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

[coldflame]

As Kiran dried his hands, he tore his mind away from distracting thoughts and focused back on Kiku to the best of his ability; his mind was still mocking him with absurd thoughts.

“That sounds good to me,” he said, offering a warmer (and less distracted) smile. “See? Now that I’ve helped with the dishes, we got the work done twice as fast.” He gestured to their lovely work of placing the clean dishes away while being a little smug about how having his help wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

He placed the towel that he was using to dry his hands with away, and then turned his playful golden gaze back to Kiku. Despite what his thoughts were trying to tease him with, he knew that he was just going to miss her, is all. She was one of the rare people in the Earth Kingdom who accepted him, and amazingly enough, took him as a friend. It made him feel comfortable and warm every time he remembered this, so without considering how disappointing it was going to be when he would have to leave today, he would again just have to enjoy the time he had left with her. Enjoy the time he had left; that’s what it always seemed to be like, but there was one difference: he had the promise of coming back.

“So, do you want to head into town now?” he asked, tilting his head towards the door, but keeping his gaze on her. However, he looked up for just a split second, and without really meaning to, he caught Katsu’s scrutinizing glare. Kiran was slightly surprised to see this and he quickly looked back down to Kiku, suddenly remembering why he wanted to get out of here so quickly.

[kiku]

“Sure!” Kiku replied swiftly, gracing Kiran with a quick smile as she folded her towel and set it neatly by the sink. She was all smiles now, eager to get out into the warm sunshine with Kiran by her side. She was meanwhile unaware of the silent stare the two men in the room were sharing; though, Katsu had shifted his gaze casually back to the others at the table soon after Kiran had noticed. They would talk later, Katsu was sure of this.

“Let’s go!” Kiku urged then, only barely catching herself. She was so comfortable with him, she realized. Even Daichi and she had never really held hands. But it just had been so natural between her and Kiran, so comfortable...

“Going somewhere?” Katsu asked deeply, his eyebrow raised.

“Oh. Kiran and I were just planning to go in town.” Kiku explained gently, smiling.

Opening his mouth, Katsu was about to speak, but Hana swiftly cut him off. Intentional or not, Kiku wasn't quite sure.

“Have fun, you two! Be back before it gets too dark!”

“Okay, Gram. Later everyone!”

Swiftly, Kiku turned as her family graced both of them with goodbyes, her eyes glittering excitedly as they focused on Kiran. Her smile was a little soft as she once again took in his appearance, but she was sincerely content nonetheless. A whole day with Kiran; she couldn’t think of another way to better spend it.

“Come on.” Kiku urged with another grin, before gracefully turning and walking through the kitchen and dining room door and into the garden, to the sunshine.

[coldflame]

Despite Kiku’s watching father, Kiran couldn’t help but grin at Kiku’s antics of excitement. It was contagious of course, seeing her like that. It was obvious she was trying to contain herself, and before he knew it, he was trying to do the same. Yes, today he would enjoy his time with his friend for as long as he possibly could.

As Kiku hurried out the door, Kiran hurriedly followed, but stopped before going out the door to catch up with her. He turned and faced her family, a warm smile of his face despite Katsu’s invisible one.

“It was nice meeting you all,” Kiran said pleasantly, bowing before heading out the door after Kiku. He needed to escape Katsu’s suspicious gaze; despite Kiran being used to those sorts of things, it seemed all the worse when it was Kiku’s father who was the suspicious one. No, he wouldn’t think of those things; not today when he had so much to look forward to.

He bounded after Kiku, chuckling as she was already ahead of him. Once he caught up, he walked beside her. “Finally,” he said softly. Kiran looked behind him, and once he was sure that her family couldn’t see, Kiran took a firm hold of Kiku’s hand and pulled her along. “C’mon!” He laughed and trudged her quickly into the garden, towards the gate. He felt incredibly comfortable holding her hand like this. It was warm and soft – so unlike his which he imagined to be calloused and too strong compared to hers. Nonetheless, that never stopped him before.

[kiku]

Kiku’s smile shied slightly when Kiran took her hand, but her eyes were still glittering with contentment. It was so nice holding his hand after all, even if she wasn’t completely used to the feeling yet; it wasn’t as if she didn’t enjoy it, that is, Kiku simply had never been so naturally comfortable with a person like she had with Kiran. His grip was always so confident and strong, as well as warm… Simply comfortable. It made her feel lighthearted and whole, just like he always made her feel.

She didn’t say anything for a moment, simply admiring the beauty of the garden, the warmth of the sunshine and Kiran’s grasp. Kiku did laugh a little along with Kiran though as they rushed toward the gate, though she slowed down after awhile.

“It’s so beautiful out.” Kiku sighed, smiling. Her cheeks were a little flushed from the heat and excitement, but her smile was easy. She wasn’t quite sure what to say however, so she gently squeezed his hand, as if expressing how nice everything seemed today.

[coldflame]

Kiran had by now slowed his pace as well, watching the gate come gradually toward them as they walked together. Gently, he squeezed her hand back in reply and nodded his head in agreement. “It’s going to be a nice day…” he smelled the air and could feel the moisture that it held, the fullness of the soft breath. “It might rain later on, though.” He smiled down at her and brushed his hand along the smooth metal of the gate as they reached it. He opened the door with ease, listening to the small creak it gave as it opened all the way for them.

Kiran pulled Kiku through the gate and shut it behind him before they started off towards town. The new sunlight was scattered among the ground as the tree branches swayed overhead, causing Kiran to be even more relaxed (if that was possible, for Kiku’s presence certainly made him feel content as it was). Kiran stumbled slightly, his knee caving in a bit as he walked, but he casually regained his balance. However, he gave Kiku’s hand a quick grip as he did so, albeit he hoped it wouldn’t make her concerned; his knee often buckled in the mornings from lying down for so long.

Kiran nonchalantly shook his leg out and stepped his pace up with Kiku again. “So, anything you want to do in town? You’re not going to drag me into shopping, are you?” Kiran chuckled at this, his smile as warm as ever, his hold on her hand still firm.

[kiku]

Kiku couldn’t help but laugh softly at Kiran, though she had been rather concerned with his knee just a few seconds earlier when he had stumbled. It was natural to her to be concerned about how others were doing, after all; she was a healer, and she had seen Kiran in a horrible condition quite recently. However, like always, Kiran had swiftly numbed any worries she had with his comment and smile – he was so good at that.

“I’ll be generous and let you decide what we do.” Kiku laughed with a grin, subconsciously giving Kiran’s hand another little squeeze. “I’m actually not much of a shopper if you can believe it…”

Chuckling a little, Kiku glanced in front of her as they came closer to the beginning of the shops and stands, observing what was going on. She could already tell that a fair number of people were out and about today, probably grabbing some necessities before the rain would come, she thought, which she naturally assumed would come, as Kiran had said it was likely.

“I don’t really go out much, actually…” Kiku murmured thoughtfully as she took in all the bustle and activity that was taking place. She glanced up at Kiran, her smile a bit more shy.

[coldflame]

“A woman who doesn’t like to shop…” Kiran said, shaking his head slightly. However, he smirked teasingly at this. “And yes, you told me you’re not very social. That’s understandable, I guess…” As he said this, Kiran’s gaze switched to a small group of men who appeared to be gambling with a pair of dice - something that could be considered rather risky as far as money and lives go. He soon looked away from the group and passed them casually, hearing shouts of success and disappointment as a roll was made.

“But there are also a lot of things that happen out in the world, so it’s good to catch up every now and then,” he said smiling back to his friend before looking up at all the passing people. “I like seeing what’s new; seeing different things…” He tapped an overhanging wind chime as they passed over it, listening to the smooth notes echo into the air until it could no longer be heard. “It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy traveling.”

He smiled warmly, his hold on her hand subconsciously tightening and then loosening again. Kiran didn’t happen to notice the quick glances that were being cast upon the pair as they walked through the busy little town. Some people raised their eyebrows at their hands, mostly wondering who Kiran could possibly be. The townspeople knew one another briefly, if not very well, and it was certain that Kiran must seem like an outsider among the familiar faces. Kiran, however seeing their glances every so often, simply nodded at them and smiled politely as they passed. It was no surprise of course that Kiran would happen to show a warmer, purposefully handsome smile every time a young woman passed; it was also no surprise to Kiran that the woman would turn her gaze away, smiling and blushing slightly as he did so.

[kiku]

Kiku smiled softly up at Kiran as he spoke, understanding his point of view. It was easy to picture Kiran as the curious, traveling type; in many ways he seemed like a little kid after all, with his innocent smile and pleasant company, so it would make sense for him to be always curious, running around, wanting to keep up with what was going on. Smiling at this thought, Kiku observed the scenery around her for a bit, noticing all the activity…

Kiku was a little curious about what was going on in the world – especially when it concerned her good friends – but she wasn’t quite adventurous enough to travel or even go out just to meet new people. She was content staying with a small number of close friends, her family mostly, because she was comfortable with them. It was nice to stop and wave at people she had known for a while in passing, but she just wasn’t outgoing enough to make such a strong tie with them. She had saved up all her energy being a friend to Daichi.

Meeting a new person, Kiran, had been pleasant she would admit… but he had been oddly appealing. He had instantly been a friend to her, easily accepted, and easy to be around. His personality was just so comforting and healing… It made her feel whole. And his character, his story, was fascinating; he was just fascinating.

She smiled down at his strong, comfortable hand, then up at his pale, lovely features.

“That seems like you.” Kiku agreed, smiling. She was about to continue, but that happened to be at a moment when young woman walked passed, and Kiran gave one of those extremely appealing, heart-warming smiles of his – which that sent her blushing. Kiku’s cheeks went a little red too when she caught his smile, and her heart did one of those strange leaps. She shook her head however, a little exasperated with herself.

“That’s so unfair you know.” Kiku scolded teasingly, squeezing his hand. “Making them all flustered like that with that smile of yours.”

[coldflame]

“What smile?” Kiran said, turning his gaze back to Kiku. He was joking of course: his smile was even warmer now, his eyes narrowing slightly as his golden eyes set on her face. He knew perfectly well what smile it was. Slowly, he brought his face down close to Kiku’s, his head tilted to the side slightly, causing his bangs to slip away from his eyes as he did so. It was almost as if Kiran was about to kiss her, though he stopped just inches away from her face and murmured:

“You mean…this smile?” Again he flashed that grin at her, his honey colored eyes glistening slightly as the sun shone upon his skin. For just a moment, he observed her face up close like this, his gaze flickering back and forth over her features. He never realized just how smooth her skin looked, the blush on her cheeks so rosy, her chocolate brown eyes so wide and attentive…

He held his breath for a moment, his smile softening and becoming slightly puzzled as if wondering why he had for some reason forgotten to breathe, but rather quickly, he lifted his head again and chuckled. He smile was now teasing (and rather innocent looking), but nonetheless, satisfied. He looked back to Kiku, and smiled sincerely, rather than jokingly.

“I just can’t help myself sometimes…” He simply said, then looking away and squeezing her hand so they could begin walking again through the bustling town.

[kiku]

Never before had Kiran seemed so close, and it was much too sudden of a gesture for Kiku’s poor heart to take.

She had not nearly enough time to brace herself from his actions; hadn’t received near enough warning before it was too late. The very moment he had fluidly pressed his face so close to hers Kiku had gasped, and then swiftly forgot how to breathe. Her eyes went wide to an almost horrified extent, while her hand gripped Kiran’s even more tightly in surprise. Her wide eyes, energized and attentive by the sudden thrill of her heart, took in every minute detail of his face with impossible speed. The unquestionable perfection of his fair skin, the alluring warmth of his golden eyes, the calm slope of his full lips, which softly and slowly curled upward until they formed into that sickeningly heartbreaking smile that made her cheeks flush deep rose. And she observed more while her thoughts scattered in an anxious disarray, for her heart nearly burst out of her chest at that moment, because for the smallest amount of time, it had almost seemed like Kiran was about to kiss her…

The look in his eyes for perhaps a half a second was so tender and warm that if not for a strong amount control via her sudden adrenaline rush, Kiku almost felt s if she would have impulsively closed the few-inch distance between them; for it seemed so much as if he had said something meaningful in that slight-second glance…

But Kiran pulled away, and her breath came whooshing back, seemingly to Kiku’s deep… disappointment.

Still blushing furiously, her breathing a bit ragged, eyes still wide, Kiku tried to suppress the truth; however, deep down she knew that in those two, heart pounding seconds she had wanted nothing more than to feel the warmth of his lips…

Quickly this thought vanished as Kiran suddenly gave her hand a squeeze, and Kiku blinked, dazed, still two mental steps behind.

“U-hm… Right.” Kiku replied distractedly, immediately turning even redder because of her much-too-obvious captivation and embarrassingly shallow reply. How stupid she felt! Obviously the whole thing had been a tease, and she had taken it like an eager little girl with a crush. Kiran was nothing but a friend to her and she knew that, but… then why did her mind and heart go into these dizzying little frenzies?

“Well, we should be going then…” Kiku murmured embarrassedly as she glanced out around the crowds, refusing to meet his eyes for fear of how she might react. Quickly she started walking to a random store, hoping dearly he wouldn’t comment on her reaction.

[coldflame]

Kiran never thought that just a small tease of the sorts would have put Kiku into such a state…of enamoredness? Or was it embarrassment that was written all over her face? She looked positively flushed (not that he was complaining) and never before had he seen so many expressions cross a persons face in such a short amount of time. He had no idea to the extent of how far his smile could apparently take Kiku. Kiran just simply thought that being so entangled in a fluster as Kiku seemed to be was…well, frankly impossible.

Suddenly, as Kiku pulled him off into some store, he couldn’t help but stare at her with a rather guilty expression planted on his face. He didn’t mean to upset her, and spirits, he hoped he hadn’t. His heart raced at the thought of upsetting Kiku – that was he last thing that he ever wanted to do. He observed her and could obviously see from her body language, and the way her eyes seemed to travel everywhere but his face, showed that she was uncomfortable.

Kiran sighed. Perhaps he should have known better than to tease Kiku that way; after all, she wasn’t the kind of person who was around a lot of people often, so that kind of attention must have too much for her to take apparently. Kiran now felt a bit stupid for doing so, now. As he passed more people - his stare facing Kiku’s back as she trudged him along – he thought about saying something to her in order to find out if he had truly offended her or not. Though…he stopped himself from doing so. Perhaps it was just best to let her cool off for a while. However, even though Kiku had shown a wonderful display of expression before, deep down Kiran took pride in making her do so. It only made him wonder why she reacted in such a way; Kiran figured at the most that that was just because Kiku was shy and anyone doing such a thing as getting close to her face would cause such a seemly embarrassed reaction….right? Or what if there was another reason why her eyes glistened and widened in a frenzy, why her breath seemed to stop moments ago, why she turned her face away from him now in what appeared to be embarrassment now…

And then it hit him.

Had she…actually wanted him to kiss her? He was obviously close enough to do so, yes, but the thought of kissing Kiku just seemed to go against his morals – he would never do that in order to tease her. Besides, planting a kiss on her lips would be far too quick, he knew. If Kiku seemed to be embarrassed now, she would fall over with shock and embarrassment if he kissed her! No. He had to stop himself from getting close to this stupid thought again. It wouldn’t happen, he knew. He just knew.

As if trying to avoid any reminder of bringing these thoughts back, Kiran nonchalantly slipped his hand out of Kiku’s. He wandered over to the nearby store where they where headed and pretended to take interest in the different dishes of food that were placed out for customers. He decided that Kiku was simply uncomfortable at the moment for what he did, so he wouldn’t hold her hand for a while. Not unless she would feel comfortable enough to take it again. Silently and distractedly, he hoped she would.

[kiku]

If Kiku had been embarrassed before, it was nothing compared to what she felt once Kiran’s hand had slipped out of hers. Sure, the gesture had been casual enough, but, as Kiran had turned, Kiku had naturally glanced at him, and his expression had given it all away. She had upset him.

Biting her lip, Kiku remained where she was as a whole wave of guilt washed over her. Kiran had done nothing wrong, she knew; her reaction, her embarrassment, was entirely her fault. Her ridiculous, impulsive conclusions had gotten the best of her, and if she didn’t get a grip soon she was going to mess everything up.

Still staring blankly at whatever item was in front of her, Kiku took a few, refreshing breaths, a soft smile slowly curling up into her lips. Kiran was her friend, she thought determinedly. She was going to have a great day with him; she was just being silly before. Similar thoughts ran through her mind few a few brief moments, until she was back to her calm, pleasant self.

Soon her smile was fully sincere, and Kiku casually strolled over to where Kiran was, pleasantly placing herself next to him. Kiku observed the dishes of food for a moment, but quickly returned her focus to Kiran. After glancing at him for a few seconds with soft curiosity, she casually brushed the back of her hand against his, wondering if he would mind if she took it.

“See something you like?” She asked with a shy smile. “I’ll take requests for dinner.”

[coldflame]

Kiran had not been looking at Kiku during the moment he had let go of her hand. He wasn’t sure if she would be upset with him, but as soon as he felt a soft brush of skin against the back of his hand, he looked to her. He was immensely relieved once he saw that sincere and kind smile on her lips. As if she had some sort of magical smile that could make worries go away, his guilt seemed to slowly vanish in her stare. He let out a silent sigh of relief and smiled softly at her, happy beyond compare that she didn’t have that uncomfortable look anymore.

“Naah,” Kiran said, smiling wider and glancing at the food again. He wasn’t terribly hungry at the moment, which was quite surprising when Kiran’s standards were being considered. “Let’s not waste time here. We can worry about dinner later.” And with that, he gently took back her hand and walked her out of the store, through the colorful awning, and back out into the warm sun.

Weaving his way around several people, he led Kiku down the town street and as soon as there was enough room for the two of them to walk next to each other, he pulled Kiku beside him. His hand was now firm over hers, making sure that he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd. However, the bodies soon dispersed, the voices becoming a dull hum of murmurs, the street suddenly revealing itself ahead.

As the road came into view, Kiran took in his surroundings. There were many stands open today – more than yesterday – and merchants all over were shouting out their bargains and items to passing citizens. Kiran couldn’t help but get distracted from Kiku for a moment as his attention was turned to different items that he saw. And it was only a matter of time before a merchant would spot one of them…

[kiku]

Kiku glanced around, curious about all the activity that surrounded her. Unlike most of the people Kiku saw in her village, many of these merchants were unfamiliar people; traveling salesmen it could be said, who were stopping by, hoping to make a profit by enticing the locals. It was interesting to see what types of items were available she would admit. Upon further inspection on a few stands, Kiku noticed sparkling trinkets, curious scrolls, exotic fruits… This stand happened to catch Kiku’s eye.

Wandering away from Kiran momentarily as they both became distracted, Kiku strolled up to the booth, examining the wide range of fruits that were displayed. They were all colors, sizes, and shapes… Some were fruits Kiku had only seen or heard of in books, so of course she was interested in observing them more closely.

Meanwhile, the merchant next to her was observing her more closely. Coughing lightly into his fist, the man approached her for a moment, a charismatic smile soon curling up into his lips.

“Miss…” he murmured, breaking Kiku out of her brief daze. Softly Kiku glanced up to meet the man’s stare, her smile quickly polite, as she didn’t recognize the man. “I was wondering if you would be interested in one of these fine pieces.” He continued grinningly, encouraged by her smile. Elegantly he gestured to the stand next to them, which displayed all types of fine, glittering pieces of jewelry, glass, cloth, and such.

“Oh, I don’t think so, thank you.” Kiku replied politely, her smile still sweet.

“You must look surely, lovely lady…” He insisted smoothly, taking a step towards her, eyes sparkling.

“I don’t really think I need anyth—”

“Oh, no. I won’t take no for an answer. Please…” He approached her fully now, slipping his arm securely around her waist, guiding her away to his own stand. “I know what every beautiful young woman needs…”

Blushing now, Kiku shook her head slightly, her smile a bit nervous.

“No, I really ought to be going…” She made a slight movement to slip away from his grasp, but the merchant’s arm tightened around her waist, and he spoke again in his purring voice.

“At least come with me for a few moments; I promise you won’t be disappointed.”

Though another protest quickly slipped from her lips, the merchant continued to guide her, and Kiku was quickly flushed, flustered, and nervous. Her eyes held her emotions clearly in them, and her lips, thought smiling, were nervously so, and revealed her obvious discomfort. When she spoke, her voice was a little on edge.

“Please, I really don’t want to…”

[coldflame]

Kiran was distractedly looking at some tools that were for sale, discussing the quality of them with the merchant. They were fine tools he could tell, but they were still awfully expensive. Once Kiran had known of this, he politely declined and nodded the merchant goodbye. And as soon as Kiran had moved away from the stand, he looked around for Kiku. He noticed that she moved away from him before to go look at something, but now…he couldn’t find her. ‘Where did she go…?’ he thought curiously as he tilted his chin up slightly to see around him, his gaze flickering to all the people’s different faces, however none of them being Kiku’s.

After a slightly anxious minute or two, he finally spotted her...but, much to Kiran’s surprise, there was someone else with her…and rather closely, it seemed. Kiran squinted his eyes in slight disbelief and slowly began weaving around people to get closer to her. Who was that man? And why did he have his arm around her like that? And suddenly, Kiran caught sight of Kiku’s expression: she was blushing of course, but in those two seconds, he saw the nervousness and discomfort in her eyes. Whoever this man was, he was bothering Kiku.

At that moment, Kiran quickened his speed towards them, his face etched with seriousness. He wouldn’t let some stranger make Kiku feel uncomfortable – he hated to see that expression on her face. And he most certainly wasn’t going to let a stranger walk her away like that…

“Excuse me…” Kiran said with a tint of question in his voice. Quickly, but smoothly, Kiran took hold of Kiku’s arm and pulled her out of the man’s grasp. Judging by the clothes the man was wearing, the ambitious smile on his lips, and by the stand he was trying to guide Kiku to, Kiran figured he was a determined merchant; there were plenty of them around. “Is there a problem?” he asked, Kiran’s implying gaze set on the merchant’s face. In order to make it seem like Kiran was familiar with Kiku (and to make sure this man didn't try grabbing her again), he wrapped his own arm around her waist and securely pulled her close against his side.