thenearshore | [closed] might as well be walking on the sun

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[closed] might as well be walking on the sun

Who: Zeno and Kaya
Where: Hebe's Temple
When: ...eh.
Summary: Zeno feels like spoiling his adorable ~~wife~~ shinki.
Warnings: Domesticity.

"Ka-ya!"

It's practically sung, and sounds like it's coming from a large mass of plastic bags and wrapped paper. Hands too full to slide open the door, Zeno just teleported straight into the first-level sitting room, and is seriously debating the pros and cons of just dropping everything straight to the floor on purpose. The other option is on accident, as he wobbles a little under the weight.

On the other hand, it might be less wobbling and more that he's practically dancing, he feels so light-hearted. The time they were married was so long ago that, desperately as he's treasured them, some of the memories have faded around the edges. But he does remember that choosing gifts for Kaya was mostly restricted to wildflowers or something for dinner they didn't grow themselves.

Having the ability to really spoil her, he... may have gone a little overboard. And enjoyed every minute of it. Zeno was the kid who, when his hand got stuck in the cookie jar, promptly smashed it and ran off with all he could carry.

And then checked back again every day afterward.

Still, his dragon crest gleams and jingles with him bouncing from one foot to the other, trying not to call for Kaya again. He doesn't want to sound impatient, or worse-- make her think she's too slow. He's sure she heard, but he just loves being able to say her name again where she can hear him, and once he gets started it's so hard to stop.

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"Comiiiiiing!"

Kaya had been cleaning the temple all morning. She wants to make herself useful, so she's willing to do housekeeping in small doses. True, all the gold was intimidating to polish and she has no strength to do even a level in one go, but doing a little bit every day should be enough to keep cobwebs and dust more or less controlled. Even if it's a few objects, it's better than nothing.

Zeno sounds cheerful today. She's glad, and she hopes it's the case. After meeting his brother Kija and how miserable he is, she's been somehow worried she's deep down lonely and sad. Of course, maybe Zeno feels similar, but if she can help him feel a bit better with her company she'll be glad. Then again, she also loves to talk to people!

She drops the cloth she had been using, calling it for now. She hurries downstairs and receives him with a smile.

"Welcome home, Zeno!"

It's stupid, but even after buying things specifically for her, calling her over to meet him, he's still surprised by the sound of her answering.

Not so surprised that he drops everything he was carrying, but enough that things get a little more shaky for a minute before he lowers himself to his knees and sets the stack down. He peeks out from around the stack of things, smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt for just a second.

"Thank you!" First thing, and the most fragile! Top of the stack and most of its was a potted plant, still young and not as tall as it could be.

"Look, it's a sunflower," he said, showing off the bloom with its sunny yellow petals. He'd passed by azaleas, too, and almost brought them back instead, but azaleas... he'd given her azaleas in their first life together, and this was not that.

In some ways, Zeno was young and adaptive, but in others, he was old and set in his ways. Kaya, on the other hand, was still as young as the day she died. Expecting things to pick up right where they'd left off, now that she didn't have her memory... that wasn't fair to Kaya. Maybe she wouldn't want an unhappy old man now that she didn't have the specter of fast-approaching death looming ever closer. Maybe she'd find someone closer to her age, someone bigger and str-- well. Stronger without the aid of a divine dragon.

So the sunflower was a token of a new beginning, a promise of no expectations or demands. It wasn't a romantic gesture, not really, not when it was still potted instead of cut, when it was too big and heavy to be worn. She could cut it to use as decoration if she wanted, or she could plant it on the temple grounds. He'd brought her back some seeds for planting, if she wanted to grow them herself

"Do you like it? They sell the seeds to eat, too!"

He grabs those first. Just so the don't get confused.

"That's a lot of stuff you got there."

She hurries down, until she approaches him and the bags and the potted plant. Even before he tells her about it, the sunflower is hard to miss. It's like a second sun inside, where the first one is Zeno's bright face. They're both surrounded by a bright yellow, after all.

"Waaaa, it's so pretty! I love it, it's the largest flower I've seen!"

Not like she remembers any other flowers besides the ones she's seen in temples around. She almost mentions that the sunflower reminds her of Zeno, but... she has just said that it was pretty, and that would imply that Zeno is pretty as well. Not like he's not! As a matter of fact, she thinks he's a really cute boy and... She blushes a bit and shakes the embarrassing thoughts away.

"Really? That's a really great flower, then. Let's eat some of them together later." She touches one of the petals, pensive. "Shouldn't we take it outside so it gets more sunshine, or is it a house plant?"

Is it a lot? He guesses it is, now that he's... taken a step back and looked around at everything. Maybe he got a little carried away by his enthusiasm...

"Do you really?" You're not just saying that to spare his feelings? He tucks the sunflower seeds for snacks into his sleeve, and fishes out the ones for planting.

"It's whatever you want! If you like it in the temple, we'll find a nice window, and if you want it outside, we can plant it now. And if this one suits you, we can grow even more of them!"

She minds much less than she would have on that first day. To be honest she didn't expect to see so much brought at the same moment, but it's a pleasant surprise. Kouka didn't have anything like Christmas, and even if it did Kaya would not be able to remember, but her heart feels like a child in a world that celebrates it. The other bags that don't seem to contain a beautiful living plant can wait, though.

"Yup, I love it a lot!" She beams as she says so, twirling the pot around to see it in all angles. Kaya can be transparent most of the times. While she's not sure of the kind of girl she is, she realized during this short time that she has a hard time telling lies or saying anything with no earnest.

And the seeds make her even happier. "I'd love to plant more. The grounds at the entrance need something cheery and cute. And sunflowers have the same colors as the temple and Zeno and the sun, so they would look great. Don't you think?" Still blushing, she twirls the pot once more. "I want to keep this one inside until its new siblings grow. That way it won't get lonely."

Can flowers get lonely? She seems to wonder, and she won't take any risks.

After they'd gotten married, this is the sort of thing that would prompt Zeno to hug her tight-- she had a lonely person's desire that no one should ever feel like that again, and he didn't want her to feel like that, either.

Instead, he just tugs some of the curtains from a nearby window, and judges how far in the sunlight streams.

"If you want it to match," he started, not wanting to read too deeply into her comment, "all the really yellow stuff is upstairs, and it's closer to the sunshine, but it's also the loneliest part of the temple."

She gives it some thought and then she shakes her head. The golden floors didn't feel right. It seems as cold and aloof as the metal, even if it gets more sunshine.

"It'll be alone up there because we live downstairs. I think it would be better at ground level? With all that yellow, it just wouldn't stand out, and here it would shine like a little sun. Besides, this floor is just more homey and warmhearted!"

If the flower doesn't get enough light, she will bring it outside instead so it heals. But she wants to try first if it's possible.

Still holding the pot, she stretches her neck a bit towards the other bags.

"What's the other stuff? Food?"

Edited 2017-02-26 01:41 (UTC)

"Ah, some of it is..."

Besides the sunflower seeds, very little. But he pulls out a wrapped package of suncakes, freshly baked but cooled off.

"The sunflowers gave Zeno so many ideas," he laughed. From a shopping bag with a big logo, he lifted out a belted yellow dress with purple designs. "It's a sundress! I don't know if that's because it's a bright sunny yellow or if you'll feel too much sun while wearing, though."

"Oooooooh, I've never seen those but they look tasty! Let's try them for dinner!"

The variety of food in both worlds is amazing to Kaya. She doesn't know how her world was supposed to be, but there's something magical when it comes to things to eat. Like it's a blessing to have them in all their shapes and sizes and flavors. She's not a glutton, but there's a fun, curious hunger whenever she sees a new plate or snack. She wishes to know the taste, more than filling her stomach.

Her jaw drops when she sees the dress. She takes the lower border between her fingers to inspect the purple printing, to touch the fabric. It's much softer than her kimono, much fresher. She chokes a bit from the emotion. One thing is a flower that will help the house and everyone inside, and food they both can enjoy. But this? This present is just for her. A part of her wants to return it because she doesn't deserve it yet. But she needed an outfit like that, and he was so kind and thoughtful. How could she refuse?

"It's... it's the nicest..." She trails off, trying not to cry immediately.

Aah, no... Is he throwing too much at her all at once? Should he have... staggered things?

But he wanted to so badly. She lived and died in that same old kimono and she never complained, was cheerful and loving well and truly past the point where he had any right to expect her to be. Once or twice he'd thought about telling her everything about himself, about proving it, taking her back to the capital, reclaiming his position as general, as priest, using the attendant power to make her comfortable... but he never had. So he'd lost the chance, and now he couldn't even tell her anything about herself, her life... it was an exquisitely piercing punishment for one who'd thought himself well past the point of noticing his pain.

So, perhaps he was overcompensating a bit... and perhaps he was right to start off with one dress, not a whole wardrobe.

"Just, this way, we only have to wash your clothes half as much! So we'll have more time for prayers or having fun or gardening."

Kaya's face is flustered anyway. The timing for this present is ideal, after all, with the heat they've had these summer days. She slips the dress inside the bag again and takes Zeno's hands between hers. She tries not to choke this time and succeeds.

"Th... Thank you so much, Zeno! It's cute and fresh and practical! You're amazing!"

However, she doesn't see anything that Zeno would like except for the cakes and the edible seeds. She hopes he has thought about his own needs as well.

"Didn't you buy anything for yourself? You should also have other changes of clothes to do less laundry if you don't already, right?"

Zeno laughs a little sheepishly. It wasn't that he didn't want new clothes for himself -- he loved soft fabric, and his current set was getting a little threadbare, not to mention... oh yes, the missing sleeve. He glances at it as if he just remembered it was there.

Which he did.

"Time enough for that later," he said brightly. Maybe tomorrow, or next week, or six centuries from now...

That won't do, but at least he's giving it some attention.

"I can try to mend it," she smiles timidly. "It can't be that hard, and if I mess up I can always cut the thread and undo. Still, if you ever see a nice shirt for a new change of clothing? Go ahead and get it! Or maybe I should get you one since you got this dress and these good things for me? Anyway, you should look your best."

Not because he's a god who should inspire respect. She's curious and wants to see him as happy as she is and with a decent outfit.

"It's more fun to get things for other people," he answers, turning his head just a bit so that the wide grin isn't too obvious. He'd started to forget what it was like to have someone worry about him, and the glee it inspires in him... he is going to have to get himself some new clothes, just to prolong the warm feeling that comes from Kaya wanting him to.

"You can try if you want to," Zeno agrees, turning back with a more gentle, subdued smile. "But it's not an order, or even a request. If Zeno is foolish enough to go around in public missing a sleeve, Zeno deserves what he gets."

"Is it...?" She laughs. "Then I should get something you want. Maybe not clothes because I don't understand much of that but... what would you like as a present? What sorts of things do you like?"

Order? It didn't even occur to her. Most of the time she just forgets he's her master or that there's a hierarchy at all. Gods just seem people who can remember their life and have more power, while shinki are dead spirits who have no recollection of their memories. More like bosses and employees. Other people were treating it like princes and servants, but all gods she had met were just like the shinki in their hearts.

"I want to. I don't want to make myself useful just because I'm a shinki. I truly want to help and do things in the temple!"

"There isn't anything left for me to want," Zeno insists with a smile, honest but not bothering to elaborate. There's a few people he might like to see so long as he's bound here, but he's long since realized the futility of wanting to see the dead.

Not that it always works, but the knowledge is there.

"Everything's already much brighter now that you're here," Zeno adds. And that's saying something, given the general gold-yellow motif. "If that's from the cleaning it's very impressive. And if it makes you happy that's even more impressive because not everyone likes that!"

"There's not?" He seems sincere. She can understand since there's nothing she wants in particular, either. She's more than okay with what she's got. "Still, there must be nice things that make your day." She thinks about it, index finger banging on her chin. "Oh! You always seem excited during meals! Perhaps tasty food?"

She feels her face getting warmer. Was that praising? Is the 'brighter' literal? At first she thought it was figurative and he said she was making the place livelier, but then he mentioned cleaning. "A-Ah, I haven't done much yet. It's not like I enjoy it, but it's a pity to leave it gather cobwebs and it looks a bit neater with less dust."

He laughs. "Zeno keeps thinking 'I'll do it later.' But then 'later' never comes."

Though he'll have to get back into it again... he doesn't want Kaya to do all the work.

"Zeno's grateful for any food! Being tasty is nice, though."

"Oh, so you're a lazyhead." It's not criticism or teasing. She just states it with an amused tone.

But the fact she admits it to liking something makes her happy. It's even encouraging to have something to work on, to show Zeno her gratitude, to get him to smile more often. Or happier smiles, to be fair, as he likes to keep grinning.

"Aha! Then I'll try to find new things for you to try! Even if it's just a weird snack from the supermarket we've never eaten before!"

"It's not just my head," he admits, shaking it with a grin. "My arms and legs get lazy, too, especially when the weather's nice..."

In the same way, it's fun to see her enthusiastic about something. Seeing her get excited is such a gift, after watching her life end so quiet, so resigned and brave.

"Don't get something you don't like yourself," he warns, "because what if I'm too lazy to eat it all?"

She laughs at the joke. "Can gods afford to do that? To laze around?"

Regardless of that, he has such a lovely smile. He didn't say no to her suggestion, so she assumed he approves of it. Maybe if she picks food tasty enough, he will grin like that more often.

"We can always save the rest for the next day, or give it to someone else if neither of us likes it."

"Probably not. Zeno thinks that might be why they have shinki, to keep them in line!"

Something something not human, exemplar, conscience, sense of right and wrong, etc, etc, etc.

"Mm, did Zeno say 'they?' Should have been 'we.'"

He lowers his voice.

"It might be that Zeno isn't much of a god." He could stand to get out and do more... and he just grins, because here she is, the most exemplary simple human girl who ever walked the earth (and he'd experienced a good enough cross-selection to consider himself qualified to make that statement). The idea that gods needed human souls in order to be proper gods was the sort of thing Hiryuu would have approved of, he's sure.

And he has been a little bit lazy, for a god. That's the Ouryuu-honest truth. Like a leaf in a stream, he tended to drift until he came across something he couldn't surmount. At that point, he... languished, he supposed. Remained in that state until the current changed or something came along to pull him out.

He'd split the difference between the mortal and the divine for so very long now, it wasn't surprising that he'd lost some of the human perspective. The sense of urgency. He'd realized it before, just... never acted on it much.

Kaya would probably appreciate it if he acted.

"Zeno must listen to you more often, as the exemplar shinki in this outfit. Does Kaya think she's ready to answer some prayers?"

Her smile slowly slips off. She wasn't expecting such a honest reply to her teasing. She wasn't expecting a responsibility thrown at her, either. She wants to take it as a joke, but he mentions prayers and asks a serious question.

Suddenly the warmth she was feeling from all those presents is less lukewarm.

"...That's something shinki also have to do? I had no idea."

She knows nothing about gods. To her they're just like everyone else except that they remember their life. How is she supposed to know how to guide him? He never even gave her a full explanation about most things, and she doesn't blame him for that, but Kaya doesn't think she's qualified with so little information. What does "exemplar" even mean?

And then there's the prayers business. She had been waiting for him to say anything. Is he meaning to tell her that he had been waiting for her at the same time?

What a mess!

"I... I haven't mastered Borderline yet and I don't know how to fight so... I'm okay with prayers without monsters."

Does Zeno even know how to fight? She's under the impression he doesn't. He looks like the type who would squish a mosquito, strength aside.

"Mm, don't look so serious."

He'd rather she smiled again.

"How long have you been trying to master Borderline? It'd be so mean of me to be upset with you for not mastering it just yet, not when you've not gotten any support from me. If Zeno had to judge by past experience, it would take me decades to figure out how to use a power like that!"

Borderline, unbreakable body, same thing, right?

And if Zeno was being perfectly honest with himself -- something you sort of have to be, when you're so rarely honest with others, just to avoid losing perspective -- her not mastering Borderline and his not mastering his dragon powers probably stemmed from similar sources. Zeno might not have expressly forbade Kaya from fighting, but he never planned to encourage it, either. He didn't say anything when she went to the training class, neither to encourage nor discourage, but should he have?

"If you want more practice at Borderline we'll get you some, but prayers without monsters sound better than prayers with monsters right now," he said. "My domain is youth, and that means teenagers, so that's monstrous enough, maybe."

"I was told it's hard to master and it takes a lot of practice. And even then, doing it in the middle of an important moment is harder. There's an open training session tomorrow in Bishamon's temple so I wanted to go and get taught how it's done by the shinki there."

It's the least she can do. In any case, his preference does give her a little relief.

"That sounds good! And if we ever stumble into an ayakashi we can't handle yet, we can always call friends to help us with that! Some of mine have offered! Including the girl who told me... well, that we're weapons and all that. People here are so nice!"

"No reason not to," he said easily. "Her Ladyship is good to the newcomers."

He liked Bishamon. He trusted Kaya would be safe at her temple, but... maybe he ought to drop by...

Zeno tries not to frown at the word 'weapon,' but it's a hard thing. Best he can manage is forcing a smile after a couple seconds. A few different words come to mind about 'nice' in conjunction to calling his wife a weapon, an object to be put between him and danger, but they pass by as quickly as they formed. Kaya's friend wouldn't have meant the word to be so dehumanizing. And just because Zeno considered himself her husband didn't really mean much without her reciprocation...

If he could live without using Kaya as a weapon, absolutely, he would. And living was, for better or worse, what he did best.

Still, the idea of reducing Kaya to what Ouryuu reduced him to be... but he'd hated it so much when Hiryuu tried to protect him from that fate.

"Zeno is just glad you're having fun with them," he says honestly. "And they are. You should hear about the kid's turtle that went and hid with your Ryuuryuu..."

"I... don't like the idea of fighting or being a weapon, but monsters can appear anywhere at any time. I have to know how to protect myself, and you, and anyone who needs it. It would be scarier if something happens to either of us. So... at least Borderline..."

She notices the frown. She notices he's trying to change the subject. He lets him, not wanting to upset him after giving her all those presents.

"Ryuuryuu is your statue, silly! But I don't think I've seen a turtle anywhere here, inside the temple or outside. It must be small if it could hide with the dragon!"

Zeno shakes his head.

"Don't think 'have to,' if you don't want to," he says, and brings his hands together in front of him, one palm in front of the other. They start to glow gold and he pushes it toward Kaya, causing the same gold glow to form a shield around her.

One hands stays out to maintain it, but the other scoops a stray coin out of his pocket. When he tosses the coin toward her, it bounces off-- but the shield fades anyway, despite not being penetrated.

"It's limited, but it'll protect you a little bit," he tells her. He's used his god powers very, very rarely. Throwing himself in front of the target is still the more reflexive act. "So it's all your choice. I really hate weapons, if Zeno may be honest!"

But he very reluctantly agrees with her logic. "Zeno will join forces with you, but won't use you as a weapon." The words I'd genuinely rather die do float through his head, but he doesn't want to upset her, and also, those words are meaningless when he'd also genuinely rather die than, say, get out of bed when the temperature gets cold enough.

But that's enough serious talk. He isn't even sure how they wound up in this place, not when he'd really meant things to be light-hearted. He shakes his head.

"If you name it, it's yours. Like a shinki."

She's about to respond to that, that it's what's expected of her not only by the Heavens but also the other shinki. But then he raises his hands, and she gasps at the unexpected golden glow. It's so beautiful and it makes not only herself, now surrounded by the light, but the rest of the temple shine along. Which is curious since it's the floor with no gold in it!

She jumps one step back after the coin bounces. It was surprising.

"That's like... becoming a sunflower made of light. A sun shield."

She should feel protected but instead she's overwhelmed. It's too much responsibility to make her choose, to decide when to do prayers. She was just supposed to help, even if she didn't know how. She's more convinced, more than ever, that Zeno must be a kind soul if he dislikes weapons or using someone as one.

"Let's stay away from monsters for now, then. None of us is cut for that. Just... as self-defense."

She shakes her head. "It's not the same, silly. Can't it be ours?"

Edited 2017-05-05 20:43 (UTC)

"Aaah, that would be easier, wouldn't it? Does that mean you want half the treasure upstairs, too?"

And he quickly pulls a new subject out of his metaphorical hat. Maybe teasing her a little bit, maybe just letting himself luxuriate in the fantasy of ours. Nothing would have made him happier than for everything to be ours.

"It only flashes like that for a bit, the shield. If it hadn't gotten hit right then, it'd turn invisible. Never tried to see how long it holds without being hit, but any hit knocks it down."

Edited 2017-05-09 06:51 (UTC)

"A-ah, no! I didn't mean that!" She shakes her hands in the air, awkward stance against it. What use could she give to a bunch of gold? She has no need for it. All the material possessions she wants are cheap.

"Is that so... That's still pretty dangerous, even if it goes invisible. Maybe you should go to Bishamon's and learn self defense too, Zeno. Even if you don't like it, the shield can only do so much."

"Another day, maybe. It's done everything asked of it so far."

He shakes his head slightly. Training with other people... he's not ready for that yet. Someone like Urashima, someone he knows, getting a glimpse of his powers in a situation where they must be used -- destroying Abi's corpse -- was one thing. Casually revealing them across a whole group of potential strangers... no. Not yet.

"I'll go, though. Just to see how that Borderline thing works. We're not together all the time after all, so I should have my own shield thing for self-defense..." For when he's not there. She doesn't want to be attacked when going to the supermarket or the school.

She would've liked to go with him to the training grounds since going alone might be weird. But if Zeno doesn't feel comfortable, she doesn't want to push him. Or maybe she should, as his exemplar? Another day, if any. He's done so much for her today, with all these presents. She'll cut him some slack.

Kaya grabs the sunflower and inspects it with a smile.

"Hmmmm, I should investigate about these flowers! I want to take care of Sunny here properly! And his siblings maybe, once they're planted and they've sprout."

"They're supposed to get pretty tall! We could make everything all shady... It's summertime, it's perfect for lazy naps in the shade."

A smile is slowly working its way across his face as he envisions it. The whole temple surrounded by sunflowers. Not the just Sunny and the ones in the seed packets, but surely if they give the flowers a good start, they'll spread themselves.

"Forever" is just a dream, of course. Even if she can't die again, shinki come and go like Shin-ah did. He might be the one to go, even though the idea of leaving her behind instead is too painful to even contemplate.

But sometimes he likes to dream. He likes the idea of this quiet little corner of heaven, overgrown with sunflowers, more and more every year, for as many years as they can spend together. Of course, they might not even get enough time for one to sprout... but he supposes that's why he got the one in the pot. A bit of cheat, a hopeful prophecy.

Aah. Maybe it was a love gift after all? More romantic than he intended? Why were cut flowers romantic gifts, anyway? As pretty as they were, they were short-lived things, known to be dying, and all of the stopgaps like vases of water were just that-- stopgaps sure to fail. Why didn't people give their sweethearts seeds, meant to be nurtured until bloomed, or potted flowers, starting a new life in new soil?

Well. He supposes he can't fault himself too much. Her memory and her love were far and away the highlights of his life between dragon warrior gatherings. If you spend two thousand years remembering someone as your wife, it's a hell of an adjustment to not treat her that way.

It can't hurt anyone too much, if it's just gifts...

"Really tall?" She starts giggling at the mental image of sunflowers with stems of the length of tree trunks. "Oh, but if we take a nap among them I might lose you! Your blond hair would blend in right away with their petals!"

She keeps laughing. Thankfully the thick, serious fog that had burdened her heart during the conversation has lifted a little bit thanks to a bunch of flowers that weren't even planted yet.

She still couldn't understand Zeno that well, and Kaya didn't know how to help him yet, but she was glad to have him in her life.

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[closed] might as well be walking on the sun

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this can probably wrap soon...?

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