Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shinku kept his lips pressed to hers gently, yet firmly at the same time. He kept his arm around her shoulders, while his other hand picked her's up holding it gently as they kissed. He could feel his own cheeks start to burn a slight pink shade as he continued the kiss. Then after a few minutes he released the kiss looking at her with his own cheeks lightly flushed.

Rivera wished she had never let the words drop out of her mouth... Bearing a child, really... What an ABSURD idea! she wasn't capable of doing something like that. Even the analysis Kai and Usagi-san did on her last few health updates concluded that she would never be able to do it. The closest she'll ever get is probably dying in the process. Her health wasn't close to strong enough. Kira made her think otherwise though... maybe there was hope-- ?! What the hell?! She didn't even really want a child! Besides, what happened on the battlefield... both the one with Kestrel and the one from two thousand years past... she'll never forget it... never. Not the pain she endured nor the fear she was nearly broken by.

The picnic looked gorgeous with all its splendor. She could hardly begin to speak at all about how beautifl it looked, yet somehow, she managed. "I suppose Kai will be a little late... But we're supposed to be able to find him if we wait under this one tree..." She looked about. "The one with three knots that make it look like a smiley face... kinda strange, right?"

((And here is yet another large post from my stock of large posts >.>))

Rivera looked and nodded, "Yes... that would be it..."

Kai was very confused about the strange glances around him during the picnic. Maybe it was because no one's seen anyone his height with his wingspan... maybe he shouldn't fly to public events anymore. He was supposed to meet up with Rivera and Kira at a specific tree somewhere... now where is it...? Aha! He could sense their auras in the distance. Japanese sandals weren't quite the most comfortable thing to run in. That was the primary reason why he flew in the first place.

Rivera sensed Kai's presence from above and instinctively ducked when he landed, avoiding any branches he slashed off the tree with his clumsily large wings. Her own wings were out, but she had changed their form to a decorative rather than conventional. They looked like long, diamond shaped metal shards floating in a curving pattern over her back. She usually used ths as a way to channel extra electrical energy to herself in combat, but she thought they looked pretty cute just this way. She turned her head up to look at Kai, about to greet him when she froze, her face a very strange mixture of confusion, shock and 'I don't know you at all'.

"Kai... What in the name of Gaellia and Chloe are you wearing?!" She finally managed to speak after several minutes of shock. Rivera didn't know whether to laugh, cry or die... maybe she'll just go for all three at once.

Kai didn't seem offended. "It's a kimono... there's a kimono fashion contest, isn't there? I thought you were joining too... where's your kimono?" His kimono was black silk with patterns of impressive silver phoenixes and pale pink sakura petals on the sleeves and the hems. The sash was silver, dotted with tiny bits of sparkling pink light. A silver chain girdle around his waist hung a trail down to a sapphire drop, emphasizing his pure, clear blue eyes.

"But Kai!" Rivera protested, "Kimonos are for WOMEN! If you had to wear something like that, at least go for a Yukata!" Her eyes were pink with embarrassment although her face was as pale as it ever was. Usagihana broke the ice when she jumped from her hiding spot on the tree onto Kai's shoulder, perching there like a regal cat of some sort.

"There you are. I've been sleeping in that darned tree for nearly an hour!" Usagihana slipped down to the ground to jump into Rivera's arms, purring. "You have to admit, Kai doesn't look too bad in a drag... if not for that aural sensor you installed last month or so, I would've mistaken him for a very tall woman." Rivera looked at Kai again, imagining that he was a stranger. What Usagihana said dawned on her. The little robot continued to speak, "I mean, seriously. Kai-kun's a little too tall, but he's not a macho type of person so his body build is pretty narrow and his shoulders aren't so wide... which makes him perfect for cross dressing, dont'cha think?" Usagi was very right. Kai looked like a woman.

Rivera finally sighed, then pouted, looking away. "This is so not fair. You make a prettier girl than I do." Only the glint of spring green in her eyes told Kai that she was teasing him. Rivera wasn't completely kidding though. Kai looked prettier than she did... somehow... The gods have an ironic sense of humor, don't they? "Oh, and Kai, please watch out..." Rivera tapped him on the shoulder and indicated discreetly behind him with her eyes. "Some of those boys over there are checking you out... please don't let them hit on you..." Her voice held the slight trace of nervousness.

"You know, they're pretty cute too..." Rivera's jaw dropped. In her culture, gays and bisexuals were usually executed. It wasn't like she had anything against them, it was just how she was brought up. It disrupted a balance in life and threw off the patterns of the god's emotions when their worshippers rebelled their decree by living in forbidden love. Kai laughed, "Gotcha! That expression on your face was priceless! Oh, I don't like that murderous look in your eyes, so, uh, I'll be off!" He jumped into the tree, followed by Usagihana.

"Kai'sekillre Aztarael Dracasein! You will pay for scaring me like that!" She called up into the tree and sank down to sit with her back against the tree. "I swear I'd poison him if he wasn't immune to toxins." Rivera muttered.

Kai called stuck his head out of the tree quickly. "Does this mean you don't want to hear the good news I was going to tell you? I overheard things in the administrative offices and you don't know them!"

Rivera sighed, "You know me too well, Kai'sekillre." Smiling and speaking through gritted teeth, "I'll forgive you if you tell me."

Kai didnt even get a chance to open his mouth. Usagihana fell out of the tree and into Rivera's lap, her voice excited and sounding like she had too much caffeine... or cat n**, or crack. "Kai's graduating in a few days! He's surpassed the curriculum levels for his element by too far, so they're going to pretty much kick him out of the student ranks... But he'll still hang around as an intern! He'll be trying to become a teacher soon! But he ain't good at teaching... Don't hurt me!"

"Congratula--" Rivera started but never got to finish because Usagihana interrupted again.

"That's not all! Wait!" She giggled, "You are being bumped up from freshman to senior as soon as the summer session ends. The sophomore and junior staff heard too many things about you from the freshman staff. They can't freaking handle you, so they're going to dump you with a bunch of higher level instructors. There's no point for you to blast lowerclassmen into oblivion. You've got too much power to spare, girl! kyu!"

"No, she's just reckless!" Kai added, and narrowly avoided a spicy tuna riceball from her obento. Catching it in his hand, Kai tasted it. "Your cooking's getting much better."

"You are forgiven yet again." Rivera sighed, "Why the hell am I being bumped up now? Yes, I know you explained why, Usagi. It's just that I don't quite want to be near too many seniors. I won't be fifteen until next summer... yes, I figured out my real age, somehow... Hell, I'm not really even supposed to be a freshman yet!" Her hand suddenly flashed in a streak of silver as she swiped a falling beetle with one of her hidden knives. The insect was instantly sliced in two, then incinerated by a crackle of lightning. Rivera didn't blink an eye. She didn't even seem to have noticed that she had killed and burned an beetle. Sticking her knife in the ground to clean it, she performed the sleight of hand that returned the knife to the hidden sheath under the left wrist guard she wore all the time. The entire time, she didn't seem to sway from the topic. "I don't think I want to grow up that fast..." She didn't finish. Sometimes, Trains of thoughts were just too long to talk about. Rivera sighed and just smiled. "I'll shut up now. No worries today, please... I want one day to relax... and I'm sure you three would too."

Kira had been cracking up the whole time. "Kai... You.... Are.... Hilarious!!!" He burst out laughing. "Dude, what were you thinking? I mean sure you look like a chick but you should stick to the guy stuff man!" He exclaimed jovially. "Just go and find something to change into... Get a yukata like Rivera said!" He laughed then took a deep breath, calming down at last. He listened to everything that was being said. "Fourteen going on fifteen huh?" He asked curiously. He was still surprised she was getting bumped up further than him. "Senior huh? I'm still freshmeat..." He said a little embarassedly.

"So what all's in this thing? I've never really had an obento..." Kira asked pointing to the box. "And before you answer... I have a little something for us all to share, when you want that is..." He said quietly and snapped opening a light vortex, through which a small clay bottle of sake floated. "It's been resting in the back of Kuro's fridge sooo.... I decided I'd swipe it...." He said simply.

Kai sighed, "Well... I'll skip out of the kimono show this year then... I can't wait to see yours, Kamichama. I heard it changes... Ciao!" Kai took off into the air again, crashed into the tree and fell back. "Ow... I need to get flying lessons... Okay. Ciao." Successfully flying off, Kai soon vanished into the air. Rivera sighed. "He will surely kill me... with envy, that is. I wish people would stop mistaking me for a guy when I wear jeans..."

She opened the bag and drew out the obento. "I'm not so good at cooking... so Usagi-san helped me. There's... eggrolls, riceballs, chicken, fried rice, soba noodles, sushi and I think these are cucumbers... I can't tell them apart from zuchinis yet..." Rivera grinned, slightly embarrassed. She wasn't so good at cooking... at all. It was probably because she rarely ate more than 400 calories a day. Her metabolism was made to go extremely slow and even the tiniest extra would sometimes make her gain weight... okay, so she was a bit underweight... but she had to be to be able to glide even if she can't fly. Besides that point, if she wasn't light enough to be fast or stealthy, she'd be dead by now with all these assassins...

The sake cheered her up a bit. Rivera wasn't really an alcoholic, but she had to take alcohol to maintain her health. Some sugars just weren't absorbed into her body as well as alcohol sugar. "Sake? Uh... wouldn't Kuro mind?"

Rivera smiled the smile she reserved for Kira only. Although all her other smiles were only slight, this was like a normal smile... not a simple and subtle raise of two milimeters on the corners of her mouth, a REAL sort of smile that she showed no one else, not even Kai. "Okay then..." She pulled out the two chopsticks from inside the obento as well, before picking up the clayware. The sake smelled quite strong... it HAD been in the back of the fridge for a long time... It was probably bitter now, but then again, she liked bitter wines for some odd reason that had nothing to do with her sweet tooth. She hoped Kira wouldn't get a shock if it were.

"And I guess I should toast something... er... to a brighter future without people coming after us all the time!" She cocked her head, "And... to you getting better. You still look a little green... I'm out of ideas now..."

Kira grinned and laughed a small bit. "To... Our love and... To the festival, as well as the unity of Ria High!" He exclaimed lightly raising his cup of sake. He then brought it down to his mouth and drank the whole cup. He seemed a little surprised at the bitter taste and how good it actually seemed. "Well... I'm out of ideas other than stuffing our faces...." He said grabbing a piece of sushi and popping it into his mouth savoring it. "And maybe some games later..." He said after swallowing the morsel.