~House of cards~ [Kazuya/Invite]

[Eurydice Sudeki]

.::Maybe she was a bit scared of this, scared of what it could be and what that meant. Deep deep down inside that is. A place she was not going to dive into and think from any time soon. Eury was not so easily intimidated and that wasn't going to start now. She'd stare him down all night if she had to just to prove that point. But her body was betraying her, making her falter. Making her sway, ready to drop. His words did not fall on deaf ears. Though she was visibly weakening the frustration was still held there. She needed to regroup for all of this wasn't her. It was almost like it was another person. Anyone would appreciate how much he cared and it wasn't that she didn't, it was just hard to have someone be so kind as he was. The things he said since the waterfall till now they played with her in so many ways without fully hitting her to the point of realization::.

~What did he say?~

.::It slipped passed her momentarily through all the anger and her being pulled into his chest, the words that he loved her. It lingered lost in the air of anger and frustration that filled the room. The words maybe she wanted to hear but was it from him that she wanted to hear them from or from another. The one that should be showering her with kindness that she couldn't understand. The one that should be telling her how much he cared for her, that he'd do anything for her. That he would be; should be; the one to save her. That he should be the one here with her. But it wasn't that case was it?

She didn't mean to make him so angry as it was certain he never intended for her to be angry. He didn't do anything but just be himself. She was indeed the idiot in this battle and maybe she needed to pass the white flag for the both of them. But everything he said and all his reactions was a wake up call. He hadn't taken the jabs most others would have but his truths were jabs enough for her. Gravity almost stole her backwards but like each time they met so far he managed to be right there to grab her back into him and hold her. Her breathing wasn't exactly steady yet it wasn't alarming fast. She didn't hold him back opting to let him hold her close feeling the warmth of his body. She was far too tired to argue at this point. She just suddenly felt so drained but that didn't stop her from speaking::.

"You're lucky I'm too tired to hit you for that stupid remark."

~But there is always later.. Definitely later. Don't be surprise when it comes.~

.::There was playful Eurydice just for a brief moment though still serious in a sense. Though her tone would turn completely serious again as she spoke through quite tired like breaths::.

"I don't get why you care so much.. Why do you want to save me so badly?..I'm really nothing special..How could you be so trusting of me? I'm so flawed..I never had someone spread that sort of kindness like you do so willingly so blindly. Everyone has ulterior motives to the reasons why they do things... I don't know what to tell you right now..The world is dark and so are my thoughts at times.. I can't help that and I don't expect you to understand or accept it."

For the night is dark and full of terrors

.::She was confused that was for sure but at least she was relatively calm as she leaned on him placing more or her weight against him now. If it wasn't for his support she'd be on the ground. The thunder didn't crash as she spoke in the softest of whispers her head turning into his chest so now it was her forehead that touched it instead of her cheek::.

"Maybe I do need protection...from myself.."

.::An unlikely admission anyone would've ever heard her say. Only in secrecy of thought hardly ever aloud. She fell silent right after her eyes closed letting herself remain there wrapped in his embrace.

[Kazuya Hikari]

"... Tch, you already hit me once, you could hit me as many times as you want for all I care... Baka."

Although Kazuya was still very much annoyed, as evident by the frown on his face, a hint of teasing could be heard in his voice as his eyes slowly began to lose the red glow and fade back to gray.

"... Because you're important to me. Whenever you were around I would notice you, no matter what. Everybody is flawed. There's not a single person in this entire world that could claim they are perfect, and I'm no exception. Believe what you want, but I act kind to you because that's how I am. Your thoughts could be dark all the time and it wouldn't change how I feel about you. You are you, and that's all I need to know."

His head turning to the side, away from her, he would feel her lean against him, placing more or less her weight against him, his arms wrapping tighter against her as she turned her head, her forehead now touching his chest instead of her cheek.

"Then I'll be there, no matter what..."

He would mutter lowly, holding her closer to his warm body, letting his warmth seep into her body.

Y'see... I was always watching...

[Eurydice Sudeki]

"I'm going to hold you to that."

.::As tired as her body felt her voice teased about him kinda giving her permission. Almost open season. At his words her head would just nod in his chest and shoulder area since she moved her head to be more comfortable. Things weren't going how she expected it to be. Wait that was a recurring pattern with him wasn't it? Thinking about it actually made her start to snicker into his neck as her face was now somewhat buried in it. He could feel the vibrations against his neck, probably tickling him::.

"Nothing goes as plan with you around does it."

.::She had said this earlier in the day which was why she was snickering about it. Her lips brushed against his flesh with every spoken word::.

"You're just as much a jinx as you are a tease."

.::Her arms finally came up actually opening the fleece throw she had wrapped around her then she slid her arms still holding the ends of the fleece under his arms wrapping him inside with her. Their bare forms placed against each other again. As she did all this he would feel her lips lightly kissing his neck. When it came to Eury and calming from her anger things could go either way strongly depending on the context of the subject. Was this all a laughing matter? Yes and no. She couldn't help finding some amusement in it. She might apologize but not at the moment, maybe later. The warmth he pushed into her was actually helping with her calming. The kisses on the neck, well she couldn't help it after snickering about calling him a jinx and tease::.

[Kazuya Hikari]

The vibrations from Eurydice snickering into his neck actually did tickle him a little, as a wry smile would tug at the corners of Kazuya's mouth.

"... Usually never does. And you are more trouble than you are worth. ... But I guess that's why I like you so much."

Feeling her slide her arms underneath his after her arms came up and opened the fleece throw she had wrapped herself in, holding onto the edges of the fleece and wrapping him inside with her, his eyes had returned back to gray as he felt her lightly kiss his neck. Glancing down at her from the bottom of his peripheral vision, a wry smile worked its way onto his face as he would turn his head back to look down at her, before leaning his head down and burying his face in the side of her neck.

"... I knew you were trouble when you walked in. But I suppose I don't mind this kind of trouble. It brought me to you after all..."

[Eurydice Sudeki]

.::She snickered against his neck through the teasing of her lips. She was indeed trouble. She always had been. Trouble followed her everywhere like a second shadow. There was doubt he would like her so much if the big trouble that usually followed suddenly showed up. No she hadn't seen that kind of trouble in years and with the bombing she somehow was pretty confident she wasn't going to. She really would be shocked otherwise. When he head went into her neck she felt the tickle of his words against her skin and let out a sigh against his neck followed by a small laugh::.

"I don't deny being trouble maybe I should come with a warning label huh?"

.::It was always good to make a personal joke on yourself every once in awhile. She was always a fidgety person unable to sit or stand so still for too long normally. So her right slipped in between his legs rubbing against the inside of his thigh. It seemed like a sign that she was calling for more, but it was more simpler than that. Funny the storm still wouldn't let up and the night was still very young being merely only about 11. Storm's had a strange sense of symbolism at times like these and though their storm was for the most over, the one outside had no intention of even calming. The back of her head faced the windows as the flashes continued, her face buried into his neck::.

"What did you mean whenever I was around you noticed me?"

.::That she found to be quite curious. She never met him before. Even though she went to 259 there was still plenty she hadn't met till recently. Same happened when she attended 552. Unless he saw out and about somewhere. But the way he said was as though he's been watching her for along time and somehow avoided her own gaze. It just added into her being intrigued::.

[Kazuya Hikari]

"A warning label is an understatement. Though I suppose I should come with my own warning label too then."

Feeling Eurydice's right leg slip between his own legs, rubbing against the inside of his thigh, she would be able to feel Kazuya lightly breathing against her neck, his lips brushing lightly against her skin.

"... I was born in Japan and lived there until I was six, then stayed in northern Russia, near Moscow, for about seven years, before returning to Japan until I was sixteen. I was only thirteen, but from that day on, whenever you were around, I always noticed you..."

Flashback time!

- 8 years ago -

In downtown Tokyo, a young boy could be seen walking past the crowd lining the sidewalk, one hand held in his pocket. Reaching the intersection, he would wait for the light to turn green, before stepping off the curb and make his way across the crosswalk. His earphones firmly clamped onto his ears and his music player held in his hand, the song playing just barely audibly above the noise of the crowd. As he passed by the crowd going the opposite way, he would immediately stop dead in his tracks and turn, a quizzical look on his face.

- Present -

"I was that boy."

[Eurydice Sudeki]

"Heh I would agree a big one at that."

.::A small chuckle she let go into his neck as she felt his lips brush against her skin. She listened as he explained seemingly his origins. At first she didn't understand why he was telling her where he was born and moved to then back again. She didn't ask for it just how it seemed like he'd seen her before. She pulled away looking at him quizzically trying to understand where he was going with it all. He saw her when he was 13? She looked over him again before she really hadn't paid any attention that he was potentially younger than her. She had a youthful glow about her still, but if he was younger he surely didn't come across it to her. Then again nowadays people didn't look their age. Hell 14 year olds looked FAR older::.

~That boy? What boy? When I was 13 I was still training in New York. A year later I went with Kilik to Japan again, then a few more times spreading throughout the years. Apparently I saw him but I saw a lot of people.~

.::Her mind flipped through her memory bank like pages of a book. So many faces went by. So many instances of her being around crowds and such. Somehow someway it seemed to pause one. A boy staring at her. She probably only recalled it was because she was weary of people that stared at her randomly for long periods of time. It made her question why and cause her to be onguard. But that memory was eight years ago. She was 19 at the time married and the twins were about a year or two. So if he was 13 then they were 6 years apart::.

===Flashback===

-8 Years Ago-

Kilik wanted to take Eury on a trip back to Japan as they had so many times before. Except this time it was much more leisure than work. The twins and Elena were left back in the states with their father. Downtown Tokyo, a more shorter and darkened haired Eury walked in the streets side by side with Kilik. Like everyone else they waited patiently for the light to change and as it did they would stroll with the crowd to the other side. Kilik uttered a joke to her and caused her to laugh as they crossed the crowd going the other way. Through her laughter it created a smile as she glanced to the side where the other side crossed by and caught the eye of a boy seemingly frozen staring at her. She glanced away but found herself glancing back wondering why he stared the way he did at her. Even once Kilik and her reached the other side, she looked back to see that his eyes had still followed her before he obviously realized the light was going to change and ran off.

"Haha.. well well you seem to still turn heads even with the younger ones now huh? Watch out now you're married after all and it's always the young ones that swoop in and -"

"Oh shut up Kilik. Not happening I'm happily married."

===Present===

.::She blinked away the memory as the face aged into the Kazuya that stood before her now::.

"In the cross section in downtown Tokyo."

.::She spoke with a sense of surprisement and realization at first before she laughed a little like she did then::.

"Heh, you had me weary of your staring. Heh, remembering what Kilik said he warned me about you.."

.::Well isn't that rich thinking about it yeah?::.

[Kazuya Hikari]

Giving a slight nod of his head, a wry smile formed on Kazuya's face after he had pulled his own head away from Eurydice's neck to look down at her when she had pulled her head away to look at him quizzically and look over him again. Hearing her laugh a little, a wolfish grin worked its way onto his face.

"... You weren't the only one. Even my friends took a while before getting used to my stares when I was a kid. Did he now? ... Looking back on it now, at the time, I didn't realize it, but you were my first crush. It really was puppy love for me. It may have been the first time we saw each other, but it definitely wasn't the last. I saw you a few more times as I grew older since that day, the last time being when I was sixteen and attending the school my father, Kane Hikari, built."

- Flashback -

In downtown Tokyo, a teenager could be seen running past the crowds lining the sidewalk, his right hand holding onto his school bag held over his right shoulder. Quickly bolting up the stairs leading to the overpass, he'd dash across the overpass, moving as fast as he possibly could, to catch the incoming subway train at the nearby station.

There weren't any trains that went all the way out to Public High School #650 after all, so he'd have to be picked up at the terminus station and driven and dropped off at the entrance. As he ran, he'd pass by a familiar face, but being in such a rush, wouldn't catch her face, or notice that his phone hang, which had been bouncing around outside of his pocket, finally became loose and would fly off his phone, landing on the ground with a soft 'ting', from the metal charm that was in shape of the kanji of his last name, 'Hikari', as he would be quickly swallowed up by the crowd as he ran down the stairs and disappeared from view into the station.

- Present -

"... That time in Persia, was the first time that we saw each other since then."

[Eurydice Sudeki]

.::She laughed as she gave a slight backhanded tap on his chest and backed from him, obviously taking the fleece with her to wrap her form again. Her eyes playfully rolled with her laughing about his crushing::.

"Oh stop it."

.::How was it suddenly she seemed like a shy teenager hearing a guy had a crush on her. Well that was strange and hilarious at the same time. Eury wasn't really a shy girl. Her laugh slowly halted at what he said his father's name was. The last name sounding so familiar to her::.

~Wait what was his last name? Hikari?.. That name sounds so familiar..~

===Flashback===

.::Eury was casually getting off one of the train dressed in formal attire looking as if she was going to a meeting or coming from one. Everything was so hustle and bustle. People constantly seemed to be in a rush especially the younger crowd always running to get somewhere. Even in the crowd she heard the slight ting noise of the ground as something hit just near her. She stopped, looked and bent to pick it up. Standing up she examined it in her hand::.

~Hikari? Didn't Kilik say something about he was thinking about meeting with Kane Hikari? Who drop this?~

.::She looked up and around and pocketed it figuring she'll return it soon enough. But Eury had gotten so busy she completely forgot about it, in a sense::.

===Present===

.::Eury ignored his last statement to ask a question::.

"Hikari? Did you have a kanji of your name on a phone chain?"

[Kazuya Hikari]

Hearing Eurydice laugh as he felt her give a slight backhanded tap to his chest before backing from him, he'd let out a low 'Oof', despite it not actually hurting him at all, a wry smile would tug at the corners of his mouth as he casually folded his arms across his chest.

It was true though, when he was thirteen, he didn't realize he had developed an instant puppy love for a girl he saw briefly on the street, and subsequently saw occasionally as he grew up. His smile would fade slightly hearing her laugh slowly halt, as a frown would slowly appear on his face.

"... Yeah. I lost my phone chain when I was in Tokyo one day, to run errands for my big sister, when I was sixteen. I went back to the last place I was at, an overpass near the subway station, the very next day, and combed the entire area, but I never managed to find it. ... How did you know I had a phone chain like that?"

[Eurydice Sudeki]

~It wasn't like me to forget things like that, but I was so busy then I just tucked it away. I went home and... what did I do with it? I know I didn't throw it away.~

.::Eury thought and thought about it. Trying to dig through years of memories to find out what she may have done with the phone chain. She had a lot of trinkets even different boxes and such so it could've been anywhere. Flashes continued until it finally zoomed in on one specific box. Her face looked puzzled, deep in thought until she put a finger up to him a silent sign to tell him to wait a moment. Quickly she walked out the living room and headed up the stairs to her room that was still a wreck from a dream she had. In that dream she thought she was in a room that was crushing in on her and she used her psy katana to cut her way out. Apparently it was so realistic she cut up her room and hasn't bothered fixing it yet. In her closet she found a box of little trinkets and such, shuffling through she found the lost lost and long forgotten phone chain

With a smile she clutched it and left the room swiftly making her way back downstairs to the living room where he was. Still smiling as she stood before him again. She her left grabbed his right hand as her right hand which was closed came up and placed something in his hand and closed his hand so he could feel it out::.

"You're welcome."

[Kazuya Hikari]

Blinking once seeing Eurydice put up one finger that told him to wait a moment, a puzzled and deep thought on her face, Kazuya's gaze would follow her as she quickly headed out of the living room. When she returned after a little bit, she would find him standing in front of the window, watching the rain run down the window as it continued to batter against the glass, his arms casually folded across his chest and his back facing her.

Feeling his right hand being grabbed, he would turn around to face her, her left hand holding his hand as her right hand, which was closed, came up and placed something his hand before closing his hand up, as he would feel not only the cold metal of the phone chain attachment, but also the shape of the attachment, which was...

"... My last name. You found my phone chain?"

Looking up at her, a look of mild surprise on his face, he would slowly open his hand and look down at it once more, despite the fact he couldn't see it at all, before looking back up at her and giving her a small smile.

"... Thank you Eurydice. ... Why'd you keep it all this time though? Five years is a long time to hold onto something, especially a phone chain of all things."

[Eurydice Sudeki]

"Yup. Didn't know it was yours but yup."

.::She noted the look on his face and already knew he probably thought it strange she had it all this time. She didn't mean to she just tossed it aside. Out of sight out of mind for the most part. And so he asked. She playfully smiled in a cutesy matter about it, looking away innocently. She was being such a teenager::.

"Weeellll, actually I found it and was supposed to return it and then I was just too busy and forgot about it. I always buy trinkets in Japan not that I thought I bought that. When I got home I believe I just put it with the rest of little shiny trinkets and such.. You just reminded me about it."

.::She then looked up at him, completely ignoring the fact that he's been in the buff the whole time still::.

"Kane Hikari is your father huh? Well shit..Hikari huh..I remember Kilik wanting to have a meeting with your father, if he actually did he didn't tell me."

[Kazuya Hikari]

Despite the fact Kazuya was still in the buff, it honestly didn't bother him, mostly because of the passive side effect of his Qi keeping his body temperature slightly above the normal human body temperature, making it seem like he had a mild fever. Looking down at Eurydice as she looked up at him, his arms casually folding across his chest, his phone chain still held in his hand, he'd give a slight nod of his head.

"Either he wanted to meet my father as the CEO of Hikari Industries, or as the second generation family boss of our Yakuza gang, the Hikari-gumi. Or maybe both, I don't know. If my father told me about the meeting he might've had with Kilik, I don't remember."

Giving a casual shrug of his shoulders, he'd turn his head slightly to the side to look at the fire, the flames reflected in his eyes, before turning back to face her.

"... I want you to have my phone chain, as a gift from me. Not as a representation of my last name, but as what the kanji actually means. Light. Light to shine in the darkness."

Reaching out, if she allowed him to gently take hold of her right hand, he would gently place the phone in her hand, closing her fingers over it.

[Eurydice Sudeki]

.::She shrugged a bit childishly about the meeting with a small 'meh' leaving her lips. She didn't really care if Kilik did met with him or not, it was so long ago now. Not to mention she could probably think of plenty of reasons for the meeting::.

"Meh I don't know, there could be a few reasons. Doesn't really matter now does it?"

.::Eury watched as he looked towards the fire catching the glimpse of the flames dancing in his pupilless eyes. There was always something mesmerizing about watching the glimmer of fire reflect in someone elses eyes. She got lost for a moment as he looked back to her and spoke about wanting her to keep it. Of course she let him take her hand closing it around the phone chain and once he let go she'd look down at it rubbing it with her thumb::.

~A light in the darkness huh. I hope it's really bright cause it can get really dark.~

"I feel if I say no you'll just be stubborn about me keeping it, so thank you."

.::Eury would smile with a step towards him to give a kiss on the corner of his lips. Pulling away her left hand rose to her face covering her mouth as she yawned. She was still feeling a bit tired from her outburst but she still had some energy to get going a bit longer. She was stubborn when it came to all sorts of things. Placing her hand down she'd just let herself lean into him burying her face into the left side of his neck arms wrapping around him gently and lazily. Speaking into his neck her lips would brush his skin again::.

"So what now? Party games? Maybe Twister"

.::She mused, chuckling against his skin before giving him a peck on his neck::.