Soul Resonance, Let's Go!

((aaaahhh heheheh yesss x'D I kind of feel super guilty about it a bit but stilll....it was so much fun x'DD))

As Yume's bright green eyes filled with tears, her knees just barely starting to shake, Kureno felt as if the air had been sucked out of him and his playful smile fell from his face as if it had never been there. He didn't know what to do. Had it really been that bad? He'd obviously been joking. Still, his voice caught in his throat as the blonde girl turned and fled. 'Ah, jeez...come on...' he thought to himself, thoroughly annoyed with the situation and with himself, with her, with everyone. He turned to see Liz glaring at him, Tsubaki looking sad, and Maka quite conflicted but bordering on seeming as though she was going to walk over and slap him. The pigtailed Meister took several decisive steps toward him, raised her hand, and whacked him on the back of the head. "Ow--hey! What was that for?!" he protested, rubbing the back of his head. In response, Maka raised her eyebrows and threatened her hand in the air again, as if to say 'do you want me to hit you again?'. He downcast his eyes, his cheeks reddening a bit, and mumbled, "She's overreacting. It wasn't my fault..." Maka put her hands on her hips, and stared at him until he moved his pale gaze to her own green eyes, "No matter what you think of it, she's upset. Again, Kureno, you've upset her again," she stated, as if he should feel immense guilt about it. Which, admittedly, he might feel a bit, but it was only because everyone was staring at him like he'd just committed some horrible crime. "That's not my problem! She's overly-sensitive!" he exclaimed, ramming his hands into his pockets and raising his shoulders a bit, defensive. "She's still your friend," Tsubaki's gentle voice piped up, "You should apologise." Kureno sniffed and looked away, feeling like he was being targeted unfairly. Liz took that time to storm past, holding Patty's hand firmly, "Well if you won't apologise, we're gonna go find her and make sure she's okay," and soon the others dispersed, until Kureno was left with just Maka, Soul, Kid, and Crona. "Look, man," Soul began, stepping up to him, "we know you didn't mean any harm, but you gotta be careful what you say sometimes to girls. Be cool, ya know?" Soul roughly put a hand on his shoulder and they walked away, Maka sneaking in a light hug as if to say she understood as well. Kureno sighed, waiting a while before turning around to head outside the school. 'This is why I shouldn't hang out with anyone...' So far, this Christmas was turning out to be pretty awful.

Kureno was back in his apartment, and four hours later, he was quite content to be laying on the living room couch blaring music through his stereo. He hadn't really looked for her, but hadn't really expected her to be waiting in the apartment either. He closed his eyes, letting the angry lyrics drown out the memories in his mind. These ridiculous emotions. Messing up friendships. He seemed to be getting so bad at stopping that. And it always brought up the worst memories.

((ehhhh i don't think I like this post very much but....eghhhhhh...))

((awwww I even feel kinda bad for Kureno now... Like everyone's ganging up on him xD even Soul was like kinda upset with him. Now I can't decide if Yume overreacted or not...))

~ y u m e ~

Although it took a great deal of convincing, Yume was able to be released of Maka and Soul's grip and dreaded going back to the apartment. She delayed it as much she could by going to her favorite sushi restaurant, playing the piano in the usual connecting room by the library, and walking around the entire campus 3 times. Around 6:15 she painfully decided after her third trip that the wind was becoming a bit too harsh for the amount of clothing she had on, and headed "home". Upon entering the room, the girl received no greeting from him, but merely a smile that was dripping in unspoken sarcasm. So Yume decided to give it back to him. "Hi honey, I'm home! Oh I missed you so much, come here and give me a kiss. I just wanna tell you how much I'm in love with you!" She walked over to where Kureno was sitting on the couch and leaned over him as if she was about to kiss him but was pushed away immediately. "Wouldn't be the first time today you overreacted," The humor had left Kureno and all that was left was a serious tone. His comment had really fired Yume up. "Are you serious right now? I overreacted? I think I had every right to react the way I did! You completely humiliated me in front of our friends. Do you think it's funny to say things like that and expect everyone, especially the girl who the comments are directed at, to just go along with it and laugh? News flash Kureno! You are the only one laughing! You always are!" Yume continuously threw her arms in the air out of pure rage. She didn't care if the neighbors heard their conversation. There was nothing holding her back this time. Now Kureno was the one who contained some fire in his belly. He stood up quickly. "It was a joke. Get it? A joke! You're so sensitive all the time! I have to constantly watch what I say around you, IN MY OWN APARTMENT. You've already invaded my personal space by coming in here with those big sad green eyes of yours and practically begging me to let you stay here! I didn't have to agree to that, you know. I could've thrown you out into the street anytime I wanted to. It's my place, so I think that I should be able to live in peace and say what I want!" He took a breath after his last remark as if to contain himself. Yume tried to fight back the tears but didn't end up being successful. They streamed out as she continued to yell. "If you haven't noticed, life isn't all about you! You're not the only one in this world. Yes, I asked to live with you temporarily. You agreed, and I was thankful. That's what friends do for each other, but I guess I misjudged our relationship," The room was silent for a minute, with the 2 of them standing firmly in a held position, before Kureno shifted and said "I guess you did..." and proceeded to sit back down again. Yume stomped out angrily to the balcony, a few tears still escaping her eyes. She sat down against the railing farthest away from the door, trying to remain as hidden from Kureno as she could. She honestly didn't know what her next move was.

((woahhhhh, super intense post. This post was actually pretty easy to write, like it didn't take me long and I never had to stop typing. Felt pretty great but still, it made me sad of course xD))

((ohmaigosh I'm so sorry I took so longongognawj owjaowetun butouaebtgiajwgiaeugbaiuwegb poststhaseiut dat post tho.))

Kureno stood in heated silence as Yume retreated to the balcony, slamming the door behind her. He half expected the glass to have shattered. His mind burned with anger and some mix of general upset, leaving him feeling quite exhausted and demoralized. The meister stood with his hands shoved in his pockets, head almost full to bursting with a whirlwind of thoughts yet simultaneously feeling very much empty. He didn't know how long he stood there, but after a while his feet began moving almost of their own accord. He stepped over to the sliding glass door, pulling it quietly back, and stepped out into the gentle but stinging winds of outside. It was already nearly dark out, and the balcony light had started to flicker a couple of weeks ago so now it just let off a dim light. He noticed Yume out of the corner of his eye, resisting actually looking at her full-on. She sat in a corner, staring angrily down, huddled a bit against the cold and against her emotions.

Kureno strode lightly over, making not a sound as he sat at the adjoining corner, his left side against the cold metal railing. He settled, his arms resting on his knees calmly as he tried to think yet not think about what to do. His mouth opened unbidden: "Yume, I--" but his voice broke, and so he stopped, waiting a moment before he cleared his throat and began again, not daring to look at her yet. 'You have screwed up, idiot. Too much this time. Swallow your pride.' At this point, he would have to give her something if he could ever expect anything in return. "I...I am sorry,--" she huffed in disbelief and annoyance, but he continued anyway: "Truly, deeply sorry. I cannot express to you how much I..." he trailed off, letting his words fall to silence between them. He could have sworn he heard a slight sniffle from her, and he was almost surprised by the pang of guilt that pierced him like a needle.

He turned his body, forcing himself to look at her. He would let her close, and hope she didn't decide to become vengeful instead of gentle, despite how many times he'd offended her. "I know I can be...difficult to be around at times--" Yume scoffed, mumbling "That's the understatement of the century," but Kureno continued: "and I would like to apologise for that, profusely." He reached over, scooting closer to her, and when she didn't shrug away or strike out at him, hope flared in his chest. He surprised himself a bit, but before his mind could kick in and stop him, he didn't hesitate to reach over and ever so gently, so carefully, take one of her hands in his. He was surprised by how cold it was, and gingerly wrapped both of his hands around hers, glad his hands had been in his pockets and so were fairly warm. "I will apologise as much as it takes. I will...I will do anything to make this better. I could not forgive myself if I were to make you feel as though you had been thrown out with nowhere to go because of my stupidity. I would just like to make sure that you know that I...I think you..." he faltered, his cheeks suddenly feeling hot, "I mean, er, you are...ah, im-important to me--as-as a friend of course--I would not...want you to feel..." he stopped, before he could make an even bigger fool of himself. He let out a sigh, dropping his head wearily. She still hadn't looked at him, but her posture had changed enough so that her hair was no longer shrouding her face. He tilted his head slightly, brow furrowing, as wetness welled up in her eye. She blinked, obviously trying to stop it, but instead it spilled over and the tear rolled down her cheek, skin a bit red from the cold. Before thinking, Kureno removed his top hand from where they were clasped lightly around hers still, and caught the tear lightly with the brush of a single pale, long finger. Although all was soft and quiet around them, as if a blanket lay over the world, his pleading whisper barely carried on the wind, "Please...don't cry..."

[[FLUUUUFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF okay so im kinda scared cuz i hope this isn't super ooc or anything, but also like Kureno DOES have this soft side to him that ya know she's only barely begun to glimpse, and this is just another case of it coming through cuz...idk he's in a mood x'D ^^' if you think it really doesn't fit or anything lemme know and i can change it <3 but i hope it was a nice dose of adorable for you! ;3 ]]

((SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE I love that post so much you've outdone yourself yet again friend <3 I will try to match my abilites ))

~ y u m e ~

Yume had managed to keep her poker face for longer than she expected she could, but on the inside she was nothing more than a sad frightened little girl who couldn't stop crying her eyes out. One of those internal tears managed to escape, which partly broke the straight face she desperately wanted to keep. Before she was about to let the tear fall into her mouth, a finger reached out and wiped it away. It was still pretty warm, and it felt soothing against her chilled face. "Please...don't cry..." Kureno barely whispered. Yume was touched by his sincere apology. There was no hint of sarcasm or humor in it- she truly believed he was sorry. Most of her disdainful feelings had suddenly disappeared and she decided that it was in both of their best interests for a clean slate. She pulled away from the meister, which placed a disappointed look Kureno's face but she assumed it quickly disappeared as she turned toward him and wrapped her arms around to his back. She felt his heart beating faster than it normally should, but he seemed to accept her peace offering after a few seconds and returned the hug. "I forgive you. You're not the only one who's difficult to live with," Yume was being completely serious but somehow it earned a slight blow of air from Kureno's nose, as if he agreed with her but sympathized. She couldn't remember a time when she felt more comforted or someone she felt so comfortable with. Secretly she didn't want the moment to end but doubted Kureno felt the same. She was about to let her hand pet the back of his head but he pulled himself out of their embrace. "Let's get inside. Not the best night for enjoying a sunset but I appreciate the enthusiasm," Kureno joked lightheartedly. He politely opened the door for Yume and her cheeks weren't the only ones turning a slight shade of red.

She decided to organize her belongings a bit, feeling that if the two of them were to start over, she wanted to show complete respect for his apartment. Not that she hadn't before, of course. Kureno stated that he didn't feel like preparing a meal tonight, so Yume suggested ordering a pizza. After a short argument over who would be paying for it, the weapon won the round but was promised that Kureno would cover it next time. Assuming that she was in for the night, the girl decided to change into comfy around-the-apartment clothes. A navy blue pair of leggings and a gray v-neck would do. Kureno had even decided to do the same. While waiting for the pizza to be delivered, they placed themselves on the couch closer than they would usually sit but still a few feet between them, attempting to find something decent on TV. Around 45 minutes later, a large pizza, half green peppers and onions and half plain, arrived at the door and was brought into the living room and placed on the coffee table. Kureno gathered a plate and a few napkins for each of them, and Yume supplied the drinks. The meal consisted of small talk and laughing at ridiculous infomercials and she was completely at ease tonight. Without even thinking about what she was about to say, during a moment of silence she blurted out what she thought was possibly the most embarrassing thing ever- "Do you wanna be partners?"

((sooooo... yeah. That happened. I hope it doesn't seem too fast-moving? We can always have them talk about being partners another time but I figured now was as good as any time to bring it up. Plus, something to create a bit more plot but please tell me if you don't like it, I will be glad to change it! But lemme just say it feels good to write a bit of fluff ^^ <3))

((ohmaiGOSH!!! No no I don't think it's too fast-moving!! You're right, now's as good a time as any ;D But hah as I already texted you, it was great how I was like reading the post, and I did the little huff-of-air-from-nose thing and then a few words later KURENO DID IT and i was like AAHHH xDD oahenfoawegf they're so freaking CUTE i cannot *dies* I know fluff really does feel good to write xD ahhh <333 it just feels so HAPPY between them right now and that's really super awesome x3 the part where you said "and her cheeks weren't the only ones turning a slight shade of red" ah i die x3333 <3))

The slight smile that Kureno had been wearing most of the night now fell from his face in his surprise, as he blinked blankly at Yume, who's cheeks had abruptly reddened and she quickly fixated her eyes on the television. He sat speechless, staring at her for a couple moments more, before he finally found his voice. At first, he almost said something akin to "Well obviously, that is really the only choice left," but quickly thought better of it as she would surely take that as 'she is my last choice but at this point the only choice left'. Kureno slipped into his gentler persona (one he seemed to be using a lot with her, though he really wondered why he was trying so hard...it was...strange...) and replied in a gentle, low voice, "I would be honoured to be your partner, if you'll have me," with a little courteous head nod and a small but warm smile. She had turned back to look at him, and her green eyes twinkled with some sort of gentle emotion as she returned the smile.

After a short while of trying to flip through the channels to find something decent, as all that seemed to be on right now were Christmas movies, Kureno cleared his throat and began a bit uneasily, "So ehrm...I was thinking since our, ah, friends know of our...living arrangements now...perhaps some sort of holiday gathering would be in order..? Perhaps on Christmas Eve or...something...although," he quickly continued, waving his hands as if to dismiss he'd even said anything, "I completely understand if you do not want to, I just thought it might be a welcome distraction for you so you don't have to spend all of the holidays with only myself as company, as I'm sure that's a prospect that's less than exciting for you," he chuckled a bit, partly in spite of himself and partly out of some nerves. Kureno didn't want to ever bring up anything surrounding that particular argument with Yume again, but it was a truth that their friends now knew of their living arrangement and he thought perhaps one of the best ways to get over any awkwardness that might still stand between them regarding that unfortunate occurrence would be to invite everyone over for a good time with good friends.

((hehe okay yes so sort of a short post but blerh xP I was thinking perhaps after this night of stuff we could skip to near Christmasy times? I dun care though if there's other stuff you wanted to doooo ;3 I caaan't quite remember if there were any other apartment sharing shenanigans that we wanted to ensue [like the shower incident ;3] but if soooo we could do those before skipping if you want? Or whatever, I don't mind, we don't even have to skip if you don't want to I'm totally okay with whatever ;D I just love dis rp so muuchhchchchhhhh <33333 *squeals*))

((STILL BETTER THAN PIZZA AND CHOCOLATE. so good. But I don't think there's anything else that I wanted to do, so I'm totally fine with skipping after tonight! I'm gonna go ahead and write this post and finish the night, if that's okay with you? I can always change it of course. Here we go... ))

~ y u m e ~

Although it was big news that Yume finally had a partner, she was even more thrilled at the fact that Kureno offered the idea of hosting a Christmas party in his apartment. She took that as a big, but not so serious, step in their relationship. She was touched that he was willing to involve himself in something that he may not be the biggest fan of. A big grin slowly crept onto her face as she began imagining the planning process. "Of course! That sounds awesome! It's gonna be great, our friends are gonna love it. Of course I'll take care of the planning, since, ehrm, I figured you... wouldn't be into it, I guess..." Yume stuttered, something that she only seemed to do while being around Kureno and she questioned herself why. She buried her hands in between her legs out of embarrassment. "No! I mean... it's not my specialty, but... I guess, if you're okay with it..." Kureno replied with his typical "cool guy" attitude he usually practiced in public, but only Yume could really see through it now. "Cool... sounds good," Yume ran a hand through her hair to display her awkwardness.

The rest of the night continued on as it had been so far- flipping through channels and enjoying the last bit of pizza that was left in the box. Yume was sure Kureno would agree with her if she said she enjoyed their newly patched-up relationship, but never in her life would she say that. Even if things were fixed, Kureno would always be Kureno in the way that in moments like those, he would dish out his most sarcastic comments (except now, there would be nothing more than humor behind them). Around 9:07, they both agreed they were exhausted, mainly from having to get up early to complete their last exam but they didn't dare speak the other reason. Yume offered to clean up their dishes while Kureno fetched a fresh pair of sheets for her to sleep on. Once the mess was cleaned up and the dirty sheets were replaced with new ones, the weapon and meister completed their nightly routines and said their goodnight's to each other before parting to different rooms. Yume stayed up for a bit messing around on her phone when she heard footsteps coming toward her. "Forgot my earphones out here," Kureno explained himself in a low tone. He picked them up by the end of the couch and started to walk back in between the coffee table and couch, but ended up tripping over his own feet and landed right on top of Yume. She gasped loudly, more so out of her breath being taken away by Kureno's weight being on top of her. He lifted his head up to come face-to-face with her, and instead of getting off right away and profusely apologizing, the meister grinned in a sly-sort-of-way and simply said "Sorry 'bout that," as if he had planned this whole incident. Yume was so shocked by the whole thing that all she could do was let out a giggle. She was so thankful he couldn't see the shade of red her whole face was turning. After picking himself back up and saying goodnight again, the girl lay awake for a while longer pondering whether or not that was a complete accident and Kureno just had a bit of fun with it, or the whole thing was planned out and had gone perfectly.

((I'm sorry... I couldn't help myself... xD ^^'))

((Ye syes that's totally fine if we end it there and...As I already said....IUEHNFKAFJAFFAAFLAWFJALFALFALFAFAIHEFOANCWFAFHOWUFAFAEFAKEYLAFYAFYAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGGGGUUUAAAAAAAAA!!!! Ohmygod ohmygod i cannot x'DDDDD Ii canoot. I just canoot. I canoot do eet. Kureno's a little...little....OHMYGOD. HANDLING CANNOOTOTTTTT. I AM DIE.))

~*WEEEEEEEEOOOOO TIME SKIIIIIIIIIIIP*~

-Christmas Eve Morning-

Kureno rolled yet again, the bed covers tangling around his legs as he flipped roughly to his stomach and shoved his pillow on top of his head, moaning. Today was just not a good morning for waking up. However, the Christmas carols thrumming happily from the other room protested cheerily otherwise. After a laboured sigh, he lifted his head--dark hair sticking up in all directions in one of his really bad bedhead days--the pillow falling to the other side of his double bed. Smooth brow furrowed as ice grey eyes squinted and blinked at the light of the world. He lazily patted towards his bedside table, reaching for his phone, and checked it. Ah, he'd slept late, for him at least...it was almost eleven o'clock. And...Christmas Eve. Of course. Kureno tried not to smile as the tune changed to Twelve Days of Christmas and he could have sworn he heard his apartment-mate begin singing along quite enthusiastically. The meister finally gave up on more sleep, and untangled his legs from his covers before getting out of bed. He somewhat stumbled towards his door and opened it roughly, head swimming a bit from having gotten up too quickly. He recovered shortly and rubbed his hands over his arms, noticing that he was actually still a bit cold in his soft dark red pyjama pants and his favourite sleep shirt--a slightly overlarge black shirt with little white skulls on the sleeves only near the wrists, but the shirt had several small holes near the bottom seam, hence its demotion to a sleeping shirt.  Kureno walked slowly down the hall towards the sitting room, where the music was coming from, rubbing the sleep from his eyes tiredly and sleepily ruffling his hair.

Yume was indeed singing along, but when she heard him and turned around to say good morning, she didn't pick up the song again and instead just smiled while it played, as she watered and put the last finishing touches on the small Christmas tree they'd gotten a couple weeks ago. She was already decked out in red, gold, and green Christmas tree socks, red and white striped leggings like candy canes, and a warm-looking Christmas sweater with reindeer on it, and even jingle bell earrings. Kureno resisted the urge to chuckle at the ridiculousness of his endearing roommate, and instead raised his eyebrows and tried to force his eyes open a bit wider, "Already playing Christmas music?" he mumbled sleepily. Yume flicked her gaze to him quickly, immediately seeming worried that she had woken him, but then she seemed to decide to change her tactic and smiled in a playful way, "It's Christmas Eve! It was about time for you to wake up anyway," Kureno grunted in response, crossing the room to collapse into a laying position on his back on the couch, throwing an arm over his eyes. "I thought Christmas Day was when you were supposed to be up early..." he muttered, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. Man, he was really exhausted today. 'Probably because of all the last-minute moving I did yesterday to get ready for tomorrow...' he reminded himself, keeping a poker face so Yume would not get suspicious of him.

((heheh remember when Kureno asked Maka something and I just let it end without telling what he asked? Well that little last part is related ;3 *giggles* if you want i can tell you, like i might anyways cuz it's your roleplay too and I don't wanna do something you won't like or anything, but it would also be a nice surprise I think [I mean it's not like HUGE or anything it's just kinda like 'aw that's sweet and cooolll!! ' so yeah ^^' ] and hee. Hope you didn't mind how festive I made her ;P if you want me to change it, as always, just lemme know ;D and I know that dialogue was kind of like really different from how they usually are...I'm still unsure if I want Yume to say that or if she should ask if she woke him and be a bit more like accommodating instead of being like a joking friend or sibling or whatever, but idk...do you think that's moving their relationship too fast? Idk yet xP I'm totally open to whatever though <3))

((I know I always say this but you've outdone yourself yet again my friend and sorry this is so late... you know how hard it is to rewrite a post you lost... >.< and I reeeeeeaaalllllly wanna know what Kureno and Maka talked about, but I also wanna be surprised, so I'll just wait until you decide to write about it ^^ I don't think their relationship is moving too fast... as much as I want it to hehe. But yeah, I think they're fine, it's not like they've professed their love for each other or anything. True their dialogue might seem a bit ooc, but maybe it's just because we're not used to non-bickering dialogue lol. ALSO as I was writing this beginning of this post, I just thought of a super adorable idea that shall be saved for a future post ))

~ y u m e ~

Yume wasn't about to let Kureno's lack of cheer get her down during her favorite time of year. This, (along with Christmas morning itself) was one day she would break her sleeping-in rule and make the most of every minute of today. All while being quiet of course, making sure not to wake Kureno up. Although he wasn't as cheery as she wanted him to be, words couldn't even begin to express how grateful she was to him for all of his help and support through the planning of their holiday party. He did everything she asked the meister to do while she took care of the jobs he probably had no interest in. The holidays weren't on Kureno's list of things he enjoys, yet he cast that aside and donated his time and efforts to assist his apartment-mate in the planning process. Once he had entered the living room, Yume immediately stopped her singing along to the Christmas music she had been playing and settled for humming instead. Their relationship may have been patched, but singing in front of him was still a bit unnerving.

The weapon's last-minute decorating ended up going on for a couple more hours, while Kureno fixed himself breakfast and did his share of cleaning up the apartment. A few hours before the official start of the party, Yume flopped herself onto the couch and ended up accidentally falling asleep for about an hour. She was awoken by Kureno shaking her a bit forcefully, due to the deep sleep she had placed herself in. Afterwards the apartment-mates began preparing the dishes planned for the evening, which consisted of mainly simple finger foods. By the time 6:00 rolled around, there were at least ten plates placed throughout the kitchen, each containing a different snack, paper snowflakes strung along the ceiling, a few candles lit on the coffee table, and of course Christmas music was still playing in the background. Only a few minutes after 6 did the first guests of the night knock on the door. "Ready?" Yume glanced at Kureno playfully. "You bet," Kureno answered back with a hint of nervousness in his voice. His partner tried to ease him by giving him a sympathetic look, as if to say "It'll be fine. Thank you so much." She took the job of greeting the guests, while he assumed the position of informing them of their food choices. As per usual, Soul and Maka were the first ones to arrive, but this time they brought along Crona. Yume was thrilled he decided to come, but she was sure Maka had a lot to do with it. Kureno and Soul bumped fists like they always did, while Maka and Yume hugged each other. Shortly after their arrival, Blackstar and Tsubaki came next, which left Kid, Liz and Patty to arrive last, with Kid complaining about their tardiness and blaming it on Liz's urge to pluck her eyebrows before going to the party. It didn't take long for everyone to make themselves comfortable and dig into the food. At first there was only small conversations among the group, but it eventually developed into Blackstar and Soul competing to see who could do the most push-ups and the rest of the gang telling them that it didn't matter and to stop at once. During this ordeal, Yume sneaked a glance at Kureno, and her heart was warmed by the expression he wore. There was no worry or fear or "cool guy" in his face; it was pure joy. He was laughing along with his friends, and, if Yume had ever seen him like this, it had certainly been a long time. He happened to glance back at her before she could look away, and the two of them shared a silent (besides the constant yelling in the room) moment before they returned their attention to the main focus of the party.

((so, I apologize if this post isn't that exciting or fluffy... ^^' I kinda left it open so you can pretty much do whatever you wanted to, 'cause I didn't really have any ideas on what else (if anything else) should happen at the party. Do whatever you want to! Like I have to tell you that though... I also hope my dialogue doesn't seem ooc, but like I said earlier, it might just seem weird to us because we're not used to it. But yeah... hope you enjoyed ))

((OMG YAS it was perffff yo like even the part where she asked if he was ready and he was nervous so she tried to smile reassuringly i was evne like HERRURURHRRH augh i cannot take them at all it's ridiculous x'DD but hah yes yes I agree with you, that's a really good point about us just not being used to them NOT feeling the need to be at each other's throats [in some way or another...if ya catch my drift ;3 more for Kureno cuz he's a little sneaky bastard but Yume would probably have enjoyed tearing his jugular out] so that's probably why it feels a bit ooc to us ^^' BUT I LOVE IT NO MATTER WHAT I JUST LOVE THIS RP WITH ALL OF MEEEEEEE. And I hope I do this idea thingy justice hah ^^' may be tricky to write >.<'))

The night was already, though he would never admit it to anyone so long as he could help it, quite a bit more fun than Kureno had expected it to be. Soon, there were just a few last pickings atop their dishes left, but everyone seemed happy and content. Laughing and joking were constant sounds of joy, along with the gentle thrum of holiday tunes. A couple of times Patty would begin a carol of joining along with the Christmas songs playing from the stereo, and usually several more people would join in until the whole apartment was filled with the joyous singing of friends on holiday. After one of these moments, a voice suddenly joined in that caused most of the party-ers to glance around questioningly, while Maka slapped her palm against her forehead and muttered something he couldn't hear and Kureno could practically see Soul break out into a sweat. Within seconds, a strange cat somehow appeared from the direction of the door, having crawled out of the bag Maka had brought with her to put her and Soul's scarves and gloves in. The cat continued singing even when everyone had stopped to stare at it, and with a peeved look the feline huffed and abruptly changed into the form of a rather...eh...busty woman with purple hair and yellow cat-like eyes. Maka immediately piped up, "Blair, I told you to stop hitching rides like that!" she fidgeted with her sweater, obviously annoyed but knowing she could do nothing about it. Meanwhile, BlackStar and Soul were practically gawking at the strange cat-woman, who--Kureno would admit--was wearing a rather, well, revealing holiday outfit. Maka shoved her hand at Soul's face even while she scolded Blair, trying to force him to look elsewhere.

The general commotion that came with Blair's arrival died down after a while, and it was explained that she was just a cat with a ridiculous amount of magical power, and since Soul and Maka had accidentally gone after her thinking she was a witch once, she'd stuck with them since (much to Maka's obvious chagrin, and Soul's sheepish but excited enjoyment). She joined in on the party then, even though she hadn't exactly been invited, but Kureno actually rather enjoyed the way Yume kept sneaking glances at him, always before pointedly glaring a bit at Blair and scoffing at Soul and BlackStar's reactions whenever she did or said something perverted--which was nearly constant. At one point, as Yume watched while most of the others played a video game--although mostly the weapon was just glaring at Blair--Kureno silently stepped up behind Yume and slipped his left hand on Yume's shoulder, letting his fingers trace lightly down her arm to gently wrap around her wrist, keeping her from freaking out entirely. He placed his chin on her right shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Hmm...jealous, are we..?" He was able to see, and he thought he could even feel, her cheeks redden immediately. She turned abruptly, escaping from his grasp--though probably not as roughly as she would have before--and stared at him. She opened her mouth to, most likely, scold him; she never got the change. Just then, BlackStar and Soul both let out yells, BlackStar's one of annoyance and Soul's of victory. As BlackStar bitterly shoved his controller away, he mumbled, "We should play something else..." and it was thrown in the flurry of ideas to play Truth Or Dare. They all sat in a haphazard circle, having pushed the coffee table against the wall so they could sit on pillows and blankets on the floor. Everything started off nice and calm, with a couple funny dares and interesting truths, but as they went things got more heated and raucous laughter broke out or embarrassed "ohhh..."s in response to someone's dare or truth. At one point, it was Blair's turn to challenge someone (although honestly Kureno still didn't know why she was there). She scanned the circle with her quick cat eyes before her gaze fell on Kureno himself. "Truth, or dare?" she purred, her eyes half-lidded. He pondered for a moment before smirking lightly and declaring, "Dare." The cat-witch delicately placed a finger on her chin, looking up in the cutest way she could and acted as though she was thinking quite hard. She quickly asked if a person's dare could involve someone else, to which the consensus was yes, and she then made a show of putting a hand over her eyes and waving her finger about, pausing in a point before opening her eyes to see her choice. "Her," even her voice sounded like a meow as she looked expectantly at Kureno, "I dare you to kiss her!" she giggled, and Kureno couldn't help his eyes widening and the flush that crept to his face as he realised Blair had just dared him to kiss Yume.

The poor weapon's eyes widened as well, her face maybe even redder than Kureno's. She opened her mouth to try and spit out protests, "H-hey, that's not fair! Something like that isn't for truth or dare!" her voice was at least an octave higher than it usually was, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Maka tried to come to her defense, but BlackStar spoke louder, "Kureno said dare--he has to do it! If he doesn't, that makes you both cowards! Anyway it's just a kiss, what does it matter? Especially if it's not from me--I'm the best at everything!" he laughed loudly, and Blair nodded as her giggle chimed in and she caught Kureno's eye again, blinking at him seductively, "Unless, of course...you'd rather kiss me?" her hand lightly began to slip a sleeve of her tight shirt down, but Kureno held an unimpressed expression and swiftly raised one thin eyebrow as he quietly cleared his throat before stating, "Hardly." And with that, he walked over to Yume, who's head whipped up to look at him with wide eyes and red cheeks. He kneeled down in front of her, keeping his face a mask and looked at her face, slowly reaching a hand out to caress along her jawline. As her breath seemed to hitch in her throat, his icy eyes flicked to her face, and their eyes met. Her green eyes swam with confusion, perhaps some embarrassment and something akin to fear, but he just softened his eyes, hoping to reassure her in some way. He almost felt...sad. He let a small breath out before he leaned forward, ever so gently cupping her jaw with one hand as he closed the distance between them. Kureno turned his head slightly, closing his eyes partway as he placed a light, chaste kiss on her cheek and withdrew. He let his hand fall from her face, giving her a small smile and a wink before rising and moving back to his spot in the circle. He saw Blair giving him a mixture of a glare and an intent look of interest, and he explained, "You failed to specify where I was to kiss her," and gave a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders before flicking his eyes to Soul, swiftly changing the subject as he asked truth or dare and continued the game.

As Soul answered, Kureno dared to flick his gaze over to where Yume sat. She was intensely focused on the game now, watching Soul as he debated, seeming to count on his fingers what he'd already done. Her cheeks were still a bit coloured, and he could tell her brow was furrowed even from here. He let out the smallest of sighs, before he sat up straighter and forced himself to smile and laugh along as their night continued even though he was now exhausted for some reason beyond what he cared to think at the moment. He wasn't sure if Yume would want to talk about the incident, or if she would prefer to pretend as if it never happened, but he was sure either would not be particularly fun. He resisted the urge to anxiously run his hand through his hair, and tried his best to focus on any other person in the room besides his apartment-mate.

((okay tbh idk how i feel about it, especially the ending buuuuut...xP there's a post. Wee. Hah ^^' I hope it was okaayyyayyyyayyay <3 wuv you))

((you already know how I feel about your last post but I'm gonna say it again- JFDKAJGKDKJAKJDKHGKDAJFKLASKVNKLANVKDASHKLFDJFKJDFKJKJKLFJDKALJFKDNKVJDAKJDKAJ <33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 alrighty, it's out of my system. I think the worst (best) part for me was when Kureno came up behind Yume and ran his hand down her arm and was like "hmmm you jealous?" YOU ARE A ROLEPLAY FANGIRL GENIUS. Ah, okay... shall we? ))

~ y u m e ~

Yume could not feel a time where she was more confused about everything in front of her. She kept trying to convince herself this evening was a dream, but after many failed attempts, there was no other choice but to accept the actions of her apartment-mate on this Christmas eve. She could tell he was purposefully looking away from her, and she didn't blame him. She guessed he was just as confused and maybe perhaps wowed as she was. The two of them were far from revealing any deeper feelings about anything to each other, but the kiss almost seemed to explain a lot. At least in Yume's mind, it did. She also knew that he probably never wanted to speak of it again, and she wasn't sure if she felt the same way. Talking about it could be quite dangerous, but wouldn't it be awkward if they simply forgot about it for the rest of their lives? Deciding that it was best to refrain from thinking about the whole event until at least the party was over, she turned her attention back to the life of the party, desperately hoping that that Blair chick didn't put any other innocent goers on the spot. How could Kureno even think she was jealous of her? And what was up with him running his hand along her arm like he did? Coming from Kureno, it could mean many things. Again, it was pushed to the back of her mind until further notice. The rest of the evening, thankfully, played out like their parties usually did, and when 11:00 came around, the guests began making their way out. Before Maka, Soul (and Crona)'s departure, Maka hugged Yume tightly and giving her thanks for the party. "It's good to see the two of you getting along," She whispered faintly in Yume's ear, just loud enough for Yume to hear. In response, the weapon squeezed her arms around her friend, letting her know that she heard and understood the comment, and thanked her back. When Blair left with her apartment-mates, she waved flirtatiously at Kureno and giggled. "Byeeee Kureno! I hope to see you soon. Thanks for the super awesome party. But next time, go for the lips," She said with a wink, barely acknowledging or thanking Yume. If she happened to be some stranger on the street, Yume would've tackled her before she could even realize what was happening. Kureno laughed along with her, but it was obvious he was only doing it to humor her. After the last of their friends filed out, Kureno shut the door and returned to his non-party self. "I'll take the kitchen, you take the living room?" He suggested. Yume nodded in response, and regrettably began thinking about the night's events way earlier than she wanted to.

The first few minutes of cleaning up were dead silent besides the noise being made from their actions, and it took every ounce of the girl to keep her thoughts/questions to herself. Was the boy wondering the same things? Did he feel anything in the kiss, even though it was just on the cheek? What bothered Yume the most is the fact that she may have felt something, and it wasn't exactly spite. Her hands trembled from the storm whisking around in her head while picking up trash from the floor, which made the chore take much more time. Kureno ended up finishing before she did, so to make matters even worse, he placed himself on the couch and not-knowingly multiplied the butterflies in her stomach by ten. She felt as if he was watching her every move, and this increased the urge to ask him about the kiss. Finally finished with her cleaning, it was Yume's turn to sit on the couch and rest for a bit after their eventful night. Deciding it was best to just rip it off like a band-aid, the weapon turned to her partner and placed her hands in her lap. "So uh... um, what did you think, of... the... kiss?" Yume barely even mumbled, too afraid to say it louder. "I'm sorry I didn't catch that," Kureno put a finger to his ear indicating he didn't hear her. Trying again, in a slightly louder tone, Yume asked the same question. "The kiss... what... what, did you think of it?" Still Kureno didn't understand and held a look of confusion. "You gotta speak up, kid." Tired of having to repeat herself, her voice suddenly went at full volume. "THE KISS, KURENO, THE FREAKIN' KISS. ARE WE NOT GONNA EVEN TALK ABOUT IT?!" Surprisingly Kureno seemed fairly calm at what she had to say, but who's to say he was that good at hiding his fears?

((so ummmm... yeah that happened. ^^' xP I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted them to talk about it, but I then decided that I did, but then I couldn't decide how I wanted it to happen. Not sure if I really like this post, and we can always talk about it/I can change it if I/you/we come up with a better idea. But woahhhhh things got intense... again. xD))

((heheh I love Blair with her "next time, go for the lips" thing ah that was perf hun your dialogue was on point ;D and no no don't worry about it!!! Like when I read it I thought it makes perfect sense, like that's probably the most likely thing I see happening out of other possibilities. I don't think Yume would want to just leave it hanging between them probably, especially since she's so confused about her feelings and Kureno is a flirty bastard sometimes so that probably doesn't help x'D AUH THIS IS SO GOOD. I DIE. MUCH HAPPY. SUCH INTENSE. WOW. THIS ROLEPLAY.))

At the young weapon's outburst, Kureno leaned back just a bit and had to resist the urge to raise his hands in a pacifying gesture. He blinked his pale eyes, his face nearly expressionless but for the slight widening of his eyes. He glanced down, letting a small sigh escape his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. "What is there to talk about?" he asked in a quiet voice, finally returning his gaze to her green eyes, unable to stop the slight hint of annoyance that slipped into his voice then, "It was...just a dare, Yume," the meister stated, his brow furrowing as he watched his apartment-mate's face. Her expressions were a mixture of confusion and frustration, and perhaps a hint of embarrassment. He struggled to banish the tightness that felt like a lead ball in his stomach, and forced a smile upon his face, hoping it was at least close to his usual smug smirk. "Besides, when we truly kiss, you would know it," he appraised her with a cat-like gaze, and her cheeks flushed just the slightest at his innuendo. I'm mildly surprised she isn't used to that yet though. Eh, makes it all the more fun to do it~ he thought to himself, quite content with that fact.

((blarharabrlarbahrhhrghghghhh shortest post everrrrr ugh >.<' Sorry I just like....like I didn't want to write too much cuz I didn't know if you wanted her to get mad at him [like I could see her getting a bit upset after his "it was just a dare" like since that's almost like he was brushing it away like it didn't even matter, especially after she was so conflicted about it] or if you wanted her to at least like try and let it go and not get mad or what so I just left it open ^^' ugh so short though *cries forever* lookit how he says "when we truly kiss" instead of "if" though eh eh eh he's such a bum messing with her like that x'D ahhhh i love ussssss))

((ermahgerd Kureno you are such a bum saying "when" instead of "if" AUGH he/you kill me xD and do not worry about the length of the post! You really couldn't have written that much since you didn't know how Yume was going to react. It's taken me a bit to think about how I wanted her to react but I think I know now. Shall we? ))

~ y u m e ~

"It was just a dare?" Is that the best he can come up with? Yume was slightly angry with her partner. True, the only reason the kiss happened was because Kureno was dared. But does he really take kissing anyone that lightly? It's not something you can just brush off and erase it from your mind. Even if it was only on the cheek. And was he planning to do it again? His use of the word "when" rather than "if" released a swarm of butterflies in Yume's stomach. But now she wasn't so sure she wanted that to happen, if sharing a kiss on the lips would mean practically nothing to him. The weapon had no doubt that he's kissed plenty of other girls before, but she never wanted him to find out that if they were to share a kiss, he would be her first. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind, she focused her attention on the man in front of her who was waiting for a response to his... comment. "Fine. You're right. It was just a dare. NOTHING else." Her voice was dripping in sarcasm with a hint of anger. She wanted him to feel her anger, but also didn't want to go back to a constant state of awkwardness whenever they were around each other. Kureno seemed to pick up on her tone because he held a look of confusion. "Is everything okay?" He scooted himself a bit closer to his apartment-mate but Yume remained strong and shifted slightly away from him. "Of course! Why wouldn't I be okay? It is kinda late, so I'm gonna hit the hay..." Yume hoped he would pick up on her hint that she wanted him to leave her alone for the night. Thankfully he did right away and rose from the couch, said goodnight, and walked away with a look of confusion lingering on his face. Good. Yume was hoping he would realize where he went wrong with her tonight.

After taking a shower and snuggling under a blanket, Yume stared at the ceiling while her mind refused to shut down for the night. She began to reflect on her relationship with her partner. What is going on in that boy's mind? Is that all he really had to say about the kiss? If so, my question is why he has so many girls falling left and right for him. They just don't know him well enough. But the real question is, why does part of me want to go into his room and crawl into his bed and just start apologizing profusely so that we can go back to being how we were the last week? And it was true. No matter how much Yume wanted to deny her yearning to march into that boy's room and lie next to him, there was always that small looming voice that urged her to do exactly that.

((okay, so just a little clarification- Yume's reaction wasn't meant to completely ruin their relationship again. She's not like furious or depressed or anything, she's just a little irritated with him. I have ideas for my next post since it'll be on CHRISTMAS (which I'm so excited for irl!). In case that wasn't completely clear. Also, the "crawling into bed with him" part- I DIE. I'M DEAD I DIED I'M DEAD I DIE.))

((heheh I try ;3 and yes no worries!!!! I thought it made lotsa sense ;D Plus I mean how many times do Maka and Soul get irritated with each other?! x'D Good job hun and OAUHTNAOWEKJFNAWEG I KNOWWWW dude that parttttt *dies* i canttttt they kill meeeeeeee...))

After leaving Yume alone in the living room, Kureno changed into pyjamas and turned out the light, staring blankly at the ceiling. His mind felt void of anything--just...nothing. He tried wondering why Yume had been upset--I mean sure, though she wasn't aware of this, it wasn't like he'd ever really kissed anyone before--and he wasn't sure if she had or not--but it was only a kiss on the cheek! And if he hadn't been dared to, he would never have done it! At least, not then. Perhaps some other time. He smirked to himself, enjoying the mental image of his partner freaking out if he were to just walk up to her and plant a light kiss on her cheek. The image quickly faded into Yume's annoyed and tired expression, and then Kureno's mind faded back into blankness. He heaved a sigh, reached over to his bedside table to adjust the time on his alarm, and rested back to try and get some sleep.

~Christmas Morning~

Just as Kureno finished cleaning up in the kitchen, he heard a rustling in the living room. It was almost exactly seven in the morning, and Kureno allowed a small smile to creep across his face as he set the last pan in the drying rack. He walked to the arch that was the entrance between kitchen and living room, leaning against it and crossing his feet, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Good morning," he greeted his partner, who had now sat up and was looking over the large breakfast he'd prepared for her set on the coffee table in front of her. "I do hope everything is to your liking," he continued. He hoped she would understand that it was his 'apology', and that he wouldn't actually have to say the words. He would if need be, of course. The meister watched his weapon's face intently, searching for any sign of annoyance or discontent or, hopefully, a smile. Kureno glanced over at their Christmas tree--it was alight already this morning from when Kureno had turned it on when he got up, and underneath it's branches were presents for them from their friends. He hoped his own present to Yume would help curb her annoyance to him, if his good-morning breakfast did not. He planned on doing his best to be on extra-good behaviour today--after all, it was Christmas. The last thing he wanted was to spoil the holiday for her. He vaguely wondered...why that was...why did he care at all?...but quickly brushed the thought out of his mind and waited calmly for his apartment-mate's reaction.

((heeeeeeee I hope that's okay! ^^' I didn't really know what to have him put on the breakfast plates, so just say it's like...everything that you think Yume's favourite breakfast foods would be ;3 cuz cuteness <3 If that's okay~ <:3 ))

((awww look at Kureno being all cute and making her breakfast and trying to make up for his actions FREAKIN ADORABLE I KNOW I ALWAYS SAY THIS BUT THEY KILL ME I JUST CAN'T. Like, I can't even imagine us when they're actually together... Have I said that before? I don't care. xD also, just an fyi, the gift that Yume is gonna give Kureno, I feel like it's super cliche and what not, but I honestly can't think of a lot of things that Yume could give to Kureno that she knows he would like, but there'll be something special added to it. And, I didn't really feel like trying to think of what all of their friends would get them for Christmas, so I hope it's okay if I don't specifically name what they got...?))

~ y u m e ~

Gazing over the well-prepared breakfast that Kureno had laid out on the coffee table in front of her, that consisted of all her favorite morning foods (how he knew her favorites, she couldn't even begin to guess), Yume instantly picked up on his motive. Although an actual apology was what she wanted to hear, seeing that he was still making an attempt meant a lot. And staying mad at him on today, of all days, would have no point. This was her favorite holiday and staying mad at the boy she lives with would ruin everything. Plus, she remembered how excited she was for him to receive his gift... She lifted her eyes to meet his while keeping her head low and gave him a little smirk. "Don't think that this gets you off the hook every time." Even Kureno, master of hiding his feelings, couldn't hide his relief at his accepted apology. Yume began to dig into the well-prepared food placed in front of her. As much as he irritated her sometimes, she would never get tired of his master-level cooking skills. Although all of this was an attempt to make up for his actions, Yume felt bad for eating in front of him, so she invited him to join her but he refused, claiming that he didn't cook the food for him.

After around fifteen minutes of small talk while the weapon finished as much as she could of her breakfast, she hopped over to the tree, motioning for her partner to join her. He laughed a bit at her excitement, which brought a faint shade of red to her cheeks. The two of them opened one present at a time, gasping and "aw-ing" at the wonderful and thoughtful gifts their friends had given them. Once all of those gifts were unwrapped, the apartment-mates stared at each other, both knowing that the other still had one gift left. They both offered to go first at the same time, then tried to convince the other that they could go first. Rather than letting the dispute go on, Yume decided that she would go first. She retrieved the second to last present from under the tree and placed in front of Kureno. He unwrapped it fairly slowly (out of embarrassment, Yume guessed), and once the wrapping paper was ripped, the box was opened, and the tissue paper pushed out of the way, the weapon saw a genuine look of surprise on her meister's face for the first time. His mouth hung open and he sat there for a few seconds before picking up what the box contained. "Yume... how, how did you-" But Yume cut him off from his stuttering. "I had some of my allowance saved since I haven't been living in a dorm, and since you've been cooking many of my meals, I haven't eaten out that much. Don't worry about it." The biggest smile Yume has ever seen Kureno wear replaced his wide open mouth as he finally picked up his gift. Scooting closer to him, she picked up her half with him. After deciding to be partners, Yume had felt that a strong bond had formed between them, and the next day, she decided that it would be best to get something for the two of them to always be reminded of that bond, no matter what kind of tough battle, or argument, they were in. So she went to the local jewelry store and found two simple silver bands to have "Kureno- Meister" engraved on one, and "Yume- Weapon" on the other. The meister one was for Yume, and the weapon one was for Kureno. She wasn't about to tell him that she needed to borrow a bit of money from Soul and Maka to be able to afford the bracelets, but that wasn't important. Plus, she had every intention of paying them back. "I know it's technically jewelry, and I was worried you would think it's kind of lame, but I figured since we're partners now, it would be neat if we had something to remind us of the bond we share. Is that lame? I don't mean like we're connected or anything weird like that, but I guess whatever you wanna-" Kureno put a finger to her lips in attempts to keep her from continuing her rant. "Yume, you don't have to justify anything. These are beautiful, and I love it. Thank you," he cupped her cheek and put his bracelet on his wrist. Gazing at it while turning his wrist around to inspect it, he gave her a smile that made Yume turn possibly the brightest shade of red she's ever turned.

"Now... I believe it's my turn," the meister purred, referring to what he was about to give his partner.

((I hope this is okay? ^^' like I said, I feel like Yume's gift is super cliche and what not, but I feel like that's something she would get him, and c'mon, ISN'T IT ADORABLE?! I have no idea what Kureno is getting Yume, so I just left it open 'cause I don't know if his gift is under the tree or if it's in his room or something... I'm REALLY curious))

((OAHENTIAWUEHF THAT WAS SO FREAKING CUTE OHMYGOD I LITERALLY GASPED AND MY HAND WENT TO MY HEART LIKE AHGAWD SSUCH CUTEEEEE <3333333333 I LOVE ITTTTT <3333 don't even worry hun ohmaigosh i didn't think it was cliche it was THE BEST AUGAHGWIGE. And hah yeah welllll ^^' it's all good, bro idk if you've said it before but I TOTALLY AGREE like I'm partly worried that we'll just get used to it and we won't flip out as much when they ARE actually together, but at the same time I feel like we will dieeeeeee every single post because of the amazing adorablenessss x'D <333 And I mean his gift isn't crazy or anything, but yeah <:3 btw if you didn't already guess, (and if I didn't already say, i can't remember) Kureno's gift is related to that stuff I had him 'ask' Maka that I never really explained so...yes >:3 HERE WE ggoooooooooo.....

Kureno rose, holding out the the arm that now had their bracelet on his wrist, offering her hand to her. "Shall we?" he questioned, his voice quiet and low. She blushed slightly but took his hand with her own, and he easily pulled her up and led her out of the living room and through the hall, without letting go of her hand. "W-wait, where are we going?" she asked, obviously confused when she realised they were in the hall where his bedroom was. He ignored her, smiling a bit nervously but of course not letting her see, as he pulled them to a halt outside the junk room that was across from the door to his own room. He slipped his hand out of hers, suddenly feeling nervous. 'Is this even a good idea? What if I did it all wrong? What if she hates it? I should just...stop now, take it all back...I don't know, but it's Christmas! I have to get her something and if she doesn't like it I'll...help with making it up to her. Yes, yes, that should work. Alright...' Kureno steeled himself, letting out a breath before getting a small smile to slip onto his lips. He reached forward for the door knob, and opened the door for her slowly, reaching just inside to flick on the lights by the door of the room. "I know it's not much but...It's better than a couch right?"he explained as his partner walked in to her new room, which was fully furnished with a large blue canopy bed with plush white pillows that were patterned with music notes, and deep blue covers rested on the bed. At the foot of the bed a soft throw blanket was folded with patterns of cats and pawprints on it. Beautiful green drapes hung down from the canopy of the bed. Against a wall was a bookcase that was shaped like a tree, with a couple of her favourite novels (or so he'd learned from Maka) sitting on the shelves. There was of course a dresser, on which stood a few figurines of her favourite anime characters and video game characters--also knowledge gleaned from Maka. Really, the whole room was. He'd had the idea to set up a room for her, as he was of the opinion that she'd spent far enough nights on the couch, but he had to ask Maka of the sort of things Yume would like--which could be hard to figure out a whole room for even a close friend. Still, here it was. Of course, there were bedside tables, as well as a chest at the foot of the bed for storage and a desk in front of the window with a chair for extra storage and a quiet workspace. On the desk, Kureno had a small portable speaker playing light background Christmas music. There was a ceiling fan that was a different shade of blue for each blade, with black music notes on the blades. The lighting had two switches--one for the ceiling fan light, and one (the one that Kureno had flicked on) that turned on the white Christmas lights that he had hung all along the walls of the room, creating a beautiful scene. The blonde weapon stepped in the middle of the room, turning slowly, taking everything in. "And erm, if you don't like the stuff, or anything, we can always replace it--I'll pay for it of course. And we can repaint the walls too, if you want. I heard that this was sort of the kind of stuff you liked so I hope it's...okay..." Kureno nervously ran a hand through his hair, the other hanging useless at his side as he rambled, aware that he was probably making a fool of himself but couldn't quite get himself to stop, "I know it's kind of plain yet but once you get settled--if you like it I mean--it should become more...like home. At least, I hope it does. If I can--" he was cut off as Yume rushed to him, threw her arms around his shoulders, and hugged him. He froze for a moment, before forcing himself to relax and ever so lightly wrapping his arms around her waist to return the hug. When she pulled back, she began laughing--he assumed it was probably from the very confused and most likely flushed look on his face--but her eyes were shining and she seemed happy, so that was enough for now.

((so basically, I had the idea but I had NO idea what kind of stuff you wanted Yume to actually like in her room so I totally just guessed in the ballpark and made it as generic as I could because I didn't know in detail what she would like ^^' so hah yeaaaahhhhh~ ^^' hope itt was okay! and there's Kureno with his rambling again <3 :3 i wuv them soooo~))

((YOUR POST MADE ME CRY SO HARD BUT IN THE BEST OF WAYS I FREAKIN LOVE YOU YOU ARE THE BESTEST ROLEPLAYER EVER THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND SWEET AND CUTE AND EVERYTHING IN THE ROOM IS PERFECT AND JUST HOW I IMAGINE WHAT YUME'S ROOM WOULD LOOK LIKE AND JFKALJGKADJKLJADSKLGJDASKLGJKDLAJGLDKASJKA))

~ y u m e ~

Any lingering disdain toward Kureno, if there was any left, instantly vanished when she was exposed to her gift. Words couldn't even begin to express her gratitude toward her partner. This was probably the most he's ever gone out of his way to please someone else, and Yume was touched that it was all for her. The color in his cheeks stifled a giggle from her, which soon after brought a couple tears to her eyes. "Y-you don't like it? If you don't it's okay, just tell me and we can re-do it all-" This time it was Yume that put a finger to his lips. "Kureno, I absolutely love it. This was more than I could even ask for and I don't even feel that I deserve this..." Kureno scoffed and folded his arms. "C'mon... You of all people that I know deserve something at least more than a couch," He winked with his usual smirk that he carried half the time. Yume's only response was to turn away out of embarrassment.

Deciding to explore her new room completely, Kureno left her to it while he decided to clean up the wrapping paper from earlier. Before bringing her bags into the room, she took a few minutes to gaze upon every little detail that Kureno included. She guessed he received all of her personal information from Maka, since she was who Yume talked to the most. But he went way above and beyond what she ever expected from him. Not only a bed, but a fully furnished room complete with even non-necessities. After the inspection, she began fully unpacking her things. Still filled with the excitement from the first sight of her new room, Yume was practically skipping back and forth between the bedroom and living room transferring her stuff between the two rooms. At one point she swore she heard a giggle coming from Kureno. But there was nothing that could destroy her happiness on this day. It was probably the best Christmas she's ever had. When the weapon was younger, her original family treated her cruelly and excluded her from any family gathering/holiday. The holidays she spent with whom she considered her real parents were nice, even though the family wasn't very wealthy. After they were murdered, there wasn't even a Christmas for Yume, since she had no family or friends (until she came to DWMA, of course). Spending this day with Kureno, the last person she ever expected to spend the holiday with, let alone living with him, meant the world to her. Stopping for a moment to gaze down at her newest bracelet, she smiled to herself and silently thanked whoever for the wonderful life she had recently been given.

Once all of Yume's belongings were packed away in their rightful places, she plopped herself down on her bed and immediately curled up with the plush pillows placed at the head of the bed. Grabbing one of them to hold against her chest, she closed her eyes wanting to rest from the unpacking and the fact that she had awoken at a very early hour this morning Without knowing it, the girl drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Kureno caressed Yume's arm to gently awaken her and tell her that dinner was prepared. She had every intention of helping him prepare the meal, and when she asked why he didn't wake her up sooner, his response of "You just looked so cute, I couldn't disturb you" with his sarcastic smile, yet again brought the heat to her cheeks. It seemed to happen more often than not these days, and even still she cursed at herself for letting herself seem so vulnerable to his suave comebacks.

The inviting smell of lasagna lingered among the apartment, mixed in with the beautiful scents of dinner rolls and even an apple pie. There were already two plates filled with food on the coffee table ready for the apartment-mates to dig into. "Dinner is served, m'lady..." Kureno gestured with his hand to invite her to sit down. Yume jokingly sneered at him, but was seriously impressed by the dinner that had been so carefully prepared for her. She hesitantly took the first bite of the lasagna, and immediately felt her taste buds thanking her for what she was feeding them. This was one of the best dinners she had ever tasted, and who knew it would be coming from, of all people, Kureno. "So how is it?" He inquired. Yume didn't even feel like joking around with him. "It's incredible! Are you like a master chef or something?" Her response stifled a laugh from the meister.

After finishing the meal and letting their stomachs recover from the amount of food consumed by the two of them, Kureno announced that he wanted to clean the dishes before he became too comfortable on the couch, but Yume grabbed his wrist before he could stand up. "No! You cooked the entire meal. The least I could do is clean everything up. And besides, you have made this Christmas possibly the best one I've ever had. Thank you so, so much Kureno. I practically owe you my life." For once, the weapon was actually able to make her meister blush, rather than the other way around, like it usually happens. "Erm, the pleasure was all mine, Miss Yume," was all he was able to say. He's probably not used to receiving compliments like this... she guessed. Smiling to herself at his embarrassment, the girl skipped into the kitchen and began the clean-up process.

((hope the editing is okay? ^^' I don't think it's that great buuut... yeah. x3))

((no i like ittt!!! really it's super cuuuute <x3 so many aw's <3333333333))

Their Christmas Day ended peacefully, and fairly late into the night, the two apartment mates bid each other goodbye and retired to their respective rooms. As Kureno switched off his light and pulled up the covers--adding an extra comforter, as the chill seemed to be seeping into his bones--he couldn't help but notice a tickle in his throat.

'Ah, how wonderful,' was his first thought when he woke up, feeling sweaty and hot yet chilled to the bone at the same time. He shivered under the blankets, turning around suddenly in his annoyance. His abrupt movement sent his vision spotty and his head pounding, and he groaned as he reached a pale hand to his clammy forehead. Kureno was the type of person who didn't get sick too very often, a bit more rare than average--but when he caught a cold, he really caught a cold. And this one seemed to be taking it's toll on him. He debated about trying to get up and get some breakfast, but the idea of food didn't particularly seem too good to him. After a second coughing-fit, he decided to just stay where he was for now, and hopefully get some sleep. 'I just hope Yume doesn't catch this...' and as he pleaded in vain with himself to be able to drift into an uninterrupted sleep, he couldn't seem to find the energy to get up and check if he'd locked his bedroom door so as to make sure his partner wouldn't come in and risk them both falling ill.

((okay sooooo, i hope that was okay! I felt like there wasn't toooo much I could write wihtout like Yume's reaction and stuff first ^^' so yeah <3 I'm thinking it'll just be a really bad head-cold. Like little to no appetite, feverish, lots of coughing, chills, yeah. ick. >.<' poor bbys <:/ but I'm SO glad we're starting to get into this again <x3))

((why do I manage to have the same hardcore fangirl feels when Kureno is sick?? Like, I really need to be put down xD this is gonna be adorable, I can feel it!))

~ y u m e ~

The moment Yume had awaken, she was slightly confused at her surroundings, they not being how they usually are when waking up every morning. Then the memories from yesterday soon returned, and a smile was brought upon her face at the realization that she was lying in her own bed, in her own room, all thanks to Kureno. She then realized the unusual amount of silence coming from the living room. The clock read 10:12 a.m., and Kureno was always up by this time, either making breakfast or doing something other than just sitting on the couch. But this morning, the apartment was eerily quiet, which slightly concerned Yume. Throwing the covers off her body, the blonde crept around the apartment, checking every possible place a human could be. The bathroom was completely dry, indicating that no one had taken a shower yet today. There were no dishes on the drying rack, signaling the lack of food preparation at any time this morning. Every little thing lay exactly as it was left last night when the partners went to bed. Could he possibly still be asleep? Acting on her hypothesis, Yume turned the doorknob to his bedroom and slightly cracked the door, not wanting to intrude if for some reason the meister hadn't woken up yet.

Even with the distance between them, Yume could see how red Kureno's forehead was, and he had three blankets piled on top of him, curling up with them like he was unable to warm up. The distressed look on his face revealed that he had not slept so well the night before and was trying his hardest to fall into an uninterrupted sleep. The weapon's heart broke in half at the sight of her sick meister. She assumed he had a fever, but still wanted to feel his forehead and get an idea of how bad it is. Waking him up just to ask where to find a thermometer would be pointless, and she would feel so bad if she did. Opening the door just enough so that Yume could sneak through, she gently placed the back of her hand on his forehead, taking note of the clamminess. He was burning up, probably with a fever of at least 103 degrees. Poor thing... He needs to take some medicine right away, but I hate to wake him up. He probably didn't sleep a wink last night. After a couple minutes of contemplation, the girl decided to search for the proper medicine to give her apartment-mate and wait by his bedside until he woke up so that the medicine could immediately be taken and begin working right away. Luckily Kureno had a small variety of choices in his medicine cabinet, or else Yume would have had to travel outside after a huge blanket of snow had been brought upon Death City only a few hours ago. But of course she would be willing to do anything for a friend in need, regardless of how confused she was by their relationship.

Picking out a book from her new bookshelf, and grabbing her phone to keep track of the time, Yume placed herself at the foot of Kureno's bed. The clock now read 10:19 a.m. If he's not up within an hour, I'm gonna have to wake him up. He needs to have that medicine as soon as he can. But c'mon, I'm sure it's just some sort of head-cold. Why am I so worried?

((I'm proud of this post ^^ I was gonna continue but I figured this was a good place to stop and let you take over the next series of mini events and if it wasn't obvious, Yume is very worried and I can't stop smiling jfkalgkdaalks))

((awww hee I'm glad you liked x3 and yaaas augh so cute I'M SO EXCITED this is awesome heehawueignjwaigjawh xDDDDDDDDDDDD <3333 yas so so so so perfffffff but dude when Yume went into his room I was like IHTBAWNITJAWHTI because that's the first time she's been in his room and OHNTGIAWGNTAWOGN *die*))

The ill meister tossed and turned in his sleep, his dreams swirling and dark and impossible to understand. Finally he let himself fall from his uneasy place between half-asleep and half in the limbo between sleep and awareness, drifting to try and resurface in the waking world. He didn't want to open his eyes, already feeling a bit of a headache. He shivered, feeling a chill in his bones that wouldn't go away. His hair was no doubt a horrible mess, and he felt his bangs sticking to his sweaty, hot forehead. Kureno sniffled, fighting the tickle in his sore throat that threatened to become a coughing fit. He opened his eyes, focusing slowly on his phone, which was lit up from the vibration of someone having texted him moments before. It was 10:37, and he ignored the message that was on his phone as it vibrated a second time, not wanting to reach his arm out for even a moment from the safe warmth of the blankets tangled atop his body.

He heard a sound of paper and a light thud, and his tired eyes flicked to the foot of his bed. He blinked a few times, wondering if it was some sort of illness-induced hallucination. There was his weapon partner, who had just closed a book she'd been reading and was leaning over a bit, seeming as though she was trying to see his face to tell if he was awake or just shifting in his uneasy sleep. When she realised he was indeed awake, her worried face spread a small smile, but Kureno's brows furrowed and he frowned, "Y-Yume?" he nearly cringed at the raspy sound of his own voice, "What are you doing in here? Get out!" he growled, strugging to untangle his limbs from the blankets that had wrapped around him as he tossed in his sleep. Kureno forced himself to a half-sitting position, intending to push the girl away and towards the door, his eyes exhausted but angry. Of course, though, he pushed himself up too quickly, and his head reeled sickeningly. Kureno clenched his eyes shut with a grimace and a groan, swaying even as he sat, gripping the sheets tightly in attempts to root himself as he felt like everything was spinning and twisting. He was immediately glad he hadn't eaten breakfast, as his stomach churned uneasily and bile threatened to rise in his throat. "I..." he tried to get out after a few moments of trying to still himself. He hadn't realised that Yume was now closer to him, her hand pressed gently but firmly atop his as he gripped the blankets with all of the little strength he possessed at the moment. She had said something, but he wasn't sure exactly what it was. Probably along the lines of "Are you okay" or something else that was gentle and caring, as she was. He opened his eyes, feeling quite pathetic, finally meeting her gaze. "I think I might have caught a cold..." he muttered weakly, his scratchy voice barely a whisper. A pitiful laugh tried to rise in his throat, but it turned into a cough, and he turned his head away from her as he raised an arm to cough into his sleeve until the fit subsided.

She told him she'd found him some medicine, and after glancing at it he recognised the tablet and was thankful that it wasn't a type of pill where he would have to eat something before he took the medicine. As she offered him a cup of water, he took the medicine tablet in his shaky hand and swallowed it, willing it to take effect as soon as possible. He put a hand to his face, slowly massaging his palm into his temple, and then opened his eyes as he realised that Yume was still there, watching him with a sad and worried expression. He glared at her, wondering if it was possible for people to notice blushing cheeks when you had a cold, and grumbled at her, "Stop looking at me like that," and turned on his side, putting his back to her, roughly pulled the blankets over his shoulder as he did so.

((teehee hope this was okay <:3 Kureno's a bit of an irritable poor guy when he feels icky, especially because he feels a bit helpless and he's annoyed that she is there in his room and he's grumpy and grumbly hee x3 so don't take it to heart or anything! he's just being a sicky butt <: ) <333))

((awwww poor baby I feel so bad for him <333 I feel like he's gonna hate himself when he gets Yume sick hehe xP but as I mentioned earlier, I think his reaction was perfect! I definitely don't take offense to it. Also, I haven't really thought about this until now, but I'm assuming apartments have a separate laundry room for the whole floor or entire building? I'm not sure if there are washers and dryers in each apartment, but I'm just gonna assume that there's not and there'll be laundry facilities on each floor, for this post anyway ;3))

~ y u m e ~

Although Kureno's less-than-kind words stung a bit, she figured it was nothing personal and that it was his sickness that was talking. Leaving him alone for now was probably best, but she planned on checking up on him quite often, whether he liked it or not. "I'll be keeping an eye on you all day, but I promise not to bother you too much. You do need someone to look after you, after all." The blonde grabbed her phone and book and headed back to her room quietly, but not before smiling and rolling her eyes at Kureno's response, which was a mumbled "No I don't..." She then decided to get dressed and make the bed. Yume was thinking about making her partner some breakfast, but, considering his current condition, she guessed food was the last thing on his mind. He's gotta eat something at some point... Even if it's just a piece of toast. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind for later, she decided to make breakfast for herself. She assumed Kureno would begin attempting to go back to sleep soon, so the weapon prepared her toast and eggs as quietly as she could. Even with his door closed, it was still the respectable thing to do. Breakfast that morning was boring without her apartment-mate to accompany her, and she almost missed his presence, even though he was only a room away. Flipping through channels in attempts to find something to watch just wasn't the same without someone to laugh at the ridiculous reality shows with. In fact, her whole day seemed to promise an extensive amount of boredom without Kureno. That's when Yume reached for her phone and decided to text Maka to keep the bored weapon occupied.

Hey Maka! Yume typed fast and hit send. A reply arrived a mere minute later.

Hey Yume! What's up? The weapon was glad Maka didn't appear to be busy.

Nothing much, looking like a lazy day for me. Poor Kureno caught some sort of cold and he's bed-ridden for the day. Unfortunately his irritability shines a bit brighter when he's sick lol. What about you?

Aw that sucks... Don't take it to heart, I'm sure he's just mad that someone else has to take care of him. You know Kureno, always having to handle things by himself. Soul and I are about to do some training together. Don't wanna fall behind in class!

Oh, well, have fun! Text me later if you're not busy. I certainly won't be lol

Alright! And Yume, be careful when you're taking care of Kureno and don't catch his cold. If you're both sick, you're both screwed xP.

Will do And the conversation ended there. It wasn't even 11:00 yet, and the weapon couldn't think of much to do today. Deciding to make herself useful, she went to round up the partners' laundry. Yume opened the door to Kureno's room slightly as she did last time, not knowing if he was asleep or not. Thankfully, he was, so she tiptoed past his bed and grabbed his hamper in the corner of the room and sneaked back out before he had the chance to wake up. The amount of clothes was too big for one load, so the blonde took the brunette's laundry down the hall to the laundry room first. A few minutes later, she was back in the room and set a timer so that she could transfer her laundry from one machine to the other. Suddenly, she realized she had forgotten to check how often Kureno was supposed to take the medicine. She had placed the box on the kitchen counter after retreating from his room the first time. Squinting at the small print on the back of the box, Yume (barely) read "Adults and children over 12 years of age: Take 1 pill every 4-6 hours to help with listed symptoms." He had been given the medicine at about 10:30, so around 2:30 is when his next dosage should be. Yume desperately wished she could monitor her partner in his room, but there was no chance of that happening, so she figured sitting outside his door with her book was the next best thing. Cracking his door ever so slightly and sitting at an angle where she hoped he couldn't see her, Yume continued reading while waiting for the first load of laundry to finish.

((while I was typing this post, I realized that this day could really drag on, so I'm open to skipping some if you are! Then again, I have no problem typing posts like the one I just did xP I hope it is to your liking!!))

((sure! we can just kinda skip bits and pieces in ours but i don't wanna skip too much if that's okay ^^' <3 I liked your post still!))

The ill meister spent the day resting, and after his second dose of medicine--which he grudgingly took from his partner--he slipped out of bed and stumbled his way to the shower. Luckily, even though he was a bit worried he might collapse, nothing too awful or embarrassing happened besides his utter vulnerability. He snapped at Yume often throughout the day, and was able to eat some soup she offered him later in the afternoon. He did all he could to resist her help, deterring her with his sharp words as best he could, but he barely got anything for his efforts except half-amused and half-sympathetic smiles, which only made him more irritable. Finally, the day got late enough that Kureno felt he could fall asleep for the night, and so he was when Yume came in to check on him a bit after 9 o'clock. The meister had his red and black blankets twisted and tangled about him in his uneasy sleep, but for now he seemed to be under the fairly heavy throes of slumber. His breathing still sounded a bit raspy and uncomfortable, but perhaps to his partner--who stood watching him, not realising her eyes softening--it seemed he was breathing a bit easier than he had been all day, and perhaps she felt her heart warm a bit at the thought that she might have had something to do with it.

When Kureno woke on the third day of his illness, he felt better than he had for the past two days by far. He still didn't sound completely like himself, as his throat was still raw and his voice quieter because of this. He was still a bit congested, and chilly, and food didn't taste the same to him as it had before, but it was better. His sickness seemed to have devolved into a mere head-cold, which was something he could work with. At least he wouldn't have to spend another day pretty much completely in bed. He was still annoyed that Yume had entered his room and helped him--like he needed it, as if. As he walked slowly out of his room, after spending some time in the bathroom for a shower. He'd found a pile of his freshly-laundered clothes on the edge of the counter in the bathroom, and scowled as he tried not to think about her going through his clothing and handling his stuff to do his laundry. He picked out a black turtleneck with sleeves that were a bit too long, and a comfortable pair of dark grey jeans as well as some black socks with white DWMA skulls on them. After showering and once his hair was mostly dry--albeit still messy, as he didn't feel like doing much with it--he made his way to the living room. Yume sat on the couch watching tv, dishes that had obviously held her now-consumed breakfast on the coffee table before her. She glanced up at the movement as he appeared around the corner, trying to sniffle as quietly as he could. The girl's green eyes widened a bit in surprise, and she smiled a smile that was far too bright as she greeted him cheerily, "Hey, good morning! Are you feeling better?" he scowled at her, his arms around himself for warmth, and just grunted a response as he shambled into the kitchen for a glass of water before returning to the living area and easing himself down on the couch, taking a small sip of his drink before setting it on the coffee table. He scooted to the far edge, putting as much distance between them as he could, but still she scooted closer and raised her forearm towards his head. His scowl deepened as he leaned away, making a noise of protest in his throat. She rolled her eyes and moved closer so he couldn't lean out of her reach, and went to put the inside of her wrist to his forehead. "C'mon, don't be such a grump," she muttered a retort to him as her brow furrowed slightly in concentration of the temperature difference between his forehead and her arm. He reached up a hand that was hidden in the too-long sleeves of his shirt and swatted her away, insisting, "I'm completely fine." Yume gave him a look as if to say 'Yeah, suuuure,' as his voice broke a bit from the rasps of his throat, but nevertheless informed him, "Well, you certainly don't feel as feverish as you have been. And you haven't even taken medicine yet today, right?" she smiled lightly. He grumbled a bit but said no, he hadn't, and her smile widened into a more satisfactory one than before. If that was possible. He glared at her, pulling his knees up to his chest and bringing his feet to the couch, wrapping his arms around his shins once he'd dragged a blanket from the back of the couch to cover himself with, peeking his hands just a bit out of the sleeves to clutch the soft blanket with long, pale fingers. "Why do you keep smiling," he asked, a bit more of an annoyed statement than a question, and tugged the blanket over his head like a hood so he could no longer see her out of his peripheral vision unless she leaned almost in front of him. He couldn't wait until he was over this illness.

((teehee hope that was okay! So yus I skipped just a little kinda sorta, but i think after this post we can pretty much rp fairly normally since he's feeling well enough to like do most things now :3 but GOSH we need to talk about our ideas and what to do first!! xDDD so many good onnneesesesssssss AH i die <333 x'D))

((fjdklajgkdhaglkhdglhaklghkldhflkdfkldjsfkldsajf I'm not even ashamed of saying this RP is taking over my life xD like I find so many references to our RP in every day life and like, I'm not sure if that's a bad thing? <333))

~ y u m e ~

As much as she didn't want to admit it, it was a bit tough for Yume to not be offended by Kureno's grumpy comments. She knew it was because being sick made him feel vulnerable, and if she knew anything about him, it was that he never wanted to come off as weak to anyone, even himself sometimes. But she still got some enjoyment out of bugging him to take his medicine and asking him how he was feeling. Thankfully his health seemed to be improving by the day, which gave the blonde a feeling of accomplishment, like she had nursed a stray animal back to health so that it could return to its natural habitat. By the end of the third day, Kureno looked much better, and she guessed it was just a little head cold that kept him from looking his best. When he decided to get ready for bed, Yume asked if there was anything she could do for him. "I'm fine! How many times do I need to say it? You've done more than enough, I can handle it from here," he raised his voice irritably. The weapon scoffed in response. "Admit it, you wouldn't have been feeling as good as you do now if it wasn't for me." She was mostly being serious, but added a smile with her retort. "Again with the smiling..." the meister mumbled, thinking that Yume couldn't hear him. After checking on him for the last time for the day, she bid her goodnight and settled herself into bed, her tummy feeling a bit uneasy as it had been the entire day.

The next morning, her unspoken fear had become a reality. Her stomach was rumbling out of irritability, rather than hunger. It warned her to place the trashcan next to her bed, unsure of when the inevitable would happen. In addition to this, her body couldn't decide if it was hot or cold, her head wouldn't stop pounding, and her throat felt like a cat used it as a scratch post. There was no doubt that her apartment-mate had given her the bug, not meaning to, of course. Watching over him 24/7 was probably the worst thing she could have done, but she couldn't just let him be miserable. He was in need of help, and she was there to offer some, even if he didn't want it. But even now, she wondered if she would receive any help in return. The girl wanted to see if the dark-haired meister was awake, but any minimal movement made her stomach feel worse. Getting up and getting the trashcan was hard enough. So, for now, all she could do was lie in bed and attempt to fall back asleep. After only a few minutes of trying to drift off again, vomit quickly approached her throat and the poor weapon leaned over into the trashcan and did what no one ever wants to do. A bit of a coughing fit soon followed the vomiting. I can't remember a time when I felt this awful... I hate to admit, but I need him now more than ever.

((eww just talking about vomiting makes me feel icky x( but yeah, there it is. I wasn't sure what Kureno would be doing, but maybe when Yume throws up/starts coughing he hears it (if he's awake) and runs in to see what's up and would have a worried look on his face augh it would be so adorable ^^ but you do whatever YOU want darling <3333))

((so SO perf xD but awww nuu poor Yumeeee <3 Dun worry, KURENO shall SAVE YOUUUU *cue Smallville theme song* heheh x3 but i knowww x/ same...but okays <33 yus thank youuuuuuu hee hee adorablenesssssssssss <333))

Kureno was settled on the living room couch in a black dressing robe to stave off the winter chill as he sat with his pale nose buried in the newest fantasy-fictional novel he'd started yesterday, already nearly half-way through. He'd finally woken up at a more normal time for him now that he was feeling more like himself, and everything felt right with the world as he--as per usual--had the quiet apartment to himself that morning. (Not that he didn't like his partner's company, of course--he was just far more used to getting up first and it felt nice to be feeling well enough to finally return to that). He heard a sound coming from her room, and though it was barely registered in his mind as he greedily absorbed the literary world he was seeped in, it flitted across his mind that maybe she was up now. A minute or so later, he realised he hadn't seen her come out of her room yet. Sometimes she went back to sleep, but she didn't really get up and move around before deciding to go back to sleep. And he could have sworn he heard the sound of her dragging something across her floor before the creak of the bedposts announced her return to the warmth of her blankets. He dismissed the curiosity and worry in his mind and shrugged it off, returning to his book. He was snapped quickly away from his fictional world yet again when he heard the recently-all-too-familiar sound of coughing and gagging coming from down the hall. He dropped his book on the coffee table and hurried ahead only to pause worriedly just outside Yume's door, his hand hovering over the handle. His breath caught in his throat as there was naught but silence on the other side of the door. Had he imagined it? He didn't want to barge in on Yume's room just to wake her up from her sleep. He was just about to turn away as he heard an uncomfortable groan from Yume's room, and before he could hesitate again, with a deft flick of the wrist Kureno swung the door open to see his partner collapsed, exhausted in bed, one hand draped down the side of the bed to touch the edge of a trashcan that Kureno could tell had recently been used--and not for tissues. He didn't stop to think about the way his face contorted in worry and pity as he rushed to her side, sitting down by the foot of her bed and gingerly putting a hand to hover over the calf of her left leg, not quite touching her but not knowing what to do. "Dammit," he cursed himself between clenched teeth, "I knew I would give this to you the way you insisted on helping me!" he dismayed, reaching up to gently brush her sweaty hair away from her sticky forehead. Yume watched him with dull, sickly eyes that pleaded for help but seemed too tired to ask physically for it. He flinched inwardly at the look, and his eyes flickered back and forth as he racked his brain. "D-do you need anything? Water? Maybe some medicine, or a few crackers, or perhaps some ginger or peppermint tea for your stomach??" he questioned, listing off all the things he could think of that were supposed to help calm and unruly tummy. He knew he was being awfully mother-hen-esque, but he would worry about that later after his weapon partner was feeling well enough to not let her insides come back up out into her trashcan.

((I hope that's okayyyy ;3 heheehehe <333333 I wanted to leave it open, i didn't know exactly what to do ^^' ))

((Oh Kureno.... Aw you DO care xDD but for real, his concern makes me so happy. *flail*))

~ y u m e ~

As much as Yume hated to disturb Kureno in his own apartment, she was truly grateful for his concern for her well-being. A couple tears escaped her eyes out of frustration at what she had just done. Her whole body shook with fear. The meister took her crying to heart. "Why are you crying?" He asked the ill weapon as he reached for a tissue box placed on the nightstand. He seemed to want to wipe away the tears himself, but then thought it might not have been appropriate, so he just placed the tissue in the weapon's hand. "I'm sorry..." Yume choked out. The dark-haired boy furrowed his brow indicating his confusion at her apology. "You're right, I did catch this from you, and I hate to put this burden on you," she further explained herself. "Yeah, you should've just let me take care of myself because then you wouldn't have been put in this situation," he made a noise of protest. "I'm sorry, you're right." Her apology made Kureno instantly regret his choice of words. He ran a hand through his hair and sheepishly looked away from the sick girl in front of him. "So, do you, n-need anything? Any medicine?" Yume explained where exactly to find the medicine she needed, the same stuff he had taken for his illness. He was back in the room within a minute along with a glass of water, breathing slightly heavy as if he had ran to and from room to room. Yume took care of the rest, thanking him for the retrieval of the medicine. "That's all I need right now. Thank you Kureno," the blonde gave a weak smile. "A-are you sure? Nothing else I can do?" But he was kindly dismissed by his apartment-mate, who assured him that she was fine. Once he was gone, she took a deep breath and tried to forget about her situation by closing her eyes and begging her body to let herself into at least a semi-peaceful sleep.

((really short.... ^^' >.< and kinda similar to your first post about Kureno being sick. Not sure if I'm totally in love with this post, buuuut I guess it'll do for now xP))

((No worries <3 It is kinda hard to write ill charries ^^' <3 but STILL TOO CUTE!))

Kureno shut her door behind him as quietly as he could, feeling guilt settle in his stomach as he mulled over her words. And her tears. His harshness had made her cry, and when she was already feeling less-than-satisfactory too. He ran a hand through his hair as his brow furrowed, and he sighed in aggravation, 'People are so confusing. Particularly women, it seems.' He suppressed a groan as he walked back into his own room, flicking the black robe more firmly around his slight form to defend himself from the winter air and from his thoughts as he made his way back to the living room to pick up his novel and begin where he left off. Throughout the day, he checked in on his apartment-mate periodically, several times in which he cracked open the door to find her under yet another fitful sleep, and his messy hair slipped out of view again to march back to another room in the apartment with many a sigh. He didn't want to admit it, but it was so...boring around here without someone to pester. Especially someone as fun to pester as Yume was. His smirk fell from his face as he slipped out of his reminiscing, allowing his mind to fall blank as the white snow that fell outside his window. Scattered thoughts chased each other like the flakes flitting through the air, before fading into nothingness only to be replaced by its fellows.

Perhaps...perhaps this was a bad idea. Perhaps he should never have agreed to become partners with Yume. Perhaps he should have turned her away the day she showed up on his doorstep. Perhaps everything would be for the better if he did. Perhaps...Kureno's mind swirled through scenario upon scenario, twisting the innocent white snowflakes until they melted and filled his mind with a dark, roiling ocean that turned red with blood. Perhaps this would turn out like...his last partnership. Perhaps he ought to kill her now. He could easily slip her something else, instead of the medicine for her cold. She wouldn't question him. She hardly knew him. It would be simple to just...do it; to her, or even to himself instead. He seemed to be quite bad luck, after all. Perhaps it would be for the best...Kureno's pale eyes had become glazed over as he was caught in the tumult of the dark waves, pulling him down, down, down to the blackest depths of his mind, where madness stirred. Suddenly, he was called out of that place by the sound of his name. The voice was panicked--it must have been calling for him for some time without him realising it. The meister shook his head to clear his thoughts, quite utterly forgetting he had ever thought them as soon as he was free of them. He stood quickly, walking out of the room faster than he normally would, and strode to Yume's door just as she called again, questioning and frightened.

His hand gripped her doorknob, and he wondered why it shook ever so slightly as he opened the door. "...You called?" he asked, his voice soft and smooth. She was half-sitting up on the bed, eyes wide and tired from her body battling the illness. When she saw him, she let herself collapse back on the pillows and let out an unhindered sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment. "I was yelling for you forever," she mumbled, annoyance, relief, and a hint of fear still clinging to her raspy voice, "I thought...you'd left me..." she trailed off, seeming too tired to continue talking at a normal pace. He cracked a small smile that did not quite reach his eyes, and wondered briefly why it was so hard to just send her a smile at the moment but quickly dismissed the thought. The meister went to sit on the edge of Yume's bed, and crooned in a soothing voice, "Me? Leave my weapon?" he reached a pale hand up to feel her forehead, noting that her temperature felt like it had gone down but only by a bit, "I'm afraid, little dove, this illness is giving you delusions," he murmured as he gently brushed her hair away from her forehead, finding his smile a bit easier as she smiled lightly back at him, blinking exhaustion through her green eyes. He was sure if she'd been coherent, she would have squirmed away from him at the nickname and perhaps at his tone, reprimanding him with a glare and a blush. But in this state, she just gave a little involuntary grumble as her head lolled to the side, vainly trying to half-fight off the sleep that threatened to overwhelm her. "Not just yet," he told her in a bit of a more commanding tone, but kept his voice soft, "I shall be right back with your next dose of medicine. If you could remain in the land of the living for a few minutes more..." he trailed off as he stood to make a quick trip to the kitchen to grab the cold medicine, leaving her door slightly ajar.

He spotted the bottle on the kitchen counter, where it had stayed the past several days while the inhabitants of it's apartment lay bedridden. Kureno walked swiftly over to it, reaching out long fingers to open the bottle and take out Yume's next dosage. His hand stopped, almost of it's own accord, just a hair's-breath away from the bottle. His eyes threatened to glaze over, but he shook himself out of his reverie as he heard a small groan come from behind him, from Yume's room. He swipped up the medicine bottle and popped it open, spilling out a tablet and clicking the lid back on before turning his back to the kitchen and striding towards Yume's open door. He made his way to her, gracefully yet quickly, and offered her the medicine along with a glass of water once he'd helped her sit up a little. She took it with a little difficulty from the pain in her throat, but it went down nonetheless. Kureno helped her slide back down under the covers, pulling up the blankets to make sure they warmed her well. As Yume's eyes fluttered closed, she grumbled something close to a 'Thank you' and drifted off into sleep once again. After a few moments, Kureno rubbed his face with both hands, feeling suddenly drained. The clock on her bedside table told him it was already a bit past 10 pm, and figuring that was a decent time to go to bed, Kureno stood and went to his room, making sure the lights were turned off and that Yume's and his door were open just a crack so if he needed to he could go to her quicker. The meister changed into red silky pyjama pants and a dark grey shirt, following Yume's lead shortly after his head hit the pillows.


((Weeeeeeee okay yay. So. yeah. I don't reaaally know what that was about. It just kind of happened. ^.^' O.o' Uhm...yus. If you don't like it I can change it totally like i don't mind! I guess...idk. Maybe he has some sort of emotional/mental scar from his past, and maybe because of that he has more madness in him [you know, like how Stein was more susceptible to madness than like, say, Spirit? How some people are just a bit more susceptible to the madness? Well I guess I felt like making Kureno susceptible to madness heheh...>.<' But seriously if it bothers you, I can totally change it <333333333))