[PG13] We Make Each Other Stronger - SousukexSecrets -

[Secrets]

PG13 for...romance and such? LOL Possible cuss words.

"Alright. Winds are nice and my destination lies only less than half a mile away," Katrina murmured hurriedly to herself. She was busy strapping up her harness, the sky blue and neon yellow nylon of her hang glider pressing against her back. She pressed her shoulders back to give herself some room and to push the thing away from her as she snapped various clips, tightened a few holsters, and muttered to herself, assessing her progress, as she went. Her expert fingers flew up the straps and double checked the harness before she placed her hands on the metal rod.

With a grunt, she pulled the rod closer to her and wind rushed up underneath the glider as she lifted it. The nylons filled with air and she fought to remain on the ground. The cliff edge in front of her was only a foot or so away and she leaned back before taking a few bounding steps and launching herself into the air.

Her blonde hair whipped into her face as the hang glider lifted up, air surging upward to fill the nylon. Like sails, the wings continued to rise and carried Katri with them. "The winds are being generous today," Katri said playfully to herself and leaned forward to edge the nose of the glider down. The wind reacted to her thoughts and pushed her toward the ground with much more accuracy; her intended location was a secluded Academy, hidden in the mountains and from the watchful eye of common civilians who saw themselves superior to Katri's kind.

She touched down onto the ground gracefully, though the glider smacked her in the back and caused her to stagger forward a few steps. Grinning to herself, she slipped her fingers down her torso, unbuckling and unstrapping her harness as she went. When the harness was loose enough, she wormed her way out of it and folded up the steel rod of her glider, then folded the glider itself in half.

She looked up at the wide double doors of the Academy and felt a rush of bliss go through her. She'd been here before of course. Kids came and went all the time and as they pleased. Katri's room would be just as she'd left it, though the bed would have been straightened and the room cleaned since she'd left.

"It's good to be home," she said to herself as she hurried inside.

[Sousuke]

Takashi trudged his way up through the mountains terrain. He had been ascending the mountain for several hours, by now every footstep struck him with a sharp pain. By now the small pack on his felt like a boulder on his back. Takashi was not used to the mountain terrain as well as the shortage of oxygen. He straightened out his back and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Why did they have to build it here?" he grumbled to himself. Takashi was trying to find an academy for people who were like him. He had spent some time in the city but was making a terrible mess of things. He had manage to burn and blow up several establishments as well as injure a number of innocents. None of this was intentional of course as Takashi was simply defending himself. But due to the nature of his powers his self defense often had

At the urge of his older siblings Takashi was to spend some time at an academy in order to hone his powers. Although they themselves had never attended it. Takashi wondered of they were mocking him by making him go to this place, but he quickly abandoned the thought.

"If this place can make me stronger," he took a step and began to see the compound, "how bad can it be?" He looked up and saw something fly down towards the direction of the compound. Takashi scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. A small pain ran down his back and he winced. He began to talk gingerly towards the compound and found himself at the front gate.

"Well, here goes nothing," Takashi let himself inside and proceeded to the reception desk. He greeted the receptionist and signed in providing the required information. He patiently stood there at the desk waiting for his information to be processed and let his eyes wonder around the building.

"How am I suppose to find my way around this place?" He said aloud.

[Secrets]

She had breezed by Amy, the receptionist of the Academy. The woman would recognize Katrina; anyone here would recognize Katrina if she walked the grounds with her hang-glider strung over her back. She waved at her as she moved to walk down one of the corridors that would lead to the dorm room, but the double doors opened again. Curious, Katrina poked her head out from behind the corridor and saw a boy checking in at the counter. He was new, she realized.

Seeing Katri still (well, almost) in the room, Amy waved her back over. Still as curious about the boy as ever before, Katrina obliged and shouldered her hang-glider as she walked back over.

"Katri, this is...Takashi," Amy said as she read through his papers again. "Can you show him around the building a bit?" she asked and flippantly handed Katrina his card key to his dorm room. She looked down at the numbers; room three twenty-six. That was in the boy's dorm, of course, but she knew where it was.

"Nice to meet you, Takashi. I'm Katrina," she said as she hefted her glider to her other shoulder and stuck out her hand. "I can show you your room first if you'd like. You can get that heavy pack off your back." She noticed the way he stood, as if he were in pain, and immediately wanted to relieve him of that.

[Sousuke]

Takashi breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he slide the pack from his back and placed it in the palm of one of his hands. He than produced his own hand to meet Katrina's and grasped it firmly. His hand was quite warm but not exceedingly, the look of relief on Takashi's face continued.

"It's nice to meet you Katrina, I'm Takashi but my friends call me T.K.," he said while taking note of her hang glider, "Were you the one from earlier who flew down to the schools gate?" He spent much of his time in the city so he was quite unfamiliar with such technology. Takashi's eyes then met with Katrinas before he finally let go of her hand. He nodded in thanks towards the receptionist and heaved his pack in his hand and gestured for Katrina to lead the way.

"And yes please, I'd like to drop this pack off at my room," he said as he brushed the sweat from his brow with his forearm, "It's been on my back since I started walking from the city" He admitted somewhat embarrassed. He followed Katrina gingerly to the boys door looking around admiring the the building it was like something out of a manga for Takashi. As his eyes drank in the building his fatigue seemed to melt away.

[Secrets]

She shifted the glider against her back again to remove the weight of one of the steel rods in it off of her shoulders. When he asked if she had flown down from the mountains, she grinned and began their walk toward the boys' dorms. She took a right and continued down the dimly lit halls; candles flickered warmly from their perch on elegant iron holders. The walls themselves were made of stone, like a castle, but the stones were never clammy nor cold, not even when winter came to the mountains.

She hummed as she traced her hand along the gritty walls. The mauve carpet beneath her feet swallowed the sound of her footsteps. Solid oak doors came into view as she moved and after a few moments of almost silence, she spoke again. "That was probably me up there, unless another wind elemental decided to go for a fly." She looked over her shoulder at Takashi.

"The Academy is extremely old, but you can see from the doors that updated technology has been put around the place." She pointed to another oak door. Faded numbers that read three twenty-six were painted in a soft lavender against the door and Katrina slid the card into the electronic door key. A green light flickered on the door handle and she turned the knob, moseying open the door and waiting so Takashi could get in first.

"You get your own bathroom on the right side of the room. If you want to find a witch somewhere in the school, they'd be glad to change the room to how you'd like it." She brushed a few locks of hair out of her eyes and gave Takashi a half smile. "Everyone here's friendly. You might want to stay away from the supernaturals if you don't know their customs, but I'm always here to help," she said with a shrug.

[Sousuke]

Takashi wore a stupefied look as his eyes jumped to whatever happened to be in his line of sight. His fingers lightly touched the cold stones of the building. He had literally stepped into a novel. He was so used to cement and plaster he had forgotten buildings like this still existed to this day. The aroma was foreign to him as well a combination of brick, mortar and the mountain air.

Takashi walked past her into the room before tossing his pack on the floor, it gently landed with a light thud against the carpet of the room. Considering his build he was almost embarrassed that such a light pack had caused him so much strain. He turned his head around and looked to Katrina and offered a kind look and said, "Thanks," his voice weighted with awe.

He Than turned towards her, "If you could give me a moment to change before we tour the rest of the compound." He lightly closed the Door in-front of her. Several moments passed by before he would open the door again. Somehow he had managed to completely throw the room into disarray in such a short amount of time. He himself looked somewhat more refreshed, a little dirty from the walk but the fresh change of clothing offset this. He had changed to a White t shirt, with a sleeveless red hoodie, jeans and red and white high top shoes.

He breathed relieved and smiled at Katrina, "Sorry about that, let's get going." He started walking off down the hallway and spoke, "So you're a wind elemental? Just like my older sister". He continued walking again becoming dumbfounded by the buildings architecture. Takashi opened the door for Katrina and they were outside once more.

"She always kicks my ass," he continued taking about his sister, "I can never hit her, she always cuts my balls in half, my fireballs I mean." Takashi paused and laughed to himself "that came out funny didn't it?"

[Secrets]

Katrina waited patiently for Takashi to finish changing. She leaned against the warm stone of the building, glad to be back with familiar terms. She'd toured a lot of Europe and she had realized quickly enough that she probably liked the ancient buildings there because it reminded her of her home here. Yes, this was home to her. She'd be eighteen in a few weeks and she'd come home to celebrate her birthday with friends and family; her mother was probably hurrying around the Academy helping with some of the new-goers.

When Takashi opened the door again, she brushed aside his apologies and smiled mischievously when he asked if she was an air elemental. When he continued to talk about his sister, she laughed at his unexpected statement.

"Yes, that did come out funny. And don't worry, I only know about three other air elementals that stay here, besides myself." She turned through another hallway and would lead the fire elemental up a short flight of stairs.

"We could head over to the courtyard or I could show you the mess hall or if you wanted to see the stables, I could show you the type of creatures our Academy has. This is a lot different from the mortal world, T.K.," she said.

[Sousuke]

Takashi took in her words as he looked about the compound taking note of the miniture medieval style walls surrounding them. When she mentioned to him how this place was different than the normal world it all made sense to him, the long walk, the Forrest, the mountains. This was an ideal location to house a building of this nature. For people like Takashi and Katrina it was their rapture.

He thought about where he would like Katrina to take him first. The stables sounded interesting but he figured animals were not his favorite things in the world so should save that for later. The mess hall appealed to him as Takashi did enjoy a good meal but he could never eat right after any sort of physical activity. Than it dawned on him, he had been sent here to hone his powers.

Takashi clapped and faced Katrina with a slight grin, "Katrina, could you take me to the sparring area?" By now any looks of fatigue or pain had been replaced with bight eyes full of energy. He eagerly followed Katrina across the compound encountering several other attendants on the way there. The were friendly and greeted the two of them. Takashi noticed strange noises and realized they must be near the stables.

As Katrina led him he asked her, "So you know of other wind users, which one of you is the strongest?" he inquired with a hint of ambition.

[Secrets]

"The training grounds? Sure," she said and stuffed her thumbs into the pockets of her skinny jeans. She patted her fingers against the jean fabric as she planned out a quick course for them to get there. Leaving the stables behind, she promised herself she'd drop by later to greet her old mount. No doubt the creature would love to see the wind elemental again.

"So you know of other wind users, which one of you is the strongest?" Katrina heard Takashi say and she turned her head slightly to look at him as she walked.

"Well...we're not like the fire or earth elementals that are always testing themselves against each other." She scratched the back of her neck with her right hand and breathed out a sigh. "But you could see tonight if you'd like. The winds are getting together to--"

"Katri, s'at you?" Katrina turned at the familiar voice and an uncertain smile reached her face as she looked at another wind elemental. "I heard you were back," he said with a grin, obviously not noticing the guarded expression in Katrina's eyes.

"Guess word travels faster than I remember," she replied and nodded toward him. "I'm showing T.K. around the campus."

"Alright," the boy said as he shot a look at T.K. "You ought to come tonight, Katri; finish what we started last time," he said with a wink and walked off.

With a sigh, Katrina turned back toward Takashi. "Ryan. I guess you could say he's a strong wind elemental. As I was saying before he walked up, the winds are holding a contest tonight in the Arena. Last time he and I sparred, well, you can see us in action tonight." She bumped his shoulder playfully. "If you want to come, that is."

Pausing again, she rapped on the double doors in front of them. "And this is the training area. I'll show you the Arena later and explain the Games." She opened up the doors to a gymnasium that was twice the size of a standard one. On one wall hung an array of swords, bows, and other medieval weaponry. Guns were noticeably absent amongst the ancient weapons. Obstacle courses and training dummies were scattered along the floor of the gym.

[Sousuke]

Takashi looked towards Ryan and simply nodded in acknowledgement. Takashi stood there silently while watching the exchange between Ryan and Katrina. Takashi sensed the energy between the two of them. "A strong wind elemental" said Katrina, Takashi would definitely be sure to remember Ryans face.

As Katrina bumped into Takashi he smiled. "A contest huh?" he nodded his head as he contemplated it, "I'll be there you can count on it, I'd love to see how you wind elemental match up." Takashi walked with a playful bounce in his step as his thoughts began to turn to tonight's contest. But before his mind could run wild with thoughts of the contest the two of them began to approach the gymnasium.

Takashi stretched his arms over his head as they approached the the gymnasium. Immediately his daydreams stopped as the doors opened. He was enticed by all of the equipment. "Not to shabby," he said as he nodded in approval. "No guns," he looked a little confused, "You know most mortals who find people like us disgusting use guns why not train against them?" he said more to himself than to Katrina.

Takashi clapped his hands together and pulled them apart deliberately. As he pulled his hands apart a solid beam of fire appeared and in a matter of seconds it hard turned into a staff. While turning it upright in his right hand a blade came out of the top, it was a scythe made of fire. Takashi looked at it affectionately as green flames bled from the entire scythe. He turned his gaze to Katrina "Swords are too played out, scythes are much more intimidating." He spun the scythe around with his two hands "Katrna thank you for showing me around, I think I'll get acquainted with this place, how about we meet up in the mess a little before your fight?." Before she could reply he ran into the gymnasium with a look of sheer joy on his face.

[Secrets]

"Katrna thank you for showing me around, I think I'll get acquainted with this place, how about we meet up in the mess a little before your fight?" he said and Katrina moved to raise her voice, but he was already running off into the gymnasium.

"Mess hall's outside, near that big dome-shaped building," she yelled after his retreating form. Shaking her head, she exited the gym and breathed out a sigh of relief when she pushed her back against the oak doors. Now she could get her glider off of her shoulder and kindly get outside to see her mount. A squeal in front of her stopped her in her train of thought and Katrina's face broke out into a smile as she spotted her best friend.

Before Katrina knew what hit her, the girl had barreled into her and choked all of the air out of her. "Hallie, I'm--let go," she said tightly and the girl's auburn ringlets moved away from Katri's face as she pulled back. The girl grinned and pointed fangs flashed before Katrina's eyes, but she only grinned back. "Long time, no see," she said and moved to hide her glider behind her back.

Hallie was not as easily dodged and reached for the glider with that superhuman speed of hers. "What happened to your old one? You loved that thing," she said with a frown, which Katri soon matched.

"Let's just say break-ups are best done when my valuables are left inside and away from the wind," she said with a helpless sigh, though Hallie's eyes flashed crimson. The fangs were already elongating and Katrina yelped, pushing her palms into Hallie's shoulders to knock some sense into her.

"I told you Ryan was a douche," the vampire merely said, looking a bit ruffled, but not entirely backing down. Katri sighed dramatically and leaned back against the wall. "Seriously, Kat. I'll go kick his ass if you need me to. His blood might not be as bad as that huge ego of his," she said and licked her lips, to which Katri rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder.

"You shall not kick Ryan's ass because I plan on doing it tonight," she said smugly and Hallie's brows cocked upward. Katrina frowned and narrowed her eyes at her. "You know I'm as damn strong as he is," she said and Hallie snorted, though it soon turned into a laugh.

"You're stronger than Ryan, but not everyone knows that. Kitty Kat hasn't exactly shown the extent of her powers to anyone," Hallie said with a grin, her nickname even forcing Katri to smile. "Except me, of course, but I'm just amazing. I'll see y'all two at the competition later tonight," the vampire finished matter-of-factly. Then she was gone.

"Jeez," Katri muttered to herself and picked up her glider. Her shoulders slumped slightly; she really didn't want to go against Ryan. There was no telling what he'd do. Had she seen jealousy in his eyes when she was showing T.K around? No, that wouldn't matter anyway. Furrowing her brows in confusion to her own thoughts, she made her way into her room and tossed her glider carelessly onto the floor. The last time Katri and Ryan had fought, neither had prevailed; but then again, the two had basically flirted on the field, tossing playful balls of wind at each other and pushing each other over. And it was in front of everyone.

"Ah, hell," she muttered to herself and made her way to the mess hall. The coos and occasional roars coming from the stable enticed her, though she figured T.K. must be getting tired with his swordplay, excuse her, scytheplay soon. Grinning to herself at her own joke, she walked into the mess hall and plopped herself down in the nearest seat.

[Sousuke]

No more than half an hour into his so called "work out" had a vacuum of flames begun to consume the center o the gymnasium. Looks of concern and awe began to rise just as quickly as the flames. With blinding speed and a simple flick of the wrist T.K.s scythe came down and quelled the flames surrounding him. He stood there in the center of a blacked and ash painted floor scythe in hand. This drew a few applause from those who were watching him train. He nervously scratched the back of his head before smiling and waving them off. Takashi could conduct an orchestra with that scythe of his. It's menacing flaming green aura had fully bloomed. He gazed at the scythe admiring its macabre elegance. Finally with a snap of his fingers the scythe vanished in a plume of Erie green smoke leaving behind a few emerald embers.


Someone approached him, it was one of the other students that had applauded at his flashy fireworks display no more than two minutes ago. "Hey man shaking?" Said the stranger who had approached Takashi. The strange was shorter than Takashi but had a much more built physique, he had dark skin and black hair. He Takashi smiled and greeted him "Just having a spot of fun," he replied with deep breaths inserted between each word.

"I'm Jace."
"Takashi, I'm new here."

The two of them shook hands. Takashi slightly cocked his head to the right when the two of them had finished shaking hands. "You've got a strong handshake Jace, what's your magic trick?" Jace smiled his fleshy fingers morphed into a hard material that resembled the stone which the building was composed of. Takashi grinned,"Very nice."

Jace nodded returning the grin, "I think me and you ought to spar." Takashi's face lit up for a moment "Sur-" he paused for a minute "Sorry Jace, I'll take a rain check on that, I'm supposed to go watch Katrina and Ryan fight tonight."
Jace looked surprised, "You already know about those two?" Takashi blinked as if he was taken aback, "What do you mean?"
Jace shook his head, "You'll see."
Takashi nodded "Next time Jace, I'm in room three twenty-six." Jace Laughed "So you're my neighbor, three twenty-seven."

With that the two of them parted. Takashi put back on his hooded vest and proceeded to the Mess hall. He spotted Katrina and waved once to her than he pointed to the counter with the chef behind it. In a minute he walked over to Katrina with a silver can in each hand. He placed a soda in front of her and began to drink from his own. "You weren't waiting long were you?" He said before returning to the can. Before she could reply he offered her his hand and glanced to the door over his shoulder.

[Secrets]

Katrina swiveled in her seat and spotted her vampire friend with her clique. Anxious glances were casted her way and the blonde girl only rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue childishly at Hallie. A smile tugged at her lips when she saw the vamp snort, roll her eyes, and pointedly stick her tongue out back at her. To give her a point, she also gnashed her teeth and pointed to T.K., who was just entering the cafeteria.

"Hallie," Katri muttered as he approached and the vampire laughed, made a gesture that she was just kidding, and turned her back to her friend. Katrina glanced up as T.K. approached and shrugged her shoulders at his question.

"No, I haven't been waiting too long." She cracked open the top of her soda can and downed half of its contents. At Takashi's hand, she raised her brows up, took it and nudged him to walk with her. She headed toward the door he'd gestured at before, noting that it would only be an hour before the fight. She looked down at her attire. Yep, she needed to change. She'd tell Takashi after.

"What's up?" she asked as she pushed through the double doors and out into the back of the courtyard.

[Sousuke]

As the two of them left the mess hall Takashi noted the group of vampires and a curious look began to trickle down his face. However he dismissed this feeling just as quickly as it had come and walked through the double doors which Katrina had opened. Clutching his soda in hand as the two of them stood in the courtyard he announced, "Found out who my neighbor was at the gym, this guy naked Jace, he can turn to stone, you know him?"

As the two of them walked the grounds of the courtyard aimlessly Takashi was receiving looks and nods from several other attendants. He chuckled, "I made a bit of a mess in the gymnasium, there was a lot of people who saw," he drank from the soda the can now almost certainly empty. As he swallowed he contemplated whether or not he should ask her what Jace meant about her and Ryan. However the two of them had just met not more than three hours ago he decided it would be best to let tonight events play out on their own. his face could not hide the fact that he was indeed thinking about something.

Takashi did not know where he was the leading the two of them. She had not told him where the location of the fight was to be. An embarrassed grin cracked his previous expression. "Hey, I don't know where I'm going, do you mind taking lead here?" he said earnestly as his grip on the soda can forced it to cave in somewhat.

[Secrets]

Katrina gave Takashi a wry smile aas he told her of his achievements in the gymnasium. "You'll be challenged by some of the fire benders now and could possibly be targeted at challenged by the water," she said with a shake of her head. She nodded in approval to this and patted him on the back. "In other words, you're popular."

She grabbed his shoulder and wheeled the two of them in the other direction. "This way to the Arena. Saw your eyes on the vamps. I'd steer clear until I introduce you to Hallie," she said with a chuckle. "She'll want to sit with you at the game." She thought something might be on Takashi's mind, but she was running out of time to get changed.

"Hey, I have to hit the locker room. Match'll start in a half hour. Look for a girl with auburn hair, alabaster skin, and in dire need of some normal teeth. I'll see you right before I go on!" And with that, she left him at the front door of the Arena, which would open up into a huge stadium. Stands lined the walls and the locker rooms were located a floor below. That's where Katri headed.

[Sousuke]

Takashi grinned wide his mouth like a slice of watermelon. He let out a short laugh "Thats good, I'm looking forward to getting a few challenges, In fact Jace challenged me but I declined because, well I wanted to watch you fight." he said with that same goofy smile still on his face. She mentioned water users he thought about that for a moment, he had never fought a water user before although some in his extended family were water users.

Takashi was surprised she had caught him glancing at the small group of vampires as he had diverted his eyes to them for only a second or so he thought. The name Hallie was mentioned to him, was she their leader? No matter Takashi assumed Katrina and Hallie were on good terms so he didn't worry too much about this vampire.

"Oh yeah! changing would be a good idea, it be hard to fight in that." His finger pointing to several of Katrina articles of clothing. Takashi listened to Katrinas instructions and burst into a short series of laughs at the comment about normal teeth. He entered the stadium and was in utter awe once more. It was like a micro football stadium but made with bricks and other archaic materials. in a sense it must have been what the roman Colosseum looked like when it was brand new. It was amazing even if it was not the largest stadium in the world, it still impressed Takashi.

He looked around and quickly spotted the girl who matched Katrinas description. He hesitated for a moment but pushed on and began to walk towards the young woman. She was definitely a vampire without even opening her mouth to see her teeth Takashi could tell. He waved hello as he neared and introduced himself, "I'm Takashi, and you would be Hallie?" He offered a handshake.

[Secrets]

"I'm Takashi, and you would be Hallie?" The vampire turned at the sound of her name and was not at all surprised to see that it was Katri's puppy from earlier. She gave the fire wielder a dimpled grin that flashed her fangs and took his hand, cocking her head slightly to see how her freezing skin would affect him.

"Hallie, yes. Kitty Kat sent you, didn't she?" She sized the boy up and grinned again when she met his eyes. She turned back to her group and snapped her fingers; a few turned heads to meet her gaze.

"Taking the new kid where the action is. Don't bother with a seat, Christopher," she called and winked at one of the vampire boys who'd immediately looked at her.

"Bite me," he answered and hissed. She rolled her eyes and grabbed for T.K.'s arm so she could tug him over to a spot a few rows back.

"Vampires, feisty little things," she complained as she sat down. "Kitty Kat probably told you she'd be out here before the match, but she probably won't." She cocked her head and listened for a moment. "Yep, definitely won't. I like you, Takashi." She turned her gaze toward him and clicked her teeth together. "She's going to get hurt in the games, so you know. It's not unlikely that a student will get a broken bone or...worse. We're used to it, but I don't want you doing anything rash, 'kay? This is her battle, just want you to know that." She looked at the boy cynically before resuming her attention to the Arena.

"Oh, goodie, Kitty Kat's pissed the douche bag off," Hallie said with a grin as Ryan swaggered out onto the field.

----

After having hurried to the locker room, Katrina now stood in front of a mirror. She quickly stripped herself of the jacket she'd been wearing, along with her boot flared jeans and undershirt. She then snagged her battle ware from where it hung off of a hook on her locker. She slipped the silk-like fabric that made up her shirt over her skin. It was tight and clung to her body, and she was thankful she had complimenting curves. The shirt was white, though a gray stripe went down her right sleeve. In the middle of her stomach rested her symbol; a silver sparrow with a spiral behind it.

She pulled her hair free from under the fabric of her shirt and tied it up with a hair tie that, using her teeth, she'd tugged free from her wrist. She then pulled on her pants, which were much the same material as her shirt, though they were gray and weren't as clingy. She'd requested a little flare at the bottom of them, though it rarely got in her way.

"'sup, Kat?" Katrina wheeled around and frowned. Ryan detached himself from a nearby locker and made his way toward her, placing his hands on her hips when he approached. Katrina brushed him off and leaned back against some more lockers. Ryan frowned.

"Didn't you get it when I told you there is no us anymore?" she said and snorted, to which Ryan narrowed his eyes and stalked up to her. "Stop, just stop," she said as she put her hands up. "We can settle this on the field."

"You know I don't want to hurt you," he said. Katri swore she could have heard desperation in his voice; pitiful really.

"So it's not the same for my glider, or my heart," she said and glanced away, blinking hard as she did so. His hands reached for her cheek, but she shoved him aside and sprinted out of the locker room. The yells of her name almost made her stop, but Hallie was right, had been right all along. She grinned away the sadness and waited on her edge of the Arena.

"Ladies, gents, vampires, fae, elementals, and Goddess knows what else, we've got an arena battle tonight between two wind elementals." A small amount of applaud came from the Arena. Of course not a lot of people were there. No one expected much of Katrina, though she was surprised Ryan's supporters and fan girls weren't there. Suppressing a sigh, Katri watched as Ryan stepped onto the field on the opposite edge. Great, she'd clearly pissed him off.

[Sousuke]

As she took Takashi's hand he felt a chill embrace his hand and it teased the entire length of his forearm. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at their hands. His muscles flexed and a feeling of warmth rushed back down his forearm and quelled the chill. His arm relaxed and their hands fell away from one another.

Fighting back the urge to laugh at the vampires exchange he quietly followed Hallie. She had referred to Katrina as kitty kat so he was right about the two of them being on good terms with one another. He was perplexed what did she mean by katrina "probably not" being out there. He was sure Katrina had said she would be fighting Ryan, he kept his mouth shut for time being.

"She'll get hurt?" he asked quizzically. He looked out onto the field intently his eyes began to trace the field as if he was trying to predict what would happen on the battle field. Hallie was right though this was Katrinas battle and he had no right interfere no matter what happened. "I wouldn't dream of interrupting," he said calmly as his eyes shifted from the field back to the vampire.

"Douch bag?" he turned his head to Hallie, "why do yo-" he stopped and caught himself. It was starting to make sense, the tension between Ryan and Katrina when they had met, the comments made by Jace, and there was really only few reason a girl would call another guy a douch bag, none of them good.
"They used to be together didn't they?" he asked Hallie, his face becoming much more serious. He rapped his fingers against the seat.

Just then takashi's hea snapped away from the field and Hallie, "Yo Takashi!" he heard a voice cry out, it was Jace. Takashi half waved as Jace approached, "Hello again Jace." Completely oblivious to the greeting Jace continued to speak "First, your walking around with Katrina, now you're getting all cozy with this chick, he tipped his head in Hallie's direction, "You are a regular don Juan my brother." Jace sat next to Takashi. T.K. shook his head, "It's not like that, Katrina told me to sit next to her," he fumbled his words for a moment "I mean Hallie, katrina told me to sit next to Hallie." He looked over to Hallie apologetically before returning to Jace, "By the way, just call me T.K." he looked to Hallie, "That goes for you too."

"Match is starting man." Jace reached over and tapped T.K. on the shoulder with a light backhand. Takashi shut his mouth and returned his attention to the field.

[Secrets]

Hallie laughed as Jace neared them and smiled devilishly at the boy as he sat down next to T.K. "What, got a problem with hanging around with vampires, Jace?" she asked and shook her head. Cocking her head again, Hallie's gaze moved to the opposite edge of the field. She was listening to Katrina and closed her eyes to focus more on the girl. She was definitely irritated; she just hoped her friend wouldn't chicken out on her. She wanted to see the girl mess Ryan up.

Remembering Takashi's question from before Jace had showed up, Hallie opened her eyes and swung her gaze back toward the boy. "Yeah, they were together and then Ryan turned into a total ass and Katri snapped. It was fun watching him fall off a cliff," she said and pursed her lips.

"Ooh, Kitty Kat's actually going to do it. Damn, she doesn't look too happy," Hallie chuckled as Katrina stepped out onto the field.

---

"You can do this. He'll leave you alone after this," she said. She checked to make sure her hair was still in her pony tail, sucked in a tight breath, and stepped out onto the field. The announcer had finished calling her name a while ago and she was a tad late getting onto the field, though she didn't let it distract her. She walked confidently to her side of the field and faced Ryan who was about fifty feet away on his own spot.

Katrina's gaze lifted and she found Hallie in the crowd, who was currently pumping her arms in the air and shouting for the blonde girl to kick him where it counts. She moved her gaze to T.K., but before she could smile, a blast of wind propelled her backward. She landed on her butt and narrowed her eyes at Ryan, who's palms were still outstretched toward her from the blow.

"Oh, it's on," she said and staggered upright. She splayed her feet apart and shook one of her bangs from her eyes. Wind is invisible and almost impossible to judge where the attack is coming from, that is, to most people. Blades of grass shifted to her left and Katrina rolled out of the way of another blast of air.

When she brought herself back into a crouched position, she thrusted her palms forward and a whirlwind shot straight toward Ryan. He was blown off of his feet and hit the ground hard a few feet away. He got back onto one foot and slid the other out in front of him; Katri dove over the air that was meant to trip her.

When she'd made it back to her feet, Ryan was sprinting toward her. Katrina thrusted her palms out, as did Ryan as he approached, and she waited. When he got close enough to throw the first punch, her head snapped to the side from the force of the wind. He paused and she turned her head toward him, eyes dark. "Oh, you're going to pay for that."

Wind erupted from behind her and spun around Ryan as Katrina held her palms out. She channeled her energy into this one move, watching as the strong gale stole Ryan's breath. He pushed against her with his own power and Katri felt weight beginning to crush her from the sides as she was hammered by the onslaught of windwork.

It hurt, oh it hurt as the weight continued to press down on her. She thought her knees would buckle beneath her. Her hair tie was torn from her hair and the blonde locks whipped painfully against her cheeks. She couldn't move her hands, couldn't channel the energy and move the direction of the wind. Neither could Ryan since she'd trapped him, too. His eyes bore into hers and the wind changed direction.

No, you can't do that without moving your hands! she thought desperately. His face hardened and Katrina cried out as the air constricted around her throat. Her eyes darkened and she let that anger shift into something more. Pain wracked her mind as she focused on moving the wind without her hands, though the gale around her died. Ryan's, however, doubled in force.

"Gotcha," she said and brought a fisted hand back. She punched him under the gut with a hand surging with wind and he was pushed upward. He landed heavily on the ground a few feet in front of her, and he managed to push himself to his feet, though he was still winded and breathless. Both of them were. She waited and he rose. Katri winced and held her hands in front of her, ready to defend herself, but his arms raised into the air; mercy. She'd won.

While the announcer told everyone in the stands, Katrina tentatively crossed over to him and lightly touched his shoulder. "Hey, I don't want to fight anymore," she said softly. "Can we let go of the past and possibly...be friends?" she asked. Ryan ran his fingers against her cheek and she was surprised when he drew them back with blood. Must have been the punch. Her neck hurt, too.

"I don't want to be friends, Kat," he said flatly. "You beat me. So what? Wish you'd stayed away from this damn school," he said and walked off. Katrina just stood there, stricken and utterly humiliated.

"Hallie?" she said in a whisper and saw her best friend nod from up in the stands. "No, you don't get to kick his ass for me. Just grab T.K and meet me in the locker room," she mumbled and walked off of the arena.

--It so sucks, sorry. I'm trying to catch up on my reading of Medea, the play. xD--

[Sousuke]

Eying both combatants T.K. scooted to the edge of his seat. He was somewhat surprised at how lively Hallie was in cheering on her friend, he admired it though. Jace too had been cheering for Katrina but more so as a bandwagon who didn't want to offend those he was sitting next to. As Katrina Battled T.k. became increasingly impressed with her. Not many wind users could perform a maneuver like that without the sue of their hands. In a way she moved like his sister. Once Katrina landed the finishing blow Takashi clapped his hands and nodded in approval. He and Jace swapped commentary on what the two of them had just witnessed.

"Homegirls got guts," exclaimed Jace. T.k. nodded in agreement, "She was able to keep her cool, thats how she won." The two of them continued their post game analysis for several moments before out of the corner of his eye Takashi noticed Hallie. He turned to her somewhat confused "Why that look on your face, Katrina won?" he said perplexed.

Hallie laid her hand on his shoulder with an icey grip and said, "Kitty kat wants us to meet her in the locker room." Takashi looked over to Jace and shrugged. Jace grinned, "You get to be in the locker room with two chicks, you dog." Takashi shook his head, "I think it's much more serious Jace, I'll see you back at the dorm". Jace's expression shifted and he nodded "alright man, laters."

Takashi stood up and followed Hallie to the locker room. The trip was quite as neither of them exchanged words. This silence extended the length of the walk. What was wrong? Takashi wondered to himself. She didn't seem injured, did I miss something after the fight was over? he asked himself. They were now at the locker room, Takashi opened the door and promptly followed Hallie in.

"Katrina?" Takashi called out with concern weighing his voice. "Are you okay? Do you need me to call a medic?" he called out once more as his eyes frantically scanned in between the rows of lockers. He looked to Hallie with the expression matching that of a lost puppy.

[Secrets]

"No, I'm fine," Katrina said as she poked her head out from behind a wall. Her cheeks were slightly pink from the windburn out there in the Arena and some of her hair was sticky with the blood from her cheek. She slipped her sweatshirt back on, thankful that Hallie and T.K. had arrived after she'd finished changing. "I actually got out of the Arena before they could do the post-fighting check on us," she said as she scratched the back of her head.

"You should have aimed that last punch in his balls," Hallie said loudly in response to her friend's quiet demeanor. She slung her arm over Katrina's shoulders and pushed her down onto one of the metal benches in the room. "Seriously, that di--,"

"Watch your language," Katrina muttered and Hallie rolled her eyes.

"That prick was a total jerk after the match. I'd like to take a huge bite out of that ego of his," she spat and Katrina looked helplessly at T.K.

"Guy drama sucks. Hallie, see if you can take your anger out on one of the fae instead," she said with a sigh and Hallie snorted, but left the room all the same.

"Jeez," Katri said. She scooted over on the bench and patted it for T.K. to sit down. "Sorry about this," she said as she pointed to her eyes which were red from crying. "I just needed some company." She folded her hands into her lap and looked down at them.

[Sousuke]

Watching the exchange between the two of them T.K. stood silently crossing his arms across his chest and leaning his back up against one of the lockers. He listened to what the two of them said his face a mix of relief and confusion. T.k. was glad to see that Katrina for the most part had remained unscathed, physically anyways. He looked at Katrina and shrugged as he let Hallie go on. Soon she was gone and it was just the two of them in the locker room.

When she patted the seat T.K. remained in his pace for a second almost objecting but realized that she had shown him kindness earlier so it was only fair to return the favor. Sitting down next to her he spoke, "You looked good out there, you move like my sister."He cleared his throat and produced a handkerchief and gently placed it in her hand.

"But you movements were a little off, almost like you were weighed down, your mind wasn't completely in the fight," he paused for a moment letting his words resonate through the empty locker room. "In fact, I think you could have beat him much quicker than that." His words carried no malice as he was simply speaking his mind. He waited quietly for a moment," You sure you're okay?" his voice was now much softer.

[Secrets]

She took the handkerchief with a sigh, though made no move to blow her nose or press it against her eyes. She balled it up in her hands and listened as Takashi talked. Every word of his was right, she knew that. "You sure you're okay?" Suddenly she felt bad for putting this on T.K.'s shoulders and in all honesty, she was ready to push this away too.

"Yeah, I'm okay now," she said and blinked. "I'm going to skip dinner though. I'm beat. Hallie can accompany you to the mess hall if you'd like, though I wouldn't recommend taking a sip of her "wine" if she offers it to you," she offered with a chuckle. "Tomorrow we're going to the stables, though. Then I want to show you something really cool, 'kay?" She smiled and stood from the bench, offering down her hand to help him up as she did so.

[Sousuke]

T.K. took her hand his girp was firm but his fingers themselves were soft. He scratched at his chin while his face yielded a look of concern "Her wine?" T.k. uncharacteristically gulped "what do you-" he paused and it hit him "She drinks blood right in front of everyone?!" He was shocked, he knew vampires drank blood but he was surprised that everyone was fine with it. than again this was a place defined by the phrase "out of the ordinary". He relaxed and simply said, "I'll keep that in mind."

The two of them left the locker room but concern still weighed over his brow. Should he press on and offer to talk more with Katrina. No, he thought, shes a big girl she'll talk if she feels like it. "And sure, I'm down to go to check out the stables tomorrow." He remembered the strange noises he heard from the stable earlier today but was sure it would be fine. "Goodnight Katrina," he offered a half wave and began to walk to the mess hall with Hallie.

[Secrets]

Katrina gave T.K. an odd look at his response to the blood, but then she reminded herself that this was all new to him. "Would you rather I take a bite out of you in front of everyone else?" The vampire herself said as she joined them on the walk. "Remind me to fill in your brain on vampire customs so your pretty little face doesn't get messed up." She said and Katrina rolled her eyes.

"T.K., I'll be at your door tomorrow morning. Thanks again. Halls, don't turn him or anything stupid like that." She muttered the last part and departed, which left Hallie to throw one arm over his shoulder.

"Heard Kitty Kat sayin' she'd show you somethin' special after the stables. Let's hope you don't have a fear of heights," she said with a chuckle and led him into the mess hall.

[Sousuke]

When Hallie propositioned him, "Would you rather I take a bite out of you in front of everyone else?" He stood there for a moment looked to Katrina for a moment looking for reassurance that it was only a joke. He than continued walking with them brushing aside the comment as morbid humor.

T.K. nodded towards Katrina, "I'll be up bright and early," he said. He caught Katrinas last instructions to Hallie, "Turn me?" he said with some of the color draining from his face before realizing it was another joke. Mentally he slapped himself for acting so childish but refused to let the thought linger.

"Heard Kitty Kat sayin' she'd show you somethin' special after the stables. Let's hope you don't have a fear of heights," said Hallie. "Heights don't bother me at all," he stopped "unless my sister's involved, than everyone should be afraid of heights." He chuckled nervously as he grabbed a burger and some french fries and a soda. He than followed Hallie to a table and sat down with her.

"So how long have you two been friends?" He took a bite from the burger and swallowed ,"You two seem really close is what I mean."

[Secrets]

Hallie breezed by the drink line and poured herself dark crimson liquid from a wine bottle. She sipped from the glass as she picked up a plate of salad. Her alabaster skin seemed almost translucent under the lights as she sat down with Takashi. At his question for her, she laughed and tossed her auburn hair from her eyes, which were crimson from the sell of blood before her. She sipped her drink again before answering him.

"Before I'd gotten my vampiric urges under control, I met Katri out on the mountains. She looked like any other person that was about to jump from a cliff. She had young blood and I was hungry so I jumped her. Of course, I failed to notice she was an elemental. Soon as I landed on her back, freaking hurricane winds threw me into the trees behind her. She had spunk and power, and of course, I was scared she'd finish me off. Instead, she offered her hand, her veins actually and told me she wanted to help me. She took me to the Academy here and voila, best friends," she said cheerily.

"Want a sip?" She asked as she tipped her glass toward T.K., though she'd already drained it. "They encourage not killing here at the Academy so some students offer blood to the vampires in exchange for things. We can walk around in the sunlight on campus because the witches put spells around the perimeteer of the mountains. Fae and vampires are at war with each other outside this cozy mountaintop. And don't make vampires your friends unless you have good wit and kick ass power. I believe Katri wanted me to fill you in a bit so you don't get murdered in the middle of the night. Anything about a particular species you want to know, or what species are here exactly?" She chewed a fry.

[Sousuke]

Nervously smiling T.K. waved his palm to polity decline her offer, "I'm not feeling too adventurous tonight." He laughed someone uneasily hoping that Hallie would not take offense. He listened to her story and was surprised that Hallie had tried to make a feast out of Katrina. He was amused when he imaged the look on Katrinas when she told him, "hurricane winds threw me into the trees behind her."

"I've heard of hunger bringing people together before but not quite like that," he finally commented at the end of her story. He took another bite of the burger and chewed on it slowly as he listened to her explanation of as to how they could walk around during the daytime. He was rather surprised he hadn't questioned that earlier.

"Well, I'm familiar with most elementals, other than the obvious fire I have too much experience with wind, and lightning." T.K. took another bite of his burger and swallowed it quickly which resulted in a high pitched squeak of a hiccup. "My uh older sister and brother are a wind and lightning elementals." He covered his mouth as he sipped from the soda in order to quell the hiccups that plagued him. "What should I know about the wizards and witches?" he paused to test if the hiccups were gone but another squeak flew from his lips. "I've only encountered one or two before coming here but they both were friendly."

[Secrets]

"Katri's got herself a good heart," she said softly and chuckled again at T.K.'s question. "Hold on, I'm thirsty," she said and in a flash, grabbed her glass, poured more of the blood and had slid back into her seat. She was sipping at it before the people around her even had a chance to blink.

"Now. Witches are the most self pompous and flashy of all the species. They love showing off their talents. Each witch or wizard, though wizards, the male witches, are quite rare, are all given a spellbook upon their coming of age; basically they get their powers when their old enough. Each witch is also specialized in either telepathy or telekinesis. Spells range from blocking sunlight to causing plagues, but the bigger the spell, the more energy they use. Uh, if you're looking for favors, they like pay with borrowing your energy which a fancy word for that is channeling. Dangerous foes, liable friends." She gulped down another half of the glass and frowned.

"A positive is my least favourite. I like running my mouth, but I feel like a talk show host for crying out loud," she muttered. "Ready to wrap up or have you got a few more questions up your sleeve?"

[Sousuke]

"Pompous and flashy of all the species." T.K. chuckled and muttered "Obviously you've never met my brother," He waiting for a hiccup that would never come,he now wore another look of relief, "Let's hope you never do," He laughed briefly for a few seconds. "I think I'd like to fight a witch, but not just yet."

T.K. meditated for several minutes, "I'm AB negative, please tell me that it doesn't rank high on your list." He chuckled as he balled up the paper for his burger and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. "No I don't think so Hallie, I'm sure just by hanging out with you I'll learn more about vampires." He stood up and offered her his hand and picked her up out of the chair. "I think I'll turn in for the night if you don't mind, have a good night Hallie."

T.K. promptly left the mess hall and proceeded to the boys dorm. He walked into the common room and spotted jace playing chess with another student. He simply nodded towards his neighbor and yawned and pointed towards the room indicating he was going to sleep. Jace got up and produced an envelope from his pocket "It's a letter for you" Jace said. T.K. thanked him and stuffed it into his pocket. T.K. though to himself "There was nothing on the envelope, I'll read it tomorrow after hanging out with Katrina."

He stepped into the room and after a prompt shower and change into boxers and a t-shirt he collapsed on the bed.

------------------------- The next day.

Just as quickly as he had closed his eyes he felt the sun attempting to jar his eyelids open. He groaned as he tossed around in bed. "I'm gonna have one of those witches make me some epic curtains to block out the sun." He mumbled. Just than came a knocking on his door, "Katrina?" he mumbled. Still dressed in his boxers and t-shirt he flung the door wide open and yawned. "Morning.." his hair was up in a terrible mess and his facial hair was just as bad.

[Secrets]

Katrina groaned as she woke up from her bed. She threw aside her scarlet bedsheets and stepped out onto the hardwood floors of her room. After catching a glance of herself in the mirror, she groaned again and attempted to smooth down her hair. She'd made sure to shower the night before but her hair still hadn't been spared by the wind. Her cheek was still bruised too, she noticed as she touched it gingerly.

Giving up on the rat's nest, she decided to put it up in a high pony tail. She slipped a bulky red sweatshirt on over a silver tank top and then pulled on some jeans. Deciding she looked a bit presentable after putting on a quick tap of cover-up over the bruise and some light pink lip gloss over her lips, she closed the door to her dorm room and made her way down the hall.

She knocked a few times on Takashi's door and was surprised to see the boy in his boxers. "Yeah, it's me," she said as she bit her lip. "Want to hurry up? I need to see someone at the stables."

[Sousuke]

"sure thing, one minute." After closing the door he looked down at himself and thought to himself, she saw me in my boxers, awesome. He quickly dressed in a black v neck t-shirt, a black hoodie tossed on some jeans and black canvas shoes. He than saw his hair in the mirror "she saw that too" he groaned and patted it down before giving up and tossing on a hat.

"That works," he opened the door to see Katrina standing there, "You look nice, how's your-" he stopped and touched his own cheek while looking at her. He than turned around and grabbed the unopened letter from last night and stuffed it into the front pocket of his hoodie, "This can wait" he said to her. He turned his palm upright and pointed down the hall "shall we?" He had memorized all the places she had shown him yesterday. As soon as they had exited the boys dorm building he turned in the direction of the stables and began walking as if he had been there a hundred times before.

"Will Miss Hallie be joining us?" he prompted as they continued to walk towards the stables

[Secrets]

"You're good," Katrina said with approval as Takashi led both of them down the hall and into the direction of the stables. The stables themselves were made up of the typical horse boarding rooms, and a large expanse of fields, but behind the horse stables rested a huge dome-shaped building with a large opening at the top to allow access into the sky.

"No, Halls won't be joining us. She scares the animals," she said and tugged Takashi against the doors to the dome building, totally ignoring the horse stables. She put her fingers to her lips and leaned the side of her head against the door. The sound of soft coos and harsh cries met her ear and she grinned.

"Gryphons get scared with newcomers so stay quiet until I can ease their minds. Wind elementals have always had connections with winged creatures," she said and pushed open the door. Silence met her andgold, amber, and green eyes met her. They were warm as they regarded Katrina and she ran her hands across some of the tawny and dark brown feathers that were around her. Then they saw Takashi in the doorway and a few of them edged back, wary.

"Shh, he's a friend," she whispered to them, but a gentle wind that flowed lazily through the doorway calmed them more than her words. "Axifist, there you are!" She yelled just as a flying ball of chocolate brown feathers and golden fur came flying at her. He nipped her ears affectionately and clicked her welcoming, amber eyes sideways as he looked at her with a cocked head. She pushed his meaty lion paws off of herself and pushed herself to her feet.

The gryphon stood just under her shoulder and eyed Takashi warily. Katri cuffed him Axifist on the back of his head. "He's a friend." She whispered into his ear and she smiled at Takashi. "Come say hello to my friend, Axif. He won't bite unless you singe his feathers," she said and scratched the half eagle, half lion behind the blades of his wings.

[Sousuke]

"No, Halls won't be joining us. She scares the animals," T.K. chuckled, "Why am I not surprised to hear that. As they approached the horse stables Takashi eyed them but continued following Katrina. "Gryphons" he whispered as his breathing slowed down as they entered the giant dome building. Upon seeing the eyes light up Takashi gasped but covered his mouth with both hands.

His mind raced to a time to when he was younger. His older sister possessed a Gryphon. He shuddered as a flock of bad memories assaulted his mind. But soon he remembered where he was, with Katrina.

He exhaled slowly and once again he became the definition of calm. He straightened himself out and proceeded to move towards Katrina and her pet. His movements became more deliberate and precise like those of a theif.
"If he bites, I'll singe more than just his feathers" he said with a half smile before regaining his composure. He continued to creep forward with pronounced articulation in each of his steps.

With the hands of a maxillofacial surgeon he reached out and firmly petted the creature. "Hello axifist," said Takashi as he began to gently stroke the proud creature. "You know, my sister has one of these, Gregorian the Tormentor, she calls him." He shuddered slightly as he uttered the name but stopped himself before he startled Axifist. "Hallie said I'd better not be afraid of heights...she didn't mean you wanted to take me up for a ride on one of these, did she?"

[Secrets]

"You treat Axif as if he were a pet," she murmured to Takashi and ran her fingers down the length of the creature's body as he bristled. "It is true the gryphons come to visit here, most of them to mate and birth here in safety. It takes a lot to befriend a gryphon; your sister is special," she said with a smile and leaned over to wrap her arm around Axifist' neck. He cooed softly into her ear and she sighed; she'd missed the creature.

"I don't believe Axif would give anyone but me a ride," she said with a chuckle and as if to prove her point, Axif nipped at her hair and narrowed his eyes at Takashi. "No, I've got something better; no offense, Axif," she said and the gryphon flicked his tail and stretched out his wings. With a nod to the girl, he shook her off and took to the skies, claws scraping against the top of the dome as he escaped the building.

Katrina moved to walk back to Takashi, but one of the gryphon chicks walked out in front of her and she stumbled over it, yelping as she fell against Takashi.

[Sousuke]

"Special, well that's one word you could use to describe her," he snickered at the thought as he watched the intimate moment between Katrina and Axif. "Better?" repeated T.K. as he watched in amazement as the beast surged in power as it escaped through the top of the dome.

Still looking up at the hole in the dome where Axif had just left he heard a yelp and looked down and caught Katrina. However another chick had scurried behind him and he too fell backwards landing on the ground. Impulsively he wrapped his arms around Katrina in order to protect her from the fall as well as himself. The two landed with a thud and he heard wings flapping and felt as if the rest of the gryphons were mocking him.

He groaned as he regained his bearings, Katrina was laying on top of him, one of his hands had found itself resting on the back of Katrinas heading pulling her face into his chest. He moved his other hand up and down before realizing that instead of landing on her lower back it had traveled just a bit too south. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her partly because he was embarrassed at his left hand and partly because he did not wise to startle the creatures anymore.

[Secrets]

Having expected T.K. to catch her, she squeaked again as they both went down to the ground. She winced as she hit her cheek against his chest and at his question, picked her head up to look at him. She felt the weight of his hand against the back of her head and then she realized where his other hand was and her face turned a delicate shade of rose.

"Yeah, just fine," she said a bit breathlessly. She hesitated a moment, unsure of what her feelings about this were at this point. No, you can't think that. He's just a friend who managed to accidentally grab your butt when you fell, she thought to herself and her cheeks darkened even more.

"Thanks for...catching me. Well, we don't want to irritate the gryphons anymore. I have to show you the surprise that involves heights," she said, though the gryphons were completely ignoring them as if the pair's presence were oblivious to them. She gingerly pushed Takashi's arms off of her and rolled off of the boy himself before picking herself back up to her feet.

Without offering to help him up, she managed not to totally run to the door. "Halls," Katri called and a bored looking Hallie was at her side in a moment. "Fetch my glider? Half a pint," she bargained. She would have waited to walk T.K. back with her to retrive the thing, but she wanted distraction for them both now. With a wink, Hallie was off and returned not but a few moments later.

"No blood needed Kitty Kat, the excitement in there paid for it all." She winked again and left a soured Katrina waiting outside for T.K.

[Sousuke]

He lay there eye to eye with Katrina, he swallowed hard as he heard her response, "That's good," he mumbled as she made her way off of him. He lay there his head titled back and watched her leave upside down. He heard an exchange of voice outside and swallowed hard once more.


While still laying on his back T.K. Tucked his knees towards his chest and performed a kip-up. He buried his face into his palms and thought "She thinks I'm a pervert, first I answer the door in my boxers than I have the audacity to cop a feel, smooth." No it's fine shes just a friend anyways, It's not like you think of her in that way," he tried to convince himself. "Now you're standing in a room that stinks of gryphon lovemaking and fecal matter, talking to yourself."

He groaned as he marched out the door his head held high. "So that was uh, pretty assome," he caught himself and his eyes popped open, "I mean awesome! pretty awesome!" he forged a laugh that was further telegraphed as fake due to the unusually loud volume he set it at. He settled down after several moments and noted the glider in her hands.

"That's the surprise you had in mind, looks like fun, lets go!" he walked quickly, desperate to leave the place of embarrassment.

[Secrets]

Katrina face-palmed at T.K.'s awkwardness and even shook her head as he forced a laugh. She picked her head up and gave him a genuine smile, shaking her head and chuckling as she did so. When she was afraid the smile would die into a fake one, she propped the glider on the ground and unfolded it. Running her hands through the nylon, she felt an odd ache at the remembrance of her first and only glider before this one.

"I'm going to strap you up so try not to squirm too much in the harness," she said as she picked the glider up, which its wingspan was now about sixteen feet long. She moseyed her way over to T.K. and dropped the harness over his shoulders."Put your arms through," she ordered as she began to snap him in to the very glider itself. When he would put his arms through, she would quickly strap him up, being extremely conscious of how close they were again.

[Sousuke]

T.K. fell silent as to avoid any more ridiculous outburst. He donned a serious face and obliged her by sliding his hands through as he had instructed him. He followed the rest of her orders and moved quickly as not to exacerbate the situation. Once she had finished strapping him up he moved his arms and bent his knees checking to see his range of movement. Satisfied he gave her a thumbs up and smiled. He was excited as he'd never done anything like this in the city, unless jumping from rooftop to rooftop counted. The expression on his face reflect this.

Things had been silent for far too long though and he asked her, "So how long have you been doing this Katrina?" as he patted the harness making sure it held him securely.

[Secrets]

"My first ride was when I was three," she said with a soft smile as she double-checked Takashi's straps. She tightened a few around his waist and satisfied with her work, moved her expert hands to her own harness. She slid her arms through and strapped herself in. When she'd finished, she closed her eyes and breathed in a deep lungful of the afternoon air.

"Dad strapped me in with him and he led the glider. Got my first one when I was five. I never understood then why the wind would always cooperate with me," she said and half opened her eyes to look at Takashi.

"I want you to trust me with this...and hold on tight," she said as she herself gripped the steel rod in front of her, knuckles turning a bit pale with the force she put on the action. In all honesty, she was afraid of what Takashi would think of her. It was silly to believe like that when all she would do is lift them into the air, but as of late she rarely trusted anyone except Hallie. And his grabbing her butt hadn't exactly soothed her nerves.

[Sousuke]

"You've been doing this longer than I've been using my powers," he said with his voice now full of confidence. "listen, If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't have let you strap me up like this." He pressed his lips together and nodded to himself a few times "I trust you, Katri." It was the first time he had called her by her nickname, It was the first time in a long time since he had called anyone by their nickname. He placed a genuine firm hand on her shoulder and smiled confidently.

His other hand had managed to turn the knuckles bear white as he gripped the bar in front of him. "So this is how you discovered your powers," he replaced his other hand onto the bar, "Okay I'll do whatever you ask, just be gentle, it is my first time." He laughed, his nerves calmed with each passing breath and he once again smiled handsomely at Katrina. "Well Katri, shall we dance?" He said as he pumped his legs in anticipation.

[Secrets]

Katri. It was the first time Takashi had ever called her by her shortened name. As he turned to her and asked her to dance, she grinned and tentatively placed one hand over his before gripping the bar herself. "I did discover my powers here, but I also realized I could do it without my hands; as long as I'm not stressed." A light breeze caressed her cheek and likewise flowed lazily around Takashi.

"Hold on tight because we've got to lift off," she said and crouched slightly onto the ground. Katri's eyes squeezed shut and the wind around them engulfed the space under the glider before surging upward. With a loud snap, the nylon was filled with uplifting air and soon the Academy was far beneath them.

Katrina opened her eyes and looked over to Takashi. "This is where I learned to be free," she said softly and looked down. She stilled the rising wind and just kept a steady current to keep them aloft, though the glider was like a shark in a way and constantly had to move forward. Katri navigated it easily, sometimes having to lean farther against Takashi to execute a neat turn.

This is your captain speaking. How is your first time flying Katrina airlines?" She asked.

[Sousuke]

Up until now T.K. had kept his eyes shut tightly. With mannerisms resembling a cartoon he attempted to walk but this proved fruitless. He finally opened his eyes and looked down at the school. "Oh my god why are we up so high" he laughed at how shocked he was. He than looked to Katrina and was once again calm. "This is insane!" he exclaimed as the wind tossed his hair around. He began to laugh once more but not out of nervousness but out of excitement.

He followed Katrina instruction leaning to the left and right as she instructed. On several occasions their cheeks grazed one another and each time he apologized. He straightened out his back and flexed his muscles in order to help the glider cooperate more. He than arched his back and shifted his weight once more. Katrina and him were now in perfect tandem.

"I can see why you like doing this" he spoke louder than normal as no matter how well Katrina controlled the wind it still subtracted from his voice.

[Secrets]

"In all honesty, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't fly," she said and leaned forward to tilt the nose of the glider down. A stream of wind slapped against the top of the right wing while another pushed against the inner left and the glider spiralled down, a bubbly laugh escaping from Katrina's lips from the exhiliration.

She steadied them out again and when T.K. would help her, circled around the mountain range. "I'm glad you like it. You're a good flyer, you know," she said with a grin and bumped her shoulder against his. "So we can stay up here for a bit, go back to the Academy, or I can take you to see the dragons' cliff. They take warmly to fire elementals."

[Sousuke]

"In all honesty, I don't know what I would do if I couldn't fly," she said. T.K. nodded and spoke loudly once more, "Well it's a good thing you can, and I'm glad you took me up here with you!" The two of them continued to cut through the air effortlessly. "Woah!" t.k. exclaimed as his lips parted and his eyes widened. They were steadied once more "Please tell me before you do that again," he said laughing.

He listened to her present him with several options. He raised his eyebrows and fell silent when she mention, "the dragons' cliff." "I beg you pardon," he mumbled, "They take warmly to fire elementals." He thought for a moment with his legs straight out behind him and his muscles fully flexed, he was getting a little tired and could use a stretch, but was uneasy about descending all the way down to the academy in a single go. "That is a terrible pun Katri," he teased but he nodded "But sure, that sounds like it might be pretty cool, let's go check out the dragons." He clung to the bar in front of him.

[Secrets]

"Alright," she said with a laugh. The weight of her problems had been released from her shoulders as soon as she was in the air and she felt so free. Katri had a feeling that T.K. had something to do with her good mood, too, though she shoved that feeling down before she could think too hard on it. At the mention of her attempt at a joke, she laughed again.

"Hey, at least I tried, but they really do like fire elementals, more so than air at least," she said with a chuckle. Pulling herself forward against the rod, she pushed her weight down and angled the nose down again. Resisting the urge to do a loop-de-loop, she circled downward and angled herself toward the rock face of a mountain.

"Like I said, trust me on this!" She yelled as she pushed a bit of wind into the glider to raise them a bit. The rocks neared and Katri forced herself not to blink as the glider crashed into the rocks, only it didn't crash. The nose slid right though and the glider slid into a short tunnel that opened up again into a huge valley. "Like the gryphons, the Academy supports dragonkind. The witches placed magical barriers and illusions around to only let certain people through, like the students admitted to the Academy."

[Sousuke]

T.K.'s eyes were shut tighter than a nuns legs. The knuckles on his hands were whiter than snow he had been gripping the bar for dear life as they were dashed against the rocks. T.K. was not panting as the adrenalin levels in his body had just spiked. "Katri, never again" he said with his eyes still shut as his breathing came in short rapid burst. His eyes became curious and peaked ever so slightly from under their covers. They were now in a Valley that he had not noticed on his walk to the academy compound. She than explained, The witches placed magical barriers and illusions around to only let certain people through, like the students admitted to the Academy." It made sense, since he had not been admitted he could not see the valley.

He made note of the sweeping grasslands, the curvatures of the land and again the fresh air that he was still becoming accustomed to. "A whole new world," he said as he laughed regaining his confidence once more. "Let's land over there" He pointed towards a cliff, that had to be the dragons cliff that Katrina spoke of. "So just how friendly are they to fire elementals?" He asked her. "I've never been up close to a dragon much less seen one, I know they exist but are very rare creatures." The two of them approached the cliff, an anxious look feel on T.K.s face, "I hope I don't have to use too much firepower," he chuckled at the lame pun.

[Secrets]

"Hey, you asked for it," she said smugly and pinpointed where Takashi told her to go. She nodded and let her own wind die around them. "I'm not going to use my power anymore, don't want to spook the dragons. Just get as close to me as you can so we can steer better," she said as she kept her gaze steady on the cliff.

Her arms ached as she forced herself to keep the glider to the left; a wind was trying to force them to the right. She touched down and bent her knees to absorb the impact, arms automatically pushing the steel rod up to force the back of the glider down so it wouldn't lift again. Scaly heads poked out from the rocks, but their eyes were more friendly than the gryphons. No doubt they scented T.K.

"Fire elementals have been known to bond with certain dragons before. You share the same...essence that allows you both to control fire, I believe. Pretty cool, huh?" She said as she moved to unstrap T.K.

[Sousuke]

T.K. kept his eyes trained on the eyes of the dragons. There were several of them, all quite large creatures. They all varied in color one was a yellowish brown, next was a deep blue, these two were the bigger of the three which greeted them. Behind them was a brick red one. Once Katrina had finished unstrapping him Takashi moved closer to the dragons. One of them huffed a small flame as it exhaled. T.K. looked back over his shoulder at Katrina with a look of uncertainty, "The fire i use, is a little different from most fire elementals, it burns much hotter." He turned his attention back to the small clan of dragons before him.

He slowly held out his right hand and with a snap of his fingers a silvery green flame dancing in the palm of his hands. Takashi torqued the rest of his body away from the palm of his hand and tucked is head down towards his chest and closed his eyes unsure of what would happen. The dragons opened their wings and bowed their heads in response. Takashi felt the sudden burst of wind and looked to see the dragons creeping forth. Their eyes were indeed kind and almost humbled by the display of fire which T.K. had presented them with. He looked back to Katri once more his eyes growing ever wider. "Katri what am I suppose to do no-" The small red Dragon had begun to nuzzle Takashi on the shoulder, "WOAH! slow down big guy!" Takashi said as he became more statuesque. The dragon then proceeded to lick Takashi's face with it's serpent like tongue. "uhh I think it likes me," He said as he closed his fist extinguishing the flame. He than reached up and stroked the dragon above the brow. He then turned to Katri "this is pretty coo-" The dragon had bit into T.K.s hood and hoisted him up into the air "KATRI!" Takashis arms and legs flailed back and fourth widely but the dragon remained calm and cocked it's head to the side in confusion.

[Secrets]

Katrina watched T.K. interract with the dragons, leaning against the cave wall as she did so. A few of the hatchlings prodded up to her, clumsily tripping over their own tails, and bit Katrina's shoes. She knelt down and scratched behind their head and only Takashi yelling her name did she look up.

What she saw made her burst out laughing. The dragons made a sort of scratchy growl in their throat to join in the guffaw. "He's just playing with you'" she said with a grin and the hatchlings wandered away from her. She stood and approached the dragon cautiously, reaching outward with her mind as she did so. The being turned its eyes toward her before allowing their minds to touch. Katri smiled.

"Clear your thoughts and reach out to him with your mind. Ask him his name," she said.

[Sousuke]

"Oh that's easy for you to say, your not at the mercy of a legendary beast!" he cried out still flailing around for a minute or two before he realized that katri was indeed right. The dragon was simply playing with him and he drew comfort in the fact that the dragon had displayed no malicious intent as far as he could tell. His arms and legs stopped moving and he let them hang. From over his shoulder he looked into the dragons eyes. With a steadying breath he calmed his mind and focused on the brick red dragon that was holding him.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, "Hello my name is Takashi, what is your name?" Takashi thought as he visualized his thoughts entering the dragons mind. Several moments passed before he began to hear something in the back of his mind, "what was that?" takashi asked as he tried to quiet his mind. Takashi focused on a mental image of a fire burning, he tried to focus this image into the dragons mind, "Again please" he directed the thought to the dragon.

Takashi began to mouth letters "Ahn" he tried again "Anw" he paused and reached out and touched the dragon on the brow once more, "Once more please" he thought, another minute passed by and suddenly the corners of Takashis lips were tugged upwards. "We're wrong" He laughed, the dragon set him down gently on the floor, "We're wrong, it's not a boy, it's a girl," Takashi petted her on the head once more and said loudly, "Her name is Anwen."

[Secrets]

"My apologies," she said to Anwen and bowed slightly to the legendary creature. Their little excursion had taken up a lot of their time and the sun was setting . Some of the dragons were growing a bit wary of the human presence; the females clicked for their hatchings to draw deeper into the caves. Katrina yawned and picked up her glider again, and walked to the cliff edge.

"I need light to at least get us out of dragons' cliff," she said to T.K. and strapped herself back into the glider. "I'll take you back here; no doubt Anwen will come to see you at the Academy though."

[Sousuke]

Takashi patted Anwen on the head once more, "I'll see you around" he said quietly to the dragon. Anwen licked T.K.s face once more and he laughed "Okay, soon I promise." With that he watched as the dragons retreated into the cave. He walked over to Katri, "Light, did you forget what I am?" he chuckled as he produced the a green flame and shot it forward. as he watched it dissipate into the wind he gave Katrina a thumbs up. "You just tell me where and I'll light you a path, as long as I get rid of the fireballs quickly they shouldn't damage your gilder."

He stood there and helped her strap him up as he vaguely remembered the process. As he reached for a strap he unknowingly reached for the same one Katri was reaching for. Their hands touched, "Is this strap next?" he smiled at her as his hand remained over her delicate one.

[Secrets]

"Destroy my second glider and I'll set Axifist on you," she said distractedly as she focused on tying him in. She checked the straps on the top of the glider and repositioned it over his chest. When she reached to buckle it down his torso, she felt his hand on hers and she froze, and heard what T.K. said. She strapped that one in and pulled her hand out from his.

"Yeah. Don't burn my glider," she murmured and tightened her hands around the steel rod. She pushed them off the cliff and sent a bout of wind up from the edge and into the wings to carry them up. The sun dipped even lower and the entire valley became swathed in golden orange light. She looked up and pointed near a section of wall from which they'd entered before.

"Light that please. I can't judge with all the shadows," she said. After T.K. would do that, the glider would easily fly through the tunnel again.

[Sousuke]

"You got it," T.k. held out his right arm and positioned his index and middle fingers together and pressed his thumb against the middle finger. He closed his left eye and focused with his right. He looked like a sharpshooter taking aim, a smile, a snap, then suddenly a fast moving silvery green bally was flung forward. It emitted a silvery light which resembled the first lights of dawn. Without even hesitating he produced several more fireballs in rapid succession, the entire area was completely illuminated, not a single inch of darkness remained.

"Don't worry, the fires will burn out by the time we get there. "

[Secrets]

"Okay," she said softly and angled the glider toward the rock. Without flinching, she navigated the equipment through the tunnel and into the now night sky that lay above the Academy. She bit her lip and angled the glider down until she circled above the ground in the courtyard of the school. Touching down again, she felt her muscles ache and body drained of energy.

She moved to unstrap T.K. again though she hesitated. Her hazel eyes were soft and uncertain as she rested her hands on his torso. "Did you have a good time?" She asked.

-fail Dx-

[Sousuke]

"Aside from the moments when I feared for my life," T.K.s goofy smiled returned, "I had a great time, thank you." His voice was warm and inviting. It was just the two of them standing there in the dark. He looked down and noticed her hands were resting on his torso, his eyes then met her own. He gazed as her eyes perfectly caught the moonlight, he hadn't even noticed that his breathing had stowed. He swallowed as he was unsure of himself,

"Did you have fun too?" he said shyly as he attempted to move his hands to help her remove the straps.

[Secrets]

She pursed her lips and slipped her fingers down the length of his torso, pulling the straps off quickly as she did so. "It was one of the best days I've had in a while," she admitted and moved to unstrap herself. "I've decided to stay at the Academy. I'd thought about leaving after the fight," she said.

She shrugged the harness off and ran her fingers through her hair. "Tired?" She asked.

-- even more fail o_o --

[Sousuke]

T.K. enjoyed the feeling of Katrina running her hands down his body. As she did he shuddered slightly. "I'm glad to hear it," he replied. "That's good, it be a shame if you up and left already, God knows what Hallie would do to me if you left." He was joking of course.

He nodded in response to her question, "Beyond," he stuffed his hands into the front pocket of his jacket, and he fingered a crumpled paper that was there. he pulled it out of his pocket "I was suppose to read this last night. He opened it up and pulled out the paper and carefully unfolded it. It was blank, he scratched his head, "That's strange, why would it." He stopped speaking and a heavy look collided onto T.K.s face. He quickly snapped his fingers and let a small flame dance on the tip of his index, he ran the flame across the letter several times and words began to appear. "Invisible ink," he explained to Katrina.

his eyes began to pour over the letter, scanning it up and down left to right, and even right to left. He dropped the letter and let it fall to the ground and looked to Katrina, his face as white as the paper itself, "My sisters coming for a visit tomorrow." He trembled in place for a minute and feigned a smile, "come on, lets get out of here." He took her by the hand and began to quickly walk back to the dorms.

[Secrets]

"But my glider!" She argued, but grabbed the thing before he pulled her away. As they walked, she managed to fold most of it up and managed to drape it over her shoulder. She had seen the way his face had paled. She made it to her dorm first and opened up the door. She checked her alarm clock and found with surprise that it was only nine forty.

"You can come in," she offered as she herself walked into her dorm. Her old glider was draped above her bed, the rods removed of course. She'd stuck it to the ceiling with double-sided tape and so far the faded navy nylon had stayed. Otheer than the scarlet bedsheets and wood floor, the room was as bland as the others.

"Is it a good or bad thing that your sister is visiting?" She asked quietly as she lit a few candles. "I opted out of electricity," she said apologetically.

[Sousuke]

T.K. stepped into the room as she lit a few candles, he shook his head, "allow me." He held his hands together and allowed a ball of flame to slowly surge between them. He then gently lobbed the fireball out of his hands and watched it levitate in the center of the room. the light it gave was bright albeit a little eerie. He than pointed at the candles she had lit and forced the flames to extinguish. Triumphantly he bowed as if accepting a salvo of applause.

He cad calmed down since reading the letter and his face had restore some of the color but not all of it. He helped himself to a seat at the foot of Katris bed. "Well you see the thing with my sister is," he pressed his lips together and wiggled them for a moment, "She likes to kick my ass a lot." He scooted up onto the bed letting himself bounce up and down several times before continuing, "Ever hear of Arisu the typhoon? Well that's my sister. You see she might be the most powerful wind elemental in the world, " He agreed with himself, "so if you're a fan of watching me get smacked around, then it's a good thing, you might even learn a thing or two from her." T.K. became quiet and shrugged his shoulders waiting for a response from Katrina

[Secrets]

"I'm not one to make judgements until after I see someone for myself, but..." she trailed off as she remembered T.K.'s pale face even at the sight of the news. If this girl liked to flounce her powers around, Katrina had a feeling she wouldn't get along well with Takashi's sister. She opened up her closet as she thought and hung her glider amidst a sea of sweaters and jackets. Only one dress rested in the closet and she subtly pushed a few darker pieces in front of the crimson fabric.

Katrina closed the closet and tentatively joined Takashi seated on the bed, though she kept a friendly space between them. The green fire illuminated the sharper features of his face and she looked away. "But I don't think I'll like her. Hallie would probably want me to throw a hurricane at her," she said with a sigh. "She tell you I did that when she managed to take a chomp out of my neck?" She said and felt for the silver scars on her neck. "I expelled so much energy that day, the winds didn't calm down for a day afterward." She trailed off again and her brows furrowed. She didn't want to seem to brag about her powers and she wanted to console T.K.'s worry.

"Nevermind about that. Look, if you want to stand up to her, I'll be right there by your side. I could at least make sure she doesn't cut your balls in half. Fireballs, I mean." She smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "That came out funny, didn't it?" She repeated his words from yesterday.

[Sousuke]

He chuckled a little, "Yes she told me about that, I laughed in her face when she told me about it, but she didn't tell me about that last part." T.K. looked to Katri, her delicate features enhanced by the silvery green light of the fire. He found himself gazing towards her with eyes full of dreams. Before she could catch him he shook out of it and settled into the bed becoming comforted by Katrinas words.

"You're pretty strong, I've seen what you can do, but my sister is on another level," he said grimly. "I've seen her stop Tornado's in their tracks with little more than a glare." he paused, "I would need the gods to descend by my side, and even then victory is doubtful." He wrapped his fingers against the bed and chuckled as she repeated his words, "That's very sweet of you Katri," his eyes turned to the fireball illuminating the room, "But this is a family rivalry, You can't interfere," his eyes shifted back to her, they were now full of concern "I wouldn't forgive myself if you got hurt," he said with a certain tenderness.

[Secrets]

An involuntary shiver crept up Katrina's spine when Takashi told her of his sister's power and of not to interfere. On a whim and totally going against the warning bells that were signalling in her head, after all, she and Takashi were in a dimly lit room with a bed and Katri wasn't too sure where her emotions stood, she leaned across and loosely wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Only child so I don't understand what it's like to have siblings, but if she really hurts you, I'll tell Axifist and his possy to go after her," she said stubbornly. "Oh! Speaking of mounts, Anwen showed a strong connection with you today. I wouldn't be surprised if she drops by often; she's bound to become protective of you," she said with a smile and pulled back from him a bit.

[Sousuke]

When she wrapped her arms around him T.K.'s cheeks matched the color of Anwen's red skin. He hesitated for a minute before placing an arm around her. He buried his nose in the top of her head and her scent flooded his nose. He withdrew slightly and genuinely smiled down at her even though she couldn't see it. "An old child, no wonder you're so strong, you never had anyone else to protect you." He gently stroked her back. "Axifist, he'll have to stay out of it too, my sister might bring Gregorian with her, in the world of Gryphons he is a man amongst boys, hes: big, nasty, and fast." T.K. stared off into space for a minute before continuing, "He was the alpha male of his wing, I don't know how he did it with just one eye."

He let go as she did and he gazed into her soft eyes once more. He was still smiling though, something about being with her comforted him. he looked at the clock it was getting late. "I'm sure you're tired Katri, I think I'll head off to bed myself," his feet touched the ground and he stood up, He pointed his hand at her candles and relit them with a few snaps. he then poked the fireball in the center of the room with a finger and it poped much like a balloon. "Lets have breakfast tomorrow morning together, I'll meet you in the mess hall." He stood there for a moment and watched her skin catch the silvery green light from the candles once more, she was bewitching. "Thank you so much for today and this as well, Goodnight Katri." He bowed as he made his way out of her room.

[Secrets]

"Birds of a feather flock together," she murmured. She had totally forgotten about Gregorian, but the description of the gryphon scared her almost as much as the girl herself. With a dejected sigh, she nodded to T.K. She'd stay out of the fight if she could and a moment passed where she considered telling Hallie to scare her, but that passed quickly. She didn't want to make T.K. upset or worse, get her friend hurt.

When Takashi moved away, he took his warmth with him and Katrina wrapped her arms around herself as he neared the door. "Good night," she responded with tiredly. When he shut the door behind him, she crawled to the top of her bed and slid herself under the comforter. Her day clothes were still on, but she didn't mind. She had always hated having the sheets over her body, so always sleeping under the thick and cozy comforter was her choice. Thinking of her bedspread, she made a mental note to find a witch who would redesign T.K.'s room for him.

After her thoughts from the day calmed down, she looked over at the candles he had relit. They now burned on their own and the green flames had succumbed to red and orange. She blew out a soft breath into the room and a small breeze snuffed each candle out. Wrapped in darkness and exhausted from the flight today, she promptly fell asleep.

---

Katrina heard something scraping against the window of her room. She groaned and picked herself out of bed, staggering over to the window as she did so. She fumbled for the latch on the window and winced as the sunlight from the morning hit her eyes. Finding herself waking up, she managed to push open the window and get smacked in the face with a piece of paper.

She pulled the scrap off of her nose and looked down at the writing. Stables. -R She frowned and tore the slip of paper up before dumping it into the trash can in her bathroom. While she was in there, she stripped down and turned the water on in the shower. When the water was hot enough, she stepped in and let the hot water run over her sore muscles. Steam filled the bathroom and she cleaned her hair, using the Academy's conditioner that worked wonders to make her golden locks feel softer and become brighter.

Smiling to herself and forgetting about the troublesome note, she hummed throughout the duration of her shower. When she stepped out, she wrapped a towel around her torso and threw her hair up in another one. The window invited a very sharp breeze into her room and she shivered before whisking the wind back out. She thought of T.K. then and his warmth, and remembered how comfortable she'd been in his arms.

"No," she said sternly to herself as she selected a cream coloured tank top and a complimenting turquoise long sleeve shirt to go over it. She pulled on a pair of light jeans and unwrapped her hair from the towel. Drying it would take too long and she could see from her clock that it was late, even for breakfast time. She hoped T.K. wasn't caught waiting for her at the mess hall.

She brushed her hair with swift--and unforgiving--strokes and threw the damp mess up into a pony tail. A few of her bangs fell out from the elastic because they were too short and she left them to hang in her eyes. She stuffed her card key in her pocket, closed her window, and left her room. Almost instantly was her vampire friend right next to her.

"Heard the good news?" Hallie said with light eyes and Katri frowned.

"No, what?"

"The douche bag is leaving school," she said in a sing-song voice and Katrina blinked.

"Why?" Her vampire friend looked at her as if she were insane. She bared her fangs and flashed a smile to which Katrina's brows furrowed. "You didn't do anything, did you?" she accused.

"Nope. He says nothing's keeping him here anymore. He's nineteen now, isn't he? Says he wants to go his own way. Saw him by the stables a few minutes ago, but he's in his room right now. As a matter of fact, he looked kinda down," she informed Katri.

They were walking down the boy's dormitory anyway so Katrina veered a right and headed toward the boy's room, a very confused and angry Hallie followed behind her. "What are you doing?" she hissed into her ear, but Katrina shrugged her off and knocked on the door. Ryan opened it and blinked, but a small smile found way to his lips as he saw Katrina. He pulled her into an unsuspected hug, but she returned it all the same.

"I heard you were leaving," she said and he nodded. Hallie muttered a "good riddance" behind them.

"I am. I just wanted to say good-bye to you and that I'm sorry. I ruined what we had and I was a jerk. Just, I want to know if you'll forgive me," he said and ran his hands through his hair. He reached to touch the bruise on her cheek, which Katri realized she'd forgotten to put cover-up on. She reached for his hand with her own and drew it from her face.

"You hurt me and I won't be able to forgive you for that, but I want you to know that you can make everything right with another girl, okay?" she said and he stepped away from her, though that same smile was still on his face. Before she could utter another word, he disappeared back into his room and Hallie was smacking her on the back of the head.

"Halls, quit it," she complained. The vampire pulled her away from the door and out of the boy's dormitory. "Mess hall," Katri instructed and let her friend drag her that way too. When they reached the outside of the mess hall, Hallie stalked off in the other direction and left Katrina to wander inside. Her friend would stay angry with her for a day or two for the fact that Katrina hadn't listened to her, but she would come around.

Yawning, she leaned against the wall and waited for T.K. to show.

[Sousuke]

"You can do this Takashi," he said to himself as he gave his reflection a piercing gaze. Although he had finished showering, drying, and changing, half an hour ago T.K. had not left his room. He had spent the previous half hour staring into the mirror giving it an array of nasty looks. "Yeah you ca-" Several thumps emanated from his door. Takashi blinked and watched as the door recoiled as if being violated by a roman battering ram. "Who is it?"
shouted a very confused Takashi.

"Yo man it's Jace, you told me to give you a wake up knock after we got through playing chess in the common room last night brother!"T.K. had forgotten about the nights previous arrangement he had with Jace. After he had made his way back From Katrinas room he had gone back to his own and made the fruitless attempt to sleep. He had gone out to the common room to sit and watch the fireplace when he encountered his neighbor Jace who was playing chess against himself. Takashi settled into the chair across from Jace and the two began playing chess.


He recalled the previous nights conversation. "So you spent the whole day getting tied up by Katrina and she took you to the dragons cliff, that's a date if I've ever heard of one man," said Jace smugly as he reset the pieces on the chess board. "It was not a date Jace, she was just being nice to me." Jace moved a pawn forward, "epically when she didn't get mad at you for copping a feel, right?" Jace said with the grin still on his face, "Shes a cute girl man, if shes into you why not?" asked Jace. T.K. shook his head, "that's not why I can't sleep Jace." The fireplace reflected light over Jaces face and a heavy weight fell on his brow, "Do tell brother."

Takashi had finished telling Jace what he had just told Katrina and halfheartedly moved a knight to take one of Jaces pawns. "Man she sounds like one bad bit-," Takashi had cut him off, "Hey man that's my sister, If anyone gets to call her that it's me." The two glared at each other across the chess board and shared a sudden albeit unexpected laugh. "I got your back T.K., I'll be there tomorrow," said Jace as he finished wiping a tear from his eye. T.K. sighed and simply said, "Thanks, by the way could you knock on my door tomorrow morning, you mentioned your always out just before breakfast ends." Jace nodded as he moved a bishop in front of T.K.s king, "checkmate." Jace proudly grinned, "You got it man."

Another salvo of knocks dashed up to T.K.s ears, he was still standing in his room, "Yo man, you putting make-up on in there, let's go!"shouted Jace, the door muting him somewhat. T.K. opened the door, to Jace, T.K. was wearing a white v-neck, with a fitted black cardigan, blue jeans and black basketball sneakers. "Let's go," said T.K. as he shut the door to his room and stuffed the key-card into the back pocket of his jeans. The two of them walked quickly and soon found themselves in front of the mess hall. Takashi scanned the area and quickly found Katrina, "Katri!" he waved happily as he approached.

When he was upon Katrina quickly wrapped his arms around her and held her there for a moment. His embrace was just as strong and as warm as last night. Releasing her from his arms he looked down at her. "Lets get a little something to eat." Jace stood there and waved as he gave Takashi a quick thumbs up "I'm not hungry man, I'm gonna relax out here for a minute."

As Takashi opened the mess hall door for Katrina he glance back at Jace who was making lewd gestures. Takashi sighed audibly and face palmed before following Katrina into the mess hall. "Hey you go have a seat over there and I'll get our food." he instructed her. Just as quickly as he had left he returned with two treys of breakfast food as well as two tall paper cups filled with orange juice. "I wasn't sure what you wanted." Takashi gently placed the try and drink in front of Katrina before sitting down across from her. Ravenously he began to devour his meal and resembled what Hallie must have looked like during a very intense feeding session.

[Secrets]

She'd dozed off in the mess hall, energy still not up to its fullest from their day trip from yesterday. Her mind had automatically replayed the whole scenario with Ryan and she felt a bit guilty when her chest ached slightly as she thought of him. But he was gone now and she had finally convinced herself that it was for the better. And no sooner had she completed that thought that Takashi was making his way over to her with a grin clear on his face.

She smiled up at him as he approached, but his unsuspected hug had her breath hitch in her throat. "Good morning to you, too," she said when she finally calmed her nerves. She moved off of the wall to follow him to the lunch line, but stopped when he told her he'd grab the trays. As she moved over to settle down into a chair, her gaze followed him across the lunch line. The worry she had felt from last night about his sister had dissolved when she watched him. He moved fluidly even when he was just reaching for their food and last night struck her again; the soft cackle of his green fire that had given him a strong silhouette and calm demeanor.

"I wasn't sure what you wanted." He dragged her out of her thoughts again and she felt her cheeks brighten just the slightest as she'd realized she'd wrapped herself up in staring at him. She looked down at her food and wished her hair was down so she could hide behind the straw-colored locks, but a few bangs only managed to cover one eye.

"French toast sticks are one of my favourites, actually," she said as she picked up her fork and knife. "We skipped dinner last night. Sorry I didn't think to bring anything with us," she added as she watched him wolf down his food. She ate hers more slowly and finished only a couple of french toast sticks before she lost her appetite.

For as long as she could, she wanted to avoid bringing up the subject of his sister. "Any particular thing you want to do today? We could find a witch to change up your room if you'd like, or we could visit the library."

[Sousuke]

"Thats okay!" Takashi fitted in between bites of pancake with his mouth still full. He reached for his cup of ranged juice and began madly to drink from it. His Adams apple cocked itself several times as he down the entire contents of the cup in one very ungraceful go. He set the cup down s his eyes were drawn down to the trey, "Sorry, I must look like a complete savage to you right now." Wiping his mouth his eyes slowly rose and took hold of Katrina. He recalled seeing her bloodied and bruised after he fight with Ryan, he then thought of how she looked with her skin catching green and silver light of his fire the previous night. Now here she was under the glow of the florescentesque lighting of the mess hall.

All three times she remained just as lovely. His eyes softened as they set upon her gently features and he press hips lips together when he saw that her hair was hiding one of her eyes. "Yesterday was a lot of fun, I'm a little sore still actually but it was worth it," his voice trailed off as he was gradually becoming lost in her. This became obvious as his expression sweetened itself. "The library, well I'm not sure, books really aren't my thing, I mean it's hard for me to find one that can keep me interested you know?"He brought a napkin to his face and wiped away at the crumbs but continued to wipe as if trying to wax away the stupid smile he had felt cultivating itself.

"A witch to redesign my room? that might be interesting, it'll give me the opportunity to meet a witch as well, hopefully we can find one that's really polite." He rambled on like a little schoolboy. Get a hold of yourself man, nothing's changed since last night so stop acting like it. He sat up straight and scratched the top of his head forcing the hair into a twisted mess. As his hand withdrew the hair stood up and he nervously laughed, "I think that sounds like a fun idea if you don't have anything else to do that is."


Suddenly an piercing screeched echoed all around them. T.K. dropped his fork as his eyes shifted to the doors of the mess hall. they kicked and pleaded against a foul wind but lost and flung open. The once peaceful weather outside had turned into a barbaric windstorm. "Shes early." Whispered Takashi. He looked to Katrina with the grim look on his face, he took her hand in his, "let's go." He got up and walked them to the now pleading doors of the mess hall. Another deafening screech surrounded them once more, Takashi fought against the wind with each step and slowly they made their way outside. Still clutching her hand Takashi desperately scanned the now grey skies. Some of the surrounding trees were begging as their backs were slowly being broken by the tremendous torrent of wind.

"Where is sh-"Without warning the wind let up and the trees rebounded back to their original positions. the doors of the mess hall slowly closed and everything returned to normal as if the last minute had been a glitch in the world. Takashis eyes had never once left the sky though. He winced as he brought his hand over his face, a now blinding light had been directed towards them.

"Gregorian," he shouted as he looked to the skies once more. A large winged figure circled the compound. Even above their heads in the skies it became apparent that this was no normal sized gryphon. It spiraled around the compounded drawing closer to the ground with each lap. It dawned on them that the gryphon had a silvery appearance to them. "Gregorian wears battle armor." He whispered to Katrina as it did they began to notice a figure atop the gryphon dressed in what appeared to be an all black bikers outfit. Soon the beast hovered above them and beat it's large powerful wings as it lowered itself to the ground. This resulted in strong gust each time that almost knocked Takashi down. Indeed Gregorian was covered in a light plate male over the majority of its body. As he approached the true nature of his size became grimly apparent, he was easily twice the size of a normal gryphon. The parts of him which were not covered in armor where decorated in disturbing number of scars. The beast greeted the ground with an earth shaking thud.


The rider dismounted and tenderly ran its hands across the beast beak. She was slender and compared to the Gigantic gryphon she was beyond tiny. The rider wore a pink helmet with an even black visor. It looked to Takashi and Katrina and cocked it's head to the side. It then began to unzip the black leather jacket it was wearing which revealed a white turtle neck sweater which accentuated her delicate yet surprisingly curvy body. It then slide off the leather pants and clumsily kicked them off to reveal a black skirt which stopped a little more than midway around her thighs. She was wearing short black stiletto boots. She then tilted her head forward and removed the helmet, which allowed long flowing raven black hair to fall out before she lifted her head back up and pulled her hair back while simultaneously placing a tiny black beret on her head. Her face was delicate, with baby like skin. Her brows were thin and neatly kept, she wore light amounts of eye liner and eye shadow and mascara, other than that she had the same eyes as Takashi.

Takashis hand was now gripping Katrinas even tighter he opened his mouth to speak but the figure spoke first with high and tiny chipmunk like voice said, "Hi little brother!" she quickly ran over to Takashi and he let go of katrinas hand and pushed her aside and braced himself. His sister then tackled him to the ground in a loving embrace and nuzzled her face into his chest, "Your big sister missed you!" she assaulted him by repeatedly kissing him on the cheeks. He lay there in a daze, "I missed you too sis," he mumbled before looking up at Katrina from his back desperate for help. "Katrina this is my big sister Arisu, Arisu this is my friend Katrina." Still looking up at Katrina he mouthed the words, "help me."

[Secrets]

Katrina felt a shift in the air outside before the huge gusts hit. When Takashi looked up at her, she opened her mouth to suggest she stay inside, but he was already tugging her out of her seat and through the doors of the mess hall. The wind batted at her face and she was instantly grateful that she'd worn her hair up in a pony tail. Instinct was telling her to push against the wind and calm the torrent that was turning her cheeks pink, but she squished that feeling instantly. There was no way she wanted to seem like a threat to T.K.'s sister.

As the gryphon landed in front of them and the rider dismounted, Katri was careful to hide her shock at the petiteness of Arisu. She knew very well not to underestimate someone based on their size. When she tackled Takashi and hugged him against the ground, it seemed nothing like what he had described her as. She had expected Arisu to come down and provoke T.K. into a fight.

When T.K. introduced her, Katri decided right then that she would downplay herself in front of the girl. So pretty blonde air head it was. "No need to introduce her! Arisu the typhoon, I'm Katrina Envy. I'm a wind elemental, too, but elemental blood was scarce in my family so I can only conjure a slight breeze," she gushed. "I'm honored to meet you and welcome to the Academy," she said smoothly and gave Arisu a wide grin.

"I could show you around if you'd like," she offered.

[Sousuke]

Arisu sat up on T.K.s stomach and looked up at Katrina, "Oh please don't call me by that silly nickname, call me Alice!" She dismounted from T.K.s stomach and stepped over him before standing up completely, "I mean my real name Is Arisu but I prefer Alice." She offered a handshake to Katrina and looked down at her younger brother who was still laying on the ground. "Are you looking up my skirt you pervert?" she giggled and with her other hand pointed a finger at T.k.s face. A tiny whirlwind appeared at the back of his head and slowly lifted his head up off the ground and soon righted his body as if he had been picked up by someone. T.K. Arisu withdrew her finger as soon as T.K. had been fully righted. "There you go big guy!" she giggled innocently once more.

Arisu was considerably shorter than her younger brother. In face when she stood next to him the top of her head barely reached the bottom of his neck. Had they not specified it would be entirely possible to mistake Arisu as T.K.s baby sister. She was so delicate and whimsical it was hard to believe that she was in fact five years T.K.s senior. She reached behind her and grabbed the end of her hair, "Ta-kun do me a favor-" before she could finish T.K. interjected and with much enthusiasm spoke,
"Whatever you want nee-san!" She smiled, "Be a dear and tie the end of my hair with this ribbon." she handed him a small black ribbon and turned around. Her hair hung freely and ended somewhere just below her shoulder blades. Takashi quickly followed her request. "Finished!" Arisu smiled "Oh your just the best Ta-kun!" she turned around, reached up and patted him on the head.

She turned her attention back to Katrina and spoke, "Yes lets all go together shall we?" She then looked to Gregorian and stared back into his singular giant eye on his left side. "Gregorian! don't cause too much trouble or mommy's gonna get mad 'kay?" Affectionately she stroked the creatures beak and kissed it "I won't be gone long sweetie." With that the mighty creature clad in armor yawned and settled down right there on the spot closed its eye and breathed deeply. T.K.'s face contorted into one of astonishment and disgust.

All the while T.K. was twitching slightly as he witnessed the exchange between Gregorian and his sister he finally whispered to Katrina, "That THING is not sweet, it didn't lose an eye being sweet."
"Ta-kun did you say something?" said Arisu as she continued to stroke at Gregorian, the creature cooed affectionately at her touch. "Oh I was just explaining to Katrina how you got your nickname, 'the typhoon' because shes just so interested in it."
"Don't bore her with silly things like that Ta-kun, you'll never win her over with silly talk like that." She giggled as she kissed Gregorian once more on the beak before finally turning around and rejoining T.K. and Katrina, standing between the two of them she took one of their hands in each of her own and began to tug with a sprightly demeanor, "show me everything" she demanded.

[Secrets]

Everything? Katrina's heart sank. The Academy was set on acres and acres of land and although it only contained one main building, all sorts of smaller buildings for different clubs were located around the area. While she would have loved spending every minute showing Takashi around campus, walking Arisu around made her feel as if she were the Academy's tour guide. Swallowing her discomfort, she pasted that same bubbly smile on her face and happily held onto Arisu's hand.

She looked over toward the dome-shaped Arena first and quickly decided that might not be the best idea to take Arisu to. "The school is kinda boring. We have a library and a gymnasium and some parks," she said with wide hazel eyes. She did not want to take Arisu to the library either, afraid the girl would have an urge to show off her talents amongst the old scrolls and delicate parchment on the shelves. Jeez, she felt trapped. She looked over at T.K. for help.

"Where should we go first?" she asked.

[Sousuke]

As the three of them walked together Arisu skipped merrily between the two of the swinging her arms back and fourth. Takashi spotted Jace who was leaning back up against a wall. Jace looked at the three of them and his jaw dropped. Jace then shook his head laughing and waved off T.K. before heading back to the boys dorm. Some help you are Jace, thought T.K. as the three of them continued to walk through the compound.

T.K. caught Katrinas helpless look and shrugged his shoulders as well, "Well, nee-san we could always show you the gymnasium, it's really neat, they have a lot of stuff you could toss around." Arisu chuckled, "Don't be Silly Ta-Kun, I'm not wearing any gym cloths!" she giggled and continued swinging her arms back and fourth. The suns bright rays surrounded them and gave Arisu a certain radiance about her. T.K. looked miserable, "Why don't we grab something to ea-"
Arisu looked to katrina and then up at T.K. "I think you two make a cute couple" said Arisu bluntly in her tiny voice.

T.K. shot a wide eyed look to Katrina and his face was burning. He wanted to die in that moment.

[Secrets]

The more Arisu talked, the more Katrina was confused with Takashi's explanation of her. The girl was bossy, that's for sure, but she hadn't picked a fight with him yet. She was looking up at the sky for any sign that Axifist may be out when Arisu had begun the question of wanting something to eat. Katri automatically opened her mouth to respond, but turned her head sharply to Arisu when she changed the direction of the words and instead insisted T.K. and Katri would make a good couple.

She felt T.K.'s eyes on hers, but she didn't want to look at the boy right now, for fear that she would be humiliated in front of this girl. Out of the corner of her eye, she did see his red face and she forced herself not to sigh. She laughed instead and tugged Arisu toward the cafeteria. "We only just met two days ago, silly. Let's go grab something to eat," she insisted and pulled the pair toward the mess hall.

On her way, Hallie was walking by with her nose stuck in a book. Her nose twitched once and she raised her head to look at her friend, brows arching upward as she saw who Katri had in tow. She looked at Katrina questioningly and the blonde girl shook her head slightly. "I'll explain later," she mouthed. With a shrug, the vampire crossed the Academy lawns and disappeared into the courtyard.

"So how long are you going to stay?" Katrina asked with a smile as she pushed through the doors of the mess hall.

[Sousuke]

Arisu inhaled slowly and deeply through her nose as she closed her eyes, "Oh my everything smells yummy!" Arisu spotted a small table in the corner of the mess hall and happily clapped. "Lets sit over there, did you two eat already?" Abnormally T.K. rapidly nodded his head up and down, "yes we did nee-san, just before you came we were eating together."

Arisu puckered her lips and her eyes became bright and dream, "Breakfast together how cute!" she reached up and pinched T.K.s cheeks and tugged at them "My little brother is growing up breakfast with a girl in only two days I'm impressed Ta-kun!" T.K. tried to smiled through the salvo of pinches and tugs and spoke through his teeth, "Just trying to make you proud sis." Arisu let go of his face and placed her hand on the top of his head and began to ruffle his hair "Always such a darling Ta-Kun!" she pointed to the little table in the corner, "you two go there and I'll get some food." as she began to walk towards the line she shouted ,"Don't go making out while my backs turned you two!"she giggled as she skipped through the mess hall.

T.K.s face burned an even brighter red as he took Katrina's hand and trudged towards the table in the back corner. he plopped down into a seat and began to pull at his own hair, "Kill me! Just kill me right here and now! I don't care anymore!"he let out a series of whimpers He then begun to slam his forehead into the edge of the table. Finally once he stopped and had an imprint running along his forehead he then looked to Katrina, "What's up with the dumb blond act?"

[Secrets]

Katrina couldn't help the smile that had woven way on her lips, no matter how much she tried to hide it. She rested a hand on his shoulder as he repeatedly smacked his head against the table. The action reminded her of something out of a cartoon. When he came back up and turned toward her, she frowned at the indentation he'd managed to put on his head and traced the edge of the line with one fingertip.

"She's not as bad as you made her out to be," she said absentmindedly. "Don't do that again. It looked like it hurt."

At the mention of her act, an unsuspected laugh escaped from her and she leaned against the table for support. She shook her head as her guffaw died into a few chuckles. "It's something I do around people when I want them to underestimate me. I've done it since I was little so I guess I've gotten good at it. Either that or maybe I am just a dumb blonde," she said with a smile as she watched T.K.'s sister fill up her plate.

"Your sister is...not quite what I expected," she said as she turned her attention back to Takashi. "Any idea on how long she's going to stay?"

[Sousuke]

T.K.s blushing cheeks began to return to their normal tanned color and would have finished, however At Katrina's touch on his forehead T.K.s cheeks were once again slowly spray painted red. "Oh sure shes all sweet and cuddly and loving now but just you wait!" He huffed and reset his shoulders, "Okay I won't do that again." he said obediently.

T.K. listened as she told him as to why she was acting like a dumb blond he smiled. "That's good but do you really want my sister to think I'm hooking up with a dumb blond, she already thinks we're involved." He cleared his throat, "Not that I don't mind her thinking that I mean you play a very cute dumb blond at that!" T.K. stopped and his face became petrified. He was rambling again like a moron. "Did you really just call Katrina cute? smooth man", said an invisible figure on his shoulder. Its not bad if its true is it? asked another voice. T.K. was incredibly flustered and his sister hadn't been there more then fifteen minutes.

T.K. huffed once more and began to speak with little enthusiasm, "yeah it's funny how shes so tiny and adorable, she could play my younger sister if she wanted to." He hear her question, "how long is she going to stay?" he scratched the back of his head, "Well I'd have to guess-"
A grilled cheese sandwich was plopped down in front of T.K., "How long can I stay?" repeated Arisu, her eyes lit up, "You mean I can stay for more than a day?" She clapped her hands "Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

T.K. shot a glare to Katrina before allowing a single tear to fall from his eye and mouthing the words, "Why God?" As he opened his mouth Arisu had picked up the grilled cheese sandwich and shoved it into his mouth, "Open up for the airplane!" Takashi nibbled on the sandwich and Arisu clapped her hands together once more, "Isn't Ta-kun just the cutest, Katrina?" said Arisu as she sat down and began to eat some waffles. More tears ran down T.K.s face. "Aww hes just so happy to see me!" said Arisu in-between bites.

[Secrets]

As Takashi fumbled over his words, Katrina didn't even attempt to hide her smile. He seemed so different from the boy who'd been in the air with her the other day, or in the gryphon sanctuary. That sudden thought made her blush and she sat a little straighter from the shock sent from her mind. When Arisu plopped down and asked if she could stay another day, Katrina felt her tiredness slip into exhaustion. She didn't know how much longer she could stand the perky wind elemental. Takashi shooting daggers at her didn't exactly help her thoughts.

When Arisu force-fed Takashi in front of most of the Academy, Katrina tried not to look as stunned as she felt. He looked so miserable. Couldn't his airhead of a sister see that? "That reminds me," she began when, honestly, she had no idea what part of this scenario was reminding her of her idea. "Do you mind if I steal T.K. for a little bit? I wanted to ask him something important and totally forgot about it when you showed up. We'll be right back," she said enthusiastically, trying to make her voice and face as puppy-like as possible. She stood from her chair and tugged on T.K.'s shirt for emphasis. She just wanted to get him out of there.

She could feel Hallie's gaze burning a hole through her head. Then she wondered how much blood it would take for the vampire cult to scare Arisu out of there. The thought almost forced her to smile.

[Sousuke]

Arisu blinked with a fork full of waffle held in mid air as she looked at Katrina who was now tugging on the crying T.K.s t-shirt. "Okay, but take this!" Arisu removed her beret and stuck her hand in there and dug around for a moment, "Come on I know I have one" her voice trailed off as she focused more on digging into her beret, "here it is!" she held out a small foil square. T.K.s eyes flung wide open, "What the" he placed his hands over his mouth. "It's best to play it safe Ta-Kun!" Said Arisu in surprisingly serious tone. Slowly T.K. reared his head around and looked at Katrina with the most apologetic of faces. He snatched the little tin package and it's rubbery contents out of Arisus hand, "Thanks sis we'll be going now, wait here okay?"

Arisu sat there happily holding her fork, "Okay have fun you two, and Katrina look at the package, extra large oh la la!" she giggled uncontrollably for a few minutes before returning to her waffles and swinging her legs back and fourth looking like an innocent child as they left.

The two of the exited the mess hall, T.K.s face was the reddest it had ever been. The whole school had just witnessed Arisu handing him a condom of all things. "Katrina I am so sorry about tha-." A shadow cast itself upon the two of them and T.K. cried out, "I swear to the gods Gregorian, I will take your other eye and eat it in front of my sister!" T.K. Turned around fireball in hand, but instead of a gryphons beak there was giant serpent like tongue running itself across his face, "Anwen!" cried out T.K. happily It was the first time he smiled in what felt like ages. He petted her and looked to Katrina, "Thank you so much for getting me out of there, so whats your plan now?" He continued to pet Anwen, "Did you sense I was feeling stressed out girl?"

[Secrets]

Whatever Katrina had expected Arisu to pull from her bag, the last thing she had expected it to be was a condom. A bit flustered and red in the cheeks, Katrina exited the mess hall with Takashi. At the sight of Anwen and how T.K. instantly seemed relieved from his sister's presence, Katri found herself relaxing.

"My plan was just to get you out of there. She's awful," Katrina admitted and leaned back against the mess hall building. She brought up one of her ideas from earlier. "She could check-in at the reception center. They allow visitors to stay for a day only, but I thought that might give her the idea to register," Katri shivered involuntarily. Her eyes widened and she pushed off of the wall to grin at T.K.

"If visitors don't sign in and are on the grounds without permission, and are found out, they are forced from the Academy by officials and spells are placed to make sure they can't get by the barrier again. Not sure if you want to take it that far but that's all I got." She thought of the condom in T.K.'s hands and blushed again.

"If she thinks we're...you know, does she expect us to come right back?" She asked, extremely aware of how hot her face felt. "Not that I want to encourage her with such thoughts," she muttered and sucked in a tight breath. "I mean we're just friends. Not that there's anything wrong with you. I mean--lord, I can see how you don't like her," she stammered.

[Sousuke]

Anwen continued to lick Takashi's face and he laughed, "hang on girl, stop for a second please." Her tongue withdrew into her mouth and she nuzzled T.K.s shoulder affectionately. "Thats fine," he then directed his attention to Katrina, "It was a good plan, thanks again." T.K. listened to her thoughts about checking in and how that may possibly result in Arisu registering. The though made T.K. shudder. He then listened to the other plan about Arisu getting kicked out and shook his head. "No, I mean it would lead to her going away that's for sure but she is going to put up a fight, you would need the academy's most powerful administrators to handle her and I don't want to get in trouble for that."

Takashi cheeks camoflaged themselves with Anwens red skin when he heard Katrina uncharacteristically stumble over her words. "No you're right!" he was still holding the condom. Just the sight of it caused dirty thoughts of Katrina to trickle into his mind, he had to get rid of it. He held it up in one hand, "Anwen, if you would be so kind?" The dragon puffed a single flame towards Takashi's hand and the condom was gone.

"Let me think for a minute Katri" Anwen then bit the back of T.K.s cardigan and hoisted him up. As he scratched his chin thinking she trotted back and fourth. It was as if the two of them were a singular being pacing back and fourth trying to conquer a case of writers block or something along those lines. "I've got it!" he slammed a balled fist into his open palm and Anwen let him to the ground. Takashi approached katrina and placed his hands on her shoulders, "I've got to fight her, it's the only way, although I've only been here two days it's been two years since she last saw me, she just wants to see if I've made any progress, win or lose she'll leave." He smiled weakly, "A few bruises won't last as long as the memory of her force feeding me!"

Takashi then walked to the Mess hall doors and kicked them open and shouted, "Arisu I demand satisfaction!" Arisu dropped her fork and slowly rose up out of the chair. The entire mess hall had become as quiet as a submarine crew. The steps of Arisu's stilettos echoed as she slowly walked up to Takashi, however he stood his ground and watched her approach. She cleared her throat before speaking, "Wow that was fast Ta-Kun are you sure Katrina was satisfied?" He face palmed immediately and Arisu patted him on the back, "Aww it's okay they make pills for that Ta-kun!" he slowly sunk to the floor and she giggled, "Okay we can fight though if you like!"

Takashi looked up at her from the floor, "Set it up and let me know, I'll be right here Ta-kun!" she said with the most innocent of smiles.

[Secrets]

Katrina instantly disliked the idea and reached to grab for T.K.'s arm as he pushed through the doors of the mess hall, but she ended up swiping at mid-air, a half-formed "no," falling from her lips. Anwen could probably guess Katrina's sudden source of anxiety because of the mention from the fight because the dragoness hissed softly. "He'll be okay," Katrina murmured and stepped after T.K.

All eyes turned to her and she caught the entire conversation between Arisu and T.K. /So help me,/ she thought to herself as she ushered over to the vampire table. Hallie leaned across the table and grabbed at Katrina's shirt collar to pull her over. In a hushed voice, the wind elemental did her best to explain what was going on. When she finished, Hallie laughed and leaned back, releasing Katrina as she did so.

"Lauren, Katrina wants a chat," Hallie called to a vampire friend. This vampire wasn't a friend of Katri's but the girl was sweeter than sweet could be, despite the look of the black make-up lathered onto her face and the multiple piercings that matched to make quite the intimidating ensemble. Her personality stemmed from the element she had been born with; earth. Natural healing properties and all.

"Powerful wind elemental behind you," Katrina murmured and Lauren nodded. "If T.K. gets injured, I'll give half a pint to fix him up and soothe his nerves." Even if they wouldn't fight, he'd still need some serious work with fixing his mental stability. She smiled at the thought and then Lauren spoke up.

"Sure, but a full pint when she breaks his bones," the vampiress said and got up from the chair. Katri tried not to think about how she'd said when instead of if. Done with the business and waving Hallie goodbye, Katrina moved to kneel at T.K.'s side. She offered him a hand and looked up at the other wind elemental.

"You can go to the Arena! It's made for battles," she said.

[Sousuke]

Takashi took Katrina's hand and stood up as he brushed himself off. Eying the vampires T.K. shifted his eyes to Katrina and raised an eyebrow, "Dragons, my sister, condoms," he shook his head, "I don't even want to know what you said to them Katrina" he smiled at her, "But I trust you." He turned to his sister, Come to the arena in an hour or two, I'll let the necessary people know." Takashi began to walk off, "Come Anwen we have things to do." the dragoness followed behind Takashi in a manner similar to a puppy following it's master.


Arisu stood there watching her little brother walk off towards the arena with a dragon following him, she scratched her head perplexed. "So he's finally found a mount has he?" her tone was very different and she nodded in approval, "I suppose that's your doing Katrina?" Arisu was now looking at Katrina from the corner of her eye. Arisu than interlocked her arm with Katrina's, "Let's have some girl talk shall we?"

Instead of skipping like she had been she now walked with conviction, "Katrina, I'm sure Takashi has mentioned that his fire is different, but I doubt hes told you about how in our family fire is cursed." Arisu tugged at the bottom of her turtleneck, "You see fire is actually the most powerful of our bloodlines but it comes with a price," She stopped and faced Katrina, "unlike other fire users Takashi is vulnerable to over heating, if he goes too long he will begin to smoulder and burn up, if someone doesn't pour water on him he could turn into a pile of ash." She paused for a minute letting Katrina soak the information up, "The reason I used to beat up on him as a kid was to push him, to make him stronger, most fire users in our family didn't make it past twelve years of age, but myself, my other little brother who is Takashi's older brother, and our grandfather would not see that happen to sweet little Takashi." The behemoth gryphon Gregorian was now upon then, his armor clanked as he stretched his wings, "I need to fight Takashi to ensure that he has been progressing properly" she nodded to herself in a manner similar to T.K. "The fact that he challenged me is proof that he is getting stronger but it's not enough."

Arisu began to dig into a pouch that had been fixed to Gregorian's side, she then returned to Katrina and presented her with a black kimono, "Give this to him please", she placed it in Kartina's hands. "I am going to go get ready for the fight, go to T.K." Arisu began to walk away with Gregorian in tow but after a few steps she paused, and turned to face Katrina, "Hey! ask him where he got that nickname T.K." she giggled and resumed walking towards the arena"

[Secrets]

The colour drained from Katrina's face as Arisu continued to talk about Takashi. What she said was obviously important and Katrina still listened to her speak, but only vaguely. She was busy thinking of that night where they'd sat together on her bed, the soft green flame that T.K. had created had flickered gently and provided light for their own little world. Then on the mountains when he'd thrown out a few more of those fireballs to help her navigate the rock face.

The kimono was placed in her hands and she held the folded clothing under her arm. As she watched Arisu go, Katrina forced herself to keep herself calm and collected. When she disappeared out of the mess hall, Katrina back-pedalled toward the other door of the mess hall. She turned in mid-stride and pushed through the doors. She could understand why he wouldn't tell her about this, after all they'd only known each other for two days, but she thought he trusted her. After all the times he'd said it, it sure had seemed that way.

As if to sense her distress, a feathered mass swooped down into the air in front of her. With a sharp cry of surprise, Katrina staggered to a stop and ended up mashing her face against the creature's side. Axifist's chocolate and mocha feathers tickled the roof of her mouth and she pulled back to sneeze. "I'm alright, Axif," she said as the creature clicked its beak and nipped at her arm worriedly. "I'm just heading to the arena."

The dome shaped building was still a bit away. She slumped against the gryphon's side and closed her eyes. He draped a wing over her shoulder and cooed softly. "I don't want him to end up hurting himself," she murmured into the brown plumage of his neck. The weight of his wing disappeared from her shoulder and knocked against her ankles.

Caught unaware, Katrina's arms reached out to grasp the feathers on his neck to hold her balance. Her feet were lifted up and Axifist somehow managed to get the girl atop his neck. Straddling his sides, Katrina held on tightly as the gryphon's wings unfolded and he leaped off of the ground. The force almost knocked her clean off; she hadn't rode Axifist in over a year, and because she imbalanced him, the gryphon veered sharply to the right.

Clicking angrily, he righted himself again and streaked toward the Arena. "Hey, I'm rusty," she said, though the humour in her words was short-lived. Axifist's body rocked beneath her, his forelegs grabbing at the air and giving Katrina the feel of riding a horse. The Arena neared and the gryphon flew over the edge of the wall and folded his wings closer to himself to skim over the rows of seats. When he reached the grass of the Arena, Katrina slipped off and took a few clumsy steps forward to gain her ground.

"T.K.!" she said as she spotted Anwen on the Arena grounds. She waved the kimono in the air as she approached him, breath still a bit heavy from the exhilaration of being on Axifist. Those hazel eyes of hers stayed down on the kimono as she handed it out to him. "Arisu told me to give this to you." She looked up from the clothing. "How could you not tell me about your curse?" she asked softly, voice thick with hurt and worry.

[Secrets]

-- Double post. --

[Sousuke]

T.K. had changed into his signature sleeveless red hoodie and was finishing up sliding a glove on his right hand when he heard Katrina. He saw the black kimono in her hands and smiled at it. However, the smile quickly expired as he heard her ask him, "How could you not tell me about your curse?" She sounded upset and T.K. was once more embarrassed.

His eyes slowly migrated from the Kimono to the ground. It's not exactly someone you want to say to someone when you meet them you know? Hi, I'm t.K. by the way I might burn to death in front of you," he swallowed hard and his voice came out coarsely, "I just don't want any one to worry about the curse, it's mine to bear not yours and not Arisus." He reached out with a hand and took the black Kimono. He than held the Kimono up allowing it to let out on it's on. "Thank you for bringing this to me." He then draped it over the side of a bench, sat next to it and looked up to Katrina "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you about the curse, please don't hate me," Takashis voice was heavy as if bound by an anchor. He blinked several times each time his lashes flicking small droplets of water up and away from his face.

[Secrets]

Katrina frowned and took a seat on the other side of T.K., not exactly wanting to sit on his kimono. From the ride, a lot of her hair had escaped from her pony tail and stuck up all over the place. A few locks were in front of her eyes and she pulled the elastic from the blonde tips, and attempted to smooth down her hair. All of this was really unnecessary at the moment, but she was trying to think of something to say.

She ended up wrapping her arms around him and rested her cheek just under the alcove of his neck. "I don't hate you. I understood why you wouldn't want anyone to know, but I just got so worried when Arisu told me." She breathed out a sigh and pulled back, not wanting to make T.K. feel uncomfortable. "Just, if you got hurt...," she shook her head and blinked away a few tears. "Promise me you'll be okay after this fight. Bruises and broken bones are okay; I've got a vampire medic ready to heal your wounds," she said weakly. "Just no spontaneous combustion, okay?"

[Sousuke]

T.K jumped a little when Katrina wrapped her arms around him. When she had placed her head in the crook of his neck his eyes dried and he felt his face begin to blaze up. "A vampire medic?" his body began to rumble as he let out a genuine laugh, "that's got to be the craziest thing I've ever heard of," He spoke in a low but warm voice. T.K. Then held Katrina close to him once more "Thank you for that though." T.K. then slightly pushed her body away from his but kept his hands firmly on her arms, "Okay, no combustion, I'll try to but if you smoke coming from my body get a lot of water," he paused "And a towel cos I'll probably end up naked." he laughed again as his eyes became interlocked with hers.

They were kind and full of concern and T.K. understood the extent of the hurt he had caused her. "I'll play it safe." he said to her. Just then jace came walking into the room, "hey man the stands are full you better get out there soon, There gonna be calling your name." Jace blinked and saw the intimate pose that T.K. and Katrina were in and a wide grin popped onto Jaces face, "That's what I'm talking about!"

T.K. looked to Katrina then to Jace, "This isn't what it looks like Jace! and I'll be there in a minute!" Jace laughed, "take all the time you need, I'll tell them your being held up." Jace's laugh continued to echo as he left the room. Takashi slowly let go of Katrina, "We'll I'm gonna change into this Kimono here, Its fire proof, my grandpa makes these for me." He laughed nervously, "I'll look for you in the stands okay?"

[Secrets]

Katrina felt her pulse pick up when T.K. held her arms, and even though what he was saying was serious, she felt her cheeks turn slightly pink as he looked at her. His promise made her feel slightly better, but she knew her anxiety wouldn't stop until he got out of the fight. Jace decided to enter the room just then and Katrina blinked when she looked at him. How was it that T.K. always managed to make Katrina feel like they were both in their own little world when they were together?

"No, just focus on the battle," she said in response to another promise of him looking for her in the stands. "I'll be in the stands and waiting for you by the time you...finish," she said softly and reached to embrace him in a short-lived hug before departing.

Hallie found her in the stands as soon as she walked out through one of the locker room side doors. The vampire enveloped her in a hug and dragged her out to the front line of where the fight was going to be, all the while threatening others as she pushed through them. Katrina allowed her friend to tug her through wordlessly and when the vampire pushed her down into a bench, she didn't respond.

"Come on, Kitty Kat, loosen up. Lauren's already going to fix him up, nothing's going to happen," she said and bumped her shoulder.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm still worried, though," she said softly. There was no way she wanted everyone on campus to know about T.K.'s curse when he himself wouldn't confide in her. Hallie wouldn't tell anyone, she knew that, but it was better safe than sorry. She then noticed the white shopping bag next to Hallie's feet.

"What's that?" she asked and Hallie nudged it aside with her foot.

"None of your business," she said and grinned. "I decided to go out for a run today and pick up your gift," she finished smugly.

"Oh." Katrina had completely forgotten that her birthday was in the next two weeks. Not that it really mattered to her anyway. A piece of folded paper that Hallie placed in her hands made her look down. She unfolded the neon green paper and read the loopy scrawl.

"The Academy's hosting a dance this month?" It wasn't abnormal for the Academy to do so. There were various activities that went on around campus, some that Katri enjoyed going to, others, like the vampire rituals, she never wanted to experience. She searched the paper for a specific word and smiled when she spotted 'formal' amongst the other letters.

"I'm hoping to ask Bla--fight's starting," Hallie said and sat up straight. Katri stuffed the paper in her pocket and eyed the bag Hallie had brought with her. With a shake of her head, she held her breath and looked out onto the Arena.

[Sousuke]

Silvery green fireballs shot out from the small hallyway that led from the locker room to the field. they were small and came in salvos of three and four. they burst into green and silver clouds of smoke This continued for almost an entire minute before one final fireball larger than the others appeared and exploded, In the middle of the silvery green smoke the figure of a person standing began to take shape, eventually the smoke cleared and there was T.K. smiling dressed in his black Kimono looking like something out of a classic samurai movie. This would have been intimidating enough but surrounding him were four fireballs that followed repeated paths as they orbited around him. He waved to the crowed as he paced back and fourth on his end of the arena.

A breezed kicked up and the doors to the locker room opposite T.K.s flung open. Four tornados danced out of the locker room hallway and continued to do so on the field. The tornadoes than lined up side by side and combined into one. The gust surged greatly and then dissipated. The tornado had been replaced by A petite figure dressed in a pink and white Kimono decorated with cherry blossoms. A cold stare shot it's way from the figure all the way to T.K.

Arisu spoke, "I'll give you a ten second head start T.K." she shouted across the arena. Most of the gasped as by now stories of what T.K. had done in the Gymnasium had spread across the academy. Takashi bared his teeth and snarled and without saying anything flung the four fireballs towards Arisu nine said the voice in the back of his head. He then began to charge her while at the same time throwing punches similarly to the way a boxer would except for the fact that each time his arms were fully extended he would snap and a fireball was produced, six the voice announced. He had made his way halfway across the arena and stood there throwing a fearsome assault of fireballs. Two said the voice in the back of his head. The fireballs hand landed all around Arisu and a large amount of smoke had gathered where his fireballs had hit.

He stood there panting and his eyes desperately searched the smoke. As it cleared all that remained was a shard of pink fabric gently floating down into one of the several sizable holes in the ground.
"Zero," said a voice, Takashi looked up and falling rapidly from the sky with her fist cocked was Arisu. She had timed the first of T.K.s fireballs perfectly. As the first one hit she resurrected the massive tornado and road it upwards, each time T.K.s fireballs had landed she used the smoke to elevate herself slightly without being seen.

She then swing her fist as she came down and a blade of focused air made it's way to T.K.'s left. She then pointed a stream of air towards the ground and gently landed as she watched T.K. He quickly swiveled his body and held his hands together and a massive wall of green flame erupted and caught the blade, however the blade pushed against the wall of flame causing T.K. to go backwards. Soon the windblade was consumed by the wall of fire and T.K. stopped moving and brought the wall down. As soon as he did he spotted Arisu standing there.

He began to throw punches once more producing several fireballs. "She won't get me with that trick again." He thought to himself. The Fireballs were now closing in on Arisu as they did she smiled and brought up another tornado. However instead of destroyed the fireballs they were nor caught by the tornado and swirled around in the wind. Takashis eyes flung wide open, That's a new one, he thought. Before he count react the fireballs were then flung from the tornado and back to Takashi. You can't extinguish them they're too close and too fast.

Takashi began to throw more punches countering each of his original fireballs with a new one. the silvery green smoke began to cloud around him, "Too slow," came a voice from behind him. As he turned around a tornado drilled into his side and flung him across the stadium. As he flew several more Tornados approached him and his head jerk first to the left then to the right, then another tornado came and drilled his side once more.

Takashi crashed into the Stadium wall. His body fell to the ground he lay there for a moment and rolled back and fourth and cried out in pain. He had cracked several ribs on his left side. He rose to his feet slowly and looked down at his left arm. It swing like a rusty gate, it had been dislocated from below the elbow. He torqued his face away from it and grabbed hold of his left hand with his right. He was breathing deep rapid breaths. He watched as Arisu began to walk over to him, he had to act now. He pulled, jerked and twisted his left arm with his right and eventually a loud pop came on. He winced and cried out once more. He moved his left arm and tucked it against his left torso groaning as he did.

"Is this all you've managed to learn in two years takashi? You still can only use one ability at a time?" said arisu as she approached him. "Come on, give me you're best shot." T.K. then reached over to his left palm with his right and drew the fire scythe. He held it with just his right arm and began to dash away from Arisu. Each time he took a step he winced in pain. T.K. panted as he ran and sweat began to fall into his eyes. He took another step and was flung forward and landed on his left side, another cry of pain escaped his lips. "I'm right here T.K." said arisu as she approached, "do something already, impress me." She stood there with a smug smile on her face. T.K. used the scythe as a crutch to stand with and favored his left torso with his left arm once more.



"Takashi, you need to stop being afraid of your power and just trust it, trust that it wont burn you." T.K. was breathing furiously, a few drops of blood fell from his forehead and ran down his cheek, "Fine T.K." muttered Arisu, she slowly raised her hand and pointed her palm not at T.K. but at the stands, more specifically towards Katrina. T.K. gritted his teeth, "No".

He stabbed the butt of the scythe into the ground and it remained there for a second then suddenly the blade on the scythe grew to three times the size of a normal scythe blade. The crest of the scythe became serrated and the point of the scythe came down like a gryphons talon. the backside of the scythe now featured another much tinier blade and another blade now crowned the top of staff.

Arisu raised an eyebrow, "I've never seen that one before." She whispered in shock. She directed both of her hands towards T.K. and shot out two staggered tornado drills towards him. T.K. Ran towards them and as the first one approached he swung his scythe towards it. The blade of the scythe clashed with the tornado and as it did the tornado slowed down and dissipated. Takashi spun and swung the scythe with his right arm and caught the other tornado, again it dissipated. He then continued to charge towards Arisu and she flung smaller and loosely wound torandos at Takashi but each one he deflected. then as he approached her Takashi rolled to his right stood up and swung, please he thought to himself.

Arisu tried to summon another tornado but Takashi was too close and too fast. He stabbed the butt of the scythe into the ground once more and fire erupted below Arisu sending her flying backwards. she tumbled until she ended up on her back. Takashi jumped forward and was upon her. He then brought down the scythe to Arisu's face, she closed her eyes tightly then felt a prick on her nose. Takashi stood there with the point of the scythe barely touching her nose and a single drop of blood escaped it.

Takashi was breathing hard and was completely covered in sweat and blood. his black kimono had been torn at the legs and the arms as well as in the side where Arisu's tornadoes had drilled into him. "I win." was all that escaped from his lips. the scythe disappeared and Takashi fell to his knees in front of Arisu. As his body fell forward she caught him on her shoulder. "You did it T.K." she whispered into his ear. He began to close his eyes and muttered, "Damn right, now I'm gonna nap." He passed out on her shoulder.

[Secrets]

As the battle wore on, Katrina continued to feel her anxiety rise to its breaking point. She couldn't keep still and Hallie got frustrated with her because of the constant dust devils that kept spinning around them. Katrina's eyes never left Takashi and with every blowdelivered to him from Arisu, she winced. So much fire had been used by him and she was so worried with making sure he didn't get himself engulfed in flames, she didn't realize what had happened when he went flying across the Arena.

Her breathing stopped for a moment and she stood rigid. Hallie tugged on her shoulder but didn't say a word. Only when she saw T.K. shudder did she relax just a bit. She couldn't watch this, but she had to make sure he was okay. "Lauren texted me. She said she'll need a pint and a half to two to have enough energy to heal that. Damn, you know how to pick 'em, Kat," Hallie said.

"Sure. Two pints, gotcha. Just tell her to be ready," she said quickly and focused back on the battle. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Arisu was pointing up at the stands,and Katri could have sworn it was directed at her. Then Katrina's eyes widened in shock as T.K.'s scythe grew in size and looked to be about ten times as deadly. She watched the rest of the battle play out until a cold hand tapped her on the shoulder.

"What could be so impor--Lauren?" She asked and the vampire held up a needle, a blood bag, and an IV cord.

"Locker room. I'm pretty sure you don't want me chomping on your neck in the middle of the field," she said grimly. Katrina looked back at Takashi and reluctantl followed Lauren through the sea of awed onlookers. Miserable, Katrina sat down heavily on one of the locker room benches and held out her arm. "O negative," she said bluntly and Lauren smiled.

"No wonder you smell so good," Lauren said as she stuck the needle with prudent accuracy into a thick vein on Katrina's arm. Katri was aware that vampires had a certain taste for o negative blood, the type of blood that could be donated to any other blood type if there was someone in need. The only thing that sucked for Katri was that only other o negatives could give to her and it's not as common as A or B. She stared for a moment as Lauren connected the IV cord to the end of the needle, which then ran into a bag.

The dark red liquid filled up surprisingly fast but seemed years to Katri. Just as Lauren finished with the transaction, Katrina heard cheers erupt from the Arena. She yanked the needle out of her arm and grabbed for Lauren's own. The two stumbled out onto the field, Lauren already sucking down the bag of blood. Katrina saw Takashi slumped against his sister and then she sprinted across the field, Lauren in tow.

"Arisu, watch out," she said as she kneeled by their side. She peeled T.K. from his sister's shoulder and laid him down on the ground. Her neck grew hot when she realized how many people must be watching and offered to move him, but Lauren shook her head and told her she didn't want to risk poking holes in his stomach. The vampire slid the sleeves down Takashi's arms and parted the top of the kimono to give her clear view of his stomach.

Katrina watched as the vampire sucked down the rest of her blood before regretfully tossing aside the bag. Looking down at her own arm, she was surprised to see a trickle coming from where the needle had punctured her. She paid no mind to it as Lauren started to talk.She mumbled under her breath a few words spoken to the earth as glowing blue vines erupted from either side of T.K.'s torso. They folded around his stomach and tightened around his shoulder. The vines shuddered once and Katrina heard the sound of bones snapping. As quick as it had begun, the vines died and shriveled onto the ground.

"T.K.?" Katrina breathed as she cupped his cheek in the palm of her hand.

[Sousuke]

A few darts of air escaped from T.K.s lips as he twisted slightly from side to side with his eyes still shut. He groaned, "The pain oh gods the pain it's," he stopped and reached over to his left side with his right arm, "it's gone?" gingerly he tried to rise up and groaned once more as he did. His eyes opened and there was Katrina in front of him with her hand cupping his cheek. He blinked looking up at her then he looked over to Arisu whose head had been cocked to the side, another drop of blood escape the tiny cut on her nose. She wiped it with the sleeve of her kimono and shrugged to Takashi.

Takashi's eyes soon found katrinas and became engaged in them. Her hand was warm against his skin. Her eyes were again full of kindness and concern it drove his cheeks up the color spectrum once more. "Hey," he said to her as he sat up fully. He took her hand from his face and slowly his arms welcomed her body until the two of them were pressed up against one another. He clung to her as a lover would after a night of passion. "I'm okay," his soft lips tickled the bottom of her earlobe as he inhaled with his nose pressed into her hair.

Arisu stood up and smiled, "I think I've just about worn out my welcome." There was another gigantic thud as Gregorian landed next to them. Arisu leaned down and patted Katrina on the head, "I'm glad Takashi has a reason to be strong." She then stretched her arms over her head, "Ta-kun, be good to her, or I'll break something of yours that isn't a bone." She then walked over to the gryphon and climbed a top it, "Oh and Katrina, next time we meet, please don't play the dumb blond again." she giggled, "I'm the only one who gets to play cute and dumb" she kicked at Gregorian "Come Gregorian."

Takashi looked to his sister, "Sis when will I see you again?" he called out to her and she smiled affectionately to him, "When the winds blow me your way." She burst into a series of giggles that remained audible as Gregorian beat his might wings and lifted the two of them into the sky before he darted forward circling the stadium once.

Takashi smiled looking up at his sister. He then looked to Katri and opened his mouth to speak. As he did his head bobbed down slightly, he reached atop his head and grabbed what had hit him. He opened his palm was shocked at what he saw. There in his palm lay another tiny black foil square and for a second he swore he heard his sisters voice, "I'm not ready to be an aunt."

[Secrets]

Her muscles that had felt so stiff and ached so much relaxed instantly as T.K. pulled Katrina into his arms. His warm embrace made Katrina close her eyes and rest her chin on his shoulder as he whispered into her ear. Those two words made her smile and she pulled back as a single tear stroked down her cheek. The stadium of now silent watchers (save for a few who kept hollering for the two to shut up and kiss already) didn't matter to Katrina right then.

As Arisu gave her words of farewell, Katrina smiled apologetically with her departing words on her blonde act. She looked back at T.K. as a powerful stoke of wind caused her hair to whip around her shoulders, Gregorian' farewell. Another condom fell on T.K.'s head and Katrina pursed her lips to stop from laughing. She dusted off her jeans and stood up, though held out her arms to balance her swaying form.

The blood loss was making her tired and a bit lightheaded. She licked her thumb and rubbed off the now dried trickle that had escaped from the needle puncture. Lauren huffed and muttered something about wasting perfectly good blood before she departed the Arena and hurried off out of the campus. "Thanks, Lauren!" Katri called to her retreating form.

"No, thank you. We should negotiate more often," she said with a fanged smile and turned out of their view.

Katrina pointed toward the same door of the Arena. "Tired? We can walk back to the dorms," she said weakly.

[Sousuke]

Takashi stood up slowly as he was weary how well the healing spell had gone. He slapped at the ribs lightly and gingerly winced. "It's still a little tender," he mumbled. He than dragged the sleeve of his kimono across his face causing crusty bits of dried blood to cling to the kimono. He shook the sleeve but to no avail, "it's ruined anyways," he chuckled. He then walked over to Katri and cupped her chin. He then turned her head to the left and right, "How much blood did my ribs cost you?, you look terrible."

Takashi then wrapped his right arm around her back and slippe his hand between her arm and body. He then bent down slightly and placed his left arm beneath her knees and pulled her up as he stood up straight. "I can walk to the dorms, you just relax." Jace was standing in the stands closest to them and was about to open his mouth when Takashi shot him a rare evil look. Jace held his arms up and walked away without saying anything. "My place or yours?" he teased Katri with a handsome smile and began the long walk back to the dorms. Anwen followed the two of them in tow trotting happily.

Takashi continued to gaze down at Katrina with soft and sweet eyes. The setting sun shown on her and managed to restore some of her color although artificially as it would take her a while to replace the lost blood. He couldn't help but keep smiling as he walked with her in his arms.

[Secrets]

"Just two pints. At least, I think so. I wasn't paying attention when she--T.K.!" She exlaimed breathlessly as her feet were pulled out from under her and she rested in Takashi's arms. "But you're the one who got hurt," she said feebly, though rested her head against his chest anyway. He seemed happy to be carrying her because she could feel his gaze on her as he continued out of the Arena. She couldn't help it when a sweet-smelling wind swirled by them and gently continued to twist around both of their bodies.

"Mine, I think. I have a very strange urge to listen to music," she murmured. The steady thump of T.K.'s heart made Katrina even more weary. That and his warmth flooded through her. She felt so safe and so glad that he was okay. She didn't realize it at first when she reached their door, but her eyes opened to see the lavender room numbers on the oak.

"Can I walk now?" She said, but shewiggled her way out of his arms anyway. Her weight rested against the door as she reached into her jeans' pocket and prduced her room key. She slid the card in and turned the door, and upon putting the key back into her pocket, she unfolded the paper for the dance and tossed it on her bed.

She crouched down to the right of her dresser and blew off the dust on her stereo system. After shifting through a few CD's she had burned, she popped one of her favourite mixes into the system and smiled as the familiar strike of piano keys met her ears. "Clocks by Coldplay. They're my favourite band," she admitted as she stood up again.

She backed into her bedpost and sat down on the edge of her bed. "If you haven't already figured it out, I'm glad that you're okay," she said to T.K. and moved to prop herself against her pillows. "Are you too tired from the fight to stay?" She asked.

[Sousuke]

T.K. stood there in her room and kicked off his shoes leaving them at the base of the door. "I'm not that dumb," he walked towards her and helped himself to a seat on the side of the bed. The mattress bounced up and down as he did so. "Coldplays okay," he said with indifference. to him it didn't matter what they were listening to, he was with Katri and that was all he cared about. he swing his legs up onto the bed and heard an audible crunch noise. He blinked and saw the piece of paper now stuck under his knee, "Sorry, I didn't see that there."

He pulled the piece of paper from under his knee and began to smooth it out. As he did so his eyes began to carelessly meander over the words on the piece of paper. Out of all the words his eyes read two stuck out in his mind, formal and dance. He blinked repeatedly as if malfunctioning, "Hey katri," he looked at the paper then to her then back to the paper once more. He let the paper fall from his hand and back onto the bed. "Um so there's a dance? That's pretty cool," his eyes made their way around her room. the sun was setting so he casually generated a tiny fireball and let it drift into the center of her room. "You ever been to one of these things?"

[Secrets]

"I've lived here for the better part of my life," she said and blinked open her eyes as T.K. lit another green fireball. She looked at the smoldering flames in the center of her room for a moment and shifted so she sat up on the bed. "So yes, I've been. They're really great, actually. The gymnasium transforms into a dance floor pumped by raging hormones and sweaty teens," she said with a grin.

She frowned then and scooted closer to T.K. so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Closin' walls and tickin' clocks, am I part of the cure or am I part of the disease, singin'..." she murmured softly in time with the music. "Hallie told me, or rather half told me, that she's probably going with another vampire this year. Sooo, I don't have anyone to accompany me." Looking back at the green fire, Katrina smiled and her hazel eyes, slightly green from the light of the flames, flickered up to look at Takashi.

"Are you thinking of going?" She asked softly.

[Sousuke]

"Well hello there," he pressed his lips together into a awkward smile as she placed her head on his shoulder. "Raging hormones? should I call Arisu and have her bring us more of these?" He produced the condom and waved it in her face. He looked pleased with himself before placing the condom back into his sleeve. His torn kimono began to sink down and by now his entire chest was exposed which resulted in his body heat washing over to Katrina.

"Well i'm not sure I mean I don't really know how to dance and I don't have a formal outfit and uhm." By now his face used to turning red around Katrina. It was almost to the point of becoming second nature. "But I mean I'd like to go and if you don't have anyone else that you'd like to go with I suppose it would be ungentlemanly to have you go with out an escort."
HAHAHAHA T.K. you are an Idiot, just shut up for a second. What was this power she had over him? What was it about her that forced him to be so calm yet on edge at the same time. With her he could be as confident as anyone or turn into a bumbling idiot. He arched his back pressing it into the wall however this only brought his body closer to Katrinas. "Katrina would you like to go with me?" he forced out of his mouth which resulted in him bracing himself as if expecting to be drilled by one of Arisu's tornados.

[Secrets]

Just after she asked him to the dance, Katrina put two fingers over his lips and shushed him. A mischeivious smile played on her own lips for a moment and she tilted her chin up. Thea heat of his body was unsuspected and she sucked in a small breath of air. Her lips grazed his cheek in the barest hint of a kiss before she pulled back.

"I thought you'd never ask," she whispered. Her fingers hooked on the sleeves of his kimono and she pulled them back up over his shoulders. The girl didn't trust herself with the alluring heat that came with T.K. just being shirtless and when she at least covered the half of his body that was near her, she flicked him playfully on the chest. She hesitated though, as she closed her eyes to rest her cheek near his neck again.

"I don't want you to go," she admitted, "but I'm so tired." To prove her point, a soft yawn took hold of her for a few seconds. Her heavy lids closed as she snuggled closer to T.K. Then she fell asleep.

[Sousuke]

His face lit up like a Christmas tree when she grazed her lips against his cheek. "So you'll go with me? I mean we can go together, cool..." T.K. shuddered when she touched his chest. This was the most intimate he had ever been with a girl. He was in new territory and he had no idea what to do. "I don't want you to go," she said. which caused his heart rate to jump and his breaths to get deeper. "I'll stay if you like," he whispered to her, but no reply came. He looked down to her and saw that she had fallen asleep.

Here he was in her room, on her bed, with her using him as a body pillow. "Should I go? or would I get in trouble for staying, I could always sneak out in the morning, no that would look really suspicious." he whispered to himself frantically. He looked down at Katrina and heaved one last heavy breath, "I'm too damn tired for this." With his right hand he tugged the covers up over the two of them. He then wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. Before he closed his eyes he raised his hand and the fireball extinguished itself. As he snuggled up to her all he heard was her soft gentle breaths and the outro to a Coldplay song he didn't know.

[Secrets]

Her dreams were of peaceful prismatic colours that flowed lazily throughout the dreamscape she'd managed to create. While she was admiring the colours, Katrina found her skin aglow with a soft green light. She felt so warm and happy that she frowned when large streaks of light broke through her colours. The golden light grew brighter and brighter until Katri's eyelids fluttered open.

At first she only stared at T.K.'s sleeping form. No wonder she had felt so warm in her dream; he had pressed her against him in his sleep. His kimono had fallen loose from his shoulders again and Katrina found herself pressed against his bare torso. She put her hands on his chest and pushed away slightly so she could attempt to wake him up.

"T.K., it's morning," she murmured into his ear. Her room wasn't silent--the stereo had played all night. "If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?" The words from Snow Patrol's song were a nice way to wake up. She loved this song too.

"Come on, sleepy-head," she said.

[Sousuke]

T.K.'s eyelids squeezed themselves tighter. "Good morning hunny," his voice was fuzzy with sleep. Overnight a small pool of drool had accumulated on the side of his head. T.K. rolled into the drool frowned in his sleep and rolled his head to the other side. He smacked his lips together and continued snore. He rolled over and clung to Katrina taking her with him. He cuddled up to her, "five more minutes hunny," He wrapped his outside leg around hers and buried her head into his chest. The two of them lay there for a minute before the rays of sunlight beamed their ugly heads through T.K.s eyelids.

Takahshi's hand found its way to his face and rubbed his eyes. As he opened them he looked down to saw Katrina's soft blond hair and gentle face. With sleep clinging to his smile T.K. mumbled, "I could get used to waking up to this." He sighed contently with a dazed grin. Slowly it dawned on him that this was not a dream and that the Katri in front of him was very much indeed real. "Oh my god I am so sorry Katri!" He let go of her and looked down at his bare chest and pulled his Kimono over it. "I can't believe we slept together!" he was in shock, "Not that I wouldn't sleep with you I mean obviously because I did and it was nice!" T.K. covered his mouth with both of his hands and slowly let them fall, "Good morning Katri," he whispered, his voice still carried that dreamy deepness that came with waking up.

[Secrets]

Her stomach flipped when T.K. threw his leg over her and she tilted her chin up from his chest to watch him wake. She stifled a giggle when he called her hunny, but couldn't help her laugh when he finally came to his senses. "Good morning, Katri." She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him, breathing out a soft sigh when she inhaled his peppermint and cinnamon scent.

"Morning, T.K. You didn't have to stay last night if you didn't want to," she mumbled and yawned against his chest. "You should probably go back to your room and change out of your kimono," she said, though made no inclination to pull away from him.

[Sousuke]

T.K. tucked his head to the side with a hint of shyness. "Do I have to, can't we just say in bed all day, the last two days have been long." Gently he leaned back with Katrina still holding him. the sound of the music eventually found it's way into Takashis ear, "Yeah lets just lay here," he giggled lightly at his attempt of a joke.

Takashi looked over to the door than to her alarm clock, "Katri if I go outside I'm going to run into someone especially right now." He let his arms glide gingerly up and down Katrina's back, "This was the best nights sleep I've had in a long time though," his head turned to the side and he spotted the small web pool next to his head on the pillow, "I haven't drooled like that in months." Takashi found himself slowing taking in and enjoying her sweet scent, it was delicate leaving Takshi wanting more, just like her.

[Secrets]

Katrina rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke and scrunched up her nose when he mentioned his drool. "Wow, thanks," she said with a snort, though smiled and crossed her arms over his chest. A day spent laying in bed with T.K. was more than a bit tempting and in her opinion, he still looked exhausted from the fight. Katri's own body had already replenished the blood she had lost, but she was still left tired from how much energy it had taken to reproduce another two pints of blood.

"Okay. But I should really get up and brush my teeth," she said as she smacked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. Katrina gently grabbed his arms and unwound them from her back, then slipped off of her bed and headed to her dresser. Her jeans had chaffed the inside of her legs, inner thighs slightly sore because she'd been wearing the jean material for two days and nights in a row. Grabbing a pair of comfy sweatpants and a sleep shirt, she headed to the bathroom and quickly changed into the clothes.

She brushed her teeth well, closed the bathroom door, and crawled back onto the bed. "I'm actually more than okay with hanging out here for the day," she said through another yawn as she leaned against her pillows. She turned to her side and searched T.K.'s eyes, her fingers moving to slide his kimono back in place from where it kept slipping.

"And just a warning, Hallie'll probably burst in here within the next few minutes to haul me off to help with the dance or make me plan my own birthday party," she said with a roll of her eyes.

[Sousuke]

T.K. smiled like a schoolboy showing a little teeth as well as proof that he did indeed have dimples. He laid back down and turned his head to Katri. his met hers across the short distance of the pillow. They were radiant her eyes even though the tiny layer of morning glaze he still found her eye to be alluring. "You're birthdays coming up? well let me know the day okay?" He shifted so his entire torso faced Kartina, as he did his Kimono slide down and he shook his shoulder to jump the sleeve back up his arm.

He whispered to her with a playful grin decoration the light pauses between each word, "How about we play a trick on Hallie, as she walks in, you should open this up," He reached behind him, his paw smacking the nightstand several times before returning to the space between Katri and T.K. "The condom, the face Hallie makes will be priceless, I'll snap a picture of it with your phones camera, come on it'll be funny."

[Secrets]

Katrina stared at the condom for a moment and bit her lip as she thought. Her phone buzzed from its spot on the nightstand and she leaned over T.K. to quickly snatch it before it fell onto the ground. Hallie's face popped up on the screen, along with her number. Glancing at T.K., she pressed the answer button and held the phone up to her ear. She winced as the vampire raised her voice through the receiver.

"Katri, get your ass out of bed now and get down here to the gymnasium. Dance is in three days and half the student body doesn't know how to dance anymore," she hissed and Katrina groaned before falling back against the pillow. Most of the veteran kids that had been at the Academy for a while had moved on within the past few years or so. Katri missed them from time to time, but they were in their twenties now and had found themselves able to blend in with the human world with their powers under their control.

"Hallie, you know I don't dance like that anymore," she said and glanced at T.K.

The vampire huffed on the other end of the phone. Or was it a hiss? "Don't give me that, Katrina Envy. Don't make me come over to your room and get you." The line went dead and Katrina tossed her phone back onto the bed, shooting T.K. a wry look as she did so.

"I bet you heard all of that." She'd literally been holding the phone about four inches from her ear because of the vampire's need to yell at her. "She's busy right now so she won't hold up to her threat to drag me out of the room, but I ought to go and help these kids." She blinked and felt her cheeks turn a slight pink. "I used to dance; hip hop and jazz, those were my things, and that's probably what these kids want to learn. You can come if you want, but it'll be mebarrassing for me," she muttered.

[Sousuke]

T.K. placed his hand over his mouth as he began to giggle at Katrina being yelled at. This was the first time in a while that his face had become red from laughter rather then embarrassment or shyness. He set the condom on the nightstand, "Fair enough." Setting up t.K. placed his arms behind hind him and pushed off of the bed while at the same time swinging his legs over the side which resulted in him standing in one fluid motion.


"You used to dance hip hop and jazz, that's really cool," he grinned, "Embarrassing you say, I'm so down," He looked down at his Kimono, "I'll met you there though, I need new cloths." He hugged her and smiled, "I'll just tell everyone that I sleep walked into your room if they ask." With that T.K. walked out of her room and quickly dashed between cover as he snuck around the girls dorm. Once he made it to his room he promptly showered washing the bits of dried blood and dirt out of his skin. He then put on a grey vneck and place his red hoodie over it. He then settled on jeans and white shoes before finally making his way out of the room.

His stomach grumbled and he frowned. He made his way to the mess hall and ordered food to go. "French toast sticks, she said she likes them." Feeling proud of his ability to listen he then began to walk and found himself entering the gymnasium.

[Secrets]

Once T.K. left again, Katrina went to her stereo and turned the player off. She looked through the bins of CDs that she owned and picked out two of them that she had used for dance lessons many times prior. Trying not to think about how weird she was feeling about dancing in front of Takashi, she took a damp cloth and ran it over her body.

When she finished wiping off all the grit she could, she settled down onto the floor of her room and did a few stretches on her legs. She worked her arms and lower back in an attempt to warm her muscles up. She just hoped she wouldn't need to do too much for these kids; she was out of practice.

The sweat pants she had slipped into were a good choice for the routines she would be doing; they were lighter than typical sweat pants and wouldn't be uncomfortable to dance in.

Her top was another matter. She stripped out of the night shirt, stepped out of her bra, too, and grabbed a sports bra from the top drawer on her bureau. She pulled on a work-out shirt over that and tied her hair up in a pony tail. Finding some comfy socks that had the non-skid bumps on the bottom of them, she grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and jogged out of the girl's dorm rooms.

As she continued toward the gymnasium, she kept her jogging pace rather slow to think about last night. She and T.K. had fallen asleep in her bed of course, and they'd woken up to a rather intimate yet not intimate atmosphere. When they'd fully woken up, they had stayed close, yet there was still that line they didn't cross that would take them from being friends to being a couple. Katrina had no idea what T.K. thought of their relationship as; whether it be friends or more than that, she herself wasn't even too sure.

"There you are!" Hallie had flung herself onto Katrina and then recoiled slightly when she'd managed to sniff her neck. "You smell like T.K.," she said suspiciously and Katrina sighed helplessly.

"He fell asleep in my room last night after the battle. Where are our lucky dancers?" she asked and Hallie laughed before pushing open the door to the gymnasium. "Eesh," Katri said as she spotted one of the guys attempting to do what might have resembled a hip hop move. As Katrina assessed the kids silently, she didn't notice that Takashi had entered the room already. Hallie tugged at the CDs in Katri's hands and she instructed Hallie to put the blue CD in first.

"Hey!" she shouted over the laughter and chatter of the new dancers. Some of them, Katri recognized from a few years ago. They quieted down as she approached, and looked up at her as if they would a teacher. Ugh. She grinned at the kids all the same and held out her palms in a friendly manner.

"There's a dance coming up in just a few days. I'll teach everyone a few simple hip hop moves, maybe a jazz number, and most importantly, how to slow-dance." A few of the kids nodded in approval as they mulled over what she said. Katri double-checked her pony tail before placing her hands on her hips. "Which do you want to try first?" she asked.

Erin, a younger brunette whom Katrina had met briefly last year spoke up. "Do the hip hop routine you did last year!" she said and Katrina blinked as the other kids spoke to agree with her. She turned to Hallie who was busy twisted the blue CD in her hand and held up four fingers.

Justin Timberlake's "Take It From Here" was blasted through the speakers of the gymnasium. "Sometimes, sometimes the world gets hard." At the end of the first lyrics, Katrina lost herself in the beat. The moves she had been scared she'd forgotten came rushing back to her as her hips swayed to the music. That was all that happened for the first few beats, hips swaying slowly to feel for the music, right hand following the momentum and along with the beat, she snapped her fingers.

At the signal beat in the song, her hands moved fluidly down her body as her feet moved in step with the music. Her hips dipped down and she stepped to the side to straighten, arm straight out to the side. She pulled her body toward that arm and spun, then swept one arm out to the side in a sweeping gesture as the words, "I wanna be a star," played. Another half twirl and she was facing her audience again. Sweeping motions were the majority of her dance, along with the fluidness of her body against the music.

By the middle of the song and end to her dance, she was left breathless. She nodded to Hallie and smiled as the dancers clapped for her. "Alright, I'll show you a few steps that I want you to work on for now." She introduced the step, ball, change; a way to execute a fluid turn; and a few smooth moves that could be used for casual dancing to upbeated music. She moved to work with a few of the dancers who couldn't get some of the moves right, sometimes having to show them multiple times what she meant when she gave another dance term.

When they seemed to get the hang of it, she set them off for a water break. "Hallie, you warmed them up before I came here, didn't you?" she asked through mouthfuls of water. The vampire shrugged and Katrina sighed, and turned around, only to recognize T.K.'s presence just then. She made her way over to him, cheeks turning slightly pink yet again, and finished off her water when she stood before him.

"Was I as bad as I think I was?" she asked with a smile and looked down at the doggy bag in his hands. "Are those--" she sniffed and grinned. "french toast sticks?"

[Sousuke]

"T.K. stood there silently watching Katrina dance. His eyes traced her ever move. He watched her body twirl and and keep in sync with the beat of each song. Her pony tail of golden hair swaying from side to side. Her skin slowly glistening as he began continued to dance. Even sweat in work out cloths she managed to captivate his attention. She came over to him and he noticed her face was slightly pink, though whether or not it was from exhaustion from dancing he did not know.

"No you looked really good!," said T.K. enthusiastically, "You're really graceful I'm impressed, between this and flying its no wonder you're in such great shape," his voice trailed off as his eyes looked her up and down. "Yeah I figured you might get hungry and you mentioned you like french toast sticks." Takashi, took his hoodie off and set it on the ground and sat on top of it and patted a spot next to him on top of the hoodie, "Sow how about it?" T.K. opened up small containers full of syrup as well as several packs of powdered sugar, he then set out a can of orange soda and looked up to Katrina with a boyishly handsome smile.

[Secrets]

"Hallie, warm them up for a few," Katrina called to the vampire as she took a seat next to T.K. Her smile widened as he brought out the contents of their breakfast. Her eyes were light though the slump in her shoulders gave way to how exhausted she was. From the hang gliding trip from two days ago, then to her anxiety weariness, and now the dancing; it was really taking a toll on the girl. She just wanted to crawl into bed, or possibly a hammock outside, and sleep for days.

"Hey, didn't you say last night that you don't know how to dance?" She asked as she nibbled on the edge of a french toast stick. A dab of sugar settled on the tip of her nose and she wiped it away. Because she needed to instruct the dancers in a bit, she stuck to drinking small portions of water at a time. "I'll need a partner to show off the slow-dancing bit," she hedged with a smile.

[Sousuke]

Takashi munched on a french toast stick quickly as the syrup dripped down the stick. He sucked the tip of his finger making sure to remove all of the syrup from it. He than offered Katri a napkin before wiping his finger with one as well. "Well yes that true I probably should learn how to slow dance," He looked out to the group of students who were now warming up, "In front of all these people though?" Takashi wiped hips lips with the napkin, eventually I'll have to dance in front of people with Katri we might as well do it now where it'll be okay if I make mistakes. He smiled at her as some syrup accumulate near the corner of her mouth. Takashi wiped the corner of her mouth with a tissue and in an effort to tease her, he licked the syrup from the napkin, "Sweet," he sat there with a sly grin.


He then stood up and took Katrina's hand, "Okay I'll be your partner." Takashi offered her his hand and pulled her up onto his feet. He let her to the spot where she had been instructing the students before and stood in front of her. "Okay so show me where my hands go and which way my feet go, in fact, you should lead until I know what we're doing." He stood there confidently waiting for her instruction.

[Secrets]

She held her breath when T.K. wiped some syrup from the corner of her lips, though smiled and rolled her eyes as he licked the napkin. When he offered his hand, she gladly took it and allowed him to lead her onto the gymnasium floor. The students, curious as to what their new instructor was doing, meandered over and formed a semi-circle next to them.

"Change of plans. We're doing the slow bit now so pay attention. I'll do a simple box step with T.K. here and then we'll turn things up a notch," she said with a cocky grin at T.K. She took the hand of his that she was holding and brought it down to her waist. She did the same with his other hand and then placed the palm of her hands on his shoulders.

"This is how you will begin," she said to her audience, though kept her eyes on T.K. "Hallie, play track seven." At her command, another song streamed from the speakers. "This is a perfectly good slow song to dance to; it's one of my top favourites," she said as "For the Nights I Can't Remember" by Hedley played. "Now T.K., I'll start by putting my left foot forward. You move your right back. Then your left comes forward and my right comes back," she said.

"And ladies, while dancing, it's alright to get closer to your partner," she said as she slid her arms around T.K.'s neck and stepped closer to him.

[Sousuke]

"My right foot goes here," T.K. said to himself, "when your left foot goes there." T.K. took the steps uneasily at first but soon settled into his own. He felt his hands become become more firm as they rested on Katrinas waist. He was still following her lead but he was gradually becoming more coordinated with his own feet as well as Katrinas movements. He focused on keeping his hands firmly planted on her waist lest he repeat the incident at the gryphons building.

As thw two of them dance T.K.s eyes were focusing less aon the ground and his feet and more on Katrinas eyes, "Promise I'm not staring at your chest it's my feet," he muttered to her as his eyes made their way to hers. His cheeks flashed red for a moment and he almost stepped on Katrina's foot but caught himself and continued to dance with her. "I think I'm getting hang of this, mind if I take lead for a little. T.K. revers his steps pulling Katrina with him as he led the two of them. T.K.s strides were a little shorter than what he should have been making and as a result he inched closer and closer to Katrina, "sorry, like this right?" He led her towards him as he stepped backwards, "you're a really good teacher, first flying then dancing," he whispered to her as his started relaxing and he became more cozy with her.

[Secrets]

"Pair off in twos and try for yourself," she said to the others before allowing herself to really relax in T.K.'s arms. The heat he always carried with him radiated toward her skin and made her smile when he stepped even closer. Her feet moved of their own accord and soon she matched his pace as the music continued to drift around them.

"I make a good teacher when I'm not distracted," she mumbled. Despite having just woken up a few hours ago, Katrina was falling asleep on her feet. "I think these kids got the hang of it," she said as she glanced around her. "And I think I definitely need an energy drink...and a shower," she said and slackened her grip on his neck. She brought one hand down to his chest and fiddled with the collar of his v-neck.

"We could see if the sewing club can get you a suit ready. They always have dozens of tuxes lying around that they can fit for you," she said.

[Sousuke]

"Distracted?" T.K. repeated absentmindedly, not really sure what Katrina was implying. "Yeah we should probably have that taken care of too, I didn't bring any formal wear at all." T.K. took another step, "I think I'm getting the hang of this." T.K. felt Katrinas arms loosen around his neck, "We can do it later, you look really tired," the two of them continued dancing for several minutes. "So do you know what color dress you'll be wearing?" The music had stopped but T.K. continued to dance with Katri. "And when is your birthday, I'd really like to get you something."

Takashi was gazing into the familiar eyes of Katri with his own. He didn't know what he was talking about but at least he wasn't going on like an idiot in front of her. She looked very cute in her sweat pants and pony tail T.K. thought to himself, "We can definitely get my suit made later, you look really tired." Slowly he let go of her and looked to everyone who had been watching them and he blushed, "I'm sorry everyone!"

[Secrets]

"Jeez, T.K., is this Tweny Questions?" She said with a grin and moved her hands back up to his shoulders as they continued their slow step for a few more moments. "You'll see the dress in three days and you don't need to get me anything for my birthday," she said with a small frown. When he pulled away, some of the dancers gave them a rather generous amount of applause. Katri curtseyed humorously.

"You all did really well today. Just trust the music to guide you on the dance floor and don't worry about looking foolish. Just have fun with it," she said to them and took the CDs from Hallie as the vampfire brought them over to her. Hallie wiggled her brows as she looked from T.K. to Katrina and the wind elemental shrugged. She would definitely have to have a girl to girl chat with Hallie soon.

When the dancers dispersed and Hallie moved to clean up the stray water bottles, Katrina turned back to T.K. and looked up in his eyes. "I am tired, but if I sleep now, I'll never get to rest tonight. Let's go get your tux and then I can show you more of the Academy."

[Sousuke]

T.K. waved to the other students as they began to filter out of the building. "That's true, Alright then lets go get me a tux." He picked up his hoodie from the floor and replaced it over his torso and exited the gymnasium with Katrina. "you never did get a chance to finish my tour from the first day, a lot of crazy stuff happened," he continued to walk beside Katrina, "It's been really fun though, don't you think?" This was the first time in a while they had actually been able to enjoy some normal small talk.

Up until this point almost everything they had talked about had been in relation to some something crazy or new. But this is nice, thought T.K. we can kind of relax and do normal things in this fairytale place. "So is the sewing club in the main building or are they in one of the small ones?" Come to think of it, T.K. really only knew about the gym,the gryphons dome, the dorms, the mess hall, and the arena, as far as the main compound was concerned. "I think this is the first time I'll be going to either of these places," he said aloud and glanced over to Katrina, "do you want me to carry you again like a little bride?" he tease as he joking went to move his hands behind her back and beneath her knees, all with a sprightly demeanor as he gave chase to Katrina.

[Secrets]

"No, I don't want you to carry me!" she huffed and skirted around his hands. Out on the sidewalk around the Academy, Katrina felt a warm feeling in her body; she had missed this place she had called "home" for so long. The neatly trimmed grass tickled at the faded gray sidewalks that wound around the entire campus. The gymnasium was left behind them and despite Katrina's distraction at T.K.'s teasing hands, she felt calm and just glad she was back at the Academy.

"The main building of the Academy is where the classes are located. You don't have to enroll or anything; they're just basic courses and you work with the professors of your choice. Fae work with Fae professors, vampires with vampires, and so on. Mentors, or rather, guidance counselors, are people you can assign yourself to, get to know them and have them give you extra help with your power." She mumbled on about the Academy as they traveled just behind the large main building.

"Some of the classrooms are really neat. Anyway, we'll be going to the Arts building on the other edge of campus. It has an artist studio, a dance studio, and the sewing classroom," she said. As they approached the building, she looped her arm through T.K.'s and dragged him through the doors. The linoleum floor met her socks (she had forgotten to grab shoes when she went off to dance) and therefore didn't make much noise. She turned down the hall and knocked on one of the classroom doors.

A petite redhead opened the door and blinked a few times as she saw Katri. "I need a tux fitted for T.K. here," she answered the girl and the redhead sighed and ushered for them both to come in.

"I need this, I need that. Why is it no one has tuxedos or dresses anymore?" she said with a slight German accent. To Katri, the girl certainly didn't look German. She brought out a yellow cloth measuring tape. "Arms out, feet apart," she instructed T.K. with a snap of her fingers.

[Sousuke]

"I see, I'll think about getting an instructor or something," he noted as the two of them made their way across the the campus. Soon they had arrived to the arts building. T.K. tried to look around but was being dragged by Katrina who was following a red headed girl. Takashi's mind was still on the building as well as the surrounding buildings. He realized there was still so much he had yet to explore at the academy.

Takashi looked down to see the red head looking at him, "Oh sorry, should i just stand here?" T.K. opened up his stand a little more than he normally would and held his arms out to either side of his body, "My right arm might be slightly longer than my left," he murmured as the redhead set about making her measurements on T.K. "So is this whee you got your dress made?" The girl continued to work her measuring tape around Takashi and he grinned, "Hey Katrina maybe later I could take your measurements." T.K. was enjoying the casual setting, it was a nice change of pace from the dragons cliff and the arena. Either way though, he was with Katrina and that made it all the more enjoyable, "Katrina, thanks for doing all of this," he said as his head swiveled around as the measurements continued

[Secrets]

She snapped the cloth quickly around his body and once done with his waist, dropped down to her knees to get accurate measurements of his legs. The redhead nodded to herself throughout the process and stood, brushing off her knees as she did so, and looked at Takashi. "Name's Gemma. I'll have your suit out in one minute," she promised and disappeared into the back. Katrina half sat on the back of a chair and patted her legs with her palms as she looked at T.K.

"No, I actually didn't get it done here. I found it in a secondhand shop a while ago," she said and scratched the back of her neck, brushing aside a few strands of hair that had stuck to the sweat on the back of her neck. She looked down at the ground and curled her toes against the linoleum. "I like one of a kind things, you know?" she said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's a one in a million chance," she said at T.K.'s joke, or what she hoped was a joke. He acted so differently when she wasn't close to him: able to tease and slightly flirt with her. But when they were together, he couldn't stop running his mouth. She barked out a short laugh at the thought and patted the side of the headrest to her chair. "No need to thank me, T.K. You're actually not too annoying to be around," she said teasingly and stood when Gemma walked out of the back.

"Here's the tux," she said as she folded it into T.K.'s arms. "I know it didn't take long at all, but I'm a shapeshifter. An object shifter, that is. The changes were minimal so they won't wear off and you'll be able to keep the tux," she said with a smile and pointed toward the door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bunch of stuff to do because of this damn dance. Ta ta," she said and scurried out of the room.

"Where do you want to go now?" Katrina asked through a yawn.

[Sousuke]

"Me? Annoying?," he said mockingly, "Have you really already forgotten about Arisu?" Takashi tucked the tux under his arm and the two of them continued to travel the grounds aimlessly. As they did so Takashi noticed a few people would look at Katrina and him and would point and immediately strike up a conversation with whoever was closest to them, what are they talking about, they don't think me and Katrina are together do they?

That though echoed through out Takashi's mind. His face became the definition of pensive. He thought about all the times they had spent together in front of everyone. In the few days Takashi had been there Katrina was constantly at his side. People saw them eat together, the way she held him at the battle, and most recently the two of them dancing. Was it really so hard to believe that everyone thought they were an item? "I suppose I would think the same thing if I were them," T.K. mumbled aloud.


"Is there any place we can go just to enjoy a good sit? Maybe just sit around and enjoy," Takashi's voice trailed off as he looked to Katrina and found himself admiring the way the sun hit her. That warm blond hair, those sweet hazel eyes, every Time T.K. looked to her he was always a little surprised albeit pleasantly. She was also fun, no matter what they had done be it flying through the air or slow dancing he found himself enjoying her company. Pretty and fun, came a voice from what he thought was his shoulder. "Is there a place where we can just relax and enjoy the view." Takashi finished with a smile on his face as he offered Katrina his arm to lock hers in as he walked.

[Secrets]

"Think what?" Katrina asked as she glanced up at T.K. At his question, though, she thought for a moment and decided on the picnic area around the corner from the Arts building. A river that spanned about fifteen feet across ran through the center of the picnic area and was a hot spot for teens to lay around and soak up some of the sun. A few fae were there, and a few water elementals that were splashing around in the river. The air was warmed by the sun, the atmosphere was soft and pleasant thanks to the trickle of the water, and peace took hold of everything around them.

A few hammocks were scattered under the shade of a cropping of trees. Katri tugged Takashi that way and sat down on one of the hammocks nearer to the river, dapples of sunlight making way to her face. "This alright to relax and enjoy the view?" she asked and swung gently on the hammock.

[Sousuke]

Takashi stood as his eyes eagerly surveyed the area. It was everything one thought about when they heard the words, place to relax. The trees were like those found in a normal park, the leafs filter the sunlight onto the ground below and the hammocks between. The river which offered a cooling aura when one were to step a little closer to it. The picnic area also overlooked the mountain ranges to the west. Takashi imagined how the sky would look at it sunk under the covers of the mountain. A neapolitan of oranges, purples, and reds.

He remembered Katri's question, "Did you notice the other students who looked at us? I think they think we're a couple." He pursed his lips, "Not that I don't mind, I mean if they think I'm with anyone I don' t mind that it's you at all, in fact I really like you." Takashi's face looked flash boiled. Did you just tell her you like her? oh I'm sorry you said you really like her, mocked the voice in the back of his head. He laughed nervously, "I mean, yeah this is a really nice place to relax," the uneasy laughs continued before he finally shut up and swallowed hard.

[Secrets]

Katrina reached forward to grasp Takashi's forearm and pull him down so he could sit next to her on the hammock. She took her socks off and tossed them onto the dirt near the base of one of the trees that the hammock was attached to. Then she kicked off of the ground to rock them a bit before picking her legs up and folding them beneath her. She leaned back and sighed.

"Let them think what they want. It won't change the way I feel about anything," she said and looked at him. A patch of sunlight had landed right on his face, making his dark grey eyes a bit lighter than the norm and more reflective. She wondered if he knew about the copper tints that were also unveiled in his brown hair. Imagining her hands running through his hair to search for more of the colours made her blush slightly, and a teasing breeze picked up around them from the emotion.

"I like you too, T.K. You're just so easy to be around. I don't ever feel uncomfortable with you...except when you grabbed my butt," she said with a soft chuckle.

[Sousuke]

Takashi sighed easily and his face was its normal shade of tan once more. He liked the fact that whenever he would ramble on like an idiot Katrina never teased him too much about it., in fact she made him comfortable after every time he did it. He smiled sweetly to her, "That was an accident I swear, besides you fell onto me," he snickered.

As the hammock swung gently back and fourth Takashi lay back. It was wonderful to lay there and watch the clouds through the threes. The gentle breeze that kissed the both of them and continued to gently rock the hammock back and fourth. "You know, out of all the places you've shown me, this might be my favorite," Takashi said with the last words transitioning into a light yawn.

Takashi pulled his legs into the hammock and lay on the hammock beside Katrina, "Move that big butt of yours over a little," he teased her as he finished sliding next to her. Takashi's voice was filtered through his yawn, "Think I'll close my eyes for a minute." Takashi shut his eyes and breathed softly, "I'm still awake so no embarrassing confessions," he said with a smile that was out of place with his closed eyes.

[Secrets]

"I do not have a big butt," Katri complained though she still shifted a bit so he could have more room. "What, was the dragons' cliff not good enough for you?" She asked through another grin and yawned when he mentioned closing his eyes. The sun had reached its peak in the sky and was slowly descending down toward the mountain ranges they were facing.

She closed her eyes and focused on having the wind rock the hammock, all the while humming softly to herself. She looked at his face when he closed his eyes and knew she liked it better when she could see the emotions that played out easily through the grey depths. "Well, if T.K.'s asleep, I might as well talk to myself and confess everything to the air," she murmured teasingly as she poked his side. "I hate water other than that from my own shower. My hair used to be really short and because of the lack of weight, very curly. My favourite word is kumquat and I'm also terrified of ducks," she said.

"Well air, thanks for listening to me," she said and leaned over to whisper in T.K.'s ear. "Your turn."

[Sousuke]

Takashi listened as she spoke and giggled lightly when she mentioned the word kumquat. He than peaked at her with one eye open. "Ducks, really?" He tried not to laugh but it could not be contained. "Remind me to fill your room with them." He closed his eye again before opening them both up to look to Katrina's soft Hazel eyes. "Okay, I have an older brother named Hiro, hes older by three years. My deserted island album is 'Food & Liquor. I can't stand the noise of static and I used to not be able to grow hair because it kept burning off."

He sat up on the hammock and stretched his arms over his head. Takashi than held out his fingers and made a picture frame and pointed it towards Katrina, "Short hair and curly," he moved his fingers back and fourth, "Yep still cute," he teased her. "Got anything else you really want to show me?" He let the wind rock the two of them back and fourth gently and watched her hair sway every so slightly.

[Secrets]

"Hey, I got attacked by a duck when I was seven. They're pretty ferocious, not to mention the guy ducks are total rapists. Seriously, Google it," she said and gave up her reasoning as he continued to laugh. The hammock shook with both of their laughter when Katri joined in, nose scrunching up as she tried to conceal a giggle at Takashi burning all of his hair off.

She winked and held her thumbs up when he did the camera/picture frame sign with his fingers. She giggled as she held up her own fingers and pretended to look through the lens with one eye. "Sorry, but I don't exactly find baldies too hot," she said sympathetically, though her voice kept that humorous tone.

"There's so much more to do here, T.K.," she said and looked up through the leaves above them. "But we'll save those for another time. Let's head back to the dorms so I can shower and get in my jammies," she said as she attempted to rub some sleep from her eyes. She hesitated and shrugged her shoulders. "I feel guilty for keeping you to myself. Don't feel like you have to do stuff with me if you don't want to. I mean, I know you might want a day with Jace or something," she mumbled.

[Sousuke]

"Hey now, I pulled off the bald look quiet well," Takashi chuckled, "Well not really, there's a reason why I have so many hats." He stepped off the hammock and offered a hand to help Katrina. "To be honest I don't really make to many friends, I don't get close to a lot of people at all." He shrugged and looked off to the sky, "That's part of why my brother and sister sent me here, was to controll my powers and make s friend or two."

The two of them began walking back to the dorm buildings. "Jace is a good guy, an idiot but a good guy," he said jokingly. "But don't feel that you have to keep me around, I don't want Hallie to get jealous," Takashi shuddered, "But I really do have a lot of fun with you." The two of them received more looks from the other students as they closed in on the girls dorm, "See what I mean."

[Secrets]

Katrina shoved her hands in her pockets as they walked. Every few minutes, they'd pass other kids walking by and of course, they'd look long enough to assume that they were looking at the new pair. She ignored the stares and wondered just what her reputation looked like now. Break up with boyfriend of two years, run away from the Academy, come back after a year, and immediately start hanging out with T.K. "Yeah, I see what you mean," she said quietly and stopped outside her door.

"They'll get over it soon enough and don't worry about Halls getting jealous. She's just glad someone's keeping me here." Her eyes flickered upward to his for a moment before she glanced away. "I'll shower and if I don't fall asleep, I'll see you at dinner, 'kay?" She said.

[Sousuke]

T.K. nodded, "Sounds good Katri," he quickly about faced and headed down towards the boys dorms. As he did he saw Jace in the common room playing chess once more. However this time it wasn't against himself it was again another student T.K. hadn't met before. He was slimmer than himself and had wavy blond hair. Jace beckoned Takashi over and he complied. "Takashi this is my friend Karl," Takashi offered a handshake as Karl took it but remained silent focusing his attention on the chess board.

"T.K. what's that you got there my man?" Takashi looked under his arm and remembered the tuxedo, "It's what I'm going to wear to the dance this week, you going?" Jace nodded, "No kidding, who you going with? let me guess, Katri right? and yeah I thinking about it." Takashi shook his head, "Yeah I'm going with Katri, does everyone think were together?" Jace glanced at Tatakshi from the corner of his eye and gave a sly grin, "some people do, But for those of us in the know we got a little bet going on." Takashi blinked, "What exactly are you guys betting on?" Jace moved a knight to take one of Karle's bishops, "How long it'll be before you two get to first base," Jace said casually and he looked up to Takashi, "I can't discuss with you any of the days people picked that's against the rules."


Takashi looked down at Jace, "Well I'm glad to see your playing by the rules man," he paused, "Wait everyone already thinks it's going to happen?" Jace shook his head, "Theres some people betting on no, but a lot of people think its simply a matter of when and not if." Takashi shook his head in disbelief, and jace continued, "Why do you think I haven't been hanging around you man, I'm giving you opportunities brother," Jace watched as Karl took one of his pawns, "Checkmate," said Karl in an cockney accent. Jace scratched his head, "not bad Karl."

Takashi chuckled, "You're losing a step Jace." Jace shook his head, "Nah man, thats the first hes won out of twenty three games." Takashi stopped laughing, "Well Jace you down to come to dinner with me?" Jace look to Takashi, "Only if Katri ain't there, If she is I'll sit around you," Jace chuckled and Takashi shhok his head and went to his room.

He slide the keycard into the door and smiled when the green light blinked, "green means go," he mumbled as he opened the door. Takashi unfolded the tux and began placing it on a hanger. He then poked a hole in an over sized plastic bag and slipped it over the tux and hanger and he placed it over the top portion of the frame to the body mirror he had. Takashi took a can of body spray and painted himself with it. "This smells funny," he looked at the can and blinked, "Why do I have a chocolate pie body spra-" he thought back, "That's right this was a joke gift from Hiro." Takashi shrugged, "well it doesn't smell terrible it's delicious actually." He shrugged and exited the room and found Jace, "Go on ahead man, we're going to finish up another game," Takashi shook his head with a smile and left.

Takashi soon found himself in the mess hall and was surprised to see some people still looking towards him and thought, "Me and Katrina aren't joined at the hip you know." Takashi than set out to grab dinner which consisted of beef udon. Takashi turned towards the tables to see if Katri was indeed there or not.

[Secrets]

Katrina was wrapped in a towel when Hallie burst into her room. The blonde girl freaked for a moment when the blur plopped on her bed before she realized it was Hallie. Good thing she had shut the door behind her because Katrina had half dropped her towel in surprise. "Jesus, Halls. How'd you even get in here? The door was locked," Katrina said as she fixed her towel and moved to her bureau.

"Nevermind about that. Blakey asked me to the dance," she said with glowing eyes. Katrina raised a brow as she turned to look at her friend.

"Blakey? You've already got a pet name for Blake?" She said and tried to hide a grin. It was supposed to be warm tonight so Katrina picked out a pair of jean shorts and a faded red blouse to wear. She stepped into the bathroom, shimmied into the clothes, wrapped her hair in her towel, and stepped out of the bathroom. Hallie was impatient on her bed whenKatri sat down beside her. "Spill," she urged.

"After the dance thing you did, I was walking out of the gym on my way to the Night house," Hallie said. The Night house was just another building that had been claimed by vampires. The fanged beings could visit the house whenever they wanted and hang out with their own kind; fae were off limits to the area. "And when I walked in, Blake was the only one in there. He said he'd been waiting to ask me something and asked me to the dance. I'll save the juicy details to myself," Hallie practically wriggled from the excitement. Juicy details probably entailed some blood sharing and Katri was glad her friend didn't insist on giving her the full story.

"You going to see him at dinner?" The vampire nodded and then snorted. "What?" Katri asked.

"And lemme guess. You'll be going with T.K.," she said with a smirk. Katrina crossed her arms over her chest.

"So?" She said as she narrowed her eyes. "We're friends, so what?" Hallir fell backward onto the bed and flopped over on her stomach. She inhaled deeply and at the realization of who she was probably smelling, Katri went red in the face. The vampire giggled on the bed, something that was a rare occurence for the vamp. Katri kicked her feet that dangled off of the edge of the bed which made Hallie sit up.

"Only three more days and I'll win that bet," she said and Katri's brows furrowed. Her voice rose an octave when she echoed, "bet?!"

"Jace and a dozen or so others are in on it," Hallie said smugly and Katrina, flustered, shifted so she could clumsily put on her shoes, She mumbled furiously under her breath as Hallie roared with laughter behind her. "Come on, Kitty Kat, we both know it's going to happen."

Katrina whirled around and at the despair on her face, the vampire stood and grabbed her shoulders. I'm okay. I just--I was with Ryan for two years, Hallie. And T.K.'s a great guy, but right now I think he'd be bett--" Hallie clamped her hand over Katri's mouth and smacked the girl on the forehead.

"Don't you dare say he could do with someone better. God, Katri you're the best anyone can do," she growled and Katrina raised a hand to object, but Hallie's fingers tightened around the edges of her mouth. Hallie's voice softened then. "Katri, you're never going to get over the guy you thought Ryan was and had been at the beginning. Just try to trust yourself, 'kay?" She said and Katrina nodded.

"No promises on that bet," she said weakly and Hallie grinned.

"Vamps are intuitive, you know. It's going to happen sooner or later, but in three days time would be better for me. Now get your ass to dinner while I go meet Blake Ciao," Hallie said before rushing out of the room once more.

Katrina sighed, shook her head, and left her dorm. She let her mind wander as she walked and when she reached the end of the dorm hallway and was met with warm, humid air. Crickets and frogs made the night seem a bit more alive, yet no wind blew around the campus. She reached the mess hall quickly and entered the building from the left so she could grab a chicken parmesan and pasta dinner before seeking T.K. out.

She was behind him and he was looking out at the other tables. The fact that it was more than likely her that he was looking for made her feel a bit giddy. She hefted her dinner trey in one hand and reached over his shoulder to cover his eyes with the other. "Guess who," She mumbled into his ear.

[Sousuke]

When his vision had suddenly left him Takashi heaved his trey slightly causing a bit of the soup to jump onto his shirt. However the slight sting of hot was dulled the instance he felt the soft delicate hand on his face. "Guess who," trickled into his head and T.K.shuddered slightly, this time spilling no soup. After sliding his trey into one hand Takashi gently pried the hand from his face and turned around and his face lit up. "Katri!, glad to see you didn't fall asleep."

Takashi lokked around and saw several students murmuring amongst themselves. He shot them a look and was pleased when the saw them straighten up, "I'm glad everyone saw that fight with Arisu," he chuckled before interlocking his arm with Katrinas, "Lets have a seat!."

Takashi navigate through the tables all the while his nose gave him subtle hints as to what others were having for dinner themselves. As he passed by Takashi would notice that the volumes of certain voices would drop as he passed by with Karti, he simply shook his head and continued walking untill he found an empty table in the middle of the mess hall. He placed his trey on the surface before turning to take Karti's and doing the same, he looked around, "this isn't the best seat but at least the table was clean." Takashi offered a seat to Katrina before sitting down he sat down himself. As he cracked apart the chop sticks Takashi cringed at the sound, "reminds me of my ribs," he said as he stabbed the soup and began hunting for noodles.

"Apparently there's a bet going on between some of the students," said takashi as he brought some noodles to his face and held them there to watch the steam rise up from the noodles. He inhaled the steam sighing contently at the inviting scent of beef and noodles, They're betting on whether or not we-"

Just then Takashi felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up, it was Jace. "Hey man, hello Katrina," said Jace as he patted Takashi's shoulder. "Why don't you join us Jace, just grab some food and-" Jace waved off Takashi's and interrupted "Listen man I'm going to eat over there with my buddy Karl, you two have a nice dinner though, I just wanted to say hi," said Jace with a grin as he started to walk off before Takashi could retort.

Takashi turned his attention back to Katrina, "I told you, a nice guy, but an idiot," Takashi began to laugh as he shook his head, "He's one of the ones betting on us," Takashi stopped as he looked at Katrinas face. He took note of her light pink lips. They looked soft as if they had never once been chapped in their entire life, The though of placing his own lips against them felt like it would be a crime. Takashi imagined katrina with her hands pawing at his chest with her looking up to him with her big hazel eye's and softly whispering to him, "Kiss me T.K.", his face turned seven or eight shades redder as he mumbled to finish his sentence, "kissing".

[Secrets]

Katrina took a bite out of her chicken, frowning as T.K. finished what he was saying. She took a napkin and dabbed her lips to get rid of any possible sauce that could have gone unnoticed on them. "I know about the bet. Hallie's in on it, too," she mumbled and rested her left elbow on the table, allowing her chin to fall against her hand as she idly moved her food around on her plate. She twirled the spaghetti around on her plate as she thought, though couldn't bring the food up to her mouth; her stomach grumbled in protest.

"Well, we do spend a lot of time together," she said as she looked up to meet his grey gaze. She was afraid of what her face may look like, or look like in a few moments because thoughts of that night when his fireball had acted like their own little sun to their own little world. She shoved a piece of chicken in her mouth and focused on chewing it, though probably only succeeding in looking like an idiot. She swallowed her half-chewed food and coughed slightly.

"Sorry," she said and swiped her blonde hair out of her eyes before it could fall into the sauce. Feeling as if she'd put a bit of tension and awkwardness between them, she sighed and set her silverware down. "I guess we'll just have to wait it out," she responded, but she had no idea whether she was talking about the bet dying down or to see if they'd actually get together.

"I'll probably sleep in tomorrow, but I'm going to have to help Hallie and a few other kids set up the gymnasium for the dance. And of course, you're welcome to come. I could show you a few other dance moves if you'd like," she said with a genuine grin. And just like that, her appetite returned and that sense of being lost and awkward vanished; she nibbled on a piece of spaghetti as she waited for him to respond.

[Sousuke]

Takashi suckle on a few more noodles as he listened to Katrina speak. As soon as he heard her mention Hallie, Takashi choked slightly on the noodles and spat them out into a napkin he brought to his face. Takashi desperately tried to clear his throat before finally succeeding and blurted out, "Hallie's in on the bet too?!"

Takashis face became grim, "What exactly are they betting with, blood?" T.K. imagined Hallie sitting atop the bodies of a dozen or so students licking a red viscous liquid from her lips. "Now I kind of hope Jace wins," Takashi chuckled. "We do spend a lot of time together but I'm not complaining you know?" Takashi sat there for a moment approving of himself before returning to his noodles, what did she mean by 'wait it out?, was she talking about the gossip or us actually kissing? said one of the more baritone voices in his head. Takashi kept the noodle in his mouth before swallowing it down and shaking the thought, doesn't matter.

"I'll probably sleep in my own bed tonight," Takashi chuckled as he held up one of his noodles, "Maybe we should do it Lady and the Tramp style," he announced so that the people closest to him would hear though it was not as if they hadn't been listening in already. "Sure I'll come in to help, and I could probably use more moves than just the one dance," Takashi wiped his lips, "Mind if I walk you back to your room?" Takashi got up and offered to bus her trey for her.

[Secrets]

"Stop encouraging them," she muttered though kindly took his hand when he offered it. His fingers were soft and carried with them that same inviting warmth that seemed to radiate from T.K. himself. A blush crept way to her cheeks and as they stepped outside, a strong gale blew past both of them. Katri's hair whipped around wildly before she regained control of her emotions.

"Sorry," she said with wide eyes. " And you know that your announcement that we shouldn't sleep in the same bed tonight could have implied something else about us literally having slept before," she said with a yawn. "And all the vampires probably heard you." She sighed and leaned against T.K. as they walked, a sudden thought that made her stomach twist.

"This whole bet thing and Hallie and Jace and everyone," she waved her hands in the air to emphasize everything. "We won't let it ruin our friendship, right?" She finished in a small voice.

[Sousuke]

Takashi cocked his head to the side and smiled, "Of course not Katri," he briskly tugged her towards him so their bodies were closer, he then tilted his head down and whispered warmly into her ear, "I'd never want to lose what we have," his lips teased her ear just as much as his words. He pulled his head away and scoffed at himself, "Now that came out funny," Takashi chuckled as his face began to set on fire.

Soon the two of them entered the dorm and as they passed through the girls common room Takashi noticed a group of girls gossiping. Of course he was sure by now Karti was becoming tired of the talk. "Katri, hang on, when I tug your hand just follow me okay?" He gave her a mischievous smirk before he peaked around the corner once more. Takashi focused on a spot in the air in the center of the girls. He than held his right hand up and snapped. A tiny fireball raced towards the center of the girls and just as it arrived he closed his fist causing it to explode in a tiny flash followed by a green haze blinding them.

Takashi tugged Katri's arm across the common room and made it though the haze without being noticed. "I didn't want them to think that we were going to do anything in your room," he said at the end of a light chuckle. They were now in front of Katris door, a place T.K. had been only a few times but already he felt welcome there. "Well KAtri, I'll meet you at the Gymnasium a little bit after lunch so I can help out and we can dance some more." He stood there for a moment admiring how no matter what the lighting conditions her hazel eyes always shown through. "well, goodnight," T.K. wrapped his arms around her and gingerly played with the ends of her hair, "Curly hair," he let out a muffled laugh as he pulled away to look her in the eyes.

[Secrets]

"Thanks for doing that," she murmured as she leaned her back against the door, the places where he'd brushed against her just a few moments before still warm. When he laughed at the fact that she'd had curly hair before, she swatted him playfully on his arm. "I used to have curly hair," she scoffed. She yawned as she leaned back away from him and fumbled for the card key in her back pocket. She slid it into the lock, but still kept her gaze on T.K.'s.

She hesitated outside the door and opened her mouth once, closed it, and frowned. "Until tomorrow," she decided and reluctantly closed the door behind her. She backed against the door and closed her eyes for a moment, breath coming out from her all at once. Deflated, she blindly undressed and stepped into some pajamas before stumbling over to her bed. The sun had set and darkness had overtaken her room; she yawned once more and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she fell to sleep.

[Sousuke]

Takashi looked at the door and smiled before turning around to head back to his room. By now the girls common room had been evacuated, although the smoke had since than disappeared. As Takashi walked he thought about all the people betting on him and Katri kissing. The image of her pawing at his chest desperate for a kiss came to his mind once more. He grew a goofy dreamy look on his face and kept it all the way until he reached the boys common room.

Jace called to him, "Hey Takashi, am I still alive in the betting pool?" Takashi shook his head and woke up out of the daze, "Yes Jace," T.K. sighed, "We haven't kissed as of yet." Jace raised an eyebrow, "Yet? so you want to kiss her?" Jace grinned, "T.K.s got a crush," Jace said aloud although they were the only two there. T.K. sparked a fireball into his hand, "Shut up man!" Jace held his arm up and it turned to stone, "What you gonna do about it?". The two locked gazes with one another and stayed there for a moment before laughing, T.K. extinguished the ball and Jace demorphed his hand. "I'm Kidding T.K. to be honest I feel guilty about betting on it now that you admit you have feelings." T.K. blushed momentarily and shook his head, "Well, thanks Jace, I think." Jace shook his head, "Good luck to you though man," T.K. nodded as he went into the hallway and stumbled into his room. He lit a fireball to illuminate it and he saw the tux, "If her dress is white, its gonna look like were getting married, then everyone won't be able to shut up." He chuckled as he tossed off everything but his boxers and T-shirt and climbed into bed to sleep.

[Secrets]

Katrina never made it to a deep level of sleep. Every time she fell into a deeper level of sleep, she'd find herself in T.K.'s arms, lips inching closer with every minute. But every time she'd move that last breath closer to his lips, he'd pull away from her and she'd jolt awake.Now she was on her way to the mess hall thinking about what would have happened if she had felt what it was like to touch her lips against his.

Katri groaned and bit furiously into her turkey and cheese panini. She took a sip of her brown cola and waited to see when T.K. would show up.

[Sousuke]

Takashi had thrown on a simple pair of light grey sweat pants with a dark green track jacket with a pair of running shoes. As he approached the Mess hall he kept tugging at his unkempt hair. It had already begun to grow long by the time he had arrived but now it was starting to look like a birds nest. Of course Takashi didn't mind, he had dressed like a bum on purpose to hope that no one would notice him. Takashi had not been able to sleep very long last night. Truth was he had been up since four in the morning thinking about what Jace had said last night, "Do I really have a crush on Katrina? Well that's okay if you do, its just a crush nothing too serious.

Takashi heaved a heavy sigh as he entered the mess hall and headed straight for the drinks. He grabbed a large cup of iced coffee and set about to find a seat. He than spotted Katrina and walked over to her from behind and placed a hand on her cheek and gently tilted her head back so that she would look up at him albeit backwards. He smiled down at her, "What happened to sleeping in?" Takashi took a sip from his coffee and looked down at her face more closely. "You look like a mess," said Takashi as he brushed the hairs which barely lingered over his brow. "Katrina, I need a hair cut, can we go get it done after we dance and decorate?" Takashi's voice had that warm gravely tone it would have for an hour or so after he woke up. Takashi took another sip of his coffee looking over the rim of the cup towards Katrina.

[Secrets]

Katrina smiled when she felt T.K.'s heated palm against her cheek. Her grin stretched wider when she heard the sound of Takashi's slightly sleepy voice. She pointed to her half eaten sandwich and brown pop. "I do feel a bit refreshed and I couldn't sleep late," she said. "But I grabbed some lunch 'cause they don't have french toast sticks today." She turned around in her chair so she could look at T.K. without being upside down.

"Sure, we can get that done. I know a professor who cuts hair." She picked up her plate and dropped it into the garbage can next to them. "Ready to go now or do you want breakfast?" She asked

[Sousuke]

Takashi rapidly shook his head side to side. "No, I'm not very hungry right now for some reason." Takashi sipped on his coffee once more and took Katrina's hand and lifted her out of the chair. The two of them navigated their way though the hall filled mess half and were once again outside. Takashi had gotten up at a strange hour and as a result there were not as many students out and about. Some of them were in class, others were at their club meetings. Though T.K. didn't mind as this meant that would not receive as many looks as they did yesterday. In fact for Takahshi it was almost like a bad dream except it wasn't because she was there.

"A professor who can cut hair? I hope they don't mind," Takashi said as the two of them walked to the gymnasium. As Takashi held her hand his began to warm up slightly. It was always like this, Katrina had a strange way of making Takashi throw of a little more heat than normal but it wasn't an uncomfortable heat at all. It was inviting like an over-sized quilt on a winters day. T.K. looked down to his hand and back at Katrina, he knew she had probably experienced this for herself numerous times but he spoke anyways, "That's not uncomfortable for you is it?"

Takashi kicked open the gymnasium doors to see a platoon or two of students running about planting decorations across every possible surface of the gymnasium. Takashi scratched his head and searched for Hallie. He spotted Katrina's vampire friend and walked over to her with Katrina in tow. It was an impressive undertaking to transform the gym into a dance floor. Some of the decorations were typical of a high school dance while others Takashi had never seen before. Takashi sipped on his coffee once more before speaking to Hallie, his voice still tingled with sleep, "Hey Hallie, we're here to help." Takashi's mind kicked him, did you just introduce you two as we? Jace was right you do have a crush. Although Takashis face did not burn as it normally would he still laughed nervously hoping the vampire would not catch the simultaneously miniscule yet obvious poor choice of phrasing.

[Secrets]

"No, it feels nice," Katrina admitted and squeezed his hand for emphasis. It was true that the warmth he emanated felt nice, a lot nicer than Katri would like to admit. Her dream came back to her, back to that heat that had skittered over her body when T.K. pulled her closer before the kiss. Her neck grew hot as she wondered if her imagination was accurate, if T.K. could possibly do that to her. Yes, the voice in her mind whispered.

Hallie raised a brow as T.K. tugged Katrina over to her. "Yep. Two more days and I'll win," she sang and pointed to the various posters on the wall. "Katri, I've been waiting for you to take those down. These kids are cowards and won't climb the damn ladders," she said and Katrina released T.K.'s hand to turn and look at the gym. Various posters were scattered along the wall, some indicating different sports stars, others showing the Academy had been champions of some sports events that were not normal in the human world. She nodded to herself and thrusted two fists out on either side of her.

The doors of the gym burst open and made a few girls carrying a table scream. The gale ripped across the walls and posters were pulled free from the walls. They fell in a pile on the gymnasium and as the last laminated paper fell to the ground, the gale died down. She turned back to her vampire friend who had ordered some newbies to pick the stuff up. "T.K. and I could help with the tables," Katrina said and Hallie nodded quickly to her, though started yelling at a few kids who were putting the streamers up wrong.

Katri shrugged to T.K. and pointed to the tables. "Come on," she said as she looped his arm through her own.

[Sousuke]

Takashi stood and smirked as he watched Katrina use her wind powers to rip down the posters off of the walls. "Nice job, better you than me, I would have toasted them," T.K. let out another laugh. When Katrina took hold of his arm he smiled as the two of them made their way to the tables. This was to be the safe haven during the dance for those would could not dance or were simply too tired to do so. By not most of the tables had been set into their proper places.

Takashi decided that it would be best to stay out of the way of the others who were positioning the tables and begin to help decorating them instead. soon he found the box containing the tables cloths and brought them over to Katrina. He would reach into the box and toss part of the cloth to Katrina while keeping a fistful for himself. Together they would drape the cloth over the table and smooth it out prior to replace the chairs which they had pulled out from under the tables. The two of them worked quickly and together soon more than half the tables had been covered in a cloth thanks to just the two of them. T.K. paused to look around the gym, although only half the decorations were up and half the gym stuff was down the place was hardly recognizable. "This place is going to look pretty good for the dance," said Takashi as he brushed some of the hair out from over his brow once more.

Takashi had noticed that during their covering of tables with cloths some of the students had the guilty look of gossip tainting their lips. Takashi shook his head for a moment before setting his eyes upon Katrina. There was that mental image of her once more asking him to kiss her. Would she really ever want him to even do that? Did she ever think of him as possible more than a friend? She had never object or sounded offended when he had told her about the bet, but it was possible that she did not think it to carry any weight. Takashi shook the thought from his mind and offered Katrina one of his silly smiles before returning to the task at hand.

"Almost time to dance isn't it?" asked Takashi eager to generate conversation between him and Katrina. No that he didn't enjoy silences with her. On the contrary, T.K. felt that he could comfortable share a moments f silence with her but he was so eager to know her that he did not mind breaking those small moments of silence. "What are you going to teach me today?," T.K. continued, "I mean, what are you going to teach all of us today? cos obviously I'm going to be your partner but your going to be showing everyone here a few more dance moves so," T.K.s volume slowly faded like a song on the radio and he forged a wide smile to cover it up.

[Secrets]

Humming to herself and working with T.K. made the time fly by. Every so often, when they were putting the table cloths on, their hands would brush and Katri would smile. When they were finished, she was surprised to se forty-five minutes had passed. As she finished smoothing out the wrinkles of one of the newly placed cloths, T.K. started to talk to her. She met his eyes as she brushed a fold out from the cloth. "It always looks amazing," she said with a smile.

She laughed at the dancing bit and looked down at her clingy tank-top and sporty short-shorts. "I'm going to teach these kids how to dougie. The DJ always plays that song and even though it's formal this time, I know that some kids will still want to attempt it," she said, amusement clear in her eyes. "Then II'll add some spice to our simple slow dance."

As if the vampire had heard Katrina's statement about the music--which she probably had--the music started. Katri clapped her hands together and her dancers from yesterday flocked to her like ducklings. She shuddered from the simile she'd just made and swept her arms out in front of herself. "You've all heard the song, seen the dance, I assume?" She said and the dancers nodded.

"It's all in the knees and making your body as loose as possible. So practice collapsing your muscles," she said and allowed her arms to dangle and legs to bend as she hunched over. "Like so. Then move like this," she said and started to dougie. Her legs seemed to collapse at just the right moment and her weight moved fluidly from one side to the other. She smiled as she finished and motioned for Hallie to restart the song.

"T.K., unless you want to give it a try, we can get a head start on the slow dancing," she said with a grin.

[Sousuke]

Takashi watched as Katri taught the rest of the students how to dougie. Of course even T.K. someone who didn't really keep up with everyone else knew what it was. He turned his eyes to Katrina and watched her in her sporty outfit. She had gentle but complimenting curves. Takashi couldn't help but let his eyes trace them as he stood there watching her dance. He blushed slightly as he continued to watch her. The only thing that broke his gaze was her question. Takashi smiled and shook his head, "No I think I'd like to get started on the slow dancing."

As Takashi said this several of the students began to make wooping noises and T.K.s face burned a little more. He knew what they were thinking, that he just wanted to get close and hold Katri. He wanted to share an intimate moment with her not to mention he found her irresistible in her little outfit. This is what they had to be thinking about T.K.s intentions and the worst part was, they were right. Takashi simply smiled and waved to the other students as he approached Katrina.

Takashi approached her and playfully took her hand and asked, "May I have this dance?" Takashi than placed his hands firmly and low on her hips and began to move just as she hand instructed him the day before. "Let's review a little before we go into the new stuff."

As Takashi did this the other students all partnered up and began to follow. Takashi's eyes met Katrinas, "Sorry I didn't mean to steal your thunder there." He spoke in his normal tone which had been freed from the bonds of sleep. As their eyes locked in with each other Takashis face softened and relaxed but at the same time engaged Katrina's with a calming intensity. In that moment he had forgotten they were, but he didn't care. Something about Katrina made him do this, something about being with her made him feel as if they were in their own. Whether they were hanging gliding in the sky by themselves or embracing in the arena in front of everyone else. I guess a crush can't be all that bad, Takashi smiled at the thought and whispered to Katrina, "Okay I think you should show us the new stuff now."

[Secrets]

Katrina shook her head when T.K. apologized for changing the dance. Another unknown cue gave Hallie the opportunity to change the song to a slower one. Katrina's hands found T.K.'s shoulders and the amount of restraint she had to put behind not wrapping her arms around his neck and pushing her body against him was surprising. She let the music become a barrier and leave T.K. and herself wrapped in their own small bubble. After a few minutes of reflecting back on her dream, she realized she had been humming the song to herself.

"Sorry, I know it's annoying," she murmured and paused their step. "I never got into formal dance so I only know a few more steps. We'll take the box an at one point in the dance, you'll step back, but I'll also step back and open up. Then I could twirl or I could let you pull me back against you," she said and nudged at his toes to make him start the dance again.

"So you'll slide your hand up to grab my hand before we break apart," she said softly as she let go of his left shoulder to allow him to try.

[Sousuke]

"No that's okay, I'm glad that you're enjoying yourself Katri." The two of them stood there waiting for the rest of the group to get settled before beginning to show them the new moves. Takashi paused for a minute when Katrina nudged his foot, "Hang on it's getting hot," Takashi slide off his jacket and shirt to reveal that he was wearing a plain white tank underneath,"Much better." Again the crowd began to woop and make holler at Takashi but he managed to block it out.

Normally T.K. could control his fluxes of body heat but the intimate situation was proving control to be a little more difficult than usual. Of course this would never cause Takashi to overheat and smoulder as that would only happen under extreme circumstances. Still, it was proving to be an inconvenience to T.K. "Sorry about that."

Takashi listened to Katrina's instructions and began to follow through on them. Takashi danced the box with Katrina and when the time came he sidestepped let her fly away from him ever so slightly, their fingers never let go even when Katrina was fully extended away from T.K. He than pulled her back in and suddenly their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. There before a small portion of the academy's student body stood T.K. and Katrina practically spooning. A warmth wrapped around the two of them and T.K. titled his head down behind her ear and whispered wearily, "Like that?"

[Secrets]

"Yeah," Katrina said breathlessly, whatever breath she'd been about to exhale had hitched in her throat when T.K.'s warmth wrapped around her body and made her want to melt in his arms. He was hotter than usual--temperature wise--and her tense muscles relaxed at the soothing heat. Realizing she was standing stiff in his arms at the shock of the warmth, she blinked and then noticed how their bodies were near flush against each other. "Oh," she managed to squeak out.

"Yeah, really good," she said as she regained her composure. She really didn't trust herself right now, not when she was pressed against T.K., chin tilted upward so she could look into his eyes, and that overwhelming amount of inviting warmth that kept her wanting more. With those thoughts, she reluctantly pulled apart from him and was painfully aware of how silent the gym had gotten. Holding their breaths for a moment that will never come, she thought glumly.

"I think they can handle the rest on their own. Ready for that hair cut?" She said as she ruffled his hair. "Professor Holly's office is in the main building," she said.

[Sousuke]

Takashi exhaled in relief as the temperature in the air fell slightly but he was still emanating a warm inviting aura. Takashi shook his head up and down much like a puppy would after being tempted with a treat, “Yes, let's get that haircut, it's long overdue. Takashi was still holding onto Katrhe notticed that she too was warm, though whether or not it was from his aura he had no idea. “You're pretty hot,” Takashi said “I mean as in warm, but not saying that you're not good looking, you're really pretty/” Takashi sighed once more knowing that by now Katri had become used to his mindless idiotic rambling, No way in hell she thinks it's cute, he thought to himself.


Takashi looked out to the crowd and scanned them with his eyes as if telling them to continue dancing. After gathering his shirt and jacket up the two of them made their way out of the Gymnasium, as they did Takashi looked over to Hallie and shook his head, “I still can't believe shes in on the bet,” he muttered.

The two of began the walk to the main building. This would be the first time T.K. Had entered it. Now that he had thought about it T.K. Had not met with any of the other staff other than the receptionist and the people who worked the mess hall. “So what is professor Holly like?” he asked her as they finally arrived at the doors of the main building.

[Secrets]

"She's hard to describe. Unique, I suppose. You'll see her when we get there," Katri said as she opened the doors to the main building. A few students were milling around the hallways, most of them carrying books or trinkets that would be needed for whichever class they were deciding to go to at that moment. Katrina pulled out her phone to check the time. "Yeah, she should be off right now," she said to T.K. as she tucked it back into her pocket. Her skin felt different, like a tingling sensation had taken hold of her, but had only left a dull aftermath behind. She didn't not like the feeling, but it was still odd.

"Tomorrow everything should be ready for the dance. We could really take a break, see if we can dig up some movies or something, and relax if you want," she said as she continued down the hall. The students here were either a lot older or a lot younger than those who chose to stay at the Academy for room and board, so most of them knew naught of Katri and T.K. The blonde girl was glad she was free of the judging and ever-critical eyes.

When she stopped at the professor's door, she rapped her knuckles against the oak. A startlingly beautiful brunette answered the door, heterochromia eyes, one green and one gold, warm as she laid eyes on Katrina. The woman wrapped her arms around Katri in a heartfelt hug, then her eyes landed on T.K. and her smile stretched. "Ah, Takashi. You came here for a hair cut. Come, sit down, and tell me what you would like done," she said with a grin and Katrina laughed.

"Professor Holly is a fae, but she was also born with witch's blood so she has a strong sense of telepathy," Katrina explained to T.K.

"Yes. So imagine what you would like your hair like and I shall do it," Professor Holly said determinedly. She stepped back to let the two in and her fingers ran through Katrina's hair. "Are you ready to cut it short and get those cute little curls you had again?" she asked the girl and Katri pulled back to defend her hair.

"I like it straight as it is," she huffed. "Just fix T.K. up for the dance," she said. Katri nodded once to Takashi along with giving him a reassuring smile before moving to the sitting area on the other side of the room so she could allow Professor Holly to focus on his mind so she could better cut his hair. Though there were other reasons for her moving away; she had no idea if she could control her thoughts when around the professor and how humiliating it would be if she allowed herself to think of the dream in front of her. She sighed once and opened a magazine to wait and to distract her.

She looked back to see Professor Holly offering T.K. her hand so she could lead him to one of the hair dresser chairs.

[Sousuke]

Takashi raised an eyebrow then the professor had stated is name as well as his purpose there. He also couldn't help but stare into her eyes but they were certainly not the most unusual thing he had ever seen at the campus. they were indeed alluring. Takashi followed her to one of the hair dresser chairs. It was just like a real hair salon complete with a sink to wash the hair.

Takashi sat in the chair and looked up to professor Holly, "Well I think we should start with a hair wash, I'll think about what I want to do with it while you're taking care of the wash professor, and thanks so much for doing this," Takashi allowed the chair to take his head into the sink and soon his vision was gone as Professor Holly had tossed a towel over his face. He announced to Katri, "Arisu was so happy the day I could start growing hair, the second it was long enough she started playing with it all the time," Takashi felt Professor Holly's fingers run through his hair as she began to lather it, "Which explains the unusual softness of my hair."



As The professor worked on his head a devious seed planted itself in Takashi head, "So Katrina movies sounds nice, how about The Notebook?" Takashi laughed slightly to himself hoping the Professor would say something to gauge Katris reaction. T.K. continued to press with his indirect interrogation, "Professor Holly, why don't you ask Katri how she would like my hair done, after all I am her date to the dance." Takashi grinned from under the towel Professor holly had placed over his head.

[Secrets]

"T.K.," Katri groaned from the other side of the room. Holly pursed her lips at the two and she closed her green eyes as she looked at the space between them. Her lips twitched once before she opened her green eye again and continued with what she was doing. Giving up on the magazine, Katrina flung it to the side and went to stand by T.K. again. She glowered at him, very well aware that he couldn't see it; that was probably why she had the nerve to do it.

"I have taught Katri how to block her thoughts," Holly replied to T.K. as she worked some conditioner into his hair. She chuckled and glanced up at the blonde girl. "Though she's a bit rusty...aren't you?" Katrina frowned and let her head fall into the palm of her hand.

"I won't reveal her thoughts anyway. Unless, of course, you'd like me to tell her what you're thinking about," she said smoothly as she cleaned the soap out of T.K.'s hair. Something Katrina thought to herself made Holly laugh and as she took the towel off of T.K.'s eyes, she ran another towel through the locks to slightly dry them.

"I think the tousled spike look would work for you," she said with her golden eye closed. She then closed the green one and looked at him with the gold. "Or you'd look good with the bangs as long as they are, but I can style them so they'll stay out of your eyes. I can layer them too," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair. She leaned down to whisper in T.K.'s ear so Katri wouldn't overhear.

"She's terrified of what would happen if you watched a romance or a horror. On her behalf, I suggest a comedy so the physical chemistry won't be as drastic during the film," she quipped and pulled back as if nothing had transpired between the two. Katrina threw her hands in the air and leaned back against the wall, to which Holly laughed.

"So which is it, cutie?" the professor asked.

[Sousuke]

Takashi brought his hands up to his face and looked to katri with one eye through the gaps in his fingers. Not only had his plan backfired fantastically but now tables had been turned in Katris favor. However all was not lost as he realized when the professor had said that Katri would be "terrified" of what would happen if they watched a romance. But this left T.K. with more questions than answers, the most prominent of which was also the simplest, why?

That was question that would be answered when Katri as well as T.K. would be ready. T.K. decided that trying to be devious and smooth was not in him at all. He continued to peek through his fingers at an upset Katri, his own face was quite red and he mumbled to Professor Holly, "Please don't tell her what I'm thinking about," Takashi lowered his hands and gave Katri the biggest nervous smile he had ever shown, so much in fact his dimples were in full bloom. "I'd make a terrible bad guy don't you think Katri?"

Takashi turned his head to professor Holly, "I think I'd like to go with the spiked tousled, unless Katri objects." This time his voice was honest as he looked up at Katri like a guilty puppy seeking redemption. "I like Shaun of the Dead, what about you?" Takashi felt Professor Holly going to work on his head as he kept his grey eyes trained on Katrina, "Arn't you getting your hair done? I thought girls made a huge fuss over their hair for things like this." Takashi was rambling again, he had just asked Katri three questions in rapid succession, however he had managed to control his mouth this time.

[Secrets]

Professor Holly couldn't help the smile that stretched across her lips as both of their thoughts cascaded her at once. Katrina watched the professor for a moment, which caused Holly to chuckle to herself and Katri to get red in the face. She turned her hazel gaze back toward T.K. and her hardened eyes softened, and her skin returned to its normal colour. All foolishness from before melted away as his dark grey eyes met hers.

"Yes, you'd make a horrible bad boy. British comedy is awesome. And Hallie would kill me if I don't let her do my hair again," she said in clipped sentences to answer all three of his questions at once. Deciding to detach herself from the wall, she slid into the hair dresser seat next to where Takashi was sitting and crossed her legs. She watched as Holly worked in quick succession at his hair, scissors making their snipping noise as the brown locks fell way to the ground. She worked quickly and removed the bangs in front of T.K.'s eyes.

When the professor was near finished, Katrina tried to smother the thoughts of how much she liked the look and that if she ran her fingers through his hair, it would be hard to tell to other people. Holly met Katri's eyes and gave her a crooked smile before shaking her head and finishing up the last touches on T.K.'s hair. "There you go and I believe you went with the right choice," Holly said as she glanced at Katrina.

"Okay, Shaun of the Dead. The library will probably have it. We'll have to watch it in the Rec center though. No tv in my room," Katrina said as she stood up from her chair.

[Sousuke]

"You like British comedy too, I think I'm in love," of course Takashi meant it as a joke and held a genuine smile as not to upset or startle Katrina. Takashi brushed his hair slightly to the side as he examined it in the mirror, "Good choice professor."

Takashi looked into the mirror and nodded to himself "Professor Holly, Thanks again so much, will I need to put some mousse in it the day of the dance?" Takashi looked over to Katrina, "Arisu played with my hair a lot," he chuckled. From the mirror Takashi's eyes looked over and looked over to Katrina and he grinned.

Professor Holly's lips parted, "I agree Takashi, Katrinas curly hair was rather pretty, and no I'm not sure what her bra size is" Takashis face burned like a red Christmas light. "Professor!" Takashi shot up out of the chair and bowed "Thank you very much," he gritted through his teeth with a red face. He hopped over to Katrina grabbed her hand, "well professor we gotta get going, the library closes soon and I don't feel like getting up early to rent the movie, bye!" Takashis words came out like bullets. He tugged Katrina along until they had exited the main building and he began to trudge to the Library, the air around them burned like it had been earlier though this time with a certain uneasiness.

[Secrets]

"Dear lord," Katri mumbled as Takashi basically dragged her out of the room and left a chuckling professor behind them. Uneasiness and awkwardness were coming off of T.K. in waves and she could see how tensed up his muscles were. At least they were outside again and headed to the library. She flicked a finger and a teasingwind sifted through T.K.'s hair and blew around his body. She let it die down after a few moments and then tugged on his hand to make him stop.

Amusement was clear in her eyes as she fixed his newly cut hair for him. "I'm not mad, T.K. You are a guy after all," she said and shrugged. "How about we rent some Monty Python, too? The Quest for the Holy Grail is hilarious and by the way, I'd be just as embarrassed if Holly had said my thoughts. Not that I'll share what they were about," she said with a tender smile. She dropped her hands and looked at him expectantly.

[Sousuke]

Takashi finally stopped tugging as he felt a wind stir up and instantly the heat he was throwing off became friendlier. Takashi met Katrinas hazel eyes and sighed, "Sorry I just, you know," Takashis's voice grew weak as he held up his jacket and draped it over Katrinas shoulders, "There, can't have you running around in shorts and a tank you might get um cold." He cleared his throat, "Monty Pythons a classic and sure we can watch in the rec room."

Takashi felt the wind playing with his hair and he realized it had to be Katri's wind. The two of them pushed on to the Library and Takashi opened the door for her to go in first, as she walked by him he said, "Wait, so you were thinking something embarrassing too?" Takashi held a finger up to her face as the two of them entered the library. There were hundreds of shelves filled with books of every kind and ranging in different languages. Takashi spotted text which judging by the strange characters on the spines were written by vampires or the fae. Soon they spotted the video rack and Takashi set about to search for the dvd's. As he did he pulled out a copy of The Notebook and waved to Katrina pointing at it jokingly

[Secrets]

"A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut," Katri quoted as she followed T.K. over to the DVD section. She snatched the disc out of his hand and pushed the Notebook back onto the shelf. She wagged one finger in front of his face to say no before looking behind him and heading over to the comedy section. As she found Monty Python's: The Meaning of Life, she frowned thinking the holy grail might be out. With a quick "ah-ha!", she dug it out from behind a couple of other movies and showed them to T.K.

"I guess you could say they might have been embarrassing. Maybe not to you," she said and her cheeks warmed. She turned her face back to the shelves and let her blonde locks fall over her shoulder to act as a curtain and hide her face from him. The more she thought about those thoughts, the more she pushed them farther. "So help me," she muttered.

[Sousuke]

Eventually Takashi was able to located Shaun of the Dead as well as Hot Fuzz, two of his favorite movies of all time. Takashi turned and handed them to Katrina as he did his hands grazed hers. "But Prof. Holly told you what I was thinking about," Takashi said sweetly as he locked their arms together and he began to walk to the checkout of the library, "I hope it wasn't about the condom I left on your nightstand," Takashi let out a laugh but was immediately shushed by the librarian.

"Hey so is that all you want to get or should I go back and get the notebook?" Takashi sensed that Katrina was feeling pressed about his inquiries about her thoughts so he continued to make idiotic jokes despite being constantly shushed by the Librarian. "Okay I think that's everything, lets check these out and make our way to the dorms, I dunno about you but I am beat."

The two of them left the Library and caught the setting sun. It was as Takashi had thought as he looked to the mountains and saw the assortment of reds, purples and pinks coming from the tops of the mountains. The air around them kissed their skin with a sweet warmness. This was T.K.s vacation, a beautiful sunset with an equally beautiful girl, he looked to Katri and held her hand, "Let's go, unless you want some dinner?"

[Secrets]

"It's got nothing to do with that," she hissed back at him as she smacked his chest, though she smiled as she did so. The thought of the condom that was in fact still resting on her nightstand made her nose scrunch up in distaste. "I'm throwing that away when I get back to my dorm," she said and breathed in a deep lungful of the sunset air. It smelled so clean and fresh, not to mention the wind was kind enough to blow a whiff of T.K.'s peppermint and cinnamon scent over her way.

"I'm really not that hungry," she said as she wrapped T.K.'d jacket even tighter around herself. They reached the girls' dorms first and Katri slid her card key into the lock. She kicked her shoes off and they bounced against the wall before falling onto the hardwood floors. Turning back around, she slid her arms around T.K.'s waist--knowing that the neck would be a bit too intimate and tempting--and rested her cheek against his shoulder.

"Movie day tomorrow and then the dance after that. What time do you want to start watching the movies tomorrow?" She asked and oddly regretted not getting the Notebook, though she probably would have cried during it. Katri was forever bound to be a huge sap. She chuckled at the thought and looked up at Takashi.

[Sousuke]

Takashi blushed when Katrina unexpectedly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. She smelled of cherry blossoms and vanilla, it was a sweet and tempting smell. "Let's meet up in the mess hall at nine to grab some breakfast tomorrow, I checked the menu they have waffles and, wait for it, French toast sticks." T.K. Takashi tilted his head down and gazed tenderly into Katris eyes and for a moment lost himself there in the doorway in her arms.


"It was a really nice day today," Takashi wrapped his arms around her body and rocked them two of them side to side slightly. He then titled his chin down further and found her ear with it. "than again these past few days have been really nice too." Takashi let of her before gently pushing her off of him and letting her arms falling to the side. "It looks good on you, my jacket I mean, keep it for a while." T.K. stepped back and sighed with a hint of sadness, "Goodnight Katri, until tomorrow mon chéri," T.K. chucked as he pursed his lips and waved before promptly spinning around and making his way back to the dorm leaving a sweet warmness in the air.

Takashi performed the flashbang trick of his in both the girls common room and when he finally reach it, the boys common room. He than slipped into his room, undressed, then finally collapsed on the bed, as his eyes began to close he muttered through a yawn, "Should have gotten the notebook."

[Secrets]

"Bye, T.K.," she said, but he had already gone and disappeared. As she closed the door behind her, she shrugged his jacket off and draped it on the side of her bed. Her room seemed a lot colder without him in it and she pulled on a pair of worn-out gray sleep pants that were incredibly soft. They resembled sweat pants enough that she figured she may as well wear them tomorrow, too; they'd be comfortable to watch movies in. She also pulled on a loose-fitting white t-shirt and hopped into bed.

After a moment's thought, she bent forward and let her hand glide blindly over her sheets before she found T.K.'s jacket. Her fingers grasped at the zipper and she pulled the clothing over to her. With a sigh, she balled it up and rested it under her head. Though it was nothing compared to having him with her, she still felt soothed by the peppermint and cinnamon smell that eventually lulled her to sleep.

-- Next Day --

Supporting a simple blue v-neck and her very comfy gray sweatpants, Katrina checked the clock on her nightstand again. It was only eight thirty. She had woken earlier thanks to the climatic point her dream had reached. Dream T.K. and Dream Katri had kissed and even reflecting back on it, Katri swore she could feel the pleasurable warmth that had spread throughout her entire body. She blinked open one eye and checked it again. Eight thirty one.

"It's going to be odd, seeing him after that, isn't it?" Katri asked her old hang glider that was plastered to the ceiling and resembled a giant red bat. "But it's so easy to be around him, awkwardness doesn't last long," she argued with her glider or rather, herself. "He makes those jokes and runs his mouth at a mile a minute when we get too close. Does he feel like I do?" She whispered to herself. She checked the clock. Eight forty five.

"Good enough for me," she sighed to herself. Her body twisted so she could grab T.K.'s sweatshirt--which still smelled as yummy as before--and she pulled the jacket on over her arms. She knew she'd get more looks, but she honestly didn't care anymore. They could think whatever they wanted for all she cared. She preferred her and T.K.'s little world over this one any day.

The promise of french toast sticks and T.K. made her pace a bit faster as she approached the mess hall. When she got there, she looked out for T.K. and checked the time on her phone. It was still five minutes early than what he'd said so she grabbed herself a plate of french toast sticks and after a moment's hesitation, carried a second plate with waffles on it over to a more secluded table in the mess hall. "One dream and I'm giddy to see him again," she murmured as she chewed thoughtfully on her french toast.

[Sousuke]

After Takashi had finished showering he stood in the mirror playing with his hair. "I'll have to write Prof. Holly a tank you note, even though she outed me," he soon dried himself off and had put on a pair of dark blue adidas track pants, a plain white t-shit and a white hooded vest. Takashi spotted a small light blue blanket on the foot of his bed. "Oh my summer blanket," his eyebrows popped up and down as he grabbed it and tucked it under his shoulder.

Soon Takashi was pacing his way down the boys dorm with a certain sprightly aura about him. He had even brushed off Jace with a simple wave as he could not wait to see Katrina as well as dig into some waffles.

As he made his way to the mess hall he wore a goofy grin the entire way there. Takashi was now a lot more comfortable with his crush on Katri though he had not fully come to terms with it as he felt that would only happen if and when he made a serious move on Katri. If only he could stop his mouth when he got too close to her. Though he felt proud of himself when yesterday he was able to calm his mouth down and asked Katrina questions instead.

Takashi peaked his head into the mess hall and spotted the clock nine oh one, "on time," he looked around a bit more befoe allowing his body to enter the doors. He soon spotted Katrina sitting at one of the tables and waved to her as he approached schoolboy smile still on his face.

Without waiting for her to get up he bent down and gave her a hug from behind "Morning Katri!" He quickly let go of her but made sure to catch her intoxicating aroma and kept the grin to himself. Takashi spotted the plate of waffles on the table, "For me? you shouldn't have," he said before he sat down and picked up a fork, "Thank you very much, you weren't waiting long were you?" T.K. began to dig into the waffles aggressively, the lack of dinner last night gave him a relentless hunger that required tribute. "So where's the rec room?" he asked in between a bite of waffles making sure to swallow and speak with an empty mouth, "First one there gets to decide which movie we watch first." He happily munched on the waffles as he looked to Katrina anticipating her answer.

[Secrets]

"Well, someone's in a good mood," Katri observed as she watched T.K. keep his grin up even when he chewed his waffles. She dipped a french toast stick in syrup and bit the gooey end off, keeping her hazel eyes on his as she thought. It wasn't strange at all being here with him, even after the dream. She popped the rest of the stick in her mouth and swallowed, already looking forward to watching the flicks with him.

"The rec room is near the gymnasium. It's basically a gaming room, but there are tvs and such everywhere. I doubt anyone will be there today; it's so nice out," she said and even though the fresh air was tempting, she would much rather kick back and relax alone with T.K. He just seemed so much more open when they were closer or it was just the two of them, of course, not when he was stumbling over his own words. "And I don't care at all which movie we watch first," she said and picked up another french toast stick.

"Ready for the dance tomorrow night?" She asked and pushed her breakfast plate away from her. "We'll leave when you want," she informed him.

[Sousuke]

"Who wouldn't be in a good mood, nice weather, waffles, you." Takashi finished his waffles and let out content sigh, "Those really hit the spot," Takashi stood up and showed her the blanket he had taken with him, "it's a summer blanket but it should be good enough, if not I can always light us a fire." He got up than picked Katri up out of her seat, "Lets go." The two of them were off, T.K. with a blanket under his arm and Katri with the movies tucked under hers. For a moment Takashi thought about hiding the movies with his blanket so no one would see them, but than the thought left his mind, what did he have to be ashamed of? and Katri certainly didn't care about what the others thought. That thought made him widen his smile, she doesn't care what people think about us, maybe she does dig me.

They soon closed near the gymnasium, as they did Takashi spotted the directory and immediately set off for the rec room. Takashi opened the door; no one was there just as Katri had theorized. There in the back of the Rec room was a large sixty inch flat screen T.V. suspended on the wall. In front of it sat a large and next to it a smaller heart shaped bean bag love seat, "Are you kidding me, I swear to the gods if Jace or any of the other idiots betting on us put that there I'm going to," Takashi paused and glanced to Katrina from the corner of his eye, "thank them very much."

Takashi walked down the rec room and looked at the love seat and the couch than back to Katrina, "I'll go put on Monty Python and the holy Grail, just because you got me waffles this morning, you pick the seat," of course T.K. was simply trying to pass the dilemma of having to pick which one to Katri, he had no intention of reading too deeply into which one she choose, in fact he would have preferred the heart shaped love seat because it looked newer and more comfortable than the couch.

As T.K. walked to the DVD player he noticed several vending machines one of which dumbfounded him. "Is that seriously a pizza vending machine, or is this some fantastic fiction that I've stumbled into?" He took off a shoe before tossing it at the machine. After it made a thud noise T.K. nodded to himself, "yep, that's real, at least we won't have to go back to the mess hall for lunch." Takashi popped the Monty Python classic into the DVD player and went back to the couches to see which seat Katrina had decided on. As he approached the air around him became toasty as if someone had clicked on the heater.

[Secrets]

"I am very glad you let me choose the seat," Katri said as she plopped into the bean bag. She glanced distastefully at the couch. "It apparently has a past of being extremely satisfying to couples." She made a face and wiggled deeper into the bean bag. Someone had kindly left the remote to the TV and DVD player next to her and Katri grabbed both. She flicked the television on and also patted the spot next to her, blinking as T.K. neared and she registered the fact that the air around him was similar to a campfire or fireplace. It was different than when they got closer to each other, but it was cozy and nice.

She switched the input until the title screen for Monty Python came up. "I must warn you that, like my habit of humming, I tend to quote movies and sadly enough, I know a lot of these lines. I give you permission to clamp your hand over my mouth if I irritate you too much," she said with a grin.

[Sousuke]

Takashi plopped down into the seat next to Katri. He than set the blanket down between the two of them. "Permission to clamp my hand over your mouth? How kinky Katrina," said Takashi as the movie began to start up, "I don't mind at all, quote all you like." As T.K. sank back into the bean bag chair he grabbed the remote and was surprised to see a button that read, "lights" he pressed it and immediately the lights in the rec room went off. It would have been completely dark were it not for the glow of the television.


"And to answer you're earlier question, I'm excited about the dance," he whispered to her even though they were the only two in the rec room. Takashi opened up the blanket, spread it over both of their legs, and gave Katri a tumbs up. The setting couldn't be more intimate for the both of them. Alone, in the dark, sharing a blanket, it would be a hard sell to tell anyone who might happen to walk into the rec room that they were just friends watching a few movies together. However, T.K. decided that there was nothing to ashamed of to be caught like this with Katri. He glanced over to see the look on her face, instead he noticed how her eyes caught the light from the T.V. and was immediately smitten. Once again Takashis eyes became clouded with dreams and he scooted closer to Katrina until their bodies began to touch, "Hey," he whispered to her in a low and warm voice as the opening credits ended.

[Secrets]

When T.K. tossed the blanket over their legs, Katri's own warmed up quickly from his body heat. She folded her legs up on the chair and leaned back to rest her head against the back of the chair, or what seemed like the back since it was hard to distinguish on a bean bag chair. She blinked as her eyes became accustomed to the dark. She raised one brow as she looked at him and then her attention turned back to the tv. "But those are coconuts!" Katri giggled as the first scene unfolded.

"British humour is genius," she whispered back to him through some chuckles. She fidgeted beneath the blanket and scowled. "T.K., why are you so hot?" She asked and frowned. "I mean, you know what I mean," she muttered.

[Sousuke]

"Wha?" T.K.s head swiveled from the T.V. to Katri, "Hot?" T.K. finally noticed that he had been throwing off an unusual amount of heat even for him. "Sorry, I'll fix it." He than closed his before taking a series of extended breaths making sure to exhale once his breath had reached it's bottom. slowly the temperature around T.K. became much friendlier. "Is that better?"

Although he had fixed the problem T.K. refused to answer the question. It's because you're making me all hot and bothered, though T.K. would never tell her that. Takashi was having to put in an incredible amount of self restraint from reaching over and pulling Katrina into his lap. The very though of them sharing such a level of intimacy contributed heavily to his earlier heat wave. To satisfy his desire for contact T.K. performed the most played out move in romantic comedies, the yawn. As he did he brought his arm down behind Katris head and his hand hesitated for a moment before resting itself on her shoulder. He sighed relieved and continued watching, "I'm not dead," he muttered which turned into a light chuckle.

[Secrets]

Katrina giggled as one of her favourite scenes started to play out. "Oh, but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you," she mimicked. She stretched her legs out again when T.K. lowered his body temperature, though he was still a lot warmer than was per usual. With the lights off and only the television screen to provide a glow, the small space between them seemed a lot more intimate.

Just as she was thinking about running her hands through his hair again and seeing if that kissing dream did him any justice, she felt the weight of his arm on her shoulder. She turned to look at him, another chuckle escaping her as she heard another line from the tv and at the fact that she obviously recognized the move. "Smooth," she murmured with a grin and rested her head against his shoulder. The glow of the tv seemed to abate even more as she rested against him, and the darkness pressed them closer together.

"I'm starting to think this was a very good idea," she said as she snuggled closer to him. "You're still warm, but it's nice," she murmured.

[Sousuke]

"It's just a flesh wound," it was one of the more well know lines of the movie but that didn't stop Takashi from cracking up for the next several minutes. "I love the black knight so much," he said wiping a tear from his eye. T.K. scooted closer to Katrina which resulted in a loss of the little space that had been there between them. With his side lightly pressed against hers he was able to more firmly place his hand on her shoulder. His temperature remain constant even though she had snuggled up to him.

"A very good idea," he whispered into her ear not wanting to miss a second of dialogue. As the movie continued to play on T.K.'s attention divide itself between the television and the girl sitting next to him. He was able to catch more of her sweet vanilla and cherry blossom scent which simultaneously drove him mad and soothed him. Do friends really get this intimate?Takashi didn't care either way what was important was the fact that they were that intimate no matter what the status of their relationship.

Takashi sank lower into the chair as if he was being devoured by a sarlacc pit. He wiggled about in the couch before hearing a tiny rolling sound. Takashi pushed the back of the bean bag couch down and realized it had been losing beans. "Um Katri we have a situation, I don't know how to tell you this, but we're sinking," He said as they sunk into the slowly bleeding bean bag couch.

[Secrets]

"Roger that, cap'n," she responded with as he told her of the "situation". As a result of the beans having escaped through some nook or cranny, Katri and T.K. had sank deeper in and had ended up pressed against each other. The weight of the other beans on their sides had also pushed them closer. "Well, this is quite the predicament," she stated and blinked. She knew that she would probably fall if she got up, seeing as she wouldn't really have much balance if she wiggled and jumped out of the seat. She squirmed a bit, but that only managed to make them sink a bit lower.

"It's like quicksand," she muttered and pushed one hand against the wall and the other against T.K.'s shoulder to help push her off. Her touch on his shoulder was still gentle and because of this, she lost her balance and ended up falling onto T.K.'s lap. She blinked, blushed, and said a soft "oops" as she looked up at him. "That was counterproductive," she said with wide eyes. Her thoughts turned in her head as she reviewed the situation; the lights were off, the television screen was darker because of a scene done at night, and she was sitting on T.K.'s lap. She was extremely glad she hadn't ended up straddling him because that could have been bad.

"I could probably just bend backwards and fall off if that's the case, then help you up," she said as her muscles stiffened.

[Sousuke]

"Why hello there," said T.K. blinking still while down at Katrina who had now been in his lap for what felt like the longest minute of his life. Takashi's adams apple became noticeable as he swallowed hard causing it to cock back and fourth. This is what he had wanted but not exactly how he had hoped it would happen. Still the look on his face shown that he was somewhat enjoying himself but he spoke shyly. "You could do that," he paused and listened, the rolling sound had stopped, "Good news is we're no long leaking beans."

Takashi glanced over to the love seat bean bag, "Well we could sit here and stay like this," he looked down to Katrina than back to the love seat, "but if we get up than there's obviously only one other place for us to sit," his voice trailed off as he sighed. Obviously it would be awkward for the two of them to stay seated like this but the thought of both of them being mashed up next to one another in the heart shaped chair didn't seem that much better.

"Your call Katri." Takashi's eyes locked with hers for a moment and he became lost in her face. She looked adorable laying there looking up at him helpless in his lap. It was an incredibly intimate moment but somehow the innocence of it was not lost to them. The movie continued to play in the back round as he contemplated their dilemma.

[Secrets]

Katrina bit the inside of her cheek as T.K. talked. At least he's not uncomfortable, she thought to herself and forced herself not to fidget on top of him. She craned her neck back so she could look at the other couch and she had to admit to herself that sitting on T.K.'s lap was a lot better of a choice than that. They could also sit on the floor and rest their heads against the chair, but that would certainly get uncomfortable for the both of them. Not to mention make the entire thing the opposite of enjoyable.

She was quietly amazed at how none of this seemed to be awkward. Sure they were both lost, at least she felt lost, but that didn't mean it would harm anyone if they stayed there. Instead of voicing her decision, she sighed and relaxed her muscles to melt into that cozy warmth T.K. gave off. "There is no way in hell I am going to sit on the lovemaker's couch," she muttered. "I'm guessing you're okay like this. You're not rambling or anything," she said in his ear and then rested her head on his shoulder to catch another line that forced her into a fit of giggles.

[Sousuke]

T.K. rocked the tow of them back and fourth as he settled into the nook the bean bag couched had forced them into. "Fair enough, we can stay like this," Takashi's eyes looked up at the screen to see the film and he chuckled, "I don't really mind, I like the view from here," he enunciated slowly pausing before he began to ramble like Katri had pointed out.

Takashi wrapped his arm around katri in order to help support her back. Though once his hand reach the front of her torso he was careful to not move his hand up as to avoid accidentally grabbing her chest. T.K. rested his chin atop her head and with his other arm draped the blanket over the two of them completely covering Katri except her neck and head. As the movie played on Takashi smiled to himself and the darkness. However he was unsure if Katri was becoming uncomfortable so he wanted to do something to lighten the mood but what.

He than looked down to katri and told her in a rather serious tone, "Katri, I'm sorry," with his arm that was wrapped around her he began to frantically run his fingers up and down her side, "I hope your not ticklish," he said with a devilish gin on his face as he continued to assault her with his hand.

[Secrets]

Wrapped in T.K.'s arms, Katrina felt herself sinking into his embrace. Her eyes stayed wide open as she watched the movie, though her stiffened muscles unfroze and she embraced his warmth. The Knights of Ni came onto the scene and Katrina laughed as the bit played out. "Katri, I'm sorry." Katrina turned her head toward T.K. and looked at him questioningly before she felt his hand on her side. She yelped and pressed against him, laughing as she attempted to swat his hand away.

"No, stop," she giggled and instinctively twisted to try to get away from him. "Seriously, I can't breathe," she said, though the sentence was chopped with laughs that escaped from her as he continued to tickle her. She grabbed his hands strongly in her own and attempted to pull them away from her body. Though to do this, she ended up leaning against his chest with her slightly heavy breaths just near his ear. It all felt extremely intimate.

"How about that pizza?" she said, voice coming out with a small squeak.

[Sousuke]

Katris squirming, grabbing of his hands and on top of that, heavy breathing, made T.K. blush quite a bit. He felt like they had just been doing something dirty but in really all it had been was him tickling her while she was in his lap. Still, Takashi enjoyed it, it was the first time they had been so intimate and he had not completely blown up like an idiot. with her still holding his hands Takashi simply nodded and eventually found a way to free the both of them that didn't include him pushing Katri to the ground and landing on top of her.

He took her hand and the two of the walked over to the pizza vending machine. Takashi scratched his head, "This still seems like the most magical thing I've ever seen." Takashi looked to see how to make the pizza machine work. There were buttons that asked what type of crust, and toppings they wanted however all of the pizzas came in just one size. "Oh they have stuffed crust and deep dish," T.K.'s eyes grew wide and he began to get uncharacteristically giddy, "Katri, there's a triple bacon option, slap me."

Takashi began punching in buttons, "Deep dish, stuffed crust, with triple bacon for me," The machine began to make an assortment of noises Takashi once believed only existed in science fiction films. "What do you want?" Takashi continued to read the long list of surprising options to her before pausing with a horrified look, "Why the hell is there a listing as O+ sauce, why would the vampires do that to a pizza!" Takashi watched his pizza being made thanks to the machines clear plastic build.

He than side stepped the machine allowing Katri to push buttons on it for herself. He than popped in Shaun of the dead into the DVD player as the credits for Monty Python's Holy Grail began to roll. "Well eat some pizza and finish up the movies and see what else we can do in here. Takashi looked down the rec room and saw an assortment of games, it was very much like an arcade. His pizza popped out from the opening in the bottom of the machine and T.K. retrieved it, "Oh that's hot," Takashi pealed a piece from the small sized pizza, "want a bite?" he began to chuckle, "Remind me to never say that to Hallie."

[Secrets]

After how close they'd just been, Katrina actually felt a bit relieved that he opted for the pizza, too. Thankful that she didn't have to land on her butt to get off the chair, she allowed T.K. to lead her over to the pizza machine. Bacon on pizza made her snort and she after T.K. got his, she pressed the buttons for a simple cheese and mushroom pizza. Once it was made, she took a bite out of it and shook her head at T.K. "Bacon on pizza is gross," she informed him after she swallowed her own. "Fancy mushrooms?" she said as she waved her plate in front of his face.

"Never say that to any vampire. Period," she fixed for him. She set her plate down on the ground and knelt down to inspect the bean bag chair. Once she found the hole with where the bean bags had been leaking out, she scooped them up in her hands and stuffed them back in through the fabric. It was a Rec room so there was bound to be some tape somewhere there. She picked up her plate and shrugged to T.K.

"If we can find some tape in this place, we can patch up the hole," she said as the title screen for Shaun of the Dead popped up on the television screen. It was hard to believe that almost two hours had already passed. From breakfast, they'd probably gotten in the rec room at around ten. It had to be at least twelve o'clock in the afternoon. Katrina allowed herself to smile at the idea of how much time they still had together, and it would pass quickly to the next day which she was looking forward to even more.

[Sousuke]

With his mouth full of bacon and pizza T.K. swallowed hard, particles of the bread clung to his teeth, "No Katri you're wrong, bacon is great on anything and I mean it, yes even ice cream." Takashi waved his hand and shook his head at Katri's offer, "Thanks though," he continued to much happily and for a moment a tear formed in the corner of his eye. "I love bacon."

With a slice of pizza in his hand Takashi walked around until he found a old roll of grey duct tape. He unraveled it and used his teeth to cut the strip he had made, free from the rest of the roll. He than promptly patched up the hole. Although the couch was not returned to its former glory as some of the beans had escaped from them. T.K. looked a little sad that Katri would no longer be gracing his lap with her presence.

He than plopped down on the couch still sinking in somewhat but it was comfortable. "You've got red on you," Takashi quoted and began to laugh, "now that I'll have to say to Hallie." He patted a spot next to him on the couch and looked to Katri with big grey eyes.

[Secrets]

Katrina finished off half of her pizza and tossed the plate to the side as she took a seat next to T.K. She angled her body away from him, though pressed her back against his arm and rested her head against his shoulder. She tilted her head to the side slightly so she could grin into T.K's eyes. She bit into her pizza and then looked back toward the television. "I've never seen this one," she said as she swallowed a mushroom.

"This is really nice, T.K. I'm glad we can have a down day before the dance," she said and forced herself not to smile. Some down day this had been with everything that had happened so far. Still, she wasn't complaining. "And I hope this is okay with you," she said as she moved to rest her head back against his shoulder.

[Sousuke]

"It's got zombie's, my favorite," T.K. than felt Katrinas head on his shoulder. Takashi looked down at her, "You don't have to ask for my permission to do that," he smiled down at her before returning his eyes to the screen, " Go to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over. How's that for a slice of fried gold?" Takashi said with the movie before returning the Katrina, "To be honest, I kind of like it when you do that," his eyes continued to meet with Katrinas.


"Yeah, this is really nice," Thw two of them sat there and finished Shaun of the Dead, by the end of it T.K. was tearing up from the combination of comedy as well as emotional moments. They than switched back to the other Monty Python feature and followed up by watching Hot Fuzz. The entire time T.K.s temperature flared up once or twice whenever his gaze to remain on Katrina for too long. By the end of Hot Fuzz T.K. was resting the side of his head against the top of Katris head. His arm had also found its way around her waist pulling her body back into his own.

the two of them had spent the entire day cuddle up on the bean bag couch watching movies under a blanket in the dark. It was one of the most relaxing days Takashi had ever had. The fact that he got to spend it with Katri made it all the more better. At the end of the film he nuzzled his head against hers and yawned, "So, you ready to call it a day or should we play around in the arcade here for a little?" T.K. was eying the House of the Dead shooter located in the corner of the rec room.

[Secrets]

Katrina had admittedly fallen asleep during one of the movies, but only for a bit until T.K's body shook with laughter and make her wake. His warmth had pulled her under and the comfort he'd given her with his hand around her waist and his head rested against hers. We're definitely more than friends, she decided and continued to watch the rest of the movies with him. When his body flared up, she would blush and be glad that the darkness probably hid it.

"So, you ready to call it a day or should we play around in the arcade here for a little?" Katrina's arms had rested over his from where he'd wound them around his waist. At his statement, she pulled off his arm and stood from the bean bag chair. She linked her hands and stretched her hands upward, coming to her toes as she did so. Yawning, she nodded to T.K. that she wanted to play around a bit.

"What is it with you and zombies?" she said as she followed his gaze to the shooter game at the corner. "One round of that and then we're facing off in air hockey," she said with a grin and made her way to the shooter game. "The good thing about this place is that all these games are free," she informed him over her shoulder.

[Sousuke]

"Zombies are obviously the best opponent I am equipped to take out." Takashi snapped to let a fireball form in his hand before flicking his wrist to make it disappear. the two of them made their way to the arcade game and T.K. handed her one of the guns. "The trick is to full the screen with bullets," Takashi hit the start button which resulted in the screen being flooded white a hord of undead. Takashi began pulling the trigger rapidly and when he had to reload would make sure to not hit Katrina in the face with the gun.

The two of them battle wave after wave of zombie before T.k. became distracted as his eyes levitated over to Katrina and he looked her up and down. Even in her casual wear she still managed to turn T.K.s head around. He looked to the screen and saw that he had been killed, "Aw poop," he said as he replaced the gun into the holster. "Okay, air hockey it is, I'm terrible at it though so no accusing me of letting you win," he teased as the two of them began to set up the table. As Takashi handed her the puck their hands met for a moment and he smiled, "I'll try to damage your nails for tomorrow," he said with a sly grin.

[Secrets]

Katrina continued to shoot at the horde of undead, though she really found no point to it. They got killed anyway and T.K. placed the gun back on the holster. She mimicked him and shook her head. "I like strategy games like the legend of Zelda and stuff like that," she said as they made their way over to the hockey table. She pressed start and swiped her hand over the table to let the air tickle at her fingers. She flexed her hand and the air holes beneath her whistled as a strong draft surged upward. She grinned smugly at T.K.

"I believe I have an advantage," she said as she laid the puck on the table and, without using her "stick", she sent up a more powerful kick of air on its right side. This caused it to shoot to its left and ricochet off of the side of the table and fall with a clang past the goal. A point appeared on the score sign above, but she restarted the game and tapped her stick against the table to wait for T.K. to start.

"But I've been taught not to be a cheater so I'll beat you the legal way," she said with a smile.

[Sousuke]

T.K.'s jaw had partially dropped in protest of Katri's illegal use of her power to shoot the puck. "Very funny Katri," said Takashi as he lunged forward and slapped the puck forward straight for Katri's goal. As he anticipated for movement T.K.s eyes couldn't help but be distracted by Katri. The glow of the arcade games screens gave Katrina a certain mystique to her which contrasted with her actual self quite nicely.

Takashi was able to react to the puck which had been shot back towards at him. He lunged for it and missed, "Darn it, I'll get you this time." the puck was reset and soon the two of them were in play. Takashi continued to slap the puck more often than not as it was returned to him. He darted back and fourth across the small table making a great effort each time Katri would send the puck his way. He tried to concentrate on the game but seeing her blonde hair streak back and fourth was like magic for him. Occasionally when she would lean forward T.K. could swear that he would catch a glimpse of her cleavage and had hopped Katrina hadn't noticed.

T.K. huffed as the puck had been reset. "Okay, this one's for the win." He danced the stick faking left than faking right before finally slapping it towards Katrina. As he watched the puck fly across his eyes traveled up the table and to Katrias hazel eyes. She looked like she was really having fun and enjoying herself with him. He liked that even in the dimly lit darkness of the rec room her eyes would still shine though.

[Secrets]

She continued to hit the puck back and forth with T.K. Her hips moved left and right, upper body tilting of its own accord as she bounced the puck away from her goal. She was sorely tempted to blow a bit of wind to favour her side, but she was going to keep her promise of not cheating with T.K. On the last point for her, she hit it a bit harder than was per needed and it fell into his goal with a clang. A grin reached her face and she looked up to see T.K. already watching her. She blushed and blinked a few times to regain her composure.

"I am air hockey champion," she stated and raised her arms proudly into the air. She tossed the stick thing onto the table and moved to slap T.K. on the back. "Good game. Now we should probably get those movies and head out of here. This might sound crazy after this entire down day, but I'm actually quite tired," she said with a smile and moved to go collect the movies.

Once she popped them back in their cases, she grabbed T.K.'s blanket from where it had fallen off of the bean bag chair, and handed it to him. "And I suppose you'll be walking me back to my room again tonight?" she asked shyly as she held out her hand.

[Sousuke]

Takashi smiled as he had been defeated in Air hockey and offered a half-hearted round of applause when Katri declared herself champion. As she offered her his hand and asked if he would be walking her back to her room he nodded, "Is that all you want as your prize?" said T.K. as he took her hand in his, their fingers interlaced naturally. He draped the Blanket over his shoulder farthest from katrina before shutting down the power to the rec room an heading out into the crisp campus air.

The sounds of the academy night greeted them and played as a soundtrack to their gingerly walk across the compound. Takashi made to keep a slight distance between them only to pull Katri towards him at random times. On occasion he would try to swing his arm around and tickle her once more but each failed attempt of his was met with laughter.


soon they had entered the girls dorm and were quickly approached the girl common room. However this time T.K. cared not for who saw them walking together like this and confidently strode through the doorway with his head held high. "I'm walking with you so I should look proud shouldn't I?" he asked playfully before the both of them arrived to Katris door. Takashi decided to tease her by making a move for her Key card which was in her back pocket, "Let me get this for you," he said with bits of laughter laced between each word.

[Secrets]

Katrina neatly stepped to the side as T.K. reached for her card key. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," she said as she pulled it out herself. "I may have let it slide the first time, but it's not a bright idea to piss off a wind elemental," she said as she nudged open the door with her foot. The entire day's events made her smile softly and she daringly wrapped her arms around T.K.'s neck and stepped back into her room so any passerby wouldn't spread meaningless gossip around. Because this is definitely meaningless..., Katri's conscious called out to her, but the girl ignored it and instead turned her attention to that warm peppermint and cinnamon scent of his.

"So I'm hoping you had as much fun as I did today," she said and chuckled as a few Monty Python lines came to mind. "And we have the dance to look forward to tomorrow. Oh! I probably won't see you until I meet you at the gymnasium. Hallie likes taking all day to get us both ready," she said with a sigh, though amusement sparked in the way her lips stretched up slightly and how her head cocked playfully to the side.

[Sousuke]

"And you shouldn't be playing with fire," Takashi snapped a little flame into the palm of his hand and let it flicker before extinguishing it. Takashi readjusted the blanket and tucked it under his arm before letting out a yawn stretching to his side hearing bones pop as he did. "I had a lot of fun today, especially with that pizza machine." Takashi shook his head and Katrina could have probably guessed it was the fact that O+ was on the menu still boggled T.K.s mind.

He wrapped his arms around her for what felt like the longest time of that evening. He would never grow accustomed to the bittersweet moment that was their last embrace of the day. T.K.'s face pouted, "So I gotta wait the whole day to see you?" He squeezed her body tightly and nuzzled the top of her head once more "I'm sure it'll be worth it though," he whispered with a voice that was intentionally half an octave lower than usual. It was warm and borderline seductive. T.K. let out a chuckle before regretfully letting go, "See you tomorrow at seven than? Look for the sharp dressed handsome boy with the spiky tousled hair,"with that he eased her off of him but not before tickling both of her sides for a moment or two.

He smiled once more and promptly turned around walked away with a noticeable spring in his step. Takashi made his way to his dorm room and pushed through the door with his shoulder letting his momentum take him all the way to the bed. He decided to sleep with what he had on. As the door began to creak close T.K. yawned and fell asleep clinging onto the blanket he shared with Katrina desperately seeking out her scent from his own.

[Secrets]

As Takashi closed her door behind him, she wrapped her arms around her chest and tried not to think about what effect his voice had had on her only moments ago. She reached a hand under her shirt and unclipped her bra, slipped the uncomfortable thing off, and crawled into bed. And you shouldn't be playing with fire. She couldn't help but smile and close her eyes as she went through the entire day they'd had together. They were more than friends, that was for sure, but Katri thought that both of them weren't quite ready yet to be together together.

"But when we're around each other, all I can think about are those dreams and wanting to get close to him," she mumbled up to her hang glider. With her eyes still closed, she blindly found the edge of her comforter and pulled the scarlet fabric over her body. She had never given T.K. his jacket back and upon the realization, she brought it up to her nose and inhaled the faint scent of his that still lingered there. "If he knew I was doing this, he'd think I was insane," she mumbled to herself.

She fell soundly asleep and this time, her sleep was not tormented with bittersweet dreams. Though sunlight filtered in through her window earlier than she'd expected. When she opened one bleary eye to look at the clock on her nightstand, she was surprised to see that it was already twelve in the afternoon. A sharp rap at her door made Katrina stumble out of bed and answer it.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as Hallie entered her room, a glossy black suitcase in her left hand. "Time to go to Hell," Katri muttered as she closed the door behind Hallie and the vampire ignored her. She plopped the suitcase onto Katrina's bed and popped the latches. Boxes of make-up, a hair dryer, a hair curler, and more products for skin and hair made Katrina already feel weary. "I'm getting in the shower," she told her friend and Hallie nodded, her own slightly damp hair plastered to her likewise damp shirt.

Once Katrina had showered, she slipped on some new pajama clothes and towel-dried her hair as best as she could. Hallie whisked her into the bathroom and got out her various torture tools, or so Katrina liked to think of them as. "So, how was your movie date yesterday?" the vampire asked over the loud noise the hair dryer was making. Katrina's scalp prickled as her blonde hair began to lighten up, thus signaling it was drying.

"It was nice. Halls, before you say something, I've come to terms with the fact that T.K. and I are more than friends," she said and the vampire barked out a short laugh. She brought a brush to Katrina's hair and Katri winced at the sharp strokes the vampire took to her head.

"Tonight will put you over the edge, trust me. No guy can resist a girl when she's all beautiful and dressed up. Not that you're not beautiful when you aren't dressed up," Hallie said with a grin as she finally turned the hair dryer off and plugged the hair curler in to another outlet. Though Katri had opted out of electricity for her room, it was a necessity in the bathroom for cases like this. Not to mention she liked to have some light besides that which came from candles when she showered.

"You didn't sleep with him again, did you?" Hallie asked as she sniffed Katrina's skin, which the girl had made sure to scrub extra hard. At Katrina's frown, the vampire patted her back. "A vampy's sense of smell cannot be beaten by one day's worth of soap," she said as she took the curling iron to Katrina's hair. "Just going to curl at the bottom, Kitty Kat. I know you dislike your natural spunk," she said.

Katrina allowed Hallie to work on her for the better part of three hours. Through most of it, Katrina had to argue with her about make-up, hair products, and even what colour her nails should be painted. Hallie was all for covering Katri up in drastic make-up, while Katrina wanted a more subdued look. In the end, Katri won out--it was her body after all--and she did her make-up herself. A bit of mascara went over her lashes, though they didn't need to be curled. She decided on a smattering of gold and silver glitter hidden in rose-tinted blush that went on her cheeks, and she opted out of any type of eyeliner. Even her lips she wanted to keep the same, but Hallie smeared on a slightly darker shade of pink gloss than her typical colour. She kept it.

"It's three o'clock. Let's get started on you so we can be done by six," Katrina said as she worked her way through Hallie's thick locks with a brush.

By the time the two of them were finished with everything, Katrina was just ready for the entire night to be over with. Upon Hallie's request, she went and got her dress out of her closet. She slipped the garment out from its clear plastic bag and Hallie smiled when she eyed it. "You're never going to let that go, are you?" she said and Katri shook her head.

In an intense shade of scarlet, the gown draped just past Katrina's toes, slightly drifting away from her legs so it didn't appear too clingy. She slipped the single strap over her left shoulder, though her sweeping collarbone was shown strongly. Near her waist, the fabric overlapped slightly in gentle folds to give the appearance that Katrina was wrapped up in the fabric itself. It hugged her hips and highlighter her complimenting hourglass figure.

"Are you wearing your black one again?" Katrina asked and Hallie grinned as she pulled her dress from that little suitcase of hers. It was black as midnight and clung to Hallie's skin in ways that made her sexy figure even more evident. It ended just above her knees and the straplessness of it showed off her bust. Katrina's eyes slid from her friend over to the clock. It was already seven o'clock. No doubt T.K. was already at the dance. She felt giddy, though a bit self conscious about him seeing her like this.

"Ouch," Katrina said as something was pushed through her ear.

"Oh, quit complaining," Hallie said as she pulled back from her friend. Hanging off from Katrina's ears were earrings, of course. A silver thread spun down in what seemed to be a braid and wrapped around two bright red stones. Katrina recognized them at once; they were hers, after all, given to her by her grandmother for her fifteenth birthday. The matching ruby stone was clasped around her neck and Hallie nodded to her.

"Ready?" Hallie asked with a grin, to which Katrina returned weakly.

"Ready," she said softly. She pulled on some silver ballet flats and took Hallie's hand and allowed the vampire to lead them outside. Katrina began to tug her toward the boy's dorms, but Hallie wagged one finger in front of her face and took her an alternate route to the gymnasium. With a pouting Katrina, they approached the gymnasium together and already, the sound of music reached their ears. Katrina recognized the song as a Coldplay one and, self consciousness forgotten, she tugged on Hallie's hand and practically dragged the vampire into the gymnasium.

The music hit them full blast, along with the many bodies that were milling about. They had entered near the tables and food and drink were being served by some of the professors or senior students. Katrina wove her way past the tables she and T.K. had set up, eyes open and darting around as she searched for the boy himself. She met the dance floor with Hallie and just as she moved to step into the beat, the song ended. With a huff, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the next song, which didn't take long.

"Not my first choice," she said as Dynamite started to play. Though Hallie grabbed her hands and raised them into the air as the first part of the song started. Katrina laughed and allowed herself to dance like a complete idiot with her best friend.

"I throw my hands up in the air sometimes, sayin' ay-o, gotta let go!" They sang in tune with the music and laughed as they made their way across the dance floor.

[Sousuke]

---------Seven hours ago--------

Takashi had just returned to his room from a brunch on the closer side of lunch than breakfast. He had eaten an order of french toast sticks chewing on them rather slowly. The entire time he had kept his eyes trained on the clock. Watching not the minute hand but the second hand. It was aggravating sitting there in the mess hall by himself. Occasionally people who had recognized him from the fight with Arisu would come over for a chat with him. He would oblige them with polite conversation as they came and went.

Eventually he became bored and made his way back to the Dorm room. There on his mirror was the tuxedo he planned on wearing later that night but would not need to put it on until an hour or so before the dance. Takashi made several attempts to sleep in order to pass the time quickly but each attempt only resulted in failure. Takashi continued to roll back and fourth in bed for several minutes trying one last attempt to sleep but it ended just as his previous attempts had.


In a fit T.K. put on a work out shirt and basketball shorts before making his way outside. As he turned around from closing the door T.K. was met by a large menacing shadow. He turned around and receive a long wet lick across the face. "Anwen!, I love how you're just like a big puppy." She continued to lick his face for several minutes which drove T.K. into a fit of giggles. "You always know when to cheer me up huh babe?" Takashi continued to pet the top of her head, "you want to come with me girl?" With that simple question Takashi began to walk the compound with Anwen in tow until he found a clear space that he could have to himself.


"Anwen, lets play catch," T.K. called a fireball into his palm and bounced it up and down as if it were a ball. He than tossed it to Anwen, however she countered with a fireball of her own resulting in the fireballs canceling each other out. This continued for a while before T.K. became tired and laid down in the field. Anwen trotted over to him and rested her head on his lap and with her great big yellow eyes looked t.K. in the face. "It's nothing Anwen I'm just bored is all, I haven't seen Jace and Katrina is spending the entire day with Hallie."
Anwen simply licked his hand forcing a weak smile on Takashi's face. "But I'm sure glad I've got you." As he stood up Anwen glanced towards her back with her body still lowered, "I dunno Anwen, you picked a hell of a day to let me ride you for the first time," she playfully huffed a small flame in T.K.s direction, "Okay, okay, I've got time so it should be okay, just not too far, or fast, or high for that matter."


Takashi climbed to the top of her back just above her wings before he straddled the base of her neck, "Okay," Takashi wrapped his arms around her neck tightly and kicked at Anwen the same way Arisu kicked at Gregorian. With that Anwen beat her might wings sending gust of wind in every direction before she finally achieved liftoff. Before Takashi knew it they were off circling the compound of the academy. He couldn't help but think of the time Katrina had taken him up on her gilder. Takashi was filled with a warmness and his smile strengthened.

Anwen had slowed down which allowed T.K. to raise his body ever so slightly. Anwen was so powerful that she did not have to compensate each time T.K. shifted his weight from left to right. "So Anwen, do you remember Katrina?, the girl who was with me when you and me met." Anwen dove and pulled back up slightly to nod her head, "clever girl, well anyways we've been spending a lot of time together," T.K. shouted to anwens ears through the wind. "She's really fun, shes smart, funny, and really pretty," Anwen let loose a small fireball, "I know she doesn't like bacon on pizza but no ones perfect." Anwen began to circle down towards the compound, "I uhm, I think I really like her!" Anwen cruised gracefully to the ground and landed just as softly. T.K. climbed off of her back which led to Anwen licking his face, "You're right, thanks Awen," T.K. kissed her on the nose and petted her once more, "I'll see you soon okay? and thanks for the ride that was incredible."

Feeling full reinvigorated T.K. ran into his dorm room and showered quickly. He applied all of his deodorants and sprays and aftershaves which gave him his unique Christmas morning smell. The ride with Anwen not only cleared his head but added some very complimenting lift to his haircut. He than looked at the tux and smirked, "Let's do it." It fit as if it had been made especially just for him but that's probably because it was. T.K. looked into the mirror and adjusted the bow tie. The entire tux was classic in every aspect of the word. It brought out his broad shoulders and accented his strong collar bone which in turn ensure his strong chest was adequately displayed through the shirt and jacket. The sleeves fitted his arms especially nicely showing of the bulk he had in his biceps. "Not bad," muttered T.K. as he checked the clock, five until seven.

Takashi made his way to the Gymnasium and as soon as he opened the doors he was assaulted with an impressive combination of lights, music and bodies. He was in awe when he realized that he did not recognize the inside of the gym and instead saw it as a giant nightclub. The salvo of lights and sounds shocked his face into a wild smile. However that was not what he was there to see, “Where is Katri?” his eyes desperately scanned the crowd. He sighed when he could not find her but his hope was reborn when he looked down at his hands, “yeah, that'll work.” Takashi held his hands up and begun to fling fireballs into the air and as they reached a safe distance from the crowd he would force them to explode into green and silver smoke, the students around him cheered at the improvised fireworks display, “She'll see that,” thought T.K.

[Secrets]

Katrina heard the sizzle and pop of T.K.'s fireworks before she could see them. Hallie looked past her and a laugh escaped the vampire when she spotted the fire elemental himself. "You know, he's not so bad looking after all," Hallie said with a grin and Katrina rolled her eyes, though she did turn around to see where T.K. was. She heard a whoosh and she looked to her right to see that Hallie had made her way across the gym and had thrown herself into Blake's arms.

"This is it," Katrina murmured to herself. She flattened out a few wrinkles in her dress that had happened while she'd been dancing to various pop songs. Her make-up had yet to wear off so the silver and gold on her face reflected the lights and gave her a subtle, ethereal glow about her. Sucking in a tight breath, Katrina wove her way through the dancers whom had gotten bored of T.K.'s fireworks display.

Some of them looked at her as she walked by, some even parted from their dance partners so she could pass, but mostly they ignored her. Her eyes were kept trained on T.K. as she walked. He had been right about his appearance; he was absolutely striking. That dream of finishing the kiss popped into her head as her eyes looked over every contour of his face. Sooner or later, she'd be able to slide her hands around his neck and slow dance with him. The thought made her smile.

She broke free of the party of dancers and took the last few steps closer to him. Stopping just in front of him, she smiled up into his eyes and pulled him in for a hug. "Hey you," she murmured in his ear. "Doesn't this place look amazing?"

[Sousuke]

T.K. paused his improvised fireworks show in order to look for katrina. As soon as he had set his eyes down to the crowd there she was. In that moment T.K. the music was loud but T.K. could not hear it, The lights were flashing brilliantly but T.K. could not see them, all of him was dialed in on Katrina. Takashi was dumbfounded by her appearance, the way the scarlet dress fell around her clinging to her body in all the right areas. The silver and gold makeup which brought out her already alluring hazel eyes. She was Aphrodite incarnate. Before he could react she had already wrapped her arms around him in that all to familiar but welcome embrace.

"Hey there, it looks good, but not as good as you," he stammered awkwardly as he forced himself to return the embrace. There in the crowd of writing sweating hormone fueled bodies they share their first embrace in what felt like it had been eons. T.K. took a step back and twirled Katrina around; smiling as he did so, "You really look wonderful Katri." Takashi felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Jace standing there in a much more modern vest and neck-tie styled tux, "Oh man Takashi you do not deserve that you dog," T.K. smiled, "Good to see you to Jace," beside Jace was a little brunette in a purple dress whom T.K. had never met before. Jace smiled, "You two enjoy yourselves," and just as quickly as he had showed up JAce disappeared into the crowd with his date in tow.


T.K. returned to katrina with a smile that had never left his face, "They've got the right idea, lets go," T.K. than took katrinas hand and led her into the crowd. It was another fast paced song so T.K. let Katrina take the lead on the dance as he himself performed generic simple but effective movements to the music, "I really missed you today," he said to her though the music and crowd as they began to dance with one another.

[Secrets]

"And you look dashing," Katri said with a giggle as she allowed T.K. to lead her onto the dance floor They ended up right next to a dancing Hallie and her vampire date, both of which had their fangs bared as their grins stretched. Katri moved to the beat of the music, dress swishing gently just past her ankles. She reached for T.K.'s hands, laughing as she continued her step.

"I'd much rather have spent the day with you instead of letting Hallie doll me up," she said with a grin and a hiss to her ear told Katri that Hallie had heard it. Katri figured that since the gym was pretty much full now, they'd start the slow the music down until they reached slow dancing.

[Sousuke]

T.K. smiled shyly when Katri had told him that she would have preferred to spend the day with him. The best part was he knew that she really meant it completely. That brough the air around T.K. to a warmer temperature. But it was not a stifling heat like that produced by the body head of the entire student body.It was welcoming and sweet just as it had been before.

T.K. couldn't stop smiling towards Katri, "I'm glad you kept everything a surprise," He approached her before planting his hands on her shoulders. With a grin on his face he pulled her towards him and pressed their bodies together gently grinding on Katris body. "Is this okay with you?" he said, feeling bold T.K. Placed his hands down on her hips and pulled their bodies closer.

[Secrets]

The lights that were the dance floor covered T.K.'s blush and Katrina was lucky it did the same for her. Her cheeks warmed as T.K. pressed their bodies closer together, Katri's hips brushing against his as she slowed their step. "Yeah, more than okay," she whispered, but her face was still near his his and the song had changed so she knew her words were heard. Warmth flooded through her and she found her arms sliding passed his shoulders as she pulled their bodies even closer.


"I don't care if we don't sleep at all tonight, let's just fix this whole thing now," she murmured as Heartbreak Warfare reached her ears. With half-closed eyes, she mumbled more of the song to him and her lips brushed against his jaw as she allowed herself to relax against him and follow the music. "Wonder how that bet's working out," she said as she took in that cinnamon warmth.

[Sousuke]

"Yeah, more than okay," said Katri, the words and the manner in which they were spoken to him caused pleasant chills to pulsate down his spine. He wondered if he ever made Katrina feel that way or if felt the same right than and there. T.K. listened to her mutter lyrics along with the song as the two of them danced together knowing that she was at least comfortable with him. "That bet, yeah I wonder if it'll be someones lucky night," Clever boy, whistled the consciousness in his mind as it patted him on the back.

Soon the music died down and a much slower song came on although T.K. was unsure of who it was or the songs title, it didn't matter. "Here," T.K. relaxed his muscles all save for his hands which held a firm grip perfectly on the sides of Katris delicate waist, "Follow me," T.K. began to move perfectly to the somber happiness of the beat. The song severed to compliment that sweet intensity between Katrina and T.K. More than friends but not quite lovers, they were an island in a stream of stars.

[Secrets]

"You think so?" she asked as her lips curled up against T.K.'s cheek. She pulled back from him so she could fall into the beat of the song and the tempo of his steps. "Hallie's bet is on tonight. You know, vamps are extremely intuitive so she may be right," she said shyly. T.K.'s grey eyes reflected every single colour of light that flashed by them and she loved the minute-lasting glimmers. His warmth was spreading over her body and her fingers brushed against the back of his neck as they continued to dance.

"Twirl me?" she said with a smile. To her, it felt as if the two of them were alone in the gymnasium and that was simply because no one cared to watch them anymore.

[Sousuke]

Takashi took a step back before he torqued his arm letting Katrina twirl their hands never letting go. T.K. than reeled her back in intentionally a little closer than he should have. The bottom of his jaw ran alongside her hair just above her ear. "You really are beautiful," his voice offering her a most blissful warmness. T.K. rolled his hands forward edging further away from her front.

T.K. gulped slightly as he pulled her close and let his face sink down the side of her head. His lips now softly teasing her cheeks. "We'll see if shes right," will we now T.K.?, the voice shot back to T.K. When he finished whispering his lips graced her cheek leaking slight warm wetness there for only a second. He closed his eyes as he took in her sweet vanilla and cherry blossom scent, he missed the scent all day, as he exhaled his breath crept sweetly to the bottom of her ear.

[Secrets]

"Thank you," Katrina mumbled back as T.K. pulled her in from the twirl. He needn't say it out loud, Katri felt good about herself whenever she was around him because she knew he accepted her however she looked like. Even when she was in old gym shorts and a ratty shirt, she never felt self conscious about herself. Well, except for those moments of doubt when she wasn't in his presence. Her thoughts were broken when his lips grazed her cheek; she stopped breathing for a moment too.

The cinnamon scent had intensified when she took another breath and she breathed out slowly. "Is she right?" Katri said as another slow song came around, this one a lot slower than the others before. She only stepped from side to side this time, wanting to focus more on T.K. and that wonderful warmth than on where her feet should be moving.

[Sousuke]

T.K. gazed into Katris eyes through the soothing lights. He could see how they shone through with emotions, everything she was feeling in that moment. How many of those emotions had T.K. in their sights? What was the range of those emotions that did? He didn't know but he wanted desperately wanted to find out. T.K. met her question with only a pursed tame smile.

T.K. gently brushed her hair behind her ear and traced her jawline with a light touch of his index finger stopping to cup her chin lightly. His eyes met hers and hook one more dive into those Hazel pools of emotion. He wanted to drink in the moment before he plunged in. He wanted to see what he could before he opened the door that he could never walk back out of.

[Secrets]

"I take that as a yes," Katrina murmured and the corners of her eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled. As T.K.'s heated palm met her chin, Katrina's lips parted and her smile fell away; her gaze stayed locked with his. Acting on their own accord, the back of Katri's fingers ran along T.K.'s cheek and she felt herself leaning into him. She wanted that warmth to embrace her, but she was also afraid of crossing this line. You've already crossed it, she said to herself in her mind.

And with that decided, her hazel eyes softened, her head tilted slightly to the side, and her lips neared his. "There's nothing left to lose," she whispered softly with the song as her bottom lip ghosted against his.

[Sousuke]

Takashi look one last moment with her eyes before he closed his own. He slowly closed the gap between the two of them and in that second he though about everything they had been through in their short time together, gliding, Arisu, dancing, movies, in that moment he felt the same comfort he had in all of those memories.

Lips slightly parted they breathed their last before they united. Fire ignited on his face as their lips finally met with one another. They had ascended from that island amongst the stars and became one themselves. Like water on the sands her warmth washed over him and took him in. Their bodies softly docked against each other as T.K. turned his head every so slightly sending a somehow more intense warmth to Katrina. Well done son, well done. He tasted her sweetness, not from any makeup that had been painted on but from her emotions from her. T.K. had discovered the taste of happiness.

[Secrets]

That warmth blossomed into something more, something deeper than the typical comfort, as T.K. pushed back against Katrina. Her fingers tightened slightly on the back of his neck and her lashes fluttered a few times before she closed her eyes. His lips were soft and hot, and she supposed it was his body heating up again. But she definitely wasn't complaining. Instead, she compared that warmth, everything about him, to sunlight; gentle but able to make her toes curl and head spin.

The music around them continued to wrap them in their own bubble. She smiled against his lips, and her fingers unlaced themselves from behind his neck. Though she wanted so badly to run them through his dark locks, she regrettably remembered where they were, and instead allowed her hands to slide down his shoulders to his chest where she gently pushed him away. Her hazel eyes shone with pure happiness as she pulled her lips from his.

If she hadn't been focusing on T.K.'s face, she would have heard Hallie whoop from across the gym.

[Sousuke]

T.K. stood there the before exhaling the moment. His body somehow filled with a warmness that was alien but not unpleasant to him. It was the exquisite feeling people experienced after a first kiss. Was it really new to him? No this feeling had teased definitely T.K. each time they were together. His face was gentle as if waking from a peaceful slumber. His eyes opened as his lips closed and there she just in front of him just as she had been a moment before.

He let the feeling ring out through out his his body all the way down then reverberating back up to his face. The softest of smiles shattered the peaceful look as he set his grey eyes onto Katrina, "Someone definitely won," something in his hinted at what he meant. T.K. slowly let his hand fall from her chin before it found it's partner that had been waiting wrapped around Katrinas waist.

Out of the corner of the gymnasium T.K. swore he heard Jace screaming, "Was that before or after midnight?"

[Secrets]

Katrina touched her own lips with her fingertips, a soft smile stretching just a bit wider when she felt they were still warm. "Someone definitely won." Katrina's hazel eyes turned up to his and she chuckled softly, though the main reason being that T.K. wasn't running his mouth off like he normally would. Her hands brushed over his chest and she tugged his tie a bit looser so it made him look a bit less formal and a lot more like himself, or at least she thought the look suited him.

"It is pretty late," she murmured as Hallie informed Jace that it had happened exactly forty-three seconds before the clock had struck twelve. "Would you care for one last dance?" she asked. For The Nights I Can't Remember began to play by Hedley and Katrina looked past T.K. to see that Hallie was winking at Katrina from where the DJ was. She smiled back at her friend and mouthed a "thank you" for playing one of her top five favourite songs for her last dance.

"It's not exactly as slow as we're used to, but who cares?" she murmured.

[Sousuke]

His mouth still shut T.K. let his body do the talking. With his hands finging their place on her waist he stepped back and turned just as they had been doing the other day. Miraculously he managed to nail the steps perfectly although his head was clearly swimming in the clouds. In the wake of that experience T.K. had worn the same goofy smile with a hint of blush. A warmness caressed the two of them and shielded them from the others dancing around them.

They were in their own little world once more, although T.K. was bursting with emotion nothing was said. Nothing needed to be said, that smile on his face said it all. His star filled eye projecting each emotion into Katri's. In return he read her eyes and knew that neither of them regretted what they had just done. His arms held her tighter as he wished for nothing other than the moment to continue to replay in his head.


"Damn it T.K., had you waited fifty more seconds I would have won," muttered Jace as he cursed his bet.

[Secrets]

The only regret Katrina had was that it wasn't her first kiss. But she consoled that nagging thought when telling herself it had probably been the best. She kept her mouth clamped shut as they swayed to the music, afraid that she would lose the warmth on her lips and around her cheeks if she talked. The song was their own small piece of forever, since Katri felt that it would never end.

"If fallin' for you, girl, is crazy, then I'm goin' out of my mind, so hold back your tears this time. Hold back your tears this time," the singer's voice rang out and faded off with the last strike of a piano note. Katri took another step closer to T.K. and rested her cheek just under his shoulder.

"I'm going to fall asleep on my feet. Ready to head back?" She mumbled through a yawn.

[Sousuke]

"T.K. gently skidded his hand across the side of her head as she rested it on his shoulder, a humbled and low "Yes," was all T.K. was able to muster and breath out. He removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders before taking her hands and escorting her through the blockade of bodies. They were greeted by a warm breeze which was uncharacteristic for he mountains epically that late at night.

It was perfectly clear and bright starry night above T.K. something he would had noticed on any other night. But his eyes had never once Left Katrina after they had shared themselves with each other. "Are you cold?" T.K. massaged her arms and shoulders with his hands through the cloth of his tuxedo jacket. They strolled across the compound T.K. floating with each step, he remained this way until they had arrived to Katrina's door. His hands mimicked his eyes and continued to hold onto her be it on her shoulders to interlocking their fingers. "Here we are," he whispered in that low sweet voice fuzzy with dreams.

[Secrets]

"No, I'm not cold. You're always so warm," she said as she allowed T.K. to lead her into the girls' dorms. Katri had left her room unlocked because she had had nothing to carry her card key in. She pulled herself away from T.K. so she could push open the door. She picked up the bottom of her dress so she could kick off her ballet flats; her bare feet met the wood floor and she turned back to T.K.

Her room was dark since the blinds were closed and the moonlight could not get in. Only the glow of the torches on the walls outside gave a little flickering light through the doorway. The shadows from the candle flames seemed to dance along T.K.'s body, casting shadows around his body to give a very intimate look. Instead of collapsing onto her bed, she forced her tired feet to shuffle back over to him.

Hands sliding up his chest, she allowed the tips of her fingers to rest against his shoulders as she looked into his grey eyes. "Tonight was...no, there's no words to describe what it was," she said, voice dropping a bit lower, whether it from sleep or the remembrance of the kiss. She smiled softly and took in another soft breath. "Kiss me again, T.K.," she breathed as she traced her lips against the curve of his jaw.

[Sousuke]

T.K. drew a sharp breath as he felt Katri calling to him by tracing her soft lips against his jawline. This time it was like his his dream, her pawing at him asking for a Kiss. A smile softly pushed the corners of lips upwards. Soon one of his hands found their way to the top of the back of her neck. This time he closed the gap between the two of them himself and as his lips greeted hers he lightly parted his lips allowing an opportunity for her sweetness to paint himself. He tenderly continued to press his lips against hers soaking up every possible second of the union.

His other arm made its way around her waist and he gently brought her soft body against his own. Eventually, their lips parted and he pulled away with his eyes open. Takashi watched the light from the torches being caught in her eyes the same way he had been caught in them. "I don't want to go back to my room," he muttered to her knowing full well spending another night with Katrina was probably out of the question but he still wanted her to have the sentiment of him not wanting to leave her.

[Secrets]

Her breath caught again as T.K. obliged by her command and kissed her. It was a new experience for her, the way their lips molded so easily against each other. His hands felt so right around her waist and that beautiful heat that radiated from him made Katri lightheaded by the time he pulled back.It was as if his cinnamon and peppermint scent was tangible and she swore she could taste it on her lips, which were warmed again from him.

"Mm, I don't want you to go either," she said as she pulled his arm free of her waist. "But you can't sleep in that suit," she said as she gingerly ran her hands down his torso. She looked into his grey eyes, expression torn between wanting to just lay in bed with him and just be together for the night, or do the logical thing and send him off. She sighed, though continued to smile up at him.

"Come knock on my door tomorrow morning and we'll grab some french toast sticks for breakfats and find something amazing to do together," she said reluctantly.

[Sousuke]

"I'll be here when you wake up," T.K. said with just the faintest hint of sadness. His lips twitched for a second as he thought of making a joke about the condom a well as her promise of "something amazing," but he did not wish to spoil the beautiful moment that had lasted between their first two kisses. He caressed her hair once mor as he gazed at her affectionately.

He hugged her tightly once more and whispered in the same low warm voice he had been stuck in for the last few minutes, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay, I sleep in my boxers anyways," before she could say anything he stepped back from her, "I'll look forward to it Katri," he peaked over his shoulder at one of the flaming red torches than back to her. He snapped his finger and the fire changed to his signature silver green, "goodnight," he pushed out of his mouth as he turned and walked down the hallway resisting the temptation to look back at her.


Takashi made his way back over to the boys dorm. The second he made it into his room he swore it was the first time his feet had touched the ground in the last half hour or so. Takashi stropped off the tux and being a man of his word collapsed on the bed in just his boxers. as his eyes closed for the last time that night he licked at his lip, smiling as he found a trace of Katris sweetness knowing that it was not a dream, it was better.

[Secrets]

A blush found way to Katri's cheeks at T.K.'s remark about the way he slept. The idea of him just in his boxers in her bed, with her, made the red tint on her cheeks darken. She was glad when he pulled back and wished her good night so she need not stammer a reply to him. When she pulled away, she hugged her sides and watched his retreating form disappear around a corner at the end of the hallway.

When she turned, the frown from T.K.'s departure turned to a smile. The green light flickered from a creamy white candle and Katrina reached toward the base of it. She set the candle and its holder on her nightstand and then went to shut her door. When she double-checked the lock, she shimmied out of her dress and stroked the fabric affectionately. After hanging it back up in her closet, she pulled on a baggy t-shirt and some shorts.

She forced herself to run a damp face cloth over her face so the make-up would be off and would not irriitate her skin the following day. She quickly brushed her teeth and scampered over to her bed. The scarlet comforter came to rest just under her chin and her tired eyes stayed on T.K.'s green and silver flame before she blinked slowly a few times and fell asleep.

[Sousuke]

T.K. arose that morning with a smile still stapled on his face. He proceeded to the bathroom to take a shower. Deciding he didn't wan to waste anytime he took his tooth brush with him into the shower and brushed and washed making sure not to mix up the toothpaste and soap. Once he had finished T.K. sat in front of his closet all of his cloths displayed before him. He scanned back and fourth until something finally caught his eye. This is how he always picked his outfits, whatever caught his eye first is what he put on for that day. Today it was a grey v neck with a print of music control buttons on the front, fitted dark blue jeans. He decided not to wear a hat as his haircut was still fairly crisp.

T.K. made his way out the door and down to the girls dorm. But in doing so he encountered a quickly pacing Jace in the common room. T.K. thought to stop and ask Jace if anything was wrong but T.K. realized it probably had something to do with what he had lost or was about to lose thanks to the bet. He shrugged it off and proceeded to Katrinas room. It was nine thirty in the morning and T.K. had done nothing but arrived at Katrinas door but he had already felt like today was going to be amazing. He knocked on her door, "Morning Katri!," he shot at the door in a most cheerful of tones.

[Secrets]

Her skin was still slightly moist from her shower when T.K. knocked on Katrina's door. She heard his voice and a smile touched her lips as she pulled a v-neck sweater on.Once she opened the door and saw him standing there, a smile identical to hers on his face, she pulled him into a hug. "Good morning to you, too," she said as she looked up at him.

"French toast sticks?" She asked hopefully.

[Sousuke]

Takashi allowed his body to recoil slightly from Katrinas hug before wrapping his arms around her in return. There was something about the way she caught the sunlight through the windows; something that complimented the smile she wore. "French toast sticks," he repeated as he took her hand allowing their fingers to interlace as they made their way down the hallway. Takashi yawned causing his jaw to tremble slightly before he was able to finally close his mouth, "Did you sleep well?" he asked in earnest as he watched the light dance in and out of her eyes as he opened the door for her.

It was wonderfully sunny that day as the two of them slowly strolled together hand in hand to the mess hall. The events of last night were still fresh in T.K.s mind and he couldn't help but bounce fluidly with each and every step they took though the dew glazed grass. His gaze returned to the girl walking next to him; there she was proof that it wasn't some crazed fiction T.K. had dreamt up. They had by now reached the mess hall with Takashi saying very little, the only thing his mouth was able to manage was that same smile of his.

He pulled her arm once and they were there in the lunch line holding hands side by side. He than handed her a trey with a plate of french toast sticks and took one filled with pancakes for himself. The two of them than found a secluded table in the back of the mess hall and sat down there. Instead of T.K. sitting on the bench seat across the table from Katrina he decided to squeeze in the same bench seat as her, the outside of their thighs were press right up against each other but T.K. continued to smile as he cut into his pancakes and began to eat them.

[Secrets]

"T.K!," she complained as he squeezed into the seat next to her, though she knew he'd be able to tell that she didn't mind. She dunked a french toast stick into a carton of syrup and popped the sticky mess into her mouth. She bumped T.K.'s shoulder, which wasn't very hard considering she was squished right up against him. That cinnamon scent made her purse her lips and she stopped herself from snuggling right up against him.

"Any idea of what you want to do today?" She asked as she gently traced circles on his arm with her fingertips.

[Sousuke]

Takashi made pensive noises as he chewed with his mouth stuffed with pancake. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it and only after several minutes of chewing and one final swallow did he attempt to open his mouth again. "Well, I'm not really sure what I want to do , we could always got catch some sun down by the stream." T.K. stabbed at the pancakes with his fork creating a plate full of shrapnel shaped flour. he sifted through the mess with his fork before bringing a seemingly random piece of pancake to his mouth.

As he swallowed his eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers accidentally causing a small fireball to appear in his palm, "whoops!" he closed his hand and began to chuckle, "that happens sometimes," T.K. shook his hand in an attempt to rid their air of the small traces of silver and green smoke around him. "What I was going to say was, I want to know what happened with that bet, aren't you a little curious?"

[Secrets]

Katri jumped slightly at the sudden burst of flame that came from T.K.'s palm. When it disappeared in a puff of smoke and T.K. moved to wave it away, Katrina flicked her fingers toward the area and a bit of wind made the silver and green wisps curl up into the air and away from them. She was going to say that a trip by the stream sounded perfect, along with a witty comment addressing what would happen to the ducks if she spotted any. Her mouth closed at the mention of the bet and when she blinked, the winner was there right across from them.

"Aren't you two just precious," she said and smacked her lips together. Her typical darker shade of lip gloss was slightly smeared and Katrina stifled a giggle when Blake put a hand on her shoulder from behind, some of the cherry red still lingering on his lips. Though the male vampire did catch her gaze and smoothly wiped away the trace with the back of his hand, lips twitching into a sort of smile before he looked solemnly down at Hallie. Halls touched the hand on her shoulder with her own and chuckled at T.K. and Katrina.

"So you wanted to hear about that bet, T.K.? There's this lake in the center of Felon Woods, that foresty area behind the Academy," she said and whirled her hands around in the air to emphasize her point. "Mermaids live in that lake and there have been multiple people who have crossed it; not necessarily unscathed, but we haven't had any fatalities yet," she said with a full blown laugh.

"Anyway, the losers have to swim across the entire lake. Mermen and mermaids are quite the seducers so it's bound to be quite a show. My only regret? None of those stinking fae joined in on the bet." With that, Hallie twirled up from her seat by Blake's hand and the two walked out of the mess hall, though not before grabbing a glass of "wine" on their departure.

Katrina dropped her last french toast stick and shook her head. "All this over our first kiss?" she said incredulously and chuckled softly, her warm gaze meeting T.K.'s grey. "Halls is right. I've seen people swim through the lake before and it is funny to watch. Poor Jace won't be in his right mind for a few days afterward though," she laughed.

"So to the stream or to find out when this thing is going to start?" she asked as she twined her fingers through his.

[Sousuke]

T.K. blushed slightly when she placed her hand in his. "How about we go to the stream? I'm sure well be able to hear about the swimming thing there," Takashi gently tugged katrina's hand letting their fist swing together for a moment, "For the record it was a really good first kiss," his blush grew for a second but was quickly pruned as sure soon as they left the less hall. "At least it's not like they have to drink some of the wine," Takashi shuddered, "or eat that pizza," his face scrunched up for a second before he gagged for a moment.


Takashi eagerly walked towards the other side of the school to where the stream was. Occasionally he would slow down to a stroll whenever he felt the slack between their arms become stingy. Takashi wanted to enjoy a few hours laying in a hammock with Katri again, and if she wanted he would tell her almost anything she wanted to know about him. The air around T.K. warmed up to compliment the already gently blowing breeze. Once they had arrived near the stream T.K. smiled and began to pull Katri to the same hammock they had laid on together only a few days ago.

[Secrets]

"I couldn't agree more," she murmured as she followed T.K. out of the mess hall. The near afternoon sun climbed steadily higher in the sky and by the time they had gotten back to their spot by the stream, it was shining down harshly over the ground, though it made the riverbed's gold and silver minerals glisten. Even the water itself danced with lustrous golden colours. The hammock beneath her swayed softly with the breeze, something that she'd controlled her emotions enough that it was pure and untampered with by her powers.

Instead of sitting down with T.K. like she'd done with him a couple of days ago, she rested on her side and snuggled closer to him. Her palms rested gently against his chest as her eyes looked up into his. "You mention your brother sometimes," she said as she fiddled with the collar of his shirt. "What's he like?" It felt nice knowing that she could just sit down and talk with him; she wanted to know his past, what made T.K. the gentle and caring guy he was today. Her cheeks turned a slight pink at her choice of vocabulary for him, even if it was true.

[Sousuke]

Takashi laid completely limp in the hammock letting the wind rock himself and Katrina. He loved watching the way the light danced in her eyes as it shown through at different times through the leaves and branches above them. As she pawed gently at his chest T.K. teased her by twirling small strands of her hair on his finger. "Hiro?" Takashi smiled, "If Arisu was always pushing and beating me up Hiro was always looking out for me." T.K. lifted his head and pointed to the faint scar on his left cheek, "He gave me this in our first fight and last fight."

T.K.s eyes seemed to drift away from where he was but they quickly returned. "Hes a whole lot different from Airsu, I'm not sure if you'd like him more though," Takashi traced his index finger up across and down Katrinas ear, "Hes a bit of a playboy." Takashi began to laugh softly to himself, "I wouldn't be surprised if he made a run at Hallie," T.K. paused, "and the rest of her girlfriends." Takashi settled his eyes on her once more as his hand threatened to tickle her by walking down her side on its index and middle fingers. T.K. kept his ears open as he lazily listened to the others near them hoping to hear something about when they swimming would begin. T.k. let his fingers take deeper steps into Kartins side, "Did you have anyone you were close with as a kid?"

[Secrets]

Katri listened to T.K. talk, eyes closing about halfway through the short biography of his brother. The constant yet subtle change in her smile gave way that she was still awake. She tensed a bit when T.K.'s fingers ran down the length of her side, still a bit unaccustomed to these simple yet intimate gestures with him. But she felt safe, so she relaxed and kept that smile on her face. A chuckle escaped her at the mention of his brother being a playboy, but she opened her eyes just enough so she could trace the scar on his cheek.

She hesitated a moment before answering. "My dad was a very weak wind elemental. He had trouble manipulating a breeze, much less conjure one on his own. But my grandmother was extremely powerful and I guess you could say she became my mentor. I didn't ever get a chance to get any close friends because I was working my butt off trying not to summon whirlwinds around me every time my emotions got out of control. It was when my grandma brought me here that I felt I truly belonged. I did well with the older kids, this being before I met Hallie, but they've all gone now." She finished with a sigh, closing her eyes once more and breathing in the crisp, fresh scent of the world around them.

"But unless my glider counts, no one close," she added as an answer. She tentatively ran her fingers along his collarbone as she thought. "Your...curse--what is it exactly? Arisu said she beat you up all the time to make you stronger," she murmured in a slight rush.

[Sousuke]

Takashi listened intently as Katrina spoke about her family. At the mention of her grandmother being her mentor he smiled, "My grandfather was mine." He watched her hair being gently lofted as they were rocked back and fourth in the hammock. She asked him about his curse and his lips stiffened up slowly eroding away at the smile on his face. Takashi closed his eyes and nodded to himself. If he wanted to advance his relationship with Katrina he would have to be willing to share certain things with her. Though his curse was not a closely guarded secret he preferred to quiet about it. However things had quickly changed between him and Katrina and she had a right to know.

"My curse is that I and all I love will be consumed by my flame," Takashis voice was eerily quiet. He than cleared his throat, "But if I can get stronger, I can beat it, that's why I came here to this academy," Takashi's eyes slowly opened and his smile began to return, "I'm glad I came here," his smile became shy and he shut his lips together one last time. "why are you here? not with me I mean, Why are you at this academy, you seem to have great control over your power."

T.K. Perked up as a pair of students walked by them, "Did you hear that?, they said the swim is going to happen later tonight at night, suppose to be a full moon."

[Secrets]

"I think I know someone who might be able to help you," she said as she conjured the image of one of the most favoured professors on campus. "He's helped countless fire benders control their powers, even a few weather 'mentals because his brother is one." Her voice strengthened the more she thought about the idea of T.K. with him. "I'll introduce him to you tomorrow because I don't want to get off this hammock just yet," she said with a grin and tilted her head back to peck a kiss on the underside of his jaw.

"And I came back because I just felt like I didn't belong out there, with normal people. My life is here now," she said with a shrug. "I actually have to check in with my old mentor. She said she wanted to see how I was doing," she added. "But we can do that tomorrow, too." She twirled her fingers around in the space between their chests and a fresh breeze rocked the hammock from side to side with more force than before.

[Sousuke]

Upon feeling her lips press against his jaw Takashi swore his heart skipped a beat. Just the thought of her warm soft lips touching his skin was still enough to make T.K. blush even the slightest amount. "That sound's good, It's been a while since I last trained, a little too long," Takashi said though a babies yawn as he let his arm fall down to Katrina's back,and lightly pull her closer to him. Takashi nuzzled his head against the surprisingly soft rope which composed their hammock.

Takasi let out another yawn as he closed his eye, "Thanks for doing this for me," his palm gradually made circles traveling up and down katris back. He was happy that he had been able to come to terms with how he felt about Katrina when Anwen had taken him up the other day. Since than T.K. had noticed that the two of them hadn't received as many looks as they had been getting in the last few days, it was refreshing. But either way Takashi wouldn't have cared anyways and he had a feeling Katrina would have felt the same way. "Don't let me fall asleep," Takashi mumbled as a drop of drool accumulated at the corner of his mouth and his breathing took on a lazier pace.

[Secrets]

"Of course," she replied when T.K. thanked her. When he had blushed from that simple kiss, a gentle wave of warmth had touched her. The feeling still lingered on her cheeks as she watched T.K.'s expression relax and reach a state of sleepiness. She didn't see a problem with letting him fall asleep with her in his arms; she actually liked the thought. The sun was setting though and no doubt the swim across the lake would be happening in a couple of hours.

She leaned up halfway to look around them, and found that their place by the stream was deserted. Only the gurgle of the stream water and the rustle of leaves from the wind broke through the silence. She leaned back down and tilted T.K.'s chin down so he could better look in her eyes, and she his. "And how would you like me to keep you awake? The promise of a beautiful sunset?" She whispered teasingly.

[Sousuke]

Through half opened eyes T.K. watched as his vision was tilted downward. There in front of him, the only thing he could see were Katri's eye's. As he searched them he saw of plumes of purple, yellow, red, and pink faintly snap in and vanish out of her eyes. "A beautiful sunset," he whispered "I'm looking at one right now," his voice coated in sleep. T.K.s fingertips were now tiptoeing tiny orbits in the center of Katris back. He moved his hand up slightly and felt something a strip of cloth beneath her shirt, immediately his face perked up, "sorry." The tint on t.k.s cheeks was more apparent this time as he slide his hand back down. Was that what I think it was? smooth you found her bra.

He let out a short nervous laugh or two before closing his lips. He returning back to her eyes. He loved how well they reflected the sunset behind him. But would they be just as captivating without the reflection of the dying rays of the day. A soft grin crept on T.k.s face causing the droplet of drool to disperse upon his lip. Yes, they would be. "Five more minutes," whispered as the two of them continued to swing to the rhythm of the stream and breeze.

[Secrets]

Katrina rolled her eyes as T.K. blushed again, and quickly moved his hand back down to her lower back. The breeze continued to rock the hammock and it was so peaceful, Katrina felt she should have been a bit drowsy like T.K. was, but it was just the opposite. Her spine tingled from where his careful fingers kept brushing against, and her body was warming up from being pressed against his. She had craved this ever since that night she'd fallen asleep with him in her bed and even though she knew she'd be in his arms many times more, she didn't want to waste this time.

She'd been humming to herself as she thought and when she locked her gaze with T.K.'s grey eyes again, she realized what she was doing. "I've really got to break this habit," she chuckled. "You've heard my music, well some of it anyway. What do you listen to?" She traced the collar of his shirt and his collarbone again.

[Sousuke]

"I don't mind it one bit," T.K.'s mouth drummed out. He continue to lay there in his spot between sleep and awake. He was comfortable enough around Katrina to fall asleep with her but he also wanted to enjoy every moment with her he could. He refused to fully close his eyes so long as hers were open. "Music that I like? Well I like alternative rock, some classic stuff, and underground rap," Takashi chuckled, "I spent a few years in the city before I came here so I heard a lot of everything."

T.K. tilted his head down to nuzzle Katrinas hair. He loved her aroma, it always complimented the comfort and happiness he felt when he was with her. He though of all the things they had done to get to where they were right now. The lazy smile on his face deepened at the orners as T.K. squeezed his eyes together before opening them. He than gently brushed his warm lip against katrinas forhead and press slightly before pulling away. "Let's get going to that lake," he said regretfully. T.K. lifted up off the hammock with his hand causing the hammock to roll under T.K. He placed his hands down on the hammock to regain his balanced an when he did he realized there was Katri below him, his body hovering several inches apart but their lips were drastically closer, "Hey," T.K. whispered shyly his voice almost lost in the wind and river.

[Secrets]

Katri's breath caught when the hammock almost tipped to the side. When she opened her eyes after realizing that impact with the ground didn't come, she blinked to register the fact that T.K. was right on top of her. Eyes widening slightly, she exhaled and smiled up at him. Sunset hit just then and the golden orange hue that washed over his face and made the trees shine made her smile even more. The shadows darkened his features in all the right places and she felt that flash of warmth from his body being so near hers.

She slowly moved to prop herself up on her elbows, which was considerably hard due to the balance issue on the hammock. She touched her forehead to his. Without moving her hands, without even focusing on the wind, it somehow responded to what she wanted and steadied the hammock beneath them. "Hey you," she said in a voice as soft as his had been. "Want to stay here a little longer?" she mumbled, though some of her words were lost because she'd pressed her lips against his in another kiss.

[Sousuke]

When she had pressed her lips against his T.K. let out a tiny surprised moan soon his breathing seized up. It wasn't long until Takashi's breathing returned and he pressed his lips into hers. There it was that sweetness from the night before, as T.K. tasted it he felt roses bloom on his cheeks. A cocoon of warmth quickly encased the two of them as their lips continued to bond. T.K. was unsure what was causing it, the sun, himself or was it all Katrina? No matter which it was T.K. was enjoying it.

T.K. fought back the urge to place a hand on the back of her head to press them together even more. That thought of sharing such an intensely passionate kiss with Katrina in just the infancy of their new found togetherness only caused more roses to sprout. For now he could barely handle the kiss they were sharing right now. He broke the kiss off just as quickly as it had been brought on and exhaled a few shallow breaths and swallowed before whispering, "Five more minutes?" with a rather boyish smile on his face he tilted his head down and kissed her on the lips once more.

[Secrets]

"Yeah, that sounds great," she murmured. It was all too tempting to lean back against the hammock and slide her hands behind T.K.'s neck so they could press against each other again. Her lips parted in a soft gasp at the heat that flooded over her, and how much warmer T.K.'s lips had become. Her palms barely rested against his forearms, but that shock of his warmth traveled through her body. And she hadn't realized that her eyes had closed again, until the sun dropped beneath the skyline and dusk brought on a new world of darkness to her closed lids.

A lock of her hair fell free from behind her ear and pulled her lips from T.K.'s, breathing a bit too deep and unsteady. Her head was spinning and that warmth still gripped her from before. She placed another softer, less hungered kiss on his lips before she leaned back down on the hammock, still as breathless as before. And T.K. was still on top of her, almost. "Lake. I think we need to clear our heads," she said with a laugh, and this one more carefree than her others had been in a long time. "Yes, I think we really do," she added as she eyed his hair, which was looking too neat in her opinion.

[Sousuke]

T.K.s arms began to waiver as they had been fully extended this entire time. He bent them at the elbows ever so slightly but this resulted in part of their thighs and midsections to come into an ever changing state of contact. T.K. noticed this and he moved his arm again. Upon lifting his arm the hammock moved downward as his placed his hand up. Again his body lowered and now his upper torso was in complete contact with Katrinas.

He gazed down at her as her hair became sprawled out in every direction beneath her head. She started up at him with her eyes full of every emotion she was experiencing at that very moment. T.K. was thankful it had gotten darker and so she wouldn't be able to see how red he had gotten since their bodies were now in full contact. "This is uncomfortable," he laughed nervously, "not that laying on top of you is uncomfortable, you're actually really soft I mean, oh gods," T.K. shut his mouth and smiled crookedly like a guilty child.

[Secrets]

"This is definitely not what I meant when I said clearing our heads," she said breathlessly. That warm pressure on her body made a pang of desire stir in her, but his kisses, his touches; they were all too new and she was very keen on taking their relationship slowly. Instead of silencing him with another kiss, she tapped her slender fingers against his shoulder and grinned.

"Seeing as your way of getting up isn't working..." she stated and twitched her pointer finger. A short but strong gust of wind surged up the right side of the hammock and caused them both to tumble off, but the fabric reached the ground and the spongy grass made for a soft landing. At least, it probably did to T.K. because Katri fell flattened against him. "Don't even think about touching my butt," she grumbled goodnaturedly as she smiled down at T.K.

"To the lake then? Jace may need some moral support before the race," she said. One thing she noticed then about T.K.'s eyes that the faintest thread of moonlight brought out shimmering webs and flecks of black and silver in the grey. And she loved it.

[Sousuke]

T.K. bounced a little on the surprisingly spongy grass, "And don't you think about grabbing my butt," idiotically strolled from T.K.s lips. He was still in shock of their bodies being like that. T.K. gently pushed her from him to help her stand up. He than performed a kip-up and brushed the dirt from his cloths, "This should be good," T.k. chuckled as he slowly regained his balance as well as his composure.

there was something in the way the newborn rays of moonlight struck Katrina. The way her hair shimmered in a variety of yellows and light coppers, or the way the gleam from the moon turned her eyes into hazel jewels. T.K. sighed contently as he Katrina's hand in his own before proceeding to swing them back and fourth.

As the two of them began to walk T.K. lit a small fireball in his free hand. The green light from the fire served to enhance that jewel in Katrina's eyes and Takashi could not help but become lost in them as he constantly shifted between them and the path they walked together.

[Secrets]

Once Katri and T.K. began to walk away from their hammock that seemed to be their own now, Katri felt her thoughts beginning to clear up. She glanced sideways at T.K. as he lit another of his fireballs to help them see, though it was a full moon and the full bluish silver rays shown down on them. If anything, Katri felt the little green flame kept them in their own world, and she was fine with that. She allowed herself to think of T.K. and their relationship for a moment before turning to more pressing matters.

"I think this bet was insane. The merpeople have always been good sports when it comes to the dares and other bets that have included them. Some like to be left alone, though. Jace will probably talk about how gorgeous and beautiful the mermaids are for the next few days, until their essence wears off of him," she said with a chuckle as she led T.K. on the outskirts of the campus. The moonlight walk was scenic all on its own; the sillouhettes of the mountains gave way to a sweeping landscape, T.K.'s flickering candlelight danced along their skin--it just felt so right.

"See why I have trouble leaving this place?" She shot a wry smile at T.K.

[Sousuke]

Takashi watched as the moonlight painted the surrounding mountains. He looked for the stars which spray painted the darkness and shown down through the trees. The stream flowed calmly providing a soothing soundtrack to their walk through the night. Takashi's thumb played with Katri's hand by gently massaging her fingers. He was enjoying their current scenario, alone, in th edark, holding hands. Takashi had experienced some incredibly things at the academy but this was certainly one of the best experiences, "Yeah," he said to her "I think I'll have a hard time leaving too," Takashi returned her smile as they made their way to a clearing.

There they spotted a gathering of students and behind them was the body of water in which they were to swim. Standing there in a pair of swim trunks was Jace. Takashi shook his head as he approached Jace with Katrina in tow, "Isn't it too cold for just that?" Takashi chuckled as Jace shook his head, "Man this is wack, damn that Hallie," he muttered before laughing, "I guess that's what i get though." Jace shrugged as Takashi patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry I'm sure it wont be too bad."

Takashi looked to Katrina and smiled, "If we waiting one minute this wouldn't be happening," he laughed and gave Jace a thumbs up, "we'll be rooting for you." With that Jace headed off to the shore. Takashi began to look around as he clutched a flam in his hand, "Now where's your friend?" he muttered to Katrina.

[Secrets]

"Does the boyfriend forget about vampires' super-hearing?" Hallie said from behind T.K.'s ear and added an audible hiss before whirling in front of the two of them. The vampire looked back toward the shore, grinning proudly as she did so. Her nose twitched once and she sniffed Katri and T.K.'s shoulders, that smile widening as she waggled her brows. "Swim will start in twenty. You two get in one of the boats so we make sure everyone gets across. And to drag them out of the water if the mers get fiesty."

She chuckled softly and smacked both of them on the back. "Did you want anything specific from me?" She asked and laughed as one of the witches tested the water with her toes. She jumped back with a shiver and turned to glare hatefully at Hallie.

[Sousuke]

"The boyfriend?" Takashi quickly extinguished the flame in his hand to hide the blush on his face. It was the first time someone had referred to his as such and it was all very new to T.K. "I have a name you know!," Takashi looked to Katrina though the moonlight, "not that I don't mind being called your boyfriend, I like it really it's just-" T.K. covered his mouth, he was back at it again, rambling on. Takashi cleared his throat and shook his head, "No I just wanted to find you to see if there was anything we needed to do," Takashi chuckled in an unsteady rhythm, "But the boats sounds good."

T.K. hooked his arm with katrina's and them two of them proceeded towards the boats Hallie had mentioned. The boats were small but would be able to hold up to three maybe four people. if they were to help people it would be just T.K. and Katrina in a boat so they could provide help should someone need it. T.K. stepped into the boat and let it rock back and fourth before having Katrina step in. "I'll row," Takashi sat down between the ores and began to pull back on them a few times which was just enough to send the boat a few feet from the shore.


As Takashi sat across from Katrina in the boat he looked to her as the moonlight reflected off of the cool black surface of the water and onto Katrina. The ripples in the water caused the light to shimmer onto Katrina. Takashi watched as certain strains of blonde in her hair became highlighted by the moons lights. He cocked his head to the side and smiled slightly, "This is nice," he said to her in his normal tone.

[Secrets]

"Don't mind Halls with the whole boyfriend thing. It just means she accepts you," Katri said as she sat down on one of the two benches in the boat. It was probably only eleven to thirteen feet long and the two of them fit comfortably. She hoped that they wouldn't have to "rescue" anyone and hoped than none of the merpeople would approach them. The water looked dark and unforgiving to Katri, and she found herself scooting over on the bench next to T.K.

"Allow me," Katri said as grabbed one of T.K.'s oars and set it aside. Even if there was the obvious absence of a sail, Katrina could still manage to push the back of the boat with a few gusts of wind. When she got them out about halfway across the surface of the lake, a moonlit trail of rippling water behind them, she stopped the wind with a subtle slice of her hand. "Why Hallie is making me come out here, I have no idea. I don't like water," she said as she leaned on T.K.'s shoulder.

[Sousuke]

Takashi placed the other ore inside the boat when he felt Katrina pushing the boat for the two of them with her powers. "Thanks," he said to her as she laid her head on her shoulder. "You weren't joking when you said you didn't like water," said T.K. teasingly. He dipped a finger in the water and held it up in front of Katri; letting her see the water drip from it, "Look out," he said as his finger bobbed and weaved in front of her.

T.K. eventually stopped and began to peer deeper into the water, "How deep is it?". T.K.'s gaze towards the water became somewhat obsessive. He moved his head slightly trying to catch the lighting of the moon in the water so he could see better. "I wish my fire worked underwater," quickly turned his attention to Katrina and warped nr arm around her waist, "I'll keep you warm," he said as the air around them warmed up slightly.

[Secrets]

"Ffft, that doesn't bother me," she said as she pushed his hand away. When T.K. asked her how deep the water might be, she shrank even smaller against him and peered halfheartedly out of the boat. "It's really deep. A whole civilization of merpeople live down there," she grumbled. The murky depths of the water all around her was making her anxious, but she took some deep breaths and steeled herself. After all, T.K. was with her and the fact that she wasn't alone soothed her a bit.

"Thanks," she said and looked out onto the water. It seemed the race was just about to start; the contestants were all lined up on the shore, some of them jogging in place to warm their bodies up before the swim ahead of them. Some sort of horn blew and Katri pinpointed Hallie blowing into a conch shell. Then the betting losers were off, diving into the water and sinking under the surface before popping up a few feet later. Almost at once did ripples next to Katri and T.K.'s boat appear.

Katrina yelped and clung to T.K. with wide eyes as the merpeople surfaced around them. They looked at the couple in the boat once before dismissing this and disappearing back under the surface with a slap of their tails. They popped up a few yards away, clearly heading toward the swimmers. Katri watched as one of the mermaids swam around a warlock; the boy instantly stopped swimming, mesmerized by the creature before him. The mermaid toyed with him, stroked his hair, blew kisses on his cheeks, before her face darkened. Shark-like teeth protruded from her lips, auburn hair turned a muddied red, and eyes turned a glowing auburn. With a yell, the boy frantically paddled away and shot past the mermaid.

"I would hate to have been in this bet," she squeaked.

[Sousuke]

Takashi watched as the students swimming were met by the mermaids. Each of theme followed a pattern similar to what had happened to the warlock. A few playful and flirty actions quickly followed by a revealing of their teeth. Takashi couldn't help but laugh a little though some part of him did pity them. Takashi laughed particularly hard when two mermaids swam up to Jace and gave him a double dose of the treatment everyone else had been receiving. In fact Jace had freaked ot so bad that the ripples he had produced were enough to gently rock the boat. "You can do it buddy," said Takashi as he waved to Jace as he continued to laugh.

Takashi than realized this entire time that Katrina had been clinging to him. This was the first time he'd ever seen her like this. There was no way she was playing helpless and scared just to come off as cute. She didn't need to, at least, that was T.K.s thought. By now the swimmers were halfway finished but T.K. and Katrina's boat was still being gently swayed back and fourth thanks to the ripples from the powerful swimming of the mermaids. Takashi wrapped both of his arms around Katrina and pulled her head against his chest. He rested his head atop hers as he whispered to her, "I'm right here." He let their bodies sway with the gentle rocking of the boat.


Once more they were embracing together. They were in front of everyone yet the darkness offered them some privacy.Takashi gingerly twirled some of her hair with a single finger watching the way the moon lit up certain strands or so it seemed. "Better?" he whispered to her through the noise of the splashing and laughing which slowly droned away from them.

[Secrets]

She let T.K. wrap his arms around her, Katri's eyes squeezing shut as the waves rocked the boat. A panicked breeze danced frantically around them, causing the boat to turn slightly. That certainly wasn't helping anything so she sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Focusing on the warmth that wrapped around her made the wind die down and she mumbled an "I'm okay" against T.K.'s chest.

Finally, she pulled back from T.K., though kept her eyes trained on his face and not the rippling water around them. "I was hang gliding and before I'd gotten control of my powers, I accidentally made the wind change too drastically. The glider folded around me and I fell in a river. That's why water scares me," she said softly and looked up at the moon.

The people at the other end of the lake began to cheer and Katri swiveled around to look at them on the shore. The ripples on the water turned into magnificent splashes as the merpeople dove in and out of the water. Then the waves lulled and the sounds of the shoreline quieted. "Let's get back to shore so I can murder Hallie for doing this to me. I thought I could face it, but guess not," she said with a shudder and had to work a bit to send the nose of the boat toward shore.