| The Thirtieth Aura • Text | Offline |

[reflectivedawn]

[ - Back Dated To Dawn | Partially Filtered To Sango - ]

[Four o'clock in the morning probably wasn't the best time to be sending a text message, but to one resident of Adstringendum, it really doesn't matter. He had much more important things to worry about.]

I have a surprise for you. Meet me on the roof of the safe house at dawn.

[Dawn. His

Comments

[offline] brb trying to un-melt 1/2

[coraltaijiya]

[To say the least, Sango wasn't expecting that text. While she isn't the biggest reader (being a woman in Feudal Japan tends to do that) the words are thankfully simple enough to understand on her own, without having to consult Kagome like she had to with Jean Louis' proposal a few days ago. That had given her a headache.]

[But 4am? Goodness, he's lucky Kirara nudged her awake at seeing the notification on the PCD. The bleariness and grogginess, however, does not at all dull the shiver that runs down her spine or the quickening pace of her heart. In a moment she's wide awake--]

[And within a few minutes she slips out of the house silently, so it's not long before she's there.]

[At the sight of the lily petals, she freezes. And the only thought that runs through her head is how did he know? She's never told anyone about this--the only other person who knows (or used to know) that these, of all things, are her absolute favorite object in the world, is Kohaku. And even now--Kohaku isn't even supposed to remember.]

[...well... She

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[coraltaijiya]

Yes.

[She won't stand for being lied to, Riku, not even for the sake of him saving face. They're beyond that, aren't they? Such childish games. (Or so she'd like to think.)]

[She shifts back a little, against the door, the lilies still in her arms and yet as forgotten as the card on the floor and the necklace now tangled in her fingers. Said fingers that drift to her lips, just-kissed lips, with a mixture of surprise and fluster and wonder. Not that she's going to tell him she's never been kissed (verbally), but still.]

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[reflectivedawn]

[He doesn't like lying. Even if he knows the biggest lie has yet to be told. Because he will never allow her to know the truth about exactly what was taken from him. He will never allow anyone to truly know what was taken from him.

His eyes drift to her lips, the bright green flashing as the memory of his own being pressed against them came into his mind. Had he known, for sure, what he already expected, he would have pressed forward, intent on giving her a proper first kiss, one that she would always remember.

But instead his fingers went to the necklace, allowing the pendant to lay against the pads of them.]

May I?

[It would be the mark that she his. Not fully, not completely, but still his.]

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[coraltaijiya]

[You know what they say. Ignorance is bliss.]

[But she doesn't have bliss, she's not made for it--not meant for it, if destiny means anything.]

[Someday, she will ask. And she will watch him lie. The question is: will she be strong enough to call the bluff?]

[But she's not thinking about that--how could she be? Instead she's trying and failing to stifle an admittedly giddy smile.]

[In answer, she hooks the chain over his fingers and sweeps her ponytail over one shoulder--out of the way.]

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[reflectivedawn]

[And when she ask, and when the lie is told, there will be a moment, one brief moment where his eyes will flash and she'll know it for what it is. A lie. And he'll continue to lie, even if she does call him on his bluff.

A small smile cross his lips as he takes the chain, thumb nail pressing against the clasp and slipping it open.

Moving around her, he allowed the cold metal to rest against her skin, re-closing the clasp and letting it fall where it may. Leaning down, his lips press against the back of her neck softly, before his arms wrapped around her waist, bringing her against him, the hold tight and comforting, something he knew they both needed in that moment.]

It looks good on you.

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[coraltaijiya]

[She stiffens abruptly and has to stifle the reflexive urge to smack him. Five months and that's still her knee-jerk reaction--it's so ridiculous she almost wants to laugh, but that would be completely inappropriate.]

[Not that the lack of a slap means she's comfortable. She wasn't expecting the hug or the kiss or the anything, except maybe the necklace--]

[But he gets away with it anyway.]

...thanks. [She reaches to look at the necklace better.] ...how did you even find something like this?

[ghkslfaslhdf Riku come on, she doesn't need cavities, really. 8|]

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[reflectivedawn]

[He feels her stiffening within his hold and his arms loosen, falling away from her as he takes a step back. He didn't want her to be uncomfortable, but on the other hand, he knew that she would never get used to it if he didn't touch her, didn't hold her.

And something within him aches because he had always been able to hold Sora, to bring him close. To press his lips against his skin and --

He had to stop thinking like that. This was different. She was different. And she was everything he wanted.

Which was why he moved back, placing his hands on her hips softly, gentle enough so that she could move away if she truly wished to do so.]

When I was looking for word for this place. I found it under a pile of rubble. I already had the chain and I just... thought it would be perfect for you.

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[coraltaijiya]

[Everything he's ever wanted? Hardly. Considering she's pretty sure Riku never grew up wishing for damaged goods. No one does. It's just the way things happen, the way things are. And those who love others for being broken and not in spite of it are broken, themselves.]

[If she notices his hands, she pretends not to. Instead she focuses on the silver, turning it over in her fingers.]

It's beautiful.

[But there's no "you're right, it is perfect for me," because it isn't. Too perfect. Not perfect for her--just perfect, which in itself makes it imperfect for her because no, she's not flawless, she's not unbroken, she's not whole and the pendant is.]

[But she loves it anyway. Because it is from him, and because it's a memory, a symbol of something she once was--something she, in another life, could've been. Repaired.]

[(She's made her choice.)]

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[reflectivedawn]

[No, she was far from everything he wanted, everything he'd ever wanted. He hadn't grown up wishing for something broken, hadn't grown up wishing to be broken. But he had grown up wishing for strength, wish to be strong. And he had found strength within her, just like he had found strength within himself. And he understood that she was broken, understood why she was broken. And he was falling for her anyway, not in spite of her being broken, but because she was, and because she had continued on despite of it

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[coraltaijiya]

[There's a breath as he holds on again and then none at all. Because for a moment, with him so close, she can't breathe.]

[She really needs to stop doing that.]

[She lets go of the necklace, letting it drop to settle against her collar bone. Not all that surprisingly, it brushes, cold, on a faded scar. Even physically she is an example of being broken and imperfect, if the scars (most faded, all reminders) are anything to go by.]

[No--nothing is perfect. It's a concept that, in and of itself, is imperfect because of its unattainability. Sango doesn't believe in perfect, even as an idea; not anymore, if she ever did. But... relatively speaking...]

[Even in relativity, she is far from (almost) perfect. Sometimes she doesn't mind--others she is acutely aware of it.]

[But she's known for a long while now that it's not going to change, and that it's the same for so many around her.]

[Sango didn't grow up wishing for something broken, either. At first she didn't even think anything of being strong--not until after her frail mother

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[reflectivedawn]

[He chuckles against her skin lightly, before pressing a kiss to the place his nose had touched. It was so weird, so different, to be able to be affectionate with someone again. It was even more weird to feel the hollowness in the pit of his chest, where he knew his heart should be. All he could feel was the memories flowing back into his mind, and somewhere inside that space his consciousness was supplanting them into this situation, making them relevant to the here and now. Making it seem as if he really was feeling these things and not just living through his memories.

His lips pressed against her skin once more, arms tightening as she leaned back into him. He could still feel the slightly discomfort, the way she hesitated before doing so. And for a moment, he was tempted to back off, to back away as he had done before. But he stopped himself, the moment she leaned back into him, he stopped, his heat skipping a beat at her words.]

Yeah. We are. [Another chuckle.] Why, are you worried?

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[coraltaijiya]

[kakishaklajdhdkanzu Riku you make it really hard to think straight, you know. But she sighs anyway.]

I'm always worried.

[And since talking makes her feel considerably less awkward...]

It was just an observation.

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[reflectivedawn]

[Yeah, he knows. Why do you think he's doing it?]

For the last time, Sango, there's nothing to worryd about. Who's to say they'll even know we're together?

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[coraltaijiya]

[Headshake.]

I worry anyway. You know that.

[LOL irony it is fun.]