Complications [Private]

[kiku]

Kiku’s eyes naturally widened as Kiran stepped closer to her, though a faint blush dusted her cheeks as Kiran wrapped his arms around her waist, and her gaze swiftly shifted down, though a soft smile was still present on her lips. She chuckled modestly at his comment, though her heart was truly fluttering in pleasure. Who would have thought she would deserve such loyalty from him, or even him at all? Kiran was so handsome and kind – just perfect for her, or any woman, really. She was so incredibly lucky to have his love…

Very shyly, Kiku lifted her hands so they rested warmly on Kiran’s shoulders, meeting his gaze as she did so. Her smile broadened a bit, and her eyes sparkled in admiration; that teasing smile of his was truly irresistible, as well as contagious.

“Of course,” Kiku agreed, her lips curling up in a teasing manner also; it was one of her more charming, mischievous smiles, as if she was expressing how she was quite obviously the best choice, for she was both beautiful and intelligent, not to mention modest. She tilted her head slightly, grinning then, as if to silently laugh at that obvious falsehood.

After a moment of silence, however, Kiku lifted her index finger gently, slowly and thoughtfully twirling around a longer strand of Kiran’s dark hair that resided just under his ear. Her smile softened, and a soft, warm chuckle hummed naturally from out of her chest, like a purr.

“It does make me feel a little guilty, though,” Kiku murmured then, more sincerely. “I know I would be sick with misery if it was so certain I could never have you.” Kiku grinned slightly, a soft, amused hum slipping from her lips like laughter.

“Those poor girls.”

A grin still faint on her lips, Kiku ran one hand of soft fingers into the bottom strands of Kiran’s smooth hair, slowly then letting them fall, her thumb simultaneously brushing against his jaw line. She tilted her head, eyes sparkling contently.

“I’m very lucky."

[coldflame]

Kiran’s expression was a soft, but slightly surprised one. He thought his own gestures would be teasing to her, as if she would be too shy to even look at him. Though, he was wrong of course. She surprised him by that glint in her eyes, the way she fiddled with his hair, and now just by the way she stroked his jaw line with her thumb. All these simple gestures from her – the small and seemingly confident touches – were all it was taking to keep his heart racing. Though, his outward appearance now seemed calm, and even a soft smile tugged on the corner of his lips as he stared down at her.

She was by all means unpredictable, especially with her words. Would she truly be miserable if she didn’t have him? It sounded so tender to his ears that he could hardly believe it. But it was impossible to not love hearing those words at the same time – it just felt so new; something he hadn’t felt in years…

The smile that curled the corner of his lips only broadened more as he chuckled and shook his head at her. He firmed his hold around her and pulled her closer to him, his voice being a soft hum.

“You’re not the only one, you know,” he said sincerely, meaning to her last sweet words she spoke to him. Though, thinking about the other women that he met at the shop, he couldn’t imagine why Kiku would feel sorry for them. Kiran felt that the reason why Kiku brought up the subject of the other women in the first place was because somewhere in her heart, she enjoyed knowing that he couldn’t belong to anyone else but her. And somewhere deep down, she didn’t feel very sorry at all; he could tell by the confident stroke of her fingers and the soft hum of her laugh. Even her smug, but teasing “Of course” had led him to believe it.

“But don’t lie. You know you don’t feel very sorry for those girls,” Kiran grinned a little wider at this, leaning in closer and giving Kiku a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“I know I don’t.”

[kiku]

“Well, you see, you don’t quite understand them as well as I do,” Kiku explained softly, her voice calm and reasonable, though light and pleasant at the same time. The corner of her lips had twitched a bit into a renewed smile when Kiran pecked her cheek, and her eyelids flickered once, though she then glanced up, meeting his gaze, eyes still bright. She felt so lighthearted now; his words, so sweet, continued to keep both her expression and demeanor exceptionally cheerful and bright. She chuckled softly, continuing in that same soft, logical voice.

“As I am a woman myself,” she began, touching her collar gently in gesture. “I can quite obviously see what a wonderful person you are. The girls at the shop can see – though they might not be as well acquainted as we are – that you’re quite charming, not to mention funny, intelligent, and exceptionally handsome in that faintly mysterious way. You have amazing potential, and it only takes a few moments for a girl to image the pure bliss you could bring to her life. Telling them that you’re off the market completely crushes their hopes and dreams of being with you; I can only too vibrantly imagine what that feels like.”

With this, Kiku took a soft little sigh of a breath for air, grinning a bit sheepishly for having gone off on this little rant. She glanced away from his golden eyes for a moment, simply to observe her hand which began to trace a soft, faint line down his neck. Her pulse sped up for a moment as she realized how close Kiran had brought her, but she soon let out this bit of breathlessness by releasing a soft, warm chuckle.

“I do feel bad for them because of that,” Kiku murmured, her head rotating slightly. It only took a moment for her nose and lips to find his temple. She smiled, nuzzling there once.

“Though… I suppose it does make me happy to know that I can have the luxury of feeling bad for them.”

[coldflame]

Kiran had raised an eyebrow during the whole explanation that Kiku was giving, and although some of it was true, most of it did not seem to be so. It was true that most of the women he ran into took interest in him because he was easy to talk to and most women around his age were looking for a decent husband. He wasn’t going to lie to himself, but he also knew that he tended to flirt and use charms with women, but that didn’t mean he thought so highly of himself all the time. Being an “incredible” person would not have been a word used to describe him; however…Kiran knew that he had to take Kiku’s perspective on this. She did see him in a completely different and loving way – which, thank the Spirits was obviously true – and he took an equal loving respect on that. He made her feel whole, after all; just as she did for him.

He suddenly realized that their perspectives on each other were mutual: he thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever met before – and in every way, it felt – while her view on him (though more openly expressed) was just the same. And they were both either too modest to admit these perspectives.

Perhaps, he thought, he should simply give Kiku his perspective on how men see her, since she seemed to be enjoying the fact that she knew so much about how women saw him. And despite that he did seem to notice some of the things Kiku said, he could only wonder if she saw any men ever take any interest in her even though he knew she never acknowledged herself much. He definitely knew there were some, just by simply judging how they stared at her while walking through town.

Kiran grinned knowingly at this, enjoying the feeling of her soft skin against his temple. Yes, it had to be true that men would notice her shy but pleasing charms. If he did, even before they were in a relationship, surely others did. It was inevitable. And he also took pleasure in knowing that he was right about her being a little smug about having him before anyone else.

“I understand. But despite your expertise on how women see me, I still feel quite normal,” Kiran said, pecking her temple before moving his face away to stare at her with that knowing grin. “Alright, I understand that women wouldn’t mind having me,” he shrugged, “I even encourage it sometimes. And it’s true that I notice their admiration, but as far as seeing myself that way, it seems far-stretched. Besides…” Kiran said, his smile becoming more of a smirk, his tone being knowledgeable and paced, “…Have you noticed the way men see you? Let me tell you from a man’s perspective: you see yourself as nothing noticeable, but I can already see that men notice you every day. Even that employee that you talked to today in the fabric shop - he was completely enamored by you. The man couldn't have been paying attention to possibly anything else. And did you see the way he rushed after your order? The poor man seemed frantic to please you."

Kiran paused, remembering something else. He almost chuckled.

“And I don’t think he liked the sight of me very much.”

[kiku]

While on the offense only moments before, with Kiran’s comments, Kiku felt her eyes widen and her modesty, as well as her surprise, increase exponentially. Swiftly Kiku shifted into a defensive position, her head tilting and her brow furrowing in disbelief. Her hands even unwrapped from around his neck and crossed firmly against her chest.

“Now, that is not true,” Kiku replied neatly, her voice firm and quite sincere. Kiku shook her head; now, at least when she was complimenting Kiran, she told true stories, but Kiran was totally making this one up. Guys notice her? Please. She was incredibly average; even if Kiran went against the grain and saw her as pretty, he could not convince her that she was a delicacy to all other men as well. Kiku was realistic, and she knew there were a ton of sweet girls in her village that were way more appealing than her. Kyung was just a nice guy, a friend, and a good worker. No one was frantic to please her.

“Kyung is just a kind, thoughtful person; he was just doing his job with a smile, is all. And he probably didn’t like you very much because… you’re a visitor,” Kiku pouted a little at this, not only discovering her argument sounded a bit weak, but because she suddenly remembered the suspicious air that Kyung had asked his questions with. She never thought he seemed so hostile because he was jealous. Kiku had been more wary of other complications…

Kiku sighed a little in frustration; though she was seeing Kiran’s side a little bit better, Kiku still refused to have him win this argument. She still fully believed that Kyung, and any other men for that matter, could not possibly be enamored by her. It just didn’t make sense.

“Listen, Kiran,” Kiku began again, her voice eager again in frustration. “I’m not as great as you’re saying I am. I may pass for nice-looking on a good day, but I’m positive there are no guys in my village who see me as anything more than a friend or an herbalist. And if they do, it’s small. I don’t enamor anyone.”

Feeling firm on that note, Kiku tightened her folded arms against her chest and met Kiran’s gaze firmly, her lips still pulled down slightly in a soft pout.

[coldflame]

Kiran could only help but grin smugly wider at the look upon Kiku’s face. She was getting aggravated with him and oh how he thrived in it. He had never actually seen this side of Kiku before. The folding of her arms, that defiant look in her eyes, that stubborn pout – and all because she was disagreeing with him about something that was all too obvious! This woman really did think no man took any interest in her; how absurd. And it was even more astounding that she thought she was truly nothing special. He had obviously taken interest in her as soon as he got to know her – Kiku was different. If she had been living in this village for so long, not seeming to take interest in any other man in town, then they surely were going to start being curious and wonder who Kiku truly was in turn. It was plainly obvious in the looks they gave her...

Oh, he would win this argument. He was too stubborn to give in and he simply loved the thought of provoking that angry look of hers further. He chuckled at her weak excuses and simply came up with more reasonable ones of his own; he was going to get this through her, whether she liked it or not.

“Hnm…” Kiran hummed, not looking the least bit convinced. “Did Kyung ask any questions about me then? He wasn’t thrilled by the sight of us holding hands, I’m sure.”

He gave Kiku a crooked smile and continued to hold her close, despite the fact that she had let him go. His voice was smooth and rather convincing.

“I could see the man’s blush from across the room, Kiku. If you ask me, it seemed he was more than happy to do his job for you. And if I wasn’t there, I’m sure he would have been a lot happier than he was today.”

He shrugged innocently.

“It’s hard to believe you don’t notice the stares I see some men giving you as you walk down the village. They’re probably curious about you – you don’t show up around the village often, since you don’t like going out very much. And Kiku…” he stared at her, his smile becoming softer and more serious, “…Do you honestly think that I see you as nothing more than ‘nice-looking’?”

He simply shook his head at her. How absurd.

[kiku]

Kiku rolled her eyes at all that Kiran said, though her defiant look was ruined by the pinkness that flowed into her usually pale cheeks. Just as much as he refused to quit convincing her, she refused to believe him. His words… sure, on the outside they made sense, but there had to be more to it than the outward examples he was giving her.

“Maybe Kyung was just curious about you because you were a stranger,” Kiku rebutted, her voice calm and cool now. She was trying to restrain herself from bursting out with anything that would hurt her argument. “You know, you are a stranger in a small town.”

Who just happens to be holding hands with a pretty girl, Kiku could just hear Kiran saying. Small town rumors like that would fly, especially with her Gram behind the wheel. Kiku sighed, hating how this was turning out. She was not that appealing! Why couldn’t Kiran see that!

Of course, Kiku became even more flustered as she registered the last thing Kiran said, and it was then that she realized her argument was truly hopeless. Kiran was just biased, Kiku told herself. His feelings were a miracle in themselves, and apparently so strong that Kiran could not see that she wasn’t a love interest to every man in the village. Even though she still refused to believe him and held this rationalization in place, Kiku just wanted to drop the subject completely.

“Whatever, Kiran,” Kiku sighed, glancing away and over his shoulder since she couldn’t turn away. Her arms hung limply at her sides as she shook her head.

[coldflame]

He had won.

Though, the argument had not lasted as long as he hoped, Kiran couldn’t help but grin proudly. He could tell that she still did not believe him, but she obviously wanted to drop the subject. He almost wanted to rhetoric back to her; want to convince her to something she was obviously blind to. At least he wasn’t as blind as this.

Chuckling deeply at her, he stepped a bit closer, causing her back to gently press against the kitchen counter.

“That’s right…” he simply replied, meaning to her surrender.

He watched her for a moment, his keen golden eyes searching her face for anything even slightly unappealing. He saw nothing. Her soft eyes (though not so soft at the moment), her mouth, skin, the gentle slope of her nose, and profile of her face – all of it was attractive, especially when being this close. Even though Kiku tended to hardly stand out at first, he knew that all it would have to take is a simple glance to really see who she was. That was probably the most beautiful part of her.

Kiran’s smile by this point had softened, his stare becoming a daze. But despite that, he quickly knew there was easily another way so show her just how alluring she was to him. Other men didn’t matter in the first place, obviously.

Suddenly his eyes became more earnest and deep, their golden color contrasting with the charcoal-colored bangs that fell lightly in front of his face. Perhaps this would annoy her further, but if it did, he knew he would enjoy every minute of it. Provoking a blush on her cheeks would be considered a welcoming gift, so he couldn’t help but express himself to her with the utmost expectation.

At this thought, his smile returned, however it was more of an enticing smile this time. One corner of his lips curled up ever-so-slightly and his head tilted down with equal slightness until his gaze seemed almost too unforgiving…

[kiku]

Kiku had let a soft gasp slip from her lips as she felt her back press against the cool counter top, though even this moment of surprise and closeness was nothing compared to what Kiran was going to do to her next.

Eyes widening, Kiku could hardly even comprehend that it was incredibly unfair to have such power over a person as Kiran’s golden eyes suddenly released a full force of breathing taking passion on her own. The emotion they expressed was so deep – earnest and pure, deep and longing – it nearly made his eyes sparkle and melt, like precious liquid gold. But this wasn’t even the end.

The power and emotion of his gaze only intensifying, Kiran’s full perfect lips, curled up into a handsome, heartbreaking smile, and he leaned closer, and Kiku imagined she could feel the warmth of his expression splash like sunbeams across her face, but it was truly only the warmth of blood rushing freshly into her cheeks.

Kiku felt herself pressing her back harder into the counter top, inching away from Kiran’s alluring expression. She opened her mouth to speak – though to make protests or proclamations of love she wasn’t quite sure – yet nothing came out. She was much too distracted by the incredibly handsome man in front of her to form words. She tried though, in vain.

“What…?” Which, of course, translated into “what are you doing?”

[coldflame]

Kiran’s suitable smile only firmed at Kiku’s growing reaction. His chin tilted upwards slightly in a rather prideful and observant manner, taking joy in the blush on her cheeks, her soft gasp, her choked out reply. Alright it was true: he enjoyed teasing her like this. Though, mostly, he wasn’t teasing, but rather simply being deep and sincere with every glance he gave her. And Kiku seemed to be the only person he could truly bring out such glances – perhaps it was simply the irresistible shy gaze of hers or perhaps he just liked having the upper hand in this sort of situation.

He chuckled deeply at her.

“Nothing…” he simply replied, his eyes still holding every bit of deep emotion as before. He decided to make his words sincere and honest. He did want her to at least take a glimpse of something special that she had, because he saw so many wonderful things about her that it almost wouldn’t seem fair if she didn’t. He had, by using those three words, willingly sacrificed many things for this woman. He inwardly chuckled in some form of dark humor at this; that had to count for something, didn’t it? He should be proof enough that she was by all means an alluring and wonderful woman or else he couldn’t possibly feel so attached to her.

“Though, despite whatever you think of yourself (which is all entirely incorrect), you can at least still say that you have me. And that I love you. You know that counts for something, Kiku – not that I’m particularly picky or anything – but rather because I love you for what I see in you. It’s not just about your looks…even though you are beautiful.”

He chuckled very softly, almost a hum, while his grin soon became warmer and more loving.

[kiku]

Kiku could only listen motionlessly – her soft, brown eyes still wide, soaking in every attractive feature, every flicker of emotion. With his words, her cheeks felt warm again, and one corner of her lips curled up in a light, half-smile, her eyebrow at the same time raising – forming an expression that was both flattered and amused. And soon, with his last words, Kiku glanced down once more, feeling shy, though undoubtedly pleased at the appealing hum of his voice and the words that voice formed so sincerely. Kiran really was a miracle.

How could a man like him see so much in her? It still mystified her – even after this debate – how Kiran could stumble into her life and give her so much so willingly and easily. That he could possess those feelings at all. Now, she didn’t doubt the way he felt; how could she with the performance he was gracing her with, or while considering the complications Kiran would later face because of these emotions? Kiku did not feel wary of his love either; she relished in the fact that he expressed these beautiful things, and, as she glanced down, Kiku focused deeply on each word, soaking up the depth that he spoke them with.

Slowly then, Kiku glanced up to meet Kiran’s warm gaze, her smile very soft. Lightly, her hand rose, and she lifted it so her fingertips gently dusted Kiran’s cheek. Continuing to smile, she silently caressed his cheek for a few moments, before speaking, her voice both soft and sincere, calm and thoughtful.

“That’s true; I am very glad to have you, that you feel that way.” She paused for a moment then, smiling, her fingers still resting lightly against his cheek. “It means a lot to me, because, you know, I feel the same way about you.”

With this, her heart fluttered a little as she considered what she could do next. She was still so new at being in love, it seemed, and, though she knew Kiran would still love her, Kiku was still timid, afraid of making a fool of herself. Though, Kiku swallowed any uncertainty then, and leaned in slowly to peck his lips gently. However, her eyes had just fluttered closed when a door slammed against a wall, and Kiku’s ears registered a loud, booming, familiar voice.

“Whoa! I thought this was Kiku’s house!”

Kiku jerked back instantly in surprise, though the surprise was for two different reasons. The first, of course, came from the shock of being interrupted during such a quiet moment, but the second reason was because she knew that voice, only hadn’t heard it in what seemed like a very long time.

“Daichi!”

Kiku, almost unthinking, broke from Kiran’s hold then, dashing forth into Daichi’s widespread arms. The tall, lean earthbender laughed heartily, his grin wide, pine green eyes sparkling in fresh mischief. He wrapped his old friend up tightly in his arms, heartily returning her embrace, though he exclaimed in surprise.

“Why, you are Kiku!”

“Daichi,” Kiku laughed, shoving his shoulder playfully. But then she paused, eyes sparkling, and burst out in renewed surprise. “You’re home!”

“I am! And not a moment too soon, it seems!” He paused very briefly, eyes observing Kiran momentarily. “Who’s the boyfriend? I mean, I shouldn’t be surprised; I’d knew you’d start getting all romantic once I wasn’t around to keep an eye on you. It’s pretty crafty, actually, but I never suspected you of less. Oh, but I guess I should ask him, myself, shouldn’t I? Sorry.” Daichi paused, clearing his throat, and letting Kiku laugh and be released from his embrace. The earthbender stepped forward then, and nodded respectfully to the other young man in the room.

“Hey. My name’s Daichi, and you are..?”

[coldflame]

Smiling at the touch of her fingertips against his cheek, Kiran immediately knew what was to come next. Although he knew that Kiku’s shyness was a barrier for her – and that it all felt so new – he couldn’t help but encourage her further by tilting his head slightly until the joyous feeling of her lips against his was complete. He marveled over the gentle feeling of it all…

Though, it was short lived.

Startled, Kiran jerked away from Kiku (just as soon as she jerked away from him) at the sound of a door slamming open and a booming voice echoing through the air. He was left in a haze, his arms soon filled up with empty air as Kiku exclaimed in joy and ran up to the stranger before them. But as soon as the name of this said stranger struck his mind, Kiran simply blinked, his eyes wide with surprise. However, as the all-famous Daichi was warmly greeted, Kiran couldn’t help but smile equally warmly at the sight of them being reunited; he was happy to see Kiku so overjoyed at the sight of her friend again – the friend whom she hardly ever stopped mentioning or worrying about.

Kiran was even slightly amused at the acknowledgement the young Earth Kingdom soldier made on his interruption, even calling Kiran her boyfriend. Well…he was right, of course. He took no irritation or regret from the comment.

Once Daichi stepped forward and introduced himself, Kiran grinned warmly and nodded.

“Kiran,” he said, finishing Daichi’s introduction, but also adding his previously mentioned title, “…The boyfriend.” He chuckled. “…So you’re the all-famous Daichi? It’s great to meet you,” Kiran said warmly, reaching out and giving Daichi’s hand a good shake.

“You wouldn’t believe how much Kiku talks about you.” He looked over at Kiku standing by and gave a small smirk in her direction.

[kiku]

A faint blush dusted Kiku’s cheeks as Kiran and Daichi exchanged introductions, for several reasons, really. For one, it was humiliating enough for Daichi to walk in during the middle of such a tender moment, but did the both of them have to base their entire greeting on it? And then, of course, there was Kiran’s last comment; just what she needed, Daichi getting some strange notion. Or worse. Something he could easily rant about.

Daichi laughed fully, gripping Kiran’s hand heartily before letting it go and glancing in Kiku’s direction, a sly grin on his lips. He straightened himself, before gently tugging Kiku forward and wrapping an arm her shoulders. He shook his head disapprovingly.

“Now, Kiku, I know you’re the troublemaker around here, but you don’t do that to a new boyfriend,” He explained exasperatedly. “It’ll make him jealous. I mean, especially when we’re talking about someone as handsome and talented as me.” He laughed before pondering. “Though, I guess it’s possible that he’s not new. How long have you had this guy wrapped around your little finger?” He squeezed Kiku’s shoulders gently, giving her a brief opportunity to interrupt.

“Oh, a little while,” Kiku hummed sweetly, turning her head to wink teasingly at Kiran. Daichi raised an eyebrow, grinning.

“Well, well, well,” he purred, flashing his grin at Kiran now. “I wish good luck to you, my friend. Maybe you can tame this troublemaker…”

[coldflame]

Kiran simply chuckled at the humorous banter that Daichi had to offer to his audience. He was a talker – that was for certain – but he definitely knew how to keep an air of entertainment in his speech. Kiran was simply fascinated by it, but for some reason, he had a feeling he hadn’t heard even the half of it. But judging from how Kiku had seemed to describe Daichi, he could already see why this young man was such an influence on her.

He was bright and warm; Kiran was surprised at how welcoming he was, actually. At the pace in which Katsu seemed to figure out where Kiran was from, he was grateful that Daichi hadn’t seemed to notice anything out of sorts. Kiran couldn’t imagine getting into any sort of fix with Daichi; it was almost impossible to at the moment for Kiku’s friend seemed so lighthearted. Though, he was sure that Daichi would be just as protective for Kiku as she was for him. But, currently, Kiran was too distracted to think of the dangers any further.

He continued to grin at Daichi’s teasing remarks and decided that he would like to play along as well.

“Aw, I’ve already got her under control,” Kiran said, flashing his own teasing and handsome grin. “But it wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. Every time I looked away, she was running off with some other man…” Kiran feigned a dramatic sigh and rolled his eyes.

[kiku]

“Wo-ow,” Daichi replied, almost sounding genuinely surprised as he separated his exclamation into two, long, drawn-out syllables. He shook his head, his eyes widening as they shifted towards Kiku. Kiku, meanwhile, was blushing, though she tried to retain her aura of teasing nonchalance to stay in character with the other two; she just wasn’t used to being talked about so much, and it meant even more when it was two people she positively adored. Chuckling a bit, Daichi turned back to Kiran.

“That’s pretty impressive, my friend,” he added then, giving Kiran’s shoulder a hearty pat. He laughed. “Personally, I would have given up a long time ago. It takes endurance. Well,” Daichi sighed, patting Kiku’ s head affectionately. “On first inspection, looks like you’ve found yourself a good one… But. Don’t think I won’t be watching… both of you.”

Slowly, Daichi brought his index finger up to point it directly at Kiran’s chest, a challenging smile working up in his lips.

“You may say you’ve tamed her, but she’s still a restless spirit.” He turned his head at this, grinning mischievously at Kiku. “I can tell.”

Kiku shook her head, smiling, and folding her arms, speaking with thick sarcasm.

“Oh, yes, you never know what I’m going to do next.”