Other Fan Fiction ❯ Gifted Moon Spinoff ❯ The New Year ( Chapter 10 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Rinsi tugged at the hood of her parka. It was bitter cold outside, turning her nose pink, but she liked the cold, and the snow. She smiled to herself as she approached the building she had long since become familiar with a year ago, as she was a student trying to learn what to do with her new found powers. Only now, she was going to be teaching. She just hoped there would be less drama this year. She missed being roommates with Nakya, but she knew it was for the best anyway. It would be weird for the telepathic cat girl to be rooming with her literature teacher, especially now that she had a boyfriend in her life, as well as other classes that there would inevitably be.
As she trudged through the powdery snow on the ground, she had to restrain herself from stooping down to start building a snowman. The snow really liked to bring out the kid in her, and normally she would obey without hesitation, but right now she had to unpack once more, this time in an empty teachers dorm room. After that, she had to set up her class and get things in order. No doubt this would be a much busier year, but she was up to the task. She was only 22 but already had the skill and intelligence to teach high school literature. She could have taught any other class she wanted, but she thought it was fitting since she loved to read so much.
Rinsi tapped her boots clean of the snow that clung to them at the entrance to the school, smiling to herself, even though she still missed the presence of Cecil. The little guy/girl had grown on her, and even though s/he had long since gone back to his own world, refusing to return until she at least had a boyfriend, at times it was like s/he was still there. She had almost expected to hear him/her yell something excitedly about being back to school, seeing all of Rinsi's friends again, or diving into the snow and asking endless questions about it. She was disappointed when she didn't hear it, but still kept the smile on her face as she trudged down the halls towards her dorm room.
Ki'iro stepped out of the car his parents had dropped him off in. Raising his hand, he called shadows to open up the trunk. And flicking his wrist, they grabbed the bags that he had and put them onto the ground. He shivered softly in the snow, but his jacket kept him fairly warm. And once he turned to see the school again, his heart leapt. He was home. The feeling of this school gave him a sense of belongingness; it gave him a sense of hope. Ki'iro only hoped that maybe this year, he wouldn't hurt anybody again.
Then his phone rang.
"Kyra?" he asked out loud to himself. The car behind him had long since drove away.
"Hello?" he answered as he flipped open his phone.
"Ki'iro! Hey there!" the woman cooed over the phone. She had a melodic voice. "How are you babyyy?" She asked, extremely excited and happy.
"Kyra, we had a thing, but we aren't anything anymore. I told you that when I left. I'm sorry." he sighed heavily as he hung up the phone without another word.
As Rinsi was entering the building, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Turning to see who it was, her heart did flip flops. She wasn't sure whether to be happy, angry, anxious, sad, or whatever. The last time she had seen him, he was someone else who knew her, though she didn't know him. She just hoped he was back to himself this time.
"Ki'...iro?" she said questioningly, "Or...is it Kai?"
Stepping out of the cab that had pulled up in front of the school, Nakya stepped out, pulling her hood trimmed with fur up. The fur framed her face nicely, her now long blonde hair trailing out the sides. Humming, she pulled her knee length black trench coat tightly around her. This year was sure to be better. She grabbed the bags the cab driver had pulled out of the trunk for her and paid the man. Walking up the steps to the school, she passed a boy. He was so familiar and yet so different. Hearing his voice, she spun around, her hair forming a halo as it spun out. Watching him hang up the phone, she squealed.
"Ki'iro?!"
Forgetting how they had ended the last year, Nakya dropped her bags on the stairs, and ran down them towards Ki'iro.
"I was wondering if you were coming back! You look good! How are you feeling?!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around his neck.
Turning around, she ran up the stairs to pick up her bags. Seeing Rinsi, she squealed with excitement again. Pulling her old roommate into her arms, she gave her a huge hug.
"Cmon guys! It's cold!"
Pulling the front doors open, she waited for him to catch, and him to respond.
Ki'iro laughed as Nakya ran at him. He hugged her back softly and followed her inside, smiling as well when he saw Rinsi.
"Star!" he yelled happily.
His voice boomed through the halls. Ki'iro dropped his hold on his bags and ran up to Rinsi. He wrapped her into a tight hug and smiled again as he let her go and took a step away. He looked her up and down and smiled. She had grown up a bit.
"How are you Rinsi?" he asked curiously. "Did you have a good summer? What'd you do? Why do you have so many books?-"
He stopped and smiled again.
"Are you a teacher?" Ki'iro laughed softly at the thought. Looking around, he gasped slightly.
"Where's Cecil?" he worried.
Rinsi was knocked from her stupor when Nakya hugged her, completely derailing her quickly spiraling thoughts. She was glad for this, as she didn't like to be serious for too long. She hugged her past roommate back and got a good look at her. She really looked good! Her hair was nicely trimmed so that it flattered her, and her jacket was just as flattering.
"Nakya?! Wow! Glad to see you! You look great!" she said excitedly.
Hearing Ki'iro call her 'Star' again, she knew he was back to himself. Even though it didn't seem she could smile any wider, she did. She was glad to have him back!
"Woah, slow down there, cowboy. Yeah, I'm the literature teacher. Surprise! Er, Cecil went back to his world. I can't summon him again unless I have a boyfriend. S/he's being really stubborn about it."
Blushing at Rinsi's comment, she replied.
"I look good and I'm dangerous too!"
Seemingly pulling a dagger out of nowhere, Nakya winked at Rinsi as she balanced it by the tip of the blade on one finger. Tossing it in the air, she caught it and undid her jacket, revealing her new style and body. Forgetting that her friends hadn't seen her like this, she slipped out of her coat, draping it over one arm, and stuck her dagger back underneath her skirt.
"Has anyone seen Ichio?" she asked softly, looking around the halls.
"Woah, there, Tiger!" she said to Nakya as she seemed to show off, "Save the show for Ichio. Though, if I were into chicks I'd take you for myself."
Rinsi had said that last part with a wink. It was true. Nakya had...blossomed. A LOT. She was sure if Ichio was there, he'd pounce her and take her in a moment. And while Rinsi was as straight as they come, she was also the type who was not afraid to admit when someone of the same sex was attractive, and possibly even tease about it. She wasn't shy either. All her 'friends' knew that.
"Dangerous combination there. Good looks and being dangerous. You could get a lot of guys like that. They drool over you, and if they cross the line you don't even need that dagger to punish them. I'll fill you in on it later. Unfortunately, Ichio hasn't shown up yet." Rinsi said with a wink.
Ki'iro smiled softly. It seemed that they had all grown extensively. Rinsi was his teacher, Nakya had well, grown up. He looked her up and down, she had become extremely attractive. But he was over her, and wanted to put the past behind them.
"Nice tricks," he said with a smirk. Looking around the hall as well, he shook his head. "I haven't seen him yet, no. Sorry. Are you guys still a thing?" He asked, laughing as he thrust his hips as a joke.
Laughing softly at Rinsi's comments about her looks, she rolled her eyes. When she heard neither of them had seen Ichio yet, a small frown graced her lips for a moment, before she was smiling again. Gasping at Ki'iro's comment and 'gesture', she cuffed him lightly upside the head before replying softly.
"I think so, maybe.. I didn't hear from him much over the summer. We better be."
She folded her arms stubbornly, a bit of the old Nakya coming out.
"Oh! Did you guys see my tattoo?" she asked, pulling her skirt up a tiny bit so that it would be visible.
Bending down, she grabbed her bags, and began piling them against the wall. She grabbed a piece of gum and popped it into her mouth as she leaned against the wall, waiting for their answers.
Ki'iro just laughed as she hit him.
"Nice erm," he paused and gulped, "Tattoo."
She was just purely beautiful, and frankly, he hated it.
"It's cute. I hope you and Ichio are still together," he said with a sincere smile.
"Oh, what a scandalous one it is!" Rinsi said, laughing, "Tell ya what, whether or not you guys are together, if you show Ichio your new looks and tattoo the way you showed us, he'd be all over you like white on rice. Hey, better have enough for the whole class!"
Rinsi was really joking about the gum. She couldn't resist such a remark. She was already having a great time, and she hadn't even gotten things set up yet! Such it was when she was with her friends. As soon as their backs were turned, Rinsi squatted and scooped up some snow, forming it into a loosely packed ball before launching it at Nakya.
"Thanks Ki'iro." she said with a wink.
Grinning at Rinsi, she blew a large bubble, before sucking it back into her mouth.
"So did you guys have a good sum—AIYEE!" Nakya screamed the last of her question as a snowball hit her. Turning to face Rinsi, she grinned evilly.
"Oh really now?" she asked, a teasing tone to her voice.
Flicking her hand, a perfectly formed snowball began floating. Snapping her fingers, it went flying towards Rinsi.
"Did I mention I have more control over my water manipulation now? And you all know how snow is just frozen water." Nakya began laughing as she ran over and hid behind Ki'iro. Exclaiming dramatically, she grabbed his arm. "Save me Ki'iro!"
"Oh?" Rinsi said, scooping up another ball of snow after brushing the snow off her jacket from the ball that had nailed her, "I was wondering what that comment was about last year about you needing water. I didn't know you could control it. Well, that makes for a more interesting snowball fight!"
Not really caring who she hit, she formed another ball and threw it at Nakya again. Even if it did hit Ki'iro, at least it wouldn't hurt. She had made sure the ball was loosely packed, so it would explode on impact without inflicting pain. There would be a tickle at most, aside from a little snow clinging to the impact area.
Ki'iro chuckled as Nakya ran behind him.
"I'll save you!" he said all heroically. He put his arms out and stared at Rinsi.
"You'll have to go through me first evil fiend!"
Suddenly, a ball of wet sludge hit in in the face. Laughing, he grabbed Nakya and pushed her in front of him.
"Save me Nakya!"
Laughing at Ki'iro, she watched as he got hit in the face. When he pulled her in front of him, she rolled her eyes.
"My hero." she said sarcastically.
Flicking both hands, four snowballs rose. As Nakya snapped, they all went flying at Rinsi.
"Of course I can dear!" she exclaimed, laughing softly.
Shivering slightly, she pulled her jacket back on, being sure to do it up and pull up the hood. She went to take a step forward and slipped, momentarily losing her balance. She grabbed onto Ki'iro's arm for support.
"Thanks Ki'iro!" she said once again with a wink before running off to hide in some nearby trees.
Rinsi had dodged this time, though barely. She could feel the cold of the wind and the snow as it whizzed past her ear and landed helplessly in the snow behind her. She had seen Nakya shiver, and figured this girl wasn't as accustomed to the cold as she was.
"Well, that was fun." she said, laughing at both of them, "Let's head inside. We all have unpacking to do anyway."
Ki'iro flicked his hand up, forming a shadow wall around himself. He quickly darted behind a wall and hid there.
"Guys! Let's go inside! It's freaking cold out here!" he said, calling from behind it.
He stood up and walked out with his hands up in submission.
"It's cold," he repeated as he made his way over towards his bags.
Seeing that the fighting had already stopped, he raised a hand, causing a shadow to grab a hold of his bags.
"Sure! Save the good protection for yourself." She said, mock sarcasm in Nakya's voice.
Hearing they were going inside, Nakya let out a sigh of relief, her air forming a cloud in front of her face. Running carefully, or so she thought, she moved towards her bags. Stepping on a slippery patch, she slipped and landed on her butt before somehow flipping over backwards, landing in the cold snow. Nakya lifted her head, a very unsatisfied look on her face and snowflakes in her hair.
"Did I mention I hate snow?!" she exclaimed, grumbling as she stood up, brushing as much snow as possible from her clothes.
Rinsi burst out in a guffaw of laughter at the cute and funny display. Clearly Nakya wasn't used to the snow, which was odd for a girl who is supposed to be hydrokinetic. She grabbed her sides, doubling over as she laughed, but didn't dare point. That would just be insulting. It took a moment, but once she got herself under control, she walked up to Nakya and offered her hand.
"Come on, clumsy. Let's go inside."
Ki'iro ran over to Nakya as she fell over.
"Are you okay, Nakya?" he asked, stifling a smile.
Seeing her get up, he shrugged and went back to his bags. She was a big girl now, she could take care of herself. When he said "big" girl, he definitely meant "big" girl. Especially in...certain areas. A soft blush crept up to his face as he thought about her. Shaking his head, he headed inside, shadows carrying his bags behind him. As he pushed the door open, the warmth of the halls rushed to his snow-soaked body.
Ki'iro headed towards his dorm, dragging Nakya with him. He intertwined his fingers with hers and flicked his other hand to raise shadows to carry Nakya's bags for her. They walked in silence, his socks squished with every step he took, given they were soaking wet. Walking up the same flight of stairs they had walked up many times before, he smiled as they reached her dorm room. So much had gone on here last year, he wanted to forget the majority of it, sadly. He took her key and opened the door for her. With his free hand, he moved her bags into her room.
"I'll see you in a bit, Nakya." he said softly as he let go of her hand.
He walked down the silent hallway towards his own dorm room which was only one room away. Placing his bags down on the floor, he once again, began unpacking.
Rinsi watched as Ki'iro decided to be the gentleman and assist Nakya to her dorm room. She stood back and watched, smiling. She was so glad to see everyone, to see how they'd grown over the summer! Both Ki'iro and Nakya were looking great.
Rinsi turned when she heard a car door open and shut behind her. There was a new girl to the school. She looked like she was American, and apparently a fashion girl, given how many bags she had. That was fine. Rinsi was a fashion girl herself, though she was a bit more practical. Rinsi smiled and walked up to her.
"Hi there!" she said cheerfully, "What's your name?"
After introducing herself to the new girl, Rinsi had dismissed herself to her own dorm. It was much more spacious than her dorm as a student, which was a good thing. She would need the extra space as a teacher, mostly for grading and storing papers. As she expected, all her bags were on her bed. They had been delivered the day before and were waiting for her to unload them.
Unpacking took about an hour or so, but most of that was because she had a lot of stuff to hang up. Not a lot of her stuff could withstand being in a drawer without getting horribly wrinkled. She even took time to get her laptop set up on her desk. That didn't take much, except she had to find an outlet for the adapter, and that was a bit of a pain. Mooney had begged her for food half way through, so there was time for that as well.
Now Rinsi was wondering down the halls towards her classroom. She still had yet to get the room set up, even though she had the books from the library carried in there before her arrival. As she opened the door, the air still a bit musty from not being used over the summer, she found the books for class stacked on her desk. The desks had been wiped off from the thin film of dust they had gathered, and the board was freshly washed. The floor was freshly cleaned and waxed, too. Even her Grecian sandals squeaked softly on the floor beneath her as she wondered towards her desk. The bright yellow skirt from her dress she was so famous for wearing most of the time nearly trailed to the floor as it was, but it was so clean she didn't have to worry about getting her dress dirty. She began leafing through the stack of books, making sure each book was what she had ordered, and that each book was in satisfactory condition.
Suddenly she realized she was not alone. She turned, and was somehow not surprised to find Outai standing behind her. As had been the norm throughout the summer, Mooney was not with her. The last she knew, Mooney spent the summer training Nakya, and had apparently done a good job. Now it was just Outai, sitting casually at one of the desks, her hands folded and rested on top of the desk itself.
"My, my, from student to teacher in a mere season. I really am happy for you, you know, and at the same time, I'm not surprised. Just don't forget that you still have lessons, so you will be quite the busy little girl this year."
"Yes, I know." Rinsi said casually as she sifted through the stack of books on her own desk. She still had a lot of work to do to get rid of that block she had for Gates of Heaven. Everything else had turned out fine except that spell.
Suddenly the door opened quietly, and just as quietly shut a moment later. Rinsi could hear the footsteps of someone who wasn't wearing shoes, and knew who it was.
"Long time no see, Mooney. You've done a great job with Nakya." she said cheerfully.
"Hey, she takes credit for that. I saw that little snowball fight you two had." he said playfully.
Mooney looked around the room, and quickly found his target. He had sensed his mistress in the school grounds, and had come looking for her. Finding Rinsi as well was like killing two birds with one stone, as he wished to visit with her and touch base. But his main goal was Outai, and he didn't waste a minute in running up to her, changing into his cat form on the way, and jumping into her arms. "Outai!"
"It's good to see you too, my friend." Outai said calmly as she cuddled the cat in her arms.
If Rinsi hadn't known better, she would have taken that tone for cooing, but that was beyond this woman. Anything aside from anger and the outward serenity she showed at all times - plus a few occasions of praise, sadness, and what Rinsi thought might have been joy, but she wasn't sure - was impossible for this woman for some reason. She smiled to herself and cocked an eyebrow playfully.
"Do you want me to leave the room so you two can have some privacy?" she said playfully.
"You may be a teacher here, child," Outai said sharply, "but you are still my student."
"Relax, Outai," Mooney said cheerfully, "Rinsi was just joking around. You of all people know this. Besides, I wouldn't mind a little privacy anyway." he said playfully.
"You keep that up and I'll drop you where I stand."
"Eek! Okay, I'm sorry!"
"Really, Outai," Rinsi said with an exhasperated sigh, "Learn to take a joke. You'll enjoy life more for it."
"There's nothing left in this life to enjoy." Outai said solemnly as she set Mooney on the floor and stood. "Your classes don't start for a few more days, so meet me at the usual place and time."
Before Rinsi could say or do anything, Outai left the room, leaving her to frown at the woman's back, and give Mooney a puzzled look. Meanwhile, Mooney turned back to his neko form, and was staring after her with a frustration in his eyes that she had not seen just yet. Then again, she hadn't seen much of him at all.
"What was that about?" she asked.
"Bah! She's too hung up on the past. To her, life is all business, and that's that. That's how she is. But I wish she would lighten up and see the good things she has."
"You mean like yourself?"
Now it was Mooney's turn to give her a puzzled look.
"You know, you're too smart for your own good."
"Perhaps, but sometimes it's useful. A tip from a woman? Give her some time and space."
"I already have. I've given her millenia of time. Guess old dogs don't really learn new tricks. Even when you spell it out for them."
"Well, don't give up. With how awesome you are, you'll have her turned around in no time." Rinsi said with a wink, hoping that would cheer him up a bit. It wasn't like him to stay upset. He was just too playful for that.
"I keep hoping." he said seriously, heaving a frustrated sigh. "Good luck on your classes." he said as he turned to leave the room.
"Just don't give up Mooney. She must know how good you are, to stay with her for so long, or she would have gotten rid of you by now." Rinsi said as he left the room.
Rinsi had just finished setting up her class room and had finished putting the assigned reading material on each desk. Now she was on her way out of her classroom. Everything was all ready to go, she just needed to get the class agenda for the semester printed up. She could do that, later, though. She already had the file prepared on her computer anyway, and would send the file to the office printer later to be printed. For now, she was hungry. No, hungry wasn't a strong enough word. She had missed breakfast, and had not even had so much as a snack since then. No, she was ravenous. She was on her way down the hall towards the cafeteria when she spotted Ki'iro leaving his dorm room. This was perfect for her, as she had something she wanted to talk to him about anyway. She smiled and waved him over, inviting him to follow her to the cafeteria.
Ki'iro still headed over to Rinsi, even though there was another girl present. He smiled softly and bowed as he saw her.
"Hello Miss," he said simply.
Moving so he could stand next to Rinsi, he just listened to the conversation.
"Ki'iro, I have something I want to talk to you about later. Is that okay?" Rinsi asked, a smile still plastered on her face, but mostly for the comfort of the new girl. "For now, shall we all head to the cafeteria? I don't know about you guys, but I think my stomach is about to consume itself."
Ki'iro nodded in agreement, his eyes looking at the girl. His gaze was hidden by the fringe of his hair that fell over his eyes.
"Agreed," he said simply.
He could tell that something was off with Star. Ki'iro flicked his head, pushing the hair away from his eyes. His skin seemed to have gotten a lot paler from last year. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets and looked back at the girl again.
"Ki'iro," he said.
Nakya followed Ki'iro up the stairs silently. She remembered how many times they had made that trip in the past, and how it had all eventually ended. It seemed Ki'iro had forgiven her though. When they reached her dorm room, she watched as Ki'iro opened her door, and sent her bags in. Nodding when he said he'd see her later, Nakya walked into her room. She hoped her roommate would be as nice as Rinsi was. Unpacking her things, she quickly put everything away and hung her coat up. Fixing her hair and straightening her dress in the mirror, she walked out the door, and locked it behind her. Making her way into the hall, she saw Ki'iro stand beside Rinsi. She was happy for her friends. There was something else though... she couldn't tell what it was, but she didn't like it. Walking past the group of three, she smiled brightly.
"I'll race you to the cafeteria!"
Throwing the door open, she slid down the railings. Hitting the ground floor, she ran to the cafeteria. Over the summer, she had quit eating meat, it made her feel gross. Grabbing a plate, she loaded it up with fruits and veggies before sitting by herself at a table.
"Where is Ichio?" she asked herself softly.
"See you there, Rinsi!" Ki'iro called as he raced after Nakya who had fled down the stairs.
His feet flew softly across the tile as he ran. Skidding into the cafeteria, he got a bowl of french onion soup - without the cheese of course. He stood next to Nakya and cleared his throat.
"May I sit?" he asked politely. Ki'iro waited for her response.
"Since when do you need to ask?"
Wrapping her tail around his wrist, she moved him closer to the table gently, so he wouldn't spill, then let go.
"Be my guest."
Nakya looked around quickly before grabbing a strawberry and taking a bite. A bit of strawberry juice ran down her lip, and she quickly licked it off.
"The strawberries are good this year. How was your summer?"
Nakya quickly looked Ki'iro over, not trying to hide it. He definitely grew up, matured some by the looks and sound of it. Taking another bite of her strawberry, she let her thoughts wander a bit, but not too much so she could still catch Ki'iro's answer.
Ki'iro laughed uneasily and sat next to her, he began slurping his soup.
"Strawberries are almost always really good. Now blueberries, you have to watch out for those." he laughed softly at his knowledge of fruits.
"My summer? I stayed by myself most of the summer. Studying and reading and such. My parents just wanted me gone all summer, which was fun. Had a-" he cut himself off. Did he really want to tell Nakya about his fling with a girl? Sighing softly, he continued with his story. "Had a good time with some friends of mine. Forgetting about all the drama and things that happened last year, which was interesting. Kai's gone." he said simply.
He didn't really want to talk about what happened with Kai right now. Sighing again, he slurped another spoonful of soup.
"You don't have to sit beside me you know, if it makes you uncomfortable. I promise I won't surprise you with a kiss or bite you." she said, hearing Ki'iro's nervous laugh.
A small smile graced her lips. She heard the hesitation in his voice, and wondered what he was about to say, but did not say.
"I will go into your mind Ki'iro, if you don't tell me the truth. You know that."
Hearing him bring up the drama that happened last year, and knowing she had caused pretty much all of it, she replied softly.
"Yeah, listen. I didn't get to apologize for that last year. I'm really sorry. I though--"
Seeing Rinsi and the new girl walk in, Nakya shrugged it off and began paying attention to her food again.
"I'm glad Kai's gone. I was always so frightened when he was there and you weren't. But then again, I was pretty emotional and all over last year." Nakya let out a strained laugh before returning to eating.
Ki'iro sighed softly, it wasn't worth it. Keeping secrets from his friends was not a good way to start the year. Taking a final slurp of his soup, he turned to face Nakya.
"I had a fling with a girl," he said flatly. There was no emotion in his voice, he didn't really want to talk about her.
"Yeah, I guess. What's on the menu?"

Rinsi saw Nakya and Ki'iro an waved to them. Deciding it would be best for Candice to make more friends anyway, she sat with them, sitting across from the two of them. She sat and began to dig into her food.
"So, how was your guys' summer?"
Nakya looked at Ki'iro and kept a neutral face
'He had a fling with a girl? Of course he did. What were you thinking Nakya. He's over you and you're over him.' she thought.
"Sounds like fun. Here eat this." she said, lifting a kiwi to his mouth.
Waiting for him to answer, she began humming again, while picking up a slice of pear and putting it in her mouth. Looking down at her plate, she realized she had nothing left. After Ki'iro took the kiwi from her, she grabbed his plate and hers and took them to the kitchen quickly. Returning, she smiled down at him.
"My summer was eventful." she said, not wanting to go into too many details.
No longer was Nakya content to just sit still. She needed to be doing something.
"I need to go do something. I'll see you guys later."
Hoping she wasn't being rude, she turned to walk away.
"Oh, and I haven't talked to Ichio in over a month, if you see him, tell him I'm wandering around?"
Admitting that, a pained expression crossed Nakya's face briefly before she chased it away as she walked out the cafeteria doors.
"Nakya, I-"his voice was cut short. "Sure, I'll let him know you were looking for him."
Ki'iro forced a smile. He was supposed to be over her. Ki'iro just sighed again and looked over at Rinsi. He winced at the stench of her chicken. "Poor thing..." he said under his breath. "My summer was uneventful." he said plainly.
Rinsi had a bite of chicken stir-fry half way to her mouth when she noticed Ki'iro's change of expression. She set her fork down, ashamed of herself for forgetting that Ki'iro was sensitive about animals.
"S-sorry." she muttered, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
Ki'iro shrugged softly at Rinsi's reaction.
"No really, it's fine. It's your decision, I keep to mine." He said.