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Post by kiku on Jan 5, 2008 20:34:50 GMT -5
Kiku couldn’t help but laugh breathlessly, her rain and run-induced energy quickly fading as the pace of their great race caught up with her. She sighed for a moment, resting back against the wall to catch her breath a little, eyes closing for a moment, panting faintly. She chuckled at Kiran’s thorough wetness (as well as her own) and more at his words.
“Of course!” Kiku replied softly, a little breathless still but grinning. Shifting her weight away from the wall, Kiku strolled over to the counter of the shop, setting her precious and hopefully still-functional music box tenderly on top before standing on her tip toes to slip some towels off of the top shelf of the tall cabinet behind the counter.
Turning back around, Kiku flashed Kiran a charming smile, and set a few white, fluffy towels on the counter for him to grab. Meanwhile, she saved a large one for herself and began to dab and stroke the soft, loveable cloth smoothly against her cheek and neck… She closed her eyes, smiling softly as she was reminded of her lightheartedness, felt the additional comfort of the warm towel…
After this pause, Kiku opened her eyes and, still with that soft smile, began to run the towel down her arms. When they were moderately dry, she laid it neatly on the table and twisted her hair, wringing it out onto the towel. She glanced up at Kiran at this, her eyes soft and sparkling.
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Post by coldflame on Jan 6, 2008 16:19:15 GMT -5
Kiran, as much as he told himself not to, couldn’t help but stare at Kiku while she dried herself off. He had grabbed a towel for himself, feeling the warmth of the cloth against his palms before rubbing it around his neck to catch the water droplets that continued to fall. He unyieldingly stared at Kiku as he did so, however. He watched her smile and soon grinned back at her as he noticed just how wet she was. Then again, he seemed to be more soaked then her…
But as he continued to dry himself, he noticed a few water droplets roll off Kiku’s cheeks when she smiled, saw how dark her hair color turned when it was wet as she wrung it out over the towel, and for the slightest second he couldn’t help but notice how tightly her clothes were sticking to her skin and revealing her form...
Quickly, he pulled his head underneath the towel and rubbed his hair to dry it, but it was more of an action of surprise. He shouldn’t be thinking those sorts of things; not about his friend. But he couldn’t help it – she looked lovely, he knew. As he continued to dry his hair - his face being perfectly hidden from underneath the towel – he knew that he wished he could have some sort of attachment to Kiku’s towel; he wanted nothing more than to wipe away the water droplets on her soft skin.
Sighing deeply, internally telling himself to shut up, he yanked the towel off his head. His hair was a lovely demonstration of just how many directions there was in the world – even south, to which his beads still hung straight down.
He grinned sheepishly at her, looking for an excuse to clear his mind and said, “I think I’ll go take a bath really quick.” He then promptly turned around, wrapped the towel around his shoulders, and tiptoed rather awkwardly to his room to prevent anymore water dripping on the floor. It was true that he needed to clear his mind of anymore embarrassing thoughts and a bath sounded like it could do just the job.
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Post by kiku on Jan 6, 2008 17:54:29 GMT -5
Kiku chuckled softly when Kiran revealed his spiked and dripping hair; though, she nodded and smiled understandingly when he decided he needed to soak a little in some hot water. She watched him go quietly, observing him with her head slightly tilted to one side. A bath did seem as if it would do him some good, for… was it her, or did he seem a little on edge? Kiku pondered this as she took a seat in a now towel-cushioned chair, now slipping off her dripping shoes and pushing them daintily against the wall with her toe. Perhaps there was still a bit of adrenaline pumping through his system from the exciting run. Hm…
Sighing, Kiku returned her focus to her drenched state. She rolled up her dripping pants, which only caused much new wetness on the floor… She chuckled a little as she let another towel soak up her mess, thinking the last thing she wanted right now was more water. Eventually she decided dry clothes (along with a fire and tea) sounded like a good solution and began to stroll gracefully through the house in her bare feet, her present in hand, feeling lighthearted again…
She couldn’t help but think of Kiran and the lovely day they’d had. His presence was so amazing… Silently she marveled over the ease of his conversation, the warmth of his smile. She closed her eyes, smiling, not recalling the peaceful wholeness Kiran had brought her in any other part of her life. There was something so different about him, what she felt around him; no other person could make her so flustered but at the same time so peaceful. Peaceful, lighthearted, trusted, whole… And yet, Kiku felt as if that didn’t even begin to describe her feelings…
She brushed off the subject however, simply deciding to savor the feeling rather than analyze it. Just enjoy it, like she had of her music box’s soft melody. Strolling up the stairs, Kiku gasped, and opened her music box immediately, wondering…
To her immense relief, the neat little tune began to play, and Kiku couldn’t help but laugh. She rushed up the stairs, suddenly energized, and began to hum along with the tune and twirl around when she reached the top of the stairs…
“Gram!” She gasped as she nearly collided with her grandmother. Hana jerked back, but quickly laughed, her eyebrow raised as Kiku blushed.
“In a good mood today, are we?” She observed, her shrewd eyes sparkling. Kiku slammed the music box shut, glancing away. She couldn’t help but smile a little, and she couldn’t really lie, around Hana especially.
“Well… Yes.”
“I see.” Gram grinned. Her tone was amused. “You like that Kiran fellow, don’t you, sweet?”
“Well, yes, I do…” Kiku said, her blushed more pronounced. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of anything else to say. She began to grow frustrated, but shivered a little as the rain’s chill caught up with her again.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Go dry off, sweet.” Hana chuckled, turning, about to head downstairs.
Kiku didn’t need telling twice, still a bit flustered, she strode off to her room, quickly shutting the door and sighing.
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Post by coldflame on Jan 6, 2008 20:18:40 GMT -5
Kiran had soon started pumping water into his bath, and now the water flowed freely out of the faucet. The warm water was just beckoning him to come, and Kiran was eager to relax and think alone for a while.
He soon flattened his wet clothes and placed them on the edge of the bath tub to dry, then stepped into the warm water with ease. At first the water seemed to be burning his feet, but as she sunk his bare and cold body further into the water, he sighed. It felt so good to have that hot rush of water against his skin, soaking and easing his muscles. The silence was also nice.
And in that silence, his mind carelessly wandered back to Kiku. He felt stupid for thinking those things about her earlier. She was his friend; that’s was all. But he knew, deep down to someplace that he didn’t dare to admit in his heart, the thought of seeing her smiling at him like that, her hair and clothes wet, and water rolling off her skin simply drove him mad. He sighed deeply at this.
“Shut up…” he murmured to himself, taking some nearby soap and almost violently scrubbing his arms. He quickly washed the soap off, making the water turn into a cloudy mixture. Propping his wet (and now clean) arms up on the sides of the tub, Kiran leaned back and sighed. As addicting as it seemed to be to think about Kiku, he couldn’t help but review their day together…and couldn’t help but realize that his time with her was just about over. He closed his eyes at this and tilted his head back, trying to relax as best as he could without the sadness coming to him. It stung a little to think about it, but there was nothing he could do. Soon, however, Kiran simply splashed his foot in the water for a while; he still tilted his head back slightly against the edge of the tub, felt the water slowly drip down his bare chest, and listened to the sound of the water drip off the end of his fingertips and peck the water. Ah…a bath never felt so good before.
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Post by kiku on Jan 6, 2008 21:17:20 GMT -5
Behind the closed door, Kiku busied herself with stripping off her soaking clothes and dawning fresh ones. She hung her dripping shirt and pants on a hook in her tiny room, and then continued to dry the remainder of damp torso, smiling as she felt a faint, though satisfying feeling of warmth return to her. Soon, Kiku was rooting through her closet and slipping on soft, simple clothes – cozy enough for sleeping but nice enough to wear for casual company. After combing her hair, she would probably head downstairs to make some tea, maybe snuggle into some blankets, and see what Kiran was up to…
While Kiku was busy laying out her clothes, however, Hana was busy heading downstairs.
She had strolled to the stairway with a purpose besides feeling out Kiku’s mood (and embarrassing her, though that was certainly a fun part of having grandkids). It was late, and therefore time to have a nice, healthy bath after working outside all day; but, when Hana had strolled into the bathroom upstairs, she found her special, homemade soap was gone. In all modesty, it was the best (perfect for her sensitive skin, as well as preserving it – hey, a woman’s got to look good no matter her age). She really loathed using anything too much different. Hana soon chuckled at herself, remembering she had left it in the guest bathroom downstairs that morning.
After a few minutes of strolling downstairs, tidying up a few things, all while pondering her grandbaby’s behavior, Hana finally reached one of the guest rooms that led to the bathroom between them (being careful to remember which one was Kiran’s – and avoid it). She strolled into the empty room, still absorbed in her thoughts, snickering a little at them (I mean, it was about time).
Soon, she was at the door that lead into the bathroom and, completely deaf to any splashing, stepped inside.
“Oh! … Spirits spare me…”
She had only caught a few (pleasing – ha!) glimpses, but she had hesitated long enough for a surely scarring experience before stifling a chuckle and turning to leave.
“I’m sorry, hun!” She called while slipping out the door.
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Post by coldflame on Jan 6, 2008 22:12:57 GMT -5
Kiran’s head jerked up instantly.
“Augh!” he shouted, jerking at the sight of Hana, causing the water in the tub to splash over the sides slightly. He could have sworn he locked the door before he stepped into the tub, but apparently he was wrong. His eyes went wide at the embarrassment and he sunk so far into the water that it went past his lips and just underneath his nose so he had enough room to breathe.
“Th-that’s…! Okay…” he partly called out, poking his mouth out of the water as soon as Hana was gone. He couldn’t believe he didn’t lock the door! And he was definitely sure that Kiku was going to hear of this…
He groaned quietly at the realization of this thought and sunk his mouth back into the water. The ambiance of the silent and relaxing bath was completely gone now. And did he see Hana watching him – for just a second – before she left? Ugh…this was terrible. But no, he wouldn’t make a big deal out of this. If he did, it would just be more embarrassing.
Kiran sighed and soon sat up, reaching for his soap bar. He quickly began to wash himself and then splashed water against his face in frustration. Bringing his hand down over his face slowly, he shook his head; he could only imagine what Kiku would be thinking once she found out.
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Post by kiku on Jan 7, 2008 20:54:26 GMT -5
Kiku had long finished drying off and dressing, and eventually she had made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, where she swiftly brewed up some fresh, steaming tea. The perfect warmth of its fragrance was immensely relaxing, and she closed her eyes, smiling when she inhaled the delicious steam. She sighed before falling quiet, listening to the rain as it continued to pelt the windows. Otherwise… all was quiet. Kiran must have still been enjoying his bath.
As it did not seem as if Kiran would be out for awhile, Kiku sat the teapot and a few small cups on a tray and carried it out of the kitchen and over to a table in the lounge area. She sat gracefully into a well-cushioned loveseat near the small table and smiled softly as she took her first sip, feeling the amazing warmth wave through her whole body…
“I’d forgotten the advantages of having a young man around the house…”
Kiku turned, seeing her grandmother stroll behind her. Her smile was amused; Kiku raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean, Gram?”
Hana couldn’t resist a chuckle.
“Well, let’s just say I happened to walk in on Kiran in the bathroom…”
“Oh, Gram you didn’t!” Kiku exclaimed. Her cheeks quickly flushed red, while her brown eyes widened in horror. So much for having him not on edge! He was probably scarred for life now!
“Aw, it wasn’t so bad.” Hana winked. She chuckled. “At least… Not for me.”
Kiku sunk into the cushions. “Gram!”
“Aw, don’t sound so embarrassed, sweet. You’d like to see his strong chest too, wouldn’t you?” Hana replied, chuckling still. Kiku was positively dying.
“Stop it!”
“Oh, fine, fine… But you know. I never did get my soap…” Hana mused as she began to walk away, swinging her hips. She laughed. “Maybe I ought to go back…”
“Gram, PLEASE!” Kiku gasped, covering her face with a pillow. Please, Spirits above have Kiran busy and not walk out right now…
“Oh, I’m sorry, Kiku, sweet. Would you rather go for me?”
“Please, just go!”
Laughing, Hana finally strolled away and up the stairs. Kiku sunk into a reclining position, pillow still over her furiously flushed face. Why did she feel the need to be so embarrassing! It was so horrible… but… at least Kiran wasn’t around to hear it. But, then again, he had it worse.
Sighing, Kiku returned to a sitting position, trying to calm the heat in her face. After a moment of clearing her thoughts, she returned to her tea, taking a few sips. Then she set her cup gently down on the tray and picked up a book that was on the table, deciding to read. She’d much rather enwrap herself in some fictional story than thinking about what Gram had just told her. She didn’t want to make Kiran feel embarrassed either when he came out – best pretend she hadn’t been told.
So, simply, Kiku snuggled back into the sofa, the book cozily on her lap. She read quietly, smiling softly as she slowly turned the pages, remembering the familiar story. In front of her, the tea still steamed warmly, and outside thunder rumbled faintly in the distance… It was a perfect picture of tranquility.
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Post by coldflame on Jan 7, 2008 22:13:36 GMT -5
Kiran had soon gotten out of the tub and dried himself off a few minutes after Hana had left. He couldn’t quite seem to get comfortable again after Hana had walked in on him, but he simply sighed and figured it was about time to get out anyways. Kiran could even detect a faint smell of tea roaming in the air, which evidently gave him another excuse to get out of the bath.
Kiran unplugged the bath water from its holdings and then wrapped the towel around his waist. Making sure the towel was securely wrapped, Kiran peeked back into his room (still being a little paranoid, he supposed) and quickly walked in to grab his leather bag filled with fresh clothes. He pulled out a few necessities as well as a pair of very comfortable, billowy brown pants with a thick waistline and a lightly tanned sleeveless shirt; perfect for sleeping in.
It was only evening at this point, but the storm had made the house appear much darker than it would have if it were sunny. Kiran could still hear the rain pelt the windows as he dressed and hoped the storm would stop before he would have to…leave.
Kiran quickly pulled his shirt over his head, again reminding himself not to spoil the nice few moments he had left here. As soon as he was finished dressing, he had the urge to go see Kiku, albeit he hoped she wouldn’t be embarrassed with what happened earlier; maybe Hana didn’t say anything to her…
He shuffled out of his room, stretching his arms and feeling quite refreshed despite the disturbance of his peace earlier. Reaching the lounge area of the house, he smiled softly at Kiku once he noticed her resting on a love seat and reading, tea steaming in front of her.
“You look very comfortable…” he commented, his smile warming as he walked closer to her and taking in the relaxed aura of the room as well as his friend.
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Post by kiku on Jan 8, 2008 16:24:03 GMT -5
Kiku glanced up swiftly when she heard Kiran’s smooth voice and returned his warm smile with a soft one of her own. Though only faintly noticeable, Kiku’s cheeks flushed the lightest scarlet at seeing him; she couldn’t help but think of what had happened to him and feel very embarrassed – as if she was the one who had walked in on him, seeing him like that… She couldn’t help but picture the moment and only glance downward at her book because of it.
Yet, Kiku thought, Kiran seemed rather warm and friendly, certainly not embarrassed, so Kiku swiftly sunk back into her seat, into her coziness, glancing back up at her friend.
“I am…” Kiku murmured, her soft smile curling up cutely on her lips. Gently, she sat her book down on the table, still observing Kiran with soft chocolate brown eyes. She chuckled a little, gesturing daintily with her hand to the steaming teapot of cups.
“Why don't you join me? Have some tea.” She spoke softly, her voice automatically tender.
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Post by coldflame on Jan 8, 2008 18:21:43 GMT -5
Kiran grinned at this and enjoyed the smell of the tea wafting closer to him as he naturally limped over to where Kiku was sitting. With a deep sigh of satisfaction, he plopped on the love seat next to Kiku with ease; being close to her, he already felt an untroubled happiness wash over him. He then crossed his legs and reached forward to take the smooth glass of the teacup into his hands, and soon enough, the warm, flavorful liquid was rushing down his throat.
He leaned back against the sofa and smiled softly at his friend, removing the edge of the cup from his warm lips.
“What are you reading?” he inquired softly, tilting his head down at her book curiously. He liked to know what books people read; in a sense, it could tell Kiran about a person in many aspects. Of course, he already knew that Kiku loved poetry – something he admired immeasurably. As usual, however, Kiran was still curious about Kiku and had to start talking to her at some point. Besides, the last few moments he had with her wanted to be contented…though, he still wasn’t sure if Kiku would ever wonder the same about his leaving. She might be doing the same thing as him: trying to not think about it.
As he took another large sip of his tea, his eyes scattered across the pages of the open book and only caught a few glances of the words as he skimmed. However, his eyes soon flickered back up at Kiku calmly and prominently while the corner of his lips pulled up delicately in wonder.
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Post by kiku on Jan 8, 2008 19:06:42 GMT -5
Smiling again, Kiku reached over and took the old book back into her hands, resting it on his lap so they both could see.
“It’s an old Earth Kingdom legend. Mom liked to read it to me,” Kiku explained, smiling a bit shyly as she opened the front cover, which, indeed, looked very worn; it seemed a little dusty and battered from many years of use, and the edges of the pages were a tad rounded, but overall it still maintained an antique beauty. Slowly, Kiku eyes drifted to the first page, which simply portrayed a warm and colorful illustration in the center.
“Though, I’m not sure you would have heard of it,” she added with more of a grin.
Silently, the turned to the next page, revealing lines of handwritten script with tiny illustrations scattered throughout. The random format of the writing suggested it was in poetry. With her slender finger Kiku pointed to the flourished title, causing a tiny blush to dust across her nose.
“The Cave of Two Lovers.”
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Post by coldflame on Jan 11, 2008 20:45:18 GMT -5
“I’ve heard of it, actually…” Kiran said, taking another sip of his tea and grinning. “While I was traveling, there was this storyteller that I ran into one night. He told the story of the two lovers to me and a few other people…” Kiran’s fingers drifted slightly over the corners of the ancient-looking paper, almost able to smell the musty scent of it, “I really liked the story…it was a bit tragic, but good nonetheless.”
Kiran’s eyes drifted over the pages a bit more, remembering about how the lovers were separated by their feuding villages, yet they both still yearned to be with one another despite where they were from. It was a tragically romantic story, he knew. And then Kiran thought about how the story related to himself and Kiku. Excluding the lovers part of course, Kiran instead saw their friendship – in one absolute way- related to the story: despite where they are both from – coming from two warring nations- Kiran and Kiku already seemed so close.
His eyes flickered back toward his friend at that moment and smiled at her. He relaxed his back against the love seat and took another warming sip of his tea, softly uttering more words to her as he slipped the edge of the cup away from his lips…
“A lot of Fire Nation soldiers say the cave is haunted…” he grinned and shook his head slightly at this, remembering just how superstitious some of the men he used to know tended to be.
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Post by kiku on Jan 11, 2008 21:20:42 GMT -5
Kiku chuckled softly at this bit of information, but nodded, smiling up at Kiran with sparkling eyes.
“Well, there is supposed to be a curse.” Kiku murmured, casually turning the old weathered pages of the much loved book. She admired the lovely, familiar illustrations for a few brief, silent moments, stroking them with her soft, slender fingers; but soon Kiku glanced back up to similarly admire Kiran’s equally lovely features, his golden eyes…. She glanced down shyly, as if to read something else again; however, she was actually thinking. It was very easy to draw the parallels between their story and the two lovers’. Two, separated by the bitterness of war and prejudice, come together, only to find there is nothing but a strong attraction between them…
“But…” Kiku murmured a bit more softly, glancing up to Kiran with shy, sparkling eyes. “Supposedly, the only thing you would need to do to make it through the cave is trust in love…” Kiku then paused for a moment, smiling a bit more cutely, and almost teasingly, at Kiran, tilting her head slightly as if trying to see deeply into his pale eyes, observing the person there… She grinned.
“I think you could probably make it.” She paused. “Though, I’m not encouraging you to go exploring any unfamiliar tunnels of course…”
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Post by coldflame on Jan 11, 2008 23:23:40 GMT -5
Kiran laughed warmly.
“Well, even if I did want to go (which I probably would)…” he said, his grin softening slightly while his laugh faded into the teacup as he took another sip, “…I would need someone with me, of course – someone that I loved.”
Kiran finished his tea with a final gulp and gently placed the now emptied cup back on the table. “But that’s only if the cave really is cursed,” he said, his voice ringing with slight skepticism.
He smiled at her as he rested back again, noticing the way she observed his eyes. Kiran was interested in why she stared at him like that, though he knew she was only teasing him at the moment. However, that shy and yet sure smile of hers seemed to be very hard to resist and it took every fiber in his soul to not think of the word ‘loved’ and her smile at the same time. As he tried not to think this, his eyes had unknowingly flickered back down at the sepia pages of the book, staring at a picture of Oma and Shu holding each other closely in their arms. He stared at the picture, and without seeming to be thinking about it, he couldn’t bring his eyes away from it for a moment.
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Post by kiku on Jan 12, 2008 14:19:37 GMT -5
“Well, that’s true…” Kiku murmured thoughtfully, before everything seemed to go silent, however not in an uncomfortable way. It was a warm, peaceful kind of moment, she thought, and Kiku used it to gaze softly at Kiran again. His hair was still a little wet, but his skin looked warm somehow, and his lips were soft… However Kiku quickly noticed his pale golden eyes were aimed down.
Curious, Kiku followed Kiran’s gaze down to the page, soon spotting what he must have been staring at. It was a heartwarming picture of the two lovers during in a touching moment. They seemed so whole and happy in each others’ arms, so complete. Kiku’s expression softened, unable not to think about Kiran, and how he made her feel similar. Without him, life had seemed only dull and worrisome, but with him… She was happy. Whole.
“It’s still a romantic story though.” Kiku murmured thoughtfully. “How nothing could keep them apart… And how it brought peace in the end…”
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