awful thinghs she did?

Later China tells her, whispers into her lovers ear.
Like a confession.
Aurora turns around and smiles at her ,,It doesn't matter you are still the same."

It is the most beautiful smile China has ever seen.