` xx.LoVeLeSs;; [open]

[` xx.shiranui ♥]

` xx.I'm a nightmare, a disaster;;
that's what they have always said xx

` xx.ushiwaka;;

Silence. That's what the playground was greeted with, silence. And it was no coincidence at all. Usually the children were dancing, playing, filled with laughter at this time of day. But not now.

Not now when this curse was standing in the middle of the playground, fiddling with its flute.

A flip of the hand and a flute, and the little boy was staring at his flute. His father, Kaito, Captain Kaito, leader of the Celestial Army, was off doing business. He had to train and had to relearn things he had already learned. Because he had been off for a while, he may have forgotten something -- which is the main reason why he was relearning things in the first place. Because of this, he had no time to take care of his son, or his two siblings, both of whom were playing elsewhere, and one of whom old enough to take care of himself. The poor little seven-year-old was all on his own. And that's what lead him to playing with the flute.

Stares. The flute. Already they had thought him strange, what with his family heritage, the Moon Tribe, affiliated with the darkness and yet tied to Shiranui of the light. Suspicion, hate. All directed at his family. And yet the flute. He still had a symbol of beauty, a complete contrast from the dark background he was inevitably stuck in, because his parents just so happened to draw themselves to the lunar realm. The Celestials didn't know, and his family did know, the fact that they didn't go to the lunar realm on any means of their own will. They were taken there. But the suspicion still remained, and the contrast of beauty and darkness that Waka held was astounding to the other kids around him.

'I wish there was a dark corner I could crawl in right now.'

[/color] It wasn't surprising this was a thought running through the little boy's head. He practically shrank back from the glares, the suspicious looks bearing down on him. Hatred and suspicion glowed in their eyes, tore holes in his head and brain. Silence. The silence was agonizing, knowing that all the time they were silent, all the time they didn't speak, he knew there were a thousand thoughts running through their little heads: the freak, he was sitting before them, fiddling around with a sign of elegance, of divinity.

The flute.

Making his fingers lie naturally on the flute he had affectionately named 'Pillow Talk', he held the nozzle part of it to his lips -- and, pushing air through his lungs and through his wind pipe, he blew. His fingers flew on the surface of Pillow Talk, echoing before everyone, his reluctant audience, a song, ringing clearly -- the sound of a battle between two titans. A song, if accompanying a battle scene of any movie, would definitely be the perfect touch. But here, it was only frightening, especially since he came up with the song himself and didn't copy any lyric sheets.

But this is where Waka fed upon pride. It was his song. And the flute, playing, with divine beauty and brightness, was his.[/size][/blockquote]

[| i s s u n |]

| i tread where no one else dares |

[/color] [/font][/right]

"still I know that I can never go back, but the things I've seen in those hazy dreams...
can't compare to what I'm seeing now; everything's so different that it brings me to my knees."

[/color][/size]

The flitting notes of the flute filled the air, tamed the senses that would've driven a man to attack the young boy mentally with a spiteful sneer or an unkind word, playing amongst the gentle breeze that whipped the sand of the playground into neat little mounds. It was the kind of sound that an adult would be expected to play after years of experience, yet here was this boy, playing with his flute, that was worth more than an average flute in the Celestial Plain. Anyone would be green with jealousy seeing this boy weild a flute crafted by Lady Shiranui, but there was just one boy that would beg to differ.

The sound of footsteps filled the air as well as a high pitched whistle that mingled with the notes of the flute. The sharp whistling came from a boy, not much older than Waka himself, perhaps three years at most, and he was different from the boy from the Moon Tribe. He preferred the robust feel of the wooden handle of his wooden sword that he carried proudly as if it were real. His hand rested on it, holding it in a lax grip, while the hilt of the sword was slipped diagonally through a silk belt wrapped around his waist, supporting the sword's weight completely.

The wind whipped up some more sand, in a fierce fashion, and the approaching boy had to pause, shutting his eyes to protect them from flying grains of sand. The wind itself tickled his scalp, running through his wild dirty blond hair, messing it up even further, to enhance his wild look. "Bloody sand!" he could be heard mumbling, shaking his head then his body, letting granules plunk plunk back down to the others. He opened his eyes, and they glowed silvery-green in the sunlight.

Welcome Dusk.

Everyone knew the little trouble maker because of his appearance, from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet; he was not the typical Celestial child, especially when one tossed in his unsual ambitions and habits. Dusk recognized the kid before him, this was Captain Kaito's son and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. He couldn't understand why this guy was so strange, especially compared to his siblings. But it wasn't for him to mull over, he had better things to do with his time.

Or did he?

A little smirk spread across the young ten-year-old's face, his bright white teeth shining in the sunlight. He strolled over to Ushiwaka, his intentions unknown from anyone else's perspective. He reached out a hand, his fingers long and tan like the rest of his near-perfect skin, and tapped him on the shoulder. "What are you doin'? Ain't you got anything better to do besides play that flute?" he asked, trying to keep an even tone as he spoke to the other boy. His silvery eyes with small green flecks glanced over the flute, and inwardly, he laughed and laughed. How pathetic. Shouldn't boys be interested in swords, fighting, and exploring? Not flutes... Those were for girls. Dusk would never understand this guy, not like he wanted to.

It was known that most children avoided Ushiwaka or bullied him until day's end. But Dusk decided to be different, be brave. It would be interesting to see how this feat of his turned out for no one tried to befriend the dark child. "Wanna play with me?" he then asked, his eyes reflecting the genuine honesty that most adults tried to coax from the trouble making boy.

[` xx.shiranui ♥]

` xx.I'm so tired of being here;;
^suppressed by all my childish fears
and if you have to ^leave,
I wish that you would just ^leave xx

` xx.ushiwaka;;

Deeply into the beauty of the flute, the impressive music waves, Waka barely noticed the light tap on his shoulder by the other kid, quite frankly the older one -- but it didn't go unnoticed. Reluctantly, Waka's mouth left the top of the luxurious flute, and his blue orbs focused on a kid.

Scruffy, dirty kid at that, or at best if you'd like to think it. A snort almost passed through Waka's nose. Those kinds of kids, unafraid of wrecking beauty, unafraid of severing the bonds coming with the light... those kinds of kids displeased him. They wanted to be dirty, to be inhabited by darkness. With a sinking feeling, Waka realized that's what made it so tempting. Disorder, wilderness... it was much, much more enthralling than the usual light. In his mind, Waka groped for the feeling -- the want -- of warmth. He couldn't revert back to the darkness. Never, and this kid wouldn't convince him to.

He saw the look in his eyes. Laughter. Mocking laughter. Waka balled his hands up into fists as he listened to the voice, the voice of the mocker -- the voice of whom he already despised, and yet hardly knew.

"What are you doin'? Ain't you got anything better to do besides play that flute?"

[/b]

A snarl almost passed through Waka's lips, but he kept it in for one reason -- Shiranui. She'd be disappointed. He couldn't snap. After al the work she did to help his outcome, he'd better work toward the same goal. His hostility was not to be put through fists, through noises, but through words. Because he knew, crushing as words may seem, one could get over them. Some wounds can't heal, but insulting a kid he hardly knew? The kid'd get over it, without even telling Shiranui.

He cradled Pillow Talk as he spoke, his blue eyes flashing. "Yes, and bugging a kid with different opinions than your own is any better of a hobby,"[/color] Waka replied snarkily, having no care for whether or not the kid's intentions were friendly. He was too used to it. The mocking. The laughter. The taunts. The darkness loved this torture. Waka didn't, and through his mind would grab his love of darkness to support himself. Because he certainly couldn't but the darkness could. But when he felt the want for a dark corner rise within him, he pushed it away with his faith in Shiranui. Because she wouldn't want that. Not at all. His tone was softer now, a bit more friendly. "If you really want to know, I disapprove of any fighting. It's... unn... nece--... ssary? Yes that's the word."[/color] And it was true. He did disapprove of it. Because what were they fighting for? A question he'd asked the kid if he insisted on his silly playfights.

However, the next words took Waka by surprise, so much so that even if they were genuine, he couldn't tell -- the darkness inside him warped it.

"Wanna play with me?"[/b]

An invite to play. Simple to anyone else, simple to his brother and sister, and simple to the kids here, watching them, glowering at Waka. But... not simple to Waka. No, not at all. It wasn't nearly simple. Was this kid aware of who he was? Was he really that blind? Did he know of his father, Captain Kaito? Did he know anything? His head raced with these thoughts. He was confused, baffled. His young mind couldn't handle something so unexpected -- something so, so friendly. It just... it didn't make sense. He couldn't put it into a formula, couldn't find a way to fight it... It made no sense. It only made sense from Shiranui. That was it.

And from that Waka was left speechless for a few moments. His mind raced frantically. 'What do I say?'[/color] After his previous comment, after what he had said earlier, he couldn't simply say okay. And he wasn't even sure what he wanted to answer. Because he had never played with another kid. They didn't want him around. But this kid... it was weird, but he was different. His mind wanted to deject the truthfulness behind his action. But his other side, his rational mind, made combat with the other side of his mind, his social mind. It said that his tone of voice... it was unmistakable. The offer was genuine. There was no doubt.

Knowing that the kid would think him even stranger if he didn't respond, Waka knew he had to create a response fast. Wait. Why did he care what this stranger thought of him? All they did was hate him. They thought he was strange already. Why did he suddenly care? Suddenly Waka felt disturbance in his mind. Caring about another's opinion and trying to fit in... it just wasn't like him. It confused him. He couldn't take this.

He turned away abruptly, trying to set his disorganized thoughts in order. And he could only manage one thing out of the disorder, and it wasn't nice, either. Shiranui would definitely disapprove. But he couldn't even think of Shiranui. No way, no how. So this is what he said, "That doesn't make any sense. Someone asking to play with me? You've got to be sarcastic, or or... or blind. You realize who I am!?"[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[| i s s u n |]

| i do not fear the
darkness |

[/color] [/font][/right]

"you're leaving on your journey. coldly you turn your back on me.
I heard -- you're fighting alone? how unfair."

[/color][/size]

A loud sigh escaped from the boy's parted lips as he took a step back from the kid. He felt the wave of hostility pass through his body, the slow burn of singed kindness fading away into raw nerves and frustration. Unlike Waka, he could control his anger and to avoid balling his hands into fists, he rested his hands, open palmed on his hips.

He stood before Waka, a puzzled look on his face, and head tilted to the side; he was a pure example of innocence and confusion blended into one emotion. "First off, I don't wanna fight you. I'd take you down pretty easily in fact, I've been training for a long time... ever since..." he said, voice trailing off into sadness and eyes losing their mischievous luster. But he quickly shook his head, a friendly grin spreading on his face. "Ah, but I wouldn't beat on a kid that's younger than me. It isn't fair at all." Dusk said after a moment, a glitter of amusement sparking in his eyes.

"Secondly, I know who you are. I'm not an idiot, thank you very much." Dusk said, wagging a finger in Waka's direction. To get the other boy's attention, Dusk plopped himself down right in front of Waka, ignoring all of the other murmurs that were going on around them which came from the other children and adults nearby. "And I've heard a lot about you, but who am I to judge, huh? I've got my problems, you've got your's, just like everyone else here." Dusk said, his eyes glancing at everyone that stared at the two. He felt a growl form in his throat, his hand gripping the hilt of his wooden sword and the anger licked at his insides. "Like they've all got a starin' problem! What's the big deal huh? Are we a freak show to ya?" he said loudly, his body trembling with the rage he felt, but soon it subsided when most of them averted their eyes.

He looked back at Waka, trying to figure out what to say next. What could he say next to show him that he didn't mean any harm? He sighed inwardly, running a hand through his messy hair, flattening it down just a bit. "Well, I was just tryin' to be friendly. I mean, I see you sittin' all alone all the time so I was just wonderin' if we could be friends." he said, his voice gentle and caring, even after that outburst that startled almost everyone in the park. He folded his arms across his chest, thinking to himself for a minute. Surely Waka wouldn't believe him... even after that.

"But if you just want me to go away, that's fine. I understand. Not everyone wants to be friends with everybody." Dusk said quietly, his gaze finally drifting elsewhere. They rested on the sand before his feet, watching them glitter and shine in the sunlight. He reached down with a hand, carefully scooping up a handful of the tiny granules, letting them slip through the cracks of his fingers. He watched as it slipped away, casting a dusty film in the air with the same sound appeal as a quiet stream. Once his cupped hand was empty, he shook it out, letting out a soft, pathetic sigh.

"I'm not afraid of you or what others may say about you. Some of it may be true or it might not be. You're free to tell me or you can keep secrets from me. It's your life. You can do whatever you want with it." Dusk said with a casual shrug. Then he turned his oddly colored eyes back to Waka, and one could see the wonder burning in them. "So what's it gonna be?" he asked, his voice light and cheery. "Should I stay or should I go?" Dusk chuckled, a happy smile spreading on his face.

[` xx.shiranui ♥]

` xx.even the rats know the trouble's gonna come;;
to the edge of the city see the little guys run xx

` xx.ushiwaka;;

Trained blue orbs turned as he watched the other kid take a step back, and heard a loud sigh coming from the lips of the other. The Moon Tribe youth turned himself, confusion still coiling in his mind, but after a bit of collection of his thoughts he settled it back in his mind. He knew this kid had something to say so he might as well listen. A wave of frustration -- the kid was frustrated with him. But who was he to judge? Waka was frustrated with everyone around him. So who was he to judge? Judge his frustration, his pent-up anger at everyone... who was he to judge?

He watched the kid's expression change, from a simple frustrated gaze, down to tilting his head like as if he was confused and innocent. Waka almost let out a snort at the expression -- yes, like he had an ounce of innocency. That the little Moon Tribe kid could easily doubt. But even with the doubt in his mind of the truity of the gesture he had made with his head, Waka listened anyway. Because it was rude and disrespectful not to listen to their point, whether or not he agreed to it.

"First off, I don't wanna fight you. I'd take you down pretty easily in fact. I've been training for a long time, ever since..."

[/b]

And the kid trailed off. Now it was Waka's turn to tilt his head in curiosity. 'Ever since what?'[/color] the Moon Tribe kid was thinking of asking but decided simply to keep it in his thoughts since the fact obviously bothered this kid. 'Did something happen?'[/color] Truthfully, the Moon Tribe kid was now curious as to who this kid really was, if something terrible had happened to him that he would remember this far into. Before he wanted nothing to do with the kid, but now curiosity was alight in his head, and, fiddling with his flute, he listened once more to the voice of the kid. To his disappointment, the kid did not explain his trailoff and instead continued his little speech.

"Ah, but I wouldn't beat on a kid that's younger than me. It isn't fair at all."[/b]

The cursed child almost balled his hands up into fists again. How dare he insist that it wouldn't be a fair fight. Waka may be against fighting in the first place, but it didn't mean he couldn't. He had learned from Shiranui herself, and it would be extremely shameful if he couldn't fight at least to half the extent his father could. A little "hmph" escaped the delinquent's lips, and once again he spoke, this time with an indignant air. "If you're going to diss my strength you might as well use proper use of English,"[/color] Waka snorted. "I'm not a that, not an it. I'm a who. So you should've said who's. It's disrespectful."[/color] But then, realizing the fact that this kid might have no care for what's respectful and what isn't, Waka shook his head slowly. "Oh wait, never mind. To most people I'm an it. How foolish of me."[/color]

It was then that he heard the boy's voice again: "Secondly, I know who you are. I'm not an idiot, thank you very much."[/b] A wag of the finger. Sitting nearby him.

He was only met with a roll of the eyes.

'I beg to differ.'[/color] Once again, keeping what he'd say to himself. Shiranui would think it rude, once again.

"And I've heard a lot about you, but who am I to judge, huh? I've got my problems, you've got yours, just like everyone else here."[/b]

'So you echo my question.'[/color]

Waka's eyes moved around all of the people watching as he said "just like everyone here". He seemed to be... including the audience as one of their own. But the audience... they weren't anything like him. They... would never be like him. He would always be an outcast in their mind, and quite frankly he was used to it, even though he hated it more than anything else. A change in this detail, Waka realized, and he would be freaked out. Because... because it didn't make sense if they started to accept him. It just... didn't make sense. It was an upset in nature, and Waka hated that more than rejection. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he spoke once again: "Don't relate me to other people. I'm not like anyone else."[/color]

With more interest now, Waka watched something he hadn't expected the kid to do -- he turned, grabbing the hilt of his sword, starting to growl at the people watching them. Waka's eyes soon became alight with wonder at his words: "Like they've all got a starin' problem! What's the big deal, huh? Are we a freak show to ya?"[/b]

For once, Waka felt as if someone was taking an unnecessary step to help him out. It was... something he never expected to feel, and it was definitely upsetting the balance of nature he had carefully planned out in his head. Being a strategist, he knew this wasn't as planned -- for this kid to start defending him. And to Waka's further annoyance at the unbalance, the crowd looked away, averting their eyes. Not only had the kid wanted to help but it worked. But Waka knew that he was only trying to help. Even though he didn't want the help, he knew the kid wanted to give it. So, his words were indifferent instead of hostile. "Don't yell at them,"[/color] he told him wisely. "I'm used to it... and I feel strange if they start respecting me."[/color]

The kid moved back toward him, his gaze holding Waka's once more. He ran his hand through his hair like as if in exasperation, trying his best to hook the little Moon Tribe child. And at once he spoke again, his voice gentle, caring... and it frightened Waka, made his voice into a scurry of disorganization once again. "Well, I was just tryin' to be friendly. I mean, I see you sittin' all alone all the time so I was just wonderin' if we could be friends."[/b]

Instead of warming up to the boy, his disorganized thoughts went into a defensive mode. He had to explain his reasoning, keep the balance of nature -- because all the silk tightly woven was being undone. "I sit alone because... because if I would sit with anyone else... well I guess I'd just rather not have a large bump on my head, because no one understands me,"[/color] Waka stated simply, defending himself. He mentally cursed himself for stammering so much, because he wasn't scared -- no way, and his voice didn't waver. He just... this darn language deficiency of his... he almost let out a groan. He didn't want to seem weak, or sad, or anything like that. He was, but... he couldn't let this kid think it, especially if he was trying to support him. He wanted to support his own two feet. And he didn't want darkness helping.

"But if you just want me to go away, that's fine. I understand. Not everyone wants to be friends with everybody."[/b]

And instantly that made the Moon Tribe kid plunge into regret. He didn't say for him to go away. And he didn't say for him to stop wanting... he just... He was scared at the disorganization, the cloudiness of his head. Thoughts like this... he knew other kids wouldn't think the same. But he certainly did, and he didn't want to waste somebody else's valiant effort to make him feel better. He wouldn't simply cut him down, saying "I don't need you", because... it was rude. And though it was weird, though it didn't make sense... it felt nice that someone cared.

"I'm not afraid of you or what others may say about you. Some of it may be true or it might not be. You're free to tell me or you can keep secrets from me. It's your life. You can do whatever you want with it."[/b]

And once again, Waka felt strange -- a strange want, a want he never thought he'd have. A want to tell someone... he desperately wanted to talk to someone. The light instincts, the ones sealed away because of the darkness, were starting to take over -- the want for warmth and to spread warmth. It was... strange. A feeling he had never wanted before. Before, his wants were for the kids to leave him alone. But this time he wanted this kid's attention. To stay here... to tell him things. But he knew he had to keep them to himself. At least for now.

"Should I stay or should I go?"[/b] A grin. A smile.

At first, the cursed child had no idea how to answer. But before he knew it, he found himself getting a smile and smiling back at the boy -- the want for light, the want for comfort, the need for comfort... he wasn't a completely dark child. And it was nice to see that someone could show him that way. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to,"[/color] the child replied in an inviting voice. He could feel some gazes on him, gazes of people who were surprised that he was being genuinely nice instead of scornful at the world. And they also knew, when Waka was nice... he meant it. Because he rarely was. "You can stay. I'm fine with some company, so long as you don't throw rocks or insults at me or anything."[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[| i s s u n |]

| you never know what you're gonna get |

[/color] [/font][/right]

"have you ever seen me playing in the shade of one lovely apple tree?
you can find me if you really want. come and join me.
you're gonna be free!"

[/color][/size]

At first, when Waka spoke, Dusk thought he was going to lose him; his chest felt tight with anticipation and the flicker of disappointment lingered in the back of his mind. He didn't understand how could offend the boy, it was how he talked to everyone else and they seemed to get along just fine with it. His eyes glanced over at the people, feeling no remorse for yelling at them. "Ah, you might want them starin' at you, but I don't. They should find better things to do than stare at us like we're on display." he grumbled, feeling most irritated about Waka telling him not to yell. Dusk believed in speaking your mind and was a heavier user of that rule.

The next sentence caught his attention, where Waka explained why he sits alone. He couldn't help but shake his head, his eyebrows furrowing with disappointment. "People are such jerks sometimes. It's insane. It's like all of the respect in the world has disappeared. It doesn't make any sense." he said, offering a gentle hand then placing it on Waka's shoulder. "I won't hurt ya, that's a promise. And I never break my promises." he said, a burning passion and honesty filling his voice. His silvery-green eyes seemed to shimmer at this pledge as well for he remembered what his mother told him that fateful day.

His mother.... How greatly she had influenced his life, and he still goes by her teachings today. He wants to live up to his promise, protect everyone that he comes in contact to. Well, Waka was just added to that list if they could seal the deal as friends. "I really don't encourage hurting others anyways, so that's why I fight monsters when I can... even though my dad tells me not to. I made a promise to someone already that I'd be the best I can be in life and help others out. So I'm sticking by it and I'm gonna protect you now since we're friends." he said, his voice very serious, but still maintained a bit of friendliness in the end. He didn't want to scare away the kid.

Then Waka allowed him to say and he couldn't help but boast a bright smile on his face. "Good choice, buddy! I'm stayin' cause I really don't want to go home, especially since my father is there and he'll start talking to me about his sales..." he said, then trailed off into a loud snore, as if he were asleep, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he sat up straight, shaking his head in amusement. "Talk about boring! I could think of a million better things to do than listen to my father." Dusk laughed, taking his hand from Waka's shoulder and placing on his stomach alone with the other as he laughed.

After a moment he called down, rubbing his aching sides. "Ah, my ribs hurt!" he chuckled, smiling at Waka all the while. "But if rocks do fly, I'll knock 'em away. I like to practice with my sword. My father said if I practice and get really good, he may buy me a real one when I'm older. I hope so... But I think he's lying. he said, rolling his eyes, a bit annoyed with that thought. "Anyways, I won't insult you, I don't have a good reason to insult you anyways. I barely even know you personally. But I'm a good guy, I don't like hurting people's feelings. It makes me feel like a jerk, along with the other things that grown-ups call me." he said, shrugging his shoulders casually.

Then a sudden small gasp escaped from the older boy. "How foolish of me!" he cried, amusement and surprise thick in his voice. He held out his hand, then smiled broadly. "Name's Dusk! Nice to meet ya Waka." he said, creating some form of proper introduction.