. what you turned out to be - open

[sakura naito;;]

and you'd love to hide me.
i thought i knew you.
you're just haunting me.
and everyone could see.
what you turned out to be.

"No, Panda-chan, that's not nice of you! Don't touch Mr. Kitty there! No, bad Panda-chan! No candy for you!"

No birds were singing, no bees were humming; the sounds that frequented the lovely, well-manecured park were dulled with the recent setting of the sun. A nearby owl hooted, the leaves in clearly groomed trees rustlend and, smack dab in the middle of the park, came a series of high-pitched giggles, in addition to the previously stated sing-songy words. The latter sound seemed out of place; it was obvious with a quick glance that there were no children present at the gardens of the Square. Instead, there was Sakura. She looked, without a doubt, out of place in the gardens. Rather than imitating any normal activity, Sakura was hosting her favorite type of event. She, of course, was having a tea party. All of her favorite companions had been invited to her tea party, including the previously mentioned Miss Panda-chan and Mr. Kitty, as well as Wellington Bear-kun; Hoppu-kun, the rabbit; and Saru-chan, the monkey. And yes, of all places she chose to use the small gardens as her choice of setting for the tea party. After all, she'd rather be sitting on the grass than on the side walk. It wasn't as if there were that many people out at this time of night, but if there were, she could only imagine how big of a mess it would be had she set up her blanket on the pavement. Not the mention how frequently she would have to yell at seemingly innocent passerbys for interrupting her party.

Speaking of her blanket, the fluffly white bedding was spread out under her, spanning roughly four feet wide by the same length long. Sakura sat on one end, with her companions sitting in a circle around her. In the middle was a dish of unwrapped, light pink candies. Strawberry, to be specific; her favorite flavor. Well, in all honestly, Sakura couldn't even really taste the pink candies. So why were they her favorite flavor? That was simple; pink's too pretty of a color to be anything but her favorite. Next to the bowl of candy was a glass tea set. Rather than tea, her cups were empty. Why? Mainly because the thought of drinking most liquids (aside from tea and, of course, blood) was completely unappetizing...and anyway, she wouldn't dare risk spilling anything that could even stain the tiniest bit on her currently flawless blanket. Her tea party was definately somewhat childish, but that was what you had to expect from Sakura. And, of course, she didn't hold back from talking with her party's 'guests' and pouring them imaginary tea.

"Wellington-kun!" Sakura forced out inbetween a stream of giggles, "Get your hand off Saru-chan's leg! That's very naughty and improper and...and mean of you! Maybe you shouldn't get any candy, either. Are you even listening to me, Wellington Bear?! Hmph, you're a big meany, that you are," Sakura piped, sticking out her tongue at the purple bear as she reached over and forcefully pulled his stuffed paw off her monkey's leg. Next, Sakura plucked one of the candies out of her dish and slipped it lightly between her lips. She could barely taste the strawberry flavor; all she got was a sugary taste in her mouth. And nothing. The strawberry flavored candy brought Sakura absolutely no pleasure. Not only could she barely taste it, the sweet scent was somewhat sickening. But that sick-to-her-stomach sensation from the scent alone was worth it; her tea party would only be complete if she actually ate one of her sweets.

Giggling softly, Sakura plucked Hoppu-kun, the rabbit, from his spot and stuck him on her lap. "Oh, poor Hoppu-kun, are you lonely? Here, deary, you could sit with me." Giggling once again after the words were spoken, Sakura lowered her head towards the rabbit so she could plant a kiss on the top of his blue head. "You silly little thing; you know, you don't have to be so shy with me!" Sakura picked up another piece of candy out of the dish, feeding it to Hoppu. Feeding the candy to the stuffed rabbit implied lifting it to his lips before slipping it into her own mouth. This time the sweetness made her gag, leading her to spit out the candy into her hand and simply abandoned it on the grass behind her. The fact that she so carelessly dumped the sweet, pink candy on the spotless lawn meant nothing for her; in fact, if anything, Sakura left it in hope that someone would step on it and, while they attempted to remove the sticky mass of a candy from their shoe, she could ensnare them in her tea party. Now that would just be perfect.

"Yuck; that's icky, Hoppu-dono! I'm sorry for making you eat that. Hmph, no more candy for me."

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[HIROKI katashi]

After spending some time in the ‘City of Love’, Roki found himself wandering the streets of London. Already he had grown bored of Paris and rather than traveling to the other side of the globe like usual, he decided to journey some place closer. It had been a few years since he had last paid a visit to the busy streets of the overcrowded city and it felt good to familiarize himself with something he nearly forgotten completely.

Rather than visiting the local pub to chit chat with random patrons, he wanted to do something different; something a bit out of character. He allowed his legs to carry him somewhere, anywhere interesting. As he strolled along, he kept his hands tucked into the front pockets of his black slacks and his gaze set on the concrete slabs beneath him. Every now and then, he caught a small bug scurrying across the ashen floor or a dry leaf being blown past his shoe. He was tempted to stomp his foot over the desiccated pad, crushing it, but quickly thought it as a waste of time, acting as if he had some place he needed to be at a certain time.

He had grown too accustomed to constantly having to be here or there and this or that time. Being in London on this spontaneous little vacation had pulled him out of his usual routine. Work, feed, sleep perhaps, and then more work. Now his agenda contained… Nothing; other than the important task, which was feeding. That was necessary. There was no way he was going to get out of that one.

Pausing for a moment, he finally looked up after quite some time and carefully surveyed his new surroundings. Silvered hues drifted from one tree to another before moving over the black, metal archway above him. Taking a step back he looked up to see if there was anything that indicated where exactly he was.

“Victoria Gardens.” he read aloud before smiling softly, as if proud of himself. Rolling his shoulders in a shrug, he began walking again, following the new pathway, which lay before him. A park was the last place he imagined ever wandering in and for one reason or another he felt somewhat out of place being there. Oh well, I need to do something different. Something… Losing his train of thought, he listened carefully as an oh so familiar voice shot through the silence. Without another word or thought, Roki followed the voice until he stumbled upon the source. To his surprise, it was an old friend who he hadn’t seen in far too long.

Just as he had suspected she was throwing a ‘party’ with a handful of her ‘friends’. The stuffed animals or dolls weren’t ones he remembered seeing but then again, he was bad when it came to remembering little things such as toys.

“Still playing with dolls and candy are we?” Standing behind the girl, he removed a hand from its place in his pocket and lightly tapped the top of her head before making his way around her little tea party area and standing before her.

[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[sakura naito;;]

and you'd love to hide me.

Had Sakura not been too entangled in her little fantasy world - which was nothing unusual - she may have picked up on the scent of another being. But, instead of preparing herself for the appearance of another, the blonde damsel simply carried on with her party, conversing with her poor, little friends. Within minutes of spitting the last sticky candy out, Sakura, in a sly movement, snuck herself yet another, unwrapping a corner and licking the pink mass cautiously. Once again, the sickeningly sweet flavor made her scowl, scrunching her nose and squinting in a disgusted manner. Yet this time, the blonde left the candy in her mouth for quite a bit longer, at least until it began to bore her. And, at that point, she once again discarded it carelessly behind her. Now without the amusement of her candy - or the desire to be amused by the sugary pink mass - Sakura turned back to her stuffed loved ones for amusement, discarding Hoppu for her favorite.

"Neko-chan! Come here, my love! Aren't you having such a dazzling time? Of course I am, aren't we all? Except for Panda-kun; he's a naughty little boy. He didn't try to touch you, did he Neko-chan? No, no he wouldn't dare!"

And, with that, Sakura drew the bright pink stuffed cat into her arms, her dark eyes squinting in a glare at the previously scolded Panda-kun, who laid half turned on his side. No doubt the result of a punishment, the stuffed panda seemed to be the only disheveled thing about Sakura's tea party. That was odd for Sakura, to leave something out of place. Especially during a tea party, where everything had to be just perfect. But perhaps she had meant for the panda's placement to be a punishment? If so, by now she would definitely be hoping that he was embarassed. "Serves you right, Panda-kun," the blonde said with a pout masking her delicate lips as she stroked her Mr. Kitty's head lovingly.

"Neko-dono, are you having fun? Isn't this oh-so pleasant? Lovely, isn't it? Oh, how lovely it is, in fact!" Sakura began, her sing-songy lyrics doused with a stream of cheerful giggles. "I'd offer you a piece of candy, my Mr. Kitty, but it's very icky! Very, very icky! No one would want it, no one at all! Not even..." Sakura's words were interrupted by an extremely familiar voice and, even more, a tap on her head. The blonde immediately tilted her head back, her dark eyes following the male as he made his way around the blanket until he was standing infront of her.

"Hiko-kun!"

The blonde damsel's lyrics were high-pitched, clearly euphoric as she called out to Hiroki, using a pet name she had instantly thought up. "You came! You came to see me!" With a clear, bright smile spread across the blonde's pale face, Sakura rose gracefully, flinging herself at her old friend in a clumsy embrace. She wrapped both of her arms around him, momentarily laying her small head on his broad chest. After no more than a minute, Sakura removed her arms from Hiroki and turned back in the direction of her blanket, moving back to her previous position on the white, fluffly blanket. "Join me, Hiko-kun! You can sit next to...Wellington Bear-kun! But be careful, Hiko-kun: Wellington-kun is improper, and mean....and-and....icky! Don't let him touch you in a bad way, 'cause if he does, he won't get any more candy!" Sakura wasn't able to keep a straight face as she spoke; her lips curled into a sly smirk as a stream of giggles escaped with her last sentence. As the giggles - high pitched and childish - ended, Sakura lifted Mr. Kitty back onto her lap once more, stroking his head softly, lovingly, her eyes still locked on Hiroki.

[/font][/blockquote][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

Nothing had changed since the last he saw his petite companion. She was still as adorable as he had remembered. Seemingly innocent but to anyone that knew her like he did, she was far from it. Being one of the ‘creatures of the night’ stripped away any kind of purity from anyone no matter how charming or angelic they looked. That’s what Roki thought anyways. He saw her childish façade as nothing but a technique to lure her pray to her and it worked. It had worked on him and thankfully during the time they had met, he was already an immortal.

Shooing his thoughts away from his mind, he set all his attention on the vampiress before him with a modest grin plastered over his lips. It was evident that she was just as happy to see him as he was to see her. After a few years of no communication from the girl whatsoever, Roki assumed that she had either completely forgotten about him or worse; passed on. Fortunately, neither had happened. Perhaps she had gotten caught up in other things like he had gotten caught up in work.

Hiko-kun

Another nickname to add to the list of the many she had already given him in the past. In fact, she was the one that had come up with the one he often asked to go by with close friends or colleagues; Roki. That was the one that stuck to him the most.

“Ah, little Kura.” For once he was able to think of a moniker for her. It was a simple one, one he could have thought of before but for one reason or another, hadn’t until now. He liked it though. It suited her, but he hoped she wouldn’t be offended by it but it was certain she wouldn’t be.

In return, the tall vampire wrapped his arms gently around the petite one, pulling her close before planting a quick peck atop her head. From what Hiroki remembered, he had always looked at Sakura as the little sister he never had despite the fact she was older than him. Much older. Before, her age intimidated him, making him feel like he were the child compared to her rather than the other way around but now, the ages were easily pushed aside.

As the girl removed herself from him, he let his arms fall to his sides as he watched her move back to her previous position at the opposite end of the quilt. Just as he was asked, he wasted no time in joining her little get together and seated himself beside the one she called ‘Wellington Bear”. Not wanting to ruin any of her fun, he decided to play a long, sitting Indian style across from her, careful not to stain the white sheet with his dirtied shoes or accidentally sit on one of the stuffed animals. Roki couldn’t help but chuckle a bit as she went on about her friend being well, unfriendly.

“I wish I knew I was going to be attending your party ahead of time. I would have brought treats for everyone.” He shot Sakura a playful wink before looking over each and every plaything that surrounded him.

[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[sakura naito;;]

and you'd love to hide me.

Little Kura? While some people didn't appreciate little pet names, Sakura definitely wasn't that type of person. As soon as Roki spoke this new name, Sakura's face lit up, the previously shown bright smile masking her delicate lips once again. As was obvious with her little setup, the blonde maiden loved anything cute, sparkly, and happy. So this cutesy nickname? Sakura absolutely adored it! Now, while most found it odd that Sakura - taking her age and current undead status into consideration - was so childish. But for her? It was absolutely normal. Many years ago, when she was no more than one hundred fifty years old, or so, her sire described her then new-found childish, innocent behavior as a way to cope with everything she had fallen into in her life. Her family's murder, being turned by one she had began to love, to trust; everything that had happened, she could at least hide it on the outside by surrounded herself with cheerful objects. So, fuck the stereotypical gothic perception of a vampire; Sakura was absolutely euphoric, at least on the outside.

Sakura's bright, widened eyes followed Riko as he immediately sat down on her blanket; she hoped more than anything that he was being weary of Wellington-kun. How embarassing would it be if her little bear tried something inappropriate, especially to such an old friend as Riko was? Now that just wouldn't be good. If that happened, maybe she'd jsut have to punish the bear even more by throwing one of her plastic spoons at him.

The blonde shifted her weight from one knee to the other and repositioned her beloved Mr. Kitty, wrapping one slim arm around him. Of course Sakura was kneeling on her blanket; despite the white pair of bloomers she was wearing under her fluffly dress, there was no way in hell that she would be caught dead sitting indian style, like Riko was. And anyway, Sakura didn't mind sitting in the way she was; while some would find kneeling for long periods of times, the blonde was more than used to it. After all, Sakura had been born in a time where wearing a kimono or yukata was essential, especially in when it came to her family. She had been trained at a young age on exactly how to sit properly while in that kind of dress. To make a long story short, Sakura applied her kimono wearing habits to wearing her lovely lolita dresses.

"It's okay, Hiko-kun; if we get bored with the candy I have, we could always go off and find more treats! Can't we, Mr. Kitty? Sakura paused momentarily before nodding 'matter-of-fact-ly', opening her lips once more. "See? He said yes, isn't that right, Neko-sama? Yes, he did."

Sakura momentarily slid Mr. Kitty off of her thigh after placing a light kiss on the top of his head, sitting him right next to her, close enough that the stuffed cat's back was leaned up against her slim hip. Without a moment's hesitation, she wrapped her slim fingers around her white, porcelain tea kettle and, after grabbing one of the empty glasses that laid infront of Saru-chan - her stuffed monkey - Sakura poured her pretend tea into the cup. After it was filled with tea, she placed her empty tea kettle back down on her blanket before offering the full glass to Kiroki.

"Here, Hiko-kun! It's good, trust me. It's very good!"

[/font][/blockquote][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

Ah, just as he had hoped, she accepted her new pet name and judging by the way her pale features lit up, she enjoyed being given one. Her smile caused his meek one to broaden which in turn lifted his spirits a bit. Lately he had been feeling sort of ‘down in the dumps’ and lonely. He had spent the previous nights moping about his home in the outskirts of Paris, going through old things that were best left untouched; especially his journal. There were stories that were best kept untold or locked away but still, being hardheaded as he was, he still went through the entries he had written in the past.

He had spent the last fifty years completely fine with being alone up until he picked up the ledger. Most of the entries that were written were sad ones, of course, and the ones he had read were about the times his loved ones had left him. His sire, his wife, and even the time he had first met Little Kura and the last time he had seen her; all accounts were written out in minor detail.

Now daydreaming, Roki locked eyes with the empty ones of Mr. Wellington Bear. It was as if he were attempting to search for something in the large black eyes. Answers perhaps. Anything. Blinking slowly, he shuddered pulling his gaze away from the stuffed animal and setting it to the petite blond seated across from him. Out of it, he had only caught half of what she had said. Something about treats. Treats? Oh yes, the tea party. He had nearly forgotten where exactly he was.

Rather than giving her an actual response, he simply nodded his head as his eyes now followed her dainty hands as she moved them towards her kettle. Arching a brow for a moment, he watched intently as she poured her imaginary drink into one of the unused cups. He immediately assumed it was for him. Everyone else around him already had a teacup in front of them. Holding his hands out, he carefully took the glass from her trying his best not to ‘spill’ its ‘contents’.

“You’re too kind, Little Kura.” With that said, the tiny cup which he held genially by its handle with his thumb and pointer finger. The cup was soon brought to his ashen lips and he ‘drank’ while his eyes remained locked on his friend’s flawless face. Satisfied, the glass was moved away from his face and set over his lap as he offered Kura a smile. “Ah, darling it’s delicious!”

Extending his hand out, he held the cup out before her once more indicating that he would like another round. Using his friend hand, he comb his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a bit before setting his hand back down on his lap.

“So,” he started, “How have you been, hmm? It’s been nearly fifty or so years since I had last seen you.” He wanted to express the fact that he was happy to see her alive but bringing up the fact that he thought about her being possibly deceased would more than likely be a bad idea.

[/size][/font][/blockquote]

[sakura naito;;]

and you'd love to hide me.

It was odd how, once you've lived for as long a time as she had, the days seemed to instantly mold into the weeks, the months drifting into years. And the last fifty years? Those had gone by especially fast. She had met Hiroki-kun barely even fifty years ago and, despite the passing time, it seemed as if she had known him forever. Fifty years ago, Sakura was back in the United States...simply sight-seeing, for lack of a better word. Where was it where she had met Hiroki? New York? Chicago? Miami? The blonde couldn't even seem to remember; the cities, the days seemed to blend together.

Sakura took a slow sip from her empty tea cup, setting it down on the alabaster hued blanket when it was supposedly empty. Her eyes then drifted to Hiko as he drained his tea, which brought a smile to her face. More often when not, people scoffed at the idea of drinking her tea, which always greatly upset Sakura to the point of tears. After all, she had spent valuable time making it! But Hiroki? He seemed to enjoy it. Sakura's face lit up even more at his compliment, a light giggle being released from between her delicate lips. As he held out his glass, Sakura took it, lifting the kettle and refilling his cup. After it was full enough to satisfy her, which took about half a minute of tipping the porcelain kettle, Sakura handed it back to her beloved, immortal friend.

"It's been too long, Hiko-kun," Sakura started, her voice losing a touch of its childish edge. No doubt the previous stated words were all Sakura's fault; she had wandered off without much notice fifty years ago. And in search of what? Of course she hadn't gone off in search of anything bigger and better things; for the immortals, there was no such thing as bigger and better things. Her life wasn't a fairy tale; her life would never take a turn for the better, so to say. Like she had done for the previous two hundred or so years before meeting her Hiroki-kun, Sakura wandered off with no hopes in mind, no dreams - her only idea of bigger and better things was to search for all that was pretty, sparkly, sweet, and innocent. Over the course of one hundred years, Sakura satisfied herself with a collection of dresses, dolls, stuffed animals, jewlery, and, ultimately, sunk so low that she began to hunt down pretty things for meals. In the beginning, drinking the blood of low-lifes - which was how Sakura dealt with her conscience back when she was none but a fledgling - was enough to make her sick, if not only in the head. But for her to swallow the blood of an innocent? Especially just for fun, for her collection of all things pretty and sweet, which was what Sakura turned to soon after departing from Hiroki. And now? It was nothing but a game. Silly, little Sakura had sunk too low for her own good, too low for her own sanity.

"I've been amusing myself, my Hiko-kun. See, I even got a new friend!" Sakura paused just enough to glance down at her Mr. Kitty, stroking him on the top of the head. "But I missed you, Hiko-kun! You should come around for more tea parties, then I won't miss you anymore!" And, without fail, returned a childish stream of giggles and a bright, cunning grin. Absently, Sakura wrapped her arms around her pink stuffed cat, cooing softly to him. "Isn't that right, Neko-sama? We missed Hiko-kun very much, yes we did." Sakura failed to realize that Hiko-kun hadn't met Mr. Kitty before tonight; she had only gained his friendship recently - two years ago. The way she had made his acquaintance, so to say, was rather peculiar...not exactly something Sakura was willing to share to just anyone. In fact, if she did share their meeting, there was no doubt she would change some things to sound all the better. Sakura had first met her beloved Mr. Kitty. in a toy shop in New York. Of course, as is customary, the cashier wouldn't let Sakura take her beloved friend home with her without paying for him first. Sadly, she didn't have a penny to her name at that point in time. But there was no way in hell that she would just abandon her beloved in the store! So, without a moment's hesitation, Sakura clinged to her beloved Mr. Kitty and ran - at a human pace, mind you; she was in four-inch platform heels. During the process, she managed to successfully fling a spoon at the cashier, who simply stared at her, in awe. To make a long story short, Sakura had obtained a new friend - at the cost of her favorite pair of heels, no less: he was worth it.

"How have you been, Hiko-kun?"

[/font][/blockquote][/color]

[HIROKI katashi]

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hiroki gladly took the small tea cup back, bringing it up slightly and nodding his head as if to say ‘thank you’. Again, it was brought to his lips and he drank before setting the cup gently over the fluffy blanket in front of him. Despite the fact that he knew all too well that this would appear rather ridiculous to anyone else, he loved playing along to Kura’s games. Not only did it make her happy as well as himself, it kept him from dwelling on matters that he still needed to learn to let go.

’It’s been too long.’ Of course it had been. Fifty years would more than likely be nothing to any other vampire. Time usually didn’t matter to the immortal. They had plenty of it but spending years entirely alone was rough. Solitude made days feel like months and months feel like years. It amazed Roki that he hadn’t lost his mind. Or, perhaps he had but wasn’t fully aware of it. The thought made him snicker under his breath.

He was, no doubt, bitter about his loved ones leaving him behind to suffer years alone but when it came to Sakura, he didn’t mind her absence at all. From the moment he met her, he knew that the child wasn’t one to stay put for very long, so he couldn’t blame her for her sudden disappearance. But if he’d of known her plans to leave, he more than likely would have followed not only for the company but to keep an eye on his beloved friend. She was all that he had left and all that he cared to have left. Roki had become quite wary of making new friends. To him there was no point seeing that they always left him after some time.

Lifting his eyes up from the tea cup he had set down, he looked up towards the stuffed animal in which she called “Mr. Kitty”. He offered them both a soft smile and waved his hand slightly towards the doll. “Nice to meet you Mr. Kitty.” He returned his hand to his lap and once again, his eyes fell back down to the blanket. Her comment about missing him and having him come around more often put a genuine smile on his face. So, she enjoys my company then.

It was a reassuring thought. For a moment, he remained silent while she spoke to her ‘Neko-sama’, not wanting to be disrespectful by interrupting their conversation. Instead, he waited until she spoke directly to him again and it wasn’t long before she did.

How has he been? Did she really want to know the truth? That was unlikely. The last thing Roki wanted to do was ruin the poor girl’s gleeful mood with his pathetic stories of the past and his current depression. Narrowing his eyes toward Wellington bear who remained seated beside him as if turning to him for an answer. Not finding one, he rolled his shoulders in a shrug and removed his gaze from the doll only to return them to Kura.

“I’ve been fine,” A lie. But hopefully it wasn’t obvious. “Just have been busy with work back in Paris and trying to keep myself busy.” This wasn’t a lie but he had to admit, he was growing rather spiritless because of the looped routine he had created for himself. Typically his day consisted of pacing about his small home during the times the sun was out and going straight to work and feed there every now and then, then return home to do the same thing the next day.

With a sigh, he slumped forward, placing the tip of his left index finger over the rim of the tea cup. He began tracing it, his eyes following his digit as it circled over the vessel. It was apparent something had been bothering him but it wasn’t anything he cared to talk about. But if Kura asked for him to explain his behavior, he would. He was never good at keeping things from her for too long anyways.[/color][/font][/blockquote]

[sakura naito;;]

and you'd love to hide me.

Sakura, as Hiko-kun waved at her Mr. Kitty with a soft smile, gently lifted her stuffed cat's arm, delicately waving his paw in a loving gesture. "Oh, Hiko-kun, he likes you! That's unusual; he usually never likes anyone, but Neko-kun says he likes you a lot. Isn't that right, Neko-kun? Yes, we both love Hiko-kun." A bright grin - Sakura's trademark - widened once more, her pale lips parting to show off a row of sparkling alabaster teeth and two elongated canine teeth. Her lips gently closed against her tea cup once more and, with her free hand, she lifted the porcelain dish to her mouth, sipping gracefully at the imaginary tea.

Dark eyes fluttered in Hiroki's direction as she set what she believed to be a half-full glass back on her blanket as he spoke, her head cocking off to the side in fascination. Sakura, no matter how oblivious she seemed, wasn't stupid. She just wasn't. There was no way in hell that the little blonde damsel would survive alive as long as she did if she lacked common sense and at least a little basic knowledge. Over the years, the blonde maiden had gained a slight knowledge about basic psychology through experience - through observing, hunting, playing with her food, the works. She also had enough common sense to be able to read between the lines, no matter how hidden she kept this from other. And when Hiko-kun gave his short response - “I’ve been fine,”" there was no way that Sakura wouldn't push him for at least a little more.

"Just fine, Hiko-kun?" She paused, gently cocking her head off to the other side, dark orbs still locked on her companion. Sakura lightly bit the corner of her lip, bringing a light pouting expression onto her childish face. Neko-chan, why do you say Hiko-kun's hiding something from us?! I'm sure he wouldn't do that, at least not on purpose; he's not like you, Neko-chan. If Hiko-kun doesn't want to tell us something, then he doesn't have to. And I don't blame him for not telling you, Neko-chan; you gossip too much, you hear that?! Silly Neko-chan...maybe he'll tell us even more, okay? Just be patient, dear." Sakura's words were hushed to her Neko-chan, her voice lowered as if she was trying to converse to the stuffed kitty in secret, as if what she was telling the cat was a secret. Of course, he voice was easily loud enough for Hiroki to hear, but Sakura remained oblivious to that fact. After all, she didn't want to out-right ask him to go further into why he was busy, why his life had been just fine. Not only did Sakura have no right to ask after being seperated from him for so long - which was something, if she had a true conscious and sense of guilt, she'd actually feel quite guilty about - she didn't want to put her beloved friend on the spot. After all, she was enjoying her meeting with him and there was no reason to spoil a perfectly good tea party with an awkward conversation. And, of course, she had no right to put her guests on the spot...regardless of the fact that she had essentially put him on the spot by her previously hushed words.

The blonde lifted a slim, dainty finger to her delicately pale lips and nibbled on the tip, her eyes intently watching her tea party's only living - if you could call him that - guest, head still cocked lightly to the side. Sakura had fallen into momentary silence - something generally rare for the blonde damsel. Whether she was waiting for Hiroki to soeak was unknown even to the maiden herself; fact of the matter was that she had very little left to say - or at least very little of true importance. True, she could ramble on about her stuffed guests, about her tea, about her little party in general, but where would that take them? Back to the same comfortable words of courtesy? 'Would you like some more tea' and 'Thank you, Kura'...? Instead of repeating the conversations she had already played out with her own stuffed guests, Sakura waited for Hiroki to break the silence. And until he did, Sakura would simply sit and stare...and stroke her Mr. Kitty. But the latter was a given.

ooc:
I apologize profusely for the wait! <333 Forgive me, Jo dear.[/font][/color]