Watercolor - a Kioku/Yuchi fanmix

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1. Amazing (High and Mighty Color)

波は静まり　(My emotion is already burst)
無音の彼方へ消えてく

月夜に浮かべた面影まだ今も　姿亡きもの求め
空へ

(The waves settle.
My emotion is already burst.
Disappearing to the inaudible.
The shadows from the moonlight are even now still seeking late figures.
To the sky.)

Ready go! I don't wanna anymore.
You have gone away to the neo universe.
Like a bomb! Everything is already burst.
But I don't cry, cause you will rebirth.
It seemed like forever since she'd been home.

Probably because it had been. Literally, forever. An eternity had come and gone and she had watched it form, unfurling under her and Hamui's hands. Just the way it was. Just the way it was supposed to be.

But it was a new world, and she was half terrified that she'd walk into her house and he wouldn't recognize her, he'd brush her off like that cold, unfeeling other-Kioku in the other-world that should never have existed.

She unlocked the door with a low whistle and a twist of her magic, as she always did.

Everything looked exactly where she'd left it. The pinned fabric over the couches, the stack of books on the mantle, the riot of color on the hat stand as hers and Kioku's scarves vied for supremacy. It was so normal, so perfect and wonderful and it was a hat stand but she wanted to cry.

She could at least blame that part on being hormonal and pregnant.

"Yuchi?"

The whisper was low, incredulous, hardly able to believe what it was seeing - yes, she'd probably only been gone a day at most but Kioku was prone to overreacting. She stretched out her hands, blinked as her eyes really did tear up. "It's me. I'm here." I'm sorry, she thought, though it hadn't been her fault in any sense of the world.

"Oh god." He rushed in from the hallway, swept her up in his arms until she was dizzy and laughing. "Oh god, oh god, oh god!"

"I love you too," she managed, though her tears. "I really do. I love you. I love you so much. But you're going to crush the spawn of your loins if you keep doing that."

"Oh!" He put her down, but wouldn't let go, and Yuchi was quite aware that he would not let her out of his sight for a week at the very least. It might be a few days before he stopped clinging so hard, too.

She buried her face in his shoulder, smiling uncontrollably. It was perfect. It was wonderful. She was home.

2. Roses are Red (Aqua)

It's invisible, but so touchable and,
I can feel it on my body,
so emotional
I'm on a ride, on a ride
I'm a passenger
I'm a victim of a hot love messenger
Kyouta looked up and was about to say 'Kioku's coming'... but he never had to. The door was flung open, and an impossibly tall, tan, turquoise-haired enigma literally bounded in. "IT'S COMING!" he proclaimed.

"Kiookuuu!!" Yuchi once again launched herself, clinging to his waist.

Kioku Takinada was over six feet tall, with waist-length obnoxiously turquoise hair and, for today, bright purple eyes. He was clad in only a pair of fashionable black-and-purple swim trunks - that matched his eyes - and carried an eye-smartingly pink surfboard. A spiky black tattoo pattern spread over the right side of his chest and down his side, which at closer look would appear to be a dragon.

"I AM TOO SEXY!" Kioku pranced around, Yuchi still hanging on his waist, and threw his surfboard in a corner. "I am Kioku! Kioku-chan deeesu!"

"Yes, we know," Rei said from the other side of the room in a deadpan voice. "Unfortunately."

"GUESS WHAT?!"

"What is it."

"I'M NOT WEARING UNDERWEAR!"

"...You're wearing a swimsuit, Kioku. I never would have guessed that you're not wearing underwear."

There was a rather expectant pause, then... "NOT ANYMORE!" And the swimsuit was dropped.

3. To the Wire (Gabriel Mann)

she's turning red
as he touches her fingers
he shivers deep
when she clenches his wrist

they hear the lock unlock
and burst out laughing
it's like electric shock
when they come down...

to the wire
They started at opposite ends of the room and worked clockwise, Yuchi clambering over the kitchen counters while Kioku balanced precariously on sofas to get everything hung up just right.

Kioku stepped back, into the middle of the room, to admire his handiwork. There was one thing missing... he looked up, and grinned. Yes. They definitely needed a sprig of mistletoe on the light fixture - a rather large one. He took the last of the mistletoe in his bag and stood on the coffee table to hang it.

Yuchi came out of the kitchenette, presumably finished with her half of the room. "Kioku, what..." she grinned, moving close to him, resting one hand on his leg. "Per..." but her words died away as Kioku looked down, and their eyes widened in identical expressions of surprise. Shit. They weren't supposed to get caught in their own mistletoe.

She licked her lips unconciously, looking a little frightened, like a small animal caught in the headlights of a very large truck.

Kioku blinked. His hands dropped slowly from the mistletoe hanging. He couldn't. He just couldn't bring himself to -

Yuchi grinned. "Christmas traditions, Kioku," she murmured, before hopping up on the small table and leaning up to kiss him. He was too surprised to react other than a sudden, fierce blush, so she was gone, back to her bedroom before he could even move. He blinked, astonished, then reached a hand up to... did she really just...

Something inside of him broke, then, and he crumpled downward, curling his arms around his knees. I'm such a coward, he thought miserably. Such... a fucking... coward. "I'm a horrible horrible person," he whispered softly to himself. "And I need sleep."

Tomorrow would be a long day. He could tell.

4. Winter's Light (Chloe Agnew)

Star glowing in the twilight
Tell me true
Hope whispers and I will follow
'Till you love me too
Yuchi lifted her mass of hair off the back of her neck, letting the cool winter wind chill the sweat there. Lechat was perfect in the wintertime - crisp and chill, without the stifling humidity of the summer months. She let it drop, and shook her head. Dancing with Kioku... they must have danced before, sometime, but she couldn't even remember now, it was like every nerve was on fire and she was trembling and it wasn't because of the temperature.

Yuchi heard the door open and close, and assumed it was just another warm dancer to cool off, so she was surprised to turn and see Kioku, leaning against the balcony and smiling. She jumped, then smiled in return. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," he murmured in return. "I... there was something I wanted to tell you," he said, shoving it out there as if trying to act before his brain could even think about it.

Yuchi blinked, and a sort of stillness came over her. She tilted her head up. "What is it?"

Kioku swallowed. "I..." She'd never seen him like this - so completely tied for words, so lost and dazed and conflicted. "Sorry, I..."

She shook her head. "It's all right." She leaned closer on the balcony, hand gripping tight to the stone and her heart doing a double-time tempo in her chest.

He blinked, and stared at their hands. So close, but that inch seemed like an eternity to him. Oh look, a metaphor. "You... I really meant it, when I said you looked beautiful tonight," he murmured, hating himself.

She smiled. "Thank you. Past tense?" she added, one eyebrow cocking, a grin on her lips.

He looked up to meet her eyes, his own rolling in derision. "You know what I -" and yet, the words died in his throat, and his eyes widened. "...definitely not past tense," he murmured under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." He blushed and looked away. Why couldn't he just-

Their hands touched. His eyes flew open and he stared down at their hands, totally unable to comprehend what was happening. Yuchi's hands, her long white fingers, sliding over his in a blatantly sensual caress. Yuchi moving closer, wrapping her other hand in the lapel of his tailcoat and pulling herself in until they were breathing the same air. Yuchi, kissing him.

It was a real kiss, not like that fleeting press of lips before the Christmas party. For a second, he was too stunned to do anything but stand there like a huge tool, but the moment passed, the vestiges of his mind caught up with him, and he kissed back like it was his sole purpose in life to.

It was better than anything he'd ever imagined.

He pulled away, to breathe, and she stared up at him with parted lips and the stars in her eyes. He leaned his forehead against hers and squeezed his eyes shut. "Please tell me you love me, Yuchi, or I don't know what I'll do."

Yuchi swallowed. "You idiot!" she whispered shakily. "Of course I love you. I love you more than anything." Her hands clung to his shoulders.

Kioku felt something inside himself release, some knot of tension and frustration that he'd been holding inside for years. He pulled back for a second and his eyes met Yuchi's, and he knew she was telling the truth. She never lied, not about something like this. With an unmanly little whimper (that he would admit to with a badge of pride), he pulled her into a hug, and she hugged back, falling into a fit of hysterical almost-giggles. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he whispered fiercely. "I love everything about you. I love your hair and your ears and your voice and -"

She laughed, if a little wetly. "I get it. I get the picture."

"And your legs and your collarbones and-"

"Kioku." He stopped, finally, and then they were just grinning at each other like dopey storybook heroes.

Which, he supposed they might as well have been.

5. Monochrome (Ilaria Graziano)

where all the colors are
ocean
the silent ocean knows
your face
your reality
haven't been the same lately
wonder could it be a lack of devotion?
seeing in monochrome
who taught you emotions?
who taught you emotions?
"Yuchi?!"

"Oh... Kioku, hi." She looked up from her notebook. "I was just getting some writing in, I needed a walk."

He sighed heavily. "You were in the hospital for a week, and you're still doing NaNo?"

"Of course I'm still doing NaNoWriMo! I'm not gonna let a stupid spirit attack let me fall behind in my word count! Goddamnit, I'm going to make it this year!!" She hugged her notebook closer and scowled at him. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but you can quit it, okay?"

He scowled back and crossed his arms. "Fine. I'll never care about you ever again, is that what you want?"

"I don't care, just leave me alone!" she snapped back.

"FINE!" he shouted, throwing up his arms. "Just fucking fine... I'll leave." He went back to his motorcycle, swung his leg over, and took off. "HAVE FUN WRITING!"

"I will," she muttered to herself, eyes filling with tears. She'd be apologizing for this later, wouldn't she? Goddamnit, why couldn't she do anything right the first time?

6. True Colors (Anna Tsuchiya)

Show me a smile then,
Don't be unhappy, can't remember
When I last saw you laughing
If this world makes you crazy
And you've taken all you can bear
You call me up
Because you know I'll be there
Kyouta poked his head into the lounge. "Hey Kioku... what're we doing for Halloween?" He'd long ago given up any pretense of trying to resist his friend's ridiculous schemes.

Kioku stretched backwards over the couch, his long hair touching the floor. "I dunno... I want to be Hard Gay."

Eyetwitch. "You're welcome to that."

"But maybe you should, because you're actually Japanese."

"...only half, and I am NOT walking around Lechat in tiny leather hotpants."

Kry chuckled. "I love how it's the clothes you're worried about."

Kioku stretched more, now his head was touching the floor. "Let's be ninjas."

Kry snorted. "Like hell I'm being a ninja."

Kyouta smiled a little. That actually sounded like a good idea. "How about I be a ninja, and you be a pirate, and we duke it out?" He winked at Kry... and blinked as he thought of their fight at the beginning of the school year - well, they played around a lot with the whole fire and ice thing, but... that had just gotten out of hand.

Way out of hand.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Kioku jumped up. "And I can be the referee, except I'll be Hard Gay..."

Kyouta's eyebrows snapped together and he scowled. "That's a terrible idea."

"You're a terrible idea."

"Your face is a terrible idea."

"My face is actually a wonderful idea, thank you. Yours could do with some pointers," Kioku informed Kyouta primly.

Kry snickered. "Nah, Kyouta's all right. Your face is just messed up, you alien."

It was about then that Yuchi, Rei and Kai came home from Taj's house. "It's decided!"

"Yes, it is. Kyouta's gonna be Hard Gay!"

"I AM NOT."

7. Candlelight (Gabriel Mann)

oh, but she hang like a watercolor
she come like the tide
she's matches and paraffin
she is candlelight
my delight
in this world
she is sound and sight

no sign of rain tonight
"Okay, okay! Kai, you're fine... fix it yourself, then!"

Kioku tensed up. That was Yuchi's voice.

She made a grand entrance, of course, and it was well worth it. Her dress was a beautiful hot pink, matching Kioku's rose boutineer perfectly, as planned. It hugged her slim form and delicate curves (such that they existed), and the neckline dipped into a V, making her seem taller and more graceful. She walked on heels well - she always had - and drifted across the floor towards Kioku, her eyes never leaving his astonished ones.

He swallowed. She looked beautiful. Her hair - she hadn't done anything to it, except pull it back on one side with a simple silver clip. The effect was breathtaking, a waist-length sheet of inky black brushing against her pale skin, and that gorgeous sparkly dress... he fought to keep from gaping.

She smiled up at him, more than a little coy. "So, do I look all right?"

To one side, unnoticed by the starry-eyed pair, Kyouta snickered.

Kioku opened his mouth, closed it, blinked. "Uh... yes. Definitely yes."

Yuchi chuckled. "You look stunning," she murmured.

8. Kioku (See-Saw)

空っぽの身体に振り積もってゆく記憶
私は少しずつ作って満たして
そんな風に人は人の形になるの
忘れたくない想い心に重ねて

何処まで遠く行く時にも
私はここに君の中に
君を導く星のように
ずっといるわ

(The memory pooling into the empty shell of my body
Is shaping and filling me up a little at a time
That is the way humans take shape
By stashing into their hearts the feelings they don't want to forget

No matter how far you go
I'll always be here inside you
Like the star that guides you
I'm always by your side)
Yuchi found herself down by the beach, in the south. One arm was clamped over her middle, to keep the haphazard bandages in place, and she was biting a lip against the pain.

He was out there, standing knee-deep in the ocean, clouds of teal hair blowing in the sea breeze. He wasn't moving, simply staring out at what looked like a vast, endless ocean.

She moved slowly down the sandy beach, partly because she was in pain, partly because she wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to her - if he ever wanted to see her again. "Kioku?" she called out softly.

He didn't move, but she knew he was listening. "Won't you talk to me?"

"You're putting yourself in danger, Yuchi, and that scares the living shit out of me." There was so much emotion in his voice; she could tell he was telling the truth and laying himself plain here. But he still wouldn't turn around.

"What danger?" she asked quietly.

"You can't even-"

"Why don't you tell me?" she insisted. She took a step into the water, then another, the salt water soaking into her black kneehighs.

He sighed heavily, and shifted a little bit towards her as she wound arms around him. "I guess... it's time now. Maybe you'll give up this ridiculous fight."

9. Time Flies (Cirque du Soleil)

old friends, lovers and others
don't know when i'll see you again
time flies, sooner or later
our story must come to an end
The doctors let them in without question. There was lots of activity around her, but it was easy for Etsu to see what was wrong. His eyes widened; he stepped back. "Then... Lechat..."

Kioku tugged Etsu out of the room and positioned them in a place where he could still see inside. "I don't exactly know the details, but she's connected to the city somehow." He was staring at her with the same intensity he'd shown when she was in the hospital for a spirit attack, back in October. That seemed so long ago now. "Lechat needs to be repaired. We can't focus on Ma'yin, we have to do something to help Lechat... because otherwise, Yuchi is going to die." He turned that focused green stare on Etsu, and he stepped back and gulped. In that second, the brothers looked more alike than they ever had before. "Do you understand? This isn't some kind of hero battle. We're not going to have any famous last stands. We are up against someone so powerful that they can pull apart the very foundations of Lechat - someone who can pull apart the fabric of the universe. This is way out of our league."

Etsu nodded. "I know that... but..." he looked at Yuchi. "...if we don't hunt down Ma'yin..." He bit his lip. "She could finish what she started."

SLAM. Kioku had punched his fist into the metal window frame, and Etsu was horrified to see that it left a dent. "Not if we put it back together!"

"Do you know how to do that?" he bit back.

There was an angry silence.

"I thought so." Etsu sighed softly and looked away. "You don't have to come with us, Kioku, but -" suddenly, he noticed that Yuchi was awake - and she was gesturing at them frantically.

They hurried inside, and tried to slip in between the doctors to hear what Yuchi was saying.

"Kai's gone!"

"What?" Kioku grabbed a nurse and all but threw her out of the way so he could be next to Yuchi. "Kai?"

"He's gone! He's not in Lechat anymore!"

"How can you - " but Kioku cut Etsu off with a quick motion.

"What was he doing?"

"He was going to talk to Hamui..."

Etsu gasped as he remembered. Then he felt the anger rushing through his body again. If Hamui did anything...

He looked up and saw that Kioku was torn. Sure, he cared about Kai, and he wanted them to beat Ma'yin once and for all... but he was scared that the people he cared about would be lost, and all of that was shadowed by the overwhelming fear that he might lose the single most important person in his life.

Yuchi's cell phone rang, from the her pocket. Kioku tugged it out; then handed it to Etsu. It was too much for him. He moved wearily to the side of the room and collapsed into a chair, his head in his hands. He had been afraid, last October - but it wasn't like this. That wasn't real fear, he had just been tense because of all the pent-up emotion. This was different. This was life or death, right here.

Etsu closed the phone. "I told Rei about Kai. We're meeting up back at the apartment," he said quietly. There was silence, then he added, "I'll tell them that you'll be here."

All Kioku could do was nod, slowly. The responsibility was no longer his.

10. Inori ~You Raise Me Up~ (Lena Park)

うるんだ瞳の奥に
変わらぬ君の姿
「どこまで世界は続くの」
途絶えた日々の言葉

凍える嵐の夜も
まだ見ぬ君へ続く
教えて　海渡る風
祈りは時を越える

(In the depths of my teared-up eyes
Is your unchanging figure
“Where will the world continue to?”
Are the words from the days have ceased

Even on the freezing, stormy nights
I continue going towards the unseen you
Teach me, the ocean-crossing winds,
The prayers that surpass time)
Yuchi smiled ruefully. "You worry about me too much."

"Someone should," Kioku countered right back, his smile widening. "So... coffee?"

"What?" Yuchi blinked at him - she'd gotten distracted by his smile.

"Coffee... you said coffee would be nice. D'you wanna go get some? Today's my day off, so the Persian's just the place I want to be." He winked at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "You're not taking me to the Persian! If you're going to take me out for coffee, you're going to pay for it like a normal person." She smiled at him.

Kioku raised an eyebrow. "Am I now? By what authority?" He smirked down at her.

She shifted almost imperceptibly closer. "Mine," she purred, smirking right back.

Kioku blinked, his smirk turning into more of a grin. "How can I dispute that," he murmured. "I guess I'm paying for your coffee."

"Yay!" Yuchi bounced up and out of the couch, and Kioku could breathe again.

He stood up and stretched, muttering under his breath. "Devil woman."

She turned and grinned, reaching for her earmuffs again. "Only for you," she teased, pouting.

Kioku shook his head. "You wound me, koishii - wound me to the core." He dramatically placed a hand over his heart, smirking.

Yuchi blushed, surprised, at the pet name. She ducked her head and put her earmuffs on. "Uh... shall we?" She held out a gray-gloved hand for Kioku's.

He pulled on his leather jacket, fuzzy gloves, and took her hand in his with a wink. "We shall."

11. We Belong to the Sea (Aqua)

There's a thunder inside me
That your silence will kill
And I know that you forced me
To get rid of what I feel

We belong to the sea
To the waves you and me
Living in the ocean so blue
We belong to the sea
Open wide being free
A minute everlasting with you
And as soon as it stops
We'll all be a drop
Coming down on your wide open sea
They headed down to the beach, it was pretty deserted on a November afternoon. Yuchi slid off the seat and ran down to the shore; took in a deep breath and sighed, smiling.

"Yeah... magical, isn't it," Kioku murmured, coming up behind her.

"Kioku... where does this ocean go? Where is Lechat? I've never been outside the city."

He frowned. "I don't... exactly know. If you follow this ocean long enough... you just end up coming right back to the beach."

"What, really? That's what happens on the other side of the city, too. The north side connects to the east side, and you can get really turned around badly if you don't know what you're doing. So the south beach connects to the west one, huh?"

"Yeah." Kioku nodded.

She sighed. "I always hoped that the ocean would lead away from Lechat. But I guess the only way to really leave is through a portal." She looked down and traced a pattern with her toe.

He placed a comforting hand on her back. "Have you ever wanted to leave Lechat?"

Yuchi shook her head slowly. "I like... the concept of it, but whenever I think about it, my head gets all woozy and it's sort of like taking too much medication, so I try not to think about it." She stilled, looking pointedly down and away. "Kioku, I'm... sorry. About last night."

He shook his head. "Please - don't be. I was overreacting -"

"Me, too," she cut him off, a bit of pleading in her voice. "I'm really sorry. I was just feeling down, I feel like such an asshole..."

He rubbed her back comfortingly. "It's okay, really it is. I'm not mad. I was kind of more mad at myself, because I felt like I was completely overreacting, and I didn't want to come off as overbearing or anything to you... I mean... it's like, I don't want to -"

She shook her head. "I know what you mean. It's like, you're the head of the family, kind of, but you don't... you're responsible for us, but you don't want to overdo it."

"That's it exactly," Kioku said, relieved.

"Yeah. I mean, I have Kyouta, and... I dunno, I've never really... not that I don't look up to you, but..."

He chuckled. "But you don't."

She blushed, flustered. "I guess so."

"You're responsible, anyway. Rei and Kyouta don't see it sometimes, but I know you can be."

Yuchi turned around and blinked at him. "..."

He grinned.

"...Thank you," she said, with every ounce of sincerity she could muster.

"Don't mention it. Now, shall we go get food?"

"Yeah." Yuchi grinned. "I want scallion pancakes!"

"I'll bet you do, you tramp! Let's go." He grinned back, and reached for her hand, pulling her across the sand and away towards his motorcycle.

12. Sousei no Aquarion (Akino)

耳すませた海神（わだつみ）の記憶
失意にのまれ立ち尽くす麗しき月
よみがえれ　永遠（とわ）に涸れぬ光
汚されないで　君の夢
祈り宿しながら生まれてきた

一万年と二千年前から愛してる
八千年過ぎた頃からもっと恋しくなった
一億と二千年あとも愛してる
君を知ったその日から僕の地獄に音楽は絶えない

(I listened closely to the sea god’s memories
Swallowed into despair, the beautiful moon stands completely still
Revive the light, withering eternally
Without tainting your dreams
I was born while bearing a prayer

I loved you ten thousand and two thousand years ago
I had fallen in love with you even more when eight thousand years passed
I’ll love you even one hundred million and two thousand years later
The music in my hell is ceaseless since the day I knew you)
"It looks good," she heard, from a little to the left and below her. She didn't acknowledge him for a minute; she had to focus on her paint job, to get the nice curl in the 'e's and straight lines in the whiskers. But she did grin, and after a moment, peered over her shoulder.

"You're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding," Yuchi informed her almost-huband.

He smirked. "You have paint on your butt."

"What?" She twisted on the stepladder, trying to look, but Kioku had to reach out and steady her legs against the inevitable overbalancing. "Do I really?"

"How did you get paint on your butt?" Of course, these days, where Kioku went, Hamui wasn't far behind. He was pulling his bike goggles off, pushing back his strange black-and-teal hair from a sweaty forehead.

"I don't know!" Yuchi seriously resisted the urge to throw her paintbrush at him, and only because she knew Etsu would be the one who would end up cleaning it. "Can we stop talking about my butt?"

"Absolutely not," Kioku chimed in, right on time. "I happen to be in love with your butt. We're getting married, did you know?"

Yuchi gasped. "I didn't! Here I thought I was the one getting married. Oh well, I guess I don't have to show up after all..."

"Not unless your butt is detachable." Rei had come to the doorway, just as paint-stained and messy as her best friend. "Will you get down from there? Unless you want to look like a train wreck at your own wedding."

"I prefer the term 'hot mess'," Yuchi said, though she did clamber down, using Kioku as a convenient prop.

"Mess, yes. Hot, no." She let Yuchi pass, then gave the boys one of her patented glares. "Out. This is now a girl's-only zone."

Hamui raised an eyebrow. "...So why is Yuchi allowed in?"

"HEY!"

Rei appeared to look thoughtful. "Hm, you have a point there."

Kioku tugged at Hamui's sleeve before he could be snide and inappropriate in return, and cocked his head back in the direction of their motorcycles. "Come on. I think it's time for us to go."