Nyanta stood under the large silver leaf tree. He'd been standing there for a while now. Most of the afternoon actually. Ever since Shiroe had told him there was nothing that could be done about the wedding becoming a large affair. It made sense, in a logical and political sort of way, but that didn't make it better. That had come after the argument about the test at the Princess's manor. He felt that was particularly unfair because she had to be obedient to Shiroe, no matter what. That wasn't a real test. The counter argument was that she still had the right to choose what she said and how she went about solving the problems set before her.
Since then, Nyanta had been writhing, feeling like he was twisting in the wind, his gut tight and his heart hurting for her sake. He hadn't been unable to unfold his arms since then. He wasn't sure if he was holding them tightly to himself to comfort his feelings or so he didn't pull his rapiers and kill something...particularly one Dark Machiavelli. Coming to the tree for some further level of comfort and distance between him and the guild hall had been a safety measure as much as an escape. No one complained. They knew he'd been pushed too far already.
It was agony to have Tetora praise her efforts, when they didn't even feel like hers. She would be offended if she knew he felt that way. She would still have had to go through the effort either way, and was surely trying her best. It was agony not knowing if she was going to run at the news she was going to stay front and center of attention of the Round Table, too. To have to be on display even though there would be so many people who loved her and supported her there...surely she would also understand that.
He'd fallen to his knees more than once when he reached that thought in his circular thinking, his arms held tightly to him in comfort at those times, since she wasn't here to do it for him. He hadn't threatened lightly. He didn't want the attention either. If she ran, he would run after her, and they'd have to call off the public display.
The fear wasn't of being seen, of being on stage. It was the fear of how much more real the tearing of the bonds of home were when there were that many witnesses to it. For Marielle and Naotsugu, their wedding would be one of happiness and union, rejoiced over by everyone. In Purrcy and his case, he'd wanted a little formality, but it was not something to rejoice over. It was a rejection and a turning away as much as it was a uniting. He wasn't sure he was ready for that.
He hated himself for even suggesting a ceremony when he reached this point in the circular thinking. He had to stop thinking at that point and just stay still until it faded and he was able to rise and slowly pace again, from rock to tree and back to rock again, back and forth until the thinking started again and he stopped walking so he didn't fall down. He was in that particular state when Tetora finally called. "She's on her way."
"I'm waiting." He stopped pacing and turned to face the direction she would come from, his arms still wrapped around his middle, holding him in place as they had for the last hours. His eyes focused into the distance. His nose sought for the smells on the air. His ears focused on the sounds coming from that direction and they caught the first hint of her, the light thumping of her four paws running for him, gradually getting louder.
His eyes fixated on the place where she should arrive. He expected her to go straight up the tree at her full run, which is what she was running. She'd already been under great restraint too long. It would be eating at her. He'd have to come second, after she'd calmed down...or she'd likely eat him or something similar. He just wanted to see her for that brief moment that she streaked by on her way to and then up the tree.
She appeared to his eyes and he watched her, his mind dull, but his senses sharp. His cat mind was calculating trajectories, expected moves, even the smallest changes in direction and speed. When she bypassed several of the modifications she should have made his wild mind became confused. Then he had to return to full mind because it couldn't be denied. She wasn't headed for the tree. She was coming for him.
His body, already set because of the trajectories, braced for impact. She was suddenly felinoid and her arms were wrapping around him, pulling his head to be buried in her neck. He was so tense his neck almost refused to bend. He had to consciously seek her neck himself.
"I'm so sorry, Nyanta," she said so sadly and apologetically his heart broke. His arms suddenly released and traded from holding him to holding her. He trembled as she held him and pet his head. His body felt all of her, needing to know she was there with him, that it wasn't alone anymore. His mind didn't even know why. He had chosen to come to the tree, to be away from people in general. Why did he feel like he had been alone until she was there with him again? It was a test, and she was quite capable of handling tests. Tetora had been understanding enough to let him know that she'd done quite well with it, even.
He didn't understand it, but Purrcy seemed to. She had come to him first, had apologized for making him feel alone, though it wasn't her fault at all, but someone else's that couldn't be pointed to, and was holding him as closely as he needed to be held. "Why?" he asked. Maybe she could tell him. "Why was that so hard? I know mew are capable, that it wasn't fair, but that unfairness doesn't matter to mew."
"What did you feel? What are you feeling?"
"Like mew've been taken from me. Like mew weren't going to come back. Like I've been so very lonely this whole time. ...And, angry and afraid and ...like the past is being ripped from me without my purrmission. I wanted mew to make it better." He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. It isn't meowrs to fix."
"No, Nyanta. It is. It's our future that is tearing the past from you, the hope and love you've held onto to survive. If I'm not here beside you when you're feeling that, then you are left without anchor, hope, or love. That is the pit of despair you feel. But I'm here. You aren't alone. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. ...I love you."
At those words he held her tighter and the tears welled up in his chest, but his past denied it again. "Enough? Enough to make it worth it to lose the past? To walk away from what I had?"
She pet him quietly for a while and that hurt too. Then she started grooming under his ear and it comforted him. "Nyanta. ...I cannot compete with that love. I can only offer what I have and it is still new and untried. Only time will answer that question...but I can offer all I am now. I am yours, Nyanta," Her own desperation and pain filtered through to him.
"My past is also being taken from me. There will only be you for me in the future. It is cruel of them to celebrate that pain when they don't understand it." He nodded agreement. "I wanted to slap them all and explain that they were supporting a farce. That they needed to have more sensitivity to those of us who carry treasures of the past within us."
"...They probably do still need to be taught it, or all the others who follow after us will have the same pain. I've been working up what I want Shiroe to say. ...I think it should start with a memorial to the past...like a funeral...so we can say goodbye first, and temper the union for the future with gentleness rather than joy. Not that it can't be a good thing...just...it shouldn't be ignored."
His body still wanted to be with hers, but the knots inside were loosening up with her words. They were what he needed. He nodded. "I would like that - if the three of us sat and put together something that would acknowledge the past, the current pains, and the future hope."
She buried her head in him. "You've put that so well." He began to groom her, then stopped and took a breath. He needed to not confuse things just yet. He was still too confused himself. He pet her instead. She returned the favor and eventually they were calmed enough to move a little, enough to move to sitting on the rock together.
There was a not-too distant sound of someone walking their way, their cat-hearing sharp enough to hear it before they could see it. They looked at each other. Nyanta put his head on her shoulder and she pet him until he relaxed enough to be able to face someone else. If too much more happened, he was going to run and she'd have to chase after him. He held her tightly around the waist with both arms, waiting until the sounds were close enough that they stopped. He closed his eyes, breathed calmly a few times, then lifted his head to look.
His eyes dilated and his tail flipped, but he didn't move. Shiroe's expression was pretty miserable, for Shiroe. He considered the younger man for a moment, then looked at Purrcy. She gave a small sign of acquiescence. "Mew may come," he said, looking back at Shiroe. He'd stopped at the edge of the clearing, near the last fallen building. He seemed to take a breath for courage also, then carefully made his way over to them.
"I'm sorry." The words were quietly spoken. "I would take it back if I could."
They sat quietly, then Purrcy answered in a quiet teaching voice. "The past cannot be undone...but it should also not be ignored." Shiroe gracefully folded himself to be kneeling in front of them in the pose of repentant acceptance of a scolding, hands resting loosely on his knees, and waited silently.
Purrcy was quiet as she prepared her lecture. Softly she began, "To come here suddenly from home was to be ripped from everything we knew until that time. But our memories of it hold us, keep us moving forward. We carry the past with us as our hope." She looked sadly at Shiroe. "Those of us who treasure that past...a thing such as we are doing...we have to turn our backs on that past. We lose our anchor to our hope, and betray our memories, our loved ones. We no longer feel like there is a way to continue to move forward and become lost and alone - adrift in this strange place we were brought to. It is hard to find joy in it. It is not cause to celebrate with friends and parties. A simple commitment to continue forward together but not to lose that past in the process...that is acceptable." Shiroe's eyes fell.
Purrcy sighed and looked away. After a while she said, "In moving forward, in seeing love in our loved ones here, we want to be supportive. But here is not like home. It cannot be the same." She looked at Shiroe again piercingly and he looked back up at her, waiting to hear her solution. "Write our words of pain and grief. Be the priest who helps us acknowledge the past that must be left behind so that we can move forward. Let it be a solemn occasion that ends with gentle hope that the future can be navigated together in this new land we are strangers in. Write it and we'll read it and see if it will be acceptable. Then let it be the wedding celebration of all Adventurers who have been brought here from our homeworld. Perhaps our children may celebrate with joy unattached, but we cannot."
Shiroe looked at her soberly. "It may be true for those like you, but what about those who are like Marie and Naotsugu?"
Purrcy shook her head. "Let them review it also when it's done and have them tell you what modifications they would make. Perhaps it can be both general enough and sufficient. If there needs to be two, then so be it. ...But they also have pasts on Earth, even if they are not as full as ours."
Shiroe paused again, a longer one this time. Cautiously he said, "The two of you have chosen to not return. The pain is likely greater than it could be because of that decision."
Purrcy dipped her head in acknowledgement. "But even so, even if we chose to return, it would be just as difficult. It would actually be impossible, because of what is there for us. It would not be a wedding at all, then. It would be adultery and thus not worthy of mention at all."
Shiroe rocked and he had to support himself with a hand on the ground. Nyanta looked at him soberly and Purrcy also didn't look away from him. As he struggled to even breathe, Purrcy rose and walked over to him, crouching down to put her hand on his shoulder. Nyanta followed her and stood over them. He looked at them. "You...you're staying because of that? You would give it up?"
Nyanta sighed. "Our situation is peculiar, though not easy because of that. On Earth I am already nearing death. That body lies in a hospital, Shiroe-ichi. If I return, I return to die. My wife and son already grieve, and have for a long time. I have already said my farewells, unlike any others who are here. I have been given an extension of life to be brought here. If I could be alive for them, I would be, for I love them dearly." He couldn't continue.
"My marriage was already nearly ended. I had received divorce papers," Purrcy said quietly and the pain was very evident. "My children were already grieving the death of their family. It was freedom from that pain that I found here. I would go back to let them know that I hadn't abandoned them. If time has passed there and he is happy and the children have found peace, I couldn't face them. I would leave before they knew I was returned and wander the Earth seeking a Nyanta I would never find because he would be buried in the ground before I could reach him."
"Shiroe," Purrcy said firmly, "not everyone can understand. Not everyone is in our situation. I understand that. But still, everyone does have a past on Earth. To take the step of commitment to someone here is to face the fear that this new relationship will be the one that is torn asunder. We need to acknowledge the past, recognize the present pain, and attempt to face the future with hope and courage. Not just that we will find happiness...but that the happiness we do find won't be taken from us again. It will teach us that if it does happen, we've walked the path once, we can do it again."
"Humans must continue to walk forward, Shiroe-ichi," Nyanta said, "or on the inside we die. Most of us will fight for it. If we are not taught how to walk it rightly we will approach it wrongly - with hatred, anger, despair. Mew have already seen those examples. Mew have taught Akiba how to face life as a society rightly. Now it is time to teach them how to face life as families rightly."
Purrcy nodded. "The family is the basic unit of the fabric of society. It is the thread that holds it all together. The two threads bound together - husband and wife - are stronger than the individual. Strong enough to hold together many until they are ready to begin their own weaving. Marriage, and solemn commitment for life, is right and proper. Let us teach them that to face it with proper honor to the past that brought us together and determination to stay together into the future is still the right way to move forward." She hesitated.
"Adultery is not right. It is contrary to the proper strengthening of individuals, families, and society as a whole. This is not an easy decision for us, and we've only agreed to it because we've agreed to not return, if staying is something that we're allowed to choose in the end. As I said, if we were to return, we wouldn't even have come this far. ...I treasure Nyanta too much to take from him his love for his wife and son, when they are so dear to him."
Shiroe looked at them soberly. "Is it only because of the Plague?"
They both shook their heads. "For two years we have admired each other," Nyanta said. "Since Susukino. I watched Purrcy there, and she watched me, but until we could communicate we couldn't say it."
"If the Wolf Pack hadn't chased me there, I was coming anyway to confess to him, even with the language barrier," Purrcy said. "Perhaps the relationship would have built slower without the fear of the Plague, but we still faced each other properly from the beginning."
Purrcy rose and stepped back and Nyanta moved to put his arm around her. Shiroe looked up at the both of them, his glasses having slipped down his nose a bit. He reached up and pushed them back up close to his face. He took a breath and nodded. "I'll write it and show it to you. When you're content, I'll talk to Naotsugu, and if he thinks it best, to Marielle as well. ...I may have Akatsuki review it also." He paused and a hand clenched. "I don't know if we'll get that far...but we are another example, and it would be nice to understand and be prepared ahead of time."
Nyanta nodded. Purrcy held out her hand to Shiroe and helped him stand. "Meowr a good boy, Shiroe-ichi," he said.
"We'll leave it up to you," Purrcy said kindly, "but...remember we are also here for you."
Shiroe looked at them and his eyes filled with pain. Purrcy pulled gently on his hand that she was still holding. Nyanta could see he wouldn't be able to do it on his own. In one step, he and Purrcy moved in concert and had him pinned in a double embrace.
"Shiroe," Purrcy's voice was thick. "We love you, too. ...Find the doorway, then come and visit us. We will always have a chair waiting for you, and a kitten for you to pet, and an old man to sit and keep you company. And if it isn't possible in the end...remember us fondly. We will never forget you...ever."
Shiroe, the Machiavelli and Master Strategist, became a little boy and cried hot tears of loss and pain...for his past, for his present, and for his future...and his Theldesian parents stood with him and comforted him.
-:-:-:-:-
When he was recovered, Shiroe left Nyanta and Purrcy under the tree, but he didn't go back to the guild hall. Instead he walked while his mind moved over the things they'd said to him. He moved lightly because his heart was still trying to mend. It wasn't an open wound any more - they hadn't left him as long as it was that. Rather it was tender as if new skin was still growing over the place of the wound. It wasn't ready for others yet - for the outside to see or touch.
As he walked, he kept finding himself smelling the moss and growing things he was walking though. Or realizing that he was listening closely to the sounds around him that were quiet, but filled with life calmly moving in its normal way. Eventually, he stopped and realized he was seeing.
He was back at the pool with the rock next to it they had been sitting on when he'd reach this place before, but it was empty of people now. There wasn't a sense of loss for their absence...more like an expectation they would be coming back. He realized he wanted to purchase the zone it was in just for them. They seemed the sort that would end up living on the side of some distant mountain that seekers of wisdom would climb just to hear three minutes of golden wisdom drip from their mouths...then drink tea with them and be sent home to live rightly again. He smiled slightly at that thought. But they would also come into town, to make sure that things were still moving rightly in the world as well, to scold and set right, to comfort and likely to dance as the King and Queen of the Ball.
Shiroe lifted his head to the sky, closing his eyes, seeking raindrops that weren't falling. He would like to see them dance...when it wasn't a requirement. He was going to force that on them, though they hadn't complained...and kindly wouldn't. He was going to force a lot of things on them and it hurt, but he would do it anyway. And they wouldn't complain about any of it.
He had no doubt they loved him like they cared about each other and this world. It hurt, but when they were done doing the things he wanted them to, it wouldn't have to hurt any more. That was what gave him the ability to act and give any of them orders, though he rarely called them orders. They were requests, and he could only hope that people were willing to follow through and carry them out. He was blessed with people in his guild who were like that.
Shiroe opened his eyes and walked to the rock and sat down on it. He looked down into the pool, stilling his mind again, letting his heart heal a little more, the memories of his past washing over him feeling a little less painful, more nostalgic, though it wasn't a full cleaning of his past. He decided that was okay. A little bit here, a little bit there. It was going to still be part of him his whole life because it couldn't be changed...but it also shouldn't be ignored. Just acknowledged so that life could move forward. He let Purrcy's words bandage the wound and it healed a little more so that he could relax and breathe a little easier.
The sounds of the wind blowing through the ivy and leaves made him realize the feel of the wind as it blew his hair gently against his face. Late evening blue sky sparkled off the water just a bit, the wind making the reflection of the tree leaves move on its surface. He watched that motion for a bit, then turned to look up into the tree behind him. The trunk of the tree went up and up until finally the first of the large branches reached majestically out to the horizon on all sides. That is, the horizon of what could be seen within the confines of the city and the buildings around this area.
He was leaning so far back he went ahead and lay back on the rock, cushioning his head with his hands. He stared up into the waving branches, watching the blue that peeked through. There were shadows moving in the tree as well as the bright spots. He wondered if Purrcy was ever one of those shadows. She did seem to love trees, after all, or at least gravitated to them.
He wasn't surprised Nyanta brought her here. They'd found it when they'd explored out here, looking for the place they wanted to purchase for the guild hall. It was even too tall for Akatsuki to get into, unless she went up one of the buildings to either side first. But Purrcy had climbed a six story building, so maybe she could get into this tree. Maybe he'd get to see it some time. Shiroe closed his eyes again.
Footsteps crunched into the clearing. Not Akatsuki. She would appear next to him and he wouldn't know it until the space between them warmed up. The person turned and settled on the ground next to the rock, leaning against it. It was obviously Naotsugu. He was the only one with the courage to walk into his personal thinking space and stay quiet about it. Oddly enough, now that he thought about it, they all stayed quiet when they were with him, unless he needed to hear something. They came to be companions. Purrcy was probably the one exception, though there hadn't been the opportunity to find out otherwise.
...He was trying to not think about Purrcy. If he thought about her, he had to begin thinking about his assignment. He sighed.
Naotsugu shifted. "She loves it."
"I figured. Have you seen her climb it?"
Silence for a bit. "No. But they have. Apparently it's a bit like the closet, so far."
"Oh. I hope that gets better."
"Yeah. Apparently it's also not to be missed if you have the opportunity."
"I wouldn't. ...Miss it, that is. I'm looking forward to seeing it." He held his breath, but saying it didn't hurt like he thought it would. He took a careful breath and relaxed a bit again. He loved Purrcy. He wondered, In what way? "Naotsugu...what is it to love your mother?"
Naotsugu rubbed his chin, the sound of it coming to Shiroe's ears. It wasn't an easy question and he wasn't sure he'd get much of an answer, though Naotsugu was good at trying anyway. "Someone who is always present, even if they aren't physically there. They have that spot just behind you...to your left. Your dad's on the right, pointing you forward. Your mom's on the left, reminding you, 'you've got this'."
"She's the comfort when you fall, the push forward when you're insecure. And when you need to turn around, she lets you and holds you until you're ready to face forward again. She doesn't let you run away, but she doesn't make you move until you're ready either. Sometimes dad has to make her let go so you can breathe and turn back around because you've forgotten you've got what it takes, but he remembers and reminds you. For guys, the mom's soft unless you need scolding...and even then they're usually still soft in the end. So...the love's soft, too."
"Sometimes it hurts, because they're behind you, but when you get a wife...that's the one who stands next to you and holds your hand and helps you move forward, and then you've got two moms and two dads helping you both. And then the love is grateful, that they helped you get where you needed to go." Naotsugu paused. "They don't go anywhere though. The mom's still there in that same spot, encouraging you, holding you if you need it. It's just quieter because the love of the wife is closer and...more real, I guess. I'd say louder and insistent, but it's not really that. Maybe it's just that the mom's gets quieter so that she can be proud of how you're loving your wife."
Shiroe felt his lip curl upward. "For a guy who was struggling to find anyone to date, you know a lot about it, Naotsugu."
Naotsugu was quiet. "I watched my grandparents...and my sister, plus had my own folks, of course. ...Mom still talks to me, telling me 'you've got this', and 'listen up young man' - especially when Purrcy puts those scolding eyes on anyone. I heard it loud and clear when it was my turn...both of those things. ...She's good at saying the one followed by the other. I figure she is one back home."
"Mm," Shiroe confirmed neutrally.
"Same's Nyanta's a dad."
Shiroe took a breath. "They miss their kids pretty bad," he said.
"Good thing they've got us, then," Naotsugu said with his usual practicality that spoke depths.
"No," Shiroe said quietly, though he wasn't really disagreeing. "Good thing we've got them."
Silence for a bit, then, "Well said. ...Well said."
They sat quietly for a while longer. Shiroe sat up and looked at the back of Naotsugu's head. He had his hands locked behind it looking at the tree trunk. He'd probably started out looking up into the tree. Now he leaned back and looked at Shiroe.
"They've requested a new kind of ceremony for marrying Adventurers from Earth here in Theldesia. One that respects the past," Shiroe pulled one foot in close to balance better, holding onto that leg. "Not a celebration, but a remembrance and a soft hope for the future. Something that lets them keep loving their kids back home, while also loving us here." He looked away. He couldn't mention the spouses. That seemed too private. He suspected Naotsugu could figure it out on his own, though.
Naotsugu put his arms down and turned to lean on the rock a bit, considering it. "I could see that. There're a lot of folks here that don't want to give up their hope." He gnawed at it a bit more. Naotsugu was like that. A big heavy dog that gnawed on one part of a bone, commented on its bouquet, moved to another part of it to taste it there, then commented on it's texture...savoring it until he could really chomp down into it and enjoy it because he understood it.
"Nothing wrong with wanting to hold on to love, either. Sometimes it's hard to come by so it's extra treasured, and that's good - to want that." Shiroe had to agree with that. Naotsugu looked at him. "Naw. I like it. Something just for us, something for us transplants who don't have nothin' but each other. That says it softly...but powerfully and acknowledges what we are and where we came from."
Shiroe nodded. Naotsugu had said the same things they had. "Should we open it to everyone so that everyone can hear it?"
Naotsugu paused slightly, then shook his head. "You can make it fully public at ours, since it's supposed to be the big shindig anyway. Their's should be softer. I'd send everyone back home, too, if I could, but that's another source of love that shouldn't be shoved aside. I think it may actually help them see they aren't alone either. They tend to forget it...like you do." Naotsugu gave him a look.
Shiroe smiled a self-recriminating smile. "Yeah. They reminded me of that, too. ...I guess you could say that was my scolding."
"Good. You needed it."
Shiroe laughed a short laugh at his friend's heartfelt but simple declaration. "I must have. She only gives them when they are."
"So you said," Naotsugu agreed, looking at the tree trunk again.
Shiroe looked up into its branches again, leaning back on his hands. "I presume you came to get me for dinner."
"Eventually."
Shiroe took a deep breath in of the fresh air of this area of town, let it out and stood up. "Then let's not keep them waiting any longer, or we'll both get scolded for staying out too late and only arriving when it's all cold."
"Naw. That's what mom's do. Keep it warm for you...for when you're ready to come back home." Naotsugu stood up, then stopped in surprise when he looked at Shiroe. "Aw, man. You love her that bad, huh?"
Shiroe nodded. "I miss her already, and she's only just got here."
Naotsugu put his arm around Shiroe's shoulders and got him moving. "She's not going anywhere... not for a long time. She'll always be behind you. Just keep your ear open for her words to come into your heart and your mind. It'll be there. It'll be there. And while you've got her here, make her tell them to you as much as you can until she's sick of it and you're full. Then it'll be okay to let her go do what she needs to do until she can come back again." Naotsugu grinned at him, "And as my mom says, 'you can always pick up the phone and call me, you know. You didn't get that thing just to have it staring at you'."
Shiroe laughed into the back of his hand. "For some reason, the front screen of your phone had an eye on it that just now opened up and glared at you for not calling frequently enough. Like an alarm clock: 'call your mother...right now, young man'!"
Naotsugu laughed. "Yeah, like that. They worry if you don't, you know, but they aren't sure they should interfere either. So they sit by the phone and wait...or so it seems like sometimes. And sometimes they can't take it and call you anyway...usually when you're in the shower or finally on that date you've been trying to score." Shiroe shook his head.
"Of course," Naotsugu mused. "The best girls say, 'If it's your mom, pick it up. Don't leave her hanging or I'll walk out right now'." Naotsugu looked at Shiroe significantly. "You know why?" Shiroe obediently shook his head. "Because they're the ones who're trying to see if you'll respect the fact they want to be the mother of your own kids. They want to know how you treat your own mother. Then they'll know how you'll treat them."
Shiroe considered that as they walked along the grassy roadway. Finally he said, "Because...they are the ones who want to commit - for life."
"In-one-city," Naotsugu agreed softly.
It made him hurt just a little, be sad a little. Purrcy was like that. That's why it was hard on her...the end of her first marriage...to begin another one. But Nyanta was like that, too, which was probably why they were so peaceful together. They already knew that about each other. He took one more breath and let out his last knot. "Yeah," he said softly. "It's like that." Naotsugu nodded.
-:-:-:-:-
The door to Log Horizon guild hall opened and the wind brought with it the smell of the outdoors and perhaps a hint of rain to come. It also brought the two who were missing and therefore being worried about. Naotsugu had opened the door for Shiroe who stepped in and looked around. His expression was one of tenderness. It wasn't something they hadn't seen before. On occasion he felt such things for them and they recognized it, liked it even. The one thing that was different was that his eyes were red. Naotsugu had just the hint of a smile on his face and was relaxed, so it must not be a bad thing.
They, the junior members and Akatsuki, watched the two of them walk towards them. Even though tenderness from Shiroe wasn't unusual, there was still a different feel about him. Everyone had a rather instinctive sense he'd received his Hahaue scolding and come out the other side the better for it, the same as all the others whom she'd scolded.
Shiroe and Naotsugu didn't ignore anyone, but they did bypass the seating area, headed for the kitchen. The others followed after in their wake, not really even paying attention to the fact they were doing it. They just needed to see the final resolution, to understand what had happened, what thing was different about their guildmaster.
Purrcy and Nyanta were at the tag end of making dinner still, though the table was set. Shiroe walked up behind Purrcy, who was stirring the pot on the stove. He put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "We're home, Hahaue," he said quietly.
She looked at him, then smiled softly. "Welcome home, Shiroe. Have you come happily, then?"
"Yes," he answered, smiling softly back, the same tenderness still on his face. The juniors looked at Nyanta, but he was looking soft as well, and his tail moved in slow contentedness.
Naotsugu leaned over Purrcy's other shoulder, also putting a hand on it. He took a deep sniff. "That smells delicious, Hahaue. I think my bottomless pit of a stomach will enjoy trying to become full tonight." She smiled at him and lifted her ladle for him to taste it. He rightly blew on it first, then sipped at it to taste. "Ah, yes...but don't do that again, or I'll eat it before anyone else can get to it. I've got a lot of HP, but probably not enough to stave off everyone." He looked over at the rest of them in the doorway and grinned. They gave him annoyed looks, though they weren't really. It was just because it was the expected thing to do.
Purrcy and Shiroe looked at them as well, and the look they gave was just as tender as it was before. "Welcome your older brothers," Purrcy said with a smile and a bit of a twinkle in her own eyes, her tail giving a teasing twitch.
Slow smiles came on their faces and with a rush they were all running into the kitchen to grab seniors about the middle, just generally very happy and relieved. Akatsuki entered just a little slower, looking at Shiroe with occasional glances at Purrcy, who was paying attention to both the juniors and the hot stove. Shiroe held out his hand to her until she took it. He pulled her to him gently and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Thank you for watching over Hahaue today, and for helping her to gain friends here in town so she'll want to come home more frequently. Did you enjoy yourself today?"
Nyanta was now giving the juniors things to carry to the table, so Shiroe and Akatsuki began to gravitate that way, Shiroe tucking Akatsuki's hand in his elbow and paying close attention to her. She slowly smiled. "Yes. It was very fun. H-hahaue was very much herself with the girls and they loved her. After she left, they said they thought I must enjoy having her here very much."
He looked at her, a twinkle in his eye. "And do you?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Of course...unless she's being herself as usual."
Shiroe snorted, then laughed, his whole face lighting up. It was surprising to all of them. Not that he laughed. He did that on occasion as well. Rather...that he lit up was new. They looked at Naotsugu. He was sitting in his relaxed pose on the couch, but his chest was puffed up and he looked ever so proud, and his grin was almost wider than his face.
Looks went between the juniors. They moved as one to attack Shiroe, pulling him down to the ground and sitting on him and tickling him until he begged for mercy, though he pulled them down and sat on them as well. Akatsuki finally had to join in because Tetora did. When Shiroe couldn't move any more for laughing, they finally stopped.
"Really, I do think that's enough. The food's ready, please sit up." They all looked up. Purrcy was standing nearly over them, the hot pot in her hand, the spoon in the other, but her look was still the look of fondness for all of them. Nyanta was standing behind her with another final dish to be brought to the table, waiting patiently, but staring at Purrcy and his face held softness and happiness, like it had every time he'd looked at her for the last week or so. Everyone moved to the table obediently and Tetora helped Shiroe up off the floor, brushing him off even.
With a happy sigh, Tetora moved to his chair. He stood behind it until everyone was in place. Looking around at everyone, he said, "Hahaue, thank you for healing Shiroe, too." Everyone nodded agreement. "I think...we're ready now. We can move forward."
Purrcy bowed her head to him. "The Navigator has spoken. After dinner, the Cap-i-tan will speak to us." She grinned. "Sit down. We're hungry." Tetora flushed but smiled and sat.
As food was passed around, Michael said, "Purrcy...you've done a marvelous job as usual."
"Thank you, Michael," she said calmly as she passed a bowl of vegetables on to Shiroe.
Shiroe looked at her, then at Michael. Calmly he said, "I take it we'll be meeting in my office, then?"
"Of course," Purrcy said just as calmly.
Everyone else could feel the excitement start at the soles of their feet and rise in minute vibrations up their spines until they were tingling. The next game was afoot, the next challenge just around the corner, and everyone was full up and ready to go.
Nyanta put his paw on Purrcy's knee and she reached down and held it gently, giving him a soft smile. He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. She leaned over and took the next kiss from him on her lips. "Maiow," he said and purred for her.
Tetora rolled his eyes. "Not at the table, please. We're trying to eat."
The juniors giggled, and Akatsuki did, too. Tetora grinned at her with a wink. For having had probably one of the hardest days of his life in Akiba, being in the center of the battle, they'd been given probably the best reward they could ever have gotten from it - truly the complete opposite of what had been expected. Their relief could not have been greater. Tetora turned to Naotsugu and held up his hand. "Thanks for the safe retrieval."
Naotsugu slapped Tetora's hand with his own. "He did most of the work himself. I just answered one question and he worked the rest out...but I'm glad it worked out all the same." Tetora nodded, and they both got serious about putting the food in front of them into them.