A Bitter Sweet Escape [Haikyo/Invite only][NR]

Beautiful mountains. Just like those on the main land. So reminiscent of the cold mountains he had grown up in... The mountains that he had learned about his culture, the mountains that he had met his elders... Where he had met his beautiful blue flower...

Even after all this time, the wound still felt fresh. Nothing was worth it any more. No. The once vibrant new green spring shoots, the crimson red song birds, the crystal blue waters... All grey. That was all his world had been ever since Hana had faded. His passion, his compassion... His drive for anything... Just gone. Utterly voided by her loss. She had been half of his soul. He had not known what love, joy or pure bliss had felt like until he had met her. He had not known what absolute rage, utter emotional desolation or the feeling of agonizing loneliness had felt like until she was gone.

The beach, though warm, was too crowded for his tastes, mucked up with the revolting smells of humans, demons and everything in between. No... Right now he needed somewhere he could lament, somewhere he could just take up space without being harassed by nosey tourists constantly. A place to think without the prying eyes of psychics, a place for him to brood over his innermost personal thoughts.

He wasn't running away to cry, no, his ability to cry had withered in the long time he had gone without his partner. He only cried when the memories of her were thrown back into his face, and even then, he only let himself sob when he was alone. He was supposed to be some big strong tough guardian. Some amazing creature because he was male, and that was what men did. They repressed their emotions and pretended like things didn't bother them. They were supposed to be made of metal, supposed to protect the ones they cared for.

He had failed in that part. He had not been able to protect his dear sweet Hana, nor his unborn child. No. He had failed them both, even if Hana's spirit wasn't upset with him. He was upset at himself for her. If he had only been faster... If he had only been smarter or stronger... Maybe... Just maybe he could have saved her. But he had been weak, only aged ten and seven years by human standards. He was still an small pint sized hatchling compared to the elders that had taught him.

So there he sat. On a wide ledge over looking a large part of the island. Someone that didn't share his grief might have even called the view beautiful. He sat here, left leg hanging over the edge, the other pulled up close to his chest, his chin resting on it. Today he was wearing baggy black pants and a loose fitting green edged white kimono top. Green and white had always been Hana's favourite colours... They had become his favourite as well; his absolute favourite would always remain as that vibrant cobalt blue of her hair...

Sighing he shifted his left arm, letting his hand rest on his left knee.

"I put one foot in front of the other... I don't need a new love, or a new life... just a better place to die..."

The tune started out soft that she sang as she climbed, in ways that humans would never dare without all sorts of equipment and guides, and ropes. But not her. No, not her at all. She was going hand over hand, foot over foot. Right up the cliffs edge.

"Happiness stumbled upon a chapel last night... and I can't help but back up when I think of what happens inside..."

Higher and higher she went, her black top that hung from her left shoulder covered in the dirt and dust from the cliff's face, as were the black shorts she wore. Her feet were suffering worst of all, small lines of dried blood remained upon them, while the cuts and scrapes were all but distant memories.

"I got friends locked in boxes, that's no way to live. What you're calling a sin isn't up to them, after all, after all I thought we were all your children...."

The breeze picked up as she climbed higher, blowing her slightly longer than shoulder length black hair in her face for a moment. Glancing up to see a leg hanging over the side only about twenty feet above her she shifted her form sideways slightly, wanting to avoid accidentally bumping into whoever was up above her. However, she continued to sing her song and climb.

"So I'll die for my own sins, thanks a lot! We'll rise up ourselves, thanks for nothing at all. So up off the ground, our forefather's are nothing but dust now..."

She reached the top finally, hands grabbing a hold of roots and grass to pull herself up the rest of the way. Sure she could have flown up, could have even hiked up, but no... that climb had put a large smile on her face, a smile that remained as she rolled over on her back and stared upwards at the sky above.

Singing... He could hear a soft singing on the breeze... Damn two-legged-no-horns couldn't leave him alone... He wasn't even in his original form... No, he looked more human... Well, aside from his pointed ears, slanted eyes and eyebrows...

Hadn't they stolen enough away from him? Hadn't they broken him down and hurt him enough? Now they were climbing up the mountain face to steal away his quiet time, his solitude. What unspeakable crime had he committed to urge light into punishing him like this? Why? Why was he to be tormented? He almost groaned in displeasure.

Right now he was spiritually withdrawn, his natural ability to feel the auras of other living things contracted so that he would not be disturbed on the mental level. He needed this time to think to himself. He needed his alone time.

Then he smelt something familiar... It was the scent of that phoenix girl from the beach, the one that that disgusting demon wanted to 'play' with... Play. Yeah. Re'yoak had been around long enough to know that the demon was most likely planning to molest, rape or otherwise harm the young looking girl. He shuddered outwardly. Pitiful demons. Only seeking to inflict strife and pain on others. He had his own inner 'demons' to deal with.

The girl had been apparently free climbing the mountain beneath him. For how long she had climbed, he had not a clue. Something about sins was sang... Sin. A funny term, a strange and morbidly ironic way from humans to blame others... A pathetic excuse for murdering innocent people. The corrupt church of the humans. The two-legs always were egotistical. Seeking ways to climb up the ladder of their society, not caring who they hurt in their drive to the top. If they didn't like someone? "Fuck them, they're a witch! Kill them! Burn them!"

Stupid insolent pathetic crumbling humans.

They had stolen her from him with that reasoning. Witch. Witch! HA! LIES! FOOLERY! Tricks played over the weak minded sheep that made up the general populace!

Sighing he cracked a single liquid emerald green eye open to look at the female, who was now on the ledge next to him, smelling like earth, fire, blood and something else familiar... He had found out that she was a phoenix on the beach... but something about her energy still felt... strangely comforting in a somewhat awkward manner. She made him feel like he wasn't so alone. At least, on the energy level.

A mountain breeze ruffled his long locks of liquid oil raven locks. His hair came all the way down his back, stopping at the base of his spine. It was a mane to say the least.

"Hello lady phoenix." His voice was deep, rich... Lush but tinged with a slight wisdom that bespoke of sorrow.

Her singing ceased and the breeze picked up. From up here everything felt and smelled wonderful. It was a place not many of the humans bothered to go: it was too high and too hard to get to. Which of course made it lovely to her even more. It was... untainted... by their scent. Then again, they smelled a lot better than the Demon she had had to deal with earlier smelled. Even though the Demon had been turned to ash she could still remember that potent horrible smell.

Words being spoken to her caused her fire filled gaze to turn onto the male next to her. The wind changed direction and it brought his scent to her nose. It was familiar, to say the least. He smelled exactly as that dragon had done on the beach. A friendly smile instantly formed across her face, but for the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to actually sit up. Comfortable nature was comfortable.

"Hello, there! I was hoping I'd run into you somewhere before I left the island. I've never met another Dragon before... well, I'm not technically completely a Dragon as you seem to know... " She quieted, mind flashing back to memories she wouldn't otherwise have known if she hadn't broken into that specific lab, found that specific folder, and read it all... God, sometimes she wished she could forget most of the information she had found out: not that she had a problem being half Dragon half Phoenix, but the other stuff... it bothered her.

She gave herself a mental shake, keeping her friendly smile right where it was. The past was the past, she knew that, and she knew that there was nothing she could do to change it: so there was no point dwelling on it and ruining her own good mood. "Anyway, what's your name? Mine's Haikyo."

His left eyebrow raised up, beautiful dark green eyes, eyes that had a vibrantly bright orange cat ring around the pupil looked upon the girl that was sprawled, lying on the ground next to him. She began to speak... Saying that she hoped to run into him before she left. She'd never met another dragon, yea-

Wait what?

She was part... Now it all made sense. Why she made him feel not so alone on the energy level. It made sense now... They shared some sort of racial background, natural empathetic reactions could detect things like that. He knew a member of his race when he saw one... He had just been so distant from everything, even his own kind, for over one thousand, eight hundred and seventy-two years he had been withdrawn from his race. Recently he'd only been in close contact with humans and the other two-legged-no-horns...

But... Here was someone else of his race... If he could remember how to hug... He might have embraced her, but he didn't. He didn't know her like that... She might not take kindly to the sudden intrusion of her body's personal space either... Besides the last of his race that he had talked to? The last member of his race that he had embraced or touched in any sort of way? Hana... His dear sweet blue flower... His soul mate...

His gaze snapped away from her as he exhaled sharply. Not alone... Not so alone any more... But... Do I want to make a friend? Do I want to grow as close as a friend to this person? No... No more pain... I can not handle more pain if this girl dies... But... Something within him longed, yearned for someone, anyone to call a friend, someone else to related to even in the smallest amount... It had been so long since he had talked to another of his race. Such a long amount of lonely tormented time... He didn't know how he felt...

No. He knew exactly how he felt. Relieved, in a strange way. Now he had someone to talk to, someone that he wasn't contracted to tell everything, someone of his race, someone that he didn't have to bow down and take orders from...

Relief.

A flicker of ghost of a smile shadowed on the corners of his lips, a slight smile, barely visible. "My name is Re'yoak. If you can't roll the 'R', you can just call me Ray, or Oak."

Haikyo smiled and nodded, before focusing her fire filled gaze back up to the darkening sky. It was peaceful as could be at the top of the mountain, and she loathed the fact that eventually she would have to go back down to the beach, or leave the island completely. She hated the cold and confinement that made up most cities, but this place.. this place was like a little piece of Heaven on earth.

She yawned softly and sat up, shaking her head slightly as if trying to get a leaf or something unstuck. After a moment from the roots to ends her hair began to change color: going from black to red. Once all of her black hair had been changed it then began to grow out, becoming incredibly long. When the whole process was finished, something that took only about ten or so seconds, she reached up, placing her hair into a ponytail.

"There, much better...", she said with a grin, preferring the red as it was closer to her natural colorings. "So, do you live on this island or do you come from somewhere else?"

Name: Tri Form:

Did she just...? Her hair had just changed colours... Hmmm... Maybe she knew how to shift just like he did. Of course, this peaked his interest of her even more. A half dragon, half phoenix that could shift? The being half dragon already made him somewhat partial to her, more trusting if you will. So long since he'd talked to anyone of his race...

Was he awkward?



Maybe.


The girl-Haikyo, had sat up and was pulling back long crimson and orange locks of hair. They were vibrant in his world of grey. Only the brightest of colours really forced him to pay attention, and red was a natural trigger, a colour that naturally cried for attention, just as the colours orange and yellow. They were colours that shot out, capturing most people's eye. Red, blue, purple, orange, yellow and green worked like that for him, just colours that he was drawn too.

She grinned, asking, "So, do you live on this island or do you come from somewhere else?"

"No, I do not live here. I reside in the city of Shinkai Shigai. I'm only here because my contract owner is here at the moment doing something or another with the Boss of Sagure. What city do you live in? If you live in a city that is." If he had a choice, he wouldn't be around any of these cities. He much preferred the wild, what had been left untouched by man that was, were he could just let his instincts take over. A place were he didn't have to walk around, crammed into a human's guise all the time. It was no life.