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Post by kiku on Feb 10, 2008 16:36:10 GMT -5
“No! No, of course not. Don’t be ridiculous, Kiran…” Kiku replied swiftly, tilting her head up quickly to meet his eyes. Her own were wide now; she didn’t want him to have to waste money on staying somewhere for just being here to see her. It would just make her feel guiltier – for a number of reasons, really – and it could somehow limit their time together…
“You shouldn’t waste your money on that. You’re just fine here.” She continued, her voice more gentle and reasonable. He was really no trouble at all; all he might require was a meal or two, and, of course, Kiku loved having him around the house. She could rant forever on how he made her feel…
At this thought, Kiku managed a tiny but soft and reassuring smile before taking her teacup and sipping at the warm liquid contently. The pleasant flavor and soothing warmth was calming, and it helped her regain her previous peace. After a moment, her eyes grew more kind, and she set the teacup down, before quite easily changing the subject.
“So, what would you like to do today?” She asked more pleasantly, her smile renewed. Personally, Kiku wasn’t that picky – as long as she and Kiran spent the day together, she didn’t mind.
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Post by coldflame on Feb 12, 2008 21:53:19 GMT -5
Kiran couldn’t object to Kiku’s reassuring words; for if the words weren’t enough, it was surely just the way her eyes widened as if in horror of the thought of him leaving the house. He almost chuckled at the thought of himself being held captive in her house, not able to leave without her by his side…though, after thinking about it, that thought didn’t seem to bother him very much.
Before he could think of an excuse to protest her reassurance (though, it all seemed but impossible to), he began thinking about her question that seemed much more difficult than it should have.
“Hnm…” he pondered to himself, chewing a large bite of his food as his eyes searched around for invisible lists of things to do. Kiran never really minded what could be done, especially if it was with Kiku, for she seemed pleasant in any occasion. Besides, the truth of the matter was that he was a bit fresh out of ideas and he also liked to give other people a say in what they would like to do instead.
He swallowed his bite of food and shrugged his shoulders.
“I’m not sure; I’m up for anything, really…” he smiled softly then, and raised his teacup to his lips, taking a small sip before lowering it slightly to ask, “...Do you have any ideas?”
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Post by kiku on Feb 13, 2008 21:55:09 GMT -5
“Hm…”
Kiku dazed off slightly, her brown eyes remaining soft as they once again focused on Kiran. Setting her teacup down gently, Kiku pondered, but at the same time she continued to admire the handsome man in front of her, his full lips pressing against the rim of the teacup, his friendly voice and eyes addressing at her… In the midst of her dazing, she pondered, shifting her gaze downward and tracing the rim of her teacup shyly, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as additional girlish thoughts slipped into her mind…
She quickly broke out of her daze, which could have easily been mistaken for pondering, and glanced up to Kiran, her smile quite soft.
“Well, we could walk around the garden, if you’d like,” Kiku began, reminiscing on what they had enjoyed in the past. “…or we could go up to the library…” Kiku would love to hear his deep, passionate voice once again. She let out another small laugh.
“Or, if you’d like, we could wander up to the library, grab a few books, and read out in the garden…”
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Post by coldflame on Feb 15, 2008 18:40:29 GMT -5
Kiran grinned.
“I think I like the third choice the most,” he said, his smile still dimpling his cheeks as he placed his teacup back on the table. He should have known that would have been Kiku’s immediate thing to do; he figured that she would like to spend some time outside and perhaps take the chance to let him read to her again. That didn’t sound like a bad idea at all.
As if not wanting to waist time sitting at the table, Kiran began to eat his breakfast in larger bites (which would have seemed impossible by his normal bite sizes), chewed eagerly, and then swallowed while finishing his tea off as well. Kiran seemed so eager to spend time with Kiku, that he had seemed to have forgotten about his starving stomach and simply ate to clear an obstacle. He knew perfectly well that Kiku probably needed more time to eat, though; it only took a total of about five minutes for Kiran to finish his plate of every single scrap of food.
Once Kiran finished his meal, he sighed happily and stood up with his plate. He looked to Kiku and smiled warmly, however his eyes seemed to sparkle sheepishly at just how fast he ate – not that it surprised him of course, but simply would surprise Kiku.
“The food was great, Kiku. Thanks.”
He then naturally limped over to the kitchen and placed his dirty dishes into the already conveniently filled wash bin. He quickly watched the suds engulf the plate and then turned his head back towards Kiku. Kiran winked at her, and then teasingly began to walk away from the kitchen and towards the lobby that would lead upstairs to the library. Head tilted back, his legs walking in a slow motion, and still watching her as his back turned, he remarked:
“Comin’?”
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Post by kiku on Feb 15, 2008 22:33:31 GMT -5
Chuckling softly, Kiku shook her head. A small slice of bread and bite of moist fruit still remained on her plate (after all, there had been little to start with), but after swiftly finishing off the last of her peach, Kiku stood and strolled gracefully to the sink, dropping off her plate at the counter before glancing at Kiran with an amused eyebrow raise and a charming smile.
“Of course,” she replied then with that same smile, strolling over to him, pleasantness apparent in her light grace. Warmth continued to flood within her stomach as the morning continued so satisfactorily. Not only had Kiran enjoyed her meal, but he still held that same easiness in his manner, still possessed the handsome smile that made her feel so light-hearted. And they were heading to the library and the garden… It was going to be a perfect day.
Once Kiku approached her dear friend, she naturally slipped her soft hand into Kiran’s, her slender fingers intertwining easily with his. She had hardly thought about it, it seemed so natural; it was such a lovely feeling. His hands were not only strong and large, but warm as well, and it was almost healing in a way, like an emptiness inside her had been filled.
Swiftly and with a smile, Kiku began strolling through the house to the library, Kiran’s hand still in tow. She walked quickly, as if they had limited time to get there, glancing back at Kiran with a rare mischievous glint in her brown eyes.
“Coming?”
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Post by coldflame on Feb 16, 2008 22:59:10 GMT -5
It was impossible to refuse, of course. He loved it when she gave him that ‘I know something you don’t know’ look; that cute, but teasingly smart glint in her eyes. Kiran grinned and gave her fingers a soft squeeze and as if that sparkle in her eye was a challenge, his quickly (however quietly) bounded up the stairs ahead of her.
He skipped several stairs until he tugged Kiku to the top floor. Looking around to make sure no one was wakened at first, Kiran tiptoed his way down the hallway of the upper floor. The wooden boards below his feet gave small creaks here and there, but when he came across a rather loud one, Kiran paused and looked back at Kiku with a ‘whoops’ sort of expression. Giving her hand a good squeeze, he began almost leaping towards the library with light steps until he passed the doorframe towards the shelves of books.
He chuckled softly and pulled Kiku inside, then shut the library door quietly behind him as he turned around. Once he turned back around again, he was soon engulfed in a feeling of knowledge – of desire to snatch nearly every book off the shelf. Immediately letting go of Kiku’s hand, Kiran began skimming the rows and rows of titles, scrolls, and just about anything that had words on it. He took a few books off the shelf, and while keeping his eyes on the pages as he looked over the words, he walked over and took a seat on the nearby sofa.
Kiran then glanced up at Kiku with a soft smile; however, he soon looked back down at the old pages in a seemingly distracted way. But despite his eagerness to get his hands on a book, his eyes couldn’t seem to stop flickering up at his friend, as if making sure she wouldn’t suddenly vanish into thin air, leaving him.
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Post by kiku on Feb 17, 2008 17:13:28 GMT -5
Kiku stepped into the library, a soft but satisfied smile curled up easily into her soft, pale lips. She watched quietly as Kiran went about his exploring, her warm eyes sparkling. For a few moments she simply dusted her fingertips along the smooth bindings of books on the shelves, strolling easily, her gaze still aimed in Kiran’s direction. Silently she relished the peacefulness of the atmosphere and the admirable sight of Kiran walking about her home. She memorized the picture, as if for some reason he might suddenly leave and never come back.
Though, soon, she too was allured by the thought of opening a book and swiftly turned her attention to an area of the small library that held some of her favorites. After several moments of staring, however, Kiku tilted her head and sighed softly, having reached a dilemma. Which one should she choose? So many seemed appealing at this moment…
Shrugging, Kiku soon piled up a small stack of books and carried them over to where Kiran was seated, and, with a pretty smile, set the pile of books gently on the small table. She then gracefully placed herself onto the sofa next to Kiran and picked up a single volume, placing it on her lap and quietly turning to the first page.
The morning sun shone calmly through the library window and filled the room with a hazy light. Kiku was caught in one of the bright beams, and smiled softly as she felt its warmth, pleasant and soothing against her fair cheek. She glanced up to Kiran at this, her eyes exceedingly warm and faintly inquisitive, as if silently asking if he found something he’d liked.
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Post by coldflame on Feb 17, 2008 19:10:06 GMT -5
Kiran’s gaze seemed glued to Kiku as he watched her sit down, however his head was still slightly tilted towards his book as if making it look like he was still interested in the words. Though, the thought of looking away seemed unbearable; it felt like he was on a time limit to gather the picture of her into his mind before she would notice. The way he could see the fine, invisible hairs on her cheek as the light shone against her skin; how her eyes seemed to glow as the sun reflected off them; her smile – soft and gentle; the shape of her thin lips…And then – out of time!- she raised her gaze towards him.
It took Kiran a second to snap out of it, but when he did, he felt completely and utterly exposed. How frustrating! He felt as if the calm barrier that he always had on his face was completely gone now; he felt wide open in front of her. Her eyes were inquisitive as she stared at him. Had she noticed? No, no…she was probably wondering something else. Ah, his book! That was probably it.
Quickly, he averted his gaze to the book that he had in his lap, nearly forgetting that it was there. He cleared his throat slightly, recollecting himself.
“I like this book…” he said, glancing back at her a little sheepishly. Finding a way to cover himself, he glanced at the book sitting in her lap and smiled. “Did you find something you like?”
He tilted his head at her book, his eyes seeming to skim some of the words on the page, however truth be told, he was simply trying to gather his thoughts again – clear his mind. He knew that it was almost impossible for him to blush, though he could have sworn he felt his right cheek get a little warmer as he was staring at her. How frustrating…He knew why he was blushing, feeling so exposed – it was obvious why – but he couldn’t seem allow himself to accept any it.
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Post by kiku on Feb 17, 2008 19:47:13 GMT -5
Kiku blinked at Kiran for a moment with a genuinely concerned expression she generally saved for patients who seemed to be getting worse or were acting slightly delusional. Her head tilted to the side slightly, Kiku had to restrain herself from reaching out her hand to touch his, as if that would somehow give her a clue to what he was thinking. He seemed to get so… flustered when she looked at him, like she had caught him in the middle of embarrassing thoughts. This was strange. Usually he caught her off guard that way – when she was off daydreaming about his full, perfect lips and strong hands, fantasizing about what they would feel like against her cheek…
She smiled softly at him, a blush just hardly pinking her cheeks at these thoughts, and that’s when the possibility hit her. Could he be thinking that way… about her? Her heart fluttered, but she shook that option away quickly. No, no… it wasn’t possible. While it was only obvious that her feelings for Kiran were swiftly surpassing friendship, it seemed completely impossible to think Kiran could think anything like that towards her. She wasn’t nearly as beautiful as he was.
A nervous chuckle helped her break out of thoughts that could have soon proved painful, and at Kiran’s comment she smiled shyly down at her book, stroking the smooth page affectionately with the soft pad of her index finger.
“Yes. It’s just another favorite of mine,” She spoke softly, in an unintentionally smooth and pleasing tone. She smiled up at him at this, shifting the book to her lap so it sat on the knee closest to Kiran, as if he’d like to see. After a thought, she laughed softly, gesturing elegantly to the pile of books on the table.
“Just one favorite.”
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Post by coldflame on Feb 17, 2008 22:02:31 GMT -5
Kiran smiled and glanced up at the table of books that Kiku had decidedly collected to read. It was definitely a significant stack, but Kiran figured that was simply typical of Kiku to gather as many books as she could.
He chuckled at her, his smile now seemingly back to normal.
“Nothing wrong with that,” he said casually, his eyes quickly flashing back to hers once he finished observing her book choices. As he noticed that Kiku placed the book she was looking at closer to him, he got a better view of the words (and actually began reading them this time). It was poetry, he noticed – also typical, but not unappreciated. The poem seemed very nice; very smoothly written, beautiful. As he read on, it was easy to understand as well – not very abstract.
He had already read a few lines, but he could still feel that urge to continue reading on aloud, wanting to hear the words in the air. He also knew it would make Kiku happy, so as his golden eyes flickered across the pages, he softly and lively read:
‘“…Don't leave me, even for an hour, because
then the little drops of anguish will all run together,
the smoke that roams looking for a home will drift
into me, choking my lost heart.
Oh, may your silhouette never dissolve on the beach;
may your eyelids never flutter into the empty distance.
Don't leave me for a second, my dearest,
because in that moment you'll have gone so far
I'll wander mazily over all the earth, asking,
Will you come back? Will you leave me here, dying?”’
It was a poem, he learned, that could have easily described what the each of them felt before they left each other last time. It was strange reading it now, but it meant something. Kiran looked back up at Kiku and smiled softly once he finished reading, as if telling her that he enjoyed the poem. His eyes were bright as they turned towards the light of the sun, but they quickly looked down at the pages of the book again, hiding from her. He flipped the pages and continued looking for some other ones he could possibly read to her, but out in the garden instead.
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Post by kiku on Feb 18, 2008 21:09:12 GMT -5
A soft smile flowed easily into Kiku’s lips as Kiran began to read, and soon a matching glisten softened up her warm brown eyes. She relaxed easily against the back of the sofa, gazing shyly at Kiran as he read, soaking up both the words and his tone. It was both soothing and mesmerizing to listen to Kiran read, for his voice was both deep and passionate, full of emotion, as if every word on the page was alive or held some tremendously important meaning.
As Kiku listened to the words to the poem, she couldn’t help but think that his words did mean something greater than they seemed to. While the lovely series of phrases did so strongly seem to express their feelings of their separation, there seemed to be another tinge to it also. Or at least, she knew how it felt to her. With Kiran’s romantic voice speaking such tender words, it was hard not to imagine he was expressing something affectionate towards her.
When the poem was done, and Kiran began to flip through the other pages, Kiku found she couldn’t take her gaze away from him. A sunbeam was brushing against Kiran’s cheek, making his skin seem even more fair and his hair more soft. Of course, his lips were naturally soft and appealing was well…
Silently, Kiku scolded herself, hating this hopeless habit of conjuring tender daydreams. It made her feel too hopeful and longing… and aching. It would only lead to heartbreak. But her lips worked faster than her mind on this rare occasion.
“I’ve missed your voice.” She murmured softly, her gaze shyly averting.
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Post by coldflame on Feb 20, 2008 22:09:40 GMT -5
Kiran paused from flipping the pages inside the book Kiku had chosen and glanced up at her, smiling. It warmed his heart to hear her words and her voice as well. After being gone in the shipyard (for what felt much longer than a month and a few weeks), it was nice to hear her gentle and soft voice. The roar of screeching metal, shouting men, his friends laughing at him, and sometimes absolute silence that would make Kiran’s ears ring was a gift to get away from at times; especially now, since he was with the woman sitting beside him.
“I’ve missed your voice too…” Kiran said, but not in a way that made it sound as if he was simply agreeing with her out of politeness or because he didn’t know what to say. His voice sounded sincere and truthful.
And judging from the way her voice was it seemed that she also must have enjoyed his reading, of course. Thinking this, Kiran looked back down at the book in both of their laps and closed it. He then glanced up at all the books sitting on the nearby table and lifted his chin towards them slightly, as if gesturing.
“Is that all the books you’ve chosen to take outside?” His eyes looked back to her, lifting his hand and waving the book he still held, smiling a little more now. “…because I’m ready if you are, mi lady.”
He seemed to have a desire to read to her some more, wanting to see that spark in her eyes, it seemed. Of course, Kiran naturally then would have loved to provoke more smiles and sweet words from her with this book she chose; it seemed like the perfect thing to do.
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Post by kiku on Feb 21, 2008 20:36:29 GMT -5
Kiku glanced at the great stack of books on the table, tilting her head slightly, as if just noticing the true abundance of her choices. It really was an insane amount of books to lug all the way down the stairs and scatter about the garden… She would have to decide, but it seemed less difficult now. After Kiran had read such a tender poem, she felt a certain attachment to that book. With this thought, Kiku glanced back to Kiran, that charming smile returning.
“I think I’ll just stick with this one, thank you.” She replied in an equally pleasant voice before rising gracefully to her feet, and sweeping into a swift though teasing bow.
“I am quite ready to go… I would love it ever so much if you would escort me to the garden, good sir.”
An amused sparkle apparent in her eyes, Kiku returned to full height and tilted her head slightly at Kiran, teasingly expectant. She smiled at him with that same sweet smile, folding her hands and placing them at her front, as if waiting for him to naturally link his arm with her own.
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Post by coldflame on Feb 21, 2008 22:04:10 GMT -5
“Why, of course!” Kiran exclaimed, jumping up to his feet in dramatic enthusiasm. He grinned at her and promptly handed her the book he was holding. Then, quite suddenly – however smoothly – Kiran bent down, tucked his arm behind her knees, and used his other arm to support her back as he scooped Kiku into his arms. “Off to the garden, Princess Kiku!”
Kiran chuckled and, quite happily, strolled out of the library (making sure Kiku didn’t run into anything on the way out) and headed down the hallway. Again, Kiran was surprised at just how light she felt in his arms; he could hold her all day like this if he wanted to (which, in fact, he wouldn’t mind doing either). As Kiran carried Kiku down the stairs, through the lobby, into the kitchen, and out the back door, he often would break little comments such as, “Princesses never walk to gardens!” or “I can’t let your royal feet get tired.”
As he came outside with Kiku still firmly in his arms, he smiled down at her and made his way toward a nearby tree that offered plenty of shade. Slowly, Kiran lowered Kiku back onto her feet and then bowed deeply and teasingly. His voice was dramatic as well, but in a rather obvious, joking way.
“Is there anything else I can do for you, mi lady?”
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Post by kiku on Feb 22, 2008 22:10:11 GMT -5
A gasp swiftly whooshed out of Kiku’s pale lips as Kiran hoisted her into his arms, shock promptly dominating her expression. Her brown eyes widened, and she grasped to the book firmly with both hands, as if it would keep her from loosing her balance. The simple way to solve that problem would have, of course, been to wrap her arms around his neck, but that was hard to do with a book in hand and even harder to do without a blush. Though, her cheeks were already taking on a pinkish hue.
Soon, however, Kiku found herself laughing easily at Kiran’s occasional comments. It was like a game she would play as a child, but, as a young adult, he made it seem natural and it was no less pleasant. Or maybe she just enjoyed being held…
Still, it was a bit of a relief to be on her feet again, and she laughed once more as Kiran took his bow. However, at his question, Kiku couldn’t help her lips from curling up easily, a teasing glint returning to her eyes.
“Oh, nothing major,” She began, strolling a bit off to the side, observing a small bloom present on an overhanging branch. She touched her fingertips to the silky blossom.
“Just to continue to be my slave for life, pamper me mercilessly, bow to my every will and desire…” She glanced back at him with that cute smile and strolled back towards him.
“And, of course, I always enjoy it when you read.”
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