Sunday 1: Introspectre

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

FIRST POST! Roleplay is now open.

Please hide long entries behind lj cuts. Thank you!



Modified posting rules (titles):

Day, number, title.

So:

Monday 1: A bright morning

the next post on the same day would be

Monday 1.2: Out and about

Following post:

Monday 1.3: An encounter!

(you can go on indefinitely...Monday 1.235 is an option...)

Next:

Tuesday 1: On the street

In the event of a mission, add Mission # to the title. So - Monday 1: Mission 1: The ant farm (location of mission)

The next week would be:

Monday 2: The day after

Monday 2.2: Cold cereal and cigarettes

Etc.

Thanks be to pichi for revisions on this.





Aya was doing something that he rarely did, although no one was around at the moment to see it.

The smile felt awkward on his face, the corners of his lips pulling at the dried clay of his cheeks and chin.

He fingered his naked ear and looked to the table beside his bed. A single gold shaft lay in its center, under the canopy of the lamp and beside his alarm.

His sister was awake. She was home.

He was no longer Aya.

He was Ran. Again.

Or maybe he had always been Ran.

His face settled back into its familiar mold, smile fading to neutrality.

He hadn't thought he would be like Omi, where the name Takatori held such meaning. He hadn't thought that it would matter, aside from the constant reminder of a past that was so starkly different from his present. No matter what he or his teammates chose to call him, he was the same person.

Wasn't he?

But Aya's eyes, his sister's, told him otherwise when they looked so earnestly at him. She remembered someone else, someone her brother could barely remember being.

He didn't care, but for a brief moment he wondered if his teammates could remember to call him Ran. He had told his sister that he had taken her name for a time, to keep her present and with him, but the Aya they knew and the Ran she expected him to be - well, he was afraid that she would be able to see the truth of himself as Aya stripped open in their eyes.

Perhaps, he reflected, it would be better if she knew.

The thought made him grip the fabric on his bed.

He wished he could see her now. She was here, she was living, he could make her laugh if he opened his door to find her. But he had told himself he would let her live, and grow, in a space not smothered by his presence.

At least, as much as he was able.

His eyes flicked to the sword on his dresser.

How long, he wondered, could he keep her sheltered?

Kritiker had changed leadership. There was a new contact, and a new leader. How well could this new entity protect them?

Manx had promised that his sister would be under Kritiker's care, at least as much as was safe for the organization's interests. But Manx was gone.

It didn't matter. She had spoken for their employers, and as far as Aya was concerned, he would hold them to that.

Slowly, he released the sheets and picked up the book he had been reading a few moments before.

"In order to grow, flowers must be planted in fertile earth. The earth is like your past. It's made of the same material as the new life it will give birth to, but it cannot be resurrected. Till your memories like the earth, but let them rest..."

Comments

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

[I don't have an Aya icon and I'm too lazy to make one xD I don't need one, right? *shot*]

Aya-Chan stretched, feeling the warm sunlight hit her face. New place, new friends, even a new brother... it all seemed too much to take in all at once. She barely even remembered the supposed crash that had caused her coma; all she remembered was a bright flash of light, and suddenly, she had woken up several years later.

And Ran... This was definitely not the Ran that she had last been with. His new friends were not unpleasant, but certainly different from what she had grown accustomed with. Add to that the fact that every time one of them called him 'Aya', she'd turn around, expecting them to be talking to her... It wasn't that she didn't like this Ran; she simply didn't know him. It almost felt as if he was blocking a major part of himself off to her. In fact, that seemed to be the feeling she'd been receiving quite a lot lately: this awkward feeling as if there was something being held from her knowledge. The others were nice enough, it just seemed as if something was missing.

Aya-Chan pushed open the door and walked into the hallway. Sunday. Another day for her to absorb as much information as she can about the man named Ran.

[pichi.livejournal.com]

Sundays were glorious. No school and the shop was closed: catch-up morning for all the sleep Omi hadn’t had time for during the six days prior. He mumbled incoherently into his pillow and turned onto his other side, feeling warm and comfortable and happy in that way only a soft bed’s invitation to continue dreaming could do. He clung to that last chance to drift back into slumber before--

Too late. His eyes disobediently opened, devoid of fatigue. Like flicking a switch, his vision was clear, his mind alert, and he knew he was up for the day. He lay still for a moment and lightly sighed to the blank spot of wall. There was reality. Oh well.

He sat up and looked at the clock by his bed. Quarter to ten-- seven and a half hours. A faint smile of gratitude over such a restful night preceded his stretch and departure from the bed. Undoubtedly, over the course of the next six days, the sleepless and nearly-sleepless nights would catch up to him again, and he’d once more wake to a clock reading three hours later than his alarm. Maybe after graduation, he’d enjoy a more forgiving schedule, one that might allow him to watch the sunrise over a relaxing breakfast on mornings like this one, rather than having to take it for the rare chance to sleep that it was.

In the meantime, Sunday would remain his favorite day of the week.

Once he’d gotten dressed into his hoodie and jogging sweats, Omi slipped out the door to his room. This was the other reason Sunday morning was the best time of the week. With neither school nor work demanding his presence, he had time for a morning jog after waking.

He offered Aya an amiable smile as he met her in the hall. “Morning,” he greeted, already starting down the steps. “On your way to breakfast?” He glanced over his shoulder at her, a steadying hand on the rail lest his clumsy feet ambush the moment of distraction.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

"Morning," Aya echoed.

“On your way to breakfast?”

She nodded, following him down the stairs. "Yes. Will you be joining me?"

Out of all the new friends she had met thus far, she found herself most attached to Omi, and she had honestly hoped that there would be more of a chance to get to know the boy better.

Yohji, she had to admit, she was quite found of from the beginning; what woman wasn't? Due to her shyness, she hadn't actually let her feelings known, but it became apparent after a very short period of time that he simply wasn't interested in her. Ken was nice enough, but the three [?] year age difference made it a little harder for her to interact with him as she wanted to, seeing that she still retained some of her childishness. Omi, though, she found easy to talk to. He wasn't old enough to have developed the automatic "arrogance" that adults seemed to carry, yet he still had a sense of maturity that made her admire him.

She gave Omi a small smile. "I can make some pretty mean pancakes."

[pichi.livejournal.com]

Omi paused at the bottom of the steps, blinking his eyes at the offer. “Pancakes? Hmm...” He cast a guilty look off to the side. “I was about to go jogging, but...”

It wouldn’t be smart to have food right before exercise; he’d planned on eating after he was back. On the other hand, to turn down a chance for real food in this particular household was not exactly of sane mind, and he really did appreciate her gestures, for food and company alike.

He briefly considered an invitation to jog with him and then eat together, but given how weak she’d been since waking, Omi didn’t think that a very wise course of action.

His eyes flickered back to her. “Are you sure you don’t mind the trouble of making an extra plate?”

When it came down to it, no jog was worth more than a chance to spend time with family.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya gave herself a mental kick for not noticing the jogging outfit; like anyone would wear that kind of outfit just to lounge around the house? Still, it was nice of him to offer to stay.

"I was planning on making enough for everyone anyways," she said, moving towards the kitchen. "I've only cooked for Ran-Niisan before," her expression darkened momentarily as the thought that perhaps even this new Ran's eating habits were different crossed her mind. She brushed it away quickly, and smiled brightly again at Omi. "It'd probably take a while to make. Why don't you go on your jog first? It'll be ready by the time you get back." And perhaps, she thought, glancing up at the stairs, Ran-Niisan will be down to eat with us as well.

[pichi.livejournal.com]

Omi initially looked somewhat taken aback by her thoughtfulness, but it quickly warmed his features. It was very sweet of her to make something for everyone. He followed her gaze to the stairs, wondering himself who else would be drawn down to the table by the pleasant aroma of hot pancakes under maple syrup.

"Un. Don’t worry about cleaning up. One of the rest of us will take care of it.” That was only fair, right?

He looked around for signs of anyone else being up and about. He didn’t see anything, but he did hear the faint sound of the tv on in the living room. Following his ears, he poked his head in and smiled kindly at the elder blonde.

“Morning, Yohji-kun.”

Ducking back out, and still feeling a bit contrite for it, Omi went to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob for a last look at Aya.

“I won’t be long. Thanks again. For making breakfast.” He added. An awkward heartbeat of silence passed, and he flashed one more smile and quickly went outside.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran raised an eyebrow at his sister's giggle. He failed to see the humor in Yohji's idiocy, but he couldn't complain that much if he was at least amusing Aya-chan.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Surprised that Aya had allowed him to compliment his sister, Yohji took Ran's silence as encouragement.

"It sure is nice to have breakfast made by someone who can actually cook," he announced, a little louder than necessary.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan wasn't sure what to say to Yohji's comment; on one hand, it would be rude to not say thank you, but on the other hand, it was obviously a cutting remark towards Ran. She settled for something in between, blushing slightly, and mumbling a barely audible, "thank you."

She held back a loud sigh of relief as she heard footsteps. Perhaps now that Omi and Ken were back, things would be a bit more... calm.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran chose to ignore Yohji completely. It was usually the best tactic anyway, and he didn't know why he'd let the man rope him into a petty squabble in the first place. "It does smell delicious, Aya." He smiled at her.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji frowned and observed his pancakes. Being ignored by Ran held the number one spot on his list of things that really really irritated him. Which was unfortunate, since Ran tended to respond to quite a lot of things this way. Not that Yohji enjoyed being ignored by Ken and Omi either, it's just that those scenerios only ranked at 'irritating' instead of 'really really irritating.'

Being quiet wasn't an option; Yohji had a strict policy with himself to never shut up just because Ran wanted him to.

Unfortunately he didn't really have anything left to say, either.

"Seriously," he said, looking at Aya Chan, "what do you do differently than us?"

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

"GOOOAL!" Ken mock cheered as he skidded into the kitchen, fists raised in victory above his head. "Morning guys. Heard there were...pancakes! Great! They look tasty!"

Ken threw Aya-chan a sunny grin. "It's cool if I have some right?" The stomach demons threw in a (most definitely un) cute growl to emphasize his enthusiasm.

[pichi.livejournal.com]

Omi heard Yohji's baiting as he silently followed Ken back into the kitchen. Still at it, were they? Omi slid into one of the empty chairs. He added a single pancake to his plate, his attention less on Ken and more on the other two boys.

"Since Yohji-kun is so serious about showing his gratitude for some real breakfast, I'm sure he won't mind cleaning up the mess for our chef," he said.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji's eyes narrowed. Omi definitely had some sort of grudge against him this morning. Why did the kid always feel the need to exert some sort of authority over every situation? He got to call the shots on missions, he really needed to back off and let everyone do their own thing around the house. He could tell though that if he argued, everyone would take Omi's side. It didn't didn't really matter the scenerio, everyone always took Omi's side over his.

"Gratitude has nothing to do with it squirt," Yohji grinned lethargically, "I'm always ready and willing to help a beautiful lady."

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran slammed his hands down on the table. "Enough, Kudoh."

One finger twitched. His sword was in his bedroom. Looked like Yohji was lucky.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji arched an eyebrow, unphased. "So um, what exactly are you objecting to here? I'm not clear on whether you disagree with my merely truthful assement of your sibling's physical superiority, or if you do not wish for me to contribute to the post-breakfast cleaning ritual."

He looked Ran dead in the eye, maintaining a finely honed expression of complete disinterest.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran glared right back at him, eyes steely. "If you ever even think about her that way again, I will use my sword on you, Kudoh."

It occured to him that Aya was standing right there, but the thought of Yohji even mentioning his sister in a less-than-brotherly way made him want to run the man through with his katana.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

"I was going to go grocery shopping," Aya-Chan replied, feeling glad for the change in topic; perhaps now the atmosphere could become lighter. "And I thought I'd give my math homework another shot," her last comment caused a slight blush to creep onto her cheeks. It was almost embarrassing to admit that she was having trouble with her math homework. At least she could always blame that supposed coma...

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran opened his mouth, and then shut it.

He wanted to follow her everywhere. He wanted to protect her.

But she needs space.

Ran was at a loss. He felt like parent and brother and stranger all in one.

Let her live.

It was just grocery shopping, he insisted to himself. She'd be okay.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji watched the siblings with interest. Aya-chan was so clueless. The distress her announcement caused was written all over Ran's face. He would have found it comical if he hadn't already overstepped his bounds with those too.

To interfer or to not interfer?

It was hardly a question, Yohji loved interfering.

He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and polished them on his shirt, making his lack of genuine interest clear.

"It's terrible manners to make the cook also buy the groceries. That's Ken's job, Aya-chan."

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

"SINF 'HEN?!" Ken blurted accidentally through a mouthful of pancake. He blushed a bit at his rudeness, swallowed, and started over.

"I don't remember that being the rule, and I've never seen you offer--" He stopped mid-sentence and glared at Yohji. "Saa. Never mind. I'll go with you and carry stuff. I was going that way anyway, and you can tell me what to pick out and pay for." There was no way he was falling into a hole. Stupid Kudoh and his big mouth.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"If you'd rather do the dishes, I'd be thrilled to act as the grocery escort instead...." Yohji replied smugly. He didn't have to wait for an answer to know how Ran would feel about that.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

[We died? I was running out of things to say and waiting for someone else to move, but... yeah.]

If it weren't for the fact that it was rude to stare, Aya-Chan would probably have been gawking, open-mouthed at the quick turn of events. Still slightly phased, but determined not to let it show too much, she turned to Omi and Ken. "Well," she said finally, "I'm ready to leave as soon as you are."

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken had remained resolutely silent during the bitchfight temper-tantrum heated arguement between Yohji and Ran, the only betrayal of his irritation being the methodical way he speared his pancakes and the tiny vein throbbing in next to his eye.

In the old days they would have just fought in the open and moved on. But now...now civilities had to be met, and the pressure to be somewhat normal in front of Aya-chan had everyone a bit on edge.

Speaking of...he blinked slowly at her question and nodded, putting on the "Heh, divas, what can you do" quirked grin of embareassment he usually saved for the girls at the shop when the other members had spats.

"Just let me toss something on and we can be on our way." He got up from the table and headed back to his room, the smile disappearing as soon as his back was turned.

[pichi.livejournal.com]

Well, what a spectacular failure that had been. Why were Yohji and Ran arguing so much? Was there something wrong with the team? Had something happened on the last mission?

Omi spared Aya a sorrowful look before he too retreated to his room to get ready.

[Omi leaves]