The silence was suddenly cut by distant voices running their direction. The two with keen ears were the first to look to it. The one already using the tiger as a body pillow stretched and got up to sit on his back and patiently wait. "Hmm...must be after noon already." She mused, looking to the sun's vicinity.
Blank eyes stared directly at it. "It is." She proclaimed.
"You know the hour by looking at the sun??" She marveled, eyes wide.
"I have since before I was a teenager. It's how I learn to find the time if I forget it."
"Amazing..." As the bright colors of winter coats came to view, brown looked to the slim form in the snow. "Listen...Mia is with the five...won't you just CONSIDER what I said?" She asked, giving a small pleading look. She didn't know why she was being so needy for this girl, other than she was trying to force a LIFE upon this lone wolf.
Instead of saying yes, her face became void of emotion. "I know Mia-chan's with them. I can hear her with the other five. Quite noisy as well."
Epiphany smirked and shook her head before White Blaze suddenly stood. She gave a startled cry and gripped his fur, sitting sideways as he took off in a light trot to his master. "Hey guys...can you imagine that? I didn't even need to get UP to see you." She kidded, beaming.
A few snickered as Ryo bent down and gave his friend a long scratch. The second Epiphany got off him, White Blaze jumped on Ryo and licked his face again, getting laughter from everyone.
Kento was the first to calm down as he handed over a tied pair of skates that'd been hanging over his shoulder. "You forget these when you left for the pond Epi-chan." He mused, seeing the way she smiled at the use of her nickname.
"Gomen Kento-chan." She quietly answered, feeling her face heat up at the use of their native language. Her heart fluttered in nervousness. She hoped she didn't screw up saying something... "I, uh...I asked Kimon-chan if she wanted to spend the day with us..." She quietly muttered, edging closer to the group. Her eyes speared Mia's. "I don't know if that's okay with her, but I just felt she needed some FUN."
Mia's eyes went wide as she tried to process the youth in front of her. They narrowed in suspicion at something. "Did you two...talk?"
To the confusion and wonder of the others, Epiphany seriously nodded. "It wasn't hard. You forget my sister Mia-chan. I have experience figuring that stuff out."
Mia blinked, than looked behind her to the raven-haired girl. She was sitting with eyes on them, as if she was watching their conversation. Her lips pressed together. "I really should ask if she wants to go home though."
A hand shot out and lightly gripped her arm when Mia started to pass her. "But Mia-chan..."
The helpless look on Epiphany's face finally sparked the other's tongues to work. "Why is this so important to you Epi-chan?" Ryo asked, raising a brow.
"Yea...you don't know her, do you?" Rowen added.
Epiphany harshly swallowed and let go of her friend, eyes going to the snow. "She...she acts just like I used to guys..." Came the quiet answer. A foot idly kicked at the snow. "I'm not proud of the way I acted back then...and...I can't stand seeing anyone ELSE act that way for some of the same reasons." Sad eyes looked up and met theirs. "I...I dunno...I just want her to see that there's MORE to life than that!"
Mia smiled at the compassion inside her friend and patted her shoulder to lessen her anxiety. "Nevertheless...I still have to ask Epiphany-chan. If she wants to leave, I AM her ride home."
"Yea...we can still have fun with the seven of us." Sage answered, giving her a small smile. She looked to him and gave a lopsided smile in return.
"And speaking of which...shall we get TO it??" Rowen piped up, a hand going for his skates. "I for one, want to work up some heat to battle the cold!"
Mia reached out, having remembered her earlier conversation with Kimon, and grabbed Cye's hand. "Cye...Kimon said earlier there was something she wanted me to tell you." She gave a friendly grin. "But since you're all here now, I'll let HER tell you." Before he could protest, Cye was drug from the group and to the edge of the pond.
Epiphany left the two to their business and bent next to White Blaze, her hand going to scratch his chin. "Boy...if Kimon-chan wants to stay here...you keep her company and watch out for her alright?" She got a kitty nod and instead of being amazed by it, she suddenly grinned. "You're a smart one, you are." She mused, tapping his nose. "I bet you've kept a keen eye on Kimon-chan so far, am I right?" She received another nod before he stood to follow the trail to the edge of the pond. Standing with a smile, brown looked to everyone. "Shall we??"
Cye heard the others stop behind him as he kneeled in the snow with Mia. A few of his friends gave him smirks, but walked around the pond to put their skates on to give them privacy. He just scowled, but also went for his skates. Might as well be ready when they finished talking to go have SOME fun.
"Epiphany-chan told me she wants you to stay Kimon-chan." Mia began. "I won't pressure you to stay, and you know I'll never make you do anything you won't want to. I intend on skating with the others and Blaze is here in case you get cold...so I need to know if you intend on staying or not."
Gray eyes looked to her friend, than looked to him when she smelt the ocean again as the wind changed. "Hello Cye-san." She quietly muttered, casting her eyes down. A finger twirled in the snow again. She ignored Mia's question to give herself more time to think and searched for courage to talk to Cye. "Thank you for the presents." She mumbled, giving a small, sheepish smile.
Cye managed a small, embarrassed smile. He didn't intend on getting thanked for it, since he practically forced it in her hands. And he was mildly surprised a person such as Kimon even thanked him. "You're welcome." He quietly responded.
Mia's eyes, in the meantime, subtly kept sneaking glances at her friends' odd behaviors. She knew Cye was polite and, having been raised by girls, was a little more prone to show his emotions. Kimon on the other hand, NEVER acted this fidgety around anyone. A brow rose, a small smile rising on its own. "Well...my skates are tied." She suddenly announced. A hand dropped on Kimon's shoulder, mildly startling her. "What is your answer my friend?" She gave the shoulder a quick squeeze, her smile kind. "I would also like it if you could stay, even if you don't participate in much. What do you intend on doing when you get home anyway?"
Kimon looked her way, mildly amazed at her words. She was taking Epiphany's side?? Her ears picked up the slicing of blades over frozen water and a bit of laughter from Epiphany and the other friends of Mia. Her eyes darted to the snow. "I've a question for you Cye-san." She looked his way, spearing her eyes with his, since she knew he was aware of her handicap. "Do the others know of my problem?"
He blinked at the way she put that. Being blind wasn't a problem unless she LET it be. But he let it go and almost awkwardly cleared his throat, looking away from her eyes. They were an interesting color, even more so than Sage's, and they were intense. She wasn't exactly happy, and those eyes demanded an answer. "Sage figured it out the first day we met."
Gray slowly closed in irritation. She scowled at her inability to hide her blindness, though there wasn't much she could do NOW. "Then what choice do I have? Everyone knows about it, so what's the point in leaving to hide it?" She huffed, leaning back in the snow.
"It's not that big a deal Kimon-chan." Cye quietly answered. "None of the others even CARE. Have they treated you any differently?"
Her mouth opened to answer him, but a spray of ice flying by her in the snow stopped it. Her head whipped around and identified Epiphany by the heavy, excited breathing she was doing. Epiphany stopped next to her and plopped down on her knees in the snow. "What's going on you three? That ice will get all tore up soon if you don't come out with us." She kidded, a wide grin in her voice. Kimon stared past both Cye and Mia, looking at nothing. A poke in her shoulder quickly gained her attention, though not very pleasant at being touched so suddenly. Rarely did she let others touch her, unless she wanted them to. "You staying Kimon-chan? Please tell me you are."
A brow rose again, but she looked away with an irked sigh. "There seems no point in leaving at any rate." She mumbled, feeling like pouting. Her most cherished and dangerous secret was out in the open to people she didn't, or rarely, knew. Who KNEW what pranks they would try pulling on her when she didn't keep her guard up?
"YEA!" Epiphany gave the girl's arm a squeeze before standing. Her eyes met the feline's. "Blaze...you heard the girl, so you keep a good eye on her." She playfully ordered, a finger wagging. That done, she hurried back onto the ice, quickly laughing at the torture Rowen was undergoing by Sage's superior skating abilities.
Mia stood with the others, giving a small pat to Kimon's shoulder. With a grin, she stepped onto the pond and gracefully hurried to the center to join the fun. She stopped next to Ryo as he watched Epiphany skate circles around both Rowen and Sage as Sage taunted his good friend. With an evil grin, seeing Ryo wasn't as good a skater as she was, she gave him a light shove and took off when he got off the ice to chase after her. She just laughed at his promises of revenge and skated faster.
Cye couldn't help a chuckle at their antics. They all seemed so carefree... His eyes traveled to the girl as she blankly watched everything and felt a little guilty. Part of him said to be a gentleman and sit next to her to keep her from being lonely, but he also wanted to get out and have some fun. Though frozen, he was in his element. There was plenty of opportunity to get his friends back, especially Kento's pranks, from being on solid ground.
"Go ahead and go." She suddenly mumbled, not looking to him. She listened as his clothes ruffled when he fidgeted, as his breathing turned to face her. "I've got Blaze here as you heard...he's protected me ever since he met me. I'll be fine. Go have fun with your friends."
"You sure?" He almost tentatively queried. "I can sit here a bit longer with you if you want."
"I'm quite fine Cye-san." She evenly answered, eyes going to the snow. "I'm an independent person. I know how to take care of myself."
He wanted to say that she didn't ALLOW anyone else to take care of her, but wasn't going to be that rude. With a resigned shrug, he stood on the blades and finally joined the fun. The mild solemn look on his face faded the second he spotted Kento skating around. An evil grin popped up he skated to the edge and grabbed a fistful of snow. His element smacked Kento square in the side of his face and a new game began. Snow-skate tag.
She listened to the laughter and squeals from the two females in silence, and heaved a sigh. What was she doing here?? Sitting around and listening to other people have fun when she could be home working on a story or playing her piano. The mere idea was absurd and boring. "I can take care of myself..." She whispered, listening for the tiger's breathing. She scooted back after pinning it and huddled her legs to her chest for warmth and rested her chin on her knees. Her eyes remained looking at the imaginary spot as White Blaze shifted to help keep her warm. "It's all I've done since I became blind...why should I allow others to do so?" A small nudge to her side from the tiger wanting attention, or perhaps sensing her emotions, gained part of her notice. A hand immediately went for his head, even if her mood didn't really shift. "I don't need anyone else, just you boy."
From across the way, three people kept a small watch on their friend as she sat in the snow. Epiphany felt sorry for the way Kimon was hunched up, but mildly determined to stay out as if to prove something. She threw a snowball to Sage with half the childish fun that went into making it. As she dodged one from Rowen, she wondered what was going on in Kimon's head. There had to be something she could do with the girl when they went to the mall... Off-balanced by getting hit in the back of the head from Ryo's snowball, she knew she would get something for the girl. Something special. What she didn't know yet. But she WOULD get her something.
Cye threw both of his snowballs at Kento and Epiphany before dodging one from Sage. He also wondered about Kimon's mindset, still feeling a little guilty for having so much fun when she just sat in the snow, unable to do anything. He had a small thought of asking her to join, but this kind of ruckus wouldn't be good. She would get hurt, or one of them would end up running into her. There just wasn't anything a blind girl could do out in the wilderness. He felt sorry for her handicap, but didn't say anything to anyone yet. He didn't want them to know he pitied her way of life. He also knew she wouldn't appreciate it either.
Mia brushed snow off her jeans and glared at Kento's playful grin before skating after him. She chased him to the side of the pond and knocked him off-balance for getting hit in the rear with snow, but ended up going down with him as he grabbed her jacket. The two skidded into the edge of a snow pile and laughed. As she shook snow from her hair, she looked to Kimon with the white tiger and stood up a little more solemnly. She wasn't friends with Kimon long, but knew that her friend was feeling a lot of not-so-pleasant emotions. She was either angered or annoyed that Sage so quickly figured out her secret, and unhappy that she was persuaded to say without being able to DO anything. She picked up a snowball and headed off to pelt Cye with it, knowing that even if Kimon DID stay without the prodding, she wouldn't have done anything with the others here. Kimon was a private person that didn't tell even HER much about her life. A friend of a year, yet she was as much in the dark about stuff as Epiphany was.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"This is not a good idea." She mumbled again, probably the tenth since they left the store.
"Kimon-chan..." Epiphany patronizingly admonished. The arm lightly wrapped around Kimon's squeezed a bit for reassurance. "It's okay. Really...I've got a hold of you and the others are situated just so to keep anyone from getting too close to you."
"I can't believe YOU talked me into this." She muttered, as if not hearing the girl mere inches away. "Out of the select few I know, how did YOU talk me into going to the mall??"
Rowen stepped a few paces in from his slow gait and nudged Epiphany's free arm. "Because shorty does know when to say 'ojisan'." He kidded, wryly grinning.
Epiphany tried to hide her grin through a scowl and stuck her tongue out at Rowen. "Bite me smarty." She retorted, her stomach quaking with suppressed laughter. Rowen's teeth clicked together in her general direction and she burst out laughing.
"So what is it EXACTLY that you're buying us?" Ryo piped up, looking behind his stance in front of both girls.
Epiphany smiled and met his gaze. "Whatever you want Ryo-chan. I've got enough Yen here to buy you all at least one thing. And since I haven't been around you five for two years, I figure if I let you pick it out it's better than my guessing."
"Except for Sage." Rowen ribbed, wryly grinning. He ignored Sage's glare and poked the Hispanic again. "You'd already KNOW what to get HIM."
Epiphany gave a meek smile and blushed, ducking her head to the floor. She gave a small, broken laugh at Rowen's jab and effectively quelled her sarcasm toward him. "Not...not really." She mumbled, almost inaudibly.
Hearing the entirely different change of the Hispanic's tone and feeling her arm hugged a little tighter, a brow rose as she looked at Epiphany. Something was going on between her and this Sage by the way this Rowen was picking on them both. Sage's light step hit a little harder on the cement underneath, even through all the noise around them. She could hear wistfulness in Epiphany's tone, but also guilt. Something told her that the guilt was from her being too scared to give whatever she wanted or already had. She gave a quiet snort and looked ahead to listen for the crowds and any indication that people were walking too close.
It seemed they walked forever until she was finally stopped and allowed to sit down. She managed a sigh of relief, but felt a little reserved when Epiphany told her to wait for 'JUST a minute' as she went in to look for something special 'real quick'. This was SO not a good idea and she really wanted to go home! Leaving her out here in the middle of crowds on Christmas Eve?? Was the girl NUTS?!
Still, she tried to act as if she could see and presented an unapproachable persona to those that COULD. All the while, she mentally seethed and crossed her arms at the many voices she heard. So cocky...ALL of them! Every voice she heard, in both Japanese AND English, sounded happy and boastful over trivial things. And everyone was entirely too LOUD! Her ears were buzzing, but she couldn't cover them unless she wanted to draw attention to herself. Her head mechanically lowered to the floor as she continued to unconsciously pout.
The bench shifted not even minutes later by a light-weighted person, but the unknown didn't try to make conversation. Her head looked away, and she tried to move over an inch or two to feel like she wasn't being crowded. Occasionally, she would feel watched, but it was only for seconds at a time. She gave a mute sigh and tried to calm down, wondering how long it'd been since she was deposited here like a spare wheel.
After a bit, the weight shifted as someone plopped down again, but from the same person. Her eyes shifted as if to look as her ears strained to hear the tiniest of sounds over the noise.
"Aren't people so interesting to watch?"
Her head jerked up, recognizing the voice. Her face smoothed of its shock as she looked away into the masses. "I assume it's been ten minutes?" She asked, raising a brow.
Epiphany smiled just above the fists that kept her head propped up on her knees. "No...but I just wanted to come out and listen to the people for a bit. I told the guys to get whatever they wanted and come back out to get me. I doubt we'll be staying long though...an electronics store isn't good for much. Unless one of them have a video game system at home. But, being guys, they had to go look."
"You said you were going to look for something 'special'." She muttered, tapping a finger against an arm.
"I didn't see anything I thought was special enough." Epiphany quietly answered, her head turning. "Besides, I'd rather just listen to the native language around here and absorb it. I'm learning Japanese back home you know. I find it fascinating...just everything about the culture."
A brow rose. "I'm glad my native land is fascinating for you. Why learn about this place? What do you intend on doing as a major?"
Epiphany blushed at feeling a sting to her ambitions, but not totally phased by the sarcasm. For a foreigner, trying to learn someone else's language was going to get guff from the locals. "Well...I changed my major upon reaching college when I returned to Spain. This place just intrigued me with the general way of life and how much BETTER it is compared to other continents I've been in. I wanted to learn Japanese and teach it to others...what age level I haven't decided." Her gaze lowered as uncertainty touched her eyes and a fingertip idly rubbed against her cheek. "But seeing Sage-kun again...makes me wish I was in the same continent with him at least." She whispered. "Nothing changed after I left...not for me anyway. I see a change in him, even through his words. I only hoped I would see it in his face as well."
Through the whole, nearly inaudible admission, a pair of raven brows rested near the top of her hairline. Her earlier assumption about something between Sage and Epiphany was right. She also caught the different part to his name, changed to a more intimate title when she wasn't around the others. Before, it was always Sage-CHAN, not Sage-KUN. Epiphany held something deep inside, even though her emotions were giving her away. If she wasn't careful, she'd end up with a LOT of explaining to do.
Five familiar voices hit her ears above the crowd and the weight next to her shifted. "Hey guys, find anything you want?" Epiphany jovially asked, a grin in her voice. Kimon had to shake her head at the two-sided way the girl was acting. She hid all her true emotions away and showed only the happy-go-lucky, which wasn't exactly right. She was only hurting herself by staying quiet. But SHE wasn't going to say anything, since it wasn't her place and she had no intention of getting between some emotional complexion. Giving advice wasn't her thing.
"Naw...but I just remembered something in this store a few down I saw a week ago that I wanted." Kento said, a thumb jerking in the direction.
Epiphany gave him a wry grin. "Well then, shall we? At least that's ONE down."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Man...I can't believe the mall closes so EARLY around here!"
"Epi-chan...it's Christmas EVE." Kento muttered, reaching around to poke her arm from the front passenger side.
"Still...thank you for letting us get these things." Sage quietly muttered from his spot in the driver's side, looking through the rearview mirror. He slowed down a little upon seeing he was getting a little close to the other car they took. None of them owned a van, so they were forced to take two cars.
Epiphany flushed and gave a bashful smile. Her hand waved off his admission. "Aw...no need to thank me Sage-chan." She mumbled, toying with a nail. "This makes up for two years of Christmases and birthdays." She looked to the bag at her feet, and pressed her lips together. They stole a quick peek to the girl next to her in the backseat, hoping she liked the gift she bought. A lot of thought and looking went into it, and Epiphany hoped Kimon would at least keep it. The elder girl had a problem with accepting anything from ANYONE it seemed.
Brown eyes blinked as she gave a moment to stare at the rigid way Kimon sat. Her back was ramrod straight with her head turned as if she was looking out the window. The thing tipping her off that something was wrong was the way her hands were clenched into tight fists on her lap. After staring at her for a minute at least, Kimon's posture still didn't change, nor did she look over from realizing she was being watched. Teeth grabbed hold of her lower lip. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but something told her to stay the question for once. Women's intuition was telling her this was NOT something she wanted to ask, even though her heart was worried.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"You guys...this is too much. You know I didn't expect you to buy me anything in return." Epiphany gushed, shaking one of the presents like a child. There was a wide grin on her face as she pressed her ear to the package, like it would make noise and give it away.
"What do you expect? We're not going to just let you buy for us without getting YOU something in return." Kento kidded, leaning back against the couch.
Epiphany put the package down and looked to the others in her lap. "Ohhh...what do I open FIRST??" She gushed, looking at them all.
Mia rolled her eyes at the girl's antics. "Pick one Epiphany-chan. They'll all get opened you know."
"Ah, gomen." She answered, giggling at her own behavior. She opened Ryo's and gave an excited gasp. "YES! Oh Ryo-chan, arigatou gozaimasu!!" She looked to him and beamed. "I was running out of sketchbooks too." She quickly shoved the other presents aside and went to give him a quick hug. "Ahhh...I'll have to make GOOD USE of these before I leave."
"Well I knew you were into art back then and didn't know if you still were." He supplied, shrugging off her exuberance. He also gained a few grins in the process and promptly ignored them.
"Hai, hai." She happily proclaimed, plopping back down. She grabbed the nearest package and checked the name before ripping into the paper. "Oooo...JUST what I need Rowen-chan!" Each hand held up a large, picture-filled book with 'Japan' in large letters. She looked around the thick books and gave a wry grin. She was thankful some of it was in English, along with the written Romanji and Kanji symbols. "Gee...how DID you KNOW?" She kidded, laughing.
Rowen smirked and tapped his head. "I just used my genius-like intellect."
"Nice...I'll have to show my teacher these when I get back. She'll wanna borrow them for her own." She grinned and set the books aside on her sketchpads. "Okay, next up." She mused, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.
Kento grinned at her behavior. "Open mine." He lightly prodded. "You know...you act like my siblings."
"Really?" She asked, attention already diverted to a large box.
"Chun Fa... definitely." Sage wryly supplied, ignoring Epiphany's wondering gaze. "Open it. We're not getting any younger."
"Must obey the peanut gallery." She quietly mused, tearing through the paper. Fingers broke past the scotch tape keeping the top lid shut and the second she took the lid off, her jaw dropped. She mutely stared, blinking in shock and slowly lifted out a beautifully accented, crème colored kimono. "Kento-chan..." She breathed, feeling her eyes water. It was stitched in threads of light yellow, blue, and green. There was kanji from those threads she didn't know, but she'd ask later. She pulled the whole thing out and spotted a light blue sash folded on the bottom. "I...I don't know...what to SAY..."
"That's a first." Rowen joked, grinning.
His wry humor didn't even get past her ears. Blinking at the tears in her eyes, Epiphany quickly stood and donned the kimono over her clothes. She went for the large sash and haphazardly tied it for the time being. Both arms extended as she looked it over. "T...te amo..." She whispered, quickly wiping at a tear. With a wide smile, she quickly went to the smiling youth and gave him a tight hug. "You'll have to show me how to properly tie the sash later." She murmured, getting a quick squeeze.
"Glad you like it." Kento quietly answered.
"Stop with the waterworks Epiphany-chan or you'll end up making ME cry." Mia mused, sweetly smiling. She made a quick swipe under her eyes. "But you look very nice. Now open up Cye's present. He said he was very proud of what he did."
Intrigued at Mia's mysterious statement, she sat down in the kimono, not wanting to take off such a lovely thing, and reached for the floor with a mildly heavy package a little bigger than her hands. With a curiously furrowed brow, she tore open the paper a little slower, wondering what was so heavy for being so small. She pulled off another lid to a box and gasped again, jaw dropping. Her hand reached in and gripped the top of a palm-sized Buddha figure. It was sitting in lotus stance with a smiling face, eyes closed. A normal monk's robe adorned its otherwise naked figure. The heavy statue was glazed in a jade-like color. "You...you MADE this??" She whispered, blinking at tears again.
Cye smiled when he met her eyes. "My family owns a pottery shop. It wasn't that hard when I finally figured out what to get you. I just decided to MAKE something." He shrugged, as if it wasn't that big a deal. But he suddenly found himself quickly hugged at sitting next to the girl. He hugged her back and patted her back. "Meri Kurisumasu-ibu Epi-chan."
She pulled back and smiled, wiping away another happy tear. "I couldn't have asked for a better one." She sat back and looked to her few things, seeing there was something off. Her brow furrowed in a small bout of silence, seeing only four got her something, not five. She quickly kept the smile on, now a little more forced than before. Sage hadn't gotten her something. Well...she SAID she didn't want anything from any of them... "I love it all guys. Thank you." She gently put the Buddha statue back and went to hold her books. "Thank you for letting me stay here Mia-chan. That's all the present I need from you."
Mia smiled. "Oh I've already GOTTEN you something Epiphany-chan. So don't think that just staying in my house to keep me company is your present alone." She looked at the mess around the Hispanic and stood. "Well, now that you're finished, shall we get this mess cleaned up and go have something to eat?"
Sage gripped the box in his pocket, feeling his heart pound. It was now or never. His throat quietly cleared as Mia started grabbing things from the floor. "Actually Mia...there's something I'd like to give Epiphany in private. If you all don't mind."
Someone would've said something to pick on him, if not for the serious look in Sage's eyes...a serious look different than any they'd ever seen on his face before. A few wondered why he didn't give Epiphany his present with the REST of them.
Mia nodded. "Alright Sage. Go ahead, but don't take TOO long."
Sage's mouth tipped. "This won't." Violet speared brown. "If you'll follow me Epiphany-chan." He waited till she stood and gripped the kimono folds to lead her to a different part of the house. He didn't want the others listening or intruding on this moment. It was really the first private moment he HAD since she got here. "I think this is far enough." He mysteriously answered, stopping her in a room down the hall. He switched on a lamp and sat in the window seat protruding from the wall.
Epiphany's heart was about ready to leap from her throat. She gripped the folds even tighter, trying to keep calm, even though her hands were shaking. "I didn't think you got me anything Sage-chan." She softly muttered, sitting on the other side.
Sage gave her a rare smile. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't get you something on Christmas Eve? You did buy ME something."
"But that's not the point." She returned, looking away. Her body startled as he took her hand and set a small box in it. She harshly swallowed and took it, gently peeling the wrapper off while trying to keep her hands from shaking. She pulled out a velvet jewelry box and harshly swallowed. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the box, wondering why Sage bought her something so expensive. This box was from a quality jewelry store, she just KNEW it.
Sage, in the meantime, tried to exhale a pent-up breath upon seeing she wasn't going to move. She needed a little nudging, especially by the shocked look on her face. "You need to open it to actually SEE what I got you..." He lamely kidded, a hand reaching up. With the box still resting in her hands, he opened the lid for her, showing her exactly what he mentally thought so much over.
The breath stilled in her throat. She honestly forgot to breathe as her eyes speared the sparkles gleaming off the lamp. "I...I...Sage...you..." Words wouldn't form, even though she was screaming out a million of them in her mind. Her tongue just wouldn't work, but her eyes met his and he gave a small smile. Somehow, he understood by looking into her eyes. She blinked and a tear fell. She mildly startled, not realizing she was crying. "These...I...I can't-"
"I'm not going to tell you how much Yen I paid for that set, but I'm not returning it." He firmly denied, taking his hands back. He leaned against the wall in the small enclosure and stared at how emotional she was. His eyes softened at seeing the auburn highlights from the lamp and the shadows from the setting sun outside. "I bought it especially for you, so you'd wear it."
"Topaz...my birth stone..." Teeth harshly bit her lip as she stared at him, too frozen to do much else. "You remembered."
The soft smile rose a little higher. "You don't think I'd talk to you for over two years and not retain anything you say to me?"
"It's...not that..."
'I just didn't think you CARED that much...' She mentally finished, unable to get the words out. How could she say something like that to him? Did she want to ruin their friendship on her emotions? She harshly swallowed again, feeling saddened that she was too scared to tell him how deeply she still felt. Instead, she forced herself to turn her attentions to the gift that still sat unadorned.
"I don't think I'm taking this off ever again." She whispered, taking the earrings out. They quickly went in her lobes and she was thankful she told him she had pierced ears. She picked up the delicate chain and stared at him. "Could...could you..."
He gave a small nod and stood, taking the necklace from her slightly shaking grip. His brow furrowed a little as he snaked it over the front of her neck. Did the gift really mean that much to her that her hands were shaking? Did he surprise her that much? What WAS she feeling? After clasping the chain there, his hand grabbed the thick amount of hair and gently pulled it through the chain. "There. Now...let's see how it looks with that kimono." His hand extended and helped her to stand. He gave a small, almost proud smile at seeing the jewel wink at him in the light when she shifted. "Very nice." He softly commended.
She tried to swallow and found her mouth dry. Her legs weren't exactly stable right now, but the fluttering in her stomach was making her adrenaline surge on an all-time high. She looked up to his eyes, seeing the light from the lamp illuminate the edges of his hair. He was so handsome... She silently met his eyes in the dim room and had a severe urge to kiss him. She had ever since she saw him at the airport those few days ago. But she'd never, EVER had the courage to do so. She didn't know if she STILL did. "Thank you Sage." She whispered. "This means a lot to me." On its own violation, her body moved and gently hugged him. Her heart pounded quicker, and she hoped he couldn't feel it.
He mildly jerked in surprise at the contact, but quickly got over it and loosely wrapped his arms around her back. He DID feel her heart pounding, and knew she could hear his...for her ear rested against his chest. He got over it the second he breathed in the scent of her shampoo...vanilla. His chin rested on the top of her hair, since she was tall enough for him to do that. His eyes closed and the world quickly slipped away from him. He didn't know holding a girl felt so...good. Better than good. Epiphany felt nice in his arms. He continued to hold her, long after they BOTH knew she should've stepped back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What do you think is taking them so long?"
"How should I know. For all WE know, Sage took Epi into the other end of the house to keep us from spying on them."
"AND locking the door after them."
"That's because you four WOULD spy on those two." Mia added, sipping her hot chocolate. "Give them some privacy. They haven't had it since Epiphany ARRIVED."
Rowen leaned back in his chair and stretched. "Then what're we going to DO? I'm bored."
Mia shot him a droll look over her teacup. The glass pulled away as she looked to her side at the girl who'd been mute almost since the group returned. "Kimon-chan...would you play something for us?"
Gray eyes looked over as she held a glass of black tea. She'd never played for more than Mia in this place. The only time she played for so many people was at work, but that wasn't alone. Even so...it was PIANO...one passion she didn't mind sharing with the world. "Hai." She quietly answered. She quickly finished off her tea, and stood. "I know of a few things to play..." A small, rare smile quirked her mouth. "'Tranquility' for one."
Mia gave a short laugh as she collected all the glasses and saucers. "I'll go put this in the kitchen. I'll be in there shortly."
"Do you know the way Kimon-chan?" Ryo politely asked, seeing White Blaze head the way. He smiled at his feline friend and followed.
"Like the back of my hand." She quietly announced, weaving around the others to stand beside the tiger, her hand lightly resting on his back. She beat them all to the room and made a beeline for the piano. She plucked a few notes, making a quiet, nonsense tune until she heard Mia enter. Her hands found the notes for one of Mia's favorite songs as the group got situated on the furniture and floor next to the piano. She gave a small smile and started playing, quickly getting into her zone.
Just after Kimon finished her second song, a few looked over to find the two stragglers amble into the room. Epiphany was still wearing the kimono, with something lying over the top. She had a suspiciously happy look as she plopped down next to the piano. Sage sat next to her with a little more grace, a serene look on his face. The two seemed in their own little world as a third song struck up, decimating the quiet.