Day 127 | Open | Enjoy the Gardens!

[yinyangfox]

Who: Seimei and everyone/anyone
Open: Open
When: Day 127
Where: The new and improved Hitachiin-Abe Estate
What: Kaoru wanted Seimei to have a house-warming party ages ago and he declined. Now he intends to because its not just his home anymore.
Format: Prose
Warnings: SHOULD be safe...


Yesterday the southern Bastion was suddenly dominated by the rise of a beautiful, elegant Japanese estate. Trees, two ponds, a deck reaching out and resting atop the river; a work of historical art nestled away from the noise and bustle.

Having sent Kaoru out for food and to talk with people about the home being open to others for use of the garden, Seimei himself was reclining on the deck over the river, stretched out and dozing while Taisan sat nearby, eyes closed as his hands moved fluidly over the strings of a plain koto, the music rising and falling in harmony with the rush of water beneath the deck.

The doors in the home were open, front and back, leaving a clear line from the entrance to the gardens where the music drifted on the breeze. At Seimei's request, there was a little sign at the door illustrating taking off one's shoes. Not a demand, simply a request. It was a garish thing he didn't want to keep, but he wanted to at least initially indicate it was polite to do, for those without knowledge of the preference.

The home was now open, and Seimei himself was open as well. He had brooded and been bitetr long enough. With recent revelations between himself and Kaoru, and the sudden influx of newcomers, it was simply unreasonable to remain a hermit.

The onmyoji was back in service, socially and professionally.

Comments

[individuates]

"I know. I mean, I understand." He ducked his head slightly. "Less would be better but... not a day more. All right? Promise?"

It wasn't the end of the world - for that, he managed to hitch up a smile. It wasn't as though Seimei couldn't handle himself out there. Kaoru just wished he wasn't going alone, because shikigami didn't quite count. His thumb gently stroked Seimei's cheek.

"'My command is your wish', that sort of thing? Then I'll have to try to come up with some good ideas."

[yinyangfox]

"I promise. No more time than one week. Allowing for a few days should I be held up by circumstances outside of my control. Barring any unpleasantness I have to take a long way around or any people that need my help out there, I will walk out three days, and spend the next three days walking back, giving a day of room to explore outside of linear travel. Hopefully this will satisfy everyone."

He chuckled again, tilting his head into Kaoru's touch, curious at his own interest in the physical connection, when usually so prone to avoiding it.

"I imagine you will not disappoint."

[individuates]

"Hmm~? " Unable to resist laughing as Seimei did, he lightly squeezed the hand he was still holding with a teasing grin, "Now I'm going to have to think of something good. Wouldn't want to waste the opportunity."

He hesitated before briefly removing his hand, only to lay the back of it against Seimei's cheek, asking the question but a little nervous of the answer.

"...when will you leave?"

[yinyangfox]

"One week," he answered honestly, not making any effort to hide his intentions. "I felt that should be long enough to sort out any additional issues with the home, gather a few more shards to fully round out the powers available to me after what I spent on the home and then set out. After that I will be in the Skyway for one week, or until I successfully communicate with some of the native creatures, whichever comes first."

He tilts his head into the touch once more before taking both of Kaoru's hands, gripping them gently and lowering them to his lap.

"I promise, if it looks too dangerous or anything happens that might impede me, I will return home even if I have failed. I want to see what is out there beyond where we have gone so far. I want to know if they can understand me, and I want to understand more of it myself. Most excursions have been to distract myself and salvage things, or the hunt for cores. We need to know just as much about this place as we need to know about what happened and why. If we cannot fix things, then we should have complete knowledge of our new world and its people, don't you think?"

[individuates]

"All right." Better a week in advance than a day. He nodded, just holding onto Seimei's hands and staring down at them as he listened. It wasn't that he didn't think Seimei had the sense not to rush headlong into danger. He was just scared of danger finding Seimei. And Seimei not being able to escape it.

"Just... please be safe out there?" He bit his lip for a moment, then raised his head, offering a smile, "And come back to me, when you're done."

[yinyangfox]

"I will, I promise. No silly wastes of energy, no stupid mistakes and no unnecessary risks. Beyond the entire trip itself, of course," he remarked, smiling slowly and reaching out to run Kaoru's hair through his fingers, always marveling at the color.

"For now, why not just enjoy the home? Don't think about the matters presented to us in the future, just concern yourself with what we have now."

[individuates]

"I'll be waiting. " A soft sigh, leaning into the touch. "…and no more running into suspicious plants, okay? If you see any of that Lungblossom again I want you to get as far away from it as possible."

It was the entire trip that concerned him, but Kaoru was pretty sure Seimei knew that already - or else he wouldn't have broken the news so carefully in the first place.

After a moment he moved to tug the tray over, making up for it with an apologetic kiss to Seimei's hand.

"…hungry?"

[yinyangfox]

"I will be most careful, and give all suspicious plants a wide berth, you have my word," he replied seriously, though smiling as he did.

Watching Kaoru move the tray, he nodded, folding his hands in his lap once more.

"Famished, in fact. Dealing with visitors after so long purposely avoiding it has been extraordinarily taxing. Will you stay to eat with me?"

[individuates]

All right. Enough worrying. He was bound to have his fill of that while Seimei was away.

He refilled the cups as he listened, a sly sort of grin crossing his face as he chuckled.

"Well, I'm quite sure I don't have any other pressing dinner engagements to attend this evening, and as it happens, I live quite close by. So I'd be delighted." Handing Seimei his cup, he tried to tone down his smile. "As long as you don't find me extraordinarily taxing, too."

[yinyangfox]

"Quite close indeed," the onmyoji practically purred, without really intending to be as smooth as he was, lifting his cup up to drink. Even Taisan stifled a chuckle.

"I would be terribly disappointed if you had made plans without me. Here I was, looking forward to a quiet evening alone with the object of my affection. It would be quite a tragedy if I were abandoned now."

[individuates]

Well, damn if that didn't trigger another blush - Kaoru wasn't sure if it was the tone or the words themselves that set him off. Probably both. He glanced down into his cup a little shyly.

"...I would never abandon you, Seimei." He always felt a little nervous saying these things - they still felt so big sometimes.

"I have bad news, though. I only brought sweets along with me. Hardly the makings of an opulent dinner."

[yinyangfox]

"Only sweets? How tragic," he drawled, expression mild and amused. "Though I suppose the reward in itself will by candied kisses when you've sated yourself on delicious morsels, hm?" he asked, smiling slyly behind his cup before setting it aside. Had he one, his tail would have been flicking playfully side to side by now with his deliberate teasing.

"Wouldn't you though? Shall I expect you by my side every hour of every day, hm? I think not. If so, I imagine we will get very little done in the course of an afternoon. Ah, dependign on the day's intent."

[individuates]

A soft chuckle behind his hand. Were his ears deceiving him? Was Seimei actually flirting with him?

"Hmm...?" He composed himself, tilting his head to the side, "We may get very little done in an afternoon, but I'm sure we will be able to find productive ways of spending the time nevertheless. But how can I be sure you wouldn't run away from my candied kisses?

[yinyangfox]

Perhaps he was, though he didn't seem entirely aware of it himself. Playful mischief was more his tack.

"Running in these clothes can be quite difficult when someone is being particularly persuasive about wanting you to stay," he remarked, arching a brow, lips curling broadly, warming the smile already there.

"Candied kisses from my sun-kissed object of affection? One would be a fool to flee from something so auspicious!"

[individuates]

"Would you care to test that idea? Or would my kisses as they are be unpalatable to you?" Pulling back a little, head still cocked quizically. "Perhaps I should sate my appetite forsweet things before moving onto other appetites..."

[yinyangfox]

He paused, alabaster cheeks coloring slowly before he inhaled and straightened his back. Challenge accepted, it seemed.

"Appetites..." he trailed off, arching a dark brow. "Dare I ask what my dearest hungers for that cannot be sated by sweet treats and fragrant wine? The weather is perfect, the water runs peacefully, the day is beautiful and we are together now. Alone, but for eyes that would never stop looking even if dismissed. So tell me, Hitachiin Kaoru..." he asked, deliberately speaking in his elegant and archaic Japanese against the enchantment of pain speech and a common tongue in the Bastion.

"What is it my Sunset Prince is looking for?"

[individuates]

A soft huff and a shake of his head. "Yes, thank you for reminding me that no matter what we do, he will never stop looking."

He smiled, moving forward to touch Seimei's cheek gently.

"...well. You, in a word. Is that so strange?" His hand fell to cup Semei's chin, "Is it so strange that I want to learn every part of you? To kiss every part of you?"

[yinyangfox]

Taisan grunted and rolled his eyes, making a noisy effort to turn around on the spot, putting his back to the pair with a loud, dramatic sigh. Not that it made a difference in what he could or couldn't see, but the act itself was as much a promise to never speak of anything, at least.

Seimei only coughed a chuckle and arched a brow at the peevish attitude his shikigami pressed.

"A bit, yes, to me," the onmyoji admitted, color heating his face as he swallowed audibly in spite of himself. "Kaoru...even without my own reservations, the only people ever to show interest in me were poisonous people intent on seeing what made me tick - never out of affection. These games we play...they frighten me as much as they excite me. No amount of love will change that. Not even my own desires change it. It may always be a bit frightening..."

[individuates]

"Frightening?" A soft echo, a slight pout, unable to keep the corners of his mouth from turning down, even as his thumb stroked against Seimei's cheek. "I don't like my Seimei being frightened.
So may I be clear? I'm never going to push you further than you're comfortable with. I can be patient. I can be happy with just this - I know how forward I seem to you, so I can move at your pace..."

He hesitated, stopping just short of leaning his forehead against Seimei's.

"...but I would like to go there, someday. With you. And in the meantime I can keep showing you how different I am."

[yinyangfox]

"Your Seimei?" he scoffed, reaching out suddenly and discarding caution in favor of clinging to the fox-kin playfulness he'd felt - and rather enjoyed - earlier. Long arms darted from the shadows of voluminous sleeves, gripping Kaoru's arms and tugging him off balance.

Falling back into the sitting cushions, he tugged the boy half over himself, laying on his back to look up at him. The red-head could see the flush in the onmyoji's pale cheeks, could feel the heat under all that fabric. He was embarrassed at himself, no doubt internally shouting at his madness, and yet there he was, prone and smiling in spite of it.

"Do I belong to you now, is it? I belong to no one. I am as the wind, impossible to capture. Hm? Ah, but Kaoru, it is not you I fear in this place. It is opening myself to loss. I...want those things, too. I want them - I always have. To have them within reach, though, is like knowing all the answers to life and all its secrets are at the bottom of a black pit which has no walls or steps and to have that wealth of knowledge, I have to leap in, and pray the bottom is not very far below. It could kill me, and I am afraid to take that leap."

He smiled softly, reaching up and touching Kaoru's forehead with his fingertips, tracing around the curve of the boy's face, heart thundering under his robes.

"It is perhaps the most human part of me of all."

[individuates]

A startled yelp as Seimei pulled him down, which quickly changed into delighted laughter as he shifted to steady himself, schooling his expression as he did so.

"I see, I see. So that's it, then?" He schooled his expression despite the thrill of it - of being so close as to feel his heartbeat, the warmth of him - brushing his nose gently against Seimei's, "Aaah, such a cruel fate it is - that I belong to you, but you belong to no one. Because I am your Kaoru. It would only be fitting for you to be my Seimei, in return."

Leaning into the touch, he lifted a hand to brush back a few errant strands of hair from Seimei's face, almost mirroring him.

"I love the human part of you. I love every part of you. But perhaps only once you are ready to take that leap will I be able to truly capture you."

[yinyangfox]

"Well, everything belongs to me," he reasoned with a shrug and small smile, relaxing back and letting his head thump lightly on the floor, tugging the boy carefully with him and reveling in the moment, riding it despite the pitter-patter horror in his heart.

"I suppose I can be your Seimei, if you insist," he whispered, face coloring when Kaoru rubbed noses. "Since you're so understanding and tolerant of my foibles."

He sighed, reaching up and running his fingers through Kaoru's hair slowly. Perhaps....when he came back.

"I promise you, dear, sweet Sunset Prince...I promise to be braver when I return."

[individuates]

"Hmm? That's hardly fair..." He followed Seimei down as he settled and resting a hand on his chest, where he could still feel that hammering heartbeat. "If everything belongs to you, does that mean that in the end, I can't actually lay claim to anything? Not even to you, even though you say otherwise?" Kaoru wasn't exactly calm himself, truth be told - he missed being near, it was a little exciting to have that with someone else.

"...wouldn't you consider sharing? I can be very persuasive..."

He carefully draped himself over, since Seimei was pulling him that way, and got comfortable, lifting his hand to caress Seimei's cheek in return.

"No need to be brave. Just... be mine."