The whole afternoon passed rather swiftly. Everyone was so amusing and hilarious with their antics toward each other and she couldn't help but be in a good mood the whole time. It was nice to laugh; she didn't think she'd done that much laughing in a long time...if EVER. Breakfast and lunch were main incidents of humor as Kento always made such a big deal of food. His banter never ceased to let everyone else get a sarcastic or witty remark in. The best part about it was he either threw one back or just went along with it. She liked that about him. He didn't take that stuff personally.
She liked Rowen for the subtle intelligence his voice oozed. Even if he acted like all the rest, she could tell there was something else lurking in the depths, something different than the others. When she listened to his voice as he cracked jokes on Cye or Sage, she could hear the happiness in it. During his most recent outbursts at lunch, she briefly wondered about his home life and if he had any other friends than these four. Even if he sounded friendly, she felt a small sense of connection with him over those thoughts.
It was no secret that she already harbored an affection for Sage. He seemed to be the person she could be the most normal with. He was the type of person who understood you without words and she was thankful for that. She didn't have to explain herself or anything; it was like he took one look at her and knew. He was always so polite and courteous and easy to get along with. Next to Cye and Mia, he was quickly becoming a friend. Even if she wanted to be friends with EVERYONE in this large house, she felt a link with him sooner than the rest. It had nothing to do with his help in tonight; Sage was just who he was and that was what she related to.
Though Ryo was as polite as Cye when he talked to her, it seemed Ryo was a little shyer. He was friendly and there was warmth in his voice whenever he talked. Also a faint strength that came out whenever he kidded with the others or calmed everyone down. He played peacemaker very well for someone who didn't talk as loud as the others. It showed he had an internal flame that burned when things got rough. She admired that about him.
With all those small things about the others, she loved what those attributes brought out in Cye. He joked around with the others and laughed more. She loved his laugh; it was so full of life. It made her smile and want to join in with him. His personality seemed to shine more with the others than it did with just her. She wasn't offended by that, knowing he was friends with these people long before she came into the picture. He told her long ago that he liked the quiet aspect about her over the loudness of his friends. But she knew he enjoyed being with them. This side she was hearing made her stomach and heart flutter even more than it did whenever she was with him on their own.
During lunch, she analyzed the emotion that made her want to sit closer to him and hold his hand. It was crazy, but it was so strong that it was almost a physical NEED. After countless wondering and hearing his laugh...she finally figured what it was. She was attracted to him...and that's what made her feel so guilty.
As lunch finished, the others slowly trailed into the living room to let everything settle before finding something to do for a few more hours. She sat on the couch with Cye and listened to them talk about everything and nothing. The small ping that started just after breakfast, most likely spawned from their banter, slowly grew behind the laughter and good humor she felt. As the time counted down the final hours, the nervous fluttering mixed with the guilt and made her wish she could open her mouth and blurt out the truth...even though it was trapped shut. She just couldn't get the words out.
Guilt made her feel bad for even saying anything, though it was propelling her to say something at the same time. She hated these catch twenty-twos. They always made her hate feeling this way, even though it was inevitable. She had plenty of experience with guilt.
After a while, sleep started catching up with her. Those three hours weren't enough compared to the normal seven or eight she normally got and worrying about her emotions was only making it worse. Her lids closed and she rested her head against Cye's shoulder. His arm went absently around her back and she subtly snuggled against him, hoping the group could keep talking while she could pretend to be awake and listening. If she was lucky, they wouldn't even know she dozed off and could get a quick catnap to pick herself up.
A few smiled at how easily Cye's arm cuddled Kimon closer to him. They hid those grins behind teacups, but the smile didn't go away in time when their cover was removed.
"So Cye...what do you intend on doing after this weekend is over with?"
Blue locked with blue, narrowing a little at the humor in those eyes. That always spelled trouble in his book. "I have no clue. I've been playing it by ear these past two weeks and don't know what I'm going to do come Monday." Blue looked to raven. "I suppose I can take her home Sunday night after she's had a chance to get used to the fact of seeing again so she isn't so disoriented. After that...I think we'll try to figure something out. Any ideas Kimon-chan?" When she didn't respond, his full attention went to the girl against his side. "Kimon-chan? Are?..." Carefully setting his teacup on the coffee table, the now free hand went and moved her chin toward him. Her face was peaceful and he knew that look. She was asleep. He smiled.
"What's up?"
Amused blue looked to tiger blue. "I guess that late night caught up with her." He kidded, slowly moving on the couch. "It's a good thing I guess...she can use the sleep. I'll go put her in her bed and then we should talk." Cradling her like before, feeling her slightly snuggle against him, he carefully trekked up to her room and gently situated her on the thankfully unmade bed.
After getting the covers around her to make sure she was warm enough, he kneeled down and rested his head on the mattress. Blue took in her serene face, feeling love surface. A hand rose and gently combed her hair. A gentle smile appeared and his head tilted. 'Why do I love you so much? And why can't I tell you?' His brow furrowed a little in tiny frustration as he stood and looked down. 'I will find a time to tell you, I promise you that. On my shinrai, I will be totally honest with you and will do everything I can to get you through the next few days.'
His face evened to a tiny smile as he shut the door without clicking it shut. Thankful the floors didn't squeak, he headed back downstairs, finding everyone sitting a little more seriously than before. After taking up his same place next to Ryo, Cye picked up his cup and went to fill it. "So...what are we going to do?" He quietly asked.
"Is there any kind of plan we have, other than a general outline?" Ryo queried, eyeing everyone. His gaze strayed on Cye, who looked suspiciously cool about the whole thing. His face hardly showed any emotion.
"It'll do good to tell her about the armors." Sage nodded. "Just as a precaution to warn her so she doesn't freak out, if she does at all. I'll explain what I'll do before I do it so she doesn't get scared. The important thing is she doesn't tense. That won't do me any good."
"So if we tell her a little bit before, are we explaining the entire thing when she can see?" Kento asked, brow furrowing a bit. "Are we going to put on our subarmors and explain those too?"
"It all depends...we don't know the situation and only Cye knows her well enough to know how she'll react. It might be possible she doesn't WANT to know everything...or that much." Rowen quietly answered, a finger rubbing his chin. "We've been around her for a bit to gain a general assumption of how she acts. I think she could be trusted, and I'm sure the rest of you do too. We'll have to judge her reactions after the magic restores everything."
"Are there any possible side effects you didn't think of a while back Sage? I want to be prepared for as much as possible..."
"Cye shinpai suranai. You weren't with us in the beginning, but I healed Ryo's eyes after they were poisoned from Skehemet and he was fine immediately. If anything happens, it could be as a result from stress or anxiety if nothing else."
"That was with your no-datchi Sage..."
"Are you sure it'll work the same way with your magic?"
Silence descended as violet locked with blue. Finally, violet narrowed a fraction as Sage continued sipping his tea. "Go grab Torrent if you need to borrow a little more of its power Cye." Violet looked away as he set the cup down. "You asked me to do this and I'm doing it as a favor for you and the girl. You should trust me more than that."
An almost awkward silence followed his quiet, even retort. Everyone but Sage and Cye looked to each other with mildly unsettled looks. Rarely did Sage look his temper or even his cool with one of them. If he ever yelled at Rowen, everyone knew he didn't mean it. This was entirely different and the tension that settled on them suddenly seemed unbearable.
Finally, Cye heaved a sigh and leaned on his knees, hands going into his hair. "Sumimasen...gomen gozaimasu... It's just..." Hands flopped on his pants, the slap echoing off the walls. "I'm really worried for her. Probably more worried than SHE is... I just want this to go well for her. She's never had anything go well in her life...I want this one thing to be the start of the rest of her life." Apologetic blue looked up to violet, finding it already watching him. "Gomen..."
After a while, Sage blinked and the even expression left his face. It softened and he gave a tiny nod in understanding. "Wakaru... I know this is stressing you and your aura is showing it. But just let me handle this. I'll do what I'm supposed to and I won't let either of you down." He gave another small nod at Cye's relieved smile and poured himself another glass.
Ryo leaned back with an inaudible sigh. "We need to be more productive here guys. We've only got an hour or two left. We haven't reached a decision on the most important thing. Who's going to speak about the armors and how much are we telling? The latter's the most important." Silence came again for a while as everyone thought. "It would seem most logical that you tell her Cye, as you know her best and are her boyfriend. But..."
"But you're the leader Ryo." Rowen finished.
Their ex-leader shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him. "I can, if that's what you want. I'm just throwing that out as an option." Tiger blue looked across the couch. "Do you think you can say what needs to be said? You are pretty nervous right now. If we don't think something should be said..." More quiet followed his empty statement. It seemed to take forever before a decision was actually reached.
"Why don't you do it Ryo?" Kento quietly answered, looking utterly serious for once. "You ARE our leader. Cye's relationship is something to keep in mind, but he should be there for emotional support more than anything. You've always kept the coolest head in any situation during the war outa all of us. You know what needs to be said and you know what shouldn't. We know you can handle anything."
Rowen was the first to nod his consent and agreement. Sage followed, and finally Cye. With a small smile, Ryo nodded in acknowledgement of his duty and gave a tiny sigh from this newest responsibility.
The air felt a little less tense now that everything seemed to be situated. It didn't take long for Cye to get antsy for time to hurry along. At length, he looked to everyone. "Do you think enough time has passed for her to sleep?" A sheepish grin appeared. "I'd...like to get this started. I don't know how long it'll take and the sooner it gets done the better."
Everyone smiled at him, but Sage nodded. Cye set the glass down with a mumble that he'd be back in a few minutes and headed for the stairs.
~*~*~
She walked down the stairs with Cye next to her, feeling her stomach in knots. This was it; the final minutes. Then her life would be changed for the better. So why did she feel so horrible still?
The guilt hadn't left with the nap. After being gently woken up by Cye and a quick explanation of what was going to happen, it returned almost worse than before. She knew why it was there, if not an easy way to recede it. She knew she had to tell Cye before she worried herself sick again, but it wasn't that simple. If he knew she wasn't completely honest with her, would he hate her? It was doubtful, but she just couldn't get it out of her head. Then there was the whole accident and the entire formation behind it. She didn't know what he would say about THAT one...
Part of her knew she should try. She didn't know if Sage would deny her the procedure if she told the truth, even if Cye might. She didn't know; she was trying to make sense of it in her mind. Even as she sat down and heard Ryo give a short clarification that he was going to tell her a story that had to deal with the process, she couldn't get the thoughts to go away. She rarely listened or comprehended much. All she picked out was something big happened that, somehow, no one remembered by way of magic. These five held something magical in their possession that Mia kept as a type of guardian until they needed it again...if ever.
When Ryo finally finished his tale and asked if there was anything she wanted him to clarify, she just gave a dumb shake. It was a little hard to figure out, but she wasn't worried about the story. In mere minutes, Sage would give his sight back to a liar. She couldn't let that happen...she had to come out if she wanted her soul to be stainless from here on out. This was a new life she was gaining tonight and she wanted it to be pure and fresh. Nothing from her old life should remain...
Kento and Rowen pushed the chairs and coffee table out of the way so there would be more room. Cye helped her to the floor and into the sitting position Sage was trying to get her into, feeling her distress. He didn't know what was going on in her head, but knew she was more than nervous. She was more than unusually quiet, even for her. He didn't like that and it normally meant something was going on in her head. With something this important, he would figure she would be more tuned and attentive.
There was going to be a problem if she didn't calm down. Sage could see how tense her shoulders were and kept eyeing her face to try and figure out what she was thinking and feeling. Her aura was greatly distressed, but it wasn't over what was happening. The emotions were all wrong for it to be concerning this. If he was going to do this right, there couldn't be any thoughts in her head and she had to RELAX. Sitting cross-legged, hands on his knees, he stared gray head on. "Okay Kimon-san...I want you to take a few breaths and relax for me. That's very important that you relax. Try to meditate and calm yourself down. You need to be receptive if this is going to work properly. Wakarimasu?" All he gained was a shaky nod and his eyes closed with the hope that she would calm with his instructions.
After a dozen breaths, she still hadn't calmed down any. If anything, her fear of this transition and what it would do to her new life only made her even worse. The adrenaline in her body ran hard and her heart was beating too fast. She was nearly shaking in her nervousness and worry, and it wasn't a good thing. Everyone's eyes were on her and she didn't want to let them down. She HAD to say something! But the pressure to speak was having a rather opposite effect. She was holing up even more than she meant to and was finding it rather easy to keep quiet. Taking the coward's way out would surely stain her soul. 'SPEAK OUT!' Her mind screamed. 'If you don't do this BEFORE Sage-san does whatever, they'll think you're using them! DO IT NOW!!!!'
Sage reached across the short distance and gently grabbed Kimon's hands, cradling the backs of her open palms in his. "Okay...I want you to relax Kimon-san. I'm going to try to connect with you and it might feel weird, but nothing will be wrong. I will go step by step with you, alright?" He didn't get an answer again, not even a shake of a head. A brow furrowed a little and violet stole a quick glance to the others. "Kimon-san? Can you hear me??"
"I can't do this!!" She cried out, yanking her hands back. Her momentum propelled her to the floor and she quickly twisted to kneeling position. She crawled forward and searched for Cye's hands, tightly gripping them. Beseeching eyes looked up to his. "Gomen nasai Cye-chan, but I can't do this with a mark on my soul!"
"Kimon-chan...nani-"
Her head dropped to his knees as she fought a sob. "I haven't been fully truthful to you Cye-chan, but I can't keep hiding it anymore! I feel so guilty for not telling you before, but it was so hard to tell you THAT! But I can't hide and start a new life with a stain! It's...it's my fault Cye-chan!" Gray looked up again, tears pooling. "That car crash...it happened because of ME!" There was an utter shocked silence as everyone looked to Kimon and Cye with wide eyes.
He was having a hard time himself finding his voice. Every time he tried to close his jaw, it just dropped open again without words. Her hands squeezed even tighter, but that still didn't help him. She held back that day?? Why???
The second she blinked, tears started falling. "I distracted haha by not staying in my seat and when she looked around, already going through the intersection, the car was already too close to avoid! I wasn't behaving! I was such a brat back then!! It's my fault she died! If she hadn't even looked BACK, she might not've cracked her neck from that angle and she'd be alive right now!" A sob wrenched from her and her head pressed against his knees in grief. "I'm so very sorry I hadn't told you this, but I just COULDN'T! I didn't want you to hate me for being insolent! I hate myself for what I did...I broke my family! I always figured this was my punishment for being such a misbehaving child...but then I found there was a way and I can't bury this anymore! I...I just don't want you to despise me for what I did..." Gray meekly looked up as her shoulders started heaving with the force of her sobs. "Please...please don't hate me..."
The weak plea was what snapped him back to his senses. With a blink, brow furrowing in anger, he leaned down and grasped her arms, pulling her as close to him as possible. His arms tightly wrapped around her back as he slid to the ground and hugged her. "I would NEVER hate you Kimon-chan! NEVER! You were FOUR YEARS OLD when that happened! You couldn't control what fate would do to you! Your being blind was a fluke from that accident. Don't think it's your fault when it's not... You didn't break anything and even if you were a misbehaved child back then, that's not you now." He yanked her chin up so he could see her face. Tears still fell and his thumb fruitlessly wiped them away. After a brief pause, his face softened as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I WILL never hate you. I love you koishii..." Dearest.
She gasped and jerked back, a shaking hand covering her mouth. She stared at his voice with wide eyes, mentally throttling herself to make sure she heard right. "You...you......what?..."
A small blush appeared at admitting this to her in front of everyone, but she didn't seem to notice them anymore. It was just the two of them right now. "Hai..." He whispered, a hand trailing over her face. "I've been so afraid to tell you, but I know that it's the only way you'll get over that thought. I've loved you for a long time koishii... I want you to see. I want to do so much with you...but you can't let thoughts like that fester in your soul. Let them go Kimon-chan. Put the past to rest and let your mother get the peace she deserves."
Her throat clogged and more tears fell. Her arms wrapped around him with all the strength she could muster. The beating of his heart sounded heavenly and an intense wave of emotion speared her. It was exactly like what she felt upon trying to make the decision to see, only much stronger. She smiled at it, now knowing what it was. Finally, she pulled back with a beaming smile and gave his hands a tight squeeze. He returned the gesture before letting her get back to what it was that needed to get done.
Quickly wiping the tears from her face, trying to compose herself, she resumed her previous position and gave Sage an apologetic look. "Gomen nasai...you understand, don't you?"
His lips tilted. "Hai. You had to get that out. And that calmed you more than you think. I'm going to take your hands again and make contact. After I find what I'm looking for, I'm going to start the healing process. It's going to feel strange, but don't move until I tell you to. And above all, remain calm."
She gave a fierce nod, her face full of concentration. It was hard to relax upon command, but she tried to do as he said. She took a few deep breaths to try to get her heart rate down and to calm the raging happiness that bubbled. She needed to focus on this and only this right now...she could revel in Cye's administration later.
What Sage said about feeling weird was true. She felt a small tingling/warmth in her hands, then in the back of her head. It was like there was some sort of hum in her brain. She resisted the urge to shift and move away. She took a few more breaths and closed her eyes, trying to remain calm. She tried to ignore the feelings that started stealing through her. The sensations seemed to hover a little before spreading through her head, going down her neck and to the rest of her body. The two points met at the ends of her arms and spread like a fire until her entire body felt utterly strange. There was no way to describe the emotions. Her teeth grit against the onslaught.
Then, a greenish tint appeared behind the black curtain and started brightening in intensity. It started as a low spark, like someone lighting a candle, until it started becoming too much for even HER. Even looking at the sun didn't affect her this bad. The blindness kept up, like someone shining a million light bulbs in her eyes. Her eyes squeezed tighter against it, brow furrowing as if it pained her.
The two were encased in twin bodies of glowing green. Sage sat in his normal meditative stance in an almost calm way, while Kimon looked as if she was having a hard time. Neither moved now, though Kimon slowly cringed away in the beginning, it seemed she forced herself to stop. The three looked on with wide-eyed, avid attention, never seeing something like this before. This was a sight to see and none noticed when Mia gasped upon reentering the room. She left to give them privacy to discuss the healing process, though said she would come back for moral support.
Cye barely snuck a quick glance at her position behind the couch before riveting his gaze back on the pair. It seemed his heart stopped beating in wait and the breath seized in his throat. They were all waiting for the end and to make sure it happened. His muscles were strung taunt with the need to go to his love, but he held himself back. Soon...when Sage pulled away and gave the indication that everything was alright.
After what seemed like intense, long hours...though only mere minutes...finally ended. Feeling exhausted at expanding so much energy in such a long time, Sage slowly retracted his power, seeing the green dim behind his eyes. Soon, it was gone as if it never existed and his shoulder slumped, breathing heavy. Weary violet opened and blinked to regain focus. The whole room was highly surprised when Kimon didn't move or speak for a few seconds, than slowly tilted backwards as if in a faint. Her head tilted backwards, hands gradually slipping from his. Sage was too dumbstruck and weary to snap to it and catch her.
He was on her before she could hit the floor. Cradling her body with his, a hand rubbed her face and the other gently shook her shoulder. "Kimon-chan! Wake up...onegai! Come on koishii...mezameru..." Wake up.
It seemed as if she heard him from far away in her mind. The need to sleep was great, but the distress in his voice was something she felt the need to calm. With intense will, her eyes squeezed and fluttered before finally peeking open in experimentation. When she saw swirls of color and light slowly focus from blobs, she gasped and rapidly blinked.
When her eyes fully opened and stared at him as if actually SEEING him, he startled. The once interesting gray, what he always found to be original...like her, turned an ice blue! There were still flecks of gray, but her eyes changed color entirely. "Kimon-chan...your eyes are different..."
Very slowly, she pulled away and sat on her own violation. She ignored his statement as if not even hearing it. Her eyes immediately took the big room in, then lifted a shaking hand and focused on it. She stared at it, knowing this slender, marked thing was HER hand. The longer she stared, the calmer it became and she experimentally flexed her fingers, bending them this way and that. She studied the skin, finding the faded scars she felt whenever her hands moved. She could feel them now, and it seemed as if she was dreaming. Her nails were extremely short and the cuticles gross. These were the hands of someone who used them as eyes...
Her new vision trailed up to her arm, studying the hairs on it. They were thin, dark hairs littering all over. They seemed so fine and delicate... These that she felt brush all the time whenever she shifted and her clothes rustled. A hand gently hovered directly over the surface and her fingers ran across the hairs. The feel and sight of it together was like sensory overload.
Finally, she looked up and was a mere foot away from a face. She blinked and dumbly stared at it, taking in the beautiful hair and eye color. Her eyes narrowed as a hand rose. "Cye...-chan?..." She whispered, touching his locks. They felt the same. Her hand trailed down his face, feeling the familiar texture of his skin. She touched his smile and connected that with what she knew in her mind. "Say something to me."
He blinked, but his gaze softened. "Ai shiteru..." He whispered, his hand covering hers.
Her vision blurred and for a second, she wondered if it was wearing off. But she blinked and it cleared, the familiar smell and weight of tears littered her cheeks again. She stared into those blue eyes, his voice ringing in her ears. The soft, intense emotion she saw speared that thick sensation in her heart and, before she knew what she was doing, closed her eyes and kissed him.
Everyone looked on with wide, shocked eyes, Cye included. He was rendered immobile for what seemed eternity before his brain screamed back that this was their first kiss and not to waste it! His eyes fluttered close as his head tilted, mindless of everyone else, and applied a small amount of pressure back.
The feelings invoked by feeling his lips return her shy kiss startled her. They were even more intense and she pulled away enough to speak against his lips. "I love you too Cye-kun..."
His throat locked up. How long did he want to hear that from her, but was content enough to know she cared about him?? He had never felt more complete in his entire life. Pulling away to look back at her, now able to, he smiled...knowing she could see it for once. Knuckles ran over her face. Right now, there were no words that could or needed to be said. He stared into those ice blue eyes, the lightest blue of shallow water in an ocean, and let her study his face.
She stopped trying to process everything after the kiss, just looking and taking it in. Something told her she had the rest of her life to look at everything and it was okay to not figure it all out right now. Blue pulled away after a minute and looked to the other occupants in the room. She spotted someone else on the floor and blinked in innocent wonder. Violet stared back at her and she instantly thought of how beautiful the color was. She knew what color was from her childhood, and was grateful for that. Otherwise she would be completely overloaded with all this. As it was, she was struggling to take it all in.
She slowly pulled from Cye's embrace and inched closer, a hand extended. With eyes riveted to even violet, she reached down and touched his hand. The thing she knew about Sage was his smell, voice, and now the feel of his hands. The position was a great giveaway to who he was, but she wanted to put a face with a name. The back of her hand rested in his palm and a wisp of a smile appeared as her mind connected with sight. She looked at his light blonde hair, finding him extremely attractive, but not as much as her koi, and slowly sat back. "Anata wa...Sage-san?" She breathed.
A small smile appeared as he nodded. He noted her eye color as well, wondering if it was a side effect, a harmless side effect. His magic wouldn't hurt her or cause anything wrong with her. "Hai Kimon-san. How do you feel?"
She blinked, but didn't answer him. She spotted something below flash a dim green and looked to it. Instantly, she picked up a tiny round ball and looked to it. "Kore wa?..." Light blue closely looked at it, brow furrowing at the surge of power that she felt in her palms where it touched.
Sage didn't don Halo, but kept the armor orb next to him to help boost his power. There was a small thought of whether or not to put on his subarmor, but it just didn't seem that important. A lithe hand reached up and gently took it from her palm. She would know more if she wanted to, but not now. There was a great exhaustion in her eyes that she seemed to be ignoring, much like he was. It wouldn't be long before she collapsed, but she should be allowed this privilege before that happened. A more in depth conversation could happen when everyone was rested up.
Her eyes spotted more people behind Sage's head and she leaned up a little to stare at them. She locked eyes with one pair of blue, finding a most interesting shade of hair color. It almost matched his eyes and her head tilted. She couldn't figure out why someone had blue/green hair color. Slowly getting to kneeling position, she edged her way around to the newest person and leaned against his legs. "Anata wa..." She whispered, looking at him very much like an inquiring child. She pressed closer to see more of him, irregardless of personal distance. His eyes were such an interesting shade of cyan...
His hand gently rested on her shoulder to halt her. He felt a little uncomfortable with her sudden infant-like mannerisms of looking at everything the world had to offer. "Rowen-chan." He answered, a small smile on his face.
She placed the voice and connected it with the face. Her eyes trailed to a forelock in between his eyes and a hand suddenly moved to brush it away. It went right back to place and with a quiet grunt, mouth pursing in obstinacy, she tried again and again. But his hair just wouldn't go away from his face.
With a small, odd look, his hand lightly clutched hers. His head shook to get his hair back the way it was. A few chuckled at them, and a tiny blush heated his cheeks. That was the first time a girl ever placed with his hair and he sent a weak glare across the way.
Ice blue looked to the source of the laugh, mostly on instinct to place something new in her surroundings, and locked with yet another pair of blue eyes. A darker patch of blue hair rested on the newest person and she looked from Rowen's hair to his. How many people in the world had blue hair?? She slowly shuffled over on her knees, eyes captivated with his. She knew who it was before she reached him. "Anata wa...Kento-san." She whispered, leaning against the arm of the chair to see closer.
Kento blinked, a little started. His brow furrowed at how she was able to figure it out. Sure she was narrowing down the number of names in her head, but how did she guess? He hadn't said anything and they hadn't touched before. She shouldn't be able to figure it out... "How did you know?" He wondered, head tilting a little.
Her ears took in his voice, only confirming even more that she was right. A tiny smile graced her face. "Your voice always spoke with happiness. Your eyes show it too..." She murmured, a hand rising to his face. She touched his cheek and felt the skin move as he gave a sheepish smile, feeling as if she were connecting every sense in her mind. It was incredibly odd to SEE someone smile, and yet still feel every tiny detail behind her mind's eye.
She looked and caught the last male in the room, knowing who it was by default. She blinked and stared at the interesting shape of his eyes. They were another pair of blue, but they were beautiful. "Ryo-san..." She whispered, staring in wide-eyed wonder. She received a tiny, warm smile and nod. She knew from that smile that it was Ryo. She didn't need to hear his voice, as his smile conveyed what she felt when she heard it. Did they really know that their facial attributes showed so well in their voices? She probably would've been able to pick out the five by just looking at them.
When her vision spotted movement above Ryo, her eyes went to it and her heart lurched. She locked with yet ANOTHER pair of blue eyes, but knew who it was. She didn't need to be told or hear this woman's voice to know. Just because she was the only other female in this place didn't register. This was Mia...and the concern, happiness, and love expressed in that single glance told her as much. "Mia-chan..." She shakily whispered, gradually getting to her feet. They felt unsteady to her and a hand pressed against the chair to help keep her balance. It was like walking all over again.
Mia knew just by that initial wobble that Kimon would have problems walking. That was a given. With a beaming smile, eyes already brimming with happy tears, she rushed around the couch and enveloped her friend in a fierce hug. When her eyes squeezed shut, tears flowed down her face. "Kimon-chan...yokatta..." She breathed.
Her eyes fluttered close at everything she felt in that embrace. All the emotions in Mia's voice told her everything she needed, but what Mia couldn't say. Her hold increased as if in reassurance, head pressing on the woman's shoulder. "Tomadachi..." She whispered, hearing the emotions in her voice as well.
The two embraced for what seemed forever until Kimon's hold slackened. Mia slowly pulled away, thinking the woman was going to stand away, and was suddenly presented with a large amount of dead weight. She startled, and arms instinctively went around Kimon to keep her upright. "Cye! Help me here!" She blurted out, trying to balance the thin girl. It wasn't hard, but it was sudden and that's what threw her off-balance.
He was on Kimon a second time before she could fall again. Easily cradling her, worried blue looked to her. "What happened?? She just collapsed??" Blue looked to Sage for an explanation and found violet half open.
Sage mentally shook himself of the exhaustion that was pulling on him. The night was late and that wasn't helping any either. He was tired, so tired... "She's worn out Cye. That transfer took a lot of energy. Then all that sensory overload probably added to the pile. She's tired...and so am I."
Mia quickly went to help him up. "Then you two are both going to bed for the night." She seriously answered, already playing mother hen. "It's been a night and I think we're all pretty tired. I know I am MENTALLY. We should just call it an early night. Who knows what'll happen tomorrow? We should be prepared for questions and incidents."
Those sitting stood and stretched. A few yawns appeared. "You're right Mia." Ryo mumbled, going to help her with Sage. Though Halo could walk on his own, he was tired as he said and Ryo didn't trust him to make it up the stairs. Sage leaned on him a little, apparently thinking the same thing.
"For once, I'm not going to argue." Rowen answered, yawning again. He and Kento headed after the rest of the troop. Everyone headed for their own rooms and Cye stopped with Kimon outside her door.
"Kento, you're sleeping alone tonight. I'm bunking up with Kimon-chan."
Everyone paused. "Cye...you're-"
Blue darkened to the hesitant voice. "Don't question my morals again Kento. I'll be in her bed, but nothing will happen on my honor. Don't think I'd do something like that. I want to be there when she awakens. She's going to need me." His arms absently tightened as he got the door open and shut it without allowing any other comments.
Everyone looked at each other in silence, hearing quiet shuffling in the room across them. Unspoken questions and statements passed through their eyes until Mia finally shrugged and headed into her room. The others gradually followed her example. Cye was right and this was going to be one interesting day tomorrow. They'd need all the sleep they wanted and if Cye wanted to keep her company, and most likely safe, he was entitled to.