Over breakfast this morning, Random tells me of her night in the Pioneer Staff tent. She
looks pretty tired and I wonder how much (how little?) sleep she got.
"It seemed like a good way to get to know Xellos better, the two of us being alone for a while." She explains, "That's why we went off together for the night. However..."
*~*~*~FLASHBACK~*~*~*
Random: *scoots the cot toward the center of the tent* Don't want to fall out, it's a long way down...
Xellos: *Pounces on Random, nearly knocking her out of the tent* Doesn't look that far to meeeee!
Random: _ YOU CAN FLY, BAKA!!!
Xellos: Oh yeah...||^_^||;;
*~*~*~BACK TO THE PRESENT~*~*~*
"...Once he realized I was afraid of falling out of the tent, what with it's six foot drop to the ground and all, he delighted in trying to get me as close to the high edge as possible." She sighs, "Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep because I was afraid he'd push me out of the tent or something."
I giggle. Last summer, we had slept head to head in that tent because she'd been afraid of losing her pillow in the night. "My night wasn't much better. Sleeping in the same room as Laura no Baka..." I shudder at the thought.
"What happened?"
"We-ell...She wouldn't shut up about herself the whole time. I think she was trying to impress them. Van tuned her out and went to sleep, but I could tell Miroku was getting more and more annoyed with her as time went by. Every now and then I'd notice him fiddling with the prayer beads as if he wanted to suck her into that hand of his."
"I would have let him."
"Hey, did I say I told him not to? He wouldn't do it. Not because I told him not to, but because that's just not his style. Believe me, I would have been very, VERY happy to see her baka-ness get pulled into that abyss."
"Well, besides that, how was everything?"
"Weird. Van clearly does not have any respect for Miroku. They spent quite a bit of time arguing and insulting one another. Miroku suffers so much because of that damn hole in his hand and and once he found out about it, Van wouldn't let up. It was like his goal was to make the poor monk miserable. On the plus side, I got to see those glorious wings of Van's, but then Miroku started picking on him cuz of the wings and it took forever to get them to stop..." I frown. The two of them are currently glaring at one another while Laura no Baka stares dreamily at Miroku.
"He didn't ask you yet, did he?"
She's being vague, but I know what she means: Did he ask me to bear him a son? "No. Not yet."
"And he didn't...you know...?" She sort of trails off.
"Didn't what?"
"Didn't..." Her face turns slightly pinkish, "Didn't...touch you or anything, did he?"
I smile a very Xellos-ish grin. "Sore wa himitsu desu." I quip in a Xellos-like manner, complete with the wagging of the finger.
"Pic, come on...You know I worry about you...If that lecher did anything to you, I want to know about it."
"He didn't do anything...Well, not anything serious, at least. He found it very hard to ruffle my feathers by coping a feel, groping or feeling me up, and he was enjoying the challenge. I didn't want to ruin his fun."
"Pic..."
"What?"
"Don't do anything stupid. He's a hentai freak."
"He is not."
"Well, what is he then?"
"A typical young man with lustful thoughts. He's really very sensitive and caring, once you get past the sexual desires, he's a sweet heart."
"If you say so..."
Later in the day, I lead Miroku down to the boat house. He wants to get away from Laura no Baka some how, so the two of us are going canoeing. Van is off by himself in the woods (he said he wanted to think) and in no danger of an attack from the idiot.
She trails us to the boat house (which is actually a tent) and watches as I dig around for the right size canoe paddle. "Sorry, Laura..." I say sweetly, "No room for you in the canoe. They only seat two people."
If looks could kill, I would be dead and buried. She could freeze Hell with the expression on her face.
We paddle over to the floating dock. Vash and Krystan are down there together, clad in bathing suits and basking in the sun. Vash, who is a pretty scrawny guy, is cute in that geeky, boyish sort of way; with spiky blond hair and vivid green eyes. He's sitting on the dock, his feet dangled in the water, eating a donut (how he managed to get it to the dock without getting it wet and soggy I know not...). Krystan is next to him, watching him.
"This place is great!" He beams when he sees me, "I love the food!"
Krystan and I look at one another and laugh. After summers of Beef-Thing, Taco Crap and more Beef-Thing, we don't think the food is anything too spectacular. But to each their own, I guess.
She dives off the dock and into the water. We watch as she glides along underwater, then resurfaces a ways away. "Ooo...It's nice and cool in here."
"Is it?" Xellos calls. He and Random are on the "H" dock together.
"Yeah. It's pretty chilly."
A mischievous look crosses Xellos' face and he gives a side long look at Random. I smile. I have an idea what he's thinking and it amuses me. Random is no fool. She notices the look on his face and backs away slightly. "Don't you dare!" He just grins wider.
In a matter of seconds, Random is in the air and headed towards the water, still fully clothed. "Damn you, Xellos!" She screams as she hits the glassy surface of Lake Waletka.
Krystan laughs. I stare at my twin as she climbs soaking wet from the lake. Then I burst into laughter. She looks like a drowned rat.
Xellos is also laughing and doesn't notice the angry look on her face. He does notice, however, when she tackles him and they go flying into the water together.
"WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!" He yells as he flies through the air, the same cheesy grin still plastered across his face.
This sets us off laughing again and we're in hysterics soon enough. The look on Random's face had been priceless when he'd chucked her in.
Laura's sitting on the dock, looking bored. She's not included in any of the fun. I would be bored too if no one liked me.
We drift over near the flag pole. Miroku hasn't made a move at all since last night and I wonder why. He sits there, every now and then looking over his shoulder at me. The boat comes a bumpy stop on the shore and I crawl over the seat to be next to him.
We sit in silence for a little while, then I ask him, "Miroku?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you respect me? Is that why you haven't asked me yet? Why you've stopped trying to cop a feel?"
He frowns. "I don't know why I've stopped. Perhaps I do have a great amount of respect for you. You strike me as a very no-nonsense sort of woman and it surprised me that you put up no fuss about my touching you."
I grin. "Oh, Miroku..." I laugh, "Do I confuse you so much that you can't be yourself around me?"
He looks thoughtful. "You are a very complex girl, PiccoLo. You're like sunshine and shadow; with a dark side and a light side. I see a very serious person inside you, but all you show the world is insanity. It's a little crazy, but kind of nice."
"Thanks."
"That wasn't exactly a compliment, you know."
"I know."
He gives me a funny look, but says nothing more. We sit in the canoe together late into the evening, just enjoying each other's company. Nothing could possibly spoil the serenity of it all.
Nothing, that is, except Xellos. He comes along the shore and nudges the canoe with the butt of his staff. It rocks for a moment, then flips over, leaving us in the shallow water.
"Damn you, Xellos!" I echo Random's earlier sentiment. I hate being wet when I have clothes on. Miroku's sitting in the mud, his eyes wide with surprise, a Lily-pad on his head.
I stand up, prepared to give Xellos the whipping of his life. The I remember that it will do no good. He'd enjoy it far too much. Instead of beating the shit out of him, I help Miroku to his feet, then flip the canoe back over. What a strange day it's been. I learn more and more about myself when I'm not even trying.
"It seemed like a good way to get to know Xellos better, the two of us being alone for a while." She explains, "That's why we went off together for the night. However..."
*~*~*~FLASHBACK~*~*~*
Random: *scoots the cot toward the center of the tent* Don't want to fall out, it's a long way down...
Xellos: *Pounces on Random, nearly knocking her out of the tent* Doesn't look that far to meeeee!
Random: _ YOU CAN FLY, BAKA!!!
Xellos: Oh yeah...||^_^||;;
*~*~*~BACK TO THE PRESENT~*~*~*
"...Once he realized I was afraid of falling out of the tent, what with it's six foot drop to the ground and all, he delighted in trying to get me as close to the high edge as possible." She sighs, "Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep because I was afraid he'd push me out of the tent or something."
I giggle. Last summer, we had slept head to head in that tent because she'd been afraid of losing her pillow in the night. "My night wasn't much better. Sleeping in the same room as Laura no Baka..." I shudder at the thought.
"What happened?"
"We-ell...She wouldn't shut up about herself the whole time. I think she was trying to impress them. Van tuned her out and went to sleep, but I could tell Miroku was getting more and more annoyed with her as time went by. Every now and then I'd notice him fiddling with the prayer beads as if he wanted to suck her into that hand of his."
"I would have let him."
"Hey, did I say I told him not to? He wouldn't do it. Not because I told him not to, but because that's just not his style. Believe me, I would have been very, VERY happy to see her baka-ness get pulled into that abyss."
"Well, besides that, how was everything?"
"Weird. Van clearly does not have any respect for Miroku. They spent quite a bit of time arguing and insulting one another. Miroku suffers so much because of that damn hole in his hand and and once he found out about it, Van wouldn't let up. It was like his goal was to make the poor monk miserable. On the plus side, I got to see those glorious wings of Van's, but then Miroku started picking on him cuz of the wings and it took forever to get them to stop..." I frown. The two of them are currently glaring at one another while Laura no Baka stares dreamily at Miroku.
"He didn't ask you yet, did he?"
She's being vague, but I know what she means: Did he ask me to bear him a son? "No. Not yet."
"And he didn't...you know...?" She sort of trails off.
"Didn't what?"
"Didn't..." Her face turns slightly pinkish, "Didn't...touch you or anything, did he?"
I smile a very Xellos-ish grin. "Sore wa himitsu desu." I quip in a Xellos-like manner, complete with the wagging of the finger.
"Pic, come on...You know I worry about you...If that lecher did anything to you, I want to know about it."
"He didn't do anything...Well, not anything serious, at least. He found it very hard to ruffle my feathers by coping a feel, groping or feeling me up, and he was enjoying the challenge. I didn't want to ruin his fun."
"Pic..."
"What?"
"Don't do anything stupid. He's a hentai freak."
"He is not."
"Well, what is he then?"
"A typical young man with lustful thoughts. He's really very sensitive and caring, once you get past the sexual desires, he's a sweet heart."
"If you say so..."
Later in the day, I lead Miroku down to the boat house. He wants to get away from Laura no Baka some how, so the two of us are going canoeing. Van is off by himself in the woods (he said he wanted to think) and in no danger of an attack from the idiot.
She trails us to the boat house (which is actually a tent) and watches as I dig around for the right size canoe paddle. "Sorry, Laura..." I say sweetly, "No room for you in the canoe. They only seat two people."
If looks could kill, I would be dead and buried. She could freeze Hell with the expression on her face.
We paddle over to the floating dock. Vash and Krystan are down there together, clad in bathing suits and basking in the sun. Vash, who is a pretty scrawny guy, is cute in that geeky, boyish sort of way; with spiky blond hair and vivid green eyes. He's sitting on the dock, his feet dangled in the water, eating a donut (how he managed to get it to the dock without getting it wet and soggy I know not...). Krystan is next to him, watching him.
"This place is great!" He beams when he sees me, "I love the food!"
Krystan and I look at one another and laugh. After summers of Beef-Thing, Taco Crap and more Beef-Thing, we don't think the food is anything too spectacular. But to each their own, I guess.
She dives off the dock and into the water. We watch as she glides along underwater, then resurfaces a ways away. "Ooo...It's nice and cool in here."
"Is it?" Xellos calls. He and Random are on the "H" dock together.
"Yeah. It's pretty chilly."
A mischievous look crosses Xellos' face and he gives a side long look at Random. I smile. I have an idea what he's thinking and it amuses me. Random is no fool. She notices the look on his face and backs away slightly. "Don't you dare!" He just grins wider.
In a matter of seconds, Random is in the air and headed towards the water, still fully clothed. "Damn you, Xellos!" She screams as she hits the glassy surface of Lake Waletka.
Krystan laughs. I stare at my twin as she climbs soaking wet from the lake. Then I burst into laughter. She looks like a drowned rat.
Xellos is also laughing and doesn't notice the angry look on her face. He does notice, however, when she tackles him and they go flying into the water together.
"WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!" He yells as he flies through the air, the same cheesy grin still plastered across his face.
This sets us off laughing again and we're in hysterics soon enough. The look on Random's face had been priceless when he'd chucked her in.
Laura's sitting on the dock, looking bored. She's not included in any of the fun. I would be bored too if no one liked me.
We drift over near the flag pole. Miroku hasn't made a move at all since last night and I wonder why. He sits there, every now and then looking over his shoulder at me. The boat comes a bumpy stop on the shore and I crawl over the seat to be next to him.
We sit in silence for a little while, then I ask him, "Miroku?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you respect me? Is that why you haven't asked me yet? Why you've stopped trying to cop a feel?"
He frowns. "I don't know why I've stopped. Perhaps I do have a great amount of respect for you. You strike me as a very no-nonsense sort of woman and it surprised me that you put up no fuss about my touching you."
I grin. "Oh, Miroku..." I laugh, "Do I confuse you so much that you can't be yourself around me?"
He looks thoughtful. "You are a very complex girl, PiccoLo. You're like sunshine and shadow; with a dark side and a light side. I see a very serious person inside you, but all you show the world is insanity. It's a little crazy, but kind of nice."
"Thanks."
"That wasn't exactly a compliment, you know."
"I know."
He gives me a funny look, but says nothing more. We sit in the canoe together late into the evening, just enjoying each other's company. Nothing could possibly spoil the serenity of it all.
Nothing, that is, except Xellos. He comes along the shore and nudges the canoe with the butt of his staff. It rocks for a moment, then flips over, leaving us in the shallow water.
"Damn you, Xellos!" I echo Random's earlier sentiment. I hate being wet when I have clothes on. Miroku's sitting in the mud, his eyes wide with surprise, a Lily-pad on his head.
I stand up, prepared to give Xellos the whipping of his life. The I remember that it will do no good. He'd enjoy it far too much. Instead of beating the shit out of him, I help Miroku to his feet, then flip the canoe back over. What a strange day it's been. I learn more and more about myself when I'm not even trying.