Aalakrys

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Oh, you're so lucky that I love MxM angst - they're my favorites. Haha, I do love having my soul tortured apparently. I'll check it out once I get back. :D

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

At Sakuya's first frustration of the meal with the lazy maid's rude eating habits, Kaede simple sipped her soup quietly next to him, eyes closed as if not aware of her surroundings. Ryuu next to her had grinned as he spooned at his own as he propped against a fist while watching the beginnings of a show. Kaori sighed as she finally lifted her head to rest her chin on her folded arms, looking at the food that either Kira or Haruo placed before her uselessly as the chef and kitchen maid mused about the kitsune's arrival. Haruki glanced over at the little spirit's solemn face as he sat down his bowl of soup, "I can describe the way it tastes for you."

Kaori smiled up at him sadly and shook her head just as Ryuu rolled his eyes at Nanasuke's conjecture. "If there were a clan then I would've smelled them - he is obviously separated from them. We're a pretty random collection of youkai, if you look at us, anyway. A new one to the mix would certainly be interesting."

Kaede smacked Ryuu on the back of the head, knocking his lazily balance off so that he had to catch himself from falling into Kaori. Haruki shook his head with a smile as he turned another page of his magazine that was now resting on the table next to his meal. He took a bite from a sidedish and added without looking at no one in particular, "You only want someone new to play with."

Ryuu smiled devilishly as he returned to his fist and took another bite from his meal, about to respond before Momoko threw in her expected input on the kitsune topic. The series of events which followed were too entertaining to miss. As the kitchen duo teamed up on the kurakasa, Kaori faded away once more - deciding to leave before this got messy. Kaede took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and munched thoughtfully on some rice. Haruki closed his magazine and slid it out of harm's way to his lap just as Sakuya shot up to stop the quickly escalating battle.

Haruki sighed as he moved to stand, dinner never lasted long enough for him to rest. Kaede stood simultaneously with him and followed him towards the rear exit towards the garden sheds. "Haruki, a word as we walk." He paused to wait on her as she briskly maneuvered around the mess the silly trio now was cleaning, both noticing Nanasuke going to help but not saying a word. They instead departed speaking of business and security the entire way across the grounds.

Ryuu, on the other hand, looked quickly down at the mess and the retreating Sakuya and knew which way to go - he'd already done enough cleaning for the night and now wanted to have a little fun. Quickly catching up to the nekomata he pursued, he lingered just behind a smile was laced in his words, "Sensei, did the do-gooder Shinryū gardener's words make you jealous? Or were you feeling especially testy tonight after all the tiring events with the kitsune?"

Meanwhile - the moment Kaori disappeared

Elsewhere, the kitsune stirred from the bedding, the medicines applied to the bandages only leaving a small, dull ache when he moved. He wanted to stretch, but that did not seem wise. Tiny little paws reached the cool hardwood as he shuffled out of the futon and its linens. Looking up out the window to see a bright, not quite full moon outside caused a little pain where the wounds stretched. "You should be resting," a soft, childlike female voice came from behind, causing him to freeze and then react a split second later - he bounced quickly, the adrenaline making him not feel the searing pain at his legs for such a quick act.

He found himself facing the cold one, a maid. Kaori tilted her head before going on her knees to look at him closely. He backed away, feeling scared. "Don't worry - I won't hurt you. And you know you can't hurt me, so don't even try." The last bit she added as she reached out to touch his head lightly. He growled under her touch for a few seconds, but didn't move. She smiled sadly. "I can't even feel how soft you are."

The little fox studied her, and decided to sit. He blinked up at her, seeing her sadness as she sat back on her heels to study him as well. Instantly making the decision, mostly from curiosity once the hostility was gone, he tapped into a reserve of magic that allowed him to change his appearance. It was only an illusion at this moment, because he was so weak, but he managed. Kaori's eyes widened as the little fox transformed into a messily red-headed young boy, arms wrapped around his legs as he rested his chin on his knees. When he eyes opened, they were just as red as his hair, with an orange burst forming around the pupil. He looked at her questioningly and then smiled. She blushed and fell onto her rear, "S-stay there, I'm going to get you s-some clothes."

"Clothes?" He asked and noticed that his form was bare. "Oh, no - it's okay."

"You need them," She insisted, covering her eyes bashfully. He reached for her hands and pulled them away from her eyes, and she saw he was now wearing a white outfit. "Oh."

"Where can I find the human who saved me?" He asked as their hands fell together to the ground in Kaori's still stunned expression.

"Master Davis," She blushed again. "He's sleeping in his room - it's not far from here. The others would be mad if I showed you though. You might hurt him."

"I would never hurt someone who saved my life," He said defensively, Kaori recoiling slightly with still wide-eyes. "I'm sorry - I can find him on my own so you don't get into trouble."

Kaori nodded, and then hesitated before saying, "You know, I don't think I would mind if you did ... hurt him, I mean. Not that I want him to get hurt ... but ... Then I wouldn't have to be alone."

Hiroshi tilted his head, "But you're not alone. You have lots of others here with you - a dog, a cat, a spider, and now I smell a dragon in your hair and others ... I'm not sure what they are though. But, that's a lot more than I have."

Kaori thought about this for a moment, and then smiled a little. When she looked up to where the boy had been sitting, he was gone.

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Oh, goodness. I swear, I won't leave again without announcement. I've been spending lots of time with my best friend because she came home from grad school in Massachusetts. But, now I'm here. I have one week left of vacation, but I'm cat-sitting so I have no plans to be off and away. Again, I'm really~ sorry.

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

I told you, I really like this one. I won't forget - I just keep getting distracted. :P I'm sorry~ I hope that makes up for it a little bit.

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Kaede was just wondering at how much stock Sakuya put into anything Ryuu would say when the most irritating of duos made their quickly approaching presence known. Wincing at Sakuya's side, she turned to see the pair of kitchen dwellers slide to a stop directly in front of the senior servants, still bouncing words off of one another and the hallway they stood in.

"Whose idea was it to stick those two together ... we should really plan the personalities of our understaff better," Kaede was mumbling to herself, rubbing her temples, as Sakuya was literally about the pull his hair out. At Sakuya's order to get the remaining staff to the kitchen, Kaede watched the two overly-enthusiastic individuals bounce back the way they'd come. Straightening, she answered Sakuya's rhetorical question dully, "I stand by my musings ... but we have what we have. Shall we?"

With that, Kaede made her way to the servants' hall and found her place at the table. As she sat, she spotted a hassled looking Kaori with her head on the table and a moistened Haruki looking over a magazine. He glanced up at her, water clinging to his locks dripped down onto the magazine he held, as he smiled in his usual calm manner. Kaede asked, "You made it back in without tripping my defenses."

"Shinryū are known for being delicate," He joked and looked back down at his magazine just as Ryuu came in with an overly dramatic sigh as he fell into his spot. Ryuu's chin landed right into his awaiting propped palms as he glanced over at Kaori, "I feel like the tiny one over there looks ... cleaning bathtubs is not part of my job description. Sakuya is so cruel to me."

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Previously - before coming to dinner

As Kaori had entered the kitchen to deposit the dishes, Kira and Haruo were in the middle of the beginning of their long stream of almost unintelligible banter before practically running at the maid as she stood in the way of the exit. Their presence usually drained the girl, but anyone's sudden approach shocked her majorly. Once they passed the frozen girl, she dropped the plates into the sink on auto-pilot, her form becoming transparent and the solidity weakening. When she appeared with her head on the table next to the awaiting Shinryū, he was no longer surprised by this event and he merely continued looking over the magazine he'd grabbed on his way in. Without looking down at her, he asked, "Rough day again, Kaori?" She merely nodded, her form becoming a little more solid. Once she fully appeared, he reached over and ruffled her hair gently before taking back his hand to flip the page. This caused her to smile, but she kept her head down until she knew she was back.

Meanwhile

Ryuu had looked over at the lazy maid's handiwork to see that it was good enough, so he did not put much more effort into his own. Why let Sakuya think he helped? It was her job, after all, and he had no orders. When she pouted as he pulled back to brush his bangs away from his forehead with his forearm, he glanced over at her and sighed before sitting back on his bottom. "'Maybe you wouldn't have a bad reputation if you weren't so lazy,'" He quoted Kaede, making her stern face before rolling his eyes and laughing lightly. When she mentioned Sakuya, Ryuu's eyes narrowed slightly before he rolled them. "I'm a footman - footmen don't clean as much, lazy, we just do whatever task the butler gives. You're lucky I offered to help do work beneath my station." With that, he winked. Then the dinner bell rang and he followed up quickly behind the maid, but slinked behind as they got closer to the dining hall.

Present again

As all the servants were enjoying a questionably cooked meal, the little kitsune's eyes slowly opened. The noise of a bell ringing had been the trigger, but he was unable to drag himself out of unconsciousness completely until his eyes focused on the stream of smoke rising from burning herbs. The smell had hit him before he saw it, but did cause a little panic as it was unfamiliar. What he saw, however, did make him feel somewhat unsettled. His body felt too weak to move at first, so he looked around the room he found himself in. It was empty aside from the soft material he lay on and one end table with a low burning lamp and more burning herbs. A window was slid open and even more herbs sat beside it. He had seen many of these homes from a distance - the style of olden times - and liked to linger around them much more than the polluted new industrial kind of human dwellings. As the thought came to him, human, he realized that he smelled much more different scents than human. The heavy cold aura of a lingering soul and the oaky scent laced with venom of a spider mixed with the herbs in the room, and all around the material he lay on. But he himself was covered in the scent of spiced feline, and that caused his nose to wrinkle slightly - and hurt at the effort. He shifted painfully to his side to see the bandages which smelled brushed of earthy dog when he nudged them. This is a strange place, grandfather ... was the first thought that came to him as he tried to remember how he'd gotten there. Flashes of being attacked came to mind, being pulled towards the water, the memories of searing pain as his skin was bitten into by the barbs of the watery creature, sudden release in another flash of movement, and then ... a human. A human male's voice giving muddled reassurances, the words not coming to him but the tone's softness very clear in his mind. He wondered if the human was attacked by all the youkai he sensed in the room. Maybe they had thought he was attacked by the human, and they tried to 'save' him. It was possible, but how could a human be wandering so freely and absently in the presence of all these youkai without being noticed? Perhaps the boy lived with them - which had been known to happen in the past, the kitsune recalled his grandfather's stories. He attempted to stretch, the effort painful but also necessary. The dog had bandaged him thoughtfully, he noticed, as they allowed some flexibility as well as keeping the wounds bound. Looking towards the window, he wondered where the human was now - he had to thank him for saving his life.

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Hahaha, good. I'm sorry - I'm on vacation, so I have to fit my friends in when they are free for once. :P But, I'm almost done. :D

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Hah, I disappeared again with an impromptu trip to see a friend out of town. But! I'm here. And sunburned slightly. A post coming soon~

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

Oh, it's all good. I would have posted the other day, but I've been unable to sleep ... I feel tired, but no sleep happens. I think tonight is the night though. I'm so excited. :P I'll definitely get a post up tomorrow morning if my friends don't wake up before me. I'm at their house at the moment.

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

That.was.hilarious! Hahaha. I loved it. I can't wait to respond - but it will have to be tomorrow. I'm so tired~

[Skybreaker] Unlucky Ones [Faded Memory]

In my next post or the one after, my little kitsune will wake up. :D