The Land of Tea: Welcome Home Haruka (Shizuke)

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka quickly wept under her eye to keep away the few tears that were coming. "Yeah... i would hope so... nothing like my stupid father..." she said quietly.
"And i'm sure that your father did love you, Yuo." she said, looking over to him, smiling. "Maybe he just had a different way of showing it." she turned back to look at the items. There were so many, too many to go through all of them today.
"Let's just look at one more thing..." she suggested. "I mean... we'll have plenty of time to look at all of it. If we take it home." she smiled.

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

Yuo smiled back a bit.
"Maybe." he agreed.
"Alright, one more thing, what should it be?" he asked.
"There's so much to choose from." he said, kissing Haruka's cheek.
"We'll have plenty of time back at home. We'll have days on end, especially if you come over to my place again to stay over a bit." he said.
"And we also have later today, and tomorrow, and until we leave here at least." he said.

I slipped off the bed and limped down the stairs. I just hoped that Haruka wouldn't kill me for going out to see Breezer.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka grinned and nodded, turning back down to the look around. There was a box that caught her eye, and so she picked it up. It was wooden, and had the words 'Dear Diary' branded onto the front. She opened it carefully, only to find more pictures, as well as a few small items. Pulling the first picture off the top she quirked her head. "Grandma and grandpa?" she guessed aloud. She had not seen them in ten years, yet she could still guess who they were.
She sifted again through the box. There was a picture of her as a young child in a hospital bed. That one she recalled. "That's i think when i had to get stitches after i hit my head on a drawer handle..." she told him. "I slid on the stomach into it..." she continued through the boxk.

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

"How did you slid into it?" Yuo asked, confused.
"I mean, I've done some pretty crazy things that people wouldn't understand. But sliding into a drawer handle?" Yuo asked.
"Unless somebody picked you up and threw you across the floor like you were a rag doll, or you were fooling around pretending to be a penguin, there no possible way of sliding into it." Yuo said.

I came downstairs all the way and limped over to where Haruka and Yuo were.
"I'm going to bring a few salt cubes to Breezer. I told him I'd bring him some after the storm had passed."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Haruka looked at him and stuck her tongue out. "I was running to give my mom a hug, who was in the kitchen. In the process of running, i slipped on my socks, slid on my stomach into the drawer and..." she thumped the front of her forehead. "Wack... I had five stitches..." she told him in a very matter-of-fact way.
She turned her attention back to the the box, pulling out a couple of sea shells. She did not recognize them, but she figured it was something she and her siter had picked up when their family had gone to Nagi Island, no more than 50 miles from there. "These must be from one of our trips out to Nagi..." she murmured.

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

I shrugged. Neither of them seemed to hear me. I just turned and walked out the back door in my bare feet, ok, almost bare feet. I limped as quickly as possible without killing my ankle.

Yuo chuckled.
"That must've hurt." he said.
"Nagi?" he asked.
"I think I've heard of it. But personally I've never been there." he said, looking at the shells.
"Those shells look really nice." he said.
"Anything else in here?" he asked. Yuo had been so focused on Haruka, and not enough attention to me when I had spoken. Yuo smiled happily.

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Breezer with lazily walking in circles in his stall. He was just dying to go out for a walk, being as Ling had not taken him riding since they had gone as escorts, or sorts, with Shizuke and the other girl on Daizy May and April.

Haruka rolled her eyes, "No... really?" she answered him sarcastically, a smug smirk addorned on her face. "Anyway... yeah Nagi Island... It's used for that stupid race in the other town just up from here, where Renga's being hospitalized." she told him. "They run the race to see which family will have control of the town for the next four years... it's dumb but it's a cool vacations spot." she smiled.
She looked down at the box. "Just pictures... most of them are just second copies of the ones in the photo album..." she closed it. "But i don't see anything else of great interest..."

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

I limped over to the barn and opened the door, slipping inside and shutting the door behind me. I limped over to Breezers stall and extended my hand out with the salt cubes.
"Breezer-kun?" I asked.

Yuo nodded.
"Ok, so, I guess that means we have to go get Riiko out of the hole now?" he asked, sighing as he stood up. He brushed a stray hair from his face and held his hand out to Haruka.
"We don't have to, I'm sure she can hang on a few more minutes." he chuckled.
"But she'd just despise us."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Breezer turned to be greeted by the face of the young girl that had been visiting him over the past few days. He nuzzled her hand gently with his nose before he licked up a salt cube from her hand thankfully. He let it desolve on his tongue this time, savoring it, rather than chewing it up like her usually did.

Haruka sighe taking his hand to pull herself up as well. "Well... we don't... have to..." she said, rubbing the back of her neck. "We could just... sit around for awhile... like we were before..." she swallowed. "Besides, i'm certain she already despises me, maybe you too..." she shrugged, uncertain of what his answer would be. She had liked sitting they way they had been on the couch before. It would be very nice if they could.

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

I giggled as he licked the salt cube from my hand. His tongue has brushed against my hand and it felt wierd.
"I can't stay for long Breezer. I sort of hurt my ankle and Haruka will be extremely upset if I stand on it for too long." I said.

A big grin flashed across Yuo's face.
"Or we could go and watch her suffer?" he suggested.
"Like sit atop one of the trees nearby and watch as she struggles." he chuckled.
"Then we can sit together for a little bit longer before we absolutely have to get her."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Breezer whinnied, looking over the edge of his stall to her foot before he nodded his head up and down in understanding. He nudged his nose against her hand to show that he was ready for another salt cube. His other one had lasted quite awhile.

Haruka looked at Yuo in surprise. "Yuo... that's... evil... again..." she shook her head. "I don't think that would be right... it sounds tempting... but no... i don't think so..." she sighed, looking towards the door. "Nevermind, lets just go and get her out so we can get it over with." she kept her hold on his hand and walked towards the door. "I really think that's best..." Lie. She just wanted to sit around awhile.

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

I smiled and held another salt cube out to Breezer.
"Haruka was already upset that I had gone to help Haruhi with the laundry. She freaked out and started unwrapping my ankle, it was fine until she touched it." I said.
"Do you want me to go get Ling after I leave so he can take you out for a bit?" I asked.

Yuo sighed.
"Fine." he said.
"I would much prefer to watch her suffer though. It would serve her right." he said.
"But if we must get her out then come back and laze around, it's fine."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Breezer licked up another cube of salt and gave a soft neigh as she chewed on it. His ears perched up as she spoke about the Haruka girl. Didn't he know her from somewhere? He could not recall.
He nodded his head up and down as she mentioned grabbing Ling. He would love so much to just go for a walk for awhile.

Haruka sighed as they walked out the door. "Yuo, just because she deserves it, which she does, doesn't make it right..." she told him, not looking back to see his face. "Two wrongs don't make a right..."

[Shizuke Tsukiyama]

I giggled again. The feel of Breezer's tongue was just so wierd! I smiled.
"Ok, I'll go get Ling after I'm done here." I said.
"But I'm going to sit here for a bit." I said as I hopped up onto Breezer's stall door to sit there.
"I don't need my ankle killing me anymore."

"I know, I know." Yuo said, sighing as he hurried to catch up with Haruka.
"But still, I know somewhere deep down you'd love to watch her be stuck there and in pain." he said.
"You hate her too."

[Haruka Kunimitsu]

Breezer kept his eyes on her as she lept up to sit on the edge of his stall. He was wary of her the entire time she was there, not wishing for her to be injured worse by falling off. He was prepared to grab her by her shirt with his teeth if he needed to. To maintain this 'task' so to speak, he kept his head close to her, ready for anything sudden.

Haruka laughed once without humor. "Honestly, yes. I would love to watch her suffer... but then i put myself in her possition and.., well..." she trailed off for a moment as she finally turned back to look at him, her pace slowling slightly. "It would make me feel awful. If you've every had anyone watch her suffer in pain, you would understand that's its cruel. Even Riiko doesn't deserve that."