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Aoki just smirked. "Too epic to tell until they happen, but let's just say I intend to set a record. Damn I would kill for a drink." he muttered, but he seemed interested in the glasses comment. "I'll keep that in mind when I'm in Japan..." he murmured, "But what about the other countries?"
He was more curious than he really cared to let on.

Yuki closed her eyes, blushing brilliantly.
He had done this a couple of times and she never was prepared when it happened... but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy it.
"W...Watari-kun..." she buried her head in his shoulder, "You really enjoy making me flustered, don't you?"

Kaguyo grinned at the fire. "You know that was really a sh!tty fire." she scolded him, "You used to make them better."
She had a point. "I blew that out with a weak gust, if that."
She giggled a bit and snuggled with the Ou, utterly content. "And egging on was an understatement. His fault though, he tried to kill me those few times even after I'd been nice. You only try to kill your enemies after all---so, the fact he was so dignified as to allow this through, well, it changes my views of him really. Before I just figured he was a crazy, heartless b*****d, but... well... Like I said, I'm deeply humbled and grateful to be enjoying your company at all."
She kissed his hand gently, sprawled out in his lap. "To his credit, he took pretty good care of Ainsu too, even if I said he didn't." she admitted quietly. "He has good tastes when it comes to clothing you... If I hadn't have known him for who he is, I wouldn't have known it wasn't you at first. I'm not gonna lie, it really blows my mind that they didn't kill me on the spot." she blinked at the fire before looking at him. "But... I don't know. I knew neither of you would, somehow... I think he gets lonely also, and just doesn't like to admit it. He wanted credit for those plays... Can you really blame him? He wanted to be recognized for the beauty he creates... but all that was ignored, so now he gets his recognition through destroying beautiful things. I guess I never really tried to see things from his point of view... A living entity stuck in a body that will never be his, unable to distinguish himself as his own person."
She kissed his hand again, holding it to her heart. "I don't mind keeping both of you company, you know." she tilted her head. "If it means I can see you without him killing me... It's a no brainer, isn't it?"
She felt weird suddenly being all compassionate for someone who had tried to kill her multiple times, but the sudden epiphany was rather striking.

Kaguyo shrugged. "He wasn't always that way. And it's not like I pity him... I just really thought about what it was like to be in his shoes. You think he doesn't want his own body, to be his own person? I'd be pissed too. He just wants to be recognized. I guess I just learned to give him a bit of respect." she looked up at him. "Is that really so bad of me to be compassionate, try and see the other side of things?"

Yuki shook her head. "Nah. I like those things too. Except for you, in the me part. But hey, I do have another question." she sat up, helping him up as well, "You said your powers were all blocked. Doesn't that mean you're a boy if you chose this gender over the other?"

Aoki made note of this. "I'll have to ask him then...." he slowly smirked. "Not that I'll need much help. I'm sure I'll do fine there too. Could always try with and without glasses and just work it from there.... Hmm... Wingmen aren't a bad idea I suppose."
He didn't necessarily say who however.
"It's weird becoming friends with you... if... well, wait a minute, are we?" the kazetsukai raised an eyebrow quizzically, almost disturbed. "I don't think I've ever really talked about s**t like this with anyone. I usually have had to focus on my assignments. Past few years was more or less being an indentured servant."

Aoki had a ghost of a smile on his face, watching the fire.
Inwardly, he was more pleased than he showed. He was better at outwardly hiding it than most.
"Yeah, it is... isn't it?" he murmured, poking the fire with a stick. "So, can your telepathic a** tell your b***h of a girlfriend to lay off the weather? I thought it was almost summer when we left." he muttered, starting to build and igloo.
It would be a better shelter than their open, charcoal husk of a house after all.
"I hate the snow."
But even for all his whining, he was rather surprised with what freedom from Konton had gotten him so far.
Apparently there was life outside of being a demon's dirty errand boy.

Kaguyo thought carefully on the subject. "He wouldn't be the Muse. Well, he would be, except he would simply write the most beautiful things our people would ever hear, and they would fawn over him for it. He would be nearly a hero in times like these if he was his own person... he could have his own life, whatever he pleased. Remember when you were possessed...?" she looked up at him, "The only difference between him and those other souls was that he was never able to have a body of his own. Certainly, you shouldn't call him a parasite. It's not like he wants to be."
When he asked about Ainsu, she nodded slowly. "Well, he was actually getting pretty good at writing with his other hand, but no, he has no inspiration for writing. In truth, he says things harshly sometimes--he doesn't have the tact and eloquence he used to when speaking his mind. He's still the observer... but..."
She thought long and hard, trying to find the right words to explain herself. "Well, sometimes he doesn't always think before he speaks, I suppose I could say. Then again, we both are prone to that as well, aren't we..? I try not to. Sometimes I just get too upset to think clearly. You know, I don't think he misses being a playwright however... does that sound odd? He still thinks the Muse is his problem, but as far as I could read him he doesn't miss it. He's been finding other things to do instead. Maybe he'll manage to make new friends."
If only she knew.
There would be a lot of hell raised if they managed to succeed in taking her back to Earth.

"Moot point." Yuki corrected, giggling, "Ahahaha, kawaii...!"

But there was something else rather odd going on. Kazuhiko was on Tarnbsei, a clone keeping a close ear out for his father; all of his other clones were busy stealing everything, broken or not, from Watari's lab.
With over 200 of him, it was almost too easy to clear the place out (except for a few spare medical supplies and tanks that were just too big to fit).
The funny thing was that Kazuhiko even knew about the other things of Watari's. He raided the man's room, closets, and secret hiding places, stripping them all bare of his belongings.
"It's gonna be an awesome day." he sighed with a smile, his other clones popping like bubbles. "F#ck Christmas. Compared to me, Santa's f#cking slacking."
Pleased with himself was an understatement.
He shut the portal, opening a new one into Capsule Corps and starting by adding a new floor. He had a lot of free time on his hands---it wasn't like with all this chaos he saw his parents very often, at least as of late--and he had to do something. He figured learning to manipulate the portals, and even create new ones, wasn't really as hard as his father made it out to be.
"Alright..." he looked over the room, starting to modify and design it, "Let's just do basics for now.... Maybe I should keep it secret... Make them draw a blueprint of what they'd like..."
He paused, opening a portal in the floor of the new laboratory.
When he peered out, he saw Watari and Yuki.
"Mizu-kun!" he beamed, "Are you two dating finally?!! Yukatta, I KNEW you'd like eachother! So, I was thinking, Capsule Corps constructs things. You should draw me a picture of what a perfect lab would be so I can convince Da and Aunt Ash to make it. It wouldn't be hard. Oh, and I brought clothes." he suddenly dumped a bunch on him. "But most of them are just the white lab coats so I took the liberty of coloring on a few of them with these things Fir called 'markers' and Mum called 'trouble'."
He had the biggest smirk on his face at that. Even if he did get in trouble, what he was planning would get him out of ANY punishment either of his parents could dole out.
Although his father would kill him if he knew he'd been on Tarnbsei twice... well... 202 times, technically, counting his clones.
"Hi Kiki." he waved at Yuki, who just stared up at him blankly. "Nice glasses!"
"Ano..." she blinked a few times, "Watari, we really should find out how many abilities he has." she whispered. "I bet you're not the only one who's awake for years at a time."
Kazuhiko looked alarmed. "I was never here!" he declared, ducking back into the portal.
He was gone like that, but Yuki had become distracted by his gifts.
"Tarnbsei..." she blinked over at Watari, "Didn't you leave all this stuff, all the notepads and clothes and patches back home? Some of the coats smell like smoke.... This one is burnt..."
That was the one Kazuhiko colored with flames radiating from where the lab explosion scorched holes into it.
"I kinda like that one." she grinned. "It goes with your hair."
It was the one time she could tease him back without being too mean.

Yuki nodded. "He won't go through our rooms though." she confided in him, helping him gather everything up, "You let me take care of this. We'll wash everything, and... well, this one I'm keeping." she took the burnt lab coat. "He's like a historian. He isn't one to forget the past, it seems..."
Little did they know about the lab, especially given that Kazuhiko was taking it upon himself to try and repair everything.
"You just distract Po-ar while I take care of this." she placed her hand on his cheek, smiling. "He's already done what he has... there's nothing to be done about it now. However, we should discourage him from returning. Last thing they need is for their son to be kidnapped."

Aoki's eyes narrowed to slits. "I see your point." he shook his head, "Please let me knock her unconscious, I beg you."
He shivered and shuddered and huddled even closer to the fire. "Nothing but hail. You know it would be a thunder blizzard, with hail the size of our heads."
He added a few more logs to the fire, igniting them with more ki blasts, trying to seem manlier than he was. "I ******** hate I'm only Tarnbjin." he shook his head, but he managed a half-smile to Ainsu. "It figures she has you whipped enough to enjoy the cold."

Kaguyo thought that over for at least five minutes before responding, biting her lip. "Hmm... I'm not sure." she answered truthfully, "It hurts me when he doesn't take my feelings into consideration. You... well, you protect me, but you at least could recognize in a lot of cases I can hold my own---to a point at least. Ainsu's constantly trying to protect me. It isn't that I'm not grateful.... but..." she paused, her brow furrowing, "The time I missed you hurt the most when he started pushing me away. He never understood my devotion..." she shook her head, "Didn't understand, didn't have faith in me... He'd rather die and give up than love me. There came a time when he chose the Muse over me, and death over me..." she looked up at him, a deep sadness in her eyes. "I was scared you were the same, but the fact you accepted me... Well, the way you thought I was a perfect balm, I always knew you were the same to me."
She stretched out on the couch, nuzzling his chest and hugging him gently. "I thought I was alone until you kissed me." she whispered, "I thought I had lost everything, but you made sure I still had hope... You may never---well..." she paused, looking into his eyes, "You may already know how deeply I care for you Aled, and how grateful and indebted I am to you. Every time Ainsu has failed me, you've rescued me again... Stopped me from becoming too bitter. You kept me gentle instead of a warrior... But... you made me a strong warrior when the time called for it. Ainsu....he... well... I don't doubt that he loves me, but he gave up when you didn't, even with Shiori. I'm going to try and barter her soul to freedom for you tomorrow." she added soberly. "You both deserve that much."

Kaguyo nodded slowly, frowning. "I guess... I heard a rumor that the souls he ate still remained, that he was like a living Tree. I.... I'm sorry." she bowed her head deeply, hair shadowing her face. "Forgive me, Al-sama... I... didn't mean... I didn't mean to offend you."

Kazuhiko popped his head in---if he had had a Saiyajin tail, it would've been swishing like a cat's.
After seeing Vejita, he was sorely tempted to make himself one.
"Nani?" he blinked at the man, tilting his head, "Why aren't you pleased, Mizu-kun?"
He read the man rather well, even if he didn't always know the specifics.

Aoki looked at Ainsu skeptically, clearly a bit creeped out. "What....?"
But after a few more logs didn't do anything to stop the blistering cold---and it was growing colder--- he suddenly had no doubt Kaguyo was aware of their presence.
He was desperate enough to do as Ainsu said, huddled as close to the flames as he could.

Aoki just blinked in disbelief, but as he glowed, he seemed genuinely freaked out.
He didn't say anything, just staring at the fire as he tried to figure out what happened.
If Ainsu needed an answer, it was obvious from the fact Aoki wasn't shivering anymore.

Kaguyo pulled his arms around her carefully, leaning her head against his chest. "I never would've wished something so horrible on her." she told Aled gently, clearly feeling guilty, "I never liked her... I was jealous... but... I... I really am sorry, Al-chan."
She sat up slightly, adjusting herself so her head rested against his shoulder. "I really do love you though." she whispered, closing her eyes as she took in his scent. "If I had my way, I would never leave you again. I couldn't be more content here with you... Gods I've missed you."
She hugged him tightly, and he could feel from her emotions that she truly meant what she said. Missed him was an understatement...
"Promise me you'll never forget me." she suddenly whispered, looking up at him, "Promise me you'll always love me."

"That's the symbol in the temples...." Aoki murmured, staring at him oddly, "Wh....What the hell was that?"

Kaguyo sat up, sitting in his lap as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "You were always my choice." she whispered, kissing him gently, "It's just taken me far too long to realize it."
With that she kissed him deeply, bearing her soul to him in her own way. His empathy being stronger than Ainsu's, she didn't even attempt to hide the devotion she felt towards the Ou.
"Al-kun..." she paused, unsure if she had the right to ask, "Al-kun... could... could we..."
She bit her lip, looking at his chest while working up the nerve to ask. "Could... could we renew our wedding vows....? I... I still have the ring..." she whispered, showing her hand, "D....do you...?

"I don't know." Ainsu replied honestly. "It just kind of started happening... Yuki unlocked the power."
He really didn't want to go into detail that it seemed she was his mother.
Even he didn't quite believe it himself...

~ ~ ~

In truth, the Tarnb-jin Ou had wanted to simply keep kissing Kaguyo. During their kiss, he'd pulled her against him, holding tight and yet gentle.
But when she pulled away, when she drew his attention to her hand...
"I..." strangely, the man shook his head. "Kaguyo, please... please forgive me but I... I was angry and just threw it away."
He had literally thrown it... tossing it from the palace rooftop as far as he could...
It could be anywhere...

~ ~ ~

"Lose them forever?" Watari asked, stepping toward the boy in confusion. "This isn't over, Kazuhiko. We're not abandoning Tarnbsei. We're regrouping, getting ready to fight again."
If only he'd known about Kaguyo, Ainsu, and Aoki.