The Crossing of Paths

==Sunrise, Daiya Chiri==
The crimson sky brightened over the capital of the world, signalling daybreak for its inhabitants. The city was never truly silent due to its industry, size and activity but as the civilised part roused itself, the metropolis was to become a hive of business. People were starting to come and go and the streets were beginning to fill up. In the slums, the thieves and lowlives were heading to find a place to sleep while the unfortunate and homeless were waking with the sun. A little girl, who had been sleeping amongst the ruins of a dilapidated house, sat up and rubbed her eyes before getting up. She had used a blanket that she had found amongst the rubble to cover her slight form, and now she was ready to go out and spend some time wandering. She roughly knew her way around the slums, but her friend was nowhere to be found within the place as he was busy working. She still didn't know what his job was, but he always dodged the question. Stepping out into the dawn, she looked around, wondering what the new day would hold.
"Hey! You have to pay for that!"
Commotion exploded from a small corner store, as a young man dashed out it's entrance, followed by several clerks and a few civilians who were too good for their own good. He didn't even bother to laugh at the fact that they had just left the entire store unprotected, like no one would try to loot it while they were chasing him. A sigh escaped his lips... Giving himself a boost with his telekinesis, he leaped high over a fence and cam down on the other side, already rifling through the bag that he'd stolen. "Fooooood~..." he mumbled, taking out a loaf of bread and sinking his teeth into it.
Saori wandered, hands in her jacket pocket, humming a tune. It was only early but she could hear the roaring of vehicles. Deciding to take a turn out of the labyrinthine slum paths into the main city, she emerged behind a back alley. Frowning at the dead end she'd reached, her azure blue eyes cast around for another way into the city streets when she saw a blur flying over the wire fence. "...!" Her eyes widened and she quickly ducked back round the corner, pressing her back against the wall and hoping he hadn't seen her. Her friend had always warned her to avoid strangers...she peeked around the corner shyly, noticing that the stranger wasn't an older adult...
Nori was too absorbed in his food to notice anything else. It had been days since he ate last... It was too bad he had to resort to stealing. Theft didn't exactly do wonders for his reputation. "What else..." he dug around in the bag and pulled out two bottles of water... and then forgot to breathe while drinking it all. Ripping off another piece of the bread, he once again stuffed it into his mouth, and then nearly drowned himself with the water. "Maybe I should steal some more..." he grumbled to himself.
Saori squeaked as she heard the word 'steal', her eyes becoming even wider. This could be a dangerous criminal! Then she noticed that he only had bread and water on him. What kind of dangerous criminal would steal food? He looked kind of hungry...maybe she should help him. He looked nice anyway. She emerged from round the corner and looked up at him seriously. "You look hungry. If there are Yaring....Yarli...those people with powers after you," she fudged her words, "-I can help you. I'm Saori." She approached him and stopped just short of him, watching him with her bright blue eyes curiously.
"....?" Nori cocked his head as the girl approached him. How would a little girl help him against yarlings..? Disregarding her offer completely, he waved the loaf of bread at her, obviously wanting her to take a piece from the end he hadn't bit into. She didn't look very... clean, herself... not to mention that she was adorable... he had to give her somethng. Nori didn't even consider saying anything. It was impolite to talk with your mouth full, and he wasn't about to stop eating, either.
Saori blinked as the young man waved bread at her. Was he one of those people who had something wrong with their brain? Her friend had told her about those kinds of people, but this man didn't seem like that. He was offering her food! She beamed at him and ripped a small piece off delicately before putting it in her mouth and chewing slowly. Then her brow wrinkled. Her friend had told her not to tell people her secret, that she could beat those Yaring- Yarl- people with powers. She swallowed and probed gently, "If you want more food, do you have to take it from people with powers? If you do I can help you..." He looked hungry and Saori felt bad for him. She spoke more strongly and confidently, "Because if bad people use powers I can stop them! I don't know how but I can but you have to be near to me so don't run away, okay?" She finished in a rush. Then she remembered her manners, blushing for her rudeness. She curtsied, holding the edges of her skirt, "T-thank you for the food."
Finally swallowing, Nori regarded the girl happily. It was amazing! A little girl with manners! Most were bratty and demanded whatever they wanted, but this one seemed very sweet... It shouldn't be a problem to tell her, right? He was starting to argue with himself. This could be a trap. A sweet little girl--with manners--approaching me in an alley... Where I have no where to go...But she doesn't seem evil, or like anyone's forcing her to do this. But what if that's what I'm supposed to think? Nori snapped out of it and stared at the girl for a moment. "I'm... a Yarling." Depending on her reaction, he'd be able to determine what to do.
Saori flinched as the young man told her the truth. She closed her eyes, as she was prone to do when other people with powe- Yarlings shot attacks at her. Keeping her eyes shut tight, she explained very quickly before he could attack her, "People with powers attack me so I am a bit scared of them and my brother could shoot fire so he shot it at me a few times-" She cracked open an eye to see if he'd try anything on her, even daring to venture, "It doesn't work..." He looked nice enough, and Saori supposed she could forgive him if he tried it out, because when she told people they wanted to try their powers out, so he could just not be nasty and use his powers just to test. She stepped back until she was more than three feet away from him and explained, "If I'm too close it spoils things." Then she waited, slightly turned away from him, one eye still squeezed shut.
Nori was dumbstruck. A little girl was asking him to harm her with his powers. "That's... That's okay..." he assured her, standing up from his previous sitting position. The only time he ever really used his powers was when he was in danger, or if he needed to do something he couldn't ordinarily do by himself... There was no reason to use them on a little girl. "I'll just tell you," he decided. "I have Psych-... Telekinesis. I can move things with my head, in a nutshell. What can you do?" Nori stuffed another piece of bread into his mouth while waiting for her answer.
Saori watched him stand up and slowly opened her eyes. The young man didn't even want to try his powers out? He was really nice! She relaxed and smiled happily. But she didn't understand his power. What was tellying-cheeses? Then he explained. Saori reckoned that he must be really smart if he could move things with his head, she believed it must be using his brainpower. Then she explained her power, her face falling. "My...it's not a power...it's just it stops powers. Everything. If you get close to me you can't use your power...or if people try and hit me, their powers stop..." Then her lower lip trembled, "Even if it's a good power, like making sick people well again...it stops..."
"H-hey... Don't cry.. I'm sorry..!" Nori begged. This little girl crying? Impossible! It wouldn't happen on his time! "I don't know how I can do.. Since I'm... Well.. Poor. But is there anything you'd like to do? If you feel comfortable coming with me, that is." he asked politely, offering his hand to the little girl in front of him. Since she was so sweet, Nori figured that it'd be impossible for this to be a trap. There was no way the government was after him. She was alright. So why not help her? It wasn't like he had anything else to do.
Saori stopped sniffling as the young man told her not to cry. He said he was poor, and Saori shrugged, because she was poor if you counted money. She didn't have any money. But she had nothing to do and she didn't know what to do because her friend was working somewhere, so she should stay with someone because he said safety in numbers. He was nice too so she took his hand, wrapping her slim fingers around it. She smiled up at him. "If my friend comes back we can get some money for you so it will be okay." Her bright blue eyes were full of trust as she looked at him.
Friend? Nori smiled back at her, but he felt uneasy now. Firstly, Nori didn't enjoy taking handouts. He wasn't incapable of making a living on his own. He just didn't want to. Secondly, the girl was too adorable. She was holding his hand now... But she was also negating his powers. Wonderful. Fantastic. Now he had practically no way of defending himself. Lastly, the way she was looking at him... He didn't want to let go.. Almost like he wouldn't mind if it were a trap! "Would you like to go.." Nori racked his brain thinking of some place little girls like to go. ".. to the playground?" he asked hopefully.
Saori saw him smile and she felt happy- it was always better when two people were happy than one person only! Then he asked her to go to the playground! She decided that he was her new best friend and she nodded, "If that's okay." Then she had a flash of insight, "Oh, wait, the bad people might chase you. Is it okay to go out to the city?" She didn't want him to get into trouble just because she was bored. It would be fun to play in the playground! Then her eyes narrowed in concentration, "But if people chase us I think I should get out of your way so you can telly-cheese them."
"Telly.. Oh," he mumbled to himself, frowning for a moment, "It's okay, you don't have to do anything... I mean, it's not like I can't fight without my powers. Besides, if you're away from me, how would I be able to protect you?" he prodded her, ruffling her already unmanigable hair. "Uhm... Do you happen to know where the park is..?" Nori recognized things by buildings... And he wasn't exactly familiar with where he was..
Saori grinned at him as he repeated her word, and was reassured. If he could fight without his powers then he must be strong and skilful! And he was offering to protect her. Her friend told her that when nice young men protected young ladies it was brave, like knights who fought a lot and helped people, and they were shiver-rus or something. So this young man was shiver-rus! Then he ruffled her uncontrollable hair and she giggled. She thought about where the park was and then nodded. "Yes, because we're in the slum maze, just about. If we go round the corner, left there," she gestured with her free hand to where she'd appeared from, "-and then we go along and turn left again, we come out into the street with the big buildings. From there we go right across and I think that's how we get to the park!" She finished, excited.
Nori found himself giggling too. "Well.. Alright! Let's go!" he shouted, picking the small girl up and placing her on his shoulders in a typical piggy-back position. As long as she didn't... Cover his eyes or anything, he figured that he should be okay. Giggling again, he ran to the end of the alley and made a sharp left, then paused. "Where do we go again..?" Nori wasn't very good at following directions. Maybe she could steer him like a horse. He grimaced at the idea...
Saori squealed as the young man picked her up, "Wheeeee!" She wrapped her arms around his neck carefully so as not to strangle him. "Yay, fun!" He was being nice and carrying her so her legs didn't get tired, "It's very shiver-rus of you to carry me, like a knight!" Then she squealed even more as her horse ran and turned, and her grip tightened a bit. She explained clearly, "You go down the alley and left again. Then you come out into the street and cross it, and the playground is somewhere there." She was careful not to lean on him too much because it might hurt him.
"Okay..." Following Saori's directions, he went down the alley and left again, then came out onto the street. Barely looking to see if there were any cars coming, he ran across the street, and then paused for a moment. "My name's Nori. What's yours?" he asked politely, giving his name first, before asking hers. He glanced upwards, meeting her bright blue eyes with equal enthusiasm.
Saori enjoyed the running, pretending she was riding a dragon. Then the man told her he was called Nori. It was a nice name! She answered lightly, "I'm Saori!" She could see that he was enthusiastic too and she couldn't wait to reach the playground. She could play with a new friend. Then she shifted slightly, "If I'm heavy you can put me down. I don't want to be heavy." She spoke thoughtfully.
"You're not heavy at all!" Nori reassured her. They finally made it to the playground!...As ratty as it was. The floor of it was covered in woodchips and dirt (so that any child that fell from one of the questionably antiquated playing equipment wouldn't be seriously hurt), a merry-go-round (which was push powered, obviously, there wasn't going to be an electronic one in the slums. The quality of this one was questionable as well...), and a set of swings (which, strangely, looked like they had just been installed). "So.. What do you want to do?"
Saori smiled brightly as she was reassured and they eventually reached the playground. It looked like fun! There were swings and a merry-go-round. The child thought and decided that she didn't want to get dizzy, and it wouldn't be any fun if Nori had to push her around. She gently leapt off him, sending some woodchips flying as she hit the ground and raced over to the swings. She climbed onto one and called her friend over, "Nori, Nori, let's swing together! I want to touch the sky!" Then she dangled her short legs over the swing, trying to get some momentum. Today was the best day ever!
That would be possible if I could use my telekinesis... Nori thought to himself, but quickly dismissed it. Swing together? Does that mean that she wanted him to push her, or to sit next to her on the swing. Nori was slightly surprised he didn't get tazed while piggy-backing her, but... He sat down on the swing next to her, and effortlessly went higher than her on his first thrust. Even though he was afraid of heights... He figured he would be okay. Turning his head for a moment, he smiled at Saori who was barely off the ground.
Saori nodded cheerily as Nori sat on the swing next to her. Then her face fell as he almost flew into the sky! She wiggled her legs and her whole body, trying to get some movement. She pouted jealously. It wasn't fair! Then she realised, "You're cheating because you can touch the ground with your feet. You're bigger than me so you have more muscles, and you can push harder!" Then she swung her legs more and the swing began to move. She found a rhythm and worked as hard as she could to gain momentum, "I can do it too! Finally!" Her jealousy forgotten, she concentrated on trying to touch the sky!
Nori's swing slowly swung to a halt. That was enough for today... he didn't need to swing anymore. Sliding off of the seat and standing for a few moments, he smiled wearily at Saori. It looked like she was actually getting some distance. "Do you want me to push you..?" he asked politely, afraid that if he just suddenly started doing it she would feel undermined or wak. Or inferior. All of these were undesirable. She deserved to be happy.
Saori watched Nori slow down and she felt bad. She hoped she hadn't discouraged him by calling him a cheat. She didn't mean it really, she just wanted to swing higher. Then Nori asked if she wanted him to push her. He looked a bit tired, and Saori frowned. "If you're tired you don't have to push me. It's not fair if you're tired! You can rest if you want." She kept swinging. She didn't want to make her friend more tired because that would not be nice of her. She smiled reassuringly at him.
"It's not that. Really! I'm fine!" Nori shouted happily, brightened up by the girl's smile. He moved to right behind her, and... Pushed! Saori immediately started going higher! Nori was giggling. Saori was light. By his fifth push, she was already almost parallel with the ground at the peak of her swing. "You can't actually touch the sky, Saori.." he warned her. No reason getting her hopes up for nothing.
Saori felt like she was flying! Nori was really strong! She couldn't help but squeal as she lifted off, higher and higher! Nori then warned her about the sky and she nodded, calling, "It would be dangerous! But look!" As she almost soared, she grabbed the swing's chain tight with one hand and reached out the other, pointing at a cloud. "I touched it!" As she flew back down to Earth, she grinned, caught hold of the other chain and craned her neck to look at Nori.
Thunk.
Nori's head snapped to the side, and he stopped pushing Saori. "Saori... Why don't you go play over there..?" he asked, pushing her lightly off the swing and towards a bush. Nori went off in the other direction, towards the noise. He was muttering something to himself, and his expression was grim.
Saori blinked as the swing slowed to a halt and Nori nudged her off of it. There was a noise. Was it an animal knocking over a trash can? Foxes did that in the slums sometimes. They also sometimes bit. She obediently went towards the bush and then pursed her lips. But if it was something dangerous, she should really go and help him...but if they didn't know she was there, she could jump out, surprise them and hit them first. She crawled into the bush clumsily and it rustled. Then she settled down in a crouch, watching Nori go. He looked worried...
Nori approached the corner of the playground cautiously, carefully walking towards it. As he reached it, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, then turned the corner. Immediately something cold and hard was pressed against his forehead. A gun. This one had brought a gun. "On the ground..." the man growled, and Nori complied immediately, laying stomach-down against the dirt floor.
Saori frowned as Nori vanished around the corner. If she couldn't see him, how could she know if he needed help? She extricated herself from the bush carefully, pleased that she hadn't made too much noise- it just sounded like the wind was making the bush rustle. Then she tiptoed across the playground. There was a building next to the playground, which meant that a wall obstructed vision. Pressing her back against the wall, she crouched down, straining her ears to hear if Nori was coming back yet. Then she thought that it would be bad to get in the way, and she measured out a few more feet before shuffling along the wall, making sure she was more than three feet away from the corner itself.
Nori couldn't stop himself from giggling. Everytime the man cocked the weapon he used his psychokinesis to un-cock it. It was funny, the man furiously flicking his thumb and taking aim, only to growl in frustration after a small click. He hoped Saori listened to him and stayed in the bush. If she got near him he'd be... well... dead. As the gun un-cocked itself for the umpteenth time, the man squeeled in frustration.
Saori frowned. She could hear lots of clicking. It didn't sound like shoes moving...but it didn't sound like someone attacking Nori. Then she caught his giggling and blinked. Was there something funny round the corner? Making sure she was outside of the range of her friend, she crept around the corner. Then her eyes widened. There was a man with a gun! She remained rooted to the spot, eyes wide with fear.
The man stomped on Nori's head. Nori got pissed. Playtime was over. Easily turning the gun around in the man's hand, he cocked it himself and fired several rounds into the man's chest. He collasped on the ground, dead. And Nori simply got up, left him there, and turned around. "Sa... Saori.." he mumbled. A witness? But it was Saori! Should he do something!? A migrain ensued from the conflicting emotions.
Saori found herself coming to her senses and glared at the man after he stomped on Nori's head- it was dangerous to hit someone on the head! But then...then...Nori suddenly took control of the gun and shot him and the man crumpled. It seemed that he hadn't noticed her until...he caught sight of her, mumbling her name. What was that look in his eyes? Saori's head drooped for a moment, hair covering her eyes.
"Instead of incapacitating him, you shot him just like that." Her voice had changed- it was cold and mature. "Perhaps I was being naive when I thought you were nice." She had seen a scene of disturbing violence, something triggering the part of her psyche she never normally used, a dark swamp of apathy at best, hatred at worst that was created by her tough childhood and the imprints left there by the emotions of power-users whom she had hit with her nullification. "Are you going to kill me now? Now I've seen that you're not all sweetness and light after all? I'd like to see you try!" She looked up sharply, her hair moving out of the way. Twin shards of ice stared at him like a bird of prey eyed their quarry.
"Saori... No.. I wouldn't. But..." Saori seemed more intellegent now, for no reason whatsoever. So, Nori would try to explain this in the clearest way possible. Avoiding her eyes which would paralyze him if he did meet them, he continued. "If I only incapacitated him, he would surely be back for more, or would have simply died anyway when he bled out. I did us both a favor; myself, because it eliminated a threat, and for him, because it didn't prolong his pain. And for you... because by being with me, and with you standing there like that, he may have killed you too." he finished, meeting her eyes finally. It was amazing. Strangely, the little girl was paralyzing him with fear. "And.. considering there's.." he swallowed, "a gun only a few feet away from me, I don't think you want to see me try.."
The suffering Saori had undergone, the overwhelming negativity and choking fear that she had felt when her powers were used had forced her to grow up quickly and get smart or die out. She listened to his explanation silently. Then she answered tonelessly, "We're all evil people. People believe that children are born as blank slates, but we all have bad blood. Because we're human." Then a challenge rang out, "I've learned how to get out of the way when people attack. If I have a head start, I have a chance or avoiding you and escaping." She still stared him down intensely, barely blinking.
"I don't really think I'd need the gun to kill a little girl." Nori stated, and suddenly grabbed Saori's long, untamed hair. "But really, I don't want to hurt you Saori... At all..." he pleaded. He didn't want the girl to go. She might tell someone--that wasn't the right train of thought. Saori shouldn't be alone in a world like this. "Do you want to kill me? If you think I'm such a bad person, then kill me!" he screamed, pulling her over to the body. The gun was within her reach. "Do it! C'mon!"
Saori hissed as a thousand needles stabbed her scalp- he was pulling her hair! She didn't resist as he dragged her over to the body. He was screaming now...was he mentally unstable? She extended her arm, wincing as she felt her scalp burn, and closed her fingers around the gun, managing to twist around and bring it to his chest. Her eyes weren't cold now- they were burning with hate. She hissed, "Let. Me. Go." Her fingers fumbled slightly before she cocked the weapon. "If you're the kind of scum who would attack a small child who has no real means of fighting back...the kind of scum who thinks a traumatised child exposed to violence is no more than a blabbermouth who will tell on you, then I will have nothing more to do with you. I don't want to propagate this spiral of violence, so if you let me go, I will throw away the weapon and leave." Then she added scornfully, "A normal child would probably so terrified that they would stop talking altogether."
Nori let go of Saori's hair... only to grab hold of her arm. "Please... I'm sorry.. don't leave.." he begged, seemingly not afraid of the gun that was pressed against his chest. "I'm sorry Saori, really... I don't want you to leave.." It wasn't even because he didn't want her to tell anyone; it was the prospect of being alone again. She was a nice girl! Sweet... Well, she was sweet, and smart enough.. Why would she leave..?
Saori found anger welling up in her heart as he let go and then grabbed her arm. At least he had the decency not to grab the one holding the weapon. She couldn't be around someone like this, who brought out the worst in her. She hated revealing this last true part of her! Her voice shook with a barely-suppressed temper as she accidentally prodded him with the gun. "Get...off. I'm giving you one last chance. I don't want to be around someone who would do this to a child."
"But... I'm not trying to do anything..! Please stay.." he begged for what would probably be the final time. Nori was stubborn. He wouldn't let her go. He was still clinging on to the childish fantasy that she might stay. "I'll do whatever you want! Really! I'll never use my powers or hurt anyone again! Just stay... please..! I want you to stay.." At this point, Nori was about to piss his pants. She was going to kill him, he was sure.
Saori was finding the begging, clingy attitude even more annoying. He wouldn't let go either...suddenly, in a fit of pique, she aimed it and squeezed the trigger-
The gun clicked harmlessly and Saori looked down at it, anger usurped by confusion. The gun didn't- it was out of bullets? Nori had fired it more than once...she stood motionless, unsure how to react to this.
The pressure on her wrist was gone. Nori had let go. She would've really killed him! She pulled the trigger! And it was obvious that she didn't know it wasn't loaded either, so she really would've have done it! Nori shivered as he imagined himself being pumped full of hot lead. He stared at the little girl; whom he hardly could identify as a little girl anymore, considering what she'd almost done, the way she'd been talking, even the look in her eyes... "If you want to go, then leave. I want to stay with you, but if you want to leave me, then I shouldn't force you to stay. You may leave. Tell anyone anything you wish. And I won't bother you any longer." he stated without flinching. Thunder sounded in the distance... It started to rain.
Saori watched Nori let go of her wrist numbly and shiver slightly as if considering something unpleasant. Suddenly she didn't want him to stare at her and she looked away suddenly. Then he spoke, telling her that she could leave. Then there was a rumble and she looked up, icy eyes melting. Pitter-patter. She blinked as her cheek felt wet. Was she crying? The sky was dark and overcast, and drops of rain fell upon her. She...she didn't know how to answer Nori. In a sudden fit of rage, she had been willing to do something stupid and irreversable. She had been willing to do exactly what she had been so angry and shocked at Nori for. Her wet hair fell over her face as she lowered her head. "...I'm a bad child." She spoke in a lighter voice, sounding somewhat normal.
Nori wasn't exactly sure how to respond. Normally, he'd let her keep talking, but right now she seemed to want a response. Suddenly and without warning, he hugged her. Actions speak louder than words, right? Hopefully she wouldn't think he was a pedofile or anything. "It's alright, okay? How about we get out of the rain now, and when it clears, we can go get some icecream~?" he suggested rather carelessly.
Saori's eyes widened as Nori hugged her. He...after she...he'd forgive her and hug her? Salty liquid mingled with the raindrops running down her cheeks. He sounded as if nothing had happened..."I...ice cream would b-be good..." She nodded and hugged him back. "I'm sorry..." she whispered. She'd been so horrible to him! Trails of saltwater marked her cheeks and she shook slightly.
Like it never happened... Except for the fact that she was still holiding the gun, and that there was a body decomposing right next to them. It didn't matter. Lifting her up, he placed her up on his shoulders so that her head was above his, and she could grab onto his head to steady herself. As long as she didn't cover his eyes, he figured he'd be okay. "Do you know where we could find shelter..?" he asked hopefully. The place he'd last slept was... undesirable.
In her confusion and then mental turmoil, Saori hadn't noticed that her knuckles were whitening, gripping the firearm in a death grip as if it was a piece of driftwood and she was drowning. As Nori plucked her from the ground and set her on his shoulders, she went to move her arms and noticed the glint of metal in her hand. Without a sound, she threw it as far as she could and it bounced off the wall with a metallic clang before skidding to land next to the body. She took a few minutes to compose herself before speaking, "We have a house. Back where we came from and then down a few side alleys."
"Alright!" Nori shouted, faking enthusiasm. While walking with Saori, Nori went into a long and drawn out discussion on why he hated cats. It was purely comical really, and he was only trying to take Saori's mind off of what just happened. "... and once, when I came home, there was a big cat turd in the middle of my shower!" He poked Saori's side in an attempt to get her to giggle. His footsteps slowed as he approached the alley they'd met in.
Saori smiled slightly as Nori shouted with enthusiasm. Maybe it was alright after all. Then as they were walking, he explained everything about why he hated cats. Saori didn't mind them, but she'd seen some scary ones going through piles of discarded waste in the slums. She pulled a face as he told her about the mess in the shower and then he poked her! She giggled because she was ticklish and then they reached the start, back where the day had begun. Saori smiled happily. They were getting closer to home!
Nori paused. "Uhm.. Where to now?" he asked, reaching up and tickling Saori non-stop. He was happy that she was happy.
Saori couldn't stop giggling and she could only force a few words out over her laughing, "Down the alley- hahaha...the next right turn!" She squirmed and almost fell from Nori's shoulders.
Nori caught her immediately and ceased the tickling. That was enough. He didn't need her falling off of his shoulders and snapping her neck, and then the cops would come and be all "You killed her!" and then he'd be all "I did not! It was an accident!" and then they'd bring him to jail and he'd probably kill himself because it's his fault a little girl fell off of him and--Nori stopped this train of thought. It wasn't a very pleasent one. "So.. Saori... How did you talk all... Smart before..?" he asked as he began to walk down the alley.
Saori exhaled with relief as Nori caught her. She didn't want to bump her head because you got nasty lumps and sometimes felt sick or dizzy. She reoriented herself and held her arms out for balance, making sure she didn't wobble again. As they started the trek down the alley, Nori asked a weird question...her freezing blue eyes looked up at the sky, voice wintry. "I think you're imagining things."
"N-No! You were speaking with intellegence! I almost started to feel inferior.." he protested, looking towards the ground. Maybe he should've just let it drop... Tiliting his head back so that if Saori looked down, they'd be seeing eye-to-eye, he awaited her response.
Saori turned her nose up disdainfully. "Inferiority is all in the mind." Then she felt herself shift slightly as Nori looked up. She kept her frigid eyes on the horizon, not allowing Nori to see her sharp gaze. This one was somewhat irritating...
"You're doing it again." he pointed out dully, turning the corner. "You know, there's no real reason not to act like that all the time, Saori. If you could keep that... hostility, you seem to be exhibiting on check, you could have quite a future. You could ditch the slums forever and never come back. And go for icecream whenever you want.." The last part was added in an attempt to lighten up the mood.
Saori stiffened when Nori turned the corner, commenting on her disposition. He thought that she should be this way permanently? That the dormant darkness and primal fears within her should bubble to the surface? That she should leave the wound open to fester? She was tired of being an adult with the demeanour of a child! She opened her mouth to snap back, but the word 'icecream' was enough to appeal to her temporarily-suppressed normality... "Ice cream...what flavour?" She asked curiously. Nori liked ice cream too? She hoped he did, because it was really nice and she couldn't imagine anyone who didn't like it.
Nori could see that he had gotten her mad with his talk about her acting like this all the time.. she still was a little girl. There was no reason for her to have to grow up so quickly. "Well, I usually like chocolate chip cookie dough! Because my favorite flavor is vanilla, and then I like chocolate, but the cookie dough is soooo gooooooood~! And then I also like ices, particularly the bubble gum flavor, but I eat the gum that they put in the ice, don't tell anyone..! Shhh!" said Nori.
Saori listened carefully as Nori told her his favourite flavours. He had a lot of them! She didn't like cookie dough because it was too plain, and she wrinkled her nose at it. Vanilla was plain too, but she didn't mind it...and ices, she forgot about ices! They were nice too...Saori frowned. "But if you eat gum doesn't it stick to your insides? It might be bad for you..." She worried, face troubled. She hadn't had ice cream in a long time, but she'd forgotten about it, so maybe it didn't matter...
"Oh, so you're too good for vanillla, is that it? You should learn how to appreciate the simple things," Nori said with fake dejectedness. "Besides~! When I take you for icecream, what are you going to get?" Nori stopped walking, bringing himself to a stop. Had they walked by the building..?
Saori blinked and then realised Nori was only playing, so she poked her tongue out at him. "Vanilla's booooring~" She replied cheekily, and then her features brightened as Nori mentioned going for icecream. Would he really go for icecream with her? That would be the best thing ever! She didn't know what to get though, because- "I like strawberry, but chocolate is so nice..." Nori drew to a halt and Saori looked around. "Oh, it's there!" She pointed at a dilapidated house that still had a roof, a door and four walls. It was more like a warehouse that had been converted for other use. It had a bit of furniture in, but not a lot. Chase still had to work to get money and buy more things...
Nori let Saori down off of his shoulders. It wasn't his home... he doubted it would really be okay to live there. If anything, he'd only be a burden.. Her friend was probably having enough trouble caring for Saori. He didn't need to be there. He wouldn't want him there. There would be no reason for him to stay. Walking Saori up to the door, he squatted down so that they were at eye-level. "Well, we'll see if tomorrow we could get you both. But for no, go inside, and get to sleep. I'll see you later, Saori." he stated sternly, standing straight up again. he would wait until she was safely inside, and then, he would leave.
Saori got down carefully, looking up at Nori. She wondered where he would go now. Chase tended to get all uptight and annoyed when she invited people to come in, but she didn't know why- Nori wasn't going to steal their chairs! It would probably be safer inside as soon as the sun went to sleep. Because all the nasty people came out at night, and Saori knew that was because it was dark and nobody could see them doing bad things without the streetlights that were in the main city. She asked curiously, "Where are you staying tonight?" She wasn't going to go inside until she knew he was safe too, even though he did promise iceream...
"I don't know... I was going to walk around a bit." said Nori non-chalantly, as if it didn't matter. He reached out and nudged Saori towards the door. "Go on. Get inside. I'll see you tomorrow." he promised. She was kinda short... Maybe she couldn't reach the doornob, and that was why she wasn't going in? But he didn't want to bring it to her attention... because then she might be upset.. And if he opened it for her, it might seem like he was going to come inside.
Saori frowned. Walk around a bit? Look what had happened last time he was walking around...she shuddered and suppressed the memory of a gun being cocked and uncocked. Then he nudged her towards the door. Sighing, she turned around with a grudging, "Yeah, see you tomorrow," and reached up, turning the doorknob and stepping into the makeshift dwelling. She then waved at him, intending to watch him go before closing the door.
Nori shifted slightly. That goodbye wasn't exactly.. friendly.. "Is something wrong..?" he asked slowly, tilting his head to the side. Maybe he should stay.. It wasn't right to leave a little girl alone in a house. She could get kidnapped or something! Still, it wasn't as if he was about to ask if he could stay there for the night. Considering Saori chose to tolerate him instead of... say.. killing him, he'd be wearing out his welcome by asking if he could actually live with her. Nori's gaze switched from Saori to the ground at her feet.
Saori frowned. Something was wrong- "If you go out after the sun sets all the nasty people come out and I don't want them to get you," She made a sad face as Nori looked down at the ground. He was her friend and she didn't want anything to happen to him, and the safest place at night was inside. Besides, there was a key to lock the door with so they could be safe, and there were no windows for bad people to break through, only thick walls. She asked again, "Are you going to stay tonight?"
"I mean, if it's no problem..!" Nori didn't want to seem overly-enthusiastic, but from the tone in his voice, he was obviously failing at hiding his happiness. A place to stay for the night! he woudn't have to sleep under a dumpster again, and then wash himself off in a public bathroom! That took hours. He looked off to the side, unable to meet Saori's eyes after making that semi-embarassing outburst.
Saori grinned- Nori sounded happy, so it was a good idea to invite him in! She blinked as Nori looked away, and then made a grand sweeping gesture to invite him in. "Come on!" She started to bounce on her heels, excited that she would have a friend to stay with. Sometimes Chase was away for days and she was alone. It was boring sometimes, and a bit scary, so she'd welcome Nori as a guest. Opening the door wide, she waited eagerly.
Stepping through the door nervously, Nori looked around. The place was... bare, but it wasn't as if he expected a little girl to be living by herself in a luxury condo. Still, it seemed like a nice place. Not dirty or ratty at all. "So this is where you live?" Nori asked, then mentally slapped himself for asking such a stupid question. Of course it was where she lived. How stupid could he be? Turning around, he waited for the answer Saori was obviously going to give.
Saori smiled and closed the door behind him, waiting until the latch clicked to turn back to the interior. Nori asked about the building and she replied, her eyes passing over the corrugated iron walls and the clean floor, "Yep! I live here. It was one big warehouse, but now it has some par...parts...partitions to make rooms. And some door-things!" She stepped further into the middle of the big room and explained, "There are bedrooms and this is the big main room. We have a bathroom, but we don't have stairs or an upstairs bit." Crossing the room, she sat down and sank into a beanbag that was strewn haphazardly around like the few other pieces of furniture. A lightbulb hung loosely from the ceiling. "The kitchen is through the door on the..." Saori had to look down at her hands and remember which one she wrote with, "...uh, the right! If you want some food. I think we have some." Somehow, the kitchen had been furnished with an oven, a fridge and a sink- someone skilled had managed to wire it and plumb it.
Food!? No way! Nori restrained himself from running over and raiding the fridge. "That's okay, it's your food.. I don't want to eat all of it..." Nori mumbled, his stomach obviously upset that Nori had denied an invitation to recieve food. But it was a little girl's food..! It wasn't like she had enough for two people; Nori doubted that her 'friend' predicted Saori bringing home a person. Was he a pet? Not like a cat. But for this little girl, was she considering him a pet? Would she pet him..? Nori actually thought that would feel kinda nice. Maybe he'd get all sleepy and dizzy like a pet... Nori stood there a moment, actually considering himself the girl's pet.
Saori felt bad when Nori mumbled that he didn't want to eat all of her foot. She could hear his tummy making a noise. She watched him stand silently and then went through the door to the right. She walked over to the refridgerator and pulled it open. She looked at everything in it, counting it, and nodded in approval. Chase must have filled it up again while she was out. Sometimes when he had his lunch break at wherever he worked, he would take the time to buy food for later. To the left of the fridge on a counter was a phone that Chase had "borrowed" from work and forgot to give back, which now served as their home phone. She reached up, just about grabbing it with her hand and looked at the screen. There was a message. She looked at it and it said about Chase working late, so he might not be home soon. She replaced it and came out of the kitchen and back to Nori, announcing matter-of-factly, "We have lots of food. I don't know how to use the oven but if you don't too, it's okay because we have some cold food." Chase usually remembered to get her some salads and sometimes even put leftover hot meals in the refridgerator if he wasn't home the next day. Waiting for a response, she looked at him expectantly.
Nori snapped out of his pet-daze long enough to respond. "I'm sorry.. I don't know how to cook at all." Nori stated sadly, distraught at the idea that he wouldn't be able to provide food for the little one. "Cold food would be nice." Nori smiled politely at Saori, hesitating in getting the food himself. It might seem rude for him to just walk over and get it... But he didn't want Saori to feel like she had done all the work.
Saori smiled, feeling slightly less embarrassed about not knowing how to cook. But Chase always grinned at her, flicked her forehead and said she was so small she could accidentally get into the oven and be cooked herself. She'd always pull a face in return, and he'd end on a serious note, 'As soon as you're a bit taller and older, I'll make you a master chef.' She mhm-ed and left him again with a pleasant smile, "I'm the host, you're the guest, I need to get the food!" She hurried into the kitchen, opened the fridge and rifled through the contents until she found some leftover soup. She hefted the bowl out of the fridge, tottering around and getting two smaller bowls to put it in. With bowls in her hands and spoons in her pockets, she carried it back through and put it on the coffee table by the seats. Then she took spoons from her jacket and put them on the table before helping herself. "Soup tastes cold nice if it's the right soup! Are you going to come and sit and eat too?" She sat in an armchair, waiting for Nori to make a move before she started eating. It was rude to start before everyone else was ready, she knew.
Nori sat down in a seat, taking the spoon and the bowl greedily. Barely using the spoon at all, he slurped and gulped down the soup, setting the bowl down with a loud clunk after licking it's insides for any surviving liquid. It took a moment for Nori to realize what he had done. "I'm sorry!" he said, leaning back into the chair. It was comfortable... he could fall asleep here... Nori was starting to imagine Saori petting him, once again.
Saori watched Nori gulp down the soup, slightly surprised. He must be really hungry! But when he said sorry, she copied him to make him feel better. Then she grinned at him, putting the bowl down. "I was hungry too." Then she curled up in her chair. "We can sleep now if you're tired. I'm...tired..." She raised a hand to her mouth and yawned. Within a few minutes, without realising, she was unconscious, drowsing in the chair. Today had been a tiring day for her and she was only little.
"Aww.." Nori said quietly, looking at little Saori sleep in the chair. She was so cute! Shakily getting out of the chair himself, he walked over, and picked her up in his arms, careful to move smoothly and quietly so as not ot disturb her. Then, he went to each room, opening each of the doors until he found a bed. Setting her down in it, her head on the pillow, he pulled the sheets over her and watched her for a moment. She really was cute! Sighing, he laid down on the floor and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was already asleep.
Saori twitched slightly as Nori lifted her, but continued to slumber peacefully as he put her in a bed and tucked her in. She curled up unconsciously again, sleeping heavily. She murmured occasionally, in the midst of confusing and varied dreams. If she had been awake, she would have scolded Nori for sleeping on the floor where the floor was hard and told him to sleep in another bed or in a chair if he really didn't like beds...
==The next day==
Nori twitched. He was used to sleeping on the floor... he'd slept in less comfortable places before. Besides, it wouldn't have been nice to leave Saori all alone in the room while he went somewhere else! It wasn't like he was sleeping on garbage! What was wrong with the floor? If anything, he'd only wake up a little sore. It seemed slightly warmer in the house as the morning sun rose... Nori grunted in his sleep.
Saori slowly roused from her sleep, eyes opening. She laid there for a few minutes before turning over and noticing the prone form of Nori on the floor, eyes widening. Then she remembered that she'd invited him to stay the night. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she listened for any noises that would signal the return of Chase. There was only silence. Climbing out of bed, she tiptoed around Nori and into the main room, sitting on an armchair to slowly wake up properly.