Or, ratter, the firefly.
Shuyin slid himself into the small opening of the window, landing a couple of paper on the table, he'll get those later.
It was when the sent of food lured him in, as he slid into the kitchen, unseen by its occupants, who where deep into discution, until he finally spoke.
"Say, there's some around for late arrivals ?" He grinned.
"Shuyin !" Zero almost attached to the celling, but she came to her sence ratter quickly. "Do this mean I finally get to know the reason why you felt like giving me my first white hairs ?"
"...Zero, you can't get white hairs..."
The glare. Warning number 1.
"I was... around."
"For you, around is the other side of the world... e.e;"
"Uh... Well." He fluttered to the girl's shoulder, and whispered something, her face lightning with understanding.
"...Ohhhhh. Ill let this one slide, just warn me next time !"
"I forgot, that's all..." He shrugged, then fluttered down to Udara.
"My presence was not too missed, I hope ?"
"Of course it was!" Udara screwed up her face and waved her ladle at him before realizing that the height at which she usually waved things at his face was now his chest. Spoon and eyes followed up to Shuyin's face, which was now well above her own. "... You went off and grew up, didn't you? WARN ME NEXT TIME I WAS WORRIED SICK!"
Shuyin, well... Sweatdropped. And Zero skidded out of the kitchen in case flying objects would happen to fly. After all, Udara was screaming pure female MOOD right now...
"..Among other things, yes..." Shuyin had this "Please don't smack me with that spoon" face. Just like a deer in the fuggin highlights.
"...Sorry ? I really wanted to, but I had to leave all of sudden... One of the elders wanted to see me and, uh, well. You get the idea. Im really sorry, Udara..."
As if Udara could ever remain upset for more than a fleeting moment. Her demeanor warmed and she threw her arms around his neck, sending the ladle flying as Zero had wisely predicted. "I was worried that you might have moved on..." she gave one tight squeeze before pulling back, her cheeks flushed. Her hands laced and fidgeted behind her back. "It would have been... empty. Here." There was a pregnant pause. "You wanted some soup, right?"
And lo and behold, Shuyin would up BRIGHT red, and said something that could be losely understood as "Yesplease".
However, when the blood rush lessened and allowed his brain to normally fuction again, he tackeled the most important statement.
"Move on ? Udara... I have no reason to do that. What's good into seeing new places if you got nowhere to return to ? Not much if you ask me..."
Then, good ol Shuyin setteled in.
"It was wonderfulm, trough. I found this place... With humans making objects so tiny, it was amazing how they did. They didn't see me, but I managed to find something for you..."
Rumaging into a sweater sleeve, Shuyin pulled out a small ring, and gentely put it on the hearth
"I tought you may like it..."
Udara's green eyes widened at the sight of the small trinket in unmasked awe. It looked slightly a miss, the sparkling gem against her drab skin, and yet when she let her hand fall back a bit to examine it from afar it seemed more and more at home; like the first star to cut through the clouds at the end of a stormy night.
"It's... " Her words halted as she suddenly looked outside the ring itself. Shuyin had gone out into the world searched for a gift and brought it back.
To her.
Of all people.
The kitchen snail.
Heat rushed to her cheeks once more and she tilted her head down, curls falling into her eyes. "Th-thank you Shuyin. It's beautiful." But what did it, along with the words that accompanied it mean.
Shuyin just grinned.
...Well, now was as good of a time than any...
Come on. He had repeated it in his head all the way back. Now all he had to do was to SAY IT.
"...Uh, Udara ? I... Uh... Well I..."
...
DAMNIT.
Udara lifted her head again and watched Shuyin struggle through... whatever it was he was trying to find the words or the gumption to say. Her lips bowed into a soft smile. He had come home and she believed she knew why now. After all... it would have been a lot easier for him to say if it wasn't so. She slid a step closer and stretched her foot to reach, laying a small, gently kiss on the side of his mouth.
...STOINK.
Now, red was almost a prominent color of Shuyin's cheeks by now. But a red THAT vivid had to shatter any created records.
So maybe words where meaningless.
He slowly went down, returning the favor, so to speak.
For now, nothing else existed... but him and her.
