Dreams of the Tempest

[Zach Kaiser]

"O-Oh. Well, if that's what you want to do..." Eld cocked his head to the side, adopting a quizzical expression. Is he...really that dense? Or does he just not want to say it?

He decided not to correct him by what he meant; he got the impression this wasn't the kind of thing that would work unless Kyo did it of his own will. It probably wouldn't be the same if he just did something because he was told.

"Just, remember...if things get tough, we're all here to help, okay? Even the others don't know what's going on, I know they'll be there for you." And he decided that was all he'd say on the matter.

[Nayt]

Toushikyo nodded his head in appreciation. Eld had assured him that much before, and Toushikyo was more than willing to believe his friend on the matter. He'd also take him up on it if absolutely need be. Of course, it'd have to be a fairly dire situation. Toushikyo was a lone wolf like that.

"It is both a want and a compulsion," Toushikyo corrected Eld after the fact, "Akizetsumei wanted to be with you, yes, but she was also compelled to pursue you. It frightened her."

This was a theory he'd had for awhile, but it was one of dozens of theories that he couldn't in any way prove. The only other theory, and one he formulated just recently, was that it required a tender and heartfelt kiss between two like minded people. But that would just be silly. Toushikyo would be even more upset at being cursed by virtue of how absolutely cliche it would have become. Honestly, Toushikyo might have enjoyed fantasy novels to an extent, but "waking with true love's kiss" was never under any circumstances a part of those novels, and he'd feel genuinely obligated to hit someone if that was to become part of his life.

"I am beginning to believe the compulsion is a voice," Toushikyo thought aloud, "The voice of the ghost, telling us how to be free."

But before there could be much discussion on this matter, there was a series of sounds on the other end of the house. It was a frantic knocking on the front door, followed by one of Eld's parents opening it a moment later.

"U-ummmhi! Ummmmismybrotherhere?" a small voice asked meekly.

"Yes. At least, he was here earlier. He should be with Eld."

"UmmmThankyou! Uh-- um-- c-can I come in?" Of course, that wasn't a problem, and soon enough there was a very frustrated teenager bursting into Eld's room, "T-- Toushikyo! You big jerk! You promised you weren't gonna badger him!"

Akizets was disheveled. Her hair was a mess, not even in pigtails yet, and her clothes were just thrown on-- a short sleeved button down shirt three sizes to large on her (it was Toushikyo's shirt) and shorts, to be exact. Flip flops were also the only excuse for shoes that she'd donned. But it was urgent!

[Zach Kaiser]

Having heard his parents greet Akizetsumei, he was looking expectantly at the door for her entrance. Her appearance caused him to smile. "It's fine, Akizetsumei. He came to tell me that you were feeling better. I'm glad to hear it." He left out the part about being kicked awake this time, as he had a feeling he was going to need to do everything possible to stay on Kyo's good side now.

"You just wake up?" he asked, trying to bite back his amusement at the fact that Kyo possibly harassing him was a serious enough incident that she felt the need to storm over to lecture him first thing in the morning.

[Nayt]

At first, Toushikyo said nothing. It was only Eld speaking, and this made Akizetsumei acutely aware of where she was and in what state she was there. Her face turned bright red.

"A-ah! Umm--!!" she meeped, "Ummm-- umm, m-- maybe!"

Eld might not have been willing to talk about the whole kicking-out-of-bed thing, but Toushikyo was not in any way above picking on his sister. Up until now, though, it was probably easy for Eld to just figure that Toushikyo was simply a jerk sometimes, but now, he'd actually be able to see up close and personal what Akizets labeled as her big brother being a "super huge jerk-face mcjerk."

"I made no such promise," Toushikyo replied.

He folded his arms over his chest and leveled a disapproving stare upon his sister. Or at least what was supposed to look like a disapproving stare. Akizetsumei's bashfulness was quickly put on the back burner. She glared at her brother and bawled her hands into tight fists.

"You totally did. I totally remember you promising me that!" she exclaimed.

"No. You asked me to," Toushikyo corrected, "But I said nothing."

"Y-- you nodded your head, though!"

"I was nodding off," Toushikyo rolled his shoulders lethargically, "It is only natural after an hour with you."

"Wha--!!" Akizets scoffed. Without skipping a beat, and marched on over to stand between Eld and Toushikyo. There, she stamped her feet down, folded her arms over her chest, and glared defensively. "Why-- why-- you are just the biggest jerk to ever jerk, you know that! I-- I bet you even threatened to hurt him!"

"Not yet, no," Toushikyo then let his eyes fall upon Eld, "I suppose I will now, though. Eldridge? It is my familial duty to inform you that, provided you cross any boundary with my sister that I or my family are uncomfortable with, be it a boundary established now or decided on the spot at a later date, I am fully prepared and willing to put an end to your life. Unless, of course, my father would prefer to do the honors. Seniority."

[Zach Kaiser]

Eld sighed and gave Kyo a nonplussed look, wondering if he was serious. Why was Kyo so suspicious of him? He'd never do anything to hurt Akizetsumei! He quickly changed his mind about not doing anything to bug his friend, deciding instead to pick on him a bit.

"I'm not sure I follow," Eld replied, playing dumb. "What do you mean?"

He knew, of course, that there was absolutely no chance of him saying what he meant in front of his sister. It wasn't nice, but that's what he got in not having any faith in him.

[Nayt]

Toushikyo leveled a stare with Eld and frowned, giving him a look of mild disappointment. It was the type of look a friend gives to another friend who's being slow on the uptake, and potentially ruining an impromptu practical joke. Granted, Toushikyo was no practical joker, but . . .

"I've no obligation to explain," Toushikyo shook his head.

"Oh yeah?" Akizets leered, before stamping her foot down and putting her hands upon her hips with the utmost defiance. "Well-- well-- well you're not allowed to be a jerk to Eldridge anymore!"

Toushikyo raised a brow. "Under what grounds?"

"Under . . . what . . .?" Akizets asked, brow furrowed in confusion.

It took her a second to get what Toushikyo was saying. He had a habit of wording things strangely sometimes. It drove her crazy, especially when he was being like this.

"'C-- 'Cause he's my boyfriend, that'swhyyoucan'tbeajerktohim!" Akizets proclaimed stubbornly.

"Oh?" Toushikyo looked past Akizets and at Eld, "Is he, now?"

This prompted Akizetsumei to realize what she said much too long after she said it. She froze up, her face went beat red, and she felt her heart racing against. She almost heard her bones creaking as she slowly and hesitantly turned around to face Eldridge. All her bravado in the fight against her brother was gone, and she looked up to Eld's face bashfully. She'd just blurted that out without actually figuring out if it was true or not. Of course, she'd have loved for it to be true! But what about Eld? Maybe . . . maybe he didn't think the same? She wasn't in his head, she couldn't be too sure. She should've asked first . . .

"U-ummm," Akizetsumei squeaked, embarrassed and afraid of receiving a depressing answer, all the while mulling over the likelihood of being shot down. "A-- uhmmm-- a-- are you . . .?"

[Zach Kaiser]

Eld was mildly embarrassed to have Akizetsumei ask that in front of Kyo, especially because the answer should have been obvious. But as much as he wanted to point out that it was obvious, he couldn't bring himself to be mean to her. "Of course," he stated simply.

He gave a glance at Kyo, and his smile turned a little malicious. "So, Toushikyo...seems your little sister's got a boyfriend before you've got a girlfriend." He was kind of hoping Kyo would let something slip about him and Maya in response in an attempt to deny this, though knowing him it he'd be too tight-lipped for that.

[Nayt]

"Eee!" Akizets cheered with falsetto joy.

She threw her arms around Eld's chest and practically tackled into hugging him. Luckily, she was very lightweight, and there was no way Eld was falling down from that. She squeezed him tightly, clinging and not at all thinking about her appearance right now, or how goofy he must have thought her by now.

It no longer mattered to her what Toushikyo had to say. He might as well have not even been in the room, now, because absolutely nothing was going to make Akizetsumei unhappy right now. She actually had a boyfriend. More specifically, Eld was her boyfriend. She was happy, relieved, scared, anxious, and excited all at once, and it all culminated together to form her current state of enthusiasm.

Were Toushikyo not relieved to see Akizetsumei happy again, he'd have been mildly annoyed with her behavior right now. She'd earned her right to be childish, though.

"Are you attempting to imply that you are a worthwhile catch?" Toushikyo asked Eld, before turning away, "I'd prefer a lifetime of abstinence over something so lackluster."

That said, Toushikyo shoved his hands into his pockets and started out of Eld's room. He'd no more purpose in bothering Eld or Akizetsumei any longer. Eld, it seemed, caught on to Toushikyo's game of wit, and more than likely lost. Very typical Eldridge Tsukimono. Anyways, it was probably best to leave the two of them alone. Well, sort of alone. Okay, not alone at all. Eld's parents were there. Toushikyo thought about that to keep himself from turning back around and staying glued between Eld and his little sister for the duration of the day.

[Zach Kaiser]

Eld smiled as Akizetsumei threw herself at him, though he did come dangerously close to teetering back and falling on the bed. He put his arms around her as much to keep his own balance as to help her keep hers.

"Careful what you wish for," he cheerily called after Kyo as he left. Just like Akizetsumei, it would have been difficult to get under his skin right now, no matter what he said.

Were she to take a good look at him, she'd probably notice that Eld's appearance wasn't any better than hers. His hair was all mussed, and all he was wearing was a pair of sweatpants, which might result in her realizing at some point that she was hugging Eld's bare chest.

[Nayt]

Toushikyo was just mean, that was all there was to it. At least, as far as Akizetsumei was concerned. She felt as if he really just needed to quit nosing into her personal life. She didn't nose into his personal life, after all! She'd never asked a single question about Maya, even.

It wasn't long after Toushikyo left that Akizetsumei realized Eld's current state of undress. It first started when she trailed her hand up Eld's back a bit. Once she felt only skin below her hands, she thought a little more clearly, and felt only skin against her cheek. She held herself there for just a little while longer, though, regardless of how much her cheeks were burning. It . . . it wasn't so bad, though. She had contact with him way back at the lake, right? He hugged her, and they were only wearing bathing suits.

Akizets inevitably let go of Eld and took a step back, though. And then another couple of steps, to give him room to get out of that nook if he wanted. Her cheeks were still burning, but that was something Akizets needed to get used to. She was probably going to be blushing all day, after all.

"S-so, umm, d-- do you wanna, um, do anything today?" Akizetsumei asked, hoping both for a yes and an idea to spring to Eld's mind.

After all, Akizets had just run out of the house after a short nap. All she really wanted to do was hang out with Eld, though. It didn't really matter where!

[Zach Kaiser]

"Sure," Eld replied. He had no particular plans; it was evident now that there wasn't much he could do to speed along Kyo's own recovery. All he could do was hope that that his decision to join the militia helped him, and that if things got as bad as they had for Akizetsumei that he'd go to Maya for help. Maya's shy, though, and Kyo's kind of shy in his own way, so it might take awhile.

In any case, it meant that he didn't have much to do again other than study. "Though, we need to get cleaned up first," he noted. If they were going to go out (and it wasn't like there was much to do at his place...at least at this juncture) they couldn't very well be half-dressed and all scraggly looking. Well, he couldn't; Akizetsumei still looked cute, though.

He bid her farewell for the time being, so he could comb his hair and throw some actual clothes on, after which he met her in front of his house. His clothing was something rather unusual for him; he wore rather rough looking jeans and an open, rustic brown jacket over a white shirt.

There was a good reason for this, however. Once she came out, he asked, "So, when was the last time you went horseback riding?"

[Nayt]

Akizetsumei met Eld in front of his house after getting dressed and ready for a day out, herself. Unlike Eld, though, she didn't so much change her clothes . . . instead, she altered them. Because Toushikyo had decided to be a horrible person this morning, Akizetsumei decided that she was not going to return his shirt to him. Instead, she undid the first two buttons (because she looked weird with it buttoned all the way up to her neck) and tied a long pink ribbon around her lower chest like a makeshift belt for a shirt that didn't at all fit her. She got her little brother to tie it into a bow behind her back. This made the shirt being too big on her look intentional, like an intentional stylistic choice that, in her opinion, looked cute enough to wear. Were she older and more developed, this might have accentuated her bust, but Akizetsumei really didn't have much of that to speak of, let alone draw attention to.

Naturally, her hair was also combed and pulled into pig tails again. It was a personal motif of hers; she liked having short hair much more than she did long hair, but at the same time was particularly afraid of being mistaken for a boy. This, of course, was an unfounded fear; she had a girlish face and a budding feminine frame. Unless she wore a hat and baggy boys' clothes, it was impossible to confuse her gender.

"Ummm," she put her finger to her lower lip in thought, "Noooot that long ago, I don't think. The last time Sarah taught me a lesson was, umm, two or three weeks ago I think?"

So horse riding, was it? Well, that'd explain Eld's rugged clothes! It certainly made Akizets regret not changing into something like dainty look, though. Oh well! She'd manage. Sarah had stuff she could borrow if need be, anyways.

[Zach Kaiser]

"Well, would you like to go riding? I have to go give Etsu a message anyway, and she spent the night at Sarah's." It had been far longer since he'd ridden than Akizetsumei, but he did at least have more experience. Sarah had given him enough informal instruction that he was allowed to ride all but the most unruly of horses; she trusted him about as much as she could trust anybody who wasn't immediate family with horses. (Probably more than she trusted Emily, who wasn't terribly great with larger animals.)

In any case, he started down that way, as he needed to give his message whether or not they went riding today. He held out his hand a little ways as he walked, an invitation for Akizetsumei to take it if she wished.

[Nayt]

"O-- okay! Sure," she said cheerfully.

All he then needed to do was extend his hand, really. Just the invitation alone made her heart skip a beat and had Akizetsumei snatching his hand up enthusiastically, taking the offer before he could potentially decide to rescind. She felt it imperative to! Happily, she strolled along by Eld's side, her fingers intertwined with his, and on the constant precipice of gleeful humming.

"Sooo, um, does your cousin stay at Sarah's a lot?" Akizets asked, if only to make small talk.

But incidentally, she was actually a bit curious about that. When she was briefly in Eld's room, she hadn't seen two beds, and she hated to imagine Eld sleeping on the floor all the time.

[Zach Kaiser]

"Ah, no, not really. She just started..." He trailed off as he recalled the definite reason Etsu had been staying at Sarah's: because they were afraid of what they'd be tempted to do if they continued to occupy a small area together, especially at night.

That was not something he was about to tell Akizetsumei; partly because he felt guilty, as all his fears that she was no longer interested in turned to be for naught which meant that he may have been more in the wrong than he'd initially believed (or wanted to believe) when that happened.

But mostly it was because he felt it was something personal between him and Etsu and it would have been more wrong to talk freely about it without her permission than to keep it from Akizetsumei. Their relationship was all kinds of wonky still, and that particular thing was really only one facet of why.

"Well, we each kind of need our space, so we decided we couldn't share my room anymore. So she's stayed at Sarah's for the last few nights while the new room is finished." He paused, then added, "Though, I think she wants to be better friends with Sarah, too--I think she admires how though she is."