Two months after the festival found Eien inside of the Library, a book in his hand as his eyes skimmed over it. He wasn't particularly focused on it, and instead, had allowed his mind to wander. He currently had the upcoming festival in his mind. Though it was still a few months away, somehow, he and his brother and sister's had somehow been dragged into being a part of it. He was not entirely happy about that. Though he did not know what exactly what it was that he would be particularly doing, he somehow knew it was not going to be pleasant. At all. He sighed, shifting in his spot just a bit to find that comfortable space and leaned on his elbow against the arm rest of his chair.
He closed the book in his hand, setting it down on the table to the side of him. It was not interesting to him, and he had no more desire to read it than he did to seek out another's company. Currently, he could sense his brother with Haru and Torahiko, and his sisters were together, doing something he couldn't quite make out. Naya, on the other hand, was with Trevor, or rather the latter was with her. That thought alone caused his lips to tilt just barely, but not enough to elicit an actual smile from him. As odd as his family was, they always managed to be together and destroying or creating something. Which in question left one missing.
His eyes glanced towards the door, and the sight of pale blue hair caught his attention. His stare was blank, uneasy to read, as he regarded his cousin. It was strange, when he thought about it, how she was only a few months older than him, but that did not stop him from regarding her as one of his younger siblings. She was, perhaps, the one who needed to be watched the most, if her clumsiness was anything, though he knew she could be quite capable when the moment came. Regardless, he raised a hand towards her, signaling her that he too was here, before picking up another book, his eyes scanning the page in the process. There had to be something interesting he could read.
Reiko had actually been enjoying a relatively accident-free day: sheâd only managed to injure herself once, in the process of reaching for a glass on a high shelf. It had smacked her in the head on the way down, but it hadnât even broken. So sheâd had her supplements this morning without accidents, and that was rather impressive, at least as far as she was concerned. Ever the optimist, Kiko was hoping that it might manage to extend to the rest of the day, as well, and sheâd made her way to the libraryâwithout tripping on anything!âwhilst humming a cheerful tune, which of course she stopped doing as soon as sheâd entered. It was rude to make too much noise in a library, after all, even though there was rarely anyone else in here, except for sometimes Eien, or even more occasionally, Tatsuhiko.
She could smell Eien right now, actually, though she was a bit surprised when she came within sight of him and he lifted a hand to indicate his presence. Reiko smiled and waved backâonly for her hand to accidentally knock a nearby ladder used for shelving high things, unsteadying the whole lot. Eyes going wide, she made a small noise of surprise and managed to steady the ladder, but not the books that had been on top of it. Her hands still occupied by the wooden contraption, she shut her eyes against the inevitable damage.
âOwwâŠâ she muttered softly when the books had settled at her feet, having, of course, pelted her on the way down. Shaking her head and sighing, she crouched to pick them up, surmounting the ladder with surprising grace when she had them all in-hand and replacing the stack a little more securely. Most of Reikoâs problems were not actually caused by clumsiness, but inattention. She spaced out so often or got so distracted by something that she stopped noticing what was actually going on around her, and was then unlucky enough to encounter basically every mishap she could think of. It was perhaps understandable, then, why her accidents seemed to increase in frequency in Eienâs company. He was about as distracting as people got, at least to her.
Setting a few disturbed hairs back into place as best she could, Kiko gabbed a few booksâa strange mix of fairy stories and technical materials on computers and biophysics, and took a seat at the large table across from where Eien stood. âNothing interesting?â she asked, tilting her head at his obvious lack of success finding anything.
Eien sighed the moment her hand hit the ladder, causing it to shake and start a tumble towards the floor before she managed to steady it. He watched, about to point out the books that were already taking a tumble from the top of the ladder, before the books finally fell, pelting Reiko on the way down and he shook his head. Really, the girl was as accident prone as Farah was to blushing. He could have moved, saved her from the inevitable fall of the books, but something had grounded him to his chair, and so he merely regarded his cousin when she sat next to him, his eyes studying her for a moment. She seemed okay, for the most part, so that was good. It had surprised him, really, that she was so sturdy and seemed to recover so easily. But he simply sighed and nodded his head.
"I am afraid not. There is not much these days that can hold my interest for very long. I am quite bored really," he spoke, the laziness laced in his voice as he spoke. He shifted his gaze to look at the books she had and noted with curiosity the ones she had chosen. "An interesting choice of reading material," he spoke, inclining his head as he referred to her books. "What is it, exactly, that you plan on doing once you leave this place, Reiko?" he found himself asking, a bit curious to know. She was, after all, reading books about biophysics and computers. He knew she was rather talented with said things, and perhaps, she was interested in becoming either a doctor of some sorts, or perhaps a mechanic.
It mattered very little to him, though, as he silently waited for her explanation. She was her own person, and she could do whatever it was she pleased. Though, there was a part of him, somewhere, that was slightly worried. Worried because she wasn't exactly the most graceful of creatures, and anything could happen to her. He was protective of his family, and if he had a say in it, he would keep his family together for as long as he could. He wanted each of them within sight, including the one he disliked the most: Ryoku.
Reiko nodded sympathetically. Though boredom was not often an affliction she suffered from, given how eventful her life tended to be, she could picture just how it worked for him. It wasnât like Eien had to worry about frequent mishaps and disasters, and honestly, without those, her life might qualify as pretty boring too, though sheâd like to think she could find ways to amuse herself. Still there was something about him⊠like the kinds of silly little things that would amuse her in such circumstances would just annoy someone with as much dignity and distance as he had. It was a difference between them that she felt keenly. She could really picture him, one day, with a lady just as cool and elegant as he was. Kiko knew quite well that she didnât qualify, and though it hurt, she wore a smile to disguise it.
A smile, she had found, was even more effective than betraying nothing at all.
The question, though, caught her off-guard. What did she want to do when she left Cross? She followed his glance to the books she had, and her smile inched wider. It was a bit silly, but the technical manuals were just things she read for fun. Reiko had always loved learning new things about the world, and how it all worked and fit together. She hadnât thought much about what she would do after this, not since she was a very little girl. Shaking her head faintly, she picked up the collected book of fairytales. âI havenât been asked that question since I was a little girl,â she confessed, a little bit sheepishly. âAnd back then, all I wanted to be was the princess in a fairy-story. Itâs⊠well, itâs ridiculous, I know, butâŠâ she shrugged, placing the book back down gently.
âWould it be too strange to say that the only thing I really want to do after this is be happy? I don't know where that will come from or how Iâll find it, but⊠as long as Iâm happy, and my family is happy, thatâs all I need.â There was a part of her that would always ache for a dream unfulfilled, but she knew well enough by now to expect that, and she was slowly learning to bulwark her heart against that eventual pain. The pain of him with someone who suited him as well as she imagined it. She didnât need love to be happyâshe was perfectly capable of finding that in other places. But she knew already, had known for a very long time, that she would love no one else as she loved him. She didnât have it in her to do that.
âWhat about you, Eien?â she asked gently.
Happy? She wanted to be happy after she left the school? Had he been any other person, Eien might have laughed at such a silly notion, however; he did not. He was not any other person, and he had found it somewhat admirable, and brave for her to admit that. But then again, who didn't want to be happy? His parents were happy, that much he had known, growing up encased in that happiness, that love. It was, perhaps, any natural instinct to want to be happy. He allowed the barest of hints of his lips tilt up, just barely, but still not noticeable.
"I do not believe it to be strange, no," he spoke, addressing her first statement. "It is a dream as any other, and it is only natural that we would seek out happiness. We, after all, are not like most. We are not humans, and eternity is open to us and as with most things, our desires change. Just as you mentioned you wanted to be a princess when you were a child, and now you express your wish to be happy. One day, that too, will change, and you will want something more than just happiness," he spoke rather lengthily. He turned his attention away from her, just for a moment, when it was returned to her. At the question, he rose a brow.
"I have no use for anything in this world," he spoke almost as quickly as she had finished the sentence. "I plan on returning home after this charade is over with. I do not know why our parents insisted on us coming here, but I shall oblige them. One day, perhaps," he paused, his eyes narrowing just in the slightest, though not in discomfort. "I would like to travel away from this place, and explore the world and all it has to offer," he answered finally, though in reality, he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do.
âNo use for anything in this worldâŠâ she repeated, and her tone was unreadable. She was still smiling, though, and she shook her head gently. It really was just like him, to say something like that. It broke her heart a little more to hear, but he didnât know that and sheâd never tell. Kiko would never want Eien to be anyone other than he really was, and sheâd never want for him to start guarding his words for her sake. She loved him as he was, brutal truths and all. Perhaps especially those, because she was used to people treating her a little more⊠gently than they would others, because of her nature or her frequent mishaps or whatever else they saw in her. Heâd never done that, and it was one of the reasons sheâŠ
âTraveling would be nice, I suppose,â she agreed with some enthusiasm. She relished in opportunities to learn, and not just from books. They had a fair few homes all over the world, and Reiko had seen a lot in a hundred years, but she did not believe that she was even close to having seen it all. With any luck, she never wouldâshe would always be able to gaze upon things like a child did, with wonderment and awe and true appreciation. Even the little things. But she said none of this aloud; in fact, she said nothing more at all, setting aside the book of fairytales for the moment and cracking open the one on biophysics.
She wasnât sure she could quite enjoy happily-ever-afters just now.
He closed the book in his hand, setting it down on the table to the side of him. It was not interesting to him, and he had no more desire to read it than he did to seek out another's company. Currently, he could sense his brother with Haru and Torahiko, and his sisters were together, doing something he couldn't quite make out. Naya, on the other hand, was with Trevor, or rather the latter was with her. That thought alone caused his lips to tilt just barely, but not enough to elicit an actual smile from him. As odd as his family was, they always managed to be together and destroying or creating something. Which in question left one missing.
His eyes glanced towards the door, and the sight of pale blue hair caught his attention. His stare was blank, uneasy to read, as he regarded his cousin. It was strange, when he thought about it, how she was only a few months older than him, but that did not stop him from regarding her as one of his younger siblings. She was, perhaps, the one who needed to be watched the most, if her clumsiness was anything, though he knew she could be quite capable when the moment came. Regardless, he raised a hand towards her, signaling her that he too was here, before picking up another book, his eyes scanning the page in the process. There had to be something interesting he could read.
Reiko had actually been enjoying a relatively accident-free day: sheâd only managed to injure herself once, in the process of reaching for a glass on a high shelf. It had smacked her in the head on the way down, but it hadnât even broken. So sheâd had her supplements this morning without accidents, and that was rather impressive, at least as far as she was concerned. Ever the optimist, Kiko was hoping that it might manage to extend to the rest of the day, as well, and sheâd made her way to the libraryâwithout tripping on anything!âwhilst humming a cheerful tune, which of course she stopped doing as soon as sheâd entered. It was rude to make too much noise in a library, after all, even though there was rarely anyone else in here, except for sometimes Eien, or even more occasionally, Tatsuhiko.
She could smell Eien right now, actually, though she was a bit surprised when she came within sight of him and he lifted a hand to indicate his presence. Reiko smiled and waved backâonly for her hand to accidentally knock a nearby ladder used for shelving high things, unsteadying the whole lot. Eyes going wide, she made a small noise of surprise and managed to steady the ladder, but not the books that had been on top of it. Her hands still occupied by the wooden contraption, she shut her eyes against the inevitable damage.
âOwwâŠâ she muttered softly when the books had settled at her feet, having, of course, pelted her on the way down. Shaking her head and sighing, she crouched to pick them up, surmounting the ladder with surprising grace when she had them all in-hand and replacing the stack a little more securely. Most of Reikoâs problems were not actually caused by clumsiness, but inattention. She spaced out so often or got so distracted by something that she stopped noticing what was actually going on around her, and was then unlucky enough to encounter basically every mishap she could think of. It was perhaps understandable, then, why her accidents seemed to increase in frequency in Eienâs company. He was about as distracting as people got, at least to her.
Setting a few disturbed hairs back into place as best she could, Kiko gabbed a few booksâa strange mix of fairy stories and technical materials on computers and biophysics, and took a seat at the large table across from where Eien stood. âNothing interesting?â she asked, tilting her head at his obvious lack of success finding anything.
Eien sighed the moment her hand hit the ladder, causing it to shake and start a tumble towards the floor before she managed to steady it. He watched, about to point out the books that were already taking a tumble from the top of the ladder, before the books finally fell, pelting Reiko on the way down and he shook his head. Really, the girl was as accident prone as Farah was to blushing. He could have moved, saved her from the inevitable fall of the books, but something had grounded him to his chair, and so he merely regarded his cousin when she sat next to him, his eyes studying her for a moment. She seemed okay, for the most part, so that was good. It had surprised him, really, that she was so sturdy and seemed to recover so easily. But he simply sighed and nodded his head.
"I am afraid not. There is not much these days that can hold my interest for very long. I am quite bored really," he spoke, the laziness laced in his voice as he spoke. He shifted his gaze to look at the books she had and noted with curiosity the ones she had chosen. "An interesting choice of reading material," he spoke, inclining his head as he referred to her books. "What is it, exactly, that you plan on doing once you leave this place, Reiko?" he found himself asking, a bit curious to know. She was, after all, reading books about biophysics and computers. He knew she was rather talented with said things, and perhaps, she was interested in becoming either a doctor of some sorts, or perhaps a mechanic.
It mattered very little to him, though, as he silently waited for her explanation. She was her own person, and she could do whatever it was she pleased. Though, there was a part of him, somewhere, that was slightly worried. Worried because she wasn't exactly the most graceful of creatures, and anything could happen to her. He was protective of his family, and if he had a say in it, he would keep his family together for as long as he could. He wanted each of them within sight, including the one he disliked the most: Ryoku.
Reiko nodded sympathetically. Though boredom was not often an affliction she suffered from, given how eventful her life tended to be, she could picture just how it worked for him. It wasnât like Eien had to worry about frequent mishaps and disasters, and honestly, without those, her life might qualify as pretty boring too, though sheâd like to think she could find ways to amuse herself. Still there was something about him⊠like the kinds of silly little things that would amuse her in such circumstances would just annoy someone with as much dignity and distance as he had. It was a difference between them that she felt keenly. She could really picture him, one day, with a lady just as cool and elegant as he was. Kiko knew quite well that she didnât qualify, and though it hurt, she wore a smile to disguise it.
A smile, she had found, was even more effective than betraying nothing at all.
The question, though, caught her off-guard. What did she want to do when she left Cross? She followed his glance to the books she had, and her smile inched wider. It was a bit silly, but the technical manuals were just things she read for fun. Reiko had always loved learning new things about the world, and how it all worked and fit together. She hadnât thought much about what she would do after this, not since she was a very little girl. Shaking her head faintly, she picked up the collected book of fairytales. âI havenât been asked that question since I was a little girl,â she confessed, a little bit sheepishly. âAnd back then, all I wanted to be was the princess in a fairy-story. Itâs⊠well, itâs ridiculous, I know, butâŠâ she shrugged, placing the book back down gently.
âWould it be too strange to say that the only thing I really want to do after this is be happy? I don't know where that will come from or how Iâll find it, but⊠as long as Iâm happy, and my family is happy, thatâs all I need.â There was a part of her that would always ache for a dream unfulfilled, but she knew well enough by now to expect that, and she was slowly learning to bulwark her heart against that eventual pain. The pain of him with someone who suited him as well as she imagined it. She didnât need love to be happyâshe was perfectly capable of finding that in other places. But she knew already, had known for a very long time, that she would love no one else as she loved him. She didnât have it in her to do that.
âWhat about you, Eien?â she asked gently.
Happy? She wanted to be happy after she left the school? Had he been any other person, Eien might have laughed at such a silly notion, however; he did not. He was not any other person, and he had found it somewhat admirable, and brave for her to admit that. But then again, who didn't want to be happy? His parents were happy, that much he had known, growing up encased in that happiness, that love. It was, perhaps, any natural instinct to want to be happy. He allowed the barest of hints of his lips tilt up, just barely, but still not noticeable.
"I do not believe it to be strange, no," he spoke, addressing her first statement. "It is a dream as any other, and it is only natural that we would seek out happiness. We, after all, are not like most. We are not humans, and eternity is open to us and as with most things, our desires change. Just as you mentioned you wanted to be a princess when you were a child, and now you express your wish to be happy. One day, that too, will change, and you will want something more than just happiness," he spoke rather lengthily. He turned his attention away from her, just for a moment, when it was returned to her. At the question, he rose a brow.
"I have no use for anything in this world," he spoke almost as quickly as she had finished the sentence. "I plan on returning home after this charade is over with. I do not know why our parents insisted on us coming here, but I shall oblige them. One day, perhaps," he paused, his eyes narrowing just in the slightest, though not in discomfort. "I would like to travel away from this place, and explore the world and all it has to offer," he answered finally, though in reality, he wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do.
âNo use for anything in this worldâŠâ she repeated, and her tone was unreadable. She was still smiling, though, and she shook her head gently. It really was just like him, to say something like that. It broke her heart a little more to hear, but he didnât know that and sheâd never tell. Kiko would never want Eien to be anyone other than he really was, and sheâd never want for him to start guarding his words for her sake. She loved him as he was, brutal truths and all. Perhaps especially those, because she was used to people treating her a little more⊠gently than they would others, because of her nature or her frequent mishaps or whatever else they saw in her. Heâd never done that, and it was one of the reasons sheâŠ
âTraveling would be nice, I suppose,â she agreed with some enthusiasm. She relished in opportunities to learn, and not just from books. They had a fair few homes all over the world, and Reiko had seen a lot in a hundred years, but she did not believe that she was even close to having seen it all. With any luck, she never wouldâshe would always be able to gaze upon things like a child did, with wonderment and awe and true appreciation. Even the little things. But she said none of this aloud; in fact, she said nothing more at all, setting aside the book of fairytales for the moment and cracking open the one on biophysics.
She wasnât sure she could quite enjoy happily-ever-afters just now.