Courtyard (South)

[4_yo_info]

"Well...obviously you know what fire is then. I'll tell you now, you need to forget everything you ever knew about fire...because look at that." he said this as they metwith the gate of the Courtyard, and he pointed at his tree. His Burning Tree. This tree was on fire with the same flame that had protected Kana and him when she was injured, the same flame that had helped her wounds heal cleaner and faster. This was the same flame but on a tree. He continued to walk at the same pace, though he had become lost in his memories of his first Burning Tree, and did not pay attention to her. When he arrived though he looked up and down the tree, content with the tree he had chosen for it was another young oak. He looked at her and smiled, in his own silence as he could not find words to explain his tree any further. He had given it a proper introduction, or a worthy one if that word fits better. Now he watched for her reaction, noticing it and examining her expression the entire time.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana walked alongside him happily, a slight bounce in her step as her tail flicked quickly around behind her. She nodded at his first words, but blinked when he told her to forget everything. She looked up at him curiously, a little confused. Why would she have to forget? But then her eyes followed to where he was pointing, and widened in surprise. "W-wow!" she cried suddenly, clapping her hands together. She'd stopped in her initial alarm, but hastened after him once more as she saw he was continuing forward. The whole time her eyes remained upon the tree, looking both shocked and amazed at the same time. How was it that the tree itself was not burning? But then again, she hadn't been burned either when encased in it. She glanced down at herself and then nodded her head. Yep, she had not been burned. She stopped about four feet away from it, swaying very slightly in place as she clasped her hands behind her back, staring openly at the amazing firey tree.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri blinked a few times, and while she was staring at it in awe he grabbbed a bag that was sitting on the branch of the tree and out of it got his hoody. He took of his shirt and put that on instead, he did not want to layer, but did not want to go around without a shirt on either-he'd simply grabbed the first thing he felt. Once it was on though he puled himself up in the tree nd looked down at her. "You want up?" he asked it very politely, as if he were inviting her up into his own home-which this looked hardly like it could be home to someone. It was not the strongest looking tree, a young oak tree never really did look very strong, but by the time Yuri's Black Flame's Die out, the trees will have lived their lives and Yuri's death will have come after they'd reached their final beauty. He did not tell her how the flame did what it did, he probably would not tell very many people that in his life time, but it might become obvious for one reason or another...for when he dies and the flames die out, the trees ill become proof of his death-for their flames feed off of his life energy. There was so much that could be done with the Black Flame, and this was only made possible by how he fed the Flame. It did not feed off of oxygen, as most fire does...which is why you will never see the flame die out-even a small one-without his letting it or his life coming to an end. This was simply a place for him to stay for now...otherwise he probably would not be so quick to trust her with access to it.  

[Ze Batman]

Katie looked around to find a place to rest her legs, after a very long walk. She sat crossed legged on the grass, under a tree and looked up at the blue sky, she smiled. She put down her bag next to her, took out her iPod and bopped her head to the music. She looked around to see lots of students talking to each other and getting to know each other. She thought maybe she should talk to her schoolmates, to make new friends, at least maybe she wouldn't feel that lonely then. She flicked her brown hair, and it glimmered in the light. She put her iPod away, got her bag and stood up. Katie straightened out her skirt and sorted out her hair, she had to make a good first impression. She looked around to look for someone to talk to. She started to walk up to people and waved at them and smiling. They smiled back at her. Katie felt much more part of the school now.
 

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana blinked several times, snapping herself out of her thoughts and daze as she focused again upon Yuri. Her ears twitched as she took in his words in an almost delayed reaction, stared at him blankly for a moment, and then her eyes widened in awe. "I... I can come up?" she breathed, completely amazed. She stared at him in wonder, eyes practically sparkling in excitement. She took a small step forward, but then stopped again, watching the tree curiously. Could she climb it? Or would it burn her if she tried? She stared up at him again, blinking a couple times. She really had no idea how to go about climbing up the tree. She knew the flame from earlier hadn't harmed her, but she wasn't sure about this time. The situation was different.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri nodded and smiled. "Of course you can...it's perfectly safe too. So just come on up if you want..." he said this and then offered his hand to her to help her up if she needed him to. He was happy to have someone visiting his tree, though he would not show her the inside of his tree yet, he knew already that when the time did come he would be ready to let her get her own room there if she wanted. The first thing he would do if they ever did go on the inside of the tree would be to offer it to her as a place that she might stay. Right now though he was mre focused on getting the gil into the tree with him first. She would have to understand that it was safe before she would even allow herself to be led inside of the tree, and even after she truste the flame walking inside of a tree like it was nothing did not usually seem the most appealing thing to a person. It does not normally look like it owuld be a portal to an alternate dimensional tree that was the same but at the same time different. Explaining it would be difficult, but he was sure she would not understand so he doubted he would try and explain it...he even confused himself with talk about his burning trees sometimes.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana stared up at Yuri for a second, and then smiled happily. "Ok!" she cried, her tail flicking excitedly behind her as she extended her hand to accept his. She moved hesitantly though, and first her grip was very light, but it tightened as she actually began to pull herself upwards. Her eyes darted around the entire time she moved upwards into the tree, first staring at the flame and following it in its random flickering movements. She was still smiling though, quite broadly with her fangs obviously showing. She was absolutely amazed by this tree. How could he do something like this, and having it encased but not burning? "...do you always have it lit?" she asked aloud, looking back at him. She settled down upon a branch right by his so she could easily hear him. It had appeared to be already aflame when they'd arrived, so she thought it probably was.. but she wasn't sure.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri nodded and smiled. "Yes, it is always lit. It will always stay lit too, until I die. This is because the Black Flame that has set it to fire is a flame that feeds off of my life energy instead of oxygen. There's a lot to my Black Flame that is really odd even to me...I'm not really sure how I created it anymore. But the day this tree does not burn is the day that I am truly dead." he said this, and though it was a gloomysubject he contniued to smile. It was a good feeling having someone else in the flame with him as he sat on one of the branches of his own personal tree. The uniqueness of this tree was what made him like it so much. There were no two oaks that looked exactly alike, and there are no trees other than his that are set to fire and survive it for more than maybe a few hours. His tree here had been lit for a couple months...as for his tree at home, it had been lit for at least 15 years now. And there was nothing that threatened it burning out anytime soon. It was the only contact he had with hishome and the only way that they know whether or not he is alive...whether or not they can still look to him for help if they need it.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana's eyes had started wandering around the tree again, but jerked back to him as he spoke. They widened slightly as she stared for a few seconds. "D-die?" she cried, louder than necessary and unable to keep back a stammer. Even if he was still smiling, that didn't mean se was able to. "If it's your life energy... then does it drain you to keep it lit?" She watched him anxiously, wondering if that was the case. Though, if it was, he must be insanely strong. Even though she'd been in a sort of daze while it'd happened, she still had seen his attack on Suka. Come to think of it... was Suka alright? She'd seen him standing though, so she assumed he was. She breathed out slowly, closing her eyes for a second before looking back at Yuri for an answer. Also, now that she knew this tree would apparently burn out when he died, she'd be checking it pretty often, most likely, just to make sure he was ok.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri thought about it for a moment...he'd never actually payed attention but the flame that kept the both of his trees lit did drain him of the energy that it fed off of..."Yes...I guess they both drain me a little. But it's okay, I've never had any problem with it..." he double checked himself, trying to remember if ever he had been handicapped by his flame being lit...he came up with nothing. Yuri shrugged. He couldn't think of anyhting else to say for a while though so he just sat there quietly, and then grabbed out of one of the bags near him the parchment that had been written on by Shadow. They were the parchments that he had to get Kerei to light so that he could see what they said. Shadow'd come over under the alias Makoto and Yuri had ifgured out that he was the one planning to do something then. But he had been too late when not more than a day or two later he sprung into action. Just as Yuri was about to figure everything out, Shadow decided he'd wasted too much time and on the day Yuri completed the puzzle Shadow killed his mother and his Aunt. He sighed a bit as he read over the parchments a couple of times and then handed them both to Kana. "Those were one of the useless clues that almost helped me keep my Mother alive..." he said this, though from the context of the writing on the parchment...it was pretty obvious that they had been the explanation of the beginning of blue-prints for a murder conspiracy. He decided he'd change the subject...but by the time he figured out what he was going to change it to he had alreay handed that to her and possibly started another one.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana stared at him, blinking a couple times as he answered about the trees. Though when he said they'd never caused him trouble before, she let herself relax slightly. She turned to stare around the tree once more, hand gripping two branches while she sat on a third. Her legs hung down over the edge, swinging lightly back and forth. She allowed herself to smile now as she ran her right hand over one of the branches, seeing the flame but not really feeling it, which was a relief. It wouldn't be very pleasant to sit here feeling like you were on fire. She turned back to Yuri as he held out the papers, and accepted them carefully. Her eyes scanned them as she sat in silence, ears perking as he mentioned what they were. Her eyes widened very slightly now, noting what the papers said, and she bit her lip nervously. She didn't know why he was showing her, but she didn't protest. She didn't really have a reason to. So she continued staring at them before she glanced back up at Yuri, but kept quiet. She didn't know what to say to something like this either.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri waited until she was finished reading them to say anything else. "There were other clues...I don't know why I grabbed this one but I don't think I want to go through such memories as that right now. Everything I've ever owned is in this small tree right now...that's why I still have this with me." Yuri got quiet again afterward and thought to himself for a moment before again changing the subject. "What all did you bring with you up here to Ria?" he asked this in a very quiet voice as he looked to her again. It was odd having someone to talk to, when compared to the way he had been spending his time at Ria up to that point. He created a sword of the Black Blade when he was here and would not have been able to had he not been alone. There were definitely benefits to being alone, as for having a companion there was not much that could actually be said to argue that there were downfalls to it at all. Though there were and it was most of the time obvious. With a companion there were less things that could get done, if they did not work with you, and with a companion there was sometimes conflict. With conflict came unhappiness and with that would come the need for finding a new companion. If there were no companion to begin with then there would be none of the previously mentioned events and there would never be a need for replacement. There would neveer have been something to replace.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana tilted her head slightly, listening to him speak, but deciding to move on as well once he changed the subject. She smiled faintly, offering him the papers again. "I brought some clothes, but I don't have a lot," she said softly. "And I brought this..." Her fingers curled around her locket as she continued smiling at Yuri. She hadn't told anyone what was inside it, but since Yuri had actually met the person, she thought it didn't matter anymore. "It has pictures of my parents," she continued with a nod of her head. "So this way they're always with me... And I have other pictures, in my dorm room." She paused again, to think to herself for a moment. "I think that's all I brought." Everything else she owned was back home, but there wasn't anything of value left. She was afraid someone would try to steal something, so she only left a couple random things. Otherwise there were the normal things, like silverware. They didn't have a TV though... She glanced back at Yuri and then looked up at the sky, staring through the leaves above them as she rested her back against the tree trunk. It was strange, but she seemed perfectly comfortable and at ease while sitting up in this flaming tree.  

[4_yo_info]

Yuri nodded and took his papers when she handed them back, setting them on the top oif his bag where he had found them. He listened to her and when she began to talk about her locket he listened closer. He had nothing left of either of his parents, except for his father's pearl item. The item that once belonged to his father had caused him nothing but troublt though so it was hard to actually count it as one. He had carried the item around with him everywhere, and when he dropped it and it rolled during a human school assembly he ended up meeting and becoming one with the Grim Reaper. His whole life was flipped upside down and turned inside out after that...instead of being the most boring and insufficiently unsatisfying life that anyone could wish for it became one of the most time consuming and action-filled lives. Everything changed because of the item, and though with the small amount of happiness that came with the change there was a lot of emotional pain, the little happiness had until recently been sufficient enough to let the item be a treasure to him. But now, as life begins to slow down again for him...the item seems yet again near worthless. "Do you ever wonder if things happen for a reason?" he asked this to start a new conversation that might lead them out of the area...for whatever reason.  

[Krazy Kaori]

Kana gazed up at the sky for a couple seconds longer, just listening to the silence. Then her eyes shifted towards one of the flames, watching in a sort of trance like daze as it flickered around in random motion. Her ears twitched and she looked back to Yuri as he spoke, her head tilted very slightly again. She watched him for a moment, and then frowned slightly as she looked directly at a branch her hand was resting upon. "Um..." she began uncertainly. "I'm not... sure... I don't see any reason for my parents dying." She stared for a while longer at that branch, and then blinked as she turned and looked at Yuri. "Do you think it does? Maybe there was a reason, and I just didn't realize it..." She fell to thinking to herself for a moment, frowning in concentration. A ton of stuff had happened to her since coming here, good and bad. If her mom had not died, then she wouldn't have come in the first place. Then, if she hadn't met an injured guy and helped him to his room, she wouldn't have met Koichi and Kazan and Kaze, and wouldn't have gotten to visit their family. She shifted slightly in place, tail winding around the branch she was seated upon. And if Suka hadn't attacked her, then she might not have met Yuri, and probably wouldn't even be here right now. But was there a reason behind all this? She wasn't sure...