Morning Star

"Yeah..." He murmured quietly, ignoring her fingers twirling the delicate strand of hair around her fingers. "Though knowing myself I will probably trip and rip the stiching out." He sighed, knowing his inner clutz was continuously trying to maim him in any way possible.

--

Falling face first into the sand, Aidan sighed in content, burying his arms under the warm surfeace the cool, damp grain sticking to his arms. "It's nice." He noted to himself, pressing himself further down into the sand.

Saki paused. "Don't speak like that. Besides, I'm pretty sure there's a doctor around her somewhere..." Her voice trailed off, face becoming puzzled. Shaking her head she continued to play with Luka's hair. No, no. It's not just because... Saki stopped herself in mid-thought, refusing to think that way.

--

Ikumi finally caught up with the boy, panting even though she needed no air. "Having fun?" She laughed. Ikumi breathed in the sea air... It was nice and brought back many memories of when she was alive. "Aidan, if you think the sand's good, you should try the water!" She bounded off towards the water line, placing her feet hesitantly in the water. It wasn't cold but it wasn't exactly warm either. She rolled up her trousers so that they rested above her knees and ventured forward.

With a quiet sigh, he relaxed into the gentle touch.
"Not trying to think like that...it just comes out." He smiled lazily, the movements of the strands against the nape of his neck forcing him to shiver gently at the sensation.

--

"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand." He grinned, voice muffled into the grainy substance, he seemed intent on burying himself in the stuff, digging deeper until just his back was visible, wriggling slightly to try and cover more.

Saki shook her head laughing. "Keep thinking like that and I might just have to bite you," she whispered playfully into his ear. She took Luka's hands in her own and pressed a fang against his delicate skin. "You know I'm not kidding... Right?"

--

Ikumi bent low and gathered some wet sand from the sea-bed and crept up towards Aidan. She dropped it, water flying from the sand and the ball of congealed sand exploding. "Gotcha," she called into the sand.

Luka shivered quietly, nodding as the skin on the end of his finger split, a droplet of blood dribbling down the digit, falling to the wooden floor with a gentle splash. "I'm just clumsy...abnormally so. Can't help it if my subconscious is determined to kill me you know."

--

Aidan pushed himself out the sand as the wet mass hit his back. Brushing the grains out of his hair he looked up at Ikumi, serious pout settling on his face. "That was mean." He stated, biting his lip as the water trailed along his spine. "If I go in, will you keep your wet sand to yourself?"

Saki frowned, embracing Luka tightly. "Pessimist," she mumbled into his chest. "I guess," she sighed, "I'm just going to have to look after you then."
Saki released the male and sat on the edge of the bed, a smile upon her face. "More trouble than you're worth..." She gave a dramatic sigh and looked back at him.

--

Ikumi laughed softly, brushing sand off of her hands. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. Only one way to find out!"
Ikumi ran quick to the waterline gathering some wet sand. "You'd better hurry!" She called, a cruel smile upon her face.

"If I'm so much trouble then why are you here?" Luka retorted with a smirk. Laying back properly he laced his fingers together. The room was small and comfortable but not enough to distract from the searing pain in his stomach.

--

Aidan shrieked and dashed into the water. He stopped in his tracks as the water swirled around his ankles.

Saki looked down at him, a look of sheer disbelief. "Have you been paying no attention? The reason I am still here, still by your side, is because I love you, you idiot!" She lent down and pressed her lips gently against Luka's. "I love you Luka. It'll always be that way." She ran her hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly.
Smiling, she stood. "Time to go have a bath, I think!" Slipping out of the room, she left Luka to rest, in hope he might sleep.

--

Ikumi sighed, looking out towards the horizon. "The water's great, huh?" She looked at Aidan, her lips stretched into a wide smile. "I still can't believe you've never been to a beach!"

Luka rolled his eyes, settling into the pillow, drifting off to sleep after a few minutes, although the searing in his stomach refused to lessen to more than a dull ache.

--

"Well now I have." He told her, water swirling around his ankles. With a smile, he sat down, drumming his fingers on the surface of the liquid with content. "I like it here. It's nice."

Ikumi placed a hand in the child's hair, ruffling it. "It's even better when you have the beach to yourself. There's no one to disturb you or the water. It gets better than that also!" Ikumi laughed softly, wandering further into the water until it reached her hips. She turned to face Aidan, a smile on her face as she fell backwards into the water. After a moment of being submerged beneath the sea, Ikumi floated to the surface, the salt keeping her afloat. She looked up to the sky, small cushions of white floating across the blue sky. Her eyes closed as she inhaled the scent of the sea. It was something she had always loved.

Sitting quietly in the water, Aidan drummed his fingers over the waves, watching the smooth ripples disappear as the water gently lapped at the shore, diminishing into white froth as it touched the sand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saki emerged from the bathroom, her hair dripping wet. She looked over at Luka, only to find him sleeping. "Aww," she breathed as she took up her clothing. "Hm, I need some clean clothes," she whispered as she dressed herself. She wrapped the towel around her head and left her hair to dry as her fingers played lightly in Luka's hair.

Luka shifted slightly, whining uneasily in his sleep. Turning onto his side, he flinched as the stitches in his chest stretched, the skin around them moving with them. Luka stirred slightly at the pain. "Hnhh...s'early." He murmured, burying his head under the pillow, not wanting to move.

Saki's face turned soft as she lent down to place a kiss against Luka's forehead. "Go back to sleep, my love. You've not slept nearly enough! Now come on, off with ye!" She smiled, smoothing Luka's hair from his face, attempting to sooth the male into sleep.

Luka yawned, sitting up. "No point. Sun's coming through and markets getting up for the day." He sighed, ignoring the slight twinge in his chest. Running his fingers though his hair, he manoeuvred himself on top of the covers, pressing his cheek to the cool stone wall, ignoring the screams for more fish outside. "I'll get up, try and walk and stuff." He murmured.

Saki left Luka to do as he would. It would do no good for her to try and stop him, so she went to her belongings and began to search for any loose coins she had. She found few but she hoped it would be enough to buy some clean clothing and possibly a pinch of food. "Do you think I'll need more?" She held out her small handful of coins to Luka so he could count the amount she had found.

Luka looked down into her hand and suppressed a snicker. The market was an expensive place and living costs had increased a lot and despite never having much need for coin before he could tell she would struggle trying to get her desired items. "Yeah. A lot more. For some bread it costs..." He reached into her palm and took a couple of the gilded coins out. "That much."

Saki groaned desperately. "Damn... I don't know how we're supposed to feed ourselves and these clothes are filthy." She picked at her clothes with disgust on her face. When she had lived alone, a rogue vampire, she had never been at a loss of clean clothing or food. Mostly she stole the clothing of the humans she killed and of course, the blood kept her fed. Her new lifestyle had prevented her from having those luxuries, all of the time.
"Well, bread it is! I don't think we'll be staying here too much longer and a little food for the road won't hurt," she smiled.

"Your clothes will last for ages yet, don't fret away money on things that can be washed." Luka reminded her, climbing out of bed with a soft groan, clutching his stomach. "Head down towards the docks. You can always get things cheaper directly from the traders. They just want to get out of here and sail again. They're only here to make money so they can live at sea a bit longer."

Saki smiled, pocketing her coins. "Thank you. I'll head down there now. I can't see Mother wanting to stay here long," she paused, thinking about what she had just said. "Actually, we could be here a little longer than I thought. There's a beach. If there's one thing my Mother loved during her life, it was beaches. No doubt she's there now," Saki laughed softly before leaning down and pressing her lips gently against Luka's forehead. "I'll see you in a bit. Be careful, okay?"

--

Amaya had dried off and dressed herself by the time she emerged from the bathroom. "That feels a whole lot better," she murmured, flicking her soaked hair at Kai. She looked him up and down, inspecting the dirt smeared across his face. "You could use a bath too," she laughed. Walking to the door she turned to look at Kai, who was rubbing his hand over his arms where water had fallen. "Kai, I'm going to go and see Ex. While I'm gone, you might get rid of that dirt on your face." A cheeky smile curled her lips as she slid behind the door and left the room.

Luka flashed her a grin, stretching his arms above his head, flashing his bandaged stomach. "When have I ever not been careful?" He grinned innocently, reaching for his change of clothes., his own sticking to his with a mixture of dirt and bodily fluids.

--

Exuro laid quietly on the cobbled ground outside having wound himself around Caliga's legs, head resting on his criss-crossed paws. He glanced up at the underbelly of the horse as she nickered softly, Exuro let out a small laugh. "Yeah, still, clothes are expensive." He murmured, letting out a loud yawn, a soft whine escaping afterwards.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Saki murmured as she left the room. She was wary of leaving Luka alone but she knew it wouldn't do her well to worry. He'll be fine, a voice in the back of her head constantly kept saying as she found her way into the streets. She looked left and right, trying to deduce which direction would take her to the trading market the quickest. Saki could feel someone watching her and her eyes scanned the small crowd that had already gathered in the town.
"You orite there, love?" A male, with a heavy accent, placed a hand on her shoulder; he regretted it immediately. Saki took his hand instinctively and twisted it around his back, her lips almost touching his bare neck; it reminded her of the times where she killed humans on impulse.
"Do not touch me," she snarled, her fangs almost protruding from beneath her lips. The male, who Saki still held, began to shake with fear, a light sheen of sweat sitting atop his skin.
"I-I-I was only making sure you were okay... You looked lost," he muttered.

Exuro padded up behind Saki, gravel falling out of the way as his paws spread across the cobbled floor. "You know, attacking innocent civilians draws attention to you." He told her, standing on his hind legs, knocking her hands away. "People here aren't like those in the city. They will offer you help if they think you're in some form of trouble. Don't act rashly."

Saki blinked a few times, her eyes fixed on the male she had attacked. "I- I'm sorry," she stuttered, her hands falling to her sides. "Please, I didn't mean to act so irrationally." She looked Exuro in the eyes, her own watering slightly. "I swear I didn't mean to," she whimpered.
The male she had attacked looked at her with wide, frightened eyes. "It okay, miss," he muttered as he wrung his hands together. "I guess you just aint used to this sort o' life?" His lips curled into a nervous smile.
Saki hung her head. "No, I'm from the city and I'm usually very wary of strangers. I hope you can forgive me?"
The male began to nod when something struck in his mind. His eyes snapped to Exuro and widened. "Y- you can talk?!"

Exuro glanced up at him, lips curling behind his teeth in a wicked smile. "Of course I can talk. Every animal can. You just never bothered to learn our language." He retorted, thick tail curling around his body. "Typical humans." He snorted in derision, standing back up. "Need to get moving, stalls close soon."