Inanna Shields (strange_reason) wrote in freedem_uni, @ 2010-11-09 20:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | #interaction, hidekazu takahashi, inanna shields |
Who: Hide & Nana
What: A Lock box full of Memories
Where: Hide's apartment then Nana's
When: November 28th, 2009 - evening
Rating: G
Status: Complete
strangereasonin: The semester was over and there were some decisions that were going to need to be made. With the current happenings at the school issues had become clear and additional training of the students was going to be required. However, that would have to wait Hide wanted her to come over so as promised Inanna made her way over to her dearly beloved friends apartment. Standing facing the stairs the back of her knuckles tapped against Hide's door.
intoabluesky: There was a pause, a shuffling of papers as Hidekazu made his way to the door, looking slightly disheveled, his hair mussed and his clothing a comfortable old pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. "Hello, Nana." He murmured, a soft smile appearing on his face as he opened the door wider for her to step inside. She looked tired, probably as tired as the rest of them, but it didn't stop him from worrying as he stepped back.
strangereasonin: The smile was returned as she stepped into the apartment, placing the customary kiss on Hide's check before moving towards the kitchen. "Paper work mate?" Her view shifted before she glanced over her shoulder back at him. "Tea?" A half smile formed. "Think I can manage to make it without burning down the dormitory."
intoabluesky: "Something like that," Hidekazu smiled, nodding at her when she suggested tea. "Even if you did burn down the dormitory, I'm sure we could find someone else to blame it on," he teased softly, closing the door behind her as he moved to his table to clean up the papers that had accumulated there.
strangereasonin: Inanna chuckled softly at the suggestion. "I say we blame Bane, he causes problems all the time." Once in the kitchen she began pulling out the appropriate items. "Maybe then he'll stop turning my hair queer colors." Turning on the stove she placed the teapot there. "So how're you holdin' up mate? Not too hard on you is it?"
intoabluesky: "No, not at all," Hidekazu murmured as he continued to move his papers, careful of the candle that he had placed on the table. "I haven't started regular classes as of yet, but for the special classes... I quite enjoy them." He smiled, thinking about it.
strangereasonin: A smile crossed her lips, the happiness clear through her tone. "Good, glad to hear it." Pulling down a couple cups she began to bring things into the living room, setting them down on the table, clear of Hide's paperwork. "What kind do you want tonight mate?"
intoabluesky: "Green tea," Hidekazu said matter of factly, smiling at her. there were many things which he wished to ask her, but they could wait until they were both settled with hot tea. "Unless Nana has a different preference?"
strangereasonin: Again she laughed softly. "I'm fine with green." Standing up to her full height again she turned back to move into the kitchen again. "Do you even have anything but green?" Pausing for a moment she glanced around the kitchen, remembering which cupboard it was before retrieving the tea bags.
intoabluesky: "I might have some English tea in there somewhere," he responded easily, taking his seat and playing with his prayer beads as he waited for her, an old habit which he used to calm his mind.
strangereasonin: With the tea kettle blowing Inanna picked it up, with a trivet and the tea bags. Putting the trivet down she placed the tea pot on it before setting the tea bags down on the side. Sitting down slowly her face twisted for a moment. Stiffly she lowered to the floor, sitting across from Hide. "That stuffs far too bitter mate."
intoabluesky: "Uncultured," he made a tsk sound absent-mindedly, his eyes fixing on hers. "So Nana," he began, taking a sip to give them both a moment before he continued. "Do you not like Tai Chi anymore?"
strangereasonin: "Uncultured?" A short laugh was the first response. "It's never been my taste, you know that, mate." A sip of her own tea was taken with amusement before meeting his eyes. Eyes narrowed slightly at the question. "No, I don't have anything against it." Her head tilted to the side slightly as her cup of tea was placed on the table again. "Why do you ask?"
intoabluesky: "You didn't want to do it tonight," Hide responded simply, eyes simple as they looked at hers, bereft of the mask that he normally clutched so tightly to himself. The worry shines through.
strangereasonin: "Oh." Her view dropped down to the tea cup as her hands wrapped around it. The normal shine in her eyes slipped away, displaying a deep seated pain and age that not even her body had shown yet. Sighing she shook her head, eyes down on the cup. "It's nothing Hide." Lifting the cup she took another sip.
intoabluesky: "It's something, Nana," he countered quietly, setting his cup down on the table, watching her. He doesn't like it, the secrets she keeps and he wonders if he had been so self-absorbed that he simply hadn't noticed or hadn't bothered to notice them before. "Talk to me, ne..."
strangereasonin: The fingers of one hand slipped away from the cup, sprawling over the flat surface of the table for a moment. Fingers tapping against the table her eyes remained lowered or a moment before rising to met his she sighed deeply again before frowning. "I don't talk about this."
intoabluesky: For a moment, Hidekazu says nothing, closing his eyes and clearing his mind before opening them once more. "<i>I think you should,</i>" he says softly after a moment, looking up at her.
strangereasonin: Her jaw shifted, tightening for a moment while she looked at him. Sighing once more she shook her head. "Hide, mate." Her voice softened, volume lowering slightly. "This isn't a good time."
intoabluesky: There was a pause, a pregnant one where Hidekazu took another sip of his tea and then nodded, placing it back on the table before moving over to where Inanna was sitting and taking one of her hands into his own, thumb stroking over the back of it.
strangereasonin: She sighed, her free hand removing from her cup to rub her brow and eyes closed. Leaning into her own hand slightly she looked at him sideways, from underneath her hand. "Why now mate? Why do you want to know now?"
intoabluesky: Because I didn't realise before now. The words are there, but Hide doesn't say them. He simply fixes her with a quiet, solemn look, wishing he could explain better.
strangereasonin: Swallowing she sighed against, pausing she shifted, slowly beginning to rise to her feet. The soreness was clear in her movements and face. Giving Hide's hand a light pull she urged him to stand with her and follow.
intoabluesky: Confused, he stands with her, ready to follow wherever she leads. His mind is a mix of emotions, building and conflicting within him. "<i>Lead on</i>" he murmurs softly.
strangereasonin: With a distinct solemnness she lead him back over to her apartment. Motioning towards the living room she nodded. "Take a seat mate, I'll be right back." After a few moments she returned with a small metal lock box. Pulling her significantly worn brown leather wallet out of her back pocket she placed it on top of the box before putting it on gently on Hide's lap. Reaching over she unlocked the box with a key retrieved from her pocket. Neatly arranged in the box are the following items: Black and white photo booth pictures (Inanna around the age her and Hide met with a very handsome looking young man (very athletic looking) around her same age, (1) Looking at the photo booth, (2) Looking at each other laughing with funny hats on, (3) him tickling her, (4) The two of the kissing), a small handbook of prayers from around the world, a gold necklace with with a butterfly charm, high school ring, a Tai Chi belt, a box of recipes (the hand writing on the cards isn't Inanna's, it's a very fine feminine hand writing, the cards are aged), a single dog tag and a license (Jason Shields), a metal arm band ( http://www.celticattic.com/treasures/ima
intoabluesky: For a moment, Hidekazu simply looks down at her box of treasures, his fingers reverently brushing over them and pausing when he reaches Juliet's jersey, his hand resting against the material there for a long minute. Then, he looks up at Inanna, his expression soft, although he doesn't completely understand.
strangereasonin: She swallows, her voice cracks slightly as she talks. "I keep one item from everyone that I've ever loved." She pauses sucking in a deep breath, trying to steady her self, she reaches out to touch the Tai Chi belt almost as if it's a holy item. "My brother did Tai Chi."
intoabluesky: Hidekazu listens, not wanting to cheapen her sentiments with words. He can hear the past tense as he watches her handle the items quietly.
strangereasonin: She swallows, removing her hand from the box. "This is my history." She pauses, looking down at the box before looking up at him and biting her lower lip. "What do you want to know mate?"
intoabluesky: Hidekazu looks up at her, reaching for the pictures of her where she looks so happy. So heartbreakingly happy. "About him," he says finally, looking up at her.
strangereasonin: If it was possible for her face to fall more, it does as he points at the photo booth pictures. "He..." She swallows again, shifting uncomfortably. "His name was Tallis. We met in university. His first year, my second." She swallowed again, a deep pain, which no words can be mustered for writing across her features. "We were in love." Inanna inhales slowly. "Tallis.... he." She licks over her lips. "He had my whole family killed so that we could be together... forever... without interruption." Her hands slowly ball into fists in her lap. "He knew vampires." Her knuckles begin to turn white. "Wanted to have both of us turned."
intoabluesky: Hidekazu reaches out then, his fingers curling around hers, trying to soothe even though he didn't know now to stop the pain from something this horrendous. "But... you didn't get turned.."
strangereasonin: "No. I just witnessed my mother holding her guts in her lap, my brother hanging and my father's chest crushed." She swallows, eyes moving away from him. "I was imbued then and saved by the neighbor."
intoabluesky: There was a long pause then and then Hidekazu closed the box, placing it on the table to place it on the table. One thing at a time, one small step at a time. "Have you told anyone...?"
strangereasonin: A single shoulder shrugged. "I told you I don't talk about it mate." She sighed, gaze rising to the ceiling for a moment. "The cops knew, the neighbor knew, bloody hell, the whole colony knew. It was talked about as one of the most violent crimes of the decade."
intoabluesky: "And what did you do afterward?" He asks quietly, his voice soft as he tries to picture it. Fails and then tries again.
strangereasonin: "Therapy. Lots and lots of therapy. Grief counseling." Weak smile. "Thankfully the neighbor took me in. Jake Ashford." She looked over at Hide, the pathetic excuse of a smile. "I went back to uni, there was talk that I had killed Tallis. No one wanted anything to do with me." She shrugged again. "So I went on exchange." The weak smile lightens very mildly.
intoabluesky: :And you found us," Hide murmured, wrapping an arm around her if she'd let him.
strangereasonin: Her eyes slipped closed as she leaned against him. "Sure did." A pause fell between them for a moment. "I had started hunting before I left Australia. My father had a collection of weapons because of his military career."
intoabluesky: His fingers simply stroke over her shoulder, processing the information as he stays silent. Then, softly. "Did Juliet know?"
strangereasonin: Remaining quiet for a moment she then shakes her head no. "The wounds were too raw back then mate." Falling silent again a hand reaches out, taking Hide's nearest and intertwining their fingers. "I think she knew more than you did. She... she just seemed like she could tell there was something broken in me back then."
intoabluesky: "She was always good at that," Hide murmurs, giving her hand a squeeze. He closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them again.
strangereasonin: "Mmm." The silence settled again as Inanna merely enjoyed the feeling of their bodies so close. It was a comfort for someone who had always been big on physical contact. There were so few people she could be this way with anymore. Letting the moment of quiet extend she finally sighed, reluctant to speak again it seemed. "What else mate?"
intoabluesky: "What else?" Hide asks quietly, understanding the question, but for now, feigning that he doesn't as he tightens his hold on her, squeezing her for just a moment before his grip loosens again.
strangereasonin: An uncharacteristically defeated and pained smile was given to him. "I don't talk about this mate. I don't know where to go, what to talk about. I need some direction on what you want to know." Her head nodded towards the box slightly. "I don't even know where to begin."
intoabluesky: Again, Hide remained silent for a moment. It wasn't as if he was particularly skilled at these types of talk either. It was different when it was a student talking to a teacher. Much different, but finally, with a softly exhaled breath he continued. "How did Tallis die?"
strangereasonin: She shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. "I'm not completely sure." She paused again for a moment. "From what I've been able to piece together the vampires realized I was imbued right before their eyes so they ripped his throat out for revealing them to a hunter." Eyes slipped over the contents of the room. There was still pain there but it was dulled now, distant, almost like another life. "I never saw the body but I heard the police talking about it."
intoabluesky: Hidekazu nodded, his fingers of his free hand moving up to touch her hair lightly. It was probably for the best that she hadn't had to see that. "Aside from Juliet's jersey... is everything in that box from your family?"
strangereasonin: The moment made her insides feel tense but a strange sense of comfort could be pulled from each moment. A deep intimacy in the interaction both pained and soothed the hunter in the same instance. "Not everything." It took a moment but she finally coaxed her self into letting the fingers of her free hand push the lid open and fall on the metal arm band. "Her name was Mary." A slow breath was sucked in, steadying in its simplicity. "She was a hunter too. We met while I ran missions in Germany and France." She paused. "Those couple years I didn't really contact you."
intoabluesky: Hidekazu nodded, listening carefully, "And?" He urged her on gently when there was a lapse in her words, his fingers still stroking through her hair, eyes closed so he could concentrate.
strangereasonin: Sighing her eyes drifted closed and the memories flashed through her mind. "Our group was sent out on an investigation. There were 15 of us. three groups of 5. We only had one magically inclined medic for the whole group, so he went with the weakest." She paused. "We never should have gone in there. Heavily infested. I think that was probably the most enemies I've ever seen my whole life." Eyes slowly opened, trying to banish away the images of carnage. "The area was huge, so we broken into our three teams and took different corners. It was a simultaneous attack." Swallowing eyes fell on the bare coffee table. "She got bitten, infected... and the last communication we had made it sound like the rest of our whole group were goners. Our team managed to take out the threat but with heavy causalities. It was her, another group member and my self. She was infected, the other members wounds were so bad that they bled out. With no healer and base being at least 50 miles away there was only one choice." Her grip on his hand unconsciously tightened slightly. "It turned out that there were some others left from the other teams, including the caster. They found me 'cause of the noise my gun firing made." She paused. "The guy who bled out died back at base."
intoabluesky: Hidekazu tried to imagine it. To think about it in his head and found that although he could, the image made his heart ache. That was enough for tonight and he leaned up to press his lips to Inanna's hair. Maybe he wasn't doing the right thing, by letting it drop, but the human heart was so fragile sometimes, he wouldn't break it simply to satisfy his own curiousity.
strangereasonin: Slowly her grip lightened slightly, jaw tightening before relaxing again. "You're one of two people left mate." The embrace maintained helped to ease the pain. "What else?" Her voice was low, shaken but sincere.
intoabluesky: "I think that's enough for tonight, isn't it?" Hidekazu murmured, his fingers stroking lightly over her still, attempting to soothe. "I know it's hard to talk about, Nana..."
strangereasonin: Her eyes drifted closed. "It'll hurt just as much now as it will later." Sighing her muscles relaxed slightly. "Your call mate."
intoabluesky: "Haven't you ever heard of pulling a band-aid off slowly?" He attempted to tease, but his voice ended up sounding too gentle as he pressed another kiss to her hair.
strangereasonin: A half smile formed at the suggestion as Inanna shifted so that she could wrap both arms around Hide. "Nope. Ripped the sucker off." Her voice had a faint teasing edge to it, as her mind shifted away from the topics of discussion for a brief moment.
intoabluesky: "Masochist," he murmured, shifting slightly so he could hold her more comfortably. "If you want to keep talking about it, we can, but if you need a break..." His voice was unwontedly gentle. "We can do that too, Nana."
strangereasonin: Her eyes drifted closed. "Tell me what you want to know and I'll let you know if I can handle it."
intoabluesky: "Do you still think of your family often?" He asked, knowing it was a silly question, but wanting to ease her into his neck one.
strangereasonin: Almost as if it would answer his question she pointed to the wallet that she had laid on top of the lock box originally before slowly moving to pick it up and opening it fully. Digging around in the wallet for a moment she pulled out the other dog tag which made the set and digging into a deep pocket pulled out an incredibly worn small plastic almost flip book like protector. The plastic was old, breaking from its age and years spent in the wallet. In it was a picture of her mother, brother and grandparents. "Every day mate." Pausing she inhaled deeply. "The reason I don't just buy a new wallet instead of this old shoddy thing is 'cause it was my fathers."
intoabluesky: Hide nodded, watching quietly and listening carefully as she spoke. He tried to remember his own parents, the devotion that he should have for them, but he'd been separated for so long that he couldn't summon it. Instead, he just looks at her picture. "Aren't you afraid of it breaking?"
strangereasonin: An oddly reminiscent smile formed. "Yes." She paused. "And I'll be sad when it does... but... I can't explain it mate. I just... Can't leave it." She sighed, the odd smile falling into a half frown. "I tried to leave it for a couple days once, got a new wallet but." She shook her head. "I felt like I had lost something important the entire time."
intoabluesky: He looked at the wallet, then at her, considering something. "Would you mind if I... What if you let me protect it each morning?" He thought about it and the wraps that he so often used as bandages. What if they could protect the wallet too?
strangereasonin: With a sad smile she looked at him for a moment. "I would mind. Every thing's got a life and a death and this wallet will have one too." The sad smile was turned to the wallet as something inside of her ticked away. Laying her head against his her eyes shifted closed again. "Plus none of us need any more strain than we all ready have."
intoabluesky: It wasn't a strain, he wanted to say, but he didn't. Mulling over her first words in his head. That had used to be his own thoughts on the matter, but so much had changed and he wasn't sure if he held those ideals anymore or at least, not completely. "I suppose you're right."
strangereasonin: "'Course I am mate." There was an oddly playful tone in her voice in response to his commentary. A low sigh slipped out from her, taking in what she could of the moment and enjoying it. Who knew how many more moments like this in life they would have a chance at having. It was simple and almost stupid but it brought so much comfort she'd never be able to explain it to anyone else. "What else?" The same question again but this time it came out low. Just above a whisper as it was a hard question to keep asking on such sensitive topic matter.
intoabluesky: "Juliet's sweater." Hide closed his eyes, reaching up to rub at the bridge of his nose. It was so hard to even say her name, even after so much time had passed, but he had to ask about that one specifically.
strangereasonin: She paused for a moment looking over the jersey, silence fell between them before she found the proper words again. "Even if we could bring her back... Fully..." Words tapered off for a moment as she summoned the strength to speak again. "She'll never be the same woman that I fell in love with." She paused. "That you fell in love with."
intoabluesky: For a moment, Hidekazu says nothing, isn't able to say anything and he finds himself swallowing hard. He knows all of this and yet, it's still so hard to hear and the ghost of Juliet joins the ghost of Tsukasa at the edges of his mind, calling to him softly before he banishes them both to whence they came. "I understand," he says finally, slowly and curls more into Inanna, done talking for the night.
strangereasonin: Eyes remained closed as she stayed wrapped up with him. Not hearing anything else she paused after a moment, shifting, pulling a hand back she looked over the lock box for a moment, a hand rising in the air before slowly touching the lid of the box. She couldn't ask 'what else' again. It was taking too much out of her, the little she had left. "<i>We'll talk more later.</i>" A hand slowly moved down, gently closing the box, locking away the memories once again. Until another time when they would be dug up again and rummaged through. The hand pushed the box further back on the coffee table. Leaning back against him again she squeezed softly with both arms wrapped around him before whispering. "Let's get some sleep mate." Shifting back fingers moved to intertwine with his, and if allowed she would give his hand a soft tug to lead him back into her bed room so that they could both rest. Whatever was up there, watching over them... Sure knew they needed it.