RAiN kEEPS fAlliNG [shijin / closed]{R... ish}

[keo]

The soft whisper of crackling branches in the snow laden trees.
The distant chirping of birds returning from their autumn leave.
The rumble from the mountain as boulders were made into scree.
The dripping of blood from the gash in the hybrid's knee.

All were noises the young demoness heard as she sat in the crook of a branch of a dormant old oak, hibernating like the giant bears of the north during the throes of winter. It would soon return to life, leaves sprouting from the lifeless bark and turning the forest from gray, white and brown to the greens of plants and the yellows and pinks of wildflowers.

Drip.
Drip.
Drip.

Groaning at the searing agony in her leg, the female opened her eyes, her lashes brushing against the tops of her cheeks as she glanced down the the long crimson slash going from mid-thigh to her ankle. Damn snake youkai. For that was whom had given her such a wound in an ambush. Haruhi was just glad that particular snake wasn't poisonous. Otherwise, she'd be in a hell of a lot more pain than she was.

The bubbling of a nearby spring.

Yes! Perhaps she would feel better after she washed the injury and bathed away the gore it left behind. Leaning forward and jumping off the branch, Haru landed precariously on one foot and wincing at the pain in the other. Bastards. She hobbled forward a little, before growling in frustration. She would get nowhere at this rate. Perhaps three paws would be better than one foot, eh?

Though the pain was excruciating, she suffered through a transformation that turned her into a shadowy wolf the size of a lion who had a mere silhouette, no particular figures except for its gleaming yellow eyes. It seemed to sap the light out of the very air as it started a steady trot that took it through the dense forestry, not using the left hind leg at all.

A light snowstorm had layered the ground with a few inches of snow, but the closer the hellhound got to the hot springs, the less there was- instead, there started to be small clumps of grass shooting up here and there. You could tell the deer had been at them, since some were cut down to the roots.

Steam fogged the air, and the rippling of water grew steadier and louder. At the water's edge, Haruhi replaced the dark canine and sat down on a large, flat rock, panting, already loosening the sash on her knee-length kimono and kicking off the wooden sandals. The outer kimono, made of white fabric with black sakura tree branches embroidered along the edges, fell away, revealing a thin cotton inner robe... and several bits of leather strapping that kept her weapons in place. These she removed, followed by the black stockings, one of which was torn and bloodied by the gash. Then, off went the cotton fabric of the inner kimono.

Stepping into the warm, swirling waters of the large spring, Haruhi was quickly up to her chin. Drops of crimson stained the water around her leg slightly pink, but it quickly dissipated. Eventually, the blood clotted and bleeding stopped.

Sighing in satisfaction at the peacefulness in her otherwise hectic life, Haru pushed off gently and swam a little, dipping her head underwater to dampen her hair and rid it of the sweat, dirt and whatever else had collected in it. Nobody ever said being a ninja slash assassin was clean work. Pffft.

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[Lopez]

AMBROSIAL, THERMAL WATERS.

The sensation of total relaxation was something one could not illuminate to another through common talk; they had to experience it firsthand to fully fathom its oh-so pleasurable stupor. A trip to the thermals was necessary. His previous run about the land had butchered his energy, yet caused his overall strength to grow.

It was no surprise he fled at the first sight of the delicate, white crystals on the ground. Shijin was chionophobic. Being touched by, or being near to snow disgusted him thoroughly. It wasn't the fear of a single snowflake, per say. It was the fear of an avalanche plummeting downwards from the grey, opaque skies above.

Composedly, he allowed himself to sink in deeper into the water, trying to keep himself from getting his skin frozen from the crisp air around him. A pair of narrowed amber eyes peeked behind jagged locks of hair. 'Cold...what kind of moron needs that when these hotsprings are at my disposal...' Needless to say, a dab of snow upon his shoulder was enough to certify it as Poet-repellent.

So he had fled when the first flecks of pristine white graced the forest grounds. He convinced himself that it was not cowardice, but instinct that he escape the onslaught of blinding white around him. For a moderate spell of time, he took to the center of the forest, in the hopes of discovering some form of dry, warm shelter. But what he found was much more rewarding.

Hotsprings. Sulfuric, enticing, heat-jolting hotsprings. Waters like these were said to have healing properties, though Shijin never dwelt much on the old sayings. He often discarded them as one man's convoluted trick for his own gain. But now, he felt as though this particular rumor was not biased.

Earlier he had slunk towards the shade of several boughs, he began to pile his cloak, boots, rucksack and finally the rest of his garments at the base of a broad tree. His toned figure was exposed to the suddenly frigid world. With haste (as his skin was frozen to the touch in an instant), he hurled himself into the embrace of the steaming waters. The wrapping and unwrapping of the warm water jets soothed his muscles, and for quite some time he lay there, reclining half-submerged upon a smooth, heated stone.

But now he began to grow fatigued. Uninterested.

He paced about in the thermal like an animal. Swimming, lounging and keeping himself warm against the sudden bursts of cold air, he knew he had to stay. Shijin had grown tired already of this place. Something needed to entertain him soon, or his stay at the springs would be cut short. At an attempt to keep from dozing off in the clutches of the thermals, he folded his arms and submerged until the waterline was beneath his shoulders. Steam was everywhere. His eyes were kept on the onslaught of steam rising from the surface. and their focus rose, following the grey wisps up until a moving figure was across from him; seen through all the misty ambiance of the thermals.

"Hn." Pulling a smirk when he realized it was a female undressing in the distance, he made another attempt at focusing his sight on something less provocative, lest she be angered if she saw him peeking. 'Long hair, fair skin, lovely eyes...' Although, it was only an "attempt" anyways.

Flashing a dazzlingly alluring smile as she accommodated herself in the water several meters across from him, he hoped she would react...'accordingly...'

'Perhaps things are not so dull after all...'

WORD COUNT : 603
NOTES : >;3 Muahaha.

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[keo]

Good thing demons weren't very fidgety about nudity. Otherwise, Haruhi would've booked as soon as she felt the presence of another- though he wasn't demon. No, he seemed like a human. Perverts, all of them. Nah, she wasn't referring to humans- she was putting a label on all men, human and demon alike. Pfft. For now, she'd play along.

Surfacing from the welcoming waters, she flipped her long, strawberry blond hair over her shoulder and swam over to the pool's edge, sitting on a nice rock ledge. It was the perfect height- it just barely covered her chest, but left a tantalizing glimpse of cleavage. She leaned backward and stretched, then tucked a few pale locks behind her ear and closed those radiant apricot eyes of hers. "Enjoying the show?" She asked, question leaving lips already lilting in a devious smile. Her chiming voice made the inquiry sound sweet, adversely innocent.

The laceration on her leg throbbed; though she showed no signs of pain, it simply spewed agony onto her nerve endings and made her want to groan in anguish. It was better than it'd been before, though, so perhaps the hot springs did have healing properties... well, all she had to say was that she wished they'd work faster. For the second time today- scratch that, probably the fiftieth- she cursed the snake demon who'd dared mess with her. Bastard got what he deserved.

And indeed he had- she'd disemboweled him rather swiftly before leaving him for the wolves. Ninja were stealthy, known for their clean and discreet kills. If you think they can't accomplish something a bit gorier, though, you're mad. Besides, Haru was half hellhound, and those bastards packed a punch when they got pissed. Diluted blood helped, of course, but... the fury still lingered.

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[Lopez]

THE MOST ALLURING OF SMILES.

Oh, it seemed like ages since he'd shown a bit of his own teasing for a change. A delectable tweak of wry, magnetic humor formed the beguiling grin upon his face. For Shijin, a pretty bachelor girl was all that he needed to keep himself occupied. That was perhaps one of the few times he broke his silence, or rather his predominant bias of anti-communication. Well, there were other instances where he would go out of his way for a bite of rather...stimulating entertainment of his choice—through a puzzle of wits, or to simply keep himself from becoming fatigued. At any cost he was determined to avoid falling through a pit devoid of desire. For he had convinced himself that although desire within arm's reach was an asset truly worthy of the title of sin, a world without desire would in turn produce nothing at all.

So he grinned wolfishly through the delicate, mystique vestibule of hot mist curling up from the surface of the steamy depths. His rich amber eyes watched the other occupant of the hotspring with such growing curiosity the emotion slinking like a creature of the night behind them could have been mistaken for more crepuscular tidings. He breathed in deeply and soon exhaled with equal force; the steam gave way in front of him if only for a moment long enough to show an even more persuading side to his visage. The poet's inklike hair remained quite serrated and uneven, though bold enough to be intriguing.

As the steam sealed the once clear view of Shijin's facade, the female across from him had crept out of the waters and upon a rock ledge...and allowed herself to tease him with hardly a glimpse of her cleavage. For a moment his eyes flicked to see just what she might have thought they would, but then they surged to make contact with hers. 'Oh, playful, are we?' His grin widened, and attempted to mask a slight crow of contempt, though it managed to come out singed with the effects of provocative humor. In one lascivious motion she managed to direct a plausible query for both the situation, and the atmosphere about them.

“Enjoying the show?” Simple. Twisted. Direct. Bold. He liked that. 'Hmm...I may not be seeing enough of it at the moment...' he jested to himself. The two scintillating amber eyes narrowed with a vibration of erotic tenacity. 'And a tasteful voice to match, as well...' A teasing air wound its way about Shijin, immediately as he began his reply.

“To be honest with you, it's tasteful.” The words slid out of his mouth in deep, idyllic verse. His voice hinted no means of fraud or petty flattery, but they did yield to his toying mood. A minor lapse of near-silence filled the air between both parts of his mildly fervid response.

“And to whom do I owe this...act?”

TAG : Haruhi!
WORD COUNT : 494
MUSE : It ran away at some point,
sure, but I maimed it before
it could disappear forever.
NOTES : >.> Since when is being pervy once in a while a bad thing? ;P

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[keo]

"To be honest with you, it's tasteful." Eyes still closed, she quirked a brow at his silky response. "And to whom do I owe this...act?" Words fall from his lips as smoothly as water flows over ice on a calm pond... she mused, opening her eyes in a half-lidded, sexy look. "Koneko Haruhi." She wasn't sure why she'd answered him, but it wasn't like she had any reason not to. Lying just got you into a lot of trouble in the long run anyways, if you wanted the truth.

"Yours?" She asked, referring to his name. The corner of her lips quirked into an amused grin. The steam had parted to reveal his face, half-covered by dark hair. The other half that she could see was a pale color, not so pale that it appeared sallow, and the planes of his face were something an artist's hand would die to paint. One gold eye watched her, dark lashes framing it, with a elegantly curved brow arching over it. He was very nice to look at, if she did say so herself, and she was sure he wasn't wearing anything below the water.

Good thing that demons weren't squeamish about nudity, or she'd be blushing like a virgin. Something she certainly was not. She had a son to prove that, if she could ever find him or prove his existence. He could be dead, for all you know, she scolded herself mentally. If she hadn't thought that so many times over the years and run out of tears to shed for it, she might've started bawling right there- her beloved son, her Daiki, her world, dead. There were no words to describe the emptiness in her heart where he used to be, no words to describe a mother's grief for her lost child. The feeling wasn't nearly as horrible as the thought of her mate being dead, or even her other family members. The grief over the loss of a child was more than every agony in the world a hundredfold. Her heart ached.

Come on, Haru, you're in the present now. Move on. Don't forget but don't grieve any longer. The past is the past, and it cannot be altered. She'd started hyperventilating, she'd realized. Boy, that must look really flattering to her viewer. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly vanished, turning on her chameleon-esque ability to blend seamlessly into the background. Her eyes were the only visible things now. Slipping out of the water, she shook herself dry like a dog after getting out of a bath and went for her clothes, quickly donning the plain white cotton shift and pulling her arms through the sleeves of the black, white patterned kimono, wearing it like a bathrobe and simply leaving it open, grabbing the ivory sash.

Despite the pervert's attractiveness, she couldn't let anything happen between them. She would be betraying Yuudai, her lover, and Daiki, her precious son. It didn't matter if they were dead or not.

Reappearing beside the rock her clothes had been placed on, she crossed her arms and turned away, sending an apologetic look over her shoulder at him. She wasn't sure why she needed to apologize, but she did anyways. "Gomenasai." Snatching her wooden sandals, she started toward the forest with sadness etched into the lines of her face, feeling older than she really was. Would the man try to stop her? Why do I care?

NOTES:
Yeah, she's depressing. Didn't mention it much in her bio, but she's
constantly thinking about her son & Yuudai and w/e and going into
little episodes of emotion. Just FYI.

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[Lopez]

SUBTLY ENTHRALLING HINTS.

As if those dainty eyes were suggesting a more lavish goal behind them, they parted halfway before she replied. “Koneko Haruhi.” A subtle smirk wound about his facade, embedded with the slightest of contempt. He was able to both acquire the attention of the mistress in front of him, and prove something to himself. 'Ah, so looks are what can get one so far, so quickly...' To tell the truth, he was, indeed, a corrupt little poet. Handsome, though. Despite the looks, beneath the skin and bone, lost at the core, he could have been easily mistaken for a warm vial of delicious poison in the guise of Prince Charming. So tempting, yet so dangerous.

A Devil's card in the flesh.

“Yours?” she asked gingerly with a tiny grin. He relaxed his pose by the thermal's edge, shifting his arms from their previous, crossed manner in front of his chest to an open, introductory gesture drenched in enoough chaste to remain savvy to the eye. Both arms were raised from the water, and sent abroad from himself as a means of humility. Water droplets ran across the alabaster skin, and yet more twists of balming steam cascaded gradually upwards about the poet.

With the rich charm of a serpent's tongue, he replied to the hybrid demoness. “Usotsuki Shijin.” He dipped his gaze, then snared eye contact once more. Shijin's grin broadened smoothly and deftly, enough to suit a fashionable first impression. It could have mirrored the effect of an enticing serenade.

His voice was not so deep that it could have been defined as brusque, nor so normally-pitched for a man of his age. It was...captivating, charismatic and jagged when he became irritated or impatient, to sketch it out lightly. But when he felt as though he desired a conversation of the more...amorous persuasion, it fashioned itself with the utmost professionalism that the only explanation for such appeal in his speech was that it was a natural gift.

But by the time his stare fixed itself upon hers, he realized something was off...'Is...is she panting?' Eyes widening barely noticeably, he tensed and tried to approach her. Shijin was drenched in confusion. What had he done? 'Did she, did she...see...anything...of interest?' He was wondering if the steam had (unfortunately) cleared up enough for her to see what of him was underwater. Making note that she was just fine moments ago, Shijin came to the conclusion that it hadn't. Well, it was either that or she could see through water.

Now, Shijin possessed an intricate view of the concept of eyes; entity, effect and matter as a whole. He thought that as the windows to the soul, they controlled what others could see of it within. Most living beings were proof of that, including the poet. However, he also believed that they went against what one's own thoughts were. Meaning, although they were a part of the body, they chose to play tricks out of natural impulse. Visual art, mirages, reflections, optical illusions, paintings, mirrors—he harbored an intense loathing of it all, simply because he hated being lied to. Hypocrite.

As of that moment, he thought deeply and believed that his eyes were deceiving him. He wasn't getting the whole story; he could sense the root of something more emotional causing her spell of rapid breathing. Within moments of unsteady respirations and exhalations, Shijin's good eye caught the girl taking in a deep breath...'Will she be alright?' Although he could only guess why he cared for the health of this particular living being (of the opposite sex, too), it seemed as though he began to approach her, then falter and remain stagnant in the water, watching her figure suddenly...vanish.

Immediately Shijin panicked; as in, he began to second-guess himself. He was sure he had seen a pair of eyes somewhere before him...'Is she a demon? A phantom?' Frowning and grinding his teeth together in anticipation of an attack, he was about to lunge at the first thing that he saw move, until he spotted her once more on the far end of the thermal. Only this time, she was out of the water, and about to leave with an apologetic gesture.

“Gomenasai.” Shijin blinked, and stood still. Was she really leaving? 'Now, that would be no fun at all...' Whipping around and leaning upon the rocky edge of the hotspring, he reached for his pair of pants, caught them, swiftly jumped out of the water and put them on behind a string of rocks whose edges were high enough to keep wandering eyes from seeing anything below his abdominals.

His hair was quite disheveled and moist, only to the point where it could still cover the gruesome right half of his face. He took off quite gallantly, however that gallantry proved to be only as true as he was to most other bachelor girls he'd...met. Bare-footed and slightly wet from the chest down, Shijin caught up to the mysterious Haruhi. Although he didn't see her face, he could tell there was some plight that troubled her. Rather than demand what troubled her, he asked this time. He caught her by the shoulder, not turning her to face him directly. The grip was strong, but tender enough to qualify for “caring.” It was what he aimed for at the moment. The poet grinned darkly upon Haruhi. Half a scar was visible on his right cheekbone, and with that his voice reverberated smoothly with a touch of lighthearted, teasing allure. The cajole in his voice would never leave as long as he was entertained.

“Why are you running from me, Haruhi?”

TAG :
Haruhi!
WORD COUNT :
955, WHOOT!
MUSE :
"I Am Not A Whore" by LMFAO
NOTES :
SI this is late but now it's POSTED!
'Daww, Shijin ran after her! If only he
really meant what he said. Then it'd be
genuinely sweet. But no. He's lusty. >;]

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