It's funny, Shishiou thinks to himself, how she looks like a dream in the nighttime.

The wind rushes around them as he stands and she sits with her legs dangling over the roof of her room in the citadel, the breezes carrying the scent of the leaves and the earth and the water while the stars up above them glitter silver and golden, lightening up the skies. Down below, there is a river flowing up and down with a soothing pattern that almost puts him to sleep, almost makes him wish that the peace would last forever.

Almost.

(Looking at Aruji when she's like this is almost surreal, too different from the cold expression she usually wears, too young to be involved in this war, and he'll get all sorry and sentimental -)

"You take sugar with tea?" Shishiou questions, the worlds spilling out of his mouth without permission, and she turns to him, eyes reflecting all the stars, and there is a hint of smile on her face.

"Of course I do. I don't like anything too bitter."

"I think you like coffee."

"Oh, so you remember? I drink it to keep myself awake."

Unhealthy. He wants to say, but he remembers it's not his problem.

"Tea is not bitter, you can have it with old man -" He stops, taking in the feeling of her fingers on his cheeks, before his hair is brushed out of his face and he can see more clearly, she's smiling.

"I'm going to say something really sappy now."

"Then don't say."

"It's such a beautiful night." She says, and he doesn't see anything sappy about it. "So I think we should do a little talking. There is no point in being up here and staying silent, right? But I don't know what to say." She flicks his forehead, who does she think she is?

Shishiou raises his eyebrows at her. "We always can stargaze." He suggests airily, and Aruji fails to hide her laughter.

"I never thought you were the type to do stargazing." Aruji sounds genuinely surprised. "I think you're all about tea and sleeping, like any old men."

"Hey!"

"But I guess I haven't known you long enough." She mutters, taking his hair and twirls it around her fingers.

He makes no attempt to move away, "But you've made an quite impression. You yanked my hair and Nue when we first met." By his side, Nue stirs, and Aruji shoots Nue an apologetic look.

"I was excited. When they said it'd take a long time to forge that time, I was excited. When I saw you... I just... couldn't help myself."

"You were excited?"

"Yes."

Excited? So excited that her face was so blank? And she didn't even let him introduce properly. She just looked away!

"I can't believe you."

"That -" Her tone is defensive, "You can ask Kashuu! When I got him, I was too shock to utter a word. And the first thing I did was to look at his heels! The only one that I've been calm to shake hands with is Ichigo!" She looks away from him, snatching up one of many fireflies dancing across on the air in her hands. "Want one?" He would laugh at her weak attempt to change the topic if she wasn't wearing an expression of wonder on her face.

"A firefly? Why do you think I need a firefly? I know you're weird -"

"I'm being nice to you." A 'don't test me' is left unsaid. Finally, she shakes her head in defeat, before she suddenly leans close (too close) to deposit the firefly on his head where it bounces a bit but doesn't fly off. "Wow, it looks good on you." She tells him sincerely, and maybe, maybe the wind does stop. She's still too close, eyes reflecting stars and fireflies and -

Old man, I think I'm sick. Do you think swords can get sick?

It's funny, Shishiou thinks to himself, how much she looks like dreaming comes true.