[IC] When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

[AkiBlue]

Enasi sighed as Seishu finally calmed down. His head lowered for a moment and he released the barriers and shields in the room. He hadn't let go of his counterpart's hand at all during the process. His own panicking had subsided for the most part, and his breathing steadied. He let go of the becoming death grip he had on the guardian's hand and looked at him. He held a teary frown, waiting for the nightmare guardian to wake up. Everything around them had faded from Enasi's mind and he only focused on the guardian. 'Seishu. . .? Wake up. Come on, get up. I can still feel your energy. And you should still feel mine. Our energies aren't severed. You have to push through this pain. You have to be stronger than the jerk who did this to you. . .'

He knew Seishu couldn't hear him, but it eased his pain slightly. Enasi hummed softly, resting his head against Seishu's shoulder gently. He couldn't do anything else besides hope for the best. Enasi didn't even know Crios came and went into the room. He didn't even feel Harper approaching. He did feel the tears and the pained emotions from outside the door though and he closed his eyes. 'Wake up. . . Take their pain away. And take mine too. . .' He doesn't know why he's thinking this way. He knew Seishu wasn't dead. But the way it felt made it seem like too much of a close call. Enasi didn't notice as the fox had returned.

Crios stood patiently. He had already administered the shot, so he could only wait for recovery. Noticing the bloodied hand, Crios slipped his way toward the side of the bed and gently took Night's hand to clean it up. He wouldn't do the complete check up until his guardian moved himself from the bed willingly. If it took too long, Crios would intervene. But that wasn't necessary unless Seishu showed signs of panic once more. One thing, he knew he wouldn't let anyone in until he could hear one of Seishu's smart ass comments to know that he was somewhat okay.

- - - -

Each minion hurried to do their assigned task. Rue and Inui were first, with inui holding tight to the clothes as Rue mustered all his strength to lift the other minion and fly him to the room. He only managed to get them half way, but Inui ran with haste the other half. They were met by Starla and Harper standing guard. Rue landed on his feet gently and held the clothes up. He was almost afraid to speak as the heavy silence weighed the air. Inui was still trying to recover from his own tears and he wiped his eyes. Just like Starla did for her brother, she comforted the younger minion. She had already composed herself, so she was easily able to pull Inui a little closer to rub his back.

Rue gave a saddened look as Inui covered his face and hugged Starla. He wiped his eyes before he could start crying again and watched as Harper leaned down to meet his eye level. The rabbit man gave a gentle pat to the boy's cheek and nodded. "He said Night is recovering. But we have to wait for him to let us in alright?" Rue nodded slowly and went back to the opposite wall to sit down. He sat down and occupied his time by folding the pants and dark blue shirt they had found. Rue stayed strong, as much as possible. He set the clothes aside and hugged Inui when he finally managed to calm down and sit down next to him.

"Harper said he is better." Rue whispered as he hugged him. Inui only nodded, waiting for the door to open.

Rasha came back, hurrying in his human form with a bundle of new sheets. He caught on to the waiting and walked to stand by the two minions. Once more, he had rested his tail around the two. He looked down, staring at the sheets with his ears flattened some. 'Come on Lord Seishu. . . You're better than this! And if I can get my hands on the idiot who tried to hurt you. . .' He realized his claws were unsheathing and he took a deep breath to calm himself.

- - - - -

"We have to stabilize her! Hurry, hurry!" Fuan rushed the doctor's to one of the severely injured patients. The sudden negative impulse had hurt the lasting patients, but like a good doctor she was, she managed to sustain all but one. The doctors rushed to aid to the poor dream minion. Finn had arrived only ten minutes after to see the doctors still and collapsed into chairs. The looks on their faces were not a good sign. He looked around to see Fuan in tears, holding the dream minion's hand. As Finn walked up, she didn't even look up. She only spoke in a shaky voice.

"I-...I tried. . ."

- - - -

Finn had returned with his head lowered. When Starla saw him, she stood straight but froze as he walked past her and straight to the door. Harper could sense the bad news and only stood by the door, looking forward. Finn knocked on the door and waited.

When Crios opened the door he planned to tell them to wait, just as he told Harper, but seeing Finn's expression made his tail fall. He stepped back from the door so Finn could make his announcement, although he didn't think it was an appropriate time. . . Not with Enasi already hurting.

"One. . . One didn't make it. Mika died. . ." It hurt him to know it. The minion went around the human realm with the siblings all the time. They were friends. And someone so close was gone. He didn't blame Seishu though. She was already in bad shape after the nightmare minions attacked her. She was just holding on by a thread.

Enasi's focus shattered when he heard the news. He dropped Seishu's hand and whirled around to his feet. "W-What?" Finn looked down, the guardian only managed to see the tears fall from his face. "No..." He moved away from the bed and ran out the room. Everyone turned to see the guardian rush out the door. Harper stood straight, starting to follow, but he paused knowing that he couldn't sway the guardian at the moment.

- - - -

Enasi hurried to the medical ward and immediately hugged Fuan when he saw her. "I'm- I'm sorry. I tried all I could." She cried again, but quieted when Enasi comforted her.

"You tried. That's all that matters. It's all you could do."

[PopeAlessandros]

The humming coming from somewhere around his shoulder helps sooth the Nightmare Guardian's nerves until at last he lets out a long sigh. His eyes open and at first all he can see is that mass of red hair tucked up near his chin. Even if he can not see his face Seishu knows his counterpart has been crying. Looking around the room he spots a few scorch marks and mentally smack himself. The calming effects of the pain killer keeps him from getting too upset with himself and his gaze wanders over to the doctor hovering at the edge of his bed. Not sure what else to say he murmurs softly, “What's the good news Doc?” Enasi stills completely before sitting up, looking down at Seishu with a tear streaked face. Crios rolls his eyes and smiles slightly however more conversation is interrupted by a knock at the door. As Crios walks over to answer it Seishu lifts a hand and touches Enasi's cheek gently.

"One. . . One didn't make it. Mika died. . ."

Those words make Seishu's blood run cold and he watches helplessly as Enasi races from the room. Crios moves to close the door however he pauses as he notices something odd happening around Seishu's bed.

The guardian sits up, erecting a bubble of negative energy around his bed that not even Harper could get through should he try his hardest. Even as he watches, his eyes unable to move from the sight, Crios steps away from the door and those outside look in. Rue is the first to move in closer, no one moving to stop him. Seishu pulls off his sweat soaked shirt, his pale skin sticking out from behind the veil of black energy. They watch at the thumbnail on his right hand grows longer, then a moment later most look away as he slices deep into his chest with it. Rue watches. He watches as he draws his nail through the flesh, then sears it closed.

Soon after the veil falls, Seishu's arm falling to his side as he stares at the seared flesh. Without a word Rue crawls on to the foot of the bed and lays down with his head on Seishu's leg. Inui crawls on moment later, still hiccuping. Crios makes his way back to the side of the bed, now intent on a full work-up. His hands however stay away from the new wound. He is a bit torn, knowing that Seishu will want to keep it, however he worries that the sight of it may hurt his lord even more. Harper does not blame Seishu, he too knowing there is no way the guardian did such a thing willingly, however he takes his place along the wall none the less, unable to look at Seishu directly. The Siblings stay outside the room, on guard as they feel the rest of the staff coming back to their stations. They know there is going to be some bad fall-out from this, and they do not feel it is their place to be in the room at the moment.

Seishu's mind is blank as Crios examines him and he doesn't even respond as Rasha hops up on to the bed in feline form. The little ones and Rasha had left their parcels in the hall, too worried about the guardians to think about bringing them in. Rasha crawls carefully on to Seishu's lap, eyeing the smoldering flesh. Ever so carefully he places his paws on Seishu's stomach and leans up to sniff at the wound. After a few seconds he begins lapping at it soothingly, his tongue not having those barbs that most felines have. Seishu remains out of it however and after he's sure it's clean Rasha settles back down, curling into a little sad ball of fur on the guardian's lap.

[AkiBlue]

"It's. . . It's not your fault, Mister Seishu. You didn't mean to." Rue tried to comfort. His voice was gentle and soft, not wanting to disturb the nightmare guardian from whatever daze he was in. Inui tried to squeak out a few words of encouragement, but his voice was gone. So, he resorted to laying by Seishu and gently patting him. Rue continued staring wide eyed at him though, in determination that he would snap out of it. Rasha gave a gentle nudge to his good hand to see if he could wake him up that way.

"Leave him be. He's been hit pretty hard. Just stay by his side since Lord Enasi can't right now." Harper spoke softly. There was hidden emotion in his voice, but he kept a blank face and looked off to the side. Crios cleared his throat to get the rabbit's attention. Of course he looked up, and when he did, the doctor spoke.

"Go check on Lord Enasi. See how he's doing."

It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command. Harper started to protest, saying he needed to be here just in case Seishu lashed out on the minions, but he heaved a sigh and nodded. There was no need to run at this point. He knew what he would walk in to and he didn't want to see his guardian so devastated.

Finn was once again being comforted by his sister after he told her the news. She was torn to, but just for her brother, she stayed strong. Their garden didn't need both of them broken down. The flowers and plants would wilt worth their sorrow. Both of then watched as the rabbit walked out of the room and to the medical wing.

- - - -

"Oh dear. The poor, poor girl." Cho hadn't even left the kitchen before he heard the news. Mika was dead. He remembered the nice young lady always loved his tiny cakes he made. And almost every other day she would ask for one. He didn't know her like the siblings did, but it still hurt him as well. "Lord Enasi will want me to make a great feast in her honor. Just like we always do for the brave fallen ones. She is no different!" His staff overheard him and Cho nodded.

He went over to the room, only to spot the siblings in mourning. "Precious plants. It'll be okay. We will conquer and prevail. Now you two need to eat something. What would you like?" The two smiled gently and gave their orders before he bounded into the room to lighten and brighten them up just a tad.

- - - -

Harper walked in to see Enasi and Fuan by themselves. Fuan couldn't hold her tears, and the guardian's year streaked face was fresh. "She was a fighter. But, with every ending there is a new beginning." He gently reached over and touched Mika's face before moving away. The doctors wheeled the body away and Fuan wiped her tears. "Go rest up. Be happy you saved a few lives okay?" The doctor nodded and walked off.

Enasi wiped his face, not doing too well in cleaning up and gave a sad smile to the rabbit man waiting for him. "She was a lovely minion. Just like you all are." Harper wasn't sure what to say, but he could feel the tear in his heart as Enasi spoke. His voice was so sad and it hurt. So the rabbit did the next best thing and hugged the guardian. He didn't cry, but he did hear light sniffling from the guardian. "Thank you." Harper only shook his head and let him go, continuing their walk back to the room.

[PopeAlessandros]

Seishu remains in his daze, even as Cho walks in and begins taking orders. Rue orders some sweets, Inui, something light and fluffy. Rasha orders some fish with lemon, and Crios calls for something cooked in wine. After the last order Cho walks carefully up to the bed and waits quietly at Seishu's side. Somewhere in the back of his mind the guardian knows why he is standing there, but it takes a few minute for him to say anything.

“After each great clash, my people gather in the halls of my palace for a mourning meal. It allows us all to dispel our grief and feel refreshed by the next morning. There is nothing special about the dish served itself, but. . .I feel like eating it right now. . .” Those in the room listen intently, Rue feeling a faint flutter of happiness that Seishu finally said something. Cho nods slowly at Seishu's words, waiting patiently for Seishu to tell him what the dish is. He knows the dish will most likely sound quite gross to those around him, but at this point, he feels it may be the only thing he can stomach.

“The dish is simple. A cut of fresh red meat, cooked in a mixture of blood from five other animals. Once cooked it is placed on a bed of ivy, a drizzle made from sugar and the blood it was cooked in dripped over it with fresh blood orange slices framing it, and a single flower petal placed in the middle atop the meat.” As he falls silent Cho tries to imagine what that will taste like, but despite his dubiousness over whether or not he will be able to cook the meal properly, he none the less bows, casting a smile around the room before slipping out an hurrying off to the kitchen to get cooking.

He only makes it a few steps however when the familiar sound of big furry feet on stone draws his attention and he turns to see Enasi and Harper approaching the room. Without hesitation Cho bounds up to his lord and give him an award winning hug before pulling back and looking up at Enasi with the sympathy thick in his gaze. “I am so sorry Lord Enasi. I've ordered a feast prepared for the rest of the palace, and I've just finished taking orders from the gang. I assume they will all be eating in the room for at least part of the evening.” He tilts his head slightly. “Night ordered and interesting dish of mourning. . .I hope I don't mess it up. . .” He smiles wide, trying to keep his mood from plummeting. “What would you and the general like for the evening meal, hmm?”

[AkiBlue]

The two walked in silence, and Harper glanced over at Enasi every now and then to make sure he didn't break down. Thankfully, he was fine for the walk- well fine to a certain degree. When they walked to the room, Harper nodded to the siblings and then to Cho as he bounded through with his happy energy. The guardian smiled once more when he was hugged. His sad eyes looked over to Cho, and he shook his head lightly. "I'm not really hungry at the moment." Cho's nose scrunched up and he shook his head vigorously.

"Nonsense my dear guardian! You will eat. And since I have no direct order, you shall be surprised!" Cho knew the guardian always enjoyed the pasta dishes that he made, so he decided to do something like that. "Now, what about you Harper?" The rabbit placed his carrot based order and Cho smiled. With one last hug for his guardian he bounded off to work. He planned to make the guardian's meals himself, making them extra special after all.

Both of the siblings stood when they saw the two approaching. Enasi leaned down and gently wiped the tears from Finn's eyes before giving both of them a small hug. Starla forced away tears as she hugged him, and only sighed when he let her go and walked back in. There was a small light to the minion's eyes when they saw him enter, but almost immediately something they saw hurt them all. The look they were given for just a flash moment had them running to Enasi and hugging him. Even Rasha got up to comfort him.

"Thank you." He said gently and went to take a seat. He decided not to sit in his chair, instead, sit by Seishu's side once more facing him. He had one leg on the side and one rested on the bed. "How do you feel?" He took his counterpart's hand once again and sighed. A small frown formed when he noticed the large gash he assumed Crios had recently healed up. "Seishu. . . You can't go harming yourself. You won't be able to heal that way." Not once did he show any remorse towards the guardian. Enasi couldn't and wouldn't blame Seishu for the wrong doing. There was someone else behind all of it.

[AkiBlue]

Eternal Tears

Seishu's eyes remain on the blankets as the bodies around him dart away to comfort his counterpart. He is unable to look up, that dark feeling inside him that he knows the other will never understand ripping at him in a way that even he has a hard time reconciling with it. Crios reaches out and, using what Kaila taught him, runs his hand across the slash stretching from his left shoulder blade to just under his right pectoral and makes sure it is sealed against infection.

Seishu allows him this little gesture of healing, but no more. He will bare this punishment openly and with all the pain it entails. Though the burning will keep it from bleeding, neither acts of healing dulled the pain whatsoever. When Enasi takes up his hand and chastises him for “Harming himself” a flicker of anger runs across the Nightmare Guardian's consciousness.

He tugs his hand a little harshly from his counterpart's grasp. “Don't start coddling me, Enasi. I will recover from my crimes in my own way.” His voice is a bare hiss and he can feel the little ones pull away from him at the sound. Harper, who had taken his place back against the wall, narrows his eyes at the sudden show of aggression. No one knows what to make of this.

~~~~

Enasi pulled his own hand backwards when Seishu pulled away. The sudden harshness was unexpected, but being the kind hearted guardian he was, he only assumed he was still hurting. From whatever he saw. And the guilt. "Calm down. . . You're going to scare them." He put his hands in his lap, decoding not to reach for his again. "Just calm down okay." His immediate reaction isn't hostility, and he continued his coddling. He didn't see anything wrong with it, and Seishu never minded before.

~~~~

A growl rumbles from his chest as Enasi does not heed his warning and continues to coddle him. Still full of the guilt over feeling as if he just tortured one of his own, the feeling of remorse over killing an innocent blends together and his rage begins building without check. He is in no danger of his energy leaking, however that does not still his normal venomous tongue. “Are you stupid or something? I told you to stop coddling me! And why are you even bothering to begin with? I fucking killed one of your precious sparklers, and here you are, trying to comfort me?!”

Rue can tell that rational has completely fled the guardian at this point and he carefully pulls Rasha and Inui back. The look at him, confused, but he just takes them all the way to a wall to watch until Seishu can relax once more. Crios too pulls back, however Harper steps forward, ready to start knocking some sense into the slowly deteriorating Nightmare Guardian.

- - - -

Enasi ignored his growling and reached out to gently pat his leg. "Don't worry, we'll get you to the human realm soon-" He frowned a little at being called stupid. He sighed and tried to reason with him, but Seishu continued to yell. Normally, the guardian was the composed one. He knew how to keep himself and his emotions in check. But with all that had happened, he couldn't do that so easily. "Why do I bother?" His voice was low, but the frustration started to lace his tone. "Why do you think? I care, that's why! You're going crazy and I have to protect my minions from you!" He teared up again, not bothering to hide it.

"Yes Seishu that's right, you killed her. There's nothing I can do about it! I'm not a miracle worker! Where did you think I went when I left you. My doctors were in tears knowing there was only so much they could do. She was already hurt because of the nightmare minions that attacked her before! She was hanging by a thread Seishu. . ." Enasi stared at him with a teary frown. "There was nothing I could do for her. Or them!" The feeling of being so helpless rested heavy in his chest.

\ \ \ \ \ \

The madness can be seen flickering behind his eyes, however he refuses to acknowledge the feeling right now. At this moment, the pain is too much. “Oh, you care!? You care, and yet you don't even bother to make a barrier strong enough to keep the energy of this half dead murderer in check? That's rich.” Harper steps forward to object however he leaps back as a lash lands mere inches from his feet, Seishu head snapping around to glare at him, the look in his eyes not only mad, but warning the rabbit man off from interfering.

His head snaps back around to glare at Enasi, his eyes almost throwing off sparks of blue white energy. “What about that, huh? I could have killed him right there, and yet again, you did nothing. By the Powers you're pathetic. I could slay everyone in this room before you even thought to defend them, and then you'd have even more tears to pat dry with that ever present molly coddling you wear on you sleeve lick a fucking medal!” Other than the sparks behind his eyes, his energy is in check, however Crios fingers a syringe he's kept hidden in his sleeve since first he treated Seishu.

The drug would knock him out, no question, and keep him out for quite some time. Something about Seishu's tone however keeps him well back. He is not really afraid of Seishu at the moment, even after having struck out at Harper, however the note in his voice gives him the impression that he needs to get this out of his system, rather than suppressing it with drugs.

- - - -

Enasi didn't know what to say. His fists clenched and held his leg tight. But his own control was slipping. "I didn't think I'd have to because you were half dead. . . Days before you could barely move you know that? And this-" He glared back as he attacked Harper. "And this is what you do!?" As Seishu spoke about killing everyone it only upset him more. He knew he wouldn't, but the words still hurt. "Haven't you done enough damage already!? You've already slipped so many times and have hurt them! You think Crios can easily just tend to you!? Especially like this! You've scarred Rue, whether he liked it or not! And you've killed one of my minions! I know you may be a monster but you don't have to act like one!"
By this time, Enasi was standing by the bed. His own energies sparked. "I thought maybe, just maybe you weren't so cruel, but of course you fooled me. To think I let you stay here! Your presence is literally tearing my realm down slowly, do you realize that! But I'm nice enough to actually let you stay here!"

- - ! - -

“Yeah, that's right Enasi, I'm a fucking monster. You knew this when you took me in, but you did it anyways. There was no hope, or even an inkling in that foolish mush heart of yous back then that I'm anything less than the demon you've always seen, but still, you just had to rescue me. Like I was poor wounded dog that had already bitten your leg off!” A part of him screams, way down deep inside, at the pain coming off of his counterpart. Unfortunately Seishu's own pain pulses far greater as once more the images of his minion being torn apart by what felt like his hands makes him sick to his stomach.

“Do I notice!? Yeah, I notice! I'm ripping this realm apart, with barely an effort too. All gotta do is sit around like a lump, being fed and watered by the fucking himself, and the realm will rip itself apart! It's just as much your fault that this happened as it is mine. It was by your hands that you set about this chain of events! You're the one who didn't think before hitting me with enough positive energy to send me into shock, lashing out at the little sparkler. It's your inability to lead and command your minions successfully that lead to him sneaking into the human realm to earn his second one, and it's your fault for not keeping your minions safe from me when you know I'm an unpredictable asshole who's prone to fits of rage! You are so fucking stupid! Why don't you show some balls, and just kill me so there's no chance of me harming one of your precious little ones again!? Maybe the next set of guardians will have a Dream Guardian with a brain this time!”

Rue can not hold back the silent tears that began flowing from his eyes as Seishu tears into Enasi. Harper, though wanting desperately to, can not find the strength to step forward again to defend his lord. Even when Seishu proposes the idea of Enasi killing him, in essence, both of them, no one in the room feels they have the right to interfere. Seishu, or at least a small part of him, knows he's just trying to end the pain. To forever block out those images of his tortured underling. To somehow wipe the blood from his hands, though he was not the one who put it there.

- - ! - -

"You know what! You're right!" His own inner anger spilling out. "I was an idiot for ever trusting you! For thinking you could ever compromise! And for ever even thinking about having feelings for you! You're an ass and I'm glad you know that! I may have made mistakes, but at least my minions aren't trying to kill me!" This time he did growl out. The deep seated anger finally settled but his own energy settled. The minions pulled back even more, never seeing their guardian in such fury. "You know why I won't kill you? Because I'm not a ruthless murder like you are! And I'm not suicidal! I care about my realm to know that these stupid clashes aren't worth losing my minions. But you know why I put up with you? Because of that stupid balance! You die, I die. That's how it works. You get your dumb realm together and you can prance yourself right out of my life. You won't ever have to deal with me or my 'weak' willed way again. You won't have to deal with how I rule my realm, or having to put up with this overly bright sweet world. Once you step into the Nightmare Realm, be my guest and stay there!"

!!!!!!!!!

Seishu listens quietly, the only noises coming out him the hiss of his harsh breathing. His madness grows deeper and deeper at the pain his counterpart's words cause, and that pain digs in so deep that he can feel his very soul beginning to shatter. He sits, unmoving, as before his very eyes, he sees Enasi transform in him. The fury, the venom, even the animalistic growl that tears it's way from his chest. Seishu's bared teeth slowly vanish as his snarl relaxes into a pained grimace.

They all can see the slow collapse of the male on the bed, but it's Crios he acts on it. In the back of his mind he recalls how Seishu has always fought to hide his pain and weaknesses from all but his counterpart, even crying into his shoulder so that no one could see. Without a sound, and without removing his eyes from the fractured guardian, he moves around the room and gently herds everyone towards the door. Both Harper and Rasha try to object but a snap of his jaws and a flare of his flames sends them bout out into the hall in front of the doctor. As he closes the door behind him they all look at him confused, however he says not a word and takes up a vigil in front of the door.

Back inside the room Seishu vaguely notices the others leaving, his eyes still on Enasi. However after the door closes his breathing becomes erratic. With a blood curdling scream his hand snap up to his face. His palms cover his eyes as his nails dig into his forehead, desperately trying to tear away the images flashing across his mind. He falls back on to the bed, once more letting out a harsh scream, trying desperately to make the pain stop. His fingers trail up into his hair, streaking it with red as the blood drips freely from the gouges in his forehead.

He wants them out, he wants them gone. The pain, the suffering, the evil. . . Curling on his side his cries do not stop as all of his agony melds together, threatening to tear him pieces if he can not find even a moment's peace. His screams become words, nearly unintelligible through the pain. “Get out! Leave her alone! Stop, stop hurting her! Stop hurting everyone! Stop making me do this!!!!” The blood mixes with tears as he rolls violently back and forth on the mattress.

- - - - -

Enasi's fist clenched and unclenched. He was thankful the doctor moved everyone out. But he didn't show it obviously. He was slowly bursting inside. He felt like screaming and tearing his own hair out. He growled and paced, not knowing what to do with himself. At this point, Enasi could surely be a walking time bomb. His energy sparked and threatened to lash out but was forcefully confined. He held his head in his hands, shaking it vigorously. Everything was spiraling out of control. His morals, their plan, and it was physically hurting him as the core of his realm took the lashing. Somewhere in the lashing he fell to his knees. Only listening to Seishu's screams. "You wanted me to stop coddling you so fine-" It pained him so much to say, but he growled lowly. "Deal with it..." The anger in him was too much for his own positive energy. He tried stopping himself, but his blind rage wouldn't stop. Enasi held his stomach and stood again. He leaned against the wall next to the door feeling rather sick all of a sudden. He needed to leave. He needed to stay away from Seishu. Just like everything used to be. Everything needed to go back to the way it used to be.

- - - -

He can feel it. Enasi, moving away from him. He can't let that happen. The pain, is too much. Inside him, something shatters, leaving him laying immobile on his back. The screams stop, everything vanishes. He feels. . . Nothing. Then, as soft as a baby's sigh, he whispers, “Don't leave me. . .”

*sniffs* *sniffles*

Enasi slid to the floor. He paled as his energy diminished slowly. Only so little of the nightmare energy should taint him, there was a natural order for him to have a deeply buried negative energy, but it grew too much. He focused his breathing to level it out, only to hear Seishu's soft voice. He looked up, his eyes immediately softening into tears once more. "Y-You idiot. . . I'm stuck with you." He wiped his eyes, but stayed on the floor, away from the bed.

[PopeAlessandros]

He's no longer moving away. He's staying. The knowledge draws a long soothing sigh from Seishu as his blank stare remains locked on the ceiling. He does not think. He can not feel. All he can do, is speak, and pray that doing so will help he and his counterpart recover. “You are, what you need to be, doing things, as you know they are right.” The words makes sense in his head, he simply has to hope that they make as much sense as he speaks them. He takes a deep breath. “You are not me, and what you do with what you have is the way things are to be done here in this place that it yours. You protect them with all your heart. You mourn them from the depths of your soul, and it is not my place to judge such things. I am an intruder, and unwelcome force, and despite your love for me, I have nothing to offer you save for what I am.”

He takes a ragged breath, still unable to move. “I come from anger, hate, fear, and loathing. I am made from all things that you are not, and I take care of my own in my own way. I. . .Take care of th-them. . . I do not hur-hurt them. . .” Tears chock his throat, the images, those grotesque pain inducing images roll once more before his eyes. But this time, he does not grow angry. His anger is gone. Instead there is only a sickening pain. In a sudden rush he rolls to the side, his head hanging over the bed as he tosses what little is left in his stomach from the lunch he ate hours ago. His spits, over and over, the retching filling his mouth with a foul taste.

He feels like he can not breath, however words manage to find their way out of him between dry heaves. “He used my hand, I saw them. I tore into her. Organa, such a fiercly protective minion, strong, and brave. She would not cry, she would not please him.” His voice is chocked with tears, his insides on fire. “I could feel the pleasure, the pleasure of tearing into her with my bare hands. I could feel the blood pouring across them. Such a rush, a thrill of the purest kind. . .But I. . . I wouldn't, I would never, she was mine. . .One of my precious little ones. . .” He hiccups violently, the words having to tear their way out of his chest.

His hands come up to clutch at his head, smearing blood and vomit into his already befouled hair. The long tresses fall over his shoulder into the puddle on the floor, a mix of upchuck, tears, and blood. “He used my hands, my blade, and he took her apart. And he felt so good doing it. She had done nothing wrong, she was innocent! They were both innocent! My own weakness brought about these horrors. . .Organa, Mika. . .” 'I have harmed so greatly the ones I love, through nothing other than my own weakness' Unable to say the last aloud, knowing the last thing he needs to hear now is how the Nightmare Guardian actually feels about him, Seishu dissolves into a coughing fit, unable to speak any more.

[AkiBlue]

Despite what seemed like compliments and apologies, Enasi stayed in place. He heaved a shaky sigh and nodded slowly as Seishu spoke to him, trying to make up for all the bad things he had said. It helped some. The inner rage in him cooled off. The sick feeling of his guilt settled in now. He had said so many mean things, and in front of his minions too. He wondered if any of them got hurt during it. The poor guardian hung his head low, still listening to Seishu. Hearing the stammer in his voice, Enasi held tighter to himself. He had said so many mean things. How would Seishu ever forgive him after that?

His head lifts up quickly when hears the guardian puking. He shuddered lightly and started to sit up. He wanted to see if Seishu was okay, but that was obviously not the case. He had also told him to leave him alone and stop coddling, so Enasi only sat there trying to figured out what to do- besides tear up over Seishu's visions. He finally managed to calm his shaky voice long enough to speak. "I'm so sorry. . . I didn't mean to say those awful, awful things. I don’t know what I was thinking..if I was even thinking." He shook his head gently and reached over, tapping against the door weakly. Seishu need help before he tore himself a part.

~ ~ ~

Cho whistled through the halls, only to stop suddenly when he noticed everyone outside. He was going to ask what was wrong, but as soon as he moved close Crios disappeared inside the room, closing the door behind him. He looked at everyone's expression and gave a soft gasp as he covered his mouth. "Was it really that bad? " He assumed Seishu had raged again, but something in their eyes told him it was so much more. He let go of the cart he was pushing and crossed his arms. "Well, you all need to eat something. Your energy gets weak without food you know."

[PopeAlessandros]

Crios rushes across the room at the sight of Seishu in his coughing fit. Mounting the bed he pulls the guardian’s hair away from his face and rubs his back, the oldest and truest way to help someone in his condition. He looks over to his own guardian, his pain rushing away as the urge to comfort the fallen red head takes it's place. However, he knows what Enasi really wants right now it for Seishu to recover, so instead of doing what his heart is telling him, he continues to rub Seishu's back and shush him softly. Slowly the coughing stops, along with the dry heaves, and in a faint flicker of his old self Seishu looks over at Enasi and murmurs, “Even looking like hell, you are still beautiful. And here I am looking like a puke sandwich.”

Crios can not help but roll his eyes, the barest hint of a smile crossing his lips as he pulls the Nightmare Guardian back against the pillows to rest. The bed is a mess, but until he is sure nothing else is going to suddenly explode, Crios can not allow the other in to help him clean things up. Instead he pulls a rag from his sleeve and begins wiping the foul drips of vomit away from Seishu's paler then normal face. The near shock white color worries the doctor, however he looks back and forth between the two, waiting for one of them to say something, anything, to ensure him that this storm is over.

~*~*~*~*~

As the group eats their meals slowly, murmuring little complements here and there to Cho about them, the group can not muster up the courage to talk. Rue glances over to the meal Seishu had ordered, the large slab of meat smelling very appealing and repelling at the same time. Cho watches curiously as, without warning, Rue cuts of a small bite, and sticks it in his mouth. Far more meaty than he's use to, and not reacting very well with the sweet stuff he just ate, his face scrunches up a bit, however after a moment he swallows and steps back away from the cart. Inside he feels a little better, the meaning behind the dish settling his nerves slightly. Then slowly, as if in a chain reaction, each member of the group cut off small bites from around the edge and consume them. Even Harper, who is clearly not a meat eater. Cho is the last to take a small sampling, watching as each of the members of the group seem to relax ever so slightly, their honorary mourning calming their nerves a bit.

[AkiBlue]

Enasi sighed and closed his eyes. He listened to Crios taking care of Seishu and leaned his head against the wall. When the coughing stopped, Enasi slowly opened his eyes. He looked over at the two with a paled face and a blank expression. It was completely silent, save for Crios shuffling about, so it was easy to hear Seishu's soft voice. The guardian cracked a small smile before looking off to the side. At times, even he thought he was too forgiving. He wasn't sure if that was a bad thing or not, but he was sure it probably wouldn't change very soon. The silence lingered on and he could sense Crios' worry. With a gentle sigh, Enasi only messed up his hair more. "Relax Crios. He's not dying."

Both of them were stabilizing from the outburst that occurred. Of course the guardian was humble and focused on the patient. Seishu needed more attention than he did and he assumed Crios was worried about his health. The doctor's tail twitched lightly and he cleaned up Seishu as best as he could. It was heartwarming to know that his guardian was able to talk and was once again always caring for others. Crios could still hear his heart in his ears from the scare, but he breathed deeply and tried to relax. He couldn't believe he was actually cleaning Seishu like he was some child. Hopefully it would be the last time something like this happened.

When Crios finished, he thoroughly washed his hands in the nearby sink and then walked over to Enasi. He had no problem kneeling down in front of the guardian to help him. "I'll be alright. I just need to rest for a minute. Just go on and make sure everyone else is okay." He tried to push Crios away, but the fox doctor was not taking no for an answer.

"Everyone else is fine. They stayed a considerable distance away when you and Sesihu were. . . Talking. They are okay, just worried about you and Night." Before Enasi could speak, Crios added in expectancy. "Yes, even Harper is fine." Seishu did lash out at him a little too close, and Harper would have been injured as well if he didn't move. Enasi gave a soft smile and leaned his head back.

"Good." He whispered lightly and closed his eyes again. Enasi decided to let Crios check him over to his heart's content.

"Well, your energy is low, but you're not injured as far as I can see... I'm sure your energy can be restored once you can siphon it off of us. Or however you prefer." When Enasi looked at him, Crios smiled light. The same brightness wasn't in his normally exuberant eyes, but he still had a look full of love for his minions. Enasi hugged Crios before whispering a soft thanks.

- - - -

Cho huffed and pouted as he had to wait. He did not approve of letting food get cold and go to waste. So, instead he took the opportunity to knock on the door while everyone was busy chowing down. "Doctor Crios~ I'm sure the guardians and your lovely self would like some food to nourish you~!" He wasn't going to take no for an answer, but he would be polite and wait for the door to be opened so he could give them their desired food.

[PopeAlessandros]

Seishu stays still, letting the doctor clean him up like some toddler, too worn out from the pain and puking to even think to try raising an objection. However, the cleaner he gets, the more the smell starts to get to him. The stench of sweat, blood, bile, vomit, it all mixes together and the guardian has to try and focuses on something else least he start dry heaving again. The something else is easy to come by as Crios moves away from him, over to his still collapsed counterpart. The little banter between the two lifts his spirits, the selfless Enasi seemingly back in place, his underling as belligerent as ever. 'That is how things should be. Here, in the realm of dreams, it's okay to talk back. They are safe here, there is no need for strict adherence to rules an orders. . .'

He watches those skilled fingers work their way over their guardian, the fox man's focus that kind of intense you only find in those of the doctoring profession. Seishu hums softly, keeping his focus on the moment, desperately trying not to think about anything but what is before his eyes right now. He knows he will never be able to erase what happened from his mind, but that knowledge will not stop him from at least pushing them aside until he can deal with them properly.

As Crios stands after his examination there is a light knock at the door. As he moves off to answer it Seishu catches Enasi's attention. “Oi, I think we could both use a nice refreshing shower, what do you think?” Without even waiting for an answer Seishu pulls himself from bed and totters to his feet. He can feel the positive energy once more pounding against him and knows that Enasi must be recovering with it. Looking to Enasi he toddles over, taking his hand gently in his own, wiping it on his clothes first as to not pass his nasty on to his counterpart. With a light tug he pulls Enasi towards the bathroom attached to his recovery room.

Crios, who had been trying to keep everybody calm but also keep them from charging into the room now that things are starting to feel normal again, looks over towards the movement and lets out a sigh. 'Well, if he's strong enough for that, I suppose I can stop worrying so much. And with them out of the room, we can get this place cleaned up' Turning back to the rabble outside the door he murmurs, “They are getting cleaned up, so I want you all to come in and help me get this place cleaned up. It's kinda a little more gross than when we left.” They all look at him curiously and as the two guardians vanish from sight the gang comes in and begin cleaning. All but Starla and Harper. The two of them remain at the door. They can feel some of the staff beginning to move towards the room and want to be there to head off any trouble.

[AkiBlue]

As Crios worked on him, Enasi had looked over at Seishu once or twice, noticing he was staring over at them. He didn't say anything about it, he just continued watching Crios. When the doctor stood, he nodded his thanks and turned to see Seishu getting up. "Don't you know how to be still?" The idea of a shower sounded pretty refreshing, and he was still exhausted so he couldn't complain. Instead, he let himself be pulled up and lead to the bathroom. "Crios, can you have them get another set of my clothes?" The doctor nodded before focusing on the door.

- - -

"Oh my, indeed what a mess!" Cho said as he pushed the cart to the side. Everyone else filed in after him and they wrinkled their noses to smell. "It smells bad here too." Not wanting the smell to seep into the food, he put the lid covers on them. As a chef, he didn't want to get his hands too dirty, so he helped as best as he could.

"Rue, can you get clothes for Lord Enasi? He'll need them." The minion nodded and hurried off to grab a pair of clothes. While he was gone, Inui pulled off all the sheets and pillows to change them. He moved the dirtied sheets out in the hall, and grabbed the ones that were still folded neatly and outside. Rasha was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor as diligently as possible. All of them hurried to get things done before the guardians were cleaned up.

Rui came back, holding two sets of clothing in his arms. He decided to knock on the bathroom door while everyone else cleaned up. "Lord Enasi, Mister Seishu. I have your clothes for you."

- - -

When the door opened Harper and Starla gave a disgusted look before covering their noses at the smell. Luckily, it started to smell soapy thanks to Rasha's cleaning. But, Inui left those sheets out and Harper tried to ignore the smell. To help out Harper's sensitive animalistic instincts, she created a flower necklace in order. "Here. Take this." Harper raised an eyebrow as he was told to take the flowers. "It'll help with the smell." Starla tossed it to him and Harper decided snelling flowers was better than smelling vomit so he put it on.

As staff passed, the two shooed them off, reassuring them it was fine. Harper made sure the door was closed from curious eyes even though he wanted to peek in every now and then to see the progress. "It's alright. There was just a small accident. Our guardian is fine." He knew thst the rest of the kingdom didn't care about or know Night like the minions in the room did, so he didn't mention anything about him.

[PopeAlessandros]

The room is rather big, but not garish. As Seishu closes the door behind them he flicks on the light and refrains from hissing at the very annoying brightness of it. Looking to his haggard counterpart the Nightmare Guardian lets out a sigh. “We are the mess, aren't we?” Shaking his head lightly he pulls off his shirt before slipping over to the shower and sliding the plexiglass door aside. It is a standing shower, no bath, so the floorspace is rather nice, and the shower head adjustable. He smiles at it, setting it to a firm mist before turning it on and fiddling with the temperature until it's just right. Turning back to Enasi he notices that the red head has as of yet to take off any of his clothing, and with a huff he wanders over to rectify that.

“You can't bath in your clothes, no matter how bashful you are.” Moving behind him so Enasi does not have to look at him while he does it, Seishu begins tugging at his clothes. After a few failed attempts in which Enasi fights back, Seishu manages to get off his top before moving to his pants. There is a little more of a struggle, but eventually he manages to strip the Dream Guardian completely and shove him gently towards the shower. “You go ahead and get in first, I'll be in in a sec. . .” As soon as Enasi complies, Seishu turns to the mirror, already gathering steam. Even though he doesn't want to, Seishu forces himself to look at the mess he made of himself. Each cut, each glob of blood, all of it sinks into his mind and with a sigh, he vows that Gin will pay for his actions ten fold. At the knock at the door he turns, debating whether or not to retrieve them just yet. Deciding against it, unable to face Rue at the moment he calls through he door, “Just put them anywhere for now. I'll come grab them after we're done.”

'I may not harm my minions, but punishment, punishment for an actual crime, that is very different. . .' With a little “Humph” he strips out of the rest of his clothing, having to catch himself a few times as he nearly falls over, and makes his way over to the shower. He gives no warning before opening the door and stepping in. As a minor show of respect he keeps his gaze on the floor until he can move around behind his counterpart. Once there he looks openly at the lightly tanned back and smiles softly. Plucking up the soap sitting on the little shelf full of cleansing items he squirts a little into one hand and begins scrubbing Enasi's back gently. As he works he begins humming. The earth tune bounces off the tile walls, the resonance making the sound all the more lovely as he hums out each an every line of “Eyes on Me.”. He knows it's kinda cheesy, but at this point, he can use a little cheese.

~*~*~*~*~

Rue's wings droop a little, having wanted to at least get a peek at the guardians, however does as bidden, setting the clothes on a clean surface before wandering over to help with the cleaning. Fluttering over to the bed he helps Inui make it before joining Rasha in scrubbing the floor. Though not as proficient with flowers as his sister, Finn conjures some very potent, but not overpowering, flowers and places then in a vase, filling it with water from the sink. Crios wanders around, assessing the damage to the walls and floor before sending Finn out to take the soiled sheets and stuff to the laundry and pick up some new pillows. Finn complies with a nod.

[AkiBlue]

"Of course I can't bathe in my clothes." He crossed his arms, and looked to the side. Of course he was going to be bashful, what made him expect any different? Because his arms were crossed, Seishu had a harder time taking his shirt off. At first he wasn't going to let him, but the Dream Guardian softened up only because he didn't want Seishu hurting himself again. He got a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stuck his tongue out. His hair was messy and his were dull. He overall looked sick, probably as sick as Seishu had felt. Though the Nightmare Guardian probably felt worse... He did look worse. Removing his pants made his cheeks darken, but once again after a small struggle, Enasi let him.

The guardian was still quiet, but he nodded and got in the shower first. The water was the perfect temperature and he stood under the water for a few minutes. Stepping back, he heard the knock on the door and tilted his head toward it. Hearing Rue and then Seishu speak, Enasi merely shrugged. He didn't know Seishi had stumbled a few times, but if he did, he would of course have jumped to help him. The plexiglass door had fogged almost instantly, so waiting for the other guardian, he childishly signed his name with his finger.

Almost right after, Seishu stepped. With a small shiver, he let Seishu clean his back. A smile grew on his face towards the cheesy song. "Hm, cute." He commented as he sang. It sounded familiar, but he didn't spend as much time in the human realm as Seishu use to. When the nightmare guardian finished, Enasi decided to return the favor and scrubbed his back. It was the least he could do. He pushed Seishu's hair over his shoulder to move it out the way as he did. "I'd say you're more of a mess than I am." Enasi finally commented when he was done, and pointed to his mangled and tousled hair.

"Crios did a good job with cleaning most of it off though."

- - -

"There, finally done." Rasha breathed and looked around the clean room. It looked as if nothing ever happened, save for the few scars on the wall. Inui ran his fingers along the scars, feeling the faint negative energy in them. Without him realizing it this time, he absorbed the little energy that was still there. It didn't get rid of the scarring, but it did slowly seep into him, giving him some sort of energy to feed off of. It went unnoticed as Rasha stood and pulled both minions toward the door. "Let's go get cleaned up! We don't want to dirty the guardians after they just cleaned up."

"Good idea! Come on Inui!" Before the nightmare minion could say okay, he was already being pulled by Rue and Rasha. Crios and Cho watched them go, leaving the two together. When the door was swung open, Harper peeked inside, nodding toward the new cleanliness. Crios chuckled seeing the necklace around the rabbit man. But before he could tease, the sudden shock of his tail being touched and petted made an unsuspected spark of fire show.

Cho giggled and directed the flame towards the food, warming it. "Heh, thank you love." Crios' ears twitched and his eyes narrowed. His cheeks only darkened when Harper laughed. "Now, now Harper. Don't laugh at Crios!" Cho defended the foxy doctor with a smile.

[PopeAlessandros]

As he comes to the end of the song Seishu lets his hands linger around Enasi's waist. A part of him wants very much to use a nice fun activity to brush the unpleasantness from his mind, however moments later Enasi moves around to return the favor. The feeling of those slick hands sliding across his back makes him purr happily, his own hands idly cleaning his hair under the spray of steamy water. 'Well this is nice. Maybe our next little trip into Our World I can come up with something. . .' He shakes his head lightly, not wanting to think that far ahead at the moment. For all he knows Enasi may have forgiven him, but changed his personal feelings for the Nightmare Guardian.

'He said as such, and he has as of yet to say anything about. . .He said he didn't mean to say them. . . That says nothing to whether or not they were his true feeling. He just said he regrets saying them. . .' He lets out a long sigh, rolling his shoulders slightly. “He got a lot of the crap off my face, but it's going to take a deep scrubbing to get it out of my hair.” He peeks over his shoulder, a playful half smile on his lips. “You'll help me with that, won't you?” He giggles, not really caring about the answer. The fact that he can bring himself to act playful comforts him greatly. When Enasi is finished Seishu murmurs a thank you before stepping under the spray to wash away the soap.

His muscles coil and flex beneath his skin as he shifts around, making sure all to soap is gone before dropping his hair behind him once more. He exerts a tiny bit of magic to detangle his hair, turning it one more into a untangles curtain covering his back. After a few silent seconds he turns, looking deep into Enasi's eyes. He refuses to presume too much too quickly so despite his strong desire to try and kiss away the remaining pain behind his counterpart's eyes he instead moves forward slowly, slipping once more around behind him and begins singing softly.

His hands come up to rest once more on Enasi's waits, his long fingers sliding down to brush against the front of his hips. The song seems to surround them, the tile providing perfect acoustics. Careful to keep them high, Seishu's hands slide across Enasi's midsection. He tries to keep the touch as innocent as possible, but as he shifts in closer, pulling Enasi against him, he knows there is no hiding how his body is responding at the moment. Seishu is a very physical person, his passions linked closely to his emotions, so he can not help how that pure joy and divine feeling of having his counterpart in his grasp makes him respond.

His hands come to rest on opposite sides of Enasi's waist, his arms crossed in the front, however he simply continues to swing, his body swaying gently, subsequently causing the body in his arms to sway as well. When at last the song ends his body continues moving, his head coming to rest on the smaller male's right shoulder. In a soft voice, just loud enough to be heard over the hiss of the shower, he murmurs, “Why does hell have to first knock us together, then yo-yo us back and forth like some sort of cruel game? Unfair doesn't even cover how assholic fate is treating us. . .”

[AkiBlue]

Despite the unpleasantries from before, they were once again getting closer. They were certainly a bipolar pair.... Enasi wasn't sure he could keep up with it. He stepped back when Seishu stepped under the water. He wasn't sure how to feel about the guardian in front of him. His feelings were in the rocks, but he wasn't sure if he coins risk it all again. Pain like that shouldn't have had to exist between the two. And it wasn't very fair to put each other through that again, so whether or not they should continue their 'interesting journey' together was still questionable to Enasi. But of course, there was always just focusing on the bow and seeing where that took them. Hadn't they been doing that so far? Acting on impulse?

Enasi smiled at the chance to play- er, wash Seishu's hair. He didn't know why, but he really did like all of his long white hair. He'd never get his own hair longer than it already was, but the look was a nice fit on his counterpart. He cleaned through, making sure there was no remains of anything in his hair. And when he finished, once more did he step back. "Your welcome." Was his retort when he was thanked. Conversation was minimal, Enasi didn't know what to say after the spat they had and it seemed like Seishu was trying to break the ice. At first he used his words to relax the pair, but in the end used his hands.

The Dream Guardian felt Seishu's hands tease and become less and less innocent. Although, he never really thought Seishu was the 'innocent type'. Pressing closer to Seishu only made his cheeks darken, for more reasons than one. But, he didn't pull away. Normally things like this he wouldn't let Seishu have his way, but. . . There was no harm in simply rocking back and forth to the sound of Seishu singing. At last when the male spoke, Enasi listened to what he had to say and nodded in slight agreement. It was true. They weren't given many options, and everything they did seemed to backfire into them. "Maybe it's a sign that fate doesn't too much care for sudden changes. After all, with only one set of guardians before us, the things like rules were set in stone. Not saying. . . It would hurt to break a few rules."

After the song had stopped and the silence had stepped in to torture them, Enasi gently pulled away, surprisingly not wanting to. He thought it over, ending up not as much of a surprise as he thought it was. He wasn't dwelling in his mughļ feelings, already having felt enough of everything for the time being. When he pulled away, Enasi began to finish cleaning.

[PopeAlessandros]

A long sigh finds it's way out of Seishu's lips as Enasi nods in agreement. 'Well, at least he agrees that it's not entirely my fault that things go to hell so often' His mind falls silent moments later as he listens to what his counterpart has to say. His head comes up, resting his chin on Enasi's shoulder so he can listen better. He can not suppress a chuckle at Enasi suggesting a breaking of the rules. “Mister prim, proper, and made of pure goodness, wants to do something naughty. I like. . . .” His voice trails off and he gives the juncture where Enasi's neck meets his shoulders a light kiss.

He openly whines when the Dream Guardian pulls away from him moment later and he begins pouting at the loss of contact. With a huff he wanders over to the wall for something to lean against while he waits. He pauses however and adopts a slightly wicked grin. While Enasi begins washing his body Seishu picks up the shampoo bottle and squirts some into his hand. Wandering in close he once more wraps an arm around Enasi's body but this time he uses the motion to pull him away from the spray a bit. Leaning down he whispers softly directly into Enasi's ear, “My turn.”

Taking his arm from around the other guardian's waist he tilts the smaller male's head back so the soap does not get in his eyes. As he begins lathering that red hair up with the fragrant yet not overpowering shampoo Seishu giggles softly. “You now smell like pie. . .I wonder how long until I can eat you up. . .” He runs his fingers over and over through those burgundy locks, his sharp nails scraping sensually across his scalp as he works the soap in deep.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Come on Spike, it's okay now, you can come out. . .” Rue speaks softly, trying to coax the scorpion out from under the bed. It had scuttled under there when no one was looking, some time before the fight between Enasi and Seishu, and now with a great number of snaps from it's claws, it refuses to come out.

From the back wall Rasha calls out, “Let me handle this squirt!” Rue looks over as the trickster poofs into animal form and trots over to the spot where Rue is holding up the bed skirt. Rue bids him to be careful, but with a wave of his tail he vanishes into the darkness. The rest of the room watches with a mix of curiosity and exasperation at the vaguely arrogant display.

[AkiBlue]

"Ah yes. . . That entails that I've been around you far too long. Then again, Mister big and bad is willing to be a good around a few dream minions. How positively sweet of you." Enasi retorted teasingly. The last thing Seishu would probably hear in his lifetime was that he was 'positively sweet'. That was probably an insult to the Nightmare Guardian. All the more reason it made him giggle as he stood there. Seishu's whines were ignored, which shouldn't have been the case because not long after, he was pulled away from the water in mid rinse. He was getting better at hiding his embarrassing blush. When Seishu whispered, he forced away the surprised blush and only cleared his throat. Turn for what exactly?

But that was found out when his head was tilted and Seishu began washing his hair. Oh. . . Being around Seishu also seemed to have tainted his way of thinking. Shame on him. He could only hide a blah for so long until Seishu once again was teasing him. Well, it's good to know he is feeling better. Typical Seishu, making sly teasing remarks to mess with him. The tension of the hostility from before washed away with the soap. And he soon enough found out that he enjoyed having his head scratched. It was probably an embarrassment to think that he'd enjoy being petted similar to how Rasha enjoyed it, just minus all the perversion going through that little cat's mind. When he purred, he barely noticed it until Seishu stopped and Enasi had to wash out the soap. His reaction was a light blush and a small cough.

"I think it's about time we get out." When he was done, Enasi moved back and opened the plexiglass door. He grabbed one of the towels hanging and dried off all but his hair. His clothes were on the other side of the door, so he had to peek out and call someone.

- - -

"Rasha I don't think that's a very good idea." Inui started, only to see Rasha slip under the bed. Only moments later did he hear a small yelp and see Rasha scramble and tumble out with the scorpion on his tail.

"Well... I got it..." He flung Spike off his tail and watched him crawl to Inui, hiding in the safety of his hair. Inui smiled gently and patted him. Crios merely shook his head and leaned against the counter, occasionally frowning at Cho every time he'd use his flames to keep the food warm. By that time, staff had stopped coming toward the door, so Starla and Harper walked back into the room. They all made light conversation, keeping their minds off what had happened before. Until all went silent as the bathroom door opened.

Enasi blinked, not expecting all eyes on him. "Um, where are our clothes?" Before Rue could even point Rasha was in human form and grabbing both outfits. Crios and Harper both rolled their eyes as the prankster eagerly got closer for his own personal gain.

"Here you go Lord Enasi~!"

Enasi patted his head, holding the towel around his waist and then grabbed the clothes. "Thank you." Rasha grinned and sighed when the door closed. When he turned around, his ears flattened but he grinned seeing Crios and Harper give him an irritated look. Cho only giggled lightly

"What?" He turned back into his cat form and got comfortable on the bed.

[PopeAlessandros]

He can feel the other's purr being echoed in his own chest and a smile spreads across his lips. 'I really can pull them out when I want to now. Lovely. I should do it more often' Seishu works his fingers in deep, encouraging the purring until at last he is sure the soap has touched every strand of hair. His hands fall to his side as he murmurs, “All finished.” the purr still deep in his chest. The blush and cough do not go unnoticed by the Nightmare Guardian and for a moment Seishu wonders, honestly, if they should just keep thing pleasant, rather than invigorating. As much as he longs to see Enasi lost in the heat of passion, to feel his hot body beneath his hands, Seishu fears that if they go any further that fate will once more strike back, and this time, not leave any survivors.

As Enasi slips away from him, exiting the still running shower, Seishu watches him through the steam until he vanishes from sight. He lets out a long sigh, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Who am I kidding. There is no way I could give it up now, even if it gets us both killed. . .” His voice is soft, not carrying past the plexiglass, the shower running helping to keep his words to himself. Looking at the soap still on his hands Seishu scoops up the conditioner and makes his way under the spray. Despite not needing it for the detangling aspect, Seishu loves the way conditioner makes his hair feel.

Despite the massive amount of hair he has, it does not take long for him to condition and rinse it. He's had his entire life to learn how to deal with his hair efficiently, and such a task is child’s play compared to some of the things he can now do with it. Turning off the taps Seishu wanders over to the open glass door just in time to see Enasi slip back in. He openly admires his mostly nude figure, catching the Dream Guardian's eye and giving him a wink before going back to his admiration of the damp body before him. Seishu does nothing to cover himself, instead focusing on remaining upright.

Looking to his leg he sighs at the scar throbbing gently. 'Even with the pain meds. . .I've got the feeling I may need another shot. I think the adrenaline of our fight may have counteracted it. Well, less of a fight and more a tear down. A verbal bout. . . Enasi got in some good hits, and if it had not been directed at me, I think I may have very well had to give him a congratulatory pat on the but for such good burns' Huffing softly he shakes his head, drying his hair, before stepping forward. He grasps a towel bar, slipping slightly, but he waves off any help from Enasi for now.

“I'm good, just re-getting use to walking on wet floors.” He smiles sarcastically and chuckles. With a faint hum he wanders over to the mirror, clearing away some of the fog so he can look at himself clearly. “Any whiter and I'd be a ghost. . .” he murmurs, making a few faces. He keeps his eyes on himself, letting Enasi get dressed in peace. As soon as he's sure Enasi is at least half decent he turns to grab his own clothing. Suddenly his foot its another patch of slick tile and with nothing to grab on to Seishu braces for the crash. He will not risk his energy at the moment, which he would normally use in such situations.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Happy images of Lord Enasi race through Rasha's head and he sighs softly. As the general and doctor roll their eyes Inui and Rue crawl on tot he bed after the feline with faint giggles. Without warning they pin the little white thing down and begin tickling him mercilessly. Amused by the sight none of the others step forward to aid the poor dream.

[AkiBlue]

Enasi turned seeing the Nightmare Guardian step out the shower. In response to the wink, he lifted the stack of clothes in his hand. He did so mainly to obscure the bottom half of Seishu. He was being polite and not staring at him. After Seishu acknowledged his clothes, he set them down off to the side and grabbed his pair. He assumed the darker colors were for Seishu so he grabbed the light blue colors and turned his back to the other as he got dressed.

In only pants, he turned to see the other having a hard time. He took a step forward to help, only to be turned away. Enasi was a little hesitant at first, but finally gave in and let Seishu do it himself. Still only half dressed, he decided to fold his towel and hang it back on the towel rack. Just as he reached over, he noticed Seishu lose his footing and reacted on instinct. He was close, so he managed to grab his counterpart's arm and stop him from falling. And not long after, he pulled Seishu up and pulled him forward to step on the towel that had fallen. "Well that was close."

Enasi didn't want to 'baby' him too much over it, not wanting to offend him, so he stepped back and let go of his arms, giving him some space. The redhead grabbed his shirt and slipped it over his head. With a sigh, his will to go against babying or coddling the other diminished and he grabbed Seishu's clothes for him. "Let me help." Though without giving much time to respond, he started to help dress him. The process was slow, only because of out of all the scars Seishu had, he wasn't sure which ones still hurt. So the guardian was gentle throughout the process. When it was over, Enasi gave a victorious smile and lead the way out the door.

They were greeted with bright smiles and content nods. Cho didn't hesitate to jump forward. "Finally you two are out! You're food was going to get cold if it wasn't for Crios and his very plush and lovely tail! Now, sit you two! You must eat!" Enasi blinked and then nodded.

"Oh. My apologies. I didn't mean to keep you waiting." Enasi smiled politely and went over to take a seat on his chair. He watched as Rasha sat up and snickered.

"Hehe, we'll I'd take my time to if I was in the shower with the guardians." He ignored the looks of confusion the two minions next to him gave and sat up, still grinning mischievously.