{Aiko} What it takes to make you smile.

[Aiko]

Aiko surpressed a giggle from her post above. David was so helplessly adorable when he was looking for her, and it just tickled her pink! His strange hair fit him so well, she didn't even dream of asking him if it was natural or not---obviously it was.

After what felt like forever, but was really more like five minutes, Aiko decided that time had gone by enough. She waited until he was just under her, and then attempted to stick her feet in front of his face to startle him. Unfortuantely, she wanted to see his expression while she did so, causing her to lean forward at a risky angle---so risky that she actually wobbled for a moment, right before falling out of the tree completely.

It wasn't that far up, only about eight feet or so, so short that she didn't even have time to scream. She had just had enough time to get enough breath to do so when it was over. Surprising, it didn't hurt very much. It was only then that she realized that was strange, where upons she then came to the conclusion she had landed on David. Taking even more air, she gave a large gasp; it was enough oxygen to let out her hurried stutters and sputters of apologizes and sorries; all too scrambled to be called any exact langage. She quickly shifted off of him and looked, a worried expression on her face as if she were fearing he would explode.

[David Turner]

He must have been really bad at this game, that was his only thought. But that couldn't be helped, and he gave up on that one. His head titled, and he seemed to strain his neck to look off to the side. She wasn't in the yard, that was clear as the sun was. Well, she wasn't in the front at least, maybe she'd gone around back? Nah, she wouldn't do that, after all i would have heard the foot steps.

A tree would be the next place to look, but the girl didn't look as though she'd be brave enough to go up a height. He was wrong though, you couldn't judge a book. After all, he looked like he couldn't take much more than maybe four hits, when he could take a whole lot more than almost anyone. David still didn't look up at the tree he was under, most branches were up to high, but some were low enough to where someone could get into them, and by time he decided to look up, it was a bit to late.

Next thing he knew, he was on the ground, yet again. Face first into the ground, and a light weight on his back. It didn't hurt, not as much as it would for someone else, pain usually didn't get to him, he had so much in his past that maybe it was harder for him to feel such a thing. David knew who it was, he'd caught a glimpse of her falling before he'd been landed on. His face had been lifted out of the ground, because he no longer wanted to smell dirt, he had to spit a few strands of grass out of his mouth, but other than the few specks of dirt on his face, the teen was fine. A second alter, the light weight that had once been on his back was gone, and he was able to stand up at his tall height before messing her hair up again like he'd done before; giving her a grin. "Your it."

He wasn't mad, after all it wasn't likew she fell out of the tree on purpose.

[Aiko]

She was speechless for a moment, perhaps for only the second time in her life. The feeling took her back to the first night that her father had become someone else; someone more like a master. She had came home late, for she had taken up a part time job at a local bar for extra money to help pay the bills. It had been a place that served beer, so she technically wasn't supposed to work there because she was underage, but the manager was alright with that as long he didn't get into trouble. She worked for less, and her cute face and figure got her more tips and customers; what could possibly be wrong with that? Someone had had a bachelor's party that night at the bar, and it was pretty crazy. She had stayed late to help clean up, feeling sorry for the friendly manager. He had had to kick someone out for attempting to touch Aiko rudely, and Aiko knew that it had cost him money. Respectively, she helped clean up free of charge.

It had been dark and so she was startled when her father said something from the shadows. "Amarante..." he had muttered angrily, obviously drunk. Shivers had went up her spine, prickling the little hairs on the back of her neck. He knew that she hated being called that name---it was the name that her dead mother and her shared. "You're late," he grumbled, spitting out the last word.

Presently, her mouth dropped open wordlessly just as it had then, when her father had started his abuse. However, this time, she learned that just because there weren't words for something, it wasn't necessarily bad or wrong. This time: it was lovely.

Why hadn't she spoken to David before? Shame on her for being so shy at the beginning. She gave a sigh of relief before letting out a contented laugh at his words. It was true, she hadn't fallen out of the tree on purpose; nor had she fallen for him on purpose. These things just happened---maybe it was fate, or maybe it was just gravity. Sometimes it worked out just fine, and sometimes you broke things.

Since he made no attempt to start running, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his knees, trying to buckle them so he would fall, too. Aiko didn't exactly feel like running; she had been running for almost a year by now. Right now she just wanted to stay here, with David, where he could catch her as easily as he pleased.

[David Turner]

He seemed to have shocked her, or well that was the thought he had when he saw her mouth drop. David had a short temper, oh of course, almost everyone in the house knew that, but none knew how to trigger it, and something like this wouldn't cause him to go off. He was even good at hiding it if someone got him so close to it, that may have taken years, but it had helped him greatly. Having those years to control it helped to make sure he didn't hurt anyone, he had been known to get into fights, he still was, even in the house he'd already done it a few times. Maybe old habits die really hard?

His father was just like him in that way. David had tried to be something other than that, only to end up being sort of like him in a different way. His father couldn't control his temper, but his son could. His father got into fights a lot; so did his son. Like father like son, right? Even if he hated that little saying, he couldn't help that, in a way he was like the old man, even if he didn't want to be, there wasn't a real way to change it. He'd still get into fights, over things that were so silly. He had gotten into one not long ago by just trying to get a master off of a slave that wasn't his own. It worked, but he ended up having to fight the man.

"You look so cute when you at a loose of words." He figured she was, her mouth was wide open, and he did think she looked cute, but even so it was made as to be a tease. It didn't sound like that, and he had meant it to. Either way it came out, he did think she was cute with that look on her face, she was even cute without it! Just he wouldn't say that, not yet after all, he'd only meat her maybe fifteen minutes ago, maybe less, maybe more. David was unsure at the moment. But he let that drop from his mind, and focused on her.

In all his thinking, he had forgotten she was still on the ground; when he went to offer his hand to her, he seemed to fall over. She had leaned forwards and her arms had rapped around his knees, and with that his tall figure seemed to go to the ground, for the third time that day. Though like the first time he was on his back, and not flat on his face, which he was happy about. And at the time he couldn't help but laugh. She sure did no how to have fun, didn't she?

[Aiko]

Aiko giggled. "And you look so cute when you're trying to be a pro at hide and seek!" she laughed in remembrance. "Honestly, at least live up to your word, else I won't know for sure what's true or what's not anymore. Then how am I supposed to know if you think I'm cute or not?" she said, laughing again as she scooted up next to where he lay, propping her chin on her hands and her elbows in the ground.

"Now," she began slowly, watching his face closely, "if you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" People here seemed to block out other worldly activities from their minds completely; barricading themselves in the depressing fact of this trapping curse. Aiko, however, would read tourist brochures and look at photographs of mountains in China.... It fascinated her and filled her dreams, but she knew that even if she were out of this curse then she would still never get to see them. It was this curse that allowed her to have time to learn about them; only if the effects of forever were all over the world would she be able to finally visit the wonders that she so desired to witness. However, if she were just back in her home with her father, or still on the run, sleeping under bridges during the days and traveling when she was concealed by the night so that the police would not spot her as easily and put her in a foster home---if she were in either of those places, where she would've been if this place did not exist, then she knew that she would have never visited them anyway. Her legs slowly kicked back and forth as she pondered this fact, her blue-green eyes closely observing his face for any sign of offense or sorrow that might be caused by her question.

[David Turner]

His eyes moved from her when she started to speak; his honey golden gaze went to the sky above watching the clouds go by the light blue sky. He hadn't been able to do this in forever. He was almost sure he'd never sat back and watch the sky, back then he was one that stayed inside; he didn't like being social at a young age, that was mainly his fathers fault. That was one of the reasons he wasn't all that tan and could be called partly pale. Most stuff was blamed on the old man, but he had reasons for that. David's childhood had seemingly been stolen away from him once before, yet now he tried to start it over, make up for the times it was lost. He did have all the time in the world after all. It wasn't like anyone was close to finding a way out of the curse.

"It's hard to live up to a word when you've never played the game before." It came out as if he was serious, but his grin was still on his face. He did mean that, after all he hadn't played hide-and-seek once in his life before, and he had been kidding when he said he was a pro at it. "Ah, but that makes it no fun at all! You wouldn't make those faces if I went with every word I said!" His golden eyes went to her, and for a moment he sounded like a little kid whining.

At her next question he seemed to fall silent, and his eyes went back to the sky. He'd never thought about it. He never really dreamed of going to any other place. It just never crossed his mind, he figured he'd be stuck in the town forever. Always thought he'd never get out or have the time to do something like the sort, David just never had those thoughts come to him. "I wouldn't fully no; there's no where in the world I'd rather be, to be honest." After all the place he wanted to be, was not on the world.

[Aiko]

"You've never played hide and seek before??" she repeated astonishingly before she could stop herself. Really, though, never? Aiko herself didn't have any siblings, so maybe that was his reasoning, but there was still grade school and the other children there.... To her, school and studies were an escape when she was younger. She would join all the clubs she could, try out for nearly every sport, just to limit her time at home---with her father. Every cell in her body wanted to recoil at the memories, to run at the sound of his voice; and yet for years, before she had runaway, she would come home, hoping that maybe that day wouldn't be like the rest. Even on her birthday. Even on her birthday...!

She reached up and rubbed her eyes, trying not to remember. They had gone a slightly hazy green at her sad thoughts, but as she focused back on David they began to turn back to the happy light bluer look that they did when she was content. She smirked at his next words, yet made no reply.

When he went into deeper thought she tensed, still not entirely sure that he wouldn't lash out for no clear reason, but once he spoke her face softened. What a lovely thing to say! The butterflies were at it again, fluttering up a storm in her stomach. Nearly over come by glee, she gently but swiftly took his hand in hers and placed it softly on her own cheek as a sign of affection. Her cheeks were slightly rosy from the exercise, and warm from it too. She had never felt this warm before, though; usually she was cold. It was as if she were blushing, but she wasn't in the least bit embarrassed. She just felt full of life. "Thank you," she whispered, not entirely sure what for, only that she was completely sincere about it. Fleetingly she wished he'd look at her---she so did love his eyes---but she banished the thought quickly before she could even considering doing something about it; it was already too much to be with him, asking for more would be selfish.

[David Turner]

His head would have nodded, if he didn't feel to lazy to move it at the moment. "I didn't like going outside as a child, I was always made fun of; my school years were spent in the office. Just so i wouldn't get into a fight with others, I'd stay hidden in my room." He hadn't liked outside, too many kids, they would make fun of him if he did. He would get mad, and a fight would break out. Which would all lead to everyone seeing his father, no one had seen what the old man looked like, and even David had been thankful for that back then. The things he did to hide his life back then, and once high school came everyone knew.

Even at school he didn't play, he was the one that sat in the shaded corner, hoping others didn't see him. That had been his life; this place was so much better. And even if it was odd to say it, he was glad he'd been stabbed. He was glad his life was so different now. And he seemed to say what he was thinking, without meaning to. "Do you no why i got stuck in this house?" His golden eyes stayed off of her, and continued to gaze at the sky, and he really didn't give her a time to answer. "I was going home one night, only to pass by the gates. A robber was trying to get away, and though I was going to stop them, thus I was stabbed. Three times, it would have killed me if I hadn't fallen through the gates."

There wasn't a reason to tell her the story, but shouldn't there be a reason why he'd rather not be in another place? This place gave a warm welcome to him, so it seemed. Most people he met were nicer than anyone he had met. And the only other place he'd rather be was not even on earth, his time was not over, so he didn't even want to go there. Though his eyes did move when his hand was taken and placed on her cheek, his golden gaze looked at her, a small smile on his slightly tanned face.

Not much could be said or done. He didn't no why she would thank him, he hadn't done one good thing for her. David was oblivious at the moment, but he didn't let that show. He wouldn't ask her how she ended up in the house, he had just wanted to tell her why he was, and he didn't expect a story in return.

[Aiko]

Aiko's brow crinkled. How could they possibly make fun of him? There is nothing to make fun of! Stupid brats, she thought to herself angrily. Why, if she could get out of here and find these tormentors, she'd shove an umbrella so far up their....

And then David started talking again and she did her best to clear her hostile expression, banish all violent ideas from her mind. Her eyes grew wide at the story, as if she didn't know the better ending, and then she brightened and softened. "Aw," she cooed lovingly, nuzzling her cheek to his hand, "I always knew David was the heroic type."

Inside she was tortured, for she would never be able to avenge this pain inflicted on her beloved boy-man. Worst of all, she was pleading that he wouldn't ask for how she got here. It would be horrible for someone who had got stabbed by a robber to find out that the reasoning that she was here was because she had been trying to rob the house herself...---although of course she wasn't the one who stabbed him (blood causes her to faint, and knives made her quiver at the thought of blood), just that she had been planning to take a few things and maybe warm up a bit. With her stealthy skills, she could half sleep somewhere in the warmth and then leave without anyone knowing. Besides, no one would miss an apple and a couple of sandwiches... not like she could carry away the television, even if she wanted to. Still, the thought of him making assumptions set her stomach off a bit and she tried to discreetly take in the scent of him to get her mind off her feverishly growing guilt.

[David Turner]

"Cruella De Vil" A random thing to say, wasn't it? But it made him remember, saying he was made fun of actually made him the name he was called, the song was not long forgotten either. The words that came after it fit his father than they did him, but either way it went, he had the hair that fit the name more or so. David guessed he looked odd at the moment, laying on the grass saying a name from an old movie. But he really couldn't help it, after all he did give a laugh after it.

David seemed to do that, it made him feel better about things, maybe it did the same for others? It showed he didn't take everything seriously, when you laughed at yourself, it showed that you liked how you were. And he did, after all there wasn't a thing that he'd change about himself, he knew he wasn't perfect. But it was always a good thing to laugh at yourself at times. And at what she said, he couldn't help but to chuckle. "I wouldn't call my self the heroic type!"

He wouldn't, it was true. What had he done to help someone lately? If anything, in his lifetime, he'd probably hurt more people than he had helped! Her cheek seemed to nuzzle into his hand, but he still didn't take it back from her. He really didn't need to use it, so there wasn't a reason too. And mainly, he didn't even think about it. The boy could be clueless to things at times; he often forgot things, it didn't matter how smart he was, he just forgot things.

Though his eyes moved away from her for a minute, he could still see her, out of the corner of his eyes. He often did that when around others, looked off somewhere but could still see them. It was just, him. "So what else should we do, Aiko?" He'd remembered her name, it wasn't a very hard one to get down after all, he just wanted to ask her if she wanted to do anything else.

[Aiko]

"Cruella De Vil?" Aiko questioned, raising a single eyebrow with a confused look on her face. What was he taking about? He was just saying... oh! She got it. "Well that's just low," she commented with a frown that could almost be called a pout. "And that's what kept you from playing games when you were younger? Society puts people to shame. I adore your hair! It's so beautiful and unique... I'm glad you never changed it just because of what some stupid little people said." Her heart seemed to expand for him as the anger that she felt towards the bullies seemed to turn into compassion for him. She, too, had avoided the place that her bully had stayed. She didn't seem to have any safe haven like all the other children did. While he never got to go out, she never got to go in. Here, in this cursed place, they can find both. Aiko had an eternal home and David had a chance to catch up on his childhood. At this beautiful luck, Aiko smiled at him and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Of course you're heroic! You could've died when that happened, and for such a noble cause. What you did took bravery and compassion, the traits of a hero," she praised, smiling wide so her sea-blue-green eyes squinted.

When he said her name her heart seemed to flutter like a baby bird's. His voice was so godly to her, deluded by love, that it was nearly intoxicating when his lips formed around her name. "Tell me more about yourself," she pleaded softly in a sort of swoon. Honestly it was a miracle that she could function her breathing while with him. She felt so calm and at ease but at the same time anxious---for the future, maybe. Only now did thoughts form of the possibility of him not liking her; most of the time she just loved blindly but unconsiously changed herself to what she percieved was their liking. With David, she felt like herself. At least, a little bit. There were still some things that she would hide so that she might fake amounting to enough to be considered being 'with' someone like him. She had never been completely honest with someone in her life, and the possibility of it happening now was just out of her mind's grasp. It would be as difficult as grasping around the idea of walking in the air.

[David Turner]

He stayed silent for a minute, soaking the sun up as much as he could before he would give her a reply. David had said it for fun, it wasn't him trying to tell her what the kids did or said-- that wasn't even the best part of his child hood, he almost didn't want to tell her everything, because his mind would end up reliving it as he spoke. But he had nothing to hide, he could tell her, she wouldn't think anything different of him, right? He may have been quick to trust, but she seemed nice enough, at least at the moment. And he almost didn't think about anything after that ran through his mind. “There's more to it than that.” Though that line slipped from his mouth, he made no attempt to try and stop her from talking, her voice was lovely, and the thought of making her stop never came to him. “You adore it? Well, that means a lot then”David gave a small laugh after it, though he wasn't joking. He was mainly saying that it did mean a lot, to him at least. He never got a compliment about his hair. None would say anything about it.

He coldn't help but let his eyes wonder over to her, them seeming to joy with glee. Even if the two looked like they were doing nothing, they where doing something. The two were laying on the grass having fun while just talking. And that seemed to be the best part of his day, no matter what happened, the teen would still say he had fun doing nothing much at all. Because this was really fun to him. No questions asked!

Again, he seemed to think, and his eyes slipped off of her and back to the sky. What could he tell her about him? She already knew that he was one to stay inside as a child, one who was picked at and called Cruella De Vil. But what else could he tell her? David hadn't even gave her his life story, she only knew little things about him, but he wasn't sure if he should give everything away. After all, if the two met again, he wouldn't have anything to tell her if she wanted to no more about him! “Well, for starters, I wasn't supposed to be born. And my mother died not long after i was, my father blamed me for her death. But that's nothing. Oh, I'm bad at telling about my self!” Another laugh came out of his mouth. He laughed so others wouldn't worry, so that nothing seemed bad in his case, so that it would all be pushed off as though it were nothing at all, like it hadn't even been there. That was David for you though, and that wouldn't change. He'd always do that, to anyone. “What would you like to no? That what I should be asking!”

[Aiko]

Aiko smiled at her desire, watching how the sunlight played across his hair, his cheeks, his lips.... She wondered how anyone could feel this way, this way that she was feeling now, and she hoped, that if only one person could, it was David. Inside and out, he was divine. Ravishing. Beautiful. Charming. Words were not enough, but at his simple ones her smile grew on the left side more then the right, making a crooked smirk. Her hazel eyes sparkled a radiant sky blue, so happy in this simple pleasant moment, so content, so in love. "Of course you were supposed to be born," she protested when he said he wasn't, "if you hadn't, I wouldn't have been here either." She bit her lip eagerly---there it was, another hint on how much she fancied him. It was true, though, in her mind; if he hadn't been born, she couldn't possibly exist: for they were made for each other.

How could a father possibly blame his son for that? David Turner was worth a thousand lives, and that being the humblest of amounts! It pained Aiko how much they were alike; their mothers gone, their faults seemingly pointed at themselves. How cruel this world was to take something from someone like David, she'd think to herself when the very same misfortune happened to her. "Did your father actually tell you that he blamed you?" Aiko whispered, heart broken for him. Her father had never said it in words, only actions. Every thing he did, every word he spoke, reeked with the longing for her dead mother. He missed her dearly, and was not mad at Aiko for the absence, but expecting her to make up for it---expecting the world to make up for, to change Aiko into her mother. After all, they had the same name, what was the difference between daughter and wife? This was how Aiko imagined her father's thoughts must've been like. It made her want to shrivel up into nothing.

The young girl thought for a long time, weighing whether or not to ask. Her heart pounded for a moment, but her spur-of-the-moment attitude urged her on. She had to know, she just had to know. It was aching inside her like a hunger, and she felt teased at the loss of knowledge. "Do you..." she started, and then choked up, deciding against it, turning bright red and averting her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Nevermind. Um, um, ummat's you're 'avorite color..?" she amended hurriedly, her voice an octave higher then usual with her face still the color of strawberries, not meeting his eyes. She cursed herself for chickening out, but she just couldn't! No matter how much it was eating her up inside.