I Am Still a Beast at Bay

Memento Mori
"I'm hooooooooome!!!"

Souka Hanabira walked through the door to his home with a big grin on his face. This day had been productive. A faint scent wafed in from what would be considered the kitchen... Of course they were having soup. They had water, and it wasn't as if food was that plentiful...

But that was why he was in such a good mood!

As he began to brush himself off of in an attempt to remove some of the dirt and foilage that had collected on his clothes while hunting, he set a bag full of game, edible plants, his bow and quiver of arrows, and the kindling wood he had collected on the table inside the small hut him and his family lived in. Today had been wonderful! He had easily killed several low-level hollow feeding on one poor unfortunate soul... But beggars can't be choosers. Regardless, he had also found a lot of edible mushrooms and roots. Some fruit, a few berries...

His mother left the pot that contained their dinner and walked towards the bag of game. She held a stern look to her face until...

Souka hugged her, smiling warmly. Once he did, her own expression broke and she hugged him back, wearing a similar smile. "How was it, honey?" She asked, breaking the hug. Dinner wasn't going to cook itself.

"It was fine! Nothing special really happened..." He trailed off purposely. Telling her of the plus the hollows he killed devoured would unecessarily worry her.

"Good to hear. If you're not busy, I'd like you to go to the store for me, to pick up something."

"Alright!"

Souka's mother handed him some game from out of the bag to trade with, and he was out of the house in a heartbeat, walking along the road until he came to town.

Snake Charmer
A tightly-wrapped white package was in Souka's hands as he left the store. He just mentioned his mother's name, and the man gave it to him... It was special ordered? Because it was for his mother (and because he was sure he wouldn't able to look at it without being found out) he resisted his curiosity and did not look; but, from just holding it, he could make guesses as to what it was.

It was soft. Made of cloth, maybe. So, a piece of clothing? He couldn't imagine what his mother would want with something like that...

And, as he rounded the corner, he saw it.

A huge crowd had gathered in the street, and overed their murmurs of excitment he could hear exotic music playing. From the head count, he could see that they were giving something room to do something.... But, he had to get home to his mother! Dinner would be ready soon...

....

But he wanted to see!!

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Souka found himself pushing through the crowd.

A street performer was playing on a drum, male and shirtless. He had tattoos on his chest, stripes that raced alongside his veins. Combined with that, there was a girl in a black hoodie. The bottom reached over her waist, covering her shorts and leaving only the legs to show off. It wasn't a humble attire, but it certainly didn't make her a whore. That wasn't what was catching the crowd's attention; a skimpy attire would only earn a rather scolding remark and then a turn of the head, the attention passing away quickly.

It was like a snake charmer completely in control of a cobra.

She was dancing in rhythm with the music. Her body was a live wire, twisting, turning, and bending in a beautifully poetic manner. Even though she was far from being a slut, she was barely holding anything back as she moved. Hip gyration, bottom shaking, and even head twisting came into play. She was completely immersing herself in the drum playing, lost in her own world and allowing Mother Nature to play puppet with her.

Woah...

And, of course, Souka found himself captivated as well. Once he made it to the front of the crowd and caught sight of her, he was immediately as immersed as the other observers. Before his knees gave out, he moved into a pretzel-legged sitting position. He was barely watching the package his mother had sent him to get, which was precariously placed upon his lap. In fact, he could barely remember what he had be doing before he began watching the girl...

Some of the audience had braver minds than the others. Every time she moved into a more suggestive pose, there were wolf-whistles and cheers heard within the crowd. Others were tapping their feet, and some were even moving as if to step in to dance with the girl. Yet, she paid no attention, her eyes closed and a neutral curl of her lips as she continued to move poetically. To her, the crowd was nothing.... it didn't exist to her....

At least, until her eyes opened.

And for a moment, those very eyes had locked themselves into Souka's own.

Souka's tongue caught in his throat. For that very moment, he couldn't breathe, and he was paralyzed with a combination of nervousness, bewilderment, and fear. Why was she looking at him...? What did she want from him? Had she just opened her eyes and randomly focus on him, or was there a hidden meaning; a purpose to her actions? Before he even noticed, his face had turned a slight shade of pink.

The man playing the bongos was grinning from ear to ear in amusement as he saw his "helper" slowly make her way towards the shocked Souka. Out of the crowd, he seemed like the most....innocent, the most pure. Therefore, he could be easily made a target out of. She kept in rhythm, her gait holding a rather seductive look to it as she approached her prey. She bent low, raising a hand towards his wrist and grabbing it gently. Then, she mouthed the words "Come on..." before gently pulling him up to his feet.

Excited whispers raced through the crowd, and even some hands helped to push the guy up from his sitting position and towards the center.

"... H... Huh?!"

For the first few moments, Souka just stood there, still confused at what had just happened. She had pulled him up, to dance with her...? Why him? It wasn't as if he had whistled at her or made fun of her! He was just watching, like everybody else! But... if he didn't dance, he would not be able to stand the embarrassment. Immediately, his feet began moving, and though he was nowhere near as good a dancer as the girl, he managed to move into his own rhythm without disturbing hers. Of course, his dancing didn't include anything perverted, such as hip swinging or grinding...

And he was still very much captivated by the girl.

She was using that to her advantage.

Using the spell she had put him under, she put her movements in a position to where he would have to move accordingly while still keeping that attractive dance coming. The result was nowhere as near brilliant, as she had restrained some of her own movements. However, it was still enough to spur their audience on. Some had gained even more bravery, clapping along with the tune and lightly stepping their feet. Clearly, they were enjoying the show quite a lot.

It seemed like hours.... however, in reality, it only took four minutes for the song to complete itself.

Afterwhich, the bongo player and dancer stopped simultaneously. They were immediately awarded with the sounds of applause from every one of the crowd. Standing beside Souka, the girl performed a curtsy, satisfied with her overall performance. Under her hood, she was a bit sweaty and disheveled, having to use the back of her hand to wipe a bit off it off of her face. As the crowd dispersed, they paid the bongo master accordingly.

Souka bowed with her, and as the crowd was dispersing, decided to introduce himself. He smiled at her warmly and bowed slightly as he said "Hi... My name is Souka Hanabira... It's nice to meet you." There was no denying it now; he had a crush on this girl. But she probably wouldn't have anything to do with him...

Still, there was no law against trying.

At the sound of his voice, the girl immediately turned towards him to look him in the eyes once more. Though that rather "cat-eyed" stare was still apparent, it was apparent that she had regained her composure. "I'm Miyami Katabami..." She introduced herself, a slight smile onto her face. She had one hand on her hip while the other was hanging loosely. "Hey, sorry if I caught you off-guard back there. But, out of all of them, you were just so shy...." This was followed by a chuckle, and she reached to punch him playfully in the arm. "Just couldn't resist!"

The boy took no heed to her reasoning for picking him; he was still really happy that she did. "Where'd you learn to dance like that? I've never seen anybody move like you did. I could barely keep up... Thanks for taking pity on me and guiding me through the moves." Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, Souka gave a half-hearted laugh back at the girl.

"Hey, no problem!" Miyami reassured him. "Figured you wouldn't have a clue on how to do what I was doing, anyway...." Her eyes drifted off towards the side, catching the package in which Souka had been handling. "Guess I caught you in the middle of a shopping run, didn't I....?"

"Oh!" Following her line of sight, he noticed the package his mother had sent him to pick up. He had forgotten all about it... But, even though he was in such a rush before, he was still wary to leave the girl. "It was nothing, really. My mother just sent me to pick up something while she cooked dinner..."

"Oh.... guess your mom's gonna yell at you for being late, eh?" Miyami asked, frowning a little. Now, she felt a little bad for making the guy late - it was his choice on watching her, but she had ruined his chances of an early departure by pulling him in with her in that circle. "My bad...."

Souka looked back at her immediately. He could see some traces of emotion on her face. Guilt? No, that wasn't acceptable. He would fix that. "No, don't worry about it. Uh... This is probably kind of weird considering we just met, but would you like to come over my house for dinner? It'd help me explain to my mother why I'm late..."

The skepticism was still clear, but a bit of hesitation was in her eyes. "You sure....?" She asked dryly, raising her arms out in a gesture to herself. "I'm....not exactly wearing the womanly profession here. I don't think you want to get in trouble because your mom thought you brought a two-bit prostitute."

"Ha! I think my mother will be pleased that I brought such an attractive girl home. It's not like you're half-naked or anything, anyway..." Souka had become comfortable enough in the conversation to believe that he could walk over and grab the package without losing her attention. "So, do you want to?"

However, the reaction had come from the first word that caught her ears: attractive. A faint tint of pink came across her face, and she smiled out of pleasure. She placed her hands on her hips for a moment, walking over to his side as he picked up the groceries. "You say you don't know me and yet you're already trying to soften me up with flattery...." She said coyly, giving him a wink. "But since you asked, I'd love to...."

Souka's face turned a shade matching the girl's as she winked at him, but he kept his composure nevertheless. "Then I guess we should go now, before it gets cold!" Beckoning for the girl to follow him, he motioned ahead of himself. It'd take at least a half-an-hour's walk. Maybe he could win her over by then.

Folding her hands behind her back, Miyami kept her eyes on him the entire way. The smile had faded for a bit, but was still prominent on her countenance. "So.... Souka, was it?" She asked in order to start a conversation. "What do you do for a living? From the looks of it, you're a bit of a hard worker...."

"I don't actually have a job, persay, but I do hunt for food that my mother can cook." Souka explained, still leading. Because he was slightly ahead of her, he didn't notice her staring. "I mostly hunt hollows; Hollow meat is surprisingly edible."

"Hah!" This made her smile grow wider. "I just so happen to be a hunter. My parents taught me personally how to handle a rifle. Though, I usually do it now for sport and nothing else. Sadly, this place only has those hoodie Hollows in order for me to shoot up. What wouldn't I give for a deer or wolf or something that looks like that...."

"A rifle?" This made Souka look back at her in astonishment. "You use a rifle? Where do you find the ammunition? I use a bow and arrow, and I make the arrows myself... I also use some knives for skinning and collecting fire wood. Not to bad at throwing them, either."

"It's something I heard that's spreading around through the Rokungai. Kidō weaponry's the unofficial term for it...." Miyami explained, placing one of her hands in her hoodie pocket for an idle rest. She used motions with her other hand to explain. "Haven't heard much about them, but they use this stuff called reiatsu as its ammunition. Works just like a gun from the Human world, and it can kill just as good." This was when her smile turned a bit cocky. "Shoot.... I even managed to take down a Hollow the size of a friggin' bear once. Took me an hour just to drag it back home, and when I got there, my parents were freaking out."

"Oh yeah?" If she was looking for a boasting contest, she had found one. "Once I got attacked by a swarm of ten or twenty bird-like hollow, and I killed each and every one with a shot through the eyehole of their mask with my bow." He stopped for a moment, both for emphasis and to catch her reaction."You'd never catch me using a gun... I hate them. It takes the fun out of the hunt. Doesn't take any skill to use them, either."

If anything, she was quite impressed. She folded her arms across her chest, nodding at his statement. Certainly, the guy not only knew how to hunt, but handle himself in a tough situation. "Guess you've got yourself handled, don't you?" She complimented. "In that sense, I guess my family's a bit closer to tech compared to yours, seeing as you're relying on a bow and arrow to hunt with."

"It's not as if we're exactly swimming in money..." Souka replied lowly. On days where he couldn't find any food, they starved. It was his fault. He didn't deserve any praise for his hunting; it barely kept them alive as it was. "Besides, there's nothing wrong with a Bow and Arrow. Kills things just as well as guns do."

"Hey...." The bitter tone in his voice immediately caught Miyami's attention, her face expressing sympathy. "I didn't mean anything by it! Trajectory, having to position yourself at just the right spot, accuracy.... hell, that makes me wanna pick up a bow and arrow and start practicing. If anything, that requires skills gunmen wouldn't even think of having when it comes down to picking off targets."

Souka caught himself before he spoke further. He hadn't even noticed he was being bitter; it had come on naturally. After composing himself and his thoughts, he issued an apology. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean for it to come out like that. There's nothing wrong with using a rifle, I just prefer to use a bow."

"And I love using a rifle...." The smile was back. "But, we're both good at what we use, so I guess it doesn't matter much."

"I guess not."

And, finally, they had arrived. Surprisingly, the house was well-concealed. One wouldn't know it was there unless they knew to look behind the huge tree that provided it's camoflauge. The house was painted green. Possibly a defense from hollows...? Or just to make things easier for the inhabitants. As they neared the door, a delicious aroma could be smelled. Souka opened the door for Miyami and motioned for her to go inside. "After you."

First Tastes
"Ladies first...?" Miyami asked coyly, smirking. "You're too kind, baby...." Making a brief kissing motion with her lips, she turned and entered the room. Instantly, the smell of cooking hit her nose, and she found herself taking in a deep breath just to take in the scent. If this was a drug, she would be getting high off of the stuff! She took a few steps inward, just enough to let Souka freely enter.

Souka closed the door behind himself and caught up just in time to see his mother examining the girl. "Souka, who's this?" She asked teasingly. Before her son could protest, she continued. "You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend! It's nice to meet you, I'm his mother."

"... She's not my girlfriend..."

Upon seeing his mother, Miyami felt a bit more reserved. She knew she had to act on her best behavior. She folded her hands behind her back, looking over the older woman for a moment as she spoke. It was a simple act of waiting until your talker was finished speaking in order to respond back. However, if Souka was looking closely enough, she would see the girl's eyes shift for a moment. It wasn't the motor shift, as if looking in a certain direction. No.... something flashed across her eyes for what was a split second.

The corner of her lips curled into a smile.

"Same to you, ma'am...." She answered politely. "I'm Miyami Katabami."

Unfortunately, Souka's attention was elsewhere. Most notably, the food.

"I didn't realize we were having company, so please excuse me for a moment while I go get another chair." As the woman left the room, she winked at Sakou, who shot her back an angry look. When she was finally out of view, he pulled out of chair for Miyami and motioned for her to sit. "I'm sorry about that... My Mom can be a little... uhm... embarrassing." His cheeks flushed a pale pink and he averted his gaze. The hut was small. His mother surely heard him. He would pay for the comment later.

"I think she's nice...." Miyami noted, grinning. "But I understand where you're coming from. Parents just want to be difficult when you don't want them to be, after all...."

"Hey." Souka narrowed his eyes in a glare as he sat in his own seat. "Wipe that grin off your face or I'll pick on you non-stop if I ever meet your parents."

She stuck out her tongue at him for a brief moment before she allowed herself to sit down beside him. She crossed her legs, placing both hands on the top knee. "Oh, really....?" She asked, with a slightly smug sort of voice. "How could you possibly pick on me?"

"Well... I could ask your parents why they allow you to dress so provocatively. Or why they allow you to flaunt your body in the middle of the street for a crowd of strangers..." At this, his mother returned, setting a pot on the table with steam escaping from under it's lid. In her other hand, she had her chair. Souka awkwardly glanced at Miyami, hoping she would end the conversation while his mother was present.

"So, Miyami." The older of the three began, smiling thoughtfully. "Where are you from?"

He was fortunate.

Letting out a small "Hmph!" just for him to hear, Miyami turned her eyes towards the woman. The rather shy smile returned to her face out of respect for the mother. "I was raised in District 52. Since the law's a bit relaxed compared to the one-digit districts, my parents took up a business of sport hunting. Who knew I'd find someone else that happens to have almost the same profession?"

"Oh, well... He learned from his father. After he passed, Souka didn't really have a choice but to learn..." As Souka's mother remininsced, Souka decided to speak up. "You said your parents hunt for sport? So they don't hunt for food?"

"Nope." Miyami affirmed him with a nod of her head.

"Then how do they get food?"

Mikami raised an eyebrow, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her palms. "How else? We get it from the local stores." She answered. "The only problem with that is the lack of transportation. Mom and Dad, sometimes me, have to walk a few miles just to go down to buy something we need. But, it's no problem. We consider it to be a regular exercise, apart from our hunting...."

"Oh... And your parents, uhm, pick out your wardrobe...?" Souka asked. He was staring at his mother so he didn't have to look at Miyami as she answered, because she would either get mad or undoubtably tease him. Like she did before...

So this was deserved.

The girl put on a smirk, tilting her head to the side slightly. "You seem to like talking about my clothing." She countered deftly. If the guy wanted to call out her nice-girl attitude, then he was going to have to try a lot harder. "Are you trying to tell me something....?"

"I'm going to have to excuse myself from the table."

Souka's mother stood, and put on a warm smile in her farewell. She was fully aware of the conversation she was interrupting. "I'm sorry, but I'm feeling a bit under the weather. It was lovely meeting you, Miyami. You're welcome to stay the night if you like, but you'll have to sleep in Souka's room and lord knows his room is a mess."

"... Mooommm...."

"Ah!" Miyami looked at her in slight surprise. Was she serious? Only just meeting up and she was a welcome visitor? And Souka himself didn't seem to mind.... she nodded, smiling appropriately. "Thank you, Hanabira-san. I'll try not to be too much trouble."

"Oh, I doubt you'll be a bother, dear."

And with that, Souka's mother went off to bed. Souka himself would have to clean the dishes -- and the pot -- and wash them. In the meantime, he would let Miyami get aquainted with his room. "I'm sorry for my mother's... uhm... abrassiveness. My room's the last one down the hall. The one right before it is the bathroom, and the first one is my mother's room. You can go check it out while I clean up, if you want."

Slowly standing up, Miyami turned to look over at where Souka's mother had exited off. She gazed at the retreating figure's back with a blank look, tilting her head to the side to express a bit of curiosity. Then, she turned her body as well as her head to look over at her new "bunkmate". She reversed direction of the tilt, giving a slightly lop-sided smile. One of her eyebrows were raised in conjunction. "Thanks...." She stated, before heading off in the direction of the hallway.

Souka's mother, completely oblivious to her guest, opened the door to her room, stepped inside, then closed it. Immediately, she set upon getting undressed and into her nightware. She was going to go to sleep before the children did before... Well... Before she could hear them doing something naughty. She had known Souka since he was a baby, and she could tell when he liked someone. He had to find a girl eventually. She wouldn't ruin it for him.

Therefore, Miyami had to break into a bit of a run.

Before the door could close completely, she used her palm to stop it, applying gentle force to keep it from making any sound. Like a ghost's feet, she maneuvered herself through a crack big enough for her body to fit in. Then, she gently slid the door closed to a crack, making sure not to have the lock click closed. In the night-light, she could see the older woman with her shirt off. A thin-lipped smile made her way onto her face as she approached silently, her tongue tracing her top lip. One of her hand's fingers slowly curled themselves inward, making a fist. Once she got the woman to turn around, she would send this fist right into the solar plexus, effectively silencing her and keeping her from alerting Souka.

All she had to do now was get her attention.

"Hanabira-san?" She asked softly.

"Oh!"

The elder woman whipped around in surprise. Her arms were haphazardly covering her chest; she was in no position to defend her self. Her expression displayed shock and embarassment upon seeing who had caught her in such a shameless position; and she was somewhat relieved though even more embarassed that it was the girl she had just met. "Miyami... What... What are you doi--"

WHUMPF!

Miyami's fist hit home, sinking into the area within her target's stomach with considerable force. Now, she wasn't overly muscular. But her long walking "exercises" with her parents as well as the hunting she participated in itself would prove to be highly effective. It would be enough to render the woman silent and vulnerable temporarily - plenty of time to do what she needed. However, she had to control the woman's movements to reduce sound. After the blow, she threw herself forward onto Souka's mother and pinned her too the bed.

Her hands immediately found themselves around her throat, squeezing the life out of her windpipe.

"Hggh!"

The woman barely had time to register the blow to her stomach before she was pinned to the bed, and Miyami's hands around her throat prevented her from performing the few choking gasps she would have been able to manage before regaining her breath. Instead, she had no air in her lungs, no way to resist, and no way to warn her son. Her face began to turn a blue-ish purple, and tears streamed from her eyes as she stared up at her assailant. Why was she doing this...? Why did she choose her family, who had already lost so much?

Miyami's breathing could be audible, heart racing within her chest as her hands continued to crush the life out of her prey. Her eyes held what could only be described as a maniacal glint in her eyes, the excitement of killing another human being. Her eyes drifted, studying the exposed flesh of the woman for a moment before bringing herself up to meet her eyes. Her soft voice, now carrying a villainous tone within, whispered two last words to the mother.

"Sweet dreams...."

And, as if on cue, the mother passed from this world. Whatever meager signs of life that had been present before Miyami began her assault were gone now. Her eyes; slightly bloodshot from lack of oxygen, still stared up at her assailant. Still. Unblinking.

"Miyami! Where'd you go?!"

Souka called from his room. He had finished cleaning up, only to discover Miyami wasn't in his room. Where could she have gone...? It wasn't as if their house was a mansion. There were a very limited amount of spaces she could have gone to.

Miyami immediately set to work.

Grabbing the mother's arm and leg, she gently turned her to face away from the door. Then, she pulled out the covers underneath her, covering her and giving off the appearance that she was sleeping. She lifted two fingers, closing the mother's eyes and shutting her open mouth. Then, she took a few steps back to admire her handiwork. If the boy came in, it would be impossible to notice the woman's demise until he actually dared to step closer. But, there was no point in doing so, was there? At least.... not yet....

For now, she turned towards the door and took in a deep breath. She grabbed the handle of the door, shaking herself mentally in preparation before gently opening the door again. Sliding herself out, she pulled the door closed behind her and began her walk towards Souka's room. Her footsteps could be heard as she approached.

As he peeked his head out of the doorway, Souka looked at Miyami in exasperation and relief. "Where'd you go? You weren't in the bathroom when I passed." He asked, obviously confused. The thought that she could have been in his mother's room was incomprehensible. She had no buisness in there, and it was apparent Souka didn't think of it when wondering where she could have been.

"Chill out!" Miyami insisted, giving a small grin as she raised her hands up in the air in a re-assuring manner. "I just needed to see if it was really okay for me to just stay over here and sleep over, so I caught your mom before she went off to bed. I didn't want something suddenly coming up tomorrow, so I was just making sure."

"Oh, alright. My room's a little bit messy, but come on in." With that one command, his head disappeared from the doorway.

Miyami didn't hesitate to follow in after, stepping in through the door....

"....woah. Your mom wasn't kidding, was she?"

Upon entering, Miyami was exposed to a room about the same size as the one she had just been in, but with two distinct differences: One, there was no walking space. The entirety of the floor was covered by either clothing or pelts. And two, there was no corpse laying on the bed. Souka sat on the bed's edge and stared at her awkwardly. "Well... I guess not..."

A short laugh escaped Miyami's lips. She didn't hesitate to make her way in, horsing around a little and hopping from one article of clothing to the other as if they were stepping stones. "You ever heard of something called a closet?" She asked teasingly as she did so. "I mean, don't you ever worry about stepping on your own dirty unmentionables when you're not lookin'?"

"Do you see a closet in here? It's not like I shit my pants, Miyami." He stated precariously, sending a nervous glance her way. "Besides, I know when something is dirty or not. I don't wear dirty clothes. It just takes them a while to get washed." Was she going to sit on his bed? A girl in his bed... Souka was getting a little too excited for his own good.

Indeed, she did.

Promptly, and almost in a careless manner, she sat herself down onto the bed. But she seemed to notice, attempting to make up for it by crossing her legs for a somewhat ladylike appearance. "Maybe I could get my mom and dad to getting you one?" She suggested lightly, lifting her eyes up to look at him.

He started back at her, a little startled. "Into getting me a closet...? You don't have to do that..." He mumbled uncertainly, shifting away from her in hopes of relieving some of the uncomfortability he was feeling. "Hey, if you want, I could sleep on the floor... If you're the guest, you deserve the bed."

In reply, Miyami raised her hands up and shook her head. "C'mon, it's your bed!" She insisted. "You don't have to kick yourself out of your own bed. I can sleep on the floor...."

"Hey, hey, it's really not a problem. I wouldn't want you to have to sleep with my dirty unmentionables poking you in the face." As if to emphasize, Souka hopped off of the bed, and onto the floor.

"Well, if you say so...."

The girl watched him with uncertainty as she slid her legs onto the bed, keeping them from hanging off the edge. They were still crossed, however. As she did so, she made sure to slip off her shoes so that they wouldn't dirty up the bed - it was his after all! On another note.... though it was his clothing, he would be simply sleeping with his own clothing poking him in the face. It wasn't a really nice way to sleep, and they wouldn't provide much comfort of him against the hardness of his own floor. She put the side of a curled index finger underneath her bottom lip in thought, looking away for a moment.

"Well... you could always...." She was hesitant clearly, face taking on a tint of pink. "....you know.... just sleep in bed with me...." Oh, god, she couldn't believe she was asking this! She was asking the guy to sleep together with her! They weren't even in a relationship or anything! Would he take it the wrong way? She hoped not.

"Uhm... Well... Anyway, before you go to sleep, you should probably take a bath or something, considering you were dripping with sweat just hours ago... It's not that late; I could go heat up the water for it while you get settled, if you want." Souka was incredibly pleased with the skillfull way he had avoided her offer. Of course, the image of her taking a bath was also as perverted... but...

There was no way out of this, was there?

The blush faded away, and she frowned at the evasion.

"Oh, come on!" She complained, rolling over with her back on the bed. Her head was hanging off of the edge, hair dangling towards the covered ground. "Do you want to? Or not? I mean, that would be greatly appreciated with the bath and all.... but I think you could safely say that sleeping in your bed would be much better than sleeping on the really painful floor, don't you think?"

"W-Well yeah, but you're a girl, and I'm a guy...! Don't you find it kind of innappropriate for us to sleep in the same bed? I want to, but... I mean, why do you want to?" Almost in an accusing manner, he folded his arms and stared at her sharply.

Miyami huffed, folding her arms across her own chest and giving him a pointed stare. "Maybe it's because I want to get you off of the floor. Besides.... no one's going to know but us, right? Maybe your mom, too.... but even if we didn't, I think she'd just tease us about it anyway."

"... Fine."

Souka couldn't believe that he just relented; he also couldn't believe his luck! The girl had convinced him to climb into a bed with her! She wanted him to! It was amazing! Any other guy would have jumped into the bed head-first; especially anybody who had seen her dancing. But for some reason he was protesting her invitation? It was ridiculous!

"Good!"

That being said, Miyami immediately jerked herself upwards, back facing him. "Uh.... you don't happen to have.... any sleep clothes for me.... would you?" She asked hesitantly, scratching the back of her head. She could've just slept in what she had on, but it would be so hot under the covers--

Oh, God.

DIRTY IMAGE!

She was thankful she had her back turned to him. Otherwise, she was certain he would've been laughing or whatnot at her tomato red face as of this minute.

"Uhm... I've got a clean shirt and some shorts, if that's good enough?"

"Y-yeah, that's good! Good...."

The girl took in a deep breath, taking off her head from her head and turning back around. Her back leaned itself against the wall. "Then I guess I'll just.... sit here...." She murmured, slightly disappointed that she now had nothing to do since he had taken up the offer of getting her bath ready. Well, she was going to go sleep soon, anyway! What was the point of that?!

"My mom was cooking all day, too... Maybe she'll want a bath. You wouldn't mind sharing one with her, right?"

Souka turned his attention away from his thoughts and back towards Miyami. "I don't think she'd mind. She'd probably welcome the bath, really; usually it's her who's preparing them for me..."

"Actually...." Miyami sort of looked away from him for a moment, towards where the woman's room would've been. "She's.... kind of asleep. I think she got too tired and wanted to turn in for the night." She explained softly. "And I really don't think it's a good idea to wake somebody up in the middle of their sleep just for a bath."

"I've known my mother for a lot longer than you have, Miyami. The only reason she went to bed is so we could be alone..." At the thought, Souka blushed slightly, but was able to keep his thought rolling. "She'd welcome a bath; she'd probably use the oppurtunity to get to know you better."

At this, Miyami cocked an eyebrow and put on a rather laughing smile. "Heh...." She muttered, her tone meant to be joking. "Maybe.... if I was her daughter! Then I guess that would make some sense, right?" After a bit of chuckles, she put her mouth back to its neutral expression. "Besides, you yourself said she was cooking all day, right? I'd rather not risk you bugging her over this....I just want to take a bath and go straight to sleep."

Then, she put on a rather pleading look, giving him the puppy-dog eyes. "C'mon....please?" She insisted, head hanging down slightly.

"U-Uhm..." Souka wasn't prepared for that. Dealing with girls wasn't exactly his strongsuit; especially those who knew how to get what they wanted. He relented almost immediately, turning away from her and leaving the room. "Alright... It'll be ready in about half an hour. In the meantime you can hunt through the piles of clothes on the bed for one's that are clean and suit you. Good luck!"

"Right...." As he shut the door behind him, she stood up and stared down at the clothing scattered about. How in the hell would she find what she wanted within all of this mess? Taking a deep breath, she bent down and started sifting through the mass. She had half an hour.... plenty of time to find what she wanted.

For Better or For Worse, I Was Born Unto a Hearse
"Miyami!"

Souka shouted at the top of his lungs. Sitting and watching water boil for half an hour wasn't exactly his idea of fun, and he was happy to find that it had finally reached a comfortable tempurature. "Your bath is ready! Hurry up, before it cools down!" Trusting that she knew where the bathroom was, Souka made a point of leaving the bathroom before she would be able to enter. He'd probably pass her in the hallway...

Only part of him hoped she had the decency to undress in the bathroom.

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!"

Immediately, she exited the room. Now that she had taken off her hoodie, the white tank top that had been underneath could be seen. She was also wearing blue-jeaned short shorts - a reason why her hoodie was able to nearly cover them completely. She had already taken off her shoes, which would've been found at the edge of his bed. In hand, she had what appeared to be plain blue and two-part pajamas, the ones without the fancy and childish designs on them.

"I'm already going to be sleeping when you get back, so try not to dive headfirst into the bed when you get out of the bath, alright?" Souka shouted in warning, as he opened the door to his own room. There were some slight thuds as he pushed the dirty clothing off of his bed and onto floor. When he finally climbed under the covers, he was the furthest thing from tired. How would he be able to sleep, knowing that a young, dripping wet girl was going to climb into his bed...?

"Gotcha!"

With that being said, Miyami quickly darted into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Turning to face the bath, she set the clothes down on the closed toilet and began to undress herself. Her mind started to wander. When exactly would he notice the fact that his mother was now dead in his own home? It would be quite a while. At the very least, he could figure out at the early morning. So she would have to be prepared at that given moment to respond correctly to the situation.

A chill went down her spine. Of course, this was a fellow hunter she was thinking about. What if he managed to catch on early? What if she was the one that would be the prey? It was frightening to think about. If she wanted to get through this with her very life, she would have to make sure that everything was ready. After she finished him off, she would have to hide the bodies and flee before authorities arrived. No one would suspect a thing....

Then again, she could just knock him out and--

Immediately, she shook her head. No, no, no! That wasn't the way she was supposed to be thinking! She was forgetting what all of them really were! They were no different from the animals she had slain when she had been alive. Therefore, there was no reason to give mercy to this certain prey that she found. She would kill him and be done with it before he would suspect a thing! Regret was nothing but an obstacle!

She took in a deep breath, finally removing herself from the rest of her clothing. She stepped into the bath, slowly settling herself in. "Ah-- Oh, yeah...." She sighed in content, allowing herself to relax in the waters for a moment. "If there wasn't the fact that I'd drown and have my skin prune, I'd sleep in this for the night...." She'd take ten minutes to adjust to the water before she started cleansing herself and drying off. That, in total, would take up half an hour. It was good enough time for her, she supposed.

But as of now.... she could just relax.

Intimacy
Half an hour later, Souka was still awake.

Every passing second felt like hours to him. How long could she possibly take? He knew she was a woman, but... He couldn't help wanting her to hurry up. He wanted her in his bed, sleeping next to him! So warm... He wondered if she would make any advances, or if he should do so... It wasn't very late; maybe they wouldn't go to sleep right away, and would keep talking. True, he was exhausted, but it wasn't as if he'd be very eager to wake up the next morning and see her off...

Slowly, the door opened.

If he looked towards the door, he would see her figure slowly tip-toeing into the doorway and close it quietly behind her. She used the clothes around them as a silencer for her feet, stepping towards the edge of the bed with her old clothes in hand. After kneeling over to place them against the wall, she looked towards the figure of Souka, took in a deep breath, and started to climb in as silently as possible. Apparently, she hadn't noticed he was still awake.

Souka couldn't stifle his excitment. He turned his head in the bed to look at her, and held his breath. She was wearing the pajamas, of course... How unfortunate. But he really didn't know how to react to her climbing into the bed.

Immediately, she stopped, the movement of his head having been sighted out in her peripheral. "....you're awake, aren't you....?" She whispered, cocking an eyebrow at him for a moment. She already knew the answer - his eyes had been partially open and moving! She paused in her movements to wait for a response, just ready to lay down right beside him.

"... Maybe..."

"... wow!"

Of course, this was only said out of teasing. She laughed a little, quickly settling herself in between the covers of his bed and turning her back on him. She did gaze over her shoulder at him. "I'm really starting to think you're trying to creep on me, you know that?" She asked. However, it was in a teasing tone. Maybe he thought she'd wake him anyway even if she moved silently. However, the thought of him being awake and simply waiting for her to show up was not so eager to pull itself from her head!

"Oh, shut up. I wasn't thinking of anything perverted..." At this, Souka allowed himself to shift away from Miyami. He could already tell that it wouldn't be good for him if she discovered he was.

"Oh, I bet you weren't...." Miyami retorted, raising an eyebrow in skepticism. She turned herself to face him, though now he had his back turned to her. Now that she had found herself a bit comfortable in this situation, she could face him with less embarrassment from her person. Though, some of it still remained. For emphasis, she stuck her tongue out at him. Hey, it was a bit childish.... but it wasn't as if she cared!

Souka glanced at her over his shoulder. "Hey, do you plan on going to sleep sometime tonight, or are you going to lay there with your tongue out until the morning?" With a satisfied snicker, he turned away from her once again, confident that he had silenced her. Sure, it was kind of lame, but she wouldn't be able to think of a comeback!

Her tongue flipped back into her mouth, and she fixed a slight glare at the back of his head. "Gee, I donno...." She answered with a bit of sarcasm. "Do you mind if I do something about the fact that your sheets are as thin as hell?" They were only sleeping under a thin sheet and nothing else. She could deduce it to the money problem, of course.

"Like...?"

"This."

With that, she scooted closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his upper torso, making sure her arms moved underneath his in order to make him feel less trapped. One of her legs came in between his. She rested the side of her head against his back, being a little shorter than the guy she was now hugging.

"H-Hey...!" The boy would be lying if he said he didn't hope for something like this to happen, but he hadn't expected it to actually happen. "You're a little... uhm... forward, aren't you?" His biggest worry was that the leg she was pushing in between his would... find something, and then she would tease him for it. Otherwise, he was really enjoying this... Already, he felt himself pulled into the warmth from her body; his mind clouded, his eyelids drooping...

This was much more comfortable.

Half-lidding her eyes, Miyami smiled in satisfaction. "Maybe I am...." She said, her voice showing its own signs of exhaustion. "But it's...." She paused to let out a quiet yawn, closing her own eyes. "...going to help us sleep much better, don't you agree....?" The proximity of their bodies was accelerating the rate of her own descent into unconscious much faster.

There was no response. Miyami's advancements had put her little boytoy out like a light.

"Thought so...."

With that, the girl passed out shortly after.

"Mmph..."

Of course, the boy would be the first to wake up. And why not? It wouldn't have been likely for him to get any sleep anyway, with such a ravishing young girl asleep next to him. He opened his eyes slowly, getting used to the sight of her on his bed... It seemed that they had shifted positions during the night. They were facing eachother now, and though they weren't nearly as close as they had been the night before, he was still close enough to her face to make him blush upon realization of what he was staring at.

She was still asleep.

She had not stirred under his movements, too trapped in her unconscious state to care the least. Her expression was peaceful, and there was a slight flush on her face possibly due to the warmth she had been under. Her short, raven hair was scattered across the pillows, indicating that she had moved a little under their position. She held a rather cute flair about her, if anyone could have an opinion on it.

... Oppurtunity...?I

Why was he such a pervert? Souka couldn't believe what was running through his head right now. The sheer ridiculousness of it was too much for him to bear. But the possibility that it could be pulled off was what bothered him the most. There was a cute girl, asleep in his bed, who had snuggled up to him the night before for "warmth". He did like her; he had already admitted that to himself. So why not?

Why not kiss her, while she was asleep? She would never know. He would enjoy it.

And, under that logic, Souka moved in to do something he would probably regret later.

That was when her eyes snapped open, locking onto Souka's approaching face.

Still, Souka wasn't the type to kiss with his eyes open. His lips still approached Miyami's at the same pace as before, until they were only a centimeter away... If she didn't push him away, he would most definitely kiss her.

"....oh, screw it."

She already had clung to him during their sleep. Mentally sighing in resignation, it was pointless to push him away at this point. She was the one that was provoking him, wasn't she? She might as well take the plunge now and submit to her own doing. She reached over with her hand, placing her palm on his cheek as he moved in. Their lips met, and she sighed in content through the resulting kiss.

Souka blushed.

The kiss, even though it only lasted for a few seconds, felt like it lasted lifetimes. Of course, once it ended and he pulled away, Souka came to the realization that the girl was awake. So she knew of his lechery. Maybe she even wanted to hurt him.

However, she simply smiled, cocking an eyebrow slightly. "I'd do that again...." She remarked softly, looking him over. "But we've just woken up...." She removed her hand from his cheek, allowing him to be aware of the fact that she had allowed him to kiss her. Well, if that and the words didn't clue him in, then he was just a hopeless case!

"I... I'm... I should go... uhm..." The boy was at a loss for words. He wanted to go prepare a bath, maybe make breakfast and see if his mother had woken up yet. But... He didn't want to leave Miyami...

"Do you really have to?"

Seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Miyami frowned slightly. She reached over again, but this time wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She was really wanting him to do the same to her - it was a bit annoying, doing all the work without recieving some sort of reward for it! "You don't have to if you don't want to.... we can stay here for a bit longer...." She whispered, her grin widening a little.

"No, I don't, but..." Souka leaned in and gave her another small peck on the cheek. "How about I prepare another bath and make breakfast for you, because of how happy you just made me? Do you have any clothes to wear, or do you want to go back to your place and get them?"

"Oh my god.... he just decided to make breakfast for me! SCORE! YOU GO, GIRL!!!"

Mentally, she was rooting for herself. Outwardly, her gray eyes widened in surprise. But it didn't wipe the smile from her face. "Thanks...." She said gratefully, leaning in to return the favor and give him a peck on the nose. She then released her hold, slowly arising from the bed and stretching out her arms. "The only clothes I had were the ones on my back, so I'm going to need to get mine from my house."

"Okay. It'll be ready when you get back. I should probably ask my mother if she wants some, too..." Souka mused. "And she didn't get the bath last night, so she'll probably want one now."

"Don't strain yourself with that... you're making breakfast as well as the bath, right? You focus on that, while I go check on your mom." Immediately, she stood up, and after stretching for a few moment, walked around the bed to grasp the doorknob. She turned over to look at him one more time, giving him a smaller smile. "It's the least I could do after what you've done for me...." With a wink, she was up and out of the room.

And, of course, Souka blushed, reveling in how lucky he was. Of course, because this was his house, he had his own clothes here. He picked up the nearest outfit of leather clothing and put them on, strapping on the tight-fitting gloves and tunic as he had done many times in the past.

Once the issue of his wardrobe was out of the way, he immediately walked into the bathroom and began preparing another bath. They were running out of firewood... He'd have to go collect some today, he noted. Once he was satified with the way the water was heating up, he left the bathroom and entered the kitchen.

Food. They weren't exactly wealthy. Souka hoped she didn't mind if they had hollow meat for breakfast.

As soon as she entered the mother's room again, she looked upon the body for a moment as she shut the door behind her. In less than twenty-four hours, the thing would start to decompose. Now was the time to look at what would happen. She could reveal herself now and kill the boy in his home.... or, she could wait the entire day before doing so. However, at these thoughts, her heart started tugging at her chest again. Souka was.... just too much to kill! He was one of the few who had shown genuine kindness to her, even though they had just met! Was he really like them, like the false, two-faced bastards that populated the world today?

She gritted her teeth in frustration, clenching her fist. No! He had to be! He could never be like her, no matter what he said! He was fake! A phoney! He deserved to die like the animal he was.... like the prey he was! She wanted-- no, she needed to kill him in order to preserve this state of mind, to continue to embrace what others would've called insanity. She needed to kill him as soon as possible....

....and yet.... she couldn't.

Slowly, she stepped back, her expression softening once again to a more solemn one. She didn't care if her emotions were getting in the way of her logic. Who was she kidding? She loved him.... but their time together would only last for today before he discovered his mother was dead. She would reveal herself then and kill him where he stood before leaving. A tear fell down one of her eyes, and she shut them both in order to keep more tears from coming down. She knew she was going to feel grief afterwards for doing so.

But he had to die.

He had to.

Slowly, she stepped out of the room again, wiping away her tears and closing the door behind her.

Souka heard the door close. "What'd she say, Miyami?" He called; he was busy preparing the meat, so he really couldn't be bothered to go find her and ask her in person. His own demeanor directly contradicted Miyami's own. He was the happiest he had ever been.

Or...

At least, the happiest he had been since his father had died. Nevertheless, it was directly Miyami's fault he was like this. So happy. Maybe even estatic; though Souka usually tried his best to keep himself from becoming overly emotional. It gave too much away.

"She's still asleep!" Since she was going to the bathroom in order to wash up, she wouldn't go down to the kitchen immediately. So she had to call back to him.

"Well, stop shouting or you'll wake her up!"

"....you're shoutin', too...."

Although she raised an eyebrow out of exasperation, she didn't press the argument further. Instead, she jogged down the hall as best as she could while keeping quiet. She peeked her head around the corner, her eyes staring down what would've been the kitchen. "I'm going to go wash up, all right? I'll be down here in, like, 20-30 minutes tops." She told him in order to keep him alert.

"Alright. The food will be ready when you come out, and we can go to your house and get you some clothes afterwards."

With a curt nod, Miyami slipped from view once more and headed towards the bathroom. She quickly headed inside, slipping in and shutting the door behind her. It occurred to her that she didn't really have anything to wear. Her old clothes were all sweaty. She'd be stuck wearing some of his clothing once again.... but, she could change out of it as soon as she got to her house, after all. Removing herself from her clothing, she didn't hesitate in stepping into the bathtub and sinking within the waters.

There was a light knock on the bathroom door. "The food's ready, Miyami." Souka said loudly, stepping back for a moment. He had considered opening the door... but... That'd be a little too perverse, even for him. Still, he couldn't help but smile at what he was sure was on the other side of the door.

"All right! I'll be down there shortly!"

It only took twenty minutes for her to complete her bath, and the last of the water was draining. She took the last ten minutes to fix up her hair, and was just finishing up when she heard Souka's voice. As she called back to him, she snatched a towel and wrapped it around herself, tying it so that she wouldn't have to constantly hold it up with one hand. "Really should've brought some clothes with me.... smooth thinking, Miyami...." She berated herself, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the doorknob and pulling the door open.

Souka was still standing there when she opened it.

"WHAT THE--"

Immediately, she staggered back, a bit violently, before she fell on her butt gracefully. For a moment, she lay there on her back before she pulled herself up to a sitting position. "Y...you know, you could've warned me you were there or something!" She exclaimed accusingly, breathing a little hard. "I thought you were still downstairs!"

"I knocked on the door! How could I knock on the door from downstairs?" When she fell back on her butt, Souka would have hoped to gotten a good look at something dirty but unfortunately her towel was fixed low, so he didn't really see anything besides white linen. Still, the idea of it was already making him blush...

"Well, I thought you would've already started walking back down!" Miyami scratched her head, closing her eyes and attempting to look indignant. She pushed herself back up, dusting herself off as best as she could. "Jeez...." She walked briskly past him. "I'll hurry up and change."

"Alright... Just come to the table when you're ready. Hope you like meat for breakfast." Souka waited until she entered the room she was heading to before starting his own decent. He could already guess that she was going to put on some of his clothing; mentally, he groaned at the idea of having to carry those clothes all the way back to his house, when they got to her's, but he would bear it if only for her sake.

It wasn't as if he expected her to walk around naked.

She walked with a steady gait, mind thoughtful of what was to come. Once they managed to eat and get to her home, she would immediately grab her rifle after once again shifting fabrics. The boy would possibly be up for hunting, and this would be a chance to show off her own skills to him. Well.... at least part of her hunting skill, anyway. She smiled at the thought, even as she slipped into his room in order to go change. Maybe, just to show off, she'd bring her own personal fire axe in case some of the wildlife decided to come too close for their comfort.

It didn't hurt to prepare.

A short time later, she was already dressed and heading towards the dining area.

Souka was already staring in her direction before she entered the room.

Immediately, his face turned a light shade of pink. She looked... cute? But not exactly; he didn't know how to describe it, but a girl dressing in his clothes made him feel embarassed. She had chosen one of his undershirts to wear, but it wasn't exactly fitted for women... Her breasts made the bottom rise a little, giving him fair view of a little of her tummy. The shorts she had chosen were slightly baggy as well... And he could only imagine what she had chosen for underwear, but maybe that was for the best.

She was too much to take in. Souka turned his head away before she sat down at the table.

As she sat down, she immediately noticed him turning his head away. A rather sly grin crossed her face. "Well, your male choice of clothing didn't give me much to decide on, did it?" She asked playfully, scooting up to the table.

"I... I guess not... Just eat your meat!" It was all they really had. Meat. It was piled high on both of their plates; enough to keep them full until dinner, should they not find anything to eat during lunch. Still steaming from being cooked only a moment earlier, the scent it gave off wasn't very appetizing, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Souka began digging into his without a moment's notice.

Immediately, Miyami began eating.

Although she was eating like a natural person would, the rate at which she was consuming it was just.... quick. One would've thought she was going to choke. Yet, she was eating as normally as she could while still being quick about it. In just two minutes, she had finished the majority of the plate. Apparently, she didn't just go hunting for sport, at least to an extent...

By the time she had finished, Souka was only half-done with his food.

He didn't seem to notice, though. He was still eating as fast as he knew how, eager to leave the house and start the new day. He would undoubtably raise his head once he finished and ask her what was taking her so long, only to discover that she had already finished before him.

"Done!"

Immediately, Miyami set down her fork on her plate, stood up and took both of the eating instruments in both hands. After pushing in her chair, she walked over to the sink and placed both plate and fork inside in a manner that would ensure the plate wouldn't break.

"I-I'm done too!" Souka shouted half-heartedly. There was no way she had finished already...! How could she finish before himself?! Maybe she was used to eating like it might be her last meal, like Souka was... It didn't seem Souka was as tidy as Miyami, because he just left his plate on the table.

As Miyami turned towards him, she stuck her tongue out towards him. "You are so not..." She replied, with a bit of attitude. Of course, she wasn't going to push him to eat. If he wanted to leave his plate right there, then it would just make things quicker. By the way he was moving, it seemed like he was eager to leave the house, almost as if he hadn't left in a very long time.

"Yeah, I am! How are you going to tell me if I'm full or not?" He protested indignantly. He wanted their day to start already, and he didn't want himself to be the reason they had less time to do what they wanted.

The girl simply shrugged. "All right, if you insist...." Walking over to him, she slipped an arm through his. One of her eyes were closed, and she was smiling. "C'mon, I'll show you the way!"

Souka returned the smile quickly. "Is it close?" He asked cautiously. He didn't really want to be a stalker, and ask for the exact location of where she lived (even though they were going there now, anyway), but he still wanted to know.