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 Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 1:52 am
Trio had headed back to her place for a while to check on other companions, and that's when Kikuei made his move, heading off of his shelf in search of Kujaku. Trio hadn't been bothering him as much as before - she seemed content to simply sit for hours and play with him, and her little kunkun was slowly getting used to his company. But he still wasn't sure he liked having her around. It was uncomfortable, and nerve-wracking.
Bored, he wandered down the steps, then through the branches, looking around for Kujaku. Or at least for another Ieldi to play with. Catching sight, finally, of a shelf above him, he darted up the steps, grinning as he almost pounced the last one and came into view.
Safrinni, having been immersed in the large book in her lap that was nearly as big as she was, had heard the footsteps on the ladder and didn't immediately react, assuming it was Karma back from one of her ground excursions with the food she'd said. At the sound of their eagerness, however, she peered over the top of the book.
Karma had never RUN before...maybe something was wrong? The little Ieldi no sooner had done so, than a large burst of color appeared on the shelf with her. That--that wasn't Karma...!! For that matter, it wasn't anyone she recognized, either. Eyes big as saucers, Frinni dropped her grip on the book and scrambled backward in a skittering crabwalk.
"Who--who---" she tried to ask in a very small voice and found she couldn't get any words out. Cringing, she hoped that he did not intend to hurt her...she didn't yet think she was able to fly.
Kikuei's eyes went wide at Safrinni's reaction, and he froze, not moving save for the grin he sported slowly fading into a worried frown. He didn't want to scare her more by moving away, but he also didn't particularly want to leave - maybe if he could relax her, they could be friends and play together, after all. Caught in the mental debate, he did nothing for a long minute before finally sinking slowly to sit near the stairs, watching her.
Safrinni, her backward movements carrying her to the outer lip of the shelf that hung over the pond at the base of the village tree, huddled there, her eyes warily on Kikuei. Why was he here...?? What did he want? .....why wasn't he doing anything now?
For what seemed forever, she simply stared back at him. Somewhere in the distance, a cicada began to sing. Mustering up what little courage she had, realizing that he didn't intend to go away or to make a move against her, she tried again to speak.
"....who are you?" she managed to get out in a little mouse-like squeak.
A question - he could answer that. Relaxing a little and offering what he hoped was a gentle smile, he finally spoke. "I'm Kikuei. Who're you?"
The egret ieldi's tapered ears folded back a bit in a slightly submissive fashion. Kikuei. She did not recognize the name. She'd heard often the name Kujaku when Karma spoke to her of her friend Youko and his ieldi charge....she'd likewise seen the peacock boy on a few occasions, but had found him very offputtingly noisy. She hoped this one was not as loud as he was colorful...
"M'Safrinni...." she murmured shyly, still watching him carefully.
Kikuei cocked his head to one side, watching her for another moment before fully grinning again. "Wanna play a game? I'm bored. I wanted to play with someone," he explained, drawing his legs up and rocking a bit as he held them to his chest. "I went looking for Kujaku 'cause we played in the pond the other day but I dunno where his shelf is so I couldn't find him. But I found yours, and I was thinkin' that maybe you'd wanna play a game." He finally finished, watching her expectantly.
A game...? She blinked slowly, almost afraid to tell him she'd never actually -played- before...and if all of the other ieldi were as flashy and vibrant as this one and Kujaku, it was a small wonder he wanted anything to do with her. She was so....ordinary. So easily-missed.
As much as her normal routine of solitude wanted him to leave her be, another part of her didn't. This was the first time she'd ever been approached by one of the others...it would truly be a shame to send him away and spend weeks agonizing over "what ifs" and "maybes".
"O--Okay..." she said with a nod. Saying was one thing, doing was another....it took her several more minutes to actually unhuddle herself and tentatively inch further back onto the shelf. It was almost as though she still expected him to spring on her at the last moment. "What kinda game...?"
Kikuei tilted his head for a minute, then nodded. "A music game! You make music and I try to imitate you," Kikuei said, tossing rules out before he really had time to think about them. "Then I'll make music and you imitate me. Okay?"
Safrinni seemed confused. Make music with what...? Or was that yet another thing the others could do that she couldn't? Blinking twice, she looked apologetically at Kikuei. "Never made music before...." there was a long pause before she winced, looking like it was almost painful to ask. She didn't want to dismiss him or the game entirely...especially if it proved to be very simple after all to make music ".....show me?"
Kikuei hesitated, eyes wide as he tried to imagine never making music. After a moment, he scrambled forward to sit near her.
Her first reaction was to shy away, her little hands balling into fists and tucking themselves beneath her chin as he quickly came near her. She was well-aware of the fact her heart was pattering like a hummingbird's wings within her from the continual fright she seemed to be experiencing.
He paused halfway there, seeing her shy and wincing a bit. Stopping and curling back up, he watched her for a moment before saying, "Can you clap?" He held up his hands, clapping twice in demonstration.
Relieved when he stopped, Frinni blinked owlishly at him and then quickly nodded, holding up her own hands and bringing them together twice, just as he'd done.
He grinned widely, almost bouncing in place as she did so. "We can make music that way! Watch." He clapped three times quickly, paused for a moment, clapped thrice again pausing once more before doing a very quick rhythm of two three two one.
One ear twitched as she listened to the pattern he'd picked up, trying to get the beat of it. Unconsciously, her hands had started softly clapping along, a bit off-beat to his own, but eventually coinciding with him until they clapped in unison. Her eyes lit up a bit at this, seeming to shed at least one layer of her shyness. She -could- do it....she -was- capable of playing with the others. Very, very slowly, a thin smile began to unfurl on her lips
Kikuei seemed delighted at her willingness to learn. An impish grin coming into his eyes, he slowly changed the pattern of the clapping, wondering how long it'd take her to pick up the new rhythm. His eyes were wide with glee.
Hearing her own rhythm suddenly clashing with his, she blinked, startled, and paused a moment, listening to what Kikuei was now doing before attempting to pick it up again. Her brow furrowed a little with concentration, but her amber eyes had picked up a glow to them that wasn't ordinarily there.
"Think you can do that while I'm doing something else?" Kikuei asked softly, watching her concentrate. This was FUN, easily as fun as diving and splashing with Kujaku.
She looked up suddenly, her hands faltering before continuing the rhythm they held. Something...else? Biting her lip a bit, thinking, she then nodded. "I think so..." she said, trying to sound certain of herself. She wasn't entirely sure if she could or not, but supposed they would see.
"I'll keep clapping to help you out, okay?" Kikuei assured her. "You focus on that for now, and try to ignore what I'm gonna do." He waited a beat for the instructions to sink in, then began to whistle a counterpoint. It was a very simple little melody, and far from perfect, but it was definitely fun.
She did try very hard to ignore what he was doing, thinking that with as much lead-in as he'd given it, it would be something horribly confusing. However, as he began to whistle, she found that keeping her beat wasn't very hard at all. In fact, the two different strains of music seemed to mesh well. It wasn't her first choice in music, by any means, but still -- to actually be taking part in making it....
She allowed herself a faltering grin at this.
At her grin, he grinned in return, losing the ability to whistle for several long moments before finally giving up and giggling. "You're good at this!" he crowed, unable to keep still and thrilled to have found another friend to play with - especially one who seemed to like making music with him.
At his loud voice, Frinni cringed reflexively. She didn't seem to be able to help it....loud voices always made her feel two inches tall for some reason. Forcing herself to calm, she continued to clap, finding a slightly-fractured semblance of her former grin.
"Thanks." she said, somewhat sheepishly. Perhaps, if she tried hard, she could get past that....it would be nice to have at least one friend. And for that matter, at least one person in general, aside from Karma, that she didn't feel the need to be on her guard around. Her doubts about Kikuei were slowly fading....if he meant to hurt her or if his friendliness was farse, surely he would have let on by now.
He hesitated, then suggested quietly, "Make up a new rhythm and lemme see if I can do it." He'd caught the cringe, not at all sure why she'd done so - had he upset her with something he said? Maybe she didn't like compliments... Nodding to himself, he determined not to say that again, in case she didn't like it.
Frinni paused, her hands stopped clapping, and she puzzled for a moment before attempting to invent a new rhythm. Four single claps, five quick claps, one single clap, brief pause, repeat. Was it good enough...? She watched the other Ieldi for his approval hesitantly.
Kikuei considered, then began to imitate her, catching the rhythm fairly quickly. He offered a bright grin at that, then frowned for a moment before trying out a bit of simple whistling again.
Frinni listened to him whistle, not sure if it was as good as it sounded with the rhythm he'd had or not....maybe she'd ruined the game. Remaining hopeful, she continued to clap along with him, waiting until he told her to stop
He stopped finally, eyes alight. "Now you whistle," he directed, as though the ability to do so were the most natural thing in the world.
The record player of Frinni's mind scratched to an abrupt halt. Whistle? But...but she'd never whistled before...!! "Uhm..." she faltered, wincing. How did you do it...? It looked like he had just put his lips together and then blown to make the music come out. Doing the same, she was disheartened when only a silent gust of wind came out. She tried again with the same results. "I don't....I don't think I can...." she said, looking upset with herself.
Immediately, Kikuei looked upset - he seemed to be stumbling all over himself with this game, first making her run, then flinch, and now making her unhappy. Casting about for some way to fix things, he finally said, "Maybe I can teach you?"
She hadn't meant to upset him, and immediately felt bad that it seemed she had done just that. Setting her jaw a little, she tried to think of some way to explain herself....that she was like this around everyone, not just him. Would he understand, though?
"Could you?" she asked, her eyes lighting up a bit. She paused then, hands fidgeting. "I--M'sorry. I don't....I just get scared a lot....it isn't you." There...that had been about as barebones of a summation as she could provide.
He blinked at the apology, hesitantly moving closer. "You don't have to be scared of me," he offered softly, reaching out toward her. "I just like to play games..."
Her first impulse was to pull away from his hands, but she steeled herself, trying to remain still. ~He isn't going to hurt you.~ she told herself firmly. ~But what if he does? No....no he isn't. Its okay.~ In the end, she remained where she was, deciding this would be a test.
He didn't actually even touch her, instead letting his hand hover nearby for a moment before offering a soft smile. "I have fun playing with you. Do you think maybe we can be friends?"
"You want to be my friend...?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised. It was that easy...? For all of her fidgeting and uncertainty, he'd still managed to like her. How was that possible? For a brief moment she almost felt as though she might cry, but she quickly pushed that away. That was the LAST thing she needed to do right now.
She didn't give a verbal answer, but nodded her head twice briskly.
He beamed at her, smile as vivid as his colors as he nodded back and moved to sit beside her. "Great!" For a moment, he didn't seem to remember why he'd been moving over beside her, but the memory of teaching her to whistle quickly came back. "So... whistling..."
Yes, whistling. She straightened a bit, still reeling a bit from the shock a moment ago. It was nice that he switched topics quickly, in a way....if it were left up to her, she'd still be cowering where she was when he'd initially come up.
She turned a bit, facing him, giving him her full attention like a student ready to learn.
He started to say something, then stopped, his brow furrowing as one hand lifted to scratch the back of his head. After a moment, he puckered his lips, whistling briefly and concentrating on it to figure out how he did. Tentatively, he tried out a few different notes before tilting his head. "Okay... make your mouth into a little 'o'."
Cocking her head slightly, Frinni pursed her lips into a pucker much in the way he did, waiting for further instructions. She'd paid close attention while he'd whistled, wondering what it was she'd been doing wrong earlier....it -seemed- simple...
"Now, when you blow, try blowing kinda soft," he said, not sure he was explaining it right but having no idea just how TO explain it.
The egret ieldi nodded her head and inhaled, exhaling gently. Still no actual whistle, but, on the outrush of air, it had carried what sounded like potential to be a whistle...a whisper of pitch somewhere within. Looking hopeful, she moved to try again.
He waited, leaning forward slightly and staring at her in excited anticipation.
It took several tries...each with about the same result. Maybe...if she blew a little harder. Inhaling again, she did so and suddenly a loud, shrill, single-note whistle escaped her mouth, startling her as her eyes went wide and she simply stared, wondering if that had possibly come out of her.
Kikuei startled back, then cheered loudly, whooping as he clapped. "That was GREAT!" Bouncing for real now, he moved back to her side, eyes alight.
A pink flush rising in her face, showing like a beacon beneath her alabaster skin, she looked fixatedly down at her lap, trying to hide the fact she was trying not to dissolve into giggles. That was...she didn't know what that was. It struck her as a little funny that, for as frightened as loud noises made her, here she was capable of producing one of the loudest noises she'd heard yet.
He leaned over, nudging her. "Try it again!" he demanded, eyes alight.
It came a little easier this time. On her second try, she produced another whistle...this one not quite as loud as the first had been, and it wavered, breaking in the middle, but it was a whistle nonetheless. This time she made no effort to disguise her delight in the fact she'd done it and practically beamed behind the soot-colored mask over her eyes.
Kikuei cheered, getting to his feet to bounce in excitement before seeming to think of something. "Hey... wait right here. I'll be right back, okay?!"
"Okay..." Frinni nodded, though she was puzzled. He wasn't leaving already, was he? ....would he really be back? Fanning the small wings on her back once, she shifted herself to a slightly more comfortable position to wait.
Kikuei ran down the steps and over the pathway, trying ot find his way back to his shelf. He finally did, gathered up what he was planning to bring and running back to Safrinni with delight in his gaze. "What do you think?" he demanded, appearing suddenly several minutes later draped in beads and clinging to a soft velveteen bag.
Safrinni blinked, not exactly sure what to think. He was suddenly much...shinier? "You're pretty." she said, examining the beads from where she sat, fidgeting a little and suddenly very self-conscious of the fact she was rather drab by comparison. "It kind of looks like the pond." she remarked, pointing at one of his green-blue wings where one of the beads had settled, seeming to set off the luster in the feathers.
He blinked, then grinned, moving to unwind the bead strings from himself after setting the bag down. "euphoric showed me this," he offered, looking for a small branch to attach them to. Waving her over, he fastened five strands, then stepped back as the beads caught the sunlight and sparkled.
She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing until she approached and stood, surprised at the display. It--it was like watching the sun play over the pond and she didn't even need to go down below to watch...! "Its beautiful...." she breathed, her feathers ruffling a bit and her hands clasping.
He grinned delightedly, reaching out and brushing his hand across them lightly and listening as they chimed back softly. "See?" Everything seemed to be either music or games to him...
As the beads clinked musically together, producing not a harsh clanking noise or the loud raucous clapping they'd been producing a few moments ago, she smiled serenely. It seemed not everything Kikuei did involved lots of noise and somehow that was a comfort to her.
"When the wind blows, they chime together a lot, and sound really pretty," he said, grinning at her before moving to get the gems euphoric had brought him, cupping a hand and showing her the sparkling beauties.
Peering into his cupped hand, she blinked and then cautiously extended one finger, gingerly touching the surface of one and tracing the top facet. "Euphoric must like you lots." she remarked, looking up at him again.
He frowned a bit, drawing back before glancing down at the gemstones. "She did. I miss her," he whispered, staring at the stones as though they might answer him.
"She went away?" Safrinni questioned, her ears perking a bit. That---was hard to believe. It had taken her so much indecision and agonizing to decide whether or not Karma could be trusted before she had given up the last of her reservations and settled on the foxcoon's shelf. If Karma should just spontaneously not come back, she would be lost. Utterly lost. She certainly wasn't prepared to invest that degree of trust in anyone else.
The ieldi gave a shudder at this, not wanting to think about it.
Kikuei looked suddenly vulnerable, something twisting in his gaze before he shuttered his eyes, glancing up at her with a shadow of his former grin. "They sound pretty when you shake them," he offered, which explained the small scratches on some surfaces. Hesitating, he abruptly thrust out his hands, staring at her. "Pick one."
Safrinni hesitated, startled by the offer. She didn't want to be rude, but.... "But they're yours, Kikuei..." she said softly, wanting to see if he was sure or not.
"Pick one," he insisted, brows furrowed deeply. A moment later, he said something much softer, that might've been "Please?"
Frinni bit her lip and then nodded once, hesitantly selecting a light blue gem. Blue was a color she'd always been drawn to for some reason, despite the fact she lacked any blue to speak of on her body. Holding it between two fingers, feeling the warmth it had absorbed while in his hands, she watched him carefully, making sure it was really all right with him.
He seemed to almost relax, carefully setting aside the other gems before peering at her thoughtfully. "Maybe... maybe we can figure out a way to make it so that you can wear it?" he asked, wondering if she really even liked it enough.
Gently transferring the gem to her own cupped palm, she examined it a bit more closely, liking the way the light shone on it, smiling a little. As he made his suggestion, she looked up, her ears perking a bit.
"Really? Do you think we can?" she asked, sounding hopeful. She could already feel herself growing attached to it...along with being her favorite color, it had been the first gift she had ever been given. .....from....her first friend, she forced her mind to add. Yes, at this point it was safe to consider Kikuei a friend, she decided.
~Its rude to take and not give back.~ a stern voice in her head reminded her. A voice that had seemed to be with her ever since she'd been reborn that she recognized, yet didn't...yet somehow was compelled to obey. Just as she was wondering what he might like, moving to take a step backward, her ankle bumped something soft.
Looking down, she saw one of her plush cats...dark blue, mottled with little white stars, and a pair of angelic wings on his back. Smiling, she picked it up, examining it briefly as though checking it for scuffs or damage before offering it out to Kikuei.
"Do you like kitties...?" she asked hesitantly.
He blinked, nodding slowly before reaching out to pet the cat for a moment. "It's very cute," he offered, smiling at her.
She hesitated and then held it out to him. "....would you like him?" she asked shyly. "He's soft...he keeps bad dreams away." Safrinni offered. One of her heels dug at the shelf floor awkwardly, half-expecting him to say no. A plush toy really wasn't much compared to something as pretty as a gem, and she knew it...
His eyes went wide, and he looked up at her before carefully taking the kitty from her with a soft, "Y'mean it?" When she released the toy, he hugged it close, a slow smile beginning to light up his face.
"Uh huh." she nodded, feeling proud somehow when she saw him happily accept the plush. It felt good to see someone else smile and know she'd been the reason for it. Smiling, she watched him hug it and placed her hands behind her back, her left hand still holding the gem he'd given her and her thumb still idly tracing its corners and facets.
He grinned at her, then turned back to the beads, running his hand across them again. "I'm glad I found your shelf," he said suddenly, still snuggling the cat with one arm.
"I'm...I'm glad you did too." she said in return. And she found that she was, really. Before he'd visited, she'd been sure that all of the other ieldi children would hate or ignore her. Or that all of them were loud and raucous and would expect her to be the same. Maybe more of them were like Kikuei had turned out to be. "Its nice to have a friend." she added sheepishly.
Kikuei nodded vehemently, his head bobbing up and down on his neck before he stopped. "Now I've got two friends!" He reached out, catching her arm and only then seeming to realize her hands were behind her back. Dropping her arm almost as soon as he'd touched it, he said cheerfully, "You try making them chime!"
Blinking as he caught her arm, seeming to forget to pull away this time as her nerves had calmed themselves considerably from what they'd been a few minutes ago, she didn't even flinch. And when he requested that she make the beads chime, she turned to where he'd hung them, reaching out, trying to see if there was a particular trick to it.
Letting her fingers play over the strands as though it was a very odd harp, she produced a jingling of noise, someone reminiscent of falling rain. Again, the sound, combined with the way the light shone through the shimmering greens and blues made her smile.
Kikuei moved back, flopping onto the floor and watching as she played with the beads. He set the pretty cat in his lap, leaning back on his hands and ignoring the way his hair settled in his eyes, looking ragged and disheveled.
Taking this as an invitation to keep 'playing' the beads, she continued to pluck at the strings experimentally, producing different cadances of soft noise as different sizes and shapes of beads clicked together. Every now and then she looked over at Kikuei to see if he was still, indeed, there or not.
Kikuei watched for a while, occasionally adding his own whistles and clapping to the light tinkle of the beads. At length, though, the sun began to set and he glanced up at the dimming sky before frowning and reaching for his bag and slipping all the gems but hers back inside. "I hafta go... Trio's probably back," he said, sounding more sour than she'd yet heard him. "So she's probably looking for me." He paused, then looked back at her hopefully. "Can I come back again?"
Frinni's ears drooped a bit, seeming disappointed that he had to leave...which was funny considering when he'd first shown up, she'd wanted nothing MORE than for him to leave. But he'd been nice to her....
"I'd like that, Kikuei." she said sincerely, nodding softly. "Thank you for coming to see me...and for the shiny." she added, looking down at the light blue gem still in her palm.
He grinned, moving to unhook the bead strings and wrap them back around himself until they appeared to be a ton of bead necklaces again. "Thank you for the kitty, Safrinni." He paused, then added, "Maybe you can come to my shelf sometime. I've got other pretty stuff that we can play with... and we can make more music again." After a moment, he giggled, adding, "Practice your whistling!"
Beaming a smile at him, she felt herself blush again. Yes....she had to work on that, didn't she? As he gathered his things up, she offered him a wave. "Bye Kikuei." she said. "See you soon." And with any luck, she would. Karma, thankfully, wasn't very possessive about letting her leave the shelf...it was just that she'd never chosen to. Maybe she WOULD seek him out one of these days. It wasn't as though the tree was enormous, after all...surely she'd find him eventually.
Happily, he began whistling, making his way off of her shelf and heading back to his own with a bright grin that even the thought of facing a worried Trio couldn't dim.
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Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 1:53 am
Kikuei padded along beside Trio, clinging to the small bag he held. He could feel the weight of the gifts inside and nearly beamed at the thought of giving them - the Ieldi loved recieving gifts but seemed to have just as much love for giving them away. Trio privately suspected it came from the way he'd beamed after giving Safrinni a small jewel and coming home with a stuffed animal at the same time. The glow around him had been nearly palpable. Now, they stopped in front of Kujaku's new home and Trio knocked, grinning down at the bouncing Ieldi. He was whistling under his breath, a nervous energy of sound.
There was the sound of scuffled movement inside the small house as Youko tried to step around items that were still boxed up. He had been shopping to replace most of the items lost when the tree fell, but had yet to actually put much away. "Coming!" he called out, noting that Kujaku was still tucked away in the little mushroom chair that Youko had bought just for him. It was the perfect size for him, and was like a small papa-san chair on a metal frame.
Opening the door, the fox grinned at seeing the two and motioned them inside. "Hey there!"
"Hey," Trio smiled, leaning over to give Youko a hug and whispering in his ear, "One of us comes bearing gifts..." She grinned, stepping back again as Kikuei nodded at Youko without much of the previous animosity he'd held for non-Ieldi. Without speaking, however, Kikuei moved straight to Kujaku, smile wide on his face. "Hi!" he chirped.
Kujaku peered up from the chair, eyes wide at the greeting. For the first time that day, the Ieldi seemed to smile, flying out of the chair and tackling Kikuei in a hug. "HI!!"
Youko just grinned, bringing Trio in and leaving the door open to air the place out. "Good to see him smiling... I thought he was going to stay in a purple funk all week."
Kikuei went tumbling, and Trio hurried forward just in time to keep the bag he clutched from going with him. He hugged Kujaku back, giggling wildly. "Trio says it's Christmas time," he added, still in the hug.
Rolling her eyes, his guardian muttered, "Past Christmas, but hey..."
"Christmas..." Kujaku's eyes widened then and he looked to Youko almost as if he was ready to cry. The little Ieldi had gotten his friends presents, but all of it had been lost when the tree fell. Kujaku sat back on the floor then, trying to speak, but his breath kept hitching in his throat. "I... I got something for you... but... but..."
"But he was waiting for the right moment to give it," Youko supplied, moving to one of the two tiny bedrooms and coming back a moment later with a small wrapped package. He handed it to Kujaku with a wink, and the boy stared up at him in a mix of shock, gratitude and awe.
Kikuei blinked, staring a moment before beaming. "COOL!" he said brightly, accepting the gift and curling up with it on the floor.
"Kikuei...," Trio admonished, setting the bag down beside him. The Ieldi immediately looked contrite, but only for a moment.
"Thank you!" he said, leaning over to hug Kujaku again before moving to rummage in his own bag. "Here!" he said, coming up with a large, very light-weight box that was wrapped in plain red paper.
Kujaku was VERY pleased now, the melancholy vanishing almost immediately. He held the box in his hands, nearly vibrating as he watched Kikuei. "Open it!" he said, bouncing in place as he waited for the other to look at his gift. Inside the box was a small set of windchimes, dangling and making soft music when they were lifted up.
Kikuei beamed, immediately setting to work playing with the soft sounds. "I LOVE it!" he declared brightly, waving it towards Kujaku. "It's music!"
"Captain Obvious strikes again," Trio muttered to Youko, snickering lightly.
"Open yours, open yours!" Kikuei said, missing his guardian's words as he bounced and jingled. Inside the light-weight box was a paper lantern, though the candle-holder had been replaced with a carefully-crafted light-bulb setting.
Kujaku's eyes went wide as he carefully lifted the lantern from the box, letting it hang from his fingertips. "LOOK!" he cried out, turning to Youko with a grin that was VERY easily visible beneath the veil he wore. "It's so pretty..." he said, prodding at it with a finger and setting it spinning in his hands.
Youko grinned, moving to curl up on the small couch and pulled Trio there with him as he whispered. "I think this is just what he needed... he's been moody ever since all of this happened."
Trio nodded, nestling against Youko and watching the two. "Kikuei's been dying to see Kujaku again. He's asked nearly every day, but we've been so BUSY," she murmured, a soft smile on her face.
Kikuei beamed, watching Kujaku's obvious enjoyment before delving into the bag again. "I found something else for you, too, and Trio said I could get it," he chattered, tugging out a much heavier box and handing it to Kujaku. Before the Ieldi could open it, Trio leaned over to Youko. "You'll need to help him put it together..."
"Put it together?" Kujaku blinked, staring down at the box for a moment. What could be in the box that needed put together? "Okay..." he said, grinning as he started to open it.
The box held within it a small mechanical waterfountain - just the right size to place on a windowsill or near Kujaku's bed.
Kujaku was nearly vibrating, every feather on his body standing ouward as he set the fountain down and looked over it. "I can't wait to see what it's like when it's all put together!"
Youko snickered, resting his head against Trio's shoulder. "He won't let me rest til it's set up."
"It's really pretty," Kikuei chimed. "I saw a sample of it when Trio took me shopping." He hesitated, watching Kujaku examine the front of the box.
"It's supposed to be soothing...," the woman offered, feeling warm at the way Kikuei said her name offhandedly. Their relationship was still far from the best in the world, but it was certainly warmer than it had been, and she suspected she owed a great deal of that to Kikuei's friends.
Kujaku was fairly bouncing, grinning from ear to ear as he dove forward and hugged the other Ieldi tightly. "THANK YOU!"
Kikuei giggled, snuggling into the hug with abandon. "You can't dive into it, but...," he said, laughing brightly and bouncing at Kujaku's enthusiasm.
"But it's still great!" Kujaku scowled then, mock-glaring ar Youko. "He made us live all the way on the OTHER side of the tree from the lake."
Bringing up both hands, Youko just snickered. "Hey, hey... not MY fault there's no houses over there. This is as close as you can get."
"I should probably avoid mentions of things like wading pools and above-ground pools, huh?" Trio whispered directly into the kitsune's ear, not wanting the kids to hear her.
Kikuei drew back a bit as Kujaku grumbled at Youko, glancing over at Trio with a nervous expression for a long moment. When she smiled gently and nodded, he reached into the bag, coming out with one final box, this one not wrapped. It was wood, the lacquering glaze job leaving it with swirls of iridescent color. He held it for a moment, then handed it to Kujaku nervously. "I got you this, too," he said, his voice far smaller than before.
Kujaku stared at the box, smiling for a moment. "It's pretty!" he said, his mind already thinking of all the feathers he could put inside of it.
"Open it," Youko whispered, grinning at him as he nestled closer to Trio.
It was as if a lightbulb went on in the Ieldi's head and he brightened up, flipping open the box quickly. When he saw the wand inside, his breath caught, eyes widening. "Beautiful!' he said simply, not knowing what else he could say to describe it.
Kikuei relaxed a bit, watching Kujaku for a moment. "Now we can learn how to play them together. Trio got me one, too," he said, offering a smile. "If you want to, I mean."
Nodding emphatically, Kujaku set the box CAREFULLY aside, making sure not so much as a scratch came onto the wood. "YES!! I'd love to!"
Kikuei beamed, glad the flute had been so well-recieved. He glanced back at Trio, whose soft smile reassured him further, and Kujaku suddenly found himself pounced in turn, Kikuei bouncing so much he almost seemed to vibrate.
Trio snickered, leaning her cheek against Youko's hair. "For the record? I apologize in advance for the next month or two's worth of flute-squawks."
Kujaku let out a yelp, falling back in a heap of wings and giggles as he clung to his friend.
"A couple months of squawks is nothing... You've never heard Kujaku shriek when he REALLY gets going."
Trio laughed, watching the two tussle. She noted with some pride that Kikuei was careful with all of the gifts, not just the flute, and nodded, curling a little closer to Youko. "Kujaku's good for him. I need to bring Kikuei over a lot more, now that we've finally settled a bit." She paused, then added, just loud enough for the kitsune to hear, "Thank you."
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:18 am
The soft music floated out from the treeline, light and bouncy and encouraging feet to dance and move. There was no unearthly pull to the music. It wasn't supernatural. But it did draw the listener forward, all the same.
Music was an obsession inherited from her father, and Etain couldn't help but follow it nevertheless. Much to Dakota's dismay. The zurui had discovered that Etain had a natural ability to get into trouble, despite how she never actually meant to do it. Following after, he watched as the sylph flew above him, poking her head past the treeline as she tried to determine the source of the sound.
Not far into the woods was a small clearing, covered in shade from the canopy of leaves above. In the center, settled on a large flat stone, was a redhaired boy, the orange and red flute in his hands playing the spritely song. His eyes were closed, a look of contentment on his face as he continued to play.
Eyes widening, Etain floated a couple feet off the ground, her curly pigtails over her shoulders as she listened intently to the flautist. After several moments, she offered cheerfully, "It's so pretty!" Shy around musicians? Not Etain!
The song faltered, silver-grey eyes flying open to peer at Etain curiously. He looked so young, until his eyes opened... "Who are you?"
"Etain," the sylph explained, beaming brightly. "An' that's Dakota!" She pointed to the long-suffering zurui that had ghosted over. "Who're you?"
The eyes narrowed at Dakota, and the boy dropped the flute. It fell to his neck, held in place by a leather thong. As he shifted, the green and blue wings at his back flexed. "I'm Kikuei. ...I knew someone like you once," he added to Dakota, voice soft.
Dakota sank down, sitting next to Etain. "Oh?"
Quietly, Etain considered Kikuei. He looked so... sad.
Kikuei jumped when Dakota spoke, staring at the zurui in surprise. "You talk!"
"...This is a surprise?" Dakota asked, though not unkindly.
"Trio's zurui didn't talk," Kikuei muttered, eyes narrowing as he leaned closer to Dakota, examining him curiously.
Etain brightened again, leaning forward, her hands on her knees. "Mama's zurui are real quiet, but Dakota talks lots. So do most of Papa's other zurui."
"...Mama?" Kikuei asked, his confusion transferring to Etain.
"Mama. Trio," Etain offered. "That's my mama."
"Your mother is Trio?" Kikuei whispered, ignoring the sudden trill of bright laughter that floated through the trees. "Really?"
Etain nodded, curls bobbing. "Yup! You know Mama?"
The laughter redoubled, but Kikuei looked solemn. "She... is my guardian."
"Then... why haven't I met you before?" Etain asked, confused.
Dakota, ignoring Kikuei and Etain for the moment, went sniffing about for the source of that laughter. "Who is there? Show yourself!"
"I don't stay with her," Kikuei admitted, scooting over on the rock to make room for Etain. "I don't like her much." But the words sounded less than certain.
Dakota felt a tap on his shoulder from behind, the only answer to his demand other than the continuing laughter.
Angrily, the zurui whirled, instinctively snapping at the hand that... wasn't there. "I don't like games," Dakota informed the air. "Stop it!"
Etain giggled at Dakota, then peered at Kakuei in confusion before sitting down next to him. Someone didn't like Mama? That... didn't make any sense. Didn't everyone love Mama? "Why don't you like her?"
"I just don't," Kikuei said, his voice sounding more like the petulant child he looked like.
"Oh yes you do," came another voice, a moment later... still without a body attached. Whoever was playing the tricks tickled Dakota's ear.
"I don't!" Kikuei insisted, sighing softly. "I... just don't."
Dakota growled, ears back and tail stiff. "No more tricks! Just show yourself!"
"I don't know why you don't like Mama. She's... she's Mama." Etain didn't know the words to explain why it was just so alien for someone to not like Trio, even though she knew for a fact that someone not liking her was just... wrong.
"Don't wanna," came a giggling reply to Dakota's snarl. But a moment later, a young girl popped into existence on the edge of the clearing, her blue eyes sparkling in amusement. She brushed indigo hair from her face, then reached over, petting Dakota. "Hi, Etain!"
Dakota grumbled irritably, though he relaxed once he saw the newcomer. Another kid... Hmph.
Etain looked up when she saw the girl, then smiled a bit shyly and waved her hand. "Hi... Um... Who're you?"
"I'm Niyati," the girl said, moving to flop down beside the Zurui and start petting him properly. "And you're here to take Kikuei to his new home."
"What?" Kikuei demanded, head jerking up. "No..."
Okay, so the new girl wasn't so bad when she wasn't pulling pranks. Dakota settled in a bit, laying down so Niyati could pet him more easily.
"New home?" Etain echoed, then flew up a bit off her seat, offering her hand down to Kikuei. "Let's go see Mama! She'll be happy t' see you!"
"It's time," Niyati said brightly, petting Dakota more vigorously, though always careful not to hurt.
"So soon?" Kikuei demanded, arms wrapping around himself as he stared at the purple-haired girl, completely ignoring Etain. "I don't want to see her!"
"It's time," Niyati repeated. "You have to go with her."
"Kikuei..." Tone sad, Etain floated where she was, brows furrowed as she watched the boy.
Niyati pulled away from Dakota, reaching out to lay a hand on Etain's shoulder. "He's okay. He's just scared." She paused, then winked. "Take him to your daddy first."
Dakota followed after, keeping close to Etain once again. Etain, comforted by Dakota's presence and by Niyati's kindness, nodded softly, then held her hand out to Kikuei instead. "Let's go see Papa first, then. He's really nice!" Of course he was. He was Papa.
Kikuei hesitated, then slowly took Etain's hand, casting a last entreating look at Niyati. His look was answered by a grin as the girl held out a pack that hadn't existed a moment before. "It's time," she said again, nodding at him.
"Niyati..." he whispered, fingers tightening on Etain's nervously.
"Don't forget to sing for me~," came the singsong reply, as the girl vanished.
"...Ee?!" Etain stared as Niyati vanished again, eyes a little wide, and she held on tightly to Kikuei's hand. "She really can go poof!" Shaking her head, she reminded herself -- she had a quest! Take Kikuei to Papa! Smiling up at Kikuei, she tugged on his hand a little, then started off for the treeline again. "C'mon, our house isn't far from here!"
Kikuei calmed at Etain's obvious surprise, smiling faintly at her. "Of course she can," he muttered, setting his pack against his shoulder. "She's a goddess."
Etain looked up at Kikuei, the word going over her head. Sure, she'd heard her father use words like 'god' or 'goddess' before, but she didn't entirely grasp the concept, not yet. "Goddess? So all goddesses go 'poof' like that?"
"Generally, they can," Dakota offered, walking just a bit ahead of them on the ground. "But not everyone who can vanish into thin air like that is a god or a goddess."
"Who's your father?" Kikuei asked quietly, wings fluttering nervously.
"Shiromaru," Etain offered promptly, shooting Kikuei a bright smile.
Kikuei blinked. That wasn't a name Trio had ever mentioned. "Who's he?"
"He's Papa," the sylph informed him, as if that explained everything.
"Riiight," Kikuei murmured, smiling softly at her. "Do you look like him?"
Etain shook her head quickly. "Nuh-uh. He has blue hair an' horns an' yellow eyes. That's our house!" She pointed to the huge complex that was Kailas, where lights were on everywhere and the sound of happy chaos emerged.
Kikuei drew back at the sight, breaking free of Etain's hold as he stared at the complex. "I don't want to go in there..."
"...Why not?" Etain looked up at Kikuei again, a little hurt. He didn't like Mama, he was afraid of Papa's house...!
"It's... loud," he murmured, brows drawing together as he saw the look on her face. What was he supposed to do?
Etain considered that for a moment, then nodded decisively and reached out to try and tug on his hands. "This way. We'll go in my window. My room's quiet! Then I c'n go get Papa and bring him to you."
Kikuei resisted weakly, but it didn't take much tugging before he was following behind the sylph, helpless nervousness in his gaze. "Trio lives here?"
"Nope! Mama lives in the other house. The one over there." Etain indicated the direction they'd more or less come from. "It's a long walk." Flying over to one side of the building, Etain released Kikuei's hand so she could tug the window open and fly inside. Her room was open and airy, and the breeze sent dozens of windchimes merrily tinkling. "I'll go get Papa!"
"Quiet, huh?" Kikuei asked, though he wandered to the windchimes, touching one lightly. He had quite a few himself, really, many courtesy of his guardian. Perhaps someday, he'd have a place like this to hang them.
Etain nodded, then slid the door open and flew off in search of her father. Unlike her sister, she did not have a voice that carried well, and she was soon lost in the general noise of the complex. Soon enough, however, she returned, leading a young-looking man with long blue hair. "I was told we have a visitor," he said quietly, smiling down at Kikuei as he entered.
"That's Kikuei," Etain explained, pleased to be of use.
"Kikuei, huh? I'm Shiromaru. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"You're her father?" Kikuei asked, blinking. How was that possible? The girl didn't look a thing like Trio, but... there was also no real resemblance to Shiromaru either.
Shiro grinned, resting a hand on top of Etain's head. "Yep. Etain's adopted, though, so I guess people might not expect us to be family at first."
"She said... Trio was her mother," Kikuei murmured, one hand lifting to cling to the flute he wore.
"That's because Trio is her mother. One doesn't need to be related by blood to be a family," Shiro explained, gently.
"Family that isn't related doesn't stick around," Kikuei returned, scowling at Shiro. "Don't petro...pitro... don't talk down to me."
Shiromaru shook his head. "I'm not patronizing you, Kikuei. Unrelated family does stick around. This entire household is a family, and we would never separate." Etain, grinning, clambered up until she was sitting on Shiro's shoulder, her wings buzzing.
Kikuei curled up in a corner of the room, watching Shiro warily. "Niyati said I was supposed to come here," he said softly. "She said it was time."
"You want to stay here for a couple days? I won't tell anyone you're here if you don't want me to," Shiro offered.
"No," Kikuei said immediately, then glanced down as he realized that the abrupt answer might hurt Etain.
Etain bit her lip, but she tried to school her expression. It didn't work very well, but she tried!
"What can I do for you, then?" was Shiro's next question, even as he set a steadying hand at Etain's arm.
"I... don't know," Kikuei answered, sagging. "She didn't tell me what it was time FOR." But despite his answer, he did know. It was time to see Trio again... to face his fears, and speak to the woman who was supposedly his guardian. "I don't want to do this," he whispered softly.
Shiromaru watched Kikuei for a long moment, then smiled softly. "Need company going somewhere?" Kikeui hadn't told him where the boy needed to go, but Shiro could guess. "Some things are easier to bear when you share the weight."
Kikuei blinked, looking up at Shiro with startled eyes. "She... probably won't be bothered by me...," he tried, very softly.
"Knowing Trio as I do -- which is really quite well, considering -- she likely misses you," Shiro countered, still gentle, but firm.
"...You think so?" Kikuei asked, his eyes very vulnerable.
Shiro nodded. "I'm confident enough to say that I know so."
"You'll really come with me?" Kikuei murmured, rising slowly from where he was curled up on the floor.
"It's a promise," the water demon confirmed. "Etain and I will both come with you."
Kikuei's eyes slid to Etain, head tilting slightly. Would she really come, or had he offended her too much?
Etain apparently forgave easily. "Let's go see Mama," she decided, her voice firm.
Kikuei flinched slightly at the wording, but nodded, squaring his shoulders. "Is it far?"
"A bit." Shiro held the door open for Kikeui. "But if we fly, it's faster. Shall we?"
"I can't fly," Kikuei countered. "My wings aren't developed enough."
Shiromaru blinked at Kikuei, then nodded softly. "Want a lift? Or we can walk. Either way is good."
Kikuei hesitated, then tilted his head. "Can you really fly with me?"
Summoning his wings, Shiromaru spread them, letting himself grin. "Believe it or not, I'm stronger than I look."
Kikuei's eyes went wide, and for a long moment, he simply stared at Shiromaru in wonder.
"...What is it?" Shiro asked, rather confused by that look of Kikuei's. "Is something wrong?"
"Your wings...," Kikuei breathed, reaching out toward one before drawing back. "They're huge..."
Laughing, Shiro flicked his wings against his back, careful to not hurt Etain with them. "I'm also going on two hundred years old, I think, so I've had time to grow a lot. I'm still just a kid, though, in the grand scheme of things." Kneeling, he turned so Kikuei could hop up onto his back. "Hop up, and I'll carry you on my back. Etain can fly beside us."
"I can fly all the way to Mama's house," Etain announced proudly, then her expression fell. "But then I can't fly back. I get really tired if I don't get to rest for a while."
"Why... don't you live together?" Kikuei wanted to know, as he climbed carefully onto Shiro's back. His body was surprisingly light. Or perhaps not quite so surprising - given the wings, it seemed reasonable to think his bones might be hollow as a bird's.
"We just don't, not yet," Shiro murmured, glancing over at Etain. "Though... soon..." The water demon seemed almost nervous about something, his cheeks slightly red. "Anyway, it's a possibility in the future. You all set?" he added as he rose, shifting Kikuei's weight a bit and heading to the open window, Etain trailing along after them.
Kikuei's eyes narrowed at Shiro's hesitation, but he said nothing about it, merely tightening his hold on the demon. "Ready," he said, not sure what he might think of the trip.
Etain went first, magic letting her fly easily; Shiro, once he stepped outside, had to crouch a little and spring, wings beating heavily for the lift to get into the air. Once they were up, he caught an updraft, coasting along it with his wings spread wide. "See that house there in the distance?" He pointed to it, through the woods a ways. "That's Trio's house."
Kikuei nodded slowly, bird-sharp eyes peering at it before he asked quietly, "Has she changed?"
"What's there to change?" was the soft return question. "She's still the same loving, wonderful Trio that I've always known."
Kikuei blinked, arms loosening for a moment in surprise before he shifted and firmed his grip once more. "...Oh."
Shiro shot a grin back over his shoulder. "I think, if you get to know her, you'll understand why -- Etain, please don't play tag with the falcon -- we love Trio as much as we do."
It was with shame in his voice that Kikuei murmured, "I wasn't ready, before."
"Why not give it another shot?" Shiromaru suggested gently, then started to spiral down towards Trio's front yard. "Hold on tight."
Kikuei didn't tighten his grip, but he did nod, considering the advice carefully. In truth, she HAD always been gentle and patient with him. And Niyati was right - he hadn't treated her as well as he should've. But... she wasn't euphoric, and even though remembrance of his first guardian had faded into a hazy half-memory at best, he clung to it.
Landing and kneeling, Shiromaru waited for Kikuei to slid down, while Etain landed and boinged her way right up to the front door.
When Kikuei was on the ground again, he bowed to Shiromaru, thanking him softly before looking at the house in trepidation. "She lives here..."
"Un. Etain? Ring the doorbell for me, please?" Shiro called, even as he set a supportive hand light on Kikuei's shoulder. Etain nodded, bouncing up a bit to whap the doorbell, happily listening to it.
A moment later, a familiar blond head stuck out of the door. Aziraphale smiled down at the sylph before looking to Shiromaru. He'd gotten used to seeing the demon over always, and the sight of Shiromaru no longer made him frown in unapproving annoyance. "Do come... Who's this, Shiro?" Az asked, stepping out of the house. When he rounded the door, they could clearly see the red and white ruffled apron he wore, which bore the words 'kiss the cook'.
Shiromaru smiled down at Kikuei. "Someone who's coming home. C'mon, Kikuei, let's go inside. This is Aziraphale, by the way. Don't let him fool you, he's a really nice guy." Grinning, Shiro let his wings vanish as he walked to the door. Etain, having already impulsively hugged Az's arm, was flying down the hall, calling for Trio.
"Coming sweetheart," came Trio's response from within the house, and a moment later she rounded the corner, a wide smile on her face. "Hey there, sweetie," she said to Etain, holding her arms out to the sylph for a big hug - though she loved Shiromaru, she always paused to get hugs from the kids first.
"Mama!" Etain gleefully hugged Trio tightly, snuggling in. As expected, she was tired, and she let Trio take most of her weight. "There's someone here for you. He's out by th' door."
"Oh?" Trio asked, grinning as she moved toward the door, assuming it was Shiro the little girl was talking about. "Hello there lov..." The words stopped halfway, Trio's jaw slacking as she stared at Kikuei for a long moment. Kikuei shifted uncomfortably under the gaze, looking away as he fought with himself to remain. Niyati was right - it was time.
"...Kiku?" Trio breathed softly, blindly but gently setting Etain down.
"Etain," Shiro whispered, and the sylph ran over to his side, hugging his leg. He was quiet, the pair standing aside to let Trio and Kikuei see each other again without interruptions.
Kikuei shifted from one foot to the other, finally looking up toward Trio's face there. "She said it was time," he murmured, and for all the vagueness, Trio seemed to understand. She smiled slowly, tears in her eyes as she moved to kneel in front of him, opening her arms but making no actual move to touch him. "Welcome home, Kikuei," she whispered softly.
A moment later, she was rewarded by Kikuei nearly flinging himself into her arms, his own small limbs clinging with desperate strength.
Smiling, pleased, Shiromaru held Etain close to him as he slipped out the door, the pair absolutely silent. Shiro could find out more later. For now, Trio and Kikuei deserved this time together after so long.
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:02 pm
The girls had been sent to Shiro's, cheerfully oblivious to the reason for it. Annora had squirreled away Gavriel's egg, wanting to show Etain and see if the other changeling thought that he was getting bigger. Makana had carried over a book, immediately curling up near a window to page through and look at the pictures. Her tail tapped against the wall, a regular, contented thump as she waited for her mother.
The house was chaos as usual, though a happy sort of chaos. Dakota was curled up near Etain, the sylph latched onto Annora's side immediately as usual. "He looks bigger," she offered, wide-eyed, peering into the egg.
Shiromaru, noticing Makana, made his way over to the little girl. "What are you reading?" he asked softly, grinning down at her.
Annora beamed, examining the egg carefully. "Bigger!" she crowed, anxious to see what might develop next. Maybe he'd stop sleeping so much.
Makana shifted to make room for Shiro, holding up her book for him to see. "He's big an' fat an' naked and everyone's laughing," she explained, pointing to the Emperor who was 'wearing' his new clothes.
Etain leaned against Annora, grinning at the egg and at her sister. "Hope he'll get bigger than th' egg soon," she said wistfully.
Settling down next to Makana, Shiro stroked her hair lightly and grinned at the book. "The Emperor's New Clothes, I see. Want to read it to me?"
Makana shifted nearly into his lap, beginning to purr. "You read it," she instructed, handing the book to him.
Before he could begin, however, there was a quiet knock at the door that had everyone's heads come up.
Looking up, Shiro blinked at the door, then gently extricated himself from his seat to open the door, peering out curiously.
Trio stood on the other side, one hand on Kikuei's shoulder. The little red-haired boy peered up at Shiromaru solemnly, then offered a faint smile.
"Can we get everyone together to talk?" Trio asked.
Shooting Kikuei a warm smile in return, Shiro nodded, then held the door open to let the pair come inside. "Girls, come sit together, your mother needs to talk to you."
Etain got up dutifully, moving over to sit in the middle of the room.
Annora moved with her, leaving Makana to make her way over a little more reluctantly. The cat kept slightly away from the two fey girls, head tilted and large golden eyes watching Kikuei curiously.
Shiromaru sat on the sofa close to the girls, noticing silently how Makana kept herself apart. It wasn't surprising, really, considering how close Etain and Annora were...
Trio settled on the floor, gesturing for Kikuei to sit beside her. The boy was solemn, but no longer quite as sullen as he'd been when he'd first met Etain. "Girls," she said softly. "I'd like you to meet Kikuei. Kikuei, these are the girls: Makana, Annora, and Etain."
"I know Kikuei," Etain announced cheerfully, beaming up at the young boy. "He plays the flute! An' it's really pretty!"
Grinning at that, Shiro shook his head in amusement, then smiled up at Kikuei encouragingly. "Welcome, Kikuei."
"He plays the flute?" Annora asked, perking immediately at the thought. "Play something," she demanded a moment later, leaning forward expectantly.
"Not right now, sweetie," Trio said, as Kikuei drew back slightly, unnerved by the ready cheer. "Kikuei lives on our lands. I'm his guardian. Do you know what that means?" she prompted gently.
Makana, clearly too unsure of herself to simply speak up, watched the meeting, her eyes locking on Kikuei thoughtfully more than once.
Etain shook her head slowly, then looked up to Shiromaru, waiting for an explanation. Of course Papa would know!
"It means that your mother watches over him and keeps him safe," Shiro explained, reaching down to gently pet Makana's hair again.
Makana glanced up at Shiromaru, then relaxed, curling up against his side.
Kikuei cleared his throat, eyeing the three girls warily before speaking. "I'm not going to live with you," he informed them all, shoulders tensed and obviously ready for arguments.
Etain looked disappointed, her long elflike ears drooping a little, then she brightened hopefully. "Will you at least live nearby so we can come visit?"
Slowly, Kikuei nodded, looking at Trio almost helplessly. The blonde smiled at the girls. "I'm going to get some help building somehting like a treehouse for Kikuei nearby. When it's done, he'll live in there, and you can visit him whenever he says it's okay."
Annora considered that for a long minute, then looked at Etain, trying to decide if that was good enough. Before she could speak, however, Makana finally put in her two cents. "He needs high places."
Kikuei blinked, head whipping around to peer at the abyssinian thoughtfully.
Startled, Shiro glanced down at Makana. Etain, however, did point to Kikuei, adding cheerfully, "He is kind of like a bird... Do you use a nest?" she asked after a moment, peering curiously up at Kikuei. "Birds use nests! I've seen'm!"
Disconcerted by the abyssinian's words, Kikuei answered Etain almost absently. "Not nests, exactly. More a nest than you do, though. I'm Ieldi..."
"What's an Ieldi?" Etain asked curiously, brows furrowed. "Not a bird?"
"They're sort of like birds," Trio explained, as Annora crawled closer, more interested in the flute she saw hanging from Kikuei's neck than a discussion of where he'd come from. "In the same way that Makana's sort of like a cat."
"Mew?" came Makana's soft question.
"You're not exactly a cat, and Kikuei's not exactly a bird, but you both have things in common with them. That's all," Trio explained.
Shiromaru nodded, petting Makana's hair again. "Precisely. Like Kikuei's wings, and your ears."
Etain considered all of this for a long moment, then nodded to herself, filing it all away. And then promptly ignored it all in favor of music. "Play something for us?" she asked Kikuei, leaning forward a bit.
Kikuei finally turned hs attention from Makana, almost jumping as he realized that Annora had been just out of peripheral vision, her hand reaching out to touch his flute. "I..."
"Play!" Annora insisted, grinning up at him. Not quite sure how to refuse them without making someone upset, Kikuei awkwardly acquiesced.
"Annora, Etain, how do you ask?" Shiro chided, eyeing the older girls.
Etain ducked her head, then looked up at Kikuei again. "...Please play something for us?"
"May I please have a song?" Annora added, saying the words by rote.
Kikuei eyed them thoughtfully, then smiled faintly, nodding. Slowly, he turned to Makana, who nodded shyly, then looked to Shiro, all the while not looking at Trio.
Smiling warmly, Shiromaru nodded to Kikuei. "If you would be so kind, we would all enjoy a song."
Kikuei's smile faded, but his eyes finally sought Trio's. She smiled warmly, reaching out to rest a hand on his arm. Only then did he reach for the flute, hesitantly leaning toward Trio as he readied himself to begin.
Trio beamed, shifting her arm to wrap around him. Perhaps this would really work out...
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Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 12:48 am
Plans to tell the girls about the upcoming changes in their lives had been derailed with the abrupt changes going on. Makana was now a toddler, and Kikuei's return into Trio's life had severely derailed the blonde. So things were set aside for a couple of weeks, and everything slowly settled back into the semblance of normalcy that was their life. And then they finally made plans to tell the kids. Trio's house was scrapped as the setting almost immediately, because it was too loud. Shiro's was a consideration, until Trio brought up that a neutral ground could be better - a restaurant perhaps.
"Why not this one?" Shiro offered, curiously, as he pointed out the advertisement of a family-friendly restaurant not that far away from their joint properties. "I've passed by it, and it's usually not that busy, and there's a lot of space. We could sit in one corner and have some privacy as we tell them."
Trio nodded, glancing at Shiro. "It'll be nice to get out for a little while, too," she offered, toying with the ring she now wore. It still felt odd on her finger.
Shiromaru laughed softly, leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Very nice," he agreed. "All of us out together, as a family."
Trio hesitated, then leaned against him. "I'd like to bring Kikuei...?"
"Kikuei's part of the family," Shiro noted, blinking at Trio, even as he hugged her close.
She relaxed then, curling up against him. "He wasn't exactly someone you knew about when you signed on for this," she pointed out sheepishly.
Leaning down, Shiro pressed a kiss to her hair. "No matter whether I've met them or not, or even heard about or not, your family is my family."
Trio grinned softly, purring a little before pulling away. "Let's gather up the kids?"
"Yes." Shiro stood, stretched, then stole one more kiss from Trio before nodding towards the hallway. "Hopefully it won't be so much like herding cats."
Trio chuckled. "Well, we know that wherever we find Annora, we can find Etain, at least."
"This is true. Annora!" the demon called, raising his voice. "Where'd you get to?"
For a moment, there was silence, and then the girl peeked out of Etain's room. "In here," she said curiously.
Etain popped out as well, a few feet above Annora. "What is it, Papa?"
"Your mother and I want to take everyone out to dinner," Shiro explained. "Are you two hungry?"
Another pair of wary eyes peered out from Etain's room, red hair falling into them. Kikuei was skittish around Annora, but had taken to Etain easily, and preferred to be near the shy sylph.
"Yes," Etain said cheerfully, and flew down so she could put her arms around Kikuei's shoulders from above. Of course, that didn't help the hair problem much, as some of her curls fell in his face.
Shiromaru sat on his heels by the door, putting him more on the kids' level. "Well, once we get Makana, we can all go out. Go on into the living room?"
Annora nodded, grinning and reaching to grab Kikuei's hand and drag him along. He pulled back quickly, but that didn't seem to phase the siren, who simply looked up at Etain for a moment before hurrying off. Kikuei looked up toward Etain, offering her a shy smile as he waited for her to follow.
Trio smiled quietly at the exchange, moving to stand behind Shiro. "He's warming."
Etain nodded back to Annora, determinedly, then smiled sweetly down at Kikuei. "C'mon," she chirruped, and took his hand and led him off after Annora.
"He is," Shiro agreed softly. "And considering the household he lives in, I don't think he has much of a choice but to warm up some."
Trio chuckled, nodding as the three made their way to the living room. As Kikuei and Etain arrived, Annora poked her head out. "Makana's in here! In here, in here!" she said excitedly, proud to be the first to have found the kitten.
Etain followed quickly, beaming at Annora as she finally touched her feet to the floor again. Shiro wasn't too far behind, his long strides catching him up to the group as he hunted for and found the coats hung up in the genkan. "Okay, everyone, on with your coats. It may be warm here but it's cold outside the property, after all."
Annora grabbed her coat, tugging it on while Makana approached, peering at Shiromaru curiously. Trio reached for Makana's coat, setting it around the furred shoulders before turning to where Kikuei had bundled up. "That's good," she nodded, wrapping herself in her own coat.
Shiro helped Etain with her coat, unbuttoning the flap that went between the sylph's wings before sliding it onto her. Once it was on, he buttoned the flap back down against the hem. "There we are... We're going out for dinner, Makana," he explained, smiling warmly at the kitten.
Makana nestled into her coat, watching the others for a long moment before moving toward the door. "Can we have hamburgers?" she asked softly.
"Oooh, and fries!" Annora chimed in, bouncing over to her.
"Of course," Shiro confirmed as Etain attached herself to his shoulder, the sylph shooting him a hopeful look.
"Milkshakes?"
Shiromaru hesitated, then glanced at Trio for her opinion on that matter.
Trio arched an eyebrow at them. "We'll see how you do on dinner first," she said mildly, herding the other three out the door.
"Out, the lot of you, and into the van." Shiro had had to pick up the vehicle after realizing that their brood was only going to grow larger with time, and walking, quite frankly, got really boring.
The ride was short, all the kids anxious to get there. Trio listened to the four, a faint smile on her face. They definitely sounded like a family, at least. Once they'd arrived and all been let out of the van, she moved to walk with Shiro, keeping the kids close in the empty parking lot.
Shiromaru opened the door to let everyone inside, and their host was waiting by the door.
"Six?"
"Yes, please," Shiro agreed, and they were led to a booth near the back on the nonsmoking side, given their menus and water, and left to sit down.
"This family gets any bigger, and we're going to have to rent banquet rooms," Trio muttered, reaching out to catch Shiro's hand.
Shiro grinned, lacing his fingers through Trio's. "Keep that in mind. Knowing us, we might need to rent the entire restaurant."
Trio groaned. "Don't even joke about that. You may be right," she murmured, leaning her forehead against his shoulder.
Etain sipped at her water as she sat rather primly on part of the booth. If she was good, she'd get a milkshake -- right?
The demon just smirked at Trio, kissed her hair, then slid into a seat as well. "Let's figure out what we're going to eat, first."
"I want noodle-soup!" Annora said immediately, looking up from where she'd been blowing bubbles in her own water. She looked expectantly at Trio, who laughed wryly and nodded. "I know, sweetie. Makana? Kiku? What about you two?"
Makana hesitated, wide eyes looking up at the two before shrugging shyly. She didn't actually offer a response, but Trio nodded, knowing what to try for her.
Kikuei peered carefully at the children's menu, then wrinkled his nose. "Can I have corn?" he asked quietly, pointing to a side-dish on the adult menu.
"Of course you can," Shiro murmured to Kiku, smiling warmly.
"Can I have fish and chips?" Etain asked in turn, curiously. "And chicken?" She pointed to the basket that had chicken and fish strips.
Trio nodded, smiling as Makana's ears visibly perked at the mention of fish. "What about you, Shiro? Anything interesting to you?"
Shiromaru glanced down at the menu, then poked at it. "Hm. The chicken kiev," he decided after a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. What about you?"
"Alfredo for me," Trio said decisively, then set her menu down. "Where should we start?"
As the waiter arrived, Shiro gave the man their orders, then leaned back against the back of the chair and glanced at the children before looking over at Trio. "...Where should we start?" he asked quietly, lips quirking.
"Christmas?" she offered softly, blushing faintly.
At the blush, Kikuei's eyes narrowed, and he watched her almost suspiciously. "What happened then?" he asked, before anyone else could really pick up on the nerves.
"I asked Trio to marry me," Shiro offered quietly.
Etain just blinked, glancing from Shiro to Trio and back again.
"What's that mean?" Annora demanded, looking confused. "An' how come mommy's red?"
"...Okay. How to explain this." Shiro sipped at his water for a moment, then glanced at Trio for help before looking back at the children again. "It means that Trio agreed to become my wife."
"Wife?" Etain echoed. "Is Mama going to wear a white dress now?"
Shiro shot a look at Trio again, looking for help.
Trio chuckled, shaking her head. "Probably not, sweetie. I'm probably just going to wear one of my current 'good' dresses, so it'll probably be blue..."
"She's going to be your mate?" Kikuei murmured, watching Shiro thoughtfully.
"Yes. Yes, that's a good term for it," Shiro agreed, nodding to Kikuei. "Mates. Only being married means it's really special and that we're mated for life."
Etain kicked her feet slowly, watching the pair. "Mama... You're never gonna go away?"
At that question, Kikuei suddenly nudged Shiro. "I need to go to the bathroom," he said, before Trio could even attempt to answer.
She watched him with sad eyes as he moved out of the booth a little too quickly.
Confused, and getting the idea it was something she said, Etain watched Kikuei leave, wanting to follow him. Shiro reached out, touching her shoulder gently. "Give him a moment, sweetling," he murmured.
Trio waited until Kikuei was out of earshot, then looked at the girls. "Kikuei had a bad thing happen once, and it's made him scared to believe that I might not leave him. Don't worry, sweetie."
"Leaving is bad," Etain whispered, something dark in her eyes.
Shiromaru glanced at Trio, brows furrowed slightly, then offered a gentle smile to Etain. "It'll be okay."
Trio swallowed, then reached out, taking Etain's hand while Annora and Makana looked on in confusion. Neither of them really remembered having anyone BUT Trio and the family. "Yes, sweetie. Leaving is bad," Trio agreed gently. "But sometimes, it has to happen. I can't promise that I'm never gonna go away, but I can promise that I will be your mommy always. Do you understand?"
Etain clung to Trio's hand. "Okay," she agreed, offering Trio a bright smile. If Mama said so, then it was okay. Because if Mama was always going to be her mother, then that meant Mama would always come back.
Trio swallowed at that smile, squeezing Etain's hand for a moment. "I love you, sweetie. All of you," she added, turning to look at the other girls.
"Love you too, Mama," Etain chirped happily. Gently, Shiromaru rubbed Trio's back, reassuringly.
Kikuei returned a moment later, hesitating at the edge of the booth. "Are you and Etain gonna live with them?" he asked Shiro.
Shiromaru rubbed at the bridge of his nose, a bit awkwardly. "Actually... What we were planning on doing was building a new house for us. We'd live there, and the girls, and you too if you like."
Kikuei started to open his mouth, obviously wary about that thought, but before he could say anything, Trio smiled and reached to touch his hand. "I had an idea about that, sweetie," she said. "I know you don't really like it here on the ground, so I thought maybe you could have your own place, in a treehouse. It'd be kinda like your old shelf."
"My... shelf?" Kikuei whispered, not pulling away.
Etain brightened at that thought. "Treehouse! Cool! Kiku, that'd be neat! Could I come visit if you made a treehouse?"
He nodded slowly, relaxing a little as Trio turned toward Shiro. "I thought it could connect to a balcony via a bridge and gate?"
"We could do that," Shiro agreed thoughtfully, head tilted as he imagined it. "Yes... Yes, that would be easy to do."
Trio grinned at Shiro, then at a wide-eyed Kikuei. "That way, you wouldn't have to live WITH me, but we'd all be very nearby," she explained.
"What about my pool?" Annora asked suddenly, frowning. She LIKED her wading pool!
"Will I have big windows?" Etain chimed in, leaning forward as she half-floated in her seat.
Shiro glanced at her. "Butt on the seat," he chided gently, then grinned at Annora. "We'll have a big pool. And yes, you'll have big windows," he added to Etain.
"What about you, sweetie?" Trio asked, turning to look at Makana. "Surely you want to ask something too..."
Makana hesitated, peering at them both with big eyes before looking down at her hands. "Will..." she started, then stopped with a hushed voice.
Reaching out, Shiro covered Makana's hands with his own. "Will what, sweetheart?"
"Will you read me bedtime stories?" she murmured, ears half-flat as she watched him.
Shiromaru's smile just grew, warmly. "Of course I will. I'd love to do that."
Trio chuckled, watching the kids. At least for the moment, it seemed like everything might just work out.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 11:49 pm
The usual place to find Kikuei was up a tree; more specifically, in the treehouse built for him adjacent to the new house. Thus, it was to here that Shiromaru went, picking his way across the bridge until he could knock lightly on the door. "Kikuei? It's Shiro. You in there?"
The boy opened the door a few moments later, peering out curiously. "Is something wrong?" he asked, leaving it to swing open as he moved back to hang his collection of windchimes. Moving had been a happy experience for him - he'd had a chance to pull out all the boxed trinkets Trio had kept for him.
"Actually, that's what I came to ask you," Shiro explained as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "You still seem really wary around Trio, and I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help."
Immediately, Kikuei's movement paused, and he stared at the furin in his hands for a silent moment before asking softly, "Have you ever been left behind?"
Shiro sat down on the ground, resting his hands in his lap. "Yes," he murmured. "I have."
Kikuei blinked, and turned, sinking to the floor. "You were?"
"I was apparently abandoned by my parents. I have no memory of what happened, or why, but I was left somewhere. I had no injuries, so it wasn't an accident. And that was only the first time," Shiro said quietly. "I've had people I thought were my friends abandon me too, in the demon world."
"...Do you think Trio will?" Kikuei asked quietly, his eyes narrowed.
Shiro smiled, but it didn't reach the rest of his face. "It's possible. There's always the possibility. But I can't live in fear of that, Kiku. I have to trust that she won't abandon me, and live my life believing that she won't. If I didn't live that way, and always spent my time fearing that I'd be left behind, I could never be happy, and I'd go right back into the shell I spent a century in."
"You do think she's gonna leave, don't you?" Kikuei accused, staring at Shiro's eyes. "That's why you can't really smile."
"No, I really don't think she's going to leave." Shiro sighed, looking up at Kikuei. "It's just that I have nightmares, some nights, about something happening to her. I can't stand to think about it."
"Something like what?" Kikuei asked, fascinated despite himself.
"Her dying, or being taken away, or someone from my past showing up and hurting her," Shiro explained. "There's a reason that Abishai, Jouvart and I left the demon realm."
Kikuei watched Shiromaru for a long minute before his eyes softened slightly. "You love her, right?"
This time, Shiro's smile reached his eyes. "With everything I am."
"Is that why you're taking the chance?" Kikuei paused for a moment, then tucked some of his red hair behind one ear. "She's my second guardian."
"That's why I'm taking the chance," the demon confirmed. "I think... that it would be okay for you to take the chance, too."
"And what happens when she's decided that all these kids the two of you take in are enough... and you don't need me anymore?" Kikuei asked softly, not looking at Shiro.
Reaching out, Shiromaru touched fingertips to Kikuei's cheek. "Kiku," he murmured, "look at me."
Kikuei pulled slightly away, but his eyes slid up to Shiromaru's. "Yeah?"
"As far as we're concerned, you're one of our sons," Shiro said gently. "You're family. We will never leave you behind, come hell or high water."
"You keep her alive, okay?" Kikuei said softly, whispered vehemence in his tone. "That's what you do. You keep her alive, and I'll keep trying."
Shiro nodded softly. "I will," he promised. "I'll keep her alive."
"Just don't ask for miracles. I'm not Az," Kikuei returned. "A year ago, I wouldn't have even considered this." He waved to the treehouse.
"One day at a time," Shiro said with a gentle smile. "I'm not looking for miracles. That you're even trying is a huge step for you, and I'm proud of you."
Kikuei waved away the praise. "I like Etain," he offered abruptly. "She seems nice."
Shiro blinked. "Ettie? She's wonderful. Then again, I'm naturally biased," he added with a grin. "But, yes. She's a good girl."
"She comes up sometimes, to look at my chimes," Kikuei said. "Feels a little like being around some of the other Ieldi again."
"She is a sylph... She's happier in the air, and hates to have her feet on the ground," Shiro noted, quietly amused. "I think you two have a lot in common. I'm her second guardian, did you know that? She was originally in the care of Shinobu."
"Someone abandoned her?" Kikuei immediately jumped to the conclusion. "How could they do that?"
"Shinobu didn't abandon her, not really. He was my lover. He had to leave, and Etain went to my care," Shiro explained. "She was still very young, and she doesn't seem to conciously remember Shinobu."
Kikuei blinked at that. "...He was your lover?" he asked, head tilting. "But you like Trio."
Laughing softly, Shiro shifted his legs, resettling in a more comfortable position. "Yes, and Trio was with Schuldig at the time," he pointed out. "I've always liked her, though -- being with Shinobu didn't mean I couldn't like Trio. It's sort of... The heart, Kiku, isn't a finite resource. It's possible to be in romantic love with more than one person, just like there's always room in our hearts for more children."
Kikuei fell silent, considering that for a long time. "But if you like more than one person...," he began hesitantly.
"Sometimes it's possible to be with both of them at the same time," Shiro noted gently. "But you have to be really responsible and careful of everyone's feelings. It's not... something I would want to do now, myself -- Trio and this family are my life, and I'm not looking for anyone else -- but I've done it before. It's possible, especially if handled well. It's just not for everyone."
"If you like someone who likes more than one, though... how do you know he'll stay with you?" Kikuei asked softly. "How can you make sure it's safe?"
"It's trust, Kikuei." The demon smiled, very softly. "That sort of relationship is built entirely on trust."
"I don't think I can do that," Kikuei admitted softly.
"You don't have to be with multiple people. But, I think, if you allow yourself, you could learn to trust others. It's not something you need to force yourself into," Shiro cautioned, "but rather something to be learned over time. Wounds... need time to heal. Some need more time than others."
"Can I ask something?" Kikuei murmured suddenly, rising to start working with the windchimes again.
Shiromaru smiled up at the boy. "Always."
"Why do you care?" he asked after a moment, staring at one of the chimes.
"Why do I care... about which?" Shiro prompted gently.
"About me," Kikuei clarified. "I mean, it was obvious you came up here to fix things for Trio, but the rest of this..."
"Actually, I came up here to see if I could fix things for both of you. I want you to be happy, Kiku." Shiro shifted his legs again, settling in half-lotus. "And I care because you're a person worth caring about. Even if you can't see it, I can."
Kikeui hesitated, then glanced back at Shiro. "I have something for Etain."
Shiro smiled at that. "Then why not give it to her directly? I could call her up here."
"I was thinking tomorrow afternoon. I heard Annora bellowing earlier, and it sounded like something that Etain would stick around for. She likes to be around Annora."
The demon snorted slightly, amused. "Correction -- Etain practically worships Annora. But she'll be up here tomorrow afternoon like usual, so you can give it to her then." He rose, stretching his arms out contentedly. "I'm going to go check on Nicodemus, he'll be wanting a bottle soon. If you need anything, though... you can always come to me, even if you're not yet comfortable going to Trio. Okay?"
Kikuei nodded, waiting until Shiro was at his door before calling out, "Hey, Shiro?"
Shiro glanced back, brows lifted curiously. "Yeah?"
"...Think there's space for one more person at dinner tonight?" the ieldi asked softly, not looking at Shiro.
"Always," Shiromaru confirmed, a warm smile on his lips.
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 8:05 pm
Kikuei hesitated, shifting in the shorts he wore. He still wasn't used to them, and vastly preferred the loincloths he'd taken to wearing in his treehouse. But they were out visiting now, and Trio had insisted. To see his old friend, it was a small price to pay.
He glanced up at Trio, then lifted a hand, knocking on the door they stood in front of. Now that he was settled in his treehouse, and a bit more comfortable around the kids, he'd spoken to Trio about finding Kujaku again. She'd agreed, making a call while he rummaged for shorts, and an hour or so later, here they were, waiting for the door to be answered.
When the door pulled open, Youko was there, peering out for a moment and then grinning at the pair. "Well hello there!" he said, motioning them both to come in. "Kikuei... it's been a while, how are you doing?" He smiled to Trio then, glad that she seemed to be doing much better with the boy then the last time he'd seen them together.
Kikuei bowed slightly to Youko, stepping inside. "I'm doing well," he said, and though his voice was as light and young as always, there was an odd weight to it. Trio, however, didn't even seem to notice as she followed Kikuei inside, grinning and leaning in to kiss Youko's cheek.
"Is Kujaku about? I think someone misses his friend," she noted, and watched in amusement as Kikuei's cheeks warmed with embarrassment.
"He's in the backyard," Youko answered, motioning to the sliding glass door that led out to the deck. "Go on, I'm pretty sure I DON'T want to see how high up in that tree he is."
Kikuei's interest perked, and he hesitated before unhooking his belt. "Will you hold this?" he asked Trio, handing it over. The only thing that remained on him other than the shorts was a thin strip of leather holding the flute he wore at his side. "Thanks," he said, slipping out of the door before Trio could argue.
She paused, then chuckled in amusement. "So... shall we go visit?" she suggested, draping the belt over one arm.
The peacock boy was, indeed, in the backyard, dangling upside-down from a low hanging tree branch. Whatever clothes he HAD been wearing were now laying in a heap on the deck, and it was apparent that Youko hadn't figured it out yet. Generally, he didn't. Until a neighbor would call and complain about the naked kid running around. At the moment, however, he didn't care.
Kujaku was hanging by his knees, long hair dangling down towards the koi pond that was directly beneath him. His wings would flare slightly every now and again to keep him steady as he watched the fish swim lazy circles in the koi pond.
Kikuei paused nearby. Now that wasn't fair. Kujaku got to do without these uncomfortable shorts. Why the hell did HE have to wear them? An impish urge came over him as he considered the boy, and he moved carefully to the edge of the yard, slowly circling around until he was behind Kujaku. Surprises were supposed to be good, right?
Kujaku had heard the door open behind him, and was pleasantly ignoring it. One ear pricked slightly as he waited for the yell to get some clothes on... but it never came. He turned slightly to glance over his shoulder, but saw nothing there. The door was closed again, and there was no one on the deck.
Kikuei paused as Kujaku looked around, waiting patiently until the boy had gone back to watching the pond. Only then did he creep forward oh-so-carefully, until he could reach out and tap the back of Kujaku's head with one finger. "Surprise!"
A yelp came from the boy, and he tried to jump, turn and flee all at once. The end result... was a resounding SPLASH as he landed directly in the middle of the koi pond. While Kujaku didn't seem to mind terribly much, laughing and sending a splash at his friend... the fish weren't exactly thrilled with the sudden invasion of their home, and were now all clustered under the waterfall, eyeing the boys warily.
"KIKU!" the boy yelled, flinging himself at the macaw and clinging to him tightly.
Kikuei beamed at being remembered, his own arms coming up to hug Kujaku just as tightly. His eyes closed, and he totally ignored how wet his friend was, too busy clinging. "You remembered me," he murmured, with a sigh of relief.
And he remembered that Kikuei liked water too. With an impish grin, Kujaku fell back, dragging Kikuei into the water with him.
Paybacks were SO sweet at times. "Of course I remember you!" he laughed, sitting in the pond with his hair and the thin veil clinging to his face.
As Kikuei tumbled forward, one hand darted to his flute and he jerked it off, flinging it to the shore before it hit water. The result was that he wasn't nearly as balanced as he could be, and several seconds underwater had him coming up utterly drenched. He sputtered for a moment, then grinned at Kujaku. "It's been too long," he muttered, splashing his friend before blinking. What was that odd bit of fabric over Kujaku's face?
Nodding, the peacock boy just grinned. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you in forever, and we've been living here a while..." He pointed up to the tall oak tree above them. "And we have a TREE!"
"Trees are good," Kikuei nodded, reaching out to pluck at the fabric. "What's this?" he asked, curiously, not yet answering his friend.
The moment Kikuei's hand touched the veil, Kujaku flinched back, bringing a hand to it to make sure it was still there. "It's mine," he said simply, his eyes losing the joy for a few moments and growing haunted. "It covers my face."
Kikuei blinked, his hand drawing back slightly as he frowned. "But how come?" he asked, confused. This didn't seem anything like the friend he knew. "What happened?"
"Nothing..." Kujaku got to his feet then, putting the smile back on. "C'mon, I'll show you the tree! Youko helped me build a platform up there, like the one I had in Kyendi. I don't have my tree stump up there anymore, but he's going to try and find me one."
Kikuei reached out, catching Kujaku's arm once he'd also stood. "Hey," he said softly. "You okay?"
"Yeah!" The boy used the contact to pull Kikuei to his feet. "But you've gotta climb to get up there. I can't really fly UP yet, but coming DOWN is real fun."
Kikuei relaxed at that. "Lemme get my flute," he said, glancing at the abandoned pile of clothes wistfully for a moment before tugging at his shorts. Wet, they were WORSE. "Trio moved in with Shiro in a new house," he added, as he retrieved the flute and settled it around him again.
Kujaku frowned, pointing to the shorts. "Why're you wearing those? Don't they screw with your feathers?" He knew that HIS pants always did. They messed up his tail until it would take him hours to set it right again.
"I hate them," Kikuei muttered, pausing. "But Trio said I have to be 'proper' when we go visiting. I just wear a loose cloth at home. Niyati taught me how to make it."
Snorting softly, Kujaku waved a hand. "You don't have to be proper here. I'm not."
Kikuei grinned, head tilting for a moment as he glanced toward the house. And then he was scrambling out of the shorts, abandoning them to dry in the sun. "Lead the way. I'll preen up top," he said. His tailfeathers wouldn't be too bad forthe climb.
Letting out a whoop, Kujaku aimed for hte tree, scaling it easily as his hands and feet grabbed hold of branches and rough spots in the bark. He used his wings for balance, grinning as he climbed upward. "Clothes stink. Can't move right in them."
Kikuei agreed with that vehemently. "I spent a lot of time with Niyati," he offered abruptly. "But I thought about you a lot."
Kujaku paused and looked down at Kikuei with a smile. "I thought about you too. I missed you." Within a few minutes, they were on the platform, Kujaku already having moved a huge beanbag up there, as well as different books, MD disks and whatnot. Over the platform was a roof of sorts, so that the boy could be up there in the rain if he chose... which most often, he did.
"I like it," Kikuei grinned, looking around. "It feels a lot more like our shelves than the treehouse Trio and Shiro made me." He paused, then looked over. "Will you come visit me sometimes? There's a lot of great places to see."
"Sure!" Kujaku beamed, dropping into the beanbag and wrapping his arms around his legs. "Will you come visit here too?" He liked the fact that Kikuei was back in his life, and Kujaku was determined to do whatever he had to in order to keep the boy from vanishing again.
Kikuei hesitated, then sat down beside Kujaku, leaning back. "I promise," he said softly. "I... want you to meet my brother and sisters now. I think you'd probably like a few."
Smiling, Kujaku nodded. "I have a couple here too... but the girls are going to be leaving soon. The boy's okay... and then there's a wierd wandy-wispy thing that Youko carries around."
"Wandy thing? Shiro's got a wand thing," Kikuei said, hesitating before draping himself down against the beanbag. "I used to think it's strange, living so close to them all. Did you?"
Nodding, Kujaku curled up in the beanbag, one hand idly moving to trail through the hair and feathers atop Kikuei's head. "Yeah... it was so wierd at first, because it was so much different than Kyendi. But this is MY place up here, and everyone knows to leave it alone. I like that."
Kikuei grinned at him. "I'm not leaving it alone," he smirked, teasing in his eyes. A moment later, they grew more serious. "I talked a long time with Niyati and then with Shiro. I've got my own little house, and it connects to the main house, but I can lock the gate and then no one's supposed to come in."
Nodding, Kujaku smiled, draping across the beanbag with one foot kicking idly. "Sounds nice. No one comes up here, really... I like being able to be up here without being bothered by others." He paused then, glancing to Kikuei. "Except you. I don't mind you."
Kikuei grinned at that, staring at the roof above them. "I'm glad. Now that things are calmer, I'll make sure I come over often, hmm? And you can come over to my place. There's a pool, and a stream that's fun to follow in the woods. Niyati will watch over us if we get lost."
Purring softly, Kujaku just grinned. "A pool would be nice... All I have here is the koi pond, and the fish don't like it when I go in there."
"With Annora around, a pool is kinda a necessity, apparently," Kikuei snorted, then glanced over. "I miss the one we went swimming in while we were in Kyendi."
"Yeah..." Kujaku blinked, sliding his gaze to Kikuei with a conspiratorial grin on his face. "Hey..." he whispered, even though there was no need. No one would hear them up here anyway. "Omi goes to this place in the wood sometimes... there's a waterfall there, and a BIG deep pool underneath it. I bet we could jump off hte rocks like we used to jump off the platform in Kyendi."
Kikuei's eyes lit up. "Do you know where it is? Can you lead us?" he asked, already sitting up and ready to go.
Nodding, Kujaku grinned. "I think I can. She described it pretty well. Wanna go?" He glanced towards the house, making sure no one was watching them specifically.
"Cool, let's go!" Kujaku dove off the platform then, his wings spreading out as he fell to slow his descent and allow him to drop gently to the ground. He dove behind the tree then, making sure he hadn't been seen. "C'mon!" he called up to Kikuei. "We can duck through the slats into Miss Karma's yard, and go from there."
Kikuei nodded, following Kujaku's example. He hit the ground quite a bit harder than Kujaku, wincing and taking a moment before he got up. "That hurt," he muttered, making his way to Kujaku. "Wish I lived closer to you..."
"Maybe Miss Trio can bring you over more often." Kujaku grinned then, bolting for the loose slats in the fence, and held one open for Kikuei to duck through. "Omi said she went into the woods aways, with another Fa'e. She's been back there since, too. It's GORGEOUS, she said." By this point, he was giddy... and once they were both through the fence, he started towards the edge of the woods on the side of Karma's property.
Kikuei nodded, following Kujaku's lead comfortably. "I hope she will. We're... uh..."
"Huh?" Kujaku stopped, tilting his head to the side. "We're what..."
"Trio and I. We're talking now." Kikuei scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, blushing a little. "It's easier to talk to Shiro, because he doesn't... He looks at me different."
Blinking, Kujaku started walking again. "What do you mean he looks at you different?" he asked. He wasn't sure what his friend meant by this.
Kikuei hesitated, then reached out a hand, catching Kujaku's. "It's like he doesn't... expect anything of me, y'know? Not that he doesn't care, but just that if I need space, it doesn't hurt him. It hurts Trio."
"Ah..." Kujaku smiled, taking Kikuei's hand and squeezing it gently. "At least you're worried about Trio now... I remember when you weren't, at all." As they continued deeper into the trees, Kujaku just let his thoughts run aloud. "Maybe we can talk to her? She can't be hurt every time you need space... I mean, it's not HER fault, it's just how we are."
Kikuei relaxed when Kujaku held his hand, and squeezed back. "Nah, it's okay. She doesn't mean for me to feel guilty. She's really... trying to understand me, I think." He paused, then blushed a little and shrugged. "I guess we're trying to understand each other."
"Nothing wrong with that." Kujaku smiled, brushing his hair back behind one ear idly. The veil over his face fluttered gently in the breeze,a nd the boy nearly purred at the breeze that drifted over his skin. "This is gonna be so much fun..." he said, pushing onward. It couldn't be that far now... right?
Kikuei watched him for a moment, then smiled. "Hey, Kujaku?"
"Yeah?" he asked, tilting his head a bit to watch Kikuei as they walked.
"When you're ready, I wanna know why you wear that thing, okay?" He grinned then, reaching to touch the fabric over Kujaku's face lightly. "When you're ready."
Kujaku frowned then, his eyes looking hurt... although the sentiment wasn't directed at Kikuei. "I don't want to," he whispered, bringing up a hand to unconsciously press against the veil over where the scar cut across his face. "I'm ugly."
Kikuei blinked, staring for a long minute before making a soft choking sound. "Where'd you get THAT idea?" he asked, stopping in his tracks and using their linked hands to tug Kujaku around to face him.
"Because it's true," he said, keeping hsi head tipped forward and his wounded cheek away from Kikuei. "Ii don't look like I used to..." he almost tried to explain, but flushed darkly and turned away.
"Kujaku?" Kikuei said softly, reaching to catch and hold the peacock's other arm. "Will you look at me?"
"Not if you're just going to stare at my face," he replied stubbornly, flicking his gaze to the other boy. "It's ugly and I don't want people to look."
Kikuei smiled softly. "I wanna look at your eyes," he corrected, reaching up to tap Kujaku's nose through the veil.
The boy seemed mollified by that statement at least, and a faint smile could be seen. "My eyes are okay," he answered.
Kikuei snorted. "Your eyes are pretty. I like 'em." He watched the eyes for a long minute, then added, "You're not ugly, Kujaku. You're my best friend, so you can't be."
"People can be ugly and still be good friends," he answered, tugging on Kikuei's hand and trying to get him to start walking again.
Kikuei tugged back, shaking his head. "I like you like you are now," he said quietly. "Even if you don't look the same. Because you remembered me."
"Of course I remembered you," Kujaku answered, coming to a stop when Kikuei refused to move. "You're my best friend, and I've missed you all this time. I've been lonely without you around."
Kikuei grinned, reaching out to hug Kujaku abruptly. "So don't be afraid of me, okay? I won't let you be lonely anymore."
Kujaku clung to him for a moment, resting his head against Kikuei's shoulder. "Thanks," he whispered. "I'm just not ready for you to see my face yet." Kujaku was afraid that even with all those words, Kikuei would be repulsed by what he saw.
Kikuei's arms tightened at that. "I won't look until you're ready," he promised into Kujaku's ear, nearly beaming. 'Yet', hmm?
Turning his head, Kujaku left a kiss just near the base of Kikuei's ear. "Thank you. For understanding."
Kikuei froze at that, eyes widening. For a long moment, all he could do was breathe, and then he was pulling back slightly, a goofy grin on his face. "Let's go, now?" he suggested, not letting go of Kujaku completely.
Nodding, Kujaku smiled, sliding his hand back into Kikuei's and turning to head deeper into the woods. "We should be there soon..."
"Okay," Kikuei agreed. "Hey, Kujaku, wanna know something I learned while I was gone?"
"What?" the peacock asked, curious now, and smiling now that the conversation was off of his veil.
"I can play my flute now. Want me to play for you sometime?"
Beaming, Kujaku nodded. "YES! I tried learning to play but it sounds horrible..." he glanced to Kikuei then, grinning. "If you play... I'll dance for you?"
Kikuei grinned back, nodding. "Yeah, definitely!"
"We can do that at the waterfall!" he exclaimed, putting on a bit more speed. They just HAD to get there soon now.
*****
Trio leaned back, ruffling Youko's hair. "It's been a good visit, you. Thank you for letting us come over."
"Anytime..." Youko replied, grinning from ear to ear. "You NEED to come over more often. I'm pretty sure Kujaku's in seventh heaven right now."
"You need to bring him to our place, too. Especially now that we're moved into the new place and he has his own little apartment." She grinned at him. "But yeah, I wanna come visit more. And bug Envy more, too," she laughed.
Smirking, Youko got to his feet, stretching a bit and starting to move towards the back door. "He's going to kick himself when he realises he missed you," Youko said, sliding the screen door open and calling out into the yard. "Kujaku! Kikuei! C'mon in!"
Trio got up, starting to pack up what they'd brought over. "Don't let me forget his belt or I'll never live it down," she told Youko. "Do you know what I think of it as? I haven't told him."
"What?" Youko asked, turning towards her as he leaned in the doorway to await the two boys that assuredly would come running in, in just a second.
"His utility belt. Like Batman," she laughed. "One of these days, I'm going to make him a costume and convince him to wear it for halloween."
Snickering softly, Youko shook his head. "That would be cute..." He turned then, frowning faintly. "BOYS! Time to go, c'mon!"
Trio tilted her head. "Something wrong?"
"They're not coming..." Youko muttered, stepping out onto the deck and spying Kujaku's pants laying on the wood. Sighing faintly, he scooped them up. "Little nudist.... Kujaku!! Get in the house!" That was when he looked around and realised that he didn't SEE either boy.
Trio followed him, looking up at Youko for a moment before shrugging. "Where does he go when he's not in the house?" she asked, then blinked. "...Well. It seems he's not the only nudist around." She picked up the shorts that Kikuei had been wearing, and blinked. "They're still wet."
Rolling his eyes, Youko chuckled. "Sounds like the koi pond..." he replied, then looked up. "He's usually up in the 'treehouse'. But I don't see them up there."
"Kikuei's still good at hiding. Want me to go up and check?" Trio offered, reaching to lay a hand on the ladder.
"No," Youko said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We don't go up there, that's the rule. That's Kujaku's space. But the reason we made that rule is because he promised to come down when he was called for. They're not up there."
Trio looked back at him, nodding. "Where would they have gone around here?" she asked, growing worried.
Immediately, Youko's gaze moved to the forest and he let out a long sigh. "I'll bet I know..." he said, tossing Kujaku's shorts up onto his shoulder as he started towards the edge of the yard. "He's been fascinated with the waterfall Omi's been talking about. I'm guessing he must have gotten Kikuei excited about it too." He paused then, glancing to Trio with a smirk. "The only problem is that it takes Omi several HOURS to get there. It's where she goes for a weekend trip when she wants to get away."
"... It wouldn't take much to get Kiku excited about something like that," she said dryly, tucking Kikuei's shorts over her arm. "Those two are going to be trouble together, you realize that?"
"Yup." Youko held the fence slat open for Trio. "We'll have to go through Karma's yard. She's got chain link near the woods, it's easier to climb than the wooden fence in our yard."
Trio laughed, shaking her head. "Next time? I'm bringing someone to keep an eye on Kikuei," she decided, having absolutely NO idea who she'd ask.
Snickering, Youko thought that might just be a good idea. As they headed into the woods, he paused every now and again to catch the 'scent' of the boys. Sometimes... there were advantages to being a fox. "They couldn't have gotten far. So long as Kujaku stayed headed towards the falls, we should be able to catch up to them quickly." He turned to Trio then as they walked. "Hey... want to go camping some weekend? Maybe we could take the boys with us and let them see the waterfall for real."
"Sounds nice to me," she said wistfully. "Maybe if Shiro has no objections, we can go. It'd be kinda nice, having some quiet time with Kikuei without the rest of the family around." She held back a bit, not wanting to muddy their scent.
It didnt' take long for Youko to get on the right track. "Well, at least his sense of direction's good," he commented, smirking faintly. "He's heading right for the waterfall. I just don't think he realises how long it takes to get there." He held out a hand for Trio then. "C'mon. We'll catch up to them in no time."
She nodded, smile coming on full force as she slipped her hand into Youko's. "Kikuei spent a lot of time out in the woods behind my house with Niyati. He came back and he'd learned a lot about how to live there," she offered, following him quickly.
Kujaku sighed as he looke dahead of them, his wings wilting behind himself a bit. "It's gotta be up here soon..." he whimpered, looking at Kikuei in apology.
Kikuei seemed at home there, looking around them curiously before glancing over at Kujaku. "Don't worry. It won't take long, and then I'll play for you."
Smiling, Kujaku brightened and started off again. "I can't wait. Then I can dance for you too." He squeezed Kikuei's hand gently, picking his way through the woods.
Kikuei blinked at that, liking the way the simple words had made Kujaku shine again. "Next time I come, I'm gonna bring you something," he decided abruptly, then tilted his head. "Hey, Kujaku? Stop a minute. Do you hear something?"
The boy prickd up his ears, tilting his head. He'd HOPED to hear the sound of water, but he didn't. "No..." he answered, then spun around as he DID hear something... behind them.
"There it is again," Kikuei said, turning more sedately. "Sounds kinda like an animal or something... except noisier."
Kujaku wilted then, looking at Kikuei. "I think they noticed we're gone," he said, recognizing the voices that were just starting to be heard in the distance.
"Think they're gonna be mad?" Kikuei asked, shaking his head and squeezing Kujaku's hand.
"He's talking... not yelling, and not quiet. So I'd say I'm in minimal trouble." Kujaku moved a bit closer to Kikuei as he spoke though, nearly pressed against the boy's side. He HOPED he wasn't in trouble...
Kikuei blinked, then curled an arm around Kujaku in a half hug. "So lemme talk to him first. You can hide in the trees until I've explained," he offered, with a determined gleam in his eyes.
Shaking hsi head, Kujaku rested his cheek against Kikuei's shoulder. "Not gonna run away," he said, one hand tightening against one of Kikuei's wings. "It's my fualt we're out here, not yours."
"Both our faults," Kikuei countered, lifting a hand to pet Kujaku's hair. "I'll take care of you. I promise," he added, with a bright grin. "Let's wait right here for them."
Nodding, Kujaku moved to sit in the foliage, curling his arms around his legs. The boy's pale green skin and bright feathers seemed to blend into the leaves and shrubs around them.
Kikuei looked at him for a moment, then sat with him, curling his arms around Kujaku tight. "Hey, Kujaku?" he said softly, as the voices grew very close.
"Yeah.." the boy answered, keeping his eyes on where the two would emerge from... and his voice to a faint whisper.
"Next time, we'll definitely find it," Kikuei promised, kissing the spot just before Kujaku's ear lightly.
Smiling softly, Kujaku nearly nestled into Kikuei, still nervous... but not quite so much.
As Youko spotted the boys, he moved forward a bit more quickly. "THERE you are..."
Trio came after him, releasing his hand as his pace quickened. Hers was much more sedate, knowing that she didn't have the same way with Kikuei that Youko had with Kujaku, and unwilling to push it.
Kiku released Kujaku, rising abruptly to put himself just a bit in front of the peacock, his feathers puffing as he stood his ground. "Don't be angry at him," he said firmly.
Youko stopped then, tilting his head and looking to Kikuei appraisingly. "I'm not angry," he answered, keeping his voice calm. "I was worried when I didn't get a reply from either of you... but had a pretty good idea of where you'd gone." He moved to toss the shorts back to Kujaku then, chuckling. "Get dressed, and we'll head home."
Kikuei blinked, then deflated a little, his nose wrinkling at the sight of the clothes. His eyes finally caught sight of Trio, and he winced when he realized that his wet shorts were over her arm. "Do we have to head back so quickly? We wanted to see the waterfall," he said quietly, as Trio held out the shorts.
Trio smiled at him, then shifted her gaze to Kujaku, wondering just how the peacock was taking Kikuei's attitude.
Kujaku was staring at Kikuei in what seemed to be a mix of confusion and idol-worship. No one had EVER stuck up for him like that before, and it made him smile... even though he was busy tugging on the annoying shorts that crinkled his tail. "Yeah..." he finally said, looking up at the adults plaintively. "I know it's around here somewhere."
"Actually," Youko replied, pointing in the direction they'd been heading. "It's about another five hours' walk that way. However, Trio and I are talking about taking the two of you on a weekend camping trip up there sometime soon, so you'll both be able to play there."
"...Five hours?" Kikuei blinked, staring at Youko in shock for a moment before flopping down, his shorts on but not yet buttoned. "Wow!" He looked at Trio, considered her grin for a moment, then looked up at Youko. "A weekend trip sounds good. Right, Kujaku?" he asked, turning to look at the other boy happily.
Nodding in dumbfounded shock, Kujaku was just staring at the adults. "Y-yeah..." he answered, but he didn't have the joy Kikuei seemed to. Instead, he lowered his gaze, picking at a blade of grass dejectedly.
Kikuei wilted at that, reaching out to catch Kujaku's hand. "What is it?" he asked, leaning over. "Is it bad?"
"I got us lost," he whispered, looking up at Kikuei guiltily.
Kikuei grinned, reaching out to thread his fingers through Kujaku's hair soothingly. "I liked it," he offered the boy. "Because I was with my best friend."
"It could have been really bad," he murmured, flicking his gaze over to the two adults.
"I spent a lot of time in the forest with Niyati," Kikuei countered, catching Kujaku's cheek through the veil and drawing his gaze back. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you, I promise."
Kujaku nodded then... seeming a bit less troubled. He brought up his hand then, covering Kikuei's and nuzzling the boy's palm.
Youko glanced to Trio at that gesture, lifting a brow in curiosity.
Trio blinked, then shrugged, smiling at the sight before looking at Youko. She reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder for a moment before saying, "C'mon, boys. I'm afraid Kiku and I have to get back home for today. I'll bring him back soon, though. And Kujaku? You have a standing invitation to our house, too."
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 9:57 am
Trio and Kikuei arrived fairly quickly, each of them carrying a bag. Trio waited until she was settled back on the couch with Belias in her arms before she'd let the fox poke at her bag, which proved to have a tupperware container filled with chocolate chip, chocolate, and sugar cookies. Kikuei's bag seemed to have more, but he didn't share the contents with either of them, instead murmuring a greeting to Youko before making his way out and up to Kujaku's 'shelf'. He remembered that he'd been told he was allowed, after all, and he wanted to surprise his best friend. "Kujaku?"
"Mmm?" The peacock looked up from a pile of pillows and blankets that he was currently curled up in, the teal eyes almost bleary as they focused on the door. Once he saw who it was however, he lit up with a smile and tried to sit up. "Heddo..."
Kikuei wrinkled his nose, setting the bag down and moving forward. "You sound awful," he murmured, stroking Kujaku's hair for a bit. "I brought you some soup... Az said it'd help you feel better."
"Whad kidda zoup?" Kujaku nestled against Kikuei, smiling faintly as he peered into the bag. He knew Youko had told him to be careful not to get anyone else sick, but dammit, he wanted to be close to his friend!
"Corn soup. He made it specially for you," Kikuei said, not really knowing why Aziraphale had made a point of telling him the type of soup, but grateful he had. "Here," he said, pulling out a small, round tupperware bowl and spoon. There was a thermos and another container still in the bag.
"Sounds really good.." Kujaku said, pulling open the tupperware container and sniffing as best he could. "Bed id sbells good, too," he said, trying to keep his spirits up. He sounded like he had cotton in his nose.
Kikuei fought a snicker, shifting to curl around Kujaku's back and support him. "He also sent orange juice and cookies for after."
Kujaku nestled against him, eating hte soup slowly... or as much of it as he could. He wasn't really that hungry lately, but Youko said that was normal when someone was sick. He hoped it went away soon.
"Can I do anything to make you feel better?" Kikuei asked hesitantly, not sure what to do to heal his friend.
Shaking his head, Kujaku finished what he could and set the bowl aside. "Bein' here helps," he said, sniffling a bit and curling into a ball. "Kinda lonely ub here... but I didn't want to go down there."
"I'll stay, then," Kikuei promised, cleaning up the soup and moving to get the thermos. "Drink some of this before you go back to sleep, 'kay?"
Nodding, Kujaku did as he was told, then curled up with Kikuei, his head resting on the other boy's lap. "Not tired, really," he murmured, sick of sleeping already.
Kikuei gently petted Kujaku's hair, smiling down at his friend. "Like me to play for you?" he asked, patting his flute. "Might help."
"Could you?" he asked, looking up at him plaintively. "That'd be nice... Sorry I can't dance for you though. Legs feel all wobbly when I stand up."
"You'll dance for me later," Kikuei promised, getting out his flute and beginning to play a soft, gentle lullaby.
"S'not fair..." Kujaku muttered, wings fluffing slightly. "I don't wanna sleep..."
Kikuei stopped playing for a moment, tilting his head at Kujaku. "Even if I promise to be here next time you wake up?"
"You promise?" he asked, looking up at Kikuei again. One hand closed around the boy's shorts hem, clinging to it tightly.
Kikuei smiled and nodded. "I promise," he said softly, before beginning to play again. He'd simply have to explain to Youko and Trio.
"Thank you." Kujaku's voice was a whisper as he rested his head in Kikuei's lap, nearly thrumming with the pleasure of just having someone close to him.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:29 pm
These days, it seemed rather like the only times Trio went up to Kikuei's 'shelf', it was to tell him that there was going to be a new member of the family. She'd visited when she'd found the necklace, and now here she was again, one hand on her stomach as she lingered at the gate. How would he take it?, she wondered, her hand on the latch. Would it make him feel somehow more outcast? More obsolete? Or would he welcome the new sibling? She had no real fears with the other kids, but Theda and Kikuei were the two who remembered what it was to be left behind, pushed away, and forgotten, and she was terribly scared she'd somehow trigger one of their great fears with the influx of children.
But...
"Just standing there isn't going to do anything, you know," Kikuei pointed out, from his doorway. He moved out, unlatching the gate while Trio blinked at him, then opened it for her, stepping back to let her pass. Was he a little taller than before? Seeing him so often, she really wasn't certain. "Come on in. I was just finished playing," he added, moving to let her into his shelf and return to cleaning his flute.
"Kikuei... we need to talk," she began slowly, sinking down on the cushions and reflecting wryly that soon enough, she wouldn't be able to move quite so gracefully. "I have some news."
"I've got a new sibling?" Kikuei asked, looking up with an eyebrow arched. When Trio stared at him, he smirked a little. "I'm used to it by now, Trio." He finished with the flute, setting it carefully in the box near his cushion before turning to her. "How'd I get this one? Another friend of yours with someone they wanted you to look after?"
Trio blushed, shaking her head and reaching up to finger the green necklace she wore. The mist floated around it, thicker than it had been, but she was too busy watching Kikuei to realize. "No. When Shiro and I were on our honeymoon a little while back...," she started, her cheeks tinting a bit darker. "This time, it's natural, sweetie. The baby's growing inside me even now," she explained softly. "I saw the doctor and confirmed everything."
Kikuei blinked, leaning back and looking vaguely impressed. "So... you're really going to be a mom?" he asked, and Trio bristled slightly, frowning at him.
"I already am. What do you think I am for Annora, or Makana? How about for Etain, or Nico? Just because you don't think of me as your mother doesn't mean I'm not one, you know." She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose and backing down a bit when he scowled. She hadn't come up here to fight, after all. Gathering her composure, she squeezed the green crystal, not noticing as the mist began to float down toward her lap. "Look... that's not why I...," she started, but Kikuei cut her off.
"I didn't mean to piss you off," he muttered, the words clearly dragged out of his mouth reluctantly. "I just meant..."
"I know what you meant," Trio waved it away, offering him a false smile to defuse the situation. Her hand fell away from the necklace to settle on one leg as Kikuei rose, turning to stare out the window. Because of that, he missed how the mist suddenly thickened, pouring down toward Trio's lap to settle there, in an odd mimickry of a waterfall. "I think I love someone, Trio," he began quietly, gripping the edge of the window. "Like you love Shiromaru."
"...What?" Trio blinked, staring at him in surprise.
"How do you know when it's really love, and not something else?" Kikuei asked, rather than answering the question, and Trio blinked again, beginning to smile slowly.
"Like lust, you mean?" she asked gently, and got a jerky nod from him. Her arms moved to cradle the thickening mist without her realizing, as she tried to decide what to tell him. "Well... it really kinda depends on what you feel for him," she said softly. The gender wasn't lost on Kikuei, whose shoulders tensed. "It's Kujaku, isn't it?" she added softly, her voice ever so gentle. But really, who else could it be? The only time Kikuei really asked for a ride anywhere, it was to see Kujaku, and he kept reminding Trio of her promise to go camping with Youkochylde and Kujaku and himself.
"...Yeah," he murmured. "What do you mean, it depends on what I feel? I told you... I love him," he said. The words, ever so defensive from this boy who was only just figuring out what the emotion of love really meant, were greeted by a soft, childish giggle, and he jerked around, eyes blazing. "Don't you dare laugh at me," he managed in a sharp voice, his mouth opening for more before he registered just what it was he was seeing. His eyes went huge, round orbs that bore very little resemblance to true eyes as he stared at the tiny, happy infant in Trio's arms.
Trio's eyes matched his own, and slowly, she looked up at him, whispering, "Can we talk about this later?" in a very distracted voice. She was looking back down before he could answer, and completely missed the jerky half-nod he gave her as he crept closer to kneel in front of her. Together, the two inspected the infant, counting fingers and toes, and marveling at the beautiful green of his hair and vivid blue his eyes were.
Kikuei moved away, getting a pretty blue blanket with stars on it to wrap Bran in, and the dark blue only brought out the electric color of his eyes. "He's... got wings," Kikuei suddenly noted, his fingers reaching out to stroke the softly-feathered wings delicately. "Like me," the ieldi added, his clear grey eyes peering at Trio in wonder. "Do you think he'll be able to fly?"
Trio chuckled softly, gathering the happy baby into the blanket and settling him against her chest, one hand cradling the back of his head to support him. The child was fat, with that healthy, happy glow that well-fed and well-loved infants radiate. He turned his cheek to one side, eyes drifting shut as he smacked his lips once. When Kikuei's fingertips stole out, stroking over Bran's back between his wings, there was a soft coo of delight. "I think he likes you," she murmured, Kikuei's question already forgotten as she cradled the infant against her. It felt so incredibly good to hold one again...
"I... hope so," Kikuei murmured, meeting Trio's eyes again. "I... this is really cool, Trio. Thank you," he said softly, fingers moving to stroke the fine strands of green hair on Bran's scalp.
"I should go show Shiro," Trio said softly, smiling at Kikuei and getting a smile in return, this one free of the tension he normally felt around her. "Can we talk about things later?" she persisted, beginning to rise with Kikuei's help.
The ieldi nodded, his hand lingering on Bran's skin before Trio turned to leave. Even after she'd gone, slipping through the gate and heading downstairs to show the others, Kikuei had a wondering smile on his face. That... had been incredible.
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