✧█ ＳＴＡＲＬＩＧＨＴ ｆｕｒｕｂａ acc. 1

[Welan]

The first thing that he noticed as Chi started to talk was the mug in her hands. It was one of the things that Kouji had procured for her, without any hesitation like always he bought exactly what she wanted within the day. Whatever Chi wanted, Kouji got for her. He never felt any sense of attachment to any material items or people for that matter but anytime he saw Chi using anything that he bought for her, it definitely gave him a sense of accomplishment and pride. Even if he never physically bought it with his money, Chi seemed to like it when Kouji would order one of his 'friends' to buy it for him in his place. She started to become more interested in his power much more when he became the student council president and obtained a rather tight group of people who would do a lot for him. He figured it was a power thing and left it at that.

He met her eyes as he listened to her rather dull but expected answer to his question. Kouji knew that Chi was uninterested in his personal affairs but it never stopped him from trying to get a reaction out of her either way. Maybe it was the constant same look that Chi gave him that only made him to tease her more, hoping for a fluster or a glare just like how his other girlfriends would give him, but then again that would only make Chi boring, and Kouji didn't want that at all. So he was a hypocrite when it came to Chi but it was all her fault anyway, she made him this way.

He stayed silent but instead gave her a grin when she reached out to take a sweet potato out of his bag. His eyes continued to focus on Chi's lips as she started to nibble on the vegetable, her mannerisms was so similar to her zodiac animal it was almost uncanny. “Pfftt- you look like a frickin' squirrel,” he joked about her cute actions.

They continued to walk together with Chi leading the two, before finishing her sentence the two was in the front seats of a particular pair standing outside in the yard. Akatsuki and Yasu were together in Akatsuki's private yard. Akatsuki looked rather tense but Yasu looked rather calm and collected, but one thing was clear they both were unhappy to be in the presence of the other. Whatever it was, Kouji was too far away to listen in to their conversation but still it wouldn't hurt to remember this scene for the next time he was with Akatsuki. He wondered what kind of face Akatsuki would give him if he mentioned he saw Yasu with him? An astonished face? A bored face? Maybe it would be a hateful face? Wouldn't that be the best, if Akatsuki got mad at him again? He hasn't visited his loving God in a while and missed his touch, so he might put it into his schedule if he had some free time later this week or so.

“Who knows maybe they're having a lover's spat?” Kouji randomly guessed as he and Chi started making their way somewhere else. He looked down at Chi, which wasn't too hard considering she was so adorably short. Just like that, she grabbed at his hand and started her way somewhere else. She mentioned breakfast and Kouji's ears just perked up. Breakfast did sound really good after a hard run, plus if Chi was making it for him, how can he resist?

They made their way to the empty kitchen which was surprising considering the time it was but no matter, it made it perfect for just them two. As she let go of his hand, Chi got started on whatever she was going to make for breakfast, leaving Kouji alone and standing there watching. He was a good cook and had basic skills like most people but there was something watching Chi make food for the pair that made him feel like a little boy again. The beautiful housewife and the worker husband was the normal ideal that people went for but it was all too boring, and Chi and Kouji were far from boring. They were hatred, chaos and misery all spun into a couple.

He wanted to be useful to her in more ways than just being the person that got her material items. If he could have been reborn, he would have liked to be been reborn as Chi's arms, then he would be the most useful to her. No, not her heart or brain but her arms. He would be completely in her and she would be completely dependent on him. His love was strange and wrong but his heart was in the right place.

“Sure go ahead, what are you planning on making?” Kouji asked as he started to tie up his hair in a ponytail “Let me help you, we'll probably be done quicker which means we could eat quicker too,” He made his way to the sink and started to wash his hands, already making himself part of whatever she was doing.


OOC;; edit;; WHOOP WHOOP page 3 LOLZ

[walking distance]

“Prince?” Cheiko echoed, shaking out her short hair to rid of some of the rain that had accumulated. Ai had an interesting way of giving compliments, to say the least, but at least her intentions were good. Besides, with Ai being so adorable and all, Cheiko was sure many people would line up to be her prince, so she took it as an honor. “I guess I’m pretty lucky then.” Then, as the brunette climbed on, Cheiko sang, “And now I’m your royal steed!” With that, she sprinted towards the front door—anything to get away from the rising tension between Yasu and Aka. Cheiko could tell that Ai had noticed their dispute by the way she tensed on her back, and once they were out of earshot, the Dragon said to the Rabbit reassuringly, “It’s okay, it’s nothing. Yasu’s probably just grumpy; he’s never up this early.” She masked her irritation quite well. What was such a big deal that Yasu couldn’t wait until later to talk to Aka?

“And yes, of course we can make tea. We should make some for Chouko and Umeki too, I think they’d appreciate it,” she smiled. By now the front door was in sight and Cheiko noticed two figures standing in front of it, out in the rain. She instantly recognized Kouyou by his bright red hair—of course she did, he was the closest thing she had to a son. And the closest thing to a 24/7 pain in the a**, Cheiko thought, noting his clothing, or more accurately, lack thereof. As she ran closer she squinted through the rain and vaguely recognized the girl. Wasn’t that Ai’s friend? “Ai, it looks like your friend came to visit?” Cheiko nudged the Rabbit on her back. Yes, it was definitely her, based on how she gave her handkerchief to Kouyou in the rain. It was a dumb but thoughtful move that confirmed Cheiko’s suspicions. When they were near the door Cheiko set gently Ai down onto the porch, and she was about to greet Tamiko before something else caught her attention—

“Hey, a*****e!” Cheiko snapped at Kouyou, whacking the back of his head with a firm hand. “What were you planning to get out of that?” She pointed at his muddy feet and calves, her eyes flashing. What did he have against shoes? At least Ai was only walking in the grass, so her feet were relatively clean; nothing you couldn’t wipe off with a towel. Kouyou would probably have to do some serious scrubbing. “God knows you probably stepped on something and hurt yourself, you better check your feet for blood, think of the poor cleaning ladies…” she muttered as she headed towards the door to unlock it. It was then that she remembered Tamiko’s presence and turned around to smile brightly, if a bit apologetically. “Hi, you’re Tamiko, right? I’m sorry Kouyou didn’t invite you in sooner, he’s not very well-trained…Kouyou, help her with her stuff.” Then she noticed how flushed Tamiko was—like she had a fever or something, but Cheiko knew better. She was a doctor after all, and Kouyou was right there, shirtless. Even as his stand-in mother she couldn’t deny that he was attractive and well-built, which is why she went easier on him sometimes. She sighed, and shook her head as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. “And put on a shirt.”

Upon stepping in, Cheiko took off her shoes and reached for a towel, one of many thoughtfully placed next to the door by a maid. As she dried her hair and face she noticed that Hotaru was sitting next to the door, eating a piece of toast. What a dumb place to sit, she thought, looking away as if she didn’t even see the Cat in the first place. What with Yasu and Aka already bickering and Ai hurting herself and Kouyou looking like a mess before the day started, she wasn’t in the mood to address Hotaru. Besides, she didn’t have anything in particular to say to her, except nice place to sit and eat sarcastically, of course. “Ai, come with me to the bathroom,” she said, already heading down the hall, but not without a look back at Kouyou that practically said don’t you dare come into the house with those muddy feet.

In the bathroom, Cheiko cleaned the small wound deftly and put a Hello Kitty bandaid on Ai’s finger. “Dry your hair and change out of your clothes, and I’ll meet you for breakfast, okay?” she smiled at the Rabbit and sent her on her way, and then she looked at the shower briefly and realized how good a warm shower would feel right now. I have responsibilities… Cheiko thought, staring longingly at the glass. But even the Dragon couldn’t resist the idea of being clean and fresh. Kouyou can use the other bathroom.


★

It was the shortest shower of Cheiko’s life and she was loathe to leave its warmth, but she had promised Ai French toast and she usually had to make more than planned. It was one of many ‘benefits’ living in a family with more than a dozen people at their prime, but Cheiko didn’t mind cooking from time to time. She could do French toast. Pulling on a loose sweater and a pair of pajama shorts (she obviously didn’t plan on going out for the time being), the Dragon left the bathroom, counting on her hair to dry without extra attention. She passed by Hotaru again and ignored the Cat once more, rounding the corner to the kitchen. As she did so she noticed Umeki in the family room, looking outside and standing silently enough so that it was easy to miss her. “Good morning, Umeki!” she called cheerfully to the Ox, and then she noticed she wasn’t alone in the kitchen.

“Ah, good morning to you two, too,” Cheiko nodded, with no less warmth and a tinge of surprise. It was a bit awkward though, considering Cheiko didn’t know Chiasa nor Kouji as well as she did most of the other Zodiac members. They were quite similar, in a way, both of them somewhat distant but polite to Cheiko at least. She always assumed they were dating but it seemed to be a little more than that, considering different women continued to file in and out of Kouji’s room. An open relationship? Cheiko thought as she went to the fridge and took out a two cartons of eggs and a carton of heavy cream. It seemed too complicated—Cheiko would be happy enough in a simple relationship as it was. “If you need eggs, there’re some right here,” Cheiko indicated towards the counter at the cartons, taking the burner furthest from Chiasa and heating up a pan.

God, it was awkward. Cheiko felt a bit like a third wheel as she whisked a generous amount of cream and a few eggs together in a bowl, padding around the kitchen looking for some bread. “Umeki, do you want some French toast?” she called, hoping someone would come be her fourth wheel.

[xxPEACHFUZZ]

▉▉▉▉ ♔ ▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉▉

* s - set ┇ mex❤xFREE ╯
leave me bexxxleave me bexxxleave me bexxxleave me bexxxleave me bexxx
xxxxxxxxxx→ i don't.WANNA 〈 f - fall ✿ 〉
xxANOTHER ⊱ M ✿ M E N T INTO!YOUR
g - gravityxxxxg - gravityxxxxg - gravityxxxxg - gravityxxxxg - gravity

Ai wiggled her nose around to avoid a sneeze; she didn't want to risk sneezing on Cheiko. She sighed again, but this time it was like a mother who gave up on stopping her children from fighting. Yasu and Aka would always fight, and as long as they didn't bring her into it, then Ai was okay. "You're right. They both are probably hungry; we should make breakfast for them too." It was impossible that the two would ever be done with their battle before breakfast was over, but the thought was a nice one, and Ai put it in her pocket for a rainy day. Well, the next rainy day. She giggled at herself, and got a mouthful of rainwater. The Rabbit couldn't help it any more, and she sneezed. Thinking back, she should have dressed better for her walk. Constant scoldings from Cheiko and Yasu should have taught her a lesson, but Ai was carefree and rebellious in her own ways. Her small rebellion might have come back to bite her as she sneezed again, silently apologizing to Cheiko's back.

In the distance, Ai could see the figures that the Dragon was referring to. No one could miss the bright red hair that belonged to Kouyou's head, or the shade of crimson that was on Tamiko's face. Ai wondered if poor Tamiko had a fever. Ai was set on the porch, and she immediately gravitated toward Tamiko, ignoring her cousins for a second. "Tami-chan!" she smiled and greeted the girl with a hug. "Have you come to bake? I think it might be a little early for cake..." It wasn't the first time Tamiko had come to see Ai regarding desserts, although it had been a while since she had seen the brunette. "Would you like to come inside?" she asked, observing that her friend was soaked and holding bags of groceries. She was about to help Tamiko with her groceries when she heard Cheiko order Kouyou to do it. Ai decided that she would let him do it, since he was the stronger one and Ai's head seemed to feel light again. Achoo!

She trailed behind Cheiko to the bathroom like a duckling following its mother. There she was patched up with her favorite Hello Kitty band-aid, and sent to her room to dry off and change. The Rabbit shivered as she walked to her room, and she could hear voices coming from the kitchen. Her head still felt fuzzy as she opened her bedroom door, and she noticed that her feet had trailed grass onto the floor. Ai giggled softly and she grabbed a towel to dry herself and wipe her feet off with. Stomach grumbling, she quickly changed into a pair of overalls with a cute white shirt patterned with bunnies underneath. She was pulling on a pair of polka dotted socks when she heard Cheiko's voice come from the kitchen. There was another grumble in the rabbit's stomach, and the promise of French toast made her move too fast for someone with such a fuzzy head at the moment. She fell backward, and bumped into her dresser. Her body felt hot, and she knew she should stay in bed, but the careless Rabbit disregarded it and caught her breath before going to join her family in the kitchen.

There could not have been a stranger mix of people in the kitchen than there were this morning. It felt almost like the time Tamiko put salt in the cookie batter on accident. The sweet Cheiko and charming Kouji, and then there was Chiasa. Her chest felt tight as she greeted everyone, even Chiasa. There wasn't a mean bone in Ai's body, but when it came to the Rat she felt utter discomfort and distrust. Her body still felt hot, and she thought it was from irritation, but Cheiko might have described it as a fever. She heard the Dragon call for Umeki, who was in the next room. "I'll go get her," She volunteered, wanting to escape the kitchen, or rather Chiasa. Her brain still felt fuzzy and light as she padded down the short hallway to the family room. It was only a short walk but Ai was breathing heavily, and her vision blurred a little. It looked like there were two Umekis instead of one, which was strange to Ai. "Ume-" before she could finish calling out to the Ox, she lost her balance and collapsed on the floor. Her breath was heavy and she could feel her surroundings starting to fade.

Then darkness.


┅ ┅ ┅ ( ❤ HERE ) iam &x&' I.S-STAND
xxxxxxxxxxxxs - so tall! s - so tall! s - so tall! s - so tall! s - so tall!
xxxxxjust!the W - WAY ⇡'M﹝ ✿ ﹞SUPPOSED to bex!
but you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxx
but you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxxbut you're on to mexxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx◟ A - AND allover ┇ ❤ me

[frayedflower]

Inwardly, the tiger cringed when he saw her flinch as if he’d just slapped her. Kouyou guessed in a way, he sort of had. Some guy comes out of nowhere and starts yelling at you, it was about the same thing. Not like he could take it back now, though; even if he felt a small twinge of remorse, his expression didn’t change. If she reacted like that, though, then she definitely couldn’t be anyone troublesome. Call it tiger’s instinct.

Then she started talking, and her voice just further cemented her role in the world: prey, prey, prey. Not that he was out to hunt her or anything (man that sounded weird), but she radiated softness and uncertainty. The only difference between her and the deer in the woods was that she hadn’t run away from him yet. That meant either she was made of more than she seemed as a glance… or she was as stunned as a deer in headlights.

She said Ai’s name, and he perked up a bit; so that was it. One of Ai’s friends. “Never heard of you, “ and even if it sounded gruff, he really wasn’t surprised he hadn’t heard her name before now. It wasn’t like he and Ai were really close or anything… which was really nobody’s fault but Kouyou’s own, but that wasn’t a train of thought worth pursuing right now with a girl staring him in the face. He was trying to come up with a good way to say she was in the right place (because it really shouldn’t have been difficult, but he always made things harder than they had to be) when she started walking away. Well, s**t. Hurry up and say something to her already! He opened his mouth to tell her. But then, abruptly, she stopped and put her groceries down on the soaking wet ground. “What the -- hey, what are you -- “

He thought for a second maybe she was trying to balance the bags and the umbrella when she opened it up, but she hadn’t done that in the first place, and it didn’t make any sense to change approaches now if she couldn’t handle that in the first place. His mind was running a mile a minute, even if his lips were just curled in a slight frown, head tilted to a side. Then, he got an answer; she came back to him, holding the umbrella over his head and extending a handkerchief. He took a slight step back, easing onto the balls of his feet, and didn’t look half as surprised as he was. The ‘deer in headlights’ just tried to take care of the tiger. It didn’t take a whole lot to put the tiger at a loss for words, so of course he couldn’t think of a damned thing to say.

Then the wind blew and for the first time, he really felt the chill of the air. Kouyou saw her struggling with the umbrella and nearly made a move to help her, but she got in under control before he had the chance. More importantly, he actually got a good look at her. Her eyes were wide and expressive, accentuated by a beauty mark, and she was smiling like -- he felt a small surge of heat to his face and tried to shrug it off with a low growl under his breath, directed at no one but himself as he took the strip of cloth from her. “It’ll get dirty if I use it.” Well if he was saying that, then why the hell had he even taken it in the first place? “I, uh… Ai, uh… “ Great. Now it just sounded like he was mumbling like a moron.

Then he heard her stomach growl, and somehow, her embarrassment put him a little more at ease. Come to think of it, she was looking pretty red; look at her. She must have been out in the rain for awhile. She was probably catching a damn cold or something. He gnawed at his lower lip before trying to muster up the words to tackle this situation. That’s right. He’d offer to carry her groceries, get her a stupid waffle or something, and text Ai to find out where she was. He could do this. “Listen, “ and he started off strong on that one.

“Hey, a*****e!”

Just in time for that and a smack in the back of the head. It didn’t really hurt, but Kouyou snarled indignantly regardless. Couldn’t she see he was in the middle of talking to someone!? “Hey, come on! It was ******** relaxing, alright?! And my feet are fine!” Not like he really knew; wouldn’t be the first time he accidentally trailed blood into the house, but that was beside the point here. The cleaning ladies never complained to his face when he came back from a run anyway, and he tried to keep clean. Mostly. Sort of.

Then Cheiko went ahead and took charge with the Tamiko situation. “I was just about to offer anyway!” he snapped, grabbing the bags roughly and cursing under his breath. Even if he glared and sputtered irritably the whole way, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, he was actually sort of relieved the dragon had shown up when she did. Knowing him, he probably would’ve just kept shoving his feet further down his throat in his lame-a** attempt to coax her inside. “Tamiko, follow me, “ and at least he said that without any problems; but like always, he sounded so much gruffer about it than he really wanted to.

“What did you think, that I was just gonna waltz around half-naked all day?” he grumbled to himself at the put-some-damn-clothes-on bit; it wasn’t like he’d been expecting to run into anyone along the way! No one ever came to the house. It figured it would be today. Cheiko’s look wasn’t lost on him though. He sighed irritably as he placed the groceries gently inside the house and then flopped down, grabbing one of the towels that the maids had left out. Then, like he realized he was being rude, he instead extended it to Tamiko, shuffling over so she would have enough room to get past him and head inside. He didn’t make direct eye contact as he mumbled, almost under his breath, “I’m Kouyou Miyamoto. Ai’s my cousin, couple of times removed.” The stupid handkerchief had gotten dirty anyway in his grip. He made as if to hand it back to her, but instead thought better of it and said, “I can get this washed…” He tried especially hard to make it sound like it wasn’t a problem.

Of course, Cheiko was right; his stupid foot WAS bleeding. Damnit. When wasn't she right?

[Welan]

CHOUKOCHOUKOCH███████ ████████ ██ ﹝ ♥ ﹞ ██ ████████ █████ ███ █████
•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko•••chouko

█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ ↘↘ ♞♘ • BRAVE STALLION ⋙⊹ 〖r i d e〗 . . . //
choukochoukochoukochoukochoukochouk▇▇ ❖〉 i am not the p ♙w n • i am the q ♚ e e n • i am not the p ♙w n • i am the q ♚ e e n •
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ don't forget me, im here
choukoch
chouko
choI • •→ can't ; * ˟ ▇▇ EVEN s e e . . ✿ & ♥ & ☀ . . . her . : : ▫❀❀❀❀✖ ╲╲ ANYmore ₀₀
chchSHE WEREN'T EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE chchochoSHE WEREN'T EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE chchochSHE WEREN'T EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE ch
choukoch❖❖❖ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
choukochoukochouko█ " ;;「 That I was doing ► . . ஐ ; ; Smoking
choukochoukochouko█ " ;;「 That person with me ► . . ஐ ; ; No one
choukochoukochouko█ " ;;「 That what I'm feeling ► . . ஐ ; ; Nervous. tensed, tired
choukochoukochoukochouko❝IRON ON THE INSIDE, PORCELAIN ON THE OUTSIDE ❞ she said ¤ ¤ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
choukochoukochoukochouko▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄
choukochouko
chou： ♥ ▒▒▒ ' ─［ I dreampt I was a butterfly and I flew away .
chou： ♥ ▒▒▒ ' ─［ I dreampt I was a horse and i ran away .
choukoch██ but ██ they ██ were ██ just ██ dreams ██ ♘
███ ↗ ↗ CHOUKOMIYAMOTOchoukocho ★
choukochoukochoukochoukochouko▂▃▅ ♥ please find me ♥chouko

choukochoukochouko ♥ ♥
It was at her old house where she grew up in. She walked through the hallways, seeing the exact tickmarks that her mom marked and calculated everytime she grew, it all seemed so real. There was a pleasing smell in the air and Chouko looked down at her body, she was nine years old again. Her hands were small and her body was still short, way before when puberty struck that made Chouko into a six foot monster. Walking out of the hallway, she entered the kitchen. Her mom to the left, making a stew for dinner from the delicious smell that was emitting from the pot. Once her mom noticed her, she faced towards Chouko and told her to get ready for dinner, right after turning back to the food. It was just like a memory but something was different. Who was that man sitting at the table? She couldn't exactly figure out his face but he had jet black hair and a tall frame just like how she was going to be. The sun was glaring and Chouko had to place her hand on her head to block out the sunshine. It was so warm and nice but that instantly changed when Chouko she realized that the man sitting at the table had no face. How could it all change so quickly? The sun was gone and it became so cold and wrong. He stood up and started to walk towards little Chouko, his no face clearly visible now. She started to walk backwards slowly, unable to run. Her voice screamed out loud for her mom but her mom seemed to ignore her screams and continued to work on her strew. Her back was up against the wall and she had no where else to go. The man with no face was so close to her now, all she felt was cold fear. He towered over her and leaned forward, almost hovering over the young girl. It was so silent and dark, Chouko's voice was no where to be found. It was then he spoke in a whisper “It's your fault I'm dead,” he continued repeating himself “It's your fault I'm dead, It's your fault I'm dead, It's your fault I'm dead!” He was speaking faster and louder, and by the end of it, he was screaming furiously at her “IT'S YOUR FAULT I'M DEAD, IT'S YOUR FAULT I'M DEAD, IT'S YOUR FAULT I'M DEAD!!”

“....Hu, hu...hu...” Chouko gasped out, laying down in her bed that she shared with Akatsuki. She was drenched in a cold sweat and her hair was everywhere, in her unconsciousness state she must have been thrashing so violently that her prepped and covered hair from before fell apart. Saying nothing, she reached out her hands to Akatuski's side, hoping for the person she was looking for to be there yet she felt nothing, only emptiness. In a small voice, she asked out “...A-Aka? Are you...h-here?” but she got no answer but silence throughout the room. It was dark and cold, just like how it was in her dream, no it was no dream it was a nightmare. She couldn't remember much about it now that she was awake but only the man with no face and the words he screamed at her. “It's your fault I'm dead,” Chouko said out loud to herself. Her face felt wet so she touched it thinking it was more sweat but instead finding tears. 'How horrific' she thought to herself as she sat up 'Thank the gods that Akatsuki wasn't here to see this' Sitting up, it was clear to see that her fiancee was nowhere to be seen.

She placed her hands on his bedding and felt no warmth, indicating he was gone since way before Chouko had that nightmare. They shared no physical love for each other and perhaps no love at all. She did care for him more so than her other cousins but there was no shared love between the so-called couple. The horse played her part as the dutiful and caring soon-to-be the jade emperor's wife and he played his part as the God of the zodiac. It wasn't that she wouldn't love him, but it was that she couldn't. She knew it was the same for Akatsuki. Still they were good friends, that in itself was an accomplishment for Chouko who broke off most of her friendships years before.

Perhaps it was the accumulated stress and anxiety but these nightmares were much more graphic and frequent, tonight being the most severe out of them all. Sometimes when she looked at the elders, Yasu or even Akatsuki, there was pain in her stomach that made feel like she'd been punched. This whole family was scary and there was so few she could trust, all of them counted by one hand. The pain was hurtful but bearable so Chouko found no reason to visit Cheiko, though the dragon could definitely sense it when they hung out, always trying to make her comfortable and at ease. Cheiko was her first love, but she forgotten long ago, for all her love dried out the day the elders told her that they murdered her father for trying to run away from them with Chouko.

She looked at the time and realized that it was just becoming dawn. Eventually she calmed down long enough to go and get ready. She made her way towards her stand and brushed out her hair, deciding to leave it down for the next hour. It would take a long time to get ready officially but all she wanted to do was get a smoke in to help calm her nerves. Taking off her night wear, she quickly changed into a casual Sakura-printed Komon paired with a dark red Haori for the morning weather. Most people wondered why she still chose to wear traditional garments and sometimes even made fun of her old ways but there was comfort for her wearing the clothes of the old. It gave her a sense of purity and strength, a small symbol of her dedication to her ideals. All finished and ready to go, Chouko grabbed her phone and went off to her usual place to smoke.

-

It was one of the few secluded places that was in the estate. It was in the back and was right next to one of the gardens which was always a nice view to see while smoking. She sat down on the wooden porch until an attendant came with the Kiseru, her personal smoking pipe. She didn't like cigarettes and found them rather disgusting, the Koiki tobacco she used for her smokes was more favorable to her and definitely cheaper. Waving the attendant away to smoke in peace, Chouko took out her pipe and began the process to smoke. The sun was just starting to come out but the weather was still a little chilly, thankfully she wasn't just in one layer. The pain had almost subsided and her nerves were calmed, but a smoke always helped the best after a rough night.

Her long black hair flowed down to her back, a rare moment where Chouko did not dawn and accessorize to the fullest. Usually she would take an hour or more to get ready for the day, with the clothes and her hair, and today wasn't going to be an exception, she would still have to get ready either way but for now, this was peace. Finishing the prep for her smoke, she brought the lighter up at the pipe and lit under it.

She sat there for a few minutes, smoking in the tobacco with experience. Watching the sun rise was a good start to the day, a new beginning instead of the one she had before. She couldn't even remember what her nightmare was about now, it was just a dream after all, it couldn't hurt her. Taking out her phone Chouko decided to text her soon to be sister-in-law and best friend, Rin.

xxxxxxxxxGood morning Rin. Sorry for texting so early in the morning but I was xxxxxxxxxwondering if you wanted to go kimono shopping with me today? When you're xxxxxxxxxawake give me a reply back

She sent the message and continued to smoke by herself. It has been a while since she saw her dearest friend. Not many knew about their friendship thinking they would be enemies more than anything but that was far from the case. Rin and her got along fabulously, bonding through their tragic experiences with the elders of the family. If they asked where her loyalties lied, she would state Akatsuki with a happy smile on her face but that would have been a lie. She cared for him but doubted his drive to protect the family and beat the elders and Yasu. Rin was the one who was most like her, her hatred was Chouko's hatred. Plus they're shared interests and common hobbies made them friends easily since the very beginning. If Akatsuki knew about their friendship, he certainly didn't mind, it never came up. So Chouko waited for a response, quietly in silence and watching the sun rise.

[Neptoonn]

where: family room tab with who: no one tab feeling: worried tab


The quiet morning was like music to her hears. While Umeki loved, most, of her family and enjoyed their company, she enjoyed her time to herself as well. However, that time to herself had to be of her own will. Not locked up in her room like an animal.

Umeki sipped on her tea as she watched the rain fall, soon hearing some slight chatter and foot steps from other rooms of the main house, as well as outside. It was quiet enough to hear such things. Some of the talking got louder, and Umeki decided to analyze and find out who it was. From the voices, she could tell it was Chiasa and Kouji. Kouji was someone Umeki barely associated with, as well as Chiasa. However, Chiasa was someone that Umeki really did not care for. The girl seemed to put up a front. Umeki only knew, because she heard the girl mumble something under her breath at one point. Ever since, Umeki hasn't trusted her.

The woman's concentration was broken when Cheiko and Ai walked into the house, Cheiko giving Umeki a good morning. Umeki gave her a gentle smile, "Good morning." Umeki would have given a good morning to Ai as well, but the young girl seemed to be in her own little world as she followed Cheiko around. They were both soaking wet, probably going to dry off.

Umeki finished off the rest of her tea, but continued to look outside, wondering what it would be like to live somewhere other than the Miyamoto house. Or to even have a job! The elders had never allowed Umeki to work, saying she would be a danger to others, especially if she worked in customer service. A part of Umeki knew they were right, but it was her life and she should be able to do as she pleased.

A few minutes later, her concentration was broken yet again, but this time by Ai, who wasn't looking so well. The young girl looked tired and sick; she must have been running around outside in the garden yet again, despite others telling her to be careful. Umeki began to set her tea down on the window sill as she felt something was off; she was right. Ai began to speak, but stopped as her little body began to shut down, the girl falling to the ground. Umeki ran to the girl and tried to catch her, but was only able to grab a bit of her clothing to soften the fall, not completely stop it. Umeki sat on her feet and laid Ai on her legs, face up. Umeki put her hand to the blacked out girls forehead; she was burning up and also breathing quite heavily. "Ai?" She repeated herself a few times, seeing if she could wake the girl before calling Cheiko. Unfortunately, the girl stayed unconscious. Time for a doctor. "Cheiko!"

As Umeki waited for Cheiko, she picked up Ai and carried her little body over to one of the couches, trying to make her comfortable when she woke up. "She should really be more careful." Umeki thought to herself, as she grabbed a small couch pillow and put it underneath Ai's head. Umeki knew she would be okay, but it was Ai; Umeki refused to play around when it came to Ai possibly being sick or hurt.

[honeybeevines__]

✿ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉
xxxWHO'STOKNOW!xxxWHO'STOKNOW!xxxWHO'STOKNOW!
xxxxxxxxxxxx╰ if ┇ your ( ✿ soul ) will!FADE at all
THE.one→ y-you s ❤ l d ⊱ toxxxFOOLthexxxxw - world
so follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me down
so follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me down
xxxxxx&' F A K Eit if you're out of.D⇡RECTION

As Kouji was tying his hair up into a ponytail, Chi looked over her shoulder to watch him. For her, he looked the best when his hair was up like that. She had debated whether or not to tell him, but always decided against it in case he would wear it up all the time like that. No, that would be too boring and it would lose its value to her. She just would soak in the moments whenever she could.

“Omelets and roasted potatoes. Could you grab out the onion soup mix from the cabinet and start peeling and cutting up the potatoes?” Kouji was right. With him helping, it would make the cooking time go faster for her. She quite liked it when she cooked for him, although her cooking skill were nothing to be proud of. They were random recipes that she remembered from her childhood, from attempting to watch her mother cook. The thought of her mother created a pulsing in her head that hurt, so she opted to change the thoughts.

And what better way to take your mind off one, than the presence of someone else she didn’t want to see. Cheiko and Ai. Now, Ai was tolerable. Annoying, yes, but tolerable. There was always something in the rabbit’s eyes though, every time she looked at Chiasa. Fear? Hatred? Not that the goody two shoes could ever hone such feeling in her heart, but it satisfied Chiasa that she would come that close in Ai’s mind. Cheiko, on the other hand, make Chi very nervous. She did not like feeling vulnerable, and with her doctor standing less than 2 feet away from her, her chest began to tighten. As someone who understands to the fullest extent about knowing other’s vulnerabilities, she knew that hers lied with the Dragon. Her mouth twisted into a smile when she was greeted by the two newcomers, but she didn’t respond back. It was an odd feeling, but she didn’t want Kouji to know about her weaknesses. She always wanted to remain strong in his eyes, for she feared that if her status ever faltered towards him, he would lose respect for her and leave her. And as twisted as their relationship was, that would be one person she could not live without.

She sautéed the onions and green peppers on her pan and grabbed some eggs by the carton by Cheiko. Whatever she was cooking smelled equally as good, but of course it wouldn’t be for her. After grabbing some eggs, she cracked them open, whisked the yolks and eggs white together, and added a tiny bit of water to the mixture. As she went to open her mouth to speak to Kouji, she heard a loud thump coming from outside the kitchen. She turned her head towards the direction and noticed Ai was no longer with them, and concluded that it had to be her. After all, when you spend all morning in the rain, you’re bound to get sick. Her head turned back towards Kouji and she smirked, finishing the thought she was going to say to him earlier.

“Would you like the first omelet?” Before she entered the mixture onto the pan, she watched him peeling potatoes. His hands, so big and strong, could do so much damage when he put his mind to it. To help him out, she turned the oven, set the temperature, and grabbed a pan from underneath the stove. She straightened up and placed the pan next to his cutting board. “When you’re done cutting those into cubes, place them in this pan. Grab olive oil and drizzle it over the potatoes, and then take the onion soup mix and pour it over them and mix them around. Let me know when you have completed that” At this point, she heard a yell come from the living room, calling for Cheiko. It was definitely the rabbit, then.

It didn’t concern her, and with Cheiko being called away, maybe they would have a breakfast alone. She finished up the first omelet and placed it onto a plastic plate, and began to get started on the next one. “She was outside all morning in the rain, you know.” Chi didn’t have to specify who, but felt compelled to explain in case Kouji was worried. She didn’t expect him to be, but sometimes he had some weird quirks that she didn’t understand. But she wanted to, she wanted to understand everything about him.

xxxxxxxxx╰ AND┇you s h o u l d ❤ k - know
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxthatxxxthexxxliesxxxwon'txxxhidexxxyourxxxflaws

[Liquor Lips]

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab
tab tab tab tab tab █████████████████ ▌▌ ::☢ Kisei ! !
tab tab tab tab tab xxxxx✖✖✖ A Troubled Kind Of Mind ► ► ►

WHEN ALL OF YOUR FLAWS AND ALL OF MY FLAWSxxxxxARE LAID OUT ONE BY ONExxxxxALL OF YOUR FLAWS AND ALL OF MY FLAWSxxxxxTHEY LIE THERE HAND IN HANDxxxxxYOU HAVE ALWAYS WORN YOUR FLAWS UPON YOUR SLEEVExxxxxAND I HAVE ALWAYS BURIED THEM DEEP BENEATH THE GROUND

tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab tab ╭☢ xx╭☢ xx╭☢ xx╭☢ I'm not crazy, am I?

►xxx:: Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! They were coming for him! There was no escape. He had to get out of there. Hurry! Run! Run! Run! Dead End? Turn back, turn back! Faster! The screaming, oh god the screaming! Breathing hurt! He couldn't do it! They were coming! Where was the road? Where was the road? No, no, no, no! He was lost, where the hell was that road! Those things will be there any minute, he had to find the road! Light up ahead. Is that it? It has to be it! Please be it? He pushes through into the light. A cliff? Why is there a cliff! Why is there a freaking cliff. Those things are coming. He had to find another way out. Too late! They were here! JUMP!

►xxx:: Kisei woke with a scream as he felt his entire body fall through the air and crash onto the floor in a heap of sweat, tears, and twisted blankets. His heart raced and he couldn't breathe as he struggled inside his cocoon. He was panicking, not knowing where he was and just wanting to get away from those horrible slimy things. His mind couldn't register that it wasn't real, that he was in his room, that he was safe. An arm broke free from the entanglement, throwing itself out and slamming into the bedside table. A glass, once filled with water and now only half full, wobbled and shook before toppling over the edge and spilled all over the thrashing teen. Blue eyes widened in shock and a gasp escaped his throat at the shock of the wet, cold liquid bringing him out of his delusion. His body twitched a while longer, slowly calming down as the haze in his mind faded away to let the feeling of reality sink in. When the twitching finally stopped and his breathing was more of a fast rasp than a gasp, the brunette finally took the time to asses his situation. He was currently lying on the floor, half encased in a massive pile of blankets and thoroughly wet from his head to his shoulders. There was a cup, no doubt the culprit of his current wetness, lying a few feet away on its side with a little bit of water puddled at the lip. The floor was littered with the usual mess he kept it with, so there was nothing out of the normal there. The pain in his wrist and his backside alerted him to the possibility of a trip to see Cheiko, and slowly he unraveled himself from his cocoon much more easily now that he had calmed down. The light of the computer he had forgotten to turn off after a marathon of cat videos lit his way into his small bathroom, where he flicked the switch that turned on the light.

►xxx:: The first thing he saw was his reflection in the mirror, and he looked like crap. His skin was pale, but it was always a little pale so that was nothing new. His hair was dripping from both sweat and water, making him look like a drowned rat. You could tell he'd been screaming most of the night, what with the red at the eyes and the swollen lips. Sighing, he closed his eyes and thanked whatever all mighty being that was out there that he had been alone this time. Sometimes it scared him to think what could happen if he wasn't. Taking a moment to collect himself, the teen listened to the quiet around him. A moment later found him opening his eyes and stepping up to the sink, rolling up the wet sleeve of his pajama top to reveal the wrist underneath. There was no blood, which meant that he hadn't managed to cut himself this time around. But it still throbbed and he knew that there would be a nasty bruise by lunchtime. The pain in his backside told him the same thing, though he decided to forgo and examination for a hot shower instead. Ten minutes later, after filling the room with steam and giving himself a thorough wash and dry over, he wrapped his lower half in a towel and lead himself back into his room.

►xxx:: Coming to a stop in front of the dresser that had been pushed up against the back wall, he set about opening drawers and pulling out a pair of worn out jeans, a white and blue striped t-shirt, a grey zip up over shirt with a hood, and his pair of lucky underwear with the lightning strikes. Dropping his towel, the brunette went about dressing himself and nearly fell over trying to put on his jeans. After a few missteps and a couple of hops, he finally pulled up the zipper and finished off his outfit with a pair of white socks and his black all purpose watch slash compass. Checking himself out in the mirror, he ran his hands through his hair and gave it that just freshly messed look before turning back and slipping into a pair of house slippers. He'd left his sneakers out to dry on the porch after having stepped in a puddle yesterday. Satisfied with the way he looked, Kisei decided that it was finally time to leave his room. He had sword practice at noon, which was a long time away, but he wanted to be out and about before then. Exiting his room the teen made his way to the stairs, coming to a stop and listening for any movement or sign that anyone else was awake. Anyone else included his half brother, whom he wasn't sure was even home. For a minute he thought about sneaking over to his room to check, but the last time he had done that he'd accidentally opened the door right into Roku's face and almost broke his nose. So no, that was a no go. Instead he decided that it was just best to leave his brother to his own devices,

►xxx:: With that thought in mind he took his first step, barely having put his foot on the next stair before the ground began to sway. "No. Not now." he said, closing his eyes as though to try and stop what he knew was coming. He waited a good five minutes, just breathing in and out as he held onto the railing for dear life. After the feeling of falling passed through him he dared to open an eye, and to his relief the floor seemed to have gone back to normal. Not a bad one this time. That was good. He was still a little shaky from that last one. Taking another calming breath, the brunette continued on down the stairs and made his way into the kitchen. There was no one inside as he turned on the lights, and the dishes from last nights dinner were still in the sink. Those could wait, he just wasn't in the mood to do them. The bottles in the fridge clinked together when he opened the door, and after a few moments Kisei claimed victory over the last of the milk. A bowl of cereal was his prize, as he poured out his cheerios and sliced up a banana to go with it. He read the back of the box as he quietly munched along, humming a tune in his head while he ate. It didn't take long before he had devoured the bowl, and a second one, and soon the remains joined the ones in the sink. "I'm heading out, Roku!" Kisei called back up the stairs, just in case his brother really was home, before moving out the back door and onto the porch. Thankfully his sneakers had dried and he switched out his slippers for them. The constant sound of rain was pleasant, and he grabbed the umbrella from the stand by the door.

►xxx:: Feeling complete, the teen hopped the three steps that lead to the ground. Hitting the ground with a thud he straightened up, rolling the ball of his tongue ring around in his mouth and tasting the familiar taste of metal. The umbrella went up with relative ease, and he stood there for a moment. He didn't really have any plans, since it was still pretty early. Well, actually it was way to early, and it was raining. He doubted that there was anyone normal that would be awake at this time, and that really only left him with one option. Not that he would ever really call that an option. Shrugging his shoulders he decided to roll with it, and he let his feet lead him along that familiar path that would take him to the main house of the Miyamoto estate. It was a pleasant walk, accompanied by the music of his mp3 player to drown out the sound of the rain. It wasn't that he didn't like the rain, no he actually liked to play in it sometimes. He just didn't like the sound of the world. It was sort of annoying and there were so many unknown sounds that could freak him out. How was he suppose to know if what he heard was real or if he was just going into another episode? With music at least he would know that something was up if suddenly there were sirens during a slow song. The sight of the back veranda of the main house brought him out of his thoughts and he slowed down. His nose wrinkled, catching the scent of smoke and fire. Someone was smoking, and after looking around he spotted one of his relatives off to the side. He blinked, and then blinked again as he pulled the headphones from his ears. He left his music on, confused to see Chouko without her hair up. He doesn't remember a time where she hasn't been entirely composed, and for a second he wondered what was wrong. "Ah, good morning Chouko." he said quietly as he came to stop a few feet away from the woman. He didn't want to startle her after all.

[Gaymer Glitch]

xxx Hotaru Miyamoto :: The Cursed Cat
▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ ❣ ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋ :: ▋
xxx Like a picture with a cracked frame.
xxxxxxx Fragile, but never tame.

❥ xxx The peacefulness of the morning was nice. No one about to bother her, to stare her down, to hurt her. It was nice. Sitting by the door, she munched on her poptarts. It was an odd habit, sitting in random places and doing things, but it was just something she felt she inherited from being the cat. For a while she was left to her own devices. What little staff that had actually woken up by now ignored with with a passion, at least when they didn't throw disgusted looks at her. She was used to this by now, and as long as they didn't open their mouths she would just ignore them in return. It was just as she had finished her first treat, that a sudden knock on the door interrupted the quiet of the morning before an awkward silence followed. After it became apparent that she was indeed NOT going to answer it herself, a rather unpleasant looking woman stormed up to the door while cursing the damn cat under her breath. Hotaru stiffened at that, and if she were in her cat form she was sure her hair would have been on end. Still, she said nothing as the woman opened the door and only listened as a strange voice asked if Ai Miyamoto lived there.

... .•:´¨•☆ •.¸¸.•´´¯`•´❤



✖ xxx ✖ xxx ✖


❥ xxx Blue eyes widened as the name of one of her cousins was spoken, and before she could lean over to look out the door and see who it was the old woman slammed the door shut. "Well that was rude." She stated blankly, not meaning to sound offensive. But everything she did always seemed to offend someone and she earned a slap on the back of the head before the woman huffed and waddled off. She hissed at the woman, startling a couple of other servants that had walked by, as she reached up to rub at the sore spot on her head. The rest of the staff cleared out of the room, not wanting to be around the cat normally much less when she was irritated. That left Hotaru alone to once more to eat her breakfast. Which was exactly what she was doing, when the door opened a few minutes later to let a wet Dragon and Rabbit inside. She stiffened as she watched the pair. Neither of them acknowledged her, something that she was also used to. Cheiko acted as though she were just another piece of furniture, and Hotaru was fine with that. She didn't very much care for the other anyway, and she was more preoccupied with Ai anyway.

... .•:´¨•☆ •.¸¸.•´´¯`•´❤



✖ xxx ✖ xxx ✖


❥ xxx Finishing the last of her poptart, the cat watched the two disappear. Most likely they were going to dry off and change. She was sure Ai had still been in her pajamas, and had her feet been bare? It wasn't that she cared all that much for the girl, but getting sick was not going to help anyone. Subconsciously the girl brought her fingers up to lick the crumbs off of her fingers, wondering why the two had been outside in the first place. She had heard the conversation on the other side of the door, though it had been a bit muffled, but she had not heard any mention of what they had been doing before hand. It was at that moment that the door opened once more, and Kouyou and a strange girl walked into the house. Hotaru had forgotten that they had also been out there, and had jumped in surprise when the door had banged open again. "Oh my." she muttered, putting a hand to her thumping heart. Taking a breath she calmed herself down and looked over at Kouyou as he flopped down on the floor and started to dry him off with a towel that had been left by the door. He was soaking wet and, if the red on the handkerchief he was holding was any indication, he was bleeding. "Cut yourself again?" she asked the air, not really speaking to the tiger directly. She wasn't even sure if he would answer her back to be fair. So she just left it out in the air, and turned her attention back to the girl that had followed him inside.

... .•:´¨•☆ •.¸¸.•´´¯`•´❤



✖ xxx ✖ xxx ✖


❥ xxx She stared at her for a moment, looking her up and down. So this was the girl Ai would always talk about to the others while Hotaru was passing through. She had never seen her before, and it was actually refreshing to see a new face. Not wanting to be rude, Hotaru rose to her feet and gave a small bow in greeting. "Hello, my name is Hotaru." she said, plain and simple. She didn't know what more to say, as she hadn't officially caught the girls name. She had heard the others through the door, but she did not want to let them know that she had been all but eavesdropping. Though technically that was what it was called when you listened without the person knowing. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are." she finished off, straightening up and letting her long locks flow down her back. She stayed that way, silently looking between the girl and Kouyou awkwardly. She wasn't used to introducing herself to strangers, since she was not allowed to leave the estate.

... .•:´¨•☆ •.¸¸.•´´¯`•´❤

ooc: post is crap. So tired from doing a double shift at work. Sorry.

[feuillemort]

Akatsuki could feel the faint warmth of the sun slowly being to rise, bringing the world out of shadows. It had been such a lovely night too… Akatsuki could have sighed. It was almost uncanny the way Yasu could just suck the life and joy out of an entire morning, like a righteous s**t-comet from hell. Aka’s expression was blank against Yasu’s smirk. He almost looked proud of himself, grinning as he was. The young Head supposed he couldn’t blame him for that, the man had so little else in his life, the slave that he was. Had Aka possessed the ability to feel anything but contempt for him, he would have pitied him.

Turning towards Yasu, Aka approached the white-haired man. As the God and Head of the family, he was kept under closer watch than most by the elders as they tried so desperately to control him. However, their vigilance tonight was impressive only in its misguidance if they believed Aka would ever leave his Zodiac to these beasts, no matter how many times they did, or more accurately did not, catch him when he left the grounds. He understood their need to assert their control, which he supposed explained Yasu’s entire existence, but they were mistaken, oh so mistaken.

“I’m surprised to find you up, Yasu.” Aka did not bother with honorifics with the older Miyamoto, he never had, not even in sarcasm or concealed disrespect. He wasn’t worth the extra breath. “I do know how much you so love your… beauty sleep.” He cocked his head to the side. “It seems the elders can have their lapdog up licking their boots no matter the hour these days.” He felt nothing but annoyance, exasperation. Yasu was nothing Akatsuki had ever feared. He held no real power, he had nothing that was not directly granted to him by the elders. In fact, the only thing Yasu had ever truly been able to threaten him with was physical violence, and Akatsuki had to admit that Yasu made a satisfying punching bag from time to time. He stepped close to the keeper, the usurper, close enough that their bodies were nearly touching, and he lifted his hand to cup the side of his jaw in a mockery of a loving gesture, and gently brought his face down closer to his own.

Akatsuki was aware that a few select other members of his Zodiac were… equally as unhappy as he with their captivity, and they had resorted to some of the same measures as he. But he was different. Though one of the Zodiac, he did not transform as they. When he was younger, he thought such a thing was unfair. He had wanted to be like the others, to have another form that would change when he was hugged, or sick. He felt distanced from them because of it. There were nights as a child it had truly upset him. Though his emotions on the matter had never fully dissolved, he had faced the fact that the lack of ability to transform did prove rather useful when traversing the Outside. The secret of the family was safe with him and his lack of transformation.

Yasu’s next words finally managed a reaction from Akatsuki. He smiled, and it could have been mistaken for genuine. “You really think I’m pretty?” He began stroking the side of Yasu’s cheek with his thumb. Eventually, the God snickered. “Me? Walk?” He gave a mock gasp. “Of course I got a ride. In fact, he picked me up and dropped me off too. You would like him, Yasu, he’s so very nice. Good-looking too. We went to a clubs, parties, oh it was a very eventful night.” His voice was laced with sarcasm. Of course there was no one who drove Akatsuki anywhere, and he had spent the whole night alone, actively avoiding any straggler who happened to near him. But Yasu aggravated him to no end, and he couldn’t help but give his attitude right back at him.

Akatsuki’s fingers continued to stroke lightly across the keeper’s face as he spoke, but now they curled so that his nails dug into Yasu’s flesh, leaving red marks. Suddenly, he flattened his hand, brought his free one up to the center of Yasu’s chest, and pushed him back, away from him in disgust. He would certainly have to bathe now, having been so close to the man.

[Alexa the White Rose]

Tamiko continued to stand there, holding the handkerchief firmly in her hand. As she did though, she couldn't help but feel her heart pound in her chest, especially when he plucked the fabric from her hand. He mentioned something about it getting dirty, but the king-hearted girl simply kept smiling. She didn't care if it got dirty, it was just a cloth anyways and had plenty more of them at home. Her brown eyes stared at him as he spoke, but jumped just a bit when she heard a loud voice shouting - was everyone trying to scare her today? Tamiko could only stand there speechless as she watched a woman come up and smack the red haired young man in the back of the head, raising her hands out of instinct and worry over the male, but he seemed unfazed by it - just plain angry. In this situation, Tamiko was normally wise enough to stay quiet and out of other people's business, but part of her wondered if she should step in and at least say something.

The woman then suddenly turned to her, giving Tamiko a bright smile, looking somewhat apologetic. Whoever this woman was, she was beautiful. She was so dazed by the woman's beauty that she almost missed what she had said. A confused look struck Tamiko's face as the woman said her name; had she heard them talking? At the sound of her name Tamiko turned, her brown eyes widening in surprise as she was suddenly embraced. To her delight, it was Ai. "Ai-chan!" Tamiko said, a bright smile on her face. When she heard Ai ask if she had come to bake, Tamiko was about to reply but Ai was already ahead of her as she realized it was too early for that. Ai was then kind enough to ask if she wanted to come inside, which Tamiko debated over, but before she knew it though the woman had told Kouyou, who she assumed was the red haired male, to bring her stuff inside. At first Tamiko didn't want to trouble him with carrying it for her, but he had already picked it up before she could protest.

"Tamiko, follow me."

Hearing Kouyou's voice made her feel nervous, as if she was bothering them. Well, this was an odd turn of events. Quietly Tamiko followed the others inside, removing her wet shoes and coat and leaving them near the door. Part of her hair clung to her face, small drops of rain dripping down her rosy cheeks which she tried wiping away with her hand. It was then that she realized that a towel was being offered to her, looking to see it was the young man who held it out to her. Gingerly she took the towel, smiling as she diverted her gaze. "T-Thank you." she managed to say before using the towel to dry off her face and hair. Hearing him speak though, he confirmed that his name was Kouyou Miyamoto and that he was Ai's cousin. Cousin? So then he wasn't her brother...or her boyfriend. He then mentioned how he could get the handkerchief washed, but Tamiko smiled at him again softly. "It's alright, no need to rush." She was being honest, he didn't need to rush to have it returned to her. Her attention then turned when she heard another new voice speak up, turning her head to see another girl standing there. Just like the woman earlier, she too was very beautiful with her long hair and deep-gazing eyes. Was everyone in this house beautiful looking? Tamiko wasn't sure, but for now it seemed that way. The girl then looked at Kouyou who started drying himself off, asking if he had cut himself again. Tamiko's eyes quickly looked back at Kouyou; he was hurt? It was then she noticed the blood on the handkerchief, which she must not have noticed before.

Without saying a word she bent down, taking the towel he had handed to her and gently taking his foot to press the towel to the wound. "I'm sorry if this hurts. It's best to try and stop the bleeding before you clean it." she said. Tamiko was no doctor, but she had injured herself a couple of times to where her father would treat them for her. The brunette turned her head just in time to see the new girl looking at her, her eyes scanning her up and down. Somehow, this made Tamiko feel ten times more nervous than when she ran into Kouyou. It was then the girl bowed to her and introduced herself as Hotaru - pretty name. Tamiko rose to her feet quickly, facing Hotaru with an apologetic look on her face as she held her hands together in front of herself and bowed. "S-Sorry for not introducing myself first, I'm Tamiko Amasawa. It's a pleasure to meet you Hotaru-san." She didn't know how Hotaru would take to Tamiko using an honorific with her name, but that's how Tamiko was brought up. "I-I'm sorry to be disturbing you all this early in the morning, but I came hoping to speak to Ai-chan about something." Tamiko explained, feeling it was only right to justify why she came here in the first place. "It seems I came at a bad time though. I wasn't aware she wasn't feeling well. I-I can always come back another time. I'll just grab my bags and go." she said, despite the fact she had literally been inside for less than five minutes and already she was turning for the door.

[Welan]

Kouji listened to Ai's orders and followed exactly word by word what she told him to do. “That sounds really good, can't wait,” After hearing Chi's breakfast menu, he could feel his stomach turning, but really at this moment anything sounded pretty good. Kouji opened up the cabinet and took out what Ai needed from him, setting it down nearby. Together in silence, the two worked on their tasks, Ai with the cooking and Kouji with the prepping the potatoes. He held a small hope that no one else would disturb their time together, but it was for naught.

“Ah, good morning you two, too,” Kouji turned around to see where the voice came from. Cheiko and Ai, two people he could have done without seeing this morning. The older woman came in, definitely slightly surprised by the look of her face, but nonetheless gave a friendly smile to the pair. Cheiko was a good woman, even Kouji had to admit but too smart for his own taste. His taste was in those who were lost and weak, he hated strong-willed people like Cheiko. They were the first to judge him and to condemn him for his actions, but Cheiko was surprisingly understanding. He was sure the doctor knew of his extracurricular activities, yet she never said anything to Yasu or Akatsuki for that matter and left it alone. She was nice as Kouji was to her. “Good morning Cheiko-onesan, nice to see everyone so bright and early,” Kouji acted friendly, there wasn't much he could do.

Following Cheiko like a little chick was Ai, Yasu's younger sister or more so the rabbit of the zodiac. How fortunate was she to have been born in such a position to be of the zodiac and Yasu's younger sibling? He always felt sad for the keeper, to have such a burden as a sister. Ai never caused any trouble and was the obedient one, the exact kind Kouji loved to torment but he knew of Yasu's temper and his rather...questionable feelings for his sister so he left her alone. Again, how blessed was Ai to have been born in that family. The rabbit was kind and sweet which made it easy to act just the same. She wasn't the type to pick fights which was good for both sides. “Good morning to you too Ai-chan!” Kouji smiled at her “You guys look really wet, I guess the rain must have gotten worse since I went running this morning” he joked before going back on working on the task that Chi told him to do.

He knew that Chi felt uncomfortable around the dragon and rabbit, they were too good of people for people like them. He knew it wasn't fear that Chi felt, she was much stronger than that. Perhaps it was just normal hatred but he noticed that particularly around Cheiko, Chi was much more defensive. Her face was still cute though. His thoughts were cut off when he heard a thump coming from the nearby connecting room, he looked around and paid it no mind. He noticed Ai was gone but had no idea what the thump was. Whatever the case, Chi had asked him a question and he answered promptly.

“Hmmm, you eat first, you seem a lot more hungrier than I am Chi,” he put on a grin and teased her. Even though she offered, he wanted Chi to have it first. He wanted Chi to have everything, what was his was hers. Listening in to Chi's instructions carefully, his attention was pulled into the direction of a scream calling for Cheiko who was still in the kitchen with them.

It wasn't because he felt compelled to or responsible for but someone was in trouble and Kouji had a thing for damsels in distress. Without even explaining himself, Kouji turned around and quickly ran into the other room, while wiping his hands on his pants. Leaving behind Chi was one thing but he didn't want to look like the insensitive fool around Cheiko or whoever else was in the room. Walking into the room, he was faced with Umeki sitting on the floor with Ai laying on the couch. He heard Cheiko rushing in but Kouji was already by Ai's side and forcibly opening up Ai's mouth open. Her face was very flushed and just by far away, it was clear to see that the girl was seriously ill. 'Goddamn it Ai, why are you so stupid?' Kouji thought as he made sure that there wasn't any vomit in Ai's throat. He thought it was something helpful for the future and took a CPR certification class nearby, who would have thought it was times like this that called for Kouji to help? By the looks of it, Ai just fainted from the extreme temperature change and the flu, though from the looks of it she was seriously bordering on changing forms if she didn't wake up soon. He took his off hands of Ai and turned towards Umeki, “How's her head? How bad was the fall?”

It was just the preliminary questions that he felt he had to ask, not out of any sense of fear or concern for the fallen rabbit. As long as Cheiko was with them, he had no real reason to worry, Ai was in good hands. After all the doctor fixed him up, she could take care of Ai's dumb mistake.

[honeybeevines__]

✿ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉ ▉
xxxWHO'STOKNOW!xxxWHO'STOKNOW!xxxWHO'STOKNOW!
xxxxxxxxxxxx╰ if ┇ your ( ✿ soul ) will!FADE at all
THE.one→ y-you s ❤ l d ⊱ toxxxFOOLthexxxxw - world
so follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me down
so follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me downxxxso follow me down
xxxxxx&' F A K Eit if you're out of.D⇡RECTION

Kouji left.

She knew it was going to happen, but maybe, deep down inside, she wished it hadn't. There was no concern on her end for the health of the rabbit, nor did she feel the need to make herself look like the protagonist over someone else's sickness. But, for some reason, Kouji had always acted weird around Cheiko. She didn't understand it. She didn’t like it.

After making Kouji’s omelet, she placed it neatly on a plate and took out the potatoes from the oven. She divided and placed half on his plate, half on hers. Planning to leave before Kouji got back, she ate her breakfast quietly and put the plate into the sink. She grabbed Koujis plate and placed it on the table, putting a fork next to it. It wasn’t so much that Kouji left, but more of a sudden wanting to be alone that she left the kitchen from the other door, wandering down the hallway towards her room. Maybe her inhaler would fit into the pocket of her dress. It was a mistake she made quite often, not carrying around her inhaler. Although she didn’t like to puff it in front of people, she needed it on her just in case of an asthma attack, something she was very prone to.

There it was, in the drawer of her nightstand, next to some pill bottles that Cheiko gave to her. She quickly stuffed it into her dress pocket and closed the nightstand shut, using her key to lock it. No one should know about the contents of her nightstand. Not even Kouji. After pulling the drawer to make sure it was tight, she grabbed an umbrella and left her room, beginning to walk out to the front of the main house when she noticed an odd group of people standing together. There was a girl she had never seen before, standing next to Kouyou and talking to someone. As she got closer, she noticed who it was.

Hotaru.

She wanted to turn around, but her stubbornness led her straight towards the doorway, where she heard the new girl speak. Ai? She was looking for the fainted girl? As she got closer, she narrowed her eyes at the foreigner.

“Ai has fainted, if you were looking for her.” The tone of her voice was cold and unconcerned. Her piercing grey-blue eyes stared directly into the new girls pupils. Something about this girl seemed sweet, almost sickening. No wonder her and Ai were friends, they both had honey flowing through their veins. Her eyes travelled to Hotaru, someone she didn’t want to exactly see. The eye contact lingered a second too long, and she quickly snapped her head and walked passed them, ignoring Kouyou on her way out the door.

Outside, the fresh air was a little overwhelming. The umbrella snapped open a little too fast, causing Chi to stumble back from the force a little. The rain had certainly settled down from earlier, but there was still enough to get you sick. She stuck to the concrete path carefully, knowing that her white flats would soak up the water from the grass instantly. To be truthful, she wanted to see the drama between Yasu and Aka. Maybe they would kill each other finally, something she would have to be there to see. As she crept a little closer, she feared that her umbrella would give her away to the person facing her. A scowl overtook her face, and she began to walk in a different direction. Maybe the people at the gate would let her leave, finally. It was an understanding that she was only to be let out once in a while, too many failed escape plans lost her privileges to the outside, but maybe they guards were feeling generous today.

xxxxxxxxx╰ AND┇you s h o u l d ❤ k - know
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxthatxxxthexxxliesxxxwon'txxxhidexxxyourxxxflaws




she is near the gate, but she did interact with tamiko and hotaru c;, and tried spying on aka and yasu~

[frayedflower]

Kouyou felt a tiny pang of guilt when he realized that Hotaru had been sitting there the entire time (and they’d even scared her); if she hadn’t spoken up, he probably would have ended up ignoring her too. He didn’t want that. But he didn’t exactly know what to say to her either. It could never just be a normal conversation with the cat, and he knew that was more on him than anything else. He swirled his tongue around against his cheek as he struggled to come up with the right thing to say. Saying he was sorry he freaked her out would have probably been a good place to start.

“Don’t tell Cheiko… it’s too early for a lecture,” and instead he ended up grumbling that instead. Which was completely moronic because she and the dragon didn’t get along anyway. Why the hell would she say anything? "Not like you would.” And now he sounded sarcastic. That wasn’t really any better. He resisted the urge to groan, rubbing a hand against his face to wipe away from traces of the water and to give himself some time to think on something legitimate to say. He could do this. “Do I smell pop-tarts?”

Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered. Thank god -- not Aka, screw that guy -- Hotaru started talking to Tamiko instead. He tucked the handkerchief into his shorts pocket as the two exchanged introductions, idly reminding himself to get it washed. Belatedly he realized his pocket was probably the stupidest possible place he could have put it since he was soaked through, but what was done was done and it would just draw attention to it if he switched gears now. It was already soaked anyway, nothing to be done about it.

Then, abruptly, there was a towel pressed to his stupid foot. No matter how gentle it was, Kouyou gave a low growl of pained indignation before he could stop himself. He ducked his head, maybe just a little heat sinking into his cheeks. Just out of embarrassment, of course; he didn’t mean to growl. “Thanks, “ he mumbled, so she’d know he wasn’t mad or anything like that. He grabbed another towel and buried his face in it this time, rubbing it all over his hair and the back of his neck.

In all of five seconds though, Tamiko was already poised and ready to head for the door, and the tiger stiffened. “Oi! You -- “ Then, abruptly, the rat had joined them. Kouyou’s mouth snapped shut, and as she ignored him, he found he had no words for her either. He didn’t hate her, or even dislike her, but… maybe silence wasn’t such a bad thing to leave hanging between them. But at least she told them what was going on before slipping away, and that was something.

As far as Ai was concerned, he was kind of torn. Kouyou didn’t say anything one way or another, but some part of him was really concerned. He Another part of him wondered if maybe she hadn’t done it on purpose for a little extra attention. He felt bad for thinking like that, but who even knew with this family anymore. If she was that sick, had she transformed? -- but Chiasa had taken the time to tell them -- but then, the way she had looked at Tamiko --

He was overthinking this. “I was going to say, “ damn, he sounded so irritated; he really wasn’t, “Tamiko, we have all your groceries, and we’re gonna be having breakfast soon. If Ai’s not feeling good, “ that even made him sound suspicious, ugh, “She’ll probably want to see you when she wakes up. So why don’t we go wait in the kitchen?” He glanced at Hotaru, trying in his own way to extend the invitation to her without actually saying anything. "Or we could go see if they need help... whatever." The chill finally caught up to him, and he shuddered, grumbling to himself as he tugged the towel tighter around himself. Yeah, okay. Next order of business, get some dry clothes.

[shinigamijuni]

locaтιon: gαя∂єи || coмpany: тнє gσ∂ || wearιng: яαιиу ∂αу || тнeмe: ѕσ уσυ вє fσяєωαяиє∂ || тнoυgнтѕ: ι נυѕт ωαит тσ gσ вα¢к тσ вє∂ || мood: ριѕѕє∂


He could never understand why it wasn’t enough. Why wasn’t all this enough for the spoiled Akatsuki? For years, Yasu, though very much a member of the Sohma family, and privy to the secret of the zodiac, never felt he was ever going to be a part of this wonderful family that was basically handed to Akatsuki. Just because Yasu was hired to protect and watch over the zodiac when the God would not, most of them hated Yasu and would snarl a greeting like a hostile animal. It was like none of them understood the outside world would swallow them whole in an instant, ripping them apart in its putrid stomach bile of harsh realities. Yasu was just trying to help. They would be loved here, protected, just as a freak like Yasu had been scooped up into open arms. He just wanted them to be loved.

Proper drops of blood running down his cheek called Yasu back to reality. The whiney God of the Zodiac stood incredibly close, a hand on his cheek, digging fingernails into the soft, pale flesh of Yasu’s face. The white-haired male held his ground as the God amused himself with regaling Yasu about his night. The man couldn’t help but grimace as he listened to Aka’s smartass response. Lying to get what he wanted seemed to be a theme in Aka’s life recently. Yasu was about to retort when Aka’s hand moved to his chest and pushed away abruptly. Stumbling backwards, something in Yasu’s mind snapped. His brow furrowed and he took two steps to regain his balance, landing back on his right foot, and immediately pushing it away from the ground, bring the bottom of his foot softly against Akatsuki’s own chest, and then forcing his body weight forward, knocking the male back and bringing Yasu to and upright position.

Green eyes glinted against the rising sun as Yasu stood with his arms folded across his chest. He had sensed others moving about the estate, starting to go about their day, but all of his concentration was focused on the ungrateful God. ”You miserable child,” Yasu continued to glare as he unfolded his arms and clutched fists at his side. ”Do you honestly not give a single ******** about who you are and what you do?!” His voice grew in volume as one hand angrily flew up to his lock, brushing a chunk out of his face, holding his fingers in his white tresses as he nearly laughed, ”You’ve been given everything and it’s still not enough for you. Don’t you realize these orders I’m given to babysit you are from the same people who put you in this position of power. Do you think I care where you go or what you do? Do you think I care about your sorry a** interrupting my ******** beauty sleep? DON’T YOU REALIZE THERE ARE THRITEEN BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE WHO WERE BORN TO LOVE YOU?!” Yasu grew furious, stepping up close to Akatsuki as he had done to him before, his face inches from the God’s, ”But you selfishly choose to ignore them and endanger them, thinking you’re leading some sort of god damn revolution.” Yasu hissed almost, taking a step back and sneering at the very man he would risk his life for if it came to it. ”What a disappointment…” Yasu spat on the dirt near the God’s feet. His hands shook as his nails started to draw blood from his palms, his eyes locked on the miserable excuse for a God as he turned to walk away, not caring for whatever weak response Akatsuki was going to give him.



ooc: нαнα тнιѕ ρσѕт ιѕ ωαу тσσ ѕнσят. αℓѕσ, ѕσяяу fσя тнє ¢υяѕιиg. ι ¢αи тσиє ιт ∂σωи ιf иєє∂ вє.