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.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya waved goodbye to Omi and headed towards the stove. She had bought the ingredients last night, having made up her mind that she would cook a big breakfast for the others. She wondered momentarily how much four guys would actually eat, then shrugged it off deciding that she'd make as much as she could, and worry about left overs later.

Humming to herself, Aya set out to make breakfast. This would be a good opportunity, she thought to herself, those four didn't look like they spent much quality time together.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

(I guess I'm going to use "Ran" for Aya for clarity's sake, kewl? Or would you want to use Aya-chan?)

Ran placed a bookmark between the pages of his novel and placed the volume on his nightstand. Voices were coming from downstairs, and the sound of a door not too far after.

Not to mention the smell of cooking.

It could be his teammates - unlikely, he thought wryly - or it could be his sister. Aya-chan doing normal things, living things...the thought graced his lips with an almost imperceptible smile.

Already dressed in jeans and a black turtleneck, he followed the advice of his grumbling stomach and ventured downstairs. Sure enough, Aya-chan was in the kitchen, cooking what appeared to be pancakes. The blare of a television came from downstairs, but he didn't hear or see anyone else about. He paused in the doorway, just to watch her moving, then teased gently, "Are you sure you remember how to cook, or should I be worried?"

He gave her a smile to let her know he was joking, and came to look at what she was making, placing a hand on her shoulder.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

[Heh... I just confused myself while talking to a friend about Ran. I'll use Aya-Chan from now on, it doesn't really matter if you decide to use Aya or Ran, though I'll probably be calling him Ran just because that's how Aya-Chan would refer to him.]

Aya-Chan looked up at the familiar voice and smiled. "Even if I had forgotten how to cook, Ran-Niisan," she countered, "I'm sure it'd still be a lot better than anything you could whip up. Unless you've miraculously learned how to cook?"

She held up a small stack of finished pancakes for inspection. "Plus," she added, turning back to the stove, "I've taken a look around the kitchen, and there's nothing here. Any cooking is better than eating nothing for breakfast."

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

"Hn," Ran smiled. A comeback crossed his mind and he let it go, you'd be surprised how self-sufficient I've come to be, living on my own. It was too truthful and too dark for this morning.

"Can I help you?" He asked instead. He wanted to be near her, but felt awkward, like he was a bit in her way. He was unused to not feeling sure of himself, and it was because he'd always had a reason to be who he was. Now, his reason was here, with him, and he didn't know how to be who she thought he was.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan nodded, sensing an uneasiness in the atmosphere. "You can set the table? I'm almost done making the pancakes." She paused, wondering if she should ask Ran to wake the others up as well, and finally came to the conclusion that they'd come down once they were hungry; she wasn't sure she wanted to be the reason any of them were angry at first thing in the morning.

"Do you think this is enough?" She asked, almost as an afterthought, indicating to the five heaping plates of pancakes. "I wasn't really sure how much you guys eat."

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran raised his eyebrows in surprise, if imperceptibly. Of course she would be making breakfast for all of them.
It was a strange thing, he mused, that when he had needed to feel a connection the most he had barely acknowledged his teammates, but now, at the end of it, when he had Aya-chan returned to him, she was awakening him to the presence of the members of his team. He was becoming more and more aware of just how not alone he was through his sister's awareness.

He eyed the pile of pancakes, and gave a wry smile. "Probably not," he half-joked. His teammates could eat a lot. He took the place settings from the cupboards and drawers and set them on the table.

Then he frowned. The pancakes would be stone cold and inedible by the time Ken and Yohji either woke up or dragged themselves away from whatever drivel was playing on the TV. He opened his mouth to order Yohji upstairs, then glanced at Aya-chan. Half-irritably he checked himself and went down to the mission room to fetch his teammate.

[RAN leaves for SUNDAY 1.2]

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji took his time shuffeling into the room. He made a point of looking as disinterested as possible in the pancakes or Ran. When Aya-chan caught his eyes he smiled, of course--it wasn't her fault her brother was a bossy asshole.

He also made a point of getting another beer out of the fridge. Just because he was responding to Ran's commands didn't mean he had to completely abandon his previous itinerary.

"Smells fantastic Aya-chan," he said with a deliberate grin, before flopping down at the table.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran glared as hard as he could at the taller man's back. He should be grateful Ran told him at all. They didn't need him here, he would have been far happier to have had his sister to himself.

He forced himself to breathe in a calming breath and to ignore Yohji's baiting. "Where are the others?"

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji shrugged. "I heard Omi leave not too long ago. Damned if I know where Ken is. You checked his room?"

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

"No." Ran said shortly. He turned to his sister. "That smells wonderful," he commented.

[7bladed.livejournal.com]

Aya-Chan held back a laugh; men, it seemed, no matter how old they were, still could act like children sometimes. She thanked Ran for his compliments and took off her apron, neatly folding it. "Should I go wake Ken-San?"

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran didn't want to have Aya-chan have to wake Ken up, especially not after cooking for all of them, but after Yohji's pissiness he wasn't sure he could deal with Ken. At least, not without his katana. "Perhaps Yohji feels like doing it, since you've cooked us breakfast," he commented.

Surely that was common sense. Yohji, for whatever indiscernable reason and cruelty of fate, seemed to be more easily forgiven by everyone than Ran.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"I don't really feel like doing anything, except enjoying these exquisite pancakes your infinitely talented sister prepared," Yohji announced, exagerating his grin even farther. He made a point of biting down on a piece of them with a flourish.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran frowned. "Which is why you should help her, Kudoh." His hands balled into fists at his sides, resisting the urge to throw the plate of pancakes into Yohji's smug face.

He did not have to be this irritating.

[pichi.livejournal.com]

“Tadaima!”

Omi closed the door behind him and headed to the fridge for a bottle of water. His eyes and smile were livelier, and a comfortable shade of pink flushed his face from the exercise, though he suffered no shortness of breath. Omi did enough sprinting and running on the job alone to keep his endurance high. Half an hour of light running was just the thing to jump start his energy levels and give his mood an extra boost.

His smile faded off as he caught sight of his teammates at the table. Good that they were there, but Ran looked irritated. “What’s going on in here?” He asked as he twisted the cap off the water bottle.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"You're just in time to go find Ken and tell him breakfast is ready," Yohji smirked. "Ran would really appreciate it."

He picked up the newspaper and buried his head in it to make it quite clear he had no intention of moving.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran pressed his lips into a thin line and crossed his arms. He kept his eyes on Yohji.

He would not ruin his sister's breakfast. Damn the man, he knew it.

After a moment he grabbed a piece of the newspaper from Yohji and ruffled it open, sitting down stiffly across the table.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

"Excuse you, I was reading that!" Yohji reached across the table to snatch the paper back from Ran, but then thought better of it. He hovered for a minute and then flipped through the remaining paper in front of him. He pulled out the fashion insert and tossed it at Ran. "Read that," he snipped, holding his hand out expectantly for the rest of the paper to be returned.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Ran glanced up and smirked, partially exasperated, noticing Yohji's hesitancy. He should be worried. The man was like an overgrown child, pushing boundaries.

"I think you need to keep that section," he stated. Just what was Yohji implying, anyway? Out of the two of them Ran was the better dresser, hands down.

Oh, for the sake of - He didn't care, he had to remind himself.

He ruffled the paper again, pointedly. The sports section. He considered for a moment, then leaned across the table, snatching the marketplace insert. He tossed the sports section down. "There."