Kays, next chappie. Dun have much more to say out it 'cause it's just okay. XD And this time I dun really feel like individual commenting back, sorree! ' I'm just a little tired now. Thank you all very much though!

And OMGosh, this one is edited! Dances Chapter One has been edited as well, although that hasn't been uploaded yet. I will edit them all and upload them all at once. ' Someone offered to be my beta, but I feel very comfortable doing things myself. It was so hard to say no! TT

Chapter Fourteen

Amefuri opened his eyes again with out satisfactory sleep for the second time in a row that night. He was lying down, and while his surroundings were very blurry in his vision, he had easily guesed it was because of his powers that had gotten in control; some may have gotten to his eyes, as it's happened a few times before. His body was sore as well, though nothing seemed damaged or scarred. As his vision cleared, Amefuri felt his cheek with his fingers lightly, trying to sense the condition of himself.

"Damn," he muttered, feeling a small bump a little to the right of his chin. He frowned, even though there was no one to see his expression that he knew of. "With this face I won't receive nearly as many jobs." He felt under his eyes too, as if he could tell their condition. "With the lack of sleep I've had lately, I probably have circles too. . . "

"And just when do you sleep?"

Once he heard a voice other than his own, his surroundings seemed to be just a little bit more important than the way he looked. He ignored the sting in his eyes and made them dart side to side, checking where he was and making them adjust. He wiped them with his shirt a little bit, careful not to let his skin touch them again in case there was still dried poison on the surface. Finally, when he was completely able to see, he found Subaru sitting next to him, giving a curious, but still slightly annoyed expression.

In answer to her question, he replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I sleep during the day, of course. Most of the time anyway; some women like it better when it's light out; especially virgins."

"You-" she said in an annoyed voice, like she was talking to Lanva. She grabbed his collar and made him nose to nose with her, staring straight into his eyes. He seemed a little surprised at first, but then it also felt a little routine to him, and for a moment she wondered who in the world had this same conversation before to make him so calm about it.

But, with those thoughts ringing in her head about judging him, she pushed him away with a pout on her face. Subaru crossed her arms and turned her face away, muttering, "You're a virgin killer!"

"Yeah, maybe a thousand or so."

He started to count on his fingers, trying to remember everything in his past like solving a math problem. "Well, I started when I was eleven, so that's five years. Bearing in mind I can get as many as three customers a day, there's plenty of time for a thousand."

Amefuri smiled at her expression, knowing he was pushing her buttons. He smiled and continued onward, unafraid of what she could do; he said it in such a loud and boisterous voice, however, that it was more like he was joking or teasing her. "And it's also because I'm a lucky little pretty boy, bless that Byakko's soul. Good thing my Mother was also a beauty in her prime as well."

He laughed, which made her calm down a bit as well, though it was obvious she had to hold back her tongue in order not to say anything more. He took this moment to glance around at where he was and get a fresh perspective, at which he found an absolutely gorgeous paradise. Before him was a beautiful, sparkling waterfall with a river, flowing down a mountaintop all the way to the bottom, so far down it was past the clouds. The sky was a mix of ginger, cherry, azure and gold, as if the sun was just setting or rising and they were in perfect view. There was no half-sun to peek at though, nothing that could show the brilliant potential of the trees with small but full round leaves (though even without the sun it was like they were completely shown upon anyway).

"Holy shit," he said to himself, his eyes wide at the marvelous beauty. The two of them were a tiny portion at the top of the peak and the rest was a wonderland; not too infested with greenery like the haunted mansion, and even a little populated with life other than plants. ". . . Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Subaru replied normally, as if their conversation before had never happened. She paused and looked around herself, spotting something that looked a bit like a turtle's head and shell bob around in one of the pools that was formed away from the mainstream river. It slowly made its' way to the side, then its' head came out to nibble at a little bit of grass by the pool. In a moment, its' head submerged again. Then she said slowly, "To be honest . . . The river looks a lot like a dream I had."

"Really?" he asked, looking at her for only a moment before looking around him again. She seemed a little upset that he wouldn't make eye contact with her. Then she felt a little relief, laughing a little inside.

'At least he found something more interesting than a woman,' she thought. She continued in with what she was saying before, not bothering to point out her views on his tastes. "Last night, or earlier . . . I had a strange dream . . . There was only black, and I could hear a river with a waterfall. It didn't have other small rivers with ponds like this one, it stopped with a single one, but the sound is the same. Before I opened my eyes here, I remember this same exact sound when I was wandering in the dark."

"A vision . . . You must've seen a vision."

Subaru suspected Amefuri was definitely right about his little guess. It was too much of a coincedence that they ended up here, of all places. Were they in her mind, maybe? She sat up, rubbing her buttocks a little and stretching her legs to get the feel of them again. He didn't follow her lead and she jogged a little to the nearest small lake, looking down for the fish with sun dials. She frowned when she didn't see any, only more little turtles and baby sea serpents.

"Do you think we should look around?" Amefuri asked, shouting a little for his voice to reach her. He ran a little over to the river as well, and just when she thought he came over for her to answer her question, she was mistaken. He was looking down at his reflection in the water, running his hands through his coffee colored hair and lightly holding his bangs before they fell back on his face again. "My hair looks pretty bad too . . . I need something to wash it and brush it down, it's everywhere. . ."

"Are you sure you're not a woman?" she said jokingly, for once not upset at all. She found it too funny to be mad. "You worry about your looks in the most specific ways!"

"Well, I know what a woman wants," he replied, sticking his hand in the water, bringing up a bit to wash his face. He also washed a little on his arms, careful not to let what venom that was there into the pool. Subaru decided she might as well clean up a bit as well, and since she wanted water before, now was the perfect oppurtunity to have some. She decided to ask a question about him a little seriously this time, picking up where they left off before they started to look at where they were at.

"So . . ." she began, trying to find the right words. "What's your Mother like?"

"My Mother?" Amefuri sounded like she resented what she asked, as if to say 'It's not of your business!' but he answered her anyway, not continuing on with the nasty tone. "I guess she's alright. She's not the best woman to live with, but I love her anyway. She had me when she was thirteen by a random customer, so she's twenty-nine now. I guess in our world," he paused for a moment, before emphasizing 'our' to reference his line of work, "that's starting to become old."

"It's not old at all though. . ."

"Like I said, in our world. When someone goes and looks for a one night stand, they want a fresh young beauty. When your decline in customers come in, that's when you realize you're getting old. Like I said, on average I'm one to two people a day, maybe three twice or thrice a week. My Mother, however . . . she probably only recieves one or two a week, so she goes out a lot to find people for free. That's also why she has so much perfume and make up, to keep her looking young."

"What?"

Amefuri noticed how down she seemed after that, and even the atmosphere and the beauty of the paradise couldn't fight it. She wasn't always smiling, but at least she always seemed . . . spirited. He wasn't used to her acting in such a manner. "Hey, you're the one that asked, but you shouldn't feel bad about it. It's not your fault."

When that didn't work, he sighed, trying to prepare for a smile. He turned her head a little and kissed her on the cheek spontaneously, in which she replied by punching him in the face so hard he fell into the water. She was completely steamed, her face red both with anger and embarrassment.

"You . . ." she said in her devilishly low voice, then she started shouting loudly, "You idiot! Taking advantage of a woman! You're just like Lanva, all men think alike! Sex, sex, sex, that's all they want and if it was food and water it would be all they ever need! That's right, I'm putting you in the same league as my fiancee and every other man out there, and let me tell you that's not a league that you should be pleased to be in-"

She immediantly stopped talking like someone had covered her mouth when she noticed him laughing instead of persisting or arguing back. He was sitting in the water, only a little underneath his shoulders and above visible, along with two little bumps that were his knees. "That's what I was waiting for; no more being upset over silly things like that," he stood up and smiled, his face uncomfortably close to hers, "alright?"

Subaru felt completely uncomfortable with him so close and turned her face away, her face still beat red, muttering, "Sure, sure . . ."

"Really, don't be mad. A kiss is the best way to get someone out of an upset mood."

She eyed him a little, though she smirked at the same time. "I guess you would know out of expirence?"

"Of course!"

The two had completely put whatever negative feelings they had aside and deicded to try and figure out just where they were. While it was obvious they were at the top of a mountain because of the clouds below them, covering their view, there were clouds above them as well. The area, Paradise as Amefuri had called it, was the only part that wasn't filled with the white fog. Because of that, they deicded to stay close to the water and walk upwards.

The rocks started off smooth, and it only took a little effort to climb. As they walked through the mist however, they could feel their backs leaning forward and their arms reaching for ledges to try and climb. Amefuri stopped for a moment, letting Subaru climb a little ahead ("That way I can catch you, if you slip!" he said). It was more like they had to feel their way for pieces, and cautiously, too; it was so hard to see, that relying on their senses to be able to tell if it was a loose piece or not was quite a challenge.

"This is really difficult," Subaru heard Amefuri mutter, and it took her a moment to realize that he no longer was underneath her, but beside her. Or at least, that is what his voice told her. A small echo followed his complaint, making her a little nervous. It was like she could see just how high she was. She heard another grunt from Amefuri and then a few rocks crackling.

"Amefuri, are you alright?" she asked worridly, afriad he might've slipped a little. She stopped, holding onto two rocks and spreading her legs steadily.

"Yeah, no problems yet," he replied. "It's just that with one hand . . . It's putting a lot of pressure on my muscles."

"Oh . . ." She reminded herself not to take her hands for granted. Obviously, it didn't seem to hadicap him much, but it sure seemed harder. She imagined he was sweating far more than her, and not just because of the misty and damp air about them; he probably was sore too.

When they climbed a little further, even she was starting to feel a strain in her body, and she started to wish that they had either stayed in Paradise or gone down. She was only a little fatigued before, but now she really wanted to stop. Not that she could in such a place. It was then she heard another slipping noise and a yelp. "Amefuri!?"

"Dammit!" he shouted, and now it sounded like he was shouting upwards. In reflex she reached out with one hand, trying her best to keep hold with the other hand. Subaru felt herself reach into nothing, but after barely a second she grabbed hold of something in thin air.

"Amefuri, is that you?"

"That . . . really . .. hurts . . ." he muttered, and before she could understand what he meant the rock she was holding on had broken off under the sudden weight, and she felt her body lose all its' power. She was still holding onto her fellow Celestial companion, but she could feel a massive wind fly through her skin, pushing her robes and creating a loud ruffling sound. She shut her eyes to protect them, clenching her fists.

'This can't be it!' she though to herself, 'I haven't even learned how to use my power yet! I haven't been married, I haven't had children . . .'

Subaru expected her end to be quick and painless, a splat against the bottom of the mountain or maybe crashing into the water. On the other hand, her body could've also caught on something and she would've lived, though it would be extremely painful. She didn't know which one it'd be, but she prayed that whatever it was it would be something a bit better than the other.

But the end never came. She felt her back snap a little as it landed on something incredibly bouncy, and her body kept springing up and down a little. It wasn't soft, but neither was it hard; almost a rubbery substance. She could still feel her grip on whatever part of Amefuri she had clung onto and let go, then she opened her eyes.

All she could see what the fog again, though it wasn't nearly as clear. When she went to see what she had landed on, she found herself curisously staring at a pink bubble-like thing, which was floating upwards. She smiled, this time trying to make herself bounce up and down a little like a child. This was too good to be true, what good fortune!

"Ow, ow ow . . ." she heard Amefuri say, growling a little. She could see him sitting next to her, and while he was massaging his arms a little bit, he was also massaging one knee as well. When she asked why, he replied, "I fell backwards, so my knees were above my head, and that's where you grabbed."

"Sorry," she said, trying hard not to laugh. Figuring that as high as the mountain seemed to the two of them that it was going to take them a while before the bubble creature made it up to its' destination, Subaru decided to make herself comfortable. She pushed down on the ball, lifting her body a little and sitting herself cross-legged.

"Where to you think this thing leads to?" Amefuri asked, putting his arms behind his head and using them as a pillow, lying against the bubble. She shrugged.

"Guess we'll have to wait and see, you know?"

x x x x x

So yeay, Amefuri and Subaru are finally becoming friends! Ya know what I realized? I said a little while ago that I didn't expand on Amefuri's character muchlies, and that I wanted to do it more in the future. For some reason, I still feel like I haven't nailed his personality, but as for everything else . . . Well, I talk about his past a lot. But yeah, him kissing her on the cheek isn't supposed to symbolize a luv relationship, it's supposed to show what I said before about him not understanding when he's being too affectionate. XD 'Cause it's cute and all!

Now that I've edited it, I feel more satistfied with it. Subaru and Amefuri really just weren't the 'Let's be friends!' characters before, so this is a fun way to delve into them some more. ' I need to work on Subaru x Lanva!

. . . And I also need to work on Amefuri x Suzuno, which I've done like, none of since the beginning. And would you consider what I've done so far Suzuno x Tatara? OMGosh, where'd all the romance go?! Romance is so easy to do Hatsu, why haven't you done it yet? Lol! And people enjoyed the kiss you did with Amefuri and Suzuno- do some more! Doesn'y know why she was talking in third person I'm suddenly very hyper . . . And I'm listening to my Shadow Hearts Sountrack!

And the title is from the manga Paradise Kiss. I figured, it's called Paradise and Amefuri kisses her. Yeay! Paradise Kiss!