A Bittersweet Taste -- Private<Zhy, Earth Kingdom>

[kiku]

A light, pleasant laugh slipped from Kiku’s lips as she began stirring the rice she was beginning to prepare for breakfast, and she couldn’t help but think about how wonderful everything seemed to be going today. Her first house guest had left that morning, perfectly healthy, with a warm goodbye and a slice of un-toasted bread, and now Kiku was enjoying the amusing new fact that her other recent visitor Kiran, to whom everything seemed to be easy, could not even properly toast a slice of bread.

“I suppose I’m enjoying this a little bit, yes…” Kiku replied softly while glancing over to Kiran with shy, sparkling eyes. In the last few minutes Kiran had managed to swiftly run over the teapot and scorch nearly a whole loaf of bread, which, perhaps, was fitting. After all… Kiran was Fire Nation.

Chuckling softly, Kiku returned her focus to the rice (which she would add to the table along with cheese and eggs, already prepared), her thoughts wondering. Who would have ever guessed that something like this would happen? Having a Fire Nation citizen, and a soldier at that, come under her care? Of course she was unaware at first… but his fever had taken him over before she could have even thought, and she had naturally helped him out. Kiran was quite well the next day, but that’s when Kiku had accidentally stumbled upon a letter revealing his true identity.

She had been upset at first, of course, betrayed; Kiran had been so kind to her, but not only kind, but healing. After Daichi, her best friend and soldier, had left her, nothing had been the same. She was often quiet, worrying, even while working. But Kiran had brought a spark of life with him. His lightheartedness made her feel cheerful again, like herself. Which was perhaps one reason she was able to see past his heritage and forgive him. That, and his story, which was positively heartbreaking.

Kiku glanced back up at Kiran with this thought, her smile still amused, but her eyes softer. She really did enjoy his company more than he or she, even, could have ever guessed.

“Well, the rice is almost done.” Kiku murmured after few swift moments. Glancing over to the door, Kiku’s brow furrowed in thought. “My family should be out soon; they never sleep this late. They must be tired.”

Her expression softened before she looked to Kiran again.

“You can sit down, if you’d like.” She said, smiling with a bit of amusement again.

[coldflame]

As Kiku prepared the rice, seeing that amused smile still on her face, it took every fiber in Kiran’s soul to not roll his eyes. Although, his lips did twitch slightly in embarrassment and never before in times of his life did he find himself getting embarrassed like this. Even during the two days that Kiran had been here, spending time to get to know his friend (and stall any means of having to go back home, though he knew it would have to be very soon) he never felt quite so fazed about anything - to something so small as this, anyways. As he silently watched the tea boil, he figured that the reason why he seemed to feel this way was because he was in the presence of Kiku and that he…well, wanted to impress her. However, he should have known that cooking definitely wasn’t going to do that, but he still wanted to do a good job on helping her prepare breakfast nonetheless…

He glanced over at Kiku when she spoke again, offering him to sit down (before he destroyed any other means of food, of course.) He didn’t refuse this option, though.

“Sure!” he said quickly, a hint of gratefulness in his voice; never before had Kiran been so eager to step out of a kitchen, and by considering the appetite he usually had, that was saying something. But before he turned out of the kitchen to go sit at the table, he paused and looked back to Kiku and noticed the plate of eggs and cheese ready to be taken to the table – perhaps he could still do one more thing right this morning after all.

“I’ll take these for you…” he said softly, “I’m sure I can still do that much at least.” He grinned at this, taking the plates off the counter next to Kiku and hobbling out of the kitchen carefully towards the dining area. He placed the plates on the table and observed how the table looked, hoping that he set it right (for he did this earlier). Now that Kiran looked at it, he realized that he was going to indeed be meeting all of Kiku’s family this morning during breakfast. Kiran had already met Hana, Kiku’s grandmother, but he wondered what her mother and father were going to be like. He sat at the table slowly, pondering this and absorbed the wonderful smell that was coming from the food placed in front of him. He glanced back at the kitchen, his stomach growling hungrily and hoped that Kiku would have the rice and tea ready soon…

[kiku]

“Thank you.” Kiku said simply, trying to keep the laugh out of her voice as she glanced in Kiran’s direction with pleased eyes. His words and grin nearly made Kiku loose her self control, but she quickly bit her tongue and turned to the pot, taking a few slow, steadying breaths. She shook her head lightly in amusement as her friend made his way to the table, however, but quickly returned her focus to stirring the rice.

When the rice was soft and thick, Kiku took a small bowl from the cabinet and scooped the rice into it, taking it firmly in both hands with the spoon still stuck in the bowl. The steam teemed temptingly out of the bowl as she strode gracefully to the table and set it down in the center, and she admired it for a few moments, before glancing at Kiran, a smile curling up higher in her lips.

“Sorry for laughing.” Kiku apologized, trying to sound sincere; however, her tone hinted to another laugh, so she chuckled, and took a seat next to Kiran, her smile contrite. Kiku then paused a moment, observing Kiran silently – the soft paleness to his eyes, the smooth curve of his lips… - until she snapped out of her brief daze, smiling warmly with more sincerity.

“Really.” Kiku clarified, smiling softly and touching the back of Kiran’s hand with her fingertips, before letting her hand rest softly on top of his, as if to confirm she was truly serious. She gave the toast a long, pointed look before glancing back at him. “I’m just not used to seeing you messing up so horribly.” She couldn’t help but smile a bit more broadly, though it was more sympathetic. Gently she stroked her palm against his hand, fondly remembering how easy it was to be comfortable around him.

It was at this moment that the door to the kitchen and dining room opened, revealing the entrance of a trio of contrasting characters.

The first was a man, middle aged, a tad stocky around the middle, with shrewd eyes and a body evident of wear. One could see by his tall, solid build that he was once great in his prime, but he sat in a wheelchair now, though the intensity of his eyes had changed little. There was a woman behind him guiding the wheelchair, short in stature, but thin, who possessed a bubbly sort of air. Her eyes were kind and bright like her smile, with a round face that made her seem young, even in her age. Behind them was Hana, tall, though a bit leaned over, with friendly and wise wrinkles and eyes.

Katsu cleared his throat pointedly once his eyes landed on the position of Kiku’s hand, and Kiku quickly blushed and withdrew it. Meanwhile Hana raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but Lien smiled.

“Morning, everyone. Breakfast is ready.” Kiku greeted, her cheeks still a little pink.

“Morning.” Everyone greeted back. Hana and Lien were pleasant, but Katsu murmured his greeting, his gaze curious as he examined Kiran, as each took a seat at the table. “The food looks wonderful, Hun.” Lien added with a smile.

“Thanks.” Kiku replied shyly. Swiftly, her gaze focused back on Kiran. “… Kiran, this is my mom, Lien; my dad, Katsu; and, well, you’ve met Gram.” She gestured to each one, smiling.

“Nice to meet you, Kiran.” Lien greeted in a bubbly sort of way.

“Morning, Kiran. Nice to see you up and about.” Hana almost chuckled, her eyes sparkling knowingly.

Katsu, rather, said nothing, but nodded silently at Kiran before taking interest in what was on the table.

“… Spirits, Kiku.” Katsu whistled. “You get a firebender to make the toast this morning?”

Blushing more, Kiku smiled a bit nervously, casting her gaze to the table before glancing up shyly in Kiran’s direction once again.

[coldflame]

As soon as Kiran was about to take Kiku’s hand fully into his, wanting to feel her familiar warmth, her hand immediately disappeared from his. Kiran blinked at this, unsure why there was such an abrupt gesture, but he immediately knew why. Looking over from the table, Kiran saw three people enter the dining area, knowing who each one was before he was introduced. His gaze shifted to every one of them, already recognizing Hana and her wise smile, taking notice of the other woman standing next to Hana, knowing that it must be Kiku’s mother, and then noticing the man sitting in a peculiar chair – Kiku’s father. However, they all seemed curious (except for Kiku’s mother, who just appeared nonchalant as ever) at the quick glance they got of Kiran and Kiku’s hands touching.

Kiran did not falter at this – he did not want to make a big ordeal out of it, or make it seem like it was – and gave his usual warm smile at all of them. As Kiku introduced who they were, Kiran took in their names and respectfully replied:

“It’s nice to meet you to, ma’am,” Kiran said, smiling softly at Lien. He quickly noticed her bubbly personality instantly; it almost reminded Kiran of the way his father sometimes was, only Lien had an almost graceful look to her. “And thanks, Hana,” Kiran chuckled, looking to her familiar wise face. He always liked Hana’s company; she easily comforted a room, even if she didn’t have anything to say– Kiran could already see this.

Then, Kiran’s golden gaze met Katsu’s. The man did not seem thrilled at all to meet Kiran. However, Kiran was not sure if this was because the man was simply reserved and never seemed interested in meeting new people, or if her father had already found something to not like about Kiran – the hand holding probably contributed to this, Kiran knew. Kiran felt slightly unnerved by this, but he gave a welcoming smile to Katsu and nodded in return to the man.

However, Kiran’s smile faded into embarrassment once again as Katsu took in wonderful notice of the abused slices of bread on the table. Averting his gaze from Katsu instantly, Kiran cleared his throat and lifted his cup of tea, taking in a rather long sip. His gaze was not focused at the tea, nor at the people sitting at the table, but rather off to the side and glaring at the toast sitting on the table beside Kiran, as if it was mocking him.

‘We’re still serving that toast?’ Kiran thought disgustedly, hoping that no one in Kiku’s family was going to eat any of it, though, he was sure that her family had more common sense than to eat something such as that.

Finally putting the cup of tea down (which no longer had tea in it, for he had already drank it all) he began serving himself food, offering the bowl of rice to Kiku soon afterward and giving her a rather humorous, but serious look that said: ‘Don’t say a word’

[kiku]

Kiku took the bowl calmly, glancing casually upward to meet Kiran’s pale eyes, the slightest hint of amusement still evident in the slight curl of her lips. Her eyes, however, were shy, though understanding, as they met Kiran’s meaningful gaze. She gave a small, sincere nod as a reply, which could have easily been accepted as thanks for the rice that had just been passed to her.

As Kiku began scooping a ball of rice onto her dish, the rest of the family was beginning to help themselves as well. Hana was pouring herself some tea, while Lien took the eggs from Katsu and began to serve herself. Kiku than passed the rice to her father, and accepted the tea from Hana. No one bothered with the toast but Lien, who took it for politeness sake and began picking at the edge, but then left it well alone after that.

Some easy dinnertime conversation took place meanwhile, mostly circling around what everyone had done the previous night. Katsu had spent the evening with a few other men in the village; they often liked to discuss recent events, mainly focusing on the war, while a few played Pai Sho and swallowed a cup or two of sake. They had stayed late, Katsu explained, discussing the tragedy at Omashu.

Katsu sighed. “It’s only a matter of time now. Unless our soldiers have a tremendous breakthrough, or there’s some kind of miracle, those monsters are going to have us in the palm of their hand…” His voice was loathing, and once again his gaze flickered to Kiran briefly before he returned his focus to his eggs.

“Oh, Katsu,” Lien sighed with a shake of her head, “you’re always so pessimistic. Just last night a horde of travelers stopped in the restaurant (which was why I was so late), and I heard them gossiping about having seen the Avatar.”

“Oh, he’s alive.” Hana nodded. Kiku looked up to her grandmother, always interested in what she had to say. She continued. “There’s much evidence pointing towards it. Many people talk, and I can feel change close…” She paused to take a sip of her tea. “Everything will work for the better in the end, I’m sure.”

Kiku sighed at the direction the conversation had turned; she would rather talk about anything other than the war right now, with Kiran right at her side. At the faint noise, Hana glanced over to her granddaughter, sensing her mood. Hana smiled once again.

“Why, here are two fine examples of how the younger generation will bring a brighter future. Kiku’s improving so much already; she helped this young man last night with a terrible turn he had taken. And as you can see, Kiran’s quite well this morning. Have to be strong to get through a fever like that…”

Kiku smiled shyly at her mother and grandmother’s proud smiles, blush a bit more pronounced.

“Ah, yes, Kiran.” Katsu began, his voice seemingly nonchalant. “It seems it’s lucky that you stumbled upon my daughter here. Been traveling for awhile, I assume?”

Kiku’s gaze flickered to her father’s curiously, for he was never very interested about other guests who had stayed. (It was only polite to stay unobtrusive, anyway.) It was almost as if he knew something… But no, no. That was impossible. She was the only one in the house who knew about Kiran’s heritage… right? She sipped her tea, a slightly nervous glint in her eyes as she looked to Kiran.

Hana seemed interested by this casual comment as well, for her gaze thoughtful as she examined Katsu, but reassuring when she regarded Kiran. Lien simply nibbled on an egg, looking to Kiran with that same warm demeanor.

[coldflame]

Kiran’s jaw clenched tightly for a brief moment as the conversation had turned to a subject Kiran preferred to avoid. No, it wasn’t the war; Kiran could probably take war conversation slightly easier, even though there was talk against his nation going on at the table. No, it was how the conversation now seemed to have turned toward himself – that was something Kiran was going to have to be careful about.

It started with Hana, though it was only a matter of time before someone mentioned how he got here. That was fine, of course. Besides, Kiran liked Hana and couldn’t imagine disliking anything that was spoken from her mouth; he couldn’t help but smile softly at her. However surprisingly, Katsu was the one who spoke up next. Being Kiran, it was easy to see that Katsu was curious about him. And why shouldn’t he be? After all, this man must have been a soldier at some point (which is why Kiran couldn’t blame him about the remarks before), and was he not the person who caught the glimpse of Kiku’s hand on top of Kiran’s? All the more reason to be curious about the young man with pale, golden eyes – eyes of the people that Katsu loathed on; it was all in his voice just a moment ago.

Kiran nodded at Katsu’s question and swallowed a bite of food he had in his mouth before replying. He kept that same calm exterior on, for he wasn’t exactly nervous, but cautious, rather.

“Yes, I’ve been traveling for quite a while, but I get slowed down sometimes,” he said casually, smiling politely in Katsu’s direction. “I was just passing by before I started feeling sick, so yes, I guess you could say that I was lucky; I’m fully convinced that Kiku saved my life.” And with this, Kiran looked to Kiku as his full lips curled into a warmer smile, then glanced away and poured himself more tea. He could only hope that that would be the last of the prying questions, but something in his gut told him otherwise...

[kiku]

Kiku’s smile was swiftly shy at Kiran’s words, for she really hadn’t seen herself as saving his life. All he had was a fever after all… though, it had been a rather serious one. Then again, it didn’t take an expert to figure out that Kiran need to get his medicine into his system either. If anything, it was Hana who should have been praised – she was the one who had mixed it up.

“Well. It was Gram’s medicine that actually helped you.” Kiku explained, her cheeks a little pink as she looked up at Kiran with modest eyes. And though she did feel shy about being praised, Kiran’s words still made her feel warm inside; the fact that he seemed to think of her in such a flattering way made her unexplainably content with herself.

Hana chuckled lightly, eyes soft and astute as she took in Kiku’s shy expression.

“Oh, but you could have made it easily.” Hana commented lightly. She winked. “In fact, I’ll show you soon.” Who knew? Chances were she’d need to know how to someday…

Kiku smiled at her grandmother, rather interested in this new project. It might keep her distracted… after Kiran left. But no, she wouldn’t think about that now. She had at least another day with him… didn’t she?

Meanwhile, Katsu observed Kiran further from over his teacup, no longer distracted with his meal (for he was very talented at swiftly devouring his share). He wasn’t quite sure why, but there was something suspicious about that Kiran character. Of course, he hadn’t made the best first impression, being so close to his daughter, but that wasn’t the sole reason behind Katsu’s distrust. For a few seconds, Katsu carefully examined Kiran as he drained the last of his tea, and then he swiftly realized what the matter was; Kiran’s eyes were golden, his skin pale… so much like those he had fought against those many years ago…

“Ah…” Katsu sighed, setting his cup down. “I see. I take it you live far away. Near the coast perhaps?” His glare was unintentionally skeptical.

Looking up from her plate, Kiku’s eyes went a little wide, her lips pulled down at the corners. The warmth she had felt with Kiran’s words had swiftly vanished, and instead she felt a cold kind of embarrassment and forbidding that sat like a rock in her heart and stomach. Hesitantly she glanced at Kiran, her eyes sad and apologetic, as if she wished to silently excuse her father’s rude behavior.

[coldflame]

As Kiran took another sip of tea, he couldn’t help but smile at Kiku’s modesty, enjoying the fact that she thought that he was talking about the medicine. The medicine had saved him of course, but if it wasn’t for Kiku’s kind acceptance of letting him stay for dinner (or even staying for this long) he would surely be in an unpleasant situation right now; it was how she accepted him that saved him.

As Kiran quickly munched down the rest of his food, he didn’t have much time to enjoy the wonderful taste and satisfaction before Kiku’s father arose more questions. Kiran saw Kiku’s apologetic smile from the corner of his eye and gave her a quick sideways glance of reassurance before turning his gaze to Katsu. He could tell Kiku was getting nervous by these questions, and she had every right to be; if her father truly despised people like Kiran, Kiku would most likely be the one blamed for allowing him to stay here. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Actually, yes, I do live near the coast…” Kiran replied rather truthfully, still not seeming to falter his expression at all. He remained polite, but all the more cautious on how Katsu’s questions (and his stare) were turning. What if Katsu blatantly asked if Kiran was from the Fire Nation? Kiran couldn’t lie about that – it would be too obvious. Would he get kicked out of the house if Kiran told the truth? Then…he would never be allowed to see Kiku again.

Kiran swallowed a sip of his tea, rather hard, at this realization. No wonder Kiku looked a bit nervous; perhaps she was wondering the same thing. It already appeared that Katsu was undoubtedly suspicious of Kiran and if more questions were to come his way, he would only be able to answer them as truthfully and as carefully as possible. Kiran was not known for being a liar, and he certainly did not want to start a reputation of it in front of Kiku’s family or Kiku for that matter.

[kiku]

Kiku continued to watch Kiran as he spoke, her eyes soft but faintly etched with sorrow. It wasn’t fair, she thought. Kiran shouldn’t be interrogated like this; he didn’t deserve it – not after all he had been through. It wasn’t as if Kiran was as ruthless as his people’s reputation; he was a good person, a wonderful guy. He had brightened up her outlook significantly, made her feel whole, but of course, her father would not have seen this. It would be impossible to explain this to her father if she wanted to keep Kiran’s heritage a secret.

Meanwhile Katsu nodded, his eyes cool, but otherwise he kept silent. Oh, this one was good alright, he noted. He was quite composed, answered smoothly, yet Katsu still knew he couldn’t be trusted. But he must handle this carefully, not create too much of a scene. Naturally, this Kiran character could be very dangerous. It would be best to catch him alone….

But before Katsu could get in too specific with his thought process, Lien spoke up.

“Oh, the coast. I love the beach.” She sighed.

“Well, of course you do.” Hana chuckled good-naturedly. “You wouldn’t have gotten married there if you hadn’t.”

“Oh, it was so beautiful.” Lien said dreamily, setting her fork down. “Don’t you remember, Katsu?”

Of course, Katsu, deep in his thoughts and rather unprepared, was slightly startled at this sudden confrontation, and replied with a hasty yes, followed by a more sincere one. Of course, anyone who knew Lien was unsurprised to see her jump into a long reminiscence, which demanded Katsu’s constant attention.

Kiku couldn’t help but giggle slightly at her luck, and Hana observed her granddaughter amusedly for a moment, before being pulled into conversation. Seeing how the sight was fairly clear, Kiku smiled back at Kiran, after glancing at his plate.

“… Enjoying your meal?” She asked shyly, playing it safe.

[coldflame]

Kiran had been undoubtedly grateful that Lien pulled Katsu into a tight conversation. Kiran relaxed a little at this and listened to Kiku’s bubbly mother talk about her wedding and such; she was an amusing woman, it seemed. Of course, Kiran admired Lien even more for her apparently talkative nature, mostly due to the fact that she had saved him from more prying questions.

Kiran did not look over at Katsu or try to make eye contact with him if he wasn’t talking to the man, but Kiran could still feel his penetrating stare just moments before. It was as if Katsu was desperately trying to get inside Kiran’s mind, but Kiran was not that easily pertained to letting his guard down to someone who had the intentions of knowing unwanted secrets.

He then heard that familiar soft voice beside him and looked to Kiku with a more relaxed and gentle smile. “The food was great!” he replied happily, sitting further back in his chair and sighing. “I’m stuffed. Thank you.” Kiran, too, decided to play it safe and speak wisely, even though the conversation had been momentarily turned away from them.

“I’m sure I can help with cleaning the dishes; it doesn’t involve cooking,” he said with a chuckle, his smile warm and reassuring; he did not want to make Kiku worry about how he was feeling about her father’s behavior – Kiran had been faced with much worse before. And in a sense, Kiran couldn't blame Katsu for being gaurded and for possibly trying to protect his daughter from him if that were his intentions. Kiran would never in his life do something to cause harm to Kiku or this family, but Kiran had automatically been dubbed as a ruthful citizen of the Fire Nation through the eyes of a stranger from the Earth Kingdom. All Kiran had to do was prove them wrong.

[kiku]

Kiku couldn’t help but laugh lightly at Kiran’s offer, but she quickly shook her head as well. Kiran would most definitely be better at dishes than food, but it still felt wrong to have him do something else after his… valiant attempt at breakfast.

“No, no… You don’t have to.” Kiku replied, smiling gently. Silently she took the last bite of her modest proportions of eggs and rice, before scooping up her plate and standing, opening her free hand to accept Kiran’s dish. “You’re the guest; let me take it.”

She smiled softly and sincerely at Kiran, waiting to see if he would let her accept his dish. For some reason, Kiku felt as if her offer, though kind enough, was in vain; Kiran was just the kind of person who wouldn’t let an opportunity to help pass up, or at least, that is what she inferred. Kiran was just a considerate person. Though his history wasn’t the best, perhaps, he hadn’t let it negatively affect his character. He was just a noble person, caught up in a century-old struggle, with pale golden eyes and soft smiling lips…

Swiftly then, Kiku’s cheeks pinked faintly and a sudden shyness became apparent through her smile and eyes. Across the table, Hana chuckled into her teacup.

[coldflame]

Kiran simply stared up at Kiku, his lips puckering in refusal as he bit down on the inside of his cheek, not handing over his empty plate. Kiku had cooked breakfast and he had practically destroyed it, so why not let him help with something he was capable of doing in a kitchen? Guest or not, he still owed Kiku for all the things that she had done for him; cleaning was the least he could do.

With this, Kiran took his own plate off the table and stood. “C’mon, Kiku; it’s the least I can do,” he said, being typically obstinate when it came to favors. Without wanting to hear any word of protest from Kiku, he took a few a few more empty plates off the table and hobbled toward the kitchen. There was actually another reason why Kiran had been eager to help Kiku with dishes, of course. Yes, he wanted to help her clean the last bit of dishes, but Kiran did not want to be left at the table with Kiku’s father if it came to that. Kiran wasn’t intending to be rude, no, but the thought of being discovered so soon would sadden him greatly; he would have to leave if he was discovered about his heritage, he was sure. For now, avoiding any confrontation would be best.

As Kiran made it to the sink, he pumped some water into the large wash bin and gently set the plates in the water. He then looked over at Kiku and smiled at her in a way that said he was glad to help; he didn’t want to make her feel like she was forcing anything on him.

[kiku]

Kiku shook her head slightly as Kiran insisted and took the dishes. It was a very kind thing to do, she knew, but she was raised under the moral that others, especially guests, came first. Because of this, just standing and watching Kiran work made her feel rather awkward, especially with her family chatting close by. Even with Kiran’s reassuring smile, Kiku felt as if she needed to help out somehow, at least.

Silently, Kiku strolled to the sink and stood next to Kiran, tilting her head at him slightly.

“How about… you wash the dishes, and I dry?” she offered gently, glancing up at Kiran again with a shy, sweet smile. Automatically, Kiku opened a drawer, picking out a large, dry towel. “We’ll get done faster that way.”

“Sure makes my life easier.” Hana chuckled as she came up and set a few more plates next to the sink. Her smile broadened knowingly as she glanced at Kiku. “And why are you so concerned about getting things done faster? Big plans today?”

Kiku paused, glancing at Kiran for a moment, before shrugging, her smile sheepish.

“Just want to help.”

“Of course you do, sweet.” Hana agreed with a smile, before returning to the table.

After a moment, Kiku returned her attention to Kiran, her gaze a bit curious.

"What do you want to do today?" She asked quietly.

[coldflame]

Kiran placed the dishes into the wash bin, which was already filled halfway with soapy water. He watched Hana leave and then looked back to Kiku with a calm smile.

“Hnm…” he mused softly, pondering, and turning his attention back to the dishes for a moment as he scrubbed them clean. What did he want to do today? Well, he still wasn’t sure what there was to do around here, excluding the things they did yesterday. Perhaps there was something else they could do to make the day a little different than yesterday.

“Well…is there anything you have in mind?” he asked, handing her a clean plate for her to dry. “Maybe we could go for a walk; it looks nice outside. But I’m always open for other options if you want.” Kiran gave another quick smile to her, scrubbing another dish clean and rinsing it well. As he watched the soapy water, his mind quickly drifted off, remember again that this was his last day to be here with Kiku before he would have to head back home. His smile faded slightly at this; it wasn’t fair that the day would pass so quickly like yesterday had; it didn’t seem fair that every time he would meet a new friend, he would end up having to leave them so soon. This happened many times to Kiran – he would meet someone, then leave; meet someone, then leave. It was just like the time when he fell for Amala, and even though they loved each other, his constant departures never made the relationship last. It was absurd in Kiran’s opinion, but there was nothing he could have done to make it better no matter how much he loved her – it was doomed to fail in the first place. Kiran moved away from this thought regretfully, but his mind quickly linked his past relationship with Amala…with Kiku.

At this, Kiran placed another clean plate on the counter, accidentally causing it to make a louder sound than he intended as it hit the surface. A relationship with Kiku just sounded absolutely crazy to Kiran; he had just met her! And no, he was definitely not in love her to even consider it. However, his heart gave a slight jump at this thought, nonetheless. He scrubbed the plates a little rougher, trying to get his mind to move away from such an absurd idea, but as much as he focused on cleaning, the thought still lingered…

[kiku]

“A walk does sound nice…” Kiku murmured thoughtfully as she wiped one of the dishes dry. Glancing out the nearby window, she noticed that the outdoors seemed especially appealing today; it was bright, warm, and the grass and leaves that she could see ruffled peacefully in what was surely a cool, gentle breeze. Such a lovely day this promised to be. Kiku couldn’t help but remember all the similar days she had spent with Daichi so long ago. Running around the village and around town, stopping for lunch at the restaurant her mother worked at (for half the price, of course). Kiku smiled at the memories for a moment as she added another dry dish to the short stack, only to be abruptly interrupted by the loud clang of a dish.

Glancing back at Kiran, Kiku remembered that this day would certainly be sorrowful, as well as a nice. Kiran wouldn’t be able to stay around forever - a devastatingly depressing, as well as familiar, thought. He would have to leave, just like her friend Daichi had. However, there was one difference: the thought of Kiran’s departure somehow seemed so much worse. Kiku could already sense the emptiness she would experience once his comforting presence was gone, which would only combine with a heartbreaking worry of his wellbeing… Why did this already feel so bad?

Quickly, Kiku shook her thoughts away from this; she wouldn’t think about these depressing things, not yet, not until she had to. Until Kiran left, she would try to savor the day she had with him, every moment they spent together. Every time he would make her laugh, and she would feel lighthearted and whole again…

“Perhaps we can eat out later. I know a nice place.” Kiku offered, glancing back to Kiran with a cute smile. Gently, she placed the last dry dish neatly on top of the stack before turning and facing Kiran fully.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family was occupied with thoughts of their own. Hana, who was watching Kiku and Kiran’s exchange with amusement, decided she would handle the garden on her own today. Why ruin the kids’ fun? On the far side from her, Katsu was observing Kiran with a bit of scrutiny. As the young man had walked to the table, he had limped. This only strengthened his theory of army involvement…

In the middle, Lien was simply pondering how she was going to survive another busy day; a vacation seemed more appealing every moment, especially now, as she looked at the two by the sink, discussing their plans for the day…