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 Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:43 am
He pulled her onto the platform and was summoning his guitar when she asked that. Suddenly, the noise of the crowd was muted, and it felt as if they were the only two people in the world. "You should know, right?" he said quietly. His expression had closed, becoming cold and hard to accept from her old school friend.
"She married some pencil pusher demon that her family picked for her. One that I'd never met before, that didn't even go to our school. At the wedding I told him that if he ever hurt her--ever made her cry I would raze that jackin' mansion of his to the ground and take her back. He laughed in my face at the time, but," a little, evil smile that didn't reach his eyes pulled at his lips. "He ain't laughin' now."
Holding his guitar, FEAR seemed to rise around him, higher and higher, almost overwhelming to the point where it was tempting to run and hide. "With each spirit reaped I get stronger, little baku. And with my FEAR I can reap entire crowds with a song."
It was probably just the dream speaking, right? The real Roch wouldn't be like this!
Or would he in fifteen years?
The FEAR disappeared with a little laugh. "She doesn't even let me into the house nowadays, he's so jackin' scared of me."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:59 pm
Honestly? Xiu was a little frightened right now. Hearing her friend speak like this--granted that it was his older self, but this was still Roch's dream, right?--made a little shiver run through the Baku's body. He seemed so...dark? Darker, at least, but he still wasn't a bad guy. He still seemed as excitable as ever--Xiu glanced pointedly at the float they were standing on--and he clearly still cared about his friends.
...Or at least, enough to threaten her dream husband on their wedding day.
Almost nervously, she found herself asking a question. "What...what is he like? I mean, does...does Xiu seem unhappy, or...?" She was a little curious about how this dream future-self got along with the older Roch. And actually...
Would it be possible for her to meet this future self of hers? Of course, she wouldn't be able to speak to interact with her, but she was curious! What kind of image of herself did Roch see, and how did he see their relationship?
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:08 pm
"How can she be happy?" he asked quietly. "He's a typical self inflated demon that thinks everyone should do things for him, His beautiful wife should be seen, not heard. He's never even thought of dedicating a song to her--hell, he doesn't even know how to play," he said.
He gave her a little smile, a softer one. "But hey, I've been in love with her since I was fifteen, so I might be biased. Now, one song," he said, fixing his guitar and turning to the audience.
If his playing had been good when he was fifteen, now it was phenomenal. It had so much emotion that it made the cheering crowd stop and fight tears. When he was done he seemed to not be able to move, a strange look on his face.
Then he jerked out of it. "Let's take you home."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:16 pm
Oh. Well now, this had taken a turn down the "shouldn't have asked" road. The blood immediately rushed to Xiu's cheeks, and the only answer she managed to muster up was a tiny "oh" before she fell completely silent. It was a good thing that Roch had chosen that moment to play a song, because if he had expected to carry a conversation with her after that, he would have found that the little Baku had been rendered speechless.
The music, however, helped her relax. Hoping that she wouldn't lose her footing and fall off the float (because she was graceful like that), the Baku closed her eyes and listened carefully, keeping her head down and her hands clutched to her chest. It was such a moving song, and--...yes, someday Roch would be able to play like this. That, Xiu knew for certain.
Her eyes fluttered open in surprise when the reaper suddenly spoke up. Oh, the song was over. "Home? O-oh...y-yes, please."
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Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:20 pm
He dropped down from the platform, reaching up and picking Xiu up by the waist to pull her down. "You look so much like she did when she was your age," he teased. "So jackin' cute." He leaned down, brushing the lightest of kisses over her forehead before hopping off the flop and reaching up. "Jump!" he called to her. "I'll catch you."
He would like to keep her, he thought with amusement. Raise her like a daughter or something, but he would probably be a jackawful dad, so it was best to take her back to Xiu.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 6:54 pm
...Did he just kiss her forehead?
...He did! The Baku stared down him blankly, her expression unreadable. She was only used to that gesture from her uncle, and it was a little strange attributing something that she thought of as familial to Roch. Though in theory, she did kind of consider her friends family, and this was an older Roch, but--
--Oh, she was thinking too much about this again. Hesitating, she shuffled her feet up to the edge of the float and peered down. It really wasn't that big of a distance to the ground, but...knowing her, it wouldn't be good to take any chances. Taking a deep breath, she jumped as she was ordered.
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Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:10 pm
He caught her, gently putting her on the ground and taking her hand. "Hold on, it's easy to get lost in this crowd," he called over her shoulder. People were all around, dressed in crazy outfits, covered with beads and tentacle hats and all sorts of gaudy, but entertaining things. It smelled like food, alcohol, and a couple of things that you'd rather not think about.
"I freakin' love Riley Gras," he said, tugging her closer as the crowd seemed to get thicker. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her into his side. "It goes on for an entire week," he said. "I didn't realize I'd stayed in the Human World that long."
They were leaving the crowd, heading up a darkened street which led to a big mansion on top of a hill.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:18 am
Xiu walked stiffly alongside Roch, instinctively trying to keep out of the way of the crowd even if none of them could actually see or touch her. She peered up at the strange things that people were wearing with interest before Roch caught her attention. "...O-oh? How long were you gone?"
Almost immediately after she had asked that question, they emerged from the crowd and began up the street. "T-that mansion, is that...?" Xiu squeaked in surprised, taking in the sight of the large structure. Is that where her dream future self lived? "...It's huge." It seemed that the Baku had forgotten that she was technically supposed to live there, and that the reaper was bringing her "home".
The mansion was actually a lot less traditional than she imagined that her parents would approve of, but then again...this was Roch's dream, and he had no way of knowing what her parents were like, or their expectancy.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 7:19 am
Roch pulled to a stop in front of the gate, hating himself for even bringing her here. "Hey," he said, his arm still draped around her shoulders. He tugged her so she was facing him, practically hugging the little baku. "Hey, I don't want to take you there," he said.
"Why don't you stay with me? Sure I'm gone for weeks at a time, but-- it'd still be better than living there." He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers. "Be my kid, not theirs. Stay with me," he said quietly. "Give me a second chance."
Somehow the words from the song he'd sung over the phone seemed to dance around them. "Just breathe," he whispered, more to himself than to her.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:50 pm
...
What was she supposed to say to that? Even if this was just a dream, she still felt like she had to be careful with what she said and what she did. Xiu frowned, keeping silent as her gaze flickered down towards the ground. If only she were brave and clear enough to tell him either yes or no, instead of trying to find ways to dance around the question and avoid it.
In the end, she chose a more subtle path. "And my...my mother? Don't you think that she would be...?" Sure, Roch didn't care about her dream self's husband, but what about her dream self's feelings?
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:02 pm
"Jack, you're right," he muttered, pulling away. "I don't know why I feel like--" He shook his head, grinning crookedly and nudging her under the jaw gently, a familiar motion.
"Hey," he said. "I'm not usually an attempted childnapper. You just--it's just like having the old Xiu right in front of me," he said a bit sheepishly. "Either way, I bet you're in Amity by now, or some other school. I shouldn't have--"
He stopped, looking at the gate with a hint of expectation, as if he knew something she didn't know. "Just in case, though," he said, gently pushing the little Baku behind his back.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:49 pm
The Baku opened her mouth to answer--though she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say--when Roch suddenly cut himself off and turned to look at the gate. Frowning as she was pushed behind him, Xiu glanced up at the older reaper quizzically. "...Roch?" Then she looked up. There was a slender figure making it's way towards them towards the gate. It wasn't until the figure unlatched the gate and pulled it open did she realize just who is was.
Xiu stared up at the woman, a shiver suddenly running through her body. It was...strange. Though the woman was clearly older and seemed to carry herself in a more elegant manner, there was still that familiar look of worry in her reddish-pink eyes that was always present in the real Xiu's expression.
"Roch? What are you doing here? I thought you left for the human world?" The older Xiu looked at Roch with wide eyes, and then her lips tugged downwards into a small frown. "Is there something wrong? I...I'd invite you in for some tea, but..."
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 2:51 pm
"Yeah, I know, I just--" Roch shoved a hand through his hair, giving her a slight grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I found someone--I thought I would bring her home. Where she belongs."
He moved, supposedly to reveal the other baku. He had no clue that she wouldn't be able to see her.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:00 pm
Uh oh, this wasn't going to go well.
As expected, when Roch moved out of the way to reveal the real Xiu, the older dream Xiu simply blinked blankly and the seemingly empty spot. Then, she turned her concerned gaze up to the reaper. "...Roch, what are you talking about? Who are you bringing here?" There was a pause, and then she added, "And...what do you mean by 'home'? You know that I live here alone with--...um. With him." She didn't say his name.
Pausing, the Baku glanced around again, her gaze sweeping over where the real Xiu was standing multiple times. "There's no one else here, Roch."
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:03 pm
A frown pulled at his lips. Then something seemed to click in his mind. "I see," he said quietly. Then he moved forward, nudging the adult Xiu's chin just like he had the younger version. "Xiu?" he asked, looking her in the eye. "I'm sorry I dreamed you like this. This jackin' mansion, that b*****d husband, all the trouble you've gone through--it won't happen in real life."
Then he leaned down, brushing the tiniest of kisses against her lips. "It's time for me to change the channel again," he said as he stepped back.
The world went dark.
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