Together Again <Earth Kingdom>

[kiku]

“Oh, I don’t know, sweet,” Hana sighed, hardly containing a smile from sneaking up in the corners of her lips. Aw, what a kind, handsome young man Kiran was. She was a little surprised he didn’t see through her, but as she felt his strong arm lead her along she couldn’t help but laugh a little to herself. Ha! She might be a little old, but she still had it!

Shakily, she grasped the countertop with her slender, boney fingers, glancing back at Kiran with a slight smile and perfectly soft eyes.

“I don’t want to impose or anything, Kiran dear, but… I do feel so awfully stiff today. It might help if someone rubbed my back a little.”

Kiku raised her eyebrow while turning her gaze towards her nearby grandmother. Why, Hana was awfully sly… and clever. If Kiran fell for her grandmother’s first trick, Kiku was almost sure he would fall for this one. It almost made her slightly envious; how was it right that it was her Gram who was getting all the attention? Wasn't she remotely appealing at all?

Shaking her head a little, Kiku glanced back down at the bowl she had been preparing, more listening than working now, truly curious if Kiran would fall for her trick… and wondering in the back of her mind if she could ever be so clever.

[coldflame]

Kiran blinked, a bit surprised at Hana’s request. She wanted him to rub her back? Well, it wasn’t like giving a massage to Hana was a big deal or anything; he was just a bit taken back that Hana would actually ask.

Though, once Kiran thought about it, it…was strangely like something Hana would say. Seeing that small crinkly smile on the corner of her lips, and he could have sworn he saw that familiar, witty glint in her eyes, as if she was up to something. Kiran then glanced over at Kiku who was now shaking her head slightly, but not looking over at them. Suddenly, it became quite clear to Kiran that Hana was simply - and cleverly - faking it. Though, why would she? Was it perhaps that this old woman simply wanted attention from him? But more specifically, a young man?

Kiran grinned at this. Well, why not make the woman happy? After all, he still wanted to return Hana the favor for letting him stay here and for taking care of him when he was ill; giving her a massage seemed like a reasonable pay, he thought. So, basically, it didn’t matter whether she was sore or not – Kiran was perfectly agreeable to giving Hana a return favor.

“I understand,” Kiran said, grinning at Hana as he moved behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He shook his head slightly (knowing that Hana couldn’t see) and began to make forceful, but gentle movements against the back of her neck with his thumbs. He then kneaded his hand against the small of her back, his brow furrowing slightly as heard a small ‘pop’ and concentrated on relieving her of anymore knots…if they’re actually were anymore knots.

[kiku]

Hana couldn’t help but chuckle softly as she felt Kiran’s strong hands began a much appreciated massage on her old back. It might seem a little odd or even silly to see Kiran – this handsome young man – doing such a thing to an aged old grape like her, but Hana was doing it more to show off than anything. Though her old joints could always use a little relief and the pressure on her back was surprisingly enjoyable, she was more proud of being able to put on a show after all these years – prove she was still as sly and spry as she was at eighteen. She glanced at Kiku with one of those wise, crinkly smiles at this thought, judging her expression for a brief moment, before chuckling a little, shifting and turning around as she spoke.

“Aw, that’s enough, hon. If you don’t stop now neither of us will get anything done today,” Hana laughed, winking at Kiran, before she oh-so-subtly tilted her head in Kiku’s direction. “I’m sure you’ve got better things to do than to wait on an old girl like me.”

Katsu, still rolled up against the table, scoffed disapprovingly at this, his gaze aimed slightly to the counter where everyone now stood. Kiku had a faintly pink brightness lighting up her cheeks now, and Lien was sipping a steaming cup of tea, her eyes sparkling with much amusement. Why was Hana encouraging this? He wondered, his eyes narrowing. Surely she knew; Hana was a shrewd woman. And Lien looked entertained as well – and they had discussed this whole subject! Of course, his wife was always blissfully accepting and optimistic, his opposite, and usually they compromised. But Katsu was exceptionally stubborn about this disapproval.

He cleared his throat, about to throw out an “if-you-have-better-things-to-do-than-why-did-you-come-back,” but Lien was talented at interrupting.

“Surely!” She laughed, her voice playful. “It’s a beautiful day. Go enjoy yourselves, you two.”

Ah, to be so young and spirited, Lien sighed silently. She remembered when she and Katsu had been like that. Though he might be a bit of a sour grape in this setting, Lien knew Katsu had been quite romantic when they had first been interested in each other… And maybe it was because of this she seemed to find Kiran so agreeable. He was quite a pleasant young man, and Kiku smiled so much more with him; Lien had a weakness for that kind of thing, no matter how shallow it seemed.

Kiku had a weakness for it too, as much as she was trying to deny that now. It was too hard to think of dealing with all the disappointment she would be faced with, and, as much as it was going to drive her crazy, she was just going to try to forget it – about the attention that could be there, at what she felt… She would be herself, enjoy Kiran’s company – that’s all. But, then again, how could she be herself when all she wanted to do was release all these bubbling emotions that felt like they would pour out of her mouth any second? It wasn’t like her to be impatient…

Shaking this off, Kiku managed a small chuckle at the pleasantness radiating off her mother and gram, and slowly placed the bowl on the kitchen floor where Nayeli was waiting.

“Here you are, precious…” She murmured affectionately, stroking the sheep’s soft head. She then stood up, glancing at Kiran with a shy smile.

“What would you like to do today?”

[coldflame]

Kiran chuckled softly as he stepped away from Hana, giving the old woman an equally sly wink in return. Though, before he could mention to her about simply returning her a favor (which probably would have done little to lessen Hana’s wittiness), Kiran glanced over at Lien who had suddenly agreed to him and Kiku going out to do something.

Kiran thought about this. A whole day with Kiku – her birthday no less – and after being gone for so long, he was eager to spend more time with her. After all, this was the day he had been waiting for. And what exactly did he want to do on this day? He didn’t know. All that Kiran had seemed to figure out was to simply be with Kiku…he hadn’t seemed to think past that goal very much. Well, he wanted to do something fun with Kiku; he figured she needed to have some fun and excitement, knowing that she was here all by herself and also knowing that she didn’t have any other friends in town besides Daichi. Kiran naturally assumed the position of being the explorer, the figuratively-speaking slave, and a good friend to Kiku on this day.

He looked to Kiku with bright, golden eyes and smiled a little crookedly at this enthralling thought.

“I’m not sure. Maybe we could go for a walk and figure something out along the way,” he said casually, leaning against the counter and glancing down at the unenthusiastically-chewing Nayeli, and then back up at Kiku with a wider smile. “But it’s your birthday, after all. I’ll do anything you’d like to do.”

[kiku]

While indeed charmed and perhaps a bit softened at Kiran’s crooked smile, Kiku couldn’t help but laugh and smile a bit mischievously at his later comment. Her eyes sparkling in an amused and knowing way, she strolled, light and graceful, to the door leading out, her fingertips dusting the counter top, her hips swaying side to side just slightly. She flashed him one of her cute smiles.

“You might regret that later,” she teased, releasing another light laugh, before glancing back at him with sparkling eyes, her smile softer and more sincere. “But a walk sounds lovely for now.”

Katsu watched this all with narrow, disapproving eyes. He didn’t like the idea of them spending so much time together; of course, he liked it even less that Kiku seemed so… enthralled at the very idea. It was too… different; with him in the room, Kiku smiled and seemed so unlike herself with that teasing glint in her eyes, that charmed smile… A firebender and her daughter. No. Certainly not.

He cleared his throat.

“Kiku,” he began firmly, forcing Kiku’s gaze away from Kiran. A pout threatened to pull down the corners of her pale lips. “I thought you would spend today with your family…”

Before Kiku could pout or refuse, once again Hana was there to save the day. She let out an impatient scoff, looking to Katsu with an eyebrow raised.

“She’s eighteen – let her have some fun with her friend. She can do whatever she wants today.”

Katsu opened his mouth to refuse.

“Mom’s right, Katsu,” Lien continued airily. “Let her have her fun today.”

Knowing he was going to get nowhere with this, Katsu sighed, looking up at at Kiku and Kiran, a pout pulling down his lips.

“Alright, have fun,” he sighed, his voice unenthused before turning serious. “But be back before dark you two.” He aimed a cool glare to Kiran.

“We’d love to have you for dinner, huns.” Lien added sweetly.

Kiku nodded at this, her cheeks a little pink, but her smile soft and sincere enough – especially when she glanced back at Kiran. She laughed a little softly, before bowing slightly and gesturing elegantly to the door, leading outside.

“Well then. Lead the way.”

[coldflame]

Kiran had little time think about how attractively cute Kiku seemed to be for the moment; he was quickly distracted by the gruff sound of Katsu’s disapproving tone. Although Kiran had grinned at Kiku’s antics, his smile seemed to quickly fade away once his gaze turned toward her father. Katsu had that cold stare again and Kiran couldn’t help but feel like he should keep his presence more reserved and mature when seeing this man here in front of him. It was simply common courtesy after all…

Though, as if right on time, Hana and Lien had stepped in and gave pardon for them to leave. Kiran was very much relieved to hear this, for he wanted to spend time with Kiku more than anything right now. And, of course, their pardon was something eagerly wanted in the tense atmosphere Kiran could already feel between Katsu and himself.

Turning back to Kiku, is smile immediately returning with joy, he chuckled and began to push Kiku out the door on her heels.

“Ladies first,” Kiran laughed, pushing Kiku out the door all the way, but turning and saying goodbye to everyone in the kitchen before shutting the door behind him. Nayeli contently stayed inside, not seeming very interested in going anywhere. She simply plopped onto the cool, kitchen floor and immediately began sleeping.

Once they were in the clear, Kiran hurried past the house slightly and grinned warmly back in Kiku’s direction, happy to finally be free with her again.

“So, what was that about me regretting something later?” Kiran asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, his chin tilted up in the air, and walking backwards as he stared at Kiku.

[kiku]

Kiku released another slight but much refreshed and relieved laugh, swiftly flashing him a smile, her eyes sparkling with that same small bit of mischief. She caught up with him in a few small, graceful steps, her gaze still firm on him, and mimicked his raised eyebrow, though hers was completely amused.

“Oh, it’s just… You never know what kind of strange thing I might request,” Kiku murmured deeply, her brown eyes glittering with equal depth. She was sure to stare at him mercilessly, almost searching his pale golden eyes with a needing intensity. She did her best to imitate Kiran’s passionate, alluring voice also; though she was unsure about how well she had done (surely her slightly curled and amused smile had given hint to her inner laughter). Regardless, she soon slipped her hand easily into Kiran’s, walking a little nearer him now. Though she was only teasing, Kiku couldn't help but imagine all the strange requests that would shock Kiran a bit... Not that she'd ever dare. For now she'd enjoy his hand...

At the warm, familiar feel, she couldn’t help but want to sigh, though her expression only softened a little. It brought back memories of when they had last been together, so lighthearted and carefree… much like she felt now.

Gently, Kiku squeezed his large hand, glancing up at him again with mischief, a slight laugh slipping out of her lips, her warm eyes showing she was teasing.

[coldflame]

Kiran chuckled deeply and turned back around to walk the correct way (instead of backwards). He switched hands with her quickly, not wanting to be separated from the soft feel of her skin against his. It was truly addicting to have her hand engulfed into his, walking slowly with her, her eyes seeming happy as ever. He smiled warmly.

“Well, what ever strange thing you may request, I’ll do it,” he said jokingly, his smile curling upwards in a small smirk as if telling her that he probably would; well…probably. “I’m your slave, after all – at least for today.”

He grinned, but his expression soon softened as he lifted his gaze back up to glance toward the road they were headed to. He sighed peacefully – again, peaceful was the description of this place. The sky was bight blue today, but there were so many clouds moving by. They moved quickly as the wind pushed them through the vast blue, their colors turning from yellow to a bright and stunning white, and then even to grey.

When he and Kiku reached the gate, Kiran opened it smoothly and brought Kiku past it with him. He walked for a while in silence, his gaze looking up and admiring the sky and sometimes he would become distracted with something else and stare at it until they walked passed. A field emerged onto Kiran’s left and when he turned his head to look at it, his black hair swirled about his head as the breeze brushed its fingers through in the opposite way. Shadows from the fast moving clouds above raced across the open field along with some patches of sun following not far behind. The tall grass seemed to catch his attention the most; it was alive, it seemed – the tanned grass moved in rhythmical waves, following the wind. At times the wind would slow, and there would be stillness all around; if they were lucky, an open space in the clouds would allow a warm patch of sun to shine down on the both of them. Kiran enjoyed these small little moments, even if it they didn’t last long.

Kiran looked back to Kiku after his daze faded away, his smile softer than ever. His voice was inviting and warm once he spoke.

“So...where would you like to go? Know any good places?” he said, his fingers patting against the back of her palm as he held it firmly in his own hand. As he looked at Kiku, he hoped today wouldn’t be moving as fast as the clouds; he hoped it would be just the opposite.

[kiku]

“Good places?” Kiku murmured, her voice both soft and thoughtful. Silently she gazed out across the wide landscape in front of them, the waving grass, the hazy brightness, the stunning blue… and thought. It had been a little while since she had wandered out this way, for her days typically consisted of working in the garden, the house, and sometimes in town, so she had not provided time to do much leisurely exploring. Though, while in the midst of such a beautiful morning, it seemed regretful. How many days had she wasted not being here, relaxing in such a lovely setting? Though… Kiku knew half the reason for her lightheartedness and peace today was because of Kiran’s warm presence, his strong hand. Ah, it was such a warm, comforting feeling.

But, when Daichi and she were both young and eager, they had often come up this way, laughing and playing around, and one of their favorite ‘vacation’ spots was not too far up ahead. It had been so long since she'd been there...

“Yes, I believe I do know a good place,” Kiku replied pleasantly then, gracing Kiran’s hand with another warm squeeze. She began to pick up speed then, suddenly more eager to reach that special place she knew of. And almost as if to explain her sudden pleasant action, she added, “And it’s not too far away.”

After awhile of walking, feeling the beams of light, warming her cheek, Kiku looked to Kiran with a smile, and spoke airily.

“Do you like the beach?”

[coldflame]

“Of course. I’ve always loved the beach…” he replied, tilting his head at her curiously. He sped up to match her eager walking pace, wondering where in the world she was taking him. As far as Kiran could definitely tell, there was no beach around her town at all - no ocean even in sight.

As he lingered on this thought, he became eagerly curious as to where they were going. It was fun to hear that Kiku was taking him someplace new; going into town was something already done and touring the garden had become a usual spot as well. But now Kiku seemed to have a different idea in her mind – that glint of lightheartedness in her eyes gave it all away. But at the same time – as curious as he was – he was also awfully confused. A beach sounded like the place they were headed, but that didn’t make any sense to Kiran. Kiku also said that their destination wasn’t far away, which meant an ocean would have to suddenly appear out of nowhere if a beach was where they were headed.

“…Where are we going?” he asked curiously, widening his stride to be closer to her, “If it’s a beach, then I hate to tell you this…but, ah…you don’t live near an ocean, Kiku.”

Kiran grinned teasingly at this, knowing for sure that he was already stating the obvious for her. But since this already seemed so obvious, what did she mean by asking him if he liked the beach?

[kiku]

“Oh, I know. And you’ll see,” Kiku murmured, a grin curling up into the corners of her lips. She flashed Kiran a knowing gaze, her eyes sparkling with silent amusement. She gripped her hand with more enthusiasm, laughing a bit as she dashed a bit forward along the path, as if daring him to do the same. Yes, she knew they weren’t going to a beach… in a way. But it was kind of her beach. Her and Daichi’s beach, at least; it was a special kind of place in that way. And silently Kiku knew she wanted to share that bit of special-ness with Kiran.

After a few moments of nearly giddily strolling along the path – routinely glancing at Kiran with that knowing look in her eyes, flashing him that same sweet smile – she heard the faint rushing sound of running water. Again she picked up the pace, her voice light and pleasant as she spoke.

“We’re very close…”

She slipped her hand from Kiran’s then to hurry forward and guide the way, for she had begun to stray away from the path. She wandered then into a long row of the tall, green grasses that were now dotted with spiky shrubs and tall trees that left large beams of light from the sun still shining hazily from above. She stepped through these often, admiring the warmth of the day, of the moment… After several seconds of this, however, the grass and shrubbery almost came to an abrupt stop, and a short few feet of wispy, wet sand stretched out, leading to a wide stretch of a peacefully rushing river.

Gracefully, Kiku bounced out into the sand, nearly twirling before elegantly gesturing to the river bank with her slender arm, as if to display the fine result of a hard day’s work.

“And here! ...Is my beach."

[coldflame]

Kiran loyally followed Kiku through the world of tall grass and thick trees, being quite surprised when the earth suddenly sloped down and he ended up…on a beach. Though, as he noticed Kiku’s delightful twirl and pretty smile, he knew that she was planning to correct him all along; it was a simple sandbar along a river, but it was a beautiful place nonetheless.

The river was wide, but only wide enough to still give the place a more secluded feeling. The water was like a still mirror for the trees above as they looked back down at themselves; so still, it seemed. Most of the beach was coolly shaded as the old trees hung over it, leaning in towards the banks, creating their own branchy tunnel over the river. A variety of hybrid frogs could be heard, hidden along the grass and in the sleeping water; the breeze almost stopped here as well, even though the clouds still moved fast overhead in a strange illusion of sorts.

“It’s great…!” Kiran replied, contently smiling once he took in the new surroundings. He always knew there was a river nearby here, but he never imagined Kiku having such a nice place to relax.

Kiran immediately began to untie his bootstraps. He took one boot off his foot and was soon hopping around on his other foot as he untied the second boot. Soon, that one was off as well. Once he threw both of his boots to the side, he dashed into the sand and enjoyed the coarse feeling of the sand against his bare feet. River sand was always different than beach sand; it was rougher and coarser, but Kiran didn’t mind. In fact, it felt like he was getting a foot massage as he walked around in it.

He soon turned back to Kiku and chuckled slightly. It was a nice surprise to be here; he already felt like jumping into the water, but he wasn’t much of a cold-water person.

Though, he couldn’t help but teasingly raise an eyebrow at Kiku and grin.

“Want to go swimming?” he asked, rolling up his pant legs and stepping into the slightly frigid water. “If you want to, please remove all clothing before doing so!” he called out as he turned his back and stepped further into the water, sending ripples across the surface. He grinned jokingly back at her once he turned again, reassuring her that he was simply joking. Though, in the back of his mind, he just nearly thought otherwise.

[kiku]

Kiku rolled her eyes, though the corner of her lips lifted up into a cute half-smile, and a faint blush dusted her cheeks while she crossed her arms shyly. She glanced at him in a similarly shy way, as if silently revealing her modesty (and perhaps lack of self confidence), as well as her amused rejection.

“Swimming does sound quite refreshing,” Kiku began, a flicker of teasing suggestion working her way into both her tone and eyes. She released a soft chuckle. “but if that’s the cost, I think I’ll stay on the sand, thank you.”

And as if to demonstrate her point, Kiku then gracefully stepped out of her shoes, and began strolling easily along the course sand, letting her arms drop leisurely to her sides. However, a sudden gust of cool wind swept up from behind, pleasantly ruffling her loose strands of hair, as well as the soft, pear green fabric of her shirt and pants. It was so strong, though, that it even managed to urge her to the side, toward the water, toward Kiran. She laughed a bit as she stumbled towards the river, and eventually was forced to touch a toe or two into the water, which, was indeed, quite cold.

“Oh!” She gasped, surprised, before laughing a bit at herself, and sighing as she dipped both feet into the cold river, stepping closer to Kiran.

“Though, I don’t mean to offend you in any way, of course,” Kiku continued sweetly, gracing him with a charming glint present in her eyes. “I mean, you’re perfectly sweet.”

[coldflame]

Kiran laughed, shaking his head at Kiku as she soon stepped in to the water and uttered her sly, but enjoyable comment. Though, he could understand that simply because the water was too cold, there would be no need for swimming – that seemed obvious enough. He suddenly shivered and immediately jumped out of the water, not wanting to feel the coldness consume him. Oh, how he hated being cold.

“Well…” he began, scrunching his toes in the warm, comforting sand, “…in any case, I think we could just wait awhile for the water to get a little warmer.” He looked back at her and grinned, “Not that I don’t agree with you or anything.” He then winked at her.

However, after stepping back onto the sand, he began to wonder what kind of things they could do here at the river. There had to be a few things that would catch his attention in this tranquil place – and then, quite suddenly, there was.

“Hey…” he said, looking off into the distance and squinting his eyes slightly at something that appeared to be…a rope. “What’s that?”

Kiran began to wander over to a tree that was hanging over the beach towards the end of the sandy shore. The tree was huge and had many thick branches stretching out over the water and sand, one of which having something wrapped around it. Without seeming to hesitate much, Kiran jogged over to the tree and could see that it was indeed a rope attached to the said branch. Though, the rope was a tangled mess around the tree, being caught inside the tall grass beside it as well.

Kiran jumped inside the thick brush and gave a small call of struggle (for he was still barefoot) as he worked his way around the tree, disappearing into the tall grass. After a moment of loud shuffling, it was silent for a moment. It might have appeared that he had stopped moving completely for the crunch and shuffle of the grass couldn’t be heard.

However, Kiran appeared just seconds later, giving a whoop of excitement as he swung out of the grass and into the air; it wasn’t just a rope tangled in the thick grass, but rather a swing. He swung to the side and ended up swinging back and forth along the beach, chuckling as he stood on top of the swing’s seat, leaning back, and gaining more height.

“Pretty cool, huh?” he called out to Kiku, as if proud of himself for finding the swing and grinning as he successfully swung back and forth over the sandy shore.

[kiku]

Kiku laughed softly, strolling easily out of the cool, shallow water to where Kiran was swinging. She observed him quietly for a moment, grinning a bit cutely as she quietly admired the expression that matched his shout of jubilation, his fine form swinging above the beach… Shaking her head with that same smile, Kiku folded her arms, continuing to observe him with an amused glint in her eyes.

“Yes, it’s very cool,” She chuckled softly, taking a step towards the rope and Kiran. She watched him pass by another time, and when she spoke, it was more thoughtful. “I’m surprised it’s still there,” she murmured, a faint fog briefly dazing her eyes. It had been so long since she and Daichi had been there, but the rope was still well. Was everything else? She hummed in thought for a moment, before stepping away from Kiran and wandering slowly away into the trees. Softly, she murmured again.

“I wonder…”

After only a few moments, Kiku was kneeling next to one of the tall trees present in the tall grass, only a little past the rope. Slowly she traced her fingers over the edge of a hole present in the old wood of the tree, and hesitantly reached her hand into it, touching the frayed weaving of an old basket. Smiling a little with excitement, she pulled out the old case, and carried it back over to the sand, where she sat, and opened the quite color-faded, weather-worn picnic basket.

A grimace swiftly was evident by the down turned curve of her mouth and the wrinkling of her nose.

“Ew!” She exclaimed, before bursting out in a sudden laugh. “Daichi…” She tsked as she threw out an ancient, molding sandwich with only her fingertips. But then she smiled more softly again as she pulled on an old, equally faded and frayed yellow blanket, spreading it out across the course sand. Standing, Kiku then leisurely sprawled her slender form along the yellow blanket, crossing her legs in a relaxed, though ladylike fashion, and positioning the back of her head daintily on her hands, letting the memories come back… The blanket was smaller than she remembered, but still a sparkle lit up Kiku’s soft eyes, and she removed a hand from behind her head to pat the side of the blanket invitingly.

“Take a load off if you’d like,” she offered kindly.